Tinted Orchid: The Pitch (0)

The following post is the description for the Solo RPG setting I've been playing in lately. The game is Starforged, a derivative of Ironsworn.

This story is called Tinted Orchid.

This is the little world where Zina's story takes place.

Please, enjoy.

The Cosmic Locus is a relatively small system of settlements in the outlands of the Forge star cluster. Not many civilians take the trip to any of its three settlements, but some people demand to make a name for themselves; Whether it be artistically, scientifically, or in the dark criminal underbelly of interstellar society...

Most people take residence in The Colloquium, a sprawling urban city built from the barren iron peaks of Sermo, a lifeless rocky planet with no atmosphere. Its beating heart, Aritzia Station Depot, pumps individuals of all walks of life throughout the city, which itself hides under a giant glass dome. The Colloquium prides itself on its mastery of the science of interstellar communication and entertainment. Even in the Outland of the Forge, where fast-reaching communication is practically absent, The Colloquium is able to spread its messages even to the inner edges of the galactic void. Anyone with anything to say gravitates towards this city, leading to it being a strong settlement for political and artistic progression. Despite this, The Colloquium struggles with feeding and providing power for everyone it houses. Rumors also circulate that the city's communication tools are used to surveil its own citizens. Mayor Asterelli claims to try his best, but an age of famine, darkness, and revolution could be drawing ever closer to The Loudest City in the Galaxy...

A select few people (<1000) may find themselves working for The Proteus Foundation, an organization dedicated to discovering a source of power that can make The Cosmic Locus entirely self-sufficient, requiring resources from no other star system. Their plan is to harness the geothermal power of the ocean planet known as Promise. No one outside of The Proteus Foundation really knows what they're up to—They're notorious for their secrecy—But with The Colloquium nearby, rumors grow as naturally as bacteria. Some say that their experiments are active dangers to the sealife that inhabits the planet, and others even say that there's an untouched civilization beneath the waves, waiting to be contacted. The Founder of the Organization's identity is unknown, adding to the air of displacement that comes to those who research the ostensibly well-meaning organization. Despite the shroud of mystery surrounding them, there's no place more adept in understanding planets, power, and chemistry for several hundred light years.

Last but not least is the far-off planet of Maiysha, the originator for the gilded era of cosmic crime. Planetside, a starship pilot immediately notices the evergreen straggles of jungle, but also the murky yellow seas and clouds that rain toxic hallucinogenic gasses. The planet is even more difficult to support a civilization than the airless planet The Colloquium is based on, but the residents of Exspiravit found a way through the use of special suits and masks known as Organzas. Secrets, information, smuggled goods, and discoveries are the currency here. The crime families, the pirate clans, the bounty hunter legions, and the various other criminals are all kept in check only by The Golden Lovers, a filthy rich council that have both the backing of the law and various underground organizations. Their only goal? To discover the archaeological secrets that drew people to the planet of Maiysha in the first place. Visitors of the planet and those passing through are warned to be cautious. If the antagonistic pirates that circle the area don't get you, the danger of the planet itself probably will...

 

 

So, why should we care? Who lives in this animated little solar system?

 

The Real Story:

One night, in a deep, toxic jungle in Maiysha, a group of three members of the Nebuletti crime family discovered a sealed tomb. Upon opening it, the conmen find it filled with strange never-before-seen artifacts. They depicted a tribe or race that wasn't in the history-books. Confused, they continue to search and take treasure only to discover a living humanoid person that's entirely made of paper? Zina was finally and saved after hundreds of years of chronostasis.

Emerging from the tomb, Zina discovers that her planet and stars had all changed. The future was here, and it was as bewildering as she imagined it to be. Starships, interplanetary travel, technology beyond what was thought possible in her ancient days as a mere children's arts and crafts teacher. Gone are the days where living was honest and traditional.

Seven months have passed. Zina has managed to learn the common galactic language, but still struggles with it. Very little headway has been made towards finding out what happened to her people. The Nebuletti Family has promised to keep her secret in exchange for work, a good deal in the secret-selling society that is The Cosmic Locus. Zina has sworn an iron vow upon her paper blade (dubbed La Vie en Rose) that she'll figure out where Las Origatas went.

But sometimes letting go drains more blood than any sword.

 

Example Image of Zina's Face. I do not own it. Model Creator

Interesting huh? Stay tuned. Developments in the story will be uploaded as time goes on...

Possibly more RPG posts moving forward.

~MM