Zarkun

The Tide Will Return (Space, Nation, Fantasy)

<Snipped quote by CitrusArms>

@KitsuneWarrior

Take the free stuff.

The Tide Will Return (Space, Nation, Fantasy)

Lorians

History of the Loria

According to the historical records, the first real records kept on Loria and in the entirety of the Lorian system, was about five thousand years ago in the form of stone carvings with pictures. These early records allowed the linguists and archeologists that uncovered them to essentially follow the path that the first Lorians took to become who they are in this modern era. The first of these writings was discovered, by the Lorian calendar, on Jenus 12th, 1988 in the Reign of Lord Knight Draken by the Archeologist Theodore Franklin, who was originally looking for a lost city ruin. When he finally managed to translate tablets he'd found, he discovered they outlined the rise of the first Lord Knight of Loria, Lord Knight Durandall, to power and how he united the various warlords into modern day Loria.

To say that Durandall was a fool, at the time of this writing, would be quite accurate. He was the illegitimate son of Warlord Karnus who had just exhibited his ability to bend air and water to his will by killing his jackass of a half brother but his father had years of fire using experience on his side. Of course, we all knew that Karnus's son Harmon was too old to manifest any powers where Durandall was just coming of age. But still. First he defeated his father, a master of using the element of Fire and took over the Southern Swamps of Anderal. The battle was fierce, his father showing his years of mastery and seemingly beating his son at first. Then suddenly, Karnus' footing shifted under him and caused the finishing fireball to miss and received a blade of wind through his throat for his mistake. "I finally proved your whore of a wife wrong, father. And took your throne as well. Enjoy the afterlife."

Dispersing the wind and letting his father's body fall to the ground, Durandall sat on his new throne and for a time, he had peace in his lands, the most peaceful and prosperous times Anderal had ever known. But it wouldn't last. The neighboring Warlords, Ternus and Amalic, heard of the change of hands the throne of Anderal had experienced and searched to capitalize on that change. They invaded just after the start of spring, Ternus and his armies from the west and Amalic and his from the north. The borders fell within days, but the casualties were minimal. Our people knew the swamps better than the invading armies, and so we slowed their advance until Lord Durandall had amassed an army to counter attack.

It happened in the Berigrin Swamps, a place filled with natural traps and pitfalls and so dangerous even we avoided it. Durandall himself spent days mapping it out with his ability to use all the elements and placed his men in the safest areas. When the two armies, who were apparently allied by this time, reached the swamp, the trap was sprung. Archers on the high ground rained down arrows of fire, setting the pitch to flame and all the fire users in our army kept it away from our men, who sprang up in the midst of our foes and slew them by droves. Ternus and Amalic directly challenged Lord Durandall, but the fight was short lived, his mastery over all four elements the only edge he needed...

The writing continues on to describe the campaign Durandall launches to protect his people around the planet and end the in-fighting between warlords. Within months of discovering this first ancient writing, many archeologists returned to previous dig sites to reexamine their findings and discovered that almost all of these dig sites had some form of record that had initially been missed, mostly in the form of stone tablets and wall carvings that before didn't make sense. "We've recovered a lot of lost history and we intend to keep recovering it until there's nothing left to recover." These words were issued by the Royal School of Archeology in the year 1993 during the reign of Lord Knight Draken.

Among the many records recovered, a particularly interesting one records the first bending of the elements to a Lorian's will and is as follows, translated of course.

Today, Rocnar did something amazing, something new, while fighting off another challenge from Pokar. He punched at the air, a missed attack in reality, and fire came from his fist, scorching Pokar's face and arms. Pokar won't be challenging him for leadership again anytime soon, and he certainly won't ever win once he can challenge again.

Many of the tablets that predate the Era of Warlords are short and concise, but still retain so much that Lorians didn't know about their history.

In recent history, there was the war with the Serans, an extremely powerful race of Psionics who nearly drove the Lorians into extinction over the course of their fifteen year war. They were a bird-like race, with wingspans often as large as ten feet. Their technology was adapted to work with these features and as such much of it was simply exo-suits with various functions and warships. As it stood, for such an intellectually powerful race, they loved invading and conquering their neighbors and had already conquered three other systems near them, harvesting the worlds for useful resources and enslaving or wiping out the indigenous races.

First encounters between the Seran and Lorians were violent, often resulting in casualties on both sides with the Lorians suffering the worst. The Seran would use their Psionics to take over the minds of soldiers and leaders, making them either fight for their side or make decisions that would lead to incredible losses for the Lorian military. In response, Loria's best scientists began to run tests using the powers of captured Serans to find a way to become immune to the Psionic influences. The only response that they could find that could be readily distributed to the military in a timely fashion was the use of nanites and injections, as a natural immunity to the Serans psionic might would take generations to appear and by then, it would be too late, so the injections were used first. In response to their quickly reduced ability to use their mind control abilities, the bird-like beings began using more physical forms of attack, varying from blasts of telekinetic energy to hallucinations caused by mental trickery that had men turning on their allies. As a result, Lorian Scientists developed nanites that not only could make and maintain the armor worn by Lorian troops but could also provide protection against the Seran’s psionic attacks.

This was done by equipping the nanites with subroutines to scan an approaching individual's brain for the neurological signals that were a sign of psionic potential and then maintained a constant scan to counter any psionic attacks they launched. With this new technology, the Lorian offensive gained ground faster than the Seran could retreat and were eventually forced back into their home system and, eventually, their home planet. In a last, desperate act of war, the Serans released a biological weapon known as the Xran, a virulent parasite that infected any living thing and twisted it until it was barely recognizable and feasted on those that weren't infected. Casualties were high among the Lorians and the remaining Seran were all infected. To keep the parasite from ever escaping the Seran's home planet, a section of the Lorian fleet was assigned to keep the planet in quarantine. However, as orbital observers would later find, there was another faction that had joined the fight, from within the Seran’s own ranks, twisted amalgamations of flesh and machine that waged war on the Xran infestation and while their progress is unclear due to the parasite’s ability to create new warriors as needed, it would seem they not only took members of the Seran race, but when they gained their powers, amplified them.

To contain both threats, the brightest weapons engineers and scientists the Lorians had designed a weapon that could destroy the planet, the parasite and the third faction, the Obliterator Beam; a massive beam weapon that after a minute of sustained fire on a planet's surface, would burrow into the planet's core and cause a chain reaction and cause it to explode. But they couldn't be brought to destroy the Seran homeworld without trying to recover as much of their history as possible. They had been a worthy foe and deserved to be remembered. The weapon was mounted to the only Ares-Class Planet Cracker in the Lorian fleet and put in orbit over Ser, the homeworld of the Seran and breeding grounds for the Xran while also a constant battleground between the parasite and the mysterious faction of abominations.

The Lorian Military

Warrior Caste:

Grunt- Basic Lorian infantry, they are far better equipped then many of their standard infantry counterparts. Armed with the T-29 Assault Rifle, Breaker Plasma pistol, various types of grenades, mithril short swords, and the GRU-800 combat armor, one Grunt can easily handle three infantry units of a similar class.

Lancer- Equipped with the UTH-9 Plasma Beam Emitters, C-4 charges, Breaker Plasma pistol, mithril lances, and LAN-23 combat armor. The hard hitting unit specializes in the removal of enemy armor from the battle and their plasma beam emitters are designed to melt through thick armor plating in seconds and take out the crew inside. And their C-4 charges make life hell for vehicles with treads or an exposed fuel tank.

Hell's Messenger- The Hell's Messengers are a branch of the Lancer that went in a different direction, instead content to wield fully automatic Dragon's Fire shotguns, designed to kill light infantry quickly, HELL-18 combat armor, mithril battle axes, and the Incinerator Plasma gauntlet. These soldiers specialize in charging into an infantry or cavalry line and decimating it. They've even been known to weld the barrels shut on enemy tanks and leaving them for the enemy to try and recover and use mid-battle.

Spartan- Elite Soldiers, these men and women have gone through hell and back to become the best of the best in combat. Armed with the GRA-34 Plasma Assault Rifle, Gutter Assault Pistol, Mithrite Sword and collapsible shield, and equipped with SPA-300 combat armor with prototype shield generators.

Knight- Truly elite warriors, these men and women all carry customized weapons and wear customized suits of KNI-600 combat armor. All their weapons are mithrite, and many are elemental masters, able to bend the Elements of fire, water, earth or air to their will. Very few can match their battle prowess.

Assassin Caste:

Thief- The Thief is a low tier psionic who's only abilities are the ability to use cloaking devices, mind reading, and among a lucky few, visions of possible futures. Armed with a silenced Nightkiller pistol, twin mithril long knives, and armored in the light THI-3 infiltration suit, if you need to know something, these are your go to people.

Assassin- Lorian's elite infiltration and assassination soldiers. Trained from a young age, they are able to cloak with minimal technological assistance, as well as several personalized abilities fitting their combat style. Equipped with the EMR-224 Sniper Rifle, Cutthroat Plasma Pistol, mithril dirks, and ASI-100 combat/survival suit.

Ground Vehicles:

SiegeBreaker- Similar to other tanks of it's class, it has two distinct advantages over them. The first is it's greater speed and main cannon accuracy, known to be five to ten inches closer to its main target than other tanks of it's class. The second is three different modes of attack: Siege Mode, Assault Mode, and Anti-Infantry mode, the last of which is mobile. The first operates similarly to other artillery tanks, with its main weapon, the Buddafist Artillery Cannon, having a greater maximum range and impact force. The second, armed with the Thunderstrike Gatling Cannon, outpaces other gatling tank models by nearly 200 rounds a minute. And the final is armed with the Dragon's Breath flamethrower, turning lines of infantry into ash using a more effective napalm mixture than standard flame tanks.

Tyranor Assault Walker- This walker is unique among it's kind because it's considered more of an assault mech. While other factions are still using reversed knee joints and weapons for arms, the Tyranor is of a more human design. Armed with the TWS-12 Assault Rifle and equipped with biomithril long swords to deal with closer enemies. Can engage ground and air targets.

Tracer APC- An Armored Personnel Carrier armed with twin Thrasher miniguns on top to defend it. Used often as a scouting and harassment vehicle because of it's high speed and rapid attack rate. Able to attack air and ground.

Assault Bike- The Assault Bike is a robot manned, AI-controlled armored Harley style motorcycle with twin Thrashers mounted to the front and a single Ripper anti-air system on the back. Used as kamikaze units typically, they rarely return from a mission unscathed, pieces of bike and robot missing and pieces of enemy infantry who got in the way on the tires and front of the bike. The AIs have a nasty habit of killing enemy organic scout cycle riders first.

Air Force:

Auger-Class Shrike Gunship- Acts as a troop transport and support ship. Equipped with Heavy Destroyer Chainguns and Hellspawn missiles, the gunship is used to support ground troops and drop them into hot spots, securing landing zones until reinforcements arrive.

Claymore-Class Striker Scout Ship- Equipped with the fastest engines around and armed with plasma cannons and Hammerhead missiles, a Striker can be in and out, as well as causing serious hell, before the enemy knows they're there. When pursued, can engage with lethal efficiency.

Longsword-Class Breaker Fighter- Armed with Plasma gatlings and Spear missiles, this fighter isn't to be taken lightly. Equipped with the best engines and maneuverability systems on Loria, their combat record versus fighters of similar class evens out to six enemy fighters for every two Breakers.

Lancelot-Class Combat Cruiser- Armed with a total of 200 Seraph Cannons and the Odin's Eye, these Cruisers aren't to be taken lightly. In a recent engagement with a fleet of enemy Combat Cruisers, the enemy Cruisers were easily dispatched by a series of blasts from the small fleet's Odin's Eyes. The Odin's Eye charged faster and packed more force then any known heavy plasma cannon in use.

Arthur-Class Destroyer- Armed with a total of 400 Seraph Cannons and the strongest cannon in the Sector, the Ragnarok Cannon. Also carries a fleet of Breakers and Strikers, along with the capabilities to build Athena fighters, which are small, AI controlled interceptor fighters armed with lasers and are twice as fast and agile as similar models.

Ares-Class Planet Cracker- The single most powerful ship in the Lorian fleet, it is a massive ship, armed with over 1,000 Seraph Cannons, those alone can turn the surface of a planet to nothing. It's strongest weapon, though, is the Obliterator Beam, able to pierce the core of a planet and cause it to explode. Has only seen combat twice for very specific purposes.

Capital Ship Weaponry:

Seraph Cannon- Large cannon that fires 60mm plasmite detonator rounds ideal for enemy fleet engagement and planetary bombardment.

Odin's Eye Cannon- Designed after the initial heavy plasma cannon was built, it uses a plasma generator fed separately from the rest of the ship to charge a lethal round of destructive death to be used against targets. Easily destroys enemy battle cruisers and sometimes an unlucky heavy cruiser.

Ragnarok Cannon- The only weapon in the Lorian arsenal that charges slower than this weapon is the Endgame's Obliterator Beam. The Ragnarok Cannon was designed to cause as much damage as possible in a single thirty second beam, often tearing through heavy ship shielding and organic heavy armor plating after fifteen seconds of sustained fire and destroying the enemy capitol flyer in a single shot.

Note: All Lorian units are immune to psionic attacks and most forms of Psionic manipulation thanks to the advanced nanites used to repair, heal and maintain themselves and their armor. This technology was developed to counter the abilities of their immediate neighbors in the next system over, the Serans, who were gifted with extensive psionic abilities.

Lorian Ruling Family

Arthur Redemptio- King of the Loria System with three daughters and a son; the daughters in order from oldest to youngest; Jeanette Redemptio, Alice Redemptio, and Laura Redemptio. His son is Weylyn Redemptio. Is beloved and respected by his people and is a fair and kind ruler. As King, his primary concern is the Military of the system and matters of high importance as well as the well being of the Lorians as a whole.

Janice Redemptio- Wife of Arthur and Queen of the Loria system. Mother of Jeanette, Alice, Laura, and Weylyn Redemptio. As the Queen of the system, she is responsible for overseeing the appropriate training for her children and is consulted on matters of diplomacy before the King

Jeanette Redemptio- Oldest of the Redemptio children and head of the Lorian Diplomatic Corp. Has extensive combat training that is to be used only as a last resort should her guards be overwhelmed. Has been known to join her guards in the sparring circle and in battle anyways.

Alice Redemptio- Second oldest of the Redemptio children by five minutes. Is gifted with the rare Lorian ability to bend the elements to her will, but can only do so with air. Is the black sheep of the family and leads her own all female mercenary group called the Black Cats. Laura's twin.

Laura Redemptio- Third oldest of the Redemptio by five minutes and member of the Lorian Diplomatic Corp. Laura is mildly psionic with the ability to read minds and implant thoughts while convincing the target that they're the target's own. Also known to use her sexual appeal to keep male opponents off guard. Twin to Alice.

Weylyn Redemptio- Youngest of the Redemptio children and the Knight Errant of the Loria system. Is currently the only known person besides his father in the entirety of the Lorian system to be able to manipulate all four elements. Leads a small section of the Lorian Fleet known as the Lorian Expeditionary Fleet, or LEF.

Government

The Lorian Government is a Constitutional Monarchy, with the Lord Knight of Loria having the final say in everything but with a council of several prominent members from different industries voicing their thoughts and opinions and even, should there be enough votes, superseding the Lord Knight's word. Military leaders have strong sway over decisions during times of war, but are mostly swept aside and considered paranoid during times of peace. However, when it comes to matters concerning the containment of the Xran Virus, their word and knowledge are second only to the scientists dedicated to curing it.

Galactic Interactions

Despite having freed three other systems from the tyrannical rule of Seran, the Lorians are fairly reclusive and prefer not to get involved in affairs outside their own home system. All the planets in the Lorian system are colonized but they have no colonies outside their home system, which is further proof of their reclusive preferences. When approached by diplomats from outside their home system, the ships are often turned back and refused.

Physiology

The Lorians are a human-appearing race that can only be described as peak human physical fitness in appearance but are often twice as strong and fast as the average human. However, most Lorians are unable to do anything unique and amazing outside of that. The ability to bend even one element to their will is an extremely rare ability, with one in roughly one-hundred thousand able to do so with a single element, if not one in a larger number. The primary difference between those who can bend the four basic elements to their will and those who can only bend one seems to be a higher concentration of some form of energy all Lorian bodies create naturally. Lorian scientists call it their Chi, the form of energy that gives their bodies the ability to control the elements as they do. So far, the only Lorian bodies that have registered the level of Chi needed to control and manipulate all four elements are found in the lineage of the Royal Family.

Societal Structure

Prior to the Seran/Lorian War, Lorian society was largely varied. Intelligence between individuals varies but as a whole, the species daily lives could be compared to humanity in the early 2000’s. Military service was optional, but a mark of great pride for any family while higher education was a requirement, as the Lorian leadership has always believed you can never know too much. During the course of the Seran/Lorian War and after, military service became a requirement alongside higher education. Most basic level Grunts are also highly capable medical personnel or even scientists if needed. The wellness of the people as a whole is incredibly important to the Royal Family and the Council and laws and support from the government reflect this. The Royal Family is really the only noble family within the Lorian government, though the members of the Council are also considered highly important and recognized as ‘unofficial nobles’ but with no more importance than any other citizen of the Lorian people.

The Tide Will Return (Space, Nation, Fantasy)

I mean...I can see there being a cult of some kind that worships the Scourge.

Halo: Aegis Team

Spartan Lucas Ryker

"Son of a bitch!" The sudden gust of wind nearly tore the SPARTAN-IV from his seat on the Spectre and he find himself stowing his rifle just to find a better grip. If Tar hadn't already suggested finding cover, he would have just based on the fact the storm hadn't abated but had, instead, gotten stronger. When they got close enough to the caves, Ryker was tempted to get off and run in on his own, but with as strong as the wind was, he questioned if he'd even land on the ground.

Infiltrator Comi'Masam

More experienced with being a passenger on a Spectre in poor weather than her Spartan compatriot was, Comi had stowed her weapon away when the weather first showed signs of getting worse instead of better and hugged the hull of the vehicle as much as she could, throwing her weight behind any adjustments that were made in order to help stabilize the vehicle as much as possible. The storm they were in now reminded her of some of the worse rainstorms of her childhood, but they had never gotten worse with time, only better, though the rain would often persist for days at a time. "We need a new plan of action, Commander!"

Zarkun's Character Reference Area

Bleach OCs

Shin

Name: Shin Kageyasu

Gender: Male

Age: 365

Appearance: Shin stands at 6’2” tall with a head of crop cut green hair and a handsome face framed by high cheekbones and a square jaw. With his iridescent green eyes, he’s hard to forget with his lean and muscular build.

Personality: Shin’s personality is like two sides of a coin, one side being calm, relaxed and fun while the other is stern, no nonsense and tactical. It simply depends on if he’s out and in a fight or out and hanging with his squad. Many argue that due to this, he would have fit in better in Squad 11.

Clan: None

Rank: Fourth Seat

Power Level: While ranked as the fourth seat in Squad 5, his power is easily Captain or higher, especially due to his unique Zanpakuto.

Squad: 5

Zanpakuto

Sealed Form

Shikai Form- “Erupt, Doreiku!”- While visibly, there isn’t a lot of change between the Sealed and Shikai forms, the important thing to know is that Shin’s Shikai form allows for what he calls “gunfire draws.” Compressing his spiritual pressure into a special mechanism in the redesigned sheath, he pulls a trigger on it to unleash hard and fast draw attacks with immense power. A more passive effect is that Shin is able to move and strike faster.

Bankai Form- Named Faia Doreiku, this also changes Shin’s appearance from the traditional Soul Reaper attire to something you’d see in the World of the Living. Trading some of the speed gained in the Shikai form for power and enhanced defense, this form uses bursts of spiritual pressure to enhance blows and make them capable of breaking through even the most stalwart defenses while also enhancing Shin’s defensive power, making him much tougher. He can also use short range Kido attacks with it and several other techniques unique to the Bankai.

Zanpakuto Spirit

Name: Doreiku
Gender: Female
Personality: Flirty with a dash of sadistic, Doreiku takes no crap and gives no care for anyone but her partner.
Appearance:
Stands at approximately 6 feet tall.

Backstory: Shin Kageyasu was born in the Junrinan district of the western Rukon District. Growing up hearing about the Seireitei and the Soul Reapers who defended it, he enlisted in the Soul Reaper Academy as quickly as he possibly could. He had visited rougher districts as he grew up and so he was confident that he could handle anything that the training threw at him, but between all the Zenjutsu lessons and forms to the Kido chants and such, he had as much of a grueling time as any of the other souls there, though he did seem to be a bit of a prodigy in Zenjutsu.

Graduating near the top of his class, he was hand picked for Squad 5 and was given a Seated Officer’s position after a short time, within weeks of awakening his Shikai, though it was still fifty years after joining the squad, which led to him working towards the fabled Bankai. Ten years of work was what was required of him and he accepted that. After all, he’d already spent large chunks of time just learning to become a Soul Reaper, so what was one more decade to be able to challenge a Captain if he wanted to.

His Zanpakuto’s spirit, Doreiku, was not necessarily cooperative and wanted him to prove himself worthy of a fully unlocked, complete bankai, so what would normally only take one decade for a dedicated Soul Reaper to achieve instead took Shin two and some change, but when he finally achieved it, no one was properly prepared for the power that it would be or unleash. From there, he was allowed to take higher danger missions for hunting Hollows and was even entrusted to lead excursions into Hueco Mundo to help keep the Menos Grande populations under control. He was offered a chance to become the Captain of another squad who’s captain was retiring soon, but he declined, saying he preferred to catch an opponent off guard with his power while they assume it’s lower due to his rank.

The Tide Will Return (Space, Nation, Fantasy)

Me thinks you might be bonkers good sir.

The Tide Will Return (Space, Nation, Fantasy)

*waves hand* You already know I'm here.

Halo: Aegis Team

For the most part, Comi and Lucas kept to themselves on their Phantom, speaking quietly and punctuated by the occasional laugh or chuckle from one of the two. When game time came, they were ready to go.

Spartan Lucas Ryker

As his boots hit the soft earth of the planet's surface, the SPARTAN-IV was already putting his DMR to his shoulder and moving to secure the perimeter before anything else was done. However, he had to admit that the weather conditions would make this trip just a little trickier than they'd likely anticipated. Of course, as he cleared his quadrant and found nothing, he did smile as he recalled the days with his old Black Ops squad, using weather like this to hide both their approach and their exfiltration. This might not be so bad after all, all things considered.

Hopping into the back seat of one of the spectres, DMR still in hand. "Well, on the upside, you can't ask for better weather to mask an approach from the low ground."

Comi'Masam

Comi had landed alongside Ryker when she dropped from the Phantom, but moved in an opposite direction. She had her sniper rifle stored on her back and her plasma pistol up and at the ready, though her sword remained on her hip as she moved to the edge of the clearing and secured it. Following that and doing as she was ordered, she sat in the spectre separate from Spartan Ryker, storing the pistol and drawing her sniper rifle. "I am in agreement, Commander. Any guards on patrol will not see us through the rain and fog."

XCOM: Humanity's Rise

In the year 2015, Humanity experienced one of the single most dreaded, yet highly anticipated, events of its existence; first contact with an extraterrestrial race. Unfortunately for all the UFO enthusiasts out there, it wasn’t the friendly “We come in peace” they’d always hoped for, instead more along the lines of “Take me to your leader.” Except there was no little grey alien holding a ray gun, at least not at first. What came to be known as the Invasion War opened with a series of pods landing in a German city. Curious civilians approached the first of the crashed objects just as it activated, causing widespread panic. Germany sent in a recon team by helicopter, which went down after coming under fire from unknown assailants. As a result, a squad from the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, which had been formed by the Council of Nations in the event that an alien invasion occurred, was dispatched.

Upon arrival at the scene aboard the Skyranger, what they found was nothing short of a massacre, with civilians trapped inside a strange green webbing, likely released by the pods, and the unit wiped out, with, as far as could be ascertained, no survivors. At least until the first message was received on the radio. “Hilfe” it had said, which Doctor Vahlen translated to mean “Help me.” Delta squad moved in, finding one member of the recon team torn apart like he’d been attacked by a wild animal and another dead from something exploding from inside his body, eviscerating him. Inside was the established standard operating procedure’s birth when it came to dealing with the Aliens, after a Sectoid Commander used its mind controlled meat puppet to kill a member of the squad, the other aliens were engaged and killed with extreme prejudice. The Extraterrestrials had just made it very clear that they weren’t interested in peace.

The Invasion War lasted for twenty years, with Humanity facing severe casualties early on in the war. The superior armor and weapons the Alien invaders proved more than most modern militaries could handle or penetrate with anything smaller than anti-vehicle weapons. XCOM proved to be the most proficient fighters, using ambush tactics and traps to outmaneuver the superiorly armed alien forces, though Sectoids and Floaters were far more susceptible to standard firearms than the Mutons or Heavy Floaters, who were more heavily armored. As the war raged on, however, XCOM was able to begin producing munitions, weapons and armor capable of going toe-to-toe with the Aliens, beginning with laser weaponry and armor they called Carapace armor.

This then led to the design and construction of the Skeleton armor, medium armor equipped with a grappling hook for easy transition to the high ground and safe descent to lower ground. That was about five years into the war, as the first few years were spent studying the substance known as Meld that the aliens had brought with them as well as gaining a better understanding of the Alien Alloys. With the better armor and weapons came the Gene Modded soldiers, who now had abilities based on those gained through studying the remains of various aliens, even some gained from what many soldiers dubbed a terror weapon, the Chrysalid.

With the playing field beginning to even out, the Aliens began deploying heavy mechanized units with Drone support, with the spear tip of their mechanized assault being the Sectopod, a two legged mechanized monstrosity with enough firepower to level a city block. The Mechtoid came in a close second, it’s Mini-Plasma cannons causing massive damage to armored units and infantry alike and the Cyberdisc tearing infantry apart with its twin cannons. XCOM and Humanity’s response? The Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit, or MEC, Trooper, soldiers who’d sacrificed their limbs in order to be able to integrate with Cybersuits that allowed them to go head-to-head with the Aliens’ mechanical forces. First taking to the field armed with a minigun and either a Kinetic Strike Module, which gave their already devastating blows even more power, or the flamethrower, making them the worst nightmare of both Alien infantry and the Chrysalids, who had an aversion to fire that was almost insectoid in nature. However, it was not long before those miniguns became railguns, which allowed the MEC troopers to punch MEC fist sized holes in Sectopods and Mechtoids and put the Cyberdisks on the other end of the “tearing apart” spectrum.

By this point, the Aliens were desperate, as what had started as a fairly successful, if slow, invasion had turned into an all out war, and they had begun to lose. By this point, XCOM and the greatest minds of humanity had begun finding ways to produce their own Alien Alloys, now referred to as Ostryx, as well as plasma weaponry, more advanced armor, and fusion powered ships, most notably among them the Firestorm fighter, a ship that could pack the firepower of an Alien Battleship and outmaneuver the giant. At the fifteen year mark, the alien’s war efforts began to flag, with offensives losing steam faster and faster as XCOM spread knowledge and scientific gains around. They had even, by the time the Aliens finally gave up and called for a full retreat from Earth, begun synthesizing the Meld.

The war for Earth ended in the year 2035. In the wake of the Invasion War, Humanity formed the United Earth Government, or UEG, with XCOM its primary military force. Not everyone joined of course, Germany secluded itself after discovering their leader was being manipulated by a mind-controlling Sectoid Commander and went on a witch hunt, purging aliens wherever they might have hidden. The US, despite being where XCOM was initially based, kicked the Initiative out and closed its borders as well, though no one knows why. Many think it was for reasons similar to Germany, but most aren’t that easily convinced.

The year is now 2065 and the UEG is at the pinnacle of its power, with Gene Modding and MEC fabrication and pilot interfacing having made leaps and bounds in progress, not to mention weaponry and armor. But we’d be fools to think the Aliens haven’t been preparing as well, especially since every now and then a UFO will slip the net and a few people will go missing.

It’s been thirty years since they invaded us. Now we’re ready to return the favor and for us there is no retreat.

---

Welcome to XCOM: Humanity’s Rise!

In this story, the Events of XCOM: Enemy Within played out differently than they do leading up to XCOM 2. Here, humanity turned the tide and won the war, though it didn’t come without its price. But the rewards were rich and now under the UEG, Humanity is at its strongest ever. The initial recovery of both the Meld and alien metals and weapon fragments, along with the early plasma weapons made it possible for humanity to catch up to the alien technology. XCOM forms the majority of the military’s Special Operations groups, with a handful of “regular” units as part of the standard military.

It is as one of these standard units that you’ll start, however, even standard XCOM units sport a variation of Gene Modded soldiers, and, if you so choose, a MEC trooper. So, to give you an idea of what you’re limited to, first and foremost, there are classes. I’m aware that these types of RPs are sometimes difficult, but it felt right to maintain a sense of balance. And so, your classes to choose from as you will are listed in the following section, but first, your CS template.

Character Sheet

Name:

Age:

Nationality:

Rank: (Private or Private E-2. If you’re psionic, you start at Specialist)

Base of Operations: (Earth or Mars, Earth the countries are trivial, Mars...there’s two large colonies)

Class:

Preferred Advanced Class:(Keep in mind you don’t start here, you’re going here)

Backstory:

Appearance:

Classes

Marksman-Trained in the use of sidearms and Marksman Rifles, these are the soldiers responsible for engaging from a longer range and attempting to take out frontline commanders while supporting their squad.

Ranger-The close combat specialist, Rangers are armed with shotguns and either sawn off backups or wrist mounted autocannons of relatively low caliber. These guys are the first ones in and usually the last ones out.

Rifleman-Your more standard infantry unit, these guys carry assault rifles and a variety of secondary weapons, ranging from side arms to shotguns, sometimes even a brace of throwing knives. They also commonly bring a drone known as the GREMLIN to the field, which aids them in administering field medical treatment and combating enemies.

Grenadier-Armed with nothing more than a grenade launcher and shotgun, these guys bring the boom, loud and proud.

Gunslinger-Specializing in the wielding of dual pistols, these gunmen won’t hesitate to rush into the midst of the enemy, unleashing a barrage of death before they can figure out what’s happening. Inspired by Gun Kata from the movie Equilibrium, they’re incredibly difficult targets to hit.

Duelist-These soldiers are masters of the blade, carrying only a sword and a brace of throwing knives into battle, their reflexes allow them to dodge incoming fire and even reflect it while closing with their foes to cut them apart, up close and personal.

Sniper- Whereas the Marksman will get in closer to get in the final kill and offer precision to the squad’s often rapid fire assault, the Sniper offers long range overwatch, removing targets from extreme range. They carry anywhere from a more standard sized sniper rifle to anti-materiel inspired sniper rifles, as well as pistols should an enemy happen upon them without being seen en route.

Psi Operative: These operatives are soldiers who’ve gone through the process of awakening their latent psionic power and have trained extensively to use their mind as a weapon every bit as efficient and powerful as any firearm or blade.

Now while every soldier has their specific loadouts, there are standard issue gear that no soldier is without. First and foremost is the combat knife, because that sidearm is going to need a reload eventually, even if it is plasmatech. Body armor is another standard issue item, required in order to increase a soldier’s survivability in most combat situations. The inclusion of the Ostryx metal in the combat armor’s construction has made it ten times better than any of the kevlar armor that had been deployed during the start of the Invasion War. The final piece of standard issue gear is the plasmic grenade, a powerful handheld explosive that can either be thrown to take out cover or the enemies behind it or attached to a door with a delayed plasma explosive charge, useful for breaching rooms and UFOs.

Advanced Classes

Now for the meat of this RP. So I outlined some basic classes above, which are already a fair amount of diversity within the setting. However, there is advanced training you can receive within those base classes, which I am calling advanced classes.

Marksman Advanced Classes-
Elite Marksman: If Marksman are already the best in mid-range fire support, then the Elite Marksman takes it another step forwards, landing shots many would consider nearly impossible, even at close range. These soldiers could take the wings off a fly at 400 meters with little more than a coin throw.

Reaper: Force Recon operatives are used for scouting and pathfinding, equipped with stealth tech and often with Stealth related gene mods as well as specialized tracking rounds for keeping track of dangerous targets that could prove problematic for offensive operations.

Ranger Advanced Classes-
Ripper: Rippers are the closest to a duelist most Rangers get. While they are equipped with twin shotgun pistols, their primary weapon is a set of retractable ostryx claws on each hand. The pistols act as a covering fire until they can close with the enemy and rip them apart in melee, however, the forms for rippers are much different than duelists.

Gunner: Gunners are heavily armored, close range arbiters of death with a belt-fed, fully automatic shotgun and a shoulder mounted plasma cannon. Their off-hand, which varies based on their dominant hand, is equipped with an Ostryx claw so large it could pierce two mutons in a single blow. Their heavy armor is hydraulic, increasing striking and lifting power while allowing them to still move quickly, though not necessarily quietly.

Rifleman Advanced Classes-
Combat Medic: Combat medics trade their rifle for a high capacity, high caliber side arm with an advanced combat shield and advanced medical support technology and training, their GREMLINs equipped to be able to save a squadmate or team member from the brink of death and even back from death if they can reach them in time.

Advanced Infantry: These are the Riflemen who upgrade to a harder hitting rifle and who’s GREMLINs are equipped to aid in more effective direct combat via various attachments. For example, they’re often outfitted with gun emplacements or shock modules for disabling targets. They’re also often equipped with a specially designed combat shield that allows them to engage from behind mobile cover.

Grenadier Advanced Classes-
Mobile Artillery: Dedicating all their time to learning the most effective ways to deliver their explosive ordinance with the biggest booms, they’ve received clearance to carry an advanced grenade launcher that fires miniature artillery rounds of various effects. However, while their various grenades were a touch more compact, their newer artillery rounds aren’t, requiring the trade off of their full sized shotgun for a sawn-off version and less available ammo. In exchange, however, they can easily level a city block with three well placed shots of their launchers.

Breacher: These grenadiers got real good at trick shots and took great joy in blowing in the doors of those who would oppose them, that initial shock and awe effect forever emblazoned in their minds along with the joy of wiping out the enemy on the other side. So in exchange for fewer grenades and a more compact launcher, they’ve been given a fully automatic shotgun and specialized breaching charges. These charges will launch miniature flashbangs into a room that detonate a split second before the charge itself explodes and destroys the door, allowing for a powerful room clear.

Gunslinger Advanced Classes-
Jaëger: The Jaëgers are Gunslingers who specialize in close range crowd control and finishing off escaping targets. Their armor suites are often outfitted with prediction programs that allow them to quickly pinpoint the most effective places for their bag of tricks and track fleeing enemies.

Gunzerker: While the Jaëger retains a level of the elegance that the masters of Gun Kata from Equilibrium show, the Gunzerker throws it to the wind in favor of dual automatic weapons of decent caliber and absolute mayhem and destruction. Many field operatives have noted that if not for the automatic Friend-or-Foe recognition system standard in UEG armor and heads up displays, friendly casualties would nearly match the enemy.

Duelist Advanced Classes-
Shinobi: Inspired by the ninjas of old, the Shinobi tends to specialize in stealth, using a combination of advanced stealth technology and gene mods and misdirective technology to remove targets without giving up their positions. In many ways, both figuratively and literally, they strike from the shadows.

Knight: These melee juggernauts are equipped with the heaviest armor the UEG military can produce with Detonite Shields and typically a broad or long sword. The detonite shields are defensive implements that have specialized miniature explosives that can be detonated to knock back groups of attackers or upon connection as a blunt force blow that’s been known to blow men apart. Imagine what it could do to a Sectoid.

Sniper Advanced Classes-
Hunter: Solo operatives who are deployed into a location ahead of other units to hunt down important targets at low risk due to range of engagement. Often carrying different types of ammunition that allows for mission completion in many situations.

Striker: These snipers are highly elite and primarily deployed in XCOM's elite spec ops forces. They carry advanced and experimental weapons that fire dark matter beams instead of plasma with Gene Mods and minor cybernetic enhancement to make the odds of missing nearly zero in any situation, further complementing their already impressive skills. They're also trained extensively in pistol fighting for a fair chance of survival in close range engagements.

Psi Operative Advanced Classes-
Templar:Sacrificing their ranged weapon training, these are Psi Operatives who’ve chosen to train so extensively that they are able to wield psionic powers unlike other Psi Operatives. Wielding powerful gauntlets that allow them to focus their power into a pair of blades, Templars purge the aliens in psionic flame, metaphorically speaking. When engaging at range, they’ll use either a powerful Psionic Shock or their machine pistols.

Valkyrie: These Psi Operatives specialize in using their unique gifts to support their squad while raining hell on the enemy. Armed with a plasma cannon and a unique secondary of their choice, these Psi Operatives only goal is to make sure their squad makes it home alive.

MEC Armaments and Classes

Standard MEC: When XCOM founded the original MEC initiative during the Invasion War, the cost of interfacing was to replace your arms and legs with the necessary interfaces. Now, there are other, better, less permanent solutions for interfacing, though the original is still permitted. Standard equipment is a high power anti-matter rifle and either a kinetic strike module or napalm thrower. Further specialization after is both available and suggested.

MEC Specilist-Brawler: Often equipped with dual Kinetic Strike Augments, these MECs are still equipped with their anti-matter rifles, but are tougher than standard and Incinerator units. Oftentimes, when the threat of heavy anti-infantry is high, they will lead the charge with their unique Barrier Shield, which is a projected hardlight shield of high durability and then use their Kinetic Strikes to tear the emblacements apart.

MEC Specialist-Incinerator: Incinerator units are embodiments of flame. Armed with their arm mounted napalm thrower, a flame launcher and twin Incinerator-class blasters on their shoulders. Some of the most powerful anti-infantry in the UEG forces, they’re also highly effective against Chrysilids.

Custom MECS: Most custom MEC units are based on the two existing specialists, but they do take unique twists and no one is the same.

_{*While KSMs, or Kinetic Strike Modules, are externally placed on one arm of a Standard MEC, or a napalm thrower, the KSA, or Kinetic Strike Augment, is built into the hands of the Brawler unit, allowing them to gather the energy to deliver the blow or tear things apart.}

Gene Mods

The Gene Mods just need to be reasonable. For example, after having dissected the Mutons, an alien enemy you’ll meet eventually, a gene mod became available that caused a soldier to release Combat Pheromones that boost their own and nearby allies' combat effectiveness after securing a kill. I’m going to be scrutinizing these perhaps the MOST heavily, and while I do encourage getting creative, don’t be afraid to use the existing list from Enemy Within if you want.

Mars Colonies

Mars Colony New Star, formerly Alpha: The first and largest colony built on the Martian Surface, much of the planet’s atmosphere and ground near it has been terraformed to the point the city is no longer domed as there is ample plant life around it producing oxygen at the required rate of exchange. It is also the first point in the defense network for Earth, armed with a large anti-capital ship cannon on the northern edge of the city along with the largest military presence on the planet.

Mars Colony New Baltimore: The second colony, the terrain and atmosphere around the city is still not fully terraformed and therefore the city is still largely domed and the roads covered by metal tunnels, though the city is far from unattractive. The bulk of the air defense force is stationed here along with many of the special forces teams though the majority of the military is still stationed in New Star.

The Enemy

Fifty years ago, thanks to the hard work and scientific advances of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, Humanity was able to send a dangerous army of Alien Invaders careening back into the inky blackness of space towards their homeworlds and fortresses in other parts of the galaxy. Since then, the Human Race has worked tirelessly to prepare for any possible counter attacks or renewed invasions and for launching an invasion of their own. Drone surveillance, however, has shown the Aliens haven’t been lax.

Their legions still consist of the space born creatures that XCOM and the militaries of the world faced off with during the Invasion War, but also new threats. A large portion of their military might now consist of members of the ADVENT Initiative, a secretive project that UEG Intelligence can find little information on without launching an actual attack on a fortress. They average at human heights and weights from scans of their bodies and are often equipped with scaled down plasma weaponry and advanced armor. Their discipline is not to be ignored as they are able to coordinate the take down of well fortified positions as tactically as any human squad.

There are also whispers amongst the Alien Legions of three generals, three Chosen if you will, of immense power and skill. Little has been found of them and no visuals have been confirmed during the drone scouting, but all the same, caution should be exercised during all engagements.

Other rumors suggest that the Chrysalids, a terror unit deployed during the early stages of the war to break the morale of soldiers and civilians both, are no longer under the control of the Alien leadership, known as the Ethereals by the people of Earth but as the Elders to the ADVENT Initiative and other aliens. The rumors suggest that a Queen is calling her children home to their Hive and that new horrors await both the Aliens and Humanity as they move to investigate these claims.

XCOM: Humanity's Rise

In the year 2015, Humanity experienced one of the single most dreaded, yet highly anticipated, events of its existence; first contact with an extraterrestrial race. Unfortunately for all the UFO enthusiasts out there, it wasn’t the friendly “We come in peace” they’d always hoped for, instead more along the lines of “Take me to your leader.” Except there was no little grey alien holding a ray gun, at least not at first. What came to be known as the Invasion War opened with a series of pods landing in a German city. Curious civilians approached the first of the crashed objects just as it activated, causing widespread panic. Germany sent in a recon team by helicopter, which went down after coming under fire from unknown assailants. As a result, a squad from the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, which had been formed by the Council of Nations in the event that an alien invasion occurred, was dispatched.

Upon arrival at the scene aboard the Skyranger, what they found was nothing short of a massacre, with civilians trapped inside a strange green webbing, likely released by the pods, and the unit wiped out, with, as far as could be ascertained, no survivors. At least until the first message was received on the radio. “Hilfe” it had said, which Doctor Vahlen translated to mean “Help me.” Delta squad moved in, finding one member of the recon team torn apart like he’d been attacked by a wild animal and another dead from something exploding from inside his body, eviscerating him. Inside was the established standard operating procedure’s birth when it came to dealing with the Aliens, after a Sectoid Commander used its mind controlled meat puppet to kill a member of the squad, the other aliens were engaged and killed with extreme prejudice. The Extraterrestrials had just made it very clear that they weren’t interested in peace.

The Invasion War lasted for around twenty years, with Humanity facing severe casualties early on in the war. XCOM proved to be the most proficient fighters...

This RP takes place in something of an Alternate Universe from the timeline we got going from Enemy Unknown/Within to XCOM 2. In this story, humanity won and advanced after forcing the invaders off of our world. I'll take a small group, I'll take a large group, but I'm hoping this draws some interest either way. The above paragraphs are a bit of a sneak peak into the history of the RP from the point we'd be picking up in. Just, uh, let me know if you're interested by posting here.

It should be noted that I had some issues in the first iteration of the RP that I'm hoping I cleaned up. Where be my XCOM fans at?