Post by captainborgue on Feb 19, 2012 0:59:52 GMT -5
Race: Earth Pony
Name: Steel Stride
Gender: male
Appearance: Steel Stride has a gunmetal grey coat with pale blue speckles covering his haunches. His left rear leg is covered in heavy scarring, which is covered in discolored white fur. He also has a prominent scar down his chest. He stands taller than average ponies, and is fairly well muscled, though not exceptionally so. His eyes are a piercing, steely blue, and his mane is a bluish grey color, reminiscent of newly forged metal. Unlike many ponies, he wears horseshoes on all four hooves, which are plated in chrome to prevent corrosion- and as a bonus, give him a distinctive sounding stride and a brilliant metal gleam. These shoes serve as corrective devices, similar to human orthotics. Steel's cutie mark is a pair of crossed wrenches, with an inverted horseshoe above them, similar to a Jolly Roger.
Personality: Steel Stride has always had a problem with authority, and prefers to follow his own honor code to having edicts issued from on high by who he sees as useless bureaucrats and nosy busybodies. The fact that he has more than once been stabled for smuggling has, not surprisingly, reinforced this attitude.
Steel Sride sees his smuggling as fulfilling a demand by his consumers, and not as violating laws. The presence of dragons, hydras, and other hostile creatures, has dramatically increased the need for his services, as the official distribution channels of the Equestrian royalty are hesitant to travel through outlying territories. This leaves the populations of frontier towns, such as Appleloosa, in dire need of supply, and Steel Stride is happy to provide it. For a price, of course.
Since he does not take sides, Steel Stride is more than happy to funnel supplies to anyone willing to pay.
Special Talent: Steel Stride's special talent is, in his own words, "diplomacy". In reality, it is more akin to piracy- he knows how to get just about anything to just about anypony, despite being unable to sneak around and unwilling to use force. He has a talent for picking up subtleties in conversation- minor details that other ponies might overlook- and these seeming trivialities he can use to his advantage later.
Bio: Steel Stride grew up in the town of Altainta, on the eastern frontier of Equestria. Steel Stride was always something of a troublemaker as a colt, which caused his parents a lot of grief. He gained his cutie mark right around the same time he was stabled for the first time- though it wouldn't be the last. Over the next few years, Steel Stride was stabled four more times, until in desperation, his parents left Altainta in order to escape from the stigma their son had caused. Steel decided to leave town too, but rather than head into more civilized parts, he headed out to Appleloosa.
Unfortunately, his train was targeted by buffalo as it approached Appleloosa, and the locomotive was derailed by their assault. Several ponies, including Steel, were seriously injured. The powered locomotive lines were severely damaged, forcing the railroad to use horse-drawn cars, running along antiquated rails. Steel's left rear leg was shattered from the hip down, and required an operation to repair. The doctors installed metal rods for new bone growth to anchor to, and gave him corrective horseshoes to compensate for his slightly shortened leg. The medical bills of his surgery, orthotics, and physical therapy were immense- but Steel Stride had a knack for certain unsavory business dealings, which the isolated and besieged town of Appleloosa was in dire need of.
Two years after the accident, Steel Stride had not only paid off all his medical bills, but carved a niche for himself in the legal purgatory of Appleloosa. He frequently travels to other cities in Equestria, as he takes a personal interest in ensuring that his dealings operate smoothly.
The Mako: Steel Stride is one of the few earth ponies to own an airship- which he calls The Black Mako as a joke, given that its hull is plated with white ceramic veneers. this serves as his main mode of transport, as ever since the train wreck that injured him, Steel Stride avoids trains and carriages, alike. He acquired the Mako through questionable means, during a business arrangement in Canterlot. While checking on an associate of his, Steel overheard rumors of a major Pegasus derby coming to Canterlot. seeing this as a chance to call in a debt as well as ingratiate himself to the upper crust, Steel volunteered himself in the setup crew for the grounds, a position he offered to do without pay. This gave him ample opportunity to study the competitors as they ran through practice circuits and the like.
Phase One was complete- Phase Two required him to cozy up to Canterlot's Nuveau Riche. Once he started discussing the various pegasi competing at the derby, however, cozying up to the wealthy- but not necessarily clever- ponies was a cakewalk. A few subtle suggestions, a couple friendly wagers, and the stage was set. A spoiled colt named Gold Dust, heir to the Gold family fortune, had made a 20,000 bit wager that Rail Lighter, a derby veteran, would take the crown. Steel bet that Rail Lighter would win the race, but lose the crown, to the tune of 150,000 bits. Steel wrote down their wagers on two separate scrolls, and each of them signed both copies. Gold was understandably hesitant- gambling outside of the official channels was strictly forbidden... but the promised prize was too rich to give up, whereas the cost of losing amounted to little more than pocket change for the heir to the Gold family fortune. The die was cast.
Once the bet was made, Steel's plan went into Phase Three- ensure that Rail Lighter would win. That was simple enough- all Steel had to do was pour sleeping potion into the water supply. It would be dilute enough to be next to impossible to trace, but still slow down the pegasi enough to give Rail Lighter an edge. And since Steel was still working on the grounds, he had ample opportunity to spike the other competitors, as well as give Rail an "energy boosting" vitamin that was, in reality, just an antidote to the sleeping potion.
The race was predictable- all the other competitors besides Rail Lighter seemed more sluggish than usual, while Rail himself won handily. the judges were not exactly convinced, and decreed that the awarding of the crown would wait until all the competitors had undergone a physical examination. Of course, since Steel had sent an anonymous letter to the judging panel the night before, that was hardly surprising- to him, at any rate. The crowd was chomping at the bit in a fury.
The scandal only grew more intense in the coming days, as the investigation revealed that all the pegasi- save one- had been dosed with a sleeping potion. It had been almost impossible to test for, and even the finest doctors in Canterlot would have missed it, were it not for an anonymous letter informing the medical board of the exact potion used. After that detail was made public, some of the elite ponies who had made wagers with Steel Stride came forward, admitting that they heard Gold Dust make a large wager with a pony whose name they could not remember. Gold Dust found himself in the center of a whirlwind of controversy, as well as a massive debt. Into this mess stepped an unlikely savior- Steel Stride.
Steel explained how the building materials used had leeched chemicals into the water, which mimicked the effects of a sleeping potion. He went into great detail describing the herbal supplement he had tried convincing the pegasi to take to counteract it, which only Rail Lighter had taken. He admitted to making a wager with Gold Dust, but explained how it had always been a Gentlecolt's Wager, and thus no money was exchanged.
Naturally, the press did not believe his story- but the evidence seemed to support him. So, without any real crime to pin to him, Gold Dust managed to avoid arrest, imprisonment, and losing his fortune. But this came at a cost- Steel Stride had cleared him, and wanted something in return. A ship. Not just any ship, either- a custom built, luxury airship. At first, Gold refused- but Steel reminded him that their original wager wasn't sealed with a hoofshake- they had written it down, and though Gold had undoubtedly destroyed his copy, Steel had not. And should the press, or the police, ever get wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous- gambling alone carried a minimum stable sentence, while the scale of it was enough to throw all of the evidence clearing him into doubt. An older, wiser pony may have been able to get out of such blackmail, but Gold Dust was not a wise pony, and relented.
Steel named his new ship The Black Mako, which he found amusing given that the ship's entire hull was plated in white ceramic (to cut down on wind resistance, as well as make its outline difficult to spot amidst cloud cover). The Mako is large enough to require at least three ponies to operate correctly, though it can function passably with just two. It can carry a passenger complement of ten ponies, and has enough cargo capacity to carry 17 full sized apple trees in its hold. since transporting whole trees is impractical, Steel uses the cargo hold to transport merchandise that is already boxed, barreled, crated, or otherwise packaged.
There are ten passenger cabins in total, three crew cabins, and one extra-spacious Captain's Cabin. Two of the passenger cabins are First Class, and thus larger than the rest. The ship itself resembles a three-masted sailing vessel: each mast serves as an anchor between the ship's hull and the dirigible, which provides the lift. In addition to the masts, there is an extensive rigging network, to secure the two together. The Mako has three engines- two attached to the vessel, and one attached directly to the dirigible. This serves to give the Mako a smoother ride than standard airships, although the engines are not large enough to make its speed noteworthy. It is slightly slower on long journeys than the trains which crisscross Equestria.
Name: Steel Stride
Gender: male
Appearance: Steel Stride has a gunmetal grey coat with pale blue speckles covering his haunches. His left rear leg is covered in heavy scarring, which is covered in discolored white fur. He also has a prominent scar down his chest. He stands taller than average ponies, and is fairly well muscled, though not exceptionally so. His eyes are a piercing, steely blue, and his mane is a bluish grey color, reminiscent of newly forged metal. Unlike many ponies, he wears horseshoes on all four hooves, which are plated in chrome to prevent corrosion- and as a bonus, give him a distinctive sounding stride and a brilliant metal gleam. These shoes serve as corrective devices, similar to human orthotics. Steel's cutie mark is a pair of crossed wrenches, with an inverted horseshoe above them, similar to a Jolly Roger.
Personality: Steel Stride has always had a problem with authority, and prefers to follow his own honor code to having edicts issued from on high by who he sees as useless bureaucrats and nosy busybodies. The fact that he has more than once been stabled for smuggling has, not surprisingly, reinforced this attitude.
Steel Sride sees his smuggling as fulfilling a demand by his consumers, and not as violating laws. The presence of dragons, hydras, and other hostile creatures, has dramatically increased the need for his services, as the official distribution channels of the Equestrian royalty are hesitant to travel through outlying territories. This leaves the populations of frontier towns, such as Appleloosa, in dire need of supply, and Steel Stride is happy to provide it. For a price, of course.
Since he does not take sides, Steel Stride is more than happy to funnel supplies to anyone willing to pay.
Special Talent: Steel Stride's special talent is, in his own words, "diplomacy". In reality, it is more akin to piracy- he knows how to get just about anything to just about anypony, despite being unable to sneak around and unwilling to use force. He has a talent for picking up subtleties in conversation- minor details that other ponies might overlook- and these seeming trivialities he can use to his advantage later.
Bio: Steel Stride grew up in the town of Altainta, on the eastern frontier of Equestria. Steel Stride was always something of a troublemaker as a colt, which caused his parents a lot of grief. He gained his cutie mark right around the same time he was stabled for the first time- though it wouldn't be the last. Over the next few years, Steel Stride was stabled four more times, until in desperation, his parents left Altainta in order to escape from the stigma their son had caused. Steel decided to leave town too, but rather than head into more civilized parts, he headed out to Appleloosa.
Unfortunately, his train was targeted by buffalo as it approached Appleloosa, and the locomotive was derailed by their assault. Several ponies, including Steel, were seriously injured. The powered locomotive lines were severely damaged, forcing the railroad to use horse-drawn cars, running along antiquated rails. Steel's left rear leg was shattered from the hip down, and required an operation to repair. The doctors installed metal rods for new bone growth to anchor to, and gave him corrective horseshoes to compensate for his slightly shortened leg. The medical bills of his surgery, orthotics, and physical therapy were immense- but Steel Stride had a knack for certain unsavory business dealings, which the isolated and besieged town of Appleloosa was in dire need of.
Two years after the accident, Steel Stride had not only paid off all his medical bills, but carved a niche for himself in the legal purgatory of Appleloosa. He frequently travels to other cities in Equestria, as he takes a personal interest in ensuring that his dealings operate smoothly.
The Mako: Steel Stride is one of the few earth ponies to own an airship- which he calls The Black Mako as a joke, given that its hull is plated with white ceramic veneers. this serves as his main mode of transport, as ever since the train wreck that injured him, Steel Stride avoids trains and carriages, alike. He acquired the Mako through questionable means, during a business arrangement in Canterlot. While checking on an associate of his, Steel overheard rumors of a major Pegasus derby coming to Canterlot. seeing this as a chance to call in a debt as well as ingratiate himself to the upper crust, Steel volunteered himself in the setup crew for the grounds, a position he offered to do without pay. This gave him ample opportunity to study the competitors as they ran through practice circuits and the like.
Phase One was complete- Phase Two required him to cozy up to Canterlot's Nuveau Riche. Once he started discussing the various pegasi competing at the derby, however, cozying up to the wealthy- but not necessarily clever- ponies was a cakewalk. A few subtle suggestions, a couple friendly wagers, and the stage was set. A spoiled colt named Gold Dust, heir to the Gold family fortune, had made a 20,000 bit wager that Rail Lighter, a derby veteran, would take the crown. Steel bet that Rail Lighter would win the race, but lose the crown, to the tune of 150,000 bits. Steel wrote down their wagers on two separate scrolls, and each of them signed both copies. Gold was understandably hesitant- gambling outside of the official channels was strictly forbidden... but the promised prize was too rich to give up, whereas the cost of losing amounted to little more than pocket change for the heir to the Gold family fortune. The die was cast.
Once the bet was made, Steel's plan went into Phase Three- ensure that Rail Lighter would win. That was simple enough- all Steel had to do was pour sleeping potion into the water supply. It would be dilute enough to be next to impossible to trace, but still slow down the pegasi enough to give Rail Lighter an edge. And since Steel was still working on the grounds, he had ample opportunity to spike the other competitors, as well as give Rail an "energy boosting" vitamin that was, in reality, just an antidote to the sleeping potion.
The race was predictable- all the other competitors besides Rail Lighter seemed more sluggish than usual, while Rail himself won handily. the judges were not exactly convinced, and decreed that the awarding of the crown would wait until all the competitors had undergone a physical examination. Of course, since Steel had sent an anonymous letter to the judging panel the night before, that was hardly surprising- to him, at any rate. The crowd was chomping at the bit in a fury.
The scandal only grew more intense in the coming days, as the investigation revealed that all the pegasi- save one- had been dosed with a sleeping potion. It had been almost impossible to test for, and even the finest doctors in Canterlot would have missed it, were it not for an anonymous letter informing the medical board of the exact potion used. After that detail was made public, some of the elite ponies who had made wagers with Steel Stride came forward, admitting that they heard Gold Dust make a large wager with a pony whose name they could not remember. Gold Dust found himself in the center of a whirlwind of controversy, as well as a massive debt. Into this mess stepped an unlikely savior- Steel Stride.
Steel explained how the building materials used had leeched chemicals into the water, which mimicked the effects of a sleeping potion. He went into great detail describing the herbal supplement he had tried convincing the pegasi to take to counteract it, which only Rail Lighter had taken. He admitted to making a wager with Gold Dust, but explained how it had always been a Gentlecolt's Wager, and thus no money was exchanged.
Naturally, the press did not believe his story- but the evidence seemed to support him. So, without any real crime to pin to him, Gold Dust managed to avoid arrest, imprisonment, and losing his fortune. But this came at a cost- Steel Stride had cleared him, and wanted something in return. A ship. Not just any ship, either- a custom built, luxury airship. At first, Gold refused- but Steel reminded him that their original wager wasn't sealed with a hoofshake- they had written it down, and though Gold had undoubtedly destroyed his copy, Steel had not. And should the press, or the police, ever get wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous- gambling alone carried a minimum stable sentence, while the scale of it was enough to throw all of the evidence clearing him into doubt. An older, wiser pony may have been able to get out of such blackmail, but Gold Dust was not a wise pony, and relented.
Steel named his new ship The Black Mako, which he found amusing given that the ship's entire hull was plated in white ceramic (to cut down on wind resistance, as well as make its outline difficult to spot amidst cloud cover). The Mako is large enough to require at least three ponies to operate correctly, though it can function passably with just two. It can carry a passenger complement of ten ponies, and has enough cargo capacity to carry 17 full sized apple trees in its hold. since transporting whole trees is impractical, Steel uses the cargo hold to transport merchandise that is already boxed, barreled, crated, or otherwise packaged.
There are ten passenger cabins in total, three crew cabins, and one extra-spacious Captain's Cabin. Two of the passenger cabins are First Class, and thus larger than the rest. The ship itself resembles a three-masted sailing vessel: each mast serves as an anchor between the ship's hull and the dirigible, which provides the lift. In addition to the masts, there is an extensive rigging network, to secure the two together. The Mako has three engines- two attached to the vessel, and one attached directly to the dirigible. This serves to give the Mako a smoother ride than standard airships, although the engines are not large enough to make its speed noteworthy. It is slightly slower on long journeys than the trains which crisscross Equestria.
