thespacekid
children, children
S E P U L C H R A L
Introduction
In this science-fantasy RP, everything is on a big scale. The heroes are bigger than life, the stakes are also larger than life. Think LOTR, Dune, that style. You can play heroes of any kind, from the most noble famed interstellar templars on a journey to spread word of their gods, to an AI hive mind three planets strong sending their strongest robot to gain glory to glorious warrior-shamans from tropical avian planets.
Plot
(I'm still working on the lore, forgive me if this seems vague)
Far into the future, say close to 3000 AD, and the galaxy is mostly at peace. Humanity has expanded out of the solar system, FTL travel has been discovered and the stars and other species are open to access. However, there are rumors in the warp lanes, that one of the biggest space empires in our galaxy has just fallen to an unknown alien fleet. Nobody knows who they are, where they've come from, but they say they're going to take over everyone, and they seemingly can. Everyone's gone to war, and everyone with a ship and a quick mind is out on the streets making a profit from this fantastic situation. The leaders of all the other factions meet and try to solve the problem. During this talk, it is let slip that there is rumored to be a super-weapon, something that will help them end this war. Somehow this reaches your ears, you a character from any walk of life, from hopeless outlaw to planet devouring warmaster (Okay, maybe not that much), and suddenly a journey begins. Your characters can choose whether they want to get the weapon for selfish purposes or not. After all, you could be practically anyone in this vast universe of ours.. Now they have to go on a quest to find this fabled weapon and traverse through the stars in search of a whisper in the wind, but be warned, all the nations have prohibited such talks in the face of this oncoming war, after all, why give the people false hope, and you are essentially mercenaries now, in service to your motivations. A quest that will forever change things for you, in a galaxy that is already in a tumultuous age, as you navigate your way through more than just parts of known space, through dimensions and strange worlds, as you fall deeper and deeper within yourself on this quest for power beyond mortal reach.
There is a lot of scope for world-building, epic battles, larger than life characters and problems and room to support them, and basically a kinda sandbox world of sorts. Even though it's science fantasy in the way that magic doesn't exist outright. Let's follow the law by Arthur C Clarke, "any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic".
Themes
Themes I wish to explore with this are mostly identity. Your heroes are generally quite content in life, and now everything has been thrown out of balance, on a scale that they stand to lose everything. Of course, your character could be unaffected for a really long time - distances in space are far. Really far. So motivations could be endless. After all, the hunt is on for a superweapon. Those things are popular. Nostalgia is another good one, since there has been loss and suffering, and things have changed for the good.
More than just a combat based RP, let's try and look at this with an anti-war lens too. Your players will be quite strong, each able to take out a battalion by themselves, which is 300-800 soldiers, and that's a lot of people. The NPC's you will talk to may not all be on your level per se and be commoners who suffer from exploits of people like your characters. Think a deconstruction of the superhero genre, where you can and will be held responsible for any widespread destruction that happens. If you destroy cities, law enforcement will be after you, etc.
Let's bring some Eldritch horror into this shit because why not. I really want to explore cosmic horror, things man isn't meant to meddle with. That's just a secondary thought though.
Let me know if you have any questions/suggestions, I'm still planning this one out!
Below, some other art that inspired me for this. (Credits to the amazing Nisachar on DeviantArt!)
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