I posted in the int check a little bit ago, guess I'll re post what I said here.
I have a character I'd be interested in using, and one of my factions would work nicely for this setting.
I'll get to work on a CS for my character as well.
I'll give it a read. Going to be honest and say that I want the LORE to be built cooperatively with new ideas and round-table type worldbuilding. That way nobody get's lost in the minutiae of epic histories and narrative. Not saying that's a bad thing-I love writing that stuff myself. But story is character and we should start with that-characters. By all means, draft a character from the ISC and we'll see how it fits into the bigger picture. Remember though, the universe is old. Sleek and new is not common. More Han Solo and Jakku, less Old Republic and Jedi Tower.
Cool! I'll start making a character!...Unless you need someone to play the sample characters?
I'd rather go all original from here on out. If you've got an idea for a character let's hear it. First post is up. I want to get this rolling before it loses steam. I'm busy the rest of the day, however so let's try and get characters started by at least tomorrow evening everyone.
I think it's a much better idea to have it organized by category, then by alphabet
Like:
Animals: *all animals listed, in alphabetical order, here*
Cultures: *all cultures listed, in alphabetical order, here*
Magic: *you get the idea*
Magical Creatures: *perhaps this is where Maggot Men would be listed?*
The categories would all be in hiders. So it would look like this:
consider the Maggot-men of Bloodmoon Barrows. Through the word of their horrid god Illumiiax, they consider and demand that all humans be sacrificed, and their flesh feasted upon. Obviously, this has made trade with the creatures near impossible for men. It is unfortunate as the spores of the native Bloodmoon Barrow Fardream Toadstool are in high demand for the euphoric and healing proper...
(described by Polybius)
That way it wouldn't get messy over time
That way it wouldn't get messy over time
Good point! That's much better. I guess we need someone to act as the Compendium Librarian?
The old corvette class ship, Sweet Anne, was hauled up, disassembled and put back together with pieces to spare. She was an old ship, a human ship, and she is your ride. The job sounds easy enough-track down the freighter "Gargatha", get on-board and abduct some rich guy's daughter. Travelling to the Hyklian homeworld is a little sketchy, but the 20,000 Hyksos Tongs for payment make it a whole hell of a lot more enticing. Besides, what could go wrong?
Captain Erek
Between the repairs, the port docking fees and bribing the planet authorities to keep his ship off the books, Captain Erek of Carpas was beginning to wonder where he would find his next meal. From a balcony near the port blast doors he looked over the brown and grey bulk of a ship he would soon be commanding. She had streaks of verdigris down her sides, blaster impact craters the workmen had given up trying to buff out. A couple of the port mechanics sat on top of her smoking and tossing empty beer bottles into her topside correction-thruster ports.
"Get the hell off my ship you maggots!" Erek shouted at the drunk workmen standing on top of the "Sweet Anne". The crewmen only laughed and one dropped his coveralls and started relieving himself over the side. Erek frowned and gave them the appropriate gesture. The Sweet Anne had been through hell, that was for sure. She was no longer sweet. But she would get the job done. Erek popped a data pad out of a pouch on his utility belt. He checked the local nets-all hush-hush and encrypted of course-for any replies to his inquiry:
RE:Payday; « « no replies » » Erek again. Ship departing 10:00, Port Hangar 6, south bay. Simple grab-bag-and-deliver job. Payment upon receipt. Details given for serious inquiries. Probable belligerents. Bring a gun or two.
Erek didn't like using the local-nets to look for a crew, but he needed to get a hold of a ships compliment before his boss lost track of the "Gargatha". With a post on the nets Erek was sure to secure a crew before the freighter headed into Empire space. If that happened then the princess was as a good as dead and Erek's head would be on a plate in the hall of Hyksos. Of course Erek didn't mention in his inquiry that the "Gargatha" was now under Ygar control, or that it was headed for Empire space. These mercs were a shaky bunch anyways, no sense in getting them all riled up before they even got out there. Still, Erek was starting to feel a little shaky. Then he realized he was only hungry. Really hungry.
...is expanding, racing towards its own inevitable heat death. What joy, what wonder to be alive at such a time! Mankind, a progenitor race from a long-dead planet has multiplied and evolved in a myriad of ways making contact with thousands of species across the galaxy. The Omkla Ygar Empire wages war, not for profit or glory, but for the lulz. Hyklian courts argue pedantically while their kingdoms burn. Tears in the very fabric of space have become a concern for all whilst Ourobos Chrononauts steal entire centuries and rule them as their very own fiefdoms...
Welcome to Expanding Universe, an ever evolving world universe of science fiction intrigue, action and adventure with a cynical tone. This RP will be handled episodically, with adventures broken up into episodes in a season. We're going to skip through the slow parts so narration will be a bit unorthodox. Players are encouraged to add to the Lore as they roleplay, write and collaborate. The goal of this RP is to create a vibrant universe full of diverse races, characters and concepts that can be tapped again and again and used as a backdrop for more stories. If you would like to contribute to the world but can't commit to running a character that's OK too. Existing characters/players, If you have an idea for a storyline, send me a PM please!~
Setting Info
The universe has grown ancient. Space, once a vast ocean of mystery has been explored, colonized, abandoned, colonized again, lost and then popularized in myth & legend. There are few places left untouched by civilizations, both extinct and intact. It is an era of uncertainty, of grey morality. A precipice approaches and many are forced to jump. Others...simply want to pull a profit and hang on until the cliff edge collapses.
Political Factions
The Hyklian Combine
The Patriarchal Hyklian's Empire has grown decadent and untenable . Centuries of glorious expansion have exhausted the will of the Noble House Scions. Boredom and cruelty have taken the place of zealous conquering. Noble families quarrel over entire planets for nothing-an insult, a perceived insult or just for the hell of it. From the ziggurat-filled planet of Hyksos I, the frail and ailing Hyklian Emperor rules in name only, his power stripped by the warlike nobility. Between the nobles, the church and the emperor loyalists, the Hyklian has descended into a vast combine of hedonism & excess.
Hyklians are humanoid, living in the Hyksos Cluster. Some scholars trace their lineage back to the middle east region of ancient Earth, specifically the Fertile Crescent, a land once known as Mesopotamia. Modern Hyklian cities are lavish pleasure-palaces, ziggurats, pyramids and stone temples devoted to gods of excess and pleasure. They hide their advanced technology in a facade of decadent empire, preferring to remember themselves as they were, not what they became.
But they are not to be fooled with. It is true centuries of political infighting has fractured the Empires foundation & robbed the elderly Emperor, Hyksos I of his true power, but the noble families are stronger than ever. The combination of militarization and loyalty to the Patriarch has created a society of cunning warrior aristocrats, some scholars compare to the mythical Empire of Rome or the Land of Nippon on ancient Earth.
The Omkla Ygar Empire
On the opposite end of space are the horrid Ygar & their space-time warping slave ships. Powerful bio-wizards, Ygar science is a mixture of dark arts and advanced technology stolen from a thousand worlds. The early history of the Omkla Ygar is legendary, some say they were once a race of man that traveled too far into the heart of the galaxy and became tainted. Few in the galaxy do not know of the Omkla Ygars cruelty, especially their endless lust for more and more thralls to experiment upon.
The true physiology of the Ygar is unknown. They wear thickly armored suits with extendable tendrils for grabbing and restraining. They are slightly larger than humans, supposedly with larger craniums, as the black helmets they wear are quite large. Among the Ygar are smaller, lesser ranked creatures that seem to fear the larger Ygar, and of course the sense-dulled slave armies that accompany them on their conquests.
Ourobos Chronospheres
The Ourobos appear to hail from another dimension, or the far future. They have corrupted time itself, creating fiefdoms of 'pocket-time', entire eras of history ruled with an iron fist. The Ourobos seem to be limited to these spheres of power, however, and cannot travel for very long outside of them. There is a relationship between the use of Dark matter technology and Ourobos. The use of technology based on dark matter seems to not only antagonize the Ourobos, but strengthen their dominion in space. Ourobos are NPC characters only (for now).
The Races
The Andrakki
Under construction by me.
The C'Lok
Little is known of the cephalopod-like race of humanoids, other than they are fearsome warriors in combat, and vicious pirates.
The earliest humans evolved from primates on a small, now destroyed planet near the center of the galaxy. Eons ago, they began exploring and colonizing space. Evolution continued, and today their are near infinite sub-species of human. Some scientists claim all humanoid lifeforms are either evolved from humans or some earlier, progenitor race.
NPCS
Captain Erek of Carpas Governor Gerard Domina of Planet Mon Rex Magna II
The Armory
Here is a collection of weapons and useful tools mentioned in the narrative.
Heavy-BolterThe Heavy-bolter (shotgun) is powered by an Andrakki designed power cell 'Dynamo'. As usual with all things Andrakki, the weapon overcompensates in power, resulting in less accuracy and less frequent firing rate. The weapon blasts arc lightning in a short but wide range and may be set for lethal or incapacitating damage. Used by the Mon Rex Magna Port Authority Soldiers.
Vibro-BladeVibro-blades are the traditional weapon used in ritual combat by Hyklian Nobility. The varying sources of power from blade to blade make judging the effectiveness/damage output of each weapon difficult. Plasti-steel Armor Corvette Class Ship
Creating A Character
Name: Race: Appearance: Abstract/Vignette: (A line to describe your personality, or a short scene that demonstrates the quality of your character) Background: Recent events that have shaped the personality of your character. Max 5 paragraphs please.
Note:Please PM @Polybius your finished character sheet.
RP Guidelines & Last Thoughts
Below are a few guidelines that you should follow when creating posts or lore for Expanding Universe. When making posts there are a few things to consider: This RP is treated like a TV show. Skip the boring stuff, move the plot along. Having said that, please tell me if I'm moving too fast for you to RP your character to their full potential. Thanks for reading!
Also, since we're going to be constantly making compendium entries in the CS after this gets enough interest hopefully, it might be a good idea to make a post where we sort the entries every once in a while (maybe when a particular subject and the things involving it get developed enough to earn it's own section in the Compendium) Either on the CS itself or maybe a Shared Google doc. That way it's easier to check on things or just read-up without searching through the CS for something
Something alphabetical would be ideal I think. The only way to do that on the forums is to have someone start a master thread and keep all of the entries logged alphabetically. Actually, I prefer that. Maybe just leave a link in the main IC thread for the "Compendium" thread.
Shadow Dragon
