Coming from a long line of Vulkan success stories, Tyra knew from a young age that she was destined for the SNDP, and she is not one to fight fate. Rising quickly through the ranks, Tyra was a standout on the research and development team before she was twenty, and had become the former director’s personal assistant only a year later. In the decade since she became director herself, Tyra has been credited with a number of the Vulkan Division’s technological advancements, and has personally designed the arms and armors for two Dragonslayers. Ruthless and cunning, with a healthy disdain for the Sarkaturges, Tyra Girelle has no intention of letting the rival division overtake her own; if she has her way, they won’t even get the chance.
Alaric Lorent got his start in the operating room—on the table. Grafted as a child, Alaric grew up as the Sarkaturges were burgeoning into a proper entity. Its occult edges were gradually sanded down or otherwise hidden away, but the doyens pointedly kept the Vulkan’s stifling formality at arm’s reach. Alaric’s notoriety for the frequency and consistent success of his deployments, especially on hunts the Vulkans deemed “lost causes.” As a soldier, Alaric was largely responsible for showing Sonnelied that the Sarkaturges could be relied upon to protect people, even when no one else could. As doyen, he inherited the division-feud at its bloodiest, and has done everything in his power to not simply keep the Sarkaturges alive, but to push back against the Vulkans as well. In his mind, the old guard has not only lost its edge, but its way as well. Sonnelied deserves better, and he has every intention of being that better.
Few are those who manage to escape a Shicksal storm, fewer still charge into them. The Dragonslayers are Sonnelied’s most revered hunters, and for good reason; there are no finer weapons in the country, perhaps the world. However, firepower and sharp claws are not enough to kill a dragon, the cost is much greater, and never known until it is paid.
Though each Dragonslayer belongs to a division, their ultimate allegiance is to the SNDP Commander, and Sonnelied as a whole. As a result, they answer to their respective directors in a limited capacity, especially when it comes to their deployment, which is often left to their own discretion. Rumors and inter-divisional superstitions surround each Dragonslayer, differing from department to department, sometimes even person to person, but one thing is universal: if a Dragonslayer joins your hunt, something is wrong.
Welcome to Regenlied, a sci-fi/fantasy RP set in a world where humanity is forced to harness science and magic in order to survive. With most of civilization confined to oasis cities amidst vast expanses of barren desert, the days of international conflict are ancient and gone. Now, the Regentier are the truest threat. The horrific creatures from above, the torrent that nearly drowned the world, and may yet still wash it away.
It is the duty of the Sonnelied National Defense Program to protect not only its largest city, but its numerous territories as well. From defensive expeditions, to large-scale hunts; where the Regentier fall, it is said, the SNDP rises. Once a singular entity, in recent decades a schism has formed. The old guards of the Vulkan Division prioritize the research and development of high-powered energy weapons, and are responsible for nearly all of the SNDP’s technological advancements since its foundation. Conversely, the newer Sarkaturges have pioneered the practice of grafting: drawing out humanity’s latent affinity for magic by grafting parts of dead Regentier to their bodies.
As the program’s newest recruits, your characters will discover that, while the Regentier may be the existential danger, they are not the only danger. Sonnehall’s High Command has been ordering joint operations between the divisions, and while the Vulkans and Sarkaturges may be working together, they are nonetheless competing, both for funding, and legitimacy in the eyes of High Command, and the people themselves. Tensions are high, interdivision conflicts are common, subterfuge and sabotage are the lull between the Regentier storms.
Hard falls the rain that scorches the earth.
Seated with the Bay of Kings to its back, and the Aegaen Wall at its face, Sonnehall is the oldest and most well-protected city in the country, perhaps even the world. While the vast stretches of barren plains between oases lead to an unorthodox rule, it is nonetheless absolute. The entirety of the nation’s defense program rests comfortably behind Sonnehall’s walls, and as such, the other cities and settlements must often rely on outriding forces to come to their aid. In most cases they arrive before they’re needed. In others…
Like most cities, Sonnehall is built downwards. Above, buildings rarely extend more than two stories high, and instead run several down, often connecting to one another. Streets and highways mark up the topside, while cavernous plazas and intertwining railways make a web of the undercity.
The Bay of Kings houses Sonnehall’s modest yet well-guarded harbor, and opens up into the brackish waters of the Engel Sea. Beset by beast and pirate alike, it is sailed elseways by only the brave, the foolish, and the greedy. Somewhere within lies the sovereign atoll called Forra, from which trade occasionally makes its way to Sonnehall’s docks. Little is known of the place; its sailors say nothing to the public, and little more to interrogators. In the absence of any recorded hostility, commerce continues.
The Aegaen Wall, older than the city itself, is Sonnehall’s first line of defense. It has not been breached in decades, and what Regentier do approach the wall are usually meager, and dealt with in swift exercises often televised to the public. On the other side of it is the Plain. A simple enough name for a simple enough place: miles upon miles upon yet even more miles of exactly nothing. Hard, dusty earth, sand in some places, rock in others, all of it utterly barren save for the pockets of arable land, which have become the basis for settlements, towns, and even a handful of cities, though nothing quite rivaling Sonnehall’s size.
Further and further out into the Plain, the oases became fewer, smaller. The Reachline, well past the most outflung settlement in Sonnelied, is the point past which there is, as far as anyone knows, nothing. Expeditions have been conducted lasting several months, and each time its members return claiming there is not a single speck of healthy earth to be found. Flat, lifeless, and seemingly endless. Some of the more delirious explorers claim that the sun never set again once they passed the Reach, others say it never rose. Most were unable to say anything.
For better or for worse, this is your home. Now when the storms come, it is your duty to help weather them.
When you ask questions of a storm, it answers in torrents and flashes of lightning. No one knows where the Regentier came from, or why they do what they do—they can’t be asked, they answer in nature’s own fury.
They are old, that much is known. As long as there have been clouds, there have been the beasts that come with them. They are also many, perhaps even endless. No matter how many are slain, more always come; there is always another battle.
Their appearances and abilities vary, and while there are records of recurring species, it is not uncommon for a new beast, or some hideous chimeric evolution to appear. Thankfully, the size and severity of a storm is often a reliable indicator of the power of the monsters within it. Currently, storms are categorized as follows:
Benign 1 A meager storm, bringing soft rains and often little else. The Regentier borne by these clouds are often small, unthreatening—though not unviolent—and easily dispatched by even untrained civilians. They do not tend to last very long.
Benign 2 Longer lasting than its predecessor, but still about as temperate. These are the most common storms, and B2 Regentier present minimal threat when met with a modicum of caution. Rarely, they can evolve into M1 storms, but this can often be predicted, and SNDP hunters can be dispatched in advance.
Malignant 1 M1 storms present the most common danger to Sonnelied, especially to settlements further from Sonnehall. Regentier that come with these storms often have abilities that, while on the lower-scale of power, still pose significant danger to untrained, unarmed civilians. There is also a chance for an M1 storm to evolve into an M2 with little warning.
Malignant 2 Here the danger spikes sharply. Regentier borne by M2 storms are often capable of significant feats of power, and certain “colossal” species may appear. Settlements and small towns in the path of an M2 are advised to evacuate, and meet with the inbound hunters for protection. In the case that the assault fails, civilians are advised not to return to their homes even after the skies have opened, until reinforcements have cleared the area. Rarely, M2 storms can evolve.
Malignant 3 Areas near the formation and especially in the path of M3 storms should evacuate immediately. Regentier of M3 storms are among the strongest and most deadly, and colossal species are much more likely to appear in multiples. In the case that an M3 results from the evolution of an M2, hunters are recommended to retreat until reinforcements arrive, or until the storm has passed, if the remaining Regentier are judged to be manageable.
Schicksal In the event that a storm’s rain turns black, hunters are advised to evacuate immediately.
Dating back to the country’s founding, there have always been individuals brave enough to fight back against the storm. Over the centuries, technology has evolved almost hand-in-hand with research of the Regentier. Modern hunters have access to a wide array of advanced weapons, armors, and vehicles.
However, in recent decades, the SNDP has been split into two competing divisions: the old guard Vulkans, and the newcomers, the Sarkaturges. While both divisions utilize humanity’s latent affinity for magic, their methods are wildly different from each other.
Vulkan Division
With black powder an ancient, unattainable relic, weapons are operated and enhanced via the energized remains of Regentier. As well, by tapping into a person’s latent well of power, they can be used like a battery, allowing them to operate arms and armor that would normally be unfeasible. Vulkan hunters are given access to high-potency energy weapons, as well as power armor, speed-enhancing exo-skeletons, and state-of-the-art prosthetics. They cannot, however, truly access their magical capabilities.
Sarkaturge Division
Having only emerged in the last few decades, the Sarkaturges carry a heavy stigma for turning people into monsters. It is true, of course—at least in a way. Sarkaturges tap into their affinity by grafting pieces of dead Regentier to their bodies, allowing them to perform extraordinary feats typically only achievable by their monstrous donors. The process is notoriously dangerous, with a mortality rate that would have landed any other procedure on the medical blacklists. In some places, that’s exactly where it is; in fact, the only place grafting is done is in the Sarkaturge Division’s wing. It is worth noting that the abilities granted by a graft are not the same as magic, though having a graft does enable one to learn it. Spellcasting is an entirely different and nascent art, with little research and very few practitioners. For the most part, Sarkaturges are limited to the feats granted to them by their grafts.
(In the case of Sarkaturge characters, FC's should be of them pre-grafting.) Name:
Age: (Vulkan applicants are typically age 17-18, while Sarkaturges recruit from 13 but do not send hunters into battle until 16.)
Place of Birth: (If not from Sonnehall, give an idea of how far from city your home is.)
Division:
Background Check: (Brief history of your character, what led them to join the SNDP, and why they chose the division they did.)
Graft / Weapon Specialty: (You are fresh off the operating table. Vulkans will have limited control over their power supply, and thus will begin with less-extreme weapons until they learn to channel properly. Sarkaturges will have minor grafts to start, which will be added to/replaced/enhanced over time.)
Welcome to Regenlied, a sci-fi/fantasy RP set in a world where humanity is forced to harness science and magic in order to survive. With most of civilization confined to oasis cities amidst vast expanses of barren desert, the days of international conflict are ancient and gone. Now, the Regentier are the truest threat. The horrific creatures from above, the torrent that nearly drowned the world, and may yet still wash it away.
It is the duty of the Sonnelied National Defense Program to protect not only its largest city, but its numerous territories as well. From defensive expeditions, to large-scale hunts, where the Regentier fall, it is said, the SNDP rises. Once a singular entity, in recent decades a schism has formed. The old guards of the Vulkan Division prioritize the research and development of high-powered energy weapons, and are responsible for nearly all of the SNDP’s technological advancements since its foundation. Conversely, the newer Sarkaturges have pioneered the practice of grafting: drawing out humanity’s latent affinity for magic by grafting parts of dead Regentier to their bodies.
As the program’s newest recruits, your characters will discover that, while the Regentier may be the existential danger, they are not the only danger. Sonnehall’s High Command has been ordering joint operations between the divisions, and while the Vulkans and Sarkaturges may be working together, they are nonetheless competing, both for funding, and legitimacy in the eyes of High Command, and the people themselves. Tensions are high, interdivision conflicts are common, subterfuge and sabotage are the lull between the Regentier storms.
Hard falls the rain that scorches the earth.
Seated with the Bay of Kings to its back, and the Aegaen Wall at its face, Sonnehall is the oldest and most well-protected city in the country, perhaps even the world. While the vast stretches of barren plains between oases lead to an unorthodox rule, it is nonetheless absolute. The entirety of the nation’s defense program rests comfortably behind Sonnehall’s walls, and as such, the other cities and settlements must often rely on outriding forces to come to their aid. In most cases they arrive before they’re needed. In others…
Like most cities, Sonnehall is built downwards. Above, buildings rarely extend more than two stories high, and instead run several down, often connecting to one another. Streets and highways mark up the topside, while cavernous plazas and intertwining railways make a web of the undercity.
The Bay of Kings houses Sonnehall’s modest yet well-guarded harbor, and opens up into the brackish waters of the Engel Sea. Beset by beast and pirate alike, it is sailed elseways by only the brave, the foolish, and the greedy. Somewhere within lies the sovereign atoll called Forra, from which trade occasionally makes its way to Sonnehall’s docks. Little is known of the place; its sailors say nothing to the public, and little more to interrogators. In the absence of any recorded hostility, commerce continues.
The Aegaen Wall, older than the city itself, is Sonnehall’s first line of defense. It has not been breached in decades, and what Regentier do approach the wall are usually meager, and dealt with in swift exercises often televised to the public. On the other side of it is the Plain. A simple enough name for a simple enough place: miles upon miles upon yet even more miles of exactly nothing. Hard, dusty earth, sand in some places, rock in others, all of it utterly barren save for the pockets of arable land, which have become the basis for settlements, towns, and even a handful of cities, though nothing quite rivaling Sonnehall’s size.
Further and further out into the Plain, the oases became fewer, smaller. The Reachline, well past the most outflung settlement in Sonnelied, is the point past which there is, as far as anyone knows, nothing. Expeditions have been conducted lasting several months, and each time its members return claiming there is not a single speck of healthy earth to be found. Flat, lifeless, and seemingly endless. Some of the more delirious explorers claim that the sun never set again once they passed the Reach, others say it never rose. Most were unable to say anything.
For better or for worse, this is your home. Now when the storms come, it is your duty to help weather them.
When you ask questions of a storm, it answers in torrents and flashes of lightning. No one knows where the Regentier came from, or why they do what they do—they can’t be asked, they answer in nature’s own fury.
They are old, that much is known. As long as there have been clouds, there have been the beasts that come with them. They are also many, perhaps even endless. No matter how many are slain, more always come; there is always another battle.
Their appearances and abilities vary, and while there are records of recurring species, it is not uncommon for a new beast, or some hideous chimeric evolution to appear. Thankfully, the size and severity of a storm is often a reliable indicator of the power of the monsters within it. Currently, storms are categorized as follows:
Benign 1 A meager storm, bringing soft rains and often little else. The Regentier borne by these clouds are often small, unthreatening—though not unviolent—and easily dispatched by even untrained civilians. They do not tend to last very long.
Benign 2 Longer lasting than its predecessor, but still about as temperate. These are the most common storms, and B2 Regentier present minimal threat when met with a modicum of caution. Rarely, they can evolve into M1 storms, but this can often be predicted, and SNDP hunters can be dispatched in advance.
Malignant 1 M1 storms present the most common danger to Sonnelied, especially to settlements further from Sonnehall. Regentier that come with these storms often have abilities that, while on the lower-scale of power, still pose significant danger to untrained, unarmed civilians. There is also a chance for an M1 storm to evolve into an M2 with little warning.
Malignant 2 Here the danger spikes sharply. Regentier borne by M2 storms are often capable of significant feats of power, and certain “colossal” species may appear. Settlements and small towns in the path of an M2 are advised to evacuate, and meet with the inbound hunters for protection. In the case that the assault fails, civilians are advised not to return to their homes even after the skies have opened, until reinforcements have cleared the area. Rarely, M2 storms can evolve.
Malignant 3 Areas near the formation and especially in the path of M3 storms should evacuate immediately. Regentier of M3 storms are among the strongest and most deadly, and colossal species are much more likely to appear in multiples. In the case that an M3 results from the evolution of an M2, hunters are recommended to retreat until reinforcements arrive, or until the storm has passed, if the remaining Regentier are judged to be manageable.
Schicksal In the event that a storm’s rain turns black, hunters are advised to evacuate immediately.
Dating back to the country’s founding, there have always been individuals brave enough to fight back against the storm. Over the centuries, technology has evolved almost hand-in-hand with research of the Regentier. Modern hunters have access to a wide array of advanced weapons, armors, and vehicles.
However, in recent decades, the SNDP has been split into two competing divisions: the old guard Vulkans, and the newcomers, the Sarkaturges. While both divisions utilize humanity’s latent affinity for magic, their methods are wildly different from each other.
Vulkan Division
With black powder an ancient, unattainable relic, weapons are operated and enhanced via the energized remains of Regentier. As well, by tapping into a person’s latent well of power, they can be used like a battery, allowing them to operate arms and armor that would normally be unfeasible. Vulkan hunters are given access to high-potency energy weapons, as well as power armor, speed-enhancing exo-skeletons, and state-of-the-art prosthetics. They cannot, however, truly access their magical capabilities.
Sarkaturge Division
Having only emerged in the last few decades, the Sarkaturges carry a heavy stigma for turning people into monsters. It is true, of course—at least in a way. Sarkaturges tap into their affinity by grafting pieces of dead Regentier to their bodies, allowing them to perform extraordinary feats typically only achievable by their monstrous donors. The process is notoriously dangerous, with a mortality rate that would have landed any other procedure on the medical blacklists. In some places, that’s exactly where it is; in fact, the only place grafting is done is in the Sarkaturge Division’s wing. It is worth noting that the abilities granted by a graft are not the same as magic, though having a graft does enable one to learn it. Spellcasting is an entirely different and nascent art, with little research and very few practitioners. For the most part, Sarkaturges are limited to the feats granted to them by their grafts.
Name:
Age: (Vulkan applicants are typically age 17-18, while Sarkaturges recruit from 13 but do not send hunters into battle until 16.)
Place of Birth: (If not from Sonnehall, give an idea of how far from city your home is.)
Division:
Background Check: (Brief history of your character, what led them to join the SNDP, and why they chose the division they did.)
Graft/Weapon Specialty: (You are fresh off the operating table. Vulkans will have limited control over their power supply, and thus will begin with less-extreme weapons until they learn to channel properly. Sarkaturges will have minor grafts to start, which will be added to/replaced/enhanced over time.)
Location: Drox Fraternity House -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria
Partway back to the inn, Seele spotted Kazuki; her memory and awareness were failing her again, she’d completely forgotten his house was around here. The timing was good, because she realized then that she hadn’t actually been walking towards the Laughing Warg at all. For minutes now she’d just been wandering forward in a haze she wasn’t even aware had settled upon her, and it was a blessing to her pride that Alex hadn’t said anything. At least now she could play it off like she’d meant to come here in search of the healer. …mi…ssy… “Ka~azuki~i!” she called in sing-song, waving at him. “Alex and I snagged a new mission for the group, very important stuff. Are you busy? You should come with us to the tavern, I’ll explain it there.”
Thankfully, Kazuki agreed, and with her mind at least a little more clear, she managed to steer them back to the Laughing Warg without incident. Being midday, the place was much more lively than earlier, but she managed to snag them a wide table off to the side, upon which she spread the papers Taasha had given them.
As she promised, Seele explained the situation to Kazuki as best she could. The disappearances had seemed random at first, but there was an undeniable pattern if one separated the denizens from the wayfarers. Members of Drox were the favored victims, and in that subset, spellcasters were favored. Cases had ramped up recently, and none who were taken had yet to be found.
“It’s terrible,” she said, and it was. She hoped with all of her heart that those people were alright, but mourning them was not only premature, but, frankly, a waste of time. “However, I don’t think we’re as blind as the fraternity believes. We know whoever is kidnapping people is specifically targeting Drox spellcasters, that tells us something. It tells us the kidnappers have information—or at least access to information—on the wayfarers in Thorinn.
“We can also assume they’re based in the city, I think. The fact that no one’s turned up yet means they’re either keeping them here, or shipping them out, and with security as high-strung as it is right now, I personally doubt anyone is running a trafficking operation through Thorinn.
“So that’s the rub. When the others get back we can fill them in too, but in the meantime, any thoughts? If we could just piece out why, that could help lead us to the who, but I suppose if it was easy, Drox or the city guard would have handled it by now.”
Location: Drox Fraternity House -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria
Seele balked momentarily at the stack Taasha slid to them, but quick enough that hesitation was snuffed. She and Alex had offered to help, they wouldn’t back down now that it was needed. That wasn’t the Drox way and it wasn’t hers, either.
Still, missing persons. This was serious, more serious than any mundane errand she’d ever run for the fraternity. She decided to quell the urge to theorize, and instead listened while Taasha explained the situation, absently flipping through the pages. Reports, testimonials, witness statements that were too short to be first-hand. She blanched when she came to the names.
These were people she knew. no one’s … coming …
Not well, really, not like her current party. But some she knew from around the fraternity, others she had met in guild halls or in the training grounds. Some she had even run dungeons with. These were, at least in part, skilled wayfarers who had taken on some of Pariah’s tougher content and come out on the other side. And they’d all gone missing? Many of the denizens she knew as well, simple, pleasant characters mostly, but others among the list were higher up in the fraternity’s chain of command. She wondered if some of these denizens could even be replaced.
“It’s a lot, isn’t it? Anyway, whatever you decide I hope you are more successful than the others. Personally, it’s a bit foreboding, hm?”
“Certainly,” she said, still browsing. Now that Taasha was finished, Seele went ahead and dabbled with her options.
There was a clear and rising bias in the disappearances for wayfarers since the glitch. Unfortunately that didn’t tell her much about the denizens, except that their disappearances were simple happenstance, which she doubted, or that whatever was behind the disappearances had shifted its focus away from them.
Taasha had said investigators found no leads or connections, but already Seele was seeing a plain pattern between victims—victims? That seemed too pessimistic. Casters and thieves. The explanation for the thieves was simple if bleak, but the casters? The stereotype would have been that they were easier to get the best of compared to someone martial like, say, Alja, or Graves, but anyone who had been in Pariah for more than a few minutes would know that even a novice pyromancer or middling thaumaturge could be explosively dangerous. You’d have a better chance with healers and supports, sure, but there wasn’t really a way to know one sort of caster from another until you actually saw them in action.
Or, perhaps, if you already knew who they were.
No connection amongst the disappeared except for the fact that they were all in Thorinn. That didn’t say much about them, but it might just say a bit more about the perpetrator. The theories that came to her then were darker, more sinister, and made her queasy, though perhaps that was the effects of her friend’s fatigue-charm wearing away. Not a pleasing thought, either. … missy it’s late … Seele gathered the most relevant, useful papers pertaining to the wayfarers who had gone missing after the glitch. It saddened her that there wasn’t much to go on for helping the missing denizens, but hopefully the two vanishings were related, and finding one group would also lead them to the other. Still, even cutting down on the amount, it was a lot of work for two people.
It was a lot less work for eight.
Seele shot the tired attendant an undaunted smile. “Don’t you worry, we’ll get right to the bottom of this, and have those people back in no time!” she said, stuffing some of the papers away within the manifold layers of her robe, and handing others to Alex. “Make sure you’re not walking around alone, alright Taasha? You’re a peach, this whole hall would just fall apart without you.”
With that, she whirled on heels to Alex, then nodded back towards the way they’d come. “We’ve got our case then. Lets head back to the tavern, see if we can’t rope in some extra hands to help us out, ah?”
As the pair left the fraternity hall behind, Seele thumbed at the pages in her robes. For the first time in days, her mind felt like it was actually working again, and working fast. How long that would last, she didn’t know, so while the spark was there she cupped it, held it close, stoked it as best she could.
Lemons
RPM
Supermaxx
Zeus23
Yankee
Raijinslayer
SkyeOfStars
Not a Sayan
