[ic=15,000 Feet]The ashen-colored floating Rays hovered ominously around our craft. They were circling, like the top-feeding predators they were, the highest flying creatures- some of the only things able to prey on an airship at 15,000 feet-- where we'd been flying to avoid the deadly ball lightning and Valkyries down below. We were ill-armed for a confrontation and had been prayin' to the Sun for mercy in our mission, but here they were, ashen-yellow ready to snatch a mate off the Crow's nest the moment that he'd turn his back on them. Still, he had his concave mirror positioned at his back, and it reflected two of him, showing his threatening intelligent eyes so the yellow bastards should have been frightened off-- except they weren't.
Seemed like something was guiding them, some malevolent force, maybe some Witchwyrd we pissed off back at the Apex Spire, maybe a telepathic Glimm parasite, or maybe, just maybe the Rays were g-d-n hungry.
Mate called down to the deck and shouted he was comin' down, seeing as how the Rays were getting ready to strike. Boatswain's man pulled out his crossbow, aimed up and shot the yellow bastard before the OTHER yellow bastards could swoop down and get him. I cussed at the Boatswain's man since now we'd need a new replacement and at 15,000 feet it isn't easy to replenish crew.
He lowered the crossbow, then fell to the ground as the Stingrays descended. I retreated to my cabin, where I am writing this, as the Good Ship Eclipse goes crashing to the ground, its fires dead and its spinners jammed. We traveled silent and alone, guided only by myself for thousands of miles. But 15,000 feet up with a crew of one, it's not easy to land- not when you're the only ones crossing the Ten Thousand Mile Desert and there ain't any relief ships or landin' strips for thousands of miles, save those of the Dry LichLord's Satrapy. At 15,000 feet, it's cold and lonely. At 15,000 feet you can't go much further up, but you don't want to go down."[/ic]
The Layers of Empyrean Dirigibles
The Ground
A harsh, blasted world hardly suit for living after sinewy, spiritual, and skeletal undead conquered the vastness. What once was buried will come back alive and all bodies return to the dusty ground. The living, however, take to the skies where the dead- lacking tendons, cannot climb.
Some living, however, have made a life on the Ground, eking out mines in distant areas, and setting up camps near Pinnacles. However, despite the Pinnacles' strong defense against the undead, their electric arcs kill living creatures who travel too close to the voltage just as easily as they put an end to the undead.
Although VoltaSuits can protect somewhat against the extreme voltages, the human body can only take so much electrical stress. Still, the Lightning Lords-- a group of WitchWyrds, have seemingly managed to master this new element of "shock" and have thrived in their underground bunkers, where they extract necessary oil, refine it into diesel, then sell the droplets to Aeromasters above.
Other humans reside deep in underground bunkers, waiting for a safe signal to emerge, a signal that has not come in several hundred years.
The Troposphere.
Extending 10 kilometers above the ground, the troposphere is the place where the majority of the action in Empyrean Dirigibles takes place. However, there are several creatures that can fly higher, and with the use of breathing apparati and coolant suits, some human beings have been able to travel higher-- but not in dirigibles.
1 ft to 499 ft: The DarkSoak.
Although only part of the world is shrouded in near-eternal darkness due to the malfunctioning Weather Paradigm and the near constant stratus clouds that form, this atmospheric layer has come to be collectively called the DarkSoak. Wind speeds are low, but near-constant rain is a significant threat, and unnaturally dark stratus clouds can form at any moment, blocking out eyesight of Dirigible pilots, but not the sight of the massive GolemBeasts, which can detect the flying crafts and reach up to smash them out of the sky.
500 ft to 1000 ft : Mistfog.
The penultimate lowest layer and one of the more dangerous since some of the GolemBeasts can actually reach into the Mistfog to harass travelers. The Mistfog is a perpetually cloudy area, covered with volcanic ash and stratus clouds that consistently form due to a malfunctioning Weather Paradigm that was erected by the Old Empire.
1000 ft to 2000 ft : Pinnacle-Height.
This layer is scraped by the Ten Thousand Pinnacles, the long titanium rods that siphon oil from the earth below. The shortest are 1000 feet tall, the tallest- 2000. The Pinnacles have for the most part not been bothered or destroyed by the undead, who initially found the task too difficult, but who now dare not destroy the Pinnacles due to their electrification-- when touched, they send an arc of power through the undead, which causes them to crumble and disintegrate.
2001 ft to 4000 ft : LowCloud.
The lowest layer where people make their living, LowCloud consists of livable gyroscopic floating clouds that have been solidified due to Ice/Sugar liquefaction. Every few years, the gyroscopes need to be rewound and the magnets checked to ensure that the clouds remain bouyant, but it is very rare that a cloud will crash. Cloud sizes range from personal to metropolitan (although most metropolitan clouds are supported by several lower-lying clouds.) Technicians constantly buzz under the LowCloud dwellings, checking and securing the clouds' solidity and ensuring that solar radiation does not melt, and that birds and IceGremlins do not chew up all the binding sugars.
[ic]More Layers will be added[/ic]
Tropopause.
An inversion layer where temperatures begin to increase as one travels into the stratosphere. Humans find it difficult to fly here in dirigibles, but several balloonists have traveled to this layers. They travel in their Atmospheric Suits and struggle to maintain temperature control. Other dangers of the Tropopause include the Rays, who hunt in packs and who can resist the wild temperature swings, the Aurorae- sentient silicon electronic impulse-creatures, and the Heatdeath Plague.
Stratopshere Few things make their homes here, but it is not uncommon to see the Aurorae, or the Dusken Jellies making their way across this layer.
(15,000 feet = 4.57 km)
System Thoughts
I suppose the usual 3.5 DnD system could be used for this setting, unlike the other ones that I have been creating around here.
Classes will be a bit different, however. And the struggles too. The aim here is to make the setting take place in the skies, for the great majority of time.
Classes
Air Pirate (May overlap with Rogue; needs thought)
Air Walker (A bit like a Ranger)
Cleric (Types: Cirrus, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Nimbus, Stratus, Nimbostratus)
Druid (A bit different)
Fighter
Lightning Lord
[ic=Lightning Lord]Masters of the element of Shock, the electron decay, the spontaneous combustion and generation, the crucible of creation, the Lightning Lords wear their VoltaSuits and withstand the electrifying temperatures and shocking arcs of the Pinnacles. With the right calibration, the Lightning Lords' VoltaSuits can store the energetic arcs as a battery, shooting out at enemies when necessary.
Similar to the Warlock Class[/ic]
Paladin (Types: Cirrus, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Nimbus, Stratus, Nimbostratus)
Rogue
Skald (Bard Renamed)
[ic=Witchwyrd]Witchwyrd
Similar to the DnD Warlock mixed with the 3.P Cleric.
Spells: Curse, Protection from Energy (Type)
Special Qualities:
Channels Energy Ray (Pick Type) 1d6+Level to damage (Need roll attack to hit.)
At every third level, choose an option to modify your energy, or select a feat.
Level 1 Options To Modify Energy
-Extend Ray (+10 feet)
-Empower Ray (+1 damage)
-Accurate Ray (+1 attack)
-Area Ray (1/2 damage over 5 feet)
Level 5 Options to Modify Energy
Level 10 Options to Modify Energy
Level 15 Options to Modify Energy
Level 20 Options to Modify Energy[/ic]
Energy Types:
All of the following energy types are used to create energy.
Acid, (Corrosive/Earth)
Electric, (Derived from static electricity and ball lightning electrical discharges, it is also the byproduct of the other elements when they are activated).
Fire, (Combustion/Oil/Coal)
Magnetism, (Pneumatics) (See Pinnacles Entry)
Shock (New), (Electron Decay/Atomic Half-Life/Spontaneous Combustion/Spontaneous Generation)
Sonic (Sympathetic Vibrations/Wind)
The Creatures of Empyrean Dirigibles
In the Air
Aurorae
sentient silicon electronic impulse-creatures,
Glimm Parasite
These tiny creatures burrow into brains and send signals to creatures to take certain actions; they basically act as little drivers on the backs of someone's body. They can be seen after their burrowing through the tiny holes that remain in the victim's body.
Glimm have been known to act in swarms and to act intelligently, guiding groups of creatures toward a common goal.
Stingrays "Rays"
Ashen-colored and resembling the oceanic creatures, the intelligent Rays hover at heights of 10,000 to 15,000 feet, floating on the gusts of wind and never setting down. The creatures sleep as they coast, and prey on the top level of the aerosphere. They hunt in packs and coordinate their attacks.
It is believed that rays will never harm what they see as an intelligent creature. As long as one's eyes are open, that communicates intelligence to the Rays, whose eyes never shut. Once eyes are closed, the Rays devour ravenously.
Floating Lanterns
Ice Gremlins
Pteradons
On the Land
Golem Beasts
Massive constructions, standing from 50 to 300 feet high, with armspans that can reach 200 feet higher and weapons that can shoot thousands of feet in the air or thousands of feet distant, these decaying monstrosities amble mindless through the Wastelands destroying and defiling what is left of civilization. They never touch Pinnacles, due to ancient programming, but everything else is fair game for destruction.
The Golem Beasts were giant warmachines that were created in the waning days of the Last Empire. They led the militaries that scarred the world until the Undead came to life, part of a daring gambit by the WitchWyrds of the Enemy who hoped that the creatures would overwhelm the society that had created the Golem Beasts, forcing the Last Empire to sue for peace.
Regrettably, although that Peace was signed, the mindless Undead could not honor it, and survivors took to the skies, abandoning their homes and their defenders.
The Golem Beasts' programming has decayed greatly in the hundreds of years since the people departed, and many have broken down.
No one knows why the Golem Beasts attack aeroships, even those implanted with the coding of the Last Empire. Theories for why the Golem Beasts attack all who approach range from:
1-Decayed Programming
2-The coding to protect the aeroships is wrong
3-However, it is argued that a select few have achieved sentience and they now make war on their creators;
4-and some say that the undead have begun to repair others and to twist them to their vile purposes.
Undead
Sinewy - The Amblers - Zombies
Spiritual - The Wraythes and Shades - Ghosts
Skeletal - The Bone Crawlers - Skeletons
Equipment
VoltaSuits
Grey and black and filled with folded silicon, lithium, and magnetized particles fused with Noble gases like Radon and Argon, the VoltaSuits pulse with gases, pistons and smoke. Subducting electrons and splitting magnetic fields, the VoltaSuits are at once eminently fragile-- vulnerable to explosions and blowouts-- and eminently protective. Men in VoltaSuits have walked among and under the storm clouds- soaking in the raw power of lightning strikes, then lashing out with the electrical residue--destroying vast forests and GolemBeasts.
The VoltaSuit must always be worn with well-insulated rubber boots, gloves, and masks for grounding. Breathing is done through a tubular rubber-bendable apparatus that makes the wearer look like a writhing squid.
VoltaSuits can withstand the electrifying temperatures and shocking arcs of the Pinnacles. With the right calibration, the Lightning Lords' VoltaSuits can store the energetic arcs as a battery, shooting out at enemies when necessary.
There are several types of VoltaSuits currently in use. The most recent generation, the Mark XIV, is the safest ever. However, many individuals possess Mark XII's or XI's.
The Mark XIII are generally known as duds, and are often sold to gullible foreigners who cannot differentiate between VoltaSuits. Mark XIII's have the highest fatality ratio of all VoltaSuits: with a death occurring at a percentage chance for overload at 1:100 times each time it is struck with lightning or it absorbs the high-energy emanations of the Pinnacles.
Mark XIV's have a chance for overload at 1:1000, Mark XII's, which were mostly an aesthetic and mobility upgrade, are at 1:800, the workman Mark XI's (Thoroughbred's) are at 1:750.
Some Mark X's still exist, rusting in the corners of abandoned Shelters, or in the archives of wealthy Aeromasters, however they are rarely seen.
Most Marks I-IX have been destroyed in accidents that claimed their owners. Three Mark VIII models exist in the LichLord's tunnels, trophies of a hard-won battle. Other undead are believed to have claimed a great deal of Mark VII's as a result of the massive Emanations Ejercicio ("Exercise"/War). One Mark IV exists as a model in a scientist's hovel. No Mark I's-III's are known in existence, nor did any models of the heroic Mark V's (The Suicide Marks) survive due to the decaying acidic chemicals that were used to power their systems. A few Mark VI's can probably be found in the clouds, and at least one was sold by the Cloudmonger's seven years ago to an unnamed collector who apparently wanted to explore the possiblities of the Mark VI's booster rockets.
Mark XIV's come in four major configurations;
[ic=Mark XIV Configurations]
Diesel XIV - (Standard Model)
Steam (Coal) XIV - The Poor Man's XIV, the Coal XIV isn't particularly stellar, but it will run on anything from lignite to top quality anthracite coal.
Chemical XIV (Von Margrave's Model/Monster) - The most unstable XIV, the acidic chemicals in this model tend to burn through and damage occupants. However, the Chemical XIV has amazing storage properties.
Blood XIV - (Deadman's Volt) Pumping the occupant's blood into the suit gives it unique magnetic powers that increase the suit's stability and grounding. It does, however, attract Undead at an alarming rate. Some have configured the Blood XIV to run on the blood of others than the occupant. This has led to some interesting moral quandaries as the more blood pumped into the machine, the better it runs.
[/ic]
[ic=Deadman's Volt]
Squirming, screaming, bloody hell--coming early. Lady hooked to a machine, encased in Faraday Cage; lightning swirling all around; Doctor encased in his Deadman's Volt, floating in his blood, his chemicals, his worry and sweat, heated, electro-heated by pulsing strikes--through the shielding, on his body and his head. Pushing hard, pushing hard, the Lady was rushing her child--before its suit hewn and sewed.
Order was put out seven months previous--these things take long to make what with the backlog. Kid could sit in the Faraday Cage, but that did bad things developmentally--kid needed a creche. But population in the Shelter-the Cell- it had been booming and the Creches were full of blubbering, mostly healthy and non-electron-sick kids, those that weren't saved for the rich, the planners, the ones who bought them far ahead. Don't know what'll happen to this one though; the Industry can't get the Creche ready what with supplies being cut off by Golem Beasts and Amblers' raids, not with this being a Charity case- worthless ones without money for life.
Outside was screaming; man orders wife "keep baby inside", but nature wills and nature thrills. Pinnacle pulsing, lightning rod harnessing worst electron strikes in years. Population rise--unexpected good--just can't take advantage of what's unplanned. Planning fails; then this Lady's hope, that it flails. Option one, Physician says, sweating hard- near pass out- not the lighting that was killing him, but was the heat, the stress, the birth, and the twelve-gauge shotgun hole in chest. He was thirty-eight, damn near well too old for life- option one he said, spitting it out, as blood congealed, and wound failed- never healed. Man outside, holding gun, broke way inside. Stumble physician gives- removing helm. Blood pumps, up, up, and out. Collapsing now, handing over. Fishbowl seals, preserving atmosphere. Powering blood, it fills the sphere. Man outside, he rushes in. No money for planning, but plenty for weapons. Guards outside, they run for him. Yelling, screaming, pushing. It all comes out and is it the end--[/ic]
Factions
Aeromasters
Cloud Confederates
Cloudmongers
The Merchant's Guild.
Lightning Lords
The Lightning Lords are masters of the technology and resources needed to craft the VoltaSuits. They mainly reside on the Land, near Pinnacles for protection, but some adventure far and wide, walking the skylines and strolling amongst the crowds, harvesting nature's raw anger and storing it in their battery packs. Lightning Lords do not live long, most fall to accident before their fiftieth birthyear; yet, their society survives, and they manage to manufacture better and better VoltaSuits.
The Pinnaclejack Magesterium
Locations
Pinnacles - There are at least Ten Thousand Pinnacles still standing where once there were Hundreds of Thousands, sucking the oil from the ground through giant tubes of pneumatic magnetic bellows that took advantage of the fuels' natural magnetism, spun it, and sent it skyward. Most Pinnacles, however, have run dry.
[ic=Adventure!]1. A previously thought tapped-out Pinnacle has started producing again! Hurry to cap the well and fill-er-up. Contend with Air Pirates and Countries intent on laying claim to the sweet crude.[/ic]
Placeholder 4 (Last)
Inspirations
Settings at the CBG-
Pair O' Dice Lost's Death From the Depths. (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?70565) (The skyward v. groundward war concept and thematics).
Llum's Hexx: Land of the Lich (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?67336.post)
Videogames
Crimson Skies - (The Air)
Fallout - (The Ground)
Gears of War - (The Ground)
Movies
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Why are the golem beasts more prone to attacking people in the Mistfog rather than those on the ground or below the fog?
Do the Witchwyrds gain the energy modification for free, or are those just example of template invocations?
What is the difference between shock and electricity?
Also, the not-attacking-during-eye-contact part of the Ashen Rays reminded me of SCP-173 from the SCP site.
I don't spend a whole ton of time on the CBG now-a-days, but I saw this campaign pop up and I couldn't help but read it. I love the imagery you've created, and the potential campaigns sound really fascinating.
I can't wait to keep up with your development. It'll be quite exciting, I'm sure!
Quote from: 16pxEnergy Types:[/size]
All of the following energy types are used to create energy.
Acid, (Corrosive/Earth)
Electric, (Derived from static electricity and ball lightning electrical discharges, it is also the byproduct of the other elements when they are activated).
Fire, (Combustion/Oil/Coal)
Magnetism, (Pneumatics) (See Pinnacles Entry)
Shock (New), (Electron Decay/Atomic Half-Life/Spontaneous Combustion/Spontaneous Generation)
Sonic (Sympathetic Vibrations/Wind)[/ooc]
Quote from: JharvissI don't spend a whole ton of time on the CBG now-a-days, but I saw this campaign pop up and I couldn't help but read it. I love the imagery you've created, and the potential campaigns sound really fascinating.
I can't wait to keep up with your development. It'll be quite exciting, I'm sure!
Thank you Jharviss.
Note: Your link to Cracked Monocle is somewhat broken.
SCP-173. (http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-173)
The idea behind it closely resembles that behind the Weeping Angels (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFKa9tQqzrs) in Doctor Who.
Ah. The similarity is quite vague but I see where Crow is coming from; however, that is an interesting site- it reminds me of Steve Jackson Games' old Warehouse 23 site (not the site where the Co. now sells products, but the site that used to have random pages to open and find artifacts)-- I wonder if that one is still around.
You've definitely caught my attention with that bit of fiction at the beginning. I love the whole feel of the setting. Looking forward to more info on AeroMasters and Volta suits. Cant wait to see some more LD.
Further inspiration: Here (http://www.fandango.com/mutantchronicles_120115/movieoverview)
I thought of this off-the-grid movie almost immediately. I love the Sky Captain inspiration.
Significant updates made to the Volta Suits, the Lightning Lords. Several additional layers added to the skyline. Energy Types better explained.
Setting Generally expanded.
Thank you for the kind words Sarisa- Can't say that I heard of that movie before, but it does seem interesting.
New story too, examining the society of the Lightning Lords and how the VoltaSuits function
[ic=Deadman's Volt]
Squirming, screaming, bloody hell--coming early. Lady hooked to a machine, encased in Faraday Cage; lightning swirling all around; Doctor encased in his Deadman's Volt, floating in his blood, his chemicals, his worry and sweat, heated, electro-heated by pulsing strikes--through the shielding, on his body and his head. Pushing hard, pushing hard, the Lady was rushing her child--before its suit hewn and sewed.
Order was put out seven months previous--these things take long to make what with the backlog. Kid could sit in the Faraday Cage, but that did bad things developmentally--kid needed a creche. But population in the Shelter-the Cell- it had been booming and the Creches were full of blubbering, mostly healthy and non-electron-sick kids, those that weren't saved for the rich, the planners, the ones who bought them far ahead. Don't know what'll happen to this one though; the Industry can't get the Creche ready what with supplies being cut off by Golem Beasts and Amblers' raids, not with this being a Charity case- worthless ones without money for life.
Outside was screaming; man orders wife "keep baby inside", but nature wills and nature thrills. Pinnacle pulsing, lightning rod harnessing worst electron strikes in years. Population rise--unexpected good--just can't take advantage of what's unplanned. Planning fails; then this Lady's hope, that it flails. Option one, Physician says, sweating hard- near pass out- not the lighting that was killing him, but was the heat, the stress, the birth, and the twelve-gauge shotgun hole in chest. He was thirty-eight, damn near well too old for life- option one he said, spitting it out, as blood congealed, and wound failed- never healed. Man outside, holding gun, broke way inside. Stumble physician gives- removing helm. Blood pumps, up, up, and out. Collapsing now, handing over. Fishbowl seals, preserving atmosphere. Powering blood, it fills the sphere. Man outside, he rushes in. No money for planning, but plenty for weapons. Guards outside, they run for him. Yelling, screaming, pushing. It all comes out and is it the end--[/ic]
For the level 1 options to modify energy you should probably consider making it a +2 to damage. With the exception of the power attack feat most rules seem to compare attack and damage bonuses on a 1:2 basis. Consider weapon focus and weapon specialization for example. A +1 to damage is simply not as good as a +1 to attack.