Fantasy/Steampunk Adventure Sign-up, Interest Check and Development

So there's this idea I've been toying with for a little while, and although I hope to turn it into an RP soonish, I feel like the setting still lacks some development. So, I figured I might as well ask around a bit before starting.

Let me give you what I've got so far: There are two nations in the known world, with one society centred around magic and the other around steampunk-level technology. Although both nations share a common heritage as ex-colonies of an oppressive empire they overthrew by working together — thus, they used to be quite close — a few centuries have passed and they are now locked in kind of cold war. As tensions brew, both nations' government become increasingly more reactionary, with one side careening towards totalitarianism while the other heads to anarchy. And although both sides claim to not want a fight, both accuse the other of sabotaging the increasingly more fragile truce between them. Prejudice and hate grow within the two nations, rendering them blind to a greater, hidden threat...

Since the overthrowing of the empire centuries ago, both nations have shared a rather long border, and although war and hate brew at the capitols, the border-towns are a different environment entirely. The small towns around, and sometimes on, the border are relatively isolated from their respective capitals, and have been depending on one another for survival practically since their very founding. These people do not see the 'other side', they see their friends and neighbours, and to them, the border only exists on old maps from far-off cities. Some of the more idealistic inhabitants have even purposed a revolutionary, albeit theoretical, merger of magic and tech, an idea that promises to change everything, if only it could gain traction outside of the border towns.

Well, that's the basics of the setting. As for the plot, well, you'd have to form a Gaang, obviously, and then we'd have to get you to either one of the capitols, then... Well, you'll see... ;)

Keep in mind I got some inspiration for this from the Hayao Miyazaki films "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Princess Mononoke", so if you've got ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears.

Some more details, a character sheet, and the rules will be coming soon. For now, any takers?

I think I'd be interested, depending on how this goes in development. No ideas to offer as of yet but I like the general idea.

edited 11th Jun '12 5:01:40 PM by Dblade26

...Would there be magitek involved? Because this kinda interests me, and that would seal the deal, really.

@Moerin: Well, yes and no. There would be "magitek" advocates, but they would be a fairly small group within the already small population of the border cities, hence the purposed merger of magic and tech by some idealists. As for the tech itself, it would have to be theoretical (though I suppose I could allow some semi-functional prototypes) for most of the thread.

Reminds me of Leviathan, which was itself actually based on Miyazaki. I'm totally game, haven't had my Steampunk fix in awhile and I had this idea for a sort of paladin of technology or something in a different RP that never got off the ground. Tech-Priests would have been to this guy as Clerics are to Paladins.

This looks pretty neato. I'm interested.

I love it. Definitely interested.

Adding to watchlist. I'll be following this...

Interest sparked. Minor R Per watching and waiting.

Wow! Awesome! I'm thrilled that so many people are interested! Additional details should be up later today, ideally... In the meantime, any questions?

As promised, more details:

The Magocracy of Circium

One of the two colonies founded by the Old Empire, Circium is a large, temperate, lushly forested island about three days away from the mainland by sailboat. It and its sister-colony share a similar early history, with both beginning as naval outposts, and then later becoming trading posts as the Empire sought to expand its borders across the world. Within fifty years of its founding, however, the inhabitants of the sparsely populated colony noticed that their children had started to show an increased affinity for magic. Wizards and mages were already present in the Empire, but they were few and far between. Now an entire colony's progeny was showing potential. As the centuries passed, every child of Circium showed an affinity for magic, even those born on the mainland, provided they had blood-relatives that were born to Circium. This phenomenon would eventually be attributed to the high quantity of "naturally enchanted" environment present at the colony, though there has yet to be an explanation for how or why so much of Circium's island was enchanted. During the later years of its colony days, the Empire decided that it simply didn't have enough loyal witches and wizards, and so began to "appropriate" the colonists' children, prompting them to join up with their disgruntled counter-part and begin to rebel.

Presently, Circium has grown exponentially since its founding, and after the success Rebellion, its borders covered exactly half of the mainland, as well as its original island. It has also managed to retain its lush natural environment, despite its growth, largely due to the locals' affinity for magic. A deeply pious nation, at its heart, it has evolved a decidedly "traditionalist" culture, having come to view social or political change with suspicion and distrust while trusting the powers-that-be to do what's best for all of them, even if that means giving up some freedoms for the greater good. With the general populace's disdain for "the other side" growing with every reactionary policy, they either refuse to acknowledge, or are too intimidated to speak of, the fact that they are increasingly more suppressed by policies that leave them less and less freedom.

The Republic of Anilix

Annilix was founded on a smaller, hotter, and more rugged island a shorter distance way from the mainland, just a day and a half by boat, but it saw attention and development soon than its magical counter-part. Shortly after the outpost was converted into a trading post, its inhabitants went exploring for something worth trading. It did not take long to discover that the island had an abundance of coal, iron and other such metals and minerals. The Empire rushed to exploit these resources, quickly populating Annilix with "volunteered" settlers and setting everyone to work clearing forests and stripping the land. The work was hard, the pay was low and the environment was quickly ruined. Recognizing a poor deal, Annilix's colonists began to protest, and the Empire responded with force and oppression. Civil strife plagued the land for many years as the Empire struggled to maintain control over its colony. The Empire made its fatal mistake when it began taking children from Circium, however, as the act spurred the previously neutral mages to join the rebellion, giving Annilix the edge it had needed to push the Empire from its island.

Nowadays Annilix is a deeply industrialized society, with steam and clockwork powering an enthusiastically mechanized society. Its island is hot and smoggy, though its mainland territory is a little better. Its borders expand to cover the other half of the mainland, resulting in a very long border with Circium. Caught in the vicious, reactionary cycle as much as its counter-part, Annilix has abolished the notion of any kind of state religion and refuses to acknowledge Circium's as a legitimate theology, going so far as to say that there can be no such thing as a legitimate theology. And, whereas Circium increasingly sheds its freedoms in the name of law, order and the greater good, Annilix values freedom for the sake of having freedom, even when it proves to have negative effects on society. Annilix's government continues to implement policies that shrink its influence more and more and more, to the point where a police force or legal system almost doesn't exist and the military is a large coalition of militias bound only by a personal sense of honour and duty (albeit a strong sense). Annilix's core populace is both galvanized and fascinated by science and scientific progress, with many coming to believe that the only purpose of the state should be to fund new projects, a belief that, in turn, leads people to view Circium as a land of primitive, backwards barbarians.

If you have any questions, just ask. Next up: Border cities' details. Also, the character sheet should pop up soon.

edited 12th Jun '12 3:33:05 PM by Blackfire667

Yeah, I think I'm interested.

ALSO: Rough rate of posting? Shall we be attached to our computers day and night, writing?

edited 12th Jun '12 3:55:59 PM by wikkit

Oh hell yes I'm interested. Is steampunk/magic at all institutionalized? No Mechanists/Hammerites or mage colleges?

I'm definitely interested in this. I already know my character's going to be Circionian (or what ever a person who lives in Circium is called) because I'm biased towards anything with magic.

This shall be fun.

Definitely interested. Everyones human I take it?

Interest now made definite.

• No set rate for posting; post when you can, when you're up to it.
• There are some public schools for basic magic use in Circium; after-all, everyone's magic. Advanced schooling is prohibitively expensive, however, so you're either rich or lucky enough to know someone who is/is a teacher. (I suppose you could also be self-taught, but that would be really hard)
  • Steampunk mechanics can be learned from a variety of sources; trial-and-error self-teaching, since the government doesn't fund public schools, expensive private schools, or by landing an apprenticeship with someone who already knows.
• Everyone's human. No elves, orcs, etc.
  • Seeing as this is partially inspired by "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Princess Mononoke", you can be a talking animal or an elemental spirit or even a clockwork automaton (if you pick this last one, you're very simple minded, seeing as computers aren't steampunk). More details when I write the rules and character sheet.

edited 12th Jun '12 8:49:04 PM by Blackfire667

CHARACTER SHEET. Up next: Border-cities overview, Hierarchy of both nations, and an overview of the Old Empire. Whew! Looks like I won't need developmental help after all!

Name:

Age:

• The Rebellion started 300 years ago and lasted 100 years. Thus, it ended 200 years ago. People who were youths during the Rebellion are now older-adults.
• The colonies were founded 500 years ago. You cannot be older than the colonies!
  • If you are over 350 years old, you're an elderly person and should be a retirement home.
• Persistent Anilixians can live as long as any Circite, though you will have to settle for having some mechanical limbs and/or organs.

Appearance:

Faction/Nation: Border, Circium or Anilix. Selecting "Border" means you don't identify with either group, or possibly equally with both and you might not even be aware that such a deep divide exists. Selecting one of the two others just means you acknowledge your heritage, not necessarily that you share the prejudice. But you can, if you want to. ;)

Experience:

• Be you mage or mechanic, the level of experience you have generally determines how skilled you are.
  • Circium: Novice (little to no schooling or experience), New Caster (Basic schooling complete; this is most of Circium’s population), Caster (a few years of experience and a decent skill level), Sorcerer/Sorceress (Extensive exp. and a formidable skill level), Arch Mage (At least one century under your belt, you are one of the most powerful people in Circium).
  • Anilix: Handy(wo)man (You can work with a few tools and fix a few things; little to no schooling or experience), New Mechanic (You can fix a lot of things, but still have no experience with design; basic schooling complete), Certified Mechanic (You can build things, fix things, design small-ish things and maintain things. Small bridges, for example.) Engineer (More ambitious designs become feasible. Large bridges!), Da Vinci (Bridges? You think too small! STEAMPUNK MONORAIL! – Do note, however, that if your designs fail a Lynching Mob may come after you.)

Specialization:

• You don’t have to pick a specialization if you want to have a “Jack of all Trades” type of character.
• Example: Some Casters choose to specialize in Elemental-Based Magic, learning lots of Fire Spells. Some Mechanics choose to focus on building Automatons, while others might be more interested in say, steam-based power plants.

Personality:

Bio/A Brief History of You:

• THERE ARE ONLY TWO ARCH MAGE SPOTS AVAILABLE. FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED.
• You can make a non-human character, but if you make a something-else someone, you MUST create a human counter-part for them.
  • Clockwork Automatons are generally very strong, and generally very loyal. They are also fairly stupid. The complexity of your Automaton’s behaviour depends on the skill level of whoever built it, but regardless, they cannot surpass the intelligence of, say, the typical dog.
• The more skilled your Mechanic, the more pressure is put on them when they announce their latest project to ask for funding, which is generally how they make a living. Engineers and Da Vinci’s risk being killed by angry mobs when they fail, whereas others risk their workshops being looted, depending on how high peoples’ hopes were.
  • This does not apply at the Border, but there is little to no money to be made from the people there…
• Being among the Circite academic elite grants you slightly more freedom to do and say what you please. Don't abuse this privilege, however, as the law will still take you down for a serious transgression.
• You can be a Congress(wo)man in Anilix, but Congress is small, the government holds little power, and elections are rare.
• Necromancing and "pulling a Dr. Frankenstein" are both illegal in both nations. The police hunt you down in Circium, and torch-bearing mobs happen in Anilix.

edited 12th Jun '12 10:02:34 PM by Blackfire667

BAM, SCIENCE KNIGHT, THERE WE GO.

• Name: Sir Ferrus Attrappus
• Age: 28
• Appearance: Ferrus is as of yet untouched by age; his round, ruddy face is full of youthful energy and he's always grinning. He wears darker greens and black overalls when he's out of his armor, but his armor itself is kept at a gleaming sheen. The armor has steam cylinders on the arms and legs, as well as massive venting pipes on the back; the armor can be "switched" on and off, giving him enhanced strength when activated. His creations favor form over function, but don't have many exposed bits or pieces.
• Faction/Nation: Anilix
• Experience: Certified Mechanic
• Specialization: Gadgetry/Weapons
• Personality: Sir Ferrus Atrappus is like Don Quixote if Quixote actually possessed murderous capabilities. Ferrus unshakably believes in himself and the Anilixian dream of freedom and advancement for all! You say brainwashed, I say devoted.
• Bio/A Brief History of You: Ferrus was always disappointed with how the Mechanics of Anilix were public servants in more indirect ways. A loyal and focused Mechanic like any patriotic Anilixian, Ferrus was raised not only on mechanical instruction books, but on tales of epic knights triumphing over evil wizards! Realizing that this was really how he could help the world, Ferrus knew what he was going to do with his Mechanical training: kick ass. He fashioned himself a suit of powered armor, trained himself to a physical height, and created a special sword and shield. The sword's tip was, in fact, a grappling hook, and the shield could expand and contract with the tap of a button; in a pinch, he even rode around on the shield like some kind of... board. For surfing. He quickly gained renown as a sort of mechanic vigilante knight, fixing both broken machinery and morality. Knowing the war is brewing between Anilix and Circium, Ferrus set out for the Border, determined to pass into Circium and fight their government on their own turf; maybe start a rebellion or twelve while he was at it.

If there is anything I need to fix, feel free to let me know!

• Name: Erik Yggdrasil
• Age: 312
• Appearance: "I was never concerned for myself and... I don't think I ever will be."◊
• Faction/Nation: Circium
• Experience: Arch Mage
• Specialization: Study of Effects of Magic on the Body/Betterment of Life
• Personality: Erik is a kind and generous soul who hides his pain behind a happy smile. He doesn't want to burden others with his problems because they're, well, his problems and no one elses. He's extremely modest in his accomplishments and doesn't want to take credit for anything he does. Erik does what he does because it makes him happy, and that's the only thing that makes him happy. The young boy has an innate fear of the end and when the topic of death comes up, he gets uneasy and begins to shake. Everyone has a terrible fear, and Erik's is as clear as day.
• Bio: Erik, ever since he was small, wanted to help others. He lost his parents at a young age and was raised by relatives he never grew close to. The only thing that made him feel of any worth was that he always helped people. It started out as a simply accompanying them, being there for them. It soon turned into sticking his neck out for others. Afterward, he was endangering himself needlessly. It became an obsession. He was dangerously single-minded for a human being. He knew nothing of fear, joy, love, hatred, he only lived for one purpose. He soon realized that, in the end, he wouldn't be there anymore. He could and would die. The only reason he feared the end was because he wouldn't be able to help people. This is what sparked his manic research. He read and studied. He had to do something to stop the inevitable. He spent hours in his room, day in and out, trying to find a way to stop it. Through medicine, through magic, anything at all! He wanted to live to be of use, he didn't want to vanish from the world.

• Erik remembered everything he read. He practiced and practiced with little sleep. He was a prodigy, as if he was born to do this. He developed a solution to his aging problem by literally 'freezing' his body in the current flow of time. It was extremely consequential and he lost his notes, but he managed to halt his own aging. Using this amazing revelation as a spring-board, he continued to analyze the effects of magic on the human body. He developed medicines, vaccines, everything he could to help people that needed it. As the years passed and he gained experience, he eventually learned of the hell he bestowed upon himself. With the fear of the end lingering over his shoulder, he thrust himself into his ambitions once again so he wouldn't have to admit defeat mankind's greatest enemy. Death.

edited 13th Jun '12 2:58:10 AM by RagnaTheSaviour

• Name: Ciara Acheron
• Age: 357
• Appearance: "You have five minutes to explain yourself."
• Faction/Nation: Circium
• Experience: Arch Mage
• Specialization: 'The Creation and Destruction of Life'. In effect? Combat abilities (generally sticking to small-scale stuff affecting her sword) and a constant, driven research into creating a living organism from nothing. Doesn't include necromancy.
• Personality: Quite a bleak person, really: Ciara's attitude syncs with the oppressiveness of Circium oddly well. Ever since she's been young, the white-haired girl has been sickeningly aware of how easy it would be to give in to her more immoral ideas; how much fun it would be to just... let go and indulge everything always forbidden.
  So she falls back on the law: keep to externally and internally imposed guidelines and she'll never fall pray to them... she hopes. They're still so... frustrating, though. Actually admires the other side for some of their achievements... but abhors their way of life due to how rapidly it would erode at her conscience.
• Bio/A Brief History of You: Ciara's parents were... absent-minded and far from the best. She spent a lot of her childhood just... wandering places where she shouldn't; seeing things no child should see. And picking fights: combat is the entire basis of her later magical ability; by the time Ciara reached adulthood and realised just how many things she'd done and nearly done she was rather... good about winning fights.
  She joined law enforcement, for a time. It was easy work as far as she was concerned but... still. It was just taking life, constantly removing it. So she quit and threw herself into trying to MAKE it, something she's never succeeded in on the scale she wants: full sapience, full autonomy. Along the way, her knowledge got to the point where killing the ageing process dead (reversing it came later) was pretty much a requirement.
  Lately, she's been feeling... confined by her own regulations. She's sure the answer could be found in the still living and just deceased... but murder and necromancy are just wrong. She needs some EXCUSE...

edited 13th Jun '12 3:47:32 AM by RainehDaze

Name: Niel Sirsbin

Age: 17

Appearance: Niel wears a simple gray shirt with a runic design on it (because Niel thinks it looks cool; it doesn't do anything, though) as well as brown-colored shorts. His hair is brown colored and somewhat long and curly.

Faction/Nation: Circium

Experience: New Caster

Specialization: Wind Magic

Personality: Niel is generally friendly, lest you get on his bad side, but he does have an intense inferiority complex due to learning the basics of magic later than everyone else.

Bio/A Brief History of You: For Niel, it was hard to grasp the basics of magic until he was late into his teens, and even then, he's only good at very basic spells and wind magic. He lives in a normal house with his parents, who are somewhere around 80-100 years old. Niel is determined to do the best he can at magic and prove himself as a true magician, and so he usually gets himself stuck in dangerous situations that he is not prepared for.

edited 13th Jun '12 4:21:40 AM by Collen

Errrg, whatever, nevermind.

edited 13th Jun '12 8:00:37 PM by wikkit

Ah, I forgot something important! I was going to note this when writing the Government/Hierarchy Details, but the Arch Mages form the dictatorship oligarchy of Circium; thus, they are the ones passing all the increasingly restrictive laws, and would be holed up in the capitol for most of the time. I suspect they'd be a little more jaded/cynical/world-weary, but that's more of a suggestion.

Also, be advised, reversing the aging process is all well and good, but your maximum lifespan is still 400 years, regardless of your body's state. And if you're approaching the 300 years mark, or are past it, in your case, Raineh, you might not actually be old, but oftentimes, you will feel old.

P.S: There are three Arch Mages, one for me and... Well, the other two are taken. :P You'll meet #3 in a bit.

Look at Ciara's attitudes to law. I'd say that sort of description fits.

The point is that they've managed to avoid physical degradation, which gets in the way of more active stuff. Don't think this roleplay's going to last fifty years. =P