Estylwen

Iris Ascendis

Ciara Ventura

Wingram Academy, Girls' Dorm
@Nanaya @Psyker Landshark @Sifr

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"You think there's room for my luggage as well? I don't have much, and something tells me my roommate wouldn't mind having the space all to herself. If you'll have me."

Ciara's head tilts, staring at room number 9. Who was Chloe? Did it matter? Hildegunde at least seemed to like the idea.

"Still tasty morsels of light in it. Of course there's space." A snickering Voice said in her mind.

There's a pause, then. "Is it... like this all the time?" An innocent, whispery voice. The Adapa.

Ciara scoffed aloud, folding her arms. "...Yes. Yes it is."

"We ought to find the head of the dormitory and request permission. After all, I doubt Chloe will be averse to having a room to herself."

Ciara stared, the expression on her face approaching admiration. Of course the light was right. The curl of the radiating beams tendriling around her form, of course she was right...

"It really would be delicious. Tonight, then?" A childlike Voice chimed in expectantly.

Ciara's eyes narrowed. "You really aren't letting this go, are you?"

A mocking laugh. "Never."

That was when the picture of contention passed by Ciara, a stream of unhappy students looking to get their problems sorted. Perfect.

She stared as the girls passed by idly before turning to the hunter. "There's space. Let me move your bed."

Her eyes glanced towards Iraleth. "I see no reason why it won't get approved."

Ciara took a step into room number 9, black appendages wrapping their way around the hunter's bed frame and mattress, along with the luggage in front of it. It was a matter of seconds to delicately move the bulky objects from 9 to 7, and Ciara placed the bed down near the far wall with a satisfied sigh. That was hopefully the last heavy lifting she would have to do today.

With the move complete, she gave Iraleth and Hildegunde a curious stare, glancing down at the hall, before following where the bickering girls had gone. She saw the line in front of the door labeled 'Head advisor' and gave her tongue a click. She loathed waiting, especially amidst such a hectic crowd. But the hunter would need her own key, after all.

Speaking of which...

If Hildegunde and Iraleth had also moved to stand in line, she would turn to them, staring for a moment before addressing the hunter.

"You know... you're a good shot. You strike me as more of a... Sword of Wund." She said, as straight and plainly as possible. Her remark was slightly biased, as she had also made up her mind to join the Sword of Wund. But...

Her eyes glanced to Iraleth before returning to the hunter. "However, you may have to choose between us. I am aware Iraleth has chosen to be a Shield."

Iris Ascendis

Now I finally understand the meaning of 'Iris Ascendis.'

The Dark Beyond: Interest Check

You've already piqued my interests but first, is it a sci-fi or cyberpunk rp? Looks a lot like it

Scratch that, went to the page and read it. I am very interested and would like to join

@Cao the Exiled

It's a mix of cyberpunk and sci-fi, with inspiration drawn from Cyberpunk 2077 and the SCP foundation.

That sounds wonderful! Feel free to submit a CS on the OOC thread, and I'll take a look. We'll wait for that before starting.

I've never heard of the Dark Beyond

@Cao the Exiled

It's like if Indiana Jones met sci-fi, a new idea I had been playing around with.

The Dark Beyond

There's a bit of lore in the interest check if you want to read the story a bit before we start. :) Still got 2 spots free.

The Dark Beyond: Interest Check

The Dark Beyond

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.
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Wearable Signal: Null_

//Recovering footage_
//… 19%
// … 80%
//Recovery complete, beginning playback_

======

“You sure this is the spot, doc?”

“Gotta be, the coordinates line up. Let’s look around.”

(There’s static, and the sound of shuffling feet. The picture is a hazy blur.)

“Doc, think I found something.”

(The sound of a surprised whistle.)

“Uncut emerald, and a big chunk of it. I’ll bet there’s some condensed nuggets ‘round here too.”

(There’s some more shuffling. The camera cuts upward, looking across some sort of expanse. There’s a hesitant draw of breath as the camera stills on the horizon.)

“Say, I coulda sworn I saw that rock move.”

“Hm?”

“Yeah, that rock over there. Hard to see, might actually be condensed dark energy.”

(The sound of rumbling.)

“...You hear that, doc?”

“...It couldn't be...”

(The rumbling peaks, the camera showing a black metallic beast locking like a spring coil, before snapping forward. The camera drops, rolling on the ground.)

“AHH!”

(Frantic screams are cut off by dread-filled static.)

//Playback complete_

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Want to explore the perilous depths of The Dark Beyond? There are two spots left. Submit a character here and have some fun!

The Dark Beyond

@Lexisheeps It looks great and is approved! Please post it in the CS tab when you have a moment.

We will begin tomorrow if there are no other takers currently. :)

The Dark Beyond

HiveMind Facility

Von Galloes

Name: Director Von Galloes
Age: Appears in his 40s
Gender: Male
Appearance: Stands at 6'1, wears spectacles with a silver chain, well-built, slicked back dark hair with a single streak of white. His labcoat is perfectly pressed.
Augmentation: Activated HiveMind AR Sight chip embed, the small dot glowing a light green on his right temple.
Personality: Appears to be cold, cruel, and dominating.
Defining Trait: ???
Backstory: ???
Skills: ???
Inventory: ???

The Beast

Name: The Beast
Age: Unknown
Gender: Unknown
Appearance:

Hider

It is similar to this, except the Beast prefers to float and has a red eye.

Augmentation: Has enhancements that other drones don't have, plus a more advanced learning algorithm. One of the abilities it has displayed is the ability to project real-time holograms and create light-based shields.
Personality: Like a cold and calculative guard dog, loyal to Director Von Galloes.
Defining Trait: ???
Backstory: ???
Skills: ???
Inventory: ???

Non-Facility

Subject #003

Name: Subject #003
Age: Unknown, appears to be a young teenager
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Augmentation: The remnants of an AR sight chip implant that has since been deactivated. Appears as a blue, non-glowing dot on the side of her temple.
Personality: Appears to frighten easily, but seems to not complain, despite having gone through a lot.
Defining Trait: ???
Backstory: ???
Skills: ???
Inventory: ???

The Dark Beyond

@Lexisheeps, I have reserved a spot for you. There are still up to two spots available.

The Dark Beyond

The Dark Beyond

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"Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight,
For the greatest tragedy of them all, Is never to feel the burning light."
~Oscar Wilde

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Flashing green on the glass dashboard. Whirring red lights. A haunting siren.

"Captain, you're gonna wanna see this."

"What is it, lieutenant?"

"It's everything we could hope for... Everything we could fear. A dark energy signal."

---

It's the year 2035.

The advancements in artificial intelligence have propelled science to search out new energy sources to combat the growing global energy crisis.

Recently, a new machine called T.R.U.M.P.E.T (Trans-Rudimentary Uptake Monolith of Permanent Erasure Tracking) started picking up energy signals previously out of reach for humans as a technological society.

Due to an incident regarding [REDACTED], general access is off-limits to any of these energy sources. From that tragic incident, it was discovered that dark energy can devour. The energy source has an erasing tendency and creates pockets of a new mineral nicknamed ‘condensed dark energy’ that many have speculated could solve the world’s energy crisis. However, if left untouched, these pockets slowly widen, where everything is erased or converted into this mineral.

On top of this, footage from [REDACTED] showed deposits of other specimens, such as emeralds, rubies, gold, and carved artifacts of unknown origin. Some global players held on to old curiosities, not entirely motivated by money when looking at fuzzy photos of the artifacts in particular.

The research wings from the world's prominent museums and research centers have speculated that these artifacts could be traces of an ancient civilization and are pressing for more explorations of these energy sources.

Due to [REDACTED], exploration is red-taped behind a convoluted bureaucratic loop, with only the wealthiest or most influential researchers getting the permits required to dive deep into the next dark energy source discovered in the Mediterranean Sea.

This is where our fated explorers come in. Hired by HiveMind, the most influential research facility in the United States, our explorers will travel to the coordinates of the dark energy source. They will be equipped to explore and bring home the loot of a lifetime. In the process, they could very well save the planet.

But be warned. Many naysayers believe these dark energy sources are not what they seem.

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World

Technological Advancements and Drawbacks

Let’s talk about the drawbacks first.

The world is in a state of crisis. Overusing gasoline-based products and dirty, coal-based electricity has caused smog in almost every major city. Going outside with a mask is almost second nature to residents, and complaining about the cost of energy prices is fairly common.

However, let’s talk about some plus points.

Almost all cars are electric and self-driving. Hovor technology has out-phased tires and legs of stools. For the folks who haven’t upgraded, their phone is a handheld bit of bendable glass. For those who have, their phone comes in the form of a chip inserted in the side of their cortex, where their AR vision connects them to the web and their contacts, all at a thought or flick of the eyes.

Currently, the world is desperate for a new energy source to combat poor air quality, hence the creation of TRUMPET.

Condensed Dark Energy

What it Looks Like

From what scientists have gathered, the nuggets and slivers of condensed dark energy acquired from dark energy sites are exactly what the world needs. It's a shiny, heavy metal that changes color like it's reacting to an unknown substance, perhaps the air. When heated to 520 degrees Fahrenheit (271 degrees Celsius), it will begin giving off energy that can be harnessed, similar to when coal is burned. However, the key difference that is driving the global players to find more is that this fuel lasts over 910 years, and has no harmful byproducts. It could solve the world's energy crisis a thousand times over.

It just can't be too good to be true, right?

HiveMind

A technological firm, first and foremost, with an interest in ancient technology second. Once they saw the scrawled tablets and artifacts from the shoddy footage of [REDACTED], they knew they needed to send in their own contractors. Not just anyone, though. Only the best of the best would do.

Arming their contractors with the best of their AI technology and make-shift devices for controlling and containing everything related to dark energy, they are prepared to stop at nothing to get what they want: answers.

The Ethereum

The Ethereum is a secret society that's been around for millennia. Some have even gone as far as to say they were the original discoverers of dark energy, using it to prolong their lives. Not many meet The Ethereum and live to tell the tale. They are very selective with who they share their secrets with.

It's unsure how secrets of dark energy got into the hands of HiveMind, but it's a definite case that The Ethereum is not too pleased with with the global handling of this mysterious resource.

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Events Thus Far

Nick's Capture

Nick was captured and put under medical examination and operation for several months, changing his mind and giving him augments to be more of an unfeeling super soldier. His programming caused him to attack Thierry, his husband. The doctor attending to Nick (Subject #4) was secretly part of the Louvre, who was shot by Von Galloes' men upon suspicion of having ulterior motives.

Stella and Subject #3 hid in the maintenance section of HiveMind's underwater facility, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Stella freed Nick while Subject #3 got caught, and the entire facility was evacuated as dark beasts were released in the halls.

Von Galloes' Ambush

Nick, Stella, Thierry, Aaron and Ramses found Subject #3 tied in the maintenance area with a bomb strapped to her neck. Upon trying to help her, they realized it was a trap. Von Galloes appeared in a hologram, suggesting something peculiar to Stella. Could he in fact be her real father? Von Galloes also egged Thieery on, resulting in Nick revealing that HiveMind was built over the remnants of the Louvre's facility.

After an explosive battle, Stella got the bomb off Subject#3 and saved her. Nick and his group took care of the remaining drones and caused damage to Von Galloes' hologram, thus ending the battle.

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Spots available:

0/3 spots available.

Posts will go in a rotation after the GM's post. If it is your turn, you must post within 48 hours of a previous person's post. Failure to do so will require that you be skipped, which may result in a removal from the roleplay.

The CS

Sheet

(Maximum 1 character per player.)

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance: (An anime-styled picture or thorough description will do.)
Augmentation: (Though expensive, minor augmentations are becoming more mainstream. Do they have cybernetics that allow them to see in the dark? A chip implant that gives them AR vision? A smart earpiece that’s connected to the eyes that allows an AI companion to provide real-time directions and advice? Get creative here. (Optional.))
Personality: (How does your character act in any given situation?)
Defining Trait: (In one word, describe how your character is. Are they stubborn? Placid?)
Backstory: (How have the sky-high energy bills affected them? Have they hoped on the train like so many to ‘hamster-wheel’ energy for a price, or have they devoted their life to pursuing the unknown?)
Skills: (What can they do, whether physically or mentally, that is of merit?)
Inventory: (What are they bringing with them on this exploration?)

Iris Ascendis

@Psyker Landshark @Sifr, lemme know if I need to change anything.