Author Topic: The Advent  (Read 1509 times)

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Offline Kopsje

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The Advent
« on: September 29, 2021, 08:57:17 AM »
The Advent
A character Roleplay

The City of Brascroen Is the second most populace within Sudmark hosting an estimated populace of around 4.6 million inhabitants.  Often called the sunless Den of Vices given its extreme southern location, the city has made itself internationally known for its plethora of casinos, adult clubs, and other points of peculiar flavor. Straddling the outskirts of the inner steppe and bordering the Antalin to the south. Brascroen shines like a gleaming gem amidst the hazy fog of the sea and the scrub of the land. Its bright neon lights inviting all who wish to indulge themselves in their most hedonistic desires. Even the local government, though just barely tolerating the city has not attempted to crack down on the rampant black market that permeates throughout the city’s various alleyways and privatized docks, for fear of driving the prosperity Brascroen brings to the country as a whole. Indeed, among its many patrons one can often find disillusioned Coast and National Guard who have taken to the city to relieve themselves of their military duties, unsavory figures from all walks of life making a living through dishonest and often illegal means, and even the naive commoner who thought to take a chance at making it big through the city’s many opportunistic avenues.  It’s even said high profile officials from other countries the Welt over hold influence in the higher echelons of the city’s social networks. Of course, those are simply rumors; any scandal that may arise from the city involving a foreign official or two entirely a matter of coincidence as the Sudmark Government will be more than ready to reassure you. Besides either from disinterest or fear of jeopardizing diplomatic ties, the Sudmark government has more often than not refused to pursue such claims turning a blind eye to the cities less than savory side.

It is not just Vice and pleasure the city provides though. It may surprise many to learn Brascroen originated as a research outpost meant to study the vast natural phenomena of the Antalin. Now the Ehrentraud Institute of Research and Study, serves as the bastion of the more erudite inclined providing a refuge for those who come to learn and feast on knowledge rather than primal urges. It is within the outskirts of Brascroen this fountain of knowledge and study lies away from the undesirable den of sin and its less desirable patrons. The Ehrentraud Institute has also been known to act as a waypoint between the Hygelac research facilities and the rest of mundus often acting as a staging ground for new arrivals to prepare themselves before journeying to the frozen continent as well as hosting returning researchers and staff for recovery before they depart to their own home countries. In this regard the Ehrentruad Institute is as much a Sudmark facility as it is an international one. It is rumored by the city folk that deep beneath the facility proper lies an undisclosed vault. Of which the exact location is known only to a few select individuals within the Sudmark government and other foreign entities. In this vault lies the darkest of secrets revealed from the frozen continent. Some say alien lifeforms that have been recovered beneath the frozen surface, others once previously extinct animals that have somehow managed to survive in the deepest reaches of Hygelac. Still some suggest the facility holds numerous samples of diseases long believed to be cured, others unknown to the common man. Whether any of these accusations are true is known only to the staff and the select few who deal with the facility, that is assuming the vault exists at all of course.   

A setting of two worlds, one of pleasure and primal urges, the other of vigorous study and ever uncovering mysteries. This is the City of Brascroen, the gem of the south, the last bastion of civilization before the frigid sea of the Antalin, a gateway to the even more seemingly inhospitable yet mystifying polar continent.  It is here in this den of vice and pleasure, of knowledge and discovery that you find yourself. Perhaps your path takes you to the penthouse of a high influential gathering vying for more power and prestige among the upper echelons of high society. Or maybe you’ve ventured here to this hidden corner of the Welt, with nothing more than the clothes on your back, desperate to strike it big with one of the numerous criminal factions that infest the back alleys of the city. Maybe your presence is of a more official nature; seeking information only obtainable through the calculated and unseen eyes of an intelligence agent every wary to avoid detection from the Sudmark government, perhaps you have taken up Residence in the Ehrentraud Institute of Research and Study preparing for a voyage to the southern continent or uncovering the mysteries and secrets of those who dared to take the journey. Maybe you’re none of these. You may just be one of countless others who seek to take a relieve yourself from the weariness of life and partake in the rush of the gamble in the casinos and clubs. In the end your business is yours alone yet all of you through fate may be brought together with one goal in mind.

Escape.


OOC: Welcome! In this roleplay you will partake in the role of a character or characters from your own nation who resides in the southernmost Sudmark city of Brascroen. The city itself is a typical metropolitan city that is renowned for its gambling industry and its culture of tolerance for prospective patrons. Due to this it is far more cosmopolitan than the rest Sudmark. The city itself has no fixed layout so feel free to describe/add to it in whatever way suits your narrative needs. The only thing of note is that Sudmark is a Germanic inspired country and as such most residents will have names reflecting that, though its not required. Besides its gambling, the city hosts a research facility known as the Ehrentraud Institute of Research and Study (EIRS) which serves as an international auxiliary research station primarily to service and cooperate with the various research groups and missions into the polar continent of Hygelac. 

Your character can be of whatever caliber you wish, it is preferable that they are not your country’s leader or any other character of immediate importance of a similar vein though that won’t be denied should you choose. Otherwise, all other characters are welcome including intelligence agents and military personal. The RP will take place just prior and during a political and domestic crisis within the country of Sudmark in which your character(s) will inevitable be trapped within the city due to circumstances that will be revealed latter. Your recommended goal is to escape the city, though whether you choose to do so or not is entirely up to you. Perhaps leaving is simply not an option for you and you would rather whether the crisis. Perhaps you will work with the local authority to resolve the crisis. Or perhaps you simply seek to profit from the chaos. The choice is yours.

The RP will have a lightly linier story to it, in the form of events outside the city and occurring through Sudmark as a whole and that the central focus will be the city of Brascroen itself and the events that occur there; while your character is free to engage in whatever path/decision they choose in the city itself. In time the RP may open up to the rest of the country. This will be my first OP driven RP so I apologize in advance if it turns out chaotic/bad/not to your liking.

There is no need for a Character sign up, you can just jump right in.   

Offline DaveIronside

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Re: The Advent
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2021, 09:27:33 PM »
Archie Earle equally loved and loathed Brascroen. It was a useful location for his needs but it was on the arse end of Mundus as far as he was concerned, far too South, far too cold and usually when he arrived here it meant something had gone wrong. Today was no different. He'd driven straight from the airport in a rented car to one of the cities multitude of private docks. It seemed that a shipment of some rather innocent art works was being given a rather more stringent than normal once over by the local authorities. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but the same dock was one that was often used by Earle's boss Bryson Kemp for some of his more nefarious import and export efforts. That had seen Archie cultivate a relationship here with some of the local officials and the guy who was now holding up this shipment was one that Earle had not expected to be a thorn in his side. As he pulled up at the docks he made his way into the office of the local management and found the guy he had come all this way to see.

"Good Morning sir" Archie greeted the nuisance as he entered the office.

"Mr.Earle" the response came. "What brings you all this way?" The rotund man sat behind the desk asked with a knowing smile.

"Well it would appear that you have my shipment held up in some kind of check that is taking far too long. Especially considering the arrangements I made." While it was clear to both Earle and the man opposite what he meant it perhaps wouldn't to any casual member of admin staff who happened to come in.

"Ah, well Sir sadly those arrangements have changed." Earle was not pleased but he had suspected something like this would be going on. "Port fees have increased, the government have brought in extra bits of paperwork. You know how it is." Earle did indeed know how it was, he kept a close eye on the rules for the nations he did business with and he knew that this guy was talking absolute nonsense.

"Give me a moment" Earle held up a hand for a moment as he reached into his pocket and removed a mobile phone tapping a few buttons. He then placed it on the table and also an envelope. "Two options. The first is you take this envelope of money as a one off good will payment to get those through and then we return to normal procedures. Option two is you try and haggle and that phones image will be sent to everyone you've ever meet." The official picked up the phone and quickly put it back down. It had been three years ago when this arrangement had first taken place and he'd been in debt. A lifestyle of too much time in the casino's had taken a toll and then Earle had found him. The pair had done a deal that the local would help Earle move things into and out of the country with ease no questions asked and in return he got a nice chunk of monthly cash. One of the first jobs though had been to help get rid of a dead-body. A woman had heard of Earle's deals with a local gun runner and the Morelander had been left with little choice than making sure she didn't snitch. The dock official had been tasked with getting rid of the body and now the phone showed a freeze frame of the video Earle had ensured was made for just circumstances as this. "Now what are we going to do?"

The man's hand came out from under the desk and swept the envelope of cash into a draw. "I think Mr.Earle that all your documents will be in order in just a few minutes or so."

"Excellent" Earle stood and extended a hand, "Stay out the casino's and lets not have me head this far south again". With that Earle buttoned up his suit jacket and headed off. He's spend a few days here checking up on a few contacts and ensuring this sneaky official did what he'd agreed to. Earle had booked a suite at a casino, he didn't play much himself except for the odd hand of low stakes blackjack over a whiskey and soda but he did like the rooms, and the showgirls who worked there. His unsavory work done he headed off to his home for the next few days leaving his rental car in the hands of some valet driver while he retired to his room to soak in a tub with a nice glass of wine before showing his face downstairs.



OOC- No idea what you want in terms of an opening post but hope this is OK.

Offline Kopsje

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Re: The Advent
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2021, 12:16:37 PM »
Brascroen-Mainland Sudmark, Private Docks

Evening

“What the bloody hell do you mean one more?!” An irritated and gruff male voice erupted in annoyance causing his younger co-worker to jump at the unexpected outburst.

“Hey don’t get mad at me! I’m just telling you what the boss told me.” The younger man replied throwing his hands in the air.

The private docking business was one of Brascroen’s more well-known industries and while it was true that it was nowhere near as profitable as the Casinos downtown, the plethora of docking enterprises around the cities shores offered a niche service that served both foreigner and Sudmarker alike. These private docks also served as something of an express shipping service for those who wanted to skip the headache and slower process that was the federally owned dockyard or had particular requirements and needs when it came to processing. The downside of course was that unlike the Federal Dockyard the private docks were not a 24-hour service, more often than not required an ‘extra handling fee’ that always seemed to disappear upon payment, and depending on the specific business could not cater to every type of ship. Unfortunately for the workers of this particular dock that last part was not a problem.

“Hey, why don’t you go on ahead. Me and Walls can handle this, doesn’t look like a big load anyway.” A calmer and more collected voice offered to the youngest of the three workers reassuring the youth with a friendly smile.

“Well, what the hell was that, Bruan? Do you not feel how cold it is out here?! It would have gone a lot quicker if the kid was with us.”  Walls (short for Waldbert) huffed in disapproval while shivering.

“Because Walls, unlike you and I the kid is going to school which means he can actually make something of himself. Instead of becoming some bitter balding middle-aged dockworker…” Bruan replied with a taunting grin at his

“Well, when you put it like that. Who am I to get in the way of the education of our youths…” Walls shot back, mockingly.

It was only partly true and both of them knew it. The lad was still innocent and naïve about the way the city worked especially since he was one of those islanders. Ekarati was it? In a way the two older dock workers felt responsible for him and, at least in Braun's case, wanted to protect him from the corruption that permeated throughout the city. Not that it wouldn’t find him sooner or later. Still, this was their own little way of looking after him. Besides both of them were in this business long enough to know that these last-minute dockings never came from a place of professionalism and certainly not from the kindness of management.

“What’s with this traffic anyway? The guys from Heinz dock keep getting them too.” Walls asked curiously. It was a rather unusual phenomenon and while the occasional last minute illicit shipment was to be expected, it wasn’t just criminal elements that kept business going. There was some sort of surge in random goods that kept many of the private docks busy on top of the Federal shipping yard. Hell, sometimes the orders were even from the Feds themselves.

“Who knows. Supposedly the Feds have been doing heavy construction on the isles, got a military base there or something.”  Bruan mused ever watchful as the incoming shipment gradually made its way to the dock.

“Course it’s the damn Feds. Is nowhere safe from the government. Don’t they even realize practically all the protests downtown are because of their overreach?”

“Walls, mate, I never realized you were so political. You should run for electorate! Show the feds what’s what.” Braun jokingly replied inciting an amused grunt from his co-worker.

Now that he mentioned it though Bruan had recalled downtown being host to quite a lot of activism these days. Not that he payed it much mind. As far as he was concerned politics was just pointless bickering. Finally, the last-minute shipment made its way to the dock and following a few exchanged words with the crew the two dock workers began processing. Braun noted that this particular shipment included a variety of artworks. Whatever, he though to himself and once their work was done Bruan bid Walls a goodnight before making his way to the Casinos. After all, there were perks to an extended shift especially if said shift involved breaking a law or two. 








« Last Edit: December 11, 2021, 09:19:38 AM by Sudmark »

Offline Kopsje

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Re: The Advent
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2021, 09:37:22 AM »
OOC NOTE: The previous post has been edited to cut out a lot of stuff that is entirely irrelevant to, and only cluttered, this thread. If your interested, it can be found here as a vignette, but other wise has no connection this this thread.))


The Promenade Casino
An envelope would be left under Arhchie’s room door, waiting for him to read at his leisure. It would have no markings on the envelope itself, while nothing more than a small letter would be enclosed:   

Mr. Earle

It has come to our attention that your current business partners are experiencing an unfortunate number of delays and inability to meet your companies needs. I represent an interested party that like to assist your company in addressing this issue. Your business is highly appreciated here in Sudmark and we would like to ensure recent problems do not affect your long standing ventures here. Should you be interested in what my company has to offer come to the Stendal’s Café I’ll be there between 10 AM to 12 PM. Should you agree to discuss business with us, be sure to ask the clerk about the “Vinitsian Crostatas”.

Best  Regards

***

Bruan - The Promenade Casino, Bar and lounge.

When Bruan opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of an Elaborate pattern filling his vision. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at, but he supposed he’d woken up to worse. Now that he thought about it everything seemed off in a way. Behind him he felt a hard surface pushing up against his back, yet the world seemed sideways. Up was not where it was supposed to be, and he couldn’t even begin to comprehend where down was. In fact, he couldn’t feel the floor at all no matter how much he kicked. The worst of it was his head. Even the slightest shift in movement caused a searing pain causing him to let out a plethora of curses in response.   

“Just the man I was looking for…” A familiar voice seemingly said out of nowhere. That voice, it was familiar. Bruan had to think for a moment recalling where he heard it before. Once he’d gotten his barens a sudden pang of realization caused him to let out a few more cures. He knew that voice well enough.

“Figures…” was all Bruan managed to mumble. The voice alone was enough to sober up Bruan, enough to at least drag himself of the floor and find a stool to rest on leaning against the bar table. He then spoke again waving his hand as if to shoo off the newcomer.   
“I already told you Idette, were through. No leave me be, I’ve got to sober up before work. ”

“Oh Bruany, don’t be like that. Besides it’s been…what now six, seven years? When will you let it go.” Against his wishes, Idette had made her way closer towards Bruan now leaning against the table next to him. She was similar in age to Bruan, maybe a few years younger give or take. Either way time had certainly been more kind to her then himself. Just another reason her presence annoyed him. Let it go. The words echoed in Bruan’s mind conjuring a disapproving grunt in response.
 
“You can’t seriously tell me you’ve settled for dockhand work?” Idette continued, an accusatory voice elongating the word ‘seriosuly’ in a dramatic manner.

“Believe it or not, but you’ll find some people are fine with an honest living.”

“Oh?  We both know that Bruan, the real Braun, doesn’t believe that; and certainly he is not ‘Honest’.” She was right. As much as he hated to admit it She. Was Right.

“Besides you haven’t even heard my offer…”     

“Unless it’s about what we discussed last time, that’ll be a hard pass for me.” Bruan having convinced himself he was sober enough to be mobile was ready to take his leave managing to stumble his way towards the lobby entrance. And so he did. Without any interruption? Usually in these instances she’d try to sway him in a multitude of ways. Over embellishing her ‘offer’, trying to guilt trip him into accepting, even using more personal means. This time though? Nothing. She just remained silent, not having moved and inch from the bar table. Which could only mean…

“So I take it that you’ve reconsider, Bruany?”  A small grin tugged at the corner of Idette’s mouth, as Bruan hadn’t even realized he stopped just before the lobby entrance. Yochlan!* He thought to himself turning to face the women and shifting uncomfortably.

“If you’re screwing with me Idette…not even the Architect*…” 

“Wonderful! Now go and make yourself presentable and don’t dally, Ja? We need to be ready by nine.”  Idette satisfied with Bruan’s reluctant yet silent agreement, took her leave informing him of a room pre-prepared room to be used for cleaning and preparation.

When Bruan arrived down at the Casino’s lobby, he had found Idette awaiting in the lobby, dawning her ever signature tortoise shell sunglasses. She exchanged few words with him simply commenting that Bruan’s choice of attire was ‘Acceptable enough’ before leading him to entrance of the Casino Hotel. Bruan would find a luxury car, of Heyran origin if he had to guess, awaiting them, Chauffeur in tow.   

“I see even after all these years, humility has evaded you…” Bruan quipped.

“If you’ve got it, flaunt it. You know how it works, her in Brascroen.” That he did, and it cost him dearly.

“Where are we headed anyway? This gotta’ be something big if your putting this much effort into it…” Braun had broken the otherwise silence that that permeated a thick awkward haze in the vehicles back seat cabin.
   
“Stendal’s. There’s a high roller, foreigner, apparently his associates are none too pleased with the way their operation is being handled here… oh goodness.” Idette replied in a matter of fact tone, not once looking up from her phone, much to Braun’s annoyance, seeming to comment about something on the device after the fact.

Apparently, the Surak Volcano had become concerningly active in recent months and now scientists were warning it was becoming a worrying sign according to the news article Idette was reading.  That had made Bruan recall the previous nights event’s when Walls was talking about the heavy traffic, and the rumors of increased Federal activity around the Isles. Curious.