Riddle78
Four Thousand Club
It's some point in the far flung future. Long ago,Earth was shattered. But,somehow,it remains habitable. Chunks of the crust orbit the now-naked mantle,and all water has long ago flowed into it,making the ice-caps a critical resource.
Somehow,despite the shattering of Earth,humanity lives on. Instead of spiraling off into space,the land that did survive orbits the bizarrely intact mantle. The atmosphere is undamaged. Earth's orbit,it seemed,was unchanged. Somehow,against all odds,the apocalypse did not annihilate Man.
Inevitably,humanity was curled back into the dark ages. The technology of yesteryear became the witchcraft of today. Eventually,it was appropriated,creating a bizarre culture. Over time,it evolved,with the omnipresent need to spread out for resources and precious water. Flight soon became one of Man's first innovations. Soon after,solar energy and electric thrusters. However,firearms never really taken root again. In a world where resources were so scarce,the thought of a disposable weapon was abhorrent. Melee weapons and bows taken prominence once more.
Humanity,now equipped with the means to explore their shattered world,did what humanity is wont to do,when given freedom.
They abused it.
Pirates,slavers,nihilists,and worse roamed the world. Truly,the most depraved,for a decade or ten,ruled. Then,something changed. Rising up from the Antarctic chunk came an army. Nay,a legion. Swarms of ships,both small and large,all bearing the same emblem. The pirates and related scum attempted to band together to repel this new force,but were annihilated. This new force,declaring itself the "Core" had risen to bring order to Man,and lead them not just to survival,but to prosperity.
And so they did. Under the Core,humanity was united,and rallied. Laws were passed. Criminals apprehended and held,for labor,mostly manufacturing. Some,for experimentation. Most criminals were released after a term,but those deemed too dangerous to the people or peace were detained for the rest of their lives,and sent to the labs.
Ever since the shattering of Earth,people began to exhibit...Powers. They could move things without actually touching them. They could read emotions. They could create beams of light,and bring light to the darkness. And the Core comprehend it not. They attempted to replicate and study these powers. Any who exhibited these powers were either conscripted or kidnapped by the Core,as their powers were useful. Those with the powers who refused were branded as traitors.
Eventually,one fact became known: The powers are fueled by an energy possessed only by those that possess them,and the energy is produced from sunlight. These gifted people became known as "Solars" from then on.
With the Core in command,and resources the way they are,rationing is in effect,especially for water. To dump water was a capital offense. To hoard water is ten years in a labor facility. However,the rationing was hardly fair. People deemed important to the Core,which generally included officers,factory bosses,and shipyard foremen,received more than their share,while the rest got barely enough to survive on...Sometimes less.
Rebel movements began to form. Many of them were crushed. However,one in particular endured,and it did so by being impossible to pin down. It was headquartered on a massive ship,stolen from the Core,known as the "Patriot's Vanguard". The group,calling themselves the "Vanguard",made it their goal to bring honor and equality to all,by overthrowing the Core. In response,the Core taken steps to remove rebellious elements.
Both sides used brutal methods. The Vanguard invaded settlements that swore fealty to the Core. The Core bombed Vanguard positions,generally civilian-populated towns. Vanguard troops weren't above taking hostages. Core officers had no problem ordering water stockpiles poisoned. The populace was torn. On the one hand,the Core was depriving many of the world's population of water. On the other,the Vanguard's methods were brutal,to say the least.
War was raging,to say the least,and no one was neutral.
Important Technology
-Electric Plasma Engines: These engines are what makes travel possible. Taking an electrical input,generally solar power,they create enough energy to turn the air in a sealed chamber into highly energetic and radioactive plasma. The plasma is then ejected,creating enough force to move whatever the engine is attached to. The radioactive plasma decays over the course of seconds into normal air,albeit superheated for a few minutes. Due to how it operates,these engines effectively have infinite fuel. These engines can be nearly any size.
-Water Purification: Not a single drop of water is wasted. Wherever it's found,however it's obtained,water is used,primarily for drinking. Necessity is the mother of invention,and from the necessity of life came the revolutionary process of rapid and just about perfect purification of water. Even raw sewage can be made into perfectly fine water with this process,and sulfuric acid can be made into water,as well,as it contains all of the base components. The Core and Vanguard alike are constantly trying to improve this,and rumors abound about the Core trying to synthesize water.
-Weaponry: While the technology certainly exists,firearms as we know them are pretty much nonexistent,considering how wasteful they are. Instead,melee weapons,such as spears and axes,are mar more commonplace,and bows and ballistae for distance work. While there are plasma casters in circulation,effectively weaponized,infantry-portable Electric Plasma Engines,their range is lacking. Experiments are being done by both the Vanguard and Core to make infantry-portable lasers,but,as it stands,they are too large,and must be vehicle mounted,or used as static turrets. Standard issue is a mattock and shortbow. The Tinker-Tailors are the only group that uses firearms to any degree,though they use pneumatic weapons,rather than combustion.
-Metallurgy: With the world shattered as it is,it's become relatively easy to mine. As such,great leaps and bounds have been made in metallurgy,creating many new alloys. The most prominent are the light and durable Oxium,used as the core material in craft construction,and seemingly unmeltable and extremely heat-conductive Ferrite,used for heat sinks.
-Transportation: Thanks to Oxium and EPE's,transportation in the shattered skies is made easy. Enormous ships are commonplace for both military and freight purposes,and jet-bikes are common for personal,short range transportation.
Solars
Solars are abhumans who are able to harvest solar energies within themselves,store it in limited quantities,and use it. Almost all of the world's Solars are in Core custody,either as elite officers,or guinea pigs. Overuse of these powers universally result in loss of consciousness. Repeated overuse leads to numerous health complications,including numerous neural disorders,cancers,and,bizarrely,scurvy. Known Solar powers are...
-Telekinesis: Solars are,universally,telekinetics. How powerful and refined they are varies wildly from person to person.
-Empathy: Solars are able to invade a subject's mind to discern how they feel,no matter how good their lie is,or how well they hide it. Specific thoughts cannot be discerned,but a Solar will generally know exactly how you feel.
-Light: Solars can create sources of light of varying intensity. How intense depends on the skill of the individual Solar.
-Lasers: Connected to the above,Solars can also focus that light into a concentrated beam. A laser is a laser,and consumes exorbitant amounts of energy,but is able to carve through any non-mirrored surface,and travels at the speed of light.
-Radiation: Solars can bleed off their energy in a less obvious way,in the form of heat. While the practical uses seem limited,it is still something unique to Solars.
Image Gallery
The Patriot's Vanguard
This is a stolen Core "Ranseur" Class Dreadnought. Although an old model,the Ranseur still sees use in the Core for blitzkrieg operations,thanks to the oversized engines and high-capacity capacitors. The Vanguard stole this particular ship,the Patriot's Vanguard,and made it their own. This ship is fast for it's size,and is staffed by five hundred men and women,with around four hundred civilians,as well. Quarters are cramped,but livable. Armed primarily with lasers,this ship is remarkably resource-efficient in a battle. The spinal laser cannon has been replaced with a boarding cannon.
Jet-Bikes
Just get rid of the camera thing on the back.
These vehicles are the primary means of conveyance over short distances,and are used extensively in air battles between Core and Vanguard forces. Designed to take a driver and a passenger,these vehicles move at speeds approaching Mach One.
Shipyards
Shipyards are where all craft are constructed,and where all large ships park for resupply and maintenance. They're huge,byzantine,and are often priority objectives in any battle.
@UndeadSandman
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@Jason R
@Killigrew
@The Pooka
@Coro
If you are interested,and will join the RP,note below! Also,vote in the poll! If you have suggestions or questions,pose them here!
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