In 2041 the world held its breath as the by then anemic ocean currents faltered and died, the water too hot for it to sink at the poles as it had done since before the dinosaurs. Earth's waters stood still, the vast ocean conveyor now a thing of the past as one of the cornerstones of life on Earth died not with a bang, but a whimper.

It was a whimper that would be felt throughout the world.

Algae bloomed uncontrolled in the warm oceans, choking out what lived below as they churned out toxins. The scientists looked at the data, the leaders looked at the data, the average person looked at the data, the world looked at the data- the data didn't paint a pretty picture.

The oceans were a stagnant graveyard, nothing lived, save some archaea and other resilient microorganisms. And the algae. The algal blooms smothered everything, plenty of freshwater lakes and rivers were just as clean as they would normally be, it was a comforting drop in the bucket, but a drop in the bucket nonetheless.

Many thought it couldn't get worse, that surely things would soon right themselves and the world would learn a valuable lesson- speaking of dinosaurs...

Ma' always said nature has a way of restoring balance, if humans tampered with things too much, the planet would kill us off like so many flies under a swatter.

And so nature did. The toxins in the ocean began to leach into the atmosphere, soon permeating all of the lower layer in a blanket of gaseous death. Billions died choking on the breath they held once the snowball had began rolling, it ran out all too quickly. Some had prepared themselves, and took longer to die. Many killed themselves, unwilling to suffocate in their own atmosphere. The cities of humanity became eerie mausoleums. Great tomb of concrete and steel, ominous and foreboding, they were all that seemed to remain of human kind’s accomplishments.

But there were survivors, like the flies, humanity is stubborn, and not easy to kill completely. Billions may die, and yet some will survive.

Well before the apocalypse, alert minds saw what was coming and sought to prevent it. They approached wealthy nations and cities with plans for great domes and life support system to cover large swaths of land, primarily city, and spare the inhabitants from meeting an untimely demise. Many laughed outright, even more scoffed in disdain, and even more raised objections about the cost. Only a handful of cities around the world accepted, and work began almost immediately. The domes were a marvel of engineering, and the engineers themselves felt proud of their work, much as they hoped it would never be needed.

When the poison leeched from the waters and into the air, these cities sealed down, locking out the world around as it sputtered and died. Civilization lived on in these enclaves of life and humanity, beacons in a world where the very air is poison.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to 2057, the apocalypse, as you can see, there is a distinct lack of zombies. Now, don’t forget your gas mask…





Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let's get to the character sheet.



And that’s it for now! If you have any questions about other things in the apocalypse or why something is the way it is, PM me, or better yet, post it in the OOC so everyone else can become enlightened as well. I will be expanding this with more detailed information on the apocalypse when some more time manifests itself in my presence.
I'll have my own character sheet up soon, and I hope to adventure through the apocalypse with you!

Current approved character sheets: 6/6 (GM herself will become the seventh player.)

Pending approvals for if anybody needs to drop out: 0/?

Hmm actually I got a question now. How exclusive were the domes, was it basically people who live near it, or like just the elite rich in a 2012 (movie) style.

Edit: Heh sorry for another question, just want to get a feel for dome life. So what does the living conditions look like in the domes?

Damiann47 said
Hmm actually I got a question now. How exclusive were the domes, was it basically people who live near it, or like just the elite rich in a 2012 (movie) style.

Good question, and I'll try to answer as many as I can anticipate once I've eaten and have some more time. But as far as exclusivity goes, it was largely a combination of both. Many rich people wanted in, and many of the people there just happened to live there. And as the section above ground tends to have trees and decent spacing between living spaces, that's generally where the descendants of those rich people and some middle class tend to live, with the majority living underground in conditions not unlike a Vault from fallout, just fewer G.O.A.T.s and vault suits.

Name:
Given Name: Irving Lope
Assumed Name: Slaven Dobroslav

Sex: Male

Age: 38(22 at the start of the apocalypse)








Traits:
Middle Aged - In D&D terms -1 str -1 con +1 int +1 wis



Backstory:





Equipment:








Other:

Mortalbean said
Not Done, I just need a save point for now, and I want to see if OP's CS is up for reference.Comments on what is currently here are welcome(I'm aware the the appearance isn't too specific but I wanted to see OP's CS to determine the level of detail they want for gear .etc)Name:Given Name: Irving LopeAssumed Name: Slaven DobroslavSex: MaleAge: 38(22 at the start of the apocalypse)Traits:Middle Aged - In D&D terms -1 str -1 con +1 int +1 wisPersonality:Backstory:Equipment:Other:

That's a pretty damned good start, you might want to specify that he does indeed have the gas mask and hazmat suit (as far as your standard hazmat suit you'd see people from a domed city wearing, it looks like a combination of this and a demron suit like this.) Other than that it's looking pretty good! Depending on how much time I have before I pass out from exhaustion I should have my own character sheet mostly written, or at least well underway for you to use as a reference.

Ragnarok said
Cyrus

It's pretty good overall, though I'm slightly amused at the 20mm rifle, I hope you have some means of lugging that thing around? And as far as the backstory, the cities would have locked those doors and not let anybody out at the first sign of things finally happening. You would've had a 24 hour warning period to get to the city, and you wouldn't have been let out. Perhaps have her simply not able to reach the city in time?

Aye? It comes with a carrying case. They are not all that heavy. 59 pounds. With a single point sling and a case for ammo in a backpack you are set for blowing people, or vehicles apart.
Also that does seem like a slightly better idea. Thank you for the insight in the world so I may tweak it ever so slightly. It will happen as more is revealed.

Ragnarok said
Aye? It comes with a carrying case. They are not all that heavy. 59 pounds. With a single point sling and a case for ammo in a backpack you are set for blowing people, or vehicles apart.Also that does seem like a slightly better idea. Thank you for the insight in the world so I may tweak it ever so slightly. It will happen as more is revealed.

You're welcome ^_^, as far as my own CS and more detailed information goes, unfortunately that'll have to wait until I'm rested and not running on fumes, but rest assured I will have it out tomorrow. And as far as carrying that, may I suggest something like the HULC exoskeleton? That'd make carrying something that heavy (59 pounds is no small amount, imagine carrying that plus ammunition, plus food and water, plus some armor presumably, the hazmat suit and gas mask. Not to mention other odds and ends.) significantly easier.

Name: Yonatan "Yoni" Silver

Sex: Male

Age: 61

Appearance: Yoni is a thickset and hirsute man, dark in complexion, with intense brown eyes and graying (but still thick) hair. A scar runs down the right side of his face, still faintly visible after several plastic surgeries. His muscle has only recently begun to turn into fat, and he walks with the heavy tread of a former athlete. Yoni has jut recently began to grow out his beard, at yet it's still only a salt-and-pepper shadow on his jaw.

Skills: Yoni still possesses some of the strength and ferocity that marked his career before things changed. He has a special talent for knife fighting, honed through long practice, and is a decent shot with rifle, shotgun, or pistol. Additionally, he has spent a great deal of time studying the Talmud recently- not enough to be a legitimate scholar in the subject, but beggars can't be choosers these days, can they?

Traits: Despite his advancing age, Yoni is still stronger than your average man (though it's only a shadow of the bearlike might he possessed in his heyday). Something about him is also inherently trustworthy- maybe his big brown eyes, or his smile, or the fact that he's an aging Jew, people seem to be more disposed towards doing him small favors like holding the door or letting him cut in line.

Personality: Yoni is outwardly a nice guy, the type of older man who buys ice cream for all the kids in his neighborhood and loves to give out advice to anyone who will listen. However, this is deliberate and cynical on his part. Yoni has spent his life cultivating the image of a completely harmless man while at the same time plotting to destroy his enemies. While he doesn't particularly enjoy violence, his is willing to use it as a means to an end. Recently, though, he has had something of a shock- realizing he might be one of the last Jews left, he has been genuinely trying to take on responsibility as a leader and teacher.

Backstory: Born in Las Vegas in 1996, Yoni Silver used to have it made. His father was a bookmaker for the mob in Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, and even the seedier parts of Vegas. Growing up and being a terror on the playgrounds for his size and strength, Yoni would be reprimanded at home with stories of Rothstein, Lansky, and Rosenthal- not moralist stories, by any means, but stories of how they solved problems with brains instead of brawn. Yoni took the lessons to heart- though he was big, strong, and naturally athletic, he chose to hone his brain by studying accounting and law in school. Throughout it all, he never missed a day at the synagogue- his family emphasized that his religion was dying and needed to be kept alive in some small way. After graduation, Yoni Silver never attempted to pursue legitimate employment. Following in the footsteps of his father, he hawked his services exclusively to organized crime groups throughout the Southwest. He found interest in Dallas, where yesterday's cholos had become today's cartels. There he found himself comfortably employed by one of the country's largest drug rings, handling their finances and even finding time to once in a while get out into the streets and rough up a few people.

And then the air itself started to grow toxic.

Yoni Silver was perhaps a bit paranoid, in keeping with certain stereotypes, but at any rate he invested his personal fortune in the building of the dome. Sure, it was against the wishes of the Mexican Mafia, but in the end, who died gasping outside while he was comfortable inside? How many good, honest people died while he, a criminal, survived? He made himself useful inside, keeping careful track of their available resources and how to marshal the. Bean counters will always be needed, right? But when they couldn't establish contact with Israel, the guilt began to grow, festering in him for years. He had been raised as a Jew, not a particularly observant one, but a Jew nonetheless. How many of them were left? Eventually, it dawned on him. He was one of the few left, representatives pf a dying religion. He had to make sure it did not become extinct. Survivor's guilt, maybe, but he began studying the holy works in earnest and took to preaching in earnest to whoever might listen. Though he had no diplomas to back him up, he began encouraging people to call him Rabbi, to teach the words of a noble religion. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he is simply making up is sermons as he goes, but they assuage his guilty conscience a little.

Equipment: Yoni carries a book of Talmudic highlights and a knife at all times- an old Schrade Sharpfinger to be specific- and keeps a Smith and Wesson Model 586 locked up at home for dire straits, along with sixty .357 rounds. Four days- or twelve meals- of dehydrated food are also ready to go along with the weapon, along with an unopened box of water purification tablets. Like anyone living under the dome, he also owns a gas mask and basic decontamination suit-nothing fancy, but good for a brief excursion.

Other: Yoni Silver speaks English, Yiddish, and Spanish.

Polyphemus said
Yonatan "Yoni" SilverSex

Approved! Keep in mind, if any of you want some cool futuristic weapon, that's perfectly fine. I know I've been a bit too vague (and will hopefully remedy that soon), but this is 2057, some cool inventions have definitely happened.

Hey mono, care to take another sweep of my CS, particularly the back story and personality. It's late right now but it might be nice to have some suggestions to work on for tomorrow.

I did think about giving him some futuristic weapons, but then I realized old-school weapons fit in better with his character.

Name: Riley Thaster

Sex: Female

Age: 23

Appearance: Overally fairly unremarkable, Riley standing tall measures to be 5' 6". She has long, brunette hair that is often tied back to avoid any nuance from stray strands of hair. She has bright hazel eyes with a somewhat sharp, well defined jaw. Riley's overall build is about average, not particularly muscular, nor pudgy. Upon her chest sits modest B cub breasts, if one were to care about such things.

Outside of a hazmat suit, Riley typically wears a simple outfit of a white t-shit with a gray sweat jacket over it, blue jeans, and hiking boots. She carries her tools and other related gadgets on her belt.

Skills: Riley is exellent at technological tasks ranging from repairs on a motorcycle to patching up broken code for a piece of software. Truely she makes for a powerful engineer and technician.

Despite Riley's technical prowess, she doesn't shine quite as brightly in a combat situation. While physically in great condition, she doesn't have much in the way for practical skills needed for fights. She does somewhat make up for the lack of skill with naturally strong intuition and overall ability to improvise on the spot. In terms of weapons she uses firearms, specifically pistols.

Traits: Needless to say, Riley is pretty intelligent and very knowledgable with technology of many kinds. When it comes to work she is virtually no nonsense in any way, often times dedicating herself to a single task without much in the way of breaks.

Personality: Independent, headstrong and antisocial are the main descriptors for Riley, although antisocial is perhaps too strong of a word, standoffish being better. Socially she doesn't make efforts to find friends and companionship, not to say a random chat with a stranger isn't unwelcomed. Underneath a surface of indifference, Riley is really just a normal human being who can joke around, speak freely and overall act sociable, problem is one would have to do some warming up first. One thing to mention is Riley above all else despises idiots, or at least someone who appears idiotic.

Backstory: When the domes were first sealed, Riley became another classic case of an orphaned child. What became of her family was unknown, its been assumed they simply never made it to safety and choked on toxic air like so many others. After so much time Riley doesn't care about her lost family anymore, nor does she remember their faces, still at the age of seven at the time, the experience of losing a family was painful.

Fortunately an old couple took her in, which gave her a good second lease on life. While not wealthy and lived in the lower sections of the dome, Riley received an education from her foster parents. They gave her books about all kinds of subjects, history, science, some art, and mathematics. Later on she continued her learning by experimenting with any scrap she could find, old diesel engines, ancient tube monitors, and later on even learning some basic programming.

All things must come to an end sometime, and for her adopted parents it was their time, it was peaceful really being from advanced age. At the age of sixteen, again Riley was alone. Not all was hopeless as she had the skills to find a living, many people around needed help with maintaining slowly degrading machines. So that's what she did, in exchange for looking at broken down radios and other such appliances, Riley was able to scrap enough cash together, plus on top of selling nicknacks made from salvage on the side.

Much more recently Riley is living a somewhat stable life, making enough income from odd jobs and salvage its not a glamorous life by any means but still better than nothing. While Riley likes to think of herself as a self-made engineer, she's really just a run of the mill scavenger who is just living life in the present.

Equipment: Other then a personal workshop's worth of tools, Riley doesn't carry much. Good salvage is often far from the dome, so she's sure to carry enough food to last four days, and that's with two meals a day. Her suit and gas mask arenothing too fancy, but after a close call with a tear she ended up reinforcing the air lines with extra metal. An A6 "Predator" Hand Cannon serves as her main weapon. The Predator is known to have very good penetration and general stopping power, however its offestted by considerably high recoil and a heavy weight even for a pistol. Riley has a total of 35 rounds, the hand cannon itself can be loaded with six.

Other: I was thinking about using an actual gun, but decided to make up the Predator instead. Basically just think of the whole thing as a heavy revolver, complete with the classic revolving chamber.

Damiann47 said Riley Thaster

Aaaand, approved! You might want to throw in a little about why her parents couldn't make it in time, but the overall CS is good.

Mortalbean said Irving Lope/Slaven Dobroslav

Also approved! The RP starts out near the dome built over most of Dallas, Texas, so it's perfectly reasonable to assume they could have reached it. I'll be adding the questions asked thus far and some others to an information section, and will start work on a CS of my own.
As far as working on improvements, I didn't see much that you didn't cover. I'll give it a re-read in a bit and tell you if anything pops out at me, but it looks pretty good from my perspective.

Changed CS around a little(mostly just editing and sorting, rewrote all of appearance except the first paragraph, added first aid under skills(trying to avoid being a god at all things while still being useful at a lot of things). Changed around items quite a bit.

How long to gas mask filters last here? IRL it varies heavily with the conditions you are breathing in.

Name: Jessica Deckland

Sex: Girl

Age: Thirty Two

Appearance: Jessica has dark brown highlighted hair, but she dies her hair a dark shiny red because that was the colour when she when she lost everything. She has long dark eyelashes above blue and grey eyes that glitter with amusement, but look large on her face. Her nose is long and strait and she has a dimple beside her lips. Her cheek bones are high giving her bigger cheeks that make her look younger than she is. She is around 5'6/5'7. Her fingers are short, but her palms are longer than most. She doesn't have much of a torso. Just long legs and breasts. She usually wears her hair braided or in a bun because it annoys her down. When not in a hazmat suit she prefers to wear jeans or tights, a bra and sweater.

Skills: Jessica is a doctor, one of the best that got trained in the dome and most of the ones who weren't don't have as steady hands as they used to. She learned how to defend herself as a teen taking kick boxing and karate as well as target practice with both a bow and a gun. She camped a lot throughout her childhood and can survive alone for quite a while including making a fire, knowing which plants are good to eat and how to set up camp. She can hunt if she has to. She used to play hockey though the skill goes mostly unused now. She is a good writer and reader another rusty skill her priorities being with the world going to hell.

Traits: Jessica is quite intelligent and picks up information and new skills quite quickly. She is fast, but a child could probably beat her in an arm wrestle. She is good with puzzles and challenges, but gets frusterated easily. She is a lefty, but she plays sports, and has a stronger right foot. She is attractive, but doesn't flaunt the looks, again too worried about the poisonouse air. She is very good at reading people and knowing if their trustworthy and if their being honest. She is a risk taker when helping others out or saving their lives. Determined to help people abd morally on target.

Personality: After the poisonous gas incident Jessica went back into her shell and it took years to get her back happy and healthy. She is confidant, sarcastic, optimistic and knowledgable. She is usually a talkative when she's not working on a patient and open with people she knows and likes, the likes being the inportant part. She is opinionated, but the opinions usually stay in her head unless someone really riles her up. Her temper is quick and explosive, but she always talks herself out of being mad after a time. The worst the crime the longer it takes. She hates how forgiving she is.

Backstory: Jessica was born in Ontario, Canada where she grew up with an older brother and her parents. She travelled a lot in her younger years and had a lot of animals in her life. By the time she was 9 she new she wanted to be a veterinarian.

She had a 94% average in highschool and was heavily involved in her community. When she was sixteen she went to an away hockey tournament in Dallas, Texas. Jessica's brother was in university by then and stayed behind. While in Texas the air started becoming toxic. They started bringing in all these people by the car load. They started evacuating people who weren't citizens and didn't have a pass into the city to clear up room.

The military found them on the third day after the gases had started to become too high. Jessica's parents hid her and before they got escorted out of the dome. Jessica never knew if they made it back to the canadian dome in time or what became of her brother. A man named Roan found her a week later avoiding the military, on the streets. He was a divorced man, lived alone, but was one of the best surgeons money could buy. He took her in and taught her the trick of the trade now that veterinarian was out. She makes enough money now to be considered high-middle class.

Equipment: She carries a large backpack on her back with a hazmat suit and all her medical supplies. Basically normal first aid stuff (gauze, bandages, scissors, heat blanket ect.) Also a small oxygen tank, protective bag (works like a hazmat suit to keep the toxins out just in case the hazmat is harmed), electric needle and thread (applies heat to puncture skin easier, also numbs), pain killers, containers for samples and a fold up travel board. She has two daggers strapped into her boots and a holster that carries a stun gun (like the taser, but sends electricity through the air. Not limited by one shot. The power can be raised to kill or just stun). She has heavy duty boots and the gloves of her hasmat suit are specially made so she can do precise work.

I am a little confused. Sorry if I missed something. Why do they wear hazmat suits if the dome has life support? Or is it just outside the dome they wear hazmats?

Razboinic said
I am a little confused. Sorry if I missed something. Why do they wear hazmat suits if the dome has life support? Or is that just outside the dome that they wear hazmats?

We wear the gear outside of the domes, inside its all good you can around naked and not die. Another thing is generally it seems that the rest of us have packed food for extended trips outside, so just another thing to think about when getting equipment together.