Messages

1

World / Re: alpha lore

« on: August 23, 2016, 04:58:23 pm »

1) For me I imagine the Arashi were/are in a hated debate.  Normally they are just defense defense defense "Stay the HELL out of our desert, idiots" sort of mentality.  They are surviving just fine off the scraps and shrubs of the land and have literally zero reason to expand much since their population isn't nearly as high as the Yesha Empire is.  However, I wouldn't put it past the Arashi to be like, "Oh look, all these fleets moving about are leaving some places relatively undefended.  If we can exploit these weaknesses then we can bring back great loot for our people."  Alternatively they could just as easily find themselves growing as a people, despite the conditions, and feel they need more providing lands to accommodate.  As for the Yesha, I imagine the reason they are not in this conflict yet is because of several reasons, one being they are a large empire so there's a lot of moving parts to make the war machine start turning.  Another reason simply would be they don't want to reveal their latest weapons of war until tests are concluded, or perhaps they are standing by and observing the conflict, trying to see who has what weapons, who is dangerous and who is not, that way they have a solid strategy for the success of the empire.  As for their motivations, it's sort of self explanatory.  They want more land for the glory of the empire, and to grow as a people since they are probably one of the most overpopulated people in the Guns Of Icarus universe at the moment.

2)  The laser beam guns were a big bonus to ship destruction, for sure, however also as you can imagine, many people would willingly sell their services in the name of the Mercantile Guild simply because of the financial benefits one would have.  Nice ship, nice guns, nice payment.  Mercenaries, pirates, morally grey individuals who would sell themselves for a big bag of coinage, they all have something to gain by working for the Mercantiles for a short time, while other empires would pay less and at most give them "brownie points" with their people.  Also I made an observation that when the mercantiles push all the way north to the Republic forces, they defended the land like it was their own capital, bunkering down and refusing to give up an inch for the long stretch of land they gained for lucrative trading. 

3)  The lens rays probably have a crappy warranty, knowing businesses.  After just several days of extended use, the inner workings might show clear signs of fatigue and the lenses would be excessively expensive to replace daily so they make do with what warn guns they have left over.  Ship engineers and mechanics know how to keep them running effectively but they may never be as perfect as the original designs were, especially if the loss of ships demands more mass production so things became less hand crafted in the interest of time as the original post suggested.

2

World / Re: Food of the Factions

« on: August 14, 2016, 11:54:47 pm »

For the Arashi, I want to assume not every inch of the desert is sand, sand, sand, rocks, and more sand.
There has to be some kind of water source.  From what I can tell, in the map "Canyon Ambush" the large silos have plants growing off of them.  Perhaps this is due to condensation, and these towers actually tap underground water supplies.  That being said, such places would provide a large, though limited, source of water for a larger population of people.  There are also other methods of getting water from cacti, cacti fruits, solar water stills, morning dew, etc.  Lore also states that Arashi reuse old factories, either using them for intended design or making them into something else like a shelter, so perhaps they also have dehumidifiers and other pieces of tech.  As for food, some websites say most cacti fruits are safe to eat, and it's not like you can't have sheep grazing so long as you stick to the shrubs, and away from the dunes.  Another quick search tells me people can herd animals into the deserts for meat and milk, and eating lizards would be common.  Bugs are not out if the question either, and I'm sure you have heard of like, scorpions being roasted or other things. 

As for like, large banquets of fine cuisine and the such, I'm not sure if the Arashi have many luxuries outside of like roasted lamb, lizard on a stick, etc.  I did read that they mentioned rice was something some cultures used.  Overall though I don't know enough about Arashi to consider anything outside of flatbread or something.  As is I'm struggling to identify how these people really live, because their outfits are very colorful and cultural, well made and nice, while I think the ship design looked like a glued together scrap heap.

As for the Yesha I think it's safe to say a lot of asian dishes, mostly consisting of rice, noodles, vegetables, etc, there's not much they can't make from what I can tell.  Their lands have vegetation, lots of space to grow crops, raise animals, and it stretches far enough north and south to get a wide variety of fruits.  Not sure if they will have a large fishing fleet or anything, but assuming the empire is potentially overpopulated, we can assume they make an effort for such things, thus potential scuffles with the Republic just to the north. 

3

World / Re: What faction will you fight for?

« on: August 14, 2016, 06:08:41 pm »

I'm going for the Arashi League at the moment.
There's just something badass about a people who are fiercely individualistic to the point they not only accept living in a desert wasteland but make it their home, their realm of death even.  This sort of faction is endearing to me because it's very much a tale of a society that refuses to accept the easy answer.  They won't convert to the Yasha Empire and bow to their leaders and oppressors for the promise of food in return for their loyalty and individuality.  They won't sell their people to the Mercantile Guild for the chance of a fat gilded life.  They are a strong people, tempered by fire and the desert sun to make the best of what little they are given.  It's really a sort of life choice I can get behind, the kind where you find comfort and happiness even with the fewest of luxuries. 

My second option would be the Yesha Empire
While basically stripping away individuality for a sort of "Cog In The Machine" or as the lore says, "Place in Society", this sort of thinking has made quite the impressive empire with its own culture, large cities, pretty wealthy from what I can tell, and they don't struggle to have food and shelter provided.  It is a nice thought, coming home from a long day of war and being able to see the grand cities and hard working people you're fighting for, as opposed to the Arashi who are a divided people when not doing the League's work, and live in far less luxury.  Also helps that I like Eastern architecture with the fancy roofs and the whole "honor" system from Chinese and Japanese tradition. 

I may get some ideas and lore points wrong so forgive me and feel free to correct some things.