Apocalyptica - a Modern Zombie Roleplay - OOC

[Prometheus]

RECRUITMENT STATUS: CLOSED*

*Closed is a technicality. If you want in, I'm always looking for someone who can go above and beyond. Post a ridiculously awesome character sheet, and accompany it with an opening post to show your writing technique, all within a week, and we'll see about you joining.

INDEX

I. Introduction, Story, Setting, Rules, Links of Importance

II. Haven Information, Map, Survivor Classes, Factions

III. Bestiary and (coming soon!) Plot Summary Thus Far

IV. Character Skeletons, Character Sheet, Profiles

V. A Word From the GM, Notes of Importance, Misc.

INTRODUCTION

In Character
Roleplay Chatroom (Drop in!)
Group Work Google Doc.
Secondary Doc (Longer term, non post-specific projects)
Interest Check

Welcome to Apocalyptica, the survival/horror RP about the devastating effects on our planet Earth after a major, catastrophic event that brought along waves and waves of the undead; the RP follows the lives of various survivors living in this corrupt world where fear, violence and gore are constant elements to life. Now living in multiple Havens set up around the United States, can the survivors live up to their title and survive? Or will they, like billions before them, fall beneath the horrid weight of the apocalypse?

Under the new management of the extremely capable and extraordinarily handsome roleplayer Prometheus, let's stretch an old adage and say that the fourth time's a charm! It's my goal to keep this roleplay alive and running smoothly, and though it was not mine originally I will make it my own now.

All credit for most of this post (with the exception of pictures) goes to the beyond awesome xDyScOrDiAx, the extraordinary Aweena, and the slightly above average MrMystic.

Spoiler

On the evening of April 23rd, 2013, a once in a lifetime phenomenon was just hours away from taking place. A meteor shower expected to be the brightest and most glorious of the century was abuzz in the news and across the Internet all around the world. Nearing 11:00 PM, families gathered outside of their homes, big cities dimmed their lights and millions of people looked towards the sky in hopes to see the dazzling meteor shower rumored to be so epic that the stars themselves would be envious.

All went on as planned and the night was alight with the vision of hundreds upon hundreds of meteors flashing across the sky as the falling rocks burnt against the atmosphere. Just one of the hundreds managed to penetrate, and down it crashed into the small town of Lost Springs, Wyoming. Shortly after the impact, the U.S. Military quarantined the area, with rumours of a deadly flu that had overtaken the citizens. For several months the town became a media center, with news crews constantly on hand and civilians protesting just beyond the quarantine line, and for a long time the world harassed the military and the government for their decision.

Months after this incident, the U.S. Government finally released footage to the media of several individuals from Lost Springs leaving the quarantine with gleaming, smiling faces. When confronted by the media the citizens said nothing, and seemed to disappear shortly afterwards. Nonetheless, despite the continued quarantine, this was enough to quell the crowd, and after this the activities of Lost Springs were left alone.

The Government never discussed the goings on of the situation in Lost Springs after this and said little after they deemed the area free of contamination a year and half later. A short news report detailed the citizens going about their daily lives, but for a long time, that was the last people heard about Lost Springs.

A few months after the quarantine was ended, however, the illusion of peace was shattered. Acktivists and investigators the world over continued digging around the Lost Springs incident, and came to one unanimous conclusion - the post-quarantine town was a cover up, and a poor one at that. The citizens, with all their reported names, had no birth certificates, social security numbers or financial records tied to them. They'd simply popped into existence after the quarantine, and underneath that, the actual citizens of Lost Springs, down to every last man, woman and child, had disappeared without a trace. This exposure (and the government's continual denial) resulted in a malstrom of bad press the world over, further fed by the lack of further information. It was promising to be a pressing issue in the upcoming election, until the second shower.

On June 23rd, 2015, NASA made a surprising announcement: a second meteor shower was headed for Earth, rumoured to be as bright as the first. So once again people gathered to watch the amazing spectacle. The meteor shower was dazzling once more, hundreds upon hundreds of blazing streams in the sky… That is, until hundreds of the meteors started falling from the sky. They landed all across the world, some finding nothing more than oceans while others crashed into the buildings of Bristol, L.A., New York, Vancouver, Houston, Mexico City, Jalisco, Denver, Bosnia, Amsterdam, Norway, Beijing... It seemed that every country had one of the strange meteors on their soil, while dozens more impacted empty fields and forests the world over.

Less than a week later, odd things started happening in the impacted cities. Thousands of news reports leaked across the world about a deadly virus that was quickly spanning across countries, some smaller countries going dark overnight, while others declared martial law in a matter of hours. This was a virus that infected not only the living, but also the recently deceased. When afflicting a live subject the virus seemed to take 15 hours to reach its full potency; when this happens the subject will slowly lose their memory, acting only on pure instinct. With recently dead subjects the virus is reported to take less than 5 hours to overwhelm the body and reanimate the corpse. All were advised to flee from the infected due to their cannibalistic tendencies.

The United States had little time to prepare for the infection, but was still one of the better prepared countries. The massive military, combined with the isolated rural structure across much of the continent, ensured that they were able to declare quarantine, prepare defenses and hold the infected at bay for at least fifteen minutes being overwhelmed. Entire cities disappeared under the infection in only a couple of hours, with the military fleeing New York, Washington D.C., L.A. and other coastal cities less than a week after the first reports of infection. They made their final stand across the midwest, trying to hold an enemy back from two fronts while simultaneously battling it within their own perimeter and inside themselves. Still, with their strength in numbers and advanced technology, they lasted longer than any other country in the world.

The U.S. military and government fell two weeks after the meteors impacted.

Spoiler

The year is 2020. It has been five years since the infected first appeared on the planet. The exact number of Safe Havens worldwide is unknown, but there are eight large, prepared ones across the U.S. They are located in Reno, Nevada; Chico, California; Evergreen College, Washington; Mackinac, Michigan; Bismarck, North Dakota; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Augusta-Portland, Maine and the southern fringes of Miami, Florida. The strongest Havens are currently Evergreen, Reno and Miami; they had the most time and resources to prepare for the impending attack, pure luck keeping meteorites from landing close to them.

Most of the Havens have devised self-sustaining methods for supplying food, water, and even electricity to their occupants, but due to the constant influx of people small hierarchies have developed. Self-anointed leaders of the Havens (most of whom were extremely wealthy or had high political influence before the fall) have organized mercenary teams to venture out into the Infected area to salvage what they can from the rest of the world. All of the Havens sport reinforced walls of some sort; a combination of stone, scrap metal, chain link and barbed wire. Many havens have gone as far as to dig trenches and line them with spikes or flammable substances, ready to set the infected aflame should the infected ever breach the walls.

All of those who survive in Havens still have memories of an infection-free world still in their minds, and they struggle to maintain a semblance of a normal life within the walls. There are pubs with fermented wines and liquors, and salvagers can gain a high price for finding cigarettes , alcohol and birth control. The people here still dance, party and gamble as if it were life as usual, though most use it as a way to drown the sorrows of what they've lost to the infected.

Other Settlements: Although there are still places across the world that have yet to see infection beyond the occasional walker, most of these are smaller communities that are located away from large towns and are difficult to reach under any circumstances, including small communities located on boats or shanty-towns off coasts and those isolated high up in the mountains. However, with the amount of fresh food for the infected to eat continually decreasing, these towns are in ever-present danger. These settlements have used whatever resources were available to reinforce their homes, though their defenses are almost always mediocre at best.

Communication: Most communication in Apocalyptica is nonexistent, especially over long distances. A favored manor of communication is a "signal fire" approach, with radio stations every fourty miles or so, relaying information to each other through long range radios. Better techniques are continually looked for, however, and the survivor that manages to restore a radio tower to functionality is often extremely well paid.

Animals and the Infected: The infection’s effect on animals is varied. Some animals are able to become infected while others aren’t. One fact remains universal - animals of any kind will NOT reanimate.
Most animals can be infected through a bite. No matter if it’s a deer, a grizzly bear or a wild dog, if it gets caught by an infected, it will become infected. The infection changes animals in a similar way to humans. They become irrational, feral, tireless and can transmit the infection themselves by biting other living creatures. Most animals lose all their hair once they’re infected as well, a gradual process that takes place over 24 hours.
There are a few animals that have proven to be completely immune to the infection, under any circumstances. These animals are an extreme rarity, and found mostly around old zoos. Lions, tigers, gorillas, elephants and reptilian/amphibian animals like crocodiles or frogs are all immune to infection, as well as all birds.
The infection can also be transmitted to animals through stagnant water, depending on how long the water has been still and how much activity it sees. The chance of an inter-city stray dog being contaminated by drinking water is extremely high, while a pool of fresh rainwater has a minute chance of transmitting. Flowing water, such as streams or lakes, is generally ok for drinking by either animals or humans, though if there’s a stray body upstream contaminating it, you may not want to risk it. Most animals can tell when water is contaminated by the infection, and can even be trained to detect it for scavengers.
The infection can also be transmitted if an animal is forced to eat infected flesh, but all animals, it would seem, have the intuition to avoid eating anything that has been exposed to infection. The notable exception in this field are birds, particularly crows and vultures, which will eat dead walkers or infected and show no signs of infection themselves.
Aside from the occasional infected dog or cat, the animal population has boomed since the infection. Herds of wild deer, packs of dogs and wildcats have all begun appearing since the infection, as they are no longer hunted after by men in the numbers they were before. Wild herds of cattle are extremely common, especially in Texas and surrounding states, and buffalo and horses have begun to reappear and expand across the overgrown midwestern farms and fields.

Spoiler

• I understand that there is a lot of content to read but the more you understand, the easier it will be for you to adapt to the thread.

• Firstly, like my predecessors I do not believe in Semi-literate to Advanced-literate. You're either literate or you're not. As you can see there was a lot of hard work put into the creation of this thread. By that I mean it took a lot of people a lot of time to come up with the plot, story, map, bestiary, classes, havens, etc. I am not one to judge someone’s writing abilities, but I would prefer if those involved in this thread can produce no less than 3-4 paragraphs 5-8 sentences per paragraph per post. There is simply too much going on in this setting for you not to be able to comply with that.

• Second, I reserve the right to kick you from the thread if you are not complying with any of the rules. That includes RPG's rules. I will offer one warning for whatever indiscretion you've caused and then I will ask you to leave. If you refuse to leave I will contact a Moderator to have you removed from the thread.

• By joining you are expected to lead the RP, not jump on the bandwagon and follow. Do take initiative and use creativity to help bring the RP somewhere. We’re not seeking players that just want to hop in and join this thread. We’re seeking players that want to grow and add onto our world. We’ve made a playground and your imagination is the limit (within reason.) More often than not, we’ll give you a bare bones environment; ADD ONTO IT! Make the (post-apocalyptic) world your own! Contribute and give us your input and ideas, we’d be more than thrilled to have it!

• Balance. On the character sheet I will be asking for weaknesses. These can be mental or physical but I will be requiring a balance for your character. Strengths are not the only things that make a character, weaknesses are most often than not the key to an interesting and lovable character.

• This thread is rated M for mature blood, violence, gore and the likes. Romance will be allowed (it is the end of the world after all), but please make it believable. No two characters are just going to see each other and fall in love. Build the relationship and romance, and if it gets steamy between the two of you fade-to-black please. Cursing is allowed: I don’t care if you swear like Samuel Jackson in Pulp Fiction so as long as it’s part of your character’s personality.

• Low level character manipulation is accepted, and higher levels are encouraged if both parties are comfortable with it. One person should be able to say "duck!" without waiting for another person to post a reply. That being said, if you're going to do a longer post with 2+ characters, I recommend utilizing our google doc (listed at the top of the OP) for writing and organization. It's simple, fun, easy to use, and has been extremely beneficial thus far.

• I expect a certain level of activity from members of this roleplay. You should be active in the OOC thread at all times, and while I'm not going to impose a time frame for IC posts, you should continually be working towards a goal IC. If that means waiting on another player so be it, but activity is still expected in this area. If you're not going novel-length in your posts, that's fine, but I expect more of them.

• I understand that sometimes, real life just gets in the way of writing. I don't generally have a life, so you needn't worry about that, but if you can no longer post please do me a courtesy and let me know ahead of time. If you let me know, I will suspend your character until you come back. If not, I will brutally murder him if I don't really like him, or quietly avert my eyes if I do. It will be fun for me. Probably not so much for you.

• Do be realistic: This applies to your character as well as their actions. There is nothing worse than an over-powered god-in-the-making. Realism is therefore a requirement. Don't go all Rambo on everything. Or more appropriately, don't expect to do so and walk away with all your limbs intact.

• As a collective, members of my roleplay give up their rights to toes. Specifically, the ones that might be stepped on. If someone suggests an idea that you're not comfortable with, be civil and correct them, but I won't have people discouraged from writing something because they're afraid someone else is easily offended.

• Length is good, editing is great. I like writing. I have occasionally been known to write posts long enough to constitute a chapter in a book. As a matter of fact, generally when introducing a character or playing solo, that's what each post should be; a chapter in what's going on for that character. However, I am much more likely to look favorably on you if you have 5 paragraphs with good spelling and punctuation than I am if you have a page of poorly written, nonsensical crap. And this is unconditional. PUNCTUATION IS UNCONDITIONAL. So much so that I just used ALL THREE EMPHASIS... EMPHASIZERS ON IT. I've had that problem in the past, and I need to be clear on it now.

•This rules list is subject to change at any time without warning, but I will notify you if it does change, and if it does, it most likely won't be anything too major.

If you have any questions, please contact Prometheus.

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The Haven of Splendor

Spoiler

LOCATION: 26.12231, -80.14338

DESCRIPTION: The citizens of Florida took the infection very seriously after hearing the fate of Mexico. With political influence the people combined their efforts and successfully built a barrier stretching westward from Fort Lauderdale to the coast, following Interstate 75, securing the southern part of Florida for their survivors. The space was crowded at first, but as the political leaders began condemning undesirables to the outside world it has become quite a comfortable place to live. The leaders of the Florida Haven, known as The Council, are in complete control. What democracy did exist is now dead. This haven is run with an iron fist. These rulers do their utmost to keep Florida a place of pleasure and leisure; as such there are always festivities to be had and items to be bought. Anyone with an ethic to work for what they want is welcome in the Haven of Splendor, assuming you'll conform.

POPULATION: 30,000

DEFENSE: Florida has a high defense system in place. They have constructed a mixture of concrete, stone, and scrap metals for their barrier. A massive chain link fence has been place on both sides of the barrier, clearing a 100 meter “kill zone” between the fences. The barrier is under 24 hour patrol.

SUPPLY: In Florida, food is abundant as it's grown inside the fence line, and luxury is well paid for. Although some semblance of manufacturing remains, any trader who can bring in a truck full of comfortable clothing or other luxuries can make quite a living for himself.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

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The Haven of Hope

Spoiler

LOCATION: 47.07182, -122.97705

Description: Like Florida, Washington had a relatively large amount of time to prepare for the impending infection. The citizens began work immediately and went to great lengths to secure their borders. They secured a border around Evergreen State College and the surrounding forests near Olympia, WA. It is a decent place to live, though the constant rain tends to give the survivors there trouble with their generators. The nature of Evergreen State’s campus and its research have allowed the Washington Haven to be completely sustainable and self-sufficient. Unlike Florida, Washington is in complete survival mode; they aren’t splurging resources on unnecessary luxuries. Supplies are rationed so that no one gets more than the other. All surplus is stockpiled in case of shortages. A form of democracy still exists and in times of peace people can be brought to a court of their peers for their wrong doings. Washington, always walking the edge between survival and destruction, has developed a general mistrust of outsiders.

Population: 9,000

Defense: Washington by far has the highest defense. They spent countless hours securing their borders and ensuring they would be protected from any force of infected or raiders. A strong outer wall of debris was constructed and lined with an electric fence. Between these two walls is a 100 foot “kill zone”, much like a prison. There is 24 hour patrol of the perimeter and regular checks at all gates and guard towers.

Supply: Washington is generally self-sustaining and though the luxuries of the Floridians are rarely enjoyed, they live comfortably enough. They tend to have problems with their in-town generators, and as such they are constantly in need of tools and other supplies to maintain their defenses. They don't want for much, although a trader can still find a decent living in trading off people's bad habits.

Overall Rating: 9/10 – you can’t beat safety.

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The Haven of the Sea

Spoiler

LOCATION: 44.31062, -69.77949

DESCRIPTION: Augusta, Maine was hard pressed to create a barrier and defend their walls, but have successfully managed to do so. Constant onslaughts of infected have exhausted large amounts of their resources, but their walls are strong and their defenders vigilant. They are a low population Haven and struggle to stay under the radar of the infected and the Condemned gangs that populate the criminal hub in New York. Maine is a society on the brink and in constant threat of annihilation, but they maintain the only East Coast Haven for hundreds of miles. These intense circumstances have brought the few survivors there together in a way unseen in the rest of the country; there is virtually no crime. Everyone realizes that they need one another to survive. Their lives depend on their ships and the relationship with the ocean, whether it’s fishing or searching for a new home.

POPULATION: 11,000

DEFENSE: Augusta has a moderate defense system in place. The town isolated itself after the outbreak in Mexico quickly seeing the connection with the meteors and the recent outbreak of shockingly similar symptoms in New York. They managed to barricade the city, demolishing their own buildings for materials until they had successfully blocked themselves in. Still, surrounded by major cities and millions of infected they find themselves under attack almost constantly. But with the ocean at their backs and ships ready to board, should the walls ever fall the citizens of Augusta are more than ready to strike out to find a new home.

SUPPLY: Maine is known for their ship building. This remains true for Augusta. They have several fleets of ships that they have currently been using to scout the coasts for supplies and other survivors. They have also sent off several crews to scout for potential safe areas to abandon this Haven and start anew. They are also willing to pay the highest rate for even ordinary trade items, but the high presence of Condemned makes land based trade dangerous and unreliable.

OVERALL RATING: 5/10

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The Haven of Life

Spoiler

LOCATION:

• Chico City Center: 39.72554 -121.80200
• Oroville City Center: 39.50528 -121.54100
• Orland City Center: 39.74507 -122.18456
• Marysville City Center: 39.15757 -121.57146

DESCRIPTION: When the infection hit, most of California fell almost immediately. Los Angeles suffered from a meteor impact, and the infection was quick to overtake the Sacramento and San Francisco Metropolises, while San Diego was swarmed within a few days of L.A.'s infection. The military retreated from the West Coast immediately, leaving the residents to fend for themselves. But unknown to them, most of Central California was left relatively untouched, with Chico and it's surrounding communities having just enough time to begin building defenses. Chico was the most successful in this effort, erecting a 20 foot tall wall from local concrete resources and salvaged housing materials. The Chico haven soon expanded to smaller pods in surrounding communities, offering help to similar, smaller pods of survivors in Oroville, Orland and Marysville. Eventually the havens were interconnected by major highways, all of which are walled off by chain link fences but most protected by the relative countryside isolation.

• Chico, being the largest haven, holds most of the haven's population, it's center of commerce, and it's central government. Within it's walls, old houses and foundations were pulled up to grow small farms near the barriers, and within the city most of the inhabited houses sport vegetable gardens in place of lawns. It's city center and government building is the Chico College library, and it's trading center is the set of stores at the coordinates provided, at the very south of the haven.
• Oroville is primarily responsible for the haven's abundant power and water resources. Being so close to the Oroville dam and lake, they were able to redirect most of the available water resources to Chico and the other communities, and hydroelectric power from the dam keeps the lights on in all four of the communities without trouble. Oroville is the smallest of the four communities, with it's few hundred members all being associated with the dam in some way, although it also sports a small farming community to it's west. It's city center is the former Oroville hospital, being one of the largest buildings in the entire town.
• Orland is the agricultural center of Chico, with most of it's land inside it's walls being salvaged for farming, while the walls are constantly expanding and being added onto to provide more space. It's community lives mostly on these farms. It's city center is the former Mill St. School, chosen over the nearby city hall for the larger amount of space. A small amount of housing surrounds the center, but the rest has been demolished over the course of 5 years to make room for agriculture.
• Marysville is the furthest south portion of the Chico haven, taking over an hour by driving to get there from Chico. It is the second largest residential center, and is also the most threatened of the four havens. It is continually threatened by a larger zed presence from Yuba City, as well as acting as a barrier between Chico and the rest of southern California. It is continually scavenging essentials from Yuba City and has a small agrarian community to the northeast, but for the most part it exists because Chico likes the security it provides. It's city center Marysville is a cultural center for the haven, and is generally considered one of the most luxurious spots to live on the West Coast, assuming you're comfortable having a hundred thousand zed pounding on the southern wall. It's city center is a former middle school, chosen for similar reasons to Orland's.

Chico is the only one of the central surviving havens to maintain a complete democracy. They even hold regular elections. They have the highest combined population of any haven, but also happen to be the most inaccessible. The landscape is beautiful, the food, water and power is abundant and there are thousands of people to welcome you back to a normalcy of life…if you can brave the countless hordes of zombie surrounding the area.

POPULATION: 50,000

DEFENSE:

• Chico is the most secure of the towns, sporting 20 foot high concrete walls coupled with a 30 foot deep moat to keep zed a comfortable distance away. The moat is flushed once a year to keep zed from piling up. The walls extend for about 2 miles to the northwest of the coordinates provided, making it the largest of the four parts of the haven.
• Oroville is the least secure, but also the least threatened, of the four havens, with it's walls in some places being nothing more than a chain link fence, while in others it relies on old house fences or other makeshift wood boarding. It's barely 8 feet tall at it's highest point. It's hardly ever bothered, however, and the walls are constantly patrolled. The walls extend erratically around houses and roads, as Oroville in itself is fairly erratic in it's city planning.
• Orland is similar to Oroville for security, as it's walls are being continually expanded to make room for more farms. But also similar to Oroville, it's rarely bothered by any heavy zed presence, and the borders are continually patrolled for safety.
• Marysville ties Chico for the most secure of the four towns, with 20 foot high walls made entirely of concrete or steel, and a 20 foot deep moat to match it's rival town's. This moat is flushed closer to once a month due to zed constantly heading towards the city, and the Marysville Militia is Chico's primary military strength. Marysville is a stalwart defender of it's counterparts, and fills the role well.
• In addition to the haven walls, the highways and roads connecting the towns are barricaded by fences and walls, and to the south, a line of "noisemakers" (an idea courtesy of Westley Jeromiah) runs for several miles parallel to Marysville, drawing any zed in the area west, instead of north.

SUPPLY: Chico will never go in want in regards to supplies. They are abundant in just about everything, but there's always room for another salvager looking to hawk his wares in Chico's commercial center, or an adventurer looking to join the Marysville Salaveger teams.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

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The Haven of Yesterday

Spoiler

LOCATION: 39.52963, -119.81380

DESCRIPTION: Nevada was perhaps one of the luckiest states. With long stretches of desert to the East and the Sierra Nevada Mountains serving as a buffer between them and California, Reno was able to retreat into the recesses of the town. Reno relied on their industrial resources to create impressive reinforced-concrete barriers around the downtown's suburbs and skyscraper casinos. Many lives were lost, but Reno survived. During this initial turmoil several people rose to lead the citizens of Reno and its surrounding valleys through the crisis. Being more or less the saviors of Reno, the people elected them into a form of an oligarchy. One of their first actions upon rising to power was to establish escape routes through the miles and miles of desert, which are kept stocked with enough provisions to feed anyone who comes across them.

POPULATION: 20,000

DEFENSE: The location of Reno served as much a deterrent as any wall. The long stretches of desert and clogged highways leading from California gave Reno the time it needed to prepare. The past five years have been spent carefully clearing highways and local roads, allowing for trade and scavenging to supply the inhabitants with supplies that cannot be grown in the lush valleys north of the Haven.

The only real threat to Reno comes from within, either from the unsecured cityscape and suburbs surrounding the downtown area or the haven's general 'come as you please' attitude. Constant new arrivals bring the infection with them, and breakout scares are a weekly occurrance. Luckily, the Reno militia and the controlling government is prepared for these scenarios, constantly on alert inside and outside the haven.

SUPPLY: Reno can has been known to ration water and depends heavily on rain. The relatively short trip to Chico, coupled with a few small farming communities to the north, ensures that the haven never needs food, although a trader could still sell it at discount. Filled with the remnants of a gambling society, Reno's citizens are more enslaved to their habits than any others left on Earth. Alcohol, cigarettes and contraceptives are treasured here.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

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The Haven of Solitude

Spoiler

LOCATION: 46.80833, -100.78374

Description: The citizens of Bismarck knew the rules of real estate: location, location, location. They happened to be in the right location at the right time and went seemingly unnoticed by the infected long enough for the citizens to reinforce their homes. The people of Bismarck have no established government at this time outside of the small, still functional city government that oversees utilities and the haven's tiny militia. The citizens simply work together for the common good of the haven, and are free to come and go as they please. They are plain folk and do not desire luxury so as long as they are blessed with their lives.

Population: 40,000

DEFENSE: In Bismarck, haven walls are nonexistant. Outside of a small fenceline that separates what technically makes up the "haven" from the rest of the city, people continue to live their daily lives. Although the citizens there have no real protection from the undead, living with the threat has become a way of life. So in a trade for freedom, citizens generally walk around with weapons strapped to their hips. Being so isolated has played to Bismark's strength, and they are more than ready to exploit that trait, but if a horde were to ever find its way to Bismarck it would fall within days.

SUPPLY:In way of supplies Bismarck is top of the list in food production and has more than enough to spare. North Dakotans have always been avid hunters and skilled farmers, and these skills also allow surpluses of food to be harvested in the fall, allowing them to get through even the toughest winter. They are also well stocked in weapons and maintain a vast supply of alcohol... even if it's not always of the highest quality. For the enterprising adventurer, the gasoline refinery in Mandan, just across the river from Bismarck, is still able to produce small amounts of high quality gasoline and diesel fuel, using the supply of oil from the fields in the Western parts of the state. They lack materials to adequately maintain their defenses however, and would struggle to repel an organized attack or a large zombie horde.

OVERALL RATING: 5/10

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The Haven of Security

Spoiler

LOCATION: 38.74166, -104.83388

DESCRIPTION: Despite hundreds of troops disappearing into the bloodbath of Denver, somehow, Colorado Springs was still better off than it's larger brother. Most (if not all) of it's citizens attributed this to the military bunker built underneath the nearby Cheyenne Mountain. Acting as a last haven for politicians and other important officials (as well as anyone who could afford to buy their way in), Cheyenne was an underground beacon of life for the U.S., the last and only of it's kind in the country.

While D.C. burned, Denver was overrun from within. Most of Cheyenne's military reserves disappeared into the lost cause of the metropolis never to be seen again. A few came back aboard helicopters, some infected, others without a scratch. But with all the attention going to Denver, Colorado Springs had problems of it's own. Despite the military's best efforts at containing the city, even to increasingly small areas, they were overrun. In mere days, a thousand-strong troop company was reduced to a few more than 100 troops, quarantined neighborhoods reduced to pods of survivors with inadequate support. Those who could pulled back to the Cheyenne military base within a couple of hours. Those who couldn't were left for dead - and dead they were.

With a little over two hundred of some of the most rich and influential people in America stowed away in the mountain, accompanied by roughly 500 civilians and whatever military forces that could be found, Cheyenne Mountain's five-foot thick cement doors slid closed for nearly five years, cut off from the rest of the world, the other havens, and any hope for survival beyond the safety of a soldier's gun.

POPULATION: 1,000

DEFENSE: Colorado Springs only recently emerged from the mountain - as such, their best defense is the base that held them for so long. While they're slowly reaching out into the city they called theirs years before, thus far, they've only reclaimed a small set of suburbs close to the entrance to the base. Most of the citizens still live inside the base, ensuring maximum protection from anything that finds it's way close to them.

SUPPLIES: Colorado Springs is far from prepared for any sort of long-term habitation, having lived only off of stockpiled supplies for years. However, what they lack in sustenance, they make up for in the single other necessity of Apocalyptica - munitions. A large military presence ensures more than enough guns to go around, and more than enough materials to keep them firing. As such, they'll trade ammo for food any day.

OVERALL RATING: 6/10

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx M A C K I N A C xXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX•••••
The Haven of Hunters

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LOCATION: 45.851342,-84.615676

DESCRIPTION: Mackinac Haven is a small island a couple miles off the coast of Michigan and few from outside the state knows it exists. The Island has a little under four square miles of land area and is peppered with hotels from being a tourist attraction, which provides good housing for its residents, and additional housing has been built from the surrounding timber. Still, the island is over capacity and very cramped. Due to vehicles having been banned on the island several decades before the infection, residents still maintain a large population of horses, both draft and riding, for transportation and to sell. The bay is jam packed with boats of every size and function and is heavily guarded from pirates. In the shallows along the coastline a number of windmills provide power for the haven. The haven's leadership consists of a military junta type government with all but one of the ten directors being prior military or police. Their government, however, largely leaves the population alone and only intercedes with protection both within and without the population, haven wide problems such as supply shortages, and to dispense criminal punishments.

POPULATION: 6,000

DEFENSE: The Haven's guard consists of about 500 volunteers, who serve in both a land and water capacity. Guard towers follow the coast line, with higher concentrations on the mainland side along with a 12ft razor wire topped fence. During most of the year the only threat to the haven are small bands of pirates who attack haven ships to take supplies. However, it has what is known to the population as "Horde Season." This is the time of the year when the water that separates the haven from the mainland freezes over, taking away their main defense. Droves of undead congregate to the coastline of the mainland throughout the year attracted by all the life a little more than two miles off, and begin to cross as soon as the ice holds their weight. During this time all able bodied individuals are temporarily conscripted into the guard to help fend off the undead with either a gun or as part of the crew on one of the two small ice-breaking vessels the haven keeps.

SUPPLIES: Mackinac's residents live almost solely off of the fish and game they hunt, a good portion of the population working on fishing boats or as part of one of the many landing parties that frequent the mainland to forage and hunt for food. It's not uncommon at all to see haven folk wearing animal pelts and furs during the colder months. They also have started small farming projects on the neighboring island of Bois Blanc this past spring. So the people of Mackinac hardly find themselves going hungry, though they lack many of the luxuries other havens enjoy. Gasoline for their boats is always in high demand and is strictly rationed, making is their main and most important import from the traders that know they exist.

OVERALL RATING: 6/10

HAVEN FORMATTING

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If you desire to create your own haven, just copy and paste the sheet below and fill it out!


[SIZE="4"][FONT="Courier New"]XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[COLOR="red"]x[/COLOR] [SIZE="5"] First letter[/SIZE] Other letters with [SIZE="5"]S[/SIZE] P A C E B E T W E E N[COLOR="Red"] x[/COLOR]XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[COLOR="red"]•••••[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE="2"][FONT="Courier New"][u]Haven motto[/u][/FONT][/SIZE]
[spoiler]

[COLOR=red]LOCATION[/COLOR]: http://universimmedia.pagesperso-orange.fr/geo/loc.htm <- go here and find the coordinates on google maps. Or a precise location (something to enter into maps) works too.

[COLOR="Red"]DESCRIPTION[/COLOR]: What is your haven like? Size, attitude, government structure?

[COLOR="red"]POPULATION[/COLOR]: What is the population?

[COLOR="red"]DEFENSE[/COLOR]: How do the people defend themselves?

[COLOR="red"]SUPPLIES[/COLOR]: What would a trader want to bring? How well supplied is the haven itself?

[COLOR="red"]OVERALL RATING[/COLOR]: Personal Rating. Would you live there?[/spoiler]

MAP OF HAVENS

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The classes listed below are prewritten suggestions;, and are designed to help as a starting point for your character. If you have an idea for a new class for your character, write it in below; I'm completely open to new ideas!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx E L I T I S T S x
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Push Behind the Power

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ORIGINS: Elitists generally come from prominent, wealthy, well known families with a strong political background. Others were just the first to appoint themselves as leaders in smaller Havens.

INFORMATION: Elitists are those who are held in high regard within the Havens. They are the ones that keep the communities going due to their mental prowess or their abundant wealth before the outbreak. They hold a considerable amount of power and though it may displease those around them, they hold the key to anyone’s fate within the Haven. There is generally one primary Elitist per haven (in Florida there are two) with anywhere from 5-10 Council members beneath them.

STARTING AREA: Within a haven, large or small.

MISC.: Prominent Elitists and those central to story development will be controlled by trusted roleplayers as necessary. Otherwise, tread carefully while making a CS - Elitist is a dangerous position, and if you don't write it right I'll tell you to write something else.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx H A V E N F O L K x
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Will to Live On

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ORIGINS: Banded together in Safe Havens after infection.

INFORMATION: Haven folk are those who never leave the Safe Havens. Even during the midst of total annihilation there is still a social order amongst those who inhabit the larger Havens (Florida, Washington, Chico, and Maine). Currency has little use, but with money came the status and power so those who are lower class will be doomed as such always. The upper class gets the prime housing, while the lower class struggles in the streets and dilapidated apartments. The middle and lower class have established bargaining systems, they produce goods and trade with one another.

Haven Folk that wish to relocate have been known to hitch rides with salvagers or drifters. They are generally not skilled with weapons and seek out the safety behind the enclosures of Havens.


STARTING AREA: Within any Haven.

MISC.: Haven folk are ill advised to leave the Haven’s without a proper escort. Haven Folk aren’t ideal for combating the undead, however, there are Haven Folk with admirable skills: Tech Skills, Medicine, Engineering, etc.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx S A L V A G E R S x
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• Dealing the Slaughter

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ORIGINS: Salvager teams were assembled within six months after the Havens were formed. The people of Washington were in dire need of supplies so they sent a group of trained individuals out in the wilds to retrieve them. Not only did the salvagers succeed, but they brought back coveted items as well. The majority of Salvagers are under the beck and call of their Elitist, but it is not uncommon for them to go rogue.

INFORMATION: Many salvagers have military experience; some are just damned good with a weapon. They have their own individual skillsets, whether it be marksmanship, hand to hand combat, martial weapons, mechanical repair, welding, driving, navigating or survival skills - among a list of many others. They are best described as mercenaries that leave the safety of the haven and brave the land of the infected to search for valuable goods. Many cannot understand what drives these individual to risk their lives. Many Salvagers are ambitious, hoping to gain a sense of status amongst society; some have a personal vendetta against the infected; many, the simple desire of thrill seeking in an otherwise doomed world. They are quick, efficient, and highly effective. Salvagers are also responsible for analyzing the infected and relaying information from Haven to Haven when communication is out.

STARTING AREA: Any Haven where Salvagers would benefit.

MISC.: Reno, Chico, Evergreen and Florida have the best of the best when it comes to Salvagers. Other Havens may have salvager teams of course, but their skills dim in comparison. Salvagers must be skilled with their weapons, and have quick reflexes in order to survive in the infected wilds.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx B A N D I T S x
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• Raping and Pillaging

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ORIGINS: After the infection hit, not everyone was content to hide in a haven and try to resume their lives as they were beforehand. The infection brought out the worst in a lot of people. As most people hid in their homes or ran for the hills, some took advantage of their strength (and weapons) to loot, pillage and destroy anything they could get within their reach. These people eventually became the bandits now seen in Apocalyptica.

INFORMATION: Bandits are cold, ruthless and uncaring, and one of the only common characteristics among them is their self-interest. When you're talking to a bandit, odds are they'll always be looking out for #1: themselves. Bandits often travel alone, but grouping together (at least temporarily) to attack larger settlements or supply convoys is a fairly common practice. Bandits once were quite common in Apocalyptica, but as the years wore on and more and more found themselves dead either by the hands of a walker or by one of their fellows, they've become an increasing rarity. The steady decrease of the bandit population is a true testament to how difficult it is to survive for too long outside of a haven. Where once you'd find 10, now you'll find one. Not that most people mind the change that much.

Bandits are common in havens as well. Even in a post apocalyptic society, crime is not absent. Most bandits that live in havens are a softer type. Rather than go out and risk the harsh conditions of the new world, they'll lie and steal at the risk of being caught by the last remaining law enforcement officers in the world.

STARTING AREA: Anywhere in Apocalyptica.

MISC.: Bandits that live outside of havens have become quite accustomed to the world. Being a bandit after being trapped in the wild for 5 or more years means that you're good at staying alive. Whether that means good at trickery, weapons or running away is up to you.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxD R I F T E R/T R A D E R/O T H E Rx
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX•••••Everything Else

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PLAYABLE CHARACTERS: If none of the previous classes suit your fancy, you may submit to us an original class so as long as you provide sufficient information about your character’s background and a sufficient profile that fits in with the genre and trend of this particular roleplay. Also, please include your starting area, and some origins if your class is part of a group or a member of a community.

FACTIONS

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx C O N D E M N E D x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• Forsaken & Lovin' It

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ORIGINS: The earliest reported gang of condemned began in a maximum security prison in Waco, TX that was abandoned by its guards. Through a combination of circumstance and quick thinking, most of the inmates escaped soon after and headed towards the rumored safe havens seen on the news. When met at the gates, the Havens adamantly refused entry for the convicts and the escaped prisoners were left for dead. Across the U.S., similar stories played out in many havens, often resulting in violence and death. Cast out of the havens, these condemned gangs now wander the wastelands of Apocalyptica, fighting against one another for resources and members and doing whatever is needed to get by.

INFORMATION: The Condemned gangs are generally made up of members that were part of prison crowds and jailbreaks soon after the infection. Most of these gangs were cast out of the havens by the controlling government. Those who were left often disappeared anyway, leaving of their own accord after they realized that their criminal practices would not be tolerated. The Condemned gangs are usually small, made up of close-knit members who stayed together since the infection began. The smallest group might be less than 5, and the largest more than 20. They pillage towns, and usually string together caravans of trucks, motorcycles, self-made technicals or any other vehicles they can find. Condemned often wander far and wide around the wastelands, spending months or years at a time on the road, moving to wherever the gettin's good. However, most condemned gangs have made homes in the prisons they used to inhabit as inmates, preferring the cells and thick walls for protection and infection control. They enjoy killing the infected and tormenting other survivors, whether by means of unwanted caress or throwing them to one of their captured infected for amusement, and have been known to hold gladiator battles between themselves or captured survivors and infected. If you are found and they taking a liking to you, they may let you live- if you can keep up.

Aside from most major prisons across the U.S., the Condemned have managed to establish permanent "Havens" of their own- mostly underground caves and easily secured structures. Their primary bases are located underground in Yellowstone National Park, a skyscraper in Los Angeles and a network of linked buildings in New York City, making them some of the only survivors remotely close to the ground-zero meteor impact sites. These havens are all incredibly hostile towards one another, however, they're too far away from each other for more than a rare skirmish.

The condemned are lawless and have little empathy for other human beings; they take what they want, when they want. They're highly territorial against other survivors and one another, but within their own gangs survivors recount a "cult" feeling. Most condemned sport different tattoos along their necks, wrists, or backs, usually to identify which gang they belong to and what prison they were from.

MISC.: Along with their tattoos, the Condemned's vehicles are usually painted with the symbol of their gang. These symbols could be anything from a biohazard sign (characteristic of the largest haven in New York) to a white skull (L.A.) or a bird in flight (Yellowstone).

Almost every condemned gang in Apocalyptica has a tattoo artist among them. These artists were often trained using unconventional tools long after the infection took route, and as such, may not be the best at what they do. However, among the condemned gangs, tattoo artists are seen as leaders and ambassadors, and if you ever found yourself facing a group of condemned, you may have a chance of surviving if you ask to negotiate with the tat-man.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx C U L T I S T S x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Hands of the Almighty

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ORIGINS:

The Followers of Cyprian

LEADER: Caecilius


The Founding:
His father being a Bishop makes it almost a given that Caecilius has always been a man of god. As a young boy he took a seldom found fascination in the teachings of the bible and studied it with the utmost devotion, later in life becoming a Bishop himself. At the initial outbreak of the virus in Mexico he was living his life quietly as a local priest at a in Topeka, Kansas. At this time only whispers of what was expected to come were floating around.

Most of his fellow Clergymen claimed that Mexico was seen as unholy and damned in the eyes of the almighty, that this was HIS way of punishing them. The virus spread rapidly and soon the boarder was over run; by this time it was being preached that the end times were upon us and it was the second coming. Some people fled, others, not wanting to leave their home, stayed. Yet another horrible reality was people resorting to suicide. The Church attempted to restore order, stating that god will provide. Many people in this time of need, desperate for hope, joined the church immediately. The Church’s numbers swelled and swelled. People from surrounding areas swarmed to Topeka, and persons from all backgrounds and classes and religions worked with one another to fortify their city.

Though before the City finished their fortifications Caecilius out helping with the construction, encountered the first infected to reach Topeka. The citizens, awestruck with fear, stared in astonishment, watching as the undead creatures dragged themselves towards the haven. The bishop, with faith never wavering, stepped forward past the wall to confront them. Growing around the base of the wall was an abundance of Acacia bushes. Caecilius stood strong, crucifix in hand, praying quietly as the monsters approached him. To the Haven’s surprise, the moment the infected got within a few feet of The Bishop, they froze and immediately turned.

The people behind The Bishop went into a frenzy cheering and clapping. They even declared him a living saint. Upon their return to town, rumors spread and the people of Topeka pleaded for Caecilius to lead them, anointing him the head of the city. At this point his first statement to his people was that he was renaming of the town in honor of the saint that he believed protected them. He called this new society Cyprian.

INFORMATION:

New Beliefs:
Since the events at the wall, Caecilius is under the impression that he became a tool of god, constantly receiving divine messages from the almighty. He and his followers are on a mission to bring everyone into their new order. This has led to extremely aggressive conversion with religious zeal rivaling crusaders of old. Caecilius sends out followers to find last bastions of humanity to locate the lost for him. Upon finding these areas Priests of Cyprian are dispatched to convert the people of the area to join them in glorious preparation for the second coming. With promises of food shelter and brotherhood many people willingly give their life to the society. Though there are some in the Church of Caecilius who believe that non-believers, and those who will not convert, must be cleansed from this world to make way for the Second Coming. When they find these cesspools, Priests of Cyrian hit them with force. Though the citizens of Topeka are devout in their religion, desperate times call for desperate measures.

MISC.: Acacia Plants act as an irritant and as a repellant to the basic infected, though the only one who is aware of this fact is Caecillius. His follows believe that the Acacia plant is simply a part of their ceremonial garments.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx L E G I O N x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Weapon of the Future

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ORIGINS: Legion was founded at the beginning of the infection in a federal prison in California. Led by a man known as Guy "Emperor" Keyes and his former inmates, they organized under a single leader out of the necessity of survival. For a brief time, once they'd left their prison and begun recruiting members to their ranks, they were welcomed into most havens and regarded as a 'new hope' in an apocalyptic world. Legion recruited under the guise of returning the world to the living, and was the only major organization doing so. People joined out of idealism and belief. Over time, however, this illusion fell apart. The Emperor's motives were thinly veiled, and it soon became clear what his organization was about - power. His own power, no one else's. He became vicious and ruthless in his attempts at control, and before long he was cast out of every known haven in the U.S. and left to recruit bandits and condemned surviving in the outside world. Legion is now a deadly, cold force to be reckoned with in Apocalyptica.

INFORMATION: Legion's members are diverse, but the core of it's members are mostly condemned and bandits. They recruit from anywhere, and the process isn't usually voluntary. You can seek out Legion and join up if you have nowhere else to go, but many of Legion's members are blackmailed into joining, or taken prisoner and eventually released on the condition that they fight for the Emperor. But no matter what, whether you joined out of willingness, desperation or in chains, Legion requires only one thing from it's members - absolute loyalty. Treason is the highest crime here, and if you desert you're hunted down. If you question orders, you're killed, or worse, thrown in a cage with a zombie.

The culture surrounding Legion is what you could expect from a bandit organization. Gladiator fights are held regularly in most camps, either between other members (for bragging rights or to settle a dispute) or between humans and zombies, mostly for entertainment. These fights extend from one Leigon member seeing how many infected they can take down in a certain amount of time, to throwing a slave or traitor into the ring and seeing how long they can survive.

Legion's members number in the thousands, operating everywhere across America. Legion has recorded cells as far south as Mexico City, and as far north as Vancouver. Their heaviest presence, however, is on the west coast and in the deep south, as this was where the highest concentration of bandits were found.

MISC: Recently, Legion revealed their true power as they laid siege to the Evergreen State haven in Washington. If not for timely action by outside survivors, coupled with the sudden appearance and takeover of the 1007th battalion, they would've taken the haven with little problem. Because of their defeat, however, the main body of Legion is now homeless once again, the majority of the forces fleeing Washington a few days after they were pushed out of Evergreen. No heavy activity has been noted by haven scouts, but intel suggests that the largest body is slowly making it's way south, directly towards the Chico haven.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx T H E 1 0 0 7 th x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Ghost of the Past

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ORIGINS:In the last chaotic days before the U.S. went dark, the military crumbled. Fear broke into the ranks of soldiers, and so did the disease. A man that was left for dead by his comrades might be back to swell the forces of the other side, only to be shot by a friend the next time they attack. And as the military fractured to die with the rest of the world, only one force was left to stand against the darkness – the 1007th. Their intentions began nobly – rescuing who they could, fighting where they were needed. They acted as the last glimmer of hope for the U.S. military, their members the only force left to answer distress calls and provide ammunition. But as the years passed, the distress calls stopped and the 1007th got... stranger.

The number of members grew exponentially at first, then shrank again almost as fast as the undead caught up to the battalion. Noble intentions mutated and distorted, finally giving way to only survival. If you were bitten, you were shot on site. If you questioned orders, you were shot on site – if you were lucky. Unstable commanders had been known to use their own soldiers as bait. If you found survivors, they were tortured until they told everything they knew, then executed. The 1007th raided peaceful outposts and villages all along the east coast, killing the inhabitants and burning the buildings to the ground after stealing everything of worth to them. Since then they've traveled west, taking over the Evergreen State haven in a military dictatorship.

INFORMATION: The 1007th is a cold, ruthless organization and it's members often reflect this attitude. In exchange for safety, training and fellow soldiers, members often shed their personalities and histories, becoming drones to a militarized hive. Their numbers are suspected to be less than 400, but because no one has yet identified a main base of operations or a singular leader, no one is quite sure how numerous they actually are.

The 1007th is rumored to be based in the Northeastern U.S., as this is where they are most frequently sighted. However, the most recent activity was their takeover of the Evergreen Haven, setting up their first publicly known base of operations.

MISC: The 1007th played a key, defining role in the battle for Evergreen. Faced with more Legionnaires than they could ever repel, the haven was ready to surrender until the 1007th arrived. A few dozen soldiers single-handedly repelled the entire Legion assault from the haven, and took the haven as their own as a prize. They currently rule it with an iron fist.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx S E N T I N E L S x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Shield of the Innocent

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ORIGINS: The origins of the Sentinels, their leader, power structure and their central organization, has been a mystery since the day the first sentinel appeared outside of the Reno haven with a bus full of survivors. Rumors abound about the organization, but a few things are generally accepted as true.

Sentinels were founded around the ideals of helping survivors in need, and first appeared near the Texas-Mexico border. Their members fight bandits, rescue survivors, supply 'safe houses' all around the U.S., and generally act as a force of good. Their central base of operations is rumored to be somewhere in Texas, but no one can say for certain.

INFORMATION: Sentinels are as clouded in mystery as the infection itself. Although a survivor who proves his mettle will find it easy to be officially initiated into the organization, newer members know as little about the structure they work for as the survivors they rescue. The man or woman who recruited them is generally regarded as their superior, and anyone else in the organization as an equal, which would cause problems in most environments, but due to the spread-out nature of the various members, is not generally an issue.

Sentinels can be identified by a few key traits. Most notably, when officially initiated a sentinel is given a hand sewn badge to attach to a well-worn piece of clothing, like a jacket. As they spend almost all of their time away from civilization, they're also well supplied from weeks of scavenging areas further away from organized havens. Each sentinel carries a map of local safe houses, either given to them by their recruiter or created by themselves as they create and discover the area's safe areas.


MISC: Sentinels are exceedingly cautious in and out of combat, and generally avoid anyone who isn't in desperate need. Sentinels are top targets for condemned groups and Legion, usually because of the map of supplies they carry.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx C O N F E D E R A T E S x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• A Fighting Chance

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ORIGINS: Before the infection, the U.S. had more guns in circulation than any other country and in some areas, more firearms then people. The deep south was one of those places.

When the infection hit, every NRA enthusiast's firearm obsession was justified. With a government-imposed gun control law looming over the southerners' firearm control, the south was becoming a crucible of rebellion and violence against federal actions for months before the dead began walking. Dozens of southerner groups had made clear both in Congress and on the streets that they had no intention of giving up their guns. There were talks of rebellion among the most radical of the dissenters, and Congress was beginning to discuss bringing in the National Guard for confiscation efforts. Before events could proceed any further than that, however, the infection hit and all the conflict was forgotten. As major cities fell within days, southerners armed themselves to the teeth and spent months battling off the infection, one house at a time. The military retreated from the south quickly, counting it lost like they had the rest of the east coast, not recognizing the untapped resources that lay in wait there.

Most southern families were independent at first, or formed small communities, securing a neighborhood, the main street of a small town or nothing more than a few houses. As time passed, however, these groups realized how vulnerable they truly were in small numbers, especially when faced with an ever-growing bandit threat, along with competing with their neighboring communities for quickly depleting resources. And before long, a solution was formed – within the neighborhoods surrounding Atlanta, word was spreading. Head north. Join the Confederates. Fellow humans, fighting for you if you fought for them.

The Confederacy formed around the farthest northern regions of Georgia, convoys of trucks and mobile homes plowing new roads into the huge national reserve that stood there. Most of the survivors went seeking safety in numbers, but weren't necessarily ready to give up all the freedoms that they'd earned away from government, and the Confederacy was founded around these core concepts.

INFORMATION: The Confederate government has very little power to do anything besides help provide essentials and bring families together. It's jurisdiction extends only to a few tiny shanty towns and trailer parks constructed in the forests and swamps, and the established government doesn't do much other than appoint sheriffs and hold jury-run court in those areas. Despite this lack of structure, however, the communities work based on "common benefit" principles. People contribute to a common goal because the benefits of seeing it completed are worth any personal cost.

Because of this lack of structure, outcasts and bandits continually plague the towns, many of them once members of the communities. If people don't agree to work for a common good and if they take too much more than they give, they are given a public trial by the rest of the community and, if it is decided to be so, are cast out and forced to survive on their own. As a result, bandits roam everywhere around the Confederates' homes.

Even with all the bandit problems, however, Confederates are generally quite trusting of outsiders. If a traveler finds his way into their community they'll be welcomed openly, offered a room and a chance to contribute, and many survivors that stumble onto the little towns never leave. These feelings are amplified even more if a traveler were to bring a gift of ammunition or gasoline, both of which are highly sought-after and increasingly rare commodities among the villages. Additionally, their secluded location (dozens of miles from any major city) ensures that while walkers are still a threat, a community will never have to worry about a real horde.

MISC: While the Confederates have no official capital, the generally accepted central hub is the town of Burr-belly, located a mile north of Highway 52. While you would still never find it unless you were completely lost, the town is closer to civilization than any of the outlying villages, and as a result, it sends out and receives almost all of the Confederates' salvage parties. The town numbers a little less than 200 people, living in homes of 7-8 apiece, but unlike most of the other Confederate settlements, the homes are well constructed from the local forests, and constant supply from the salvage teams ensures that they're slightly better off then the other communes. The houses are almost all built on stilts to protect from stray walkers and most of them feature indoor plumbing, courtesy of a local pumping station, the pride of the town.

Legion has recently discovered the Confederates and their problems, and has begun recruiting the area's bandits too fast for comfort. While the skirmishes in the swamps around the towns have thus far been small, it's doubtful that the peace will last. The Confederates are hardy survivors, but Legion is well equipped, and if they were to force their way in, there's no telling how long the Confederates would be able to hold out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx S H E P H E R D S x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• The Phantom's Bane

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In Autumn of 2020, Haven-folk of Washington watched as their worst fears were realized in the Siege of Evergreen, dubbed the Green Siege or the Day of Red Pines. Though Legion failed to conquer the haven a wound was sewn so deep that the community might never heal. Fear led to a foolish deal with an organization cold as the devil, the 1007th. Quietly, the haven gave way to military control. It happened in mere hours. The Council became puppets dancing to the whim of an organization set on a quest for power and domination. A small band of individuals saw the threat and reacted.

Robert 'Pope' Messick and Captain Jamie Evans formed a resistance immediately. Members of the council, the duo feign obedience to the increasingly totalitarian presence while secretly organizing missions to sabotage and distract the 1007th. A religious leader in the community, Pope refers to the group as Shepherds, evoking the same radical action a young Jew spurred against the Roman Empire two thousand years prior. Their existence is purposefully quiet, often manipulating individuals into aiding the cause without notice. Shepherds are an extremely young group, largely populating the new epicenter of the 1007th -- Evergreen Haven.

There are Shepherds and there are the Flock. Shepherds are members who've knowingly accepted the position and thereby, if found out, would be executed by the 1007th. Flock are people aiding in the cause without knowing, often manipulated or choosing to be unaware and mistaken by 1007th as members. Thus Flock are also executed, or tortured until offering up information. Shepherds and trusted Flock are taught special ways of signalling their allegiance. A more common practice to identify a member is to draw half an ichthys in the ground with one's foot. If the second person is a member, they will complete the ichthys, if not, they often assume it a strange quirk. The Shepherd are ultimately opposed the 1007th; where the 1007th are but Ghosts from the Past, Shepherd are merely that Phantom's Bane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx O T H E R O R G A N I Z A T I O N S x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX••••• A Semblance of the Past

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Within Apocalyptica's havens, some semblance of normalcy continues. The inhabitants continue to shop, date, and put time into their various hobbies. But society can't exist without a few certain necessities. Listed below are the most relevant.

Mailmen

With very few methods of communicating between havens beyond visiting and talking face-to-face, it was only a year or two after the havens had been formed when travelers realized there was money to be made off of delivering mail. At first, mailmen were valiant heroes, regarded with an awe and respect almost never seen in these communities. And for the first little while, the postmen deserved it. Their job was dangerous, and they had no idea how much they would be able to charge for their services.

Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. Before long, the postmen started realizing that there were no alternatives to them, and raised prices. In the crime rings of the havens, it was found out that citizens were easily conned out of their money or supplies if you were to pose as a mailman. As a result, trusted deliverymen raised their prices even more, their services highly sought after because of their untarnished reputation. Several of the original postmen made enough money off of the operation to effectively retire. In almost every haven, at least one Elitist might be a former mailman.

As another few years passed, the scales eventually balanced. Mailmen found mediums for their rates that still allowed them business, and the mail cons (as most of the haven governments knew them), fell back to more reasonable levels. During this time, several of the havens (notably, Augusta, Chico and Reno) banned mail entirely, tired of hearing complaints of their citizens being robbed. Traders can still deliver mail, of course, but anyone who advertises themselves as a mailman is kicked out without much ceremony. Today, mailmen are regarded by most citizens as a necessary evil. Rates are high, cons are easy to pull off, but what other choice is there?

FACTION FORMATTING

Spoiler

This is here for if you have an idea for a faction. Copy and paste this formatting into a post, and I'll throw it up here to be used in the future. Who knows, maybe the fate of Apocalyptica hangs in the decisions of a group we haven't even discovered yet?


[SIZE="4"][FONT="Courier New"]XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[COLOR="color?"]x[/COLOR] [SIZE="5"]First letter[/SIZE] O T H E R L E T T E R S [COLOR="color?"]x[/COLOR] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[COLOR="color?"]•••••[/COLOR] [/SIZE][COLOR="color?"][SIZE="2"][u]Faction motto[/u][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[spoiler]
[COLOR="color?"]ORIGINS:[/color] This is for information pertaining SPECIFICALLY to where your group came from and the circumstances surrounding their creation.

[COLOR="color?"]INFORMATION:[/color] This is what someone wanting to play with the group now would need to know. Look above for examples to this.

[COLOR="color?"]MISC:[/color] Anything that doesn't fit into the above categories goes here.
[/spoiler]

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX x I N F E C T E D x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X
••◘•• So... hungry...

Spoiler

NAME: Infected


ALIAS: Infected, Sick, Timers, Biters, ect.

KNOWN INFORMATION: Not much is known about the Virus, many scientists have either been overwhelmed with little technology to study the virus or have become infected themselves. It is known that once the virus infects a living target it takes and average of 8-13 hours before the target begins to lose rational and logical thought. They may retain some memory, though it appears to be fragmented and meaningless. Infected function off of only the most basic of motor skills and are driven by one carnal instinct- To feed.

Infected are changed by the infection and can no longer feel pain, but are not yet dead. As such, they still require food and many survivors still hope for a cure. Infected are cannibalistic, their bodies rejecting any other food in their stomachs. Infected can be very fast if their bodies are undamaged, and have nearly unlimited endurance.

Infected are generally, for lack of a better term, dumb or unthinking. They are driven by survival instincts so they fight with vigor to obtain the sustenance they desire (you). As a singular target, depending on the physical build of the infected they can be quite a manageable kill, though in the masses as expected they are much more difficult to manage.

KILLING METHODS: Severe blunt force trauma to the head is one of the favored methods to those who are without a firearm. Severing the spine renders the infected paralyzed but will not kill them- unless the spine is severed from the neck.

With a firearm the best method to permanently disable an infected individual is a well-placed shot to the head.

Other methods of permanently disabling the infected have been tested, but they are not as efficient and swift. Fire will severely damage and kill an infected, but flames can take an agonizing three minutes to do so.

SPECIAL INFORMATION: Unbeknownst to many if not all of the Havens, a small cult based out of Topeka have found a method of repelling these specific infected.

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••◘•• Be Eating You…

Spoiler

NAME: Zombies



ALIAS: Zombies, Zeds, Walkers, Undead, etc.

KNOWN INFORMATION: Zombies are the result of the virus coming into contact with a recently deceased corpse. Generally, a corpse will reanimate within a day after death, assuming the brain is intact. Infected become zombies after dying of natural causes (like starvation or dehydration), and can take only minutes to reanimate. Zombies are much slower than infected, and at the best of times would only be able to approach you at a fast walk.

Zombies show very few signs of decay, and as such "waiting out" the infection is not an option. No one is entirely sure why this is, but havenfolk have revisited old houses 5 years after the infection struck to find family members in the same state as they were when they died (well... a little hungrier).

KILLING METHODS: Zombies can only be killed by destroying the brain. Fire is an effective way to kill a mass of zombies, but takes much longer to kill a walker than it does an infected.

SPECIAL INFORMATION: The Topeka cult is able to repel zombies as well as infected.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx S I S T E R S O F M E R C Y x XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X
••◘•• I'm sorry, Forgive me.

Spoiler

NAME: Sisters of Mercy

ALIAS: "Death's Angels", "Wailers", "The Grim Reaper's Better Half"

KNOWN INFORMATION: Much like their name indicates, these zombies are female, though there are rare males seen displaying the same behavior. They hunt alone, but have been known to "tag along" with groups of other zombies. Their methods of killing are unique, as they will often lure unsuspecting victims by crying non stop or wailing out some horrible call for no one in particular. Thus, when approached, they will attack, but only bite once, usually in a vital artery of the body. They will the proceed to lay their victim down and gently stroke their face or arms with their hands or tongue, trying in vain to comfort them as they die. One bite is usually enough for these zombies as they are not overly aggressive, although when whipped into a frenzy they may become slightly "overzealous." They will often wait for their victims to die and turn into zombies fully before leaving their side. Additionally, they occasionally exhibit a "motherly" influence over newly turned zombies and will often stick beside them, sometimes for days at a time. This phenomenon has not been studied closely enough to discern why it occurs, however. These zombies have been known to have "body farms"; hiding spots where recent victims are kept until they are turned. These zombies also appear to be extremely emotional, often having grief stricken looks on their faces as they sit by a dying victim, while still attacking if the victim tries to escape. They will often fight over their recent meal with other, more aggressive zombies.

KILLING METHODS: They die by normal means, i.e. destruction of the brain or removal of the head.

SPECIAL INFORMATION: Whether they had caring hearts when they were alive, were widowed or lost a child, were somehow connected to children or hospitals or caring for people, these zombies come from that cross section of humanity with big hearts. So, big in fact, that the first of these zombies is said to have infected an entire all-girls school and then tried to kill herself after doing so. Attempted suicide isn't uncommon among Sisters of Mercy; many have been known to attempt suicide after a kill. Most of the time, they fail.

The name Sister of Mercy stems from the midwest. Rumor has it that the first reported sign of a Sister was in front of a church podium, wearing a nun's robes and sobbing over a child's body.

RARITY: These zombies are fairly rare, sitting at about 1/10,000 infected/walkers.

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••◘•• Don't Try; Just Run

Spoiler

NAME: Titans

ALIAS: Giants, Monstrosities, Tanks

KNOWN INFORMATION: Not unlike the average Infected, those afflicted with the Titan mutation develop aggressive behaviors; slowly dementia begins to overwhelm, memory loss and decaying rational thinking can cause frustration in the inability to properly function. In an enraged state, all communication with the subject will result in negative outcomes. Perspective alterations and the animalistic behaviors will cause the subject to become hazardous to any societal environment.

Yet during the common process of an Infected’s mind degrading, the immune system is hijacked and taken over entirely. An excessively large amount of white blood cells are then produced and, within a week, foreign members begin to grow on the hosts’ body, resembling mottled skin. Soon after throughout the body, layers of skin will thicken and harden, becoming rough, calloused flesh. The musculature of the premature Titan will begin to bloat; every muscle, over time, will expand to unnatural sizes. The skeleton will stretch in length, giving it added height; average height of a fully-developing Titan is estimated to be between 8-10 feet. Due to the exaggeration of muscle, flesh and bone, facial features will become near-obsolete and hair will become non-existent.

In the image of a bodybuilder, every ounce of a Titan will bulge to revolting limits. Movement will become limited as the expansion causes the inability to move fluidly. Likewise, the neck will become incredulously thick, along with the head and face; hands will balloon with fine motor skills being rendered useless. Thighs, arms, chest, stomach and back are clear indicators of the excessive growths.

However, the process isn’t always deemed a success. It is not unheard of for the mutation to fail, resulting in twisted variations of a “perfected” Titan. The skeletal frame may have grown, and observations may indicate a thickened shell. Yet, though the structure may have elongated, muscle growth is obsolete; the increased bulk of skin adds girth to what is referred to as a “Little Titan,” yet it does not benefit from the excess mass.

If the skeletal frame is the only factor to not enhance, then a grotesque mound of toughened skin and enormous muscle may be the outcome.

KILLING METHODS: The killing of a Titan depends entirely on whether it is long-lived or relatively newborn. Though the common Titan – age aside – is a sturdy, near-impenetrable tank, the older they become the thicker their body gets. Thus, knowing the physical attributes of one is required to know how to properly deal with the oncoming Giant.

If the Titan looks thinner, perhaps less bulging in musculature, then heavy firepower may leave a dent. Do not expect a single round to do any damage whatsoever, but perhaps a hefty arsenal from multiple targets may bring it down with relative ease.

If the Titan is physically massive, in a further state of maturity, the answer is simple: run.

Theories state that containing a Titan and introducing fire in an enclosed space may do the trick. However, do not ever make assumptions when dealing with one. Theory, no matter how sharp, is not practice.

Blunt force to the head is ill-advised. Refrain from engaging in close-proximity interaction with a live Titan.

SPECIAL INFORMATION: Unlike many other variations of undead, Titans do not fully reach a state of absolute finalization. Their bodies are consistently changing; the muscle mass grows, skeletal framework expands, and the layers of skin only thicken over time. Thus, Titans that have withstood a longer lifespan tend to be more durable and stronger than less experienced counterparts.

When more exposed to prey and the hunting process, Titan's muscles react. Those who require speed to catch prey will often lean out in their legs and abdomen with time. These Titans become faster than the norm. While this has been observed, there is little information as to how other environments might effect the Titan.

Titans do not come from zombies, but rather from infected. Because Titans retain previous bodily functions that the common zombie does not, and since the body of a Titan is in a constant developmental growth, it is speculated that regeneration frequently occurs.

RARITY: 1/1 000 000

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••◘•• Look...no hands.

Spoiler

NAME: Bladers

Spoiler

Not all wear the same thing mind you.

ALIAS: "Beserker", “Gnawer”, “Blader”, “No Hands”, “Skull face”, “Pale face Zedheads”, ect.

KNOWN INFORMATION:
A low level intelligence of a predator like a bear or coyote, it can stalk and pick out obvious easy targets without much difficulty. Yet it can’t distinguish words or writing, language or any skill of higher comprehension that is displayed in normal humans. Though it’s not a quick learner, it does have a long memory and usually after three or four times of watching others fall to certain traps or being killed in a certain way, those traps/methods tend to lose their effectiveness. At some point the creature learns to either avoid it or seek a way around and once they do then it is useless. Often their behavior towards one another as well as other zombies can be very violent, it is not abnormal to see a Blader from a pack with teeth marks in its flesh or coagulated blood along its skin from its pack mates while still hunting alongside them.

Bladers can hunt in small packs of 1-3 others most, not including a small horde of zombies they are sometimes found among, but those that hunt alone are most dangerous since they lack the aggressive trait. It is these that show the most intelligence. Rarely is there a freshly turned Blader that hunts alone, their hunting effectiveness drops by at least 30%-50% but they never starve. Unlike solitary Bladers, pack Bladers tend to be more aggressive. There's no hard evidence to the reason. One belief is to be the bacteria’s need for the marrow and the awareness of contenders-thanks to the pheromones given off- that causes this. The more positive side is that they toss caution to the wind, less likely to learn and more concerned about exceeding their share than actually making successful kills.

Unlike most infected or zombies, it’s not the flesh that is its main need however. Though the skin, muscle and hair can provide trace amounts of the needed mineral it seeks, its main desire is the bone beneath where lies a larger, more concentrated source of calcium that the infected can gnaw on. No other infected or human is safe as the creature cares little for source's decomposition to filling its needs, even attacking other undead or corpses when there’s no fresh bone to be found like a wild coyote. Sadly only human marrow will hush it's craving and often animals are ignored by the creature, the DNA not quite right to be absorbed by the body.

Most dominate features are elongated toenails, hair, and thicker cheek, forehead and jaw bones peering out thanks to the consumed calcium storages in its body. Often only the tendons are visible as most the muscle has fallen away; those working the ligaments are strengthened by the mutation just to be able to function correctly. From the constant grinding of teeth against bone, the crowns have been worn from the constant tear against other bones making them slightly flatten. Eyes are shrunken and giving them a hollowed appearance with bright white irises peering from the darkness. A Blader’s age is determined by the surface…the older it has survived, the more scars it has along the body, limbs, and shorter the blade bone is on the forearm- usually the last feature depends on the creature success of feeding its hunger. These are the ones you have to be wary of. Average tricks and just flat out shooting might not be enough to kill it.

When it officially dies, it goes into a seizure fit that rattles its body and gathers black red spittle at its mouth corners. The creature’s white irises vanish behind its skull and head snaps back. Like an alligator in its death throes, the Blader withers even while the brain finally goes dead as if its body hasn’t realized it for several minutes before just stopping. This knowledge is usually not noted by the survivor, often hasty to escape or unsure if it’s playing possum since both events are similarly carried out.

KILLING METHODS:
Simply severe the spinal columns completely from the head like most living and dead, this ceases total brain activity into a state of death like most of the zombies. Merely damaging the spine does little affect, only serving as majorly slowing the motor skills and hindering the nervous system's commands to the limbs.

Shot along the nose in an upward thrust or precise blunt force at a key focused point (dead center between the eyes and at the nasal bone sending it right into the brain, younger the age the weaker the bone area). Bone has fused the underline of the jaw, sealing that hole and weighting the jaw slightly so forget shooting it right into the underside of the head unless it’s with a shotgun or higher than average caliber gun (magnum) since the skull lining can be two to higher thickness.

Calcium deficit, a lethal and rare killing method since usually Bladers can find an easy source from themselves. Though there have been instances-rumors mostly- that if you can bind a Blader, preventing it from reaching those rich reserves then the bacteria starves and finally died out completely in a slow way. This theorized idea rumors to take days, sometimes even weeks to accomplish. Even then it’s not an outright guarantee the creature is dead. Among the choices given, this is the least advised and hardly performed practice if at all.

SPECIAL INFORMATION:
The bacteria’s prime function was to gathering, targeting, and strengthening the calcium mineral in the infected body and centering in its density in the forearm bones and skull. Building to such a degree that ultimately white bone pierces outside the flesh, revealed through the splintered skin/muscle upon the face and arms. The forearms become bladed bones completely fused together from the inside, tips of the hands and wrists broken off or devoured to fill its need for marrow into a point. It’s often seen feeding off the calcium be its own, a corpse, undead or living, to build farther on its own mineral needs purely driven by the sick bacteria. In addition to the side effects of the chemical imbalance for these bony protrusions to appear, the creature also gives off a pheromone signature that likely is the reason other zombies won’t attack even a newly infected Blader when it bleeds. That or another theory is that zombie realize it’s already dead and infected, consumption would mean death of the previous bacteria developing into a Blader. It is only speculation as there is no hard proof.


There is no record of a living Blader since most often those that turn bleed to death, their arms often their first victim and among budding signs of that specific infection. In reality there's little difference between the living and dead variety, safe for the off chance of higher and temporary intelligence. There also rare cases of female Bladers but males seem the most common sighting.

Sometimes when shot, usually in the heart or clipped by the head, the creature settles into a state of “possum” ranging from several seconds to minutes, its system in a shock period that varies from subject to subject before the need to feed rises. It will then rise or latch on to the nearest scent of flesh or bone source, preferably fresh, attempting to shove its blades first through the victim’s nearest limp then over power by pinning him/her to the ground feasting towards the jugular in hopes to kill its prey quickly.

A mutation of the bacteria when it comes into contact with host body once influenced by trials of a vaccine which was targeting bone loss, one of mankind’s attempts to better their lives before it became something worse. In the end, it created a whole new type zombie called the Blader that acted slightly less on instinct and more with the intelligence of a hunter albeit not quite the intelligence of a human much to humanity’s relief.

All the information here is only known in pieces from many encounters and gathered in this sheet for easy reference. Unless someone has made a living hunting this particular creature, there is no chance/ highly unlikely that any one person would know everything about a Blader. There have been only recent sightings of the creature, older ones may have just believed them to be no handed zombies at first due to the rarity but with more frequent sights of many displaying identical traits, opinions has changed. It may be contributed to increase difficulty of killing them compared to average walkers also.

RARITY: 3/800 in pack, 1/10,000 loners (Still uncommon compared to the garden variety zombie but more often than special infected like the Titan or Sister of Mercy.)

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••◘•• Bigger is better…

Spoiler

NAME: HAM (short for Huge Ass Monster)



ALIAS: “That little SOB”, “Big Bubba”, “Lard-Ass”, “EAUGH!”, etc.

KNOWN INFORMATION:

HAMs are large and in charge. Their bodies are much denser than most infected thanks to the storage of foul liquid within the fat and muscle layers, so it’s common to see the belly jiggle like jelly with each gluttonous step it takes. Like most infected and zombies, HAMs rush their prey when they attack, which usually proves ineffective due to their short, stubby legs weighed down by sheer bulk. Their slow speed gives survivors time to give them a wide berth. Add the shifting movement of the blubber and you have a cumbersome balance that often causes it to waddle and tilt. The result can be rather funny when not threatened by the monster, somewhat resembling a heavily overweight, oversized toddler. Despite its ridiculous size, the beast has a few advantages in its favor to make-up for what it lacks. *These include a gas attack, its smell, weight and a vicious bite.

While a HAM can’t always get up close and personal with prey, alternative methods of killing it exist. Standing about three yards away, a HAM will pull back its head and cough up a large spitball at the nearest target. Though the gooey substance isn’t a strong enough acid to melt holes into the skin, it does burn and make the contact area smoke slightly. The spitball substance is a condensed component made from thick white mucus and small amount of the creature’s stomach acid. Due to the volatile nature of the acid, the spitball does not carry any contagious or diseases, all of which are killed by the exposure. As a result, the spitball of a HAM has the perverse quality of being a harsh antiseptic if harvested from one of the creatures by a desperate survivor. When HAMs attackt, it is often aimed for the face of the prey to blind and cripple the victim, allowing the surrounding creatures to take the target down or for the HAM to draw closer to feed.

Due to the position of the stomach,, much lower than that of an average infected, HAMs produce far more stomach acid then necessary, similar to patients suffering from Visceroptosis. The acid fumes rise up through the throat and settle there, burning and sizzling without a place to escape the gut. Swallowed flesh just sits and stews for an hour or more while digesting. This also accounts for the loud rumbling as the acid builds up for the spitball, the contact with the air both drying it and neutralizing some of the acid’s strength when not fed with digestible substances, like how a flame dies from lack of oxygen. When completely dry the acid no longer smells or is able to burn, merely a hard crusty muck that crumbles upon touch with a slight sting to the fingers and nothing more.

While it is wet, the chemical compound is at its strongest and gives off a strong odor of sulfur when it comes into contact with the air and other objects, lasting for an hour or more, depending on how long it stays wet. The contact burn from the acid starts off low then intensifies, eventually becoming extremely difficult to ignore. Sometimes the afflicted area will numb after longer contact, becoming dull to the pain due to injury of the body’s sensors in that area. A common, simple treatment for spitball acid is pouring a canteen of water over the infected area, cleansing it, but the skin and affected spot will remain reddened from exposure for a few days as well as tender. When the acid comes into contact with the eyes it often results in retinal burn if left untreated, giving the irises an amber red coloring that is permanent.

The HAM’s weight varies, normally over 400 pounds. The mass makes almost all wooden barriers buckle, weaker metals groan and give depending on the material’s strength. There are some cases where it even crushes its prey under its bulk when it falls. Hasty makeshift fences will not do for keeping this big boy out; it will merely press against it until the fence gives or until it is shot, it can and will put a couple of tons behind each shove. This also is put into effect when in contact with lighter zombies, infected, or humans, and has been known to toss smaller bodies towards attackers. Due to the obesity of the creature and lack of blood circulating through the system, blood tends to gather at the tips of the limbs, often causing decaying veins to rupture from the strain and bloody looking fingers as part of the physical traits. This usually takes a long time to develop, however, thanks to the high collagen level in the skin.

Missing it’s lower jaw, after the bone and mandible “melt” into the thick chest, it’s mouth splits into a long V, allowing for the invisible smell of stomach acid and old meals (coupled with “odeur le dead fat guy”) to constantly to be emitted like a pitcher flower. Because of a complete lack of chin, HAMs are constantly dribbling stomach acid and rotten flesh onto their chest, where it soaks into the creature’s heavy skin and lingers there, best described as heavy week old body odor covered in rotten eggs and topped off with a dead skunk’s scent sack. That’s the pleasant version. The appearance of the area below the chin resembles a crusy yellowish-green bib, due to the tougher skin being more difficult for the acid to eat through and eventually drying there. The smell is fueled by the rotted flesh stored in the gut of the creature and slowly digested in the back of the throat,, and in close range, the stench is terrible enough that few people can go without vomiting or gagging, often struggling for air if a deep breath is taken. As such, no matter how slow they are, the best strategy for taking down a HAM is to gain some distance, where your concentration won’t be disrupted..

HAMs don’t eat flesh in the same way normal zombies/infect do, on account of not having a proper mouth. The thin and razor sharp needle teeth in its upper mandible have digestive fluid collected in the hollow points from developed sacs in the mouth’s roof, releasing (along with a plethora of infectious bacteria) after the points make contact with soft flesh and injecting into the tissue layer. There’s a slight tingling as the juices work their way in and then digestive enzymes begin to break the tissue down (much more painful). The puncture wounds have the texture of an overripe mushroom, bit by bit spreading through the layers about an inch to about a four inch diameter around the area. After one or two bites, a HAM will empty it’s mouth of the digestive fluid stored in the upper mandible and must retract for a bit before reaching in for another toothy jab, resulting in a slow, painful death for victims. The tissue becomes liquefied soon after the bite -think heavy, broth soaked bread- which allows the Ham to easily tear chunks from the victim to toss back down its wide mouth. Usually if the creature repeats a bite several times into a limb, from the combined weight of the creature and the digestive juices in the limb naturally breaks it off. Being this close to the food, it’s stubby arms most times held down its meal by the ton of weight the creature has and they can’t be effectively pushed off, forcing it's victim to let the creature slowly feed. On the off chance that you do escape, the fluid stored in the teeth does not carry the zombie virus (although flesh and blood already on the teeth might.) It does, however, carry all manner of diseases and bacteria ranging from a common cold to collera to smallpox to a rare, underdeveloped disease that is for now referred to only as Herpagonasyphilaids. The upper mandible can stretch like a snake’s mouth and then scrapping its needle like teeth backwards can shove the flesh into the gut like moist chicken off the bone.

HAMs never hunt alone if they can avoid it. Even when it seems there’s nothing else around, that’s just a false comfort to the truth. Most are rumored to hunt in pairs with a several couple walkers in front, willing to thrust the weaker cousin aside for a meager share of the kill upon reaching it. A common hunting tactic is to follow other zombies in search for a meal, through rain, sleet, hail and even underwater if they can manage to find a way to sink that is. Their bodies have a nasty habit of retaining water for reasons unknown, resulting in a bloated, toxic appearance and an unpleasant “water-balloon” effect if shot anywhere in the body.

KILLING METHODS:

A shot to the head like any normal infected is the only way to kill a HAM, as shattering the brain ends all activity from the monstrosity making it nothing more than literal dead weight. In most cases the undead will topple over onto the nearest victim or movement at its side as if determined to take something or one with it, sometimes pinning it under the massive weight in a slow crushing death. It’s like having a stinking, fleshy 400 pound beam dropped on you, the longer you’re under it the more damage it does so survivors held down by a HAM had better chance of survival the quicker they escape.

Survivors be warned: Although a HAM's skin is tough enough to contain the water, fat and other various nasties that it harbors, shooting at one's stomach, arms or legs will result in it popping like a water balloon, spraying the toxic fluid everywhere. This fluid and it's blood are the only certain ways of it infecting a survivor, so avoid shooting if you can't line up a clear headshot, as if one “explodes” (an extremely unpleasant experience which could be compared to having a tub of fetid waste poured onto you), the odds of you becoming infected are extremely high. Also of note, if a HAM falls too hard on it's stomach or one of it's limbs, there is a chance that this will result in splatter as well.

SPECIAL INFORMATION:

HAMS never lay down since their large weight would crush them, making them immobile. Hence, they are constantly on the move and never seen in any restful position. If a survivor managed to knock over a HAM, they could rest knowing the odds of the creature rising again would be unlikely, although you may as well try to push over a dump truck for all the result it would give. As blood collects over the span of years, the body’s high collagen levels which control the elasticity of the skin are pulled past the creature’s limit, making the HAM spatter like a water balloon from the bottom, spilling both blood and fluid mingled in with the yellow fatty tissue along the ground.

Only a few know that the only way to get infected by a HAM is through coming into contact with the fluid between the muscle and fat tissue, and occasionally this leads to inappropriate tactics around them. Each inflicted wound on this creature oozes with the yellowish, sticky sap substance that seeps through and when doused in the liquid, the chance of becoming another HAM is much higher just becoming an average run of the mill infected.

The signs of becoming a HAM and the length of time sometimes depend on the infected person. It has three stages that happen in order to reach full ‘maturity’ and becoming a full-fledged danger to those around them. First stage goes unnoticed by most and unless someone has witness more than one HAM transformation, it’s not likely anyone would draw attention to them. Minor things that any one normal could develop, among the first is a slight case of heart burn that becomes acid reflux due to its long lasting periods after eating anything and slight weight gain. Red-ish tint on the digits tip in the hands and feet adding to slight hair loss as one of the last HAM signs in this stage, usually lasting a month or better depending on the infected. This is both a blessing and a curse – although you won't turn as fast as you would were you infected normally, the process is longer lasting and more painful.

The second stage is more drastic as the mental state of the victim begins to be affected. Swelling starts and increases around the upper arms, legs and groin, spreading down the limbs. Each touch causes a thick and sweaty fluid to seep from the pores, the skin starting to bulge and stretch easily. Food starts to become hard to keep down save for meat. At this point any sort of meat will do, but as time passes only one type will: human. Almost all the hair is gone from the head at this point, leaving a bald scalp and face, the skin’s pores literally sealing to keep hair from growing nearer the stage's end. Mentally, some intelligence is lost, most people lacking memory and feeling primal desires to eat no matter how much they've already consumed as they are unable to be full. It affects the speech through sentences trailing off or being cut in mid-word, leading most times to clumsy excuses that are put up as denial. A week to two weeks is usually the time frame for this stage, and it is also where most “early” cases are spotted.

In the final stages of those becoming a HAM, the physical traits become impossible to hide. These stages last only a few hours compared to the other stages. By now only matter is time and pain of changing before it’s over. The skin starts to swell even more and movement is hard, clumsy with each step. Speech is impossible, either because of lacking the ability or merely loss of some higher intelligence to communicate. Victims entering the final stages will suffer from an extreme case of burning at the throat that lasts for several uninterrupted days, water unable to sooth it and medication unable to stop it. Teeth fall out and over time are replaced by sharp needles and the lower jaw begins to feel numb, eventually disappearing into the chest, into the chest, while a smell reaches the surrounds from the stomach acid. One by one the last pieces fall into place, until finally as the sac in the upper mouth develops, the victim looses the last semblance of rational thought. After this the subject “dies”, their corpse reanimated to form a fully developed HAM.

Up and down the East Coast there's been a whisper of a new sport since the discovery of this new zombie - Water HAM. It simply requires a HAM, retraining equipment like a modified muzzle, boats with long poles and a large body of water.

RARITY: 1/5000

BEASTIARY FORMATTING

Spoiler

Are you planning on bringing in a new type of zombie or infected creature? Copy and paste this, fill it out, and I'll consider it. Just make sure it doesn't get too resident-evil-ey, or I'll shoot it down fo-sho. Think Left 4 Dead special infected, rather than whatever the hell that thing was with the axe in Resident Evil: Afterlife.

[FONT="Courier New"][SIZE="4"]XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX[COLOR="color?"]x[/COLOR] [SIZE="5"]First letter[/SIZE] O T H E R L E T T E R S [COLOR="color?"]x[/COLOR] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X[COLOR="color?"][/SIZE][u]
••◘•• Creature motto[/u][/COLOR][/FONT]

[spoiler]

[COLOR="color?"]NAME[/COLOR]: What are your creatures named? Officially?

[IMG]if you can find a "close enough" picture, feel free to post it here[/IMG]

[COLOR="color?"]ALIAS[/COLOR]: Slang terms. E.G., Zombie = Walker

[COLOR="color?"]KNOWN INFORMATION[/COLOR]: What do people know about your creature, besides the fact that they're some form of infected? What do they look like? What is their behavior?

[COLOR="color?"]KILLING METHODS[/COLOR]: Most effective way to end your creature's existence.

[COLOR="color?"]SPECIAL INFORMATION[/COLOR]: Interesting tidbits. An origin story for a specific type of infected would go here, as well. Did a mad scientist create them? Are they a result of circumstance? Not required.

[COLOR="color?"]RARITY[/COLOR]: If your creature is uncommon, how rare is it? 1/1,000? 1/10,000? 1/1,000,000? 1 in existence?
[/spoiler]

The information below is required; I will provide a permalink to your character’s sheet upon approval. You do not have to follow this character sheet exactly, but please ensure that all of the information is there.
If you want to leave a good impression, I recommend briefly reading through the other CS's - just to make sure your character will be unique and useful.

Spoiler

[B]Name:[/B]
[B]Nicknames:[/B]
[B]Age:[/B]
[B]Class:[/B] (ex: Salvager, Drifter, Condemned, etc.)
[B]Faction/Subclass:[/B] (ex: trade or specialization for a salvager, name of gang if member of condemned, ect.)
[B]Gender:[/B]
[B]Sexuality:[/B]


[B]Physical Attributes:[/B]
(If you have a picture please provide a link)

[B]Attire:[/B] (What your character is typically found wearing)
[B]Height:[/B]
[B]Weight:[/B]

[B]Personality:[/B]
[B]Before the Infection:[/B] (Give us a little insight as to who your character was before the infection spread)
[B]After the Infection:[/B] (What did they do after the S hit the F?)
[B]Arsenal:[/B] (What weapons your character wields)
[B]Strengths/Skills/Talents:[/B]
[B]Weaknesses/Problems:[/B] (If there are personality defects you may include them here or keep them in your personality section)
[B]Vehicles:[/B] (Does your character own any vehicles? Keep in mind they are harder to come by if you live in a Haven)
[B]Home Base:[/B] (Ex: Florida Haven, Washington Haven, etc.)

[B]Initial Character Plot (First timers only):[/B] (If you are building an additional character and have already been accepted, delete this.) Please provide me with an accurate summary of what your character's personal plot will consist of prior to him meeting any already established player characters or parties. This plot could be as little as 1-2 posts worth, if you've already arranged a meetup, or extend into the foreseeable future until we happen to run into you.

[B]Character's Tier of Play (Main, Secondary, NPC):[/B] (Additional characters only. If this is your first character, upon which you are hoping to be accepted, it will automatically be considered a main. Delete this field.)

Extras-
[B]Theme Song:[/B] (For fun, if you don’t wish to include one it is not required.)
[B]Additional Information:[/B] (Any additional information you would like to include about your character?)
[B]Username:[/B] (Your username on RPG)

M A I N C H A R A C T E R S

- Who we will be playing as. Main characters should be the most developed characters in the roleplay.

Prometheus (GM) -

Fallenreaper -

FirecrackerMain -

Shon Harris -

Aweena -

Free Faller -

Fulsom -

*Once accepted, further editing and refining of a character sheet throughout the roleplay is both welcome and expected. Character sheets should be well edited and readable at all times.

S E C O N D A R Y C H A R A C T E R S

-Secondary characters are people that you intend on bringing into the story as more prominent characters. The biggest difference between secondary characters and NPCs is that a secondary character should be almost as interesting (or as interesting) as your main character. These characters should be developed enough to replace your main character if you desired to write a post about them, although they do not need to be as detailed as a main character (think of a mid-Casual level CS instead of a fully-built Advanced CS). Such characters might include squadmates, siblings or close friends, or generally the person who'd be sitting in the shotgun seat of your car. Most commonly accepted character manipulation rules for primary characters apply to secondary characters, unless stated otherwise.

Shon Harris - Joshua "Gunner" Evans, Robert "Pope" Messick, Guy "Emperor" Keyes, Milo "Franco" Francoise, Juneau Samson Motzkin

Prometheus - Acacia De Luca, Westley Jeromiah

Aweena - Angela Moore, Danielle Greenfield, Samson Carter, Tobias Michaelson

Fallenreaper - Kurtis Connor

N P C S

-NPCs are prominent characters that don't necessarily deserve a major role in your story. Generally, NPCs are non-essential friends, haven leaders (or other prominent officials), or less developed rivals or enemies. NPCs can be controlled by anyone who needs them in a certain situation, and can be as developed as a main character or be nothing more than a name, picture and personality.

Aweena - Aurora Davis, Chuck Zhang, Darius J., Lacy Greenfield

Prometheus - The Doctor

Fallenreaper - Remmy Cartier, Cash "Sue" Vettel, Jose A Martinez

I N A C T I V E C H A R A C T E R S

*these are people who have temporarily dropped from the roleplay, but don't want to be removed and have let me know beforehand. Their characters are left in the care of the other roleplayers until their return, or if they fly solo, are just left where they are.

Madien -

Howler01 -

~~~

And now, a final word from me.

As you may or may not have been able to tell, Apocalpytica is very much a sandbox roleplay. That's how my predecessors have done it, and that is how I'll do it. Each player's character can work independently of the other characters, or with someone else if interaction is desired, with the effect of creating a roleplay that is very much in the style of the book World War Z. One world, many characters, many more stories. The downfall of so many of my predecessor's roleplays, however, is that even though they provided a virtually infinite world for the players to work in, they provided very little guidance. This is the one area that I hope to improve on. In addition to playing my own character, I'll keep plot discussion brewing as well, and try my damndest to keep all the players in the roleplay involved in some way. This works both ways, though – you have to take an active interest for me to help you. The key words there being ACTIVE INTEREST. I can't help you with plot of you have no interest in being included yourself.

To keep the roleplay moving I expect to see something from every participant (either here in the OOC thread, IC, in chat or in Pms) once every four days. If I do not see you for more than four days, than I will consider you inactive and probably shoot you a PM asking you what's up, how you're doing, etc. If this inactivity extends to a week or more, I will remove your character from the roleplay and mark you as officially 'inactive.' Depending on how entertaining the character is and how immersed you were in the RP, I may arrange a highly entertaining character death for you, or I might just keep you as inactive.

To our new players, please consider variety when building your character sheet. We have a sandbox roleplay here with near-infinite possibilities for characters , and I'd love to see a couple of them. Thus far, we've created 3 new groups, 4 new types of infected, 1 new haven and partially destroyed another one. There is a lot of room for plot devices here. Also, while building your character please remember that secondary characters are accepted and encouraged, so even if you want to do something for a character but don't want it to be your main, consider building it as an addition to your story. There is always room for expansion.

If you're still a little overwhelmed after all this (and I would be at first glance) feel free to shoot me a PM with questions, thoughts or ideas you have, if you want to make sure they're okay before you spend a bunch of time on them.

And finally, this is a long goddamn post. A lot of it (I'd say about half-2/3rds at this point) is just copied and pasted from previous iterations of the roleplay, but a pretty big chunk is also player-generated, and I'm constantly updating it. Regardless, the law of editing says that no matter how many times I've combed over it, there's still at least one problem. If you see it, let me know please?

Hope to see you in-character!

-Prom.

[howler01]

*reads all the things*

[Prometheus]

Daryl Romanson

Spoiler

Name: Daryl Romanson

Age: 28

Class: Salvager and Trader

Subclass: Trades Food, clothing, & ammunition. Transports survivors between havens.

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight.

Physical Attributes:

At the advice of his friend Wess, Daryl is never seen without motorcycle armor on. Not cheap motorcycle armor, either. Wess had made a point in stocking his safe room to procure two sets of pro-level, fireproof (and nearly bulletproof) motorcycling armor, like the kind used in motocross races (without all the ads stuck to the front). How Wess found the money to actually buy the armor is a mystery to this day. The armor is usually accompanied by steel-toed working boots , with low heels and back to make it easier should he need to run while still enabling to kick in a door now and again.

Daryl is kept thin and lean by the constant stress and adrenaline of the outside world. He takes fair care of his body, able to scavenge just about anything he needs to survive. He also has his share of scars from the dozens of problems he's gotten himself into over the years, including a small, unnoticeable one beneath the hair on his scalp from being hit in the head one too many times. Two other notable scars are those from a bullet hole in each leg, just above the knees. They were given to him during a run-in with raiders just outside Reno. The raiders had been kicked out of the settlement for causing too much trouble, and out of spite they stopped Daryl's truck outside the outer gates, captured him, beat him, shot him in the legs and ran off. Luckily, a guard had been watching from the gates and had taken him inside before anything too hungry had found him.

Personality: Before the infection, Daryl was a typical college student; hardworking straight forward, a goal always set in his mind. Since the infection, however, the level of freedom given to him has led to him becoming somewhat hedonistic in nature, if left to his own devices. He does what feels good to him, or what feels right according to his own personal moral code. He's content to go where he wants or where he's needed, and doesn't take well to following orders, especially when they restrict his personal freedom. None of this interferes with his ability to survive, however. He's adapted well to the post-apocalyptic environment, and it would take a lot of distraction for a walker to sneak up on him. He's sarcastic and narcissistic in conversation, and caters to a sense of humor that many people find to be a little excessive, to say the least. He's rather prideful (not without reason) about his ability and knowledge concerning Apocalyptica, and is always very sure of everything he does. He goes stir-crazy when confined for more than a few hours, a continual personality flaw that he hasn't yet eradicated. It's difficult for him to sit still to wait out a horde, or even stay in a haven for more than a few weeks.

In short, he's an easy-going, quiet-minded drifter, content to go wherever his next whim leads him.

Before the Infection: Daryl was celebrating his 21st birthday when the end of the world began. The first drink of his life was on the day that bacteria-infested meteors struck the Earth, and it was as bad an omen as any for him to never touch the stuff again.

Daryl was a college student at the time, a Junior in Sacramento State, majoring in English. He hoped to be a writer or journalist once he'd gotten out of school. He'd never broken a law in his life. His GPA, while not extraordinary, was well-maintained. He didn't take many risks, though he enjoyed watching them. Not the stereotypical party-hard college student but neither a stereotypical bookworm, he spent most of his time relaxing, studying or working at a local coffee shop. Before college his life was fairly uninteresting. He'd gone through a couple of girlfriends in high school, lost his virginity early, moved out of his parents house when he turned 18 and ate lunch with them on the weekends.

Owning no real weapons, Daryl survived the infection through luck and coincidence. Wess, one of his friends, had been preparing for an apocalypse of some sort since he'd left his parent's house. Wess owned a two-bedroom slum near the college which later turned out to be one of the safest, most well supplied and most well fortified places in the Sacramento County. Wess had dropped out of school for budget reasons, barely able to make payments on his tiny house and crappy truck. Daryl met him in a grocery store by chance a few months prior to the infection, asking him what he was preparing for and staring at a shopping cart full of two hundred dollars worth of canned food.

When the infection hit, Daryl and Wess barricaded themselves inside Wess's house for a few months and proceeded to do absolutely nothing during that time period. After their safe room supplies started to run short (about six months after the deification hit the oscillation) Wess and Daryl packed what they could into Wess's truck and headed for a settlement they'd heard of in Chico.

After the Infection: After several tense nights of running from zombies, Wess and Daryl finally found the Chico haven. As soon as they were inside, Wess was content to sit down, start a shop and wait out the infection. After all, a zombie's weakness (at least, according to him) was its food source. Only so many people to eat. Daryl, however, wasn't about to sit on his butt while he could be doing something. He generally has spent very little time in havens since. For almost 5 years he made a living scavenging the roads, cars and shops between Reno and Chico, bringing the odd bit of salvage back to Wess for experimentation and selling the rest at either haven. He makes his living catering to people's old world desires and bad habits, because as he puts it, "even though the havens are self-sustaining, it's hard to grow a box of cereal."

More recently, Daryl made a job out of working for the troopers and civilians inside Cheyenne mountain. Having discovered their presence after spending a few weeks scavenging with a rescued marine, he made his way to the outpost, stuck around long enough to earn their trust, and eventually spent a few weeks scavenging the practically untouched city around the mountain for supplies. In exchange for bringing back the necessities, Cheyanne offered offered running water, a steady food supply and a warm bed whenever he needed it, as well as being able to trade for more ammunition than he'd ever want to carry around with him. Soon, however, he found himself in hot water as he'd come back without a partner, who was victim to a scavenging run gone bad. Somewhat outcast from the rest of the haven after he'd lost them one of their own (along with getting tired of being ordered around all the time), he struck out for another military fragment that he knew had been left in Olympia, on orders to seek out help for the Colorado haven, which was still only a few "problems" away from starvation.

Unfortunately, Daryl never arrived at the Evergreen haven. He was ambushed on the road by a contingent of Legion, his trustworthy Ford destroyed and looted while he was taken back to a bandit stronghold a little ways away from the haven, preparing to wage war on Evergreen and set up a more permanent camp within their haven. Here he met the Emperor personally, attempting to kill him and summarily being rescued by Acacia De Luca, a former Legionnaire that had turned traitor when her life had been threatened by the group. The two escaped the camp after attempting to kill the Emperor and causing extreme amounts of damage to the camp's armory and medical supplies, later rescued by Simon Pietro, Cassandra Shannahan, Joshua Evans and Issac Frost as they also fled the haven.

Arsenal: At one point, Daryl had 3 separate firearms he was fairly comfortable with using - an M1911 Pistol, an M1014 Shotgun and a Remmington M4 Carbine. Unfortunately, these were all looted from his truck when he was ambushed outside of Olympia, although the M1911 was later returned to him by Acacia, much to his relief.

Currently, along with the pistol, he looted an MSG90 from Fort Riley's armory, which he is so far unpracticed with and thus still uncomfortable using.

Usually, Daryl fights with a wood-handled machete. He's also fully trained in ways to make blunt objects look like they should be banned in airports. He prefers to fight hand-to-hand if possible, as zombies are attracted by sound. As usual, the old adage carries - guns cause more problems than they solve.

Strengths/Skills: Over the last five years, Daryl has developed an innate sense of danger. Though often unable to identify what it is, he can usually tell when something's wrong. He's a competent scavenger and trader, and not one to come home empty-handed. He's fairly strong and kept in good shape from years of heavy lifting and bludgeoning, in addition to being a dead-shot with his pistol. He's also a fairly talented writer, a skill that usually, unfortunately, goes to waste.

Weaknesses: Being so driven by emotion, Daryl is far from perfect. He's recently come across a growing sense of Hubris, and is of the sneaking belief that if he was meant to die, he wouldn't have survived this long. But while his pride is a character flaw, it hasn't yet robbed him of caution. He also refuses to 'cut losses', and would probably sacrifice the many to save the few, should a desperate situation arise. In a twist, he's afraid of loud noises. Not loud, loud, but loud loud. Like, motorcycle, gunfire, or drag-racer, I-need-earplugs-loud. He's also scared of the dark, though the fear isn't incapacitating. Though he's tried hard to eliminate or overcome this particular fear, it always comes back after something lunges at him from the dark corner every now and again. It's also very hard for him to sit still, though his continually insists that he isn't medically ADHD.

Vehicles: Silver Chevy Silverado (rear door removed and replaced by a motorcycle ramp by Cassandra, for easy access on and off the truck while on the road.)

Home Base: Daryl drifts across the West coast, frequenting Reno, Chico and Colorado Springs, but generally sleeps better outside of havens.

Extras-

Theme Song: The Wallflowers - One Headlight

Additional Information: Like so many other people, Daryl has his own list of pet peeves. One is the excessive use of the word like. He simply cannot stand it when someone uses like as if it were a comma in their sentence structure. He cannot stand violent, "I hate the world" music, or anything much heavier than modern rock or alternative. As if there wasn't enough violence in the world already, people are going to add a little more. He hated the 'I talk through my cell phone' craze, though with the zombies and all, that phase of society is just about over.

He's very to-the-point in conversation. He isn't about to ask 'where' instead of 'why'.

Daryl is of the general conviction that an uninfected should never kill another uninfected in a world where everyone is a potential meal for the undead. Because of this belief, he's landed himself in some particularly tough situations involving raiders and Condemned. He'll shoot back if shot at, but he'll never attack another living person, if he can avoid it.

Username: Prometheus

[Aweena]

The character signature plates were a great touch last time; I was hoping we'd find a way to use them again. Also made for a neater way to keep track of the characters.

And I'm excited for this to start again. Come on, people! Post your character sheets already!

[howler01]

Name: Issac Frost
Nicknames: "The Icicle", "Ice", "The Ice-man"
Age: 25
Class: Salvager,
Subclass: Marksman, Sniper, Long-range Elimination
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Straight


Physical Attributes:


Attire: Issac wears body armor befitting a Delta Force or Marine sniper. Kevlar lined and camouflaged in brown, greens, and tans, it is befitting a desert or even jungle scenario, yet, he has it as a "gift" from those who trained him. He stands 5'9 and his eyes, piercingly blue, have given rise to a couple of his nicknames. Trained to kill since he was big enough to hold a gun in his hands, Issac is long past the point of emotions and feelings about the world. He lives to protect those he is loyal to, and who value his services, and he does so almost without any emotion at all. It is very very rare to see him smile, laugh, or show any sort of emotion really. He is a man of few words, and he normally keeps to himself, preferring to watch from the shadows and pick off the infected before they even have a chance to come close to him. He accompanies his seemingly disorganized suit of body armor with some combat boots which have rubber soles and provide him a comfortable, yet quiet, walk among the infected. Silence is his key and to him; everything. The longer he remains silent and unnoticed, the longer he remains alive and the longer the Haven is protected.
Height: 5'9
Weight: 185

Personality:
Before the Infection: Born to a German mother and a Russian father, hence his pale skin and sharp, bright eyes, Issac had always loved hunting and loved guns. His parents prioritized education, as well as his love of firearms, and his father took him on many a hunting trip in the woods of Alaska. He quickly grew accustomed to cold and snowy environments, hunting, stalking, and all things related to the hobby. After graduating high school, Issac found himself enlisting in the Marines, with the goal of becoming one of their elite recon snipers. He attended training and rose through the basic ranks fairly quickly, his path made clear to his superior officers who saw the potential he had and cleared him through to achieve his dream, though they did not make it easy. He suffered though the first few years of drills and the emotional breakdown they tried to lay on him, and for a while, Issac though he would break, but he managed to make it through.
He was sent on various missions with a team, and his ability to handle a weapon and to kill with one shot was recognized and respected among his team members. He participated in "hunts" in the Afghan desert, as well as more urban style romps through Serbia and other places, hunting arms dealers and notorious terrorists. He earned his other nickname, "the icicle" from his unit. This cam about because of his extreme calm in a combat situation, call it innate, or call it learned, he just doesn't scare easily or fold under pressure. Yet, at the same time, he holds a sense of bitterness, a silent rage against the infected, the Elitists, the old government, and even the Marines. He holds a bitterness towards the Florida Haven as well, and anyone who is from there or associates with them he is hostile towards, automatically. This stems from the feeling that he wasn't given much of a life outside of missions, kill counts, debriefs; essentially being "in the field" the entire time. He was never trained to "turn off" his instincts and he has a deep seeded resentment of his "bosses" or "handlers" for using him for his skills and nothing more. This resentment hasn't come out in terms of overt refusal to follow orders, but he's spoken about it before, to a very few trusted people. He achieved his goals, but he never realized that so many other doors, doors that he didn't even know he had open or wnated open, would be closed to him, artificially and fraudulently in his mind, because of the path he chose. Most of these doors involved life outside of the military, and as a result, he feels he's lost a part of himself that he'll never regain.

After the Infection: On the day the world went to hell, Issac presented himself to the Florida Haven, as a decorated hero more than willing and ready to defended and protect them. Sadly, because much of his work was still classified, and many of the files had never been released and in fact destroyed in the impending apocalypse; he was seen as a member of the Condemned, despite his protests to the contrary. He decided that it wasn't worth fighting what he saw as a authoritarian regime in Florida; so he simply turned on his heel and walked right back out into the infected world, his disenchantment only growing futher. He spent much of that time surviving on his own, something he was more than able to do, however, that was not to say he didn't have any scary moments facing down far more Infected than he could ever have handled on his own. In those instances, he found the hiding or making tepid, temporary alliances with Condemed members and others earned him safe haven. Eventually, he made it out to the Haven in Reno, Nevada, where he decided to set up shop and join the Salavager tam there.

Arsenal: Any sniper needs a good rifle and Issac is no exception, he normally carries a L115A3 sniper rifle with night optics. This was something traded for on one of his temporary alliances with a Condemed (he killed off a rival group's leader with it and kept it as a reward because the particular gang leader respected his skills). He carries an M9 Pistolas a secondary weapon. If the infected get close enough to make his sniper rifle useless or if he simply has run out of ammo on a particular assignment, he will use this, though for him it is a last resort. He trained in hand-to-hand and close quarters combat. He keeps a combat knife on his hip, as a last-last resort, though he seriously doubts it's effectiveness.
Strengths/Skills/Talents: Issac has, though his training, developed the ability to be silent and to sneak up onto high ground positions and pick off the infected from there. However, that's not all, he also has honed his ability to use his hands and a few blunt objects, but he will more than likely turn to his guns and his knife, in those situations. He fancies himself a poet and often wanted to write about his experiences, but most of his writings, kept in a journal that stays behind him in Reno, have turned into bitter diatribes railing against the Elitists of the various Havens, yes even Reno, and other things he finds "distasteful about the world."

Weaknesses/Problems: Issac's main weakness is his guarded personality. He says what he has to and is more than likely to not explain himself very much. He's not afraid of getting hurt, but he's never had anyone close enough to hurt i.e. a significant other. He's never really had a friend, either. Oh, sure he's worked on teams and is a "team player", but otherwise, he prefers to keep quiet and is somewhat socially awkward as a result. He is not mute, though, and does engage others in conversation, admittedly these launch into guns, infected, finding supplies, or a combination of these. Most people notice, however, that the man ends up with a sour note in his voice, and if pressed into explaining his bitterness, may get a tongue lashing, if not careful about their words. He is a little envious of the more suave and smooth men of the Havens, those with the ladies on their arms. and he secretly believes that no one could ever love someone who does his kind of work, though his heart holds out a small candle of hope he'll find someone who can appreciate what he does. He can seem distant and standoffish, when first met, and definitely just tries to keep to himself and conduct his own private affairs, without too much interference from others. As such, he may seem in his own little world at times. He is also not the greatest scavenger ever, petering instead to cover others as they search for valuable supplies, but he will forage when it's absolutely necessary.

Vehicles: He does not use any vehicles, he prefers to ride with others, because of his equipment.
Home Base: Reno Haven is his home base of operations, but he will travel where needed.
Starting Point: Reno Haven or perhaps on a mission just outside of it.

Extras-
Theme Song: The One I Once Was by Mortema
Additional Information: He is currently traveling with a group of Washington Haven survivors, as they search for supplies and food, and an additional vehicle. His destination is (hopefully) Fort Riley, which he believes is abandoned..and..untouched by time, the zombies, and other organizations. He is currently suffering from a possible concussion and bullet wound to the left shoulder.

A list of Issac's favorite Music.
"Never Surrender" by Straight Line Stitch

"Angel of Devastation" by Ashes to Ember

"The Apostate" by Lunarsea

"The One I Once Was" by Mortema

"My Apocalypse" by Arch Enemy

"Burn It Down" by Five Finger Death Punch

"Duality" by Slipknot

"Heavy Dose" by Decadence

Username: Howler01

[Free Faller]

I am interested in joining the story, however, I seek your permission before I start writing up a CS. Long story short, I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan and, after 8 months, just got moved to a new FOB that actually has internet. Because of being here, I cannot always promise a hasty reply due to having work, or a internet blackout (that's when they turn off the internet if someone gets hurt for a few days), or on a rare instance a mission (I don't count on going on anymore, but you never know). I can promise that I will make every effort to consistently post, and that I will inform you of any lengthy absence. I'm not sure what you imagine the tempo of the story to be, but I can reasonably say I would be able to post at the very least twice a week.

If you need someone who can post faster or more regularly, that's perfectly fine and I understand. You can tell me straight, I won't get butt hurt over it.

[Alexanderbush]

Name: Alexander Bushell

Nicknames: Alex, Bush, boss, Mr. president

Age: 27

Class: Military

Subclass: Marksman, Long range weaponry, design of weapons

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Physical Attributes:


Alex is 6'2" with Black hair, well mostly grey but it has black init. Alex is never seen without his MSA millennium gas mask as it was given to him by his lieutenant during his time out in Afghanistan. With the mask on it is unknown to the majority of people that come across him to know his facial attributes, only the people that have served in the Armed forces know what he truly looks like. He has Black eyes with a scar running across his face from the left ear across the mouth to the chin. He is never found too far away from his helmet either, even though he spends the majority of his time on roads he feels the need to wear his Military uniform. Alex wears elbow and knee pads to soften the blow when he has to drop down in a fire fight, when the infection first popped up he found an American football chest plate that he modified to hold metal plates making it thicker and softening the blow if he was ever shot. He spray painted it black and has been found to only where that in certain battles outside of the self proclaimed haven he makes for himself as he moves round. He wears standard military issue boots with Viper grade gloves.

Personality: Alexander is a guy with a sense of hummer, a sick one at that. His idea of a joke is 'skilled' kills on a zombie, A throwing knife through a car window is still his favourite. The infection hasn't changed his feelings towards others or aspects of life, however the Infection has caused him to be emotionally unstable. Alex spent the first 3 years of the infection with his team making it very hard for him to trust outsiders.

Before the Infection: Before the infection Alexander was a corporal within the British military, he was one of the most decorated men within his squad that was lead by lieutenant Ludlow, he was the only man who Alex looked up to and had utter respect for. Alex spent most of his military life out in Afghanistan and other Middle eastern nations.

Other then Military achievements Alex never amounted to much other then getting in trouble with the police, although no charges were ever made Alex had been wanted for GBH, assault, burglary and drug abuse. He cleansed himself of his wrong doings before joining the Army.

When the virus struck Alex was on his way home via Florida as there was problems with British aircrafts at the time meaning that all British troops leaving the area had to go via Jacksonville, Florida. The airport had been cleared of civilians and was a military personal area only. It went south from there, his entire team was doing the same and where sat in Jacksonville airport when the meteorites hit, one landed on the runway. Due to the teams military training and equipment the placed there gas masks on before the virus managed to become air born and infected many of the people in the air port. Alex and his men had their equipment on them including their rifles. They fought their way out of the airport before commandeering a humvee and heading north...

After the Infection: After the group made it away from the air port they headed for Atlanta, the nearest city. They pulled up there for a couple of days before things turned from bad to worse, they packed their bags and headed west towards California. They stopped along the way helping where they could scavenging along the way, it took them 3 years to get to Reno where Alex left the group to make a life for himself. Alex made a little raft and sailed out to a little island he found in the middle of the lake, he slowly cut down some of the trees making his own little tree house safe from the zombies, the only problem he had was food. He tended to go hunting but that was his main sauce of food.

Arsenal: Alex always carries two fire arms, they both his slandered equipment within the Military and the only things he has left to remind him of his normal life. his standard issue SA80 Assault rifle with a susat sight attachment as it was his rifle before the Outbreak along with his L115A3 long range Rifle. He has engraved in the butts of the rifles a tally score of the Zombies that he has killed since the start.


Strengths/Skills/Talents: Alex hasn't had much to do with his spear time on his island, he has learned the components of his rifles inside out and there function. He has made many tools and repaired his equipment out of whatever he can find becoming quite the fix it man. He is also a crack shot with his SA80 and can lift quite heavy stuff.


Weaknesses/Problems: Alexander is mentally unstable and can change his opinion on things and people over the smallest of things, he also hates the smell of the Zombies and cant concentrate when he can smell them. He can also become shell shocked when a car back fires or other load noises arise. He Also gets travel sickness when in vehicles making him the worst passenger in existence, he also hates big groups and finds it hard to stay in the protection of someone else.


Vehicles: Alex owns a motorbike that he has been repairing but cant test as he can't find any fuel.


Home Base:

He owns a small shack in the middle of Lake Tahoe, doesn't have many any sustainable living features other than a constant supply of water.

Extras-
Theme Song: Shape of my heart Sting

Additional Information: Hasn't had a relationship since he was 14 when he was cheated on, he feels very insecure around women.

Username: Alexanderbush

[Noctis]

Name: Marcus Kennedy

Nicknames: Seeker

Age: 26

Class: Sentinel (Other). The role of the Sentinels are that of roamers that spend the vast majority of their time outside the walls of the Havens. Other then finding things to survive and trade to the Havens, the Sentinels are constantly on the search for any survivor that has been unfortunate enough to reach a Haven or dwell within a small settlements that existed in isolated spots across the nation. At the same time, these few men and women, because of their values, find themselves locked within a never ending skirmish with the Condemned as they try keep these raiders away from the smaller settlements and restrict their movement as much as possible. In short, they are the Rangers that have taken it upon themselves to fight both the Condemned and the Infected.

Small safe houses have been established and fortified by a handful of Sentinels to provide some safety and shelter from the infected to any, but they are in no way as capable and sustaining as that of the Havens. These safe houses are often relocated, for it is impossible for them to stand against the persistence beasts that seek to devour the dwellers within. Using signs laced with coding, the Sentinels within the safe houses try to direct their comrades as much as possible to find them again.

There are safe houses scattered across the whole former United States, but the main concentration of their members reside in Texas. The Sentinels are led by the Pathfinder whom coordinates their efforts to slowly create more zombie free zones starting from the South and slowly move on towards the Central part of the US. Because of their low numbers and stringent standards on joining procedures, the organization of the Sentinels are usually range from two to four personnel per pod.

The organization's trademark symbol is marked by the black outfits and masks that each Sentinel wears. Because of their nomadic behavior - save the stronghold in Texas - they have had many opportunities to raid military bases to procure a substantial amount of surplus that they hide in key locations that only few know of. Because of this, the personnel of the Sentinels is one of the better equipped factions in the new desolated world.

Subclass: Negotiation, Survival/Tracking, Military knowledge, specifically Delta Force.

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight


Physical Attributes:

Marcus Kennedy wears the standard garbs of a Sentinel, which resembles that of the black fatigues of the SAS. He also has a ammunition/utility belt that wraps around his waist. He carries a black tactical pack that contains his necessities such as rations, water, first aid, and anything else that would be needed to survive in the harsh terrain.

He usually dons a military grade bio-haz mask that his group had looted from an abandoned military base, for they knew the infection was spread with the exchange of bodily fluids or a single bite. To help against the dangers of ballistics from the condemned, he also sports a light ballistic vest that can save him from far range small to assault fire arm discharge but do little to save him from close range and sniper fire. Because of his constant need to stay light and on the move, everything he wears needs to be as light as possible.

Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 205 lbs

Personality: Marcus has a militaristic attitude in regards to attention to detail and strict with the procedures when needed. However, because of his need to adapt and fit in from his time in Delta, he's a laid back guy whom has an affinity to adapt to most situations. He likes to crack a joke here and there and isn't afraid to make his ideas known.

Before the Infection: Before the infection, Marcus had enlisted in the armed service right after his high school graduation. Before taking the commitment to serve his country, he had dreams to obtain a swim scholarship to a big college, get a degree, live the life. However, that all changed when his team had suffered a horrific accident on the road. It was against regulations, red flags in the NCAA rules and such, but he and some buddies had been drinking. They needed to work off the stress and drinking was there. He was in critical condition for a few months before he was released. Though he wasn't the driver and no legal action was taken, he gave up on sports and closed that chapter in his life. He was never the same after.

Eventually, he was able to subdue the past and began Basic which he excelled in. Soon after the completion of Basic, he was selected to participate in the recruitment process for SFOD-D Operative status. He along with many other servicemen from various branches went through this selection process. When the initial screening process came to a end, he was approached by the force commander who told him that he was being relocated for Operator training. From this point on, contact with those that held close was severed as his new life began.

When the additional six month Operator Training Course was completed, Marcus was placed within a Delta cell and soon after placed into active duty. His first deployment was infiltrating the city of Baghdad to embed himself within the local populace and create a network to both sabotage and tap into Iraqi communication lines. Soon after, he was ordered, along with a handful of other Operators to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom and a handful of other other Operations before he was granted permission to return to the States.

After the Infection: Marcus was enjoying his off rotation, for he had just returned from another posting in Iraq. He carried out some Marine and VIP rescues, but nothing too overt or fancy like Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was in his small apartment in North Carolina where he saw news of a virus outbreak flood the television set on every news channel. Immediately, he received the call to mobilize and reported to Fort Bragg where he met up with his Squad awaiting orders. It was during the wait where he learned of the full scope of the calamity. The infectees were already rampaging through the majority of the Southern States and California.

The orders soon came in as he and his team were airlifted to the Appalachian mountains to participate in a defensive perimeter that was being created there. As weeks went by without any news or sign of infected, the first moan was heard on his fifth week on the Appalachian front. Marcus and his team stood there as they saw, in person for the first time, the wave of infected that were slowly crawling towards position. Every vehicle available within the military's power was there; however, it couldn't stop the inevitable collapse of the line. With ever bullet fired and punctured soft, rotting flesh, the things just got back up and shambled on as if nothing had happened at all. It wasn't the lack of arms that caused the line to collapse, but the psychological shock that was the hidden killer. Soon enough, he was forced to retreat.

A months passed since then as Marcus joined the Salvage teams in Florida where he met back up with some former Delta. After a time, the easy life of the Floridian Haven grew too dull for Marcus to remain. The thought of him living in comfort was too much when he thought about the survivors that could have existed on the other side of these secure walls.

Deciding it was time to move, he and two other Delta's left without even the slightest of words to save those whom had been left behind and search for any military survivors. Eventually he ran into the Sentinels in North Carolina where he had joined after giving up on finding any military order. Ever since then, he drifted from ruined city to ruined city looking for survivors. He found his place within this world, and it was the lone Guardian that saved those from the zombies and raiders deep embrace.

Arsenal: Marcus still retains all of his original ordnance since the beginning of the infection. Though it is harder to maintain these weapons, his group, with their frequent raids on military bases has accumulated a significant supply of munition and maintenance that they use to either supply themselves or trade it with settlements or havens to get what they don't have.

M4 SOPMOD
USP .45
Machete

Strengths/Skills/Talents: Other than what was listed above, he can provide very basic military first aid. Marcus also learned how to hot wire vehicles in the great wastes. Because of the nature of his duty, the cities were not ideal for driving, for not only would he get stuck within the abandoned cars, but the sound would attract both the living and the dead to his location. Instead, he used whatever vehicle he could find to drive across large stretches of land. This was his primary way of traveling the quiet continent of North America.

Weaknesses/Problems: Because of his past military experiences, Marcus has always had residual flashbacks to his time in Iraq. He remembered every single person he killed and even his dead comrades that couldn't be saved. Because of this, he has developed a paranoid process , for even when things are safe, he still feels ill at ease and uncomfortable. The thought of something watching him never leaves his thoughts for a second.

Vehicles: Whatever's on the road if usable.
Home Base: The Sentinel Compound in Texas
Starting Point: He'll be starting in the ruins of Orlando Florida. I think I'll have him run into a group of survivors.

Extras-
Theme Song: Believe - The Bravery
Additional Information: Has a Harmonica for the road ^^!
Username: Noctis


-----


Okay! I took soooo many liberties here with the group and what they theoretically have done. If you're not okay with this, say it and it will be changed ^^!

[Prometheus]

Alright, I'm just posting to let you know that I'm home, I'm reading the CSes, and at first glance I could potentially ruin your day. Not because the CSes are bad; I wouldn't know, I haven't read them yet. But I'll be posting a new "factions" area of the OOC as soon as I get it done (before I read the sheets), and one of the factions will be a military remnant. Or... remnant outside of Cheyanne Mountain. So if you're military, y'know, stay tuned.

[Prometheus]

Right, so I've finished my additions. I put in a couple of factions. I'll add more to the list as I go along, and I may or may not make both of them major factors in all character's stories. Depends on how it starts, really.

Also,

I am interested in joining the story, however, I seek your permission before I start writing up a CS. Long story short, I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan and, after 8 months, just got moved to a new FOB that actually has internet. Because of being here, I cannot always promise a hasty reply due to having work, or a internet blackout (that's when they turn off the internet if someone gets hurt for a few days), or on a rare instance a mission (I don't count on going on anymore, but you never know). I can promise that I will make every effort to consistently post, and that I will inform you of any lengthy absence. I'm not sure what you imagine the tempo of the story to be, but I can reasonably say I would be able to post at the very least twice a week.

If you need someone who can post faster or more regularly, that's perfectly fine and I understand. You can tell me straight, I won't get butt hurt over it.

I just saw this. I'd love to have you. Not unconditionally of course (you'd still need to put up a CS), but I'm very flexible when it comes to roleplayer posting status. Twice a week is great for me, and as long as you let me know about your absences, I don't think it'll be too bad if you go missing occasionally. Considering your status, I'll even give you a little leighway in that area.

So go ahead and throw something up, let me see what you've got.


And with that done, onto the CSes. I've put them in spoilers to avoid slapping you all with a wall of text. Just click yours to see what I said.

First, Howler.

Spoiler

little bit of spoiler-ception. This is just your CS. I reposted it to make our lives easier while I write about it.

Spoiler

Name: Issac Frost
Nicknames: "The Icicle", "Ice", "The Ice-man"
Age: 25
Class: Salvager,
Subclass: Marksman, Sniper, Long-range Elmination
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Straight


Physical Attributes:


Attire: Issac wears body armor befitting a Delta Force or Marine sniper. Kevlar lined and camouflaged in brown, greens, and tans, it si befitting a desert or evne jungle scenario, yet, he has it as a "gift" from those who trained him. He stands 5'9 and his eyes, piercingly blue, have given rise to a couple of his nicknames. Trained to kill since he was big enough to hold a gun in his hands, Issac is long past the point of emotions and feelings about the world. He lives to protect those he is loyal to, and who value his services, and he does so almost without any emotion at all. It is very very rare to see him smile, laugh, or show any sort of emotion really. He is a man of few words, and he normally keeps to himself, preferring to watch from the shadows and pick off the infected before they even have a chance to come close to him. He accompanies his seemingly disorganized suit of body armor with some combat boots which have rubber soles and provide him a comfortable, yet quiet, walk among the infected. Silence is his key and to him; everything. The long her remains silent and unnoticed, the longer he remains alive and the long the Haven is protected.
Height:
Weight:

Personality:
Before the Infection: Born to a German Mother and a Russian father, hence his pale skin and sharp, bright eyes, Issac had always loved hunting and loved guns. His parents prioritized education, as well as his love of firearms, and his father took him on many a hunting trip in the woods of Alaska. He quickly grew accustomed to cold and snowy environments, hunting, stalking, and all things related to the hobby. He managed to combine both his parents desires, and his love of weapons into a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from West Point, and he was soon enlisting in the Marines, with the goal of becoming one of their elite recon snipers. Sure, the Army didn't like it much, but he did not regard their sniper with the same awe as he did the Marines. He attended training and rose through the basic ranks fairly quickly, his path made clear to his superior officers who saw the potential he had and cleared him through to achieve his dream, though they did not make it easy. He suffered though the first few years of drills and the emotional breakdown they tried to lay on him, and for a while, Issac though he would break, but he managed to make it through.
He was sent on various missions with a team, and his ability to handle a weapon and to kill with one shot was recognized and respected among his team members. He participated in "hunts" in the Afghan desert, as well as more urban style romps through Serbia and other places, hunting arms dealers and notorious terrorists. He earned his other nickname, "the icicle" from his unit.
After the Infection: On the day the world went to hell, Issac presented himself to the Florida Haven, as a decorated hero more than willing and ready to defended and protect them. Sadly, because much of his work was still classified, and many of the files had never been released and in fact destroyed in the impending apocalypse. He was seen as a member of the Condemned, despite his protests to the contrary. he was firmly booted in the ass and sent out to die. He spent much of that time surviving on his own, something he was more than able to do, however, that was not to say he didn't have any scary moments facing down far more Infected than he could ever have handled on his own. In those instances, he found the hiding or making tepid, temporary alliances with Condemed members and others earned him safe haven. Eventually, he made it out to the Haven in Reno, Nevada, where he decided to set up shop and joined the Salavager tam there.
Arsenal: Any sniper needs a good rifle and Issac is no exception, he normally carries a L115A3 sniper rifle with night optics. This was something traded for on one of his temporary alliances with a Condemed (he killed off a rival Condemmed group's leader with it and kept it as a reward because the particular gang leader respected his skills). He carries an M9 Pistol as a secondary weapon. if the infected get close enough to make his sniper rifle usless or if he simply has run out of ammo on a particular assignment, he will use this, though for him it is a last resort. He trained in hand-to-hand and close quarters combat. He keeps a combat knife on his hip, as last-last resort, though he seriously doubts it's effectiveness.
Strengths/Skills/Talents: Issac has, though his training, developed the ability to be silent and to sneak up onto high ground positions and pick off the infected from there. However, that's not all, he also has honed his ability to use his hands and a few blunt objects, but he will more than likely turn to his guns and his knife, in those situations. He has the unique talent of being able to play the guitar very, very well, and being a dead-eye shot with his rifle and pistol. He has not ever gone too much with it, he suspects his guitar playing is somehow correlated to his rifle skills, but he is unsure, and so he does not play often, but if pressed, he will.
Weaknesses/Problems: Issac's main weakness is his guarded personality. he says what he has to and is more than likely to not explain himself very much. he's not afraid of getting hurt, but he's never had anyone close enough to hurt i.e. a significant other. He's never really had a friend, either. Oh, sure he's worked on temas and is a "team player", but otherwise, he prefers to keep quiet and is somewhat socially awkward as a result. He is a little envious of the more suave and smooth mn of the Havens, those with the ladies on their arms. and he secretly believes that no one could ever someone who does his kind of work, though his heart holds out a small candle of hope he'll find someone who can appreciate what he does. He can seem distant and standoffish, when first met, and definitely just tries to keep to himself and conduct his own private affairs, without too much interference from others. As such, he may seem in his own little world at times. He is also not the greatest savanger ever, petering instead to cover others as they serach for valuable suplies, but he will forage when it's absolutely neccessary.
Vehicles: He does not use any vehicles, he prefers to ride with others, because of his equipment.
Home Base: Reno Haven is his home base of operations, but he will travel where needed.
Starting Point: Reno Haven or perhaps on a mission just outside of it.

Extras-
Theme Song: Dying Breed by Five Finger Death Punch
Additional Information: none right now. May add to this later.
Username: Howler01

Ok, Howler. First thing I need to address here is editing. I've seen worse, but here and there you have spelling or punctuation problems. FIX DEM. This is a major peeve of mine. Is it unfair that I am pressing it onto you while I review your CS? Absolutely. Is that going to change? Not likely. As a commenter on the Dying Breed video very accurately put, punctuation is the difference between the best ever period, and the best ever, period. I'm just saying; please fix it.

But that aside, I want to talk about the actual character here. I see a problem here that I actually don't usually see, and that is a good CS for a dull character. I appreciate the amount of detail you've put into the work (really, I do. It was definitely readable.) but at the end of the day, he's just... boring. He's the silent soldier, and honestly, that's both an overdone archetype and a ridiculously boring one. Apocalyptica is, first and foremost, a character driven roleplay. That's been both the best thing about it and it's downfall several times, but regardless, that's what we have. I'm hoping to make it work this time with a little more intervention, but the majority of the time you'll be left to your own devices. Do you really want to write about Ice when you're 3 or 4 chapters into his own story? He has a personality, I'm not denying that, it's just... not that interesting. However, I've highlighted one area in the CS that interested me greatly. The jealousy and "not-understood" part. This part of the CS that interested me more than any of the others because it stood out. Psychological problems are a reader's candy, and while having the silent/stoic character is fine, he needs to have a lot behind that mask to make up for it. This is especially true in character interaction. If someone's bouncing questions off of you and you're giving yes-or-no answers, that's okay but there needs to be something to back it up. Otherwise, no matter what he's doing, the character is uninteresting to read about. Additionally, if you're going to do anything more than tag along in the roleplay (which I won't allow), E.G., if you want to take the lead like you'll need to (both with your personal story and the overarching one), you'll need a character to do it with. Ice could be that character, but you'd need to really impress upon me that he's more than just a follower. Play up the military experience or talk more about what happened after the apocalypse, anything to convince the reader that he's not just a soldier good at taking orders. Maybe you already know all this. But hell, I'll restate it anyway.

Worth mentioning as well is the guitar part, which I didn't see until one of the last paragraphs and kind of had the effect of letting off a small firecracker in someone's living space, because I didn't see too much else concerning personal interests (or... interests in general). It gives the impression that there's more to the character that I'm not seeing, and while that's good in writing, it isn't on a CS. Try fleshing out those less-explained parts.

Also, this is a story qualm; he got a degree in mechanical engineering from West Point and then sat on it? What am I missing here? Did he need that degree to join the marines, or did he do something with it once he was in the marines, or did he really just sit on it? That struck me as an unexplained point.

But regardless of all the criticism, at the end of the day you've proven to me that with a little bit of work (read: EDITING) you'd be a very capable writer for the roleplay. I am more than willing to accept your character, assuming you can make him a tad more interesting. So that's what I'll call a yes, but with strings attached. Good job.

Second, Alex

Spoiler

Your CS, reposted for convenience.

Spoiler

Name: Alexander Bushell

Nicknames: Alex, Bush, boss, Mr. president

Age: 27

Class: Military

Subclass: Marksman, Long range weaponry, design of weapons

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Physical Attributes:


Alex is 6'2" with Black hair, well mostly grey but it has black init. Alex is never seen without his MSA millennium gas mask as it was given to him by his lieutenant during his time out in Afghanistan. With the mask on it is unknown to the majority of people that come across him to know his facial attributes, only the people that have served in the Armed forces know what he truly looks like. He has Black eyes with a scar running across his face from the left ear across the mouth to the chin. He is never found too far away from his helmet either, even though he spends the majority of his time on roads he feels the need to wear his Military uniform. Alex wears elbow and knee pads to soften the blow when he has to drop down in a fire fight, when the infection first popped up he found an American football chest plate that he modified to hold metal plates making it thicker and softening the blow if he was ever shot. He spray painted it black and has been found to only where that in certain battles outside of the self proclaimed haven he makes for himself as he moves round. He wears standard military issue boots with Viper grade gloves.

Personality: Alexander is a guy with a sense of hummer, a sick one at that. His idea of a joke is 'skilled' kills on a zombie, A throwing knife through a car window is still his favourite. The infection hasn't changed his feelings towards others or aspects of life, however the Infection has caused him to be emotionally unstable. Alex spent the first 3 years of the infection with his team making it very hard for him to trust outsiders.

Before the Infection: Before the infection Alexander was a corporal within the British military, he was one of the most decorated men within his squad that was lead by lieutenant Ludlow, he was the only man who Alex looked up to and had utter respect for. Alex spent most of his military life out in Afghanistan and other Middle eastern nations.

Other then Military achievements Alex never amounted to much other then getting in trouble with the police, although no charges were ever made Alex had been wanted for GBH, assault, burglary and drug abuse. He cleansed himself of his wrong doings before joining the Army.

When the virus struck Alex was on his way home via Florida as there was problems with British aircrafts at the time meaning that all British troops leaving the area had to go via Jacksonville, Florida. The airport had been cleared of civilians and was a military personal area only. It went south from there, his entire team was doing the same and where sat in Jacksonville airport when the meteorites hit, one landed on the runway. Due to the teams military training and equipment the placed there gas masks on before the virus managed to become air born and infected many of the people in the air port. Alex and his men had their equipment on them including their rifles. They fought their way out of the airport before commandeering a humvee and heading north...

After the Infection: After the group made it away from the air port they headed for Atlanta, the nearest city. They pulled up there for a couple of days before things turned from bad to worse, they packed their bags and headed west towards California. They stopped along the way helping where they could scavenging along the way, it took them 3 years to get to Reno where Alex left the group to make a life for himself. Alex made a little raft and sailed out to a little island he found in the middle of the lake, he slowly cut down some of the trees making his own little tree house safe from the zombies, the only problem he had was food. He tended to go hunting but that was his main sauce of food.

Arsenal: Alex always carries two fire arms, they both his slandered equipment within the Military and the only things he has left to remind him of his normal life. his standard issue SA80 Assault rifle with a susat sight attachment as it was his rifle before the Outbreak along with his L115A3 long range Rifle. He has engraved in the butts of the rifles a tally score of the Zombies that he has killed since the start.


Strengths/Skills/Talents: Alex hasn't had much to do with his spear time on his island, he has learned the components of his rifles inside out and there function. He has made many tools and repaired his equipment out of whatever he can find becoming quite the fix it man. He is also a crack shot with his SA80 and can lift quite heavy stuff.


Weaknesses/Problems: Alexander is mentally unstable and can change his opinion on things and people over the smallest of things, he also hates the smell of the Zombies and cant concentrate when he can smell them. He can also become shell shocked when a car back fires or other load noises arise. He Also gets travel sickness when in vehicles making him the worst passenger in existence, he also hates big groups and finds it hard to stay in the protection of someone else.


Vehicles: Alex owns a motorbike that he has been repairing but cant test as he can't find any fuel.


Home Base:

He owns a small shack in the middle of Lake Tahoe, doesn't have many any sustainable living features other than a constant supply of water.

Extras-
Theme Song: Shape of my heart Sting

Additional Information: Hasn't had a relationship since he was 14 when he was cheated on, he feels very insecure around women.

Username: Alexanderbush

First off, I want to acknowledge something to myself for your benefit, and that is that this looks like your first roleplay on here. I just wanted to recognize that and make sure that I did so.

Second, I have to say that it shows.

I appreciate the effort, but without a pretty big overhaul, I don't think your character will be going anywhere. It isn't a bad character by any means. It just isn't quite of the caliber that I am hoping for in this roleplay. It'd be better in a casual-level roleplay, I think. I'd suggest that being where you start off.

That being said, I'm not done. I'm all for giving someone the opportunity to improve, so I don't mind giving second chances. As such, I'm still more than willing to tell you what you could do to improve. I've said no to this version of the CS; I haven't said no entirely.

First off, grammar. I am never ever going to stop chewing people out over this, because it is the most ridiculously stupid mistake a person can make while writing on this site. You have every opportunity to proofread and spellcheck your work before posting. Paste it into MS word and spellcheck it, then read it over, then bring it back to post. That's what I do with a lot of my major posts. But letting so many obvious errors get by is silly.

Second, your class is listed as military. I have no idea why. Classes are listed in the CS. Please fix this, or elaborate on what the class entails if you want to make your own class. From what I'm seeing though, he's very much a "drifter", as you'd have to be in a nonexistent military to be in the military. Sorry for sounding a little harsh, but I'm nitpicky like that.

Moving on to the character as a whole, I'm just going to say it straight: there are problems. The biggest is lack of detail. The personality is very, very general and not very well explained. It has a little bit of what, but not much why. The same can be said for the character history. I have no idea what was going on with Alex before the military, except that he got in trouble a lot for a reason that wasn't explained hardly at all. It takes a couple of creative liberties that I have qualms with, like the virus being airborne. I never specifically said how the virus was transmitted, just that it came in on the meteors. I guess you had to do the best with what you were given, but rest assured, a gas mask probably only would have solved part of the problem. I blame myself for not saying how it was transmitted, but I never really intended for anyone to witness ground-zero. I don't have a problem with that part of your STORY per-say, but you need to make it way more believable, as well as elaborating on the rest of the CS to match the detail put into that particular part. After the infection isn't much better, with you covering almost 5 years in the space of a paragraph. Like the personality, the strengths and weaknesses are fairly clear on the what, but with very little why to match.

Overall, the character is fairly one-dimensional, but with room to be a lot more than that. That's why I didn't just say "no" outright, because I think with more effort you could improve. But otherwise, I'd recommend the Casual section as a better starting point.

And last (at least for now), Noctis

Spoiler

Your CS.

Spoiler

Name: Marcus Singer
Nicknames: Seeker
Age: 26
Class: Sentinel (Other). The role of the Sentinels have strong ties to those of the Salvagers from the Havens. They find things of interest to sell/trade with the various Havens, pass on news of incoming hordes, and even work with the Havens sometimes. However, they are the roamers that spend the vast majority of their time outside the walls of the Havens. Other then finding things to survive and give to the Havens, the Sentinels are constantly on the search for any survivor that has been unfortunate enough to reach a Haven or dwell within a small settlements that existed in isolated spots across the nation. At the same time, these few men and women, because of their values, find themselves locked within a never ending skirmish with the Condemned as they try keep these raiders away from the smaller settlements and restrict their movement as much as possible.

Small safe houses have been established and fortified by a handful of Sentinels to provide some safety and shelter from the infected to any, but they are in no way as capable and sustaining as that of the Havens. These safe houses are often relocated, for it is impossible for them to stand against the persistence beasts that seek to devour the dwellers within. Using signs laced with coding, the Sentinels within the safe houses try to direct their comrades as much as possible to find them again.

There are safe houses scattered across the whole former United States, but the main concentration of their members reside in Texas. Given the nature of large degree of risk, the numbers of the Sentinels are well below a thousand. As such, their numbers are those whom have adapted a great skill in surviving in the wastelands.

Subclass: Negotiation, Survival/Tracking, Military knowledge, specifically Delta Force.
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Straight


Physical Attributes:

Marcus Kennedy wears the standard garbs of a Sentinel, which resembles that of the black fatigues of the SAS. He also has a ammunition/utility belt that wraps around his waist. He carries a black tactical pack that contains his necessities such as rations, water, first aid, and anything else that would be needed to survive in the harsh terrain.

He usually dons a military grade bio-haz mask that his group had looted from an abandoned military base, for they knew the infection was spread with the exchange of bodily fluids or a single bite. To help against the dangers of ballistics from the condemned, he also sports a light ballistic vest that can save him from far range small to assault fire arm discharge but do little to save him from close range and sniper fire. Because of his constant need to stay light and on the move, everything he wears needs to be as light as possible.

Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 205 lbs

Personality: Is it possible to develop this within the rp? I've always seen that my characters personality always differs from what I write. Let me know if this isn't going to fly, and I'll come something else up.

Before the Infection: Before the infection, Marcus had enlisted in the armed service right after his graduation. He eventually was selected to participate in the recruitment process for SFOD-D Operative status. He along with many other servicemen from various branches went through this selection process. When the initial screening process came to a end, he was approached by the force commander who told him that he was being relocated for Operator training. From this point on, contact with those that held close was severed as his new life began.

When the additional six month Operator Training Course was completed, Marcus was placed within a Delta cell and soon after placed into active duty. His first deployment was infiltrating the city of Baghdad to embed himself within the local populace and create a network to both sabotage and tap into Iraqi communication lines. Soon after, he was ordered, along with a handful of other Operators to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom and a handful of other other Operations before he was granted permission to return to the States.

After the Infection: Marcus was enjoying his off rotation when the first signs of panic began to rush in. He was in his small apartment in North Carolina when he saw the reports had started to come in. Immediately, he reported to Fort Bragg where he met up with his Delta Squadron as they stood by for orders. While on base, he had watched with shock as zombies were literally rampaging through the Southern States.

The orders soon came in as he and his team were airlifted to the Appalachian mountains to participate in a defensive perimeter that was being created there. As weeks went by without any news or sign of infected, the first moan was heard. Marcus and his team stood there as they saw, in person for the first time, the wave of infected that were slowly crawling towards position. Every vehicle available within the military's power was there; however, it couldn't stop the inevitable collapse of the line and soon enough the east was taken as well.

A number of months later, when all military chatter had ceased, Marcus joined the Salvage teams in Florida where he met back up with some former Delta. After a time, the easy life of the Floridian Haven grew too dull for Marcus to remain. The thought of him living in comfort was too much when he thought about the survivors that could have existed on the other side of these secure walls.

Deciding it was time to move, he and two other Delta's left within even the slightest of words to save those whom had been left behind. Eventually he ran into the Sentinels in North Carolina where he had since taken up their name as his own and searches the remnants of the once great nation of America in search for anything practical and for those whom needed aid.

Arsenal: Marcus still retains all of his original ordnance since the beginning of the infection. Though it is harder to maintain these weapons, his group, with their frequent raids on military bases has accumulated a significant supply of munition and maintenance that they use to either supply themselves or trade it with settlements or havens to get what they don't have.

M4 SOPMOD
USP .45
Machete

Strengths/Skills/Talents: Other than what was listed above, he can provide very basic military first aid. Has picked up the skill to hot wire vehicles.
Weaknesses/Problems: Because of his past military experiences, Marcus is quite paranoid. Even when things are safe, he takes the extra step to make sure it's one hundred percent safe. He places heavy emphasize on attention to detail.
Vehicles: Whatever's on the road if usable.
Home Base: The Sentinel Compound in Texas
Starting Point: He'll be starting in the ruins of Orlando Florida. I think I'll have him run into a group of survivors.

Extras-
Theme Song: Believe - The Bravery
Additional Information: Has a Harmonica for the road ^^!
Username: Noctis

First, welcome. I like you already. The first thing I saw were the happy cat eyes ^^ and that makes me want to like you instantly. Take that as you will, it was just my first observation and I felt the need to share.

...and after reading your CS, I think I was right in wanting to like you. First is the point I've started off with for the other 2 CS's and that is grammar. Oh, wait... hmm, it appears you have edited your CS! YES! You know how to do that! Ah... that makes me happy. No spelling errors, or at least, none that I noticed immediately. Although there are a couple of places that sound funny in the class description and elsewhere, at least you know how to spell check. Also, you have him labeled Marcus Kennedy in the Physical description, and Marcus Singer in the name section. Oops! I like the name Marcus Kennedy. You don't have to, but that's the one I'd go with.

On to the character. Going from top to bottom, I should first address your class idea. I dig it, but if I may I recommend editing it to put heavier emphasis on the non-salvaging parts. Despite most of the description being about what Sentinels do ASIDE from salvaging, the first paragraph gives the impression that they're salvagers and the rest of the job is tacked on. I'd put in salvaging as an afterthought instead. That's just part of their relationship in the havens, not really needed in the first sentence of the summary. Physical description looks okay. I recognize the picture of the guy from somewhere, I just can't peg down where it was. Do you know, or did you just find his picture on google?

In regards to your personality, I don't mind if you add onto it as you write, but I'm going to ask for at least a general summary. You don't have to go into detail as long as you fill his personality out later, but just in general, what is he like? Is he lighthearted and funny, or gritty and down-to-earth? Just a couple of key words is all I'm asking for, at least for now.

On your background, there's a couple of details I'd like you to address. First, when you say "graduation" (it will be highlighted), do you mean from high school? I kinda assumed that, but can't be too sure. Also, I still don't know anything about the character before he joined the military. It isn't breaking the CS as the rest is pretty detailed, but I'd appreciate if you'd fill that in at some point, maybe in conjunction with your personality. Otherwise, it's a good general summary of what happened, but could use a little bit more fleshing out. In particular, it seems like you've done a good job of having his post-military history consist of 4 or 5 events. 5 years is a lot of time, especially in an apocalypse. I'm not saying that it's inadequate. As a matter of fact, I can't quite peg down what's bugging me about the second half of your history. But fleshing it out a little would be good. In particular, the Sentinels seem to be the weak point. They're a new group in the world (or at least, newly written) and apart from your class paragraph explaining what Marcus does in conjunction with them, we don't hardly know anything about who they are, what they do, how or where they do it, or where they came from. I'd explain that a little more.

On the strengths and weaknesses, I'd elaborate on the whys. The skills themselves aren't bad. But they seem to be conveniently random, apart from a skill with firearms and basic first aid, which are easily explained. I think having a personality written will help flesh out these categories, just make sure that you do add more.

And then you top it off with a song by the Bravery. That is just awesome.

Overall, you've got a great character and shown me that you're very ready to contribute. Hell, I'll accept you now, you're definitely qualified for it. Just promise me that you'll add more once we've started, okay?

...and 2 hours of writing later, I'm finished! For the moment! Aweena, I can't nitpick your CS until you write your new one, so DO IT!
Oh, and for those of you who didn't quite get the memo, Aweena was one of the GMs for the last Apocalyptica. She'll be joining us on this one, assuming her sense of humor and talent for writing haven't been mauled by bears since I've last seen her.

Anyways, I'll ghost around for a few hours after this, so if you have thoughts, questions, letters of gratitude, or an ALL CAPS RAGE! you want to share in the meantime, please do so. But first things first, I've got to take a damn break.

-Prometheus.