Recolonizing Earth:IC Modern/Past Tech/ Closed

[Atrat]

The Great Fall took 95 percent of life off the Earth. This is its story.

First came the Great War, as nations from both the East and West burned Europe, northern India, and the Middle East into ruins and corpses.
2 Billion lost across the globe.
Second came the Great Famine, as nations from both the East and West had suffered with less laborers left from the field of battle.
1 Billion lost in across the globe
Third came the Great Unrest, as nations from both the East and West could not feed their people, they were disrupted into mass riots and breakdown of order. Governments killed people en mass, and civil wars erupted into more clouds of fire.
500 million lost in Asia, Africa, and North America
Fourth came the Great Plague, as nations from both the East and West failed to see the rise of the airborne virus, Comedere Mortem, causing the starving to die quicker and the strong to grow weaker.
500 million lost in Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.
Fifth came the Great Drought, as fuel fell short and infrastructure collapsed. With few fuel, the final governments fell and anarchy descended.
Unknown amount lost across the globe
Sixth came the Great Flight, as millions of refugees looked for supplies in stable Islands, only to be disappointed by more war, famine, and radioactivity.
Unknown amount lost.....

Finally, came the Great Darkness, as a winter with scarce food, water, shelter, security and warmth haunted the globe and brought along those who were sick, wounded, young, old, weak, and unlucky.
2 Billion lost across the globe

But humanity lived on.......

20 years after the Great Fall, the world has found a pulse. The city of Charleston, South Carolina, of the former United States, has a population of 500 banding together in the town. Many other communities across the globe are rising as well. They must rebuild this vast and empty world and create a new Globe themselves.......

[Hexshade]

As the torches flicker down the halls of castle Dalkey, echoing throughout the stone corridors, Chief Micheál O'Blair, Chief of the newly formed Dalkey Clan (Disputedly called the Dublin Nua Clan), kneels at the small statuette of Saint Patrick in the chapel and is silently praying. He is a long and slender man. He is somewhat scrawny, due to his lack of permanent residence before and during the great fall. He is sharp witted though, having gained a master's degree in law before the fall. His intellect as well as his faith and compassion led to his recent appointment as the chief of this new clan. He clasps something in his hands as he is praying. He puts the item into his trench coat as he stands up and turns to leave the chapel. Suddenly, the sound of a wooden door opening breaks the silence and Father Sullivan steps into the chapel. Father Sullivan is an older man, slightly rotund and balding ever so subtly. He clutches the gold cross hanging from his neck as he approaches Micheál.

"Hello, Micheál," he says, somewhat despondent. "It is good to see that you are still in the habit of praying."

"As much as I know in my heart that god watches over us, my mind sometimes needs reassuring." He looks at Father Sullivan. "The night is approaching. Tell me, why do you not rest?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Micheál stares off for a moment before letting out a long sigh. He pulls out the item he was clutching during his prayer. It is a long and somewhat frightening dagger.

"What is this?" Sullivan Exclaims.

"I found this lodged into the castle door as I was making my rounds this morning. It was holding up a note." Micheál pulls the note out of his pant pocket and shows it to the priest. There are some aggressive scribblings on the paper and at the bottom, an Ichthys had been sketched. "Do you recognize that?"

"Yes," the priests says, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice. "That is the symbol of that protestant group in Belfast, isn't it?"

"That is true, and I can see that that upsets you, but what is even more unsettling is this." He hands the priest the dagger and points to the handle, where an image of the Gaelic cross, a common Irish catholic symbol, has been engraved and on the reverse, the crest of the Castle Dalkey has been engraved.

"Why, this dagger is from the Castle Dalkey!" shouts the priest. "You don't mean to tell me you think those fanatics are in our midst, do you?"

"No," says the chief reassuredly. "I know this dagger. When we fled here, I gave this to one of our protestant members as a sign of good faith. He went missing a few days ago on a hunting mission. Now, there is the possibility that he had defected, but our search party found his wedding ring. I don't think he would just leave that behind. I think they captured him and took this dagger. Now, they have caused trouble in the past, but they have never directly attacked one of our men before. They are growing bolder."

A look of worry begins to grow on the father's face. "The people are already terrified of this group. If they hear of this, panic will spread. What do you suppose we do?"

The chief looks towards the statuette of Saint Patrick and then up at the hanging image of christ on the cross. "We give them hope. Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. They are afraid of the Protestants, so we remind them of what it means to be Catholic. You wanted to know why I am not resting. I was praying that god would reveal to me the answer, and he has. We need a new Pope."

The Priest looks at him with a puzzled expression. "A Pope? Are you sure? How can there be a pope? We are only a few hundred people."

"I've never been more sure. The people need hope, and who do they turn to when they need it? God. The pope is the liaison to God. He will bring the people hope."

"You are probably right. But who will it be?"

"Father Sullivan, I want you to be the new Pope."

The priest is slightly taken aback at this. "Me? Why?"

The chief looks at him and smiles. "You're the head priest. In the eyes of all the Catholics, and even to the protestants who are part of the Dalkey clan, you are the highest religious authority here. The only question is, Can you handle it?"

The priest looks a Micheál concernedly. He looks up at the image of Christ and his look of worry turns to one of determination. "I will do my best."

The chief smiles at him and pats him on the shoulder. "That's all I can ask for. Now, go and get some rest, because tomorrow it becomes official. A vote will be cast, and there is no doubt in my mind that tomorrow the world will have a new Pope."

[Pittastria]

Darren remained in his quiet place that he visited so often. It was hell out there. The clean ones and the addicts were constantly fighting it seemed. Just recently, Darren's close friend Robert was forced into addiction after being held captive by the addicts. Darren knew he should be grateful for his situation, but still, he couldn't stand the thought that they may be the last humans on earth, yet still, they fought and sometimes killed each other. Every day Darren prayed of a day where civilization could be renewed, where the world could once again live with some sense of order, but he knew that he'd never see that day. "Darren, we need you at the cafeteria, now." It was Richard, the "chief" of the group.
"What is it Richard?"
"Riot may start soon, grab your knife, looks like it'll get nasty."
Darren sighed, pick up his old father's switchblade from before the apocalypse, and began to run to the cafeteria.

At the cafeteria, a group of maybe ten addicts was throwing rocks at the people preparing the food. "They've gone wild! We have to do something!" Complained the chef of the group, Nathan.
"Relax, it's under control, I have a group of people coming over to calm the situation", said Richard, reassuringly. The addicts continued throwing rocks, and once the makeshift "army" arrived, charged them armed with nothing but their fists. Darren, a part of the army, prepared for a skirmish as did his allies. He pulled his knife, and suddenly six of the addicts backed off, thinking better of the fight. The remaining four battled Darren and his colleagues, but to no avail. Three walked away alive with only minor damage, and one was critically injured by a knife that'd slashed part of his wrist. He was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment, much to Darren's dismay. "Can't you see, they are only wasted medical supplies at this point?" He complained to the chief.
"They're people, and they must be protected."
"Not if they're killing us! We've got to limit this somehow!"
"You'll learn someday, Darren"
And with that Richard walked off back to the old liquor store that he called town hall.

Food was never an issue for the group thanks to Freddie and his hunters.
Eastern Long Island was never industrialized as much as the west, and thanks to that, deer were a common occurrence. The hunters were the only people authorized to use the four firearms the group had, and that was only if there was enough ammunition, which usually, there wasn't. Instead, Freddie preferred the trap game. The forest was off limits to everyone else because of it. The traps set by Freddie and his men were so greatly hidden, that they had to be marked by a certain symbol marked on a nearby tree, warning that a trap was nearby. Freddie pondered about the town as he crouched behind a fallen tree awaiting that noise of his trap closing upon another animal. He loved that sound. When he heard the sound, he could appreciate his part in town, which was now being threatened by the lucky find of an old crop field. pat pat pat he heard the deer nearing him. The noise grew to a great sound and finally, CLANK. A job well done yet again. Freddie cut out all he could fit in his backpack, loaded it, then was off to the rendezvous point at the entrance to the forest.

[Atrat]

A calm humid breeze swept over the Old Battery of Charleston. The President was tired, lonely, and confused. As he overlooked the bay, out towards the sunrise, he thought of the days coming troubles. His people had been working hard since the Republics founding a year ago. They had come together not only to survive, but live. They had cleared rubble all around the cities roads, creating walls to secure their section of the city from packs of wild dogs and an occasional raider. The docks had been cleared and food from the countryside was gathered en mass. The small community of 500 was living out of Old Charleston, made of million dollar sea-side homes. They had achieved so much in so little time, but problems had risen.

Ever since the President took power, he had not allowed elections promised earlier. The 3 families had to be kept from infighting, and as an ex-Air force pilot, he had military experience and tactical as well. He knew how to protect the city, keep order, and oversee the massive projects the community had underway. He was, by definition, a leader. But the people wanted elections and they wanted an elected body to oversee their leader as well.

Not only this plagued the city, but clean water was in short supply. Without enough water, not only will reconstruction projects halt, but people will drop like flies in the Southern heat. The President knew there was not enough clean water in the region, but the community had an engineer experienced with water purification. The closest place to find the necessary equipment was Charlotte, where a Pre-Famine water project had been planned to take place on the Catawba River.

The President called to his aide, "Get the horses and the Cadets. We need all 10 of them for this job." By sending the ex Citadel Cadets, he was losing his most valuable asset at home, but he knew if the city had clean water, he would buy enough time to show the people he was their best bet as president.

[Nova Socrum]

The Desturction of the world and America in a way was a good thing for Hawaii,but it was also a bad thing.

The islands of Kauai and Oahu had been bombed and deserted during the old days of war.Both were targeted for their military bases.the metropolis of Honolulu was reduced to a ghost town in a matter of seconds,that was 20 years ago.Hawaii and Maui were the only islands left,the isolated island of Niihau was left alone and it is unknown if they had survived.Hawaii had finally gotten its independence that it had craved for centuries,but in a bad time.

The island of Maui and Hilo had been hampered with riots by the numerous ethnicities that populate the island and fighting and lack of resources had took it toll on the population.A city of 5,000 had been reduced to Barely 200.

Hawaii had been reliant on America for its goods,so in the first few years after the chaos,life was hard,many died.But few survived,and they were the ones who looked back into history and went back to the Hawaiian way of life.Fishing,hunting become common knowledge amongst the people,it was survive or die.Hawaiian way of life become that of old,many had even called for the restoration of the monarchy in Hilo,but the future is unsure.

The island of Hawaii was divided amongst different factions.Hilo was the main city,it being the center on the islands agricultural land and attracted the islands best citizens.But there was also the rival region of Kohala,it was the home of Hawaiid riches citizens,Rich white Americans.They had created their own Hawaii,and The native people of Hawaii had created their own settlements.This Hawaii was divided and now It needed someone to unite it and bring back order.

And this where the story starts in the ocean front city of Hilo.

[Nation of Lafayette]

The 30,000 Islands

This harbor.

This once bustling tourist destination.

Nothing now, a lot cast in the game of endings...

But not quite nothing...


Aaron took his harness from the peg by the door of his dorm. He was hungry. They were all hungry, always hungry. Taking his fishing rod from the communal storage area, he set off towards the tower.
The tower served no residential purpose. It served no communal purpose, either. No, the many towers were for transport. Aaron began to climb, the stairs creaking underneath, as he put his legs through his harness. When he got to the top, he snapped the metal piece of the harness to the line and pushed off. As he zipped towards the main island, he looked out across the other islands in the area. It was a beautiful sight any time of year. This part of the world had been largely untouched by the war, but the waters remained polluted and the flora still weakened, which made harvesting trees a problem.

Aaron reached the other tower, laying horizontal and stopping his momentum with his feet against the tower. Disconnecting, he descended the tower, looking towards the main lodge. Frowning, he proceeded into the warmth of the building.

The lodge was loud. It was always loud. It was also where they generated the little bit of electricity that was on the islands. It was very inefficient. It had always been inefficient. No coal, no solar, nothing. Only wood. Lots of wood.

The lodge was loud because it was lunchtime. The food? One mussel. It was always one mussel, or one small fish, and tempers often ran high due to the lack of food. Vegetarians? Ha! The only non-meat food they had were apples and the occasional carrot, when the crop cooperated. Potatoes were highly coveted. They had always been highly coveted. Potatoes had calories. Potatoes could be made to taste like anything. You could do anything to a potato and it would still taste good. But none of them had seen a potato in 10 years, when a hard winter froze all of them. Everyone wondered why they had been kept outside. Too late now.

Aaron got his mussel and went over to a window. If there was one thing to be said for living here, it was that the buildings were far from shabby. This had been a tourist destination, after all, and the luxury ships of that era had been richly pillaged for materials, mainly glass and any other valuable materials. Even the wires for the zip lines came from them, salvaged from the railings of the ships.

He glowered at his mussel, a small, pathetic thing.

[Hexshade]

In the chapel of Castle Dalkey, a crowd had amassed around the makeshift pulpit, from which Father Edwin Sullivan led Mass and Taoiseach Micheál O'Blair made announcements. The whole of the populace was, understandably confused. While the protestant O'Donovan's had decided to let their newborn be baptized in a catholic ceremony, it was nothing large enough to summon everyone to the chapel. Hushed whispers and wondering gossip echoed off of the stone walls. Father Sullivan sat in a small wooden chair behind the pulpit talking to Micheál as he prepared his notes to address the people. He turned to face the crowd and a Hush fell over them. The Chief stood somewhat triumphantly and began to speak.

"Now, I know you are all confused. Before beginning I would like to thank the O'Donovan family for being here and actively being a part of the community. I'm extremely thankful that we can find unity despite our differences. The rest of you, however, are probably wondering why I have gathered you to witness the baby's christening, and while that is a major event, before that happens, there is somewhat of greater importance that must be discussed. As most of you know, we have an enemy, and a dangerous one at that. They are a people driven by hatred and fear, and they wish to spread that fear to us. We cannot, however, give in to that fear. We are the last of humanity, and we must be better than the humanity before us. We must never give in to hatred or fear, but we must remain hopeful. This enemy of ours blocks our only path to the mainland. If we cannot reach the mainland, Humanity will never spread and will remain Isolated to castle Dalkey forever. So to ensure our survival, as a species, we must never let our enemy win. We must remain hopeful. We must remain united. And what unites us? Our faith. Right now, our enemies see differences and are prejudiced. We cannot be so. We are not catholics or protestants. We are christians. And more than that, we are humans, and we have faith in our humanity. We must remain united and I believe we need a leader to keep us unified. We need a liaison to god to guide us through these dark times. We need a Pope."

With the utterance of these last four words, the room grew silent. Any whispering that had gone on before has stopped entirely. The rain could be heard outside, hitting the castle roof. Then, rather unexpectedly, Thomas O'Donovan, the father of the child to be christened and the most steadfast protestant of the Dalkey clan, stood up and began to clap. The whole of the Protestant group followed suit, soon to be mimicked by the rest of the crowd.

As the applause died down, the chief began to speak again. "I have prayed on this for many days. I believe it to be, in God's eyes, the proper course of action. God has also revealed to me that Father Sullivan should be the next Pope." A noise of collective agreement echoed through the crowd. "I however am not fit to make that decision. A vote must be cast. A council of Cardinals must come first. If I may have Eight Catholic Elders and one from our Protestant friends." After some confusion, nine deacons approached the stage. "These are your new cardinals," The chief said, presenting them with a wave of his hand as they come to the stage. A round of applause followed. He handed them each a slip of paper. "A vote shall now be cast," telling each of them how to fold their paper to signal a yes or a no, as writing utensils are scarce. After a few minutes, the papers are collected an the votes are tallied. Micheál, after counting the votes, returned to the pulpit and began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, unable to contain his joy, "I would like to introduce you to your new Pope, Pope Edwin Sullivan." A round of applause followed.

The new Pope performed his first ceremony by christening the O'Donovan baby. He then stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak. "Hello, fellow Catholics, fellow Protestants, fellow Irishmen, fellow Humans. My friend, Mr. O'Blair, covered it quite nicely. These times are hard. There is darkness everywhere. We are the last shining beacon of humanity. We are humanity's final hope. We carry, on our shoulders, a legacy spanning thousands of years. We have a duty to our ancestors and to our descendants to keep that legacy alive. If we lose hope, this legacy of humanity will be wiped out. We must, despite the costs, remain faithful, remain hopeful, and remain unified. As the Taoiseach mentioned, we have a major obstacle blocking or path to the fulfillment of our task. We cannot give in to fear. We must hold on to our faith. We must hold on to our faith in our leaders, in our god, and in our own humanity. Thank you."

As Sullivan ended his speech and descended from the pulpit with the chief, people began to file out of the room, but different than before.

"Look, Edwin," the chief said, pointing subtly at the crowd. "They have hope now. You have given them hope." As the two talked and began to walk out of the chapel, they were stopped by a guard who had been manning the gates during the proceedings. After congratulating Sullivan on his new position, the guard leaned over and whispered something into the Taoiseach's ear. As the guard left, Micheál stopped Sullivan and quickly pulled him in the direction of the infirmary.

"Micheál, what was that? What's going on?"

Without missing a single step or looking back, the chief replied, "Now we have a new hope."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You remember the dagger I told you about? The one I gave to the protestant who was attacked?"

"Yes, I remember. What about it?"

"It's owner was just found collapsed on the doorstep of the castle. He's in the infirmary now."

[Nation of Lafayette]

Potatoes came from South America, but they're easy to grow almost anywhere. There have got to be some potatoes closer to home...

The bell of the main lodge began to ring, even though it wasn't a mealtime or an hourly time. That meant that...

Aaron stood up slowly, and looked towards the raised platform at the front of the mess hall. A spokesperson for the council of Elders was there, at the microphone. He switched it on, and, with the little electricity available to them, broadcast a message to the islands. "A message from the council of Elders: Come to the main lodge immediately."

It was time for a vote. It was almost never time for a vote.

Aaron watched the towers as people zipped over to the main island and entered the mess hall. The microphone had either been switched off or the power had run out again.

The council of Elders came out onto the raised platform. Elder didn't exactly mean old. The newest Elder, a young, unpleasant man, stepped forward, and complained to the hall at large: "We need CALORIES!!! How many of you are tired of just fish and mussels?!" An approving shout came from the crowd, as well as banging on the table with fists and raising of hands, as if it were a vote. The young Elder continued, "Potatoes! That's what we need! Wouldn't say no to some wheat or corn, though." The elder's stomach rumbled, and he grimaced. He was always grimacing. "So, we must elect a search party."

A shocked whisper ran throughout the crowd. "Elect?" "What, are we forcing people to go?!" The young Elder shook his head. "Yes. People must go, but they may be approved and they may submit themselves. Are there any applicants?"

Silence.

Aaron slowly went into the crowd. A few more people were making there way towards the platform. When he made it to the platform, he raised a hand, as did eleven more people. "Ah, there we go! What are your names?"
The applicants got onto the stage and spoke their names to the crowd. "Lucy Hansel. I can track and hunt."
"Terrence Porman. I can build devices and tie knots."
"Harria Renver. I row a crew of fisherman every day by myself."
"Aaron Terry," Aaron was speaking now. "I can fish and find clean water."
The list of applicants went on, and when they were done, there was a vote. All twelve of the applicants were accepted almost unanimously. A woman in the back, Harria's mother, was crying and shouting at her not to go. Harria went back to her and put her arm around her, comforting her.

"You may have up to two months to prepare. BRING BACK STARCH!" yelled the young Elder.

[Nova Socrum]

"Chairman Huyabusa,why are meeting the royalist here,we should be in Hilo,it's too dangerous to be here on the saddle trail"Vice Chairman Sullivan.Chairman Hyubusa was governor of the island of Hawaii since his father had died in the food riots that plagued the Island 10 years ago.He was given command of Hilo soon after by the city government and now has led the city since then.

"Because Princess kawananakoa will only agree too meet here.This is where the Ali'i of old use too meet to handle diplomacy".

They soon saw a group of around ten descended from the mountain.9 large Hawaiian men with automatic weapons riding horses was surrounding a smaller Woman.She was the last living descendent of Hawaiian Royalty and many people rallied behind her after the fall of the world.She drew many native Hawaiians behind her.

The group met them in the road and the princess dismounted her horse.The chairman did too and they approached as both parties waited behind,weapons ready.

"Hello Mark,it's been a long time since we have last spoken"The princess said as they both meet in the middle of the road."Like wise,you know why I am here,it's the same offer as last time".

The smiles she wore now turned to a neutral frown."Well you must deliver your end of the promise.If you want to unify our people then you must take back Kohala for the Hawaiian People,other wise we will have no alliance".

"But princess Abigail,even though we hold the only military base on this island,the Haoles have more money and
support.They had their own private military and spies in every corner of this island.I need the other regions to help if we wish to take Kohala"

The princess looked towards the west."do you know how to win a war Chairman,it's with food and men.You control both you control the war.Parker ranch is the biggest supplier of food to all regions of the island.We take the ranch we control the food.I will send a group of 20 to help you... Come to an agreement with the Cowboys of Kohala.If they disagree,we'll let's hope your military works"

"But if we anger them then we risk starving my city?"

She grinned,"Well chairman,many of your people are not of Hawaiian blood.So they are not my problem".

[Pittastria]

"What a dumbass..." Muttered Darren as he strolled back towards his war-torn vacation home that he called his residence in the cold, late night. Looking down with his hands in his pockets, he wondered what had become of the world. Was anyone else out there? Is it even possible to get off the island with the destroyed bridges? And what happens when our medical supplies disappear? Deep in thought on the empty streets of a once massive tourist location, he slowly strolled on the beach towards his home. "Darren!" He suddenly felt a feeling of joy throughout himself, he'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was his girlfriend if it could even be called that in this world, Ashley. "Ash! What's up!"
"Come over here! It's really important!"
Darren jogged up the dunes and onto the street, then into Ashley's house.
"What? What is it?"
"I got appointed for an expidition to the hospital in Nassau County. You've been there, what's it like?"
"It's... It's just like any other place in the world, it's crippled. But it's safe. I have never heard of a survivor or really anything in that area."
"Ok... As long as it's safe." She huddled closer to Darren and they sat in peaceful silence for a while.
A knock erupted onto the door, "LIGHTS OUT!" Ashley called back, "Alright, they're going out! Darren is here, staying the night."
"That's fine, just don't get too wild you two."
"Very funny."
Ashley walked to the candles and blew them out, and the two lied down on the bed.
"What is this hell we live in?" Said Ashley.
"Whatever it is, it's better than not living at all." Darren replied.
Satisfied with his answer, Ashley turned over and went to sleep.

[Togghran]

Monthly Report to the People of the Settlement
By: the Appointed Leader, Adolf Svik
The agricultural community has reported that nothing can be done regarding the food problem. We cannot spare any food for animals. All food grown will have to go to the people of the settlement. Fortunately, we have a variety of crops to be grown. Research will be conducted about which requires the least water.
The scientific community has reported that traditional desalination techniques cannot be replicated with what we have on the island. There has been a breakthrough. We can now obtain water from trees. The people will soon be provided with equipment to do that, but it must be stressed that this is temporary.
The developmental community has reported that the coastal town is complete. There is a house for everybody. The people can begin moving in very soon. The tents will be dismantled and abandoned once the moving is complete.
Finally, the exploratory community has reported that nothing of note has been found. The entire coast has been seen. There is no better place to live than where the developmental community has set us up. The rest of the island has been repurposed as farmland. The coastal areas will be converted into food farmland. The inland areas will be one large tree farm, sustainable of course.

This report was read at the final meeting of the People of the Settlement in the Woodland Camp. All future meetings will be held in the circle in the town.

[Atrat]

The meeting of the Blair's, McCormick's, and James' was not an ordinary affair. They had all been at each others throats since the Unification of the Republic. The Blair family was renowned for their beauty and class in these dark times, dressing with Pre-Fall classy clothing and stockpiling luxuries found among the ruins. They had a knack for pricing, selling, and trade in general.

All 15 of the adults held positions in the cities market and oversaw scavenged goods, causing envy among the McCormicks living out of old Fort Sumter, who sailed around Charleston Bay gathering anything worth taking.

They could sail, repair, and explore whatever they could come up with, but could not dream of selling luxury items without the Blair's approval. The 22 adults all worked night and day on turning cars and rubble into water pumps and walls. They were not an object of envy to the public however. Seen as classless, vulgar, and unfriendly to those outside their clan, they had to rely upon the peoples dependency for interaction.

The James Family was one of not skill or resources, but numbers. The 43 adults worked in construction with pride and were seen as close-knit, welcoming family. They were devout Baptist, and always ceased work on Sundays, no matter what the conditions. The James family was not vying for power as the others, but had been forced into it as their family grew.

They all had fought over land rights, love stories, and religious differences, but when the Unification of the Republic came, they supported the man who had killed the mad man Octavian. The lunatic had sneaked through the city killing whomever he desired, until he met an old saber in the heart. This man of mystery called for unity, and so it was brought. The families approved him as President. But things were shaking, and the families wanted stability.

Robert Blair arose from his seat in Blair dinning room "We must establish something today my fellow Charlestonians. The President has pushed off elections twice now, and while we have made progress, we must create an insurance policy. A balance. I put forth that each families leader shall be upon a secret commitee. We must be in charge of stability if the President can not guarentee it. I say, if the people grow discontented, we request his resignation."

Lincoln McCormick rose from his after spitting a fair share of tobacco upon the Blair floor. "And if he refuses?"

David James stared knowingly out the window across the bay. "I suppose we do what all of us are best at."

The families didn't survive just off skill, resources, and numbers. Shooting and stabbing were essential in the Post-Fall world.

[Atrat]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=361662&p=26811567#p26811567

[The Putsie Federation]

Ogilvy woke up to hear the dispersed chatter and shouts of men carrying green boxes about the camp. The Okinawa Military Base was relic of a prosperous age in human history; when there was still order, peace, stability, and a sense of living in the world. After the Great Fall, it collapsed, turning living into survival, order into chaos. The survivors of this group are from all over the globe. Their past occupations didn't matter, general or plebeian. They had all settled their differences as they figured out that no amount of wealth would help them survive now. It's a peaceful, lonely life on Okinawa. There hasn't been outside contact in a long time.

Ogilvy stood upright, rubbing his eyes. He looked back at his bed, a cloth that was rare nowadays. It had a design on it, what they used to call "The US Flag". He didn't care, it didn't matter. He walked up to a man in a tattered army uniform, a relic from the man's home across the ocean. "Mornin', Kiff," Ogilvy grumbled. "Good morning, Ogilvy!" Kiff exclaimed, "You haven't heard about the issue yet, have you?" "What issue?" Ogilvy asked. "You had better go ask Jeff, he's by the watchtower," Kiff responded. When Ogilvy asked about the issue, he was met by a chubby man with a stern stare. "We'll run out of clean water in the next week, and food in a month. We need to get off this island and search for something on the mainland," Jeff explained. The mainland was rarely touched by the survivors, as it took months to drift there by raft, if they were lucky. "Fortunately," Jeff added, "we found some old RHIB boats in a secret cave, along with some armed patrol ships. They should help us both get to the mainland and establish a secure trade route." Okinawa still had a lot of military hardware stationed there, as it was abandoned during the Great Fall. However, no one on the island had any use for it. For once, mankind was tired of war and slaughter.

[Nation of Lafayette]

Canada was once prime growing land for soybeans. Another starch staple-crop, however, these beans had mostly been for the rearing of livestock. Potatoes had also been grown in Canada.

Their knapsacks ready, their few weapons sheathed, their clothing clean, their debriefing debriefed, they set out.

One of the people on the search party, Emily Jeffers, was a botanist. She identified the few edible plants that they encountered, and took samples of them, seeds if she could. "Eat the seeds," she would say. They always ate the seeds. The most popular seeds in the group were from the sunflowers that were once commonly grown in Canada.

Aaron had had a crush on Emily ever since he was 18 years old. He thought he was a coward for not telling her. Everyone who knew thought that he was a coward. Aaron felt proverbial fireworks go off inside him when he found out that Emily was coming.

Lucy, the tracker, was an excellent at orienteering. A map salvaged from the wreckage of an Ontario classroom and a compass found in Ottawa served as their means of navigation. Lucy could also tell the latitude by the night sky.

They got into the canoe, as that was their only form of transportation outside of the complex. Terrence had devised a sail for the canoe, so that if they made it to open waters, they could use the winds instead of merely rowing. Harria did most of the rowing, her strong, muscular arms moving back and forth as they rowed towards the sun. Aaron was trolling his line in the water, keeping a close eye on it, and the others were keeping an eye out for mussels. Sailing towards the setting sun...

[Soviet Farm]

Jonah Dotson grabbed his materials. The Raiders from Palos Verdes were almost at the boundary, and he need a weapon. Dumping gasoline into 3 bottles, he screwed the lid on, grabbed a book of matches and his tomahawk, and ran outside. It was dark, but he could make out the defenders of San Pedro. He turned to the left, and saw his friend Garret.
"Sir! PV forces are two minutes out. We have the Pitfalls ready, and the cartridge traps."
Jonah nodded. "Good. Is every one armed, and ready? How bout the caltrops?"

"Yes, sir. I'm about to give the order."
Jonah nodded."Oh, and Garret? Don't call me sir. I prefer Jonah, or Mr. Dotson if you HAVE be formal." He walked off, and crouched behind a low wall. He heard engines, then horses, followed by fast moving footsteps. Looking up, he saw a a old beat up truck coming straight toward the main line,,with 2 men in the back, armed with rifles. He reached into the blanket, grabbed a Molotov, and threw it directly under the truck, lighting up its fuel, and destroying it. He followed up with another Molotov to he horseman behind the truck. The horse was hit, but the rider leaped off, and run toward Jonah, before stepping on a Cartridge Trap, send a .357 round up his foot and into his leg. He dropped, and was finished off by Jonah.. Around him, the battle was already almost finished. The raiders on horse were easy targets for snipers, and were easily blocked by caltrops, or militia with spears, and the ground troops were destroyed in hand to hand fighting. The battle had lasted about ten minutes.

[Korhal IVV]

Yuri Shurkov walked through the dark, still unoccupied stations of Moscow, listening at every sound. Many creatures have been mutated by the radiation. Rats were turned to monstrosities... And birds... Into even greater monsters.

He was accompanied by a group of 6 soldiers, formerly soldiers that fought in the past war. They were armed with guns and blades, to destroy any mutated creature to come near.

Suddenly, out of the shadows, 16 of the mutated rats charged out, immediatly being fired upon the Russians. They were eliminated, but bullets are limited. Sooner or later they must reach the next claimed station...

[Pittastria]

"Goodbye baby, I'll see you in a week or two."
With that and a quick kiss, Ashley was off westward. Darren left the house and proceeded in his day, walking the same old stroll down the street towards the beachside resort used as a military base. The chief awaited the force of fifteen in the lobby.
"Sit down, we need to talk." Darren was a bit late, and he was the last one to arrive. "Darren has claimed that we must abandon the addicts and move on separately. What are your opinions?"
"We can stick together and contain them when required. Separation would give us such low manpower." It was "Commander" Daniel DiMarco, who was appointed as commander by Chief Richard himself. Darren sat patiently and listened as the others either voiced their agreement, or agreement with Darren. "Very well, we've all voiced our opinions, let us vote to take action." The final vote was a slim 9-6 victory for DiMarco's position. "So that'll do it, I have other duties to attend to." With that Chief Richard left.
"Really Danie-"
"Commander"
Darren rolled his eyes and continued,
"Really Commander", putting extra emphasis on the commander, "you trust these crazed drug addicts?"
"Of course not, who could, but hey, we're paid more in food for actively taking part-"
"This is what this is about, the food."
"What else would it be about."
"Don't know bout you but myself, I'd rather not be in active potentially deadly fighting than have some extra food."
"I'm not the only one"
"Would you children stop it!"
Silence. A newcomer to the group, a Benjamin Price, broke up the fighting, "Truth is we have no say in reality, Chief'll do what he wants when he wants. He won't care about what we say. I bet he's done this everywhere and tomorrow he'll say, Well ummm, It seems that we won't be separated from the addicts, even if the popular vote was against it!"
"I suppose he's right." Muttered Dimarco. "I'm off the cafeteria, hear they've gotten some fresh meat."
Darren travelled to the gym in the former hotel, lied down on the bench press with Price spotting, and got to work with his daily training routine.

[Hexshade]

As the newly elected pope returns to his chambers, shouts echo into the night throughout the stone walls of Castle, awaking the newborn O'Donovan child. The shouts come from one of the Infirmary rooms as Taoiseach O'Blair argues loudly, and particularly out of character, with Nurse Sally Collins, as Thomas Finnegan, the recently returned POW, lies comatose on the bed, covered in blood and with his fingernails ripped out.

"Sir, I will not be shouted at," Sally says quite upset. "You are simply not understanding the severity of this man's injuries. In addition to his numerous cuts and what seems to be bone fractures, you say he traveled down here from Belfast. That's a thirty-six hour trip. The man's chances of survival are slim as it is, and you interrupting his rest are not gonna help him any."

"Damn it, woman. It's you who aren't understanding. This man was held prisoner by the only people standing in our way to the mainland. He has information that we need to best that obstacle. I have to speak with him." The Chief takes off his hat and motions at the bloodied and bruised man lying on the bed, and says, a little bit calmer now, "This man was my friend before the fall. I knew him then and I know him now. This man would do anything for this community. He helped me make peace with the protestants. Their faith in me was his doing. He would never forgive me if I threatened this community or that trust for his wellbeing. I don't need long. I just need you to wake him up for a few minutes. If we don't talk now, he might never wake up again and we might never have another chance to best our enemy."

The nurse's voice is softer now. "I understand your positio-." Her words are cut short by a noise from the bed.

The voice is small and soft and barely legible. "Micheál, Micheál," it begs.

The nurse turns to the Taoiseach. "You have five minutes," she says before leaving the room silently.

The chief kneels at the bedside. "Thomas. I'm here Thomas."

"Micheál. My old friend."

"Yes, Thomas, it's me. You're one tough bastard, you know that? Always have been." The man on the bed laughs weakly, but the laughter slowly devolves into choking coughs. "Listen to me, Thomas. I know you are weak, but I need to know what you know. You were at the Protestants' camp. I need to know where they are and what their weaknesses are. I need you to tell me everything you know."

The man stares off into space for a while. When his gaze returns to Micheál, he says "You know, the sea in Ulster was always so beautiful."

"Thomas, I need the information."

"Micheál, pray to St. Nicholas of Myra. He will reveal to you the truth. And may the Venerable Matt Talbot guide your path."

"Thomas. Thank you."

"Micheál? Micheál? Where did you go Micheál? I can't see anything."

"It's alright, Thomas. You're going home and you've helped us all."

---

After a few minutes, O'Blair leaves the room. Nurse Collins waits outside the door.

O'Blair turns to the Nurse. "He's dead." The Taoiseach makes an attempt to wipe the tears from his eyes, but in vain.

"What was all that he was going on about? About the Saints and such?" the nurse inquires.

"Nicholas of Myra was the Patron Saint of Dock Workers and Talbot was the Patron Saint of Sobriety."

"What does that mean?"

"The protestants are at the Belfast Port and they Drink. Get Thomas O'Donovan and tell him to gather the Hunting Crew."

[Nation of Lafayette]

Soybeans were mainly grown in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. A lot of them were grown for livestock. Wheat may be a more viable option for growth.

Aaron was the best prepared of the group. Emily had asked him "Geez, did you raid a camping store?" and Aaron responded "Yes. When we were salvaging Toronto. Good stuff there. That's how I got my hammock. But, of course in this climate, with so much work to be done, I can't ever use it."

Aaron had managed to catch dinner. Small lake trout, cooked on a small kerosene burner from that famed store. It was just as lame as dinner back home. It felt like home.

According to Lucy, they had traveled 49 kilometers, and were now on the open lake. Terrence opened the sail, luckily the winds were in their favor that day, and they continued west, towards a land called Michigan.

They slept under a tarp that they had brought with them, two by two, in six pairs. Aaron was paired with Terrence. Emily was paired with Lucy. It was not very comfortable.

As evidenced, they're a quiet bunch.

---

The next morning, they were out in the middle of nowhere on a huge lake. Lake Huron. There were still scatterings of small islands that they sailed and rowed through. Emily was stretching her back and saying how uncomfortable the fiberglass bottom of the canoe was. "Let's go ashore for a second. I've an idea. No, not there. A wooded island." Harria gave a questioning look at Emily, but switched her course towards the wooded island.

It felt good to be back on dry land again. The dirt under their moccasins, which they had made back at camp. They couldn't get regular shoes. No material to do it in their area.

Emily began to explain her plan. "You all have seen the moss back home. It's nice and soft. If we collect enough of it to cover the bottom of the boat, we won't have to sleep on that damn fiberglass." They set off, collecting moss and piling it in the boat. Emily pointed out what mosses would be best for the job, and Harria remained behind, arranging the moss in the boat. Lucy ran towards the canoe, and jumped in, doing a deliberate faceplant. "Y-yup... Perfect landing... That hurt." The rest of them chuckled slightly, but stopped when Lucy sat up. Harria asked, "Em, is there anything else that we should do here? I... I wanna look around. What the Elders don't know won't hurt them, right? Besides," she said beseechingly, "there might be potatoes here!" "I'm in," said Lucy loudly, scrambling to her feet. "Ok," Emily answered, smiling. "I'm in." They entered the wooded area.

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks and put up a hand to signal the others to stop. She turned her head to one side, listening very hard. She moved quietly, watching where she stepped to avoid making noise. She stopped about five meters away from where she started, and drew her bow. She was the only one with a bow, a most skilled archer. Looking through the trees frowning, she drew back the bow very slowly, and let the arrow fly...

A sickening thud ensued, and Lucy grinned. "Breakfast! Who wants veal?"

[Pittastria]

"One---hundred." Grunted Darren, finishing his daily training regime.
"Good day man, see you round." He fist bumped Price and walked outside.
Time for his meal, he began to walk towards the cafeteria. The sky was dark, and threatened rain. If rain turned to thunderstorm, it was likely that within the havoc of the storm, an addict's riot may start, and all hell would break loose. Alone time was thinking time for Darren, and those were the times he appreciated the most in this world.

Approaching the cafeteria, he noticed that it was fish today rather than deer, an interesting change. Inside someone called his name from the far right of the cafeteria. "Darren! Over here!"
Walking over he sat down at the table, it was Price who had called for him. "This is really important okay... Look, I agreed with you about separating with the addicts, and if we can't we can only do one thing."
"What's that? Strike?"
"Hell no! Everyone would die. We need-" Price whispered, "we need to become somewhat of an assassination group against the druggies. To protect the group as a whole."
Darren smiled. Finally someone saw his point.
"I like it. Who else is in?"
"I've gathered a group. Meet me in the dunes on the beach after lights out."
"I'll be there."

Darren got up and got his fish, then sat back down with Price, but was immediately called to arms. Chief Richard stormed in, "all of our peacemakers! The hospital! NOW!"
Darren pulled his knife and began to sprint towards the hospital. "Let's go!"
It was a thunderstorm, the perfect climate for a riot. Pulling up to the hospital, it could be seen that the doors had already been penetrated. "Let's get our first kills right now." Said Price
Charging through the back door, Darren was immediately confronted by an old friend turned enemy. Robert. Darren held up for a moment, but Robert had lost his entire history with Darren. He elbowed Darren in the nose, knocking him back but not down. Robert threw another punch, but Darren blocked it and slashed his abdomen, and left him on the ground, bleeding, but maybe alive. If he wanted anyone to have a chance, it was Robert. For the next attacker, Darren was prepared, ducking under his hook, the pushing him against the wall and stabbing him in the neck. Darren looked around and saw the addicts being well pushed back as always, but that wouldn't be for long. CLAP. The sound of a gun. "Fuck! Ahhhh!" Someone had been hit. Taking cover behind the counter. Darren prepared for close quarters combat while low to the ground, but wondered if there was anything else he could do. "The door! Darren the door! Go out and attack the shotgunner from behind!" Commanded DiMarco. Sneaking out the back, Darren sprinted around the building, then approached the gunner from behind, and-"Watch your back!" The gunner, a young woman, hit Darren in the face with the butt of her shotgun, pointed at him, then, a knife impaled through her forehead. Darren say there in shock, but Price forced him up and continued the fighting, but the enemy was retreating. "You're only lucky son of a bitch Darren."
"Yeah, thanks"
In total six dead. Five addicts and one soldier. Possibly the bloodiest battle fought so far. "Guns. How did they get guns!"
"Wait, we were served fish today, right?" Asked Price.
"Yeah, why?"
"The hunters, they're the only ones with guns. They must've killed them. It's the only way."
"Fuck."
"Meet me after lights out, you know the deal."

[Nova Socrum]

Back in Hilo secretary Donovan had been left in charge of the city while the chairman and vice chairman was out speaking to the princess of Hawaii.He was one of the few people in the city of white background,but was respected for helping end the food riots 10 years ago.He had established the current food system and relied on "local Aloha" where neighbors helped each other.

He was going over the ledger of the city resources when a his assistant came to him in his office.

"Don,one of the local farmers has come to see you".
"Please send him in".

The farmer walked into the room shortly after.
"Hello Donovan is the chairman here?".The farmer asked
"No he's out,I'm in charge for now"

"Oh well I have come with a request to the government"the farmer said as he took a seat.
"Me and some of the others have been planning a long time to canoe to the mainland to see if we aren't the only ones left alive,we ask that the city gives enough food and water to make the trip to the mainland".

Donovan eyes grew large."That trip would take you weeks,and we don't know if anyone is alive on the west coast too,it's also dangerous,you don't know if the people are friendly".

"Please sir,we know we can get there,we have the stars to navigate with,just like the old Hawaiians,all we need is 2 weeks of food and water,that's all we ask".
"How many of you are gonna be on this expedition"
"10,all are the farmers from the east end of Hilo"

Donovan got from his chair and looked outside.He had always wondered what was beyond the sea,if anyone was still alive in the mainland.The once great city it's of the west coast now would be rubble and ruins,that all these men would see.But what if he thought,we could find new people.The city was having slight problem with overpopulation and a lessening gene pool,so this would be the best way to solve both.

Donovan looked at the farmer."Go tell those farmers they will get their food"

[Atrat]

The President sat on his porch quietly, calmly. It was situated on the third floor of his beautiful home. He looked out to the McCormick stronghold on Fort Sumter, then to Blair House as it hosted a party for the more better off citizens. How 2 families could be so different and hateful, he didn't know. He knew they were plotting his overthrow if he could not deliver on water purification. It had been two nights since he had sent out the Cadets on mission for water purification equipment. He was more vulnerable than ever now, not having his strongest supporters armed and vigilant. But he knew people would not support an outright coup. And he had his own eyes around the town anyway.

She came out onto the porch silently, but he knew she was there. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he stared out into the distance
"Its getting late. We should go in. Especially with the boys gone." Her words warmed his cold heart.

"I thought you loved looking at the stars." His contradiction was meant to be playful, but she had more serious matter to discuss.

"The McCormicks found an old weapons cache in Mt. Pleasant. We are talking assault rifles, sub machine guns, and possibly a rocket launcher. I figured out watching on the docks. They are planning to let the coup take place, and afterwards launch a workers rebellion, armed with their new found discovery."

The President's mind was racing. The only way they could peacefully disarm was with the Cadets in town, but now they would sneak away with better weaponry and a better plan. He wanted badly to the end the family conflict, but it was an unending complex problem.
"The McCormicks are different even among workers. They would not muster enough support, especially without the James family on board. But even still, we need as many people alive as possible, and any conflict will only destabilize the community. Lets sleep and pray on what to do, then we can act tomorrow." He already had a plan, but knew she wouldnt approve. He wanted to enlist the Blair and James family to descalate tensions. But they would wonder how he knew of their intentions, and more importantly, who was their source. And that, was the most fragile secret, as the President had secretly married to none other than Anna Leigh Blair.

[The Army Republic of Prussia]

Sargent Hans and his squad moved through the suburbs, dragging their loot behind in wagons that were once red. All of them wore mismatched armor, using bicycle helmets and sports safety gear. Their weapons were makeshift, some had spears made of a knife duct taped to a mop, and others had a lead or copper pipe. Hans was the only one among them to be armed with one of the rare rifles.

Hans grumbled as they searched the houses, it had been a year since they started up the farms, but they still weren’t making enough food to feed everyone. The soil was too poor from the nukes. He couldn’t wait until they conquered more fertile land, so they could focus less on scavenging and more on reuniting Germany.

“Hans, we have found a car in one of the garage of house 244. It doesn’t look too bad and we may still be able to salvage it.” Said private. Liesel Sprick.

“Excellent, and the tables and counters of the house?”

“The tabletops are ruined, but we can still take the counters.”

“Let’s get started then. Everyone! We are reclaiming a car and counters in house 244!”

Perfect, they would leave both at the vehicle depo and then in a few weeks get a new wagon for the upcoming conquest.

[Hexshade]

The hunting crew, a team of about thirty men, chatter away in the Chief's office. These men are all somewhat rougher than the rest of the Dalkey clan, accentuated by the fact that they all carry weapons.Five have guns, Twelve carry a bow, some carry knives and daggers, and the one woman who was selected for the hunting crew carries a hatchet. They were mostly chosen based on their background. Some were hunters. Some were athletes. Most, however, served with Chief O'Blair in the PIRA during the troubles. They are well trained for combat and are well disciplined. In charge of these men, under the chief, of course, is Thomas O'Donovan. Despite his work for the UVF during the troubles, the men respect him and listen to him. He and the Taoiseach are talking as they walk in to the room. The men go silent and listen to their leader as he spreads a map out on the desk.

"Alright. Everyone listen and listen well. From here on out, we are not a hunting crew anymore. For our safety, we can't be. We are about to attempt something far too advanced for a ragtag bunch of men. We can't just go out into the woods on our own and hunt. We need to work together. We need to act as a unit. The protestants have attacked our men. Now we are at war. That means we need to act as an army and before we can do that, I need to know, can you handle that?" He looks at the men defiantly. They all nod and grunt in assurance. "If you agree, stand up, place your right hand over your heart and repeat after me."

The men all stand, somewhat unsure of what is happening. The chief does so as well. "Say 'I,' state your name, 'do hereby swear and affirm my allegiance to the Army of New Éireann. I hereby declare that I will defend the Dalkey Clan and all its people. I will do my duty to defend them and their descendants where ever they may reside. So help me God." As the men finish the oath, the chief smiles and says to them, "You may be seated."

The chief now goes around the desk and addresses them more directly. "Now, you have sworn an oath before god. You all are now dedicated to the defense of our people. As I said before, we are at war. The Protestants up north have begun attacking our people directly. We must be accepting of all people, but our first duty is to Dalkey. As long as these protestants exist, and especially while they control Belfast, they are a threat to our people. Every moment they occupy that city, we fail at our sworn duty. As long as they control Belfast, we our stuck on this Island and cannot work towards the welfare of our people. It is for these reasons that, as much as it pains me to wish this on any human, we must destroy them." These words arouse a somber, but prepared, huff of agreement. "Now. To do that, we need men. but if we take all of you, we leave ourselves vulnerable. Twenty of you will be chosen to take part in this mission. The rest of you will stay here and defend the keep. I have already discussed this with O'Donovan. He and I will be in charge of the assault on Belfast. We have already discussed who will come on this mission. Thomas, if you will." O'Donovan gets up and lists of the names of Twenty men, who stand up and move to one side of the room. "Thank you Mr. O'Donovan," the chief says as the last man stands up. He turns to the newly assembled task force and addresses them. "You have been selected for your discipline, your ability to work as a team, and your courage. You will be traveling with us to Belfast in two days. Know also that this mission is extremely dangerous and you may not return. So go and pack your things, make your peace, say goodbye to your loved ones. If you believe go get last rites from Pope Sullivan, and be ready to go at dawn in two days.

The men begin to file out of the room, silently and reserved, knowing the importance of this mission. The chief then turns to the remaining ten people. "Know first, that it is not a reflection of your traits that resulted in your remaining here. Instead, you were all chosen to remain here because you possess leadership traits and intelligence. Your job here is to defend the keep and train new members of the New Éireann Army. These traits will be vital to that task. The wellbeing of these people is in your hands." The chief's gaze then turns to Clare MacAuliffe, the only woman in the room. "Miss MacAuliffe, if you'll come up here please." She walks up with a defiant fire in her eyes.

O'Donovan welcomes her up and begins to speak. "The Taoiseach and I have been speaking. Miss Clare here will be in charge of the army while I am away. You will do what she says when she says it. Keep 'em straight Clare," he says as he pats her shoulder and she goes to her seat. "Remember your task and protect the Castle Dalkey," he says to the crowd at large. "You are dismissed."