Inside the city, alarms howled.

The city of Cogswall was all dank copper and tarnished brass, iron vents vomiting steam, potholes filled with rancid rainwater, churning machinery, crushing gears, dark-streaked stone, labyrinths of pipes and boilers and clockwork monstrosities.

The Eminence presided over it all, assured the impoverished and desperate that hard work would bring them prosperity. Mechanical giants patrolled the streets with searchlight eyes. Dark wagons carried off the young and the accused, never to be heard from again. The only source of hope was in the markers of graves. The only source of happiness was in needles and vials.

Throughout the city, alarm bells rang and horns howled -- something rare, something that hadn't happened since the forest outside the city burned in a high inferno a decade ago.

A voice spoke over the loudspeakers throughout the city, crackling and monotonous:

ALL ARMED POLICE AND MILITARY TO THE WALL PERIMETER. ALL MECHANICALS TO BE REPROGRAMMED OFFENSIVE. ALL WEAPONRY AT THE READY. ANNIHILATION. ANNIHILATION.

There was a mass exodus to the walls: police, machines, robots, armed citizens. Monstrous mechanical tanks were released from underground bunkers. The top of the wall crowded quickly with firepower of all hellish imagination.

---

This is the City of Cogswall: a proud steampunk city that is as full of corruption as it is of soot and grime. Like all cities, Cogswall is surrounded on all sides by a high wall. No one knows or cares what lies beyond the wall: the citizens gratefully leave adventures to the Travellers.

Throughout this world, the majority of people live out their lives in walled cities without ever glimpsing the outside. No one is forced to remain behind locked gates -- but those that do step out of the Cogswall gates are stripped of their citizenship and residence. The dirty business of exploring and adventuring is the job of the outcasts, the people called Travellers.

Traveller is a title given to those adventurous few who move between cities. They may be messengers, merchants, beast-hunters and storytellers. Almost every city will welcome a Traveller in hope of trading money and supplies for the Traveller's skills and knowledge.

Your character is a citizen of Cogswall; they have lived all their lives within these walls. Travellers are so rare that the gates rarely open at all. So now, when a group of Travellers arrives and has the audacity to warn the city of an incoming danger, no respectable citizen would ever take them seriously.

---

Heavy influence is taken from Kino's Journey, Mushi-Shi, Undertale, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, among others. The focus will be on exploration, problem-solving and character interaction. Expect colorful and trippy scenarios, anime physics, tropey plots, and stuff that doesn't quite make logical sense. This is a fantasy world where, outside the secluded city of Cogswall, anything goes.

The RP will progress (at first) based on a series of missions dictated by the Traveller or requested by citizens of foreign cities. Throughout the journey, characters can expect to gain new skills, abilities, tools and allies that will help them become strong and competent Travellers themselves. There will be an overarching plot involving a Big Bad -- traces of that plot will be introduced early in the RP, but it's not the immediate objective. If all goes according to plan, the story will begin happily innocent and slowly progress into something darker. If you're looking for a consistently happy-go-lucky RP, this is probably not for you.

---

Characters originate in the city of Cogswall, which is your average gritty-yet-advanced Steampunk city. Everyone is human. There is no magic. Your character has probably heard tales passed down from long-ago Travellers about sigils and spells and intelligent monsters, but they are only stories. You are free to create locations and cultures within the city where needed to flesh out your character's history.

I'll just post this in here as well.

I'll re-post as well, let me know if changes are required.

My Character sheets.

So... until I decide what I want to, I might have two character sheets.... I don't plan to play both, but I'm not sure which I want to use.

Name: Andica Garun

Abstract: A runaway bookbinder trying to escape an awful match

Details: Andica grew up as the oldest of three children in her family. Her father put bread on the table by breeding and training dogs, be they for hunting, guarding, or as pets. Andica helped him with the animals from a young age, and her assistance became increasingly important, particularly after her younger brother and sister were born and money became increasingly tight.

At 14, she took a job as an apprentice bookbinder at the Enn library, while still working with the dogs in her eveinings. She proved adept at this exacting process, and in the process became a voracious reader, devouring books on many subjects as they passed through the workshop and gaining a broad general knowledge of Enn and its workings. She even read a few texts brought in by travellers.

Unfortunately, working here also brought her into contact with Santini Quade, a nobleman of the city who often came in to buy rare books, and whom she found disagreeable in more ways than she could name. While she was never able to express this to his face (he was a lucrative customer, and not to mention a wealthy nobleman), she remained forcedly civil towards the man, even as he continued to come by the library and particularly the workroom with increasingly frustrating regularity.

This all came to a head after three years, when, while Andica was at the library, Santini visited her family’s home and kennels. He initially seemed to be interested in a large hound, but soon revealed that he had been infatuated with Andica for some time and had come to ask for her hand in marriage. Her parents were very pleased by the proposed match, as it would earn their daughter a much improved life and themselves a sizeable dowry. They agreed at once, and asked Satini to come back on the following day to finalise details of the marriage.

When Andica came home to learn of this, she was horrified, and protested vehemently that she would never marry, to quote her words, “a thickheaded, arrogant, callous, narcissistic pig of a man twice my age, who would treat me like nicely made-up dirt for the rest of my life”. Her parents sympathised, but nonetheless encouraged her to reconsider, saying how much better her life would be among the upper echelons of Enn’s society and citing Santini’s better qualities. In spite of this, the debate went back and forth well into the night and no agreement was reached.

As Andica lay fuming on the bed she shared with her siblings, she remembered seeing Spook’s notice on her way home that evening. It seemed like the only way for her to escape her impending wedding was to flee the city. She carefully got up, cobbled together a few supplies and slipped out of the house with them, her father’s musket, and Kavinika, the hound Santini had showed interest in, to save him as well. The two of them were at the gate well before dawn, and eager to be off before anyone could discover they were gone.

Andica is generally quiet and hardworking, though she has a fiercely independent streak. She is a perfectionist who strives for the best in what she does, and likes to improve on things if she thinks she sees a better way.

Andica has a slim, almost scrawny figure, and mid-length dark brown hair that she is forever pushing out of her hazel eyes. She is five feet, nine inches tall and is wearing a brown shirt and grey pants, both of which are slightly too big for her.

I want to make a character, but i would like to wait and see if I could do something with another RPer.

@t2wave what kind of something? i could be game if you don't mind meryn. she's simple enough to tweak.

All of these characters look amazing, you guys. I think I'll give it until this time tomorrow before I start actually approving anyone. By then we might have a fair idea how many players are planning to join up.

Feel free to collaborate and/or exchange notes on the city's residents in the meantime! Maybe somebody else has a cool idea that would fit into your CS.

I got a sheet coming, but it's not quite finished. Keep a spot open, eh?

Working on my cartographer character now. I'll have him up soon.

This looks interesting. I will keep an eye on it.

Not finished but I want to get this out there.

Also, c3p-Oh, since this is an RP with the anime/manga tag, shouldn't you stick to written descriptions or artwork instead of IRL faceclaims?

didn't notice the tag. i just like the pic because i thought it fit her the best out of what i could find, and didn't see any requirements for what we could use. if gm says something i'll change it.

Figure I'd try my hand at a simple character sheet before going to bed.


^{art by the magnificent Google images}

Name: Roy

Abstract: A simple Woodcutter with a love for trees

Detail:
From working in Enn's forest district most of his life Roy is often mistaken for some of the plant life. His green hair and towering height easily blends in with rest of the foliage, and often times(much to the point of being a running joke) shrieks could be heard by people startled by him in the forest. With his simple demeanor and dirtied woodcutters ax he generally isn't much for first impressions, overlooking a person's misinterpretations before hacking away at a nearby tree.

To the children of Enn however Roy is seen as a forest guardian of sorts. Unlike the other woodcutters who would yell and become angry towards the trespassing children, Roy would accept their candy and guide them through the winding woods. The party would exchange stories as Roy would go about his job, inputting his remarks where needed but letting the children do most of the talking. When it came to the forest however he would take them through long winded conversations about the beauty of trees, often times repeating the Woodcutter's Creed in replanting what has been taken. This conversation of trees hardly ever deviated, yet it was the cool and resonating tone of Roy's voice that always had children enraptured. Some would even find themselves falling asleep in the right circumstances.

To Roy though this was a dream that extended far beyond his city walls. During his time in the city streets(an odd spectacle to some) he came across a book, or rather what could only be called a sacred text in Roy's eyes. It detailed in depth descriptions of trees far beyond his wildest imaginations. He read of trees that extended far into the sky, trees that lived for centuries, and even trees that could change shades of colors depending on their environment. To the other Woodcutters their role in Enn was simply a job, but to Roy this was a love that he could hardly explain to the others. He needed to see these trees for himself, and doing so fulfill an ongoing lifelong purpose.

I oughta get my sheet up as well.