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Age of the End Times
It is the year 2036, and life as we know it as changed for the worst; the world has been brought to its knees by a great cataclysm. Due to a twisted type of luck, the volcanoes at Yellowstone, Vesuvius, Mount Etna, hidden Mediterranean volcanoes and the Ring of Fire have all erupted into violent life. The ensuing devastation was considerable, yet those blasts were not the death blow of world civilisation. Rather, it would lead to the first of the ensuing Great Winters that came as a result of the cataclysm; snows fell, oceans froze and the roads became so heavily blocked that vehicular travel became almost out of the question. Air travel was rendered ineffective as the intense cold and snowfall made such vehicles useless. However, this wasn’t the only problem; the colossal amounts of ash that had brought on this cataclysmic climate change often fell from the sky, collapsing buildings. Societies worldwide began to collapse, with few governments remaining. As a result, many nations have slipped into a state where only the strong survive; question is, can you?
Now, as a result of the vote, the RP will held in Europe; get your gear together because its going to be bloody freezing
The Situation
Afflicted by the mass-volcanic eruptions within the Mediterranean, the continent of Europe has been badly affected by the Great Cataclysm. In the East, with the collapse of their respective governments, old hatreds have caused the area to descend into constant warring between warlords from Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and various other Slavic states; a ripe opportunity for the intact Russian government to conquer. Having tried to isolate itself from the turmoil on the mainland, the United Kingdom could not do so, what with the great winters causing the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea to freeze over; thus ensuring plenty of foot travel to and from the Isles, the British have had no choice but to establish outposts every Winter to ensure that travel is controlled. Germany, having its government still intact, proceeded to annex neighbouring Poland, Austria and Switzerland, the better to keep itself secure and creating a bigger body to tax from. The lands surrounding the Mediterranean have been terribly effected by the tsunamis within the region. Being the epicenter of the eruptions, Italy has not only been devastated, but completely shattered by the eruptions into several ash-bathed islands. Whilst its government remained intact, Greece had been devastated by the tsunamis on its western coast; some islands were swallowed, whilst a new one had been created. As a result of the engulfment of the Isthmus of Corinth, the Peloponnese henceforth became the island of Peloponnesia. Having been buffered by Greece, Turkey has suffered the least of the tsunamis, but the ash fall still significantly affects the nation. Most intriguingly of all, in the flash-freeze plagued North, the winters of Norway, Sweden and Finland resulted in their respective governments completely collapsing. From this rose a new nation, Sapmi, the land of the indigenous Sami people. Owning the monopoly on fishing and reindeer farming, the Sami were able to spread further south into the non-Sami territories of their former host countries, reaching as far south as Harnosand in Sweden, Trondheim in Norway and Silinjarvi in Finland. Further South, Denmark managed to survive with its government intact; but with its survival came the rebirth of an old idea…the Kalmar Union. Once more, it has turned its sights towards reuniting Scandinavia under one banner; occupying the southernmost parts of Sweden and Norway whilst trying to gain a foothold in Finland. As a result, conflict is beginning to brew between Sapmi and Denmark; currently, it has manifested as violent skirmishes between Pro-Sami and Pro-Danish factions in Sweden and Norway. The Finns, determined to once again avoid being under Northern Germanic control, prefer to be under the leadership of a fellow Finno-Ugric people; as such, the majority in the buffer zone support Sapmi, with a few pockets of Fenno-Swedes supporting the Danes.
We now find ourselves at the 'tent-city' of Riksrösen; springing up around one of the cairnstones that mark the border between what was formally known as Norway and Sweden, the town is primarily inhabited by Swedes and Norwegians, dotted by the occasional Fenno-Swede that had fled Finland and a few stuck foreigners. Within the neutral zone between the Danish-annexed south and the Sami-ruled north, Riksrösen is a common route between survivor groups...and a site for verbal sparring grounds between Sapmi and Denmark. Looking for local support, recruiters from both sides vie for the hearts, minds and bodies of the people of Riksrösen. Tensions are made worse by the Laestadians; in light of the Apocalypse, this particular Lutheran sect, comprising mostly of Finns, Swedes and a few Sami who haven't rejected Christianity for faith in their Shamans and the old gods, wander the ruined Nordic lands, spreading words of doom and attempted-conversions to all in their path. Now entering a wooden-wrought 'tavern' know in Swedish and Norwegian as Sista Chansen/Den Siste Sjansen ("The Last Chance" to non-Swedish/Norwegian speakers), we begin our story on the eve of something momentous in the region; the worst of Winter has gone, no more flash-freezes have been predicted to occur...yet such a thing does not always herald good times.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Afflicted by the mass-volcanic eruptions within the Mediterranean, the continent of Europe has been badly affected by the Great Cataclysm. In the East, with the collapse of their respective governments, old hatreds have caused the area to descend into constant warring between warlords from Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and various other Slavic states; a ripe opportunity for the intact Russian government to conquer. Having tried to isolate itself from the turmoil on the mainland, the United Kingdom could not do so, what with the great winters causing the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea to freeze over; thus ensuring plenty of foot travel to and from the Isles, the British have had no choice but to establish outposts every Winter to ensure that travel is controlled. Germany, having its government still intact, proceeded to annex neighbouring Poland, Austria and Switzerland, the better to keep itself secure and creating a bigger body to tax from. The lands surrounding the Mediterranean have been terribly effected by the tsunamis within the region. Being the epicenter of the eruptions, Italy has not only been devastated, but completely shattered by the eruptions into several ash-bathed islands. Whilst its government remained intact, Greece had been devastated by the tsunamis on its western coast; some islands were swallowed, whilst a new one had been created. As a result of the engulfment of the Isthmus of Corinth, the Peloponnese henceforth became the island of Peloponnesia. Having been buffered by Greece, Turkey has suffered the least of the tsunamis, but the ash fall still significantly affects the nation. Most intriguingly of all, in the flash-freeze plagued North, the winters of Norway, Sweden and Finland resulted in their respective governments completely collapsing. From this rose a new nation, Sapmi, the land of the indigenous Sami people. Owning the monopoly on fishing and reindeer farming, the Sami were able to spread further south into the non-Sami territories of their former host countries, reaching as far south as Harnosand in Sweden, Trondheim in Norway and Silinjarvi in Finland. Further South, Denmark managed to survive with its government intact; but with its survival came the rebirth of an old idea…the Kalmar Union. Once more, it has turned its sights towards reuniting Scandinavia under one banner; occupying the southernmost parts of Sweden and Norway whilst trying to gain a foothold in Finland. As a result, conflict is beginning to brew between Sapmi and Denmark; currently, it has manifested as violent skirmishes between Pro-Sami and Pro-Danish factions in Sweden and Norway. The Finns, determined to once again avoid being under Northern Germanic control, prefer to be under the leadership of a fellow Finno-Ugric people; as such, the majority in the buffer zone support Sapmi, with a few pockets of Fenno-Swedes supporting the Danes.
We now find ourselves at the 'tent-city' of Riksrösen; springing up around one of the cairnstones that mark the border between what was formally known as Norway and Sweden, the town is primarily inhabited by Swedes and Norwegians, dotted by the occasional Fenno-Swede that had fled Finland and a few stuck foreigners. Within the neutral zone between the Danish-annexed south and the Sami-ruled north, Riksrösen is a common route between survivor groups...and a site for verbal sparring grounds between Sapmi and Denmark. Looking for local support, recruiters from both sides vie for the hearts, minds and bodies of the people of Riksrösen. Tensions are made worse by the Laestadians; in light of the Apocalypse, this particular Lutheran sect, comprising mostly of Finns, Swedes and a few Sami who haven't rejected Christianity for faith in their Shamans and the old gods, wander the ruined Nordic lands, spreading words of doom and attempted-conversions to all in their path. Now entering a wooden-wrought 'tavern' know in Swedish and Norwegian as Sista Chansen/Den Siste Sjansen ("The Last Chance" to non-Swedish/Norwegian speakers), we begin our story on the eve of something momentous in the region; the worst of Winter has gone, no more flash-freezes have been predicted to occur...yet such a thing does not always herald good times.
Character Template
Name/Pseudonym*: (*for those wishing to remain anonymous or go by a name that they've given themselves)
Age: (You'd be 20 years older than you are now)
Appearance: (Think carefully on this one, imagine how you'd look after years of having to scrape by on what you could salvage; combined with the constant cold and the stress of survival, you aren't exactly going to be the picture of youth and vitality)
Health and Wellbeing: (As a result of surviving the Volcanic Winter, there's always a chance that you're health may not be the best; not to mention any pre-existing condition that you may have)
Skills: (Even if you don't know any now, 20 years of having to survive tend to make learning new skills rather essential essential)
Languages spoken: (Need I say more? Of course, given that we're on the former Norway-Sweden border, its necessary to have developed some "IC" ability to speak either regardless of whether not you actually know any, unless of course you're a native speaker. Also, there is the option to know one of the Sami languages, or even Finnish.)
Equipment: (Any tools, resources and weapons that you may carry with you; bear in mind, guns and ammunition were uncommon in Europe...now they are extremely rare. If you do have a gun, your ammunition will be limited to a few shots at best.)
Personality
(Whilst you are essentially you, it might be prudent to write how you think you'd change as a result of the end times)Biography
(whilst its perfectly acceptable to leave as much of your life prior to the Apocalypse untold, its necessary to detail the events between the beginning and the present, especially with how you came to be in Riksrösen.)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alrighty peeps, I will work on my character later; in the meantime, get writing and hope you enjoy. :)
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Name: Lee 'Haukur'* Shaw (*I go by this in the post-Apocalypse unless I feel close to someone)
Age: 42
Appearance: Well, I can definitely say that after all these years, my hear is still long, now even longer, and surprisingly full...if a little receded and a lot more grey. My little beardlet has now become a fairly long beard which I keep trimmed to my chest as much as possible. At 5ft8/9, here once my figure was somewhat pudgy, nowadays I can say that I'm skinny; not quite skin and bones, but definitely particularly harder to recognise these days. My eyes remain blue, but the scarred face surrounding them has become wrinkled and leathery like the rest of my body; more so by stress than it is by age. Due to the Odin-damned cold, I've lost some of the toes on my feet...which I kinda miss.
Health and Wellbeing: Before the end of the world as we knew it, I was somewhat unhealthy; as a result of it, I now am healthier than I was in the past in quite a few ways. Sadly, a few other problems have arisen; my spine has become even worse, sometimes the pain is so bad, I can barely move. Many theories I have of what is wrong, but alas, I've yet to find anyway to clarify it unless luck finds me a doctor. My acne used to be terrible, but age has withered it to nothingness thank Eir.
Skills: Before everything went to Niflheim, much of my survival knowledge was, more or less, purely theoretical; now that knowledge became practical. I can certainly light fires, I know enough winter survival skills (mostly self-taught via reading, plenty of such texts here after all). After some trial and error, I've some skill in hunting...though skinning animals is still something of a very messy affair. Of course, I know how to cook properly, shall we just say it was VERY necessary. Having taken Wing Chun and kickboxing lessons in the past, combined with having to fight for my life, has shaped me into a decent fighter...combined with honing whatever skills I had in archery, I can at least hit center of mass (hope to one day acquire a crossbow, would probably be better with it). As a result of circumstance, I've become rather adept in the use of an axe and a shield in a fight. I'm somewhat alright in first-aid. As a result of my travels, I've become something of an impromptu travelling Goði (the closest one can come to in English is "priest"); giving last rites and presiding over the occasional wedding. I'm also a worker of Galdr (verbal rune magic; even if its not 'real' in the sense one would want, I can't deny the psychological effects of working it
Languages spoken: English (native language), Spanish (Conversant), Swedish (Conversant IC), Old Norse (speech peppered with snippets), various other linguistic snippets.
Equipment: One Bearded axe, one round shield looted from Swedish museum, slightly rusty chain-mail shirt, one self-bow, improvised first-aid kit, box of matches, Plethora of books (some to burn, some to read) winter clothing, two knives and a Mjolnir pendant.
Personality
Having grew up in a poor family, I realised from an early age that life was unfair...nowadays, such a thing is even more apparent. Despite this, I still maintain my somewhat lude and dark sense of humour. I am an emotional individual, I will not deny that; most of the time its kept under wraps. In terms of anger, I describe it as such; a very long gunpowder trail leading to a colossal explosive keg filled with nails. As a result of the world ending, I've become much more distant from others; I fear betrayal and that any further grief would be very damaging to my psyche, and the results may come of it. I still maintain my hospitable disposition, its just more limited than it once was. Being a practitioner of Northern tradition Heathenry (Norse Neopaganism to the layman), I'd argue that it has helped quite a bit in improving my will to survive; feeling the need to truly prove oneself adept in survival (and that my honour is intact) to the Allfather and all the other Aesir and Vanir. I also desire to help out when it is needed, taking solace that I've helped someone survive for much longer. As a person with Asperger's Syndrome, I still can't help my obsessive inclinations and social awkwardness; alas, not even the end of days could change that. If there is one thing that hasn't died, its my love of knowledge; I'll try for any scrap of information that I can get...perhaps obsessively so.Biography
Lets see, my overdue tenure in Scandinavia had all started during a student exchange program between my university and Gothenburg university; it just so happened that everything went to Niflheim a week after. After that, the system that kept Sweden afloat collapsed...it was one hell of a mess as the cities turned into orgies of blood, ice and fire. As the ash settled, I found myself hiding in a museum; seeing that museum's former owners took their Norse history pretty seriously, they spared no expense in ensuring that the weapons they made were as accurate as possible...down to even the hardiness and sharpness. Taking what I can carry, I got out of the city as soon as I could, and stayed clear of any cities ever since.For the next 20 years, I roamed much of Sweden, doing what I can to survive; I found myself with a group, began acting as an informal pagan chaplain of sorts, even entering a relationship with a nice guy named Sven. I remember, his warm embrace and his sly smile...and my heart breaking when I found him in the woods hanging from a tree. It seemed the world had broken him...and it almost done the same to me. After burying him and speaking of the words that signified his journey to the hall of Hel herself, I left to make it on my own; whether it was to die alone or to be away from any source of pain, I cannot remember. All I know is that something changed when I laid eyes on a lone raven walking around a tree. Given my religious leanings as a Norse Pagan, I couldn't help but investigate; as I drew closer, the bird looked at me, yet it did not squawk. Instead it stood there...and vanished as I stepped closer. It surprised me; was this some sort of message? Or the result of a grieving mind playing tricks on itself. As a result of this peculiar experience, delusion or not, on my wanderings, I found myself more and more 'ministering' (ironic I know) to other lone travelers and their lost loved ones and preside over a few weddings; they didn't care about what religion I associated myself with, I just did something that brought them comfort and perhaps a sense of legitimacy. I realised into my 10th year of wancering, that I could think of myself as an informal Goði...whether or not my fellow Heathens would see it that way remains to be seen for a Goði /Giðja was chosen by the community as an individual responsible for leading rites at gatherings. On the darker side of things, I found myself having to give the justice of Tyr to those who would exploit the weak and desperate now and then. Eventually, I crossed the southern border into what was Norway... and found that the Danish were stating to repopulate and repatriate the former Norwegian capital of Oslo; having heard of the cold war between them and the emerging Sami nation of Sapmi, I decided it would be best to steer clear. A strange wanderer from the wilderness would seem very suspicious and I simply didn't want the hassle of being assessed for espionage. Finally, in my 20th year of wandering, I found myself straddling the former Norwegian-Swedish border; it was there that I found a roughly cobbled-together sign that said "Riksrösen den här vägen/Riksrøsen denne måten". Intrigued, my damaged feet began to make the journey to this place.
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