Across the walls, all is quiet. The year is 844, and the world is still. What preludes the greatest of storms is the sanctity of peace. For humanity, trapped in their concrete bird cage, too many have grown too comfortable living in fear. Life has its way with the complacent. Where the holdings of humanity - the twelve districts across the three walls - stand tall, underneath the banners of the Stationary Guard, kept in order by the Military Police and spearheaded by the Survey Corps, so do the adversaries beyond it. The behemoths, fleshy and humanlike, dominate the outer lands, endangering those that waltz beyond and those that live just out of safety's reach. The grim exterior cannot be kept out forever. Someday, on a grim morn, there shall be a great rupture, a disturbance unlike any other in living memory. A cold, desolate hour, where images of great distraught stand firm in the eyes of those that withstand it.
Humanity has been on its heels for untold years, holding dear what little ground they keep against a tide of giants. A land once rich, in culture and spirit, housed a thriving civilisation, only to see itself torn down at by gargantuan beasts, humanoids without reason nor a lust for remorse. Titans. Towering over humanity's previous defences, the surviving members of such an onslaught were forced to raise three walls of great proportion, hiding in its shadows as the beasts clawed at its gates, bricks and stone. For many, they considered this the resolution to the problem. The threat of the Titan onslaught wasn't quelled, only suppressed and set aside. A branched military structure stood at the forefront of it all, maintaining order, holding its assets and venturing out into the world beyond, hoping to gain from what they had lost. The world bled itself dry of misery, subjugating mankind into its desolate state of unjust stability. And then...silence.
Today, Mankind stands in a somewhat orderly fashion. Titans occasionally stop by the walls, clawing at the dwellers on its topside to consume. Expeditions go out and come back mortified and disfigured, whilst the internal political violence remains on the down-low, out of sight and out of mind to the masses inside the Walls. Enter the future 108th Trainee Corps, the latest batch of aspiring soldiers, scouts and policemen bracing for a bright and well-paid future in the military. Though still a threat to the exterior Wall Maria, the Titan fear has been set aside for common political reign, everyday issues and regular social negativity, such as crime and hunger. Life had retained its own normality, even when pressed to near extinction. Many lived on, many even passed, without ever seeing the disgruntled grin of a Titan, eyeing them as though a god does its subjects. But on a fruitful morn, akin to any other day, all changes when the bricks are torn apart, in the year 844, and the gates to Wall Rose are blown open. So dawns - The Western Siege.
The ongoing backbone for humanity and its survival; the defenders of the walls, of peace and of hope, all conjoin to forge the Military, aptly split into four respective branches - The Scouting Legion, the Military Police, the Stationary Guard and the Trainee Corps. Each specialises in its own conduct, order of operations and contribution toward humanity's survival.
All its personnel are sworn into an allegiance with mankind, whilst the specialities of the Military Police directly serve the King and his endeavours. Though their reputation remains imbalanced by the citizens who depend on their watchful eye, and the seeds of corruption always find their way into the ranks and files of their superiors, the military remains the forefront, prominent power to keep humanity on a path of redemption.
The Survey Corps, also known as the Scouting Legion, typically consists of the deadliest responsibilities across the military; it experiences, on average, the highest mortality rate per operation, and holds a reputation of emptying seats at family dinner tables. Their primary role is to partake in regular expeditions outside of the walls, for a plethora of reasons, such as base deployment, titan interception, research and reconnaissance. The Survey Corps is split into four Regional Forces, the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Legions respectively, as like its other counterparts. Most reputable is their interwoven strive toward freedom, and hope as a whole.
The Military Police stand as the supposed Elite of the Military, taking the form of peacekeepers. Maintenance of social order stands their greatest task, one wrought with difficulty. The Military Police is entirely made-up of those within the Top 10 Graduates of each Trainee Corps region, as only they get the certain honour of joining. This often creates a competitive sense of prestige amongst its ranks. It is no secret that many seek to join the Military Police for its pay, safety and, depending on their posting, higher standard of living, making the Trainee Corps competition all the more intense. Whilst having the usual four Regional Forces, the Military Police has an additional fifth dedicated to the central core of the walls, dutifully sworn to the King's words and no one else's, known as the King's Guard. However, subsets of elite squads have been known to partake in titan-involved missions beyond the walls, typically dubbed as 'Rescue Squads'.
The Stationary Guard, also known as the Garrison, makes up the marginal majority of the military, acting as the foundation for all of its defences, assets and the walls themselves. Unlike the Scouts, whose structure is made with mobility in mind, the Garrison's soldiers are mostly adapted to grand strategic movement, doing best in the urban environments they train so heavily within. Yet unlike the Military Police, these soldiers tend to have experience outside of the walls, plugging the gaps left in the wake of scouting operations. Additionally, their duties also place them with cannon operation, crisis response, city evacuation and security detail. The other main branches focus greatly on specific, honed skills, whereas the guard exist to cover the sprawl of remaining duties. The Stationary Guard had an average mortality rate - before the Western Siege - but have been known to collaborate with both the Military Police and Survey Corps when their numbers are stretched thin.
The Trainee Corps is where every soldier is born and bred, stemming from spirited teenagers to young adults simply wanting to make their way in the world. Each corps is divided upon regional lines, spreading them across the entirety of the Walls districts and forming many classes every few years. Currently the Trainee Corps is on its 108th Batch, preparing the newest generation of soldiers for something they don't know is coming - something that could silence them before they even graduate.
Ey up, all. Welcome to the Western Siege, some sort of AoT RP with a bit of nice ol' focus on the earliest parts of the series. This non-canonical scenario is to be a long, character driven story highlighting the budding and faltering connections between its cast, whilst the most fatal breakdown plagues its ranks. To keep short, it's generally sticking to that early steampunk vibe of stuff, with a focus mostly on the struggle against the titans alone, rather than the expanded world as the series is now known for. It's all to keep things on a focused and tight starting point, and to allow the story to go its way without heavy interruption.
AoT: The Western Siege focuses on, of course, the current generation of desperate servicemen and servicewomen who have found their way into the military, whether for survival, revenge or to find purpose. Many were even there, on the day of the breach, caught in the horrific, sweeping curl of chaos. A strong lust for reclamation has since delivered disappointment. The initial, reactionary attempt to retain all that was lost has since the fall. From military conduct restructuring to the individual relationships of our characters, this story will focus on the micro and macro scale of this great endeavour as humanity claws its way back to the land it had since lost.
One thing to point out (at least for now) as that there are no player character shifters. This aspect was looked at before in past renditions of the RP and mixed results may yield from such. To say whether or not they will play a part of the story, that is yet to be discussed on a wider scale, however don't expect a strong focus on them for the majority of the RP and I cannot recommend this if that is what you are expecting to explore. I feel as though it might detract from the characters themselves if a select few or single individual scales in that power imbalance, and as such, the regular joes and joesses should be taking the strongest focal point here.
Another important factor to mention is branch choice. This won't be available right from the get go but it will be available not too far into the RP. As we intend to at least show the initial breach and a small aspect of the training, though not too much to make it the largest of arcs to get stuck on, we will get to it in the very near future. Instead of having us all funnel into a single branch, the choice of the military police, survey corps and stationary guard are going to be open. This plays into the RP itself, as new doctrines of inter-branch cohesion will be explored. Saying that may make it seem like an aesthetic choice at best but it should also provide side stories, different settings and scenarios for each character, as well as help focus on their main (not constant) part to play in the greater story. If anyone is confused by this, just let me know and I can explain in less convoluted detail.
Character sheets! This is simple. I don't really mind all that much about all the do-dah designs people like to have or don't like to have. So long as the information is there sufficiently and well enough, then the character can be accepted. This RP will be open to submissions at almost all times, as it is a setting that lends to the introduction of new characters along the way very easily. If you're reading this and the RP is still going, don't hesitate to query or get a sheet in for review, I'm sure there's a space for most!
That should wrap everything in the intro up. Expect there to be some mature themes throughout the RP itself, and to not shy away from the possibility of character deaths if you so please. We will not force anyone to kill off any character though, that would be a bit shitty of us. I hope you've enjoyed reading and I hope you enjoy the roleplay if you wish to join. I look forward to seeing the character submissions that come this way!
