[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/534948241825988611/1116483820565315724/logo.png[/img] [H1][color=fff200]S[/color]omething [color=f7941d]S[/color]inister [color=f26522]S[/color]lumbers in the [color=ed1c24]S[/color]ands of [color=9e0b0f]S[/color]argon[/h1] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/534948241825988611/1116487709888892938/SSS.png[/img] [hider=Playlist to set the mood] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=597QwXdUhPs[/youtube] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Mg8GJpVfo[/youtube] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W8MBjTk2E8[/youtube] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn-o7RzUPpU[/youtube][/hider][/center] Welcome to [u][b]Arknights: Something Sinister Slumbers in the Sands of Sargon[/b][/u], or [u][b]Arknights: 5S[/b][/u] for short. In this RP, you will be playing as elite Rhodes Island operators or external affiliates/partners of Rhodes Island (Original Characters only). The events of this RP will take place at an unspecified time in the near future of the current Arknights storyline. Inspirations for this RP include the Indiana Jones franchise and the Stationary Security Service (SSS) gameplay mode in Arknights where you keep going deeper and deeper. The RP will take place mostly in Sargon, but Sargon is a great land with many features, from deserts to rainforests, and even Durin underground cities. I chose Sargon because, for the time being, not a great deal has been provided as far as canonical lore, allowing me to take some liberties. The RP will start off on the premise that one of the Lord Ameers of Sargon has agreed to a business deal with Rhodes Island, buying RI's oripathy medication and allowing the opening of a local RI branch office. But not all is well in Sargon, foreign powers lust greedily for the hidden wealth of Sargon's ancient civilization and will stop at nothing to unearth horrors best left buried. A serendipitous discovery will lead to a wild race for forbidden power and it will be up to you to prevent the worst case scenario. So prepare your equipment modules and say goodbye to the landship, it's going to be a dangerous ride. And for those of you who are interested, but don't know what Arknights is, Arknights is a popular gatcha tower defense mobile game with surprisingly deep worldbuilding and lore. The world of Terra is inhabited by anime animal people who live in nations reflective of the nations that exist in the real world. The world has a mix of pre-modern and near-future technology. The world is defined by the super-material Originium, which is used in all forms of modern technology as a source of power, and is used to channel Originium Arts, this world's sci-fi magic. However, Originium, as a mineral, can grow, shift, or turn into dust and spread around. This movement of Originium causes various natural disasters called Catastrophes, but worst of all, it is possible to be infected by Originium, resulting in contracting a disease known as Oripathy. Those who have contracted Oripathy are referred to as the Infected, and are shunned by society. Oripathy is a death sentence, shortening the Infected's lifespan, however it also boosts one's ability to cast Originium Arts without the need for an Originium device. Because of the Catastrophes that Originium can bring, the people of the world have developed Mobile Cities, turning their cities into gigantic collections of mobile landships, allowing them to preserve their infrastructure while moving away from impending Catastrophes. Most major civilization centers are on the Mobile Cities, though there are poor villages and nomads that wander the wasteland that just take their chances. The world also seems to be inhabited by various mysterious, god-like entities that work from the shadows and manipulate people's lives. One such entity has taken over the entire ocean, making it extremely dangerous for normal people. There is also the mystery of what Originium is, the existence of ancient technology, a possible precursor civilization, and something to do with space travel. Much of the canonical Arknights story revolves around the Infected fighting for their rights, cities trying to avoid catastrophe, societal upheaval, the conflict between the rich and the poor, the history of war between nations, the looming inevitability of another major war, and fighting against or resisting the influence of the afore-mentioned god-like entities, especially the one in the ocean. Here are two wikis to browse if you have questions, but I am also open to answering anything to the best of my abilities.[list][*][url=https://arknights.fandom.com/wiki/Arknights_Wiki]Fandom Wiki[/url] [*][url=https://gamepress.gg/arknights/]Gamepress Wiki[/url][/list] There is a lot of lore that I will not be touching on; there are many stories in Arknights and the world of Terra, and I am just carving out a tiny chunk of it. As mentioned above, this RP will take place primarily in [url=https://arknights.fandom.com/wiki/Sargon]Sargon[/url] which you can read up on in the link. Suffice to say, Sargon is inspired, for the most part on the Middle East, North Africa, and strangely enough, the Aztec Empire. The Rhodes Island I mentioned previously is the protagonist group of Arknights, a 'pharmaceutical company' comprised of a single landship that functions like a paramilitary corporation. Their purpose is to do research to cure Oripathy, but also to resolve conflicts surrounding the infected. They generally treat infected better than the rest of the world and hire both infected and non-infected. They also partner with other nations and companies, so your character does not have to be from Rhodes Island. Below I am providing an empty character sheet template. I have colored segments with the color code: FFFFFF, so you can simply do a find and replace of FFFFFF with your color hex code of choice. Please also replace or delete everything in triangular brackets <>. I hope it's clear which you should replace and which you should get rid of entirely. I hope the CS is not too complicated. You will probably need some game assets: [url=https://gamepress.gg/arknights/tools/interactive-operator-list#tags=null##stats]Class and subclass pictures[/url] [url=https://gamepress.gg/arknights/database/skill-list]Skill pictures[/url] [url=https://gamepress.gg/arknights/database/operators-faction]Faction pictures[/url] For the clinical analysis stats, the ratings are as follows: Defective, Flawed, Normal, Standard, Excellent, Outstanding, and N/A. I generally won't restrict this, but if you want a range, if we assign defective to 0, Flawed to 1, Normal to 2, ... and N/A to 6, the strongest operators generally have around 20-25 points total. N/A, the highest rank (meaning unmeasurable) is extremely rare, and characters who have it only have one stat rated at N/A and will have another stat that is Flawed or lower. Normal is what a normal civilian is capable of, Standard is what a standard combatant should be capable of. These ultimately don't matter, they are just to give your character flavor, but I know there are people who probably care about stuff like this, which is why I'm including these measurements here. My example character (an NPC) only goes up to 18, and there are 6-star characters (the rarest and strongest playable characters in the game) whose total rating adds up to less than 20. Ultimately, your character can be strong because of their equipment or skills and not necessarily because of their raw stats. [hr][hider=Character sheet] [center][h1][color=ffffff][/color][/h1][img][/img] [i][/i] [color=f7941d][h1]★★★★★★[/h1][/color] [img][/img][img][/img][img][/img][/center][table][row][/row][cell][indent][h3][b][color=FFFFFF]Operator Profile[/color][/b][/h3][/indent]_______________________________________ [b][u]Codename[/u][/b]: [b][u]Epithet[/u][/b]: [b][u]Class[/u][/b]: [b][u]Branch[/u][/b]: [b][u]Race[/u][/b]: [b][u]Affiliations[/u][/b]: [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: [b][u]Place of Birth[/u][/b]: [b][u]Date of Birth[/u][/b]: [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: [b][u]Combat Experience[/u][/b]: years [/cell][cell][INDENT][h3][b]Clinical Analysis[/b][/h3][/INDENT]______________________________________________________________________ [b][u]Strength[/u][/b]: [b][u]Endurance[/u][/b]: [b][u]Mobility[/u][/b]: [b][u]Arts Adaptability[/u][/b]: [b][u]Combat Skill[/u][/b]: [b][u]Tactical Acumen[/u][/b]: [b][u][color=FFFFFF]Infection Status[/color][/u][/b]: [indent][/indent] [b][u]Cell-Originium Assimilation[/u][/b]: [b][u]Blood Originium-Crystal Density[/u][/b]: [/cell][/table] [b][u]Character Synopsis[/u][/b]:[indent][/indent] [b][u]Personality[/u][/b]:[indent][/indent][table][cell][indent][h3][b][color=FFFFFF]Talents[/color][/b][/h3][/indent][/cell][cell][INDENT][h3][b][color=FFFFFF]Talent Description[/color][/b][/h3][/INDENT][/cell][row][/row][cell][u][/u] [img][/img][/cell][cell][/cell][row][/row][cell][u][/u] [img][/img][/cell][cell][/cell] [row][/row][cell][indent][h3][b][color=FFFFFF]Skills[/color][/b][/h3][/indent][/cell][cell][INDENT][h3][b][color=FFFFFF]Skill Description[/color][/b][/h3][/INDENT][/cell][row][/row][cell][u][/u] [img][/img][/cell][cell][/cell][row][/row][cell][u][/u] [img][/img][/cell][cell][/cell][row][/row][cell][u][/u] [img][/img][/cell][cell][/cell][/table][indent][h3][b][color=FFFFFF]Equipment Module[/color][/b][/h3][hr][hider=Name of equipment][center][img][/img][/center][/hider][/indent] [list][*][u][b][/b][/u]: [*][u][b][/b][/u]: [/list][color=FFFFFF][indent][h3][b]Operator Archives[/b][/h3][/indent][/color][indent][hider=50% trust is required to view this file][/hider] [hider=100% trust is required to view this file][/hider] [hider=150% trust is required to view this file][/hider] [hider=200% trust is required to view this file][/hider][/indent] [b][u]Trivia[/u][/b]:[list][*][/list] [/hider] Below is an OC NPC following this template to use as an example for how the completed template should look. [hider=Jericho] [center][h1][color=a187be]Jericho[/color][/h1][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/534948241825988611/1116430161806639144/image.png[/img] [i]“Dr. Kal’tsit, I have come to answer the call. What? Late? Well, you’re not wrong. I didn’t believe in you back then. What changed my mind? Desperation and a desire for absolution.”[/i] [color=f7941d][h1]★★★★★★[/h1][/color] [img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/50x50/public/2021-04/logo_columbia.png?itok=yWXZO-9b[/img][img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/50x50/public/2019-06/icon_profession_tank_large.png?itok=zUT17t1v[/img][img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/50x50/public/2021-09/sub_artsprotector_icon.png?itok=0l5UZgA8[/img][/center][table][row][/row][cell][indent][h3][b][color=a187be]Operator Profile[/color][/b][/h3][/indent]_______________________________________ [b][u]Codename[/u][/b]: Jericho [b][u]Epithet[/u][/b]: The Lonely Orchestra [b][u]Class[/u][/b]: Defender [b][u]Branch[/u][/b]: Arts Protector [b][u]Race[/u][/b]: Aegir [b][u]Affiliations[/u][/b]: Columbia [b][u]Height[/u][/b]: 220cm [b][u]Weight[/u][/b]: 140kg [b][u]Place of Birth[/u][/b]: Sargon [b][u]Date of Birth[/u][/b]: February 20 [b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: Male [b][u]Combat Experience[/u][/b]: 10 years [/cell][cell][INDENT][h3][b][color=a187be]Clinical Analysis[/color][/b][/h3][/INDENT]______________________________________________________________________ [b][u]Strength[/u][/b]: Normal [b][u]Endurance[/u][/b]: Excellent [b][u]Mobility[/u][/b]: Flawed [b][u]Arts Adaptability[/u][/b]: Outstanding [b][u]Combat Skill[/u][/b]: Normal [b][u]Tactical Acumen[/u][/b]: Excellent [b][u]Infection Status[/u][/b]: Infected [indent]Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected, with the clear exception of Originium nodules localized to the throat. Throat nodules are responsible for the rough, gravelly timbre of the operator's natural voice. The operator can change his voice using arts, but that is not recommended as this may exacerbate the growth of the nodules. At this time, this operator is confirmed to be infected.[/indent] [b][u]Cell-Originium Assimilation[/u][/b]: 5% [b][u]Blood Originium-Crystal Density[/u][/b]: 0.01u/L[/cell][/table] [b][u]Character Synopsis[/u][/b]:[indent]A retired weapon designer and war profiteer seeking atonement and a chance to reconnect with his spiritual roots.[/indent] [b][u]Personality[/u][/b]:[indent]Jericho is the kind of person who talks to distract himself from things he’d rather not think about. This makes him come off as friendly, knowledgeable, and oftentimes, even a little arrogant. Despite how much of a risk it is to seek employment with Rhodes Island, Jericho is actually rather risk-averse, preferring careful planning to reckless operations. Despite having a difficult childhood, life in Columbia and success in his field have made Jericho accustomed to luxury and comfort, and can become irritable when denied these things. Above all, Jericho is introspective and spiritual. He recognizes the harm his work has caused and seeks atonement. And having sought science his whole life and divorcing himself from his ‘backwards’ ancestry, he has now turned his thoughts towards seeking a higher power through the hidden traditions of his fathers. However, he keeps his quiet moments to himself so as not to betray his cheerful facade. Business in Columbia has numbed Jericho’s ability to empathize with the less fortunate or those of lower position. He therefore has the unfortunate tendency to fall back into looking at everything as numbers, as assets (a habit from his research days), and is trying very hard to connect with those who may be risking their lives or caught in the collateral of their work so as not to view anyone as expendable.[/indent][table][cell][indent][h3][b][color=a187be]Talents[/color][/b][/h3][/indent][/cell][cell][INDENT][h3][b][color=a187be]Talent Description[/color][/b][/h3][/INDENT][/cell][row][/row][cell][u]Sound Engineer[/u] [img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2021-11/skill_icon_skchr_serum_1.png?itok=vPwYQlY7[/img][/cell][cell]Jericho is a professionally trained engineer who had previously worked for a successful Columbian weapons technology company. He has deep insight when it comes to electronics, particularly speakers and microphones, and understands the wave functions necessary to drive them. His understanding of cymatics means that he can tune his equipment to alter the local sonic environment to resonate with his allies’ sound-based abilities, boosting their efficacy. He can also identify a material’s resonant frequency after successive strikes, allowing him to use that frequency to shatter his opponents’ equipment. [/cell][row][/row][cell][u]Organized Discipline[/u] [img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2019-11/skill_icon_skchr_swire_1.png?itok=1IM_H_6g[/img][/cell][cell]Jericho has professional experience leading a team of fellow engineers, and the main thing he learned was to always stay organized and to document everything. Jericho thus lacks the disorganized eccentricity of ‘mad scientists’-types like Closure, focusing on cost-benefit analysis, resource availability, and setting realistic, achievable goals rather than hare-brained schemes and risky hypotheses. This allows Jericho to be a master of infrastructure, setting a foundation from which more audacious moves can be made by his more daring colleagues. Jericho is observant, analytical, and methodical, and applies these skills to the upkeep of Rhodes Island, as well as to his combat strategies.[/cell] [row][/row][cell][indent][h3][b][color=a187be]Skills[/color][/b][/h3][/indent][/cell][cell][INDENT][h3][b][color=a187be]Skill Description[/color][/b][/h3][/INDENT][/cell][row][/row][cell][u]Sound-Based Originium Arts[/u] [img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2021-11/skill_icon_skchr_indigo_2.png?itok=fRKsCG-u[/img][/cell][cell]Operator Jericho possesses special Originium Arts with the affinity of sound and vibrations. This is likely due to his Aegirian ancestry. His father was apparently an Emergency Aid Building technician in Iberia, and it seems Jericho took an interest in the science of sound at an early age, and pursued it throughout his education. With his arts, Jericho is able to mimic voices and sounds, perform uncanny feats of ventriloquism, and amplify the power and intensity of sounds and vibrations. He can even release echolocation pings to navigate in darkness or locate stealthed objects. This also implies that he has unnaturally good hearing. [/cell][row][/row][cell][u]Surveillance and Misdirection[/u] [img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2019-11/skill_icon_skchr_swire_2.png?itok=7JebwnKN[/img][/cell][cell]Selim has designed a 'noisy cricket' drone with intricate sound equipment, capable of detecting and emitting all types of sounds. This allows the drone to operate as threat detection, surveillance, and scouting by running sonar sweeps, as well as aid in civilian evacuation or team communication procedures through making announcements. It can also be used to divert or distract threats by causing sounds to get enemies' attention. The drone can also harmonize with Selim's sound based attacks, enhancing the damage Selim does to enemies around the drone's location.[/cell][row][/row][cell][u]Cymatic Barrier[/u] [img]https://gamepress.gg/arknights/sites/arknights/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2020-07/skill_icon_sktok_tower.png?itok=DomqV6Zj[/img][/cell][cell]Selim activates his shield, which projects a 3-meter wide wall of sound in front of him. Enemies that try to pass through start having their internals vibrated rapidly, receiving arts damage and defense debuffs (similar to corrosion). The pain is such a deterrent that most people's first instinct is to move out of and away from the wall as fast as possible. This is a technology referred to as an Active Denial System.[/cell][/table][indent][h3][b][color=a187be]Equipment Module[/color][/b][/h3][hr][hider=Israfil][center][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/534948241825988611/1116423371996008458/latest.png[/img][/center][/hider][/indent] [list][*][u][b]Armor[/b][/u]: Sound system built into armor, including sonar readouts. [*][u][b]LRAD Shield (Israfil)[/b][/u]: Sound system built into shield, including Active Denial System. LRAD stands for long-range acoustic device. [*][u][b]Vibro-Blade (Tuning Fork)[/b][/u]: Vibrates at adjustable frequencies, detects the sound produced when it strikes another object. Sound data is fed back into the armor to determine resonant harmonic frequency of the object being struck, allowing the frequency to be used to further weaken the object on further application. [*][u][b]Drone (Noisy Cricket)[/b][/u]: A drone that flies around and makes noise or detects sounds.[/list] [h3][b][indent][color=a187be]Operator Archives[/color][/indent][/b][/h3][indent][hider=50% trust is required to view this file]Selim’s family lived a simple life in Sargon, but infighting between the Lord Ameers and the Columbian corporations that sought to profit from the conflict forced them to evacuate to Iberia. Music was prevalent in Selim’s family. Back in Sargon, he remembered that his parents often had these little tunes and melodies in a foreign language for every little thing. It came as no surprise that Selim became musically inclined, especially singing and voice manipulation, and he demonstrated, from a young age, a knack for sound-based originium arts. He would often play pranks on his friends, pretending to be other people, or tricking them into thinking he was elsewhere by throwing his voice. He learned that he could take hold of the family radio and manipulate the sound coming from it by affecting the arts unit within using his own arts. However, in Iberia, one time Selim had been overheard singing the songs of his parents, which prompted a sudden visit to their house from an inquisitor. Fortunately the inquisitor was merciful, but the warning was apparent, and Selim’s parents stopped singing after that, and encouraged him to follow suit.[/hider] [hider=100% trust is required to view this file]In Iberia, Selim’s father became an Emergency Aid Building technician. Selim learned that his family was originally from Iberia, but that they had left for Sargon due to not wanting to live somewhere where the Sankta religion was so prevalent, but it was never fully explained why to Selim, and they eventually returned to Iberia anyways when the instability in Sargon became too great. Taking an interest in his father’s work, Selim sought to become an engineer as well, which was highly encouraged as it could lead to financial success and wealth. Selim’s ambitions led him to Columbia, where he received his education, and began working for a company that developed ‘non-lethal’ weapons, a great place to apply his knowledge of sound. Selim swiftly climbed the ranks as someone who was willing to put his morals aside for personal gain, and it didn’t phase him when the weapons he helped develop were tested in his homeland of Sargon, and later deployed by heavily militarized police forces to suppress the poor and infected.[/hider] [hider=150% trust is required to view this file]Selim’s company had a flair for the dramatic, and pushed for sensational demonstrations of their technology that bordered on dangerous. When it came to his inventions, Selim only trusted himself to really sell their capabilities to the customer, so he trained with the weapons and armor he developed in order to pull off amazing stunts that would ‘wow’ their clients, such as stopping a charging burdenbeast in its tracks using only the sound emitted from his shield. Due to the nature of his inventions, Selim became a liaison to the police departments of various Columbian cities. To better cater his inventions towards their needs, he needed to understand their combat style as well as the tactics they employed when it came to ‘pacifying dissidents’. Therefore, he received training from the police, not only in combat, but particularly in defensive tactics, since police primarily fought from, and held, advantageous positions. Thanks to his impressive physique, he even sometimes took commissions and served his clients as a mercenary on some of their operations as an extreme version of a tech demo and weapons testing run. This even got to the point where he was recommended to the Columbian military, and Selim did a short tour in his homeland of Sargon. He should have felt something, but the allure of dangerous knowledge and the indulgence in luxuries and creature comforts had blinded him to where his profits were coming from and the people that were harmed in his pursuit of riches.[/hider] [hider=200% trust is required to view this file]Early in Selim’s career, Dr. Kal’tsit was making the rounds in Columbia, looking for support and for capable people to recruit. Selim had scoffed at her proposals and dismissed her outright. However, decades later, it came to light that the company that Selim worked for had been carrying out unethical experimentation and acting like a paramilitary organization. While this was not unusual for Columbian companies, the scandal got too big to contain, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Arts Units and Originium had to shut down the company to maintain public order and quell further investigations which could implicate the politicians involved. Selim was blacklisted and unable to find employment at any of the other major notable tech companies. He also realized that he had gotten infected from working closely with originium devices; the company had cut corners when it came to safety equipment. Having dedicated his life to corporate greed, he returned to Iberia a broken man. At the very least, he had sent money home so that his parents could live comfortable lives. In his retirement, Selim’s father had dedicated himself to translating some ancient Aegir scriptures. Seeing his son in this aimless state, he handed the translated book to Selim and urged him to read it. Selim was struck with a sudden sense of purpose, and spent a long time reconnecting with his family, learning about his people’s history, their beliefs, and the effect that imperial forces had on their way of life. He remembered Kal’tsit’s visit and her impossible, unprofitable dream. Seeking atonement and a chance to actually do something good with what remained of his life, he sought out Rhodes Island.[/hider][/indent] [b][u]Trivia[/u][/b]:[list][*]Theme:[indent][hider=Brynhildr in the Darkness][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOOVz055kfk[/youtube][/hider][/indent] [*]Voice Actor:[indent][hider=Ishizuka Unshou][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKTZ7QZ4mFk[/youtube][/hider][/indent] [*]Additional images:[indent][hider=Without the armor][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/534948241825988611/1116430519543021639/image.png[/img][/hider][/indent][*]Selim is an Aegir based on a whale, hence the sound-based abilities [*]Since Jericho’s infection is almost exclusively localized to his throat, he is trying an experimental treatment in which he inhales warm, aerosolized infection suppression medication on a regular basis through a device that resembles an E-Cig [*]Canonically, the Aegir are oppressed in Iberia, so I based Selim’s ‘lost culture’ on one of the many groups of people who were oppressed by the Spanish Inquisition, Muslims. I imply that Selim believes in a religion other than the Sankta religion, though he is reluctant to share any further details. [*]Selim's last name, “Yunus”, is the Arabic equivalent of Jonah, the prophet who was swallowed by a whale in the Abrahamic faiths. [*]Additional Quote: [i]“Some scientists theorize that all matter is just vibrating ‘strings’. So in a way, God really did ‘sing’ the world into existence.”[/i][/list] [/hider]