Fear and Fury in a Dead Nation

[God Bebi Satan]

Fear and Fury in a Dead Nation.

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man"
-Doctor Johnson

08/1/2126
Outer Dresbin


Rumors spread of Dresbin, the towering city, one greater than the settlements and old world crumbling structures of the before-times. Rumors spread far and wide that it was accepting new citizens, reaching even the desert-tribals who lived beyond the mountains and the R.C.H.U.D.S who lived beneath them. The Outer Dresbin valley area was flooded with people from all over (much to the annoyance of the assorted kooks, spooks, forest nomads, and cultists that already lived there).

It's not as if Outer Dresbin was deserted before these people, though. It had, and still has, a thriving economy based on a good number of different exports. Everything from mercenaries and arms from the Chapel, to ghoul leather from the ranches, to even educated individuals (owning to the university in New Royale) are highly sought after. The population increase, brought on by the announcement, served as just the right jump-start to set the ball rolling.

To live in Dresbin is, according to its propaganda, the closest mankind will ever get to living in Heaven on Earth. There is apparently little crime, easy access to food, and running water for everyone. At least, on the upper levels. As for those on the lower levels... they always have the chance to increase their rank and station through the same tests everyone else has to take.

It had been many years since they had last let people in. Still, the standards remained as high as ever: a physical wellness exam and rigorous mental testing. Those able enough to pass were granted access to the lowest levels. The other applicants were denied access and told to go home, but (said the examiners) "they were always welcome back to try again next year..."

Of course, maybe you didn't come here to live the cushy life. Maybe you came here to rough it. Maybe you feel that the end of the world set you free to wander, and you're just passing through. Maybe you even heard rumors of sights to be seen and wonders to be experienced in this part of the world that were unlike anywhere else. Whatever brought you here... good luck. You'll need it to survive.

"I'll need you to fill these in before I give you this. " The man creaks, his gloved hand pressing a clipboard into your chest.

-Alias-

-Physical Appearance-

-Chosen Trait (or subtrait if applicable)-

-Pocket Contents (Small things, nothing fancy or OP)-

-Traits-

Tribal:

(Subtrait: Forest): You are a member of one of several bands of semi-nomadic forest-dwellers in Outer Dresbin. As a result of living in the forest while hunting, fishing, foraging, and avoiding the spooks and kooks, you have an excellent knowledge of the various flora and fauna of the forested regions. In addition to your survival skills, you are also somewhat familiar with primitive weapons like the bow, spear, and club. You start out in your home village.

(Subtrait: Desert): You are one of the fortified-village dwelling tribesmen in the southern deserts of Outer Dresbin. Your people are maize farmers, well-and-canal diggers, and wall builders. In addition, they are great warriors with their primitive weapons. Outside of the safety of their home villages, however, they are prone to dying of thirst or starvation. You begin play in your home village.

Outlander:

(Sub-Trait: Wanderer): You are a drifter, with no place to call your own or tie you down.You are the "tabula rasa" of Outer Dresbin: a blank slate in regards to knowledge of the area and its inhabitants. You are reasonably good at many things, but in regards to the aforementioned knowledge skills, you are simply ignorant. By this time your travels have brought you to Gatetown.

(Sub-Trait: FSoP Agent): You are a member of the Fraternal Society of Poets, sent here to see what became of the Outer Dresbin chapter. As a Master-Poet of the Nyxian and Athenian traditions, you are adept at cipher-making-and-breaking and other associated skullduggery and sneaky things. Of course, your stated purposes are investigative and diplomatic only. You are expected to make deals with the locals to ensure that any future chapters here florish. You begin play in Gatetown.

(Sub-Trait: Caravaneer): You have a stake in one of the many caravans that made their way through the Deadlands to Outer Dresbin in the wake of the citizenship try-outs. In order to insure your investment is being put to good use, you decided to accompany them. Your story opens upon your arrival in Gatetown.


Ghoul Rancher: You are a ranch-hand employed by the owner of one of the ghoul-herding operations of Outer Dresbin. You make a living by coralling ghouls from the ranches to the leather-tanners. It's a fairly boring job, aside from the occasional intrusion of rustlers and bandits. You begin play at the ranch you work at.

Titor City (The City of Beasts) Scavenger: You are a scavenger who lives in the small town just outside of Titor City. Your days are spent raiding the mutant-infested ruins of The City of Beasts for scrap and anything else of value. As a result, you are skilled with the weapons of the old world. You also have a pretty good knowledge of the value of different prewar artifacts as well as what makes them tick. Your journey begins at the small, unnamed town.

New Royale Citizen:

(Sub-Trait: Doctor): You were a student of medicine, recently graduating with a Bachelor's of Medicine at the University of New Royale. The exams are rigorous and comprehensive, and thus left you little time for recreation. However, all that studying has paid off: you know what there is to know about Outer Dresbin, including flora useful for healing, biochemistry, and other assorted knowledge related to healing. You also know quite a bit about the history and prewar artificats relating to medicine. Now you roam Outer Dresbin, healing the sick and possibly looking to establish your own practice. Doctors get to chose their starting point from the following choices: Outside Titor City, Gatetown, Gibson, The Hotel Taured, etc.

(Sub-Trait: Chapel Exile): It was all a dream: big paycheck, friendly squad, but something just HAD to happen, didn't it? Now you're out of a job. This has left you with a handful of door codes to the chapel's various exterior structures and supply caches and your severence package of a 3 month access pass to The Chapel's sales floor. Your journey picks back up outside The Chapel.


(Sub-Trait: Vampire Hunter): You are a journeyman member of the ancient and secret Order of the Hallowed Cross, dedicated to rooting out and killing vampires no matter where they may hide. Until the war that rained down fire and destruction from the sky, they were few in number and skulkers in the shadows. Now, vampires roam the wastes freely and in greater amounts than ever before. With their increased numbers and boldness, it seemed only logical that the Order broadens its recruiting pool as well. The Order has long gone public, and established a guild hall in New Royale. That is where your journey begins.

Fear and Fury in a Dead Nation: Apocalyptic roaming simulator.

[vammy]

-Alias- Dario

-Physical Appearance- Dario is a freckled man with fair skin and jet black hair. A skinny man with notably long arms that stretch below his knees, as well he has dimples and hazel eyes. He wears a tan and brown robe, as well a head garment that can go over his eyes.

-Chosen Trait (or subtrait if applicable)- Tribal Desert

-Pocket Contents- Has a spear on him

[insurgencies]

-Alias-

Adrians


-Physical Appearance-

Skinny guy of average height and a weaker build, Adrians has a tanned complexion with light brown colored furs along the bottom of his jaw, as well as on top of his skull and on the sides. He is clearly underfed and has dark shading below his eyeballs, giving him a tired and gloomy look to match his defeated posture. He wears a rather unconventional brown coat and tan cargo shorts and a silly bright orange boonie hat that doesn't blend in with just about anything at all and would probably be better replaced if life matters to him.


-Chosen Trait-
Titor City Scavenger


-Pocket Contents (Small things, nothing fancy or OP)-
Brass pocket watch.

[Deleted]

-Alias-

Pahowaki, Great Bird

-Physical Appearance-

Pahowaki is a large, muscular man, given a fine physique from working and hunting most of his life. His hair is dark black, like the feathers of a crow. He keeps it trimmed and in a short pony tail. His skin is a very dark tan, as one would expect, but darker still from all the time spent out in the open sun and the forest wilderness. A large tattoo of an eagle, it's wings outstretched and poised to attack, covers the greater part of his back. His face is rugged, and painted over with enthusiasm of a youthful soul, but lacks the clear expression of experience his elders posses. His eyes are a deep brown color, and accented with a bit of cheerful optimism.

Pahowaki dresses himself in simple garb, easy to in get and out of, and quite comfortable. He drapes over and around him a a tanned breechskin, with special ornamental designs sewn by his mother. They might mean nothing to outsiders, but to fellow tribesmen they signify special achievements throughout the boys life. First kill, first hunt, first into the lake at 6 AM, etc. He draws over his "lower quarter", leggings made of fine deer hide, brought from his latest hunt and fashioned into proper clothing by his mother. Keeping both breechskin and legging up is a simple leather belt, fashioned from what scraps were left lying around. Attached to it is a scabbard for his knife, and a pouch to carry small trinkets. His feet are covered by moccasins, made from the heavily tanned and highly durable hide scraps on the outside, and made comfortable on the inside by rabbit skin.

-Chosen Trait (or subtrait if applicable)-

Tribal: (Forest)

-Pocket Contents (Small things, nothing fancy or OP)-

Beads, a handful of coin, a knife made of wood and crude iron, and a lucky arrow head

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D
The Narrows
Camp Nimbon
Your Tent

You awaken in your tent to the sounds of the morning birds.
"Pahowaki, my son?" The village elder, Domasi, asks of you from outside of your tent. In your tent is your cot, your footlocker, and your rifle, leaning beside the footlocker.

Adrians
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Eastern O.D
Titor City
Titor City Hotel
Floor 8
Room 815

You awaken in your sleeping bag. The room you call home is filled with all sorts of assorted junk, including an alarm clock that has suddenly began beeping. The power was on. Strange. Your bag sits by your feet.

[Deleted]

Pahowaki sits up in his cot, letting lose the eagle on his back, and looks around the tent to make sure everything is well. He tosses the blankets off of himself, and stands up. His undergarments are clear to see

"Yes, elder? What do you need?"

[insurgencies]

What the hell's up with the power? I don't think it should be on. I don't really think anything should be on at this point. Oh, well, whatever, I'll make the best of it or find someone who already has and, uh, talk about the weather. Yeah, the weather. That sounds nice. Yeah.

I get out of my sleeping sack and slap whatever button turns off the clock, picking up my storage device and slinging it over my right shoulder if possible. The power box must be in the basement of this hotel, so I guess I'll leave this room and figure out what's up by heading downstairs and finding a way into said basement and checking it out.

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D
The Narrows
Camp Nimbon
Your Tent

"This concerns the beacons, my son. They haven't been answering my hails. I fear the worst, Pahowaki." The elder says, leaning against his cane. "I do not wish to bring upon you bad news. I have a task for you, prepare yourself." He continues, walking off. The morning sun shines through into your tent.


Adrians
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Eastern O.D
Titor City
Titor City Hotel
Floor 8
Hallway

Sometime in the last century all of the elevators had long since grown into a state of disrepair. Even with all of the power back online, the elevators were jammed shut with 100 years of rust and god knows what else. Assuming the stairs were taken, you arrive at the lobby. A door labelled 'maintenance' sits near the hotel's entrance. The same entrance that has long been boarded up to prevent all manners of beasts from getting in.

[Deleted]

Pahowaki sighs. Something had to go wrong sooner or later, just a pity it had to go wrong now. The still groggy native grabs his clothing from off of a rope hung in his tent. He wraps his breechskin around himself, and puts on his legging, then ties everything up with his belt. After making sure the contents of his pouch are still in place, and his knife is tucked securely in it's sheath, Pahowaki exits his tent to face the day.

[insurgencies]

Oh, cool, it's that obvious.

Now that I think about it, though, and am not still half asleep albeit am still the dull self I am, how long has the power been up? Surely he might still be in this maintenance area, but what if he has moved on? Nonsense, likely, who would go through the struggle of turning on the power for a whole building and then just carry on like that? It very well might be the great extraterrestrial beings who have done it, to save our souls and bring back what it must have been before - then I was right all along!

It could also actually be not just this building, but the whole area, or even city, if it's my friends from above who are behind this power! Well, maybe not, though. They must have limits, too, and powering the whole city or just even street seems rather pointless and wasteful. Better check this building before finding where the real power stations are.

I go to the maintenance door and check to see if it can be opened by turning the knob. While I try this and walk, I listen to know if any generator or otherwise is playing its tunes in the distance or through the walls, as well as identify where from.

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D
The Narrows
Camp Nimbon

Food was being doled out as you arrive around the common area of the camp. Pemmican rations are being divided among your fellow tribesmen.
You're given three rations of pemmican and a small bottle of firewater. An explosion rattles across the plains in the distance.

Adrians
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Eastern O.D
Titor City
Titor City Hotel
Basement

Something in the distance roars as you hear the generators of the hotel rattling. Absolutely everything is lit up and roaring. A power monitoring console is on a desk near the generators. There's also a relatively massive toolbox sitting beside the desk. A skeleton is hunched over one of the generators, a wrench clenched in it's boney grasp.
 

[Deleted]

Pahowaki ignores the distant explosion and digs into his food. It's probably just a scavenger who got startled by a snake anyway, nothing of concern.

[insurgencies]

Toolbox, hm. I could probably find myself a nice enough goodies in there.

I head over to the toolbox and look inside.

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D
The Narrows
Camp Nimbon

The pemmican is sturdy and filling. You're given two more large bricks of pemmican for later. A robed member of your tribe approaches you, clutching a clipboard.

"Mister Pahowaki?" He asks in a calm and creaking tone, his hooded head gazing down at the clipboard."Domasi wishes to speak to you at the base of the narrows. Gather what you need and speak to him."

Adrians
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Eastern O.D
Titor City
Titor City Hotel
Basement

The contents of the toolbox include, but are not limited to: a large, spooky hammer, a set of lockpicks, and a tremendous fucking nail gun.

[Deleted]

Pahowaki nods to the man in response. He already had everything on him, aside from the pemmican, which he quickly packs away into his pouch for later. Paho new the layout of these lands well, so getting to the narrows should take little time. He waves to those still around the campfire, then leaves for the meeting place.

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D
The Narrows

You descend into the valley. Near one of those so spoken 'golf carts' you often see the merchants arrive in. Domasi looks at you with a grim face. "He came to me in the night. Paho. He told me of a way of fixing the beacons. A place beyond the narrows, called 'New Royale'. He spoke to me from my bedside, he spoke of a way of fixing them. I fear I must send you on this journey. You're the only one I could trust for this. The man gave us one of these vehicles. He told me you could use it in your travels. I'm...sorry, Pahowaki. You'll be given instruction when you arrive at New Royale."

[Deleted]

"Yes, elder. It will be done."

An interesting proposition this was. Pahowaki had always been interested by the outside world, and the forest seems more of the same by the day. Granted, it's not like he had a choice in the first place, but it's nice to imagine. Pahowaki gets on the vehicle, and after a few minutes of fiddling with it, manages to start it up. He waves off to whoever still remained, and departed. His driving was quite sloppy, as he had never used one of these contraptions before, but he has enough control to not crash immediately.

[insurgencies]

Jackpot! I take them all, if I can fit them. If the fucking nailgun is as tremendous as you describe and cannot fit into my bag, I keep it in my hands. Does it have any nails along with it? If it does, I take as many as I can carry.

Following the looting of the toolbox, I head over to the monitoring console and make a lousy attempt to analyze what it shows.

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D

After piloting the sturdy vehicle through the plains, you come to a fork in the road.
A crude wooden sign makes it known that heading left will bring you to 'The Chapel' and 'New Royale'.
Heading right will bring you to 'Dresbin' and 'Gate Town'.

You can hear something approaching from the right path.


Adrians
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Eastern O.D
Titor City
Titor City Hotel
Basement

The monitor is lit up with all sorts of notifications

>POWER RESTORED, CONTINUING STANDARD FUNCTION
>POWER RESERVES FILLED, SOURCE: POWER LINES
>POWER LEAKAGE, CONSTRUCTING ADDITIONAL BATTERIES

Its at this point you notice strange, pulsating structures on the side of one of the generators. It glows blue as it stretches with pent up electricity.

[Deleted]

Pahowaki loosens the rifle from around his shoulder and makes sure it's loaded, or at least makes it appear to be loaded, then waits to see what the noise is.

[insurgencies]

That looks fairly unsafe, even to someone with as limited judgement as I. I feel that approaching it is probably suicide in one way or another, so after some further consideration I decide now is not the time and that I should get going somewhere interesting and find something to try out my new nailgun on.

I exit the maintenance area and make my way to the front doors and windows, trying to find a crack to peek through and get a glance at whatever is outside the building.

[God Bebi Satan]

Pahowaki
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Southern O.D

A man in a blood-stained coat and a strange mask approaches. "Morning!" He says to you. "You from out of town? You look like you're primed to gore a skinwalker. I wouldn't worry about them, all they can do is re purpose your flesh as a wall decoration." The man mutters, going off on a tangent about the skinwalkers of legend. "You wouldn't happen to have any dead beasts on hand, would you?"

Adrians
8/1/2126
Outer Dresbin
Eastern O.D
Titor City
Titor City Hotel
Lobby

Staring through a crack in a wooden plank, you see that a soft rain has began to drizzle across the city. One of those swollen-skulled melon headed creatures are shambling across your view, clutching a sharpened piece of wood.

[Deleted]

Paho sighs with relief. It's just some crazy bastard, and not an enemy. It would seem, anyway. Pahowaki leans his rifle against his shoulder and tries his best to respond to the man, despite only understanding about half of what he was talking about.

"Uh, yes, I am not from these lands, and I am sorry to say that I do not believe I have any dead beats on me. You could check under the vehicle though, as a rabbit might have gotten stuck under one of the tires, or, uh, something."

[hygenisthygenist]

(Holy fucking damn son, I remember working on this. You know, out of all the things we worked on this one was my favorite)

[God Bebi Satan]

(great to hear that, hygen. Go on and join if you desire.)