Wrath of Darkness
History and Where it All Went Wrong
Nobody really knows what happened, but everyone knows when it started. The year was 2257 everything seemed like normal and mankind was on the path to world peace and after that, who knows! However, that's when the strange reports started coming in. Tales of creatures and monsters moving across the land; beasts never before seen were found migrating from the West coast to the East, some were aggressive, but others were docile. At this stage it was isolated; rare cases of unusual and explainable phenomenon, but that didn’t stop mankind's savior, General Williams, from making Anselmo the first to prepare. At first the whole world laughed at him, he was trying to prepare a whole city against animals! Nobody would realize just how right he was until much later. With rest of the world taking the changes as a sort of natural evolution. They only strove to identify the new aggressive animals and clear them to be hunted, turning a profit from selling permits.
Things returned to relative normality for a while, but it wasn’t long before more disturbing news arrived. The year was 2259 when the first stories of the supernatural came. Creatures crawling out of nowhere, ripping through reality to enter our world. Humans who weaved what could only be called magic, consorting with the unholy and monstrous forces that began their invasion of our world. This was the beginning of the witch hunts. After all if ever there was an answer for this horrible, supernatural invasion it was those touched by magic pulling them from whatever Hell they dwelled in.
In the year 2260 the witch hunts proved to be a failure as more and more of the monsters and mages appeared. That was when it turned into a full scale war between the sane world and the wicked madness that strove to fill it. Yet it seemed like this was a fight we were destined to lose as the monsters grew to corrupt all in their path, turning men to beasts of gnashing teeth, sharp claws, twisted skin, and other horrible mutations. Worse still was how their number seemed to be without end as for each one that fell another took its place.
General Williams had proven to be humanity’s savior and it was thanks to his preparations that Anselmo had the resources to begin setting up our defenses before the monsters made it to us. For the next 5 years we strove to turn our city and the surrounding 3,000 square miles into a fortress. Our goal was a wall unlike any made before, 80 meters high and fully wrapping around our little corner of the world. While we were building, the next few years were not pleasant to mankind, the war was being lost and as cities and millions of people were destroyed we could only pray our wall would be finished in time.
Finally in the year 2263 we had a breakthrough. We had found the home of the monsters, The Other. A dimension parallel to ours and almost impossible to comprehend. Yet with what little we could understand humanity started work on a weapon. Something through The Other that would turn the tide of the war. However, after four years of brutal fighting Anselmo lost all communication with the outside world. The last few communications we had told only of slaughter and chaos sinking through our forces. With our eyes and ears gone all we could do was build and hope. It was an ambitious goal, but with the threat of Hell coming we banded together and we did it. In the year 2265 it was finished and we armed it to ready ourselves for the coming tide.
For a year we reached out into the world, trying to find what happened to the weapon and the rest of humanity, but we found nothing. No matter how hard we looked and how much we tried all we found was chaos and death. What’s worse is a new type of monster was found, creatures enormous in size and unstoppable in power that roamed the land at random.
It is the year 2353, it has been 87 years since the rest of the world died, and today we live in peace and safety behind our walls. The great monsters that roam the wild world have been named Leviathans and are forces to be feared by all. Anselmo is the only place that can hold against their assault, if only barely. The good news is that they don’t seem to be organized. It’s like they’re animals; each with its own agenda. We have continued to send out Expedition Teams to try and find survivors who have not submit to the chaos of the world. More importantly we send them out to find remnants of the weapon in hopes that one day we can finish it. Without it we can only hide behind our walls; keeping the idea that one day our world can be ours again, out of reach.
Things returned to relative normality for a while, but it wasn’t long before more disturbing news arrived. The year was 2259 when the first stories of the supernatural came. Creatures crawling out of nowhere, ripping through reality to enter our world. Humans who weaved what could only be called magic, consorting with the unholy and monstrous forces that began their invasion of our world. This was the beginning of the witch hunts. After all if ever there was an answer for this horrible, supernatural invasion it was those touched by magic pulling them from whatever Hell they dwelled in.
In the year 2260 the witch hunts proved to be a failure as more and more of the monsters and mages appeared. That was when it turned into a full scale war between the sane world and the wicked madness that strove to fill it. Yet it seemed like this was a fight we were destined to lose as the monsters grew to corrupt all in their path, turning men to beasts of gnashing teeth, sharp claws, twisted skin, and other horrible mutations. Worse still was how their number seemed to be without end as for each one that fell another took its place.
General Williams had proven to be humanity’s savior and it was thanks to his preparations that Anselmo had the resources to begin setting up our defenses before the monsters made it to us. For the next 5 years we strove to turn our city and the surrounding 3,000 square miles into a fortress. Our goal was a wall unlike any made before, 80 meters high and fully wrapping around our little corner of the world. While we were building, the next few years were not pleasant to mankind, the war was being lost and as cities and millions of people were destroyed we could only pray our wall would be finished in time.
Finally in the year 2263 we had a breakthrough. We had found the home of the monsters, The Other. A dimension parallel to ours and almost impossible to comprehend. Yet with what little we could understand humanity started work on a weapon. Something through The Other that would turn the tide of the war. However, after four years of brutal fighting Anselmo lost all communication with the outside world. The last few communications we had told only of slaughter and chaos sinking through our forces. With our eyes and ears gone all we could do was build and hope. It was an ambitious goal, but with the threat of Hell coming we banded together and we did it. In the year 2265 it was finished and we armed it to ready ourselves for the coming tide.
For a year we reached out into the world, trying to find what happened to the weapon and the rest of humanity, but we found nothing. No matter how hard we looked and how much we tried all we found was chaos and death. What’s worse is a new type of monster was found, creatures enormous in size and unstoppable in power that roamed the land at random.
It is the year 2353, it has been 87 years since the rest of the world died, and today we live in peace and safety behind our walls. The great monsters that roam the wild world have been named Leviathans and are forces to be feared by all. Anselmo is the only place that can hold against their assault, if only barely. The good news is that they don’t seem to be organized. It’s like they’re animals; each with its own agenda. We have continued to send out Expedition Teams to try and find survivors who have not submit to the chaos of the world. More importantly we send them out to find remnants of the weapon in hopes that one day we can finish it. Without it we can only hide behind our walls; keeping the idea that one day our world can be ours again, out of reach.
Who's Who, What's What, and Where's Where
Anselmo is the last remaining stronghold of humanity. The city's walls stretch for over 3,000 square miles, leaving plenty of room for the survivors of the apocalypse to hide away in. Using technology from both the old world and the new to find a sustainable living in the Hellish world. It takes everybody working together and at their best in order to keep the massive megalopolis standing and ticking away. Life in the city is rather fulfilling given it's place in a destroyed world with those inside the city's incredible wall feeling actually safe and sustainable. As long as it's citizens continue to work the farms and man the fishing boats, nobody goes hungry in the city.
The government of Anselmo consists of two leaders with the first being the Civil Commander. He/she is basically the president of all civil affairs. Should you want to start up a new business, file for marriage, or want to pass new legislation either he/she or his/her underlings will have a hand in it. The current Civil Commander is Sarah Michelle Burns. The second leader is the Lord General. This man/woman is the head of any military and enforcement activities. Should you wish to settle a dispute, deal with the military, or venture outside the walls he/she or his/her underlings will have a hand in it. The current Lord General is James Matthew Williams, great grandson of General Williams.
Districts of Anselmo
Farming District
The Farming District of Anselmo is the chief food provider for the city, using large swathes of land both inside and outside the walls to produce fruits, vegetables, and feed for the livestock that they also breed, maintain,
and house. Similarly most Duvari breeders and suppliers are within this district.
Port District
The Port District run along the Eastern side of Anselmo which connects to the ocean, letting the city reach out into the ocean for fish and coastal transportation. The Anselmo Guardians as well as the Rangers keep their ships docked in this district for city defense and transportation to coastal outposts.
Industrial District
The Industrial District is where the builders, mechanics, and engineers work together with the researchers and scholars of the Civil District to build, repair, and maintain the city and it's possessions.
Military District
This district is where all of Anselmo's military force is gathered to train, maintain, and store the fighting force and power it uses to keep the city safe as well as venture out into the Wild World. The Rangers' headquarters in located in this district just as the Guardian's and the Armored Division's. THis is the final stop for an Expedition Team before the are cleared to head out into the Wild World.
Civil District
Within the Civil District lies the heart and soul of Anselmo. While all of the districts have homes and residential sub-districts this district is primarily housing mixed with key infrastructure. The governmental buildings are located in this district with most of the large schools, educational societies, and all of the chief research laboratories. The Seer Corp headquarters is located in this district with the Anselmo Educational Society and Center of Advancement.
After the end of the world came about nature started to reclaim back it's territories, over growing cities, turning towns to ruins, and making standard biomes all the more extreme. Forests have become overgrown with massive trees that damn near reach the clouds. Deserts have grown hotter and have expanded to encroach on plains. Tundras are falling more South to reach what were once temperate climates. Even for places that were once occupied by men have now become groves of ruined rumble held together by the growing foliage that seeps in the concrete cracks. Even the sky turned extreme by turning the upper atmosphere winds into a massive perpetual windstorm. This limited the use of aircraft to nothing more than airships and helicopters.
Yet out there are worse things than mother nature. Humanity beyond Anselmo has collapsed, turning sane men mad with primal insanity. These Wild Ones live in crude tribes and are scattered all over the Wild World. While each tribe can vary on their views and reactions towards the citizens of Anselmo, it is usually a hostile response. Most tribes also have taken to worship of the monsters that inhabit the world they do, leading to ritual sacrifice, cannibalism, and feral tactics.
While Anselmo is the Last Bastion of Man, it isn't the only one in the world. Scattered throughout the area around Anselmo and spreading out further are outposts and lookouts where Expedition Teams can rearm, resupply, rest in relative safety, and learn more about recent, local events.
Also scattered through the Wild World is remnant of the old world. Bunkers that hold technology beyond the current scope of Anselmo given their current backwards state. Using these old places one could find memories of how life was before the apocalypse as well as devices and tools that are far more advanced than anything Anselmo can provide.
Yet out there are worse things than mother nature. Humanity beyond Anselmo has collapsed, turning sane men mad with primal insanity. These Wild Ones live in crude tribes and are scattered all over the Wild World. While each tribe can vary on their views and reactions towards the citizens of Anselmo, it is usually a hostile response. Most tribes also have taken to worship of the monsters that inhabit the world they do, leading to ritual sacrifice, cannibalism, and feral tactics.
While Anselmo is the Last Bastion of Man, it isn't the only one in the world. Scattered throughout the area around Anselmo and spreading out further are outposts and lookouts where Expedition Teams can rearm, resupply, rest in relative safety, and learn more about recent, local events.
Also scattered through the Wild World is remnant of the old world. Bunkers that hold technology beyond the current scope of Anselmo given their current backwards state. Using these old places one could find memories of how life was before the apocalypse as well as devices and tools that are far more advanced than anything Anselmo can provide.
In the world of Wrath of Darkness there are many roles, but all can be brought down to a few factions and 'classes' within some of the factions. Listing from soldier to scholars, all of the listed members can join a trip beyond the walls to explore the wild world.
Anselmo Ranger - The Rangers are men and women who make a living beyond the wall. Trained to fight and survive outside the walls using a mix of weaponry and survival tactics to assist the other members of his/her team.
Anselmo Guardian - Also called Wall Guards, this faction is the defenders of Anselmo manning the giant cannons on its walls, patrolling the immediate area around Anselmo, and making sure nothing makes it past them.
Anselmo Armored Division - Some consider this faction to actually be an extension of the Anselmo Guardians as their job shares most of their duties. This faction uses heavy armored vehicles to patrol around and defend Anselmo, but a duty they don't share with the Guardians is transport and resupply with the forward outposts outside of Anselmo.
Anselmo Educational Society and Center of Advancement - This faction is based on education and learning. All of Anselmo's education system is under this faction, but so are many researching Occultists and Monster Biologists. Similarly, the Seer Corp fall under this faction.
Anselmo Engineering and Maintenance - This faction makes sure Anselmo stays standing. If it needs to be fixed, cleaned, built, or deconstructed these are the folks you will need.
Anselmo Ranger - The Rangers are men and women who make a living beyond the wall. Trained to fight and survive outside the walls using a mix of weaponry and survival tactics to assist the other members of his/her team.
Anselmo Guardian - Also called Wall Guards, this faction is the defenders of Anselmo manning the giant cannons on its walls, patrolling the immediate area around Anselmo, and making sure nothing makes it past them.
Anselmo Armored Division - Some consider this faction to actually be an extension of the Anselmo Guardians as their job shares most of their duties. This faction uses heavy armored vehicles to patrol around and defend Anselmo, but a duty they don't share with the Guardians is transport and resupply with the forward outposts outside of Anselmo.
Anselmo Educational Society and Center of Advancement - This faction is based on education and learning. All of Anselmo's education system is under this faction, but so are many researching Occultists and Monster Biologists. Similarly, the Seer Corp fall under this faction.
Anselmo Engineering and Maintenance - This faction makes sure Anselmo stays standing. If it needs to be fixed, cleaned, built, or deconstructed these are the folks you will need.
In the passing 87 years from the fall of the world and the time in which we will be playing nature has made a point of growing over the destroyed and decrepit remains of society. This has made travel difficult for vehicles. In order to get around this the people of Anselmo learned that some of the creatures that came to our world back in 2257 and thrived in the passing years make excellent mounts and companions for extended travel. The favored being the Duvari a race of horse sized cats with 6 legs in total. Their agility and dexterity makes travel over rugged terrain easy and with their strength, good pack animals. Even though each Duvari has clawed hands they are meant for climbing over hunting as they are actually Herbivores, using their frontal sharp teeth to cut parts of dense vegetation to chew up using the grinding teeth in the back of their jaws. Most natural Duvari have primary color schemes but breeding done by Anselmo’s breeders has given them an assortment of colors that would rival a rainbow. Generally following a main coat and underbelly pattern for color. The other notable feature is the Duvari’s extremely long tail that can extend up to eight feet. So far no use has been found for this needlessly long tail.
The Other is a true mystery. Technically The Other isn't a thing, but more of a place, yet this place thinks, talks, and shifts about as if it's alive. The Other is the home dimension of the monsters, yet it not inherently malicious like it's denizens. Being said it also isn't particularly good either. The Other is probably the closest thing to a truly neutral and curious omnipotent being in the world. It jsut exists and by existing weird and strange things happen around it, as well as how it can influence people at places where the barrier between the material world and The Other are particularly weak or even fractured.
Seers have the ability to access The Other at these junctions or through beings connected to The Other in deep ways. Using this the Seer can glean information through supernatural events, twisted dreams, or even through direct trips into The Other through the spiritual bridge. Though of course this must be done with caution. If you can see into The Other, The Other can see into you.
So as a bit of an aside. While this RP takes place a few hundred years in the future the level of technology has fallen back in many fields. Weaponry and transportation being two of the hardest to fall.
Current weapons technology exists of only ballistic weapons. Types of ballistic weapons have grown and become more advanced leading to modular weapon systems and harder hitting rounds to battle the more durable and deadly monsters, there are no more advanced weapons such as ones that shoot laser or plasma. All the ones that did were lost in the Fall of Man.
Transportation technology has faded as well as the world changing to make the currently existing ones less viable. Airborne vehicles are almost non existent given that during the war most were destroyed. Beyond that civilian craft were repurposed or just fell victim to the growing dangerous wind paths located high up in the sky. The only ones left are airships and helicopters that are in very scarce supply, but offer a much safer alternative mode of transportation.
Agricultural technology has taken a hit as well but not nearly as bad as other fields letting Anselmo retain a self-sustaining food supply for it's citizens. This is the same for Anselmo's fishing and livestock industry, allowing them to maintain a sufficient food supply for the foreseeable future.
Current weapons technology exists of only ballistic weapons. Types of ballistic weapons have grown and become more advanced leading to modular weapon systems and harder hitting rounds to battle the more durable and deadly monsters, there are no more advanced weapons such as ones that shoot laser or plasma. All the ones that did were lost in the Fall of Man.
Transportation technology has faded as well as the world changing to make the currently existing ones less viable. Airborne vehicles are almost non existent given that during the war most were destroyed. Beyond that civilian craft were repurposed or just fell victim to the growing dangerous wind paths located high up in the sky. The only ones left are airships and helicopters that are in very scarce supply, but offer a much safer alternative mode of transportation.
Agricultural technology has taken a hit as well but not nearly as bad as other fields letting Anselmo retain a self-sustaining food supply for it's citizens. This is the same for Anselmo's fishing and livestock industry, allowing them to maintain a sufficient food supply for the foreseeable future.
Where To Go and What To Do
With the backstory, special places, and oddities part done, we can all finally move onto what this RP is all about, what the CS looks like, what the rules are, and a bit about how I run my games!
To get the boring things out of the way...
To get the boring things out of the way...
I'll try to keep this brief. I'd like to think I live and let live, so whatever happens and goes on will be all for the effort of maximum fun. Similarly I run my games a little different in that I will put things that truly can't be beat by putting powerful creatures and such in the team's path. This is not meant to kill you as that is the LAST thing I want to do. I just know that to make a great story the heroes must be put in danger and overcome it through their great will and wonderful characterization. So I guess to word it otherwise, I really, really, REALLY don't wanna kill anybody, even if it looks like it in the IC chat.
To keep this short and sweet:
1. No metagaming, Godmodding, or Powergaming. This is meant to be fun and enjoyable for all parties so don't do any of those three and ruin it for others.
2. Be mature and not weird. I'm all for being mature and weird, but not maturely weird. To explain, this RP is meant to be very mature with a lot of adult themes. That doesn't mean I want people going around talking about really offensive or bothersome topics.
3. Try not to flood the IC with posts. As a general rule of thumb, let at least 2-3 posts go in between your own posts.
4. Be civil. This is more of a preemptive rule, but in the event folk disagree, please try to solve the issue civil-like so we can get back to having fun. I really don't want to have to get involved.
Golden Rule. Have fun dammit!
1. No metagaming, Godmodding, or Powergaming. This is meant to be fun and enjoyable for all parties so don't do any of those three and ruin it for others.
2. Be mature and not weird. I'm all for being mature and weird, but not maturely weird. To explain, this RP is meant to be very mature with a lot of adult themes. That doesn't mean I want people going around talking about really offensive or bothersome topics.
3. Try not to flood the IC with posts. As a general rule of thumb, let at least 2-3 posts go in between your own posts.
4. Be civil. This is more of a preemptive rule, but in the event folk disagree, please try to solve the issue civil-like so we can get back to having fun. I really don't want to have to get involved.
Golden Rule. Have fun dammit!
Name: Character's Name
Age: Character's Age
Gender Character's Gender
Role: What the Character is and what they are for the team such as Ranger, Guardian, Seer, Mechanic, etc.
Equipment: This is what your character has. Be reasonable with how much you take and I'd recommend a theme such as long ranged fighter, close ranged slugger, etc.
Appearance: This is what your character looks like, either some paragraphs, a picture, or a combination of the two.
Background: The history and background of your character to include how they reached the team and something from their past that defines and drives them, such as personal goals. Also don't be afraid to world build. Anselmo is a big place and so is the unclaimed world. Don't be afraid to explore it a little bit.
Other: This is the part where you can add anything else you think would be good to know about your character or would like to add for characterization.
Wish: One thing your character truly wishes they could have, could see, could be, could do, etc.
Trauma: One traumatizing event your character went through that haunts them to the present day.
Age: Character's Age
Gender Character's Gender
Role: What the Character is and what they are for the team such as Ranger, Guardian, Seer, Mechanic, etc.
Equipment: This is what your character has. Be reasonable with how much you take and I'd recommend a theme such as long ranged fighter, close ranged slugger, etc.
Appearance: This is what your character looks like, either some paragraphs, a picture, or a combination of the two.
Background: The history and background of your character to include how they reached the team and something from their past that defines and drives them, such as personal goals. Also don't be afraid to world build. Anselmo is a big place and so is the unclaimed world. Don't be afraid to explore it a little bit.
Other: This is the part where you can add anything else you think would be good to know about your character or would like to add for characterization.
Wish: One thing your character truly wishes they could have, could see, could be, could do, etc.
Trauma: One traumatizing event your character went through that haunts them to the present day.
Since I didn't say it before... Welcome to the Wrath of Darkness RP! First things first, thanks for giving this page a look! If you've given the first few hiders a look then I need to salute you for making it through my mad ramblings.
Yet now we get to the part about what will be happening. The goal of this RP is to have the members of a particularly varied Expedition Team to leave the safety of Anselmo to search, explore, and find out about a wild world destroyed and now on the verge of total insanity. The primary goal is to seek out the Monster Killing Weapon. With that the Leviathans can be beaten and once again humanity can reclaim the world. However, just because the main goal is to seek out the weapon that doesn't mean it is a direct route or even one that has to be 'on the beaten path'. I made a world and I'd like to visit it with some good players!
If you want to join, please don't hesitate to message me. I'm more than willing to help with any sort of character creation, world advice, or really anything that doesn't involve spoilers.
