The Gang of Five
Role Play => Role Play Discussion => Topic started by: Pterano on April 28, 2014, 06:33:05 PM
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All right, so with the start of the follow-up of Into the Black looming, I'm posting the discussion thread now for sign-ups and plot intro.
Racing the Storm will be set six months after Into the Black. The story will take place primarily in the city of Corona, a massive metropolis dominated by several major weapons' manufacturers. Corona is part of the Ivitz Federation, which has been struggling to rebuild the planet in the wake of the Scorched Earth War. They were recently put to the test in the aftermath of the war when a warlord known as Rex Sardolemuel, a former hero of the war, launched an all out attack on the federation in an effort to conquer the planet while the federation was still recovering. Before he could achieve total domination however, his fleet was checked by a final offensive from Ivitz, and Sardolemuel was killed by his subordinate Kalis during the battle, Kalis assuming control of his former master's fleet in the aftermath.
Kalis has been biding his time, but after his bombing of Lanthae, he's been growing bolder, and been employing ruthless tactics in raiding Ivitz territory, and one month ago, he scored a massive victory over one of Ivitz's main fleets. With such a disastrous defeat, things are looking grim for Ivitz. Kalis meanwhile is desperately searching for something he feels will be key to his victory, and if he obtains it, he's confident he can overrun the federation and conquer the planet.
Our characters now find themselves racing the oncoming storm, and trying to stave off total catastrophe.
So yeah, that's the plot intro, and at the start of this RP, I figure the Straccis have relocated to Corona, with Tony assuming a larger role in his family's business. Vergil has been traveling for a bit, trying to find out more about his past and his connection to Sardolemuel and Kalis. He'll be heading back to Corona at the start of this story.
Interested parties, let me know and I'm looking forward to starting!
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i'm ready to resume Pterano. my characters will be living in an apartment in Corona, Marie will be a cards dealer at a local casino, Rose has been cured of her biproxytol and sings as part of a local theater troop, and marita has been a computer repairs specialist. The girls are letting Soren stay with them.
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Sounds good!
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Nope, I don't think I'll be joining again... :p
Yeppers, I'm in! Axel's going to be returning, and I'm planning on trying to introduce at least one other character.
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Glad to hear it. :smile
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broadstreet will be a police captain as he was in ITB. he finds corona much less corrupt than lanthae.
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Soren and Anne will be with Marita, Rose and Maria. Soren will be an itinerant cyberneticist. Anne will be a petty criminal.
What's the setting like? Is it still a grimy cyberpunk setting? Is it more along the lines of cyberprep/post-cyberpunk? Or is it a Jetsons-styled city straight out of the visions of Atomic Age futurists?
Doctor Jiang's still gonna be a backalley doctor ó or at least attempt to in Corona.
And the Chinese Triad enforcer Ruozheng "Rory" Zhao will still trying running his business there.
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Corona is kind of a mix of the two, Serris. Excellent way to describe it btw, with the Jetsons' style. The financial center of the city happens to be very Atomic Age in style and clean, but the outlying sections aren't always in the best shape, and can get pretty seedy depending on the neighborhood.
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sounds cool pterano. the jetsons were supposed to be set around 2000, as memory serves me.
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Interesting.
So its a hybrid of cyberpunk and cyberprep? Cyberprep at the core, cyberpunk at the borders? And I'm imagining even in the financial district, there's still some really shady business going on. Can't be cyberpunk without some morally questionable people.
And the edges, do they have the "towering neon-drenched black monoliths" (to use my phrase from another cyberpunk RP) connected with elevated walkways and elevated highways? Or are they simply ground level ghettos?
Or are they a mix of both? The poorest of the poor and the homeless live on the ground level amongst all the industrial facilities, city infrastructure and filth while the slightly more well-off live in the "black monoliths" that are crowded Hong Kong-style apartments with tenents of questionable repute.
Do I have that right?
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For the second question definitely the latter as opposed to just ghettos, since Corona is a major seat of power in Ivitz.
Definitely some shady business characters for sure. To give you an idea, the center of the city is a big, clean thoroughfare with fountains and white streets and is dominated by a cross-shaped set of boulevards running north-south and east-west. At the end of each are four massive towers headquartering the four largest weapons' manufacturers in Corona, and they all directly compete with each other.
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Or are they a mix of both? The poorest of the poor and the homeless live on the ground level amongst all the industrial facilities, city infrastructure and filth while the slightly more well-off live in the "black monoliths" that are crowded Hong Kong-style apartments with tenents of questionable repute.
So this then? Yeah, I can see Soren living in one of these questionable apartments. Poor as he is, he prefers living in a shithole apartment to being homeless and living in what's essentially a combination factory and garbage dump.
Tidbit for Lanthae: favorite place for getting rid of evidence? Over the side of the nearest elevated walkway or elevated highway. Nothing's down there except for some bums, scavengers, cleaning robots and assorted infrastructure.
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And by shady business, do you mean just bribery, corruption and "white collar crime" or do these weapons megacorps also engage in literal corporate warfare, hiring assassins to literally take out competitors and industrial espionage and theft?
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Yes how you described it. :yes
Yes, they literally engage in corporate warfare, but the only rule is they DON'T engage each other in Corona itself, as it's too public a place. Or should I say, they don't attack each others' headquarters, since it's too difficult to do so, and too public.
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futher, soren has roomates who work in relatively honest jobs, compared wityh thier past jobs. the girls enjoy living in Corona far far more than Lanthae, and marie at this point has settled into relationships with marita and rose. she makes more than marita, because folks like gambling,. and rose gets good crowds at her plays.
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Yes how you described it. :yes
Yes, they literally engage in corporate warfare, but the only rule is they DON'T engage each other in Corona itself, as it's too public a place. Or should I say, they don't attack each others' headquarters, since it's too difficult to do so, and too public.
So, a squad of corporate mercenaries leading a raid on a rival's HQ, not okay?
But a squad of corporate mercenaries leading a raid on a factory that said rival company owns, okay?
Or paying a "home visit" to a rival businessman, okay?
And I'm guessing that these corporate mercs have little, if any regard for civilian casualties and collateral damage?
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I could see these corporate mercs posing a problem for Don Stracci and the Bak Long Triads and maybe even Soren.
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Would I be correct in presuming that these megacorps also produce augmentations of all classes or just class 3?
For those who don't remember there's a national standard of augmentations I mentioned in Into the Black.
Class 1: Same strength as a natural limb of the species it's intended for. Allowed to have properties and tools that are mostly harmless (computer jack, magnetic fingers/palm etc).
Class 2: Strength is in excess of natural limb of the species it's intended for. Carries tools that can easily be used as weapons (laser welder, cutting saw, line thrower, etc).
Class 3: Carries or is a weapon (laser rifle, vibroblade, untethered projectile weapon, taser, poison injector etc).
Class 1 and class 2 are dependent upon species. A Human wanting a strength upgrade by seeking a class 1 arm for a Bison still needs a class 2 license because a Bison Baseline is far stronger than a Human Baseline.
Class 3 is not species dependent.
Class 2 augments have been upgraded if they've been deemed to be too easily weaponized.
Some cities may restrict Augments from having certain classes (mainly class 3 but a few very authoritatian ones restrict class 2's as well) without a permit. Which may or may not be difficult to get.
I hope I'm not intruding on your idea.
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They do at least try to keep their image up, and try to avoid civilian casualties. At least one of the four mega-corporations has a sense of honor and is seemingly more trustworthy than the others. They don't try to outright kill civilians, but if they're collateral damage in a factory bombing or something, it's how the game is played.
Yeah as of right now, Don Stracci tries to stay out of their way, but counts himself a rival of one in particular, though he's managed to finagle his way into shipping contracts with some of them.
They produce augmentations for all classes, yes. :)
And it's fine. :)
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so when will this one start?
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Yeah, Soren's gonna find himself in deep shit...esepcially when he starts sourcing augmentations from whoever's got the lowest price. I don't forsee one of the megacorps taking too kindly to him buying augments from their rival.
I can see the Bak Long Triads trying to get their fingers into one of the four main companies...or maybe a smaller company. Either way, they're gonna attract some bad juju.
Doctor Jiang, yeah. I can also see him running into problems with them. He's doubly vulnerable. The megacorps send their goons to threaten or beat him up (like they can with Soren) but they can also sic the cops on him. Since his cybernetician's license has been revoked, his business is illegal. All it takes is an "anonymous" tip and...bam! Your competitor's customer is out of the picture. Of course, you just lost a customer too.
Anyways, have the companies been named yet?
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Yep, they're Judaken, Serami, Derami, and Zaloga.
And I think we can start relatively soon, since I think we're basically all ready.
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just let me know pterano and i'll jump in..
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Introducing my new char
Name: Sergeant Karl Nairda
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Species: Clydesdale
Faction: Scorched Earth
Occupation: Gunner
Appearance: Brown fur with white spots, on the short side with larger hooves than average
Weapons: Shotgun, Nailgun, Combat Knife, Assault Rifle, Revolver
Biography: Karl Nairda traveled with the Royal Expeditionary Force during the Scorched Earth war of the 2030s. He never was particularly notable and most posts didn't notice when he was restationed elsewhere. He often went awol to freelance with Emile and Lena Kibagami, two mercenaries, until he was dishonorably discharged and joined the Vulture Scavenger Corps full-time. Sadly during a raid on a Red Merchant supply ship he was shot by anti-aircraft turrets which shredded his body instantly. He is hardly remembered by anyone at all, with no family.
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OK, first post is up!
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I would be interested in joining, although I highly doubt that will happen...
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I'm gonna add two more characters. I flesh out their profiles later.
One's a corporate merc who works for one of the megacorps: Muyee "Marion" Wu.
The other's a Pelvanida scientist who escaped Lanthae: Zhenyi "Jennifer" Lin.
By the way, fun fact: one's named after a family friend and the other's named after my aunt.
There's also gonna be a recurring extra: Roy Liu. He's named after my family's dead dog.
Third curio: all three are the same ethnicity as their creator (Chinese).
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My first post is up.
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Character sheet for one of my new characters:
Name: Rio Chato
Gender: Male
Age: 13
Species: Human
Occupation: Drug runner
Appearance: Thin, a little on the short side for his age. Black hair, tanned skin.
Bio: After running away from his abusive parents, Rio spent his time growing up on the streets of the slums. With his natural agility and skill in free running, at the age of 10 Rio was noticed and offered work by a local drug lord who called himself Slate. In exchange for food and shelter, he would transport Slate's product across the slums, using his outward appearance as a natural disguise to evade detection.
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Starfall: I'm gonna have to seriously think about that one, and I'm a little too busy with my new job at the moment to give it any serious consideration. I was pretty shabbily treated by you when you chose to blow up and insult me as well as overreact to something that's generally common knowledge and common courtesy in RPs, so yeah, gonna have to give that one some thought.
Serris: sounds like cool ideas! If you need any further info to help your bios out, let me know.
Bushwacked, you'd talked to me about this character already so yeah, he's fine to add-in. :)
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@ Pterano: Sorry about that. I had been having a rather crappy time around then, and I lashed out. I was wrong, I know it, and it won't happen again.
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And adding in another character:
Name: Triste Acyle
Gender: Female
Species: Spider Gecko
Occupation: Agent for the Ivitz Federation
Appearance: Slender. Light green skin, with a red, diagonal stripe across her face. Long, slightly spindly limbs.
Abilities: Extremely proficient in combat. Has very mild kinetic abilities, but using them for even a short amount of time exhausts her.
Bio: Trained as a soldier in the Ivitz Federation from a young age, Triste was brought up to believe that the Federation came first, always. Now one of the top agents, she's been sent to out into Corona to track down a potential asset. With the threat of Kalis looming, she knows she can't fail.
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This might be useful for the RP.
(http://l.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/w66RNkgK1Tq3WOE.gdbTLQ--/YXBwaWQ9eWlzZWFyY2g7Zmk9Zml0O2dlPTAwNjYwMDtncz0wMEEzMDA7aD00MDA7dz01NTk-/http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bKQfJLyu_g4/S1NjDRQCXOI/AAAAAAAAEiI/FTtmELhsjq4/s400/560px-Triad_structure.svg.png.cf.jpg)
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Er, what is that?
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Er, what is that?
Organization chart of a Chinese Triad.
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God, here we go again.
I don't know why, but if you reread the first 10 pages of Into the Black, I crowned almost every one of them. I'm not planning it, it just happens. Now history is repeating itself!!!
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its coincidence. 20 posts create a new page and to and fro goes on, others will lead off pages
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There's clearly some sort of conspiracy going on. It's time to call in the Hardy Boys.
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i do think we need to come up with a arc that involves everyone. right now we have a lot of sidearcs going on..
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Are we approaching a time skip? Just wondering. Logically Lily would leave to Denny's house the next morning, but if it's not nighttime in any one else's plots she might just leave sooner than that.
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sure we can skip ahead. i'm guessing anne will be shunted off to a rehab center quietly.
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^ With all due respect, you're not the GM, Nick, so you don't make that call, thanks. But yes, after some setup, I'm gonna start gathering the group together. This has already been planned out, so you don't need to worry about it.
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alright pterano. sounds like a good plan. looking forward to seeing what you have in mind.
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bushwacked we're gonna have to decide what's happening with our characters. I want to move Lily forward with her Denny plotline, what if she takes Rio to Denny's and Axel represents them at the cafe with Vergil?
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So it looks as though the plot has progressed far beyond the point where new players joining would be welcomed. I was hoping to get back into RPs with you all, but I can see that isn't going to happen.
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bushwacked we're gonna have to decide what's happening with our characters. I want to move Lily forward with her Denny plotline, what if she takes Rio to Denny's and Axel represents them at the cafe with Vergil?
Yeah, that sounds good.
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@ Pterano: Sorry about that. I had been having a rather crappy time around then, and I lashed out. I was wrong, I know it, and it won't happen again.
I doubt the validity of your words, Starfall, sorry. You claimed you were "leaving" the site, and then you showed up two days later to viciously insult me. That shows premeditation and not just "heat of the moment" words. If it was heat of the moment, you would've apologized shortly after instead of sitting on it for two days before coming back and ripping into me like you did. That just shows malicious intent as opposed to you blowing up at me in heat of the moment. Bad time or not, it doesn't excuse you choosing to insult me multiple times over me calling you out on breaking one of the most basic RPing rules.
As for the plot progressing too far, that's totally not true, and I told you I was too busy with my new job to give it consideration right now. I just got back last night and I leave again on Thursday, so no real time to consider it. However, this plea for attention (and pollution of the discussion thread with useless posts) isn't helping your cause with me. You could do far better things to improve your standing with me, so be patient while I turn this over in my mind when I get some free time next week.
Anyway, yeah, I think it's a good way to bring the Axel and Lily arc into the main arc as well. :yes Once they find the connection between their son and Kalis, it'll help propel their end forward.
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As Emilena's gang will be arriving soon, here's their character sheets.
Name: Foley
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Species: Human
Occupation: Emilena's gang
Appearance: Overweight, usually unshaven, but decently dressed. Has a number of augments such as a headset port on his temple and a memory chip embedded behind one ear.
Bio: Foley is well aware that most other hackers his age have moved on to professional white collar jobs or qualified for major criminal rings, and he doesn't take kindly to people pointing this out. He just suffers from crippling laziness and can't focus on much more than the sort of low-brow drug-running that Emilena's gang specializes in.
Name: Flora
Gender: Intersex
Age: 19
Species: Folf
Occupation: Emilena's gang
Bio: Flora has a female body with a male reproductive system, genetics that are part-wolf and part-fox, and nobody is sure whether she dyes her fur fuchsia or if it's somehow an artifically-induced phenotype. All anyone does know is that she's a bit off-kilter, and an incredibly good driver, her primary role on the team. She also has a transparent crush on Emilena, who puts up with it only because Flora is, actually, the best driver Emilena has ever met.
Name: Hal
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Species: Duck
Occupation: Emilena's gang
Appearance: Thin, a little on the short side for his age. Black hair, tanned skin.
Bio: Who cares, I'm killing him first chance I get. He's the contacts guy, not good at anything himself but he knows a guy who knows a guy.
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So I'm thinking a timeskip to tomorrow is in order soon if no one has any objections so we can move into our infiltration of Zaloga headquarters. Sound good?
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I'd be fine with that if everyone else is :yes
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Was gonna ask for one myself.
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Yeah a time skip sounds good. My latest post is a good set point to use for a time skip.
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Will do in my next post!
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yeah we can move ahead now. looking forward to the adventure.
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Timeskip is up, and we get some expose on the four mega-corporations!
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New character.
Name: Muyee "Marion" Wu
Age: 38
Species: Human
Augmentations (Cybernetic): cermet lacing on bones rendering them nearly unbreakable, class 3 augments for both arms (left arm: modular weapons hardpoint; right arm: plasma cutter hidden inside forearm; both limbs are superhumanly strong), class 2 augments for both legs (superhumanly strong, can reconfigure into a "hoof" for fast running, retractable grappling claws/cutting spurs on the feet)
Augmentions (Genetic): None
Bio: Her parents (both of them former military) immigrated from Shanghai when she was child. She was an average student through high school and college. She eventually earned a Master's degree in mechanical engineering and she briefly worked at Shockley Electronic Works, a small augment repair shop in the edges of Corona. One day, while she was on her lunch break, some unknown suspects bombed the store, killing all six employees inside. The damage was so severe that the owner could not afford to replace all the losses. Desperate, she worked several menial labor jobs ranging from janitor to stevedore at the docks.
One night, while unloading cargo at the Corona Port, one of her co-workers (who was slightly tipsy at the time) begins flirting with her. Refusing to take "no" for an answer ó and fueled by a few too many beers ó the worker eventually gets quite aggressive. In desperation, she takes a swipe at him. Unfortunately for the man, she is wearing a powered exoskeleton intended for moving very heavy loads. The blow connects with his head, crushing his skull and instantly killing him. Horrifed, she calls the police.
Even though it is ruled a justified act of self-defense and she is cleared of all charges, she loses her job at dockyards (no one wants to work with someone who just killed their coworker). She eventually finds a job teaching a vocational training program at a local college.
After a few years as an instructor, she is approached by some recruiters from Zaloga Cybernetics and offered a job as a quality control technician at one of their factories. Attracted by the job, she agrees to an interview.
She gets the job and is quite happy with it. A year into her job, a tragedy occurs. Unbeknownst to her, she attracted the attention of Serami Heavy Industries ó in a bad way. A small strike team is dispatched to take her out and they plant a bomb in her car.
When she starts up the motor, the bomb detonates. She manages to survive but loses all her limbs, the majority of her bones are broken and she is severely disfigured by the burns. She opts for cybernetic limbs instead of vat grown limbs from her own cells.
At the hospital, surgeons and cyberneticists quickly work to repair the damage sustained from the bomb. Her bones are repaired and strengthened via an injection of nanomachines. Her limbs are replaced with basic class 1 augments. Cosmetic surgery manages to repair the most severe burns but it is not perfect; despite being in her early 30s, she looks like someone in their mid 50s.
After several months of physical rehabilitation, she returns to work as a show of defiance. Later, her boss tells her about a lucrative promotion in the company ó corporate security trooper. The pay is nearly quadruple that of her current job. Enticed, she accepts.
The next year involves licensing for class 3 and class 2 augments, classroom time, training and live fire exercises. At the end of it, she becomes a member of Zaloga Cybernetics's Company Security Squad.
As of now, she has served with the squad for three years.
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Sorry I'm being hella slow, I'm starting graduate school today. I'll try to get Emilena's introdcutio n finished tonight or early tomorrow morning
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its alright LBT, we understand. hope grad school treats you well!
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I'm on tour right now guys so I probably won't be able to post till later tonight.
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No problem, hope you're enjoying yourself :)
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thats fine pterano, we understand. post when you can.
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Oh good, that'll make my recent chronic tardiness look less bad.
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Would a time skip be in the books sometime after the group returns from Zaloga? Just thinking of ways LBT could come into the story again.
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I'm thinking after we exit Zaloga, yeah. I'm on tour again until late Saturday, so posting will probably be limited to evenings from here on out.
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I'm fine with that. I'm just so damn busy these days, with my new masters program. I'll just have Lily with the others once the plane trip (or however they're moving to the new world) is happening.
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So I figure a time jump soon once we get everyone basically to the same point, and then we're off and rolling to South America!
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we'll have it be 3-4 days later. this will allow marie to have her poker tournament and rose to wrap up practice for her stage role. the play wont wont actually start performances for several months through.. since this show is on the winter season schedule and its spring right now. gives her plenty of time to go questing..
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Is everyone ready for the time jump? If so I'll move us on to Bolivia. :) I'm back from tour today but I go back on the road again tomorrow, so once again, posting'll probably slow just a tad to once a day or so while I'm out there.
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i'm ready for the jump.. going down the road of death should be an interesting- and very harrowing- experience
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Sure thing, I'm good for a time skip :)
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No complaints here.
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It shall be so! :)
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Apologies for some of the build up, but I do want to get SOME character development in before moving on to the next thrilling scene. :p
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I'm hoping to jump in with my character in the next day or so. Do we have a place for character descriptions, bios, etc? Or does this sort of thing just get written into a post?
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this discussion thread is a place for that..
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Yep! You can post that up right here!
Also, please note I am back on tour until Sunday, so might only be able to manage a post a day till then.
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Perhaps it would be polite for us to all repost our character sheets to give yeswonderful somewhere to reference them?
Name: Lily North
Gender: Female
Age: Middle-aged, can't remember exact age
Species: Human
Occupation: Housewife
Appearance: Dark skin with dark hair, thin frame
Weapons: Mild psychic abilities, mostly the ability to heal others by transferring their wounds onto herself
Biography: In the first RP, Lily woke up in the forest stalked by the government and with no memory. She slowly learned that her body had been inhabited by a psychic being who was slowly morphing her into its old body. However in the end she escaped by transferring her conscience into a body cloned from her pre-infected DNA. Now lives with Axel as an unmarried and unofficial wife, as she is considered a dead fugitive to the government.
Name: Emilena Echo
Gender: Female
Age: 20something, biologically 8 (She was part of a program that quickly grew street orphans to tax-paying age and then indoctrinated them into government jobs)
Species: Vulpine
Occupation: Drug Runner
Appearance: rather heavyset fox, a crapton of scars from the events of the 1st RP but her orange fur covers most of them
Weapons: An "heirloom katana" gifted her in the first roleplay from Starfall's character. I wouldn't come up with a weapon that cliche on my own, trust me.
Biography: Echo was a police officer in the first RP who was put on probation for unethical behavior, outspoken anti-Augmented opinions and taking far too many liberties with the law in her one-woman war against those with cybernetic upgrades. Over the course of the RP she damages her hands and (to her disgust) was forced to Augment them, runs afoul of the mafia, unknowingly sleeps with her brother, and barely escapes the city with her life. Now she's the leader of a smalltime drug gang consisting of Nairda, Flora, and Foley, whom I believe have character sheets elsewhere in this thread.
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Name: Tony Stracci
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Species: Ferret
Occupation: Underboss in the Stracci Crime Family
Appearance: Typical ferret, slightly shorter than average, likes to dress in 1930s garb with a vest, slacks and flat cap.
Weapons: Guns
Biography: Heir to the mighty Stracci Crime Family empire, Tony spends his days conducting family business for his father, training to succeed his father someday, and maintaining the vast collection of his father's vintage automobiles. He has a passion for those cars, and drives them any chance he gets. He previously helped the group defeat the Purifiers in Lanthae before it was destroyed, and is currently engaged in helping to locate the waypoints to Torment's Cataract.
Name: Vergil Speicher
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Species: Mutant gecko
Occupation: None/Ivitz Federation Spec Ops Agent
Appearance: Pure white skin with large, round, orange eyes and two lines of white feathers that stick out of the back of his head with the tips pointing slightly up. He's short, only about four feet in height.
Weapons: Powerful psionic abilities, energy blade.
Biography: Vergil woke up in a test tube deep inside the Purifier base with only vague memories of who he was. He assisted the group in stopping Agent Lupis and the Purifiers, but is desperately seeking to unlock his past. He's found out he used to be former Special Forces in the Federation government, and served in the former war-hero-turned-traitor Rex Sardolemuel's army. He's fascinated by Rex's life, and wants to find out Rex's motivations for turning traitor, as well as who he himself is and why he's mutated. Currently searching for Torment's Cataract.
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Welcome in, yeswonderful :)
Name: Axel Whent
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Species: Rat
Occupation: Computer technician
Appearance: White fur, tall and lanky. Augmented arms (that don't give extra strength) and eyes. Scarring near his eyes and nose.
Weapons: Whatever he can get his hands on, not exactly an expert.
Biography: After being in a car crash when he was 17, he lost his arms and eyes and had to have them replaced with augmentations. Skilled at working with electricals, and would sometimes help Soren with his work on augments. After helping to rescue Lily, she and Axel live together as an unmarried couple. Now trying to help Vergil find Torment's Cataract.
Name: Triste Aceyl
Gender: Female
Age: 34
Species: Spider Gecko
Occupation: Agent for the Ivitz Federation
Appearance: Short, just over four foot. Slender. Light green skin, with a red, diagonal stripe across her face. Long, slightly spindly limbs.
Weapons: Proficient with guns and hand-to-hand combat, but normally relies on the use of a curved tactical knife.
Bio: Trained as a soldier in the Ivitz Federation from a young age, Triste was brought up to believe that the Federation came first, always. Augmented with the ability to bend light around her body and turn invisible, she's also had an implant in her brain which gives her the ability to communicate with and access the data of the entire Ivitz Federation's defense network. Now one of the top agents, she's been sent to out into Corona to track down Vergil, to help find Torment's Cataract.
Name: Rio Chato
Gender: Male
Age: 12
Species: Human
Occupation: Drug runner, thief
Appearance: Thin, short, looks young for his age. Shoulder length black hair, tanned skin.
Bio: After running away from his abusive parents, Rio spent his time growing up on the streets of the slums. With his natural agility and skill in free running, at the age of 10 Rio was noticed and offered work by a local drug lord who called himself Slate. In exchange for food and shelter, he would transport Slate's product across the slums, using his outward appearance as a natural disguise to evade detection. After trying to steal money from the Chinese mafia, Rio was forced to leave the slums and hid with Axel and Lily, eventually joining Emilena's gang.
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Name: Ruozheng "Rory" Zhao
Age: 31
Species: Human
Augmentations (Cybernetic): Class 3 augments for both arms. Right arm contains built-in 5.56 mm automatic rifle, left arm contains short vibroblade capable of shearing through steel and concrete. Both arms possess strength and flexibility in excess of Human baseline. Skeleton is not reinforced so arms cannot be used to full capacity in lifting or striking.
Augmentions (Genetic): None
Bio: His parents were "Mountain Masters" (Dragon Head, i.e. crime boss) of the Bak Long (White Dragon) Triadsóa powerful Chinese criminal syndicate in the city of Lanthae. His parents wanted him to have a normal life ó and get a college education he could further use to help the White Dragon Triads. He never had much of a taste for school and spent his youth cutting class, fighting, commmitting petty crimes and doing ó or dealing ó drugs. He is eventually expelled from school after attacking another student. Drifting between menial labor jobs, he is eventually sentenced to prison for fatally shooting someone in a street fight. Even though he is guilty, his parents bribe the judge to rule it a justified self-defense shooting.
He is released and his parents eventually decided to formally induct him into the White Dragon Triads as a 49er (rank-and-file member). He got augmented after a group of Augment street thugs beat him into a coma in the process of robbing him as he felt it would be necessary to ensure his safety.
He rises through the ranks and eventually becomes a "Red Pole" (enforcer) where he specializes in black marketeering ó specifically in drugs and counterfeit electronics.
After Lanthae's destruction, the Bak Long Triads relocate their operations in Corona where they have now added working as mercenaries for corporate interests in addition to drugs and counterfeit electronics.
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Name: Doctor Tsing "Thomas" Jiang
Age: 44
Species: Human
Augmentations (cybernetic): total ocular replacements that grant him zoom-in capability and ability to see outside normal Human visual range (UV and infrared). Both hands are class 1 augments with fingers capable of changing size and becoming magnetized at will. Processors in the hands eliminate hand tremors.
Augmentations (genetic): More efficient detoxification pathways in liver and kidneys, resulting in heightened resistance to drugs and poisons.
Bio: Born to a wealthy Chinese immigrant family who had a stake in Tsun Wan Industrial Electronics ó a Chinese electronics megacorporation, he had the best education available. He graduated high school and college with the highest honors possible. He eventually earned his Ph.D in neuroscience with his thesis on brain-machine interface for remotely controlling vehicles. He then went to medical school where he earned his Cy.D (Doctor of Cybernetics, licensing him to implant, remove and repair cybernetics).
However, he operated in Palladia and was not authorized to implant class 3 augments. One day, his greed and curiosity overtook him and he agreed to implant a class 3 arm for three million creds. As was the law, he told the augmentee to come back after twenty-four hours and then schedule an appointment.
The next day, he was shocked to find several cops waiting for him at his office. It turns out he had gotten caught by a sting operation to find and shut down illegal implanters of augments. Facing several years in jail, he forfeits his entire operation and license to the Palladia PD in exchange for a jail sentence.
He then flees to Lanthae where he opens a back alley augmentation clinic. Despite it being called a "back alley clinic", it is just as clean and professional as a legit augmentation clinic. However, unlike a legit clinic, he doesn't care if the augmentee is licensed to possess an augment before he implants it ó or for that matter, if the augmentee legitimately obtained the augment.
Upon Lanthae's destruction, he fled the city to whereabouts unknown. However, it is rumored that he found work for a less than reputable company as their in-house cyberneticist.
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Name: Muyee "Marion" Wu
Age: 38
Species: Human
Augmentations (Cybernetic): cermet lacing on bones rendering them nearly unbreakable, class 3 augments for both arms (left arm: modular weapons hardpoint; right arm: plasma cutter hidden inside forearm; both limbs are superhumanly strong), class 2 augments for both legs (superhumanly strong, can reconfigure into a "hoof" for fast running, retractable grappling claws/cutting spurs on the feet)
Augmentions (Genetic): None
Bio: Her parents (both of them former military) immigrated from Shanghai when she was child. She was an average student through high school and college. She eventually earned a Master's degree in mechanical engineering and she briefly worked at Shockley Electronic Works, a small augment repair shop in the edges of Corona. One day, while she was on her lunch break, some unknown suspects bombed the store, killing all six employees inside. The damage was so severe that the owner could not afford to replace all the losses. Desperate, she worked several menial labor jobs ranging from janitor to stevedore at the docks.
One night, while unloading cargo at the Corona Port, one of her co-workers (who was slightly tipsy at the time) begins flirting with her. Refusing to take "no" for an answer ó and fueled a few too many beers ó the worker eventually gets quite aggressive. In desperation, she takes a swipe at him. Unfortunately for the man, she is wearing a powered exoskeleton intended for moving very heavy loads. The blow connects with his head, crushing his skull and instantly killing him. Horrifed, she calls the police.
Even though it is ruled a justified act of self-defense and she is cleared of all charges, she loses her job at dockyards (no one wants to work with someone who just killed their coworker). She eventually finds a job teaching a vocational training program at a local college.
After a few years as an instructor, she is approached by some recruiters from Zaloga Cybernetics and offered a job as a quality control technician at one of their factories. Attracted by the job, she agrees to an interview.
She gets the job and is quite happy with it. A year into her job, a tragedy occurs. Unbeknownst to her, she attracted the attention of Serami Heavy Industries ó in a bad way. A small strike team is dispatched to take her out and they plant a bomb in her car.
When she starts up the motor, the bomb detonates. She manages to survive but loses all her limbs, the majority of her bones are broken and she is severely disfigured by the burns. She opts for cybernetic limbs instead of vat grown limbs from her own cells.
At the hospital, surgeons and cyberneticists quickly work to repair the damage sustained from the bomb. Her bones are repaired and strengthened via an injection of nanomachines. Her limbs are replaced with basic class 1 augments. Cosmetic surgery manages to repair the most severe burns but it is not perfect; despite being in her early 30s, she looks like someone in their mid 50s.
After several months of physical rehabilitation, she returns to work as a show of defiance. Later, her boss tells her about a lucrative promotion in the company ó corporate security trooper. The pay is nearly quadruple that of her current job. Enticed, she accepts.
The next year involves licensing for class 3 and class 2 augments, classroom time, training and live fire exercises. At the end of it, she becomes a member of Zaloga Cybernetics's Company Security Squad.
As of now, she has served with the squad for three years.
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Name: Soren Almaya
Age: 35
Species: Human
Augmentations: None
Appearance: Medium build. Brown eyes, black hair, tan skin, almost always dresses casually.
Biography: A cyberneticist by day, but an avid tinkerer by night. He makes his living repairing and modifying external augmentations like artificial limbs. Ironically, despite being so intimately familiar with augments, he refuses to get one himself as he is afraid of surgery.
He had heard of "The Purifiers" before, but he dismissed them as obnoxious cranks. That all changed when his workshop was looted and everything in it destroyed. He immediately knew who was guilty thanks to the cracked gear emblem scrawled on the wall.
Having served a vital role in the destruction of the Purifiers, he lost everything he had with Lanthae's destruction. Upon moving to Corona with his new roommates Rose, Marie and Marita, he opened an augment repair shop in the shared apartment.
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Name: Aaron Geasbrecht
Age: 41
Species: German Shepherd
Augmentations: None
Appearance: A tall and very solidly built German Shepherd. He has brown eyes and tan fur. Almost always dresses in flannel and blue jeans.
Biography: A former construction worker who had his job replaced by an augmented person. Despite protests, he was let go. It was this moment that he felt resentment towards the augmented, feeling that they were taking jobs from honest, hardworking unaugmented beings. What finally drove him over the edge was that his own son had announced that he was going for augmentation surgery. Fuming, he severed all ties with him. Later that night, he read an article about a anti-augmentation protest by "The Purifiers". This eventually leads him into the ranks of this organization.
When he was with the Purifiers, he served mainly as a low-lever operative. His claim to fame was when he partnered with Marcus and raided Pelvanida Cybernetics for the parts required for the powerful EMP bomb that the Purifiers detonated in Lanthae. He escaped Lanthae's destruction but was later lynched by a group of irate Pelvanida employees. The suspects were never brought to justice.
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What a weekend this has been. Getting this up much later than expected. Just some basic information. I prefer to create and reveal more in-story, as it feels more organic to me, so this is just a basic description.
Name: Kaien
Species: human female
Appearance: In her mid to late 30s. Tall and slender with skin the color of roasted coffee beans. Quick, dark eyes and close-cropped black hair. Strong build. Augmented left hand, arm, shoulder, and left side of pectoral girdle. Class of augmentation currently unknown--will be revealed as the RP progresses.
Background: Unknown at the present time. Will be revealed as the RP progresses.
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Name:Marita Jones
Age ; 25
Species; Great Dane
Augments none
Bio: a stellar student in school, Marita gradates at the top of her class and majors in computers and technology.. got hooked on the extremely addictive drug biproxytol in her teens years and was forced to become a computer hacker to raise enough money to support her habit. through hard effort and willpower she manages to kick her addiction and lived a quiet life in Lanthae until a officer named Emilena blackmailed her into assisting her by holding evidence of her former girlfriend Roses addiction over her. Marita managed to get rose out of the seedy strip club, the Black sheep, just before it was burned to the ground. Together with m\Marie Roses co-worker, and allied with Soren Vergil Tony and a number of others, they managed to survive the Purifer onslaught-- barely. currently living with marie and Rose alone with Anne and soren in a apartment.
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Did you get my PM yeswonderful?
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It would be interesting if the group ended up getting caught in a fight between Judaken's security forces and another company's troops.
Also, can we have the mining corporations cause some trouble for the group in Bolivia?
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Anyways, I'm guessing even after getting all the waypoints, there's more to deal with.
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I'm not sure about another company's troops, but we'll definitely run foul of Judaken's security at Voltaic. Though throwing in someone else might be interesting too.
As for the mining conglomerates, I was tossing it around, but figured we'd had enough action sequences in Bolivia for one locale. :p Still, if the group is up for it, I could throw something in.
As for the waypoints, we aren't even gonna get all the way through them before a major plot twist is going to occur, and throw our search on its head, heheh.
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so is emilena and her group helping, or not? because her coming face to face with some of the old gang from the first rp sounds very interesting, at least to me. looking forward to the next waypoint. i'm picturing something like out of sealab or johnny quest the 90s series.
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^ It's going to be an underwater adventure, that's for sure.
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I wouldn't mind staying in Bolivia longer. I like the tropical locale.
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I wouldn't mind staying for longer if you guys want it :yes
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I'm just afraid it'll screw with the pacing, though of course, us getting captured might be a way to bring yeswonderful's character back in, provided she's still interested in doing so. :p Haven't seen her online lately.
Oh, and Serris, does Rory have any rivals in the Triads back in China? I'm kicking around a plot point for much later on in the story.
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In Hong Kong, yeah.
He's got a lot of them.
And right now, he's trying to buddy up to one of the megacorps (hence the mention of his 49ers sabotaging one of Zaloga Cybernetics's manufacturing plants). So Zaloga Cybernetics might want to have a few "words" with him amd his crew.
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All right, good. I intend to use that later.
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Anyone have any objections to a time-jump?
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Nope, I'm good with that. Just a heads up, probably won't be posting until tomorrow.
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Should let the Don's and Soren's phone call happen, but then nope.
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Yep, yep, gotta play out a few things first, so never mind on the time skip for the moment, but we will when the arc is concluded.
Have to give you props, Serris, you did something I didn't think anyone else would think of, so that'll actually reveal something much sooner than I intended, but that's OK! I can work with it!
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so tony somehow survived the fall and will rejoin the others at some point.. that will be quite a shock i'd wager.
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A survival of a fall from that altitude is not unprecedented, for what it's worth. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Murray_%28skydiver%29)
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I can assure you there's a more probable explanation for his survival, but that's crazy insane all the same.
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Time jump has occurred! A brief one before another one is in order I think.
Also Serris, feel free to continue Marion's plot; I won't time jump that until you're ready.
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I'm really sad because I wish I'd made Foley a lizard. He could do push-ups whenever he wanted to assert authority or win an argument, would be so awesome.
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Maybe he really is a lizard, but he's just wearing a human suit because in the lizard community working on computers brings terrible shame to your family.
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Okay, so what's the plan for everyone's characters on Voltaic Station?
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my plan for my characters is to regroup and try and find out who tried to kill them..
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bushwacked, for your next post you can have Emilena scream and cry and do whatever expressions of pain you feel like for the duration of the stitching.
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If anyone wants to make actual things happen on Voltaic, I'm drawing a blank. I'm not sure how dedicated Vergil is to actually finding the others or whether the others are looking for Vergil or an escape somehow.
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thety are looking for Vergil and Trieste AND an escape route. And wjen they do find them, The others are going to realize that Vergil and Trieste have been searching for the marker on their own, and Marie is going to give them hell for not trusting them and bringing them along for no purpose.
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Great so does anyone have ideas for crap that could actually happen between then and now? Events, puzzles, circumstances, encounters, tribulations, odysseys, quandaries, occurrences, calamities, predicaments, mishaps, developments, situations, incidents, misfortunes, conundrums, or happenstances?
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Well I'm thinking they get out the walkway, and are able to locate Vergil's location using the app on Sorens phone. as for incidents, they'll have to evade a group of guards as a the unconscious and dead bodies in the laundry room have been discovered and an alarm has been sounded. 'i'm guessing one by one, the areas of the hotel are locked down for security purposes and all the guests are told to return to thier rooms. this will heighten up the tension, as that will give our group only minutes to find Vergil and Trieste and escape before every part of the hotel is sealed off and locked down.
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They aren't in a ship, they're in a hotel - but I can work with those ideas for sure :) The alarm could also help tip Vergil and Triste off that something could have happened with the rest of the group, making them regroup quicker.
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Please watch the metagaming though, Nick. Your characters are being amazingly omniscient for people with NO psychic powers whatsoever. Far more likely they'd be assuming something had happened to Vergil and Triste rather than they struck out on their own. Just sayin'. "A thought that she had been pondering for a bit" explains absolutely nothing. Where did this thought originate? Why is it her current line of thinking? That's pretty dangerously close to metagaming there. You didn't really explain it at all except it's just some random thought she had.
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my apologies Pterano. Edited out the offending paragraphs..made it much more realistiic. they think they are simply enjoying themselves and simply havent touched base with them.
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It's OK Nick.
All right everyone, I'm going on a road trip until the 30th. See you all then! I'm just going to assume Vergil's heading to his cabin on the Bremen II and residing there until I get back. I'll move the RP forward once I return!
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Hey everyone, could we keep a sort of "one post per day minimum", or strive for that? This RP has been really really slow recently, and I think we're all suffering fatigue from this very long Voltaic arc. We're VERY close to reaching Corona and getting to do some new plot lines, and I really want to reach those! Even with Pterano gone, we can still follow some sidequests in Corona, I know most of us have those planned.
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alright LBT. i'll go post.
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I'll make a post a bit later tonight.
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I'll go post.
The Voltaic arc just burnt me out.
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Well unless anybody objects, I'll do the timeskip now.
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Sure Pterano. Also i'm headed to NY for the weekend guys. I'll be back Monday.
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Please.
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All right well I'll take that as a yes, since I doubt Bushwacked and Serris are going to say no.
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You can jump ahead now Pterano, As I'll be out of town the next couple days. i'll catch up on things when I get back. Have a nice weekend everybody!
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Have a good time, Nick!
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Is there any chance we could all post a bit faster? Right now we're averaging collectively one post a day. That's not one post from each of us, but literally a single post from just one of us.
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i';llpost, but right now my girls are just getting ready for when lily and axel get to the apartment. so they'll miss the action.
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Sorry, I'll try and pick it up. Just been getting swamped under with work.
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Post Is up from me. Once Lily is safely inside the apartment, tyhe girls will call Axel and Soren and let them know they can come back to the apartment.
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Hmm. I see a way Rory Zhao and Thomas Jiang can get involved in this.
Perhaps our protagonists can see if they're willing to gve some information.
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That'd be great. Any way to give Soren's group something to do.
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Hey guys. Just letting you know I;m heading out today for my Thankgiving trip to Georgia. I will be back early next week. I hope all of you have a happy holiday and my rps will be put on hold until I come back.
Nick
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Just a heads up to y'all that I'm going to take a short break from my RPs because I don't feel too good.
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alright serris. thanks for the heads up. hopefully you'll be better by Christmas.
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Happy New Year!
Its your turn to post Pterano.
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So I'm debating about whether or not to time jump to the next serious spot. I don't see the point since I'm not really gonna be around this coming week. I have a hiring fam to go to and that's really gonna be taking up all my time. So shall we suspend things for a week? I'd be back late Friday night, but I'm going to a con on Saturday so I might not REALLY be ready to roll until that Sunday after. Of course I COULD get some posts in at the airport I'm sure if they have wifi. I have to apologize in advance for my absence, but this hiring fam is extremely important and if I pass it I'll pretty much have my dream job. :yes
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I wouldn't mind. Got a mountain load of work to do at the moment. I could still post when I could but couldn't guarantee that it'd be once a day. If everyone else wants to keep going that'd be fine, but yeah until tuesday I might be quite slow :p
Also, good luck with the hiring fam :)
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i'm fine with holding off for a week pterano. good job with your hiring fam ! Hope you get the job!
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We can have a time skip in real time!
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Yay!
Can I join in, maybe?
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Would you be hoping to take over your old characters or roll up new ones? Cause Nicks been playing Kojurro and I've been playing Adrian, and they're barely even the same characters as you remember after all the development and plot progression.
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You might need to wait a bit for Pterano to consider it.
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Nick and I have talked and we're both willing to pass Adrian and Kojurro back to you. I can explain where they are via PM if you want
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I'm fine with you rejoining us, though you will be monitored. Provided you can keep everything civil and follow the rules, I don't see an issue with you rejoining.
However, this RP will probably be slightly inactive in the coming week, just because I'm going to be away and can't move the plot massively forward in that time. I will TRY and post at night but I make no guarantees on that. I'll be back Friday but am going to a con on Saturday so might not really be posting till late Saturday/Sunday at this rate.
So yeah if you want to reintroduce yourself we could do that BEFORE time jumping. This way you're caught up before we leap ahead to the next big thing.
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So I think I'll move us ahead to Egypt, since I see no real reason to stick around in our current spot.
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thats fine. I'm ready to move ahead.
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Do the characters have their weapons on them?
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In the bags, yes.
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Alrighty, can someone shoot me a quick summary? I'm interested in finding out what's gone on so that I can work up a new character!
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In the last roleplay, Lanthae was destroyed by a flock of space warships that effectively ended the Augments vs. Purifiers fight with neither side winning. The surviving characters migrated to the next door town of Corona and lived lives for 6 months.
Second roleplay started when Vergil (a psionic gecko and Pterano's main character) summoned the characters to join his team and travel the globe searching for 'waypoints', secret radio things that, if all of them are accessed, tell the user how to find some giant hidden ship called the Cataract that is super badass. The commander of the space warships, Kalis, is a powerthirsty space warlord and Vergil's former leader and both want the Cataract for themselves so they can destroy the other.
Having located all but two of the waypoints, Vergil's team is now sailing down the river Nile of Egypt about to assault a power plant or something because it has the next waypoint. Vergil's team currently has:
Triste: A mysterious gecko who knows Vergil from the past and is super secretive
Soren: Scientist augment-constructing guy
Emilena: Leads a small gang of drug runners. The only two who joined Vergil's team are Flora (a futa fuchsia folf) and Rio (an underage pickpocket)
Marita, Rose and Marie: lesbian hacker, stripper, and card dealer respectively
Tony: Son of a mafia don, Tony fell to his death and got better
Anne: A cybernetic unicorn who does drugs
Axel: Lily's husband. Lily is no longer on the team after Vergil fired her for disorderly conduct
Kojurro: Who lived in the Lanthae forest for 6 months and went native.
Adrian was a member of Emilena's drug-running gang but he was separated from them in South Africa and nobody has seen him since. Nobody is playing him if you want him back.
There's a subplot where a superspy named Marion is working for a shadowy corporate guy named Mace who has assigned her to keep an eye on Vergil's team. Anyone who feels like correcting or adding onto this summary, please do so.
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Vergil doesn't want to destroy Kalis, he actually wants to find out more about him, and why he rebelled against the Federation in the first place, as well as learn about the leader of the rebellion who's now dead, Rex, as he suspects he served under Rex in the past. He knows Kalis used to be a hero, and if possible, he wants to help him if he can.
Mace is Rex's brother, and CEO of Zaloga Corporation, one of the four huge weapons manufacturers in Corona. The ship itself is called Devastation's Inception, and it's located in a place called Torment's Cataract, which we'll find out why when we get there.
Kalis isn't technically space, he just has an air fleet that was meant for space travel but was never used as such due to first the Scorched Earth War and then Rex's Rebellion breaking out, creating a demand for aerial battleships on the planet instead.
But yeah, that's basically it in summary.
Any further questions just ask. :)
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come ooooooonnnnnnnn
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posted lbt. my next post after this will have them reach the medical wing where flora can get a blood transfusion.