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In the year 2038, nuclear war erupted between the US, North Korea, Russia, Canada, the UK, and China. The resulting atomic firestorm lasted a few years, but ultimately the large amount of radioactive dust circling the planet blocked out the sun and plunged the world into an ice age. Most people that survived escaped into public fallout shelters, which only had enough supplies for about 2 decades. Average temperatures for the central US plummeted to around 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. After 12 years, the radiation had calmed down enough for people to live on the surface again. The survivors of the war emerged from whatever shelter they had to find a white wasteland filled with perils and danger, not only from mutant creatures and radiation, but from each other as well. Some tried to make an honest living in the Tundra that was the world, but others took what they needed by force and live in gangs of marauders. This is a story of those harsh days.
(Takes place 17 years after the nukes fell.)
Factions:
Many factions and social groups have come since humans have returned to the surface out of their fallout shelters. They compete for power, resources, turf, and just the right to survive.
-US Government- After being in hiding for 5 years, the remnants of the Government struggle to regain control of their once-proud nation. Few pay them mind and they have little power, though they posses the most advanced technology in the Tundra. They remained underground an extra 5 years because they were afraid of what the people might do to the very entity that started the war. They are lead by President Fredric Robinson, who has declared emergency powers giving him the power of a dictator. The House of Reps. and Senate are largely incomplete due to the fact that many did not survive the war and have fallen out of power.
Pros: Most advanced tech.
Cons: Not very popular with anyone else, considering they had a lot to do with starting the war.
-Marauders- These bands of law-less hoodlums will kill you as soon as look at you. They take what they want and no prisoners. Their single purpose seems to be to make your life as friggin miserable as humanly possible. Living in a most savage way, they almost have a pack mentality. Leadership is gained by killing the former leader and making it clear you are the toughest. Don't go waving the white-flag at them; they'll just strangle you with it.
Pros: Strong melee attacks. Excellent survival skills.
Cons: EVERYONE hates you even more then the Government. Lowest tech-level.
-Tundraneers-Your average person just trying to make it in the Tundra, their jobs range from farmer to repairman, shopkeeper to traveling merchant. They generally mistrust the Government but do not openly attack them. They are frequent prey of Marauders.
Pros: Neutral position, medium technology.
Cons: Living hand to mouth, it is hard for them to carve out a life.
-Mutants-People who have been exposed to a lethal level of radiation, and haven't had the luck to die of it. They usually are gruesomely disfigured, extra limbs, skin legions, tumors, ect. Their mutations are usually not very helpful, and cause other people to fear or even hate them. Most have severely gruff and garbled voices, some can not even speak. This seems to have caused most people to believe they are like mindless zombies.
Pros: Radiation either does nothing to them or actually even heals them now. Medium tech-level.
Cons: Most people will try to run away form them or just shoo them off, some will even attack.
-Bulldogs- A military-type organization established by former Tundraneers who got sick and tired of being pushed around. They built up over the years a horde of techs and members, which they eventually used to defend themselves and as many other Tundraneers as possible from the Marauders and the Government.
Pros: Second highest tech-level (next to the Government). Tundraneers consider them heroes.
Cons: Limited resources. The Government considers them traitors and will shoot them on sight.
Creatures:
Some new animals have surfaced in recent years, evolution evidently going at a much quicker rate in high-radiation environments.
-Tundra Wolf- Much larger then their pre-war ancestors, these white-gray wolves thrive in the Tundra. On average as big as a grizzly bear, some say radiation had a role in their sudden growth. They are very territorial and still function in packs. A group of just 4 of them have been known to be able to take down mammoths. If you see one, it is likely that others are nearby. It is recommended you keep your distance.
-Polar Bear- The new Ice Age triggered a population explosion in the nearly extinct species. Being well adapted to frigid environments, they prospered in the Arctic to the point where they needed more turf. They have migrated as far south as Louisiana now. They seem largely untouched by radiation. Their new favorite food seems to be Snow fish, which they are adept at catching.
-Snow Fish- A new species of fish, possibly descended from catfish, that breath air and can 'swim' through snow. They are frequently trapped for food, though they are not the best tasting. On average 4 feet long, pearly white, and has claws on it's arm-like fins for 'swimming' (or is it burrowing?) through loose snow. Otherwise it resembles a catfish without gills. They live in colonies numbering up to 40, all working together to keep the snow in their territory loose. They do this by simply burrowing through it daily.
-Woolly Mammoth- These formerly extinct creatures where cloned by scientists in 2019 and kept in zoos across the country. After the war they escaped and prospered in the Tundra. Some wild ones have been spotted with odd spiky tusks, possibly a mutation caused by radiation. A few others have been domesticated and are used as pack animals. One mammoth can feed a settlement for a few months, so they are quite valuable hunting game. Unfortunately they are hard to take down.
-Snowy Owls- These birds of prey are very good at surviving in the Tundra, as they were already adapted to it. Radiation, unfortunately, has touched them as well. While regular-sized ones are more common, some have been spotted as large as a small aircraft. They have been known to grab unsuspecting people by the shoulders and haul them off to God-knows-where, probably to eat them or feed them to their chicks. It is rumored that a number of nests lie at the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago, though they are not confirmed. The normal variety is frequently used as messengers because they are difficult to intercept, none the less spot.
-Caribou- Your average, deer-like caribou. Great herds of them wander the Tundra, and they are prey to tundra wolves. Some of the mutant snowy owls like them too. They are used as pack animals more commonly then mammoths, since they are easier to catch and tame. The domesticated kind frequently has their antlers filled down to reduce risk of injury while riding them.
-Dogs-The only breeds known to survive the Tundra are Huskies, German Shepherds, and Alaskan Malamutes, which are very similar to Huskies. Some live in wild packs, but most are domesticated. They are another species largely untouched by radiation.
-Others- Of course there are smaller, less dangerous things hardly worth mention like rabbits and seals and normal fish, but strange, other-worldly monstrosities are said to roam the high-radiation wilderness to the north. It is highly recommended you keep away from that area, if not only because of the radiation.
Vehicles:
Not many still work, and since it is so hard to find a gas station that isn’t buried under at least 10 feet of snow, only a few vehicles are still in use. Mostly snow-cats and snowmobiles are used, but they are rare and expensive to keep running now. The Government is known to have some armored snow-cats, and the Bulldogs frequently use snowmobiles for patrols, but most everyone else can’t afford vehicles. Snow-cats look like this: http://www(DOT)skiarpa(DOT)com/img/gallery/images/snowcats.jpg
Weapons:
Most people favor old-fashioned firearms for their reliability and low-cost, but the Bulldogs and Government have access to laser weaponry, the Government more so then the Bulldogs, who only give their lasers to high-ranking people. Lasers only come in a rifle format because the technology is fairly new and has yet to be miniaturized enough to fit in a pistol. They are extremely accurate, have no recoil, and have incredible range, making them excellent sniper weapons when scoped. Though they quickly run out of charge, at which point you need access to electricity to recharge it. Also, the fire rate of lasers is poor due to the fact that the weapon will not permit itself to be fired more than once every 2 seconds to stop the barrel from melting clean off. Standard laser rifles are about 3 feet long; but cut-down versions can be about 1 and a half feet, at the price of accuracy. Melee weapons include whatever people can lay their hands on, from lead pipes to shock batons.
Powered Exoskeletons:
These high-tech suits can increase people’s strength a great deal while they wear them, but have become extremely rare since the war. Most that are found now don’t even have armor plating on them, but the few that do are quite useful in combat. Most of these armored exoskeletons are in the possession of The Government, and a precious few are owned by the Bulldogs. Almost none by Tundraneers, and absolutely none by Marauders and Mutants.
Settlements:
A few towns and villages of Tundraneers are scattered in the area around Chicago, the area in which all characters will start.
-Icecube- A town in the outskirts of Chicago that is carved almost entirely of ice. The little settlement is hard to spot in the snow, and consists of three towers for lookouts and a dome, which has a network of tunnels and chambers in it that people live in. It is mostly habituated by Tundraneers, but a few Bulldogs are stationed there for defense. The front gate is made of metal and is hard to spot unless you are standing directly in front of it. Small windmills on the lookout towers produce power for lighting inside the dome, and the interior is comparatively warm at an average 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Legion- The area in former downtown Chicago where mutants have taken shelter from the rest of the world. So named for the horrible skin condition so common in the Mutants, they live in horrible conditions and usually go hungry. Most people are scared to go there. The burnt-out remnants of buildings serve as their only shelter.
-The Den- The fortress of the Bulldogs, this complex of metal walls and old semi-repaired buildings is one of the safest places in the Tundra. Here they house their soldiers, try to recover forgotten knowledge, and plan their resistance of the Government. Located in the former Chicago International Airport, they have yet to get any aircraft running.
-The Capitol- The last outpost of the Government, a large metal tower that can be retracted into the Earth to serve as a fallout shelter. Located outside Chicago, its existence had been kept a secret by the Government before the war. When the nukes launched they fled into it and retracted. The Government finally extended it and came out of hiding recently and is beginning to spread their influence across the Tundra. It has a fairly advanced defense system of laser and missile turrets and is undoubtedly the best place to live, if only the Government would let anyone except their soldiers live there. They have a small functioning fusion plant beneath it that powers their weapons and heaters. They are the only people living at comfortable temperatures nowadays.
-Sanctuary- A Mutant settlement inside the ruins of a cathedral, this mid-sized town is the center of a new religion. Springing from old beliefs mixed with modern science, the Church of the Sacred Flesh is a cult of mutants who believe that they alone are destined to rule the Tundra. Being mostly immune to radiation, they are quite good at surviving the area, which is fraught with radioactive hotspots. There are almost no non-mutants in Sanctuary.
-Grand Market- The center of trade in the Tundra and the largest of all the towns, this is where everyone goes to sell their scrap, goods, or whatever else. The Bulldogs try to keep everyone in line here, but a good underground slave market exists in secret here, run by Marauders in disguise. Tundraneers make up the majority of the population of Grand Market, bringing al sorts of business to the place. The only people not welcome are Marauders and Mutants; even the Government has a small presence here. They have a deal worked out with the Bulldogs so that they will not attack each other here and here alone, though the deal is strained and neither side really wants it. The town is built in the middle of a former park, the snow cleared away and ramshackle buildings erected. A thin perimeter wall of scrap metal and concrete surrounds the place and is patrolled by Bulldogs, Tundraneers, and even some Government.
-Navy Docks-An outpost of a large gang of Marauders that use the ships on Lake ---- to take slaves off to who-knows-where. Probably to be sold in some other town unknown to the people in the Chicago Tundra area. This place is crawling with armed Marauders, and is the last place you want to be. The Bulldogs were going to clear it out, but the arrival of the Government has postponed those plans indefinitely. Not much is known about it since few ever come back alive.
I believe this should be a good summary of the Tundra, so now it’s Character Sheet time!
Na.me:
A|G|E:
Physical Appearance: (Not including clothes)
Clothing:
Faction:
Weapons: (3 max.)
Items:
Money:
Reputation(Good, Evil, Neutral, or somewhere inbetween?)
Bio: (Optional)
Rules:
I or an admin has to accept your character before you can roleplay.
Do not control other people’s characters without their permission.
Absolutely no TL;DR. If you can’t read a few paragraphs, this isn’t the RP for you.
Paragraph form please. Nothing like *whips out shotgun and kills mutant* “I R TEH PWNZOR!”
Admins can only be over-ridden by me.
Do not ask to be an admin.
Try to post more then a sentence at a time, it makes it more interesting.
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