Waverly
Nah...
Welcome, this is The fleets of Talavah – a sci-fi role-play with a touch of steam punk, set in an original world called Dranoh'ce. Below are some information and inspiration about the game and setting. The main story will begin in Talavah with a nomad group trying to survive, but you're welcome to come up with any character you see fit and together we'll discuss how we can make it work. So give it a good read (Heck, you have no idea what Talavah and stuff means anyway right? Read to find out!), shout if you're intressted and perhaps post some of your ideas?
The RP is open for sign ups!
Dranoh'ce
Dranoh'ce is the second planed of the star with the same name. The inhabitants have the same name for both planet and star because of the ancient belief that they (star and planet) were two objects that resided in a much bigger sphere – the world sphere of Dranoh'ce. The surface of Dranoh'ce is dominated by a huge ocean called Talavah. Talavah spans the entire planet except from the two giant polar continents of Skadia (North) and Estrinn (South).
About one thousand years ago a event known only as the Disaster struck Dranoh'ce. What actually happened no one knows for sure. Legend has it that the sin of all the children of Dranoh'ce was so great that Dronch'ce began weeping, and her tears were all red as blood. Today the minds of science knows only that the Red, a substance of unknown origin, was spread over the entire face of Dranoh'ce. In a matter of months the once great sea of Talavah was covered in a layer of red ice that would only melt in temperatures far above the normal freezing-temperature of water, making Talavah become a desert rather than an ocean. With an everlasting blanket of ice several meters thick, most life in and on the ocean soon disappeared. The two continents was also affected by the Disaster making it much harder for anything to grow and expanded agriculture was made almost impossible as most natural water reserves where contaminated by the Red.
The Red
The Red is a substance that blends with water and is extremely hard to separate from it. Naturally there is no way for this to happen, which means that the Red never goes away. The effect of the substance is that water gains a red hue and freezes at much higher temperatures than normal (at about 35 degrees Celsius). It doesn't get completely liquefied before about 45C, so there is a 10 degree span in which it turns into a sticky gooey form that may hinder people from traversing the red plains of Talavah.
If you drink the Red (which is fairly warm when you drink it) you will get drunk and hallucinate. It is common among people in Talavah to do this, but not among Skadians or Estrinn. Even if there is no hang over there are dangers in drinking it; it dehydrates ones body and a glass full would kill anyone in a few hours. Breathing dust from it (in storms or so) may have the same effect, which is why most people in Talavah protect their faces using masks of various kinds.
Skadia
The northern continent of Skadia displays a huge variety of climates, ranging from sub-zero in the polar regions to tropical regions in the southernmost tips of the jagged star-shaped continent. This continent was the least affected by the Disaster and you can find a rich wild-life and several plants and trees thriving on the inland hills.
Skadia is also home to the most powerful faction on Dranoh'ce – The Skadian Empire. Sometime after the Disaster the many Skadian kingdoms banded together to form this new Empire as a way to protect their valuable resources from outsiders. Today it is a functioning society, where most of the population has the possibility of education and a relatively safe life. But their growth are strictly controlled as there is still not enough food and water to sustain an expanding population. Skadians are very defensive and will protect their borders with steam-powered aircraft and long range weaponry.
Aside from the Skadian empire there are several smaller nations on the giant continent, and many uncontrolled areas where different tribes and other groups can be found. However, the Skadian Empire grows steadily and many campaigns are launched annex new territories to the empire.
Estrinn
Even though Estrinn is much bigger than (the already giant) continent of Skadia, it has a much lower population. The continent is surrounded by thousands upon thousands of islands. It's coastlines are dominated by cliffs and mountains that turn into badlands further in-land. In the more central parts are some places that hosts a few forms of life such as plants and animals. It is obvious that the Disaster had a big impact on this continent as is is covered in a thin layer of the Red during the bigger part the year.
The Estrinn population is mainly divided into thousands of clans or settlements that don't really follow any collective rules. Before the Disaster Estrinn was the pinnacle of civilisation on Dranoh'ce, and many once marvellous cities and castles lay scattered across this continent while a well-developed system of roads once existed and can be used even today. Colossal bridges connect many of the closer islands to the giant continent. The stories of ancient artefacts and the legendary treasure of Estrinn are many.
Talavah
Before the Disaster, Talavah was a great blue ocean full of small islands, all of them incredibly rich on minerals and metals. Today it is more like a desert, and the islands remind more of mountains or hills in the barren, red landscape. A majority of the population on Dranoh'ce live in the desert of Talavah. Most of them are nomads, travelling from island to island in search of resources, doing their best to evade the Fleets.
The Fleets of Talavah roam the great desert, trying to maintain control of as many islands as possible, there are hundreds of fleets that compete with each others... Some fleets are more or less friendly to each others and it is possible to divide them into four factions; North, South, West and East. The Fleets wage war on each other and are feared throughout all of Talavah. But most people know that without the fleets Talavah would be uninhabitable due to the Gohlar; monstrous creatures with an amazing ability to adapt to their climate and physical conditions, leading to a huge variety in the species appearance and capabilities, though they tend to share a shark-like appearance. Or exploitation from Skadians or Estrinn, trying to get their hands on any resources available. This is due to the continental resources being close to depleted or hard to come by in deep mines, in difference from the Talavahnian resources which are found in abundance almost at the surface. Most fleets use Steam-powered vehicles that traverse the frozen desert by means of wheels or tank-treads. Most bigger fleets have vehicles big as fortresses as their centre piece. (Think Sand-Crawler).
Another “faction” that resides on the vast red plains of Talavah, is the Gohlar Cults. They are worshippers of some unspeakable horror beneath the ice that stretches the deserts of Talavah. They often breed and raise Gohlar as 'pets', and it is said that they feed on the raw flesh and blood of these creatures in savage rituals to transfer their powers to themselves. It is well-known that Gohlar meat is poisonous if not properly cooked, eating it raw in even small quantities can have long-term effects on both the brain and body, a very dangerous drug indeed. Cooked Gohlar however, makes for a big source of food for many powerful fleets and even some daring nomad tribes.
Dranohians
Dranohians look like human-beings but differ in some aspects; pointy ears, no whites in their eyes and very sharp triangular noses are among the most common traits. Depending on where you go on Dranoh'ce you'll find that certain traits are more common in different regions. For instance, most bloodlines that have lived for a long time in the region of Talavah show a very pale (some, even fully white) tone of skin and hair. The Talavahnians also often have very dark eyes, ranging from dark brown to almost pitch black. Skadians usually have more complexion but are still relatively fair, with pointed ears and purple to blue eyes. The Estrinn have a greyish tone to their skin and the dominating trait is brown or black hair. The pointy ears are very unusual among the Estrinn.
It is not uncommon for people of Dranoh'ce to have tattoos or piercings and they carry clothes of many different fashions, however the rule is that practical is better than fancy in all places but Skadia.
((Some guidelines when it comes to clothing and design is to check how people tend to dress in Star Wars on places such as Tatooine for example. Another great source of inspiration are the less armoured forces from Retribution of Scyrah (Warmachine). Add to this some few detail from Victorian fashion and the technology from main-stream steam-punk. So, go for sci-fi or fantasy fashion, and make sure to add just a faint touch of steam-punk and you're there. Just make sure there are no freaking top hats!))
Technology
The technology of the people on Dranoh'ce is not all that spectacular however there are some places where it stands out. Steam-powered engines are a pretty common sight but there is almost no use of electricity or magnets, the two latter however are usually very sophisticated when used and are part of advanced vehicles, weaponry or otherwise. The ground weaponry is usually swords, spears, crossbows or primitive rifles. Medical science is sort of progressed, being at the same standard as of Earth during the 1950's. There is no space-flight or other such technology.
Ancient Tech
In the world before the Disaster there was an abundance of tech that used magnets and electricity. Digital computer-systems in weaponry were even common among military units. This means that there are plenty of advanced artefacts to be found (and used, if restored). Most ancient tech is heavy weapons meant for mechanized or heavy infantry, and is thus not used in standard warfare.
Magic and the supernatural
There are many who believe in the supernatural on Dranoh'ce even if there are actually not much to indicate its existence. But some things considered supernatural do actually exist even if they are not proven; telepathy, levitation, spirits of the dead, and curses to name but a few... The use of magic or knowledge of the supernatural is limited, very few have any means to control or use these things whatsoever. The Gohlar Cults are the most common believers of magic, it being part of their core beliefs.
Some children are born with completely silver eyes (no whites), and are regarded as the Starbegotten. These rare children develop skills or abilities that can be seen as magical or supernatural. In most culture they are feared and thus also targets for violence and tragedy.
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I'll go ahead and set up the RP-thread so we can start making characters and discuss ideas even further.
