They told us it would be a place to start over, somewhere our past couldn't follow us.  They offered the dregs of society- the outcast, the poor, the unwanted- a chance at a new life.  EXPRAX15.  Axis to the settlers who staked everything on a dream.

The world we were left on is not what we expected.  The earth is hard, dry, and rocky.  The days are long, the nights short, no matter what season.  The rain that does fall is dangerous, because it seems to ignite the very ground.  The dust though, the dust is the worst.  Within the first year everything we had brought to help us settle the land was destroyed.  No one ever responded to our calls for aid and now we know they never will.  The livestock brought with us died, lungs full of mud.  Our crops failed, destroyed by wind and rain-fire and animals.

Five years later, we are still struggling to stay alive.  A few people have come together to form Haven, a struggling settlement.  The only stable place on this rock.  They farm the local plants we have found to be edible, herding the local animals that seem more insect than animal, protected from the driving wind by hard shell or long, matted hair.  Not all of us are content to settle though.

Most of us are drifters.  Some of us are peaceful, scavenging what we can, trading for the things we need.  After all, the Haven settlers dont go into the mountains.  There are too many things that stalk the dark.  But they need the mud, the fertile sludge buried in the caverns and tunnels.  Nothing on the plains will grow without it.

On Axis, dirt is more precious than gold.

Rules

-Obviously, follow the TOS and general common courtesy (don't godmode or powerplay, no perfect characters, etc)
-This is a semi-lit roleplay, watch your grammar and spelling, and try to post 1-2 good paragraphs.
-Feel free to create parts of the world but remember that there is a very low level of tech- no working firearms, and even metalworking is extremely hard and difficult because they haven't had a chance to mine or experiment with metallurgy.  The most prolific materials for building or making tools are the extremely hard, dense bones of native animals and stone.
-Fill out the form completely, no 'roleplay out'.
-There are no restrictions on what your character can be.  They are coming from a highly advanced future society and have been dropped on this rock where all their tech broke. 

Form

Name:
Age:
Drifter or Settler:
Physical Description:
Personality:
History: (can be quite brief)

Accepted Characters
Character|Drifter/Settler|Roleplayer

Ikarus Grace|Drifter|Rien
Solculum "Sol" Moonknel|Drifter|Tidesweep
Devon O'Connor|Settler|Dragonfly

Name: Ikarus Grace

Age: 32

Drifter or Settler: Drifter

Physical Description: At a distance, Ikarus is a hulking thing, back bowed under the weight of his pack, covered in chiten like one of the natives, the grey plates revealin dust colored fabric beneath making him featureless- harvested from the native creatures, it is these plates and veils that allow him to move about in the driving wind and dust.  Peel back the artificial layers and you'll find an seven foot tall wisp, so slender he looks as if he would break in have under a strong breeze.  He rarely stands straight though, typical hunched over.  His face is oddly flattened, eyes large and deep set, the color of milky white opals with long horizontal pupils.  Bone colored horns similar to those of an impala twist up from his head, adding an additional foot and a half of height.  His hair is long, fine, and straight, hanging nearly to his waist.  It shimmers metallic copper with tones of chocolate and honey gold, often braided and elaborately twisted out of his way.  His limbs are long giving him a gangly look and a shambling gate, his hads disproportionately large.  His skin is dusky gold and seamed with grey scars from a life hard lived.  Despite his slender build he is remarkably strong, wiry muscles stretched taut over bone with no fat beteen muscle and skin to soften the lines of definition.  

Personality: Cautious and solitary, Ikarus struggles with social interaction and creating social bonds.  He does not trust easily and couts few among his friends.  He values his privacy and his independence.  Though he has mellowed a lot sense his youth, in defense of himself or others he is vicious and ruthless.  At heart though he has a passion for beauty and finds it in the strangest places- like the way the wind pushes the dust before it, and the deft grace of predators.  Though he has never escapd the bitterness and self loathing of his past completely he has come to terms with himself and long ago decided that his grotesque body may not be attractive, but it was useful, and that's all that matters.

History: Ikarus was born to a drifter.  The gypsy like people whom he claimed to be part of  are half pirate, half peddlers, trading what ore they can scrape from rocks and salvage from derelict ships.  He was ostracised for a good part of his life as it was quite clear his mother got knocked up by someone who had radically altered themselves, possibly even by splicing in Xeno DNA.  It suited him though.  Ikarus has always been a loner.  As he got older he defended himself mor aggressively, set in his solitary ways.  Eventually the whole caravan of ships was attacked, the survivors captured and sent to prison for piracy and various other crimes.  Ikarus was among them.  For five years he labored for crimes he was guilty for only by association (though he couldn't claim to be completely innocent).  Once out, he had nothing.  He'd never realized what it was like to live without the community you'd grown up in.  So he jumped at the chance to rewrite his past on a new world.  Axis.

Name: Solculum "Sol" Moonknel

Age: 10

Drifter or Settler: Drifter

Physical Description: She is on the small side, even for a ten year old. Barely measuring 4'5" and coming in at about 90 pounds, this little girl doesn't look like much. Wide golden color eyes stay out of small fairy like face. Her lips are almost constantly raised in a smile and her pale skin is easily sunburned by the harsh days on Axis. Which is probably why she covers her blonde and purple streaked boyish short hair with a hood and the rest of her with a long overcoat. Her feet are clad in combat boots. Underneath the coat, she wears a short sleeved shirt that is more like a dress on her and pants that she had repaired many times to have multiple pockets. On her shins and forearms are pieces of the native animals plates that she uses to try and protect the limbs.

Personality: Her attitude is very live and let be. If she was to obtain a bad sunburn or wind burn, she would shrug painfully and say that she will be more careful next time. Just about nothing can get her down unless it is hunger; she is thin as is and doesn't need to be any thinner in her opinion. She would rather be pudgy for a change. Her temper is slow to ignite as well, but when it does ignite, it runs cold. Get on her bad side and she will hold a grudge now till the end of time if she finds it necessary. Despite this, she actually isn't that stubborn. Determined yes, but stubborn...Not really. You can actually get to sway fairly easily in debates; it goes back to that live and let be style of attitude. Why get worked over something so little when the main thing is to live life to the fullest? Also following this line of thought, she is quite friendly. You could be the most evil person in the world and that wouldn't stop her from trying to be your friend...Well, unless you tried to kill her first. She does have some sense of self preseveration after all.

 
History: Coming to Axis when she was five year old with her parents, she soon lost both of them to the high winds that frequent the planet. Trying to live in Haven proved unsuccessful as it really wasn't much better. When a drifter passed through, she tagged along with him. She would have been about 7 at this time. Learning fairly fast, she now travels alone although she usually tries to stick with a group; safter that way you know?

(This okay?)

((Looks great!  Accepted!))

Name: Devon O'Connor (Dev to her friends)

Age: 22

Drifter or Settler: Settler

Physical Description: Devon is tall with long, black, wavy hair that she keeps tied back in a braid, or in a loose bun, with large almond shaped emerald green eyes and thick black lashes. Despite working on her  working her small farm all day, Devon has very pale skin since she keeps herself pretty well covered. From years of stavation, Devon is fairly thin, but still curvasious where it counts and wears baggy clothes that will keep her cool as well as provide protection from the dust. When she's outside, Devon wears a kerchief that covers her hair, nose and mouth to further protect herself from the elements. There's a long scar running down the left side of her otherwise atractive face from an attack on the farm which took her mother a couple years after they got the farm going.

Personality: Cautious, yet friendly, Devon will give passers through a place to stay and offer them what little food she might have on hand. She has a strong sence of comunity, helping her fellow man. Though she may seem at ease, Devon is always mindful of her surroundings. She's quick witted and doesn't take any kind of nonsense, likes to work hard,  and have fun when she can spare the time. Devon can often be heard singing while she works does chores, and on rare occassions, will even sing for friends. Running a farm, no matter how small, by your self is no easy task.

History: (can be quite brief) Like the majority of people who came to Axis, Devon grew up on a small farm raising sheep and goats with a small garden. They were poor, but happy and had come to Axis in hopes of a better life. What they got was hardship and pain. Two years, almost to the day, from their arrival, bandits attacked their small farm, killing her Mother and giving Devon the scar she carries, and destroyed almost the whole farm as they live on the very outskirts of the small town. Since that day, Devon has learned how to use stone throwing knives she keeps in specially made wrist bands that are hidden by the sleeves of her shirt yet easily drawn should she need them. Devon has also learned how to use other items around the farm as weapons and carries her father's shillelagh after he was killed by the dust a year after Devon's mother was taken from her. Despite all the hardship she's faced, Devon is cheerful and outgoing

Here's a sample of my writing:

As they walked through the dense woods softly in the early light of dawn, so not to alert the deer they were stalking, Carmen motioned to the others to be still as she moved forward to get in position for her shot. Reaching the edge of the clearing, Carmen stayed down wind and let the babbling brook that ran through the sunlit glade calm her as she drew her bow. Focusing on her target, Carmen waited for the impressively large stag to turn her way, and as soon as he did, she let fly her arrow with the twang of the drawstring. Drat! She thought as the arrow missed her mark, hitting the stag just bellow the juggular. Carmen quickly followed swiftly with  two more shots to the neck as the massive beast took off, thankful one of them hit something vital bringing it down instantly. Whistling the 'all clear' as she walked down to the fallen animal, Carmen thanked the animal for giving it's life so that she and her companions would not go hungry before she began the task of preparing it for transport back to the camp.

"That was a right fine job you did bringing this big guy down!" Sequoya said excitedly as she knelt beside her blond haired mentor to help field dress the large stag so they could take it back to camp. Finally we're going to have full bellies for a change!

Carmen met the young woman's bright blue eyes and understood her excitement, but said soberly as the rest of the young hunters in training gathered around to help, "You must always be respectful of creatures that give their lives to sustain you. Now let's get this done and head back."
Seeing Sequoya had been properly chastised by her words, they quickly had the deer cleaned and loaded onto a skiff so it would be easier to carry back to the rest of the small village. Turning her hazel eyes back to the deer, Carmen knew she'd have to go out hunting again soon and thought next time she'd take some of the men so they could tackle the buffalo she'd seen on the edge of the plains.

((Looks excellent!  Let's get started.))

The treacherous mountains had taken their price in blood, but Ikarus still had his prize.  Compared to the dust storm the night before, the day was remarkably calm, only a brisk wind blowing thin billows of swirling dust- nothing like the choking waves that plotted out all light and made it so much more difficult to breathe.  He could honestly say he was looking forward to seeing Haven again.  It had been nearly three months since he'd last visited the small settlement, carrying canister's full of the dark, fertile mud harvested from the bowels of the mountains.

Today the canisters were equally full, tightly bound to his back and hanging from his waist, giving him bulk beneath the chiten plated robes that protected him from the worst of the wind, dust, and sun.  His pack was light though, lacking certain supplies he hoped Haven wood be able to replenish.  He'd used what few medical supplies he had to treat his wounded arm, mauled by some creature whose territory he'd invaded.  Now it was bound close to his chest in a makeshift sling, The blood was the reason he pressed on even under the scorching midday sun.

Relief eased some of the tension in his shoulders as he made out the squat outline of the town and the careully guarded and tended farms around it.  Though he couldn't bring himself to settle, the safety of Haven for a few nights while he traded was always welcome. He made for the largest building which acted as trade-post, tavern, inn, and townhall all at once, closing the door quickly behind him to prevent more dust from being blown in.  Dragging the chiten plated cowl from over his head he shook the loose strands of coppery hair that had fallen from the tight braid out of his face and looked around, nodding politely to the barkeeper who kept a watchful eye on the clientel.

{{Awesome :D}}

The herd had been restless for days now, Devon thought it would have passed after the dust storm, but when she saw they were still figgity Devon wondered if it meant there was a trader coming to town. Herd animals were very perceptive and if you knew how to read a herd, you could tell what they were trying to say. Generally speaking, of course. She'd spent her whole life on a farm working a herd and knew how to listen to them. Looking up at the sky, Devon felt something brush her hand and turned her emerald eyes to see Bug was trying to get her attention. Smiling at the creature she said giving the old girl a pat, "Well now aren' we pushy taday. Alright, ye mangy beast. I know I've got work ta do. Alright, come on ye lot."

It was getting late and she had to get the herds in the barn before she could take her delivery into town. The people in town would be looking forward to getting some fresh meat and she had enough to spread the love. Finishing her chores and quickly loading up the meat she'd butchered earlier that afternoon, Devon went into her small house, changed into some clean clothes, brushing her raven locks before doning her protective outerwear and heading back out into the dust. Hitching Bug up to the wooden cart, Devon led the way into town with Bug following closely behind her as always. Making a few stops, Devon delivered some of what she had to those who it had been promised before heading to the tavern. with the rest of her delivery. Telling Bug to stay, Devon knew no one would bother the strange looking furry creature that was native to this world and Bug would not move until Devon told her to, she unloaded the rest of the meat and went inside.

Seeing faces she knew and some she didn't, Devon handed her burden over to the barkeep as he came up to help her, "I brought ye some o' dem steaks ye like too. Saved dem special for that favor I owe ye."

"Thank you, Devon. The missus will be so happy to see this." he replied smiling.

"Ohwhisht, t'was noting." Devon replied as she removed the outer layer of clothes starting at the top, Devon took off the dust covered kerchief that hid her hair and face from the rest of the world, followed quickly by the rest of her outer wear revealing the once white blouse, dark brown pants and shoes she wore beneath it. Hanging everything up near the door, Devon made her way to the bar and said as the barkeep set her favorite drink in front of her, "Tank ya."

Taking a swig, she set it down with a satisfied sigh as she said turning to the stranger giving him a friendly smile, "Welcome ta Haven. Name's Devon I own de last farm outside of town."

Sol sat in a dark corner of the bar, her eyes watching the people come and go. She was looking for someone to travel with. Not that she needed the person exactly, it was still safer for her to be traveling with someone instead of on her own. She didn't make it to ten years old as a drifter from acting stupid.

Seeing a woman come in with some meat, she seriously thought about trading something for a bite, then realize that what she had she needed to keep on too. She did however edge closer so she could listen in on the conversation.

Ikarus didn't divest himself of his long outer robe, keeping his slight body swathed in the woven fabric and chiten plates.  It made him almost shapeless, bulked out by the canisters he kept close to his body, unwilling to let them go or show that he even carried them.  Though it could be assumed that any drifter coming in to Haven was there to do business, he wasn't going to advertise the value he carried.  He settled carefully onto one of the stools, grateful he'd wrapped them so they didn't rattle.

He freed his one good arm, his voice soft as he ordered a drink.  He knew he was drawing attention- any stranger did, and some of them recogized him since he came through a few times a year to trade.  A casual glance showed him a smaller than normal person- a child he hazarded, though he couldn't recall if there had been many children on the ship.  They tended to avoid him, and he them.  Before he could study her further though someone else entered- a farmer he guessed by her burden and speech with the bartender, her odd accent  catching his attention.  He focused on his drink, watching her from his peripheral vision. 

Then, she turned to him and he belatedly realized he might have to actually try socializing. He coughed softly to try and clear the constant graininess from his throat, taking a sip from his drink before he responded.  "Good to meet you- I'm Ikarus."  He responded, voice soft and surprisingly light in timbre, almost feminine.  "Soil trader."  

Devon's eyes sparkled merrily in the light of the bar as she smiled, looking over the crowd, she noticed the youngster who'd seen her as she came in and wondered if the poor child might be hungry. Turning her gaze back to Ikarus, Devon gave him her sweetest smile as her musical voice said, "Glad to meet ye. If yer lookin ta trade, I go..."

"Hey Devon, my wife said if I saw you here to tell you those things you wanted are ready." Someone called out from across the room.

Turning to face the voice, she replied with a mock angry look on her face as she waggled her finger at the man, "GEEEEzus Mary and Joseph, Alex! She should've tol' ya ta learn when ta keep tha' big mouth o' yirs shut too. Cancha see I'm tryin' to have a nice conversation? Are ye always dis stupid?"

Alex looked at her with mock hurt on his face and said, "Oh now you've gone and hurt my feelings."

Giving him a stern look, Devon replied, "I can't hurt wha' ye don't got, ya Eeji."

Turning back to Ikarus she said apologetically, "Sorry about dat. Dat man's got about as much sense as a grain o' sand, but he's good in a fight an' he works hard. He's a sound person all an' all, but don' tell him anyting you don' want de rest of de world ta know. Dat man gossips more dan all de women in de village combined. Now where was I.." Pausing for a moment, Devon took a sip from her cup and said quietly, "I remember now. As I was sayin' I've got fresh vegetable, hot food an' dried meat back at de farm if yir interested in tradin'. Got any good sceal from the rest of de world?"

{{ You will have to pardon if I break rules of etiquette or am otherwise generally awkward; it has been over a year, I believe, since I last roleplayed with a group, and this will be my first roleplay on beastkeeper(assuming my character is acceptable).
I considered a male character, to even the ratio, but I must sadly admit that I am absolute rubbish at men. My apologies. }}


Name: Tau Verdin

Age: 36

Drifter or Settler: Drifter

Physical Description: Technically, nearly sixty percent of Tau is mechanical, to begin at the most obvious place. Most of it is covered by a combination of skin grafts and some synthetic skin, but her left arm simply ends at scarred flesh, transitioning abruptly into anatomically correct "bones" of dark gray metal. Protruding from her back is another oddity, in the form of a pair of miniscule, useless dragonfly wings, apparently some sort of genetic leftover.

The rest of her body is ordinary, long and generally flat with little in the way of feminine curves. Her skin is a sun-stained dark tan, though she was never light to begin with, marked by the occasional pale scar and the more frequent smudge of dirt. Large blue-gold feline eyes take up the majority of a small, rounded face,  accompanied by a wide mouth and a small, flat nose. The mouth is deceptively pretty, hiding a mouthful of small, sharp teeth. Her distinctly human-in-shape ears are tiny, though contrary to many a big-eared tale's belief, her hearing has suffered not at all, still the enhanced cat-like sense of her species. Or rather, half of her species, as the other half is rather human. Rosey pink-brown curls complete her slightly unusual appearance, drawn back in a loose bun to keep them out of the way.

A stylized rose-like flower in a color similar to her hair marks her forehead, accompanied by two small leaves and mirrored swirls. Their origin is unknown, though it may be noted that the leaves, set above rather similarly shaped eyebrows, cause her expressions to occasionally look somewhat confusing in an unintentionally comical way.

Overtop of her natural state, she favors skin-showing clothes made of scraps of cloth, as well as parts of local flora and fauna, worn purely for the sake of others' modesty. Her only form of armor is a corset-like piece stolen from a long-dead drifter, made of a pliable, light but uniquely tough material that Tau would have felt a fool to resist. It serves perfectly to protect one of her most vulnerable areas, and she never seems to take it off. To complete off the ensemble, she dons a creamy cloak which has seen battered days, draping it over only her right arm when not using it as protection against the sun.

[mine]

Personality: Tau is a polite and quiet creature, genuinely kind and without ulterior motives. She is an efficient, self-sufficient chaser of peace and comfort, traversing the lands with no apparent goal. Axis and she seem well-suited to each other, Tau practically thriving in these new lands despite its hostility. In accordance with her homeworld, eating giant bugs suits her just fine. In fact, she seems to enjoy finding different things to take a bite out of.

Although her overall impression, ignoring her apparent penchant for eating strange things, is that of a refined lady even in the middle of a place such as Axis, Tau is surprisingly ruthless on the rare occasion she finds something she particularly wants. She does not take kindly to assault, readily proving that claw-liked tips to her mechanical hand are not simply an illusion due to the bare metal, and she will as happily bite into an attacker as an apple--in fact, she may just do so gleefully. Her diet is very widely ranged, including even many poisonous plants. If her half-breed status can make such activities considered canabalism, Tau shows no apparent adverse effects from such activities. Fortunately, she also seems to prefer other sources of food, so the dwindling population of Axis need not worry about a pretty hunter picking them off for lunch. Not unless she starts having trouble with more conventional food sources, that is.

Though physically she is capable of protecting herself if need be, she is distinctly not a fighter. Her only means of attack are being swift and merciless. Her true abilities lie in her brains, and her time spent in university learning about biology and, to a lesser degree, medicine, largely of the natural-remedy variety, since it seems like it would come in handy for field work. Even she finds the unexpected painful truth in that assumption to be laughable.

History: Tau's homeworld was originally inhabited by cat-like humanoids bearing several traits similar to insects. Living on a small planet covered largely by water, swamps or tropical rainforests, they shared their homes with giant bugs and all manner of vicious creatures. They evolved to be swift and violent, with widely varying mutations with which to handle the seemingly endless stream of things that wanted to kill them. Then others came to colonize the planet and, in the age old tale of genocide, with the arrival of the invaders came the mass-die-off of the natives. This of course came as no surprise to the ever-hunted tribes, and the intruders were nonetheless largely welcomed into their homes and treated as guests. Many of them made up for their dwindling numbers by simply marrying the invaders-turned-settlers, thus proving quite firmly just how adaptable their species was, and providing a means for half-bloods like Tau to come about. They adopted modern medicine eagerly, glad for something at last that would help them rather than kill them.

However, religion came along with that medicine, and while most of those religions were well-meaning, one fanatic managed to turn a large portion of the planet against robotics. Tau went to a more "civilized" world and attended university; before coming home, she was involved in a rather horrible accident. Her life was saved by robotics, and she has ever been grateful for that. She regretted her new cyborg status only when she ran from the authorities at home and attempted to seek refuge elsewhere on her planet, naturally managing to wander in to the area of pronounced hatred for robotics. Attacked for what kept her alive, and for her status as a criminal, she managed to escape her homeworld and, after much mucking about here-and-there, wound up on Axis with the rest of them.

Tau is currently trying to fully domesticate a somewhat fox-like native species of Axis, as well as several forms of livestock animals and crops. For the time being, she is mostly just finding good specimens to start with, as well as a friend or two to leave her specimens with while she continues her search. Admittedly, she should probably work on the friends first.

{{ I am the most horrendously long-winded person ever, I'm sorry. I promise to keep myself under control when replying so you won't constantly have to read novels. I just got carried away with Tau--and still managed to leave things out. And skimped on some details...Pulled a lot of stuff out of my, er, hat. }}