A Detailed Chronology of the World's Collapse

[Shalashaska]

The IC:http://roleplayerguild.com/showthrea...14#post8349114
A Brief Exposition on the Events Until Now
Fifty years ago, "Biografting" technology was introduced to the world. A group of scientists working independently, who would later form the company Machina Corpus, presented the idea of "advanced prosthetics" to the UN; the UN leapt on the idea, each country eager to get as close to monopolizing the technology as possible. The scientists, who hailed from England, allowed the UK direct access to the initial blueprints for the biografting technologies. The UK went on to share these specs with the US and France, leaving other countries to produce cheap knockoffs through risky procedures. What only the UK, US, and France knew was that biografting was much more than just a chance for newer, better prosthetic limbs- it was a gateway into much, much more.
Within five years, however, other groups began to suspect. Spain and Italy backed each other in demanding the blueprints at a UN meeting, and they managed to convince France to cooperate; this angered other, left out nations, who proceeded to either make similar demands of Spain or step up their own research programs. Although none of them knew it at the time, everything was going to change.
Two years later, various extremist groups had emerged in places like Russia and Germany, who were rapidly falling behind technologically. These groups, branded terrorists by their own governments, staged bombings in London, Paris, and even Washington D.C.; Rome was hit, too, while Spain remained untouched. One of the groups- it is unknown which, as all of them claimed responsibility- uncovered the designs for the full extent of biografting and made them public.
The secret was out now. Biografting wasn't just used to replace limbs- it was used to enhance existing ones, and to alter the mind as well. The UK's Royal Air Force all had "enhanced perception" chips in their brains; the US' Marine Corps. and Navy SEALS had "iron lungs," which allowed them to recycle oxygen for much longer periods of time; France had gone a different route, using the biografting technology to develop "EXO Suits," which were lighter, more efficient sets of body armor. The final nail in the coffin was that the governments had concealed all of this from the public. More and more extremist groups rose up, some in favor of what would come to be known as "Enhancing," others opposed to it.
It is said that the fall of empires begins with a revolution and ends with a war; every major nation that had control over biografting felt the pains of revolution, and soon after, all the great nations went to war. Everyone was alone; alliances went up in smoke, and if you weren't a major nation you became part of one by force. A mere thirty years after biografting emerged, the world tore itself to bits, and the select few were there to pick up the pieces.
Machina Corpus was there. (See, "The View From the Edge")
The Patriots were there. (See, "Standing Among the Wreckage")
Les Revolutionaires were there, as were their ill-gotten allies. (See, "The Pillars of Modernity")
Finally, the PMCs were there. (See, "The Ideals of a Cybernetic Society")

The View From the Edge
The city of London: what does that phrase conjure in your mind? The large, brown Westminster clocktower? The Parliamentary Building? Perhaps even Oxford University? Wipe all of that from your mind. Sleek, flat, black streets; self-suspended lanterns rather than lampposts; shiny, black, tall buildings replacing the quaint old-timey architecture of London; this is what makes up modern day London. The citizens are far less human than they once were; some of them are comprised mostly of mechanical parts, regarded by the modern world as cyborgs. However, that is not an uncommon viewpoint, nor is it frowned upon. The reason for this is simple; Machina Corpus, the world's leading biografting company, was there to pick up the pieces of London. London is not, in fact, London; London is now an amalgamation of several different cities, all united under the banner of London. Machina Corpus controls all official pathways in the city; every restaurant, every bar, every club, every store, every biografting clinic- all of these are controlled by Machina Corpus. They even control The Tube, which is now the only way- barring walking- of getting around in London. However, a single company could not possibly control the entirety of several cities comprehensively. In order to make up for this shortcoming, Machina Corpus has hired several Privatized Military Companies, PMCs for short, to act as military police. Among these PMCs- who are by rights mercenaries- there are several leaks. The system Machina Corpus has created is in no way foolproof; even their own employees have become turncoats. However, London is as close to a Utopia as the modern world has.

Do not be fooled by the outside of London. After all, Attitude is Everything; here in London, everything is a front. Boosters roam the streets, stealing Enhancements off of the streets and pawning them, killing the civilians who owned them. The citizens of London are all employees of Machina Corpus, be it direct or indirect, and most of them spend the entirety of their free time partying. London is drowning in decadence- and Machina Corpus realizes this. They have a plan, one which has been in development for decades; a plan which will change the world for centuries, as did biografting. This plan will change you; but you shouldn't worry. After all, you can take it; you signed up for this. Your heart beats with metal, your lungs move with steel bands- you're Cyberpunk.

Standing Among the Wreckage
The United States of America. The entirety of the west coast, as well as the central and mid-east U.S. were destroyed; all that remains is the well-defended east coast. The Empire State Building was never toppled; it still stands, in fact, as a stark monument to American fortitude.
On the other hand, the entirety of Manhattan, Washington D.C., and everything south of New York was flattened. The Patriots, a group of military and governmental officials, got together in the Empire State Building and re-founded American Civilization. Priority one was building shelters; there were too many of them to live in the Empire State Building, regardless of its great size. They were floundering about, for the most part hopeless, until Mechanical Sword PMC approached them with an offer; if they helped establish American society again, The Patriots would, in turn, pay them back once they began to prosper. This was a risky business strategy, but it worked- much of Manhattan was turned into residential lodgings, and all of Long Island, which extended out to the east, was militarized and used for Mechanical Sword's base of operations as well as The Patriot's militia's HQ. Throughout the fifty years after the collapse of society as we know it, The Patriots became heavily militarized; there is a camaraderie that exists between the men and women of The Patriots, in that they know that, regardless of individual birthlines, they are all American at heart. The Patriots do not prosper as well as the citizens of London- in fact, they are the underdogs, and have only the biografting technology which they had before the collapse and that which they have siphoned through the black market from Machina Corpus' corrupt executives. They also have deals with the Boosters of London, although those are certainly quieter than the black market interactions.

Once again, there are those inside The Patriots who defy their leaders. There is no firm hierarchy in The Patriots- those who were strong before are strong now, and the children of those who were once in power are now understood to be in power still. However, there is no longer a President of the United States, a point which has been debated since day one. Certain extremist groups have arisen within the ranks- some of them hate Machina Corpus, others hate Russians, and a third group has found a way to blame the Nazi party for the destruction of civilization. Funny, isn't it, that no matter what happens, humans find it difficult to change their opinions?

The Pillars of Modernity
Ah, France. The rebellion in France was secretly supported by that of Russia during the entirety of the war, which explains several things:
a) The fact that the architecture France is mostly unharmed and unchanged, which is testament to the lack of bombs used on the city.
b) The level of technology Les Revolutionaires have, which is almost on par with that of Machina Corpus.
c) The strong bonds formed between Les Revolutionaires and Bioweapon, the PMC which approached them and offered to act as a police force after the collapse of civilization. It has been speculated the Bioweapon was founded in Russia.
All of these things contribute to the strange atmosphere in France, especially around Paris; you see men who are mostly cyborgs walking through ancient arches, fully Enhanced Bioweapon soldiers guarding the Eiffel Tower, and hyper-advanced VTOLs- some of the only few known to still exist- hovering near the Arc du Triomphe. France has survived through deceit and continues to be a hive of double agents and turncoats- there are still elements of Russian men in French towns. Les Revolutionaires have a very organized, rigid government, one which consists of a Prime Minister and a cabinet of advisors, but elections are never held. It seems that the next Prime Minister is selected before the previous one is forced to step down- it is almost as though everything is being controlled... but that's ridiculous. Isn't it?

The Ideals of a Cybernetic Society
There aren't many of these. People have grown to accept that they will have to adapt to survive- and those who did adapt, those who grabbed technology by the throat and held on, were called Cyberpunks. Essentially, if you are still alive, you are one of three things:
1) A mercenary, or employed by mercenaries.
2) A Cyberpunk, or employed/employing Cyberpunks.
or 3) An obscure purist who will probably die very soon. In fact, I can see a member of Bioweapon approaching you right now.
The PMCs are the worst of the bunch. They thrive off of other people's failures; Mechanical Sword in particular tends to leech off of the lifeblood of others. Although they did restore The Patriots, they then imposed heavy taxes and a strict martial law on the citizens of the U.S.

Don't worry though. If you've made it this far, you can survive anything. Right?


The Rules
Okay, so onto the rules.
This is casual, so please try to post at least a paragraph whenever possible; there will be times when it is impossible, which I understand.
Please remain civil in the OOC.
Please post in the OOC, as it can be important to the plot. This is not required, but it is suggested.
Please try not to be OP. I will bring the GMhammer down on your head.
And, finally, please be willing to have multiple characters after a previous character dies.

The Friday Night Fire Fight System
Originally used in tabletop RPG's, I'm using a version of it here; if you get into combat, it will be discussed in the OOC. If Player 1 sneaks up on Player 2 and shoots him in the back of the head seventeen times, Player 2 will die. However, I'm not saying our characters will all mass murder each other; this basically just enforces the whole, "No OP." rule.

The Character Sheet
Name: First, last, nickname, whatever, just make sure it's as much information as is correct to provide.
Gender: Male? Female?
Age: Er. How many years has this person been alive?
Alliance: Patriots? Revolutonaires? Machina Corpus? Some PMC?
Appearance: Describe them. If there are any pictures, feel free.
Biography/Personality: Give a paragraph or two on their lives, how they faired after the collapse of society, and how they think/feel.
Enhancements: This part is VITAL. What Enhancements do they have? Give the Enhancement and a description of what it does. I will approve or disapprove. Once more, this is to restrict people from being OP.

Enjoy!

[Elyk]

Thinking I should hold off until Narwhal shows up, sounds like they wanted to set up a Patriots Special Forces team

[KnightShade]

I'm working on mine

[Shalashaska]

Name: Thomas Cale

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Alliance: Machina Corpus

Appearance: Thomas is a tall, thin man with fairly long blonde hair and vibrant green eyes. His jaw is strong, his teeth are white and his nose is crooked, as though it were broken. He usually wears a black blazer, crisp white dress shirt, black tie and black slacks. Depending on the situation, he'll either wear black dress shoes or black combat boots. He is hardly ever seen without either a smirk or a cocky smile on his face. After the surgery (explained below) he no longer wears shoes.

Biography/Personality: Thomas Cale's father, Ethan Cale, was a thrifty businessman. During the war, he had thrived, signing up with Machina Corpus as soon as possible and becoming one of their top number crunchers. He handled the business end of the mega-corporation; while the scientists who had founded the company were certainly intelligent, they weren't experienced in running a business. Ethan had installed numerous augments to aid in his job, becoming one of Machina Corpus' top stockholders as well as their top employee. Because of this, his son, Thomas, was well-liked by Machina Corpus immediately; they saw great potential in him. When Thomas was 23, his father was killed by Boosters. They sold his Enhancements on the black market, and Thomas changed. At the time of his father's death, he was working in the Machina Corpus main office; he had Enhancements focusing mostly on intellect, but rather than handling the numbers end of the business, Thomas had handled the political aspect. Even in these strange times, diplomacy is important, and Thomas had helped them gradually expand their influence until everyone in London was under their thumb.
Now that his father was dead, he had a different idea. The executives from Machina Corpus felt for him; at least, that's what they told him. They agreed to grant him a discount on several militaristic Enhancements- Thomas planned to take to the streets and start fighting Boosters. However, Machina Corpus had a different idea. They realized that Thomas was exactly what they needed- someone who had lost everything, someone who was loyal, and someone who was too intelligent to lose. Therefore, when they put him under for the surgery, they decided to take a different route than what he had chosen for himself.
The procedure had taken a few days to complete. By the end of it, Thomas' skin had been removed and replaced with a synthetic material which refracted light; Thomas could alternate between a material which appeared, to the naked eye, as normal skin and a material which made him essentially invisible, barring his eyes and hair. The structure of his feet was changed entirely; the heels went down farther, the arch in the middle was more pronounced. This would allow him to move quickly and silently, after a few weeks of learning to maintain balance. Finally, all of the intellectual biochips in his brain had been removed- an incredibly costly and dangerous procedure- and replaced with three biochips and one regulator. These would, while working in tandem, aid him in remaining unseen and assure his loyalty to the company who had betrayed him.
Thomas Cale was now, essentially, a corporate assassin.

Enhancements:
The Prototype IM-001 Skin Suit: This allows Thomas to refract light around his entire body. The only places which cannot refract light are his eyes (when open) and his hair. This will effectively make him invisible while in use.
HERMES Boots: His feet were altered to be more silent. They are now jet black and entirely metallic, with extended heels and an over-exaggerated arch; they resemble more upside down "u"s than feet, and the ends are insulated to remove noise. These can also be affected by the IM-001 Skin Suit.
POLARIS Portable Energy Source: While the Enhancements will usually use his own biological energy to function, if an EMP is triggered they will need to be manually reactivated; the POLARIS Portable Energy Source allows for Enhancements to be kickstarted in the event of an accident.
OPTIC Biochip: This biochip is attached directly to the optic nerve, altering the user's vision. This provides enhanced low-light vision, thermal vision, a binocular-esque zoom and a means by which one may "tag" a target. A tagged target will be seen with a red outline; however, targets do not automatically tag, and must be seen before they can be.
AUDIO Biochip: This stimulates the cochlea, allowing for enhanced hearing when used.
LATIN Biochip: This allows for the automatic identification and translation of all languages into the host language (English).
Limiter: This is a killswitch. If the user disobeys the people who control him (Machina Corpus), his brain will receive a series of violent electric shocks, resulting in death.

Please note the following: yes, these are super Enhancements. However, he's the only one of his kind, and is completely under Machina Corpus' control (through threat of death).

- - - Updated - - -

Oh my, people posted. ^^" Good to hear it KnightShade, and alright, Elyk!

[Count Epsilon]

Name: "Syr Satany"
Gender: Male
Age: 47
Alliance: Sort of neutral, but technically Les Revolutionaires
Enhancements: (Insert technical moniker here): Heals internal damage at a moderate rate, and instantly stops internal bleeding, (insert technical moniker here): allows the wearer to interpret and speak foreign languages while also heightening awareness, rationale, and the ability to act and react under high amounts of pressure
Background:

MACHINA CORPUS
S.AGENT TOM FLOWERS
M.C. SUSPECT F.#CZ-33QZ
LONDON, ENGLAND



RUSLAN "SYR SATANY" YELCHIN, BLACK DOLPHIN PRISON, CIRCA 2056

NAME: Ruslan Konstantinovich Yelchin
ALIASES: Syr Satany (Son of Satan), D'yavol (Belial, demon)
DATE OF BIRTH: August 11, 2023
PLACE OF BIRTH: Tbilisi, Georgia (South of Russia)
CRIMINAL ASSOCIATES: N/A
SIBLINGS: Sasha Kirillovich Ivankov (brother), Mina Dobravich Ivankova (sister)
BIRTH PARENTS: Arkadiy Semionovich Ivankov (father), Dobra Khedirich Yelchin (mother)
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Height: 6 feet, 1 inch (6' 1")

Weight: 24.29 stone/340.06lbs

Eye colour: Pale blue - we assume that his eyes have adopted the same colouration as that of a blind individual as a result of the biomolecular reengineering he'd undergone at birth, and throughout his service in the Russian prison system.

Hair colour: Jet black

Tattoos/scars:

Bull (left breast) - means that he is violent, and aggressive towards authorities, and other inmates

Grim reaper (abdomen) - means that he is or once was a contract killer

Bells (neck/collar bone) - means that he will serve his full given sentence, bell call to bell call

Scribing monk (left forearm) - means that he is skilled with a blade, or sharpened coin

8 point stars (shoulders) - means that he is a fully inducted member of the Russian mafiya, "vory v zakone" - thief in law

Stars (knees) - means that he bows to no authority, be it a prison guard, or Machina Corpus

Bangles (right forearm/wrist) - means that he has served, in total, 15 years in prison

Tiger (right breast) - means that he is violent towards police

Virgin Mary (right bicep) - means that he has been a criminal from a very young age, the Virgin Mary will protect him form misfortune

Setting Sun (right shoulder) - means that he is free

Cathedral (entire back) - means that he has served time in prison. Each dome tower

represents number of years in prison[/indent]

28 Domes (throughout back) - means that he has served 28 years in prison

Swastika (throat) - means that he is opposed to prison authority, not that he is a Nazi

Miscellaneous gothic tattoos (mainly entire hands) - not sure what these mean, though they could imply that he has had many attempts on his life, some may imply that he is immortal

HISTORY:

Ruslan was bastardized at a young age; his father left he and his mother to join the growing revolution in France, and so

Ruslan grew up with little authority in his life. As a result, Ruslan was thrust into the "real world" very early, and was thusly forced to adapt to dangerous, hostile environments. However, unbeknownst to Ruslan, he was chosen as a candidate for an enhanced testosterone biomolecular adjustment while still in his mother's womb. The increased levels of testosterone allowed Ruslan to grow significantly faster than the average person; by the age of 12, he was already the tallest he would ever be: 5'10". The higher levels of testosterone meant that Ruslan's muscles would be stronger, and more durable.

Ruslan's mother was a prostitute for most of his life, and she was eventually slain by Belarusian gangsters when she refused

to service them at the same time. Ruslan's mother, being a "venerable" hostess, brought in an immeasurable amount of money for the South Russian factions or "bratvas", and so the assailants of Ruslan's mother had become high priority targets. The bounty placed on their heads was equivilant to the price of a "super enhancement" today, so the Belarusian thugs were pursued to no end by the South Russian gangsters, but it was not the bratva who could be credited with their capture, but Ruslan. It had been 3 years since his mother's death, and Ruslan had been stalking his prey for many years.

The thugs were exiting a very shady bar in a Russian slum while Ruslan skulked in the shadows. In a fit of uncontrollable

rage, Ruslan sprung from the shadows and beat one of them to death while the others repeatedly kicked and punched him in the head. Ruslan shoved one of the men away from him and stood upright. The bar's CCTV captured the entire scene, and the audio feedback provided us with Ruslan saying, "D'yavol watches over me. God's judgment is righteous, but Lyutsifer's judgment is ruthless. By his direction, I am guided to vengeance." The men display confusion, but it's clear that Ruslan is the son of the woman they'd slain all those years ago when he says, "Dobra finds love and acceptance in the afterlife with Lyutsifer. He is my father. I am Syr Satany." The footage following his declaration consists of Ruslan viciously beating the remaining 3 men, putting 2 of them in a coma, and killing the 3rd. The 1st man died of his injuries a week later, and the 2nd man was never found. We did, however, capture a figure on camera that resembled Ruslan dragging a man from the trunk of a vehicle into the back of a Russian hotel. Ruslan was the only one who left the building, and he was carrying a suitcase.

Ruslan was later convicted of 3 counts of first degree murder and served 7 years in a maximum security prison while under

the protection of the Russian mafia. Given his lack of choices for activity, Ruslan found himself interested in fitness, but he was frequently asked of his criminal superiors to physically attack certain inmates and guards, so he had no access to any exercise equipment, and had very limited interaction with other inmates, effectively cutting off contact with others, keeping steroids and other perfomance enhancing drugs out of his reach. This didn't matter, however, because Ruslan would become heavily invested in bodyweight/calisthenic exercises. In some cases the guards would find Ruslan's bedframe without its legs. It's said that Ruslan used the bedframe as a weight to increase the difficulty for his pressup routine. In other cases, the guards would find his bedsheets tied to the cell and window bars, leading them to believe that he was using this as a method for chinups. In under 3 months Ruslan had gone from a thin man of 145lbs. to an impressive 196lbs. 3 months into his sentence and Ruslan was already 51lbs. heavier. After his mandatory year of solitary confinement was up, Ruslan was given several tattoos that identified him as a facet of the Russian criminal underworld, but it wasn't until he savagely beat the warden of the prison to death that he got his 8 points stars, or "Mark of the Vor".

Throughout his 7 year term, Ruslan had slain 11 men, and put a staggering 45 more in intensive care. However he often

avoided implication as he tempered his methods in the prison. Such a circumspective environment encourages the inmates to be as discrete as possible. Shortly after his release (aged 24), Ruslan was welcomed into the oldest standing Russian crime family in the world: The Solntsevskaya Bratva. Ruslan was requested to lead an assault on a Georgian crime boss' estate, and did so indiscriminately. It's been said that even after being shot 6 times, stabbed repeatedly (around 20 incisions), and beaten over the head with a hammer, Ruslan still pushed on and personally killed the leader of the Usoyan organization. His wounds were later treated at a private hospice in Moscow. Although he nearly died of blood loss and damaged internal organs, he fully recovered in under a month. We believe it's a result of the experiments performed on him as a child. For a spell before his second incarceration, Ruslan was known as "Bessmertnyy" - meaning The Immortal One. He was convicted of over 100 murders, and assumed to have been involved in or to have orchestrated over 300 more, but was never proven guilty. Although there has never been a life sentence in the Russian prison system, I think it's safe to say that that's what Ruslan was given. 186 years. Consecutively.

At 11 years into his sentence, Ruslan was selected to have his molecular structure rebuilt again. This time he was given a

form of "super protein", and a standard human growth hormone. In 6 months, Ruslan gained 135lbs. of muscle, and 25lbs of body fat, and grew from 5'10" to 6'1". It is the most significant and astonishing physical growth spurt in documented history. 14 years after these enhancements became visible, Ruslan was selected to participate in a program where violent European criminals were sent to France to help in the growing resistance. Ruslan fled the camp to which he was assigned, and has yet to be found. Rumor has it that he's living in a wooded area near Paris, but as said, they're just rumors.

Ruslan was given two Biografts: one to assist in healing internal wounds/stop internal bleeding, or to perform tasks similar

thereto, and the other was implanted on his brain to help him understand, and possibly speak foreign languages. The Russian surgeons, however, mucked up the operation and accidentally gave Ruslan the ability to act and react faster while under high pressure situations, and to rationalize options. They have, if only by accident, effectively created a rage monster without the rage. We imagine that he's retained his psychopathic need for violence, and bloodshed, but it's no longer fueled by rage. We now have a completely analytical killing machine before us. If he receives anymore Biografts in the future, then we might have a serious problem on our hands, but for now I think our units will fare finely enough against him.

[Shalashaska]

Okay, so this was run past me, I approved it, it's not like he just randomly did all that. What I couldn't figure out how to make clear is this: Russia, taken aback and irked by biografting technology being everywhere but with them, decided to experiment in biochemical tech rather than cybernetics. It's part of the universe, just not relevant to the plot of this RP (except for in the above character).

[Count Epsilon]

Okay, so this was run past me, I approved it, it's not like he just randomly did all that. What I couldn't figure out how to make clear is this: Russia, taken aback and irked by biografting technology being everywhere but with them, decided to experiment in biochemical tech rather than cybernetics. It's part of the universe, just not relevant to the plot of this RP (except for in the above character).

it was mainly... "so you're playing a purist?"
i fucking hope not
"hmm"
well, how about this?
"sure."

[Nytem4re]

CS up soon on this post.

[Nytem4re]

It is taking longer than anticipated. Will be up tomorrow...

[iFail]

May I still apply?