# Ampoliros Adrift



## Cleal Baros (Apr 26, 2011)

I’m looking to run an RP based around a team sent to investigate a lost black ship. Having lost contact with the vessel two years prior, and having received a number of reported sightings far from her last known location the Adeptus Astra Telepathica have assembled a team to board and assess the state of affairs on the hulk next time she’s located.

I’m not planning on playing any characters myself but will be acting as GM, sending players individual information packs/briefings depending on their rank and allegiance whilst also issuing individual missions/objectives through discussion with players for each character. I’ll take control of all NPC’s and move the story along through PM dialog and narrative posts intervening where necessary.

I’m opening this thread to try and gauge the level of interest and to ask those interested to submit their ideas for characters. Please don’t take the time as of yet to write full profiles as I’m going to have to take time to construct the story around those characters I get and I wouldn’t like to have to start asking people to rewrite/change large parts of what they’ve done through lack of planning on my side.

As a guide though I do want to point out that this will be no walk in the park. I’m not too keen on the idea of Astrates (though if someone thinks they have a decent idea then you’re welcome to PM) but your characters are going to need to be tough. Personally I’d like to see at least a few Sororitas, perhaps some specialist Telepathica agents (cough – blunts – cough) and a couple of interesting pskyers but please don’t consider these guidelines in anyway binding as of yet.

Just as a taster (and an attempt to draw a few people in) I’d also like to introduce you to the Ampoliros now. It’s just a sample/test document but it gives an idea of what I'm hoping to deliver.

Cheers.

Cleal


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## dragonkingofthestars (May 3, 2010)

first of all you image did not come though, second of all can we have some more data on plot, charcters we can play as, story ectra.

you have a good idea and i am intrested but we need some more informatoin.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Cleal Baros said:


> I’m looking to run an RP based around a team sent to investigate a lost black ship. Having lost contact with the vessel two years prior, and having received a number of reported sightings far from her last known location


Two years is, honestly, not that much time given the sheer size of the Imperium. Especially when it comes to black ships, who's purpose is to collect psykers to be brought to Terra and receive the soul binding.

Might want to consider increasing the time in which they have been missing, perhaps by a factor of ten or more.



Cleal Baros said:


> the Adeptus Astra Telepathica have assembled a team to board and assess the state of affairs on the hulk next time she’s located.


Assembled a team, so will that mean that for the purposes of this RP the players will be meeting each other for the first time? If yes, then why? Such groups likely exist, as the bodyguard or security team for the leaders of such exploration and/or repair teams.

By having the group of players not meet for the first time, you skip the awkward introduction phase and can quite easily assume that characters know a little something about each other. Not everything, but a little more than nothing.



Cleal Baros said:


> I’m not planning on playing any characters myself


Thats good to see, a GM who doesn't plan to take up a character slot.



Cleal Baros said:


> but will be acting as GM,


This is your idea, why wouldn't you be the one who GM's it?



Cleal Baros said:


> sending players individual information packs/briefings depending on their rank and allegiance whilst also issuing individual missions/objectives through discussion with players for each character.


Am I supposed to take from this that all of the players may not be of the same organization? If so then why? Why would one group allow agents of another one to be included if they can help it?



Cleal Baros said:


> I’ll take control of all NPC’s and move the story along through PM dialog and narrative posts intervening where necessary.


If I'm reading this right, are you saying there will be no updates posted in the action thread? So whats to stop someone from trying to take advantage of private updates?

Assuming I did read that right, seems like a bad idea though admittedly not one I have encountered before.



Cleal Baros said:


> I’m opening this thread to try and gauge the level of interest and to ask those interested to submit their ideas for characters.


I'm interested, however with no character sheet or rules to know what you do and do not want and what the restrictions are, I cannot possibly make a character.

And please don't respond with the likes of anything is acceptable/possible because its really not. If I play a veteran guardsmen and three people play space marines and someone else plays a grey knight, guess which one of us will always be at a disadvantage and will lose interest above all others.


Rules are really a must, and restrictions are a great thing; let people know what is and is not acceptable.


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## Firedamaged (Oct 27, 2011)

If this story is moving on through pm dialog, does that mean that you will be sending pms to players to direct their posts or the players pm you and then you post the story/actions based on their posts?

If I do end up posting a character what would be the restrictions? As reever said we can't have people with too disadvantageous a choice. So will the skill range be around guardsmen level, space marine level or elite assassin level?


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## Cleal Baros (Apr 26, 2011)

The whole point in what I’m trying to do is have you play one another rather than simply collectively write a story.

Player objectives will be character specific and sent to you and you alone in a personal Data Pack. You will all be free to share as much or as little of the information your packs contain as you like however in the view that some personal objectives will contradict those of other players you should be careful not to give something away that might later give you the upperhand.

As I said I will be moving the RP along with Narrative posts, responding to your IC input, controlling all NPC’s and fleshing out Ampoliros as you explore.

The PM input of the RP will be designed to help the PvP aspect, answering specific questions you might have as to how far you can and cannot go to achieve your objectives above those of the other players and to best reflect the personal experience of you character. Ampoliros is going to be full of visions, sights, sounds, ghosts and bumps in the night and at times I’d like these to appear to only one or two players at a time. It will then be up to you how much of this you share with the other players as these visions will sometime help and sometime hinder. It will be down to you to decide in character how best to interact with them. 

I’d also like for you to try and use PM’s to form alliances within the party, try to manipulate one another and perhaps isolate those characters whose objectives you think may be furthest from your own.

I’ve run other RP’s like this on other sites to entertaining affect and find it’s different the standard type based RP format.

“Assembled a team, so will that mean that for the purposes of this RP the players will be meeting each other for the first time? If yes, then why? Such groups likely exist, as the bodyguard or security team for the leaders of such exploration and/or repair teams."

By having the group of players not meet for the first time, you skip the awkward introduction phase and can quite easily assume that characters know a little something about each other. Not everything, but a little more than nothing.”

The team is made up of multiple agencies to allow for a greater variation of objectives and create a better foundation for the PvP aspect. I find no reason in the fluff for a multi-agency team not to exist and since the telepathica is a fairly blank canvass to work from I’d like to see a little imagination. I understand that forming an RP around a team already familiar with one another skips the intro phase and lets people get straight on with writing but the whole point in this format is to try and make the RP more of a game and less of a joint writing exercise.

"If I'm reading this right, are you saying there will be no updates posted in the action thread? So whats to stop someone from trying to take advantage of private updates?"

You are not reading it write, as I stated the RP will progress through PM’s and narrative posts.

I'm interested, however with no character sheet or rules to know what you do and do not want and what the restrictions are, I cannot possibly make a character.

I thought I’d covered the level of character I’m looking for but if it makes it easier for people I’ll narrow it.

0-1 Inquisitor (Low grade, beginning of career type)
1-3 Sororitas
1-3 Inquisitorial Agents (Acolytes, Storm Troopers, Hereticus Specialists)
1 – Mechanicum Representative
1-3 Telepathica Agents (Use your imagination here)

Psyker characters are welcome however aboard a ship lost in the warp for that length of time, constructed almost entirely of psy-steel and full of the psychic echoes of generations of lost souls it’s not going to be an easy ride so please take that into account.

I take your point that 2 years is nothing in the Imperium Darkreever, tbh as you suggested making it 20/30/50 years makes very little difference especially since parts of the ship will demonstrate huge variation in the amount of time that seems to have elapsed since contact was lost.


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## Cleal Baros (Apr 26, 2011)

*Character Profile:*

Name:
Gender:
Age:
Affiliation:
Role:
Height:
Weight:

Equipment:

Background:

Appearance: 

Personality: 

*Example Character*


Name: Martin Crenshaw 
Gender: Male
Age: 36
Affiliation: Adeptus Astra Telepathica
Role: Security and Enforcement
Height: 5’10
Weight: 185lbs

Equipment:Suppression Shield, Power Maul, Bolt Pistol, Combat Knife.
Carapace Armor (full) with helmet,integrated rebreather and targeter.
Flashbang, Smoke, and Choke Grenades
Augment Blank Limiter 

Background: Martin Crenshaw came into his miserable existence under an inauspicious moon on the planet of Lucror IV, the renowned free port of conspicuous consumption and crushing poverty, to a family of well enough prosperity and standing in the business of mercantile trade. What should have been a life acceptable enough privilege or purpose was to be denied by his fundamental nature; the fact that Martin is a blank, immune to any psychic abnormalities, yet an anathema to the rest of mankind. This included his own mother and father, who in loathing for what they had ultimately produced, sought in any way to dispose of this presumed slight in any way as he grew. What might have been a terminal disposal was avoided by the imminent arrival of a Black Ship, and the authorities need to provide abnormal samples for delivery.

Routine scanning of the petty nobilities’ households, in an attempt at spotting any undue psychic or demonic activity, indirectly revealed the presence of Martin’s blank abilities. With a cull of psykers necessary and proper; and the coincidental need to prune the rising crop of lesser nobility, the merchant oligarchy alerted the Adeptus Arbites to what they perceived to be a dangerously suspicious occurance in House Crenshaw. While the Arbitrators were not oblivious to the constant scheming within the upper echelons of this society, after confirming the presence of a blank, a raid on the house was enacted to be certain of what heresy lay within. In the aftermath the young Martin was found and confirmed to be the source of the psychic null, and if anything, the victim of his own family. The surviving members of House Crenshaw were more than willing to let this ill fated burden be taken away, not that the Arbites were offering any choice. Martin was remanded to the Adeptus Astra Telepathica when their ship finally arrived.

Martin has since been trained and put to use since his childhood for the protection and prosecution of pyskers by the Adeptus. Blanks like Martin are integrated into the handling detachments assigned to either Black Ships, Sanction Psyker units within the Imperial Guard, as well as for the protection of the campus of the Scholastia Psykana itself. It is also not uncommon for blanks to be used in more clandestine operations. Since coming into active duty Martin has primarily been detailed to the Black Ships and, as necessary, more discrete assignments for his masters. 

Appearance: Martin looks like a rather intimidating man, especially in the black and red leather duty uniform associated with the Telepathica Security Detachment, which is appropriate. This is only enhanced when wearing his full carapace armor and personal weaponry, bulking up his already formidable height and lean muscular build, and it’s designed to be that way. Martin doesn’t do much to deter this image with his personal visage which, other than his cold blue eyes, is almost startlingly devoid of strong coloration. He has an extensive range of facial expressions, specifically between deathly serious and scathingly contemptuous. The physical manifestation of Martin’s ability is an augmented limiter implanted and networked around his throat and the back of his head. 

Personality: Martin is a rather unpleasant individual, by and large. Plenty of the blame can be laid out on the fact that he is a psychic blank, whose mere existence is considered loathsome by most, but that doesn’t excuse all of it. An entire lifetime of being either a victim or a victimizer has worn its corrosive effect on Martin, wearing down any softer emotions and feelings, leaving a hardened and caustic human core. This has actually been a benefit for his profession, which is to be the uncompromising enforcer, but leading to a lack of any greater social compatibility. Often times Martin finds a way of saying just the wrong thing in just the right way as to not draw too severe a reprimand.

*Example Data Pack Format* - https://rapidshare.com/files/3279589082/example.pps
(For best results download and install 'Batik Regular')


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## Cleal Baros (Apr 26, 2011)

Sorry about the problems with the image in the first post. It's now corrected.

Hopefully cleared things up a little now, if not please say and I'll try my best to iron out any confusion.

Cheers,
Cleal.


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## Firedamaged (Oct 27, 2011)

Now _THAT_ is an introduction!
That powerpoint alone was above and beyond the standard and I'm getting quite excited about the whole gameplay mechanics mix-up you've got going. If you'll have me as part of this I'll have a character up in a day or two.
Seriously though, I applaud you just for the amount of time and effort that you must have put in to this.


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## Cleal Baros (Apr 26, 2011)

Glad to have you onboard Firedamaged, looking forward to seeing your character.


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## Knightofni (Aug 3, 2010)

Hurm, I do like the look of this; is there room for a inquisitorial aide in the shape of a sage/sorcerer from the blighted schola?


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## Firedamaged (Oct 27, 2011)

Name (Use/Common): Havelock Artificer
Name (True): Unknown
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Affiliation: Adeptus Mechanicus (Iron Priest)
Role: Tech Expert/Support
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 310kg (Including Mechanicus Implants)

Equipment: Las-Pistol, combat shotgun, Mechanicus staff, crimson Mechanicus robes, data slate, collection of spare parts including vials of Sacred Machine Oil.

Mechanicus Implants: Standard Mechanicus Implants, Mechandrite (Utility), Mind Impulse Unit, Calculus Logi Implant, Sub-Skin Armour, Cranial Armour, Synthetic Eyes, Bionic Arm (Left), Bionic Heart.

Background: Born on an indiscriminate hive-world in the Callidus Sector to the mistress of a particularly unimportant and nondescript armaments specialist, the man who would come to be known as Havelock Artificer did not expect much out of life. Growing up he learned the trade of his father and was all set to take up the man's life as his own when he could work no longer, as his father had and his grandfather before him. Then came the day of the accident. Most of the day has been buried and repressed deep inside the minds of those involved and all that can be said is that Havelock came away without a good portion of his left side. Several weeks and some rather poor quality mechanical replacements later and Havelock had resigned himself to a life as a miserable cripple followed by a slow, painful death as his implants fell to ruin.

Fortune, however smiled upon the boy as he was picked up during the next routine recruitment pass of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Overjoyed at the chance to improve his only son's life, Havelock's father immediately brought the boy's condition to the attention of the recruiter tech-priests.

Almost a decade later, Havelock assumed his new moniker as he finalised his induction into the Priesthood of Mars. Unfortunately his first foray into the Imperium at large did not end well and Havelock was listed in the mission file as MIA. He resurfaced five years later after an Inquisitor and his team broke an arms-dealing operation and discovered the tech-priest chained and wired into the heart of the assembly line with a new high end utility mechandrite and a volitor implant. After safely removing the volitor implant, the inquisitor released the Havelock back into the custody of the Adeptus Mechanicus. In the years since, Havelock has remained within the confines of the Mechanicus Temples as much as possible, serving the higher orders and throwing himself into his prayers and recitations as much as physically possible.

Recently he has been encouraged more and more to leave the temples by his superiors. Havelock resisted the suggestions as much as he could, but was told in no uncertain terms that he could best serve the order by continuing the Quest for Knowledge outside its walls.

Appearance: Not an overly tall man, Havelock at least walks without the overbearing hump associated with most of the Mechanicus Order. When not hidden by his robes, Havelock's appearance is overly angular, betraying the armoured plates present beneath his skin. His bionic eyes glow with a dull red light and often swivel and turn independently of one another creating a disconcerting effect not helped by the grill/respirator covering his lower face. Clothed in the crimson robes of his order, little else is ever truly visible to others aside from his hands. The right appears normal, if rendered blocky due to the presence of his sub-skin armour and covered in what appears to be strange tattoos, whilst the left is almost entirely it's opposite, being purely mechanical in nature with data jacks and ports surrounding the wrist and fine manipulator digits replacing the fingers. Finally, Havelock's Utility Mechandrite, extending over his shoulder from the base of his spine like a prehensile tail is covered in a cornucopia of interchangeable devices and gadgets useful to a Tech-Priest, containing such a variety of things as an incense burner, arc-welder, chain-knife, data ports, power coils, cables and all manner of things in between.

Personality: Havelock is very withdrawn and timid amongst others not of the Adeptus Mechanicum and when forced to interact with others is highly direct and to the point. Caring not for the opinions of others, he can appear quite crass and frequently rubs more emotional people the wrong way. Most deal with him as little as possible and those who don't are frequently met with distrust and suspicion.

Any changes needed, PM me and I will sort it out, otherwise looking forward to the campaign.


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## Knightofni (Aug 3, 2010)

((here's my chars profile aswell... Thought I might aswell just post it, had it lying around anyway; hope it suffices, if not please point out what needs to be changed or tell me to bugger off, one of the two XD ))

Name: Tomsur ‘Tom’ Gotthammer

Role: Sage advisor in matters of the heretically occult and warp related sorcery

Age: he’s around 146 years old but rejuvenation drugs and surgery have kept him physically at the age of 40. He has dedicated 60 years of service to the Inquisition already.

Affiliation: Tomsur has been passed around to act as the advisor to several different Inquisitors from varying different ordos and his immense knowledge surrounding mankind’s all too numerous enemies has often proven critical for several inquisitorial cases. Suffice to say, Tomsur has friends in high places.

Appearance: Tom is around 5’6” feet tall and weighs 140 pounds; his physique is best described as tall and sinewy, coupled with a pale (nigh transparent) complexion he could easily be compared to a ghoul. His face is a lean angular affair that could be considered elegant, if not for the seriously scarred tissue on his left cheek (presumably from numerous bullet scrapes) and the large blue starburst tattoo that almost consumes the whole right hand of his face. His eyes are a deep shade of red, denoting his Malfian bloodline… Though what’s more shocking is the fierce glint of intelligence and immense willpower behind those eyes.

Moving on to the description of his usual attire; Tomsur wears simple civilian clothing, black jeans and simple matching shirts usually are enough for him, over this he will usually wear his belt of shells. Over all of that he drapes a heavy dark green and gold embroidered flak-trench coat which has saved his live on numerous occasions thanks to the protection it offers. It also contains numerous pockets... More pockets than the sage actually knows what to do with. Around his neck he always wears a golden Aquila necklace and on his finger is a silver signet ring with the inquisitorial ‘I’ stamped across it, denoting his status as a servant of the inquisition. 

Personality: Quiet and introverted would be ones first impression of Tomsur quickly followed by calculating and observant, however once his opinion is asked of him he will give it freely and unreservedly. Tomsur’s driving characteristic though is his thirst for knowledge, precisely why he makes a good sage, and to put it to use for the protection and betterment of man. However the knowledge he needs to fight the enemy (in his mind at least) is the knowledge of the enemy… An understood enemy is an enemy easily defeated, despite the damnation that the understanding will inevitably lead to. This is precisely why he fell into the Oblationist school of Radicalism. Finally Tomsur posseses an immense amount of mental fortitude and his mind is a veritable fortress, precisely what is needed to practice the soul corrupting art of sorcery for prolonged periods of time.

Philosophy: Oblationist. However, Tomsur also has one prominent philosophy that seems to be ever so rare within the Inquisition; Tomsur is a humanitarian who works to protect man from the various horrors of the universe, something which other members of the inquisition seem to forget at times.

Background: Tomsur was born into a noble family belonging to the Malfian subsector within the Calixis sector of space, however a dire event occurred that parted him from them as an infant and into one of the Schola Prognenum. What this tragic event was is unbeknownst to Tomsur as no one ever spoke to him of his family, it’s the niggling puzzle in the back of his mind that he just can’t seem to solve. 

The Schola Prognenum that took the infant Tomsur in was not a regular example of such noble institutions. It was one of the few Prognenums within the Calixis sector that a group of Radical Inquisitors had decided to bestow with forbidden knowledge so that the many orphans therein could be taught in it and be used as agents of the inquisition. Tomsur was tutored in lore concerning the nefarious daemon and how it was brought into the realm of reality via psykers or sorcerors and in time he began to understand. It was this knowledge, he was told, that would lead to the salvation of man and only through it could the vile entities of the warp be defeated.

These institutions did not go unnoticed by Puritan inquisitors, who, upon seeing the tainted lore that they so freely dispensed, branded them with the name ‘Tainted Schola’. It didn’t take long for these puritans to quickly stamp out said institutions and execute the students. Tomsur was one of the lucky few had managed to get the hell out. Tomsur spent many long and arduous years trying to avoid the many searching arms of the inquisition, thinking that if any found him he would be immediately put to death.

Alas Tomsur couldn’t simply spend his time running away, it was his emperor given duty to aid humanity and he would do it, whatever the cost. During his late fifties he began to search out and eradicate several cults (demonic and xeno oriented) by aiding local planetary enforcers with his knowledge, every time a cult was rooted out Tomsur filched more and more knowledge from confiscated texts destined for the pyre. This train of events continued for several years, Tomsur flung himself all over the Imperium, leaving a trail of uprooted cults… Bit by bit Tomsur became more and more careless about covering his tracks. Until eventually the inquisition finally managed to snatch him off a trading vessel in warpspace.

Weapons: the mainstay armaments Tomsur owns are as follows:
Firstly; a well kept combat knife that he keeps tucked in the folds of his robe, its based on the standard issue Guardsman knife with a few modifications and has seen Tomsur through many sticky situations. The blade is a matte black (hiding the fact that it is made of a consecrated silver alloy that can actually hurt daemons… Albeit not that much, its just a knife after all) colouration that doesn’t reflect light the actual grip is made of blood red leather. The length of the blade has the words “Salvation Begets Sacrifice,” engraved in High Gothic.

Secondly; a sawn-off shotgun, the metal barrels are of the same matte-black colouration as his knife and the wooden grip is made of a highly polished ebony wood. The words “Purity Within, Purity Without” are engraved on the barrels in golden high gothic. It is a simple and easy to maintain weapon that has been with Tomsur since his escape from the purging of his Schola. He has a belt of 46 shells whose pellets are made of silver and have been sanctified several times over (another weapon that can harm daemons). The weapon is holstered in an underarm sling. As an added plus this weapon doesn’t rely all that much on the ability to aim, hence Tomsur can use it somewhat effectively.

Finally, Tomsur has a secret ace up his sleeve that he will only use in the direst of circumstances… One that he hasn’t used even in sixty years of service to the Inquisition, though it is a weapon his master should be aware of (but I leave that to however is playing the inquisitor). Tomsur is a capable practitioner of arcane sorcery (which includes summoning daemons, creating daemonhosts, summoning bolts of lightning, etc.), which is the reason for his all too in depth understanding of the heretical art. 

Equipment:
- Flak coat (essentially flak armour but made into a stylish trenchcoat)

- Sawn-off shotgun (see weapons)

- Combat knife (see weapons)

- Auspex

- Vox bead headset

- re-breather with 4 spare oxygen tanks

- Regular attire (see description)

- Data-slate (essentially his notebook, usually its buzzing with information about the place he is currently present in)

- A rather large dirty brown Tome that is wrapped in dark iron chains, the lock to the chains is a gene coded thumb scanner that only he can open (this is almost never on his person, he keeps it in a void-safe in his private quarters). This is the repository of heretical knowledge that he has collected over his many years and he continues to make additions to its pages, some in conventional inks... Other pages appear to be inked in blood.

- Back pack in which he stores spare ammunition, food provisions, maps of the local area, etc.


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## Santaire (Feb 13, 2011)

Can I be the Inquisitor?


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## Cleal Baros (Apr 26, 2011)

Characters Approved.

Yup, welcome on board Santaire.


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