Stern Algorithm

Revue of Annihilation [Faction-Ruling Demigods Vie for Ascension]

I'm thinking aspect of Law. Would you allow "soft magic" or "geas"-type magic like magically binding contracts or "party magic"?

Mecha/Gundam Tournament

I'm always down for a mecha RP. As much as I love combiners, it wouldn't make sense in the context of an individual tournament, unless this is team sport.

Also, is this going to be mostly martial arts style, ala G Gundam, where combat consists mostly of punching, kicking, and melee weapons, or is it going to be full military, with rifles, bazookas, missiles, what-have-you? Will there be remote-operated weapons (ie. funnels, bits, etc.)?

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

May I offer you a BGM in these trying times?

I just thought the juxtaposition of piety and poverty in this song reflect an integral part of Sara's character.

After another thorough and scathing dress down by Irina, Sara bowed deeply before departing the chamber and reclaiming her Templar crystal. Though being lambasted a second time injured her pride, there was one silver lining; Irina trusted Sara implicitly, though the older woman would probably never admit it. That had to count for something. Sara held the crystal in her bandaged hands, staring into its transparent shimmer, before asking the squire for directions to the castle chapel. Upon receiving her directions, Sara thanked the squire and headed over, feeling that some prayer and spiritual contemplation were much needed right now. As Sara approached, the covered her head with the hood of her Templar uniform in an act of modesty and piety. She entered, head lowered, hands clasped in prayer. Though doing so ignited the dull, throbbing pain of her healing burns, she kept her hands together regardless.

"Our Mother..." Sara's silent voice choked and faltered for a moment as a lump caught in her throat. Tears streamed down the side of her face, surprising her as her body and mind finally succumbed to the stress of the day. "M-Mother...please forgive me. Please take this sinner back within your warm embrace, though I am unworthy. I have...violated my oath to you to protect my Scion. I have allowed myself to doubt his holiness and to secretly wish harm to befall him. Though I am undeserving, I ask you for strength. Strength to repel our enemies, whoever they may be, strength to withstand political machinations and intrigue, strength to endure senseless hatred..."

Sara suddenly turned her face up, having unconsciously walked to the foot of the statue of the Goddess that was the centerpiece of the chapel and unknowingly raised her voice, as if in protest and challenge, "Incepta On High! Is the blood of my mother truly so tainted? You sent down a fraction of your mercy and it manifested as the love that every mother has for her children. Is it then wrong for me to revere my mother but a fraction of the reverence I offer to you?! She bore me through hardship and showed me to the doorstep of your house before she passed. Is she not worthy of your compassion and the compassion of those who worship you? Though she did not speak the prayers herself, did she not bring into this world one who has devoted her entire life to you? Are my actions not enough to save her? Long is the road to redemption, but what crime am I seeking atonement for?"

Sara lowered her gaze, feeling a sense of loss, and only then noticed that her hands were clasped so hard that the bandaging between her palms had become wet, sticky, and slightly red. Sara relaxed her body slightly, "Forgive me. The actions of your worshippers are not an accurate reflection of your will. Like me, they too, are sinners, and prone to misguidance. Much ignorance yet lingers in the heart of man. I cannot allow myself to be so arrogant as to believe that what little service I have offered would be enough to change their minds. Please excuse my momentary lapse of faith."

Sara took a few steps back and collapsed into one of the pews, leaning back. She gazed upwards at the vaulted ceiling, unlit chandeliers, and the stained glass, darkened by the night sky outside. This was home. This was where she belonged; with her Mother. Sara closed her eyes, feeling her mind slowly go blank from exhaustion. To minimize pain, her arms lay upon her thighs, palms facing upwards, looking for all the world as if she was supplicating, and perhaps she was, though she could have been asking for nothing and everything. At the back of her mind, she reminded herself of her duty. She should regroup with Theobald and keep close to him as Irina commanded, but for the moment, she simply wanted to enjoy this fleeting, quiet moment. If they were attacked again even now, then Sara could only chalk it up to Incepta's wrath. perhaps they had strayed too far and Incepta wished to wipe the slate clean, Scions and Templars and all. For some reason, such a fatalistic view brought a small chuckle to Sara's throat. And though it was not proper church etiquette, Sara laid down, bringing her legs up onto the pew. Though the mahogany of the pew was uncomfortable, laying on a hard surface brought back an old familiarity. Though one was not supposed to sleep in a chapel, Sara reassured herself that she would get up forthwith and find Theobald; she just needed to close her eyes for a few seconds...

Arknights: 5S

@Nanolyte Hey, I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing?

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

Ionna @Mcmolly, Irina @Obscene Symphony

During the debriefing, Sara tried to maintain a face of disciplined stoicism, though the criticisms cut deep. But when Irina got to the Templar's oath, Sara closed her eyes, as if in pain. She had betrayed her word to The Mother, but the worst part was that she didn't know if she abandoned Theobald because she was trying to follow his orders, because she trusted him to protect himself, or because her opinion of him had caused her to doubt his sanctity, to see him as undeserving of protection, which would be blasphemy. With a heavy heart, Sara left the ballroom when she was dismissed. When the squire offered her crystal back, Sara smiled sadly, and held up a hand to stop her. "Not yet," Sara said quietly, "My business with Dame Irina is not quite over."

While Irina debriefed Jannick, Sara stood at attention some distance down the hallway where the conversation was not audible to make it clear that she had no intention of eavesdropping. When he left in a furious huff, Sara gave him a polite nod, unsure if there was anything she could do to abate his anger. Upon re-entering the ballroom, Sara first saluted and then declared, "My Dame, I surrender myself for detainment and further questioning. I'm sure it is on everyone's lips, but it is likely that Kaudus is involved, in which case, my allegiance is suspect. Dame Ionna can confirm that we saw a helicopter escaping Southeast outside the venue, though I'm sure your intel is already aware of it. You cannot know with certainty that I did not abandon my Scion intentionally to leave him to the wolves, nor that I was not trying to lead Dame Ionna into an ambush, possibly to steal the technology encased within her arm. Additionally, during the fighting, I temporarily lost control of my powers." Sara held up her bandaged arms to show Irina the consequences of such a lapse. "This demonstrates that my mastery of fire magic is lacking. Therefore, it is my opinion that His Holiness Theobald, especially during such a crisis, would be better served by a more capable Templar; one with more magical skill, with better discipline and adherence to their oath, and whose loyalty cannot be called into question." She then held out her hands, palms up, wrists together, as if expecting to be handcuffed.

The Central Dogma of Xenoarcheology

I see. I'm pretty ambivalent about it since it shouldn't have a huge effect on the world at large. So I think for the sake of stream-lining character creation, since you're the only other player in this RP, I'll say it's whatever you want it to be, regarding the existence of super sentai shows.

The Central Dogma of Xenoarcheology

That's...a good question. I rarely think of the media of a world I create, so that's a good thing to consider. It really wouldn't make sense that a world in which something fantastical happens, said fantastical event is never portrayed in their media. But I think humans would fantasize about giant robots in any universe, or have modern media portrayals of monsters outside of mythology. I will say that an Ultraman-like story might be specific enough as to be feasibly not represented in this world.

So I'll say this, yes, kaiju and mecha genres exist, but a specifically Ultraman-style story/franchise doesn't.

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Sara, Daughter of Aliya

Ionna @Mcmolly, Theobald @Xiro Zean

Sara's moment of fervor was short-lived. With Ionna's help, they had quickly dispatched the two enemies waiting outside, but her detect heat spell was almost unnecessary as the quiet of the woods outside drew her attention immediately to the sky and loud, rhythmic thrum of the helicopter making its way southeast. Sara reached a hand towards the vehicle in a futile gesture, cursing herself for not having the courage to learn a ranged fire spell. Of course, even if she did, assuming Nadine was on the helicopter, she couldn't risk attacking it. And as the endorphins wore off, as the zeal slowly left her body, Sara felt suddenly very cold despite the heat emanating from her gauntlets. In dejection, Sara turned to Ionna, knowing it was impossible for the two of them to catch the helicopter. "We should...regroup with the others."

Sara and Ionna were the last to arrive at Stern Hill. Sara quickly scanned the group, making sure that all besides the lightning pair were present, until her eyes fell on the hostile and disappointed frame of Theobald. She approached him, initially to make sure that he had not come to harm, but it soon became such that she approached him to receive her punishment. Was he going to kill her like he threatened? Probably not, not with this many people watching. But whatever it was, Sara felt she deserved it. She was already disappointed in herself for failing to save Nadine, so this would only add injury to insult. Sara looked up at Theobald with determination and defiance in her eyes. She had tried her best in an impossible situation, but she was ready to face her responsibility regardless. Though the slap rocked her, turning her head and upper body to the side, Sara stood her ground until Theobald turned away from her, after which she followed him through the rock face illusion and onto the train in silence. Throughout the ride, Sara did not dismiss her armor, not because she was still worried that they would be attacked, but because she did not want to reveal her fresh burns, knowing that such a hideous sight may be too much for the more sensitive among them to stomach. Yet the pain in her arms was catching up to her as the color left her face. Sara felt herself swallowing repeatedly to suppress a visceral disgust but couldn't tell whether this was from the disappointment of her failure or the fever that she was beginning to develop that left her body cold. Throughout the train ride, Sara sat upright, emptying her thoughts and trying to maintain composure, though she hoped in her mind that there was a medical facility at the end of the tunnel.

Duchess Bachmeier's introduction came and went like a blur as Sara realized that her fever was beginning to incite delirium. Afterwards, she shuffled off wordlessly to the medical team to get her arms treated. Only behind the privacy of a medical curtain did Sara finally dismiss her armor, allowing the medic to inspect her injuries. Seeing the severity of her burns, the medic offered a special procedure involving a salve and the use of casts that would allow the burns to heal with little to no scarring though the healing process would take significantly longer, so Sara insisted that he use the simple burn cream and bandage her arms; after all there was still work to be done. And a part of Sara felt that she should be 'branded' for her failure. She did however pop a few fever reducers before leaving.

Afterwards, Sara made her way to the ballroom, where she handed in her crystal without a fuss. She would understand if they never gave it back to her. Not only had she abandoned her duty to protect Theobald, she had failed to save Nadine and disobeyed Irina's orders to retreat. If her title of templar was revoked, perhaps it would be for the best. Theobald could have a new templar he could be proud of, and Sara could return to the orphanage and resume her life as a humble sister of the church.

The Central Dogma of Xenoarcheology

Happy New year. What did you need help with as far as backstory?

The Central Dogma of Xenoarcheology

I can help you brainstorm if you want