In the world, there used to be two 'earths' : there was the underearth, called the Underearth, for rather obvious reasons, and then there was another earth high in the sky above the Underearth. In fact, it was so high that it was impossible to see it. The sky earth was called either the Upperearth or the Celestial Earth. Between the two earths was a giant sea floating in the air, called the Middle Ocean. And connecting the two was a thin tower, like a spider thread hanging between a pair of shields. It was named Sky Tower at first, but as time passed, and as it blocked the tower, the name was slowly forgotten to the ravages of time... The Cartel. The Imperial Flowers and Thorns. Two groups that directly oppose each other, yet both have a common goal, destroying the blockade at the tower. It is one of the few paths to the Underworld, and is perhaps the most heavily defended.
Who defends it is unknown, but what -is- sure is that almost every person who attempted to run the blockade came back as a smoking pile of cinders, or worse.
The blockade has stood fast for a couple hundred years now, and the Upper and Under worlds are widely diverged. The Upperearth has abandoned magic due to a series of incidents long ago, and has pursued technology with the single-minded focus of a rabid dog. The Underearth, conversely, has continued on with its development of magic alongside technology. They are more primitive, by Celestial standards, but the magic items they have are quite coveted.
The Cartel smuggles technology, mostly firearms but every once in a while other ones, such as clockwork spider sentinels, to the Underearth, and acquire magic items to supply to various unsavory (in the Imperial opinion) groups who more often than not are planning to overthrow the Imperial regime in a shouting of revolution.
The Imperial Flowers/Thorns are highly trained and skilled agents, picked at youth and trained to be loyal to the Empress, who are given orders to act freely to uphold the integrity of the Empress's lands. This duty usually means that they attempt to stop the Cartel from crossing the world's border, and also that they don't need to uphold petty virtues like 'a fair trial' or 'humane prisoner treatment' or 'mercy'. Studies conducted by the Cartel has shown that the Imperials are especially lacking in the last one, for some reason.
You are a new and rising young talent in the Cartel, tasked with two missions : one, smuggle and raise as much a profit as you can, and two, find a way to run the blockade reliably.
This RTD is -not- first come first serve.Judging of sheets is done by:
45% bio
30% grammar/general English usage.
15% past RTD history
10% transfat
This RTD's setting is . . . in the Upperearth, where technology has dominated over magic. Typical weapons would include bowguns, revolvers, handcannons, semi-automatic weapons, flying robots of missiley doom, big freaking laser wave motion guns, photon bombs shot from somewhere far away, rice cookers that act like an oversized Tesla coil, clockwork robots that eat TNT for breakfast, anti-tank-revolving-missile-launchers, grenades, magical bullets imbued with explosive fiah or freezing ice...
...but strangely little electricity. D:
Name:
Gender:
Age: (preferably on the younger side)
Race: (Human, Celestial Human, Dragonoid, other upon request.)
Short bio :
Appearance:
Preferred weapon tree : (Robotics / Heavy Weapons / Spitfire / Ranger / Generalist)
Ability focus: (pick two)
Strength
Intelligence
Dexterity
Skills : (choose two)
Cartel profit cut :
50% commission
20% housing & upkeep
19% pyramid commission
10% Imperial tax
= 1% for ye. Can improve profit cuts by doing great (in the Cartel's opinion, which usually involves either killing Imperial Thorns/Flowers, or making unexpectedly large profit) deeds.
A Dragonoid is a bipedal humanoid drake-like thing without wings and with a distinctive reptile head. They are usually tall and muscular.
Robotics : Aforementioned clockwork or steamwork robots, flying missile platforms, humongous mecha... etc.
Heavy Weapons : Gatling guns, anti-tank revolving-missile-launchers, lazor guns, photon bombs . . .
Spitfire : Overcome obstacles by shooting them full of a couple hundred bullets a minute, with a couple magically enhanced grenades thrown in for good measure.
Rangers : Get close and personal, mixing up kicks and smacking with a gun, high maneuverability, and wickedly accurate vital shots.
Generalist : Do everything everyone else does, but worse.
NOTE : You will have to keep track of stats and inventory.