Letter Bee

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation Roleplay

Thinking of this just off the bat I get one idea. Would you be opposed to say a Papal States that consumed/vassalised/allied Tuscany during the 1840s so as to have a fighting chance against the Italian unification the goal being to beat back and unify Italy behind the Pope?

@PPQ Purple

Would there be a reasonable Point of Divergence for that? I am not sure that Austria would allow Tuscany to be annexed or vassalized by anyone...

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation Roleplay

Formal Application - The Sultanate of Egypt:

Hider

Government

Name: Sultanate of Egypt

Flag/Badge:


Head of State: Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha
Head of Government: Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha
Ideology: Conservative.

Military

Army Numbers: 75,000 - 80,000 (After Point of Divergence.)

Navy Numbers: (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers. Also, if you have multiple fleets, list each one's ships seperately, do not bunch them up).

Mediterrenean Fleet (After Point of Divergence):

-8 Ships of the Line
-20 Frigates
-30 Corvettes
-10 Schooners
-20 Brigantines

Red Sea Fleet (After Point of Divergence):

- 3 Ships of the Line
- 8 Frigates
- 10 Corvettes
- 5 Schooners
- 10 Brigantines

Army Equipment:

-Springfield Model 1842 (Rifle).
-Colt Walker 1846 (Pistol).
-The Harpers Ferry Model 1841 (Rifle).
-Aston Model 1842 (Pistol).
-20 Smoothbore Cannons (Field and Siege Guns).
-15 Rocket Artillery.

Naval Ship Types:

-Ships of the Line
-Frigates
-Corvettes
-Schooners
-Brigantines

History, Expansion, and Economics

The Point of Divergence began in the year 1840, where the British offered Muhammad Ali, then merely the rebellious viceroy of Egypt, a deal - Keep his military conquests, his navy, and gain independence from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for an earlier Suez Canal. Muhammad Ali agreed, and once the deal was signed, he found himself the new Sultan of Egypt, and ready to create a new modern nation which nevertheless did not lose its continuity and attachment to the Past. With a free hand to continue his reforms, and relations with the independent Greek Kingdom repaired by his' ceding Crete to them, he now had almost unlimited power in his nation.

His modernizing reforms involved improving education and fostering literacy, encouraging foreign business and trade, while at the same time making use of the Western Powers' current goodwill (extended by legally abolishing slavery) to foster trade with the parts of Africa which were still unconquered by European powers. Not just that, but he also founded a Military Academy in order to lessen his dependence on European specialists, as well as extended medical education to women in order to improve the expertise of midwives and women's doctors so that his pool of potential soldiers and workers can grow.

While these all came with a cost, economic growth was high due to investment in Egypt's agricultural economy, as well as the workshops and small factories the Sultan ordered built all along the Nile. Gold mining in Sudan was also a vital source of funds, especially when new methods of resource production were brought in from the West. And of course, there was Egyptian Cotton, which grew into a viable competitor against the American South's products. While taxes were still high, wages grew, and the standard of living in Egypt began to improve, although it was still poor by European Standards.

As for foreign affairs, Muhammad Ali chose to eschew intervention into Ethiopia as he grew older, knowing full well that he had to focus on building Egypt's economy. So in a surprising move, he chose to aid the would-be uniter of the Ethiopians, Sahle Dingil/Tewedoros II, in ascending to his nation's throne in exchange for preferential access to the coffee plants of said nation. At the same time, defenses are built up all across the Cicilian border with the Ottomans, where the local Armenian population is given tax exemptions in exchange for helping build fortifications and serving as soldiers and sailors.

Nevertheless, some touch of the old ruthlessness remains in the elderly, successful, Sultan of Egypt, as he is speculated to have secretly ordered the death of his most incompetent nephew, Abbas, in order to have an heir who would not scrap his modernizing policies (his competent eldest son, Ibrahim, is currently dying from tuberculosis). For now, however, despite the absolute nature of his rule and his insistence that it continue, Egypt's future looks bright...

Territory: Cilicia/Lesser Armenia, The Levant, the Hedjaz region of Arabia including the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, Egypt and Sudan.

Economic Description: Egypt makes most of its money from agriculture, whether of food crops or cash crops, with cotton making up most of the latter. It has also built up a proto-industrial economy of workshops and factories for local consumption of goods, as well as the production of guns, artillery, and ships. Mining in Sinai and Sudan is also a source of wealth, with gold and iron ore being important resources to the domestic and foreign economies. And finally, a Western-style Bank has been set up in Cairo itself, one which heralds the arrival of more 'sophisticated' financial institutions.

Historical Claims: None, Egypt is satisfied.

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation Roleplay

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation Roleplay


Muhammad Ali establishing a Modern Navy

The Discord Server (None Yet)

The IC Thread (TBA)

In 1840, history diverged when the British offered Muhammad Ali of Egypt, the great modernizer of his country, independence and continued rule of the territories he had conquered in his rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in exchange for one major concession: The construction of an earlier Suez Canal. As the European Navies' guns were staring down his metaphorical throat, the ruler of Egypt agreed, and sweetened the concessions by ceding Crete, which he held at the time, to the nascent Greek state. Thus, the newly-founded Sultanate of Egypt found itself in control of the Levant, Cicilia, and the Hedjaz, becoming the hegemon of the Middle East almost overnight.

Using this opportunity, Muhammad Ali continued his modernizing reforms, establishing a professional bureaucracy, introducing modern technology and agricultural methods, and even sowing the seeds of industry in Egypt, all the while keeping friendly relations with the European powers, relations made friendlier by his abolition of slavery a few years after consolidating his rule over his new lands. Diplomatic ties were also formed with the Muslim states of Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Christian nation of Ethiopia, where he formed an unlikely alliance with one of the claimants to its Imperial Throne, Sahle Dingil (The future IRL Tewodoros II), an alliance dedicated to modernizing both their nations in the face of European Expansion.

As for the rest of the world, China is trying to recover from its stunning defeat and humiliation in the First Opium War, with reactionaries and reformists beginning to clash over what reforms their Empire needed, if they needed any at all. Hatred for the foriegners who forced drugs into their country and threaten their way of life simmers among the citizenry and peasants, but above all, the latter despise the ruling Qing Dynasty for trapping them in oppression and poverty. This is the year in which Hong Xiuqan, who would later start the Taiping Rebellion, was refused baptism by Western Missionaries, a foreshadowing of how his revolution will have to rely mostly on domestic support...

In America, the United States is handily beating Mexico in the first and only war between their two nations. Founded on principles of Freedom and Democracy, the United States is brimming with ambitions to turn itself into a world power, although it has to deal with the cancer of slavery which still exists in its southern parts. Will its future be as bright as it was in History, or will the American Dream flounder in this alternate world? For that matter, what of Brazil, Peru, and the other nations of 'Latin America'? Will they be able to rise up and industrialize, attaining unheard-of strength, or will their dreams crash and burn?

And while Ireland suffers under the Great Famine, and Britain sits in 'splendid isolation' to build an empire while not involving itself in Continental Europe, where the forces of Revolution and Reaction stir, with nationalists and liberals formenting rebellion against the Old Guard. Italy and Germany call out for Unification, with would-be revolutionaries in the former prepared to confront the Papacy itself, while in the latter, plans are made to influence Prussia, the hegemon of North Germany, to unite the other German-speaking peoples by force. In Hungary, intellectuals plan to agitate for the self-determination of their people and equality with the Austrian crown, while France's last King, Louis-Philippe of Orleans, is losing popularity to the point where his downfall seems inevitable.

In the Real World, these will become the unsuccssful rebellions of 1848, but who knows what the seeds of discontent will flower into in this world? Or will the forces of reaction succeed instead?

-------

Co-GMs:

-------

Rules are below:

1.) Do not be an asshole.
2.) The Point of Divergence is 1840. Before that, your nation's history must be as IRL.
3.) Do not make your nation overpowered.
4.) Do not ignore Logistics or Economics.
5.) By the same token, only a few nations can match the British Empire's economy.
6.) Do not make your nations perfect.
7.) Technological Development must be plausible - I do not want people developing Dreadnoughts in the 1840s. That said, this is an era of advancements in Science and Technology, so don't overly gimp yourselves either.
8.) All nations must have existed in the 1840 - 1847 period. This includes my own, Egypt.

Nation Sheet

Nation Sheet

[b][u]Government[/u][/b]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Flag/Badge:[/b]
[b]Head of State:[/b] (Who rules your nation, either as a figurehead or in truth).
[b]Head of Government:[/b] (If your Head of State is a figurehead, list the real ruler here. If he isn't, type 'Same as Head of State').
[b]Ideology:[/b] (Is your nation Liberal, Conservative, or some radical version of both?)

[b][u]Military[/u][/b]

[b]Army Numbers:[/b] (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers).
[b]Navy Numbers:[/b] (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers. Also, if you have multiple fleets, list each one's ships seperately, do not bunch them up).
[b]Army Equipment:[/b] (What sort of guns and cannons does your army have?).
[b]Naval Ship Types:[/b] (What sort of ships does your navy have?).

[b][u]History, Expansion, and Economics[/u][/b]

[b]History:[/b] (Optional unless you are using a Point of Divergence.)
[b]Territory:[/b] (Describe Verbally or show on map.)
[b]Economic Description:[/b] (Elaborate on your Economy. What natural resources, manufactured goods,and crops do you produce?)
[b]Historical Claims:[/b] (What land [i]outside[/i] your territory do you want? If using a Point of Divergence, do not claim the rest of the world).

Letter Bee's Character Sheets

Formal Application:

Hider

Government

Name: Sultanate of Egypt

Flag/Badge:


Head of State: Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha
Head of Government: Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha
Ideology: Conservative.

Military

Army Numbers: 75,000 - 80,000 (After Point of Divergence.)

Navy Numbers: (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers. Also, if you have multiple fleets, list each one's ships seperately, do not bunch them up).

Mediterrenean Fleet (After Point of Divergence):

-8 Ships of the Line
-20 Frigates
-30 Corvettes
-10 Schooners
-20 Brigantines

Red Sea Fleet (After Point of Divergence):

- 3 Ships of the Line
- 8 Frigates
- 10 Corvettes
- 5 Schooners
- 10 Brigantines

Army Equipment:

-Springfield Model 1842 (Rifle).
-Colt Walker 1846 (Pistol).
-The Harpers Ferry Model 1841 (Rifle).
-Aston Model 1842 (Pistol).
-20 Smoothbore Cannons (Field and Siege Guns).
-15 Rocket Artillery.

Naval Ship Types:

-Ships of the Line
-Frigates
-Corvettes
-Schooners
-Brigantines

History, Expansion, and Economics

The Point of Divergence began in the year 1840, where the British offered Muhammad Ali, then merely the rebellious viceroy of Egypt, a deal - Keep his military conquests, his navy, and gain independence from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for an earlier Suez Canal. Muhammad Ali agreed, and once the deal was signed, he found himself the new Sultan of Egypt, and ready to create a new modern nation which nevertheless did not lose its continuity and attachment to the Past. With a free hand to continue his reforms, and relations with the independent Greek Kingdom repaired by his' ceding Crete to them, he now had almost unlimited power in his nation.

His modernizing reforms involved improving education and fostering literacy, encouraging foreign business and trade, while at the same time making use of the Western Powers' current goodwill (extended by legally abolishing slavery) to foster trade with the parts of Africa which were still unconquered by European powers. Not just that, but he also founded a Military Academy in order to lessen his dependence on European specialists, as well as extended medical education to women in order to improve the expertise of midwives and women's doctors so that his pool of potential soldiers and workers can grow.

While these all came with a cost, economic growth was high due to investment in Egypt's agricultural economy, as well as the workshops and small factories the Sultan ordered built all along the Nile. Gold mining in Sudan was also a vital source of funds, especially when new methods of resource production were brought in from the West. And of course, there was Egyptian Cotton, which grew into a viable competitor against the American South's products. While taxes were still high, wages grew, and the standard of living in Egypt began to improve, although it was still poor by European Standards.

As for foreign affairs, Muhammad Ali chose to eschew intervention into Ethiopia as he grew older, knowing full well that he had to focus on building Egypt's economy. So in a surprising move, he chose to aid the would-be uniter of the Ethiopians, Sahle Dingil/Tewedoros II, in ascending to his nation's throne in exchange for preferential access to the coffee plants of said nation. At the same time, defenses are built up all across the Cicilian border with the Ottomans, where the local Armenian population is given tax exemptions in exchange for helping build fortifications and serving as soldiers and sailors.

Nevertheless, some touch of the old ruthlessness remains in the elderly, successful, Sultan of Egypt, as he is speculated to have secretly ordered the death of his most incompetent nephew, Abbas, in order to have an heir who would not scrap his modernizing policies (his competent eldest son, Ibrahim, is currently dying from tuberculosis). For now, however, despite the absolute nature of his rule and his insistence that it continue, Egypt's future looks bright...

Territory: Cilicia/Lesser Armenia, The Levant, the Hedjaz region of Arabia including the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, Egypt and Sudan.

Economic Description: Egypt makes most of its money from agriculture, whether of food crops or cash crops, with cotton making up most of the latter. It has also built up a proto-industrial economy of workshops and factories for local consumption of goods, as well as the production of guns, artillery, and ships. Mining in Sinai and Sudan is also a source of wealth, with gold and iron ore being important resources to the domestic and foreign economies. And finally, a Western-style Bank has been set up in Cairo itself, one which heralds the arrival of more 'sophisticated' financial institutions.

Historical Claims: None, Egypt is satisfied.

Letter Bee's Character Sheets

From Sick Man to Savior - An 1847 Nation Roleplay


Muhammad Ali establishing a Modern Navy

The Discord Server (None Yet)

The IC Thread (TBA)

In 1840, history diverged when the British offered Muhammad Ali of Egypt, the great modernizer of his country, independence and continued rule of the territories he had conquered in his rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in exchange for one major concession: The construction of an earlier Suez Canal. As the European Navies' guns were staring down his metaphorical throat, the ruler of Egypt agreed, and sweetened the concessions by ceding Crete, which he held at the time, to the nascent Greek state. Thus, the newly-founded Sultanate of Egypt found itself in control of the Levant, Cicilia, and the Hedjaz, becoming the hegemon of the Middle East almost overnight.

Using this opportunity, Muhammad Ali continued his modernizing reforms, establishing a professional bureaucracy, introducing modern technology and agricultural methods, and even sowing the seeds of industry in Egypt, all the while keeping friendly relations with the European powers, relations made friendlier by his abolition of slavery a few years after consolidating his rule over his new lands. Diplomatic ties were also formed with the Muslim states of Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Christian nation of Ethiopia, where he formed an unlikely alliance with one of the claimants to its Imperial Throne, Sahle Dingil (The future IRL Tewodoros II), an alliance dedicated to modernizing both their nations in the face of European Expansion.

As for the rest of the world, China is trying to recover from its stunning defeat and humiliation in the First Opium War, with reactionaries and reformists beginning to clash over what reforms their Empire needed, if they needed any at all. Hatred for the foriegners who forced drugs into their country and threaten their way of life simmers among the citizenry and peasants, but above all, the latter despise the ruling Qing Dynasty for trapping them in oppression and poverty. This is the year in which Hong Xiuqan, who would later start the Taiping Rebellion, was refused baptism by Western Missionaries, a foreshadowing of how his revolution will have to rely mostly on domestic support...

In America, the United States is handily beating Mexico in the first and only war between their two nations. Founded on principles of Freedom and Democracy, the United States is brimming with ambitions to turn itself into a world power, although it has to deal with the cancer of slavery which still exists in its southern parts. Will its future be as bright as it was in History, or will the American Dream flounder in this alternate world? For that matter, what of Brazil, Peru, and the other nations of 'Latin America'? Will they be able to rise up and industrialize, attaining unheard-of strength, or will their dreams crash and burn?

And while Ireland suffers under the Great Famine, and Britain sits in 'splendid isolation' to build an empire while not involving itself in Continental Europe, where the forces of Revolution and Reaction stir, with nationalists and liberals formenting rebellion against the Old Guard. Italy and Germany call out for Unification, with would-be revolutionaries in the former prepared to confront the Papacy itself, while in the latter, plans are made to influence Prussia, the hegemon of North Germany, to unite the other German-speaking peoples by force. In Hungary, intellectuals plan to agitate for the self-determination of their people and equality with the Austrian crown, while France's last King, Louis-Philippe of Orleans, is losing popularity to the point where his downfall seems inevitable.

In the Real World, these will become the unsuccssful rebellions of 1848, but who knows what the seeds of discontent will flower into in this world? Or will the forces of reaction succeed instead?

-------

Co-GMs:

-------

Rules are below:

1.) Do not be an asshole.
2.) The Point of Divergence is 1840. Before that, your nation's history must be as IRL.
3.) Do not make your nation overpowered.
4.) Do not ignore Logistics or Economics.
5.) By the same token, only a few nations can match the British Empire's economy.
6.) Do not make your nations perfect.
7.) Technological Development must be plausible - I do not want people developing Dreadnoughts in the 1840s. That said, this is an era of advancements in Science and Technology, so don't overly gimp yourselves either...

Nation Sheet

Nation Sheet

[b][u]Government[/u][/b]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Flag/Badge:[/b]
[b]Head of State:[/b] (Who rules your nation, either as a figurehead or in truth).
[b]Head of Government:[/b] (If your Head of State is a figurehead, list the real ruler here. If he isn't, type 'Same as Head of State').
[b]Ideology:[/b] (Is your nation Liberal, Conservative, or some radical version of both?)

[b][u]Military[/u][/b]

[b]Army Numbers:[/b] (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers).
[b]Navy Numbers:[/b] (Copy Wikipedia if you are not using a Point of Divergence. If you are, use common sense and reason - No absurd numbers. Also, if you have multiple fleets, list each one's ships seperately, do not bunch them up).
[b]Army Equipment:[/b] (What sort of guns and cannons does your army have?).
[b]Naval Ship Types:[/b] (What sort of ships does your navy have?).

[b][u]History, Expansion, and Economics[/u][/b]

[b]History:[/b] (Optional unless you are using a Point of Divergence.)
[b]Territory:[/b] (Describe Verbally or show on map.)
[b]Economic Description:[/b] (Elaborate on your Economy. What natural resources, manufactured goods,and crops do you produce?)
[b]Historical Claims:[/b] (What land [i]outside[/i] your territory do you want? If using a Point of Divergence, do not claim the rest of the world).

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

Natasha Zhang, Ashton and Flame

"No problems, Nero - Do it," Natasha said before she turned towards Laurey, then considered what she felt.

At the back of her mind was the notion that she was being inconsiderate, a voice in her head which told her she was being a fool. But this voice was out-shouted by the loud call for adrenaline, for some measure of revenge, and of course, putting the remnants of Berkerly's Butchers in their graves early. If Amy was still there, near the bridge, she'd be detecting something ugly and scary in the Captain's thoughts, but also a flash of something good and noble trying to fight back against this reckless streak.

At Laurey's words, Natasha breathed, trying to consider the other person's words sincerely. Then she said, "I do see where you're coming from - We're taking a big risk and one wrong move will lead to our deaths. However, I and the kids, or at least some of them... We're burning. Not just with a need for vengeance, but a need for release. Catharsis. If we don't let these feelings out now, we'll be taking a bigger risk in the future and that would be more fatal."

Ashton and Flame, meanwhile, went to the turrets, prepared to shoot the Deilos Fleet's starfighters should/once they turned hostile. Should Iris and Samuel manage to restore communications in record time, something within their power and skill, Ashton and Flame would follow up by sending messages to Phi and Trajen, as well as each other.

Phi, Trajen, Ashton said to the two, Remember, our enemy isn't Kherol yet - I'd prefer to keep away from him until the very last moment, especially as he's in a position of strength. I will say this, though: If there is a chance we can demonstrate to him that we are not truly vile, then we should.

Ashton here is too idealistic, Flame messaged to the two. If those weird ECM starfighters come near us and Iris + Samuel are too strained to continue protecting the ship, do shoot them. I may not be a Nero, but I am cynical enough to see that for all his merits, Kherol is still an Ascendancy Man and will have to be dealt with one way or another. That said, Natasha didn't tell us what sort of guns do these turrets fire - Hopefully, they are directed-energy weapons.

There was a traditional paper user's manual for emergencies, which indicated that yes, the turrets fired laser beams which were as fast as light, laser beams which ought to instantly fry even one of Kherol's advanced starfighters.

Either way, the Xuanzang flew closer to the Deilos Fleet's flagship, broadcasting a distress beacon that blinked in simple morse code from Earth's modern era. This distress beacon marked them as neutral, as accidental interlopers, albeit ones which had ended up in a battle they presumably didn't want. Hopefully, Kherol's starfighters would be chivalrous and fall back, while not suspecting that the 'freighter's' systems were functional. But the Delios Fleet might try to destroy the seemingly defenseless ship out of spite - Such were the minds of these deserters...

@Letter Bee@Th3King0fChaos@The Man Emperor@Landaus Five-One@FalloutJack@Conscripts@dragonpiece@Starlance@supertinyking@samakama@jdh97@6slyboy6

Letter Bee's Character Sheets

Name: Alexander Sky

Appearance:


Age: 20

Personality: To all appearances, Alexander Sky is fanatically loyal to Red-Star and wishes to prove himself worthy of overcoming his European blood in order to become a 'True Comrade' of Red-Star. In order to accomplish this, Alexander captures other NC Pilots and their machines, believing that he is bringing said pilots 'to the light' by giving them over to be tortured and enslaved by Red-Star. He frequently makes much of being the perfect Slave-Pilot who merely wishes to join his comrades in the higher ranks, and perfectly accepting his place in life.

All of this is a lie. Through means outlined below in the Backstory, Alexander has seen the rottenness of the Red-Star Corporate Government and wants it brought down as deeply as possible. But whether this translates to sabotaging his own faction's invasion of Darwin City, or if he sees this as merely another opportunity to convince Red-Star of his continued loyalty, remains to be seen...

Backstory: Alexander Sky was born to Volkov Prisoners of War that the Russian MegaCorp had abandoned to Red-Star's 'Human Breeding Camps'. At the age of six, his high Sync Ratio was discovered, thus prompting him to be trained as a pilot; his loyalty was to be secured with indoctrination, drugs, and the promise of freedom for himself and his parents should he prove himself to the Red-Star hierarchy. After doing well in his training and what studies were permitted to him by his masters, Alexander found himself with a golden opportunity to show his worth; Denver-Vegas had invaded the Red-Star territory of Japan, where the locals were rebelling against the Beijing-based Corporation. And so the pilot, given his first NC at sixteen, came, saw, and conquered, destroying several battalions of D-V soldiers and capturing several of D-V's aces.

But just as he was on the verge of being hailed as a hero and being given freedom as a 'Comrade', D-V and Red-Star signed a peace treaty in which D-V decided to end its invasion of Japan in exchange for its pilots being returned unharmed. Problem is, Red-Star had already broken a few of them through torture, thus putting the peace proposal in danger. So the Denver-Vegas general proposed an alternative; they would be allowed to flog Alexander half to death in exchange for peace. Red-Star unsurprisingly agreed.

And as Alexander was exhibited before the Denver-Vegas ranks and publicly tortured, it was then that his faith in Red-Star was put under serious strain. Then, as he was recuperating from the flogging, he found out that his parents had vanished from their slave camp; Red-Star's secret police had taken them away when they had protested against their son's treatment. This broke his loyalty to the Corporation, but he managed to hide it under a mask of continued obedience. Nevertheless, it was then that he began to be more curious about the world, to try and find ways around Red-Star's propaganda and control of information. And with that, no more can be revealed about his story; suffice it to say that he has his own plans now...

Tactical Preferences and Skills: Alexander Sky prefers a quick and forceful strike meant to destroy the enemy's defenses, closing in with energy weapons and submachine fire before closing into melee. Despite this, he does not like fragile machines and takes care to make sure he has a mech that balances out defense and offense. He also believes in using flying NCs whenever he can in order to get in and get out of situations as much as possible.

Outside of his Mecha, he can use Railgun/Coilgun Assault Rifles and a Chinese Jian Sword, plus is decent with computers and Virtual Reality games and simulations (it is speculated that his mastery of Virtual Reality is tied to his High Sync ratio, as well as the reason he was able to gain information unaltered by Red-Star propaganda).

Notes: Alex is bisexual.

------

NC Character Sheet:

Code-name: Phoenix Inferno

Appearance:


Body Type: (Bipedal, Hover, Tank-Tread, .etc) Bipedal-Hover

Type of NC: (General-Purpose, Interception, Assault, .etc): Heavy Assault

Equipment & Armaments:
- Right arm-mounted Claw with an Ion Pulse Projector.
- Two shoulder-mounted Fusion Cannons that shoot superheated gas.
- Plasma Dagger (held in left arm).
- Missile Launchers (loaded with electrified nets).
- Energy Shield.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

@Letter Bee@Th3King0fChaos@The Man Emperor@Landaus Five-One@FalloutJack@Conscripts@dragonpiece@Starlance@supertinyking@samakama@jdh97@6slyboy6

Made the GM Post in the IC!

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

Letter Bee GM Post

The next day, the Xuanzang took off from the Galactic Bazaar and into the Wormhole leading to the Garden Route, after which Natasha began using the ship’s FTL/Spacewarper drive to begin transit to Maiden's Reach. The crew of the Xuanzang thus had their first day and a half filled with more opportunities to connect with each other, get used to daily life aboard ship, and pay attention to each other’s issues and problems. Ashton and Flame helped out around the ship as much as they could, while Natasha grew used to the presence of children aboard her craft.

But this idyll ended in the middle of the second day, when the Xuanzang finally emerged in Maiden’s Reach’s orbit… And found themselves in the middle of a large battle between two bona fide fleets, one of them unmistakably the latest models of Ascendancy warship, while the second was more ambiguous - They were composed of ragged, obsolete, Ascendancy military craft and models which can be most easily described as ‘pirate’. The latter seemed to outnumber the former, but there was no sign of either side giving way.

Nevertheless, this was a nightmare for the Xuanzang, which will have to go through this fleet battle to get to their destination...

------

((Alexander’s Battle Scene - Collab between Letter Bee, Conscripts, and Landaus Five-One.))

Alexander Kherol

---

It's choreographed chaos.

Once the sensors and radars had detected ships moving in from the north, the mission was on. Ship crews scattered to their stations. From outside glance it might seem like a horror scenario from a disaster movie, but in fact everybody knew what they were supposed to do, where they were supposed to go and where everybody else was supposed to go. From the lowest of soldiers, to the highest of officers were aware of this.

"The innermost observatory ships also detect ships incoming. 14 ships in total, consistent with other reports."

"They're going to attack soon. It's time we move out." Captain Carina, speaking from the bridge, standing next to her Grand Admiral, addressed the ship navigators. "Move to point A4. We will rendezvous with the Basilone and their group."

This shall create a wall to box the enemies in from behind. Not exactly revolutionary, but it would serve them well here. They would not expect a column of military-grade warships coming at them from the back.

"Looks like they did team-up with poachers." Last time Alexander knew, they only had 10 ships. They either built all 4 ships by themselves using wildly unknown means, or they teamed up with local pirates, whose ships specification had already been noted in local government's database, and they all matched the 4 additional ships detected. "Seems like we'll be cleaning up two messes in one go."

14 enemy ships to be destroyed. He only had 9 on his side, but at his disposal were the air capability exceeding a purpose-built carrier. And that was only operating at half-capacity. He wasn't given all the spacecraft he requested yet. Its striking power would exceed all carriers in existence once it's finished, but spare funding was going into the so-called President's Plan instead. He didn't know what sort of plan that was, since he wasn't close enough to the higher-ups for it. It would surprise him if anything useful came from it. Last time his grand plan was given the greenlight, Alexander had a bunch of angsty teens to babysit.

'I haven't done this in a while.' All 14 enemy ships on the other hand were merely corvettes and light cruisers, with only two heavy cruisers in the mix, but the numerity still gave that sense of battle that he was familiar with. Standing on the bridge, commanding the battle personally, watching as the ships go at one another in a malicious firefight death battle, and most importantly, feeling that sense of danger around him, the sense that he could very well go down with the ship if he wasn't careful. And it actually felt good. His mother did say he is audacious sometimes.

"All squadrons have reported in sir." In record time. It might still be early, but the Deilos fleet had already reached the outer parameter. Their attack would begin soon. The sooner the spacecrafts could be launched the better.

"Launch the first wave." Firm and decisively, Alexander passed the order.

"Roger! Squadron 113, 114, 115, 116, 238, 376 and 381. Take off when ready and proceed to your targets."

---

Upon the order, two large doors slid up at the mid-area of the supercarrier, a door on each side of the ship. From within the door, sixteen state-of-the-art starfighters came to life. Eight were attached to the floor of the hangar in double columns looking towards the exit, while eight were strapped to the ceiling in the same fashion. Their pilots had just gone through a life system check, and now they are ensuring their starfighters are well-strapped to this mechanical lock on the white lines that lined the two columns.

The light in front of the door flashed green. The signal prompted the first four starfighter pilots of the column to turn up their engines. At the same time, the locks that bolted the fighters to the floor and ceiling accelerated, thrusting the vehicles along the white lines. Once they were close to the door, the locks stopped and detached the departed starfighters, now free to roam the vacuum of space. The light switched to red before switching back to green moments later. Twelve more fighters were catapulted within the next 15 seconds, making for a full squadron.

“Squadron 113, maintaining present course!”

“Squadron 114, standing by for next instructions, over.”

The other side of the ship also completed their takeoff flawlessly. That is now two full squadrons in motions. Within the next two minutes, two more squadrons joined courses, repeating until all seven squadrons were out in space, charging toward the targets.

---

By the time the Xuanzang noticed a sleek stingray-looking spacecraft lurking around in the area nearby, they would find all their communication machines, including radars and Omni-tools with communication features unable to work properly. Signals become weak to the point that connections are almost impossible.

Carrier Starfighters

Dual-purpose air superiority + strike starfighter: AS10 Starstorm


Precision-strike bomber: PS87 Themis


ECM spaceplane: EW130 Siren

Then, coming in from field of vision, 16 starfighters were flying toward the ship in tight formations. Almost immediately after, another 16 appeared, in the same formation. Then another 12, this time bombers instead of fighters. While there are no strangers among the former Ascendancy turned-rebels of the sight of military spaceplanes, their formation and the numerity at this point was something they would have rarely seen. They did not seem to notice the Xuanzang’s presence, however.

Passing by the Xuanzang, the fighter formation split in half, with one squadron moving sharply bending right to the side of the fleet while the other flying up while gliding a little bit left, heading straight for the center. Once they emerged into vision range of the targeted ships, the two only heavy cruisers of the Ascendancy remnants, they split in half again, with eight attacking each target. Gunners on the ships, having noticed starfighters coming from behind, panicked for anti-starfighter guns, but by now it is far too late. The front four fighters wheeled sharply towards the ship’s broadside. Before the ship guns could open fire, all four unleashed a hailstorm of a total 80 rockets, covering the entire midsection of the ship in explosions and instantly demolishing over half of their shield capacity.

Before the ship crews could process what unearthly terror had unfolded onto them, the second strike of another four starfighters poured in, decimating all shielding capacity in the section, and pulverizing several anti-starfighter batteries. However, the true nightmare were the bombers following in hot on their tails. With shields down and confused crews, the bombers had an easy time lining up their drop, even when some anti-starfighter batteries finally came online. The proton bombs tore a huge gape in the heavy cruiser, killing everyone close by and sucking the poor fools in nearby quarters out to space. In a span of less than a minute, the heavy cruiser had been crippled.

Having delivered their payload, the planes sped up, dove beneath the remnants until they were out of range of the fleet before turning back for their home carrier. The other half of the squadron had less success with the other heavy cruiser, having a couple of their bombs hitting the heavily armored turrets, but they nonetheless damaged a few thrusters, leaving the ship in a difficult situation. The other starfighter squadron that had veered to the side also performed their attack run, crippling a corvette at the side and incapacitating another ship's batteries.. Anti-starfighter fire had now intensified, but the lack of communication between ships meant focused fire between ships was impossible. Several of Alexander’s starfighters were damaged, but all managed to slip back to the carrier.

Meanwhile, on the Heavy Cruiser, Akriem’s Razor, flagship of the ragtag fleet of ‘Deilos.’ The Captain of the Ship, is Elaine Solarie Jensen the younger sister to Berkeley. She noticed everyone on the blasted ship is terrified of the outcome of running into Alexander Kherol of all people. ”Good bloody lord, can you stop being such idiots. All day I have to deal with this. I know you all would want to die like my cowardly older brother who killed himself during the Battle of Proxima. But you all rallied around me because of the reason I am a Jensen.” She spoke holding her hand to her forehead. As well, she sighed since they couldn’t really negotiate with Alexander Kherol even if they tried because of how bloody the 11th Fleet was. If anything, it would be better to die glorious than die like her brother’s cowardice. It annoyed her how pathetic her crew is compared to the great Berkeley’s Butchers of old. ”How much can we maneuver to give that bastard what for? Also, fire on anything that moves. I don’t care if it is a civilian ship, all that matters is it’s destroyed.” She spoke with an highly annoyed look on her face.

The Navigators look at their captain, who was a scary woman compared to others. “We can still move much faster than the other Heavy Cruiser. But these Carrier tactics are going to get us sooner before we can get into range.” One of the navigators said, nervously.

Elaine sighed at hearing that the sister ship to the Akriem’s Razor is badly damaged, but it cannot be helped. Since they can’t really communicate with their ships because of the blasted ECM. ”Ah, at least some good news to the bad. Move as fast as possible to reach where the fighters came from then.” She spoke with a slight annoyance in her voice. The Arkiem’s Razor started to move away from the formation at the fastest possible speed, since it’s better to close the distance to get their main guns firing. The Reckless Nature of this charge felt a bit insane to say the least, since they would be sitting ducks nonetheless with fighters and bombers taking them out one at a time.

For the Xuanzang, their danger was yet to pass, as yet another 44 planes would appear in the same fashion ten minutes afterward. They were to attack in a different vector from the last, but coincidentally also in the direction of the Star Marines.

Natasha was not pleased when the ECM began interfering with internal comms, but had managed to send a hurried message to the crew (including Star Marines) saying, Bridge. Now! This ought to call them and the crew to where she needed to assign them their duties now that she can’t just instantly message them. To Avelyn, she gave her first orders, “Remember what you said about heating up scrap metal and venting it to confuse thermals? Well, begin doing it - We’re going to be needing a surprise. Phi, Trajen, Flame and Ashton, man the ship’s guns - We have four turrets secretly tucked underneath the ship’s surface. Laurey, Samuel, try and get communications working. Amy, your ability to tap into the minds of people who can hear you… Does it work through speakers?”

Ashton interrupted, “I know the rules of enchantment, Ma’am - Even if it normally won’t, by having Iris enchant our communications devices once Laurey and Samuel get it working, we can temporarily transmit a mental suggestion to the people in the starfighters to not notice us or let us go. It’ll require a lot of magical energy, though, but Samuel and Iris are literally magically stronger together. And of course, Samuel himself can control electromagnetic forces, which would actually make us resistant to the electronic countermeasures that the starfighters are using.”

Flame added, “I have a second plan to buy us more time - Ariel, you can talk to Ghosts, right? Find a recently deceased spirit and find out what this battle is about. If I’m right and the Ascendancy forces are commanded by ー”

“It’s Kherol,” Natasha said. “No one is as fond of starfighters or as good at using him as he is. I dunno the opposing side, though.”

Ashton nodded and said, “Ariel, can you find out who Kherol is opposing and which of their two Heavy Cruisers are their flagship? If they are ‘relatively innocent victims and potential allies’, I have a plan. If they are worse than Kherol, however, I have another plan. Either way, I will need Finbarr, Tarak, Nero and Mr. Abbadon.”

Narvia arrived at the bridge, like everyone else, which was in a bit of shock to hear Kherol’s name. One of the people, who her godfather respected the most, which seems to be fighting remnants. However, she remembered a specific thing from her godfather’s letter that was inside of deciphering her omnitool. It talked about Berkeley’s Butchers remnants, other things, but specifically that their old leader Berkeley R. Jensen is dead. However, she wouldn’t really know who would be leading them now after the Battle of Proxima. She decided to interrupt what was going on, by speaking up. ”U-Umm.. T-Those ’remnants’ are from Berkeley’s Butchers, the 11th Fleet. A-At least, Berkeley is dead, he killed himself at Proxima. D-Don’t like the fact he still has soldiers loyal to him after all this time though… I have no clue who could be leading them now… but no one is good in that fleet that Alexander Kherol is fighting. If you are wondering how I-I know that… is because of the Decipher completed on that O-Operation that Nikolas’ gave me.” She spoke with an inclination of fear in her voice because being reminded of Berkeley or anyone in his fleet is terrible. Some relief was in her voice too since the one who led them is dead at his own hands. However, these plans were very interesting and it would be nice to get rid of the fear in her heart. ”I-I will help you in whatever mission against Berkeley’s Remnants, I want to no longer feel afraid any longer…” She spoke with resolve in her voice.

Natasha looked at Ashton and said, “What plans would those be, literal genius?”

The boy continued, “We will put up a distress beacon to mark us as neutrals - Say we’re a trade ship who failed to get the memo too late and flew into Maiden's Reach by sheer coincidence. We will then ‘accidentally’ fly close to the Berkeley Remnants’ flagship’s bridge, then have Finbarr, Tarak, Nero, Mr. Abbadon, and Narvia too, because of her revelation, portal in and attack.”

He then took a deep breath, “Now, the next question is: Why would we ever want to help Kherol, and by extension, the Ascendancy? Simple: To test our strength against weaker opponents before taking on the big ones. If we cannot even beat the people Kherol is curb stomping, then we definitely cannot beat the Ascendancy.”

Natasha nodded at that and said, “We’ll do our plans in parallel, then. Samuel and Iris, begin using your control of electromagnetics and enchantments right away in tandem with Laurey to get comms working. Those assigned to the turrets, go to them at once. Ariel, begin the seance while Fin, Tarak, Nero, Narvia and Abbadon, prepare for a boarding action - As for Avelyn, she’s to heat up scrap metal and superheat it in preparation for venting just in case we need that distraction after all.”

She then turned to Ariel, “Do a seance anyway - We’re still going to need information on the Ascendancy that only Berserkerley and Kherol’s officers would know. Then give us a full report of everything you find.”

Narvia nodded towards Natasha, she wanted badly to get rid of the agony of fear from what Berkeley said all those years ago to her. When he was beating her for being a child and using her magic to try it out. ”T-That nickname fits what Berkeley was… a monster.” She spoke in agreement to being one of the ones who will defeat her demons. This will be one of the hardest things she will have to deal with, to end the Butchers once and for all.

Letter Bee's Character Sheets

NCQuest: A Mecha RP - The Defense of Darwin (BeeNCQuest)



The Lore Thread

The year is 2677, 500 years after a Nuclear War that ended the Age of the Nation-State. Now, the world is split between Independents; settlements and towns living a hardscrabble life in the wastelands, and the Ruling Corporations, eight large organizations that have seized large portions of the planet and its people for themselves. The majority of the Ruling Corporations' personnel are tyrannical and arbitrary, twisted by long isolation from the masses whose work supports their way of life. The average person in Corporate territory lives in fear, bowed down by heavy burdens in a soulless environment, before dying quickly and painfully.

Complicating the picture are the Neural Combatants (NCs), giant humanoid machines left behind by the nations of the world before everything burned in nuclear fire. Using technology that binds together brain and machine, all NCs have Cores that cannot be duplicated by even the most advanced Corporation; these Cores, when attached to a body, allow the pilot to conduct feats of strength and speed that borders on the supernatural. In essence, Neural Combatants use technology that makes Mecha work; the impractical made practical. The more NC Cores a Corporation has, the better they are in the constant warfare that covers the planet today.

But NCs are also what allow Independents to maintain their fragile autonomy, and Mercenaries to operate without excessive restrictions from the MegaCorps. The largest alliance of Independents is Haven, a democratic federation that covers the whole of Australia and New Zealand after the successful ejection of Red-Star, the tyrannical Ruling Corporation whose yoke spreads all over the Far East.

Founded on the principles of sustainable development, direct democracy, and federalism, Haven has bettered the lives of its component settlements by promoting local development and introducing clean technology, as well as a tolerant policy as regards minorities like Australian Aborigines, Maori, and Asian-Australians, who are encouraged to participate in political and economic life. But this approach has provoked the ire of various 'Cultural Purists' who despise the fact that Haven is led by the Hidden Burrow, an underground city populated by the descendants of Kurdish refugees who are unapologetic about mixing Kurdish and Australian cultures.

These 'Purists' then conducted a series of bombings and murders bent on bringing Haven into Civil War, Civil War prevented only by the revelation that the 'Purists' were supported by Red-Star as preparation for an invasion of Australia. Now, said invasion has been launched, with the heaviest blow about to fall on the city of Darwin, where the rebuilt settlement had experienced riots over an attempt to rename it to 'New Afrin'. But due to the revelation of Red-Star malfeasance, the citizens of the city rally around the Havenite flag in order to prevent the fate of the Original Afrin from repeating itself, and Mecha Pilots from all over the world volunteer to protect this bastion of freedom from the oppression of the MegaCorps...

Consult the Lore Thread linked above if you want more info.

System:

The System we are using is Battle Century G (Copy leads to Free SRD) and its supplement, Battle Century Z (Link leads to Free SRD as well).

Rules and Houserules

Rules

1.) No godmoding, metagaming, or mary sues.
2.) Be civil.
3.) Do not be an asshole.
4.) Post length is four sentences minimum, but longer posts are encouraged, of course. GMs are also bound by this rule.
5.) Consult the Lore Thread (linked under the picture) if you want to know more about how NCs, Independents, and Corporations work.
6.) Post at least once a week.

House Rules

1.) No Miracle Skills.
2.) All Grunts are Squadrons and not Mecha.
3.) PCs start out as Talented, giving them 30 extra XP (and thus 30 extra CP and MP) to add to the 100 they already have at starting creation, plus one Genre Power.