Relics of Atlantis: An Ocean Punk Fantasy RP (interest check/signup)

Is Neri accepted?

Oh, whoops, I thought it was still a work in progress.

I'd like a little bit more of a physical description besides her clothing and her hair/eye color. Other than that though, Neressa is Accepted!

Name: Altansarnai Bilguun. (Prefers Altan, since her first name is such a tongue twister)

Race: Human.

Appearance: This, though generally she wears clothes more like this.

Position: Merchant and face.

Personality: Very cheery and chatty, even in a fight, and seems to be everyone's friend. This hides her hidden depths; she's very cunning, and can haggle with the best of them. When fighting, she goes straight for the weak spots on someone's body - crotch, stomach, neck, etc. Still, she tries to keep the crew in high spirits, and is optimistic almost to a fault.

History: Altan comes from the Jade Empire, and despises it heartily. Why, she won't say - other than that it involved her parents and a boy. She fled the place when she was 16, boarding a ship to the colonies, then puttering around there for a while as a seller of odds and ends (and occasional ring fighter) before becoming a pirate and joining up with the crew. She gets on well enough with merfolk, but mention Tethys around her and she'll go from your best friend to stonefaced and colder than the arse end of the ocean in two seconds. She's the source of a fair few rumors in the colonies because of this.

Artifacts: A pair of orichalcum knuckles, dubbed Khagalakh by her. She found them washed up on a beach the day she left the Jade Empire, and after washing the sand off, she's used them ever since. They first proved their worth when an angry drunk decided to shove her out of the way of the boat that would take her to the island colonies. She shoved back and ended up breaking one of his ribs, since she had the knuckles on. That's when they earned their name. As she found out later from an expert on merfolk technology in the colonies, the knuckles lent her blows extra strength while acting as a shield so that she didn't break her own hands from the force of the blow.

Equipment: Other than Khagalakh, not much. Various bills and coins from each of the three human nations, plus some merfolk currency just in case. A large sack of interesting odds and ends that she collects and may be able to sell.

Miscellaneous: Will occasionally speak in some odd, hacking language when flustered or angry.

First off, this is a really interesting character, so Altan is Accepted!

Second off, "Jade Empire" sounds a lot better than "Jade Country", so I'm gonna call it that from now on. For the record, the term for a person from the Jade Empire is "Jadelander".

• Name: Toby.

• Race: Human, appears Tyrian but raised Bellenican.

• Appearance: Standing only five feet tall and being scrawny, Toby is small, though athletically fit. He has pale skin, blonde hair, and bright sapphire eyes. Toby cares little about what he's wearing other than it being non-hindering, so usually he just wears whatever shirt was available to be ditched as soon as he goes into water, and a small pair of brown shorts.

• Position: Scout and scavenger.

• Personality: Toby is outgoing and joyful, and usually quick to express his opinion on the current scenario and/or the current state of the water. Toby loves the water, and perpetually seeks new thrills and wondrous sights via his artifacts. Toby does not consider himself a fighter, and will generally seek to disable or evade any opponent rather than kill them; preferably in the most humorous and/or embarrassing manner possible.

• History: Toby was raised by his single Bellenican mother, whom he looks nothing like; he never knew his father, the man being gone before Toby was old enough to talk. According to his mother, Toby's father was a Tyrian sailor that she met by chance; she wouldn't ever tell Toby much about him other than say that he shared Toby's love of the water, and had the same bright sapphire eyes. Neither his mother nor Toby himself ever held any resentment towards his father for being gone, though many rumors spread through his village about the man. Many say that Toby's mother is in denial, and that Toby's father was a cold, heartless man who left her after having his fun with her; some say he was actually a Jadelander, while others still say he was actually a merman in disguise, and maybe Toby is one too.

Despite being mostly outcast by the other children refusing to let him play with them, Toby still grew up happy, loving to swim and dive in the coral reefs near the village. Toby knew of merfolk and the rumors of Tethys, but mostly kept no strong opinion about it. It was not long ago that Toby became old enough to be considered a man, but he was still not quite ready to go out and make his own life just yet. No more than a week after, Toby discovered an artifact bobbing on the surface of the ocean past the coral reefs; on a hunch, he swam straight down from there using the artifact, and discovered a small trove, long abandoned and overtaken by marine life; there he found his second artifact.

Armed with these, Toby solemnly bid his mother goodbye and set out, intent on living a life of adventure. Though he is still ultimately not sure what to think about Tethys personally, he is certain he wants to do good in his life, and saving humanity from an angry goddess seems like a safe bet.

• Artifacts:
  • Swiftswimmer: A flat, orichalcum disk of a very elongated oval shape with a pointed front end and rounded back end, approximately six feet long and a foot wide. The back end has three small "fins" that point down off the bottom side, and a fourth, slightly larger fin pointing up off the top. On the top there is two clasps, one two feet from the front of the disk and the other two feet from the back of the disk, which can be used to secure one's feet to the disk, at which point the artifact becomes active. Once active, the Swiftswimmer can propel itself forward through water, either on the surface or underwater, at any speed the user wishes between a dead stop and a fast speed; though it can only go straight forward, so it is up to the user to steer by physically maneuvering the disk with their feet. It will also remain at the desired depth of the user while active, but will float to the surface while inactive. (Which is how Toby found it, after it got dislodged from the trove by a passing fish.)

  • Aeris-Aqua: An orichalcum mask that covers the whole face, with the area just above the nose and upward being transparent. Though only fitted in place with a single strap, it will somehow never allow water to leak in so long as it is being worn; but its primary function is to allow the user to effectively breathe underwater. (By technically drawing oxygen from the water into the mask while dispelling the user's exhaled carbon dioxide into the water.) One can still speak while wearing it, but will be somewhat fainter underwater than a speaking merfolk would be; above water it makes the user nigh unintelligible.

• Equipment: Other than his clothes and artifacts, Toby will only have a small bag of fruits and a knife at the start of the game.

• Miscellaneous: Toby is by no means a womanizer, but definitely fancies pretty ladies; he will likely be distracted by them if he is not swimming with Swiftswimmer or in a life-and-death scenario. Also, like Xenon, Toby is illiterate.

Also, I am by no means set in stone about the Swiftswimmer's top speed. I'd prefer if it was faster than the boat the party uses, but I will not be torn up about it if it's instead made slower.

edited 15th May '15 8:23:36 AM by FirockFinion

While I really like this character, I have a few things to say. First off, what would convince Toby to stay aboard this ship and not run off to find adventure? Second, the speed of the Swiftswimmer is fine, though I don't think the speed needs to be specified other than "faster than the ship".

On another note, I'm gonna make the discussion thread, and the first order of business will be a bunch of standard positions on a sailing ship.

edited 14th May '15 3:46:16 PM by AllHailThrall

Hey the illiteracy thing made me realize I forgot to ask something regarding language: is there a common language everyone knows, or are we supposed to assume our character know like the four most common languages (three human nations plus mer-talk)?

That is a good point, actually. Tyrian is the lingua franca of the sea, due to Tyria's dominance of the oceans, though Bellenican and Atlantean (the language of the mer) are commonly known as well. The Jade Continent is home to many languages, and said languages tend to be difficult to learn due to their complexity and dependence on things like tonal shifts. That said, it's generally assumed that, due to Translation Convention, the player characters are speaking Tyrian unless stated otherwise.

For reference, the discussion thread is here, so for further questions, go ahead and post there!

Because joining the ship essentially is his "running off to find adventure"... Isn't that obvious?

You're right. I'm overthinking this. Toby's Accepted.

Well, finally time to post and despite how long I took, there is likely to be problems. >_>

• Name: Snake. He was once called Monkey until merged with the Scale of Gorgon.
• Race: Snake isn’t really sure whether he’s human or a merman now. Most people who don’t know about the Scale of Gorgon think he’s a merman.
• Appearance: A man in his early twenties, Snake has the olive-skin, brown eyes and black hair you’d expect from a Bellenican. The hair on snake’s head is curly and doesn’t go too far past his neck while he only grows facial hair around the chin, which he tries to keep somewhat short. Snake’s days of hunting and playing in the jungle has given him noticeable muscle tone, though one would be more likely to focus on the black tribal tattoos on his forearms and back. In both forms, his tail is black though in snake form, there is also a bit of light grey on his underbelly and the empty diamond shapes that run among his back. Snake usually doesn’t bother wearing anything, he could be going in the water any minute so why have clothes that weigh you down?
• Position: Striker.
• Personality: Adventure, that’s a thought that frequently goes through Snake’s mind. He likes getting his thrills and satisfying his curiousity. Even if got his legs back, he’d probably still stick around sailing for the journey it would give. Snake is also pretty blunt, doesn’t care for lying even if for politeness sake, tending to say whatever he thinks. Despite trying to find a way to get his legs back, Snake doesn’t hate his tail (though, he has a better opinion of it in merfolk form compared to his naga form) , he just misses the skills he had back when he had legs, though he doesn’t feel like complain about this issue. Snake does like the company of the friendlier type of merfolk, if only because they can relate to having a tail.
• History: Snake, or Monkey as he was once called, came from a tropical island near Bellenica, while it is still part of the nation the people retain their old tribal ways. At a young age, his fondness of climbing and acrobatics was clear, first with him trying to practice his rolling on the ground, then trying to get on top of the buildings in his village and final going for the much taller trees in the forest, seeing if could get branch to branch. This got him deemed with the name “Monkey”. He adapted to his interests, hunting high when most of the other hunters in the village preferred the ground. He didn’t just stick to routine however, exploring to see new parts of the jungle until eventually coming across ruins. Interested in the abandoned structures not known by his village, Monkey took a bit of a look inside until encountering a strange scale, something that seemed like it came from a beast too big to fit in the ruins. Monkey decided to examine it, when he touched the scale it quickly entered his body with a transformation soon after, his legs shrinking while a tail and scale grew from the waist down. Going into panic mode, Monkey tried to retreat the way he usually did, but found a heavy tail made acrobatics a bit hard. Although the trek was slow, Monkey did get back to the village eventually. There was a worry about curses for the first few days when he got back but eventually things went back to normal for everyone except Monkey. Monkey wasn’t Monkey anymore, he was now Snake and he had to adapt to his legless life. Seeing his tail became more aquatic in the water, he performed his hunting there and even explored the surrounding waters, but Snake didn’t lose his nostalgia of his days as Monkey. Eventually, he decided to see if he could get legs again, he didn’t care if they were human legs, as long as they were good for climbing and acrobatics, they were good for him. And so, snake took off to the mainland...
• Artifacts:
  • Scale of Gorgon: An piece of orichalcum that looks like a large scale flaked off a giant fish or reptile. It processes a rare trait among artefacts that it merges into one’s body, doing so when a human touches it. The merger alters the human from the waist down, giving them a scaly tail. Like the name implies, it gives one a tail similar to a snake but also allows it to be switched to the tail of the merfolk at will. The scale gives the user enhance strength, durability, agility and healing along with the aquatic abilities of a merperson, including water-breathing and talking underwater. The scale does have one major drawback, when it merges with a human, they cannot get their legs back unless it is removed by the right types of artefact (the scale does unmerge on death but the corpse still has a tail). The reason the scale doesn’t allow a form with legs is that it was impossible for the makers to create something that switches between a merfolk’s tail and legs, so they went for a tail more suited for land instead. Despite the name, the Scale of Gorgon does not give one petrification powers (that’s the Eye of Gorgon’s ability)
  • Javelin of Return: An orichalcum javelin that returns to the user when they will it. Because the spear's return ability only works from a certain distance, it will automatically return if it goes too far to the user. For the javelin to change wielder, it must be given to someone else willingly or through death of the current wielder. This javelin has been passed down Snake's family for centuries, he didn't know how good it was in the water until he got his tail.
• Equipment: Snake made sure to fit whatever he could in the bag. He brought another spear, one better for close combat than his javelin, knives that are not only good for attacking but general use and a few hunting traps, for when it is better to catch prey indirectly. Snake brought some food and water (even though he noticed that swimming in the ocean has made him less thirsty) and a loincloth, for the day modesty does matter to him again.
• Miscellaneous: Snake’s multilingual, speaking both Tyrian and a language heard on numerous islands. However, like a few crewmates, he is illiterate although he is a decent artist to make up for this.

edited 16th May '15 8:13:56 PM by JustaUsername

While the majority of this signup is great, I have a few concerns about the Limitless Bag. Having what is basically a Bag of Holding, while combined with the scale, might be a tad too much. Perhaps your character can find the Limitless Bag later in the game, but as it stands right now, it's too strong. It could basically allow him to carry anything on his person, even if it's far too heavy. Maybe I'm wrong.

Okay, I changed the bag into the javelin.

Was trying to figure out how Snake could swim to the mainland with all his stuff, which was one reason for the bag...then I figured he could have taken a boat.

That's much better. Snake is Accepted!

Also, when it comes to "It also is not slowed down by the inertia of water, so it would go as far on land as it would in the seas"... this is a general trait for all Orichalcum weaponry. Thus, you don't need to put it in the signup.

edited 16th May '15 8:07:17 PM by AllHailThrall

Ah, okay.

When are we starting the RP btw? I think the sign-ups have slowed down now...

I'd like to have one, maybe two, more signup before I start, in case a few people drop. I'm considering 5-7 the magic number for players, but maybe that's a generous estimate.

edited 16th May '15 9:32:16 PM by AllHailThrall

Is daltar listed in the player count, because Alaryn is listed as pending...

This is due to a discussion I'm having with daltar in private. We're determining whether or not his character is too strong or everyone elses' characters aren't strong enough. Likely, it'll get resolved soon, and we can start after that.

edited 17th May '15 9:10:15 AM by AllHailThrall

Okay, I know this is a double post but I'm posting this so everyone can know: I'm planning on starting the game tomorrow. I will make an RP thread for the game then. In the meantime, have a signup for your captain:

• Name: Erik Sandersson
• Race: Human
• Appearance: Erik may look old, about 50, but he is a man of iron. He has a brown but greying mustache with prominent mutton-chops, and deep greyish-blue eyes. He is tall and imposing, at around 6'4", with a muscular frame. He never shows up in public without looking his finest; he always wears the military uniform of the Tyrian navy, which is dark blue with yellow buttons. In addition, he wears a Tyrian captain's cap (an old-fashioned blue captain's cap) to cover up the fact that he is beginning to bald.
• Position: Captain
• Personality: Captain Sandersson is extremely stern: he never jokes around and he almost never cracks a smile. He tends to remain very serious about the task at hand, almost to the point of being single-minded. He tends to be very no-nonsense with procedure, this has led to various remarks by powder monkeys about Sandersson having a "stick up his ass". He's not all work though: in the evenings, when he lets his quartermaster take over, he can often be found in his cabin with a good book and a flagon of rum.
• History: Not much is known about Sandersson's backstory, considering he only very rarely opens up to his crew. However, it is known that he was born to noble blood, became a cadet in the Tyrian navy at a young age, serving aboard several Tyrian flagships before being made a Baron for his service to the crown and being put in command of the Valkyrie. He refuses to talk about much more of his history, especially the identity of the woman in his pocket-picture (see below).
• Artifacts:
  • The Captain's Sword: This ornate orichalcum sword allows Captain Sandersson to control the direction of the ship's travel, putting aside the need for a helmsman. Despite the control that this sword gives him, he is still at the mercy of the wind, and must rely on the deck crew to help him with the rigging of the sails. The Captain found this sword below the deck of the Valkyrie when he became captain of the vessel, and accidentally cut himself on the sharp blade. Bound by blood to the captain, the sword started working in Sandersson's hands. As long as Sandersson wields the sword, the ship is his to command.
  • Certain rumors say he also wields another artifact, but if he does, he is not speaking, and he has not shown it to anyone.
• Equipment: Besides the Captain's Sword, Sandersson's preferred weapon is his flintlock pistol, which he often uses in combat as an opening maneuver, despite this tactic being largely ineffective on merfolk wearing orichalcum armor. In addition, he always keeps a pouch full of Tyrian money, and a knife on hand. Finally, he keeps a pocket-portrait with a picture of a beautiful woman. No one is sure who this woman is, perhaps a lover or former wife, but in stressful times he sometimes pulls the picture out and sighs wistfully while looking at it. In his cabin, he has a large bookshelf and a special Tyrian flagon.
• Miscellaneous: Because Sandersson is a very private man, no one has really gotten him to open up and chat, especially while at sea.

edited 17th May '15 6:56:28 PM by AllHailThrall

I don't mind a bit of power variance between our characters; it's not like all of us built for combat. But that could be me personally.

The RP thread is up, here!

• Name: Zhoron Emeraldscale

• Race: Merfolk

• Appearance: Zhoron is a young adult male, who is very beautiful. His hair is past his shoulders and is the deep green of emeralds. He has tanned skin from spending so much time near the surface of the water as of late. His tail is the same color as his hair, and shimmers when he moves. He never wears a shirt, preferring to be open to the air and water.

• Position: Surgeon

• Personality: Zhoron likes people, though he is a bit quiet. He takes his duties seriously and has a lighthearted attitude. He must avenge his murdered wife, and thus takes the fight straight to Tethys in the best way he can think of: joining others in their fight. Once he gets to know a person they become like family to him and he opens up more around them. Until then he has a 'lone wolf' attitude, furthered by the loss of his wife.

• History: Zhoron's beautiful wife was murdered by Karthos in cold blood, after she decided to marry Zhoron instead of him. Zhoron knew he couldn't face Karthos alone and so he seeks out help in his personal quest. He wants personal vengeance, however he cannot sit by and allow Tethys to rule, when her henchmen are the likes of Karthos.
  • Zhoron is very skilled in combat, as he was trained as part of the Queen's personal guard for when she would be awoken. He was even specially trained in land combat, standing on his scaly legs, and since then spends more time with legs than a tail.
  • Zhoron's devotion to his wife was unparalleled. He would do anything for her and was very supportive of her as a healer. Once she was killed he made the decision to take over her artifact as his own and become a healer himself. Before leaving his people and rebelling against the queen, he took the Pearl of Light to the priestesses and had them bind it to him with the same magic that is on his Mako. He carries it with him and slays his enemies with one artifact and heals his friends with the other.

• Artifacts:
  • Mako: Zhoron was given an artifact to use in defense of the mer-kingdom. It is magical katana, that retracts completely into its hilt, only Zhoron can get the blade to come out, as addition magic was placed on it, by the priestesses. Zhoron wields his blade with great skill and fervor and was unmatched in combat both under the sea and on land.

  • Pearl of Light: Zhoron also has his wife's artifact, given to her as a priestess of Tethys. It can heal wounds, and cure sickness. The artifact itself is a pearl set in an orichalcum housing and Zhoron wears this about his neck.

• Equipment: Zhoron carries a small satchel over his shoulder. Inside are the loose linen pants he wears when he has legs. This is also where he stores Sea Tooth, when he does not need his sword.

• Miscellaneous:The only other thing Zhoron carries with him is his wife's old pearl necklace, which he wears looped around his wrist.

edited 24th May '15 12:33:26 AM by David2716

I have two questions.

1. Who is Karthos?

2. Is the Sea Tooth the same thing as Mako?

Karthos is the 'right hand man' of Tethys from the lore that the gm set up. When she was awoken, he was the one she yelled at. I took the liberty of making him my personal foe, I hope that was okay.

Yes, Mako was a cooler name I thought. I kept having to edit my character sheet. I'm sorry if that lead to any confusion, I didn't know people were reading it.

This is the first time I've ever been on a forum, and the first time I've ever played a game like this.

Oh, okay. And shooting myself for forgetting the lore.