And now we recruit (Rad Runner RP Sign-Ups)

[JoshuaDurron]

OK, since it looks like the Rad Runner RP won the poll, I guess it's time to do some recruiting! Unlike my previous RP sign-up threads, I won't ask you to read a whole freakin' book before creating characters. (OK, maybe it's a SHORT book...) I'm hoping this will encourage more people to sign up. You can skip the part I've blocked of with line breaks if you really don't give a damn about the setting...

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200 years ago, the Americas were caught up in a nuclear war. No one's sure how many nukes hit North America, but they do know it was over 100. Needless to say, a lot of people died, a lot of cities were destroyed, and a good hunk of the continent was irradiated, resulting in lots of barren, radioactive wasteland. The oceans were even worse, and have defied crossing in all the time since the nuclear war (now known as the Desolation.)

In the present, the Desolated Continent is divided up into dozens of independent city-states (few in the same locations as major cities before the Desolation, most of those were destroyed.) Over all of them is the Celeste Corp, an entity that controls all of the technology remaining from before the Desolation (and a good deal of more advanced technology.) They share a small portion of it with the populace at large, in exchange for water and supplies. They also act as a sort of mercinary-for-higher group, their elite, 'Pantheon' troops, packing incredible weapons and armor technology, replacing police forces for the purposes of law enforcement and also acting as military protection. This is, of course, provided the local governments can pay them, because water is rare indeed.

Ah yes, water. The currency of the Desolation. Yes, drinkable water is that rare, and the largest concentration of it being Lake Michigan, the only one of the Great Lakes that wasn't poisoned during the Desolation. Thanks to the influence of Celeste Corp, the gallon is currency (although coins are often substituted for actual containers of the stuff.) Lake Michigan is an interesting case in itself. The entire lake mysteriously moved southwards by almost fifty miles, and eastward by twenty on the day of Desolation, and no-one knows how. Those who live near it claim it was a miracle done by a man named Eric Sinclair, the first in a continuing line of what many believe are religious megalomaniacs. There's no doubt that the three branches of the Sinclair family weild enormous political and economical power in the region of Lake Michigan. There's also no doubting that there's SOMETHING unusual about them, as even with repeated attempts, and the use of Pantheon troops, Celeste Corp has never succeeded in wresting the region from the Sinclair dynasty and gaining control of the Lake. Whether this is because the Sinclair family can actually perform miracles or not... Who can say?

The continent to the South faired somewhat better, at least innitially. However, after the capitols of most of the countries were destroyed, South America was slowly taken over by an alliance of national militaries, calling themselsves the United Surviving Southern States. This was eventually shortened to just 'Surviving Southern States', and is usually abreviated as SSS (or called the 'Trip-S'.) While the SSS doesn't lack water as badly as the North, it is very much a dictorial martial law region, and it's citizens don't care for it very much. Many of them sneak across the border and head to the freer regions controlled by Celeste Corp. The SSS has control of all territory from the Rio Grande river to the southern tip of the continent. Celeste Corp has been commissioned to keep them from advancing any farther, and, with their superior technology, has so far succeeded.

Acting as middle men between them all is a group of people who call themselves 'Radiation Runners'. They have no creed and only limmitted organization. Radiation running (or Rad Running, or just Running) started as a sport. People would run through high radiation zones and see who survived. Players were incredibly tough, and some became legendary. One of these was Benjamin "Stonewall", who won a competition through Desolated Chicago and, on a whim, climbed to the top of the "Seared Tower", the largest standing building in the destroyed city. In doing this, he also established the "Grand Run", a competition that is conducted every four years. Eventually, with the combined disaproval of Celeste Corp and the Sinclair family (who's influence extends far beyond their own, self appointed borders) the Rad Runners had to justify their continued existence. Thus, they became couriers, a useful professtion in a place where radiation interference makes anything but direct landline or face to face communication difficult (if not impossible) most of the time.

And out there among them all are people who make livings as thieves, hackers, private bodyguards, and mechanics, along with who knows what other odd jobs. Living in a desolate continent is harsh, but humanity survives.

---

OK! Everyone who skipped back with us? Good! Basically, I'll accept just about any background for your Runner character. They can even be pretty powerful, since they'll have at least two or three years experience under their belts already (or at least, they should have. If you want to play a greener character, IM me at Shadowfist Q on AIM, and will discuss it.) Just a few things to keep in mind:
The typical Runner carrer is five years. Not a long time. They typically start around 16, and retire at 21. They usually die around 22. It's a short life, but not as bad as we'd think, since it's compared to the typical life expectancy of 40.
All runners are (at least physically) tough. They HAVE to be to survive in the environment they work in. Furthermore, most of them are fast. Again, it's important to the work.
NO MAGIC. OR MUTANT ABILITIES. These people are tough, yes. These people are highly skilled, yes. But they are still just normal, mundane humans. Sorry. =(
Most Runners don't carry heavy weapons, or bother with body armor. (There are exceptions, but for most of them, it just gets in the way most of the time.) Pistols, revolvers, knives, and stun guns (some of which can be worn like brass knuckles) are typical armaments. Some runners carry other things to augment their skills, or match their prefrences.

Beyond that, just be creative please! =D
I look forward to seeing your characters. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=joshuadurron>JoshuaDurron</A] at: 4/7/04 8:22 pm

[CrimsonIronkiller]

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Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=crimsonironkiller>CrimsonIronkiller</A] at: 4/8/04 1:34 pm

[Spleen]

Name: Jared Tern, Jr.
Age: 18
Birthplace: Gettysburg, PA
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue

Bio: Jared Tern, Sr. is an almost mythical figure in Radiation Running. He started Running at age 15 and lasted to 22, going two more years than the average Runner. During this time, he competed in the Grand Run twice. He won it the first time, at 16, but lost at 20 to Andrew Michael Sims, who was found later to have been using stolen Celeste Corp. technology (a dirty thing to do, but not cheating).

Jared Tern had a son at 16 (before his reproductive faculties were destroyed by radiation), who he named after himself. Jared, Jr. decided early on to follow in his father's footsteps, holding mock Grand Races with his friends. He had inherited his father's lean, muscular build, which helped him win against his friends easily, and later against more experienced and more ruthless opponents during actual runs. However, the youth is hardly half the Runner his father was, and is a bit of a laughingstock among other Runners because of it. <p>_________________
OLHADO: "You killed more people than anybody in history."
ENDER: "Be the best at whatever you do, that's what my mother always told me."
-Lauro Suleimão "Olhado" Ribeira and Ender Wiggin, Speaker for the Dead</p>Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=spleeninfinity13>SpleenInfinity13</A]&nbsp; at: 4/13/04 1:11 pm

[wkz]

*starts dreaming up a character, hits a roadblock*

question: is there a way a former Celeste Corp employee can squeeze into this RP? Especially if he's an engineer?

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/7/04 10:12 pm

[JoshuaDurron]

wkz: Yes. In fact, a number of ex-CC employees take jobs as Rad Runners. The one exception is ex-Pantheon members, who are usually bound to take no other jobs (although they're paid a stipend every month) under some... severe penalties.

Any character who's left Celeste Corp would have most of his tech taken from him, and would know it's not a good idea to spread it around either. Still, they would have an edge when dealing with it.

ALSO: I forgot to mention, in case people forgot: This RP centers around Rad Runners, and the Grand Run event. ::nodnod:: Design characters accordingly. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>

[wkz]

Name: Fooren Garand
Age: 24
Birthplace: New Great Lakes, Celeste Corp northen District
Height: 6'
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black

Bio
---
Fooren Garand is what they call a "Rad-Grampa": a Rad-runner that started late. Formally an employee of Celeste Corp, working in the capacity of an engineer, he had singlehandedly created some of the more peaceful "new-techs" that Celeste Corp is dependent on.

However, his current fame is caused more by the disasterous failure of the No.3 Lakes Radiation Filteration Plant, which he was in charge of at the time. That caused an entire region of people having their lives shortened (further), several deaths, and the lost of Garand's job.

With the lost of his job, whispers and rumors pointed the disaster to be Garand's fault (finally forcing him out of his home), although some others mentioned internal company politics and sabotage by the Sinclair family. Whatever the reason, Anyone asking Garand about the incident will find he is tightlipped about it.

Garand now runs. Some people says he runs for the sake of shortening his life through radiation, and he has constant habitual screaming nightmares. Due to starting "late" 2 years ago, he is expected to reach the end of his life sometime very soon......

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/8/04 12:41 am

[SALSAlys]

Hm. I'd be interested in joining, buuuut... I have a lot of stuff to think about. If it takes me too long to think, just exclude me. ^^;;

[Blaze Yamato Spirit]

I'm interested in joining in conjunction with Lys as a brother/sister running team. So basically, I have to wait for some feedback from her as to whether she likes the idea and whether she's joining in the first place. ^^; <p><div style="text-align:center">
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Scribed
</div></p>

[JoshuaDurron]

Lys and Blaze get bonus points for making it easier for me to convince all these characters to work together.

Edit: Random fact: The prevelant languages in the Desolated Continent are English, Spanish, and Spanglish (English/Spanish hybrid). A handful of surviving ethnic concentrations also speak French (in the area of Quebec) Mandarin Chinese (near Desolate Chicago) or German (generally coming from upstate New York.) <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=joshuadurron>JoshuaDurron</A] at: 4/8/04 12:41 pm

[Spleen]

Aww, I was hoping I'd have to kill them all.

But working together's good too, if you're into that stuff. <p>_________________
OLHADO: "You killed more people than anybody in history."
ENDER: "Be the best at whatever you do, that's what my mother always told me."
-Lauro Suleimão "Olhado" Ribeira and Ender Wiggin, Speaker for the Dead</p>

[SALSAlys]

Edit for chars:

Rashad and Latitia Rodriguez are half-brother and -sister, with their ethnic variation being quite obvious, as Rashad is quite pale, while Latitia is dark as dark can be. Rashad's the mellow, laid-back one, though his demeanor changes when he's on a run, becoming more reckless as he gets caught in the adrenalin rush. Latitia's temper is much more fiery, especially regarding her brother, who she is rather protective towards. Rash initially got into Rad Running on a dare with some friends to skateboard across a heavily radiated area, and Latty followed angrily. Rash discovered that he enjoyed the thrill and became a Runner, while Latty continued to follow after him in an effort to keep him in check.

Latitia (or Latty) = 5'8, lean build, and dark skin, obviously. Her long hair is died in stripes of pink and yellow, and held up in a load of small ponytails using adjustable chain links. A sleeveless, slightly baggy black shirt, baggy beige combats, and steel-capped boots. Also, she has spiky armbands, and a belt or two to hang weapons from. She favors pistols, and is eighteen, though going to be reaching a birthday soon.

Rashad (or Rash) = 5'6", with a muscular build, though not overly so. His hair is dyed vivid, virulent shades of green and purple, and cut in a shaggy mohawk. He wears a spiky black collar and heavy metal rings on his fingers, adding a forcible jolt to any punches he throws. Rash also carries a variety of knives and switchblades, in baggy cargo pants, and wears a thin white muscle T-shirt and strip of red cloth tied about one wrist as a sweatband. His eyes are a vivid blue, and his skin is pale. He wears a safety-pin earring in one ear, and is barely eighteen.

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=salsalys>SALSAlys</A] at: 4/10/04 5:02 pm

[darkknight61189]

Hm.. seems like an interesting plot, but I have to ask, how many are you taking for this? I've been thinking about joining another RP, because I have some free time on my hands. just havent found a good RP to join. <p>_____________
There are three kinds of people in this world...</p>

[JoshuaDurron]

Dark: I'm capping the party size at 5. I'd perfer more like 4.

Lys/Blaze: Two quick questions. First, how long have these characters been running? Two, does Rash use normal brass knuckles, or the tazer variety? I'm not quite sure from what I have. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>

[darkknight61189]

One more thing, my counting skills are a little off. How many people have you accepted for this thing so far? <p>_____________
There are three kinds of people in this world...</p>

[Blaze Yamato Spirit]

A couple years, since that's the sort of experience you wanted.

As for the knuckles, I think Lys intended normal ones, though youd be best to get her to confirm that.

[wkz]

Here's another few question into the Rad-world: Are there any equipment "standards" and job rules to Rad-Runners? (Something like >anime< Last Exile's courier message-tube, its "run" difficulty ranking system, etc)

Also, do the runners use any vehicles/equipment to increase their speed? Or do they just run? (Points to the Bro-Sis team description, where one of them skates into the distant sunrise)

edit: and to answer the guy who cannot count, we have (so far):
Jared Tern Jr: the first, and 2nd
Fooren Garand: Rad-Grampa
Rashad & Latitia Rodriguez: Bro-Sys team

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/11/04 10:50 pm

[Blaze Yamato Spirit]

Since it appears to be question time, the following has been nagging at me:

While obviously tcommunication with the rest of the world would be impossible (I assume), what exactly has happened to it? <p><div style="text-align:center">
---


Scribed
</div></p>

[JoshuaDurron]

wkz: There are NO standards for what a Runner carries, uses, or how he gets around. Most chose to move on foot, because vehicles are hard to come by, much less supply with fuel (unless you're employed by Celeste Corp.) Things like bicycles, skateboards, scooters, and other forms of human powered transportation, are sometimes used by runners in a single city. If a runner gets lucky, they have a horse or other similar mounted animal to use. But most runners move on foot. It's not a fast way to transport messages and packages, but currently it's the only way (other than placing them in convoys, which are even slower, and more apt to be attacked by bandits.) In order to make survival in the wastes more likely, runners usually move in pairs or threes. "Large" groups are more like four or five (hence the cap on the party's size.) Also, Runners are not just employed to take messages from city to city. They are also employed to take messages from one criminal element to another, in defiance of the law, or from one government to another, when criminals or hostile governments stand in the way.

Runner missions are not rated in difficulty (there's no oragnization with enough influence to rate them,) but rather employers choose based on a runner's ranking and reputation. Reputation, obviously, is how much good stuff you hear about a runner. Ranking is usually set by the Runner's Council (the organization which oversees the Grand Run every four years.) The rankings are: Rookie (anyone in their first six months of Running), Geiger (people who have survived six months), Ranger (someone who has completed ten or more runs of fifty or more miles), and Desolation Walker (anyone who's run for three or more years.) All your characters will be rated as Geigers for the time being. Obviously, ranks aren't the clearest indication of who's who in the game. There are also a number of trophies that can be won by competing in competitive runs through Desolated cities. These also give the bearer prestige, and obviously, the Grand Run is the biggest of these trophies.

Blaze: The rest of the world is out there, and still doing stuff. They avoid the Americas because of the high radiation surrounding it, and it has taken an almost supernatural air to them, like a cursed continent... it is usually ignored. While the rest of the world did suffer damage from the nuclear war, nowhere is it as extensive as it was in Northern America (Europe, for instance, suffered "only" 36 nuclear strikes.) <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=joshuadurron>JoshuaDurron</A] at: 4/12/04 10:43 am

[wkz]

hmmmm...... ah. Forgot something.

Fooren Garand, to himself: "I wonder if i can "persuade" a "former collegue/friend" for the new company off-road hot-rod just for this Grand Run"

aka: contest rules for the Grand Run?

Also, if the above is allowed, and given the age, lack of prior training, and skills of my character, would it be possible to let him have a new-fangled "rad-powered" mobile? I promise to make it run slow and break down every 2 miles. (And it can be the gathering point of all the characters...)

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/12/04 11:03 am

[SALSAlys]

Rash wears normal rings; the 'jolt' they add is just because they're heavy bits of metal.

[JoshuaDurron]

It would be next to friggin' impossible to get a vehicle from CC. They don't condone Rad Running, although at this point they are willing to co-operate with it to an extent. Furthermore, all their vehicles are very carefully monitored. Besides, one wouldn't be able to take the vehicle to far into the course, the terrain wouldn't allow it. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>

[wkz]

Alright, another point in the world filled in. (Was worth a try anyway.)

"the terrain wouldn't allow it.... " I'm assuming the roads have fallen into disrepair, coupled with the problems of huge gaping glowing craters every other step...

Yet another question: There are no "X-men" mutants in this world, but are there "Fallout" mutants (think: radiation disfigured folks)? How bad are the disfigurement for these folks?

[JoshuaDurron]

Maybe one in a million people (I mean that LITTERALLY too) has a sever radiation mutation (like an extra limb, or being blind because your eyes have no pupils.) Some people just develope conditions like skin cancer (or other forms of said disease.) Some people are burned by the radiation (open blisters, ect) but these people are near death by this point. Otherwise, no visible mutations develope. People just sicken and die faster than normal. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>

[JoshuaDurron]

And now we double post to tell you that....

The RP has started! =D

It can be found here: b3.ezboard.com/frpgww60462frm14.showMessage?topicID=184.topic

I will possibly accept one more character up until the point the race actually starts, at which point you will have to do a REALLY DAMN GOOD JOB of convincing me to take your character to get worked in. Current players are: Spleen, wkz, Lys, and Blaze. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>

[darkknight61189]

So, it's still not too late to get involved? ::quickly reads over the storyline once more and tries to come up wih a character:: <p>_____________
There are three kinds of people in this world...</p>

[The Great Nevareh]

Oh, pooh. Damn my newbishness. <p>I am currently inhabiting a world that is made up entirely of numbers. These numbers represent characteristics of creatures and beings that I pretend to be along with a bunch of other people. I work on them until I forget what the sky looks like, or what the feeling of the sun on my skin is...
Then I break and order chinese.</p>

[wkz]

Sorry 'bout that (The radiation filteration Plant)

I know about the family's stranglehold on the lakes. (Any CC facility in the area is bound to come under a lot of attack and sabotage)

But I missd the point that the lake was not irradiated to start with.....


edit: Thread's not Running.....

edit 2: Are we supposed to start running yet?, or is the thread still on no-posting-"resting" mode??

Another edit: To what i like to call "the Bro-Sis Team", You have my permission to write my character for your next post IF you decide to call after him (to join the team). Somehow I feel the story will move better (and faster) if you do so.

Edited by: [url=http://b3.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=wkz@rpgww60462>wkz</A] at: 4/24/04 1:44 am

[wkz]

How are we going to deal with Spleen's Jarad? Do we shove him into the background, and meet later on the road, or does the GM take over?

[JoshuaDurron]

The GM is weighing his options right now. For the time being, I think he will fade into the background, and the GM will work him in wherever everyone else is when he gets back. <p>

---

"Crazy is good." - Luffy, One Piece
</p>