Evangelyne said
I see. Sorry to hear you don't have time for this RP :(Anyway, I don't want to be GM. I joined this RP to get away from all the GMing I do IRL. Though I'd happily help out with shaping the story/setting/envoirment etc.I'll post some ideas soon!
I've some ideas.
Independence could be a part of a patchwork of towns and villages that loosely form a small country, out of mutual security. To the north, across the river, would be Port Anthastiln, headed by an eccentric self proclaimed River Admiral Carl Barnes. Anthastiln controls the river way with a cluster of wooden barges.
To the south is Outpost 29, a former US military outpost, whose people are the descendants of the occupying soldiers and who have adhered to a time-tested military doctrine, but are too few in number to become a regional power. They are ruled by Marshal Jake Irons, who leads them with determination. They look down on outsiders, and consider themselves their own race of stronger and superior humans. Interracial marriage with outsiders is illegal, and punished by death. Their population has stalled as a result of this extremism. All being said however, they are on good terms with all member states, and are generally left alone to their own devices unless the Alliance is threatened.
To the east is Rockhelm, a fortified town with a large wooden wall circling around it. They bare the brunt of the 'savage' tribes in the wilderness beyond, and recieve an annual fee from all member settlements to maintain their defences. Rockhelm is the newest town to the Alliance, having originally been the camp of the late Chief Award Rockhelm. They traded their savage ways for the more enlightened ways of their sister towns after Rockhelm fell in battle against another tribe, and his surviving peoples became a target of mass rape and genocide. Tribal heritage is rich here as a result, and the inhabitants still see themselves as fierce warriors, very practiced in fieldcraft and hunting. They rely on all manners of weapons, but the bow is their favourite.
To the west, on the old state border, is Fartown; a bustling trade gateway to the west. It is the richest of the towns, and therefore the defacto capital. It is ruled by a council of wealthy merchants, who command large personal militias. They periodicly try to sieze the lands of their allies, citing unresolved legal or contractual issues as their reasons for doing so. The town incorperates many of the ruins that were once Kansas City, and efforts have been ongoing to renovate these where possible. However, the general population are confined to slums, and live in tents within the crowded ruined streets.
This union of towns is small, with a combined population of around 30,000 people. Independence is the smallest member town, but benefits by sitting in the middle of the alliance and is therefore sitting on a common trade route.
The roads are sometimes patrolled by militias, but this is a costly practice, and is only carried out when bandits damage trade links significantly. As a result, the wilderness outside of town bounds are dangerous, infested with humanity's worst and various wild animals; some of whom have evolved over the past few centuries into slightly larger forms of themselves.
The smaller red outline denotes the Alliance's borders. Everything East of Rockhelm is frequently pillaged and raided by tribesmen, and living is difficult. There are constant skirmishes between the Rockhelm militia, and tribal invaders. Everywhere else is relatively civil, with local militias keeping a tight noose on any foreign incursions.
Anthastiln employs the heavy use of firearms, and its well funded but fledgling militia is able to destroy most of its tribal adversaries, leaving its surrounding areas pretty calm. They are the chief firearm producer in the region, and benefit greatly by trading these weapons with the Fartown merchants, who then pass them onto their distant contacts.
Outpost 29 is the only member to hold a small yet professional army, and often trades with its neighbours by sending advisors to train their militias. They use mostly spears and crossbows, but also have a small unit of reliable 12. pdr cannons that even Anthastiln's engineers have been unable to produce.
Independence is a blacksmithing town, and is responsible for supplying the other towns with weapon-grade metals or wholly finished products. As a result, it has at times become a target for the others, with Anthastiln usually being the chief agressor.
This is all just me brainstorming, shoot me down at will.
Our first contact with the Aliens could be when Rockhelm calls for aid, after a large horde of wildmen, on a scale never before seen, attempts to run the town into the ground. After the battle it could transpire that they were actually fleeing an unidentified enemy with advanced weaponry, and were trying to gain hold of Rockhelm so they could use it as their own fort.
Again, shoot me down at will.
