"The Inquisitors." (OOC Thread)

[Lord Sithious]

Just like to say first off (and I'm hoping you're an actual person reading this instead of nobody even clicking on this topic) that this thread is mostly to get some info out, some ideas kicking, and a general idea of if people want this roleplay to become a reality or not. If you're interested, please let me know in this thread, I would love to know how many people, if anyone, is interested. Now, onto the story (what little of it I can tell you. I must keep some surprises, mustn't I? wink )

Dalcaria...

The crown jewel of a foreign world... The super powered nation of a planet teeming with even more power... The epicenter of all economics, all politics, and all important events on this far off and gleaming particle in the universe...

Dalcaria... The Greatest Empire known to all the inhabitants of this Earth-like planet.

It wasn't always like this for Dalcaria...

It has been approximately 3 years since the end of the civil war that rocked Dalcaria, and in fact the entire world. Nobody was really sure what possible outcome would have happened by the end, whether it would be good or bad. Dalcaria is still a King and Queenless Empire under the direction of a Dictator, the new Grand Chancellor, but so far this new Grand Chancellor has been far better to his fellow Dalcarians, and to the foreigners who also inhabit this land, than the last one.

The death camps have been shut down, the fascist council has had many big changes (with many of it's members being put in jail, or even executed depending on their crimes), and House Black has been stripped of any and all power, banned from legal existence as an organization, and hunted down to the very edges of the Empire. Dalcaria had solved its internal problems, and even its external ones.

Before the new Grand Chancellor even had time to be sworn in, enemies from foreign nations had already been poised to strike at Dalcaria, expecting the whole nation to be weak from internal turmoil. But they did not expect the Grand Chancellor to strike back so quickly and viciously, and when he did, he brought the nation's enemies to their knees. It was very soon after that the Grand Chancellor had suggested a peace treaty with the other nations, but nothing even close to a surrender. Dalcaria ended up keeping some of the territories it claimed, but these have not been declared colonies, territories, and certainly not provinces yet. The new government has decided to wait until they are certain of how the inhabitants of these new regions feel before the Grand Chancellor and his government decide what course of action to take.

It has been a very busy number of years for the nation, but the Grand Chancellor, the hero of the war, Champion of Dalcaria, and Protector of the People has done a good job so far. Some may hate him, some may love him, but none can deny that he is certainly a better Grand Chancellor than the last one, or any of the other men who fought for this same title too.

However, there is one thing that is true for Dalcaria, an unspoken yet unforgotten truth. There is always danger facing this nation, and it has been this way since the Empire was formed so many centuries ago. It was only about 200 years ago or so, when steam power first came into action, that Dalcaria had one of the most vicious wars ever fought on it's soil, a war fought against the most terrible and dreaded race known to anyone; demons. The demons have been dead since then for the most part, with a few here and there popping up to terrorize some poor towns folks, but usually they are taken care of by special demon hunters.

Once upon a time though? Well, let's just talk about that...

Once upon a time, Dalcaria had none of these "hunters", these "detectives" if you will, no one they could immediately turn to for help against the demons. The army could fight them, and did in fact fight them, but it was never enough. However during this time, and since the earliest ages of Dalcaria in fact, maybe even before the Empire was formed, there were people who weren't just "demon hunters", they were demon slayers. They were men and women, priests, knights, and all around heroes who belonged to the Temple. This was an organization that, although it had some religious aspects, mostly has focused on using magics, spiritual and religious methods, as well as many combat based methods, to find and obliterate demons. However, during the reign of the last Grand Chancellor, this organization became less and less important as that Grand Chancellor worked to prop up his own, fascist and racist "Dalcarian purists" cult, dedicated to the ideal that only pure Dalcarian humans were fit to live. But times have changed, strange whispers have been floating around that the demons are returning, and in fuller force than ever before. Is this just some silly superstition of the rural folks outside of our great steam cities, or is there some inkling of truth?

Well, this is the end of the history lesson, and exactly where you come in. You are a person in Dalcaria. Maybe you're a Dalcarian, or maybe a foreigner, like one of the animal people from the Isles of Lishunda. Maybe you're a nobleman or woman, or maybe you're a prisoner. Maybe you're rich, maybe you're poor, maybe you're young, maybe you're old. None of these things matter. The only thing that matters one way or another is that you've been invited somewhere, and you've either chosen to go, or been forced somehow. The place you've just arrived at? The Imperial Palace of Dalcaria, the previous residence of our monarchs, the current residence of our Grand Chancellor. Someone very important wants to talk to you, all of you, and one way or another, it looks like they're going to.

Well ladies and gents? What do you think? This is long, I know, but I hope you enjoyed it! Message me here or pm me to let me know what you think! I'd love to get this thing off the ground, but I can't do it without people, so I need some feedback! Also, don't feel shy to answer the poll, I'm not sure about which name is better either.

(I edited this a bit to make it look a little nicer and a little more accurate, I was rushed last night so I made a few mistakes here and there.)

(Edited again: Say hello to your flag everyone! I admit, it's not as symetrical as I want it, but I can edit it slightly later. This is what the flag looks like though. I hope you all like it, let me know your thoughts on it if you get a chance.)  

[ZeroOtterz]

I love this....like i love the whole idea  

[Lord Sithious]

xXSpirit KnightXx

I love this....like i love the whole idea

Why thank you! I appreciate the feed back! I hope others feel the same way too! I should also mention, I will probably be posting some pics, or links to pics at least, in this thread to show what different parts of Dalcaria would look like, give you guys some ideas I suppose. I should also mention that the overall style of this "steampunk" isn't like the average steampunk you see with all the gears and what have you, it's a little closer to Dishonored I suppose, but it takes styles of clothing from the Victorian era to the early 1900's, and technology from about the same time to about WW2. As for architecture, you'll see a lot of classical building styles, stuff from around the same time period. However, the factories and places like that will have a mix of Dishonored and semi-regular steampunk technology in them. I'm kind of going for a minimalist look for the steampunk side of things, make it look more realistic I suppose. Hope this info helps give you some ideas, but I also hope it isn't a turn off for regular steampunk lovers.  

[Kaosujin Ryu]

Lord Sithious

xXSpirit KnightXx

I love this....like i love the whole idea

Why thank you! I appreciate the feed back! I hope others feel the same way too! I should also mention, I will probably be posting some pics, or links to pics at least, in this thread to show what different parts of Dalcaria would look like, give you guys some ideas I suppose. I should also mention that the overall style of this "steampunk" isn't like the average steampunk you see with all the gears and what have you, it's a little closer to Dishonored I suppose, but it takes styles of clothing from the Victorian era to the early 1900's, and technology from about the same time to about WW2. As for architecture, you'll see a lot of classical building styles, stuff from around the same time period. However, the factories and places like that will have a mix of Dishonored and semi-regular steampunk technology in them. I'm kind of going for a minimalist look for the steampunk side of things, make it look more realistic I suppose. Hope this info helps give you some ideas, but I also hope it isn't a turn off for regular steampunk lovers.

Interesting idea; I might be interested in it.  

[Lord Sithious]

Kaosujin Ryu

Interesting idea; I might be interested in it.

Thanks! If you've got any questions, comments, or suggestions, let me know them as well! I'd love to give everyone as vivid of an idea of what Dalcaria is like as is possible. Also, if there is any way I can incorporate the suggestions of others as well, I'd love to do that too! I should mention, in case I didn't make this clear before, magic does exist in Dalcaria, and it is accepted for the most part, however "dark witchcraft" also exists, but this is kinda like Skyrim, or The Elder Scrolls I suppose, witches; actually evil people and not just poor old women. But many magic users are not evil, so it is in no way a requirement to be an evil magic user. smile  

[Lord Sithious]

It might also be good to mention that electricity of a sort will exist in this time, but there may be a few "Tesla" like people here and there in Dalcaria. wink Also, guns will range from "flintlock" pistols (much like the ones in Dishonored, however the ones in Dalcaria will act more like an early 1900's pistol, being able to hold 5 or six shots within the gun itself, NOT outside the gun like in Dishonored) to early 1900's pistols like revolvers and the top down loaders like Mausers, or that odd Austrian gun I can't seem to remember. XD Rifles will also exist, and I'll provide some examples of the kinds later, as well as shotguns and "assualt rifles". These "assault rifles" are about as high tech as weapons get, and they'll be an interesting thing to deal with as some will be more "steampunk" styled and others will look more WW1ish, though I don't believe WW2 styled assault rifles will make an appearance, since they are too dieselpunk to be honest. So I hope you folks like wood grain on your guns, because you may get a lot of that. xd

As for transportation... Well, cars may make it on the scene, if you've seen "The Woman In Black", the car used in that will be what the average car looks like (but keep in mind these vehicles will be VERY expensive to buy, or even steal, so don't expect to see too many of them). There will also be zepplines of a sort, boats and ships, trains, and some planes, but I'm still working on exactly which planes will suit Dalcaria the best, so I don't have much to tell you about them yet.  

[The_Sane_Hatter]

Pappy likes, Oh jesh, PAPPY LIKE.

'Specially seeing as you've manage to incorporate my three favorite times periods into one. Something about the late 1800's to early 1900's is so damn.... Classy.

Permission to come aboard, Captain?  

[Lord Sithious]

The_Sane_Hatter

Pappy likes, Oh jesh, PAPPY LIKE.

'Specially seeing as you've manage to incorporate my three favorite times periods into one. Something about the late 1800's to early 1900's is so damn.... Classy.

Permission to come aboard, Captain?

Thanks! Glad to see it appeals to you as well! And yes, I'm hoping to keep things VERY classy, I'll see about posting some clothing pics or something later, give everyone a chance to get an idea of styles and what have you.

And permission definitely granted! The more the merrier, and I'm hoping to get quite a few if at all possible!  

[The_Sane_Hatter]

Interested to see where exactly the cutoffs for weapons are. Would a M1911 or Luger be acceptable? They were invented around the time of World War One, but then again, they're basically the first modern handguns. Also wondering if the 1918 Browning Automatic Rifle fits into the Assault Rifle category, along with what I'm assuming would be the Chauchats and Lewis Guns.


So many ideas in the works.  

[Lord Sithious]

The_Sane_Hatter

Interested to see where exactly the cutoffs for weapons are. Would a M1911 or Luger be acceptable? They were invented around the time of World War One, but then again, they're basically the first modern handguns. Also wondering if the 1918 Browning Automatic Rifle fits into the Assault Rifle category, along with what I'm assuming would be the Chauchats and Lewis Guns.


So many ideas in the works.

So, I would probably have to say no to the 1911, only because it is a handgun that is still in use even today! It just seems too modern, even though it's 100 years old. As for the Luger, I may permit something that looks Lugerish, but I'm still a little unsure, simply because it too was modern for the time. The 1918 Browning is a prime example of what "high-tech" weapons in this roleplay will probably look like, so there is a decent chance I will allow it, however there was also some kind of Canadian rifle that I have a pic of and will try to provide later on, for me the Canadian one was a pretty good example too. Of course, "bolt action" type rifles will still be a norm in this world, but I'm going to try and make them look as old as possible, going back to rifles like the Martini Henry that the British used during the wars in South Africa against the Zulus. Weapons like that however will have small cartridges that will allow for more ammunition (say about 5-8 rounds or so), since weapons in this roleplay have modernized relatively well. Also, as for the Lewis gun, I may allow it, but I'm going to try and find something like it with more wood to it. I know that may sound odd, but wood was classy, and it kinda fits with the time period, so I'm going to try and include it as much as possible.  

[The_Sane_Hatter]

Lord Sithious

So, I would probably have to say no to the 1911, only because it is a handgun that is still in use even today! It just seems too modern, even though it's 100 years old. As for the Luger, I may permit something that looks Lugerish, but I'm still a little unsure, simply because it too was modern for the time. The 1918 Browning is a prime example of what "high-tech" weapons in this roleplay will probably look like, so there is a decent chance I will allow it, however there was also some kind of Canadian rifle that I have a pic of and will try to provide later on, for me the Canadian one was a pretty good example too. Of course, "bolt action" type rifles will still be a norm in this world, but I'm going to try and make them look as old as possible, going back to rifles like the Martini Henry that the British used during the wars in South Africa against the Zulus. Weapons like that however will have small cartridges that will allow for more ammunition (say about 5-8 rounds or so), since weapons in this roleplay have modernized relatively well. Also, as for the Lewis gun, I may allow it, but I'm going to try and find something like it with more wood to it. I know that may sound odd, but wood was classy, and it kinda fits with the time period, so I'm going to try and include it as much as possible.

Gotcha. Figured the 1911 and Luger would be out. And since I just remembered, I'm assuming no full-auto conversion Mausers? xd

Interesting to see that Canadian rifle. Sometimes forget they've even got an army. So find more wood, gotcha. I've got the feeling I'm gong to be looking over ALOT of bolt and lever actions to try and find something nifty. Or just be lazy and go with a Model 1887 Winchester.  

[Lord Sithious]

The_Sane_Hatter

Gotcha. Figured the 1911 and Luger would be out. And since I just remembered, I'm assuming no full-auto conversion Mausers? xd

Interesting to see that Canadian rifle. Sometimes forget they've even got an army. So find more wood, gotcha. I've got the feeling I'm gong to be looking over ALOT of bolt and lever actions to try and find something nifty. Or just be lazy and go with a Model 1887 Winchester.

I'd stay away from full auto Mausers, but if you've got "mods" attachted to it (ala' Bioshock, for reference) I might be forgiving. I am trying to go for a more minimalist steampunk, but I found that Bioshock's steam/dieselpunk type of weapon mods fit well, so I'm more accepting of things that hold close to that.

Yeah, we Canucks aren't well known for it, especially since our first rifle (from the same company that made the one I'm talking about I believe) actually was pretty badly made, something about the barrel always over heating. Whenever we got the chance, we'd grab Enfields or whatever the enemy was carrying, as far as I know at least. It's strange too how the first rifle we made sucked so bad, and yet Canadian troops in both WW1 and WW2 did a pretty wicked job on the battlefield, but we also didn't have as many troops as the British or other nations involved. Anyways, back to the topic. Yeah, wood would (no pun intended) be nice, but depending on what the guns look like, I may make exceptions here and there. The problem is that I am very lacking artistically, so instead of making my own weapons up, I have to borrow from existing weapons, or art. You could go with something like a Winchester I suppose, but you can be more creative than that if you like, this roleplay won't be starting up for a bit since I still have more materials I need to gather. If you find any weapons though, send me a pic, or post it here, and I'll say if it passes the "Dalcarian Historical Accuracy Test". xd  

[The_Sane_Hatter]

Out of curiosity, about how long was the Dalcarian Civil War? And when the old regime was ousted, would it be possible for a military figure to stay in his position if he was deemed loyal to the new government?

Fleshing out some details of two characters.

EDIT: Although it's a World War Two Era gun, might the FG-42 pass the Dalacarian Historical Accuracy test?
EDIT X2: An FG-42 Model 2, or late war version. Wooden stock as opposed to stamped steel. It's just such a cool looking thingy.

EDIT 3rd Times the Charm:

Ok, so since I'm bored and have nothing better to do, fleshed out characters.

Lieutenant Colonel Lucius Von Herzenstein, a figure of the the old regime that never really liked the monarchs, from a family of suck-ups to the crown, most executed or fled in early days of the revolution, leaving him heir to the estate. Male, old enough to be a veteran of the Dalacarian Civil War and the war after it. Known for having a hands-on leadership approach, and taking part in the heavy front-line combat of the hellish Northern front. Battalion suffered heavy causalities, and in constant need of new soldiers, or dealing with frightened de-moralized lads. After becoming fed up of sending wide-eyed greenhorns to their death, started dabbling in dark arts, raising dead soldiers and cursing still-living ones, including himself, into combat hardened monsters. He dulled their fear, took away pain, and gave them an aura of terror. Needless to say, it was hellishly effective. Unfortunately, casualties still remained higher than average, do to soldiers losing their minds and being unable to deal with what they'd become anymore. In the last days of the war against the foreign enemies, Von Herzenstein was gravely injured leading a charge into a an enemy encampment. Caught in the explosion of a (Chemical? Like gas, if not, then steam) weapons cache, suffered severe facial disfigurement and damage to the outer layer of the left side of his body, and lungs, and left him blind in his left eye. Has gotten better, sort of, and is summoned to help deal with the current threat. Skilled in close quarters fighting, if he can keep his enemies on his right. Fights with a Model 1735 Derfflinger Saber, and a Mauser C96. In terms of special abilities, he still practices the dark arts, and he is cursed, feeling little pain, fear, or fatigue. However, that isn't all it's cracked up to be. As such, he can be injured and not notice, letting minor wounds fester and develop complications. Also, just because you can't feel your muscles giving out, doesn't mean they aren't. Will forget to sleep, or just choose not to, to avoid the horrible nightmares he suffers, and just drop randomly. Also cannot feel joy, food tastes of ash, and drink of oil.


Thats what I got so far for him. Second characted so far is a sort of assistant/only friend,Captain Otto Gerschwin. He's less of a cursed solider, and as such feels more pain and fear than the Lieutenant Colonel, at the benefit of retaining more of his humanity. Wields some sort of automatic rifle, and carries a shortened Model 1887 shotgun (More sawed off than any picture I can find, hold three shells in the tube, and one in the chamber). Also has one of them badass trench knives they were still allowed to use in the First World War.  

[Lord Sithious]

The_Sane_Hatter

Out of curiosity, about how long was the Dalcarian Civil War? And when the old regime was ousted, would it be possible for a military figure to stay in his position if he was deemed loyal to the new government?

Fleshing out some details of two characters.

EDIT: Although it's a World War Two Era gun, might the FG-42 pass the Dalacarian Historical Accuracy test?
EDIT X2: An FG-42 Model 2, or late war version. Wooden stock as opposed to stamped steel. It's just such a cool looking thingy.

EDIT 3rd Times the Charm:

Ok, so since I'm bored and have nothing better to do, fleshed out characters.

Lieutenant Colonel Lucius Von Herzenstein, a figure of the the old regime that never really liked the monarchs, from a family of suck-ups to the crown, most executed or fled in early days of the revolution, leaving him heir to the estate. Male, old enough to be a veteran of the Dalacarian Civil War and the war after it. Known for having a hands-on leadership approach, and taking part in the heavy front-line combat of the hellish Northern front. Battalion suffered heavy causalities, and in constant need of new soldiers, or dealing with frightened de-moralized lads. After becoming fed up of sending wide-eyed greenhorns to their death, started dabbling in dark arts, raising dead soldiers and cursing still-living ones, including himself, into combat hardened monsters. He dulled their fear, took away pain, and gave them an aura of terror. Needless to say, it was hellishly effective. Unfortunately, casualties still remained higher than average, do to soldiers losing their minds and being unable to deal with what they'd become anymore. In the last days of the war against the foreign enemies, Von Herzenstein was gravely injured leading a charge into a an enemy encampment. Caught in the explosion of a (Chemical? Like gas, if not, then steam) weapons cache, suffered severe facial disfigurement and damage to the outer layer of the left side of his body, and lungs, and left him blind in his left eye. Has gotten better, sort of, and is summoned to help deal with the current threat. Skilled in close quarters fighting, if he can keep his enemies on his right. Fights with a Model 1735 Derfflinger Saber, and a Mauser C96. In terms of special abilities, he still practices the dark arts, and he is cursed, feeling little pain, fear, or fatigue. However, that isn't all it's cracked up to be. As such, he can be injured and not notice, letting minor wounds fester and develop complications. Also, just because you can't feel your muscles giving out, doesn't mean they aren't. Will forget to sleep, or just choose not to, to avoid the horrible nightmares he suffers, and just drop randomly. Also cannot feel joy, food tastes of ash, and drink of oil.


Thats what I got so far for him. Second characted so far is a sort of assistant/only friend,Captain Otto Gerschwin. He's less of a cursed solider, and as such feels more pain and fear than the Lieutenant Colonel, at the benefit of retaining more of his humanity. Wields some sort of automatic rifle, and carries a shortened Model 1887 shotgun (More sawed off than any picture I can find, hold three shells in the tube, and one in the chamber). Also has one of them badass trench knives they were still allowed to use in the First World War.

So, for the first part, technically the civil war went on for about 3 years or so I believe? I need to recheck my dates, but about that time. Now, most of this time was NOT fighting, but during this time many groups schemed and prepared for war against the other factions. It wasn't until the final year that the fighting really kicked it into high gear, and that lasted for around a few weeks to a few months, not sure how long it was just yet. Also, yes MANY military figures were allowed to keep their positions, most in fact becaues much of the national army was overseas at war, and they refused to come back with the faction associated with the army, claiming that their position overseas was more important than the petty politics back home. In the end, the new Grand Chancellor was very greatful for their staunch position and granted most of the overseas army their original positions, or even gave them promotions where it seemed due.

I may be willing to let this gun in as well. I should note that the faction that would have had the easiest access to weapons like this would probably have been House Black, but other factions may have had limited access to them as well. That said, I think I can allow it.

Interesting character, and he would fit very well with the House Black faction from the civil war. I should warn you though, House Black was hunted down viciously, so he would have to either have been hiding for the past few years and has been summoned as a second chance, or he wasn't as evil as his fellow House Black officers (if he is in House Black). I love the outfit too, fits perfectly with the outfits of the House Black officers! Let me know what your thoughts are on what I said about your character, I'd like him to fit as close as possible to your idea while still fitting in with some of the history that has happened. Also, the foreign wars were going on at the same time as the Civil War, and only lasted for a few days or weeks after the Civil War ended, so you may want to edit when he fought in the wars slightly, but let me know what you think in case you have some other ideas for it as well.

I like the second character as well, he too would fit somewhat well with House Black, but his outfit might be closer to that of the Dalcarian Army. I have a pic somewhere of what the army would have worn, and it was obviously German looking, but I believe it was grey. Black is more the color of House Black. Also, Dalcarians are mostly supposed to have Britishy sounding names, but we can talk more about names and places and see what we can come up with. Your characters could be foreigners, could have chosen their own name as if they were sort of like the Nobles, or I could even just say the name comes from one area of Dalcaria or another, whatever floats your boat.

Also, two more things I would like to mention. Firstly, I'm glad you brought up the sword because I forgot to mention that yes, swords are allowed in this roleplay as well, but I advise people to be careful what they choose. There aren't really any particular sword styles in this world, so I'll allow many things, but don't go too overboard with the fantasy swords I suppose.

Next, although this world is very advanced, most of the world is still unexplored (it's quite a big world), so there are many secret places across the world. Dalcaria has been fully explored pretty much (as it is an Island Continent if you will), but many places remain undiscovered.

I don't know if I mentioned this either, but there isn't exactly a main religion in Dalcaria, but most people believe in "The One" (the monotheistic god of this world and many others), but this is a very vague belief that is still being researched heavily. There is also a few "pagan" or "druid" beliefs (more or less belief in multiple gods or worship of nature) but I haven't really put much detail into these beliefs, so it's open to your creativity. Also, there is the religion the last Grand Chancellor tried to put in, the "humans are gods" type religion, but that one was not widely believed outside of the old fascist regime leaders and House Black. There is also demon worship, but I can get into that later if you all wish. Lets just say their were demon princes, but something happened years ago and they got pretty badly beaten.  

[Lord Sithious]

One other thing I'd like to mention, in case you're wondering about how a character might look in this roleplay, I'm fairly open to different looks (including anime styles of character), but something for the gents to look at (if you're making a gent character) might be someone like Vincent Price. I myself am going to have a few gentleman type characters, and one of them will be following the Vincent Price sort of look. On that note as well, clothing will be a big mash up of styles from the 1800's (maybe even 1700's) up to the early 1900's. I'll post some reference pics later to help out too.