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GasMaskie
"Wait and Hope"
"We, who have inherited your land and legacy, inherit your dispositions as well."
Long ago, those who dwelled under the earth and those who floated in the skies above waged war against one another. It was a hateful, violent conflict that scarred the land and left desolation as far as the eye could see. They fought not just with blade and mount, but with giants covered in metal and magical beasts that altered the very fabric of reality. And in the end, not a single soul remained. The lingering remnants of their armies lay dormant.
And in a fractured world where humans rule the world, war continues to rage on. Civilizations have risen and fallen in the intervening years, and humanity's capacity for war has only continued to advance with each discovery unearthed. Phantasmal Beasts scour the land, mindlessly destroying all within their wake. And so, the legend of those horned demons clad in armor is revived - the ancient Gundams re-awaken. The world continues to turn, edging ever closer towards its destiny...
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The mobile suit analogues of this RP, the Phantasmal Armors, will be customizable - though NPCs and armies will field standard configurations. For veteran Gundam fans, the fantasy setting means that beam weaponry and the like won't be present. Like Iron-Blooded Orphans, melee combat will be emphasized. Firearms within this RP are limited to things such as bows or crossbows. Magic is a game-changer for combat, with certain magics behaving like the special systems found throughout the Gundam metaseries or other magics unleashing grand and devastating attacks that can decimate armies.
While stats and a point-buy system will be used, combat will be simply post-based with numbers being used to roughly categorize overall strength relative to the world. Outside of combat, both economic and diplomatic paths are viable for influencing the world. Besides the war, other mysteries such as the origins of Phantasmal Beasts or the truth behind the world are waiting to be uncovered. For now, the lore should be a good indicator of the sort of setting that this RP has along with what makes it differ from the standard Gundam story.
Lore
FactionsThe Kingdom of Lacille rose to power just a little over a century ago after several marriages and a succesful conquest of the region. With their early discovery and restoration of a Gundam, Lacille's forces have historically been mechanized and technologically advanced. Tensions between the landed nobility and the Lacille Royal Family, however, have grown increasingly strained between the war and the kingdom's forces retreating towards the capital. Memories of a failed rebellion and a civil war have not faded yet, and with the current stagnation within the conflict it seems that the kingdom seems ready to tear itself apart. Rumors of the Prince's ambitions have also been abound...
Established in Holy Calendar 89, the Zeldra Confederacy is formed primarily out of the collected tribes that inhabit the eastern half of Lacroa. With the union of the Zeick and Eldra tribes after generations of blood feuding and open warfare, the Zeldra Confederacy found allies in the disgruntled and mistreated tribes and ambitious nobles stationed far from the kingdom. Within a few years and some stolen intelligence, confederate forces quickly grew and developed to rival the kingdom's troops. Their smaller population is offset by the land's fertility and rich resources. Rumors have also been swirling about of their own bids for foreign intervention...
The Southern Seas are a treacherous expanse - if the storms and Phantasmal Beasts don't destroy your vessel, then it's almost certain that Lacillan or Zeldran navies will commandeer your vessel for much-needed goods and supplies for their war efforts. In order to combat this privateering (and protect profits), wealthy merchant families banded together to create the Southern Seas Merchant Alliance. With their official neutrality on the wall and their own admitted independent mercernary forces, the alliance seeks to come out of the war with their businesses intact and their islands flying their own flags. But, a little backstabbing and in-fighting are to be expected when bitter rivals are forced to band together by circumstance alone.
In the center of most maps, you'll find the Al'faed Sultanate. This desert nation boasts a long and storied history of defense against the numerous Phantasmal Beasts that have appeared time and time again within their part of the world. It was through both tenacity and successful conquests that the Al'faed dynasty became the sole power within those shifting sands. Though there are rumors of great treasures and riches within the ruins spread throughout the land, it seems that the scorching sun and the dangerous beasts have put an end to many of the sultanate's expeditionary forces. Though properous as of late thanks to their hegemony and distance from the Lacille-Zeldra War, intrigue always seems to be the popular hobby in court...
And in the Far East of Ark lies the Kidou Empire, who have enjoyed a complete domination of their slice of the world thanks to their technological prowess and their preserved Gundam. Unlike other nations, the Kidou Empire is extremely isolationist, preferring to shoot first when it comes to vessels that enter their territory. The current state of their politics is unknown and their hold on the region has allowed them to remain self-suffcient for the most part, with tentative agreements with a few alliance merchant families. Through their limited trade and the occasional odd exile or wanderlusted vagabond, the Kidou Empire's exotic equipment and mystical arts have become desirable in other parts of the world...
Phantasmal BeastsThe war between the People of the Sky and the People of the Earth ultimately lead to the development of two weapons - one of which were the Phantasmal Beasts. According to legend, the war wiped out all traces of magical creatures in the world such as dragons, giants, and gryphons. Their bodies were absorbed into the earth and their natural magical energy pooled into sources of magical fuel, typically referred to as mana. The Phantasmal Beasts are mechanical facsimilies of these long-dead creatures - and very much capable of the powerful magic they take their likeness from. The true origins as well as who created these monsters are unknown, but there seems to be no end to these wandering weapons. Due to the highly radiant magical energy they exude and their large size, Phantasmal Armors are necessary for dealing with them.
Phantasmal Beasts are seemingly devoid of any intellect and destroy anything that lays within their path. Due to their mechanical nature and an inability to replicate their inner workings, slain Phantasmal Beasts are often used for the creation of weaponry and equipment. The most notable of which are their Cores, orbs within the very depths of their bodies that contain imprinted data of the creatures they were based upon. These Cores are highly valuable resources and used in the creation of a Phantasmal Armor - high-quality Cores contain certain affinities that alter the performance of a Phantasmal Armor.
Phantasmal ArmorsTo combat the Phantasmal Beasts, humanity crafted the Phantasmal Armors based on the Gundams they had discovered. These giant mechanical suits average from 6 to 8 meters tall and move through the movement of magic throughout their bodies. A majority of designs, having drawn from the Gundams, have cockpits within the center of the Phantasmal Armor's chest - this is where armor is concentrated the most. There are two major components to a Phantasmal Armor - the Core and the Frame. The Core, harvested from slain Phantasmal Beasts, serves as the 'heart' of the Phantasmal Armor by acting as the conduit for the flow of magic throughout the armor. Typically, the Core is built into a Mana Engine or a Mana Reactor to serve as the primary energy source for a Phantasmal Armor. The other major component, the Frame, is the inner skeleton of the Phantasmal Armor which is built upon to become the Phantasmal Armor's body. Mana-reactive crystals are inlaid within the metal Frame to direct the flow of magical energy for movement and large-scale magic among other things. Frames are typically standardized and tend to have qualities dependent on the nation that created them. Modifying Frames is an intensive and rare process that requires intimate knowledge of the crafting techniques of the nation or nations that manufactured the parts.
WeaponryMelee is the time-tested and primary form of combat for Phantasmal Armors. Blunt weaponry such as hammers and maces are among the most common simply for their effectiveness against armor but sharp weaponry such as swords and spears are employed to strike at joints or vulnerable places between armor plates. The edges of blades also are more efficient for channeling magical energy, making them the preferred choice for talented pilots who can better utilize their Phantasmal Armor's magic. Ranged warfare is pragmatic and effective, with the main firearms being crossbows and bows. Crossbows, having been improved with auto-loading mechanisms and bolt cartridges, are the most common options. And while archaic, bows lend themselves to magic much in the same way as swords. Shields are commonplace and cheap should they inevitable break in combat, though some shields are capable of storing magic within them for further protection. Staves and Rods are the ideal weapons for using Magic, though they lack any practical use outside of that other than a potentially frail bludgeon. They can affect both the range and area of magic used by the Phantasmal Armor.
The weaponry crafted from the remains of Phantasmal Beasts can come in a variety of forms and functions, while their magical abilities can put them in a league of their own. However, even the most skilled of smiths are unable to fix their extreme energy inefficiency - the more devastating the weapon, the more likely that a Phantasmal Armor will burn through their entire fuel supply or overload under the strain of repeated use.
MagicIn ancient times, the People of the Sky and the People of the Earth were capable of drawing upon ambient magical energy to cast spells. In modern times, it's estimated that only 1 in 100 humans are capable of wielding magic the same way. However, Phantasmal Armors are capable of utilizing magic on a grander scale. Through the installation of crystal inscribed with certain magical spells, a Phantasmal Armor can use two types of Magic: System Magic and Tactical Magic. System Magic is a highly-efficient and passive magic that can increase the performance of a Phantasmal Armor or cause it to act differently. For example, a System Magic for reducing armor weight can make a heavily armored unit move far better than it normally would. Meanwhile, Tactical Magic are usually offensive in nature - fireballs and spears of ice are good examples of such.
Magicians tend to be kept off the battlefield despite their spellslinging abilities. Instead, many tend to open ateliers for the creation of spell crystals for Phantasmal Armors. Those that do step onto the battlefield, however, are capable of even greater feats of Tactical Magic but as a result become high-priority targets to be dealt with first. An international agreement between the major powers of the world has also lead to the creation of several academies for the magically inclined, all neutral and passive in the affairs of the world. Hidden away in the most remote of places, these academies are almost as isolated as the Kidou Empire.
Gundam
Precursors to Phantasmal Armors and the horned giants of legend - Gundams function similarly to other Phantasmal Armors. The latter's parts are compatible with Gundams as a result of their development history; though critical damage to a Gundam's frame can make repairing them simply impossible. At one point, Gundams were one-unit armies but modern times have seen Phantasmal Armors quickly catching up in terms of performance. However, Gundams boast more than just superior performance and specifications. Certain System Magics are inherent to the Gundam unit and are unable to be replicated. Phantasmal Beast Weaponry is also noted to be far more efficient when wielded by the Gundam as well. Perhaps the most notable magic that a Gundam is also capable of is....
Currently, the only known nations to possess Gundams are the Kidou Empire and the Kingdom of Lacille. However, there have been unconfirmed reports of Gundams in the possession of independent mercenary groups as well as rumors of at least one or two units hidden away within the sands of the Al'faed Sultanate, ready to awaken once more.
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