Fantasy The Devil's Meridian ► Supernatural Horror on the High Seas

[K0mori]

They say that if you sail beyond the Devil's Meridian in a straight line, you won't emerge on the other side at the proper latitude, if you emerge at all. Few have made the crossing throughout history without emerging with broken bodies and twisted minds. The weather there roils at the boundaries as if the maelstroms have an evil mind of their own. The currents run in strange patterns which can't be explained by science... Some say that there are forgotten lands there, islands cloaked in the essence of fear which tell a tale the human soul dreads to hear. All that is known of the world around us, it whispers, is nothing but an arrogant lullaby we tell ourselves to sleep soundly...

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​

This is a game which takes place in 1919 on an Earth which is vaguely similar to our own. In the middle of one of its largest oceans is a region which has never been properly charted, due to the supernatural happenings described above. Despite the dangers, there have been successful voyages through its waters, but now, on the 100th anniversary of the first crossing, an international fleet of ships is being assembled to fully explore the Uncharted Zone, under the command of Commodore Werner Meinhardt, a war veteran now turning his experience to a peaceful mission. They will map the UZ's lost islands once and for all, as well as to discover the truth behind its mysterious and horrifying past. Reality will give way to myth the further this fleet ventures into the unknown, and players will contend with competing voices of good and evil which will attempt to guide, or deceive, them on their journey. There are currently five players who will be involved, including myself, who will be posting below, and we are looking to add 3-5 more before we begin later this week.

Captains:

You will take on the role of one of this intrepid fleet's captains, and you will have full control over your own vessel. While you may introduce additional minor characters as members of your crew, your focus should be on the primary decision maker. If you wish to make someone other than your captain your primary character, you will need my approval first. You will find information about strengths and weaknesses below the template, and nationalities at the bottom of this post.


For strength, choose one of the following qualities:

Commanding: When your captain gives an order, others rush to comply. They have a reputation for discipline that precedes them.
Creative: Your captain can often find solutions to problems that others cannot see. They are unlikely to fall into patterns, making them dynamic leaders.
Daring: When faced with a daunting task, your captain is the first to charge in, seemingly immune to fear itself.
Honorable: Your crew can count on your captain's loyalty. Your captain stands at the front line, and refuses to abandon anyone under their command.
Inspiring: Whether it's a way with words, general adroitness, or a stunning fashion sense, others will want to imitate your captain. Leadership comes naturally.
Intuitive: Certain captains are known scholars. Yours can learn new techniques and arts faster than almost anyone else on the ship.
Just: Your captain is respected for treating everyone with equal consideration, ensuring that disputes are handled fairly before they can spiral out of control.
Romantic: Your captain has a mystique which makes them captivating in an amorous setting. They foster devotion in individuals that goes beyond honor or duty.

Character Sheet:

Captain's Name:
Picture (Optional):
Gender:
Age:
Nationality:
Strength:
Weakness:
Bio:

Vessel Name:
Description:
Crew Size:

For weakness, choose one of the following faults:

Aloof: Your captain can seem a bit cold at times, and may have difficulty making close friends. They may also have unusual hobbies that others don't understand.
Dishonest: Your crew has learned that it can't always trust your captain to tell the truth. Words are just tools to your captain, unfortunately.
Envious: When others have something your captain doesn't have, they become restless and irritated. They always want to line their pockets.
Malcontent: Something may have happened to your captain during their youth which made them perpetually angry at the world.
Paranoid: Be careful what you say and do around your captain, because they sense danger everywhere.
Passive: Your captain seeks the most expedient solution to problems, not the best solution, and is reluctant to get involved when others can do the job themselves.
Vain: At any social gathering, others will be forced to put up with your captain's ego, constantly placing themselves in the spotlight.
Vengeful: Your captain never forgets an insult, and always seeks to draw even. Some might even call it an obsession.

Vessels:

Although this is intended to be an exploration mission, to sail in the most dangerous waters on Earth, you should bring along a military-class vessel no larger than a light cruiser, with an accompaniment of between 50 and 250. This can mean a surface ship or a submersible, although you can bring along a small airship or balloon to provide additional assistance at sea. Airships cannot be your primary means of travel due to poor weather conditions. You will also not need to worry about supplies or fuel, as these will be provided by NPC crews. Technology should be appropriate for the time, of course.

Here is an example of a completed character sheet:

Commodore Werner Meinhardt

Gender: Male
Age: 30
Nationality: Alamannian
Strength: Just
Weakness: Aloof
Bio: Born to a working class family and the youngest of four brothers, Meinhardt had to labor hard to distinguish himself from other young men. Uninterested in joining the family farm, he enlisted in the Kaiser's Navy as a teenager, completed a tour of duty, and then entered officer's school. When Alamannia went to war with the distant Shinju Empire, Meinhardt was commissioned as a junior officer aboard a gunboat and later received a battlefield promotion which placed him in command of the vessel. Alamannia would eventually go on to lose the war, but Meinhardt's honorable service and reputation earned him favor upon his return. He was promoted permanently to captain over the light cruiser Nixe, and after two probing forays into the Uncharted Zone ordered by the admiralty, he was eventually appointed Commodore for the purpose of leading the grand international exploratory mission into the UZ which eventually bore his name: The Meinhardt Expedition.

Vessel: SMS Nixe
Description: Built in 1903 for the Kaiser's navy, this light cruiser saw combat during the Shinjuku-Alamannian War. Now that it is older and past its prime, it has been retrofitted with advanced electrical systems and scientific equipment for its new task of exploring the Uncharted Zone.
Crew Size: 250

Nationalities:

A map is currently being compiled which will include all the countries of this alternate Earth. Here is a list of existing countries and their real-life equivalents. These countries are similar in spirit to the real life countries, but may have major differences in history. You may also create your own original nations, and are not limited to these "stock" countries.

Alamannia = Germany
Albion = United Kingdom
Alleghenia = United States
Galatia = Ottoman Empire
Jaille = France
Mazonia = Brazil
Platine Republic = Argentina
Ruthenia = Russia
Shenju = Japan
Shenzhou = China

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These old inscriptions... They make it seem like the gods lived among mortals, right here on these islands...​

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Ahoy, checking in.

Captain's Name: Anastasia Graznya Kortova
Picture: Mistress Kortova in her typical monarchist attire, while at land and sea, representing the uniform of her royal-house-in-exile.

Gender: Female
Age: 20
Nationality: Sokrovian (Pseudo Russian-Alaska/Yukon)
Strength: Intuitive
Weakness: Vain
Bio:
Anastasia is the daughter of a royal family in exile that fled Imperial Ruthenia nearly two generations ago following the failure of a coup for the throne involving the assistance of her grandfather. Her farther, Sergei Kortova, wed and had children with an influential Sokrovian woman already in politics, Madam Tatyana. Anastasia was therefore born a natural Sokrovian citizen, despite her family being of exiled aristocracy in a nation without one. House Kortova has nevertheless established itself as the leading monarchist faction in Sokrovy, with the dream to transform the backwater republic into a powerful monarchy. With careful politicking, Anastasia’s father had secured her as the leader for the vessel to be sent on the expedition. A success here would greatly boost the prestige not just of Sokrovy, but of the monarchist faction as well. This is the official record of Master Sergei Kortova.

Anastasia herself has little life experience and connection to the Sokrovian people. Often impulsive, vain, and incredibly infatuated with the romantic past of a bygone era, one could be forgiven for expecting Anastasia to be younger than she really is. In a land of hardy taiga, wilds, and grizzled arctic sea captains, a young woman playing dress up raises many questions.

Vessel Name: SN Archangel (renamed HMS Archangel as per directive of the Grand Captain)
Description: An older but sturdy gunboat, the Archangel has seen long time service in the Sokrovian navy as a faithful vessel with a respected history. The vessel has seen several renovations and upgrades over the decades since it was launched. The cold and often ice packed waters of Sokrovy have made an armored prow a necessity, while the rest of the ship is only lightly armored as per its class. Additionally, the vessel is not particularly nimble while instead focusing on a strong engine capable of power rather than speed. The Archangel makes use of several light to moderate guns.
Crew Size: 12 Officers, 162 Sailors

 

[joshuadim]

Captain's Name: Captain Jonathan Dobbs
Picture (Optional):

Gender: Male
Age: 30
Nationality: Albionian
Strength: Honorable
Weakness: Malcontent
Bio:
Jonathan Dobbs II, named after his grandfather, was born into a well-to-do family within the Albionian heartland and received an upbringing no different from others within the nobility. The best tutors as well as an intuitive mind, Dobbs. As the third child with two older brothers, Dobbs did not have great expectations placed upon him like his eldest siblings were and was often quite free to do as he wished, spending most of his time with learning and pursuing hobbies such as fencing and horseback riding. However, this would change with the onset of the Continental War in 1907, pitting Albion and its long time rival Jaille against the Kingdom of Iberos and the Galatian Empire. Spurred on by patriotic duty, and against the wishes of his own parents, Dobbs enlisted into the Albionian Imperial Navy and was put into officer training due to his social standing. It would not be until 1908 when Dobbs was placed onto the Albionian Dreadnought HMS Titan as an officer would he see action within his first month of deployment at the Battle of the Green Coast, where an attempted Ibros-Galatian invasion of Albion was repulsed by the heroic efforts of the Albionian First Fleet. Dobbs would distinguish himself by taking up command when the captain of the Titan was gravely wounded from a shell strike onto the bridge, and commandeered the vessel through the main battle itself. While the battle was victorious for Albion and Jaille when the latter's fleet came to relieve their allies', the Albionian First Fleet lost nearly half its ships and more than 9000 men and was forever stuck within Dobbs' mind as a constant bitter reminder of the war itself.

As reward for his service, he was promoted to Captain and given command of the HMS Prophet, a light cruiser that would be assigned to protect shipping lanes from Iberosian vessels until the end of the war. Following the wars end, Dobbs remained in the navy, but inactive as Albion was not caught into any conflicts that would require him to be in active duty. However, with the a multinational expedition into the Uncharted Zone having become a reality, the crown saw fit to send Dobbs, and the Prophet as Albion's representative into the venture along with some of Albion's brightest minds to try to get a better understanding of this mysterious region.

Vessel Name: HMS Prophet
Description: Originally assigned for scrapping, the HMS Prophet is a somewhat out of date light cruiser outfitted with additional scientific and electrical equipment on board to accompany the science team using the vessel for the duration of the expedition.
Crew Size: 267

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Dr. Ana Maria Dos Santos

Gender: Female
Age: 28
Nationality: Platense (of Mazonian Descent)
Strength: Creative
Weakness: Paranoid
Bio: Dr. Ana Maria Dos Santos was born to a rich family that lived in Platine capital of San Marino. From a young age, she always wanted to become a scientist and later she developed a love for the fields of both Biology and Sociobiology. Thanks to her family fortune, she managed to study in some of the most renowned universities of Albion. But while she was abroad, a second great war between the Platine Republic and the Empire of Mazonia began, causing a lot of pain for the Platine people and hate against the Mazonians. When the war was over and she returned home, she experienced discrimination she had never experienced before and grew paranoid of those she formed bonds with. Always fearing that they actually hated her due to her heritage. She began working in the Universidad de San Marino, and despite the difficulties of being a Mazonian, she became one of its top leading researchers. With the 100th anniversary of the first exploration into the Devil's Meridian, several international leaders wanted to launch a new exploration of the uncharted sea. And the Platine Republic assigned Dr. Dos Santos as the lead researcher of the ARA Correntino.

Vessel Name: ARA Correntino
Description: TBD
Crew Size: 78

 

[Infab]

Commander Bishop G. Warner


Gender: Male
Age: 55
Nationality: Alleghenian
Strength: Daring
Weakness: Vengeful
Bio: The son of a pair of poor farmers in mid-western Alleghenia, Warner enlisted in the military in an effort to escape a dull life revolving around crops and cows. The navy called to him, sailing the vast oceans and seas in large iron and steel clad vessels. Now, over three decades and several small wars later, he serves admirably as a decorated destroyer captain in the Alleghenian Federation Navy. With the 100th anniversary of the first crossing of the Devil's Meridian drawing near, Alleghenia (eager to join in the endeavor) sought to send one of their own to join the expedition. Warner was an easy choice, of course, and was granted the AFV Jackal as a vessel to command during the journey. Two others were selected to be placed under his command: First Lieutenant Regina Slater and Command Master Chief Petty Officer Bruce Riddle. Both already had experience serving under Warner, so it was a perfect fit for the job.

Vessel Name: AFV Jackal



Description: A destroyer built in 1916, and already outclassed and outdated by newer models of destroyers in the Alleghenian navy. It was constructed far too late to see true service in any foreign wars or conquests, and was simply delegated to escorting larger ships or patrolling the eastern coast of Alleghenia. It has been refitted to utilize newer equipment and weaponry since its construction, and has now been chosen to participate in the Meinhardt Expedition.
Crew Size: 146

 

[K0mori]

The above four players were already accounted for. We are still accepting 3-5 players.

 

[Radley]

Captain Nathaniel J. Flint

Gender: Male
Age: 53
Nationality: Alleghenian
Strength: Commanding
Weakness: Passive

Bio: Born in what is today the state of New Hanover in 1868, at the height of the Frontier Rush, Nathaniel's childhood was filled with hardship and misery. Wanting to escape the life he was destined to receive, he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 16. Over the course of his career, his commanding presence, due to his tall stature and penchant to get things done, he eventually advanced to the rank of captain. However, after quelling the rebellions in the island colonies, the naval command could no longer look the other way. Although Flint had undoubtedly played a major part in the campaigns success, his cold and calculated methods could no longer be tolerated. The captain of a by-gone era was begrudgingly honorably discharged and sent on his way. With the navy no longer in need of his services, he acquired the destroyer AFV Terror and employed his skill as a escort captain for the United Merchant Marines. With the expedition to the Devil's Meridian approaching, the Alleghenian Naval Command requested his services once more, secretly hoping that his possible demise in the dangerous sea would rid them of this stain upon their reputation for good. Nathaniel has surrounded himself by two of his most trusted officers from his time in the navy, Commander Howard Bates and Lieutenant Thaddeus Rourke. The crew of Captain Flint also consists of many of individuals that were under his command in the navy. They are hardened and loyal veterans.

Vessel Name: AFV Terror

Description: Built in the early 1900's, this veteran of naval warfare has seen it's glory days pass by thanks to the rapid advance of technology. Outclassed by faster and more maneuverable vessels, one can not deny it has fiercely clung to its relevance only thanks to its strong hull and immense firepower. Under the command of Captain Flint, modifications have been made to accommodate more cargo, munitions and supplies for longer journeys, at the cost of the count of her crew.
Crew Size: 122