The Iron Crusades: WW1 Dieselpunk Meets Fantasy

[Hawthorne]

@LordOfTheNight A human one, most likely. She's ready to bring her rifle to bear even in the face of otherworldly armaments, and all.

[CleanBreeze]

I would like to express my interest. Thinking of playing either a human or elf.

[Jarl Coolgruuf]

I'm game for some wartime historical fantasy

[LordOfTheNight]

I will have you both! Any ideas in mind for the race you'll play, your rank, and the branch you will be serving in?

@Jarl Coolgruuf@CleanBreeze

[Saltwater Thief]

@LordOfTheNight I was thinking I'd make a Recon character, maybe with a side of sharpshooter. Probably one of the Thae races, though if you'll let me get away with a halfbreed or a changeling equivalent (or rather a descendant of one probably) I have some ideas for that.

If not, it'll be a Thae and that will be just fine.

[CleanBreeze]

@LordOfTheNight Well for the human i was planning on a sort of 1914 era super soldier. However, hes altogether too much like captain America so i dont think i'll be going with that one right now.

For the Elf i was gonna let my imagination run wild. He'll be a Thasor and able to fly. He's also very knowledgable about druidic traditions and knows what herbs cure what ailments. Hes basically gonna be a 1914 battle druid. He'll be covered with a ghillie suit of still growing useful herbs and plants. He'll also have decorated his Brodie helmet with same said plants. He has a natural agility in the forest and can also hover in the air when not weighed down by his armour. His official role is scout/recon so hes good with the field binoculars. Hes also a good grenadier as some of the potions he makes can be thrown. His main job in the trenches is seeding and planting vines which shore up the construction and help with the damp underfoot. The enemy can always tell when theres a battle druid in town. Most of the vines help support a trench ecosystem which provides a garden for various plants useful to the druids. Im thinking that he'll be a corporal, and take orders from the sergeant. He's kind of a special class like the chaplain though, in that his role is also ceremonial.

He'll be armed with a standard issue rifle (a bit like the Lee Enfield) and maybe a pistol too. He'll be capable of shooting the mad-minute with his rifle's quick action and this demonstrates one of his signature skills. He'll also have the ceremonial druid sickle knife. He'll also have a variety of choke gas grenades as standard, but will also have the ability to manufacture a fear gas grenade with enough time and herbs. This causes enemies to start to target other enemies as they clamber out of fear.

Sound good?

[redbaron1234]

If you have room left over I’m interested in playing a shock trooper. Not sure if I want to go with a human or Thae, but I’m inspired of the story of how during WW1 skeet shooters and such were called upon to shoot grenades out of the air. Their “loadout” would change a bit depending on how the character concept settles.

Also, getting strong carnival row vibes here too, fun.

[Jarl Coolgruuf]

@LordOfTheNight I'm thinking of an armored syr who acts as a mobile barricade for crossing no man's land and, due to his immense size, helps out with carrying supplies/wounded around the battlefield. They tried giving him guns but his fingers don't fit through the trigger guards of any firearms designed for humanoids of standard size. Instead, he wields a hunk of lumber twice the height of a man and coated with sealant to keep out water and bugs.

He's just recently been sent back to the front after recovering from an anti tank round to the face. Granted, he can't hear out of area where his left ear used to be, but he's lucky to be alive at all.

He's a gruff and rough around the edges and has more than one chip on his shoulder regarding commanding officers seeing as he never wanted to fight at all. The draft, however, had different plans.

[LordOfTheNight]

Alrighty! We got us two soldiers fit to work beside armor. A engineer/sapper of yet determined species, and one of the armored syr. I will however suggest Jarl that rather then a piece of lumber, go with an oversized trench club. Still get a melee weapon but with the added benefit of metal studs/spikes sticking out to improve damage and keep it from breaking from direct impact

@Jamesyco@Jarl Coolgruuf

We got us one nurse of undetermined species

@sassy1085

Sounds good to me! One human sniper on the board

@Hawthorne

I may allow a half breed character. Message me in the PMs and tell me what exactly you have in mind

@Saltwater Thief

Well, if you want a human who can handle their own and be a force to be reckoned with then look no further then the storm commandos. That suit of armor is designed for troops to advance through heavy small arms fire and dish out a hail of bullets. Not necessarily accurate at range but put that commando in a trench with that same LMG, a nasty broadsword to cut through soldiers, and a pneumatic fist with enough force to break a sternum? Lots of dead Coalcoats. Down side however, the suit is slow and isn't very agile so you may become a target to heavy ordinance or even get stuck in the mud.

As far as the druid sharpshooter goes, I am not opposed at all. I am assuming said "ghillie suit" will not be worn while airborne, might look suspicious to see a large flying bush

@CleanBreeze

PLEASE DO COME IN! I never heard of the skeet shooters being recruited. Like the idea though!

@redbaron1234

[Jarl Coolgruuf]

@LordOfTheNight Sounds good to me. Also, probably should've asked this before but exactly how big are syr? Because from what I read they're basically LOTR style trolls, but if they're not I've VASTLY overestimated their size.

Hider

[LordOfTheNight]

That is about the size I imagined. Somewhere between that and the giants of Game of Thrones

@Jarl Coolgruuf

[sassy1085]

@LordOfTheNight
She a Human, sorry for not determined what species she is

[redbaron1234]

@LordOfTheNight Well, maybe not skeet shooters in particular but any person who happened to be a good shot were tasked with it. How unusual would it be for there to be a Thae professional skeet shooter?

[Saltwater Thief]

@LordOfTheNight Gotcha, I'll get the thought more solidified and send that PM your way.

[Hawthorne]

@LordOfTheNight Cool, thanks. A quick question, though: what's the general level of technology for the Thae? I presumed they substituted their technology for magic, but it definitely seems like they're keeping pace with the Commonwealth and Iron Crown. Did the Thae and the Commonwealth have a technology/magic exchange at some point?

Along a similar vein, what level of technology does the Iron Crown have? About on par with the Commonwealth, or are they more or less advanced than our dieselpunk? Hope I'm not seeming too skeptical; just want to know more about the setting, is all.

[LordOfTheNight]

Excellent question! The thae didn't really have need of technology. All the things that machines could accomplish, they could accomplish with magic. What need do they have of a bulldozer when an earthmancer could do the same work faster? That being said though, what technology they did possess is rather reminiscent of the Native Americans. Wood, flint, and steel thanks to the forges of the fawn. However, the machines of man have become more powerful and more sophisticated to the point that they rival thae magic. In short, the world is changing and if the thae don't adapt, they will die out.

The Iron Crown has a slight edge over the Commonwealth in regards to technology thanks in large part to the fact that they can develop whatever they wish without the same bureaucracy and restrictions that are present within the Commonwealth. They will literally work their scientists and engineers to death if it means superiority. I don't want to spoil too much however

@Hawthorne

[Jamesyco]

@LordOfTheNight human, and also that skeet shooting thing is real, the americans would give certain soldiers who were skeet shooters shotguns to shoot the grenades from mid air.

[Hawthorne]

@LordOfTheNight Very interesting. I'll be certain to keep that in mind. With that said though, here's a mirror of the previous question: what are the magic levels of the Commonwealth and the Iron Crown? I presume that for the Commonwealth, that it's virtually non-existent prior to the Thae teaching them about it, but what does it look like nowadays? Are there Commonwealth Magi enlisted in the army?

As for the Iron Crown, I'm not sure about their magic levels, though I presume that it's similar to the Commonwealth, in that they don't have any. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they fielded their own mages and such if this is not the case.

[LordOfTheNight]

You would be correct in your presumptions. Before our current era, magic was completely nonexistent for humans. Nowadays however, it's being discovered that many humans have a sensitivity to magic. That being said though, magic in the Commonwealth is very much in it's infancy. Humans are still learning the rules and learning the basic fundamentals of magic. Those who are able to use it are amateurs at best. At best, they're able to start a small fire. At worst, they're simply able to detect other magic users and don't even realize it. In regards to war mages, yes. The Commonwealth has begun enlisting the aid of thae mages in aspects all across the army itself. Storm mages who can conjure brutal lightning storms in the Artillery division, healers within the infantry, the Thal have even developed a form if sympathetic magic to repair vehicles and push them past their normal limits.

As far as the Iron Crown is concerned, no one is certain of their magic use. Since they landed on Thaejhal, they have been gunning down its inhabitants indiscriminately. Sort of hard to learn magic when you're shooting down the people who can teach you. As far as the Commonwealth knows however, the Iron Crown employs zero mages and they would rather it stayed that way given how they abuse science and technology

@Hawthorne

[Hawthorne]

@LordOfTheNight Very nice. Thanks for answering my questions! I'll be certain to keep those in mind for later. Here's another question, though: what does the geography of the world look like? A map is, of course, appreciated, but it is also a lot of work, so I won't fault you if you don't want to do that. Did the Commonwealth know of the Iron Crown prior to their invasion of the Thaejhal? Do the Commonwealth and the Thae have any plans of a counterattack once they drive the Coalcoats from their shores? What are the other foreign powers feeling about this whole war?

Of course, if these questions aren't particularly relevant to the RP as a whole, you don't have to answer. I just find myself a bit curious, is all.