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Aeronautica: Divum Latro
Prologue: Beginnings
It is the year 1961, Earth. But not the earth you know. It is an earth vastly different to the one you think you know, one where the timeline has diverged significantly from what you would see as the “correct” course of events.
Earth can be said, if a little inaccurately, to be split into two factions, in their own version of a Cold War, each watching the other carefully and each very close to pushing the “war” button.
The Holy American Empire has, after several decades of uneasy peace, come into direct conflict with the Eastern Unification of the Republican Outlands against Possession of Empires, or EUROPE, following a supposed Terrorist attack against The Holy American Empire [Or just “The Empire” for short] by Republican extremists, in which the White House in Washington DC was attacked by a group of militant extremists who are believed to have been carrying European colours. The Empire responded by ordering a missile attack on the coastal city of Calais, on the border between EUROPE and The Empire. EUROPE retaliated with a large-scale bombing raid on Washington DC, severely damaging the Great Library and killing several members of the Grand Holy Emperors family. Things inevitably escalated, until the two super-powers are in a truly global war.
With the sudden outbreak of war, hundreds of thousands, millions, perhaps billions began to die. Mass bombing raids, shelling attacks, massive assaults on cities….all took their toll. Neither side can get the upper hand; every time EUROPE captures a city or secures a strategic area, The Empire always manages to raid or secure something equally important, and vice versa. They are at a stalemate, but neither will back down, leading to yet more needless waste of lives.
However, with the continued war, there are certain…advantages inherent in warfare. The increase in the use of military vehicles- including the seizing of all aggressive vehicles for the war, combined with the global scale of the war- means that both superpowers are stretched extremely thin with their defences. This is bad news for them….good news for those out to make a profit.
Enter the Divum Latro, the Sky Bandits. These brigands prey on the lightly defended civilian transports, freighters and fishing ships, and occasionally lightly defended military cargo. They then sell what they can’t use back to the original owners; of course some of these deals go sour, but more often than not, the two sides are too thinly stretched to mount an effective ambush. The other alternative is that they sell it to the other side.
Some Bandits steal from both sides, others steal from only civvies, some fight for one of the two sides- the two Powers are always willing to put mercenaries in the field before their own men- but the bottom line is that there is always work. Both Powers have attempted to clear the Pirates out, but it is akin to catching mist; almost impossible. They can never wipe them out completely, and they can’t field a massive armada in the first place.
A little history lesson for you:
When the British Empire failed to quell the 1880 Boer rebellion, they swiftly attempted to rectify the situation, sending and punitive force in 1882. The Boer were secretly aided by the Americans, and the British were handed a humiliating defeat, and all over the empire, colonies and subjugate peoples began uprisings, spurred on by success of the Boer. The British managed to keep the colonies under control for a few years, but by 1893, were unable to deploy enough troops to defeat all the rebellions. By 1895, the British Empire was in ruins, the British economy utterly destroyed and their military all but gone, and the colonies were enjoying their new freedom. The German Empire attempted to subjugate the old British Colonies in 1907, but the leaders of the major colonies met in secret at the Alliance Conference in the Federation of South Africa, agreeing to a treaty of mutual protection in 1906. When Germany attacked, the ex-colonies were ready, and- again aided by America- managed to destroy the German Empire in much the same way as the British. The German Empire surrendered to the coalition, and it was eventually decided in 1909 that the different countries should band together under one banner, Germany included. In 1910, EUROPE was formed, obtaining the lands of Our-world Europe, North and South Africa and eventually Russia, after a short and brutal war in the year 1913-1915, where the Russians were eventually defeated. EUROPE set up a system of government not unlike our-world USA, with some adjustments:
The country would be divided into six Provinces; Russia would be split into The Land of The Bear in the east and The Province of Wolves in the west. North Africa and South Africa would become provinces, South Africa controlling Madagascar- eventually nicknamed Victory Island when EUROPE defeated an uprising started by angry British and German ex-soldiers that lasted from 1940-1950- and our-Europe would be split into two; Western taking on the name of Europia, Eastern taking the name Eurotia. Each city in each Province would have an elected council, and each Province would have a democratically elected government, who would have designated representatives who would stay in the grand capital of EUROPE, Uturia, to attend the Grand EUROPE Government. The people from all over EUROPE would vote on a Chairman every two years, who is not the leader of the country, but the first amongst equals; he heads every Grand Government Meeting, and has the authority to declare war. The duty of directing armies into battle falls to the Chancellor of War, who can only be vetoed by a majority vote of the Grand Government.
Whilst all this was happening, there was trouble in America. In 1910, the “Bible Belt” of America was attacked en masse by suspected Atheist extremists, who believed that The “Bible Belt” was stuck in the past and had to move forward. In 1913, after much political wrangling, the “Bible Belt” formed a massive coalition and declared Holy War on the terrorists, and- after the President refused to give them aid in their Civil War- declared their independence and proceeded to attack the surrounding states. The USA attempted to quell the war, even going so far as to lock off its borders and ports, attempting to strangle the newly christened “Order of The Cross,” but the newly independent state had found sympathisers in High Office who used their influence to cause entire regiments of the army to defect. They stole and raided whatever they could find, and by 1924, all of America had fallen under the control of The Order Of The Cross. They soon renamed the USA the Holy American Empire and, since the Roman Pope had been overthrown by EUROPE, they became the symbol of Christianity in the world. They began expanding in both directions, conquering the ruins of Britain and around half of The Channel before clashing with EUROPE. After a few skirmishes, they decided on a treaty, and America continued its expansion. Very soon, it controlled China, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, the rest having been claimed by EUROPE. By 1937, the world had been divided into two.
Technology:
The Wright Brothers were killed in a train crash in 1899, and so never invented the first fixed-wing airplane. Cars were still invented, but technology stalled with so many gifted inventors in both America and EUROPE being sent to war and killed. The Tank, being a British invention, didn’t happen until late the late 1950’s, and even then it is still a steam powered device. Oil has been discovered, but no one has quite figured out a way to harness its flammable properties just yet.
Ships still float around on water, but the true territory is the sky. Massive balloons float in the skies, large ships with Helicopter-like blades swish their way through the sky, using a combination of steam, hot air and wind to fly.
Ships are usually lined at the bottom with hot air balloons- that are deflatable for landings and voyages that must be made by sea- at the bottom, with several outcropping wing-like fins- usually at the front and back- which hold massive steam and winch powered blades that push the air down and allow them to rise and fall as they wish. Massive sails billow in the wind to propel the ships forwards, working with propellers on the back that are worked by massive steam valves and pumps on the sides and inside the ships, most ships also having a series of smaller hot air balloons located around the ship. They are made of a light metal, and are buoyant as well to allow for seafaring when the need arises. Weapons consist of flintlock and wheellock pistols and muskets, the militaries having invented semi automatic three-shot bolt action rifles. The weapons on the ships are a mix of cannon balls- explosive, chained, grapeshot, among others- and small, crude missiles, little more than bombs stuck on fireworks. Simple but effective. The most reliable weapon remains the traditional swords, staves and bows. Ships vary wildly in size from small frigates and transports to massive frigate and gyrocopter carriers that dominate the skies.
The Pirates may fight the military and raid and steal, but that does not mean that they are friends. There are just as frequently fights between pirates over cargo and prey as there are bands of different pirates fighting Military ships.
We start on two rival ships, The Dragons Blade, captained by Morgan Lafase, a South African pirate with a fearsome reputation, and The Buccaneers Mantra, captained by Vladkoff Demirhage, a ruthless brigand originally from The Land of The Bear. Neither are particularly harsh towards their crew- although strict rules and harsh punishments are required aboard a pirate vessel, especially one in the air- but are utterly ruthless and merciless against foes. They have a long standing enmity, and when both attack the same transport, sparks will fly.
I want equal numbers on each of these boats. No all going to one boat. I will post my bio when I have interest.
The Dragons Blade:
Kristina Torcette, Boatswain (Kristie)
Archie, general deckhand (Brandon)
Gareth, ship quartermaster (me)
The Buccaneers Mantra:
Carlotta Anacleto, Sailing Master (Capri)
Schuyler, Navigation Master (Sky)
Mercy, captured slave (mercy)
Aeronautica: Divum Latro
Prologue: Beginnings
It is the year 1961, Earth. But not the earth you know. It is an earth vastly different to the one you think you know, one where the timeline has diverged significantly from what you would see as the “correct” course of events.
Earth can be said, if a little inaccurately, to be split into two factions, in their own version of a Cold War, each watching the other carefully and each very close to pushing the “war” button.
The Holy American Empire has, after several decades of uneasy peace, come into direct conflict with the Eastern Unification of the Republican Outlands against Possession of Empires, or EUROPE, following a supposed Terrorist attack against The Holy American Empire [Or just “The Empire” for short] by Republican extremists, in which the White House in Washington DC was attacked by a group of militant extremists who are believed to have been carrying European colours. The Empire responded by ordering a missile attack on the coastal city of Calais, on the border between EUROPE and The Empire. EUROPE retaliated with a large-scale bombing raid on Washington DC, severely damaging the Great Library and killing several members of the Grand Holy Emperors family. Things inevitably escalated, until the two super-powers are in a truly global war.
With the sudden outbreak of war, hundreds of thousands, millions, perhaps billions began to die. Mass bombing raids, shelling attacks, massive assaults on cities….all took their toll. Neither side can get the upper hand; every time EUROPE captures a city or secures a strategic area, The Empire always manages to raid or secure something equally important, and vice versa. They are at a stalemate, but neither will back down, leading to yet more needless waste of lives.
However, with the continued war, there are certain…advantages inherent in warfare. The increase in the use of military vehicles- including the seizing of all aggressive vehicles for the war, combined with the global scale of the war- means that both superpowers are stretched extremely thin with their defences. This is bad news for them….good news for those out to make a profit.
Enter the Divum Latro, the Sky Bandits. These brigands prey on the lightly defended civilian transports, freighters and fishing ships, and occasionally lightly defended military cargo. They then sell what they can’t use back to the original owners; of course some of these deals go sour, but more often than not, the two sides are too thinly stretched to mount an effective ambush. The other alternative is that they sell it to the other side.
Some Bandits steal from both sides, others steal from only civvies, some fight for one of the two sides- the two Powers are always willing to put mercenaries in the field before their own men- but the bottom line is that there is always work. Both Powers have attempted to clear the Pirates out, but it is akin to catching mist; almost impossible. They can never wipe them out completely, and they can’t field a massive armada in the first place.
A little history lesson for you:
When the British Empire failed to quell the 1880 Boer rebellion, they swiftly attempted to rectify the situation, sending and punitive force in 1882. The Boer were secretly aided by the Americans, and the British were handed a humiliating defeat, and all over the empire, colonies and subjugate peoples began uprisings, spurred on by success of the Boer. The British managed to keep the colonies under control for a few years, but by 1893, were unable to deploy enough troops to defeat all the rebellions. By 1895, the British Empire was in ruins, the British economy utterly destroyed and their military all but gone, and the colonies were enjoying their new freedom. The German Empire attempted to subjugate the old British Colonies in 1907, but the leaders of the major colonies met in secret at the Alliance Conference in the Federation of South Africa, agreeing to a treaty of mutual protection in 1906. When Germany attacked, the ex-colonies were ready, and- again aided by America- managed to destroy the German Empire in much the same way as the British. The German Empire surrendered to the coalition, and it was eventually decided in 1909 that the different countries should band together under one banner, Germany included. In 1910, EUROPE was formed, obtaining the lands of Our-world Europe, North and South Africa and eventually Russia, after a short and brutal war in the year 1913-1915, where the Russians were eventually defeated. EUROPE set up a system of government not unlike our-world USA, with some adjustments:
The country would be divided into six Provinces; Russia would be split into The Land of The Bear in the east and The Province of Wolves in the west. North Africa and South Africa would become provinces, South Africa controlling Madagascar- eventually nicknamed Victory Island when EUROPE defeated an uprising started by angry British and German ex-soldiers that lasted from 1940-1950- and our-Europe would be split into two; Western taking on the name of Europia, Eastern taking the name Eurotia. Each city in each Province would have an elected council, and each Province would have a democratically elected government, who would have designated representatives who would stay in the grand capital of EUROPE, Uturia, to attend the Grand EUROPE Government. The people from all over EUROPE would vote on a Chairman every two years, who is not the leader of the country, but the first amongst equals; he heads every Grand Government Meeting, and has the authority to declare war. The duty of directing armies into battle falls to the Chancellor of War, who can only be vetoed by a majority vote of the Grand Government.
Whilst all this was happening, there was trouble in America. In 1910, the “Bible Belt” of America was attacked en masse by suspected Atheist extremists, who believed that The “Bible Belt” was stuck in the past and had to move forward. In 1913, after much political wrangling, the “Bible Belt” formed a massive coalition and declared Holy War on the terrorists, and- after the President refused to give them aid in their Civil War- declared their independence and proceeded to attack the surrounding states. The USA attempted to quell the war, even going so far as to lock off its borders and ports, attempting to strangle the newly christened “Order of The Cross,” but the newly independent state had found sympathisers in High Office who used their influence to cause entire regiments of the army to defect. They stole and raided whatever they could find, and by 1924, all of America had fallen under the control of The Order Of The Cross. They soon renamed the USA the Holy American Empire and, since the Roman Pope had been overthrown by EUROPE, they became the symbol of Christianity in the world. They began expanding in both directions, conquering the ruins of Britain and around half of The Channel before clashing with EUROPE. After a few skirmishes, they decided on a treaty, and America continued its expansion. Very soon, it controlled China, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, the rest having been claimed by EUROPE. By 1937, the world had been divided into two.
Technology:
The Wright Brothers were killed in a train crash in 1899, and so never invented the first fixed-wing airplane. Cars were still invented, but technology stalled with so many gifted inventors in both America and EUROPE being sent to war and killed. The Tank, being a British invention, didn’t happen until late the late 1950’s, and even then it is still a steam powered device. Oil has been discovered, but no one has quite figured out a way to harness its flammable properties just yet.
Ships still float around on water, but the true territory is the sky. Massive balloons float in the skies, large ships with Helicopter-like blades swish their way through the sky, using a combination of steam, hot air and wind to fly.
Ships are usually lined at the bottom with hot air balloons- that are deflatable for landings and voyages that must be made by sea- at the bottom, with several outcropping wing-like fins- usually at the front and back- which hold massive steam and winch powered blades that push the air down and allow them to rise and fall as they wish. Massive sails billow in the wind to propel the ships forwards, working with propellers on the back that are worked by massive steam valves and pumps on the sides and inside the ships, most ships also having a series of smaller hot air balloons located around the ship. They are made of a light metal, and are buoyant as well to allow for seafaring when the need arises. Weapons consist of flintlock and wheellock pistols and muskets, the militaries having invented semi automatic three-shot bolt action rifles. The weapons on the ships are a mix of cannon balls- explosive, chained, grapeshot, among others- and small, crude missiles, little more than bombs stuck on fireworks. Simple but effective. The most reliable weapon remains the traditional swords, staves and bows. Ships vary wildly in size from small frigates and transports to massive frigate and gyrocopter carriers that dominate the skies.
The Pirates may fight the military and raid and steal, but that does not mean that they are friends. There are just as frequently fights between pirates over cargo and prey as there are bands of different pirates fighting Military ships.
We start on two rival ships, The Dragons Blade, captained by Morgan Lafase, a South African pirate with a fearsome reputation, and The Buccaneers Mantra, captained by Vladkoff Demirhage, a ruthless brigand originally from The Land of The Bear. Neither are particularly harsh towards their crew- although strict rules and harsh punishments are required aboard a pirate vessel, especially one in the air- but are utterly ruthless and merciless against foes. They have a long standing enmity, and when both attack the same transport, sparks will fly.
I want equal numbers on each of these boats. No all going to one boat. I will post my bio when I have interest.
The Dragons Blade:
Kristina Torcette, Boatswain (Kristie)
Archie, general deckhand (Brandon)
Gareth, ship quartermaster (me)
The Buccaneers Mantra:
Carlotta Anacleto, Sailing Master (Capri)
Schuyler, Navigation Master (Sky)
Mercy, captured slave (mercy)
Last edited by Murdoch on Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:49 am; edited 6 times in total
