Veeci

Ic / Vee / Underworld Forest Clearing: Like a pillar of scorching embers, a flare shot into the heavens, forming the unmistakable Autobot insignia. Screams of defiance and agony filled the humid air just ahead. Vee gunned it, pushing his vehicle form through the trees and brush beyond a safe speed, thick, jungle mud splashing against the side of his chassis. The canopy above began to thin and a clearing unveiled itself just up ahead. The scout slowed and morphed as he neared the edge of the glade. He would be a worthless sniper if he didn't exercise caution. Though he couldn't see clearly into the interior of the clearing, Vee did notice a grey and black Autobot facing away, just a hundred meters to his left. Without hesitation Vee fell to a crouch and whipped out his own rifle. Taking aim, he skillfully lined up a shot to cut cleanly through the targets skull.As Vee squeezed the trigger a sharp pain ran up his spine, throwing off the shot to the right. Taking his eyes off the scope he noticed a myriad of tiny creatures crawling up his legs and into his inner-workings. Within moments the Decepticon's vision began to blur as his conciousness left his metallic form. Ooc: That awkward moment when you post an entry and the topic falls silent...

Ooc (@TNG): Time is always a bit bizarre and twisted in TbRpgs. If I could have written and posted that entry earlier I would have. I meant for it to fit in while your party was battling the newly dubbed "Spitter Bats", so you wouldn't have noticed Vee's escape. However, for the sake of continuing the story, we'll say that Alphonus caught a glimpse of him as he vanished into the thicker part of the forest on the edge of the clearing. You have the option to pursue the unknown figure into the brush or deal with the battle wounds of your teammates.Edit: I just realized this sounded a bit condescending. I do apologize for that; I meant the above in the lightest sense possible.

Ic / Vee / Underworld Mountains: "Anyone out there... Won't last much longer..." an encrypted distress signal crackled over a specially allocated emergency band. Vee didn't need any time to ponder. He was available to render assistance and was fairly close by. Turning to leave, he heard an all to familiar sound in the distance behind him. Gunfire. Startled, Vee gazed up the mountain and towards the northern sky. An ominous black cloud of living flesh swarmed about, dive-bombing what could only by the squad of Autobots on the other side of the mountain. Streaks of plasma volleys sliced into the twisting dark mass. Shocked and a bit frightened at the sight of the foretold creatures of the forest, the Decepticon scout transformed into his vehicle mode and sped off towards the origin of the beacon a few dozen kilometers off.

Ooc: G'day everyone. I heard you were searching for some new players? Vee's profile has been pre-approved by Basilisk this morning....Name: Vehement-Cartographer (Vee)Faction: DecepticonClass: ScoutAppearance: Proportionately rather lean and lanky, Vee's figure stands 4.5 meters tall with a predominant coloration of teal-blue and grey, scattered white calligraphic runes enveloping his left arm. Often while scouting, Vee will don a jungle-camoflauge cloak that matches the surrounding ambient infrared signature allowing him to blend in on a wider spectrum.Alt-Mode: Vee transforms into a Cybertronian light reconnaissance vehicle, similar in appearance to a real-world Japanese Komatsu LAV.Weapons: While in bipedal mode, Vee choices to utilize a rather heterodoxical choice of weaponry. Primarily he uses a long-range, semi-automatic rifle that fires armor-piercing, tungsten rounds to spy and pick off targets from afar. During melee combat the scout dual-wields a pair of Energon Hook-Swords which glow and crackle at 800 degrees Celsius. Though the 'Con doesn't use any true weapons while in vehicle mode, Vee can use his stock of flares and smoke countermeasures.Skills: An avid tracker and marksman, Vee is a quick, efficient, and most importantly, silent hunter. Traits: As with most Decepticons, Vee is cold and calculative, however, to the contrary he's also quite honorable, making a noticeable effort to maintain his moral conscious through the war. Socially he's rather distant from the general Decepticon populace, finding most bots to be either intolerable, dull, or incompetent.Weakness: Being trained explicitly for one on one combat, Vee is formidable in a duel, but can easily be overwhelmed if attacked by multiple enemies from different directions. As a result, he prefers to provide a support role rather than be in the middle of a fray.Bio: Before the war broke out Vee acted as a shaman for a little-known transtheistic cult. There seemed to be very little tolerance for neutrality in the uprising campaign, so Vee was forced to choice sides. The sole reason he joined the Decepticons came down to statistical analysis; when you crunch the numbers, they were more likely to be victorious than the Autobots. Remaining alive was a key priority. Though he's not metaphorically sitting on the fence, Vee's loyalty isn't particularly steadfast either, as he doesn't consider himself a true Decepticon. To be honest, he isn't particularly fond of either sides ideals or propaganda. The scout arrived on Nibiru with the second wave of Decepticon ships and has since, despite the infamous rumors, been exploring and mapping the forests of the main island....Ic / Vee / Underworld Mountains: Three... Four... Five enemy targets. It'd be reckless and foolhardy to single-handedly brawl with a quintet of even incompetent Autobots simultaneously. Certainly a skirmish with what appears to be a mixed group of scouts, soldiers, and generals would be a death sentence.The Decepticon scout pulled away from his rifle's scope, rose to a crouch, and slid back behind the moss-riden stone ridge he'd been observing from. Silently sweeping his way through the thick brush and shadows, Vee descended the opposite slope from the Autobot scouting party. Upon putting a little over two kilometers of distance and a mountain between him and the adversaries the Decepticon opened up a comm-line back to New Kaon."1726 hours ~ Autobot scouting party of five detected on the Northwestern quadrant of the Underworld Mountains. Requesting new orders, back-up, or reassignment."Ooc: Just for clarification, the Autobot group is the one containing Evo, Crosswise, Firestorm, Alphonus, and Wideload. Oh, and Zyke, perhaps I could meet up with the outgoing Decepticon party?

Ic / Military Sales, Northern Kiserre (@Koth):Apearing over the northward horizon, a cargo-ship radioed to the mainland."...The is the Saari Ascended Freedom requesting permission to aproach and dock. We've come in response to your declaration of willingness to sell military tech. Perhaps a buisness deal can be arranged?..."Ic / Forum of Nations "Elixer" Meeting, Alquileon (@Everyone?):Clad in the gray and cerulean attire of a Saari medical officer, a young woman spoke up."I won't hide the fact that I'm quite dubious that this "elixer" can accomplish what you claim and, pardon my bluntness, but this deal reeks of a stereotypical scam. However, I speak for my division that, on the offchance that these outlandish assertions are true, it's certainly worth the leap of faith to find out. We'll purchase eight units."Ic / Sultan's Feast, Anitalian (@Toast):Spine straight and hands clasped behind his back, Oikein Kaksi intently peered down upon the Anitalian Sultan's palace three-hundred meters beneath his feet. Turning away from the reinforced-plexiglass window, the diarch stepped behind the controls of his leviathan of an aircraft and began landing procedures. The Triumphant Recollection gracefully touched down and a pneumatic ramp dropped from the rear of the cabin. With an escort on either side of him, Oikein decended out into the foreign air. ---------- Ooc: I've been on a trip the past few days, so just a quick Ic while I have the opportunity to snag some free Wi-Fi.

Ooc: First things first, I do want to apologize for my absence. I won't delve into detail, but over the last few months various health, social/family, educational, and computer problems have arisen. As long as you'll let me stay I'd like to stay a part of this RP, it certainly has plenty of potential, however my activity will most likely be erratic for the near future. Oh, and Toast, I think it's probably safe to assume neither of us have a strong desire to Ic first contact since it's such a repetitive process. I 'spose we can just say they have a neutral political standing and have a thorough understanding of each others languages unless you want something different.And as it's now Sunday here's my current Industry Report thinga-ma-ding.Provinces: [*]C-23: Capitol State (+60IP)[*]B-24: Large State (+40IP) (Upgrade Mar-24)[*]B-23: Medium State (+30IP) (Upgrade Mar-24)[*]C-24: Medium State (+30IP) (Upgrade Mar-24)[*]D-23: Medium State (+30IP) (Upgrade Mar-24)Units: [*]2 Alto Albatrosses (Airship Missile Platform)
- 70IP (35IP x2)[*]6 Alto Korkea (Fighter/ Interceptor)- 50IP (25IP/3 x2)[*]75 Battalions (75,000 Men)Research and Development: [*]20IP for one week towards R&D of photovoltaics. (Complete)[*]20IP for one week towards further development and implementation of ocean-based energy-turbines. (Complete)[*]30IP for two weeks towards development of submersible watercraft. (Mar-18)Building:N/ATotal Industry:+190IP -120IP -30IP = 40IP RemainingNews: [*]After much debate within the Saari bureaucracy foreign citizens will be allowed to travel into the country, however security screening will be significantly heightened for those select individuals.[*]The two Saari diarchs agree to attend the Forum of Nations when it is held.[*]Fossil-fuel independence continues to decrease; wind, tidal, and solar generators account for over 90% of total electrical consumption. Vi-Sähkö Corp. (Green-Electric Corp.) becomes the most influential company within Saaristo.fibonacci

Ooc: Well, school's out for winter break, so without further ado...Ic / Western Coast of Saaristo(@Alex):News of the unidentified vessel quickly climbed the chain of command and within a matter of hours an airship laden with specialists appeared over the gray horizon to intercept the newcomer. The seventy-five-meter, civilian-class zeppelin, The Conscious Liberty, descended, hovering a mere ten meters above Captain Tek's ship, embalming it in shadow. A sinewy nylon-ladder fell out of the sky, the end thudding upon the forward-deck. A stream of navy-blue wool-bundled figures, blown about by the stingingly strong Arctic winds, climbed down, coming face to face to the foreigners.One woman stepped in front of the others, distinguishing herself as the spokesperson of the group. Removing her glove, she extended her hand."I am the one known as Johtaja alk Länsi, director of the newly established First-Contact Contingent. Welcome to Saaristo." ---------- Ic / Northeastern Aquileon(@Lloyd):Several months had proceeded since the first encounter with the nation of Aquileon. Overall, things had been going quite well; all of the linguist and many of the other crew-members of The Borealis had successfully assimilated the foreign language into their vocabularies. However, their work was not complete; diplomacy was still a top priority.The two diplomats of the expedition requested to see a high-standing government official when possible. In response they were informed of the Forum of Nations. Whether or not the Aquileonese wanted to make pre-political decisions was up to them to decide. ---------- Ic / Northern Coast of Anitalian(@Toast):The sounds of cracking ice echoed in the winds behind The Aurora as it traversed its was through the frozen seas south of the Saarii mainland. Several days passed and the exploratory vessel escaped the icy grip of the north. As the sun rose the crew spoted a landmass along the horizon and sailed closer to investigate for signs of habitation.(Ooc: Meh Ic, but hey, first-contact is more or less just a repeating process at this point anyway.) ---------- Ic/ Undisclosed Location, Jääteräs (Northern Saaristo):The city of Jääteräs is like an iceberg, seemingly harmless, weak, and miniscule, that is until you look below the surface, quite literally. But calling Jääteräs just a city would be degrading to its name; it's also Saaristo's largest mining operation, its greatest forge, the central hub for the development, testing, and manufacturing of its technology. Jääteräs is the single locomotive engine that allows the passenger car, Pääkenttä, to get anywhere.Five prominent engineers clad in formal, maroon garments sat in a dimly lit conference room, impatiently tapping their feet and strumming their fingers across the surface of the glossy, glass table dominating the center of the space. The soft hum of electric motors broke the stiff atmosphere as the sliding doors glided open; everyone snapped to out of their haze and sat up straight"I apologize for being late, some urgent matters needed attending to in the west. Shall we begin?"Vasen Kaksi, one of two diarchs governing Saaristo, slid into the chair at the head of the table and rested his head on his interlocked hands."First things first, what's news do you have on the research on photovoltaics?"A young, particularly scrawny man spoke up, "Progress has been swift, sir. Our first prototypes are in testing currently, and if we continue to make advancements at our current rate, we should have the first functional panels connected to the grid in three months. Smaller, portable versions for use on the Albatrosses and ships should be achieved fairly quickly beyond that.""Wonderful, and what news have you on the new ocean-turbines on the southern shores?"A gruff-looking man flipped through a stack of papers and began to speak, "Several difficulties have been met, particularly since the dispersal of the storm-barriers altered many ocean currents. However, installation and connection to the power-lines should be complete in a few months.""Hmm... Very well. Ah, Aurinko, you had mentioned in an earlier correspondence that you wished to share a proposal. While we're all here, now would a suitable time to vote on it.""Of course." Aurinko, the female aeronautics engineer bent down and pulled out a blueprint from her sack. "Here is a design for a new kind of aircraft; it's working name is the "Korkea". Its design is based off of an abandoned concept form about a century ago that was impossible to create do to technological restrictions of the time. However, we now have the capability to create this style of craft, and it seems that its specifications would perfectly match what we've been looking for in an defensive-escort for our Albatross airships. If our predictions are correct, this'll be the fastest aircraft in Saarii history, shattering the previous records and perhaps reaching speeds beyond twice the speed of sound."Vasen stroked his chin as he looked over the proposed craft's design. "...You have my full support. Begin on this project as hastily as possible. I'll worry about the funding if you can deal with getting this metal arrowhead into the sky.""Yes si-" The crackling of the the intercom broke into the conversation, "...bzzz... Diarch Vasen, your immediate attention is requested... Your airship is being prepped as we speak... bzzz..."The diarch stood up, "I best be off then. I bid you all farewell." With a twirl of his leather-coat and the hum of the sliding-door Vasen had gone. ---------- Ooc:New Vehicle:Vehicle Class: Alto F-01 "Korkea"Vehicle Description: Knowing the vulnerability of the Albatross, Alto Air-Engineering developed the Korkea as an escort-fighter to defend the valuable airships. As an interceptor, the Korkea is designed for agility and speed, lacking substantial armor. It's capable of speeds just over Mach 2.2.Weaponry: 6 AAMs (10 kilo payload), and a nose-mounted, 20mm rotary cannon.Upkeep/Build time/Build Cost: 25IP for 3, 12 Day construction period.Construction begun on 6 Korkea, due to completion in 12 days (Feb-28).It feels good to finally make a decent-sized Ic for once...

Ooc: Sure thing Toast, I don't have time for an Ic now, but I will tomorrow. And the reason I went to Lloyd first was because we made a few diplomatic agreements before the game started, so it made sense if I discovered him first.As for the industry report:Provinces: [*]C-23: Capitol State (+60IP)[*]B-24: Medium State (+30IP) (Upgrade Mar-3)[*]B-23: Small State (+20IP) (Upgrade Mar-3)[*]C-24: Small State (+20IP) (Upgrade Mar-3)[*]D-23: Small State (+20IP) (Upgrade Mar-3)Units: [*]2 Alto Albatrosses (Airship Missile Platform)- 70IP (35IPx2)[*]67 Battalions (67,000 Men)Research and Development: [*]20IP for one week towards R&D of photovoltaics. (Feb-11/Feb-19)[*]20IP for one week towards further development and implementation of ocean-based energy-turbines. (Feb-11/Feb-19)Building:N/ATotal Industry:+150IP -70IP -20IP(Feb-19) -20IP(Feb-19) = 40IP Remainingfibonacci

Ic / Aquileon Greeting Hall:The captain and the three linguists of the expedition stepped into the hall, intrigued by the alien architecture. But they had more important, pressing matters at hand. After establishing names with hand gestures and pointing, the specialists took a seat at the table and got to work exchanging the Saarii syllabary, dictionary, and book on language structure for the Aquileon equivalents. (Ooc: That's fun to say...) Reynolds stood back, watching the process unfold before him. His hand found it's way into his coat pocket, confirming his pistol was there in case something went dreadfully wrong. ---------- Ooc: [*]20 IP for one week towards R&D of photovoltaics. (2-19)[*]20 IP for one week towards further development and implementation of ocean-based energy-turbines. (2-19)Oh, btw Alex, would you like for us to post weekly industry reports akin to what we did in Starscape? And if we do, can I request we have a standard form?

Ooc: Dang Koth, I leave midway in writing a post and come back and you've nearly written the exact same thing. Ic / Northeastern coast of Aquileon:Only the faint light from a full moon lit the path of the Borealis. Captain Reynolds stood resolute at the helm of the ship, tirelessly searching for the even the smallest sign of civilization. Scribbling illegible notes into the fibers of his coffee-stained log, he gazed up. Seeing nothing he returned to his papers only to double-take. Snatching his head back up he gazed out off the window of the bridge. There, standing on a pole was a small, white form looking at him, illuminated by the cabin lights. A seabird, but unlike one he had ever seen. Adrenaline spiked through his bloodstream. He flailed for the ship's microphone."Crew, I hate to wake you at this ungodly hour, but I think you ought'a see this."One by one the crew began to trickle into their posts, searching for stray radio signals or signs of land. No more than an hour went by and lights began to be spotted through the dense fog. A single, elogated, bass-note rang from the ship's horn and sliced through the night.

Civilization Form:Name: Saaristo (derived adjective: Saarii)History: The earliest know record of the Saarii people dates back some seven millennia ago and ever since they've been growing and prospering, thriving off their northern homeland.The chain of islands that make up Saaristo are home to two prominent biomes, the north consisting mostly of mountainous fjords and glaciers, the south dominated by rolling fields and grassy knolls. The shores of Saaristo conjoin to the polar ice-sheet, demanding ice-breakers for travel by sea.Saaristo hasn't had a large war for several centuries; the lack of any true military is a clear testament to that. However, with the clearing of the storms plans are being formulated to construct a force for self-defence.For about seventy years Saaristo has been governed as a technocratic diarchy. The current two heads of state are a pair of mid-age twins, Vasen and Oikein Kaksi. The duo of brothers have led to an economic boom and are nearly universally approved.A combination of scientific discovery and theophobia from various religious wars of the past have resulted in a society where the concept of religion is foreign and its only emergences is in the occasional untrusted, new-age cult.The race of people that inhabit the Saaristo archipelago have naturally low pigmintation levels, a condition akin to albanism, but not nearly to the same extreme. This results in most people having slate eyes, pale skin, and greyish-white hair. As a result it has become a common social trend to dye one's hair a vibrant shade.Pääkenttä, the capital and center of development, lies in the midst of the great rolling plains of southern Saaristo, the great Joki river spliting the metropolis down the center. The city is an eccentric, cultural melting pot; street-performers, merchants, and artists are abundant around it's many cobbled-sidewalks, sqaures, and subway tunnels. The smell of freshly baked breads and sizzling, sautéed meats fill the crisp, hyperborean air. Dozens of glimmering zeppelins dominant the city's skyline, serving as an inter-city transit system, as mobile labs, cargo-transports, and as toys for the adventurous and wealthy. The progression of Saaristo's culture and deveopment is illuminated within Pääkenttä's architecture, a mix of older, stone and mortar buildings with the new, whimsical, organic, steel and glass constructs.Cultural traits: Generally Saarii people are technologicaly and scientifically minded. Saarii society is very libreal, though quite meritocratic, focusing on effectively and efficiently acomplishing tasks without much attention to the actual methods used. Enviormental consiousness is prominent throughout their culture; over 80% of the energy demand is fufilled by massive wind turbines spralled across the grassy plains.Location: Continent 8 [*]C-23: Capitol State-----------Pääkenttä (Pa-ken-ta)[*]B-24: Medium State-----------Jääteräs (Ya-Terra-s)[*]B-23: Small State[*]C-24: Small State[*]D-23: Small StateVehicle Forms:Vehicle Class: Alto Z-23 "Albatross" (Militarized)Vehicle Description: The Alto Albatross is a two-hundred-meter, rigid, helium-lifted airship that, up until recently, has only been used for civilian purposes. Due to many already being in production and the extreme versatility of these craft, they were an obvious choice for quick militarization. Even with kevlar skin the nature of zeppelins make them vunerable, as a result they have been converted into long-range missile platforms.Weaponry: 30 1.5 metic-ton, medium-range, ASM cruise-missiles (250 kilo payload), 30 AAMs (10 kilo payload), and four short-range gatling guns for anti-fighter weapontry. The cargohold has the capablility of holding 160 tons of freight.Upkeep/Build time/Build Cost: 35IP, 2 Week construction period. ---------- Ic / Southern Coast of Saaristo:Growing ever fainter, the eternally rumbling and churning wall of clouds and thunder faded away into oblivion. Oikein Kaksi stood, watching as the impenetrable boundaries of his world disolved away into nothingness. Glistering crystals of ice began to sprout on his graying beard, raging winds rippling through his wool-lined, leather trench coat. The man gazed over his shoulder, down towards the shoreline thousands of feet below him. With one final glance at the history-altering moment before him, the diarch sealed the observation hatch and decended down the rungs underneath his feet into the belly of the Triumphant Recollection, the first of only two military airships in the Saarii air-force.The sound of his steel-toed boots reverberated throughout the zeppelin as he crossed the grated gangways of its innards. Entering the bridge, he got on his knee and softly spoke to the ensign manning the radio station. "Send a message back to Pääkenttä. Tell Diarch Vasen that indeed, the meterologists were right, the Oceanic Barrier has disipated. And signal for the icebreaker, the Borealis, to begin Genesis protocols. A team of specialists was gathered aboard when we first heard news of the shifting conditions out at sea."Without awaiting for a response he retired to his personal quarters. Something told him he wouldn't get many opportunities to rest the next few weeks. ---------- The massive rotors of the Borealis rumbled to life and the cargo-ship churned out of the harbor (C23) heading southwest into the uncharted realms. During several occasions over the last century many things hinted at the existence of other groups of humans elsewhere: A foreign, twelve-second radio transmission intercepted through the static of the storm. Several instances of plastic trash washing ashore, covered with languages that no one on the island had ever seen. And most recently, what appeared to be an artificial probe of sorts seen orbiting over the planet.It was finally time to see who these people were and to solve the mysteries of the unknown world.

Just a few more things Alex, more nit-picky than anything, but still legitimate questions: [*]How many millennium of recorded history can our civilizations date back?[*]How are you going to mark specific players territories on the map, which looks quite good btw.[*]Could we have a list of the average IP cost for different types of units?Also, how do these banners look?Thing-ama-ding OneThing-ama-ding Two

Thanks for answering. Though, I do have a few more random ones. [*]Will temperature bands be the same? i.e. The central area of the map being the warmer equator and colder, icier seas farther north and south?[*]How historically accurate do you want our tech levels to be? Are we limited to what people did, or what they were capable of? To be specific, could I have large, floating platforms in the ocean, and smaller, zeppelin-rigged flying platforms in the sky? [*]Obviously, if different civilizations developed separate of each-other their languages would be completely different. Are we hand-waving that issue like in IL and SS?