Jadepunk: Fate of the Emerald Quarter [OOC]

[Hystrix]

This is not an explanation. This is a statement of intent. The powerful and the mighty live off the blood of the weak. They make plays at justice and righteousness. They sit in their towers growing fat off the lives they destroy. They will not go unavenged. We stand for justice, for righteousness. We are poets and warriors, monks and explorers, healers and engineers. We have seen, and upon seeing, cannot look away. Our swords are strong. Our words are sharp. We will not bend. We will not break. We are the Jianghu.

– Copied from the Xia Manifesto



Hello, I'm Hystrix and I'm running a game called Jadepunk (http://jadepunk.com/?page_id=8) in these forums for some friends. As such, this is an invite-only game with 3-4 people already accounted for. But if you're a cool friend of mine and think you should be all up in this game, let me know.

So from what I have of the cast so far, we're looking at more of a social, thoughtful game with the occasional fights against a dozen guards and big bosses. I'm thinking you guys are part of a small Jianghu organization in the Emerald Quarter, looking to clean up this one part of your city beset by a brewing Triad war and an Tuyang Councilor looking to turn your homes into a tourist trap to invite more investors to his casinos (and has enough guardsmen and contractors to make it happen). Enough swords and guns around that you can't just punch your way through problems, but to save your livelihoods you need to go underground.

So! Let's say your impending issue for this game is a Brewing Gang War and your long-term issue is The Councilor's Forced Renovations. If you have other ideas (or think mine are awful), again, let me know.

Here, you guys need to post your character sheets and a short backstory about them. And based on those issues above, I'd like you to come up with at least one fact about your district, the Emerald Quarter. What’s important about it? What kind of culture, or layout, or mood, or organizations lurk within here? Try to frame these facts as aspects.

Faces and Places would be cool too, based from your facts. I'd like at least one or two of each from of you all. Places just need one or two aspects, while Faces should have a Portrayal, a Need, and (optionally) a Secret aspect (p. 115).

We'll see what story we can tell from here, eh?



Here, have a template.

Code:

[b][u]Your Character Name Here[/u][/b]

Probably your backstory here.

[b][u]Aspects[/u][/b]
[b]Portrayal[/b]: [i]_________[/i]
[b]Background[/b]: [i]_________[/i]
[b]Inciting Incident[/b]: [i]_________[/i]
[b]Belief[/b]: [i]_________[/i]
[b]Trouble[/b]: [i]_________[/i]

[b][u]Professions[/u][/b]
[b]+3[/b] ___
[b]+2[/b] ___, ___
[b]+1[/b] ___, ___
[b]+0[/b] ___

[b][u]Assets[/u][/b]
[b]Device/Ally/Technique[/b]:
[b]Function/Guiding Aspect[/b]:
[b]Features[/b]:
[b]Flaws[/b]:
[b]Cost[/b]:

[b]Device/Ally/Technique[/b]:
[b]Function/Guiding Aspect[/b]:
[b]Features[/b]:
[b]Flaws[/b]:
[b]Cost[/b]:

[b][u]Refresh[/u][/b]: 7

[b][u]Stress[/u][/b]: OOO

[Staticpulse]

Leslaw Sterling

Growing up as the poorest of the poor, Leslaw never found much time nor money to ply his current trade. Scraping bit by bit for years upon years, Leslaw presented his masterpiece to a well-known jadetechnician in the Emerald Quarter. His masterpiece, a hard-yet-yielding piece of chest armor, impressed the jadetechnician so much that he apprenticed Leslaw.

But all was not meant to be. No one liked how the Jade-tainted had ‘stolen’ the apprenticeship from the jadetechnician. Leslaw soon found himself captured and thrown in a dark and dank cage on his way to some far corner of the planet to be sold as a slave. But he was saved by the Jianghu at the last moment and freed.

When Leslaw went back to the jadetechnician who had apprenticed him, he found the place burned to the ground and ready for ‘renovations’. The jadetechnician, presumably, was dead as well. Leslaw pledged his service to the Jianghu, not only to repay his debt to them, but to avenge the one person who gave him a chance.

Aspects
Portrayal: Jade-tainted Jadetech Savant
Background: The Urchin who Almost Made It
Inciting Incident: Nearly Sold on the Slave Market
Belief: We Deserve More for all our Hard Work
Trouble: Never Taken Seriously

Professions
+3 Engineer
+2 Scholar, Fighter
+1 Aristocrat, Explorer
+0 Scoundrel

Assets
Device: Hand-held Clockwork Blunderbuss
Function Aspect: Red Jade Blunderbuss, Dragon-class
Features: Harmful 2, Exceptional (cannot use stress to absorb damage)
Flaws: Demanding (requires an action to reload), Limited (Exceptional feature can be used only once per scene)
Cost: 2 Refresh

Device: Protective Vest
Function Aspect: Green and Blue Jade Impact Absorbent Armor
Trouble Aspect: Only Protects the Torso
Features: Sturdy 2
Flaws: Troubling
Cost: 1 Refresh

Technique: Mental Schematics
Guiding Aspect: Jade-tainted Jadetech Savant
Features: Focus 2 (Engineering)
Flaws: Situational (Only for the creation or construction of Jadetech)
Cost: 1 Refresh

Refresh: 3

Stress
Natural: OOO
Armor: OO

Faces/Places:

[CatDotJayPeg]

Aisha Zur

The Zurs are one of the banking families in the Naramel sections, and Aisha is the only child of one couple. There are plenty of cousins, uncles, and so on, but for Aisha, no siblings.

Her father was one of the first ones compelled to betray their morals or face destruction in the councilor's planned renovations; the banks would fall in line, or they would suffer.

Among the people they turned out from their homes in this 'improvement' was a Pathist Priest. Aisha was intrigued by his handling of his plight, and eventually went to learn his philosophy from him. In his quest for balance, this seemed to fit, so he taught Aisha. She picked up not only the belief, but also many practical physical elements based on balance.

Now, Aisha has taken to the streets, using a superb sense of balance and motion to let her run packages from one place to another. Somewhere in there, she expects to find a good method to balance out the problems in the world and which are affecting her extended family.

Aspects
Portrayal: Reliable Courier of Speed
Background: Handling Money Is The Family Business
Inciting Incident: Spread the Word
Belief: Balance the World
Trouble: My Family Is My Reason

Professions
+3 Explorer
+2 Aristocrat, Scoundrel
+1 Fighter, Scholar
+0 Engineer

Assets
Technique: High-Speed 3d City Travel
Guiding Aspect: Reliable Courier of Speed
Features: Exceptional (instantly enter/leave a scene as long as there's a way in or out)
Flaws: Demanding (Fair Explorer roll), Situational (only when able to access vertical reaches in the city)
Cost: 1 Refresh

Technique: Zur Money
Guiding Aspect: Handling Money is the Family Business
Features: Focus (Aristocrat)
Flaws: Situational (only when dealing with poorer but nominally law-abiding people)
Cost: 1 Refresh

Technique: Fixed Axle, Rotating Wheel
Function/Guiding Aspect: Balance the World
Features: Exceptional (on a successful defense, deal shifts of harm equal to margin of success), Harmful 2
Flaws: Situational (when attacked in melee), Limited
Cost: 2 Refresh

Refresh: 3

Stress: OOO

Faces:

[Darth_Slaverus]

Jubei Toshino

Born to a prominent Kaiyumi courtier, Jubei spent most of his formative years being groomed to become an advisor to one of the many clan leaders of the island. Determined to uphold the honour of his family, the boy studied several different arts, including swordplay, courtly etiquette, and political administration. By the time he matured into adulthood, he was already one of his master’s most capable and trusted servants. In particular, he was known to be an excellent arbiter of legal disputes due to his thorough investigations and fair judgments.

However, despite many years of faithful service, a rift would eventually form between Jubei and his lord as foreign powers sought to improve trade relations with Kaiyu. Jubei welcomed their merchants with open arms, believing that exposure to other cultures could only bring prosperity. His master, however, thought that associating with outsiders would invariably taint their clan, and took Jubei’s disagreement as an excuse to persecute foreigners within his lands. For a time, Jubei opposed his lord in secret, but as his master’s decrees grew increasingly cruel and tyrannical, he saw that he had no choice but to make his displeasure clear.

Casting aside his sword forever, Jubei publically denounced his lord and left his service to wander the world, before settling down in the Emerald Quarter. His best years behind him, he makes a living solving crimes and breaking up street scuffles. His sympathies for the common people and distrust of authority have made him a natural enemy of the Council, and he has been known to lend his scholarly expertise to the Jianghu.

Perhaps this band of plucky rebels can breathe a new sense of purpose into a tired, jaded old warrior…

Aspects
Portrayal: Washed-Up Do-Gooder Detective
Background: Formerly the Daimyo‘s Chief Retainer
Inciting Incident: Embraced Foreign Ideals Against My Lord‘s Wishes
Belief: Serve the People, Not Yourself
Trouble: Smoking Out My Lungs As Well As Criminals

Professions
+3 Scholar
+2 Aristocrat, Explorer
+1 Fighter, Scoundrel
+0 Engineer

Assets

Ally: Evelyn
Function Aspect: Devoted Aerish Maid
Features: Sturdy, Professional x3 (Scoundrel +2, Aristocrat +1, Fighter +1, Engineer +1), Resilient, Independent
Flaws: Limited, Troubling (Subject of Scandal)
Cost: 1

Jubei’s loyal maid and confidant, Evelyn is an Aerish woman in her late twenties with an uncanny knack for “finding” objects and information. Sentenced to die by Jubei’s former master, Evelyn was only saved due to Jubei’s quick wit, and has since pledged to serve him to repay the debt. The two are evidently fond of each other, though neither will testify to the exact nature of their relationship.

Of course, while Evelyn often proves useful in assisting Jubei’s investigations, there’s only so much she can do in a day. She does have her housekeeping duties to attend to, after all.

Technique: Scholarly Striking
Guiding Aspect: Formerly the Daimyo‘s Chief Retainer
Features: Flexible (Scholar instead of Fighter), Harmful x3
Flaws: Situational (Only when fighting barehanded), Demanding
Cost: 2

It wise to never underestimate Jubei in battle. While he may lack the raw reflexes of his youth, his experience makes him a deadly opponent in single combat. If presented with a chance to observe and study a foe, Jubei can use his analytical skills to predict their movements and exploit the flaws in their style.

Technique: Detective’s Intuition
Guiding Aspect: Washed-Up Do-Gooder Detective
Features: Focus (Scholar) x2
Flaws: Situational (When investigating a crime scene)
Cost: 1

Having honed his investigative techniques to near-perfection, Jubei can find leads where no one else can. It is a rare crime scene that leaves him completely stumped.

Refresh: 3

Stress: OOO

Faces/Places: