Actus Reus

[[Faelan]]

Actus Reus

(Starter #11 is complete! Happy RPing, everyone)!




Plot:

In the Nyxian culture, very few Humans are chosen to assist the Konijns in the development of new inventions and technological advances, as the Konijns are not the most trusting of races. However, when one earns their trust and respect, they are immediately rewarded with the acceptance of the Konijns and a position at their workplace (a.k.a. "The Pate"; an enormous, black, dome-shaped laboratory within the eastern half of the city). This is a very rare occurrence, only due to the fact that very few races match the Konijns in intelligence and skill in technological design. Unfortunately for the Konijns, one Vampiric Human which they had accepted into their workplace had an ulterior motive for earning their respect.

They found him two years ago, beaten and battered, washed up on the shore and about to be burned alive by the rising sun. Realizing his Vampiric nature, they offered him a personal hunter to slay wild beasts and drain their blood for him. With his intelligence and cunning, he was able to prove his worth to them. Now, after two years of learning the trade, as well as the Nyxians' greatest secrets, this Vampire wishes to use his knowledge to take with him their most prized of inventions and return to his home in the Bulen for his payment. However, even his intelligence is no match for the Nyxians', and should he be caught infiltrating The Pate, he will surely find himself being hunted by some of the greatest warriors in all of Lyndria. Not to mention the fact that his Vampiric nature requires him to avoid sunlight and drink blood to retain the strength and ability to move the inventions, and simply to remain alive. Will he escape Nyx with his life? That is entirely up to you...  

[[Faelan]]

Information

For reference, the Guild Rules can be found here: Rules and Guidelines, as well as a detailed Map of Lyndria, and information on its inhabitants. (It also includes an FAQ, to prevent confusion).

{For more information on Lyndria and its history, visit the Lyndrian Athenaeum.}


Remember: If you are new to the RP or have been away for some time, check the RP Guide!

Thank you all, very much, and enjoy the RP!

 

[reZ_SK]

Atop one of the many tall stone pillars of Nyx, Arturo was seated comfortably, observing the night sky. The pillar just overlooked the treeline leading to the Pate. The Kolign guards were changing duty at the gate to the Pate. He observed them for a moment. Like clockwork, the fresh set of guards relieved the old ones in ceremonious fashion. Moments later, he watched one of the few other humans that had access to the monolithic black dome emerge from it. It was his first friend when he had arrived to Nyx. Arturo supposed that he was just finishing up a project and coming out to get the only breath of fresh air he could. He was half vampire.

Arturo lept from his perch, holding the hilt of his straight sword to guide his weapon out of the way. At that height, his trained and enchanted body landed softly on the ground below. He followed the stone pathway toward the Pate as he dusted his rear. His vampiric friend noticed his presence and gave a nod. Arturo gave a wave in return. He noticed he was wearing a troubled expression.

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you?"

The vampire hesitated and took a moment to respond, "Yeah."

Arturo returned with a slight look of disapproval and looked around to avoid prying ears. Speaking in a low voice, "you know, if it wasn't weapons or anything of that nature, I would agree with you. Lyndria needs a bit of economic stimulus, but something of your thoughts would throw it into a power struggle."

He knew it, but he didn't care. Nyx was the forefront of technological advancement and held the research of its products in secret, and all for good reason. It would only take one person like his vampiric friend--looking for a national revival--to overturn the secrecy. The Kolign's released things on a need-to-know basis. They were an extremely intelligent race, and Arturo respected them for that. The vampire did not exactly do the same.

"Linus, please reconsider," Arturo begged.

Linus Sandria was quite the self-serving man, but he knew that he could gain the recognition he had been fighting for in his homeland to sate his lust for power. The only thing that held him back was Arturo. His fellow co-worker, conscience, and--first and foremost--his first true friend. He did not want to break the bond he had never had before. Wrestling with his inner thoughts, he was still not sure as to what he should do. He even considered asking his friend to join him, but Arturo; being astute as he always was, had already warned him not to ask that of him.

"I'm going back in to work," the half-vampire muttered.

Tired of carrying on the troublesome conversation, Linus turned away and walked back down the path to the Pate. Arturo stared at his friend's back in a sort of worry he had never felt in his entire life. The lamps lighting the path seemed to mock them both as Linus walked into the light and out.  

[reZ_SK]

Arturo took a moment longer before deciding to take a short walk around the giant obsidian dome and into one of the sub-entrances. Sometimes he liked to take the long way to things to clear his mind or come up with new ideas. Following the long glass corridors inside the Pate, he looked up to at the vastness of its concavity. That was something he never quite got used to. The first time he had ever stepped into the Pate, he could have never imagined the kinds of things they had created and were developing here. The Koligns were smart. Too smart. They could take over the world with what they had, but the logic they had against it was quite genius in itself. Were the Koligns to rule the world with their technology, someone maliciously clever enough would eventually rise to power and move against them. Throwing the world into chaos because one leader starts an uprising, someone else will start the same thing elsewhere. The end result would--in any case--be disastrous. All of this, and they don't really have the motivation to do such a thing. Their work is for the sake of science. And Arturo understood that. So, why couldn't Linus? He threw a few more thoughts around before noticing a group of Kolign agricultural developers walking in the opposite direction.

"Good evening," he said, as he caught the eye of a cute female developer in the rear of the group and smiled. She smiled back.

He could feel himself blush just after they had passed each other. Arturo knew he could only admire from afar. Inter-relations between Kolign and Human was unheard of. Most of them thought it 'illogical,' and that there was no point in mixing in an inferior intellect into such a highly advanced gene pool. A few thought it to be a good idea, in that it would bring out more innovative and creative angles to existing ideas. Arturo always laughed at the thought of the entire process of life being looked at as a project or experiment. All he could do was sigh. He, of course, always had an inferiority complex when talking to them. Yet, he always managed to remain composed. It was just a good thing that the Koligns found it be, as his Kolign friends explained it, "no point in looking down on other races. It only breeds hostility and we don't want to see Arturo mad with a sword drawn. That's one thing we don't want to get involved with."

Arturo always laughed at that thought, too. They all knew he was not a very violent person. In fact, he was quite the opposite. His mother always told him he was as calm as the wheat they grew as it rolled in the wind. The Koligns compared it to a soft hum of a AI processor. As he arrived at his section, he looked over the specifications of a communications device. His job was to make things as non-Kolign-friendly as possible before reprocessing the schematics with his own edits and sending it back to the creators. Then, whatever was finished in design, was produced as a prototype for him to test out. Those he approved of would go under an approval list. An approximate 98% of the things they worked through were never seen by other eyes and kept on-file for the possibility of later use and release to the general public. The only things released this past year were a couple of children's playthings.  

[reZ_SK]

"reZ," Arturo said as he browsed through the schematics of a weapon he had before him.

A small robot that sat at the corner of his desk lit up and began to float over to him. reZ was a self-sustaining AI that Arturo had designed himself using the technology already existing within the Pate. The Koligns disapproved at first, because his first twenty-four tries were either disastrous or just nuisances--all due to careless error. The twenty-fifth, reX, was a success. The only reason it no longer existed was because Arturo had gone to surprise Linus with it, who had accidentally destroyed it out of alarm. reZ was the twenty-sixth and final product of the 're' series, or 'really entertaining.' The Koligns thought it to be a terrible display of human inferiority, but he merely saw it as a joke. In the end, the Koligns designed a more advanced line for themselves and called them the AIA series, or Artificially Intelligent Assist.

"Yes, Arturo," it responded as it whizzed around his head.

"See if you can get the prototype schematics for me from file."

"Certainly."

The machine hummed quietly, and a light appeared in its lense to display a holographic image of the schematics from the Pate's central mainframe. Arturo observed the wiring as he handled the image with his hands, as if it were real. Because he had already been here for a couple of years, it seemed like clockwork to be using such technology such as this. Before, he would have never imagined the kinds of things here. Growing up as a farmboy who learned swordsmanship from an old and retired soldier, there was no technology involved. Yet, he was always told that he was sharp in the mind's eye. He supposed, now, they would never fully understsand how sharp.



[[ reZ ]]
 

[reZ_SK]

Linus sat back in his cubicle and closed his eyes. They say cubicle, but it is more of a labspace in reality. Work tables along the walls, with a main work station in the middle of the room.

What to do?

Even if he was a self-serving individual, he knew loyalty. Here in the Pate and the entirety of Nyx, Arturo was his only true friend. He was there when Linus was found in critical condition in the wilderness. He was there when he was being nursed back to health. He was even there to cover for him when he was caught trying to leave Nyx the first time. Although at that time, he was only trying to return home to exact revenge. Typically, you are not allowed to leave the country without a traveler's pass. The border patrol laws in Nyx were rather stringent.

"I will ask for a pardon on behalf of Arturo," he said aloud to himself.

Arturo knew Linus's naive mentality. Although, he wasn't sure if Linus was aware of it himself. The demi-vampire opened his eyes into a sharp glare at the see-through ceiling, allowing him to peer at the rafters at the top of the Pate. He rocked himself forward out of the chair and started some work. He kept some data keys on the side for his dangerous quest.