Post by Tirya on Apr 3, 2014 17:07:22 GMT -5
Welcome to The Storm Nexus!
IMPORTANT: Before you proceed, please know that this is a NON-CANON, INFORMATION-HEAVY, SANDBOX game. It's a much more classically Perny game in practice than one might think from just reading our game information, but it is definitely NOT a game for people who just want to glance at the history to see what the local plot is and then toss in their characters. If you enjoy a detailed, comprehensive setting that is carefully thought out and has a LOT of variety and potential for characters and plots, and if you enjoy reading, this is a good game for you.
If just this little warning is TL;DR to you, on the other hand, then you may want to move on. XD Storm Nexus is a great game, but it is not for everyone. There is a LOT of information here. But I swear, it's less complex than it looks! I'm just terrible at being concise.;p -- Knife, SN's Head Admin
Currently seeking dragon Candidates for our latest clutch; adult dragonriders of all sorts; and adult wherhandlers of all sorts, as we are about to get the wher side of the game more active and organized. Also raiders, holdless, traders and other assorted folk.
As we are just gearing up again after a hiatus, we are open to just about all character types right now! This INCLUDES adult Kings (bronzes), both wher and dragon!
-FEATURES-
- Set on Pern with most of the familiar setting features you'd expect, but with some historical and setting changes inspired largely by Dune and to a lesser degree by other sources. There is no need to have read Dune, or even the Pern books, to understand the setting, however. Everything you need to know to play Storm Nexus is available in our site documentation.
- We are now using diogenessbeast's Multi-Format RP System! In essence, it is now possible to participate in the game by creating art, writing stories/poetry/etc., and posting livechat RP logs. These are considered 'activity' in precisely the same way as normal forum RP posts, and are rewarded with marks in a similar way. In this way you can participate in the game in ways other than just RPing on the forum!
- We have a large admin shop and marks system. including random bags!
- More or less canon caste system for dragonkind. The six familiar ranks (the basic five plus sport/'white') are present. Instead of having additional new colors, I have divorced the hide color from the concept of draconic caste altogether. This frees players to design their dragons more or less however they want. (Also, our queens can chew stone and flame because they were designed by a team in our history rather than a traditionalistic old Asian lady, although they still fly in a low wing set aside for them because they're so big and relatively slow.)
- There is "magic," although it isn't magic in the traditional sense. There's a big emphasis on quantum physics. The science is fuzzy, but just accurate enough to be fun and to help the suspension of disbelief (in the head admin's opinion, anyway!)
- No sexuality-based Impressions. Candidate sex is almost irrelevant. (Male queenriders are limited, but exist. Female kingriders are loosely limited.) Impression is all about personality and player/character preference.
- Like running Hatchings? Players can in SN, even if they have no clutching female characters! At the same time, players who do NOT like running clutches may still play queens if they wish. There is total flexibility on this point. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the game and express themselves creatively.
- The Pern aspect of the game is inspired by the mood of Dragonflight rather than the rest of the series. Remember the reference in early Dragonflight to "tapestries depicting Pern's bloody history", and to people who were "Soldier-bred"? Yeah. This is -that- version of Pern, not the mysteriously sanitized later-series version of Pern.
- Non-dragonrider characters aren't just encouraged but NEEDED for critical site plots! Both major Holds in the PC Weyr's territory have PCs based at them, including the ruling families! There's even significant RP potential for holdless and similar characters!
- Two additional sentient toolmaker species, both capable of Impression, available as PCs in addition to normal humans!
- Unique species, Impressible and otherwise, found only in this game! Players can buy, earn, or win special tickets giving them the privilege to create a new such species, too!
- Modern Storm Nexus Pern's technology level ranges from Dark Ages to early Renaissance at very best. More variety of regional subculture and dialect than in canon Pern, so more character background variety.
- The Southern Continent has recently been discovered IC. Already it has been found to contain new pets, working animals, and bondables, as well as other strange discoveries and events!
-PLOT POINTS-
There is lot of variety in the game's major plots, ranging from the romantic and political machinations of the higher levels of leadership at Plateau Weyr to very dark and ugly sagas involving bold raider bands and acquisitive Fax-like Lord Holders to high adventure and exploration in the Southern and Far Western Continents. Admittedly, the overall course of events has been quite dark and Crapsack World-y in recent times, but individual players are free to explore as wide a variety of moods and storylines as they please. It's a big sandbox.
In short, no matter what your taste in theme and mood, there will likely be at least one major plotline that will appeal specifically to your inclinations -- and if there's not, we're very open to player-suggested major and minor plots!
LATEST PLOT POINTS!
Spring has sprung, bringing with it a host of problems and challenges for long-suffering Plateau Weyr. Senior Queen Seystrenth has finally clutched, a full month overdue. She survived, but the laying was painful and difficult. In the end, just over half of the clutch was found inviable for one reason or another. But fifteen forlorn eggs survive - some damaged or deformed, others remarkably whole-looking. Those dragons still able to fly in the magically disrupted climate have fanned out in Search, but there is a melancholy perfunctoriness about them. Although Seystrenth insists the remaining eggs are alive and viable, many bettors are laying odds that most or all of the eggs will fail to Hatch.
In their foolish attempt to create an environmental hazard for their Craft-fellows among the Weyrs, some mages among the Raiders instead managed to contaminate the exudate of a certain volcano in the South. Everywhere the ash from this blast spreads, magic fails. The more ash is present, the worse the failure. Now, in a large swath of the Southern Continent, reality is locked so firmly that dragons cannot even fly, nor can Therioi shapeshift. Some unfortunate Therioi, in alternate forms when the volcano erupted, became stuck in those forms. These effects persist until the affected can escape to an area totally free of the ash, then wash it from themselves. This can take a significant amount of time, due to how far the eruption spread the ash, and some explorers are still trapped in the South.
Unfortunately, those fleeing the South, and their well-meaning friends and allies, did not realize that in doing so, they were only bringing the ash to places it would otherwise never have gone... including Plateau Weyr.
As such, magic is now unreliable and difficult to use throughout the Northern Continent, but especially at Plateau Weyr since they had the largest number of people in the South during the eruption. Unfortunately, only a handful of people have made the connection between the trip South and the odd failure of all magic, and none of them have realized that the ash is the key. So the problem continues to spread... and get worse. Most of the dragons are still able to fly, but the more Southern explorers return to the North, the worse the problem goes, spreading wherever the dust goes...
Finally, the Impression of Lord Camiron of Skullstones to the first known Worg has the rest of the Lords and Ladies Holder in an uproar. Mentat Oprierd of Hilltop, his own activities and powers hampered by the volcanic dust, is desperately jealous, and may do something uncharacteristically foolish in his drive to turn this new resource to his own advantage...
Weyrwoman Qir and Senior Queen Seystrenth look forward to seeing your characters around Plateau Weyr...! (NOTE: If you're having trouble finding the link to the game, click the banner at the top.)