Thinslayer

Star Trader

"Warp us to the starbase at Horus II. Know how to do it?"
The corner of Sofie's mouth turned up slightly.

Ed's did too. Watch and learn, captain. She's the best dang pilot this side of the galaxy. Of course she can do it. He looked on with pride as Sofie commanded the other pilot seat, and watched in awe as her fingers danced along the control panel to select coordinates, tweak autopilot settings, and adjust flight controls. When her hand moved to take the throttle, Ed forgot to remove his, and their hands briefly touched. Though she swiftly curled her fingers away, the damage was done - the place where she touched him became sacred ground to the lovestruck man. Ed could still feel the tingle long after contact was lost. He blushed and released the throttle, struggling to hide his growing smile.

Sofie eased the throttle forward. The gentle acceleration pressed them into the backs of their seats, giving them a true, thrilling sense of flight that simulators could never fully replicate. The fusion rockets propelled the Raving Maiden through Crescent Prime's atmosphere, past the planetary shield barrier, and out into open space. The stars glittered like a million jewels in a midnight sea, and when the warp drive activated, every single one of them became like shooting stars, as if were wishing the young passengers safe travels on their maiden voyage out before fading into the black.

Captain Darcy let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and clapped his hands. "Your technique could use some improvement here and there, but that was a solid first try for a newbie pilot. Nicely done, m'girl. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap in my bunks. Do not disturb me until we arrive at our destination, understand? Good." Without waiting for their response, Darcy flung his jacket over one shoulder and lumbered down the hall to his quarters.

Ed looked at Sofie and grinned. "Your technique could use some improvement!" he mocked. "Screw that! You did great, Sofie. Flawless technique. That old geezer doesn't hold a candle to you; I bet he's just embarrassed you showed him up on his own ship. He seems like a nice guy, though. I'd bet anything he's got some wild stories to tell."

The Faraway Land: Underground Railroad (MxF, looking for M)

You know how, in many fantasy stories, there's always ruins of an ancient empire and/or ancient heroic weapons, but the ancients are never around?

You know how, in many sci-fi stories, there's always a big, evil empire that exists solely to ruin the protagonists' day?

This empire is none of those things.

Welcome to the Milky Way in 3200 A.D. Back in the year 2500 or so, Earth's sole colony on 55 Cancri B declared its independence from the United Nations, forming the very first extra-terrestrial civilization in history. They named themselves Crescent, after the ancient Fertile Crescent, the birthplace of human civilization. The revolution sparked a frantic race to colonize as many planets as possible. Both habitable and uninhabitable planets were up for grabs, and within a few centuries time, the whole galaxy was settled. With the discovery of mana on planet Aion, and with it the wonders of magic, the Crescent Empire monopolized this power, and went from technological parity with the U.N. to far and away the most advanced faction in the galaxy.

Unlike their communist neighbors, however, the Crescents had higher ideals to use their newfound powers for. Inspired by the example set by the ancient United States, they brought freedom to every world they colonized. Their civilization flourished during several centuries of relative peace (punctuated, of course, by occasional conflicts brought on by cultural upheavals). This peace ground to a halt, however, when both the Crescent and Terran factions made a move to colonize Charon.

Charon was possibly the most dangerous habitable world in all of known space. Frequent solar flares, a caustic nebula, vast asteroid fields, and gravitic storms made it treacherous for even the most durable starships to traverse. But what made it valuable was its near-limitless quantities of titanium, the preferred resource for starship construction. Both factions settled the world, sparking a brutal territorial war that left both sides reeling.

In the decades after, the dust eventually settled and a narrow border formed between the two factions, dividing the planet in two. While the Empire and the U.N. are still technically at war, neither side is willing to make a move on the other, allowing an uneasy peace to set in. Your character is native to this world, a descendant of stranded soldiers whom the Crescent Empire was unable to bring home. With the benefits of magic and futuristic technology at their fingertips, life has become relatively easy for the Empire's citizens on this side of the border.

But for those living in U.N. territory on the other side of the border, only the horrors of tyranny await. The intrusive surveillance state stuck its fingers into every part of life, deciding everyone's place in society through psychological analysis and racial prejudice. Genocidal massacres against an arbitrary Evil Race of the Week made every waking moment a terrifying one, and perpetual starvation drives many to inhumane depths no living soul should ever endure. When they aren't scraping a living in this hell-hole, they're fleeing for the border, praying for a swift death they would otherwise never enjoy. The majority never make it across.

Few Crescents even think about their fellow humans on the other side of the border, let alone try to help them in any way. You don't either, at first; you're too busy enjoying a budding romance with your beautiful neighbor. But when a couple of lucky migrants show up at your doorstep hungry, naked, and sick, you're dragged into a struggle that threatens to reignite an old war and break the uneasy peace millions gave their lives to create.

Cunning enemies, unexpected allies, political intrigue, and a secret operation of unprecedented scope will turn your ordinary sci-fi life into an epic tale to be retold for generations to come.

Who's writing it?

The Faraway Land: Arcane Adventures (Closed 9/30/18)

I don't think anyone is particularly familiar with the basics yet. At this point, most magic casting is accidental. Some may have put two and two together, but it's still highly experimental. Realistically, people are likely to have incorrect theories on how magic works.

That's why we're doing this more or less D&D style - you propose a mechanism of action for your spell, and I'll tell you whether it works and/or what it looks like when you cast it.

Star Trader

Right now, the way I'm planning the scene, events start kicking off the moment they arrive. The ship has two FTL drives: a wormhole generator (called a "worm drive") and a warp drive. Had they used their warp drive, it might have taken some time to get there, but the worm drive is basically an interstellar teleport. There's no time between activating the drive and reaching the destination. I should probably retcon my post to make it a warp instead to give Ed and Sofie some time to chat.

Star Trader

I think you'll like what I have planned. I'm thinking we should play with the usual gender roles a little bit - we'll make Sofie the crack pilot, and Ed will be her tech geek. Additionally, for this mission, I played out a few scenarios in my head, and decided on a version with a cheerier plot than what I was initially going with. The person we're obtaining the Q-core from (we'll call him Krakticus Quinn), as you know, is a rather shady fellow, and one with which Richard Darcy has an unpleasant history. Mr. Quinn is a racing mogul, who makes his money off the fees, betting, and gambling over interstellar races. Crescent Q-Cores are exceptionally powerful drive units and make for nigh-unbeatable speedsters, making them highly sought-after in the racing community (or anywhere, really).

As for motivations and stuff, I think I've sorted it out. I'll start up a side-story about a few Terrans on planet Charon, who are living under increasingly perilous tyranny and hold out hope for someone to help them.

New post coming in the next couple days. I apologize again for the long wait. I'll try not to let that happen again. :)

The Faraway Land: Arcane Adventures (Closed 9/30/18)

The pineapple, it seemed, had struck a chord with Liliana. “This is DELIECIOUS! Thank you so much Goro!” she gushed. The woman wiped away her tears of joy and proceeded to bow most fervently to the orc. “Oh! How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Liliana Rosenveldt of Starkstone. It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

Goro looked decidedly uncomfortable with all this praise. "Ah. Good to know. Nice to meet you, Lady uh... Lady Liliana."

Once Winter finished going over the details of her request, Nkosi took the opportunity to address longstanding contractual issues. “As long as the request for border walls is upheld and the other smaller agreements from my tribe kept, I’m at your service and at your disposal, if you so wish it. I also wonder if you will be gracious enough to supply us with better traveling gear and weapons for this mission of yours?"

While Nkosi was concerned with the logistical side of things, Goro's concerns were more about intel. "I'm honored that you're gonna let us greenhorns do something this important so quickly!" Goro declared. "Truth be told, was a mite worried that you're gonna make us sit in a dimly lit room for a couple months doing nothing but reading. I've always been more of a hands-on kind of orc myself anyways. So Lady Winter, what's at Bay'kin? I imagine that it ain't just some barren lands. Any sort of trouble you be expecting us to run into while we're doing our thing?"

Nkosi glanced at the orc and spoke first. "We are traveling into the unknown, dear friend. Hostility is to be expected and accepted as an ugly truth of life on the frontier.”

Goro retorted, "I expect danger; I ain't worried about that. But only a git calls their ignorance bravery, mate. I don't know what's at Bay'kin, and knowing what it is can help us prepare accordingly. No sense in going bushwhacking with only half a sack. In other words, be prepared."

Liliana agreed. “I guess we’re all on the same boat. Truth be told I don’t have a lot of experience fighting, but I won’t hesitate to eviscerate our enemies!”

"Let's not go lookin for enemies now," Goro warned with a chuckle. "Last thing we need is for people looking into magic like us get a rep for violence and such. Now I don't mind fighting if I gotta, and I ain't no stranger to war, but that don't mean every confrontation's gotta end in blood and guts. Remember that Lady Winter is sending us to research the magic stuff going on in Bay'kin, not slaying monsters or taking out a rival gang of lads."

Winter stared longingly at her plate of pineapple. If she took another bite, she wouldn't be sober enough to participate in the discussion. She symbolically pushed it away and took another sip of coffee instead. "So, allow me to reiterate everyone's respective concerns. Nkosi, you want to know about traveling gear, weapons, and supplies, as well as whether I will uphold my contractual agreements with your tribe. Goro, you want to know what challenges we will face on the way to our destination. Is that correct?"

She cleared the table of decorations and laid out a map over it.

"We are here, at Southaven Tower in the Kingdom of Man. The plains and grasslands are benign and easy to travel on. The roads are paved, well-maintained, and routinely patrolled, so there are few threats on our way out. Not that highwaymen don't try, though. To the west lies mostly mountains and deserts, where Westhaven Tower and the Necropolis of Stone are located. The Sky Nomads roam this side of the continent, and while they're a rowdy bunch, we need not worry about them, since our journey is more eastward. To the north, as you know, Goro, lies the tribes of Fellmore, and the Storm Eye nation in particular. It's mostly tundra, a barren ice-desert where life is hard and little grows. It's a miserable place, if you ask me, but the fishing is surprisingly good in the Ulayhan region, and the abundance of iron and gold make it strategically important. We won't be going that way either, but it's important for us because Bay'kin lies just southeast of the Fellmoran border and a stone's throw away from Storm Eye territory, so we'll need to keep our eyes peeled northward."

"The Waru Forest, where Mister Naswaru hails from, is where we will encounter our toughest challenges. I've been hearing wild stories of strange and deadly monsters appearing in the area, which we should be on our guard against. The xenophobic Waru tribe isn't known to take kindly to visitors, and they will either turn us away if we need help, or drive us out if we are weak. There are maybe...one or two sub-tribes that might give us the time of day, but they're not in our path, unfortunately, so resupplying is out of the question until we reach Easthaven Tower. From there, it's a straight shot to Diamont, the fortress city, and its suburb Bay'kin."

"From here to Easthaven Tower is about 700 miles, roughly a fortnight's journey. The rations I've prepared will only last us a week if we make the entire journey on foot, which, if I have a say in the matter, we will not. I paid the stablemaster at Edmond's Inn well in advance to let us use four of his horses, and there's an inn at Diamont that will take us. If all goes well, we should arrive in five to six days, seven if we encounter trouble."

Then Winter withdrew a parchment listing their supplies.

New Items Acquired:

4 lengths of rope
4 matchboxes
1 box of iodine tablets (for water purification)
1 lidded cast-iron pot
1 cooking stand
4 sets of utensils
4 bowls
enough pemmican to last a week

"As for weapons and armor, I expect you to bring your own. We should use magic to fill any defensive gaps, since it will serve our research purposes admirably."

Winter sat back down and ate another slice of pineapple. "Ohmmm so good..." she moaned. She closed her eyes for a few heartbeats to savor the moment. "Anyway, are there any further questions or concerns? Nkosi, you may rest assured I have not forgotten my contract with your people, and development is proceeding on schedule. I'll complete the deal once we pass through your village."

The Faraway Land: Arcane Adventures (Closed 9/30/18)

@Nightknight The purple color text is a bit dark for me to read. Could you use a lighter color next time please? :3

The Faraway Land: Arcane Adventures (Closed 9/30/18)

@Nightknight There's no need to write a half-dozen large paragraphs if you don't want to. A couple sentences is fine. Don't feel pressured to write more than you're comfortable with. :-)

The Faraway Land: Arcane Adventures (Closed 9/30/18)

You can do both - experiment as you travel.

The Faraway Land: Arcane Adventures (Closed 9/30/18)

New Quest Proposed: Investigate Magic?
Options:
A) Accept the quest
B) Decline the quest, GM will make another for you
C) Request a change to the quest terms
D) Delay answering

New Items Acquired:
* 3 blank tomes
* 2 mugs of coffee
* 1 mug of tea (currently Brewing)

New Quests Started:
* Lonely Widow Seeking Young Orc - Goro has inadvertently caught Winter's romantic interest. Free the slaves in Ulayh to win her hand in marriage.