Broken World: Beastmasters
"We are a new nation, ladies and gentlemen. We have recovered from the ashes of the Old World and now stand above it victorious. But this planet is not fully healed. We still have enemies at our gates, and if we are to restore ourselves to our former glory we must employ the brave hearts and minds of the nation's best, brightest, and strongest. We must take advantage of the technology we still have left. They will be faced with the dangers of a world outside of the walls, and they will prevail. They are the first steps in restoring the United States to its former glory. Ladies and gentlemen, I am very proud to officially welcome the first class to the Beastmaster Expeditionary Academy!-General Alek Jackson's induction speech to the Beastmaster Expeditionary Academy
Introduction
Hello and welcome! Broken World: Beastmasters is a new project of mine. In the roleplay, we will be taking control of young individuals entering the Beastmaster Expeditionary Academy, more commonly called BEA. The purpose of the Academy is to train up teenagers and young adults to induct them into a Strider Battalion. Striders serve as the front line between the United States and the hostile forces that are constantly banging at its door. But, more on this later, a bit of history'o'the'world is required.
Concerning the World...
The end of the world started with a simple cough in October of 2021. Just like any other cough, Patient Zero thought nothing of it. That is, until it progressed. He was a shipping manager at a warehouse in China, and found the hacking cough to be so bad he could hardly do his job. Then came the bleeding. First the nose, then the eyes. He was bedridden by this point, but it really didn't matter. He had already passed the disease on to half of his staff. They experienced similar symptoms. A week with the disease and cysts started showing up, and quickly blackened. Extreme pain in the joints, so bad it made most people scream with pain, was next. This phase is short, only three days, but right afterwards the victim falls into a deep sleep. The "mini-coma" - as medical professionals began to call it - lasted about 18 hours. When the victim wakes up, their eyes are completely bloodshot, the cysts have flattened and spread the blackening color across the body in patches, they bleed profusely from their mouth and nose, and the pain in their joints has receded under the condition that the victim is still. But at this phase, the victim is rarely sedentary. They develop an extremely aggressive demeanor, and physically attack any healthy individual in sight. 10 days completely transforms a completely normal human into a walking embodiment of rage.
H1 Virus, or Howler's Disease - named after the fact that infected howl(with presumed extreme pain) when in movement - spread through China in a month. The rest of Asia was much of the same story. Unprotected borders combined with extreme high volumes of population made more than a quarter of the world's population go dark within three months. The rest of the world reacted as quickly as they could, but many already had infected within their borders. India fell by April of 2022, and the Middle East shortly after. Eastern Europe fell under the "protection" of Russia, and the Federation did a surprisingly wonderful job of waging war against the infected...and the healthy. Russia initiated a nuclear campaign against infected countries near its borders. Afghanistan simply stopped existing under nuclear fire, Iraq's infected were eventually killed off by extreme radiation poisoning, and Iran was simply bombed out. Much of the other countries were affected in the same way. But Howler's found a way to continue its rampage. Western Europe as a whole was better prepared by the time the disease reached them. Martial law took over in most areas, and the vast oceans of infected, such as in Asia, were avoided. But life's a bitch and then you die. The fringe nations fell first. The Balkans didn't last long, but served as a buffer for the rest of the subcontinent to bolster their defenses. Everyone took a hard hit, but many of them are still in active conflict with the Infected, and are slowly losing.
North America is an entirely different story. It turns out, Trump's promise to build a wall saved the United States from total annihilation. Mexico was entirely swallowed by infected almost as soon as the disease crossed the ocean. Canada utilized its frozen wastes and brutal winters to freeze out many of the diseased, and is considered almost entirely safe. The United States therefore faced enemies from its West. From California to New Jersey, the defenses of America were shoved back. A nationwide conflict emerged, with troops fighting everything from the cities to the wild. Millions died in the first year of the Final Conflict, tens of millions afterwards, until an organized combined arms push shoved the mass of infected west of Virginia. A massive defensive wall, stretching from the northern edges of Ohio to the southern tip of Georgia, was constructed. By January 2025, after a total death toll of 180 million, the Reformative Government of the United States emerged. They declared the operation against the infected an almost total military failure to maintain security. Several coups later, and the institution of martial law, and the United States was under stable leadership. Then, they looked outwards, towards the rest of the world, and to their lost lands.
Concerning the Striders and the Academy...
In late 2020, the United States made a stunning discovery in artificial intelligence. They discovered that an advanced computer - classified as one capable of higher adaptive functions, when neurally linked to a human brain, was capable of near autonomous. The networking of a human's "muscular" neurons to the computer's adaptive thoughts created a system capable of 99% self-actualization. A personality, pattern of thought, and reasoning were all present in this new intelligence, labeled Semi-Artificial. Not to mention, the human linked to this computer received benefits too. A noticeable boost in their reaction time and perception of stimuli was observed.
This neural link does not come without its risks, however. The linking process is extremely stressful, and is permanent. Lifelong linking to the same Semi-Artificial. If the link was severed violently, the human would experience a brain aneurysm and die within minutes, nine times out of ten. And the larger the system being linked, the more difficult it becomes for each end.
The military applications of this were immediately recognized, and from this emerged Strider Battalions. Collections of dedicated soldiers neurally linked to a Semi-Artificial, accompanied by support teams, started running missions as extremely versatile units. From mechanized infantry to quick-strike drone units, Striders filled a gap in combined arms by utilizing immediate communications and rapid reactions to cut down significantly on deployment and strike times.
Striders were used heavily during the Last Conflict, and as a result took heavy casualties. A developmental unit, known as the Beastmaster Expeditionaries - or simply Beasmasters, was in development when the Conflict began. Utilizing advanced processors with faster adaptive adjustments and a easier linking process, certain Strider units were linking their personality to a Semi-Artificial animal. However, the unit was not cleared for combat before the war started. After the Long Wall was created, the Beastmasters were given clearance to begin training new members. General Alek Jackson, taking the initiative, created the Beastmaster Expeditionary Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in the rubble of the old Naval Academy. He inducted members ages 13-18, as they had just the right mix between cognitive impressionability and a firm imprinting of the situation of the world. Just recently, in June of 2026, the first Beastmaster Class graduated their training. Now, the Academy looks to induct its second wave of Cadets.
Strider Conduct and Vital Information
Pictured above: Nighstalker Variant, used for infiltration operations.
Rules
- Read everything carefully. Please.
- No godmodding/metagaming/etc.
- Correct grammar, appropriate post length(at least a paragraph), and spelling is expected.
- No dickiness. We're here to have fun.
- No infected characters. Carriers are permitted, but under the assumption you do not yet carry the disease.
Character Application Sheet
- Code: Select all
[align=center]>>>>>>[size=125]BEASTMASTER CADET PROFILE[/size]<<<<<<[/align]
(DELETE EVERYTHING IN PARENTHESES. THE APPLICATION WILL BE DENIED IF THIS IS NOT DONE)
[b][size=150](INSERT NAME HERE)[/b][/size][floatright][img](Any%20character%20images%20please%20post%20here)[/img][/floatright]
[b]Rank:[/b] (Everyone must make one CADET, but can also create an additional Academy graduate, called First Cadets.)
[b]Age:[/b] (Within 14-19.)
[b]Race:[/b]
[b]Gender/Sex:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b](If your image was too large for the img tags above, place a URL here.)
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b] (Minimum of two paragraphs.)
[hr][/hr]
[b]Aspect:[/b] (What animal is your Semi-Artificial? This should align with your personality)
[b]Equipment:[/b](Include weapons, armor, and various effects. PLEASE. USE. A. LIST. Images are encouraged!)
[b]Strengths:[/b] (What is your character good at? Minimum of 3.)
[b]Weaknesses:[/b] (What is your character bad at? Minimum of 2.)
[hr][/hr]
(All material here is optional. But please delete what you choose not to do.)
[b]Likes:[/b]
[b]Dislikes:[/b]
[b]Theme Song:[/b]
[b]Voice:[/b]
#2020 (DO NOT REMOVE THIS NUMBER)
Infected Glossary
- Howler - Typical infected variant, looks like a normal human, except eyes are extremely bloodshot and blood streams from the mouth. H1 Virus is known to spread from this blood. Exhibits extremely aggressive behavior, and will run in a beeline towards healthy individuals in an attempt to assault and kill them. Spreading the disease does not seem to be a primary concern of theirs, rather a byproduct of their attacks. Picture for reference.
- >>>>CLASSIFIED/UNKNOWN<<<<
- >>>>CLASSIFED/UNKNOWN<<<<
- >>>>CLASSIFIED/UNKNOWN<<<<
Cerri's Update Board v1.01: First edition of the OOC rolls out! Academy Information to come! 1.02: Added some more history, cleaned up the application. 1.03: IC and Archive rollout! |
But it's an interesting concept to play with. 
