Current
Lots of guests coming and going in the next few weeks. I apologize in advance if I lag in posting
1
like
6 yrs ago
Traveling for a week, and may not keep up with RPs. Thank you for your patience.
3
likes
6 yrs ago
Been busy and scatterbrained this week, and behind on RPs. Please excuse my delay in posting.
1
like
7 yrs ago
Got back from a two-week vacation overseas. Give me some time to catch up with RPs. Thank you for your patience!
3
likes
7 yrs ago
I'll be going on a two week vacation starting tomorrow and don't know how often I'll have Internet access. Thank you for your patience. I'll try to be more regular when I get back.
Something Sinister Slumbers in the Sands of Sargon
Welcome to Arknights: Something Sinister Slumbers in the Sands of Sargon, or Arknights: 5S for short. In this RP, you will be playing as elite Rhodes Island operators or external affiliates/partners of Rhodes Island (Original Characters only). The events of this RP will take place in year 1105 of the Arknights calendar, which is seven years after the County Hillock Incident, the most recent Arknights main story event, which puts us well past any of the events and side stories with known dates so we do not overlap with ant canonical events. Inspirations for this RP include the Indiana Jones franchise and the Stationary Security Service (SSS) gameplay mode in Arknights where you keep going deeper and deeper. The RP will take place mostly in Sargon, but Sargon is a great land with many features, from deserts to rainforests, and even Durin underground cities.
I chose Sargon because, for the time being, not a great deal has been provided as far as canonical lore, allowing me to take some liberties. The RP will start off on the premise that one of the Lord Ameers of Sargon has agreed to a business deal with Rhodes Island, buying RI's oripathy medication and allowing the opening of a local RI branch office. But not all is well in Sargon, foreign powers lust greedily for the hidden wealth of Sargon's ancient civilization and will stop at nothing to unearth horrors best left buried. A serendipitous discovery will lead to a wild race for forbidden power and it will be up to you to prevent the worst case scenario.
So prepare your equipment modules and say goodbye to the landship, it's going to be a dangerous ride.
And for those of you who are interested, but don't know what Arknights is, Arknights is a popular gatcha tower defense mobile game with surprisingly deep worldbuilding and lore. The world of Terra is inhabited by anime animal people who live in nations reflective of the nations that exist in the real world. The world has a mix of pre-modern and near-future technology. The world is defined by the super-material Originium, which is used in all forms of modern technology as a source of power, and is used to channel Originium Arts, this world's sci-fi magic. However, Originium, as a mineral, can grow, shift, or turn into dust and spread around. This movement of Originium causes various natural disasters called Catastrophes, but worst of all, it is possible to be infected by Originium, resulting in contracting a disease known as Oripathy. Those who have contracted Oripathy are referred to as the Infected, and are shunned by society. Oripathy is a death sentence, shortening the Infected's lifespan, however it also boosts one's ability to cast Originium Arts without the need for an Originium device. Because of the Catastrophes that Originium can bring, the people of the world have developed Mobile Cities, turning their cities into gigantic collections of mobile landships, allowing them to preserve their infrastructure while moving away from impending Catastrophes. Most major civilization centers are on the Mobile Cities, though there are poor villages and nomads that wander the wasteland that just take their chances. The world also seems to be inhabited by various mysterious, god-like entities that work from the shadows and manipulate people's lives. One such entity has taken over the entire ocean, making it extremely dangerous for normal people. There is also the mystery of what Originium is, the existence of ancient technology, a possible precursor civilization, and something to do with space travel.
Much of the canonical Arknights story revolves around the Infected fighting for their rights, cities trying to avoid catastrophe, societal upheaval, the conflict between the rich and the poor, the history of war between nations, the looming inevitability of another major war, and fighting against or resisting the influence of the afore-mentioned god-like entities, especially the one in the ocean.
Here are two wikis to browse if you have questions, but I am also open to answering anything to the best of my abilities.
I am also including a link to a timeline of events in the world of Arknights. Most of the stories take place between the years 1097 and 1102.
I found this video which does a pretty good intro/summary of the depth of the world of Arknights.
There is a lot of lore that I will not be touching on; there are many stories in Arknights and the world of Terra, and I am just carving out a tiny chunk of it. As mentioned above, this RP will take place primarily in Sargon which you can read up on in the link. Suffice to say, Sargon is inspired, for the most part on the Middle East, North Africa, and strangely enough, the Aztec Empire. The Rhodes Island I mentioned previously is the protagonist group of Arknights, a 'pharmaceutical company' comprised of a single landship that functions like a paramilitary corporation. Their purpose is to do research to cure Oripathy, but also to resolve conflicts surrounding the infected. They generally treat infected better than the rest of the world and hire both infected and non-infected. They also partner with other nations and companies, so your character does not have to be from Rhodes Island.
Below I am providing an empty character sheet template. I have colored segments with the color code: FFFFFF, so you can simply do a find and replace of FFFFFF with your color hex code of choice. Please also replace or delete everything in triangular brackets <>. I hope it's clear which you should replace and which you should get rid of entirely. I hope the CS is not too complicated.
For the clinical analysis stats, the ratings are as follows: Defective, Flawed, Normal, Standard, Excellent, Outstanding, and N/A. I generally won't restrict this, but if you want a range, if we assign defective to 0, Flawed to 1, Normal to 2, ... and N/A to 6, the strongest operators generally have around 20-25 points total. N/A, the highest rank (meaning unmeasurable) is extremely rare, and characters who have it only have one stat rated at N/A and will have another stat that is Flawed or lower. Normal is what a normal civilian is capable of, Standard is what a standard combatant should be capable of. These ultimately don't matter, they are just to give your character flavor, but I know there are people who probably care about stuff like this, which is why I'm including these measurements here. My example character (an NPC) only goes up to 18, and there are 6-star characters (the rarest and strongest playable characters in the game) whose total rating adds up to less than 20. Ultimately, your character can be strong because of their equipment or skills and not necessarily because of their raw stats.
“Dr. Kal’tsit, I have come to answer the call. What? Late? Well, you’re not wrong. I didn’t believe in you back then. What changed my mind? Desperation and a desire for absolution.”
★★★★★★
Operator Profile
_______________________________________ Codename: Jericho Epithet: The Lonely Orchestra Real Name: Selim Yunus Age: 68
Class: Defender Branch: Arts Protector
Race: Aegir Affiliations: Columbia
Height: 220cm Weight: 140kg
Place of Birth: Sargon Date of Birth: February 20
Gender: Male
Combat Experience: 10 years
Clinical Analysis
______________________________________________________________________ Strength: Normal Endurance: Excellent Mobility: Flawed Arts Adaptability: Outstanding Combat Skill: Normal Tactical Acumen: Excellent
Infection Status: Infected
Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected, with the clear exception of Originium nodules localized to the throat. Throat nodules are responsible for the rough, gravelly timbre of the operator's natural voice. The operator can change his voice using arts, but that is not recommended as this may exacerbate the growth of the nodules. At this time, this operator is confirmed to be infected.
A retired weapon designer and war profiteer seeking atonement and a chance to reconnect with his spiritual roots.
Personality:
Jericho is the kind of person who talks to distract himself from things he’d rather not think about. This makes him come off as friendly, knowledgeable, and oftentimes, even a little arrogant. Despite how much of a risk it is to seek employment with Rhodes Island, Jericho is actually rather risk-averse, preferring careful planning to reckless operations. Despite having a difficult childhood, life in Columbia and success in his field have made Jericho accustomed to luxury and comfort, and can become irritable when denied these things.
Above all, Jericho is introspective and spiritual. He recognizes the harm his work has caused and seeks atonement. And having sought science his whole life and divorcing himself from his ‘backwards’ ancestry, he has now turned his thoughts towards seeking a higher power through the hidden traditions of his fathers. However, he keeps his quiet moments to himself so as not to betray his cheerful facade.
Business in Columbia has numbed Jericho’s ability to empathize with the less fortunate or those of lower position. He therefore has the unfortunate tendency to fall back into looking at everything as numbers, as assets (a habit from his research days), and is trying very hard to connect with those who may be risking their lives or caught in the collateral of their work so as not to view anyone as expendable.
Talents
Talent Description
Sound Engineer
Jericho is a professionally trained engineer who had previously worked for a successful Columbian weapons technology company. He has deep insight when it comes to electronics, particularly speakers and microphones, and understands the wave functions necessary to drive them.
His understanding of cymatics means that he can tune his equipment to alter the local sonic environment to resonate with his allies’ sound-based abilities, boosting their efficacy. He can also identify a material’s resonant frequency after successive strikes, allowing him to use that frequency to shatter his opponents’ equipment.
Organized Discipline
Jericho has professional experience leading a team of fellow engineers, and the main thing he learned was to always stay organized and to document everything. Jericho thus lacks the disorganized eccentricity of ‘mad scientists’-types like Closure, focusing on cost-benefit analysis, resource availability, and setting realistic, achievable goals rather than hare-brained schemes and risky hypotheses. This allows Jericho to be a master of infrastructure, setting a foundation from which more audacious moves can be made by his more daring colleagues. Jericho is observant, analytical, and methodical, and applies these skills to the upkeep of Rhodes Island, as well as to his combat strategies.
Skills
Skill Description
Sound-Based Originium Arts
Operator Jericho possesses special Originium Arts with the affinity of sound and vibrations. This is likely due to his Aegirian ancestry. His father was apparently an Emergency Aid Building technician in Iberia, and it seems Jericho took an interest in the science of sound at an early age, and pursued it throughout his education.
With his arts, Jericho is able to mimic voices and sounds, perform uncanny feats of ventriloquism, and amplify the power and intensity of sounds and vibrations. He can even release echolocation pings to navigate in darkness or locate stealthed objects. This also implies that he has unnaturally good hearing.
Surveillance and Misdirection
Selim has designed a 'noisy cricket' drone with intricate sound equipment, capable of detecting and emitting all types of sounds. This allows the drone to operate as threat detection, surveillance, and scouting by running sonar sweeps, as well as aid in civilian evacuation or team communication procedures through making announcements. It can also be used to divert or distract threats by causing sounds to get enemies' attention.
The drone can also harmonize with Selim's sound based attacks, enhancing the damage Selim does to enemies around the drone's location.
Cymatic Barrier
Selim activates his shield, which projects a 3-meter wide wall of sound in front of him. Enemies that try to pass through start having their internals vibrated rapidly, receiving arts damage and defense debuffs (similar to corrosion). The pain is such a deterrent that most people's first instinct is to move out of and away from the wall as fast as possible. This is a technology referred to as an Active Denial System.
Equipment Module
Armor: Sound system built into armor, including sonar readouts.
LRAD Shield (Israfil): Sound system built into shield, including Active Denial System. LRAD stands for long-range acoustic device.
Vibro-Blade (Tuning Fork): Vibrates at adjustable frequencies, detects the sound produced when it strikes another object. Sound data is fed back into the armor to determine resonant harmonic frequency of the object being struck, allowing the frequency to be used to further weaken the object on further application.
Drone (Noisy Cricket): A drone that flies around and makes noise or detects sounds.
Operator Archives
Selim’s family lived a simple life in Sargon, but infighting between the Lord Ameers and the Columbian corporations that sought to profit from the conflict forced them to evacuate to Iberia. Music was prevalent in Selim’s family. Back in Sargon, he remembered that his parents often had these little tunes and melodies in a foreign language for every little thing. It came as no surprise that Selim became musically inclined, especially singing and voice manipulation, and he demonstrated, from a young age, a knack for sound-based originium arts. He would often play pranks on his friends, pretending to be other people, or tricking them into thinking he was elsewhere by throwing his voice. He learned that he could take hold of the family radio and manipulate the sound coming from it by affecting the arts unit within using his own arts. However, in Iberia, one time Selim had been overheard singing the songs of his parents, which prompted a sudden visit to their house from an inquisitor. Fortunately the inquisitor was merciful, but the warning was apparent, and Selim’s parents stopped singing after that, and encouraged him to follow suit.
In Iberia, Selim’s father became an Emergency Aid Building technician. Selim learned that his family was originally from Iberia, but that they had left for Sargon due to not wanting to live somewhere where the Sankta religion was so prevalent, but it was never fully explained why to Selim, and they eventually returned to Iberia anyways when the instability in Sargon became too great. Taking an interest in his father’s work, Selim sought to become an engineer as well, which was highly encouraged as it could lead to financial success and wealth. Selim’s ambitions led him to Columbia, where he received his education, and began working for a company that developed ‘non-lethal’ weapons, a great place to apply his knowledge of sound. Selim swiftly climbed the ranks as someone who was willing to put his morals aside for personal gain, and it didn’t phase him when the weapons he helped develop were tested in his homeland of Sargon, and later deployed by heavily militarized police forces to suppress the poor and infected.
Selim’s company had a flair for the dramatic, and pushed for sensational demonstrations of their technology that bordered on dangerous. When it came to his inventions, Selim only trusted himself to really sell their capabilities to the customer, so he trained with the weapons and armor he developed in order to pull off amazing stunts that would ‘wow’ their clients, such as stopping a charging burdenbeast in its tracks using only the sound emitted from his shield. Due to the nature of his inventions, Selim became a liaison to the police departments of various Columbian cities. To better cater his inventions towards their needs, he needed to understand their combat style as well as the tactics they employed when it came to ‘pacifying dissidents’. Therefore, he received training from the police, not only in combat, but particularly in defensive tactics, since police primarily fought from, and held, advantageous positions. Thanks to his impressive physique, he even sometimes took commissions and served his clients as a mercenary on some of their operations as an extreme version of a tech demo and weapons testing run. This even got to the point where he was recommended to the Columbian military, and Selim did a short tour in his homeland of Sargon. He should have felt something, but the allure of dangerous knowledge and the indulgence in luxuries and creature comforts had blinded him to where his profits were coming from and the people that were harmed in his pursuit of riches.
Early in Selim’s career, Dr. Kal’tsit was making the rounds in Columbia, looking for support and for capable people to recruit. Selim had scoffed at her proposals and dismissed her outright. However, decades later, it came to light that the company that Selim worked for had been carrying out unethical experimentation and acting like a paramilitary organization. While this was not unusual for Columbian companies, the scandal got too big to contain, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Arts Units and Originium had to shut down the company to maintain public order and quell further investigations which could implicate the politicians involved. Selim was blacklisted and unable to find employment at any of the other major notable tech companies. He also realized that he had gotten infected from working closely with originium devices; the company had cut corners when it came to safety equipment. Having dedicated his life to corporate greed, he returned to Iberia a broken man. At the very least, he had sent money home so that his parents could live comfortable lives. In his retirement, Selim’s father had dedicated himself to translating some ancient Aegir scriptures. Seeing his son in this aimless state, he handed the translated book to Selim and urged him to read it. Selim was struck with a sudden sense of purpose, and spent a long time reconnecting with his family, learning about his people’s history, their beliefs, and the effect that imperial forces had on their way of life. He remembered Kal’tsit’s visit and her impossible, unprofitable dream. Seeking atonement and a chance to actually do something good with what remained of his life, he sought out Rhodes Island.
Trivia:
Theme:
Voice Actor:
Additional images:
Selim is an Aegir based on a whale, hence the sound-based abilities
Since Jericho’s infection is almost exclusively localized to his throat, he is trying an experimental treatment in which he inhales warm, aerosolized infection suppression medication on a regular basis through a device that resembles an E-Cig
Canonically, the Aegir are oppressed in Iberia, so I based Selim’s ‘lost culture’ on one of the many groups of people who were oppressed by the Spanish Inquisition, Muslims. I imply that Selim believes in a religion other than the Sankta religion, though he is reluctant to share any further details.
Selim's last name, “Yunus”, is the Arabic equivalent of Jonah, the prophet who was swallowed by a whale in the Abrahamic faiths.
Additional Quote: “Some scientists theorize that all matter is just vibrating ‘strings’. So in a way, God really did ‘sing’ the world into existence.”
Polka
“Y-you put down ‘Plague Requiem’ as my codename?! I-I don’t go by that any more… C-can we change it to… ’Polka’ instead?.”
Place of Birth: Leithanien Date of Birth: November 1
Gender: Female
Combat Experience: 0 years
Clinical Analysis
______________________________________________________________________ Strength: Normal Endurance: Normal Mobility: Poor Arts Adaptability: Outstanding Combat Skill: Flawed Tactical Acumen: Standard
Infection Status: Non-Infected
Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.
A wandering musician with a dark past, hoping to use the terrible arts she learned to heal instead of harm.
Personality:
Elise gives off an air of refinement. She is lady-like, noble, and delicate. At least, that's how she'd like the world to see her. Born to a family of lesser Leithanien nobles, Elise has pretended all her life to present as higher than her station in an attempt to socialize her way up the hierarchy. Behind her seemingly gentle demeanor is someone who has done whatever it took to obtain her goals, and behind that is someone who seeks to atone for her past.
As a former member of the Remnants, the cult of the Witch King, Elise is highly skeptical of, and sensitive to, secret societies. Elise sees when kindness and compassion are being used merely as bargaining chips, and often questions overly-charitable acts.
In front of the infected, Elise may come off as fake and insincere; she is still grappling with the things she'd done in the past and is trying very hard, perhaps too hard, to show kindness towards the infected. This is often expressed as unwanted physical contact as she tries to 'prove' that she is no longer ignorant and is aware that one cannot contract oripathy simply by touching an infected. Still, her desire to help the infected is genuine, and her research into repurposing the heinous arts practiced by the Remnants has shown promising results.
Talents
Talent Description
Remnant Requiem
By channeling her arts through music, operator Polka can use the originium crystal clusters inside of the bodies of infected and use them as arts units. Doing so can rapidly accelerate the infection, so she no longer uses this skill in this manner. Instead, she is learning to use this skill to decelerate infection and is hoping to use this ability to develop a cure for oripathy. As a side effect, her arts resonate better with infected operators, increasing their beneficial effects.
Skills
Skill Description
Oktoberfest
Polka plays a high tempo song that increases allied operators' movement speed, natural regeneration, attack speed, and attack power.
Walpurgisnacht
In desperation and with consent, Polka can play a song that increases allied operator's arts capabilities. However, for infected operators, the song causes their health to deteriorate, but their arts capabilities increase several fold. Polka will stop before the song kills her allies and attempt to heal them afterwards.
Equipment Module
Gotterfunken: Polka's trusty accordion; more than a musical instrument, it is an arts unit.
Operator Archives
Elise was born to a lower noble house in Leithanien. Her family focused on how the higher nobles looked down on and ridiculed her family, while ignoring the privileges they enjoyed compared to commoners. Elise was pushed to excel in the arts, taking, as many nobles do, to music. But no matter her skill, her standing and treatment from higher nobility never improved.
Disgruntled, it was easy for Elise to fall in with those who would prey upon her vulnerability, those who criticized the current nobility for their complacency under the Twin Empresses, who called back to Leithanien's greatness under the Witch King. The Remnants promised Elise glory and power, a chance to rise above her station by serving Leithanien's one true king, and to improve her arts and musical ability at the same time. Though Elise did not find the political aspect attractive, she saw it as an impossible dream, and thought she was using the Remnants for her own benefit by having them teach her 'forbidden' arts. But the deeper she delved into such skills, the more she found herself losing her way.
Donning her mask and cloak, Elise slowly became one of the Remnants, following their pogroms throughout the countryside, hunting down infected and using them in heinous experiments. She justified her actions by reminding herself that infected did not have long to live, so their short lives were better served advancing their knowledge of arts and originium. The fact was that she was in too deep and enjoyed the personal benefits that this twisted brotherhood brought her. This secret society worked behind the scenes and nobles in high places would recommend or promote her, while quietly letting her know that they too were members, and that they were all looking out for one another. On the flip side, she didn't know how closely she was being watched or who would come after her if she ever decided that enough was enough.
One evening, Elise was paying a close friend a visit, but her friend was distraught. Her friend explained that her young cousin from the countryside was also visiting but had gone missing. Being from a branch family, this cousin did not enjoy the privileges of a noble life, though the two families remained affectionate. This cousin had the misfortune of getting infected recently and came to the city specifically to receive treatment that only the noble side of the family could afford. As Elise's friend continued to provide her with details of her cousin, Elise's disgust mounted. The cousin had gone missing the same time the Remnants had picked up an infected child for their experiments, and the physical description matched. Elise had been the one performing the experiments until the child's body could no longer take any more. Promising to find the child, Elise left her friend's home, walking on shaky legs. That night changed Elise forever, burdening her with a sin and guilt that she knew could never be truly absolved. Remembering the medicine that her friend had intended to give to her cousin, Elise sought out Rhodes Island.
Trivia:
Theme
Polka is inspired by ancient Germanic witchcraft. For example she has a skill named Walpurgisnacht. Halloween takes place in October, so I gave her other skill the name Oktoberfest. Her birthday, Nov 1, is also the day after Halloween, which Halloween is the 'eve' of. Being a date with three repeating numbers (111), it has magical significance.
Additional Quote: “It might be tone-deaf of me to say this, but I can turn your infection from a curse into a blessing.”
Polka's first name, Elise, is taken from Beethoven's Fur Elise. her last name is taken from Ernst Chladni.
Name: Baltasar El-Kabti Race: Rebbah (Jackal) Gender: Male Age: 19 Place of Birth: Sargon Affiliation: Sargon Background:
A young man living in the oasis of Hisn-ul-Zahra, he works part-time at Rhodes Island's infected pediatric care center, taking care of the children. One of the children has gone missing, and he is imploring the operators for help.
Name: Nur Alexandros Race: Liberi (Falcon) Gender: Male Age: 12 Place of Birth: Sargon Affiliation: Sargon Background:
An infected orphan who has recently gone missing.
Name: Zainab Nubani Name: Archosauria Gender: Female Age: 56 Place of Birth: Sargon Affiliation: Sargon Background:
The Lady Ameera of Hisn-ul-Zahra, Zainab saw how her fellow Lord Ameers were selling long-term success for short-term gains by accepting help from foreign powers and how such meddling was destabilizing the land, making Sargon a site for proxy wars of imperial powers. Though Zainab does not fantasize about 'returning Sargon to its former glory', she does hope that the people of Sargon can stand strong, united, independent, and free from the clutches of those who seek only to exploit them. It is for this reason that she has partnered with Rhodes Island, and this decision has allowed Hisn-ul-Zahra to bloom. The nearby jungle of Acahualla became a booming city of commerce and technology, thanks to Chieftan Inam's commerce-minded policies and the refugee Durin population that migrated there after the Zeruertza incident. Zainab learned of this from Rhodes Island and seized on this opportunity to begin trading with Acahualla, bringing magnificent, automated, engineering marvels to Hisn-ul-Zahra.
Name: Aisha Hafiz Name: Feline Gender: Female Age: 34 Place of Birth: Sargon Affiliation: Sargon Background:
Lady Ameera Zainab's right-hand woman, Aisha keeps the peace in Hisn-ul-Zahra. Aisha is a no-nonsense person; where Zainab offers the carrot, pledging prosperity to those who contribute to the city, Aisha is the stick, promising to punish those who disrupt the harmony. But she is amicable enough to those who obey the rules.
Name: Dr. Kathleen Cross Race: Feline Gender: Female Age: 28 Place of Birth: Columbia Affiliation: Columbia (Trimounts) Background:
An up-and-coming researcher from Trimounts Institute of Technology, Kathleen is narrow-minded and caught up in the rat-race of academia. She is somewhat disillusioned that quality of research alone does not earn recognition and has reluctantly turned towards nurturing her connections to get a leg up. After a fateful meeting with a famous scientist from a notable research institute, Kathleen finds herself scouring the deserts of Sargon, being dragged along by a mercenary group hired to protect her, looking for some 'ancient energy source'. The whole thing sounds like a stupid treasure hunt, but if this is what it takes to get ahead in Columbia, then she'd be a fool not to push on.
Name: Joanna Cooper Race: Pythian (Rattlesnake) Gender: Female Age: 38 Place of Birth: Bolivar Affiliation: Columbia (ASPS) Background:
Leader of the mercenary band, ASPS (Acquisition, Security, and Protection Services), Joanna is a ruthless hunter with a reputation for secrecy and getting the job done, no matter the obstacle. Joanna considers Kathleen's presence a liability to the mission, but begrudgingly acquiesces to bringing her along, as the pay for doing so was a handsome amount. Hiring ASPS is considered a last ditch, desperate act, since their rates are exorbitant and their wanton acts of violence in pursuit of their missions have painted an international target on their backs. But since ASPS has never been caught nor have its members ever revealed their clients, their clients can keep their hands clean of the atrocities they paid for. Joanna has the uncanny ability to strike fear into the hearts of her opponents.
Leithanien:
Name: Count Geert Van De Graaf Race: Caprinae Gender: Male Age: 53 Place of Birth: Leithanien Affiliation: Leithanien (Spire Casters) Background:
A count loyal to the Twin Empresses of Leithanien, Geert yet believes that Leithanien's might lies in her arts superiority, as was true during the time of the Witch King. A researcher and tinkerer in his own right, Geert's affinity for electrical arts has allowed him to develop various useful devices that have yet to see wide usage, but may revolutionize communication if they did. Geert believes he is an altruist, and the question of the infected is a difficult question without a good answer. He feels that a good life is one lived in service of the nation and wishes to provide this 'good life' to others.
Name: Helmut Skikjoring Race: Caprinae Gender: Male Age: 26 Place of Birth: Leithanien Affiliation: Leithanien Background:
Helmut is Count Van De Graaf's loyal retainer who feels more like a son, having been picked up by the Count as an orphan. Every Leithanien of standing practices some form of art, and Helmut's is fencing. This combined with the Laplace Engine, the electronic data analysis device developed by Geert that Helmut wears as a mask, makes him a formidable opponent.
Victoria:
Name: Dr. Warren Irving (PhD. in Sargonology) Race: Cautus (Vienna Blue) Gender: Male Age: 17 Place of Birth: Rim Billiton Affiliation: Victoria (Victorian Archeological Guild) Background:
A young polymath tasked with the study and acquisition of ancient Sargonian artifacts. He does not think of what his organization is doing as 'stealing' since the artifacts have been buried for so long that they do not 'belong' to anyone. Besides, he knows that such artifacts also often conceal hidden power, and it is better that they fall into careful, knowledgeable, Victorian hands, instead of the hands of the bickering Lords Ameer who would surely abuse the artifact's power. However, given the recent instability in Victoria, his guild is underfunded and understaffed, so Warren is willing to strike a deal so that he can get to his objective faster than anyone else who may be racing towards the prize he seeks.
Calling a cautus 'cute' is considered a micro-aggression; tread carefully.
Warren hates it when anyone abbreviates the Victorian Archeological Guild as 'VAG'.
Name: Emma Huxley Race: Perro (Husky) Gender: Female Age: 27 Place of Birth: Sami Affiliation: Victoria Background:
A member of Victoria's Military Police, Emma has been assigned to protect Dr. Irvine in his search for Sargonian relics. Though she does not trust ancient technology, she recognizes their power and hopes that their quest can restore Victoria to her former glory. Emma is professional, regimented, does everything by the book, and cannot stand underhanded tactics.
Locations
Hisn-ul-Zahra:
Literally translated as Flower Bastion, Hisn-ul-Zahra is the name of an oasis in the Sargon desert as well as the nomadic city that frequently parks near it. It is located to the west of the Acahuallan Jungle and trades with Acahualla for the technology brought by the Zeruertzan Durin refugees. This is where our story begins.
Acahualla:
A jungle to the west of Sargon inhabited by a tribe of Archosauria. Since several of their chief members have joined Rhodes Island, Acahualla has a strong partnership with the pharmaceutical company. There is a nearby cave that leads underground and connects to the Durin city of Zeruertza. Due to the encroachment of originium veins into Zeruertza several years ago, the Durin population evacuated to Acahualla, bringing their technology with them and turning Acahaulla into a tech and trade hub.
Zeruertza:
An underground Durin city, abandoned due to the encroachment of originium veins several years ago. Its inhabitants constructed a great elevator to the surface and have made Acahualla their new home. The Durin of Zeruertza are on good terms with Rhodes Island, as one of their greatest architects, Stitch Canvas, has joined Rhodes Island as an operator.
_______________________________________ Codename: <Operator Name> Epithet: <Nicknames or titles> Real Name: <Actual name in the format First Name Last Name> Age: <Age in years>
<You can copy existing operator infection descriptions or customize>
Cell-Originium Assimilation: <Some percent #. Check canon operators to determine what reasonably reflects the severity (or lack thereof) of your character's infection> Blood Originium-Crystal Density: <Some decimal # with units of u/L. Check canon operators to determine what reasonably reflects the severity (or lack thereof) of your character's infection>
Character Synopsis:
<Short character description>
Personality:
<Describe your character's personality, how they think, what they feel, etc.>
Talents
Talent Description
<Talent 1 Name>
<Talent 1 description>
<Talent 2 Name>
<Talent 2 description>
Skills
Skill Description
<Skill 1 Name>
<Skill 1 description>
<Skill 2 Name>
<Skill 2 description>
<Skill 3 Name>
<Skill 3 description>
Equipment Module
<Equipment 1>: <Equipment 1 description>
<Equipment 2>: <Equipment 2 description. Make this list as long as you like>
Operator Archives
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 1>
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 2>
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 3>
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 4>
Trivia:
<Feel free to add whatever to this list, Theme Song, Voice Actor, Additional images, Character inspiration, health and habits, puns and easter eggs, Additional Quote, etc.>
Something Sinister Slumbers in the Sands of Sargon
Welcome to Arknights: Something Sinister Slumbers in the Sands of Sargon, or Arknights: 5S for short. In this RP, you will be playing as elite Rhodes Island operators or external affiliates/partners of Rhodes Island (Original Characters only). The events of this RP will take place at an unspecified time in the near future of the current Arknights storyline. Inspirations for this RP include the Indiana Jones franchise and the Stationary Security Service (SSS) gameplay mode in Arknights where you keep going deeper and deeper. The RP will take place mostly in Sargon, but Sargon is a great land with many features, from deserts to rainforests, and even Durin underground cities.
I chose Sargon because, for the time being, not a great deal has been provided as far as canonical lore, allowing me to take some liberties. The RP will start off on the premise that one of the Lord Ameers of Sargon has agreed to a business deal with Rhodes Island, buying RI's oripathy medication and allowing the opening of a local RI branch office. But not all is well in Sargon, foreign powers lust greedily for the hidden wealth of Sargon's ancient civilization and will stop at nothing to unearth horrors best left buried. A serendipitous discovery will lead to a wild race for forbidden power and it will be up to you to prevent the worst case scenario.
So prepare your equipment modules and say goodbye to the landship, it's going to be a dangerous ride.
And for those of you who are interested, but don't know what Arknights is, Arknights is a popular gatcha tower defense mobile game with surprisingly deep worldbuilding and lore. The world of Terra is inhabited by anime animal people who live in nations reflective of the nations that exist in the real world. The world has a mix of pre-modern and near-future technology. The world is defined by the super-material Originium, which is used in all forms of modern technology as a source of power, and is used to channel Originium Arts, this world's sci-fi magic. However, Originium, as a mineral, can grow, shift, or turn into dust and spread around. This movement of Originium causes various natural disasters called Catastrophes, but worst of all, it is possible to be infected by Originium, resulting in contracting a disease known as Oripathy. Those who have contracted Oripathy are referred to as the Infected, and are shunned by society. Oripathy is a death sentence, shortening the Infected's lifespan, however it also boosts one's ability to cast Originium Arts without the need for an Originium device. Because of the Catastrophes that Originium can bring, the people of the world have developed Mobile Cities, turning their cities into gigantic collections of mobile landships, allowing them to preserve their infrastructure while moving away from impending Catastrophes. Most major civilization centers are on the Mobile Cities, though there are poor villages and nomads that wander the wasteland that just take their chances. The world also seems to be inhabited by various mysterious, god-like entities that work from the shadows and manipulate people's lives. One such entity has taken over the entire ocean, making it extremely dangerous for normal people. There is also the mystery of what Originium is, the existence of ancient technology, a possible precursor civilization, and something to do with space travel.
Much of the canonical Arknights story revolves around the Infected fighting for their rights, cities trying to avoid catastrophe, societal upheaval, the conflict between the rich and the poor, the history of war between nations, the looming inevitability of another major war, and fighting against or resisting the influence of the afore-mentioned god-like entities, especially the one in the ocean.
Here are two wikis to browse if you have questions, but I am also open to answering anything to the best of my abilities.
There is a lot of lore that I will not be touching on; there are many stories in Arknights and the world of Terra, and I am just carving out a tiny chunk of it. As mentioned above, this RP will take place primarily in Sargon which you can read up on in the link. Suffice to say, Sargon is inspired, for the most part on the Middle East, North Africa, and strangely enough, the Aztec Empire. The Rhodes Island I mentioned previously is the protagonist group of Arknights, a 'pharmaceutical company' comprised of a single landship that functions like a paramilitary corporation. Their purpose is to do research to cure Oripathy, but also to resolve conflicts surrounding the infected. They generally treat infected better than the rest of the world and hire both infected and non-infected. They also partner with other nations and companies, so your character does not have to be from Rhodes Island.
Below I am providing an empty character sheet template. I have colored segments with the color code: FFFFFF, so you can simply do a find and replace of FFFFFF with your color hex code of choice. Please also replace or delete everything in triangular brackets <>. I hope it's clear which you should replace and which you should get rid of entirely. I hope the CS is not too complicated.
For the clinical analysis stats, the ratings are as follows: Defective, Flawed, Normal, Standard, Excellent, Outstanding, and N/A. I generally won't restrict this, but if you want a range, if we assign defective to 0, Flawed to 1, Normal to 2, ... and N/A to 6, the strongest operators generally have around 20-25 points total. N/A, the highest rank (meaning unmeasurable) is extremely rare, and characters who have it only have one stat rated at N/A and will have another stat that is Flawed or lower. Normal is what a normal civilian is capable of, Standard is what a standard combatant should be capable of. These ultimately don't matter, they are just to give your character flavor, but I know there are people who probably care about stuff like this, which is why I'm including these measurements here. My example character (an NPC) only goes up to 18, and there are 6-star characters (the rarest and strongest playable characters in the game) whose total rating adds up to less than 20. Ultimately, your character can be strong because of their equipment or skills and not necessarily because of their raw stats.
<Operator Name>
<Onboarding quote>
★★★★★★
Operator Profile
_______________________________________ Codename: <Operator Name> Epithet: <Nicknames or titles>
<You can copy existing operator infection descriptions or customize>
Cell-Originium Assimilation: <Some percent #. Check canon operators to determine what reasonably reflects the severity (or lack thereof) of your character's infection> Blood Originium-Crystal Density: <Some decimal # with units of u/L. Check canon operators to determine what reasonably reflects the severity (or lack thereof) of your character's infection>
Character Synopsis:
<Short character description>
Personality:
<Describe your character's personality, how they think, what they feel, etc.>
Talents
Talent Description
<Talent 1 Name>
<Talent 1 description>
<Talent 2 Name>
<Talent 2 description>
Skills
Skill Description
<Skill 1 Name>
<Skill 1 description>
<Skill 2 Name>
<Skill 2 description>
<Skill 3 Name>
<Skill 3 description>
Equipment Module
<Equipment 1>: <Equipment 1 description>
<Equipment 2>: <Equipment 2 description. Make this list as long as you like>
Operator Archives
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 1>
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 2>
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 3>
<Split your backstory into 4 parts, this is part 4>
Trivia:
<Feel free to add whatever to this list, Theme Song, Voice Actor, Additional images, Character inspiration, health and habits, puns and easter eggs, Additional Quote, etc.>
Below is an OC NPC following this template to use as an example for how the completed template should look.
Jericho
“Dr. Kal’tsit, I have come to answer the call. What? Late? Well, you’re not wrong. I didn’t believe in you back then. What changed my mind? Desperation and a desire for absolution.”
★★★★★★
Operator Profile
_______________________________________ Codename: Jericho Epithet: The Lonely Orchestra
Class: Defender Branch: Arts Protector
Race: Aegir Affiliations: Columbia
Height: 220cm Weight: 140kg
Place of Birth: Sargon Date of Birth: February 20
Gender: Male
Combat Experience: 10 years
Clinical Analysis
______________________________________________________________________ Strength: Normal Endurance: Excellent Mobility: Flawed Arts Adaptability: Outstanding Combat Skill: Normal Tactical Acumen: Excellent
Infection Status: Infected
Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected, with the clear exception of Originium nodules localized to the throat. Throat nodules are responsible for the rough, gravelly timbre of the operator's natural voice. The operator can change his voice using arts, but that is not recommended as this may exacerbate the growth of the nodules. At this time, this operator is confirmed to be infected.
A retired weapon designer and war profiteer seeking atonement and a chance to reconnect with his spiritual roots.
Personality:
Jericho is the kind of person who talks to distract himself from things he’d rather not think about. This makes him come off as friendly, knowledgeable, and oftentimes, even a little arrogant. Despite how much of a risk it is to seek employment with Rhodes Island, Jericho is actually rather risk-averse, preferring careful planning to reckless operations. Despite having a difficult childhood, life in Columbia and success in his field have made Jericho accustomed to luxury and comfort, and can become irritable when denied these things.
Above all, Jericho is introspective and spiritual. He recognizes the harm his work has caused and seeks atonement. And having sought science his whole life and divorcing himself from his ‘backwards’ ancestry, he has now turned his thoughts towards seeking a higher power through the hidden traditions of his fathers. However, he keeps his quiet moments to himself so as not to betray his cheerful facade.
Business in Columbia has numbed Jericho’s ability to empathize with the less fortunate or those of lower position. He therefore has the unfortunate tendency to fall back into looking at everything as numbers, as assets (a habit from his research days), and is trying very hard to connect with those who may be risking their lives or caught in the collateral of their work so as not to view anyone as expendable.
Talents
Talent Description
Sound Engineer
Jericho is a professionally trained engineer who had previously worked for a successful Columbian weapons technology company. He has deep insight when it comes to electronics, particularly speakers and microphones, and understands the wave functions necessary to drive them.
His understanding of cymatics means that he can tune his equipment to alter the local sonic environment to resonate with his allies’ sound-based abilities, boosting their efficacy. He can also identify a material’s resonant frequency after successive strikes, allowing him to use that frequency to shatter his opponents’ equipment.
Organized Discipline
Jericho has professional experience leading a team of fellow engineers, and the main thing he learned was to always stay organized and to document everything. Jericho thus lacks the disorganized eccentricity of ‘mad scientists’-types like Closure, focusing on cost-benefit analysis, resource availability, and setting realistic, achievable goals rather than hare-brained schemes and risky hypotheses. This allows Jericho to be a master of infrastructure, setting a foundation from which more audacious moves can be made by his more daring colleagues. Jericho is observant, analytical, and methodical, and applies these skills to the upkeep of Rhodes Island, as well as to his combat strategies.
Skills
Skill Description
Sound-Based Originium Arts
Operator Jericho possesses special Originium Arts with the affinity of sound and vibrations. This is likely due to his Aegirian ancestry. His father was apparently an Emergency Aid Building technician in Iberia, and it seems Jericho took an interest in the science of sound at an early age, and pursued it throughout his education.
With his arts, Jericho is able to mimic voices and sounds, perform uncanny feats of ventriloquism, and amplify the power and intensity of sounds and vibrations. He can even release echolocation pings to navigate in darkness or locate stealthed objects. This also implies that he has unnaturally good hearing.
Surveillance and Misdirection
Selim has designed a 'noisy cricket' drone with intricate sound equipment, capable of detecting and emitting all types of sounds. This allows the drone to operate as threat detection, surveillance, and scouting by running sonar sweeps, as well as aid in civilian evacuation or team communication procedures through making announcements. It can also be used to divert or distract threats by causing sounds to get enemies' attention.
The drone can also harmonize with Selim's sound based attacks, enhancing the damage Selim does to enemies around the drone's location.
Cymatic Barrier
Selim activates his shield, which projects a 3-meter wide wall of sound in front of him. Enemies that try to pass through start having their internals vibrated rapidly, receiving arts damage and defense debuffs (similar to corrosion). The pain is such a deterrent that most people's first instinct is to move out of and away from the wall as fast as possible. This is a technology referred to as an Active Denial System.
Equipment Module
Armor: Sound system built into armor, including sonar readouts.
LRAD Shield (Israfil): Sound system built into shield, including Active Denial System. LRAD stands for long-range acoustic device.
Vibro-Blade (Tuning Fork): Vibrates at adjustable frequencies, detects the sound produced when it strikes another object. Sound data is fed back into the armor to determine resonant harmonic frequency of the object being struck, allowing the frequency to be used to further weaken the object on further application.
Drone (Noisy Cricket): A drone that flies around and makes noise or detects sounds.
Operator Archives
Selim’s family lived a simple life in Sargon, but infighting between the Lord Ameers and the Columbian corporations that sought to profit from the conflict forced them to evacuate to Iberia. Music was prevalent in Selim’s family. Back in Sargon, he remembered that his parents often had these little tunes and melodies in a foreign language for every little thing. It came as no surprise that Selim became musically inclined, especially singing and voice manipulation, and he demonstrated, from a young age, a knack for sound-based originium arts. He would often play pranks on his friends, pretending to be other people, or tricking them into thinking he was elsewhere by throwing his voice. He learned that he could take hold of the family radio and manipulate the sound coming from it by affecting the arts unit within using his own arts. However, in Iberia, one time Selim had been overheard singing the songs of his parents, which prompted a sudden visit to their house from an inquisitor. Fortunately the inquisitor was merciful, but the warning was apparent, and Selim’s parents stopped singing after that, and encouraged him to follow suit.
In Iberia, Selim’s father became an Emergency Aid Building technician. Selim learned that his family was originally from Iberia, but that they had left for Sargon due to not wanting to live somewhere where the Sankta religion was so prevalent, but it was never fully explained why to Selim, and they eventually returned to Iberia anyways when the instability in Sargon became too great. Taking an interest in his father’s work, Selim sought to become an engineer as well, which was highly encouraged as it could lead to financial success and wealth. Selim’s ambitions led him to Columbia, where he received his education, and began working for a company that developed ‘non-lethal’ weapons, a great place to apply his knowledge of sound. Selim swiftly climbed the ranks as someone who was willing to put his morals aside for personal gain, and it didn’t phase him when the weapons he helped develop were tested in his homeland of Sargon, and later deployed by heavily militarized police forces to suppress the poor and infected.
Selim’s company had a flair for the dramatic, and pushed for sensational demonstrations of their technology that bordered on dangerous. When it came to his inventions, Selim only trusted himself to really sell their capabilities to the customer, so he trained with the weapons and armor he developed in order to pull off amazing stunts that would ‘wow’ their clients, such as stopping a charging burdenbeast in its tracks using only the sound emitted from his shield. Due to the nature of his inventions, Selim became a liaison to the police departments of various Columbian cities. To better cater his inventions towards their needs, he needed to understand their combat style as well as the tactics they employed when it came to ‘pacifying dissidents’. Therefore, he received training from the police, not only in combat, but particularly in defensive tactics, since police primarily fought from, and held, advantageous positions. Thanks to his impressive physique, he even sometimes took commissions and served his clients as a mercenary on some of their operations as an extreme version of a tech demo and weapons testing run. This even got to the point where he was recommended to the Columbian military, and Selim did a short tour in his homeland of Sargon. He should have felt something, but the allure of dangerous knowledge and the indulgence in luxuries and creature comforts had blinded him to where his profits were coming from and the people that were harmed in his pursuit of riches.
Early in Selim’s career, Dr. Kal’tsit was making the rounds in Columbia, looking for support and for capable people to recruit. Selim had scoffed at her proposals and dismissed her outright. However, decades later, it came to light that the company that Selim worked for had been carrying out unethical experimentation and acting like a paramilitary organization. While this was not unusual for Columbian companies, the scandal got too big to contain, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Arts Units and Originium had to shut down the company to maintain public order and quell further investigations which could implicate the politicians involved. Selim was blacklisted and unable to find employment at any of the other major notable tech companies. He also realized that he had gotten infected from working closely with originium devices; the company had cut corners when it came to safety equipment. Having dedicated his life to corporate greed, he returned to Iberia a broken man. At the very least, he had sent money home so that his parents could live comfortable lives. In his retirement, Selim’s father had dedicated himself to translating some ancient Aegir scriptures. Seeing his son in this aimless state, he handed the translated book to Selim and urged him to read it. Selim was struck with a sudden sense of purpose, and spent a long time reconnecting with his family, learning about his people’s history, their beliefs, and the effect that imperial forces had on their way of life. He remembered Kal’tsit’s visit and her impossible, unprofitable dream. Seeking atonement and a chance to actually do something good with what remained of his life, he sought out Rhodes Island.
Trivia:
Theme:
Voice Actor:
Additional images:
Selim is an Aegir based on a whale, hence the sound-based abilities
Since Jericho’s infection is almost exclusively localized to his throat, he is trying an experimental treatment in which he inhales warm, aerosolized infection suppression medication on a regular basis through a device that resembles an E-Cig
Canonically, the Aegir are oppressed in Iberia, so I based Selim’s ‘lost culture’ on one of the many groups of people who were oppressed by the Spanish Inquisition, Muslims. I imply that Selim believes in a religion other than the Sankta religion, though he is reluctant to share any further details.
Selim's last name, “Yunus”, is the Arabic equivalent of Jonah, the prophet who was swallowed by a whale in the Abrahamic faiths.
Additional Quote: “Some scientists theorize that all matter is just vibrating ‘strings’. So in a way, God really did ‘sing’ the world into existence.”
Though he was not accustomed to a leadership role, Septishock seemed to take to it well enough. His ability to assess the situation and offer solutions appeared to have earned him command of the ship in their time of crisis. As such he ordered the remaining crew to try to repair as much of the ship as possible, focusing first on fortification and defense (he suspected that spaceworthiness was not something that would be achievable any time soon), as well as taking care of the wounded. With the current plan set into motion, Septishock went to his quarters and grabbed his new 'toy', attaching the upgrade to his gun hand before stepping into the reconfiguration chamber. He emerged, covered in curved armor with a lustrous purple sheen, the stinger that was his beast mode's namesake incorporated into his corrosive search laser, while the creature's grasping claws formed an effective weapon on his other arm. He felt ready to take on this strange new world, and any obstacle that would get in the way of his curiosity. Returning to the bridge, Septishock set about trying to get the computer and sensor systems up and running. After all, knowledge is power.
Since it seems like the people playing mutants/X-Men are not part of this RP anymore, I changed my first post slightly to pivot away from the 'mutant storyline' for the time being. Though I am still mentioning it.
For now, I will focus on the FF and Parker Industries' potential collaboration and the growing global criticism of Latveria.
I also wanted to point out that if you are still deciding on a character and wanted to integrate them into an 'ongoing plot', the Future Foundation is something of a 'superhero training' organization, so any young heroes or 'year one' type heroes would be a good fit, or even just heroes who have been going it solo for too long and want a team to work with, or who want better PR and legitimacy if they have been skirting the line of public opinion.