A Time After Men
Animal Roleplay
Lore
The once great civilization that was the collective humankind has fallen, and with it, all great knowledge and technological process. Destroyed, not by itself entirely, it collapsed under a power that can and never will be truly tamed; nature. It was the wrath of the same celestial body that gave mankind the light of day that plunged it into darkness eternal, for in one fell swoop of its faintest of power, all that made man so dominant as he was, was taken away. There was no hesitation, no delay thereafter that provided the crippled human race any mercy, as in perhaps mere years after, the very earth beneath them erupted in a plume of devastation greater than the most mighty human tools. In the wake and ash of the great disaster, humanity reeled, only this time not to recover. Between the famine and pestilence that already ruled, this deathblow had been dealt with immense conviction, and they wasted away to the nothingness they are now. Humans, now, are mere ghosts of an era lost, a rare sight in a world itself wreathed in a greying shroud.
Before their defeat at the hands of the sky above and earth below, some of their greatest triumphs - or most vile, as many then argued - was the alteration of life itself. A great future, some destiny not fulfilled, had laid forth before humankind in the smallest of places; their very things that made them flesh and blood. Their science, their research, their knowledge all allowed them the tools to modify that which was not yet even born, not because they should, but because they could. At first they had started humbly enough, but soon their intentions far exceeded their needs, and the most ill of wills stole away these secrets...
The first triumphs were for mere show, proof of their ability, creatures unlike all those before them, but it was the ones that followed that mattered far, far more. Humanity, not for the purpose of peace, but undoubtedly for war created the sentient - or those beasts who were of intellect similar to man. They were designed from before they existed to be killers, more so than they were already, yet fate so clearly intervened. Before the arbitration on its matters moral could be set in stone, the creators of these things and their societies fell. Whatever wars had been fought by man and animal for the first and last time together, along side one another, were in secret.
But this story does not focus upon the conflicts and weight of the past or the husks of a dead civilization.
This story begins within what was the "Great Nation", or so it has become known, and centers solely upon the encounters that have arisen. It was here, long before the collapse of its creators, that many exotic beasts from far away lands were kept in great number. Some liberated from cruel circumstance and others the "pets" of their masters, but none were so truly tame. It was too here that many of the wizened creatures began their lives, some knowingly and others not so. The mechanism, whatever it was or is, has been lost to us all and there exists no clear line as to who is or is not to be sentient. However, the confrontations only grow, for as packs of roving wolves wander derelict streets on the hunt for urban prey and mighty cats stalk the oncoming or fleeting hours of darkness in old residences, the more intelligent among them have becoming increasingly tested.
Competition between these creatures, those who were so fortunate as to escape or those benefitted from the luck of their progenitors, has only grown. Not by want of food, but for territory. Many among them who are awakened see fit to it that they are the "chosen" - those who will survive into the unknown future - even so despite this, not all beasts are alike, be them man or animal. Some are prestine relics of eras long past, specialists to great effect, and others are modern scavengers, eking by on whatever opportunity arises for their mongrel selves.
Alas, for all these things said, the real question is... who are you among them?
Information
A Time After Men is a post apocalyptic roleplay that takes place in the near future, focusing upon the predatory beasts of the land in a world after human beings. The story and setting are designed to encourage participants to form factions of their own of similar species to secure dominance in a highly contested territory. While not a slice of life roleplay, elements of realism should be expected, but aspects unexplained are not entirely unknown to the plot. The player characters themselves are carnivores, primarily mammals, and have the potential to have human-like intellect and capacity of mind, but they may also play mundane beasts of the same sort; while not explicit, the intent is not for players to portray other creatures, be them humans or prey items, but such options are only strongly discouraged but not ruled out. Even formerly extinct predators are potential options, but players should be aware of their individual strengths and weaknesses.
It is of important note that not all animals are made equal. Apex predators are the supreme tier of archetype and have little to fear from anything but another of its kind or an animal of its classification. A wolf, by standard, is a powerful and versatile animal, but it holds little chance of posing a credible threat without its pack, and even with one, grave injury and mortal threat are a possibility. On the same front, the rare human character is still perfectly capable of being versed in one of the most important evolutions of human technology - the firearm. In short, the world that A Time After Men portrays is dangerous to anyone and everyone.
The purpose of the roleplay itself is to have these creatures all in conflict, struggling to control and claim the remnants of the fictional location of Regal Hills. The environment itself is notable for its diversity of creatures, but in the story as well as the Earth itself begins a process of global cooling - an ice age brought upon it by the eruption of a super volcano. It needs bear mention that most all human electronics are outright destroyed, and that much of the remnants found of the old civilization bear the signs great duress, conflict and death.
The rules of the roleplay are few and simple, with the expectation being a Causal to High Casual writing ability in both post length and readability. Roleplayers are expected to acknowledge and incorporate realistic elements into their submissions, and where appropriate, minimize excessiveness of mature themes such as graphic violence. Adult themes involving any content are strictly prohibited. Ultimately, the Game Master has authority on all matters, with the Assistant Game Master being the second in direct command and control.
Character Sheet
Each character sheet must be reviewed and approved by the Game Master or the Assistant Game Master. Characters who are so approved may be posted in the "Characters" tab of this topic and then introduce themselves appropriately into the current plot of the "In-Character" section.
Reference Material:
The Alignment System
Cast
The current cast of characters and their players, a player who abandons or loses a character will be relegated to the retired section. If that character is still alive, they will have control of their person assumed by the Game Master and Assistant Game Master for purposes of continuing the story as a non-player character. The intended maximum amount of characters to be played within the roleplay should not exceed six unless it receive special approval.
Character slots may be reserved in advance, but are under the "first come, first served" philosophy.
Player Characters
(4/6)
- Nomad - @Zetsuko (Approved)
- Brutus - @Lmpkio (Approved)
- Royal - @Silver Fox (Approved)
- Zverda - @Zverda (Awaiting Response)
- "Unspecified" - @Kaylan the Lioness (Awaiting Response)
- None
Non-Player Characters
- None - @The Harbinger of Ferocity
Retired Characters
- None - @The Harbinger of Ferocity
