Zoids: The Post-War [OOC Under Construction/PG-16/Not Started/Accepting]

[BANZAI!!!!]

~A Zai Mecha Rp~

~Logo By: Yui~

[spoiler=Terms/Rules/Info][spoiler=What is Zoids: The Post-War?]Why, a Zoids RP of course! But I guess you figured that out already...

Zoids (the proverbial Pepsi to Gundam's coke) has always been a favorite of mine. I grew up watching the anime, and I even wasted money on some of the model kits! Plain and simply, this RP is an attempt to pay homage to the franchise, while at the same time also telling a good action/adventure story in one of the most original settings in fiction.

Z:PW (My snazzy acronym for the RP, don't hate) takes place in a continuity similar to the one portrayed in the original Zoids model kits, with a little bit of influence from the first anime series: Chaotic Century. Its been over 10 years since the war on the western continent of Europa ended. Though the world has witnessed great changes in that time, Europa has remained largely the same. The scars of the war, physical and psychological, are still fresh, and the people remain as rugged and independant as always. However, with the ultimate end to the ongoing conflict between the Helic Republic and the Neo-Zenebas empire behind them, things are finally beginning to change.

[spoiler=Rules and Info]First and foremost, all YCM and RP section rules apply. Other than the obvious, the host's word is law here. What I say goes, be it a permanent application denial or edits I may want you to make, and that is final. Z:PW is structured similarly to an adventure novel. The plot will unfold episodically, with each chapter being denoted by a title card, while the overarching story will advance as the RP does. Like many of my other RPs, I will be running a skype chat for participants of Z:PW. Anyone wishing to join the RP is strongly advised to also join the skype chat. If myself or another participant in the RP has your contact info, you will be added. If not, please PM your Skype contact information to me on YCM. Other than that, be sure to have fun!

 

[spoiler=Setting][spoiler=Planet Zi]Z:PW, like most Zoids stories, takes place on the Planet Zi. Situated exactly opposite the planet Earth on the other side of the Milky Way, Zi is in many ways very similar to our ancestral home. Like Earth, it has a livable climate, as well as native life forms, oceans and continents. However, Zi can be a harsh place. As it is much closer to its Sun, Zi's climate is a great deal hotter and dryer than that of earth, with a large portion of the planet's landmass covered in sandy desert and rocky outcrops. Since the arrival of humanity on Zi thousands of years ago, forests, grassy plains and even jungles have begun to appear, having grown thanks to plants and animals the human colonists brought with them.

Though the Zi of today resembles earth, and is home to both humans and animals found on our home planet, it is also home to its own native species: A nearly identical species of humans known as Zoidians, and their robotic animal companions, the Zoic Androids. Zoic Androids (almost always referred to as Zoids, for short) are giant, technorganic life forms that resemble animals found on earth. Given life thanks to Zi's immensely strong magnetic field, Zoids once roamed free millenia ago, but since then have been largely domesticated, modified, and weaponized by both Zi's native Zoidians, as well as the later human colonists. Though intelligent, and sometimes even self-aware, the Zoids of today are largely man-made, and used as the main weapons of war on planet Zi.

Zi has six continents. The Central Continent, Delpoi, is the largest, and has traditionally been the seat of power on Zi. It is currently home to both the Helic Republic, which controls the southeastern half of the continent, and the Neo-Zenebas Empire, which controls the northwestern half. Like the rest of Zi, Delpoi is dominated mainly by deserts, though two prominent mountain ranges, one in the east, and one bisecting the continent in the center, exist. Thanks to an overabundance of underground fresh water, life on Delpoi is considerably easier than on most of Zi's other continents, and as a result is home to the largest population and the most advanced cities on Zi.

To Delpoi's south is the smallest continent: the Southern Continent Adelle. Until recently, Adelle was uninhabited, save for its native wild zoid population, but since the end of the war it has become neutral territory and a venue for negotiations between the Republic and Neo-Zenebas Empire. Its tropical climate and unspoiled natural beauty have also made it's only major city, Lefrae Beach, a popular vacation destination.

Two continents lay to the north of Delpoi. Far to the northeast is the uninhabited northern continent, Sandor. One of the few places on Zi covered in ice and snow year round, its harsh mountainous terrain, far off location, and lack of resources mean it is largely ignored.

Directly north of Delpoi, across an ocean near-constantly plagued by magnetic storms, is the Dark Continent, Nyx. A land of volcanic ash, magnetic storms, and frozen wastes, Nyx is the most inhospitable locale on Zi. Once home to the brutal totalitarian Guylos empire, nowadays Nyx is generally ignored by the rest of the world, save for a few scattered settlements and Republican or Neo-Zenebas imperial installations. Nyx is also known to contain ruins belonging to the now-extinct ancient Zoidian race, as well as what's left of many Guylos cities and bases, now abandoned after the empire's collapse.

To Delpoi's east and Sandor's south is Loramere, the Eastern Continent. A land of gentle hills and rolling plains, Loramere has always been a peaceful, pleasant place, and thanks to its countless wheat farms, is often referred to as the "Bread Baskett" of Zi. Loramere is also home to the Zoitec Corportation, the largest independant weapons manufacturer on the planet. Zoitec's claim to fame is its BLOX technology, which allows zoids to combine with one another in battle. Though Loramere's people firmly maintain their independance and neutrality, Loramere is also known for being extremely welcoming of outsiders, having played host to the Helic Republic-in exile during the war as well as the remnants of the Guylos empire that managed to leave Nyx.

Last, but by no means least, is the primary setting of the RP: The Western Continent Europa. The second largest continent, Europa sits comfortably across the sea from Delpoi, the calm oceans and the two continents' close proximity to one another making passage between them fast and easy. Like Delpoi, Europa is dominated by deserts, save for its northeast which is covered in dense forest and towered over by Mt. Olympus, the largest mountain on Zi. Unlike Delpoi, groundwater is much more scarce on Europa, with the inhabitants instead being more reliant on fresh water from Windeen Lake and the Red River, which runs from Europa's northeast all the way to the western side of the continent, and forms a sort of natural border between the imperial and republican aligned sides of the continent.

Europa's central and southern regions are dominated by a vast, harsh desert, within which lies the trecherous Iselina mountain range. Aside from a few scattered villages, as well as the towns of Wind and Sand Colony, this region is largely uninhabited, and is instead littered with ruins and remains from the war, constantly being buried and unearthed by the shifting sands. Due to the harsh terrain and difficulty in crossing the desert, Europa's south is for the most part unexplored.

Europa was once the seat of power for the ancient Zoidian civilization, and as such is home to innumerable ruins and examples of Zoidian high technology. Its strategic location (being in close proximity to Delpoi and representing a much less hazardous crossing from Nyx) as well as these ruins made it a prime staging ground for the Guylos Empire's invasion of the Helic republic. The resulting war, known as the Western Continent War, was waged all across the northern half of Europa. Europa's native population, though ostensibly independant, tends to align with one or the other of Zi's two superpowers. Rugged and self sufficient, Europans are a tough, resourceful bunch, often ekeing a living out of Europa's barren lands and scavenging what leftovers they can from the war and zoidian ruins.

Though independant, Europa is home to three major powers. In the east, centered around New Helic City, are the Helic Republic's europan territories. Though not claimed outright by the republic, this territory, which includes Mt. Olympus and much of the eastern forests, tends to be dominated by republican military patrols, and the republic can often be found assisting the local population. To the Northwest is the imperial sphere. Formerly held by the Guylos empire, the city of Guygalos and the surrounding territories have recently been annexed by the Neo-Zenebas empire. Lastly, in the south lies the newly established Zoids Battle Commission, a quasi-governmental organization dedicated to peacekeeping as well as sanctioning competitive zoid battles. Eager to exert their influence, the ZBC often meddles in imperial and republican affairs, heightening tensions between the three. Despite the presence of these factions though, the sheer size lf the continent and lack of available resources by all three means that the vast majority of Europan territory is lawless frontier. Bandits and scavenger parties are common, and the people often must keep the peace themselves.

[spoiler=History]Zi's history is long and complex; dominated by warfare. Even before the arrival of humans on Zi, the ancient Zoidian race and the Zoids themselves lived lives of constant conflict, be it for sport or spoils of war. The coming of humanity changed little, with human colonists fighting amongst themselves in tribal warfare on Nyx and Delpoi for centuries. It wasn't until Zi Adjusted Calendar (ZAC) 1600, with the founding of the Helionic Kingdom on Delpoi, that those living on Zi began to unify. Even then, it wasn't until the invasion of Delpoi by tribesmen from Nyx that civilization finally came to Zi with the founding of the Helic Republic by King Helic Muroa in ZAC 1955.

This period of stability would not last long, however. Helic's sons, President Helic Muroa II and commander in chief Zenebas Muroa, quarreled constantly over Republican war policies, with Zenebas favoring agressive military buildup and an invasion of Nyx. Ultimately these arguments turned bloody, with Zenebas and his supporters making their way to the western half of Delpoi and founding the Zenebas empire in ZAC 1988. What followed was roughly 30 years of low intensity war between the two nations, which saw the first use of man-made zoids in combat. War would continue uninterrupted until the last of the human colony ships, the Globally 3, crash landed in the middle of Delpoi.

Both sides absorbed survivors into their fold, and using advanced Earth technology began to produce ever deadlier and more advanced zoids. This arms race quickly sparked war once again, this time with much greater intensity. What came to be known as The Devil's War would last for over two decades, with heavy casualties on both sides of the conflict. The war would see the Zenebas Empire expelled from Delpoi, only for them to return thanks to assistance from the brutal, totalitarian Guylos Empire from Nyx. With an entire army of newly designed zoids, including the terrifying Death Saurer, the Helic Republic in turn would be nearly defeated. Only thanks to deploying thier own new Zoids was the Repiblic able to again defeat the Zenebas empire. Ultimately, the Guylos Empire would use the turmoil on Delpoi to its advantage, attacking the continent themselves and absorbing the Zenebas empire into itself.

Fighting between the Guylos Empire and the Republic did nothing but intensify, with the dark zoids used by the empire wreaking untold environmental devastation on Delpoi. The tide would shift many times, with both sides deploying some of the most powerful weapons in Zi's history against one another. However, the nearly 70 years of war on Zi would finally come to an end in ZAC 2056 when an asteroid struck and destroyed one lf Zi's three moons, raining debris down across the planet and killing millions on the eve of the final battle.

Both sides were unable to wage war for decades after the meteor disaster. Parts of Nyx sank into the ocean, and Delpoi as a whole was devastated. Worse still, the ocean between both continents , which had always been treacherous, became nearly impassable and plagued by endless magnetic storms. In the interim, Elena Muroa, daughter of Zenebas, became president of the Helic Republic under the alias of Louise Camford, and Gunther Prozen, Zenebas's illegitimate son became Guylos regent, ruling in the then-10 year old prince's stead. Secretly, Prozen desired to rebuild his father's empire, and set about making plans to destroy both the Giylos Empire and the Republic.

With the sea to Deploi impassable, Prozen set about invading Europa, both to give his forces experiance fighting the native populace and the few local repiblican forces, as well as to use the continent as a staging area for an invasion of Delpoi. Thus, in ZAC 2098, the Western Continent War began.

At first, the empire held the overwhelming advantage, using new, organoid system-equipped zoids to route the republic's forces and drive them into the forests in Europa's northeast. Only when the republic responded with new zoids of their own did the tide turn. Despite the Empire's best efforts, including even more new Zoids, the Republic ultimately came out the victor, pushing the Empire off of Europa and following them to Nyx, leaving Europa mostly abandoned.

The invasion of Nyx would last another 4 years, with the vast armies of the republic launching an attack on the guylos capital itself in ZAC 2104. However, this was all according to Prozen's plan. During the battle, he and his personal Zenebas-loyalist forces attacked both sides. Though they were defeated, Prozen himself detonated his zoid, destroying the armies of both sides as well as the entire city. The Guylos Empire was no more.

In the aftermath, Prozen's son, Wolff Muroa, took advantage of the republic's weakened state and established the Neo Zenebas Empire on Delpoi. The war continued, this time with the republic's defeat. Exiled to Loramere, President Camford's son, President Rob Herrman, allied the remnants of the republic with the Zoitec corporation, as well as Guylos remnants on Loramere, and launched a counterattack on Delpoi. It wasn't until ZAC 2110 that the war finally came to a close with the signing of an armistice between the two war-weary nations.

In the two years since, Zi has entered into an era of uneasy peace. There are still many belligerants on both sides, and despite President Herrman and Emperor Muroa's commitment to cooperation, the situation remains uneasy. A particularly troubling issue is control of Europa, with both nations having returned to their spheres of influence on the lawless continent.

 

[spoiler=Plot]Red River: a fledgeling town situated on the old Helic/Guylos border. Built out from the remnants of an old republican army base, its location on the banks of the eponymous Red River gives it acess to a ready supply of fresh water, quite the commodity on Europa. Red River is a scavenger town, composed mostly of those who make a living picking the nearby battlefields and ruins clean. The old base has become a kind of communal Zoid parking lot and maintenance facility, with the town charging residents and travelers alike to store and look after their Zoids there. The base is highly secure for an independant settlement, with Red River's local militia stationed there on guard duty when not on patrol. The town has grown quite rapidly over the past 10 years since its founding, and though it is still rather small, its on its way to becoming a power in the wastelands.

For one reason or another, you find yourself in Red River in the aftermath of a particularly destructive raid on the town. A band of marauders, mysteriously far more skilled and better equipped than your average gang of bandits, struck just as the most prolific of the local scavengers, Jarro Waller, returned to Red River with what he described as "The haul of the century". Though Red River's militia engaged the raiders, their salvaged Zoids proved innefective when confronted by the enemy's Helcats and Shadow Foxes, backed by an unidentified Zoid with superb electronic warfare capabilities. Losses were heavy, with the raiders making off with Waller's entire haul, the supplies of several other scavengers, and destroying or severely damaging most of the Militia's as well as several local Zoids. Casualties even included Finn: The Militia's Gordos and Red River's largest, most heavily armed Zoid. Though Finn survived, the Zoid is in severe condition, and without it Red River may not be able to fend off a second raid.

An ex Guylos soldier, Jarro Waller is making preparations to hunt down the raiders and regain his loot. Of course, alone his Molga isn't up to the task, so he's offered to pay any pilots willing to accompany him in the recovery operation. At the same time, the Militia, eager to get their heavy hitter back in working order, is offering a reward to anyone who can procure a sufficient quantity of Zoid Magnite: a cobalt colored volcanic rock with incredibly strong curative properties for zoids. Of course, it's difficult to come by, with the nearest known source being Mt. Ohsa in republican territory. The trek to the mountain is long, and its possible that the Republic may not be very tolerant of scavengers making their way past the military base built into the side of the dormant volcano.

[spoiler=Database]

[spoiler=Application Templates][spoiler=Character app]Name
Gender:
Age:
Nationality: (Helic, Guylos, Zenebas, Euporan)
[spoiler=Appearance]4 lines minimum. Image optional.

[spoiler=Personality]6 lines minimum

[spoiler=Background]no minimum. Describe as little or as much as you want about your character's past.

Zoid: (Name and species)
[spoiler=Misc.]anything that doesnt fit in the above that you wish to include.

 

[spoiler=Zoid app]Name:
Species:
[spoiler=image]I will provide customized and recolored sprites of zoids on request. If the zoid is a stock model, an image from the internet will suffice.

[spoiler=Description]The Zoid's history, personality quirks, etc goes here. No minimum but try to be as detailed as possible

[spoiler=Weapons and equipment]List and/or describe the zoid's weapons and equipment here.

 

[Yui]

I don't know anything about the zoids setting, but for reasons discussed on skype you have my pending interest.

[Wind Rider]

I may be interested

[Mr. Hyde]

will you hurt me again?  

 

interest 

[Tesability Black]

I haven't done any Zoids-related RPing in YEARS. *flashbacks to her old-as-balls altered Gun Sniper nicknamed the Terra'r* Depending on what's needed, I may be joining in!

[Wind Rider]

What exactly are zoids?

[BANZAI!!!!]

You've all been added to the chat on skype. Suppose i should start prepwork.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

I have been too long in expressing interest in this.

[Tesability Black]

Alright, time to get this down and fill out as I go...

 

[spoiler=Takin' and Makin' History (Character App, WIP)]

 

Name: Azura Bornidel
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Nationality: Euporan
[spoiler=Appearance]

A dark-skinned woman standing at 5'5", Azura has an air of authority around her as she travels around Zi. Her hair, which has become sun-bleached to white over time along with her eyebrows, reaches past her knees with the longest strands and her eyes are a light-blue coloration. Her normal attire consists of dark-green slip-on shoes, tan pants with roughly 9 pockets total that has the bottom parts of the legs rolled up a bit, and a shirt that's more like a decorative jacket than anything else. The sleeves do not reach the elbows, the bottom of the shirt lines up with her belly-button and it seems relatively-form-fitting to reveal low-B-up breasts, though they are hidden underneath the cloth. It is primarily green with a shade of aquamarine lining the many edges of the shirt, with a thin line of purple separating the green from the rest of the shirt and a thicker line of white separating the aquamarine from the rest of the shirt. The shoulders on the sleeves are exposed, attached to the rest of the shirt by sturdier pieces of green cloth compared to the rest of the shirt.

[spoiler=Personality (WIP)]6 lines minimum

[spoiler=Background (WIP)]no minimum. Describe as little or as much as you want about your character's past.

Zoid: Starseeker the Snipe Master[spoiler=Misc.][spoiler=Theme Song]Calm Before the Storm (Nightcore Variant) - Hollow Point Heroes & Cherry

anything that doesn't fit in the above that you wish to include.

 

[spoiler=From the Ground to the Stars (Zoid App, WIP)]Name: Starseeker
Species: Snipe Master[spoiler=Visual Appearance]

[spoiler=Description (WIP)][spoiler=Known History (WIP)]Starseeker is one of the lucky ones. She was among the Snipe Masters sent alongside others and only one of the few to survive the explosion of the Death Saurer that claimed so many others...including her original pilot.

[spoiler=Personality]First thing to note is that Starseeker has three discernible quirks, one of them netting her name of 'Starseeker'.

Quirk #1: Compared to most Zoids, she actually can spend a longer amount of time out of combat before she gets twitchy and wants to start shooting. Starseeker is probably the closest to a pacifist that a Zoid can be. Then again, seeing action through the scope on her tail seems to help with that, since there have been moments when, despite the Zoid not making any noticeable motions while her driver's in sniping position, there have been moments when it seems to 'pretend' to be firing away at invisible targets with its armguns. There have been several moments when Azura has wondered if her Zoid actually has a vivid imagination because of this.

Quirk #2: Starseeker seems to actually have a Gender Identity...or at least she hates being referred to as an 'it'. She has actually growled at repeat offenders that keep calling her an 'it'.
Quirk #3: Starseeker hates being in hangers that don't have an exposed ceiling, or at least windows at night. In fact, if she can, she will get out of a hanger by any means necessary, just so she can see the night sky. After a loud and recognizable 'bang', Azura soon found Starseeker just outside of one hanger, tip of the tail-rifle smoking and the Zoid looking up towards the sky and appearing to be watching the stars. "Heh, you're a real star seeker, aren't ya," Azura asked of the Zoid, which has since stuck with it.

[spoiler=Theme Song]Room to Breath (Nightcore Variant) - You Me At Six & Zero. Miz-Kun

 

[spoiler=Weapons and Equipment]Two machine guns, one on each armclaw
Sniper rifle in the tail (default weapon)
Spikes along its sides generate an energy shield, and a motion detector linked to them for when Azura's in the sniping seat and not in the primary seat
Rather-large missile launcher (8-missile pack) on its back for extra power when needed

 

 

[Mr. Hyde]

[spoiler=Apparoni (probably WIP)]

 

[spoiler=Strom Lowry]

 

Name: Strom Lowry 

Gender: Male

Age: 37

Nationality: Zenebas

[spoiler=Appearance]

 

A well built man who stands around six foot three, and weighing in at 250 pounds.  The bridge of his nose is covered in a scar that barely reaches from cheek to cheek, and is painted a deep black color.  He wears a ruggish goatee that matches the color and style of his brown scruffy hair.  His eyes are a cloudy blue, and that really throws some people off when they first meet him.  On his chest, he wears a metallic plate over his shirt, as a last ditch protection from any vital blows.  It has a few nicks in it from some close encounters, so it has proven to be, at least for the most part, effective.  His clothes are slightly worn and dusty, but aren't as tattered as one would think traversing the planet all the time.  He can sometimes bee seen wearing a tattered black cape, almost duster-like, from time to time. 

 

---

[spoiler=Personality]

 

Strom has a ruggish personality to match his wild and ruggish looks.  He will basically do anything that would provide a decent source of income, or will prove to be with his time and skills.  And by skills, he refers to his ability to run pretty much anything over with sheer force.  He's slightly overconfident in his abilities as a Zoid pilot and barely gives any notice to any adversary he may meet on the field.  When he's sober, Strom can mostly be seen complaining and sighing half the time.  While most of the money he obtains from certain jobs mostly goes to upgrading his Zoid, some of the proceeds are rerouted to his favorite past time, drinking and eating.  To retain his mighty muscle mass, Strom eats a hearty amount of food a day, mostly meats, and could drink any Euporan under the table.  He has a high tolerance for alcohol seeing as he is a monolith of a man.   When Strom is drunk, he's usually the one who starts all the bar fights.  

 

---

[spoiler=Backstory]

 

When Strom was a tiny shadow of himself, his small village next to an oasis was attacked by a roaming gang of Snipe Masters and their pilots, who terrorized the town and ransacked the whole place.  Fleeing from his village, and seeking shelter, Strom came across a cave lodged within the side of some sand dunes.  While he stay there, he traveled deeper into the cavernous area, and stumbled upon a slumbering Rhimos Zoid, a relic from the old war and the dynasty before it.  Strom took it upon himself to tame the Zoid, but he would have no such luck with the stubborn creature.  It seemed to overpower his own will at times.  Strom lived alongside the Rhimos for quite some time in that cave, overcoming the hardships that nature through at him ever so often.  However, Strom himself had adapted, and his own body became tough and hardened.  He had matured into a man that the Rhimos deemed worthy to pilot him.  

 

Ever since becoming the Zoid's pilot, Strom has wandered the planet in search of any work he can to rebuild his old home.  

 

 

 

 

Zoid: Lug the Black Rhimos

 

 

 

[spoiler=Zoid]

 

Name: Lug

Species: Black Rhimos

 

[spoiler=Appearance]

 

 

 

 

 

[spoiler=Description]

 

Lug was once piloted by a high ranking general of the Zenebas forces.  During one such battle, Lug was injured by a stray energy attack and was prevented from continuing the fight.  Fearing his own life instead of his partner's the general abandoned him.  Lug deemed humans cowards from that point on, and lived most of his life outside of war in solitude.  Personality wise, Lug is a very stubborn Zoid.  He refuses to do what any person says that isn't Strom.  He shares a very close bond with Strom who has stuck with him through thin and thick.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Weaponry & Equipment]

 

Combat Ramming Super Drill

Large Electromagnetic Cannon

2 Guided AGM

Double Barreled Shock Cannon

Omni-directional passive and surveillance radar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Makο]

[spoiler=*horn noises* maybe done. maybe]

"I-I don't really want to do this, but I don't think I have a choice..."

 

Personal Information

Name: Michael Torbone
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Nationality: Guylos

[spoiler=Appearance]

Standing at 5'5", Michael is shorter than average, though still above being considered "short." However, he makes up for this by being rather thin and lightweight, barely registering 105lb on scales, and lacking muscle to match. His medium-length, unkempt brown hair stand out, as do a patch of freckles across the bridge of his nose.

 

[spoiler=Personality]If timid were to have a persona, Michael would be it. While perhaps not to the level of stereotypes one might find online, he is typically withdrawn in social situations, incapable of or unwilling to interact with others. While it's not as though he's particularly anti-social by nature, he is incredibly self-conscious and unsure about himself, leading him to not want to socialize simply out of fear of being lambasted for his many self-perceived faults, often in a self-fulfilling prophecy sort of way.

 

Despite this trait of his, he's actually a generally pleasant person to be around, when it comes to the choice few who he is able to deeply associate with. He's very loyal in that aspect, and would do almost anything for his comrades, if only through gritted teeth and closed eyes. It's also not impossible for him to befriend others, looking past his anxiety, as he spends more and more time with people. He is also prone to latching on to a single person that he finds particularly caring.

 

[spoiler=Background]Traveling throughout the Nyx plains were a couple of Guylos natives. Nomadic in nature, they never traveled as far as they needed to, and only ever interacted with other people as much as they required, trading scrap for necessities and moving on. They were always solemn people, who emoted little in terms of joy, anger, or sadness. However, their devotion to one another was unbreakable, and eventually, said devotion consummated with the conception and birth of their first child, named Michael.

 

Michael was very much a product of his childhood. From birth until the age of five, Michael was raised nomadically, being carried by his mother or father before he could walk, and waddling along them as well as he could when he could. However, at some point, they couldn't keep it up anymore. Too many close calls with raiders mixed with dangerous terrain did not bode well for raising a child, so the two considered settling down into a permanent home to raise their child. However, as nomads, they felt little joy with the notion of staying in one spot for any period of time; it made them feel vulnerable. As fate would have it, though, a solution presented itself to the couple.

 

Throughout the wastes of Nyx, raiders often make themselves comfortable within abandoned empire installations and bases, making for risky and profitable scavenging targets. While traveling, they had noticed large pumes of smoke coming from the direction of a base they had known to be extremely dangerous. As they got closer, they realized what had transpired; the corpses of zoids and men littered the fields nearby, and the walls into the compound were entirely knocked down. A rival raider group had assaulted the bandits making camp within the compound, swiped everything valuable they could find, and left, leaving nothing but smoldering wreckage behind.

 

Almost nothing.

 

Within a large, busted-open hanger bay, the nomads heard the low-moaning noise and twisting metal. Peering inside, they came face to face with an old sleeper Whale Kaiser, slightly malfunctioning and wild, was trapped in the base. Apparently, the old model Guylos transport zoid held no value to the raiders, and they left it abandoned in its sad state; tied down and unable to move. Perhaps they thought it too weak to be useful, or perhaps they didn't even find it.

 

Regardless of the reasons, this was the solution the couple needed; a mobile home they could use to raise their son, as well as carry vastly more amounts of scrap than before, though at risk of being an easy target. Over the next few months, between teaching Michael the basics he'd need to survive, they worked to release the Whale Kaiser from its trappings, eventually managing to release all the ties and open the hanger enough to let it fly free. Metaphorically, as the couple had finished moving all their belongings inside the zoid, making a makeshift home. However, it is doubtless that it prefers this fate to the one it was about to face.

 

Years pass. Michael had recently turned 16, and he tends to the zoid with the help of his parents, helping to feed it, learning how to maintain it, and more. The lack of social contact led him to being very withdrawn, self-conscious person. And all in all, his life was generally pleasant. However, things were changing; Nyx had become too... hostile for a family of scrappers. By the time Michael was 18, the plans were made to leave their home continent behind, and travel across the sea to Europa to start a new life. Perhaps, even settle down completely.

 

And then, they died. Mid-transit across the ocean, with no warning or cause. The initial shock lasted for days, as the two people he had depending on his entire life had suddenly left them, one after the other, devoid of any warning. Once he had finally calmed down, he did the only thing he could think of; wrapping them together in a single crate, he gave them a burial by sea, dropping them from a height.

 

All he could do was continue his journey. Upon reaching Europa, with no plans, few skills, and Franca at his disposal, all he could do was look for any oddjob he could get.

 

[spoiler=Zoid]

Whale Kaiser "Franca"

A medium-sized Guylos transport Zoid, created as a joint venture between Guylos and Zenebas. Has fallen out of use in favor of Whale King. 65 meters long, and 14 meters tall. Able to VTOL for takeoffs, landings, or holding position. Capable of holding up to three medium-sized zoids, and hundreds of personal.

 

However, this particular zoid, named Franca, has been slightly altered to fit the needs of its users. While still able to hold those three zoids, much of the cargo space was altered and turned more into a makeshift home than anything, meaning a maximum of one hundred people could comfortably fit inside. Two defensive cannons have also been mounted onto the zoid, which is capable of using rudimentary control systems to fire them without pilot input. These same systems let the zoid operate autonomously, working on orders issued from a console in the cockpit.

 

[spoiler=Misc.]Michael is actually a very lonely man, yet he doesn't try to interact with people. He doesn't understand the irony.

 

 

 

 

[Asriel Dreemurr]

The below post has been edited to contain Ashling's app, as this post was showing all text in bold.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

[spoiler=Ashling Sturlson]"For the last time, the price is non-negotiable."
"What? No, I don't take Marks!"
Name: Ashling Sturlson
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Nationality: Helic
[spoiler=Appearance]
Ashling is a fairly short young woman, standing at 5'4" (162cm) tall, and has quite the slender figure. This is not because of any particularly "womanly" aspect of her features, but because a lifetime of living on the very frontier of civilization does not allow for the regular sort of softness that people in the bigger cities of Zi enjoy. The constant need to work, and often fight as well, to survive has left her body hardened and muscular. It has also contributed to her boyish figure, slight bust and hips with a waist that is not particularly narrow. Perhaps the most obvious sign of the hardships of this life are the prominent scars that cover a large portion of Ashling's chest and neck, along with an assortment of smaller ones on her hands, forearms, and face. Speaking of her face, apart from the scars it isn't particularly interesting with a mess of dark hair, usually tied back, resting on top of it and pale green eyes set into it.
 
In terms of clothing, Ashling can most commonly be found wearing a rather curious outfit designed to offer maximum protection from the sun and sand. Heavy, functional boots that lace up to her knees protect her from any jagged bits of metal she might encounter in the desert, and a similarly heavy pair of leather working gloves do the same when she has to directly interact with scrap. The rest of her attire is all light, breathable cloth meant to maximize coverage and protection from Zi's oppressive sun and minimize the buildup of heat close to her body. A long-sleeved shirt and pants that slip inside of her boots are the norm, and on days when the wind is especially fierce she adds a hooded poncho for further protection from the sand. Occasionally she will supplement this further with an old military issue gas mask, though this is typically only during sandstorms.

[spoiler=Personality]
Ashling is fairly humorless, as are most people who have lived in Europa's wastelands. She isn't especially fond of jokes, doesn't care for sarcasm, and will probably punch you in the mouth if you make a pun around her. Above all of these she despises haggling, considering it the single biggest waste of time anyone who walks into her shop could possibly subject her to. In fact she doesn't actually consider dealing with customers to be anything more than a painful necessity. If she could live without the income from selling parts and repairing Zoids, she would happily stay in her garage and tinker her days away.
 
This desire to tinker about with the mechanical pieces she has laying about in the shop comes from a love of and fascination with the mechanical fauna of Zi. In many ways her attitude towards Zoids can be considered to be the opposite of hers towards people, to the point that if a pilot brings one in to have some work done she will frequently address the zoid first even if it is not especially sentient. This is the most obvious in her relationships with Sif, whom she treats more like a pet than a creature built from the ground up for warfare, and Charlie, whom she has put more work into than just about any other project.
 
Her aforementioned distaste for dealing with people does come with a few exceptions, and some very notable inclusions. To Red River locals, repeat out-of-town customers, and both current and former Helic Republic soldiers she is far less callous. In some cases she is even patient with them, though friendliness is not exactly her strong suit. As for those with ties to the Neo Zenebas Empire, the exact opposite is true. She is so strongly opposed to dealing with the Empire that most locals will tell those affiliated with it to take off their uniforms, cover up any emblems on their zoids, and not even mention Zenebas around her. Ashling usually sees through such efforts, she claims that a Zenebas Accent is so distinctive that it's impossible to hide, but if they're at least polite and pay well she'll still serve them as customers. However, those that brazenly walk into her shop like their heritage is something to be proud of get a very rude welcome. The nicest she has ever been to such people is to sternly tell them to get out of her shop. The worst she has been involved chasing a terrified Zenebas Officer back to the relative safety of his zoid while peppering the ground just behind him with blasts from her trusty short-barreled shotgun.

[spoiler=Background]
Ashling is one of the original residents of Red River, and has lived in the town since its founding. Since before its founding in fact. She was born the daughter of Arthur and Sierra Sturlson, both pilots serving in the Helic Republic's army, during the last fleeting moments of peace before the beginning of the Western Continent War. As her parents were deployed to Europa at the outset of the war, she was brought along and had only the briefest of experiences with Delpoi. When the military base that would eventually become Red River was established, she became a resident as her parents were stationed there and deployed out of it for combat. When her Mother and Father left to take part in the invasion of Nyx, she stayed behind in the base along with the garrison. While the war raged on in Nyx, Ashling was learning how to repair and care for Zoids, which she displayed prodigious skill for. When the invasion of Nyx ended in disaster, and the Neo Zenebas Empire launched their invasion of Delpoi, the majority of the base's garrison was called back to their homeland to assist in its defense. Some were left behind in the haste to return to Delpoi, and the then twelve-year-old Ashling was among them. With little other option, she and those left behind came together and set about eking out a living in the wastelands.
 
Separated as she was from the war, Ashling grew up in relative peace there in the abandoned base that was her home. She and the others that had been left behind came together out of necessity, and began building a community based around salvaging what they could from the remains of battlefields and ruins in the deserts around. Their proximity to the Red River proved an enormous blessing, as with just a little work it allowed them to cultivate what they needed for food and the base's facilities for purifying water were easy enough for them to run. The base-turned-town also received a fairly steady influx of people from all sides of the conflict. Some were civilians fleeing from battles that had devastated their homes. Others were soldiers that for one reason or another had had enough of the fighting and deserted. Many of Red River's new residents also brought Zoids in varying states of repair, and as the town grew in size and began receiving ever more traffic their salvage businesses became the most important aspect of life for much of the town. Ashling herself gained a reputation for being the best at taking those salvaged parts and putting them to good use. Whether that was stripping parts out of an old weapon system to repair someone's air conditioner, and air conditioner repairs were probably the most common thing that she or any mechanic in Red River got called out to do in town, or piecing together parts from five mangled Liger legs to get a new one built for one of the local militia. For a while she had to rely on other scavengers to bring in the parts she needed to work with, since the wastes were too dangerous for her to go out in without a Zoid of her own. That all changed when she found Charlie.
 
Charlie was a Zoid core in pristine condition that she found locked away in a sub-basement of the building that she had since taken over and converted into the Sturlson Garage. Neither she, nor anyone else in Red River, could figure out what it was meant to go into so she put it away in the "Not For Sale" section of her Garage. Eventually she got it into her head that it was cruel to leave the "poor little guy" without a means of getting around. To that end, she set about gathering every spare part she could find to build a chasis for him. While it wasn't the best fit, she managed to piece together a fully functional Guysak chasis to fit the zoid core into. Even though Charlie wasn't the most active zoid on his own and certainly showed little sign of sentience she made a point of taking him about everywhere she went. He even became something of a pet project of hers, and every bit of free time she had was spent touching him up and trying yet another thing to give him better control of his chasis. Still, now that she had Charlie she could finally go out into the wastes without fear of wild zoids. At least that was the idea, and it worked for quite a while. Charlie also had the further benefit of allowing her to carry back fairly large amounts of salvage on her own, which diminished her need to rely on the scavengers in town.
 
When she was 14 years old, she had a rather curious encounter out in the wastes. While she and Charlie were digging a large piece of armor plating out of the sands, they came under attack by a Zoid which Ashling never got a good look at. It moved so quickly that it struck Charlie's cockpit before she even knew it was there, its claws tearing away the canopy and cutting her across the face, chest, and neck in the process. She rather quickly lost consciousness from a mix of shock and blood loss, and when she came to she was back in Red River's hospital some weeks later. The only sign of her attacker was an enormous fang stuck in charlie's claws, plain steel in color. It took nearly a year for her to fully recover, and several other attacks during that time contributed to the legend of the Red River Devil, an enormous feline or maybe canine Zoid that prowled the wastes searching for unsuspecting scavengers to eat. The enormous fang hangs on a rack behind the counter of her shop, a crude handle fixed onto the broken end so that it can be put to use. It has, in fact, seen use: Ashling carries it with her as a lucky charm when she goes out into the wastes and occasionally uses it to help cut pieces of scrap loose when they get tangled together.
 
Some two years later, the unexpected happened. Ashling's parents, along with several other Republic soldiers who had left family behind in Red River, returned and brought news of the Republic's push back into Delpoi. They promised to come back for their daughter when the war was over, and they left after only a few days' time to return to the final battle. The hope this sparked in Ashling was a curious thing, and she was a good bit happier over the next two years as she waited for her family to come back to her. When word reached her of the armistice, by way of soldiers on both sides that had left their respective armies at the war's end, she turned away from working on Charlie and her other smaller projects in her spare time to sitting on the roof of her garage looking East so that she could see her parents coming. This led to no small amount of excitement when she saw Sif, her father's Konig Wolf, coming in to town and she rushed out to meet her...only to discover both that the Zoid had quite a bit of battle damage and that her father was not with her. The next several weeks were spent putting every ounce of skill she had into repairing Sif, distracting herself from what her return alone almost certainly meant.
 
When Sif was repaired, and Ashling now had little else to distract herself, the realization sunk in that her parents weren't coming back. For a while, she became sullen and barely spoke to anyone. She still did business with Imperials during this time, but that changed soon enough. For over a year and a half she has spoken out against the Empire at every opportunity she has, and refused to do business with anyone allied to it.
 
In terms of more recent events, the Sturlson Garage was left untouched when the marauders made their attack on Red River. This is mostly due to Sif convincing them that anything they could have stolen from it was not worth the risk of fighting a fully armed and combat-ready Konig Wolf to get to. Ashling herself was out in the wastes, and the salvage that she brought back was almost immediately put to use doing emergency repairs on the militia's Zoids.

Zoids: Sif, Konig Wolf; Charlie, Guysak

[spoiler=Charlie the Scorpion]Name: Charlie
Species: Guysak
[spoiler=Image]

 

[spoiler=Description]
Charlie is the Guysak which Ashling Sturlson built from scratch to house the mysterious Zoid Core which she found in the sub basements of the building that became the Sturlson Garage. It is not actually known what species of zoid the core properly belongs to, but it most likely isn't a Guysak as Charlie displays inconsistent levels of sentience. Some days the zoid can move around mostly on its own, and even responds when Ashling speaks to it. Other days, Charlie is completely unresponsive and every function of the chasis needs to be controlled by Ashling as its pilot. Charlie is one of a few zoids to have survived an encounter with the legendary Red River Devil, and is the only one to have reportedly wounded it in any serious regard. Charlie is fairly small for a Guysak, and can cling onto Sif's underbelly without meaningfully inhibiting the Konig Wolf's movement. Beyond that, Charlie is capable of burying himself in the sand and moving underground at a respectable speed.

[spoiler=Weapons and Equipment]
AZ 30mm Beam Rifle: The standard weapon mounted to the end of a Guysak's tail, this weapon can be a nasty surprise for anyone caught unsuspecting by the Zoid. Capable of firing high-density beams of charged particles out to fairly long ranges at a respectable rate, this weapon makes engaging a Guysak at ranged the lesser of two dangerous options. Some Guysak pilots will use it as a means of finishing off their opponents, after trapping them with the Guysak's claws.

Laser Claws: The large scorpion-claws represent the Guysak's primary means of defending itself in melee. While they are quite powerful things on their own, capable of crushing down into metal and pinning Zoids in place, they come equipped with powerful laser emitters to enhance their destructive capabilities. Charlie mostly uses these for manipulating large pieces of scrap to carry back to Red River.

Smoke Discharger: For those times when Ashling and Charlie can't quite handle what they come against. A number of small ports along the Guysak's body allow it to spew a thick, gray smoke into the air. This smoke is laced with metal particles, which interfere with most forms of detection apart from visual. Usually, this allows the pair to either completely escape a fight, or reposition themselves to a place where they can properly take on whatever decided to F with them.

 

[spoiler=Great White Wolf Sif]Name: Sif
Species: König Wolf

[spoiler=Image]

 

[spoiler=Description]

Built from the ground up for war, Sif is one of the Republic's line of Zoids originally intended to counter the Imperial Liger Zero. Though developmental issues led to the König Wolf seeing limited deployment, those pilots who had the opportunity to use one fell in love with the design immediately. Faster and lighter than their Imperial counterparts, and incredibly accurate with ranged weapons, König Wolves were among the most feared Zoids in the Republic's arsenal. Sif herself was a terror on the battlefield, and is remembered by Imperial soldiers with equal parts fear and awe. These days, she mostly provides protection to Ashling and Charlie when they go out scavenging, or watches the garage while they are out.

 

Sif is one of the more sentient Zoids there are, and displays intelligence and behavior very similar to wolves and dogs on Earth. Perhaps this is most obvious when she encounters a new Zoid, as she happily runs up to and jumps around it barking in an effort to get it to play, at least as long as it isn't immediately and obviously hostile. This has caused a bit of tension between her and Ashling when Sif gets too friendly with an Imperial zoid, but Ashling can rarely stay mad at Sif and tends to be much more tolerant of pilots whose zoids the König Wolf likes.

 

[spoiler=Weapons and Equipment]

Laser Blades: The primary weapon with which Sif carved out her bloody reputation in the war, these thin energy blades extend out quite a distance on either side of the König Wolf when in use and fold up over her back when not. Capable of tearing through all but the heaviest of armor with ease, these combined with Sif's natural agility make fighting her up close an incredibly dangerous idea.

4x Pulse Lasers: Mounted in pairs on either side of Sif's neck, these weapons fire concentrated bursts of energy at a high rate. While they aren't especially accurate on most Zoids, the König Wolf has exceptional control of the automatic weapons and can fire highly accurate bursts out to medium range with little difficulty. In essence, these weapons make it so that there is rarely a safe range to engage Sif from.

Missile Launchers: Mounted over Sif's back legs, these weapons provide long-range firepower for those occasions when immediately getting in your opponent's face is inadvisable. Given the immense number of potential warhead loadouts for missiles, these launchers allow for a great deal of engagement options at long range. Everything from high-explosive warheads to incendiary air-burst shells can be unleashed on opponents from far enough away that most enemies cannot counter-attack. Though these launchers do provide significantly more weight to the König Wolf's loadout, Sif has an answer to that. When the contents of the missile launchers are spent, a simple press of a button in the cockpit sets off explosive charges that send the empty metal canisters flying off the Zoid's sides, reducing the weight it is carrying and allowing it to get back to agile combat.

Maw and Claw: As with most zoids, Sif has some natural weapons that she can fight with even when her other armaments aren't an option. Her fangs and claws make it a dangerous prospect to attack her even if she doesn't have anything else ready. Sif further enhances the destructive capabilities of these natural weapons by electrifying them, allowing them to cause damage even to systems which are far away from the point of impact.

Headgear: The primary source of the König Wolves' legendary accuracy is the supplemental sensory equipment contained in and around their cockpits. These "goggles" as they are colloquially known contain a full suite of targetting sensors, and thus allow the Zoid and her pilot to acquire targets in nearly all conditions and at extreme ranges.