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[Dwarmin]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=152429.msg6425013#msg6425013 -->Game Thread

The Secession Wars ended with the inevitability of a coming winter.

The new world was created. Peace and prosperity for all. For those who had lost everything in the War, there was no place for them. They headed west, to start new lives. For warriors, even those who had fought on the winning side, there was no place for them, either. Steeped in too much blood, and possessed of a skill and trade that was no longer desired, they also headed west.

Beyond the Periphery lies the Frontier. Settlements began to blossom. Yet even here the flower of civilization asked too much tending, and so men and women pushed further West.

Beyond the Frontier. Into the Far West.

“I look to the North,
the cold wind smells of pine and iron.
I look to the East,
the cool wind smells of jasmine and brine.
I look to the South,
the warm wind smells of citrus and loam.
I will not look to the West,
for the wind is full of dust,
and it smells of blood and glory.”
- Loora Vol, Poetess

Spoiler: Map of the Far West (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Mechanics (click to show/hide)

This game uses the D&D 5e game system, as a base...but, that doesn't really matter. I run everything mechanics wise in the background-you don't have to mess with numbers, just play your character-I design everything, based on your character description and the roleplaying actions you are taking. For example, if you spend an episode of the game being really sneaky, I might decide you took your next level in the Rogue class. Your numbers and class sheets may or may not be available to you, up to personal preference. Be more concerned with getting enough to eat, and having enough bullets in your gun to deal with bad folks. Just because you can't see your HP doesn't mean you can't DIE. :O

Combat and danger are always run in 'story mode', where you describe what you are going to do and I run your character through the scenario, perhaps giving you choices along the way. Good RP always trumps numbers here-just because that gap is mathematically impossible to jump doesn't mean you will not succeed.

If you're not into RP, this game is not for you! Literally, if you are not into the world, and feel you will not have fun playing a character in it, you probably won't. If you like westerns, steampunk, asian influenced games, or shows like Firefly, on the other hand...

Spoiler: World Lore (click to show/hide)

It should be said that as with all the best Westerns (even space Westerns), there is a sense of "magnificent dislocation", as Stephen King once wrote. If someone asks you when you fought in the War of Succession, you generally shouldn't say '12 years ago, exactly'. You should say 'When I was a younger, less wise man'. Time is fluid and fragmentary, set dates-unless they pertain to your character especially-are not needed here. In the Far West, the past is the past, and the future is wide open as the Horizon. The difference between myth and memory are not strictly enforced. One person may remember something one way...another person, much differently. Most of the history in the Far West is like this. It's not set in stone, and it's not the same for every person-much like real life.

Here are some facts that you do know...to be edited as players require.

--

The Empire, to the East has existed since before you were born, and will probably exist forever.

The Succession Wars have just(?) ended-this was an unimaginably brutal and protracted conflict, and it has displaced many lost souls on the 'dust road', into the Far West. It was primarily between the 'August Throne', the rulers of the Empire-and the outer territories, called the 'Periphery'. The Empire won, needless to say.

Men and Women are mostly considered equal in the Far West, if they can carry their weight.

There is a distinct Asian flavor to this game as a whole, and while we speak English in this thread (lol) you can spice up your roleplaying with actual Chinese words-essentially, it's the difference between using proper Imperial language, and what amounts to slang.

The basic Imperial currency consists of the golden talon, and the silver dollar, or 'Kuai' if you are being provincial. Ten dollars equal one Talon. Silver dollars are meant to be sectioned into halves, or even quarters, called a half moon, and a sliver, respectively. Barter, gemstones, personal honor, and scrip (personal checks, papers only as valuable as the one issuing them) are also used in trade and business.

The Far west uses a bunch of non-specific terms to measure distance-a 'fist' is about a third of a foot, for example, a 'stone' is 14 pounds, and a 'pace' is about a foot and a half. Probably invented by large bodied shopkeepers to inflate their prices.

Technology is roughly equivalent to our own 1900's, but there is also steampunk technology-mostly powered by arcane forms of energy called 'furies'. Thus, you can expect fancy trains and air ships, or even stranger things. Most aspects of technology are not understood in general (By me), or most other people in the Empire like yourselves. So don't ask for specifics.

Long ago, the Legendary Rangers once kept the peace on the frontier, an uncorruptable force of law keepers-they were betrayed by the Empire, however, and supposedly wiped out to the last man, their forts and schools burned to the ground. A new generation of defenders-the Marshals-now bear the burden of protecting the Far West, but they do not have the legends of the past to protect them any longer.

Nowadays, the Chartered Houses-the Steam Barons-wield significant power in the provinces, stamping out competition ruthlessly, laying ever expanding tracks of rail, and harvesting resources to be sent back East, feeding the heart of the Empire.

Magic exists in this universe primarily in the form of spirit energy-which can come from many forms, from animals, or nature, to the Old Gods, or from the heart and mind. It's not taught or purchased, however-mostly it requires intense personal devotion to summon. As such, magic is not so widespread that most people would trust it over, say, their horse or gun-and even those with magic do not flaunt it recklessly, when a more reliable tool can do the same job.

It's said beyond the far West is only endless, maddening Desert-that you just keep going until the Old Gods swoop from the sky to eat you, or you fall off the edge of the world-both are probably sort of true. Still, there are people called the 'Castalan'-roughly equivalent to the Spanish, and the Spanish languages is actually used in Far West being called 'Castalan'-who say there are cool green mountains, and a great salt Ocean far, far beyond the West. If so, few men and women of the Empire have ever seen it and come back to tell the tale.

Bison, Horses, and Cattle ranches are rich industries in the Far West-creatures called Greps and Thunderbirds are also raised. Greps are six to eight fists long lizards with rounded bodies and blunt snouts that carry an exceedingly potent poison in their blood they quirt from their eyes at whatever annoys them-however, this poison has potent medicinal properties, the most important being it's anesthetic qualities. Thunderbirds are huge flightless avians good for both their meat and the enormous eggs they lay, named for the rumbling sound that echoes across the plains when a “court” of thunderbirds breaks into a run. There are rumors of even stranger creatures living in the Far West that have been long extinct in the Empire proper...

The Red Crane Span is a school of military strategy in the Imperial Heartland, responsible for churning out the Empires brightest military minds-a series of towers and universities built a bridge over the Missong River-a major tributary leading into the Southern Citrus Sea. It was mostly destroyed during the Succession Wars by a surprise Rebel Air raid, but has since begun to rebuilt.

Spoiler: Character Submission (click to show/hide)

Name: ((Note, the Empire has an interesting mix of Asian and American culture-'Adebar Jade' is one characters named, for example. So, you are not limited at all in your choices here. Also, despite the Empires most fervent denials there is world outside of it's borders you can draw inspiration from when creating characters.))
Physical Description ((Only what the outside world might see you as-do you lead with a handsome face, or do you define your self image by what you wear?))
Job: ((In short, how do you make a living? This is primarily how I will choose your class, abilities, and physical statistics, though it will obviously affect how people perceive you.))
Personality: ((A brief description of your attitude, way of life, methods of thinking and problem-solving. Used in determing peoples reaction toward you, and if I have to decide what your character sees or acts in any situation. Also used to determine mental statistics.))
Biography: ((How came you to be in the Far West? Were you born here, or did you come here looking for something? Or, someone? Explain how you got here, and what you intend to do now. I.e, your story.))

Spoiler: Final notes (click to show/hide)

All this I got from here! Literally, this is not my game world-they did do a very good job, though. You can find even more information here if you are interested, tho development seems to have stopped...

http://intothefarwest.com/

© 2015 Adamant Entertainment, or something. I'm not charging any money, it should be okay! *shifty eyes*

((Reserving the post right below this, btw, for stuff. Don't post there. Also, please do not rush your character sheets-I will take the players who seem to be having the most fun designing their characters.))

Accepted Characters

Spoiler: Harry Bman/The Sound and the Fury (click to show/hide)

Name: Immanuel Jade, or Max Yang where the former provokes distrust.

Physical Description: he reminds you of a dusty, overly ambitious beggar who has come upon a dead nobleman and stolen his clothes, which have proceeded to age poorly in his keeping ever since. And then, as he tips his unusual hat and opens his toothless, grinning mouth to speak, you see but a great black expanse, and perhaps beneath his words even sense an unintentional menace. You resolve to keep an eye on him as you go about your shady business in the vast desert, and occasionally in the midday sun you see his shadow flicker, or the wind suddenly change direction for a second as he speaks. Animals flee at his touch, and perhaps you would, too - you keep a respectable distance from him this entire time.

Job: he is in his own words an expert you do not expect, a speaker to the unseen, a middleman for an unknown that is often called upon all too lightly.

Personality: you find him unusual at first, suspicious right afterward. Seemingly dependable, often professional, and always ready to converse about seemingly nothing at all, overflowing with some form of unearthly delight that you find ominously infectious. There's something about him you don't like, and when you ask others about him they will know exactly what you're talking about, but their words fail as to what that might be. They do, however, advise you not to ask him about it, having worked with him in the past, for while they cannot quite describe the symptom, they can attest that to his allies Max Yang will tell in no uncertain terms the cause. This evidently has failed to put them at ease.

Biography: you, however, have never mastered the mercenary art of asking no questions. On your third outing with Mr. Yang - seeking oddities in one of Orinost's less dangerous areas, ever a popular and incredibly illegal (for one of your employer's means, of course - legality is often a question of personal influence in the Empire) business these days, you ask him what's wrong as the other twenty two men and seven women of the expedition comb through the blasted ruins of a military outpost. He asks you to specify in oddly good humor, and you stammer a moment, feeling vaguely uncomfortable in asking a man why he's so terribly strange. He helps you with some suggestions - the flickering shadow he mentions first, then an oddness to his speech, and even a peculiar hollowness to his eyes that you up until now had failed to notice. You nod and he continues to smile, then asks you if you know what a fury is.

Truthfully, you do not. But you know roughly what it does (or some examples of what it can do, at least), and say as much. He notes that this is a very good answer, so he will reply with one of his own - in the simplest of terms, he ate a fury. An ill-advised act by his own admission, but not one he regrets.

You ask him if that's, er, literal. The eating part, you mean. He says it is not, but it is close enough to easily understand the idea without an education far beyond your means to attain. You frown at this, and he laughs, saying he never quite completed said education either, so you need not consider this to be flaunting his status. And while eating the fury does seem to have given him the power to work miracles beyond the ability of the common man, it does have a great many downsides. The oddities, you say, completing the thought. He says yes, but the real rub, he says conspiratorially, is the troubling thing about exploring new horizons in magical technology - there is nothing to expect, and virtually anything is possible.

The best part about the Far West, he says after a moment's silence, right after its lack of regulation, is that it is sparsely populated. This sets his conscience at ease, he explains, for there are only so many that can possibly go with him when the time comes and the stars align unfavorably at last. You give him a serious look, and he tells you that this is usually the time when one takes a few steps back. This may even increase your odds of survival should the mentioned time be anywhere within five minutes from now and the result adhering close to what he thinks might be normal. You uncomfortably follow his advice, and he gives you another of those toothless grins. The rest of the trip proves uneventful, and after this outing your cooperation with the man fortunately ends.

Spoiler: Gigmig/Wen-Li Dulcette the Wind-tossed Blossom (click to show/hide)

Name: Wen-Li Dulcette the Wind-tossed Blossom
Physical Description:A woman around six foot tall. She is not so much slender as lithe - normally clad in a faded red poncho with silver gilding. Her long skirt is also red, and billows impressively with her movements. Her hands are covered with gloves - the left is black, the right one longer and white, but long years with instruments have made the fingers dexterous and nimble. Perhaps her most noticeable feature is her headwear - her dark hair is cropped short and hidden underneath an ornate hat, and her face hidden beneath one of a seemingly endless multiple of masks. Her actual face? Well, it's been so long she's almost forgotten herself. Her eyes are a vibrant, almost electric blue, and gleam through the eye holes of her mask. She carries a large parasol segmented into dark panels - which seems odd, at first glance. Even odder is the long, thin cable than connects to one of the traditional Orinost instruments - the guitar. This guitar, when played, roars much louder and differently to any normal guitar, for the energy of the sun flows through its strings.

Job: Wen-Li is a singer, rememberer, and gatherer of tales. She sings for the dead and for the coin of the living, and gathers their stories so they might be recorded. She can sing, dance, tell tales, perform bian lian, and if need be, protect her virtue with a thrown knife. Her sleight-of-hand can be used for more than just masks, after all. She's also a dab hand at painting (from the masks again) but that doesn't occur very often.

Personality: Easy to smile (or put on a smiling mask, rather) and laugh. A dry sense of humour - even black - nonetheless fails to cover her kind nature. She resents Imperial authority, seeing them as blunderers at best and openly harmful to the people at worst. Obviously, words are her resort in a problem, and most people can be persuaded, tricked, or confused into seeing things her way.

Despite her easy laugh, the Wind-Tossed Blossom is none-the-less deep in mourning for her country, now little more than echoes. A funeral in Orinost involves telling long stories about the dead, the cremation and the scattering of ashes almost unimportant by comparison. What mattered of a person was their actions, not their mortal form - the memories they left behind. For her country, nothing but ruin in it's glorious, tragic defeat, spreading her tales is a form of weeping for the land she has lost.

Biography: There's nothing left for men in Orinost. In their final hour, as the Imperial forces battered down the gates with cannon and drenched the streets in red with gun and bayonet, the  King's widow beseeched the furies of the machines to sing a death wail for their country. The dirge tore across the land, turning bricks to dust and men to ash, poisoning the soil and the very air, disappearing the thousand-year history of the Orinost in one cataclysmic instant. It's been a long time, and the plants have begun to grow again - the standing stones that are all that remain of the prowess of the Orinost are being swallowed by grass. The men who go too far into that land still sicken, with no cure or remedy.

Only the few Orinost outside the Kingdom in its final hours survived. They're scattered, now - some settle in the Far West in tiny enclaves, hidden and nursing a slow hatred for the Empire, too few to ever act on it. Others - like Wen-Li - have taken up the task of spreading the songs and stories of their people, so when they are gone, perhaps some remnant of their fallen Kingdom will remain. There's few places for them, so they blow hither and fro like tumbleweed on the wind.

Spoiler: Playergamer/Sal Liu (click to show/hide)

Name: Sal Liu

Physical Description: Sal is a tall, fresh-faced man, with brown hair and a toothy smile. He usually wears standard cowboy clothing, with a cowboy hat, duster, trousers, and boots. Due to working with animals, Sal's clothes are often caked in mud, and he always looks slightly disheveled.

Job: Cowboy

Personality: Even with his hard past, Sal is still a very positive man, and is almost always able to find an upside to any situation. At first glance, Sal would seem either stupid, or just naive. However, he has an edge of wisdom, if not intelligence. He's uncultured, and uneducated, but he tries his best to be respectful. Very, very rarely, Sal will get angry. When that happens, it's never a good sign.

Biography: The tall, nervous man stepped off of the train, carrying a small child with him, and quickly walked away from the station before he could be spotted. He walked into town, as fast as he could without looking suspicious, and found a horse for sale, buying it for the asking price without any haggling, before riding away. After riding for a while, the man eventually found a ranch, and walked in, asking the owner for a job as a ranchhand. The owner, seeing that the man was strong, and willing to work, hired him for room, board, and a few coins. The man put his son down on their bed, singing him to sleep, before heading out to work.

As the boy was growing up, the man began to teach him. The man could not read, or write, and they didn't have any money for a teacher, but he did teach him the important things. How to ride, how to shoot, how to handle a herd of cattle. Over the years, the son slowly grew, beginning to work alongside his father, earning an extra coin or two for the two of them. It was back-breaking labor, but they needed the coins, and the ranch owners were good people. Eventually, once the son was old enough to head out on his own, he began driving cattle. Handling cows takes strength, and a firm hand, but it's much more dignified then shoveling out cow pies.

Over the years, the boy began to learn more about his father, and his absent mother. His mother had died of natural causes back in the East, and his father had been forced to raise him on his own. One day, when the Succession Wars began, the Empire tried to conscript the father, and rip him away from the only family he had left. The father, seeing little other choice, made a run for it, jumping on a train to the Far West. Unfortunately, the Empire is very powerful, and they have eyes everywhere. After years and years living in the West, the Empire's thugs finally caught up to Liu.

As Sal Liu was riding into the ranch after a cattle drive, he saw a group of Imperial men dragging his father through the dirt. He quickly found the ranch's owner, asking him what was happening, and he said that the elder Liu was being arrested for draft evasion. Sal, enraged, reached for his revolver, but his father noticed his movement, and silently mouthed "Don't." The Imperial thugs took the old man away, and Sal, enraged at the family for not doing anything, rode off, looking for a new job. He became a freelance cowboy, driving cattle herds for anyone who could pay.

Now, nearly a year later, Sal's just trying to make a living. He's accepted that he'll probably never see his father again, or even find closure as to what happened to him, but he's still hoping to find something.

Spoiler: Tiruin/Hiraya Mawari (click to show/hide)

Physical Description: Hiraya is Eastern in appearance, though without knowing her heritage, this would differ to the onlooker: She has round eyes, an ovalesque facial contour, light brown skin hinting at a more tropical line of descent, and stands at 5'5" tall. Her body is slender in appearance, yet possesses toned muscles, remarking on her training and upbringing--a subtlety that goes unseen due to her clothing and graceful mannerisms; something learned rather than innate. Her clothing is a mix of silk and sun-colored fabric, a forest-tan mixture of green and straw-yellow, conforming to the idea of a traveler or explorer, following the fashion of those in the outer reaches of the Empire.

Job: Hunter/Guide

Personality: Hiraya is an optimist, said to be insightful yet meek, and shy, preferring others to speak unless she feels confident in handling the situation--something very common to her, albeit only if familiar with patterns or analogies of a certain parallel beforehand. She is easily trusting of others, though cautious when presented merely with bargains or trades, deeply empathic despite the facade of business professionalism running from parent to child. She is a tenacious and strong-willed fellow who derives strength from the mere ounce of hope and chance.

Biography: Born to merchants of the eastern roads, Hiraya lived a semi-nomadic life--a storm tempered by the balance of opportunity, experience, travel, trade, communication, and the happenstance of fate all intertwined. She took education when it was available, and focused on trade skills when they needed their due, learned how to live off and with the land and interact with the people along the way. Her parents were opportunists, though caring of heart and of warm disposition towards any they'd meet, including bandits--in terms of avoidance and shrewd detection.

In the shadow of the Succession Wars, Hiraya found out a lot about her world through her parents; they were kindly folk, and instilled in her the power of survival and hope by their actions onto others, teaching self-autonomy through unity of nature--working together, even with disparate and desperate folk, learning how to bargain and plan for the future, as well as create creative exchange which would benefit in other ways than currency, as many they met had little to trade and much to earn. This also included communicating via body language--to an armed man or woman, or to a feisty vagabond, and how to diffuse the situation without tending to use judicial force. Being knowledgeable merchants, their reputation came ahead of most and let the family avoid many a fight in exchange of information and guidance.

As time passed, retirement came like a boon onto the wise--Hiraya found herself free with the wishes of her family on her back, to either continue their work (mainly as a guide to the needy, as the elderly merchants lived on profits from business which were enough to see them through in their years), or to follow her own path in life. A gift not bestowed lightly. Following her character, she ventured farther into the west to alleviate the effects of the Succession War, providing guidance and aid for pilgrims and travelers alike--in part, curious, especially onto the Legends of the Rangers, as most of those legends were only given more merit the farther west one went.

Spoiler: Sercon/Victoria Dyson (click to show/hide)

Physical Description: Victoria is a tall, strong but androgynous-faced woman standing at six feet tall and one hundred thirty nine pounds of lean muscle. She keeps her identity hidden under heavy clothes and a wide-brimmed hat; her voice is low enough and her layers concealing enough that without a close look she can - and often does - pass for male. It's only when she takes off her hat and undoes a few buttons to get comfortable that it becomes rather obvious she's female.

As for her physical appearance, she does have some distinctive characteristics. For example, most of the left side of her body is covered in scars, both from burns and shrapnel from fighting in The Succession Wars. Her black hair is streaked and speckled with minor amounts of gray and white, and is cut short so no strand falls longer than her chin, with her bangs cut just above her piercing gray eyes. Her jaw is strong, her mouth thin but her lips full. Her nose is aquiline and her eyebrows thin and lightly arched at the outside ends, but slightly thicker just above the inside corners of her eyes. Her most distinctive characterstic, however, is her left arm - or rather her lack of it from just above the elbow down. She's adapted to using just her right hand in the time since she's lost it (she was a young soldier then, just out of her teens) but it's still gone, and the lack of it is a hinderance in many ways.

When it comes to clothing, she favors heavy, thick clothing meant to conceal and stay intact through hard travels and long years. Tough jeans, thick boots, a waistcoat over her shirt and a leather longcoat with a duster over if from her shoulders down to her elbows, and a wide-brimmed black hat with a leather band around it are her preferred dress. From her right hip hang three holsters, each carrying a gun; from her left hip an Empire sword she took from a dead officer during the War (she didn't kill him during any specific battle; they just surprised each other one late night during her travels and she pulled iron first) that she learned how to use.

Job: Gun for hire

Personality: A survivor, Vic has been thinking of herself as an old woman lately. She is often moody and pensive, thinking of times past and wondering what might lie after death. She can be bitter and melancholy in speech, but at her core is still the same woman who believes in romance and the greater good, who will stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves and sacrifice what she has to sacrifice to save lives. She tends to take failure hard.

Biography: Victoria was born the third child of five (mostly daughters) to John and Catherine Dyson. From a young age she looked up to her older brother Kyle the most and like the little tomboy she was she always wanted to do what he and his friends were doing - from cow-tipping to learning how to shoot and ride to fighting. She was quite the firecracker in her childhood, and as she grew into a woman she got particularly close with one of her brother's friends, Brock Hicks.

But peace can't last forever, and her small home town was drawn into the Succession Wars. She joined right up alongside Kyle, Brock, and her younger sister Melissa (the older of the twins born after her). For seven months the town's garrison managed to hold off Empire forces, although Vic was out of action for the last days of fighting due to her pregnancy. On the same day her son was born, the Empire shelled the town, destroying it and killing most of the inhabitants. Victoria was one of the few surivors, keeping her newborn son safe by protecting him with her body despite her injuries.

The mother and hew newborn son Frank were taken captive by Empire forces, along with Tabitha (the younger twin sister) and their father John. The Empire took Frank away from Victoria - possibly out of a kindness/fear that she wouldn't live much longer with her massive injuries - and treated her wounds until she was stable. Eventually she was deemed well enough to be placed into camp with the other prisoners of war.

Time passed. Victoria didn't notice the passage of time, filled with heartache over the loss of her family, her son, and her lover so close together. She wondered why she was still alive, how she had even survived. It was only when there was an escape attempt orchestrated by her father that she came back to the here and now and escaped with her sister, though John was shot and killed in the chaos.

The sisters wandered for some time, though Tabitha's journey ended when they came to a sympathetic household in the Periphery and she married the eldest son, Austin. Victoria, on the other hand, had decided she was going to join the rest of her family like she should have so many years ago and resumed journeying toward the frontlines, intent on rejoining Periphery forces. She took one job after another, messenger, protection, always moving west, always towards the war.

It ended before she got there. The Empire had won. For the second time it had taken everything from her - first her life, and now an honorable death. She began to drift aimlessly, never staying in one town for long, before eventually drifting back to the Murphy househould and seeing her sister and her family. There was a daughter and two boys, both delighted to meet 'Aunt Vicky' and wanting to hear stories of her travels.

Her heart began to heal as she helped her sister raise her kids. She told them embellished stories, taught them what she had learned in her travels, and helped her in-laws by patrolling for bandits and other miscreants. As the children grew, so did her hunger for the open road and conflict, and eventually she headed back out to see what had been made of the world since she withdrew from it.

[Dwarmin]

Clans
The Far West has it's share of factions, and you had best know who are your friends and enemies...

Steam Barons
House Grunbremoch
Headed by the implacable Colonel Sond Grunbremoch, who lost his arm in the Succession Wars and had a fury powered metallic replacement grafted onto him. A loyalist to the August Throne, he has has built an Empire of Steel based on advancing the Empires ideals of law and order ever Westward-no matter what the opinions of those in his way are.

House Marghul
Of the many Chartered Houses, there are few held in higher regard within the Empire and abroad than House Marghul. The Marghuls are at the forefront of the Empire’s expansion into the Periphery and beyond into the Far West. The Bureaucracy points to House Marghul as an example of what every Chartered House should strive to be and it is generally held to be a truism that there is no House more loyal, nor more steadfast in defense of the Empire than the Marghul...Too bad it's all a lie. House Marghul was founded on a secret, one that each generation has held dear, and every endeavor that the House undertakes all serves to bring about their ultimate purpose: reestablishing the kingdom they lost during the Succession Wars.

House Laers
When most folk look beyond the borders of the Empire, they fail to see anything other than dangerous barbarians and untamed wilderness. They regard the Periphery as barely civilized and its people as being but a short step from savages. When Osten Laers first travelled into the west, he thought the same, but what he saw were opportunities. At that time, a booming economy was rising in the Periphery to handle legitimate businesses of every stripe and within that growth were openings for corruption, smuggling, opiates, gambling, extortion, and more. A crime for every occasion, opportunities in abundance, oh yes indeed...

Law and Order
The Rangers (Defunct?)
Sometimes called ‘The Knights of the Far West’, this nearly monastic order of gunslinger/knights are dedicated to serving Justice, rather than any particular government. Their loyalty to their Clan and their Code caused them to run afoul of the Empire, and the Rangers were rounded up, outlawed, arrested and/or killed. Today, they are legendary, wandering the Far West, outlawed but still serving their Code.

The Marshals
A great many men who lost so much in the Succession Wars found their way West, and desiring a way to use their skills for the greater good (or maybe just a legal way or earning money) they slowly formed into the Marshals, who have inherited the oaths and responsibilities of the Rangers who came before them. Unlike their predecessors, they do not quite have a reputation for honor, invulnerability, or incorruptibility. But, there are still good men and women among them, who do good works. Perhaps that is how all legends begin.

The Twin Eagle Security Agency
A private security and detective force that can be hired by anyone with enough to offer them, members of the Twin Eagle Security Agency are “citified” dandies who rely on gadgets and flashy weapons as the tools of their trade. Unlike the other Clans, the Twin Eagle Security Agency is not based in the Far West, but are an officially-chartered business enterprise in the Empire proper. Their operatives can be found within the borders of the Empire, throughout the Periphery, and out into the Far West itself.

The Iron Dragons
The members of the Iron Dragon Clan work aboard trains as laborers — porters, stevedores, coal-men, engineers and conductors — defending trains, cargos and rail travellers from bandits and other dangers. Some Iron Dragons actually own and operate small independent railway companies, who often find themselves at odds with the Steam Barons — the rich industrialists from back east who own the large Chartered Houses and many of the railways into the Far West.

Free Factions
The Jade Family
A loosely-affiliated organization of nomadic con-artists, beggars, fortune-tellers, entertainers and thieves, all of whom take the family name “Jade” to indicate their allegiance to the “life.”

The Preachers
Religious mendicants, tending to the needs of the flock. Whether they wear the stiff collar of The Ecclesiarchy (the state religion of the Empire), or serve the myriad of animist spirits, ascended immortals, and petty gods of the various folk beliefs, their concern is the spiritual well-being of their congregations.

The Wandering Stars
Itinerant philosophers, rootless warrior poets, and mystics seeking attunement with nature; all long held traditions culturally supported by the Empire, the members of which were hard pressed to make any sort of decent living whenever they drifted into the territories of the Periphery and on into the Far West.

The Foxglove Society
A secret society of assassins, hidden within the ranks of the Far West’s “sportin’ ladies” — prostitutes and courtesans. The Foxglove Society takes as its emblem the beautiful foxglove flower, source of the deadly poison digitalis. “Always respect a lotus girl,” the saying goes, “for you never know when she might actually be a Foxglove.”

[Tiruin]

PTW
I sadly don't understand D&D [despite really wanting to play it]. ._.
Wishing this game well.

[Dwarmin]

PTW
I sadly don't understand D&D [despite really wanting to play it]. ._.
Wishing this game well.

You don't even HAVE to understand it. I specifically made it so you never even have to deal with numbers! It's the whole shtick!

[Salsacookies]

In in, looks like Red Steel 2. Making a character now

[Haspen]

PTWing this with greeeeat interest.

[Playergamer]

In. I'm going to make a cowboy, but first I want to see the chars everybody else makes.

Spoiler: Sal Liu (click to show/hide)

Name: Sal Liu

Physical Description: Sal is a tall, fresh-faced man, with brown hair and a toothy smile. He usually wears standard cowboy clothing, with a cowboy hat, duster, trousers, and boots. Due to working with animals, Sal's clothes are often caked in mud, and he always looks slightly disheveled.

Job: Cowboy

Personality: Even with his hard past, Sal is still a very positive man, and is almost always able to find an upside to any situation. At first glance, Sal would seem either stupid, or just naive. However, he has an edge of wisdom, if not intelligence. He's uncultured, and uneducated, but he tries his best to be respectful. Very, very rarely, Sal will get angry. When that happens, it's never a good sign.

Biography: The tall, nervous man stepped off of the train, carrying a small child with him, and quickly walked away from the station before he could be spotted. He walked into town, as fast as he could without looking suspicious, and found a horse for sale, buying it for the asking price without any haggling, before riding away. After riding for a while, the man eventually found a ranch, and walked in, asking the owner for a job as a ranchhand. The owner, seeing that the man was strong, and willing to work, hired him for room, board, and a few coins. The man put his son down on their bed, singing him to sleep, before heading out to work.

As the boy was growing up, the man began to teach him. The man could not read, or write, and they didn't have any money for a teacher, but he did teach him the important things. How to ride, how to shoot, how to handle a herd of cattle. Over the years, the son slowly grew, beginning to work alongside his father, earning an extra coin or two for the two of them. It was back-breaking labor, but they needed the coins, and the ranch owners were good people. Eventually, once the son was old enough to head out on his own, he began driving cattle. Handling cows takes strength, and a firm hand, but it's much more dignified then shoveling out cow pies.

Over the years, the boy began to learn more about his father, and his absent mother. His mother had died of natural causes back in the East, and his father had been forced to raise him on his own. One day, when the Succession Wars began, the Empire tried to conscript the father, and rip him away from the only family he had left. The father, seeing little other choice, made a run for it, jumping on a train to the Far West. Unfortunately, the Empire is very powerful, and they have eyes everywhere. After years and years living in the West, the Empire's thugs finally caught up to Liu.

As Sal Liu was riding into the ranch after a cattle drive, he saw a group of Imperial men dragging his father through the dirt. He quickly found the ranch's owner, asking him what was happening, and he said that the elder Liu was being arrested for draft evasion. Sal, enraged, reached for his revolver, but his father noticed his movement, and silently mouthed "Don't." The Imperial thugs took the old man away, and Sal, enraged at the family for not doing anything, rode off, looking for a new job. He became a freelance cowboy, driving cattle herds for anyone who could pay.

Now, nearly a year later, Sal's just trying to make a living. He's accepted that he'll probably never see his father again, or even find closure as to what happened to him, but he's still hoping to find something.

[Salsacookies]

Name: Yhaesimus Khraine, Demon from Beyond the Sands
Job: Bounty Hunter (Preferred targets are those who misuse magic or are turned into monsters). He spreads rumors of his presence whenever he comes around town, and you must perform a ritual and leave a sum of money for him to hunt for you. He will leave a token for his employer when he finishes the job.
Personality: ((A brief description of your attitude, way of life, methods of thinking and problem-solving. Used in determing peoples reaction toward you, and if I have to decide what your character sees or acts in any situation. Also used to determine mental statistics.))
Biography: ((How came you to be in the Far West? Were you born here, or did you come here looking for something? Or, someone? Explain how you got here, and what you intend to do now. I.e, your story.))

[Tiruin]

PTW
I sadly don't understand D&D [despite really wanting to play it]. ._.
Wishing this game well.

You don't even HAVE to understand it. I specifically made it so you never even have to deal with numbers! It's the whole shtick!

Game on then!
Sheet will be coming tomorrow since multitasking with movie making here makes me x_x
Late in the night. Still awake.

Especially when you say 'mix of American and Asian culture'. :3

Spoiler: Gonna have fun with this (click to show/hide)

Name: ((Note, the Empire has an interesting mix of Asian and American culture-'Adebar Jade' is one characters named, for example. So, you are not limited at all in your choices here. Also, despite the Empires most fervent denials there is world outside of it's borders you can draw inspiration from when creating characters.))
Job: ((In short, how do you make a living? This is primarily how I will choose your class, abilities, and physical statistics, though it will obviously affect how people perceive you.))
Personality: ((A brief description of your attitude, way of life, methods of thinking and problem-solving. Used in determing peoples reaction toward you, and if I have to decide what your character sees or acts in any situation. Also used to determine mental statistics.))
Biography: ((How came you to be in the Far West? Were you born here, or did you come here looking for something? Or, someone? Explain how you got here, and what you intend to do now. I.e, your story.))

[kj1225]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Aquila (Also goes by 'Ni ta ma de')
Job: Marshal
Description:  First of all, like everyone know, a proper marshal has a mustache that not even dynamite can get rid of, And Aquila is no exception with his glorious handlebar mustache being the center point of his face. This confident gentleman has slanted eyes the color of blueberries. His luxurious, curly, neck-length hair is the color of fine silver, and is worn in a pony tail so as to avoid it getting into his face wile he works. Of course, he also has a hat to help but he needs to take it off while inside. He has a broad-shouldered build. His skin is nut-brown. He has eyebrows and a strong chin. He wears a leather trench coat which he makes sure to keep relatively clean.
Personality:  Tends to be positive (as much as a marshal can be anyways) and calm, trying to hear everyone's side of the story when enforcing the law. After all, how can you protect the people when some of them need to steal for their daily bread. Of course, paying out of pocket for people who commit relatively minor infractions isn't the best way to earn your bread either. There's only two ways to get him really mad outside of special circumstances. Either purposely dirty his coat, or try to bribe him.
Biography: Long before Aquila had joined the succession war, and still longer before he became a marshal, Aquila loved hearing stories about the rangers. He had always dreamed of becoming one, righting wrongs, doing what's right for the people. Well... That nearly changed during the war, he was about ready to just lay down and die after seeing the worst of his fellow man. But, he saw the best of them too and that strengthened his resolve to go and live out his dream. After all, if he could deal with the war, he could deal with the hardships on the way to becoming his own hero.

[Stirk]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Li Jun Thomson (Uses several aliases)
Job: Wanderer/Hired Gun

Physical Description:He typically wears a large hat, leather or straw, with a bandana over his face. His outfit is liable to change, depending on who he is dealing with, but each one generally obscures any intensifying features. He has shortish black hair, if you can see it, and a dark tan. His eyes are hazel, and look rather large, being one of the few things you can usually see about him.

Personality: Thomson is, in a word, a "Wanderer". He spends most of his days going from place to place, drifting through towns, never staying for very long if he can help it. This, naturally, leads him to be fairly distant from other people, as it is hard to be close friends with someone you know less than a week. None the less, he is generally polite and agreeable, angering the people is generally bad for survival. If possible, he avoids major problems by simply leaving the area. If not, his six-gun has served him since childhood. It serves others, as well. That is to say, he funds his Wandering by acting as a hired gun. He has worked with lawman, outlaws, clans...anyone who has money and wants something shot, really. Bounty hunter, hit-man, assassin, or mercenary, he will take any job that isn't too morally or physically dangerous. This, of course, means that he has several fake names prepared, and does his best to hide the "real" Thomson from customers. Nobody wants to hire the guy who just shot their buddy the other day, after all.
.
Biography:  Thomson was born in a small town. He grew up in that town, for a time anyway. The town was completely destroyed, along with everyone in it. Some say it was done by the hand of man, some say it was a natural disaster, some say it never even existed. All that is known for sure is that Thomson, still a young man, is the only known survivor from this event. He continues to travel throughout the west, some say he is looking for something. A new home, other survivors of the event, or a purpose in life. If you ask him, the only thing he is looking for is "To survive".

[Dwarmin]

I didn't even say how players I was going to take! Ah well, let's see what comes of it...

[tntey]

Looks intresting, will post sheet

[Playergamer]

I put my character sheet up. I can't write a long biography because he's a young guy who's had an uneventful life until now, but he should be interesting to play.

[SOLDIER First]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Name: Qiang Kun (or Long Chuanwei, a nickname)
Job: A stevedore of the Iron Dragon clan.
Physical Description: With a beard around his mouth, a scowl on his face, and six feet from his head to his boots, Qiang Kun is an intimidating man indeed.
Personality: Qiang takes his job (and life) very seriously. He rarely jokes around or has "fun" of any kind. It's all about the work, to him. This mindset earned him the name of Stern Dragon from his coworkers, but after a while of its use and his reaction they started only saying it quietly, and when he wasn't around.
Biography: Qiang was born in the Far West. His father was born in the far west. Qiang was raised in the Far West. His father was raised in the Far West. Qiang joined the Iron Dragon clan in the Far West. His father join the Iron Dragon clan in the Far West. And, if they had anything to say about it, Qiang and his father are going to work in the Far West until they die in the Far West.
But Qiang Kun doesn't necessarily want to die working as a stevedore. He wants to expand his horizons a little bit, see what else is out there. If it means leaving his job in the Iron Dragon clan, so be it. As long as he has work, Qiang will be happy.