OOC/SIGN-UPS
(IC HERE)
"The Phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise." - Miguel de Cervantes
PROLOGUE
No one expected the bombs to fall in 2021. Not even the wealthy politicians and the world elite of the United States of America could have foreseen their world engulfed in the blinding glow of nuclear fire. Hundreds of millions of lives were ended in the blasts and fallout, and all of mankind faces the terrible nuclear aftermath of this obliteration every day. It’s been 66 years since the self-destruction, and the Earth lies in a quiet dying slumber as it rots away under the soft glow of man’s ignorance. But as for the desert state of Arizona... that’s a different story.
Arizona holds Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, the largest power plant of any state in the US, and when the bombs went off, so did Arizona. This cloud of radioactive fallout eroded the sky, and left the whole region under the mercy of the sun’s oppressive gaze, choking it in the heat and twisting the land into a barren hell. This absence of an ozone also transforms the Badlands of Arizona into a frozen wasteland at night. Those who did not die from the fallout and learned to spare themselves the scorching rays live under the brutal law of land, where ‘survival at any cost’ is the unspoken code. The harshness of Arizona’s grand mesas and valleys has been intensified, many of those who have lived under the scorching savagery of the new world have been gnarled, their humanity cast aside for survival, turning them into mindless barbarians willing to do anything to ease their pain and unquenchable rage. While some communities have formed out of the ancient wreckages that scatter the land, trying to establish lives of civility, trade, and order, these have yet to stand the decay of the earth reborn, many not lasting more than 5 years before they fall victim to ruin in the newly dubbed Badlands of Arizona.
The world of Arizona changed is a vicious and cruel place, the scorching desert plains being known as the “Badlands” by all that inhabit it. The new dead sky is unmerciful in it’s retribution, and has changed the arid sierra into a red hot hell on earth, temperatures rising to an almost constant 120 degrees fahrenheit in the burning Badlands, searing the skin and eyes of those unprepared. Sandstorms are savage in the prairies, being known to rip the flesh off the back of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in one. With these dangers, however, comes opportunity. Scroungers and ruthless mercenaries from outside the state come pick the bones of the many untouched caches that lay in the god-forsaken pit of the Badlands. As well as these scavengers, sects and factions have risen up to try and seize the unscathed wealth that lies with the dead in Arizona, along with the inhabitants left in the Badlands.
Though all seems lost for the last gasping breath of humanity in Arizona, there are whispers and tales of treasure and a new beginning tucked away in the depths of the long damned city of Phoenix. However, the stories of promise were also trailed with the warning of unspeakable abominations and dark cruelties that sleep in the dead city. The living settlers and nomads of the Arizona saying the abyss that is Phoenix has been distorted and corrupted by the glow beyond compare of any other crater in the Badlands, and anyone foolish enough to venture there would meet an assured and agonizing death. But the promise of wealth and salvation is too much for anyone to refuse, and those looking for the prize of Phoenix are not deterred by the legend of evil that rests there. From this new hope seeping out of the ruins, mercenaries and factions alike fight to claim the bounty from the ashes of Phoenix.
That’s where you come in.
You are a wastelander. No matter what path may have lead you to this point, you are now set on a journey through the scorched earth of Arizona to retrieve the fabled riches and power that lie in the dark heart of Phoenix… But you can’t do it alone. You'll need to find others like you, and form a party. You'll need a faction to back you. Only then, could you hope to trek through the inferno that resides there.
Can you wake the Phoenix from the ashes?
INTRODUCTION
Phoenix Rising is a character driven nuclear post-apocalyptic RP set in 2087 radioactive Arizona wasteland, created, written, and OP’d by Orvius and Violante. By combining all the things we love about the nuclear apocalypse genre, and leaving out all the things we find absurd/silly, we hope to create a more gritty and down-to-scorched-earth apocalypse roleplay experience.
Phoenix Rising came about through several conversations that we (Violante and Orvius) had about the aspects we liked and didn’t like about the genre. Both being adamant fans of series like Fallout, Wasteland, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., etc., we would have discussions about what we so enjoyed about this category of apocalypto as a whole. From that, we sought out to create our perfect image of a nuclear wasteland, and Arizona: Phoenix Rising came to be.
Water is a commodity to kill for, life is scarce and death is norm, the new scorching sun is one of the most lethal of dangers, sandstorms strip the flesh off your back, and defined morality is gone with the old world. Welcome to the Arizona Badlands.
WARNING: This roleplay will probably be a hard PG-13. Expect profanity, gore, and extreme violence. If you’re easily offended, then you need not attend.
We hope you enjoy your stay.
FACTIONS
In the Arizona Badlands, there are only two types of people: The ones with the firepower, and the ones without it. While there are many people banded together under one flag trying to make their claim for glory, there are only a few power players that can really call themselves the factions of Arizona. In order to truly succeed in your quest for the heart of Phoenix, you will have to gain some favors from these powerful factions. Be aware however, that these factions are ruthless, extremely dangerous, and always looking for the upper-hand in any encounter. They may be able to help, but only if you are willing to do their dirty work first. As any waster in the Badlands knows, you never trust these people with your back. Not for a second.
Favors can be won from factions through jobs; naturally the higher priority, the better the pay. Do note that these powers are bitter rivals to the end in their struggle for dominance over Arizona, and working too much in favor for one will sour your reputation with another. The factions do not like being crossed, and they take these things very personally. Any waster with a gun and a deathwish can be a mercenary, but if you gain notoriety for doing high-attention jobs for a faction, and word catches wind, you will end up on their enemies’ hit-list.
SONS OF FLAGSTAFF
The Sons of Flagstaff are widely feared newcomers from the cold plateaus of northern Arizona. Alleged descendants of a group of eccentric preppers who managed to survive the blast, the Sons are fully dedicated to the survival of humanity and are a rather well-equipped, if not scrappy, militia force holding on to the armory their ancestors left behind. The Sons of Flagstaff have only recently been making the scene in the ever-changing world of Arizona's land-struggles, as many had thought that the northern regions were uninhabitable, laid waste in radiation and pestilence. These northmen, however, have seemed to emerge out of thin-air from the north glow like ghosts in gasmasks. Frightening to most, they've only been seen appearing in the past three years, their stories of the north being met with disbelief by nearly all denizens of the Badlands. They have been known to try and recruit wasters and settlers in central AZ, telling anyone who will listen that the establishment of civilization requires strong backs and soldiers willing to give their lives for the cause of humanity. Those in the Badlands tend to very much distrust these new arrivals, as they have also been known to ruthlessly put down anyone they perceive as a threat, and raid food and ammo from Guild supply coaches. Some even say that the Sons of Flagstaff are conquering towns and settlements near their territory, in an effort to forge an empire. Rumors have persisted about how the Sons of Flagstaff have turned the old northern city into a fortress, complete with strong walls and constant guards. How true these tales are, and to what extent, remains to be seen by the rest of Arizona. Only rumors, and the word of the mysterious Sons of Flagstaff themselves can attest to their achievements in the revival of mankind.
THE GUILD
The Guild hail from the market settlement of Payson in central Arizona. Men of business to the core, the Guild was crafted during the height of Payson's prosperity in 2078, as the merchants and traders of the town came to an agreement and formed the "Payson Guild of Trade and Commerce" to protect their interests and revenue. Since then, the Guild has taken on a life as it's own. When Payson's popularity as a trade outpost lessened, or the populous died off, the Guild took it upon themselves to expand their prospects and create beast-driven Guild Stagecoaches to carry supplies throughout the territories of the Badlands, and set up small trade outposts across the land. These Stagecoaches are large makeshift wheeled carts and recreational vehicles driven by what appears to be some sort of deformed descendant of the bulls and cattle that once roamed the ponderosa valleys of old-world Payson. Arguably the most neutral of the main factions, the Guild has little interest in the politics of AZ, rather more focused in how to increase their profits. This has made the Guild many enemies, as well as slight allies, depending on who they double-cross. Known as much for their shady dealings and cut-throat lack of ethics as they are for their mercantile, the Guild is renowned in their use of mercenaries and assassins to protect their goods and handle anyone that gets in the way of their wealth. Their most recent enemy are the northmen calling themselves the Sons of Flagstaff, as they have been raiding their supply coaches and intruding on their territory with their own trade. The Guild's number one priority at this time is to destroy or dismantle this threat, as soon as possible, and are openly willing to pay guns-for-hire to do it for them. These amoral men are known far and wide for their selection of weaponry, gear, food, and supplies as well for the intrusive way they come into settlements and indirectly, and sometimes directly, crush their competition. It's little wonder why the people of Arizona do not fully trust these backstabbing mass-merchants, but their treasury in stock is almost too much for anyone to resist. If you do decide to do work for them, be sure not to cross them, as they will advertise a price for your head.
LUKE REMNANTS
Little is known about the Luke Remnants, other than the type of speculation and stories that’s shared around scavenger’s campfires. ‘Reclusive’ hardly is a just description for these near-apparitional men occupying the massive garrison once known as Luke Air Force Base. No one outside the base has had the opportunity to speak to the Luke Remnants, and with good reason; they shoot on sight without so much as a word. There are other isolationist groups in the Badlands, but one thing makes the Luke Remnants different. They are armed to the teeth with high-grade military hardware, ballistic vests and helmets, faces always covered by black masks, and some claim to have even seen helicopters fly over the Air Force Base area, equipped with machine guns and pilots with trigger fingers for anyone unfortunate enough to wander near the base. Due to their anti-social behavior, there remains only theory and guesswork as to who these mysterious and powerful solitary beings are. The most popular assumption is that they are raiders who found the base deserted and looted the gear, though their advanced patrol formations and knowledge in the operation of aerial vehicles is left unexplained by this thesis. The more superstitious (or crazy) claim that they are the damned souls of the original soldiers stationed there, cursed and forsaken to forever live in the base for their part in the apocalypse, and that is the reason for being so attached to the base for as long as anyone can remember. No one knows for sure, but there’s no asking the Remnants. There have been tales passed around trading posts that the masked Remnant patrols have been going farther and farther out from the home base, and there have even been reports of them clearing out and scavenging from old buildings, though that necessarily hasn’t put the ghost theories to rest. For the more rational, it begs questions: how could a group be isolated for so long? How have they not died out yet? Conjecture and questioning can only go so far, and unless you’d actually manage to get an audience with them, you can never know. All that is known is that they are the last in the Badlands to hold on to the remains of largest military base in Arizona, and they sure as hell are using it.
FEROCACTUS
Otherwise known as the Legion of Tucson, this is a large and prominent gang who holds influence from Casa Grande, San Simon, and Tubac, everything within their border is considered their property, including the people. They typically allow entrance into their territory via a toll, however those who fail to come up with anything they want, will typically end up becoming indentured servants or just killed for entertainment. The gang was founded in 2021 by Hogarth Leuven, the chief of police in Tucson. He emerged along with other survivors from the devastations of nuclear war, the city of Tucson fell into crime: murders, theft, law was all but gone. militia type gangs were beginning to populate the city, he couldn’t stand by and watch the city he swore to protect go to hell. Due to his position before the warheads went off, he commanded a great deal of respect by people who knew him. So it wasn’t difficult to rally up friends and former co-workers. With his taskforce created he set off on a mass purging of anything he viewed as unlawful and wrong, he followed his own moral compass and began to clean up the streets of Tucson, first it was militias and gangs, next it was people who wouldn’t contribute to the band of heroes, soon the just and righteous taskforce were lynching those too old to work, or people who didn’t share Hogarth’s beliefs. As time continued on and Hogarth’s passing. The gang now known as Ferocactus grew restless, they had brought peace and prosperity to Tucson in a time of anarchy, and their numbers swelled with new recruits. Their next war chief, Levie Ankle-Twister had plans to expand. He sent his army of thugs and delinquents on a grand conquering spree which finally ended at Casa Grande, if only because the radiation levels emitted from the Maricopa County area were too great to continue further. They are currently building a slave trade to fund their conquest, as well as trying to devise a way to enter Maricopa County, or more specifically Phoenix, in hopes that it will hold a way to destroy their enemies and fuel their empire. So, if you’re in the Tucson area, you’ll have to pay tribute to the Ferocactus if you value your life or your freedom.
There are many more factions that scour the Badlands of Arizona, but you will just have to meet them for yourself...
RULES
We will be very scrutinous in these rules. Too many roleplays have been dropped dead by just one constant offender, and we will not tolerate this. If either of the two OP’s consider any offender too much trouble, and remove them from the roleplay, this is the final word. You have been warned.
1. READ THIS WHOLE DAMN THING: This point must be stressed. If you do not read this entire opening sign-up sheet, then you will not be adequately familiar with the RP rules/character application rules/story/OPs/etc. If you don’t read ALL of it, then we’ll know. Trust us, we will know, and we operate on a zero tolerance policy.
1½. READ THE APP RULES BEFORE POSTING: This may fall under rule number one, but it is very important that you not apply a character without understanding the rules about posting, we seriously can’t stress this enough. An offender of this rule will either be corrected once, or be immediately rejected, depending on the severity of the offense. Zero. Tolerance.
2. YOU’RE NOT A BADASS: Players may create determined characters if they wish, but determination does not equal badassery, and you will not be the “Elite Sniper Super Cool Brooding Commando Dude Who is an Expert in Every Martial Art Ever, and Can Take Bullets Like a Tank”. Your character is a normal human being. A survivor, just as everyone else in the wasteland. If your character is shot, stabbed, maimed by an unspeakably disfigured beast, etc., then your character will react the same way any normal human would. Wounds are not to be taken lightly in this RP, and your characters fighting skill is expected to be reasonable. You are not taking on 6 raiders single-handedly without taking a scratch. Anyone violating this rule to boost their inflated ego will be immediately removed from the roleplay. Your character CAN die. We are dead serious.
3. RADIATION WILL KILL YOU: Make no mistake. Radiation is nothing you can just brush off. If the OPs have indicated that area is flooded with dangerous levels of radiation, and you don’t happen to have a full MOPP suit on (you won’t), then you better not go in there unless you want your character to drop dead instantaneously.
4. NO FIGHTING ON THE OOC: If you have a problem with another player, then please, take it to the telegrams.
5. YOU MUST POST A PARAGRAPH: No one liners will be acceptable in this roleplay. You must post a paragraph long post each time.
GENERAL RULES:
No Godmodding.
No Metagaming.
OP’s say is final.
You should know the rest.
APPLICATION
Here we’ll explain the rules for character application by example.
Name: (Give your character a name. Note, that if you name them an equivalent of “Markus ‘Cool-Guy’ DeathSlayer”, your app will be frowned upon. Show some humility, please.)
Gender: (Pretty much self explanatory.)
Age: (16-70 is the acceptable range.)
Ethnicity/Race: (Arabic, European, Native American, African, Indian, Asian, Slav, Russian, etc.)
Appearance: (A written description of your character's physical attributes, mostly the face. You may submit a picture in a spoiler, if you so desire. A picture is appreciated, but a written description is still required.)
Personality: (Very important, should be complex and very detailed section. This should include how your character interacts with other human beings.)
Skills: (What your character is particularly skilled at. REMEMBER! Rule Number 2! Don’t go overboard on this section. Keep your skills modest. Useful, but modest. We will not tolerate self-proclaimed “bad-asses”. Our RP is not here to fuel your ego at the expense of others.)
Weaknesses: (Weaknesses. Could be anything. A bum-knee, asthma, low mental capacity, horrifyingly large spinal tumors… Could be anything, but you do need them. Ideally, this should tie into or be somehow involved with your skills.)
Outfit: (What your character is currently wearing. Satchels, eye-protection to spare your eyes from the sun’s rays, some sort of sand-storm protecting jacket/coat, general clothing. Please, don’t put a kevlar vest.)
Equipment: (Supplies must be rationally limited. Functional guns with ammunition is not acceptable. If you push to have some kind of working firearm, then you better have a damn good reason, and ammunition must be minimal. You’re starting with nothing, as we want you to progress and find better equipment throughout this RP. Choose a melee weapon.)
Bio: (Should include character’s history, and be at least a paragraph, should be the longest entry. Impress us.)
- Code: Select all
[b][u]Character Application[/b][/u]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Ethnicity/Race:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Skills:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Outfit:[/b]
[b]Equipment:[/b]
[b]Bio:
Roster of Accepted Applications:
Aden Protectorate: Marie "the Chef" de Lwizyàn
Dalria: Isaac Malone
Conglomerate of Iron: Maggie "The Mauler" Mueller
Rupudska: Nascha Laukkanen
Orvius’ character application will be the first app and will serve as the example of an acceptable character application.
!
