Strendents

((Been working on this group for a little while. 500 strong, these humans hail from the distant future and a far off reach of space. Of course, a few have been lost in a scouting party. Visual records available for Star Skimmer. See related entry.))

City: The Frigate Star Skimmer, hovers at a great height above Felarya. Originally designed for space travel, it functions in Felarya through the use of its powerful antigravity generators. The fuel source is that of a super efficient fusion reactor, needing fuel only after hundreds of years (theoretically). Able to house half a thousand, the Star Skimmer is the home of these castaways. The vessel received its namesake from its hyper-dense alloy armor. Able to withstand extreme temperatures, the ship could literally skim over the surface of a star as long as its internal coolant system was functioning properly. An energy shield surrounds the ship and blocks the passage of energy and momentum. This means that energy based weapons will simply splash off the shield and solid projecting traveling at a constant speed will behave as though they have hit a solid object. For obvious reasons, having the shield activated means that the weapon systems should not be used. An attack at strong or stronger than a hydrogen bomb can overload the shields however. Offensively, the Star Skimmer was top of the line, capable of shattering the very ground that served as the foundation of any planet bound city. However, its impact disrupts the atmosphere in a wide radius of the strike. With no capability to reach orbit due to Felarya's strange nature, they dare not fire it. Their secondary weapon system consists of groups of stationary laser turrets dotting the hull. They could be used offensively, although it’s accuracy through the foliage at that range leaves a great deal to be desired, even when aided by computer. Although these cannons can be used to protect any ground based expeditions they deploy, they would be unable to target anything without a tracking unit through the dense foliage. Of course, the crew are the only ones with such tracking units. As of late, the Star Skimmer’s weapon systems have been deactivated to keep some degree of peace. In addition to necessary living quarters, mess halls, gym, armory, infirmary, and life support, recent additions to the Star Skimmer include a greenhouse and additional water recyclers to keep the crew well supplied. Access Visual Record.

Profession: Stranded in this odd world, the Strendents have taken on the job of cartographers. Even without descending to lower altitudes, they can map the outline of most regions without having to peer through the monstrous trees. Rivers, paths, and hazards below the tree line however (all of these) require a ground team deployment. To deal with the voracious predators lurking below, the Strendents have created a specialized, quadruped mech-unit for the specific purpose of cartography, code name Mapper-7. It’s hull is made from a fragment of the Star Skimmer’s, allowing it great heat resistance and sheer endurance. The most interesting aspect of this unit is its stealth system. When stationary, this fifty foot mech becomes invisible to the visible spectrum. This mech has no weapon systems; however, it is equipped with a powerful, albeit small, fusion engine with high output capacity anti-gravity units, capable of rocketing it towards the sky at a moment’s notice. A giant predator with excellent reflexes and strength however may be able to hold it down, but tearing it open could prove more difficult. The systems are nearly automated, allowing the mech to retrieve accurate mapping data just by walking around. It’s crew of five is necessary for emergency repairs and possible scavenging runs. Even though Mapper-7 can be rendered invisible, it's crew can still be noticed by the local predator's odd ability to detect prey. In addition to the maps they create, the Strendents offer a number of lesser and common services such as transportation, medical care, and mercenary work. Supposedly some of the crew are avid gamblers as well.

Morale: Distraught with the fact that they are stranded in this odd world, the fact that below them on the ground live giant predators does not help their moods much, especially considering the loss of the first scouting party. Captain Ilim Illidar is trying to manage the situation, keeping an outbreak of "hunting" from occurring. Mostly because he fears the loss of additional crew members. They strongly suspect that their single unit weapons will have little to no effect on the predators and the ineffectiveness of the turrets is a further disappointment. Current trade opportunities however, seem to have distracted the crew from the downsides of their presence here. The best upside that the crew agrees on is the fact that as long as they are outside of known space and keep off the ground, they are no longer at war.

Traits: Strendents share human traits, but lack the ability to use magic. Their grasp of technology however is outstanding and a Strendent engineer can create and repair such things as laser weapons, warp drives, and anti-gravity with great ease. However, considering their technological prowess, they lack the understanding for older technologies. They consider flat panel, HD televisions to be obsolete pieces of technology for example and do not bother with understanding them unless the individual likes to tinker with antiques. Considering that most of the available technology in Felarya is below even that level, the Strendents will undoubtedly have to revert to these older technologies at some point.

People of interest:

Name: Ilim Illidar
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Occupation: Captain of the Star Skimmer

Appearance: Standing at 6'01", Ilim has an imposing appearance to him. His hair is mostly brown, with grey starting to appear at the roots. He has no preferred style and it usually lays flat on his head and reaches only to his ears. Dark brown eyes are usually slanted in, as if he were angry. As far as an outfit goes, Ilim wears the uniform standard for the Strendant Military ship captains. A high collared black jacket is the outermost piece. The long sleeves covering his arms entirely to his aged hands. Unzipped, it is easy to notice the light grey combat mesh underneath. A matching pair of black pants compliments the jacket, press lines running down the front of each leg, the sign of a well kept captain. A pair of combat boots, again the same color, rise one third the way up either leg, the lower portion of his pants tucked into each.

Personality: When not at war, Ilim Illidar is a purveyor of peace and diplomacy. Although Iliam and his crew were at war prior to entering Felarya, they recognize it as being outside known space and perhaps even any known dimension. Because of this, Ilim ordered the weapon systems aboard the Star Skimmer to be shut down and to only be restored to operational status upon an attack or their return to known space. Even with the discovery of the native predators and the loss of a scout party and the constant pleas to do so, Ilim refused to turn the ship's weapons on the creatures. However, Ilim has a strong, calculating mind. A brilliant military tactician an diplomat, he knows his way around most any situation. If peace ever fails as an option however, the captain will not hesitate to protect his crew. As for his current stance on the predators, Ilim knows that turning the ship's weapons on the predators would be useless. The thick forest below would block any possible line of sight and leveling a forest could bring them harm from any other natives.

History: A high ranking captain in the Strendant Armada, Ilim was granted the right to command over one of the greatest frigates in the fleet. His ship, the Star Skimmer, is protected by a thick armor created from a hyper-dense alloy that reflects a great deal of heat. This armor is what allows the Star Skimmer its namesake. Top of the line energy shielding, numerous laser turrets, and powerful anti-gravity generators alone make this ship a force to be reckoned with. Its most devastating feature is its main cannon. Firing slugs of the same alloy that makes up the hull, the force of a single slug can crack the crust of most planets. As for how the Star Skimmer ended up in Felarya, goes back to their last mission. While clearing a debris field of insurgent vessels, the enemy trap was sprung. Apparently, the insurgents knew of an area within the field where the fabric of reality itself was thin, if not already torn. A lower class model warp engine and a faint radio signal was all they needed to lure in the Star Skimmer. While investigating the signal, their enemies activated the warp engine. Allowing travel at speeds greater than that of light, the engine threw that unstable portion of the universe into a tailspin. Before they knew what hit them, the entire crew could look out the view ports and see blue sky and a sudden falling feeling. Ordering the activation of the anti-grav, Ilim waited patiently before even attempting to assess the situation. Unable to create contact with his superiors or any other familiar outposts, the Star Skimmer was effectively stranded. Since Felarya has no apparent end to its atmosphere, a great deal of the Star Skimmer's power goes into keeping it above the ground. Even if its weapon systems were to be enabled, its main cannon would be unable to fire. It requires an orbital position to escape the atmospheric effects of such a shot and Felarya has no orbital space.

Current: As of now, Ilim is preparing to send out a second scouting party.

NO VISUAL RECORD


Name: Sarya Endril
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 28
Occupation: Weapons Engineer

Appearance: Sarya is exactly six feet tall and has shoulder length brown hair. She wears it in an odd style that can be seen in her visual record. She does not get out much and has a somewhat pale complexion that makes that fact apparent. She is flat chested, but doesn't care much either way, believing that being well-endowed would get in the way of her work. Her outfit is simple and is mostly comparable to that of the Captain, but having a variation in color. Blue is the standard for engineers for the Strendents and her own jacket is colored as such.

Personality: Sarya is usually described using words such as, crazy, scary, deranged, dangerous, or even impulsive. On the rare occasion, she may even be called cute. Her obsession with weaponry has made her a bit of a loose cannon around the Star Skimmer. Ilim's ordered shut down of the weapon systems has not helped her mood much at all. The engineer is incredibly proud of her work as well. Although mostly repair work, Sarya claims she can make any weapon work better then it did before. Until she discovered magic weapons, this remained true. As to why people describe her as crazy and scary, she is a violent one. Always wanting to test weaponry new and old, she will jump at any opportunity. As far as social skills go, Sarya can hold conversations with another engineer, Eric Dawns [No current data] for great lengths of time. She considers herself a historian of weaponry.

History: At an early age, Sarya's life involved war and destruction. At the age of ten, she could disassemble a top of the line firearm into its base components and reassemble it. A military officer noticed her unique talent and offered her a position as a weapons engineer. As she grew older, Sarya became one of the engineers that masterminded the Planet Shatter Cannon equipped on most armada vessels. After the cannon was declassified and installed on a number of warships, she was transferred to the Star Skimmer to maintain the cannon and research any possible advancements in enemy weaponry. As of now, Sarya maintains the Star Skimmer's armory. Being in an atmosphere rather than space has her having to clean weaponry regularly or risk corrosion.

Sarya firing one of her favorite antiques:ACCESS VISUAL RECORD


Name: Eric Dawns
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Occupation: Robotics / software engineer

Appearance: Shorter than most people his age, Eric stands at 5’10”. His hair is a darker brown with natural red highlights. Most of the time, he doesn’t care about his hair style and as a result, it sticks out everywhere. His brown eyes are always behind a pair of rectangular glasses. Incredibly thin, most people meeting Eric believe him to be anorexic. In reality he is a heavy eater. His uniform is the standard issue for engineers and blue in color.

Personality: Calm, collected, highly intelligent, and utterly random. Eric is commonly described as a genius, but has a high tendency to change the topic of conversations, especially when they do not interest him. Mostly solitary, Eric does not like being surrounded by a large number of people. He hates assemblies, group work, and parties. Given the choice, he would rather spend all day working on his console. Oddly, he gets along quite well with Sarya Endril. They are only friends, but rumors spread. One thing that Eric does like doing with other people is to get into arguments, about anything.

History: Not much is really known about Eric Dawns. His IQ and Testing scores were above average, but he consistently failed to actually work. It seemed the only things he cared about were computers. He actually volunteered to enter the armada at the age of 20. In his nine years with the military, he had written a number of programs and constructed some AI units. After being transferred to the Star Simmer however, his work slowed down until recently. Upon arriving in Felarya, Eric wrote he mapping programs that are installed on the Mapper-7 and is working on a support AI to aid in self defense.

ACCESS VISUAL RECORD


Name: N-72
Race: AI
Gender: N/A
Age: <1 month
Occupation: Navigation

Appearance: Being an AI, N-72 does not have an actual appearance. It can however, move itself around by downloading its information to a mobile unit. The shape of the device is spherical and harnesses anti-gravity as its form of locomotion. The sphere has no distinguishing features but has several different cables for use in most adapters that can be found in Strendant technology.

Personality: N-72’s personality could be best described as aloof. When not processing data or awaiting orders, the AI will review and optimize his recorded data. Often it will miss the first few words of a conversation. Eric is trying to fix this issue. Oddly enough, it has developed a sense of humor based on human reactions to jokes. It will laugh if words are brought up in a general pattern that would denote a joke. Often this follows phrases such as “Did you hear”, “the one about”, “knock knock” or even single words that are often used in jokes that he has not yet heard used seriously. A few include “fart”, “lawyer”, and “priest”. Most consider this individuality to be a hindrance, but Eric is pleased that his creation is learning.

History: Not much to say at this point.

[Visual record erased internally] Note: [hehe]



((2 other characters in the works. A flying city may inherently appear unbalanced, but as long as they are in the ship, they are effectively removed from the events of Felarya. Defensive systems coupled with a high altitude removes them from most dangers, but they are also incapable of interacting with the world unless they descend or radically change their objectives. In order to trade, work, and sometimes just for recreation, they will take the time to head to ground level. Then all is fair game.))

This is a nice idea

Having a people of advanced cartographers with a city floating in the sky is clearly interesting and unusual ( though their plant shattering cannon seem a bit too powerful.. )
Tthe Mapper 7 was a nice idea as well ^_^

Oh and nice avatar you made here XD

Being unable to leave Felarya's atmosphere, they wouldn't use the cannon anyway. It's just there for dramatic effect. At least as long as they are on Felarya.

I have completed the list of characters. These are the "essential" characters for the Star Skimmer. Others my show up, but they wont hold as much, if any significance.