Shandria

The World We Left Behind

Character Name: Luxianna 'Lux' Fairweather

Character Age: 23

Diver Role: Captain

Character Description: Young, and yet seemingly appearing younger than she is still, most would not have much confidence in her as a Captain. She stands a head shorter than the average man, and looks a bit 'prettier' than what you'd expect of a Diver, like she hasn't seen much danger in her life. There is a certain innocence in her eyes, but for those a bit more attuned to such things, there is a lingering darkness in there somewhere.

Image Reference:

My Hider

Diver Rig: Not the prettiest thing, her armor looks built for combat, but really it's just heavily armored to protect all the internal scanning gear that lets Lux make use of the shoulder-mounted Beacon launchers. It has dual headlights on the chest, and a flare launcher on each hand with five flares each. On the back is a pretty hefty Oxygen Tank, and Pressure Tank. The weaponry is limited to two blades that extend from the arms, and a single shot 'cannon' on each set of knuckles that cannot be reloaded in the field. It has no ranged combat capabilities beyond this, unless it can launch a flare into something's eye...

Image Reference:

My Hider

Notable Character Traits: Sometimes a bit more bubbly and excitable than a situation calls for. Some might think she doesn't take things seriously, or that she's too excited for the result, and isn't focused enough on getting to said result.

Background: Lux lead a boring life in her early years. It wasn't until she was turning eighteen that she met the love of her life, Pitchguard's most famous Diver Captain. The two were together for five years, until one day, the Diver captain didn't come back from their Expedition. A week later, a Diver Crew returned with their ship in tow, but no crew to be found.

Diver Reasoning: With no confirmation of what happened to her lover, Lux used what little savings she had to buy her lover's boat, and start her own Diver Crew in the hopes that one day, she would be able to find answers. She doesn't believe the one she loves is truly gone.

Relic: A Lever-action Rifle left behind by their lover, discovered during one of their Expeditions. The rifle has been restored as best as they were able, however the workings of the rifle are still unknown. Some researchers have taken a look at it, but simply put, they do not understand how the rifle is meant to feed ammunition quickly (Which they theorize is the purpose of the lever) considering ammunition as it stands today, are simply metal ball bullets. Some have considered that perhaps the rifle used a vastly different form of ammunition than what is used today, but research into it has not been considered too seriously so far. Even so, the rifle would be useful against other people, but the caliber of weapon means it would likely do nothing to even middle sized Beasts. And considering any threats from other people would likely come in the form of power-armor... the weapon is deemed useless in the current day.

The World We Left Behind

Please note that I would like to keep this RP around 4-6 characters including myself.

The first 4 characters in the RP will be one of the initial 4 roles, while any members beyond that will be an 'extra' role.

Need to Know Terms

This is a list of terms or phrases your characters should be aware of, and what their meaning is.

Diver - Divers are named such because they are the people who travel down to The Surface and brave The Storms to find anything useful that can help their Island prosper. Divers are also typically responsible for seeing to the use of salvage, allocating supplies, researching projects and new technologies, as well as the military defense of their home both from Pirates and from Beasts. Not all of them have loyalty to an Island however. It should be noted, that the basis of a Diver crew consists of a Captain, a Breaker, a Loader, and a Security Personnel. It is not uncommon for Captains to take on Loader or Security positions themselves, but they are considered desperate to do so. While a crew may typically take on more of these primary roles, the most common is to add more Security, or other roles such as Engineers and Scientists. There are Diver crews that consist of entire fleets of ships, and thus have many, many people in every role.

Rig - A Rig to put it simply, is the equipment loadout that a Diver takes with them to The Surface on an expedition. A Rig may refer to the different equipment and weaponry that a suit of power armor has attached to it, or it may refer to entire vehicles should such a thing be part of an expedition.

The Calamity - This was the time period where the world became covered in darkness, and ancient civilization was somehow destroyed. The Calamity brought about the creation of the Sea of Clouds and it was at this point that humanity evacuated The Surface and started living on Islands. However, humanity lived such a meager existence in those first years that there was little to no record kept of The Calamity itself. As such, today, very little is known about The Calamity. All that is known, is that it was a great Apocalyptic event which drove the once great human civilization to evacuate their homeworld and live out a meager existence in its sky.

The Surface - When people speak of The Surface, they refer to the planet's surface, beneath the Sea of Clouds where Divers go to claim salvage. It is a wasteland of wreckage and ruins, where the threats come from four things. The Beasts that live there have mutated into monsters, ancient technology that still functions can often perceive people as a threat, Pirates often won't hesitate to kill others, and of course, The Storms makes any expedition run on a ticking timer.

The Storms - This does not refer to the perpetual storm that covers the entire world, but rather the specific instances where this storm picks up. While The Sea of Clouds covers the planet entirely, and is often referred to as a storm, the threats that The Storms bring such as heavy winds, acid rain, and lightning only happen under certain circumstances. These 'Storms within a Storm' move around, and a Captain must always be aware of where the next storm is going to hit, and how long they have before they need to evacuate their crew, as takeoff during one is nearly impossible.

Island - An Island is a floating city, held up by ancient technology from the time of the Calamity. On these Islands is where people make their home, and from which Divers set out on their Expeditions. Depending on the success of local Divers an Island may be a cozy village, or an absolute fortress. While a less defended Island would typically be an easier target for outside threats, these smaller, less advanced Islands are capable of lowering themselves down into the Sea of Clouds, making landing on them nearly impossible, let alone fully attacking them.

Pirates - Pirates are Divers who have loyalty to no Island and will not hesitate to attack other Divers either on the surface or in the air. Pirates will always prefer to steal salvage from another Diver crew than to actually do the work of finding and retrieving it themselves. It is not uncommon for Pirates to find wreckage sites, and leave behind their own Beacons that will alert them when a Diver team arrives, so that they can let them do the work, and then swoop in and steal their haul. Pirates are far from 'one note' so to speak, as you can never tell when a Pirate group will simply kill you for your haul, tell you it's the loot or your life, or on occasion, simply demand you pay them to leave you alone. While most Pirates are the worst sorts of people, are are some who are merely mercenaries, branded as Pirates due to being loyal to nobody but themselves, but they will fight alongside whoever pays them to to do so.

Beasts - Beasts are the wildlife on The Surface that have mutated into monsters, and are incredibly dangerous. Many of them will attack on sight, and are capable of taking a massive amount of punishment before going down, while being able to dish it out just as heavily. Beasts come in many shapes and sizes, some crawl, some walk, some even fly. It's not uncommon for flying Beasts to venture above The Sea of Clouds and attack traveling ships, or even Islands.

Beacons - Beacons are the main way that The Surface is mapped out. If a wreckage site is discovered, a Beacon will be left behind so a Diver crew can return. There are also Major Beacons that have been placed to keep track of the planet's rotation, as Islands are fixed in place, and the planet beneath them rotates independently of them. These Beacons are how people know where their Island sits on the Sea of Clouds at any given moment.

The Rumbling - There are a few places in the world where there is constant 'Rumbling' detected on the surface. These locations actively move around from place to place, and it is not known what the cause is. All attempts to get close to The Rumbling have resulted in complete loss of contact with the teams sent to investigate. All that is currently known is that if The Rumbling is approaching, all Divers need to immediately evacuate the area. It has also been noted that, during some expeditions, Divers claimed that The Rumbling was not moving toward them, and in fact in some cases, was even moving away from them. And then, for some reason, completely changed course, and began moving directly toward their salvage site. There are too few cases of this happening to say why exactly this happens, but it seems to have something to do with engaging The Ancients.

The Ancients - One of the four threats mentioned was ancient technology. This is usually in the form of machines and automatons that are extremely territorial, and come in many shapes and sizes just like Beasts. They almost always attack Divers on sight and there is currently no known way to communicate with them. As it stands, they are mindless machines lashing out at anything that might threaten their continued existence. The technology that drives them however is a complete mystery, and both Engineers and Scientists that have attempted to research the remains of Ancients have failed to achieve any understanding of them, as they are simply far too advanced.

The Church - The Church view themselves as the pinnacle of humanity, those who will rightfully someday inherit the Earth. They are situated on one of, if not the largest Island there is, and it is the most well defended fortress known to mankind. Their technology is well ahead of other Islands and their Divers are known as some of the most ruthless around, not willing to take chances on whether another crew are pirates or not. There are rumors that the only known records of The Calamity are currently held by them.

Diver Crew

This is a list of the crew roles within a Diver Team. The four main roles are required for a crew to function, while the additional two roles are considered unrequired additions that serve no direct purpose for the success of an expedition.

Captain - The Captain is simply put, the person who owns the ship. They are in charge of piloting the ship, navigating The Sea of Clouds getting the crew safely down to The Surface, and ensuring they remain as a cohesive team. Additional responsibilities of the Captain is keeping track of the different threats that may end an expedition, such as The Storms and The Rumbling and to continuously scout the area with Beacons alongside Security so that any threats from Beasts or Ancients is detected before it arrives.

Breaker - The Breaker has a simple job. Break anything that stands between the Crew and Salvage. They are typically experts at explosives and deconstruction, allowing them to remove any obstacles the crew might come across. To a limited degree, this includes hostile threats, as you can imagine that heavy explosives and cutting torches aren't something that things like Beasts or Ancients enjoy having be used on them. In some cases, a Breaker may be in charge of dealing with threats that are too extreme for Security to handle.

Loader - Loaders are the heaviest units in a crew, with Rigs designed to carry as much salvage as possible. Loaders tend to aid in other roles as well, as their job doesn't tend to come into play until something of value is actually found. It is not uncommon to see a Loader aiding Breakers in removing obstacles, helping to keep an eye out for threats with the Captain, or even engaging in combat with Security, though it should be noted of all the four main roles, the Loader is almost always the least heavily armed, acting as more of a last line of defense.

Security - Security has one job, and that's protecting the crew. They are constantly scouting the area, and working with the Captain to encircle the salvage area with Beacons so that they can keep up a constant scan for threats. This is most often the role you see more than one of, as when Beasts or Ancients arrive, you can't have too many people ready to fight. It is usually unlikely that Security crewmembers will aid the rest of the crew, as their job is fairly constant, and not something the rest of the crew wants them to be distracted from.

-Side Roles

Engineer - Equipment breaks, and sometimes, it happens in the field. Some crews figure it's better to have an Engineer on hand to repair things as needed, as well as aid Breakers in dismantling ancient technology. Engineers often have the greatest understanding of ancient machinery, and are typically in charge of shutting down threats such as traps or other security systems. When crews grow large enough, they often see it as a boon to hire their own Engineer to maintain their Rigs rather than constantly paying a third party to do it. An Engineers combat capabilities often come down to the sort of equipment they brought with them, as any weaponry they might bring would have to be brought in place of more repair equipment.

Scientist - Often the least interested in the main goal of an expedition, Scientists tend to join crews so that they can study ancient technology, Beasts, as well as other fauna on The Surface. It's not uncommon to see Scientists only joining crews temporarily to achieve their goals with an experiment or specific study.

Current Tech Level:
Pre-Steam

Some places are more advanced than others, however the general tech level is low steampunk. Lights and some minor equipment is steam powered, but most larger machines are manually powered.

Tech Details

Light Sources during Expeditions are limited to Candle-Lamps built into Power Armor, and Short-Lived Flares.

Power Armor is the height of technology, however it currently runs off pressure-driven pistons. Both an Oxygen Tank and a Pressure Tank are required for operation. Power Armor at current is slow, and practically built out of scrap.

Weaponry is currently mostly melee based. Something like a pressurized spear-gun (The kind that fire off but don't fully eject the spear, and then pull the spear back in to reload) are common weapons at current. Firearms are not unheard of, but they are very unwieldy, and require a reload after a single shot. More primitive weapons such as automatic crossbows are available, but it's likely that should a larger Beast appear, they won't have the power to harm it. These weapons are however, entirely useless against The Ancients whose body are made out of metal. The highest tier of weapon technology would be a firearm built into the hand of Power Armor, with a built in auto-loader. However, even with such a device, you are looking at a minimum 10 second reload, and is only useful for a sidearm to continuously reload while you use your other arm for a melee weapon.

Breaker equipment is limited to simple fuse-based explosive packs, and torch cutters. The torch cutters can take quite a while to cut through even thinner metal, and anything considered 'armor plates' are simply a no-go. Explosives are a better option for armored walls, but are typically reserved for clearing things such as landslides or other natural obstructions, as explosives can damage potentially valuable salvage on the other side of manmade obstacles.

Ships are currently exclusively sail-ships using a mix of sails and balloons to fly. They don't typically carry any heavy weaponry other than a few harpoon guns. Ship to Ship combat is very primitive and you're more likely to be boarded than shot down.

Radios exist and are often used by crews on Expeditions. Handheld or in-suit radios however have a fairly short range, while radios attached to ships or even Islands have a much larger range, and are used to trach Beacons from long-range. Personal Radios are extremely fragils, not exactly running on electric, and if the power armor runs out of pressure, the radio will stop working as that is its main power source. Don't ask.

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The RP:

Technology - Technology begins in at a pretty low tier, with power armor being the current pinnacle of machinery. As the crew discovers and brings back new technology, it can be studied and researched to make advancements. I won't say how far technology can advance, but I will simply say, don't expect it to be steampunk forever.

Salvage Claims - The crew will be presented IC with a number of salvage claims marked by other Divers. Often times when a Diver crew is not experienced enough, outfitted properly, or simply not willing to return to a site for a second time, they will mark a location with a Beacon. They sell the Beacon locations to other Diver crews. This is initially how the crew will be getting their Expeditions, and will be chosen by popular vote within the crew. More dangerous claims will be naturally far more rewarding with the easier ones.

Combat - You can reasonably assume that I, playing the Captain and running the RP will not throw the crew into situations they can't handle. You should always be equipped for the things you encounter, and I will not force death on your character in most cases. The exception is if you are blatantly trying to get your character killed by going against all warnings and attempting to face down a threat that it was made clear to you that you can't handle.

The Surface - It should be noted that on the Surface, it's not just a typical stormy day. The permanent cloud cover blocks almost all sunlight from reaching the surface. The sky is a dark gray, but on the surface itself, it's difficult to see very far, almost as if you're in a cave. Flares and Beacons help to map out the surrounding area, and keep threats from sneaking up on you, but just keep in mind that it's almost as if you're on the seafloor it's so dark.

Story Start - The story will begin in the town of Pitchguard, which is a fairly large Island by normal standards, but hasn't been developed very much. It has a port, all the fundamental buildings you would expect, but isn't the most exciting place to live.

Rules:

Player Count - I don't want this to become a massive group deal. It's much easier to keep posts organized and keep people regularly involved when it's a small group. That being said I'm willing to run this RP with 4 people minimum, and 7 people maximum. So please pay attention to how many active players there are currently before applying to join.

Crew Roles - It has already been said but I'll say it again as an official rule. The first four players must choose one of the four main roles. Specifically, Breaker, Loader, or Security, as I will already be taking on the Captain Role. Once there is a Captain, Breaker, Loader, and Security, more players who want to join will be able to join either as a secondary Security, an Engineer, or a Scientist.

Technology - The current level of technology can always be found here on this initial OOC post. When creating your character, their Rig, and other equipment they may be working with, please keep the current technology level in mind. We don't need people pulling out a minigun when we're still in the early Steampunk era. If you have questions, feel free to bring them forward. It's better to ask a question than to assume.

Character Sheets - Your character sheet must be submitted either here in this OOC thread or to me in a PM before posting it in the characters tab. You are also required to follow the Character Sheer exactly. This means no adding, removing, or rewording your own sections. Just copy it, paste it into a message, and fill it out.

Character Sheet:

Character Sheet

Please follow the character sheet exactly. Do not add your own sections, rename sections, or leave sections out. I WILL make you redo/edit it if you don't follow this rule, as this is the second time it's stated.

Character Name:

Character Age: All characters should be 18+

Diver Role: As in, Breaker, Loader, Security, etc.

Character Description: This should accompany a reference image below, and also detail anything about your character that differs from the image reference, or that it doesn't show.

Image Reference:

Image

Image Here

Diver Rig: The equipment they use on Expeditions. Currently, this means their Power Armor, again a description followed by an image reference.

Image Reference:

My Hider

Image Here

Notable Character Traits: This mostly means their personality, anything that is outwardly obvious about them. However this can also include any information other characters would be aware of, such as their name tying them to a celebrity.

Background: A brief description of their backstory, where they grew up, what their life was like, what their life is like now. You don't have to go super in depth, an entire life story isn't required, but any information that is important to the character should go here.

Diver Reasoning: Simply put, the reason they chose to become a Diver. Were they forced into it as a way to skip prison? Are they seeking wealth, fame, and glory? Or are they an old hand who lost their crew and is looking to get back into the trade? Anything goes really.

Relic: Every character is allowed to have one relic. How they got their hands on this relic is entirely up to you. The idea of a relic is that it's an advanced piece of equipment that is, at the start, unusable for any number of reasons. For example, my character has a lever-action rifle left behind by their lover. This rifle is currently unusable because, not only has cartridge ammunition not been invented yet, but even if it was, the rifle isn't Power-Armor tier weaponry, so wouldn't be much use against any sizable Beasts. The main point of a relic is that you can use it in the near future to start developing technology toward something you would like your character to have access to.

The World We Left Behind (Steampunk/Sci Fi, Mecha, Adventure, Progressing Technology RP)

I'll set up an OOC after work today.

Lost in a Fantasy (FFXIV/XV Crossover FxFu 18+)

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The World We Left Behind (Steampunk/Sci Fi, Mecha, Adventure, Progressing Technology RP)

That's the basic idea. Or at least, similar things.

The World We Left Behind (Steampunk/Sci Fi, Mecha, Adventure, Progressing Technology RP)

@Ti I like your attitude!

That's honestly what at least some of the inspiration comes from, just in this case, the sea of clouds isn't really a sea, it's just clouds, and the idea is that the technology will advance drastically over time, especially as they discover ruins of the old world and bring up 'ancient' technology. So while they just start out in power armor... who knows where they'd be by the end. I mean by the end... who is to say they're even facing the same threats.

The World We Left Behind (Steampunk/Sci Fi, Mecha, Adventure, Progressing Technology RP)

Humanity was once on top of it all, owning the world they walked. Even the greatest dangers this planet had to offer were like minor inconveniences to them. But as with many stories, 'Something Went Wrong'. Nobody lives today that remembers what happened, and all of our history simply shows that one day humanity was forced to leave our home behind.

Our once powerful civilization became refugees on our own planet, fleeing to the skies as our world became engulfed in a perpetual storm that twisted the environment across the globe, leaving everything in ruin. What did survive was mutated into monstrosities that survived only by becoming stronger killing machines than the world had ever seen.

The greatest of our technology to survive this Calamity was the floating islands that became our homes, sitting on the clouds like an island at sea, with the world below almost entirely lost to us.

But there is so much left behind, so many supplies, salvage, and resources. That's where you come in, the Divers. Divers are the brave souls who take on expeditions to the surface to try and get what they can, and bring it back home for profit, while also helping to develop their city. Divers are so important to the new lifestyle of humanity, that they are often also the defenders of their homes. These people act as hunters, soldiers, salvagers, explorers, even scientists. While it's not easy to be a Diver, it's rewarding to say the least, and if you do a good enough job, hell you might just come to run this town.

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So the basics of this RP is that we'll start out as a freshly gathered crew of Divers setting out on their first ever Expedition to the surface. The surface is covered in a storm, meaning it's permanently dark, with acid rain and lightning all over the place. What's worse is even if you manage to find a window where you can get onto the surface and not have to worry about the storm, you're still likely to run into all manner of mutated creatures that want nothing more than to get their next meal.

Your job is to get in, and get out, with as much salvage as you can, and with your head still on your shoulders.

There are four roles on a Diver Team:

Captain - The one in charge. Everyone's lives are in their hands as they chart courses, study storm patterns, and are responsible for finding the opening needed to get to the surface in the first place. They are the one with the understanding of how long the crew has before they need to leave, keeping everyone organized, and making sure everyone gets back home alive, and with a load of salvage.

Breaker - The heavy equipment specialist. Their responsibility is breaking through any obstacles that might be in the crew's way. Is a pass blocked by a landslide? Does a ship's hull need breaking open? Any obstacles that bar the way, the Breaker is the go-to to get past it. Without them, Divers couldn't do their jobs and would be stuck walking around the wastes hoping to find something just lying around.

Loader - The one in charge of getting the salvage back to the ship. Loaders are typically far heavier than other Divers, if only because they need the equipment to carry as much salvage as they possibly can. They tend to have minimum combat capabilities, as the entirety of their equipment is designed to turn them into a walking cargo... well, Loader.

Security - It's exactly what you'd imagine. The thickest armor, the biggest weaponry. While a Captain's rig is typically filled with all kinds of scanners and radio equipment, or a Breaker's rig filled with cutting and crushing equipment, the Security rig is designed for one purpose. Take on whatever organic threat is going to be attracted to your salvage operation, and make sure it dies before the crew does.

While each role has its duty, they all work together as one cohesive unit. Each can help where required, even if it's not their specialty. The most important job of all of course, is staying alive, so while the Security might be the most suitable for fighting off the wildlife, all the other Divers are equipped to defend themselves as well. You can imagine the Breaker has some heavy duty equipment that can bust through even the thickest hides, and the Captain is often second on security while the Loader and Breaker do their jobs. The Loader is the least equipped for combat, but when it comes down to it, they're the last line of defense for the salvage that the crew is here for.

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A few extra details about this RP, is that the crew would be starting out in pretty scrappy power armor, made up of whatever they could scrape together. The planet's surface is toxic, so these suits need to be sealed, and the crew has limited oxygen before they need to return to the ship, let alone a limited timeframe before the storm picks up again. The clouds might be permanent, but the lightning and acid rain come and go.

This RP would be an advancing technology sort of deal, where as our characters find salvage, they will be able to develop new equipment, that grows more and more advanced as time goes on. While they may be starting out in what is effectively barely functioning power armor, they would eventually move on to full on mechs, and eventually gain extremely powerful capabilities later on.

More than just salvage expeditions will be happening, as the crew has their downtime in port, and will be tasked with dealing with threats to the city. Whether it's flying creatures or a rival city, Divers are the ones called on to defend the city and ensure its continued development and survival.

Assuming the RP goes on for long enough, I could eventually see things getting pretty crazy, as the crew discovers what caused the Calamity so long ago, attempts to reclaim the former glory of humanity, and eventually, sets their sights on even greater threats than they ever thought possible.

I'd be looking for the crew to stay around 4 people, but one or two more wouldn't be too bad with roles like Loaders and Security being able to take on multiple people. I may even expand the available roles, such as adding a mechanic role to keep the other machines running in the field, or a Scientist who is with the crew more for learning than finding scraps.

This is a sort of 'choose your own mech' RP, just so long as what you pick stays within the theme of what is currently possible within the RP. For example:

Starting Rigs will be power armor level, being more of a suit than a mech, will be slow, cumbersome, and lack the ability to leave the ground at all without the aid of a ship. This means no flying... but also no jumping.

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Anyway let me know if anyone's interested in this idea. Mostly looking for people who would be dedicated to the theme and aren't going to just stop posting a week in.

Lost in a Fantasy (FFXIV/XV Crossover FxFu 18+)

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Lost in a Fantasy (FFXIV/XV Crossover FxFu 18+)

Bump

Lost in a Fantasy (FFXIV/XV Crossover FxFu 18+)

Bump