Sempiternal, Revived (Sci-Fi, OOC, Interest thread, OPEN)

[Isle of Lithonia]

Sempiternal
The Path to Immortality

CURRENT Archive Thread
Chapter 1: The Dawning (IC thread)


OLD Archive Thread (CLOSED)
OLD IC Thread (CLOSED)

Introduction

Weeeeell...grief. I honestly wish I had kept up with NS and with this RP, since this could have gone insanely far.

So, I'm bringing her back. This was one of the best RPs I was able to help create, and honestly she needs to be revived. To Kill a God is next of course, but since that one is my baby, I'm not about to revive her until I can pour all my creative efforts into it. Sorry guys.

But until TKaG is revived (again), I'm going to get Sempiternal going again.

That being said, I am in serious need of some good, dedicated Co-Ops. This RP is massive, and I can't manage it on my own. I need people to share the load. So if some of ya'll can offer to be Co-Ops, that would be extremely appreciated.

Without further ado, welcome to Sempiternal!

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Important Announcement

PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU!

There is a decent amount of lore here. And it may seem a bit daunting at first.

But pleasepleaseplease listen.

The lore is not here to be some massive set of rules that you need to memorize. Rather, it is here to help you give depth and thought to your stories. I'm not going to beat you to a bloody pulp for not knowing every single little detail of the lore, and I am here to help you out if you have any questions. Also, know that the lore we have here is pretty general and broad, and gives you plenty of room for filling in the details as you please.

Again, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

Also, I should have a character app form up tonight for you all, so ya got that too look forward too.

So, I hope this will be an awesome RP for you all, and that ultimately we will have a wonderful time creating our stories together!

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Overview

It is the year 2300 AD. Humanity has reached its next stage on the evolutionary tree. We have isolated the human personality, what makes you you, and have found ways to copy it, and replace it into other bodies. Now it does not matter if your body dies. Because your soul can outlive your body.

Death is a thing of the past. Mankind has become sempiternal.

But eternal life is yet imperfect.

To have your personality copied is not very cheap. And the machines used for copying are (almost) all controlled by the innumerable megacorporations that rule this world. But the biggest problem is that your copied personality is not quite you. Well, it is the "you" at the time you had yourself copied. However, any further experiences, memories, and knowledge gained will not be transferred to that "you". Therefore, if you want yourself to most properly live on after the death of your body, you better get yourself copied often. Which requires even more money...

Money is the lord of Earth. The governments that once brought peace and justice to the world are now little more than bloated, useless bureaucracies, riddled with corruption. Their armies are underfunded, their armament outdated, their ranks thin. They are mere shells of the glorious superpowers they once were. Some few governments are still trying to regain control over their old territories, but to little avail.

In their place have risen the megacorporations (MCs). These vast, efficient, well-established factions have their own declared territories, wherein they hold complete control. Everything from selling toothpaste and food, creating and maintaining transportation services, and delivering Criminal Justice and Military Security, is done by the MCs. But when money is supreme...

Justice in most parts of the world is a meaningless word. Unless you can dole out the requisite cash. But because of the nature of the MCs, there is a massive gap between the wealthy and the poor, and the middle class is made up almost exclusively of MC-contracted mercenaries, bounty hunters, and assassins (all of which are paid handsomely for their services). Because of this, the poor (which make up the majority of persons) must seek justice on their own whilst being crushed under the thumb of the MCs.

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PPsyD (Personal Psyche Data)

The Personal Psyche Data (PPsyD) lies at the soul of transhumanity. This is what makes you you. It is the core of your personality, your will, your thought, your desires, your memories, it is you. Without this, you no longer exist.

A century and a half ago, scientists were able to isolate the PPsyD of a single individual. But more importantly they made a virtual copy of the PPsyD, creating the first Personal Psyche Copy (PPsyC). This was the greatest scientific revolution of all time, for now your "soul" could survive the death of your body. For the first time ever, mankind could conceivably reach immortality.

This new technological advancement spread like wildfire, it seemed that everyone wished to get their hands on it, and innumerable innovations of this science were made rapidly. First, the PPsyC was able to be transferred into robots or other machines, giving the transhuman soul the ability to live on in a new body. Soon after, the PPsyC could be transferred into organic bodies, whose brains had their PPsyDs wiped at birth. And this innovation was the most controversial of all, causing riots in its wake. People claimed such technology was murder, for it was the destruction of their souls, leaving dead husks behind for new souls to inhabit. It was morally outrageous, the height of evil.

But this technology was oh so lucrative. The MCs quickly gained control of it, virtually monopolizing its usage. They created Psy-Banks, places where you could pay to have have a PPsyC operation, and then have your soul stored in the bank for later when you wish to inhabit a new physical body. Soon, Body Factories were raised up, where various types of bodies, be they genetically modified, "original" human, various animal bodies...all for the express purpose of being sold to the various transhuman buyers wishing to find a new resting place for their PPsyCs.

There were many new moral issues that sprung up in their wake. Questions about whether empty bodies (bodies without PPsyDs) should have any rights, what to do with their usage and/or disposal, how far they can be genetically modified, what actually constitutes personhood...Things of that nature. And in spite of the great controversy, it seems that this technology is here to stay. And most societies have (often begrudgingly) accepted its usage.

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World Factions

Operation Reliquiae:

Based: Global
Membership: several thousand

Initially the European Union's response to the growing threat posed by the exponential growth of the MCs, Operation Reliquiae was a highly-classified mission by a select group of operatives and handlers whose duty it was to infiltrate the MCs and ensure that the EU retained control of Europe. They failed in that mission, the European member states becoming little more than MC puppets. Despite this, Operation Reliquiae has not been formally cancelled. Sticklers to protocol, these agents continue their covert mission to bring about change.

It has been years since the operation was put in to place, so many in fact that the majority of the agents were not there for its inception. Having grown into an international organisation, Reliquiae is a shadow state, tangible only on a piece of paper. Its members are recruited from across a vast spectrum of backgrounds, even from the Megacorporations themselves. They siphon the finances they need from governments and companies at will, trading company secrets in a perpetual battle to remove the stranglehold of money from across the planet's throat.

With the introduction of new technologies, the old arts of murder and assassination have become obsolete, nothing more than a non-solution. Instead, murder takes place at a computer screen, assassination by a timer. Piggy-backing on extremists and rebel movements, the Reliquiae members attempt to manipulate affairs in the half-dream of making a difference.

Human Justice:

Based: China
Membership: several million

Arising first in Beijing before spreading like wildfire across the Pacific, this movement is warmly welcomed by the downtrodden lower classes and all those who feel they have been treated unjustly at the hand of the MCs or corrupted governments. Not even requiring to spend much time on recruitment, each day hundreds find themselves joining the Human Justice movement.

Organized by the contemporary Huo Inoue, Human Justice openly portrays itself as the opposition to the Mega corporations in their bid to recreate Asia. Taking for their flag the plum blossom on white shield, Human Justice has also declared itself an enemy of the Chinese Communist Party of China, Huo Inoue considering it to be a traitorous organisation which preyed upon the People and sold them out for a few marks. Given their humble social rank, the movement's members do not have a uniform, aside from a preference of white - to represent the purity of their beliefs - and a complete shunning of red.

Armed by external organisations and looted weapon stores, the Human Justice prefer suicide bombings and ambushes to full-scale conflict, however on the occasions where Huo is forced to commit her loyal followers, the HJ deploy overwhelming force and overrun the enemy in short order, before they can call in serious armored and air support.

Knights of the Scale

Based: Global
Membership: 3 million, with 20,000 Knights

Commonly considered a terrorist group, vigilantes or simply maniacs, the Knights of the Scale are a worldwide group dedicated to dishing out what they call “True Justice”. In a world where Justice has become a bad joke, the Knights of the Scale intend to right wrongs and stand up for the downtrodden and the ignored deaths. Those that commit injustices, regardless of whom they are, the Knights will fight to see justice is dealt to them. Regardless of whether you're a corporate CEO or a small time thug, the Knights promise they will balance the scales. Far from a disorganized group, the Knights have a code and they hold their members to their very letter. Traitors are killed with no exceptions.

The laws of the Knights are similar to those of the earth before. But the Knights of the Scales have no trials, no lawyers. Rather, the Knights act as Prosecutor, Judge, Jury, and Executioner.

Knights are highly trained and bound to a code of honour. They are the elite core of the group, and their prowess is often the stuff of legend. Though more often the Knights employ Neophytes (lowest ranking members) or Squires (Knights in training) to dispense most justice.

The Knights call this movement a “Crusade”. It is almost a holy war, though in the name of an ideology rather than a faith. They are beholden to no one but themselves and are relentless in their pursuit of justice.

Typically they use guns and medieval weaponry outfitted with either a plasma blade, able to cut through most anything, a hypersonic blade, able to cut through even the highest grade of personal armor, or mere composite combat blades which have just a little more cutting power than the swords of old. A knight is outfitted with Bulletproof Crusader armor, though it can be overcome by weapons such as high powered railguns and plasma weapons. Often the Crusader pattern armor is upgraded with certain modules, which can increase their effectiveness on the battlefield. However due to the expense of the armor, the circle of knights is surprisingly small for an organisation so large.

By far, the two most impressive pieces of equipment unique to the knight are the eidolon AI systems and the Bulkwald Shield. The former is able to co-ordinate groups of knights regardless of distance, by sending individual instructions to Knights through their helmets, helping them gain a tactical advantage. And the Bulkwald Shield is less of a shield and more of a ring that uses kinetic technology to allow it’s user to project forcefields. It’s a signature weapon and can be used to deadly effect.

In the organization as a whole, there are variations from region to region. For example the Knight core of Japan are split between a sub ordo which believes in stealth and gurilla tactics and another which prefers a Samurai esque code of honour. As long as the main tenants of the order are upheld, variations are irrelevant. And the looks of their armor can vary wildly as well.

The Knights are by no means omnipotent. They are often unable to dispense justice when a MC has enough determination to stop them. And although they are near impossible to eradicate, the Knights are stretched rather thin, and need something to boost both funds and numbers. Knights are by no means invincible either, and too many knight deaths can set the organisation back by a lot.

Codes of Justice:

Truth, I shall not lie for personal gain
Virtue, I shall provide an example for which the people and other knights be led.
Impartiality, I shall be impartial in execution of the law, regardless of victim or perpetrator.
Loyalty, I shall not betray my brothers or sisters, through action or inaction.
Service, I shall fight crime for as long as I draw breath, in any way I can.
Humility, I shall see that the crusade is higher than I, and I must work to it’s benefit, not attempt to make it work to mine.

The Knights vow:

With my brothers and sisters as witness, I hereby vow to forever forsake vice, cruelty and criminality. I vow to rid the world of corruption, to cleanse this earth in the blood of the criminals and bring safety and Justice back to the people.

I vow to forever protect the innocent, to show selfless dedication to the shielding of the public. I vow to never fall to fear, despair or greed.

I will become an avatar of impartial justice. I will judge and execute punishment.

Should I go back on my vow, then I would gladly sacrifice my life to become a penitent.

The Mujahideen for the Unification of the Islamic State:

Based: Middle East
Membership: 420,000

In the war-torn nations of the Middle-East, Western capitalism has never been offered without the previous deployment of the "civilized sword". As such, the hold of Mega corporations on these states has been tenuous at best. Following the infidel's complete lack of respect for Allah and His wishes for humanity, many of the warring factions of Islamic extremism have united for a Jihad unseen by modern political leaders: a Jihad with overwhelming local support.

The MuFUnIS have been brought under the umbrella of Muhammad Tlas's control, a man whose forward-thinking beliefs on the Middle-East's future has seen the more conservative fighters turn away from his movement. His vision is of a land of lush farmland and orderly cities, the people ruled only by Allah. With charm and an endless well of empathy, Tlas has won the hearts and minds of every man, woman and child he has spoken with.

Arming themselves from their own arms factories, the Mufunis are one of the best armed forces from the Middle-East, leagues ahead of the government forces in quality and miles ahead of the PMCs in faith.

Christ's Liberation Army:

Based: Global
Membership: 3 Million

Devout Christians every one (albeit on the fringe of the Christian world), these men and woman have taken it upon themselves to rid the Earth of the devil-cursed Ultra-Capitalism which threatens the very concepts of freedom. Armed with looted weaponry and private transactions, this growing gathering of God-fearing freedom fighters are wholly out of their depth in open war. So they have most often resorted to acts of terrorism, such as suicide bombings, assassinations, and sabotage.

The most morale boosting of these is suicide bombings. And each such act only fires up the spirits of many within the radical fringes of Christendom, with thousands more fanatics rising up at the sight of mutilated corpses of their brethren.

There are several branches of the CLA throughout the world: the Liberation Army of Christ; Legions of Christ; Christ's Legions of Angels; Heaven's Hosts; The Lord's Army. Each one is comprised of devoted volunteers and fanatics, men and women who consider death a fitting end in this Crusade for the very fate of humanity.

New Proletariat

Based: Latin America, Eastern Europe
Membership: 7 Million

The New Proletariat is a far-left group that wishes to remove power from the MCs, and create a self-sufficient communist state free of all private business and influence. Worldwide they boast about 4 million members/supporters; almost entirely in Eastern Europe and Latin America.

The leader of the New Proletariat, a Cuban man named Lazaro Novik, orchestrates all of the Proletariat's actions. Common actions include rioting, destruction of MC owned properties, and even assassination of MC executives. They currently have two main bases of operation; one in Cuba and the other in Belarus.

The New Proletariat also has their own website, which is adorned with a red background decorated with hammer & sickles, and pictures of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and Vladimir Lenin. The website is primarily to take donations from supporters, to further the Proletariat's power and influence. Although, they also use it to send members kits containing all the necessary items to conceal their identities and where to find black market weaponry to arm themselves.

When it comes to controversies about PPsyCs, they maintain that it should only be in the hands of the state.

Russian Corporate Federation
Based: Russia
Membership/Population: 115 Million, 5 Million armed, 2 Million Law Enforcement Officers

The Russian Federation entered the new era of megacorporations in an uncertain position: subject to NATO and EU embargoes, suffering from a long-term population decline and the near depletion of it's natural resources, many experts had predicted that the Russian government would collapse within the next decade.

As Russia stands as the most intact, overt and powerful non-corporate entity, this obviously didn't happen, and the reason for that is surprisingly simple: they beat the system. Shortly after the discovery of the PPsyC, the Russians almost immediately latched into it as a possible means to keep their nation stable. The entire Russian government and civil service, along with their families, were forcibly uploaded into a secret Psy-Bank in the Metro-2 beneath Moscow, with their bodies placed in cryo-storage.

Already a dictatorial regime, the uploading made them nigh-untouchable, with the new 'Presidential Mainframe', as the Bank became known, issuing near-constant instructions to government assets that needed to remain un-Banked to continue operation.

The slow growth to dominance of the MCs was not something that caught Russia off-guard; ever since the 2000s, Russia had been dealing with a series of dominant congolmerates with heavy government involvement, and unlike other nations who tried to fight the rise of the MCs, or indeed simply ignored it, Russia actively embraced it. The government fused with the MCs, combining the wealth, power and efficiency of the Russian MCs with the vast military of the Russian government to create a working arrangement for all parties. The new 'corporate state' of Russia fixed the issues that had dogged the civilian government with efficiency and brutality. Robots were used to mitigate the worst effects of the labor shortage, the military was used to brutally crush any opposition to the new state, and with a proper army, one motivated by both patriotism and money, not just the latter, the new Russian Corporate Federation or RCF was able to invade and hold large tracts of undeveloped countries as it's own neo-colonies, using them for resources, while the military would slowly develop into one of the largest PMCs in existence, loyal to the RCF first, money second.

Constellis Inc.
Based: North America (US, Canada)
Membership: 18 Million, 4.5 Million armed, 1.5 Million Law Enforcement Officers

Constellis Inc. is the ruling MC of North America, lording over the old territories of Canada and the US. It is the primary peacekeeper, law enforcement/lawgiver, security force, and military power in North America. As an MC, it also maintains a stranglehold on the entire economy, being the sole source of all legal goods, from foodstuffs and clothing to PPsyCs and Body Banks.

Unlike many other MCs, Constellis Inc. is well known for permitting its citizens customers to buy personal firearms (handguns) and use them in self-defense situations. This privilege only extends to upstanding customers, and is revoked if you either speak out against Constellis or commit some otherwise felonious crime against it or its affiliates. However, in a world where most cannot keep any kind of personal firearm legally, this is quite a step up. Or a step down, depending on how you look at it.

Constellis PMC is among the greatest military forces in the world, having ground, air, sea, and space forces. Their mercenaries are well armed and paid, utilizing the best weaponry and technology that money can provide.

Their space program is also very well funded and established, making them one of the world's leaders in the space race. Currently they maintain a sizable fleet of spacecraft, and also control two colonies on the Moon, and one on Mars. Also, a good portion of their ships are well armed, making them quite secure against assault.

Helvetica Inc.

Based: Europe
Membership: 12 Million, 2.7 Million Armed, 1.5 Million Law Enforcement Officers

Helvetica is the ruling MC over the territories of the old European Union. Its HQ is located in the former swedish capitol of stockholm, and was formed even before the PPsyD was isolated, but then in a state owned form, as FMV(Försvarets Materielverk). Then, it was the government owned corporation in charge of supplying the military with equipment. But following many years of privatisation of the public sector, 75 years ago it was sold off to BAE Systems, and was renamed Helvetica Incorporated, after the new CEO Lars Helvetica.

The inhabitants of Europe would argue that Helvetica is one of the more dictatorial of the corporations, often using their advanced and numerous security forces to quell anyone who disagree with them. But even if they are dictatorial and militarised, they are not necessarily unjust, and do keep the peace to all equally. And any signs of corruption or unnecessary brutality is investigated and dealt with with lethal efficiency.

Overall, they are quite technologically advanced, and are one of the three MCs to have a viable space program. And their military and police forces are well armed and funded.

Sea Mice
Based: South East Asia
Membership: 1.5 million, all armed

Due to the lack of acceptance of the Western market's forceful incentive to turn a man into a robot, the citizens and military of many South East Asian nations had banded together to deny the entrance of PPsyD since the very beginning. Formed from the combined population of almost every single man, woman, and child of South East Asia, this so called rebel or terrorist group will not accept the new technology to reach transhumanity, believing that god or nature should have its course, and humans must reach a point where they finally meet an end with this world. Very few of these members have been turned into transhumans, mostly from Singapore, and they curse every day of their almost infinite lives that they had become a puppet of the MCs.

Armed with whatever they could get their hands on, these 'mice' are tasked with defending their homeland, and will often scour the rest of Asia to destroy the many facilities that dot the region. They wish to cleanse the earth of the MCs doing, and return the cycle of life back to its original course.

Democratic National Guard of the United States of America:

Based: United States of America
Membership: ~425,000

Often referred simply as the "National Guard", this militia force has evolved from the illustrious "first line of defense" of America into one of its last lines of defense. With the military of America being completely underfunded and undermanned, the "National Guard" has become, in many ways, the only semi-capable fighting force available to the American government. Or rather, her people.

Divided in to state-specific "regiments", the DNG are commanded by former regular army officers and are comprised in main by the "military families" - families in which almost every generation sees a child joining the army. They are divided in to two different types of battalion, one which operates on a daily basis as a regular military - the "Patriot battalions" - and the other which requires its members attend only a single meeting each month - the "Democracy battalions". The size of these regiments varies wildly in each state, and member attendance fluctuates drastically. During times of natural disaster, the regiments can see their numbers double for brief periods.

With the "regular" battalions acting as their member's primary job, the men and women consider themselves career soldiers, patriots and sometimes, nationalists. Selling themselves out in the same vein as their "foe", the DNG provide security for government officials as well as local celebrities and corporate dignitaries. In addition to their mercenary contracts, they also run several charities in the name of local community issues, such as cheap housing, unemployment, fostering and dozens of others. It is the earnings from these charities which helps to subsidize member equipment, allowing even the most impoverished members to buy a good set of combat fatigues and rifle.

In recent memory, the New York DNG regiment's staged a military-style march following the passing of legislature which would supposedly allow PMCs operating under corporation authority to arrest possible threats to the state without providing prior evidence. The march was welcomed by many of the population, who turned out to support it. However, the march was used to divert attention away from a corporate administrative building, which members of the regiments 1st Company, Patriot Battalion stormed under the guise of radicals and deployed an explosive device.

While this ploy has not been knowingly replicated, the DNG have begun to earn a reputation as a militant movement against the corporations, with many hundreds of members being arrested or killed on terror charges.

Free Spirits

Based: Global
Membership: Unknown

The Free Spirits are a small group of hackers, discontent with society. It is their belief that PPsyD's have broken the human spirit, by breeding conformity and control by the rich and powerful. These hackers have been known to even attack major Psy-Banks, sometimes with a little success, and often make other cyber assaults on MCs in an attempt to end this "heinous technology, which will be the downfall of man."

They are considered a highly dangerous terrorist organization, and many countries and MCs have arrested people just for mentioning the Free Spirit. Free Spirits use highly advanced systems to disguise their identities, and steal away vast amounts of digital memory. Who they are, and how many of them exist, is currently unknown.

Petrobas Inc.

Based: Central and South America
Membership: 5 Million, 750,000 Armed, 1 Million Law Enforcement

Originally an Energy corporation, Petrobras expanded greatly in the last several hundred years, coming to monopolize the entire economies of Central and South America.

Technology-wise, Petrobras is not a forerunner in the world, and its military and police forces are not so well-funded or armed. MCs like Helvetica and Constellis are much more advanced, and have far more finances to draw from. However, the one thing that Petrobras has which keeps it on the world stage is access to vast natural resources, like timber, gold, and petroleum. That and top-notch negotiators. As a result, they have quite a bargaining chip to use when dealing with other factions.

Overall, their rule is rather relaxed compared to most other MCs. And even if they did try to clamp down on crime or activities they don't approve of, their under-funded police force would not be too difficult to evade.

Sinopec

Based: Southern and Eastern Asia
Membership: 23 Million, 7 Million armed, 9 Million Law Enforcement Officers

Sinopec is the largest of all MCs, and controls the largest, and possibly the most advanced, fighting force in the world. Its researchers are at the fore-front of technological advancements, propelling Sinopec forward economically and militarily.

Of all MCs, it is the most dictatorial. Citizens customers are ruled with an iron fist, slaving under often draconian laws enforced by the world's most advanced and near omnipresent police force. However, employees of Sinopec, if they prove themselves loyal and worthy, have the opportunity to rise through the ranks, becoming some of the most powerful persons in the world. Moreover, their soldiery is the most well-equipped and well-paid in the entire world.

Their space program is also the most advanced, having a powerful space navy, and controlling the largest colonies on the Moon and Mars.

Aegon

Based: African Continent
Membership: 7 Million, 950,000 Armed, 1.7 Million Law Enforcement Officers

Aegon, originally a Dutch company, is the controlling MC of the African Continent. In spite of Africa being the least developed of all continents, its vast natural resources, especially its oil, has given the MC a massive edge on the world market.

Using their incredible income from exporting resources, the company has an amazingly advanced military and police force, albeit a relatively small one in comparison the the other MC's. They put the majority of their funds into their police force, in order to stabilize their region and cut down on the rampant violence and terrorism on the continent. Thus their police force is well armed and equipped, ready for just about anything that terrorists and criminals can throw at them.

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Black Market

The Black Market can trace it's history back to the so-called 'Deep Web' of the early 2000s, the dawn of the 'Information Age'. The Market was still primitive then; the names of the sites used had to be shared personally, and then a computer used to access them and their vast array of illegal wares.

That system continued and even flourished, and the introduction of PPsyCs barely made a wave in the system. What put an end to the system were the megacorporations. It became more lucrative to sell the names of the sites and their locations, their hard servers, their owners, to the MCs. Competitors sold each other out, and within two years the 'Deep Web' was an empty realm, with the MCs that controlled internet access maintaining a strict hold over the creation of new 'Deep Web' sites.

But it wasn't long before the Market resurfaced in two distinct forms; the so-called 'Old' and 'New' Markets. The Old Markets evaded the MCs by confusing them; who in their right mind would meet in person to buy illegal goods, in this age of interconnectedness? It would be simply too inconvenient for anyone, right?

The Old Markets are well-hidden markets in the style of old rural markets; places where those plying illegal trades meet to sell their wares. They can take many forms, from a few scrap shacks in part of a sewer, to an elaborate array of front stores scattered across a metropolis. Any shop, any corrupt worker's house, any long-abandoned building can be a Old Market, or part of one.

The New Markets, meanwhile, went even further than the Deep Web; using highly experimental and occasionally lethal technology, the New Markets are, in effect, modified PPsyC-Banks connected to specific terminals across the world. Buyers upload themselves into the Bank to communicate with Sellers, and then download themselves back into their original bodies after finishing. Due to the temperamental nature of the New Market's PPsyC-Banks, transactions can prove lethal to the involved PPsyCs, and it has indeed become an assassination technique to lure someone into a New Market known for a dodgy upload process. However, the New Markets are far more secure and offer more convenience than the Old Markets, so a slight chance of death is normally risked, especially since death is the standard punishment for buying in a Market without permission from an MC.

In both markets, you can find innumerable illegal goods and services. From PPsyCs and body-banks, to weaponry and illicit drugs, even foodstuffs, someone in the the Black Market is bound to have it in stock. And these goods and services are often much cheaper than similar ones bought from MCs. Thus the Market is a favorite of the poor and criminals of society.

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Character App Form

Code: Select all

[align=center][size=115][color=#BF0080]Character App[/color] (PLEASE DELETE EVERYTHING IN PARENTHESIS)[/size][/align]

[align=center][img](Appearance URL Here)[/img][/align]

[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Age:[/b]

[b]Body Form:[/b] (e.g. original human, genetically modified human, robot frame)

[b]Gender, Sex, and Sexuality:[/b]
 
[b]Personality:[/b] 

[b]Skills: (I am giving you guys a little freedom here, but do not go overboard, and keep it realistic)[/b]

[b]Faction:[/b]

[b]Occupation:[/b]

[b]Starting Location:[/b]

[b]Bio:[/b] (at least a paragraph, but doesn't need to be super in depth)

[hr][/hr]
[size=110][color=#BF0080]Extra Info[/color][/size]

[b]Equipment, Weapons, and Vehicles:[/b] (again, don't go too crazy here)

[b]Likes and Dislikes:[/b]

[b]Moral Alignment:[/b]

[b]Crimes convicted of:[/b]


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Rules

1. Obey the OP (Myself) and CO-OPs (Altito Asmoro, The GAmeTopians, Doughertania, Stormwrath, The Tophat Empire)
2. No one-liners. Ever. If you make a one-liner post, you will receive one mark. If you get three marks, you will be booted. Remember, quality of posts is far better than quantity of posts.
3. No godmodding. And if you have a char v. char fight, you must make certain to work directly with the other author to determine how the fight will end.
4. No killing or harming another character without their author's permission, unless I personally declare that such damage is necessary.
5. If you are leaving the RP, please notify me in the OOC or through TG.
6. Try to have a decent level or realism. I don't expect perfection, but as I read through what you write, I want it to make sense in my mind.
7. Most importantly, don't be a jerk. Treat everyone with the same respect that you want them to give you. If you cause too much trouble, you will be banned.

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*I would like to thank the following RPers for helping me build this world:
Argentumurbem, Kaidou, Badafar, The Tophat Empire, Jordkloden, Empire of Donner Land, The Warriors of the Sun, Lunas Legion, Plzen, Shyluz, Soviet Farm, and Sonitusia.

Without their hard work, suggestions, and criticisms, there's no way I would have been able to pull this off.

[Isle of Lithonia]

On Weaponry, and all things Warfare

Ye Olde Guns. For almost a thousand years now, firearms have remained the weapon of choice for soldiers, civilians, and criminals everywhere. In this era, these firearms are the cheapest weapons to create, utilizing smokeless cartridges to fling all kinds of projectiles at a target. Moreover, they are the most versatile, and varied weapons. Nevertheless, they are some of the weakest weapons one can use (in a sense), for many armors have been created which can withstand their assault, and many weapons deal out far more damage, and can pierce armors far better.

Shotguns, assault rifles, handguns, sniper rifles, there are tons of types to choose from, each with their pros and cons.

Railguns have two, parallel conductive rails, which utilize a magnetic field and electric current which launch projectiles at extremely high speeds. Of all the handheld weapons, these pack the biggest punch, and have the greatest armor piercing potential. However, they are extremely expensive weapons, and are normally only available to the most well-armed forces.

Railguns come in various shapes and sizes, however they all fall into two primary categories: that is the sniper railgun, and the assault weapon. Because of the technology required for these weapons, there are exceedingly few railguns smaller than the assault size, and if one has a railgun pistol, you are one of the luckiest persons on the planet.

Plasma weapons fire plasma (i.e. extremely hot and excited matter) at targets, causing burns, evaporation, or melting of targets. These weapons are the most expensive to create for personal use, and are exceedingly difficult to find outside of military usage. They have quite a powerful effect, melting through most armors, and burning holes in the persons inside. However, plasma weapons can sometimes be unstable, and do not have the same range or accuracy as railguns.

Plasma weapons come in just about as many shapes and sizes as conventional firearms. There are handguns, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and many more.

Ah, laser weapons. Every good futuristic sci-fi has them. Or so it seems.

These weapons fire highly directed energy toward their targets, causing burns, and/or penetration. They work against many different armors, although there are armors which make lasers completely null. Moreover, they are dead-on accurate, and often utilize very little energy to fire, so they are often the favorite weapon of assassins and snipers.

Laser weapons also come in various shapes and forms, just as many as conventional weapons. But they are not nearly as versatile.

Mechs are large machines/robots distinguished by their humanoid appearance, and are controlled by PPsyCs, remote, or by physical humans housed inside the machine. They most often act as scouts, light armor, or urban armor for PMCs. However, in their overall role as armor, they are not quite as capable as more conventional armored vehicles (not being able to carry as many weapons or be as heavily armored), and are more expensive to make and maintain. Nevertheless, in urban warfare they are especially useful, being more maneuverable and agile than conventional armor.

The size and shapes of mechs vary. But they all have a humanoid form, and most of them range in size from nine to twenty feet in height, with a few as tall as twenty-five and even thirty feet tall. However, the larger mechs present a rather easy target, and thus are rarely found.

These machines can be outfitted with innumerable types of weaponry, from gatling cannons and flamethrowers to SAM and rocket launchers. And because of their appearances, customizability, agility, and rarity, mechs are a favorite of lone wolf soldiers and others who wish to make the biggest name for themselves on the battlefield.

Swords, knives, spears...These weapons have been around for pretty much as long as armies have existed. And with the advancement of technology these weapons have become more and more advanced.

Today, these weapons are actually still in use. Of course, most military personnel do not utilize swords or spears (they aren't exactly the most useful weapons in the post-firearm age), and most often have knives if they have any blades, but lone wolves, criminals, assassins, spies, and the more "heroic" fighters, often may use swords or spears for their aesthetic value and close-combat effectiveness.

There is a massive variety of bladed weapons, like swords, knives, spears, throwing blades, and such. And they also can use different styles of blades, such as plasma or more conventional blades.

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Cyborgs, Androids, and other Robotics

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Following the creation of the PPsyD technology and the capability of immortality, AI and robotics technology had only a few major jumps before. Almost sentient robots were around the corner until the PPsyD changed the world arguably for either the better or the worst. Security robots and AI before were clunky, hard to produce easily, very fragile and could not distinguish friend from foe easily if at all. Mostly because whoever they were protecting were easily replaceable such as normal workers who were just shot on sight by these machines if the building was under attack. But these were not cheap, and only a few could inhabit a building at a time because of it. And it wouldn't be until the PPsyD that they would become a much more viable option.

General purpose robots such as those that work on Assembly lines, to just self driving cars, were extremely advanced even before the PPsyD. When the PPsyD was introduced, the assembly robot arms still stayed the same as they were before but everything else from those self driving cars to Janitors were revolutionized. Humanoid robots had been perfected so the PPsyD could be used with them and the new, much more advanced AI as well. They now had the possibility to become more than just robots, to become people. With the jump forward on human immortality came the jump forward in Robotics and AI with that. Before people knew it, Humans were outnumbered by their Robotic counterparts. For every 10 humans there were 20 robots. Soon people began to upload themselves to these robotic bodies, either to live longer than they normally would, or to gain skills or strength that their organic bodies could not provide. Bounty Hunters or Assassins who "wore" these robotic suits were quick, deadly and effective, and were all but unstoppable.

Humans quickly adapted to this, as they always do. Many took advantage of this to live longer, others wouldn't because of moral reasons. The middle class took advantage of the technology to assist them in their jobs if they could afford it. And they often invested in these robotic bodies to get a return later. The lower class who very largely couldn't afford it just dealt with it, as they had done for thousands of years. It had become the norm, but with all revolutions there were people that stood against the already changed world.

Specific Robotics and AI

CAIT:

CAIT stood for Companion AI Technology. CAITs were a sort of universal term for a short while. Before the PPsyDs, it had meant Humanoid robots that followed rich people, either to be an entourage of sorts, or a show of someone's wealth. But soon the Middle Class changed this. Now it meant an AI that was a universal helping hand during combat. The "Pet" definition the rich used was quickly destroyed. From electronic warfare, Medical help or even an extra gun, these CAITs could do just about anything. Their shapes and sizes varied, some had Humanoid looking ones with them while others used spheres for more support roles.

CAITs could also have a personality given to them. And once the PPsyD revolution came, they now could even have human emotions. They could speak and even in some cases fall in love with their owners or with other Robots. These were expensive yes, but we're also worth it with their capabilities. Other CAITs were less intelligent, so to speak. They carried out their task wordlessly, and in some cases were more capable at certain jobs than the much smarter, more expensive CAITs.

All Things Space

Space. This is the only place mankind has not yet fully conquered. In fact, transhumanity can barely exit their own solar system, which means they have only physically explored...let's just say a most infinitesimally tiny portion of the universe.

But there is great work being put into space exploration and colonization, although humankind is still in a relatively infant stage with its space technology.

Nevertheless, technology has increased exponentially, allowing for decent human space traffic between Earth and the rest of the solar system.

However, most space travel is conducted only by the well-funded MCs, and if you wish to enter space you will need to sign aboard one of their trade or colony ships, or join the Armed Space Forces. Spacecraft are extremely expensive, and it is...unlikely that even an extremely rich person would be able to afford one for his/her/themselves.

That isn't to say that some groups have not been making space travel more accessible. The Final Frontier Foundation (F3), and similar nonprofits, have begun to open it up to all classes. But the lack of funding and governmental red tape has made it a more selective escape. Some people spend upwards of ten years to join a flight to the stars, if you aren't denied immediately. But if you manage to get chosen to join a flight, the whole of space the solar system the colonies on the Moon and Mars are yours to explore.

Obviously, it's still a long way before we see a truly open star system.

Currently, the only planet that is being successfully colonized (and in small-scale) is Mars, and the Moon is also being decently colonized. There is also a very, very small colony on Pluto controlled by Constellis Inc., which is hanging on by a thread.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Chems and Stims

Chems and stims are the newest generation of illicit drugs. The term 'Chem' covers a wide spectrum of various drugs which alter the chemicals found in the body and the mind, which can produce a range of effects starting from anti-depressants to producing psychedelic reactions and hallucinations. Stimulants, or "stims", alter how the body works physically, such as enhancing reflexes or making users able to ignore pain for short periods of time. However, they all have side effects attached to the short term positives.

Regarding the laws around using chems and stims, they are often heavy regulated depending on the chemicals they use, although multiple MCs have adapted certain of them as legal highs. A list of chems and stims most popular in the underground is given below.

Chems

Salamander:
Average cost per hit: 15 credits
Addictiveness: Moderate

One of the most popular chems within the underworld, Salamander dominates the street corners with its incredibly immersive hallucinogenic properties. Users can often report a whole six hours of constant visual stimulation consisting of vibrant colours, the ability to feel vibrations around you and become one with your mind. However as many do, a bad trip spins the user into a trip into hell itself, their worst nightmares manifested into their own perceptions of reality, heightening their insecurities and their paranoia and twisting their senses into phantom pain. Bad trips however don't put many users off, suicides by people during bad trips is a common sight on the news. Salamander is injected into the veins to provide the euphoric feeling many users desire, else it can be smoked if not boiled up.

C-112 (Ignis):
Average cost per hit: 65 credits street (often impure), 150 credits (pure)
Addictiveness: Impure ranges from not addictive to highly addictive, pure is low addictiveness.

Ignis is one of the less common drugs in use, whilst it is unique in that it provides consumers with the feelings of both a chem and a stimulant, the chemicals it uses are hard to come by and very regulated. It is also considered by doctors as much safer than the other drugs, giving the users a much less chance of a bad trip whilst still giving them the energy to take their mind off their horrible existence. However due to it's legendary properties, many faked versions of the chem can be found in the back alleys, these knock offs lack the restraints C-112 provides and is a big killer on the streets. The most common way for a user to consume it is through pills that are swallowed or crushed up and snorted.

Khronos:
Average cost per hit: 25
Addictiveness: Moderate

Made out of toxic waste, and highly volatile, Khronos is named after the god of time, because its primary effect was to make people feel like time is randomly speeding up and slowing down. Cheap and relatively easy to access, it is one of the more common chems in circulation. It is most often sold as small cubes, and is grey, and has a clay like texture. People take Krono by either sniffing it, or chewing. Because of the incredibly toxic nature of the chem, a user's body will quickly deteriorate, leading ultimately to their death if they cannot kick their addiction.

The materials used to create the chem are also rather explosive, making them a common explosive weapon in the underworld. To use this way, the user will place a couple cubes of Khrono in some kind of small container or another, often a glass bottle, place a fuse into it, then throw it at their target once the fuse is lit. The resulting explosion can do quite a good amount of damage to unarmored targets, and may otherwise stun armored opponents.

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Stims

Tiger:
Average cost per hit: 75
Addictiveness: High

A stimulant that is considered one of the more expensive and harder to find drugs, providing its users with a sudden rush of energy and loss of any inhibitions. Multiple high profile uses of the drug would include the "SmithTowers Incident", which consisted of a drug fuelled rampage at a celebrities party, resulting in the death of thirty party goers in a brutal fashion as fights broke out on the dance floor. SInce then, the drug has been much more regulated by the police, anyone caught selling the stim will assuredly be locked away for a long time. Tiger can be used in a variety of ways, snorted, injected, smoked and taken as a pill.

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Religion

Lumiarism:

Based: Global
Membership: 1,660,000

Lumiarism is a fundamentalist, extremist religion comprising almost 1,660,000 people around the world. They believe in two deities who preside over all of existence; Harena, God of creation, and Gobura, Goddess of destruction. Their religious text is a 2,000 page book called the Codex.

Most interpret the Codex in the most conservative way possible, viewing many things as immoral or iniquitous, the technology of artificial immortality included. They believe that in order to wipe immorality from the world, they need to use violence. Hence, there have been many cases of violence either instigated or sustained by the Lumiarists.

The religion is headed by a council of four Grand Priests, the highest position attainable in the structure of the Lumiarist clergy. While all who are on the council are Grand Priests, not all Grand Priests within the religion are members of the four man council. These council members relay orders to the Lesser Priests, who, in turn, give these orders to the lay. The orders can include a wide variety of different acts, for example, destroying a research building, or staging protests and riots.

Christianity:
Based: Global
Membership: 1.4 Billion

The mainstream of this religion within the Western hemisphere accepts the new technologies, as they have just about everything else. And most fall more or less in line with their fellow transhumans with regards to moral concerns and their individual lives. However, there are radical sects of the religion who are waging culture wars, and physical wars, against the MCs and the PPsyCs.

The largest Christian resistance movement is Christ's Liberation Army, which strongly opposes not only PPsyCs - abominations in the sight of God and the reason for the coming Armageddon - but also the corporations who have sucked the life out of man and country alike.

There are many other smaller Christian resistance movements worldwide. And these are generally decently organised and equipped, and their radical faith grants them high morale and cohesion among their ranks.

Islam
Based: Global
Membership: 2.1 Billion

With the Sunni/Shia division remaining as inflammatory a subject as ever, Islam, despite its preeminent position as the largest single organised religion in the world, has only fractured further with the advancement in technologies. The Westernized Muslims have accepted the technology with various levels of conservatism, only a few taking the plunge at the expense of being cast out by their religious communities. Most of the militant opposition to the technologies are focused in the Asia and Africa, areas of land where capitalism has never delivered the benefits of money and wealth to the people.

A few radical sects consider this technology to be akin to being able to converse with Allah himself, seeing the moments between bodies as Allah guiding them and passing on some of his boundless knowledge. They are collectively known as "heretics" by the larger body of the Islamic community.

Based: Asia
Membership: 25 million

Transhuman Buddhism started out as a fringe organization mixing Buddhist, cyborg feminism and Transhumanist thought, but has now fully overtaken orthodox Buddhism. It teaches that the only way to achieve Nirvana, and break the cycle of reincarnation, is to transfer one's spirit to the machine. This would allow one to connect organic (humanity) with the inorganic (nature), and become the cyborg, the ultimate being.

The only thing hampering the continued expansion of this new religion is the expensiveness of PPsyCs. However, it sees major popularity with the upper middle class.

The primary outgrowth of Transhuman Buddhism, known as Immaterial Buddhism, holds that the rich corrupt their PPsyDs, regressing further into depravity. Thus, only the poor can break off into a pure body. But because PPsyCs are so expensive, Immaterial Buddhists have resorted to violence in the past in order to gain control of PPsyC technology, and thus is considered a terrorist group.

Based:globally
Population: unknown

Convergists believe that PPsyC technology provides the best way to "converge into a perfect being, pure, rational, devoid of deviancy." They believe that the God of creation, "Homos," created humanity, as an attempt to save his dying spirit. His body fractured into millions of imperfect beings, all representing pieces of himself. These are known as "Minutiae," which makes up the human soul. And it is their goal to use PPsyC's to create a "hive mind," a collection of all the minds of humankind, allowing Homos to be recreated.

They are considered a cult, due to their utmost secrecy and radical beliefs. Initiates often leave their families, friends, and coworkers behind to join. And little else is known about them.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Paperwork...

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Characters

Locations

Factions

Actions and Arcs

[Altito Asmoro]

Reserved.

(If we need more reservation).

[Isle of Lithonia]

*chuckles* Thanks Alti. ;P

Good to see ya here!

[Stormwrath]

Finally, something to use Shiori with!

Prague Tag.

A little whiteboard for ze co-OP.

STORM'S WHITEBOARD Pending Apps: Updates: Miscellaneous stuff:

[Doughertania]

I'm back. Or really, I never left. I was always just kinda here, waiting.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Finally, something to use Shiori with!

Prague Tag.

Hey Storm!

I'm back. Or really, I never left. I was always just kinda here, waiting.

And thanks for coming back, Dough! Good to see ya here!

[Finland SSR]

You could say that Sempiternal was not revived - it got it's PPsyD copied.

[Stormwrath]

You could say that Sempiternal was not revived - it got it's PPsyD copied.

Ayyyyyyy

[Isle of Lithonia]

You could say that Sempiternal was not revived - it got it's PPsyD copied.

*ba dum tss*

You planning on joining? We could definitely use ya, man.

[Corrian]

Terintania linked me, and obviously I can't resist.

[Finland SSR]

You could say that Sempiternal was not revived - it got it's PPsyD copied.

*ba dum tss*

You planning on joining? We could definitely use ya, man.

I dunno, depends on the situation. If the winds blow northeast and Goku beats Superman, I might consider it.

[Stormwrath]

I dunno, depends on the situation. If the winds blow northeast and Goku beats Superman, I might consider it.

Goku might wanna wait in line though.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Terintania linked me, and obviously I can't resist.

COR!!!!

Good to see ya man!

I dunno, depends on the situation. If the winds blow northeast and Goku beats Superman, I might consider it.

So basically, "roll a die", right? ;P

[The Tophat Empire]

I may have a hard time mentally now, but fock that, if this is back with the original captain...

well, then i to have to be back, nice to see you lith, and i hope life's treating you well

[Isle of Lithonia]

I may have a hard time mentally now, but fock that, if this is back with the original captain...

well, then i to have to be back, nice to see you lith, and i hope life's treating you well

Hory crap its Tophat!

Its good to see ya!

Life's been going super well, and I am pretty dang happy tight now.

[Corrian]

COR!!!!

Good to see ya man!

You too!

Are we pretty much doing the same thing? (I am asking this and I didn't even read the OP yet). If so, I'll throw in the same characters (Plus that one I never finished before it died if needed)

[Isle of Lithonia]

Are we pretty much doing the same thing? (I am asking this and I didn't even read the OP yet). If so, I'll throw in the same characters (Plus that one I never finished before it died if needed)

Yup. More or less the same thing.

[Corrian]

Me: *Starts reading OP posts*

*Gives up when he remembers reading all of this before anyway so it doesn't really matter*

I'mma just repost my apps

[Isle of Lithonia]

Me: *Starts reading OP posts*

*Gives up when he remembers reading all of this before anyway so it doesn't really matter*

I'mma just repost my apps

Sounds good, bro.

And yeah, I forgot how much is in the OP...Dayum...

[Corrian]

Here, the same apps. I'll add the one I never finished when I, well, finish it.

Character App

Name: Ula Zagorsky

Age: 18

Body Form: Original

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: Cisgender, female, and probably asexual. She at least doesn't give off the impression she has an attraction to anyone, and tends to have a really hard time taking peoples cues that they're interested in her, if they are.

Personality: Ula is a very intelligent, hard working individual. She seems to live to work on anything related to tech. In fact, she seems to lack a social or romantic life or anything such like that in place of work. She's always focused on the task at hand, and little else. Be it checking stuff out, discovering and figuring out new tech (Something she especially wishes to discover), or checking for possible hackers. Whatever she needs to do, really. She seems to have a hard time taking a joke, and jokes usually go over her head, and she tries to make a rational response to them. So sarcasm and jokes around her usually just get a serious response, because she doesn't get them. It's as if her brain CAN'T understand them. Along with her lack of understanding anything that doesn't have to do with tech, she seems to be a bit honest a lot, and has little regard for other people. Not because she's like, evil or something and doesn't care about them. She just generally emotionally can't feel connected to people and ends up coming off as selfish because there might be this amazing thing she discovered or whatnot that she pays more attention to then someone maybe needing her. So this pretty much all leads back to the fact her minds just programmed for the job, and little else.

Skills: Computer programming, coding, hacking on some level, figuring out complicated algorithms, and pretty much anything related to various types of tech besides probably actually building the technology stuff itself (Though she can depending on what it is, tweak it or make it work), making video games (Way not in her territory), and such like that.

Faction: Constellis Inc.

Occupation: Super tech geek. Not sure on an exact occupation, but she pretty much does anything related to tech. Spying, probably a bit of her own hacking (Kinda comes with the territory, really, when you're doing stuff involving security or something, with hacking through firewalls and such), fixing things, making code/tech programs and such, and so on. So probably any job related to that, really.

Starting Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Bio: Since she was pretty much born, she was known for being smarter than her age. At school, she would regularly get bored because everything was too easy for her, so she ended up going up in grades before she was supposed to, to take care of that boredom. In fact, by the time that she was 18, she was already way ahead of her peers, seemingly having multiple high level college degrees worth of knowledge by the time she was the age to go to college in the first place. Suffice to say, she was considered a "Child genius", and now is just a "genius" at her age that isn't even fully out of the teens yet and is more knowledged in almost everything tech related than most people many years older than her with the same college degrees worth of knoweldge.

Once she had this knowledge, and maybe even before she fully had it, she started to work for one of the mega corporations, and pretty much did whatever they would have her do. If it was tech related, anyway. And that is now her job, which I would assume with her knoweldge makes her moderately to fairly wealthy, because she certainly deserves a high paying job position. At least, if you ask her, she does.

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Extra Info

Equipment, Weapons, and Vehicles: Uh...Pretty much anything they give her to work with. She's not really a soldier and doing any dangerous work like that (Most of the time. Doesn't mean she won't come along if something interesting was discovered), so I don't know if she'd have a weapon. And equipment is pretty much whatever they give her to work with at the time. As far as vehicles go...I'm...not sure. Probably nothing particularly exciting, but I might think of something later after I dig into car pictures or something.

Likes and Dislikes:
Likes: Anything to do with technology, solving complicated code, coding, programming things, and...that's about it

Dislikes: Hackers, inconveniences with her work, something not going right (Which she claims rarely happens with her), people interrupting her work, people in general on some level because she thinks most people are stupid and doesn't get how they can be so clueless, ect.

Moral Alignment: True Neutral

Crimes convicted of: None. Generally works under the law, but that doesn't mean she doesn't end up doing stuff that if you're not under a corporation, you wouldn't get in trouble for...because, you know, it's okay when corporations do it, but not other people.

Character App

Name: Azura Skye

Age: 21

Body Form: Original

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: Cisgender, Female, and Heterosexual

Personality: Azura is a bit of a quirky person, acting rather bizarre at times. Not overly so, but she can be a bit strange. Her responses to a lot of things people say, especially if it doesn't really make sense, usually consists of sarcasm or making fun of them for the comment that they made. She seems to generally have a laid back, joking sort of personality, oftentimes just acting casual about everything when people are talking to her, including in serious circumstances. She can also be a bit of a flirt of the situation fits, but she isn't overly flirty and doesn't really go out of her way to be so. But on top of this all, she does take her line of work seriously, even if half the time she doesn't particularly act serious while doing it, because of her personality. She has a very anti corporate and anti government mindset, because she knows that they're all corrupt in their own ways, and that the world has a right to know what's going on in these said corporations and governments, instead of them hiding things from the people that they have a right to know.

Skills: Hacking is her main one. So most likely quite a bit of computer/phone/software/ect knowledge related to that. But beyond that, she doesn't really know a lot.

Faction: Free Spirits

Occupation: Hacker. Can pretty much hack into anything, or so she seems to think. Nonetheless, she is a very good hacker, even if being able to hack into anything might be an exaggeration.

Starting Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Bio: At a young age, Azura because a bit estranged from her family, and when she became 18, seems to have left them altogether, because she doesn't seem to be around them much, if at all, and never acknowledges their existence. As she grew up, she became very against anything involving power, like the mega corporations, corrupt governments, and so on, and ended up making uncovering their secrets and whatnot her lifestyle, buying herself a van (However she got the money to afford one), and practically lived in it surrounded by her hacking stuff. Though she tries to make this her living, it's not like she makes a ton of money off of hacking. However, if you sell your leaked information to some people, maybe even the Free Spirits, you most likely get at least some cash out of it. So she most likely does something here and there on the side to make some profit, too, to keep driving (When she actually does, if it even costs anything in this world), and to feed herself. And maybe on occasion buy herself some new tech gadgets for her work..

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Extra Info

Equipment, Weapons, and Vehicles: Laptop, cellphone, radio stuff (For attempting to or listening into things like police feeds, possibly government feeds, and so on), and various other weird stuff for signals and whatnot that you usually see these hacker types having. A weapon, she managed to get a hold of a laser pistol before she was likely barred from buying weapons ever again. And for a vehicle, she just has a van (Whatever a van looks like in this time), and practically lives in it, doing her hacking work and whatnot. It's actually uncertain of she has a real home, or if she's always on the "road".

Likes and Dislikes:
Likes: Peoples rights, freedom of the press, freedom of people knowing what is going on in the world and the secrets being hidden from them, hacking (Has become a bit addicted to it, really, and feels empowered when/if she gets information that is valuable to the public), jokes, sarcasm, and so on.

Dislikes: Most governments (Whatever actually remains of them), all the mega corporations, the police (Usually because she assumes they work for the corporations, not the people), military, capitalism, dynasties, and so forth.

Moral Alignment: Chaotic Good

Crimes convicted of: Hacking, most likely. If it really counts when she probably hasn't fully been caught yet.

[Sindrya]

I'm really, reeeallly tempted to make another cheap Raiden knock-off, but somehow I want to play a normal human, leading an insurgent force against the MCs.

That being said, tags deployed.

[Stormwrath]

Character App

Name: Shiori Asayama

Age: 15 (current body), 142 (total), looks 25

Body Form: human with robotic frame, has transferrable PPsyC

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: Identifies as female, biologically female, bisexual
 
Personality: Shiori is a melancholic person, and whatever she speaks from her mouth is often barely audible. However, if someone has common interests with her, she can go on and on with him/her for hours or even days (see likes and dislikes for an overview). Having lived with three bodies, she has changed with the times. She can be a tad eccentric at times, but otherwise she's pretty much like an average person.

Skills:

• Piloting — Shiori is adept at piloting mechs, particularly ones that are balanced in armor and maneuverability.
• Espionage — Infiltration is also something that Shiori is proficient at, since she doesn't look so threatening — at least on the surface.
• Marksmanship — She has moderate knowledge on different kinds of firearms and how to use them, and a moderate sense of aiming at targets. Her eye implant aids her aiming.

Faction: Constellis Inc.

Occupation: Mercenary

Starting Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California

Bio: Shiori was born in what was once Japan in the year 2158. She was a member of the Asayama family, which at one point controlled one of the largest PMCs in the Asia-Pacific region—KMX. As of the present it was dissolved.

Shiori was the youngest of three children, born to a certain Michiya and Fusako Asayama. She has two older brothers, Satsuo and Seiya, who are also mercenaries. She was trained first as a marksman when she was only six and then moved on to piloting mechs at age 13. Her relatives, which were essentially her peers, had high expectations for her in regards to her usefulness in battle—since they wanted her to be as skilled if not more skilled than her brothers. She rose up the ranks quickly and became one of the Asayama Group's most proficient specialists, especially in the field of mech combat. She is known by the alias "Musket" because she has a liking to the steampunk genre (see likes and dislikes).

In 2176, she and her fellow comrades went on a series of missions in the Arabian Peninsula to hunt down certain key senior officers of the Mujahideen UIS, back when it was still a nascent regional threat. KMX was offered more than $771 million dollars by a classified corporate entity should the mission be a success. Many of those leaders gathered at a fortified compound outside of the city of Amman, and the group struck in the cover of night, hoping to assassinate them. However, things began to unravel when they realized that the meeting was merely a trap for them. The Mufunis had foreseen an attack from Aegon's "lackeys" coming to them and prepared to deal them a heavy blow.

In the middle of the gunfight on the roof of the complex that ensued between the Islamists and the mercenaries, she lost her right eye to a bullet wound and was rendered unable to fight. The shot also tore through part of her brain. Fortunately she was rescued in time by her fellow teammates, who smuggled out of the compound using an SUV. The mission was a disaster for the KMX, and once their existence was being made known after, the MCs began to distance themselves from it. The company would never recover from that event.

Worse still, Shiori died on the way back to camp, and her body was quickly returned to Japan. The Asayamas were deeply saddened by this tragedy, for they had lost one of their brightest. However, they did hear news of a scientific revolution that could give Shiori another chance at life. And so they went to various MCs in order to have her soul be copied. None of them would want to accommodate Shiori, that was until Constellis Inc. offered to do it, at a price. Constellis would incorporate KMX into their umbrella. Reluctantly the Asayamas agreed, selling their PMC to the North American megacorp for $2.2 trillion. Shiori was given her second body—one that was still human, but it would do.

And so she continued serving as a mercenary for Constellis, having changed bodies twice. The first was in 2247, due to her body deteriorating with old age. The second was in 2285, where she switched into a robotic frame. Much of her body, save for her lungs, heart, and head, was replaced with composite metamaterials that greatly improved her physical as well as mental attributes.

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Extra Info

Equipment, Weapons, and Vehicles:

• KS-31 Wakizashi light mech — The KS-31 Wakizashi is Shiori's personal preference, as it is easy to operate effectively. Her mech sports a charcoal gray color with silver trim. It operates a 75 mm railgun that can discharge HE or AP rounds in semi-automatic, three-round burst fire, or fully automatic fire. It can be fitted with additional equipment for her mech to be able to participate in a wide variety of battle spaces. Can be piloted manually or through her PPsyC.
• Light powered armor — She wears the M-52 powered armor, which is known for its modularity and ergonomics. The Type 52 is linked via a neural interface that augments the wearer's physical abilities, such as running, jumping or climbing. The suit can be fitted with a parachute hatch for missions involving high altitudes, a backpack for carrying weapons and equipment, or flight packs for limited flight. Her armor has a CAIT assigned to it to assist the wearer and prevent cyber attacks on her neural interface or on her nervous system.
• MA-11 MWS Carbine Assault Rifle — This automatic ballistic firearm is Shiori's primary weapon as an infantry soldier, often on missions involving infiltration or raids. Comes with a Modular Weapons System.
• M-73 Semi-automatic Pistol — Shiori's secondary firearm.
• Combat knife

Likes and Dislikes: She happens to like playing FPS video games, listening to avant-garde music and watching live action series involving complicated plot lines. Her favorite FPS games tend to focus on the steampunk setting. If she finds someone with common interests and likes, she can enter a conversation on that subject that can last hours. She tends to hang out with people who are silent, despite being silent herself. She dislikes arrogant people, even the thought of dealing with them—thinking that they are just "seeking for the world to look at them and applaud, when it is not going to happen" in her own words.

Moral Alignment: Shiori borders between True Neutral and Chaotic Netural. For her, morality is irrelevant and subjective.

Crimes convicted of: [DATA REDACTED]

What? She's a mercenary for Constellis, give me $100 billion dollars to spend on if the other MCs don't charge her with committing heinous acts. Not that there's any justice left in the world or anything, there certainly ain't a lot coming from the MCs, but they'd charge her nonetheless because either their dudes were eliminated, or PPsyC banks were blown up.