Post by Zack Asiv on Dec 15, 2015 3:06:04 GMT -8
The World As We Know It
Twenty years ago, the world was as you know it now: simple, stupid, and mostly just a bunch of political strutting around. Yet, behind the scenes was a change. People began to unlock a strange power referred to by many names: magic, ki, chi, chakra, qi, miracles. The list goes on. In time, others in the underground were able to chemically recreate these abilities and armed themselves with super-powered people, and slowly these powers spread.
With illegal qi drugs, the number of those with powers grew quickly and suddenly, like a ripple that became a giant tidal wave, and would explode on a global scale in less than a year. Chaos erupted into full-on war with new boundaries being drawn and new superpowers rising and falling. However, people knew this would lead to no one winning.
Eleven years ago, the Attrition Accords were signed. To prevent and monitor the constant chaos as the world fell back into a new Dark Age. Every territory line was drawn and agreed on by every organization that was in control at the time. These territories were numbered from 1 to 260, with the larger territories like 14, 112, 157, and 259 unable to take large military actions on their smaller neighbors. Those neighbors signed allegiances to the larger territories for their survival, including access to food, infrastructure, transportation, and health needs.
One of the organizations involved in this power-grab war 20 was known as Cabal. It was at the epicenter of the power expansion and was one of the first to gather people with abilities. They took Northern California and set up shop, with young Zack Asiv as the Commander who would lead them to organized control. After signing the Accords, Zack became proprietor of Cabal Academy and set up the current system. Old squads within the organization turned to teaching or turning to trainers for the future generations as they continued to add to the territory's strengths and defenses.
Your character has awoken to their ability (to be discussed or created when you are comfortable). It doesn't matter how old your character is, as everyone is sent to Cabal Academy for training and evaluation. Your very first post rank is as a Trainee. This means you are still taking beginner courses and haven't been assigned a Squad by the Mission Director for graduating into full Troop status. Troops are made of characters from all ranks, and your character can be assigned to one once you feel you are ready.
Squads range from two to four members and are usually trained and sent on missions together. Once someone in the squad has graduated to a higher post rank, or the squad agrees on one person, they are promoted to Squad Captain. This person is the leader for their squad, making choices and tactics on the fly in the field as well as with other Squad Captains, Command Squad, or TIME Officers.
With the world of the Big Four becoming the Big 5, forays into the world at large and the combining force of a mutual enemy, there is a lot to say about the last two years. With what seems to be the remains of the once fierce and feared Dragons all dead or missing from the Northern Territories an imbalance has rocked the area opening the land up to an increased crime rate as raiders and bandits become more bold and a Grand enemy appears with the name of The Conqueror. While they strike blow after blow seemingly defeated at every turn it is revealed that it has followed the plan the entire time, killing innocence in grand battles forced to fight knowing they had no Qi or powers to speak of for the glory of The Conqueror.
Aurora the newest addition to the Big Five has spear headed most battles against this enigmatic foe, even invading one of it's controlled lands and causing so much unrest that the very means of their seeming ability to appear anywhere on the continent unchecked fell from the sky. While the territory sized Castle and lands fell and caused one of the largest tragedies of our time, witnessed across most of the continent and felt much further than that; most petty differences have been put aside to face down this looming shadow now given a face. What could the glimpses into the past be trying to tell us?
Enemies and Dangers of The World
Barbaric Freakers - Very violent, very possessive people completely against the idea of peace and the accords. Moving in large enough groups to be a problem, listening only to the strong, recognizable by the animal skins they wear and weapons they may be carrying. Generally serrated or gruesome looking weapons meant to maim if not kill, due to the harsh environments they live and survive in, wounding a rival or enemy is just as good as killing them. As healing from such a thing is near impossible with low access to any form of health care or proper nutrition. These environments also keep them from being outright destroyed or hunted into extinction, not even to mention how powerful the strongest of them are and how tenacious they are in survival.
Some are even prone to disfiguring themselves, filing down their teeth into sharp points, taking the natural poisons and venoms of their surroundings and coating their weapons or themselves in it. They leave in hunting parties to find food, carnal pleasure and water... Not always in that order. If they have Qi it is generally all about raw destructive power, and the standing position for anyone who runs into them is to flee on sight.
Tribal Bandits - While spotty and usually small in number, Bandits survive by haunting supply roads and small villages. The Tribal Bandits we are discussing now have banded together wearing markers of some kind to signal to others that they are of the same Tribe, better equipped, less crazed with starvation the Tribal Bandits that have popped up specialize in surprise attack or swords for hire. Generally have a disdain for society beyond the little they uphold of odd rules and laws between the Tribe's about loot and territory. They are not easily dispatched like normal Bandits either, as with the many many miles of still as of yet unreclaimed land there is no solid evidence on where they base themselves and are very good at losing most trackers. These Tribe's are very used to killing and even seem to hold it as a sport or contest among them with many having markings or trophies marking their number of kills.
Even Sudeki or Prota trackers have difficulty following them very far. It also seems like they use long distance assaults to throw off their locations even more. Military personnel are ordered to capture or kill on sight, with a priority on finding where any Tribe's may be located for due justice.
Cannibal Nomads - Due to the lack of viable food or the ability to hunt the over sized animal population some groups of people have taken to cannibalism. They have become rather proficient at it as well. Reports indicate they lure others in by appearing to be weak or sick travelers while they burn a hypnotic incense that dulls the senses and makes for easy targets. They can usually be spotted by the red discoloration around their eyes and nostrils from being in a constant cloud of this special incense. Reports of possible Qi user involvement makes them even more dangerous.
Keep your distance and report any sightings immediately to your local enforcement or The Militia.
Mobile Raiders - Raiders are bad enough. Leather armor wearing people who attack with numbers to steal provisions from villages and towns to survive is a normal event the further away from the Large Territories, but it's worse when you talk about the Mobile Raiders. Having stolen War Tech and gotten it running they have assault bike's, and tanks. Mechanized robotic assault suits and other War Relics lost during the war rebuilt or fixed up to fit their means. They do not have the force capable of taking on the Big Five, but it is big enough to take down most any other territory.
Considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached or attempted to assault without at least four full squads of military personnel. Any information as to the whereabouts of their mobile stockpile is priority one.
Qi Beasts - While normal animals have become larger than life monstrosities of what they once were, Qi Beasts are animals that have been mutated by Qi Energies, gaining powers themselves and physical mutations that cause them to be far more dangerous than your usual animal, humans have gone back on the menu for most if not all predator Qi Beasts. Any sighting needs to be reported for public safety and they should not be approached under any circumstances.
Cults - Over the hysteria of the Great War and the amazing powers that followed in it's wake many people fell to needed explanations and as usual charismatic people stepped up. Be it mental illness or mental break down, the cults worship the powers that be, going to extremes like kidnapping, ritual sacrifice, mass poisonings. They can be just as dangerous as they are docile and peaceful. Always pushing some agenda, and while most are deemed harmless there are many that have been shown to be dangerous shadowy secret societies wishing to complete some task for some unknown religious master.
Defunct Military - Many groups have formed out of old pre war military organizations that haven't been able to let go. Having lost contact with their original governments and being programmed to act independently they have an almost zealot like attention to the old ways and see the new way the world works as some farce in the way of bringing back the old ways. They can be dangerous as the oppose the Accords and the current government system from pre war forts and bunkers. They forever await the call from their government to return to task. Even if generations should pass.
Dangers
Turbulent Weather - With nature reclaiming most of the world it has changed the shape of the regular weather we are used to. Some lands see such intense wind or sand storms that it can be dangerous even inside a well built structure. Other places are so hot your flesh can boil just from direct sunlight. There are even locations that shift so drastically between hot and cold with a simple breeze people can go into shock or get hypothermia in a matter of seconds not even to mention the boulder sized hail that slams the ground like meteorites.
Qi Scars - Area's where intense or high concentration of Qi have seemingly permanently disfigured the nature of an area, becoming dark purple winds and harsh plasma's where laws of reality and nature are bent to the strong emotions or memories of the people who created the scar. These area's are dangerous as one can become disoriented, and the amount of constant damage the land does to people through the negative and malicious nature it can be considered very deadly. Nothing truly living can be found in them and Ghouls spawn from it, reacting the new emotional responses from people who stumble upon them.
Starvation - With game being harder to hunt and Qi mutating or infecting plantlife and making fruits and vegetables difficult for the common man to decipher. Starvation is a constant fear and struggle with life away from the large territory capitols who stockpile their resources and technology which protects them from the elements.
Poisoned/Infected Water Supplies - Many water supplies are infected or considered poisoned and can slowly kill someone who drinks too much of it over a period of time. There is no way to really tell how or why they were or are poisoned or infected. You only really know after it makes you sick and it's too late.
Sickness and Infections - For many within more stabilized territories injury, and regular sickness isn't that dangerous. They have access to medicine's and healers, or people knowledgeable in cleaning wounds and anti-biotic herbs. However, for the majority of the population this is almost a death sentence. Sickness and injury could lead to infections and greater disease, often ending in death or permanently crippling someone unable to find or reach healers or real medical care.
