A Ripple in the Drift OOC [M]
A Ripple in theDrift
Spoiler: Background Information and Lore
Spoiler: History
Over three centuries ago, there came a temporal anomaly, known colloquially as “The Gap”. This Gap spanned several millennia, though due to its nature the exact duration is unknown. Any records from within the Gap are wildly conflicting, and nothing uncovered so far seems to span deeply into it, and only ancient records of things long before the gap have been of any solid dependability, and while the desire to know more has dwindled somewhat since the occurrence, many organizations still search, wonder, theorize, and question the cause, circumstances, and all other matters pertaining to this event. What was certain was that this was a universal phenomenon experienced by all life in existence. Families would know details of their relatives but not how long they’d been together. Wars were present but the reason for the fighting was lost. Even the extraplanar deities were effected.
In the absence of the context of most everything, chaos reigned in many places for a great while until everyone was faced with no other option than to persevere through this confusing time. One prevailing theory was that the occurrence of the gap was the same as that which caused the vanishing of the planet Golarion (which was much like Earth in many ways) leaving only Absalom Station in its place. Another popular theory is that the initial discovery and use ofDrift technology was to blame.
Upon the time of the Gap, space travel and trade were well-established. The system that housed what would come to be known as the Pact Worlds had all established the same facts regarding the Gap, but with the immense distance between stars, travel was relegated only to within the system, that is until the appearance of Triune, the three-fold deity of technology. This entity was made up of Epoch (the machine-built deity of the world Aballon), Casandalee (the god of the Androids), and Brigh (the clockwork goddess).
The ascension of Triune was accompanied by a gift from the deity, in the form of knowledge of theDrift , which is a sort of separate dimension allowing hyperspace travel across astronomical distances at a reasonable rate. TheDrift was, until this point, unknown to the universe and is only accessible through the technology which became known to all in the universe through Triune at the time of their revelation. The technology was easily affordable, and allowed for unprecedented levels of expansion and exploration into the vastness of the universe. This expansion was slowed as new forms of life were encountered and interacted with, and as other systems also gained the ability to travel through the universe, many began to make contact with and travel to the Pact Worlds, especially as theDrift had a peculiar interaction with the mysterious Starstone that lies in the center of Absalom station, which acted as sort of a homing beacon for theDrift , allowing for relatively quick travel to its location from anywhere in the universe usingDrift technology.
These groups came in many forms, and many new types of residents soon flooded the system. Not all came in peace however. The Pact Worlds formed fully when the Vesk were encountered by explorers in the neighboring system, and subsequently usedDrift technology to attempt to forcefully invade the Pact Worlds system creating a need for unification. The combined front of the Pact Worlds allowed for the Veskarium to be held off, and a conflict, known as the Silent War was waged for 250 years. This war took the form of skirmishes over planets being colonized by both groups, and space battles between fleets, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.
An alliance was formed between the two warring sides when a new threat known as the Swarm forced them to join forces to avoid total annihilation from this seemingly unstoppable devouring force. After years of hard fought battle, the Swarm was eventually pushed from the local region of space, but the peace formed between the two systems remained, though it was an uneasy truce given the so recent and lengthy hostilities between them.
Now decades later, exploration and commerce have taken the forefront of the collective focus of the Pact Worlds. These independent worlds work together to push out the boundaries of the known universe. Governments, corporations, and independent factions work together and against each other in the name of progress.
Spoiler: Setting Details
Governance:
While the Pact Worlds are allied, the worlds operate independently as sovereign entities. The Pact is designed to facilitate trade, enforcement of the laws in the system, and defense of the system as a whole. The role of the Pact has developed and evolved over time to encompass broader scope of authority. The worlds operate autonomously with little interference aside from the enforcement of universal rights given to all sentient creatures, and more extensively to citizens of the Pact Worlds. Most legislative and judicial matters are left to local governments to take care of, so long as it doesn’t encroach on the authority of the other worlds.
Most of the enforcement of the Pact’s Authority is left to the Stewards, which function as much as a policing force as they do a diplomatic force, which only operates within the Pact System, and to an extent the official colonies that belong to the Pact System with “Protectorate Status”.
Decisions are made by the Pact Council, a governing body that is housed on Absalom Station, and has representation from every Pact World proportional to population, aside from those with limited civilization which are classified as protectorates, and do not have full voting rights or autonomy, but have representatives that are permitted participation in council meetings.
Prominent Factions & Groups:
>Corporations – Large business conglomerates that fuel commerce between worlds. Thousands of them exist of various sizes and notorieties.
>The Corpse Fleet – Captains of the Eoxian military that opposed the joining of the pact and separated from their world in protest. Rumored to actually still work for the Eoxian government in secret.
>Golden League – Ancient alliance of powerful crime families dating back to a time when Golarion was still present in the Pact World System. Most gangs and crime organizations have some form of ties to them.
>Skyfire Legion – Mercenary group renowned for their protective services. Made up of bonded pairs of dragonkin and humanoid riders, this group originates from, and is based out of Triaxus.
>AbadarCorp – Largest and wealthiest corporation that is based out of the church of Adabar. They Bankroll much of the activity originating out of the Pact Worlds System in one form or another.
>Free Captains – Organized coalition of pirates with a code and ruling council of pirate lords.
>Hellknights – Stark militant enforcers of order that quells unrest across the known universe. Intimidating reputation, though seen as neither good nor evil.
>Knights of Golarion – Predominantly human militaristic group intent on fighting injustice and evil and protecting the innocent. Operate mainly outside the Pact Worlds, though they have a presence within.
>Starfinder Society – Group entirely focused on discovery and learning and dissemination of knowledge. Based out of Absalom Station. Hierarchy is based on contributions of knowledge, exploration, and discovery.
>Stewards – Diplomatic and Law enforcement Force of the Pact Worlds, and operate predominantly within its bounds, as well as on any officially recognized Protectorate Colonies. Creative and flexible about enforcing the law in order to best oppose those who seek to break it.
>Xenowardens – Environmentally conscious group that strongly enforces protective measures in exploring and colonizing new worlds, which are made to keep growth and expansion in check.
Culture & Lifestyle:
While prior to The Gap, magic was predominantly how complex or difficult feats were achieved, today technology provides a cheaper and more efficient method to accomplish many of those tasks once left to the mystic arts. That doesn’t mean magic has been outclassed, rather technology has taken the burden off of magic to accomplish the now more mundane tasks, and has in many ways been combined with magic to accomplish feats neither could do alone. Indeed most technology uses a little magic in its design, though not as to be non-functional in magic suppressing environments, or to keep those more mechanically inclined than mystically inclined from working on or understanding equipment.
Additionally, magic is now understood not to be as compartmentalized as it appears to have been in the past, with various schools and disciplines of the divine and arcane. While various workers of magic achieve their desired effects in different ways, it is all mostly seen as simply different roads to the same destination.
Communications are maintained in various levels, across planets, systems, and even between systems to an unlimited range thanks to use of theDrift . While the more distant ends of communications are less instantaneous, the delay is slight for the distances that are reached, though the equipment to make long distance communication possible is far from personally portable, but can be connected to, often for a fee, and used by the general populace usually. Information networks are often available on civilized worlds, commonly known as infospheres. These networks function as sort of an internet for the local world, and though many worlds share information, the infospheres are generally localized and can vary widely on the contents available. Many have contents available to be downloaded for perusal when not connected, allowing for research to be done even when not connected to an infosphere. These infospheres are not just host to information, but arts and entertainment as well, which is as varied as the cultures that have emerged across the universe. Music, sports, games, shows, and most every form of media imaginable is accessible and shared across these communication networks.
Time is measured universally relative to the rotation and orbit of Absalom station where the Starstone is housed, which seems appropriate to most given that it is the veritable hub ofDrift travel which is the most commonly used form of travel known. (This system mimics Earth’s cycles of time and date measurement). Reckoning of years is done in the number of years since the Gap, using AG as after Gap, and anything before the Gap as PG or pre-Gap. Anything relating to time during the Gap is referenced in the amount of time before the Gap ended, though due to the inconsistency of records salvaged relating to the time within the Gap, these are rarely certain estimates.
While culture is advanced, most of the general populace even of the main Pact Worlds work for a living in a capitalistic fashion, many for the corporations or governance structures that exist. While some places like Absalom station make sure every being with sentience has their basic needs met, other worlds can be harsher on the less fortunate that dwell there, but generally there is no shortage of work to be done, though there is a definite wealth imbalance that favors the presently wealthy over those who strive to become so. Due to the nature of the Pact Worlds being so varied in inhabitants, most are generally accepting of others and their ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and other things that set them apart (so long as they are not having their own freedoms violated). There are, of course, exceptions of some groups even within the Pact Worlds that are prejudiced in one fashion or another, though many of these groups are ostracized or isolated in their own civilizations.
Religion plays a large role in the functioning of the universe as the existence of the divine is not so much a belief as a reality that effects the universe at large. One example previously stated is Triune introducing theDrift , but another example is the church/corporation of Adabar (Adabar being one of the many deities in the universe). Given that Adabar’s domain is that of wealth, commerce and civilization, it makes sense that this faith-based corporation has flourished, though that is a bit of an understatement. They were the driving force behind creating a single unifying currency to be used in the Pact Worlds which is now used well across the Universe where Pact World influence has spread, as they also have funded most exploration and commerce far beyond the Pact Worlds System.
With this in mind, many pay homage to at least one deity, especially when needing assistance in a domain related to that deity (e.g. praying to Desna your ship holds together when under stress from travel, or to Triune for safe and expedient travel through theDrift , etc.). Few are what many would call devout aside from those more spiritually inclined or involved at some level in the religious body for a particular deity. Deities on occasion may even interact with those on the material plane the universe exists in, doling out blessings or curses as they deem appropriate.
General Information:
>Days of the week:
Firstday, Seconday, Thirday, Fourthday, Fifthday, Sixthday, Seventhday
>Months:
Abadius, Calistril, Pharast, Gozran, Desnus, Sarenith, Erastus, Arodus, Rova, Lamashan, Neth, Kuthona
>Pact Worlds:
-The Sun (Mataras – The Burning Mother) - location of the Burning Archipelago
-Aballon (The Forge) – Planet run by sentient machine-life
-Castrovel (The Wild) – Planet of the Lashunta and Elves, wild and untamed in a majority of areas.
Absalom Station (The Nexus) – Enormous space station that is the hub of the system in most regards, home to the Starstone. A Melting pot of many cultures.
-Akiton (The Battlefield) – The harsh world that was formerly an economic hub with mines for material used for sublight interstellar travel fuel, which was crucial before the advent ofDrift technology. Indigenous home of the Ysoki.
-Verces (The Line) – A planet tidally locked and divided into a frigid dark side and a burning light side, surrounded by a veritable belt of cities populated largely by the native Verthani, and the leading location in cybernetic developments.
-Idari (The Renewal) – A huge colony ship that brought the initial population of Kasathas from their homeworld into the Pact Worlds. Mostly inhabited by Kasathas.
-The Diaspora (The Lost Ones) – A field made up of millions of asteroids that are the remnants of the cataclysmic destruction of two planets that predates even the Gap. Rich in materials, and inhabited by many groups, corps, pirates, and many other independent individuals or organizations, as well as the indigenous residents that have adapted to areas with little to no atmosphere that make up the majority of this region.
-Eox (The Dead) – Home to the sentient undead of a once proud race that turned to unnatural extension of life in the face of destruction. One of the biggest supporters of the formation of the Pact. Much of the planet is inhospitable, save for the cities that have been adapted to allow for living visitors. Home of the controversial and deadly games hosted in the Halls of the Living which is broadcast for entertainment.
-Triaxus (The Wanderer) – Eccentric slow orbit brings it past the gaseous giants and closest to the sun in a 317 year cycle (Currently in winter). Home of the dragons, and origin of the Dragon Legion.
-Liavara (The Dreamer) – Many large populated moons and belt of countless smaller shepherd moons and asteroids around the dangerous gaseous planet.
-Bretheda (The Cradle) – Gaseous home of the amorphic Barathus race at the forefront of biotechnical development.
-Apostae (The Messenger) – Smaller planetoid on a near perpendicular orbit to Absalom Station. Formerly uninhabited due to the original race going extinct, this world now houses the Drow, as well as a maze of underground vaults of advanced technology and dangers untold. Primarily deal in arms stemming from technology found within the planet’s vastly untouched vaults. Home to the enigmatic Nightarch.
-Aucturn (The Stranger) – Seemingly living and changing planet of enigmatic quality, and believed by many fanatical cults to be the egg of an immensely powerful deity, one of the Great Old Ones. Inhabited by warring cult factions, though largely uninhabitable and dangerous.
>Worlds well-known beyond the Pact Worlds System:
-Azlanti Star Empire – Located deep in The Vast, these are descendants of an ancient human empire from Golarion that left long before the Gap. Remnant of a lost expedition that turned to conquering all worlds they come across in a tyrannical fashion, and making any other races their subjects.
-Daegox 4 – Located in Near Space, this world serves as a corporate prison run by a group separate from the Pact Worlds, but takes prisoners from any recognized government. Said to be inescapable.
-The Veskarium – Home of the Vesk located in Near Space in a neighboring system to the Pact Worlds. The Veskarium is a series of eight planets under the militant dominion of the Vesk. Though harsh, they provide their citizenry with a high standard of living.
Spoiler: Where our story begins…
TheDrift has always been somewhat of a mystery since it was revealed to the denizens of the universe by Triune, the threefold deity of interstellar travel. As this revelation also came coupled with the means to access this veritable passage to near limitless travel at unprecedented speeds, it quickly became the most popular method of travel despite so little being known about it. Even now, over three hundred years later, its exact workings still elude even the brightest minds though many theories of varying dispositions exist. Some unpopular voices even took to calling more extreme caution to be taken in the use of this wonderful inscrutable power, but even those most wary ofDrift technology use could not have foreseen what was to unfold…
Spoiler: Character Starter
So where do you fit in to this story? Your character was travelling in theDrift at the time of the incident, on your way to some destination near or distant. Were you on your way to visit someone? Maybe you were tracking down a target, or on your way to your next job. Perhaps you were on a pleasure cruise, or travelling at the behest of your employer.
The adventure will start for you some short time prior to this happening as you are making your way through theDrift on some form of transport.
The current starting level is one (1)
The choice of race, theme, and class are entirely up to you, provided you write up a reasonable backstory. It doesn’t need to be overly long or complex, but should fit with your choices, as well as the general narrative. Ideally characters should be good or at the very least neutrally aligned so as to be predisposed to helping each other, and taking on missions for others. If you are unsure of anything or have questions, please feel free to let me know.
If there’s anything you want to note but keep secret, please let me know privately so I can be aware, but keep it off your sheet post so the other players can be genuinely surprised.
If you want to have some pre-existing world tie-in(s), please feel free to let me know so I can work it in if you desire, or at least so I can be aware of it, but I’m certainly open to that.
I’m also totally okay with collaboration of characters having a history and knowing each other so long as all parties are agreeable to the arrangement.
Spoiler: Character Generation Steps
There are several steps to creating a character and while each step is simple it can be a lengthy process. I advise you take some time to think about your choices and think of how they will play into your character’s actions and behavior. All of the abilities of a character come from experiences that shape their personalities, so keep that in mind and feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Steps for Creating Characters:
>Step 1, Character Concept – Come up with a concept for a character you’d like to play. This can be based on popular media, some OC you’ve created, or just a spur of the moment idea. With this concept in mind, you will use the rules and setting to fit your concept into the world we’re playing in. We will also generate ability scores for your character to have as their baseline before applying any other bonuses.
>Steps 2 – 4, Race, theme, and class – Selecting a race, theme, and class to fit your concept is one of the more important steps as this will set how your character develops and interacts with the world around them. You may want to pick options for Race and Theme that strengthens the important attributes of your class, or possibly shores up any weak points to balance your stats out.
>Step 5, Finalize ability scores – Once you have selected the options that add the final touches on bonuses you may receive to ability scores, you’ll distribute your scores in the best way for your character, which will dictate your overall bonuses to general actions you’ll take like attacking or using skills. As you level your scores will increase, and there are also pieces of equipment that can give you bonuses, so don’t worry if some of your scores aren’t as high as you would like them to be!
>Step 6 - 7, Setting up class, skills, and feats– Once you have your character’s baseline set up, you’ll take care of adding the abilities given to you by your class. This will involve noting any features given to you by your class, along with assigning skill points for skills your character is competent in. You’ll also select a feat (A special ability granted to your character), which everyone gets at first level (though some classes and races might give additional feats).
>Step 8, Purchasing equipment – Using the starting amount of credits (1,000 for 1st level), you will select from a variety of appropriately leveled equipment to outfit your character for adventure. Don’t worry if you can’t afford every item you want, there will be plenty of credits to earn and spend as our story progresses.
>Step 9, Finishing touches – Now you just fill in any blanks left over, adding the stats of equipment purchased, along with any finalizing details you may want to have for your backstory, possibly adjusting it to fit your now fully fleshed out character. Things like Alignment and Deity may be important details to note as those can be important factors in how your character is played.
The details of how to accomplish these steps can be found in online resources such as the Archive of Nethys SRD https://www.aonsrd.com/Rules.aspx, however as some of you might be unfamiliar with this system, or dice-based RPG systems as a whole, please feel free to ask any questions you might have regarding the steps or playing.
Here is a link to a place you can create and keep your sheet FOR NOW: https://www.myth-weavers.com
For ease of access and rolling, we will be doing all mechanical rolling in Roll20. To make this easier, I will be having a sheet created for everyone. If you are amenable to using your Roll20 Character sheet, I will happily transfer all information over to it so you don't need to recreate it and can just update it as needed, however if you prefer just using you mythweavers sheet (if you've made one) and manually rolling, that is fine too, so long as you keep your sheet updated as needed.
Be sure to make the sheet publicly available so you can provide the link to me so I can view it. I’d also like to get an overview of your character, so be sure to fill out the details at the end of the sheet with as much detail as you’d like, including a background story if you’ve got one ready. Below is a small character synopsis with basic details you might want people to know (though if you only want to reveal things as your character is revealed that’s fine too) Once you have one of these ready, feel free to post it. I’ll have a section at the top where I’ll keep the currently active characters. If you have any updates on descriptions or anything you want to add, let me know and I can update this section. Below is just an example of what could be contained here, but you can have as many or few details as you want everyone to know.
We are currently working out the best way to go about doing dice rolls as the on-site one seems to be not functioning the greatest, once that detail is figured out I will explain more on that here since it will be necessary for character creation ^^;
Spoiler: character synopsis
Name/Alias:
Race:
Gender:
Alignment:
Physical Description:
Class:
Theme:
Background story:
Things my character values:
Etc.
Spoiler: Rules & Overhead
>Requirements
Now I hate to even use this word, but I couldn’t think of a better one that was more accurate, so we’ll call it like it is. Here are some things that are required for your character. If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out!
-This is a game we’re playing TOGETHER: This means that we want to try to work as a team and toward a common goal. This doesn’t mean that everyone’s character always is going to get along, but we’re looking to avoid hurting feelings or ruining someone’s good time in real life. So, with that in mind, let’s be civil and communicative. If something didn’t sit well with you, open a dialog, either in private, or (if appropriate) in the OOC. If something ends up needing to be walked back, we can work it out together. This includes ME. If I do or say something that causes you pause or discomfort, PLEASE tell me so I can work with you to make it right. My goal is to facilitate everyone having a good time, and I can’t do that if I am the one preventing you from having a good time ^^;
-Keep the narrative in the IC, and the mechanics in the OOC: All the IC should be is the narrative of what is happening. Mechanical things like rolls, questions, planning, etc. Should be within the OOC, or in private with me if needed or desired. We will basically use the OOC to decide your actions and come up with what you want to attempt, and then do the rolls to try. Whether you succeed or fail, the result will be what you write up in the IC part, written as if you’re a character in a book, failing or succeeding, and reacting to things that occur. Not everything will require an OOC post, such as simple dialog and character interactions that don’t require any rolls. Any rolls that are desired to be made in private for secretive actions can be made in a direct message to myself.
-Try to keep as active as possible: If possible I’d like to keep things going pretty steadily. I’m not saying you need to keep this tab open on your device of choice every second of every day, but hopefully people can check in semi-frequently to see if things have progressed to where they can post again. This will be especially important in combat encounters that are turn-based. If anything comes up where you won’t be available for a significant stretch, please feel free to communicate that so we can keep in the loop of the status of the game in case things need to be put on pause or adjusted. We can also make arrangements if someone needs to take a hiatus or leave the campaign to adjust the story as needed.
-This will be a mature game: There will be adult themes present of violence, possibly gore, possibly substance use, possible sexual content, it really will depend on where the story goes, but this is the disclaimer. If anyone has any triggers or issues I or other players need to know about, please do not hesitate to let us know. Additionally all RPA rules for mature roleplay apply (not that this should need saying)
Rules will be amended as necessary with notice.
GM RULINGS
Below are rulings that have been decided by me, or in a collaborative effort with one or more players. If you have any questions or suggestions (either for existing rulings, or new ones that might be needed) please let me know!
Spoiler: Batteries
A few words on batteries. Specific weapons and other items have charges that don't work with standard or higher capacity batteries (20, 40, 80, 100). The common one I've seen is 10 (since there are no 10 Capacity batteries). Feel free to come to me case by case if needed, but for now my ruling is:
>If an item costs less than the battery that fits its capacity (this goes for even items with normal capacities), the battery is specific to that device and internal so it must be charged as a unit. This is to avoid spending less on an item that would make sense to come with a battery and just throwing the item away to keep the battery at a discount (which is apparently what some people would do?)
>If the item costs more than whatever the next step up in batteries is, then its usage will be adjusted to give the same amount of uses for it's capacity. (e.g. A Frailty Pistol, Rasp Class has a capacity of 10, and usage of 1, giving it 10 shots. With no 10 capacity batteries existing, the solution is to have it have a 20 capacity, with a usage of 2, giving it the same 10 shots but with a proper sized capacity that has batteries available)
Characters
Yggdrasil_Hugger:
Spoiler: QerrikName/Alias: Qerrik Cheerriti
Race: Strix
Gender: Male
Alignment: Neutral Good
Physical Description: With obsidian skin, inky black eyes with moon-silver irises, and wide, midnight wings, one wouldn’t be remiss to think Qerrik is some avian drow variant. Standing just shy of 6 feet tall, Qerrik’s slight frame is ropy and lean with muscle. From the waist up, he appears more or less humanoid, though from the waist down he is entirely avian. With just two claws on each talon, his walking gait is slow and unusual, a combination of a normal humanoid’s walk and a bird’s hop. A fan of feathers spreading out from the base of his spine assists in flight, acting as a rudder mid-air.
His eyes, which are large and suited to take in as much light as possible, cannot move in their sockets, forcing him to turn his head to look in any direction. Powerful neck muscles and flexible cervical vertebrae allow him to turn his head nearly 360 degrees, which more than makes up for it. His ears are pointed, though more bat-like than elf-like.
The most eye-catching of his physiology are his two massive wings. With a 13-foot wingspan, he is far more adept in the air than on the ground. His wings are relatively broad and short, with soot-black down and tattered fringe feathers that grant him almost silent flight. He is an average strix in every way, though he is considered quite good-looking.
Class: Solarian
Theme: Noble Scion
Spoiler: BackstoryQerrik, like most strix, was hatched on Verces, in the mysterious spire city known as Qidel, Aerie of the Sun. Deep in the area of the tidally-locked planet known as Fullbright, Qidel stands as a strange and mysterious tower of stone reaching high into the heavens. Inside, the spire is hollow and extends far into cavernous underground cave systems. The strix live in these hollow areas in homes carved straight into the rock.
Most outsiders have never seen the inside of Qidel, and the strix who live there prefer to keep their secrets. Despite this, they have been welcomed into the Ring of Nations. Some strix have left Qidel altogether to live full-time in the Ring of Nations, favoring the eternal twilight and lush greenery to the permanent day and barren desert.
One group of strix, though based in Qidel, have flung themselves across the Pact Worlds and beyond. They are known as the Krii’arrai, an elite order of warriors and mages that harness the power of the stars themselves. They are both knight and nobility, having had generations to accrue wealth and pass it down to their descendants, who in turn accrue more wealth to pass down.
Qerrik belongs to the Cheerriti Clan, a prominent family of Krii’arrai that possesses a truly ridiculous amount of wealth. Despite this, the family is so large that each member sees only a small portion of this wealth. Well, a relatively small portion.
Qerrik has recently completed his Rraaw’ikrii, an important milestone in the order that signifies his abilities are strong enough to continue his journey without the need for a rokoa to watch over him. Though he still has a way to go before ascending to the rank of rok, he is able to travel the galaxies as he pleases, furthering his studies.
Values:
Balance: All things exist in the grand balance of the cosmos. Good and evil, law and chaos, light and dark, each have their part to play. Things that disrupt that balance should be eradicated.
Positive Change: The universe and everything in it, down to the smallest particle, are all predisposed for entropy. By staving off this decay, balance can be achieved.
Diplomacy: Talking always comes before violence. Always.
The People: Everyone must do their part to ensure the survival and happiness of others.
Fun: Qerrik is used to the life of a wealthy aristocrat and enjoys the trappings of high society. Being a knight-errant with the power of supernovas and bonkers generational wealth can get you into a lot of swanky parties.
Enigma:
Spoiler: Iris Jones
Name/Alias: Irene Bakhvalova / Iris Jones
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Physical Description: This mysterious girl has hooded green eyes the color of jade. Her thick, wavy, coppery hair is worn in a style that reminds you of an overused mop. She has a lean build. Her skin is china-white. She has long-fingered hands. Her wardrobe is practical.
Class: Mechanic
Theme: Tinker
Background story: Eldest daughter of Morozoko Bakhvalova, CEO of Konienko orbital human habitat. Much of her childhood was spent living in the upper level of the station, her friends were the bored kids of the other wealthy families living in the upper level. Her mother sought to prepare her for life among the elite - lessons in allocution, botany, classical languages (not necessarily fluent), dance, deportment, drawing, flower arrangement, grace of movement, history, interplanetary geography, letter writing, music, mythology, painting, piano, singing....
So Irene decided to escape that life, bribing a lower deck smuggler to get her planet-side with a new identity as "Iris Jones" so she could attend school and become a mechanic while improving her hacker skills. Currently deployed as a maintenance tech (janitor).
Things my character values: The ability to live her life the way she wants, not how her mother and the other upper level families expects her to live. Doing practical, meaningful work. To be valued for who she is, not as an upper level debutante "slumming it" on the lower decks. Chocolate.
etc. As a maintenance tech, she has access to various staff-restricted areas on and below the passenger levels.
Highland Sniper:
Spoiler: Emriko Kiyata Corisa
Name/Alias: Emriko Kiyata Corisa (Emri/Emi or Riko, or sometimes Just Em, for short)
Race: Kitsune
Gender: Female
Alignment: NG. . . Leaning towards CG
Spoiler: Physical DescriptionStanding about 5' 4", this little bundle of enthusiasm is rather slim with a slight hourglass figure.
Normally in a more humanoid form with her foxy ears and tail visible, She has wavy dark red hair that goes just past her shoulders, and sea green eyes with ember flecks. She looks as though she smiles too much with a wild glint in her eyes.
Her kitsune form obviously resembles a large anthropomorphic red fox of similar build, keeping the same eyes and hair.
She does bare a birthmark resembling a flaming gear on her left thigh that shows up in either form. She also bares some faint scars on her hands, feet, legs, and arms that seem to be from any number of cuts and burns.
Spoiler: clothesNormally wears cargo pants and a short sleeved shirt and jacket when in human form, but has no qualms about going without clothes when in kitsune form, as she is covered in fur.
She will, on occasion, voluntarily go full kitunse being clothed in only a belt, cargo pants, or a jacket, as long as she has her essentials.
Class: Technomancer
Theme:Scholar
Spoiler: Backstory
Emriko was born on a large freight ship called the Constella. She was always in space. She and her family had been all over the pact worlds, and a few new settlements as well on trade missions.
They were an independent merchant ship, buying, selling, and trading, only staying in any one spot for as much as a week, though there are rare occasions when they stayed longer.
She hardly made long friends on the planets and stations they visited, and everyone else on the ship were more like siblings and cousins rather than friends. Which was fine by her.
As Emriko grew, she showed a knack for tech, and even a little bit of magic.
She come to help maintain ships systems and equipment. As she and her skill grew, she thirsted for knowledge.
She was accepted to an academy where she did make more friends and enthusiastically absorbed every material she came across in her studies. Mainly involving technology, and even magic.
Despite being a top student, she was later kicked out for unsafe practices and a few infractions on school safety policies.
She is now on a transport, on her way to randevu with the Constella and home.
Spoiler: Things my character values
Fun - Else, what's the point? Just try to find fun and joy in as much as possible. But remember that struggle is part of growth and improvement. And sometimes struggling sucks.
Learning - What else are we supposed to do? Besides, not knowing something can suck sometimes. Learn as much as you can.
Improvement - Isn't that why we learn? Isn't that what life is about?
Beauty - Outside beauty is great. But sometimes inner beauty is way better. Just... try to find beauty in everything.
Freedom - Rules just seem to hold you back half the time. Though some rules are there to keep you safe, they do seem to stem improvements. Besides which, it's not always fun being told what to do. And living under unjust rule sucks (not from personal experience there).
Trust - You need to trust your judgment, your research, your equipment, and your friends. If you can't trust them, use them as little as possible. Trust is very important, and is generally the foundation of everything. In general, probably best to not trust something until you can prove it.
Spoiler: personality
A normally pretty perky and enthusiastic person, she does her best to be quite chipper no matter the circumstances thinking that there is always something to learn and gain from the experience.
Though she can get serious at times, it's not normal for her, seeming to only go straight faced when the need is great and the work leaving no room for emotions.
She likes listening to music whenever possible, at work or play, and even in stressful situations.
Despite her pretty happy go lucky nature, she isn't naive. She understands that there are many dangers and dangerous people. That doesn't have to keep her from smiling in the face of eminent danger.
Spoiler: Other notes
Unless there is a specific rule in place, she could care less about wearing clothes as long as she's covered in fur and has everything she needs. Namely some tools, comms, and whatever weapon or extra gear she'll need for the job.
Probably about the only reasons she'll wear clothes when going full Kitsune.
Unless she's told you it won't blow up... Use it sparingly or carefully. You never know.
Unless strictly necessary, expect her to disregard most, if not all, safety measures.
Protecting life and equipment from assured damage is one thing. But if the danger is not assured, screw it.
May come off as a know-it-all, but just really likes knowing things and helping others out.
Fashion facts might be neat, Emriko could care less about actual fashion. Utility and comfort are probably the biggest drives for what Emriko does and doesn't wear.
ElizabethStark:
Spoiler: Zolena Kesriyin
Name/Alias: Zolena Kesriyin
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Physical Description:Spoiler: Zolena
She stood at a towering five feet and eleven inches. Her hair long and wavy, reaching just above her backside with some shape to it; the color was a soft blonde - clearly losing its yellow color. Her eyes were once a clear ocean blue... but now they resembled a pale grey. Her skin just as pale with a slight shade of porcelain. Her body was well toned and muscular. There was no doubt she was beautiful, but clearly her appearance was oddly different from other humans.
Class: Precog
Theme: Death-Touched
Story: Born on Eox to a family on the run, Zolena's life as a child was far from easy. For ten years she spent on Orphys with her bright blue eyes and brilliant blonde hair... until it happened. She had her touch with death. Her parents were not kind, constantly stressed and walking on eggshells around her mother and father, Zolena wanted out. She was tired of hiding, especially on a planet so precarious. Eox was all she knew. On her tenth year her parents were caught, but she ran away. Zolena wasn't sure what they would do to her. She ran past Orphys, running as fast as she could - praying to The Devourer they weren't actually after her. Although she wasn't sure praying to such a deity would do her any good...
Zolena would soon become Death-Touched, just a mere two days after escaping authority. She was on the outskirts of Orphys, just beyond the protective bubble. It made her horribly sick but she kept walking until she was met with a strange but very visible radiation. It was almost lethal... until some lifeform saved Zolena and brought her to a vessel - healing her. She was in and out of consciousness for days and could never get a full grasp of who rescued her. By the time she was better, they had vanished. She was left there on an unidentifiable transport - from her knowledge. The only other two individuals on board aside from herself were a female android named Edoval and a male human by the name of Hignori.
When she finally looked into a mirror her eyes were no longer the bright blue they once were and her hair had paled - even her porcelain skin had faded ever so slightly. Zolena didn't know much about other Pact Worlds, but they headed to Liavara as told to her by Edoval. Roselight was their true destination. She wasn't sure why these individuals wanted to help her get away from Eox and what could possibly be the authorities... but she went along with it. After all, she was only ten and didn't know what else she could do.
In Roselight, Zolena was adopted into a small family of lashuntas. She learned all she could from her new family and from those outside it on Liavara. She was an unruly child and quite unpredictable, but eight years later it was time for her to venture out into unknown territories and explore the vastness of space.
Values:
Loyalty
Trustworthiness
Altruism
Honesty
Courage
GodlyD&D :
Spoiler: MegamarkMegamark was born to his parents at Absalom, life took a dramatic turn three years later. They were on a tour ship to the elven world, yet the ship was in a terrible crash, in which his parents and many of those other riders on it perished. The rest were taken to medical facilities and given the best provision of elven care. Megamark was less injured than any others, and most in that care still did not make it. Now that he was orphaned, an elven family on that world took him in. He learned much in his formative years from their ways in that world. Yet it remained clear he was different, from another place of the mantype humans. He thought often of how he might find others in another place more like him.
Ships from other worlds did not come here at frequent intervals at all, other than with some limited exchange from another elven world far apart from this one. After a long time, when Megamark turned ten years of age, another ship did come. Those on it were androids. Megamark was unique in this world and those androids learned of him as well. One android came to him to learn more about him, and that one ultimately offered to bring Megamark with them from that world. They were involved in commerce, and would go to other worlds. They would eventually come to Absalom, where Megamark had interest to return to. Megamark agreed, and he parted with the elven family who had cared for him. They were sorry he was going but told him they understood he needed to go, for that opportunity.
Megamark saw half a dozen different inhabited worlds for short times. The ship of androids traveled over great distances all along that way. Megamark was a young man as he came to Absalom again. It was all very unfamiliar to him. But Regdonic, the android which had adopted him on the elven world, stayed with him as he adjusted to this place, and sought an occupation there. Yet he found himself involved with an obscure cult, that of Donmichael, and he worshipped among them. Regdonic cautioned him about that involvement, yet this led to him being more involved with them and devoted to that way.
After some time he found an agency that saw promise in the abilities he showed, including acrobatics he had worked on since very young, soon after that crash of the tour ship. They took him in to train him for colonizing some distant world with few if any inhabitants, which could have materials to exploit. He learned there, and during this he fell away from that cult, turning soon to more sensible faith that was established in Absalom.
Soon there was opportunity for Megamark to be sent on a quest he was trained for.
Megamark went with light armor and weapons. He is well built and at five feet eleven inches in height. He has bushy brown hair on his head and with his beard and mustache. His skin has a very slight reddishness.
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Originally Posted by Highland Sniper
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