Mission: Zodiac

It began in Sigil, as these things always seem to. About a decade after the Faction War, some berk calling himself a "technologist" wandered through a portal in the Lower Ward. Given his impression of the place, Sigil might have only been a few years off without his help. He was sure that all the magic found in the Cage would be a great aid to his technical knowledge and began a new discipline - he called himself a "mechanitheurge" from that day forth.

Given the nature of the outer planes, it didn't take too long for this new technology to spread across the Ring. Sigil hasn't changed much in an obvious sense, though everyday life is now powered by countless little machines that people rarely pay attention to. It's the planes that seem very different - a few, like the Beastlands, have resisted the revolution entirely, whereas planes like Acheron have adopted it just as absolutely. Most lie somewhere in the middle.

The interesting part of the steam revolution is not how it's changed magic and technology on the planes - that's nothing new - but how it's changed belief. Usually new machines or spells take hold in some small part of the planes, but they don't gain the widespread use of something like crossbows or [i]magic missiles[/i]. Steam technology works everywhere, except in a few places where the natural belief of the plane is contrary to mechanical progress. It works on both planes of law and planes of chaos, though the chaoticians have quite a different idea on how the machines work than those of a more lawful bent. In addition to weathering the storms of belief that wash across the populace of the planes, there are beliefs about steam technology. Beliefs about how it should be used, or who should be allowed to use it, in addition to the arguments over how it works and how it can be made to work better.

Current Location: west philadelphia
Current Mood: creative

I'm actually working on Planar HERO right now, but I had a neat idea for a Modern Age bit of tech and thought I would put it down here, as my Modern Age notes haven't really gotten to devices yet.

Letter gnomes. They're little humanoid mechanigolems that run around between cities, delivering mail.

Current Location: m:Z inc.
Current Mood: creative

Although there are threads of steampunk running through all the ages of Mission: Zodiac, the Modern Age is where it's really prominent. Some other time I'll go into the various machineries and clockworks that are present in the Mythic Age and make the Space Age possible. Today I'm giving you some of the more interesting aspects of Modern Age technology.

Autocrossbow: This is a step somewhere between the ancient bow and more modern gun-like weapons. It consists of a crossbow on a tripod. A large pack of arrows attaches to the top of an autocrossbow, supplying it with rapid-fire capabilities. Typically a hand crank is used to fire the arrows, although some technologists have been known to connect the autocrossbow to a steam engine. The autocrossbow has a maximum range of one hundred metres. Most autocrossbows can fire twenty arrows before needing to be reloaded. An autocrossbow weighs six kilograms.

Lightning Staff: This is a long shaft of metal, typically just shy of two metres in length. The shaft is hollow, filled with wires, crystals, and various electrical apparatuses. It's a Tanaelian development, fusing sorcery with technology. When wielded by an electrokinetic character, a lightning staff is capable of firing powerful arcs of electricity. These arcs can strike up to thirty metres away.

Steam Rifle: This is a two-handed gun-like weapon. It uses a small steam engine to operate its internal clockwork, which propels tiny throwing knives at an opponent. This process produces a lot of heat, so a steam rifle has a series of water tanks and glass tubing worked into it that reduce it to manageable temperatures. Still, a thick coat and pair of gloves is recommended. Safe temperatures are not always comfortable temperatures. A steam rifle has a maximum range of one hundred metres. Most steam rifles will fire five tiny throwing knives before needing to be reloaded. A steam rifle is one hundred twenty centimetres long, and weighs ten kilograms.

Heavy Coat: This heavy leather coat, usually long enough to fall to the knees, is one of the most common types of armour worn in the modern age.

Mechanoplate Armour: This is an experimental form of armour, combining ancient plate armour with new electric and mechanical techniques. It weighs fifty kilograms.

Frost Welder: This is a small handheld device, very similar to the welding torch. It's difference is that it projects a small, intense jet of cold for the purpose of fusing together nonmetal objects. It, like the normal torch, can be used as an improvised weapon.

Goggles: These are large, clear plastic circles affixed over the eyes with a flexible mask. They are most often used by technologists to protect their eyes when working, especially welding. Only the most uncouth wear them outside the laboratory.

Steam Engine: This is the premiere technology on Alzhrin. It is a device that takes water and fuel and converts them into mechanical energy, used to power most of the devices across the continent. Steam engines vary in size, from the giant engines used to power airships down to the small engines used in steam rifles. Small, portable steam engines tend to be more expensive than the larger engines used in most laboratories. Tanaelians have been researching electric engines, which use electricity instead of fuel for power. Many sorcerers use pyrokinesis to fuel steam engines for a short time, although this is usually considered an emergency use.

Clockwork Limbs: Clockwork limbs are designed to be prosthetics, for those who've lost a limb due to battle or accident. They're slightly less dextrous than a flesh limb, but also slightly stronger. A character with a clockwork leg has a noticeable limp. A character with both legs replaced with clockwork has a more normal-looking gait. Furthermore, a clockwork limb is powerful and sturdy. A clockwork limb is accepted as completely normal among Tanaelians, and rumour has it that they can use electricity to increase the speed and mobility of their limbs. Ai'dreans tend to look down on a person with a clockwork limb, and so most people in Ai'drea who have this advent attempt to conceal it. The Sanolin very rarely apply this advent to people, but they are mostly accepting of it. The most common Sanolin reaction to a clockwork limb is pity, as it is clearly a big restriction on the person bearing it.

Necrotechnology: Necrotechnology is a process using electricity and machinery to reanimate the dead. It is not a form of resurrection, as the person does not return to life. Special fluids counteract, for the most part, decay of the flesh, and the process of entropy is further delayed by the installation of a small cold engine. These effects combine to produce a noticeable cold aura and chemical odour around a necrotechnologically animated corpse. A necrotech zombie is essentially unintelligent, and commands are given to it through large metal rods. These rods slide into ports on the zombie's back, and contain instructions. Tanaelian necrotechnology is said to be advanced enough to allow their zombies to accept vocal commands. It is rumoured that certain sorcerous rites allow a person to transfer their own mind into a necrotechnologically animated body. Tanaelians view necrotechnology as a natural progression of their technical skill, and necrotech zombies can often be seen in their cities performing labour. Ai'dreans find necrotech zombies to be distasteful, mostly because of the smell, and so they're kept away from higher-class regions. The Sanolin dislike the concept of reanimating the dead, and thus never employ necrotechnology. Necrotech zombies brought into their lands are viewed with disdain, as well as any technologists accompanying them.

I'm likely to have more to say on some of these subjects later. Also, I think "necrotechnology" is an awesome word.

Current Location: M:Z Inc.
Current Mood: artistic
Current Music: FF6 - Dancing Mad

I've decided to go back to putting work up here, mostly because a bunch of people read my LJ (and probably don't care). That, and I haven't felt like bothering darkain about my space on darkain.com, nor have I decided how I would rework the site to shift over to the new "generic gaming article" format. Anyway, today you're getting the people of Mission: Zodiac; that means the kind of things available for "player races". As an added bonus, I'm putting up what I have currently about both Mythic Age and Modern Age races. I've done virtually no design on Space Age yet, so the populace of that part will have to wait for another time. Two things: First, you'll notice I don't have humans in the list. Like every other sodding fantastic setting, M:Z does include humans. But they'll get their own details in the terms of different human cultures (and when I get to detailing various areas, these races you're seeing now will get more detail too). Second, you'll notice two prominent names: Alzhrin and Hervarðr. Alzhrin is the continent upon which Modern Age is based, and Hervarðr is the continent on which Mythic age is based. Anyway, here they are.
(Mythic Age)
Ålfar: Ålfar live mostly in the southern forests of Issheim. Ålfar are taller and slimmer than humans. Their skin is pale, nearly white, and their eyes are softly-coloured and luminescent. An ålfar's hair ranges from black to white, including any colours in-between. Ålfar are known across Hervarðr as puissant warriors and expert craftsmen, though they rarely work with metals. Ålfar have an excellent grasp over the magics of ice and cold, and glow faintly, bright enough to allow them to see well in dim lighting. In complete darkness, this glow just makes them easier to find.

Jotunkyn: Jotunkyn are descendents of the mighty jotun, their semi-divine blood diluted by common mortal stock. Jotunkyn are taller and broader than humans, nearly twice the height of a human. The jotunkyn have adopted from their ancestors a highly nomadic culture, and roam all across Hervarðr. Many (especially humans) assume the jotunkyn to be an uneducated barbarian race, but in fact it is from the jotunkyn that the people of Hervarðr acquired the skaldic tradition of oral storytelling.

Skyhirðmaðr: The skyhirðmaðr are protectors of the cloudspaces above Hervarðr. They patrol the skies in their cloudships, powered by the same magical technology as clockwork einherjar. Most skyhirðmaðr hail originally from Þyrskala, the aerial city. They are rarely seen down on the surface, and often engender awe and curiosity when they walk upon the earth. Skyhirðmaðr look much like humans, but their life in the sky makes them appear slightly faded and washed-out; this trait becomes more exaggerated as they age. What tends to attract more interest, though, are the magical technology artefacts they carry. These seem, to all appearances, to be both wondrous and useful. Skyhirðmaðr are careful to not let their devices fall into the hands of outsiders, and will undertake great efforts to reclaim anything that has been stolen or scavenged from them.

Svartálfar: Svartálfar are distant cousins of the ålfar. The split between them is said to have occurred near the beginning of the world, when the demiurge Logos was dividing Hervarðr between ice and fire. The ålfar, as a race, chose ice and still reside in the forests of Issheim. A small percentage of ålfar, however, chose to side with fire. In seeing this schism, Logos made these fire ålfar seperate, by giving them new names - svartálfar - and new forms. Svartálfar look much like ålfar, except that their skin is black and they do not give off light. Their eyes are also darker in colour and allow them to see clearly in the dark. Svartálfar live in the north of Hervarðr, in the foothills and mountains of Bálsteinn, both above and below ground. Svartálfar, like their cousins, are also known as skilled warriors. Unlike their cousins, they are also known as excellent metalsmiths. Svartálfar, similarly to the ålfar, possess a natural affinity for fire magics.
(Modern Age)
Homunculus: A homunculus is a man - or, rather, an approximation of a man - created with alchemy. More specifically, it's an artificial human constructed via the Constructive Alchemic formula. Homunculi are slightly shorter than humans, but otherwise indistinguishable. There are, however, a few ways to identify a homunculus. First, a homunculus often has unusual eyes. It's rarely the same from homunculus to homunculus, but an attentive person can notice that most homunculi do not have human eyes. Second, a homunculus tends to have abilities a human does not. Most notably, they can be altered with the Constructive Alchemic formula, unlike other living beings. They also tend to be slightly resistent to sorcery.

Kalmir: Kalmir are a barbarian tribal people from the western forestlands of Dhih. It is said they were humans who served the foxpeople, and the foxpeople's magic transformed them into Kalmir. The Kalmir people subsist entirely off of the land, producing no tools or permanent shelter. They are tall and slender, usually slightly taller than a human, with sun-darkened skin. They have slightly pointed ears, and a very rare Kalmir is born with a fox tail. Though they rarely wear clothing, Kalmir have elaborate tattoos and rarely leave their hair a single colour. Kalmir tend to be territorial, and travellers are expected to prove themselves in hand-to-hand combat to be considered welcome. When a Kalmir finds herself travelling the world, she often slowly begins adapting to the cultures of the people she is with. Clothing is usually the first custom to be acquired, although they never seem comfortable with the concept of hats.

Mask: Master artisans of unknown origin, the Mask are singular and devoted to their craft. Tall and willowy, they seem almost ethereal in appearance. The only decidedly real part of them are the elaborate masks they wear. They tend to get on with others fairly well - they're artisans of supernatural ability, and most merchants are willing to trade for their goods. Mask seem to have a silent language with each other that allows them to communicate simple concepts and emotions. Though some have tried, they have not been able to use this ability on those not of their kind. Mask seem extremely lucky, but are highly vulnerable to wounds made by iron weapons.

Ouvial: Ouvials are a race somewhat different than the other races, in that they are only peripherally real. Some accident set them slightly askew from the world, and they are perpetually on a slightly different phase than everything else. Their bodies are blue and semitransparent, like water. Ouvials are distant and a bit paranoid. They can see things others can't, and often react to something that's seemingly not there. They look like a blob of tinted water held vaguely into a humanoid shape. The only noticable feature they display is a pair of red dots, presumably eyes, in the blue field of their head. They are pretty insular, and only interact with other people when they feel they need to. They cannot speak. Rather, they have a limited telepathy with which to convey images and feelings, although they only extend this telepathy to individuals they like. It is considered an ouvial's racial duty to find some way to realign its people with the world, and so most ouvials are sorcerers or technologists. Some remarkably friendly ouvials have communicated the following story: Ouvials were once great, in the Mythic Age. We ruled an empire stretching across the entire world. When the Age ended, we changed. On the day the sky fell, we were cast aside.

Tanaelian: A rather advanced race of humanoids from a continent across the southern sea. Tanaelians are highly intelligent and seek whatever advantage they can find in any given situation. They seem to be able to bend the odds with their formidable intellect. They have black or grey skin, light-coloured eyes that emit a faint glow, and have hair of a metallic colour. They always dress as though ready for war, and even common clothing is lightly armoured. Despite this level of precaution, Tanaelians tend to be very friendly and generous with their knowledge. Tanaelians are excellent technologists and try to work technology into everything they do. They claim that they brought electricity across the ocean with them seventy years ago. Certainly, human technologists didn't use any electrical technology before the arrival of the Tanaelians.

Hmm. Some of these races are much more detailed than others. Not to worry. More will come, likely when different parts of the world get detail.

Current Location: M:Z Inc.
Current Mood: artistic
Current Music: Mike Doughty - I Hear the Bells

Whoa! I wrote something. It's called Dancing in Elysium, and it's set on (or around) Alzhrin, which some of you might recognise from Mission: Zodiac. I think this story marks the beginning of the end of the Modern Age. And I have a general idea what the new age is like, too. It's something akin to cosmic horror crossed vaguely with spacepunk. It'll be awesome. As you can see, although I may have abandoned the idea of the M:Z game system, I'm still definitely playing in the world I made for it.

Current Location: practicing my kung fu superpowers
Current Mood: I'm a mad scientist!
Current Music: Manowar - Kingdom Come

I saw this awesome thing on the telly just now. It's bizarre and elegant at the same time, highly reminiscent of a mechanical spider playing music.

Current Location: the technodrome
Current Mood: impressed