For ease of reference:
Staff profiles:
Character Roster:
Sophia Pax
Catherine Talford
Jericho Piper
Johnathan Centuria
Italics are for mages only, bold for mech pilots alone.
Name:
Military codename: (You don’t get to pick this, you’ll pick it up along the way)
Gender:
Age: (Note, at least during episode 1, you’re a rookie. You can be an older volunteer, but the military academy does not accept students under the age of 16)
Appearance:
Personality:
Biography:
Military Job: Mage or Pilot
Magic: See the section titled “Magic and You”.
Spirit Name: See the section titled “Spirit Soldiers”.
Spirit Appearance: Just, essentially, what your familiar spirit looks like.
Spirit Power: What your spirit does when activated.
Spirit Origin: Is this the guardian soul of your family's farm? Some magic creature you made a deal with? How did you come to obtain your spirit?
Mech: The name of your mech goes here, but you also need to fill out the mech profile below.
Extra: Anything else?
Name:
Military codename: (You don’t get to pick this, you’ll pick it up along the way)
Gender:
Age: (Note, at least during episode 1, you’re a rookie. You can be an older volunteer, but the military academy does not accept students under the age of 16)
Appearance:
Personality:
Biography:
Military Job: Mage or Pilot
Magic: See the section titled “Magic and You”.
Spirit Name: See the section titled “Spirit Soldiers”.
Spirit Appearance: Just, essentially, what your familiar spirit looks like.
Spirit Power: What your spirit does when activated.
Spirit Origin: Is this the guardian soul of your family's farm? Some magic creature you made a deal with? How did you come to obtain your spirit?
Mech: The name of your mech goes here, but you also need to fill out the mech profile below.
Extra: Anything else?
Name:
Classification: Mechs generally fall into one of three archetypes: Hammer, Sword, and Epée. Hammer type mechs are slow, huge, heavy hitters, many times some variety of construction armor adapted to combat usage. Sword mechs are lighter and faster, focused on a balance of speed and ability to do damage. Epée class armor is the lightest and least damage resistant, but generally far faster than either of the other classes and far harder to master. This blank is generally more a matter of GM convenience than an absolute seal on what type of powers the mech has.
Appearance: Fairly obvious, but if spirit activation changes how the mech looks in any way you need to add it here. You’re all rookies, so the mechs tend to look moderately cookie-cutter: they’re humanoid and look somewhat like armor. Classification and personal preference can change the details, like color and relative bulk, somewhat.
Weapons:
Upgrades: What have you changed about the mech since its creation? If you’re making a new char, leave this blank.
History: What was your mech originally, how did your character get it… If those are of interest, explain them here.
Classification: Mechs generally fall into one of three archetypes: Hammer, Sword, and Epée. Hammer type mechs are slow, huge, heavy hitters, many times some variety of construction armor adapted to combat usage. Sword mechs are lighter and faster, focused on a balance of speed and ability to do damage. Epée class armor is the lightest and least damage resistant, but generally far faster than either of the other classes and far harder to master. This blank is generally more a matter of GM convenience than an absolute seal on what type of powers the mech has.
Appearance: Fairly obvious, but if spirit activation changes how the mech looks in any way you need to add it here. You’re all rookies, so the mechs tend to look moderately cookie-cutter: they’re humanoid and look somewhat like armor. Classification and personal preference can change the details, like color and relative bulk, somewhat.
Weapons:
Upgrades: What have you changed about the mech since its creation? If you’re making a new char, leave this blank.
History: What was your mech originally, how did your character get it… If those are of interest, explain them here.
Let’s talk about what mechs are.
For decades, robotic suits have been the staple of menial labor in Erenduil. Sure, a combine harvester might be better at harvesting than a humanoid mech, but mechs are more adaptable than their specialized counterparts. Whether you need a ditch dug, large equipment moved quickly from one place to another, or your moisture gatherers emptied and returned before the sun goes down, a mech has long been the safe, reliable bet. There have been some experiments with alternative power sources (notably a massive failure of one with carbon burning), but practically all mechs are powered by a focusing core immediately behind the cockpit. The core gathers ambient magic from the environment around it, using its ability to suspend physical laws to create energy from nothing. The practical upshot? The glowing, humming, donut shaped device placed in a heavily armored compartment in every mech powers all of the devices in the suit using local magic, and protects it from solely magic based attacks.
Put too much strain on the Core, however, and it will cease to function—or, heaven forbid, explode—putting you up the creek without a paddle. Cores do wear out from time to time, as well, and completely nullify the abilities of any mage attempting to pilot the mech they’re installed in by draining the magic from them.
TL;DR: Don’t let the shiny donut sitting behind you get exploded.
As far as weaponry goes, the designers of the baseline mech implements of war have a taste for the medieval. Swords, shields and spears are common, allowing the pilot to take full advantage of the brutal physical ability of the suit to smash their enemies. Bows aren’t rare, taking either the form of a focusing instrument that channels the gathered power of the mech’s Core into a bolt of magic energy, or of a railgun-like device that fires massive custom arrows at high speeds. The finicky nature of magic delayed the development of automatic firearms on a mech scale for some time, but they’re now somewhat practical, though the rapid rate of fire puts a heavy drain on the Core and necessitates a cooldown time.
Overall levels of tech are high (think roughly on the level of Mass Effect minus spaceflight and with magic instead of eezo), but not all weapons and technology are adapted to mechs. Mech size ranges from 30-40 feet tall (~9-12 meters for everyone but Americans). They’re fairly tough, but a mech will survive much longer against magic based attacks than physical—a few heavy hits close together from another mech and the circuitry nearby will start to fizzle.
All mechs only have one spirit slot.
For decades, robotic suits have been the staple of menial labor in Erenduil. Sure, a combine harvester might be better at harvesting than a humanoid mech, but mechs are more adaptable than their specialized counterparts. Whether you need a ditch dug, large equipment moved quickly from one place to another, or your moisture gatherers emptied and returned before the sun goes down, a mech has long been the safe, reliable bet. There have been some experiments with alternative power sources (notably a massive failure of one with carbon burning), but practically all mechs are powered by a focusing core immediately behind the cockpit. The core gathers ambient magic from the environment around it, using its ability to suspend physical laws to create energy from nothing. The practical upshot? The glowing, humming, donut shaped device placed in a heavily armored compartment in every mech powers all of the devices in the suit using local magic, and protects it from solely magic based attacks.
Put too much strain on the Core, however, and it will cease to function—or, heaven forbid, explode—putting you up the creek without a paddle. Cores do wear out from time to time, as well, and completely nullify the abilities of any mage attempting to pilot the mech they’re installed in by draining the magic from them.
TL;DR: Don’t let the shiny donut sitting behind you get exploded.
As far as weaponry goes, the designers of the baseline mech implements of war have a taste for the medieval. Swords, shields and spears are common, allowing the pilot to take full advantage of the brutal physical ability of the suit to smash their enemies. Bows aren’t rare, taking either the form of a focusing instrument that channels the gathered power of the mech’s Core into a bolt of magic energy, or of a railgun-like device that fires massive custom arrows at high speeds. The finicky nature of magic delayed the development of automatic firearms on a mech scale for some time, but they’re now somewhat practical, though the rapid rate of fire puts a heavy drain on the Core and necessitates a cooldown time.
Overall levels of tech are high (think roughly on the level of Mass Effect minus spaceflight and with magic instead of eezo), but not all weapons and technology are adapted to mechs. Mech size ranges from 30-40 feet tall (~9-12 meters for everyone but Americans). They’re fairly tough, but a mech will survive much longer against magic based attacks than physical—a few heavy hits close together from another mech and the circuitry nearby will start to fizzle.
All mechs only have one spirit slot.
Magic, essentially, is a force that allows the laws of ordinary physics to be suspended and the fantastic occur. It allows pyromancers to cause spontaneous combustion, a KAD mech to move with power far beyond that of its pilot, and a healer to kick the body’s systems up a notch and cure wounds much more quickly. Most humans have no ability to manipulate it at all—in fact, the only species to reliably produce mages are the demons—but some are capable of interacting with it on a higher level. Most adepts have had some manner of technological focusing devices surgically implanted into their body, amping up their powers and cutting down on the amount of meditative focus required to cast spells. Before the advent of mechs, mages were the supersoldiers of the King’s Army, able to do things far beyond an ordinary warrior armed with a simple laser sword and focusing bow. With mechs making foot soldiers capable of going toe to toe with a mage and winning handily, they’re fading from usefulness—but they still bring a delicacy to missions mechs cannot. What magic’s effects are and its triggers can vary from mage to mage, but all mages fit into one of three categories: Psionic, Verbal, and Somatic.
Somatic: Somatic mages must be able to move to cast spells. Benders in Avatar or the Legend of Korra would be a fine example of a somatic mage, and somatic mages do in fact usually have some manner of practiced fighting style that goes with their casting. Any kind of binding will generally block a somatic mage’s abilities, but their magic is linked to implants in the reflex section of their brain, meaning they can cast reflex spells at reaction time speeds instead of having to consciously think of them.
Verbal: For a verbal mage, spellcasting is all about words. Generally, ordinary Erenduilian (OOC: English) words, arranged in such a way that they allow the caster to focus spells. A more powerful spell usually requires longer and more complicated statements to successfully complete. If a verbal mage is silenced, their spells will fail. Verbal casters are a good mix of power, some of the spontaneity of a somatic and the difficulty of stopping that a psionic caster brings to the table.
Psionic: No words or motions are required for a psionic mage. They cast entirely through thought, the only requirement of a successful spell being a concentrated, complete thought run through their mind and directed at a target. However, since they only cast through sheer force of will and have no focusing device to speak of other than implants, a psionic mage is woefully underpowered compared to somatic and verbal mages, and anything that breaks their focus will shatter their spell.
Somatic: Somatic mages must be able to move to cast spells. Benders in Avatar or the Legend of Korra would be a fine example of a somatic mage, and somatic mages do in fact usually have some manner of practiced fighting style that goes with their casting. Any kind of binding will generally block a somatic mage’s abilities, but their magic is linked to implants in the reflex section of their brain, meaning they can cast reflex spells at reaction time speeds instead of having to consciously think of them.
Verbal: For a verbal mage, spellcasting is all about words. Generally, ordinary Erenduilian (OOC: English) words, arranged in such a way that they allow the caster to focus spells. A more powerful spell usually requires longer and more complicated statements to successfully complete. If a verbal mage is silenced, their spells will fail. Verbal casters are a good mix of power, some of the spontaneity of a somatic and the difficulty of stopping that a psionic caster brings to the table.
Psionic: No words or motions are required for a psionic mage. They cast entirely through thought, the only requirement of a successful spell being a concentrated, complete thought run through their mind and directed at a target. However, since they only cast through sheer force of will and have no focusing device to speak of other than implants, a psionic mage is woefully underpowered compared to somatic and verbal mages, and anything that breaks their focus will shatter their spell.
Though mages generally have a familiar spirit, spirits are far more applicable and varied in the world of mech pilots. Spirits are usually small creatures, around the size of a small dog, and generally grant a pilot one, specific, battle-shifting power. Most have some sentimental value to the owner, whether they’re the guardian of a person’s home or an animated family keepsake. It’s ironic that, at the height of technology, some of the greatest aid comes from the fury of the earth itself. Powers can range from a short, berserker power boost like that of Erikal Slin’s Overdrive, or a long term, slow autorepair of mech systems. Most are fairly weak, but so little is understood about them that they may yet reveal abilities unknown.
A note on combining and transforming mechs: In order to combine or transform, a mech MUST have a spirit capable of sustaining the alteration through magical input, thus consuming a spirit slot.
A note on combining and transforming mechs: In order to combine or transform, a mech MUST have a spirit capable of sustaining the alteration through magical input, thus consuming a spirit slot.
Staff profiles:
Name: Erikal Slin
Military codename: Iron Commander
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Appearance:
A tall, dark haired man, Erikal has the look of a lifelong farmer. His skin is tan and rough from the sun and wind, his large hands callused with a half lifetime of work. His frame carries obvious power, his wiry muscles usually apparent to even the casual observer. His green eyes stare out from a face that was just beginning to show its first laugh lines before the war, but now his brow is increasingly furrowed with worry.
Personality: Dutiful, loyal, and protective to the last, Erikal’s sense of honor and willingness to protect his family inspired the creation of the entire King’s Armor Division, and Erikal has remained mostly unchanged since. His commandership of KAD has taken its toll on him, and he’s usually very weary—but unlike even his subordinates, Erikal is almost always willing to talk to trainees, when he's not a sleeping-man walking.
However, don't expect him to be friendly and welcoming with open arms to everyone who meets him. He's gruff and bristly at best, mostly due to stress, and talks as concisely as possible. He's not one for speeches, nor for long discussion. Get to the point fast or he needs to move on.
Biography: Born an ordinary farmboy, Erikal grew up normal enough, learning how to pilot the Reaper-class mech that became the Subtle Blade from an early age. Nothing that special happened, apart from his marriage at age 18 and the birth of his first and only child (named Talia) when he was 20. When the demon nation attacked, however, Erikal's life was turned upside down. Surrounded by the forces of the demonic armies, his farm burning and the only thing standing between his home and the hordes a few more acres of farmland, Erikal leapt into his oldest possession--the old Reaper class mech, its controls as worn and as familiar to him as the rail leading up his stairs. Called by his rage and drive for protection, Overdrive appeared, amplifying the mech's worn out circuits and allowing Erikal to fight longer and harder against foes that otherwise would have drastically outmatched him. Hours after the last mech fell, Erikal was finally hauled out of the burnt out suit he'd used, to be hailed as a hero to Erenduil. Now, a few years and countless battles later, Erikal Slin is overseeing the Institute, as a teacher to the students there and as field general to the Armor Division as a whole.
Military Job: Commander of KAD, Overseer of the MCI.
Magic: None applicable.
Spirit Name: Overdrive
Spirit Appearance: Overdrive is a small, wolflike creature that looks pretty much like a normal artic wolf... Apart from the fact that it has eight legs and blue runes running down its spine. It exudes an earthy aura, almost as if you're standing in a freshly tilled field whenever you're near it.
Spirit Power: As long as Overdrive is active, the Subtle Blade becomes massively strong and durable, almost as if in a berserker rage. The power surges caused by activation damage the Blade's more delicate circuitry, however, burning it out if the state remains active for too long.
Spirit Origin: Unlike many spirits, Overdrive isn't so hard to trace back--it's always been around, in some form or another, in the farm Erikal and his family have tended for generations, deriving its existence from the care put into the earth there. It was called into physical form by Erikal's desire to save his family and land, and it has aided him ever since.
Mech: The Subtle Blade
Extra: I'm a GM, dang it.
Mech profile:
Name: Subtle Blade
Classification: Sword
Appearance:
Small for a mech and still with the distinct influence of the reaping machine it originally was, the Subtle Blade does not look like the vehicle of a military commander. Short and with a low center of gravity, the Blade’s small size belies its strength and speed, the best that the King’s engineers and mages could create. The Blade’s squat form has been painted black in an attempt to cover the rust, its control runes glowing green and purple against the night-like background. When Overdrive is activated, Subtle Blade appears to grow in bulk, its control runes glowing with blinding light.
Weapons: The Subtle Blade’s original scythe has been replaced with a pair of black longswords, though Erikal ordinarily relies on his hand-to-hand grappling skills and fists to combat the demon hordes. As far as range weapons go, a longbow shaped focusing apparatus is always slung across the mech's back, capable of firing concentrated blasts of freezing magic. It seldom leaves its holster.
Upgrades: None since the beginning.
History: The Blade's history is too long and boring to be detailed in total here. Since being burned out in Erikal's first battle, the Blade has been refurbished, no doubt to stand in a museum or be used in propaganda. Imagine the surprise of the engineers when they discovered Erikal wanted it back. It has served in many successful missions since, though it still looks to be the ugly stepchild next to the gleaming mechs of the Armor Division.
Military codename: Iron Commander
Gender: Male
Age: 37
Appearance:
A tall, dark haired man, Erikal has the look of a lifelong farmer. His skin is tan and rough from the sun and wind, his large hands callused with a half lifetime of work. His frame carries obvious power, his wiry muscles usually apparent to even the casual observer. His green eyes stare out from a face that was just beginning to show its first laugh lines before the war, but now his brow is increasingly furrowed with worry.
Personality: Dutiful, loyal, and protective to the last, Erikal’s sense of honor and willingness to protect his family inspired the creation of the entire King’s Armor Division, and Erikal has remained mostly unchanged since. His commandership of KAD has taken its toll on him, and he’s usually very weary—but unlike even his subordinates, Erikal is almost always willing to talk to trainees, when he's not a sleeping-man walking.
However, don't expect him to be friendly and welcoming with open arms to everyone who meets him. He's gruff and bristly at best, mostly due to stress, and talks as concisely as possible. He's not one for speeches, nor for long discussion. Get to the point fast or he needs to move on.
Biography: Born an ordinary farmboy, Erikal grew up normal enough, learning how to pilot the Reaper-class mech that became the Subtle Blade from an early age. Nothing that special happened, apart from his marriage at age 18 and the birth of his first and only child (named Talia) when he was 20. When the demon nation attacked, however, Erikal's life was turned upside down. Surrounded by the forces of the demonic armies, his farm burning and the only thing standing between his home and the hordes a few more acres of farmland, Erikal leapt into his oldest possession--the old Reaper class mech, its controls as worn and as familiar to him as the rail leading up his stairs. Called by his rage and drive for protection, Overdrive appeared, amplifying the mech's worn out circuits and allowing Erikal to fight longer and harder against foes that otherwise would have drastically outmatched him. Hours after the last mech fell, Erikal was finally hauled out of the burnt out suit he'd used, to be hailed as a hero to Erenduil. Now, a few years and countless battles later, Erikal Slin is overseeing the Institute, as a teacher to the students there and as field general to the Armor Division as a whole.
Military Job: Commander of KAD, Overseer of the MCI.
Magic: None applicable.
Spirit Name: Overdrive
Spirit Appearance: Overdrive is a small, wolflike creature that looks pretty much like a normal artic wolf... Apart from the fact that it has eight legs and blue runes running down its spine. It exudes an earthy aura, almost as if you're standing in a freshly tilled field whenever you're near it.
Spirit Power: As long as Overdrive is active, the Subtle Blade becomes massively strong and durable, almost as if in a berserker rage. The power surges caused by activation damage the Blade's more delicate circuitry, however, burning it out if the state remains active for too long.
Spirit Origin: Unlike many spirits, Overdrive isn't so hard to trace back--it's always been around, in some form or another, in the farm Erikal and his family have tended for generations, deriving its existence from the care put into the earth there. It was called into physical form by Erikal's desire to save his family and land, and it has aided him ever since.
Mech: The Subtle Blade
Extra: I'm a GM, dang it.
Mech profile:
Name: Subtle Blade
Classification: Sword
Appearance:
Small for a mech and still with the distinct influence of the reaping machine it originally was, the Subtle Blade does not look like the vehicle of a military commander. Short and with a low center of gravity, the Blade’s small size belies its strength and speed, the best that the King’s engineers and mages could create. The Blade’s squat form has been painted black in an attempt to cover the rust, its control runes glowing green and purple against the night-like background. When Overdrive is activated, Subtle Blade appears to grow in bulk, its control runes glowing with blinding light.
Weapons: The Subtle Blade’s original scythe has been replaced with a pair of black longswords, though Erikal ordinarily relies on his hand-to-hand grappling skills and fists to combat the demon hordes. As far as range weapons go, a longbow shaped focusing apparatus is always slung across the mech's back, capable of firing concentrated blasts of freezing magic. It seldom leaves its holster.
Upgrades: None since the beginning.
History: The Blade's history is too long and boring to be detailed in total here. Since being burned out in Erikal's first battle, the Blade has been refurbished, no doubt to stand in a museum or be used in propaganda. Imagine the surprise of the engineers when they discovered Erikal wanted it back. It has served in many successful missions since, though it still looks to be the ugly stepchild next to the gleaming mechs of the Armor Division.
Character Roster:
Sophia Pax
Catherine Talford
Jericho Piper
Johnathan Centuria
