[SIGN-UP] Altus

[dadevvtsvre]

Table of contents:

• The story so far
• The Hibernian Continent
• Skyr, capital of an empire
• Starting off, How to play
• Creating your character, Restrictions

Altus is a reboot of an RP I started back in July 2010. It’s a steampunk treasure-hunting adventure with an emphasis on character and story. Within this RP, you will find deception and manipulation, lies and trickery – but you will also discover an expansive fictional world beyond anything you can expect.

Altus is set in a detailed and complex society with extensive background information. I’d ask that you give all the information in this thread a careful read before deciding to participate.

The last time we tried this RP, things didn’t go so well. There wasn’t a tremendous amount of direction, and it mostly died after only a few weeks. I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen this time.

I’ve altered a few things in the RP from last year. It’s mostly the same story with a few minor details tweaked. (it would still be worth your while to read it again anyways.)

So, please – if lost cities, conspiracies, thievery, or ancient legends are your thing, then you should definitely consider joining! Even if you’re not a big fan of steampunk, we would definitely welcome all the characters we can get.


The story so far...

In a world far away but very similar to our own, war is raging.

The two major powers battle for conquest of the Hibernian continent. The Union of Four, made up of the nations of Libennia, Espisaea, Atlannion and Ferrevus, join forces to combat the growing menace that are Norvanus and Tacius, the Twin Empires.

Libennia and Norvanus had been enemies for centuries. Recent revolutions in technology and industry have increased the growing tension between the two countries. An arms race was born, each superpower struggling to remain strategically ahead of its foe.

Amidst all the conflict, people still go about their daily lives, aware of the fact that war is likelier every day. Dr. Carver Gallagher, a respected Libennian archaeologist and historian who travelled the globe for decades and uncovering hidden secrets, stumbles upon the greatest discovery in his life time. Amidst his research at the Libennian National Library, he learns about the lost city of Altus.

Carver can’t believe what he reads. Altus, a city few have heard of and even fewer believe actually exists, was supposedly inhabited by a race of hyper-intelligent humans centuries ago. The city, hidden deep beneath the massive Occluded Mountains of the west, was believed to possess incredible technology far more advanced than that which Libennia and Norvanus owns. Machines in which Carver’s mind can only begin to comprehend.

Altus has remained hidden from the world for hundreds of years. Only one entrance exists to the city of Altus, in a location that has been lost to time. The entrance to Altus is blocked by an enormous, impassable doorway, opened only by a single key.

Immediately Carver gets to work, deciphering clues and following the trail to the location of Altus. Carver assembles a team of historians and colleagues to assist him, which includes Lewis Cooper, a young but enthusiastic anthropologist.

But as word of Carver’s research gets out and the Libennian public latches on to his progress, the Norvanian government’s curiosity is piqued.


Months pass. Tensions continue to rise between Libennia and Norvanus. Little progress has been made in finding Altus, and the initial excitement has all but vanished. Carver’s assistants begin to abandon him, and soon, only Carver and Lewis remain faithful that Altus even exists at all.

Carver and Lewis decide to embark on one final journey to find the city. They leave for a gruelling two-month journey within the Occluded Mountains, a journey which nearly takes both of their lives.

But they find the Key.

The Key, a pentagonal pyramid-shaped object, is the only known device that can open the doors to Altus. Small but complex, it is the only possible way to enter the city.

Upon Carver and Lewis’ return, they are celebrated as heroes in Libennia. The search for Altus is on once again! Libennia will trump the despicable Norvanians and reign as the true dominant power in Hibernia!

On a humid summer evening, Carver and Lewis find themselves en route to the capital city of Skyr with the Key to give a presentation to the Libennian government. They take an airship, the standard mode of travel.

They never reach their destination. High above the clouds, Carver and Lewis are ambushed by Norvanian scout planes. The Norvanians intend to only take the Key and nothing else, but things quickly get out of hand. The airship falls to the ground in a fiery inferno; Carver is killed. Lewis, however, survives, and rescues the Key before the Norvanians can find it.

News of the attack gets out. Libennian attitude towards Norvanus turns vengeful. Libennia accuses Norvanus of assassinating a national hero. It’s all it takes for Libennia to finally declare war on Norvani. The battle begins.

Lewis, aware of the massive influence that the Key contains, decides to retreat into hiding. He convinces himself that it’s best to wait until the war is over before the expedition resumes. Nobody expects the conflict to last more than a year.

But as Espisaea, Atlannion, Ferrevus and Tacius enter the war, it escalates out of control more quickly than anyone could have imagined. At the center of it all is the brutal conflict that is waged on the border between Libennia and Norvanus. Each nation is equally powerful, but Norvanus has a secret up its sleeves...


It is the present, and the mood is dire. Each week, hundreds are killed in the bloody battles that riddle the Hibernian continent.

In a world descending into madness, fear runs rampant. Pirates patrol the skies over the Libennian countryside. With all of Libennia’s men focused on the war, sky pirates are free to pillage and plunder as much as they please.

Norvanian spies are everywhere. They have infiltrated the Libennian government, and have begun influencing their decisions from within.

Daily life is filled to the brim with suspicion and terror. Frequent air raids from Norvanus invoke paranoia among the Libennian public. As Libennia’s own government loses grip of the nation, it seems there is little hope for the country, that the Twin Empires will reign supreme.

But in a small, cramped room on the third floor of a run-down apartment building in downtown Skyr, Lewis Cooper is hatching a plan. He needs a team, he decides, and a hell of a lot of luck if this scheme is ever going to work.

That’s where you come in. Welcome to the resistance.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

The Hibernian Continent

This is Hibernia.

Blue = Union of Four
Red = Twin Empires
Green = Neutral


Libennia: Part of the Union of Four, and the country in which our characters live. Libennia is a democracy, and has a system of government very similar to Commonwealth nations, with a prime minister as the leader. The government, based in the metropolis Skyr, is broken down into five subdivisions: the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Technology, the Ministry of Resources, the Ministry of Society, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs- each responsible for a different part of Libennian life.

Recently, Norvanian spies that had been positioned in the government for decades have been activated and have begun corrupting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, resulting in a series of strategic decisions that are making Libennia lose the war.

Recent decades have not been kind to Libennia. In centuries past, the country’s grip was extensive, and at one point nearly a third of the land in the world was ruled under the Libennian Empire. However, numerous revolutions and an increase in civilians demanding independence have contributed to the eventual erosion of the Libennian Empire.

Despite a shrinking influence, Libennia is still easily one of the most powerful countries in the world. The country possesses some of the most powerful technologies in the world, with machines including Groundwalkers, zeppelins, Skyboats, and the massive air fortress Colossus.

Libennian culture places high value on modesty and balance. Libennians tend to be well-rounded in their skill sets, with few strengths and weaknesses. Education is widespread and encouraged in the cities, while people living in rural areas have a more difficult time accessing most education.

Libennia is a large nation with a wide and varied set of geographical features. Most of the country is relatively flat and arable land is plentiful – much of the population is agricultural-based. To the southeast lay numerous marshes and swamps, and to the west lay the foothills of the Occluded Mountains.


Norvanus: Part of the Twin Empires. Perhaps the only country in the world capable of matching Libennia in terms of strength and influence. Ruled by a vicious dictatorship, Norvanians have a reputation for being cruel and violent. Despite their foul demeanour, they are hard-working people, which has helped them attain the level of power they have today. They are extremely loyal to their country and a series of propaganda campaigns has spurred an irrational amount of hatred towards Libennia.

Like Libennia, they also are at the forefront of technological achievements. While the Libennians may have the advantage in the air, the Norvanians have clear dominance on the sea, possessing vehicles such as submarines, Aerowassers, and the Herkules, an enormous floating stronghold.

Norvanus is the only other country besides Libennia that has made any sort of discernible effort to find Altus. As a direct result of the Altus legend resurfacing because of Dr. Carver, Norvanus has recently directed large amounts of funding into creating their own teams of explorers of historians to find Altus – intended to be direct competitors towards Libennian efforts.


Atlannion: Part of the Union of Four, fighting in the war against Norvani and Itacius. They are not a particularly powerful or influential nation, populated mostly by humble fishermen, but they have a lot to contribute towards the War at Sea, and do all they can to aid Libennia.

Though they are distanced physically from their enemies, Atlannion is a worthy ally towards Libennia, providing numerous contributions towards the War At Sea.

Atlannion is not a particularly powerful or influential nation, populated mostly by fishermen and industrial workers. However, Atlannites, known for their humility and calm demeanour, are masters of confrontation and manipulation. Atlannites are revered for their ability to talk themselves out of almost any situation, and generally prefer to avoid conflict if at all possible.

Much of Atlannion’s interior is rocky and inhabitable; the majority of Atlannites live by the sea. Atlannites are taught from a young age how to take care of themselves at sea, and as a result, most Atlannites are highly proficient at boating.


Ferrevus: Part of the Union of Four. Libennia and Ferrevus have had conflicts and wars in the past, but in recent years the relationship between the two nations has majorly improved, and the two countries are now considered close allies. Although their war is directed mostly towards Tacius, they still assist Libennia as much as possible.

Steeped in culture and tradition, Ferrevus is a country whose citizens tend to be highly knowledgeable in history. Ferrevians are highly patriotic and are quick to defend their nation, which has been accused of cowardice in recent years. Though her influence shrinks by the day, Ferrevus remains a fiercely proud country, often to a fault.


Espisaea: Part of the Union of Four. Espisaea is a large, northern country that borders both Norvanus and Tacius. Despite being separated from the other countries that make up the Union of Four, Espisaea remains a powerful force to reckon with.

Much of Espisaea is located in a very cold and inhospitable climate. Espisaeans are known for their enormous strength and stature, having to tolerate blizzards and ice for six months of the year. Espisaeans value hand-to-hand combat over the use of weapons, and are usually muscular and well-built.

Espisaea has not been known for being an entirely unified nation. In the past, she was often wrought with civil wars, and even in the present, divisions still plague her citizens. From an outsider’s point of view, Espisaeans would be considered more independent than not.


Tacius: Part of the Twin Empires. A southern country that borders Norvanus and Espisaea. She fights along Norvani, forming the Twin Empires. Although her contributions to the war are mainly directed towards Espisaea, there is growing concern among Union countries that Tacius will attempt to mobilize an aquatic fleet and attack Ferrevus and Libennia from the south.

Tacius inhabits a mild climate, producing citizens whose efforts are directed not towards survival, but progress. Tacius is a highly-educated nation, and although she doesn’t possess as much power as Norvanus or Libennia, Tacius is still a force to be reckoned with.


Belgit: A small, neutral nation wedged between Libennia and Norvanus. Most of Belgit is marsh and agriculturally-based. Despite trying its best to abstain from matters of war, Belgit finds itself unfortunately involved in the conflict.

Belgitians are a timid people by nature. Their home has been raided by neighbouring nations countless times over the centuries, and Belgitians have known war more often than peace. Having little to no army to speak of, Belgit is a country that has become more prone to defending itself than actually attacking.

Despite this, Belgitians still manage to devote a substantial amount of time towards other pursuits. Known as the birthplace of flight, some of the most important innovations in airship technology have been made in Belgit. A large proportion of Belgitians obtain careers that deal with flight, and they are known for being more proficient in piloting than any other nation.


Sylvatrus: Another small, neutral landlocked country. Located in the heart of the Occluded Mountains, Syltarus has a small, but notable, population. Most Sylvatrians can be found inhabiting towns or cities than living alone. Social by nature, much of Sylvatrian culture is based around technology, and they are known for producing some of the most important inventions of the past century.

Sylvatrians are known for being resourceful and intelligent, but withdraw mostly from the affairs of other nations. Sylvatrians prefers to keep to themselves for the most part, and they are known for being snobby and excessively prideful.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Skyr, capital of an empire

Skyr is a massive city. It has a population of millions and has a size comparable to cities like Paris or London. And it has a basic layout that looks something like this:

(I messed up when naming the streets. Stepney Road should be the name of the unnamed street located just a bit to the left. Sorry!)

Try and picture it as something like this in your heads (pictures not mine):

Spoiler

Central Square: Located right in the heart of downtown Skyr, Central Square is actually a circular shaped park where thousands gather. All sorts of street vendors, protestors, citizens, and people with something to say collaborate in the largest place of its kind in Libennia.

Royal Parliament Buildings: The headquarters of the entire Libennian government is situated in two large buildings by Central Square. Thousands of government officials ranging from the prime minister, to senators, to secretaries, to judges, to lawmakers, to clerks, work here.

Skyr Laboratories: This is the place where a large chunk of Libennia’s technological development occurs. Every day, some of the most intelligent scientists in the world churn out new engines, vehicles, weapons, and tools for both war and everyday life

Power Station: A massive plant that generates most of the electricity supply for Skyr. It is the largest building in Skyr, comparable to real-life structures such as the Empire State Building. Despite operating mostly on steam, most of the power is harnessed from massive reserves of energy found deep underground that are mined and processed to convert to electricity. The power station is still a relatively new building, and as a result, much of the upper portions are still under construction.

Sky Harbor: An enormous multilevel station where airships and zeppelins from around the world dock to load and unload passengers and cargo. Despite being located downtown, it has a sophisticated boarding system that can hold ten airships at a time. Crashes are almost nonexistent, as long as nobody messes with the system...

Skyr Museum: A large museum that houses everything from archaeological treasures to art. Within the museum lie many valuable items from throughout history, including manuscripts and maps from the Occluded Mountains.

Libennian Library: The largest library in Libennia is home to thousands upon thousands of books, scrolls, maps, stories and compendiums that have been collected for thousands of years.

River Rondeau: The River Rondeau flows through downtown Skyr. Centuries ago, it was this river that allowed Skyr to develop from a small village to a bustling city. Flowing all the way from the mountains of Sylvatrus down through Belgit and out to the Southern Sea, most of Skyr’s industry and transportation used to be centered on this river. In years past it hasn’t been as important to growth and development, but it remains an important symbol of the city’s power.

Lewis' apartment: Found on the 9th floor of a rundown apartment building to the northeast of Center Square, Lewis' apartment is our team's de facto headquarters for now. It will be an important location for meetings and gatherings.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Starting off

Here's the premise of the whole thing.

My character, Lewis, is a 30-something anthropologist who worked extensively with Dr. Carver Gallagher a decade ago. When Carver was killed by Norvanians, my character managed to rescue the Key and retreat into hiding. Very few people know Lewis is still alive - Lewis prefers it this way, knowing that he must keep the Key safe at all costs.

The Key is critical in this RP. It is the only possible way to enter the city of Altus. If we lose the Key, it's game over.

Every day, the global war plaguing Hibernia grows worse, and there is no end in sight. Lewis, realizing that there may be salvation in Altus, decides to revive the expedition to find the lost city. And that's where your characters come in.

There's only one problem: time. Norvanus is interested in finding Altus for the same reasons as Lewis - to win the war. If Norvanus snatches the Key away and finds the city of Altus, it's game over for Libennia. Lewis is placed under more danger every second, and knows that time is of the essence.

Lewis puts out advertisements across the nation to find men and women that will assist in his quest. Lewis still doesn't know exactly where Altus is, but he's hoping to work together with others to find it. Lewis knows he's taking a big risk, not knowing exactly who is going to show up at his front door, but it's a risk he's willing to take.

On these advertisements is the promise of "riches beyond your wildest dreams", including a "special expedition to the Great Mountains of the West". Lewis wants to gather as many talented people as he can to find Altus before Norvanus does.

The advertisements that Lewis puts out don't specifically mention Altus anywhere, just vague generalizations about money and adventure. Once all our characters gather at Lewis' apartment, everything will be explained to them there.

These advertisements are everywhere. Your character will end up spotting one of these ads, and will find themselves at Lewis' apartment to join his crew.

Of course, all your characters will get on the team. But there must be a good reason for it! Your character must at least contribute SOMETHING to the team to help find Altus before the Norvanians do. In other words, don’t make your character completely useless. (as if it needed to be stated.)

Before the RP starts, your character has seen Lewis’ ads and wants to join the team. There should be a valid reason they want to embark on this journey. Do they love the thrill of adventure? In it just for the money? You get the idea.


Last thing. There are three starting locations, and from each your character must work their way to Lewis’ apartment however they can. (it shouldn’t take long) This is also an opportunity for your character to meet others for the first time.

Skyr Train Station (if your character lives outside of the city): A large train station located on the outskirts of Skyr, where trains from all over the country assemble and unite in one location.

Sky Harbour (if your character lives outside of the city): Located in downtown Skyr, this is a large, multilevel station where airships and zeppelins come to load and unload passengers. It’s basically like an airport, except way cooler.

Skyr: If your character already lives in Skyr, they can start off wherever they live and make their way to Lewis’ place.

:!: IMPORTANT: :!: Things got out of hand very quickly the last time we tried this RP. Our characters ended up being on the run from the police before we even got started – not a good way to kick things off. As a result, you MUST MAKE SURE YOUR CHARACTER GETS TO LEWIS’ APARTMENT BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. You can come up with any way imaginable to get to Lewis’ apartment, but we have to make sure that everybody’s character arrives safe and sound before any trouble brews.


How to Play

This is a massive RP. I’ve spent a lot of time developing it and working things out, and I don’t want to see it go to waste. Please keep this going! I would be very happy to see this continue for months and want to see everybody posting on a regular basis. Make an effort to contribute as much as you can (within reason) and we can make this thing work.

This world is very much like late 19th century Europe in culture, behaviour, and resources. Hibernia is full of people from strange lands, and Skyr is very much a multicultural city. The culture encourages people to act well-mannered and proper, so if your character is an impolite slob all the time, there should be a good reason for it!

This is not a very action-oriented RP. Yes, there will be exciting chase scenes and fights and whatnot, but it’s not a struggle for survival or anything. It is heavily based on exploration, travel and character. I have a very loose idea of what Hibernia is like, but not much more than that. It’s up to you guys to create locations, people, establishments, organizations, objects, machines, etc., and make this world come to life.

Much of the RP takes place within the city of Skyr. It’s a big place, full of many fantastical wonders and contraptions. Use your imagination! Create some elaborate machines, marvellous machines, and nifty gadgetry. For crying out loud, it’s steampunk. Go nuts.

Your race must be Libennian, Atlannite, Espisaean, Belgitian, Ferrevussian, or Sylvatrian – you cannot be Norvanian or Tacian. They’re the bad guys, and any of them that are still in Libennia are being ostracized and held prisoner.

For goodness’ sake, use the maps! Don’t have your character turn left on Chittim Street and end up on Grand Avenue, because that would be silly!

You *must* post at least once every two to three weeks, otherwise something terrible will happen to your character!

If you for some reason want to quit the game, please let me know so we can take care of your character.

There will be a lot of things going on, and all the different things that are happening will be difficult to keep track of. I will do my best to sum things up in the OOC thread and clear up anybody’s confusion. But this also means that you guys have to keep track as well. Do your best not to leave any gaping plot holes or leave out major elements.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Creating your character

Your character is the skin you will inhabit in the world of Hibernia. Your character can be WHOEVER you want! There are very few restrictions on who your character can be, as long as it doesn't violate any obvious rules. (listed below)

Your character needs to make SENSE. For example, it would make sense for an out-of-work adventure-seeking pilot to see Lewis' ad and be interested. It would NOT make sense for the introverted president of Atlannion to seek Lewis, however.

If you're having trouble coming up with character ideas, think of Hibernia as Europe, around the 1890 - 1910 time frame. What kind of people would be living in this era? The possibilities are endless.

Obviously, your character should have something to contribute to Lewis' team. They don't have to be historians or archaeologists, but they can't be completely useless either. Anything from brute strength to weapon proficiency will be helpful to us in our escapades.

Don't forget to pick character traits and attributes that make sense. Is a humble farmer really going to be well versed in ancient civilizations? Will a sheltered in, educated old professor really be a force to be reckoned with in hand-to-hand combat? Consider things like this.

I can't really elaborate on roles people will hold in the team until I get a good idea of what all your characters are like, but the more variation we have, the better.

Fill this out and post it in this thread. I need to check over your profiles and approve them before you can play.

Name:
Age (18-60):
Gender:
Body build:
Starting point:
Nationality (cannot be Norvanian or Itacian):
Mechanical proficiency (1-5):
Historical proficiency (1-5):
Stealth proficiency (1-5):
Hand-to-hand combat proficiency (1-5):
Weapon combat proficiency (1-5):
Piloting proficiency (1-5):
Boating proficiency (1-5):
Education:
Spoken languages (1-3):
Other important info:
Background:

A proficiency of 1 or 2 is considered not proficient, 3 is considered somewhat proficient, and 4 or 5 is considered proficient.


Restrictions

Your character must be able to speak at least Libennian. If they couldn't, how else would they be able to communicate with the other characters, or read Lewis' advertisements? They don't have to speak it well, but at least good enough to get by.

If you speak more than one language, you cannot be both mechanically and historically proficient.

If your character is proficient in boating, he/she cannot be proficient at piloting, and vice versa.

If you are not proficient in both hand-to-hand and weapon combat, you are automatically proficient in either history, mechanics or stealth.

If your character does not have much of an education, they are automatically proficient in at least one of the two combats, but cannot be proficient in history or mechanics.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Round 2. Let's make this one last a little longer.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Name: Lewis Cooper
Age (18-60): 34
Gender: Male
Body build: Average
Starting point: His small, shabby apartment located on the 9th floor just off of Falcon Court.
Nationality (cannot be Norvanian or Itacian): Born and raised Libennian.
Mechanical proficiency (1-5): 3
Historical proficiency (1-5): 5
Stealth proficiency (1-5): 2
Hand-to-hand combat proficiency (1-5): 1
Weapon combat proficiency (1-5): 3
Piloting proficiency (1-5): 3
Boating proficiency (1-5): 1
Education: Attended Hartmore University and studied anthropology extensively
Spoken languages (1-3): 3 – speaks fluent Libennian, Norvannian and Ferrevussian
Other important info: Wears glasses, and can hardly see without them. Also has a crippling fear of water; refuses to board a boat or even go swimming.
Background: Lewis was raised in one of Skyr’s more affluent districts. His father was a surgeon and pressured him to get a job in medicine. However, Lewis’ true passion was for history and ancient culture. Against the wishes of his father, he enrolled at Hartmore University and launched his anthropological career.

While studying at Hartmore, he met Dr. Carver Gallagher, an esteemed professor. Carver took a liking to Lewis’ eagerness and enthusiasm, and the two quickly became acquainted. When Carver started making trips to explore the Occluded Mountains, he invited Lewis to tag along. Lewis proved to be a valuable asset to Carver when they embarked on their journey to find the Key.

Lewis was with Carver when their airship was attacked and Carver was killed. Lewis rescued the Key and disappeared. Most people assumed Lewis had been killed and the Key was either destroyed or taken by the Norvanians. Lewis retreated into hiding, vowing to end his anthropological career. However, when war broke out, Lewis decided that he had to find Altus once and for all, and began posting advertisements, looking for possible contenders to join his team.

Timid and nervous, Lewis is one of the few surviving experts on the city of Altus.

 

[Velocir_X]

Rerolling meself, some changes, new-backstory

Name: Matthew Slater
Age (18-60): 26
Gender: Male
Body build: Muscular
Starting point: The dormitories of the Skyr Airship Academy (its location is up to you to decide devvy)
Nationality (cannot be Norvanian or Itacian): Espisaea
Mechanical proficiency (1-5): 5
Historical proficiency (1-5): 1
Stealth proficiency (1-5): 1
Hand-to-hand combat proficiency (1-5): 5
Weapon combat proficiency (1-5): 3-4 (depending on the kind of weapons)
Piloting proficiency (1-5): 5
Boating proficiency (1-5): 1
Education: Libbenian Institute of High-Altidude Sciences
Spoken languages (1-3): 2 – Espisaean and thickly-accented Libennian
Other important info:
Highly resistant to high-altitude related sickness. A capable leader especially under pressure. Large stature combined with former celebrity status render him incapable of stealth. Despite some highly-specialized knowledge, often comes off as an uncivilized brute.

Also, though he's not willing to admit it, since the accident Matt suffers bouts of extreme vertigo when looking down tall vertical drops. This is part of the reason he has remained grounded the past four years...

Background:
Matt was born in a rural backwater on the fringes of the North-Espisaen Mountains. Like in most picturesque villages, the locals occupied themselves with day-to-day survival, sustenance farming, and folk art for the occasional tourist, ignoring the civilized world around them. As such, Matt had a relatively simple upbringing, punctuated by helping in the field, and practicing woodcuts.

The Slaters weren't a typical family, however. Papa Slater lived the life of an explorer before settling down and infected the young Matt with a love of adventure and mountaineering. The nearby North-Espisaen Mountains became a natural destination, and over the course of Matt's teenage years, the father-son team made huge gains in surveying and conquering the various unexplored peaks.

Paradoxically, his second passion in life stems from a near-fatal accident. At twenty-two, Matt was earning money by guiding tourists up some of the easier faces. It was during one of these climbs that an airship crashed into the peak a couple hundred meters above the expedition, spurring an avalanche. Stranded more than half-way up the mountain on the eve of a storm, Matt made the difficult decision of committing his inexperienced group to a twelve hour vertical ascent in order to reach the zeppelin. Undaunted by the death of one member, the eight man group pressed on, eventually reaching the crash site. There, despite exhaustion, they provided invaluable help in securing the husk of the airship for the coming blizzard, and likely were the major factor that allowed both parties, a total of over two dozen individuals, to survive. Rescue operations took nearly two weeks due to remoteness and inclement weather, providing more than enough time for Matt to develop a fascination with the device that both saved his life and almost took it away. Once down the mountain he was hailed as a national hero and his new-found notoriety paid for a spot at the Libbenian Institute of High-Altitude Sciences, a small offshoot of the Skyr Airship Academy.

It is here that Matt has spent the last four years, engrossed in the new frontier of high-altitude flight. Mostly forgotten by the public at this point, the only mentions of his name nowadays involve his graduate project, Narodnaya. A state of the art airship, Narodnaya is named after the very mountain that changed Matt's life. Comfortable, nevertheless Matt has begun to grow restless, and the flyers recently floating around town have piqued his interest. A test for his new-found knowledge? An adventure? A chance to summit the Occluded Mountains, last unconquered peaks in Hibernia? Only one way to find out...

 

[Misery]

Compared to my last character and back-story A lot has changed
(I don't know how Lewis advertised the trip so I assumed flyers...)

Name: Edgar Vicars
Age (18-60): 27
Gender: Male
Body build: Fairly Muscular
Starting point: Just outside the Sky harbor, near chittim street
Nationality (cannot be Norvanian or Itacian): Attlanian
Mechanical proficiency (1-5): 3
Historical proficiency (1-5): 1
Stealth proficiency (1-5): 2
Hand-to-hand combat proficiency (1-5): 5
Weapon combat proficiency (1-5): 4
Piloting proficiency (1-5): 2
Boating proficiency (1-5): 1
Education: Attlanian University
Spoken languages (1-3): Attlanian, Libennian, Norvanian
Other important info: Right arm is mechanical
Background: Raised in a decent Attlanian village named Khalis, Edgar lived out his life, helping the villagers with tasks that need doing, such as gathering supplies, building houses and otherwise helping everyone out.
Edgar soon earned enough money to move to the city of Aplen, where he worked as a key cutter, after a couple of years, Edgar, for reasons unknown to even himself, was recruited by a secret Attlanian organization named Trisec, ran by a man named Blake.
During his training Edgar was taught advanced hand to hand combat and how to use improvised weapons, he was also taught the Norvanian language, should he ever find himself behind enemy lines.

In the second year of working for Trisec, Edgar lost his right arm in the field, he was extracted and the mission was aborted, Trisec then replaced his arm with a mechanical one, after showing exceptional progress in the missions he was given, Edgar was then told that he was going to take his orders straight from Blake himself, Blake was based in Libennia, so Edgar had to learn the Libennian language.

Soon Edgar was fluent in Libennian and took an airship to Libennia, where he met a messenger of Blake in the sky harbor, Edgar was handed a leaflet for Lewis' Trip, Edgar was told to investigate this and report back.

Edgar then left the sky harbor, looked at the flyer, took a deep breath and began to make his way to the location on the flyer, Not knowing what kind of danger or adventure awaits him...

 

[Spoo]

Yes.

I am ecstatic that we are bringing back some part of PbP RP'ing here. I missed it so much. Anyways, I didn't take part in the original Altus, but I am looking into steampunk and it seems amazingly cool, so I think I will participate this time.

Name: Andrew Hall
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Body build: Average
Starting point: Slightly less shabby, but unkempt, apartment on 3rd floor
Nationality: Libennian
Mechanical proficiency: 5
Historical proficiency: 2
Stealth proficiency: 3
Hand-to-hand combat proficiency: 1
Weapon combat proficiency (1-5): 3
Piloting proficiency: 2
Boating proficiency: 1
Education: Libennian Technical Institute Alumnus
Spoken languages : Libennian
Other important info: Being a technical school graduate, Hall has a thorough understanding of modern technology and steam power.
Background:

Hall was born to a middle class family living in the heart of Libennia. Though he was raised surrounded by agricultural career opportunities, Hall found himself fascinated by the technology of the city; airships, steam power; all the fancy stuff. As such, as soon as he came of age, Hall left his rural town for the city to pursue a degree in steam technology. He was granted his wish; Hall graduated top of his class. However, due to the economical state of Libennia at the time, he found himself jobless straight out of college. As such, the small flyer asking for knowledgeable adventurers seemed to be a godsend. Hall promptly prepared his belongings and set out for Skyr.

 

[Perihelion]

Man, it's been so long since I actually did any writing of any kind. Maybe I should join this to get back in the saddle.

idk

I'll think about it! I'm not really in a steampunk kind of mood, but maybe. Are there any relatively primitive fringe societies? I have this idea of a character from some tribal society who thinks machines are powered by demons or something, maybe brought to Skyr as a curiosity. Also, is there any magic in this, or is it strictly tech? Specifically I would want really subtle magic that mainly consists of communing with spirits and not actually influencing the world. But this might be wildly out of place, so maybe not.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Sorry I haven't responded in a while. It's been pretty hectic lately.

Velocir_X, Misery, Spooky, your characters all look good. I'm glad we've got such a wide variety of skills to go into this, and the backstories are hella interesting to read. Seeing as we've got three characters ready to go, I'm going to get the actual RP started tomorrow night, and we can get this show on the road.

Also, is there any magic in this, or is it strictly tech? Specifically I would want really subtle magic that mainly consists of communing with spirits and not actually influencing the world. But this might be wildly out of place, so maybe not.

I haven't really considered this kind of thing, to be honest. I'd really prefer to keep it as grounded in reality as far as the supernatural goes - if your character is a psychic or a medium who thinks they can contact spirits it should be okay, as long as the paranormal elements exist only in your character's mind.

Also, we'd love to have you join us. :3

 

[regi]

Here we go!

Name: Sheryl Rolsmede
Age (18-60): 31
Gender: Female / Cyborg
Body build: Tall, fit
Starting point: Airship Station
Nationality (cannot be Norvanian or Itacian): Espisaean
Mechanical proficiency (1-5): 2
Historical proficiency (1-5): 1
Stealth proficiency (1-5): 1
Hand-to-hand combat proficiency (1-5): 5
Weapon combat proficiency (1-5): 3
Piloting proficiency (1-5): 3
Boating proficiency (1-5): 1
Education: too poor to afford proper education; read what she could from scavenged books and news items
Spoken languages (1-3): Espisaean, Libennian
Other important info: a human warrior fitted with machined parts (see below), very strong but bulky and slow; cannot speak coherently, but can read and write (poorly); quite ugly.
Background: Born into a poor family on the countryside of Espisaean, Sheryl lived a cruel childhood in a land raged with war and famine. When both her parents died in an enemy bombing, the teenage girl moved to the frontlines and signed up for the army.

Brave and nimble, Sheryl made an excellent soldier. Over the years, she participated in several successful raids and attacks. One day, however, a stealth operation went terribly wrong, and she was captured and brought to a small lab in Norvania. There, they performed horrible experiments, amputating her limbs and replacing them with robotic parts, trying to turn her into a war machine.

They succeeded, but only partly; when the engineers tried to insert a chip into her brain, it fried and damaged her ability to speak coherently, as well as other minor problems (occasional dizziness and nausea). Driven mad from pain and suffering, Sheryl broke free and killed the Norvanians.

Lost and drained, she wandered the deserted, rugged lands surrounding the lab, becoming more and more accustomed to her new handicapped body. Stumbling upon a camp of Norvanian scientists, she slew all except the pilot, and threatened the latter to send her home. After watching and examining the most basic of controls, she killed him too and dumped his body.

Filled with a relentless rage, she piloted the ship forward towards a smudge of smoke on the horizon, hoping to find allies to help her-- or enemies to slay.