Brink_

Quarantine: The Space Station

Fel's eyes opened, quickly adjusting to the harsh white of the surrounding walls as it reflected the light of the fluorescent chandelier in the outside hallway whose dull yellow rays peered in through gaps of the nearby blinds. The room was just as he'd remembered, an unimaginative square shape with a bulky, glossy white dresser topped with a hologram projected situated in one corner and a feeble-looking desk, dented legs and all, standing opposite. The man's bed, for last night at least, took up much of the space's center, underneath a forbiddingly large display screen functioning as a window to the surrounding solar system, its sickly green sheets a welcome compliment to the rest of the hypochondriac's dream abode. He stretched, sending both of his feet from their curled-up positions out underneath the covers, exposing just what a giant of a man he was.

Standing at nearly six-and-a-half feet, he rarely found a bed suitable for his length, meaning he'd often ended up bending into an uncomfortable mass in the midst of midnight. This was no time, however, for such lengthy anatomical examinations; Roals was en route to the USS Orpheus, after all, and this was his day to pack up after nearly a week of lounging within Aurora as part of the Navy's latest attempts at assimilating its newest celestial acquisitions to life outside of the atmosphere they'd come to know and love.The heavy-set metallic door opened with a swoosh and closed behind him with a click as soon as he'd stepped out.

A force of cold air wilting down the corridor smacked into Roals as he'd began making his way towards the nearest lavatory, whose neon sign was obscured underneath the blinding light of the aforementioned fluorescent fixture above him. The metallic grates were cold to the touch of his soles, sending the multitude of hairs lining his legs to shoot straight up as goosebumps overcame his limbs. The government-issue sleepwear he'd been granted as part of the station's harboring of troops did little to protect against the chilling breath of the structure's fine blend of oxygen and hydrogen in attempts to stabilize the already poorly-insulated heating system, the thin cotton shawl and sweatpants haphazardly clinging to his clean-shaven abdomen.

Quarantine: The Space Station

Fel Roals

"If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles." - Clausewitz

AGE:
Early-forties.

GENDER:
Male

OCCUPATION:
Garrisoned lieutenant en route to orbiting celestial fortress.

PERSONALITY:
Roals is, by nature, a loner and an outcast, with a ruthless streak to him that makes him extremely dangerous when provoked. Despite this outwardly cold nature, however, his colleagues have noted that that behind his exterior lies a fiercely loyal friend, and a man of good humor and giver of sound advice. Records have shown that him to have many good friends throughout much of the world. He is also shown to be extremely adept at defusing difficult situations, and as a man who would much sooner have everyone return home than to draw his weapon. His experience within the navy makes him a world-weary man, often expressing disdain and veiled insults to those he considers cruel and foolish.

HISTORY:
Fel Roals appeared to be like any other captain within the United States Navy, piloting the destroyer USS Protector with a small fleet under his command, including the famed cruiser USS Independence. However, all was not as it seemed. By 2024, as war dawned, he had begun to use his rank to his advantage, selling military weapons and equipment to any groups willing to pay, as well as beginning to contemplate defecting to the growing Adware threat provided he could get a suitably high price for his services. However, a leak within his personal communications granted a fellow captain to learn of such a treacherous plane, as well as capable of presenting the evidence to boot. Roals was aware that, if news of his deceit and possible defection were to get out, the Alliance's retribution would be swift and deadly, so he moved quickly against the opposing captain and had him murdered. An investigation into the captain's death was launched, but the investigators were unable to identify the culprit, and the cause of the man's death was officially declared to be a result of natural causes.

Shortly after an intense confrontation with an Adware dreadnought, Roals had a secret rendezvous with leaders of the organization, and announced his intention to rebel, promising that his fleet would defect with him. However, the meeting turned out to be an ambush, which resulted in the capture of Roals and the destruction of his command. An Alliance squadron was quickly sent out to retake the imprisoned captain, and was, after numerous attempts, successful, returning him back to Washington in 2029. But, instead of receiving a commendation or whatever else he had expected, Roals was stripped of both his title and whatever fleet he was expecting, demoted to lieutenant, and assigned to serve on the USS Orpheus, a measly orbital structure of Mars in the midst of renovation.

AWAY-MISSION EQUIPMENT:
TK-91 Resistance Suit
Made of a rubber-like material, the TK-91 provides protection against a wide range of toxic substances. The design consists of water-repelling scales that allow the wearer to swim easily, and has pebbled texture much like that of a golf balls in order to reduce drag. Electrofiber technology provids the suit with a wide range of built-in sensors. Referred to as "Smart Skin" in military R&D, data regarding damage to different regions of the body, including blood loss, can be exchanged between the suit and the user's intravenous nanomachines to create a feedback system. While it isn't bullet-proof, it does provide some ballistic protection to the wearer's body. The suit can also apply varying pressure to major internal organs to maximize performance and safeguard their functions.

MSTR-B8
A compact, usually accurate, bull-pup style submachine gun popular with the military thanks to its relatively small size, which is just above that of a standard-issue pistol. Fires three-round bursts, and can be pulsed for a higher rate of fire at the expense of accuracy, making it an appropriate weapon for close-quarters combat. However, it is somewhat weak against armored opponents.

MONEY:
A meager monthly handful granted through military service.

OTHER:
-

Fires of Anuria(Reboot)

Interested.

The Sins of the Gods

orugoru stabs protosh.

The Sins of the Gods

I just realized how poorly written my first IC post was so if you could just disregard the Henrūda bit that be great.

The Sins of the Gods

Orugoru

Some indefinable gloom had taken up to shroud everything, casting its shadow through the wide arc of the window behind the future king's seat, as though the treacherous snow-capped mountaintops that focused the light of the planet's distant sun into bright daylight within Illyuss had somehow been re-positioned, or smudged with the brown haze of smoke that shrouded much of the denser and more industrious portions of the mainland. The light of the brilliant chandeliers hanging overhead seemed brighter than usual, almost harsh, but somehow that only deepened the gloom.

Orugoru discovered now an odd, accidental echo of memory, a new harmonic resonance inside his head, when he looked at the curving view wall that threw into silhouette the sovereign's empty, single large chair. Orugoru had positioned himself within the doorway of the grandiose meeting chamber, hands clasped behind his back, gazing out upon the smoke-hazed morning. He'd turned and finally approached Prothos, the closest of gods to him, mirroring his stance. Gently, he laid a hand on the god's shoulder, and a hint of frown fleeted over his face at how frail seemed the little flesh and bone he had in comparison to the plump, brine-enriched mass beneath the tunic.

"Greetings, brother," Orugoru said slowly, his energy wrought from another sleepless night.

---

Henrūda

They had finally arrived in Ishikara: glittering, beautiful Ishikara, where neat buildings and grand estates reside in the shadow of the imperial palace, with its lime-tree avenues, its shimmering lakes and fountains, its exquisitely tended topiary. The road from Doitsu, a day's journey, was lit by overhanging oil lamps, for the poor in the capital use tallow candles, and the smoke from the tallow manufactures hangs over the city like a death shroud, dirtying the skin and choking the lungs. Dressed in rags, their backs hunched either with the weight of their physical burden or of mental sorrow, the poor people of Doitsu creep through streets that never seem to get light.

The streets stream with open sewers, where mud and human effluent flow freely, coating the legs of those who carry delegates' sedan chairs as they pass through, staring wide-eyed out the windows much like the aforementioned travelers. On the way they passed figures in the fields, shrouded in mist like ghosts. These barefooted peasants tended noble land and starved if the crop is bad, virtual slaves of the landowners.

It was of almost no surprise then that on a hillside overlooking a tiny village outside the imperial homestead, three land-workers wearing leather jerkins laughed and joked, and then, on the count of three, heaved a gallows onto a low wooden platform. One of the men placed a three-legged stool beneath the gallows, then bent to help his two companions as they went to work hammering in the struts that would keep the gallows in place, the rhythmic knock-knock carried on the wind where the travelers sat on their horses, beautiful and calm geldings.

At the bottom of the hill was a village. It was a tiny village, more like a cluster of disconsolate shacks and a tavern that had been scattered around along the perimeter of a brown and muddy square, but it was a village all the same. A freezing rain had eased to a steady and just-as-freezing drizzle and a fierce, bone-chilling wind uncommon in such southeasterly settlements. The villagers waiting in the square wrapped shawls tightly around themselves, clasping shirts at their necks as they awaited the day's entertainment - a hanging. What could be better? Nothing like a good hanging to raise the spirits when the frost had killed much of the previous year's crops and the local landowner was raising his rents and the emperor in Ishikara had new taxes he hoped to enforce.

The Sins of the Gods

Oh shiz. I totally didn't catch that. Thanks Rhy.

Looks like he has grenadiers I didn't see riflemen.

@Brink_ We've no gunpowder in this NRP if you could change that would be awesome.

@End Here

Fixed it up.

The Sins of the Gods

@Durandal

You mention that half of your population resides within the 'forest cities', though such large settlements are supposedly home to nearly two-thirds of your population. Does this mean there are cities within the coastal plains, or am I reading too much into your application?

The Sins of the Gods

Henrūda

Name of God
Orugoru

Deity of...
Transition, Procreation

Indirect or Direct
Indirect

Appearance



Personality
Orugoru is, by nature, a loner and an outcast, with a ruthless streak to him that makes him extremely dangerous when provoked. Despite this outwardly cold nature, however, his colleagues have noted that that behind his exterior lies a fiercely loyal friend, and a man of good humor and giver of sound advice. Records have shown that him to have many good friends throughout much of the world. He is also shown to be extremely adept at defusing difficult situations, and as a man who would much sooner have everyone return home than to draw his weapon. His experience of century upon century in the world makes him a world-weary man, often expressing disdain and veiled insults to those he considers cruel and foolish.

---

Republic of Henrūda



Population
498,300

Description of Denizens
The Henrudan population is split between humans and Konpasu, the latter of which makes up a majority of the population by a miniscule margin. The Konpasu can be described as a "near-Human" species, distinguished by their blue skin and glowing red eyes, which grow darker depending on the oxygen content of their surroundings. The more oxygen present, the more intense the color of both their eyes and skin tone. While their hair is typically jet black, it does, on rare occasions, go gray with age (many Konpasu believe that the development of gray hair is an indication of the siring of exceptional children). Their physical form has led to some speculation on whether they are an offshoot of some near-human species' ancient expansions into the region or whether their physical form coincidentally matches that of humans. However, recent anatomical and psychic analysis indicates that they are an offshoot of near-humanity, and it was believed that moving underground led to a divergence between them and baseline near-humans. Furthermore, this analysis indicates that their unique skin tone is the result of exposure to glacial minerals. Their blue skin, jet black hair and red eyes generally command attention once they are in a crowd of regular humanoids, and these features make them physically striking and instantly recognizable. Male and female Konpasu tend to be more powerfully built when compared to humans but exhibit the same variances as humanoid sexes. A Konpasu typically stands between either 1.6 to 2.1 meters in height, though an average height of an adult is closer to 1.7 meters.

Studies have concluded that the fact that all Konpasu often appear in very good physical shape is an indication that the species possesses an active metabolism which is responsible for their trim figure. Thus, this is believed to be responsible for preventing obesity that is commonly found within more sedentary humanoids. While the report concludes that they are indeed "near-humans," they have not determined a specific point of evolutionary divergence. Rumors persist that there was, in fact, a number of human settlements established throughout many of the northeast extremes of the mainland, though records of this are virtually nonexistent and it remains unknown how a remote area of the continent could have existed in isolation so far back. They do display, physiologically, very few signs of evolutionary adaptations to their original icy environment with even their skin pigmentation not providing any apparent benefit. Beyond the obvious physical features, physiologically, Konpasu are similar to humans to the point that they possess a comparable circulatory, neurological, digestive and reproductive systems. The Konpasu vocal mechanism is noted for being similar to those of humans but there are apparent differences which is evident in their capacity to speak their native language.

In addition, Konpasu experience a greatly accelerated growth rate compared to humans, which contributes to their reaching maturity faster than humans. Thus an Konpasu at the age of ten-years holds the physical maturity of a twenty-year old human. This in turn results in a culturally-imprinted emotional maturity that is many times above that of their human counterparts. They are capable of living up to eighty years old, at which point an Konpasu is considered venerable; children are between the ages one to ten, and they experience a rapid adolescence from eleven to twelve and are considered full adults by thirteen or fourteen. Middle-age follows between the ages of fifty-one to sixty-two, and those aged sixty-three to seventy-nine are considered old.

Lands



Description of Government
In the early years of the Henrūdan Republic, when it was largely under control of warmongering noblemen and merchants, power was distributed equally between the emperor and the Henrudan Senate. However, within a decade of the Republic's founding, it was decided by the senate that the emperor's power was to be considerably limited. As a result, powers were shared between the Great Council, composed of nearly 500 members taken from patrician families, the Senate, which was dissolved within a month of the Great Council's founding, and the emperor. Several years later, aristocratic families further diminished the emperor's powers by establishing the Minor Council, composed of dozens of advisors, and the Great Court as a supreme tribunal. Within a year, these institutions were combined into the Promethean, which consisted of the emperor, the Minor Council, and the three leaders of the Great Court. The Promethean acted as the central body of the Republic's government.

Also created were the Elders, two bodies that combined with other groups to form the Board, which formed an executive branch. Over the course of the next two decades, the Board of Intellectuals, a senate, was formed, being 100 members elected by the Major Council. These developments left the emperor with little personal power and saw actual authority in the hands of the Major Council. A year after that, the Council of Ten was established, becoming the central political body whose members operated in secret. Within a matter of months, its dominance over the Major Council was considered a threat and efforts were made in the Council and elsewhere to reduce its powers, which were met with limited success. Then, the Supreme Court of three municipal inquisitors was established to guard the security of the Republic. By means of espionage, counterespionage, internal surveillance and a network of informers, they ensured that the Republic did not come under the rule of a single leader, which many conservative politicians had hoped for. Soon enough, the Great Court gradually assumed some of the powers of the Council of Ten.

Following the dismantling of the Council of Ten, however, the Promethean, Board of Intellectuals, Supreme Court, and the Council of Ten were all completely dissolved, with power instead resting solely with the emperor, the Major Council, and the Great Court.

Military
The core of the Henrūdan army is its sizable elite regiments of infantry, although their composition and role have changed greatly since their extensive (and brutal) reorganization in recent years. These soldiers are trained as crossbowmen and lancers, utilizing extensive caches of modern weaponry. Regiments are totally self-contained organisations, and even include their own medical and logistic services. Alongside these elites, the bulk of the Henrūdan armies are made up of Renzu regiments – conscript light infantry given basic training and equipment, and which form the mass manpower of the emperor's armies. Lastly, Henrūdan armoured regiments are crewed by a special class of soldiers known as Shian. Originally irregular, almost exclusively immigrant, light infantry units who also serve as guards and watchmen, the Shian regiments have evolved to become custodians of the emperor’s war machines, and are busily building a whole new military tradition based on the resurgence of cavalry.

Alongside the regular Henrūdan forces, there are many irregular troops from various quarters, such as mountainous nomads, who fight more or less as guerrilla forces. Company commanders allow such troops a high degree of autonomy, understanding that they operate best when left to fight as they know best.

Culture

Work in progress.

Other
The territory of Henrūda is extremely rich in resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and paper, lumber, and furs are still some of the nation's most important industries. The far north of the province, Pisotoru, is nearly arctic and is mostly inhabited by tribesmen. The most populous region is the Handon valley in the south, where the capital, Doitsu, and the largest city, Arukari, are situated. South of Arukari are the Gorofukuren, a range of ancient mountains, and to the east are the Hisuterri Mountains which extend into the country's northernmost regions. The Gorofukuren Plains, located at the southernmost tip of the country, is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, maple sugar (of which Henruda is the world's largest producer), and livestock.

Henrūda has three main climate regions. Southern and western Henrūda, including most of the major population centres, have a humid continental climate with warm, humid summers and long, cold winters. The main climatic influences are from eastern and northern oceans which move eastward and from the southern and central points of the mainland that move northward. Due to the influence of both storm systems from the core of the continent and the neighboring oceans, precipitation is abundant throughout the year, with most areas receiving more precipitation than the entirety of Lemuria, the majority of which is snow. During the summer, severe weather patterns (such as tornadoes and severe thunderstorms) are far less common than in most of the continent, although they occasionally occur. Most of central Henrūda has a subarctic climate. Winters are long and among the coldest in the east of the mainland, while summers are warm but very short due to the higher latitude and the greater influence of northern air masses. Precipitation is also somewhat less than farther south, except at some of the higher elevations. The northern regions have an arctic climate, with very cold winters and short, much cooler summers. The primary influences in this region are the neighboring oceans' currents and continental air masses from the continent's northernmost points.

The Sins of the Gods

Henrūda

Name of God
Orugoru

Deity of...
Transition, Procreation

Indirect or Direct
Indirect

Appearance



Personality
Orugoru is, by nature, a loner and an outcast, with a ruthless streak to him that makes him extremely dangerous when provoked. Despite this outwardly cold nature, however, his colleagues have noted that that behind his exterior lies a fiercely loyal friend, and a man of good humor and giver of sound advice. Records have shown that him to have many good friends throughout much of the world. He is also shown to be extremely adept at defusing difficult situations, and as a man who would much sooner have everyone return home than to draw his weapon. His experience of century upon century in the world makes him a world-weary man, often expressing disdain and veiled insults to those he considers cruel and foolish.

---

Republic of Henrūda



Population
578,300

Description of Denizens
The Henrudan population is split between humans and Konpasu, the latter of which makes up a majority of the population by a miniscule margin. The Konpasu can be described as a "near-Human" species, distinguished by their blue skin and glowing red eyes, which grow darker depending on the oxygen content of their surroundings. The more oxygen present, the more intense the color of both their eyes and skin tone. While their hair is typically jet black, it does, on rare occasions, go gray with age (many Konpasu believe that the development of gray hair is an indication of the siring of exceptional children). Their physical form has led to some speculation on whether they are an offshoot of some near-human species' ancient expansions into the region or whether their physical form coincidentally matches that of humans. However, recent anatomical and psychic analysis indicates that they are an offshoot of near-humanity, and it was believed that moving underground led to a divergence between them and baseline near-humans. Furthermore, this analysis indicates that their unique skin tone is the result of exposure to glacial minerals. Their blue skin, jet black hair and red eyes generally command attention once they are in a crowd of regular humanoids, and these features make them physically striking and instantly recognizable. Male and female Konpasu tend to be more powerfully built when compared to humans but exhibit the same variances as humanoid sexes. A Konpasu typically stands between either 1.6 to 2.1 meters in height, though an average height of an adult is closer to 1.7 meters.

Studies have concluded that the fact that all Konpasu often appear in very good physical shape is an indication that the species possesses an active metabolism which is responsible for their trim figure. Thus, this is believed to be responsible for preventing obesity that is commonly found within more sedentary humanoids. While the report concludes that they are indeed "near-humans," they have not determined a specific point of evolutionary divergence. Rumors persist that there was, in fact, a number of human settlements established throughout many of the northeast extremes of the mainland, though records of this are virtually nonexistent and it remains unknown how a remote area of the continent could have existed in isolation so far back. They do display, physiologically, very few signs of evolutionary adaptations to their original icy environment with even their skin pigmentation not providing any apparent benefit. Beyond the obvious physical features, physiologically, Konpasu are similar to humans to the point that they possess a comparable circulatory, neurological, digestive and reproductive systems. The Konpasu vocal mechanism is noted for being similar to those of humans but there are apparent differences which is evident in their capacity to speak their native language.

In addition, Konpasu experience a greatly accelerated growth rate compared to humans, which contributes to their reaching maturity faster than humans. Thus an Konpasu at the age of ten-years holds the physical maturity of a twenty-year old human. This in turn results in a culturally-imprinted emotional maturity that is many times above that of their human counterparts. They are capable of living up to eighty years old, at which point an Konpasu is considered venerable; children are between the ages one to ten, and they experience a rapid adolescence from eleven to twelve and are considered full adults by thirteen or fourteen. Middle-age follows between the ages of fifty-one to sixty-two, and those aged sixty-three to seventy-nine are considered old.

Lands



Description of Government
In the early years of the Henrūdan Republic, when it was largely under control of warmongering noblemen and merchants, power was distributed equally between the emperor and the Henrudan Senate. However, within a decade of the Republic's founding, it was decided by the senate that the emperor's power was to be considerably limited. As a result, powers were shared between the Great Council, composed of nearly 500 members taken from patrician families, the Senate, which was dissolved within a month of the Great Council's founding, and the emperor. Several years later, aristocratic families further diminished the emperor's powers by establishing the Minor Council, composed of dozens of advisors, and the Great Court as a supreme tribunal. Within a year, these institutions were combined into the Promethean, which consisted of the emperor, the Minor Council, and the three leaders of the Great Court. The Promethean acted as the central body of the Republic's government.

Also created were the Elders, two bodies that combined with other groups to form the Board, which formed an executive branch. Over the course of the next two decades, the Board of Intellectuals, a senate, was formed, being 100 members elected by the Major Council. These developments left the emperor with little personal power and saw actual authority in the hands of the Major Council. A year after that, the Council of Ten was established, becoming the central political body whose members operated in secret. Within a matter of months, its dominance over the Major Council was considered a threat and efforts were made in the Council and elsewhere to reduce its powers, which were met with limited success. Then, the Supreme Court of three municipal inquisitors was established to guard the security of the Republic. By means of espionage, counterespionage, internal surveillance and a network of informers, they ensured that the Republic did not come under the rule of a single leader, which many conservative politicians had hoped for. Soon enough, the Great Court gradually assumed some of the powers of the Council of Ten.

Following the dismantling of the Council of Ten, however, the Promethean, Board of Intellectuals, Supreme Court, and the Council of Ten were all completely dissolved, with power instead resting solely with the emperor, the Major Council, and the Great Court.

Military
The core of the Henrūdan army is its sizable elite regiments of infantry, although their composition and role have changed greatly since their extensive (and brutal) reorganization in recent years. These soldiers are trained as riflemen and grenadiers, utilizing extensive caches of modern weaponry. Regiments are totally self-contained organisations, and even include their own medical and logistic services. Alongside these elites, the bulk of the Henrūdan armies are made up of Renzu regiments – conscript light infantry given basic training and equipment, and which form the mass manpower of the emperor's armies. Lastly, Henrūdan armoured regiments are crewed by a special class of soldiers known as Shian. Originally irregular, almost exclusively immigrant, light infantry units who also serve as guards and watchmen, the Shian regiments have evolved to become custodians of the emperor’s war machines, and are busily building a whole new military tradition based on the resurgence of cavalry.

Alongside the regular Henrūdan forces, there are many irregular troops from various quarters, such as mountainous nomads, who fight more or less as guerrilla forces. Company commanders allow such troops a high degree of autonomy, understanding that they operate best when left to fight as they know best.

Culture

Work in progress.

Other
The territory of Henrūda is extremely rich in resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and paper, lumber, and furs are still some of the nation's most important industries. The far north of the province, Pisotoru, is nearly arctic and is mostly inhabited by tribesmen. The most populous region is the Handon valley in the south, where the capital, Doitsu, and the largest city, Arukari, are situated. South of Arukari are the Gorofukuren, a range of ancient mountains, and to the east are the Hisuterri Mountains which extend into the country's northernmost regions. The Gorofukuren Plains, located at the southernmost tip of the country, is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, maple sugar (of which Henruda is the world's largest producer), and livestock.

Henrūda has three main climate regions. Southern and western Henrūda, including most of the major population centres, have a humid continental climate with warm, humid summers and long, cold winters. The main climatic influences are from eastern and northern oceans which move eastward and from the southern and central points of the mainland that move northward. Due to the influence of both storm systems from the core of the continent and the neighboring oceans, precipitation is abundant throughout the year, with most areas receiving more precipitation than the entirety of Lemuria, the majority of which is snow. During the summer, severe weather patterns (such as tornadoes and severe thunderstorms) are far less common than in most of the continent, although they occasionally occur. Most of central Henrūda has a subarctic climate. Winters are long and among the coldest in the east of the mainland, while summers are warm but very short due to the higher latitude and the greater influence of northern air masses. Precipitation is also somewhat less than farther south, except at some of the higher elevations. The northern regions have an arctic climate, with very cold winters and short, much cooler summers. The primary influences in this region are the neighboring oceans' currents and continental air masses from the continent's northernmost points.