The Network has been accepted.

Network approved

Okay here's the group submission for the Cult of Lycholme, it has the minimum 5 members needed and I hope I haven't missed anything else.

The Lycholme Cultists accepted.

Hahah! Finally!

The Kindred are ready for judging.

Name: The Kindred (Kin is the informal version of the name and what members normally refer to themselves as.)
Graphic: Give me a week or two and a working computer.
Motto: "Light up the night."
Leader: Eldest One Yoshun Mah

The Kindred are led by a series of Elders, running up through Elder, Senior Elder, High Elder, Grand High Elder and Eldest One. Each rank up is in charge of an increasingly larger area of of Kindred

Yoshun Mah is an old Kinborn Human and a lifelong Kindred. Born on Home and with a distinguished service record, he is a well liked and respected leader.

Description: The Kindred have been around for a long time. Longer than all but the eldest of nations currently inhabiting the stars. Yet even so they lack the vast swaths of territory one would normally expect of such an ancient group. No, instead they claim few if any stars and a bare handful of planets scattered throughout the galaxy. Many of them in territory long since fallen within the borders of proper star nations.

In fact, the Kin have more in common with a humanitarian organization or religious order than they do with a nation state. Rather than try to expand their borders or acrue power and resources the Kindred have a single overarching goal.

Make the universe a better place.

How that is done is left mostly up to the individual. They could be a school teacher on a normal metropolitan planet or a paladin fighting monsters from the depths of Hell. As long as someone has that goal in mind they will be accepted as Kindred.

Not unexpectedly for such an organization, the Kin can be found just about anywhere. Their extensive aid experience and status as a non-state actor ensures that they are welcomed at least at the local level. Where they come as an organization rather than individuals they run hospitals, soup kitchens and schools. Or safe havens and crime free zones in the less friendly areas of the galaxy.

Goals: To make the universe a better place. Kids shouldn't have to go hungry at night, everybody should have a roof over their head and nobody should have to worry when something goes bump in the night.

Unique Abilities:
The Soul Bond

A mystical link that binds all Kin together. It's a large part of why they have stayed on the side of light for so long. When a person agrees to become Kindred their soul is permanently linked to Yahnweh's Hearth.

A brand new Kin can detect other Kindred and has a basic level of empathy with nearby members of the group. More experienced members can share thoughts or energy with other Kindred.

The Soul Bond holds many secrets and abilities for those that wish to explore its depths. It is not without flaw though. While the bond can never be severed, distance can cercaintly blunt its effectiveness. Most Kindred are limited to communicating on a planetary scale or lower. In addition, it is purely a link between Kin. None of the Soul Bond's abilities are capable of directly effecting those outside the link.

Magitech

The Kindred have seen and learned a lot in their long stay among the stars and have long since figured out how to merge magic and technology. They may not be the only ones to do so but they are undeniably masters of the art. You want a gun that never runs out of bullets? Maybe a healing field powered by an antimatter reactor? The possibilities are near limitless.Unfortunately for the more impulsive and starry eyed Kin there is no such thing as a free lunch. Magitech isn't easy and the places with sufficient infrastructure and talent are often few and far between.

Each request for the mystical technology is looked over by Kindred Elders who decide if the time and resources needed aren't better spent elsewhere. The galaxy is a big place after all and everybody needs something. Most production capacity is directed towards big ticket items like ships and heavy equipment. Which means that individual Kin are usually limited to a single personal item to help them in their tasks.

Territories: The Kindred have innumerable missions, compounds and bases throughout the galaxy. Most of them have been bought or leased from the local government in much the same way a company or nonprofit organization would.
You can't operate on a galactic scale for very long without proper infrastructure though. So scattered across the stars are planets that the Kindred settle and claim as their own.

Bastion Worlds.

Planets with hundreds or thousands of years of history behind them. These are where equipment and infrastructure too large or sensitive to be placed in a local mission are kept. Both a rest stop for weary Kin and a tasty target for greedy neighbors they are as heavily defended as one can make them without turning the entire system into a fortress.

Critical Point: Yahnweh's Hearth

A large white crystalline sphere that glows with a soft golden light. Said to be divine in origin it is the single most important item the Kindred hold. It is the loadstone of the Soul Bond. To lose it would be to lose the Bond, with predictable results.

Critical Point: Home

A Dyson Sphere hidden somewhere along the upper edge of the galactic disk. In eons past this was where the Kin were founded. A god or divine spirit of light swept up a fleet of refugees and deposited them in the system, giving them both the Hearth and what is now the group's core tenet.

Over the ages the celestial objects in both that system and several of those surrounding were converted into the shell that now encloses Home's yellow G class star. Home is now the single largest concentration of Kindred in the galaxy by orders of magnitude. Trillions of beings of different species inhabit it, the light of their souls acting as a beacon to their Kin in the rest of the galaxy. Reminding them that no matter what happens they will always have a Home.

Needless to say, most of the Kindred's infrastructure and truly powerful artefacts are here. An extremely tough nut to crack, but if it was the loss of most of their senior leadership and construction capacity would cripple such a widespread organization, if not splinter it outright.

Critical Point: Azaeil

The Bastion world closest to the United Federation of Planets. It is the main staging area for support efforts into the powerhouse. If Azaeil were to fall it would severely hamper Kindred operations in an extremely important area of the galaxy.

Allies: To be worked out.
Enemies: To be worked out.

Members:
@Silvan Haven's Characters: Fionn Harken
@Lyla's Characters: Elise and Harrell Scarlet
@coyotelovely's Characters: Nakreyya the Valheelinen Bloodivy
@Ashevelendar's Characters: William The Troll
@Arawak's Characters: Nendu Inagu Amas

The Kindred have my approval.

💣 Love Bomb Piracy Front 💣

Our group sheet is complete.

💣 Love Bomb Piracy Front 💣

Our group sheet is complete.

The Love Bomb Piracy Front has my approval.

It is finally time for the world to recognise our presence.

Name: Ragnarov Fleet
Graphic:
Motto: Explore. Expand. Exploit. Exterminate.
Leader: Fleet Legislative Council, the figurehead being the spokesman, but they have no actual power in the council as they merely oversee the process. The council gathers together the most important from each of the official government departments, the military having a higher than usual presence though. A few examples of members of the council would be the primary and secondary fleet admirals, ground operations general, head of the medical facilities and taxation overseer.

Description: The Ragnarov Fleet is not exactly the easiest to approach by outside forces. Their desperation for neverending expansion and consumption to keep themselves alive has led them to become an extremely territorial force, requiring extensive paperwork for anyone to enter the area of space they happen to govern at any given time. Their area of influence does not exactly expand, a more accurate way of describing it would be to say it moves, so while their presence might be a nuisance for some time, eventually they will have cleared themselves (and the planets they found use for) out of the way.

Given how secluded they tend to be, what most outsiders know is simply the fact that where the fleet roams, planets tend to disappear in their wake... and the fact they are very, very willing to trade for most workable metals that they themselves seem to be fervently gathering. As for how they pay, when breaking apart entire planets, one ends with surprising amounts of rare materials with a niche use...

Goals: Founded by the Scroungers, essentially for the Scroungers. The overarching goal is to manage to collect enough ferrous materials to sustain the building of exoframes for the dying race, as well as for weapons and spaceships. Thus what they seek is to take control of planets, exploit them until there remains but a husk, and then recycle the husk. Explore. Expand. Exploit. Exterminate.

Unique Abilities:
Planet harvesting
Few species take resource gathering to the extreme Scroungers (and by extension, the Fleet) do, so they alone possess the technology to break apart entire planets. They have very specific harvesting cycle for each planet: Sow, Exploit, Harvest. In Sowing, they terraform the planet to be hospitable for mining operations, in Exploiting they gather all the resources that are available through conventional means and then finally in Harvesting they break down the rest of it, gathering any resources left behind for trading purposes if nothing else.

Advanced Computation All-Source Intelligence Analysis System (ACASIAS)
The biological supercomputer ACASIAS possesses an intricate neurobioelectric web to all Scrounger infrastructure. High ranking Scroungers jointly use ACASIAS for nearly instant communication, calculations, and processing/storing large amount of data, for instance, the genetic sequences for the Xenoendoplantation Lab. ACASIAS also engineers/mass manufactures the majority of the technology the Universal Nova utilizes, including the nanobots for a Scrounger's Nano-Modules.

Territories:
Universal Nova, a giant artificial planet that acts as their home base. The building of it began as it became evident that the Scroungers would need to harvest their entire home system and would need a somewhat transportable home base for themselves, given how their life would turn out from this point onward. It is capable of supporting life like any real planet of its size, perhaps even more since it is not prone to natural disasters. And, most importantly, with enough transport ships, it is capable of changing locations.

Exploitation zone, or what others would call the moving territory of the fleet. Once planets are harvested, the fleet moves onward, obtaining another mining settlement for themselves. Currently its centre point is around a planet labelled as Pavor Prime. These planets usually have little to no defences themselves and trust the fleet to be capable of defending them. Due to this, the size of the exploitation zone is largely dependent on the size of the fleet itself. As of this moment, the size of the zone roughly equals 1/10th of what UFP governs.

• Critical Point: Harvester, a one of a kind mining platform capable of carefully disassembling spent planets and recycling the materials they still house within through the use of adaptive self replicating nanomachines. Harvester is then capable of breaking the machines down into the materials they built themselves out of once again, this meaning the process pretty much involves turning the husk of a planet into nanobots, which are then turned back into the disassembled planet.
• Critical Point: The Titan, known to outsiders better as The Ragnarov Titan. This ship is essentially a massive weapon, with more weapons strapped on top and some resemblance of steering control to make the spaceship operable. The Titan has proven to be capable of destroying entire planets with continued bombardment in the space of less a standard tenday all by itself. Theoretically its effective range extends to 10.0 light years, but since debris usually drops the effectiveness more than can be accounted for, the actual effective range is closer to 1.0 light years.
• Critical Point: Sower, a giant terraforming facility attached to a spaceship, created for hastening the process of preparing a planet for exploitation. Due to how it is not safe to exceed certain speeds in terraforming relative to the size of a planet, the sower has been observed to terraform any planet within ten standard days.

Allies:
None, thus far.
Enemies:
None, thus far.

Members:
@Hekazu's Characters: General Creft, lead of ground based operations, one of the council.
@Gordian Nought's Characters: Captain Vropda
@JBRam2002's Characters: Head Medic Ceraun Farohm, one of the council
@Zverda's Characters: Chief of Special Operations, Chayyliel/Drekavac, one of the council
@Corporal Lance's Characters: Nick Zelthis

I think some of the critical points should be walked back slightly.

For example, you can't destroy planets and terraforming an entire planet should take at least a month.

Otherwise it looks fine.

I think some of the critical points should be walked back slightly.

For example, you can't destroy planets and terraforming an entire planet should take at least a month.

Otherwise it looks fine.

I would like to voice my concerns on the removal of the main point of our critical point 2, The Titan. I brought it up with @Zyamasiel earlier and received no feedback of such sort. I would like to ask why giant weapons capable of destroying planets over a period of multiple days through steady bombardment would be that big of an issue. After all, the Fleet could just use multiple smaller ships and/or the Harvester for the same end result. We are a Fleet. Not UFP level strong, but still a force to be reckoned with.

As for the Sower being too quick, I will concede we could tone it down somewhat, but given what our entire Fleet is about, taking an entire month for each planet would be woefully slow and more or less eradicate any reason for us to exist as we are.

I would also like to question why none of these things were brought up in the preliminary thread which I put up specifically so people could see what we are doing and we could get some mod feedback for the powers and points, but I digress.

I'm not sure on what timeline you spoke with Zymastiel about this, but perhaps it was prior to when we put the tier system in place. Being able to literally destroy a planet is Death Star level stuff and far beyond the listed capabilities of any other group. Am I to understand that the Ragnarov Fleet's modus operandi is planetary disassembly and repurposing?

@Circ
Harvesting planets is what we do. We need it to stay alive. So in that way, yes, you have our main directive well in check. We do not use The Titan willy nilly, in fact it has been used once for planetary destruction for demonstration purposes in the past. But it remains as a credible threat to other military groups.

I understand the concerns of it being above the power levels of other groups, but let us think about it for a moment. The Titan is currently compared to the Death Star, something it definitely is not. The Death star took one shot to destroy things. For The Titan, it is a long period of extended bombardment, pummeling the target planet apart little by little. Quite wasteful. Not the preferred method of fighting. It is merely a powerful weapon that happens to be capable of eventually busting a planet. And while Ragnarov Fleet is known for harvesting planets, their military presence is also something they pride themselves on. We are a Fleet, space military. What changes are you looking for exactly here?

As for the Sower, we believe extending the working period to one week or one and a half might still make sense if the speed of the operation is truly the only issue here. It should be noted that getting the thing into position is not instantaneous or that secretive though, so there will be a fair period of responding to the approaching platform.

In short, if you nerf both of those items to the extents you are saying, @Circ, our group will no longer be able to exist as it ruins the lore for not only the group as a whole, but also several of our individual backstories. Ceraun is one of the last of her kind because of the destruction of her planet. Take away that, and I have to completely rewrite my character, her race, and everything involved. As it stands, I don't really have the desire to completely redo my PC.

In short, if you nerf both of those items to the extents you are saying, @Circ, our group will no longer be able to exist as it ruins the lore for not only the group as a whole, but also several of our individual backstories. Ceraun is one of the last of her kind because of the destruction of her planet. Take away that, and I have to completely rewrite my character, her race, and everything involved. As it stands, I don't really have the desire to completely redo my PC.

@JBRam2002 I don't agree and I wasn't demanding the capabilities be removed entirely, only that they be walked back or at least clarified. In particular, the capabilities of the Titan could use additional explanation. Stripping a planet of life via orbital bombardment takes significantly less energy than blasting the entire planet to pieces, for example.

Anyway, I spoke with @Hekazu about this in chat and I think we came to an understanding. With those in mind, I am OK with the group and it can be approved.

Accepted

Faction Sheet for...

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Leader: Niyati - founder and ship owner.
Description: Primarily a luxurious transport service they will take on any job. Preferring the high end, high paying jobs. Discretion is key.
Goals: Beyond seeking the means to live well, build reputation and prestige for their success.
Unique Abilities:

• Mystic Mutations [+]

  
  

  Mystic Mutations

  ---

  Abilities • Powers • Magic
  "There is much potential in every being that they are not aware of."

  ---

  
  
  Mystic mutations:
  The Lantallian is no ordinary ship. Its captain no ordinary creature. The vessel defies the natural logics of existence and in doing so radiates a strange imperceivable and unnatural cosmic aura. Extended exposure has been known to 'change' people.
  
  Details
  Mystical mutations can manifest in a vast many ways. Uncovering them can be a story in its self. Mutations include but are not limited to;
  

  Increase in awareness/heightened senses.
  Increase in physical capabilities.
  Low level magic / matter manipulation.
  Genetic variation - a physical mutation that affects your appearance.

  
  
  Restrictions:

  • New ability must be approved by the GM's.
• Team Gear [+]

  
  
  

  Team Gear

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  Watch • Phone • Monitor
  "Standard issue team equipment."

  ---

  
  
  Team gear: All crew members are are issued with these specialised team items. There appearance can vary greatly but the main utilities, however defined, are the same.
  
  Details
  The comm's piece:
  

  Offers a communication channel to any or all other members. A handy eye-piece offers thermal/electronic detection, telescopic zoom and can identify other team members.

  
  Holo-watch:
  

  This clever device has multiple functions. It's main feature is accessing information like maps, local internet, and encrypted signals and projecting that onto a 3D holographic interactive screen.

  
  Wrist health monitor:
  

  Constantly surveying the wearer and his surroundings, this device detects the precise moment when it's wearer is in mortal danger and just about to die, setting off a powerful charge it zaps them back to the ship.

  
  
  Restrictions:

  • Wrist health monitor needs to be repaired after a discharge.
  • There may be more functions available on your equipment, feel free to discus and ask for them.
• Friends in high places. [+]

  
  
  

  Friends in high places

  ---

  Favours • Bribes • Assistance
  "Help me to help you.
  No favour goes unreturned."

  ---

  
  
  Friends in high places:
  Membership of the crew grants the occasional favour from anonymous benefactors that have taken a previous or future interest with their services. Calling on such aid may and often will come with a few strings attached.
  
  Details
  Not to be abused, the crew can seek information or aid beyond the simple limits and capabilities of normal civilians. Granting them temporary access to restricted resources. Sometimes deals will need to be put in place to access such services. (Aka- new quests.)
  
  Restrictions:

  • GM and Crew approval is always required upon request.
  • May get rejected if used too often or last agreement has not yet been honoured.
  • The greater the request the greater the strings/drawback.

Territories:

• Space station Superior [+]

  
  

  Space Station Superior

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  Bastion • Defense • Sanctuary • Stronghold
  " "

  ---

  
  
  Space Station Superior:
  This floating utopia is massive. Cities upon cities stretch across its endless flat surface. Once a holy refuge it provided an escape from the tortures and torments of a morally and physically decaying dying planet.
  A war between good and evil ravaged the lands leaving many casualties. There was no place to hide, the only safety was in escape.
  Three planets pooled their remaining resources and magic to build the 'Space Station Superior'.
  
  Details
  Built by those who tired of war, those that were sick of all the killing, violence and hate. Refusing to accept it no matter what the reason may be.
  The station was built. Great and grand it is a true haven to all that promises peace and sustainability.
  
  Abilities:

  • Nano swarms
    
    Clouds of sweet smelling nano bots roam the station constantly healing, repairing and slowing the ageing of its residence.
  • Bountiful fruits
    
    Beautiful luscious modified plants grow in aplenty, baring rich tasty sustaining fruits. Highly nutritious and filling they revitalise and invigorate the consumer.
  • Sanctuary field
    
    A magical aura, mental manipulation, chemical adjustment, stimulation control. Every considerable aspect of the stations design is purposed to keep the peace. It's in the fruit, the air and all around. Means magical, technological and psychological prevent violence.
  • Judgement
    
    An energy cannon powerful enough to destroy moons and crater planets. The absolute last resort to ensure their defence and safety. It was the core that the rest of the station was built around.
• Demons of the Dead Planets [+]

  
  

  Demons of the Dead Planets

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  Fiery • Brimstone • Hell
  "."

  ---

  
  
  The dead planet:
  Once a lush prosperous planet it was eventually divided by conflicting ideas and ideologies. The conflict continued for generations as the land became barren and the air grew poisonous. As the planet died it opened up its fiery core spewing forth molten lava and acidic clouds.
  The land was truly inhospitable and relentless. Now unstable the surface is even more merciless.
  
  All the many years of death and darkness saw rise to new forms of beasts capable of surviving the inhospitable conditions. Dark, malicious and powerful, it is unknown if the demons were drawn to the dead planet, or had always been there.
  
  Demons
  The demons of the dead planet are large, powerful, cruel, malicious beasts. They have access to the ancient magics of old. They draw on the suffering and torment of any poor soul that should wind up on the surface. The only saving grace is that so far they seem confined to the dead planet.
  
  Extras:

  • The space station wards and keeps the demons bound to their planet.
  • Anything or one on the dead planet is completely untraceable due to dark magic and endless storm clouds.
• The red Nebula [+]

  
  

  The red nebula

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  The forgotten zone • The edge of space • Clouds of no return
  "."

  ---

  
  
  Description:
  This ancient portion of space has been avoided for so long it is nearly forgotten. Unsafe and dangerous it is a mine field of asteroids and debris surrounded a constant thundering gas cloud. With the electro magnetic interference interrupting even the most advanced sensors and the heavy gas and debris hindering vision, it is a very dangerous nightmare to try navigate.
  
  Dead ships float in this space, still getting beaten down until they too are nothing more that the debris that tears away at other ships. Reminders of those that tried before. Either the brave and adventurous or those with nowhere else to hide.
  
  To travers such horrid unfavourable conditions a crew needs bravery, a light nimble ship, powerful shields and a super efficient and intelligent AI.
  
  Locations beyond:

  • The space station Superior
  • Tortuga
  • Dead dark planets
  • Battered broken shells of old ships

Critical Point:

• The Lantallian.
  Their signature ship. Not only does the luxury transport vessel provide a means for travel and employment, but this heavy amenity ship is also a home.
• Space station superior.
• The dead planet

Allies: Love Bomb Piracy Front
Enemies:
Members/Merc List:
@Dark light's Characters: Niyati
@Leotamer's Characters: PRTR17 onboard AI
@Mataus's Characters: Will the traveler
@Antarctic Termite's Characters: Flak Macaque
@Verdaux's Characters: Lyra

@Dark Light A critical point has to be something your group owns that another group can capture, as such, I don't think Diplomatic Immunity or the Space Bar qualify. Space Station Superior and the Dead Planet would, for example, be critical points.

@Circ

Done, easy change.

@Dark Light You didn't have to entirely delete the stuff about the space bar and diplomatic immunity. I think it would've worked well in an "About" section of the group. Right now the write-up is very terse and that would add some nice depth. That said, and while this isn't going to impact the approval of the group, I think it might create a bit of a burden on your members who join to have to write-up their own group ability effectively and get it approved on a case-by-case basis, but I understand the lore behind why that is.

Approved.