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Story of the Steamwars

The World

With ceaseless march of technology, wonders and horrors unimaginable present themselves. This is the state of the World: It is the year 1904. The wonders of electricity and steam power have brought about the rise of two incredible corporations. Veritable countries unto themselves. The Edison Firm and the Tesla Combine. These competing companies came to power at the same time, playing off the inventions of each other in a power-mad race to dominance. The incredible amounts of resources they consumed to fuel their incredible technologies has left much of the Western World bereft, spreading ever farther across the American Continent in search of the raw materials.

This competition led to clashes between the two companies. They were forced to arm their workers, and thus an arms race began. In under fifteen years, both companies have become much akin to military organizations. The U.S Government is near collapse as the two firms acquire more and more land, and lacks the military might to stop their relentless growth. And now, hailing from the untamed lands of the Western deserts comes a new group, the mysterious Union Fire, whose reality-warping technology has stunned the competing armies into a temporary cease fire as they defend themselves against the new threat.


The Players

The Edison Firm
Lead by the enigmatic industrialist Thomas Edison, they strive to bring technology to the masses, whether they want it or not. Building cities from the ground up in mere months, this massive conglomerate is dedicated to the March of Progress, heedless of its cost. The soldiers under the Edison Firm use Steam-powered technologies. The Firm was responsible for most of the construction of New York City, especially the massive steam engines that move the spires of the Upper City.

The Tesla Combine
Founded by the famed scientist Nikola Tesla, this group, of companies work with the singular goal of bringing their Electrical machinery to the world, to bring about a new era of peace and prosperity for all mankind under the deafening crack of the Electrical Coils. That, at least, was how they began. To most now, it seems as if Tesla and his allies seek only to undo the work of Edison, at the cost of lives if need be. The Tesla Combine uses Electrical Machinery. The Combine is credited with the creating the vast telephone and electrical grid which powers the city and provides communication.

The Union Fire
A new player on the scene, whose ultimate intentions remain unclear. Led by a mysterious figure known only as Benjamin, this shady group works against both the Firm and the Combine. The lands and territory they seize are walled off from all but aerial view and reports exist of giant domes of unknown design being constructed. Refugees fleeing both companies are welcomed with open arms, but sinister rumors abound concerning those who join the Union Fire, as they are never heard of again. Their sudden appearance and shockingly advanced technology has caught both forces off-guard. The Union Fire wields a new power source, termed only as the C-Engine. It combines elements of both Electrical and Steam technology, but their devices have results that many claim border on the Supernatural. Union Fire members dress identical to one another, with black leather gas masks obscuring their features. Rumor has it that the Union Fire originated in the deserts of the far western American continent.

The Wild Botts
These dangerous mechanical creatures appeared several years before the Union Fire, slowly moving east across the Barrens. To the casual observer, they resemble metallic animals, cats and dogs, birds and bugs, all manner of beast assembled from rusting cogs and cracked gears. Debate rages around whether mechanical beings like this have any real intelligence. Territorial and aggressive, Botts scour the endless junkyards of the Barrens, collecting what they want and vanishing into the swirling dust. No one knows where they go, or what they do with the salvage they collect. Their numbers are on the rise, and rumors abound of Wild Botts in the Groundlands, stalking the denizens below.

The Stage

Our story begins in New York City, the masterpiece of the ailing Western World. This city has been declared Neutral Ground, and all 3 organizations function within it. Towering spires that reach as if to scrape the sky, allowing the wealthiest to live among the clouds. Weaving between these towers, massive steel cables pull endless busses and trams miles above the long-forgotten ground, ferreting the populace to and fro. The city is as if in constant motion, towers that move along tracks, and buildings that grow taller with the grinds of gears larger than anything imagined. Soaring dirigibles cross the skyline, propelled by massive turbines.

Below the splendor and grandness of the Upper City live the workers. The near-enslaved populace of the Groundlands, who keep the massive engines that power the city fed. They clean the gears, repair the broken and replace the degraded machineries that allow the city to survive. These people live in near absolute darkness, lit by only the artificial. The few sources of natural light that breaks through the permanent smog cover are traded commodities.

Outside the city, crossed only by the secured railways of the three factions are The Barrens. The monstrous consumption of natural resources have left the lands outside the city, for hundreds of miles all around barren of even the faintest life beyond the insects, and the mysterious mechanical creatures known as the Wild Botts. Few outposts exist in these barren lands, and the most precious commodity here is clean water.


Technology

Steam (Steam users are called “Steamers”)
Steam-based technology is cumbersome, and large, but incredibly resilient and strong. What Steam lacks in speed and sophistication, it makes up for in reliability, strength, and ease of use. Easily repaired and maintained components mean repairing and rearming is a fast and simple affair. Steam powered systems (Armor-suits, vehicles, projectile weaponry) must be large due to their power source.
Pros: Strength, reliability, ease of maintenance and repair, abundant power supply. Allows use of mechanized battle armor.
Cons: Slow, cumbersome, heavy equipment, lack of subtlety. Requires a “Warm-up” period before use to produce steam.

Electrical (Electrical users are called “Teslars”)
Electrical-based technology is still considered to be the forefront of technology. Electrical power enables gadgets and weaponry to be smaller, more agile and capable of big effects for a small price. Electricity also allows the user to activate a device as fast as he can control it, with almost no downtime between uses. Electricity also allows the use of “Ray-based” weaponry. Electrical devices are powered by complex ‘electro-charges’, a crude battery-like device that can be hand-cranked and supply between 1-5 hours of continual use for Armors and Devices, and can also provide a type of ammo for weaponry. Use-time or charges vary by size of the electro-charge used.
Pros: Small size, easily concealed, a wide variety of effects from electrical technology. Use of Ray Weaponry.
Cons: Energy supply is limited and must be refueled more often than steam. Devices are prone to malfunction after extended use, and repair is far more difficult and time consuming. Self-electrocution is a varying risk.

C-Engine (C-Engine users are called “Chronites”)
A mysterious technology that appeared without warning several years ago. C-Engine devices are used only by Union Fire operatives, and are always destroyed in the event of capture. The C-Engine itself is a small glass vial containing a glowing green gas. If punctured, the gas expands rapidly, consuming all biological matter in a 15-yard radius. It is said that each and every C-Engine core is created by hand by the mysterious Benjamin, to protect the secret of its creation. All that is widely known of its abilities is that C-Engine technology has reality-warping capabilities, with many reported effects such as Time manipulation, teleportation, biological alteration, just to name a few. It has also been noted that at times Chronites seem almost as surprised by the side effects their weapons have, and it is believed that the reality-bending properties inherent in C-Engine technology is not fully controlled.

Weaponry

Notes: Gunpowder is nearly nonexistent. Nearly all explosive devices are kept secured by each corporation for use in blasting mines for new resource gathering operations. Thus Steam is the technology of choice for Gunslingers, and Electrical users use Raycasters for their ranged needs. Steam devices are commonly insulated to prevent damage from purely electrical sources.

Steam
Steam Weaponry is centered in blunt force. Most projectile and missile based weaponry comes from Steam, as do the fearsome Battle Armor that many Steamers were into battle. Steam-powered melee weapons, such as the powerful Slamhammers, use steam driven pistons to add incredible force to their blows. Steam-powered Sniper-Rifles and Crossbows are favored among hardened soldiers. Steam-power can also be used to generate electricity, and power devices similar to those of the Teslars, however due to the size necessary to create such a level of power, the devices lose any semblance of portability or ease of use.

Steam Armor: Those who use steam armor favor melee combat or heavy weaponry. Steam armor is any basic metal exoskeleton designed to increase the lethal capabilities of the user. As a rule, steam armor is large, heavy and slow. Each suit of armor is unique to the designer.


Electrical
First and foremost in a Teslar’s weaponry is his Raycaster. Certain crystals, found in deep-ocean mines produce powerful “beams” of charged particles when electrocuted and focused down a special barrel. The intensity, effect and lethality of a Raycaster varies by crystal, and some models can be hot-swapped with special cartridges for changing situations. Electricity also allows the use of a wide-array of devices, like radios, mag-synced homing devices, and a wide array of measuring and investigative tools. As with all electronic devices, electrocution is a risk.

Raycaster: Resembling a fat oversized handgun, Raycasters are a remarkable ranged weapon. A electrical charge is funneled into the barrel and through a specially designed crystal matrix, which converts the energy into a beam of colored light that discharges the energy like a bullet. These beams do not have any physical impact on them, but instead feature elemental properties. examples include beams that freeze the target in ice, set it on fire, or even melt or dissolve the target. (GM has discretion on just how powerful a specific gun can be).

C-Engine
Little is known about C-Engine weaponry, only that it is destructive, potent, and unstable. Their weapons appear to work similar raycasters, but the shots warp reality around them, producing a staggering array of effects.

The Story

Near the bottom of the Upper City exists a somewhat shorter, far older building, whose large glittering sign proclaims “The Franklin Building.” Owned by Charles Babbage and the Lady Ada Lovelace, this hotel is considered the most venerable in the city. Its two uppermost floors and roof are home to a casino, a bar, a pool hall and several other recreational activities. Prominently featured are the gladiatorial arena fights hosted by the owners of the Franklin Building, offering fabulous cash rewards, and even greater rewards for those who volunteer for the illegal-but-well-known Death Match battles, where the winner takes all. Far removed from the glitz and glamour of the clubs in the taller towers, this is the place where the real movers and shakers behind New York City’s daily life pass the time. Below this pleasure palace is a hotel of sorts, granting rest to the weary soldier and rich tycoon alike. Farther down are the respective ‘holdings’ of the two principal groups, the Tesla Combine and Edison Firm. The peace here is tenuous, but it holds for the most part. However, no one from either firm risks going into the levels nearing the Groundlands, which are the domain of the Union Fire, who have attacked both firms openly. The police forces of the city are token here at best, and only serve to police the upper few levels.

With resources scarce and tensions high, the two major corporations cannot afford to send their soldiers into the field anymore. Hundreds of "Adventuring Firms" have sprung up to fill the gap, hiring out soldiers of fortune to scour the Barrens for new resources, to hunt troublesome Botts, or to combat enemy forces by proxy.

A summit has been declared at the Franklin Building, to discuss the ongoing cease fire and to decide on a course of action to deal with the Union Fire's invasion. Adventurers, soldiers, businessmen and wanders alike are convening on the building.

 

Character Profile Template

For now, One character per person.

PM me all applications for approval, along with at least one paragraph of RP sample, topic is your choice.

Keep in mind this is a Steampunk RP, so if your application has a picture of a random anime schoolgirl with wings leaning on a lamppost looking forlorn, I'll smack you.

Name:
Sex:
Age:
Appearance: (Picture please. Use software or photobucket to resize it. I will not accept oversized huge images. Links work just as well)
Faction: (Tesla, Edison or Neutral)
Weaponry and Gadgets: (Three main weapons allowed. Steam Armor counts as a weapon. Non-combat gadgets and devices are allowed, don't go overboard.)
Personality:
History: (be thorough.)
RP Sample: (One paragraph minimum. )


Rules

1. Obey the Gaia ToS. Pretty simple here folks. You bust the ToS and I bust you.
2. My word is Law. Law is what you Obey. Obey is what you Do. To prove you will Obey, highlight the empty space at the end of Rule Number 6 and do what it says.
3. This is a Sci-fi/Steampunk RP. There are no elves, no glittery vampires, and no ******** half-angel half-demon half-werewolf amnesiac anime house maids.
4. Violence will happen, probably alot. Deal with it.
5. Romance is encouraged, but keep it PG-13 or I'll get with the aforementioned busting.
6. Gladiatorial fights will be decided on by random D20 rolls. During a fight, I will ask each combatant to roll a dice with their posting, the winner has the highets roll. In the event of a tie, I will flip a coin. Add the phrase "Asphalt Ballet" as the subject line of your application PM.