Wampower

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

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Deadlands - A Supernatural Western

Franz Kaufmann

Franz was slowly waking up from a fitful sleep. He cursed himself again for buying a new bed back home. He had quickly gotten used to its soft depths, amplifying Amelia’s warmth next to his…

Constantin shivered. Franz groaned and opened his eyes. The cramped interior of the coach he hired and the bodies of his old Kameraden greeted his eyes. Despite the little space they had, John was, of course, making tea. The peculiar aroma of the tea was soon all he could smell. Although he preferred coffee, the Englishman had rituals of tea drinking, and Franz decided it would be easier to accept the generosity than discuss it. Franz threw himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and smoothing his clothes.

“Kaufmann, pass me the water,” muttered Constantin as he got up.

“Ja,” he passed him the skin from its perch. When Constantin handed it back, he took his own drink.

As he stretched, Constantin decided to antagonize the Englishman again. There was a petty struggle between them, he knew. The French hate the British like the Serben hate the Kroats. "So Rosbif, remind me again, why are we marry band of comrades on the way to this Selina? Could we not have performed what every business you had in mind in Doge City?"

"well Crapaud" John replied as he poured a cup of English Grey tea and offered it him. He muttered a crude “thanks” in his heavily accented English. "I trust these Americans even less than I trust you."

Franz shrugged. “I don’t see any problems with the Americans. Better than the Kroats or the Bosnier…”

John then poured himself a cup of tea, placing the Tea cosy back on the teapot he took a slip before continuing his conversation with Constantin "There have been all sorts of stories and rumours about this new "ghost rock" material and before I invest in anything I would like to confirm what it is and what it can do for myself"

"Likewise we also heading out here for Mister Franz's investigation for the Imperial Society of Science and Magic but I'll let Kaufman explain that to you... again." John added on as he took another sip of tea and turned to look out window..

Franz sat down and sipped from the steaming bitter drink. He could explain it to his old friend again. “I’ve worked some with the Kaiserlich Verein for a few years since Sedan. They’re a part of the Universität. I tell them about those things we fought, die Untoten, and I show them the newest guns I come up with. Now they’re paying me to come to where all this magic Scheiße started and give them observations and samples. They want to know about the ghost rock too. From their pay, I’m paying you.” He grinned a little. “Besides, I figured you’d be used to fighting around the world. I still have that Qing coin you mailed me from China.”

Deadlands - A Supernatural Western

Franz Kaufmann

Stats

Hider

Agility: 6
Smarts: 6
Spirit: 4
Strength: 5
Vigor: 4

Appearance

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Franz is relatively average physically. He’s 5’10”, with an average stature. He has a fair and lightly freckled complexion. He has short light brown hair and a full beard.

His outfit contains a long grey coat, white shirt, tough blue trousers from his military days, blue vest, old army boots, and something like a grey Homburg hat: https://www.hats-plus.com/images/Product/large/2662.jpg

Gear

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An automatic gatling rifle built in his shop https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f1/93/77/f19377f809ba47b81e09eb79a8d0d191.png

His modified Gasser M1870 he used to survive during the Battle of Sedan. This pistol was used by officers and cavalry, and Franz has cared for it meticulously and updated some of it’s mechanisms. It has high stopping power, with it’s carbine chamber of 11.25x36mm.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/battlefield/images/8/81/Gasser_M1870_IRL.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160912171936

Franz has also brought his tools for reloading ammo and gun maintenance.

Background

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Franz Kaufmann was born to Josef Kaufmann and Marie Kaufmann in poor worker tenements in Vienna in 1848. The chaos caused by the year’s revolutions caused his parents much misfortune, so they named their son after the new Hapsburg monarch, Franz Joseph, who ascended to the throne that year to return stability to the Empire. The family lived an impoverished existence, working hard early industrial jobs in Vienna. Josef and Marie were unable to conceive again, so further strain was put on Franz to work hard for the family. The young man knew his duty, but truly desired to seek fame and fortune from adventure, like so many others. When he was 18, he enlisted in the army for the Austro-Prussian War, much to his parent’s chagrin. The adventure was short-lived when the war ended in quick defeat for the Austrians, but he distinguished himself and received extra payment for his service. With the money, his family was able to rise out of the worst of it’s problems. The experience of a lost war changed him forever, but he ultimately considered it worthwhile to serve his Empire and family. He stayed on in the army and started to rise in ranks.

In 1870, the Prussians turned on Napoleon III’s French Empire. The Austrians didn’t join the war, but the French paid for an expeditionary force to aid them. He joined it eagerly, knowing it would set him up for life if he used his pay wisely. The force found its way to France just in time before the Battle of Sedan, where it fought well with another division of French men. In the chaos of the battlefield, he, a British advisor named John, and a Frenchman named Constantin depended on each other to make sure their guns kept firing. They barely managed to fend off every Prussian advance on their position, unaware that the battle as a whole was deteriorating. As they kept firing to keep the Prussians from braving a full assault, the unthinkable happened: the corpses of the fallen rose up. Soon they were surrounded as undead Prussians, French, and Austrians lashed out from all sides. A living man was worth 10 of the flesh gnashers, but the dead always outnumbered the living. Under the moonlight, they were almost overwhelmed. Then Prussian artillery started shelling the growing horde, allowing them an escape route. As they fled into night, it became apparent that the Frenchman had been hit in the chest with artillery shrapnel. Even though the three knew none of each other’s language, they all knew what had to be done. Despite Constantin's plees to leave him behind, Franz couldn't bring himself to abandon a fellow soldier. He pulled the shrapnel out piece by piece and bandaged the wound, saving Constantin from death. His screams and twisted flesh would haunt Franz whenever he remembered Sedan.

After resting a few hours, the three hiked back to Paris, arriving in time for the coronation of Kaiser Wilhelm I. They managed to strong-arm an army bureaucrat into giving Franz and Constantin their rightful compensation and release from service. Before they went their separate ways, they exchanged contact details, so the three men could correspond later. Franz went back to Vienna, secured an honorable discharge, and decided to settle down. He’d lost his taste for adventure and soldiering after the horrors of Sedan, or so he thought.

Utilizing his carefully saved army money, Franz was able to open a business as a gunsmith in Vienna. He quickly saw success by getting out in front of the newer innovations and was able to set his aging parents up well in his new home. The working class soldier suddenly found himself thrust into Vienna’s new wave of Bourgeoisie. While it was a culture shock at first, he soon became invested in efforts to help modernize Vienna and prepare for the coming age of technology and magic. He joined the state funded Imperial Society of Science and Magic to tell his stories of the horrors of Sedan and his experiences with the new wave of gatling firearms. It helped him to share his experience in a productive way. He also found love in a professor's daughter named Amelia, marrying her and establishing a family.

Franz was happy and successful, while raising his toddler daughter Sophia, but his old taste for adventure started to reawaken. Things in America were getting worse and the Emperor wanted somebody from the Imperial Society to go abroad and investigate more. Franz somewhat reluctantly volunteered. He didn’t want to leave his family and business, but he also couldn’t deny his desire to discover the happenings of the American West. He urged his friends from Sedan in letters to join him. While the Frenchman was reluctant, John agreed readily. The group took a ship together across the pond. Franz acquired a coach and the small band of old European soldiers is on their way to Selina, Kansas.

Worst Nightmare

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Getting eaten alive at Sedan.

Skills

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Coach Driving: 1
Fighting: 1
Investigation: 2
Knowledge: 2
Repair: 3
Riding: 1
Shooting: 4
Streetwise: 1

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

Diamond City - Day One, Part Two

Piper’s mind raced as the people began to go from cheering to chanting ‘speech!, speech!, speech!’. Oddly, it reminded her of the days she spent trapped with the Children of Atom, peering down that dark sewage pipe as they chanted and prepared to sacrifice her to their crazy God. While it was easy to focus on her fear and uncertainty regarding the metaphorical sewage pit she was facing now, she had to remember there was a resolved water crisis at the end of it. By throwing herself into dangerous situations for a little bit of truth, she could make things in this Wasteland just a bit better. And keep away lying pricks like McDonough.

She cleared her throat. “People of Diamond City,” she began uncertainty. The chanting stopped suddenly and she settled on her angle. “We’ve been lied to. McDonough tried to pulled the wool over our eyes for years, telling us he was one of us, telling us that we were safe from the Institute when we never truly were.” She paused for half a moment to let that settle in. “McDonough lied, because he knew we could do anything if we knew the truth. He knew the people of Diamond City were strong enough for anything we face down fairly! That we can do anything we set our minds to if the path is clear!” It was hard to tell how it was going, but it seemed to be going well.

Piper continued deliberately and confidently “I will always keep the path clear for you. I will always work hard to give you all a fair deal, so everyone has a chance to make the big leagues. Nobody has to starve or go thirsty. Nobody has to go without a steady job. No small business will go without a fair chance. I will always make sure our children are safe and educated. I will always make sure you and anybody else who walks through those gates is free to live how they want. But most importantly, I will always tell you the truth. It’s what you all deserve. Because with the truth in hand, we can overcome any obstacle.”, she slowed her voice, preparing to drive it home. “You, the people, are what keep the Wall standing. Thank you, that’s um, that’s all”, and with that, she ended her speech. Whether the cheering that came after that was just polite or really as enthusiastic as it sounded, she couldn’t tell.

Hours Later

Piper yawned and lowered her head into her stinky new desk in the mayor’s office. The sun was setting and she was exhausted. It had been a day full of symbolic activities and mutual brown nosing. First there was the glorious waste of time, also known as a victory march around the city surrounded by her supposedly adoring supporters. Then there was painting a section of the Wall with Abbot, which was probably the most fun she’d had that day. Ralph had led the guard himself to go get the right paint the day before. Fortunately, they were able to retrieve the paint and Joe’s corpse for a quiet service without any interference from the robots. Next, there was prayer to all the gods in the All Faiths Chapel for the success of her rule and safety of Diamond City. Pastor Clement had nearly caught her mumbling a mocking prayer to Atom. Then a visit to her supporters in the Dugout Inn, where she was finally able to actually drink and eat with the few people she hoped were still her friends. Then a visit to her smiling haters at the Colonial Taphouse. And finally, private petitioning in her new office.

It started off well, with her and Ralph carefully managing who got in. She had a good time with Nick, assuring him his detective work wouldn’t go unappreciated. He thanked her and assured her that she would have his support. It was nice to know Nick was still a friend after everything she had done as a reporter and was about to do as Mayor. But there was other thing she needed from him.

“Well if you’re looking to help out Diamond City in a major way, I might just have a job for you”, she said almost casually.

Valentine looked up from the cigarette he was lighting, giving her a curious look. “Well I suppose I am looking to help out Diamond City. Shoot.”

“People are getting killed out in the Wasteland by those robots. Joe certainly wasn’t first. I need you to find out more about this Mechanist. Where his robots are coming from, where he’s set up shop, why he’s doing this, and how to stop him if you can”.

Nick Valentine shifted uncomfortably in the broken chair McDonough shot through a couple months ago. “Don’t you think the Brotherhood is a bigger problem right now?”

Piper had already thought about this. The Brotherhood was probably a bigger problem than some strange robots, but they weren’t exactly subtle and she already knew their routine: lift up out of Boston Airport, go scavenge some gizmos, and shakedown any wastelander they came across. And besides, she couldn’t do much about a legion of power armor wearing soldiers. A geeky maniac could be stopped.

“I hired Hawthorne to investigate what the Brotherhood was up to.”, And she had. Hawthone was someone who get things done and he’d been starving for a job. He had come in just before Nick. “The Brotherhood isn’t exactly subtle Whoever, this Mechanist is, he’s a mystery. You’re the only one who’s good at mysteries around here that isn’t stuck in a noodle stained chair.” She flipped a lock of hair out of her face and leaned back into her chair, looking at him expectantly.

Nick chuckled. “I am, aren’t I? Alright I’ll take the job. Don’t expect a miracle though. And I’m guessing you don’t want me to…,” he fingered his pipe revolver.

“No, not unless you have to. I have a feeling there’s more to this story than some single psycho. You could start at the scene of Joe’s murder”.

He nodded and stood up. “I’ll do that. See you around, Piper.”

“See you Nick”, she replied.

After him came primarily self important Upper Stands residents. It passed in an exhausting blur of ruffled feathers and half empty promises. Now here she was, using her new green cap as a face pillow and waiting for Ralph to come in with another stuffy nobody from a corner in the Upper Stands.

Instead all he said was “closing time, Piper.”

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

@Leos Klien@CaptainBritton@Wampower

A Day has been skipped by. You guys still with us?

Enclave got a Synth from the Insitute to visit them.

Church' Regiment got a note from the CPLA.

Diamond City, we are still waiting for the speech of Piper.

@NecroKnight

Working on it. I'll finish off Day One in my next post. Sorry for the wait.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

@NecroKnight

I will be posting Piper's speech on Monday and stuff

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

Diamond City - Day One, Part One

Piper’s sleep was broken by noisy hubbub coming from the street. Counting day. She groaned, pushed her head deeper into her pillow, and wondered for the thousandth time why she decided to run for Mayor. It’s not like she wanted to sit in that noodle-stained chair anyways. Then she heard Nat crying something about her ‘impending victory’ to the crowd. She grimaced inwardly. Nat shouldn’t have been up this early acting like a little dancing monkey…

Piper threw off the blanket and got of bed. She wasn’t one to stay in bed when there was work to be done. Especially if that work involved keeping the knuckleheads in this city from running into each other. There was just enough light coming through the windows for her to stumble over to her pile of clothes, though she supposed she wouldn’t have to worry about the electric bill anymore once she became mayor.

Her wardrobe had certainly been forced to improve. While she tugged on her new leather pants, her guts roiled at the idea of forcing herself to smile at everyone again. But come on. She had done this for a reason right? She slipped into her shiny new boots, selected a bra from the pile, and grabbed a clean white undershirt. Then she turned to her jacket, which was hanging on her one nice coat hanger. Becky Fallon had spent most of her time outfitting the glorious soon-to-be Mayor Piper on cleaning her signature jacket. The frayed edges were repaired, the dirt and stains had been purged, and the collar was crisply standing to attention. The ratty old jacket damn nearly glowed. As Piper put it on, she felt like herself again. As ready as she would ever be to take the place of that dead prick and give the people of Diamond City a fair deal…

Piper thew on her new Diamond City green newsie hat and scarf, grabbed her piece from the dresser, and walked down and out of Publick Occurrences. She was immediately confronted with a crowd of residents filling the street. People who scoffed at her articles for years were now surrounding her house, shouting questions and praise, and cheering her name and newspaper. Fortunately, the new guard captain Ralph Peterson was there with some of his boys. They went around her, taking up bodyguard positions as Ralph commanded every time she left her house. Piper wanted to say something to Nat before she left, but the men were already steering her to stage. She managed to give her an encouraging smile and mouth ‘be good’ before the crowd obscured her.

“Good morning madame Mayor”, Ralph said without looking at her, scanning the crowd hawkishly instead. The grizzled former minuteman was more fit and capable than most of the young men in the guard, and had dedicated himself in the past months to making sure the transition of power went smoothly.

“Come on Ralph, we went over this. You can’t call me Mayor until Cooke runs back to his drug pushing”, she said with faux admonishment.

The rare beginnings of a smile showed on his face, but quickly reverted to a frown as a dark thought visibly crossed the man’s mind. “There was another broadcast this morning. From the People’s Liberation Radio,” his face curled in disgust. “That idiot Jones is targeting you and the city now with his bullshit. You should let me lead some men to shut him up.”

Piper frowned too, but shrugged. “I handled McDonough. I can handle another noisy politician.”, but she could see his frown deepen visibly at that. She held up a hand before he said anything else. “I’ll listen to the broadcast later when I move into the office. I’ll send the Great Chairman a message back if it’s too feisty”.

Ralph nodded and was visibly relieved. They were closing on the stage now, with the crowd at their backs. Cooke was already onstage, but looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Next to him were the vote counters, Pastor Clements and Abbot, who the city decided were the most honest and impartial people in the city. She climbed the stage and took her position on their left. Now all she had to do was stand all still and stately, while Pastor Clements helped the old painter count the rough slips of paper in the box. Piper stood as straight as she could and forced a confident smile to rest on her face, though she knew she didn’t have to do much to look better than Cooke, who was visibly slouching and failing to conceal his anger.

It felt like hours before the last slip was finally counted. Even though she knew what was going to happen, she was still nervous. What if McDonough the second over there surged in votes somehow? Suddenly, all the murmuring in the crowd hushed as Pastor Clement gestured them closer. Her stomach fluttered as she obliged. Then she felt Abbot grab her arm, thrust it into the air, and shout: “Piper Wright swung for the fences!”. The crowd erupted. She only felt bizarre. People would call her Mayor Wright now. The nosy journalist who everyone used to hate was now running the city. While she reached inside her jacket for her speech notes, she wondered for the thousand and one-th time why she decided to be the Mayor.

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

@NecroKnight

Kellog is still unaccounted for
hmm

Fallout: Chaos (Retired)

Diamond City

Flag/Emblem/Mark:
History: Since the 2130’s, Diamond City has been a pillar of the Commonwealth. It’s trade has increased the prosperity of the Commonwealth, it’s security force has made the Commonwealth safer, it’s commitment to education has created good citizens for the Commonwealth, and certain individuals have come from Diamond City to do the Commonwealth a lot of good.

That pillar has been shaken. The Broken Mask Incident and years of kidnappings left the city fearful and willing to elect the xenophobic Mayor McDonough, who was secretly an Institute agent sent to keep the citizens of Diamond City complacent in the face of Institute operations in their city. Subsequently, the mayor exiled the Ghoul population of the city and stamped out efforts to investigate any disappearances in the city.

The Brotherhood- Institute War hit Diamond City hard. While mostly safe behind the Wall, Diamond City citizens have died and trade has dried up in the chaos. Before anyone could celebrate the ultimate defeat of the Institute, the synth kill order was given by the fleeing Institute. In what is now known as the Second Broken Mask Incident, McDonough went berserk and murdered Geneva and his guards before he could be put down.

The city was thrown into chaos and mourning with the death of the two people governing the city. The Guard and several influential residents have assumed control until another Governor is chosen. Piper Wright’s efforts to unveil the truth of McDonough, community leadership during the chaos, and general commitment to Diamond City earned her sudden popularity amongst the Lower Stands of Diamond City. She has reluctantly thrown her hat in the race for Mayor. Meanwhile, the former Institute agent and owner of the Colonial Taphouse Henry Cooke (WIP) is challenging her on an Upper Stands platform. So far, the election is all but in name a victory for Piper.

Notable People: Piper Wright, Nick Valentine, Henry Cooke (WIP), and other citizens of Diamond City

Fallout: Chaos (An interactive semi-faction RP)

Diamond City

Flag/Emblem/Mark:
History: Since the 2130’s, Diamond City has been a pillar of the Commonwealth. It’s trade has increased the prosperity of the Commonwealth, it’s security force has made the Commonwealth safer, it’s commitment to education has created good citizens for the Commonwealth, and certain individuals have come from Diamond City to do the Commonwealth a lot of good.

That pillar has been shaken. The Broken Mask Incident and years of kidnappings left the city fearful and willing to elect the xenophobic Mayor McDonough, who was secretly an Institute agent sent to keep the citizens of Diamond City complacent in the face of Institute operations in their city. Subsequently, the mayor exiled the Ghoul population of the city and stamped out efforts to investigate any disappearances in the city.

The Brotherhood- Institute War hit Diamond City hard. While mostly safe behind the Wall, Diamond City citizens have died and trade has dried up in the chaos. Before anyone could celebrate the ultimate defeat of the Institute, the synth kill order was given by the fleeing Institute. In what is now known as the Broken Mask Incident II, McDonough went berserk and murdered Geneva and his guards before he could be put down.

The city was thrown into chaos and mourning with the death of the two people governing the city. The Guard and several influential residents have assumed control until another Mayor is chosen. Piper Wright’s efforts to unveil the truth of McDonough, community leadership during the chaos, and general commitment to Diamond City earned her sudden popularity amongst the Lower Stands of Diamond City. She has reluctantly thrown her hat in the race for Mayor. Meanwhile, the former Institute agent and owner of the Colonial Taphouse Henry Cooke (WIP) is challenging her on an Upper Stands platform. So far, the election is all but in name a victory for Piper.

Notable People: Piper Wright, Nick Valentine, Henry Cooke (WIP), and other citizens of Diamond City