Re: [Fallout Equestria] Setting discussions

[Harmony Ltd.]

I'll admit the maths are completely rushed.

If anything, it's less "here is how they do it", and more of a "okay, see this quickly rushed thing; now imagine they do something similar, but better".


Alternatively, this could be an actual failure of the system and a point of debate in the political debate: A quick solution that got implemented at the start of the NCR and that through political inertia never got reformed (due to how polarizing the question might be).

[Harmony Ltd.]

Why are we talking in spoilers?

Why not?   

Yeah, good point.

In addition, I suspect that the NCR might be wary of building a self-evolving system. I mean, think about the examples they have for powerful AIs (Elusive, the original Stable 29 AI, probably Cognitum…); the only one that turned out remotely well was Elusive, and he still skipped merrily over his safeguards, went horribly rogue, and stole control from all of the ponies who were supposed to be using him.

I wasn't envisioning self-improvement. More of a "use your spare computing power to design a Maneframe with this set of features".

Quite honestly, I'm not seeing the Crusader Maneframes as being "AIs", and more as "problem solvers". No self-consciousness, and more thing like genetic algorithms and technobabble like that.

It's only when a mind is uploaded to them than can start being considered as AIs. Before that they're empty shells running on auto-pilot.

Wait, unless....

*dig from his archives*

Ha! There was that NCR research project on spell matrices, and working on spark-flux manipulation in order to create a contraption that would allow non-unicorns to cast spells (dynamic re-configuration of a spell matrix to cast totally different spells, or even modify them on the fly). Though funding is currently low as the project has run into quite a number of problems, mostly the current low quality of the spell matrices produced in the NCR.

Oh, I'd forgotten about that too.

Well, most of the theoretical work is done, the problem is that it require a whole another level of tooling to actually make one of the damn things (think going from discrete transistors to microprocessors), as with solving a number of technical problems with the fiddly bits of the technology.

Kinda like how we have the theoretical knowledge of how a quantum computer would work, and can already make some of the parts, but it'll still take quite a lot of research & development before we can actually make one.

[Harmony Ltd.]

New Canterlot sits in its own District, which removes it from the state of Junction as far as administrative matters are concerned, so even if in fact the urban unit of New Canterlot might get absorbed in the urban sprawl of Junction City, it'll remain a separate entity.

Ah, kind of like Vatican City?  That's the only city-in-a-city example I can think of.

You could make an argument for Manhattan within the city of New York, or perhaps some palace complexes within cities, say, the Forbidden City or Versailles if there had been more sprawl in Paris at the time.

More like if Brasilia was directly in the suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

[O. Hinds]

Oh, hey, Icy Shake! We don't see you around here too often. Thanks for the economics help!

I wasn't envisioning self-improvement. More of a "use your spare computing power to design a Maneframe with this set of features".

Quite honestly, I'm not seeing the Crusader Maneframes as being "AIs", and more as "problem solvers". No self-consciousness, and more thing like genetic algorithms and technobabble like that.

It's only when a mind is uploaded to them than can start being considered as AIs. Before that they're empty shells running on auto-pilot.

Right; as far as I can tell, it's the software that matters in the FoE universe. If you're using your maneframes to design better maneframes that in turn design even better maneframes, though… well, where does it end?

More like if Brasilia was directly in the suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

Yes, definitely no class conflict in Junction City. :)

[Harmony Ltd.]

So, remember when I said that the NCR's Special Forces get all the shiniest toys, as they are its first line of defense?

Well, I just had what I think is a ridiculously cool idea for a character concept:

Power-armored magically-enchanted-sword wielding griffin

Gives a new meaning to the expression "death from above".



More seriously, now...

In term of training and combat abilities, the members of the special forces are all, to make an analogy with the meta-narrative of the FoE-verse, at least level 12, most of them being over 15. And the bests in the SF are easily over level 20.

That's how badass they are.

This makes them very valuable and valued assets, which is why, as I said, they get the shiniest, coolest toys. If necessary, they also get access to the best healthcare the NCR has to offer, including cyber-replacements/enhancements.

An interesting consequence is that their contracts are pretty long, given the amount of resources the NCR invest in them; and in return the selection process for those who get in is extremely harsh: To this day, less than 1000 people have completed the Special Force training. Remember they're currently 300 in active service in 30 SR.

[Harmony Ltd.]

I've done quite a bit of work on Manehatten now, and while it's far from being over, let's move on to somewhere else for now, for variety's sake.

So, "Junction City".

First I think it'd be interesting to have something kinda like a map. Maybe I'll try to draw one in the morning. I'll see.

This said, let's have a look at Zee Numbers:

State of Junction (JN): 140,000 (27% griffin, 63% ponies, 5% zebra, 5% other)

Approximative population numbers per species:
Griffin : 37800
Ponies : 88200
Zebra : 7000
Other : 7000

Let's imagine that 90,000 people lives in the New Canterlot / Junction City conurbation (making it the biggest city in the NCR by far).

Now let's have a look at the map. Junction R-7 (Junction City) and Shattered Hoof (New Canterlot) are separated by 10 kilometers.

Taking this into consideration, here's what seems most likely:

If there's in fact a continuous string of urbanized space in the space that separate Junction City of New Canterlot, past the halfway point (5 kilometers from Downtown Junction), it mostly consist in suburban housing for the middle class of New Canterlot.

The axis of circulation between New Canterlot and Junction City would be very important, extremely frequented.

So I'm thinking:

Let's make it a long avenue, going from the center of one city to the center of the other city. I'm thinking that in New Canterlot it would end on the local equivalent of Washington DC's Mall, opposite of the NCR's congress?

The central part of the avenue would probably be occupied by a Tram.




Question:

In Fo:E, was it mentioned what kind of terrain Junction R-7 and Shattered Hoof were on? Was it hilly? Flat?

[O. Hinds]

I just got home and am rather low on sleep, I'm afraid, so this post might not be of terribly high quality.

The special forces stuff sounds good, though I question the utility of given any of them swords as primary weapons.

The Junction City stuff also sounds good.

In Fo:E, was it mentioned what kind of terrain Junction R-7 and Shattered Hoof were on? Was it hilly? Flat?

…I can't seem to find any mention at the moment. Sorry.

[Harmony Ltd.]

re sword: same reason why Blackjack carry one, for these moments you to get up close and personal, or need an opponent to open up.

more precisely it would be a specialist weapon, and not the primary one of the griffin wielding it.


By the way, there's potential for there being a "Frank Horrigan" in the NCR's special forces.

Hmm, wondering what his/her base species would be before you account for the genetic manipulations and cyber-augmentations.

An alicorn? That would maybe be a -bit- much...

[Harmony Ltd.]

Got myself thinking:

Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility was built on a old gem-mining operation, right? So the whole area under New Canterlot is full of old mining galleries.

And its first wave of inhabitants were Stable 2's stable dwellers, who moved most of their stable's content into the tunnels below Shattered Hoof.

So, in other words, in 30 SR it's pretty safe to assume there's at least one brand new Stable under New Canterlot, thanks to the NCR subsidiary of Geneighva's Stable-Tec descendants and quite a bit of money spent both by the NCR and the Old Families of New Canterlot.


Also, I was thinking that the Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility itself, being at the center of the New Canterlot District, would have been converted into a Memorial/Museum commemorating the Republic itself. The Gawdyna Grimfeather Memorial [1].




[1]: She's probably going to get killed at one point or another during the Bitter War. I don't know when exactly, though, and under which circumstances. My current line of thought is having her be killed by a sniper (supposedly a Bitter, but who knows?...) during a public discourse in one of the young NCR's settlement. With the sniper never being caught. Cue JFK-like conspiracy theories.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Here's a WIP of the Junction City Conurbation map:

Spoiler:

The big blue square is the New Canterlot District. Its sides are a bit over 3.3 Km in length.

Grimfeather Memorial: Previously known as the Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility. Converted into a memorial and museum to the glory of the Republic and its founding Mother, Gawdyna Grimfeather.
Praesidium: Seat of the NCR's executive power. The President and the Departments' heads have their office here. The actual Departments (defense, industry, etc...) have each their own building(s) throughout the city.
Congress: Seat of the NCR's legislative power. The High and Low chambers are here.
High Court: Highest instance of the NCR's judicial power. Tasked to certify if laws are in accordance with the constitution and previously voted laws or not (in which case said laws have to be re-drafted or be repelled).
NCR Armed Forces Headquarter: Seat of the Military Forces of the NCR.
New Canterlot Academy: Where the eggheads spend days arguing about this and that. Tasked to manage and oversee the NCR's R&D efforts according to the directives of the Executive power.
New Canterlot's Chamber of Commerce: Influent people with lots of money in their pockets takes important decision here. Officially, oversee internal and external trade in the NCR, and ensure that business practices in the Republic's territories follow a number of guidelines.



There's more jobs in the District of New Canterlot than there are inhabitants. So most of its workers live in the surrounding suburb or in Junction City. Mostly, only the richest people or officials/public servants ranking high enough to have a housing in the District live there.

Needless to say, the roads and the public transportation are a bit busy in the morning and the evening.

[Harmony Ltd.]

New Canterlot is a planned city. Think Brasilia in term of urbanism and architecture: the buildings are monumental (not in term of their size, but their appearance), and everything is made so as to display the power of the Republic.

By contrast, Junction City is growing organically, with urban planning being only an afterthought. So the streets in a number of neighborhoods are narrow, curved, and generally speaking labyrinthine.

[O. Hinds]

re sword: same reason why Blackjack carry one, for these moments you to get up close and personal, or need an opponent to open up.

more precisely it would be a specialist weapon, and not the primary one of the griffin wielding it.

Ah, I see.

By the way, there's potential for there being a "Frank Horrigan" in the NCR's special forces.

Hmm, wondering what his/her base species would be before you account for the genetic manipulations and cyber-augmentations.

An alicorn? That would maybe be a -bit- much...

And Frank Horrigan wasn't a bit much?

Got myself thinking:

Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility was built on a old gem-mining operation, right? So the whole area under New Canterlot is full of old mining galleries.

And its first wave of inhabitants were Stable 2's stable dwellers, who moved most of their stable's content into the tunnels below Shattered Hoof.

So, in other words, in 30 SR it's pretty safe to assume there's at least one brand new Stable under New Canterlot, thanks to the NCR subsidiary of Geneighva's Stable-Tec descendants and quite a bit of money spent both by the NCR and the Old Families of New Canterlot.


Also, I was thinking that the Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility itself, being at the center of the New Canterlot District, would have been converted into a Memorial/Museum commemorating the Republic itself. The Gawdyna Grimfeather Memorial [1].




[1]: She's probably going to get killed at one point or another during the Bitter War. I don't know when exactly, though, and under which circumstances. My current line of thought is having her be killed by a sniper (supposedly a Bitter, but who knows?...) during a public discourse in one of the young NCR's settlement. With the sniper never being caught. Cue JFK-like conspiracy theories.

That makes sense.  It also provides the NCR with readymade government bunkers.

Here's a WIP of the Junction City Conurbation map:

Spoiler:

The big blue square is the New Canterlot District. Its sides are a bit over 3.3 Km in length.

Grimfeather Memorial: Previously known as the Shattered Hoof Correctional Facility. Converted into a memorial and museum to the glory of the Republic and its founding Mother, Gawdyna Grimfeather.
Praesidium: Seat of the NCR's executive power. The President and the Departments' heads have their office here. The actual Departments (defense, industry, etc...) have each their own building(s) throughout the city.
Congress: Seat of the NCR's legislative power. The High and Low chambers are here.
High Court: Highest instance of the NCR's judicial power. Tasked to certify if laws are in accordance with the constitution and previously voted laws or not (in which case said laws have to be re-drafted or be repelled).
NCR Armed Forces Headquarter: Seat of the Military Forces of the NCR.
New Canterlot Academy: Where the eggheads spend days arguing about this and that. Tasked to manage and oversee the NCR's R&D efforts according to the directives of the Executive power.
New Canterlot's Chamber of Commerce: Influent people with lots of money in their pockets takes important decision here. Officially, oversee internal and external trade in the NCR, and ensure that business practices in the Republic's territories follow a number of guidelines.



There's more jobs in the District of New Canterlot than there are inhabitants. So most of its workers live in the surrounding suburb or in Junction City. Mostly, only the richest people or officials/public servants ranking high enough to have a housing in the District live there.

Needless to say, the roads and the public transportation are a bit busy in the morning and the evening.

If we're ignoring the mention in the FoE epilogue of a new castle, that sounds good.

New Canterlot is a planned city. Think Brasilia in term of urbanism and architecture: the building are monumental (not in term of their size, but their appearance), and everything is made so as to display the power of the Republic.

By contrast, Junction City is growing organically, with urban planning being only an afterthought. So the streets in a number of neighborhoods are narrow, curved, and generally speaking labyrinthine.

That makes sense.  What's the border between the two?  A ring (well, square) road?  An actual wall?



On another note, I recently started reading this story, and it occurred to me to wonder what the NCR's stances on prostitution, gambling, and recreational drugs are (my apologies if any of this was mentioned before).

For the Alliance, I'm thinking that the question is mostly about the Company, as they pretty much bought out or otherwise eliminated all non-Miliozi competition and the Miliozi only provide such services to other Miliozi.  The Company has no special regulations against gambling but also no subsidiaries built on it; Elusive prefers to raise revenue in more productive ways.  Alliance Courtesan Services and Alliance Recreational Pharmaceuticals, however, operate throughout the non-Milizozi Alliance and are both happy to take your money in exchange for their products (provided that you clear the medical checks; STDs and nonfunctional addicts are bad for business and bad publicity, not to mention against Elusive's primary goal of helping people[1]).
I ought to also mention Las Pegasus here, where the city-state decided to put its groundspace and minor power status to use by building a resort that (as the ads will point out) is just a short rotodaen shuttle flight from A-Town.  Las Pegasus does have state-owned casinos, among other attractions[2], and currency exchanges are available in both Las Pegasus and A-Town.


[1]Which, besides his own survival, is what he does all of this for, you'll recall, hence why he's dealing with natural organics instead of just using a robot army.  How much he actually helps, and particularly how much good his ideal end state would do, may be debatable, but he's quite confident that he knows what's good for you much better than you do.
[2]It's just occurred to me that the GPE may have had state brothels as another non-population-increasing outlet for ponies with heterosexual urges.

[O. Hinds]

Interesting thought: the Las Pegasus resort might also play host to some large military parades. After all, with the groundspace surrounded by Miliozi territory and all those visitors, many of them from outside the Alliance, right there and interested in shows, why not put on an impressive display of the world's greatest army?

[Harmony Ltd.]

By the way, there's potential for there being a "Frank Horrigan" in the NCR's special forces.

Hmm, wondering what his/her base species would be before you account for the genetic manipulations and cyber-augmentations.

An alicorn? That would maybe be a -bit- much...

And Frank Horrigan wasn't a bit much?

No, I mean in a meta sense. It seems a number of people have problem with cyber-alicorns.

I wonder... What are the odds of a Sand-Dog not only joining the NCR army, but joining the Special Forces, and being so good at it as to become Frank Horrigan-badass?

I ask because pun on "Dog of War".

Though thinking of it, a Hellhound would fit better. Especially given their original habitat was Mariposa, and Frank Horrigan got turned into a super-mutant during his assignment in the Mariposa Military Base while overseeing the digging operations there in the original Fallout 2 continuity. So why not the Fallout Equestria equivalent of a Mariposa Super-Mutant?

Plus, hellhounds are already freaking huge and scary in their "vanilla" version.

If we're ignoring the mention in the FoE epilogue of a new castle, that sounds good.

Didn't remember that bit about a castle, but if it's in the 10-years epilogue, the question is quickly answered, yes.

Plus, I'm not sure it would fit thematically for the Republic to build a castle...

What's the border between the two?  A ring (well, square) road?  An actual wall?

Nothing. It's just an administrative demarcation line, the same kind there is between states.

On another note, I recently started reading this story, and it occurred to me to wonder what the NCR's stances on prostitution, gambling, and recreational drugs are (my apologies if any of this was mentioned before).

I don't think it got mentioned, no.

Well, it's a bit complicated. Drugs are strictly controlled, as they tend to decrease the productivity of citizens, and most substances are extremely addictive. The Followers of the Apocalypse, who are if you remember, extremely influent throughout the NCR, are advocating the prohibition of drugs outside of medical or edge-case uses. And enough people know junkies first-hand from personal experience to see the merits of that proposal.

In practice, only regulated substances are allowed. Actually regulating their sale and consumption is far trickier, though, and law enforcement mostly works to ensure that things don't get too far. What exactly "too far" is being pretty vague in itself. Mostly avoiding that the workforce of city become totally hooked on a drug, giving too much power to certain individuals (think Redding / New Reno from Fallout 2).

Non-regulated substances are simply prohibited, and Law Enforcement is kind on a "war on drugs" against them. Well, mostly when it arrange them.

As I said, the situation is complicated (like most society issue in the NCR, come to think of it). it becomes even more complicated when the State of Glyphmark and its thousands of people versed in drug-making get involved.

This makes the debates in both houses of Congress quite polarized.


As for prostitution, if the moral guardians would prefer to do away with it, it is still thriving. How legal it is depends on the state you're in, but in Junction City prostitutes (of every sex or kind) have an Union. In Manehatten, they don't, but most of the bars in Princesses Heights are strip-club and pleasure houses. Officially prostitutes are "Free Workers", but they're only allowed to work in certified establishments (the aforementioned pleasure houses), and those demand a Fee from the prostitutes if they want to be allowed to work in them. I guess you can see where this goes...

[O. Hinds]

No, I mean in a meta sense. It seems a number of people have problem with cyber-alicorns.

Oh, that.  Sigh.  Can't we just ignore them?

I wonder... What are the odds of a Sand-Dog not only joining the NCR army, but joining the Special Forces, and being so good at it as to become Frank Horrigan-badass?

I ask because pun on "Dog of War".

Though thinking of it, a Hellhound would fit better. Especially given their original habitat was Mariposa, and Frank Horrigan got turned into a super-mutant during his assignment in the Mariposa Military Base while overseeing the digging operations there in the original Fallout 2 continuity. So why not the Fallout Equestria equivalent of a Mariposa Super-Mutant?

Plus, hellhounds are already freaking huge and scary in their "vanilla" version.

:)

Didn't remember that bit about a castle, but if it's in the 10-years epilogue, the question is quickly answered, yes.

Plus, I'm not sure it would fit thematically for the Republic to build a castle...

Aye, I don't know why they were doing that.

Nothing. It's just an administrative demarcation line, the same kind there is between states.

Right, but eventually that line is going to run through an urban area rather than vacant land.  Given that it's passing between a planned, government-funded city and an organic city, I expect that there'll be some sort of juxtaposition.

Well, it's a bit complicated. Drugs are strictly controlled, as they tend to decrease the productivity of citizens, and most substances are extremely addictive. The Followers of the Apocalypse, who are if you remember, extremely influent throughout the NCR, are advocating the prohibition of drugs outside of medical or edge-case uses. And enough people know junkies first-hand from personal experience to see the merits of that proposal.

In practice, only regulated substances are allowed. Actually regulating their sale and consumption is far trickier, though, and law enforcement mostly works to ensure that things don't get too far. What exactly "too far" is being pretty vague in itself. Mostly avoiding that the workforce of city become totally hooked on a drug, giving too much power to certain individuals (think Redding / New Reno from Fallout 2).

Non-regulated substances are simply prohibited, and Law Enforcement is kind on a "war on drugs" against them. Well, mostly when it arrange them.

As I said, the situation is complicated (like most society issue in the NCR, come to think of it). it becomes even more complicated when the State of Glyphmark and its thousands of people versed in drug-making get involved.

This makes the debates in both houses of Congress quite polarized.

That ought to be a bit of a boost for Las Pegasus tourist revenue.

As for prostitution, if the moral guardians would prefer to do away with it, it is still thriving. How legal it is depends on the state you're in, but in Junction City prostitutes (of every sex or kind) have an Union. In Manehatten, they don't, but most of the bars in Princesses Heights are strip-club and pleasure houses. Officially prostitutes are "Free Workers", but they're only allowed to work in certified establishments (the aforementioned pleasure houses), and those demand a Fee from the prostitutes if they want to be allowed to work in them. I guess you can see where this goes...

Do you mean that the moral guardians are trying to stamp it out but failing or that they wouldn't be able to stamp it out if they were trying but aren't anyway?

[Harmony Ltd.]

From what's written here:

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Frank_Horrigan

I could see a cyber-enhanced (further) mutated Hellhound fitting the bill perfectly, if we ever wanted to give the NCR its own Frank Horrigan expy.


"By the Lightbringer... I sure am glad that girl's on our side. Did you see what she just did to that raider encampment?"

"No, but I can easily guess. You weren't there when we took down the Defilers back east a few years ago. It was her first deployment. She didn't quite know her strength back then...

... Sometimes when I get up at night, I can still ear the screams..."

[Harmony Ltd.]

As for prostitution, if the moral guardians would prefer to do away with it, it is still thriving. How legal it is depends on the state you're in, but in Junction City prostitutes (of every sex or kind) have an Union. In Manehatten, they don't, but most of the bars in Princesses Heights are strip-club and pleasure houses. Officially prostitutes are "Free Workers", but they're only allowed to work in certified establishments (the aforementioned pleasure houses), and those demand a Fee from the prostitutes if they want to be allowed to work in them. I guess you can see where this goes...

Do you mean that the moral guardians are trying to stamp it out but failing or that they wouldn't be able to stamp it out if they were trying but aren't anyway?

More like they're lobbying for prostitution to become illegal, but the pro-prostitution lobby is more powerful (and wealthier...), and let's be honest there, more popular among the electorate.

[O. Hinds]

:)

[Harmony Ltd.]

Nothing. It's just an administrative demarcation line, the same kind there is between states.

Right, but eventually that line is going to run through an urban area rather than vacant land.  Given that it's passing between a planned, government-funded city and an organic city, I expect that there'll be some sort of juxtaposition.

Most likely they'll just demolish any un-planned building that would be to crop up within the District's limits. Other than that there wouldn't be any walls. Just some kind of green belt surrounding the city.

As for a "demarcation" line of some kind, well, New Canterlot is constantly being patrolled by hundreds and hundreds of conscripts, so any kind of public trouble would be quickly squashed by zealous youths in uniform.

[O. Hinds]

Nothing. It's just an administrative demarcation line, the same kind there is between states.

Right, but eventually that line is going to run through an urban area rather than vacant land.  Given that it's passing between a planned, government-funded city and an organic city, I expect that there'll be some sort of juxtaposition.

Most likely they'll just demolish any un-planned building that would be to crop up within the District's limits. Other than that there wouldn't be any walls. Just some kind of green belt surrounding the city.

As for a "demarcation" line of some kind, well, New Canterlot is constantly being patrolled by hundreds and hundreds of conscripts, so any kind of public trouble would be quickly squashed by zealous youths in uniform.

Ah, a green belt; that's the sort of answer I was looking for. Thanks.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Remind me:

Where exactly is Glyphmark? How close to the mountains is it? What kind of terrain does it lay in?

It'd be interesting to put it on the map.

I think it's going to be next in line once I finish doing the Alpha mapping work on Junction City (content making) and put it in Beta stage (tweaking).

After that, probably in this order: New Appleloosa, Old Appleloosa, Maripony, Everfree.

Though before doing the actual city maps I'll probably work on the cities backgrounds.


Then once that's done (or while it's being done), there's going to be a need to start filling the states with interesting things: cities that aren't state capital, points of interests (military bases, ruins, etc...)

[O. Hinds]

Ooh, neat! I tend to work on the Alliance counterparts only when I happen to get ideas.

Anyway, I'm looking up the Glyphmark stuff now.

[Harmony Ltd.]

I've tended to get ideas only by forcing myself to think about those things these last two weeks. Thus the planning, to get my mind to become grinding its gears in that direction.

The process is a bit less spontaneous than before, I have to admit...

Good thing logic and (some amount of) creativity are still on my side.   

[O. Hinds]

This is the best I found:

When Velvet put words to her observations, the nearest zebra responded, “Nothing grows here.  This town is just close enough to Canterlot that the Cloud has poisoned the ground.”  At our looks of alarm, she added “But far enough away that it is not in the air anymore.”

Hearing that Zebratown was only an afternoon’s trot away, Calamity had suggested we travel on hoof and I had agreed, suspecting the Sky Bandit would be too visible, and the alicorns would be looking for it.
Now I realized the idea of trotting back over these muddy hills with freed zebras in tow and possibly alicorns chasing us was just stupid.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Okay so terrain is hilly and wet, at the feet of the mountain range.

One afternoon of trot... Let's say four hours at 8 kilometers per hour... roughly between 25 and 40 kilometers from Canterlot. Let's say 30.

Any idea as to the general direction ? South, east, west? Next to the river?

And, huh... Glyphmark is Zebratown? I don't know why but I was under the impression that Glyphmark was actually another settlement, not far away from Zebratown itself.

Though this doesn't change much as far as placing the thing on the map goes, at least it's important when it comes to doing the city's background & map itself.


Geez... Am I going to need to re-read FoE, now?

[Harmony Ltd.]

Though 30 kilometers seems a bit far for that first quote to make sense. Or this mean I'm severely underestimating just how fucking huge the Pink Cloud was...

[O. Hinds]

Okay so terrain is hilly and wet, at the feet of the mountain range.

One afternoon of trot... Let's say four hours at 8 kilometers per hour... roughly between 25 and 40 kilometers from Canterlot. Let's say 30.

Any idea as to the general direction ? South, east, west? Next to the river?

Roughly southwest, IIRC, but I'm not actually sure that any direction was ever given.

And, huh... Glyphmark is Zebratown? I don't know why but I was under the impression that Glyphmark was actually another settlement, not far away from Zebratown itself.

No no no, the latter is right; they are quite different places. What caused the confusion?

[Harmony Ltd.]

I was thinking about that Frank Horrigan expy character for the NCR. Here's what I got so far:

“Sasha”

Race: Hellhound
Sex: Female
Height: 345cm
Date of birth: __/__/4
Place of birth: [classified]

Background:

Product of a research project of the Bitters aiming to turn Hellhounds into living weapons without the need for a too easily failure-prone mind-control device. By further mutating Hellhounds, the Bitters managed to make them extremely malleable to suggestion and indoctrination at a young age, and extremely loyal.

Sasha was found, barely one year old, in one of the Bitters' clandestine research facilities in the fifth year of the Bitter War during the Counter-Offensive. The Bitters were proceeding to erase all traces of their research as the NCR attacked the lab, and were terminating the specimens they had bred. They were stopped before terminating Sasha, the last specimen alive.

The NCR salvaged only a marginal part of the Bitters research on the subject, only enough to understand what Sasha was, and what was her and her brethren's purposes in the Bitters' plans.

Adopted by the team who found her that day, she grew up among members of the NCR's military, and infused herself from a very young age with the institution's culture. Soon, she had only one wish: to join the military as soon as she'd be old enough.

At this point, it should be said that the spectacle offered by a five years old hellhound easily the size of a pony following another pony around in a military base saying “Daddy! Daddy! Look what I found!”, smiling with razor sharp teeth while brandishing a dead bird was the kind of weird and somewhat unsettling sight that the personnel there got quickly used to.

And so she grew.

Perceiving the use they could get from her, the higher-ups decided to hear her insistent demands to join the Military. Entering the institution at only fourteen years old through a special executive derogation, two years younger than the minimum legal age, she entered a special training program, her unusual capabilities and her enthusiasm making it safer for her to train separately from her comrades.

After eight years of intensive training, she finally entered active service, being one of the very rare individuals to enter directly into the NCR's special forces without any prior experience in the active forces.

Seeing as her combat style involved heavy amount of close contact with the enemy, the hierarchy proposed to implant her a battery of cyber-enhancements aiming at improving her endurance and increasing her chances of survival. She accepted, enthusiastically. Among other things, she got implanted with a reinforced bone structure, redundant cyber hearts and lungs, and no less than three separate healing & regeneration talismans. A suit of power-armor got also tailored just for her.

Her first deployment was against the Defilers in 27 SR, a band of raider east of the Central Mountain Range whose territory and influence was growing too big for the NCR's comfort. Sasha and her team got sent on a covert operation to erase the Defilers from the map, the higher ups eager to know how well their pet project was going to fare. They were not disappointed.

Sasha and her team, only ten members of the special forces, against the Defilers, a band of raiders who had managed to grow over a thousand members without somehow splitting up, held in the iron grip of their leader, the fearless and faceless Ripper.

In one month, and without losing any member of her team, Sasha had managed to single-handedly kill the Defiler's leader, and kill almost a fourth of the gang's members, -by herself-. The Defilers, leaderless and demoralized, split up and formed a myriad of rival gangs, which the NCR's Army latter mopped-up in Operation Streetcleaner.

Since then, Sasha is considered by the NCR's military to be a “walking megaspell”, to such an extent that some people are starting to advocate looking back into the Bitters' research and look into the possibility of breeding more specimens...  

Character:

Sasha is extremely loyal to the NCR's military, fanatically so. She is extremely enthusiastic about her job, and see everything that could enhance her capabilities with extreme interest. With every passing years more and more of her flesh is being replaced with cybernetic enhancements as she “improve” herself.

Her adoptive father, today General in the NCR's armed forces, educated her to follow a strict moral code, forbidding her to harm innocents and children. If she respect it to the letter, she also display not a single trace of pity toward those she designate as her enemies.

Sasha is extremely cunning, and brutally so. She has the natural instincts of a predator, and leave no chances to her preys.

Her dark side is that she enjoy hunting. Maybe too much. She is also cruel, and take pleasure in toying with her preys when she can.

Being big and intimidating, people naturally fear her. As such, outside of her adoptive family and her team's members, Sasha tend to have little to no contact with the external world, living only for her job.

[O. Hinds]

Quite neat. I'm afraid that I'm again rather low on sleep, though, having just recently finished moving back to Huntsville for the coming semester, and I don't have much detailed input.

Where exactly did the Defilers operate? They sound as if they were rather a power in whatever region it was.

[Harmony Ltd.]

Somewhere in the general vicinity of Neighpon, I suppose?

[Sponsored content]