• Do not God-Mode, Metagame, Powerplay, Lorebreak or create Mary-Sues. If you don't understand these terms, check out this page: [Link]
• Fighting, back chatting, flaming or trolling will not be tolerated.
• Do not create a Perfect or Overpowered Character. Please Ensure that you comply with the character sheet layout below.
• You must share ideas and ask plenty of questions. I may have a certain direction I want to go, but you as a member could have some interesting ideas as well.
• However being the GM, if I say "No" to anything in particular, I genuinely mean "No".
• Swearing and gore is fine, just make sure you stay within the Roleplayer Guild rules.
• If you are going to be absent for any length of time just either post up a message or shoot me a PM so I'm aware.
• Above all else, play fair and have fun.

Coal is set within a steampunk world that has been altered into a form that is quite unique to what people are familiar with. At some point in the past the world's magnetism began to reduce in strength and the days slowly grew longer. Sections of land around the world began to loose their grip on the surface, forcing them to lift up and float towards the skies but stay within a low lying static orbit. The clouds, that were in the past out of reach to even the birds, sank closer to where these land masses flew and created an ocean of white mist between these new islands. The result was two worlds separated by a thick layer of air but with reach that what happened to one environment could easily affect the other. Since the world had changed so much and humans were just in the beginnings of an industrial era, steam power took off as the most advance and reliable form of energy. It had little to no effects from the changes in magnetism while utilising the now exposed natural resources that were once hidden underground. Many inventors and scientist tested their numerous ideas and designs for various forms of machinery but none had the power or drive as the Children of Umbra. The Children of Umbra is a somewhat secret and exclusive community of people who believed that the power of electricity holds some amazing attributes, and that if harnessed correctly could produce a form of great power beyond what anyone could imagine. Unfortunately many authorities did not follow the same belief and viewed their experiments as a form of witchcraft and blasphemy. Many rumours have arisen about the Children of Umbra, however only a few members can recall their true history as many of the leaders were killed by members of the two great families. The Aristocrats are one of these two powerful families, a house shrouded with confusion and mystery extending back several hundred years to the Medieval times. Over the generations their dynasty has become an ever growing collection of brothers and sisters who have forgotten which ancestry line is truly in charge. Even with all this uncertainty they still somehow receive orders and information from an unknown source who claims to be their true heir. One thing is for certain, it was the Wall twins who were responsible for the Children of Umbra killings but due to the nature of their crimes it could not be proven which one committed the act of murder. The second family, rising to true power after the lands rose to the skies, are the House of Hudson. Unlike the Aristocrats that are heavily into their English heritage and consist of many different families combining into one, the Hudsons are one family that can trace their routes back to an American like source. Their current leader is Jeffery Hudson Jnr with his father, Jeffery Hudson Snr, lying in an prison for his contribution in the Children of Umbra killings, never to be released. This was part of the reason why the Hudsons migrated back to Orhurst and by doing so they bought their Wild West attitude back with them. Many would assume that the two families would be civil towards each other considering they each had a common enemy but the truth couldn't be more different. The Aristocrats dreamed of power, status and control; a family that believed their destiny was to rule the lands before them. The House of Hudson desired greed from the natural minerals in order to fuel their expanding and ungoverned growth. As long as the Aristocrats occupied the lands, the House of Hudson's dream could not be completely for-filled. - Which family is destined to take control of the region and what turned them into such bitter enemies? - What role do the Children of Umbra have in all this and what are they planning? - Why did the families kill the Children of Umbra Leaders and what secrets have been lost? These questions and many more have been left unanswered for so long that it has created a partially tense and corrupt environment that needs to be resolved. Time Period: Coal is set within a Victorian English period so please keep in mind the history and style of architecture, clothing, and influences during this era. Since the House of Hudson is from an American background there may be occasional Wild West influence within their allocated areas. Style of RP: This is more of a realistic style of Roleplay. There are laws so keep in mind what can and cannot attract attention from the authorities. Unnecessarily killing people or committing acts of crime is generally not advised. This Roleplay was inspired by sources like Bioshock Infinite, Sherlock Holmes, Romeo and Juliet and possibly many other things, however it is not based on any of these sources. Location and Travel: There are two main locations within this world.

• The City of Londonary: Londonary is a city built on top of a collection of islands that have risen from the earth below. The buildings cover as much of the exposed land as possible however several small islands have been left untouched to allow various people access to more natural areas. To allow movement between the various islands there are bridges, pathways and cable cars that provide most of the local transport while blimps and skyferries allow for longer distance travel. (I don't believe planes should be a part of this RP as they can be considered a bit of an advanced technology)
  Example of the City of Londonary: [+]

  
  City Clocktower: [+]

  
• Orhurst: Orhurst is a mining town not far from where Londonary casts it's shadow on the world. It sits to the edge of a large crater with many tunnels extending their reach from the base to the village outskirts. The land that used to occupy the crater is what has become the City of Londonary. Within the centre of the town is the main hub that contains both a railway line that travels out of the city and to far away lands and a cable car station that connects the town to several islands.
  Example of Orhurst: [+]

  

Technology: Typically steampunk is based on industrial equipment, clockwork designs and exposing how mechanical machines works. Computers will not be within this time period, but some electronic devices may be available. Powers/Magic/Weapons: Because this is an alternate world some 'minor' special powers or magic may be available but the main form of magic comes from artificial sources such as Alchemy and Pseudo Science. (Note: Frankenstein's monster is an example of Pseudo Science where the Doctor uses electricity to reanimate a dead body.) Also note that weapons are generally the type of addition you would carry around in everyday life. Therefore I really don't want to see people attempting to carrying around miniguns, claymore swords or even a BFG 9000. Name: Age: Appearance: Faction: (Please choose a class from below) Sidearm: (Small personal weapon and up to 2 only) Skills: Bio: - Class 1: The Aristocrats Traits: Specialist in Melee combat/Swordsmanship. They have a high profile in society so their appearance to other people is very formal and posh. - Class 2: House of Hudson Traits: Specialist in Ranged weaponry and Mechanical skills Name must end with Hudson A bit more of a rough and ready group of mechanics and miners. - Class 3: Children of Umbra Traits: Specialist in Alchemy and Pseudo Science, as well as stealth. When around normal people they blend in with no difficulty. Can be identified by an Omega tattoo on the inside of their upper lip. - Class 4: Civilian (General Purpose Class) Traits: No particular speciality but has a bit more freedom within the world. Can have a skill in something not associated with a family (eg: Detective, Doctor, Merchant, etc) Has the ability to join a family at a later date if desired but does not gain their traits.

So I am guessing characters go into the character section and so on so let me see, got a few questions for clarity was not sure whether to pm or just pop it in OOC style

Class 1: The Aristocrats Traits: Specialist in Melee combat/Swordsmanship. They have a high profile in society so their appearance to other people is very formal and posh.

So they might have fencing maybe by any chance? and I am guessing the setting is rather western or will there be eastern style swordsmanship as well with katanas etc... Also guessing these people are rich in general so might not be a stretch for them to have servants or large mansions or even owning buildings etc

Class 2: House of Hudson Traits: Specialist in Ranged weaponry and Mechanical skills Name must end with Hudson A bit more of a rough and ready group of mechanics and miners.

The Hudsons, the last name might put some people off though Hudson River is always nice, Mechanics and Miners so guessing they also might be engineers as well, using old school or advanced but not modern looking guns perhaps... they could use mechanical bows right?

Class 3: Children of Umbra Traits: Specialist in Alchemy and Pseudo Science, as well as stealth. When around normal people they blend in with no difficulty. Can be identified by an Omega tattoo on the inside of their upper lip.

Pseudo Science and Alchemy are two of the coolest skills of all but does that mean they limited on what weapons they can use if any? Stealth plus daggers I get a strange Assassin's Creed vibe coming from this group

Class 4: Civilian (General Purpose Class) Traits: No particular speciality but has a bit more freedom within the world. Can have a skill in something not associated with a family (eg: Detective, Doctor, Merchant, etc) Has the ability to join a family at a later date if desired but does not gain their traits.

So they get to have a custom trait then or no specialty FINALLY ALL THE BIG QUESTIONS 1. Do you gain any traits later on, or can you have more than one trait? 2. Besides the setting and the limit of two weapons, do armor or protective clothing also count in this limit or they separate 3. Can a civilian still be a miner or engineer for that matter? 4. Since it is steampunk I just have to ask, will there be SteamBots... always seems that steampunk generally has mechs, but the setting seems dated so not sure how it would or would not work, then again it would probably count as a weapon and not like you can take that out in public 5. Is there an age limit for your character, though I probably going to pick sixteen anyways but good to know how low or how high you can go sometimes... 6. its called coal so would it be okay to assume that there is a lot of coal mines or coal in general

So I am guessing characters go into the character section and so on so let me see, got a few questions for clarity was not sure whether to pm or just pop it in OOC style

I'd just place them in the Character section and then I'll update the roster so that people know what characters are approved and what aren't (Hopefully not many).

So they might have fencing maybe by any chance? and I am guessing the setting is rather western or will there be eastern style swordsmanship as well with katanas etc... Also guessing these people are rich in general so might not be a stretch for them to have servants or large mansions or even owning buildings etc

I'm not too strict on whether something is Japanese or European in swords. It's an alternate world so country of origin isn't necessarily important. And yes, slaves/servants are fine

The Hudsons, the last name might put some people off though Hudson River is always nice, Mechanics and Miners so guessing they also might be engineers as well, using old school or advanced but not modern looking guns perhaps... they could use mechanical bows right?

HAHA! I actually had a part in the original draft about the Hudson River but took it out as I thought that lil bit may be enough to convince people it was this world, which means they would be using country of origins. ie: Too much focus on origin stories and not enough on just this city. I wanted to keep the Hudson name to show that this is a proper family where people are related with an elder/leader, much like a tribe; and the Aristocrats is like a Monarchy with an unknown leader, and Children of Umbra is like a CEO with multiple leaders with invested interest. House of Hudson are Mechanics, not Engineers. So they can repair and build, but someone else has to design.

Pseudo Science and Alchemy are two of the coolest skills of all but does that mean they limited on what weapons they can use if any? Stealth plus daggers I get a strange Assassin's Creed vibe coming from this group

If that's what you're thinking than you may be on the right track. Never played AC so I can't give a full impression.

So they get to have a custom trait then or no specialty

The main idea I had for the Families is the usual Rock, Paper, Scissors Trio (Melee, Ranged, Mage) so you have to play as one of the families and not run around as a random with Katana, Sawn-off Shotgun or Alchemist Glove. It also means that if say someone is for example injured they can't run home and get better in the safety of their house, they have to actually find a doctor in the city.

FINALLY ALL THE BIG QUESTIONS 1. Do you gain any traits later on, or can you have more than one trait? 2. Besides the setting and the limit of two weapons, do armor or protective clothing also count in this limit or they separate 3. Can a civilian still be a miner or engineer for that matter? 4. Since it is steampunk I just have to ask, will there be SteamBots... always seems that steampunk generally has mechs, but the setting seems dated so not sure how it would or would not work, then again it would probably count as a weapon and not like you can take that out in public 5. Is there an age limit for your character, though I probably going to pick sixteen anyways but good to know how low or how high you can go sometimes... 6. its called coal so would it be okay to assume that there is a lot of coal mines or coal in general

1: No. As explained with the trio deal. You can get more skilled, but you can't become a Rambo x Jackie Chan character. 2: No. Weapon cap is for realism, but also remember realism in clothing, ie: you can't walk around in a bomb suit 3: Yes 4: No AI kind of stuff or Augmentations. I do have ideas for stuff later, but no mech warrior like stuff. 5: Whatever you feel comfortable with. I am going to bring in some older characters later. 6: Haha! Yes. It's called Coal because of so many reasons and that's one of them.

I'm interested in joining, but I'm finishing up senior year and not entirely sure how often I could get on. I know for a fact I could get up at least one post per day unless something big comes up, and if anything that might work out since I was thinking of being a civilian anyway. And I know what you said about civilians not having the traits, but say someone wanted a civilian mechanic, he would be skilled with machinery, but not enough for it to be considered a trait, right?

I'm interested in joining, but I'm finishing up senior year and not entirely sure how often I could get on. I know for a fact I could get up at least one post per day unless something big comes up, and if anything that might work out since I was thinking of being a civilian anyway. And I know what you said about civilians not having the traits, but say someone wanted a civilian mechanic, he would be skilled with machinery, but not enough for it to be considered a trait, right?

A post a day!?!? Once or twice a week is fine. I work and do other stuff and could never dream of being THAT active. Lol As an example House of Hudson could possibly repair multiple things. A boiler, engine, hydrolics, etc. But a civilian would be a dedicated boiler maker, gunsmith, metal worker, etc. It's the difference between someone that has 7s across the board and had to become a Jack of all trades due to being several kilometers down a mine when a machine breaks, and someone that is a 10 in a workshop learning how to make condensing units for refrigeration.

That's a good point on the machines, didn't really think about it that much. And some of the previous RPs I've been on have had people posting three a day and the such, so I wanted to make sure haha. I shall begin work on a CS. Should I PM it to you?

If you want me to double check it you can Pm it. :)

Alright, I know I'm asking a lot of questions, sorry about that. I was just curious, would it be possible to have a fairly successful mechanic? I'm not trying to be rolling in money, just enough to afford nicer clothes and clean up in the evenings instead of being dirty and wearing rags all the time. If that's what it has to be it's fine, it's just a lot easier finding images for nicer clothes.

Alright, I know I'm asking a lot of questions, sorry about that. I was just curious, would it be possible to have a fairly successful mechanic? I'm not trying to be rolling in money, just enough to afford nicer clothes and clean up in the evenings instead of being dirty and wearing rags all the time. If that's what it has to be it's fine, it's just a lot easier finding images for nicer clothes.

That seems like all pretty standard stuff (wanting a stable income, cleaning up mess) and when it comes to images they're only a reference anyway.

That seems like all pretty standard stuff (wanting a stable income, cleaning up mess) and when it comes to images they're only a reference anyway.

That's fair enough. I just didn't know if I needed to be the kind of worker that lives in the dirt haha. Should have the CS done tomorrow, maybe today if I don't distract myself too much.

I prefer characters with growth and limitations to be honest, take away limits and a good character becomes an OP God, take away growth then there is no room for change unless that is his personality... either way I can normally post once to three times a day, but depending on how long the setting and how much detail there is I can understand an rp having one week between replies lol...

@Aura Lodestone, @m0rat0r1um: Both characters are accepted. Aura, Thanks for updating the minor detail; and m0rat0r1um, I like that character. That may work well in the storyline.

so we have 1 Hudson and 2 Civilians, surprised there are no Children or Aristos yet

Great, glad the character works :) Looking forward to it.

@The Critic Accepted. :)

is everyone going to become a civilian??

I hope not. :P I wouldn't mind seeing some other faction characters. Lol

I could convert my character to the children or aristocrats as i can relate medicine or surgery to magic or melee weapon. I might need some direction to the role of my character though as both group share some deep history.

Made first post in IC. Everyone is good to go. :)

I could convert my character to the children or aristocrats as i can relate medicine or surgery to magic or melee weapon. I might need some direction to the role of my character though as both group share some deep history.

See how you go. You're a civilian so you can always move around a bit within the families.

In my defense, I was making a civilian when there was only one character posted lol.