The Colonnade; Pillars of the Apocalypse (Adv RP Open)

Data-Card #12-6

Before the Colonnades, man prospered. Advancements in medicine and technology allowed modern man to live without the obstacles of previous generations. Widespread disease was almost nonexistent and cities grew to the size of countries, thriving with trade and bustling with people from all over the world. However, alongside domestic progress came improvement of modern arms and creation of deadly bio-weaponry.


Despite eras of international peace, humanity’s history was mottled with countless proxy wars. With weapon development at the forefront of scientific and technological improvement, an arms race arose between the nations of the world. As diplomatic tensions mounted and Global War threatened to erupt, the creation of a new kind of military base began; The Colonnades. With the rise of one Colonnade in 2498 came several more and by the end of 2509, there were eight Colonnades in strategic areas around the World. Stretching thousands of meters into the sky and with circular discs extending at strategic intervals from the main body, the Colonnades were built to endure contemporary weaponry, designed to be completely self efficient and utilized Solar Energy as means of maintenance as well as food production.


"It is here, in these Colonnades, where we will defend our Nation and ensure our place as a great Peoples!"
-Nobuyuki Kato Emperor of Japan
June 25, 2508


At the very brink of a devastating world war in 2525, an international broadcast announces the approach of a meteor roughly twenty three miles in diameter. The meteor named Sidereus, estimated to hit within fifty years sent the entire world into a State of Crisis. Numerous attempts to destroy or divert Sidereus from its course resulted in failure. During an Emergency Meeting of the United Nations, it was decided in a unanimous vote to utilize the Colonnades as a method of ensuring the survival of Man.


“We will not back down. We will survive as we have survived all the obstacles of our fathers and forefathers.”
-Michael Kornucky Secretary of National Defense of America
December 11, 2543


In 2558, exactly ten years before predicted impact, Russia begins to evacuate people into the Russian Colonnade Prokloveteyl, the Protector. Entry order is based upon application, however, corruption soon takes hold and money becomes the most important factor in acceptance. Those who cannot afford entrance riot and in the year 2560, when Prokloveteyl had reached its holding capacity, it is clear that only a trace of humanity will survive. Within several years, the other Colonnades begin acceptance procedures. Most of humanity, those who cannot afford entrance or could not enter due to capacity limits would die in the apocalypse.


Year 2568; the most wondrous light show the world had ever seen lit up the sky and Sidereus descended, hitting Kazan, Russia. The city was obliterated instantly. In a range of 200 kilometers, everything from Kazan to Moscow disappears in the blink of an eye. Within two days, most of the population within the Asian continent is dead. Firestorms and tsunamis erupt all over the globe, and debris clouds the Sun. Debilitating photosynthesis, plants wither and die. As the impact of Sidereus creates fissures in the globe, Hydrogen-Sulphide from ocean-dwelling bacteria wipes out nearly all marine life before releasing a deadly, noxious green gas that destroys whatever remnants of humanity remained on the surface. Humanity, crowded in multiple tiers jutting off at odd intervals, the Colonnades are a fortress to the survival of humanity, and a prison of salvation to its inhabitants.

The day is christened Eschaton; The Beginning of the End.

May there be mercy on Humankind.

*~*~*~*~*~*

It is now year 3675. The Keep is a Colonnade located in former New York. The tiers within The Keep are organized from high to low levels. Level one consists of the Government and the Departments of Regulation. The Second Level is the Business and Market Districts as well as minor Educational district. The Third Tier from top to bottom is the High, Middle and Low classes. The Fourth Level is the Trash Dump and Slums, closest to the atmosphere. The Fifth Level is below the dangerous and deadly atmosphere, housing the Nuclear Plant that provides The Keep with most of its energy. Life is harsh and unyielding in The Keep as Man tries to find his place within a tower – his home- that is a remnant of Old Humanity.

However, even within a relic of Old Humanity there is hope. From the Colonnades spring an elite group of people called Seekers. Seekers are groups that volunteer to brave the poisonous surface world in suits that under the constraint of time. They are people who bring back lore and history as well as chart maps and find new resources for the Colonnades. The Seekers, under strict code and protocol travel through the unknown surface world to bring back a part of Humanity that was lost to the people in the Colonnades. They are the lifeblood of the Colonnades and the key to restoring a part of Man before Eschaton.

*~*~*~*~*~*

This is an advanced role-play in Post-Apocalyptic Earth, where living on the surface is no longer an option for humans. Players can choose to be Seekers, Suitors or Others within the Colonnade; The Keep.

Seekers: People who are contracted either privately or by the government to descend onto the surface of Old Earth. Their job is to bring back lore, map terrain and return with information on resources. Seekers are usually groups of four people; Medics, Solarists, Assault and Intelligence.

Medics: Although all members of Seeker groups are well trained in patching wounds or applying correct medical treatment to various physical or mental problems, Medics have gone far beyond the basic knowledge. Medics are the most important aspect of Seeker groups as they make sure, before and after a mission, that the rest of the group is fit and ready to Descend. Seeker groups cannot Descend onto Old Earth without a Medic in their team.

Solarist: The Solarist is the mechanic of the Seekers. He has extensive knowledge of how to fix, repair and maintain his vehicles. Although the vehicles utilize Solar Energy to move, the Solarist must know how to efficiently drive his vehicles from the Colonnade to the Ending Point before the vehicle is corroded in the Atmosphere. The Vehicles that Solarists have access to are Heliogliders, Magnadrivers, and Oceancutters.

Heliogliders: Flying ships equipped with Laser and Radar technology, allowing a better method of finding an Ending Point. Heliogliders travel at 300 miles per hour Heliogliders can last approximately up to two weeks in Old Earth before multi-engine corrosion.

Magnadrivers: Ground vehicles that travel up to 200 miles per hour. These vehicles are used for shorter distances and are equipped with drills that can cut through hard cement and most metals. They can last approximately three weeks before corrosion.

Oceancutters: Water-based vehicles traveling up to 180 miles per hour. Their life span is the longest and lasts up to four weeks (only if underwater). They are equipped with both Laser and Digging equipment for finding Ending Points.

Assault: These members of the Seeker groups are usually built to be the strongest. They are tasked with the job of fighting against any Old Earth animals that have mutated or evolved in the atmosphere. They are knowledgeable in several fighting forms and are the defense as well as the offense of the Seeker groups. The weapons they carry are swords and small weaponry such as pistols or modified rifles.

Intelligence:Intelligence is the one who is contacted should anyone want to contract a Seeker group to perform a job. They are the representatives of the groups and are an important member down below on Old Earth. Intelligence members tend to be lean and quick runners, as they are the ones who enter into places in Old Earth where vehicles cannot enter. They are the scouts and information bearers of the group. They are also tasked with charting terrain.

Seeker groups can have a name, and one person may play all of their team, should they wish. However, it would be more interesting if several people were to play as one group. If someone joins after there are several Seeker groups (the Cap is 4), they may ask to join a previously created group by one of the players.

Suitors: Suitors are those who create both the suits and the vehicles for Seekers. They provide spare parts as well as refer customers to Seeker groups. They are well connected to both the Government and the Regulation Departments. They are also prominent members of communities and Tier Council Boards.


Others that are playable are anyone that lives within the Colonnade; the Keep. Backgrounds are player decided, however they must adhere to the canon. (You cannot be a god-mode character who has the ability to breathe noxious atmosphere poison. And fight like Batman.) So for example players can play a person within the Regulation Departments, children in the Education districts etc. Players can also play more than one person. (Remember, no god-mode!)

Character Sheet: ALL your characters (including if you are playing a whole Seeker Group) must have completed this character sheet. The Sheet is below.

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NAME
Sex, Status, Training, Occupation

DESCRIPTION
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin:
Handedness:
Scars/Tattoos:

General Physical Description

General Str, Health, Agility

Voice

Disabilities
Clothing
Weapons/Equipment

What equipment typically carried/worn

Items of Interest

Items that stand out or are special



PERSONALITY

General Personality

General Int, Wis, Cha

Likes/Dislikes

Fears

Attitudes towards friends/strangers

Opinion of the World



HISTORY

General History

Family/Relationships

Enemies


OTHER INFORMATION

Religious preferences

Skill (Outside formal occupational skills)

Pets/Animal Companions


General Appearance; May use text but picture is preferable. Feel free to make your character look
however you wish.

*~*~*~*~*

Should You Wish to Create a Seeker Group : Please put the name of your group and what color your group is represented by. You may also put an optional logo. (The logo can be in text or you can find a picture/draw one)

Please reply if you are interested. You may also pm me if you want some changes to allow a bit more freedom.

-Soma

James Fox
Male, 3b, Leader - Assault/Seeker

DESCRIPTION
Age: 30
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 77.1 kg
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Skin: Mid-tone Caucasian
Handedness: Left
Scars/Tattoos: Read below.

A handsomely shaped, regularly unshaved face fits two green eyes nicely below bushy black eyebrows. His rough black hair grows blends into a five o’clock shadow discreetly over an olive complexion. James has a fit medium-sized frame bearing large scars across his back from what was clearly a mauling from something treacherous. Inky black writing spans his forearm showing ‘love is my religion’ in Arabic.

Strong, Average Stamina, Agile

Disabilities
His back was ripped apart and barely made it to surgery in time. To his surprise this causes him no disability aside from minor discomfort while sleeping. Unfortunately he suffers from a short lucidity because of it.

Clothing
He sticks to casual dress. He wears loose pants and shirts with wide necks for conformability, often along with his uniform’s jacket.

Weapons/Equipment
The art of swordplay has been his primary study since he was a child. Mr. Fox refuses to do any mission without his blade, “Requiem”. Requiem is a long sword forged personally for his fighting style. It’s created from a modern metal that is durable and light as well as durable fused with the greatest scientific minds to add a monomolecular edge to give it supreme cutting power. Remember kids: blades don’t run out of ammo.

Also James carries a personal firearm with a 9 magazine payload, grapple and stun attachments.

What equipment typically carried/worn
A floodlight, flint and steel, journal and ink, playing cards, first-aid kit, flash goggles.



Items of Interest
He wears his grandfather’s ring dangling from a necklace around his neck.


PERSONALITY

Crude, honest, rough around the edges, and a gentleman at heart sums it up. He is reserved and coolheaded under pressure but often impulsive.

Average Intellect, Reliable Wisdom, Charismatic

Likes/Dislikes
James enjoys a good drink, beautiful women and people he can rely on amongst other things.

Fears
He is afraid of failure and the illusion of fear as well as loosing the people he holds closest.

Attitudes towards friends/strangers
Friends, what few he has, are extremely close and share a special bond with him. Strangers aren’t shunned but are typically played with before he cares enough to make an impression.

Opinion of the World
The world is going to hell and I’m driving the bus.



HISTORY

Jimmy Fox, his grandfather, did not choose to name his son after himself. In fact he wished no man his name for he felt it would bring bad luck to its bearer. Unfortunately he was named for him. James and his grandfather shared the closest bond friendship and family can offer. When his parents passed away in a freak accident James’ grandfather educated him mentally and physically. They spent every waking moment together so it was only natural he would be devastated when he died. He was only 15 and cried all of his tears in mourning.

After realizing his life could be better spent serving The Keep he applied for training as a seeker. Once they realized his incredible potential as the assault portion of the team they made him leader of a group he was allowed to pick himself.


Family/Relationships
He was orphaned and then raised by his grandfather who passed away shortly after. The only true relationship James has ever had is with his blade.

Enemies
Rivals? Yes. Enemies? Not so much yet. Sure James is usually arrogant but not enough to make any nemeses. Because his methods as a seeker are unorthodox he looses favor in the eyes of his superiors.


OTHER INFORMATION

Religious preferences
Love is his religion.

Skill (Outside formal occupational skills)
He’s charismatic which leads to good leadership skills. He is also an amateur sculptor.

Pets/Animal Companions
Wonna Worra, a hawk.


General Appearance:







Should You Wish to Create a Seeker Group:

Salvation















Mr. Damien Green
Male, 3a, Business, Entrepreneur

DESCRIPTION
Age: 57
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 90.1 kg
Hair: White
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Pale
Handedness: Right
Scars/Tattoos: See below

A shorter man with a heavier set body looks very healthy despite his age. Aside from a very limited amount of wrinkles and weight Mr. Green almost looks to be on the better side of his years. A very happy face often distracts from his balding head surrounded by thin white hair. He dresses up everywhere he heads in public often in business suits. Mr. Green is rarely seen walking without his cane that he uses to hide a very large burn scar on the palm of his hand.

Weak, Healthy, Slow/Old

Disabilities
His age caused his hip to need replacement and has to walk with a cane if he wants to walk for an extended period of time.

Clothing
Strictly wears business suits, usually blue with a red tie.

Weapons/Equipment
Sometimes carries a briefcase.

Items of Interest
An Old Earth relic restored—his cane



PERSONALITY

Always gets what he wants. He is a very intelligent man, charismatic and has a great sense of humor. However he can become extremely vengeful if he is betrayed or if his demands aren’t met.

Smart, Spiritual, Charismatic

Likes/Dislikes
Old Earth relics, power/Traitors, competition

Fears
Death.

Attitudes towards friends/strangers
He makes good, lasting impressions on strangers but has no true friends.

Opinion of the World
It’s here to cash a paycheck.



HISTORY


He’s man who grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth. When his parents died they left him a heft sum of money that he used to create a business dealing with funding Seekers armor, weapons, vehicles and other technologies. He is one of the wealthiest men in the Keep due to underground or ‘black market’ dealing in a growing criminal world.

Family/Relationships
He is married with no kids. (Infertile)

Enemies
He has many business rivals as well as enemies with authorities such as the government and law enforcement agencies.


OTHER INFORMATION

Religious preferences
Catholic

Skill (Outside formal occupational skills)
He’s a crackpot with personal firearms.

Pets/Animal Companions
Unless you count his personal assistant, none.


General Appearance;

wow, very intense and very well thought out. i would be interested

Medic please! I'll edit this to include the sheet.

Intelligence pl0xles :P

Are those both for Salvation?

Also my character is yet to be approved or even finished for that matter. I'm waiting on some answers regarding the character sheet.

What was the state of the world when the apocalypse took place? Were nations fighting each other for space in the Colonnade's? What about now.. are The Keep's seekers fighting other humans when they go down to the planet as well as mutated beings? I have so many questions because this RP holds so much potential.

Jaysóne Baleon
Male, Status, Intelligence, Seeker

DESCRIPTION
Age: 23
Height: Roughly 6’0”
Weight: Roughly 170 lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes:Brown
Skin: White Caucasian
Handedness: Right
Scars/Tattoos: A long scar run down his right arm from a fight he got into as a child, but it is covered by the tattoos that run all along his arms. He also has a tattoo of a large skull with wings on it on his chest.

Because of his job requiring such physical ability Jaysóne exercises almost on a daily basis, causing him to be lean, fit, and able to run for quite a while without losing stamina. His black hair comes down to just above his brown eyes, which sit there assessing the situation at all times.

General Str, Health, Agility

Voice

Disabilities: Jaysóne was born partially blind in his right eye, although this is a large disability he has worked a way around it, the loss of sight in an eye has caused him to focus much more on his hearing and reflexes.

Clothing: Jay’s usual attire is a shirt on top of a plain white t-shirt, with some baggy blue jeans and a pair of black trainers. He usually gets a special suit made for him, which lacks some of the protection of a normal suit but allows for more mobility and easy movement.

Weapons/Equipment: Jaysóne’s family has carried a dagger that is as black as night itself with what looks like a vein filled with a glowing orange liquid in it for as long as anyone can remember. Jaysóne’s father passed it down to him when he was only seventeen, and told him it was called “Obsidian”, named after what the dagger looked like it was made of, although Jay’s been fiddling around with new names for it, and has lazily come up with the name “Dusk”.

Along with his dagger he generally carries a pack of throwing knives and an Uzi that switches between semi, burst, and auto, it also has two attachments, one that allows it to shoot a small burst of electricity, and another that allows it to shoot a small electro-magnetic pulse, disabling whatever it hits. Just incase, he carries with him three RDX demopaks.

Jaysóne never goes anywhere without a couple packs of cigarettes, his ace of death Zippo lighter, a pack of flints, and a couple of bottles of lighter fuel. A flashlight accompanies him along with a large pad of blank parchments and some pencils and pens for mapping out areas of the old world.

Items that stand out or are special
Around his neck hangs a long silver chain with an angel hanging off the end of it, Jaysóne’s mother gave it too him before she died when he was ten.


PERSONALITY

General Personality: Generally fun-loving, joke-loving, woman-loving, and a romantic, Jaysóne can’t help but make smart quips, or stupid jokes, just like he finds it impossible not to compliment women on their beauty and brains. After hundreds of missions not going to his plan he’s come to the conclusion of playing things by ear, he always has a strategy, but it’s usually very loose and he never follows it to the dot. Many call him reckless for these traits but he doesn’t think so, his mind is always racing with the possibilities of what could happen, and through snap decisions he tries to get the best possibility to come to pass.

General Int, Wis, Cha

Likes/Dislikes: Jaysóne likes a good drink, a good smoke, fun, kind, intelligent, beautiful women, jokes and his little brother Alex.

Fears: He fears losing his last piece of family, his brother Alex, and running out of cigarettes.

Attitudes towards friends/strangers: He has many people that he enjoys spending time with but he only really calls a few people friend, James Fox as one, and some of the other members of Salvation. He generally doesn’t care to much about strangers, if they want to talk he’ll talk, if they want to fight he’ll fight, if they want to be idiots he let them and watch, but he rarely actually gets interested in talking to them unless they’re funny, or a woman.

Opinion of the World: Humanity is what destroyed this world, and we can only run from our doom for so long, soon we will be no more and another civilization will rise to power, best live life whilst we can.

HISTORY

General History: Jaysóne was born into a loving family, and they were a happy one for ten years. When Jaysóne turned ten his mother told him she was pregnant, but when in labour she died, giving him her necklace, and his dad went into denial, he began to hate Jaysóne’s little brother Alex. For the next seven years life was miserable, Jay’s father refused to even look at Alex, so he had to care for him alone, his father was always drunk and angry, filled with hatred and distant. When Jaysóne hit seventeen his father passed on the family dagger, the next day his father disappeared, after weeks of searching someone found him dead in the lowest section of the colonnade, he had committed suicide. Jay ended up raising Alex on his own, when Alex was ten he started taking responsibility for himself and Jay joined a seeker group.

Family/Relationships: His little brother, his mother’s necklace, and his father’s dagger are all that’s left of his family.

Enemies: Jaysóne seems to have made many enemies, as well as rivals, although he shows no real care about it, even when people start talking about him or try to attack him.

OTHER INFORMATION

Religious preferences: He doesn’t care much for religion, coming up with his own belief system and philosophies.

Skill (Outside formal occupational skills): He seems to have an iron gut, able to drink continuously for a whole day without throwing up or passing out. He has an amazing ability called cigarette rolling.

Pets/Animal Companions: His little brother and him have a pet wolf pup called Grubb, who Jaysóne seems to always be looking after when he’s not out in the old world or off drinking.


General Appearance;

*~*~*~*~*

Should You Wish to Create a Seeker Group :

Salvation

I'll take my chances with you and Salvation :P

Thank you everyone for the replies, Ninjasaur and Tyle Kalrian your characters have been approved. Just in case, remember that either of you may play more than one character (both in your group and in The Keep) As for Ninjasaur, I have the answers for you questions:

What was the state of the world before the apocalypse took place?

Well, it was obviously world-wide panic. Diverting Siderius was not possible (or even destroying it) so therefore there was a world-wide truce or peac announced at the UN. (Although I didn't write that, I felt there would be too much text.) The UN and all the Nations decided to join together to help make the colonnades better for living. Things they did were:

-Build piping from every colonnade to the ocean. Thankfully, these pipes haven't corroded. However, since the poison in the Oceans in so strong (Hydrogen-Sulphide...you don't want to drink that), that it goes through a very long purification process within the Colonnades. When I mentioned that Seekers brought information for resources, it meant that they look for cleaner water sources and bring up plant life and dead animal fossils for study etc.

-Built a nuclear plant at the very bottom of the Colonnade. This was a quick fix as Solar Energy is not dependable and no where near enough to sustain a colonnade thousands of feet in diameter and stretching many many meters into the sky. It is run on water (which is filtered through the ocean) so the Seeker's job to find water sources becomes that much more important. Also, there is the matter of the Nuclear plant being UNDER the atmosphere line, in Level 5 of the Colonnade. It has the risk of being totally corroded if the main pillar should corrode. (Not happening...yet)

Were nations fighting for space in the Colonnades?

When the apocalypse began? Yes. In the course of fifty years many Acceptance Procedural Laws came about stating things such as no certain race was to be given priority etc...however, as many people would do when in power, some decided to make a profit. Obviously many of the people accepted were Caucasian and blacks as well as Asians were on the end of acceptance lists. The result of this is that many races didn't make it onto the colonnades, and obviously, nations were pissed. (Hey, if none of the people in YOUR nation got it, wouldn't you get slightly angry) But it is as it is, there is a high middle-upper class within the Colonnade. Reminiscing of Old Earth, Blacks are usually living in the Slums in level 4. (Please, I hope no one is offended. I'm just trying to make things realistic regarding social status and society today. I am in NO way racist or anything else.) Of course there are exceptions, but mostly they way people live in the Colonnades is the way we live today.

There was almost war over acceptance procedures, however under the Truce in the UN the nations were expressly forbidden to fight. (Obvious reasons). The Most important figures such as leaders and whatnot were brought to the Colonnades first.

Are Seeker fighting mutated humans when they go down to the atmosphere? Mutated Monsters?

There are no humans on the atmosphere. Although I've given some animals an evolutionary jump-start, humans are unable to breathe -therefore survive- in the noxious atmospheric conditions that the meteor brought. And there aren't rabid multi-armored crazy epic doom monsters either. Things that burrowed under the ground such as worms and many reptiles have adapted. Worms might be many meters long and have acidic skin as well as teeth. But they are killable, though dangerous. Reptiles have evolved as well as some of the Marine life that was not killed in Eschaton. Yeah, I haven't really created any random D&D monsters. However the creatures that have evolved are deady, and you must remember that they are built to survive in the wastelands of Old Earth and therefore are equipped with acid skin or saliva etc. etc.

To Ninjasaur, please keep asking questions. I have researched nearly everything before I posted this up. This includes actual effects a 25 mile wide meteor would have on the earth, as well as what kind of poison would erupt in the water and air due to collision. Most of everything here is backed up scientifically give or take a few things (such as making things evolve in a thousand years...but hey, that's for the story) I have also painfully mapped each disc that extends from the Keep as well as how society interacts.

Somatrasiel wrote:(Please, I hope no one is offended. I'm just trying to make things realistic regarding social status and society today. I am in NO way racist or anything else)

Doubt anyone thought you were being racist mate, that's the way things would turn, those in power would force what they see as a "lesser" race into slavery, Hitler killed millions of innocent people in horrific ways simply because he thought they were people from a "lesser" race compared to the "Great Aryan Race."

I do have a few questions myself

Firstly what would the currency be? I assume the dollar would waste paper that would be hard to come by as the plants are mostly dead.

When the meteor hit did it give off an electro-magnetic pulse that set down all the old world's electrical appliances? Or are there still a few factories and such left?

As the gun production would likely stop would we be using old weapons that we found or highly advanced weaponry that required no ammo? As the gun production would come to a halt so would the ammo production, so would ammo be a rare thing either sold for high prices, or would they be sectioned and only handed out to security forces and seekers?

The meteor obviously changed the Earth and made it a dangerous world, but as it's been a thousand years the waste would likely of started dissipating no? So would their be areas on the Earth that, although very dangerous to humans, would be lesser so, so much so that there would be a tiny 1% chance of humans being able to build something there?

Do the colonnades have contact with one another? Or do they doubt each other's existence?

I forgot one of me questions, the one I really wanted to know :P In the colonnades are the jobs assigned to people when they hit a certain age like the vaults in Fallout? Or do people choose which jobs they want? And if it's like the fallout vaults would the seekers be chosen or would it just be a bunch of people that wanted to do it rather than being assigned to do it?

Tyle,

Thank you for your questions. These things give me a chance to detail the things I've thought about. So for your first question:

What is the currency?

Yes, you are right. The Dollar is worthless. (It doesn't even exist except sometimes it is found on Old Earth and wealthy people from level 3a pay alot of money to seekers to bring them back up as a collection) Actually, paper doesn't even really exist in the Keep. Everything is done on Data Slips, which are transparent plastic materials which information show up. So before I talk about currency, I'm going to go a bit back. Every person upon being born is assigned a digital serial number and a small chip in the pad of your right-hand ring finger. This number is their digital account within the Colonnade and the chip is like the identification. All shops and business have a small machine that upon entering your code, takes away the correct amount of Credits to purchase your item, or to pay you your wages. Now what is the currency based on? The Keep, which is Located in Old America is based on the Gold Currency we have today.

Today, currency in $1112.00 per oz of Gold. Since in the future gold doesn't really corrode, it's become much more valuable. 100x more valuable.
So today it would be $111,200 per oz. When you convert again, it becomes 1112 credits per .01 oz. The rough estimate of population within the Keep is about 1 million or so and that means there is 100,000 oz of gold circulating. (Remember, this was a military base, not a city...)The government has a suprlus of 100,000,000 oz of Gold Reserves and 100k in circulation (for the people). So 10k credits= .01 oz of gold.

It's decided that people make about 15k a year working minimum/part time. So prices are still about the same. A pack of cigarettes are 7 credits (seven dollars). I wanted to make it a bit more futuristic, but I don't see the Colonnades overhauling their values just to sound cooler. hehe.

EMP, does it kill the Old World Appliances?

It pretty much does. Most things go through electrical failure and if that doesn't get them, the atmosphere corrosion will definitely damage them. They are retrievable though and Seekers are paid alot of money to get Old World technology back to the Keep.

Weapons?

The people of the keep don't have an idea of weaponry like we do today. They have small guns and whatnot, but no where near what we have in Old Earth. There is a reason.

1) We are isolated. Although Colonnades have contact with each other, the signals are unreliable, and often break up. The Colonnades don't war with each other because nothing would survive long enough in the atmosphere to get anywhere near another colonnade. The Colonnades are also focused on survival. There is a police force, but there is no military. Why? There are only roughly a million people in The Keep. We can't afford to kill anyone because we need to survive as well as have enough diversity in the gene pool so weapon production halted. Ammo is expensive, and only available to seekers and police. What we do have in weaponry is designed to halt and not kill. We don't run around with guns in the keep, we focus more on something like a clue to keep the robber in place etc etc. We also don't have that much weaponry because we don't really understand it. We don't have that much a need for firepower and we are obviously not at war (the closest other Colonnade would be in Europe, 6k miles away O.o).

Cleaner areas on Earth?

This is a controversial subject matter. Seekers are obviously paid to find out about such things, but are forbidden to speak to the public about it. It might cause riots and spread rumors that would put the whole of the Colonnade at risk. The last think you want in a small isolated colony is to have a riot!

Jobs?

Education is not that important. Things such as literature, art, music etc aren't cultivated. Engineering, mathematics and hard science are the focus. Children only learn until the age of 16 because then they are sent off to work. (Remember, people need to maintain the pillar and regulate the energy etc). Very bright students are often drafted by the government to work in the Regulation Departments or higher job offices. People choose what job they do, but the job choices are few. The reason I have 16 year old children working is for a few reasons. One reason is that some will die, keeping the population low and keeping the schools, food productions, and air regulation relatively stable. I don't want mass boom in population so it's a balance thing. Obviously not every single child dies, but a good few do.

Seekers?

Seekers are volunteers. Or, originally, they were. Today, those who wish to be Seekers go through several tests to check aptitude. The suits they use have limited life, meaning they can't last longer than a certain time in the Atmosphere. Medic suits are the longest lasting, then Assault then Solarist then Intelligence. Why? Because Medics are vital and MUST stay alive to heal others. Intelligence suits do not last as long because they must be skin tight (therefore there aren't alot of layers to withstand corrosion) and must be light enough for them to run and fit in small areas. You get the gist right? The suits are somewhat expensive, meaning ONLY the best can become seekers. The suits also have limited life because I wanted to make it so that only seekers who do their job and get paid and maintain the cost of buy new suits every _____days/weeks/etc. If suits were not one time, then everyone could just buy a suit and try being a seeker. Also, they are not infinite use because I didn't want people to go down to live on Old Earth.

I hope this answers some of your questions :D

-Soma

heh, there was never anything in this spot. I did not post a character twice. You were imagining things.

Alice Hafer
Female, 2B, Solarist, Seeker

DESCRIPTION
Age: ?? (Doesn't like to reveal her age.)
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Skin: Mildly Tan
Handedness: Ambidextrous
Scars/Tattoos: Alice has a long scar across the palm of her left hand from working on a Magnadriver. Somebody in her shop accidentally knocked one of the supports out from under the vehicle and a sharp piece of metal drove into her hand.

General Str, Health, Agility: Alice is incredibly intelligent when it comes to science and technical things. She also tends to be very insightful about the things going on around her.

Voice: Alice's voice is soft and spunky. Kinda like Rikku's from FFX.

Disabilities: Because of her accident with the Magnadriver, Alice is unable to close her left hand all the way because of the damage to the nerve endings in her hand. However, this doesn't stop her from getting the job done and she'd be willing to boast that she's the best Solarist in whole Colonnade.

Clothing: Alice typically wears a plan black T-Shirt, blue jeans, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of tan boots. Her affinity to black doesn't come from a dark personality, but rather she claims it helps hide the dirt and grease. Her hair and skin still tend to strongly disagree.

Weapons/Equipment: As you might have guessed, wherever Alice goes so do her tools. The brunette carries an assortment wrenches, lug-nuts, screwdrivers, etc... around in what she likes to call her "utility belt" fastened around her waist. She also keeps a portable laser welder on her in case the situation calls for it and what would a mechanic be without a flashlight?

Other than her tools she also carries a taser in the shape of a pistol that can send a charge strong enough to incapacitate most animals and kill with prolonged exposure. Alice usually carries a canteen of water with her as her work can sometimes cause excess perspiration. She also carries a small hunting knife with her which comes in handy in various situations.

Items that stand out or are special: Alice carries her father's pocket watch he found on Old Earth as a Seeker. The watch is completely silver with the emblem of a dragon carved into the cover and the back. It hangs from a silver chain that is attached to a belt loop on her pants.



PERSONALITY

General Personality: Alice is full of energy, especially when working on something technical, and takes great pride in her "babies". Her babies refer to the vehicles she maintains. She loves driving and tends to push the limits farther than most people would say is smart, but she's all about having fun and has complete confidence in her works. Most the vehicles she has were built from the ground up by her and she will contest anyone to their abilities. Though Alice can be pretty firey, she does have a softer side to her. Every now and again, one might catch her thinking alone to herself or she may make an insightful comment.

General Int, Wis, Cha

Likes/Dislikes: Alice loves anything technical and is always psyched up when presented with a challenge. In short, she can be a bit of a brainiac and spends a lot of time coming up with not only modifications to the vehicles, but also new weapons and equipment to use when exploring Old Earth. Alice tends to get depressed around people who are too serious and gets utterly fed up with anyone who picks on the weak or insults her babies. This has gotten her into more than one hair raising situation. Her friends jokingly say she needs anger management classes.

Fears: Loss, in a word that is the sum of all her fears. Alice doesn't like to admit it, but she's afraid of losing her friends and those that get close to her. Even though she's energetic, her fiery attitude rarely lets anyone get close to her.

Attitudes towards friends/strangers: Alice has only a few friends and even then she tends not to let them get too close. Sometimes though she ends up letting down her barriers unintentionally and people get to see another side of her. Alice is caring and compassionate to those she calls her friends and would go to insane lengths to help them. She usually jokes around with strangers that come into her shop to look her various works and has no problem boasting to them about how good she is.

Opinion of the World: The world has become a barren and lifeless wasteland. Maybe with my talents I can help retrieve some of what our humanity has cost us.-Alice (Infer what you like from this quote, but in a nutshell it means that she believes that humanity still has hope).



HISTORY

General History: Alice's mother died giving birth to her and so she was raised for most of her life by her father, Johnathan Hafer. Despite this, Alice spent most of her days alone and learning to entertain herself. School helped take her mind off some of her stresses, but she always worried about her father. Johnathan Hafer was also a Seeker, trained as an intelligence officer. She enjoyed every moment she got to spent with her father when he wasn't on an exploration mission and they had a close bond because of it. Unfortunately, Alice's father passed when she was only 12 years old. Alice was raised by her father's brother until the age of 16 when she started working as a mechanic. Right away she realized she had a natural talent for technical things and thrived in her career. Eventually she took the Seeker test, kind of wanting to carry on her father's work, and gained her license as a Solarist at the age of 21.

Family/Relationships: Alice doesn't really have any close ties with family and only on rare occasions does she visit her uncle. She has only a few people would call her friends and those come from her Seeker Group.

Enemies: None at the moment. Though she does consider most other Solarists her rivals.


OTHER INFORMATION

Religious preferences: None.

Skill (Outside formal occupational skills): Unknown to all but a few, Alice is actually a great singer. If your lucky, sometimes you'll hear her singing to herself as she works.

Pets/Animal Companions: None.


General Appearance: Alice stands at a height of five feet and four inches, with short brown hair and emerald green eyes. Her skin is smooth with a slightly tan color with only a slight bit of acne. She actually has the potential to be quite beautiful if she weren't always covered in some kind of grease or oil from her projects. Her muscles are sleek and well toned from long hours working on all sorts of different vehicles and devices. Alice seems to carry with her an aura of confidence and fun, though in the back of her eyes is a hint of sadness that only those who take the time to notice would see. (I hope this is good enough. I'm still trying to get better at descriptions of people.)

*~*~*~*~*

Should You Wish to Create a Seeker Group : I'll go with Salvation since it already has two members. If that's ok with you guys.

Thank you Vain, your lovely Alice has been accepted. I will put up my own Char sheet in a few hours (at work, can't really do it now.) and we'll see if we can get this started!

-Soma

So I changed my status to 3b, my strengths, health, etc.. I removed voice because I deemed it confusing and not worth my time, and my status to Leader (referring to his team). As for Assault I'm leaving that as is because I accurately described his strengths in other places.

As far as some more questions go, here they are:

What's the form of government within The Keep? Who do the Seekers answer to? Is there a ranking system to show authority between Seekers?

The Government within the Keep is quite basic. Continuing an old anachronistic tradition from Old Earth, we have a president. However, with the passage of time, the power of the president has considerably waned. He functions more as a representative of the Government rather than a person who actively takes role. The Government is divided into the House of Justice and the House of Laws. Much like today, the HoL writes the laws and the HoJ reinforces them. The President is the one who usually comes out to broadcast decisions and new laws. We no longer have congress, as the population within the Keep is very small. The Government is actually less important than the Regulation Departments, which keep the Colonnade alive.

The Seekers answer to the Seeker Registry. The Seeker Registry is a digital place that can be accessed either through Net Hubs in random areas of every Tier, or they can directly go to the Seeker Registry HQ in the level 2A, which is the Business District. The Seeker Registry is a place where all those who are Seekers are "Marked," meaning they are registered within the logs. All things having to do with the Seekers, not the Individuals themselves is watched in the Registry.

When a Seeker Group such as Salvation is paid, the Registry updates information on a job as being "Complete." Groups have queues in their Job Assignments, however things such as Government Jobs take priority. Other than that, it is a queue based on who came first. The "Mark" that Seekers get are modifications to their Identification Chip in their right-hand wedding finger and states them as Seekers, allowing them access to government buildings that would be closed off to normal people.

There isn't really a Hierarchy of Seekers themselves. Although there is a leader within each group, it's not a specified job. Someone eventually becomes the leader, but doesn't apply for 'leader' position. Amongst Seeker GROUPS, however, it's a matter of rivalry. Every group wants to get the most jobs and it's up to your group to do better than theirs.

-Soma

Ah excellent.

So to fit my story my guy hand chose his group making him the "unofficial" leader. This works perfectly with what I had in mind, thanks for answering my questions-- this story becomes increasingly marvelous as you do.

Lol, well I'm glad to be part of the team. This seems like it's going to be very interesting. It also seems that if I just sit back and watch, Ninjasaur will eventually ask any questions I have lol. Not that I'm mooching answers off of him. Hmm...or am I? XD