The Skies of Elysia: Airships, Aliens, and Adventure [STEAMPUNK, SCI-FI, HIGH FANTASY}

[NightmareInd]

Count me as interested, although I'm personally conflicted between going for a sky pirate or an ace pilot of some kind...

[jetipster]

Throwing my hat in the ring here

[ShwiggityShwah]

I'll try to post as much info as I can within the next 48 hours. I apologize for the wait.

We have more than 10 interests! And I really want you all to have a blast with this.

The numbers will make it interesting and I might need a CO-GM later when we get this thing off the ground.

[MonkeyBusiness]

This sounds fun.

[ShwiggityShwah]

Sample C/S Tab has been added.

Character Creation
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Name: Your characters full name and nickname
Age: Age doesn't really matter, Mankind has existed in Elysia for over a 1000 years and some races were here much earlier.
Race: Any you can think of. If you want to use a canon race, it will be part of Empires Tab (Coming soon)
Culture: If you are none human race, give a short description of their culture, helps with world building.
Appearance Picture or Description
Occupation/Concept How would your character describe themselves? Is he a fighter pilot, a prophet, a priest, a captain, a mercenary, a monster catcher, a demon hunter. Skies the limit here.
Training: List and describe atleast 3 particular skill sets your character is proficient at. They dont have to be just weapons.
Powers: As an exalted you divine gifts with your status. You are considered physically superior to others of your race, but your power manifests in other more spectacular ways. List 5. These can be particular spells you can cast or magical effects you can use. Try to be creative. You could go for a particular theme and be a master of one thing or you can grab bag of alot of different effects. As an Exalted, any power or magic is capable of being acquired through study or training. Listed examples will be in the Exalted and Magic Tabs. Coming soon.
Equipment: At the very least, unless they are from some backwater feral world your character has a universal translator implant (for understanding languages of others) and a PDA of some variety. Your PDA is essentially a smart phone. You can save info on it, contact people, play games, and if you are near a planet that has a network, you have access to the internet (Which may or may not be restricted) Sometimes ships will also have their own network, but only whats saved in the ships database is able to be accessed, sometimes with security restrictions.
Anything else, is good to go. Weapons, Armor, Gadgets, Implants, Magical Artifacts, Magitech, Cybernetics, Special clothes, all that gets listed here.
Airship: It's perfectly fine to not have an airship, trust me there will be plenty. Look to the Airships tab for examples. Coming soon. Again picture or description
Motivation: What drives your character in life and what is their personal goal in this world?
Personality: How your character acts. Be as broad or specific as you like.
Flaws: All great heroes have tragic flaws. Substance abuse, PTSD, you cant fly a ship to save your life, or you just don't get along with people due to trust issues. If your race has a particular weakness
Bio: Your character's personal history and major points in their life. There will be very little I wont allow for someones backstory. Feel free to use worlds, races, empires, and events, again world building.
Extra Info: Anything more, maybe a pet, a personality quirk, an asset you can utilize?
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[ShwiggityShwah]

Update: Magic Tab added

[KoL]

This looks incredibly juicy and tasty for me.

You have my certainly picked my interest with this one. If I can find the time to scribble something, I'll have a tentative CS by this weekend.

[nohbdies]

This is interesting. I love steampunky/magic ideas.

[EvenGODSfall]

I am interested.

[ShwiggityShwah]

@EvenGODSfall

Your name is topical >u<

[Anders]

The Artist Brushed in Red

Al'at Sal'im

The Wolf in Sea

---

Age: Fifty-Seven ~ "Doesn't look a day over twenty."

Race: Zaldean

Occupation: Royalty

Training List:
⍣ ; Political Representive
⍣ ; Swordsmanship
⍣ ; Linguist
⍣ ; Magic Scholar
⍣ ; Alchemic Knowledge
⍣ ; Surgeon
⍣ ; Master of Persuasion

Powers: Essence is the life force that runs through all things in Zaldea, the fauna and flora and even the intelligent beings. Throughout the planet's time being inhabited, the Zaldeans have researched the essence and it is in the royal bloodline that the research came to fruition. The first Sal'im to receive the Blood Binding was Highlord Ke'ra, the grand apothecaries sacrificed hundreds of living creatures to successfully channel enough Life Essence to imbue into the heart of Ke'ra. And with her first heartbeat after the binding she could feel the essence within her, and even within those around her. As lifeblood pumped through her veins, she slowly felt the substance waning away as her lifespan shortened every day. She could see her lifespan, and the lone queen did what any ruler whom feared mortality would- sought immortality. Right? First she learned to control the essence within her self, this allowed the Highlord to perform miracles such as levitation and healing minor injuries upon herself. She would teach those below her of the gift, and trained a small group of strong-willed the art, though not as adept as her. Though soon, with her own practice and research she would learn to steal the essence from other living creatures by draining their blood and drinking it. As she extracted more and more from multiple creatures, she began to look younger, her body biologically rewinding to sustain the amount of essence accumulating within her body. The Zaldeans ever since have been looked down upon with universal dismay as the culture ever since then has sunken into new lows, dabbling in biological experimentation, and forbidden alchemy.

Hemomancy: As a member of the Sal'im lineage, Al'at has complete manipulation over essence within blood giving them control of the life essence in, or outside of his body. This can be utilized in a multitude of ways, simple construction of objects made of blood in a hardened form, contamination of a life form, or even just standard lose control over blood in its liquid state. To sustain Sal'im and allow him to utilize his Hemomancy, he carries around several closed phials of Zaldean blood due to the living things that roam his planet being rich with life essence for the reaping.

Arcanascript: The practice of imbuing scripture with trace trace essence to create scrolls is not a difficult process. However the Zaldeans have derived a different art of this altogether, siphoning the life essence from many a creatures to form an inkwell of glowing red that is used for the pen work on these scrolls. The Zaldeans say this traps the souls of those sacrificed to make this ink within the scroll until it used, though it really does not.

Life Alchemy: Frowned upon by most races, the Zaldeans hold no restraint in using the lives of others to further advance their magical knowledge. Young Zaldean Royalty in particular are taught biological alchemy early on in their life. They are taught how to reconstruct one living thing into another, how to reanimate small creatures bodies, and even twist the structure of others. This can be utilized when corpses are nearby and the Zaldeans are outnumbered, which proper incantations and resources an army of soulless corpse warriors can be manifested.

Equipment:
⍣ ; Kthru Portable Display
⍣ ; Vials of Blood (6)
⍣ ; Suture Thread
⍣ ; Antiseptic Liquid
⍣ ; Surgical Tape
⍣ ; Zaldean Sword (at hip)
⍣ ; Book of Blank Parchment
⍣ ; Life Essence Inkwell

Airship: N/A

Motivation: Al'at is driven by knowledge, he is not an inventor or engineer who seeks to design the greatest of machines or creations albeit. Instead the man seeks to find the cure for death itself. The Sal'im Royal Family slaves away the greatest of minds on Zaldea to seek this answer, to find absolute immortality for their people and to share this knowledge with the world. Some might say that they have already found it, that they harvest the lives of others to extend their lifespans could do so infinitely. It is not so, Ke'ra died one-hundred years ago while in her child-like body. While they are able to maintain the Life Essence needed to extend their lives, it is taxing on the soul within the body to adjust to such great intakes of life essence at length. The Zaldeans call this the Soul Sickness, as the person seems to be fine in every physical sense but their spirit eventually fades into oblivion leaving the shell behind. Not only this, but Zaldea is in constant need of creatures and cannot sustain those of the planet anymore without reaping them to extinction.

Personality: As a member of the Sal'im Royal Bloodline, it is in their heritage to treat all people as equals and no life as less significant to their own. With this raising, Al'at has grown to be incredibly polite and understanding of most beings regardless of their standing or beliefs. He is one to never interrupt those when speaking, helping whenever he is able to help, and offering knowledge when he has it to give. However this does not make Sal'im a good person, and his moral standing is as questionable as his people's reputation would have you believe. He does not feel restraint when something must be sacrificed for a return greater in his eyes, when it comes to knowledge in particular it holds much greater weight than life and will without a doubt set a blade in the back of another if that knowledge is deemed worth. He is also manipulative to a degree, leading those around him towards his own goals if they are able to be swayed even if he knows that his endgame does not quite match up with their own. All in all, Al'at is incredibly easy to get along with- though must be kept under close surveillance or he may end up dissecting a shipmate of a race he's never seen before.

Flaws:
⍣ ; Cannot fly to save his life.
⍣ ; Nobleman Disposition
⍣ ; Zero Morals
⍣ ; Non-athletic
⍣ ; Prideful
⍣ ; Difficulty with Connection
⍣ ; Blood Withdrawal

Bio:

The Rise of the Sal'im

Zaldea is a dying world, doomed to be picked dry by the vultures whom were born upon it. Those said vultures, are the Sal'im. Their family dates far-far back to when the Zaldean people were once religious, they were monotheistic and worshipped Eya the mother of life and death. It was in their blood, their culture, to both covet and fear death as an inevitability. Their soul would return to Eya and their body would become the soil for more life to grow from. But it was a young, intuitive, Ke'ra who would stray from these teaching and change the norm of their society. She turned to the sciences that other races tried to introduce to their religious people, seeking the root of what pressed their people into such a bleak belief system. She would find that these 'motes' would remain in their dead, and when their deceased were carried out to the wilds to be absorbed by nature- the trees and nearby life would absorb these motes into themselves. It was a cycle, with reason, but it was no god thought the young Ke'ra. She sought to educate the brighter minds, those whom had lost, who sought answers, and she gave it to them- there was no higher power which took those from us early, there was something that we would lose and give back to Zaldea itself. But what if it could be harnessed, grown, cultured, reproduced? It was this thinking that led to revolution. Once led by a religious Cardinal, the young Ke'ra rallied enough followers to assassinate their former religious leader and claim the power for herself as the first young Highlord.

Al'at is Born

Ke'ra has passed one-hundred years ago and a new Highlord now reigns of Zaldea. Na'tos Sal'im is the great grandson of her majesty, and he was selected due to the knowledge he accumulated in his time working under the grand apothecaries. His achievements were most notably, the Life Vats that stored abundant sums of Life Essence within them and could sustain a Zaldean for several months, and the other being his own son Al'at. The new Highlord held the young child high during his heralding speech, boasting that his son would be the next Ke'ra and would drive their society towards their ultimate goal of immortality. Al'at underwent multiple types of experimentation in his infancy, performing the Blood Binding mere moments before he was born to accelerate these processes. Multiple IVs ran through his newborn body rich with crimson essence, and as a side-effect of this early supplement of the substance stunted the child's aging. At thirty years of age, Al'at remained physically a teenager- though he still donned a labcoat and spent his long hours within the research facilities of the Grand Apothecaries to offer himself and his mind towards their greater goal. Years would pass, and as the Highlord's son who was christened to find immortality for his entire people- that weight would fall upon Al'at and his shoulders would not bear it.

The Son Sets Off

Unable to find any sort of breakthrough that his father wished he would, Al'at would seek to leave Zaldea in search of their answer being somewhere else in the cosmos. They had been visited by alien species before, though none have seen eye-to-eye with the new Zaldean ways and their search for knowledge. It was hard to find a way off the planet through legal means, so with the family's accumulated wealth he sought out an illegal method to do so. A slaver ship would sometimes travel to their homeworld in search of those with Soul Sickness we could no longer care for, these people with no ability or will would be sold off for high sums of currency and with those funds we would invest back into our research. The young Zaldean approached the criminals with a heavy silken bag filled to the brim with coins and asked to simply stowaway until they reached their next location. He wasn't worried about the three alien individuals so much as he was that they would actually take him somewhere that wouldn't know of his lineage, he could dispose of them if they made any attempts on his life with ease. But they held true to their word, likely to ensure that they would keep trading ties with the family.

Extra Info: Al'at will begin to deteriorate if he does not consume Life Essence for more than five days. On day six hemomancy will begin to act on its own, attempting to accumulate as much possible to sustain the man. This typically looks like streams of crimson gathering around his arms and legs to secure them. Day seven he will begin to develop dark rings around his eyes and become disoriented, this will cause him to question friend from enemy as his mind starts to slip away. This is not Soul Sickness, but instead withdrawal symptoms due to being exposed to the magic substance throughout his life since an early age.

[ShwiggityShwah]

@Anders will PM concerning character. Had little time to sit down.

Everyone else, we should be up by tomorrow

[Lmpkio]

*Throws interest into the ring*

Funny I just so happen to be in a steampunk-esque RP at the moment, but its nothing like the one I'm in. Consider me interested, I'd like to see where this goes.

And I may already have a few ideas in mind...

Edit: Considering on making a character and faction based on Norse mythology, although for those wondering Thor will not be my main character.

[ShwiggityShwah]

@Anders Accepted

And yes a good point. Considering your species has not had alot of outside contact, most people wont know what you are. If they see the blood magic or some of the other distaste effects, Superstition will probably fuel their fear.

@Lmpkio There's probably a god and a pantheon for that. Im going to post what the gods are under a info tab.

[Uncle Spanky]

I am interested in this.

[Argent]

I'm interested!

[ShwiggityShwah]

Welcome aboard.

Again, I will attempt to get the RP: OOC: and IC along with a Discord up in a few hours. Working on them now.

[ShwiggityShwah]

What are the Exalted?

"To Fight Which Cannot be Fought and emerge Victorious!

(TylerEdlinArt)

The Exalted are the champions, heroes, and the things of legend. Exalted are different from other entities. Superior, powerful, capable of casting magics both great and terrible. An Exalted gains the ability to tap into the forces of magic themselves to levels far beyond the capabilities of their race, manipulating it in an innumerable number of ways by their own essence and will. Mages, sorcerers, wizards, these are just the common known titles of such beings, but the martial arts master , the legendary swordsman, the King of Thieves, all of these tap into magic, whether to burn the foe, or raise their strength to god like might. Magic comes in all kinds and forms and it molds to its user just as much as the user is molded by it.

Exalted defy the machinations of the gods whether willingly or not, and the masters of creation take notice. Only 1 in every million sentient souls becomes an Exalted. Sometimes these beings are already excellent, rising above the rabble to stand out. Sometimes they are in their greatest need and the power is given to save themselves or what they love. Sometimes, it could be as subtle as dream never dreamed, as grand as a battle, the master stroke to a piece of art never seen, an equation solved, or times when one use their words to do the impossible. Exalted become noticed, they become watched by beings so massive they exist beyond comprehension and thus power awaits them. Sometimes they are guided, sometimes they are left with only questions. Research, training, conflict, and strife become the means by which they unlock ever greater powers. No Exalted can escape this tragedy of their new existence, as the universe seems to conspire to bring them worthy challenges and great feats they must surmount with many of them breaking upon the waves of strife, but among them, legends. The greatest of heroes, the loftiest of Emperors, or the most vile of villains survive to see their power grow to match the gods.

To become Exalted is to become a champion for masters that do not speak, or know nothing or mercy or pity or the motivations of the mortals they rule over. Elysia is a dangerous place, and it’s the Exalted that change it for good or ill. All that matters is that their champions grow stronger, and many whom learn of this fate wonder endlessly why this is so.

For some becoming an exalted is a blessing in all ways. They are pursued by empires to be recruited, knowing full well what these heroes can do. They are given lofty positions, or they take their own. Many of the Stellar Empires of Elysia have an Exalted that sits upon the throne. But for each facing a life of rewards and splendor, others do not. They are coerced by other forces, turned into feared sky pirates, or hunted down by those whom fear that their power would bring about their ruin. Even exalteds become bitter and paranoids, and will not see any upstart steal their own glory.

The PROBLEM

is when disenfranchised and unaffiliated Exalted come together for safety and protection. These rogue agents are seen as potential rivals to the established empires as any wise empire knows that while one Exalted is stronger than an army, a group of them, can found an empire. Their words can sway nations, their swords severing world spanning monsters, their intellect grasping the secrets of magic in ways unknown and terrible.

They can even challenge the gods.

There has been six such Exalted Empires in history. All of them grew too big and too greedily. All of them fell, sometimes with billions killed in the process. They defied the gods and the gods banded to smote them down to reestablish the proper balance and way of things. No established ruler wants to see this happen.

But there are those who always wonder, if the next empire will unite all of Elysia. The next one will do it right.

SAMPLE EXALTED

(Takumi)

Rico Fenix, The Ghost of the Scarlet Currents
A sky pirate in his youth, Rico's father was an Exalted of terrible power, a thief who could steal anything. Memories, even one's title and all that came with it. He thought himself untouchable, until Rico stole that power from him, Exalting in that very instant. He is considered a scourge on the Lunar Confederation trading lanes, but he is nowhere near as bad as his father was and thus hires out his services. Sporting the abilities of simply choosing to be seen, being accepted in any crowd regardless of prior knowledge and hands that can swipe practically anything from the physical to the esoteric, turning enemies strengths into his own.

(Square Enix)

KI75, Spokeswomen of Merico Industries
The Ku were once two foot tall rodent like creatures that were always good with their hands. Speaking to the other taller denizens of Elysia, the development of pilotable robot suits became something of a fashion for the Ku. This only got worse until, under the Mega Corporation that is Merico Industries, the Ku Homeworld's main governmental body, the entire species removed their brains and placed them into android bodies. Merico Industries designs all the models as well as accessories, and adapts those techniques to sell to other empires as weapons and ships. KI75 was designed to be a top of the line model, and almost as if planned, she Exalted on her first field test. Even her synthetic body was effected by the Exaltation, making it hardier, faster, and allowing for the merging of magitech artifacts. KI75 can change her arsenal on the fly to fit any situation, giving her a stash of magical items on call that can be swapped out no matter where she is. Additionally, she is capable of turning into a fighter class airship herself, something that Merico Industries is still attempting to copy. She uses these abilities to commit raids on beastial pest species, which is televised throughout the stars for entertainment.

[ShwiggityShwah]

Update: Added the Exalted Tab

[Kuroyomihime]

This looks interesting.

I'm working on a character and will likely have her ready sometime this weekend.