[disc/recruit] Scavenger Plains, The world of Incuria awaits...

Ah, I was going to use an old character, but she's a cat-girl, probably won't work here. ^^ Meh, I'll just steal from one of Bel's failed RPs.

Name: Niyani Curason
Age: 19
Sex: Female
Birthplace: Storm Oasis
Scavenger Class: Shot
Weapon: Red Pistol L1, 10 Shells
Talents: Niyani has a keen eye, both for aiming with her pistol, and for spotting Ore in the desert. She's also gained a healthy weather-sense, having been brought up in the Storm Oasis and its unpredictable storms.

Description:
Niyani is a fairly tall girl, standing at 5'7" and weighing 115 pounds. Her skin is dark brown, almost black, and stands out strikingly to the her long white hair and bright emerald eyes. Her hair is usually pulled back in a long and thin ponytail, and fans out rather nicely when she feels relaxed enough to let her hair down. Her body is lightly muscled, a little bit lean from her erratic eating habits, but still healthy.

She usually wears a long blue and white kimono that keeps out the sand and does a good job of keeping her out of the heat. A silver veil accompanies the outfit, though she only wears it when she's outrunning a dust storm back to the Oasis. She wears a sturdy pair of sandals for footwear, having traded in her boots for the less confining and cooler sandals.

History:
Growing up in the Storm Oasis is tough for anyone. Unpredicatle sandstorms can sweep a person off their feet, and they'll never be heard from or seen again. But the inhabitants of Storm Oasis already knew this, and taught their children the general safety precautions.

Niyani was one of those kinds of kids that just didn't listen. She's already had several close calls since she started hunting Ore, out-running the slower sandstorms back to the Oasis and digging trenches to lay in when she couldn't outrun the faster and larger storms. She manages to make it back safely every time though, though who knows how long her luck will hold out. Her parents just sigh every time and shake their heads.

When Niyani turned 18, her parents sent her off to live on her own, though she still returns to rest them occasionally. Their parting gift to her was a standard survival kit, and a Red Pistol L1, which Niyani hasn't bothered to trade in yet, finding it to be pretty reliable, despite the expensive ammuniton demands.

She wandered into Outpost Oasis a few days ago, the sandstorms around her home oasis having been buffeting the town for days and keeping her from getting out and finding any more Ore.

Note: Niyani is one of few dark-skinned that weren't found in Pillar Oasis. Her skin is natural, not an adaptation to the sun.

This post has been edited by Nixoxygenate on Jun 15 2004, 01:51 AM

Okay, okay, i have to hand it to you, my interest is peaked, and I'm actually willing to risk another RP... o.0
Here goes....

Name: Mortimer "Twitch" Maggot
Age: Older than dirt (or at least anyone that could tell you seems to be dead already)
Sex: Male
Birthplace: Storm Oasis (most of the time, his stories vary)
Scavenger Class: sider
Weapon: Red Pistol Level 0, 10 shells "Old Beatrix"
Quasi Weapon: Twitch's "Thingamabob": while vaguely resembling both a gun and a welded together piece of scrap metal, this device seems to have characteristics of both, it's few visible abilities being able to shoot a grappling claw approximately 12 feet, protrude various forms of lockpick, and randomly emit sparks and/or explosions when it's "trigger" is pulled. Theoretically this device could actually be used to harm something, namely anyone stupid enough to try to use it....

Skills: Tinkering mechanic ( Twitch isn't what you'd call "qualified" with machines. He just seems to generally come up with absurdly strange methods of causing the devices to work after they didn't, or make them do things that under most circumstances just aren't possible...); Completely Insane. ( See History)

Desciption: Twitch is a short, really, really, REALLY, old guy dressed in dust, rags, an assortment of junk that dangles everywhich way from him, and one undersized chittering lizard that usually hangs around his shoulders. His eyes are a miss matched blue and Red, underneath the ages of dirt and grime, if you took a scouring pad too it, you might be able to tell his skin is generally light. His hair is bone white with Gray mixed in whenever he takes off his cap, and generally you only see his eyes if his goggles are removed. Said goggles are equally miss matched, one with a crack in the center, the other what seems to be a target site in it. If asked why he doesn't take them off most of the time, the old goat quickly responds " 'cause i'd miss out on seein' the ladies!!"


History: If you can get enough alchohol into him, Twitch'll tell you he was originally a scavenger from Storm Oasis that got lost in a storm on his first outing, And stayed that way ever since.
Apparently he claims to have survived by running into a tribe of Giant Void Lizards, who took pity on the poor scavenger and gave him a guide through the storms, in the person of his close buddy Mooch, a Minature Giant Void Lizard.
If you believe this, he also has some excellent ore Mining property to sell you in the void, along with a map to navigate the storms to get to it.

What is true enough is that Twitch and his Lizard showed up at Outpost Oasis not long after the biggest storm seen there in a Hundred years touched down, and he's apparently decided to stick around, considering he's getting on in years now, and it's been a while since he's seen another human being, let alone a woman....

This post has been edited by Bose on Jun 15 2004, 07:31 AM

There's no real deadline. When enough people have joined to make this half-decent (and to be honest, I think we're already at that point) and more importantly, I've finished tweaking the story, I'll post up a [story] thread. Besides, you can join practically any time you want- just have your character arrive at Outpost Oasis to begin.

Okay, let me just run through the characters submitted so far...

Calim: That's fine.

Samu: Fine as well.

Luki_Dimension: Fine.

Kawaii Catboy: Thanks for the compliment. There are only two things a little askew about your profile: your weapon starts at Rank 0, and of course, you need a History.

wapa: Regarding the Silver Ore pendant, I'm fine with that. Regarding the chain, I'll tell you roughly what I told another player who asked a similar question: You can only start with one weapon. You can start with the chain as long as its main use is not as a weapon. This doesn't stop you from *using* it as a weapon at a later date, though in the way you described.

Nixoxygenate: No problems, except your weapon starts at Rank 0.

Bose: Regarding the "Thingamabob"- I'm going to allow it because you've made it very clear that it can't be used as a weapon. (Or it would hurt the user.) Also, your Pistol starts with no Rank.

Sorry to be so tough regarding this "one weapon" rule, but I figure that I want to be a good GM, I have to enforce the rules that I've created. If I start bending the rules now, especially before the RP story has even started properly, then it sets a pretty poor example.

You'll find once the story starts, you'll be given a lot of freedom, so that will make up for the restrictions right now.

[/SAMU]

But aren't we gonna have to clear everything we do/find with you on PM?

[/SAMU]

Wow. As far as I can tell he hasn't abused this account. He gets a cookie.

When it comes to finding things, yes. This is to keep certain items rare and keep other items common. Common items like Red or Blue Ore I will generally be fine with. But as the item increases in rarity, there's a greater chance I'll say no unless it's part of a storyline you've already planned. (See below)

When I say that you'll be given a lot of freedom, I mean that you'll be given as much freedom as possible. You can create and pursue your own storylines, follow the main one, or just go with the flow, letting your character develop itself.

But if you come up with a storyline that somehow changes the enviroment of Incuria at any point or a storyline that requires something quite rare, then I have to insist that you clear it with me first via PM.

This is so that I can ensure that any changes you make do not clash with the main storyline. If you want a big storyline to go as smoothly as possible and get my full cooperation, then it's really a good idea to tell me about it first. I will try to accept and intergrate as many of your ideas as possible into the storyline.

However, if I do give you special allowances for a storyline, I expect you to carry it out until the end. It's only fair.

Mh there are still some questions open for me xD
lessee:

1. Youve described Sand Streamers as motorbikes so I guess theyve got 2 wheels... and you said that they can carry one or two people. Are there actually larger variants of Sand Streamers? Four wheeled? 4 Seats? Whatever?

2. You said that one Ore Sphere can run a streamer for 72 hours... does that mean 72 hours at full speed? On any speed? Or do the Spheres even drain when the Streamer is switched off?

3. Level of weapons... you said mainly the design is different... would it theoretical be possible to upgrade a weapon? Or does a new one have to be made?

Well... enough questions for today

Heres my char:

Name: Telrean Reykreth
Age: 22
Sex: Male
Birthplace: Rail Oasis
Scavenger Class: Shot
Weapon: Red Pistol, 10 shells

Skills: Very good perception and reflexes. Perception meaning all off his Senses. The good reflexes arent really a skill... they're a result of the good perception.

Description: Telrean is 6'1" tall and weighs 170 pounds, his clothing lets it seem like hes a few inches taller though. Despite the weight hes still relatively thin. Telrean got long black hair, but the skin is really pale and sun sensitive, if his skin isnt protected he gets sunburns in less than 5 minutes. This is caused by a heriditary defect. Because of that he is clothed in a long heavy black hooded robe, that doesnt even let the smallest sunrays through to his skin, he is always wearing black gloves and boots and underneath the robe hes wearing a leather suit. His face is covered up to the nose as well... the only thing visible about him are basically the eyes, which are yellow when light shines directly on him and seem to get bluer and bluer as darker it gets, when its dark almost completely his eyes seem to have a blueish glow. When the sun stands on a low position, so he runs danger that the sun shines directly into his face, he wears sunglasses. This kind of clothing seems to be really hot, and yeah, it is. But it isnt half as hot inside as it looks like. The leather lets the skin breath and the long robes keep the heat outside. Seeing as he wears this kind of clothing since he was small, he doesnt really mind the heat anymore.

Personality: Although his appearance lets him look kind of dangerous and he is very reclusive, hes a nice person, who tries to help other people and is always as friendly as possible.

Histroy: Telrean is born in Rail Oasis, even if his pale skin lets him seem like he is born in Shadow Oasis. His heriditary defect, which left him without pigments in his skin, gave him a wierd eyecolor but at the same time sharpened his senses, caused him many troubles. Being outcast by other children of his age and not being able to do anything under the sun let him become inverted. His parents cared for him, but they never thought of a good way to help him and even them seemed to outcast him a bit, they've never shown it openly, but he felt it. WHen he got fifteen, he finally found a way of doing something useful. Scavenging. He consulted differend physicians but noone could really help him. The only way of shielding himself from the sun was wearing heavy black clothing, which blocked off every single sunray. So he started to scavenge. He wasn't really succesful, but it was better then nothing and now that he brought money home, his parents seemed to accept him better. Over time he became more experienced and less negatively affected by the heavy clothes. He learned how to move without heating his body up too quickly and where and how to seek for ore. Now, on his 21 birthday he finally decided to become independent from his parents. He took all the money he had secretly saved up and left home, taking a train to Outpost Oasis, which he heard of, that it was a good starting place for more professional scavengers, now carrying a Red Pistol which his father gave him as a good-bye present.

Things to know:
-His clothing is thick enough to serve as light armor
-Even though the heavy clothing he is wearing is somewhat heat efficient, he still was to watch very carefully, that he doesnt do something, which heats his body up to fast (i.e. like running like mad), or he'll effectively cook himself

Is that okay?

EDIT: T3h sp3ll1ng

This post has been edited by Halconnen on Jun 15 2004, 08:19 AM

(eyebrow twitches)

You can find a few customised Sand Streamers, for example, a model which has some of the armour plating removed to increase speed. But you won't find one with four wheels. Four seats is a possibility though.

Obviously, custom made models will cost more than standard models.

Hmm... good point. I was thinking that it would power the Streamer for three days no matter what, but it doesn't make much sense for it to drain power while it's turned off.

Ok, I'll change that. The correction:

A single Ore Sphere can power a Sand Streamer for 24 hours on full power. When travelling across the desert, you would have to remain at full power to maintain acceleration and speed. The Streamer does not use power when switched off. And for simplicity's sake, when you're travelling at a low speed (for example, within the Oasis Towns), the power consumed is negligible.

And in anticipation of a future question: these are the times it will take you to travel to and from each Oasis on a Sand Streamer in a straight line. Times are averages: give or take half an hour depending on whether you are riding a Green Ore Sand Streamer (slower) or a Yellow Ore Sand Streamer (faster). To get the amount of time it will take you on a train, just half these numbers.

Rail Oasis - any other Oasis Town = 4 hours.
Outpost Oasis - Pillar Oasis = 6 hours.
Pillar Oasis - Storm Oasis = 3 hours.
Storm Oasis - Metal Oasis = 5.5 hours.
Metal Oasis - Shadow Oasis = 5 hours.
Shadow Oasis - Outpost Oasis = 3.5 hours.

And for those who want to take a shortcut across the desert:

Outpost Oasis - Storm Oasis = 7.5 hours.
Outpost Oasis - Metal Oasis = 7 hours.
Pillar Oasis - Metal Oasis = 7.5 hours.
Pillar Oasis - Shadow Oasis = 7.5 hours.
Storm Oasis - Shadow Oasis = 8 Hours.

Do not try to dispute these numbers! I had to use geometry to work them out! Are you happy now? You made me apply Maths in a practical situation, dammit!

Yep, a weapon can be upgraded if you're particularly attached to it. It's actually cheaper to upgrade a weapon than to buy a new one because the Ore in your weapon can be recycled. Weapons can only be upgraded so far, though. No matter how many times you upgrade it, Red Ore is still Red Ore, and eventually reaches a "glass ceiling" of value.

Your character is fine, Halconnen. No problems there. I don't think he could "effectively cook himself" within his clothing, but I would say collapsing from heat exhastion seems pretty likely if he overexerts himself.

That's... (counts) wow, eight players. And if GoD sends his profile in soon, that's nine players, not including myself to start with. I had better get to work finishing off the story...

Ah cool... I see... but as always your answers throw up new questions O-o really no offense intended, I'm only very curious and want to prevent misunderstandings before they actually occur

Regarding your answer to my second question from before: You said I've made you apply geometry So it seems like you've got some kind of map lying around on your desk. A scan would be awesome =D

Besides the powerdraining when switched off doesnt seem too be senseless to me, if you imagine the Spheres as a kind of Powersource that cant be switched off after once be switched on, thus emitting energy no matter if its used or not. But yeah, I like your corrected Version more

This is what made most new questions come to my mind:
1. If you start to upgrade a weapon could you i.e. slowly start to replace the parts of a Red Ore Weapon with Blue Ore? So you slowly convert the Weapon to one Ore Type to another? Would that make sense to create mixed weapons? Or are the characteristics of the ore types to diffrent to effectively do that?

2. That said, what are Streamers and other technical things made of? Ore? Metalgrain? Different Types of ore in one machine?

3. What do you mean with 'Glass Ceiling'?

4. Where are the actual differences between weapons of different Ore Types? Is for example a L5 Red Weapon compareable with a L3 Blue one? Ore are the differendes between Ore Types different than the differences between weapon level?

Cool Yeah... "effectively cooking himself" was a bit exagerrated... collapsing from heat exhaustion or something similiar was exactly what I had in mind when writing that


My my... I like to use smileys huh?

[/SAMU]

You're gonna get your head bitten off if you keep this up, hal !

[/SAMU]

* (vein throbbing)

It's six dots joined by a web of broken and straight lines with measurements dotted all over it. Not exactly "awesome". Besides, I don't have a scanner.

You could convert a weapon from one Ore type to another and carry a weapon made up of more than one Ore type. It's not a common practice, but you could do it.

If you had a Red weapon and wanted a Blue weapon, it would make more sense to buy a new Blue weapon than to slowly convert your Red weapon. It just costs less.

The internal components of a Sand Streamer are made of metalgrain because it is much easier and cheaper to mass produce. The shielding is made up of Red Ore covered in a thin sheet of metalgrain for maximum protection.

A limit. A point where further progression is impossible. A point where no amount of modification will increase its value any further.

The main differences are in the value and strength.

Blue Ore is naturally more valuable than Red Ore, so that is reflected in the Rank of the weapon. Taking your example: it would have to be a *very* unique Red Sword to be ranked L5. However, a simple Blue Sword can be ranked L3 easily because the natural value of Blue Ore immediately adds to the total value of the weapon. Does that make sense?

Blue Ore weapons also tend to be a little stronger than Red Ore weapons, but not by much.

There are other differences, but you won't find them out for a while.

(sigh) This is like playing an RP game with The Riddler. But like you said, it's better to clear things up beforehand. And it does add more depth to the world.

This post has been edited by Andrew I on Jun 15 2004, 12:26 PM

Ah thank you for the quick answers =D No need to worry... no more questions for now XD

And thank you for not biting my head off XD

Well... I wont keep you from preparing the RPG anymore then ... sorry for any inconvenience caused

Name: Zaka Mandu
Gender: F
Age: 22
Scavenger class: Striker
Birthplace: Storm Oasis
Weapon: Red Sword (L1)
Skills: Hunting, Tailoring

Other items: Plenty of food rations, tiny amounts of Credits, metalgrain daggers often used for carving and a dog-like companion. This pet is quite big, shaggy, dusty, has sharp teeth and is named "Groucher". He's good for hunting and sometimes uncovers unrefined Ore.

Appearance: 5'5", long hazel-brown hair and hazel-brown eyes, tanned skin, athletic. She wears a stained white bodysuit, white shawl and goggles that usually hang around her neck, a thin brown leather coat and boots of the same material. Her gloves are as stained as the bodysuit.

Personality: Sociable, can get pissed off, mischievous, never asks for help. A bit of a loner.

History: Zaka comes from a tough family of four. Her mother makes a living by making clothes and her father is also a Scavenger, so he's often away. Zaka also has a brother who is two years older. When they were very young, the siblings helped their mother with the tailoring but were revealed to be skilled fighters as they got older, so the pair were taught everything they knew by their father. When Zaka's brother was 16, he felt he couldn't leave his home and wasn't able to take change too easily, like his mother, so he stays home to help with the business and guards the place. At 14, Zaka herself showed the desire to become a Scavenger and explore, so she joined her father.

For the next 6 years, her father taught her all she knew and introduced her to the right people. Her only weapons were the metalgrain daggers. In their last venture, the pair showed excellent teamwork when they dug out a large piece of refined Silver Ore. This earned her father the Silver Sword L2 and Zaka the Red Sword L1. It was at this point that her father decided she was ready to go out alone, so they parted ways and agreed to catch up the next time they ran into each other. It was soon after that the stray Groucher came along and stayed with Zaka when she showed him kindness.

So Zaka has now been scavenging for 2 years, but unlike most scavengers, she works sometimes for her keep and walks through the desert (against her father's advice) so that she can hunt. She often works when she's too lazy to find Ore. She's in Outpost Oasis because she's just finished a run of delivering clothes for her family back home to other Oasis settlements.

Raiden: Good character. Again, just a few minor adjustments needed.

Once again, all weapons start at Rank 0.

And if Zaka's father made a weapon out of Sliver Ore, then it's not going to be a L2 weapon.

More like a Sliver Sword L15. Yep, Sliver Ore weapons are very, very valuable...

[/SAMU]

Correct me if I'm wrong, we have nine people. Let's get goin'! I wanna cut people up! I wanna wander a big ass desert! I wanna kick that Streamer gang's tushies!

[/SAMU]

Sean Gila's History:

Sean's parents were unknown to himself. Probably because they abandoned him in the middle of the Shadow Oasis, and never returned. Raised by a small family, he soon grew stronger and stronger, though the lack of sunlight caused his previously tanned skin to become as pale as any other.

Unfortunately, the fact that he was a hard worker and a intelligence and kind hearted person didn't deter from the fact that he was...different. His eyes were the cause of his being shunned by all except his adopted parents.

For red was the color of the demon's eyes.

Sean didn't understand, at first, why none of the other children would play with him in the streets, why his teachers never conversed with him directly, why nobody would help his family with all of the crops. That was, until the day a caravan of traders came into town, and Sean saw his very first mirror. He saw his own eyes for the first time, and finally understood why no one wanted him around.

To be shunned for something you can't control or change, that was ultimate suffering for him. He started to grow as cold to his neighbors as they were to him, and soon became what they had treated him like, an outcast.

On his twentieth birthday, Sean could take it no more. He pack up his meager belongings, said his goodbyes to his adopted family, and took the next rail out, towards Outpost.

He did not belong here, with everyone else. He was not welcome in this sand land. And so, he began racking his brain, wondering if salvation laid beyond the whirlwinds of sandstorms that lined the borders. He would work for a while as a Scavenger, gathering what he needed, ore, money, tools, and find a way to safely traverse through the borders on his own. To find his...paradise.

[MINOR NITPICK]

Is that Silver Ore you mean? As in the mineral?

...if not...cool. I've actually got a rather cool mental image of what "Sliver" Ore would look like...
[/MINOR NITPICK]

Hokay. Now as for Rin's chain, I'd actually had it in mind as a weapon - kind of like a kusari-gama (spell?), only small. Dang. I guess I'll nix that. I can't get it in the first post, either, I guess. No matter. She'll get slammed at any rate...

Though...Hurrah! I gots silver/sliver Ore!

...now...back to study...

[editus maximus]

One final question - is there any major use of signalling devices by people in Incuria - for instance, flares, flare guns, or rockets? Mirrors?
Just a minor question. Hope that forehead vein doesn't explode...

[editus uberus]
(I guess that means the vein explodes *ducks*)

An extra-final question - you mentioned that we can find items? What sort of items? How'd they get there? Are there Ancient Artefacts Of Greate Ande Diurse Powers? Or are they rusted things dropped in storms and left for a few years?

This post has been edited by wapa on Jun 15 2004, 08:13 PM

Edited in the Rank Level 0,
Don't worry about the thingamabob, it couldn't hurt a fly, just everyone's sense of humor.

As for the artifacts, my best guess is, both.

Dats my guess as well... but, heh, I asked already... you wont get nething out of Andrew XD

@ Sliver Ore: I think its meant to be Sliver... Andrew spelled it 4 times like that in his 2nd post as well and he never spelled it Silver

And yeah I thought as well that the Ore type isnt reflected in the level of the weapon... it is. ^^ even the most simple Blue Ore weapon is most likely going to be on L3

EDIT: Attack of the spelling NINJ4s

This post has been edited by Halconnen on Jun 16 2004, 02:22 AM

Fine Andrew, but I can't edit it now. Besides, I thought my sword was rank 0. (?)

All weapons start at L0. That simple, no exceptions. ^^

(thumps head on table)

Have you ever spelled a word the wrong way for so long that even after you've learned that it's the wrong spelling, you continue to spell it incorrectly out of instinct?

It's supposed to be Silver Ore. Not Sliver Ore. Silver. The mineral Silver. Silver, silver, silver, silver, silver!

Argh, I can't believe that after all this time, I can't thump the correct spelling of that word into my head... and I still write £ signs backwards. Sorry for any confusion.

Not any major use of signalling. It doesn't stop your character from using signals, though.

The two most common items are Ore and weapons.

There are other items out there, but I'm not going to say what they are. Bose is somewhat right though.

Okay, okay, I'm working on the first post... and KC, your history is fine.

This post has been edited by Andrew I on Jun 16 2004, 10:40 AM

Yeah hurry up andrew I wantin to Rpin

[/SAMU]

Bwahahahahaha! The GM has become the slave. Bwahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Please don't eat me.

[/SAMU]

My, if I didn't know any better, I would swear I just heard my new copy of Phantasy Star Online III calling me from the next room...

It did...but thats because I was about to blow it to hell with my shot gun.

*pumps his shotgun*

Now you waddle back to your computer and type that post