Bork Lazer

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

Yo, all. Just a heads up about its going to go on the first day. I've already finished up a rudimentary IC post to blast you all with but I'm still waiting on yáll to finish your CS's so I can fine tune the details.

Anyway, just a reminder that the due date is February the 2nd, 10 PM EST. Try to make it on that time.

Bork Lazer's Storage Bunker

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War.

War never changes.

Light and then, darkness.

That was how the long, messy and protracted end of civilization came to be. The great cities and governments of old were consumed by the atomic inferno that they created and sought to use to benefit themselves.

Yet, for many, it was not the end. Near the twilight of the 21st century, underground shelters of steel and rock known as Vaults were built in a last ditch effort to avoid armageddon. Those fortunate enough to gain residency survived unscathed. When the doors opened, they spread out across the ashes of the new world to repopulate, reestablish and rebuild. History would repeat itself again as new societies and tribes retracing the footsteps of their legacies competed and waged war with one another in this blasted hellscape.

As a century passed and the West burgeoned with the flames of civilization, the East remained eerily quiet. Around campfires, traders and vagrants from the east speak of an emerald land at the end of the mighty Mississippi, down by the mire of the Bayou Marsh.

They called it the Crescent. The monarchial Orleans Empire rules over the French Quarter and its 10 districts, determined to bring prosperity with an iron fist. However, the Empire faces threat from instability and dissidents. The Neo-Confederates seek to restore the slave trade to its former glory whilst the Liberte movement aims to restore the principles of democracy and justice in a merciless wasteland.

Deep in the Bayou, where shadows creep and crawl, the Masquerade, an order of witch doctors and shamans, plays and pulls strings to expand their ever increasing web of influence. Meanwhile, preying on the chaos, the Many Rivers Protecterate institutes a vision of anarchy amongst its many disorganized members who traverse the Gulf and the wider Carribean in search of reward.

You are a passenger of the Colorado Vagabond, a merchant ferry that is just finishing its maiden voyage. You came to the Crescent in search of a better future, yet, what happens next is not what you entirely expected…...

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KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

<Snipped quote by Bork Lazer>

Thank you for the feedback; I was actually wondering that because I was like... If he isn't mutated how will he have lizard abilities, I was angling for Kly'tar's race to be an actual race in Karsts. I could have him be a mutant in a way that changed his hide red, among other things?

@Dark Cloud

Sure.

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

Love the progress so far. However, I have just a few comments to make since you're all doing your draft CS's on the thread.

@Dark Cloud - Keep in mind that True Kin cannot have mutations and are unable to look inhuman and that their race is strictly human. You can still be a 'lizard' person if you're creative enough.

@Adverb - Great mushroom person concept. Just make sure your mutations fit what you're going for.

@Rapid Reader - I've told you this before but you don't need to strictly follow in-game lore. Otherwise, great sheet.

@Flagg - No comment other than your character is the oldest out of everyone here and I expect your backstory to reflect that.

Wal Quest - Interactive Post Apocalyptic Quest

[2] - [X] - Stick with your original plan. Go back to the Stationary Shogunate and give the package to your clan elders.

[2] -[X] - Let him in on your plan.

[X] - Ask him if he can help identify the package. (Optional)

---

You reply teresely. “ Back to my home. To my parent clan. To the Stationary Shogunate.” You hug the package tightly and stare at him expectantly, waiting for the sound of laughter or stinging criticism of your plans that were already beyond the expiry date.

Instead, all that comes is an understanding nod. “ Honor really gets the best of you at the end, doesn’t it, stationari?”

“ Like an outsider would even know about us.” you bite back.

“ Oh really?” The pharmacist clears his throat and then, begins to speak slowly, as if reciting a creed. “Steel bends.”

“ Paper tears,” you reply automatically whilst your brows raise in surprise.

“ Glue hardens.” he continues, never pausing.

“ Ink smears.” Your mouth says the words out of habit but there’s only the question of How? on your mind.

“ My will is stainless.”

“ My honour is eternal,” you finish breathlessly. “ Where did you learn it? Outsiders only know the shortened version.”

“ You're not the first Samurai I’ve encountered.” The pharmacist said before pointing towards your eyepatch. “ So, Sakura, eh? I suppose you were tasked with returning this package to the papersmiths.”

You nod. “ Aye. They promised to restore my reputation and my status as samurai if I brought it back to them.”

“ Promised.” The pharmacist rolled his eyes. “ Is that what those old warhawks call it nowadays? Do you really think giving that package to them is the best thing to do? We all know who started the last Black Friday in the first place.”

You didn’t need reminding of that. With no patience to discuss the politics of inter-departmental politics, you decided to take a different tack. You lifted the package out to him invitingly “ Perhaps, they won’t if you can help me identify what this is exactly.”

“ This is high quality plastic, no doubt about it.” He rapped against one side of it with its knuckles soundlessly before rubbing his nose and taking a deep breath. “ I can smell disinfectant. It’s been stored for a long time. It doesn’t have the stench of the Wal on it at all….”

He continued to look at it some more, turning it upside down and onto each and every end. When he was finally done, his face was slightly ashen, looking down at the package with reverence.

“ Like you heard me earlier, this is Wal-Tech.” He scratched his chin. “ But this is no ordinary piece of Wal-Tech. It has the mark of the Employees on it.”

“Employees?,” you scoff. “ They’re all dead. There are no more employees left. Everyone knows that they all perished during the Fall.”

“Or so we believe.” He then crossed his arms. “ This is priceless. With all the details you’ve given to me, it would make sense why an entire Smiler crusade would be after this product. Anything with the mark of the Employees on it has the power to change a Department. Even change the Wal itself…..”

He turns to look at you, face now grim and ashen.

“ I think it’d be best for you to leave the Bargain Bin. At once.”

---

You depart the day after during the opening hours. You gather what equipment survived your fall and try to make the best of your ruined armor. With a little help from the Pharmacist’s assistants, you manage to pancake it into a paper buckler that hangs onto your right hand.

Even, the Pharmacist did leave you one parting gift.

[X] - Take one item from the good Pharmacist.

[X] - A tube of 100 Vitamix-Plus Gummies - Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, you think you even see a little bit of magenta in there.

[X] - WalVicks Absolute Zero Cold Relief - This dark bottle rattles with a liquid that frosts the very glass itself.

[X] - Novolog Insu-Inhalant - This nasal syringe immediately makes your nostrils itch at the thought of using it.

[X] - You didn’t take anything from him. Regardless of how he helped you, you can’t trust to put any substance in your body that was given by him.

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

Oh, and btw, the tentative date to complete your CS is February the 2nd. Not asking you to rush it but just to keep the date in mind.

Also, I'm only going to be selecting 5 players out of the entire batch who submit their character sheets.

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

@Bork Lazer Would mutations work on any species or would it effect a non-human differently depending on their biology?

@Dark Cloud

Mutations will work generally the same for any species, regardless of the biology. However, physical mutations would manifest slightly differently. For example, if you were a orchid-man and you had a mutation that allowed you to make a temporary flesh clone of yourself, the process might be different compared to a goatfolk who had the same mutation.

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

Right, thanks. I wanted to ask because it smacked of in media res, and I didn't know whether we met him and set off from the same place, or that was one of the stops early in our journey, or what.

Okay, since my character probably wouldn't have been sheltered in an eco-dome, I guess my last last question is what mutations look like. Are these comic book mutations where we're all given unique abilities and survivability, or are these actual mutations fucking up our bodies and brains?

@pugbutter

A little bit of both. Physical mutations are more like the latter and fuck up your body whilst mental mutations are more like the former and fuck up your mind with more hefty consequences if you're an dedicated esper.

Physical mutations can look like anything. It's up to the player on how much it fucks up your body and brains. Mutations in Qud are negative at first but mutants learn to overcome the negatives and adapt it for their own uses.

You want to have two penises, three heads, four arms, five buttcheeks, six noses and six eyes. Be my guest.
You want to have a bio-organic metallic dragon skin? Sure.
You want to have a literal dragonfly hives in your arms that you can release at your opponents? Sure.
You want to have a ovipositor that make short lived clones of yourself?. Yeah, you can do that but I'm going to give you weird looks.

It's different from the comic book X-Men mutations where physical abilities don't have any outward effects. Straight up super strength is going to make your character humongously bulky as fuck. We're talking the Rock on steroids. Same with super speed. Either your thighs are going to be so big that you can crush melons with them or your feet contain bone springs on their soles.

Physical mutations are physical. whilst mental mutations are mental.

On mental mutations, the main consequence is that the more powerful you get as an esper, the more likely you attract some strange visitors ala psykers in the 40k universe. There's also the consequence of accumulating mental disorders or mental illnesses the higher up the psychic totem poll you go but these can be easily circumvented if you train well enough.

I did debate on the option of including harmful mutations for every 2 mutations you had but I think it's useless if the player doesn't make it a part of their character and treats it as a weakness to bring up every once in a while to prove to the GM that your character isn't overpowered.

Also, everyone, made revisions to the CS. I increased the total number of mutations you can have in your CS by 6. Sorry to those who began their CS already.

@Prince Potter @Rapid Reader @Dark Cloud @Flagg @Nib @pugbutter @Adverb

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

@Bork Lazer Noice. Thanks for all of that. One last question for you: where are we and Alu meeting, and/or where is the expedition actually starting?

@pugbutter

Now, this was actually stated in the OOC. You are in Hagashem, a village on the tip of the Desert Canyons, and you are currently resting after your long journey to Qud. The expedition is starting from there.

KARSTS - A World Beyond Eons

@Bork Lazer Please explain the Fungi a bit more?

@Dark Cloud

I really don't want to spoil much but they're essentially the same as sentient plants, only with the slight downside of being liable to infect other organic species when they release their spores. Also, you would not believe the amount of horrifying diseases in this world that are caused by fungi.