June Star System

[spaceshipit]

O’er the misty mountains, our souls come to rest.



CALENDAR:
→ The fleet will be in this star system from 6/23 to 8/5.
→ We’ll put up a second system information post in a couple of weeks. See this post for hints and details!


The Yaugur System.


A cosmic storm filled with starstuff and what nightmares are made of.

A Rocky Ride.
Asteroid fields make up the majority of the system, divided into five belts orbiting a small red sun. There are a few planets, small rocky ones that barely pass for dwarves. Yet there is a world at the perfect distance from the sun-- a giant in comparison to the others-- covered in swirling black clouds, and orbited by a large rocky moon.

The Marsiva tugs the Fleet ever closer to this gentle giant, though the ships behind her might benefit from hiding in her shadow. Rocks are really obnoxious against the ship hull after a while.

A Way of Life.
The foggy planet's name is Drade according to the ship navigation. It has a humble population of orange and pale-skinned humans, though members of other races are few and far between. The strangest thing about the planet, though, is the complete lack of continents. Theoretically there should be a land somewhere below the clouds, but even the scanning systems can’t detect it. A thick dark mist surrounds each floating island, making it difficult to navigate in general. Thankfully, the people who settled here have built airships for generations, allowing people to travel from one island to the other.




The floating islands are a mixture of natural ones and man-made. The former are much larger and generally dedicated to agriculture and small hamlets, while the handful of brick and mortar cities are kept afloat by engineering. The trick that keeps the natural islands floating isn’t abundantly clear and the instrument readings on your ships can’t be trusted. No magic is detectable; however, gravity does seem to act a little weird toward the underbellies of the islands, and anything magnetic will fly off into the atmosphere (?!) never to be seen again. Best to stay topside, maybe.






The Mist.
The fog that covers Drade isn’t a normal fog, thick as it is. It’s a force of its own, stronger than any storm ever known to exist on Earth, which is why people live on the islands floating above the storm layer. Anything below is known to be lost-- no better than tossing one’s life into the abyss. There are stories passed down from beyond living memory about gaping black maws ever-hungry for the energy of living things.

The fog has some very real properties, however. In addition to scrambling navigation systems and being impenetrable by scanners, it fuels most of the technology on the planet. Every single engine-- especially the ones supporting the biggest city-island-- runs by sucking in the mist and converting it to energy. The only real detrimental side effect is that mist engines tend to smell like burning rubber, overcooked bear meat, and/or campfire all at the same time.

There’s another side-effect, too. Locals all have warnings and stories about how people who breathe the darkest fog turn mad. While it’s fine to be outside on an island, the fog becomes dark and impenetrable after a half mile radius. The mist doesn’t even smell terrible, just like rain clouds and a bit of an afternoon thunderstorm, but the effects will begin to set in after about five minutes of breathing unaided.

Common side effects of breathing in the mist include headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat and accelerated breathing, hyperactivity, and a heightened sense of alarm. The victim's eyes will also greatly dilate, which is one of the first and most prominent signs to look for if you suspect mist inhalation.

There's more trouble for the Fleet crew, however: inhaling the mist can cause augment glitches, affecting a person’s emotional or mental state, as well as energy level-- in addition to any other augment glitches they may be going through. (Please remember to follow the rules!)

By and large, the most concerning side effect is the manifestation of a person’s fears. While this is not physical, at a glance they are indistinguishable from the real thing. Additionally, the hallucinations are visible and audible to anyone who is with the victim inside the mist. Banishing the fears can be done in a few ways, such as ‘solving’ the problem presented by the fear (be creative!), calming the person down, or filtering the air the person is breathing. If the victim is breathing in the fog but the onlooker is not, the fear will still manifest. Running away from the hallucination may not stop it, either!

This is all of course optional. We ask that you use discretion and content warnings where appropriate.

Why Would Anyone Go Into The Mist?!
There are rumors and legends, of course, that beyond one's fears made manifest lies incredible things: treasures, power, answers... Like all hearsay, many details vary, but one thing is for sure: something is out there. There are countless stories of adventurers who dove into the mist to return with otherworldly possessions or boundless wealth. There are just as many stories about people who returned with nothing, muttering about darkness and something so evil they can’t put it into words.

What otherworldly possessions, you say? Well, gifts from home of course! A couple times a year we try to give characters the opportunity to receive something from their worlds or previous games they’ve been in. As always, there are rules involved, so please see the end of this post if you’re interested! There is treasure out there besides regains, too: like enough credits to pay for an upgrade, for example, or ancient books/artifacts that don’t do anything but look cool anyway. (Please note that if choosing the money option, Passengers won’t actually be able to pay for an extra upgrade. The computer just won’t take it. Oops. But they’ll be rich at least!)

The adventure that leads to the reward is completely up to you. We consider journeying through the mist to be enough of a challenge in itself. Rewards will likely be found on uninhabited, remote islands. Some are left in stony ruins that appear to be a thousand years old or more. Some contain abandoned settlements from more recent times. Occasionally there are tiny scraps of islands that look like the remnants of some earth-shattering disaster-- perhaps the same disaster that left a huge curved scar in another massive island that looks strangely like a bite mark…

Mist exploration is not without its own set of dangers. In addition to all the trouble that comes with your typical airship adventure, there's still the matter of that something that's out there. Stories can't seem to agree whether that something is a massive creature, large enough to shatter islands and hungry enough to literally swallow them whole, or just a thick patch of dark mist that's so dense and powerful, it has taken on a mind of its own. As it turns out... there is truth to both theories.



The creature has no name, and it barely even has a defined shape. It effortlessly swims through the mist, its motions more akin to swirling smoke and formless expansion than anything deliberate. It's also huge - just impossibly large. It towers over mountains, its arms expand to terrible lengths, and when it chooses, it can stretch its "mouth" wide enough to swallow islands. Those scars that look like bite marks, well... it's true. This monster is eating islands. Not only can it be spotted taking a bite out of a landmass, it is also aggressive enough to chase down airships that travel too far from the safety of known territory, and it will try to swallow them whole. Facing it won't be easy - it rarely has consistent form to defend against, and it's fast. Push your engines as hard as they'll go to escape this thing's gaping mouth and dripping fangs!

As impossibly large and scary as this thing is, it can be defeated! Fleet ships have artillery, and there is room in the atmosphere to fly whole ships down to take shots at this creature. If you happen to be on land when it comes right at you, it can be driven off by powerful magic, and seems especially vulnerable to incredibly bright lights (magic or otherwise). And of course, it has to solidify somewhat in order to do any damage or eat anything, so while you have the chance, smack it with a weapon or fill it full of lead / lasers / photons! After taking enough of a beating, the monster will retreat... for the time being, at least.

It is also possible to kill this creature, if you keep at it hard enough and don't let it escape! With a terrifying screech that reverberates straight through you, it will fall, deep beneath the swirl of mists. ... But not for good. Roughly 2 days later, it will be spotted again, somewhere else, as if it was never defeated at all. If it's somehow marked, scarred, or otherwise tracked (get creative - ask if you're not sure!) it will retain all of those - further proof that this is the same monster. Somehow, it is reviving - its death is not permanent. No matter how many times it's slain, it will return. There must be a secret to its apparent immortality... and odds are, it lies deep below the thickness of mist.




How To Travel The Mist Safely.
If treasure hunting and exploration sound up your alley, you're going to need help keeping your mind - and your lungs - clear. Luckily, the natives have created breathing masks for their own safety while exploring/on the job! These can be found in many stores, varying in quality: heavily engineered, higher quality masks will get you through some thick patches, but might cost a pretty penny; something as simple as a cheap cloth strip mask is good for hanging out on the coasts, but it won't help at all if you're out there too long or go in too deep. Use your best judgment! In general: obtaining a way to travel safely through the average level of mist will be easy, readily available, and should not pose a problem to Fleeters - it just might cost you, depending on your preferences.

But, what if you want to go deeper? What if you want to fly a shuttle down below the low-hanging swirl of darkness, to try and see the surface below? Well... That will take some time, some engineering, and a whole lot of teamwork. Diving beneath the thickest level of mist is not only suffocating, it's taxing on even the most advanced masks sold planetside and will not help you for much longer than an hour. On top of that, the pressure on the shuttles is so great that they begin to cave in after a while, and more severely if you keep at it long enough, or try to dive deep enough. Still, these problems seem like conquerable ones! Right? You can totally get around them with some good ol' fashioned thinking and problem solving! So, put your heads together! Speak with locals to obtain any materials you may need, get together to plan your mask and shuttle improvements, and use your smarts (and your augment-given knowledge!) to make it happen. Answers await you!

NOTE: It is evident, based on the resurrection of the giant island-eating creature and observations of his movement, that the key to defeating him for good lies deep in the depths of the mist. If that isn't enough to grab your attention, remember that entire islands have fallen to the mist - surely there are fallen ruins to explore, and lost treasure to be found! Sound interesting enough for you~? If players work toward reinforcing their shuttles and engineering better-quality masks, they will learn more about what's in the deep dark below. Stay tuned - another information post will come when we see how much work is being done to this end! Reach for the stars, dear fleet!

Points Of Interest.
Veynar:
By far the largest city-island on Drade, this is the one most-equipped to having multiple ships docked at once, even those of the Fleet. The town is choked with mist engines, but the architecture is beautiful-- lots of high arches, incredible curves, and tiny hopper airboats leading to other small shard-islands with more residential areas. This is also the place with the most variety when it comes to shopping, food, and places to see.

Veynar is the home of the largest hospital dedicated to healing those afflicted by the mist.

Riv Archipelago:
Riv is a collection of closely-grouped agriculture islands covered with fields. They provide food for Veynar. The crops here are very close to Earth ones, but fruits and vegetables tend to be pale and run in cool colors. Blue carrots, anyone? There are many farming hamlet-islands scattered throughout the same general area.

You are free to come up with your own floating islands, too, with varying climates, etc.

Exploring:
This system was made for exploring! Each floating mass of land, natural or man-made, is unlike any other. From industrial cities, to literal desert islands - there are so many sights to see, it will feel impossible to be able to say you've seen everything that Drade has to offer... but you can certainly try!!

Terrains range from deserts, to plains, to dense forests, to jagged cliffs, to frozen tundras. There are islands all around the planet, and if you're looking for a particular picture-perfect sight, you just need to look in the right place! Population density of landmasses also varies, anywhere from completely deserted and untouched, to densely populated and booming with activity. There are even islands that have yet to be fully explored! Maybe you'll find some uncharted territory, or some ancient ruins from a time long ago? Maybe you'll track down legendary creatures - such as the largest flying whale on record, or the beautiful golden mega-bird that only appears on the other side of an evening rainbow? Set your course for adventure. This is absolutely the planet for it.

Feel free to make up your own crazy legends worth chasing - the people here love their old stories and tall tales! How much of it is real? Who knows~ But isn't the journey more important than the answer? Or something like that?

Remember: You can safely explore from island to island without risking the ultimate dangers of the mist - just stay where it's thinnest, and be sure to have your mask with you! But of course, with greater risk may come greater rewards...

Shopping:
There’s plenty of shopping to be done in the major city-islands if you’re into that sort of thing! Clothes follow a grungy steampunk and/or Neo-Victorian aesthetic, though stuff with bright pops of color can be found on occasion. Because we know you’ll ask: weapons are available for purchase, but they are basic, including stuff like simple swords, old revolvers and basic rifles. No laser weapons here. If there’s something specific you have questions about, feel free to ask about it in the questions thread!

JOBS.
Despite the relative dreariness of the place, there’s plenty of ways to help out and put some money in one’s pocket-- without treasure-hunting. Normal cooking/waitstaff jobs, shopkeepers, engineering fixes, manual labor, on-site medical aid, whatever-- you can be creative with your augment! As always, be sure to wear protection when navigating the mist!

Construction. Some of the islands are man-made. As the population is slowly but surely expanding, Fleeters can help with the construction of new airships, and even the newest flying city-island!
Airship crew. Ever wanted to fly on an airship instead of a giant tin can? Now’s your chance! Take a job as a janitor, cook, courier, or something else on a premiere airship and you’ll be able to feel what flying’s really like.
Air piracy. Where there are boats, there are pirates. Smuggling ancient artifacts and contraband makes the world go round. Bodyguards and security, or just about anyone with an ounce of subtlety, can earn a pretty penny helping to man these ships as they sail from one island to another. Or you can help pirates hijack someone else’s ship, too! Swashbuckling midair, anyone?
Harvest Soon. For those looking for a more mundane assignment, the farmers on adjacent islands always need help seeding, plowing fields, and harvesting crops. Livestock is limited to things with wings: lots of chickens, feathery cows and even flying pigs are all available to give characters gray hair.

RECREATION.
Looking for some fun things to do that don't involve treasure-hunting, spelunking, or trying to fly your own airship? Take your pick!

Luxury cityscape hotels. Get out of your ship for a few nights and relax in a far more luxurious hotel experience! Massive cities planetside have interesting sights and incredible opportunities, so why not top off the industrial-flavored good time by spoiling yourself to plush rooms with quality room service?
Theatre. Plays, musicals, and intimate concert gatherings - you'll find all three, all over the planet! Theatre tends to be a big deal around here - those who are into it are very into it, and the theatres themselves are almost always extravagant and beautiful. Even if you don't care to see any shows, the architecture is quite a marvel! Dress codes in most theatres tend to be on the formal, so do please look your best as you mingle with cultured society~
Racing Birds. Large birds with long legs and limited wingspan, called sharides, can be found on all islands - different breeds of course prefer different climates, with different colors of feathers and slightly different builds. The locals have taken to putting them to work. They help carry workloads like packhorses, people ride them to make cross-island deliveries if it's more economic than hiring a ship, and... there are races!! If you fancy a sharide race, there are runners, and there are fliers - pick your favorite, and have fun racing (or just watching)! Please note that sharides don't have the stamina to fly you a great distance, so if you go for a leisurely spin on one, please do not try to fly them from one giant landmass to another. Think of the poor birb!!
Magnaball. Another variety of large bird, with a significantly greater wingspan and greater constitution, kerrior hawks hawks come in both wild (protected - no hunting!) and tamed varieties. Specifically, tamed kerrior hawks can be trained to help fly cargo over greater distances, or... they are often trained to be ridden by humans, playing a sport known as magnaball! The object of magnaball is, predictably, to get a ball from one end of a field and into the goal at the other end, while the opposing team tries to prevent you from doing so. The catch is: it's entirely in the air, and players ride on the backs of kerrior hawks at all times! The ball itself is filled with a lightweight air that keeps it floating instead of instantly dropping (think of an air-filled balloon, but even slower). The goal is large ring at the top of a tall post. It's an intense, fast-paced and fun sport, and flying on the back of a giant bird is certainly exhilarating in its own right! But please, try not to fall off~
Kite Artistry. There is one particularly hot item around here: kites! Whether you want to craft an elaborate, flying piece of art in the shape of a phoenix, or simply paint a diamond in all your favorite colors, you'll find the means to do so here. Kite-flying and kite-decorating are very popular leisure hobbies around here. Show off your art skills! Maybe even win a competition and pick up a few extra credits!
Air Fishing. Where there are airships, air whales, and other sky-sea extended metaphors, there are sure to be... air fish!! You can fly out to do some of your own air fishing, or you can go with a guided group or on a professional air fishing boat. Either way, catch some pretty air fish of all shapes, sizes, colors... and tastes, if you're so inclined~

REGAINS.
Only the bravest of Passengers will dive into the mist to chase rumors and monsters, and that’s why they should be rewarded. Regains will be available in this system for characters who plunge into the fog and explore other uninhabited islands. Regains will be found as if by magic, appearing from the mist into characters’ hands or personal belongings, or perhaps hiding behind some ruined wall, or maybe even atop that rock!

Regains do not need to be mod approved, EXCEPT if it is a living thing, a weapon, or a memento from a previous game/psl.

Regains must be able to be carried by a typical human being. No cars/vehicles, etc.

Personal keepsakes, costumes, pictures, letters, books, your character’s favorite frying pan-- these are all allowed and won’t require mod permission. No sign up necessary!

For items that are actually part of a set, we will leave it up to your discretion. You don’t have to ask for one spice at a time when you’re aiming for a spice rack. You can regain a trilogy of books, or maybe even a few more books, as long as it’s carryable. If it’s a weapon or something else that needs mod approval, however, please mention this in your comment.

We’ve had a lot of pets lately, so we’re only allowing canon pets/companions. As usual, they will be greatly nerfed if they have special abilities. You will need mod permission for this type of regain.

Weapons and parts of weapons, such as upgrades to a person’s mechanical arm or other equipment, are allowed. You will need mod permission for this type of regain.

Items and mementos from a previous game are allowed as long as they aren’t specific to the mechanics of the game, i.e. no sentient Exsilium weapons, no Crosschecks pets, no collars from Facility. If it’s an item from another canon that your character received from another character, these will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You will need mod permission for this type of regain.

Please post your mod approval requests under the toplevel here! We’ll do our best to get back to you in a timely manner.

Questions? Try asking here! You may use this post for plotting if you so desire~

Comments

QUESTIONS

[spaceshipit]

Anything tickling your brain? Comment here!

[padadin]

Hey mods! I've always assumed the fleet ships had space suits? For space walk or if there are repairs to do outside? I'm now realizing I actually never asked, my bad. But! If there are, could those protect them from the mist? Also the Voltrons arrived with their armors/helmets, are those safe? Thanks in advance.

[canofmanji]

The part about metal flying into the atmosphere near the underbelly. How strong of a pull is it? Am I right in assuming people in the fleet with metal limbs will be able to stay on the ground and avoid being lifted up?

[rebuildyourruins]

Since there is a lot of mist and cloud related stuff going on, if Thor were to do his storm-summoning thing how would that interact with the mists? If he called lightning down would it work the same as always or would it be different?

[axi]

Back home, Kaname's singing can cure a syndrome that has people go berserk and become violent. In DF, her voice has had other effects on alien lifeforms, so would it be possible for her to sort of combat the effects of the mist by singing? Whether it slows the spread or cures the after effects (sans augment glitches), could it end up doing something?

[fightorflug]

A place with airships that ALSO encourages the hiding of faces? Sign Flug the hell up!

1.) I assume since air transportation is a necessary way of life here, people without the pilots augment will still be able operate simple vessels? If someone were to theoretically have a chance to fly something more complex (maybe the space pirates get kicked from their own hijacking or something) could they feasibly fake it enough as long as they crashed later?

2.) Would hobby shops carry ship based merchandise of any kind? It's hardly necessary but Flug does enjoys collecting model ships.

[dandyofawolf]

So I have an interesting logistics question here about the islands. In the world that Biffy and Lyall come from they are not able to be on airships because it can make them violently ill. Basically floating is bad for werewolf kind.

I know this can be avoided partially by not going on the airboats and figuring out other means of travel but I do have a question about the islands. Because the islands are technically floating would they be able to move around on them? Or is there some sort of spacy sciency thing that will let the two of them be able to touch solid ground?

Another question I have is that Moira will be going down to explore the mists. Would she be able to gather samples of the mist to test in a lab? If yes would she be able to discover anything about it other than the side effects listed?

[hollystrike]

Okay, other questions!

1) Nami can canonically (with climatact) blast poison gas / toxic wind away from a reasonably large area, like small-park size. It's not permanent and will roll back in eventually, obviously, but how effective would it be clearing a small space for safe breathing in and for how long?

2) Does the mist monster(s) hunt by sight, smell, radar?

3) A mist that manifests a person's fears is probably chock full of nervosa, which is like the nightmare version of the chimera/echoes Katie sees on a regular basis. They'd be more real than the manifestations but only to fae/enchanted eyes. If personal story events go that way, is it okay to have a few nightmarish monsters in there for any such people to have to deal with (if they wish)?

[warpandweft]

asking for the handful of magical water-manipulate-y types: is the mist actually water based, or is it some sort of other chemical?

Re: QUESTIONS

[lacyprincess]

Asking for other magic users, how much of the mist is affected by fire?

Re: QUESTIONS

[theirondragon]

I realize that weapon remains need to be mod approved, but what level of standard weapons would be found for sale on the planet?

[tough_love]

So just to clarify- if someone were a GIANT NERD and discovered said magnetic weirdness near the lower parts of the floating islands, and they had good footing, would they be able to basically fly actual scrap iron like a kite?

Asking for reasons. Science-y reasons.

[axi]

So, assuming people can rent chocobos sharides and kerrior hawks to ride/fly on, could some fit more than one person on them, depending on size?

[angelofthevored]

A Q, for characters that don't need to breathe, would they still be affected by the mist?

[tough_love]

Because airships and airship pirates are a thing here, what sort of weaponry is involved? For the ships, I mean.

Since, judging by what's available for personal weaponry, would airships have more traditional cannons on them- maybe not 17th century black powder cannons like what you see in pirate movies, but something that fires a solid projectile that may or may not explode- and other goodies? As an example of the sort of things that have the same general technical level of the personal weapons in-system, but not be full blown cannons, stuff like having smaller areas on either type of ship defended by something akin to a swivel-mounted Gatling Gun (and before anyone jumps the wrong conclusion here, I mean the actual Gatling Gun that you operated by turning a crank, not the much more modern rotary cannon / minigun) or a breech-loading swivel gun.

Well, that last one'd technically be cannon, but it's a very small one really only used to very firmly but politely inform people you would very much like them to stop trying to board your ship and that Bad Things will happen to them and everyone near them if they do not turn around.

REGAIN APPROVALS

[spaceshipit]

Regains do not need to be mod approved, EXCEPT if it is a living thing, a weapon, or an item from a previous game/psl. If your regain request falls under these categories, please comment for approval.

[therewerefifty]

Can Nami get her Climatact 4.0? She's currently using 3.0. There's an increase in power level but it's not super significant, it's just more easy for her to use. It's a staff that extends by gripping it in the middle, not a three-part-staff like the one she currently has. (It's uh... capable of being stretched out a Very Long Way. Good for putting some distance between you and someone, I guess...)

Assuming Katie gets her memory back and actually goes exploring, can she get her sword? It's a regular everyday sword, just engraved with Noble House type stuff.

Lookit me using the wrong account for either one

[rebuildyourruins]

I'd like to request Stormbreaker as a weapon found for Thor. It's a hammer-axe made of a nearly indestructible metal that he can use to fly, channel/enhance his powers, and summon back to himself. It's extremely difficult to wield and most people wouldn't be able to lift it.

I will gladly nerf the associated Bifrost (world travel) power, since that would be game-breaking.

The axe isn't from his current canon point but I'd still like to request it if possible!

[tellmehowthisfeels]

Could Kogarasumaru get back his sword? It's essentially his real body and he'd be able to feel when others are touching it and should it become damaged then he will be too and vice versa. He can also be "repaired" when the sword is. It looks like this.

Also could Moira find her Biotic Grasp? If getting the full thing is too much then could she get just the device and have to recreate the substance used inside of it? Basically this is her weapon/healing device that allows her to heal others with one hand and drain life with the other hand. After some charging she's able to do both at once.

Thank you!

[universal_charm]

If possible, I would like Kirk to regain his Star Fleet issue phaser, and I would also like him to regain his Star Fleet issue space suit.

If he gets the suit, what depth level of mist could the suit handle?

[tempredmental]

I would like Keith to find the Black Bayard. ^_^

[tiedonastring]

I would like Hux to find his personal blaster pistol.

[hollowvictor]

May Bucky find his/a sickle sword? Something like this?

[scalpelofmarmora]

I would like for Ulaz to find his Blade of Marmora dagger / sword.

[this_loser]

I would like to have Prompto regain one of his guns - specifically Lionheart, a fancy but otherwise standard revolver.