Imagine a giant gaseous planet twice the volume of Earth but of such light density it could float in the Pacific. This is Atmos, a planet smack dab in the middle of some galaxy - perhaps the Milky Way, perhaps not, perhaps not even in the universe we know - but for the inhabitants of this gaseous giant, there is no universe except for Atmos itself. For them, Sky is Life. Sky is what they breathe, what they fly in, what they float in, what they worship. When Sky runs out and what we call Space begins, the universe ends for Atmosians. The Sky Goddess is even more sacred than the Earth God, but both of them together in an eternal copulation is what produces the brilliant light of the sun, penetrating the swirling, turbulent atmopshere of Atmos.
In general the planet is densest and windiest near the Core and as you go outward along the radius it becomes increasingly calm. There are six generally classified stages of the atmosphere:
* The Core: nobody knows what's inside, nobody has come out alive. Small sphere at the absolute center of Atmos
* The Aeternal Storm - this is the very dangerous sphere that cloaks the Core in a near-black layer of vicious tempests and endless raging cyclones. The top of the Aeternal Storm is marked by a rolling, hissing sea of murky grey cumulonimbus tops, occasionally jettisoning plasmatic jets of vapor
* Lower Aire - this large region is the dense layer directly above the upper horizon of the Aeternal Storm and tends to be filled with thick red-orange dust that casts everything in a hazy dusty light. Sunlight is just barely filtered through the rusty sky. Due to its denser gases compared to the higher Aires, the porous rock that forms Sky Islands tends to settle in the Lower Aire… nearly all sky islands have their bottom tip (or entire body) within the Lower Aire. In the Lower Aire, water is as it is on Earth
* Middle Aire - the largest layer of all. Very variable. In some denser places water acts as it does in the Lower Aire, but in some places water floats and forms globules… a massive superglobule is known as the Ocean. Most life forms developed in the Middle Aire in nebulaic cauldrons of gas and aqua as well as primordial bubbles of magma that eventually became the rocky sky islands
* Upper Aire - the Middle Aire and Upper Aire have a gradual tranisition, but the Upper Aire is generally regarded as being within a beautiful massive azure blue sky and shined upon by terrifically bright sunlight. The highest clouds exist near the upper layer of Middle Aire and in fact the scientific boundary between the two Aires is where clouds clump too much are no longer able to ascend
* The Aetrium - Above the Upper Aire is a mysterious region known as the Aetrium. It's where Sky starts becoming sparse and the air gets harder and harder to breathe. The Aetrium is associated with psychedelic journeys as one runs out of Sky to breathe, mystical experiences and dazzling calm viewpoints of the world below. The Aetrium is characterized by its purplish dark sky speckled with stars ("sky-gems") and far-off galaxies and nebulas and aurora lights dancing at the top of the world. In general Atmos is stormiest at the Core and gets calmer and calmer the farther you go out, so the Aetrium is hauntingly calm and tranquil and quiet
Let's talk about intelligent lifeforms on Atmos. There are three fundamental main races….
** the Tanna (rhymes with Hannah) - these are essentially what we know as humans, and are known also by the term "human" but that's derogatory, used by the other races. However, there are some key biological differences from what we know as humans… for one, the Tanna have very versatile toes and are known to grip things with their feet. They also breathe Sky and need Water to live but not as often as an Earthling. Tanna are light-boned and can jump very high and tend to be lithe and athletic. The Tanna live on top of the sky islands in towering, high-altitude cities that rear to incredible heights, going all the way from the fortress bases in the Lower Aire through complex tower, bridge and platform systems in the Middle Aire up through golden spires and towertops in the Upper Aire
** the Gromules - this is a race related to the Tanna but split off the evolutionary tree a long way back. The Gromules are an underground race of dark-grey-knobbly-skinned big-bobule-nosed hunch-backed lantern-carrying troll-like beings with voracious appetites and mysterious mining rituals. They are said to sing the sky-ore out of the sky islands' innards. The Gromules have a fascination with technology and are eons ahead of the Tanna when it comes to electrical, mechanical and alchemical devices. They dig out intricate ant-like burrows deep into the rock and have an ant-like society ruled by a Queen with various castes for workers, soldiers, miners, gatherers, etc.
** the Sarzava - these are best described as giant intelligent bugs. They have very shiny smooth metallic skin forming powerful, but light, exoskeletons that enable flight. They are bipedal, roughly human in shape but with four arms not two, making them officially insects. Their heads are snakelike and their hands and feet are clawed. They have small antenna protruding from the head and are equipped with a powerful set of wide-wingspan flashy iridescent dragonfly wings that buzz at incredible rates. The Sarzava live much of their lives in the sky and have a mysterious democratic swarm-based society with no centralized leadership. Any single Sarzavi would put its life on the line for its Hive, but some Sarvani are loners and exiles and live a semi-feared, semi-revered life among the Tanna
The conflict opening this story is that of a guerrilla warfare campaign being waged by the Monarchy (that's one of the largest Tanna kingdoms that has control over most of the major trade sky islands with a few notable exceptions) against a multi-race terrorist society known as the Vortex. The Vortex is said to object fundamentally to the principles of the Monarchy - which are utmost servitude to the Sky Goddess and Her Sky God. Every ten years, in a ritual known as the Crowning, these two deities are said to choose the next Monarch (whether it be male or female, there is no sexism) to rule for the decade. The Vortex oppose this ritual due to its randomness (something about the Sun shining on someone) and also other philosophies and practices of the Monarchy.
It is rumored that the Vortex has been receiving supplies & funds from the United Sky Empire, a coalition of small but wealthy Tanna-run city-state sky islands floating in defense clusters near the ecuatorial region of Middle Aire.
The Monarch has elected to put together a special team of operatives to sneak into the USE under the guise of tourism and infiltrate the supply chain, hoping not only to unmask the USE's deal with the terrorists (because that might shift many of the high-morals Grombule burrows' trade from the USE to the Monarchy, which feels itself slipping out of the massive might it once had) but also hoping to follow the supply chain all the way down the Vortex terrorists and infiltrate them as well.
A lot of wealth and prosperity and nobility awaits those who answer the Monarch's call… but in the same vein, a lot of danger and risk lurk just out of sight… this is the only the beginning…
[1] Choose a race from: Tanna, Gromule, Sarzava
[2] If you are Tanna, choose a Lifestyle; if you are Gromule, choose a Caste; if you are Sarzava, you are special (PM me about how to fit in your backstory)
[3] Choose three Skills
Tanna Lifestyles:
* Warrior
* Thief
* Aquamancer
* Sky Merchant
* Druid
* Sky Pirate
* Monk of the Order of Na'tuun
Gromule Castes:
* Emissary
* Miner
* Engineer
* Tunnel Knight
* Alchemist
Skills:
[pick three - Monks and Engineers pick four]
* Trapsetting/Disarming
* Locksmithy/Lockpicking
* Inner Eye (Monk only)
* Conversational Hypnosis (aka very persuasive)
* High Tolerance of Pain
* Disguise Aptitude / Seeing through Disguises
* Lying Aptitude / Seeing through Bluffs
* Magician's Hands / Escape Artistry
* Dual Weapon Wield
* Array Archery
* Basic Medical Training (Healer gets for free)
* Advanced Medical Training (Healer only)
* Basic Martial Arts Training (Monk gets for free)
* Freefall (Monk only)
* Stealthy Strike
* Climbing, Vaulting and Acrobatic Skillset
* Duelist
* Basic Alchemy (Alchemist gets for free)
* Very Basic Aquamancy (Aquamancers get for free)
Free Skills don't take away from the 3 or 4 you get to pick. If you want to know more about a skill, PM me
* Warrior - this is as it sounds. Warriors are experienced with all kinds of weaponry and fighting styles
* Thief - this is also as it sounds. Thieves use trickery, sneakery, lies, setups, deals, connivings, breakins, traps, and tools to get what they want. Morals are always loose and sky-ore is always flowing through their fingers like wet lava
* Aquamancer - in Atmos, Water is extremely important. Not to mention it sometimes floats depending on the density, but it has amazing properties that only the greatest physicists - such as the Aquamancers - know how to manipulate. Your path as an Aquamancer can begin out of your natural innate abilities (rare) or your long studies at the Academy of Aquamancy (more likely) or both
* Sky Merchant - the sky merchants are a powerful class of traders, exporters and shippers that often own skyships (or whole fleets). They have a complex tradition-based sky route trafficking system and guard their routes carefully
* Druid - a natural wizard that uses the power of Atmos in all its universal balances to call forth anything from the wrath of Nature (to call destruction on foes) to the bountiful protection of its bosom (to draw forth powers of healing)
* Sky Pirate - exactly what it sounds: a no-good rabble-rousing island-pilf'rin golden-toothed hook-handed yarrr-voiced swashbucklin' buccaneer slicing through trade routes and dealing on the blacker of markets
* Monk of the Order of Na'tuun - a very seclusive, peaceful but inwardly powerful organization that strives for the goal of collective enlightenment. They are neutral on almost all matters
* Emissary - the Gromules are wildly misunderstood, unfortunately. Emissaries are direct noble carriers of the Queen's word. Emissaries often accompany bands of Tanna, helping to ease the culture gap between societies
* Miner - this caste is more than it seems. Miners are a collective union, a vast psychospiritual shared mentality. Way back in the early days of Gromule excavation, digging out the sky islands was a dangerous thing. You never know when you'd dig yourself out of the bottom of the earth or whether you'd run into a nasty network of wyrm burrows or even worse, incur a cave-in of epic proportions. Over time, Miners developed long-term through-rock and through-air methods of communication that developed over thousands of years into almost seamless unconscious continual chatter on all levels between Miners within or on the same Sky Island. Often Miners are called "Minders" by the Tanna because, in addition to burrow excavation for the Queen, they create a rapid network of mental messaging and information dissemination
* Engineer - Gromules are fastenated with mechanics and electrics and hell, even optics and acoustics. Gromule Engineers are the best of the best and always have either a blueprint ready - or a MacGyver-ian solution for some problem
* Tunnel Knight - these esteemed Gromules have been tasked to guard the intricate tunnel systems of their society, defending key focal points. Some Tunnel Knights scout in the worlds above to keep up on modern information flow and get any wind of Tanna activities. Tunnel Knights are known for their vicious loyalty
* Alchemist - Alchemists understand the basic nature of the chemistry of Atmos, the universe and life itself. The things they can make using basic elements are astounding. Many alchemists also have potions that let them blend in with other races, appearing as Tanna or even Sarzava
Most classes (Lifestyles/Castes) have guilds associated with them. Guilds often have the same pattern, such as the Royal Adventurers' Guild: (which accepts everyone loyal to the Monarch)
Neophyte -> Page (one-on-one service to a Monarchist Adventurer) -> Journeyman/woman -> Monarchist Adventurer
Similarly, the Order of Na'tuun (monks only, and is based in an ancient monestary on Na'tuun, the oldest of all sky islands) has a path diagram like this:
Trainee -> Apprentice (to a Master) -> Wanderer -> Master
The ascension rules, of course, are different. For the RAG, you have to complete a certain number of missions and badges to return from your Journey and become knighted as a Monarchist Adventurer. For the Order of Na'tuun, you just *know* when you have reached the state of enlightenment necessary to return to Na'tuun to be a Master.
Another famous guild is the Academy of Aquamancy, which is based in Mara'ak, a strange cluster of human existence built atop a particular thick section of water tension above the Ocean.
The Sky Merchants, of course, belong to the Merchants' Guild, which is in constant disagreement with the Craftsmen Guild (that of the common laborer as well as the occasional Gromule Engineer or Alchemist).
Druids and Sky Pirates prescribe to no formal organizations.
Most Sarzavi are loyal to their Hive but sometimes join Tanna organizations as special mercenary escorts and things like that.
Many Gromules form "banners" which are just groups of Gromules from similar sky islands (or similar vectors - a vector being a large area of sky that may contain several sky.i's) that support each other in a sometimes racist world
When you PM your character to me, include your race, lifestyle/caste, skills and unique backstory… and why your character has accepted the Monarch's call to arms. Unless you are an Aquamancer or Monk, I probably wouldn't join any organizations/guilds yet. Anyway, I will give you the go ahead to post it publically.
Players:
Host: Unreality
1) pablos4pandas
2) Framm
3) Gmaster479
4) Medji
5) sayalzah
6) Music
I don't know if you guys have played a "roleplay" before - this is not like that. This is more like Dungeons and Dragons. As the Host/DM, I control everything except you. I am the world, the universe… all you control is what your character says, thinks and does, how they act and react to the world… I control shopkeepers, enemies, the weather, gods, bacterial reproduction, and everything else.
I know that such a playstyle is better suited for face-to-face communication but I think it's worth a shot here. Oh, here's the combat system:
Every attack has three statistics:
APS - attacks per second - the number of strikes you attempt per second
AR - attack ranking (%) - the percentage chance of each strike hitting
DPH - damage per hit - the amount of damage dealt per successful strike
if you attack over a period of, say, 1 second, you do APS attacks, each one getting an AR/100 chance of success. Each successful attack deals DPH damage to the target, whatever that target may be.
Damage is often about getting past armor
Armor has a single stat:
D - defense - the maximum cap of damage that the armor can stop
for example, Alpha is attacking Delta.
Alpha has an attack: APS 5, AR 50%, DPH 7
Delta has armor: D 6
Alpha attacks over a second and attempts 5 hits but only makes 3, doing a total of 21 damage. The armor absorbs 6 and so Delta takes 15 in direct damage.
These are all based on stats of equipment… but if Delta is skilled, Delta can roll off some of the damage with evasion. Evasion is a fraction you want to get as LOW as possible because it's how much of the damage you actually take.
So if Delta has 1/3 evasion (pretty low, which is good for Delta), Delta only takes 5 damage to his personal body.
Depending on where Alpha aimed (we're assuming TORSO), that's almost enough to kill Delta.
HEAD - 3 hit points
TORSO - 6 hit points
ARMS and LEGS - 10 hit points each
With 1 hp left on the TORSO, Delta is seriously wounded. He will probably die from blood loss unless he gets some help. Most of this is subjective.
If HEAD or TORSO get to 0 hit points, you DIE! If ARMS or LEGS get to 0 hit points, you LOSE THE LIMB! Watch out.
Helmets protect the HEAD and usually have very high D.
Armor protects the TORSO and is pretty decent.
There isn't much to protect the ARMS and LEGS, but evasion tends to get a boost for those because you have quicker control over where they are.
~ Equipment costs money. In general Gromule equipment, potions, items, etc are of the highest quality and best make. Tanna stuff tends to be commercialized crap. Sarzava and monks tend to use their natural weaponry…
~ Some skills affect combat, allowing you to do things… Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger or new things altogether. For example, Sneak Attack lets you come up from behind and do a once-off attack that disregards evasion (provided the enemy doesn't know you're coming)
Anyway, the lesson to be learned is that COMBAT IS REALLY DANGEROUS. You can die and/or lose limbs easily if you just start whacking around with a sword. Not everything you'll meet is perfectly matched for your level… you should seek alternative ways around a situation
Question
unreality
-- ATMOS --
Imagine a giant gaseous planet twice the volume of Earth but of such light density it could float in the Pacific. This is Atmos, a planet smack dab in the middle of some galaxy - perhaps the Milky Way, perhaps not, perhaps not even in the universe we know - but for the inhabitants of this gaseous giant, there is no universe except for Atmos itself. For them, Sky is Life. Sky is what they breathe, what they fly in, what they float in, what they worship. When Sky runs out and what we call Space begins, the universe ends for Atmosians. The Sky Goddess is even more sacred than the Earth God, but both of them together in an eternal copulation is what produces the brilliant light of the sun, penetrating the swirling, turbulent atmopshere of Atmos.
In general the planet is densest and windiest near the Core and as you go outward along the radius it becomes increasingly calm. There are six generally classified stages of the atmosphere:
* The Core: nobody knows what's inside, nobody has come out alive. Small sphere at the absolute center of Atmos
* The Aeternal Storm - this is the very dangerous sphere that cloaks the Core in a near-black layer of vicious tempests and endless raging cyclones. The top of the Aeternal Storm is marked by a rolling, hissing sea of murky grey cumulonimbus tops, occasionally jettisoning plasmatic jets of vapor
* Lower Aire - this large region is the dense layer directly above the upper horizon of the Aeternal Storm and tends to be filled with thick red-orange dust that casts everything in a hazy dusty light. Sunlight is just barely filtered through the rusty sky. Due to its denser gases compared to the higher Aires, the porous rock that forms Sky Islands tends to settle in the Lower Aire… nearly all sky islands have their bottom tip (or entire body) within the Lower Aire. In the Lower Aire, water is as it is on Earth
* Middle Aire - the largest layer of all. Very variable. In some denser places water acts as it does in the Lower Aire, but in some places water floats and forms globules… a massive superglobule is known as the Ocean. Most life forms developed in the Middle Aire in nebulaic cauldrons of gas and aqua as well as primordial bubbles of magma that eventually became the rocky sky islands
* Upper Aire - the Middle Aire and Upper Aire have a gradual tranisition, but the Upper Aire is generally regarded as being within a beautiful massive azure blue sky and shined upon by terrifically bright sunlight. The highest clouds exist near the upper layer of Middle Aire and in fact the scientific boundary between the two Aires is where clouds clump too much are no longer able to ascend
* The Aetrium - Above the Upper Aire is a mysterious region known as the Aetrium. It's where Sky starts becoming sparse and the air gets harder and harder to breathe. The Aetrium is associated with psychedelic journeys as one runs out of Sky to breathe, mystical experiences and dazzling calm viewpoints of the world below. The Aetrium is characterized by its purplish dark sky speckled with stars ("sky-gems") and far-off galaxies and nebulas and aurora lights dancing at the top of the world. In general Atmos is stormiest at the Core and gets calmer and calmer the farther you go out, so the Aetrium is hauntingly calm and tranquil and quiet
Let's talk about intelligent lifeforms on Atmos. There are three fundamental main races….
** the Tanna (rhymes with Hannah) - these are essentially what we know as humans, and are known also by the term "human" but that's derogatory, used by the other races. However, there are some key biological differences from what we know as humans… for one, the Tanna have very versatile toes and are known to grip things with their feet. They also breathe Sky and need Water to live but not as often as an Earthling. Tanna are light-boned and can jump very high and tend to be lithe and athletic. The Tanna live on top of the sky islands in towering, high-altitude cities that rear to incredible heights, going all the way from the fortress bases in the Lower Aire through complex tower, bridge and platform systems in the Middle Aire up through golden spires and towertops in the Upper Aire
** the Gromules - this is a race related to the Tanna but split off the evolutionary tree a long way back. The Gromules are an underground race of dark-grey-knobbly-skinned big-bobule-nosed hunch-backed lantern-carrying troll-like beings with voracious appetites and mysterious mining rituals. They are said to sing the sky-ore out of the sky islands' innards. The Gromules have a fascination with technology and are eons ahead of the Tanna when it comes to electrical, mechanical and alchemical devices. They dig out intricate ant-like burrows deep into the rock and have an ant-like society ruled by a Queen with various castes for workers, soldiers, miners, gatherers, etc.
** the Sarzava - these are best described as giant intelligent bugs. They have very shiny smooth metallic skin forming powerful, but light, exoskeletons that enable flight. They are bipedal, roughly human in shape but with four arms not two, making them officially insects. Their heads are snakelike and their hands and feet are clawed. They have small antenna protruding from the head and are equipped with a powerful set of wide-wingspan flashy iridescent dragonfly wings that buzz at incredible rates. The Sarzava live much of their lives in the sky and have a mysterious democratic swarm-based society with no centralized leadership. Any single Sarzavi would put its life on the line for its Hive, but some Sarvani are loners and exiles and live a semi-feared, semi-revered life among the Tanna
The conflict opening this story is that of a guerrilla warfare campaign being waged by the Monarchy (that's one of the largest Tanna kingdoms that has control over most of the major trade sky islands with a few notable exceptions) against a multi-race terrorist society known as the Vortex. The Vortex is said to object fundamentally to the principles of the Monarchy - which are utmost servitude to the Sky Goddess and Her Sky God. Every ten years, in a ritual known as the Crowning, these two deities are said to choose the next Monarch (whether it be male or female, there is no sexism) to rule for the decade. The Vortex oppose this ritual due to its randomness (something about the Sun shining on someone) and also other philosophies and practices of the Monarchy.
It is rumored that the Vortex has been receiving supplies & funds from the United Sky Empire, a coalition of small but wealthy Tanna-run city-state sky islands floating in defense clusters near the ecuatorial region of Middle Aire.
The Monarch has elected to put together a special team of operatives to sneak into the USE under the guise of tourism and infiltrate the supply chain, hoping not only to unmask the USE's deal with the terrorists (because that might shift many of the high-morals Grombule burrows' trade from the USE to the Monarchy, which feels itself slipping out of the massive might it once had) but also hoping to follow the supply chain all the way down the Vortex terrorists and infiltrate them as well.
A lot of wealth and prosperity and nobility awaits those who answer the Monarch's call… but in the same vein, a lot of danger and risk lurk just out of sight… this is the only the beginning…
[1] Choose a race from: Tanna, Gromule, Sarzava
[2] If you are Tanna, choose a Lifestyle; if you are Gromule, choose a Caste; if you are Sarzava, you are special (PM me about how to fit in your backstory)
[3] Choose three Skills
Tanna Lifestyles:
* Warrior
* Thief
* Aquamancer
* Sky Merchant
* Druid
* Sky Pirate
* Monk of the Order of Na'tuun
Gromule Castes:
* Emissary
* Miner
* Engineer
* Tunnel Knight
* Alchemist
Skills:
[pick three - Monks and Engineers pick four]
* Trapsetting/Disarming
* Locksmithy/Lockpicking
* Inner Eye (Monk only)
* Conversational Hypnosis (aka very persuasive)
* High Tolerance of Pain
* Disguise Aptitude / Seeing through Disguises
* Lying Aptitude / Seeing through Bluffs
* Magician's Hands / Escape Artistry
* Dual Weapon Wield
* Array Archery
* Basic Medical Training (Healer gets for free)
* Advanced Medical Training (Healer only)
* Basic Martial Arts Training (Monk gets for free)
* Freefall (Monk only)
* Stealthy Strike
* Climbing, Vaulting and Acrobatic Skillset
* Duelist
* Basic Alchemy (Alchemist gets for free)
* Very Basic Aquamancy (Aquamancers get for free)
Free Skills don't take away from the 3 or 4 you get to pick. If you want to know more about a skill, PM me
When you PM your character to me, include your race, lifestyle/caste, skills and unique backstory… and why your character has accepted the Monarch's call to arms. Unless you are an Aquamancer or Monk, I probably wouldn't join any organizations/guilds yet. Anyway, I will give you the go ahead to post it publically.
Players:
Host: Unreality
1) pablos4pandas
2) Framm
3) Gmaster479
4) Medji
5) sayalzah
6) Music
I don't know if you guys have played a "roleplay" before - this is not like that. This is more like Dungeons and Dragons. As the Host/DM, I control everything except you. I am the world, the universe… all you control is what your character says, thinks and does, how they act and react to the world… I control shopkeepers, enemies, the weather, gods, bacterial reproduction, and everything else.
I know that such a playstyle is better suited for face-to-face communication but I think it's worth a shot here. Oh, here's the combat system:
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Top Posters For This Question
43
28
13
Popular Days
Dec 10
24
Dec 11
23
Dec 9
19
Dec 5
18
Top Posters For This Question
unreality 43 posts
Framm 18 28 posts
Gmaster479 13 posts
Popular Days
Dec 10 2009
24 posts
Dec 11 2009
23 posts
Dec 9 2009
19 posts
Dec 5 2009
18 posts
171 answers to this question
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.