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Book One. 347 AG. All of Ba Sing Se prepares for the centennial celebration of the end of the 'Great War', a short but bloody campaign led by the Republic to bring an end to the 'Bender Threat'. In the wake of that war, the walled city remains the last surviving stronghold on a planet marred by generations of conflict. However, despite this, its citizens have enjoyed a lasting peace, one that is all that many have ever known. Strict regulation and a zero-tolerance policy against all Benders have seen to the near extinction of the once proud people. So removed have they become that many within the walls lead lives having never met one. The history itself has become muddled and what is widely accepted as the truth about Benders leaves a disposition that remains disagreeable bordering on cruel, and rightly so. However, with the world now free of their influence, life has been allowed to flourish and spirits remain high.
There are those who question this truth, however. Those that look beyond the walls at the world left behind and imagine what might lay in wait to be rediscovered. Those who hear whispers in empty rooms or see lights dancing in the dark. A warm breeze on cold nights, courage in uncertainty or are gifted the kindness of a stranger. Like the memory of some long forgotten dream, they know another world once existed full of life and color. Of many people from many nations in harmony with one another. In harmony with the spirits and they with them. There are those who know of what once was and in secret, dare to ask the question, "Where is the Avatar?".
Game. a1 Whether you've come from the interest check or just happened across this game by accident, you are more than welcome to stay. This is a mature take on the world of Avatar, the television series. Mature themes will be explored including murder and death, abuse, drug use and physiological trauma. As stated in the flavor text above, this game takes place in the year 347 AG, roughly 100 years after Korra's time. The world has changed drastically since we last visited it. Of note, after a devastating war that left much of the world in ruin, Benders have become nearly extinct. Very few exist in the world at any given time thanks to an extremely weak connection between the physical and spiritual world. Additionally, as far as anyone is concerned, there is currently no known Avatar. Ba Sing Se now stands as the last surviving city on the planet, currently occupied by the nation of The Republic, formerly of Republic City. The vast majority of all living people reside within its walls. Technology has also progressed to our near future. There is AI, wearable technology and some prosthetic enhancement.
Our story focuses on individuals who discover they have the potential to bend when very few can and when doing so is outlawed. They must learn to cope with their powers, embrace and master them or discard and forget them, and finally, find out what happened to the Avatar. If this sounds like your cup of tea and you'd like to join, please check out the 'player expectations' section and brush up on our world lore before making a character sheet. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me here or in DMs.
Expectations. a2 My expectations from the players in this game are as follows:
Writing level for this game is casual and does not need to be perfect. Post minimum is one paragraph, allowing for faster responses to dialogue or to happenings in the environment. Posting consistency is one week between posts. I will send a reminder before the date and you're free to request an extension at this time or anytime before then, up to another week. IF however you feel you cannot meet the deadline, please let me know. If you fail to reply to this reminder before your time is up, your character will be NPC-ed by me until you return, if you do. Collaborations fall into this rule as well. If you and your partner cannot complete the collab in that time, split it and post what's done or refrain. Proactivity may sound like a strange request but I cannot stress its importance enough, especially at the start of the game. Depending on where players decide to begin, some may find themselves in a 1x1 situation with me for a time. I can guide players toward each other and onto the path of the story, but your ability to fill in the finer details of the world around you will only further enhance the read and help fuel creativity for each other. Encouragement is placed on player created lore and subplots and I am happy to work out the details with anyone who has any ideas they want to explore. Do not be afraid to share it with myself or the class. If it helps, treat this like a 1x1x1x1x1 as opposed to a game played purely reactively. Discord is highly encouraged for easier communication but not necessary. While you may be out of the loop for most of the planning around our story, we can keep you abreast with updates in the OOC or with direct DMs. All players will receive the Discord invitation after their character has been accepted. Mechanics exist but have been kept light. For now, I am opting to not develop a system to govern combat at a 'numbers' level and am instead using something quite basic that only limits the power you can write into your character's bending moves. What does this mean exactly? All players are given a point or a level upon character creation that goes into that character's native element. Training in that element will eventually reward another point that increases your character's ability to control the element. I'm giving everyone the benefit of the doubt that they can persistently write their character's power levels within established parameters. More of this is explained in the 'skill' section but as a small example, a Firebender who has two points in Fire and is using the Waterbender 'form', will be able to redirect lightning.
Character Sheet. a3 While character sheets do not need to be coded to a specific template, if you'd like one similar to my example (in the characters tab), simply let me know and I'll make it for you. I'll only need you to provide the image of your character.
That being said, these sheets are simpler than most but require insight into your character that aren't typical in other skeletons. You are free to organize the following sections however you like, but they must be included in your final submissions:
Image. Should be a realistic digital work of art. No real life photos. Anime is okay. Name. Age. 18+ (I don't know why I had an upper limit for this.) Gender. Element. If you are making a character that cannot bend, they are of course a 'non-bender'. I also want to emphasize the fact that your character does not need to know how to bend at the start of the game. An event taking place early on will unlock it for them.
Residence. Where does your character live? In one of the rings? Underground? Maybe just outside the walls? Occupation. What does your character do for a living?
(The following two can be answered as your character.) Who are you? This is replacing your standard 'history' section. Instead of history, I'd like to know who your character is today. It might be a little rehash of the 'residence' and 'occupation' info but I still want a summary of your character as they are in the now. Do they have a routine? Why do they work where they do? How do they feel about the Republic? Are they curious about what's outside? This also does not need to be lengthy and should not contain an abundance of information on their past. I'm hoping to create organic interaction and conversation between our characters. Any information learned should be natural and not something fished for from a CS. What is your opinion on Benders? This is where I judge the merits of your character the most.
Extra. Anything else you'd like to add? Color text code? Special items they carry with them that others will immediately notice? Pets?
Please provide information on one NPC related to your character in the sheet. This should include a name and what that NPC does.
Once completed, post your sheet here in the OOC for me to look over and approve.
Skill. a4 Eventually, this is going to have its own post, but I've kept it simple enough at the start that this will do fine for now. Your character's bending skill is reliant on points. These points are earned organically through the course of the game. This includes but is not limited to training or studying bending scrolls. Each element has a maximum of three points, and while you can only bend one element, you are free to learn 'forms' that correspond to the different bending disciplines. Doing so will unlock abilities depending on the combination chosen. Since all characters will start with minimal skill, however, this section will remain simplified for now. All that players need to know is that at the start of the game, their character has a single point in their given element. This means that they are only capable of very basic bending. Single blasts of fire. Small bursts of air. A simple rock throw or short streams of water. Despite how primitive this may be, creative, and very discreet use depending on where they are, can give a bender all the advantage they need.
Chi is treated as 'energy'. This accounts for very little right now but if and when we get to endgame, it will be your limiter to how many times you can shoot lightning at a target before you run out of steam. And yes, this is a confirmation of the fact that everyone can learn advanced techniques, but it will be a long road before anyone gets there.
In regards to non-benders, instead of an element, you can choose one option from an exclusive pool of skills or, if you have something special in mind, you can bring it up to me and we can discuss it. These skills are: Firearms, Self-defense or Weaponry (of which you'll have to pick a melee weapon and stick to it). The point system works in much the same way as elements where more points equates better knowledge and mastery. Forms will be specific to the skill. As an example, melee will start 'normal' but can be upgraded to 'chi-blocking' with the right knowledge.
If you think what you're going to do with your character is too powerful, it's best to clear it with me first.
Q and A. a5
Sanity43217 Do conventional firearms exist? Yes they do. These are common and easily acquired in and out of Ba Sing Se. Most characters have a basic knowledge of their use, but only a non-bending PC will be able to increase that knowledge.
canaryrose Bending is illegal and punishable by death, but how are bending materials regulated? Say a character owned materials like old recordings of bending matches or even old bending training manuals- would that be illegal too? Very very much so. Any materials that the Republic got their hands on was destroyed and they were very thorough. Impossible to be perfect though so some materials can have survived. How your character came into its possession and what you plan for it to mean to them would be important in deciding if it's okay to keep.
trenenp Can someone apply to be the avatar or will that be your character? No to both. There is currently no known Avatar and no one's character will secretly be it. Also, with 5 players filling each available slot, I will be not be playing a singular character but multiple smaller ones that revolve around our main cast. They'll be there to drive plots and provide prompts. One may be more prominent than the rest, but none will be my 'main'.
History. In the time between Korra's triumphs and her death, technology would progress in leaps and bounds. The discovery of spirit energy once siphoned from spirit vines opened a whole new horizon for technological advancement during what was once an industrial age. Varrick, who was able to reverse engineer Kuvira's machine, refined the process of harvesting that energy and its respective uses ballooned. He unceremoniously dubbed the new source of energy "Synergy". Satomobile Industries turned out the modern car, vehicles with engines that ran purely on synergy. The airship turned into the first spaceship and simple railcars became bullet trains allowing for quick transportation around Republic City. Varrick would go on to design smaller versions of Kuvira's cannon, giving birth to the first man-portable plasma emitting weapon. However, not wanting to further upset the fragile balance of the spirit and physical worlds, he would eventually abandon these designs. It was in truth Korra's last request, her fear being that these innovations would be the fuel for the fires of another great war.
And so a century would pass and Korra's legend would come to a close. The spirit of the Avatar would reincarnate and unto the world would be birthed a new hero. At least at the time, that was the hope.
After ten years, The Great Panic began. A tumultuous and confusing time when the people of the world searched for the Avatar and found none. In this panic, the citizens of the world clung to a simple truth: the last Avatar to disappear was Aang and soon after his disappearance, an entire nation of Benders engulfed the world in a war a century long. Out of this truth was born a fear and from this fear, action. Conflict broke out among the Bending nations and their leaders began to butt heads in an attempt to discover the secrets the others were hiding. The Earth Kingdom received the worst of it as did its sister city Zaofu. The Avatar was, after all, in line to reincarnate as a native Earth bender. Small raids and infiltration by the other nations were constant, most of which served as taunts to lure the Earth Kingdom and her armies outside its impervious walls. Ba Sing Se began preparations to reply in kind. The Republic, formerly Republic City, had by now grown into its own nation of benders and non-benders alike. Concerned for their own safety, the President and his table of advisers moved to take action... and not just for themselves. Fearful that the entire world would not only submerge itself in another war but would also never be free of it, they agreed it necessary to eliminate the only viable threat. They believed strongly that Benders had been and always were the cause of all great conflicts past and present.
The Great War. A conflict that would be remembered by all. The Republic moved swiftly. Reviving old designs by the late Varrick, they began production on new and improved synergy weapons. Firearms made of platinum capable of emitting small sporadic beams of volatile spirit energy. They provided the most obvious of benefits: giving those without the gift to bend a way to fight back against Benders. Armed with both their new found technology and a thorough training in Chi Blocking, The Republic marched on Zoafu, their first target. The most prominent and powerful Earth benders resided in the city and as expected, the city proved the most difficult to occupy. However, fresh and in full force, their march was near unstoppable and the citizens of Zoafu found their power over earth and metal helpless against the weapons of the Republic. After its occupation, Zoafu was used as a base of operations for the Republic to wage their campaign against Ba Sing Se. Rallying the other nations to their cause was an easy task. They already believed the Earth Kingdom was hiding the new Avatar and their past with Republic City placed them at odds with everyone else.
The siege that followed was rather quick. Synergy cannons were used to punch large holes in the earthen walls while continuous assault from the air softened up defenses for those on the ground. From there, a combined assault comprised of Fire and Water nation and Republic forces stormed the capital. It was the first time in the history of the world that Ba Sing Se had been successfully invaded.
What followed in the wake of Ba Sing Se's conquest set the stage for the state of the world as it is now. While playing at searching for the Avatar, the Republic made preparations for the second phase of their war, with again, a little help from a long passed Varrick. With the only people capable of defending themselves against conventional firearms out of the way, the Republic turned their guns around to face the rest of the world and began the Great Cleanse. Bombs were dropped and millions were slaughtered. The Fire and Water nation were the first to go with their capitals reduced to dust. The Air temples and their people were similarly destroyed when their diplomacy helped only to postpone the inevitable. The Air nomads, still a budding nation, were once again chased into oblivion.
At the end of the war, the Republic made Ba Sing Se its permanent home and effectively the last city on Earth. The rest of the world lay beaten and scarred. A kind of synergy radiation blanketed much of the landscape around the former capitals of each nation and the war's effects on the world drained it of its vitality. Flora and fauna began to die out, soil became infertile and many sources of water were left undrinkable. Despite this, the Republic set to work rebuilding, erecting the walls it tore down and shutting their sins out with the world they destroyed. The nation grew once more, stronger now without the threat of the bender or another war.
Today the Republic stands alone in its strength and its people grow fat and happy. Or at least those of the Inner Ring do. Technology has continued to develop. Artificial intelligence exists. Wearable technology is widespread and prosthetic enhancement is available although still in its early stages and limited to those with power or those who are better connected in the Underground. The population continues to grow and most remain complacent in their perceived safety, content to live a life confined in walls and eat themselves full of whatever propaganda is fed to them. Others however suffer from a world whose resources cannot match the demand. There are more mouths to feed than there is food. Money is collected and kept in the gilded vaults of the central most ring, leaving the rest to vie for scraps or drown in destitution. Drug use, crime and death is rampant in the crowded and polluted streets of the Lower Ring and those seeking shelter beyond the walls are cut off from most infrastructures of support and are at the mercy of an angry, vengeful world.
Rule is held by one King Wu VI who is advised by a room of select individuals, and his word is enforced by the Republic Security Force. Bending continues to be outlawed and remains punishable by death to this day. The world outside the city remains a mystery to most. An unforgiving place rumored to be home to fiends or no longer habitable after the war. Other rumors persist of a place where Benders can live free. Far past the horizon in the distance. If a person could cross the barren deserts and brave the nightmares that call it home, they could find it.
Lower Ring b1 Middle Ring b2 Upper Ring b3 Republic Security Force b4 The Underground b5 Pipe Runner b6 Stickball b7
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Ba Sing Se. The last city and home of the Republic. After the Great War and following the use of high-yield synergy weapons on the former Bending nation's capitals, Ba Sing Se became the last surviving stronghold on the planet. It exists today as it did centuries ago: A city divided by three walls. However, much of the walls have been replaced and upgraded. Those of the inner and middle rings are made entirely of metal, standing as tall and twice as impenetrable as they once were. The wall of the outer ring is metal as well but has been slowly encroached upon by housing built haphazardly into the structure itself. Atop this wall are large synergy cannons. They stand sentry facing the Wilds and stop any threats that approach long before they can reach the walls.
Social class remains separated by each section of the city and decreases the further away one is from the center. Due to overpopulation and limited resources, the gap between each class continues to widen leading mostly to increased tensions in the lower ring that is beginning to bleed into the middle. Despite efforts made by King Wu VI and his advisors, little of any headway has been made to improve the situation.
Peace is kept by the Republic Security Force (RSF) and by maintaining strict regulation and policy to help root out and eliminate any Benders. Information shared to the populace is fed through Shinobi News Network. _
Lower Ring. b1 Home to the impoverished and those who exist outside of the acceptable social ladder of society. Neon illuminated streets weave in and out of ill-maintained buildings packed too tightly together and the air is thick with dust and grime from black clouds that spew from factories dotting the landscape. Because little has been done to address the issue, air quality has deteriorated to such a point that most don some form of mask to help protect their lungs. Additionally, the population here has ballooned well beyond capacity and many families have taken to settling in the shadow of the great wall beyond its protection or even on the wall itself. Although forced to face any dangers from the Wilds head on, cleaner air and more room is well worth the trade off.
Crime remains rampant with RSF personnel in the area ill-equipped and undermanned and there is a strong presence of the Underground that the RSF struggles to suppress. Those RSF stationed at the power plant in the lower ring are equivalent to those of the middle.
Middle Ring. b2 Where the last vestige of the modern world continues to flourish to its greatest potential. Although nearly as overpopulated as its lower ring counterpart, the crowded streets and swarming populace never stagnate. They remain ever on the move in pursuit of a future they hope will be better than the last. Life here is busy, framed in an edifice maze that interrupts the skyline at intervals in all directions. Airships regularly weave between structures scraping the sky and the streets are packed with satomobiles at all hours of the day.
With access to more resources and better equipped RSF personnel in greater numbers, the quality of life is vastly improved in the Middle Ring compared to the lower. Crime is low, the air quality is clean, the schools are better staffed and better jobs more readily available. However, with only a wall separating themselves from the more desperate citizens on the other side, the horrors of the dying world remain a memory most cannot escape and the Bender ever remains a ghost in the night to avoid.
Upper Ring. b3 Inhabited only by the rich and the powerful. The land here is fertile and untouched by the nightmares of the war or the scars it left behind. Despite limited space, its layout has been designed to reduce a feeling of clutter. Homes are built tall with space surrounding to spare and larger structures lie amid stretches of land dedicated to parks and recreation.
Most of those who reside here remain isolated from the struggles of the rest of the world. Separated as they are and with no need to travel to any of the lower rings for any reason, they live their lives in perpetual oblivion to the point that some have forgotten Benders ever existed. The rest vie for what little power remains and rule over the entirety of the last city. They spend their time spreading what information they can to keep all others in check and are ever looking for ways to outplay those around them in the hopes that they can keep what little the world has to offer for themselves.
King Wu VI and his advisors reside here in the palace.
Republic Security Force. b4 The men and women in charge of keeping a strict blanket of peace throughout all of Ba Sing Se. They are deployed to every corner of the city although their effectiveness varies greatly. Those of the Lower Ring are ill-equipped and improperly trained. Rarely can they hold their own in a fight and it will typically take groups of them to subdue criminal activity. Those of the middle ring are significantly better trained and even utilize chi blocking and those of the Upper Ring are outfitted with Synergy Weapons.
Additionally, the RSF can deploy Mecha Tanks. Platinum behemoths that pack an upgrade to their firepower that its predecessors lacked. However, they remain cumbersome and slow and while limited to the 180 degree Killzone directly in front of it, are vulnerable to attack from the rear. Lastly, RSF deploy drones that scour far outside the walls of Ba Sing Se, looking for any survivors in the hopes of ushering them to safety within the city, and to find and eliminate any benders seeking shelter in the Wilds. They run on Synergy but utilize conventional munitions.
The Underground. b5 Existing below the filth of the Lower Ring is a complex and impossibly large network of tunnels. Originally a part of the city's sewage system, the tunnels were dug out and expanded upon some few centuries ago by the Dai Li and used by them up until the start of the Great War. Since then, denizens of the city have sought shelter in the darkness, breathing life into these confined spaces and making for themselves an entire ecosystem below Ba Sing Se.
Today, the Underground is as much a living breathing part of the city as the Lower Ring is above ground. Many have made their home in the 'sewers', allowing thriving business districts and vibrant communities where none would otherwise exist. However, the deeper tunnel systems are utilized heavily by the triads and are avoided altogether by well meaning citizens.
Although much of the Underground system reaching into the inner rings has been closed off by the RSF, some well hidden tunnels remain open, allowing passage all the way into even the central ring.
Pipe Runner. vietmyke b6 Tasked with patrolling the pipe that connects the Synergy Power Plant to the Synergy Storage Facility just inside the city. Their days are spent along a stretch of land outside the protective confines of safety found behind the walls, ever vigilant for any dangers that pose a threat to Ba Sing Se's fragile power system. This includes wild beasts that wander too close or anyone looking to steal spirit energy from leaks in the pipe itself.
Although there is a specialized team in charge of large maintenance projects along the pipe, Pipe Runners will often provide regular upkeep, helping to push the need and cost for repairs down. Leaks are usually patched until cracks in the exterior grow too large for a simple temporary fix.
Pipe Runners are not paid nearly enough for the risk inherent in the job at hand, but most would say that they are better off than others in the Lower Ring. Their limited freedom beyond the walls is well worth the trade off.
Stickball. canaryrose b7 Stickball came to prominence in the years after the rise of Pro-bending. A competitive sport friendly to Benders and Non-benders alike which began years ago as a playground activity for children of fishermen. The objective is to knock the ball into the opposing team's goal using a stick shaped much like that of an oar. The ball is balanced on the flat end while players move about the field, passing it to one another in an attempt to guide it to the other end. Passes are typically made by lifting the ball into the air and then hitting it as it's suspended. The receiving player will catch it with the flat end (where there is a small depression for the ball to rest) or may deflect it to another. Because of this and the equipment used, Stickball is by its nature a high-contact sport. Hitting another player directly with your stick, however, is illegal, but blocking or tapping another player's stick with your own is not. Neither is short grappling to disarm or takedown, or 'passing' a ball directly into an opponent with a particularly hard serve to knock the wind out of them. Two players will commonly face off or juggle the ball in-between them, parrying each other's sticks while bouncing the ball off each other or off the ground. The best players can read angles and distances and bounce the ball off other objects or people to get it where they want.
Si Wong Desert w1 ??? w2 Synergy Power Plant w3 Fauna w4 ??? w5 _
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Wilds. The world outside the walls of Ba Sing Se. The Wilds is the name given to the mostly desolate lands surrounding the last city. As stated previously, much of the land has been ruined by the 'Great War'. The former Bending nation's capitals were destroyed by bombs and surrounding cities were abandoned shortly after, leaving much of the planet empty, left to be reclaimed by the world. Thanks to heavy synergy radiation as a result of the weapons used by the Republic, much of flora and fauna has been changed. The exact nature of this change is still unknown but the people who have survived in the wilderness long enough to tell their tales, share stories of beasts unlike any they've seen before. Twisted corruptions of the wildlife they once knew, roaming the land ever hungry with an appetite impossible to satiate.
The cities that bore the brunt of the destruction are actively avoided. Some believe the synergy saturating the air can slowly drive a man insane, sapping him of his will until his mind is no longer his and he's taken. Others say the air is poisonous and will eventually kill any who enter. Still, there are those brave souls who throw caution to the wind and venture into these zones, discovering within whatever treasure or old knowledge they can find.
Notable locations include the Synergy Power Plant that is situated in the abandoned husk of what was once Republic City. To the south of Ba Sing Se lies the expansive Si Wong Desert. An ocean of sand nearly impossible to cross.
Si Wong Desert. w1 The ocean of sand and heat that stretches from the walls of the city south, past the horizon. At one point in time, it had been bordered by a large river that connected the Full Moon and Chameleon bays, effectively halting the desert's march. In the years after the war, the change in climate eventually dried up the North bay, draining the river of its source and allowing the desert to expanded further before stopping again at the foot the city.
Of the many dangers in this region, the most prominent are sandstorms which occur frequently and have become extremely violent. Powerful winds can whip up a wall of dust and sand that is capable of tearing through flesh. However, these are typically formed closer to the desert's heart and will only approach the Lower Ring on very rare occasions.
There is strong belief that a tunnel system exists below the surface of the sand as sightings of fauna remain constant. The only way they'd be able to survive the storms is if they had access to shelter.
???. w2 _ _ _ _ _
???
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Synergy Power Plant. w3 Formerly the Republic City spirit portal. The city and surrounding area have been reduced to little more than the plant itself and the living areas and shops necessary to support it and its employees. The work pays well but is also unusually dangerous for what would otherwise be a simple job. There are constant and sporadic accidents that occur on site putting some people off to such a career. Oddly enough, the accidents have increased in frequency in the last few years and some believe it's coming to a head. Extra safety measures have been put into place and routine maintenance checks have been increased. Like Ba Sing Se, the plant has a small wall built around it that is continuously patrolled.
The process of collecting and refining energy was developed by the Moon family alongside Varricks. Eventually, the entrepreneur left the energy business allowing Moon to take over. This plant is still owned and operated by them today. It feeds the city power via a pipe system traveling the distance between itself and a storage facility located just inside the Lower Ring.
Fauna. w4 While still existing in the world in and out of Ba Sing Se, many familiar species from the last century have gone extinct. Most large animals such as the flying bison no longer exist while many smaller creatures can be bought for exorbitant prices if you know where to look. However, usually, only those in the Upper Ring can afford to purchase and care for a pet.
Beyond the walls, any wildlife that still thrives has adapted to a dramatically changed environment. Some were lucky enough to live on land mostly untouched by the war while others have mutated, changed in surprising and strange ways from prolonged exposure to lingering synergy radiation. Most have turned feral. Others have evolved, exhibiting behavior that seems similar to spirits from the spirit world. There are many who argue that they are spirits but since so few have ventured out into the wilderness to see these phenomena themselves, truth remains but a rumor.
Glossary of Terms. Literature providing some small insight into the more important aspects of the world of The Last Avatar. Some knowledge is limited as much of the information was removed after the Republic's victory. What remains is brief at times, but further information can be found elsewhere if one knows where to look.
This list will be updated as our world expands and our knowledge of it is filled in. . . . . . . . . . . .
Synergy. l1 A form of energy derived from the spirit world, once used by one Kuvira to terrorize Republic City. The Moon family, owners of SynEn, were able to refine the process for its collection, becoming the City's sole provider of clean energy and catapulting them to a level of wealth matched only by the likes of Sato and Varricks. All spirit energy is harnessed from the spirit portal located in what was previously Republic City. Both of the North and South portals were closed after the war and are no longer accessible.
Synergy weapons utilize SynEn batteries and fire bolts of superheated plasma as opposed to kinetic projectiles from conventional firearms. These are usually only carried by security personnel of the Upper Ring. They are capable of piercing through most materials besides platinum. Synergy was also utilized heavily in the creation of the bombs built by the Republic and used during the war. The scars left behind in the wake of their destruction are still seen today and many of the areas touched by these weapons remain uninhabited.
Synergy Radiation. l2 What is known of this phenomenon is limited at best. An effect left behind from high-yield synergy bombs that is densest around the former bending nation capital's. It is widely believed that being exposed to large amounts of it, or a small amount over a long period of time, will lead to a deterioration of the mind. It is also believed that many of the stranger fauna existing in the wild originate from here. What still exists in the center of these zones, if anything at all, has yet to be discovered though many have attempted to find out. None have returned.
Short excursions into and through these zones can be made and are. As such, the outskirts of these areas have been thoroughly explored and picked clean for supplies. After some distance away from the 'safe zone', survivor made signs discourage traveling any further.
There is no radiation poisoning resulting from use of synergy handguns or any technology utilizing the energy, presently.
Narcotics. l3 _ Moth Zen A psychoactive street drug named for its lethargic hallucinatory highs. Known for being an especially trashy street-drug, "Zen-Men" are stereotypically thieves or beggars _ _ _ _ _ _
Spirit Water. l4 Normally only found in the Spirit World, this special water is naturally infused with spiritual energy and was once widely used in many applications of healing. Since the war, there are no known, publicly available springs and because there is no access to the Spirit World, none of this water has been collected in a century. Despite this, a version of this water has been created in the physical world and is used in medicine and beauty today, usually exclusively in the Upper Ring. Baths of the water can be drawn, for a price, where submerging the body can purportedly slow the aging process. Many doctors use the water during procedures to assist in the healing process or as a pain reliever.
For those practicing its use outside the confines of strict regulation by the Republic, some of this water can be bought in the Lower Ring, where it's crudely made from energy stolen from cracks in the pipes feeding the Synergy Storage Facility. It's cheaper and works just as well although its use comes with the risk of drawing attention from the RSF. Those looking for an easy bounty from turning in a suspected bender will oftentimes target those who are known to use the water.
IC is up! I know there is a lot of information above to chew through so take your time and please please please let me know if there is anything in the above you would like more information on. I have a problem with making things look neat and sometimes that means forcing less or more words into a space just to create squares. Some of the above may be too light or may seem repeated.
Also a lot of the above posts were copy/paste from my test thread so if any code seems wonky or off or there are very obvious mistakes that I'm just not seeing (missing or repeated verbatim sections) please let me know so I can fix it.
Name: Weiyuan - "Yuan" Age: 19 Gender: Male Element: Earth
Residence: Lower Ring
Occupation: Animal Keeper. He works for an exotic animal breeder and broker of questionable legality named "The Catgator's Meow." His favorite are the turtle-ducks.
As a side note, it may be worth noting he has not once heard a catgator actually meow...
Who are you? That's a complicated question sometimes. When I was younger I realized I could earthbend. I thought it was amazing, but my family was terrified and only my grandfather would have me. Later I made the mistake of letting more people know. Instead of being turned in or executed, they decided to deal with me themselves. They beat me until I was unconscious. I was asleep for days afterward. I was never really... the same after that. I don't talk anymore.
On the bright side, I was "born." Don't worry about me, though. I'm not really anyone at the end of the day. I just help deal with things when they get a bit too hard.
Umm, people who know about me say that I ended up with something called "split personalities." I thought maybe I got hit too hard, but they said it was probably just because I needed to become someone else to deal with the stress of what happened. Anyway I learned my lesson and didn't try to bend again after that. That kind of made things better, but then I lost my grandfather and I had to try and take care of myself. I guess people don't always like that I don't talk, because I ended up getting hurt again. They didn't beat me quite as bad as last time, but a piece of glass got stuck deep in my throat. I got lucky though. A friend found me and got the glass out. Later on a doctor told me that even if I wanted to learn to talk again, it would be pointless because now there was too much damage. I've gotten good at sign language, though!
Actually, I can talk. Kind of. I can whisper, but have you ever tried to hold a conversation on a busy street while whispering? It's a nightmare. Anyway, that's not even the whole story. It was a friend of mine that saved us. My mentor, Chae-Won. Apparently earthbenders can control glass. With her help and instruction, together we got the glass out. They did most of the work, of course, but they couldn't feel exactly where the glass was inside me, so I had to help direct it. Not my idea of fun, but it was an interesting lesson.
But yeah, I've made sure to keep learning, but unfortunately I'm not usually in the driver's seat, so it's hard to get very far. You think I've been able to even budge glass since? Ugh. Don't tell him that, though. He's not ready to get back into it all. I don't even want to think about how much he'd freak out if he knew. Yuan just thinks she's a friendly neighbor.
Now I work with animals. They don't care if I bend or not, or if I talk or not. I've also learned that some people actually like that I don't talk. It makes me really good at keeping secrets. I know they're not great people, but I have to survive somehow.
What is your opinion on Benders?
Benders are very bad. They wouldn't have hurt me so much if they weren't.
And yet even when you stopped, you still got hurt.
I've stopped bending. I just want to be normal.
You'd be dead if you were...
Extra: He keeps an old pocket-watch on him; a gift from his grandfather. Apparently it had originally belonged to his great-grandfather who died during the assault on Ba Sing Se. His grandfather had found the man buried in rubble, the watch damaged and broken, forever stuck at the time the invasion had begun.
He, perhaps unsurprisingly, has numerous scars. The main ones are the ones on his scalp, though his hair mostly hides these, and the one on his neck. Then are the ones on his back and forearms from trying to protect himself. Lastly, he has various, smaller, faded scars all along his arms, legs, and torso from his first... incident. Most of the time, his clothes hide the vast majority of his scars, but the ones on his neck and forearms tend to be visible to some degree unless he really buttons up his jacket.
He knows all the turtle-ducks in the store by name. He's also the one who names them.
He was once tricked into eating turtle-duck soup. The only reason the other man is still alive is because all the ducks in the store were still accounted for... and yes, he finished it all, and yes it was delicious...
Image:
Name: Chae-Won Age: 28 Gender: Iron Man (FeMale) Element: Earth
Residence: Lower Ring
Occupation: "Courier"
Most days she really does just run deliveries. The reason she's made this into a viable career is because she's earned a reputation as one of the few people who can traverse the entirety of the Lower Ring, the Underground, and sometimes even outside the walls without being robbed, jumped, or otherwise accosted. She can even be convinced to dress up a bit and go into the Middle Ring on occasion. The problem is that, in order to keep a steady flow of income, the things she needs to bring from A to B aren't always... innocuous. Sometimes what she's asked to deliver is a beating, though she tries to be picky with those ones.
She yearns for the day that she can go back to being just a friendly delivery girl, but that day hasn't come yet. Tee only other skill she has she can't show to people -- except for one.
When she first caught him practicing, she played dumb, just scolding him and telling him to be more careful. However, she kept a close eye on him after that, sometimes just quietly watching him try to use his earthbending, pretending like she was fascinated. Eventually she took a risk and revealed her own abilities. Whether it was out of pity to teach him, since he could barely lift more than a few grains of sand, or because she was lonely, it was hard to say. It turned out the boy, Yuan, had his own secrets of course. There were two of him, the one she taught in secret, and the one who just really liked feeding the turtle-ducks and needed a friendly face to greet every day.
Maybe she'd needed that too.
OK I'm not gonna call this quite done yet, but I wanna make sure I'm heading in the right direction before I commit fully to the idea/go all out.
Also I do I have a question:
Please provide information on one NPC related to your character in the sheet.
Does this mean literally family? Just anyone that is involved with our character? Or do you perhaps mean one of those characters listed on the character tab? I'm assuming the second option there, but I wanna make sure before I go any farther.
Does this mean literally family? Just anyone that is involved with our character? Or do you perhaps mean one of those characters listed on the character tab? I'm assuming the second option there, but I wanna make sure before I go any farther.
The second option. You've already done this partially in your sheet, if you were intending to make your NPC this mentor. They'd just need a name and a more concrete description of what they're about. Given their skill, I may also end up reaching out to you via DMs to discuss this character further. I am concerned about Yuan's access to a 'teacher' and that they've been able to do some level of training, but it may be a non-issue. I'll let you know.
As far as Yuan himself goes, amazing! I hadn't actually thought about glassbending but it checks out and one of my favorite things about pushing the timeline of the world of the Avatar forward so much is we get to create interesting kinds of bending (which I believe glassbending is actually quite old and forgotten). The dual personality touch is also handled very well and the occupation is so much fun. He is perfectly and creatively placed in the Lower Ring so I like it so far.
This does bring up something important that I don't think I was very clear on in the information above. And this is for everyone:
Your character does not need to know how to bend at the start of the game. Something will take place very early on to unlock the ability for them.
I hope that bit of information doesn't disrupt the creation process for any of you who have already started.
OK, good to know. Basically I wanted the glassbending to play a role... but then realized I didn't think I could ever tone it down to the point where it was a full part of his abilities from the beginning, so I decided to make the mentor and have them do most of the work. Also, the main persona almost doesn't know how to earthbend, and the alternate (blue) persona gets all the teaching in secret while "Yuan" is "asleep." But the main persona is in control like 80%~ of the time and the alt doesn't get to come out every time he goes to sleep, so the training he gets is rather limited, as I attempted to make clear in the sheet. But now that I'm thinking about it more, glassbending or no, no one said the mentor has to be a master or anything XD . Just has to be better than him.
In any case, you've made it abundantly clear how lacking our characters' skills should be at the beginning so I'm doing my best to stick to that and won't try to pull a fast one mid-rp or anything. Hopefully that assuages any concerns and we can see how things look when the sheet is closer to 100%.
Anyway, now that I know I was on the right track I'll flesh out the mentor. Didn't want to waste the effort if I had it wrong.
@KillamriX88 To be fair, you did a great job of explaining the level of Yuan's skill and how it's handled between the alters. And you definitely understand the level of skill I'm looking for in everyone's characters so my concerns are thoroughly assuaged. I look forward to seeing the finished sheet!
Name and a job if they have one or what they generally do. You can add where they reside if you'd like but that would be the limit of what is necessary for approval. Anything extra is up to you. Whatever you think might help fill in the world around Yuan.
The NPC Jack in my example CS is brief but there's enough in there to know who he is and what he does.
Characters can own firearms and they must be conventional. No player starts with a synergy weapon. I'd suggest something that is easily concealable, at least while you're above ground.
I'm thinking I'm going to make an Airbender.. Maybe a mirror's edge style courier of illicit materials or something like a SynEn pipe runner- someone who patrols the main power pipe from the plant to the city, shooting critters and people who get too close
@KillamriX88 Nice updates and good info on the NPC. You work fast!
@vietmyke I actually never considered the protection of the pipe like that, so I really like this idea. It's good enough to be an addition to the lore if accepted. Whichever way you decide to go though, either courier or as this 'pipe-runner' for SynEn, I am definitely looking forward to what you put together.
Hm. Bending is illegal and punishable by death, but how are bending materials regulated? Say a character owned materials like old recordings of bending matches or even old bending training manuals- would that be illegal too?
@canaryrose Very very much so. Any materials that the Republic got their hands on was destroyed and they were very thorough. Impossible to be perfect though so some materials can have survived. How your character came into its possession and what you plan for it to mean to them would be important in deciding if it's okay to keep.
Can someone apply to be the avatar or will that be your character?
No to both. There is currently no known Avatar and no one's character will secretly be it. Also, with 5 players filling each available slot, I will be not be playing a singular character but multiple smaller ones that revolve around our main cast. They'll be there to drive plots and provide prompts. One may be more prominent than the rest, but none will be my 'main'.
