Thousand_Guns
21st Jul 06, 1:08 AM
Our story takes place in Bastion, the last city standing after the invasion of the mysterious Outsiders a thousand years ago. According to legend, the First Emperor of all humankind destroyed the entire Outsider invasion with the unknown contents of the Emperor's Box. Although the manner of the First Emperor's victory was lost to history, it is a commonly known fact that the man who wielded it has passed it down, through the generations, to the Emperor today and nobody but the First Emperor has ever opened it... until now? The reigning Emperor has died young and insane and, more importantly, with no heir. The precious Emperor's Box now has no clear-cut owner. One can say it's up for grabs for whoever wants it most (okay, even though the Imperial army is guarding it with deadly force)...
Who has the Emperor's Box has the Emperor's Power!
Bastion has grown from the old fortress-city of a thousand years ago into a dense urban sprawl. The city is structured in rings, according to the old Bastion's multiple wall sections (the walls are still standing). Generally, the best living areas are closer to the center, the most defensible location when Bastion was under siege by the Outsiders.
In the exact center of Bastion is the Government District, a city in itself where hundreds of thousands of clerks and civil servants live and work. At the center of the Government District, the gleaming Imperial Palace rises above the landscape. The Imperial Palace is the opulent private residence of the Emperor himself and his most loyal aides and advisors. The Royal Guard, the most elite soldiers in existence, also have their barracks and training facilities in the Imperial Palace and patrol the Palace exclusively.
Surrounding the Government District, the elite of society live in the Second Ring. The Second Ring is luxurious by Bastion standards. Rows of houses stand wall-to-wall where the elites of society live. The occasional garden provide the only "nature" to be found outside the Imperial Palace.
The Third Ring surrounds the Second Ring. The Third Ring is a dense forest of apartment buildings towering over crowded streets. The Third Ring has both good and bad neighborhoods within it, but is not quite as elite as the Second Ring or as dangerous as the Fourth Ring. This is where the "middle class" live their mundane lives. There are places for living, business, recreation, work, and, of course, sin.
The Fourth Ring surrounds the Third Ring. The Fourth Ring is the largest ring of Bastion and is composed of irregular, rickety, ramshackle shacks and sheds even though most Fourth Ring dwellers live on the street. Turf wars between gangs and bands of heavily armed outlaws are common here, where violence and theft are commonplace and law is the unwelcome invader. In fact, the Fourth Ring was never intended to exist and the Government District clerks only concern themselves with supplying and sustaining the three inner rings. The only objects in the Fourth Ring recognized by the law are the vast factories that the honest Fourth Ringer works in. The factory complexes are stuffy, noisy, dangerous hellholes the size of small towns. They produce almost all of the manufactured goods in the city of Bastion and much of its outlying areas. Wages are low and the work is hard, but are the only legal jobs available for the majority of the Fourth Ring.
Beyond the Fourth Ring, is the rest of the world... which doesn't really concern us. Vast farmlands, mines, and what-have-yous in the immediate vicinity of the city of Bastion supply the city with all the essentials it needs.
The daily life of a typical Bastion-dweller tends to be pretty mundane. Plumbing and regular meals are available in the Third Ring to the Government District, and trains zip people from one end of Bastion to another. Food is brought into Bastion through the Fourth Ring by heavily armed and guarded steam-powered trucks or trains. Unfortunately for everybody involved, the only source of food or supplies the Fourth Ring has are generaly those same vehicles providing them to the "real" Rings of Bastion. Thus, the most powerful and prestigious gangs in the Fourth Ring frequently try to intercept the shipments, often with bloody results. A bandit in the Fourth Ring who can claim to have robbed a shipment truck (or train) has a lot of prestige and power within the Fourth Ring.
The Law of the Empire both inside Bastion and out are enforced by its army. The army of Empire is split into the three parts, each as strong as the other.
The Royal Guard who guard the Emperor is the smaller part, with only a few hundred soldiers, but are by far the most well-trained and well-equipped. Royal Guardsmen are generally clad in heavy full-plate or ludicrously heavy mechanized plate (plate armor assisted by machines to enhance the wearer's strength) and may be armed with Gatling Rifles, rockets, and their signature halberd.
The City Guard are the police force in the cities of Empire (including Bastion). Within Bastion, they guard the outer Government District, the Second Ring, and the Third Ring. The guard of Bastion is a complicated force, with many specialists and distinctive organizations within the guard. One can expect a typical guardsman to be equipped in a steel helmet and cuirass and armed with a musket and bayonet. More exotic types of soldiers include light infantry armed with swords and pistols, soldiers armed with expensive repeating rifles, and so on. The City Guard is reasonably well-armed and well-trained and are... well... generic. They are not known for exceptional brutality except in the Fourth Ring, where they clash with the local peace-keepers and providers, the armed gangs. Clashes between the City Guard and the gangs of the Fourth Ring can range from skirmishes against minor gangs to full-fledged invasions in attempts to exterminate the most powerful gangs.
The third component of the Empire's armies is the Frontier Guard. They are adept at open-field combat and fight on the frontier, where they don't figure into the story one bit.
The Fourth Ring, as I've mentioned before is ruled over by gangs of (often) ill-equipped but (often) determined outlaws. It should be noted that these gangs aren't exactly like what we might think of when we think of gangsters, but are more like local militias (but still gang-y). They are the only powers keeping most Fourth Ringers safe from other Fourth Ringers, starvation, and the dreaded City Guard.
There are four main "factions" in Bastion that's out to seize the Emperor's Box. None are clearly "evil" or clearly "good," but individuals within each organization may have different values.
The Engineers of the Guild: The Guild is one of the most powerful organizations in Bastion. Just look at almost any manufactured product in Bastion and it would have a trademark of the Guild on it. The Guild is the coalition of craftsmen and businessmen who own all of the trains and factories in Bastion and has exclusive monopoly on steam technology. With the Emperor's Box, the Guild can have the raw power it needs to become the new law of the city, allowing it to yield more profits and make more progress than ever.
As an Engineer of the Guild, you are one of the elite agents of the Guild, with your unique and innovative cutting-edge technologies. You are not allowed to recieve overt aid in your mission to seize the Emperor's Box for the political backlash that might result, but keep in mind that the trains and machines run by the Guild could be your ally...
If you choose to be an Engineer of the Guild, you have at least one private invention. The invention should be something high-tech involving steam and clockwork, but it doesn't have to, but it shouldn't be *too* high tech (I'll tell you if I think it should be off-limits). Your invention is also possibly your most defining characteristic, so choose wisely. Unless it's a really big and powerful machine, I'd also recommend multiple inventions.
Examples for inventions: Clockwork monkey assistant, super-strength robotic arm, x-ray binoculars, etc
The Wizards of the Order Enigma: The Order Enigma is a mysterious society of gifted humans who have learned the secrets of Old Bastion. Very few people know about the Order, but its history is highly suspect. The only way the Order Enigma might have been able to get its powers was by robbing the hidden graves of the nobility of Old Bastion (the Bastion before the Outsider invasion). Despite the disgust this practice triggers in even the Wizards themselves, they do believe that they should have the power of the magic of Old Bastion as well as the Emperor's Box. Power is only as moral as those who wield it, and the Order Enigma believe they should wield it either out of greed or genuine goodwill.
As a Wizard of the Order Enigma, your sorceries will probably be able to induce a psychological effect, either worship or terror, on the common person. Being an underground organization, the Order Enigma has secret members all over the place that may be able to assist you should the need arise. Unfortunately, you would also have enemies in high places. If you attract too much attention to yourself as a Wizard, someone with the power or clearance to know what the Order Enigma may be able to call the City Guard to exterminate you.
If you choose to be a Wizard of the Order Enigma, you should definitely have a unique, specialized magical ability. There is no "generalized" wizard, because the knowledge of one just one magical style is so hard to attain, learn, and apply, that it is the only one a modern wizard will ever know. Like the Engineer's inventions, your magic is probably going to be the biggest way that people identify you, so choose well.
Examples for Magic: Ability to manipulate fire with your mind, limited mind control, shooting gales out of your mouth, etc
Note also that a Wizard of the Order Enigma doesn't have to be the stereotypical weak but intelligent DnD archetype.
Elite of the Royal Guard: Traditionally, the Royal Guard should never leave the Imperial Palace in order to best protect the Emperor, but things have changed after the Emperor's death. Elite warriors of the Royal Guard have been sent out into the outer rings of Bastion to foil attempts to seize the Emperor's Box. Your allegiance is to the last Emperor, not just the last living Emperor.
As a Royal Guardsman, you have a badge to identify your status whether you wear it or not. There will probably be times when it's a good idea to stay incognito, (being alone and in the army is probably a death sentence in the Fourth Ring).
If you choose to be an Elite Royal Guardsman, you should probably have a specialized weapon or fighting style. Keep in mind that you have access to those weapons not commonly wielded by the Royal Guard (the halberd, mini-rocket, and gatling rifle) because you're above the rank-and-file (if you could ever call them that) Royal Guardsman. Also remember that you're not automatically less powerful than someone with access to advanced technology or magical powers.
Saint of the High Church: The High Church was the institution usurped by the Emperor ten generations back, when he declared himself a God and the only God. Although pushed to the fringe of society and persecuted harshly and thoroughly, the High Church now has the oppurtunity to come back and spread the word of the High Being with the power of the Emperor's Box. At its best, the High Church is the paragon of virtue and its Saints especially are willing to sacrifice everything in the name of goodness and decency. At its worst, the High Church is blind in zeal and self-righteousness and its followers too eager to be martyrs or crusaders.
As a Saint of the High Church, you are an exalted high priest of the Church. Cultists (the name for normal members of the Church) literally worship you. You might find the most support in the oppressed Fourth Ring or the Third Ring.
If you choose to be a Saint of the High Church, you must take on a unique Aspect of the High Being. It is your defining characteristic and your saintly character becomes somewhat like a personification of that trait, but doesn't have to be totally dedicated to it. An Aspect of the High Being might be tricky to come up with, but it's expressed as a profession of some sort. It's also always something associated with goodness or righteousness.
Examples for Aspects: The Protector, the Lifegiver, The Arbiter, etc.
Character Template:
Name:
Sex:
Age:
Physical traits:
Organization: (Engineer, Wizard, Elite, or Saint)
Equipment:
Special Trait:
Background Story:
Okay, right now, it's one o' clock AM and I'm tired, so the mechanics for the actual boardwar will come later. Feel free to make your character right now if you think this is a boardwar you'd want to participate in. If you have a fluff related question, please ask about that as well.
Who has the Emperor's Box has the Emperor's Power!
Bastion has grown from the old fortress-city of a thousand years ago into a dense urban sprawl. The city is structured in rings, according to the old Bastion's multiple wall sections (the walls are still standing). Generally, the best living areas are closer to the center, the most defensible location when Bastion was under siege by the Outsiders.
In the exact center of Bastion is the Government District, a city in itself where hundreds of thousands of clerks and civil servants live and work. At the center of the Government District, the gleaming Imperial Palace rises above the landscape. The Imperial Palace is the opulent private residence of the Emperor himself and his most loyal aides and advisors. The Royal Guard, the most elite soldiers in existence, also have their barracks and training facilities in the Imperial Palace and patrol the Palace exclusively.
Surrounding the Government District, the elite of society live in the Second Ring. The Second Ring is luxurious by Bastion standards. Rows of houses stand wall-to-wall where the elites of society live. The occasional garden provide the only "nature" to be found outside the Imperial Palace.
The Third Ring surrounds the Second Ring. The Third Ring is a dense forest of apartment buildings towering over crowded streets. The Third Ring has both good and bad neighborhoods within it, but is not quite as elite as the Second Ring or as dangerous as the Fourth Ring. This is where the "middle class" live their mundane lives. There are places for living, business, recreation, work, and, of course, sin.
The Fourth Ring surrounds the Third Ring. The Fourth Ring is the largest ring of Bastion and is composed of irregular, rickety, ramshackle shacks and sheds even though most Fourth Ring dwellers live on the street. Turf wars between gangs and bands of heavily armed outlaws are common here, where violence and theft are commonplace and law is the unwelcome invader. In fact, the Fourth Ring was never intended to exist and the Government District clerks only concern themselves with supplying and sustaining the three inner rings. The only objects in the Fourth Ring recognized by the law are the vast factories that the honest Fourth Ringer works in. The factory complexes are stuffy, noisy, dangerous hellholes the size of small towns. They produce almost all of the manufactured goods in the city of Bastion and much of its outlying areas. Wages are low and the work is hard, but are the only legal jobs available for the majority of the Fourth Ring.
Beyond the Fourth Ring, is the rest of the world... which doesn't really concern us. Vast farmlands, mines, and what-have-yous in the immediate vicinity of the city of Bastion supply the city with all the essentials it needs.
The daily life of a typical Bastion-dweller tends to be pretty mundane. Plumbing and regular meals are available in the Third Ring to the Government District, and trains zip people from one end of Bastion to another. Food is brought into Bastion through the Fourth Ring by heavily armed and guarded steam-powered trucks or trains. Unfortunately for everybody involved, the only source of food or supplies the Fourth Ring has are generaly those same vehicles providing them to the "real" Rings of Bastion. Thus, the most powerful and prestigious gangs in the Fourth Ring frequently try to intercept the shipments, often with bloody results. A bandit in the Fourth Ring who can claim to have robbed a shipment truck (or train) has a lot of prestige and power within the Fourth Ring.
The Law of the Empire both inside Bastion and out are enforced by its army. The army of Empire is split into the three parts, each as strong as the other.
The Royal Guard who guard the Emperor is the smaller part, with only a few hundred soldiers, but are by far the most well-trained and well-equipped. Royal Guardsmen are generally clad in heavy full-plate or ludicrously heavy mechanized plate (plate armor assisted by machines to enhance the wearer's strength) and may be armed with Gatling Rifles, rockets, and their signature halberd.
The City Guard are the police force in the cities of Empire (including Bastion). Within Bastion, they guard the outer Government District, the Second Ring, and the Third Ring. The guard of Bastion is a complicated force, with many specialists and distinctive organizations within the guard. One can expect a typical guardsman to be equipped in a steel helmet and cuirass and armed with a musket and bayonet. More exotic types of soldiers include light infantry armed with swords and pistols, soldiers armed with expensive repeating rifles, and so on. The City Guard is reasonably well-armed and well-trained and are... well... generic. They are not known for exceptional brutality except in the Fourth Ring, where they clash with the local peace-keepers and providers, the armed gangs. Clashes between the City Guard and the gangs of the Fourth Ring can range from skirmishes against minor gangs to full-fledged invasions in attempts to exterminate the most powerful gangs.
The third component of the Empire's armies is the Frontier Guard. They are adept at open-field combat and fight on the frontier, where they don't figure into the story one bit.
The Fourth Ring, as I've mentioned before is ruled over by gangs of (often) ill-equipped but (often) determined outlaws. It should be noted that these gangs aren't exactly like what we might think of when we think of gangsters, but are more like local militias (but still gang-y). They are the only powers keeping most Fourth Ringers safe from other Fourth Ringers, starvation, and the dreaded City Guard.
There are four main "factions" in Bastion that's out to seize the Emperor's Box. None are clearly "evil" or clearly "good," but individuals within each organization may have different values.
The Engineers of the Guild: The Guild is one of the most powerful organizations in Bastion. Just look at almost any manufactured product in Bastion and it would have a trademark of the Guild on it. The Guild is the coalition of craftsmen and businessmen who own all of the trains and factories in Bastion and has exclusive monopoly on steam technology. With the Emperor's Box, the Guild can have the raw power it needs to become the new law of the city, allowing it to yield more profits and make more progress than ever.
As an Engineer of the Guild, you are one of the elite agents of the Guild, with your unique and innovative cutting-edge technologies. You are not allowed to recieve overt aid in your mission to seize the Emperor's Box for the political backlash that might result, but keep in mind that the trains and machines run by the Guild could be your ally...
If you choose to be an Engineer of the Guild, you have at least one private invention. The invention should be something high-tech involving steam and clockwork, but it doesn't have to, but it shouldn't be *too* high tech (I'll tell you if I think it should be off-limits). Your invention is also possibly your most defining characteristic, so choose wisely. Unless it's a really big and powerful machine, I'd also recommend multiple inventions.
Examples for inventions: Clockwork monkey assistant, super-strength robotic arm, x-ray binoculars, etc
The Wizards of the Order Enigma: The Order Enigma is a mysterious society of gifted humans who have learned the secrets of Old Bastion. Very few people know about the Order, but its history is highly suspect. The only way the Order Enigma might have been able to get its powers was by robbing the hidden graves of the nobility of Old Bastion (the Bastion before the Outsider invasion). Despite the disgust this practice triggers in even the Wizards themselves, they do believe that they should have the power of the magic of Old Bastion as well as the Emperor's Box. Power is only as moral as those who wield it, and the Order Enigma believe they should wield it either out of greed or genuine goodwill.
As a Wizard of the Order Enigma, your sorceries will probably be able to induce a psychological effect, either worship or terror, on the common person. Being an underground organization, the Order Enigma has secret members all over the place that may be able to assist you should the need arise. Unfortunately, you would also have enemies in high places. If you attract too much attention to yourself as a Wizard, someone with the power or clearance to know what the Order Enigma may be able to call the City Guard to exterminate you.
If you choose to be a Wizard of the Order Enigma, you should definitely have a unique, specialized magical ability. There is no "generalized" wizard, because the knowledge of one just one magical style is so hard to attain, learn, and apply, that it is the only one a modern wizard will ever know. Like the Engineer's inventions, your magic is probably going to be the biggest way that people identify you, so choose well.
Examples for Magic: Ability to manipulate fire with your mind, limited mind control, shooting gales out of your mouth, etc
Note also that a Wizard of the Order Enigma doesn't have to be the stereotypical weak but intelligent DnD archetype.
Elite of the Royal Guard: Traditionally, the Royal Guard should never leave the Imperial Palace in order to best protect the Emperor, but things have changed after the Emperor's death. Elite warriors of the Royal Guard have been sent out into the outer rings of Bastion to foil attempts to seize the Emperor's Box. Your allegiance is to the last Emperor, not just the last living Emperor.
As a Royal Guardsman, you have a badge to identify your status whether you wear it or not. There will probably be times when it's a good idea to stay incognito, (being alone and in the army is probably a death sentence in the Fourth Ring).
If you choose to be an Elite Royal Guardsman, you should probably have a specialized weapon or fighting style. Keep in mind that you have access to those weapons not commonly wielded by the Royal Guard (the halberd, mini-rocket, and gatling rifle) because you're above the rank-and-file (if you could ever call them that) Royal Guardsman. Also remember that you're not automatically less powerful than someone with access to advanced technology or magical powers.
Saint of the High Church: The High Church was the institution usurped by the Emperor ten generations back, when he declared himself a God and the only God. Although pushed to the fringe of society and persecuted harshly and thoroughly, the High Church now has the oppurtunity to come back and spread the word of the High Being with the power of the Emperor's Box. At its best, the High Church is the paragon of virtue and its Saints especially are willing to sacrifice everything in the name of goodness and decency. At its worst, the High Church is blind in zeal and self-righteousness and its followers too eager to be martyrs or crusaders.
As a Saint of the High Church, you are an exalted high priest of the Church. Cultists (the name for normal members of the Church) literally worship you. You might find the most support in the oppressed Fourth Ring or the Third Ring.
If you choose to be a Saint of the High Church, you must take on a unique Aspect of the High Being. It is your defining characteristic and your saintly character becomes somewhat like a personification of that trait, but doesn't have to be totally dedicated to it. An Aspect of the High Being might be tricky to come up with, but it's expressed as a profession of some sort. It's also always something associated with goodness or righteousness.
Examples for Aspects: The Protector, the Lifegiver, The Arbiter, etc.
Character Template:
Name:
Sex:
Age:
Physical traits:
Organization: (Engineer, Wizard, Elite, or Saint)
Equipment:
Special Trait:
Background Story:
Okay, right now, it's one o' clock AM and I'm tired, so the mechanics for the actual boardwar will come later. Feel free to make your character right now if you think this is a boardwar you'd want to participate in. If you have a fluff related question, please ask about that as well.