AtomicNut

GRAM - The Witch Hunters

Sorry for the double-post but the RP is live!

GRAM - The Witch Hunters

Greetings, Citizen.

Today, XX, XX, of the year 2XXX, you have been transferred to the Global Response Against Magic office.
Please see the attached documentation for the more technical details on Operation Cold Iron.
As of today, your family has VIP status and may apply for enhanced rations.

You have been selected from a wide array of prospective candidates to do all but one thing.
Fight. Fight for every stone, for ever patch of grass, for every trinket out there. Much has been lost, yet we endure.
You will be our hammer, the last torch. The last offense and defense against the great Enemy.
You are GRAM, and you will be bane of Witches.

---

Bonus Old Intro

It's just a question of maths, really.

Humans are 7 billion (7,000,000,000) people.

Half of them are women. (3,500,000,000)

Approximatedly 1 in each 100,000 shows the genetic markers to become a Witch and manipulate arcane powers that defy comprehension (35,000)

Add that the ratio of arcane powers between women and men is 1000:1 (35,035)

This is a world where 90% of the wealth is accumulated on 10% of the people.

When these Witches awoke, be it because solar activity, climate change, pollution or cosmic alignments, how many of these were born in the 90% of the world who struggled to make a living?(31,532)

And... how many of those, having gained reality bending powers overnight, sought to overturn their situation?

The world as we knew... was torn aside in what we know as the Great Awakening, the Walpurgisnacht.

- Extract from the handwritten notes of a scientist found in Geneva, Switzerland

In the year 20XX, the civilization that man has once known has been brought to heel due to an unknown, mysterious power which resembles the magic of legends. On year 20XX, the world awoke to an event known as the Walpurgisnacht- the Witches' Night. Seemingly out of nowhere and overnight, one in ten thousand women (and a much lesser proprortion of men) suddenly awoke powers that defied reality or comprehension. We call this phenomenon now Magic. The distribution of these powers was evenly spread, and much unrest happened in the weeks to follow. Spurred by the turmoil of change, governments fell, and those in poverty rose against in arms to loot the rich as one by one, the governments of the world fell into anarchy.

The apocalypse was certainly underway. The remnants of the most influential nations pooled their resources together to preserve what was assumed to be a critical decay of the current civilization and knowledge level, who would usher a new era of Dark Ages. All armies were mobilized, all stockpiles were used. Defeat after defeat, it seemed that these Witches and Warlocks were too unpredictable to rely on any kind of known tactic, and the surgence of supernals - magical beasts of old long thought to be myths- crippled these armies even further, by causing widespread supply destruction and disruption of travel. The nuclear option was in particular disabled by a being people now call the King of Monsters, and whose name is not known, but his appearance is. The One Eyed Wyrm.

Four great bloody champions of the Witches arose in this era, who would later be known as West, East, North and South.

And then the battle of Sydney happened. It is hauled as the single turning point of this war of attrition and decay, where the forces of the old world managed a decisive victory and secured a stronghold in the remote Australia, but at great cost. It was then when the Allied nations command shifted from defensive warfare to evacuation, and Operation Iron Wall was issued. A massive evacuation effort, where what was left of the armies was burn through so the remaining people could flee towards Australia.

Operation Iron Wall depleted half of the then remaining resources, but it had a resounding success. It also brought forth the first use of Magic in warfare against Witches, led by the loyalist witch Morgan, who displayed a prowess similar to the Great Four.

Much was lost then, but we yet endure. Australia and New Zealand are the last stronghold of our world's inheritage and story. Stepping forth from this point is venturing a land of survival of the fittest, of barbarism and decaying technology. Thirty years have passed since, and we have been unable to move forward past the foundation of the Global Response Anti Magic forces, or GRAM for short. While we were able to retain our technology, we live tightly packed and under a near-perpetual martial law.

The retaliation will commence now. Operation Cold Iron has just started.

---

Some stuff before we get started

• I will allow to play normal hunters as well a pool of magic-users. Supernal creatures are meant to be unplayable, but i am open to suggestions. I want to keep a demographic balance.
• Themes are supposed to be dark. This is not a good vs evil setting, it's more Order vs Chaos.
• I don't know much about guns and related, so the details on the militar side will be left quite vague.
• Magic will be a "sky is the limit" kind of setting where any magic user is able to do anything without no rules or restriction... however there is a catch. I will also place the "fickle" rule. I reserve my right to make any kind of magic fail or even bounce back without warning nor explanation whatsoever. Magic is powerful, but dangerous. Also magic among GRAM ranks is both a boon and a curse. Magic users the best counter to witches, but they also face heavy discrimination and paranoia.
• Play nice, play cool. I am not interested in antagonistic roles nor people who go solo for the time being. The whole world will be the enemy, no need to make more. Also, I doubt it needs to be said, but please be polite and respectful to fellow players.
• I will stick to a bare minimum of a single paragraph every two weeks. I would also like to ask that if for some reason you are unable to post, please give me notice. Same for losing interest for whatever reason.

The World at large

The world has suffered a tremendous geopolitical shift and even climate shift due to the sudden upsurge of magic. Humanity has suffered severe depopulation to an unprecedent scale due to the massive cataclismic clashes between the countries of old and the new powers of Witches and Supernals. Ironically, this seemed to allow nature to heal from the scars of the self-destructing consumism spiral of the late 20th and early 21st centuries... but barely any safe place is left, and people can die from plagues, disease or even predation by supernals at night. Practically no country has survived, except Australia and New Zealand. The combination of natural resources, sparse population and relatively developed lifestyle allowed them to agglutinate the last remnants of the old World's order in Strongholds, walled cities that are under the control of the United Nations (or what's left of it). These strongholds is where the GRAM draws its resources, funding and recruits.

Apparently, some Witches have managed to get something resemble societies working too, but they're hapzard, pale imitations of what used to be at best. (With the exception of Johannesburg, but that's a exception to the rule) Tales of hunters talk about dens of vice and abased debauchery, where life can be snuffed at the candle of the mighty and powerful, and sometimes inhumane, witches.

Life in the strongholds

Despite how dire the situation is, strongholds still have access to the main commodities of modern life, and there's little if any shortage of anything. However it comes with a terrible price. Big brother is always watching, and regulations and rules are everywhere. The greater good is used as umbrella term to trample over even the most basic personal freedoms. Because witch genes are among the populace, there is no small sheer amount of paranoia and distrust among people. So, while the society is modern, it is also oppressive and stale, and makes many people join the high-risk high-gain ranks of GRAM, the only ones who venture outside the Strongholds to fight witches.

Sometimes, people aren't even given an option. Any confirmed witch match in the strongholds is forcefully recruited in their magic ranks, and kept under tight controls with a kill switch. Supernals, who are even rarer, are vivisected usually... Even the mere thought of one joining the GRAM ranks is rare.

GRAM

The Global Response Anti Magic forces are pretty much the only force capable of trading blows with witches and not suffer the fate of the sundered armies before them. With cutting edge technology boosted by their own magic forces, these daredevils thread into the chaotic anarchic world of today to restore what once was. They have a looser structure than most forces, and at times they're little more than adventurers or guerrilla. Casualties are high, as expected, but successful GRAM veterans enjoy many boons that normal citizens cannot.

There are two branches in GRAM. The magic users, sometimes called the Sorceresses and Sorcerers (to distinguish themselves from the Witches and Warlocks) are often kept separated and trained by their own, and then lent to the normal branches, the Troopers, to offer their magical expertise as backup. There is no small amount of friction because of this formula, but this was the most sensible solution to avoid infighting that was discovered. It is forbidden to hide potential magic candidates from GRAM, and since they're military assets, vigilante killings are not allowed unless they're in self defense.

The great Four/Five and Witches

In this chaotic world, there are countless threats and war-drunk witches to count and classify. The usual formula is that a cluster of witches rules over a certain are like a city-state of old, and keeps acolytes and supernals under their thumb. Some witches are even nomads, which raid the corpses of the cities of Old and unguarded settlements for a living. It is worth noting, however, that there are four witches who have rose to prominence and notoriety due to their sheer power and followers.

• The Witch of the North: Also known as the Winter Sorceress. Her stronghold is Iceland. She has relatively few people and followers, but has many dangerous supernals and beasts under her control. She is infamously for her ability to warp the weather and the climate to such an extent that men are frozen where they stand, as well as the only witch in the world capable of commanding an entire flock of dragons.
• The Witch of the West: Also known as the Bloody Dawn. Her stronghold is Mexico. A sadistic woman who has a disturbing penchant for human sacrifice and blood magic. West is the most warmongering of all the great four, and the people she comands are feral reavers and pirates who abduct people for the mesoamerican gods of old, clad in feathers and pelt. She has a great cult and is worshipped as High priestess.
• The Witch of the East: Also known as the Dead Queen. Her stronghold is Beijing. A powerful necromancer and spirit summoner, East is an eerie slippery opponent that rules a city where few denizens have a pulse, and can summon demons and spirits from unspeakable places. Dead Queen and Bloody Dawn have a long standing rivalry as they both compete for human sacrifices.
• The Witch of the South: Also known as the Lady of the Flames. Her stronghold is Johannesburg. South is the only witch who has managed to retain a level of followers and management that match the strongholds of the the Old World order. Johannesburg can boast a large population and even trade, but it is a rotten city, a den of vice where all the worst cravings of men and women are sated, all overseen by the eyes of South and her retainers. South is also the most industrious witch, and is locked in an arms race with the Old World order. She also has a feud with North for unknown reasons.
• The Fifth Witch: Also known as Morgan le Fay. An enigmatic Welsh woman who is currently the head of the GRAM sorceresses. For some reason she decided to side with the Old World order rather than start her own city country. While not widely acknowledged, many people think that Morgan was a keystone that allowed the survival of the Old World order in Australia and New Zealand and the creation of GRAM. To this day, Morgan is the only person who can strike any kind of fear in the other great Four witches (other than themselves).

Supernals

• King of Monsters - Marduk: A massive creature resembling the dragons of lore. Nicknamed the "one eye" due to a missing right eye. He is capable of flight even though it is so massive it should not. Suspect magic is involved. Apparently he is a termophile and even his own body emits massive quantities of heat. Nicknamed Marduk for his fondness of roosting among the ruins of Babylon, this massive monster is what neutralized the major nuclear powers almost overnight with his sheer might. It is rumoured he is the major backer of the Witch of the North.
  (more will be added)

Glossary of Terms

• Four Great Witches: The four most noteworthy individuals of the Walpurgis uprising.
• GRAM: Global Response Against Magic. The forces
• Cabal: An aggrupation of witches. Fairly common, as only very powerful witches can afford to go solo usually. GRAM posseses one cabal, comprised of Morgan le Fay and her battle tested veterans of Operation Iron Wall.
  Sorceress\Sorcerer: A sanctioned witch in the employment of GRAM. Nearly all of them are rather young, and there is no minimum age to serve as sorceress. They're fitted with explosive implants that grant their superiors a killer switch.
• Witch\Warlock: Any unsactioned spellcaster. A variable lot, but usually more battle tested and powerful than the average sorceress.
• Magic: The ability to perform reality defying feats by only using inner strenght, a few mnemotechnical tricks and discipline. One in 10.000 has the ability to it. It is genetical and recessive. The ability can also manifest in men, but more rarely at a 1 to 1000 ratio. So only one in 10.000.000 chance to be a warlock. Magic aptitude at its basic level, halts aging and allows the user to self-regenerate their wounds. It also allows timely discharges of energy that can be used as projectiles and barriers.
• Supernals: Creatures with magical abilities that resemble beasts of myth. They're usually hostile to humans and only sometimes they allow themselves to be approached by magical users. Some of these supernals, like the humanoid dwarves and elves, do trade with humans, but they are very inclined towards Witches rather than GRAM.
• MUW: Magically Upgraded Weapons. Quite rare and a strategical resource for GRAM. Weapons produced by witches are usually done with better enchantments so they're usually taken for investigation and reverse engineering.

Character Sheet

Name:
Age:
Branch: (Trooper or Sorceress)
Skills:
Magical Ability description(If sorceress):
Non-standard gear(Other than the basic guns and rifles, melee weapons and ammunition must be described here):
Physical description(images or written, I am fine with either):
Biography (Tell also some of the personality here. Single coherent paragraph at the bare minimum.)
Other Anything that doesn't fit)

And RP is go!

GRAM - The Witch Hunters

To answer your question: I am too lazy to go into further details. Tech hasn't devolved as GRAM has been concerned (but they live in perpetual martial law). The rest of the world is a Mad Max funhouse where you're lucky if you have AKs and factories. Magical gears are crafted. The ones dones by witches and supernals have better enchantments but are quite old-fashioned. Weapons don't turn magical, they're made.

GRAM's enchantments are usually more limited due to both lack of magical users and magical resources, but they're high tech.

Due North

@Themerlinhawk Alright, moved.

@NuttsnBolts I don't think so. Mary is paid to serve tea and clean, not to do idle chat with the lord's guests.

Due North

Mary Holly

Mary Holly/ Morgaine

Age:20

Image

Morgaine (known to most people as Mary Holly) is a woman of slight and somewhat scrawny build which betrays a somewhat conflicted upbringing. She usually dresses with an aged maid suit and is fond of protective headgear to avoid the sun striking her sensitive skin. These clothes also conceal her striking auburn hair and green eyes in order to not draw unwanted attention. Her manner of walk is unassuming and rather silent, and a faint herbal fragance with earthen hints seems to follow her everywhere.

Occupation/Relation: Morgaine has been a maid in the manor for three years. Rumours of bastardry being the reason why she was hired float around. She seems to have a knack for herbalism and foraging, as well a certain special touch when handling beasts, thanks to the tips and tricks her mother passed down unto her.

Personality:

Morgaine is a grim and cynical individual who has had a harsh upbringing bestowed upon her. Tight knit about her true intentions and demeanour she usually deflects prying questions with scathing sarcasm. She is not very good at socializing and prefers sometimes the company of beasts rather than people. Her dedication to the less... reputed arts attributed to women and her penchant to brew herbal conconctions have given her some sort of infamy among the staff. Being a bastard, she harbours no small amount of envy and resent towards the proper family members of the estate. Nevertheless, Morgaine is methodical, rather even-tempered and she always takes the side of the less favored, consequences be damned.

History:
The professions of someone's forebears usually shape one's life for good or bad,and Morgaine was no exception. Borne out of wedlock to one of the strangest retainers of Lord Northam, a wise woman and midwife who lived and performed her trade at the edge of the woods, her mother was seen with a mixture of suspicion and respect. A relic of an era of darkness and superstition, her mother could brew fairly potent concoctions with the herbs and spices she found in the forest. Her herbal tonic was a favorite of the Northams. Her ability to assist childbirth and heal wounds also did not go unnoticed, and more than often people trusted her hands than that of a physician. There were people who called her a witch, but even more people who called her.

It was in such a climate that Morgaine grew up until her eleventh birthday, ever playing with the forest animals and learning the old, ancient knowledge and arts of her own mother rather than meeting other children and learning prayers of faith. Alas, even for a seasoned wise woman, the forest is full of dangers, and one night she did not return. Morgaine was not suspicious at first. She had long get used to days in absence of her mother.

Three days later, only her severed arm was found. The rest of the body had been ravaged and eaten by whatever monstrous creature had crawled out of the depths. Morgaine was orphaned, thus. And the villagers were almost too happy to toss the little witchspawn in a local orphanage to scrub the heathenly air she had upon her and give the poor, half-starved girl a chance at living an honest life. They only succeeded superficially. In the end, her knowledge about herbs and remedies proved all too useful to treat fellow sick children, and the tutors learnt to look the other way as long as she behaved properly in public. She was eventually baptised as Mary Holly.

Everything changed, when a member of the Northam was offered her herbal tea as a result of a sizeable contribution to the orphanage. He recognized the same drink that her mother had offered long ago, and learnt of the wise woman's daughter fate. What was more surprising, he also brought forth the issue of her true parenthood, which could even be bring forth more scandal. In the end, however, they found her skills to be of interest towards the household, so she was offered a spot as servant inside the manor, on the condition she never mentioned her bastard condition.

Quirk: Morgaine has been inducted in Witchcraft by her very mother. She knows some basic protection spells and benefitial charms as well as a wealth of herbalism and folk medicine that could prove useful. She also owns a pet raven which is suspected she uses as familiar.

Due North

Alright, moved to a link instead. Image is broken, but you can download it.

Due North

Mary Holly

Mary Holly/ Morgaine

Age:20

Image

Morgaine (known to most people as Mary Holly) is a woman of slight and somewhat scrawny build which betrays a somewhat conflicted upbringing. She usually dresses with an aged maid suit and is fond of protective headgear to avoid the sun striking her sensitive skin. These clothes also conceal her striking auburn hair and green eyes in order to not draw unwanted attention. Her manner of walk is unassuming and rather silent, and a faint herbal fragance with earthen hints seems to follow her everywhere.

Occupation/Relation: Morgaine has been a maid in the manor for three years. Rumours of bastardry being the reason why she was hired float around. She seems to have a knack for herbalism and foraging, as well a certain special touch when handling beasts, thanks to the tips and tricks her mother passed down unto her.

Personality:

Morgaine is a grim and cynical individual who has had a harsh upbringing bestowed upon her. Tight knit about her true intentions and demeanour she usually deflects prying questions with scathing sarcasm. She is not very good at socializing and prefers sometimes the company of beasts rather than people. Her dedication to the less... reputed arts attributed to women and her penchant to brew herbal conconctions have given her some sort of infamy among the staff. Being a bastard, she harbours no small amount of envy and resent towards the proper family members of the estate. Nevertheless, Morgaine is methodical, rather even-tempered and she always takes the side of the less favored, consequences be damned.

History:
The professions of someone's forebears usually shape one's life for good or bad,and Morgaine was no exception. Borne out of wedlock to one of the strangest retainers of Lord Northam, a wise woman and midwife who lived and performed her trade at the edge of the woods, her mother was seen with a mixture of suspicion and respect. A relic of an era of darkness and superstition, her mother could brew fairly potent concoctions with the herbs and spices she found in the forest. Her herbal tonic was a favorite of the Northams. Her ability to assist childbirth and heal wounds also did not go unnoticed, and more than often people trusted her hands than that of a physician. There were people who called her a witch, but even more people who called her.

It was in such a climate that Morgaine grew up until her eleventh birthday, ever playing with the forest animals and learning the old, ancient knowledge and arts of her own mother rather than meeting other children and learning prayers of faith. Alas, even for a seasoned wise woman, the forest is full of dangers, and one night she did not return. Morgaine was not suspicious at first. She had long get used to days in absence of her mother.

Three days later, only her severed arm was found. The rest of the body had been ravaged and eaten by whatever monstrous creature had crawled out of the depths. Morgaine was orphaned, thus. And the villagers were almost too happy to toss the little witchspawn in a local orphanage to scrub the heathenly air she had upon her and give the poor, half-starved girl a chance at living an honest life. They only succeeded superficially. In the end, her knowledge about herbs and remedies proved all too useful to treat fellow sick children, and the tutors learnt to look the other way as long as she behaved properly in public. She was eventually baptised as Mary Holly.

Everything changed, when a member of the Northam was offered her herbal tea as a result of a sizeable contribution to the orphanage. He recognized the same drink that her mother had offered long ago, and learnt of the wise woman's daughter fate. What was more surprising, he also brought forth the issue of her true parenthood, which could even be bring forth more scandal. In the end, however, they found her skills to be of interest towards the household, so she was offered a spot as servant inside the manor, on the condition she never mentioned her bastard condition.

Quirk: Morgaine has been inducted in Witchcraft by her very mother. She knows some basic protection spells and benefitial charms as well as a wealth of herbalism and folk medicine that could prove useful. She also owns a pet raven which is suspected she uses as familiar.

Due North

"How I met my true love among werewolves and shoggoths" - the next summer hit.

GRAM - The Witch Hunters

I have to apologize but I have hit a bit of creative drought with this, so it qill take a little more than expected. Stay tuned, though.

Due North

Huh, i quite dig this. Been a while. Truth to be told i once tried to run something like this but everyone wanted to be a nazi cultist.

I will probably bring a weirdo. Like a maid who is a witch apprentice or someone who returned from the Zulu war with a few screws loose.