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In a world covered by endless jungle; one city rose above the rest.
No, literally, it floats. In the sky. What do you mean it can't be true!? Where do you think we are, on the surface? No, we're in that city, right now! ... Ah whatever, just let me tell the story, or is that too much to ask!? ... Okay fine, you narrate then, I've had it. I'm tired of being criticized so much!
...
A world, surrounded by jungles consisting of trees, rocks and vines. Ancient cities, ruined due to the test of time. Former Glatorian and Agori, reduced to nothing but beasts. Giant biomechanical dinosaurs that wish nothing more than to eat you. Oh, and the warmechs, can't forget the warmechs. This is the Surface; the name given to the wide-reaching area of the world that has trees spreading as far as the eye can see. Sure, there is a lake; if you can even call it that; and some streams, but really, trust me, the majority is jungle.
However; the surface is too dangerous for the ordinary citizens. Therefore, travel to the surface is a heavily bureaucratic decision. Red tape and all. How do we survive, then, if we can't travel to the surface? This is our city; the city in the sky. There are many names for the city, given by those pesky Vorox who try to eat us when we go to the surface, and by the beasts, but everyone who knows of our existence, knows us as the City in the Sky.
Long ago, the world was struck by a rather large, and rather powerful earthquake. The Great Beings had no idea what to do, so they therefore created this city, and floated it into the sky. However, all the cities on the surface were lost, destroyed by neglect and the earthquake. It is said that this world; known now as 'Bota Magna' was once more diverse than trees, trees, and more trees. However, I'm not entirely certain if I believe that. However, these ruined cities; they have ancient technology inside them, said to be designed by the Great Beings themselves. Not many people know of the contents of these ruins, however, as they are said to be guarded by giant constructs; and few people return from an encounter with them... And the people who do; are too scared to say much of anything, or die shortly afterward from wounds obtained in a fight.
We still attempt to gather ancient relics from these ruins, however. But, not everyone agrees, which leads to large shouting matches eventually; and that's not even getting into the Air Pirates. You know, thinking now, it might actually, in a way, be just as dangerous here in the air, as it is on the ground.
There's more to this story, but we should probably end it here, the elders are getting slightly annoyed at us for spreading this knowledge... Try to help spread the word, though. Let the rise of the Machines happen again.
After the Shattering caused Spherus Magna to split into three separate worlds, a city was built on Bota Magna, and then lifted into the sky. All the cities present on Bota Magna eventually crumbled, either due to the Core War, or general disuse. This RPG takes place at around the same time as the Great Cataclysm in the Matoran Universe, and the central point is the floating city a mille above the trees, which is a gigantic city which is split into seven sectors, the middle one containing the titular Castle In The Sky. The Surface is littered with both ruins of ancient cities, and outposts made by either the Intelligent Vorox, or the Bestial Glatorian/Agori, who didn't make it to the City in the Sky.
The Great Beings are said to have built both the City in the Sky, and some of the ruined cities, or at least the technology in the Ruins. It is said that the Great Beings walked the world of Bota Magna as well, even after the Shattering, though actual proof of that has never been found.
The main draw to this RPG, would be exploring massive ruins, and fighting giant constructs, bio-mechanical dinosaurs, and the Intelligent Vorox, among other potential threats.
Geography
The entire planet is covered in mostly jungles, but there are some points where this is otherwise. There are a few mountain ranges, and these are noted on the map, along with a massive lake (now the largest standing body of water, and the size of many saltwater seas). The central region of this section of the planet is a dune covered desert stretching over some fifty thousand square mile, and surrounded by a ring of mountains. Other than that, it's just rivers and jungle.
Ruins of Bota-Magna
Map of Surface
The ruins were once major cities spread across the landscape during the reign of the Great Beings. The foundations were crafted in the ancient past, when the Great Beings directly involved themselves with the planets people, before growing more reclusive and entering isolation. Many of these cities were destroyed during the Core War, the Shattering, or a combination of both. Whatever the case, they are mostly unfit for civilization, and most are far too large for the entire population of the Castle in the Sky.
Each ruined city shares a number of characteristics - a coat of arms used to display a creature held special by that group, and a colossal creature of enchanted stone and ancient technology that wanders through the ruins or surrounding area; some peaceful, other seeking to destroy intrusions. From descriptions given, they are best described as being based off of the cities own coat of arms. They are highly dangerous according to all who have fought them, even those who were seemingly no larger than the wildlife.
(Note - The buildings in these cities are massive, with twisting stairways leading to isolated, apartment sized rooms. Some major structures could hide an army behind them, and hold a couple of them within. The area the cities cover averages at about 1000 square miles each; still but a fraction of a percent of the forests total coverage!)
Voruntund is a southeastern island, lying on the opposite side of Lake Vorunt from its sister city Voruntand. The city is composed mostly of domed buildings, as many that were once controlled by the Water Tribe are, and is present in some of the buildings on the City in the Sky, to match tradition. The symbol was the Gryphon, a Great Being created hybrid of a Bearded Jungle Howler and a Silver Forest Eagle. It likely once housed around forty thousand beings.
Iztriliador is located in the southern areas of the known regions, and is mostly composed of towering boxy, stone buildings covered in stone and hanging moss. The city is incredibly small as far as the old ruins go, and may have only a couple dozen thousand. It was a home to the Iron Tribe. Its symbol is an enigma, appearing only as a red eye with a black pupil; a colossus has never been spotted here. The symbol is odd in a different way, as it appears on the walls and doorways of the ruins, which seem to have maze-like patterns to them.
Ohmvold is located in the central-northwest and was another apparently small city, likely having only thirty thousand at a maximum. The entire city is surrounded by a huge, circular wall, and a massive keep dominates over it. The building are a hodgepodge of shapes. The symbol was the Rock Rat, a small creature able to gnaw through solid rock. It is believed to have been a city of the Fire Tribe that was the destroyed towards the beginning of the Core War. The interiors are lined with torches, which are oddly still lit; it is said that they were enchanted by the Great Beings themselves.
Voruntand lies opposite of Voruntund along the shores of Lake Vorunt. Its structures are designed the same way as those in Voruntand, though much more plentiful, and with the presence of a trio of intimidating triangular pyramids with their top points removed. The symbol was that of the Talon Snake. This massive Water tribe city was a major one during its existence, and likely housed over ninety thousand inhabitants at one point. Inside the ruins, at least one segment seems to flood at one point, seemingly, though the technology there appears to still work.
High Fane was a great temple dedicated to the ancient gods that the Agori worshiped before the coming of the Great Beings. The temple was abandoned prior to the Core Wars beginnings, and a great wall was constructed around it to prevent entry. There are numerous buildings surrounding it, in a variety of shapes - unlike those in Ohmvold, though, they follow a pattern in location, suggesting that all tribes once came here. The exact details of this cities symbol are unknown. It likely housed some fifty thousand inhabitants. The interior of High Fane has been theorized to be constructed out of sandstone, or a similar material.
Pheosus was a city crafted by the Skrall and the Rock Tribe of Agori who served them. It is composed mostly of great towers, though many now are spread out across the ground rather than still standing. Its symbol was the Tusked Jungle Howler, a great cat with two large horns on its face. It likely housed some forty thousand inhabitants. There are many spikes lining this city, as well as the interiors of the buildings.
Narcesti was another Rock Tribe city, with the same basic structures of its Pheosus. A notable difference is that the towers were made shorter, and connected by massive bridges that formed an intricate cobweb leading to the central tower, which had no surface entrance. The whole design suggests some sort of military defensive purpose, forcing enemy armies to clamber towards the top through thousands of Skrall warriors in close combat. The symbol was the Green Razorclaw, one of the smaller biomechanical dinosaurs crafted by the Great Beings with a clawed foot and a vicious appetite. Currently, most of the bridges have decayed and the towers fallen, making the central tower nearly inaccessible (nearly). It appears as if there is also some sort of anti-technology field or something surrounding the tower, as any airships that try to approach crash shortly afterward, with the survivors claiming odd things started to happen.
Quetzilidriat was a city of the Jungle Tribe, and is found in the far northeastern reaches of charted Bota Magna areas. It was a small city, housing only thirty thousand or so inhabitants, and had the symbol of a Red Jungle Hawk, a massive bird of prey found in the forests. The cities structures are mostly large arches and bridges connecting to tower, similar to Narcesti, though with the incorporation of the surrounding jungle. This makes it a very odd place to navigate. The city is split in two halves, each on opposite sides of the river. Vines surround the majority of the objects in here, with moss growing on some things too; it's hard to tell if this is from neglect, or by design.
Resedomanadia is the oldest city on Bota Magna. Its name translates to 'resting place of the dominator'. The structures here are varied and generally small in comparison to the rest of the planets constructions - they are much older than the others on the planet by at least fifty to sixty thousand years, including the High Fane. In that ancient past it was the capital of all of Spherus Magna; now, it is mostly claimed by the forests. Due to the terrible damage it has sustained, it is impossible to say how many may have resided here; likely, it was some seventy thousand beings. It is said that the central building contains the tomb of the cruel warlord who ruled here. The symbol is believed to be a Jungle Bat. It is unknown what is truly here, if anything; or if anything is even intact.
Vizarana was known as the City of Blades, and is the most structurally secure city on the planet. Rather than an animal, the Rock Tribe inhabitants of the city (who use the same structures described in Pheosus) used the sword as their coat of arms; the bladesman their symbol of power. The city likely only held some forty thousand inhabitants. The interior is one of the oddest after Iztriliador; as the interior looks like it was just built a year ago, if that, even though it was obviously built way before the Shattering.
Dragon's Fire Tower is the second tallest structure on the planet, a single tower in the midst of the last desert on the planet. It rises close to 2500 feet into the sky, and has a square base of nearly twenty square miles on its own. Some thirty thousand inhabitants may have lived in the tower, which bore the symbol of the Fire Dragon, a magnificent species of beasts that once resided in the Bara Magna region of the original, unbroken, planet. It is said that this tower has the potential to reach to another world.
Unbroken Citadel was a city of the Iron Tribe, having the same structural designs as Iztriliador. Unlike the rest of the Tribe, the loss of Dreams never occurred to the people of the Unbroken Citadel, and they lasted into the Core War. When the War began, the inhabitants fled to the massive citadel in the center of the city and sealed themselves in behind its indestructible walls. When the Rock Tribe reached towards the end of the war, their entire army could find no way to break through the defenses. So instead, the Elemental Lord of Rock added to them, and sealed the defenses so its inhabitants could never leave. The Citadel remains unbroken even today, much like its coat of arms, the Vorunt Battle Tortoise. It is also likely filled with dead Iron Agori. In its heyday, the city housed some hundred thousand inhabitants, and was a major city. It is unknown what the interior looks like, but it is suggested that whatever it is, is shiny.
Apprenshian can be found along the banks of the rivers to the north, and bears the coat of arms of the Plated Crab. It was home to some forty thousand inhabitants of the Water Tribe at the peak of its existence, and has the same design features as other Water Tribe cities. The inhabitants were said to be rather eccentric, as it is implied that Arkara was a descendant of the Water Tribe members who lived here.
Jagged City, formerly a major city of the Rock Tribe, is found in the rocky wasteland surrounding the western mountains. It is surrounded by imposing walls, and within these walls rise numerous spiked towers which give the city its name. Some of the towers are still intact, though the Shattering destroyed some of them. Below the towers are many square buildings using a hybrid of Rock and Iron Tribe designs. The coat of arms is the Jungle Lurker, a six-legged spider with a small body and huge, long legs. If the name and outward appearances didn't already give it away, the interior walls look almost like they were broken, as there are jagged edges everywhere, and what appear to be cracks; however, this is simply the design.
Babeldoran was the largest structure ever crafted, asides from the robotic forms of the Prototype Robot and Mata-Nui. It rises close to 4000 feet in the air, and is divided into two parts. At the base is a massive structure with a twelve mile diameter rising some 1000 feet, at which point the tower begins in the center with about half the width. Unfortunately, unlike Dragons Fire, this tower was unable to stand the shattering, and collapsed to the ground, shattering across the desert sands. The structure housed some fifty thousand inhabitants initially, and bore the coat of arms as the King Desert Longwing, a dragonfly like creature on Bara Magna noted for the spiky 'crown' on its head. It is said if you head to the very top of the non-collapsed portion of the tower, you can see what appears to be blue colouring all the time, even if the sun's setting and the sky should be red. It is said that this is a glimpse of another world.
City in the Sky
The City in the Sky is a very large location, being essentially 7 cities, but connected together by integral bridges and steel beams, and other similar constructs. It has some natural components, likely added in by the creators of the city, however, most of it is rock or iron based.
The actual city is allowed to stay in the air, due to an anti-gravity system, which is rather advanced for anyone to create; however, it is present. This anti-gravity system is present on the underside of each section of the City, however, the generator for it, is present inside the Castle in the middle of the floating island. This is powered by an energy source found in and around the ruins, and appears to also somehow be present in the Biomechanical Dinosaurs, which adds a subliminal reason for the Rite of Passage ceremony.
Sector 1 - Dwinheim
Dwinheim is where the citizens of the City go to practice sky diving, for the most part. Along with trained birds being present, Glatorian and Agori can also practice sky diving with bird-like machines, which are also used for travel to the Surface. In addition to that, this acts as a dock for the airships that are used to get around the city, and travel to the Surface. Dwinheim is more or less unoccupied, aside from a building or two that function as an inn, and a shop to get different things.
Sector 2 - Yksfolt
Yksfolt is the market centre of the City, more or less; they have elabourate buildings designed to get your attention, as they attempt to peddle off good that may or may not be usable and needed for either day-today living, or travel to the Surface. With the Rite of Passage ceremony season starting up again, people are much more willing to try and pawn off items that are actually useless for travel to the surface, so remember to be careful.
Sector 3 - Drileiv
Drileiv is the education district; where the citizens go to learn different things, such as swordplay, or just generally things about the world and it's history and such. There is a dojo for the aforementioned swordplay lessons, and also a shooting range for practicing with a bow.
Sector 4 - Gnylon
Gnylon is the manufacturing sector; this is where the materials for use are made. Mostly it's just processing shops and such, but the Glatorian and Agori who work here, make the materials for later refinement. This is more of a natural area, compared to other places.
Sector 5 - Riakla
Riakla is the entertainment district; where Agori perform music, or the Glatorian battle each other in arenas to please crowds and such. For those interested in the entertainment provided, this sector never really stops.
Sector 6 - Larlak
is the housing section of the City; where the majority of the citizens sleep. This is typically known as the residential area, though, of course, that is not it's true name.
Sector 7 - The Castle
The Castle is where the Council of Elders meet, and due to that, and the fact that the generator for the entire city's anti-gravity systems is right underneath the Castle, very few people are allowed inside the Castle, or even near the sector itself. The castle has a circular design, and the outside is covered with patterns of gears, that move. It is theorized that these are, in fact, actual gears necessary for the Castle's correct operation, however, that has not been confirmed.
Ruins, Monsters, and You
As has been said before, you can explore ruins in this RPG. Aside from the typical dangers associated with dungeon crawling and ruin excavating, please keep these dangers in mind, handily written by one of your fellow dungeon crawlers:
1. There are many large 'constructs' across the surface of Bota Magna. Typically there's only one per ruin... However, there could always be exceptions to that rule, so be cautious, otherwise, you might end up as part of the ruin's victims. We keep a list, you see. Thanks for the idea, Arkara.
2. Vorox. Before, they were all peaceful. Or, at least, more peaceful than now. However, they got this odd notion that the entirety of Bota Magna belonged to them. Good going Arkara. So, now, they try and kill anyone who steps on their territory. Hence, they'll try and kill us the moment we travel to the surface, provided they know we're around. Therefore, at least make an attempt to not attract the attention of the Vorox. Otherwise, unless you're traveling alone, or killing a Vorox clan member is a task assigned to you, you're more likely to have one of your teammates kill you than one of the Vorox; out of frustration.
3. Bio-mechanical dinosaurs. I have NO clue who thought having those around was a good idea, but I think it was partly Arkara's idea. So, yeah, big, scary, liable to eat you rather than look at you. Recommended course of action, stay away from at all times.
4. Warmechs. Oh the Warmechs. Yeah, we managed to at least convert two of them to be on our side... But that left about 100 or 200, if not more, still on the Surface, ready to kill everyone in sight. ... And it even took a good number of our group to convert one of them. Nice work in causing them to target us, Arkara. Yeah, if you see one, run as fast as you can. If you're lucky, you'll get incinerated by the ultimate attack it has before it has a chance to try and torture you with those beam thingies it uses.
On that note, there are indeed other things aside from those; normal creatures that were native to the Jungle have decided to move into the ruins, so your opponents aren't merely the overpowered things that lurk around down on the Surface, you get to deal with their cousins too.
However, all hope is not lost! Occasionally, and I mean occasionally, you might discover a handy capsule labeled 'genetic experimentation: keep away'. If you ignore the warnings on that, you might just have a chance of gaining experimental powers, that, while not all that powerful, might still make a difference in the fights. While raiding these ruins, of course, you might run into some technology no-one has ever seen before. While this has a restriction of one per player genetic group(whatever that means), it is still usable, and is likely a good choice to fight with. However, these are also very rare, even rarer than the poiso- err, genetic material... Yes, genetic material, that's what I meant, why would I mean anything else? ... Right. The tech is rare, and you might not actually find anything; but if you find a second piece of tech, and you're the only one around, you can always hold onto it, and give it to someone else later. You just can't use them both at the same time, as advanced technology attracts the constructs, which is just as bad as it sounds.
Factions
Remember how the Pirates and disagreements were mentioned earlier? Well, this is pretty much the detailed info on that... Also, there may be other factions present, including personally created ones, however, that only happens with staff approval, and of course, players can be Neutral to all factions.
The Faithful
The Faithful are a group who are dedicated to the Great Beings; they hold them in high regard for apparently creating the City in the Clouds, and helping with the technology that is used in the City. However, they do not agree with the Machine's motives, in effectively raiding what they perceive to be the Great Beings' old homes on the surface, just to find new technology. They go along with some raids, however, if only to gain more info on the Great Beings, and to keep the City, well, in the sky.
The Machine
The Machine is the name of a group who care more about technology and machines, than anything or anyone else. They highly disagree with the mantra of the Faithful, at times calling them ancient relics themselves, for holding onto old beliefs which they consider to be worthless. They wish to excavate advanced machinery from the ruins, to expand the City, and make it entirely mechanical, caring more about the machinery in the City than the nature present on it.
The Air Pirates
The Air Pirates are a group of raiders and thieves, who typically attempt to attack airships headed to the surface, however, they are also somewhat present on the City in the Sky, however, they are more subtle there. They are more or less made up of Skrall and Bone Hunters, who have left the City in the Sky willingly; however, there are other members as well, who might not have left the City, or might not even be Skrall or Bone Hunters.
Rules
1. IC and OOC are required, except in the discussion and profile topics. Please keep all OOC-only discussion to the discussion topic, if at all possible.
2. Obey all rules of the site; which should go without saying.
3. No killing other PCs without permission. That said...
4. If you get into an impossible situation, then chances are, you're going to die. Not saying you can't try to survive, and I'll admit your chances of survival increase if you're in a group, but... If you're stuck, trapped in the air, and are currently flying toward a biomechanical dinosaur's mouth with the only airship that knows you're in trouble crashed nearby, then chances are you'll need to make a new character. It's unfortunate, but that's all you can do, because...
5. There is to be no god-mode inducing here. Do not slice a tower-sized construct in half, in one strike, by yourself, facing it head on, without getting a scratch. It's just not cool. And if you manage to somehow miraculously get elemental powers, don't abuse those either.
6. There is a limit of 5 characters for now, that might increase at a later date, however.
Punishments
This is what happens if you ignore the above.
1. You get a PM warning, telling you to stop that.
2. You get a public warning, reminding you not to do that, and your character has an unfortunate event occur.
3. Why did you keep ignoring things? Your character's dead, make a new one, and keep the rules in mind.
4. Your character's removed, and you're not getting the slot back. Last chance, too.
5. Well, hope you had a nice time in the RPG, because you're outta here... =/
Profile Sheet
This is a requirement for joining the RPG; if you don't fill this in, well, you can't play. Remove all the stuff in parenthesis when filling in the profile.
Username: (Your BZP name)
Character Name: (Self explanatory, what does your character call his or her self?)
Gender: (Also self explanatory, is your character male or female?)
Species: (Pretty much obvious, however, despite this being a Bionicle RPG, there are no MU species present. You can pick to be a Glatorian, Agori, Skrall, Bone Hunter, and possibly some other things, such as maybe a Vorox, but those might be case-by-case approvals.)
Faction: (The Faithful, The Machine, The Air Pirates, neutral, or something else?)
Equipment (What does your character start off with? A stick? A sword? Please note that the technology can't be too advanced, if it is, it won't be allowed. More advanced tech might possibly be found in the game.)
Bio: (What's your character's past?)
Appearance: (What does your character look like?)
Aloft Staff
Host: Blade
Co-Host: Toa Levacius Zehvor
Credits
I must thank the following people, for the help they've done, or offered for working on my first Bionicle RPG on here.
Toa Levacius Zehvor: I'll say right now, he pretty much thought up the base descriptions of the Bota Magna locations(as well as the names for the ruins). He's also the person who created the map, and suggested the name for the Machines; and for all his help, I thank him very much. =D
Kal Grochi: Grochi suggested a few storyline things I might consider, and came up with the name for the Faithful. For that, I thank him as well. =D
Kal The Guardian: Kal was the one who created the title banner for the RPG, and so I thank him for helping with that. =D
Toa Onarax and Krayzikk: They both offered to help, and if it wasn't for me not wanting to be swamped by mass amounts of personal messages, I would've accepted that help, so I thank them for the offers. =D
And finally, anyone who voted for Aloft in the Contest, thanks a lot for all the support, everyone! =D This one is for all of you. =)
