Bazmund

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@Vinsanity Go for it buddy.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

Oh snap, are prosthesis a thing? I had a character that essentially had a robotic ark prosthesis that was a multi-tool/Swiss army knife...

Different small/precise tools/wires built into his fingertips, a welding torch built into his pointer finger @Bazmund.. Can this be a possibility?

@vietmyke

Not quite that developed. Mechanical prosthesis would be more like a claw or grabber, with some interchangeable parts. It wouldn't really be capable of having more than two modes to switch between - say, a grabber and a blowtorch, or a power drill and a soldering iron - and these would require maintenance, fuel, and they'd hardly be lightweight. Certainly wouldn't be pretty. Your character can absolutely have a prosthetic, but it's not going to be a work of art - particularly not for someone who isn't rich as hell.

@Archangel89 Poo indeed, mate. It's a pretty decent app I can't lie, but you've made a few grammatical errors, and I can't help but feel like he's a bit... too much? I don't know, he's slightly unlikely. If he'd been a legend in the Iron Dominion navy, he'd not be taking work as what essentially amounts to a more diplomatic sort of mercenary for the World Council - particularly since they're not likely to promote someone who isn't radically pro-dominion to that rank, and even if they did he would probably become more of an aristocrat in the dominion itself once he retired. I'm gonna say you should work him over some more, since I know he's not done yet, and then I'll give my final answer.

In fact, as a general rule, we ought to try and avoid our characters having been senior military officials - particularly ones with legendary reputations - for the simple fact that it'll compromise the secrecy of the mission. Lt. Hunt is SORT OF an exception for the reason that he's the liason officer, and his line of work demands secrecy anyway.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@Lexicon Have a good one, man.

@Archangel89 Be very, very careful to not have that be OP. He can have a sort of prosthetic arm/weapon that uses an electrical discharge not dissimilar to a taser or stun gun, but I'm not ok with him shooting lightning out of his hands.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@Archangel89 The artefacts are a broadly defined group of objects, really. The key thing about them is that they were all around at the time of the sundering, and held significance in some way. They then absorbed some of the magic that became present during the sundering, and held onto it. Most of them have ceased to exist since then, through general wear and tear, or the magic wearing off.

Whilst it is possible that a prosthetic limb could have absorbed this magic and retained it til the present day, it's unlikely that it would still function as a limb. Furthermore, the Heavens' Eyes would have seized it by now. Anyone it was attached to would have been quite unceremoniously disposed of.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@Deadnaut Accepted. Go ahead and move her to the characters tab.

@Archangel89 Ok, last person. Once all of the apps are in I'll close it.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@Bazmund Out of curiosity, besides the airships, what technology level are we looking at here? I'm planning to have my character use a heavy crossbow and a sword, though it looks like guns are a viable option as well.

EDIT: Actually, never mind. I think, after rereading the opening post, I should be fine. I did want to ask, however, about elves really quick. Would a half-elf character be possible?

@Lexicon

Absolutely. Go for the half-elf, mate. Keep in mind that they're more likely to personally identify with whoever they were raised, however.

Keeping in line with the age-related questions: how long do dragonkin on average live for? From what I've gathered they are still humans, so is their lifespan should be as so, or am I mistaken? Also I was wondering if you could expand on how magic works in this world (just to be certain I don't misunderstand anything).

Oh, and this has definitely piqued my interest ^^

@Empath

Ah. Magic. The magic here is a bit complicated, because most of it is stuck within artefacts that have existed since before the Sundering - most of which are locked up by the Heavens' Eyes anyway. Wizards and witches are possible, casting predefined spells, and so are sorcerers using magic more creatively, but all of these things are now tightly controlled by the Heavens' Eyes. Any overtly magical characters would likely be prime targets for Heavens' Eyes agents.

Which could be fun.

As for dragonkin lifespan, we'll say that they tend to live just slightly longer than average humans, due to their innate physical health and fitness. So... 90-100 years, assuming these humans live til 80 regularly. Keep in mind there are natural negatives to being dragonkin, however.

@Bazmund This looks awesome, but I'd like to know more about the rules of magic, is it something learned or naturally occurring, can Dryads use magic in addition to the passive magic they're born with?

I'm probably interested if you have room.

@Tackytaff

I think we should have room for you, but I might close it after this. As for the magic... well, it could theoretically be learned, but that would take a very, very long time, and probably involve exposure to artefacts that are currently under the control of the Heavens' Eyes. Even those born with it are rare, but still possible, however they tend to 'disappear' when their talent begins to show, thanks to the far reaching influence of the Heavens' Eyes, who are rumoured to have their own mind-bending mages.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@vietmyke Theoretically, yes. However, there have been no instances of this occurring yet, and the cuttings themselves tend to produce weaker clones of the original - perfectly viable for keeping the Dryad alive, but less reliable. Plus, even with the innate magic of a Dryad so close to them, the cuttings become unviable after a while anyway. It's hardly impossible, but not terribly likely. Plus, it's not like keeping the tree alive would keep the Dryad out of harm's way - and there are plenty of people who'd like to hurt Dryads, for all sorts of reasons.

ネオトウキョウ ⋮⋮ time to become ghosts

Ayyyy it works perfectly. Thanks for the help, mate. Personally I think we should engage in the IC asap, and the others can sort of file in as we start if they're coming at all. To leave fair room for them we can start the IC a few days before we all meet, so we can get some character building in?

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

@vietmyke The Word Court's special tasks office is planning to secretly provide the party with a corvette capable of Upper Lift travel. Unfortunately, civilians don't really have access to Upper-Luft tech, most of the time, on account of the Heavens' Eyes ban on civilian use of Floatstone. You can spruce up your character's military record if you like, but he's honestly fine as he is. I don't intend any of our characters to be legendary either way, and his engineering skills should be more than enough to keep us afloat.

@Deadnaut Dryads live basically as long as their trees do. Their trees, however, receive shortened lifespans as a result. Your typical dryad will live between 100-130 years, a similar lifespan to a half elf. As for their connection to nature in general? Somewhere between the two things you just said. They experience a connection to nature in general, but their tree is special. They're not adverse to sailing in ships made of wood, but they're not comfortable seeing woodlands cut down. For this reason, they tend to avoid the Iron Dominion.

Broken Skies: War in the Eversky

The Cast

and other minor characters

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Please put your app here, in a hider, when it is accepted. I will also keep a log of active NPCs in this post right here, as much as I can. They'll be given a curtailed app to explain them, and their nature.

Lt. Daniel Hunt

Lt. Daniel Hunt

"The peace will last. I will ensure it."

Name: Lieutenant Daniel Hunt
Age: 24
Race: Human

Appearance:
Tall, standing at 6"3, and lithely built, his body has been strengthened by the rigours of the World Court's intensive peacekeeping force fitness programme. He bears a few scars,
under his shirt - from training exercises mostly, though at least one can be attributed to pirates - but is otherwise pale, with unblemished skin. As you can see, his hair is dark, and his eyes are blue,
and most would describe him as handsome - but he does not often smile. Additionally, he is missing the tip of his left ring finger - an injury from his first skirmish with pirates. But you should've seen the other guy.
Nation of origin: The City of Solace - the World Court.

Personality: Primarily cold and businesslike, Daniel Hunt's devotion to the cause of the World Court is absolutely without question. He reserves a special disdain for the Heavens' Eyes,
and is quick to anger when faced with them, though hesitant to resort to violence. In his time off, he's more relaxed and talkative - and certainly enjoys a good pint, or rum - but still isn't an overtly social individual, and tends to sit and absorb the experience of his friends' interactions rather than participate actively himself. He can easily be made to laugh, when he's not stressed - but he's usually stressed. Overall, good company when he's on your side, and cold and distant when he isn't - and not usually trusting, or quick to make friends, either way.

Biography: Lt. Daniel Hunt was born in Solace, to a fairly well to do middle class family. He was the middle child, and lived a happy and comfortable childhood. It was in this childhood that he came to appreciate the work of the World Court - after all, without them he could never have had such an excellent upbringing, complete with a full education, good healthcare, and complete solidarity with his fellow men. The City of Solace combined the best parts of the Three Nations; the work ethic and industrial capability of the Iron Dominion, the honour and goodwill of the Oakheart Sovereignty, and the passionate incorruptibleness of the Red League's politics. For 17 years, this was his life, and he was happy. He graduated well from school, with a steady boyfriend and an honourable diploma in the scientific arts, and he was ready to go to university too - to the Whiterock College, to study Diplomacy and become a mediator.

Life... was good.

Three years into that diplomacy degree though, his faith in the solidarity between the Three Nations was utterly shattered.

A group of Red League extremists, calling themselves the People's Fist, bombed the city center, killing three hundred innocent people. Their leader made a great speech about the evils of accepting feudalism and fascism, going so far as to denounce the Prime Minister of the Red League herself for accepting the existence of the other two nations. Daniel's boyfriend, a boy named Nathan, was amongst the hostages kept alive as bargaining chips.

Only... it didn't go that way.

The Iron Dominion's embassy had been the secondary target, you see, and although the World Court's peacekeeping forces had been deployed to contain the terrorists and negotiate for the release of the hostages once the People's Fist had holed up there and taken more innocents prisoner... the Iron Dominion took it personally.

Dominion Special Forces, a highly trained group of military specialists, were deployed on the Prime Minister's demand - after the threat of withdrawal from the World Court had been made, they had no choice but to allow it. The issue with this turn of events is that the Iron Commandos had never been trained for rescue missions, as it was the World Court's department. No. They'd been sent in for revenge, and to make examples of the aggressors.

To their credit, both the Red League and the Dominion sent their best physicians and surgeons for the few who survive the embassy incident - and indeed, not a single surviving hostage was allowed to perish of their wounds - but Daniel would never be sure who exactly had killed Nathan. The People's Fist, having been extincted that day, were more than capable of executing their prisoners, and more than willing to as well - but the Iron Commandos are ruthless and unfeeling, so much so that some people suspect they are either constructs of metal, or so heavily drugged with combat stimulants that they cease to be human either way.

But Nathan was dead, and the peace was tense again.

Jane Oakheart, of the Red League, made her official apologies. Apparently the extremists were supposed to have been rounded up and imprisoned a long time ago, but some had slipped through their fingers. The Iron Dominion simply forced a grin and demanded reparations.

And the Oakheart Dominion were silent on the matter.

Daniel Hunt continued his studies as a changed man, and entered military service as soon as he graduated. He was a star in his class, with nobody besting him in negotiations practice - thanks to his degree, no doubt - and only a few surpassing him in the firing range, or the swordsman's pit. He was an excellent tactician too, it seemed, combining the right amount of ruthless will to enforce international law with the right amount of strategic cunning - indeed, it seemed that the only career for him would be as an officer, a leader of men. He would hunt down pirates, and enforce boundaries when border disputes arose, and never would he ever accept that the rules of the World Court were wrong, or to be changed, or incorrect.

But that didn't happen.

In another strange twist of fate, he was instead picked out from the rest upon his graduation, by General Andius Ponta - the World Court's chiefest authority on international relations, and former member of the intelligence council - to become his new aide. Far from leading men, or captaining airships to do away with pirates, and menaces to public safety, he would become this man's assistant in all things. He would be a jumped up organiser, nothing more. There were perks, yes - the pay was good, and it afforded him the ability to travel the world all the same - but... Gods, it was... it was all wrong.

He was outraged.

This was no way for him to protect the Eversky. This was no way for him to make sure that things stayed as they were meant to. This was a sham.

What would Nate think of him now?

The General found him with his fists clenched, and tears in his eyes, on just the third day of the job.

"Lieutenant. What is the meaning of your state today?"

"I am angry, sir."

"Angry at what exactly, Lieutenant?"

"You, sir. For condemning me to a life of servitude rather than a life of duty."

The General sighed.

"Son, you really have no idea what we do in this department, do you?"

As it turned out, Daniel didn't. The International Relations and Intelligence Office (or rather, the IRIO) was an organisation within the World court conducting operations both public and clandestine in every major city in the Eversky, to gather information about possible disturbances before they happened, and thwart them thoroughly. It had been a facet of the World Court's activity since the first day of the Court's operation, but only since the terror attack in which Nathan had been killed had their operations been this massive. According to General Andius Ponta, they had illuminated and destroyed three groups similar to the People's Fist, as well as seven more on a smaller scale, since the fateful day that has pressed Daniel into service. These groups had been identified, investigated, and absolutely dissolved, before they had even a single chance to act.

And now Daniel - Lieutenant Daniel - was all but being groomed to take it over when the General retired.

Of course, that wasn't about to happen - not since the Heaven's Eyes began to take over.

But for three or four good years, Lt. Daniel Hunt fought the good fight in a way he'd never even been creative enough to dream of.

Skills:

• Shrewd Diplomat - A cool talker, when he's in the kind of situation he'd studied to master, Lt. Daniel Hunt is a master of the spoken word. He's stopped wars before, just by talking -although, they were only small wars. If it's a situation where talking might help, his talking is sure to help. Probably.
• A Worldly Man - In part due to his training as an agent of the IRIO, but also due to his personal experiences of traveling the Eversky with the good General, Lt. Daniel Hunt is a man who knows his way around most major ports on the Cloud Sea, and who can at least roughly speak most of the languages native to them. He's by no means able to pass as a native, but he's also unlikely to offend, or draw attention.
• Always a Soldier - His military training has stayed with him. Whilst he's no commando, he's more than a match for most people, be it with gun, sword, or hand. His bad side is not a good bad side to be on, and attacking him is certainly a poor move.
• The IRIO taught me well - He understands spies. He's worked with many. If there is more to someone that at first there seems, he's likely to notice.

Weaknesses:

• Intolerance: Heaven's Eyes - If at any point, you should be simultaneously in the company of this man, and an agent of the Heavens' Eyes, be prepared to separate them. This will, naturally, hamper his ability to blend in when there are Heavens' Eyes agents about - and beyond that, he's likely to start a fight he cannot win.
• The Elaborated Code - Whilst he'll never have trouble communicating with an educated man, he's got some issues getting himself understood to the lower working class. He's not classist,
  but he was raised to speak well, and his university eduation and military training have only made it worse. He can't speak to the poor properly, they don't usually understand him. It's a big point of embarrassment for him, and he's working on it as best he can.
• The Pain that Does Not Fade - Nathan. The memory of Nathan has stayed with him. He's trying to open himself up, find someone new, and move on... but it's hard. It's... very hard.

Equipment:

• The White Standard - A regular, bog standard, Peacekeeper carbine rifle. It's bolt action, and based loosely on the Lee Enfield pattern, but noting fancy.
  
  The White Standard

  
• Peacekeeper's Sidearm - A remarkably unremarkable repeating pistol, based on the same design as the Iron Dominion standard naval sidearm, though lacking in some ways as it is not the original, and was designed by someone else. It is also chambered in a more common but less powerful cartridge.
• Peacekeeper's Sword- A Peacekeeper's short sword, forged in the Oakheart Sovereignty for the World Court's peacekeeping efforts. One of the few instances of a truly quality product being willfully and freely given to the peacekeepers by one of the Big Three.
  
  Peacekeeper's Sword

  

Other: He is decidedly bisexual - though he has only ever been with Nathan.

Additional Characters and NPCs

The IRIO

General Andius Ponta

General Andius Ponta

A stern and businesslike, but progressive and deeply committed leading officer of the IRIO, the World Court's intelligence service - and the most advanced network for the gathering and processing of information to have ever existed in the Eversky. He is also one of the few officers still on the World Court's executive board that has not succumbed to the influence of the Heavens' Eyes, and was one of the first to realise the true threat they present.

It is under his orders that your mission began - and under the supervision of his personal aide and protegé, Lt. Daniel Hunt, that the mission was carried out.

Lucille Bordeaux

Agent 'Lucy' Bordeaux

Lucy Bordeaux, a young and occasionally maverick agent of the IRIO, is just as dedicated to the job as her handling officer, Daniel Hunt. Her loyalty is without question - though that is not to say her methods are equally untouchable. She has a tendency to overcommit to her roles, or to act unpredictably and in ways that defy her initial orders. In her file with the IRIO, she is noted as employing some very extreme tactics in her work - something which could easily be both a huge advantage, and a huge pitfall. However, working more closely with her handler, Lt. Hunt, has given her more stability in recent years, and she is now one of the IRIO's premier field agents.

The Heavens' Eyes

Inquisitor Cunningham

Inquisitor Cunningham

A mysterious and resolute man, Inquisitor Cunningham is one of the most terrifying faces a heretic can come to see - even though his full face has never been seen, much like any Inquisitor. Though the abilities of the Inquisitors are scarcely known, and it can be easily assumed that what we do know is not even nearly the full extent of it, we are aware that Inquisitors are able to sense, amongst other things, the presence of magic, the tells of a liar, the ideation of betraying the Eyes, and heresy. How exactly they do this is largely unknown, but as they must remove their masks - exposing only their eyes, with their mouths and noses covered still - to do so, it can be assumed that their so called extrasensory perception does lie within the realm of humanity, at least roughly. Cunningham, however, takes this even further - through his own fanaticism and zealous devotion to the Eyes, he has become even more powerful than most other Inquisitors, and his history with Lt. Hunt has made him particularly driven to see the doom of this mission.

The Iron Dominion

The Oakheart Sovereignty

The Red League