Mars: The Home Front (OOC)

An OOC for Mars: The Home Front. Under request I've made this thread since we're starting to get more than a few players in and there should be a centralized place to chat and ask questions. For ease of knowledge:

Magbeam: H.G. Wells, Sergeant Fury
Tiny_Duchess: Ylla
Tseranc: Connor Roberts
Mimsy_Borogove: Raehl and ?
PaintaPicture: Aein
littlewaif: Zephryn
FenixZero

I will be working on a reply to put up tonight to help welcome Roberts to Helium and perhaps enjoy the services of Raehl and her sister courtesan...

w00t! Now we can ask all our silly questions here!

Upon request, here is a brief FYI/overview, mostly based on a series of talks Tiny_Duchess and I had a while back.

Helium is a city-state that controls the junction of several canals; these particular Martians call the planet Barsoom. It's a sort of floating alien city, it probably sprawls over a huge area, land as well as a Venice-like area over the junctions...and very beautiful, buildings made from crystal and gold and metals unknown on earth, wide boulevards, wine fountains, the works. Water is very important, like oil or gold or diamonds or all three.

I imagined that the British have just scored a major victory over the tripods at the Battle of the Toonolian Marshes, so the local area is secure for the moment and for the first time in a while, they're off the front lines, so they're being invited to Helium for some R&R. The whole regiment will drive out there unmolested...although how a bunch of horny, grubby Englishmen will react to a glass city full of naked pretties with free-flowing wine...I imagine strict discipline among the ranks will have to be maintained.

The tripods are the war machines of the Martians from The War of the Worlds, except in here instead of being a native Martian species, they're invading Mars from a distant, destroyed planet, and their attempt to invade Earth (as seen in the War of the Worlds) was just their attempt to open a second front to break the stalemate on Mars, but which backfired...they had hoped to conquer Earth and use its resources to expand their army and swarm the native Martians, but instead it just urged the humans to come to Mars to aid in the other species' fight. I think that at the least the invaders have been there for several hundred years at least, maybe more...their attacks on the canal systems and atmosphere plants have accelerated Mars's decay into a desert wasteland. I think their attempt to take Earth was a bit of a gamble and now they're paying for it, not only with humans joining but with all the resources and vehicles they lost.

Jeddak means king/queen (jed is prince/princess), and the Jeddak of Helium is the Oyarsa, or Jeddak of Jeddaks, although that's pretty much just a titular thing I'd imagine, a first among equals of the other jeddaks. The 'Eloi' and Red Martians are the main ones to have their own jeddaks but as the Oyarsa is the titular commander of the Grand Concord (the alliance of the Martian natives against the invaders), he's effectively the leader of the Martian alliance. Helium is one of, it not the, main headquarters of the Grand Concord and is a center of Martian civilization.

Races (only a few of them):

-Ice Warriors: A race of militaristic reptilian beings who inhabit the polar areas and guard the pumping stations there.

-Eloi: Slender, hairless (save for their heads) humanoids with delicate noses that sweep up. They live a long time, but are mortals. They are the only race on Mars who have psychic powers, including the ability to sense thoughts and emotions, and create hallucinations. They are the chief builders of the crystal cities and have a fondness for wine. They can interbreed with Humans, Hithers, and Red Martians (and unlike them, wear elaborate, exquisite clothing). Ylla is half Eloi, half Red.

-Red Martians: The dominant species on Mars, they are Humanlike with red skin and bronzed hair, are immortal, and prefer to go without clothes if possible. They control the major canals and city-states, although they have often fought among themselves in the past. Helium was built by Red Martians and is mainly inhabited by them.

-Green Martians: Large, apelike, green-skinned, with two sets of arms and upward-pointing tusks. They traditionally live in nomad hordes that clashed with the Red Martians. Currently, many of the hordes have joined the Grand Concord against the invaders, while a lesser number have betrayed their planet and allied with the mollusks.

-Thither Folk: Humanoid brutes who have allied with the invaders. They once occupied and enslaved the Hither Folk, and are believed to be an offshoot of the same race.

-Hither Folk: Beautiful, fairy-like, sensual to the point of overt sexuality, yet daft humanoids who enjoy indulging in life and have a tendency to be lazy. They are part of the Grand Concord yet lack major contributions. They can interbreed with Humans, Eloi, and Red Martians (note - I would suggest maybe that Mimsy's characters are Hithers?)

-Kangaroo Men: Like their name suggests, they resemble humanoids with strong tails and pouches and strong jumping abilities. They are cowards who will support whatever is in their current interests.

-Sandspawn: Small humanoids who live under the sand in the desert regions and will combust when coming into contact with water. Primitives and hostile to outsiders.

-Hrossa: Tall, thin, bipedal otters who lived in many of Mars's old rivers, and now inhabit canals, especially marshy areas. This is allowed by the other species due to them fishing and helping maintain the network.

-Séroni: Fifteen-foot-tall, white-feathered slender humanoids who, despite living mainly in the boondocks as farmers, have immense intellects and engage in advanced scientific and mechanical thought.

-Pfifltriggi: resembling a cross between a tapir and a frog, they are usually in a symbiotic relationship with the Séroni, working as their 'hands.'

The above three species refer to Mars as Malacandra and share a roughly similar language and culture despite their physical differences.

And a brief geography lesson:

Mars used to be lush, but is drying up. Thus, the canal network, pumping stations, and atmosphere plants are vital in taking polar ice to the equatorial regions to keep it fertile, and thus why the most powerful cities control the most canals.

Helium, Ptarth and Zodanga are the major Red Martian city-states.

Thark and Warhoon are the major (dead) cities of the Green Martians and the center of those hordes.

The Artolian Hills are snow-covered mountains near Helium.

The Lost Sea of Korus is in the south and was once an Ice Warrior strongpoint. It used to be an actual sea, before first freezing over, and then being mined/evaporated away.

Varnal, the Green City was ancient capitol of Mars (Vashu) from an unimaginably distant time, now abandoned and crumbling.

The Hourglass Sea is a wide, shallow sea just above the equator. It was once deeper before much of it was diverted for agriculture or dried up. Many Hrossa communities are within it or on its shores.

Xi is the 'capital' city of the Eloi.

The Great Toonolian Marshes are a major agricultural center near the equator. The invaders tried to destroy it with their red weed and as a result it was the site of a major battle recently, with the anti-invader forces winning.

Gooli is the state of the Kangaroo Men.

Meldilorn is the main city of the Séroni and Pfifltriggi.

The City of the Obelisks in Cydonia was home to an ancient dead civilization that carved the Face of Mars (as a tribute to one of their kings) and built a series of pyramids believed to have once imprisoned a renegade god, whatever that means in this age of science...

Bantoom was once the center of the Kaldane civilization, which was either wiped out or taken prisoner by the invaders several generations ago.

Technology:

Not to get too deep into it, sand-yachts and sky-boats are used by the Martians for transport; Flying Machines and Fighting Machines (tripods) are used by the invaders; land-cruisers and aether-dreadnaughts are the British tanks and spaceships, respectively; and Martian technology can go from primitive to the use of ray cannons and radium-pistols. Imagination is perhaps best here more than anywhere so that's all I'll say.

Of course, all this is just a general outline, and is subject to change if we want it. Nothing is set in stone and if any of you (the players) feel a need to change/expand upon any of this, absolutely feel free to. After all, we're all partners here.

Tseranc said:

w00t! Now we can ask all our silly questions here!

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Heheh. Ayup, feel free to ask away, that is the point!

I knew i'd be able to find a question! hahaha. Okay, since Aein's little town just blew up and all are well dead except for her and maybe a handful of others that are struggling to hold on; what race would they be? They couldnt be Red Martians since they obviously arent immortal. I was thinking they would be half Eloi half Red Martians? Like Ylla and some were just one or the other.

I know it's my character and my little idea but i deffinately would love some input on what race it was, and what race that would make her. She's injured at the moment making her partly mortal. Any ideas guys? thanks so much.

Probably a Red Martian then...by them being immortal it doesn't mean that they can't die of anything, just that naturally they'll have an indefinite lifespan. If they starve to death or lose all their blood or get their heads cut off or a steel girder through their torso, then they'll die. So there's nothing at odds with it being a Red Martian village that was smashed by the mollusk invaders.

thanks for making that much easier to understand. haha. Red Martian she is. I guess her haiar color is just a little bit off but that doesnt matter to much i'm guessing haha.

thanks again.

No problem. Maybe she dyed it. Although like you say it really doesn't matter one way or another.

w00t for blond, red chics!

And black haired (assuming red) chics? or are Mimsy's ladies more Eloi (OMG prostitutes that can read your mind.??!?!..8^)

room for one more?

I have a charactor in mind if I may, working off your guidelines.

Name: Crosha Jeb
Race: Hilllock Warriors (related to Ice Warriors)
Reside: Atrolian Hills

Unlike their cousins the Ice Warriors the Hilllock Warriors live in the hill country where they build fortified hilltops and guard valleys and passes. They are also militaristic reptilians that wear heavy leather armor with metal studs.

Tseranc said:

w00t for blond, red chics!

And black haired (assuming red) chics? or are Mimsy's ladies more Eloi (OMG prostitutes that can read your mind.??!?!..8^)

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I suppose that's up to Mimsy, although since they can interbreed Ylla being their cousin could mean any number of racial combinations (especially if it goes into second or third cousin territory...) so I figure whatever she decides will work out fine. Or she could have them be a completely new race also.

BRIGHTWELL said:

I have a charactor in mind if I may, working off your guidelines.

Name: Crosha Jeb
Race: Hilllock Warriors (related to Ice Warriors)
Reside: Atrolian Hills

Unlike their cousins the Ice Warriors the Hilllock Warriors live in the hill country where they build fortified hilltops and guard valleys and passes. They are also militaristic reptilians that wear heavy leather armor with metal studs.

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I'll PM you, probably best to talk one-on-one with each other that way.

There, I think that post will be able to tide over Tseranc, Mimsy and myself until the others are up and running...And I was quite happy with transporting some of those individuals to Mars. I wonder if anyone will get the references, heheh.

very well done there sir lol

*claps*

Seems like this would be a good place for Mimsy's ladies to get their first catch of the day, heheh...

Is this thread open to all? I am intrigued and I noticed only a few posts were up in the IC thread, so I was hoping I could jump in.

Sure it's open. PM me with a character idea/intro and you'll be good to go. Welcome onboard

And great post, Tiny. I'm sure they'll become fast friends...

With this, it seems like Roberts and Sergeant Fury part ways...No offense intended to Tseranc of course, it's just that I find playing two main characters with two sets of other players to interact with is too difficult, and besides I don't want to cramp him when Mimsy and Painta no doubt jostle over his character

Although I'm sure Jack will return later...

Alright, I am playing Zephryn, an Eloi from Xi who applied her psychological and philosophical know-how to become a trusted advisor of the leader of Xi. She began having foreboding dreams, which she confided in this leader, and when they began to come to fruition, both of them realized that she may be having visions of the future, a rare but known ability of some Eloi particularly in touch with their special psychic/mind altering abilities. Knowing that this was a pivotal moment in the war, the leader of Xi sent her to Helium where she held the potential to be of great help to the British and their allies.

What I am hoping is that a military leader or a man of particular political importance rears his head in this thread because I would especially love to be a right-hand-man, companion, advisor, secretary-like figure to someone who fit this description.

As for a physical description: 5'5, very slender, very very pale, with silvery white-blonde hair and large dark eyes.

Yeah, robert's can manage without a friend, thanks for introducing him to a few historical figures on his way to some R&R.

PaintaPicture should be here by this weekend, and then I think anyone with the ability to type on Lit might be in trouble.

This looks like it's going to be a very interesting thread LOL

Tseranc said:

Yeah, robert's can manage without a friend, thanks for introducing him to a few historical figures on his way to some R&R.

PaintaPicture should be here by this weekend, and then I think anyone with the ability to type on Lit might be in trouble.

This looks like it's going to be a very interesting thread LOL

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You can say that again...And I'm glad Painta will be back by then, I'm sure your two characters will find plenty to get in trouble over...

And welcome aboard, Waif. I know I said it in PM but might as well say so here too...

I just wanted to say I really like this thread! It's seems so well thought out and organized. I will enjoy reading along! Nice Work people!

Thank you very much! Always nice to get feedback.

AriesWolf said:

I just wanted to say I really like this thread! It's seems so well thought out and organized. I will enjoy reading along! Nice Work people!

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Holy shit! Mag, we got 'em all fooled!

LOL, While mag is the organizer and driving force behind this wonderful thread, I'm still counting this as the first time I've been involved in something that was accused of being organized! Mwahahaha!

I don't even know how much credit I could take for it. Probably half the stuff here has come from other players. And that's not even including the fact that this is just a shameless ripoff of around half a dozen authors.

If you guys are still accepting people I'd love to throw my hat in the ring, love the concept.