AmongHeroes

Star Heresy

Rules and Expectations Ω

[xx1]-The decisions of the GM are final and absolute. If you have a specific issue or request, please feel free to PM me.

[xx2]-Use courtesy and common sense. Play the game for the story, and not for the individual. No god-moding or similar action.

[xx3]-Have fun, and be willing to participate actively.

A NOTE ON IN-GAME PHYSICS / TECH-The universe expressed here is a fanciful one, and as such, realism is not the primary concern. That being said, unbalancing the game via the use of some crazy technological super-thing ruins the experience for other players. Remember the common sense rule.

I AM SEEKING 5-10 ACTIVE PLAYERS FOR THIS RP.

Character Creation Ω

^{[x] You will be playing as a member of the elite 75th Clandestine Activities Group, known more commonly as the 7-5 [x]}

Name:

Age:

Gender: (Male or Female)

Rank: (Between Sergeant and First Lieutenant--No Imperial Knights)

Appearance: (Please utilize a real photograph, supplemented by description)

History / Background:

Personality: (Use up to FIVE one word descriptors to give a quick feel for your character's personailty)

Specialties: (As a member of an elite unit, all characters will have enhanced senses, reflexes, strength and stamina, as well as YETI implants. However, individuals may have more inherent skills or added attributes related to a certain aspect of combat. You may be creative here, but please remember the common sense rule—characters need to be balanced to be realistic and playable. Please limit specialties to TWO.)

SUBMIT CHARACTER SHEETS VIA PM FOR APPROVAL.

Star Heresy

The Military Ω

[x]Personal Tech and Weaponry
As with every other part of life in human controlled space, technology is heavily integrated. When an individual is accepted into military service, there are a number of required modifications and implants that are immediately installed. The extent of modification only increases as the requirements of a specific job become more unique or demanding—Special Forces, for instance, have a much more advanced array of implanted tech and modification than a normal grunt soldier.

^{Examples of combat EVA and infantry power armor.}

Along with integrated tech, the use of external tech is also widely used. Armored EVA combat suits, high-risk environment suits (HRES), exo-suits, powered omni-environmental combat suits (POCS), and others, are utilized extensively in military service. These specialized suits are generally powered by compact, ultra-capacity power cells. Power cells allow suits to be operated for several days, depending on power demand. In rare cases, miniaturized nuclear reactors are also used. Miniaturized reactors permit an almost infinite power source (in terms of combat operations), although there exists a greater risk to the operator should catastrophic failure occur.

Infantry and personnel weapons are similarly tech heavy. Kinetic, projectile, chemical, and energy weapons are all used within the military branches, with each being selected and designed for a specific application. In the case of energy weapons, most are powered using the operator’s onboard suit or exo-suit power source. In rare instances, hand-held weapons are still used. The most common is the oscillating combat blade, which is a super-hardened blade weapon that is vibrated at a specific wavelength to allow swift penetration through armor. These weapons are almost exclusively used by the Special Forces.

[x]Mechanized Warfare and YETI's
In modern warfare, there exists an almost innumerable array of manned and unmanned machines of war. These range from the giant space-going capital vessels, all the way to unmanned miniature attack drones. However, the most common, and arguably the most prominent class of mechanized war materiel is the YETI Frame. These versatile, powerful, and intricate, combat frames are utilized in nearly every phase of combat operations. They have been configured and modified to the extent that their usefulness is practically infinite, and as such, they are used everywhere.

^{Examples of YETI frames.}

YETI’s are controlled via specific implants in a pilot’s spinal column. As such, a YETI pilot needs little training to perform basic movements and operations—the frame moves and acts like the pilot’s own body. Thusly, if a pilot is an expert marksman outside of a YETI, that same pilot should be able to perform with the same proficiency while in the cockpit. In the bulk of both the Imperial and Republic militaries, there are units specifically formed to operate YETI frames; much like fighter squadrons. However, Special Forces units often operate their own YETI’s, and forego the need for support from an outside unit.

The 7-5 is one such unit.

[x]The 7-5
The 75th Clandestine Activities Group, or 7-5, is a unit technically housed within the Imperial Navy, but attached to both the Orion Special Operations Command, and the Office of Imperial Intelligence. The unit is one of countless others in the classification of Special Forces. What makes the 7-5 and its sister CAG units unique among them is that they perform operations which require very specialized, and independent action.

CAG’s are expected to be equally well versed in death dealing as they are gathering intelligence. From piloting massive YETI’s, to stalking the dark corridors of the slums, CAG operators are both wolf and chameleon, employing whatever means necessary to fulfill their mission.

The 7-5 was commissioned just over a year before Earthfall. It’s primary focus was the tracking and precise extermination of terrorist cells creeping into the Imperial held space. Red Oath was not initially among its targets. When the attack on Earth was carried out, the Emperor himself selected the 7-5 out of the other available CAG units to exact vengeance upon the perpetrators. As such, the 7-5 claimed the moniker of “The Emperor’s Own”. Most of the current roster of the 7-5 has been with the unit since its inception.

^{The 7-5's unit insignia.}

Star Heresy

^{WE HAVE ALL BEEN LED ASTRAY}

_-THEME-

Sci-fi│Warfare│Space Opera│Unrealistic Physics│Mecha│Cyberpunk

^{SEEK THE TRUTH}

---

The Path to the Present Ω

Humanity is spread across the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. Nearly two-hundred settlements; from planets, moons, and artificial structures, dot themselves outward from the Solar System. Across the vastness of space, human culture is varied, albeit not to the point of balkanization—humankind as a whole yet remains one singular species, united with the core spirit that brought them to the stars so many centuries ago. This distinct link in identity is made possible by the extensive use of Titan Gates throughout occupied space, which allow instantaneous communication and transportation across the void.

But this common thread has been put the test.

Slowly and steadily, as the reach of man spread farther and farther into the galaxy, society found itself polarizing into institutions not seen since humans could only dream of flight. A nobility formed, and with it, the aristocracy. The gap between upper and lower class widened incrementally, yet ceaselessly. Peace reigned for centuries, as the proletariat was placated by the skillful hands of those in power. When at last the top-heavy government coalesced beneath the first Emperor, and the coming of the Orion Empire, the seeds of unrest finally began to germinate.

^{The seal of the Orion Empire}

Colonies and worlds far from the Emperor’s throne are the first to bring their disdain of the status quo to bear. Small protests evolve into local uprisings. Governmental establishments in the Rim are attacked, and the lords tasked with governance of these worlds likewise fall in the crosshairs. The Emperor’s grip on the outer worlds wanes, allowing hope in the minds of the dissidents that revolution is the true means for change. With this hope deepening, a true rebellion forms under the banner of the Nym Separatists.

^{The crest of the Nym Separatists}

The First Tyranny War begins. Spurred on by the hope of a new order and opportunity, billions flock to the cause of the Nym Separatists. This sudden societal shift initially leaves the nobility of the Orion Empire reeling. Separatist forces take key outer rim worlds and economic hubs, pushing back imperial influence. However, the Orion Empire rallies, coalescing its mightier economic resources. For a decade the two sides battle for control of human space, with little progress being made and kept by either entity.

Weary of war, the tide of opinions in both the imperial and separatists’ populations turn to peace. The leaders of both factions summit, and divide the galaxy—the newly minted Nym Republic holds the worlds on the rim, while the Orion Empire maintains the lion’s share of planets towards the core of the Solar System. It is a shaky, but definitive accord. Many hardliners, on both sides of the conflict, decry the compromise, demanding the war be continued until true victory is achieved. Yet, these individuals are few in number, and silenced quickly by the winds of public desire.

Almost a century later, the peace is shattered.

Terrorists associated with an extreme sect of separatists, known as Red Oath, gain access to both the orbital and ground defense mainframes of Earth. In a veritable coup de main of cyber-warfare, the terrorists unleash the full contingent of nuclear based weaponry in the entire arsenal upon the human homeworld. All life is obliterated in fire, with billions perishing in the most deadly single act in the whole of human existence. Nothing is left but a barren wasteland of radioactive rock.

Eighteen hours following the catastrophic attack, the Emperor declares war upon the Nym Republic.

It is now just shy of a month since Earthfall. All-out war is waging across humanity's reaches. Of all the billions of military personnel, one small unit is tasked with carrying the Emperor’s deadly vengeance to the throat of the perpetrators. To the Orion Special Operations Command, this group of unique operators are designated as the 75th Clandestine Activities Group. To those who fear and respect them, they are simply known as the 7-5.

---

Society in the Orion Arm Ω

[x]The Nobility
Daily life in the expanse of human space is widely varied from world to world. Yet, even with the cultural diversity inherent in across lightyears of space, society still maintains a common fabric that dates back from the united Earth government which spurned the first colonization into the Solar System, and beyond. This fabric’s integrity is maintained with the use of Titan Gates, massive, intricate structures, which allow instantaneous transportation and communication between regions, no matter their relative distance.

This ability to interact and travel so easily has allowed the resurgence of the nobility into the social construct. Status and position has once more become a distinct part of human existence. It is a hierarchy almost as old as humanity itself, with wealthy gentry maintaining the pinnacle of the societal ladder.

^{The Emperor
│
Upper Nobility
│
Lower Nobility
│
Bureaucrats
│
Imperial Knights
│
Merchants/Business Owners
│
Tradesmen/Laborers
│
Peasant Classes}

For those of the nobility, life is uniquely similar to that of Victorian England, with governance of individual sects of space being given to various lords at the grace of the Emperor. Title and privilege follow the tradition of hereditary right, and one’s bloodline and familial ties are as important and conspicuous as any other social aspect. This is especially true for the upper nobility, which keeps court with the Emperor himself.

Upward mobility from one class to another is difficult; almost impossibly so in the case of becoming a noble. The most likely scenario for achieving such a jump in status from the lower classes is through exemplary military service. When in the service of the Emperor, if an individual is shown to exemplify the virtues of the Orion Empire, has willfully, honorably, and bravely subjected themselves to some extreme trial in the name of His Majesty, then he or she holds the chance of being knighted.

Once this title is bestowed, an Imperial Knight is granted a unit of property (always smaller than that of a lord of the realm), and they are given a post as a commander over an Imperial military unit or similar contingent. This title, like the upper and lower nobility, is hereditary. Only through extreme scandal or traitorous activity can this title be removed by the Emperor.

The knighting of individuals within the realm is a rare occurrence, though it still remains the most likely avenue for movement upwards in the class system.

[x]The Commoners
Life in the lower classes has been an almost primal prospect since the very inception of the Empire. Those that count themselves in the peasant class far outnumber their middle and upper class peers. At the bottom of the ladder, cultures meld and collide; language, art, crime, vice, and tradition, all blend in strange and uncommon ways. Gangs and factions based around often ancient and perverted systems form a secondary government in the slums of the realm. Vast cities and space colonies are filled with slum lords, hitmen, pimps, dope slingers, weapons merchants, slave traffickers, and enforcers of infinite number.

While languages and customs vary the most in this portion of society, most people that find themselves regardless of class speak at least two languages; the language associated with their heritage/location or status, and Ori, also known as Low Tongue. Ori is the language that glues all of the human population together. It is spoken throughout the Orion Empire, and it is even the primary language of the Nym Republic. Most nobles likewise speak Ori, though this is a language usually reserved for conversing with the under classes that serve them. The language specifically reserved for nobility is called Jovi.

[x]Technology in Society
Every aspect of a person’s life in the modern era is intricately twined with technology. Even the most basic devices contain enough computing power to be self-aware, and powering these devices takes little more than the electrical energy produced by the human metabolic system. From birth, even amongst the lowest classes, implants are installed in the body that aid and regulate normal functions and allow the easy interfacing of medical tech.

It is also through these implants that the Orion Empire tracks its population.

Beyond the basic implants, elective cybernetic modification is rampant. It is a true rarity to find an individual without a wide array of technological improvements, be they conspicuous or otherwise to the casual eye. These modifications run the gambit, from job specific enhancements, to leisure related, and everything in between. Not to mention all the modifications available and required for military service.

The only portion of the population where the occurrence of implanted/integrated tech is less commonplace is among the nobility. Here, cybernetics are being replaced more and more by advanced biotech. Genetic modification and splicing is requires more precision and expertise, and thusly is vastly more expensive than cybernetic equivalents.

Star Heresy [Original Space Opera]

Sorry for the delay everyone. As I'm writing the OOC, it simply is just growing more than I thought it would. Please be patient, I'll get the damn thing up soonish.

[closed]

@Rockette Thanks so much. It was a fun post to write.

Have fun watching the game, and enjoy the inevitable inebriation.

[closed]

Luc stood at the window, peering down to the quiet streets that led to the Baron’s Manor. His cool blue eyes worked slowly across the chilly city, as the cogs of his mind whirred in steady rhythm on the problems of the day. Regaled in his heavy armor, Luc clutched his massive hands over the collar-rim of his breast plate. It was a position of rest which lent itself well to the task of waiting and wondering.

The barony had received word that the contingent of SOLDIERS from Dalmasca had fallen under attack, and that their arrival had been substantially delayed. Initially there were few details of the event, and even less so of the disposition of the survivors. Luc had enough experience in combat to know that there would plenty of casualties that required attention; be it medically or simply comfort for exhaustion. As the Baron’s trusted personal bodyguard and security officer, it was easy to convince his lordship of the necessity of extensive preparation. Luc only hoped that the relatively humble estate could handle the SOLDIERS’ demands—Mhril was no Dalmasca.

It had been some six months since Luc had been sent to the strategic port city with orders to organize the barony’s defenses, and protect his lordship. Luc had taken to the task with alacrity, feeling his new and dutiful purpose swell pride within him as he crossed the border into Zalera. At first the cold had tried its best to dull the edge of Luc’s optimism over the prospects of his posting, but an intrepid spirit honed with the real prospect of danger, gave Luc the impetus to not cede his passion.

From the moment he had arrived in Mhril, there was work to be done. The lands surrounding the city proper had become more frequent targets for the monstrosities of the outer tundra, not to mention the threat of SeeR incursions. The small force of grunts and regulars stationed to protect the barony were hardened men and women. What they lacked was guidance and leadership. That was where Luc found his purpose.

In short order, Luc had managed to reorganize the regulars into a more manageable and responsive fighting force. He beefed up security around the key intersection of the port and canals, as well as staged the deployment of more effective patrols to the outer reaches of the barony. Mhril’s security forces had become proactive, and as such, attacks in the countryside had dropped dramatically. Luc himself had led more of those patrols than he could recall, and he valued the hard-won experience highly. Yet, as effective as he had been at rebuffing the beasts that threatened Mhril, the growing threat of SeeR operatives posed a more elusive problem.

The click of boots behind him on the oaken floor brought Luc from his reverie. Looking from the window, over his armored shoulder, Luc regarded the young grunt that now stood at attention in the frame of the doorway.

“Sir, we’ve received word from the outer units that the SOLDIER contingent has just moved into the city. They are making their way to the manor now.”

Luc, nodded and smiled. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he did so. “Very good. Thank you, private. Please inform his lordship of the news. I’ll meet him the foyer to receive our guests.”

The private gave a quick “Yes, sir,” and a salute before spinning on his heels. Luc watched the man go, chasing the departure with an introspective sigh. He knew not what had brought more SOLDIERS to Mhril, but Luc knew it did not portend good things.

Reaching down, Luc pulled his warhammer from its place in the corner of the room. The weapon was four feet in length from pommel to tip, and ensconced in matte black enamel. Its octagonal hammer surface was pocked and scarred from combat, as was the conical spike that made the reverse of the weapon’s head. Hefting it, Luc took comfort in the familiar weight of the thing, before spinning it expertly to attach diagonally across his back into the purpose-built mag points of his armor. He left the room without his massive rectangular shield however; it was unwieldy indoors, lest one desired to block an entire hallway.

Luc met the baron at the foot of the main stairs, and gave the lord a quick salute in greeting. The tall, spindly man accepted the greeting with a harried wave of his hand.

“The times in which we find ourselves…” the Baron said, continuing past Luc towards the front entrance. “SeeR’s creeping around our corners, and even traveling across the country is becoming a dangerous prospect it would seem. For SOLDIERS, no less!”

Luc fell in step behind his lord, keeping back and to the right of the man. “Things have changed across Veira, my lord, of that there is no doubt. Take heart in the fact that there are those willing to protect what we have here in Galbadia.” Luc allowed his voice to carry into a resolutely hopeful tone, “It is my sole purpose, my lord. As it is for every one of my SOLDIER compatriots.”

The Baron half turned, his braided ebony tail shaking from the back of his head. “My friend, if only the world was a virtuous as you believed it to be, we wouldn’t need SOLDIERS in the first instance.”

Luc blinked at the Baron’s reply, but lost the chance to conjure up a rebuttal. The front entrance opened on the Baron’s command, and the doors began to swing open.

Instinctively, Luc positioned himself now in front of the Baron. His protective nature was ingrained in his very soul now, and it mattered not if his lordship was receiving delegates of the President himself, or the entire SeeR army—Luc would be the first to take any blow.

As the light from the interior of the manor lit the street below, Luc’s eyes fell to the SOLDIERS at the foot of the entry steps. He was at first taken aback by the number of the prized warriors that had been sent, as no expectation of such a sizeable force had been conveyed to the Baron’s office. His surprise, however, turned quickly to a prideful joy. Luc had not kept the company of fellow SOLDIERS since the time of his training, and the prospect now was a pleasant one.

His attention focused next upon the beautiful and impish face of a blonde that led the phalanx of SOLDIERS. Her stunning features were only made more unique by the orbs of deep umber and cerulean that stared back at him. A slight involuntary smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

The Baron whisked past him them, and Luc followed. Descending the steps, he appraised the rest of the company. He gave little nods of greeting and acknowledgement to each, pausing as he did so to give a knowing look to a gargantuan man with a claymore sword at his back—a kindred spirit, if Luc had ever seen one.

After the Baron finished his greeting, Luc saw his opportunity to fulfill his own duty. Stepping forward near the baron, Luc added his deep, rumbling voice to the night.

“I am Luc Watkins, security officer and guardian to his lordship.” He smiled broadly to his fellow SOLDIERS, concern wilting his gaze as he looked to the wounded in the company. “We have made preparations for proper medical treatment, as well as refreshment and sleeping quarters.”

Sweeping a gauntleted hand towards the entrance, Luc stepped aside on the stairs. “Please make your way inside. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me. I will see to it personally.”

[closed]

I'm working on a post now. Should be up in little while.

Star Heresy [Original Space Opera]

Thanks for all the interest everyone. Just wanted to update you all, and let you know that I've got a ton of work done thus far on the RP. It'll be up tomorrow for sure. Hope to see you all there.

Star Heresy [Original Space Opera]

Bruh. You said Cyberpunk--possibly my favorite underused genre ever. I said I couldn't do it. I said I couldn't join another damnit. But... I must. Please allow me to throw my hat in. For the Cyberpunk. *Tears up*

@icmasticc

Hell yeah, man. It's as under-appreciated as it is amazing. Glad I could lure you in.

Star Heresy [Original Space Opera]

Mind if I hop in, seems super cool

@Nevix

I don't mind at all. I'm working on the OOC now.