A car is.. well, like trying to drive through downtown India on cow day. A motorcycle will allow you to weave through the slums much more easily. Hell, why stop at a motorcycle. Why not have a puzzle box that can become a motorcycle. Why a motorcycle, what about a hover-cycle. Anyways, small vehicles are much more viable, the world is incredibly crowded. Also, ghoul apocalypse, not a whole lot of driving is suggested during the early stages. Ghouls don't get tired, and they can sprint as well as any man.
Making the rough outline of an IC just to get it up & I'll get a CS template up first, and then I'll start fleshing out the information database. Cool? Hidey-ho lets go.
True. I'm still figuring that one out and open to ideas.
I was thinking along the lines of specific properties, but would then have to explain to what ends each crystal does for each device, unless just generalizing it.
Example: Purple crystals operate at a much faster frequency when applied to mechanics or clockwork, perhaps allowing for A.I with faster reaction times and processing power? Which would allow gauntlets to fire rapdily, but with minutely powered attacks, like an energy needle gun.
The idea behind this could be complex, allowing for player created colors and properties from every spectrum of the rainbow, but I feel that might get too complex.
Cryatals will have unique properties and purposes, and not too complex, be assured. I am still working on it.
Thank you for your interest, few more and I will get a rough ooc up and compile a cs template.
You know what you never see? A Steampunk Apocalypse.
Looking for something fresh? Something beautiful, romantic, and tantalizing? Then you have come to the wrong place my friend! I hope you can outrun the ghouls as you leave. Now for those of you who enjoy the dark, gritty, gruesome things continue on. I shall be you guide upon this textual journey. So, let's begin with the premise–also known as the things I want in a roleplay. (Now with NEW! Bold lettering!)
More than Human: Something more than those clever meaty flesh bags who spread like spores. Yes, goblins, elves, blue people, purple people (eaters), tall people, small people, not people, round-fat-fluffy-scaly. What. Ever. There is no set races, no standardization. You want to be a furry? Well fine. You want to be a version of the tall, blue, copy-righted aliens? Cool. You want to be some twisted, horrid creation that I've never heard of? Fuckin. Sweet. The typical races I'm likely to include are humans (ugh, you can't get rid of them), elves, goblins (worker slaves! *evil laugh*), a new one I'm going to make up called Kelpei. Yes, I know I switched the end letters. Yes, I know it's a word for a water horse spirit, I don't care, I like it. You keep sassing me and I'll switch around goblins and elves and then you'll be really confused!! ..Aherm, moving on.
Magick: I like it with a "k", get off it. Instead of having the natural, or teachable ability to perform magic, it will be a special thing. In fact, instead of some mystical mysterious force, how about some mystical mysterious crystals. Ah, yes, crystals. These magic crystals we'll call Essence Crystals, and they will be the basis for just about everything that runs. We'll use them to make power for out contraptions! We'll use them to create light in our homes! We'll adorn ourselves with beautiful Essence jewelry! THEY WILL FUEL OUR GUNS. OUR MACHINES OF WAR. We'll embed them into our flesh for sweet, sweet power!!! Wait, what?
"Splicers" (In honor of Bioshock, which helped me come up with this idea.) Embed the crystals into their flesh, quite permanently (nobody can figure out how to remove them once they've been embedded for a time.) but gives them sweet, sweet, horrendous mutating power! When embedding, there's no telling what you're going to get. An extra limb, poisonous spit. Who couldn't use a few more eyes on their elbows and knees perhaps? Now, think of "Splicers" as dirty, homeless people. If you're horribly mutated into a disfigured monster, well, you certainly won't be working in my shop. Over time a splicer will become more and more hideously mutated, randomly of course. It could take months, years, it could take an arm, or a toe, or give a few, in weird places. Like, on your face.
"Enchanters" use a gauntlet, with which the crystal is placed in and used more like a magical weapon of awesomeness. Gauntlets can be tuned, to do different things, based on what color crystal is used. Crystal colors cannot be mixed and matched, they are all different. But, not everybody can be an Enchanter, no, only the wealthy and privileged get the honor of that title. You lowly scum who use your impromptu, makeshift scrap gauntlets are called "Mixers". These lesser quality knock-off gauntlets have a tendency to pollute your blood, if not outright explode. Now, all gauntlets poison their hosts, but an "Enchanter" with their well made gauntlet (and their medicines and drugs and..) are hardly likely to ever feel it-Even without treatment it wouldn't hit until old age (referring to humans). A "mixer" is likely to get Essence poisoning much earlier on. But enough about that for now.
GUNS! SWORDS! EXPLODEY THINGS!: Also use crystals. Instead of a black-powder style system, we have crystals. Can crystals make lasers? Yes! But really, it's not worth the effort. Nobody has figured out how to make a laser-gun that last more than a day without the crystal shattering. But ballistics, aw yeah. A crystal's power can last for quite a time, unless damaged, but they are easily replaceable but- you guess it- only with the color they are tuned for. We'll talk more about colors later. Swords and the like can be reinforced with a crystalline edge-- but you better have some good money for that. Despite the gratuitous abundance of crystals, guess who hordes them all? Yea, those wealthy fuckers. Some swords can even use crystals to create a sword of plasma edge, hell, some swords are made entirely out of a plasma like essence, usually requiring larger crystals and doesn't even last half as long as gun, but hell it cuts through steel pretty well. Exploding things? Do I need to even explain it? Bombs? Crystals. Flash bangs? Crystals. Grenades? Crystals. Too much Mexican food? Probably involved crystals.
But you promised apocalypse: So lets talk about ghouls for a second. I'm tired of zombies, but yet I love zombies. You remember those crystals I've barely said anything about? Imagine a creature drawn to them, an unnatural hunger to consume them. Now imagine a totally separate creature that's created from a corpse, infectious, and can replicate itself by spreading its infection. Now picture a hideous, black creature, twisted in shape, way too hard to kill, sprints like you owe it money, painted an icky-black color form head to toe. Now put all of those things together and we have a Ghoul! Born from a virus, it kills the host (time varies between healthy person, wealthy person, drug junky, and splicer.) then rapidly mutates them in a venom-esque way (spider man?) A gooey blackness that spreads rapidly over the corpse, twisting the body, snapping the bones and reconstructing them in no particular shape, with no particular genetic coding. Now all of a sudden you have a scary black body with legs coming from it's head crawling on the walls of buildings and trying to sting you with it's mermaid-scorpion tail legs. Basically it's a "build-a-monster" virus, create whatever twisted aberration that fills your hearts desire.
I should take a moment to differentiate.Take our nightmarish scorpion-person with legs coming from their head above. That would be an "Uncommon". A Millennium subject, is exactly that–a subject.
Millennium Subjects!: Are not for players to be using willy-nilly. Also, we've run out of bold lettering. Anyways, You'll need my approval to play with these. These are like, my raid bosses. I'll use one of these when I really want to fuck things up. A Millennium subject has no set appearance, shape, size, coloration, or anything. They are an experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong. So wrong in fact, that it's now the apocalypse because of them! Nobody knows how many subjects there are, but rumors say around 15. Central reports say they only tested on 5. Subject #1 is titled "The Gene-Weaver" and is merely a rumor. It's know that it is actually a she, and she can create more subjects. It is theorized that one of these subjects is responsible for the "Reaper Plague", the virus that kills people and turns them into ghouls.
So, what am I supposed to do you ask?: I don't care. You can do whatever you want. You can be whatever, whomever, wherever you want! You can start a militant nation! You can own a business! You can be a whore-mongering crystal jockey riding on the hopes and dreams of your twenty-seven children! Honestly, do whatever you want. You don't have to be this. You don't have to be that. You don't have to do anything (other than follow my boundaries, of course. Oh! And the rules, which there are not a terrible lot of. Not many that effect what you can do in the world anyways.) You may play a normal character, a splicer who is immune to the poison, an enchanter, a smuggler, an inventor, hell you could probably be a dog. Actually, I take that back, that's not substantial, and weird. Don't be weird. Don't be like Jim.
You're a wizard harry! Well no not really, it's actually called "Acolyte", but you'll never hear that-- Every standard person will call you a Demon. And probably throw things at you, and most definitely spit on you. These are special people, and rare. Though they are intended to be used as main characters, I will not force you to be one. However, Acolytes are meant to be more powerful, and more dangerous, than your average man. These people only need crystal for their raw essence, and can absorb any color. Acolytes have raw magical power, and can spin or weave it into things--though an acolyte has a base affinity for something, or "Type". This is basically a character with superpowers. Type means something like elemental powers, physical, mental, etc. A character can have one type, typically. Argue a good case and I could make a special exception. Acolytes can also embed crystals in themselves to store magical power, and are not limited to a single color. Think of this embedding like using a battery, the battery won't deplete, but must be recharged.
Oh, I also found spare bolding.
Creation!: Want something I haven't listed here? A different kind of “Class” or what not? Some other idea? Shoot it, I'm always willing to listen and at the very least hash out some sort of way to get you want you want if possible. You can make whatever you wants here! Just run it by me first for approval! Creatures, Factions, Hell, Political tension if you want! I like free-form non-linear role play, and I will have the world react to you.
The Transits are basically elevators to the surface, only accessible from Central. The other things are well, small outposts for research and the progress of science! Also monitoring and other boring computer stuff.
There is a concentric road that passes through all the districts in a perfect circle, and through all of the gates. I will update the map with this soon.
Glorious Axiom!: The Majority of the roleplay will be inside the ARK. Cramped and full of cogs, gears, pipes, steam, whizzmos and gizmos. Think dark, dystopian steampunk slums. Axiom has a population of 3.2 million and is very, very cramped. With a few hundred thousand living in central. There are also basement levels, but those are mostly service corridors and what not, with few areas for gambling or slave trading perhaps?
There are eight districts (*that one whistle plays*) and each are separated by a 200 story wall, and connected through gates. These were implemented for the purpose of quarantine, and are controlled by Central. Around the edges, those dots you see, are support columns, and central itself is one enormous support column but also boasts the population of the wealthy class. All the pretty gardens, latest fashion, best technology and the like are here, and quite spacious for it's wealthy residents living a lavish lifestyle of entitlement and business. It's like the shinier, prettier version of the slums. Central of course, is only for those entitled to it, and is cut off from the rest of the citizens. After all, we must separate the filth no?
The top level of Axiom is the agricultural, protected zone. An enormous forest, fed with a mixture of crystal enhanced fertilizer and all that techno-druidry that keeps the trees luscious and alive. Oxygen is pumped from there into the lower levels, though the slums still have the stench of body sweat and smog about them. Did I mention it was cramped down there? This is about all I have for you now.
The information database I will compile as we roleplay, with things like a FAQ. Character Sheets, and other creation templates, constant updates on statuses and hell even the time of day.
Posting: I'm not fond of round-robin, or turn-by-turn post order. Instead I feel it's easier for everybody to go by a Day by day system. I will start the new day, and everybody will post as much are as little as desired. It's not hard to line up the time of day for a collaboration, and there's no need to be super specific. I can be posting in the morning while the rest of you have moved onto afternoon. The next day will not advance until we are all ready, though it the majority is ready for a new day those who are holding us up may be pestered just a bit. If I need to leave someone behind, then so be it, you can always catch up, just don't make it a habit to fall behind.
Petitions for time skips are also an option. Perhaps after we've concluded a major event, or something of the like, maybe we'd like to skip a year in game. This is a world meant to allow as much flexibility and creative freedom as possible, without breaking the world's dynamic.
The maps look small, but the world is pretty big.
Each Measurement Segment is about 60 miles. There are Seven Measurement Segments, making Axiom approximately 420 miles in diameter. Districts are about two segments (120 miles) at the outer edge, and about one segment (60 miles) at the inner edge. Central is about two segments (120 miles) in diameter.
Average person can walk 3mph (20hr/Sgmnt). (IE: Walking would take 20 hours per measurement segment.) Average person can jog about 8mph (7 1/2hrs/Sgmnt). Average runner 10mph (6hr/Sgmnt). “Fast” runner 15mph (4hr/Sgmnt) 45mph Vehicle (1 1/2 hr/sgmnt) 60mph Vehicle (1 hr/sgmnt). “Hauling Ass” 80mph (60/80=.75 :: 75% of 60:: 45 minutes/Sgmnt)
Each wall has a horizontal tooth-fit gate about 40 yards (1/3 an American Standardized 120 yard football field.) (7.5 “mid” sized (16 feet long) cars) (about 75 people abreast [average 1.6 feet width @ shoulder) (10 average tanks side by side [12 foot width])
The underbelly is approximately 1 mile tall, 5,280ft. The average “story” of a building is about 10-12 feet. The underbelly can support “528 stories” of a building. Slums buildings do not exceed 50 stories. Average buildings are 10-25 stories and are typically connected with a skywalk. Central is 528 stories, visible, and an additional 22 stories inside the hardplate, totaling 550 stories. The walls are about 200 stories.
Axiom: 420 diameter – 210 radius x 210 radius = 44,100 x 3.14 = 138,544 square miles. Population: 3.2 million
God, I hate math. So, who's in? Any questions? I've been writing this over the course of three days, so I forgot if I mentioned: We'll be starting right on the cusp of the ghoul outbreak. Districts will go into quarantine, the elusive Central will become ghostly silent, and ghouls will begin thinning the population and eating your souls. Time to barricade the doors Jim!
EDIT: Also I'll be doing useful things like profitable trade charters, notable factions, anomalies, creatures, ghosts, known subjects, etc. There will be lots of information, and you're welcome to pitch in as much or as little as you want. I love it when players help define the world.
Anyways. To all the Dust players, I leave the management of this version of Dust to Darcs and Mono. I'm off to a different horizon. Make sure to thank your lovely game managers for sticking around and running this project, otherwise it would no longer be running.
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