The Sinking Isles (Collaborative Writing Adventure)

The isles have been sinking slowly, for as long as anyone can remember.

Some say that it was once all one island, gradually falling below the waves, until its lowest valleys were all submerged.

Of course, no one dares to go that far underwater to see for themselves. Not with the dangerous creatures lurking in the nearby seas. Only the hardiest of vessels can hope to venture out into these waters safely.

And yet, many brave or desperate souls travel here despite the many hazards, both on the journey and once they arrive. For there are many legends about the Sinking Isles, about the treasures and secrets they may hold.

At the edge of the isles is the port city of Defiance, so named because its people refuse to abandon their city even as the waters slowly overtake it. They build upwards every few years, just to evade the tide for a little bit longer.

This is the lone point of arrival for outsiders. And today, there will be quite a few of them.

What do they want? What has brought them all the way here, to this place condemned to slowly vanish beneath the waves?

Each surely has their own reasons. A past they seek to leave behind, or a future they seek to build. They might be here for revenge, for glory, perhaps even for love.

None of them suspects the degree to which fate will soon be binding them together. Very soon, all of their separate journeys will become one.

So just who are these souls who seek out the Sinking Isles?

Hello everyone! I'm taking another shot at something I tried a couple of times before.

This idea is inspired by the Grand Battles, but set up differently; it's not directly competitive and there are no eliminations. Rather, this is an ongoing adventure where you will receive feedback on your writing after major milestones.

If anyone's writing is subpar, I'll saddle their character with a punishment of some kind for the next part of the story. This is not entirely a penalty, though - after all, dealing with such punishments can make your writing more interesting.

An important note: you can write for everyone's characters, not just your own. Be sure to use this power responsibly. I encourage you to consult with your fellow writers to make sure you're handling their character in a way they're comfortable with.

If anyone has questions about this whole thing, feel free to ask them.

To join, just fill out the character sheet below. I'm intentionally leaving the world vaguely defined, so you can feel free to include any world-building details you want. You can even brainstorm with other participants if you want.

Your character can be anything you want. Just keep in mind that if all goes well, you'll be sticking with them for a while, so don't write an overly silly character concept if you're not willing to go the distance.

Username: We include this out of sheer tradition at this point.
Name: The character's name.

Race: What type of being this character is. This is more "Species" than "Race", although if your characters' species has a subtype, then go ahead and specify it here. You do not need to describe the race in this field, just make sure you describe it somewhere if it requires further explanation than just the name.

Gender: The character's gender, possibly including complications if that's what you want to do. Be respectful, of course.

Text Color: Another tradition is that everyone's text is in a different color, so note that here. You can use background tags if you want, but try not to overcomplicate it. I may ask for a color change if any are too similar.
I am currently using "darkgreen" as the GM color, but I'm willing to change this if anyone really wants something similar to that for thematic reasons or whatever.

Feel free to present these next three fields in a different order than what I have here. Sometimes the profile reads better that way.

Biography: What your character did before coming on this journey. If you opt for an artificially created character, you might also cover events leading up to their creation.

Description: The physical appearance and a summary of the personality of the character. This is helpful for other players figuring out how your character will react.

Inventory and Abilities: List any noteworthy abilities the character has, and any objects of importance they may be carrying. Feel free to describe things they're skilled at, such as dancing or accounting, in addition to any unusual abilities, such as flight or telekinesis. There are no particular rules here, but in general, being ludicrously overpowered isn't interesting to read about.

One final note: your characters are expected to be an adventuring party. This doesn't mean they have to get on particularly well with each other, but try to keep it in mind when coming up with ideas.

Name: Chaparral

Race: Unicorn

Gender: She/Hers

Text Color: #998700

Biography: Chaparral used to ward a coastal forest reserve until it went under the sea. Chaparral was intensely sad about it because that reserve was in her family for generations, man. She made her way to Defiance in order to figure out a way to retrieve her forest. If she cannot find a way to get her forest back, then at least she would stop the sea level from rising and claiming the rest of the lands.

Description: Bigass draught-horse with a single antler-like horn sprouting from forehead. Roan coat and stringy-witch hair. Smells like rain. Personality - kind of a bitch? But understands the merit of cooperation and easily plyed with sugar cubes, cash and/or booze. Mild disdain for urbanites and developed areas, but can and will get over it. Most of her true ire is reserved for people who are openly cruel to animals, mess with endangered plants - you know, aggressive environmental dickery.

Inventory and Abilities: Bigass draught-horse with the frightening ability to talk. Buff and tuff, can cleanly kick a dude's head off if she got the right angle and she cared enough, but that's not her first option when it comes to solving problems. Knows a lot about nature - which bird is neat, what plant is cool to eat, et cetera. Animals won't attack her unless artificially compelled and she doesn't stink like actual horses, and that's the extent of her Unicorn Magic Powers.

Username: spumpkin (digi)
Name: Loye

Race: Witch.

Gender: they/them

Text Color:#ed601a

Biography: Loye is, technically, still a student of the magical arts at Mulwood Academy, but they were suspended due to irresponsible action and stepping outside their skill level when it came to missions. Their suspension has technically ended, but they have come to Defiance to find some ancient secrets or power or whatever, to show the academy what they can really do.

Description: A young kid, seemingly around 13-15, with a blaze of hair erupting from their head and a flame-themed hooded cloak. Their face is concealed with a solid, un-decorated wooden mask with two plain holes for eyes, and a set of nose and mouth slits for breathing. Naive and fiery, they will do anything to prove their strength in any sort of competition. They don't settle for losing anything. Appreciates food and fighting, but burns themselves out often. Can't stand patronizing, or the unfair treatment of anyone.

Inventory and Abilities: Witches are physically very similar to humans, but they have particular psychology that gives them a link to a unique sensation. This can range from sight to wistfulness. Loye is attuned with heat, and the utility of this ranges from summoning flames to making food spicy, giving them control over sensations of heat in any form. Although, Loye is inexperienced, and thus needs a tool to use their powers, which in their case is a wand the length of their forearm, twig-sized and with a large red gem at the base of it, which glows when they use it. Certain powerful witches can obtain control over a second sensation, but it is rare.

Name:Doctor Reginald Brasser Jr.

Race: Human; expresses the phenotype associated with the recessive Mad Scientist gene.

Gender: He/Him/Your Brilliance

Text Color: indigo

Biography: For the record, Reginald Brasser earned that Doctorate of his; unlike all those other mad scientists who slap together the customary affront to nature and stick a 'Doctor' in front of their name. Indeed, Reginald completed the Doctorate program at the Port Ferrous Institute of Engineering with flying colors. As such, he has a much more solid understanding of the principles he's working with than most other Mad Scientists in their thirties.

Since his graduation, Doctor Brasser has made an extremely lucrative career out of putting together seemingly impossible public works projects, with a side of military contract work to sate his more destructive urges. Previous inventions include a teleportation-based public transit system for the nation of Arstotzka, a space-launch facility that turns the rocket's entire ascent path into vacuum to eliminate air resistance, and several mostly automated medical facilities in rural areas.

Now, he has come to Defiance with a single goal in mind; he is going to stop the islands from sinking, and he intends to do it by drilling through that planet's crust and using the resulting artificial volcano to provide materials to rebuild the island.

Description: Doctor Reginald Brasser Jr. is a man on the edge of being considered 'middle-aged', at around thirty three years of age. He has long brilliantly red hair which he keeps neatly tied back, and his eyes are a piercing grey. Standing at a mighty six-foot seven, Doctor Brasser cuts an imposing figure, undermined only by the somewhat visible flab around his stomach area. Contrary to the stereotype associated with mad scientists, Doctor Brasser is calm, focused, and keeps his current goals in mind at all times. That said, he does have a bit of a narcissistic ego about him.

Inventory and Abilities: As a Mad Scientist with an actually earned Doctorate in engineering, Doctor Brasser is capable of constructing machines that tell the rules of nature to go cry in a corner. Admittedly this process takes time, effort, raw materials, and much trial-and-error, but Doctor Brasser is definitely capable of producing machines millennia in advance of what would normally be possible.

There are some gadgets that Doctor Brasser makes a point of keeping on his person at all times. First is a concealed lightning pistol and a personal force-field generator belt, just in case he unexpectedly winds up in a fight. He also wears a pair of boots equipped with short-range jump jets for emergency mobility.

The rest of Doctor Brasser's gear, including tools, lab equipment, and about half a ton of assorted parts is carried by his self-built Haulbot, an anti-gravity platform with a built-in autopilot that he uses to haul his lab from place to place between projects.