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Fallout: The Vegas Affair - Interest Check Thread

@DirtyDingo, Interested.

Edit: Well, if I manage to scrounge up the time, I mean.

Practices and Procedures - An Urban Fantasy RP (Lore Thread)

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Practices and Procedures - An Urban Fantasy RP (Lore Thread)

Practices and Procedures: An Urban Fantasy RP - Lore Document

I. Intro

How it all Began

For centuries, Magi have been divided, not just by creed, culture, and bloodline, but also by the methods they use to shape their destinies and others'.

The dominant faction of Magi/Spellcasters used to be the Traditionalists, who use Magic 'the old way', with rituals, words, and gestures. Channeling Mana through their very bodies, they were great heroes and sages, villains and schemers; the superhuman feats they were capable of were able to protect and victimize mortals in equal measure.

But then a movement called the Enlightened Inventors discovered how to infuse Mana into tools and machines, and in so doing, create wonders that can be used by anyone and given to common man. This shook supernatural society to the core, especially as many of the Enlightened Inventors came from people who had little to no magical talent and thus had a grudge against the older dynasties of Traditionalist Magi.

Soon, many Magi and Ordinary Mortals began to form sides for or against the Inventors; and war soon came - It was unknown who struck first, but the Shadow War lasted for centuries, with many Enlightened Inventors convincing themselves that what they were doing was not really Magic, but 'Hyper-advanced Science', further deepening the divide.

The Traditionalists used fireballs and plagues; the Enlightened used guns, cannons, and mass-produced steel. This 'Shadow War' continued until the year 1999, when a group of teenagers and children, kidnapped from Traditionalist families by an organization of Enlightened Inventors as part of a 're-education project', found out they can use both the Traditionalist Magic of their childhood and craft the Enlightened Inventors' 'Hypertech'. They broke out, and in a series of adventures, defeated the strongest and most influential Traditionalist leaders and their Enlightened counterparts and took over leadership of the hidden world in the shadows, the 'world of intrigues', for themselves.

Now it is 2023, and the state of Humanity has much changed from how it should have been. Magic and the Supernatural are slowly being revealed to the world, former enemies are working together to keep the peace, and the 'Peace Children' who had caused this have settled down to new and happy lives.

However, not all is well - Those who lost out in the new order of things or cling to old hatreds still plot in the shadows, and whispers have been heard of a 'Great Corruption' that can yet ruin everything Humanity has achieved...

II. Magic System

How Magic Works

There are two disciplines of Magic, defined by human belief. However, in this universe, just because people's belief can make Magic work does not mean that Reality is relativistic; objective, observable reality still exists despite being changeable by Magic, which in turn has limits.

Traditionalist/Ceremonial - Traditionalists use words, rituals, and symbolic objects (aka items which are less practical than current tech, such amulets and totems) in order to cast powerful spells which defy scientific understanding, like fireballs, instant healing, and blessings/curses. The advantage of this is that Traditionalists can use their magic right away, with just a word or gesture, they don't actually need the items they use, and they can do things without advanced technology or which are still impossible with current science. In short, what they lack in the reach and range of their effects, they more than makeup for by being their own tools in an emergency.

"Enlightened Invention" - Enlightened Inventors used to believe that their Magic isn't Magic at all but 'Hyperradvanced Technology', and some of them still believe it today. But the truth is that their inventions, though recognizably technology, still use Mana, the reality-altering substance which allows Magic to exist in the first place. However, Magitech has one big advantage over Traditionalist/Ceremonial powers: Anyone can use it even if they are not an Enlightened Inventor and it can be combined with actual technology to create mass-produced wonders. However, the drawback is that without tools, objects, or anything resembling technology, an 'Enlightened Inventor' is useless (unless they specialize in hyper-psychology, in which case they can make the perfect brainwashing technique or give themselves perfect memories).

An Enlightened Inventor, if given a workshop/laboratory, can create 'Hypertech/Magitech' that anyone, including Traditionalists and Normal Humans, can use, but only they or other Enlightened can manufacture, repair, and invent new forms of 'Hypertech/Magitech'.

Hypertech/Magictech must also fit a certain aesthetic, one that evokes Science and Technology (or less charitably, what the public thinks is Science), for it to work. This is because Enlightened Inventors gain their power from belief in Human Reason and its ability to solve problems (belief in Reason, however, is not the same as actual Reason, which says that Hypertech/Magitech is too advanced to exist now).

As for why Traditionalist and Enlightened methods are incompatible, it comes from a combination of radically different mindsets and philosophies plus most Magi meet each other only as adults, who mostly lack the neuroplasticity needed to handle both styles of Magic.

The only known way around this restriction involves the Mage being trained while still young before their brain fully develops. This allows the Mage to switch between the radically different mindsets needed to use both ways of Spellcasting...

What Can Magic Do?

Mages (both Traditionalists and Enlightened) divide Reality into eight areas, six of which can be affected by Magic, and two of which cannot except in very rare circumstances. The six 'Open Areas' are High, Underworld, Mind, World, Change, and Dimensional, while the two forbidden ones are Fate and Timespace.

High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, fuel magitech and create enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.

Mind - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering the emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. This can also alter one's own mind to temporarily increase learning time and allow for a perfect memory. A very powerful magical discipline, but its flaw is that it can be resisted with strong willpower.

Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect, but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, control the shadows of the world, speak with ghosts, and strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without the need for food, drink, and sleep...

World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. Do you want to create Fire? World Magic. Do you want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. Do you want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.

Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists, and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or reanimate/control beings that are already dead.

Dimensional - This is the Magic that allows access to Hyperspace, which Traditionalists call the Astral Plane, the Spirit World, or the Otherworld. Basically, Dimensional allows one to create portals, summon and make contracts with Nature Spirits (if the GM rules that they exist). However, the drawback of Dimensional-based spells (aside from the portals always having a revealing glow or other 'special effect') is that Nature Spirits have wills of their own and look very badly at people trying to order them around...

Note: A lot of individual spells are very broken by nature, and would fundamentally destroy the game’s balance if implemented. If you’re touching these spells, please make sure you have some limitations added to them. If you’re not sure, look no further than your GMs! They will be happy to answer your question/address the balancing of your powers.

The Forbidden Areas

The Forbidden Areas cannot be affected by Magic through normal means, but in theory, one can 'touch' them by spending a huge amount of resources to build artificial structures that channel a huge amount of Mana (the Tower of Babel, the entire City of Atlantis), and said Mana can be provided by blood sacrifices (of millions, even billions, of humans and animals). Even then, it is unknown how powerful the spells cast using such methods are; it is perfectly possible that one can sacrifice half the world population and only get a minor effect (such as resetting the timeline for half a minute).

Also, depending on GM discretion (I am allowing people to use this setting if they ask permission), the Forbidden Areas may not actually exist.

Fate - Alters luck and probability and allows for blessing one's efforts so that they succeed, or cursing them so that they always fail or carry a high cost.

Timespace - Time travel, time stop, and true bullet time (actually slowing down time instead of just one's perception of it and ability to physically respond to it). Making physical distances longer and shorter without using Hyperspace/The Astral Plane. Flawless Teleportation where you can instantly appear without any warning signs, such as the color and light made by portals (which using the Dimensional School of Magic always gives).

Spell Mastery

Spell Mastery

Pretty self-explanatory. Each spell your character possesses has its own degree of mastery. The more you master a spell, the less effort (Mana, Time, other relevant resources) it takes to perform that spell. If you have enough spells from the same school mastered, you can choose to make it a <Magic Area> Mastery trait. How many spells, you ask? That depends if you are a Traditionalist or Enlightened Inventor; Traditionalists can master any Area they have 3+ Spells in, and furthermore instantly cast spells in that Area with only words and gestures. Enlightened Inventors, meanwhile, can master as many Areas of Magic as they have Spells (which they call 'Functions'), but each Spell/Function has to be tied to an advanced gadget/weapon and they lose their Mastery when losing said gadget.

And yes, an Enlightened Inventor can put all their available Spells/Functions into one gadget.

How long is it going to take to master a spell: This gives me headaches every time. It really depends. From the length of an arc to the number of times the character practices/uses these spells. I’d say on average 1 spell is mastered every arc as a benchmark, but don’t take this as a gospel. Use a LOT of nuances when interpreting this. We’ll try to adjust and accommodate your needs, just let us know.

Enchantment Rules

Enchantment Rules

For Traditionalists, Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.

For Enlightened Inventors, Enchantment is merely the creation of new gadgets and the addition of new 'Functions' to an existing one, and they do not need High Magic to do this. However, they do need a workshop and materials and their works must at least look like advanced technology...

Perfected Electrum

Perfected Electrum

Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi can be 'perfected', aka transformed into metal as hard as a diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection. The Millenium Academy currently has a monopoly over the creation of Perfected Electrum; having taken it away from various organizations of Enlightened Inventors who lost the 'Shadow War' that they ended.

Group Spells/Projects

Group Spells/Projects

Basically, multiple spell-casters with different areas can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for a single Magi's weaknesses in the specialization. Note that Traditionalists can only do Group Spells with each other, the same for Enlightened Inventors, who call their spells 'Projects'.

III. Trading Humanity - From Vampires to Cyborgs (And Cyborg Vampires!)

Power at a Price

In this universe, Vampires, Werecreatures, and other 'Monsters' come from Magi who have chosen to sacrifice part or all of Humanity to take on 'Drawbacks', a weakness innate to one's nature such as a weakness to sunlight or silver in exchange for 'Traits', physical benefits that often but not always include 'immortality'. This is done through High and Change Magic plus Underworld if one wants to be an undead (Vampire, Lich, Mummy).

And by that, becoming a Vampire is as simple as doing a ritual that makes you thirst for blood and burn in sunlight in exchange for near-immortality and super strength, becoming a Werewolf (or even a Werebear) involves taking on animal instincts and being poisoned by silver or gold in exchange for being able to turn to a seven-foot tall beastman who can claw through concrete walls, and Enlightened Inventors can get in the fun too by creating Cyberware and Gene-mods that can drain your empathy or otherwise mess up your head in exchange for being a badass cyborg or genetically-modified super soldier.

Optional: As the role of Mythology/Religion in this setting is left up to the GM (I'm lending this universe out to anyone who asks me for permission), a GM can legitimately say that Angels/Demons/Gods are in fact Mages. However, for the purposes of my take in it, there is a God/Gods, Spirits, other dimensions, and an afterlife/afterlives.

IV. Organizations

The Millenium Academy

Founded on the last night of 1999 and the first day of 2000 by the 'Peace Children', the Millenium Academy is an institute where Traditionalists and Enlightened can drop their differences for a while and work together to educate their children in the ways of peace, teaching them to conjure springs of water and fix weather machines.

Although it has branches all over the world, its founders chose to have their HQ be in New Clark City, Philippines, an HQ that hosts sprawling facilities for everything from physical education, academics, and of course, training fields and workshops for learning various forms of Magic. It even has a Nuclear Fusion Reactor that it lends to the Philippine Government, fixing most of the Third World Country's energy needs for the time being.

Other prominent branches are in London, Venice, Athens and New York; the specifics of those branches are a blank slate for people to fill in, and people can make up their own branch too.

The Millenium Academy's faculty and graduated students have great influence in the supernatural and real worlds, an influence that, as Magic is slowly revealed, is being resented by an increasing number of people.

The Committee of Public Safety

Diehard Enlightened Inventors, backed by Nonmagi Politicians, CEOs, and Financiers who believe that the 'Peace Children' and the Millennium Academy they founded are threats to a 'Rational Humanity'. Rejecting the notion that their Hyper-advanced tech is actually just another form of Magic despite the scientific method itself proving them wrong, the Committee is willing to commit torture, murder, and break numerous legal and moral laws to get rid of the 'Peace Children' and gain dominion over the world for the latter's own safety...

The One-Hundred-and-Eight Families

The Committee of Public Safety's Traditionalist Counterparts, the 108 Families, see Magic as their birthright, and view its spread to the masses as a cheapening of ancient secrets. Proud, aristocratic, and grasping for power, the senior members of the 108 promote 'The Old Ways' as the proper, natural, meaningful order and all else as chaos, subversion, and breakdown. Nevertheless, due to many of the original 'Peace Children' being taken from the 108 Families, relations between individual members of the 108 and the Millennium Academies remain polite, even cordial, while knives are sharpened in the shadows...

The Infinite Possibilities

'Unnamable' Mages who believe that they can tap into Timespace Magic to 'reset' the universe into a world without suffering by murdering millions, and who also believe that they can do whatever they want, including war crimes, as the sins they committed will be wiped away anyway when the universe is reset. Recruiting from people who want to commit any crime they want as well as people who want to erase their crimes as they feel they cannot atone for them, the Great Corruption is a growing threat due to combining a genuinely appealing ideology with the opportunity to do whatever they want with impunity...

Optional: Depending on the GM, these are the 'Great Corruption' whispered about in the intro.

GMs who ask for permission to use the setting can add their own organizations, such as Corporations, Political Parties, Mercenaries and Churches.

V. Character Creation Rules for Peace Children, Traditionalists, Enlightened Inventors, and Normal Humans

How to make Peace Children

1.) The First Generation of Peace Children were born in the 80s, had their adventures in the 90s, and settled into adult life in the 00s and raised families in the following decades (present day is 2023). There are only 20 -24 surviving Peace Children out of 36, and the oldest is 42 years of age (but can look much younger if they want).

2.) The Second Generation of Peace Children were born in the 00s, and are attending school or beginning their adult lives in the 00s. They are generally 16 - 18, with the oldest being 23.

3.) There is a Third Generation of Peace Children growing up, born in the early 010s. These are 1 to 13 years old and it is advised to make only the 13-year-olds playable if at all.

3.) Peace Children of both generations can use both Traditionalist Magic and repair/create Enlightened Inventions.

How to make Traditionalists

1.) Traditionalists can be of any race, culture, and creed, as long as they use rituals, ceremonies, and invoke higher powers/forces to conduct their magic.

2.) Traditionalists can be of any age allowed by the GM, just use common sense and what your players will tolerate.

3.) You cannot be a major religious or historical figure, and claiming that major religious figures are in fact Traditionalist Mages invites controversy, sometimes violent, and so is a no-no and permission to use my setting will be denied if you do that. And as said above, God/The Gods exist in my version of the setting.

How to make Enlightened

1.) Enlightened can be of any race and starting culture, but maintain a belief in the importance of Science and Reason, even if the scientific method explicitly states that their inventions don't actually work without Mana or would take centuries to work without Mana.

2.) Enlightened Inventors can be of any age allowed by the GM, just use common sense and what your players will tolerate.

3.) You cannot be a major historical figure or claim that a major historical figure is actually an Enlightened Inventor. Nor can you claim that controversial figures such as Hitler or Stalin or Mengele are Enlightened Inventors; permission to use my setting will be denied if I hear you do that.

4.) Anyone can learn how to use weapons you invent/create/maintain, including Traditionalists and Normal Humans.

How to make a Normal Human

1.) Normal Humans can use Enlightened Inventions, but cannot repair or maintain them.

2.) In RPs with a Points System for posting, Normal Humans earn twice as much points to reflect their political and economic influence, and should be the only ones who can transfer points to another character's account to reflect their control of banking systems.

3.) Normal Humans can become Mages, including Peace Children if they are young enough. This can be done in any way the GM wants, including making them conduct a quest or spend points. It is recommended that Normal Humans who gain Magic lose the ability to earn extra points and transfer them if you're using a Points System.

Note: AIs are NPC-only for now, at least in my specific version of the RP-verse.

VI. Basics of the World

Differences since 1999 - 2000

The War on Terror was delayed by the Millenium Academy preventing the attacks on New York in late 2001; the Twin Towers still stand here. Due to this, America avoided getting into several wars and interventions and thus slowed down the decline of its power and the exhaustion of the goodwill which the international community had for it. This also resulted in the optimism of the 90s continuing for far longer, until 2005 or 2008.

However, there was still a Great Recession as Magic and Hypertech cannot just wish away various economic problems. In fact, in some places, Hypertech and Magic made things worse by replacing jobs faster. The Millenium Academy has attempted to curb this, but with mixed results and people are still growing poorer.

Large Corporations are recruiting Magi of both types and Peace Children get the most pay and benefits. This has caused resentment for obvious reasons, and thus the Commitee of Public Safety and Thorns of Rejection recieve more recruits and support as a result. Anti-Mage groups of ordinary Humans are also forming, using continued Normal Human control of the banking and finance systems to consolidate support.

Gay Marriage was made legal 2 years before it was in real life, in 2012 instead of 2014.

Technology is 10 years ahead of IRL in countries where there is a Millenium Academy branch.

China and Russia are still powerful, but a stronger US has curbed their ambitions... for now.

Mages of either type are admired, but any attempt by them to enter politics is opposed by normal humans. The 2016 US Presidential Campaign had Anti-Mage candidates running in both parties' primaries and either of them winning was barely averted by a hair-thin vote.

Yes, Magic is used to do crime. The Mafia, Yakuza, and Triads and other groups have Mages.

Differences before 1999 - 2000

The Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican Churches have had 'Exorcists', a mix of Normal People with strong willpower and religiously-minded Traditionalist Magi whose traditions are rooted in prayer and Church-sanctioned rituals, who hunt down other Magi and 'Monsters'. For the purposes of my future RPs, I will only elaborate if expressly asked as I do not want controversy.

Enlightened Inventors became their own movement just before the Renaissance; fair warning, though, when asking if major historical figures are Enlightened Inventors, make sure to remember the Character Rules.

An exception to the Character Rules: Valentinus, one of the early Gnostics, was reputed to be a Sorcerer in legends. He is thus a Traditionalist Mage in this RP and an Arch-Heretic in the current Churches' eyes.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Appearance:

5'6|140 Pounds

Name: Special Agent Myron Makaraig

Age: 22

Nationality: Filipino-American.

Noble Arm Name & Appearance:

Inpormasyon (Information)

Insert NA Rank Here:

Rank B

Power: A
Speed: C (S)
Range: F (S)
Persistence: C
Precision: B
Potential: D

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Support/Ranged, Element of Data/Information

Noble Arm Abilities:

Data Conversion - Can convert objects and people touched by the Shield into raw data/information who are then contained in the Noble Arm; the larger the object or person, the longer it takes to convert, although an average human adult can be turned to data in a full second, while an automobile takes five minutes. This power works only through direct contact with the shield and people converted to data are knocked unconscious by said conversion. Not just that, but objects converted to data can be turned back into their material forms by a mental command alone; smaller objects become physical again instantly while larger objects, such as people take time to reappear (same pace as conversion to data).

He can store up to an entire luxury yacht's worth of matter in his shield if given 12 hours, and can theoretically store twice that if given 48 hours of constant concentration, but it is not recommended.

Data Transmission - Myron can 'connect' to a mundane electronic device, such as a radio, telephone, or internet-capable gadget and transfer the data he stores in the shield to said device, allowing objects and people to be transported at high speeds. The drawback to this is that this process is affected by anything that can jam communications IRL, such as electronic jamming, firewalls, and antivirus, or just the destruction of the corresponding device before it 'downloads' the data. Living beings (people) who had been converted to data and failed to transfer reappear at the location of Myron's shield, physically damaged depending on the measures taken to stop them. This is also why Myron's Noble Arm has (S) in Range, because this can theoretically allow him to exceed the dreaded A-rank by using the IRL internet (still not recommended due to antivirus programs, though).

Misc Abilities: Myron fights like a Normal person most of the time, being adept in guns, unarmed combat, and melee, with his forte being hacking and cyberwarfare, also poisons and antidotes. He has, in the past, also been trained to look cute and adorable so that he can treacherously stab, gun down, and poison Arms Masters. This is because he used to be a member of the Disablers, an Anti-Arms Master terrorist organization, and he keeps using many of their techniques despite his new allegiance.

Personality: Myron is resentful of the world, resentful of the system, resentful of factions, and is working for the Philippine Government of National Salvation because they guarantee him his revenge against the members of the Hammer of Masters and Disablers, as well as pay him in cold hard cash plus confiscated haciendas (estates/plantations) from the discredited members of the previous Government. Though he has a side that wishes the best for people, he prefers to bury it with a hedonistic attitude where he appreciates the finer things in life a bit too much. And by that, he is the type to give most of the land he's given to the tenant farmers already farming it but keeping enough to ensure a comfortable life for himself.

*Likes: Coffee, Cash, Sports Cars.

*Dislikes: The Hammer of Masters, Disablers, and being forced to kill children.

Fears: The Former Head of the Hammer of Masters, [Identity is a Spoiler].

Bio: Myron was born to an American Businessman and a Filipino 'bar girl' who sought to marry him for money, but was deceived and thrown away. Raised in poverty and bearing the brunt of his mother's abuse, Myron was sold to the 'Spartan Training Program' overseas in Singapore at the age of six by people who promised that he would come back as an Arms Master. Instead, at the age of 12, he escaped with several other students and joined the Disablers, a group of Anti-Arms Master terrorists who killed Arms Masters through ambush, assassination, and bombings. Myron was thus trained further, taught to lure in Arms Masters into wanting to protect him so that he can literally stab them in the back.

At the age of sixteen, he fought against the Hammer of Masters in Northern Iraq, where their leader had established 'The Malikate', a nation for Arms Masters to rule over Non-Arms Masters, and two years of hard fighting followed, where he killed several Arms Masters simply by posing as an enslaved 'Normal Person' and poisoning their water supplies, setting up IEDs and traps, or even - And this haunts him to no end - kidnapping their children, even those who had not manifested a Noble Arm, and using them to lure their Arms Master parents to buildings filled to the brim with explosives.

When he turned eighteen, in the final siege of the Malikate's base on the Syrian - Iraqi border, Myron was captured by the Hammer of Master's 'Malik', [NAME REDACTED], who had him thrown into the dungeons in order to... He refuses to speak of it, only saying that he was busted out by the Malik's second-in-command himself. However, as he trekked back to the Disablers' battle lines, he realized this: That the Hammer and the Disablers had become mirror images of each other, fueled by hate. And as he realized this, he grew a Noble Arm, realized that he cannot go back to the Disablers, and as the world was thrown into chaos by the announcement that three groups had emerged that can give Noble Arms to ordinary people, sought asylum with the UN and returned to the Philippines.

He next emerged four years later, as a mercenary working with the coup plotters who set up the Government of National Salvation when it turned out the newly-elected President of the Philippines was planning to traffick his own voters to China to be used as slaves and human sacrifices by the Downward Descent. During the new Government's takeover, he and another Arms Master, Noel Alonso, led the Storming of Malacañang Palace, where the two put down all resistance and arrested the President and all adult members of his family, before moving on to arresting the Old Government's supporters in the countryside, where he was granted several hundred hectares of land confiscated from those corrupt oligarchs, most of which he gave to the tenant farmers who farmed them.

Now, he has been sent to aid the newly-formed Task Force Obsidian (composed of most of the PCs) relieve the Philippines' new allies in the Pacific...

*Current Goal: Hold on to the estates he had been granted by the Government of National Salvation and give them over to their tenant farmers as smallholdings.

Military or Civilian Rank: Special Inspector with powers equivalent to a First Lieutenant.

*Optional

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

@QJT has approved on Discord. Approval 3 given.

Arcane Dreams! (Now Open!)

Might - Might - be interested.

Noble Arms Lore Thread (Letter Bee Version)

3/23/2023 - I added some more information about the Hammer of Masters to the Main Lore Post and Past Lore Post!

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Appearance:

5'6|140 Pounds

Name: Special Agent Myron Makaraig

Age: 22

Nationality: Filipino-American.

Noble Arm Name & Appearance:

Inpormasyon (Information)

Insert NA Rank Here:

Rank B

Power: A
Speed: C
Range: F (S)
Persistence: C
Precision: C
Potential: B

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Support/Ranged, Element of Data/Information

Noble Arm Abilities:

Data Conversion - Can convert objects and people touched by the Shield into raw data/information who are then contained in the Noble Arm; the larger the object or person, the longer it takes to convert, although an average human adult can be turned to data in a full second, while an automobile takes five minutes. This power works only through direct contact with the shield and people converted to data are knocked unconcious by said conversion. Not just that, but objects converted to data can be turned back into matter by a mental command alone; smaller objects become physical again instantly while larger objects, such as people take time to reappear (same pace as conversion to data).

He can store up to an entire luxury yacht's worth of matter in his shield if given 12 hours, and can theoretically store twice that if given 48 hours of constant concentration, but it is not recommended.

Data Transmission - Myron can 'connect' to a mundane electronic device, such as a radio, telephone, or internet-capable gadget and transfer the data he stores in the shield to said device, allowing objects and people to be transported at high speeds. The drawback to this is that this process is affected by anything that can jam communications IRL, such as electronic jamming, firewalls, and antivirus, or just the destruction of the corresponding device before it 'downloads' the data. Living beings (people) who had been converted to data and failed to transfer reappear at the location of Myron's shield, physically damaged depending on the measures taken to stop them. This is also why Myron's Noble Arm has (S) in Range, because this can theoretically allow him to exceed the dreaded A-rank by using the IRL internet (still not recommended due to antivirus programs, though).

Misc Abilities: Myron fights like a Normal person most of the time, being adept in guns, unarmed combat, and melee, with his forte being hacking and cyberwarfare, also poisons and antidotes. He has, in the past, also been trained to look cute and adorable so that he can treacherously stab, gun down, and poison Arms Masters. This is because he used to be a member of the Disablers, an Anti-Arms Master terrorist organization, and he keeps using many of their techniques despite his new allegiance.

Personality: Myron is resentful of the world, resentful of the system, resentful of factions, and is working for the Philippine Government of National Salvation because they guarantee him his revenge against the members of the Hammer of Masters and Disablers, as well as pay him in cold hard cash plus confiscated haciendas (estates/plantations) from the discredited members of the previous Government. Though he has a side that wishes the best for people, he prefers to bury it with a hedonistic attitude where he appreciates the finer things in life a bit too much. And by that, he is the type to give most of the land he's given to the tenant farmers already farming it but keeping enough to ensure a comfortable life for himself.

*Likes: Coffee, Cash, Sports Cars.

*Dislikes: The Hammer of Masters, Disablers, and being forced to kill children.

Fears: The Former Head of the Hammer of Masters, [Identity is a Spoiler].

Bio: Myron was born to an American Businessman and a Filipino 'bar girl' who sought to marry him for money, but was deceived and thrown away. Raised in poverty and bearing the brunt of his mother's abuse, Myron was sold to the 'Spartan Training Program' overseas in Singapore at the age of six by people who promised that he would come back as an Arms Master. Instead, at the age of 12, he escaped with several other students and joined the Disablers, a group of Anti-Arms Master terrorists who killed Arms Masters through ambush, assassination, and bombings. Myron was thus trained further, taught to lure in Arms Masters into wanting to protect him so that he can literally stab them in the back.

At the age of sixteen, he fought against the Hammer of Masters in Northern Iraq, where their leader had established 'The Malikate', a nation for Arms Masters to rule over Non-Arms Masters, and two years of hard fighting followed, where he killed several Arms Masters simply by posing as an enslaved 'Normal Person' and poisoning their water supplies, setting up IEDs and traps, or even - And this haunts him to no end - kidnapping their children, even those who had not manifested a Noble Arm, and using them to lure their Arms Master parents to buildings filled to the brim with explosives.

When he turned eighteen, in the final siege of the Malikate's base on the Syrian - Iraqi border, Myron was captured by the Hammer of Master's 'Malik', [NAME REDACTED], who had him thrown into the dungeons in order to... He refuses to speak of it, only saying that he was busted out by the Malik's second-in-command himself. However, as he trekked back to the Disablers' battle lines, he realized this: That the Hammer and the Disablers had become mirror images of each other, fueled by hate. And as he realized this, he grew a Noble Arm, realized that he cannot go back to the Disablers, and as the world was thrown into chaos by the announcement that three groups had emerged that can give Noble Arms to ordinary people, sought asylum with the UN and returned to the Philippines.

He next emerged four years later, as a mercenary working with the coup plotters who set up the Government of National Salvation when it turned out the newly-elected President of the Philippines was planning to traffick his own voters to China to be used as slaves and human sacrifices by the Downward Descent. During the new Government's takeover, he and another Arms Master, Noel Alonso, led the Storming of Malacañang Palace, where the two put down all resistance and arrested the President and all adult members of his family, before moving on to arresting the Old Government's supporters in the countryside, where he was granted several hundred hectares of land confiscated from those corrupt oligarchs, most of which he gave to the tenant farmers who farmed them.

Now, he has been sent to aid the newly-formed Task Force Obsidian (composed of most of the PCs) relieve the Philippines' new allies in the Pacific...

*Current Goal: Hold on to the estates he had been granted by the Government of National Salvation and give them over to their tenant farmers as smallholdings.

Military or Civilian Rank: Special Inspector with powers equivalent to a First Lieutenant.

*Optional

@QJT @SkyHresvelg @Gerlando, requesting review.

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Mission Two: Siege of Mischief Reef

Municipality of Lingayen - 10/11/2022, 6:00 UTC+8

Nemo had disappeared along with several other volunteers shortly after all rumors of Alan Turing not being dead and also being the First Arms Master had faded, leaving First Lieutenant Noel Alonso in a bad mood even as he called the remaining members of Task Force Obsidian (plus Lotus Squadron, plus Ayahime, their attached war correspondent) to the Auditorium's audience hall to relay the orders of the Government of National Salvation and its partners in the rest of ASEAN. Once they had all gathered, Noel signaled for the projector to be turned on, as he began to speak into the microphone to reveal their next mission.

"People," Noel said as the screen showed a large, circular island, "Even with America still sleeping, our cause has received an unlooked-for reprieve."

He then gestured to the screen and said, "Mischief Reef, also known as Panganiban Reef and Đá Vành Khăn, was the largest enemy military base in the South China/West Philippine Sea until a rogue group of... Cosplayers known as the 'Qing Restoration Society', led by Jin Li of the Aisin Goro Clan, the Clan that was the historical Qing Dynasty, took over the atoll in a surprise attack. They have since proposed an alliance with ASEAN in which in exchange for supplies, the QRS will provide a buffer and auxiliaries in our fight against the PRC invasion. One of which, the defector Lei Qingshe, has been 'sent early' to us - You yourselves saw how she has proven to be of immense help repulsing the Chinese from Lingayen last month."

After revealing the backgrund of Qingshe's defection, First Lieutenant Noel then warmed up to the topic, "The QRS have fulfilled their end of the bargain in more ways than one; Jin Li has a hydrokinetic Noble Arm that has devastated Chinese positions and flotillas in the South China Sea with localized tsunamis, while Ren Zhao, Ren Huo's brother who is jealous of the latter's position in the Zodiac, has a Noble Arm that causes all projectiles, including ballistic missiles, to veer away, slow down, or otherwise miss. Its weakness, however, is that it does not affect chemical or incendiary weapons or even just large quantities of water and sand being dropped on them, nor does it deter lasers or energy or mental-based attacks, and definitely not melee weapons. All obvious flaws that need us to cover for them.

"Anyway, the Philippine Government of National Salvation and Indonesia are joining forces to relieve the blockade and siege of Mischief Reef," Noel said, "We will be committing a large portion of our navies, already weak against what the Chinese have, in this expedition, and Task Force Obsidian will all go inside the BRP Jose Rizal, our flagship. They will be escorted by Lotus Squadron, which will be temporarily moved to Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan Island to the west of the Philippine Archipelago to clear the skies and herald our arrival."

He then faced them all, saying, "Task Force Obsidian is not normally equipped for naval combat, and we will be at a marked disadvantage in transit whether we fly by air or by land. Thankfully, we have Specialist Callie Lindmann and her Noble Arm, Charter, to give us an advantage - It can allow our more melee-minded folk to portal to and from enemy ships at will." Then he sighed and said, "You have twelve hours to prepare."

Then he faced Kaitlyn and said, "You and Private Calvert - Hannie - are to stay onboard the ship once you embark in order to assist the medical teams. With Nemo gone, I'm not risking our youngest member's life and well-being." Then to everyone else, "As for the rest of you, ask your questions, get some answers, then you're dismissed."

@SkyHresvelg@Chiro@Aisede@Lewascan2@Sniblet@Conscripts@Gerlando@Creative Chaos@Nimbus@The Man Emperor@KaiserElectric @Landaus Five-One@QJT

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

There will be a GM post tomorrow!