Kaleidoscope
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"Republic" - Ninja Tracks
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Prologue
Panic gripped the world. News outlets fanned the flames with sensationalism, as conspiracy theories flooded the internet. Religious leaders claimed it was the end of days, and stock markets took a nose dive. The United Nations held an emergency session on the matter, but the US government adamantly refused to grant other countries access to the anomaly. Protests and riots erupted around the globe, while military scientists sent robots through the sphere.
President Trump held a press briefing at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he tried to alleviate the world's fears with footage from the other side. It appeared that the portal led to an Earth-like world, though it definitely wasn't identical to ours. The flora and fauna were bigger, the air had more oxygen and carbon dioxide, and there were no signs of intelligent residents. Dread became curiosity, and the international community demanded to be granted admittance to the other side.
When Donald Trump denied the world's wishes, the world responded by boycotting companies associated with him and his family. The President didn't budge, and his approval ratings spiked among US citizens. With the American public standing behind him, Trump quietly ordered the military to build a base on the other side of the portal. Much of the world resented how they were being treated, and dozens of countries soon imposed economic sanction on the US.
In attempts to counter their ejection from the global economy, the US government rapidly convened to draft legislation. The military saw its recruitment requirements relaxed. Corporations could bid for exclusive rights to extract the new world's resources. The wealthy were allowed to lease and purchase land on the other side, with certain restrictions. The education system was also upgraded, to ensure that many could acquire the skills needed to settle the other side.
Loyalties were tested during these tense times, but the US and its allies managed to rise above. Within a few days, the other side had a functional base. A few weeks later, extraction operations were up and running. A few months after that, a small city had been constructed. Throughout this period, the military discovered that the new world not only had prehistoric Earth species, but fantastical creatures. These factoids were classified, as were the ensuing experiments.
Today is May 10th, 2018. A whopping 1 million people live on New Earth, many of them being family members of military personnel or private contractors. The US economy is on the rise again, the federal deficit is shrinking for once, the labor force participation rate is at a record high, and the majority of citizens have at least 1 college or university degree. A huge fireworks display is scheduled for tonight, but the settlers are hardly prepared for what's coming tomorrow.
After all, tomorrow is when humanity learns that it's not the only intelligent life in the universe.
The Other Side
Humans call the world "New Earth", while the natives call it "Ðarð" in their global language. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, this local name is represented as "ðɑrð". This is an animated globe of the planet. This is an equirectangular projection, with the encircled island being where the portal appeared. Most of the supercontinent is desert, while its eastern coast is regularly buffeted by Category 5 hurricanes. There are also far fewer glaciers than on Earth, and much smaller polar icecaps.The planet orbits at 0.99 astronomical units away from its parent star, and has a year that's 360 days long. Two moons orbit above the world, with each having the same apparent size as the Earth's moon. The inner moon has a reddish hue, and orbits every 6 days, while the outer moon has a blueish hue, and orbits every 30 days. Both of the moons align every 180 hours, and cause tides x2 as strong as Earth's lunar tides every 90 hours. This makes earthquakes and eruptions commonplace.
The air has x3 as much carbon dioxide, and x1.5 as much dioxygen. This causes the plants to grow faster, animals to breathe better, and vehicles using combustion engines to get a greater gas mileage. On the other hand, fires can start much more easily, even in the likes of rain storms. The fauna and flora can grow much larger than their Earth counterparts, thanks to natural selection and the air. There are prehistoric beings from many geological eras, and even supernatural creatures.
The native intelligent population is around 500 million. Humans aren't indigenous to the planet, save for those recently born to Earth colonists. However, there are many types of intelligent beings, some of which aren't even humanoid. Most of these entities live on the supercontinent, nearby islands, and surrounding continental slopes. Their societies are far from becoming industrialized, due to a mix of cultural stagnation, harsh conditions, systematic oppression, and taboos about technology.
Some of the local intelligent beings include, but aren't limited to:
Dragons: These are four legged, winged reptiles that breathe fire and lay eggs. Their scales are fireproof, incredibly tough, and come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Unlike other fliers, a dragon's flight is aided by inborn magical power. They're about 1 foot tall when they hatch, continue to grow throughout their entire lives, and can exceed heights of over 100 feet. Dragons gradually age more slowly over time, giving them an average life expectancy of 500 years, and a maximum lifespan of 1,500 years.
Elves: These are long lived humanoids with pointed ears, and an average adult height of 6 feet. Elves also age more slowly over time, giving them an average life expectancy of 100 years, and a maximum lifespan of 500 years. In all other respects, they're basically human.
Fey: These are a diverse group of mystical beings that defy categorization. They can range from the size of an insect to an elf, their inherent magical power can scale from minimal to formidable, and their intelligence can be anywhere from rudimentary to superhuman. No two fey look alike in their natural forms, and their bodies run the gamut from humanoid to utterly bizarre. Each is a truly unique being, and many are also immune to the effects of aging. They're not really a species, but a type of life that's wholly dependent on magic.
Merfolk: These aquatic beings inhabit continental shelves, use infrasonic and ultrasonic vocalizations to communicate and navigate, and survive in a wide range of salinities. Their upper body is covered in flexible and pointed chitin plates, and their lower body is a large and powerful tail. Like cephalopods, they can change color to hide and signal. Merfolk can grow up to 20 feet long, they have an average life expectancy of 50 years, and their maximum lifespan is 300 years. Unlike most aquatic creatures, merfolk are viviparous.
Shifters: These aren't really a species, but humanoids infected with a supernatural pathogen that forces them to take on mental and physical traits associated with a specific therian mammal. This transition occurs whenever there's a full moon, and expends a great deal of a shifter's energy. Many enter into a feeding frenzy as soon as they transform, and temporarily lose their self restraint. This hunger is generally sated when the shifter consumes as much as their stomach will physically hold. Only powerful magic can cure their affliction.
Vampires: These are also humanoids infected with a supernatural pathogen, except their disease kills and reanimates them within 24 hours. Vampires lose some of their memories during this process, and gain an unquenchable thirst for blood. If a vampire consumes at least half a gallon each day, they stop aging, and quickly regenerate nonlethal injuries. If they consume less than half a gallon, they age normally, and gradually lose self control. If they don't consume any blood, their body starts to decay, and their sanity rapidly fades.
Magic
Among entities lacking inherent supernatural abilities, 0.1% of their people have an aptitude for such powers. This trait is often inheritable, but may require mastery to be utilized. The methods for tapping into these talents are as diverse as the talents themselves, and debates on the nature and limits of magic don't seem to be ending anytime soon. Some claim it has divine origins, others say it's an inborn phenomenon, and then there are those that argue that the source of magic is unfathomable.In practice, magic users tend to have abilities that are few in number, restricted in application, weak in strength, or some combination thereof. Many hone their power into abstract fields, allowing them to build upon their lesser faculties through specialization. As a general rule, without any favorable circumstances, the average mage lacks the means to simultaneously injure, kill, or severely affect many people. Expert mages would be able to do this, but only using powers from their mastered domains.
Rules
1. Follow the forum rules, which you can read here.2. I reserve the right to admit, deny, and remove whoever I see fit from this roleplay, and the right to approve, modify, and deny whatever I see fit in the in-character and character sheets threads. If I ask you to leave, or to change something, do it.
3. Every in-character post must have a timestamp, which will follow the format shown below.
4. All images and music must be linked, with the banner in this post being the only exception.
5. Unless given explicit permission, you can't control a character someone else created.
6. Before you post something that will result in a character being injured, killed, or otherwise severely affected, get approval from their owner.
7. If you need to take a break, want to leave the roleplay, or have reason to believe you won't be able to continue posting for more than a month, let me know in this thread or a private message. Unless stated otherwise, your characters will be safely sidelined until you return.
8. When making a character, post the sheet in this thread. If it's approved, I'll give you a code to include in the version for the character sheets thread.
Should you break any of these rules, you'll be given a warning. Should you break the same rule after the warning, you'll be removed from the game. If you want to rejoin, you'll have to convince me that it's worth the trouble. If I remove you from the game two times, you won't be able to rejoin.
Timestamp Format
Blank TimestampTime:
Date:
Place:
Example Timestamp #1: "Casual Civilian Version"
Time: 9:20 AM
Date: May 10th, 2017
Place: Lake Union Park, Seattle.
Example Timestamp #2: "Detailed Military Version"
Time: 1620Z
Date: May 10th, 2017
Place: 47.6275, -122.3375, Museum of History and Industry, Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States of America, Earth.
Sheet Format
Full Name:Species:
Date of Birth:
Sex:
Nationality:
Religion:
Occupation:
Education:
Height:
Weight:
Appearance:
Personality:
Biography:
Other:
Approval Code:
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