Shades of Grey (interest, signups, and discussion)

[Jarnakel Magnus]

*Approved by Zyros*

Hey, everyone. New person here. Sort of. Been here for the past month, about, but only post in an RP in this forum, and no-where else. Well, I've got my own RP idea now, and here it is.

Shades of Grey
The global economy has collapsed, completely, and totally. In the first days after the crash, there was chaos, but it soon evolved. Many nations were now without adequate food supplies. Others lacked building material or other things necessary for survival.

As had always been done when a neighbor had something a nation wanted or needed, wars were started, with little warning. Great armies were mobilized, and nations fought each other for access to fresh water, food, minerals, and other resources. It would not have been long before society fell apart, national borders were erased, and the survivors forced to live in a state of perpetual fear. But the collapse was accelerated.

North Korea, belligerent as always, and with no organized body to threaten it, finally carried out its threats, and launched nuclear warheads. Other nuclear nations responded, and the situation cascaded. Luckily, many nations had destroyed most of their nuclear materials, and not all of them were fired. However, while the world was spared a nuclear winter, the devastation was hardly lessened.

Many capital cities and economic centers are now radiated wastelands, and all other cities lie in ruin as a result of prolonged fighting. Bandits roam the countryside, while gangs prowl the cities. Everyone is distrustful, food and water are scarce. Power is, for the most part, gone. Few now remain with the knowledge needed to rebuild, and those who do are hard pressed to find supplies, or people who care. There are small zones where remnants of former militaries maintain tight control, but civilians tend to be turned away, and those that are accepted find themselves in a dictatorship, where they are little better off than before.

However, there are rumors. Rumors of a group of people who predicted the collapse, and, above all logic of the time, prepared for it. There are reports of heavily defended buildings with power, and food supplies. In the areas where reports are concentrated, large ships have been sighted on the ocean, despite the lack of fuel or competent captains. While the stories tend to differ, one thing is always the same. A recurring symbol, on the buildings, on the uniforms of the guards, even on the ships when they pull close to the shore. A symbol of a silver bird....

Shades of Grey takes place in the future of an AU earth, similar to our own. Players will start out in various locales within the former U.S., and will bear witness to the opening moves of the group spoken of in the rumors.

This group is central to the story, but does not have to be dealt with immediately. In addition, the choices the players make determine the game's ending. There are several options, including fighting the group, joining them, betraying them, trying to reason with them, etc. And if you lot can't decide on what to do and end up fighting each other, there's an ending for that, too.

A few interesting points to note. First off, all NPCs in this RP are killable. All of them. Although, a few plot-central NPCs will have plot armor in their first appearances, but anyone can die.

This extends to the PCs, as well. Now, I know what you're thinking, but stop, for just a moment here, please. I'm trying to go for realism here (mostly). I'm not going to be actively trying to kill any of you off (unless you decide to do blatantly stupid things), and if your character dies, you're allowed to bring in another one. After all, who says the starting group are the only survivors who can affect the plot?

Basically, PCs will die if they end up in a situation where they SHOULD, logically, die. For example, if you set off an explosion in a chemical storage facility while you are in it? No. You don't survive. Sorry. In addition, this allows the "good" PCs (things aren't terribly black and white in this RP, hence the quotations) to sacrifice their lives to save another, allowing for meaningful deaths, which can be incorporated into the plot. In addition, PCs will be allowed to kill each other, but ONLY if both parties agree on this.

However, unless you do something REALLY stupid, PCs are immune to death until the end of Chapter One.

As for starting locations, the available places are:
* Coast of New Jersey, roughly midway between the radiated cities of New York and D.C.
* Coast of Florida, near Miami (or in the ruins of Miami itself)
* Coast of Texas, a bit to the East of Houston (Houston is under the control of former military)
* Coast of Washington State, near Seattle (or in the ruins of Seattle itself)
* Coast of California, a few hundred miles North of the radiated Los Angeles area.
* Judith Gap, Montana

I need at least two people starting in an area. If there are any areas with only one person when the game starts, I will move you to a more populated area. This is to ensure character interaction from the beginning.


Character Sheets:
Name: My friends call me Zed.

Gender: Yes. Oh, wait. We're using that OTHER word... Ruins the joke. D:

Age: How many candles on your birthday cake? No, it is not a lie.

Location: Where do you survive day by day? (choose from the starting areas, please)

Appearance: Height, weight, eye color, hair color, clothing, density of freckles on face, number of extra appendages, locations of retractable spikes, etc. (Human characters only, please)

Personality: Are you a saint? An ass? A nervous wreck? One of those overused stoic types?

Skills: Are you a thief? Doctor? Former soldier? What can you do? Please note: there will likely be need of skills NOT related to day by day survival. So don't be afraid to give your character skills that they won't be able to use right off the bat. They'll become useful later.

Background: Don't want to talk about your past? Too bad. I want to hear all about it.

Items of note: Weapons, ammo, any tools, etc. Remember that ammo is scarce (at least, to start), so if your character has a gun, they might not be using it too often. But not giving them a gun leaves them vulnerable. Additionally, don't give your character anything they wouldn't logically have. and no shiny new perfect condition weapons, no Uzis, etc. Basically, use common sense here.
__________________________________________________ _____________

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to voice them. There's no set amount of open slots, I'll close signups when I think there's enough, but for reference, about 6 to 8 seems a good number.

[Jarnakel Magnus]

This here post will be used to store a list of accepted characters and their signups, as well as NPC profiles and miscellaneous information.

Accepted Characters:

Lord Wraith:

 click to show

Name:*Ashley Darius Vincent
Nickname/Alias:* Ash, Darius or Vincent. Never introduces himself as Ashley, and often won't mention his first name, instead relaying on his middle or last name as a primary name.

Age:*24
Gender:*Male

Height:*5' 10”
Weight:*147lbs
Build:*Slim, yet muscular build.

Hair Color:*Dark Brown, appears black in low light, but can reflect lighter shades of brown in the direct light.
Eye Color:*A deep, dark blue.

Physical Description:
Ash wears what's left of a pair of jeans. For the most part they are intact, but dirty and torn in places. They were once of a dark wash colour, but have since become faded. A leather belt is worn on his waist from which hangs a holster for his sawed off Remington 1100. He also keeps a bowie knife strapped on his left thigh. Along the back of his waist he wears a Hunting Cleaver, modelled after those of 1662. The scabbard of this weapons has an addition outer holding which contains about five small carving knives. Around his torso he wears a black sleeveless under shirt. A brown shoulder holster hangs under his left arm, housing a Colt Python Revolver. This weapon has only one bullet, saved for Ash himself when he finally goes insane. Over top of this undershirt, he wears what's left of what was once a white collared shirt. Nothing too fancy, it was merely for semi-casual dress. It's more of a dusty brown colour now, often hanging open due to the lack of buttons on it from wear. He wears a long brown leather duster over top of his clothes, and dark brown Akubra on head. When his hair is down, it would be shoulder length, but he usually had it messily pulled back. He has a short beard, covering just his chin and around his mouth. Also known as a circle beard. Often though he can be found with stubble on his face along with the beard. To counter this, he does carry an old razor blade. For boots, he wears something that's a cross between motorcycle boots and cowboy boots. They're tall and shaped akin to Cowboy boots, but lack the shape in the toe and don't have quite the heel. These boots are a dark brown, boarder lining black. Like the rest of his clothes, they're covered in dust and aged from excessive wear.


Identifying Marks/Features:
Ash has a few scars on his body. One runs from his right shoulder to just below his ribcage on his left side. Another runs down his left shoulder blade, he also has one slightly above his upper lip to the right, with another leaving a mark through his right eyebrow. His left ear also has a nick out of it from a knife fight.

Attitude/Outlook:
Ash doesn't know quite what to make of the new world yet. He had always led a fairly simple life, and yet things had become that much more complicated for him. He lives as a loner, rarely working with others and has prepared himself to stay on the offence. He's mistrusting of new people and believes most people have a hidden agenda for wanting to work with him. He's ready to kill himself if he ever starts to lose sense with his perceptions and keeps a loaded revolver just for that reason. He's got a mouth on him, if you can get him talking. He's also a bit of a drinker when he gets the chance, and can eat large amounts of food without seeming to be filled. Yet he can turn around and go without food in a heartbeat. He's a survivor.

Skills/Abilities:
Ash is an excellent farmer, rancher and hunter. He has a quick draw, and a good eye for aiming. He can handle himself in a melee brawl too, often able to use whatever comes to hand for a weapon. He's not so good at negotiating with words however, and often acts without thinking.

-“I had a plan, but a got bored so I went with something else.”

Location:
Used to be part of a ranch in Texas, now roams around the state.

Biography:
Ash was born to his loving mother and father who really wanted a daughter. Unfortunately they never changed his first name, since the name “Ashley” originates as a male name. He grew to hate his name from all the teasing he received in school, eventually going by his middle name Darius, which comes from his grandfather. Sadly at a young age, Ash's father was gunned down in a senseless crime. He and his mother, moved in with his grandfather. Ash grew quite close with his grandfather, further fueling his use of Darius as his main identity, if only so he would be associated with his successful grandfather. Darius Sr, owned one of the largest ranches in all of Texas, and gladly had it all passed on to his grandson upon his passing later in life. Ash lived contently and happily on the ranch, never marrying or tying himself down with a steady relationship. Instead being a bit of a hustler, know for leaving the local taverns with a different dame every weekend.

His life all changed with the war, and the economical crash. Having nothing left to do with the ranch, Ash took off as a wanderer, eventually directing his course towards the coast of Texas chasing after some rumours.

Other Notes:
Currently Ash has been travelling by way of foot. Keeping various supplies in a medium sized shoulder bag, finding decent replacements for himself where he can and fending off bandits when he encounters them. Often times finding supplies by killing the bandits.

[Karnstantine]

Name: Francis Mitchell, or as he refers to himself now: Francesco Michelletto da Jacinto

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Location: Suburbs of Houston, preparing to assassinate the raider opposition of the military in order to help re-establish order and get the roads open again.

Appearance: Retractable spike is actually on his left arm. "Francesco" is clad in a white, hooded shirt with a white sheet acting as a mantle over his left arm, with both arms of the shirt being held down by duct tape. He wars blue jeans, also secured in similar manner, and very flexible tan shoes. His face possesses a pointed chin-beard, his eyes are blue, and his hair is brown with yellow highlights in it. He has rough hands due to practicing parkour, and a variety of scars are scattered on his body due to failed landings and grapples. He measures in at 5' 11", and weighs 185 lbs, though extremely lean.

Personality: "Francesco" has compassion for those he protects, and cold recalcitrance to those that threaten the innocent, and quietly observant for most of the rest. These have developed largely after the apocalyptic forces that tore the world asunder, as before he was an outgoing guy, liked to hang out with his friends, play some videogames, the usual thing one would expect from a guy who was halfway through his college career. Though, something as devastating as the world you know and love being reduced to rubble, and your parents being beaten to death in the streets of your hometown does things to a guy.

Skills: Parkour acrobat. Moderate sewing and equipment rigging. Assassination.

Background: "Francesco" grew up in Jacinto City, Texas, the son of a bank manager and a nurse, relatively uninteresting. He was a gamer, and good in his schooling. Good enough to be nominated for a foreign exchange to France. There he learned Parkour, intending to get more physically active, somewhat against the wishes of his exchange family. When he returned, he maintained his practices on the campus when he moved on to college. Of course, he was home on break when the nukes flew. After martial law was declared in Houston, and the news came that there was no law anymore, Jacinto went to hell. His parents didn't survive it. But he did. So, for them, he has vowed to help restore the world any way he can. Given that he can't do too much on his own, he intends to eliminate the things that stand in the way of those who can. And he doesn't intend to be the only one. (Yes, recruiting for an Assassin's Guild, ho!)

Items of note: Rigged switchblade strapped to the underside of his left hand and a cavalry saber on his left hip, and a knife belt circling his waist. Repertoir to expand as time goes on.

[Lord Wraith]

Alright, here's my character. I used a CS that's a bit more expanded, but should include everything you need.


Name:*Ashley Darius Vincent
Nickname/Alias:* Ash, Darius or Vincent. Never introduces himself as Ashley, and often won't mention his first name, instead relaying on his middle or last name as a primary name.

Age:*24
Gender:*Male

Height:*5' 10”
Weight:*147lbs
Build:*Slim, yet muscular build.

Hair Color:*Dark Brown, appears black in low light, but can reflect lighter shades of brown in the direct light.
Eye Color:*A deep, dark blue.

Physical Description:
Ash wears what's left of a pair of jeans. For the most part they are intact, but dirty and torn in places. They were once of a dark wash colour, but have since become faded. A leather belt is worn on his waist from which hangs a holster for his sawed off Remington 1100. He also keeps a bowie knife strapped on his left thigh. Along the back of his waist he wears a Hunting Cleaver, modelled after those of 1662. The scabbard of this weapons has an addition outer holding which contains about five small carving knives. Around his torso he wears a black sleeveless under shirt. A brown shoulder holster hangs under his left arm, housing a Colt Python Revolver. This weapon has only one bullet, saved for Ash himself when he finally goes insane. Over top of this undershirt, he wears what's left of what was once a white collared shirt. Nothing too fancy, it was merely for semi-casual dress. It's more of a dusty brown colour now, often hanging open due to the lack of buttons on it from wear. He wears a long brown leather duster over top of his clothes, and dark brown Akubra on head. When his hair is down, it would be shoulder length, but he usually had it messily pulled back. He has a short beard, covering just his chin and around his mouth. Also known as a circle beard. Often though he can be found with stubble on his face along with the beard. To counter this, he does carry an old razor blade. For boots, he wears something that's a cross between motorcycle boots and cowboy boots. They're tall and shaped akin to Cowboy boots, but lack the shape in the toe and don't have quite the heel. These boots are a dark brown, boarder lining black. Like the rest of his clothes, they're covered in dust and aged from excessive wear.


Identifying Marks/Features:
Ash has a few scars on his body. One runs from his right shoulder to just below his ribcage on his left side. Another runs down his left shoulder blade, he also has one slightly above his upper lip to the right, with another leaving a mark through his right eyebrow. His left ear also has a nick out of it from a knife fight.

Attitude/Outlook:
Ash doesn't know quite what to make of the new world yet. He had always led a fairly simple life, and yet things had become that much more complicated for him. He lives as a loner, rarely working with others and has prepared himself to stay on the offence. He's mistrusting of new people and believes most people have a hidden agenda for wanting to work with him. He's ready to kill himself if he ever starts to lose sense with his perceptions and keeps a loaded revolver just for that reason. He's got a mouth on him, if you can get him talking. He's also a bit of a drinker when he gets the chance, and can eat large amounts of food without seeming to be filled. Yet he can turn around and go without food in a heartbeat. He's a survivor.

Skills/Abilities:
Ash is an excellent farmer, rancher and hunter. He has a quick draw, and a good eye for aiming. He can handle himself in a melee brawl too, often able to use whatever comes to hand for a weapon. He's not so good at negotiating with words however, and often acts without thinking.

-“I had a plan, but a got bored so I went with something else.”

Location:
Used to be part of a ranch in Texas, now roams around the state.

Biography:
Ash was born to his loving mother and father who really wanted a daughter. Unfortunately they never changed his first name, since the name “Ashley” originates as a male name. He grew to hate his name from all the teasing he received in school, eventually going by his middle name Darius, which comes from his grandfather. Sadly at a young age, Ash's father was gunned down in a senseless crime. He and his mother, moved in with his grandfather. Ash grew quite close with his grandfather, further fuelling his use of Darius as his main identity, if only so he would be associated with his successful grandfather. Darius Sr, owned one of the largest ranches in all of Texas, and gladly had it all passed on to his grandson upon his passing later in life. Ash lived contently and happily on the ranch, never marrying or tying himself down with a steady relationship. Instead being a bit of a hustler, know for leaving the local taverns with a different dame every weekend.

His life all changed with the war, and the economical crash. Having nothing left to do with the ranch, Ash took off as a wanderer, eventually directing his course towards the coast of Texas chasing after some rumours.

Other Notes:
Currently Ash has been travelling by way of foot. Keeping various supplies in a medium sized shoulder bag, finding decent replacements for himself where he can and fending off bandits when he encounters them. Often times finding supplies by killing the bandits.

[Jarnakel Magnus]

Looks good, Lord Wraith. I'm a little iffy on the horse, since it would be the FIRST thing taken by GROUPS of bandits or gangs, so a loner having one this far in doesn't make much sense. I understand he was part of a ranch, but horses are a valuable commodity in postapocalyptia, and I'm going to rule that despite his abilities, he can't take on every group of bandits by himself. Lose the horse, and it's accepted.

[Lord Wraith]

Alright, I was iffy about adding the horse myself. So I have no problem in losing it.

[Jarnakel Magnus]

Thank you. You're in.

[Karnstantine]

Name: "Legate"
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, looks to be mid 30s
Location: Freighter, en-route to Florida.
Appearance: "Legate" stands at an unassuming 5' 8" and weighs 190 lbs, and is clad in a black, pin-striped, 3-piece suit, though after the landing in Florida, his garb is likely to change. He wears a bullet-proof vest and melee guards under this. He has black hair and green eyes, and has a face that his old college friends said "was made for political campaigns". He also wears a school ring with an emerald set into it on his right hand.

Personality: "Legate" has more faces and facets than a harlequin troupe in a jewelry store. He has the capacity to be completely ruthless and extremely compassionate: Capable of catering to whatever best suits the situation. Worse, nobody knows WHICH personality is the true one.
Skills: Mediation, military combat training, equipment maintenance and repair.

Background: Nobody outside of Silverhawk would know anything about "Legate". However, he was a skilled student of politics and psychiatry, and was part of the Army Reserves in order to pay for his higher education. Native of the now-leveled New York, he was hired by Silverhawk Industries after he applied for their international relations department.

Items of note: M16 A1 Carbine, with custom mid-range scope and shoulder holster. Double-barrel sawnoff 12 gauge on hip holster, a personal flair.

[Jarnakel Magnus]

Ah, yes. Your Silverhawk character. Looks good. I'll look at your "normal" character when you finish it, and I'll add them both at the same time.

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