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Worlds Intertwined: a two-universe RP

Started by Blunderbus, Mar 07, 2023, 09:47:11 AM

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Blunderbus

The year is 2092, in the Republic of Novatoland. Researchers at the prestigious University of Eastonshire have made great strides in their work on short-range teleportation, and the first practical tests are about to be performed. Scientists wait with bated breath as the machine is turned on, hoping their calculations prove accurate.

Meanwhile, the year is 953 in the New Kingdom of Ethrilia. High mages of the Ethrilian League in the capital of Wessara gather to watch one member uncover a new spell: an intricate, precisely controlled warp spell. As they perform the incantation, the observers chatter amongst themselves excitedly.

Suddenly, an explosion. Computers read an unexpected surge of electricity, and wizards feel an astounding concentration of magic. Confused mages look through some kind of tear to see bewildered scientists, looking right back at them. Two worlds, different as can be, are suddenly connected.


Our story begins two months after the creation of the first Rift, in the capitals Eastonshire and Wessara. The opening between the worlds has led to much new knowledge, yes, but it seems to have had some consequences. Common magical spells from Ethrilia suddenly fizzle and glitch into something else, while computers in Novatoland start acting up in strange, impossible ways. Tensions between the worlds are growing...



Rules

- Standard RPG rules: no godmodding, metagaming, Mary Sues etc. Generally "don't be a jerk".
- This is a freeformed RP. Things might not necessarily go your way, and that's OK.
- Feel free to make up lore, locations or descriptions for each world within reason. Claiming your Ethrilian character is actually a descendant of the true royal bloodline is a bit much, but saying they run a well-known store in town is fine.
- Minor characters / "NPCs" don't require a signup. In general, signups are more for bookkeeping which characters are important and giving an overview of what they're like.
- If your actions might affect another person's character in a big way, make sure to check with them out-of-RP before doing it. We're looking for everyone to have fun here.
- At least to start, Novatonian characters will have no attunement with magic, and Ethrilian characters will be unfamiliar with modern technology. You can't have an ordinary Joe suddenly be slinging fireballs, and you can't have a fantasy farmer be a secret tech whiz.
- Travel between the two worlds is not difficult, but it's not something that can happen anywhere. The major Rift in the capitals is at the university in Eastonshire, connected to the League's towers in Wessara, and there may be a few others, but creating new ones is inconsistent.
- Dead characters are dead. Necromancy magic is a highly difficult, and highly taboo field, so don't expect your character to ever be resurrected.
- If you can, try to avoid leaving another player / character in a scenario where they can't do anything until you come back. This might be unavoidable sometimes, but keep it to a minimum if possible.
- Anything these rules do not cover, either confirm with me before doing something big, or use your best judgement on if it'd be OK.



Signups

Name:
From: (Novatoland / Ethrilia)
Age:
Appearance: (briefly describe what your character looks like)
Personality: (briefly describe what sort of person your character is, "to be RP'ed" is acceptable)
Backstory: (doesn't have to be anything too grand, just think about where in their life they would've been before the RP)
Strengths / Flaws: (what your character is good or bad at. try to keep them somewhat balanced, nobody is good or bad at everything)
Other: (anything else you think is important to say)
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Blunderbus

#2
Characters

Alive

(Blunderbus) Phillip Asten, 28: https://tbgforums.com/forums/index.php?msg=660874
(Blunderbus) Elesa Terra, 19: https://tbgforums.com/forums/index.php?msg=660874
(\\/\/) April Orburry, 32: https://tbgforums.com/forums/index.php?msg=660903
(IncendiaryGaming) Artemis, 20+: https://tbgforums.com/forums/index.php?msg=660924
(Joyous Theta) h59217, 3*: https://tbgforums.com/forums/index.php?msg=660985


Dead

(nobody yet, thankfully)
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Blunderbus

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Blunderbus

#4
Submitting my characters just to hopefully get the ball rolling, and give people a general idea of what the signups should look like


Name: Phillip Asten
From: Novatoland
Age: 28
Appearance: A stocky sort of build, slightly shorter than average. Short, messy brown hair that never seems to quite straighten out. Almost always looks like he needs a bit more sleep. Most of the time wearing a pretty casual T-shirt & jeans.
Personality: Reserved, but quite enthusiastic about things he finds interesting. Pretty self-conscious, and always worried that whatever he does might reflect on him poorly. Quite measured in his speech, unless he's talking about his work. All bets are off then.
Backstory: A graduate student from the University of Eastonshire, Phillip had an interest in and studied physics for much of his life. He wasn't a star student or anything, but he did reasonably well, and he started pursuing a doctorate after graduating. When the professors published their press release on the Rifts, he almost shelved his project then and there to research them instead, but his supervisor talked him out of it. Still, he looks for any excuse to interact with them, and see what life in Ethrilia is like.
Strengths / Flaws: Quick-thinking, able to come out with a solution to a problem quite fast (though not necessarily the best solution). Something of a diplomatic speaker, used to trying to smooth things out between disagreeing people. Has a bad habit of getting too focused on one thing, and missing important details about something else.
Other:



Name: Elesa Terra
From: Ethrilia
Age: 19
Appearance: Tall, lanky build. Longish frizzy black hair. Often wearing a very worn navy-blue coat that looks like it's about to fall apart.
Personality: An excitable, talkative type. Usually wants to ask maybe a couple too many questions about things. A bit of a goofball at times.
Backstory: Elesa grew up daughter of a wizard in a small town. Having always had a ton of curiosity and something of an affinity for magic, she moved to the capital to study it properly. She was taken on as an apprentice by the Ethrilian League, but it ended up being much harder than she expected, and she started struggling in quite a few classes. When the first Rifts opened up, though, she tried as hard as she could to convince the League to let her help study them and the other world, to which they eventually (reluctantly) agreed.
Strengths / Flaws: An avid learner, good at spotting small details in things. However, absolutely terrible at communicating this information to anyone else. Decently adept at magic, though only really rote spells.
Other:
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Wolfslime123

Name: April Orburry
From: Novatoland
Age: 32
Appearance: Business attire. Understated, but presentable.
Personality: Dogged, but compromising. Prefers to plan short and act faster.
Backstory: Very devoted to his company, General Manufacturing, Novatoland Branch. April hasn't thought of much outside the company for the past two years. He doesn't want to. It's too dangerous to have spare thinking time ever since... that car accident.
Recently assigned to the hastily assembled Second World Evaluation & Extraction Team.
Strengths / Flaws: Knows how to leverage company resources to get things done. However, he's impatient, and has a tendency to act instead of wait.
Other:
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Blunderbus

Quote from: \//Name: April Orburry
From: Novatoland
Age: 32
Appearance: Business attire. Understated, but presentable.
Personality: Dogged, but compromising. Prefers to plan short and act faster.
Backstory: Very devoted to his company, General Manufacturing, Novatoland Branch. April hasn't thought of much outside the company for the past two years. He doesn't want to. It's too dangerous to have spare thinking time ever since... that car accident.
Recently assigned to the hastily assembled Second World Evaluation & Extraction Team.
Strengths / Flaws: Knows how to leverage company resources to get things done. However, he's impatient, and has a tendency to act instead of wait.
Other:
Accepted.
join Fragmented Future to RIDE A TRAIN! WOOOOOOO YEAH, TRAINS, BABY!

Incendiary

Name: Artemis
From: Novatoland
Age: at least 20
Appearance: deep blue/purple hair and blue eyes, pale skin, mostly all black/dark grey clothing, hooded cloak, leggings, combat boots. A blue face mask covers their lower face and neck. Their casual outfits vary quite a bit so I'll probably describe them as necessary.
Personality: kinda gay likes hanging out around people, but acts a little awkward sometimes. Generally quite friendly and light-hearted.
Backstory: for many years, she would explore the central city and traverse alleys, rooftops and towering construction sites, setting up little camps in high places, in between college time, programming and making digital art. That was, until it was basically outlawed. Curfews, travel restrictions and city overwatch all made being outside a risk, especially in the evening. Despite this, she'd venture out at midnight, sometimes meet up with friends, other times just for fun. Her goal one day is to leave the city and explore foreign lands, but for now, she's just supporting her family and friends where she can.
Strengths / Flaws: years of training and experience have made her adept at parkour, navigation and stealth. She can easily use a grappling hook, and is very good at climbing. She's also a natural with handguns and smaller guns, however they don't own any. On the other hand, she is not good at fist or knife fights, confrontations, and may have issues remembering things.
Other:
Just another internet user and anime transbian catgirl dealing with the boring dystopia that is our society. If you were looking for something interesting here, you've come to the wrong place.

My discord is Incendiary__ and you can join my server at https://discord.gg/k2ywUzBAED
My Twitch channl is available at https://twitch.tv/incendiaryoce

Blunderbus

Quote from: IncendiaryGamingName: Artemis
From: Novatoland
Age: at least 20
Appearance: deep blue/purple hair and blue eyes, pale skin, mostly all black/dark grey clothing, hooded cloak, leggings, combat boots. A blue face mask covers their lower face and neck. Their casual outfits vary quite a bit so I'll probably describe them as necessary.
Personality: kinda gay likes hanging out around people, but acts a little awkward sometimes. Generally quite friendly and light-hearted.
Backstory: for many years, she would explore the central city and traverse alleys, rooftops and towering construction sites, setting up little camps in high places, in between college time, programming and making digital art. That was, until it was basically outlawed. Curfews, travel restrictions and city overwatch all made being outside a risk, especially in the evening. Despite this, she'd venture out at midnight, sometimes meet up with friends, other times just for fun. Her goal one day is to leave the city and explore foreign lands, but for now, she's just supporting her family and friends where she can.
Strengths / Flaws: years of training and experience have made her adept at parkour, navigation and stealth. She can easily use a grappling hook, and is very good at climbing. She's also a natural with handguns and smaller guns, however they don't own any. On the other hand, she is not good at fist or knife fights, confrontations, and may have issues remembering things.
Other:
Accepted.
join Fragmented Future to RIDE A TRAIN! WOOOOOOO YEAH, TRAINS, BABY!

Joyous Theta

Name: As a MT Stalker unit their serial code is h59217
From: Novatoland
Age: 3
Appearance: Imposing deadly machine designed for stealth and well suited for assassination.
Personality: Serial code h59217 is made only to kill. To disobey an order would be blasphemy against their own programming.
Backstory: A MT Stalker unit manufactured by, well, MT. Normally they'd be sold for the purposes of perpetuating war and profit, but at the end of the day a sale is a sale and they (quite illegally) also sell their war machines to other companies at a steep price. Serial code h59217 in particular was bought up by the company General Manufacturing.
Strengths / Flaws: Serial coded h59217 is outfitted with deadly heated blades, the ability to recycle nearby objects to turn into projectiles, and can cloak themself to stay hidden. Although MT may claim its not the case, serial code h59217 is well suited for urban environments just as it is wild ones. At the end of the day though, they're just a mindless machine that follows orders.
Other: Couldn't really think of a Ethrilia character that could integrate well into the story sorry.

Also feel free to make up things about their manufacturers or what MT stands for because I currently have no plans on that front.

Blunderbus

Quote from: Joyous ThetaName: As a MT Stalker unit their serial code is h59217
From: Novatoland
Age: 3
Appearance: Imposing deadly machine designed for stealth and well suited for assassination.
Personality: Serial code h59217 is made only to kill. To disobey an order would be blasphemy against their own programming.
Backstory: A MT Stalker unit manufactured by, well, MT. Normally they'd be sold for the purposes of perpetuating war and profit, but at the end of the day a sale is a sale and they (quite illegally) also sell their war machines to other companies at a steep price. Serial code h59217 in particular was bought up by the company General Manufacturing.
Strengths / Flaws: Serial coded h59217 is outfitted with deadly heated blades, the ability to recycle nearby objects to turn into projectiles, and can cloak themself to stay hidden. Although MT may claim its not the case, serial code h59217 is well suited for urban environments just as it is wild ones. At the end of the day though, they're just a mindless machine that follows orders.
Other: Couldn't really think of a Ethrilia character that could integrate well into the story sorry.

Also feel free to make up things about their manufacturers or what MT stands for because I currently have no plans on that front.
Accepted.
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Wolfslime123

#11
"First of all, I'd like to thank you for meeting with me," said April, once Phillip Asten had taken his seat at the table in front of him.
They were sitting outside. At the lowest rooftop park of the office building. April had thought the meeting would feel more casual this way.

"I know it's a bit... out of the blue, but I wanted to ask you about your involvement with the University of Eastonshire's 'Rift' research. As I understand it, your contributions has been tangential, but you still interact often with the researchers, is that correct?"

They'd exchanged names and words only once before. April had been looking for someone who worked close to the Rift technology, among other things.
With his coworkers already in contact with the main researchers, April had asked a colleague to find him someone with certain qualities. Qualities... that Phillip Asten potentially possessed.
Specifically, according to background checks, Asten had expressed a vested interest in visiting Ethrilia often.
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Blunderbus

"Yes, my actual research isn't really Rift-related, but my friends are working with some of the big names in the field," Phillip replied. "I'm certainly interested in the topic, and I've picked up some bits and pieces of the latest info."
He quickly checked the time on his phone. 10:12. Plenty of time for the meeting, he wasn't expecting any messages until around 11.
"Sorry about that", he said to April, putting his phone away. "Planning to meet with someone later today. But yeah, I know some of the guys working on it."

---

"What? Come on, mate, I had plans and everything!"
Elesa crossed her arms indignantly, but the professor would not relent. The Rift was just up the stairs, at the top of the Conjuration department's tower, but at the moment it was reserved for research time.
"You had plans starting an hour from now. Surely you have plenty of time for your study, no?"
"Load of rubbish, that is. What could be more important study than having extra time out in a new world, eh?"
Her professor remained unimpressed. "Probably your Advanced Transmutation, given you failed the first assignment. You did agree that letting you work with the Rift circle wouldn't interfere with your grades?"
Elesa sighed. Transmutation was boring, but she certainly was on her way to failing it. "Yes, sir..."
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Incendiary

40 stories high. That's how far up she was. A couple hours of climbing scaffolding and traversing the tops of apartments and offices, a bit of rappelling, all this just to visit a friend. The rooftops were for the most part finished, so no construction or expansion going on. It was starting to get a little late, but there'd be no point in turning back with how close she was. Hopefully nobody was up here, or watching. That'd be bad.
Just another internet user and anime transbian catgirl dealing with the boring dystopia that is our society. If you were looking for something interesting here, you've come to the wrong place.

My discord is Incendiary__ and you can join my server at https://discord.gg/k2ywUzBAED
My Twitch channl is available at https://twitch.tv/incendiaryoce

Wolfslime123

#14
Re: Blunderbus: https://tbgforums.com/forums/index.php?msg=661004

"I also have an interest in the new world. I wish I could see it, but, well, border control."

The Novatonian Border Management Agency (BMA) had put a pretty heavy lock down on the Rift just for the time being. Restricting much travel apart from researchers and government personnel. It was being put in place while interdimensional ambassadors negotiated about travel policies, security concerns, animal and agriculture restrictions, vaccination requirements, transmissible curse ward requirements, and all the other problems that the two governments had to solve out of the blue.

And therein lay the problem. General Manufacturing had seen opportunity in the new world, and while discussion with the Novatonian government was promising, it was too slow, and there were some people who needed something good to show the shareholders at the end of the quarter! That's what April was here for.
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Blunderbus

"Yeah, it's a bit of a shame, really. I've managed to get one job helping out someone from the Ethrilian side of the research, but still no chance to actually go through myself. But what are you looking for *me* to help you with? You weren't super clear in your email."

---

Elesa made her way to the library, grabbed a textbook off the shelf, and sat down at a table to study.
"Let's see... history of the modern Reshape spell..." she muttered, flipping through the pages to get to what was in yesterday's lecture.
As she read, she took out a small bundle of thread she liked to practice spells on, and absentmindedly started flicking its colour back and forth.
Red... blue... red... blue... green?
She stopped reading, and tried again. Red.
"Well," she sighed, taking out a small notebook and writing down the time. "Another onto the pile, I s'pose."
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Wolfslime123

#16
"Right," said April, "let's cut to the chase. Eastonshire has promised General Manufacturing a contract to build... I think the word being thrown around is a Riftport. But the thing is, they're not handing over the patent and the full schematics for the... rift machine, until they've decided they're good and ready. It's typical bureaucratic obstruction. All I want from you is... a little head start. General Manufacturing needs the full details, schematics, and methods on how to open a rift, just so... we can get the Riftport up faster when the country is ready for commercial travel."

"You have at least some access, right? Or you can get close enough. I'm making a deal with you. Name your price. I can promise you'll have full and free access before the public even gets access if you can help us build it early."
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Blunderbus

"I, uh..."
Phillip was a bit taken aback by this. This all sounded *highly* illegal. He didn't exactly want to wind up stealing government secrets before he was even out of uni...
...but there was a whole other WORLD this could open up.
"...I'll... think about it. Or at least see what I can find out."
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Wolfslime123

"Of course," said April, sensing Phillip's apprehension, "take your time and all that."

He leaned back in his chair and added, "it's not that big deal anyway. We're getting the rift machine done one way or another, and as long as you're agreeing to help us, we can come up with a plan where you probably won't have to do any of the acquisitions yourself. We really just need your keys."
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Joyous Theta

A librarian passes by Elesa's table, a large stack of books levitating by their side. Suddenly, the librarian stops, eyes turning to Elesa yet head standing still.

"If you're looking for information on Reshape, try this." One book from the librarian's levitating stack gently floats off of it, down to the side of Elesa.

Blunderbus

"...One question. A lot of this sounds... let's say 'legally dubious'. Can you guarantee I'm not going to end up thrown under the bus if you guys mess something up?" Phillip replied.

---

Elesa looks up at the librarian, a little startled. "Oh, uh, cheers."
She starts flipping through the new book. Much easier to understand what the heck they're talking about than that wordy textbook.
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Wolfslime123

April inclines his head as he listens, thoughtful. Then he reaches into his inner pocket to pull out a silver business card case, flicking it open with a metallic swish.

"If you ever run into any trouble, call this number. I'll cover you," he says, handing Phillip the card.
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Blunderbus

Phillip takes the business card, examines it, and slips it into his pocket.
"Thanks. I'll see what I can do, and get back to you."

---

As Elesa came to the end of the chapter, she heard a ping in her mind, and a magical message from one of the mages in the Rift circle.
"Change of plans, we wrapped up early. Guys on the other side seem satisfied. Your job's up soon."
As she heard this, she immediately perked up, shut her books, and ran off, forgetting to put them back.
"Be there in a jiffy!" she casted back, before skipping up the stairs towards the Rift chamber.
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Wolfslime123

"Great," says April, "talk to you soon."

He holds out a hand to shake.
Yours Truly,
\\/\/

Blunderbus

Phillip returns April's handshake.

---

Elesa reaches the top of the stairs, out of breath.
"Wow, that was quick," one mage says as she enters. "You remember what you're meant to be taking notes on today?"
"Yessir," Elesa says, in between panting. "High mages want to know more about the layout of Eastonshire, yeah?"
"That's the one. We've got a map, but it's a little useless without knowing what a lot of the stuff on it actually means. Like, 'petrol station' here, we don't know what that is without context. Try and find something you don't know what it is, and, well, figure out what it is."
"Check. I can sort it out, don't you worry."
"You better take this, too," the mage says, handing out a small Novatonian device. "We're not quite sure all the things they do, but those guys apparently use them a lot."
Elesa pocketed the device, and stepped towards the Rift. It was an odd sight, for anyone not used to them. From the side, you could barely see it, but facing it front on, it looked like part of the room was just chopped off and replaced with a lab in Eastonshire. Small, flickering particles of energy surrounded the outline, making the whole thing appear to be almost aflame.
This was the first time Elesa would actually be allowed to cross worlds. She took a deep breath, tried to contain her excitement, and stepped through.
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Wolfslime123

"Ryan here will show you the way back out," replies April.

Now that he was done with that, he pulled out his smartphone to plan out his next steps.

Next order of business, put together an expedition team. Could probably get one of those combat robots as a bodyguard... he heard that Ethrillia could be dangerous.
Yours Truly,
\\/\/