Rules & Guidelines:
- Do not God-Mode, Metagame, Powerplay, Lorebreak or create Mary-Sues. If you don't understand these terms, check out this page: [Link]
- Fighting, back chatting, flaming or trolling will not be tolerated.
- Do not create a Perfect or Overpowered Character. Please Ensure that you comply with the character sheet layout below.
- You must share ideas and ask plenty of questions. I may have a certain direction I want to go, but you as a member could have some interesting ideas as well.
- However being the GM, if I say "No" to anything in particular, I genuinely mean "No".
- Swearing and gore is fine, just make sure you stay within the Roleplayer Guild rules.
- If you are going to be absent for any length of time just either post up a message or shoot me a PM so I'm aware.
- Above all else, play fair and have fun.
Plot:
Coal is set within a steampunk world that has been altered into a form that is quite unique to what people are familiar with. At some point in the past the world's magnetism began to reduce in strength and the days slowly grew longer. Sections of land around the world began to loose their grip on the surface, forcing them to lift up and float towards the skies but stay within a low lying static orbit. The clouds, that were in the past out of reach to even the birds, sank closer to where these land masses flew and created an ocean of white mist between these new islands. The result was two worlds separated by a thick layer of air but with reach that what happened to one environment could easily affect the other.
Since the world had changed so much and humans were just in the beginnings of an industrial era, steam power took off as the most advance and reliable form of energy. It had little to no effects from the changes in magnetism while utilising the now exposed natural resources that were once hidden underground. Many inventors and scientist tested their numerous ideas and designs for various forms of machinery but none had the power or drive as the Children of Umbra.
The Children of Umbra is a somewhat secret and exclusive community of people who believed that the power of electricity holds some amazing attributes, and that if harnessed correctly could produce a form of great power beyond what anyone could imagine. Unfortunately many authorities did not follow the same belief and viewed their experiments as a form of witchcraft and blasphemy. Many rumours have arisen about the Children of Umbra, however only a few members can recall their true history as many of the leaders were killed by members of the two great families.
The Aristocrats are one of these two powerful families, a house shrouded with confusion and mystery extending back several hundred years to the Medieval times. Over the generations their dynasty has become an ever growing collection of brothers and sisters who have forgotten which ancestry line is truly in charge. Even with all this uncertainty they still somehow receive orders and information from an unknown source who claims to be their true heir. One thing is for certain, it was the Wall twins who were responsible for the Children of Umbra killings but due to the nature of their crimes it could not be proven which one committed the act of murder.
The second family, rising to true power after the lands rose to the skies, are the House of Hudson. Unlike the Aristocrats that are heavily into their English heritage and consist of many different families combining into one, the Hudsons are one family that can trace their routes back to an American like source. Their current leader is Jeffery Hudson Jnr with his father, Jeffery Hudson Snr, lying in an prison for his contribution in the Children of Umbra killings, never to be released. This was part of the reason why the Hudsons migrated back to Orhurst and by doing so they bought their Wild West attitude back with them.
Many would assume that the two families would be civil towards each other considering they each had a common enemy but the truth couldn't be more different. The Aristocrats dreamed of power, status and control; a family that believed their destiny was to rule the lands before them. The House of Hudson desired greed from the natural minerals in order to fuel their expanding and ungoverned growth. As long as the Aristocrats occupied the lands, the House of Hudson's dream could not be completely for-filled.
- Which family is destined to take control of the region and what turned them into such bitter enemies?
- What role do the Children of Umbra have in all this and what are they planning?
- Why did the families kill the Children of Umbra Leaders and what secrets have been lost?
These questions and many more have been left unanswered for so long that it has created a partially tense and corrupt environment that needs to be resolved.
Important Details:
Time Period:
Coal is set within a Victorian English period so please keep in mind the history and style of architecture, clothing, and influences during this era. Since the House of Hudson is from an American background there may be occasional Wild West influence within their allocated areas.
Style of RP:
This is more of a realistic style of Roleplay. There are laws so keep in mind what can and cannot attract attention from the authorities. Unnecessarily killing people or committing acts of crime is generally not advised.
This Roleplay was inspired by sources like Bioshock Infinite, Sherlock Holmes, Romeo and Juliet and possibly many other things, however it is not based on any of these sources.
Location and Travel:
There are two main locations within this world.
- The City of Londonary: Londonary is a city built on top of a collection of islands that have risen from the earth below. The buildings cover as much of the exposed land as possible however several small islands have been left untouched to allow various people access to more natural areas. To allow movement between the various islands there are bridges, pathways and cable cars that provide most of the local transport while blimps and skyferries allow for longer distance travel.
(I don't believe planes should be a part of this RP as they can be considered a bit of an advanced technology)
- Orhurst: Orhurst is a mining town not far from where Londonary casts it's shadow on the world. It sits to the edge of a large crater with many tunnels extending their reach from the base to the village outskirts. The land that used to occupy the crater is what has become the City of Londonary. Within the centre of the town is the main hub that contains both a railway line that travels out of the city and to far away lands and a cable car station that connects the town to several islands.
Character Sheet:
Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Faction: (Please choose a class from below)
Sidearm: (Small personal weapon and up to 2 only)
Skills:
Bio:
- Class 1: The Aristocrats
Traits: Specialist in Melee combat/Swordsmanship.
They have a high profile in society so their appearance to other people is very formal and posh.
- Class 2: House of Hudson
Traits: Specialist in Ranged weaponry and Mechanical skills
Name must end with Hudson
A bit more of a rough and ready group of mechanics and miners.
- Class 3: Children of Umbra
Traits: Specialist in Alchemy and Pseudo Science, as well as stealth.
When around normal people they blend in with no difficulty.
Can be identified by an Omega tattoo on the inside of their upper lip.
- Class 4: Civilian
(General Purpose Class)
Traits: No particular speciality but has a bit more freedom within the world.
Can have a skill in something not associated with a family (eg: Detective, Doctor, Merchant, etc)
Has the ability to join a family at a later date if desired but does not gain their traits.
Once or twice a week is fine. I work and do other stuff and could never dream of being THAT active. Lol
As an example House of Hudson could possibly repair multiple things. A boiler, engine, hydrolics, etc. But a civilian would be a dedicated boiler maker, gunsmith, metal worker, etc. It's the difference between someone that has 7s across the board and had to become a Jack of all trades due to being several kilometers down a mine when a machine breaks, and someone that is a 10 in a workshop learning how to make condensing units for refrigeration.