The Imperial Cartographic Society (FT, OOC, Sign Up)

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Just something I thought I would throw out there...

There seems to be plnety of explosions, various violent acts and general mayhem going on in the galaxy at present, so I thought I would offer up something a little more peaceful.

Basically the Imperial Cartographic Society is the Imperial Russian equivalent of an 'Adventurers Guild'. Gentlemen, and less gentlemanly but more heavily armed fellows, are given leave by the Tsar to head out into the galaxy and explore things, collect artifacts, engage in the sort of hijinks you would expect of a 19th century 'gentleman archaeologist' (that is, stealing things...but legally.)

There would be two level of involvement, something I've seen done a few times. People playing as members of said society (being Russian isn't a requirement, being either quite rich or having suitable skills is...as well as having the level of arrogance required to take a valuable-looking religious idol right out of the high priest's hand. And possibly shoot him.) or offering up some interesting place for the society to check out. An archaeological site, interesting artifact, or just a unique population to interact with. And possibly steal from.

I would prefer, of course, to avoid 'certain-death' situations. I realize that, this being FT and having all the 40k states around, virtually any interesting artifact is going to be a horrific soul-sucking doombattery, but try to make it one that doesn't eat the first person to touch it. Hordes of angry natives, chaos cultists and so forth are acceptable, however.

If there's interest, I'll change this into a sign-up thread.

SIGN UP

Character Applications:
A little background is required, you don't need to be too detailed, a life story is not required.

Name:
Age: (If alien, give an equivalent in human years, EX: Your 572 year old Space Dwarf would be, roughly, equivalent to a middle-aged human)
Previous/Current Occupations:
Role within the ICS:
Related Skills:
Noble/Academic titles/Military Rank (if applicable):
Reason for joining the ICS:


Location Application:
Name:
Chief Claimant: (IE: Who actually controls the system)
Purpose of investigation: (Simple 'cultural investigation/scouting' is fine)
Estimated threats to ICS personnel: (Does it rain acid?)
Role that you (the person filling this in) will take in this RP: (GM-type, active character role, local military, etc.)

My own:
Name: Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev

Age: 37

Previous/Current Occupations:
Rittmeister (Captain) in the Vladimir 1st Dragoons, Baron of several Central Asian cities.

Related Skills:
A decade of cavalry service has given him some experience with the sword and cavalry weapons in general. He is something of a skilled commander and frequently commands any military detachments sent along with ICS expeditions. Having frequently been to Central Asia to pacify rebellions, he has learned to quickly pick up languages. Nicknamed 'The White Pasha' for his attachment to the Central Asian region.

Role within the ICS:
Expedition commander, Imperial Russian Army attache, cultural 'expert'. Specialist in close combat when required.

Noble/Academic titles/Military Rank (if applicable):
Rittmeister, Baron.

Reason for joining the ICS:
A taste for adventure, with Central Asia pacified and only some Turksih rebels on Mars to deal with in military terms, he opted for something more interesting.

PC Members of the Society:

Bavin:
Name: Christian Moloney
Age: 51 years
Previous/Current Occupations: Army Linguistic Interpreter, Army Language Professor.
Role within the ICS: Interpreter
Related Skills: Knowledge of various languages that serve as universal bases for more primitive dialects, knowledge of the key brain developments towards basic language, and as such can gain a basic speaking level of it within a few weeks. Also a fine marksman with a gauss rifle. Excellent shape for his age.
Noble/Academic titles/Military Rank (if applicable): Professor, Ph.D, Colonel.
Reason for joining the ICS: Grew bored with teaching, and saw this as an opportunity for adventure.
Always wanted to explore space and use the language skills he thought on previously unknown dialects.


Telvira:
Name: Captain Marcus (last name unknown)
Age: 47
Previous/Current Occupations: Captain in the Telviran Navy
Role within the ICS: Explorer
Related Skills: He is an able captain, and an excellent fighter both with ranged and melee weaponry
Noble/Academic titles/Military Rank (if applicable): Captain
Reason for joining the ICS: For money and adventure

Locations:
[spoiler]
Telvira:
Location Application: Planet
Name: Rothscard
Chief Claimant: Technically claimed by Telvira, but no presence
Purpose of investigation: Reports of ancient ruins and immense treasures, possible indigenous peoples
Estimated threats to ICS personnel: Possible traps in ruins, some hazardous flora and fauna, possible threat from natives
Role that you (the person filling this in) will take in this RP: GM

Prevania
Name: The Prevania
Chief Claimant: The Thalassocratic Oligarchy of Prevania
Purpose of investigation: Almost anything - after over 100 Prevanian Standard years of travel, Prevania is sure to have picked up something interesting.
Estimated threats to ICS personnel: Prevania is intensly paranoid - attempt to enter the 5000 km Exclusion Zone around Prevania without proper authorisation and you may be fired upon. But bribe the right people, and you should have no problems.
Role that you (the person filling this in) will take in this RP: Theognis Hodosamenos, a leading citizen on Prevania, he is very wealthy and influential, leading the coaltion of 'Straightists'. Also, generic members of the Prevanian Combined Fleets

[Bavin]

Sounds intriguing...

[Mewsland]

Curiously interesting... TG me in NS when you plan out more of the storyline

[Gaian Ascendancy]

There's always ascended-Gaian artifacts and left behind (maybe) technology, and/or artifacts that point to stuff like ascension and other stuff that's above the norm for NS FT, or even NS in general. Stuff left behind after the original Exodus when the Gaians left for the War in the Antaran Dimension. Gaian-angelic-ascended stuff 'never' was meant to kill anything. At least, not in proper hands.

Who knows what if otherwise. (Since there were moments Dark Ascendancy assets were in the Alpha Universe, even in the Milky Way Galaxy, where Ascendancy holdings were once.)

If ya get moi drift. =^^=

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Sounds interesting, GA.

I was also considering taking a page from the Earthclan series and having the ICS run across some amazingly ancient derelict fleet. Everybody knows old stuff is the best stuff in FT, so that could generate some fun

[Prevania]

If you wanted to, you could probably find something interesting in Prevania. The FT version of Prevania is essentially a 50 km long spacecraft populated by humans, the government type being a radical Athenian-style democracy. We do, however, maintain an exclusion zone around Prevania, so escaping with any ill-gotten gains could be difficult...

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Oh, they probably wouldn't actually STEAL from any 'civilized' people, 'civilized' being defined as the sort who are actually capable of chasing you across the galaxy and taking what you stole back. They would probably cut some kind of deal with the leadership, where possible, to get what they wanted. That or go the stealth route and bribe everybody in their way.

[Albaron]

Might be interesting, will you be making maps, or is it entirely fictitious?

[Prevania]

Oh, they probably wouldn't actually STEAL from any 'civilized' people, 'civilized' being defined as the sort who are actually capable of chasing you across the galaxy and taking what you stole back. They would probably cut some kind of deal with the leadership, where possible, to get what they wanted. That or go the stealth route and bribe everybody in their way.

Ah, by your definition, Prevania is probably not 'civilized', since we do not have FTL. Indeed, the theoretical maximum sustained acceleration is thought to be around only 17ms-2. Though, being a very capitalist society (we fled to space to escape a communist take-over), you could probably bribe just about everybody for the right price.

[Gaian Ascendancy]

Well, I'm here for my part of the idea, if it wants to be used. Right now, all that 'seems' left of the Gaians, are the refugees from the future of Antara Dimension, destroyed entirely by the Dark Rip. A few 'paltry' billion souls, left over from the billions of trillions that once comprised the First Guardianship. We're pretty much embroiled in fighting for survival, having just came out of a bloody Civil War, one engineered by the Dark Ascendancy Dark Lord Wraith Caceroth, (hence the kind of stuff we're dealing with. =^^= )

This leaves my stuff pretty wide open, since one secret of the Exodus, not alluded to by moi so far, is that the Gaians left behind 'most' of their worlds, and a tremendous amount of Gaian material was stored away in vast Brian Caches, both in the MWCG, and in the ancient former holdings in the Archonis Supercluster. All of this, including stuff said before, was in case the initial stages of the Dark Ascendancy War went REALLY sour, since jumping blind into another Dimensional Universe set, was as big a leap of faith, that ascended beings could have ever encountered. As the war lasted over a billion years, the 'old' Gaians never returned. (The future version on the other hand...?)

The eventual plans, and for my plot, involves the future Gaians, learning a 'lot' of surprising stuff about where many of their anchors come from, as well as finding many of these Brain Caches, scattered literally, across the entire Alpha Universe. All along the way towards the Second Guardianship. For now, the Gaians are stuck rebuilding an identity, as well as most things logistical. This leaves any of those Brain Caches, wide open to discover. (If one can get past the highly advanced defenses, and superstructure construction the Gaians used. This means the Caches are of anything from a time capsule, buried in some cave, to entire mountain side complexes, stuffed with Battlemechs, docked starships, and other material, both military and civilian. The more frightening stuff, is the archive caches, that held everything from understanding the nature of Gaian ascendance, angelic coexistence, and the like, to stuff like genetic resurrection technology, data on Zero Point Energy Cores, Fold Jump drives, and other stuff that made an intergalactic super-empire-republic, all actually work. And there's even scarier stuff (from a good guy point of view,) such as captured Dark Ascendancy tech, planet creation, subspace dimensionalized expansion techniques, stuff that could turn a willing nation (or plural,) into the same form of superpower that the Gaians turned into. Some of this on planets, others in space, usually within nebulae clusters, hard to access. (For the usual reasons. Solar, gamma, x-ray radiation, among other 'concerns'.)

Now, as for a possible plot, I could play the part of DM, as where instead of participating, (early on anyway,) I instead post what the other posters 'see'. If I were to participate, it'd be late or such, when something 'really' sensitive to the Gaians, is discovered. Otherwise, it's open fare as far as I'm concerned. Course, it'd be interesting to find out 'what' would stir the attention of an advanced civilization, trying to keep to themselves at the moment.

At least, that's my 'short' idea, for it all. It's too easy to just find a fleet and such, since even 'I' did that stuff, early on in my NS career. The whole left behind Avian Lord tech thing, worked rather well. (And in fact, part of my overall 'current' plot mystery now. Hehe...) If ya want to find something you can keep, then I give my consideration for this. (Since I hate the whole mystery dungeon thing, and the reward in the end, is either lame, or out of reach, for whatever pointless reason. I'd prefer something with MEAT to give away.)

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Almighty, updated the OP to reflect the change in thread status.

[Bavin]

Name: Christian Moloney
Age: 51 years
Previous/Current Occupations: Army Linguistic Interpreter, Army Language Professor.
Role within the ICS: Interpreter
Related Skills: Knowledge of various languages that serve as universal bases for more primitive dialects, knowledge of the key brain developments towards basic language, and as such can gain a basic speaking level of it within a few weeks. Also a fine marksman with a gauss rifle. Excellent shape for his age.
Noble/Academic titles/Military Rank (if applicable): Professor, Ph.D, Colonel.
Reason for joining the ICS: Grew bored with teaching, and saw this as an opportunity for adventure.
Always wanted to explore space and use the language skills he thought on previously unknown dialects.

[Prevania]

Location Application
Name: The Prevania
Chief Claimant: The Thalassocratic Oligarchy of Prevania
Purpose of investigation: Almost anything - after over 100 Prevanian Standard years of travel, Prevania is sure to have picked up something interesting.
Estimated threats to ICS personnel: Prevania is intensly paranoid - attempt to enter the 5000 km Exclusion Zone around Prevania without proper authorisation and you may be fired upon. But bribe the right people, and you should have no problems.
Role that you (the person filling this in) will take in this RP: Theognis Hodosamenos, a leading citizen on Prevania, he is very wealthy and influential, leading the coaltion of 'Straightists'. Also, generic members of the Prevanian Combined Fleets

NB: see my signature for further details.

[Telvira]

OOC-I have the perfect guy for this

Name: Captain Marcus (last name unknown)
Age: 47
Previous/Current Occupations: Captain in the Telviran Navy
Role within the ICS: Explorer
Related Skills: He is an able captain, and an excellent fighter both with ranged and melee weaponry
Noble/Academic titles/Military Rank (if applicable): Captain
Reason for joining the ICS: For money and adventure

Note-Captain Marcus has his own ship, the Zulu, and a professional crew. He is willing to take on other members of the Society for exploration.

---

Location Application: Planet
Name: Rothscard
Chief Claimant: Technically claimed by Telvira, but no presence
Purpose of investigation: Reports of ancient ruins and immense treasures, possible indigenous peoples
Estimated threats to ICS personnel: Possible traps in ruins, some hazardous flora and fauna, possible threat from natives
Role that you (the person filling this in) will take in this RP: GM