Animus Veritas: Humanity's Last Home

[Muirgen]

@Brovo - I think I addressed the concerns you mentioned in the CS for Ari, if you would not mind reviewing again when you have a moment?

 

[Snakey]

Name: Linus Umber Kristoph Agatha 'Screecher' Love
Age: 17
Sex: Male

Appearance:

Standing at six-foot-even and weighing in at 150 lbs, Linus' thin, over tattooed frame belies an uncanny strength and exceptional agility. However This doesn't stop him from from occasionally tripping over his own feet. An oddly mismatched heads sits on his shoulders. Fair features and deep hazel eyes are marred by acne and dark, unkempt hair that forms some sort of greasy proto-mullet. His light, patchy beard is proudly presented and somehow trimmed in a way that makes his constant false smile all the more awful.

His burnt orange power suit is slightly bulkier than most to accommodate for built-in jump thrusters and consequently folds into a relatively large pack.

Biography:

Both an unwanted child and a miracle, Linus was first to live after his mother bore three stillborn. Heartbroken an unable to go through the pain of losing yet another child, his parents simply quit trying to have children. However it seemed fate, with the help of a poor knowledge of contraceptives, had another plan and soon enough their forth and only living child would be born, Linus. Superstitious people, Linus' tribe believed the babe contained the souls of his unborn siblings and would reasonably be able to bear the names of four. Umber, Kristoph and Agatha were laid upon the newborn along with his own.

From the time he could walk they got him working. First small things, small cleaning jobs helping move things and such, but it wasn't too long before he was pressed into the hunts. Much to the joy of his parents, Linus took to hunting well. Almost too well. The overenthusiastic child would whoop and holler at the sight of potential prey, scaring off smaller creatures and alerting larger ones eventually earning him the unfortunate moniker 'Screecher'. As time progressed his eagerness evolved from annoying to worrying, his manic glee in crushing small animals with clubs and beating already dead things into unusable pulp frightened those close to him.

This continued into adolescence, only barely tolerated because Linus had grown into a proficient hunter and brought in more than his share. However, his coarse attitude and unreasonably cocksure demeanor slow wore at those around him. The final straw came when he commissioned his 'Crash Hammer' from an unscrupulous techie, a weapon that was useless in a proper hunt. Only functioning to kill absolutely and messily. He had it and his power suit confiscated and he was banned from ever hunting again. Probation was short lived though, he refused to do anything and quickly became a complete nuisance, even resorting to small time sabotage in protest. Fearing he would run away and go full raider, his tribe caved and returned his equipment. He was allowed to hunt again, though only under strict surveillance and the boy slowly returned to performing his other duties.

Veritus' request for volunteers was almost a godsend. Linus signed up immediately in hope for some proper fights and no one even thought to stop him.

Background: Hunter
Profession: Extra-sensory
Combat Role: Warrior

Unique Abilities:

- Jump Jets: Linus' power suit is a equipped powerful jet pack and auxiliary thrusters that allow him to take to the skies in short bursts before crashing down. (Can jump up and maintain flight for short periods of time, can also be used to to surge rapidly forwards [or backwards].)

- Impact Dampening Field: Whomever built Linus' suit was a real smarty, as they somehow predicted that the jump jets would be misused by smash-happy adolescent. If it weren't for this low-humming field Linus would have been horribly crippled, if not outright killed, numerous times. (Protection from heavy, crushing impacts. Smaller localized impacts, such as bullets or melee weapons, are not effected.)

- Crash Hammer: Screecher's weapon of choice. An unassuming five foot long mace with a simple spherical head rimmed with short, knobby spikes. Only when pressed into use it's terrible power is evident, a blow generates a secondary 'thump' as additional kinetic energy is transferred into victim and their internal organs [potentially] explode. However, it requires some time to recharge and quick consecutive blows have no extra 'oomph'. (The 'Crash Hammer' generates a single devastating power strike when when it is first used in combat. If uncharged it functions as a normal mace.)

- Gross and Personal: The crunch as a jaw shatters under a fist, the subtle pop as an arm is torn from it's socket, the sickening squelch of organs as they rupture under a solid hammer blow. These and more are macabre music to Linus' ears as he crushes his way in battle. (Bonus to close-quarters combat when using fists, a mace, or really anything that causes his unfortunate targets to go 'splat'.)

- Reaction Assist: More so than normal, Linus' power suit works in tandem with it's user and may make small, lightning fast overrides in order to save it's masters skin. (Improved reaction times when in the power suit. Further improving speed and evasion.)

I am the walrus you sneaky bastard​

 

[Ozferatu]

CS is done. Get back to me Sensei Ferret.

 

[PCSutfin]

My CS is done. Hope you guys like having fascinating conversations about how trash incinerators work with my mute guy. Expect grunts and shrugs.

 

[Muirgen]

@Brovo - I'm so sorry, but I just realized I had a few cross-commitments between writing and school and work that are going to make joining this group just one RP too many. Thank you for giving my CS your consideration, and I apologize for the trouble. At least it was at the beginning I suppose, and long before I might have stolen anyone's slot. If anyone wishes to use anything of Ari's CS, please do feel free to help yourself.

 

[Azathoth]

I guess that makes us short a medic?

I think I'll go Caretaker, Medic, Warrior then.

 

[Zombehs]

I guess that makes us short a medic?

I think I'll go Caretaker, Medic, Warrior then.

I need an Artificer to make my character's combat stims.

 

[Grif ♥]

Name ➟ Ruth Tobias Sampson.
Age ➟ 26.
Sex ➟ Female.
Appearance ➟ Ruth is a tall woman, standing just below six feet, and has a decently firm and athletic build. Her skin is light tan in colour, marred with both freckles along her nose, cheeks, and shoulders, and her thin face is framed with messy, mousy-brown hair cut short. Her eyes are large and bright blue.

Biography ➟ Unlike many aboard the ship that houses what is left of humanity, Ruth's conception and birth were relatively problem free. She was born to a large family mostly of engineers and technicians in the inner passageways of the ship, and so was shielded from the majority of the radioactive horrors that afflicted those in the outer parts. From a young age she was groomed as an engineer, using what scrap equipment could be found in order to keep the Veritas' hydroponic systems in working order so that the crew might have enough food to eat. Ruth never had the same kind of love for machines that her caste had, but her devotion to her family and those around her was almost as fierce as her rivalry with her many siblings. She learned from some of the brightest and the best at her trade, and kept with it if only to upstage her brothers and sisters in her childish way.

When Ruth matured into her teens, rather than continuing the work of her caste, she would set aside mechanical work and would eventually be trained to manage the hydroponics that her family were often in charge of repairing. Apprenticed by an elderly man called Jonah who knew that soon he would need a replacement, Ruth took to the work quickly, and even found that her technological experience could give her a leg up over those others she would later work beside. When Jonah passed away from a combination of cancer and his old age, an affliction that proved all too common aboard the Veritas, Ruth took up his mantle and continued his work to support the ship's population. With the help of many others who had volunteered to help manage food production and alleviate some of the stress from the Veritas' own automated systems, Ruth worked to provide food for the fledgling population, and found a place aboard the ship that she enjoyed and made her feel genuinely useful.

It was during this time that Ruth would develop Damsel. Using the frame of a smaller (and extremely broken) mechanical scouting drone and modifying it as she saw fit, Damsel was previously used to retrieve or deliver items, record data, or perform tasks that a human would be too large or clumsy to. Ruth grew rather attached to the drone and working on it became a pet project of hers.

Ruth volunteered to head through the Veritas' portals almost the moment the opportunity presented itself. This was partly because of a sense of loyalty and duty to the people of the ship, knowing that she was strong enough to withstand the rigors of exploration and battle, and felt that if she was fighting fit then she was obligated to help in the best way she could. On the other hand, Ruth felt bored of life within the confines of a metal ship, and she knew that wandering out into the unknown would satisfy her growing wanderlust. Where it might take her, Ruth doubts even the Veritas knows, but with a a battle-ready Damsel's eyes in the sky and a shotgun in her grip, Ruth is confident it will all be for the best.


Background ➟ Caretaker.
Profession: ➟ Heartfelt.
Combat Role: ➟ Ranger.

Unique Abilities ➟

Shop Smart ➟ While many rangers favour using distance to cover up for their lack of armour, Ruth has always favoured having a solid option for closer range encounters. Her preferred weapon is a shotgun, although rather than shells it fires a cluster of metal shards that pierce armour and flesh all the same. It was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan and retails for about a hundred and nine, ninety five, or so she says. Shop Smart, Shop S-Mart.

Damsel in Distress ➟ Damsel is the pet name of Ruth's drone. Made in almost the spitting image of a dragonfly, with two pairs of transparent wings and a tough exo-skeleton, Damsel is about the length of Ruth's arm, although its tail makes up about half of that. Possessing only light armament, a head mounted automatic weapon roughly equivalent to a machine pistol, Damsel is far more suited to scouting with its small size and agility. Damsel's multiple cameras can give Ruth a bird's eye view of a battlefield should she need it, and the footage directly feeds into an eyepiece. When Damsel's abilities are not needed it can retract its wings and tail, and wrap its legs around the forearm of a person, allowing for easy carrying and redeployment.

I Built This In a Cave ➟ With a box of scraps. Raised to maintain and manage the Veritas' hydroponics systems, and later learning to maintain her firearms and Damsel drone, Ruth is not too bad at working on her equipment on the fly. Although far from having the expertise of the Veritas' tech crew, Ruth can repair minor damages and keep her things working properly until she returns to the ship.

If You Need Me, Call Me ➟ No matter where you are, no matter how far, Ruth will have your back. With a shout out to duck behind cover, pointing out the locations of enemy shooters with the help of Damsel, or by providing suppressing fire while her ally moves on up to a new location, Ruth works best when she's supporting her allies, and will always do whatever she can to make sure they get their job done. Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger ➟ Tougher than she looks, Ruth can push herself harder and for longer than most others can. She is by no means superhuman, and she will still succumb to injuries that are too severe, but sometimes that last burst of adrenaline is enough for her to fight through the pain and get lucky enough to make it home safe one more time. Our work is never over.

- I am the egg man, actually.

 

[Brovo]

@Muirgen Approved. Scratch that, sorry to see you go. Best of luck!

@Jorick

Dual Creative Engine Materializer Box: This box is a remnant of some experimentation that was performed before the Great Cataclysm befell Earth, found by Kiera in her scavenging exploits high in the uninhabited floors of Animus Veritas. This Materializer Box is equipped with two chambers for creating things rather than the usual one, with openings on opposite sides of the cube, and each of them works just as fast as a normal Materializer Box and can make things of the same size despite seeming to be only about half as big. The only downside is that it's significantly heavier than a normal model. (Kiera can make two of the same thing at once, or have two different things being created at once.)

Gonna go with a flat "no" on this one. Do something else with this trait. Doubling your output by making you borderline immobile only gives you a crippling weakness and an overpowering strength in such a way as to make it difficult to work around it in consideration to other players.

@Helios

Shoulder Propelled Ohfukshiitboom: Sometimes you just need a big gun to win a fight. Thoko sports a man-portable, shoulder-fired, directed energy weapon capable of delivering an energy bolt through most functional armor. In the essence of green energy, it is self-renewable and takes an hour to recharge between shots. Proficiency with light anti-tank weapon.

You can reduce that recharge rate to once per minute. Still an eternity in terms of combat, but makes it less useless if you encounter something that can actually tank a shot or two from it.

@Hellis You're missing something. Might want to read the OOC again.

@Ozferatu

and victories in battle earned him the respect of his tribe and several others.

It should be noted that while raiders are a thing in-universe, they aren't particularly prolific for the simple reason that Veritas just stops giving them medicine and so they typically suffer and die a lot. So there wouldn't really be "battles" so much as it would be beating away some aimless kids who hate life.

Not nearly as badass as it sounds, I assure you.

Slot 2: Brother/Sister Duo: Kholar performs slightly better in all fields when he's with his sister, Kyine, knowing she has his back.

(Temp is working on Kyine)

I'll have to wait for Kyine to come out before I can approve or deny it.

Everything else looks fine, so long as you realize that he'll still have penalties attempting to fire at targets using laser rifles & other ranged weapons of that nature while in his power suit.

@PCSutfin

When his father got a crippling leg injury in the field and was unable to return,

This is a universe where magic boxes can necro the dead back so long as the brain remains intact. There's no such thing as a crippling injury. There is, however, crippling diseases and genetic damage that could each explain why your character's father could be rendered unable to work. Zeetch can't use warrior power suits because it would literally kill him from exhaustion as an example.

S.A.L.U.S., a Virtual Intelligence helper device used mainly by engineers and custodians in the old world.

While this can be a thing, be aware that it's either a dummy program (devoid of personality) or extremely limited in its personality due to several programming barriers. The people of pre-cataclysm Earth heavily restricted the emotions their AI's could feel.

@Azathoth

Going for a highly visible Hunter, Sniper, Warrior.

Edit: *reads Varsel, begins to reconsider*

Make what you feel like mate. I'll adjust the difficulty and types of encounters as a result. Again, I'm evil: Not malevolent. Plus, see those four NPC's in the characters section of Chapter 5? All of them were made to fulfill roles in case they were missing among players. So you're good.

@Snakey Finish your biography, your unique abilities all pass inspection.

@Grif ♥

• I Built This In a Cave ➟ With a box of scraps. Raised to maintain and manage the Veritas' hydroponics systems, and later learning to maintain her firearms and Damsel drone, Ruth is not too bad at working on her equipment on the fly. Although far from having the expertise of the Veritas' tech crew, Ruth can repair minor damages and keep her things working properly until she returns to the ship.

This will never be as good as it will be for a Techie. Keep that in mind as you finish your character sheet.

EVERYONE: Gonna release a teaser of your first assignment in the next couple of days. Stay tuned...

 

[Kadaeux]

Sheet updated.

 

[Drifter]

Posting a filler spot for my CS here. Gimme a day or two to work one up.

 

[Ozferatu]

Tweaked the Biography and changed an Ability. Temp still working on Kyine.

 

[PCSutfin]

Alright, changed 'crippling leg injury' to 'crippling disease'. After we get into the game and I get more info on how the world works, I'll mention in a story post what the details of the injury are. Sometimes I pad out posts with background information, so it'll be one of those times when my current situation doesn't warrant much from Steven in the way of input.

So, about the VI's personality, the way I imagine it is that S.A.L.U.S. has a scripted tone and canned responses that come off like a personality, but are clearly just a program. Sort of like using Siri or Cortana on a smartphone. She's not going to be cracking jokes or acting sarcastic, but she'll phrase things like a human would.

For example, if someone asked Sally to pull some specific information about an alien species from her database and she didn't have much info on it, she would say something like "Sorry, (person's name), I have no relevant information concerning that particular species." Or if someone asked her if she can download a computer's data, she might say something like "I will not know the success rate of an attempt until connected to the computer, but I will try."

Hope that clears everything up.

 

[Jorick]

Gonna go with a flat "no" on this one. Do something else with this trait. Doubling your output by making you borderline immobile only gives you a crippling weakness and an overpowering strength in such a way as to make it difficult to work around it in consideration to other players.

Fair enough, I thought that might be denied. I'll go with plan B then: special Materializer Box that is a little faster than the mass produced kind without any noticeable additional weight.

 

[Kadaeux]

So, about the VI's personality, the way I imagine it is that S.A.L.U.S. has a scripted tone and canned responses that come off like a personality, but are clearly just a program. Sort of like using Siri or Cortana on a smartphone. She's not going to be cracking jokes or acting sarcastic, but she'll phrase things like a human would.

I will point out that Cortana will crack a joke if asked to :p

I mean sure they're bad/corny jokes. But they're there all the same.

 

[Zombehs]

Name: Morris Heller
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Appearance: Morris (Sauce) is what people of the past might have expected a power armor suit user to look like. He's got a large frame at 6'3 and fills it out with a solid build. His body is, perhaps surprisingly, unmarked despite his fair share of injuries. Attire-wise is generally rather simple and plain, the bare standard provided to those who live on the ship.

Biography: Despite being born a fair distance from the ship's center, health problems weren't too large of an issue for Morris growing up. Out of pure luck, his family had for several generations now passed down genes that made their line more resistant to the radiation's effects. Add that their family was one that focused on keeping their community healthy, and the Heller's got some of the best care around.

Growing up he took to their family's craft readily, and despite growing quickly proved to be as sharp mentally as he was physically fit. The combination and his proximity to the ship's exterior saw Morris actually accompany Hunters on occasion. Rather than wait and hope that nothing happened to the providers, he was allowed to follow along in order to deal with any issues on the field and act as extra muscle. Despite a few mishaps at first, time and experience have given him the confidence to perform his duties efficiently.

Given his experience, and the wish to explore more than just the sandy dunes, Morris volunteered when the opportunity arose. Hopefully he'll be able to keep the others safe, and if failing that, patch them up before things get too bad.

Does Jamie Hyneman count as close enough?

Background: Caretaker
Profession: Medic
Combat Role: Warrior

Unique Abilities:

• Nanomachines Son: Power armors aren't the only thing around that's been infused with nanobots. Morris has gone through a procedure that has supplemented his body with nanobots, granting him a number of physical boons. He's one of the healthiest and hardiest members of the ship and recovers faster than others even out of suit.

• Souped-Up: Morris' suit has undergone some modifications that allow for his concoctions to be loaded into the suit's rear. From there the suit's nanobots are capable of delivering payloads on command. The suit can hold up to two different concoctions at the moment and enough for several dosages.

• Certified Safe Concoctions: A few special brews that Morris would like to claim "original do not steal". Currently has two blends; Aggressor and Bunker Down. The first is a mix of adrenaline, endorphin and other crap that grants heightened awareness and a physical boost. The other is for a more defensive situation, increasing pain tolerance, physical resilience, and mental clarity. While such concoctions would probably be horrible for most people, nanomachines son! Does require an Artificer's Materializer to create though.

• Firestorm Heavy Armor (Sauce): An unique heavy armor, the Firestorm was constructed of materials brought back by an expedition. The result is a suit that operates better in high temperatures given its composition; the material is capable of absorbing immense amounts of heat with only marginal increases in its temperature. It's been designed to allow for the stored heat to be bled away and supplement the suit's power supply. Nonetheless it runs a fair bit hotter than the standard power armor, even if it keeps the user safe in hellish conditions.

• Firebrand: This weapon wasn't actually made on Animus, but was discovered on the same expedition that brought back the materials for Firestorm. While exceptionally durable, it's about average in other regards as a sword. However, like the Firestorm, the blade's material is capable of absorbing high amounts of thermal energy. Unlike the power armor, the weapon heats up quite readily while retaining its durability. Suffice to say though, it would not be usable without the Firestorm and using it in close proximity to allies is generally not a good idea.

 

[Ozferatu]

Unique Abilities:

• Nanomachines Son: Power armors aren't the only thing around that's been infused with nanobots. Moris has gone through a procedure that has supplemented his body with nanobots, granting him a number of physical boons. He's one of the healthiest and hardiest members of the ship and recovers faster than others even out of suit.
• Souped-Up: Morris' suit has undergone some modifications that allow for his concoctions to be loaded into the suit's rear. From there the suit's nanobots are capable of delivering payloads on command. The suit can hold up to two different concoctions at the moment and enough for several dosages.
• Certified Safe Concoctions: A few special brews that Morris would like to claim "original do not steal". Currently has two blends; Aggressor and Bunker Down. The first is a mix of adrenaline, endorphin and other crap that grants heightened awareness and a physical boost. The other is for a more defensive situation, heightening pain tolerance, physical resilience, and mental clarity. While such concoctions would probably be horrible for most people, nanomachines son!
• Variable Mass Shield: A shield that's just large enough to cover Morris in his Power Armor the VMS is made of one of the strongest alloys known to the humans of Animus. Aside from that, its core of exotic material allows for the piece's mass to actually be rapidly shifted which makes it actually viable as physical cover. If Morris does manage to close into melee range, the shield can be broken into two halves to facilitate ease of use.
• Get up you pansy!: Another modification to Morris' suit allows for some of the infused nanobots to actually be transferred by touch to others. This grants them the same momentary regeneration at the cost of lowering his own regenerative factor. Useful for rapid pick-me ups, but dangerous with extended use.

This seemed appropriate:

Also Azathoth you poor bastard. You can't catch a break can you?

 

[Azathoth]

This seemed appropriate:

Also Azathoth you poor bastard. You can't catch a break can you?

Morris is nothing like my second character idea, so I would be totally fine if I liked my second character idea. As it is, I don't think there's anything I want to contribute to this so you guys have fun.

 

[Atlas Child]

Name: Kain
Age: 30
Sex: Male
Appearance:

Kain stands at 6'2" with a stocky build. He has brown eyes, black hair and a square, plain looking face.

Biography:I am the Walrus.

Kain wasn't born the brightest bulb in the box and has a reputation for having a foul temperament. He's easy to anger and quick to violence. There was no place for him outside of the warrior caste, he was too dull to invent with the techies and too short tempered to work with the caretakers, but for all his shortcomings he was a born fighter. Overpower seems to be the word always on his mind in a fight, and despite that he usually resorts to overwhelming an opponent he sometimes offers more than brute force. In a fist fight there's usually some finesse behind his throws, showing he has more than brute force behind him but some actual hand to hand training. A feeling of under appreciation drove him to volunteer work for the Animus, the feeling that he could do a lot more for his tribe if given the chance.

Background: Hunter
Profession: Sniper
Combat Role: Warrior

Unique Abilities:

Fortitude - Kain is big and all of that extra meat helps him take a few more blows then smaller people might be able to. (Bonus to endurance)

Big Guns - We're talking biceps for days here. The extra muscle also happens to help make the suit less cumbersome. (Bonus to strength.)

Weapons Training (Melee) - After swinging a sword around for long enough you start learning maybe there's more to it than swinging it like a bat. (Bonus to melee weapon proficiency.)

Armor Hardener - His suit came with plate upgrades designed to enhance the density of the metal. Of course this makes the suit a tad heavier, but stronger operators likely won't notice a difference. (Bonus to armor strength)

Betty - The tribe has these giant saws they used to cut through damn near any type of metal. One of the smarter techies fashioned one such blade to a large hilt and gave it to Kain as a Claymore of sorts. The saw side will still start up and chop away if enough pressure is applied. (Two-Handed sword with bonus to armor penetration).

 

[Ozferatu]

The good news is that we have an extremely strong front line.
The bad news is that we have almost no support for our front line.