My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Ozymandias"
America has long since collapsed, as has the rest of the world. The ancient super power has been quartered: with pestilence goes the growth, with conquest the spoils, with war the glory, and with death the life. Kings, cults, and tribes wriggle in the flyblown corpse. The carrion crows seek to pick clean the meat and leave the bones of the past behind them.
However, the Fates will not leave the past so easily buried. Where men see kings and paupers, pastors and killers, the Fates see colonists. Those that the Fates have blessed will inherit the land of the past and build the nation of the future. Be wary, pilgrim; while the Fates bestow the boat, the wind and the sea are beyond their weave. It will be up to you to make it across the Atlantic.
Welcome to the Americhronism RP! This RP takes place long after the mysterious and abrupt destruction of the United States and the collapse of the world. No one's sure how we got here, but everyone thinks they have a clue. What is now North America has been divided into a few independent nations and several city states that are now at constant odds with one another. The city states have adapted what little buildings are well preserved enough to be used for their own purposes; the advancement of technology has fallen back severely, indicating that it has been longer than anyone could have imagined. Guns have given way to makeshift swords, bows, and other unconventional weapons fashioned from the rubble of one of history's most powerful nations.
This RP will not be like other RPs: you will not be strung along a sequence of events. You will not be sent on a quest while your characters grumble about whatever along the way. The sequence of events in the RP is malleable, even breakable. Your characters will be major participants in the state of the world around them, and this will be made possible using the Fate system. More information in the Fate section.
Your characters will enter at the wedding of King Dowager Pompey to Princess Julia, effectively making Pompey the new king and deposing the old one. At this wedding, Pompey will announce great plans for the Kingdom of Albany, and anyone of importance and many of unimportance will attend. More information in People and Places.
Before you will be able to write a character sheet, you must PM me and request a Fate. Fates are very vague characteristics that will be applied to your character that you may have to design them around, though they should be vague enough where they aren't obtrusive. These Fates give your character an exceptional talent, circumstance, or even item that will give them the power and influence, either directly or indirectly, to participate in the world's affairs while giving them an avenue of conflict and motivation. While you may have your character follow the sequence of events as much as you'd like, there will be unique sets of events that will happen to your character that will lead your character on their own path.
I have designed about twenty possible Fates, and I may add more (as this RP has replayability). Now, here's the part you need to listen too:
Do not, I repeat, do not tell anyone your character's Fate. When I begin to introduce hiders that contain content only for a specific character, DO NOT open their hiders unless given permission from me that you can screenshot to do so. NO ONE should know your character's Fate. If you break any of these rules, and I find out about it, you will be kicked out (as will anyone who told you their Fate), and I may be inclined to restart the entire RP. Don't fucking do it.
There's going to be a very basic skill system that you will include in your character's sheet. There are three tiers of skills: Common, Uncommon, and Exceptional. Common is very basic competence with a skill. Not impressive, but enough to make some use of if your character needs to. Uncommon skills are skills that one has been educated in and trained to use proficiently, and an Exceptional skill is a skill that your character has actively honed to be exceptional at. If you consider your character's proficiency in a skill "in between" (better than Uncommon but not Exceptional), then it will count as the lower tier. Starting from the bottom up, you may have any number of Common skills. Come up with whatever you like as a skill. You may have up to five Uncommon skills, but if you have three or more Uncommon skills, your character will be limited to ten Common skills. Exceptional skills will be represented by an asterisk next to an Uncommon skill. Exceptional is equal to exceptional talent, so you may only have one. If you have one, you will be limited to four Uncommon skills, counting the Exceptional, and seven Common skills.
Fate takes precedence over your character's skills. Don't be upset if your character is an Exceptional tier speaker but is outdone by someone who doesn't have it listed on their character sheet (though they really should have it) and that is their Fate. However, you won't be able to know that's their Fate for certain (but if they're better than an Exceptional tier speaker, you can infer that). Point being, whoever the Fates dictate has done better has done better. You must accept it. Do not argue with me over who does better than anyone else.
The Kingdom of Albany encompasses the entirety of the Northeast as far South as Virginia and as far West as West Virginia. The Kingdom of Albany is divided into territories that mostly align with the states that make up the area, with each being headed by a Lord that reigns in their capital cities. Those of Albany or anywhere else in New York often refer to themselves as "Romans" for the presence of a small town named Rome in New York that they believe to be the Rome of legend.
The Kingdom is known for rich urban life with the abundance of ruins of old cities, but in fact many less fortunate areas must bear the brunt of the agricultural burden. Crafters, finding an abundance of materials in the ruins of cities, make their best living in the Kingdom of Albany, salvaging anything they can find to make armor, weapons, clothing, tableware, furniture, or anything else.
The Kingdom is currently ruled by King Dowager Pompey, who has oft taken the place of the true King in his absence. The true King, whose name is currently forbidden to be spoken under the Dowager, often prefers to lead military major military campaigns personally as a legendary military leader. Those of the Kingdom of Albany often refer to him as "The Wanderer" for his tendency to leave the throne unattended, or "The Wrathful" for his warlike and stern demeanor. The true King was truly a King if ever there was one, but it has taken him an exceptionally long time to return from this campaign. The time has come and pass for speculation of his return, for it has been for too long for it to be possible for him to return. In both mourning and celebration, the King Dowager is set to humbly take the Wanderer's daughter in marriage and thereby the permanent throne.
The Darkmen of the Underhalls are a mysterious people that mostly live underground in the subway tunnels that run across the United States. They are mainly concentrated in and under New York City, but no one but they are certain how far their domain spreads. Many speculate that it is across the entire continent, but surely that's not possible... right?
The infamous King Under the Mountains is also renowned militarily. Many understandably speculate that he simply is unmatched in his natural territory, the enclosed spaces of the mysterious tunnels. Whatever it is, no one has dared attempt to take the Underhalls, nor would anyone seem to want to. They're mysterious, inexplicable stone tunnels that sprawl infinitely in all directions; what could they possibly provide? The people of the Underhalls often come up to collect supplies and conduct trade, but the vast majority of their people live very happily and well underground. It seems they know something others don't.
The Underhalls are strangely loyal to a King that keeps them underground; many of the King Under the Mountains' subjects are poor people from other countries. Many see the Underhalls as a place of refuge for them. Whatever the Underhalls are and whatever the Darkmen are doing, it keeps them loyal to their King, and they have been undisturbed for hundreds upon hundreds of years.
The Gauls were and are a collection of tribes residing in the vast woodlands of what was Southeast Canada. Largely consisting of Northern and Western "Canadians" that moved Southeast, their ancestors had no ability to read the mostly French that they found in Southeastern Canada. They managed to preserve a mostly pure dialect of English, and when the Magisters got to them or they raided cities and found a library, some of them became educated, and eventually a higher social class was formed. The scholarly community of the tribals eventually concluded that where they lived was once called France, managing to identify the French in the ruins of great cities.
The educated then learned of Gaul, a place that contended with a nigh unstoppable entity, Rome. They saw the ruined cities of "France," for all its architectural glory, fallen in disrepair and abandonment, while they read of the enigmatic Gallic Druids. France began to represent the failure of the Old World, while the ancient and fantastical Gaul, filled with spirits and mysticism, became the new ideal. Using whatever material was available, they constructed their own religion and political system based off of the Gauls, and now they stand as a vast threat to the Kingdom of Albany. Tensions rise between them; the Albanians see them as outsiders, and the Gauls see them as a stepping stone to glory.
The Gauls are still mostly separate tribes, each headed by a council of Druids. However, in recent times, a charismatic leader, Vercingetorix, united the various tribes of Southeastern Canada after a time of horrible inner turmoil. The Gauls, led by the Vercingetorix, who is rumored to be allied with the forces of nature, are a rising entity intent on rising higher.
The Land of a Thousand Kings consists of the Northern Midwest, all East of the Mississippi River. The land extends as far East as Ohio, as far West as Illinois, and as far South of the Southern tip of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The area consists of independent city states that band together in times of war. They are traditionally warlike, but they became incapable of conquering one another permanently. The city states are centered around the major cities of the Midwest, such as Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. Although they are starkly different from one another, they have vowed to unite whenever either the Memphites or Albanians attempt to attack them. The area is believed to be unconquerable.
From this area the majority of animals are farmed and raised, and agricultural life is second only to the Free Lands. Each city state is known for their exceptional use of cavalry and horses and seafaring across the Great Lakes. This unrivaled ability to travel is the key to their ability to defend one another in times of war, and never has any of the major city states been conquered for more than a few months before being retaken. From hives of culture and education to beastly masters of war, the Land of a Thousand Kings is varied, but never have they failed to come together.
The Memphites consist of the South that is East of the Mississippi. The Postumite religion has the area firmly gripped, driving the area religiously, culturally, and politically. They may be the most active people architecturally; they have built enormous, black pyramids on slave labor, the material largely salvaged from the ruins of cities. These obelisks, called necropoleis, house their noble dead or serve as monasteries for Postumite monks or temples. Their bannermen carry black banners alongside the banner of their kingdom.
The Memphite Empire is led by Emperor Lee, advised and equaled by the Postumus Maximus, who is sure to lend his spiritually guided political opinion to the Emperor. Tensions rise between the modest Emperor Lee and his fanatic advisor, who insists on shoving his fingers in everything that the Emperor does.The Postumite involvement in the affairs of the Empire have given it a rich unity and culture that it never had before; its warriors dress in frightening ebony armor and clothing, while its buildings reflect the dark nihilism present in Postumite doctrine. Division is clear between the lay people of the Memphite Empire and the nobles that embrace Postumism, though one would be crazy to test the mettle of the Empire in war. While a bubbling pot of political and religious tension, the Memphite Empire, having the largest landmass and population, are not to be trifled with.
The Free Lands are a largely agricultural land between the Rockies and the Mississippi. It consists of small, fledgling city states that dot the area, but the land is so open that most anyone can start a village, farm, or other shelter there and live peacefully. War is possible, but with the city states being so small and scarce and the land being so open, its difficult for anyone to find one another for battle. It's a land of mystery where anyone and anything can be found, and those that are not savvy travelers may find themselves trapped there... or somewhere else.
The Westerlands, called by the locals the Westernelles, consist of the West coast and everything West of the Rockies. Being so far from the lands East, the West is shrouded in mystery. It is filled with opulence and extravagance, and it's exotic goods and trinkets that make their way to the East reflect it. Many stories sprout in the East about the lands in the West, and for all anyone knows, they could be true. It boasts wondrous cities and buildings, including the Spire of Babylon and Vega, the City Alight. Little is understood about its political structure; the prominent opinion is that its government is the color that their travelling merchants wear: gold.
While few know the mysteries of the West, and peasants may have never heard of it, some tanned merchants make their way East to sell their wares, and other, more mysterious travelers seem to come and go of their own accord. Few wish to make the arduous journey from the East to the West, but those that make the journey confirm that it is as exotic as the stories say, though the stories can never capture the glittering gold that lines the cities. Those that return find themselves going back and back again before they never bother returning.
The Postumites unknowingly come from Southern Protestant Christianity. The belief that the end of civilization hundreds upon hundreds of years ago was the Rapture evolved into Postumism, the belief that death is now all that matters and that it is time to stop struggling against the god that abandoned them. The core beliefs of Christianity have been forgotten and abandoned, and in their place came a reverence for death and preparation for the afterlife.
Postumite clergyman abandon their names and adopt their rank. They denounce the physical world and find beauty in self harm, mutilation, and suicide. Doing so is a surrender to God, recognizing him as the victor in the conflict between man and God, and reflects hope that they may be taken back into the fold of the holy. Despite these beliefs, many Postumite clergyman have been rumored to defy these beliefs, living in comfort and inviting people of ill repute to share a bed with them. Most of all, murder sanctioned by the Postumite church is seen as the most celebrated act, and peasants cry of individuals being singled out and abducted by the Postumite church.
While many see the men in black as mindless fanatics, the stranglehold on the Memphite Empire is a testament to their influence, and one would be hard pressed to find someone to say so to their hooded faces.
The Magisters are dedicated to education and preservation of what little literature and knowledge still remains in destroyed America. They are centered around places of intellectual and cultural importance. Many families send their second or third sons to the Magisters to undergo any intellectual profession, though the Magisters are lacking in the sciences (as is the whole world). If the parents truly never want to see them again, they're sent to the Magisters to become Magisters. Magisters often become advisers to Lords in the Kingdom of Albany and sometimes in the city states of the Land of a Thousand Kings. Most of them are very old, and many speculate that they have mystical powers or can see into the future.
The Magisters have great difficulty attempting grasp historical events, and they cannot seem to find any text about anything more recent than the Middle Ages. Despite their failings, they have very successfully preserved knowledge of engineering, agriculture, philosophy, literature, and much more; though it seems geography and history have largely eluded them, leaving the rest of the world in the dark regarding the existence of America and the entirety of modern history.
Their most exciting prospect, however, is in Washington D.C. A glorious white building with windows barred, doors sealed shut, and surrounded by a chain link fence, this and every other building and monument in the city serve as the Magisters' greatest challenge. The Pentagon, White House, Capitol, and every other major government site in the country are completely sealed shut. The Magisters believe that confined in these abandoned buildings is the secret to the world's abrupt destruction, though so far, these buildings have produced nothing but rumors and stories. The Magisters, the last hope for education in the post apocalyptic world, are still but only a flicker.
Player Acceptance Process and PolicyThe player acceptance process is fairly simple:
--Do the required reading. There's some important stuff to be read in the Fate and Skill sections, and it's best for you to read about all of the different nations and cultures that are currently known. This will give you perspective on the events taking place in post apocalyptic America.
--Shoot me a PM with a writing sample, a filled out character sheet (probably the easiest and my preferred method), or anything else that makes me want you in the RP. You could choose to not do any of that and just send the PM, but those who already have my trust are more likely to get in than those that do not.
--Receive your Fate. If you sent me a CS as part of your initial PM and your Fate works perfectly fine with it, then you can just post that. Otherwise, you may have to rework your character so that your Fate blends well with them.
Try not to make your Fate obvious, but details as to how your specific Fate works will be explained in PM.
--Receive feedback/be accepted. I can be picky sometimes, so I may want some things to be changed, but I likely won't have to weed any of you out (that's what step one is for). Sit tight; at this point, the RP will begin shortly. The first IC post will be up, and depending on your Fate, some of you may have Fate specific content already in. Once again,
do not open spoilers with other characters' names on them. The point of this game is for you to /not/ know what's going on with others.
Character Policy--
The golden rule here is, "better to apologize than ask for permission." Do whatever you want. I'll make the tweaks that I want. The CS that you will be posting in this thread will not be weeded out (unless it's really dumb); that's what the application process is for. If you're stepping on something, I'll let you know.
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Nationalities and Naming Conventions: Your character may hail from wherever you want them to as long as it's mentioned in the OP. You may end up with a different starting position; you may even request one if you don't feel your character has any place at the wedding. That means the private stuff starts earlier, and that's where things are more fun. I'll give you something to do.
As for names, anything traditionally American will do for anywhere in the RP besides the Gauls. If you're wealthy and from New York, you can go Roman (none of the actual Roman naming conventions please, such as the praenomen). Wealthy Memphites sometimes take Egyptian style names, though that isn't necessarily true. The Land of a Thousand Kings varies, whatever will do; same applies for the Free Lands. Those of the Westernelles take very strange sounding names; the more creative and unorthodox the better.
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Skills: Pick whatever you like as a skill, though your character's Skill section does not have to encompass everything that they are capable of doing. If your character is exceptionally charismatic or seductive, describe them so in Personality, History, or Misc. Once again, it's not a DnD campaign; I'm not going to make you guys roll a d20 to cook and burn the house down if you roll a one. It's a very loose system. In the end, the Fates will decide the fate of your character.
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Appearance: Pictures or description is fine. I like description, personally, but no anime. Anime will be rejected super hard.
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Don't be afraid; use your imagination when talking about where your character comes from. If they're from the Free Lands, make some place up. Again, I'll let you know if you step on anything. If they're from nobility or even royalty, I may allow it.
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Posting Policy: Post when you can; I'll let you know through PM when it's been a little too long. Also, don't feel obligated to write enormous posts. Sometimes, that's simply not necessary, especially in conversation. When I write conversations, one character may ask your character a question with a brief answer; you don't need to stuff your post full of garbage if the setting is established and you're in the middle of conversation.
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Do not put your Fate in your Character Sheet. I will be incensed if you do so.
Name.
Age
Sex
Nationality/Homeland
Appearance/Equipment
Skills
Personality
History
Miscellaneous
Players: 7/7
Characters:
--Eli Wayne - Jorick
--Pykes - Blitzkrieg
--Alejandra Vanderbuilt - AeronFarron
--Morgan Warner - Sukisho
--Deitrich Bern - Herzi
--Remix - Holmi
--Augustus Wolff - Doivid
CS is up along with everything else. I'll start trimming down the OP and making it make more sense soon enough.