The World
The Society
In 1780, a small band of professional criminals formed a group known as "The Grey Foxes". It's members were: Dorian Arturno, Tara Svarosni, Lucien Lefrançois, Anja Kaplan, and their leader Lawrence Carver. Establishing a headquarters in the famed Anorian city of Loringrad, these master thieves began building one of the most lucrative crime organizations of all time. Originally meant to be a simple gathering spot for above average criminals, a sort of underground hub to be used for coordinating jobs, the The Grey Foxes began recruiting new members who showed promise in the way subtle illegal procurement of goods. Consolidating power they became what is now known as The Grey Fox Society in 1784. For years they operated unopposed until in 1830 when the society began seeing a loss of members, revenue, and influence. As years went on, local law enforcement began to crack down on the organization alongside rival gangs until there was nothing left until what we see now. The last remnant of The Society lives within Carver Manor, a decent sized manor house situated on a small island on the northeast side of Falkirk.
Society Board Members
Chief Enforcer
Society Treasurer
Society Spymaster
The Factions
Besides The Society, there are a number of groups who call Falkirk home. One such group calls itself "The Pikes", a band of alleyway thugs who make their fortune in side street robberies and store hold-ups. Led by Samuel Hughes, an ex-military officer dishonorably discharged for reasons no one is sure of, The Pikes can easily be identified by their choice of weapon. A rather long and sharpened ice pick that is holstered on their left side and a revolver on the right. During the war, Samuel served as a paratrooper, dropping behind enemy lines and setting up ambush points along their supply routes. One theory as to the reason of his discharge is that he executed multiple prisoners of war, disregarding orders from command. Another is that he left his men for dead during a skirmish, getting himself captured by allied forces and charged with desertion. Whatever the reason, Samuel returned from the war as a disgrace to his country. Many disregarded him as a waste and he fell into poverty. Feeling some amount of anger towards his countrymen, Samuel joined a small anarchist group and quickly went up the ranks before taking over as its leader. At that point, Samuel's anarchist ideals had already been replaced with the desire for wealth and notoriety. As time went on he steered his people towards the idea of crime as a means of sending a message while getting rich at the same time. What was originally a domestic terrorist group became a very dangerous street gang that now controls the west end of Falkirk.
To an outsider of the city, it may seem that Falkirk is just a metropolis consumed by war between rival gangs. In truth, there is one that reigns supreme in this city and it's name is Holrow House. Originating from one of the first families to settle on the island, Holrow House grew to become the true authority in the city. Any criminal organizations who've set up shop within the city limits pay monthly tribute to The House or face severe consequences. Holrow House businesses and associates are off limits to any seeking them harm. The House has law enforcement, judges, and some city officials. Members of Holrow House are carefully chosen and are often given muscle jobs till a proper position for them can be found. The House is such an intimidating presence in the city that locals have taken to naming their muscle men 'Hollows' due to their cold hearted nature. Despite their reputation, The House operates under a strict set of rules, some of them being that The House does not sell drugs to kids, they don't kill kids, they don't deal drugs, they don't involve in prostitution or human trafficking, and they don't tolerate competition.
With all the dangers that Falkirk holds, there is a great need for a place to escape such stresses. The Sirens operate on the northeast end of the city, managing gambling dens, brothels, bars, nightclubs, theater, the occasional fight club, and anything else one with money might desire. While it's known to have all these attractions, it's reputation is earned by the group's high quality courtesans. Run by a mostly female group, the various board members run The Siren's territory in sections. At one point during the decline of The Grey Fox Society, Holrow House began hunting down members of The Society. Thankfully, The Siren's donated a small island on the north end of their territory to The Society. That island is now the only safe haven for society members besides Siren territory which is more or less a neutral zone for the cities gangs.
While Falkirk may be home to its fair share of criminals, the outskirts are no safer. Along the roads leading to the city, in the forested region of the western shore, highwaymen prey upon traders and travelers alike. Not many venture out by land without proper protection as a group more vicious then The Pikes lurk in the woods beyond. Known as Evette's Jackals, these violent killers hold up carriages entering and exiting Falkirk, going so far as to occasionally attack government convoys. While a good number of Jackals served in the war, Evette was actually a draft dodger who built up a raiding party during the war, eventually bringing in war veterans who fell on hard times. While Evette's territory is outside of the city, his group's activities tend to interfere with transport of Society goods into and out of the city. Being as The Jackals formed during the war, they've been a thorn in The Society's side for about seven years. For such a long period of activity it would make sense to assume that finding and eliminating the Jackals would be a fairly easy task. The key to their survival is that these men mainly live in poverty if not out of the city on farms. With such low profiles they can easily move about the outskirts of the city. It is only before the execution of their activiies that they can be identified and that is by their red bandanas which are stylized with a fanged smile over their faces. What's more is that in the recent years the Jackals have grown in number to the point in which they have divided into sub-groups, all paying tribute to Evette as if he were a king of beggars.
The History
At 10:45pm on December 23rd of 1879, the nation of Osria invaded the neighboring country of Mousillon. The first wave of air raids took the nation by surprise as the bombers flew further and further into their air space, dropping firebombs on every major city they passed over on the way to the capital. By the time the air fleet was repelled by the Mousillian Air Force, a large part of the country was already set ablaze. While the people struggled to put out the infernos, the military set up anti aircraft artillery guns in preparation for another wave. Unfortunately to their surprise, it wasn't another air raid that came later at dawn but a massive land army of tanks and infantry. The land grab of Mousillon lasted two years before the country fell to Osria and Anoria invaded the northern coast Mousillian to repel Osria from attempting an invasion of Anoria as well.
The war was beyond brutal as new forms of warfare were used by both sides. Chemical warfare the likes of which had never been seen before, trench warfare and almost constant shelling accompanied by experimental weaponry such as power armored infantry. It wasnt until August 14th, 1884 that the war began to turn in Anoria's favor as a Osrian secret weapon backfired, creating an event known as The Dispersal. A new, previously undiscovered form of energy had been released into the world. "Magicka" as it is called, can be manipulated by those who are capable of sensing and harnessing it. Once it was clear what Magicka was, Anoria immediately began testing it's military capabilities. By the following year, the Anorian army had already sent Osria on the retreat as their magick trained soldiers devastated the less prepared and already wavering Osrian army.
On January 24th, 1886, the war between the two nations of Osria and Anoria came to an end. After the successful capture of the Osrian capital of Croen, Anoria brought an end to Osria's campaign of conquest. Mousillon, a country annexed early on in the war, was given back it's freedom once the Osrian army retreated to defend it's capital. Despite regaining it's freedom, it was no time to celebrate. Much of the land had been terribly devastated by the war and the country was now placed in an abysmal depression as reconstruction began. Anorian troops were stationed in major cities to aid with repairs and Osria was obligated to pay reparations as well. Even with all this, the destruction proved to be no small task to clear away. Osria's economy had put everything it had into the war and now it was facing an even worse depression. Both countries would struggle to return to the days before the war but it seemed Anoria would walk away from the conflict with the least scars. A number of cities along the Vituan River were bombed but not as heavily as those on Mousillon's side.
The date is now April 6th, 1887 and the last of the soldiers stationed Mousillon have returned home. One in particular is Nathaniel Hayden, a paratrooper deployed deep in Osrian controlled territory. His main objective was to ambush enemy supply lines and prevent them from reaching the front. After capturing a total of 276 supply trucks and killing dozens of enemy soldiers, Nathan and his men were honored as war heroes upon return from performing their duties in the relief effort.
Character Sheets
The Code
1. No OP characters, if me or my Co-GM deem your character as too powerful then we will work with you to balance it out while still staying true to your original idea.
2. Your character is not the heir to the throne of Anoria, if you want to have a character that is key to a story arc then we can discuss that.
3. Keep it pg-13, swearing is fine but don't overdo it, violence is allowed to a degree and gore as well but as I said before don't get excessive. Romance is fine but anything overly sexual needs to be taken to the PMs(send me a copy).
4. No fighting in OOC, whatever the problem is it can be solved easily if both parties act like adults.
5. If you find your character in a fight against another players character don't simply write, "The knife stabbed them straight through the heart, killing them instantly". Don't be that guy/girl.
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