A Dance of Light and Dark (Sci-fi/Fantasy War RP)

Rail guns, plasma rifles and plagues - oh my!

A plasma rifle sounds fun, actually. I'm going to give her a laser edged sword too because of course I am.

Yay! Thank you very much Grim :)

• Name: Lt. Francis Horton
• Affiliation: Noire
• Age: 35
• Gender: M
• Role: Soldier
• Appearance: Non-Combat/Officer wear◊, battle form◊
• Personality: Like most Noire soldiers, he believes that freedom, independence and honesty to one's self is the most important thing to a person, even more so than money or status. Unlike other Noire soldiers, he believes that war and conflict is the greatest way to express said freedom and independence and that he basically idolizes the very idea of war as the most glorious and honorable activity Humanity has created. Because of this, his greatest nightmare is for the war to end as it is what drives him and gives him purpose, thus he always seeks to be deployed where the fighting is as its dirtiest and most intense.

Despite his love for war and battle, he doesn't sugarcoat or beautify it unlike the nobility or the more idealistic soldiers; he knows war is pure human cruelty in the grand scale, but he loves it all the more for that since he knows that Humans are just animals with better-developed brains and that it is part of their nature to be belligerent and violent, so he will unhesitatingly use the most effective and efficient means to break and conquer his enemies, no matter how cruel or violent as he believes that victory is where the real honor and glory lies, regardless of the methods used to achieve it.

As for his attitude to other people, he tends to be rather lax, blunt and crass; finding little reason to be polite as honesty rolls of his tongue better than boot-licking or the use of overbearing titles and that respect should be shown to those who deserve it, which he believes most nobles and superior officers to be undeserving of. Heck, he would much rather be called by his given name by others than by his rank or "sir" and generally lets his subordinates do what they want so long as it helps accomplish their unit's objectives. Because of this, his unit has rather low discipline but high effectiveness... As well as having a disproportionately large number of war crimes accusations in relation to size.

• Skills/Attributes:
  • Combat Engineer: Knowledgeable in fieldcraft, demolitions, obstacle removal, bomb and ammunition disposal, mine detection, siegecraft and fortification construction. Is much better at breaking things down than building or repairing them.
  • Hand to hand combat (Experienced): Though not formally trained in swordplay or martial arts, his experiences in battle and his own desire to dive into the chaos of close quarters combat makes him more dangerous than the average soldier in melee.
  • Cyborg: Faster, stronger and harder to kill than normal humans as well as being more than a match against power armored infantry, although he suffers from being vulnerable to EMP and losing the ability to swim as his cybernetics make him too heavy to float. He also eats, sleeps and shits less than regular humans.
  • Tank Pilot (Experienced): Took lessons to learn how to pilot tanks and has participated in several battles behind the controls of one. Quite good at using them but is far from an ace with the things.
  • Seasoned Veteran: A veteran of nearly two decades of battle and mayhem, Francis is so used to the life of a soldier that he has a psychotically casual attitude towards live combat and is rarely surprised by whatever the Blanche military pulls off since he's seen almost all of the Blanchian military's tactical playbook in his long years of service.
  • Hands-off leader: He may be a lieutenant, but he earned that rank from sheer merit and combat skill; not leadership ability. So in that effect, he prefers to give his men the full details of their current engagement and lets them figure out how they'll achieve their objectives. Unlike other officers, he gives his men full credit for successful missions and engagements, though he is equally capable of shifting the entirety of the blame on those whose strategies and tactics failed. In effect, the men under his command are loyal to him and have high morale; but are highly independent, even for Noire standards; making them less disciplined.
• Equipment:
  • Electromagnetic Shield array: An array of six panels that act as ballistic shields for their wearer, safely deflecting most small-arms fire save for anti-materiel rounds or Anti-tank/mech weaponry. While initially designed as a single solid panel to help combat engineers focus on their work by keeping bullets away from them, Francis modified his to act as a multi-directional array that keeps the weak spots in his armor covered and to scare enemy soldiers into thinking that he is invulnerable to bullets.
  • Superheated Machetes: A large machete with a superalloy blade and a built-in plasma battery that super-heats the blade, allowing it to cut through steel and other obstacles. Francis uses this more as a weapon than a tool since killing face-to-face simply doesn't compare to shooting people.
  • Impact Hammer◊: A large brutal-looking tool that was initially meant to replace explosive charges in the arsenal of Noire combat engineers. While it fell short of its audacious goal, it is still highly suitable for light demolitions and as a breaching tool. Francis requested that an axe-blade be added to the back of the hammer just in case the plasma battery runs out.
  • Barklite Arms 9mm SMG◊: A compact and fairly ergonomic SMG that Francis was given as part of his standard-issue gear. Reasonably accurate, rugged and lightweight the BA SMG has gained fair amounts of popularity with both the military and civilian sectors.
  • Demolition packs: Several packs of plastic explosives and accompanying equipment. Not much different from what is being used by 21st century militaries.
• Bio: Though hailing from a family who has served in the Imperial Military for more than a hundred years, Francis' father died way before his time in the field of battle; thus resulting in him growing up in relative poverty. His childhood wasn't fine either, growing rather obese due to a glandular problem and being quite a loner; he became a common target for mockery and bullying. Due to these experiences, Francis resolved to become stronger so as to honor his family name and to get back at those who tormented him. By the time Francis was old enough to enlist in the army, he had garnered a rather unsavory reputation due to his penchant for violence, thuggish behavior and a fiercely competitive streak in manners pertaining to combat or military theory, perfect qualities in a soldier. His instructors had hoped that their training would hone him into a fine warrior... They succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, while propaganda turned him into an adherent to the empire's cause, they failed to get rid of his violent and competitive streak; if anything, the training and indoctrination made it worse and there was more than one instance of him seriously injuring a fellow trainee in training exercises. Despite the signs that they have a burgeoning war criminal in their hands, a family friend in the training camp pulling a few strings and that despite his problems, he was one of the best in his batch, and thus the staff in his camp decided to pass him without much fanfare. After 18 years of service (though there was 3 years of him being rehabilitated into a cyborg after surviving a hover transport crash after it was shot down by a SAM.), Francis is still alive and no less eager for bloodshed and battle since the day he was enlisted, though camaraderie with fellow killers have mellowed out his competitiveness and fanaticism to tolerable levels.

edited 11th Oct '14 9:35:54 AM by Questor

Ok, my sheet is basically done - I might tweak it here and there but I await your approval/critique.

Our darkness is freedom and truth. Pity those it blinds, for they cling to the same light that put out their eyes. – Wilhelm IV du Noire.

The bass is a sexy instrument. – Wilhelm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQFplXS0DIM

• Name: Wilhelm IV du Noire
• Affiliation: Noire
• Age: 19
• Gender: Male
• Role: Prince of Noire
• Appearance: Of average height and deceptively slender, the prince of Noire sets the standard for the gentle, scholarly pretty boys of Noire. His black hair is worn at a youthful medium length, to avoid necessitating hair-gel (put plainly, his hair has so many cowlicks that to cut it short would be to wake up every morning looking like a porcupine). His light blue eyes are warm and inviting, and upon his face sits a nearly perpetual smile of serenity.
  In terms of clothing, he tends towards blacks and dark purples, often trimmed with gold. Cravats (always three layers, no more, no less), puffy sleeves, and high-necked capes also feature prominently, especially for formal functions. Wilhelm also has a favorite silk scarf that he wears on occasion, but more often with purple than black.
• Personality:
  • Public
    Wilhelm understands that, as the prince of Noire, he must inspire confidence in his subjects. As such, Wilhelm does his best to present a firm, assertive persona at public functions. He promotes peace and a moderate stance whenever possible, even when such a stance is unpopular, though he has yet to shy away from a reasonable use of force when called for. While some of his detractors attempt to paint him as naive and unwilling to do what must be done, those who share his views see him as a pragmatic young man, unspoiled by the years of hate and anger of older politicians, asking only sanity and reason of his enemies.

  • Battle
    Wilhelm, as a rule, hates violence. Killing is abhorrent to him, and he will seek any reasonable alternative to avoid such things. However, Wilhelm also realizes that most do not share his reverence for life in this day and age, and as such, battle is unavoidable. Wilhelm is an adherent of a neo-katsujinken philosophy, believing that as a warrior, he has a responsibility to protect those who are not. This has extended into his fighting style, influencing the usual appearance of Lunaris.

  • Outlook
    Wilhelm believes fully in the inherent good of the individual. To him, each identity, even if not necessarily alive, is worthy of protection and choice. His pro-robot stance is at odds with many of the gentry, but this doesn’t daunt him. One day, he hopes to fully integrate them into society. He keeps his cards close to his chest on this issue, however, waiting for the right time to begin his reforms— preferably, with some other powerful figure for the common robot to rally behind, and without his aunt or uncle there to stop him.
    As a result of his emphasis on the individual, Wilhelm is more prone to look at the conflict as a failure to listen, and is more prone to melancholy or sadness than anger when faced with hostility from Blanche; he blames those in power for prolonging the war, rather than the people and the soldiers.
    Even in private, Wilhelm is fiercely loyal to Noire. Freedom is not a luxury, but a basic right, and he will defend it with words and action, if need be.

• Skills and Equipment:
  • Equipment- though different situations call for different equipment, Wilhelm has developed a go-to set of equipment in his training.
    • Lunaris: In battle, Wilhelm typically wields the traditional weapon of the Empire, Lunaris, usually in a form of an uchigatana, though weapons such as rapiers or broadswords are also within his skill-set.
    • Powered Battle-suit: Despite the healing factor granted by his blade, Wilhelm holds no delusions of invincibility, and has thus sought out the best protection available. This
    • K/BM-BCH Heavy Pistol (Kinetic/Ballistic Munitions, Basic Compacting Handheld), "Bolter": As Lunaris has his directed energy blast needs covered with its sword beams, Wilhelm thought it pragmatic to find something kinetic, in case directed energy was rendered ineffective somehow. The "bolter", so named for the loud, metallic report of its firing system, is a heavy pistol firing large caliber rounds and capable of folding for easier storage, designed as a compact anti-armor weapon. Less effective in this than the designers hoped, but brutally effective against standard "soft" targets, the weapon has made a name for itself as a weapon for those preferring power to firing rate.
  • Skills
    • Swordsmanship: Wilhelm is trained to fight effectively with a blade, focusing primarily on two-handed blades (such as the uchigatana form of Lunaris). Forced to wield a sword one-handed, for some reason, Wilhelm prefers lighter rapiers, focusing on speed to keep his opponent off-balance.
    • Marksmanship: Though not trained as a sniper by any means, Wilhelm is a capable ranged combatant. He prefers semi-automatic weapons, favoring the efficiency of a single, deadly shot over a "messy" burst of automatic fire.
    • Boyband Material: The life of a prince can be incredibly dull at times, and stressful at others. Fortunately for Wilhelm, music can alleviate both. Wilhelm has made use of his leisure time to become a skilled dancer, singer, and instrumentalist (violin and—less princely—the bass guitar). While it is unlikely to come for some time, Wilhelm dreams of one day giving a live concert, and while being the front man for a contemporary band is far beyond traditional decorum, once he properly takes the throne, he can do whatever he wishes as monarch. And besides, that sort of thing would do wonders for his dating opportunities, which, as a prince, are sorely limited.
    • Athleticism: Despite his gentle nature, Wilhelm puts a great emphasis on keeping his body in shape. Wilhelm is in good physical condition, even without the boosts provided by Lunaris.
• Bio: Wilhelm, being the only heir to the throne, has been exposed to both great freedom and great restriction. Raised by his father, and later his aunt and uncle, Wilhelm was brought up to believe in the ideals of Noire, and has grown to love his empire and his people. However, Wilhelm also gained his uncle's hot-blooded streak, seeking new diversions or making them himself if he could find none. As such, he attended to his studies no more than necessary, and earned a reputation as something of an unruly scamp among his tutors and governesses. He has mellowed considerably with age, however, and very few not already aware of whom they were speaking to could place the handsome young man he has become as the eager young child who once tore through the halls of the palace.
  Wilhelm began training with a blade only after his blood had cooled, near age ten. Initially refusing to learn a skill that had its only utility in harming others, he only took to his lessons with any fervor after being introduced to the neo-katsujinken philosophy he still adheres to. Though not exactly what his uncle and father had had in mind at the time, it was a sword, and Wilhelm was learning it. Close enough to call it a victory.
  The loss of his father was devastating for Wilhelm, but whereas many expected this to ignite a hatred for Blanche, his people's ancestral enemy, this event, and the subsequent avenging of his father's death by his uncle, only quenched what little fire his upbringing had managed to kindle, for it was here that Wilhelm realized that whatever vengeance was taken, whatever justice exacted, it wouldn't bring the dead back to life. This was the moment that truly solidified him as a proponent of peace, desiring not to have his fate visited upon any others.
  Despite this, he has found himself pressed into war. Not yet able to claim the throne, he is subject to his uncle's wishes, and thus unable to pursue diplomacy on his own. Despite himself, Wilhelm is slowly beginning to resent his uncle, thinking of him as being part of the problem, and half-suspects that giving him a command while he is still young is a subtle attempt to get rid of him, leaving his uncle with the throne permanently. Or at least, until impeached for sending the prince to his death. Though he is aware this idea smacks of paranoia, Wilhelm has learned that power and politics change people, and given his uncle's loyalty to his ideals, it isn't a stretch to assume he'd sacrifice those closest to him for them.

edited 11th Oct '14 6:20:18 AM by Dragon573

@Zia: No probs. She's in.

@Wilhelm: I love him. No homo. Seriously, why are both main characters so...perfect?

Anyway, since we have both main characters now. I'm gonna go ahead and make the DT, so we can talk worldbuilding before the game starts.

I'm finally finished with mine.

...Well, he'll be working under Wilhem. Excellent. Eh, hopefully he isn't a 2d grimderp character. You know how I am with you.

I criticize because I care! Whatever, he's in.

DT thread is up!

Oh don't worry, he won't be the "BLOOD MAIM GORE KILL" type, he'll just be ridiculously cavalier and nonchalant about war crimes and gets quite excited whenever the enemy's around.

Those are Sundowner's shields.

Local Man Is Fucking Invincible

I wanted to do something else, but then I realized that Sundowner is pretty funny and would be cool to write. So yeah.

...That is so awesome.

Bass is the sexiest of instruments... Totally not just saying that because I play bass IRL

• Name: Catalania Nox
• Affiliation: Blanche
• Age: 30
• Gender: Female
• Role: Soldier (Bounty Hunter)
• Appearance: Cat is a tall, well-built woman with pale skin, ink-black hair, sharp feature and purple eyes that glow slightly. In battle she wears a face concealing mask coupled with light armor plating over battle fatigues. Out of combat she wears standard clothing a a pair of sunglasses
• Personality: Cold, calculating and in it for the challenge. Cat serves the side that pays her the most for bounties. While she does quite literally hunt her targets she still retains a certain sense of honor and will happily duel the target one on one if the opportunity presents itself.
• Equipment:
  • Cloaking unit: An experimental piece of tech which alters one's spatial signature just slightly so that visible light passes through them unhindered. Obviously this would also leave one blind
  • Hunter mask: Her mask contains both a re-breather function as well as a special lense that allows her to see in spite of the clocking unit
  • Combi-stick: An extendable spear made out a metal that is both lightweight and durable.
  • Heat thrower: A rifle that fires an energy blast at a target
  • Power cable: A thin wire fired from the wrist which can be used to restrain or trap an opponent
  • Cryo spray: A wrist-mounted spray meant to freeze a target needed for a live bounty for transport
  • Parang: A long hunting knife
• Skills:
  • Tracker: Excellent investigator as well as over the ground tracker, having been trained by her father
  • Melee fighter: Excellent combatant with her spear and knife, has some additional training with one-handed swords
  • Guerrilla: Cat often works by herself with non-traditional and sometimes less than normally effective equipment. As such she is an expert at asymmetrical warfare.
• Bio: Cat is actually from Noire originally. As a girl she lived with her father who taught her most of what she knew (her mother had died some years prior). She took up bounty hunting originally as a way to protect the village from some bandits and make some money while doing so. She had a talent for it and began taking bigger and bigger bounties eventualy leaving her father and everyone she knew behind. Nothing dramatic, they just grew apart and she grew colder until she even began working for Blanche. After all there were Heroes on both sides, both of whom presented a challenge but Blanche paid better and as someone on the fringes of society she held very little patriotism for her homeland.

@Cat: She's in. Watch out for racism, though, you southern barbarian.

@Racism: I'm sorry what did you say? I don't think my spear that has slain dozens of enemies heard you right.

Would Psychos For Hire be allowed?

Hey, Grim! Sorry I haven't posted a sheet yet. I will do so soon enough, probably today even, because I know I'll have time probably. Again, sorry.

EDIT: Okay, here's what I have

• Name: Silas Blackford Jr.
• Affiliation: Noire
• Age: 19
• Gender: Male
• Role: Soldier (Recruit)
• Appearance: A short (5' 7''), lean man, of a mildly athletic build. His hair is short and wild, matted from a general lack of care. He has a pale face, with greyish eyes and an overbite, with a slight goatee on his chin. Outside of combat, he wears simple clothing of muted color. Inside of combat, he wears a tan colored shirt under a brown kevlar combat jacket, brown pants, combat boots, with thick leather bracers and a metal alloy shoulder pad. He prefers to keep armor at a minimum, as he's found it impede's his movement. That, and he figures it looks cool.
• Personality: Silas is a simple individual, with much in the way of moral fiber. He believes deeply in the ideals of his country, and believes that soldiers are the epitome of heroism, strength, loyalty, and bravery. He aspires to be all of these things, and often does his best to set a good example. He comes across as friendly, if not a little naive, and often chooses to make friends rather than enemies. But he isn't stupid, and is often quite down-to-Earth with his mannerisms and viewpoints.
• Skills and Equipment: He carries a small SMG-style automatic weapon, that fires laser bolts. He also carries a small laser revolver, that he only uses as a last resort. Recently, he's obtained a small rocket pack that allows for quick movement and high jumps, but no prolonged flight. As such, he's very nimble on his own.
• Bio: Silas comes from a long line of tough military men, decorated often for their heroics. They were all square jawed, no-nonsense men who took great pride in their heritage. Then came Silas, who, despite his short stature and generally unthreatening appearance, was expected to carry on the traditions of his forefathers, and was told many, MANY stories about his family's past. Said stories instilled in him an aspiration to become just as famous, if not MORE famous, than any of his relatives.

However, it took him a LONG time to attain anything resembling skill. In the end, it would have seemed that he just wasn't cut out for military service. He kept at it, however, determined, and was eventually allowed in. He finally has a chance to continue his families traditions, and is now shooting for the top of the brass.

((Hope this is okay for now, I g2g at the moment))

edited 14th Oct '14 11:00:19 AM by IgnisFuturus

A... Laser revolver?

...I like your style, recruit. You'll be a general some day.

No problems.

Welcome to Bea-. Er, he's in.