The Power of Steam
So guys. For those of you who I have met before, hi! To those of you I haven't, pleased to meet you. So, I've been thinking for some time about starting an RP myself. I've been the Co-OP of a few, but never the OP. So I decided to start my own RP. So I looked around, and I saw a distinct lack of steampunk RPs. So, I decided to create one of my own. Now the paragraph below is the backstory and setting for the RP, so please read it if you want to have any idea what this RP is about, or what you will be doing. So please - enjoy!
In the year 861 AU, the Tirestir Empire and the Kingdom of Dorwine were close allies. They shared the continent of Aelburh with each other, and their people were free to move between and work in each other's lands. One fateful day in Dorwine, a man by the name of Gilas Waerhelm was working on a invention. It would use the principles used by shipmakers that they would design boats around, that they may move through the water easier, as well as the Hot Air Balloon for flight. And, most importantly, the power of Steam already used by so many other machines across the land. He would combine all of these, and adapt them to design and single-handedly build the prototype of the Airship. It was a small thing, but it was a massive achievement - powered flight. He flew it to the capital of Dorwine, and landed it in the courtyard of Donstell Keep - the residence of the King of Dorwine in the capital.
A normal man wouldn't have dared attempted this, but Waerhelm was no normal man - no normal man would not have sacrificed 8 years of his life, and a stable marriage with three children, to follow up such a seemingly impossible idea. When he touched down in the courtyard, the Kind was amazed. He ordered Woodye to give the blueprints and explain the principles of the machine to his best men, who then went on to build much more reliable, much faster and much bigger ships than the original, and Woodye was rewarded handsomely for his achievement. When the Emperor of Tirestir heard of this invention, he was fascinated and got himself a demonstration of the machine, yet the Dorwish would not share the secrets of the airship, as they normally would do with any other invention or creation. The Dorwish King saw it as a chance to get one step ahead of Tirestir, and it worked - for some time. After a few more years, Tirestir managed to create their own functioning prototype, but the insult from the Dorwish after they did not share the secrets of the machine did not fade away. Soon, the two nations were locked in an arms race that could only end in one thing. War.
And that is exactly what came of the continent. Some small spark set the whole thing off, but within days of it happening, the two nations were locked in an epic conflict, like tow heavyweight boxers slugging it out, but neither of them conceding much ground. Eventually, the forces of Tirestir culminated into a massive strike, and managed to punch through the Dorwish defences. They kept on pushing them back, giving them Dorwish armies not time to retreat or reorganise. As the Tirestir forces closed in on the heartland of Dorwine, where their capital and most populous cities were located, Dorwine played it's final card in an attempt to save itself. Massive AA batteries cleared the skies of Tirestir airships, and when the ground forces closed in on the cites, they took off. Massive propellers propelled the cities skyward, out of reach of even the biggest Tirestir artillery.
But, the war was taking it's toll on the Empire, and after six long years, it's people were tired of fighting. The Emperor who started the war passed away, and his son came to power, who raised taxes and was a harsh dictator over the people. Thoughts turned to whispers, whisperes turned to riots, and riots turned into a revolution. The rebels in the outer territories broke away, forming two new nations, and the overseas territories of the Empire broke away too. All that was left was the original lands held by the King who united the Empire under a single banner. Even those lands fell to the rebels, as mass desertion across city garrisons and the army occurred, giving the rebel cause trained fighters and quality equipment. They marched on the capital, executed the Emperor, and ended his tyrannical rule. The Empire of Tirestir was no more, only four young new nations forged in the fires of revolution. But, the three of these nations on the mainland each claimed to be the rightful heir to the Imperial throne, and many wars were fought between them over the next twenty years. But, Dorwine was not passed by by the disorder and unhappiness. The flying cities eventually called for their independence, and, fearing the same would happen to Dorwine as what happened to Tirestir, the King agreed.
So now, here we are. In the year 893 AU, this RP takes place. You find yourself on board a ship bound for Ellonde - capital of the Cloud Republic. You have come to the city, because the President has called for brave adventurers to undertake an expedition. An expedition into the remnants of the Tirestir Empire. He - arguably the most powerful man in all of Aelbruh want's these lands unified or stabilised - once and for all. Your mission is to subjugate each of the major cities in these lands, and once that it accomplished, he has organised his Republic's armies and the armies of Dorwine to move into these lands and eliminate any resistance form local warlords, princes or rebels. You each have your own airship - how you came to own such a machine is of your concern, and to be detailed in the app.
10 minutes away from Ellonde
Charlie was standing at the bow of her airship, the harpoon gun just behind her as she leaned over the front. The wind was rushing along the length of her ship, and causing her hair to flow out behind her, the very tips flicking lightly against the harpoon point behind her. She closed her eyes, and smiled, feeling the wind in her hair. When she opened her eyes again, the clouds that her ship had been rising through were gone. She came over the peak of one of the clouds, and the floating city came into view. It was a magnificent sight to behold. She could just about see the workers along the sky docks moving around, loading and unloading the airships already docked. Further inwards the city's buildings gradually increased in height, mirroring the city's underside. She could see all around the city edge were massive rotor blades, slowly spinning, as well as plenty on the underside too.
She ran back down the deck, and up the short flight of steps to the helm. She grabbed the wheel, and steered the ship towards one of the empty piers, extending out into the empty sky. She kept on rising until she was level with the pier, and then continued forward, steering her ship into the gap between two of the piers. She disengaged the engines, and ran to the front of the ship, and threw down the board between her ship and the pier. She also threw out the rope line onto the pier, which was promptly tied up by one of the few dock workers who came forward to help her dock up. She did the same one the other side, holding the ship in place between the two piers. She then walked over the board between her ship and the pier, and onto the actual city itself. She opened the pouch on her belt, and gave the worker two crowns.
"Give one to your friend over there." She said, gesturing to the man who tied up the other rope of her ship. She walked down the pier, and along the open space where crates and other goods were stacked. She climbed the flight of stairs up to the main street level, and looked around her. She was told to arrive at the Senate tomorrow morning, at 10:00 am sharp, like all the others adventurers coming.
