Steampunk Fantasy Sky Pirates/Mercenaries?

[The Jeffinator]

My idea for this is still unfolding and open to input from potential co-writers. I was thinking of a world mixed with steampunk and magical fantasy elements, set against the backdrop of severe political unrest and the beginnings of a major civil war.

Centuries ago, as the appearances of wild monsters grew so frequent that society was in constant danger, the Guild of Geomancers erected the Obsidian Spire, a tower of enchanted volcanic glass that reached high into the sky. The Guild invited people to leave the dangerous surface world and come live with them in the safety of the Spire, in return for taxes and services. They operated it as a city-state, with the Guildmaster acting as head of government.

As monster attacks got worse, people from neighboring kingdoms all fled to the Spire, but soon it was too crowded and the Guild could not admit any more people. They did not have enough resources to build a second Spire, but they did manage to work out an agreement with the Tree Elves to the north.

The Elves of the Circle of Druids had already magically grown trees that reached as high as the Spire, turning them into treehouse cities and villages. In return for trade deals, they agreed to let some of the refugees come stay in their southern-most tree city, Hlast'aghjramo'aasa. Since it's Elven name was difficult for humans to pronounce, many came to call this the Ironwood Spire.

Further north, the barbarian tribes of Grimfrost Basin the the surrounding mountain ranges had come together, their Ice Shamans forming the Cryomancer's Tribunal. The Tribunal then erected what came to be known as the Snow Spire in the middle of the Basin.

These three started what became known as the Alliance of Free Spires, with treaties and trade deals secured between all parties. Each Spire had Ambassadors at the other two, and the leaders of each communicated through weekly magic mirror conferences.

Today, other places have emulated this, such as the Seaport Spire off the eastern coast or the Sandstone Spire in the southwestern deserts. Spires popped up all over the continent, and many of them joined the Alliance. A few have remained neutral or flat-out swore off the Alliance, chief among them being the Plague Spire, built and operated by a large cult of necromancers, the Children of Olkhar'rye.

My idea is for our characters to be the crew of an airship that travels between the different Spires, either committing piracy or undertaking missions as mercenaries. Each Spire is about three thousand feet tall, held together by magical enchantments and reinforcements. Usually the first three hundred feet or so are solid foundation and the official "first floor" starts above this, well out of the reach of the roaming monsters. Most Spires have between 70 and 100 floors, though there are many "open area" floors that are several stories tall with massive windows, such as parks and marketplaces.

So, what do you think? I'm open to ideas.

 

[EroticLiteracy]

I am VERY interested in this idea! The idea and backstory you put into it is thrilling and KUDOS. Consider me interested and ready to join if we can find more people! Really is a fantastic idea!

 

[The Jeffinator]

I am VERY interested in this idea! The idea and backstory you put into it is thrilling and KUDOS. Consider me interested and ready to join if we can find more people! Really is a fantastic idea!

Haha, thanks dude! I'm an aspiring writer and game designer so over the years I've developed and obsession with details. Trust me, it's sometimes very hard not to post like 50 paragraphs of back story when starting a new RP, lol.

 

[EroticLiteracy]

As a fellow aspiring writer and game designer (at least from a story standpoint) I can tell you that you do great work! Seriously! Like I said I am actively interested in doing this one with you!

 

[The Jeffinator]

Sweet! Thanks! Yeah, my game is based on story too. I don't know programming or complex development tools, though -- I'm making my game in RPG Maker, lol. Here's a video of my latest playthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2HFAsBOe7g&t=981s

I won't have a playable demo for several more months, and the commercial release is still years away, but I'm on the right path.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Is this one still up?

 

[The Jeffinator]

Yup .

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Yup .

Awesome! Can I play a tiefling?

 

[The Jeffinator]

Like the ones from Neverwinter? Sure .

 

[kaiwolf]

If you are still taking players, I'd be up for trying a half-elf artificer type. Sort of the ship's mechanic, up and coming mad scientist.
New to this forum but years of experience on a different forum. Had to go on hiatus, and thought I'd try to get back into it with something a bit different.

 

[The Jeffinator]

Welcome, Kaiwolf! Male or female?

 

[kaiwolf]

As this is my first go round on this forum, I'll stick with male. Probably with bi tendencies, more on the sub side as he is more confident with his gizmos than people.

 

[The Jeffinator]

As this is my first go round on this forum, I'll stick with male. Probably with bi tendencies, more on the sub side as he is more confident with his gizmos than people.

Cool, but I meant are you male or female, haha.

 

[kaiwolf]

Ah, I see. Personally, I'm male. Probably should actually put something in my profile...

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Name: Phoenix

Gender: Female

Species: Tiefling

Age: 27

Sexuality: Bi

Languages spoken: Common, Abyssal

Height: 5'4"

Figure/ Build: Phoenix is sexy, and she knows it. She's curvy in all the right places, and moves in a way that accentuates this. She has a long red tail and curved horns, as well as cloven hooves instead of feet.

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Yellow

Skin color: Crimson

Preferred Style of Clothing: Phoenix prefers to wear clothing that leaves little to the imagination. Her favorite outfit is a low cut black corset with a short skirt. She never wears shoes though, preferring just to walk on her hooves.

Weapons: She carries a pistol she prefers not to use

Background: She prefers to keep her past in the past

 

[kaiwolf]

Name: Dahlrim J’haadarian, just goes by D.J.

Gender: Male

Species: Half Elf

Age: 24

Sexuality: Straight by experience but with strong bi-curiosity

Languages: Common, Elvish, Dwarvish

Height: 5’8”

Figure/Build: DJ is built like a gymnast. Slight for a human, too bulky for an elf. His elven heritage has kept his ability to grow a beard limited to an almost perpetual light chin scruf and sparse body hair everywhere else. The only upside of his mixed heritage being a generous human endowment on an elven frame…

Hair: Dirty blonde with dark streaks, with the constant look of just waking up or not having gone to bed.

Eyes: Grey/Blue

Skin: Light tan, usually smeared with some kind of grease or soot.

Preferred Style of Clothing: Heavy canvas work pants, heavy leather boots. Multiple layers of grease and chemical stained light work shirts and vests with a bandanna always around his neck. Pockets and pouches pretty much everywhere. The whole look is finished with his trusty safety goggles/vison enhancers perched atop his head.

Weapons: At range, he falls back on his elven upbringing using a bow with alchemical trick arrows. Up close, DJ always has a new gadget weapon to try out, sometimes to more success than others…

Background: Never knowing his father, DJ grew up in Ironwood Spire training as an alchemist and herbalist with the druids under the direction of his mother. He would frequently spend time at one of the local sky port taverns listening to tails from the adventurers about their exploits. One dwarf in particular took a liking to him; a ship’s mechanic named Grohash. They would talk for hours, with Grohash showing DJ designs for things that he was working on for his crew or his vessel. DJ had a natural mechanical aptitude, and saw numerous places where adding some of his alchemical knowledge could vastly improve Grohash’s designs. And so, eventually, DJ joined Grohash’s crew as apprentice. After three years, he struck out on his own and is now getting ready to take on the responsibilities of head mechanic. His love of fusing alchemy into the inner workings of the ship, weapons, and even creating specialty elixers for the crew make him incredibly useful, if not somewhat unpredictable. “Hey, they can’t all work perfectly…”

 

[The Jeffinator]

http://i.imgur.com/oY8fcfQ.jpg

Picture of Captain Redd Gharrow

Name: Reddarius "Redd" Gharrow
Gender: Male
Species: Spartan
Age: 94 (appears early 30s)
Sexuality: Pansexual
Languages Known: Common, Spartan, Elvish, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Abyssal, Infernal, Sylvan, and a minimal working knowledge of a dozen other languages.
Height: 6'4"
Figure/Build: Tall and muscular, remarkably agile given his size.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Skin Color: Light Brown

Preferred Style of Clothing

When on missions, Redd wears whatever the occasion calls for, but can otherwise be found in a long leather coat, slacks, and black boots.

Weapons

Being a Spartan, Redd has a natural affinity for physical combat. He keeps a dagger on either side of his belt, which are heavily enchanted. When he grips them and activates the enchantment, magical flaming chains materialize and wrap around his forearms. This allows him to wield the daggers like whips when necessary. The flames do not harm him or his clothing, but will burn anyone else who tries to use them.

When the situation calls for something ranged or more stealthy, he pulls out an equally enchanted pistol. Not only is the gun silent, it can read the intent of its wielder and always hit its target. Additionally, it can direct the bullet to change course and hit from a different angle to throw off investigators, making it the perfect tool for covert assassinations.

Background

Redd was born and raised in Sparta, one of the few settlements still on the surface. When everyone else fled to the skies, Redd's ancestors stayed put and defended their ancestral home. Their barbarian tribes had always been incredible warriors, but with the increase in monster attacks, their shamans and witch doctors began using alchemy to heavily mutate their bodies into unstoppable killing machines.

Today, Sparta is a huge bustling city and they have tamed the local monsters as pets and mounts. However, they do not allow outsiders within their borders, so no other race can benefit from the relative safety of the area. Originally, they were human, but now they consider themselves a separate species -- Spartan.

Spartans are usually at least seven feet tall, hugely muscular and very strong. Their bodies are remarkably durable, with incredible stamina and a healing factor that dramatically slows their aging once they reach maturity. In order to be considered an adult in Sparta, young men and women embark on the Great Hunt, where they pass through the northern border alone into the untamed Dark Forest. Here they must track, capture, and tame a wild direwolf. They are forbidden to return without the wolf being fully trained and obedient, and breaking this rule results in exile.

In Redd's case, being a strong warrior was never a problem -- it was his size. At only 6'4, he was considered a runt by the other Spartans, and was often tormented because of this. What made matters worse was the fact that while all his peers had a fear of heights and flying, he kept looking to the skies, wanting to pilot his own airship. His father forbade this, of course, demanding he stay is Sparta.

When the time came for Redd's Great Hunt, his father and the other members of the Tribal Council ruled that due to his size, he was disqualified from going into the Dark Forest. Of course, that made him more determined than ever and he sneaked past the border that night. He tracked the largest direwolf he could find and managed to tame him, naming him Ghost due to his white fur. When he returned to Sparta with his new loyal companion, the Council was furious with him for disobeying them. Despite his successful Hunt, they labeled him a threat to the community for his inability to follow the rules and he was exiled from Sparta forever.

Redd was deeply troubled at first, being forced out of his home and shunned by his family. But he did have Ghost with him, and the two of them embarked on many adventures. They began visiting different Spires, and eventually Redd realized his dream of piloting his own airship. One one fateful mission, Ghost was mortally wounded, and in an attempt to save him, Redd hired a necromancer to bond their souls together, linking their life forces. This healed Ghost, gave him a much longer life, and also granted him higher intellect. As their bond grew over the years, they developed the ability to communicate telepathically, sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Today, Redd and Ghost live and work on their newest airship, the Skyhawk. Incredibly fast and steady, it is equipped with a magic crystal-powered cloaking device, aiding them greatly in covert missions. However, their previous crew has since left, having a string of successful jobs that left them all very rich. Redd spends money faster than he makes it, though, so he is eager to get back to work. His associates aren't keen on returning, using their cut to retire comfortably. This leaves Redd and Ghost alone, and thus a new recruitment phase begins...

 

[kaiwolf]

So, two quick questions. How many more crew members should we be waiting for? Also, are we starting at recruitment, or with our first mission on board?

 

[The Jeffinator]

Recruitment. Once we have a few more people on board, I'll start the IC with Redd recruiting people at the Skyport Cantina in the Obsidian Spire.

 

[kaiwolf]

Cool. Super excited to get this going. Just from what you've said so far, each of these spires is taking on such an interesting unique personality in my head. Can't wait to see what trouble we get into.

 

[kaiwolf]

Oops, duplicate message.

 

[The Jeffinator]

Cool. Super excited to get this going. Just from what you've said so far, each of these spires is taking on such an interesting unique personality in my head. Can't wait to see what trouble we get into.

Haha, same here. If we can get at least one more female, we'll have equal pairings and can roll with that. I can also flesh out a few secondary characters to fill other crew member roles. Like maybe a Gnome Alchemist and Medic who is the crew's doctor. I know DJ has alchemical training, but perhaps the Gnome learned his in an advanced medical setting and has a deep working knowledge of racial anatomies and biomolecular studies. He could be highly trained in surgical procedures like using transmutation to replace damaged flesh on internal organs and things of that nature when normal elixirs don't cut it.

Another idea I have is for a lesbian Dark Elf Vampire who wears a special amulet that protects her from solar damage for short periods of time. She is basically a ninja and almost always wears a black hooded cloak in public. She has a deep knowledge of shadow magic and used it to become one of the world's most renown thieves and assassins. Very few know her real name, though professionally she often goes by Lady Nightshade.

So, depending on how things go and who else joins, I may create those two characters -- Dr. Garlan and Lady Nightshade.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Fine lol. I'll play a second character lol. Give me a bit to think of something. Probably someone magical

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Ok. Three ideas, I'll let you guys vote. But no promises that the vote will actually affect anything lol

1. A teenage runaway sorceress who's still learning about her magic. Almost certainly a human

2. A barbarian from the surface. I'll figure out the backstory later. Probably a furry (if that's cool) or maybe an elf

3. A paladin or maybe warrior of some kind on a quest. Kind of a goody two shoes stuck up kind of boring kind, but she'll ease up as things go on. Also probably a human

 

[The Jeffinator]

Is Number Two from a place like Sparta? That would be cool. But my official vote is a teenager . Maybe one who has a major crush on her hunky captain .