Sky Pirates! OOC [Script, Cast & Crew]

Name: Addicus X'Lex
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Rank: Minor Nobility - House of X'Lex (Tineati), Baronet of Tiamat.
Appearance: Addicus is a suave-looking guy. His eyes have such fierce intensity that too many girls have found it hard to avert his gaze. He also has dark, hair which seems to be able to rival that of the Tineati night sky. He does bear the regal appearance befitting the social status of a noble -even if he is a minor one at that-. Addicus is also not very self-conscious about the current fashion of Tineati, waving away servants and parents alike that tries to dress him in the 'pretty dress of me' -as he calls it-. Instead, being the youngest son of a minor noble, he is dressed in a very military like manner, and never seen without a sword by his side.

History: Addicus is the youngest of Minor Noble House X'Lex, Son of Baron Adwin of Tiamat. Like every other youngest son of minor nobles -who stand almost no chance at all in inheriting the estate- Addicus has decided to train hard in order to join the army, more specifically, the Royal Household Guard. Since the tender age of 12, Addicus has been honing his skills with the sword, training with his Swordmaster every day for 4 hours non-stop, and training for 2.

By 18 years of age, Addicus is already one of the more prominent swordsman of Tineati, not that he is able to win everyone, more of the contrary, Addicus is slated to be able to hold his own against most swordsman for long period of time, preferring a defensive rather than aggressive stance. So Addicus then decided that it was time to join the Tineati Royal Army. Working his way through the ranks using his social status, Addicus was able to advance rank faster than those sky pirates conjure up a good plan to dent the reputation of the army. And now, at 24, a young age still, Addicus has already fulfilled his lifelong dream of joining the Royal Household Guard.

As with other nobles in the land, he already have a wife, Melissa , Daughter of Viscount Arthur of La'Mut. However, this was not just an arranged marriage. Both Viscount Arthur and Baron Adwin loves their wifes dearly, even though both their marriages were also arranged; they decided to let Addicus and Melissa develop their friendship and over time, their love for each other. As of now, Melissa is pregnant with child.

I am not sure if i could conjure up the name of a minor house, but for now, i have. If it's not possible, then tell me and i will remove it.

Age: 24
Gender: Female
Rank: Royalty- Tineati Princess
Appearance: Tall and slight, the fashionable corsetry of the Tineati sits awkwardly on a figure with few curves to sculpt and her removed, almost haughty manner of walk gives the impression that her voluminous skirts are a minor nuisance that must be dragged along with her. As a member of the Royal Family, her clothes are of the finest quality and adorned with rich embroidery and lace. Her hair, too, is tightly curled and pinned on top of her head with jewelled combs. Freshwater pearls gleam at her throat and sapphires sparkle on her fingers. Despite all the distraction of her finery, the simplicity of her striking features shine out of the excesses of ornament. She is striking, with an angular jaw, a delicate nose and full, neat lips but her expression is so often of sardonic boredom that her beauty is far from accessible.
History: Born into royalty, Freya has wanted for nothing material. She is highly educated, at least in disciplines considered fit for women to master; the languages, drawing, embroidery and some botany, and has been indoctrinated with the rules of etiquette from a very early age. Correspondingly, she has evolved a highly-tuned sense of propriety and she holds others to its highest standards. Others, but not herself. In fact, she takes great satisfaction in openly defying small aspects of courtly propriety, perhaps as meagre compensation for her inability to rebel against the larger ones; namely her arranged marriage.

Name: William Cooper
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Rank: Skypirate - Captain

Appearance: Refined is the first word that comes to mind. William in no way resembles the stereotypical image of a pirate. 5'10'' and 175lbs, his dark hair is left to grow when aboard ship, being cut in the latest fashion whenever the Rose comes in to dock. A thin beard frames slender lips, the ghost of a smile almost always hovering over them. His right eye is brown, twinkling with good humour under thick brows. His left eye twinkles rather more literally, being a construct of silver to replace his own, lost in a skirmish almost four years ago. His clothes are always impeccably chosen, William favouring an image halfway between a swashbuckling corsair and a lovelorn poet.

History: There are many rumours surrounding the Scourge of the Skies, William Cooper. Legends of his skill with a blade, of his treatment of prisoners, of managing to enter and escape again seemingly impregnable fortresses, of his many seductions, most notably the wife of Alistair Mandeville, 4th Duke of L'hin. How many of these are true is known only to William himself, and the man himself neither denies nor acknowledges them, further cultivating the air of mystery that surrounds him.

In truth, his past was simple. Born the son of a carpenter, William was trained in the family trade. At 14 when he received his journeyman papers from the Carpenters guild, William set off alone, hoping to gain experience, or at least notoriety, before returning to his family. Figuring a good carpenter was always needed aboard a ship, William signed on to the crew of Julia's Faith, a merchant ship in good standing. Six months into his contract, the ship was attacked and boarded by a skypirate frigate, the Crimson Rose. Most of the crew were sold as slaves, William being kept aboard only because the Rose's own carpenter had died two weeks previous. He quickly proved himself, and over time, the crew came to accept the boy, and he to love the freedom that living on a ship tied to no flag brought. His ambitious streak coming to the fore, William steadily rose through the ranks, one year ago to this day finally taking over as Captain.

Over time, William reinvented himself, becoming more like his prey. His appearance changed, becoming more sophisticated, whilst he immersed himself in art, poetry, the works of the greatest orators, even going so far as to take classes in etiquette to further blend in with the noblility. Fourteen years on a pirate crew means that William has also learnt the arts of combat with both pistol and sword, and is a man to be feared when wielding either.

Williams construct eye is a shining silver orb. In addition to its function as a replacement eye, it also allows William to see the effects of magic, even the simplest enchantments visible to him as a glowing aura, and also integrates a 4x zoom. Artefacts such as this are generally rare and cost incredible amounts. How William came into possession of his is a story he refuses to tell.

Name:
Wyatt Thess
[Why-at Thes]

Age:
Twenty Two (22)

Gender:
Male

Rank:
Mate and ''Watchman''

Appearance:
Wyatt Thess stands at average height at 5ft 7", but makes up for not being noticeable in size with his carefree demeanor. Always seen with a smile on his face which reveals his yellow and brown teeth rooting from his yellow gums which have aged much quicker than him. Coming from a peasant background, Wyatt received very few of the medical advantages that the nobility receive to save their beauty. Wyatt's skin reflects the five years he worked in the fields with his father, it is rough, hard and tanned. He boasts an above average upper body physique, especially compared to men of the gentry who have never wielded a pick or hoe in their lives. Wyatt's hair, once dark curls has brightened in the sun and become a light blonde colour, making him resemble, because of his physique and face, an incredibly hard worked angel.

Since joining the Rose as a mate, Wyatt has come into possession of several quaint trinkets and pieces of clothing which he wears proudly. Notably on his torso the young mate wears a red coat which was left behind in the Captain's cabin of a ship the Skypirates plundered, the lapels of the jacket bears a golden trim and several buttons which Wyatt completely ignores, never fastening. The jacket's sleeves are flared and extend wide in a very regal fashion much to the pleasure of the young farm boy. As well as his jacket, Wyatt ''found'' an expert spyglass which he slides through his brown belt, alongside other gadgets and trinkets he plundered. He uses this spyglass to scout for any vessels which look particularly 'juicy,' as he would say. Upon discovery of the spyglass Wyatt instantly dubbed himself 'Watchman of the Rose.'

History:
Since joining the crew of the Rose five years ago, Wyatt Thess will have spoken more words than even a scholar could follow, his constant excited attitude is bound to annoy a newcomer to the crew, and undoubtedly the members already aboard. Strangely few of the crew members even know of his past, or how he came to be aboard the ship; only those who have been aboard for many years will remember Wyatt as a scared young boy aboard a ship full of ''pirates'.'

Wyatt was born into poverty in the lowlands of a kingdom which he cannot remember, in a most underdeveloped area of the world. Born to Jacob and Alice Thess, Wyatt was the younger brother of two sisters, both who left the family on Jacob Thess' wishes that they moved into Tineati to make a better living for themselves. As he aged Wyatt was trained in a rough peasant, militia-like style of fighting - which focused on skill and agility rather than expensive weaponry and crafted protective amour - by his father.

When Wyatt came of age to leave his family he received word that both his sisters had done well for themselves in Tineati, and had married into families slightly more well off than the Thess'. Setting his sights on success in Tineati, Wyatt packed his few belongings and began the journey into Tineati to create a better life for himself. Using what money his family had, Wyatt flew for the first time aboard a skyship, toward Tineati.

The experience was exhilarating for the young farm-hand Wyatt had be raised to be. Seeing the land whiz by below sent chills threw Wyatt's spine which he could not detach his mind from even after he landed in Tineati and began his new life. For about a week Wyatt was comfortable with being another Tineati laborer, but after that he quickly became bored of the repetitive days and lifestyle without even his family.

As he quit after a mere week of labor, Wyatt received no coin for his trouble and could not afford the flight home. He turned his sights on other means to earn himself the high price of a long-distance skyship flight. The crowded Tineati streets offered great opportunity for the young farm boy to practice his 'quick fingers' on some of the nobler looking members of the crowd who, in Tineati, were a dime a dozen, and often carried much more. After half a week of engaging in light theft by day, Wyatt had gained enough money for the flight home, and bought his way onto an airship unaware that the Skypirates were to board and ravage his flight. After being taken aboard as a cabin boy, or servant. Wyatt reveled in the daily sight of the skyship and the feel of the Rose cutting through the air. As the crew eased into the young servant, his carefree attitude and learned skills of pickpocketing gained him access to become a useful aid upon the ship.

- Hope this is ok. Any problems or issues I won't hesitate to change them. -

Well, the secrets those two characters harbour are staggering in their subtlely. But yeah, that's pretty awesome. Also, Geoff fits in with a few subplots that are jumping up and down in the back of my head, screaming for attention.

Couple questions.

One: Are we accepted, or are you waiting on more people before you make your decisions?

Two: What tech level are we at here, specifically the ships. Is it flying longship style things with actual sails and stuff, or perhaps dirigible airships? Or maybe even flying ironclad battleships, etherscrew driven?

Well, glad I'm excepted for a start.

I was thinking that the airships were more technologically advanced, but have no quarrels with the longship-style deal either, as I hadn't based anything around the more hi-tech version. Anyway, the longship will most likely offer more opportunity to show Wyatt's personality during flights. So thumbs up from me there.

I pretty much agree with the order you posted there, and it's nice to have a structure unlike some other roleplays I've been a member of. But, you say 'Preparation for the Ball,' now is this going to be the princess rushing around trying to set things up? Or the Skypirates forming their plan?

The motive is that we are being paid to kidnap her right? No qualms there

Hurray! This is looking great. I'll get thinking about some possible subplots! And your set-up for the initial scenes sounds fine. Do you have any plans for the High King or are you happy with me playing him in my character's intro and the ball etc?

Hmm, i could be a good guy.

I am not sure if you have read my post yet Fidei, but i think my character fits in as the unlucky guy who will probably be stuck with the princess.

Name: His Grace Aurelius Theolian Vespasian J’net

Title: Duke of the Far Isles of Tineati, Head of House J'net

Rank: Royalty/nobility (he's the High Princess of Tineati's cousin)

Alias: The Brass Duke (a common nickname, because of his fondness for golden colours and his ship; I leave it to the pirates to come up with more...bawdy, shall we say, variations.)

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Appearance: Aurelius J’net is slight and wiry in the very best of his family’s tradition. His face is sharp and angular and his eyes are large and a brilliant green. A monocle glitters from the right one, not hiding the hard fire of purpose – some say madness – in his eyes, the single-minded devotion to the rule of law and the destruction of pirates upon the seas he regards as his.

His hair is a buttery blonde, normally bound up severely in military braids, although the Brass Duke is an ardent machinist, and when the fancy takes him he will happily dive into the workings of his vessel as eagerly as any ship-hand – at these times, his hair usually snaps its ties and quickly becomes slick with machine-oil and grease, along with the rest of him.

His mouth is rich and full, but usually twisted in a sardonic, mocking half-grin. He expects absolute efficiency and courtesy; any slight or breach is met with a stream of cutting sarcasm rather than the bellows and yells of lesser captains.

Clothing: The Brass Duke generally dresses well, though relatively practically; white undershirt, golden cravat, coatee and trousers coupled with gold armoured half-boots. When on deck or where there is a risk of exposure to the elements, he wears a thick, durable sky-coat, exactly as his officers do. Of course, he has considerably more formal outfits stashed away in the holds of his vessel, the Serpens, but they are rarely aired – courtly balls rarely occur on a warship, after all. A heavy golden signet ring glitters from the little finger of his right hand, and a large, teardrop-shaped pigeon's blood ruby hangs from his left ear.

Weapons: The Brass Duke prefers to fight with gunnery, rather than swords. Thus, his principal weapons are two brass-chased knurls (a knurl is a nasty eightball pistol similar to a derringer) which he has on him at all times. He also carries a rapier at his side, for those occasions where a gun is impractical. A wicked recurved ‘mercy dagger’ is in a boot-sheath as a weapon of last resort. However, although he practices regularly, as a safeguard against perfidious chance, the Brass Duke prefers to rely on his automata to do his dirty work.

Role: Captain of the Serpens and admiral of her subsidiary fleet, he hunts pirates across the skies, which he regards as his.

Skills: Highly skilled in machinery and steam-technology, the Serpens is at the cutting-edge of his expertise and current technology. It changes frequently with the Brass Duke’s whims – flame-cannons, torpedoes, experimental lightning-throwers, whatever new contrivance its captain’s mad genius can forge. He also has a good – not brilliant, he doesn’t have the true experience of shooting yet – aim. His true talent lies in the creation of automata, however, from clockwork cannon batteries on the Serpens to her hulking war-machines and even an automaton butler, along with his powerful magic.

Personality: Aurelius J’net is a complicated person; no-one can truly be said to know his personality. To some he is nothing more than the usual effete courtly lord – they might perhaps note the hard fire in his eyes, but nothing more than that – whereas to others he’s a cold-hearted, ice-eyed murderer.

To his crew, what little there is of it, he’s often something of an enigma – there’s a marked difference between the cold, studied Aurelius who prefers to surround himself with machines rather than people and the euphoric, infectiously-laughing Brass Duke that he becomes when tinkering with his ship – often enlisting half of the crew to rewire it, and while in flight at that. He is extraordinarily charismatic when he wants to be, charming and ebullient. Confronted with a pirate, however, he is often cold, cruel and supremely vindictive.

His citizens in his island capital, Corus, rarely see him; to them he is an utter mystery, almost a vague myth – his traders and merchants, however, bring back plenty of tales of the shining brass sky-dreadnaught Serpens and its laughing captain, along with their gold to spend in the shops, shipyards and whorehouses of Corus – it is no accident that Corus is perhaps the safest trading port and one of the richest cities in the country.

Background: Aurelius J’net is the Duke of the Far Isles of Tineati, a man whose fief is the myriad islands around said kingdom, and by extension the sea of clouds itself. When he first came to power, he expanded his personal navy dramatically. Now, gunships bearing the flaming gear-and-sword zealously guard his lands and trade routes, along with his great sky-dreadnaught, the Serpens, and her subsidiaries.

He is widely known among the pirate community, and also – rightly - feared for his unpredictability and extreme cruelty to the lawless vagabonds that prey on his skyways.

It isn’t known, however, exactly why he hates pirates so much, however. It may have been the stern way he was raised, the way he looked at the crumbling, starving city of Corus and decided, deep in his mad brain, that the predations were the last straw. It could have been the way he watched, as a child, the Corus fleet burn at anchor inside its harbour and pirate gangs roam the city, looting and raping. Rather than cutting deals with the pirates – that they more often than not simply broke – eradication was his method, by cannonfire and gunshot, acid and flensing knife, fifty thousand volts or the lava heat of siege oil – at first, whatever was most expedient, and then, as his hold grew more secure, whatever was cruellest.

Now, Corus glows, healthy and vibrant, and the Brass Duke’s influence with the Tineati court has skyrocketed. With his own fiefdom safe, the Brass Duke could not let go of his love for the skies, and entered the Imperial Navy. Now, he has turned his eye towards other seas, other settlements, looking to expand, with the blessing of Tineati, his dominion.

To that end, his dreadnaught, the Serpens, a deceptively elegant vessel, with brass scrollworking, statues and a golden hull kept in pristine condition by hordes of drones, cuts its way across the skies, gunning down any pirate that comes within sight of her clockwork batteries, her fire-cannons and lightning-throwers, torpedoes and poison-catapults. Any captured pirates have a far worse fate in store – either in a Tineati court or, if far out in the skies, the Brass Duke’s infinitely crueller justice.

The Brass Duke also classes as ‘pirate’ any harbour or settlement that refuses to comply with his demands, such as for a safe dock, or has a history of harbouring pirates, and he will shell such places into submission, or more often, rubble.

Tineati uses him sparingly, but when he is deployed, however, it is in the situations most dangerous, and most vital, for the Empire.
Aurelius has transformed the fortunes of House J’net, rejuvenating her shipyards and industries, making trade once more highly profitable between his fief and the rest of the world. J’net shipyards and designs are at the very forefront of aerial technology, enough to rival those in Irysi.

House J’net has constant problems with procuring enough ore for her refineries and yards, what mines the Far Isles have being almost exhausted. Corus is, however, still the melting-pot of Tineati – merchants and traders from almost every country on the planet mingle in her streets and trading halls, and the city now sprawls across almost all of its floating island (one of the largest Tineati has) and has even burrowed down into the rock itself. A mass of twisting upside-down towers hang precariously from the underside of the island, taking advantage of every last inch of space available.

It is rumoured the Brass Duke wants to buy floating islands from Irysi and link them somehow with Corus island.

Ship: The Serpens is the Brass Duke’s flagship, one of the newest vessels to come out of the Empire’s shipyards and built to his grace’s exacting specifications, paid for out of his own deep, deep pockets. In contrast with the standard-pattern battleships of the Empire, it is a deceptively elegant, golden-hulled vessel, with elaborate brass scrollwork and statues decorating its upperworks and hull.

Despite the extraneous ornamentation, the Serpens is a deadly opponent. Not the fastest of vessels due to its size and armour plating, despite its powerful triple-screw aero-engines, it has a surfeit of gunnery, both great guns for obliterating battleships in fleet actions and smaller, nimbler secondary and tertiary cannon for smaller ships and spotter fighters.

The Brass Duke’s passion for machinery means that the Serpens changes often; her clockwork cannon batteries may be supplemented by rotary flame cannons in her bow, experimental lightning-throwers, a torpedo foredeck array, poison-catapults and more. Unusually, the ship also possesses a hidden phalanx array of subcannon in a spinal mount along the keel of the ship. If the Serpens can manoeuvre above her enemy, the conventionally-thinner armour on the top of ships will prove disastrous to them.

~bows~

I'm glad he meets your approval. Allow me to introduce the official, government-sanctioned bastard, His Grace the Duke of the Far Isles *fanfare*

Just don't ever call him a pirate. Even if he has taken your ship because you harboured sky pirates four years ago at gunpoint.

Of course, he's not all bad...

Just posting a completely pointless post. But I have a strange feeling that this Roleplay is going to be freakin' EPIC.

The base we have is beautiful and I'm sure, as people have already pointed out, everyone has their own ideas on where to take it and what to do. So yeah...

I can hardly wait.

Name: Maria Vienna D'Ancionetti or 'Firefly'
Rank: Previously Marquise of Andalus, now Captain - though she always seems to be 'in between skyships'.
Appearance: Maria gained the nickname 'Firefly' partly through her fiery appearance, thick, unruly red hair and deep blue eyes. Her skin is unusually fair for one who spends so much time on a ship, alabastor skin being a trait of Andaluni nobility. Another aspect of her appearance that her pet name derives from is her petite stature, though being small in height she makes up for this with an unusual tenacity and wiry frame. She is often described as the 'Child Queen of the Skies' for her seemingly immortaly young appearance, a combination of her small size and large childlike blue eyes. This is not helped by her definite perchant for the elegant captain's coattails she wears so often, paired with her numerous exotic waistcoats. This masculine combination effectively hides the curves she posseses, her skirts being the only feminine area of her wardrobe - and this is only because they are easy to move in. Though she never seems to be Captain of her own ship she is rarely seperated from her extravagant, black pirate hat. Another unusual aspect of her clothing is the masquerade mask she always wears before going into battle, choosing to hide her decidedly feminine face with a exotic, sapphire mask. This mask both made her blue eyes seem even more unnatural, encouraging the name of 'Firefly' as well as putting off any adversarys. Overall her appearance is striking, a pleasing mixture of textures and colours that seem to hang delicately on the edge of decadent and ridiculous - certainly a style one is unlikely to forget. She was once described in a circulating paper, the 'Buccaneer's Guide to the Sky' as "the most absurd captain to take to the skies, as likely to invite you to a drinking game as kill you. Nevertheless her easy grin and seemingly careless nature should never lead you to misjudge her - she may be absurd, but she is also extremely dangerous. There is a reason she's seen as one of the Queen's of the Skies."
History: Born and raised in Andalus, a border country to Tineati ruled over by the Duchess and her many Marquises'. In Andalus power passes directly through the female line, and because of this noble girls are raised carefully. Maria was born to a life of extreme decadence, though Andalus was poor in comparison to Tineati it's nobility still lived an extravagant and lustful lifestyle. She inherited the title of Marquise at the tender age of seven, her frail mother dying from consumption. The loss was great to the young Maria, but not enough to damage her for too long - the only aspect of her mother Maria had inherited was her hair colour. Red heads ran in the D'Ancionetti line. It was clear to Maria at a young age that her role in Andalus society would be that of a caged butterfly, surrounded by beauty and treated with respect but prevented from any great freedom. A gilded cage was still a cage, no matter how pretty. At the age of fourteen she decided she had stomached as many tea parties and balls as she could take and stealing a choice number of the D'Ancionetti jewels she bought herself passage on a skyship with money to spare.
However it was not long before the skypirates caught scent of her bounty and came knocking, taking swift control of the ship and apprehending Maria. She was impressed. She offered to give the captain of the ship all her gems, in return for him taking her in and training her as a skypirate. Naturally this proposition was greeted with laughter. However when Maria used a stolen rapier to disarm the captain, take his revolver and shoot a passing seabird from the sky in a matter of minutes they changed their tune. In Andalus fencing was seen as a noble sport for young ladies, and Maria had been taken Sqwark hunting at a young age. Sqwarks were a troublesome woodland bird that would often foray into farmer's fields, devouring their crop before dissapearing in a flurry of crimson plumage. Her skills though not as polished as others around her were amply reinforced by a natural talent and enthusiasm. Of course the Captain took her in and only a year later she had made a name for herself and purchased her first skyship. The 'Devil's Mistress', already she was famous across the pirate world as the 'Firefly', the flameheaded, fiery youth who had not only escaped the Palentessa Fort alive, but had kidnapped the Earl's son and filled her pantaloons with the family gold at the same time. Over the years, and after many ruined skyships, her reputation as the 'Child Queen of the Skies' was established, and she became well respected within the pirate world. After the first couple of ships she began boarding other's pirate ships, offering to work as a 'Shadow Captain' in exchange for a share of the booty and a luxurious cabin. All being a shadow captain entailed was the normal duties of a mate with the bonus of being referred to as 'Captain', a title she considers herself as owning, though she may currently be 'in between skyships'. Naturally, not many turned down such an offer. Recently she was flying with a Tineati skyship that had caught her eye under the control of William Cooper, and after some initial bargaining had secured herself a place onboard.

Hope that's okay! If not, can edit. Let me know what you think ^^

I have questions....!

But first, a statement. Kaiya, I doubt a real pirate would allow another to be addressed by the rank of Captain aboard their ship. For one, that'd be incredibly confusing. Someone shouts "Captain," and both of em spin around. I'm sure we can come to some kind of ....compromise, though.

Question 1. When does this thing get going...! I'm anxious to get in there an grab some booty. Wait, I mean treasure!

Question 2. I think we're going to need a pickpocket, anyone amongst the crew have this skill, or fancy developing it suddenly?