Beyond the storms.

[ML]

ATTENTION: We are currently looking for 1-2 more players. If you're at all interested, feel free to apply. Or, if you have questions ask as many as you like, either through PM or the OOC.
The OOC is here.

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"Arms in, head straight. Don't move, and try not to scream. Clock in once you hit the ground. Good luck."

'Safety Statement for The Drop, Doherty Outreach Center'

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[ P R E M I S E / I N F O ]

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You are a member of the newest expedition chartered by the UINC, an agency created by the United Isles council to explore the oceans. The United Isles are a collection of floating islands, surrounded by a never-ending ring of storms that makes traveling by air impossible. For centuries, the humans of the United Isles have lived surrounded by storms.

No one really knows how the islands float or where the storms originated, but it's generally accepted that the massive Obelisk on one of the islands is the cause. Now another obelisk has been discovered on an island which is not floating, and everyone has lost their collectiev minds.

The United Isles Ship Garrloch is heading out on her maiden voyage into the unexplored ocean world, in an attempt to figure out just what in the hell is out there. The crew of the Garrloch is as varied as they come: practically anyone with a will or a reason to explore could be on it. That's you.

Welcome aboard.

Let's get you up to speed. The UIS Garrloch is the pinnacle of new ship technology. It's got incredible range for it's size, it can use converted plant life as fuel, and it carries an advanced prototype aircraft which can convert from a helicopter/VTOL configuration to a full-featured plane. It's the first of it's kind, and it's making exploring the world beyond the storms much easier.

The only way out of the storms is at sea level, where ships have to fight against huge waves and freak lightning strikes as they pass under the black and roiling storm clouds.

The UIS Garrloch has made it through the storms, and they've reached undiscovered land. But the ship's crew and civilians are quickly learning that their trials are only just beginning. Past the storms, past the water, the Garrloch has found land. And a mysterious new people upon it.

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Original Interest Check Info

Traveling down to sea-level is accomplished through the Doherty Outreach Center. It's basically a giant elevator. Around the outside of the elevator is a series of harnesses and storage containers. That is the Drop, and it is essentially a controlled free-fall toward the ocean when you need to get down there fast.

The time period is about 70 years back from today in our world. The United Isles is a fairly anachronistic world, however. Let's say about 1940s in our world, with some differences. Before the construction of the Outreach Centers, ship technology was largely constrained to lakeboats. Yachts, fishing boats, etc, with long-range shipping barges and warships being largely useless in a floating world. Instead, aerial transport was invented early, with gliders being first, parachutes close behind, and motor-powered aircraft being invented almost in sync with automobiles.

In other words, ship technology is not very well developed, while aircraft technology is far more advanced for the time, with helicopters already being used frequently, airplanes being far more optimized, etc. Just try to imagine how life might be different if humanity had evolved for 2000 years floating in the sky.

Some history is below, if you're interested. It isn't really required.

The History of the United Isles

[ T H E U N I T E D I S L E S : A B R I E F H I S T O R Y ]

Some two thousand years ago, as near as any historian can tell, some of landmasses of the world broke free from their tectonic plates, somehow rising into the sky without explanation. In defiance of all logic and the laws of physics, hundreds of islands floated above the ocean at dizzying heights.

To add further confusion to the rapid shift of geography, a ring of freak storms surrounded a group of the floating landmasses. In the span of roughly one month, five large isles (as well as numerous smaller surrounding islands) had been cut off from the rest of the world, unable to even see past the seemingly endless sheets of rain, and the torrents of thunder and lightning.

Humans, as humans do, survived through tenacity and adaptability. For two thousand years, the people of the five isles lived, worked, and evolved. Aside from the storm ring, the fatal drop, and the floating, not much else had changed for the inhabitants. Gravity still worked, plants still grew, and human ingenuity continued to shape the world. Somehow the rivers and lakes of the floating planets stayed full, with frequent rain from the storm ring replenishing the water supplies as fast as they drained. For two thousand years, mankind grew better, smarter.

Yet through all that time, one question never stopped being asked: why?" Why had the islands been torn away from their rightful home? What kept the isles aloft? As more time passed, and the five islands remained cut off from the rest of the planet, another question formed as well. What was out there? Perhaps answers. Perhaps more humans.

After the first brave inventor put their parachute to the test, long ago, humanity has been working since then to get back to the ground. The Isles came together on common ground, the United Isles, working for the betterment of everyone within the Ring of Thunder, as they had taken to calling it. The United Isles Naval Coalition was chartered some eighty years ago, and began work on a series of massive elevators, which would finally allow the people of the United Isles to reach the ground.

It was slow going. Fifty years of hard work and experimentation and construction, but eventually the first of the lifts was finished. Christened the "Doherty Outreach Center", humans were finally able to safely travel to sea level and back, and more importantly, large quantities of cargo were finally able to be moved as well.

Alongside the construction of the Outreach Centers, UINC also worked to create new ship technology. Pleasure Yachts and little lake-craft were well established on the islands, but few bodies of water were large enough to accommodate exploration ships, which were massive by comparison. The construction of these ships really only could begin at sea level.

To shorten the story, the world is in a state of constant excitement. An earlier ship expedition found another obelisk beyond the storms, and now everyone and their mother is trying to go out and explore. Great caches of valuable materials--gold, silver, cotton fields--have also been discovered, and everyone wants a piece.

Anyone can use an Outreach Center, provided they reserve use of the lift in advance. Unfortunately, this can often mean waiting years, as there is a large backup of requests. However, on short notice, anyone who is deemed fit enough can take the Drop.

You are on the Garrloch. For whatever reason, you and your fellow crewmates want to see what is out there. Gold, glory...answers from the past. Who knows what could be waiting?

[POOHEAD189]

Sounds cool. Might not have time for it, but perhaps.

[ML]

Sounds good to me: let me know if you've got the time.

[potatochipgolem]

Has Humans learnt to harness the phenomena keeping the land afloat or the inexhaustible water?

[ML]

Floating Islands are currently a true mystery, and no one really knows why it happens. The water mainly comes from the ring of storms, so it's not inexhaustible, per say. Droughts have occurred in the past, when the water reserves were running low.

Now that there is an easy way to get down to sea level, I would say that the droughts aren't as dangerous anymore, and there would likely be a roaring business in desalination.

[potatochipgolem]

I see! If a chunk of rock dislodges from the landmass, does it float on it's own or does it fall into the ocean?

[ML]

Ooh, that's a good question. I would say that it floats on its own, as there are a bunch of smaller little islands which are floating near the big ones currently.

[Chromane]

Would definitely be interested, this sounds pretty cool.

[ML]

Is anyone partial to any particular time period? I'm tottering between modern day and maybe 30-50 years ago, when flying technology might not be as powerful, so ocean explanation would be more relevant.

[Azkott]

I think going a few years into the past would be pretty amazing. Though definitely not as practical, I can see this roleplay set in the early 20th century, with biplanes and mother-base esque airships taking to the skies; besides this, the early 20th century is also widely regarded as the last grand era of exploration.

Ships of the era were finally powered by a steam, a grand advancement that allowed for the world of exploration and seafaring travel to explode like never before; such would be, in my opinion, rather intriguing to see.

[Azkott]

Besides this, the political turmoil of the time might allow for sequences in which these early aircraft partake in combat, and i'd definitely love to see an aerial dogfight amongst infinitely floating islands.

[ML]

Hm...yeah, I can imagine a world roughly set in the past, but sort of anachronistic in terms of technology, just due to the differences in the world for the past two thousand years.

One of the things I've been considering for a while is how new ship technology must be, since on floating islands there wouldn't really be much of a point for huge warships, but large-scale flying machines would be useful instead.

[Azkott]

I guess it would really be up to you, but i'd vy for early steampower.

[ML]

I'm thinking if one or two more people poke their heads in here, I'll feel comfortable enough to set up an OOC.

[Azkott]

Alright, cool.

[Frenetic Raptor]

This exploration has certainly piqued my interest as well.

[ML]

Hey, neat. I guess I'd better start working on the OOC, then, and with any luck we'll get enough people to get this off the ground.

did you see what i did there with 'off the ground' hahahahaha ok

[ML]

Okay, update: I'm working through the OOC. Lotta information to try and put down.

I would say that it will be done tomorrow, since I'm being dragged off for the night. Sorry for the delay.

[ML]

roleplayerguild.com/topics/139306-beyo..

All right kids, finally got it up. I hope the big old book I wrote about the world doesn't scare anyone away...

@POOHEAD189 @potatochipgolem @Chromane @Azkott @Frenetic Raptor

No pressure to join, but I figured I'd let everyone know

[ML]

Hello again, folks. It's been a while.

I'm looking to fill 1 or 2 spaces in the RP currently: we have a good thing going here, with the posting rate being about once a week, and a story that is slowly becoming more and more dangerous and intriguing.

Here is a link to the OOC. There's plenty of lore for you to read if you're interested, but all of that is not as important now that we've left the safety of the United Isles.

Thanks everyone