Freedom from Silence
Storyline:
Iii Irene Ionmi is the elite vanguard of the Rainbow unit, a group of child soldiers trained to serve their country unquestioningly. When a city-state defects from her country, she and her three companions are sent to the front lines of the conflict, but the force that awaits them is unlike anything they’d ever encountered. Dia is a girl with near limitless magical ability who has begun a new journey. One way or another, Dia’s power draws in everyone around her. Though neither knows this, Dia and Iii’s journeys are set to insect in the near future and the resolution to each of their paths lies with the other.
Background:
Freedom from Silence takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth, albeit, one that never descended into lawlessness. This is because the world’s turning point was not a war between humans, but instead a genocide perpetrated by monsters called Otherkind. Generations passed and eventually humanity discovered the abilities that came to be known as magic. Each person who learned how to use magic gained a single specific ability and soon people were born with these abilities. Magic users in the North and South American continents joined together under the banner of the Blood Knight Order and quickly turned the tide of the war. During this time many immigrants from around the world came to the (relative) safety of the American continents and created their own settlements. It wasn’t long after this that the Leader of the Blood Knights appointed his successor, and the Blood Knight Order became the American Empire. The civilizations founded by immigrants were soon approached by the Empire’s envoys in order to collect taxes. When the leaders of these settlements refused to pay the Empire threatened military action. Spurred by a common enemy, the settlements united under the flag of the Independent States. The war was not meant to be however, as Independents and the Imperials soon realized both sides had magic users who could destroy the entire planet and some even more than that. The war went cold and so the stage is set.
Setting:
The American Empire: The American Empire is comprised of much of what was once the eastern half of the United States, Canada, and a small part of South and Central America. The Empire’s people refer to themselves as Americans and refer to the Independent States’ peoples as , Independents. This little idiosyncrasy of theirs, not shared by the Independents who refer to themselves as such, is the perfect representation of the Empire’s people. They see themselves as the natural evolution of the American Republic, which they equate with corruption and mob rule and even go as far as blaming the old system as the reason for the Otherkind War. As the name implies, the American Empire is a monarchy, albeit a constitutional monarchy. Of note is that most laws are not to protect the normal “citizen” caste, but rather, the rights and freedoms associated with the Bill of Rights are only afforded to the noble castes. Thankfully, in the Empire, the rank of Knight can be earned through service to the crown, most commonly through military service. While the rank of Knight is relatively easy to achieve, maintaining any other noble rank is difficult as each new generation must earn their noble title anew. In practice this monarchy has much in common with a military dictatorship, only with more grand sounding titles. This does not, as it may imply, mean the Empire is a horrid place to live. There are good and bad parts of the Empire, depending on who is governing, and for the most part, the people of the Empire are safe from the harsh terrain of the Post War Era and the remaining Otherkind.
The Independent States: The Independent States are a loose alliance of city-states throughout what was once the western United States, a small part of Canada, and most of South America. Unlike the Empire, the Independent States have no central leadership. Each city-state has its own leaders, culture, and government structure. The leaders do gather together when there are pressing matters, but other than that most of the States rarely mingle. The most notable Independent leader is Haruka whose nation is the strongest of the Independent States.
Characters
Iii Irene Ionmi: Iii is the adopted daughter of a noblewoman. As her role was to ensure the Ionmi family’s legacy of military prowess remained intact, Iii was trained to be the ideal knight. Iii’s strong will and fighting skill propelled her through the ranks. Eventually she was even choosen as the successor of the Ionmi name in place of the biological daughter of the Ionmi family, though she originally decliend the successorship. Iii has a powerful drive to protect the people of the Empire, this is what allows her to focus almost single mindedly on her goals, and this strength has allowed her to preform feats at her young age that most knights will never acheive. Unfortunately this protective will also leads her to make poor descisions at times, especailly when angrered.
Laura Johanna Petra Lannerbeck: Laura’s mother died in childbirth leaving her alone on the streets of the Empire. Laura fell into a gang at a young age due to her useful healing magic. Eventually she met Iii and the two became fast friends. Laura and Iii’s relationship hit a rocky point when Iii, as she’d yet to have the martial arts training that helped her control her anger, lashed out at Laura’s gang and nearly killed many of them when she saw some gang members mugging an elderly man. The result of Iii’s battle with the gang was Laura’s arrest and her own adoption. Iii, using her new position as a noble, bought contracts from the prison allowing Laura to serve as Iii’s personal maid. In fact Laura is the only member of the Rainbow Unit without knight status as she’s still considered a servant. Laura doesn’t mind however, as she’s the type that can take anything in stride. The only thing that seems to make her flustered is her own growing attraction to Iii, having never been attracted to anyone or anything else.
Merry May: Having been born to a middle class Imperial family, Merry’s past is simpler than the other members. Merry is instead known for her use of a gun in the magic age, as many magic users are much faster than a bullet. Still, Merry is a skilled fighter and Rainbow’s second in command. She's well aware of her place as Rainbow's weakest member, and in fact she's the weakest magic user her family has ever had. Of her family, she has an exceptionally poor relationship with her older sister. She has always been relentless in her pursuit for glory in combat. Her relentless drive for victory has led to her becoming the most dangerous member of Rainbow, as she's willing to do things no one else would.
Shiori Ludwig: In the Empire there is little love for the Japanese. This is because Haruka, the leader of the strongest of the Independent States, is the greatest enemy of the Empire. Shiori has always had to prove herself against the negative perceptions of the Japanese. The negative sentiment is so bad in some areas that Shiori refers to herself with a Chinese pseudonym when meeting new people. Shiori’s eventually joined the Imperial Military with the intent of “clearing her name”. Despite this Shiori tends to make light of her situation and really any situation with her sense of humor. While Shiori’s jokes are generally horrible by Rainbow’s members, they all secretly appreciate how she tries to help keep things light.
Dia: With complete domination of space and temporal phenomenon, Dia is considered the second most powerful magic user to ever live. She was brought up within one of many New Mystery Cults, and is considered one of the cult's many gods due to her sheer power. Over time however she grew weary of her worshippers and decided to attempt to expand her influence. This led to her butting heads with Haruka of the Independent States, and surprisingly it also led to Dia's first loss. Broken and wounded Dia retreated away from her worshippers and secluded herself in a pocket dimension. Eventually she returned with a new goal, to understand what it meant to be a human. With this goal in mind she recruits Rahtta to be her conscience. Despite, or perhaps because, of her self-centered nature, Dia often times craves the attention of others, but her way of interacting with people is twisted by her ego.
Rahtta: Some people’s magical abilities change their bodies permanently. In Rahtta’s case, she was born with a strange and monstrous appearance, despite this Rahtta always wanted to be a hero. To this end she became a wandering warrior for justice. Somewhere along the line she picked up a partner in the form of Whisper. After a failed mission infiltrating the New Mystery Cult she somehow ended up being recruited as Dia's conscience. Since Dia is much more dangerous than any other magic user she has ever met, she decided it was for the best, she feels there might be a good use for her extraordinarially powerful new companion.
Luna Annica Padavona: Luna has always been known as the strongest magic user in the world, and at one point was one of the American Empire's elite warriors, but once the Empire's primary enemy shifted from the Otherkind to the Independent States she left the military, and later she deserted the Empire all together. Had she never left the Empire the war likely never would have gone cold as she'd always be able to overpower anything the Indpenendet threw at her. Despite retreating into seclusion many critize her for not ending the war, some even critize her for not taking command herself, there's no one who could stop her anyway.
Eriel Blackmore: He was once the most famous knight of the American Empire. He is descended from the first magic users, called the Prophets. Despite all his fame, he is lacking in raw power compared to most magic users, so in his time he has had many partners who would fight in tandem with him. Most famous among his partners was Luna Padavona, and the two were instrumental in saving the human race during the Otherkind war. This fame didn't last however, as he betrayed the Empire killing several soldiers and crippling many more as he fled to the Independnet States. It's unknown what exactly happened to him after this, few know what happened to him after this, but one of the popular rumors is that he's married Luna and lives with her.
Question time
1. What kind of difficulty do you think is appropriate for the RPG segments. I want there to be a stark divide between Dia and Iii's stories, but as it is, The game is actually very hard as it is.
2. Any thoughts about the story or characters, any useless bit of trivia you might want to know? I really love small details (like why there are strange hair an eye colors.)
3. So how do you feel about the new art
Credits:
Writing and other unimportant things: Enigma (me)
Original Art: Dandilionfluff
Current Art: Alera
RPG Sprites: Archeia
Dia's got the best shoes.
Storyline:
Iii Irene Ionmi is the elite vanguard of the Rainbow unit, a group of child soldiers trained to serve their country unquestioningly. When a city-state defects from her country, she and her three companions are sent to the front lines of the conflict, but the force that awaits them is unlike anything they’d ever encountered. Dia is a girl with near limitless magical ability who has begun a new journey. One way or another, Dia’s power draws in everyone around her. Though neither knows this, Dia and Iii’s journeys are set to insect in the near future and the resolution to each of their paths lies with the other.
Background:
Freedom from Silence takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth, albeit, one that never descended into lawlessness. This is because the world’s turning point was not a war between humans, but instead a genocide perpetrated by monsters called Otherkind. Generations passed and eventually humanity discovered the abilities that came to be known as magic. Each person who learned how to use magic gained a single specific ability and soon people were born with these abilities. Magic users in the North and South American continents joined together under the banner of the Blood Knight Order and quickly turned the tide of the war. During this time many immigrants from around the world came to the (relative) safety of the American continents and created their own settlements. It wasn’t long after this that the Leader of the Blood Knights appointed his successor, and the Blood Knight Order became the American Empire. The civilizations founded by immigrants were soon approached by the Empire’s envoys in order to collect taxes. When the leaders of these settlements refused to pay the Empire threatened military action. Spurred by a common enemy, the settlements united under the flag of the Independent States. The war was not meant to be however, as Independents and the Imperials soon realized both sides had magic users who could destroy the entire planet and some even more than that. The war went cold and so the stage is set.
Setting:
The American Empire: The American Empire is comprised of much of what was once the eastern half of the United States, Canada, and a small part of South and Central America. The Empire’s people refer to themselves as Americans and refer to the Independent States’ peoples as , Independents. This little idiosyncrasy of theirs, not shared by the Independents who refer to themselves as such, is the perfect representation of the Empire’s people. They see themselves as the natural evolution of the American Republic, which they equate with corruption and mob rule and even go as far as blaming the old system as the reason for the Otherkind War. As the name implies, the American Empire is a monarchy, albeit a constitutional monarchy. Of note is that most laws are not to protect the normal “citizen” caste, but rather, the rights and freedoms associated with the Bill of Rights are only afforded to the noble castes. Thankfully, in the Empire, the rank of Knight can be earned through service to the crown, most commonly through military service. While the rank of Knight is relatively easy to achieve, maintaining any other noble rank is difficult as each new generation must earn their noble title anew. In practice this monarchy has much in common with a military dictatorship, only with more grand sounding titles. This does not, as it may imply, mean the Empire is a horrid place to live. There are good and bad parts of the Empire, depending on who is governing, and for the most part, the people of the Empire are safe from the harsh terrain of the Post War Era and the remaining Otherkind.
The Independent States: The Independent States are a loose alliance of city-states throughout what was once the western United States, a small part of Canada, and most of South America. Unlike the Empire, the Independent States have no central leadership. Each city-state has its own leaders, culture, and government structure. The leaders do gather together when there are pressing matters, but other than that most of the States rarely mingle. The most notable Independent leader is Haruka whose nation is the strongest of the Independent States.
Characters
Iii Irene Ionmi: Iii is the adopted daughter of a noblewoman. As her role was to ensure the Ionmi family’s legacy of military prowess remained intact, Iii was trained to be the ideal knight. Iii’s strong will and fighting skill propelled her through the ranks. Eventually she was even choosen as the successor of the Ionmi name in place of the biological daughter of the Ionmi family, though she originally decliend the successorship. Iii has a powerful drive to protect the people of the Empire, this is what allows her to focus almost single mindedly on her goals, and this strength has allowed her to preform feats at her young age that most knights will never acheive. Unfortunately this protective will also leads her to make poor descisions at times, especailly when angrered.
Laura Johanna Petra Lannerbeck: Laura’s mother died in childbirth leaving her alone on the streets of the Empire. Laura fell into a gang at a young age due to her useful healing magic. Eventually she met Iii and the two became fast friends. Laura and Iii’s relationship hit a rocky point when Iii, as she’d yet to have the martial arts training that helped her control her anger, lashed out at Laura’s gang and nearly killed many of them when she saw some gang members mugging an elderly man. The result of Iii’s battle with the gang was Laura’s arrest and her own adoption. Iii, using her new position as a noble, bought contracts from the prison allowing Laura to serve as Iii’s personal maid. In fact Laura is the only member of the Rainbow Unit without knight status as she’s still considered a servant. Laura doesn’t mind however, as she’s the type that can take anything in stride. The only thing that seems to make her flustered is her own growing attraction to Iii, having never been attracted to anyone or anything else.
Merry May: Having been born to a middle class Imperial family, Merry’s past is simpler than the other members. Merry is instead known for her use of a gun in the magic age, as many magic users are much faster than a bullet. Still, Merry is a skilled fighter and Rainbow’s second in command. She's well aware of her place as Rainbow's weakest member, and in fact she's the weakest magic user her family has ever had. Of her family, she has an exceptionally poor relationship with her older sister. She has always been relentless in her pursuit for glory in combat. Her relentless drive for victory has led to her becoming the most dangerous member of Rainbow, as she's willing to do things no one else would.
Shiori Ludwig: In the Empire there is little love for the Japanese. This is because Haruka, the leader of the strongest of the Independent States, is the greatest enemy of the Empire. Shiori has always had to prove herself against the negative perceptions of the Japanese. The negative sentiment is so bad in some areas that Shiori refers to herself with a Chinese pseudonym when meeting new people. Shiori’s eventually joined the Imperial Military with the intent of “clearing her name”. Despite this Shiori tends to make light of her situation and really any situation with her sense of humor. While Shiori’s jokes are generally horrible by Rainbow’s members, they all secretly appreciate how she tries to help keep things light.
Dia: With complete domination of space and temporal phenomenon, Dia is considered the second most powerful magic user to ever live. She was brought up within one of many New Mystery Cults, and is considered one of the cult's many gods due to her sheer power. Over time however she grew weary of her worshippers and decided to attempt to expand her influence. This led to her butting heads with Haruka of the Independent States, and surprisingly it also led to Dia's first loss. Broken and wounded Dia retreated away from her worshippers and secluded herself in a pocket dimension. Eventually she returned with a new goal, to understand what it meant to be a human. With this goal in mind she recruits Rahtta to be her conscience. Despite, or perhaps because, of her self-centered nature, Dia often times craves the attention of others, but her way of interacting with people is twisted by her ego.
Rahtta: Some people’s magical abilities change their bodies permanently. In Rahtta’s case, she was born with a strange and monstrous appearance, despite this Rahtta always wanted to be a hero. To this end she became a wandering warrior for justice. Somewhere along the line she picked up a partner in the form of Whisper. After a failed mission infiltrating the New Mystery Cult she somehow ended up being recruited as Dia's conscience. Since Dia is much more dangerous than any other magic user she has ever met, she decided it was for the best, she feels there might be a good use for her extraordinarially powerful new companion.
Luna Annica Padavona: Luna has always been known as the strongest magic user in the world, and at one point was one of the American Empire's elite warriors, but once the Empire's primary enemy shifted from the Otherkind to the Independent States she left the military, and later she deserted the Empire all together. Had she never left the Empire the war likely never would have gone cold as she'd always be able to overpower anything the Indpenendet threw at her. Despite retreating into seclusion many critize her for not ending the war, some even critize her for not taking command herself, there's no one who could stop her anyway.
Eriel Blackmore: He was once the most famous knight of the American Empire. He is descended from the first magic users, called the Prophets. Despite all his fame, he is lacking in raw power compared to most magic users, so in his time he has had many partners who would fight in tandem with him. Most famous among his partners was Luna Padavona, and the two were instrumental in saving the human race during the Otherkind war. This fame didn't last however, as he betrayed the Empire killing several soldiers and crippling many more as he fled to the Independnet States. It's unknown what exactly happened to him after this, few know what happened to him after this, but one of the popular rumors is that he's married Luna and lives with her.
Question time
1. What kind of difficulty do you think is appropriate for the RPG segments. I want there to be a stark divide between Dia and Iii's stories, but as it is, The game is actually very hard as it is.
2. Any thoughts about the story or characters, any useless bit of trivia you might want to know? I really love small details (like why there are strange hair an eye colors.)
3. So how do you feel about the new art
Credits:
Writing and other unimportant things: Enigma (me)
Original Art: Dandilionfluff
Current Art: Alera
RPG Sprites: Archeia
Dia's got the best shoes.
