Brotherhood of the Machine (OOC Thread) [PG/14] - Back on hiatus. Sorry.{04}

[Ryudo Lee]

Rating: PG/14 (somewhere between the PG and 14 rating pandas) set on: 1/3/08 (Rating subject to change based on content)

Summary of activity so far...
(The archived IC thread begins here and continues here.)
         The story began with Jackson Phoenix, the leader of the Rebellion, making a speech to a group of people.  The Rebellion is fighting against the Brotherhood of the Machine, a fanatical group who worship technology and despise all forms of magic.  They kidnap people who exhibit magical abilities, and people who join the Brotherhood are never heard from again.  The Rebellion was formed to combat the Brotherhood and stop the killings and kidnappings.  They have been marginally successful.
         After Jackson's speech, he leaves the building, which is demolished by explosives a short while later by Brotherhood soldiers.  Such attacks are common enough that there are people who want to stop them.  Even so, the Rebellion has gone out of the way to recruit more soldiers.  Several people were contacted by the Rebellion in various ways to create a new unit within the Rebellion, one that would perform specific missions vital to Rebellion.  The unit is a motley crew of people from various backgrounds.  Each has their own unique skills, and all have their strengths and weaknesses.
         The party's first mission was to a town called Northon, where rumors were flying of strange activity within the town.  The party was sent to investigate, and resolve any issue they found, if possible.  Their initial investigation found that the entire town, down to every last man, woman, and child was completely and totally loyal to the Brotherhood.  A more thorough investigation discovered that the people were being controlled through a microchip implanted at the base of the brain, which were later determined to be recievers.  A search of town turned up an entrance to an underground facility, which was being guarded by Brotherhood zealots.  
         During all of this, it turned out that one of the party had a friend in the local hospital, and a rescue attempt was made.  During the rescue, the hospital caught fire.  But the fire provided enough confusion for them to escape with the friend and a guard from the hospital, so they could examine the chips.  During this time, Rebellion backup showed up in the form of a science team, and some soldiers.  The party, along with a couple of the grunts, a demolitionist, and a tech, made their way to the entrance to the underground facility.  Within the facility, they found several cables, which were determined to be coming from the source of the transmission that was controlling the receivers implanted in the people's heads.  They met heavy resistance within the facility in the form of automated turrets and a warbot.  The turrets were destroyed, and the warbot defeated.  
         The warbot was guarding the transmitter, a large antenna.  The demolitionist set explosives on the transmitter, with instructions from the science team.  After the party made their escape from the facility, the explosives detonated, destroying the transmitter.  After the transmitter went down, a message from Jackson appeared on all televisions and radios.  Jackson revealed to the people about what the Brotherhood had done.  The people became enraged and rioted.  In the chaos of the riot and the hospital fire, the party was able to make a clean getaway back to Rebellion HQ.
         Once they returned to Rebellion HQ, they were debriefed, paid, and given a chance to rest.  A new mission had been lined up for them.  A new tower is being constructed in a remote area, a day's drive fom the Rebellion HQ.  The group was ordered to collect as much data as they could from the fledgling tower, and then destroy it, if they can.  The construction had just started, so the group has time to rest and plan, and talk amongst themselves.
         After they rested and made up their plans, the party made their way to the tower, finding it still unfinished.  They split into two teams, one to cause a distraction at the front gate, while the other would scale the unfinished wall and take out any targets left inside the structure.  One zealot was rendered unconscious and was put in a van to be brought back for study back at Rebellion HQ.  No other Brotherhood survived attack.  During their search of the interior, they found the computer console they were looking for and downloaded the data they were asked to retrieve.  During this, they found a strange field generator whose purpose was not immediately obvious.  They called in an engineer to dismantle it.  The engineer found several "black-box" devices within the generator, and took those pieces to be studied back at Rebellion HQ.  At the same time, they also found a mercenary who was being held by the Brotherhood.  The party took him into custody and commandeered his armor, gun, and vehicle, for further questioning back at Rebellion HQ.  Once the data, the generator devices, and the mercenary were secured, the tower structure was rigged with explosives, and then destroyed.
         On their way back to Rebellion HQ, the party got a message from Jackson, commending them for their exemplary performance.  But he also informed them of a slight detour in their trip home.  A Brotherhood prison convoy was spotted not too far from them, and it was rumored that some Rebellion soldiers were being transported in that convoy.  Jackson requested that the convoy be destroyed, and it's prisoners rescued.
         The party encountered the prison convoy, which turned out to be a slow moving, heavily modified, and heavily armored truck.  They engaged in a hard fought battle to capture the vehicle, as it was well guarded.  In the end, they were able to defeat the convoy's guards and get into the vehicle.  There they found a captured Rebellion soldier as well natives who had been captured in what could be assumed was a raid.  Some of the prisoners had not survived the transportation, possibly due to the Brotherhood's own manhandling of them.  The convoy was taken back to Rebellion HQ where the survivors were given medical treatment.  One of the native survivors and the mercenary found in the tower both decided to join up with the party.
         Lt. Armstrong, after debriefing the party, gave them their newest objectives.  This time, they had three objectives to complete.  To the north is a Brotherhood underground fuel depot which needs to be destroyed.  To the east is an archeological dig site, where a leading archeologist, Dr. Woodworth, is requesting protection.  To the southwest, at the edge of a desert, there has been some strange seismic activity, which must be investigated.
         The party makes their way to the archeological dig site, and are almost immediately set upon by a Brotherhood unit, made up of several grunts driving light vehicles, and a more powerful Brotherhood soldier in a heavy truck.  An intense firefight kicks off, and the party comes out victorious.  With the firefight over, the archeologists in the dig site want to be safely removed to Dr. Woodworth's laboratory so that he can study his findings.

-List of characters-

This list is current as of: 5/27/10

Currently active players:
Azlan - Morgan Kell
Basilisk2150 - Darkshine
Corgatha Taldorthar - Fetrethar Goinyavan
Tapewolf - Dorcan Ja'Fell
techmaster-glitch - Jexx
Wuffnpuff - "Chance"

Players no longer playing (keeping links to characters in case they want to jump back in):
Arcalane - "Exo" - EXO-2000 M.F.A.U
bill - Jack Griffith
Boogeyman - Mister
Catffeinated - Gerald
Dannysaysnoo - Lewis Nicolas
Kryptic - Baiye Whytehawk
lucas marcone - Josh Kierrie
Paladin Sheppard - Victor Davion
Prof B Hunnydew - Dr. Sally Joywaves M.D
Rammenstein - Ram "Eraser" Ei'Sona
shadowterm - Issaic "Izzie" Nebulous

People interested, but still need to be approved:
psilorder - Arin Johns

People interested, but inactive (keeping links to their characters in case they come back):
Nescio - David "Zappy" Zappelli (Inactive since January 09)

LORE

The World Government
The world government is headed by a council of ten elected officials, who are voted in every five years.  All new laws are put to a public vote, and if approved by the public, the council votes on it to accept it, but a law can also be thrown out by majority veto.  The council, unfortunately, has been turning a blind eye to the struggle between the Rebellion and the Brotherhood, but will give no reason as to why.  It is speculated that they are being controlled by the Brotherhood.

Cities are run by a city council, a mayor, and a sheriff.  They make their own local laws which are voted on by the people of the city.  The council, mayor, and sheriff are elected every four years.  The city governments often act the same as the world government towards the Brotherhood and Rebellion.

Notable Civilians
Dr. Richard Woodworth - A noted archeologist and professor of archeology, Dr. Woodworth has become the world's leading expert on pre-apocalypse ruins.  His studies of the ruins have yielded many interesting bits of information about this world before the great war that nearly destroyed the world.  The most notable finding is of the glowing crystals found deep within some of the excavated ruins.  No one is yet sure about the crystals except that they are as old as the world, possibly have been created around the time that the world was first formed.  Dr. Woodworth believes that these crystals are linked to the resurgence of magic in the world, but his theory has yet to be proven in any way.  Unfortunately, his theory, once published, garnered the attention of the Brotherhood of the Machine.

The Brotherhood of the Machine
The Brotherhood is collection of like-minded individuals who fervently believe that magic is an abomination and technology is the only true path in life.  These are the ideals preached in their church in Capitol City.  They worship an entity known only as "Mother" to outsiders.  Nothing else is known about Mother.  The Brotherhood uses extreme tactics in their efforts to capture magic users, often killing innocent people, or worse, who get in their way.  They do not, however, kill those they identify as magic users.  Instead, those people are taken away and never seen again.  

Since their inception, the Brotherhood have made significant advancements in technology.  They are responsible for the majority of advances in weapons and armor technology, as well as networking, surveillance and communications technology.  They've even gone as far as to further the advancement of nanotechnology.  Though they are not the only producers of technology, they produce the majority of all technology in the world.

As a product of their fanaticism, the Brotherhood tend to choose death over capture.  Each member of the Brotherhood has a self-destruct mechanism that can be activated manually, or upon death.  If the self-destruct mechanism is activated manually, then the armor the member is wearing is destroyed, it's vital components are melted, and if the member is carrying a weapon, then the weapon is also destroyed in a similar fashion.  If a member is killed by any other means (killed in combat, etc) then the self-destruct mechanism activates at the moment the member's heart stops, and destroys only the armor being worn.

The Towers
The Brotherhood uses large towers near the cities of the world as their bases of operations.  Each tower is of varying size, but is made of an unidentified strong black metal, adorned with red stripes in a circuit pattern.  The top of each tower is adorned with antennae, satellite dishes, and power cables that are strung down to generators, or to a city power grid.

City Towers - These are the main bases near the cities of the world.  There is one tower in or near every city in the world.  These towers act as barracks, armories, laboratories, surveillance sites, and other suspected, but as of yet unknown, functions.

Relay Towers - These towers sit between the City Towers and the main Central Tower in Capitol City.  These towers act as message relay stations, guard outposts, and other unknown functions.

Central Tower - The Central Tower stands in the center of the metropolis of Capitol City.  It is a huge tower protected by a visible force field.  At the base of the force field stands the church of the Brotherhood of the Machine, where they preach Mother's word.  No one knows what goes on in the Central Tower.  People are often seen going, or being taken, into it.  But no one but Brotherhood members come out.

Brotherhood Members
Zealot - Zealots are the primary grunts of the Brotherhood, and are the most numerous.  Becoming a Zealot is the first step in joining the Brotherhood.  Zealots are usually lighter armed and armored than those who have gone further in the Brotherhood, and unlike those who are higher up, they can still speak with emotion.  All Zealots wear a facemask that appears to be a solid sheet of metal over their face, with no visible eye or mouth holes.  They wear a black, hooded uniform with yellow stripes in a circuit pattern going up and down the sides.

Elite - Elites are the next step up from the Zealots.  They wear heavier armor, and have a similar uniform as the Zealots, except that the stripes are orange.  Elites speak with no emotion in their voice, and are more efficient than Zealots in combat.  Elites are often used as field commanders, with several Zealots under their supervision.

Enforcer - The Enforcers are the most dangerous of the Brotherhood soldiers.  They wear a similar uniform as the Elites and Zealots, except that the stripes on their uniforms is a bright red.  Enforcers are fewer in numbers, but carry the most dangerous weaponry, and are often demolitions experts.  Enforcers rarely speak, but when they do, their voices are devoid of any emotion.  Enforcers often act as bodyguards for higher ranking members of the Brotherhood, and rarely go on missions, except for really important ones.

Priest - The Brotherhood Priests are rarely seen in the world outside of the Central Tower and the church.  Nothing is known about these men, or their capabilities.  But all Brotherhood soldiers treat the Priests with reverence, and often, Enforcers are placed as their bodyguards.  The priests wear the same facemask as all the other members of the Brotherhood, but the Priests wear long flowing, hooded robes that are decorated with bright blue circuit-style stripes going up and down the front and back of the robe.

The Rebellion
The Rebellion sprang up when the Brotherhood started acting in the open, killing people and destroying homes in an effort to capture magic users.  At first it was a grassroots organization built to get the government to step in and control the Brotherhood's actions.  But it soon became clear that the Brotherhood had a stranglehold on the world's government, and the Rebellion as it is known today was born.

Jackson Phoenix - Jackson Phoenix joined the rebels as a teenager, having been moved by their cause, and worked his way up to the top.  He was involved in a lot of combat operations against the Brotherhood, and also spearheaded the very first assault on a Brotherhood tower.  The operation had minimal success, but Jackson's leadership skills brought his team back alive, and brought back important information about the Brotherhood's defenses.  His continued work and dedication to the cause got him the attention of former leader of the Rebellion, and when he passed on, he left the Rebellion in Jackson's hands.

Mia - Jackson's girlfriend, and second in command, Mia joined the Rebellion shortly after Jackson.  During their career, they met and quickly became friends.  She proved to be just as handy with a rifle as any of the other soldiers, and was quickly recognized as someone you shouldn't mess with.  When Jackson took over as the leader of the Rebellion, he named Mia as his second in command.  She's always been better with details and micromanaging, and he's better with making plans and being a leader.  The two of them have been working hard together to make the Rebellion into what it is today.

Lt. Armstrong - Armstrong is a soldier at heart.  But he got too old, and too injured, to continue his work on the battlefield.  His combat experience is invaluable to Jackson and the others, and is often looked up to by the other soldiers of the Rebellion.  As a part of Jackson's team, he provides Jackson with suggestions and opinions on tactics and strategy.

Rebellion Soldiers
Grunt - Armed with plasma rifles, the basic soldiers.
Tech Specialist - Also armed with plasma rifles, but also carry equipment to analyze equipment, and also act as a field communications personnel.
Torch - Armed with basic pistols, these guys carry cutting torches for breaching locked doors.
Demolitionist - Armed with a lighter version of the plasma rifle, they also carry various forms of explosives, from shaped C4 to the larger discs that were used to destroy that transmitter.
Sniper - Uses a high powered conventional rifle, as they're more accurate than plasma rifles at long and extreme ranges.
Scout - Carries a conventional pistol and surveillance equipment (camera, binoculars, etc) to gather field intelligence.
Ground Vehicle Expert - Expert drivers, for when you gotta get somewhere and then get the hell out.

The Avians
They live in what's called the Black Cliffs, far to the west, near the ocean.  They are a race that keeps close to nature, and though they've never outwardly displayed any magical abilities, rumors speculate that they do have magic and it's attuned with nature, and that they might, in fact, be druids.  Everyone pretty much leaves them alone, considering them to be shut-ins.  The Brotherhood hasn't ever bothered them since they haven't ever openly displayed any affinity towards magic, and the Brotherhood considers them to be Luddites anyway.  The Brotherhood hasn't even bothered to put a tower in the vicinity either.  The Rebellion on the other hand has been trying to open communications, and even trade with the avians, though they've been largely unsuccessful.

- ORIGINAL POST -

I've been wanting to get away from the strictly fantasy RP's that I've been in, so I've been toying with a dark-ish cyberpunk-ish sci-fi/fantasy RP for awhile now.  It's undergone a lot of changes, and I think I've settled on something that vaguely resembles a cross between System Shock and FF6.  So, if anyone's interested in RP'ing in such a world, here's the info.

Backstory
Once upon a time, magic was plentiful in the world.  Magic was used to create, to heal, to make art and music.  Magic was helpful and beautiful.  Unfortunately, like most things, magic was also used to destroy.  When the magic of destruction was discovered, there was a split in the population.  One side believed firmly that magic should only be used for good.  The other side believed that magic was to be nothing more than a weapon.  These opposing beliefs clashed so much so that eventually war engulfed the world.

Magic nearly destroyed the world.

Many years later, science and technology rebuilt the world.  With magic all but forgotten, the people of the world turned to technology to create, to heal, to make art and music.  And for a time, everyone seemed happy.  Everyone felt safe.  But it would not last.  Rumors of people exhibiting strange abilities began to surface.  The rumors only grew when suggestions were made that these strange abilities are, in fact, magic trying to come back into the world.

A highly zealous group known as The Brotherhood of the Machine came up and began a campaign to eliminate all magic in the world.  The Brotherhood appear in black robes, adorned with circuit lines in either silver or gold, and wear face plates with no visible holes for eyes or mouth.  They reside in large black towers near the major cities of the world.  They ruthlessly hunt down anyone suspected of using magic, even killing innocent people out of suspect of harboring magic users.  Their methods are considered by many to be very strong-arm, to speak lightly.  But people join their crusade out of fear of another world engulfing war.  Those who join are never heard from again.  As The Brotherhood grew, they soon turned religious, worshipping technology and one they call "Mother".

In their eyes, Mother is the only god.  Technology is her hand.  Magic is an affront to Mother.  Magic, those who practice it, and those who harbor magic users, must be destroyed.

As people are want to do in these situations, a rebellion was founded.  These rebels, while not interested in the revival of magic, do however oppose The Brotherhood's methods.  They want to answer certain questions: Who is this "Mother"?  What happens to the people who join The Brotherhood?  What do they do with the magic users that they take away?  Are they killed, or is something else happening?  What is in those big black towers?  These questions go unanswered, and the rebels fight diligently to answer these questions, and right the wrongs that The Brotherhood commits in their efforts to wipe out magic.

~~~

So, that's the story.  If anyone's interested in playing, I have a couple of rules.

--No one should be in The Brotherhood.  They're the bad guys, obviously.  (And before you ask, no, Mother is not SHODAN.)

--You can be in the rebellion if you want, but individual travellers and mercenary groups are good too.  The party members should be able to flow well with each other, so please, I ask that, at the very least, your characters should have at least a neutral stance when it comes to magic users.  Magic sympathizers are welcome.

--Tech levels are futuristic.  Cybernetic implants, nano-tech, lasers, androids, airships/spaceships, etc.  If you're unsure, ask.

--If you want to be a magic user, keep in mind that doing so puts your character at risk.  Magic is highly toned down at this point in time.  You'd only be able to use minor magic at first, but as time goes on I do plan on making magic get stronger, so eventually the tech levels and magic levels will even out.

--Being any form of psychic does not count as being a magic user, so that is allowed and most likely won't get you killed.  Psy power will also eventually even out with tech and magic levels.

~~~

Please post your characters if you're interested.  I'd like at least four people in the group.  When posting your character please note the following things.
Name
Age
Sex
Magic User?
Psychic?
Tech usage (if any - implants, nanomachines, cybernetic limbs, etc)
Faction (Rebellion, mercenary group, individual)
Physical Description

~~~




I heard that the maker of Pringles died and was buried in a Pringles can.

But we're getting off topic here.


EDIT:
This is the fourth OOC thread of Brotherhood of the Machine.  The previous thread can be found here:
http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,7839.msg197077.html#msg197077
--TW

[Tapewolf]

Sorted.

EDIT:  For future reference, splitting the thread here will have the first post listed with the other threads from 2008...

[Ryudo Lee]

You the man.  Thanks.

[Tapewolf]

Oh yeah, is this a typo?

Dorcan and Ms. Clay would have problems making it to the van.

If not, could you be a bit more specific about their problems?   

[Ryudo Lee]

Fixed.  Sorry, that's what I get for typing faster than I think.

[Ryudo Lee]

Waiting for everyone else to post.  Once we get going, the good doctor will do some exposition.

[Inumo]

So, my character has been approved, and here he is:

Name: Sean Xho
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Magic User? Ish. He can channel energies, but not shape them for anything more refined than a blast.
Psychic? No
Tech usage (if any - implants, nanomachines, cybernetic limbs, etc) :
-Digital data transfer port at the base of the skull, allowing the storage of memories, stories, and even entire books on external hard drives.
-Reading gloves designed to scan a page for text and import it as a text document to an attached hard drive.
-Low-power laser used for cutting objects without harming what's beyond it (takes a while to cut).
Faction (Rebellion, mercenary group, individual) : Individual
Physical Description: Sean Xho is a six-foot-three human with an untamed mop of brown hair. He weighs 150 lbs. His arms, face, and neck are tanned from his outdoor time, but everywhere else is still a color somewhat darker than white. He is often seen wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants, carrying a backpack with his hard drives, laptop, gloves,  and personal discoveries.
History: Sean discovered his magical talents at the age of 13. He was out playing in the street when one of the local bullies tried to harass him and his friends. Fed up with the constant aggravation, he took a stand against him, punching him hard in the gut. Thanks to an instinctive bolstering of magical energy, the bully flew across the street and landed in a dumpster, ending the conflict.
   As the years passed, Sean learned more about his magical energies, becoming able to control and infuse his energies into objects. During his inquiries in his senior year of high school, he asked a few too many questions, and picked up the attention of the Brotherhood. Panicking, he fled his home with everything he had that was important to him, stealing what he needed and following whatever archaeological digs he could find. Recently, he heard rumors about a dig in the foothills...

*****

EDIT: I intend to intro Sean as the rest of the party is leaving; you'll find him walking towards the site along the road.

[Ryudo Lee]

Waiting for Morgan, Darkshine, and Chance.

[Tapewolf]

Waiting for Morgan, Darkshine, and Chance.

I think Wuff has real life issues at the moment.  AFAIK things should start to settle for her early next month.

[Ryudo Lee]

Okay, if we can get one more post out of Az, then we can get this thing moving, and give Inumo a chance to jump in.

[Azlan]

I should be back into a semi-free period wednesday and I will get something up then.  Sorry, in the midst of a large server migration and a major change in backup software from Symantec to EMC.

Home internet has been dead too... 

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

I haven't seen a breakdown of who is traveling in which vehicle in our convoy. Is there some setting as to who can hear Dorcan's muttering about how we have to kill our would-be hitchhiker?

[Ryudo Lee]

Yes, who is riding with Dorcan?  This must be RP'd out.

[Inumo]

Eeeeee! I'm causing conflict through naivete!

[Ryudo Lee]

Wouldn't be the first time for that in this game.

[techmaster-glitch]

[Tapewolf]

Yes, who is riding with Dorcan?  This must be RP'd out.

Who wants to ride with Dorcan?

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

I guess Fet could, but the thing is, we already loaded up and headed out, it's too late to decide who rides in which car, I'd think.

[techmaster-glitch]

I don't think most of us did say explicitly which vehicle we were going in, so for the ones of us that didn't, think of it as an RP Schrodinger thing...

[Ryudo Lee]

At this point it really doesn't matter, but I think that between everyone, there should be enough comm links so that it's a moot point.

[Tapewolf]

I'm not really bothered - if someone wants to respond to Dorcan, fine.  Either way, someone nominally in charge needs to decide what our position on hitchhikers is.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

oh, we have internal communications? I'll post up.

[techmaster-glitch]

Tape; aw maaan, you're too quick...ruined a good joke I was about to do. I was gonna post Jexx actually saying something along the lines of "Well, I only want to kill Brotherhood. if he's not Brotherhood, we shouldn't kill him..." and then crack about how if Jexx is saying someone shouldn't be killed, then something is very wrong

[Tapewolf]

Tape; aw maaan, you're too quick...ruined a good joke I was about to do. I was gonna post Jexx actually saying something along the lines of "Well, I only want to kill Brotherhood. if he's not Brotherhood, we shouldn't kill him..." and then crack about how if Jexx is saying someone shouldn't be killed, then something is very wrong

Do you want me to change it and post that bit later?

EDIT:

Done.  I'll park the original post here since I'll probably want to re-use it when other people have had a chance.

"Look guys," Dorcan said, "I was just thinking aloud!  I wouldn't seriously suggest murdering hikers on principle.  All the same, I would like to know how much he knows..."

[techmaster-glitch]

Do you want me to change it and post that bit later?

Oh no, not at all, it was just an amusing thought I had. Besides, since I just told it, the joke's already over and lost it's value

Sorry for the trouble, I didn't think you were actually going to modify your post...

[Ryudo Lee]

I am interested in seeing how this works out.  But hopefully this won't end up being a situation where someone has to create a new character almost immediately after his introduction.

[Inumo]

I hope it doesn't either... 'Course, I was also expecting people to feign not knowing what Sean was talking about.

[Ryudo Lee]

It looks as if things are going to slow down due to the holidays.  I'll still be here, keeping an eye on things.  Whenever we get done pulling in the new character, we can move on again.

[techmaster-glitch]

Sorry it took me so long to get a post up, even the little scrap of a post I've got now. Just been quite busy for a long time... Hopefully, this one at least amused someone, as well.

[Ryudo Lee]

Forgot to post this here, I will be out for a few days while I go out of town to help move a site.