"This isn't soil we're used to..."
November 11th
Year 142
Fifth Era
The entirety of the Valo Continent was shaken by the clash of two growing powers. On one side stood the Gersa Coalition, a collection of three separate provinces all under the command of a single Minister. They were locked in a deadly defensive tension against their adversaries, the Wrea Federation. The Federation have taken an offensive surprise bombardment across the entirety of the continent, flattening villages and peaceful provinces of its own land. Then, newfound technological advancements in steam-powered engineering has allowed for a new age of conflict to spur.
A series of aerial bombardments and raids from airships and blimps alike struck fear into the hearts of the Gersa Coalition provinces. In retaliation, they began to create their own machines of war, and firearms soon became a thing of modern times. No longer were the wars of the Fourth Era to be fought, and the Fifth Era held the dawn of wreckless machinery, steam-powered mechanised walkers and overwhelming ships that dotted the skies. It played out for months, with drastic measures being set into play.
The standard conscription of only men was thrown out of the window, and new laws allowing females to join the ranks of their opposite sex meant that they could double their units, but at the cost of reducing the factory working conditions. A line posing directly between the Gersa and the pathway of the ever-growing Wrea Federation began to create a stalemate like no other, men and women losing their lives countless on either side whilst no ground could be won. And soon, they would face a new weapon unlike any other introduced into the new-age war.
Four-legged crawlers, armed with chain-belt guns began to grow in power, and in strength. Their production yards were growing, and whilst the Gersan's were against an enemy that could constantly feed their equipment to one focal point, there was no chance for them holding out for another few months.
And that was when the Gersan's became desperate...Four divisions of men and women picked out of the street and factories were recruited to undertake in what might be the only way to push back the enemy focus. Inserted via sea, and roughly supplied by whatever they could gain control of, a distraction-based Operation was designed to lure the opposition away from the Gersan Borders and towards their own lines. The men and women were told that they were likely not to return to their families, homes or friends. They were to be in the deepest territory on the Valo Continental Front. Against impossible odds, deathly machines and well-trained combat units on foot, they were going to have to use their wits and combined comradeship to hold out as long as they could. Destroying whatever they could find behind enemy lines, they would need to master the forests, mountains, hills and valleys of their enemy's home. These weren't soldiers, they were cannon-fodder.
This is their story, where a war they hadn't fought yet had dragged them into the most dangerous of all places. Where large-scale assaults would be replaced with small, guerrilla-style skirmishes and firefights would test their mettle, pitting them into reaching distance of their own adversary. They would need to bind together, learn to respect one another, despite which province they hailed from. This was their story about a sacrifice no man could ever repay.
So in summary, this is a sort of militarised-group Roleplay, where our characters would fight in a similar fashion to battles fought behind the beaches of Normandy, or the Jungles of Vietnam. In a completely different world, setting and age of technology, this steampunk-themed Roleplay will hopefully allow the players to experiment and play around with the machinery, putting some characters as Mech Pilots, others as Infantry specialists and others as any rag-tag mixup role found in any war-based group. It won't consist of strict military formality, as these individuals are more of a militia compromised of any remaining and able hands of either gender found back at the Gersan's home cities and provinces.
My aim is to value character interactions and relationships in order to help them succeed further and further down the rabbit hole, a hole that cannot be retraced backwards. Whether they are to live or die at the hands of their enemies, the interactions and lifestyles of these characters will severely help them along their journey through different environments, facing harsh conditions, and harsher skirmishes. Where the replacement of large-scale engagements has been replaced for small patrol-against-patrol combat, it's more about the characters and their abilities than sheer numbers.
I'm hoping to have these characters mixed in their abilities, most of them not even fully trained to kill or take another life. As a last resort ditch-plan for their superiors, their ways of facing death and coping with the stress and responsibility they carry will impact the outcome of the war, which is only decidable based on how the characters act.
If there is any interest, or questions, about this roleplay idea, please let me know whenever you want them to be answered, and I will try my best to give you an answer you like.
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