Surviving Barotyn OOC

[Gadreille]

Synopsis:

"And within the Great Ark’s belly rested safely what was left of His people, the chosen pioneers. They emerged from the Ark to a land bountiful and plenty, escaping forever the storm that had swallowed the rest of the world."

The people of Xatl have long heard this creation story, or several versions of it. However, the truth of it has been lost to legend, never to be discovered again…

The year is 2440, and two rivaling countries each scramble to send a research team to a nearby planet, Barotyn, whose dense atmosphere leaves it shrouded in mystery. What they find there will forever change the past – and future – of the Xatlian race.

History of Xatl:

Xatl is the fourth planet in the seven planet solar system.

The history of Xatl is a complex one that would take up chronicles of books to explain. The people spread across the globe, and now there are 124 surviving Xatlian countries, varying from nomadic tribe to complex nation. Two nations have progressed further in technology than any other: Somhai and the Banded Territories of Nein. Somhai is an autocracy located over a large expanse of tropical land. The Banded Territories of Nein are several colonies in the snowy north who came together to create one great timocracy. Two hundred years ago, Somhai sent the first person into space. From that point on, it was a race between the two to claim land beyond Xatl. During the course of the Xatlian Space Race there have been numerous studies on the other six planets of the solar system, though a person has yet to land on any of the planets. Nearly 50 years ago, the BTN astronauts attacked a Somhai space colony on the moon. While the entire thing was covered up as an accident, it bespoke the future of war for extraterrestrial land between the two countries.

What is known of Barotyn:

Barotyn is the fifth planet in the seven planet solar system.

There is a decrease of nitrogen on the planet of Barotyn, which makes fires much easier to ignite and spread. It has a high amount of volcanic activity and its upper atmosphere is filled with ash. The planet is slightly farther from the sun than Xatl, but the volcanic activity keeps it warm. It's days are shorter, being 19.3.36 hours long. The probes that have taken back pictures and samples have shown a plethora of bioluminescent plant life, from large trees to flowers to strange vegetation. There is also evidence of severe tropical storms in certain parts of the planet. There are believed to be large bodies of water, though one has not yet been located. So far, there is no sign of intelligent life.

Plotline:

A groundbreaking paper was just released in the Somhain Journal of Spatiplacology. In it, the scientist surmises that, with a minor Nitrogen Gas Unit (a simple and long lasting unit was designed and tested for the paper) that the people of Xatl could easily survive on the fifth planet, Barotyn. He even speculates as to the ability to survive without these gas units, though it would be much like trying to live on the highest peaks of a mountain.

This information alerted both Somhai and the BTN to the possibility of claiming new extraterrestrial land. The governments began searching for the brightest, best, most daring souls out there, regardless of what country they hail from. These teams were assembled as quickly and efficiently as possible, space shuttles packed with enough food and supplies to last three months…not to mention weapons and ammunition. These ships were named the Neinian Atleric Service (N.A.S.) Legacy and Leona's Fear.

The beginning of the role play focuses on these people, where they are from, what they are expected to do when they get to Barotyn, their hopes and their fears.

However, when they enter the atmosphere of Barotyn, the story is going to change. The ships' engines will blow (that decrease in nitrogen being the main factor to this) and our two teams will be stranded on different portions of the planet. Each team will happen upon xatlian like remains – one team will discover an ancient space ship or “Ark”. Our characters find themselves amidst a fued between surviving Barotyn humans and Barotyn’s natural inhabitants: a vicious race of semi sentient beings that the xatlians call the draconens.

Rules:
Please follow all Forum Rules, including but not limited to respecting your partners, posts have to be at least four paragraphs and at least thirty sentences in length, and please write with proper grammar.

Be Collaborative! In detail, this includes being polite, open to compromise, and communicative. In such a large scale role play, we are going to have to work together to get anywhere in the story. I encourage you to use Private Messages and the ChatBox. Collaborative posts are a must in order to make the thirty sentence requirement. Do not take over anyone’s character without their permission.

Lastly: There is a great amount of freedom in this plot. Feel free to create side plots, dramatic issues with other characters, countless NPC’s and even some crazy bad guy stuff (evil plants, crazy animals, etc). However, please make sure everyone involved is OKAY with your idea. Also, do NOT forget, your character does not know what you know. Don't mix up your knowledge with theirs.

Character Sheets:

Spoiler:

Characters:

[Blackrock]

Just something I've been wondering about - has the world of Xatl experienced a Stone Age of sorts, some time during the past? It doesn't have to be something our characters know about, but I was just wondering how all that knowledge coming with the first settlers was lost. I mean, they may not have been handpicked teams of specialists, but they certainly had some kind of technology, plus a healthy amount of general knowledge. What's more, I assume the ship's databases would at least contain some fraction of the know-how accumulated by Earth during it time.

All in all, that has me wondering, how has the world developed - culturally and politically? Did they have a "medieval era" like we did? Did they undergo through a Renaissance? (why? what religion was involved?) Was the gunpowder being discovered a major achievement that re-shaped Xatl? Is this information easily accessible or is it consciously kept in the dark?

As for Barotyn, I'm really intrigued by what Kalon proposed in the interest check. It can really give us a powerful story tool, playing around with how a culture's evolution can be influenced by its environment. What's more, another thing which I saw touched upon was genetics. If the crews of the ships coming from Earth were not matched according to ethnicity and such, it would give their descendants - on both planets - a very rich genetic fond to draw upon.

Especially on Barotyn, I'm not really certain if it can happen over such a short period of time (actually how long ago did Earth send these ships? how long did they travel to get to the future Xatl and Barotyn?) but maybe due to the increased volcanic activity, the lower amount of nitrogen, the atmosphere itself could be thinner than that of Xatl's. Thus, higher amounts of radiation could slip through (at least I think it can be plausible to assume that due to the overall thinner atmosphere, the ozone layer (in the stratosphere) is thinner as well). not enough to damage organic life, but perhaps in its more rapid mutation/evolution. Thus, some of Barotyn's natives could have better reflexes or, say, more developed minds (in a paranormal-ish way). Essentially rendering them the "mages" of this society, especially if they've slipped into a semi-barbaric state. (we could assume that their technology degraded rapidly on the harsher Barotyn)

Not so sure how plausible it all is - just throwing out a thought. Pick it apart as you will

[Gadreille]

I imagined that this arkship crashed well before Xatlian's own documentation of time: so if we are in the year 2440, this happened almost 2500 years ago, if not longer. How long did the ship take to get from Earth to Xatl? We don't know. Could have been hours, months, years or decades. Why were Xatlians unable to render any of their previous technologies? Perhaps the ship crashed in water, and everything went down. But imagine this. A random 1 percent of the population is sent out in the middle of nowhere, with no resources familiar to where they hail from. What is the chance that in that one percent there is someone who not only knows how to build these technologies, but knows how to manipulate new materials to have the same effect? What is the chance that there would not be a person with that knowledge?

Within three generations even the knowledge of this technology would disappear into legend. Even if some old pieces existed, after thousands of years they would be no more than ancient relics, probably believed to be ceremonial.

As for how Xatl's society progressed...As stated in the OOC, that would take books to cover. I don't have the time to create such a history. That said, I would not want it to be the same as Earth. Just because we did it that way doesn't mean every world would. This opens up freedom for our characters. It gives us the ability to create weapons that are not based on gunpowder if we choose. My only limitation is that the gadgets aren't too out there, nothing psychic based or fused to the arm. But feel free to mix it up a bit. If someone wants to add a bit of Xatlian history to their post/character sheet, they just need to check with me first.

As for the Barotynian humans, I wholeheartedly agree with your concept. Only a few would have survived, and only the children of those few born with enough mutation to handle the environment would have survived. Through adaptation, this version of humanity would have evolved to become stronger, thick skinned that could handle heat better, probably paler, perhaps less hair for such a tropic environment.

Barotynian technology degraded at the same rate as Xatlian. The difference is, that with the harsher climate and strong predator at their heels, they never had a chance to build their own technologies. These people would be essentially in their own sort of stone age. But remember, this doesn't mean they were limited to the resources here on Earth. I love the idea of barotynian human mages. This happening would help support the idea that these people are able to survive - though just barely - with the draconens preying upon them.

[Guest]

Character Sheet (WIP)

Username: Ysopet

Name: Zeum

Homeland: Suskara of Angka

Ship: Somhai

Occupation: Officer of the Angkan Armed Forces

Other Skills: A skilled assassin and thief, as well as a religious scholar.

Biography: Very long... so I put it in spoilers.

Spoiler:

Personality: Zeum is very reserved, unless speaking of religion. He has lived a hard life, and has recently done many things, under the employ of the Angkan Armed Forces, that he regrets. Over the years, his personality has darkened considerably. However, he excels at blending in; when necessary, Zeum can be a social chameleon. Getting him to open up, however, can prove impossible.

Motive: Zeum is going on the expedition to Barotyn because he feels like he has no other choice. Not only is he being ordered to by his superiors in the AAF (Angka Armed Forces), but he feels like it is the only way to escape his life in Suskara. Zeum wants to go to Barotyn to start over.

[Gadreille]

Username: Gadreille

Name: Ruie Galecki

Homeland: Banded Territories of Nein

Ship: The Neinian Atleric Service (N.A.S.) Legacy

Occupation: Chemical Nutritionist; has done extensive research on supporting diets for xatlians in poverty, as well as research on Barotynian plant samples.

Other Skills: Ruie is a plant fanatic; not just for dietary purposes, but anything plants can be used for. She's tried her hand at ancient processes that the earliest xatlians used to process plants into food, clothing, and other remedies.

Biography: Perhaps it was living in the coldest north of the BTN that made Ruie have a fascination for anything green. Growing up in snow, snow, and at best an overcast dreary day on barren ground, Ruie was shocked to see the greener southern territories when sent there for boarding school. She was fascinated with the trees, with the flowers, and even the poison spindle she fell into one summer that left her with blisters from head to toe for nearly a week. After finishing up at a standard public boarding school, Ruie worked to put herself through college all the way up to a Ph. D, and she never stopped studying. She was so driven in her work she was one of the many scientists from all over BTN who were given access to Bartoynian plant samples. Unfortunately, the samples were practically microscopic, and while she was able to look into the organic chemistry of the plant, she couldn't study its textures, its tastes, or its uses. When the BTN began assembling a research team for Barotyn, she was the first of her field to volunteer.

Personality: In Progress

Physical Description:


Motive (if any): To study Barotynian plant life

[Kalon Ordona II]

Username: Kalon Ordona II

Name: Captlan Jarrod Xalerion Rowe

Homeland: Greater Padxhua, the Banded Territories of Nein

Ship: The Neinian Atleric Service (N.A.S.) Legacy

Occupation:

• Captlan among the Neinian Atleric Fleet
  
• Lecturing Marksmaster at Xatling Academy
  
• Aide to Adliral Dxhonathan Xant aboard the N.A.S. Legacy

When he is not otherwise engaged as a Captlan in BTN's aerial military, Jarrod teaches Trahedron marksmanship at Xatling Academy, BTN's largest interterritory combat university, located in Greater Padxhua. Xatling Academy trains its men and women to be more than just soldiers; it's students and teachers are groomed to be learned, well mannered and driven, and Jarrod Rowe is no exception. A man in his prime, Jarrod is somewhat young for a lecturing master, but his skills--not only in the marksmanship style itself, but more importantly, in the teaching of it--are more than deserving of the position. Trahedron style stretches the limits of mid-range instinctive marksmanship, and Jarrod stretches the limits of Trahedron, going so far as to employ the style's one-handed, sidelong stance even when firing rifles.

Other Skills:
~ Saber fighting
Schools in Greater Padxhua itself, as distinct from the rest the BTN, still teach the art of the saber as a regular curriculum. Jarrod learned this art during his early life, before becoming a soldier, and its discipline had been the foundation of his career inclination. Jarrod practices often and rigorously with the saber and encourages his students to do so as well, because it increases forearm and wrist strength and dexterity, as well as hand-eye coordination--attributes essential to mastering Trahedron style marksmanship.
~ Establishing patterns
Jarrod achieved his rank not so much through leadership skills but through his ability to set an example for others. Jarrod tends to take things on himself rather than delegate--which is probably why he is only a Captlan and not a Lxtenant or Adliral--but he goes about his tasks in such a way that much can be learned just from observation. What sets him apart from other model soldiers is the way he first analyzes, then reorganizes, then performs and finally teaches better ways of doing things. Taken together, it adds up to something that stands out even among the higher tiers. He tends to be thought of as the one who sets the standard for excellence.
~ Hoko brewing
Jarrod is a connoisseur of all the things you can do with the many strains of the Hoko plant--its leaves, hearts and roots--and its derivatives. In particular, the brewing of Hoko as a hot drink using ground roasted hearts and infusions of the leaves, in varying combinations taken from different strains or hybrids, is one of Jarrod's favorite pastimes.

Biography:
Jarrod was born just over 5 years after the turn of the century, a time full of promise in the BTN. Greater Padxhua was to enter the height of its glory by the time Jarrod had completed his early schooling. Born into a political family and raised to excel, Jarrod naturally absorbed political principles but later, just as naturally, grew repulsed by the patterns of that arena. Jarrod entered the military, avoiding the ground, sea, or intelligence forces in favor of the adventure and nobility of the skies, among the atleric fleets.

After his initial training at Xatling Academy, Jarrod first distinguished himself aboard the N.A.S. Lanxer, during the offensive on smuggler rings in Lesser Padxhua, from the harsh winter of 2427 to the summer of 2429, when fairer skies finally allowed for a decisive strike and reclamation of the pilfered spatian/atleric units that had finally pushed government forces into action. The smugglers had been repurposing spatian tech to make better atleric vessels. It was worth the risk to them, stealing from BTN's spatiplaceanic expeditions, because the improved atleric units, once complete, would have allowed them to much more effectively evade detection and capture.

But BTN's Spatiplacean Race efforts were not to be undermined.

During the conflict, Jarrod's saber skills caused him to gravitate toward Trahedron style during firefights, and he found that his instinct for point shooting served him better than sight aiming ever had. This instinct he honed throughout the winter skirmishes of '27 and '28, when the fighting was on land and mostly indoors. By the time the smuggler ring was finally eradicated and the government units recovered, Jarrod had become a noted marksman and had twice risen in rank. Some years later, it was for the purpose of teaching Trahedron that Jarrod was advanced early to Captlan.

When in 2440 a crew was being assembled for the new N.A.S. spatiplaceanic voyager Legacy, the ship's Adliral went straight to Xatling Academy to look for a suitable Aide, trusting his own instinct over the methods of the government's selection team.

Adliral Dxhonathan Xant was BTN's greatest commander with enough territal, oceanic and spatian experience for the voyage. Rigid, obsessive and exacting, the cunning veteran chose the one man in the nation who satisfied the qualifications of rank (a Captlan able to assume command of the ship if necessary); who filled the gap of experience with his atleric service; who had the skills to act as a bodyguard; whose honor and nobility matched the Adliral's standards; and whose personality could offset and complement the Adliral's own. And that man was Captlan Jarrod Rowe.

Description:
Jarrod's height in centixats is 188cx, nudging the upper end of average for a northborn xatlian male. He keeps his fine, sandy hair just long enough to feather flat on his head. His eyes are dark gray deep-set, comprehending and alert above an ordinary nose--the kind nobody notices--and a mouth that was molded into just the sort of thin, confined set that is best suited for somber, thoughtful expressions.

Jarrod's fair skin is growing slightly more rough as he moves toward middle age, but he keeps himself clean shaven. His eyebrows have become more angular and his cheekbones, more pronounced in his somewhat squarish face. He seems to be conformist in his clothing choices, at least until closer inspection, where his subtle deviations reflect his personal taste.

Upbringing, Academy and Service have drilled into him a purposeful posture and carriage, but what makes him stand out is the inclination to match. His is the precision and ease of a habitual poise that is not merely used, but is truly wielded.

Personality: Aspiring but not ambitious, adventurous but not reckless; possessed of a nobility ingrained from birth, honed in the field, and accepted as his own.

Motive: Jarrod believes in the Banded Territories of Nein and all that it stands for. The BTN must outpace the rest of Xatl, if its inhabitants are to enjoy the future the best of them deserve. And to do that, the BTN must have capable and honorable men and women in its service, and they must be guided by clarity, brilliance, and fortitude. Jarrod strives to fulfill this role.

[Artorius]

Username: Artorius

Name: Danark Wade

Homeland: The Barren Wastes

Ship: The Whisp (a salvaged reconnaissance vessel)

Occupation: Smuggler

Other Skills:
Smooth Talker- Dan is definitely a smooth talker. In most situations he can talk himself out of trouble and is quick to respond to insults or accusations.

Toughness- Dan has survived the harsh conditions of the Xatl Barren Wastes for his whole life. As such, he is more accustomed to such conditions than others. He is a survivor at heart.

Salvager- Dan has the ability to create makeshift weaponry and electronics.

Biography: When the Ark arrived on Xatl, the Great Migration had ended. However, when the first humans on Xatl stepped off of the Ark, the Ancient Diaspora had began. The humans who emerged from the Ark were many and diverse, it took only one argument, one disagreement, to separate the migrant humans. The dispute itself has been lost to the ages, but its legacy still remains. Deep in the eastern deserts of Xatl lives a migrant nation, the Dones. (derived from the ancient Earth language English's "Dune") The nation lives off of sparse oases and salvaged mechanical parts and ships. Danark is a citizen of this nation.

Born in the year 2410, Danark is definitely a product of his home nation. He possesses abilities characteristic of most Dones- excellent craftsmanship, resourcefulness, and cunning. His life was fairly normal until he began smuggling at age sixteen. All payments he received were shared amongst the Dones. He has smuggled in several different nations and for all manner of people. He has been caught only once, and punished accordingly- Danark has no index or middle finger on his right hand.

Danark knows the price of failure and in some cases has fought viciously to avoid it. When he reached the age of twenty eight, the Dones salvaged a reconnaissance sky vessel. It took two years to fix it up, but finally, the salvaged vehicle was made to be flight worthy. Now in the year 2440, Danark plans to take the Whisp on its maiden voyage with a small flight crew.

Personality: Danark is cunning, educated (street wise), and resourceful.

Motive (if any): Plans to reap benefit for the Dones. Danark is unaware, however, of the great ambitions of the mainland tech giants Somhai and the Banded Territories.

-----------
I may add more, not sure yet. If I need to change anything Gadrielle, let me know.

[Gadreille]

Kalon, yours is fine so far. I like the name for the ship, I'll add it to the OOC. The ship hailing from BTN will officially be named The Neinian Atleric Service (N.A.S.) Legacy!

Artorius, I like everything but one detail. Your character must be on one of two ships, either The Neinian Atleric Service Legacy or the currently unnamed ship that will be launching from Somhai. So just alter your CS a little bit to include why (whichever country you choose) would want your man on their ship.

Sorry my CS isn't done, I haven't had much time this week!

Edit: D'oh! I forgot physical description! You can have a picture or a written description.

[Kalon Ordona II]

Edited mine. It's mostly complete. Everything still good?

Also, maybe Artorius's character used to have the Whisp, but something happened to it, and part of that is why he's on one or other of the ships now?
So like instead of it being a new ship, it could be an old ship, and an atleric (sky) vessel as opposed to a spatian (space) one--unless those words are just BTN-ese, in which case the Dones might have their own words for different kinds of vehicles. ^^

Would the wastes be closer to BTN or Somhai?

[Peccata-Mortalia]

Sorry I haven't gotten my CS up yet. I am working on it. Finals and getting the final touches for my wedding and everything else has caught me. Hopefully it'll be up by Sunday.

[Gadreille]

Kalon, looks good. P.Mort, no worries. I still haven't finished mine!

[Kalon Ordona II]

P.S. In case anyone was wondering why a "space" vessel is in the Atleric Service, my idea was that officially there IS no "spatian" or "spatiplaceanic" service. They never made one for fear of it getting out and just made ships officially for the Atleric service, but what happened was they got into the habit. People know about space vessels now, at least vaguely, no there's no need to keep the separate department a secret, but it's just a habit now to label space vessels Atleric Service along with the normal sky vessels.

So people don't think of "spatian" as applying to ships so much as the technology involved.

And speaking of words, I came up with Territal service by combining "terran" with "territorial," to go with the "Banded Territories." So other countries may or may not use the term.
I kept Oceanic the way it is because of the word "spatiplacean," which I figure is their word for "space," as if their concept of it is like an ocean.

I borrowed the root from Gadreille's "spatiplacology." I'm guessing she got it from "spatialecology" or something, but it doesn't matter, because now it can be a new Neinian word, so we don't have to say "space" this and "space" that. xD

So the word "spatia" in my thinking would mean an anti-gravity direction, or the idea of moving about in a spatiplacean. Like "up," "out" and "forward" all at once. Therefore "spatian" things would relate to locomotion in space. I figure they have something other than rockets.

Territal Service = Land forces--probably BTN's greatest strength and most significant history
Oceanic Service = Sea forces, which there might not be too much of, for the BTN
Atleric Service = Sky forces (and space, since there is no official Spatiplaceanic Service)

Also, I applied the word Xatl when coming up with ranks, so that's where Adliral and Captlan came from.
I tried to avoid using X as X when coming up with any of the words, in fact. Only X as Z, like Xatl. Assuming it's not pronounced Ksattle. xD

So Padxhua, for example, you can think of as padzhua, or even padjua.

[Gadreille]

spatiplacology: I looked up root words for "Space" "planet" and "study of" to create a science for studying planets in space.

[Guest]

You did a good job coming up with all of that information, Kalon! Kudos

[Kalon Ordona II]

Honestly I was afraid I was coming up with too much. Sometimes I can't help myself.

[Artorius]

Edited mine. It's mostly complete. Everything still good?

Also, maybe Artorius's character used to have the Whisp, but something happened to it, and part of that is why he's on one or other of the ships now?
So like instead of it being a new ship, it could be an old ship, and an atleric (sky) vessel as opposed to a spatian (space) one--unless those words are just BTN-ese, in which case the Dones might have their own words for different kinds of vehicles. ^^

Would the wastes be closer to BTN or Somhai?

Okay, I changed the Whisp to a sky vessel, it can crash-land on Samhai or the BTN. And Kalon, the Barren Wastes would probably be closer to BTN. Therefore, it stands to reason that he could crash land in the BTN.

[Gadreille]

Alright well, we're missing a CS or two...Ysopet is going to work on an intro post, but if anyone has something they want to write go ahead. It doesn't matter who makes the initial IC thread to me. I'm not really wanting to bother everyone every week into posting. I am going to assume you are doing your best. I need help to get this moving, I am trying to give FOG something to do but I don't have a lot of time myself to make sure it stays rolling.

Edit: Basically I am not going to be a very good GM right now. But I'm trying my best to get back into RPing. I just really need your help.

[Kalon Ordona II]

So we need Pecci-Mort and Blackrock?

[Guest]

And Chindi, should she decide to commit to it. Any of them can come in at any time though. It isn't really necessary for them to jump in at the beginning.

[Gadreille]

The new member Jinx had also expressed interest in joining, but never posted here...
Perhaps tomorrow or saturday I can muster up the energy to write the intro post that this RP deserves.

[Moon Ray]

Hello! I want to come to!

I apologize in advance for the somewhat bare char sheet. I'm selfish and I like to leave some surprises for the actual RPing. If there's anything absolutely necessary that I'm leaving out, let me know and I'll fix it.

---

Username: Moon Ray

Name: Nahni Imix
(The "x" is pronounced like the "sh" sound.)

Homeland: Ranchac
A spatially large country occupying, primarily, the Ran Jungle, with a small population consisting, primarily, of vagrant tribes. There are several cities (including the capitol: Ranchacxictlan) which are known for their massive stone architecture and serve as centers of government, market, and tourism. The country is almost wholly undeveloped, though there is a very subtle system of river roads and pado trails which can be traversed.

Ship: Somhai ship

Occupation: Padolier, of the Descending Sun house

Padoliering is a concept unique to the Ranchac culture. Because the land did not provide suitable beasts of burden, and the terrain was not suited to the conventional concept of roads, the people of Ranchac developed a device commonly called the Pado Seat. It is best described as a wooden cart, supported by one wheel, and pulled by a padolier. A single pado seat and padolier can cart several passengers and has been used to move the massive slabs from quarries to mountain tops. A padolier may be employed for taxiing, tours, transport of goods, message delivery, and waiting –similar to a body servant, though they are not particular to any client.

The station of a padolier is not come by lightly. Contrary to the beliefs of most tourists, padoliers have a social standing comparable to a shaman and in some cases equal to a city’s ruler. This is due in large part to the religious significance of a padolier, attributed by their rich mythological history. Though the duties are very different, the physical and mental training is similar to that of a shaman. They are educated from a young age. In addition to unrivaled, and almost inhuman, physical strength, a padolier is instructed in Ranchac’s extensive history, twisting geography, geology, several languages, mathematics, astronomy, environmental biology, religion, and even a martial art known as Nixli. The broad training aides them in the variety of work they encounter; including, in no small part, the guided tours offered to foreigners.

Also similar to a shaman: padoliers are raised to androgyny. The source of their strength comes from the fusion of their male and female souls. As part of their training for that, children apprenticed to a padolier conceal their gender. The custom extends to the language surrounding padoliers. A padolier’s name, which would otherwise be prefixed with the masculine Ah or feminine Ix, is given the neutral Nahni. Third person pronouns, when they are used, are modified to Ze.

There are three recognized padolier houses.

Other Skills: Nahni Imix, suited for tourist work, is possessed of a variety of entertainment skills:
-storytelling
-juggling
-vocal impersonations
-walking on hands

Biography:
Nahni Imix was born to a lowland tribe and chosen at age six to apprentice to the Descending Sun padolier house. The training filled zir life, and ze excelled at it. Upon reaching master's status, ze was requested to work at the capitol, Ranchacxictlan -the largest tourist location in the country. Ze is one of the top tier padoliers, used almost exclusively by tourists and dignitaries.

Personality:
Padoliers are humble by training. Nahni Imix serves zir gods, serves zir country, serves humanity. It is zir duty to provide safety, knowledge, and comfort, while achieving the desires of zir clients. This extends to all people in zir life.

Aside from zir duty, Nahni Imix is fierce, outgoing, cheerful, and practical minded.

Physical Description:
Nahni Imix has the characteristics given to zir people: deeply bronzed skin, brown eyes, coarse brown hair, a strong nose, and a large, lean body. Padoliers are –almost without exception- beautiful people; they are chosen for distinctive female and male features which exist in harmony. Nahni Imix has the soft feminine chin, (which ze often holds boldly forward), and a masculine set of eyes, enlarged with black lash-liner. The work also provides an insanely dense muscle structure; ze is lean, hard, and well-defined.

Ze wears a small, thick gold hoop in each earlobe, metal- or woodcraft bracelets, and the uniform of zir house. The uniform consists of a full pair of pants which can either be worn bound tight to each leg, or loose so that it almost seems to be a skirt. There is also a shoulderless blouse that clasps around the neck with a high collar. The wide belt –called an obi- holds to the torso and displays the design of the padolier’s house. And in case of rain: a short, hooded poncho may be worn. Unlike most the citizens of Ranchac, padoliers are not given to discordant splashes of color or patterns in their wardrobe; Nahni Imix’s uniform is red worn over white.

Motive:
When a shaman who is also a queen tells you to go to Barotyn, you don’t argue. You don’t say “how?” or “why?” or “is that even possible?” When a shaman who is also a queen tells you to go to Barotyn, you find a way –because there must be a way, and there must be a reason.

Nahni Imix applied to both the Somhai and the N.A.S. Legacy programs on virtue of zir strength. Even among padoliers, Nahni Imix is known for power, dexterity, grace, and precision. In the end, it was Somhai that took zir on.

[Gadreille]

Interesting character sheet. I think there is enough information. I'm sorry, I haven't yet read the spoiler you sent me.

We have three characters for the BTN ship and two for Somhai. BTW, its Somhai, not Samhai.

If anyone else is joining, I would prefer them to be Somhaian. It stands to reason that someone of that country should be represented on that ship. If no one else is, I may make a second character...unless someone would be willing to do that in my stead.

Blackrock will not be joining us on this endeavor, though he very much wanted to be a part of it. I haven't heard from Chindi, Jinx, or P.Mort on the matter.

[Moon Ray]

Right. My char is now a member of the *Somhai* ship.

I don't think it's necessary to force more PCs into the story, just to fit equality or common sense or whatever. I mean, crew members can be NPCs or faceless-slots-to-be-filled-in-at-a-later-time. Or there could be deaths. The Somhai ship could run into trouble of some sort, leaving only two foreigners.

I'm not knocking multiple characters of course. I'm tempted myself, to get my fingers in the other pot. But don't overload yourself; keep it fun. We'll cover up the rest with excellent writing!

Not incidentally, I think an awesome ship name would go a long way to attracting recruits. "TBD" doesn't have much pull over "The Neinian Atleric Service Legacy."

[Gadreille]

As far as I'm concerned, any of you may name the Somhai ship. I'm an...equal opportunity creator, so to speak I like to let all of the members fill in the smaller details. For example, Kalon created the Legacy name, not I!

And you are of course right, NPC's are golden. I will be needing to make another character later anyway.

I apologize for still not getting an intro post up. I spent most of today with my grandmother. I have an appointment tonight, but after that we'll see if I can get something done.

[Moon Ray]

I was hoping someone would have some ideas about the ship name. I would have offered up something, but I keep coming up with ridiculous names.

The Martian Maiden
Pegasus Sword
Starboat No. 4

I've been reading too much Pratchett lately, I think. Or maybe I believe there's just no beating The Star Trek Enterprise. How about The Space Voyage Awesome? Or To Barotyn Away!

On that note, you know what's a good intro post? "Star Date: Zero Dash Zero Alpha." ..oh wait. Post minimum! Foiled by rules again!

[Kalon Ordona II]

I like your use of the x as sh, as opposed to my use of x as z. Maybe this is a common theme on Xatl. They all have this trademark use of x as something other than ks. ^_^

As for a Somhai ship, no one's made Somhai yet, so we don't know what sort of name they would have.

I went in a european steampunk/sci-fi direction with BTN, or at least Padxhua. According to the base info which I used for inspiration, BTN is a timocracy, which according to Wikipedia is defined as:
1. a state where only property owners may participate in government
2. a government in which love of honor is the ruling principle

BTN would be organized and would tend to stand on ceremony, valuing chivalry, honor, one's word, and all that.

Somhai is an autocracy, in which a single person has absolute rule. This would be distinct from a monarchy in that there are no advisors or lesser tiers of government. This person is IT.

BTN is northern country--tending to be cold and mountainous.
Somhai is tropical, but by no means primitive. This is full of opportunity for a creative touch, since you don't see a setting like that every day.

Advanced Tropical Autocracy
vs
Advanced Northern Timocracy

Something about Somhai must be working, regardless--or perhaps because--of the Autocracy system, because their scientists discovered and publicized the information about the feasibility of life on Barotyn.

Whatever Somhai ends up looking like, I imagine it would have a totally different system of coming up with names for ships.

[Gadreille]

Yes it would.

I had a hard time deciding whether it should be one absolute ruler, or a country ruled on intelligence. I want you to assume the leader of Somhai as a very intelligent man/woman. This person's desire for land on another planet is more for the research side of it, and also keeping up with the Joneses (BTN) so to speak.

This is why it was the Somhai scientist who wrote this article. Spatiplacology research is being driven by the Emperor/Empress (or whatever title we make for this leader).

This is all I had imagined of Somhai so far.

[Chindi]

Hey guys, so here's the deal with me. My laptop is fried, so until I can get a replacement my writing time has dropped down to nothing. So at this point in time, I'm going to have to refrain from joining. Maybe later down the road I'll have a chance. Sorry.

~Chindi

[Artorius]

Somhai is an autocracy, in which a single person has absolute rule. This would be distinct from a monarchy in that there are no advisors or lesser tiers of government. This person is IT.

Sorry Kalon, but this doesn't sit too well with me. I don't see how one person could possibly rule a nation. There needs to advisors and a bureaucracy, regardless of absolutism or otherwise. A king/queen who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. I mean, the autocratic ruler would have to be... omnipotent... I don't see how thats possible. Anyways, I'm not attacking you Kalon, I just can't make sense of it. If you have a more detailed explanation please share.

[Gadreille]

His explanation would be that I made it an autocracy, as stated in the interest check and OOC.

As for how it works or doesn't work, that's where we get creative.

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