Have you ever wished to wield magic? Have you ever wanted to fly through a sea of clouds? Have you ever dreamt of being a pirate?
Welcome to Aether! Where some men can yield the powers of nature and do great and terrible things. People with this gift (or curse) are known as the kalymagi, wizards of a sort. Some may become beasts; some may tend to plants and herbs with the greenest of thumbs; some tend to light things on fire; and of course some of the most popular are those who can master the winds and skies and convince the ships of the sea to take flight to the heavens.
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:30 am
”There are serious ethical, social and moral ramifications that must be seriously considered, and we will take every step to do so.” xxx- President Maxwell Clifton of the Coalition of States, 1240, on the side-effects of kalydium exposure
”This remarkable new technology will catapult us into the annals of time and turn the pages of history, ushering us into an exhilarating new era.” xxx- General Al Fust, 1231, on the invention of the kalydium-powered airship engine
”Ha ha, hey Jim, come check out this shiny rock!” xxx- Jedediah Brixby, 1210, on the discovery of kalydium.
☠ 1210: The discovery of kalydium; with no apparent use for the mineral, it is shelved and almost entirely forgotten. ☠ 1217: Servio Brague begins researching kalydium’s potential use in steam engines. Using his own personal fortune, gathered from a lifetime at sea, he funds a second mining expedition at the original discovery site. ☠ 1229: Servio Brague dies, penniless, with little progress on his work; the Brague Notes are publicly released and efforts to create a kalydium engine multiply. ☠ 1231: The first kalydium engine is successfully tested by Sebastian Apollo; kalydium mining operations increase exponentially overnight. ☠ 1233: Airships begin to enter general production; miner labor unions begin to emerge in response to poor work conditions; strike-busters are employed. ☠ 1235: Miners grow increasingly restless; first case of air piracy is documented when the C.S.S. Atlas is stolen; shipments of kalydium begin to disappear, presumably stolen. ☠ 1236: The first observable cases of kalydium contamination are observed when the Atlas attacks C.S.S. Seaboots with apparently supernatural weapons. The government begins forming a militia of volunteers to combat the new threat. ☠ 1240: Evidence surfaces of the government experimenting with kalydium to replicate the results of long-term exposure. The C.S.S. Seaboots is staffed entirely by a kalymagi crew on a strict regimen of kalydium injections.
PRESENT : YEAR 1241 Pirates have begun to emerge across the skies of the world, rallying under the banner of the Atlas. The vessels that have spent longer than several months sitting on their haul of kalydium are beginning to show the early stages of contamination, small signs like auras that will rapidly develop into larger, more deadly abilities. The largest and most notable of these ships is the pirate ship Absolute Bearing, which has been attacking and looting Coalition State ships and ports.
The C.S.S. Seaboots Project has created a surge of volunteers for the Coalition Air Forces. The relatively new advent of airships means that there are few permanent figures or leaders; most of the commanders of these ships are either prior seafarers or very fast learners. Due to public concern, the C.S.S. Grogram is the only other ship to participate in kalydium testing.
The C.S.S. Seaboots and the pirate ship Atlas hold each other at a stalemate: the pirates, having been exposed for longer periods of time to their kalydium, possess greater raw power, but the CAF forces, although weaker, have more precision and control over the abilities of their ships due to their controlled exposure. Now, both sides race to harvest and store as much of the coveted mineral as possible, held in check only by the deadlock between their respective flagships.
Rumors abound of a haul of kalydium that could end the war for whoever reaches it last. Reports claim that there is a cursed map that shows a place, far out in a remote mountain range, with springs of the mineral in liquid form. The validity of the claim is questionable at best, since the mineral in its solid form is so dense that it requires a very complex exothermic reaction to melt. But as with any grand reward, there are droves of treasure hunters who are willing to take their chances and seek the map with a religious fervor. Each time the map is located, the owner is quickly tracked down and, in most cases, murdered before they can even begin preparations to set sail. The Coalition government believes that the pirate ship Absolute Bearing may actually be seeking the last known holder of the map.
The CAF has an advantage: they know where the map is. The crew of the C.S.S. Grogram has been briefed on the situation: They are to arrive in Moore, a bustling trade city, and pay a visit to the Broken Dagger Inn, a cesspit of thieves and murderers, discern the exact location of the map, and procure it. From there, it will be their responsibility to return the map to the Coalition government and make plans for further action.
Unbeknownst to the CAF, the Absolute Bearing is already on its way to Moore, filled to the brim with pirates ready to turn the city upside-down in search of the map. The Coalition forces have a headstart, but will it be enough for them to escape the city before they encounter the pirates, or is their mission doomed before they’ve even raised their sails?
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
☠ No cybering or otherwise pornographic content, including pictures and/or requests for either. ☠ No spamming, trolling, gold whoring, or being overall obnoxious. ☠ No harassing, bullying or abusing any of our members. ☠ Be respectful to the owner and moderators; remember that their word is law.
☠ Characters can die, but NOT without permission from moderators and all involved users (ie. if someone is killing someone else's character, we need confirmation from both the killer and the killee).
☠ Literacy:
This roleplay will be placed at literate to advanced literate, but please, do not be daunted by this. We have a mixed crowd here so we're trying to accommodate several levels - it will help those on the lower rungs of the literacy echelon improve their roleplaying skills! c:
No annoying/impossible to read text colours. Font sizes 10 & 11 preferred. Definitely no larger than 12 and no smaller than 9. No excessive ooc - there's a thread for that. No oversize images or page-stretching layouts. Absolutely no chatspeak or l33t!
☠ There is a word count minimum of 300 words per post.
This ability is tested in writing your character backstory. This number can easily be reached in two to three paragraphs. Some of us will be writing more and averaging 500 word posts, but it is definitely not required. Let's marry quality and quantity. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation as just as important as a wall of text, if not more, so let's focus on those before we run off writing chapters.
☠ Character Works
For the love of all that is holy, no Gary Stus or Mary Sues. Please. You will be very quickly turned down, or asked to recreate your character. Also, we're dealing with humans - some of whom have magical magi powers, but human nonetheless. So no demons, nekos, half-angels or any other bananabusiness. All characters should have believable abilities. No one is overpowered. No one can control everything. Please run all abilities by the mods before making them official. Everyone personality should somewhat fit with their allegiance; as in no pirates that insist on playing Robin Hood all the time. This is how mutinies happen.
☠ Max number of characters per player is 3, but you cannot play more than you can keep active. If you start ignoring one of your characters without notice you will be limited back to 1. Since all characters must be approved, moderators or Roy may not give you permission to play more if they don't think you can handle it.
☠ Claim Your Faces
Please use real life faceclaims or realistic digital or CG paintings. Depending on your character; Steampunk aspects are awesome, Baroque or Victorian aspects and 1930s swag are great, magical aspects are cool too but let's avoid the "superhero-style glowing eyes." Denim and cell phones are no-goes. There's no "avoid mainstream actors" rule, but let's not have your grisly 50-year-old played by Zac Efron or your youthful scullery maid played by Angelina Jolie. Get the picture?
☠ To Join :
Please fill out a reserve form located with the profile skeletons. Do not alter the code and be sure to fill it out in its entirety. Post the reserve form in the OOC thread and quote Trance Harper and Roy T Inane. Once your reserve is accepted, you will have one week to finish your profile and turn it in to be checked over. Provided all is well, you will be given permission to post it to the profile thread, but in the event that you are asked to change something please do not be offended. Trance will provide you with a broken mirror image for your profile - provided you linked her an image in your reserve (which you should have). DO NOT POST UNTIL YOUR PROFILE (character) HAS BEEN APPROVED and posted with the other approved profiles!
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:33 am
Approved profiles should be posted in the profile thread. Different photos may be used for banner and profile mirror but both must be sent to Trance Harper. Please specify which is which.
Name : Archibald Twitch Allegiance : Neutral User : Thornwick
Name : Abigail Charles Merrill Allegiance : Coalition of States User : Trance Harper
Name : Jackson S. Brague Allegiance : Neutral User : Roy T Inane
Name : Reim Henry Morrow Allegiance : Coalition of States User : Dokuro Togiretogire
Name : Georgia Eudora Whiteman Allegiance : Pirates User : Hiacinth
Name : Fleur Elise Rousseau Allegiance : Pirates User : L'Tisha
Name : William Roy Pierce Allegiance : Pirates Username : Trance Harper
Name : Gerald Willington Allegiance : Pirates User : Tesunie
Name : Hester Jane Whitlock Allegiance : Coalition of States User : Chef Of Sweets
Name : Joseph "Rijindael" Brague Allegiance : Pirates User : Roy T Inane
Name : Jason Michael Astrin Allegiance : Neutral User : angeldenoche
Name : Serenity Arvennicus Allegiance : Neutral User : Lip-Desu
Name : Christopher Eugene Andrews Allegiance : Coalition of States User : Tunes14
Name : Allegiance : pirate , militia , neutral , etc User :
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Trance Harper
Sparkly Fairy
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Trance Harper
Sparkly Fairy
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:34 am
Welcome to Aether. Oh the places you may go.
MOORE TOWN is an old trading port. It is mostly a hub of barter and exchange; the majority of its residents are traders, merchants, tavern and inn keepers, barkeeps and barmaids, pickpockets and urchins. Most airships have to make berth on the water because the port hasn't entirely adapted to airborne transports - and probably won't for a long time coming. This town is home to the Broken Dagger Inn.
BANBURY-IN-DORCHESTER is one of the capital cities of the Coalition States and neighboring town to the palace of the old monarchy of what is now Dorchester. As home to the original kalydium research and researchers, Banbury has seen a strong economic growth around the development and production of both dirigibles and kalydium airships. The city of Banbury is broken into three distinct neighborhoods: ST. FINNEAS COURT is the elite borough with its fancy buildings and clean streets, home to aristocrats, philosophers, politicians, barristers, and high ranking military families. GUILDFORD-OF-BANBURY is the largest and most populated neighborhood and home to the middle class. It is also the site of all airship production factories in Banbury. PORT AU PRINCE is the riverworn cheapside home to the less fortunate and morally unscrupulous. Electricity is shoddy, the streets are in poor order, actual plumbing is rare and you're never too far from a brothel or dive bar.
SANGSABLE is a mining town about 100km outside of Banbury proper and home to one of the original mines where kalydium was discovered. Though conditions vary from poor to dismal, it still exports a great amount of kalydium almost exclusively to Guildford-in-Banbury to be processed for use in the newer kalydium-powered airships.
FORTISAULA is a tomb of old libraries and museum-quality antiquities. Once the grand palace of the old monarchy before the creation of the Coalition of States, the aging estate is now a history lesson cared for by the monks and nuns who live on site in their respective monastery and convent. It is home to the most extensive literary collection and largest collection of visual art - ranging from paintings to sculptures to architecture.
ISLA MALVALIS was once a shipyard and port island off the charts of most maps; its location only known by word of mouth. This derelict of a town serves as one of the safest (albeit the term is used here loosely) places to call yourself pirate. Rumour is that this is the pirates' base of operations and their harbour of respite between raids.
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:36 am
☠ Reservations
Please fill this out and post it in the OOC thread. Quote Trance Harper and Roy T Inane.
[url=link to photo]character image[/url] [size=10][b]Name: [/b] full name please [b]Position: [/b] on ship, if on a ship [b]Occupation: [/b] pays your bills or debts [b]Allegiance: [/b] coalition, neutral, piracy c; [b]Username: [/b][/size]
☠ Character Profiles
Do not alter the code except where directed! Fill the profile out in its entirety and PM it to Trance Harper. Trance will send you a correctly sized mirror image for your profile use.
[imgleft]http://i.imgur.com/78UpfEH.png[/imgleft] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][align=center][size=16][color=yourcolor1][b]Name[/b][/color][/size] [size=9][color=yourcolor2]“Nickname or Title”[/color][/size] [size=11][color=yourcolor3]Gender | Age | Height[/color][/size][/align]
[size=10][color=yourcolor2][b]Specialty:[/b][/color] Your area of study or field of expertise.
[color=yourcolor2][b]Occupation:[/b][/color] How do you pay for your daily bread? Not the same as crew position; example your occupation may be pirate but your crew position is master of cannons. Or your occupation may be pickpocket and your position is stowaway.
[color=yourcolor2][b]Crew Position:[/b][/color] Who died and made you captain? Please bear in mind that there are other crew members, like navigators or sentries, galley-rats and cannon-masters, etc. This position doesn't necessarily have to line up with your specialty. You don't have to be part of any crew, you could be a prisoner or a stowaway or a passenger.
[color=yourcolor3][b]History:[/b][/color] So what exactly made you the man/woman you are today? (250 word minimum, I don't care if you have amnesia - you have a history, even if you don't remember it)
[color=yourcolor3][b]Persona:[/b][/color] Your personality. Get creative. "Piratey" is not a real adjective.
[color=yourcolor2][b]Abilities:[/b][/color] Come up with a really cool idea for an ability that will apply directly to you, and also an ability of some sort that somehow ties into your vessel and its relationship to you. If you're going to be on the same ship as someone else (don't everyone be on different ships), this is going to take some collaboration.
[color=yourcolor3][b]Strengths:[/b][/color] Things that you're good at in a non-magical sense.
[color=yourcolor3][b]Weaknesses:[/b][/color] Things that you could stand to work on. Everyone has them. EVERYONE.
[color=yourcolor2][b]Shoe Size:[/b][/color] DO IT
[color=yourcolor2][b]Other:[/b][/color] Anything you feel that got left out.
[color=yourcolor2][b]Music:[/b][/color] If you're character was in a musical and had a theme song that played whenever they walked on stage, what would it be?
[color=yourcolor1][b]Username:[/b][/color] Alright puppet master, claim your puppet [/size][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list]
☠ Want a fancy layout and don't want to make it yourself?
PM Trance Harper and she'll give you a fair rate c: Samples ᴛʀᴀɴᴄᴇ ʟɪɴks Request Layout Form:
[b]character name :[/b] [b]theme/s of layout :[/b] [b]desired text in layout :[/b] example , if your character has a catchphrase , or a song lyric [b]links to desired images included :[/b] LINKS , not actual images , full-size please
☠ ADVERTISE THE RP in your siggy or on your profile!
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Trance Harper
Sparkly Fairy
Offline
Trance Harper
Sparkly Fairy
Offline
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:37 am
MAGIC! xxxxxAwordfromthefearlessleader,RoyTInane:
I, your Captain Roy T Inane, will guide and foster your magic, giving you a guideline with which to work as I see fit. As your personality and character arc develops, I will choose a magical ability for you that either fits with your character or is hilarious, depending on how well you are performing; I will not give you an ability that I do not think you can handle.
If all of your posts are very well thought out, I will attempt to match you with a skill to complement your traits. If you have a very angry character, he’ll set things on a fire, a serene one, maybe he’ll soothe emotions, a scholar, maybe you’ll be clairvoyant. Most of these I will run by you in advance.
You will begin with small manifestations of magic that I will describe within the roleplay as they occur, and gradually work your way up. The best way to gain magic is to show me that you won't necessarily use it.
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:39 am
C.S.S. Seaboots
Class | Type : Warship | Kalydium dirigible Affiliation : Coalition Air Force Captain : Adm. Morrow Date of Commision : 1231 First flight : 1232 One of the very first tests of the kalydium engine in a flying machine, the Seaboots still flaunts her origins as a dirigible to be improved by the new power source. She has been flying true since inception as the flagship of the CAF but has lately been locked in a standoff with her sister warship and flagship of the small but vigilant pirate armada, the Atlas. The Seaboots is equipped with over 70 deck and hold broadside cannons.
☠ Atlas
Class | Type : Warship | Kalydium dirigible Affiliation : Pirate Armada Captain : Cpt. "Blackwater" Date of Commision : 1231 First flight : 1232 One of the very first tests of the kalydium engine in a flying machine, the Atlas mirrors her sister, the Seaboots, in her origins as a dirigible. She was a righteous and impressive ship until in 1235 she was stolen by pirates and commandeered to become the scourge of the skies. Her master, the pirate leader known only as "Blackwater" has proved a formidable opponent in their standoff with the C.S.S. Seaboots. The Atlas is equipped with over 70 deck and hold broadside cannons.
C.S.S. Grogram
Class | Type : Brig | Kalydium airship Affiliation : Coalition Air Force Captain : Captain Whitlock Crew : Master Twitch, Passengers: Miss Whiteman [prisoner], Mister Andrews, Date of Commision : 1233 First flight : 1235 Once the kalydium engines were proven, new ships were fashioned mimicked the older naval styles of sails and rudders, rather than inflated envelopes and propellers. Such ships took longer to construct but the Grogram's birth was pushed to the fore after the mutiny on board one of the earlier ships. The Grogram is equipped with over 40 deck and hold broadside cannons, a forward battery of 2 rotating cannons, and 2 underbelly aft cannons.
☠ Absolute Bearing
Class | Type : Galleon | Kalydium airship Affiliation : Pirate Armada Captain :Captain Rijndael, Master Pierce Crew : Miss Rousseau, Mister Willington, Date of Commision : 1233 First flight : 1234 Once the kalydium engines were proven, new ships were fashioned mimicked the older naval styles of sails and rudders, rather than inflated envelopes and propellers. The Absolute Bearing was one of the first of her class and had a lighter-weight more streamlined design, suitable for airborne vessels. She may have a hell of a time landing in the water but her maneuvering capabilities are nearly outmatched. In 1236, shortly after the theft of the Atlas, the crew of the Absolute Bearing mutinied and thenceforth flew a Jolly Roger from her mast. The Absolute Bearing is equipped with 2 rotating turrets on her bow and two hold levels of 40 broadside and foremast cannons total.
C.S.S. Sanglante Ruth
Class | Type : Corvette | Quasi-dirigible Kalydium airship Affiliation : Coalition Air Force Captain : Captain Morrow Crew : Officer Merrill Date of Commision : 1240 First flight : 1240 The family of honorable Judge C. Washington Merrill privately commissioned the Sanglante Ruth after his death at the hands of pirates, using their clout and finances to push the project through to completion. Using many "outdated" styles, such as the dirigible envelope and old-fashioned coal engines, married with new and even theoretical technology, the Ruth was completed to be smaller and faster than any airship before her. The svelte vessel only supports a crew of 6 and has very little in the way of firepower and cannot land in the water, but she can track and outrun almost anything in the skies. The Sanglante Ruth flies under CAF colours is equipped with a single rifle-scoped forward turret that can hit a target up to 300 metres and a prow designed for impaling other ships.
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
Trance Harper
Sparkly Fairy
Offline
Trance Harper
Sparkly Fairy
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 7:47 am
" RADIO CHATTER " aka. "News from the Front Line" Battlefront updates and roleplay story progress. 29/7/1241
Static creaks over the radio waves. Blips of chatter, a piecemeal cacophony of ship to shore, ship to ship, and single-family flat to basement bar-room; the din of a thousand voices saying nothing. Scratch. A distinguished voice tunes in, overpowering the audio chaos.
”Citizens of the Aether, this is your President speaking from my office in municipal capital of the Coalition of States.” The voice belongs to Maxwell Clifton, appointed president of the Coalition of States as of 1239.
”Ladies and gentlemen I know many of you have family members currently in the air and in the field doing their best to help us counter this latest threat to our peaceful enterprise. To those who have been hearing rumours of increasing concerns regarding air piracy, I am unhappy to inform you that such things are to some extent true. Piracy is the greatest and most recent threat to the prospering economy of our grand Coalition, threatening both the safety of our citizens and the resources that help us survive and grow as a community. For more news on the front lines, we've managed to get a wave through to our commander in the fray, Admiral Morrow. Admiral?”
Scratch. Scritch.
"Mr. President, not sure I'm coming through clearly but that update you were hoping for to soothe the masses could perhaps have not come at a better time. Here on board the C.S.S. Seaboots we've been in a holding pattern with the Atlas for nearly a week, not gaining any ground but not losing any either. Both parties are current in temporary retreat will we dedicate ourselves to repairs and counterattack. Due to the unsecured nature of these waves I cannot say more than that."
"Admiral, can you give us any notion of progress outside of the front? Do we have any ships rallying together to protect our towns by pursuing and capturing any commandeered ships?"
"Sir, on this matter I can only say that we have a strong feeling that it won't be long before we have an advantage over the pirates. My ships are cleaning up and doing their best to defend the land-bound from attack. The best thing the citizens of the Coalition can do is continue about their lives, continue production of ships that run with kalydium engines, and report any suspicious activity suggesting support of the pirate cause to their local authorities. Excuse me Mr. Pr-"
Scratch. Screeech.
"Admiral? Admiral Mo- Miss Morrow? Well, looks like we lost that wave, but citizens have no fear. I will repeat that last from the Admiral; the best thing we can do to aide the cause is continue supporting our Coalition Air Force and report any suspicious activity in an attempt to accelerate the end of this civil confrontation. This is President Maxwell Clifton, signing off the waves."
More static and a return to the idle hum of multiple transmissions.
intro | "the story" | "the rules" | "the characters" | "the world" | "the skeletons" | a word from our sponsors | "the ships" | "the updates"
