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Than the Moa

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Well, what he's saying is quite simple. There's a long history behind the name of the Moon and a second moon changes alot of the variables. Plus....

 

The English proper name for Earth's natural satellite is "the Moon". The noun moon derives from moone (around 1380), which developed from mone (1135), which derives from Old English mōna (dating from before 725), which, like all Germanic language cognates, ultimately stems from Proto-Germanic *mǣnōn.
The principal modern English adjective pertaining to the Moon is lunar, derived from the Latin Luna. Another less common adjective is selenic, derived from the Ancient Greek Selene (Σελήνη), from which the prefix "seleno-" (as in selenography) is derived.

 

 

No sense in calling the something the Moon if there are two of them yes? Giving it a name is simply logical under the circumstances.

Edited by Basilisk

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

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I am still confused about the effects of energon on the people of this world. You said a few posts back that energon was apparently really common in the world which is what led to everywhere becoming dependant on it as a fuel supply, but if its so common why did the discovery of one vein in Serbia lead to WWI as everyone fought over it? And surely having everyone fighting over energon highlights why energon causing the end of all prejudice isn't going to happen just as having an oil dependancy today hasn't exactly made things better. And speaking of all and wars, since this world's WWII demonstrates that petrol power was still around only 30-40 years ago, why didn't the nations being pressured into dropping segregation and the like just defer to that? With everyone using energon there must be loads more of the stuff around than there is in our universe, and since the Middle East had enough of an economy based around oil sales to hold their own in a World War there was clearly someone buying and using petrol. So there must be some equipment, vehicles and other tools that run on it. Just get some of those and buy oil from the Middle East, I'd imagine they'd be quite happy to sell to keep themselves financially afloat and stick it to the nations that fought against them. Might mean cutting down on advanced tech like teleporters but hey, they're just kind of a luxury really.

 

Speaking of teleporters though...why haven't we used those things to get to either of the moons? If they can be hypothetically used to beam things across the entire galaxy getting to something thats orbiting the planet should be child's play.

Heck, this world is past the point where we get to our moon with old fashioned combustion, and they're more advanced than we are now let alone than we were then. And even if their Cold War didn't include the space race, its a simple truth than humans have always looked towards the heavens and stars with interest (interest I imagine would be even greater with two moons), and then there's the possible profits if either of them has more reserves of energon...really, whats keeping them? Other than "because the plot demands it" reasons since my suspicion is that you've stashed a Cybertronian treasure on of them, probably Luna (or maybe Luna is the Cybertronian treasure...)

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Prior to that time, Energon was simply regarded as a 'useless rock' that was handy for strip-mining. As such, that's what it was used for. Prior to WWI however, a method was discovered that allowed for the making and usage of 'refined Energon' to power boats and light-bulbs. Naturally, in the imperialistic Pre-WWI era, fuel for warships was a must, so nations were scrambling to find Energon deposits of a large size on their own soil. Sort of like the 1800s gold rush. Serbia was the site of a massive deposit of Energon, one that is still being mined 'today'. Combined with the heavy alliance system, it put a decent drain on Energon deposits, citing the need for more. Due to the fact that even small quantities of Energon contain high amounts of power, Energon is favored over the more expensive Petrol, which often requires heavy drilling to find (That, and Energon is most commonly found in either it's solid or liquid states, making it capable to be used in Cars once the engine is properly modified).

 

As for that... Trade conventions. Not all countries have agreed to them, but some of the larger ones have. As well as a good deal of African countries, who's basis in power shifted after the second world war to have a primarily more Afro-centric (is that the right term?) government, and only would agree to trade conventions if a clause for equalizing the playing field was allowed. Other things happened a bit more naturally.

 

Teleporters only are located upon the two downed Cybertronian ships. Just 'randomly using them' doesn't work, as only commanding officers have the key to activating them.

 

And uh... The Plot demands it.

They got away with this everywhere else, why can't I? =P

Being more serious about the topic, it's obvious that china owns the moon that there hasn't been a successful program yet. Efforts have been made, but it's more interesting for scientists to go into other fields such as those new-fangled computers, cell phones, microwaves, and advanced kitchen sinks.

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I somewhat doubt that even without the space race we wouldn't of gone to the moon. If energon is as abundant as you say and it's used for everything, and is such a great fuel source, it would of made the field of rocketry a lot easier and cheaper. We might not of gotten to the moon in 1969 but we certainly would of gotten there by the eighties.

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

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As this goes on, it is becoming quite clear that not as much thought was put into the implications of all these changes to Earth as there could have been. Why were these changes even needed, I ask?

Edited by Basilisk

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

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Seeing as the moon is a huge place? Yeah not finding anything is reasonable.

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

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Honestly, why would anyone bother with alternate timelines, other than the justification of the plot demanded it? If I wanted to have a cluttered, convoluted and confusing backstory with an extremely large amount of relatively unknown characters, locations, and plot events that I'll never use, I would've kept the original G1 backstory and setting.

Edited by Varren Rehn
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Combined with the heavy alliance system, it put a decent drain on Energon deposits, citing the need for more.

 

Okay, so energon isn't just found everywhere? 'cause the way you've just described it, and the war fought over a single (if massive) vein makes it sound like its only in a few select places

 

Due to the fact that even small quantities of Energon contain high amounts of power, Energon is favored over the more expensive Petrol, which often requires heavy drilling to find

 

Err, but if energon is such high power, in such demand and is apparently not as common as you stated before then surely it should be more expensive than petrol despite the extra work?

 

As for that... Trade conventions. Not all countries have agreed to them, but some of the larger ones have. As well as a good deal of African countries, who's basis in power shifted after the second world war to have a primarily more Afro-centric (is that the right term?) government, and only would agree to trade conventions if a clause for equalizing the playing field was allowed. Other things happened a bit more naturally.

 

Wait, what? In the real world trade did have some effect on ending apartheid...but it was embargos placed on South Africa by other countries, refusing to give them stuff they needed until they shaped up and got more tolerant. In your version how did the African nations start shaking off their predominantly caucasian focused governments in the first place? And why would the other nations listen to them if they could just get more energon from somewhere like the US or whoever now controls Serbia?

 

Teleporters only are located upon the two downed Cybertronian ships. Just 'randomly using them' doesn't work, as only commanding officers have the key to activating them.

 

Hmm, call me crazy but I wouldn't call two teleporters with limited access a "nexus" :P

And wait, how does the professor guy know about teleportation, if its only the Transformers who have them and they've just arrived?

 

Heck, at this rate, would you just like me to say that humanity had been to the moon previously and didn't find anything?

 

Hmm, yeah, probably

 

Honestly, why would anyone bother with alternate timelines, other than the justification of the plot demanded it? If I wanted to have a cluttered, convoluted and confusing backstory with an extremely large amount of relatively unknown characters ,locations, and plot events that I'll never use, I would've kept the original G1 backstory and setting.

 

This isn't about not keeping the old cluttered and confusing backstory, its that the new backstory you've created is either not thought out as well as it could be, or not as explained as well as it could be and as a result comes across as just as cluttered and confusing

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Alright, I will attempt to set the record straight here and now. If I set it crooked, then it will permanently be set crooked

It's a paraphrase, alright?

Energon is found in large deposits across Earth. About 20% of these deposits have been used up, as they are on the surface. It was commonly thought that these surface deposits were the largest, and would never run out. An untrue statement. The war was fought over what was at the time thought to be one of the few undiscovered energon deposits left on earth. This is proven to be untrue after more veins are discovered during and after The Great War. Serbia was one, as well as the deposits in Africa. The resulting trade negotiations to make sure countries wouldn't run out of a supply of Energon resulted in the end of Apartheid due to wants by both the African Governments, as well as their European and American counterparts.

 

As for WWII, now considering it again, I think I'll just remove it. Both Energon and Fossil Fuels are traded with different exchange rates, however Energon is the more used substance due to it being able to be used with any vehicle, and any sort of power plant.

 

On Teleportation, maybe there's more than two Teleportation devices in existence, but they aren't named/don't belong to humanity or the Cybertronians on Earth. Hence is why I refer to it as a 'Nexus'.

 

I'll re-write the Earth info tonight if nobody else has any other important issues that they feel the urge to discuss.

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a roleplay with ponies? it makes the others need to be about 20% cooler to keep up.

IF THIS IS NOT ALLOWED, SHUT IT DOWN.

Twilight was on her way back to ponyville when she noticed a colt was starring at her for the longest time.

then she saw another pony pass by with the exact same look. she kept it to herself... until she got off the train.

duplicates were everywhere! she zapped one and the blast revealed a bug like wing and the false pony hissed,

and more colts and mares surrounded her! SHE WAS TRAPPED!

She was knocked out and sent to a mysterious cave, where the queen was standing right behind her. twilight

looked around, half of ponyville was trapped in the cave, Along with all her friends!

I, QUEEN CHRYSALIS SHALL FEED ON YOUR LOVE!

YOUR PRECIOUS EQUESTRIA IS MINE!

Changlings have invaded Equestria! Find and terminate any false ponies you find!

Rules:

most RP rules apply

Only admins can be changlings

no automatically knowing where the mane 6 are. (aka location of cave)

No Allicorns

up to 2 players

No all-powerful unicorns

No breaking speed of sound without consulting a wing inspector (admin)

HAVE FUN

Pony making sheet

Name: What's your name?

Colt or mare

Pegasus, earth pony, or unicorn

Appearance and cutie mark: Pics Widely accepted

Job: what do you do for $

Age: kinda self explanatory

Personality: what your like

specialty: what your best at (should correspond with your cutie mark)

Background: What your life has been like

Other: Put flaws here (mandatory)

you may start in cloudsdale, ponyville, and Canterlot.

admins will keep you posted on the mane 6's struggles.

Edited by Cloudspark Crowfield

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Yeah, Ontario can just sit here in bureaucratic limbo until you have time again.

 

As for the Pony RPG, ah, go back to the planning topic and work this out with the community. Namely work out out the facts that the plot plus MO is summed up in one sentence, the lack of any explanation at all of what's going on, a confusing font and color that even on my fairly nice monitor is eyesorey, and, in general the lack of any subsistence that practically all RPGs have nowadays.

Edited by Strategist Alex Humva

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

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  • 2 months later...

Marvel: Rebirth

-The Story So Far-

It’s been a year since the combined power of the American war machine, coupled with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fledgling reboot of the Avenger Initiative, defended New York City from the HYDRA terrorist forces ravaging the metropolis. Recognized for their efforts and the tactical edge they offered, the surviving members of the Avengers were honored and acknowledged as heroes; for the first time in years, the limelight once again fell upon S.H.I.E.L.D., drawing it and its mysterious commander Col. Nick Fury out of the shadows and into a position of public defense befitting its original United Nations charter. In response, S.H.I.E.L.D. brass began collecting volunteers, America’s best and brightest soldiers, for another mysterious reboot of a previously successful project - the ARCHANGEL Initiative, a modern day spin on the infamous Super Soldier project that generated Captain America. However, after going through training, wave after wave of these recruits are vanishing into thin air, unable - or unwilling - to establish any further contact with the outside world.

Meanwhile, on the mutant rights front, the wars no longer rage in American cities; they are waged in the courtroom and on Capitol Hill, where it seems every day that alliances, resolutions, and even Congressional views on the mutant issue shift and shatter like fine china - the political climate isn’t helped by the uneasy fact that there is still not a single mutant representative in any branch of government in the world, as protestors on both sides are increasingly fond of pointing out. The Xavier Institute, once a go-to talking point for mutant debates, has faded into relative political obscurity and now takes in mutants at a slightly declining rate. The X-Men had little-to-no representation in the counterattack against HYDRA, and with two of their most known public faces - known mutant rights crusader Dr. Hank McCoy, and Ashlynn Summers, oldest child of Scott Summers and the Phoenix, Jean Grey - apparently dead as a result of the aftermath of the battle, the team is considered all but disbanded, and many members have taken up supporting roles in the Institute itself.

On the flip side of that coin is the increasingly-leftist, always growing Brotherhood of Mutants, which has undergone a seemingly radical shift in tone since the public execution of Magneto’s son and heir Pietro “Quicksilver” Maximoff over a year ago. Heading up the new organization is Dominik Lord, a former lieutenant of Pietro’s who survived the government purge of what Brotherhood forces remained on Genosha. As a charming, new age former thief from the streets of Chicago, he has become the face of the mutant equality movement, and pro-mutant activists have taken to Lord the way Internet freedom activists took to Edward Snowden or liberal arts students took to Che Guevara. Handsome, charismatic and well-mannered, he has utilized video broadcasts, “fireside chats” on Reddit, and public appearances in the mutant underground to garner support for the oppressed and the reviled before using his power of escapism through light sources to slip through the fingers of authorities like sand. Dominik’s movement gains more traction everyday; mutants and their supporters are massing more and more in cities large and small, circulating petitions, demanding change from Washington.

Sitting on the sidelines of the entire conflict is the ubiquitous, powerful Hellfire Club. Over the course of the last year their public activity has boosted now more than ever, gaining more funds, forging more connections, and swaying more allies in a year than the previous Inner Circle could in seventeen. The considerable inflation in power comes courtesy of Alaric and Anberlyn Worthington, children of Warren Worthington III, or Angel, current headmaster of the Xavier Institute. In answer for their father’s real and perceived wrongs they led a coup inside the very power structure of the Inner Circle, assuming the roles of Black King and White Queen respectively as well as all titles and benefits inherent. The twins work as a solid unit, trusting no one else above each other, and have stuck now to biding their time until the right moment; Alaric in particular, as a former team captain of the X-Men thought dead by those at the Institute, has stuck to pulling subtly on the strings of the mutant rights debate raging throughout the country, inflaming and assuaging his political or business contacts where need be while Annie is left to her own devices, plotting her own, darker revenge against the Worthington name.

Lines in the sand are drawn and erased every day; friends and enemies thought dead appear from thin air, and those whose loyalty once seemed unshakable can now be swayed with no more than the light breeze of vague promises and unproven words; mutants and humans are forced to take new sides every day, or even form their own sides.

The conflict is coming to a head at last.

 

-A Brief Refresher Course-

 

Though a year has passed since the end of the darkest days, the ramifications from the events during them are still being felt heavily in the world at large. Eighteen years ago, the Phoenix Force returned and wiped out the vast majority of empowered beings, reducing the superhero, and villain, population to a shadow of what it once was. Seventeen years later, Hank McCoy, the then headmaster of the Institute, formed the next generation of the X-Men to counter the resurgence in Brotherhood activity, and the increasing abuse by the Enforcers.

Though their skirmishes made headline news, they did not know that a more sinister threat lurked. Weapon X struck a surprise blow against the Institute, capturing the majority of its residents. The few that remained were forced to flee and hope to fight again another day. Eventually, they joined forces with the Brotherhood against the mutual enemy, storming and razing the Weapon X facility. Meanwhile, the Avengers Initiative began again in secret, it's roster filled with descendants from the original members. Thus, as the Hellfire Club began to reform, began a shaky, two month long peace.

But it was not to last. In response to conflict in Las Vegas, the X-Men's temporary alliance with the Brotherhood, and the assassination of President Binder, MACE was formed to stop the mutant threat. They succeeded. The majority of the mutant population was rendered toothless, a fact that an old enemy quickly took advantage of. Hydra attacked New York City, quickly eliminating the SHIELD forces caught off guard within the city. The Helicarrier quickly fell, leaving the defense of the city to the assorted personnel nearby, including the fledgling Avengers and members of the Pantheon Initiative. Despite their efforts, defeat seemed inevitable, until the military successfully mobilized to give aid.

Following the battle for New York, as it was quickly dubbed by the media, the world has not been the same. The X-Men were decimated, the Avengers sustained heavy casualties, and SHIELD's lack of readiness had been revealed. Hydra was a viable threat once more, the Brotherhood had scattered to the winds, and the United States was in political shambles.

A year has passed since then.

 

 

Factions

S.H.I.E.L.D (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) – Founded to combat technologically advanced threats on world security (specifically the menace of Hydra), S.H.I.E.L.D. has, throughout the years, remained on the front lines fighting terrorism and extraterrestrial menaces as an international intelligence agency. Led by Nick Fury.

Xavier Institute for Higher Learning - A preparatory school in Westchester, New York, the Xavier Institute is a safe haven for any mutant adolescents - or even adults - who feel the need to take refuge, learn to hone their own genetic abilities, and learn to manage themselves in social environments around other humans and mutants. Led by Headmaster Warren Worthington III.

 

 

The Brotherhood of Mutants – An increasingly public, but still enigmatic, organization of mutants organized to promote, at the very least, mutant equality, if not outright leadership over society. Their members are often outcasts from society due to their mutant status. They fight against the abuse and hatred of mutant-kind in all its forms, by whatever means necessary. Led by Dominik Lord.

 

 

HYDRA - HYDRA is a criminal organization dedicated to the achievement of world domination through terrorist and subversive activities on various fronts, resulting in a fascist New World Order. Its extent of operations is worldwide; always attempting to elude the ongoing counter-espionage operations by S.H.I.E.L.D. At its height, HYDRA was the most extensive, powerful, and dangerous such organization in history. Led by Red Skull.

 

 

Hellfire Club - A society for the rich and the prestigious, the Hellfire Club is a seemingly noble and ancient gathering of the world’s wealthiest or most endowed personalities to discuss world events and make connections. Their secretive Inner Circle, however, takes that purpose to a new and often sinister level, maneuvering governments, starting wars, and assassinating figures who pose a threat to their own agendas and interests as singular members or a group. Co-led by former X-Men deputy Alaric Carlisle and his sister Anberlyn, twin children of Warren Worthington III.

 

 

??? - A mysterious splinter organization headed up by Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp. One of its operatives is Daken Akihiro, Wolverine’s eldest trueborn son and world-famous assassin, revived from near-death by mysterious means. Nothing else is known of their influence or agenda at this point in time.

 

 

Profile Form:

Name: (What your character calls him/herself)

Codename: (Your character’s name on official missions; may or may not be used as a sort of nickname for your characters.)

Gender: (No explanation needed, we’re all informed people here)

Age: (It’s just a number, but try to include it anyway!)

Loyalties/Faction: (One of the factions listed above, other faction, or unaligned. Can also list certain other characters important to your own character’s life here. )

Power(S): (What can your character do? Please try to make your character’s powers within reason and balanced and non-overpowered. No more than three powers per character; don't try and give your character as many powers as possible, because the primary reason we approve characters is not for how many powers they have, it's whether those powers are balanced fairly and able to fit into the game's setting.)

Appearance: (What your character looks like.)

Weapons: (Within reason please.)

Skills: (Things your character is good at.)

Personality: (Your character’s behaviors, how they interact with others, how they think about things.)

Weakness: (Everyone has weaknesses, powers or no. Try to make them clear.)

Bio: (Your character’s history. Can be almost anything really, try to make it at least a couple sentences.)

 

 

Rules

1. No godmodding. This includes metagaming, autohitting, bunnying, and performing actions your character should be incapable of doing.2. Use IC (In-Character) and OOC (Out of Character).3. OOC only posts are forbidden. That’s what the discussion topic is for.4. Profiles should be posted in the discussion topic for approval. The phrase “Darkest Days” must be included at the beginning of said post to prove that you have read these rules.5. Respect the staff.6. This game uses a tier outline for its punishment system. We do, however, reserve the right to skip over a tier if the offense warrants it. The first offense will result in a warning. The second in either in-game character injury/death, or a temporary ban. The third offense will result in a very weighty consequence, while the fourth and final offense will result in a permanent ban.

 

 

The Staff's Guide to Common Sense

This RPG is based around superpowered individuals, and there will always be a discrepancy between that and what we would call realistic. However, that does not give you free rein to toss realism aside. First of all, this game's science is the same as the real world unless otherwise noted. That means that fire will not form into a bullet like projectile, you cannot pull off feats beyond a normal human unless noted in your profile, you cannot shrug off attacks, and you cannot simply beat NPCs senseless. Nor are the police and military incompetent. A teenager is not going to easily beat a trained soldier, powers or not, without a good explanation. Especially in the Marvel world, where superheroes are a known occurrence.

 

Expies and This RPG

 

Expies are strongly, strongly, strongly discouraged. Don't come in here expecting to make Master Chief, don't come in here expecting to make Mass Effect characters, don't come in here expecting to expy Solid Snake. Don't come in here expecting to make Marvel characters, either. You do not get to play a generations xerox of Wolverine. If you want to do that, go play one of the video games. Which leads me to my next point...

 

Healing Powers and This RPG

 

Healing powers are not an insta-heal ticket. This happened a lot in the original game, and it will not be tolerated here. This section is divided into two major portions; Healing powers that target the self, such as healing factors, and healing powers that target others. I will begin by covering the latter, because it is simpler. Healing powers cannot instantly heal major injuries with no effort. This happened a lot last game too, even though the powers were supposed to have limitations to keep this from happening. They can start to heal a major injury, even heal it most of the way, given enough time, but never completely. Not unless you have plenty of time to work and a lot of energy. I expect players to use their judgement, but healing powers will be monitored closely in this game.

 

Now, healing factors. Last game, healing factors were treated as miraculous powers that could heal anything as long as there was a single cell with intact DNA. And do it quickly. This is not even remotely the case. A healing factor is an increased speed of healing, which means that it cannot heal anything that the body could not heal from normally. It just does it much, much faster. Healing factors are going to be heavily monitored in this game, and their speed must be kept within reasonable limits. As it is most usually associated with healing factors, adamantium skeletons are explicitly forbidden.

 

Power Levels and This RPG

 

You may note that the profile sheet reads three or so powers. That is the guideline, but it is not the entire way that it works. Multiple powers will be approved if they are all reasonable, and not too powerful together. But you may be limited to one power, maybe two, if it is an extremely powerful one. We are not looking at numbers, we are looking at power balances. Which means that in addition to the above, if you have a powerful ability that might be approved on another character, but no real weakness, we reserve the right to disapprove it on the grounds of power imbalance.

 

Staff

-Tyler Durden

-The Snark Knight

- Kaithas

-Snelly

 

Staff NPC Profiles

 

The staff control a variety of NPCs important to the plot. Though another staff member may make use of them if necessary, they will primarily be controlled by the named staff member. Osborn is controlled by Kaithas, the president (J. Jonah Jameson) by The Snark Knight, and Daken Akihiro by Tyler.

 

Daken Akihiro

Name: Daken Akihiro

Codename: Dark Wolverine

Age: 67, but appears to be around 20 or 21 due to his advanced healing factor.

Gender: Male

Loyalties/Faction: Unknown, lieutenant and fixer for Norman Osborn.

Power(S): Daken has an advanced healing factor and bone claws akin to those of his father; he can rapidly regenerate damaged or destroyed body tissues and be none the worse for wear, is immune to all foreign toxins and chemicals, and can handle physical stress far beyond that of a normal human. His bone claws are black and rough like bone, with two protruding from the knuckles of each hand and then one claw jutting from each of his wrists. These claws have been mystically imbibed with shards of the Muramusa blade, rendering them possibly fatal to any mutants with a healing factor Daken encounters. Akihiro’s final power is also his most sinister: he has the potential to manipulate his own smell to make him virtually invisible to even such a skilled tracker as Wolverine. He can also use this ability to alter his own pheromones to those around him, making them feel fear, elation, comfort, rage, or even titillated. Anything that suits his whims.

Appearance: Handsome and chiseled, with broad shoulders and thick muscles that form almost the stereotypical triangle, Daken has a black Mohawk on an otherwise shaved head that once reached down to the base of his spine before he had it trimmed down to the top of his neck and cleaned it up a little. His eyes appear blue in the right light but are actually a steel grey, devoid of emotion or a spark of humanity. He has a pitch black tribal tattoo across the center of his abdomen, his left pectoral, trapezius, and arm all the way down to his left fist, where it circles around his wrist like a bracelet and marks him.

 

Daken

Weapons: He has shards of the Muramasa Blade implanted in place of the wrist claw on each hand; the mystical blade has the power to negate healing factor in mutants. A wound inflicted on mutants with a healing factor with Daken’s claws will take several days to heal, while any mortal wound rendered with the blades would most likely be mortal, as the victim would quickly bleed out before the healing factor could recover enough strength.

Skills: Daken is a master martial artist, tracker, strategist and manipulator, skilled in the art of deception. Also multilingual – he speaks at least three languages, and is practicing heavily in Spanish on his offtime, so make that four..

Personality: Dark, arrogant, and hedonistic, Daken enjoys killing and seduction: the simple cycle of toying with other people’s lives and then ending them is nothing but a game to him, and he is a master at manipulating people to fit into the cycle at any time. He is a clever, wicked funny psychopath skilled in the art of psychological chess and subverting other people’s expectations in him only to use those assumptions against them and gain the upper hand. Akihiro is a master of spinning complicated, seemingly genuine lies off the top of his head and then convincing others they’re true before they think to do any research into them, and as such, it is almost impossible to determine the fidelity of his words at any time in his life.

Weakness: Daken's healing factor can be dramatically slowed if Carbonadium is implanted inside of him, such as swallowing something made of Carbonadium or being wounded by a bullet composed of it. It causes his healing factor to be reduced to a slow crawl, at least in comparison to its normal speed, but doesn't fully suppress it. He can be killed by the Muramasa blade, but he wields shards of it himself.

Bio: Daken was born in 1946 to Logan and his Japanese wife Itsu. While his mother was in the last stages of her pregnancy she was viciously murdered by the Winter Soldier in an attempt to draw Wolverine out and return him to the custody of Madripoor. After Itsu's death, The mutant known as Romulus took the baby, cutting him from his mother's womb and leaving her body behind. The baby survived the horrible incident due to his mutant healing factor inherited from his father.

 

Romulus left the baby on the doorstep of Akihira and Natsumi, a wealthy, young and traditional Japanese couple. They took the child's arrival as an answer to their prayers and raised him as their own. Though he was named Akihiro by his father, the servants and other families of the province secretly referred to the boy as Daken which meant fatherless dog in Japanese; a slur on his obvious mixed heritage. As Akihiro grew up, he was often teased by the other boys of the village. His harsh treatment over the years caused Akihiro to develop a very cold persona to all except his father.

 

One night, Natsumi confessed to Akihira that she didn't love their adopted son and that, after long years of trying, she was pregnant. Akihiro overheard this and began plotting. Within a year, sometime in 1957 after the birth of the baby, Akihiro confronted his mother, telling her that he had killed her son. Akihira was furious and disowned Akihiro, who furiously responded that "Akihiro" was not his true name. Natsumi suddenly appeared, trying to run Daken through with a sword, triggering the onset of Daken's mutant powers. With a wave of his arm, he accidentally slashed Natsumi with the bone claws that had sprung from his hands. Unable to force himself to harm his son, Akihara instead committed suicide. Romulus then appeared to the boy for the first time, telling Daken that he was what the boy would someday become.

 

Romulus sent Daken to a training camp in Canada, the same camp where Wolverine had first trained more than forty years earlier. Daken was also trained by the same man as his father - Silas Burr - who would later become the mercenary known as Cyber.

 

Years later, Romulus revealed to Daken that his father was still alive, but lied at the same time, telling Daken that it was Wolverine who had killed Itsu with Daken still inside her. Romulus told Daken that Wolverine feared what Daken would become. This lie sowed a seed of vengeance in Daken that Romulus continued to feed in the following decades.

 

Daken floated around over the years, spending some time at the Xavier Institute to watch over his little brother John in his infancy, before being recalled to Canada on the orders of one Colonel Johnson. On a mission for the man in Germany, he was captured by HYDRA forces and held a captive for two month before being set free by a Weapon-X strike team including many of the same faces he’d come to know in his years at the Institute, including John. He tricked the team into releasing them and pretended to assist them up until the X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants attacked the Weapon-X stronghold together and Daken revealed his true allegiance – to nothing, and to no one. Nearly obliterated by the first manifestation of Ashlynn Summers’ powers, Daken was found by Norman Osborn and nursed back to health under as-of-now unknown means.

 

For the last year and a half, he’s worked as a fixer, doing jobs that Osborn has required done for whatever reason – including the assassination of Pietro Maximoff, the bombing on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier during the Battle for New York, and, for no other reason than that he could, the seduction and murder of American hero Noel Rogers, and the theft of her Iron Woman suit.

 

Daken is currently still under contract with Osborn.

 

Other Staff NPC profiles forthcoming.

 

-Tyler

Edited by Tyler Durden

SAY IT ONE MORE TIME 

TELL ME WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND

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The Chantry teaches us that it is the hubris of men that brought the Darkspawn into our world.

The mages had sought to usurp heaven, but instead, they destroyed it. They were cast out, twisted, and cursed by their own corruption. They returned as monsters; the first of the Darkspawn. They became a Blight upon the lands, unstoppable and relentless. The Dwarven kingdoms were the first to fall. And from the Deep Roads, the Darkspawn drove at us again and again, until finally we neared annihilation… until the Grey Wardens came. Men and women from every race; warriors and mages; barbarians and kings; the Grey Wardens sacrificed everything to stem the tide of darkness, and prevailed.

With the Blight defeated, the Tevinter Imperium whose magisters had brought it upon the world was left weakened. From the south, barbarians led by the Prophet Andraste reduced it to vestiges of its former glory. Yet not long after the establishment of the Chantry and the beginning of the Divine Age, a Second Blight struck the land.

It has been just over a century since the Darkspawn were driven back. Though many had hoped it would be the last Blight, this was too much to ask. The Dwarves continued facing the Darkspawn below, while the Grey Wardens have remained ever vigilant above. Yet knowing is not always enough to prepare.

In the year 3:10 Towers, the Darkspawn returned to the surface, surging up from the central lands of Thedas with greater numbers than ever before. The Grey Wardens raised banners, and kingdoms took to their borders. As the Blight spread, the great empires of Orlais and Tevinter fought back. Though they had their victories and seemed to push back the Horde, its bulk and the Archdemon at its head both survived.

It is now 3:21 Towers, and the Blight spreads east, ravaging the independent nations of the Free Marches. With the great empires tending their wounds, the Marchers are left to their own fate as the Grey Wardens struggle to deal with the Blight.

This is where the story begins.

––:: OVERVIEW ::––

 

Dragon Age: Burning Towers is a standard text-based RPG designed to allow easy access to both veterans of the game series and those who have never played before, yet who are still intrigued by the concept of facing off against the hordes of darkness in a fantasy RPG.

 

The major world scheme continues as it does in canon, but the deciding factors for detailing it and filling in the gaps is left to the players. How much of an impact you have is up to you.

 

Players start the RPG by selecting an Origin. This determines their starting location and gives a few possible objectives, but all other character details and any actual choices are up for the players themselves to decide.

 

––:: HISTORY OF THEDAS ::––

 

Thedas is a continent set in presumably the southern hemisphere of its world, and the primary setting for events in the world of Dragon Age. In the ancient days of the world, it was inhabited primarily by the empires of the dwarves below ground and the elves above.

 

That was until humans came, who formed the Tevinter Imperium, a mighty empire worshipping draconic Old Gods and ruled by great mage-lords called Magisters. While they allied with the dwarves, the elven kingdoms were enslaved.

 

According to the Chantry, the Imperium brought about their own fall. They consorted with demons to learn powerful blood magic, which they used to travel into the Fade and enter the Golden City – heaven; the home of the maker – and corrupt it. They returned to the world as the Darkspawn.

 

The Darkspawn dug deep into the earth, spreading their taint until they reached the sleeping Old God of Silence, Dumat. They corrupted him into their leader, an Archdemon. This began a two century period known now as the First Blight, ended only when a group known as the Grey Wardens made use of secret rituals to destroy him.

 

But not without cost. Thousands died in the Blight, and the dwarven empire was reduced to but four cities (of which only one remains today). The Darkspawn went underground, flooding the Deep Roads which had once connected the dwarven cities and resuming their conflict with them. They replenished their numbers and sought out a new Old God to corrupt.

 

The Tevinter Imperium was weakened, but not yet destroyed. That was until, in the south, the prophet Andraste and her husband Matherath led a barbarian uprising. Though she died in the war, her teachings survived as the Chant of Light. As Andrastian beliefs spread, the ruler of Tevinter was corrupted, and the Imperial Chantry established.

 

The empire of Orlais formed amidst the southern barbarian lands, helmed by a great devotion to Andraste and her god, the Maker. They established a new Orlesian Chantry, and a new calendar of 100 years to an age. Thus began the Divine Age, and soon after, the Second Blight.

 

It is currently the Third Age of the Chantry, named Towers. Thedas is in the middle of its Third Blight.

 

––:: COMPREHENSION ::––

Definitions for those who are unfamiliar with the Dragon Age setting.

 

Thedas – The known world.

 

The Fade – A mysterious dream world inhabited by spirits, believed by many to be the realm of a god or gods. It is separated from the mortal world by a metaphysical Veil. All living beings besides Dwarves enter the Fade in dreams; only mages, however, can act consciously. It is generally impossible to enter physically.

 

Spirits – Creatures of the Fade, who latch onto a specific purpose. Some of these are seen as good, such as a Spirit of Faith or Justice. Others, such as Pride or Rage, are seen as malevolent Demons. Some are non-sentient, such as wisps. Most spirits have no interest in mortals; demons are the exception. They enter the mortal realm through tears in the Veil to find a corpse or living being to possess. Demons without a body become Shades, while those within the body of mage become powerful and intelligent monsters called Abominations.

 

Chantry – The Chantry is the largest and most powerful religion in Thedas, with almost all human countries outside of Rivain following it. There are two branches of the Chantry, the Chantry in Orlais and the Imperial Chantry. The largest temple is the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux, Orlais. It’s completion led to the naming of the current age as Towers. The Chantry is headed by Divine Faustine I, with numerous Grand Clerics below her. The Chantry preaches the belief in the Chant of Light, which states that man’s worship of the Old Gods turned Maker away from them. If the Chant is ever sung at all four corners of the world, the Maker will return. They were founded by the Prophet Andraste.

 

Circle of Magi – Among the commandments of the Chant is “magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.” The interpretation varies. In both Tevinter and Orlais, mages reside in towers known as Circles, separate from those outside; the difference is, while in Orlais this is by force, it is an honor in Tevinter. Mages in Orlais are never allowed to hold any position of political power; in Tevinter, mages actively take part as officials in the Chantry and the government. Each of the other Andrastian countries also has at least one Circle of Magi, though they are far less strict than those in Orlais. There is quite a bit of friction between the two countries for this reason.

 

––:: COUNTRIES OF THEDAS ::––

 

Tevinter Imperium

Capital City – Minrathous

 

The Tevinter Imperium was once a powerful empire ruled by mages; while strong today, it is only a shadow. Despite Chantry laws, Tevinter tradition continues allowing the magisters (mage-lords) to retain their power, as headed by an elected Archon.

 

Archon Vespasian is the ruler of Tevinter. Under him are there social classes. The highest are the Altus, great mages with a long line of mage ancestors; first-generation mages form the Laetan class. The vast majority of the population form the lower Sorporati class.

 

Despite blood magic and such arts being forbidden by Chantry law, and thus never practice openly in the Circle, such techniques are often passed down secretly from master to apprentice, and kept quiet. The common subjects for such experiments are usually slaves; the slave trade, particularly of elves, being legal in Tevinter. Such practices cause it to be seen as a decadent place.

 

Orlesian Empire

Capital City – Val Royeaux

 

The Orlesian Empire (or simply Orlais) is the second major power player on Thedas, and currently the largest. It is a distinctly Andrastian civilization where the Chantry holds immense power over the people and the land. It is ruled by the order of a single emperor or empress; presently, this is Empress Jeaneve I, best known for her creation of the elite guard force known as the Empress’s Arm.

 

All power and authority falls to a single Emperor/Empress, but there are many other nobles and aristocrats below. Within Orlesian courts, a Great Game is played among the upper class, constantly trying to usurp and play each other.

 

Mages have no haven in Orlais, living under the heavy guard of the Templar knights who serve the Chantry. Mages who do not join the Circle are brutally hunted down. Only during times of war are the mages truly given a chance to exercise their power, usually against the Darkspawn. Other Andrastian countries are more similar to this than the Imperium, but none so harsh.

 

Free Marches

Major Cities – Starkhaven, Kirkwall, Tantervale, Nevarra

 

Much of central and eastern Thedas is the Free Marches, the region between the Orlesians and Tevinters which is currently being struck hard by the Third Blight. The people here are known for being incredibly independent, having to fight their way to such a position from the Tevinter Imperium who once ruled over them.

 

The Marchers have no central government, instead being a collection of dozens of city-states; the four listed above are among the largest, in particular Starkhaven. Presently, there are a number of military coalitions being formed in some of these nations.

 

The largest geographical feature in the Marches is the Minanter River, which cuts roughly evenly through the Marches. The Darkspawn have been particularly aggressive against the city-states of the river, with many having already fallen against them.

 

Other Nations

 

The Anderfels is a monarchy in northern Thedas, to the west of Tevinter. It was once part of the Imperium until being abandoned in the Second Blight; it was held by Orlais for most of that Blight, but it separated from the empire not long before its end. Despite not itself being involved in the current Blight, it is the location of Weisshaupt Fortress, base of the Grey Wardens. The Anders people are highly Andrastian.

 

Antiva is a monarchy in eastern Thedas, to the east of Tevinter, that has formed around the city-state of its namesake. Monarchy is best used in the loosest of terms; plutocracy is far more accurate, as it is the merchants and traders who rule. Antiva is a nation abiding by the Chantry, though not so much as the Anderfels or Orlais. They are most famed for the House of Crows, an elite guild of assassins, including some both skilled and bold enough that even Emperors and Archons have died at their hands (the threat of retribution at the hands of the Crows is a main reason few countries dare to assault the otherwise militarily weak Antiva).

 

Rivain is a monarchy to the east of Antiva and most certainly not an Andrastian country, most being pantheists and following wise women and seers (who are frequently hedge mages). Communities are known to be very tight knit, with people frequently bartering with and helping each other and currency being used more for foreign and inter-community affairs. Rivain is one of the few countries where elves and humans are on frequent friendly terms.

 

In south-east Thedas is the land of the Alamarri Tribes, a large group of barbarians native to the region. Andraste comes from among these barbarians, and it is from here that the Chant of Light first began; both the Free Marches and Orlais were founded by the sons of native Alamarri. Despite this, the region itself is still very disjointed. The main tribes are the Chasind Wilders of the south, the Avvars of the hills, and the Clayne of the lowlands. Within this region are the Frostback Mountains, the location of the Dwarven kingdom Orzammar, one of the few remaining Dwaven thaigs (“colonies”) to still stand.

 

––:: THE BLIGHT::––

 

Darkspawn

The Enemy of Thedas

 

There have been two Blights thus far, both stemming from the Darkspawn. The Darkspawn typically reside within the ruins of the dwarven empire, known as the Deep Roads. Here, they breed and destroy all they come across, opposed only the Grey Wardens and remaining dwarves.

 

At this time, the Darkspawn are disorganized. They occasionally skirmish with dwarves or venture in smaller numbers to the surface. Their motivation is simply the call of the Old Gods, which commands them to dig and search for the Old Gods. When they do so, they corrupt them into an Archdemon, who leads its minions up to the surface. These periods of Blight are a reprieve for the dwarfs, but a time of terror for humans.

 

The Archdemon is nearly invulnerable, and thus the Grey Wardens undergo special training to help them in defeating it. Their minions are also dangerous, though far easier to kill. The most numerous of all Darkspawn are the Genlocks, a stocky breed which is strong, hardy, and nimble. More intimidating are Hurlocks, a taller species much like humans though more brutish and horrifying. Shrieks are a much rarer breed blessed with speed and agility. Ogres are the rarest still, and it is rumored there are less than a hundred in the horde; they are twice the size of a man, with massive horns and the strength to tear down a fortress. The most powerful Darkspawn of each breed are the Alphas, who lead their groups; the most powerful of them are Emissaries, more intelligent darkspawn capable of magic-use.

 

Perhaps even more dangerous is the Taint, a disease which the Darkspawn carry with them. Plant life dies where the Hordes walk, while the Taint wastes away at the bodies and minds of people and animals it comes in contact with. This leads to the creation of Ghouls; for animals, they become more terrifying and dangerous; for people, they begin to go insane, serving the Archdemon as though they were themselves Darkspawn. The black blood of the Darkspawn is where the taint is strongest; small doses lead only to sickness, but given the time, any amount is fatal. It is said the Grey Wardens alone are immune.

 

Grey Wardens

The Heroes of the Blights

 

The Grey Wardens are the Darkspawn's greatest enemy; they are the ones who hunt and slay the Archdemon, lead armies against the Horde, and fight in the Deep Roads even between Blights. They are recognized by their griffon heraldry, symbolizing the majestic creatures which they ride into battle.

The Wardens have diverse backgrounds – criminals and lords alike fight side by side in their ranks to stem the tides of Darkness. They make their base in the Weisshaupt Fortress in the Anderfels, but ranking members are stationed in bases across Thedas, such as Soldier's Peak in the Almarri lands.

 

Through the use of ancient treaties, the Grey Wardens can call upon nearly all nations and races to assist them in times of Blight, whilst remaining neutral in all non-Blight related matters of the state. They possess a number of ancient rites to aid their organization, including a political one known as the Right of Conscription which allows them to induct any person – willing or not – into the order, whilst providing them protection from both the law and the Chantry.

 

––:: RACE ::––

 

There are three available races –

 

Human – The most numerous (if divided) race of Thedas, united only in times of Blight; even now, nationalism has proved a major delayer of this unity. Their society is heavily influenced by the prevalence of the monotheistic faith of the Chantry that most follow.

 

Elves – Shorter and more slender than humans, with distinct pointed ears, the elves once dominated Thedas with a powerful empire built on magic; they were devastated by the Imperium and forced into slavery. They earned freedom allying with Andraste, but it was short lived; despite attempts to rebuild their society in the Dales, the Chantry crushed them after the Second Blight. Most now reside as the nomadic Dalish Tribes, still maintaining what little elven tradition remains; others reside in walled off Alienages with human cities, forced to follow the Chant, or are slaves in Tevinter.

 

Dwarves – The ancient Dwarven Empire once stretched the Deep Roads under all of Thedas; they were crushed during the First Blight, leaving only four thaigs (cities/colonies) remaining; today, only Orazammar remains as the last great thaig. The dwarven folk are short, stocky, and strong. They do not dream, as they cannot naturally enter the Fade; thus, they are highly resistant to magic, but cannot wield it. They possess a “stone sense” that allows better navigation underground. Both of these traits are diminished over time spent on the surface. Dwarven culture is highly rigid and traditionalist; they revere no gods, only their ancestors and the Stone itself; the most respected of their people are Paragons, whose worth is great enough to be considered a living ancestor. Their society is built around castes, as inherited by parents; surface dwarves, excluding those who are recruited into the Grey Wardens, are considered without caste.

 

––:: USING MAGIC ::––

 

Mages are beings uniquely capable of interacting with the forces of magic; due to this, dwarves (who are unable to connect to the Fade) cannot be mages, being unable to control the forces of magic. In Thedas, magic is one of the natural forces; its use is often inherited from parents to children, but can also appear spontaneously.

 

Magic originates from the Fade, and its use can attract the spirits dwelling within; given the right circumstances, a mage stands a far greater risk than other beings of being possessed and transformed into an Abomination.

 

Mages can utilize spells from four schools of magic. PC Mages may cast basic Arcane spells and spells from one of the four schools.

 

Arcane powers are the most basic spells. This allows mages to generate shields to ward against attacks or bolts of arcane power. This is what allows a mage to skillfully wield the staff they utilize as their primary weapon.

 

Spirit – The first School of Energy. It is derived from the study of the invisible energies of the Fade, and covers a wide range of abilities from the direct manipulation of mana to the study of spirits. It is highly useful, allowing a mage to target an enemies minds, bodies, or magical energy; the gamut runs from anti-magic wards or shields, to draining the mana of an opponent, to animating the dead, to stunning burst or fields of telekinetic energy.

 

Primal – The second School of Energy. This school is associated with the visible and tangible forces of nature. It is the magic of war, wielding fire, ice, lightning, and the earth itself. The powers of the elements are at the hands of a Primal mage, and spells of this school are derived from their manipulation and weaponization in the forms of fireballs, lightning storms, and so on.

 

Entropy – The first School of Matter. Nothing can live without death, and Entropic magic symbolizes this, utilizing such forces to cause erosion, decay, and destruction. Spells of this school allow mages to cripple enemies by targeting their life force, putting curses upon them, or even putting them to sleep.

 

Creation – The second School of Matter. Creation magic manipulates natural forces to transform what is and bring forth new things. It takes considerable finesse, but is highly valued. Spells of this school allow mages to cure the injuries allies, create warding glyphs, or create defensive barriers.

 

There are many secret arts and forbidden magical rituals beyond these, though the Chantry would prefer they remained unknown; those practicing such forbidden magic are deemed maleficarum (particularly blood mages). The most dangerous mages are those who practice the forbidden art of Blood Magic, which is taught by demons. Blood Mages are more susceptible to demonic possession, but also very powerful.

 

Asides from the Dalish and the people of Tevinter or Rivain, most view magic as dangerous and have little faith in its practitioners ability to control it. This is doubly true for apostate mages, who many immediately assume to be maleficar. The Grey Wardens are one of the few organizations that this does not apply to.

 

PC Mages must make a choice – to have originally come from one of the Circle of Magi towers (in which case their reason for being outside of it must be noted) or to be an apostate mage, independent from the Chantry. The latter puts one at great risk from most Andrastians who learn as such (unless they are in the Wardens).

 

––:: ORIGIN STORIES ::––

 

The world is full of a number of wondrous things, and allowing full access to players, while desirable, is quite frankly impractical. The stage being set, the majority of players will start the game in one of two possible origins –

 

Warden Recruit Recruited by the Grey Wardens – by volunteer or conscription – your character stands alongside a number of other Warden Recruits, tasked with a simple mission before you can undergo the secretive Joining ritual. A small detachment of senior Grey Wardens and allied soldiers led by Warden-Constable Endres has brought you to a destroyed village outside the city-state of Hunter Fell in the Free Marches, and assigned each of you the task to fill a vial with Darkspawn blood, and bring it back, as a part of your Joining.

 

Alvara Refugee – While the Grey Wardens battle the Darkspawn actively, many in the Free Marches are just trying to stay alive. Without a safe way back home, you now stand alongside many fellow refugee in Alvara Keep, a crumbling Tevinter fortress that was mostly destroyed in the First Blight, yet still defensible enough to hold off at least small groups. Well over a hundred refugees have made their last stand here, as the first Darkspawn groups make their way towards the walls...

 

––:: CHARACTER CREATION ::––

 

The follow profile must be filled out to participate in this RPG. There is no limit to character number, within reason.

[b]Name[/b]:
[b]Gender & Species[/b]:
[b]Appearance[/b]:
[b]Abilities[/b]:
[b]Equipment[/b]:
[b]Personality[/b]:
[b]Origin Story[/b]:

Character abilities should reflect any skills and talents a character has, along with whatever magical abilities they have if they are mages. Note – it is rare for a mage to have the necessary physique and training for any but the lightest of armors and basic weapons; even then, armor is generally considered too fatiguing for proper spell use.

 

Equipment reflects what your character possesses; weapons, armors, etc. Certain things are considered a given, such as boots and gloves being part of armor sets unless stated otherwise; a knife hidden away in your cloak, however, is not. Enchanted items will not usually be allowed, save for by mages, who typically carry magical staves which draw from their latent mana reserves when they would otherwise be unable to cast spells.

 

Personality must be forty words and reflect a flawed character of some form. The Origin Story should include both the origin story and a character biography of at least sixty words. While it can be as detailed or concise as you like, it must cover their life from birth to present.

 

The following notes are meant for Dragon Age veterans, or those who chose to do some further research on the setting.

Characters may possess with the abiities of some of the games specializations, if properly explained in source and function. Only the head GM may approve a character who gains their powers from spirits (Blood Mage, Spirit Healer, etc.) or one with incredibly rare abilities (Arcane Warrior).

 

Spells which would be considered “Fourth Tier” in DA:O or which would require more than a 29 Magic are not allowed; this applies to specialization abilities as well. They may be learned from certain NPCs.

 

The greatest equipment quality available is Red Steel, though anything beyond Veridium must have some explanation to it. Weaker runes are permitted for weaponry.

 

––:: RULES ::––

 

Playing the game itself requires players utilize IC (In-Character) and OOC (Out-of-Character) when making posts, as such –

IC: Warden Recruit (Village)

 

The recruit barely raised his shield in time, and even then felt his arm crushed back against the devastating blow of the raging Hurlock’s mace striking the steel. Thanking the Maker for the shoddiness of Darkspawn craft, he slammed his shield into the creature with as much strength as he could muster. What would have knocked most men to the ground barely fazed the creature, which simply let out a dark laugh and continued pounding him back. Worse still, a few yards away, a berserking Genlock had finally finished ripping a villager apart, and was now closing in with mace in hand…

 

OOC: Err… can I get some help here!? :P

 

[-01-] Follow all BZP Rules & Guidelines and all OTC Rules & Guidelines as a player of this RPG.

[-02-] Dragon Age is a game targeted for a more mature audience. This isn't. Keep it PG-13, and don't be overtly visceral in your descriptions. This isn't horror.

[-03-] Characters in this RPG are above-average – but this is the middle of a Blight. Darkspawn are dangerous, and treating them as trivialities will not bring you success. The greater among them, such as Ogres, will require a group effort even with the help of mages.

[-04-] NPCs are not to be abused. Thedas is home to a tough folk, and while the common man is not as strong as Hurlock, they are much smarter. While most NPCs are below your characters level, there are some stronger, and encounters with larger groups are no easy task. You need the help of allies, and while story does take precedence in some cases, suspension of disbelief will not carry you far.

[-05-] You are permitted to run your own smaller scale plotlines with your own characters and (a small number of) NPCs. Attracting a flock of NPCs to your aid without any forewarning, or causing a fortress to collapse and claiming “I put bombs under it” will not work; such this must be discussed with the GM before hand. The spirit of the rule here is to prevent anyone from disrupting the RPG for other players, and this same rule applies to pretty much everything else as well.

[-06-] There is to be no god moding in this RPG. This means no auto-hitting, dodging other attacks, refusing to tire out in battle, treating your mage as if they have infinite mana, or bunnying another person's character.

[-07-] If you join this RPG, you are expected to be at least semi-active, and the staff may take action to move the plot if you inactive for more than three days in a manner which is restricting other characters. If you know you will be gone, try to let the staff no in advance; still, emergencies happen, and we will respect that.

[-08-] If its recognizable as an expy, it will not be permitted. Same applies to carbon-copies of deceased characters.

[-09-] Do not harass other players, for any reason. If you are a staff member, this applies doubly – you are expected to uphold the highest standards in terms of behavior. Be civil.

[-10-] Have fun.

 

Punishments for violations of the rules will be at the judgment of the GM, though other staff members may also suggest and/or implement their own ideas and will be frequently deferred to. The first punishment will usually be no more than a warning, while violations beyond the third are almost guaranteed to result in character death.

 

Game Master [GM] – Toa Levacius Zehvor

Staff Members [sM] – The Otter, Kaithas

 

The Game Master [GM] is in charge of the game and has full authority over it and all characters within, to be exercised as necessary. They may approve all character profiles as they see fit.

 

Other staff members, the Staff, have the permission to approve profiles and supervise the game as necessary if the GM has been absent for more than three days time. Staff are expected to be somewhat familiar with the source material and be mature; if you would like to join the staff, contact the Game Master.

 

––:: AFTERWARDS ::––

 

Dragon Age is owned by Bioware, who are owned by EA. I do not want either of them angry at me. All credit for the Dragon Age setting and name goes to those who it belongs to, and not for me; I am merely a vessel through which this world is implemented onto this forum. One who doesn't have nearly enough money to be worth suing.

 

I’d like to say thanks to anyone and everyone who has ever RPed with me or been a player in an RPG that I have made on this forum. Frankly, I’ve learned a lot over the years from just the experience alone, and fully intend to put all of that accumulated knowledge to a practical use.

 

This RPG is the result of quite a bit of time and study into making sure that it is accessible to anyone, regardless of experience with the series. So why not join?

 

Thank you,

Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited by Toa Levacius Zehvor

"I disapprove of what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."


- Evelyn Beatrice Hall (often attributed to Voltaire)

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I have a lot of problems here.

 

It is probable events will proceed as they do in canon, but player actions may alter the exact details of how they come about. With the fates of thousands on the line, there is only so much one person can do.

Players begin the RPG by selecting an origin location from a selection below. This determines starting location, objective, and abilities available.

 

 

So, uh...what's the point of your game, again? Because from what I can tell just from this opening blip we're pretty much being told that you can start in a GM-predetermined place, with a GM-predetermined abilities - you know, those things that vary between every person on any planet - and an origin story so blatantly lumped together and mass-produced that I was shocked not to see a Sam's Club sticker right there on the header.

 

And to make things worse, in the eternal words of Sir Drew Carey, the points don't even matter. The fact that what the players do will have maybe a ten percent impact on the way the game's events run and the plot as a whole isn't even disguised in the overview, and for a franchise where the main plot and end results of every game depend almost solely on what you do with your character, that's borderline criminal. Railroading doesn't have much of a place in any RPG, but especially not in one like this.

 

The world is full of a number of wondrous things, and allowing full access to players, while desirable, is quite frankly impractical.

 

No, it really isn't. The world is huge; will refusing players the chance to worldbuild, explore, and create their own settings and experiences truly hurt the purpose of your game that much that everyone is dropped all at once into one of a couple spots and left there to their own devices - which, even worse, are pretty much just your devices to begin with? And if it will affect things, why should I want to play it? Why would most players want their creativity and ideas limited by a railroaded setting where they can't affect the plot much to begin with?

 

More importantly, I can tell you that it won't work. I've been here with the X-Men RPG that ran throughout most of this year - when you try to group specific PCs together and keep them together for several objectives or purposes at a time, it will fall apart. People lose interest quickly. Interaction opportunities inevitably run dry. "Classes" or "teams" of the same people level-grinding in a text game is a recipe for disaster, and nothing I see in this game tells me that things are going to get much better than that.

 

There is no limit to character number, within reason.

 

So, which is it? Can we really just have as many characters as we want, or is there a reasonable limit? (This one is largely just a nitpick, but still something that I'd like to see answered in case someone really wants to have a dozen characters or so. :P)

 

[-05-] Do not instigate major game changing events like blowing up a castle or demon summoning without explicit permission from the GM. You may, however, run smaller scale sub-plots on your own if you so desire.

 

 

Again, why should I want to be a part of a game that states we have no major impact right there in the rules? The job of the GM is to give a setting, create a couple villains or heroes if need be to keep things moving when they need moving, and then let the players do the heavy lifting if they want to do the heavy lifting. It's largely subjective taste and up to the willpower of each player if they want to change the game, but why can't they? Your job as the GM is to enforce rules and keep people from destroying the playing experience for everyone else in the game - unless the actual longevity of the game is actually disrupted by doing something genuinely cataclysmic, then it's not your job to step in and say that it can't be done.

 

[-07-] If you join this RPG, you are expected to be at least semi-active. If three days or more pass and you have not replied to another player, the staff are given permission to bunny your character if necessary to advance the plot. Try to let us known in advance if you will not be active. Emergencies do happen, of course – a forum RPG should be your last priority.

 

 

This rule is abusive, plain and simple. If two regular players are interacting, and one drops off the grid for a week or so and doesn't have a chance to say anything to the other player or the GM, then it's suddenly the right of the staff to skinjack into that character and run things like they're that character's creator? If you're really that held up, just leave the character in the dust - at least then you as the staff are in the right, because they had a chance to say something and didn't. And if they did say something, and still couldn't reply for three days, then what? They get their character bunnied mercilessly anyway just to accommodate another player who had every right to leave the inactive PC in the first place? This rule is just unnecessary, and frankly it's a little frightening that it even had to be included, considering how easily people have been getting around the issue of inactive interaction for years anyway.

 

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[-09-] Without permission from the GM, you may not rewrite or modify character profiles.

 

 

Again, why? It's their profile - they can't update it, build on top of it, or just improve the writing style whenever they feel like it's necessary for the character? It's one of those shackles that probably seems cool because all you need to do is ask the GM, but it's still unnecessary and it is still a shackle; if a player has no freedom over the upkeep of his own profiles without the GM putting his nose in, then I ask again, what's the point of playing?

 

I want to like this game, I really do. I saw the mass appeal it had going for it in the Planning Topic and couldn't wait to give it a good look. But what I see here is almost frightening in the amount of sheer railroading power it gives the GM (and, to a much lesser extent, any assistant staff that come along) while limiting the creative abilities and ideas of the players into the "game canon," which could very well differ between every prospective player who has ever played the source material and wants to give this a try. It's an adaption of a video game that takes out any real role the player has in the story beyond cosmetic differences, leaving it as just the head GM controlling a bunch of characters on an inflexible, finite plot, bunnying them along when they don't move fast enough and positioning them wherever they need to be so they can suit his idea of how the game should work. And in a setting that was originally based off actually role-playing what happened to the world around you, that's not just frightening, it's disappointing.

 

Dragon Age not approved.

 

-Tyler

SAY IT ONE MORE TIME 

TELL ME WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND

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Frankly, I've seen what happens when players get too much power. This RPG seems to have a sensible, forthright, investment of power in the GM. Players tend to be flighty and unreliable, keeping the plot (and everyone else) moving is the key to success in RPing. My approval remains.

I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You are wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.

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From the first post:

 

Members who are not RPG Judges, cannot post their thoughts in the Approval Topic. However, if a RPG is posted in this topic, and a member who is not a judge has something to say about the game, then they can take the RPG and their post into the Official RPG Planning Topic. If you, the member, wish to be noted with your opinions, then send the GM requesting a Personal Message detailing what you think is wrong about it -- however, posting it in theOfficial RPG Planning Topic is a better idea, as it allows the rest of the community to say their part.If you are not a Judge you shouldn't be posting in this topic at all, unless submitting a RPG for Approval.

 

 

-Tyler

SAY IT ONE MORE TIME 

TELL ME WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND

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I was going write up a giant post but then I got distracted by Xenonauts and came back to find Tyler laid into it so yeah sorry no Humva rant right at this moment.

 

I will not approve an RPG that takes so much freedom away from the players; GM-centric RPGs can work but the success rate is iffy at best. While I can accept a non-sandbox RPG (frankly it's a genre I'd be happy to see get kicked to the side for a while), there's a difference between going down the road, staying on the road, but letting the players decide which detours to take, and just going "sorry kids, but we're heading to Boston, I don't care that there's a sweet park in Philadelphia."

 

And that's putting aside my misgivings about the GM himself. Make the RPG more open to player input, and I'll come back to see how it's going.

 

Also a sidenote; the opening post is 5800~ words. I'd advise some trimming of the fat, I get that the Dragon Age universe is vast but I'm pretty sure you can cut some of that without loosing anything of importance.

Edited by Strategist Alex Humva

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"In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after." -Isaac Asimov, responding to a letter he had received saying that scientific certainty was false, The Relativity of Wrong

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So, uh...what's the point of your game, again? Because from what I can tell just from this opening blip we're pretty much being told that you can start in a GM-predetermined place, with a GM-predetermined abilities - you know, those things that vary between every person on any planet - and an origin story so blatantly lumped together and mass-produced that I was shocked not to see a Sam's Club sticker right there on the header.

And to make things worse, in the eternal words of Sir Drew Carey, the points don't even matter. The fact that what the players do will have maybe a ten percent impact on the way the game's events run and the plot as a whole isn't even disguised in the overview, and for a franchise where the main plot and end results of every game depend almost solely on what you do with your character, that's borderline criminal. Railroading doesn't have much of a place in any RPG, but especially not in one like this.

 

The point of the game? Towards the end of the Third Blight, players are in the Free Marches and trying not to die. In the broader scheme of things, it's hoped that a player may also killed the Archdemon Toth.

 

As far as the main plot ending based on your character, put this in perspective - Dragon Age: Origins ends with the Archdemon defeated. Even if you're playing the Darkspawn Chronicles, then statements made by Riordan and the like imply that there are hundreds of Grey Wardens outside of Ferelden who will eventually slay him.

 

As far as the same origin story not being "unique" - each player is allowed to write their own backstory. The only requirement that at some point, you end up at the "Origin Story" mark. From there, you can then do whatever you want (more on that below).

 

As far as GM-predetermined place, this is a very large world. If I were to make it completely sandbox, players would be scattered across the map. Interaction would slow down and too many characters would be too far apart. If I knew for sure I had fifty, sixy people (BZPRPG for instance) then I wouldn't have a problem with that. I'm not expecting anywhere near that large a number. In any case, these "predetermined" areas have a lot of detail left open.

 

As far as GM-predetermined abilities, where did you pick that up? The only abilities I discuss are how to use magic, because not everyone on the forum has player Dragon Age and knows how those abilities worked. I basically just leave a spot on the profile where you can put abilities. Whatever abilities you want. Good at playing a flute? Good at fighting with a sword? Whatever you please.

 

No, it really isn't. The world is huge; will refusing players the chance to worldbuild, explore, and create their own settings and experiences truly hurt the purpose of your game that much that everyone is dropped all at once into one of a couple spots and left there to their own devices - which, even worse, are pretty much just your devices to begin with? And if it will affect things, why should I want to play it? Why would most players want their creativity and ideas limited by a railroaded setting where they can't affect the plot much to begin with?

More importantly, I can tell you that it won't work. I've been here with the X-Men RPG that ran throughout most of this year - when you try to group specific PCs together and keep them together for several objectives or purposes at a time, it will fall apart. People lose interest quickly. Interaction opportunities inevitably run dry. "Classes" or "teams" of the same people level-grinding in a text game is a recipe for disaster, and nothing I see in this game tells me that things are going to get much better than that.

 

No, no they're really not (the devices, that is). There's a reason I put almost no description into the setting for Alvara and the like, because those devices are all up to the player to make.

 

As far as refusing the players to worldbuild, etc, please tell me where in the write-up it says "players may not leave the starting area" so I can take it out? Nothing is stopping players from leaving, or going outside the established bounds. Maybe some characters start off in Alvara, but you're only stopping for a few supplies along with a small caravan trying to flee to Orlais? Nothing is stopping this. Maybe some characters are there as Warden Recruits, but get spooked when they see the Darkspawn and run away. Nothing is stopping this.

 

So, which is it? Can we really just have as many characters as we want, or is there a reasonable limit? (This one is largely just a nitpick, but still something that I'd like to see answered in case someone really wants to have a dozen characters or so. :P)

 

As long as they're identifiably different, I have no problem. If characters become so identical it's impossible to tell them apart outside of name and so forth, that would be when I'd give a conditional no. If a person can manage a dozen characters, I'm fine with that.

 

Again, why should I want to be a part of a game that states we have no major impact right there in the rules? The job of the GM is to give a setting, create a couple villains or heroes if need be to keep things moving when they need moving, and then let the players do the heavy lifting if they want to do the heavy lifting. It's largely subjective taste and up to the willpower of each player if they want to change the game, but why can't they? Your job as the GM is to enforce rules and keep people from destroying the playing experience for everyone else in the game - unless the actual longevity of the game is actually disrupted by doing something genuinely cataclysmic, then it's not your job to step in and say that it can't be done.

 

A better description would be "don't do anything like that out of the blue." If you wish to summon a demon or blow up a castle, you can do so, but that better be at least somewhat foreshadowed. For instance, the end of the Dragon Age 2 - that was something premeditated and hinted at for a very long time by the mage responsible.

 

I could rewrite that rule, truthfully; the jist of it comes down to that I don't want a squad of twenty mages suddenly showing up out of the blue. That's a lot of mages.

 

This rule is abusive, plain and simple. If two regular players are interacting, and one drops off the grid for a week or so and doesn't have a chance to say anything to the other player or the GM, then it's suddenly the right of the staff to skinjack into that character and run things like they're that character's creator? If you're really that held up, just leave the character in the dust - at least then you as the staff are in the right, because they had a chance to say something and didn't. And if they did say something, and still couldn't reply for three days, then what? They get their character bunnied mercilessly anyway just to accommodate another player who had every right to leave the inactive PC in the first place? This rule is just unnecessary, and frankly it's a little frightening that it even had to be included, considering how easily people have been getting around the issue of inactive interaction for years anyway.

 

No. I can make you this promise now that I will never try to roleplay a character in a situation like that and would punish any staff trying to do so as well.

 

The rule only comes into effect if the situation is one where the other character couldn't possibly just walk away, and only to a limited degree. Let's say two characters are fighting in a town. One goes off the grid without warning. At that point, I'd have the guards show up and pull the characters apart instead of finish the fight, forcing a split apart.

 

The rule could be described as "the right to pull an inactive character out of the story until they return."

Again, why? It's their profile - they can't update it, build on top of it, or just improve the writing style whenever they feel like it's necessary for the character? It's one of those shackles that probably seems cool because all you need to do is ask the GM, but it's still unnecessary and it is still a shackle; if a player has no freedom over the upkeep of his own profiles without the GM putting his nose in, then I ask again, what's the point of playing?

I want to like this game, I really do. I saw the mass appeal it had going for it in the Planning Topic and couldn't wait to give it a good look. But what I see here is almost frightening in the amount of sheer railroading power it gives the GM (and, to a much lesser extent, any assistant staff that come along) while limiting the creative abilities and ideas of the players into the "game canon," which could very well differ between every prospective player who has ever played the source material and wants to give this a try. It's an adaption of a video game that takes out any real role the player has in the story beyond cosmetic differences, leaving it as just the head GM controlling a bunch of characters on an inflexible, finite plot, bunnying them along when they don't move fast enough and positioning them wherever they need to be so they can suit his idea of how the game should work. And in a setting that was originally based off actually role-playing what happened to the world around you, that's not just frightening, it's disappointing.

 

Here's a functional rewrite of the rules -

 

[-05-] Major world-changing events should be discussed with the GM ahead of time and must not come out of the blue; they must come through player action. You may, however, run smaller scale sub-plots on your own if you so desire.

[-07-] If you join this RPG, you are expected to be at least semi-active. If three days or more pass and you have not replied to another player, the staff are given permission to separate your character from others in interaction if necessary to advance the plot. Try to let us known in advance if you will not be active. Emergencies do happen, of course – a forum RPG should be your last priority.

[-09-] Without permission from the GM, you may not rewrite or modify character profiles to add new powers or equipment.

 

I will not approve an RPG that takes so much freedom away from the players; GM-centric RPGs can work but the success rate is iffy at best. While I can accept a non-sandbox RPG (frankly it's a genre I'd be happy to see get kicked to the side for a while), there's a difference between going down the road, staying on the road, but letting the players decide which detours to take, and just going "sorry kids, but we're heading to Boston, I don't care that there's a sweet park in Philadelphia."

 

 

Okay, you both keep talking about sandboxes and freedom, but I still can't see where I'm saying you can't go where you'd like from the starting positions.

 

The only rulings I've made on the matter have been that there are two places to start the RPG from, and that it ends with a dead Archdemon.

 

Now, I'd like to make this clear as well - these two origin stories are not going to be the only one. As the RPG progresses, Warden Recruit vanishes, and other origins take its place. Some aren't even in the Free Marches; if there's enough player interest, there may be an Orlesian Templar origin, or a Tevinter Magister origin, or a Rivaini Pirate origin. Maybe even a Darkspawn origin, though I don't see how that would be any fun.

 

But unless somebody can tell me of a magical land where I'm guaranteed enough players that the RPG can stay active with people separated by thousands of miles, I can't open an RPG like that and expect it to stay active. A player base of fifty-sixty people, though absolutely wonderful, is not a luxury I am likely to enjoy.

I've seen what happens when a GM with too much power railroads an entire plot.. (It sucks.)

Personally if I was going to play this game I'd want to be able to choose wherever I want to start my character, choose whatever skill sets and abilities I have regardless of location, and be able to make my own plots. Don't see that with this one. That's not 'too much power' for a player, that's normal rpging. If the GM controls every aspect of the game then well...it's more like reading a book than actually being involved for everyone else.

 

I think anyone on the forum will have. Fortunately, that's not my intention here.

 

In any case -

- You don't have unlimited location starting choices, thats true. But as I've said multiple times, I

- You may choose whatever skills and abilities you desire, as long as it belongs in the setting and is not ridiculously overpowered. I would not approve an Arcane Warrior/Blood Mage Elf with Silverite Armor, a unique magic sword, and omni-school mastery unless my food was spiked with illegal substances.

- You may make your own plots.

- I only control the NPCs that I create. Just as you control the ones you create.

 

EDIT (BUT NOT REALLY AN EDIT):

 

I found my biggest mistake, and a major source of my problems.

 

Players begin the RPG by selecting an origin location from a selection below. This determines starting location, objective, and abilities available. The rest of the character can then be designed as the player sees fit, and they may start play as soon as a character is approved.

 

This was written when I first started the RPG, before a number of edits. Allow me to rewrite this to better reflect the spirit of the RPG -

 

Players begin the RPG by selecting an origin from one of the selections below. This determine where they begin the RPG, and the main objective given. Every other aspect of the character may be designed as the player sees fit, and they may begin play as soon as a character is approved.

 

Making my edits now.

 

EDIT - Real

 

Also a sidenote; the opening post is 5800~ words. I'd advise some trimming of the fat, I get that the Dragon Age universe is vast but I'm pretty sure you can cut some of that without loosing anything of importance.

 

I'll be honest, this worried me too at first. If you can point anything I can trim, I'd be more than willing to. Believe me, though, when I say that it's much shorter than it could have been.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor :flagusa:

Edited by Toa Levacius Zehvor

"I disapprove of what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."


- Evelyn Beatrice Hall (often attributed to Voltaire)

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