Space Opera/Court Intrigue RP - Lore
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Tjf
CHYOA Guru
No. Sorry, I intended to write this down somewhere.
A non member of the order can have powers. Obviously a member gets the roll bonus to magic/psionics, but anyone can have them, if a skill point is invested in character creation (this'll be explained when I put the character sheet up, but it's basically the same as other games I've made with magic in them.)
Tjf
CHYOA Guru
Great characters, btw. My favourite is the first, but they're all really good.I don't know what I'll do yet, but I'll leave this here. Not enough time to write out all the backstories for each of them yet. Wrote up the fourth one so far, but....
Name: Jacqueline Tamihana
Faction: Institute
Background:
Wars aren't won on the battlefield. Granted, soldiers help, but you can train anyone to point an shoot things. The real war effort and progress goes on behind the scenes at the Institute. Researcher, doctor, mother, and every now and then warrior herself, Jacqueline spearheads a lot of special cybernetic projects.
A little bit hotblooded and prone to field-testing things herself, robot suits and internal cyborg parts are where she's best specialized in. Jacqueline's robotic expertise is where she best excels and as long as nobody is actively disrupting her work, she's not overly concerned about the state of affairs. Scientists are always useful after all, and she won't be easily replaced to find someone else with her skill set.
While she's not personally offended by the idea of religion, she considers the particular Terran faith for idiots, though shows a lot of interest in the belief systems of alien cultures. As far as she sees it, the Terran Church simply lost their right to dictate humanity through their own hypocrisy and stupidity. They had their chance to guide and lead people to a brighter future, and squandered it with pettiness, selfishness, and greed.
Most see the Institute as cold people with a thoughtless approach to what they do and while some are like that, Jacqueline always viewed the Institute as the only ones brave enough to actually ask hard questions instead of being complacent.
Pushing at least 40, you wouldn't know it due to all the machinery in her body, making her not just a scientist, but also an effective force when put into a position of one. When she does goes on missions herself, she tends to take the role of something of a combat engineer. Comfortable with all the hard technical stuff as well as bashing someone's face in.
When it comes to intergalactic politics, she's deeply interested in what can be learned from other species and encourages think tanks and collaborations, believing in more strength working with each other than against.Name: Vivian Allevra
Species: Vraill: Humanoid Alien
Faction: Order
Background:
Deep within the reaches of the galaxy, a crevix far removed from most other systems exists. Only about three planets in size. The rest of the system and it's neighbours either tomb worlds too desolated to settle in or destroyed. An empire that once spanned nearly a third of the galaxy pushed into a single system, but one fiercely defended by legions of ships, impressive technology and not to mention the species innate psychic powers making any would be invaders regret it.
However, very few people are aware, even a good number of the Vraill themselves that there is still a homeworld at all. A long lasting race and one that has frequently been the subject of wars by other fallen empires, they infighting eventually reduced the sprawling masses to ruin freeing up all the space and unclaimed land for new people to take.
This leaves two groups of Vraill. Those who still remain their pride as having grown up in the civilization on their home planet, that love to refer to themselves as the "Pure Vraill" and the "Rags Vraill" who were born on other planets, typically from either their ancestors being captured slaves or refugees(In some places, still are.) As such, their presence is fairly widespread across space, though most adopt local culture and religion due to not knowing anything about their own.
(Undecided which group she'd belong to). Vivian doesn't have the physical strength to be a soldier, but strength is nothing compared to the power of the mind, and her mind is vast. Technological capable and a pretty powerful psionic, she can comfortably do lot's of things.Name: Alendra Morhami
Species: The Alari Collective
Faction: Inquisition?
Background:
They came from beyond the stars. Their ships, not made of metal, but of flesh and blood. They touched down on the planet and the sky blackened. It wasn't night. There was just that many of them. And they ate. They just ate.
Incapable of independent thought, most of the Hive's population was simply just drones to carry out and bend to the Hive Mind's will. The desire to consume all possible bio matter in the galaxy. When the Hive Mind made it's move, it wasn't pushed back. Entire sectors of Galactic Space swallowed by the swarm, the Alari was one of the few things that most empires were willing to set aside their differences to fight back against.
And that only did so much good. At best, their numbers can only be sought to be contained, but as their infinitely growing numbers grew, so did the Hive Mind's need to make more snyapses that could subsume the Hive's will. And after how many generation's of absorbing and eating races, consuming some of their knowledge in the process...it happened.
The Hive Mind made it's plans, gave an order to all it's appendages, but then they asked "Why?"
Perhaps the forces of chaos played a role, or some kind of covert experiment to convert the Hive, but it happened. A few of the synapses actually began to question orders. Some vying to consume and eat the consciousness itself, others starting to sever their connection with it entirely.
The Alari Hive is a present and still real threat. The Alari Collective, is a fairly new and unusual product of the intelligent appendages to resist and fight back and oppose the Hive. The Collective find itself short of allies. Not only does the nature of the Hive Mind make them alien to understand, but the fact that the Hive still exists as a real danger is something that makes even those who are willingly to give them a chance wary of them.
Alendra is the product of reproduction of the independent thoughts of the mind forming to make new ones. Most of the males in the Alari race still remain little better than little thoughtless creatures with no sentience, falling to the Matriarchs to reign them in with their call.
Alendra's main purpose in the Terran Empire is to do exactly that. The Alari breed everywhere and quickly, and without a hive queen to lead them the damage they would do is dangerous, but with proper direction, they make productive workers. While Aldenra sees this as a good thing, she somewhat finds it a bigger issue that the Collective seems to spend more time trying to prevent their drones from causing damage than able to do anything about the Hive that doesn't care. As a Collective, the Matriarch's regard each other on equal footing, and bad or good, many of them work with the Collective since they have no other choice. The Hive Mind will never allow a independent thought other than itself to exist.
Like was, Alendra is as dangerous as she looks and has ambitions, but if the Hive eats the planet, there is nothing left to rule.Name: Thyme Loreius
Species: Khell'Zen
Faction: Order/ Inquisition?
Background:
"I screamed into hell, and it screamed back."
A fairly new species to emerge from humanity, it's only on it's third to five generation with a lot of information still being compiled on them and all the actual physiological differences. For some inexplicable reason, they have found some popularity with humans and other humanoid species leading to sizeable population growth, albeit still rare.
The extended lifespan and improved psychic powers come to mind, but if the original host generation is anything to go by, they aren't without their flaws. Changed from humanities first explorations into the warp, the Khell'zen resemble classical deceptions of elves. Researchers debate if this was unconsciously influenced by human's latent psychic potential drifting towards the evolutionary chain or perhaps one of the beings from the Warp directing it this way on purpose using what it knows about human culture.
Original attempts to expand by the Terrans were...complicated. Fairy young as a whole to the situations of space, obviously a few of them felt the need to brave the Warp and attempt to colonize the planets and grab the previously untapped resources inside it. Touching down on Modrin X bordering on the fringes of the Warp, the colony became one of the first examples for humanity learning why all those free resources in the Warp were left alone the hard way.
Being part of the early generations of Khell'zen, Thyme remembers two large parts of her youth. Spending most of her time with annoying tech nerds poking at her with tools and the pure madness and chaotic nature of staying too close to the Void. Seeing the forces of chaos at work unfold, many of the Khell'zen grew up in fear of the forces of the void, but others began to look at it with a certain sense of beauty and admiration.
Humanity sees itself separate from the whole, but Thyme had saw it. She had seen the truth. The faith possessed by these void touched humanoids isn't easily understood by outsiders and many aren't trusted as being seen as servants of chaos. At the same time, this is true, and also not. Thyme grew up as a monk of the Khell's Order. Despite popular belief, their religion is not innately hedonistic by design and it does not encourage vile acts by intention. Their belief comes from the idea that only by meeting your darkest self, can someone's will truly be tested. To push past limits is part of unlocking someone's true psionic potential and to accept the balance of good and bad is part of ensuring the light doesn't turn on itself. Accepting people's darker desires is in fact, a fundamental part of keeping the light guided. Good should ultimately win over evil, but it shouldn't always win, lest it becomes the source of oppression and tyranny itself.
The monks aren't strangers to violence or war, but neither do they seek it. They see themselves as dedicated into growing humanity's potential as a whole. Thyme arrived into court as something of a spiritual advisor as well as offering her services to the Order. While she's happy to give input, she silently judges the original strain of humanity as unevolved, but aims to try and help them overcome their "handicap." The typical Khell'zen condescension is not a new trait in just her, and while desired for their rarity, they aren't necessarily well liked by most humans.
Thyme herself as the second generation is among the generation that showed the signs that the Warp is not your friend. While an extended lifespan, and "dark skinned elves" isn't the worst fate, they research shows how it hits them internally. Prone to seizures, migraines, unheard of disease, organ failure, uncontrolled psychic episodes, the list of issues goes on and on. In Thyme's case, the severe neurological damage in her hands makes the defects apparent. Training her psionic powers to compensate out of necessity to do basic things she developed them as a force, through constant need to use them. Most of her arm movements are guided by her own psychic energy and while this is enough to get by for most things, she struggles greatly with any fine motor skills where force won't cut it. Despite this, most days, she can get through basic day to day life without needing much help.
Looks promising, as well.
Jade Chaos
Virgin
So I am going to be claiming dibs on the Aunt role. I had other ideas for a character before I saw she was still available, but now I think she's my favorite choice!
(More on this in an edit, soon.)
EDIT:
Okay, so, the aunt was barred from the throne because she's a mixed-race person; like, literally, mixed RACES: her father was the previous Emperor's father, but her mother was a concubine from an "abhuman" race of 'elves'. She is, therefore, a "half-elf" if you will. In many ways she's the Empress Dowager's ally, she wants her nephew to succeed on the throne and become a great leader equal to her father, but, there is a catch, she also wants to be his Empress, and use that relationship to make the empire more accepting of abhumans. At the dying wishes of her father, her mother was granted fudal dominion over all the "elfin" worlds of the empire, which in turn passed to her upon the death of her mother. She is a known quantity at court and has fewer allies among the church but a lot more with the scientists and merchants. (The sorcerer's opinion of her is very individual, as is her own of them. That said, the Elves do tend to throw a higher-than-average number of sports who have sorcerous talents, though she is not one of them.)
(More on this in an edit, soon.)
EDIT:
Okay, so, the aunt was barred from the throne because she's a mixed-race person; like, literally, mixed RACES: her father was the previous Emperor's father, but her mother was a concubine from an "abhuman" race of 'elves'. She is, therefore, a "half-elf" if you will. In many ways she's the Empress Dowager's ally, she wants her nephew to succeed on the throne and become a great leader equal to her father, but, there is a catch, she also wants to be his Empress, and use that relationship to make the empire more accepting of abhumans. At the dying wishes of her father, her mother was granted fudal dominion over all the "elfin" worlds of the empire, which in turn passed to her upon the death of her mother. She is a known quantity at court and has fewer allies among the church but a lot more with the scientists and merchants. (The sorcerer's opinion of her is very individual, as is her own of them. That said, the Elves do tend to throw a higher-than-average number of sports who have sorcerous talents, though she is not one of them.)
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Tjf
CHYOA Guru
Hey, nice to see someone new. That all looks fine, for now. I'd say she'd probably only have one planet, rather than many, for simplicity reasons.
Jade Chaos
Virgin
I mean, I guess that you are the GM, but that effectively makes her nothing more than just another noble Lord of some Random planet. She does not get any better than anyone with a "noble" class background at any point in this case. I just do not see the point of having her as a separate and distinct character type at this point, do you know what I mean? If you don't give her something that sets her apart, why make her a limited edition character? The Emperor could potentially have a half-dozen aunts and uncles; why limit it to one if you don't want to have any functional difference between her and some noble rando?
Jade Chaos
Virgin
Also, I think that it would be a good idea to have you read this article: https://www.britannica.com/topic/feudalism/Modern-critiques
You seem to be attempting to run a game in a post-modern feudal society, without understanding what a feudal society IS, or how it is supposed to work.
You seem to be attempting to run a game in a post-modern feudal society, without understanding what a feudal society IS, or how it is supposed to work.