_________________________________________________________________________________________ Name: Constantine XI Title: End of Empires Class: Shielder Gender: Male Alignment: Red Faction Height / Weight: 172 cm/59kg Source: IRL History. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Personality: As long as there is an independent Greek Nation, Constantine XI is content with whatever agendae his Master gives him, although he’d prefer that said master not commit too many atrocities, even against - Ugh! - Turks. He enjoys life as someone reborn anew in this world and its little pleasures, such as tea and coffee (do not remind him that the Turks introduced it to his city after they conquered it), the sunlight through glass windows, and reading the newspaper in the mornings.
He also urges involvement in modern-day politics to his Master, such as funding a political party here, supporting a revolutionary movement there, and above all trying to keep Greece from going further into upheaval and debt - The only reason he does not waste his Noble Phantasms on that nation is because of his low opinion of the current leadership of the country (That and the fact that he’d get a Ruler going after him)...
Bio: At the back of his mind, Constantine XI had always known that he would be the last Emperor of the Romans/Byzantines, and that the Imperial tradition which began with Augustus, and the Constitutional tradition which began with Romulus, would end with him. Nevertheless, he bravely faced his destiny, looking for allies, money, and aid to help stem the inevitable. Few came, and his own blunders in the diplomatic sphere even hastened the Ottoman Assault on his capital, the now-dilapidated city of Constantinople.
When the assault came, Constantine XI made his final stand, making the enemy pay for every inch of ground, and choosing to make a desperate last charge at the Ottoman Sultan’s Janissaries when they finally came for him. It would be the end of a life soaked in misfortune, in futility, in an endless quest to stem the inevitable tide - He had no regrets except this: That he was leaving behind his people to suffer oppression under a foriegn power.
He died, but his legend lived on, in tales of being rescued by an Angel in order to restore the Empire in the future. Those tales, and the memory of his last stand, earned him a place in the Throne of Heroes, where he waited for the aspirations of his people to be fulfilled. Which they were, in part, when Greece itself was liberated but with Constantinople itself, now named Istanbul, remaining in enemy hands. Nevertheless, he can be content with that, content with seeing the descendants of his brothers prosper again in this new modern world.
He had found peace.
Weapon: Constantine XI carries an angelic sword which lights up in white and black flames when it strikes an enemy, as well as a coat and uniform which are supernaturally tough enough to serve as armor even against other Servants’ attacks. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Parameters: E-A stats usually. Strength: C Endurance: B Agility: B Mana: C Luck: E- _________________________________________________________________________________________ Class Skills:
Magic Resistance (B): Negates E, D and C ranked spells. It is difficult for them to be affected even by Greater Thaumaturgy.
Riding (C): One can flawlessly manage beasts and vehicles if they have received the proper training and adjustments. Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above-average skill. However, Constantine XI cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts
Self-Field Defense (C): Applies damage reduction beyond defensive limits, but he is excluded from the effect's target.
Personal Skills:
Defensive Engineer (Custom, B): Constantine can improve the defenses of one’s lair, mundane and magical, by up to B-Rank, making them hard to penetrate by intruders. This applies to things as mundane as walls, moats, and reinforced concrete bunkers, as well as bounded fields and mystic sentries, which he gains an ability to interact with and reshape to more efficient parameters.
Military Tactics (Sieges and Last Stands, A-): Applies a + modifier to a single Anti-Army Noble Phantasm of oneself and allies and a rank down or - modifier to the enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. Note that if not in a siege or last stand, this merely applies a rank up to up to a single Anti-Army Noble Phantasms with their rank not exceeding A of oneself and allies and a rank down (as long as it is not A rank or higher) or - modifier (as long as it has a +) to enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
Bravery (B): At this rank, the threat of overwhelming force does not faze Constantine XI, who can resist mental interference effects of this rank (note that Magic Resistance already negates most such attempts to interfere with the workings of his brain), but more importantly, it increases the Melee Damage he inflicts.
Battle Continuation (C, Fourth Personal Skill): A Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds. It will also reduce the mortality rate from injury. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn't know when to give up, consisting of one's strength of vitality in predicaments. _________________________________________________________________
NOBLE PHANTASMS
Title: Legend of Imperial Rebirth Rank: A+ NP Type: Anti-Self Range: 1 Maximum Number of Targets: 1 Description: Legends say that Constantine XI was saved from death by an Angel, turned into a marble statue, and stored in a secret cave underneath Constantinople’s Golden Gate in order to await true resurrection, after which he will, with God’s help, retake the city, restore the Empire, and drive the Turks back to Central Asia. This legend resonates in the hearts of the Greek people today, giving needed strength to the Servant.
The Legend of Imperial Rebirth is a crystallization of those legends which form their own Noble Phantasm, a Phantasm which envelops his body and cloaks it in the stuff of myths, enhancing its wielder’s capabilities to far beyond what he had in life.
And by that, when brought to the brink of death, Constantine XI’s clothes, armor, and sword turn as white as marble, and all Parameters and Skill Ranks are raised by one rank. He also gains the benefits of Golden Rule (Body), meaning that while he can be physically damaged, the damage in question cannot make him ugly. Not merely that, but Military Tactics reverts to its normal form and can be used without a malus in situations which are not a last stand or a siege. This effect lasts till the end of the fight.
Title: Hexamillion Wall Rank: D NP Type: Fortress Range: 1 - 50 Maximum Number of Targets: 1000. Description: The Hexamillon was a wall stretching throughout the Isthmus of Corinth with two castles on the end, and which had been repaired and rebuilt multiple times against invaders, never-succeeding in its objective. Nevertheless, Constantine XI was one of the last rulers to try and strengthen it, turning the wall and castles into a strongpoint which had to be broken with Gunpowder and Cannons...
A wall is conjured up across the battlefield with two castles at either end, and both wall and castles can shoot arrows of pure prana. This wall can withstand most mundane and magical attacks, and can be strengthened to B-Rank by someone, not just Constantine XI, with the appropriate Skill (usually Defensive Engineer).
The size of the wall and the castles depend on the size of the battlefield itself, but it can theoretically expand to the length of the Corinth Canal, which has the same length as the IRL Hexamilion Wall...
Fighting Style: Constantine XI fights defensively most times.
Stats, Skills, and Noble Phantasms are used with ConmanWolf's Permission.
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Name: Lucius Tiberius Title: The Sword Emperor Class: Saber Gender: Male Alignment: Evil Height / Weight: 6'6/170kg Source: Historical Legend (La Morte D' Arthur). Also, Fate/Prototype. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Personality: The emperor of Rome is the embodiment of Rome's greatness. The final attempt to restore Rome's glory, and he might well have been in life. He is everything a greater ruler needs to be. Patient. Tactical. Wise. But all of that is meaningless when all you know is war. When all you know is a collapsing empire all around you. Even if he could restore life to the corpse it would be by filling it with blood taken from others.
But it is for Rome. It is to encourage the glory of Rome, and bring the whole world once more under its banner. It is arrogance, and ego that drives him. An unending need to conquer all others, and subjugate them under the banner of Rome.
If Rome is the world, than Lucius shall become a god over humanity. To stand at the peak above all of mankind, with no others to match him. Except one. It is unacceptable for one of greatness to deny themselves their position. Their right to rule over the world.
Bio: Rome was the empire that ruled all. It’s list of great emperors extends beyond the ones people recall. Caesar. Octavian. Otho. Domitian. The one all forget though is the greatest of them all. The emperor known as Lucius Tiberius. He who wielded the blade Florent.
His origins are simple. Rome was dying. The diseased and weak grip of the Emperor Leo had caused Rome’s body to decay. The people who once bowed to Rome had begun to pick at the corpse. Lucius himself was born of the line of Romulus, though the blood had become so diluted with eons that he possessed no godly powers himself. As such, he was swept up into the endless wars as another for the fodder. Known only as Lucius Tiberius. Given armor and a sword, and nothing else. He was expected to die like all the others. But he fought, and fought, and drove his sword into the hearts of his enemies. The fields became soaked in blood, and as he looked up to the sky, he made a vow to the Goddess Flora…
“I promise the tree of Rome shall grow, if only I had the right to rule.”
It was that moment, the blade of Rome appeared in the middle of a field. The dead who had fallen in war all moved to face the blade, in worship of it perhaps. This, the blade Florent, said to have been lost, appeared on that field as if by magic. Said to have been lost since the time of Romulus himself.
Generals arrived, and attempted to pull the blade from the pile of corpses. But all failed. From all sides of the kingdom, the rich and regal descended upon the field to claim the blade. But all failed. Emperor Leo himself, a withered husk of a man, unfitting to lift a sword, much less swing it, appeared in a carriage drawn by a thousand horses.
He failed. And nobody attempted after him. Nobody, but the boy called Lucius. Still not a man, he was a child in the eyes of Rome. In a motion, he gripped the blade, and pulled it free from pile of death. He was to be the emperor of Rome. at that same time, across the sea… King Arthur had pulled free Clarent, to become king of the Britons.
Lucius Tiberius earned the support of the nobles and the generals, who bowed to him as the emperor to be. Their desperation was perhaps to earn favor with the new emperor, but Leo refused. He was enraged, and drew his own blade. Only to topple, and die where he stood. His heart failing him in horror at his emperor being taken from him. So, it fell to boy, now named Lucius Tiberius, to rule as Emperor, and true to his word it flourished. The tree of Rome began to grow and spread its roots out once more. Lucius traveled to the Orient, where he sought to claim lands Rome had never touched. Years passed in constant war, as it was all he had ever known.
But after many years, he heard that a king of the Britans had appeared and ruled from a city known as Camelot. Lucius, arrogant and full of pride after having conquered the mysterious lands of the Orient, turned his attention to this king. Lucius demanded that Arthur pay him tribute and recognize him as his sovereign, as had been done by Britain since the time of Julius Caesar. Arthur refused on the basis that the British kings Belinus and Brennius had defeated Rome in the past. In retaliation, Lucius, still boiling with arrogance, gathered his army from all over Africa, and Spain.
The battle was met at the coast of the Channel, as Arthur dare not let such a force of nature step into his kingdom. A wise choice, but still a costly battle was held. King of the sword and Emperor of the Blade clashed. Their swords sparking against each other. Holy sword against a cursed blade that had tainted Rome. Clashing, striking, and echoing through the land. But a cursed blade can never beat a holy blade forged in the heart of a planet.
Arthur called upon Excalibur, and the light of the holy blade burned away at Lucius’ being. The last sound the emperor made was a roar of laughter. Overwhelmed as his mind cracked from the agony. All that remained was his sword. The army broke and scattered.
Thus ended the legend of Lucius Tiberius. In his last moments, some claimed they heard a scream of fear as he was erased from the face of the Earth.
Weapon:Florent - Primary Weapon. Read Noble Phantasm Section for more details. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Parameters: E-A stats usually. Strength: B Endurance: B Agility: A Mana: B Luck: A _________________________________________________________________________________________ Class Skills:
Magic Resistance (B): Negates E, D and C ranked spells. It is difficult for them to be affected even by Greater Thaumaturgy.
Riding (B): Capable of handling modern vehicles with the skill of the best racers or pilots. Gains intuitive understanding of the mount they ride, as if a bond between them exists. Monstrous mounts appear at this Rank.
Personal Skills:
Bravery (B): The ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination. It also has the bonus effect of increasing melee damage. Not usable under the effects of Mad Enhancement.
[Effect:] As the rank increases, the ability to resist mental interference as well as increase melee damage increases.
Imperial Privilege (A): An ability that, due to the insistence of the owner, Skills that are essentially impossible to possess can be obtained for a short period of time. In cases when the Rank is А or above, even the "burden to the body" can be acquired (such as Divinity).
[Effect:] Allows for the usage of additional skills, such as Mana Burst (Lightning, A), Chinese Martial Arts (A, apparently, he managed to make it to China in his legend), and also activating his Noble Phantasm, Florent, without having to fulfill the conditions for its use.
Incitement (B): A Skill that functions as the acquisition of the words and gestures to lead the citizens and the masses. Especially, when employed against an individual, it functions as a sort of mental attack. It is the skill of a tyrant king to gather than army, rather than a kind king to gather a Round table. One is a power over others by crushing their own, the other is to gather in peace and raise the hopes and dreams of others. Nothing is more Lucius than this skill. To dominate, and crush.
[Effect:] With this skill, Lucius has the ability that with just a few short words he is able to take people into a heated emotional state. This could be anything from sending everyone nearby into an utter frenzy, to making everyone pitifully sad. There is no real scope he is limited to, only limit is the amount of emotions he can instill in people. Granted that is still a very broad, as with it he can do things such as making someone believe that they're to be betrayed by their greatest friend, instill deep doubt about some of the their greatest beliefs, or make them even consider their entire life choices, each mental attack with in a simple sentence or two. Alternatively, he could also do something such as make his men have complete trust in him and yet also raise their morale of the entire army and keep it like that for months on end if needed. It was with this amazing ability that he was able to win many wars and command his men to the fullest.
A skill designed to control armies, and inspire cooperation amongst the various countries that made up Rome. When utilized on a crowd, this skill inspires confidence, or other emotions the user desires. It can be be considered almost on par with the power of a command seal. Almost. When utilized, crowds of NPCs fall to his command. Masters and servants have a higher natural resistance.
Title: Florent - Crimson Flower of the Goddess Rank: A+ NP Type: Anti-Unit, Anti-Fortress Range: 1 - 100 Maximum Number of Targets: 1000 Description: Florent is a brother sword to Clarent and symbolises someone’s rule over all of the people on the continent. Said to have once belonged to Romulus, it was forged with the heart of a demon at its core, and Flora's divine protections are engraved into the blade. It was said that Flora herself is the only one who can chose those worthy enough to wield Florent, a status that not even Jupiter can bestow on others.
Florent amplifies the qualities of an emperor, and grants several bonuses to them. Unlike Mordred who did not earn Clarent, Lucius is Florent's rightful owner and as such it will never reject him. It increases each of his physical parameters, and amplifies the magical energy he pours into it. Increasing the power of attacks that use mana burst.
Finally, it amplifies the aura of authority the emperor possesses. Increasing the rank of Incitement by one rank.
It is said that in the past when the sword was lost, thirteen laws were placed upon by Florent by thirteen emperors of Rome. Their imperial status placing restrictions on its usage, to ensure that no other could hope to use the weapon against them. These seals are placed upon the heart of the demon that acts as the core of the blade, and only by removing all thirteen seals can the full power of Florent be utilized.
The thirteen emperors are Claudius, Otho, Tiberius, Augustus, Trajan, Caligula, Hadrian, Domitian, Commodus, Gallienus, Valerian, Maximinus, and Septimius. Their rules can be considered quite asinine, and nearly impossible for any one man to bypass. Effectively making it impossible to use Florent's full power.
Except, Lucius cares not for the thirteen laws placed upon the blade. By pouring energy into Florent, he uses his own imperial privilege to shatter the seals. A beam of devastating light is released from Florent, cleaving its way through armies and fortresses alike. It is said that only a sword forged in the heart of the world could ever hope to overwhelm the power of the demon heart.
[Effect:] In it's standard form, Florent is a B-rank Noble Phantasm.
Florent amplifies all magical energy that is poured into it. Increasing the damage of Mana Burst attacks when used through Florent. General damage with Florent is also raised.
All of Lucius' physical parameters are raised by one. (From B+, B, B+ to A+, A, A+ respectively.) The user's imperial aura is also amplified. Increasing the rank of Incitement by one rank. (From B to A.)
Upon the true name release, Lucius pours magical energy into Florent, shattering the restrictions once placed upon it by the emperors of old. The beam of light released is capable of destroying even a fortress in a single swing, but doing so requires a great deal of magical energy.
Title: Flora - Radiant Grace of the Goddess Rank: B NP Type: Anti-Injury Range: 1 Maximum Number of Targets: 1 Description: Florent is the blade of Flora, forged from the heart of a demon. She placed her affections and love into the blade, and whoever wields will possess Flora's affections and blessings. It is said that whoever possesses Flora's affection shall be free from all suffering.
When battling Arthur, an attack destroyed his arm, but with Flora's blessing which he amplified by using the land's magical energy he was able to regrow the entire limb in a moment.
[Effect:] A constantly active noble phantasm that uses Flora's blessing to restore Lucius body. If injured, the injury begins to heal at an improved rate.
Minor injuries are restored within a short period of time. Roughly the same posting round the injury is dealt. More serious injuries, like being stabbed or gutted can be restored with a period of roughly two posting rounds. A fatal injury (as long as Lucius spirit core is not destroyed) can be healed within a period of four posting rounds.
Poisons or traditionally negative effects are purged from Lucius' body as long as he possesses this blessing. Should Florent be lost for a period of time, this noble phantasm is sealed until it is recovered.
Fighting Style: Lucius is basically Arthur/Artoria's dark counterpart, focused on swordsmanship with an uttelry bloodthirsty style of fighting.
His years had been successful, Egypt was led to greatness and prosperity and even a measure of hegemony over the petty states of the Middle East under his reign. However, he had alienated many people not just with his brutality, which he could have gotten away with, even turned into a strength, but also with his defiance of tradition plus the demeaning concessions with which he had secured the vast majority of his dominions against the overwhelming power of Britain. And now, with his son Ibrahim dying from tuberculosis as well and his grandson Abbas already dead, some suspect by his own command, it was the former’s task to hold back the tide of discontent which was still simmering in the areas where opposition to the Sultanate remained strong.
As the former Pasha, now Sultan, of Egypt lay on his deathbed, surrounded by his doctors, caretakers, servants, and relations, he looked around uncomprehendingly at first, gripped by the increasing senility which had arrived with his advancing years. Then, a glint came into his eye as he looked at his son, sixteen-year-old Sa’id, who was now the next in line (once Ibrahim had died) after Abbas’ death through poison administered in his wine. Then he said in a raspy voice:
“Even before I die, send out an army to Syria across the Suez - The British will be obligated to allow our passage, lest any rebels threaten their precious canal, more worth to them than a dozen cities. This army will be composed of conscripts from Egypt itself and several battalions of Sudanese, in order to make the instructions forwarded to them easier. What are these commands? To take hostages among the leading families of each town and city, and burn out any rogue shaikh, Bedouin tribe, or discontented noble who want to bring back the backwardness and chaos of the past.”
The hard edge came back to his voice as he continued, “At the same time, another army is to be sent down to the Sudan, where the ungrateful natives of the region claim the right to revolt due to our ‘oppressions’. As if The Highest himself did not smile upon me and justify my actions! Similar instructions are to be given to this force - Take hostages and give punishment for any hint of revolt!”
He coughed, his death was near indeed. “As for the Sharif of Hedjaz… Heap him with high honors and a reminder that any rebellion in Arabia will open the gates to the return of the heretical followers of Ibn Wahhab and his ilk. Hint at a marriage between your brother,” Sa’id then looked at him with some surprise at being mentioned, “And one of his daughters, a purest Sayyida who carries the line of the Prophet - Peace Be Upon Him - himself.”
Sa’id’s eyes opened wide at that - His father was shooting high, indeed, if he was aiming for one of his son’s future brides (for their religion allowed for four wives) to come from such a family. No, Sa’id knew that any sons he would bear with his future wife could claim the dignity of the Caliphate itself, and thus usurp another of the Ottoman Sultan’s shrinking raft of titles. He bowed before his father, amazed at his wisdom.
The Sultan of Egypt then took off his turban and put it on Sa’id’s head, saying, “You are the one and only successor to my throne - I have crossed many lines and risked hellfire to ensure that this is so. Now take up the sword as well as the throne, and do not shirk from taking the blood of rebel and ingrate!”
An oblique admission that Abbas’ death was indeed caused by him, and exhausted by this last movement, as well as his outburst, Muhammad Ali of Egypt lay down and finally expired, the boundless energies which he had put into administration and conquest both finally dissipating.
But for Sa’id, now Sultan Sa’id, once known only for his Francophilia and fascination with Western ways, the flames were just beginning to burn.
“Gather the leading men of the court, city, and army here immediately and have them pledge their allegiance. Muster the needed forces and send the needed messages, now. We will not let what my father has built fall down just because of the jealousy of blind and old men!” he barked out with surprising ferocity. “Egypt will stand!”
Sand and debris were being cleared out of the old necropolis, a site of the Ancient Egyptian civilization long forgotten by the current inhabitants of the land, who didn’t even claim to be its heirs. An old Coptic monastery, abandoned for at least several decades, had also been demolished in order to unearth ‘pagan’ artifacts on his orders, pagan artifacts that to a scion of the Enlightenment like him, were worth more than ‘current’ superstitions.
Who was he, by the way? Well, the great Jean-Agustin Pierrot, friend of the new Sultan of Egypt and unofficial head of the ‘Egyptologist’ community which lived in this new country, providing specialist knowledge and intellectual credibility to the current regime in exchange for being allowed to sate their passion for the very distant past, for the ancient civilizations which were more fascinating than the current mundane ones.
Pierrot was different even from the others, though, in that he was believed to regard his own civilization as boring. Superior to others, certainly, but still boring. And what was surprising was that these allegations were completely true - His Egyptomania had advanced to the point where he genuinely believed the ancients to possess greater wisdom and greater happiness than the people of today, so burdened by their cares and their focus on worldly wealth.
Not that he’d voice it out loud, though.
Anyway, why was he clearing out this old necropolis, and the magnificent ancient pagan temple which showed signs of being defaced even in the ancient past? Well, he had a hypothesis - The defacements, which occurred in the time of Thutmose III, who, to the surprise of people who still thought that ‘Scripture’ was an accurate source of history, had occupied Palestine when the Israelites were supposed to have been -
His heresy was interrupted by a messenger, a soldier from the contingent of troops Sultan Sa’id had dispatched to guard the archeological dig site from the surge of malcontents which regarded all Westerners as ‘Kaffir’. As the somewhat portly, balding Frenchman turned to the soldier - A callow youth barely out of boyhood, by his reckoning, and asked in halting Arabic, “What is it?”, he waited for bad news.
Thankfully, it was nothing of the sort… If one were actually attached to the mundane world of politics. For the youth’s message, given in Turkish (which Pierrot understood better than Arabic) was:
“You are being asked to attend a feast with the Sultan in Alexandria; the British and French Ambassadors are also invited and so will those of the Dutch and Austrians and the Americans. They all want to hear about your hypothesis about a… Female Pharaoh?” said the youth.
For this was Pierrot’s intended contribution to Egyptology, to prove that the builder of the temple he was unearthing belonged to a Female King, one who was so offensive to her successor that he had her name cut out from her own temple. There were even proofs in the very interior of the building, of the name ’Hatshepsut’ being placed in cartouches - The symbol of a Pharaoh's special status - in chambers where no eye was intended to see and which thus were spared the vandalism.
“What game is your new Sultan playing?” he asked, “Shouldn’t he be sending an ambassador to Austria right now or playing soldier to quell rebels?”
The soldier revealed himself to be slightly more intelligent than expected when he said, “He has already sent Rifa’a al-Tahtawi as his ambassador to the Austrians, with instructions to convey Egypt’s peaceful intentions towards everybody, its commercial affinity with Britain, and its desire to emulate France’s culture... Or so I heard from my superiors.”
How pert, Pierrot thought. So this is what the new initiative to educate soldiers produces.
His next words were, “How could I refuse? Tell the Sultan I will begin packing up. In the meantime, I ask for more soldiers to be sent to protect this place - I heard that rebel activity is picking up even here…”
Typical, I am being used for a public relations exercise…
Noble Arm Name & Appearance:Araw ng Paghahayag (Filipino for Day of Revelation)
Noble Arm Rank: B
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Support, Truth/Information, and Close-range.
Noble Arm Abilities:
Liwanag ng Araw (Light of the Day/Sun) - Pablo glows with the light of the Sun, which allows him to dispel mundane and magical darkness, as well as illusions. It can also be used as a handy flash-bang.
Pagtatago sa Liwanag (Hiding in the Light) - Pablo can turn invisible to mundane and magical eyes, as well as cameras and other mundane tech... But only in board daylight or similarly bright illumination. The moment darkness falls, this invisibility ends.
Apoy ng Araw (Fire of the Sun/Day) - Pablo can unleash a wave of fire from his sword, a fire hot enough to melt metal, but not concrete.
Paghahanda para sa Paghahayag (Preperations for the Revelation) - Pablo burns himself in his own flames, then the resulting ashes scatter of their own will, moved by invisible winds to cover as wide an area as possible. Those touched by said ashes will then manifest avatars of their own sins and flaws, the inner darkness they previously suppressed. Should they defeat them, which is not guaranteed, Pablo will be ressurected with a rank up to his Noble Arm, a one-hour long rank up which allows him to access his last power.
Paghahayag (Revelation) - For an entire hour, Pablo glows brightly with the light of embodied, metaphysical truth which penetrates the mental defenses, magical defenses, self-delusions, and filters of anyone exposed to it, forcing them to confront the lies they told themselves and the lies others told them. Not just that, but it reveals the truth of what really happened to them and what they had really become, as well as what events in their lives had led them to take their path. This truth is shared not just with Pablo, but with everyone else who is within range of his light.
Misc. Abilities: Fencing, History and Literature, Basic Politics.
Personality: Pablo is a naturally reckless person who relies on his powers too often, but can take advice when needed. He also has a high opinion of himself and his intelligence, as well as a sense of self-loathing whenever this high opinion is proven to be wrong. Despite this, however, Pablo is a kind person, one who focuses on helping others as well as himself, and is aware of his flaws. He is someone who wants to have friends, and goes to great lengths to get people to like him and keep liking him.
*Likes: Sweets, Swordsmanship, History and Literature.
*Dislikes: Bullies, Spicy Food.
Fears: Showing his darker side to his peers.
Bio: Pablo's great-grandparents were migrant workers who came to the city of Manila in the Magsaysay Administration, looking for opportunity, and unlike many others, finding it. While said great-grandparents were menial workers, their children, Pablo's grandparents, were lowly clerks, while Pablo's mother became a lawyer and his father an Eskrima instructor. And so, Pablo grew into some wealth and affluence, despite his mother frequently taking on cases for free. Despite this, Pablo's life seemed normal, although he was more intelligent than his peers by a large margin, to the point where he took advanced classes. This made him feel isolated, and also the target of bullies. It became worse when he realized that he was bisexual early on.
He was afraid that if anyone found out, he would be expelled from his family and left out in the streets; he didn't want that. But at the same time, this was what he was born with, and he couldn't change it - he tried. The only people he can confide his secrets to, as well as doubts, were people on the Internet. Yes, foolish idea, but as long as he didn't reveal his name and personal details, he would be all right, right? Wrong, because eventually, one of those people, a woman, found out his personal details and tried to blackmail him for money.
Pablo had to make a choice: Risk his secret coming out, or steal from what was not his? He chose the former, and he 'came out' to his mother that day. Surprisingly, his mother was understanding; not entirely approving, but not rejecting, either. And so they chose to confront the potential blackmailer together, Pablo's mother had a gun, just in case.
The blackmailer turned out to be one a former plaintiff that Pablo's mother had successfully prosecuted, and now sought to ruin the life of her family in response. She was also a Noble Arms master with a Gauntlet that manifested darkness. Caught in a trap, Pablo and his mother risked death...until Pablo manifested his own Noble Arm, the Noble Arm of Revelations. Taken by surprise, the blackmailer was defeated through a combination of quick moves and sucker punches by Pablo. And after that, the boy transferred to Trinidad Academy, rejecting offers from more reputable institutions because Trinidad Academy was both in his country and closer to home.
Besides, he wanted to see if the New Director could pull off what he promised...
*Current Goal: See if the New Director can make Trinidad Academy a place for heroes.
Personality: Well-read, but lacking formal education. Knowledgeable of many things, but not social niceties. And of course, with a predilection for gluttony, making sure that every bit of food is eaten and every edible drink is drunk. This gluttony extends to knowledge as well; he wants to know more and more and more, reading every book and label and manual he can unless it's in a language he does not understand.
Surprisingly, he lacks obvious evidence of mental scars, something he is quick to reassure his teammates hides evidence of deeper trauma. After all, he would state, he was born poor and underprivileged and he had Powers. Of course, he Triggered like the rest of them!
Appearance: For his civilian appearance, Andrew regularly uses his stipend from The Wards to buy the trendiest civilian clothing possible, with a preference for blue and white shirts and jackets. He also reveals his natural hair color, which is brown.
As a Cape, Andrew uses his powers to turn his hair silver, because he thought it was cool. He also prefers the costume shown in his picture, because he likes it.
Biography: Andrew was deposited in an orphanage close to a Public Library. It was an orphanage of love, of warm food and light and a constantly burning fire in the winter. It was beautiful and musical and it was all he could want. Not just that, but the Public Library was close enough that even at a young age, he can cross over with minimal adult supervision and lose himself in the books for hours. He was intelligent, precocious, and it was clear that someone was going to adopt him after a while. However, he always insisted to his prospective parents that they pick another kid or set of kids first; they needed it more than he did.
This continued until he was past the normal age for adoption, but the boy had already resolved to work at the orphanage he lived in to take care of other children. Then one day, a person who came to adopt one of his friends dropped a suitcase after leaving in a hurry, and Andrew resolved to return it once the person came back... Only to find some of the younger kids have picked the locks, searching for candy.
After scolding the children, Andrew glanced through the suitcase's contents and found papers and a strange vial inside; some of the former in English. Reading quickly through them, he grasped enough to know that the vial was an illegal compound intended to be tested on the kid who was going to be 'adopted' by that man. More importantly, it was a vial that was likely to turn a person into a monster or give them a strong Power; whichever was more likely.
Rage filled the boy. As the 'adopter's' car returned to the parking lot, Andrew opened the vial and drank its contents without hesitation. If the man wanted to turn his friend into a test subject under the guise of adoption, he had another thing coming!
The man burst into his room as he doubled over in pain. Then blue light filled the area, and Andrew faced the fraud who was going to prey on his friend and prepared for a confrontation.
No one knew what happened after that, but some days later, Andrew arrived at the nearest PRT office, saying that he had heard about the budding 'Wards' initiative and that he had powers and wanted to join...
Powers/Skills:
Andrew is reasonably well-read and knowledgable, with a special focus on history and fantasy literature. He is also being taught how to fight with swords, guns, and strangely, axes; this training has made him athletic.
Hope Manipulation (Trump/Shaker/Master 8) - Andrew/Hope draws from his own Hope and the ambient hope of everyone within 50 meters of him in order to create a number of effects that cover every other Class of Power, including energy blasts, force-fields, energy constructs, flight, cellular regeneration, and material alteration.
The Drawback of this? This is Worm we're talking about; the world is crapsack and his teammates have strong traumas and the mental issues those cause, meaning that they might not be interested in hoping for a better future. Also, prolonged use (1 to 2 hours) depletes his hope and the hope of others, eventually sapping their will to live and rendering them catatonic and zombie-like if they don't commit suicide.
Lack of hope and excessive use of his powers can shorten this period further.
Sub Powers: These classifications assume an average level of hope in the affected area.
Energy Blasts (Blaster 6): Blue energy blasts of manually variable power capable of knocking a person off their feet and inflicting mild burns or blasting through unprotected flesh and punching straight through steel. These can be thrown as simple blasts or sustained beams.
Energy Shields (Shaker 6): Semi-transparent energy shields capable of halting a speeding car in its tracks with only moderate strain. Though, something as heavy and solid as a speeding armored truck will likely shatter them. Shields can be formed up to 2 meters away from himself, large enough to englobe him and anyone close enough to fit inside as well. The shields can be shaped somewhat but are always spheroid or semi-spheroid.
Energy Constructs (Master 2-?): Energy that can be shaped into tools, weapons, or small structures like miniature bridges that are as durable as titanium alloy unless specified otherwise. Can be as small as a screw or as large as a truck. However, the major caveat is that he must actually know how to physically build what he summons. For every object, he must have the theoretical blueprints for dedicated to memory. Technically, he could make anything, but advanced electronics and Tinkertech are far outside his reach. The more complicated the object, the more energy and concentration are required to create it. The most complicated thing he has managed to make with it so far is a wheelbarrow, but this power will only grow in utility and menace with time and study.
Flight (Mover 4/Breaker 1): Andrew can fly up to the speed of a small civilian helicopter, and his body is protected from the air resistance and friction of moving by his own power.
Cellular Regeneration (Brute/Striker 5): Andrew can heal his own injuries, even loss of limbs, and heal the same in others as well. He can also purge poisons and diseases and even rewrite another person's genetic disorders out of their DNA. However, he needs to touch the person being healed, concentrate his attention on them, and it costs a lot of energy.
Material Alteration (Striker/Changer/Stranger 2): Andrew can change the color, shape, and appearance of his clothing and any items he directly touches, but he cannot increase their durability; this means that he needs normal armor to protect his body, which The Wards provide. The changes are permanent but can only target inorganic or dead material (like his hair or clothing fibers). He can target something as small as a singular hair. He can alter an object's size to match that of something with equal weight. Effectively, mass is generally conserved.
Hope Sensing (Thinker 1): This allows him to sense the ambient emotion of hope in living creatures within 50 meters of him. This sense is incredibly broad, so he is unable to determine the number of people in the range or identify specific people. Within 5 meters of himself, however, he can apply greater focus to uncover hidden people, able to foil some Strangers or find trapped victims under rubble and the like.
Other: My favorite superpower is Actual Magic, which does not exist in Worm. Failing that, my own Hope Manipulation.
As he sought the source of the wraiths which haunted the apartment, slicing through ghosts with his magic blade as he went, Ken gradually, painfully, realized something. He did not want to abandon Reverio and Chinami. It wasn't right to do so, not after what they had gone through and what he had gone through. Was it so conventionally kind others might find it boring? Yes it was. But Ken wanted to own that behavior, make it his' and ingrain it into his psyche to the point where it was indelible. Why should he be afraid of them hurting him? Pain was a part of life, meant to indicate what damage needed healing and what dangers to keep away from, but it can also be a survival instinct gone wrong.
Same for Hate (capitalized); it was also a survival instinct, sometimes useful for taking out threats and disposing of truly monstrous folk, but more often than not going out of control and consuming oneself and all around them. As Ken located the glowing source of occult power which attracted ghosts into the apartment, as he sliced through that portal to the underworld with the Ame-no-Murakumo and thus ended the haunting, causing the ghosts to fade away into wisps of light and air, the boy saw that he had been afraid, afraid of Chinami's hidden strength and Reverio's open strength and the toxicity of his issues.
He breathed in and out, noticing he had been in the basement of the apartment - So cliche. Taking the stairs up to the abandoned building's ground floor, he found an unexpected gift: Several tied-up, blindfolded, and gagged Ninja from Izumo, all presumably sent to assassinate him, as well as a package which, judging by its softness, contained clothes.
There was a note attached: To Ken Illustrious Ikari, if you truly have the heart of a hero, go to a nearby bathhouse, take a quick shower as you're sweaty, then put on this outfit; it's completely mundane but you'll realize how clothes make the man. After that, well, your friend from Vanquelin is in the Grand Public Library. Love, the Mysterious Benefactor E.A.N.
"Mysterious benefactor?" Ken spoke out loud in response to the letter, "More like a stalker."
Either way, he realized the gift of incapacitated assassins was the request for the trust it was, and so after calling the police to arrest the assassins (he gave an anonymous tip), the boy went to a nearby bathhouse and after a quick shower, pulled out the package, which contained a silken semi-formal suit, blazer, and necktie of crimson and gold, with layers of kevlar and trauma plates made from prototype polymers, followed up by a pair of white gloves. It made him look every bit what he claimed to be; the rightful Emperor of Izumo.
Gaudy, Ken thought, but it fits my goals. The boy then found another surprise, a limousine driven by a female chauffeur with long tresses of black hair. A question escaped his mouth, "E.A.N, or one of her minions? We both know that the Fairy Godmothers are not as secret as they want to be."
The 'chauffeur' smiled and said, "Just let me drive you to where you need to be. Oh, by the way, I did not conjure this car; I bought it. I also don't know how to drive, although I do know how to use a variety of guns, including an Anti-Materiel Rifle," she then chuckled. "But -"
Ken responded somewhat snippily, "I'm going to the library to issue a challenge, not to flaunt wealth I do not have. I'm taking public transport."
In response to that, the 'chauffeur' grabbed him with surprising strength, and space shifted as he was briefly pulled into what seemed to be another dimension and then deposited just outside the library. His sword sheathed and strapped to his waist through a belt, the boy entered the library room, the 'Fairy Godmother chauffeur' having seemingly left him alone except to whisper, "Show me a good story."
He caught Darla's shout and knew that her offer of two million was not something he was interested in even though he needed the wealth. Walking towards where she, Reverio, and Mav were, the sun through the windows covering him in a corona of light (the 'chauffeur' had set up mirrors), the boy then spoke, facing the woman, "Someone who is truly in need would not need to offer cash for rescue; Milady."
Pulling off his left hand's new white glove, he walked back a few paces, to a spot where everyone, including a handsome boy his own age (Lambda) and a scruffy-looking older youth, could see him, he threw the glove on the floor, saying, "I am Ken Illustrious Ikari, claimant to the Imperial Throne of Izumo and newly-blessed by the 'Faerie Godmothers' of legend and folklore. I seek the strongest challenger there is, one who can help me increase my strength so that I can one day free my people from bondage and stand beside my friends," he looked at Reverio, "as a peer." Then he turned to Darla and said, "Gender is no object for a challenger, only strength and determination in their many forms."
Fifteen years after a catastrophe known as 'Second Impact', Earth is being attacked by Alien beings called 'Angels' which seek to raze the fortress city of Tokyo-3 for their own sinister purposes. These beings, similar to the Kaiju in movies, are immune to nearly all forms of conventional weaponry, and can only be opposed by strange mechs called ‘Evangelions’, which in turn are piloted by children, whose 'strength of heart' can cause the machines they run to emit the same energy that the Angels use to render missiles, artillery, and even nuclear blasts ineffective.
NERV, the organization which maintains and uses the Evangelions, is in fact a subordinate group for SEELE, a secret organization that secretly controls world politics to serve their secret agenda: The Human Instrumentality Project, which aims to merge all human souls into one entity in 'Third Impact'. Gendo Ikari, NERV's leader, had plans to bend the Human Instrumentality Project to his own agenda: To reunite with his dead wife, Yui Ikari, during the merging of all human souls. To do this, he made sure that his son, Shinji Ikari, would be the pilot of the most important Evangelion, Unit-01, and unwittingly bring about 'Third Impact'.
It happened; Shinji Ikari, while trying to save a fellow pilot, Rei Ayanami, triggered an incomplete Third Impact which devestated the planet. Fourteen years later, he was woken up and tricked into creating a Fourth Impact. Then he actually found his courage, grew up, and taking responsibility for his actions, defeated his father Gendo and risked all to restore the world by making it so that Angels and Evangelions did not exist. This was all in your History textbooks.
You live in the world Shinji finally succeeded in saving: The world of the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. It is a peaceful world (most of the population being subjected to Instrumentality and then having their individuality restored more than a decade later will do that). Some people resent Shinji Ikari for bringing down disaster on them in the first place, but even more revere him for actually growing a spine and reversing the damage and then some. You can even talk to him and his wife, Mari Illustrious Makanami, and his exes, Asuka Langley Sorhyu and Kaworu Nagisa (and his adoptive sister, Rei Ayanami), from time to time; you live in the same town.
But SEELE's lingering obsession and frustrated desires cannot be defied so easily...
------
You were camping out with Ken Illustrious Ikari, son of Shinji and Mari, when it happened.
The sky turned red again, the campsite was engulfed in a pillar of light, and instead of the pristine Hakone countryside, you are now on a hill overlooking Tokyo-3, a city you only knew from textbooks as the original Tokyo was restored when Shinji Ikari fixed everything. You see Sachiel, an Angel who was Shinji's first kill, advancing towards the city, mundane ordnance ineffective against it as seen in the history videos you were forced to watch at school. You have a few adult supervisors; among them is Adult Shinji himself, who is flashing back to the past he had thought resolved. One wrong move and you're dead, either by the hands of the Angels or by humans who might see you as enemy spies.
What do you do? What do you and the other children do?
II. Lore and System-less play
Consult the EvaGeeks WIki for further details, but long and short of it is that your OCs are from after Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 (4.0), the final movie in the franchise as a whole. You are mainly OCs, kids aged 14 - 16, and the only adults are various Canon Characters who are with you camping out (you can play them with special permission). You do not start out with an Evangelion or any sort of Mech and have to rely on your knowledge of the world's future in order to get by... And said knowledge might be imperfect due to Alternate Universe shenanigans.
Do not let Gendo or SEELE or the JSSDF (Japanese Special Self-Defense Forces) catch you.
III. Rules
1.) No Godmoding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions, no defeating your enemy in one shot, and no shrugging of all hits without an AT-Field. 2.) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Heterosexual. If you cannot stand such things, don't post here in the first place. 3.) Be polite to others. 4.) You do not start out with Evangelions. 6.) If you are permitted to play Kaworu, he has lost his Angel powers and cannot get them back. Disregarding this will lose you your permission. 7.) There are no stats or rolling; we go by pure narrative storytelling. This is not a license to cheat and win everything by yourself; see Rule #1. 8.) Rule #7 might change if enough players want it and it's really necessary.
IV. Character Sheet:
[b]Name: Appearance:[/b] (No IRL pictures) [b]Age:[/b] (14 to 16 if a kid; older if you're an adult) [b]Bio:[/b] (Backstory; at least one paragraph of four to five lines each - More is preferred.) [b]Mundane Skills:[/b] (What is your OC good at? [b]Personality:[/b] (At least one paragraph of three to five lines each - More is preferred.)
World of Darkness: Heart of Infinity (Anime Facelcaims Permitted; Sorry if you disapprove.)
I. Intro
Infinity City is the newest metropolis in the US, built on what was once Olympic National Park during the closing years of the 2000s' as part of a plan to stimulate the economy. A controversial project even among the many conducted in the World of Darkness, Infinity City was advertised to be a showcase of future technology, where all races and classes can live in peace and prosperity, law and order, where new methods of administration and education can be applied without restrictions from 'tradition' and 'culture'. Obviously, it was too good to be true.
Those who thronged to Infinity City for new opportunities found themselves preyed on instead, not just by Mortal swindlers and oppressors but by Supernatural beings who hid in the shadows and sought to influence the fate of the city. Vampires who sought blood and power, Werewolves who wished to protect the Earth but hated civilization, and Mages who sought to 'guide' Humanity to 'Ascension' according to their chosen ideals, Infinity City eventually became a secret battleground. For its fate will decide Humanity's doom... Or salvation.
Long story short, this is a World of Darkness (Old World of Darkness, specifically) roleplay set in the fictional city of Infinity, Washington. You get to play Vampires, Werewolves, and Mages (other Supernaturals need GM Permission), in an Open World where you can focus on politicking, action, and crime even as a greater threat rises in order to test your spirits...
Playable Templates
The Majority of Vampires claim that they were descended from Cain/Caine, the First Murderer, who was punished by God with a thirst for blood and vulnerability to sunlight... But managed to turn his burden into a strength by taking power from the blood he consumed. Creating more like himself, Caine created an entire 'race' dedicated to preying on the 'normal' masses of Humanity and eventually ruling some of them in secret. Now, in 2022, the Vampires of Infinity City are divided among the Camarilla, who seek worldly power to preserve their safety and pleasure, and the Sabbat, fanatic Caine-worshippers who want to destroy the Masquerade (aka the policy of secrecy that prevents Vampires from being hunted down) and prey on Humanity openly as the 'natural rulers' of the latter...
Werewolves, or the Garou, believe that they are the defenders of the Earth, aka Gaia, against the pollution and corruption which 'The Wyrm', a force of cosmic evil, fosters in civilization. In fact, most of them genuinely believe that civilization and its fruits are evil/corrupted and antithetical to Gaia, tainted by 'The Weaver', a force of cosmic order believed to be only slightly less evil than The Wyrm.
Disclaimer: The idea was someone else's, but I was allowed to borrow it.
I. Intro
In the independent archipelago-nation of Beaux Rêve (Sweet Dream), situated in the Pacific Northwest, ideas and ideals clash as the world knocks on its door, seeking access to resources both mundane and supernatural. As a place that is radically different from most of its neighbors, many of the customs are alien even on the global stage. Colonized first by the French elite when Europeans first came and claimed what they saw as the New World, Beaux Rêve has adopted a number of notably French customs and expressions, intermixed with British, American, Russian, and Japanese influences.
The Capital, Beaux Rêve City, is famous for its extreme and bizarre one-school policy. A space the size of a whole city district has been carved out to make space for a truly massive educational complex, ranging from nurseries all the way up to university faculties. Children from all over the city are made to mix regardless of their economic circumstances or housing situations. This brings a number of advantages and issues. Bullying is high, many classrooms or even whole buildings are left vacant due to issues or a lack of funding, teachers face extreme workloads and massive classes and the economy of the whole city has shifted to accommodate this. Everybody knows somebody who works at the school, and rumors spread like wildfire about the daily happenings. The district and the schooling system is just commonly known as "The Complex" or "Beaux Rêve Educational."
As the center of the nation's economic life, the Capital is also split into a number of districts that serve various needs. The Complex is the main district, located at the center of the city. The residential district isn't split by any official lines, but the disparity between rich and poor is clear to see, with worn-down apartments overshadowed by massive skyscrapers and penthouses belonging to the ultra-rich. It's not particularly rare for people to live in other districts above shops, in barracks-like accommodations for laborers, or on the more rural and suburban city borders. Other districts include the commercial district full of bustling markets and French imports, which contrasts with the industrial district full of broken-down warehouses and demolished factories.
The party currently in charge is the Autocrats, who have used Beaux Rêve as a testing ground for their larger plans over the years. Challenging this party are the Humanitarians, a slightly awkward and needs-must party made up of a mixture of people who genuinely want to change things for the better, and others who are simply riding the wave for power or for more cynical reasons. Rumors of more extreme elements of the party decry extremism and violent demonstrations.
Princesses and Princes, aka Magical Girls and Boys, are the dominant supernatural force in Beaux Rêve, if one does not count Hunters, who serve as their oversight. Both Princesses and Hunters have taken up arms to protect the Capital and wider nation, with average folk becoming empowered to take the fight to the core of the issues facing the town, as Mortals squabble about their differences on the streets. The Light that they represent is delicate, however, flickering in the face of so much darkness and suffering. Individuals struggle with their burden, far too spread out and fractured amongst themselves to weather the looming storm. The chances are low, but if those standing for what is right can brook the crashing wave, the path to a brighter future could be left in the wake.
Everything is on the verge of collapse, and that weight falls squarely on your shoulders. If you don't have to strength to lift it up, the dedication to make this place better, then it will drag you down with it, along with all you've ever loved.
II. Haphazard Info and Exposition
All right, what is Princess the Hopeful and why should we care?
Princess the Hopeful (Tv. Tropes page here) is a homebrew tabletop game, a custom splat based on the Chronicles of Darkness (New World of Darkness 2e) setting and system created by White Wolf Publishing, now owned by Paradox Interactive. The homebrew focuses on Magical Girls and Boys (or Magical Women and Men) who are literally driven to be 'Good People in a Grimdark Universe', fighting for a legitimate cause that does not give them a guarantee of victory. They fight because a cause is genuinely right, even if they're slated to lose, and that's where the horror of the game line comes in.
Thanks to the reality-warping plague called the Contagion (which exists in Canon), there are significant differences between this world and 'Vanilla' Chronicles of Darkness, namely that Princesses are as powerful as Mages in this RP (to make sure people don't ignore this ruling, I will be managing everything related to Mages as well as Princesses). Also, Beasts don't exist here for reasons anyone who knows about them can understand. Every other CofD 'race/template/splat' does exist here, though.
But what do we do? Are we part of one single party?
Yes, you're part of one single group of 6 folk (8 counting GMPCs), whose goal is to prevent the city from going to crap due to partisan infighting between the two fictional political parties of Beaux Rêve City (the rest of the archipelago will be explored in due time).
Beaux Rêve City is the size of Wellington, and has a slightly smaller population. The island it stands on, Beaux Rêve Island, is as big as Hawaii (the island), with the surrounding environment being similar to Olympic National Park, only developed with farms and sawmills and factories, although large parts remain pristine.
There is also a volcano, Mt. D' Albret, named after Jeanne d' Albret, a notable figure among the Calvinists in the French Wars of Religion. Said Volcano has a large deposit of red diamonds, the rarest kind of diamond on earth IRL, which in turn makes Beaux Rêve (the nation) extremely rich and important.
The other islands of the archipelago are roughly estimated to be as big as the other islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago; this is to reduce the GM's workload. Also, Beaux Rêve Island is 1609.25 kms/621.34 miles away from Graham Island in Canada; a moderately wide stretch of ocean away.
Anyway, if you want to play someone not a Princess (aka any other template in the Chronicles of Darkness except Beast), consult the White Wolf Wiki.
III. Rules
1) No Godmodding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions 2) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Heterosexual. If you cannot stand such things, don't post here in the first place. That said, do not violate SB rules; that means no sexualizing minors. 3) Be polite to others. 4) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time. 5) The GM reserves the right to control inactive PCs as NPCs in order to keep the plot moving. 6.) If anything conflicts with a strict reading of the Chronicles of Darkness canon, the Contagion changed reality to make it so. 7.) If you want to play a Vampire, Werewolf, Demon, or any other Template (that isn't Beast), you are in charge of writing up what powers your OC has; do not abuse this right to god mode. And if you can prove that you know the lore for those Templates, the GM might consult with you from time to time. 8.) We're not using dice or stats; we use the honor system, narrative necessity and plausibility, and common sense.
IV. Character Sheet
[b]Name:[/b] (What’s your characters name?)
[b]Age:[/b] (How old is your character? 16 - 30 preferred, but younger/older OCs can be applied for on special request)
[b]Physical Description:[/b] (What does your character look like?)
(Place any photos or written descriptions here. If a Princess, post your Transformed Self's costume)
[b]Weapons and Items:[/b] (What kind of weapons or other important items does your character have? If your character has cash, put it there too.)
[b]Are you a Princess/Prince? :[/b] (Simple Y/N question)
[Spoiler=If a Princess] [b]Calling:[/b] (Champion, Grace, Mender, Seeker, Troubadour; consult the Princess Wiki for more details)
[b]Court:[/b] (Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, Hearts, Swords; no Tears, Storms, and Mirrors, but their Invocations might be allowed - See below. Consult the Princess Wiki for more details.)
[b]Invocation:[/b] (Consult the Princess Wiki for details. All 'Vanilla' Invocations plus the ones from the Road of Dawn supplement are allowed if you can explain why your OC can access them. Also, you get 1 Invocation at Level 3, 1 Invocation at Level 2, and 1 Invocation at Level 1).
[b]Charms:[/b] (As part of the buffs to Princesses and Princes, you get to buy dots in Charm [i]Families[/i] not just Individual Charms. This means that you can buy Fight 3 and get all Charms that are compatible with your Invocations up to that level. To balance this, you only have 5 Charm Dots and you are capped to Level 3 in any Charm Family on Character Creation. However, for your Calling's Affinity Charm, aka Fight for Champions, Connect for Graces, etc, you get a [i]sixth[/i] dot you can only invest in it.) [/spoiler]
[Spoiler=If a Mage] [b]Path:[/b] (Acathus, Obrimos, Mastigos, Moros, Thyrsus.)
[b]Order:[/b] (Adamantine Arrow, Guardians of the Veil, Mysterium, Silver Ladder, Free Council.)
[b]Arcana:[/b] (4 Dots, but your Affinity Arcanum gets a fifth and a sixth you can only invest in those. Consult the Wikis on what the Arcanum are.) [/spoiler]
[b]Short Bio:[/b] Tell us your character's story up to this point. Who are they exactly? Where did they come from? What are they like? All of the above goes here.
V. Sample Bio
Name: Ken Aizawa
Age: 16
Physical Description:
Weapons and Items: Beaux Rêve school uniform (silken), wallet, personal documentation, Smartphone, Laptop, Backpack, Textbooks, Pepper Spray, and a Taser plus a Wooden Kendo Sword. Also cash and debit cards worth $50,000 (Resources 3 equivalent).
Are you a Princess/Prince? : Y.
Calling: Champion.
Court: (Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, Hearts, Swords; no Tears, Storms, and Mirrors, but their Invocations might be allowed - See below. Consult the Princess Wiki for more details.)
Invocation: Fuoco 3, Acqua 2, Terra 1.
Charms: Fight 3, Perfect 2, Govern 1.
Short Bio: Ken was born in Tokyo to a Japanese Father and a Caucasian Mother from the (fictional) city of Beaux Rêves. This was made more ‘unusual’ than it is now due to his father being a member of the Hototogisu and his mother being a Princess who fell in love with the man despite the former trying to ‘steal’ her powers in the first place. And so Ken was raised with two sometimes-conflicting influences, his father’s, who was focused on money and influence and ambition, and his mother’s, who was focused on compassion, philanthropy, and sometimes self-righteousness. Nevertheless, the boy quickly learned from both, leaning towards his mother more.
At school in Tokyo, Ken was frequently bullied for his half-foreign heritage and quickly learned to stand up for himself. Standing up for others, though, was harder for him, but then he met a boy, a boy who awakened him to his budding bisexuality. He tried to ignore these feelings at first, but seeing that other boy being bullied in school, even worse than he was, because he was ‘weak’, slowly roused a desire for justice and a desire to protect him, and one day, he stood up to protect the person he had to admit, he loved.
In a flash of light, Ken’s clothes transformed into that of a soldier wearing the ballistics vest of an elite JSSDF Infantryman, and the boy punched the lights out of the bullies threatening to beat his fellow student. And his life changed forever.
His parents soon caught wind of what happened and paid a huge amount of money to keep the mouths of any witnesses shut. Then after accepting that yes, Ken did in fact like both genders ‘that way’, the two debated on what to do to protect him. This resulted in his father inducting him into the Hototogisu’s employ even though he was below the legal age for employment in Japan and then sending him to the city of Beaux Rêves, where the Age of Majority was 16. There, he was to represent the Japanese Corporation’s more philanthropic side and ‘observe’ events going on in the area and how the Conspiracy/Company can benefit from it.
And yes, he’s still allowed to talk to the person he protected, his new boyfriend...
A young girl raised to rule in the absence of male kin, heir to vast holdings in the north and center of Italy, Matilda was a genuine believer in the rights of the Holy Church against the secular lords of the realm, and at the age of fifteen, raised an army to fight for the legitimate Pope in Rome against a would-be usurper. On the way to fight off the more numerous forces of this false claimant, Matilda had an urge to go on a hunting trip, a hunting trip that took her to an ancient grove and brook from the Age of Gods, where a winged horse, of the blood of Pegasus himself, was calmly drinking the clean water.
Seeing, in this majestic beast, an advantage against the enemy and their heretical Mages, Matilda went towards the winged horse, which, though not a Unicorn, was impressed with the purity and beauty of the maiden who approached him. Eventually, she was allowed to ride the Phantasmal Creature without the need for bridle, saddle, and spurs, and returned to her camp with her new steed, which she promptly asked her force’s chaplain to bless.
With her Pegasus under her, she repulsed the forces of the Antipope, dispersing the rogue Magi who had gathered around the latter and forcing the enemy force to retreat. She then had the real Pope, Alexander II, bless the Pegasus further, sanctifying the Phantasmal Beast and granting it and its rider protection against Magecraft and even Age of Gods Magic, as well as the power to harm the enemies of Humanity, such as Vampires and other Phantasmal Creatures.
Eventually, her Flying Horse would be the wonder of all of Italy, and also the terror of her enemies, who eventually included her first Husband, Godfrey the Hunchback, who argued that the beast was a ‘heathen monster’ that deserved to be culled, Papal Blessing or no Papal Blessing. When the two ended up on opposite sides of a war over Papal power, she took to the skies and fought, and for a while, managed to force the ‘Holy Roman Emperor’, Heinrich IV/Henry IV of the Salian Dynasty, to humble himself before The Pope in her fortress of Canossa, which became forever marked by the event.
But Heinrich proved treacherous, and it was up to Matilda and her steed, now seen as the Guardian of Tuscany itself, to try and stop him from seizing control of the Holy Church for himself. And in Rome, Florence, and Canossa again, she fought tenaciously, supporting her efforts by giving her patronage to scholarly monks who made an argument for the Church’s right to defend itself and its supremacy over the Kings of Europe.
She won in her old age but had sacrificed much in her struggle, giving up many of her rights and powers to the cities of Northern Italy. Her governance became hated, and eventually, the purity of purpose and spirit that had driven her began to show spots, spots that were eventually enough for the Guardian of Tuscany, her winged horse, to forsake her.
And so she died, having won and lost much, but secured a place in history as a result.
Parameters:
Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: A
Mana: A
Luck: B Class Skills:
Riding (A-) - Matilda tamed a flying horse that was also the one depicted on the historical Flag of Tuscany, a flying horse blessed by a Pope and which carried the blood of Pegasus himself. However, riding any other steed or vehicle lowers her rank by one.
Magic Resistance (B+) - Blessed by the legitimate Pope separately from her steed, Matilda can overcome even feats of greater Thaumaturgy.
Personal Skills:
Charisma (B) - You don’t just persuade people to go fight against the premier monarch of Western Europe without having actual charisma where it counts. Matilda can and will rally the supporters of the Church to fight and win a war.
Valor (B) - She fought in battle without needing divine revelations to push her into warfare (no offense to Jeanne D’ Arc), had a few losses, and had a costly final victory. She can thus negate mental interference that can turn her from her goals, and a bonus to melee damage.
Military Tactics (B+) - She’s been besieged many times, and so can boost the skills and strengths of any forces that put themselves under her in a siege; the boost to Military Tactics represents this.
Fate is in Heaven (A) - The absolute purity of purpose that Matilda has on behalf of the Pope’s rights against the Secular Kings and Lords of Europe allows her an advantageous check to any action she takes on the battlefield; several centuries before Nagao Kagetora does the same for a different Deity.
Eye of the Mind (False, B) - Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning (Copied from Archer EMIYA).
Noble Phantasm(s):
Name: Guardian Steed of Tuscany Title: Last of Pegasus’ Bloodline Rank: EX NP Type: Anti-Army Range: 2 - 50 Maximum Number of Targets: 150
Description: A flying horse that was the last of its kind to stay out of the Reverse Side of the World, the Guardian Steed of Tuscany allowed itself to be tamed by Matilda due to her purity of purpose and heart as well as her beauty. Blessed by a Pope and held in awe by the people of North and Central Italy, the Guardian Steed found itself immortalized in the Flag of the Tuscan people, sealing its place in history even after it had finally left for the Reverse Side of the World.
A Phantasmal Beast descended from Pegasus himself, the boost from the Pope’s Blessing has given it better Magic Resistance and improved healing capabilities on the level of regeneration, as well as the ability to inflict increased damage on Vampires and other beasts dubbed unholy by the Church. More aggressive than its progenitor, the Guardian does not need to be compelled to use its strength in battle and can unleash shock waves from its wings to tear its opponents apart.
Name: Fortress of Canossa. Title: “The Place of Broken Pride.” Rank: A NP Type: Fortress. Range: 1 - 50 Maximum Number of Targets: 1000
Description: Matilda’s Seat of Power. The place where an Emperor had to humble himself before The Pope on the snowy ground. An imposing castle constantly surrounded by snow and manned by a garrison of shades modeled after Matilda’s memories, the most powerful trait of this Noble Phantasm is how even the sight of it radiates a mental assault on the mind, which mixed with the cold and the snow and the wind, is meant to force the attackers to surrender and give up on their cause.
Basically, it is a fortress surrounded by a raging blizzard, which assaults your mind when you look at it and is manned by shades who can shoot arrows of prana/mana at you or otherwise fight. To go up against the castle is a risk of being compelled to replicate the ‘Walk to Canossa’ where you humble yourself before its occupants…
The assassination of Andrew Kimball, President of the New California Republic, and Caesar, the 'Imperator' of Caesar's Legion, within hours of each other by a mysterious individual known as 'The Courier' threatened to throw the Mojave into chaos for a brief moment, but news of Caesar's death reached Chief Hanlon of the NCR Rangers first, shaking him out of his defeatism long enough to take the news of Kimball's death better; he never liked the President and thought him to be the architect of the NCR's sorry situation in the region, anyway.
Either way, the NCR forces rallied upon hearing news of the death of the hated Caesar, and during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, held out long enough for a brave NCR Sniper to put a bullet into the eye of the Legion's new leader, Legate Lanius; the Republic, against all odds, had won.
What happened next set the fate of the Mojave for the next ten years.
After its hard-won victory, the NCR held new elections, and the voters brought into the Presidency the one who had saved the NCR before - The Chosen One, who had come our of retirement in New Arroyo to get the NCR to clean up its act. With the aid of newly-elected congressmen and women, vital reforms were passed to weaken the Bhramin and Water Barons, strengthen the power of the common workers and farmers, and investigate the Crimson Caravan Company for using violence to destroy its competitors.
This eventually allowed the NCR to withstand several years of drought and near-famine, with the Chosen One guiding the nation through its greatest test before giving the nation one last gift: His Resignation after approving a law imposing a two-term limit to all future NCR Presidents.
As for the Legion, Lanius' successor under Caesar's will and written plans of succession ordered the latter scrapped and his heirs under those plans executed out of paranoia that his potential successors might seek to take his position early by killing him first. This caused the Legion to go into civil war, and for a brief moment, it looked as though Caesar's Legacy would fall into ruin.
Then a mysterious figure emerged, a young man calling himself 'Augustus' who though physically Human, had psyker powers on par with The Master from long ago. This mystery youth reunited the Legion through charisma mixed with cruelty, as well as displays of psychic power. Eventually, he grew the Legion again and began preparing for revenge.
However, there are hints that Augustus is no natural-born being, but a construct made by some secret group with Old World Knowledge. If that is the case, what would be their reasons?
Either way, the Mojave has prospered a little in ten years of peace. Mr. House, the ruler of New Vegas, is fast aeging, and the brewing struggle for succession has the NCR Ambassador worried. At the same time, new factions, a mix of tribals, refugees, and various societies descended from Vault Dwellers are streaming into the Mojave from the north, straining the existing ones' patience and turning the edge of the region into a more lawless place - A bad omen for the new administration set up by the NCR to help the region transition to a proper State.
These newcomers bring word not just of Augustus' rise and his conquests, but also of his intentions: He is coming for the Mojave.
-------
All right, this is an Open World RP with a larger plot mixed in with sandbox elements. Players are encouraged to make OCs, but also have the option of writing up a Faction, which in turn is a group of people that have pooled their resources to try and influence the destiny of the Mojave. Factions can be part of a larger canonical nation (NCR, Legion, Mr. House), a smaller canon faction (The Khans, the Followers of the Apocalypse, the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel), or an OC faction of one's own making.
II. Rules
1.) No godmodding, powerplaying, metagaming, etc. etc. 2.) Note, there will be sexual themes in this RP, but anything above nudity is forbidden, because I don't want us to get banned. 3.) No OOC feuding! If you must argue, be respectful. IC, meanwhile, you can hate each other as much as you like as long as it doesn't seep over to OOC. 4.) Please notify me if you will be gone longer than a few days, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone. 5.) I reserve the right to control or kill off Custom Factions made by inactive players, and control and write out (but not necessarily kill) OCs made by those inactive players. 6.) All player characters must be OCs unless you control a Canon Faction (or sub-faction), and even then it's encouraged you use OCs so as not to derail canon characters' personalities. You are, however, allowed to temporarily control merchant/bartender/officer canon characters (such as Trudy from Goodsprings) if you want to buy something, do a scene inside a bar, or other minor interactions.
III. Character Sheets
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Looks:[/b] (picture optional)
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Faction:[/b]
[b]S.P.E.C.I.A.L[/b]= (45 Points spread wisely. Cannot go over 10 on any one stat) [b]Strength:[/b] [b]Perception:[/b] [b]Endurance:[/b] [b]Charisma:[/b] [b]Intelligence:[/b] [b]Agility:[/b] [b]Luck:[/b]
[b]Backstory:[/b]
[b]Faction Name:[/b] (NCR Rangers, The Khans, Fiends)
[b]Faction Leader:[/b] (Who leads your faction? Canon Characters are only allowed if you control a Canon Faction)
[b]Are they Canon?:[/b] (Yes, or No?)
[b]Numbers:[/b] (Larger than 15, smaller than 300 unless you're a Canon Faction.)
[b]Tech Level:[/b] (How good is your tech? Justify this in your history, but fair warning, you will have to work very hard to justify Enclave or Institute-level tech.)
[b]Location(s):[/b] (Pick a Canon Location in the Mojave Wasteland to put your faction in; Maps can be found online. Note that unless you have a good explanation, the north of the Mojave is the best place for OC factions.)
In the twilight of World War II, magic became real, yet scarce. This source of this magic, the Noble Arm, was the rare ability to conjure up a supernatural weapon that can defy the laws of physics, a weapon bound to the user's mind and soul; summoned by their will into reality. For reasons that are still unexplainable despite years of research, Noble Arms only take the form of weapons from before the First World War, however, despite the antiquity of these forms, the power they bear to the battlefield is unlike anything modern technology has been able to produce.
The ability to manipulate the elements to the user's will.
Forces that can reduce matter down to atoms in seconds.
The strength to withstand the explosion of a nuclear missile.
All of these powers, and more wondrous and terrifying abilities, come with Noble Arms. Thus, the ones who bear them, the Arms Masters, are sought after by countries all around the world. Where once the strength of a country was decided by the technological strength of its Army, it is now judged by the power of its Arms Masters.
But this state of affairs has produced sadness and strife; the world was just not prepared for the possibility of superhumans, people who just by existing, challenge the notion of equality between men. And so Arms Masters and Normal Humans lived in an uneasy state of coexistence, with radicals on both sides wishing to shatter the peace and dominate one another.
Then, in the early decades of the 21st Century, from the years 2019 to 2022, the status quo shattered again, with three groups of beings, only one of them claiming to be part of Humanity as it is now, manifesting the ability to give Noble Arms to those who once lacked them, albeit under conditions which appeal only to the desperate. These factions, known as "The Big Three", are:
The Seven Virtues - "Humanity can be more than it is now. Make it so." The Seven Virtues claim to be ascended Humans, Arms Masters who had transcended their mortal form and become something more. Now they seek to guide Humanity to a similar 'Ascension' by controlling the 'reincarnation' of the Noble Arms held by Arms Masters who had died in the line of duty, or very rarely, creating new ones which had not been held by an Arms Master before. However, the Seven Virtues make one demand from those they empower: Give up their existing property, their wealth, and their position in society, and dedicate themselves to Humanity as a whole.
The Paragons of Science - "Humanity is the only concept worth worshipping." The Paragons of Science are a cabal of scientists who have mixed together actual scientific principles with the Occult to decipher part of what makes Noble Arms 'tick', enough to manufacture Artificial Noble Arms which can compete with the best of existing ones. However, they give these Artificial Arms only to those who can 1.) pay through the nose for them, or 2.) people who are willing to renounce the "Throne and altar" to promote a future where Humanity rules over all of nature and worships only itself.
Addiitonal Restrictions: Oh, and this will be unknown to most OCs, but the Paragons of Science use their mastery of the 'Occult Programming Language' to make them able to remotely bring down any A or B-rank Noble Arms to C-Rank if they deem the Arms Master a threat to their interests. Due to their expertise with the 'Occult Programming Language' being imperfect, however, they cannot bring a Noble Arm any lower, so NAs that are already C-Rank are safe.
The Downward Descent - "Freedom from Morality." The Downward Descent does not claim to be Human, but rather something more; the darkness of people's thoughts and inner desires made manifest, whispering the fulfillment of their darkest wishes. The Downward Descent wants nothing more than Humanity to descend to a level lower than animals, to pull civilization down into ruins so that people would give up on being something more than what they were, to regard their hopes and dreams and aspirations as only so many lies and self-deception. And in exchange for indulging their wishes, the entities of the Downward Descent can give Noble Arms to anyone, not just the unpowered but also those who already have a Noble Arm; they are the only source of a Second Noble Arm, ever.
And all it takes is for you to renounce not just your soul, but actively endorse the very things you find most abominable in your heart and mind.
Needless to say, the Downward Descent has pursued a deliberate strategy of offering authoritarian leaders, even the ones who pride themselves on 'promoting public morality', an advantage over their rivals in and out of their own governments. These leaders, under their influence, have turned against the nations they once claimed to serve, and let in the Downward Descent's agents to victimize not just their own nations and people, but also the members of their own Governments and Political Parties. All the while, everyone suffers except them.
Their machinations have swept the old divisions out of the water, destroying the fragile order of the world as apocalyptic warfare breaks out all over it. China, once held at bay by the ASEAN countries, has rearmed and mustered an army of Arms Masters through vile procedures and is preparing to overrun Southeast Asia. The Philippines, once a bulwark against Chinese expansion, even elected a Pro-Chinese President, who used a loophole in the Constitution banning a second term as President but not Vice President to run for the latter position, then assassinate the person who did become President, only to have his nefarious actions found out and lead to his overthrow and replacement by a 'Government of National Salvation'.
However, the previous President's loyalists established a rival Government and invited China's armies and fleets in, alarming the other nations in the region. One thing led to another and the region was now engulfed in war.
We all live in interesting times...
------
All right; I've tried running Noble Arms, TheHangedMan's RP idea, several times now, and tried to add my own spin on it once before. Now, I am trying again with my darkest RP yet.
This is a game where you play ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) or ASEAN-allied folk (US and European Volunteers) as OCs and China is the enemy. These OCs/PCs will be part of one group, Task Force Obsidian, whose goals are to act as one unit to engage in operations against China's People's Liberation Army and its assets while defending ASEAN's own.
There will be both adult and child soldiers as Noble Arms are not selective and the situation is just that desperate. You are not limited to Arms Masters; people who use their own skills and technology are permitted as well.
Addendum: I always planned for this to be a difficult, challenging campaign with a little bit of scariness, but which will ultimately bring out the OCs' and players' smarts while punishing acting like a stereotypical action hero. And by that, do stupid stuff, get difficulties. Play things smart, use common sense, and cooperate with others while using your powers in interesting ways (a lesson I myself was forced to learn a few months ago), and you guys get rewards, including but not just limited to victories.
And now, the meat of the lore.
Noble Arms:
Noble Arms take the form of weaponry that was created before World War I - Each one of them has powerful abilities beyond normal human capacity, however, they can only be used if they are released into reality by their user. Noble Arms exist in a kind of 'hyperspace' that is unique to its user and can be called from there - in essence, an Arms Master is always armed.
Noble Arms have an astonishingly versatile ability pool, from calling down fire to strengthening the body, etc., and more often than not, possess more than one ability. However, similar to physical activity, using a Noble Arm is draining physically and more so mentally - Extended use of its abilities is much akin to overexerting yourself on both fronts, and as such, so much more fatal to overdo.
For the purposes of defining what a weapon is, a weapon is 'something crafted or shaped by human hands for the specific purpose of doing harm'. This also means that you can use a bunch of Stone Age flint knives, a wand, and yes, a staff as weapons.
Note: We have allowed this rule to be stretched before, allowing books and exploding metal cubes, but asking for a stretch is a privilege, not a right. Do not ask without a good, story-based reason.
Noble Arm Ratings:
Noble Arms are rated according to, firstly, the sum of their atomized ranks (Power, Speed, Range, etc as detailed in the character sheet). An F grade counts as a 0, an A as a 5, and the sum is divided by 6. However, ultimately, the grading system is used as a threat assessment. Noble Arms that are more dangerous than their average number indicates may have their overall grade incremented up a letter, or vice versa.
Examples of rank as a threat assessment:
- A Noble Arm capable of strengthening its Arms Master is common, and can easily be countered by police officers with the proper ordinance, and thus, merits an E rank, its Arms Master is not notable to the government and subsequently ignored.
- On the other hand, a Noble Arm capable of creating explosions in the atmosphere is uncommon and dangerous, as such, the user must undergo a government registration form and be placed under mild scrutiny. The Noble Arm in question will merit a C or B rank.
- Finally, there are Noble Arms that can achieve effects that can cover an area the size of a city, for good or for ill. Such Noble Arms are both rare and regarded as extremely dangerous to countries at large (note that some powers might not justify this fear, even if they cover an entire city). Their users will be under constant surveillance and limits will be placed on the usage of their Noble Arm. Such Noble Arms are always rated A.
Noble Arm Origins:
Formation:
The most common way to have a Noble Arm is to reach a stage of personal development, for good or for ill, which allows one's Soul (yes, Souls are a thing here) to form one from the sum of the person's personality, willpower, and sense of identity. Said Noble Arms are connected to their user's Soul and are made of the same material/energy as it. They can be suppressed and damaged; they can be broken and diminished, but they cannot be completely destroyed except in extraordinary circumstances, and even then only because although born from a Soul, they are not the originating Soul itself but akin; actual Souls are even more indestructible (although their energies can be suppressed to infinitesimal levels). This leads us to the second way to obtain a Noble Arm - Inheritance.
Inheritance
When an Arms Master dies, their Noble Arm is left in a limbo state, unable to follow them to wherever Souls go (while immortal Souls have been proven, an afterlife is not, much less a good afterlife). When this happens, it latches on the closest possible Soul even if the holder of said Soul has not developed enough to grow their own Noble Arm. If the 'latching' process is successful, the new Arms Master gains the power of a Noble Arm grafted to their own consciousness and identical to its previous form. This phenomenon has been tracked over the past decades, and the Seven Virtues have found a way to interfere with the process to ensure that various NAs end up with the 'right' people...
Categories of Ranking and Degrees of Rank:
Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc). Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect. Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included). Persistence: Stamina toll on user. Higher rank = more ease of use. Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs. Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution.
F = Default/minimum rank. B = General maximum of standard NA. A = Generally restricted to A-Rank NAs, but 1-2 categories may potentially reach it. S = "Special" rank. This means the category is flexible in some way, and not necessarily for the better. (Ex - Power: D (S)) This supplementary rank is often the result or source of an NA having a "+" or "-" on their final rank. Infinite/?: Indicating no measurable limit on the category. Only been seen on A-Ranks thus far. This rank has yet to even be officially acknowledged as existing IC. (this rating's details may be subject to change; this is merely my current interpretation)
The final overall ranking of the Noble Arm is determined on an average by assigning point values from 0-5 on the respective ranks F-A. Depending on the power set and its effectiveness in practice, the final ranking may, however, be subject to flexibility.
If you want, you may also use a graph image based on the JJBA Stand ranking system instead, since that is what we are basing this off largely. The above is the most convenient to read, but you have the option for flavor. Just try to have it in a hider in either case.
Power:
F-Rank: Provides no notable supernatural advantage. Often cosmetic at best. The Noble Arm certainly possesses the same supernatural durability as any other NA, but beyond that? Little. Ranged Noble Arms are not found here.
E-Rank: Minor supernatural advantage. Hits a bit harder, cuts a bit easier, endures a little more, etc. than a normal human could. It's not much, but it's there. Enhancements are "slight", but elemental manipulation is possible. Ranged Noble Arms are possible now and typically have this rank at minimum. "Peak Human" is a common descriptor.
D-Rank: Cantrip levels of strength. Can easily dish out, endure, or heal from effects that are singularly lethal to a human. Notably useful abilities exist here that are a serious problem for most people. Such a power is much like always carrying a loaded gun and may be beyond the police's capacity to handle.
C-Rank: A strong/multiple, physical/magical effect that will start to cause issues for public safety.
B-Rank: Very strong. Difficult to counter without a specialized/specific effect.
A-Rank: Powers of this strength are nearly uncontestable. Once the effect occurs, it usually cannot be overridden or countered without exceptional means. Perfect stealth. Strength that is enough to lift and throw a skyscraper or cause earthquakes. Total incineration. Absolute zero infliction. Disintegration of atoms. Stopping time. The possibilities are nearly limitless. The amount of raw energy behind these abilities is frankly excessive.
Speed:
F-Rank: Basically, this... "Is to go-! Even! Further! BEYOND! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Editor's Note: This continued for 10 episodes.
E-Rank: Comparative to walking underwater. Notable ramp-up/charge time. Abilities take a disadvantageously long time to fully "stick". Recommended against using them in the open or in sight of any hostile, at least initially. 1 minute or more.
D-Rank: Small ramp-up time. Somewhat disadvantageous, but possible to use even against a conventionally faster opposition with care and the right timing. A power that typically requires patience and "choosing the right moment" from the user. Abilities have a tendency towards "damage over time" compared to "instant". 3-60 seconds.
C-Rank: Abilities respond and take effect at a respectable, practical speed. The user will have no real trouble utilizing their powers often and reflexively. The power doesn't quite match up when pitted against an ambush or with the user caught off guard. The moments needed to both perceive and respond to the threat mean that a "surprise round" still favors the enemy.
B-Rank: Abilities respond quickly, lagging behind the user's desires for 1-5 seconds at absolute worst. Being caught off guard is far less threatening. The power typically responds and reaches full effect at speeds equivalent to the user's mere consideration of using it.
A-Rank: Answers the user's call with almost prescient speed. The effects of powers typically occur instantaneously, even at large scale. "Surprise rounds" are nearly entirely useless against them without an effect of comparable speed. Rather, they respond so quickly that they can almost immediately invert a situation with themselves on the back foot to one where they have a distinct advantage. These powers practically ooze the concept of "having the initiative".
Range:
F-Rank: Touch-range. The power generally requires either the user or the Noble Arm, itself, to make physical contact with the target of their ability. Fallout is nonexistent.
E-Rank: Melee-range. Comparable range to a held weapon of some stripe, even a whip. It no longer requires physical contact to take effect. Fallout/lingering effects are minimal to nonexistent and rarely -if ever- have the capacity to spread beyond a single target. Up to approximately 5-6 meters/15-21 feet.
D-Rank: Mid-Range. Covers the ideal skirmishing distance for a pistol. An indoor firing range would be comparable. Up to approximately 50 meters/166 feet.
C-Rank: Around a city block or couple. Up to approximately 200 meters/658 feet. Fallout may exceed the base range by a factor of double the core range.
B-Rank: Long-range. Could encompass a whole neighborhood or village. Fallout may equal or even exceed the base target area by a factor of 2-4. Up to around 1-2 kilometers.
A-Rank: City-wide or larger. Attacks may potentially be launched from miles away. Fallout may potentially leak out into a national emergency.
Persistence:
F-Rank: Can maybe use their active power all of once before being exhausted. Even having the NA summoned is a serious effort that requires physical honing to master.
E-Rank: Like a D-Rank squared. Significant base maintenance cost. Abilities that incur a stamina drain like being punched in the gut. They are lovers, not fighters. And when they do fight, they are either very careful or dead.
D-Rank: Must be picky with their power use. Tactical. The drain of even having the NA out is significant. A D-Rank may have trouble keeping their power going continuously for even a single decent skirmish. "Playing it smart" is the name of the game. If not a serious stamina drain, then a notable negative backlash usually is inherent to the active power.
C-Rank: Will experience drain even if they don't use the NA's powers. Minor drain, granted, but drain all the same. Their powers typically aren't incredibly draining to actively use immediately, but the user will absolutely feel it with constant, reckless use. Sort of like sprinting. These NAs are ideally used with a "breather" between skirmishes to catch a second or third wind. They are much like a well-trained soldier.
B-Rank: Could, in theory, be summoned indefinitely as long as the user either didn't make heavy use of its abilities or had incredibly minor abilities. This rank is ideal for prolonged battlefield fighting, as long as the user has time to rest every few skirmishes.
A-Rank: Typically known to be very free in this aspect, able to both keep their power going near indefinitely and not really feeling the strain without truly excessive overuse or a very specific type of backlash unique to the NA/power.
Precision:
F-Rank: Volatile and indiscriminate to the extreme. Not even the user is safe. In fact, they are more often than not caught in the power's effect as well, for better or worse. If the power has any capacity to affect multiple targets, it will always attempt to hit all of them and attempt to perform to its maximum possible extent.
E-Rank: User gains some level of "leashing" capacity. Power now often has a dial and can be restrained from automatically going full bore. Is still quite a "hair trigger" and prone to being a threat to the user as well without caution being taken.
D-Rank: Still quite indiscriminate, but the user now usually has some actual capacity to be protected from their own ability. Usually, this protection is not voluntary, however, for better or worse. Power is no longer so oily in the user's proverbial grasp. "Dial" is more defined.
C-Rank: Some minimal capacity to actively exempt others selectively from the effect, which typically requires concentration. Otherwise, abilities have preset exemptions that provide the user more flexibility.
B-Rank: Can selectively exempt targets from the effect on both large and small scales. Usually, the user must already know/be able to visualize individually who or what they are exempting. Although, one could be more general, like "all humans" if firing blindly.
A-Rank: Abilities are highly selective and surgically fine in application. The user usually has near -if not complete- control over who and what they affect. Such abilities may be able to affect someone/something the user doesn't know or is aware of. Such abilities may potentially have such capacity as to identify and target things the user could otherwise have no knowledge about, like "all "enemies/innocents/allies" or "good/evil".
Potential:
Preface: This stat lowers roughly inversely to the number of abilities a Noble Arm possesses and is thus expected to inevitably lower over the course of the RP, starting low the more powerful a Noble Arm starts out.
F-Rank: Extremely static. The NA has nearly zero ability to evolve further. Can usually only develop one more narrow ability... if any at all.
E-Rank: Typically develops 1-2 abilities at most. New powers are quite narrow in scope of application. Complex abilities aren't entirely unheard of, but they are extremely uncommon.
D-Rank: Develops a small number of abilities, even complex ones, but the user must put in serious effort and/or have rather notable personal character/soul development to gain any more.
C-Rank: Develops a comfortable number of powers of various complexities. Can be mistaken for a higher rank in this classification early on but peters out eventually. Preexisting powers have the capacity to improve or change if the user makes the effort to push their boundaries.
B-Rank: Rapidly develops new abilities with even half-hearted or deluded attempts at experimentation. The NA is highly amendable to users who actively seek out specific evolutions and utilizations of their abilities. Complex, flexible powers are not only common but expected, almost inevitable.
A-Rank: The "blank slate" rank, typically possessed by a freshly awakened Noble Arm. Having this rank generally means having only 1 ability at most with radical potential for more. A Noble Arm like this has yet to lock in a "theme" and can evolve in virtually any direction the Arms Master might subconsciously choose. The Noble Arm is extremely sensitive to any excuse to develop in this state, often doing so completely involuntarily. It's therefore extremely rare to find a Noble Arm with this rank, as the weapon has usually already shed this level of potential within days, if not hours, depending on the conditions.
Made by Senhara:
This was approved on Discord by all the GMs and was my suggestion, and I heavily recommend joining the server if you plan to join.
As a system to improve the survivability of PCs and other Arms Masters, this was come up with.
By virtue of being able to wield magic, NA users benefit from the ability to recover from gunshots and the like more effectively than a human, and notably, their bodies heal up faster. This pulls power from their NA, so if you get hit, you live but your powers weaken. So instead of a regular human taking a few rounds to be downed, 1-3 or the like, it'd take more like 4-8 to sustain for C class NA users before they'd be totally unable to use their powers and would need medical attention, with the more powerful NAs being able to withstand more. While Arms Masters are still under their cap for how much abuse they can take, if a "critical" hit occurs, say a shot through the heart or the skull, they're incapacitated but all resources immediately go to fixing them up. The result of this is they're out for the fight, unconscious, but they're still alive. If they proceed to get shot more and do not receive medical attention or are over their capacity for how much damage they can take and receive a critical hit, they would instead die.
Addenum by Lewascan2 with edits by me:
Note that logically, Defensive/Survival/Healing powers take priority over the survival system. If it's a question of a hit 'counting' or not, the hit to the Arms Master's 'survival stacks' is not expended (or may even be reversed/restored) if their power/an incoming power has some method of negating/delaying/mitigating/repairing the damage. Basically, specific powers can defend against or heal an Arms Master or make them endure stuff. If you don't have specific defensive powers, though... Well, this is a world of tradeoffs.
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considerably more militarized and economically linked than IRL, with coordination between their best Arms Masters and their separate militaries.
- This in turn has its roots in 1988 when China had a confrontation with the ASEAN Countries over the Spratlys and ASEAN won due to the intervention of Filipino Arms Master Angelito Jaime (who had a spear that could open a portal through which he was clever enough to use to redirect bullets, artillery, cruise missiles, and potentially even nukes back at the person who fired them, and this works on many other NA attacks too). This victory, however, led to an undercurrent of resentment between China and ASEAN which burst into fire decades later in the ASEAN War.
- The Philippines is now led by a 'Government of National Salvation' chaired by an Original Character. The IRL Government/Administration is no longer in power.
- After some thought, another OC (Democratic) is the President of the US instead of anyone IRL.
- The Original Character President of the US was the perfect domestic president, saving the country from COVID-19, restoring the US Economy, limiting corporate power, strengthening the Trade Unions and making them more relevant, and creating more well-paying jobs. The downside to this? His foreign policy sucks, as he despises the prospect of sending Americans to die overseas for ideological goals so much that he is willing to neglect or withdraw from the US alliances and defense commitments and thus emboldened China and Russia to move into open war, mistakenly sensing weakness.
- The US Congress, however, was capable of striking back to issue sanctions, provide weapons, vehicles, supplies, money, and all possible aid to ASEAN and Ukraine, and is trying to scramble enough people to form a majority that can declare war even with a Presidential Veto.
- Indonesia has been caught flat-footed by China's new militaristic mood, and while it remains Democratic, its military (both Army and Navy) is rising in power once again, although its President is still canny enough to balance out competing interests.
- In 2014, instead of a certain terrorist organization taking over large portions of Iraq and Syria, the Hammer of Masters, an organization of Arms Master terrorists, did so instead to establish a 'Malikate' where Arms Masters can rule over Non-Arms Masters as the 'Superior Race'. This was crushed in 2018 - 2019, when the 'Big Three' first made their appearance, and the Paragons and Seven Virtues began giving away Noble Arms.
- As for the various groups in the Original Noble Arms, the Hammer of Masters (mentioned above) and the Disablers have dwindled into near-irrelevance over the last four years due to the existence of the Seven Virtues and Paragons of Science (both of whom have defectors from both groups), same for the Arms of Nobility and the Organization for Disarmament. It is also rumored that the Seven Virtues and Paragons have been organizing manhunts for members of the Hammer and Disablers who remain diehard fanatics of their ideologies.
- There are people within China trying to fight against the current leadership of its Government so that they can change their country and shift it to a direction they believe is more productive. Some of them are fringe groups given power by Noble Arms, such as the ASEAN-allied Qing Restoration Society (QRS), but others fight within the current Government, such as the [Insert Name Here] Clique and the [Blank] and [REDACTED] Factions, to stop a war they consider senseless and counter to China's prosperity.
[center][b]Appearance:[/b] (Picture preferred, although written descriptions are good too. Also, please include miscellaneous information such as height and weight.)[/center]
[b]Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Noble Arm Name & Appearance:
Noble Arm Rank:[/b] (We redid how ranks work; now instead of just a single rank, each NA has six attributes that have their own ranks, which can either be very weak, aka E or D, or stronger than that, B or A. This means that an NA can be weak in some aspects while strong in others. Extended descriptions of what these mean can be found on the Discord Server, in the first thread from "Character and Power Building." If a particular attribute is hard to nail down to a certain letter, whether due to sensitivity to circumstances or a wide spread of grades from each specific ability, you may tag your letter grade with an (S) to indicate this, for example, "C (S)".)
[hider=Insert NA rank here] Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc). Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect. Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included). Along with Power, we will be paying special scrutiny to NAs that are high in this stat and especially in both at once. Persistence: Stamina toll on the user. Higher rank = more ease of use. Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs. Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution. [/hider]
[b]Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range:[/b] (Is your Noble Arm Support/Melee/Ranged, or some other? What Element or Concept are they themed on? Are they close-range, mid-range, or long-range or all of them?)
[b]Noble Arm Abilities:[/b] (No maximum number, however, try and be sensible about this. Just because you [i]can[/i] doesn't mean you [i]should[/i], also be as detailed as you can, especially on its strengths, weaknesses, and effects. For example, every ability with a range restriction should have that range at least qualitatively measured: city block? As far as the user can see?)
[b]Misc Abilities:[/b] What are your other talents?
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]*Likes:[/b]
[b]*Dislikes:[/b]
[b]Fears:
Bio:
*Current Goal:
Military or Civilian Rank:[/b]
*Optional
1.) Cooperative storytelling comes first; prospective players should not seek to game or break the system to make themselves as powerful as possible. One should also not use one's PC's powers to brute-force all obstacles the GM brings before them, or use sophistry, psychological tricks, or 'mental influence magic' to win every diplomatic confrontation. This is not an RP where 'storygaming' is an ugly word. 2.) Nor does an angsty backstory that fits various 'story beats' make one's character good if their purpose is to defeat everyone and establish themselves as the 'top dogs' and otherwise make it an arms race with the GM on who can god-mode more. If one won't use their angsty backstory to make a good story, this is not the RP for them. 3.) That said, powerful characters and angsty backstories are permitted, as long as they are made by players who are willing to cooperate with each other and the GM to make a good and dynamic story that isn't just 'X overpowers Y' by bending the rules so far they break, violating the spirit of said rules and (to quote Dave Brookshaw of Onyx Path publishing) common sense. 4.) The first three rules are the most important; let's just say that people who cannot follow them have proven problematic before, and it's best that we have people who can follow the first three rules in this RP. 5.) Do not be an asshole. 6.) Post length is five sentences minimum, but longer posts are encouraged, of course. GMs are also bound by this rule. 7.) Characters are supposed to start out no higher than B-Rank in statistical average on their Noble Arm. Note that exceptions can be made for one (two at the most) players who can be trusted to control themselves and not power game when it weakens the story. 8.) 1 US Dollar is 55 Philippine Pesos - Remember this when you spend money.
Timeskip, Mekong River, China - 10/25/2022, 6:10 UTC+8
Noel Alonso was soothed by the smooth whirring of the patrol boats' engines, a dangerous mood while wearing a stolen PLA Marine uniform that barely hid his dark skin tone and non-Chinese facial features. Between the muddy, almost black waters barely lit up by his boat's faint headlights and the high banks that blocked the scant illumination from the moonless sky, there was a lack of things to do but to wait for their group to reach their destination or be stopped midway, either briefly or permanently.
Well, there was stargazing, but he had just turned eighteen. It was the middle of a combat mission. There was no way he could just sneak a look at the starry sky -
He did so anyway for the fifth time of the journey; the North Star was barely visible through the mass of other glimmering pinpricks of light that demanded their share of attention, but it guided their path anyway - North, then West, to Jinghong City and the Jinghong Dam just beyond it.
Trying to bring his mind back onto the mission, Noel glanced at a disguised Qingshe right beside him; Myron was driving the lead boat and using night vision goggles and a gas mask to hide his pale skin and his distinctive American-Asian face. Then he dared a glance behind his boat engine's barely foamy spray to look at the group's second boat, where Henri, Nil, Marta and Cristina were crammed worse than he was - One of them was driving the vessel and keeping up with Myron as the latter navigated the central length of the strangled Mekong River.
Two headlights; another boat was approaching, slightly more slowly - The group would have to rely on the PLA symbols that marked their boats as official Chinese property to pass beneath the notice of the opposing patrol. As the enemy craft passed them by, Noel let out a breath he did not know he had been holding back in his chest; a flashback to the old days, when squashing terrorists was the worst he could dread. Good, the worst was now over -
Oh no, Noel thought as the faint lights of the patrol boats lit up a giant chain, with floating buoys strapped to it, that was strung out across the shrunken Mekong River to block all passage upwards; each end of the chain was tied to two concrete guard towers that had gears and cranes that allowed for the chain to be raised up and down at will. This was not in the intelligence reports, but it was a tactic that made sense; to block potential infilitrators to Jinghong City, whose lights just lay beyond the guard towers and the chain between them.
Voices in Chinese could be heard through the radio, but Myron, in a fake Mandarin accent, talked fast, giving an answer to every question or order... Before handing the tower guard a small box that Myron had told him and Qingshe on the trip contained a bribe of heroin. Gross, but as the chain was lifted up and the two boats were permitted to go through Jinghong City, where PLA Soldiers and Marines swarmed like ants, weapons at the ready, and drones flew overhead taking surveillance footage, Noel felt small again as Task Force Obsidian moved through the better-lit river, where tank columns could be seen patrolling the riverbanks and the occassional firebase could be glimpsed behind buildings.
Jinghong City was an armed camp; the Dam, just up ahead, was much worse.
There was another long chain, made up of heavy steel with plastic buoys attached, but this time, each end was attached to two small bunkers of reinforced concrete, whose domes were covered with mud and earth to camouflage them from aerial view. And in the bunker to their left, there was a window, and beyond the window was Huo Ren, their Task Force's greatest still-living foe.
Above them, an early dawn was blooming as another Artificial Sun, conjured by Huo Ren's spear, formed in the sky, revealing the faces of anyone without a mask on as Myron turned off his mask's night vision settings.
"I learn from my mistakes," he said in English before pausing to allow the people in the boats to register his presence, his movements, and his actions. "That is all."
- School Mop. - Smartphone. - School Uniform (and underclothes). - Backpack and Textbooks. - Packed Lunch.
Short Bio: Born to well-to-do parents who can give him a decent education, Neil was odd in the sense that he had an Imaginary Friend, 'Niklaus von Hildmann', who looked exactly like him but was a noble of a place called the Barony of Weißer Berg, aka White Mountain. This Imaginary Friend knew things that Neil did not know on his own, such as a full dictionary of what his world knew as German, how to fight properly with swords, and how to ride a horse. Most importantly, he taught Neil a few bits of Magic; nothing that would get him in trouble in his world, aka Earth, but enough to convince Neil that his imaginary friend was both real and telling the truth.
Niklaus regaled him with stories of Weißer Berg and how it was beautiful in all seasons, filled with happy villagers and valiant knights, and how his father ruled over a prosperous and peaceful land, which was in danger from an Emperor who was trying to crush the rights and liberties of his people. 'Nik' also told Neil that he was a magical prodigy, a 'Dimensioneer', who can mentally bond with people from other worlds and eventually, exchange places with them with their consent.
As is obvious to all, only some of that spiel was true, namely the 'Dimensioneer' part. The Emperor was not evil in the beginning, and Niklaus' father was a petty tyrant. Nevertheless, as Neil grew up, he eventually allowed Niklaus to suggest a 'contract' that would allow them to exchange places with each other across worlds and dimensions.
The first exchange was wonderful; Neil was able to enjoy a lavish banquet while Niklaus got him a date with the hottest girl in class. Further exchanges provided even better learning experiences until a guard made a remark about 'crushing a serf revolt' and another talked about hanging children from trees. And it was then that Neil found out that his friend was false; more inquiries revealed that not only was Niklaus' father a cruel, corrupt man, but Niklaus was one himself, having slaughtered innocent villages and extorted huge sums of copper, silver, and gold coins, as well as grain and other food.
Oh, and the Emperor they were rebelling against was someone who wanted to stop that behavior.
When Neil confronted Niklaus about this, the latter laughed at him and said that this was part of his plan all along - On their eighteenth birthday, a secret clause in the contract they made will exchange their places for real, permanently, and he will be able to avoid the fate that was coming once the Emperor inevitably won. Oh, and that there was some sort of conspiracy but he had to find that out from the Church of Existence. Good luck!
And so it happened as Nik predicted; the Rebel Nobles were defeated by the Emperor's Gunpowder Army in the Battle at the Gates of Kaiserstadt, Prince Otto was knifed to death by the imprisoned nobles when he came to assure them of clemency, and the Emperor ordered Niklaus, the last survivor of his family, enslaved in response and sold in Venedig.
Just as luck would have it, Niklaus and Neil turned eighteen just when Nik arrived in the city to be prepared and processed into slavery. Now, Isekai'd against his own will and forced to try and escape his would-be enslavers, Neil seeks help from the Church of Existence... If he can find them!
Starting Faction: N/A
Spell List:
Dimensional Contract (Dimensional + High, allowed by a Character Trait) - Is capable of making a pact with one other person, and only that person, to exchange places with each other across multiple worlds. This pact, however, has been negotiated by someone who inserted a clause permanently changing their places after a certain amount of time. Note that High Magic can Nullify the Contract, but until then, this 'Spell Slot' cannot be used for any useful Magic.
Bond across Worlds (Mind + Dimensonal, allowed by a Character Trait) - Neil can telepathically communicate with Niklaus, his treacherous friend, even across universes, and this communication is two-way, with Niklaus watching over Neil's actions and ordeals.
Portal (Dimensional) - Allows Neil to create a portal to a place he can see with his sight, and this can be used to conduct short-ranged false teleports. However, Dimensional Magic is always flashy, unlike Timespace (a Forbidden Area), and so it is easy to detect him using this.
Mantle of Memory (Mind) - Neil can temporarily alter people's memories to make him feel like a familiar, even friendly presence, and this allows him to go through areas where he normally would not be allowed to go.
Perfect Recall (Mind) - Neil can give himself near-perfect memory of all information he has absorbed since infancy.
Learn Faster (Mind) - Neil can watch someone do something (fencing, shooting, even gardening) through his eyes or a magical recording, and master the relevant skill for one to three posting rounds. This requires that his body be able to endure the requirements of said skill in the first place, but he is athletic enough for most physical work and styles of fighting...
Character Traits:
Dimensioneer - Allows access to the Dimensional Contract and the Bond across Worlds spells.
Fairest of all the ‘Princes’ of the Earth - Neil's face and body are the perfect mix of masculine and feminine traits, strong and smooth, lean yet toned, and all perfectly proportioned. Even on Earth, he is of supermodel-level looks.
Traditionalist Spell Mastery (Dimensional, Mind) - Neil has Spell Mastery of Dimensional and Mind Magic and can cast the spells he has of those Schools with only his words, gestures, or in emergencies, pure thoughts.
Seven decades ago, the Computer Scientist Alan Turing invented an 'Occult Programming Language' that made magic real. The most common form that 'magic' took was the Noble Arm, which was the ability to conjure up a supernatural weapon that can defy the laws of physics, a weapon bound to the user’s mind and soul; summoned by their will into reality. For reasons that are still unexplainable despite years of research, Noble Arms only take the form of weapons from before the First World War, however, despite the antiquity of these forms, the power they bear to the battlefield is unlike anything modern technology has been able to produce.
The ability to manipulate the elements to the user's will.
Forces that can reduce matter down to atoms in seconds.
The strength to withstand the explosion of a nuclear missile.
It is now 2022, and the world is both different and similar to how History should have gone. Trying to redress its humiliation in this timeline's 1988, the current rulers of China have launched an invasion of Southeast Asia, forcing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to attempt a collective defense. Foiled three times, first in their attempt to land in Lingayen Gulf, then battled by their countrymen, the rebel Qing Restoration Society, in Mischief Reef, and finally humiliated by the destruction of Jinghong Dam in their own territory, the People's Liberation Army now count on exhaustion and treachery from within to force one of ASEAN's key members, the Philippines, to yield.
Despite early victories on the battlefield, the Philippine Government of National Salvation is stretched thin as its leadership faces opposition from the myriad political families/clans that hold large amounts of power over the provinces, many of who genuinely blame the PGNS for the Chinese invasion even as the People's Republic of China bribes them with cash, gifts, and promises of preferment if they'd just yield to the invaders. Nevertheless, it was believed that the Danggal Family, which controls the City of Baguio in the Northern Philippines, would stay loyal to the PGNS, if only because of their close links with the Americans who still recognize the PGNS as the legal government of the country.
They were not. On November 2, they seized the city for themselves and declared their intention to invite the Chinese in. Now the Philippine Government of National Salvation scrambles what forces it could to break this treasonous clan before their treachery dooms the entire nation!
This is an interest check for a Side RP/Spinoff RP of Noble Arms: The ASEAN War (link here), where the goal is to expand on the setting and elements that receive only mentions or exposition in the Main RP, as well as affect key elements in said RP, ranging from if debilitating information leaks affecting the Main RP's OCs would continue or if the ones from the Philippines will have a country to return to after all is said and done.
You have the option of playing Arms Masters, people that through personal development, positive or negative, have manifested a Noble Arm, a weapon formed from and linked to, but not part of one's soul. You can also be ordinary but not unimportant service-folk/service people: Special Forces Infantry, Air Force Pilots, Marines, Boat Drivers, or even foreign volunteers from Europe, America, Japan, or everywhere else.
Antagonists need special permission from all three members of the GM Council (Being Recruited).
You can find the Lore in the Noble Arms Lore Thread and the relevant lore for playing a character, plus the Character Sheet Skeleton, is below.
Relevant Lore
Noble Arms:
Noble Arms take the form of weaponry that was created before World War I - Each one of them has powerful abilities beyond normal human capacity, however, they can only be used if they are released into reality by their user. Noble Arms exist in a kind of 'hyperspace' that is unique to its user and can be called from there - in essence, an Arms Master is always armed.
Noble Arms have an astonishingly versatile ability pool, from calling down fire to strengthening the body, etc., and more often than not, possess more than one ability. However, similar to physical activity, using a Noble Arm is draining physically and more so mentally - Extended use of its abilities is akin to overexerting yourself on both fronts and as such, so much more fatal to overdo.
For the purposes of defining what a weapon is, a weapon is 'something crafted or shaped by human hands for the specific purpose of doing harm'. This also means that you can use a bunch of Stone Age flint knives, a wand, and yes, a staff as weapons.
Note: We have allowed this rule to be stretched before, allowing books and exploding metal cubes, but asking for a stretch is a privilege, not a right. Do not ask without a good, story-based reason.
Noble Arm Ratings:
Noble Arms are rated according to, firstly, the sum of their atomized ranks (Power, Speed, Range, etc as detailed in the character sheet). An F grade counts as a 0, an A as a 5, and the sum is divided by 6. However, ultimately, the grading system is used as a threat assessment. Noble Arms that are more dangerous than their average number indicates may have their overall grade incremented up a letter, or vice versa.
Examples of rank as a threat assessment:
- A Noble Arm capable of strengthening its Arms Master is common, and can easily be countered by police officers with the proper ordinance, and thus, merits an E rank, its Arms Master is not notable to the government and subsequently ignored.
- On the other hand, a Noble Arm capable of creating explosions in the atmosphere is uncommon and dangerous, as such, the user must undergo a government registration form and be placed under mild scrutiny. The Noble Arm in question will merit a C or B rank.
- Finally, there are Noble Arms that can achieve effects that can cover an area the size of a city, for good or for ill. Such Noble Arms are both rare and regarded as extremely dangerous to countries at large (note that some powers might not justify this fear, even if they cover an entire city). Their users will be under constant surveillance and limits will be placed on the usage of their Noble Arm. Such Noble Arms are always rated A.
Noble Arm Origins:
Formation:
The most common way to have a Noble Arm is to reach a stage of personal development, for good or for ill, which allows one's Soul (yes, Souls are a thing here) to form one from the sum of the person's personality, willpower, and sense of identity. Said Noble Arms are connected to their user's Soul and are made of the same material/energy as it. They can be suppressed and damaged; they can be broken and diminished, but they cannot be completely destroyed except in extraordinary circumstances, and even then only because although born from a Soul, they are not the originating Soul itself but akin; actual Souls are even more indestructible (although their energies can be suppressed to infinitesimal levels). This leads us to the second way to obtain a Noble Arm - Inheritance.
Inheritance
When an Arms Master dies, their Noble Arm is left in a limbo state, unable to follow them to wherever Souls go (while immortal Souls have been proven, an afterlife is not, much less a good afterlife). When this happens, it latches on the closest possible Soul even if the holder of said Soul has not developed enough to grow their own Noble Arm. If the 'latching' process is successful, the new Arms Master gains the power of a Noble Arm grafted to their own consciousness and identical to its previous form. This phenomenon has been tracked over the past decades, and the Seven Virtues have found a way to interfere with the process to ensure that various NAs end up with the 'right' people...
Categories of Ranking and Degrees of Rank:
Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc). Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect. Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included). Persistence: Stamina toll on user. Higher rank = more ease of use. Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs. Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution.
F = Default/minimum rank. B = General maximum of standard NA. A = Generally restricted to A-Rank NAs, but 1-2 categories may potentially reach it. S = "Special" rank. This means the category is flexible in some way, and not necessarily for the better. (Ex - Power: D (S)) This supplementary rank is often the result or source of an NA having a "+" or "-" on their final rank. Infinite/?: Indicating no measurable limit on the category. Only been seen on A-Ranks thus far. This rank has yet to even be officially acknowledged as existing IC. (this rating's details may be subject to change; this is merely my current interpretation)
The final overall ranking of the Noble Arm is determined on an average by assigning point values from 0-5 on the respective ranks F-A. Depending on the power set and its effectiveness in practice, the final ranking may, however, be subject to flexibility.
If you want, you may also use a graph image based on the JJBA Stand ranking system instead, since that is what we are basing this off largely. The above is the most convenient to read, but you have the option for flavor. Just try to have it in a hider in either case.
Power:
F-Rank: Provides no notable supernatural advantage. Often cosmetic at best. The Noble Arm certainly possesses the same supernatural durability as any other NA, but beyond that? Little. Ranged Noble Arms are not found here.
E-Rank: Minor supernatural advantage. Hits a bit harder, cuts a bit easier, endures a little more, etc. than a normal human could. It's not much, but it's there. Enhancements are "slight", but elemental manipulation is possible. Ranged Noble Arms are possible now and typically have this rank at minimum. "Peak Human" is a common descriptor.
D-Rank: Cantrip levels of strength. Can easily dish out, endure, or heal from effects that are singularly lethal to a human. Notably useful abilities exist here that are a serious problem for most people. Such a power is much like always carrying a loaded gun and may be beyond the police's capacity to handle it.
C-Rank: A strong/multiple, physical/magical effect that will start to cause issues for public safety.
B-Rank: Very strong. Difficult to counter without a specialized/specific effect.
A-Rank: Powers of this strength are nearly uncontestable. Once the effect occurs, it usually cannot be overridden or countered without exceptional means. Perfect stealth. Strength that is enough to lift and throw a skyscraper or cause earthquakes. Total incineration. Absolute zero infliction. Disintegration of atoms. Stopping time. The possibilities are nearly limitless. The amount of raw energy behind these abilities is frankly excessive.
Speed:
F-Rank: Basically, this... "Is to go-! Even! Further! BEYOND! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Editor's Note: This continued for 10 episodes.
E-Rank: Comparative to walking underwater. Notable ramp-up/charge time. Abilities take a disadvantageously long time to fully "stick". Recommended against using them in the open or in sight of any hostile, at least initially. 1 minute or more.
D-Rank: Small ramp-up time. Somewhat disadvantageous, but possible to use even against a conventionally faster opposition with care and the right timing. A power that typically requires patience and "choosing the right moment" from the user. Abilities have a tendency towards "damage over time" compared to "instant". 3-60 seconds.
C-Rank: Abilities respond and take effect at a respectable, practical speed. The user will have no real trouble utilizing their powers often and reflexively. The power doesn't quite match up when pitted against an ambush or with the user caught off guard. The moments needed to both perceive and respond to the threat mean that a "surprise round" still favors the enemy.
B-Rank: Abilities respond quickly, lagging behind the user's desires for 1-5 seconds at absolute worst. Being caught off guard is far less threatening. The power typically responds and reaches full effect at speeds equivalent to the user's mere consideration of using it.
A-Rank: Answers the user's call with almost prescient speed. The effects of powers typically occur instantaneously, even at large scale. "Surprise rounds" are nearly entirely useless against them without an effect of comparable speed. Rather, they respond so quickly that they can almost immediately invert a situation with themselves on the back foot to one where they have a distinct advantage. These powers practically ooze the concept of "having the initiative".
Range:
F-Rank: Touch-range. The power generally requires either the user or the Noble Arm, itself, to make physical contact with the target of their ability. Fallout is nonexistent.
E-Rank: Melee-range. Comparable range to a held weapon of some stripe, even a whip. It no longer requires physical contact to take effect. Fallout/lingering effects are minimal to nonexistent and rarely -if ever- have the capacity to spread beyond a single target. Up to approximately 5-6 meters/15-21 feet.
D-Rank: Mid-Range. Covers the ideal skirmishing distance for a pistol. An indoor firing range would be comparable. Up to approximately 50 meters/166 feet.
C-Rank: Around a city block or couple. Up to approximately 200 meters/658 feet. Fallout may exceed the base range by a factor of double the core range.
B-Rank: Long-range. Could encompass a whole neighborhood or village. Fallout may equal or even exceed the base target area by a factor of 2-4. Up to around 1-2 kilometers.
A-Rank: City-wide or larger. Attacks may potentially be launched from miles away. Fallout may potentially leak out into a national emergency.
Persistence:
F-Rank: Can maybe use their active power all of once before being exhausted. Even having the NA summoned is a serious effort that requires physical honing to master.
E-Rank: Like a D-Rank squared. Significant base maintenance cost. Abilities that incur a stamina drain like being punched in the gut. They are lovers, not fighters. And when they do fight, they are either very careful or dead.
D-Rank: Must be picky with their power use. Tactical. The drain of even having the NA out is significant. A D-Rank may have trouble keeping their power going continuously for even a single decent skirmish. "Playing it smart" is the name of the game. If not a serious stamina drain, then a notable negative backlash usually is inherent to the active power.
C-Rank: Will experience drain even if they don't use the NA's powers. Minor drain, granted, but drain all the same. Their powers typically aren't incredibly draining to actively use immediately, but the user will absolutely feel it with constant, reckless use. Sort of like sprinting. These NAs are ideally used with a "breather" between skirmishes to catch a second or third wind. They are much like a well-trained soldier.
B-Rank: Could, in theory, be summoned indefinitely as long as the user either didn't make heavy use of its abilities or had incredibly minor abilities. This rank is ideal for prolonged battlefield fighting, as long as the user has time to rest every few skirmishes.
A-Rank: Typically known to be very free in this aspect, able to both keep their power going near indefinitely and not really feeling the strain without truly excessive overuse or a very specific type of backlash unique to the NA/power.
Precision:
F-Rank: Volatile and indiscriminate to the extreme. Not even the user is safe. In fact, they are more often than not caught in the power's effect as well, for better or worse. If the power has any capacity to affect multiple targets, it will always attempt to hit all of them and attempt to perform to its maximum possible extent.
E-Rank: User gains some level of "leashing" capacity. Power now often has a dial and can be restrained from automatically going full bore. Is still quite a "hair trigger" and prone to being a threat to the user as well without caution being taken.
D-Rank: Still quite indiscriminate, but the user now usually has some actual capacity to be protected from their own ability. Usually, this protection is not voluntary, however, for better or worse. Power is no longer so oily in the user's proverbial grasp. "Dial" is more defined.
C-Rank: Some minimal capacity to actively exempt others selectively from the effect, which typically requires concentration. Otherwise, abilities have preset exemptions that provide the user more flexibility.
B-Rank: Can selectively exempt targets from the effect on both large and small scales. Usually, the user must already know/be able to visualize individually who or what they are exempting. Although, one could be more general, like "all humans" if firing blindly.
A-Rank: Abilities are highly selective and surgically fine in application. The user usually has near -if not complete- control over who and what they affect. Such abilities may be able to affect someone/something the user doesn't know or is aware of. Such abilities may potentially have such capacity as to identify and target things the user could otherwise have no knowledge about, like "all "enemies/innocents/allies" or "good/evil".
Potential:
Preface: This stat lowers roughly inversely to the number of abilities a Noble Arm possesses and is thus expected to inevitably lower over the course of the RP, starting low the more powerful a Noble Arm starts out.
F-Rank: Extremely static. The NA has nearly zero ability to evolve further. Can usually only develop one more narrow ability... if any at all.
E-Rank: Typically develops 1-2 abilities at most. New powers are quite narrow in scope of application. Complex abilities aren't entirely unheard of, but they are extremely uncommon.
D-Rank: Develops a small number of abilities, even complex ones, but the user must put in serious effort and/or have rather notable personal character/soul development to gain any more.
C-Rank: Develops a comfortable number of powers of various complexities. Can be mistaken for a higher rank in this classification early on but peters out eventually. Preexisting powers have the capacity to improve or change if the user makes the effort to push their boundaries.
B-Rank: Rapidly develops new abilities with even half-hearted or deluded attempts at experimentation. The NA is highly amendable to users who actively seek out specific evolutions and utilizations of their abilities. Complex, flexible powers are not only common but expected, almost inevitable.
A-Rank: The "blank slate" rank, typically possessed by a freshly awakened Noble Arm. Having this rank generally means having only 1 ability at most with radical potential for more. A Noble Arm like this has yet to lock in a "theme" and can evolve in virtually any direction the Arms Master might subconsciously choose. The Noble Arm is extremely sensitive to any excuse to develop in this state, often doing so completely involuntarily. It's therefore extremely rare to find a Noble Arm with this rank, as the weapon has usually already shed this level of potential within days, if not hours, depending on the conditions.
Made by Senhara:
This was approved on Discord by all the GMs and was my suggestion, and I heavily recommend joining the server if you plan to join.
As a system to improve the survivability of PCs and other Arms Masters, this was come up with.
By virtue of being able to wield magic, NA users benefit from the ability to recover from gunshots and the like more effectively than a human, and notably, their bodies heal up faster. This pulls power from their NA, so if you get hit, you live but your powers weaken. So instead of a regular human taking a few rounds to be downed, 1-3 or the like, it'd take more like 4-8 to sustain for C class NA users before they'd be totally unable to use their powers and would need medical attention, with the more powerful NAs being able to withstand more. While Arms Masters are still under their cap for how much abuse they can take, if a "critical" hit occurs, say a shot through the heart or the skull, they're incapacitated but all resources immediately go to fixing them up. The result of this is they're out for the fight, unconscious, but they're still alive. If they proceed to get shot more and do not receive medical attention or are over their capacity for how much damage they can take and receive a critical hit, they would instead die.
Addenum by Lewascan2 with edits by me:
Note that logically, Defensive/Survival/Healing powers take priority over the survival system. If it's a question of a hit 'counting' or not, the hit to the Arms Master's 'survival stacks' is not expended (or may even be reversed/restored) if their power/an incoming power has some method of negating/delaying/mitigating/repairing the damage. Basically, specific powers can defend against or heal an Arms Master or make them endure stuff. If you don't have specific defensive powers, though... Well, this is a world of tradeoffs.
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considerably more militarized and economically linked than IRL, with coordination between their best Arms Masters and their separate militaries.
- This in turn has its roots in 1988 when China had a confrontation with the ASEAN Countries over the Spratlys and ASEAN won due to the intervention of Filipino Arms Master Angelito Jaime (who had a spear that could open a portal through which he was clever enough to use to redirect bullets, artillery, cruise missiles, and potentially even nukes back at the person who fired them, and this works on many other NA attacks too). This victory, however, led to an undercurrent of resentment between China and ASEAN which burst into fire decades later in the ASEAN War.
- The Philippines is now led by a 'Government of National Salvation' chaired by an Original Character. The IRL Government/Administration is no longer in power.
- After some thought, another OC (Democratic) is the President of the US instead of anyone IRL.
- The Original Character President of the US was the perfect domestic president, saving the country from COVID-19, restoring the US Economy, limiting corporate power, strengthening the Trade Unions and making them more relevant, and creating more well-paying jobs. The downside to this? His foreign policy sucks, as he despises the prospect of sending Americans to die overseas for ideological goals so much that he is willing to neglect or withdraw from the US alliances and defense commitments and thus emboldened China and Russia to move into open war, mistakenly sensing weakness.
- The US Congress, however, was capable of striking back to issue sanctions, provide weapons, vehicles, supplies, money, and all possible aid to ASEAN and Ukraine, and is trying to scramble enough people to form a majority that can declare war even with a Presidential Veto.
- Indonesia has been caught flat-footed by China's new militaristic mood, and while it remains Democratic, its military (both Army and Navy) is rising in power once again, although its President is still canny enough to balance out competing interests.
- In 2014, instead of a certain terrorist organization taking over large portions of Iraq and Syria, the Hammer of Masters, an organization of Arms Master terrorists, did so instead to establish a 'Malikate' where Arms Masters can rule over Non-Arms Masters as the 'Superior Race'. This was crushed in 2018 - 2019, when the 'Big Three' first made their appearance, and the Paragons and Seven Virtues began giving away Noble Arms.
- As for the various groups in the Original Noble Arms, the Hammer of Masters (mentioned above) and the Disablers have dwindled into near-irrelevance over the last four years due to the existence of the Seven Virtues and Paragons of Science (both of whom have defectors from both groups), same for the Arms of Nobility and the Organization for Disarmament. It is also rumored that the Seven Virtues and Paragons have been organizing manhunts for members of the Hammer and Disablers who remain diehard fanatics of their ideologies.
- There are people within China trying to fight against the current leadership of its Government so that they can change their country and shift it to a direction they believe is more productive. Some of them are fringe groups given power by Noble Arms, such as the ASEAN-allied Qing Restoration Society (QRS), but others fight within the current Government, such as the [Insert Name Here] Clique and the [Blank] and [REDACTED] Factions, to stop a war they consider senseless and counter to China's prosperity.
Character Sheet
[center][b]Appearance:[/b] (Picture preferred, although written descriptions are good too. Also, please include miscellaneous information such as height and weight.)[/center]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Nationality:[/b]
[b]Noble Arm Name & Appearance:[/b]
[b]Noble Arm Rank:[/b] (We redid how ranks work; now instead of just a single rank, each NA has six attributes that have their own ranks, which can either be very weak, aka E or D, or stronger than that, B or A. This means that an NA can be weak in some aspects while strong in others. Extended descriptions of what these mean can be found on the Discord Server, in the first thread from "Character and Power Building." If a particular attribute is hard to nail down to a certain letter, whether due to sensitivity to circumstances or a wide spread of grades from each specific ability, you may tag your letter grade with an (S) to indicate this, for example, "C (S)".)
[hider=Insert NA rank here] Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc). Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect. Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included). Along with Power, we will be paying special scrutiny to NAs that are high in this stat and especially in both at once. Persistence: Stamina toll on the user. Higher rank = more ease of use. Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs. Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution. [/hider]
[b]Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range:[/b] (Is your Noble Arm Support/Melee/Ranged, or some other? What Element or Concept are they themed on? Are they close-range, mid-range, or long-range or all of them?)
[b]Noble Arm Abilities:[/b] (No maximum number, however, try and be sensible about this. Just because you [i]can[/i] doesn't mean you [i]should[/i], also be as detailed as you can, especially on its strengths, weaknesses, and effects. For example, every ability with a range restriction should have that range at least qualitatively measured: city block? As far as the user can see?)
[b]Misc Abilities:[/b] What are your other talents?
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]*Likes:[/b]
[b]*Dislikes:[/b]
[b]Fears:[/b]
[b]Bio:[/b]
[b]*Current Goal:[/b]
[b]Military or Civilian Rank:[/b]
*Optional
Rules
1.) Cooperative storytelling comes first; prospective players should not seek to game or break the system to make themselves as powerful as possible. One should also not use one's PC's powers to brute-force all obstacles the GM brings before them, or use sophistry, psychological tricks, or 'mental influence magic' to win every diplomatic confrontation. This is not an RP where 'storygaming' is an ugly word. 2.) Nor does an angsty backstory that fits various 'story beats' make one's character good if their purpose is to defeat everyone and establish themselves as the 'top dogs' and otherwise make it an arms race with the GM on who can god-mode more. If one won't use their angsty backstory to make a good story, this is not the RP for them. 3.) That said, powerful characters and angsty backstories are permitted, as long as they are made by players who are willing to cooperate and the GM to make a good and dynamic story that isn't just 'X overpowers Y' by bending the rules so far they break, violating the spirit of said rules and (to quote Dave Brookshaw of Onyx Path publishing) common sense. 4.) The first three rules are the most important; let's just say that people who cannot follow them have proven problematic before, and we should have people who can follow the first three rules in this RP. 5.) Do not be an asshole. 6.) Post length is five sentences minimum, but longer posts are encouraged, of course. GMs are also bound by this rule. 7.) Characters are supposed to start no higher than B-Rank in statistical average on their Noble Arm. Note that exceptions can be made for one (two at the most) players who can be trusted to control themselves and not powergame when it weakens the story. 8.) 1 US Dollar is 55 Philippine Pesos - Remember this when you spend money. 9.) Reminder: The more powerful you are, the lower your Potential stat is. If you want high Potential, you need to make a weak Noble Arm that can get stronger later.
Long story short: Earth and its cronies in the Inner Colonies were the bad guys, they tried to take over the Outer Colonies, and they had supersoldiers with actual superpowers.
Obviously, they failed; good thing too, because they would have screwed up contact with the Alien Compact, a former theocracy where one species, the Soveriegns, ruled over everyone else and made them slaves (they also had a prophecy where Humanity are the real destined rulers of the Galaxy and were planning to kill us all before dying of a plague made by the Korta, one of their vassals).
But now, there was one pressing problem: After Earth and the Inner Colonies lost its Civil War against the Free Human Worlds, the latter dissolved and went their own way, leaving Humanity divided once more - But not before it was discovered that the supersoldiers they had, the Star Marines? They were children - Earth and the Inner Colonies were abusing kids in order to turn them into living weapons! Oh, and apparently, that their superpowers weren't actually based on 'Obscure Superscience' but Ancient Magic; that Hocus Pocus stuff from books and comics and weird cults.
And anyone can learn that if they had access to Aether, a type of Dark Matter that used to be present on Earth but has long since dried up. With Aether, one can turn imagination and beliefs to reality, violating the laws of physics and the material world. The Rau've, another species in the Alien Compact who really, really like us, taught us how to harvest Aether from the void between stars, so now we have more toys to play with!
But the kids, the Star Marines, Earth and the Inner Colonies threw them away after their failure and now they wander the cosmos trying to 'find their destiny'. And on the desert planet of Martell, some of them may actually find it...
