Peregrination || Announcement, pg 347.

Every saint has a past

and every sinner has a future.	100.0%	[ 30 ]
Total Votes:			[ 30 ]

[Captain Laurence]

Welcome to the main thread for Peregrination, a brand spankin' new science-fiction-based B/C shop!

A year ago, a colony ship of humans crash-landed on an alien world, only to discover that not only did intelligent life already exist there -- several different species had independently developed coexisting civilizations in an intricate balance. How the new arrivals will affect this world, and how they in turn will be affected -- this is your story.

Feel free to stick around, post, ask questions, have a little fun -- there may be teasers, games, and/or hilarity available at any given time, so check back frequently!

Visit the guild!

[Captain Footliver]

5.28.09 – Construction begins on shiny new interest thread.

5.31.09 – Interest thread opens! Huzzah!

7.21.09 -- Grand Opening!

[Captain Laurence]

Rules:

1. Okay, we're going to explain this one clearly and in-depth right here.
   
   IC ACTIONS HAVE IC CONSEQUENCES. OOC ACTIONS HAVE OOC CONSEQUENCES.
   
   Not sure what we mean by this? Here's a quick example. Let's say that a new area has been discovered. Your character wants to explore it. If, in-character, a captain tells you not to go because it's dangerous, you can still go! But your character will be punished IC-ly, if they are caught. This does not mean we are mad at you, or that we don't want you to break IC rules. Do what your character would do. If, however, Tua or Dimitri tells you out of character to please not go there, say for instance it’s an upcoming event and it's not done yet... Don't go. If we tell you OOC to cut some s**t out, then cut that s**t out or GTFO. Not sure whether a particular command is IC or OOC? Ask us. This should be self-explanatory, but as said above, this is to n** wankery in the bud before it even starts.
   
   
2. You know what? We're not even going to bother to elaborate on the don't steal art, don't godmod, don't violate Gaia rules. You should be able to figure that out yourself.
   
   
3. Be courteous. If someone asks you to turn off your post style, or change your font size/color to make your posts more readable, please do it. If someone asks a question, try to either answer it or direct them to where the answer can be found. Try to be gracious regardless of whether you win or lose that pet you were aiming for.
   
   
4. We like to cuss, make the occasional off-color joke, and we don't take much bull. If you are a delicate flower, we will not make the world G-rated for you, or make the shop regulars hold your hand and play with you if you haven't been making an effort to interact. On the other hand, if you have a legitimate complaint, please do approach us so that we can resolve the situation in a mature and hopefully discreet manner. We’re not mean people.
   
   
5. That said, if you have a beef, take it to PMs. The rest of the thread doesn’t need to get involved or start taking sides. And if you’re mad enough that you feel like you can’t post without being angry or passive-aggressive, just back off the keyboard for a bit, mmmkay? Go get a breath of fresh air. The Internet is not serious business, although we understand that sometimes it feels that way.
   
   
6. In regards to advertising… Examples of acceptable advertising: offering art of people’s characters for this shop is fine, whether for gold or for free. If a shop regular is involved in another shop that is doing a cool thing, post a link to said cool thing and say “hey, you should have a look.” Examples of unacceptable advertising: if you come in pimping your shop when we’ve never seen you in-thread before, that’s not okay. A banner for another shop in your post style is also not okay. Bawwwing that no one ever comes to your shop is unacceptable.

FAQ

I can has alien?

Yes. You can has. However, not necessarily right now. Before posting, please read the first and second page to look for current events and availability.

Are these pets RP required?

No, they are not. We will never take your alien away. There are, however, plenty of RP benefits – participation in RP events could earn you in-shop currency, IC rank, new discoveries, maybe even lineart edits! Furthermore, some minimal RP is required for breeding (more on this later – essentially, you have to establish IC relationship and interest, that's all).

Occasionally, we may have events for unusual characters with a high rank or a metaplot significance. These will be clearly announced as such. If you fail to RP this character, he or she will remain yours, but the rank will be stripped, and either given to a more prolific RPer or reverted to an NPC role.

So this is a science fiction setting, huh? What kind of technology are we talking about, here?

We're not going to write up a comprehensive guide to everything – that'd take too long. Suffice it to say that humans have faster-than-light drives and starships, so you can probably assume the standard array of sci-fi gadgets exist. Hovercars and fancy medical tech and handheld plot-device-scanners... You get the idea. But no matter creators – you can't beam something out of nothing, no one's managed to cheat the Law of Conservation of Mass yet.

Bear in mind, however, that humans on Alpha Centauri have access only to what was on board the ship, and more importantly what survived the crash. Small items that can be carried on one's person are probably fine, as are durable items... but if your character is, say, a science officer who had some large, delicate, fiddly equipment in their lab... that lab is probably either destroyed or damaged by now. If you have specific questions about whether a certain item would be allowed, just ask. In addition, note that while civilians are permitted to carry weapons for hunting and personal protection, using a weapon against an intelligent being without provocation is a serious offense.

Alien technology will be discussed briefly under their section in “Species.”

[Captain Footliver]

It’s a golden age for Earth. Mars has been terraformed and the colony situated there is thriving. Humans have successfully developed a faster-than-light drive that will allow them to reach other star systems in months, instead of millennia. It was inevitable that humanity would look to the sky, and to their closest neighbors. When the Canaan space probe successfully located a hospitable planet in the Alpha Centauri system, it seemed like destiny in action. Earth’s closest stellar neighbor with a planet just ready and waiting to be colonized? Those first few iconic, slightly blurry images of a blue-green globe that was not Earth were plastered across every television screen, every news site.

The colony ship Peregrine was a joint effort between the world superpowers, for no single nation could have undertaken the massive endeavor alone. A team of pilots, scientists, military officers, intrepid pioneers, and more were assembled as crew. The massive ship was outfitted with supplies, samples of staple food crops, state-of-the-art labs and equipment… everything that they could afford, everything they thought the new colonists would need. The plan was that this first ship would set up a viable home base, survey the planet from the surface, and subsequent vessels would carry more people and supplies as needed.

All of which became irrelevant when the ship’s main computer abruptly failed, leaving a ship full of people stranded in orbit of the new planet.

With the navigation and communication systems permanently offline, the pilots made a valiant effort to manually land a ship that was never meant to be operated without the aid of the navigation computer. It was, for all intents and purposes, a controlled crash. To their credit, the people survived, as did the majority of the equipment needed for survival… however, it was clear enough that the Peregrine would not fly again, not without heavy repairs to both the ship itself and the dead computer.

The colonists grimly picked up with their original mission, now an obligation of survival rather than exploration. It was at this point that they ran into something that Canaan had not scanned for, something that no one on Earth had anticipated, something that could ultimately be either their salvation or their destruction: intelligent life.

The date is 2208 A.D. It’s been a little over a year since the crash of the Peregrine. You are here: Sartnys, a lonely planet revolving around its twin stars of Alpha Centauri. Light-years from home, with no means of sending a message to Earth. Oh, and have we mentioned that your Captains are possibly a little unhinged, your new neighbors tend towards the bizarre, and some of the alien ambassadors seem to have... ulterior motives?

Good luck.

[Captain Laurence]

There are two types of characters you can play in this shop: Sartnys natives (“aliens”) and humans.

The Natives

The “pets” here – though all of them are of at least near-human intelligence, so perhaps “pet” is the wrong word. Certainly, most of them would not take kindly to being considered domesticated. They can be obtained through flatsales, raffles, auctions, games, and all the usual ways, and will be certed.

The Humans

Human characters are free to create; the only requirement is that they must be posted in the character submission forum in the guild and approved before they can be RPed. Note that humans will not be drawn or certed. If you would like to obtain art of your human characters through other means, feel free, it’s just not something we offer officially through the shop.

Aliens and humans may interact amongst themselves or with each other freely.

If you have a concept alien character you’re questing for, there will be a thread where you can post your quest and get that concept character approved for RP. A concept works the same as a human character – you can RP them freely, they just don’t have art or a cert yet.

Journals are optional, but a forum in the guild will be provided if you want to keep a profile, RP log, art/uncerts, and so forth there.

[Captain Footliver]

The first species to approach us call themselves the Malakim (singular Malakite), and despite their appearance, they've been relatively friendly, if a little cautious.

[Captain Laurence]

Something's up on page two...you should probably go check it out.

[Captain Footliver]

Alpha Centauri is a star system made up of two closely associated stars both similar to Earth’s Sun in size and age; Alpha Centauri A is also the same spectral type. A third and much smaller star, Proxima Centauri, is also gravitationally associated with Alpha Centauri A and B, though at a much greater distance. Sartnys orbits Alpha Centauri A at a distance of about 1.25 AU. It has two small moons, a low axial tilt, and both mass and atmospheric composition are similar enough to Earth’s to make it livable for humans without special equipment.

And now that we’re done with the science, let’s get to how it affects you.

Alpha Centauri A (better known to the inhabitants as just the Sun) is nearly identical to our own sun. Alpha Centauri B (usually called the sister star) is also visible as a small disk in the sky, hundreds of times brighter than a full moon on Earth. Like the moon on Earth, the sister star is primarily visible at night, but sometimes can be seen during the day as well. For half the year (spring and summer in the northern hemisphere, which is where you are) the sky at night is dark blue rather than black, and the light from the sister star is bright enough to read by. A year here is a little longer, about 1 Earth year and 3 months, and the seasons are basically the same, although changes between seasons are not as extreme.

Most of the data taken from satellites was lost in the crash, but the scientists seem to recall that most of the planet’s surface is made up of shallow seas and chains of islands of varying size, with a few larger continents. Plant and animal life is various, fertile, and in many cases quite tasty.

[Captain Laurence]

(Captain profile images bought to you by the lovely Patmos of Endtimes!)

Captain Josiah Laurence – And now that you know that first name, you can forget it, thank you. Laurence is thirty-seven years old, and this mission will probably drive him to go grey before he hits forty. He's a fairly imposing man, standing at just over six feet and in the words of one crew member, “built like a brick wall.” If his job calls for it, he can out-roar a crowd, stand his ground under most any circumstances, and his aim with a laser rifle isn't too shabby, either. Privately, however, Laurence is more of a teddy bear than a grizzly bear. Colonists approaching him with questions and concerns are treated with warmth and respect, regardless of rank. In his mind, the chances of returning to Earth in his lifetime are slim to none – the passengers and crew of the former Peregrine are all he has. He was supposed to defend them, and by God that's what he'll do.

Against a whole planet, if it comes to that.



Captain Amelia Footliver – A lot of people seem to think that Captain Footliver is too immature to hold the position that she does; just because she looks like she's in her early twenties (though she's usually quick to amend this and remind people that she is 31, thank you kindly) doesn't mean she can go gallivanting off without letting crew know, or make up bogus missions for her own amusement. She can be amazingly oblivious, reckless, blunt, and damn is she ever loud. But the fact remains that if anything is involved in anyway with any sort of science, Amelia excels in it – and if she doesn't, she will spend weeks researching until she does. The failure of the Peregrine's computer system took a toll on her that hasn't quite healed yet; she helped build it, after all, and thusly obsesses over rebuilding it. Daily. But her relatively sleepless nights of pouring over blueprints and fiddling with mechanics do not interrupt with her social life (unfortunately). Like it or not, she tries her best to make sure everyone knows her.

It is, admittedly, a bit worrisome that she's decided to apply this analogy to species other than humans...

Moro Jyrius -- Jyrius gives off the impression that if he were human, he would be terribly well-dressed, nonspecifically European, and inappropriately affectionate. Actually, scratch that last part, he's inappropriately affectionate anyway. Jyrius is a fine young specimen, and he knows it -- he's impeccably groomed, tall and well-proportioned with striking markings. He peppers his speech with a lot of low trills and hums, which seems to translate to a soft tenor so smooth it might as well be buttery. Unfortunately, he tends to come off as either a ditz or a lecher. He certainly appears to spend more time gallivanting and pondering inappropriate human anatomy than he does doing official work... and yet one wonders what he's actually thinking, behind that permanent cheerful look.

[Captain Footliver]

<MAP>

Not much of it now, eh? Well, guess what? YOU get to help us fill it in!

Through shop events, RP, and metaplot activity, the colonists will secure their place on the planet, meet new species, and explore more of the world. Do we ally with the alien factions, or enslave them? Start wars or end them? It’s up to you!

Current Situation

Captain’s Log (Laurence): According to everyone at Mission Control, we all died in the crash-landing. At least, we must assume that – no reason for them to think otherwise. That means no more ships are coming with supplies. Food, shelter, water and other necessities are no problem – this planet can support us easily. Fuel, on the other hand… We’ve had to limit travel by vehicle pretty severely, which means we haven’t explored too far beyond the nearest settlements. Don’t want to run out of fuel and find that we need it for some emergency… The natives we’ve encountered thus far have been cautious, but open to communication. Fortunately, translation devices seem to be pretty common technology. (Everyone seems to have them, but I do wonder why…)

I guess we’re lucky that they’re not too territorial. No one seems to mind that we’ve set up our little colony here, as long as we don’t make trouble. They’re also curious – I guess I would be too, in their situation. Everyone wants to get a look at the weird aliens that just dropped out of the sky… we’re the aliens here, in a manner of speaking. It’s still so strange to remind myself of that.

[Captain Laurence]

Not available yet. Come back later!

[Captain Footliver]

Staff
Tuatha De – co-owner
Dimitri Obsidian – co-owner
Giftwrapped - certmaker, colorist
Poisin Ivy Josephine - colorist, itemist

Credits
Mindsend, for our epic Malakim!
Patmos of Endtimes, for guest coloring and lineart.
PolarBearxx, for our guild banner.
zephira738, for items.
Dragonfly Garden, for items.
Eri Donnal, for concept development.
Star Control II, Firefly, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, and more for inspiration. XD

[Captain Laurence]

Hey, you! You look like a brave soul! What are your thoughts on helping a telekinetic snail collect parts for some dubious and poorly-explained project? I’ll give you cool stuff… Ah, I thought that would change your mind.

Meet Dr. Hollywise. (Never you mind his real name – that’s classified information. Also never you mind whether he’s a real doctor; suffice it to say he’s got the equivalent of a doctorate, and that’s good enough.) He’s working on a new and truly remarkable machine that will revolutionize the field of… well, it will certainly revolutionize something, even if we aren’t sure what! If you’re active around the shop, participate in games, or just RP and explore, you may find these… odd little bits of machinery.

Collect them, and you can give them to Dr. Hollywise at the following exchange rate.

100 Widgets = 1 Doodad
10 Doodads = 1 Whatsit

<SHOP NOT OPEN YET>

Also, on VERY rare occasions, if you do something truly excellent or win a special game… you may receive a Shiny Sprocket. This, if given to the good doctor, will earn you access to one of his… experimental projects.

DNA Stealing Kit – to all intents and purposes, this acts as a non-RP “crack breeding.” Pick any two aliens in the shop, and this kit will allow you to *ahem* borrow a little genetic material from each, enough to produce offspring. The number of babies will depend on the species. The parents don't have to know each other in-character, and they don't necessarily have to know about the resulting babies either, unless the owners want them to. There are only two requirements here: the parents have to be of the same species, and you must get the written permission, posted here, of all owners involved.

Fearsome Genetics Machine Mark II – a growing custom, essentially. Pretty good deal, if you don't want to shell out the gold for a slot. Just pick the species, colors, and markings you want, and he'll grow you a baby to your exact specifications, more or less. Pretty straightforward. However, due to the relatively untested nature of the machine, on rare occasions your new baby may... well, mutate a little. (Read: slim chance of small, random lineart edits, colorist's discretion.) Results not guaranteed. No refunds. Consider yourself lucky: the first few infants to come out of the Mark I tended to explode if jostled.

[Captain Footliver]

At the moment, we are currently hiring for the following positions:

None

Later on we'll need colorists (who will have their own awesome event!) and possibly an RP/general thread manager...

Right now, we are looking for OPINIONS.

• Do you like what you see so far? What would you be interested in from a shop like this?
  
• What kind of items should we offer in exchange for shop currency? We'd like to offer some IC equipment and bonuses, in addition to the standard stuff... Current item ideas include: a selection of tools and items that can be used IC by either humans or aliens, such as weapons and alien technology. Perhaps at higher levels, items such as rank badges or access to transportation, which will allow your character to explore new areas and get sneak previews of upcoming plot!
  
• Canon input! We would love to get shop members involved in expanding the canon. Sartnys is an entire planet nearly the size of Earth, there is enough room for a hell of a lot of stuff. :O Would you be interested in helping to design as well as explore this new world?

[Captain Laurence]

Want to help spread the word? Great! Here's two banners for you to use:

[url=http://tinyurl.com/lxkxdn][img]http://tinyurl.com/kotq28[/img][/url]

Or, if you'd prefer a smaller banner...

[url=http://tinyurl.com/lxkxdn][img]http://tinyurl.com/ykyozh7[/img][/url]