Stories tell of a city of metal and steam that soars across the skies. Many have set out to seek it, but none have more than seen it. This is not one of their stories. Ancient rumor tells that the city was once a peaceful trading hub, before it went silent and it's once-great civilization disappeared, leaving no knowledge of the constructions of their airborne vehicles. More dedicated historians estimate that the city was active until fourteen or fifteen centuries ago. What they cannot understand is what happened to it. The truth is, 1438 years ago, a coordinated sabotage made it inhabitable, and all survivors fled to lesser civilizations. All survivors, that is, except you, [potential player]. You are one of the maintainers, technicians dedicated to keeping the city working. There are quite a few of you, surviving in an emergency shelter, within the city. Immediately after it was known of the traitorous event, you, as the primary maintainer of your section, following standard protocols, rushed to the primary control room. However, a burst steam pipe caused you to evacuate down the maintainence tunnels, the group eventually arriving at the shelter you occupy now. Two of you died as a pipe ruptured just before they could make it into the shelter. The door sealed automatically, to release when the pressure in the corridor reaches habitable levels once more. As you are still within the city, and, thankfully, some of the systems are still functioning, you have not aged. You know that at least one of you was a traitor, though with the two dead outside, there is enough hope that the traitors are dead that none of you have killed each other in the centuries since.
Today (if it even is day, since you are far enough inside that there are no windows), shocking and somewhat disturbing news is discovered: The pressure outside the only door is dropping! This means that you can finally be free of this meagre shelter! However, the only thing that could explain this is that the primary reserve is dropping dangerously low. There is probably only a week or two left before the city cannot maintain flight and crashes.
During the many years, you have come to a consensus that the cause of the event was that one of the most closely guarded secrets had been discovered by people opposed to it. Long ago, it was realized that to keep the city fueled would take many resources, and to reduce the strain on traders to supply wood and coal, the council that guided the city started quietly seeking alternatives. A few hundred years later, one scientist found something abnormal: A spring where the water boiled despite the rock surface of the bottom not taving any crack or other place where the heat could have been coming from. In secret, a team of maintainers and the scientist unearthed a large crystal that radiated unbearable heat, but burned no fuel. They brought it back, careful that no-one would ever learn what they carried, and placed it in the primary boiler. For 500 years, it was unknown, and for a good reason: When it was revealed to the few who were allowed to know, most would only grudgingly remain quiet, as relying on, as they usually said, "evil magic, or something man was not meant to use" was unthinkable, but the cost if it was ever publicly know would only barely be worse.
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Potential players:
Each player will have their own personal story PMed to them, and some *may* be traitors.
However, the goal of this game will primarily be about survival(escape or repair), rather than discovering who is a traitor. Traitors may have hidden goals, from simply escaping, to impeding repairs, or anything else. However, this is not Mafia or a RTD, so you may, if you wish, disregard them. Just be interesting about it, as it is common in movies and books for characters to change sides in some situations.
Maps will be provided, detailing the overall layout, what has been seen, and (PMed) what your character personally knows from before. No individual will have more than a fragment of knowledge. You may share PMs from me, even silently altered if you wish, but beware that others doing so may also edit them unprovably.
This game will not start immediately, as I must plan out at least a general layout of the game, histories, city, and make the initial maps.
Feel free to discuss this. And, if you really want, use any of it in your own games.
Edit: I should just point out that I intend this to be more of a turn-based roleplaying game. Neither unbearably serious nor overlly silly.
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Topic: The (hopefully averted) fall of a city (pregame discussion and stuff) (Read 1371 times)