RPG: Noga

[TiJiL]

Ok, here's our next RPG.

Preliminary Setting:

All of you start within the semi-permanent city of Yon, on the planet Noga. Noga is a city of farming creatures called Nogan, which toil to produce crops and products with great perseverence and endurance.

The planet has a population of about 1 billion nogan, sparsely distributed throughout the planet's landmass (which encompasses about 80% of its surface). The climate is generally hot in the valley regions where most of the nogan make their homes. Temperatures average from 90-120 degrees Fahrenheit. Noga's terrain is mostly praries, grasslands, and deserts contained within gigantic valleys. The planet is speckled with gigantic mountain chains. Most nogan opt to live where it is flat and warm and thus excellent for farming, though some choose to live their lives in the mountains.

Yon is a bizarre looking city. It was once just a stopping point for caravans of rotation farmers, due to its proximity to the river. However, it has slowly lost its status as temporary dwelling and become a permanent city. Its population is about 450 nogan, 10 hurks, and 20 various other offworlders. About half of these are permanent residents, many owning nearby farms. The other half still maintain the tradition of rotation farming, coming by during some portion of the nogan year to harvest a seasonal crop, then moving on to the next farm.

Yon has grown much in the last twenty years. What once was a handful of tents on a large, flat hill has now expanded to cover the entire hill. A small town hall is the tallest building in the city, although it is a mere thirty feet tall. It is hewn from gigantic sections of volcanic glass and other minerals, and is beautiful, in a rustic, dirty sense. The other three buildings of note are the generators (a pair of upright, eleven foot gray cylinders that provide what little power Yon needs), the longhouse, a wooden and canvas, ceiling-less building, and 'the bunker', a large flat barn (extending ten feet underground) made of steel and stone that serves as storage for vehicles and feed, as well as a small twassecc terminal station. The rest of the city is made mostly of squat buildings made of wood, sheetrock, and canvas where the residents of the town sleep when not working. Finally, the entire hill is surrounded in a fifteen foot palisade wall, crudely assembled from various stones and logs, to keep the Bolganu in the city and away from the jaws of predators.




Your characters start somewhere within Yon. Choose a species and write a backstory for how you got here and what you are doing. Also, as I feel some of the characters last time were less than optimal, if you need help with a story, choose a species and tell me. I will help you construct an interesting past.



Oh, and RabbitDawg and Digi can revive Ziela and Raizi, if they choose. This will take place three twassecc years (Almost thirteen human years) after the events on Sig.


So... Post backstories and let's go!

[Arreck]

I shall be a male nogan, of the approximate human age of 50 (Past my prime, but still verile).

Name: Gan'Jenk

Backstory: Gan'Jenk is approaching old age, for a Nogan. He is, however, quite well-off, being of said age. Nogan generally become more and more prestigious and rich with posessions as they grow older due to the huge value placed on ancestry and inheritance. Gan'Jenk is no exception to this rule, and has inhereted a great many things.

He is the legal owner of a working farm outside the city of Yon. By day and into the night, Gan'Jenk works in the fields to prepare his latest harvest. Being Nogan, he requires very little sleep, and still has an erker each day for personal hygiene and what little liesure the species endulges in. Having only recently examined his ancestral Spirit Halberd (Due to the previously frowned-upon attitude toward such weapons), Gan'Jenk is uncomfortable with weapons of any type, though he likely packs great power (hardened with age; Nogan actually become stronger as they grow older, due to the constant work their muscles are forced to endure) with one heavy stroke of a melee weapon.

Gan'Jenk is above average in intelligence for his species, but a little below average in his personal hygiene regions. Frequently Gan'Jenk will forget to bathe, or trim his hair, in light of chores to be done.

General Appearance: Gan'Jenk is very haggard and unkempt in appearance, though not to an unacceptable degree. All the same, his longer than average hair and occasionally powerful scent make him an interesting character. His leathery skin is very loose and very strong at this point in his life, and his hands are extremely calloused.

At the moment, Gan'Jenk has come to Yon in his Field Tractor to pick up some fertilizer.

[DigiDayDreamer]

Okay, I revive Raizi! ;D

Name: Raizi

Age: 7 twassecc years (around 28 human years)

Backstory: 3 twassecc years ago, when Raizi was once an immature adventurous Nogan child, she ran away from her home, rebelling against the strict code of Noga, and stowed away in shuttle that brought her to Sig. There, she met up with a motley crew of characters and joined them in an expedition that would save Sig from total annihilation. (Correct me if I'm wrong at this part) Then after, she returned to Noga and her family.

Now 3 twassecc years later, the once rebellious teenager matured into an industrous, noble farmer, almost giving up on her wild and adventurous ways, though she still prefers a good sparring fight with one of her old Nogan childhood friends.

Currently she is visiting Yon to buy some good, expensive seeds and farming equipment for the next harvest.

[TiJiL]

I change my mind. It shall be 3 twassecc years after the Sig RPG. (7 years puts Raizi and Gan'Jenk at almost the same stage in life, which I wish to avoid for variety's sake. I've edited your post, Raizi)

As a note, Nogan ages correlate almost perfectly with human ages. So, if you want your nogan to be at the same stage of life as a 50 year old human, he's about 50 human years old

[TiJiL]

Also, Raizi:

Gerby has, in the past few years, grown much faster than most gerr beasts would. (This is, of course, because Noga is a much wetter, more fertile world than Sig) While a mere 3 twassecc years old, Gerby is almost fifteen feet long. His hide has become mightily thick. His legs are like tree trunks. In his large size, however, he has grown lazy and complacent. He spends most of the day sunning himself on the spearstone (a wind-eroded pinnacle of about thirty feet in height. Traditionally, every time a nogan caravan moved into Yon's location would stick a spear into the rock. In the many years Yon has been used, the spearstone now looks like a pincusion, laden with ancient, broken off spears, except for its flat top. Gerby climbs up the spearstone every morning and takes a nice twenty hour nap there). At night he burrows into the sand somewhere, though nobody really knows where.

Gerby is predictably a huge favorite of the nogan, who are major plant lovers as it is. While the town has gotten over the initial shock of having a plant walk around and eat other plants from time to time, not to mention blink, the residents still hold Gerby in great awe, and are never mad when he blunders into a building, smashing it flat. (Of course, they are used to it by now, what with the hurks that live in Yon)

[DigiDayDreamer]

I just realized you didn't mention Gerby's backstory in the first RPG, only the gorri's; I thought Gerby had lived in Sig, which I assumed where Raizi and the Gerr Beast parted. And are we supposed to meet together in a certain spot, like we did in the Good guy and Bad guy RPG?

[TiJiL]

Nah, you took Gerby with you when you went home. (Or, if you prefer, he followed you and ended up with you anyway)

Eventually the group will be drawn to a specific spot, but for the moment you will be alone, working towards your own goals.

(Oh, and to clarify. Though you don't live in Yon, you live near enough to it that the residents there know Gerby well)

[Dragonfly]

Race: Twassecc
Name: Tokmal Yanix
Age: 20 Twassecc years (about 70 earth years)
Occupation: Pilot

Backstory: Tokmal was born on Minthrop II. His parents were both high-ranking officers. His parents were extremely intelligent, inventive, and agressive. They would not tollerate any failure from him at all. He grew up knowing that he would become a famous, powerful leader. Sadly, both his parents were suddenly killed in an attack by the Ure when he was 16. Other power-hungry Twasseccs took Tokmal's parent's positions, and most of their wealth and possessions were divided among friends of his parents. All of Tokmal's siblings were suddenly divided as each went their separate ways. Tokmal took what money he had and what was left for him, and he joined a rather prestigious Flight Academy.

He graduated two years ago, and he joined the Fleet in hopes of killing large amounts of Ure. He has also developed mediocre amounts of emnity for the current additude of the officers in the army. The rapid destruction of his family's wealth, reputation, and position in the Twassecc empire fuelled this hatred. His goal to become a high-ranking leader remains the same, but on top of that goal lies the wish to semi-reform the ethics of his government. Tokmal realizes that there isn't a large amount of corruption, but what little corruption there was that caused the humiliation of his family...he wishes to crush in its bud.

Tokmal has pushed as hard as he could to improve his fighting skills, piloting abilities, and his knowledge of military tactics. He reads up on writings of famous tacticians as often as he can, hoping to someday lead armies and reform ethical standards.

Tokmal has only recently been assigned to some of the most simple tasks in the Army. He has not yet been sent on any invasions or attacks against the Ure or the Ure allies. He was sent to the Benidis to recieve orders concerning a guard position in convoys coming from Noga. Upon his arrival to Noga, he was ordered to travel to Yom, and await futher orders there.

Tokmal, does not have many possessions, he sold all but his clothes in order to get into a good Flight Academy. Currently, all weapons he uses have been standardly issued by the Fleet. Any ships that he flies are also provided by the Fleet.

General Appearance: Tokmal is ofcourse forced to keep himself very physically fit. He wears a standard issue uniform, and he most often carries C-20-P6 Handgun along with a Daxite Blade.

[TiJiL]

Ok… I know that RabbitDawg and Devvyn still plan to join us (hopefully today), but haven’t yet. However, I am impatient, and thus have decided to do a bit more work and start a new traditional step for these RPG’s. After hearing the backstories of your three characters, I will give more details about each of you, and also explain more about the region.


Gan’Jenk – You are a 13-year-old nogan (in twassecc years). You operate a moderately sized farm about fifteen miles south of Yon. This farm is about 200 square miles. On it, you grow several crops, though primarily you harvest yeen grass, a highly profitable crop. Yeen grass can be used to make all manner of delicious food and produces succulent fruit during parts of the year. Probably more profitable, though, is that it is a delicacy to Bolganu, which are used extensively in this region. Many farmers will pay a hefty sum for a huge crop of yeen grass, just to sustain the enormous appetites of their bolganu. (A single Bolgan can eat almost a ton of it in a day) Aside from the yeen grass, you have a small plot of desert cuya. These are farmed not only for their delicious white flowers but also for the sharp leaves they shed, which are strong enough to be used for building materials or tools. You have a small garage with a field tractor and a variable track (attachment for the tractor that can be used to do all manner of farming chores). You also have a pair of hired hands. Probably the nicest aspect of your farm, though, is that a small section of the river runs through it. You divert it extensively for irrigation purposes, but it’s enough water so that there is still a fifty-foot wide, meandering, slow moving stream. While you don’t recreate often, in the rare occasion that you do you find the sound of running water to be calming, as you sit under the shade of the naturally growing trees. Sometimes you even fish there, or simply watch for what creatures you may see.

The farm is continually shrinking as of late. It was, at its prime (when you were a younger nogan) almost twice the size that it is now. You received it from your father, Dofan, who owned several such farms. As he aged and his three children matured, he granted his farms to you and your two siblings, piece by piece. He kept only a small plot for himself, which he happily farmed until his death one year ago. Anyway, your farm has begun to shrink, as you too are slowly transferring your property to your daughter, Zelae, and your son, Helkun. Luckily for you, Helkun wants only a very modest plot of land, which you have already given him. Zelae will probably eventually inherit the remainder of your farm in the next five or so years.

There are several characters that you have relations with in and around of Yon. They may be individuals you’d prefer to avoid, but more likely they can help you (and add to your character).

Your brother, Segeb, owns a farm of Sudo weed about 30 miles further south from your own farm. His farm is larger than yours, but not as fertile, as it isn’t as close to the river. He generally can’t be seen in Yon (he’s a hard worker, as you are) but to sell his crop every year.

Your son, Helkun, only owns a small plot of your land (about a square mile, but it does contain a chunk of your river. You were loath to lose a piece of the river, but your son only asked for that single mile of land, so you eventually gave it up.) The reason for his fairly meager inheritance is that Helkun is rarely around. He has decided to train to become a Gul’Surr. He spends most of his time training in and around Yon, but also travels a lot, so he isn’t around enough to run a successful farm.

Your daughter, Zelae, owns more of what was once your land. Her farm begins about a mile beyond the river, and is about a 50 square miles. She is running a fairly successful farm there, growing a small but profitable crop of desert cuya.

Finally, the shopkeeper, Lekjaw, is the son of a friend of your father’s. You know him well, and he has given you discounts from time to time. He is a year or so older than you and runs his shop as a side job. He and his mate are explorers, though, and take to traveling by foot for great distances. When he is away on one of his adventures the shop is left in the hands of a friend of his. While this is very inconvenient for most people, when Lekjaw is around, he is a wealth of free information, about everything from geology to biology to the culture of different species. He is a favorite among the younger nogan in the area, not only for his distribution of free candy from time to time, but also for his ever readiness to tell a great story. He can tell them in incredible detail and with great vividness, employing the help of his pet Geocx to aid him with visuals and sound effects. The Geocx is another favorite feature of his, and accompanies him wherever he goes. Lekjaw and his pet often tell tales in front of the longhouse at night, when it has become too dark to work.


Ok there. Just giving you some background information to help with your character and the RPG in general. I shall write one for everybody if I don’t lose interest.

[TiJiL]

Raizi – After you returned home from Sig you were not severely punished. While of course, your absence frightened and angered your parents, they understood that, as a young nogan, you needed a certain degree of adventure to satisfy yourself. You spent the next three twassecc years working on the family farm, which is really quite large and prestigious. The plantation lies to the southeast of Yon, about 40 miles. You have worked and toiled and learned a great deal about farming. You find, however, that your experience on Sig made you more understanding of other creatures than most nogan, which are, while accepting, content to not delve into the culture of other beings.

You don’t currently own much property yourself. You have grown more mature, and thus are allowed to make decisions on behalf of the farm, but your parents have yet to pass on much of your inheritance. You do have a nice plot of land of about 30 square miles. Your current trip into Yon is for seeds for your first farm. It is a new farm, and thus is not extremely well equipped, but its soil is fertile and you’ve spent the last twenty days working to get it ready for planting.

Gerby, as aforementioned, has taken to sleeping most of the time. He has grown rather large in the fine climate. When he’s not sleeping on the spearstone, he’s sleeping underground or wandering about, looking for something to do. At the moment, you believe he’s in the river, as it is flowing rather stronger than most of the year due to a recent snowfall in the mountains.

Characters you are involved with:

Gerby, obviously, is your good friend. He doesn’t live with you anymore, but you spot him on the roads around your farm from time to time and he always greets you happily. Aside from that, usually he can be seen on the spearstone which lies near the road between your farm and Yon. On your trip today, however, you noticed him gone, thus leading you to your conclusion about the river.

Zalae is a friend of yours that you met in Yon one day while looking for a new hoe. The two of you were good friends and spent what little free time you had together. However, you have drifted apart a bit as of late due to you both inheriting a small farm. The work load on you has increased, and the two of you are having trouble finding time to see each other (although you do often encounter each other at the longhouse, when you opt to eat there)

Jai’ai, your mother, and Glunnd, your father, have obviously been a major influence in your life. You have your own farm now, and thus don’t see them as much as you might normally, but you still manage to help them with their farm when they need it. Also, your entire family generally arranges to meet at the longhouse every sixth day.

[RabbitDawg]

Hey guys, I'm baaaaaaack. Okay, well, I most likely won't be given the option to revive Ziela in EVERY RPG, so I might as well if I can, right? SoOoOo...

Name: Ziela

Age: Um... guys.... could you help me out here? I never really got it... Am I an old geezer now or do I still have some kick left in me? (like, what's my human equivalent... maturity wise? Last time Ziela was here, she was human equivalent 19ish... ^_^)

Appearance: Not much really. She used to wear something to keep her cool, but soon discovered that other planets weren't as hot as Sig was and now only wears very very lite stuff -- perhaps some kind of lite priestess-gown-robe-thing? She still has her wind charm around her neck, as well as her tiara bestowed with the power of the Star God. Her Whip of Zeal is worn around her upper torso (kinda tied on her torso) but ready to be used at any instant. She wears a backpack with stuff she's collected from her travels thus far, as well as a galon of water (of course), the SILP, and a brand new writing pad where she logs information she gathers in her travels (and to write poems of course, though they're not as sad. Oh, and I say 'new' notepad cuz her old one HAD to run out someday, but it's in there too. ^_^) Oh!! Almost forgot!! And since I'm traveling, I've got to have some spending money or else I wouldn't be able to come back with any souvenirs... or try the dining in other planets... or... or...

And now for the backstory. The scene is: I'm riding in the shuttle on my way to Yon... and writing of course.
(Sorry this is kinda long guys ^_^)
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I concentrate, my face adorned with a determination. I feel the energy flowing through me and the wind grows ever stronger-- far stronger than it ever has. My tiara... it's cooling me... and my amulet is glowing...!!

My breathing grows heavier as a mighty storm begins to coalesce above me -- winds stronger than ever. I close my eyes... praying-- no... knowing that my companions were taking cover. My eyes were still closed but... I'm getting visions in my head... a giant cylinder of debris is enveloping me, yet I'm not blown away... The clouds above... they're growing darker and darker, blotting out the stars. Then, there was lightning!! Striking with utmost fury!! I keep concentrating, feeling the combined might of the Wind God and Star God within me. And...

'That was... it's been so long and I've been travelling so much, I don't quite remember...' Ziela sat at in her shuttle, writing in her ever-trusty writing pad. She used more as a diary than anything else, but always preferred to tell curious others that it was to help her document data. She continued.

'Probably around 3 twassecc years if my mathematics serves me right. It hasn't seemed all that long, has it? I guess I've been having too much fun since that day... Cirrus and Fath-- Ember... remember them? I wonder what happened to Ember now.'

'And remember Raizi? It's so exciting thinking maybe there's a chance I'll get to see her again.'

She stopped writing for a while, reminiscing about her previous adventure with the young nogan and the others, and then trying to depict how the nogan looked now. 'How big would she be? She was stronger than me then. She could probably squash me blindfolded now...'

She continued to write again. 'But it's so big a planet. I doubt I'll see her. Still though. It wouldn't really be a bad thing... I think. I prefer to try to keep that chapter of my life behind me; the coming and passing of my only friends. And discovering the truth of my past... I've searched for it forever -- used all my energy searching for answers. But when I found them, I didn't... and still don't know where my energy should go.'

Another pause. More thinking. She always thought. That habit never died out of her.

'Whatever. I need to go to Yon and collect some of the 'desert cuya' so that when I come back to Sig, we may have a plant that can survive the climate there. That'd be great, huh? Then I'll tour some of the place and then move on to--'

"Mother," said the Sigwar driver of the shuttle. He recognized she was a priestess because of the robes she wore, and addressed her accordingly. "The other passengers have left, Mother. We're in Yon. I apologize, but your ticket only brings you here. You'll have to evacuate the vehicle."

"Oh!! Right!! Sorry. I... I didn't notice that everyone... Oh, I'm terribly sorry!! I'll get out now."

"No need for apologies." Then, on her way out, he added, "Have a safe trip. My prayers be with you."

"Oh, uh... right. My prayers be with you." The shuttle departed. Ziela headed for Yon. 'He's right. There was no need for me to apologize... I've gotta be strong now... have to rely on myself...'

With that, she continues on her way to Yon, admiring and practically drooling (though she can't technically drool. It'd waste her saliva which was sometimes her substitute for water when it was scarce.) over all the plants she's seeing. Never has she seen so many plants...

"Wow... I'm really liking this place..."

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As always... BUTCHER THIS AT WILL because I'm sure something's wrong.

[DigiDayDreamer]

Good backstory, RD! Good to have you back too! It looks like Ziela hasn't changed much. But I bet Raizi will be different, though not totally different. Hope we can start the RPG soon.

[Devvyn]

I apologize in advance I'm not a very good creative writer at all, so here it goes....
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Name: Molthor
Species: Hurk
Age: Help me out here, Tijil, I'm thinking young adulthood.
Appearance: 15'1'' tall, extremely strong


Molthor was born on the moon of Hurk. He led a simple life, eating, playing "sports", and enjoying nature. Then he heard of the Twasseccs and of all the wonderful things they had done for his planet. So he decided he wanted to help them somehow, and found that they were looking for Hurks to help rebuild Noga, teaching them to defend themselves, and relax a bit. He hopped on the first ship he found and headed straight for Noga, eager to help the Twasseccs, eat new foods, sleep in a new place, eat new foods, look at different creatures he had never met before, eat new foods, wrestle these Nogan's (who couldn't possibly match him in strength), and of course, eat new foods.

[TiJiL]

Ahh gut! I think we now have enough people to start. (I will still hopefully write a followup intro for each character)

(Oh, and Devvyn, a young adult hurk is about 7 twassecc years old (equivalent of a 20 year old human, but about 28 human years). However, you must note that hurks grow as they age, so such a young hurk couldn't be yet 15'1". You must either age him or shorten him)




It is afternoon now. Benid (the sun) is just slipping behind the gigantic blue mountains to the northeast (yes east), casting a warm red glow across the plains. Soon it shall be very dark, and the nogan know this. Noga has no moons or other natural satellites, and the nearest planet (Benidis itself) looks like a mere pinprick in the sky. Thus, it grows extremely dark at night. As the sun is setting, the inhabitants, too, of Noga are retiring for the day.

Many nogan simply sleep at their farms, but most of the cache prefer to sleep in crude huts in Yon. (Perhaps for the security, the comfort, or, more likely, the fact that few of them own any property, but work rather as hired hands. Still others are training Gul’Surr, but more on that later.) A quick look from atop any part of the hill Yon rests on will reveal a vast panorama of farmland and plains. Dotted about this land is a number of plodding gray animals, forty feet long. These are the bolganu, heavy beasts of burden employed by the nogan in regions where crops are grown that cannot effectively be collected by machines, where fuel for tractors is too difficult to come by, or where the terrain is difficult enough that tractors tend to get stuck often. All three of these are at least partially true for the region you are currently in, and thus there are more Bolganu than tractors, for the most part. Each bolgan is a monstrous quadrupedal herbivore, utterly frightening in nature because of its large size and various nose horns, but gentle as a geup. At the moment, about twenty of them are being brought into the safety of Yon, to avoid them wandering off and/or being eaten by some deadly predator.

Night is falling now, the last streaks of indigo sky slowly disappearing behind the almost invisible mountains. A slight electric glow emits from the generators, while a roaring fire burns from in front of the longhouse. Nogan are resting all around, lying on roofs of buildings, on piles of hay or other products, or simply on the ground. A delicious aroma begins to waft about the town as the cooks prepare the night’s meal.

The nogan aren’t a talkative bunch, though one can hear a few sparse conversations about the day’s work or recent events. Most of them, however, just gaze, transfixed, at the starry sky. You can hear, though, a couple of loud, boisterous voices carrying clearly through the night. Hurks rarely work very hard, and they rarer still decide to rest when everyone else feels tired. Three or four of them are sparring with each other, you think, from the sounds of splintering wood, guttural grunts, and calls of joy and rage.



Further inspection of the longhouse reveals that it is a long building, about one hundred fifty feet in length, twenty feet in height, and thirty feet in width. Within it is a line of large tables for nogan who prefer to eat inside and a large platform at one end where the cooks put the food. The Longhouse is a very open building, lacking a real ceiling and having an enormous patio region in front of it. The patio’s centerpiece is a gigantic firepit, almost eight feet deep and twenty feet wide. Within it at the moment is probably near a ton of wood and a gigantic bonfire. (The wood collection is one of the jobs normally left to the hurks as, in a single trip, they can bring an enormous quantity. Aside from that, they are excellent with the Bolganu and can get them to move wood with the slightest effort). Around the bonfire is a circular region of empty space, surrounded by totemic poles. Directly next to the bonfire is a petrified stump, five feet wide, where a storyteller may sit or an announcer stand. This is where most of the nogan eat, and several of them have already staked out prime positions, anticipating the meal to come.

The darkness is complete now and the eerie, flickering light from the giant fire, the pleasing aroma of the cooking meal, the reverberating bellows of the Bolganu in the field below, the twinkling of the stars above, and the bouts of laughter and grunts of pain as hurks attempt to push each other into buildings seem to stop time and make you forget the great labor that awaits you tomorrow.

[Arreck]

Having purchased my needed fertilizer, I load it back on my tractor and prepare to depart for my farm. I'll be ready to utilize it in the morning, but I need to head back if I'm to get it all put away and still have time for my short sleep.