Mass Effect: Defiance

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Posted. Sorry about the delay!

@Dervish, did you ever get a banner made to advertise the game? This place is indeed quite different, but taking advantage of an ad spot could be a great benefit to call attention to this game and give it the chance it deserves.
 
Posted. Sorry about the delay!

@Dervish, did you ever get a banner made to advertise the game? This place is indeed quite different, but taking advantage of an ad spot could be a great benefit to call attention to this game and give it the chance it deserves.
I did not get a banner made up! But if you wanted to do it, go forth and conquer!
 
This hasn't been especially inactive compared to what I'm used to. I've been waiting for everyone to get their intro posts before I really start posting at my usual speed, but I can speed it up if you want me to.
 
A fair point! I also noticed most other RPs here are going through a molasses paced metamorphosis, so we have nothing to fear, it seems!

I may try to get working on a post tomorrow, but I'm anticipating busy shit ahead. Day after, I'm hoping! Loving the posts so far!
 
No matter what it looks to me you've got a good group of 5-6 people building you up. Obviously you have some sort of following! :applause:
 
No matter what it looks to me you've got a group of 5-6 people building you up. Obviously you have some sort of following! :applause:

And 5 or 6 can definitely make a long lasting and interesting game. :) I'm still debating particulars for the style I want to run this (for instance, section my posts off to continue adding to the scenes of individual groups until all characters are together verses letting players decide early encounters), but I definitely have plans for everybody.
 
And I posted. It mainly concerns Grif, but we're getting the ball rolling for our characters meeting up with some drell and whoever else.
 
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Yo Dervs. Still got a space for me? I might revive and rewrite Kali for this, or start anew.
 
You betcha! Welcome to the party.

And merry Christmas fellas! Hope it's amazing!
 
Name: Blake Greenfield

Species: Human

Sex: Male

Appearance: Blake has chocolate coloured hair of medium length, usually coming across as tussled and bedraggled. He has a strong jaw (which is hugged by a short stubble) and thin lips backed by a pale complexion. He stands at about 5'10'' and has an athletic, yet muscular, body build. His eyes are a deep brown and he wears his standard issue alliance navy armour.

Age: 23

Class: Soldier

Military Occupation: A grunt: Blake was served the cannon fodder jobs that not many people would volunteer to take. He spent most of his early military career aboard Alliance Vessels patrolling Alliance Space, occasionally taking leave back on Earth or at Arcturus Station. Of course, that all changed when the Reapers attacked Earth. His ship, the SS Lancashire, was to protect a diplomatic envoy, en-route to Thessia, at the time of the attack. This left him and his crew unable to assist in the defence. Rushing back to Sol as soon as the news reached their comms room, the ship regrouped with and joined Admiral Hackett's remnants force and set about combating the spread of Reaper influence across the galaxy, hoping to buy Commander Shepard enough to rally a force to retake Earth. Blake distinguished himself in the field of combat in a ground engagement with Reaper Forces in the Apien Crest, prior to the attack on Palaven, when he led a fireteam to flank an oncoming detachment of Marauders which threatened to destroy a friendly Triage centre. For his distinguished service, he was promoted to Service Chief and led further battles against the Reaper Forces until he found himself on the lands of Nevos several months later.

Background: Growing up as most Alliance boys did, in military families, Blake felt obligated to join the military and serve his race among the stars. He grew up in the metropolis of York, Earth, and spent most of his youth playing with Alliance Navy Ship figures - dreaming of a day he might serve aboard such vessels. In school, he excelled as a student of history and English literature and began to write private articles analysing the causes and consequences of the first contact war. Such hobbies made him quite unpopular with his class mates, however, and the pariah status that dogged his footsteps only pushed him further towards following the career of his father and his father's father. The military was an escape as much as it was a love, to Blake. Some argued it wasn't right for him to enter that way though he cared not to listen to them.
Basic training was a breeze for Blake, even to the extent he became an honour graduate and entered active duty at the rank of Serviceman 2nd Class. His tasks were humble for the most part and life was peaceful. His Service Chief took a special interest in the lad, grooming him for leadership, despite Blake's self-doubt. The rest of his history is found in his file, leading up to his departure from official active duty when he was MIA from his unit on Nevos.

Personality: Blake is quiet, despite the role he took on active duty. In casual situations, he is clearly the boy who was bullied in class - afraid to open up to others, wary of speaking out of turn. However, when the bullets start flying overhead and death is around every corner an entirely new man breaks from within that shell. That man is the leader within Blake, the Service Chief that is relied on to bring his men home alive. He tries his best to be approachable to his men and does his best to help his comrades with whatever problems may plague them... he finds it incredibly hard to accept a return of the favour, however.

Equipment: M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle (Vindicator if M-8 not allowed), M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol (as a side-arm), 4x Frag Grenades, 2x Flash Grenades.

Powers: Disruptor Ammo, Adrenaline Rush, Armour Piercing Ammo, Warp Ammo.

Talents: Assault Training, Combat Armour, Pistols, Assault Rifles, First Aid.


 
Quick Q: Does "Talents" refer to ME1 Talents, which were that game's version of Powers, or just anything that isn't a power? So, say, if I want my character to be able to use pistols and snipers, do I have to pick both "Pistol" and "Sniper Rifle" as Talents? And as this isn't following a strict game system, I'm assuming not putting "Pistol" as a talent wouldn't mean I literally couldn't use them, just that I wasn't a specialist with them?
 
First Draft (Dervs, feel free to tear me apart if I've made a stupid lore error somewhere. Or if you can find a source for when exactly Cerberus invaded Omega, as that's a sort of grey-zone.):


  • Name: Kali'Zael nar Stalingrad

    Race: Quarian

    Gender: Female

    Age: 22

    Class: Engineer

    Military Occupation: Marine

  • Appearance: Like most quarians, Kali is slight by human standards, slim in frame and standing at around 5'3". It need not be said that little is known of her appearance beneath the ever-present suit, but the bright eyes occasionally visible through the dark-tinted visor seem lilac in colouring. Her suit reflects her preference for dark and unobtrusive hues, a mottled charcoal in shade and largely unadorned with any aesthetic decoration or variation. The exceptions are essentially accessories - her hood and the dual-banded belt loose about her hips are a muted silver and purple in colour, a nice accentuation to break the monotonous charcoal.

    There is little to be said about the childhood of Kali'Zael nar Stalingrad that cannot be said about that of the majority of quarians. The only slight difference lies in the role of the Stalingrad, a newer addition to the Migrant Fleet bought cheaply from the Systems Alliance, as one of the smallest branch of the Fleet: Special Projects. The child of two scientific researchers working to advance quarian technology for the good of the Fleet, Kali developed an interest in and passion for technology and science beyond even the typical quarian affinity. Her childhood aboard a Special Projects ship rather than one of the Civilian Fleet had little effect on Kali's appropriation of quarian values, however - life aboard the Flotilla is hard, regardless of which segment one's ship belongs to, and the community-oriented mindset and values of loyalty and trust hold strong in Kali.

    Her inheritance of her parents' fiercely inquisitive and independent scientific minds, however, would prove to be difficult for Kali. An inquisitive mind cannot help but to pursue knowledge of the forbidden - just as Eve caved to the temptation of the apple, so did Kali seek knowledge on that most taboo of subjects: AI. Her passion for technology and progress led her down the very same faulty path that led her people to exile, and that, shortly prior to her emergence into this story, would see Kali caught in the battle for Rannoch.

    This interest in, and lack of aversion to, artificial intelligence was but a small variation in Kali's life compared to many quarians. It is, ironically, the smallest of changes that can produce the largest of end differences, however. Many quarians leave for their Pilgrimage with little idea of what they wish to return with; the spirit is one of adventure, of opening oneself to life beyond the Fleet and so gaining an appreciation of what one has, of learning and discovery. Kali, by contrast, knew exactly what she wished to return with: research on that which she should fear and avoid, but instead was only curious of. Under the pretense of seeking to research how diseases proliferate and develop in overpopulated environments - an eternal fear for the immunologically-impaired quarians living aboard the cramped Fleet - Kali departed for Omega: a place that worked with her cover story due to its overpopulation and lack of a central government to regulate the frequent rampant illnesses; and a place lawless enough that she could study what she wished without fear of the Council's limitations on AI research.

    It is important to note that Kali did not do this lightly, or out of a desire simply to rebel or cause destruction. To Kali, science is but a tool, a key that can unlock any door, inherently devoid of morality - and so only ever destructive or evil in how we, as people, use it. To her, progress is always the ultimate goal, and to stifle progress and knowledge because of potential risks is tantamount to a cardinal sin. In other words, she believes fully that her research can be used to benefit the quarians in some way, as long as it is applied correctly - either in eradicating an archaic and outdated fear of virtual and artificial intelligences that is only restricting the quarians from their potential, or in revealing weaknesses in them that can be used to eventually retake their homeworld from the geth. Her own curiosity is what drove her, but she could justify her actions with this reasoning; she could believe that she was not only satisfying her own curiosity, but also the needs of the Fleet.

    And so it was that Kali arrived on Omega: young, arguably naive, and alone. Culture shock is normal for quarians leaving the Fleet for the first time, but most do not immediately travel from the most selfless of places to the most selfish. It suffices to say that it was not long until she learned to defend herself, learning to become a much harder and less trusting person than she had been on the Fleet. Nowadays her small, cosy apartment, lined with colourful quilts as a reminder of home, is secured with an electronic lock that only the most talented of hackers could crack - one she designed herself.

    A lock. Privacy. A notion that was inconceivable back on the Flotilla. Although her research progress was slow, it was not long until Kali fell in love with the free way of life the rough inhabitants of Omega possessed. It would be a lie to say she did not miss home, but her heart and mind were opened to other ways of life. Her curious mind had secretly always longed to know what it was like to experience something different - to experience something extraordinary, special - and now that desire was realised. Perhaps it was this that drove her towards the subject she chose to study, too. She would never think of Omega as home, abhoring the blatant criminality of the place and the selfishness of its inhabitants, but she came to love the freedom that accompanied an independent life.

    And there is nothing more precious to a quarian than home. In a galaxy where the quarians belong nowhere and are constantly looked down upon, the concept of belonging is fundamentally valued beyond almost all else.

    The appearance of the Reapers, that which threatened the very existence of the galaxy, caused a monumental perspective shift for everybody in the galaxy – Kali amongst them. Suddenly, her home, that which was so vital to her, was to be under threat of attack and destruction. Pilgrimages and research seemed suddenly comparatively unimportant, even though she knew her research could potentially be useful for combating the Reapers, synthetics as they are. It was a difficult decision, but in the end the typically quarian sense of community won out over her more self-interested desires to continue with the life of individual freedom she had found. Kali returned to the Migrant Fleet urgently; and once there, enlisted with the Migrant Fleet Marines. She could not continue her research once home, and to this day her activities during that time remain a closely-guarded secret, and so she decided the best way to serve was a more proactive one – a need for proactiveness as opposed to passiveness in her efforts perhaps stemming from the shift in life perspective generated by her time on Omega.

    And so it came that Kali was in the thick of the fighting on Rannoch. Not being a battle-hardened soldier, the horror and violence played out across the sacred earth of her homeworld – that which her people had longed to recapture for centuries – scarred her. Never had she been a violent person, and although Omega had left her significantly less naïve than she had been prior to her Pilgrimage, it was no preparation for the type of all-out and brutal war the Reapers brought to the doorstep of every home in the galaxy. Despite this, she could not help but to rejoice at the reclamation of her homeland, completely oblivious to the actions of Shepard and Tali'Zorah that had led to it until after they had already departed. The joy of that moment is, perhaps, the only reason she could continue to fight beyond that dreadful battle.

    The Migrant Fleet, now officially part of the galactic war effort, was obliged to contribute soldiers to the cause. Kali had distinguished herself in battle, and so was selected for this purpose – indeed, to head into particularly dangerous combat situations. Kali was deployed to Nevos.

    The fact that her success was attributed to her combat ability and not her (secret) extensive knowledge of AI synthetics almost certainly led to an over-inflated view of her by her commanding officers was, of course, kept close to Kali's chest. At heart she was still a scientist, not a soldier. She fought down her concerns, and would come to regret it.

    Personality: Kali still shies from violence (if possible), and would always rather circumnavigate or subvert the enemy than apply a brute-force approach. She is, therefore, highly analytical and tactical on the battlefield, at the sacrifice of ferocity and power in combat. She has a fiercely independent and inquisitive mind, and doesn't shy from breaking tradition or rules if it's for the greater good. As part of this, although quarian traditions of community and selflessness still reside strongly in her, she has been somewhat subverted by her time away and is now certainly capable of appreciating the value of individual rights and responsibilities. It might be said the former is her moral code, whereas in the latter lies her zest for life. Kali is very much conservative with her “true” feelings; she has big secrets to hide, and Omega wasn't somewhere to be vulnerable. This doesn't make her cold or stop her being outspoken about things with her friends, but does mean she keeps concerns and worries to herself.

    Other:
    Kali loves to listen to music, to sing and dance. That's long been a quarian trait, but she takes it to new levels – perhaps because on the Flotilla, there wasn't much private space, so any time someone was busy or sleeping music would have disturbed them. It's the primary way she remains connected to the freer individual life she felt she had on her Pilgrimage.
    She desperately wishes she could eat more flavoursome food than the sterilised vegetarian fair she is limited to as a quarian. Having heard others describe the pleasures of food, she longs to try it in a sort of hopeless and wistful way.
    She can get bizarrely competitive, which is somewhat unexpected in a quarian, who's expected to be much more dedicated to keeping peace aboard the cramped Flotilla, and her spunk can be surprising considering she doesn't appear particularly full of oomph. This is a trait that's developed more recently.
    On signing up to the Marines, she actually wanted to be a sniper, but found that the recoil from the weapons was too much for her small frame to train to handle during the brief initial training period she had. She had the choice to join a specialist program, but decided she wanted to enter combat dut sooner rather than later, considering the urgency of the galactic situation.​

  • Equipment:
    150px-Light-quarian-Spectre.png
    Nothing else for the moment. Why will become apparent after my first post! Though I suppose the standard quarian equipment would be appropriate here.

    Powers:
    AI Hacking
    Combat Drone
    Overload
    Disruptor Ammo
    Shield Boost
    Tactical Scan

    Talents:
    Electronics
    Hacking
    Decryption
    Damping
    Assault Rifles
    First Aid
 
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Quick Q: Does "Talents" refer to ME1 Talents, which were that game's version of Powers, or just anything that isn't a power? So, say, if I want my character to be able to use pistols and snipers, do I have to pick both "Pistol" and "Sniper Rifle" as Talents? And as this isn't following a strict game system, I'm assuming not putting "Pistol" as a talent wouldn't mean I literally couldn't use them, just that I wasn't a specialist with them?

You got it! It's the ME1 talent list (as linked in my lovely Codex section), and it's exactly that. It's just specialization, not a firm "It isn't listed so you can't use anything outside of it" kind of deal. For instance, someone who doesn't have a sniper rifle talent could still use one, only about as well as someone who doesn't have experience with the weapon, meaning lots of scope sway, maybe not doing proper breathing exercises, the weight makes it hard to hold steady, that kind of thing. Someone without a pistol talent would probably have a hard time hitting targets accurately at 25m or more kind of thing.
 
I plan on replying soon. Got off vacation and Im at work ):
 
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New sheet critiques, round deux!

A quick note about the appearance, if he’s in the military, he has a military cut. Having hair that hasn’t been cut in more than 2 weeks is literally grounds for getting a court martial. I know; I’ve seen it happen.

Most of your military occupation section can go into background; the military occupation would simply be something like “Marine”, or “Infantry” and any specialization your character has.

I’m a little confused by what exactly your character did, from the sounds of it he was a navy crewman serving aboard a ship instead of a marine, which wouldn’t be permanently attached to a ship (also, Alliance designation is SSV, not SS), but then he goes on to fight as a marine during the Reaper invasion. Also, small detail, but First Contact War is capitalized because it’s a proper title. And why exactly was he a pariah? Studying a historical battle wouldn’t necessarily make someone unpopular, especially if it’s a history class. Hell, I had to write a eulogy for Stalin during my Soviet Russia portion of history class, and I got through just fine. :P

This line, “The military was an escape as much as it was a love, to Blake. Some argued it wasn't right for him to enter that way though he cared not to listen to them.” Kind of reads weird. Do you mean that people were saying it wasn’t a great idea for him to join because he’s following in his family footsteps? Just clarify that, if you would. I also wouldn’t describe a military member’s life as humble or peaceful; training is near constant, and you are constantly pushed to improve for most of your career, especially in the early years when you don’t have command. As well, NCOs try not to single out single service members to groom them for promotion; if that were the case, it would be a seriously flawed system that’s full of favoritism and there would be no incentive for the poorer performing soldiers to drive themselves, because they know they can’t compete with teacher’s pet. You get promoted based on merit, and if Blake doesn’t have his heart in commanding, he wouldn’t be passing training courses that are required to take leadership positions. Plus, from the sounds of it, he does a lot of fraternization with his troops, which is a huge no-no, and something like that would have been corrected pretty soon after it was noticed. That is, of course, assuming the entire regiment/ ship’s command structure was halfway competent.

Also, why the hell would he go AWOL on Nevos? Is this during the war? It doesn’t make a lick of sense for someone with a promising military career to abandon his unit during a war that literally could mean the extinction of his entire species. Unless you mean he is actually MIA, in which case his service record and service status wouldn’t be changed because there’s a chance he might still be alive, and let’s face it; nobody’s got time to do menial administrative details like that when people are dying by the thousands, many of whom are MIA and never found.

It’s nothing unsurmountable, but I want to make sure this is the right game for you. It’s a pretty skimpy sheet, and I did take a look at your roleplay resume and some of your other posts and just want to make sure that you’re okay with the posting expectations, and that you’re not going to be overwhelmed by the general posting length of other players. If you think you can do that, great! I’m all about giving people a chance to spread their wings and challenge themselves. Just be aware that I will enforce the posting expectations, which can be found on the first page.

Ohai again! I’ve seen this befoooore.

I’m also pretty sure we’ve had a discussion about using Rasputin as a ship name. I can’t imagine why on earth the Alliance would honour a man who pretty much brought down the Russian royal family and paved the way for the conditions of the Bolsheviks to take over Russia. Rasputin was not a good man; immortalizing him with a ship, especially since he was never an official government leader or a military officer, does not seem like something the Alliance would ever do. You miiight want to find another name, and find out what class of ship it is, because there’s a set naming convention for different ship classes. For instance, frigates are named after famous battles, and dreadnoughts are named after mountains.
Also, not an issue, but holy moly she’s tiny!

Also, you miiiight wanna go over your sheet again to make sure it’s up to date. Case in point, “Her passion for technology and progress led her down the very same faulty path that led her people to exile, and that, years after the end of this story, would lead to the death of Tali'Zorah's father.” I know you wrote this sheet up for Wanted on RPG, but this is set after ME2, so Tali’s dead is super long dead at this point.

The rest of the background looks great! Like before, it’s definitely an interesting history and it makes for a good read, and I don’t see anything else that needs to really be addressed there. Personality section is likewise serviceable, nothing needs to be addressed there!

A quick note about weapons; a DMR and a pistol are two entirely different beasts. I know they play out similarly in-game, but trust me, you’d have an easier time adapting to a machine-gun than a pistol if you were used to a rifle. The absence of support in the way of a grip or stock makes being a good shot with a pistol a lot more impressive than with a rifle. You’ll probably just want to grab the assault rifle talent, there’s plenty that can be used in a similar fashion to a sniper rifle.
 
New sheet critiques, round deux!

Ohai again! I’ve seen this befoooore.

I’m also pretty sure we’ve had a discussion about using Rasputin as a ship name. I can’t imagine why on earth the Alliance would honour a man who pretty much brought down the Russian royal family and paved the way for the conditions of the Bolsheviks to take over Russia. Rasputin was not a good man; immortalizing him with a ship, especially since he was never an official government leader or a military officer, does not seem like something the Alliance would ever do. You miiight want to find another name, and find out what class of ship it is, because there’s a set naming convention for different ship classes. For instance, frigates are named after famous battles, and dreadnoughts are named after mountains.
Also, not an issue, but holy moly she’s tiny!

Also, you miiiight wanna go over your sheet again to make sure it’s up to date. Case in point, “Her passion for technology and progress led her down the very same faulty path that led her people to exile, and that, years after the end of this story, would lead to the death of Tali'Zorah's father.” I know you wrote this sheet up for Wanted on RPG, but this is set after ME2, so Tali’s dead is super long dead at this point.

The rest of the background looks great! Like before, it’s definitely an interesting history and it makes for a good read, and I don’t see anything else that needs to really be addressed there. Personality section is likewise serviceable, nothing needs to be addressed there!

A quick note about weapons; a DMR and a pistol are two entirely different beasts. I know they play out similarly in-game, but trust me, you’d have an easier time adapting to a machine-gun than a pistol if you were used to a rifle. The absence of support in the way of a grip or stock makes being a good shot with a pistol a lot more impressive than with a rifle. You’ll probably just want to grab the assault rifle talent, there’s plenty that can be used in a similar fashion to a sniper rifle.

Ah, yeah - as I said, it was just the first draft, I hadn't double-checked for remnants from the last iteration yet. My bad. As for Rasputin, fair enough - I remember I changed it to Stalingrad last time, but did so on the site rather than in my word document. Is that acceptable?
As for her being short, it's sort of a long story - that was based on the wiki page saying quarians are "smaller and of slighter stature" than humans (paraphrasing), and then comparing to average human female heights around the world. But I just did a little digging into Tali'Zorah's height specifically, as a case study if you will, and it turns out apparently there were character keys released a while back for a few canon characters - including Tali. Her one said she was 5'8", which is actually taller than most female humans. The issue is that (apparently) in-game all characters basically use the same wireframe so there's no difference in height, even when, say, FemShep switches to heels. Taking all this into consideration, I think I may as well bump her up to 5'6", as there's conflicting information.
Regarding the weapons thing - fair enough, I just thought it unrealistic that a marine would be trained to use rifles only. Not that I've been in the army, but I understood that you're also trained to use your sidearm, and for good reason. That's what I was trying to get at with the mixed rifle and pistol thing - but I'll switch it to just rifles.

Thanks for the critique dude! I know that background was monstrously long so cheers for reading through it all (again). :P I am now considering gutting out the background and starting anew though, as reading over it again I don't feel the old and new parts slot together that well. I love Kali as a character, but she certainly needs some refinement to fit in here.
 
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I'll get right on changing it. I've been exhausted these past few weeks so excuse the shoddy work.


- His appearance is at it stands at the time of the RP, several weeks after him being classified MIA.

- What happens on Nevos is something I was going to go through in the game but I'll update it to the sheet. Essentially a mission goes wrong and he becomes stranded and cut off.

- He starts out as a crewman but during a land battle in the Turian system he is elevated to lead a ground team.

I can see I've explained things rather poorly.
I'll fix it when this damned Boxing Day hangover goes away. :3
 
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