[HEADING=1]The Vampire Earth[/HEADING]
Possessed of an unnatural hunger, the bloodthirsty Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of human souls. They rule the planet. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come.
In the year 2022 CE, a seemingly immortal extraterrestrial race called "Kurians" has wrested control of the Earth from its inhabitants. The Kurians derive their endless lifespans from draining the "vital aura" of other life forms. To facilitate this addiction to life energy, the Kurians employ avatars known as "Reapers".
Following the Kurian takeover, many humans made the decision to serve the new overlords. These traitors, known as Quislings, are set up as members of the police and supervisory government for the Kurian Order. Nearly every other human who is not a Quisling is known as a Territorial, and is either a slave scratching out a living in various trades, or fighting with rebel organizations such as the Southern Command.
After a time, the Kurian Order reduced Earth to a technological and social Dark Age, with only the few remaining pre-2022 machines and transportation networks surviving, with most of these under Kurian control. As an incentive to good and loyal service to the Kurian Lords, Quislings are awarded bonds of various lengths of years (3, 5, 10), which protect the wearers from the Reapers. Even more sought after is the "Brass Ring". A Brass Ring ensures that one never has to fear being randomly taken by the Reapers at night, although it can be revoked and cannot be passed to one's children.
Pockets of resistance do exist, however. The main rebel group fighting the Order is known as Southern Command. A formal military (though classified by the Order as terrorists) is charged with the defense of the Ozark Free Territory.
Just a few things to underline - Whilst perfect grammar and literary skills aren't required, a standard level of English should be presented in your posts, whilst I won't judge sheets on this alone, it might make a close call tip in the favour of the better written sheet.
In terms of gear and equipment available to characters: Most guard and militia are armed with single-shot breach loaders and have little more than old felt BDU. Wolves are armed with slightly better equipment, ranging from carbines ( Think Winchester and M1 variations for the most part ) and carry a trade-mark parang. They generally favour the look of the old western Cow-boys. Cats carry trademark tiger claws and a sword along with a wide variety of weaponry. They tend to favour the average civilian dress. Bears are your walking tanks, think biker leathers and chainmail, axes and hatchets with your automatic shotguns and highpowered machine guns. Ofcourse, it's your character I'm just giving you some guidelines and generalizations.
Finally, each character should be somewhere between the ages of 16-20 as you are going to be a fresh initiate, just out of either basic training with the militia/Guard or from your ceremony as a new Hunter.
So, pop a sheet in if you're interested and we'll see where it goes.
Possessed of an unnatural hunger, the bloodthirsty Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of human souls. They rule the planet. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come.
In the year 2022 CE, a seemingly immortal extraterrestrial race called "Kurians" has wrested control of the Earth from its inhabitants. The Kurians derive their endless lifespans from draining the "vital aura" of other life forms. To facilitate this addiction to life energy, the Kurians employ avatars known as "Reapers".
Following the Kurian takeover, many humans made the decision to serve the new overlords. These traitors, known as Quislings, are set up as members of the police and supervisory government for the Kurian Order. Nearly every other human who is not a Quisling is known as a Territorial, and is either a slave scratching out a living in various trades, or fighting with rebel organizations such as the Southern Command.
After a time, the Kurian Order reduced Earth to a technological and social Dark Age, with only the few remaining pre-2022 machines and transportation networks surviving, with most of these under Kurian control. As an incentive to good and loyal service to the Kurian Lords, Quislings are awarded bonds of various lengths of years (3, 5, 10), which protect the wearers from the Reapers. Even more sought after is the "Brass Ring". A Brass Ring ensures that one never has to fear being randomly taken by the Reapers at night, although it can be revoked and cannot be passed to one's children.
Pockets of resistance do exist, however. The main rebel group fighting the Order is known as Southern Command. A formal military (though classified by the Order as terrorists) is charged with the defense of the Ozark Free Territory.
In 2022, an alien race known as the Kurians triggered a series of natural disasters (as well as artificial ones) that enabled them to gain control of the planet and subjugate humanity. A plague has reduced the world population to 25% of its pre-cataclysm level; nuclear explosions have created a mild form of nuclear winter, cooling the earth, and smaller events everywhere have added to the chaos. In America, the New Madrid fault let go, destroying much of the Midwest. Major rivers such as the Mississippi have been unleashed.
The Kurians are a branch of an alien race known as the Lifeweavers. They naturally have very long lives of thousands of years and have learned to increase their lifespan indefinitely by absorbing vital aura from other living beings. This was discovered from the remnants of a civilization only known as the Pre-Entities. After a civil war with the other Lifeweavers, the Kurians launched a large scale invasion of earth with an engineered virus known as "ravies" and triggering several natural disasters during a time of economic breakdown known as the New Depression. National governments quickly collapsed and the Kurians set up a new form of government. This similar in ways to feudalism, with Kurian lords controlling specific areas and maintaining their status quo through fear and intimidation. Though they have some interest in culture, their main goals are survival and power. Oftentimes they are compared to drug addicts, never looking much further than the next "fix" of vital aura from their human cattle. This of course belies their tenacity and power wielded through their Reapers.
The Kurians created these vampiric monsters that stalk the night, selecting victims for their insatiable masters. Each Reaper is an extension of its master, and when it pierces the heart of a victim with its long, flexible tongue to drain the unfortunate's blood, its connection to the Kurian controller transfers the vital aura. The Reapers are nigh-unstoppable; not only garbed in bullet-resistant cloaks but also possessing superhuman speed, agility, strength and resilience. Their blood is a powerful coagulant when exposed to air, sealing wounds almost instantly, and the bones of a Reaper are hard enough to deflect most bullets. The most terrifying aspect of the Reaper, however, is its ability to stalk prey by sensing out "lifesign", the energy given off by a living being. The greater the emotional distress of the target, the easier it is for the Reapers to find them.
The Reapers are the Kurians ultimate killing machine; faster than a Wolf, keener eyesight than a Cat and more brute power than a Bear make them a fearsome opponent and rightly feared even by battle-hardened soldiers and Hunters. Though they have one weakness, when not directly controlled by a Kurian overlord they become reckless and less efficient and even more after feeding, taking on the appearance of a drunk, stumbling and fumbling.
The Reapers are the Kurians ultimate killing machine; faster than a Wolf, keener eyesight than a Cat and more brute power than a Bear make them a fearsome opponent and rightly feared even by battle-hardened soldiers and Hunters. Though they have one weakness, when not directly controlled by a Kurian overlord they become reckless and less efficient and even more after feeding, taking on the appearance of a drunk, stumbling and fumbling.
The other non-human soldiers of the Kurians are known as Grogs and represent a variety of strange creatures apparently engineered in many cases by the Kurians to serve as shock troops. The most common among these are war-like ape-men sometimes called Gray Ones, and smarter blond colored ones called Golden ones.
The Kurians' cousin species, the Lifeweavers, developed a means of turning human beings into weapons. These Hunters are divided into three castes: Wolf, Cat, and Bear. The Lifeweavers alter the bodies of the Hunters to grant them enhanced senses, reflexes and endurance. They are humanities only allies in the war against the Kurians and the Reapers.
Among Humans, the lifeweavers are strange topic, some Revere them others are suspicious, yet the Hunters look to them with awe. The lifeweavers have the ability to shapeshift and will often appear in a form most comfortable with the one they are talking to. The Wolves Lifeweaver Father Wolf will often appear as a giant wolf. Much as Rho, of the Cats, will wander as a feline. Not much more is known about them or why they chose to help humanity in its struggle.
Among Humans, the lifeweavers are strange topic, some Revere them others are suspicious, yet the Hunters look to them with awe. The lifeweavers have the ability to shapeshift and will often appear in a form most comfortable with the one they are talking to. The Wolves Lifeweaver Father Wolf will often appear as a giant wolf. Much as Rho, of the Cats, will wander as a feline. Not much more is known about them or why they chose to help humanity in its struggle.
Wolves:
The most numerous of the Hunters. Wolves are long-range patrollers, able to run almost tirelessly for hours on end, and possessing the ability to "harden" their senses to the sensory ability akin to a wolf. Wolves engage in guerrilla warfare against the Kurian Order; killing Reapers to weaken the Kurians, smuggling out humans, destroying resources of the Order, and fighting in rapid hit-and-run engagements with the Grog and human soldiers of the Order.
Cats:
A smaller and slightly more elite caste than the Wolves. They are not part of the formal military hierarchy, although they are considered captains as a courtesy. They receive agility and reflexes comparable to a feline, as well as incredible balance and cat-like night vision. Cats do not often travel in groups, working as solitary spy-saboteurs, gathering information and destroying assets deep within the Kurian-controlled areas.
Bears:
These are the near-unstoppable shock troops of the Human resistance. When modified by a Lifeweaver to become a Bear, a human soldier becomes "a walking tank", fighting like a berserker of old and possessing tremendous strength and power. Bear physical capabilities are actually on par with the Reapers themselves, able to fight and even kill Reapers in single combat. They also possess an incredible faculty for healing, to the point of regenerating nerve damage and internal organs that have been lost. Bears induce a trance-like state called "going Red", which seems to induce the berserker rage for which the Bears are famous.
The most numerous of the Hunters. Wolves are long-range patrollers, able to run almost tirelessly for hours on end, and possessing the ability to "harden" their senses to the sensory ability akin to a wolf. Wolves engage in guerrilla warfare against the Kurian Order; killing Reapers to weaken the Kurians, smuggling out humans, destroying resources of the Order, and fighting in rapid hit-and-run engagements with the Grog and human soldiers of the Order.
Cats:
A smaller and slightly more elite caste than the Wolves. They are not part of the formal military hierarchy, although they are considered captains as a courtesy. They receive agility and reflexes comparable to a feline, as well as incredible balance and cat-like night vision. Cats do not often travel in groups, working as solitary spy-saboteurs, gathering information and destroying assets deep within the Kurian-controlled areas.
Bears:
These are the near-unstoppable shock troops of the Human resistance. When modified by a Lifeweaver to become a Bear, a human soldier becomes "a walking tank", fighting like a berserker of old and possessing tremendous strength and power. Bear physical capabilities are actually on par with the Reapers themselves, able to fight and even kill Reapers in single combat. They also possess an incredible faculty for healing, to the point of regenerating nerve damage and internal organs that have been lost. Bears induce a trance-like state called "going Red", which seems to induce the berserker rage for which the Bears are famous.
Southern Command is one of the few 'Free territories' in America, consisting of a wide area around the Ozarks, among the river-cut limestone, caves, sinks, and thick forests of America's oldest mountains. The land is guarded by a standing army of militia and regular infantry, but is also contains regiments from each of the Castes. Hidden deep within the confines of the mountains and forests and in heavily guarded compounds, the Lifeweavers offer advice and initiation into the hunter castes.
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Caste:
Appearance:
Personality:
Gear (Weapons/misc):
Clothing/Armour:
Bio/History:
Age:
Gender:
Caste:
Appearance:
Personality:
Gear (Weapons/misc):
Clothing/Armour:
Bio/History:
Just a few things to underline - Whilst perfect grammar and literary skills aren't required, a standard level of English should be presented in your posts, whilst I won't judge sheets on this alone, it might make a close call tip in the favour of the better written sheet.
In terms of gear and equipment available to characters: Most guard and militia are armed with single-shot breach loaders and have little more than old felt BDU. Wolves are armed with slightly better equipment, ranging from carbines ( Think Winchester and M1 variations for the most part ) and carry a trade-mark parang. They generally favour the look of the old western Cow-boys. Cats carry trademark tiger claws and a sword along with a wide variety of weaponry. They tend to favour the average civilian dress. Bears are your walking tanks, think biker leathers and chainmail, axes and hatchets with your automatic shotguns and highpowered machine guns. Ofcourse, it's your character I'm just giving you some guidelines and generalizations.
Finally, each character should be somewhere between the ages of 16-20 as you are going to be a fresh initiate, just out of either basic training with the militia/Guard or from your ceremony as a new Hunter.
So, pop a sheet in if you're interested and we'll see where it goes.
