The Order of the Sentinels - Sci Fi / Fantasy - Interest Check

Beaten. Broken, Shattered.

Yet we endure. Yet, we survive. Yet we grow... and rebuild.

In the distant past, Mankind reached their ultimate potential. Centuries of scientific development, ingenuity and experimentation manifested into the ultimate prize... a civilization that spanned numerous stars, with an efficient and just government that looked after the needs of its entire citizenry. Sickness, hunger, thirst, poverty, oppression... all such problems became a thing of history. The ultimate accomplishment of this glorious stage of humankind was beating death itself. Our species, aided by technology, became something greater... All of this was possible due to our discovery of Essence.

A magnificent new element, the Essence powered our machines, imbued our people, expanded our minds and allowed us to explore the depths of space. It's boundless power and mystery were the foundation of the greatest civilization to ever be seen. The Terran Empire, proud legacy of humanity... a shining example of our potential realized.

And yet, that would not be enough. We can only infer it wasn't enough. For as glorious as the Terran Empire was, it still was shattered. Destroyed. From the darkness of space came the threats... and piece by piece, the greater whole was crushed. Humanity fought back... valiantly, nobly. However we were Beaten... Broken... Shattered.

Yet we endured. Yet we survived. Yet we grew... and rebuilt.

Among the ashes of one of the many systems of the vast empire, among the ruins of a fully populated planet, Vanir, we resurfaced from the safety of our bunkers... to find our planet razed, our cities destroyed. And of the glorious empire of Mankind we had no word... no way of knowing if we were the last vestiges of humanity left in the galaxy. Still, despite our sorrow, the human spirit is full of life... and Life, as nature proved by swallowing the ruins of our planet, always finds a way.

We rebuilt and from the ashes, we built a new beginning... a new hope. Thus was that we founded our city... Haven. However, there was much lost in the great fall... as time passed while we huddled in our bunkers, generations cast away from the glow of our great civilization, we lost the old ways. Knowledge became lost to us and our improvements faded as we were born away from the technology that once made us great. Now we live in a city which is rife with technology we have no idea how to recreate... no fathom of how it works, which is risky to even attempt to repair.

Still, they prove to be invaluable to us. We depend on them to survive. To provide the model on which we strive to reclaim what we lost. And to protect us all.... For this world of Vanir proves to be a dangerous one... one which refuses to be tamed once again. Furthermore, the remnants of the very alien species our people once fought remain in Vanir... a myriad of different creatures as scattered as we are. They too, strive to reclaim what they lost... and to finish the job of their ancestors.

To protect Haven against them, we built a great wall... a massive shield to keep humanity safe. We funded Orders of Warriors to drive away the dark and protect the light of humanity from being extinguished. The Keepers, most numerous, those who make the bulk of the army. Protectors of the Wall, the sword and shield of Haven. The Seekers, scholars who pour through our knowledge of the past, who try to obtain the truth we have lost. And then... there are the Sentinels. Smallest by far of the Orders, these warriors are those who venture beyond the limits of Haven. Beyond the careful watch of the Keepers. Into the wastelands, the jungles... into territory unknown, full of dangerous flora, fauna... and the remnants of our enemies. It is they who find new resources for the Keepers to secure, who follow the leads of the Seekers to recover Artifacts of a bygone era.

Each and every one of their number, less than a hundred valiant men and women are Ascended... empowered as all of humanity once was by the blessing of Essence. Each of them wields one of the Artifacts of the lost Era. Equipped with the best tools, arms and armor Haven can create. For they are the Vanguard that defends Haven against the darkness... and that will once reclaim the light we once lost.

Beaten... Broken... Shattered.

Yet we will endure. Yet we will survive. Yet we will grow... And we shall rebuild what was once lost.

Welcome, welcome to yet another RP!

This RP, as it is quite obvious by now, is a shameless rip off of Destiny... or at least, a shameless rip off idea I've been spinning around my head from when the first concept art and ideas for Destiny started to roll around. A great human civilization shattered, orders of warriors fighting against alien threats, a city surrounded by danger... As well as the neat somewhat fantasy trappings of caped and armored soldiers. Thus, we have this RP, somewhat a mix between fantasy and sci fi. A sci fi, high tech setting with fantastic, heroic themes.

All players would belong to one of the three active Societies of the Order of Sentinels... smaller suborders existing within the other Orders. While in the more numerous Order of Keepers and Seekers, the Societies work as big entities and organizations of their own, given the small size of the Sentinels, each of the three societies are nothing more than the teams of Ascended which operate together to go on missions around Haven. There is one more Society in the Order of Sentinels, which is responsible for its leadership and support operations.

Sentinels are elite among the elite, handpicked among the military for a special set of skills that will allow them to carry out the missions they are assigned, deep into the jungles and enemy territory. Survival, combat, recognizance, stealth, awareness, endurance... there are just a few of the things looked for in a Sentinel. There are rare cases on which someone who is not a warrior from the Orders of Haven is made a Sentinel, however, such cases have been recorded. So far the total number of Sentinels is 613, with 62 currently alive and in service among the four Societies of the Order. Their headquarters, the Watchtower, lies on one corner of Haven, with their own gate outside of the wall.

All of the Sentinels are Knighted and Ascended. They all are outfitted with one Relic and one Honor Blade, engraved in the Old Script. What all of these terms mean, will be explained together with other relevant concepts of the world of Haven.

^Vanir 

The world of Vanir is the place where Haven lies. Possessing two different moons, Saila and Mior, and of a size slightly greater than Earth, this planet was once a fully settled world of the Terran Empire with cities all along its surface. It's resemblance to Earth in weather and biosphere, made it highly attractive to settlers, while a great wealth of resources drove economic interests to make this one of the fastest populated worlds of the Empire. It has a 32 hour day-night cycle and a year has roughly 545 days in it. However, now days the planet is a far cry from the safe, tame land it once was. The calamity that forced humanity into its bunkers imbued the flora and fauna of the planet with Essence, creating wildly more dangerous creatures from the regular stock that once walked the land. Their strength is such that travel outside the city is highly monitored and armed escorts are usually needed for long trips. The plants grow at an alarming speed, requiring constant maintenance to keep the few roads and routes outside of the city clear and safe. However, even if that wasn't enough to pose a threat, a wide variety of alien species who once waged war with humanity have also found themselves stranded on Vanir... and upon its surface the fight and struggle. What records once said were an unified force now group up into clans of similar species, each staking their claim upon the land and fighting everything that is not like themselves.

^Haven 

Although not the only human city to be rebuilt from the ashes of Vanir's ruin, the dangers of the planet and loss of technology makes it hard to maintain contact with all other human settlements. Each of these fledging city states must, most of all, be capable of standing on their own... and a long time in isolation from one another has made it so that each has developed a strong culture. Haven bases itself upon its tall walls, cobbled together using relics of the ancient civilization and scavenging for metal a few fallen dreadnoughts class ships. It has been nearly two centuries since the funding of the city and it is now a thriving metropolis... even if some see it as a gilded cage for humans to live in. There are a couple factories that employ old technology to produce meat and food for the inhabitants, plus a few actual ranches and tightly organized farms within the city. The Goverment of Haven is headed, since about 180 years ago, by Archon Ashnard Mirn and a Senate of elected officials. The Archon is one of the Ascended and thus retains his youth and vitality despite his longevity. Indeed, he was one of the first Ascended and has been responsible for much of what Haven currently is. As well as being Archon, he is the First Knight of Haven, supreme commander of all other Orders and head of his own, the Order of the Faithful, of which all civilians of Haven are a part off, as well as his honor guard. Life within in Haven is for the most part peaceful and pleasant for the common folk, with some places of great beauty to be found within the walls, such as some parks and the center of the city where the redirection of a river made for a lovely series of canals. Through the years, Haven has been able to retrieve and put to work a great amount of Relics for a wide variety of purposes... one of the most iconic being commonly called the Scarabs. Thought to have been once being the equivalent of tanks, the many legged machines are highly armored, possessed of powerful, long range energy cannons and have legs which allow them to hover on the air a few feet of the ground... in any direction. Thus, the seven Scarabs retained by Haven are seen constantly moving through the outside of the walls, hovering through its outer surface, keeping constant vigil against threats that may come towards it. The most popular of Haven made tanks try to imitate the desing of the Scarabs, however they are but pale imitations that are bound to the ground.

^Essence 

The source of energy discovered and developed by the late Terran Empire, it's exact function, origin and how it works remains a bit of a mistery for the modern citizens of Haven, however one thing is certain... Without Essence, they couldn't possibly survive against the hardships of Vanir. More than any other source, Essence can provide more power, in a more compact and stable form and if it isn't completely exhausted, it seems to replenish itself to a certain extend, letting machinery that works with it to last centuries unattended. However, Essence based power sources seem to be able absorb other sources of energy in order to fuel the power of Essence. Depending on how other forces interact with Essence, this can unleash itself in a wide variety of physical effects, the extend of which are still being researched. More amazing still is how it interacts with organic matter... Though referred as an energy source, it can also join together with organic matter, seemingly improving the function of lifeforms in contact with it... however, high exposures without the necessary precautions can bring about dangerous and unpredictable mutations. The remains of so many Essence machinery which landed on the surface of Vanir after the Fall are exactly the source of the improved and more dangerous fauna and flora that now dots the surface. At the moment, the greatest source of Essence in the city of Haven is the downed engine of the dreadnought Malphion, whose body makes up a great chuck of the walls of the city. Around the engine Core, Archon Ashnard Mirn has created a temple to the greatness of the Terran Empire and past human greatness... where a Society of Seekers look into learning more of Essence and let the people of Haven pray and follow the old ways as they try to once again attain the past glory.

^Ascension 

Ascension is the name by which a human being is properly imbued with the power of Essence to become an improved being... one of the Ascended. In Haven, this process is only possible to be realized within Malphion's Heart Temple, performed in a ceremony looked over by the Society of Seekers caring for the Temple. The proper ritual of Ascension is not an honor to be awarded lightly, as it consumes a considerable amount of energy and while the benefit to the one being Ascended is great, the total cost makes it so that the ritual is only performed with much care. Only those who deserve the Honor of being Ascended are granted the opportunity and all cases are reviewed and approved by the Archon. Ascended humans display greater skills, both mentally and physically, have an inner reservoir of energy, are more resilient and less prone to disease. Their total lifespan is also greatly extended, from the normal average of 120 years. Aging seems to be either greatly slowed or stopped completely, however, more time must pass by those Ascended before definitive results can be derived on the total average lifespan of the Ascended. Additionally, during Ascension most defects and wear and tear on the body tend to be fixed... and from then on, crippling injuries and even the loss of limbs will be healed and regrown given enough time and care. Some Ascended, as time passes and they become more exposed to Essence seem to develop a few supernatural traits such a glow on their skin, change in skin tone, hair or eye color and even growths along the body... however, these tend to manifest in ways that are appealing to the subconscious of the user. Being Ascended also grants a particular perk that is invaluable to delving into the mysteries of the Terran Empire... for most of the documents and information left behind by these great ones are written in a strange and alien script of elaborate symbols projected upon 3D holograms. The intricacy of the script is incredibly hard to decipher and indeed, its seemingly impossible lines and geometries tends to cause headaches in the not Ascended... however, those who have gone through the ritual report being able to make sense of the script from time to time in an intuitive and alien way... they report how a single glyph can contain pages worth of information, nuance, intent and emotion, collapsed and compressed into one beautiful character. This characters tend to simply be called Old Script.

^Knighthood 

Becoming Knighted is one of the greatest honors bestowed upon a citizen of Haven, given for being committed to duty and performing great services for the sake of Humanity. This service can manifest in many ways, though one of the most common is outstanding bravery in the line of duty for the defense of the city. You become knighted in a ceremony performed before the very Archon of Haven, where after giving Oaths to protect humanity and bring light into the world you are named a knight. More than just a badge of honor, a knight has many perks, such as discounts in near any item they wish to procure, a monthly stipend to be given by the state, a pick of a great home to dwell in, a vote in private matters of the city as well as many things more. However, there are more than a few demands of the title, requiring those bestowed of it to keep providing a near constant example and service to Haven and keep certain standards of behavior and decorum. While some unworthy knights can get away with a lot, there is danger of being shamefully taken away of the rank and perks that came with it. One can honorable retire from the title of knight if they become too old to keep their employ or simply believe they can no longer provide the service to Haven for which they were once knighted. The perks of Knighthood are not entirely taken away in these cases, however they are lessened to some extend, given that those resources and benefits are meant to be invested by the Knight into helping Haven. However, these ex-Knights tend to continue having the good will of the people and respect of everyone for their valiant service.

^{The Watchtower} 

The Watchtower is the name given to the headquarters of the Order of the Sentinels. Granted to this Order are a great deal of grounds, with a beautiful park of natural trees, hills and even a small lake leading finally onto the headquarters itself, a tall tower like building set in a great clearing right before the wall and their own gate into the outside world. This miniature forest is granted to the Sentinels so they may make use of them in exercises and training moving through wilderness and the wild. The park bordered by a simple three meter tall wall to protect the property of the Sentinels. The Watchtower lies on the sector of Haven reserved for agriculture and similar venues, which places it somewhat far away from the city proper. For ease of transport though, there are two metro stations nearby which provide quick transport back into the city. One is a public one which makes somewhat irregular travels to a zone outside of the walls of the Sentinel's forest, however, there is another station which is not open to public with transports which any Sentinel can use to travel back to the city at any moment. Besides the main tower that makes the bulk of the headquarters, there are several smaller buildings scattered around serving as storage, guard posts and other such necessities. Inside the Watchtower, one will find the Lobby of the Sentinels where lies one of their greatest symbols... the Memorial Stone. Here in a pedestal of pure marble, lie encrusted the Honor Blades of all dead and retired Sentinels... in the first case of those who could be retrieved and in second place of those who gave up their blades to live a more peaceful life. Going further up the tower one will find the Sentinel's library, individual quarters for each Sentinel, small recreation rooms for each Society, a greater common hall, a war room, telecommunications room, workshop, armory, offices for the officials and leaders of the Sentinels, hangar and more.

^Sylpheeds 

A breed of animals discovered and domesticated after the fall of Vanir. Believed to be the mutated descendants from a breed of reptile-like animals native to the planet, the Sylpheeds fill a similar utility niche as horses did on Earth's past. They are roughly a meter and three quarters tall when on four feet, taller when standing only on their hindquarters. They are roughly three meters long from head to tail, with a build of powerful hind legs and somewhat shorter but more dexterous front legs. They have a long neck as well as a long, strong tail to them. They have no fur, instead they are covered with a layer of very small and soft scales... the coloring is uniform along the body, though it varies from Sylpheed to Sylpheed, with the most common colors being green, blue and purple. Their eyes are set to the sides of their head, being big and uniformly black. Their mouths possess rows of molars for eating vegetable matter. Their paws possess strong claws to allow them to climb. This species are imbued naturally with Essence, making them stronger, faster and more inteligent than one would suppose, though their behavior is quite docile and friendly. One of their most curious abilities lies in their power to shift from a solid state to an ethereal state of being when threatened or wounded, allowing them to escape most threats if not killed in one blow. In their ethereal state they are capable of moving with even greater speed as they become unburdened by any forces, though they become unable to interact with anything in the solid plane. These characteristics have made them ideal steeds for the Sentinels during their longer trips into the dangerous wilds, where the Sylpheeds act as mounts and beasts of burden. They tend to bond with a single Sentinel and then seek them out wherever they may be on Vanir when called on. Likewise, during dangerous trips, they can be dismissed and they make the travel back to their stables on the Watchtower.

^{Honor Blades} 

The Honor Blades are a piece of equipment granted and crafted for each Sentinel that takes their Vows. In their dangerous missions, away from supply lines and requiring them to carry all their equipment, ammunition is something not to be spent recklessly. And yet, there are many dangers lurking in Vanir which cannot be left alone. The solution to this issue was the Honor Blades... melee weapons crafted from the engineering expertise of modern Haven. Each of them are highly customized, fitted for every Sentinel and their preferred means of engagement. Some are little more than combat knives, some are folded blades than when unsheathed become the size of a machete... while others carry a full on claymore as their Honor Blade. Then again, there have been a case where a Honor Blade is not a Blade at all, instead taking the form of a Hammer, Quarterstaff or even two flails. Regardless of other weapons, each Sentinel carries a Honor Blade, their final backup when all else fails even if just for the ceremony of it. When retired, a Sentinel leaves behind their Blade on the Memorial Stone to serve as monument of their past deeds and glory. Honor Blades are engraved with the closest approximation of the Old Script modern Haven can provide, saying the name of their bearer, the date they joined the Sentinels and message of the owner's choosing. Given the capability of Old Script to hold a lot of information on a single glyph, some Sentinels regularly update their Honor Blade glyph with their number of kills or insights they have gained serving the Order. The Blades are all crafted to be strong, dependable weapons in their own right, however, the owner can request different adaptations for their blade. Like a stronger edge, an electric discharge on hit and many other things.

^{Armor of the Sentinels} 

Sentinel armor is made with the best materials available on Haven. Like Honor Blades, the armor of a Sentinel tends to be adapted to the Sentinel in question, though roughly, they come in three differing amounts of shielding. Light, Medium or Heavy armor, with protection being increased at the cost of mobility going from left to right. There is a roughly equal proportion of Sentinels wearing Light and Medium armor, and very few who wear outright Heavy armor due to the work Sentinels do requiring a lot of movement and stealth. Sentinel Armor, regardless of plating, is strong enough to resist small arms fire and protect in some measure against all sorts of damage. It also is capable of projecting a protective and rechargeable energy shield around the user, designed to block rapid velocity objects from colliding with the user as well as a wide variety of harmful forms of energy. However, this shield can be overwhelmed, after which it becomes unusable until given a few seconds to recharge. Sentinel Armor is more than just protection, however, with the entire suit being made to enhance the physical abilities of the user, allowing them to move faster, quicker and enhance the strength of the user. While the Heavier armor does get a greater enhancement of strength than the lighter models, the added bulk of the suit makes maneuverability and speed take a dip in exchange. Additionally, when worn with the helmet on, the suit adapts to the user's body, becoming hermetically sealed and allowing the user to resist extreme temperatures on either end of the spectrum, as well as breathe underwater and even survive for hours on the vacuum of space. To a certain extend, the suit can fix itself from damage caused to it to remain a hermetical seal, however, after so much wear and tear it will run out of the hardening agent it uses to patch breaches. Furthermore, a section that has been broken won't resist damage as well until it is properly fixed. The suits are equipped with a miniature jetpack, which while unable to hover, allows for short boosts to a jump. After a jump, the pack needs a few seconds to recharge before it allows another aided jump. The suits also possess a pair of devices meant for climbing and assisting rapid movement. These are a pair of diamond shaped tips, attached to a light, but incredibly strong length of cable. Two launchers positioned somewhere on the suit's body shoot the diamonds, which then attach themselves tightly by a force to nearly any surface they hit upon. The Sentinel can then either haul themselves by their own strength using the length of rope or make use of the motor on the firing mechanism to pull themselves towards their target. More than a few Sentinels have used this piece of equipment creatively in combat by striking light enemies and pulling them towards the Sentinel to be dispatched on melee. Most Sentinels wear these devices, called Grapples, either below or above their forearm however a few puzzling Sentinels prefer to wear them on their waist to free their arms to act as they use the Grapples. In this case, the targeting computer on the suit helmet is often used to shoot the Grapples without use of their hands. Finally, the suit possesses a full computer, with all the functions one may expect of such. It allows instant wireless communication with the members of your squad, targeting aid, enhanced sense, zoom, keeps track of your ammo, damage assessment and more. Finally, the armor of the sentinels is made of a material capable of changing in color. This aids in stealth, allowing the Sentinels to use camouflage... though once combat starts or during training or everyday use, Sentinels tend to have preferred details and color schemes for their suits.

^{Weapons of the Sentinels} 

The Sentinels are always provided with top of the line gear when it comes to weapons produced within Haven for use in their missions. As long as they can carry it without interfering in their labor, they may wield it in battle. Then again, for the sake or portability and carrying ammunition, the regular Sentinel prefers to carry a small selection of weapons. Most popular weapons are a powerful but easy to carry handgun, a fold-able, scopped rifle which can shift from a strong semi auto mode of fire to packing a weaker punch but highly increased rate of fire full auto and a few grenades to booth. Then again, Sentinels come in all forms and specializations, so it's not rare to see shotguns, sniper rifles, machine guns or even a selection of enhanced, close combat melee weapons. It is important to remark that Haven made weaponry tends to use kinetic ammunition, while Relics tend to use Essence to fuel energy based attacks of various forms. Bullets from Haven can come in normal ammunition as well as specialized rounds, such as armor penetrating, anti personnel rounds, explosive and many others.

^Relics 

The single most valuable items found within the city of Haven. Relics are simply pieces of technology from the Golden Era of the Terran Empire. All fueled by Essence and uniformly working with principles barely understood by modern scientists, they are the most valuable clues for piecing back the secrets that will allow humanity to rebuild their Empire. They come in all sorts of sizes, forms and functions, though in these dangerous times, all Relics with some military application, after a time of study, are given to the Orders to bear against the darkness outside of the walls. All Sentinels are given possession of a Relic to bear on their struggle, to help them fight. Some special people become Sentinels after doing the forbidden and venturing beyond the limits of Haven... and surviving the experience to come back with a Relic of their own. The Relic becomes property of Haven, however, they are usually allowed to bear it as their Relic. Some veteran Sentinels recover more Relics in their excursions and are allowed to make use of more than one. Relics that Sentinels use come in a wide variety of applications... some are straightforward, such as a blade of pure energy, a rifle that shoots plasma bolts and never runs out of ammo. However, some allow for the user to become completely invisible for a while, allow for unlimited flight, to manipulate gravity to some extend or other such applications. Most of the uncommon Relics have a mythical aura to them for the people of Haven, and after being used for a while they tend to be given reverent names given their nature.

^Witness 

Witnesses are a special kind of drone designed for use by the Sentinels. Floating, spherical, with a single 'eye', and three long, rectangle shaped 'fins' surrounding the sphere, which it can extend or lay down around it, the Witness is a support drone whose main use is to allow communication between Sentinel Societies and the Watchtower. The entire surface of Vanir seems to be under some sort of jamming which makes long range communications difficult... and the strongest wireless signals that can penetrate the jamming, out in the wild, are like magnets for the aliens species to home on in. Witnesses are equipped with a quantum state communicator, which is uninterpretable and undetectable at the cost of very low bandwidth. The Witness sends information back to the Watchtower, as well as short reports, however, uninterrupted communication and transmissions are nearly impossible. It possesses a vast database as well as the communication with the Watchtower necessary to request more files if there is need for them. The Witness is basically the Sentinel's lifeline back home... keeping track of their position and status and capable of calling for an emergency extraction from one of the three aerial vehicles the Sentinels have access to. However, the Witness is also considered a potential traitor by a few Sentinels due to some of its priorities. Aircraft is incredible valuable for Haven and thus, it disallows the call for an extraction in case it can detect a present threat which could down the vehicle when coming for a rescue. The threat assessment has another pesky function too, though... and that is that when the Witness calculates a situation from which there is no escape or possibility of survival, it goes on lockdown and then begin an emergency transmission to Haven... Of all the information on the current status of the party, their findings, the threats... everything it knows and can detect of the situation and its surroundings. However, in order to make this transmission is uses all its power on overdrive on the quantum communicator and also on very strong wireless signals... strong enough to get to Haven and also to be detected by any alien groups on a wide radius. This usually spells complete doom for an excursion of Sentinels... however, given that this mode is only activated on certainty of the death of the whole party of Sentinels, it's not as if it would make things worse. Still, despite this, the Witness is a vital piece of any Sentinel excursion, capable of picking small things up with an attraction beam, communicate back home, provide information for the party, do recognizance, aid in aiming with its powerful optics, assess threats and more. It's not unusual that a party of Sentinels take affection to their Witness, naming it and painting it to their liking.

Phew... well that should be all that is needed to create a character... thus, without any further ado, here is the character sheet!

• Name:
• Age:
• Gender:
• Callsign: A code name adopted by the Sentinel. Some pick their own, some request one be picked for them by their superiors.
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Skills and Knowledge: What personal skills do you possess? What did you focus on in your training? What are you specially capable off in your role as a Sentinel that sets you apart? What skills did you develop before you were a Sentinel?
• Armor: What kind of armor you wear? Light, Medium, Heavy? What colors is it? Where do you fit your Grapplers? What does it look like? Where is the platting reinforced on? What does your helmet look like?
• Weapons: What Haven made weaponry do you usually take on your missions? Be wary that you need to be able to carry all of this while trekking through harsh terrain!
• Sylpheed: You may have bonded already with one of these steeds. What do you call your own? What does it look like? How does it act?
• Honor Blade: What sort of Blade did you have made? What are its special qualities? What does it look like?
• Relic: What is your personal Relic to bear as a Sentinel? What name does it have? What can it do?
• Bio: What have you done with your life? How did you become a Sentinel? Have you been at it for a while or are you a new recruit? What did you do before you became a Sentinel? How did becoming Knighted and Ascended change your life?
• Other: Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else.

And with this, Signups are open! I'm thinking that a little time before an expedition by a group of Sentinels went awry... deadly so. A whole Society loss a lot of members, thus warranting a higher than usual recruiting. Thus, your characters. However, feel free to play one of the survivors, a veteran or the part of the Society that wasn't on duty for that particular run. We will also need to come up with a name for the party Witness as well as defining the name of the Society which are usually named after predator animals. Wolves, Hawk, Tiger all make suitable animals for our Society to be named after but I'm willing to hear alternatives.

However, if you read so far, thank you very much for sticking with me! I hope it was an interesting read. As usual, I'd love some feedback and ideas for worldbuilding as I continue to develop the setting for everyone to play in.

edited 25th Sep '14 2:56:41 AM by daltar

So very much interest. I feel like anyone who was disappointed by Destiny's story could find a lot of room to stretch out here.

Interest noted. We'll see how much wiggle room real life will allow me >.>

Interest! Already got a character idea in the works...

Might as well broaden my horizons, right?

I might try this, key word being "might" destiny seemed amusing enough. Though can I suggest having, at the far reaches of the universe some sort of Elderitch Abomination?

edited 23rd Sep '14 6:49:34 PM by TroyandHawk

Not everything has to have Eldritch Abominations and Body Horror, you know

edited 23rd Sep '14 7:07:09 PM by KSPAM

When did I suggest Body Horror? I'm just suggesting that lovecraftian creatures could fit well in a space opera.

It's becoming a pattern for you to add or suggest these things out of nowhere. And I'm saying "apply where needed". I think we can all agree there are plenty of space operas that have gotten along just fine without them. Would Star Wars have been improved with an extra helping of Cthulhu?

While you have a point in that I used to ask that a lot, I agree, not all space operas, but if this is so based off of Destiny, I'd argue we need something based off of the Vex.

Here are the missing pieces of Lore necessary for creating your character. I will answer the question on aliens tomorrow, though there are no big cosmic horrors, at least not yet.

^Sylpheeds 

A breed of animals discovered and domesticated after the fall of Vanir. Believed to be the mutated descendants from a breed of reptile-like animals native to the planet, the Sylpheeds fill a similar utility niche as horses did on Earth's past. They are roughly a meter and three quarters tall when on four feet, taller when standing only on their hindquarters. They are roughly three meters long from head to tail, with a build of powerful hind legs and somewhat shorter but more dexterous front legs. They have a long neck as well as a long, strong tail to them. They have no fur, instead they are covered with a layer of very small and soft scales... the coloring is uniform along the body, though it varies from Sylpheed to Sylpheed, with the most common colors being green, blue and purple. Their eyes are set to the sides of their head, being big and uniformly black. Their mouths possess rows of molars for eating vegetable matter. Their paws possess strong claws to allow them to climb. This species are imbued naturally with Essence, making them stronger, faster and more inteligent than one would suppose, though their behavior is quite docile and friendly. One of their most curious abilities lies in their power to shift from a solid state to an ethereal state of being when threatened or wounded, allowing them to escape most threats if not killed in one blow. In their ethereal state they are capable of moving with even greater speed as they become unburdened by any forces, though they become unable to interact with anything in the solid plane. These characteristics have made them ideal steeds for the Sentinels during their longer trips into the dangerous wilds, where the Sylpheeds act as mounts and beasts of burden. They tend to bond with a single Sentinel and then seek them out wherever they may be on Vanir when called on. Likewise, during dangerous trips, they can be dismissed and they make the travel back to their stables on the Watchtower.

^{Honor Blades} 

The Honor Blades are a piece of equipment granted and crafted for each Sentinel that takes their Vows. In their dangerous missions, away from supply lines and requiring them to carry all their equipment, ammunition is something not to be spent recklessly. And yet, there are many dangers lurking in Vanir which cannot be left alone. The solution to this issue was the Honor Blades... melee weapons crafted from the engineering expertise of modern Haven. Each of them are highly customized, fitted for every Sentinel and their preferred means of engagement. Some are little more than combat knives, some are folded blades than when unsheathed become the size of a machete... while others carry a full on claymore as their Honor Blade. Then again, there have been a case where a Honor Blade is not a Blade at all, instead taking the form of a Hammer, Quarterstaff or even two flails. Regardless of other weapons, each Sentinel carries a Honor Blade, their final backup when all else fails even if just for the ceremony of it. When retired, a Sentinel leaves behind their Blade on the Memorial Stone to serve as monument of their past deeds and glory. Honor Blades are engraved with the closest approximation of the Old Script modern Haven can provide, saying the name of their bearer, the date they joined the Sentinels and message of the owner's choosing. Given the capability of Old Script to hold a lot of information on a single glyph, some Sentinels regularly update their Honor Blade glyph with their number of kills or insights they have gained serving the Order. The Blades are all crafted to be strong, dependable weapons in their own right, however, the owner can request different adaptations for their blade. Like a stronger edge, an electric discharge on hit and many other things.

^{Armor of the Sentinels} 

Sentinel armor is made with the best materials available on Haven. Like Honor Blades, the armor of a Sentinel tends to be adapted to the Sentinel in question, though roughly, they come in three differing amounts of shielding. Light, Medium or Heavy armor, with protection being increased at the cost of mobility going from left to right. There is a roughly equal proportion of Sentinels wearing Light and Medium armor, and very few who wear outright Heavy armor due to the work Sentinels do requiring a lot of movement and stealth. Sentinel Armor, regardless of plating, is strong enough to resist small arms fire and protect in some measure against all sorts of damage. It also is capable of projecting a protective and rechargeable energy shield around the user, designed to block rapid velocity objects from colliding with the user as well as a wide variety of harmful forms of energy. However, this shield can be overwhelmed, after which it becomes unusable until given a few seconds to recharge. Sentinel Armor is more than just protection, however, with the entire suit being made to enhance the physical abilities of the user, allowing them to move faster, quicker and enhance the strength of the user. While the Heavier armor does get a greater enhancement of strength than the lighter models, the added bulk of the suit makes maneuverability and speed take a dip in exchange. Additionally, when worn with the helmet on, the suit adapts to the user's body, becoming hermetically sealed and allowing the user to resist extreme temperatures on either end of the spectrum, as well as breathe underwater and even survive for hours on the vacuum of space. To a certain extend, the suit can fix itself from damage caused to it to remain a hermetical seal, however, after so much wear and tear it will run out of the hardening agent it uses to patch breaches. Furthermore, a section that has been broken won't resist damage as well until it is properly fixed. The suits are equipped with a miniature jetpack, which while unable to hover, allows for short boosts to a jump. After a jump, the pack needs a few seconds to recharge before it allows another aided jump. The suits also possess a pair of devices meant for climbing and assisting rapid movement. These are a pair of diamond shaped tips, attached to a light, but incredibly strong length of cable. Two launchers positioned somewhere on the suit's body shoot the diamonds, which then attach themselves tightly by a force to nearly any surface they hit upon. The Sentinel can then either haul themselves by their own strength using the length of rope or make use of the motor on the firing mechanism to pull themselves towards their target. More than a few Sentinels have used this piece of equipment creatively in combat by striking light enemies and pulling them towards the Sentinel to be dispatched on melee. Most Sentinels wear these devices, called Grapples, either below or above their forearm however a few puzzling Sentinels prefer to wear them on their waist to free their arms to act as they use the Grapples. In this case, the targeting computer on the suit helmet is often used to shoot the Grapples without use of their hands. Finally, the suit possesses a full computer, with all the functions one may expect of such. It allows instant wireless communication with the members of your squad, targeting aid, enhanced sense, zoom, keeps track of your ammo, damage assessment and more. Finally, the armor of the sentinels is made of a material capable of changing in color. This aids in stealth, allowing the Sentinels to use camouflage... though once combat starts or during training or everyday use, Sentinels tend to have preferred details and color schemes for their suits.

^{Weapons of the Sentinels} 

The Sentinels are always provided with top of the line gear when it comes to weapons produced within Haven for use in their missions. As long as they can carry it without interfering in their labor, they may wield it in battle. Then again, for the sake or portability and carrying ammunition, the regular Sentinel prefers to carry a small selection of weapons. Most popular weapons are a powerful but easy to carry handgun, a fold-able, scopped rifle which can shift from a strong semi auto mode of fire to packing a weaker punch but highly increased rate of fire full auto and a few grenades to booth. Then again, Sentinels come in all forms and specializations, so it's not rare to see shotguns, sniper rifles, machine guns or even a selection of enhanced, close combat melee weapons. It is important to remark that Haven made weaponry tends to use kinetic ammunition, while Relics tend to use Essence to fuel energy based attacks of various forms. Bullets from Haven can come in normal ammunition as well as specialized rounds, such as armor penetrating, anti personnel rounds, explosive and many others.

^Relics 

The single most valuable items found within the city of Haven. Relics are simply pieces of technology from the Golden Era of the Terran Empire. All fueled by Essence and uniformly working with principles barely understood by modern scientists, they are the most valuable clues for piecing back the secrets that will allow humanity to rebuild their Empire. They come in all sorts of sizes, forms and functions, though in these dangerous times, all Relics with some military application, after a time of study, are given to the Orders to bear against the darkness outside of the walls. All Sentinels are given possession of a Relic to bear on their struggle, to help them fight. Some special people become Sentinels after doing the forbidden and venturing beyond the limits of Haven... and surviving the experience to come back with a Relic of their own. The Relic becomes property of Haven, however, they are usually allowed to bear it as their Relic. Some veteran Sentinels recover more Relics in their excursions and are allowed to make use of more than one. Relics that Sentinels use come in a wide variety of applications... some are straightforward, such as a blade of pure energy, a rifle that shoots plasma bolts and never runs out of ammo. However, some allow for the user to become completely invisible for a while, allow for unlimited flight, to manipulate gravity to some extend or other such applications. Most of the uncommon Relics have a mythical aura to them for the people of Haven, and after being used for a while they tend to be given reverent names given their nature.

^Witness 

Witnesses are a special kind of drone designed for use by the Sentinels. Floating, spherical, with a single 'eye', and three long, rectangle shaped 'fins' surrounding the sphere, which it can extend or lay down around it, the Witness is a support drone whose main use is to allow communication between Sentinel Societies and the Watchtower. The entire surface of Vanir seems to be under some sort of jamming which makes long range communications difficult... and the strongest wireless signals that can penetrate the jamming, out in the wild, are like magnets for the aliens species to home on in. Witnesses are equipped with a quantum state communicator, which is uninterpretable and undetectable at the cost of very low bandwidth. The Witness sends information back to the Watchtower, as well as short reports, however, uninterrupted communication and transmissions are nearly impossible. It possesses a vast database as well as the communication with the Watchtower necessary to request more files if there is need for them. The Witness is basically the Sentinel's lifeline back home... keeping track of their position and status and capable of calling for an emergency extraction from one of the three aerial vehicles the Sentinels have access to. However, the Witness is also considered a potential traitor by a few Sentinels due to some of its priorities. Aircraft is incredible valuable for Haven and thus, it disallows the call for an extraction in case it can detect a present threat which could down the vehicle when coming for a rescue. The threat assessment has another pesky function too, though... and that is that when the Witness calculates a situation from which there is no escape or possibility of survival, it goes on lockdown and then begin an emergency transmission to Haven... Of all the information on the current status of the party, their findings, the threats... everything it knows and can detect of the situation and its surroundings. However, in order to make this transmission is uses all its power on overdrive on the quantum communicator and also on very strong wireless signals... strong enough to get to Haven and also to be detected by any alien groups on a wide radius. This usually spells complete doom for an excursion of Sentinels... however, given that this mode is only activated on certainty of the death of the whole party of Sentinels, it's not as if it would make things worse. Still, despite this, the Witness is a vital piece of any Sentinel excursion, capable of picking small things up with an attraction beam, communicate back home, provide information for the party, do recognizance, aid in aiming with its powerful optics, assess threats and more. It's not unusual that a party of Sentinels take affection to their Witness, naming it and painting it to their liking.

Phew... well that should be all that is needed to create a character... thus, without any further ado, here is the character sheet!

• Name:
• Age:
• Gender:
• Callsign: A code name adopted by the Sentinel. Some pick their own, some request one be picked for them by their superiors.
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Skills and Knowledge: What personal skills do you possess? What did you focus on in your training? What are you specially capable off in your role as a Sentinel that sets you apart? What skills did you develop before you were a Sentinel?
• Armor: What kind of armor you wear? Light, Medium, Heavy? What colors is it? Where do you fit your Grapplers? What does it look like? Where is the platting reinforced on? What does your helmet look like?
• Weapons: What Haven made weaponry do you usually take on your missions? Be wary that you need to be able to carry all of this while trekking through harsh terrain!
• Sylpheed: You may have bonded already with one of these steeds. What do you call your own? What does it look like? How does it act?
• Honor Blade: What sort of Blade did you have made? What are its special qualities? What does it look like?
• Relic: What is your personal Relic to bear as a Sentinel? What name does it have? What can it do?
• Bio: What have you done with your life? How did you become a Sentinel? Have you been at it for a while or are you a new recruit? What did you do before you became a Sentinel? How did becoming Knighted and Ascended change your life?
• Other: Anything that doesn't fit anywhere else.

And with this, Signups are open! I'm thinking that a little time before an expedition by a group of Sentinels went awry... deadly so. A whole Society loss a lot of members, thus warranting a higher than usual recruiting. Thus, your characters. However, feel free to play one of the survivors, a veteran or the part of the Society that wasn't on duty for that particular run. We will also need to come up with a name for the party Witness as well as defining the name of the Society which are usually named after predator animals. Wolves, Hawk, Tiger all make suitable animals for our Society to be named after but I'm willing to hear alternatives.

edited 25th Sep '14 3:00:08 AM by daltar

"The Honey Badgers"

We could come up with the team name afterwards

Like, if we had a lot of speedy people we could be the Falcons

But if they were more strength oriented, the Bears

I'll have to get started on my character sheet tonight!

Interested but i know nil about Destiny. Does that matter?

Nopes. This is entirely it's own thing. All you need to know lies here. Destiny is just where I ripped off the idea wholesale.

All the information should be in the two posts above. If you do a quick Google images search for 'Destiny concept art', that probably won't hurt either. =)

I'll make a character sheet for this and see how things go from there.

@The fiercest, yet most adorable name of them all.

hmm...*interested* Whats the general tech-level? I never played Destiny so I'm a bit fuzzy on details, like what exactly qualifies as a "relic"?

And whats a Grappler in this context?

edited 26th Sep '14 4:38:13 PM by 3of4

The general tech level in Destiny is pretty high-tech, even considering the fall of the Empire. Think low-powered armor, light energy shields, and so on. Destiny also includes matter transmaterialization, but I doubt we'll be using that.

Grapplers are probably the sort of motor-powered grappling hooks you'd see from Batman or Attack on Titan, that sort of thing.

edited 26th Sep '14 4:46:05 PM by RedSavant

I was thinking of doing something sniper-y. Would a cloaking-device-esque cloak (ok, need a better name for that) be too out of there? ^^

I assume Honor Blades are simply Swords the Sentinels carry and not something lightsaber-esque special? ^^

edited 26th Sep '14 4:47:26 PM by 3of4

Invisibility granting artifact is exactly the kind of stuff a Relic qualifies as.

Honor blades are melee weapons made with ultra high tech. Still they are solid. Think of super resistant alloys, metals you can fold that become supper firm when deployed, electric discharges, super heating a sword and other nifty tricks and that can make a Honor Blade.

However, a straight up light saber type energy weapon, or something like the melee alien weapons of Halo would be artifacts.

Ah, ok. Thats what I wanted to hear :)...will post my char in the coming days.

Doublepost but I think people are here waiting for someone to make the first move.

• Name: Zoe (Maybe an abbreviation?)
• Age: 19
• Gender: Female
• Callsign: Reaper (Not self-assigned)
• Appearance: Skinny, white-blonde hair with amber eyes and freckles. Could be described as „cute“. Fit in a „climbs on things and runs a lot“ way, less in a „stems weights“ way.
• Personality: Calm, matter-of-factly but snarky, if a bit anti-social (Honestly, partly this develops as played :) )
• Skills and Knowledge: Zoe is a sniper, a markswoman. She is at home with a scoped rifle in her hands at a high perch, covering people and taking out the enemy without warning. Born to a family of hunters, her skills with firearms and moving around without being noticed were trained from a young age, and only enhanced by Sentinel Training. Furthermore, she focused on swordplay during her Sentinel training, having learned that a rifle was of limited use in close combat and wishing to "close the gap" in her defense.
• Armor: Zoe wears light armor, with plate-reinforced shoulders, gauntlets and boots, all in matted grey tones to blend in. Over her armor, she usually wears a long active-camo cloak, with a hood, eschewing a helmet for interfering with her scope. Grapplers are affixed on her belt, gauntlets and boots to help her climb and afix herself in shooting positions.
• Weapons: Zoe’s primary weapon is a so called Accelerator Rifle, a weapon that uses a magnetic field to accelerate a variety of projectiles (solid, explosive, expanding, self-accelerating, other specials) to hyper-sonic speeds, as well as a pistol version as backup-gun, as well as an assortment of ammunition and power packs for both. The scope offers optical, night and thermal view.
• Sylpheed: Nothing.
• Honor Blade: Her Honor Blade is a one-handed short-sword, optimized to fight in ranges where a gun is simply too close. Double-edged, with a very small guard and slender design, as special feature, the blade itself is size-adjustable, ranging from „combat knife“ size to short sword to full-size one-and-a-half longsword, without issue or loss of durability. It can notably switch from compact to full sized without first having to go through any intermediate settings.
• Relic: A long, cloak which always emulates the colors around itself in a camouflage style. When worn it adjusts itself always ‚‘just’’ right to properly hide whoever its wearing without getting in the way or leaving an unnecessary opening. If pressing the clasp, it can go from passive camouflage into *active* camouflage, turning it into a full out invisibility cloak, if powered by the essence of its wearer. It is simply called The Cloak.
• Bio: Zoe grew up in a family of hunters, being reared from young age to join in the family business. However, simply hunting animals and ignoring the greater issues of the world was not enough for Zoe, leading her to seek membership in the Sentinels.
• Other:

Still a bit work in progress/tweaking things but here it is.

edited 29th Sep '14 5:05:47 PM by 3of4