DescriptionThe meteor shower ..never ceased. The skies, illuminated by the flaming rock that pelts the Earths crust relentlessly is like a rain of fire. These masses of meteorite have ever lasting effects. The Earth has since began to quiver under our feet, and earthquakes becoming a daily event. Slowly, but surely, over one thousand years, the place we once called home is now eternally different and always changing. The alien minerals that broke up during the descent of the meteors patterns the region so densely that it changed the atmosphere as we once knew it, releasing heavy gases that our lungs could not handle properly, and they flow to the lower altitudes and pool in a mist. Many species were wiped out by this contagion, and only the most recent offspring at the time of the initial event survived to continue their race- each generation having more chance to survive than the next. With these toxic fumes, came a change in the earths temperature and vegetation. With these effects came disease. And with the diseases, came a new type of evolution. A smog clings close to the low lands, heavy and thick- allowing little sunlight to penetrate to the top soils. Without the rays of the sun, the vegetation as we once knew it is devastated. It dried up long ago, exposed rock, and soon different breeds of fungus began to take over. The mushrooms that make up a vast majority of the fungus release their spores in to the atmosphere, and this has damaged most immune systems, while building up others in different ways. The toxins of the air, and the spores, are not only dangerous to breathe, but they have an effect on our blood and skin like no other. The flesh eating disease, as it is well known, is an epidemic, and now- a part of our daily life. Wide spread, it has become so strong it even damages our genetic material based on our contamination level.. determined by the altitude of our exploration, and the interactions we encounter in day to day life. Slowly, flesh flakes and peels away from the diseased, exposing some of our muscles and bone structure. To those that thrived in the low lands, their ancestors having done the same, they find themselves partially stripped of their casing, their skeleton revealed in a fashion so horribly gory that it appears to have come straight out of a slaughter house. Yet we live. No, not do we just live, we thrive. We can, and have withstood the exposure and pressed on. For the contaminated, our offspring.. some effected before birth, most through conception, and the very few.. have become genetically superior. Their immune systems are top notch, usually caused by long lines of diseased ancestors, and few factors seem able to effect them in any way, shape or form. But this is rare.. and nearly unheard of. Every offspring that is birthed is at high risk. Their mother may have been clear of disease, yet the father may be a carrier of an altered gene or vice versa. These spawn are often physically burdened by the disease, and can be anything from light spotting in their flesh that peels away, exposing more with age, to the missing of eyes, ears, or other pieces all together. Being born with horrific skin-related mutations, some offspring die off, or are still born, but most live on to take their chance with fate in hope to create the next generation in our world today. The weather still changes much like it did before.. offering snow and rain, clouds, cold and warmth, however these events often thought of as harmless became life threatening to the low landers. When rain pours from the heavens, the droplets that descend through the heavy smog becomes acidic, and it melts away flesh on contact. In some cases, where the smog is less dense, it does not eat at our skin, but instead is absorbed, flooding our blood system and messing with our genetic material- our future offspring feeling the wrath. Every one has been tortured by this apocalyptic event, and with no possible memory of the life before the initial collision- it is no longer something we are surprised by, but rather we see on a daily basis. Carnivores such as canines and vampires spread the disease like a bad case of rabies, through saliva and blood alike. When attacked, the wounded area will often become inflamed. Like an internal inferno, it spreads over a period of time before the layers flesh starts to peel away and expose internal organs and muscle to the elements. Life on this afflicted planet is sparse, however it would seem that those that have managed to survive had found it possible to do so only in the rare areas the Earth provides. The Valley of Shadows (The Outskirts), for example, is a region that is quite vast- with monumental mountain ranges that surround the canyon-like scene offering protection from some of the elements and reducing the risk of great changes in temperature. The altitude is a main factor, as even the lowlands are higher than what is often found beyond the valley walls, and the smog is thus less likely to suffocate the inhabitants with its infectious, toxic fumes. Equine and canine alike inhabit the outskirts, having known nothing other than what the Earth provide them with today. As for cities that remain intact and inhabitable, only those few that were situated in rather high altitude survived. Apollyon (The City Remnants) is a vast center, and was a great city in its prime when the initial apocalyptic event had occurred. Due to its location, situated so near to the Valley of Shadows with it great protective barriers offering the city shelter from massive climate changes, it has continued to thrive.. if you could call it that. Human and vampire alike inhabit the ruins of the city, living their day to day life in ways they see as nothing beyond normal. So many generations of each species have passed that even the eldest of vampires today did not live the life of 'before' the apocalypse. It is thought that the great changes the planet underwent in those first few days wiped even the most powerful of bloodsuckers from existence, leaving behind only the most recent, freshly 'turned' vamps to remain. In their craze, the only thing that kept their race alive was the constant need to feed in their first few weeks of change over- spreading a disease all their own and unknowingly intermingling it with the genetic mutations offered by the toxins in the air. For a race seen as so superior since the 1400's in comparison to their human counterparts, they have had the most difficulty surviving the disease. Most abilities their ancestors held were lost over the years since the 'big bang'. It would appear that the only remaining strength over the human race.. was a very slight increase in physical strength itself. Even their immortality has been greatly threatened by the disease. Now seemingly harmed as easily as humans themselves, the only factor that allows them to live beyond the life expectancy of the average human is to simply stay out of harms way. Natural death does not come for them, however injury and attack threatens them like it would any mortal. The paranoid vampires have found the only way to survive is to lock themselves away in the crypts and live in solitude.. however in the past 500 years they have noticed an increase in survival rates. They have only one idea as to why this may be: Perhaps the increase in feeding from undiseased humans has improved their durability. It has not been proven, and yet with only the disease being the change to their race, they have begun taking precautions. Precautions in the way of enslaving the undiseased humans and feeding from them as long as possible. Not every bite of their spreads the disease and thus some slaves remain useful longer than others. Could this be their key to survival? They believe so, and thus they continue to use the Pure humans as livestock, choosing to 'turn' very few humans over to their vampiric ways in fear that the supply of undiseased 'livestock' would dwindle. For the equines that inhabited the outskirts, the low land dwellers are the main disease carriers for their species, however sharing the wild land with the canines puts them all at high risk of infection as it would seem the flea bitten mutts of this time period are all carriers whether it is physically visible or not. Thus the equines are often found huddling in their dominions- sections of land providing residence to the individual herds, and offering refuge from outside influence. Much like the beginning of time, the humans and vampires alike have continued with attempts to tame the wild. Capturing equine & canines for their own needs such as transportation, protection, as well as recreation. With nothing stopping the exploration from the furthest depths of the Outskirts to the inner most sections of the City Remants, the streets of Apollyon are often flooded with canines scavenging for food, and equines running startled down the rocky paths in large numbers. The majority of vast scenes of pavement has long since given way to nature- trees sprouting from individual plants along sidewalks to massive overgrown runways down what used to be a freeway or intersection. Some buildings only remain standing due to the extra support offered by the vegetation and what little could be done through the human and vampire influences. With 'technology' as it was known one thousand years ago vanished, there is no power supply. No fuel. What remains of vehicles is rusted heaps of scrap metal on the sides of the streets- monuments of time. If it hadn't been for the layers of alien debris from the constant collision of meteors with the Earth- these buildings, those vehicles, would have decayed and become topsoil hundreds of years ago. Please remember, and take in to consideration- nothing stops the migration from the City Remnants of Apollyon to the outskirts of the Valley of Shadows and vice versa. Interaction with other species is going to be wide spread. The diseased walk among the pure, and the pure with the diseased. Luckily, once effected, you rarely can spread the disease yourself.. unless of course through bodily fluids and heavy petting. The longer periods of time spent in toxic regions, or interacting closely with the infected, the more likely you are to contract the disease. It is in the air.. it is in the dew on the grass, and it is.. in the water. Protect yourself, and those you love. Keep them close.. but not too close. You never know which of the physically-appearing pure is a genetic carrier.. of the disease. Welcome to the Apocalypse.
For equines & humans: You may join as Diseased (referred to as Obscene) OR undiseased (referred to as Pure). If joined as Pure it is always players choice as to when and how your own character becomes infected. The -only- time we insist that you have become infected by the disease is through sexual contact. Breeding where at least one partner is infected will always result in the spread of the disease to the other partner, as well as to the offspring. Attacks, vampire bites, etc- these are left up to you to decide. You may -never- join as immune.. this is an option left only to contest winners through a prize awarded by an owner. For canines & vampires: Due to the fact you are carnivores/scavengers, you will always be a carrier of the disease. However, your physical appearance is always up to you- the disease does not have to be visible to the naked eye.
|
Played the game? You can send me comments to be placed on this page by writing lindahl@pbm.com. But don't write me attempting to join the game -- write the GM, whose address is above.
Are you the GM? You can update your listing by writing lindahl@pbm.com. If you have something new to say about your game, for example an opening for new players, you can create an announcement for your game.
Don't see your favorite game? Then you can add an entry for it.
Greg Lindahl