Chapter 1: Sign
~Day 1~
May 5th, 2018
Time: Sunrise
Nine survivors stand in the middle of the road, feet entrenched in asphalt as they look past the sign for
Monticello, Arkansas and off into the distance where structures and buildings rise out from the horizon. All have managed to endure the pandemonium and barbarism of the past three years somehow, but the members of the group are not all its original natives.
[It isn't mandatory to read all of this, but it's a synopsis of events that occurred between games, explaining why some people have left the group and others have joined in the three-year period.]
In the beginning it was simply Clair Lord, Mr. Rand, Jarrod Hilton, Charles, Kyle Johnson and Ben Ross, the six forming a party after each individually wandering around Georgia and Northern Florida during the first few weeks of the outbreak.
While transversing the land, they came across a quartet calling themselves the
14th Community composed of Omeen, Trish, Layla, and Terrel, and later a wandering British soldier named Wulf Ulric. The survivors banded together for the extra protection and manpower, whereupon the 14th Community declared they were heading into Alabama to garner some needed supplies. The expanded group traveled to Alabama, eventually reaching the spot and stocking up on supplies as well as weaponry. At this point the two groups had fully integrated into one party, especially with the romantic tension brewing between Kyle and Layla.
Things didn't always go according to plan, as during the trek to Georgia, Mr. Rand was lost in a forest full of zombies and bandits. Later, the survivors found themselves surrounded in a gas station with undead converging on them from every angle. Without any options left, Ben Ross decided to blast his IPod at max volumes through a set of speakers to attract the undead to his specific location, while the rest of the group ran. Ben was never heard from again.
On the road, the group ran into a Christian mission, who offered them supplies in exchange to listen to the Good News. Low on food, our protagonists accepted and listened to a sermon. Later that night, Clair decided to join the missionaries not because she had been converted, but because she would need a while to rest due to a vague health condition, and that she would stay at their convent while the others went on.
The remaining survivors trudged on through Alabama, when one fateful winter night, they decided to scour through a Lowell's Hardware Store for weapons and tools, and subsequently came across another band of survivors with the same idea. It was never known whether the other humans attacked as opportunistic bandits or out of fear and paranoia, but bullets quickly began flying. A firefight commenced, and Wulf proved to be a huge asset with his keen eye and deadly assault rifle. However, after his fourth kill he inexplicably froze up, giving one of the combatants an opportunity to lean out of cover and pop him with a rifle shot right between the eyes. The party began to tactically retreat, while Terrel snatched Wulf's rifle and stood his ground along with Jarrod, providing the others the time to escape out the exit. The last thing the party saw of their defenders was Jarrod go down from a bullet through the leg, while Terrel blindly fired over a wooden pallet.
Outside, a handful of the enemies pursued those that ran, stopping on occasion to fire a rifle or pistol shot at them. To make matters worse, a snowstorm had begun, lowering visibility for everyone as they ran haphazardly for an indeterminate amount of time, not sure where the others had gone. The next morning was quiet and sunny, though only Kyle and Charles managed to regroup. They searched their surroundings for days, but their were no signs of anyone; even when they checked Lowell's Hardware Store, they only found Wulf slumped over on the ground and nothing else, not even bodies. Both were shaken, especially Kyle with the loss of his partner. It took Charles the better part of the day to convince him that they had to keep moving or else they would certainly perish.
For many moons, it was just the two of them. Even with their differences and disputes, they still remained together, as they were not only necessary for each other's survival, but also as a symbol that their original party still lived through them, even with most of its members gone. They even temporarily gained party members or joined bigger groups, but these arrangements were usually just to reach a specific destination before they would go their separate paths, and none would last longer than a few weeks or months. Even if anyone tried sticking with Kyle and Charles permanently, they would eventually end up with zombie fangs around their neck or with a bullet through the cranium.
In Autumn of 2016, Kyle and Charles came across a survivor organization called the
Federation Tennessee. The duo encountered the organization while traveling North, a found over a hundred people living in a shopping mall with its own government that was gradually wiping out surrounding pockets of zombies and bandits. It was almost like a dream, encountering a patch of civilization still left in the forsaken world. The two joined and were summarily inducted. It wasn't always easy, there were battles both external and internal, but it was almost like something from the time before the chaos.
However, everyone in the organization knew that something this big and grand couldn't last together in its environment, it would end at the hands of thousands of zombies or thugs with military-grade weapons. Turns out, it wasn't either. A year later, the Fall of 2017, an explosion rocked the mall. Theories ranged from a gas leakage to someone outside messing with a bomb, but whatever case a quarter of the mall crumbled and dozens died instantly. Immediately afterwards came with the fire, and all the noticeable phenomena attracted zombies from far and wide. Everyone picked up their things and ran before the fires or undead would reach them. Not all made it, but Kyle and Charles did, along with several other members of the : Jane Stone, Alexander Lunge, William Adamson, Cromwell Jackson and Decado Bison. After finding another town to rest and recuperate in, the survivors decided to form their own group, as their was no way the Federation would be reformed any time soon. With a goal to escape from the epicenter of the explosion and zombie horde, the posse decided to continue heading out west.
Several survivors were picked up during this westward migration, though the only ones who managed to stay and live to this day were a trio found adventuring in Northern Louisiana: Alejandro Cuéllar, Big Joe Davidson and Majikthise. They assimilated into the larger group in the last months of 2017. Throughout all this time, at least one survivor continues to keep track of the date in accordance with the Gregorian Calendar.
Months later, the party ten survivors strong, the survivors find themselves at
Monticello, Arkansas.
Each member of the party comes with their own unique set of skills and equipment.
Kyle Johnson was a Floridian writer that had ended up in Georgia from Alabama. Long story. As a writer, Kyle is a great Storyteller.
How useful is that? Not very much right now, but when everyone starts going mad from boredom...Kyle has read in multiple languages too, and has become fluent in the Spanish, French and German Languages (that's one skill). Taking care of his family from outside forces in the Alabamian countryside has consequently led Kyle to become a good shot with Long Guns (Shotguns & Rifles).
Kyle stills has on hand a signature weapon he retrieved from the
14th Community's hide in Alabama, an Upgraded Remington Pump-Action Shotgun. Not only does it include all the power and finesse of a fine modern shotgun, it's also been outfitted with a grip for additional stability, a reinforced butt for close-quarter-combat purposes and an underhand battery-powered flashlight. Kyle also has a Box of 20 Matches.
Charles was a computer wiz at his school, so it comes as no surprise that he can easily Build Electronics, provided he has the right parts and tools. Also, his understanding of hackers and their methods has given him knowledge of Hacking. Due to his military hobbies, he actually would be one of the few civilians able to use WW2-Era Weaponry.
Charles packs a Thompson Submachine Gun he found while searching the attic of a two-story home a few months ago. While some would toss the gun as obsolete junk, Charles feels that it's aged very well since it's days in military service, and used it to dispatch a number of zombies in the last days when they walked the Earth. Charles also has a couple of Walkie-Talkies.
Jane Stone lived every day and life as a lumberjack, so no one is surprised to hear that she's adept at Woodworking. Seeing her tools additionally as weapons, Jane has developed skill at utilizing Axes as Weaponry, an art that she calls "Ax-Fu." Her woods-based lifestyle has also lead Jane to become knowledgeable in the field of Forest Survival, giving her various abilities from being able to tell nutritious and poisonous berries apart, to which direction a pack of animal is headed just by the position of their droppings, and many other similar tools that someone who lived outside the forest would know little, if anything about.
Jane lugs around her Jäger Chainsaw, a custom-made German chainsaw that still runs perfectly even after years of use, and has its own quirky nicknames courtesy of Jane. Jane sometimes wears her Pair of Tough Leather Gloves.
Alex Lunge's occupation gave him Searching expertise, as he could find evidence and clues in a place that everyone had overlooked, particularly useful in finding small or hidden objects in the current era. His grilling of suspects and witnesses has equipped him with effective powers of Interrogation (not effected by Charisma), and several incidents involving resistant perpetrators led him to take a course in Grappling.
Alex holsters a Metal Baton, a primarily non-lethal self-defense weapon he preferred to use when fighting suspects tougher than he was. He also still has a Pair of Binoculars, the same ones he used to search across cities for Marahjew with.
William Adamson had been a farmer for all his life, and can prove it with his Horticultural abilities with an extensive knowledge on crops, and the ability to raise them from seed to harvester in the most efficient time and with the best results. He isn't shabby when it comes to Animal Husbandry, having cared for a number of dairy cows back on his farm. William is a fan of the hunt, and is skilled with an assortment of Hunting Weapons, from rifles to shotguns and even certain crossbows.
William is strapped with his .22 Hunting Rifle, the only gun he managed to take from his farm, having seen lots of action taking down rabbits and other small game in the woods near his property. Tied to his belt loop is a Sickle, a crescent shaped device used to harvest crops on the farm, though nowadays it appears much more sinister...
Cromwell Jackson, a professional Bowler, is undoubtedly the best at Bowling out of any of the survivor's in the group, perhaps even the best bowler alive, but the Post-Zombie era lacks enough bowling tournaments for him to prove it. With a life consisting of traveling from one bowling competition to another, even if it was across many cities or states, led to Cromwell learning how to be quite an efficient at Driving. Cromwell would psychologically prepare himself for competitions by dismissing his opponents, giving him his own method of Bluffing.
Cromwell carries his
2009 National Bowling Federation Tournament - 3rd Place Age 20-29: Cromwell Jackson Trophy. It's one-and-a-half feet tall, with a man holding up a bowling ball displayed on the top. Most of the trophy is made of bronze. Cromwell also carries a Can of Pepper Spray, which he acquired after a losing opponent followed him outside of a bowling alley and beat him up quite badly.
Decado Bison is quite inventive when it comes to innovative devices and projects, and thus has quite a large skill set when it comes to Mechanics both theoretical and applied. His plans also involve his use of Logistics, as he is able to maintain a project and able to measure and keep track of all of its aspects simultaneously. His ploys to get people to invest in his ideas also mean he's quite good at Persuasion.
Decado has a Skateboard, custom-made at a board shop just for him, and his preferred method of transportation as nothing was too far from his lavish home. He also has a Samurai Tanto Knife, which he didn't initially buy as a weapon, it was just because "it looked fucking rad."
Alejandro Cuéllar's occupation at the Support Center made him a professional with Computers. Having to deal with angry customers got Alejandro used to calming them down, teaching himself the art of verbal Pacification. To deal with his tedious job, Alejandro turned to materialistic pursuits, but at least now it's made him skilled at Gambling.
Alejandro brings a Bottle of 20 100mg Caffeine Pills from a looted drug store, as well as a Deck of Cards supposing that anyone wants to play, or even possibly gamble.
Big Joe Davidson was a construction worker making him skilled at, well Constructing. His affiliation for sports has gifted him with a good arm for Throwing, and his skills with vehicles has made him good at Vehicle Repairs for all sorts of automobiles.
Big Joe carries a Claw Hammer that used to nail in hundreds of nails everyday back at the construction site, and a Tire Iron previously utilized in his work on cars, trucks and motorcycles.
Majikthise remains good at Teaching even with her career far behind her, as the last few years of her life has allowed her to easily teach others the knowledge and skills that she herself has obtained. Having to lead a group of kids through the wastelands has also given her the technique of Scouting and foraging ahead, looking out for dangers before the rest of her group would follow. She also remains quick and avid in Reading, finishing books and learning skills at a fast pace.
Majikthise carries a Whistle, used in her days as a teacher to round her students wherever they may be. She also carries a Compass, originally as a demonstrative tool for her students, now used for real and active survival purposes.
In addition to the tools they carry, the group also brings along a Blue Portable Cooler. This is perhaps the most important item the group currently has, as it carriers all of the Food & Water Supplies, while simultaneously keeping it all fresh and cool. The Cooler can be carried by one person, but it will occupy both of their hands, whereas two people can carry it and each have a hand open for another task. If it gets near full capacity, it may start to require rolls if low-strength survivors try to carry it.
Monticello, Arkansas. The sign creaks slightly, sagging against its own rusted foundation in a manner that was replicated in seemingly every piece of exposed metal left on Earth. As the survivors looked ahead, the road split into left and right, as indicated in another rusted sign just a few meters in front of the first sign that indicated the city limits. The following sign read:
<- UNIVERSITY DRIVE
-> S. MAIN STREET
Between the two roads was a divide of trees that stretched out as the streets grew farther apart, making a sort of artificial triangular forest. Directly to the left of the party were a set of fields, cropless and brown with decay, a few standing buildings located past the fields. To the right was a treeline, but a few talls roofs towered over the top of the pines, indicating that some sort of structure was over there as well. The survivors had their first choice to make on the beginning of the next phase of their journey. Of course, their decisions were not up to fate, fate had died with civilization. Now there was only cause and effect...
[The bottom of each Chapter will have this sectioning containing Group Information and Individual Survivor Information. The individual information will be completed soon, Kyle and Charles's are up now as templates for how each information tab will appear.]
Player Survivors: 10
NPC Survivors: 0
Group Needs: None for now.
Clouds: Light Coverage
Temperature: Moderately Chilly
FS: 60
WS: 60
Base: None
Colors:
Kyle
Charles
Name: Kyle Johnson
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Occupation: Writer
Attributes:
Strength:-
Perception:+
Agility:
Endurance:-
Stealth:
Dexterity:+
Constitution:
Will: --
Intelligence:+
Charisma:
Luck: +
Skills:
Storytelling[4]
Spanish, French & German[2]
Long Guns[2]
Equipment:
Upgraded 870 Remington Pump-Action Shotgun (8/8) (Flashlight: 100&) - A military-grade pump-shotgun outfitted with a grip, reinforced butt and underhand flashlight.
Box of 20 Matches - Matchbox, partially-full. Matches can be struck across the box's rough exterior parts to ignite them.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name: Charles
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Occupation: Student, computer repairman
Attributes:
Strength:--
Perception:+
Agility:
Endurance:+
Stealth:
Dexterity:
Constitution:
Will:
Intelligence:++
Charisma: -
Luck:-
Skills:
Build Electronics[4]
Hacking[2]
WW2-Era Weaponry [2]
Equipment:
Thompson Submachine Gun (50/50) - Submachine gun made famous by gangsters and soldiers alike with its high firing rate lethality.
Walkie Talkies (100%) (100%) - Electronic devices that allow for communications across long distances. Can communicate with other Walkie Talkies on the same frequency.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name: Jane Stone
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Occupation: Lumberjack
Color: Red
Attributes:
Strength:++
Perception:
Agility:--
Endurance:+++
Stealth:----
Dexterity:--
Constitution:++
Will:++
Intelligence:-
Charisma:+
Luck:-
Equipment:
Jäger Chainsaw - Custom German chainsaw equipped with razor-sharp metal teeth. Gas-powered.
Pair of Tough Leather Gloves - Leather gloves worn by members of the logging community, toughened to withstand daily lumberjack activities.
Skills:
Woodworking[4]
Axe Combat[2]
Forest Survival[2]
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name: Alex Lunge (Pronounced 'LOON-gay'. Or Lunge. Whatever you want.)
Gender: Male
Age: 43
Occupation: Private Investigator
Color: Brown!
Attributes:
Strength: +
Perception: +
Agility: -
Endurance: +
Stealth: -
Dexterity: --
Constitution: +
Will: +
Intelligence: +
Charisma: --
Luck: /
Skills:
Searching[4]
Interrogation[2]
Grappling[2]
Equipment:
Metal Baton - A self-defense weapon, this baton was used as a club to fend off tough criminals. Non-lethal doesn't mean non-dangerous-and-pain-inflicting.
Binoculars - A pair of plastic binoculars used to perceive great distances.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Gender: Male
Age: 59
Occupation: Farmer
Attributes:
Strength: +
Perception: +
Agility: -
Endurance: ++
Stealth: +
Dexterity: -
Constitution: ++
Will:
Intelligence: -
Charisma: ---
Luck: -
Skills:
Horticulture[4]
Animal Husbandry[2]
Hunting Weapons[2]
Equipment:
.22 Hunting Rifle (10/20) - Low-caliber rifle used originally for hunting small game. Low power, but highly accurate and reliable.
Sickle - Crescent-shaped farming tool with a metal blade used for cutting down crops.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name: Cromwell Jackson
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Occupation: Professional Bowler
Attributes:
Strength:++
Perception:-
Agility:
Endurance:--
Stealth:-
Dexterity:++
Constitution:-
Will:--
Intelligence:
Charisma:+
Luck:++
Skills:
Bowling[4]
Driving[2]
Bluffing[2]
Equipment:
2009 National Bowling Federation Tournament - 3rd Place Age 20-29: Cromwell Jackson Trophy - A shining bronze trophy commemorating Cromwell's placing in a national bowling tournament years ago.
Can of Pepper Spray (100%) - Non-lethal self-defense weapon, it is sprayed directly into a target's eyes, inflicting pain, disorientation and temporary blindness.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name : Decado Bison ( The Prince in the Shadows. )
Gender : Male
Age : 29
Occupation : Entrepreneur. ( To lazy to work. )
Color : Blue
Attributes:
Strength: -
Perception: -
Agility: -
Endurance:
Stealth: ---
Dexterity: ++
Constitution: -
Will:
Intelligence: ++
Charisma: +++
Luck:
Skills:
Mechanics[4]
Logistics[2]
Persuasion[2]
Equipment:
Skateboard - An expensive, custom-designed board made for the purpose of performing crazy tricks.
Tanto Knife - A sharp Japanese blade, historically a weapon carried by Samurai.
Name: Alejandro Cuéllar
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Occupation: Tech support call center of a computer manufacturer
Color: Bold teal
Strength: ++
Perception: -
Agility:
Endurance: +
Stealth: --
Dexterity: -
Constitution: --
Will: ++++
Intelligence: ++
Charisma: +
Luck:
Skills:
Computers[4]
Pacification[2]
Gambling[2]
Equipment:
20 100mg Caffeine Pills - Nabbed from a pharmacy post-apocalypse, Alejandro forgot he was carrying these. Gives a stimulant boost to energize and heighten awareness.
Deck of Cards - A full deck of cards for play. Claimed to be lucky by Alejandro.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name: Big Joe Davidson
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Occupation: Construction worker
Color: Orange
Attributes:
Strength:++
Perception:+
Agility:-
Endurance:++
Stealth:--
Dexterity:+
Constitution:+
Will:++
Intelligence:-
Charisma:--
Luck:--
Skills:
Construction[4]
Throwing[2]
Vehicle Repair[2]
Equipment:
Claw Hammer - A construction item for slamming in nails, among other duties. The head has both a hammer-end a claw, used to pry nails off.
Tire Iron - Tool used to replace tires. It curves near the end into an opening used to shift tires off and on a vehicle.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Name: Majikthise
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Occupation: before the plague - middle school geography teacher. After the plague - scholar.
Color: yellow-green
Attributes:
Strength:
Perception: -
Agility:
Endurance:
Stealth: -
Dexterity:
Constitution:
Will: +
Intelligence: +
Charisma: +
Luck: -
Skills:
Teaching[4]
Scouting[2]
Reading[2]
Equipment:
Whistle - A metal whistle that emits a high-pitched noise when blown into, a shrill sound that can be heard over quite a long distance.
Compass - A navigational instrument that shows direction relative to the surface of the Earth, utilizing the cardinal directions to point the way.
Physical Health: Normal
Mental Health: Normal
Author
Topic: ~Ensanglanté Gymnopédies~ Chapter 15: Preparing for the First Night (Read 45861 times)