#dataclaw

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welcome to #dataclaw // [OOC] // [[:: Tarnish ::]] topic: "We have the equipment to protect our crew, not wage a war of liberation. I'm sure our friend here is quite aware of that, given if it were at all any different, realistically he would be the first casualty."

A year ago, the skies of Nekenalos abruptly changed. The weather struggled. Two moons came and went. Now the planet orbits a new sun - Sol - and visitors are coming.

Hard sci-fi (planetbound) / Horror / Fantasy

Modern / very near future

Freeform (with gamemaster)

We maintain PG-13 in the public channel, but impose no restrictions on private side channels.

Character Sheets, Character Approval

[See https://tarnish.thorngale.net/ for details.]

In Tarnish, you play as a kavkem (a nocturnal descendent of Cretaceous raptors, i.e. dinosaurs) on a planet inherently hostile to you, firmly dominated by the culture of the Nayabaru, who are your sworn enemies. The past conflict between the two sophont species is long over - unfortunately, yours has lost and struggles to maintain cohesion living as nomads.

Tarnish is the mythology embraced by your local culture, wherein sunlight is a corrupting influence on the soul - and your clan believes it is their moral duty to protect the strange aliens that have recently arrived.

Unfortunately, 'protect' is a terrifying concept. Life for a kavkem is hard enough without having to look after someone else - after all, their stories of monsters are true. Yet if the alternative appears to be to let the sunlight crush the newcomers' souls and twist them into yet more enemies you must face, helping becomes an imperative despite all risks.

When you spend most of your time running, it's hard to find answers to pressing questions. A year down the line, with the losses of friends weighing you down, you may have stopped asking some of them altogether. Yet still the mystery remains: Why DID the sky change? How might this new firmament imply your fate? Are the visitors on your side, or will they foster an alliance with the Nayabaru?

There are more things going on that neither you nor your visitors would guess. A grand strategic game is unfolding - and eventually you might uncover that your species is scheduled to be a mere footnote in the proceedings.