Both Needed The Black Steel Spire (Recruitment, OOC, Discussion)

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Both Needed The Black Steel Spire (Recruitment, OOC, Discussion)

SilverDreamer

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The Black Steel Spire
A Grim Dark Techno-Magical Adventure

Nearly five-hundred years ago, the great uncharted veil of the universe was pierced by intelligent life, The Vuldarians. Though their technology far exceeded the capabilities of the planet's inhabitants by several centuries, the Vuldarians made planet-fall peacefully and, against all odds of a violent and divided history, established themselves on the comparatively primitive planet as both a generous and benevolent presence. Soon after their arrival, the civilization shaped by magic, mysticism and strife underwent an incredible and unprecedented technological evolution that catapulted the planet into a new and prosperous age. For decades, the golden age laid a brilliant path for humanity forward and into the stars. The planet even began to attract more life from the stars to the possibility of life there. This was, however, all before the construction of the Black Steel Spires. The proposal included five spires in total and the Vuldarians assured humanity that the astronomical resources needed to construct them in full would not only unify the globe, but would also solidify humanities position in space and provide a critical stepping stone for future exploration.

With a resolution of cooperation signed by world powers, the project roared to life and, in its early stages, generated countless opportunities both on planet and within the inner solar system primarily for resource gathering. With the aid of Vuldarian technology, the first spire was completed in a few short years and with it, humanity gained terrestrially based access to the stars via a series of space-elevators. The enormity of the accomplishment was widely celebrated and emboldened not only world governments to boldly pursue the Vuldarian design. However, despite this overwhelming support, most of the actual construction of the Spires was done without human hands. And while some agencies decried the disconnect at such a critical juncture, the promise of technological advancement quieted those voices and construction continued unabated. Simultaneously, in preparation of interstellar commerce and to coincide with the eventual completion of the Black Steel Spires, The Orbital Ring project proposal was quickly passed and began construction. Both the Black Steel Spires and The Orbital Ring project were completed within 200 years, as astonishing accomplishment. Not long after that, The Vuldarians suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. That was nearly 300 years ago.


-Present Day-

High above the labyrinthian streets of the city sprawling from the footprint of the Black Steel Spire, taxis, delivery trucks and personal vehicles navigate the congested skyway. The congested streets are colored by myriad cultures forced to bang up against one another. Muddied-neon signs crawl up the sides of the brick and steel bark of countless buildings and into the the dark above like flickering vines. If not for the heavy dark of night that still manages to claim the sky, the city's residents would have long lost the stars to the industrial forest's electronic canopy. Still, the towering tributes to the forgotten age all but choke out the skyline which is split on the horizon by the piercing Black Steel Spire. In the long shadow of the broken future of the spires, life has become a near constant battle to stop oneself from being consumed by the dark. And further beyond that still, flickering against the dark of space like the distant arm of a spiral galaxy, The Orbital Ring floats in geo-synchronous orbit high above the city street. Their only remaining connection to the world below, the fiercely guarded space-elevators.

Recently, and to the surprise of anyone who knew anything about the Black Steel Spire, for the first time since their construction, at several points around the base, enormous metal doors opened to the outside world. News spread like wildfire and the unthinkable happened; the remaining factions of world leadership once again gathered under a single roof to decide upon the best course of action. Despite the seemingly unshakeable societal, cultural and technological stagnation of life on the planet, in that fateful session, they decided that the promise of Black Steel Spires would, at long last, be pursued to the ends described by The Vuldarians. No sooner had the signatures been digitized and the documents distributed across flickering, pale green screens, were citizens clamoring for purpose. The only thing left to conquer were the Black Steel Spires. The mysteries therein once more positioned to change the trajectory of the future. What path will you choose?

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Welcome to the recruitment, OOC and discussion thread for The Black Steel Spire! As mentioned in the subtitle, this is going to be a Grim Dark Techno-Magically situated story that will (hopefully) be filled with compelling storylines, mysteries, and adventure. The basic plot will be centered around characters living either within the city at the foot the spire, or in the section of the orbital ring that is directly above it who have decided to join this new initiative to fulfill the Vuldarian promise of of a civilization reaching far into the stars. You will be free to explore the city, the spire, the orbital ring and even venture into the inner portions of the solar system. What adventures await your characters now that the spire has opened after so long? Will you be among the first to chart a path to a new golden age or will you lose yourself to the mysteries of the Black Steel Spire?!

You should feel free to be creative with your characters and even more so with your storytelling! Let me know what you think!

For More Details, Check The Posts Below!

The thread is open! Let's talk!
 
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Magic and Technology

The Artifacts

A very long time ago, this planet was filled with magic, mysticism, cultures and long-practiced traditions. However, with the arrival of The Vuldarians and the expanse of time, many of those old ways have all but been lost completely. In their place, The Artifacts: a fusion of technology and magic that has allowed for the continued use of these arts albeit in a readily accessible and streamlined form. By and large, most magics were synthesized, adapted and ultimately confined to these technological shells. The need for teaching and memorizing the detailed inscriptions, runes, and ancient tongues were found by subsequent generations to be tedious, old-fashioned and unnecessary . In the early days of their inception, the technology was somewhat sparse but, in this day and age, Artifacts are common place and mass produced. With that, the quality of Artifacts can and does vary considerably. It's like the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for...and sometimes it blows up in your face. Literally." Needless to say, those still even capable of using "pure" magic are exceptionally rare.

What You Need To Know: Think of your Artifacts as tools that connect your character to a world that they can interact with but they don't necessarily understand (like how most folks use their computers or cellphones). Each Artifact will have a set number of charges that, when fully expended will need to be recharged before further use. This isn't something that you need to strictly monitor as you write, but just have it in the back of your mind when casting spells. Also, it is important to consider the quality of your Artifact. Think of your character's background. Think of what sort of money they might be able to put towards an Artifact. Maybe yours fell off of a truck...The point is, feel free to get creative and try not to come up with something too crazy.

A Space Age...of Sorts
What You Need To Know: As mentioned in the first post, our story takes place in a distant future filled with incredible technological advancements. Things like cybernetics, advanced robotics and androids, consumer grade flying vehicles, neural computers, personal short-distance space craft and just about any sort of highly developed technological device that you might be able to cook up in your imagination, exist on this planet. However, things like teleporters, translocators or particle transmitters (whatever they've got on Star Trek or Stargate) do not exist. Additionally, all space travel is facilitated by the ports located on the orbital ring. Have fun with it!
 
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Factions
Sign
here...and here.

The
Expedition

The Expedition was founded with the sole purpose of exploring the newly opened spires in pursuit of finally making good on the promises of the Vuldarians. As the Expedition is open to anyone brave enough to sign up, its members are comprised of people from all walks of life. While members do have the freedom to explore the spire at will, they are expected to report any and all discoveries to their superiors within the organization. Additionally, members are discouraged from engaging in conflicts with one another over rights of discovery as everything and anything found within them are under the "ownership" of the world government.

The True Faith
The True Faith is a religious order that was founded shortly after the arrival of the Vuldarians by those who regarded the Vuldarians as prophets and the true purpose of the construction of the spires as a purpose passed along to them by a God whose name had yet been shared. Since the disappearance of the Vuldarians, those most devout of The True Faith have only become more fervent in their beliefs and view the opening of the spires as a religious event and plot not only to convert the spires to their true purpose are holy sites, but to expel those who would seek to corrupt it.

The Orbital Republic
Once an active and progress motivated citizenry, the disappearance of the Vuldarians and the following relative isolation lead to the creation of The Orbital Republic: a separatist organization that seeks to secede from the governing bodies of the planet below and establish its own independence and sovereignty. The most staunch supporters and vocal leaders believe that due to the stagnation of the Black Steel Spire project and the lack of direct support from the world government has rendered continued relations (as they currently exist) are not as beneficial to The Orbital Republic as they are to their terrestrial neighbors. There have even been rumors of a potential military action to once and for all sever the ties between the two. Even if that means destroying the spires, the one remaining physical connection between them.

The Trade Guild
The Trade Guild is a collection of the most powerful and influential trade groups which have, over the last couple of centuries, filled the gaps left in global commerce when the golden age came to a grinding halt. In the days immediately following the guild's inception, they were known to use any means necessary to facilitate favorable trade agreements and practices and were sometimes compared to organized crime syndicates of days past. Now, with a near complete monopoly of trade and commerce, the Trade Guild seeks to use the opening of the spires as an opportunity to expand their influence and profits with the promise of this new age.

The Federation of Stars
The Federation of Stars is an organization created by and comprised entirely of races and peoples whose ancestors came from the stars and settled on the planet with the sole goal of leaving the planet as soon as possible. With the disaster of the fall of the golden age, among the many things lost was the ability to travel any further than the inner solar system. Thus, what began as a temporary stay on the planet, turned into one that spanned generations. With the spires now open, the leadership of the Federation believe this is their chance to find a way to reclaim interstellar and intergalactic travel for all of those who never intended to call this planet their permanent home.

The Red Steel Brigade
The Red Steel Brigade is a multi-national, technologically obsessed street gang that most commonly traffics in all sorts of cybernetic enhancements, weapons and artifact technology. When it was announced that the spires opened, the Red Steel Brigade saw a golden opportunity to steal anything and everything that wasn't bolted down and make an absolute killing in the process.

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Character Sheet
Note: The following is a rough idea of what you can/should include in your character sheet. I'm not really a stickler for things looking one way or another, so long as they can be read and understood. Ultimately, I really want to give everyone to evolve from the base that a character sheet provides. We're getting to know them as much as they are getting to know each other. With that in mind, I want you to think of your character sheet as opposed to a rigid set of details that your storytelling must adhere to. With that said, here's the basic character sheet:

Name: (Formal, nickname and otherwise)
Age: (Must be 18+ Since there are extraterrestrial species, the upper limit can be pretty high.)
Race/Species: (human, extraterrestrial, artificial, etc. etc.)
Gender:
Sexuality:
Appearance:
(Feel free to use a picture or a description)
Personality:
Residence:
(within the city or the orbital ring)
Occupation: (How do/did you provide for yourself?)
Faction: (Use any of those mentioned above or create one of your own!)
Expertise: (What are you really good at? What helps you stand out?)
Artifacts: (What sort of magic are you working with?)
Backstory: (What is your character all about? Be as detailed as you like.)

Feel free to add any additional details or categories that you feel help flesh out your character!

Note: When you submit your character sheet, I may ask you for clarity on points before approving them for the roleplay. And again, remember, I'm not really strict about these things. So, most likely you're gonna get to play your character as proposed unless it's like, wildly out of touch with the story and setting.


 
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