Slitherin (SLEE-TER-REEN)

Conservation status: Not endangered
Scientific name: Raptizurdis Slitheranur
Heterogenicity: Heterozygous
Genus: Reptilia
Classification: Pest

Indigenous to the Bokma region. These 1 to 2 meter long reptiles are cold blooded omnivores who rely on an abundance of sunlight and caith aurum radiation to keep themselves warm. Their diet primarily consists of large insects and succulent shrubs, however they are voracious and will attack anything they outnumber or outsize.



The males hunt for their packs, usually consisting of only 1 or 2 members of family. Though larger in size than the females, much of their mass is due to thick hide and their spines which are used to attack by brushing against their foe in a joust like manner. They are identified by bluish colouration present due to toxins in their skins.



The females are rarer but are even more aggressive than males, their diet is mainly carnivorus though they will eat vegetation when resources are scarce. Their hide is plated, but lack long spines, however they will bite more often than males. Their hide is usually pale and sandy, but darker in sunny regions due to melanin formation.

These reptiles do not take care of their young, sightings have been recently reported in Coeden.

"Strange were these creatures, like housepets I've seen in the noble manors of Adelant, but gruesomely larger.

My encounter with one, which drawings I've detailed, ended with my guide producing a spear and raving in his local language - which I've only begun to grasp recently. It sparked my curiousity how one such spercimen, smaller than even me, would incite such aggression in the local Bokmarian populace. Perhaps there is ought to more behind this, I'll be travelling the sand lands for a few more days and in my spare time I shall endeavour to study what I can of these ...slitherers." - Beastiarum Collectivis, Journal entry by Horatio of Dust.

I made this monster, BECAUSE I CAN! Horatio of dust is just a random character I made up, not my character I intend to play.

Let me know what you all think! :>.

Wow, awesome bestiary entry, man - excellent post! Anyone else who is interested in submitting Caithness, races, places, artifices &c. - always feel free to do so!

Thanks to all the new people for expressing interest, I think we're looking at 10 or so PCs if everyone is still on board, and the overwhelming majority of interest is in the Sky Pirates of Oceanica plot. Here is the opening set up, and some potential character roles, to get you all started. Feel free to ask questions/clarification below, or respond with character bios. Your character does not have to already be a member of the crew listed below, but please at least have their current status be open to joining!

Oceanica: the island archipelago in the middle of the Streċċan Seas, dividing the continents of Saxia to the west and Tiberia to the east. For centuries the two great far-flung cities of Adelost and Barberry have developed lucrative transoceanic commerce, and for centuries the pirates of Oceanica, stationed in the port city of Havenstad, have preyed on the merchant and passenger fleets. With the advent of the Modern Era where caith-powered devices, artifices, have enabled traditional seafaring vessels to take flight above the tempestuous skies that forever buffet the Streċċan Seas, the golden era of Sky Piracy is fully underway.

To combat these scourges of the high skies, White-walled Adelost and Barberry, City of Guilds, have recently signed a historic treaty known as the Universus Doctrine. The treaty's several tenets include an increased naval presence from both cities in the Streċċan Seas; allows for either power to impress or commandeer private vessels for the purposes of anti-Piracy; and requires all private vessels to register annually in Havenstad.

All seafaring vessels and airships throughout Oceanica are returning to port in Havenstad this last week for two reasons: register their hulls with the Universus Fleet, and witness the public execution of Darius Black, legendary captain of the pirate ship Bombardier. Whatever your reasons for being in Havenstad, your journey begins here.

The Aleph Null - A Brigantine-class airship, the Aleph Null is a two-masted vessel notable for its speed and maneuverability. With 12 guns and a crew of 56 it is one of the smaller Brigantines in the skies, but larger than most sloops or schooners. It is best utilized by striking weaker targets in ambush and is not viable for extended combat with nearly any military vessel.

[Isengrim] - Ship's Captain - Responsible for planning all missions, and directing all hands on deck in times of emergency and combat. In some vessels the captain's word is law; in other vessels he or she can share power equally with the Quartermaster.

[Elysium] - Quartermaster - Handles all daily and long-term operations aboard the ship outside of the Captain's purview. Often commandeers any plundered vessel in the Captain's name until it can be sold.

[XSilentWingsX] - Sailing Master - Responsible for keeping the ship aflight, navigating, and setting courses under the Captain's directives. Often aerugists excel in this role, utilizing their manipulation of wind caith, Stannum, to aid in controlling their vessels.

[RyanTadashi] - Master Gunner - Responsible for the arms and armor aboard the ship, training the crew, battling Caithness and other vessels. Works with the Quartermaster to ensure weapons and armor are fully supplied and functional at all times.

[Kimiyosis] - Master Wright - Handles all repairs on the ship including structural damage, sky engines and sails.

[Dondude] - Ship's Doctor - Keeps the crew free of illness and injury. Solurgists, or healing caith users, are vastly preferred. Sometimes Wrights and Doctors will be one and the same on smaller vessels.

[Lotta Pumpkins] - First Mate - Second in command for either Captain or Quartermaster, usually in training.

[open] - Sailors - Handle all daily tasks as set by the various Masters, including rigging, gunning, cleaning, fighting and more.

[open] - Cabin Boy/Girl - Servant aboard the ship, handles cooking, cleaning, messages, running errands and other duties.

[open] - Other/Misc. - You tell me!

Can I claim first mate? I'll start working on my cs tonight, should be done tomorrow

Master Wright claim please?
This stemming from suffering an earthquake just two minutes ago at an airport.

@Kimiyosis ripperoni pepperoni

All good - both reserved! Can't wait to see your charas (and get this rp underway!)

Wait do we have a CS template, ship name or cap?

Name: Wilton 'Wilt' Grady
Nickname/Alias/Title: "Iron Mad" Grady; Sarge; Captain
Sex: Male
Age: 44
Race: Human
Occupation: Sky Captain of the Aleph Null

Past: Wilt was born and raised in a farming village called Little Colby, days west of a small town days west of a small city days west of anything you'd recognize marked on a map. Little Colby was locally known for its apple orchards, and once a year its Harvest Festivals would see farmers and villagers from near round gather to celebrate a successful season with barrels of applejack, pies, cheeses and sweets. Aside from the occasional farmer getting drunk off too much applejack there was never much call for law, which meant that Wilt's father, the village lawman, had plenty of time to teach his son. Not only how to use caith artifices like firearms, and other skills a lawman needed, but more importantly how to read and write; how to question what he heard; judge men by their actions; and how to stand for what he believed in and make his word count.

So at twenty-four when the recruiting officers came by looking to enlist able-bodied men for the Sorrowars - when the inscrutable Gygr people descended from their mountainous homes and ransacked half an empire - Wilt was still young enough to long for the adventure of war, and educated enough to be made an officer. The next year his training developed further as he learned to read terrain, read maps, learn the skirmish tactics the Gygr favored and how to counter them. As a Sergeant he spent four years leading a team of men, learning to enforce discipline, how to use his men effectively while building the right crew for any given job. He also saw how little his men were paid, under-equipped and overworked. Saw his superiors continue to underestimate the enemy, continue to replace the seasoned officers and generals with noblemen who saw the war as a way to advance their interests in the court.

At thirty, nearing the end of the Sorrowars, Grady's unit was placed under the command of another wet-arsed nobleman who hadn't seen any fighting save through a pair of oculars or as tokens moving on a battle map in his officers' tent. Despite hostilities winding down, the officer demanded to lead a raid through Gygr territory, taking Grady and 20 of his men beyond the established perimeter at night. Only four soldiers returned the next morning, with neither Grady nor the nobleman among them. The tale was told about the men being ambushed, surrounded, yet exhorted to fight on by the officer even as Grady called to fall back and regroup. After the battle, with 14 dead soldiers and only three giants to show for it, Grady snapped, beating his CO to death with his bare hands before abandoning his surviving men.

Present: Grady has spend the last fourteen years on the seas and skies of Oceanica, going from swabbie to eventually captain of his own vessel, the Aleph Null. As captain he prefers to go after cruise ships, luxury yachts and other high-end prizes. He says it is for the easy payoffs, even if the scores are fewer and farther between than some would like, but deep down he is simply continuing his fight against the noble class that in his mind butchered his men and caused him to abandon his duty and disgrace his family. He is a bitter man - he has always seen himself as better than the pirates he works with and now leads, and the shame and impotent rage warring within him have hollowed him of his nobler attributes. He is still a good leader with a smart tactical mind, especially for skirmishes and ambushes, and he believes he has the loyalty of his crew, which he tries to run with a military air.

Grady is a large man, though not exceptionally tall at 6'0" he has a hulking frame - wide shoulders, strong back, thick limbs and large hands. He wears his graying hair long and loose, but keeps it trimmed, along with the neat beard he maintains daily. He still wears the trenchers uniform of his officer's days, though all military insignia have been removed. Knee-high leather boots, dark trousers held up by braces, buttoned shirt and high-collared coat, and the thick knee-length trencher's coat of dark gray. The nickname he earned as an officer, "Iron Mad" Grady, refers to his penchant for wearing two firearms and two trench knives at all times.

Future: Grady's current aspirations are to continue his one-ship vendetta against the noble classes, and insulating himself in his mind so that it is his ship and his crew against the world. In his more private reflective moments he longs for the family life his father had - a simple honest job in an upstanding community, a loving wife and doting children.

Skills: Grady is a skilled soldier in both hand-to-hand fighting and some ranged weaponry. He has a good mind for small-scale tactics although he trusts his Sailing Masters to make the right choices in combat, because he tends to focus more on the man-to-man fighting than ship-to-ship. He is good at training, leading, and promoting skilled people around him. In fact, although sky pirates have no organization beyond sailors sharing stories at bars in Havenstad, word-of-mouth is that if you've worked with Grady for long you can find work on any ship in Oceanica.

Strengths: [Attack; Intelligence] - Grady likes to hit hard. Whether with his fists, his ship's cannons or with his words, he goes with everything he's got and trusts his actions to start and end fights quickly. That being said, he's smart about when and where to fight - it's hard to catch him off guard or force him to fight unless conditions are favorable.

Weaknesses: [Dexterity; Charisma] - Grady moves well for his size, but he is by no means the nimblest of sailors in the skies, and he doesn't have the sky legs that most of the men born to the life have acquired. Grady thinks he has his men's trust and loyalty, but if he does it's because of his skill and fairness, not because of his politeness. He is hostile and bitter, demands a military excellence from all around him, and has bouts of rage where he'll find someone to dress down and punish for little reason.

Equipment: Two pepperbox pistols - firearm artifices that deliver six ferrum bolts or a single discharge per crystal. Two trench knives, which combine blade and brass knuckles in one. He rarely takes it with him but keeps on ship a blundergust - a stannum artifice that delivers a high-powered blast in a wide area, effective at short range.

What other characters would know: His clothing and weaponry mark him as a trencher, one of the front-line soldiers and officers in the Sorrowars. It is unlikely that anyone knows more about his history, although his murder and desertion charges would be public record for any who could access it.

CS sheet is in a dropdown box on the first post. Ship's name is the Aleph Null, and I just posted the Cap

I'll attempt to Roleplay the doctor. Tnks for the encouraging comments! I'll try to see what I can come up with.

I'd love to claim the sailing master spot! I'll start working on my character first thing tomorrow.

I've got a question, are we playing the good guys or pirates?

That picture...Jim Raynor?

@XSilentWingsX - Reserved! Have fun :)

@71342 - Good question! I suppose the answer is a li'l a both, but heavy on the pirate. My character sees himself as better than the pirate life, and he's 'forced into it' because of some other people who he blames and is out for vengeance against. And because of the Universus Doctrine, the Aleph Null has to be registered. He's going to register it as a bounty-hunting guild ship, which means there'll be plenty of time fighting against pirates to prove that he's not a pirate. But at the end of the day, he's a pirate because he boards and loots rich people's vessels. Others can play as a straight pirate in his crew, or a similarly deluded 'good guy' who's screwing up royally, or maybe as an undercover agent from one of the navies in the Universus Doctrine, trying to bring them down from the inside. Or maybe you're taken hostage because you know something the captain wants, and are forced to work with them; or maybe you're a legitimate client who's hired us but wants to see the job through personally. I guess the default is "yeah we're all pirates" but there's a lot of flexibility in that if you want to play a different kind of character.

@Kimiyosis - the one and only! Wanna make my Quartermaster Horner, or Tychus? :)

I'll gladly claim Master Gunner, if it's open!

So basically, we are Pirates, with a Letter of Marquis?
And I'm the ship's wright XD!
who's also researching Caith.
Also, making a creature, an adorable one~!

Name: Alexander Van Williams
Nickname/Alias/Title:
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Race: Human
Occupation: Pirate, Outlaw, Killer, First Mate.

Past: Alexander hails from Adelost, the eldest son of Guilders. His upbringing was normal, if a bit disappointing for his parents. Constantly running into trouble in school for fighting, Alex's natural inclination towards violence would have made him into a career soldier should Adelost's military been more than a token force.

Alexander would eventually take to the streets as his parents would disown him. His siblings were actively pursuing the family business. Which was excelling in school, and graduating to work on Caith to advance all of civilized life with technology. Instead, Alex was stealing from stores to survive. Left with few options, Alex stowed away on the Aleph Null at 17. Given a "Light" sentence of lashes and no pay for a year to earn his place on the ship, Alex has worked hard to make sure his worth isn't questioned.

Present: Alexander overtime has worked his way up to First mate, if for no other reason that being one of the longest surviving members on board the ship. Alex likes to think its his personalty serving as a good offset to Grady's. Alex is a kind person, usually. Especially to those that are good to him. Members of the crew who pull their own weight will find an ally in Alexander.

Members who come to Alex with talk of mutiny after given a rum ration, because Grady tore their bunk apart in rage, will find a summary execution. Alexander's kindness is not weakness. Alex is capable of brutal violence in an instant, often maiming security personal who attempt to fight on the luxury liners that serve as the crew's primary targets.

Alex is a gunslinger and looks all the part. He wears a buttoned up shirt with the sleeves rolled, and a vibrant green vest on over it. Across his chest is a bandoleer of ammo and a brace of pistols. Slung across his back is his rifle. Holding up his khaki colored pants is another belt, this one with only a single pistol and a sword on his hips. He wears a red bandana and brown animal skin boots.

Alex is 5'11, and always looks just a bit underfed from his days as a streetrat, never quite gaining all his weight. He wears his blonde hair long, and will usually go a few days without shaving.

Future: Alexander's goals are generally shortsighted. Eat tonight. Drink tonight. He entertains the idea of running his own ship one day, or taking over Grady's position once he retires, but Alex entirely content with his current position.

Skills: Alex is lethal in all combat, but prefers to shoot. He doesn't take a leadership role in combat, but focuses more on morale, shouting insults at the enemy, or bolstering the crew's morale. He makes for a passable leader that can keep the ship aloft when Grady is busy, or off the ship.

Strengths: [Attack; Charisma] Alex is a natural born killer, and didn't become the first mate by being a pacifist. He is deadkilly in all forms on combat but makes his case strongest with ranged weapons used at point blank range. Where Grady is the driving force of the ship, Alex goes around repairing the relationships and morale of the crew. If Grady is bad cop, Alex is good cop. Make no mistake, Alex's entire faith and devotion are to Grady, but he knows that a stern hand isn't the only way to handle the crew. And if they're still upset, alcohol rations always work.

Weaknesses: [Defense; Perception.] Alex's entire combat style relies on not getting hit. His perception lacks because Alex often either doesn't care to notice things, or he's drinking.

Equipment: A brace of "Mancrusher" pistols; two firearms modified to always discharge the entire ferrum payload. A Single "Pepperbox" pistol. A Sabre on his hip, and a long knife as back up. A Bolt action operated "Lightning" rifle completes his small armory. The rifle is usually left in his small room, but if he has time to get it for a boarding action, he will.

I'll have quartermaster. :-)

gar... the day it's active all the roles get filled up. Still very interested, but I don't want to play a simple crewmate/cabin boy. I'll think of some potential character roles that could fit with this group, or perhaps even an antagonist that could come in to the picture with his own ship every now and then as an "in-and-out" character.

EDIT: perhaps a mystic/sightseer that acts as the ship's spiritual guide/compass?