Mai Otome: Blue Sky Liberation

A game for five players, run by Ford. Planned for 24 (probably) monthly sessions, session time currently unknown. Expressions of interest to be directed over IRC.

Premise

The players take the roles of fifth or sixth year students at Galleria Academy, located in the Emirate of the Valley of the Wind. As Pearl Otome in their penultimate or final year, they are are considered less as Otome in training and more as potential Meister Otome. Their studies are supplemented with the knowledge that they will soon be entering, or attempting to enter, the world stage.

And it just so happens that an opportunity has presented itself: Princess Anri la Blanc fon Wind, younger sister of the Valley's ruler, Izanami, is turning 17 and beginning the process of selecting an Otome as part of certain national defense standards. Not only is there an opportunity to gain employment with Princess Anri, leaders and delegates from all over the world are visiting the Valley as part of one of the largest state visits in the past ten years. VIPs will be streaming in from all over the world. There's even talk of an exhibition of heirloom Meister GEMs. It's a big deal, and a big opportunity.

It's also a big security risk. Not only has Princess Izanami requested Galleria Academy deploy the Five Columns as additional security, she has also discretely requested a number of Pearl Otome act as retainers for her sister during the events. Unsurprisingly, this is the players.

The World of Blue Sky Liberation

Obviously this game is based on an existing property, and the world in which it is set is similar, but not identical to that in Mai Otome. The setting is the world of

The Seven Days of Fire

Centuries before the beginning of Blue Sky Liberation, something something apocalyptic conflict something something

Civilisation was preserved by the actions of Princess Mashiro le Blanc fon Wind and her retainer, the Pure White Diamond, Grand Meister Fumi Himeno.

Otome

Z-type HiME nanotechnology - noocytes able to rewrite the quantum metric and materialise photons as solid matter. Its true origins are shrouded in myth. Perhaps it is a component of some awful interstellar weapon. Perhaps it is the blood of God. In any case, its exact makeup and even its exact capabilities are beyond the ability of modern science to determine. What is known that when these miraculous nanomachines colonise an appropriate host, the host takes on equally miraculous abilities. Able to freely manipulate the metric altering properties of Z-type dust, the host is seemingly able to violate the laws of conservation and manifest matter and energy seemingly from thin air.

The possessors of this miraculous power are the women known as Otome. One part idol, one part officer of state, one part intercontinental independent cruising anti-landmass strategic superweapon. Possessing supranormal abilities than cannot be replicated by even the most advanced cybernetic technology, Otome represent the true military power of any given nation. Their individual destinies drive the prestige of nations, their people and their leaders. Though not invincible, using conventional military forces to defeat a full realised Otome, a Meister, is close to impossible. It is the skill of individual Meister Otome that determine who the world's superpowers are; those nations without Otome are strictly speaking at the mercy of the nations that do employ them.

With their lives tied to the lives of world leaders and politicians, Otome serve another vital purpose. In Zipang there is a saying: one sword keeps another in the sheath. The awesome power of Otome is enough to bring down civilisation, and the presence of Otome in the service of various superpowers keeps the world in balance and at peace ... even if that balance is uneasy and that peace false.

There are several aspects to any given Otome. The first is the Otome herself. It is not enough to be injected with the Z-type dust, though this is the vital technological aspect. Unlike a machine, or even a cyborg, the power of an Otome is built from her skills as a person. Popular media has created an image of the Otome as the soft-spoken, elegant maid that happens to possess power than can literally change the shape of countries, but this is just an image created by vapid celebrity culture. While it is true that etiquette is an aspect of an Otome's training, the reality is that this is just a small aspect. Typically selected in their early teens on the basis of intellectual and athletic brilliance, an Otome is extensively educated in languages, world politics, the hard and soft sciences, international law, history, military tactics and strategy etc, while being trained for physical combat. Even those women who do not subsequently go on to serve as Meister Otome will typically possess the skills to eventually excel in any given position in the public or private sector.

The second is, as mentioned, the Z-type nanomachines. Taking hold after a few days and fully developed after one year, even in a dormant state the dust provides numerous advantages. The average first year Coral Otome, usually only fourteen years old, can finish a 100m sprint in 8 seconds, jump a 3m bar from a standing start and curl the kind of weight that a strong man might bench press. Exceptional Otome have been known to be able to fight evenly with combat cyborgs without activating their nanomachines.

The nanomachines themselves are managed and regulated by the Generable Enigmatic Matrix, or GEM. Set in a special piercing of the ear and resembling a precious stone, the GEM is an infinitely fuzzy hypercomputer which interprets the commands and subconscious of the Otome and manifests them through the Z-type nanomachines. The GEM also forms the basis of the Contract system, where the activation of an Otome's powers lies in the hands of another (usually the leader of a nation, or some other important officer of state). For every Meister GEM, there exists a twin containing the activation permissions for the Z-type dust. The owner of this GEM is called a Master, and the Contract cannot be broken without extremely specialised technology and expertise. Otherwise, only death can revoke a Contract. An Otome and Master are linked, with Masters experiencing sympathetic pain if their Otome is injured. Further, if one dies then so does the other. By sharing lives in this way they have become the guardians of world order.

With the proper permissions, an Otome is able to materialise higher-order matter from photons, creating their Robe and, if they wish, their Element. A 'Robe' is a battle uniform incorporating suites of e-war, defensive, offensive and propulsive technology, and is emblematic of the Otome generally. While Coral and Pearl Otome -students - make use of largely identical Robes, Meister GEMs are all essentially unique - passed down from Otome to Otome and incorporating subconscious design changes recorded by the GEM. Typically all Robes incorporate a varying number of prehensile ribbons or coat tails that can act as additional limbs or as cutting tools, and all Robes feature distinctive ring-like protrusions around the wrists and ankles as part of the propulsion system. Otherwise the appearance of a Meister Robe is incredibly varied (and infinitely merchandisable). An 'Element' is a higher-order matter weapon unique to each GEM, and essentially unique between each Meister Otome. There is seemingly no limit to the forms an Element can take - swords, spears, axes, staves, energy cannons, tennis rackets. Almost anything. An Otome typically only has a single Element, though it is not uncommon for Elements to be able to change size or shape. For most Otome, their Element is their ultimate weapon.

A Meister Otome has fully realised her metric altering powers and cannot be matched by even the most powerful cyborgs. Meister Otome can reach orbit under their own power, throw an aircraft carrier, flatten a mountain range, catch lasers, shift individuals out of the spacetime continuum, duplicate themselves and more besides. They carry the dreams of nations. Their power and grace and at times idiosyncratic personalities have made them beloved of people the world over. In return for shouldering the burden of safeguarding the peace of the world, of having to face off against mentors, sisters, even former girlfriends, an Otome is made famous and adored. But even this can be hollow consolation: adoration can become obsession, and simple attempts to live life can create scandals. More than one Otome has tried pursuing an intimate relationship with a man and found that once adoring fans have become raving lunatics.

The responsibility inherent in being a Meister Otome is immense, the pressure can be grinding and at times it can be lonely and thankless. More than anything else, an Otome must be prepared for these hardships. It is for that purpose that Galleria Academy exists.

Galleria Academy

The world's top school, dedicated to the education of Otome as well as being the absolute authority on the technology behind their creation. Founded by Grand Meister Fumi in a distant age on land gifted to her by Princess Mashiro, Galleria is the school of dreams. Though located in the Valley of the Wind, and thus the territory of the United Aurelian Emirates, Galleria is not attached to any nation and officially apolitical. In addition to her duties as the head of the faculty, the sitting Headmistress must also manage the politics inherent in providing nations of the world with their Meisters, as well as being something of a mediator on the world stage. However, Galleria's first and foremost role is the raising of Otome.

An intensive six year course open to girls aged at least thirteen, Galleria Academy provides largely unrivaled academic instruction in everything from pure maths to pure ethics, combined with an 'athletics department' that wouldn't be unusual as part of special forces training. The student body is split into a junior half - the Coral Otome - and a senior half - the Pearl Otome - with three years in each half. This split is part of an elder-sister/younger-sister mentoring dynamic which is almost iconic of Otome itself. In their first year, Coral Otome are assigned to a Pearl Otome and expected to act as a 'room attendent': at minimum a Coral has to keep her "onee-sama's" room tidy and manage her laundry, but is generally expected to obey directions and commands. In return, the Pearl has to provide instruction, advice, protection and even financial support. If a room attendant transgresses the rules, or comes into conflict with other students or members of the faculty, then their elder must intercede on their behalf. For the most part this relationship persists even after graduation, and forms part of the 'beneath the surface' aspect of international relations.

The nature of this bond differs between people. For some, the arrangement is almost a professional one. For others, it is a substitute for a lost mother. Sometimes these relationships are intimate. It would be whitewashing to say that they were never abusive. As a general rule they are close bonds built upon mutual respect (and at least a little adoration). In principle this kind of socialisation is a part of teaching responsibility to peers and dependents.

As mentioned, Coral Otome are the junior half at Galleria Academy. For the most part, these first three years are about building the foundation of a strong Otome and bringing out the latent abilities in students. In their first year, Corals are still adjusting to the Z-type nanomachines, and will typically reject GEMs: the exception are the 'entry level' Coral GEMs which, in addition to not being particularly taxing are designed to help acclimatise the body to Robe usage. Coral Robes are not capable of flight, have limited electronic and offensive capabilities, but relatively exaggerated defensive abilities. Like Pearl Otome, a Coral's Element is a staff. There are no known Coral Robe variants. Though even the strongest Coral could not possibly defeat a Pearl, let alone a Meister, their strength is nothing to dismiss.

Pearl Otome, in comparison, are about polishing the skills gained as Corals. The difference between a Pearl GEM and a Meister GEM in terms of raw power is not as great as the difference between a Coral and a Pearl. Though Pearl GEMs do not have the same extreme variation that Meister GEMs do, they have more or less the same basic capabilities: as such, the underlying theme behind the education of Pearls is not so much 'learning to be an Otome' but rather 'becoming a Meister Otome'. The distinction is fine, but important. Pearls are trusted to protect and mediate on behalf of their Corals, and so in order to graduate they must cultivate responsibility, leadership and wisdom. Though the emphasis is not taken away from traditional instruction, it is the chaos of normal school life which is, in its own way, most instructive. The top three Pearls of the year form the Trias, essentially a student council which liaises with the faculty on behalf of the students, and which liaises with the students on behalf of the faculty. The Trias maintain a great deal of authority within the school, and for the most part disciplinary issues are rarely escalated to the staff.

The Galleria Academy campus itself is built on, in and around a component of the interstellar colony ship Eltreum, which first brought humans to Erde so many generations ago. The campus has extraterritorial status and is, on its own, essentially a military superpower. Though staunchly neutral, Galleria possesses the only system on Erde capable of authorising a GEM without a normal Contract. It is this system that allows the student body and the faculty staff to use their Robes without a Master: most prominent among these masterless Otome are the Five Columns. The Five Columns are exceptional Meisters that serve as Galleria's limbs should any situation call for force - it is unknown for the Headmistress to not be one of the Columns. All faculty members are able to authorise their own materialisations at will in any location. Pearls are able to authorise on Galleria grounds, while Coral Otome need the authorisation of staff or certain Pearls. Whether it is politically appropriate to do so will depend on individual treaties and agreements between Galleria and other countries. As an example, there is generally no issue with a Galleria Otome materialising in the Valley of the Wind, so long as there is some kind of pressing emergency.

Faculty

Column III, the Bewitching Smile Amethyst, Headmistress Freya S Viola//

Galleria's current Headmistress, having inherited the position several years prior to Blue Sky Liberation. In her graduating year she was lead Trias and Pearl no.1, and is widely considered one of the strongest Otome in the world. Her long standing rivalry with the Continental Orb Topaz, Brigadier General Scheherazade Armitage is well documented and widely considered to be Destroyer Armitage's one weakness. Despite Headmistress Viola's incredible strength, she is mostly known for being an absolute paragon of polite refinement. Detractors sometimes refer to the softly-spoken Viola as being a 'bad cliche' or a 'stereotype of an Otome', but that is just how she is. Regardless, she is a shrewd political operator and has a close friendship with Princess Izanami.

As Headmistress her duties are mostly administrative, but she teaches advanced classes in ethics, law and mathematics. Amongst the students it is popularly believed that she has never been angry, and that it is impossible for her to take a bad picture.

Column I, the Galactic Aquamarine, Meister Sara Gallagher//

A relatively recent addition to the Five Columns. A native of the Aries Republic, in her time at Galleria she was room attendant to Brigadier General Armitage and Pearl no.2; her selection as the Galactic Aquamarine was a back room deal to counter growing international opinion that Aries was monopolising top graduates. As a result her personal fortunes have been limited. She is a highly professional Otome and according to some stricklers ill-suited to being a Meister and especially ill-suited to being a Column. Regardless of her sometimes exasperated lack of exuberance, Meister Gallagher executes her duties exactingly and has excellent technical expertise. Though not considered to be a particularly powerful Otome, she is considered to be the best suited user of the Galactic Aquamarine in two hundred years.

Though she is rarely on campus, Meister Gallagher teaches practical classes in scouting, tracking, and politcal analysis. She also takes the advanced aerial combat class, though the entry requirements for that class are judged by Miss Maria and very high. She is popular amongst many students because of her lax approach to the enforcement of rules and is considered an 'easy marker'.

Column II, the Whirlwind Rose Quartz, Meister Kyoko Shimabuki//

Of the current Columns, Meister Shimabuki has had the longest tenure - almost twenty years. Though not an exceptionally long career, having spent more than half her life as a Column has made her a dependable fixture at Galleria, and she is highly respected amongst Otome around the world. She is a model Column: devoted to the Grand Meister Fumi, devoted to the school, confident, not too serious and very strong. When Galleria really needs to deploy force, Meister Shimabuki is the preferred method. It has been speculated for several years that she will retire sooner rather than later, though this has not yet eventuated. Some tabloids have attempted to present the relationship between Meister Shimabuki and the Headmistress as strained, and that the Headmistress is attempting to force her to retire, but there is no actual evidence of this.

With her visits to Galleria becoming more frequent, Meister Shimabuki has taken up more responsibilities as a teacher. In addition to taking Coral civics classes and basic international relations, Meister Shimabuki teaches applied military strategy and applied logistics to Pearl classes. She is also the head of the athletics department, though more and more of these responsibilities are being devolved to Meister Van der Velde.

Column IV, the Swirling Dance Fluorite, Meister Mahya Blythe//

Hailing from Maurya, Mahya's initially promising career as a Mauryan Otome was ended when public opinion turned against her due to distant satrap heritage. Her appointment as a Column is somewhat irregular - she was Pearl no.9 - but she takes the job seriously enough. She is an expert in Miryoku and has monstrous reserves of materialising energy, so in that respect she is quite remarkable. She is a competent administrator and has been appointed Acting Headmistress on more than occasion. Despite her happy go lucky attitude, she is notoriously difficult to please academically. Her high standards are tempered by the fact that she wants to see Galleria students reach their full potential in a way that she didn't; all the personal advice and tutoring, combined with her duties as a Column, make her the busiest member of the faculty.

Meister Blythe is the Coral dance instructor and despite it not being her specialty, her skill in dance means she also takes supplementary Butou classes. Beyond this she teaches a number of language and literature classes.

Column V, the Ice Silver Crystal, Meister Irma van der Velde//

The latest addition to the Five Columns, being selected for the position at her graduation only three years prior to Blue Sky Liberation. As such, many current students remember her being a student as well. She was Pearl no.1 and has the highest grade average in decades. Being a Column seems to suit her, and she takes the position very seriously, loyally executing whatever orders she receives. It is unclear precisely how strong she is as a Meister, as she has not been forced to enter true combat, her compatibility with the Ice Silver Crystal is known to be very high. She is Belkan by birth.

She is regularly on campus due to her serious approach to her role as a Column. As she is quite young and has not fully completed her teaching certification she is overall supervisor for Galleria's club and societies, an advisor for the Trias and all around dogsbody for other members of the faculty.

The Eternal Recurrence Jasper, Miss Maria Graceburt//

A retired Meister Otome, who served in Lutesia before that country split in two. Though this means she is not really that old, but for the students at Galleria she seems positively ancient. Part of this stems from Miss Maria's devotion to the traditions and history of the Otome. She is by far the strictest teacher in the school and a feared disciplinarian - she is, after all, the one who disciplines the Trias. She is a dedicated realist who feels that all students should understand that being an Otome means one day having to fight, and perhaps kill, friends, confidants, sisters and lovers. Though she would never admit it, her concern for the well-being of the students is very high.

She is Galleria's primary combat instructor and teaches all the Pearl classes and the advanced Coral class. Her expertise is in close combat. She also teaches history. Rumour has it that Miss Maria is not fond of Headmistress Viola despite the Headmistress probably being her best student. Regardless, dutiful service to the administration of Galleria is also the responsibility of an Otome.

The Dazzling Mirage Lapis Lazuli, Miss Rika Steinberg//

A younger teacher who mostly deals with Coral students. Despite her fairly high level of skill (she was Pearl no.5), Miss Rika has been an unsuccessful Otome. Unfailing all her Masters have fallen deeply in love with her, creating politically untenable arrangements. Despite her saintly disposition, high intelligence and complete dedication, she has proven too disruptive to employ in the usual manner. Galleria scouted heri n the belief that she would make for an exceptional teacher. She is the Coral coordinator and the most trusted teacher on campus. She and Miss Maria have something of a rivalry due to opposing views on the nature of being an Otome: Miss Rika is perhaps best described as a romanticist.

She is Galleria's secondary combat instructor and teaches most Coral classes. Her expertise is in long distance combat. In addition she teaches in reading, writing, arithmetic, basic ethics, social studies and physics.

Extracurriculars

In many ways Galleria Academy is not unlike a normal boarding school. Deliberate efforts are made to create opportunities for a fairly normal school life. Socialisation is key, after all. As such, there is a substantial amount of extracurricular activity. Students are encouraged, but not strictly required, to join at least one club or society. Many of the clubs are incredibly venerable and date back almost to Galleria's founding, so there is often a great deal of accumulated pride. Being president of a major club or captain of a sports team will look good on prospective Meister's CV, too.

There are essentially two kinds of club at Galleria: the first are the athletics teams, the second are the cultural clubs. Additionally, there are the notorious clubs of the Quartier Latin.

The athletics teams are as you might expect. Track and field is the largest and arguably the most prestigious team in the school, particularly the sprints.

Expectations

Games run on #lords are charmingly haphazard and run in the typical mode: with no end in sight and things made up on the fly. That's actually an unfair characterisation and not wholly accurate. What I should say is simply that while everyone on #lords runs good, fun interesting games, the style in which they're run is not how I would run a game. And in typical fanfic author fashion I gotta do it my way. I have my own ideas regarding what will and won't work. As a result I will not necessarily be to everyone's taste as a GM. That said I find stories of abusive or difficult GMs to be eyerollingly dumb. I can't promise I'll never be a fascist GM, but I don't intend to be combative. I want to interest and challenge players, but ultimately be facilitative.

There's always scope for discussion and negotiation. If nothing else I will always be willing to listen to any concerns or complaints a player has. Communication is key to good relationships and good gaming. If you are thinking of joining the game it will be worth asking yourself the question 'is there anything I want to know before I commit?' and asking that question.

Player Expectations

• Direction. Blue Sky Liberation is intended and designed from the ground up to only to run for a limited number of sessions. Players can expect that each session will meaningfully advance the story they are a part of, without getting bogged down. The name of my game is pace: I don't like weeks of faffing about and I want players to feel like they have achieved something in each episode.
• Material. Typically players come into a session with only memories to guide them. For this game you can expect a document delivered in advance summarising the previous session, their character's objectives both public and secret, important developments and reminders of the story so far.
• Focus. Blue Sky Liberation is intended to be a game with a definite storyline, and the emphasis is on the players engaging in collaborative storytelling. In a lot of games there's a great deal of emphasis on the gaining and spending of exp, but this system doesn't support this at all. The emphasis here is on the meat of player interaction.
• Fairness. Without meaning to imply that other GMs are unfair, players can expected to be treated equally. I don't engage in favouritism: you will be rewarded equally so long as you participate. Additionally, you will always have the opportunity to participate - if I need to shift the narrative focus from one player to the next, I will.
• Communication. Players can expect to be kept in the loop directly, in addition to the session material.

GM Expectations

• Punctuality. I'm not inflexible and understand that real life comes first. There's always going to be plenty of notice for each session, and if you can't make it or think things might interfere with your ability to game. we can work something out. However, an episode of Blue Sky Liberation requires every player to be present, and if you have made the commitment to play I will expect you to be present and on time.
• Participation. It's not enough to just have a character: if you want to play, I expect you to be involved. This includes at the conceptual stage. Some people more naturally inclined to speak up, and that's fine, but there isn't any place for a player who just loafs around. Rewards and character growth are tied to dramatic moments in the story: there are benefits to being involved in the game beyond not just being dragged around by other players.
• Communication. Please allow me to belabour the point endlessly until it loses all meaning.

System

The game is built on the Romancing Simulated Otome Linear Augmentation Rules (R-SOLAR :v). Though the rules have not been totally completed they are at point where I can elucidate the basics. Note that these notes represent the current build, and will undoubtedly be tweaked as the system is completed.

• Combat doesn't rely on whittling down health. Rather, it relies on building a number of narrative advantages through good stunt use, which is solidified via dice contests.
• Combat is time limited. Each encounter will have a set number of rounds, and the side with the most advantage at the end of this is the winner. Most encounters will be three rounds, with five rounds for more dramatic clashes.
• Character creation is three-fold. The first part is a quiz that asks a number of simple in-character questions to help shape the concept. Pretty much every RPG ever has something like this for the player, but for Blue Sky Liberation it is an essential element of character creation and I simply won't accept characters that don't have one.
• The second part is baseline character attributes. Character have five numerical stats that a player distributes points to. From these five stats you derive other values, like initiative, your fighting ability, your endurance etc. These derive stats take the place of skills - this reflects how Otome all have more or less the same education, but different Otome excel in different areas.
• The third part is GEM creation, where you design the Meister GEM which will provide you with your most spectacular powers. GEM attributes are based on a letter ranking system, with higher ranks providing different bonuses.
• GEM design also include Element design, an 'Element' being a unique, signature weapon possessed by Otome. Elements have a lot of scope for unusual abilities, depending on rank.
• To give a little more flexibility, R-SOLAR has a tag system where players can attach a 'tag' to any statistic or attribute. Tags come in 0, 1, 2 and 3 point forms, and are similar to specialisations in other games. They allow some more customisation and some mechanical bonuses that scale relative to their cost.

There's a pretty big front-end to cover for the lack of ongoing customisation. As has been mentioned, players can develop additional tags, and earn special abilities, through the narrative.

The lack of exp reflects the nature of the GEM design system. GEM's offer incredibly dramatic increases to player abilities, but are close to impossible to balance correctly with traditional RPG style stats, due to proportionality.