Post by Del on Apr 10, 2010 20:52:11 GMT -8
Ģ Ȧ Ľ Ȁ Ț Ȇ Ἆ
"And thus they came, pure and beautiful, like rays of celestial light; balancing the universe and bringing goodness and life to all; no longer would we fear the wrath of The Mother in their loving embrace..." - Shimnamanta 557:32:2
T H E ° U N I V E R S E
The Universe, having been vastly explored at this point in time, is an unimaginably large place. While many areas have been discovered, the deep reaches of space are still a mystery. There are hundreds of inhabitable planets know to man, but there are five main planets in which a majority of the population resides. In addition to the planets, there are also twenty five space colonies located throughout the universe. Space colonies, to put in lamens terms, are entire cities which reside in a strong and very durable glass orb; ships often stop to refuel at colonies on long trips. In other, more disturbing, news, scientists have noted that the universe has been rapidly loosing dark matter, a substance which helps the universe to maintain its shape, over the past ten years. The level of dark matter in the universe will fluctuate without warning or particular pattern. There is no explanation or known reason for this occurrence, and many fear the loss of too much dark matter will result in a universal collapse.
Earth :: this planet is the original home of the humans, though the majority of the human race now lives elsewhere in the universe. Earth was once a lush and vibrant landscape full of mountains, forests, and oceans; it was beautiful and teeming with life in its youth. Now, however, it is a shell of its former glory. Thousands of years ago the humans destroyed the earth and almost everyone on it. In need of a new home, humanity took to the stars in order to find salvation. Eventually, the humans found Xecta and made home there. After two thousands years of thriving on Xecta, the humans decided to return to Earth to discover that the land had begun to cleanse itself. Now, for the past several hundred years, humans have been returning to earth in order to assist the planet in its regeneration process. There is much more water than there once was, yet most of the land is now desert-like in nature. Still, there are many expansive areas of lush and beautiful land.
Xecta :: This planet is humanity’s second earth. Humans came to Xecta after they destroyed their original home; though this time, however, they put the knowledge gained from their previous mistakes to use. Xecta is much like Earth once was, but contains a vast amount more wildlife. Its animals resemble the primitive versions of Earth’s – land, air, and sea alike -- but are much more advanced evolutionarily; in the beginning, the wildlife of Xecta was difficult for the humans to control; still, the humans prevailed. There are a multitude of thriving metropolises on this planet, and it is home to the largest population in the universe.
Quellia :: This planet is home to the Quellian race. It is a blue and timeless planet, and the race that inhabits it is much the same. The planet itself is a never ending meridian forest filled with blue streams, lakes, and rivers. Crystals litter the ground, trees, and waters of Quellia, and orbs of floating light, called pyres, move aimlessly through the air. Trees and plants twist and spin in seemingly endless directions, and sometimes the water itself decides to float in the air. Most of the wildlife on Quellia is fish-like in appearance and docile in an almost absent minded way, and a majority of these stunning fish-like creatures float through the air. The planet itself is demure and unchanging yet extremely beautiful. It is believed time flows differently on this planet due to the seemingly long lasting lives of those who live there.
Originally, Quellia was a world without cities; now, however, Quellia is littered with elegant, elfish style architecture, and the cities here are one with the forest. The planet itself is of moderate size, and is mostly inhabited by Quellians. Other races are allowed only to live along side the Quellians as long as they abide by one simple rule: to not disturb the balance of the planet. In other words, the planet must not be altered to fit its inhabitants; the inhabitants must alter themselves to fit the planet.
Birza :: Birza is the definition of paradise. The weather is constantly perfect, and the landscape reflects this. The planet has a lush, island type landscape, and the seas of Birza are always warm. Aside from the plant life, Birzans are the only creatures that exist on their planet. This planet also has a higher gravity than any of the other planets, which has caused Birzans to evolve to have heightened physical strength. Other races often feel extremely heavy and sluggish when visiting and/or living on this planet, and this is why most of the population is Birzan. As far as cities go, Birzans have none, nor do they have buildings, technology, or currency. Their planet is their planet, and the inhabitants live as a worldwide community.
Minos :: When humans first discovered and observed the creatures of Minos, they noted the distinct horns protruding from the peoples’ heads, reminiscent of a bull’s. Minos was the ancient Cretan king in Greece who supposedly helped father the vicious Minotaur: a beast half-man, half-bull. The reference comes from this myth. It stuck mostly because it was easier to pronounce than the actual name given to the planet by the people inhabiting it.
Minos is a difficult place to live. Plates constantly shift, causing earthquakes and changing landscape. This makes the terrain mostly mountains with the occasional valley. Climates range from both ends of the extreme spectrum: from tundra to desert. There are two moons around Minos, one white and one blue, and they are worshiped. Check the respective Worldbuilding thread for more details.
Colossal creatures, named Giants, live all throughout Minos, and these giants appear as mutated versions of common wildlife. They appeared after a rather bloody battle between the ancient Northerners and Southerners, and no one has been able to figure out why and how they develop. Many attribute it to their ingestion of Ílko, the oil-equivalent of Minos. Giants – almost formerly animals – also grow external bones (though less pretty) and have a certain taste for Minoan flesh.
R A C E S
Each race in the universe is unique in some way, though of the DNA between them is fairly similar. This has led to the ability of crossbreeding between races, though half breed fetuses miscarriage roughly 73% of the time. Scientists are baffled by this strange phenomenon, yet the general theory is that the DNA is compatible enough for crossbreeding to occur, though not similar enough to provide a stable fetus. Those who do manage to be born are often physically deformed or mentally handicapped, so there is only a small percentage of half breeds in the universe and even smaller percent of normally functioning ones. Half breed children are generally accepted by all, so there is no discrimination against them or cross-species couples in regular society.
Humans :: Humans started their species on earth and evolved at an alarmingly slow rate. Despite this, humans are a very adaptable race and can be found on almost any civilized planet in the universe. Although they have no supernatural or superhuman abilities, humans boast being the most balanced and technical race, and this is why they have dominated the universe. The other three races may boast a heightened strength, defense, or mind, yet the humans have the ability to adapt to almost any situation or environment. Creation, destruction, and rebuilding are three things the humans have mastered. Their minds have, more or less, allowed them to balance the power between the races through technology and science. Although they evolve, develop, and learn slowly, humans are able to become complete and total masters over the skills and techniques of their choice. Humans are the largest race and populate a majority of the universe, coming in all shapes, sizes, and colors; they are a playable race and are able to make both excellent pilots and maintainers.
Minoans :: The people of Minos are known as Minoans to the humans of Earth. Because of the threats from earthquakes and giants, the people have developed external bones that act as a sort of exoskeleton, protecting them from physical harm. Because of the giants, Minoans typically live underground or in caves, out of sight; but this makes them more vulnerable to earthquake-caused landslides and cave-ins. Because of this, they have become master architects and manipulators of the land.
There are two general “types” of Minoans: Northerners and Southerners. The relationship finds parallels with Athens and Sparta of Earth. Northerners, much like Athenians, tend to be more intellectual; they find great pleasure in art and science, choosing mostly to avoid conflict with others (and especially the giants). Southerners, like Spartans, are more practical in their approach to life, mostly because they live in a much harsher environment. Though giants are sparser in the south, Southerners have to struggle to find resources as simple as food and water. They pride themselves in their strength rather than their wits. While they are much like these ancient Greeks, their culture is also heavily similar to Native Americans, harnessing the land with little waste out of respect for the land itself.
Right now, the two are at peace. They came to an agreement years before to help one another. The Northerners agreed to provide food and other materials to the Southerners as long as the Southerners kept the giants at bay. Southerners – as a part of their culture – hunt these giants to attain glory.
General features of Minoans include: external bones, darker skin, and “inverted” eyes (the whites are blacks). This race is playable and tend to make superior pilots, though there have been a few maintainers. (See the Worldbuilding thread and Nasch’kaja sketch for more details.)
Quellians :: This race is a humanoid race with avian looking features. They are tall with elongated limbs and tend to look rather androgynous, making gender hard to distinguish by sight alone. On their home planet, they are highly attuned to nature and live almost as an extension of their planet, rarely speaking and acting in accordance to the planet’s will. Once a Quellian leaves their home planet, however, they lose the bond they had with their planet and become much more human in manner. Also, The name of a Quellian depends on where they live. Those who live on Quellia have names that relate to nature (I.E. Runs On Water or Mist Weaver), but those who have left Quellia and lost the bond with their planet will often change their name to better match human society.
This race also has the ability of foresight, though some are more powerful than others. On their planet is a lake called Meltharel which lies in the north. The top of this lake is frozen and the swirling waters beneath appear similar to that of a night sky. When the planet commands them to, Quellians from all over Quellia will travel to Lake Meltharel and assemble around its edges; for the lake to work, every Quellian on the planet is required to attend. The High Priest or Priestess will then lead a ritual to activate the lake and look into the future, and, in the smoky waters of the Meltharel, visions of the future will form. The future they see is subjective and will generally relate to their planet, though sometimes it concerns the universe as a whole. All Quellians have the ability to look in the lake and call forth the future, though there are some Quellians who do not require the lake to use their foresight. These Quellians are called Prophets, and the most gifted Prophet becomes the High Priest or Priestess. High Priests and Priestesses are chosen by the planet and shown to the people through a vision seen in the lake; this event occurs when the current Priest or Priestess is unable to continue their duty, death or otherwise. Quellians who choose to leave the planet also lose their ability of foresight unless they are a Prophet. Then, even after the bond has been lost, they are still able to see flashes of the future, though their visions become much shorter and less frequent.
Originally, this race had no spoken language but adopted the languages of the humans once the two races began interacting. This race learns quickly and has a naturally high mental endurance; it is even said that Quellians have not one mind, but two. Their skin is generally pale and can even be shades of gray and blue due to the nature of Quellia. Quellians are a playable race that make highly skilled maintainers; there has never been a Quellian pilot (Though it can be possible).
Birzans :: This race is a humanoid race, and also the newest race known to the universe. Birzans by nature are all male and known for being unnaturally attractive (and are also known for having larger ‘anatomy’ compared to other races). Because their planet has eternal tropical type weather, the Birzans never developed a need for clothing. Birzans are always naked when on their own planet and tend to dislike being restrained by clothing when they choose to venture outside of it. This often leads the Birzans to walk around naked publicly on planets that are not their own, and this can cause quite a stir, especially on human ones. Also, since they are the only inhabitants of Birza, Birzans eat the fruit and vegetables that grow on their planet; thus, they are vegetarians.
As a race, they are innocent, curious, and extremely open-minded. Birzans love to have fun and are very good at partying, yet unlike humans, they are virtually incorruptible; Birzans are very much like children. Unlike children, however, Birzans have incredible physical strength. This trait evolved naturally in the Birzans due to the heightened gravity on their planet of origin. Their strength rises far beyond the other races, yet the playful nature of their race and planet leads them to rarely use this skill. However, upon leaving their planet, Birzans have a very difficult time controlling their unusual strength, causing them to be the source of injury for many of the other races. Their defense, though stronger than that of humans, is nothing special.
Moving on, the circumstances of birth for this race are currently unknown. Birzans have no record of births, and one has never been witnessed; the race itself does not know how they come into existence. They simply wake up in the wilderness fully developed and begin to search for their kin. A ‘newborn’ knows what and who they are; in other words, they are born knowing their name and are not confused when they suddenly ‘wake up alive’ in the wilderness. They refer to the planet itself as their ‘mother’ and share a close relationship with it. However, they are not to be confused with Quellians, who live as an extension of their planet; Birzans live alongside their planet as one lives alongside a family member. This being said, there is no clear familial structure for Birzans; their family more or less extends across the whole race.
It is believed Birzans have a sixth sense or telepathic ability; somehow this race knows each individual of its race, sometimes without having met said Birzan previously; they just know. Also, it is not uncommon for a Birzan to seemingly read another persons thoughts, almost down to the exact detail. When asked, Birzans do not know how they know... they just know! This race is playable and typically makes better pilots than maintainers, though they are perfectly able to perform either task.
T H E ° A L I E N ° M E N A C E
These strange creatures appeared suddenly 10 years ago. Without warning, they began to surge from all corners of the universe, and the stream of alien creatures has continued ever since; no one knows where these beings came from or what their purpose or goal is. These creatures come in all shapes, sizes, and classifications and have been named Phantoms due to their strange ability to suddenly appear and disappear. Some travel in swarms, while others, and usually the larger ones, will travel alone; there have even been reported incidents where a larger Phantom appears to be leading swarms.
T H E ° M I L I T A R Y
A.D.A.M, the Astral Defense Academy and Military, is the force that protects the civilized planets of the universe. Being originally the United States military, A.D.A.M opened its doors to the rest of the universe and now covers all five major planets with its protection. Like any military, however, A.D.A.M has its share of secrets. Many inhumane and secret experiments have been preformed under its watch, and many details that should be made general knowledge have been kept under wraps. And while it promotes freedom and safety for the universe, the military itself is a monster. Its power is slowly spreading like an infection taking over a body.
A.D.A.M.'s base is the gargantuan warship Eden, which holds The Big Five, the academy, and the main portion of the military. It orbits near Xecta, and is home to tens of thousands of soliders, scientists, and military officials. It is like a colony in itself.
T H E ° A C A D E M Y
This division of A.D.A.M. is where its soldiers and operatives are trained. All candidates come hopeful of making it to The Big Five, though only a select few are ever able to make it that far. The academy itself is divided into two sections: pilot candidates and maintainer candidates. As is the norm, there are generally more pilot candidates than there are maintainer candidates since the training and screening for maintainers is much more rigorous than it is for pilots. Maintainers also learn to double as mechanics; that way, if they do not make it to The Big Five, they are still useful to the military. Also, pilots are trained to some extent to be able to take over their robot in case of maintainer failure. The training program for pilots helps to build physical endurance, and the training for maintainers builds mental endurance and intelligence. It is important for pilots and maintainers, especially those who reach The Big Five, to be quick thinkers and not buckle under pressure. Everyone who joins the academy goes through a three year training program before graduating into the military. When a new set of operatives is needed, all graduates/current military members are required to take a rigorous group of tests which decide who will be placed in The Big Five. Everyone is eligible once they have graduated; thus, The Big Five often consists of a mixture between fresh graduates and old pros.
P I L O T
The pilot job is fairly straightforward. He/she connects to the robot physically through wires and cords and this allows them to control the robot. Pilots must have high ratings in physical endurance, athletic ability, and reflexes; these characteristics make for a good pilot candidate. In addition to the aforementioned skills, it is also handy for a good pilot to have intelligence and mental endurance in case of maintainer failure. Because the pilot is synced physically to the robot, the pilot will feel the damage dealt to the robot as if it was being dealt to their own body. For instance, if a leg is blown off the robot, then the pilot would feel as if their leg had been blown off as well. However, the only pilots who will have to worry about these repercussions are those who are placed in The Big Five, for these are the only pilots who physically sync with their robots; all others are given auxiliary robots which are piloted without the syncing process yet are far less advanced. The lucky pilots who do make it to The Big Five are then required to go through a surgery which installs the 'port holes' that give them the ability to connect. For pilots, two tiny incisions are made on either side of the spinal cord. These incisions then get small, metal rings in placed in and around them to prevent the holes from healing over. In order to sync, four large wires are plugged into the holes on the pilot's back. The wires plug in through impressions in the jumpsuit, and although the wires connected to them are rather large, the part that actually penetrates into the body is a very small rod. This directly connects the pilot's nervous system to the robot.
M A I N T A I N E R
The maintainer’s job, as the title clearly states, is to maintain the robot he/she is assigned to. As the pilot syncs physically with the robot, the maintainer syncs mentally. This allows them total control of the robot’s regenerative capabilities. The maintainer keeps the robot functioning by mending, repairing, checking, and balancing. Their job is highly difficult and technical, and a high rating of intelligence is required for this job. The maintainer must be capable of multi-tasking to the extreme, and their mental endurance and pain tolerance is key to their job: the more damaged a robot is receiving/has received, the more strain is put on the maintainer’s mind, and the more strain put on the maintainer’s mind the harder it is for them to do their job. This strain can often feel like a large fist gripping the maintainer’s psyche; more strain equals a tighter ‘grip’. Still, maintainer’s go through rigorous training to achieve an unnaturally high level of mental endurance and pain tolerance, so it is not often that they are too inconvenienced. Still, the only maintainers who will be affected by this mental strain are those who make The Big Five; maintainers who do not make the cut become repairers of the auxiliary robots that are piloted by the non-Big Five pilots. Like the pilots, maintainers have to go through a similar surgery, though they require less 'port holes' than the pilots. Their port holes are located where the skull and neck meet in the back of the head. In addition to their port holes, Big Five maintainers also wear a device on either side of their head located at the temples. The device itself begins on the temple and swings around the back of the head to the other temple. This device, called the Geneva Link, helps to focus and sync the maintainer's mind waves.
A K B A R ° A S A D U L L A H
Dr. Akbar Asadullah is the head of A.D.A.M.'s science division as well as the inventor of the Geneva Generators and the Big Five themselves; his theory on black holes and their potential to supply a near endless energy source was the foundation for all these inventions. These generators (inspired by the particle smashers in Geneva thousands of years ago) create small black holes that produce an enormous output which is used to power the Big Five robots. He, along with his team, then built the Big Five around this idea, creating five super advanced robots with each yielding a specific ability; the project was titled the Extrasensory Vehicular Exoskeleton project (E.V.E.). They created the syncing system to make pilot-robot/maintainer-robot syncing as effective as possible. The Geneva Link as well as the idea for port holes was produced for this purpose as well.
Asadullah is well known in the military and science world as a genius, and it is his work that has advanced the military's technology to such astronomical heights. He is essentially credited with saving the universe from the Phantoms through his inventions; however, as spotless as the doctor's reputation appears to the general public, things are not always as clean as they seem in actuality.
T H E ° B I G ° F I V E
The Big Five is A.D.A.M’s crowing glory and stands at the pinnacle of its militaristic creations. The Big Five is comprised of five, super elite humanoid robots and the highly trained individuals who pilot them. Each of the five robots are unique and have different skills and abilities. The Big Five are a nearly unstoppable force, and each robot is a vital part to the unit as a whole. Many hopefuls join A.D.A.M in the hopes of becoming a part of the Big Five, yet only a select few will ever make it to that level. Those who do, however, become instant celebrities, and it is considered one of the highest honors in the universe to be a part of the team. Being a part of this team provides its members with some nice military perks as well: there is a special wing of the base set aside solely for the member of The Big Five. They each get their own apartment complete with bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen, and the wing is near the docking bay where the robots launch from. The robots of The Big Five are all powered by a relatively new invention called Geneva Generators; this technology came about in the last ten years and manages to create a near endless source of energy. The Big Five’s main job is to protect the inhabitants of the galaxies from the alien menace known as Phantom.
T H E ° A F F L I C T I O N
A dark shadow has been cast over the pilots and maintainers of the elite fighting force, The Big Five. For unknown reasons, a plague is occurring solely among the ten individuals who are a part of this group, and the cause for this affliction is unknown. What is known, however, are the symptoms. Starting off as a small patch of skin that turns black, it eventually grows and begins to rot the flesh, muscle, and bone of said individual. The rash itself is painful, but the pain of the rash is nothing in comparison to the pain experienced when the rash oozes. Periodically, the rash will ooze a black, liquid puss that causes great pain for the subject. When this occurs, victims will often lose control of the body part affected to muscle spasms. At this point in time, the current pilots have yet to experience the disease itself, and knowledge of this disease has been kept secret by the military. Its existence is not public knowledge.
N O T E S ° A N D ° P R O F I L E ° S K E L E T O N
NOTES, READ ME :: Hey, guys! Make sure to PM all profiles to me, and I will look over them and either approve them or ask you to make some changes. I'm deciding not to tell you about the robots yet because I want to assign each of you one! This, I think, will add to the military control vibe I'm going for as well as have each robot-character relationship appear more fate-like.
When making a character be sure to make your profile detailed, and try to make them interesting and unique. I would love it for you all to have a general character arc in mind, even though you don't have all of the information yet. Also, try not to make a half breed character. Since there aren't many in the universe, it'll be weird if all the pilots are half something and something. And a half Birzan, half Quellian won't be strong AND smart; the attributes will be balanced.
And in regards to the 'affliction,' none of our characters will be experiencing any symptoms in the beginning of the RP. We won't have even been in the robots yet at that point. Maybe we can do a couple month time skip after the exposition is over and then begin to experience the symptoms of this disease.
We do have ten character slots to fill, so unless we get some new members a lot of us will have to make two characters. I'm making two, not out of duty, but because I always end up having more than one character haha!
Romance and friendship between pilots and maintainers is perfectly fine, though there is no rule that says you have to like one another. Romantic and platonic relationships are not defined by gender (A.K.A. hot girl on girl and guy on guy action is acceptable and encouraged in addition to hot guy-girl action), but the official military position is that there should be no sexual relationships of any kind between soldiers, regardless of gender. This rule not enforced as long as people aren’t blatantly obvious with it (no public PDA). If you are sharing a robot with another person make sure to discuss with them what you want your relationship to be like!
Strangely enough, we are allowing sexual content in this RP in order to make it more realistic... and give Lily and I an excuse to have hot BUTTSECKS! The sex scenes will be posted in smaller font so that people who do not wish to read them do not have to. I DO HOPE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SEX BESIDES MY CHARACTERS. Talk with your partner. It would be preferable if it was balanced; some characters fall in love, some characters are having sex [love or lust], some are just friends, and some characters don't like each other at all.
You are not limited to the person your character is teamed with, so anyone is fair game, though it would make more sense since the teams will be around each other most of the time. That being said, try to interact with everyone. You’ll have a more intimate and/or intense relationship with your partner, but you’ll still know everyone well since you’re all a part of The Big Five.
In the beginning, you can decide with other players if your characters know one another or not. Your character can have already graduated from the academy in the year
Let’s have a diverse group of characters between race, age, gender, and sexuality!!!
PROFILE SKELETON ::
Name:
Race: (If you decide to be Minoan then your profile will be checked by myself and Gabby. She created the race.)
Gender:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
History: (You’ve all been through at least three years of training since you joined. If your character has graduated in the years before the RP then please make that clear.)
Military Accomplishments: (If any besides being a part of the big five.)
Birthplace: (Planet and city. Possibly state, providence, or prefecture. OR numbered colony. There are 25 in all located across the known universe.)
Combat Style: (All members of the military are trained extensively in some kind of unarmed combat. You may have standard military training, or you may have a different combat style. It can be an existing one from the human styles, or a unique one from the other non-human planets. Stick to unarmed unless you desperately need to have a weapon.)
Bios will be posted HERE!