[center][h1][color=lightgreen][b][u] •A.R.K  Public  Library• [/u][/b][/color][/h1][color=gold]Provided by the Associates of Record Keeping[/color][/center] 


[hider=World Events Timeline][indent]
[hider=Emergence]
[color=linen][color=f7941d]April 5th, 2109:[/color] Most of Lenox, Rhode Island, burned to the ground mysteriously overnight. Hazmat and military on scene. Rumors surface of terrorist attacks.
[color=f7941d]April 14th, 2109:[/color] A man affected by PTSD attacks civilians using his hands and teeth in Lenox, Rhode Island. Rumors of Biochemical weaponry used by terrorists. 
[color=f7941d]April 21st, 2109:[/color] A rabid herd of deer terrorize Chinook, Montana, a farming community. Deer reported to eat livestock. Presidential statement made of a calculated, nationwide terrorist attack using biochemical weapons.
[color=f7941d]April 23rd, 2109:[/color] Deer threat ended, weird mutations in genes reported.
[color=f7941d]April 25th, 2109:[/color] Acidic corn slowly kills farmer and entire family during dinner in Chinook, Montana.
[color=f7941d]May 3rd, 2109:[/color] Military reportedly burning down random homes and businesses in Lenox, Rhode Island.
[color=f7941d]May 4th, 2109:[/color] Military presence in Lenox, RI, leaves. Hazmat no longer on scene.
[color=f7941d]May 29th, 2109:[/color] Squabbling neighbors come to blows and bites in Tucson, AZ. A woman trying to intervene is killed. An empty casket funeral is held for the dead family in Chinook, Montana—The bodies were collected for autopsies.
[color=f7941d]June 3rd, 2109:[/color] "Heat Craze" in Tucson, AZ. People fighting and violence spills into the streets.
[color=f7941d]June 6th, 2109:[/color] Man on experimental street drugs cannibalizes family of two; Mother (Emily, 27) reported alive, her son (Jason, 7) is reported dead on arrival. San Diego, California.
[color=f7941d]June 7th, 2109:[/color] Grief stricken mother(Emily, 27) attacks nurses, brutally wounding her, at New Heights Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California.
[color=f7941d]June 15th, 2109:[/color] 18 medical staff, and one janitor, reported missing from New Heights Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California.
[color=f7941d]June 19th, 2109:[/color] Heat wave intensifies Tucson, AZ. Citizens report frequent, random attacks.
[color=f7941d]June 20th, 2109:[/color] Military presence in Tucson, AZ. Martial law declared.
[color=f7941d]June 22nd, 2109:[/color] Rioting starts after Military execute a man in a crowded area, also killing several civilians. Tucson, AZ.
[color=f7941d]July 1st, 2109:[/color] Rioting in Tucson out of control, Military brings in heavy equipment and vehicles.
[color=f7941d]July 2nd, 2109:[/color] Tank shells rain down on fleeing citizens as U.S Military bombards house of dangerous activist. House erupts as sizable cache of explosives are ignited, surrounding houses catch fire.
[color=f7941d]July 5th, 2109:[/color] Tucson begins evacuation as fire spreads, and rioting continues. No word in missing staff from New Heights Memorial Hospital, area around the hospital is restricted. Military are on scene.
[color=f7941d]July 6th, 2109:[/color] Gas line erupts, collapsing a mall being used as an evacuation point. Hundreds killed.
[color=f7941d]July 8th, 2109:[/color] Fire held at bay. Rioting activists raid chemical science facility.
[color=f7941d]July 9th, 2109:[/color] Rioting escalates, rioters begin killing each other.
[color=f7941d]July 11th, 2109:[/color] Military calls in air support. Helicopters gun down rioters in the street.
[color=f7941d]July 14th, 2109:[/color] The spreading fire is contained and put out in Tucson, AZ.
[color=f7941d]July 21st, 2109:[/color] Rioting dissipates, leaving thousands dead and twice that wounded.
[color=f7941d]July 25th, 2109:[/color] Over half the wounded moved to unknown locations.
[color=f7941d]August 17th, 2109:[/color] "Shrieking Monster" reported by local news, Fallon, Nevada. 
[color=f7941d]September 24th, 2109:[/color] Military briefly seen in Fallon, NV. Locals report gunfire throughout the night, and animalistic screaming.
[color=f7941d]October 31st, 2109:[/color] A series of brutal murders occur through the course of the night in Sacremento, California.
[color=f7941d]November 1st, 2109:[/color] Military combs areas of attack. Murders continue through the night.
[color=f7941d]November 5th, 2109:[/color] A team of murderers convicted and await trial. Suspects reported to be activists from Tucson, AZ.
[color=f7941d]December 8th, 2109:[/color] Local Biology teacher adopts "Miracle Monkey" from animal shelter, Phoenix, AZ. 
[color=f7941d]December 25th, 2109:[/color] "Miracle Monkey" reported missing, Biology teacher claims the monkey (A chimpanzee) tore the front door down to get away. Fears for public safety. 
[color=f7941d]January 1st, 2110:[/color] "Project: Greenwater" announced at scientific conference utalizing "X-2B", which is described as a "Miracle Gene".
[color=f7941d]January 31st, 2110:[/color] Weather tower installed in Death Valley, Nevada to inject "Miracle Gene" into the atmosphere.[/color]
[color=f7941d]February 5th, 2110:[/color] Death Valley becomes a lush, tropical paradise. Area quarantined off for scientific research and development.
[color=f7941d]July 1st, 2110:[/color] Project Greenwater declared a success. Plans arise to install more weather control towers. U.S begins soliciting weather and environmental control services to other nations. 
[color=f7941d]November 14th, 2110:[/color] United States declared to have hit a "Golden Age" as the economy stabilizes, and soars due to the Weather Development Program.
[color=f7941d]December 23rd, 2110:[/color] Announcement from the W.D.P that currently, Two hundred and Twenty-Six environmental control towers exist across the globe and will become operational at the beginning of the new year. The W.D.P (Weather Development Program) and E.C.S (Environmental Control Services) urge citizens to prepare for a global revolution of nature as we know it.
[color=f7941d]January 1st 2111:[/color] The global weather and environmental control program is initialized and the towers are turned on. Heavy rains reported in Saudi Arabia. A devastating hurricane in Florida suddenly ends. Arctic Blizzards cease, Typhoons decrease in intensity. The world rejoices.
[color=f7941d]January 2nd 2111:[/color] The world ends overnight. 
[/hider][hider=The Aftermath]
[color=linen][color=f7941d]January 3rd, 2111:[/color] Utility services shut off. Infrastructure breaks down. Governments, and societies, collapse. The struggle for survival has begun.
[color=f7941d]January 11th, 2111:[/color] Blackwater falls from the sky killing anybody who drinks it. Shortly after, bursts of flora begin erupting and growing to wild and out of control proportions. Unknown species have grown, some are hostile.
[color=f7941d]January 16th 2111:[/color] Wild Growth of flora stops on the fifth day of black rain, which also stops. Entire cities seem to have been "reclaimed" by nature and seem to mimic a tropical biome.
[color=f7941d]January 17th 2111:[/color] Floral growth continues at a severely increased, but manageable rate. It's not nearly as bad as it was during the black rain. 
[color=f7941d]January 21st 2111:[/color] Unknown creature sightings are reported over private, still functional networks. Remaining scientists theorize rapid mutation and evolution, possibly linked to the black rain.
[color=f7941d]January 25th 2111:[/color] Water sources from rivers, lakes, and wells reported black in color, and are 100% lethal to humans, but some reports of creatures drinking the black water have surfaced. The world's oceans reported to remain unaffected by the black water.
[color=f7941d]February 16th 2111:[/color] Mass migrations reported to coastal areas as uncontaminated water becomes harder to find. Denizens focus areas that desalinize saltwater. Areas becoming crowded, hostilities rise over the increasingly scarce resource. 
[color=f7941d]March 2nd, 2111:[/color] [i]"Normal"[/i] rainfall occurs in several areas. Desperate citizens report water is drinkable. 
[color=f7941d]March 5th, 2111:[/color] Homesteading trends as people seek to build homes in areas where they can collect rainwater and get away from the densely crowded, and often dangerous survivor centers.
[color=f7941d]March 22nd, 2111:[/color] A broadcast begins playing on a loop in areas surrounding Washington State of a place called "Refuge". Described as a survivor center offering shelter and relative safety for survivors until they reach full capacity, approximately 1,200 people—Though they have plans to expand. Survivors must be willing to work towards the betterment of the community.
[/color][/hider][/indent]
[/hider][hider=Observations of Ghouls][color=linen]
[color=lightgreen][b][u] •Overview• [/u][/b][/color][indent]
Increasingly referred to simply as "Ghouls", the "undead" that plague us are not actually dead, nor are they technically alive. It's something in between, as far as I've observed. It appears that, as we call it, the Blackwater virus is able to read, store, and replicate genetic information. This particular strain of the virus self-replicates, and bonds with itself to reanimate the body. This stand alone reproductive ability is what keeps the cadaver from deteriorating or requiring sustenance, though they do stink of death and rot. Since the body does not eat, I am unsure as to why these ghouls are predatory at all. Ghouls will hunt any living creature, I suspect they are able to detect fresh blood within their prey, but this theory requires further testing and subjects are.. hard to come by. However, ghouls do not just hunt us. They will attack other creatures as well, at night.

During the day, ghouls flee indoors. Another conundrum, as exposure to sunlight doesn't actually seem to be particularly harmful. Ghouls display pack-like behavior, in which they will have an area marked as their "den", and will group there. There is no feud between packs, that I have observed, as members interchange frequently, but still seem to find acceptance in their new den. When a group becomes too large for their den, members will break off and form another pack, and find another den. At night, they also roam as a pack and utilize the other variants to fill special roles. More on that below.

Ghouls do not feel pain and they do not tire. They have good hearing, and seem to have decent sight capabilities in the night. They are able to traverse obstacles, but are unable to perform simple tasks; such as turning a doorknob. Unfortunately, ghouls are rather strong and will throw themselves headfirst against their obstacles, only the toughest of which can hold them off. Most ghouls can jump and climb as well. If their target is lost for a few minutes, they will lose interest and regroup. A warning for you Reader, ghouls will sprint to their fullest capabilities to catch you. They are also attracted to lights and will stay around them (during the night) for as long as they are on. It is unknown why they do this, but it seems this tactic could serve as a potential way to control their movements at night and document their positions. Unfortunately, lights will not help you if they are already hunting you.

Ghoul bites will not result in immediate death, but will transmit the virus. It's only upon actual death that an infected person will appear to reanimate.[/indent]

[color=lightgreen][b][u] •Known Variations• [/u][/b][/color][indent]
[color=lightcoral]• Ghoul[/color][indent]
Your average reanimated cadaver with moderately good hearing and sight. They exhibit the full capabilities of the average human body in regards to their strength, speed, and endurance. Ghouls can be killed by sustaining enough damage or by interrupting the connection to the brain; either by destroying the cranium or severing it off at the neck.

The standard ghoul is pretty much used as a deadly wall of flesh and claw.[/indent]
[color=lightcoral]• Runner[/color][indent]
Much faster than your average ghoul, Runners are comparable to trained athletes. They can easily outrun your average survivor, however, they are much weaker than the standard ghoul. This variant is observed to be thinner and lankier.

Runners are used to chase down prey while the rest of the herd catches up. They are also the only ghoul that will, simply put, use "Parkour" to catch a target.
[/indent]
[color=lightcoral]• Berserker[/color][indent]
The exact opposite of a runner, Bersekers are the stronger, slower variant. They are also observed to typically be taller and stand a foot taller than the standard ghoul, at minimum. There have been reports of berserkers standing around nine feet in height. Berserkers can withstand a lot of punishment, and can smash through fortifications given enough time. Berserkers are noted to be larger and much bulkier than the standard ghoul.

Berserkers are used as the siege weapon to assault fortifications and take down armored targets. However, they are not opposed to crushing smaller targets.   
[/indent]
[color=lightcoral]• Stalker[/color][indent]
A quadrupedal ghoul that crawls on all four limbs, the stalker is something straight out a children's nightmare. Stalkers aren't very fast, nor are they very strong, but they can climb any surface with methodical precision. However, you are unlikely to see a stalker before you hear it. Stalkers live up to their name by quite literally stalking their prey. They emit an audible "clicking" noise when stalking, which serves two purposes; The first is as a fear tactic to panic their target; The second is to alert the other ghouls to their position.

Stalkers are an infiltration based ghoul, used to get inside and either kill their prey, or incite panic as the rest of their pack catches up.  
[/indent]
[/indent][/color]

[center][color=lightgreen][b]< Article by Dr. Presley Blanchard >[/b][/color][/center]
[/hider][hider=Weapons and Technology][indent] 
[hider=Weaponry]
[color=linen][color=lightgreen][b][u] •Projectile Systems• [/u][/b][/color]
[indent][color=yellowgreen]•Ballistic:[/color] Handguns, Rifles, and Shotguns are common among the normal populace. Automatic Weaponry is much less common. Heavy Ordnance and Military Grade equipment are rare to come by naturally: Things such as Heavy Machine Guns, Explosives, Rocket and Grenade Launchers, and so forth. Ask the GM for a permit before acquiring. Despite these limitations, many things exist in a homemade form, often times referred to as "Scrap"/"Scrapper", as their origin primarily comes from spare parts, or scrap. Eg; "Scrap Pistol".

[color=yellowgreen]•Laser:[/color] Quite rare, and did not exist as a standard for conventional weaponry when the world ended. However, in the months leading up to mankind's end prototypes did exist. In the months after, Laser weaponry will see a rise in use, but some of these weapons and devices can be dangerous and unstable. The technology was primarily applied to practical utility use, which was common among the pre-era's industry. Such things as small laser cutters no bigger than a pen, human recognition interfaces, and other smaller tools such as laser tipped rods designed for punching holes through metal, or laser edged scalpels.  Electromagnetic control is typically used to "bend" the laser and make it hold a shape.

[color=yellowgreen]•Plasma:[/color] Other than plasma cutting and welding, Plasma is a highly experimental form of weaponry. The most common application pre-era was use in a flamethrower type device, called the plasma thrower, wherein the flame was more like a hot, burning goo (that was also on fire). Actual "Plasma Guns" did not see use by the time civilization ended, though prototypes were developed.[/indent]

[color=lightgreen][u][b] •Grades of Ammunition• [/b][/u][/color]
[indent][color=yellowgreen]•Scrap:[/color] Homemade rounds. Cheap, common, but weak. This also includes "Scrap Cells" for poorly made, shoddy laser weapons.

[color=yellowgreen]•Scavenged:[/color] Pre-era manufactured bullets and cells. Still leagues better than scrap.

[color=yellowgreen]•"Mako":[/color] A term construed from "Maker's Rounds", which in turn was a reference to [i]Lani B. Maker[/i]: Who is accredited with being one of the first post-era manufacturers of actually decent bullets. Bullets that were so good, they were comparable to the Pre-era manufactured rounds. Nowadays, "Mako" refers to a higher quality of homemade bullet.

[color=yellowgreen]•Military:[/color] Military Grade Rounds and battery cells are scarce, and very expensive. The upside is that they are very powerful.[/indent] 

[color=lightgreen][u][b] •Types of Ammunition• [/b][/u][/color]
[color=lightgray][sup][i]If your character is only using standard ammunition, there's no need to clarify—It will be assumed.[/i][/sup][/color]
[indent][color=yellowgreen]•AP Round:[/color] Armor Piercing; High velocity rounds with a strong tip, designed to penetrate through armored targets.
	
[color=yellowgreen]•HP Round:[/color] Hollow Point; Rounds with an indented tip, designed to create large, messy holes in softer targets.

[color=yellowgreen]•Incendiary Round:[/color] Pretty self explanatory, a bullet that can set flammable materials on fire. 

[color=yellowgreen]•LC Cell:[/color] Low-Charge Battery Cell, for laser weaponry. Meant to stun, rather than kill. 

[color=yellowgreen]I-Cell:[/color] Incendiary Battery Cell; the optical beam is emitted at such a high temperature that it can set targets on fire (Assuming you hit flammable material). 

[color=yellowgreen]HC-Cell:[/color] A cell of highly concentrated power, meant to give laser weaponry armor piercing power.

[color=yellowgreen]Plasma Tank:[/color] A 2-gallon tank designed to fit Plasma Flamers, despite the smallish size it has a relatively good life for continual use. 
[/indent]

[color=lightgreen]•Other Weapons:[/color]
[indent]There are many other weapons within the world, but I will not list them all here (Yet). Use your creativity, dashed with some realism. For prototype or experimental guns just talk it over with me first. Also, it's alright to assume things exist within the world like; plasma grenades, shrapnel grenades, EMP weapons, pointy things on sticks, and etc.[/indent][/color]
[/hider][hider=Pre-Era Technology][color=linen]
[color=Khaki][b][u]•Energy•[/u][/b][/color]
[indent][color=lemonchiffon]•Solar:[/color] Solar energy collecting panels that became widespread by the end of the twenty-first century. Solar panels have become integrated into many homes and businesses, and have achieved a modern, compact design. Rather than an entire roof littered with them, smaller panels can be found strategically positioned to keep from being unsightly. Two or Three of these panels can easily power a home.

[color=lemonchiffon]•Hydro-Electric:[/color] Turbines spun by underwater currents of the ocean produce large quantities of power, which paved the way for making fossil fuels obsolete. Large underwater plants are scattered along the coastlines, housing hundreds of these turbines.

[color=lemonchiffon]•Power Plants:[/color] Electricity created through nuclear energy, methane, natural gas, coal, oil, etc, that turns water into steam to turn the turbines. Many of these methods were done away with in favor of hydro-electric power, more specifically the non-renewable sources.

[color=lemonchiffon]•Wind Turbines:[/color] Another method of power collection that saw a popular rise in the earlier years of the twenty-first century. However, before they could really catch on and become produced en masse, hydro-electric power began trending and overtook the green energy movements. In reality, only a handful of "Wind Farms" exist across the U.S.[/indent]
	      
[color=coral][b][u]•Robotics and Cybernetics•[/u][/b][/color]
[indent][color=lightsalmon]•Home A.I:[/color] An expensive and uncommon feature, the Home A.I can do just about anything when integrated into a home or business: From turning on the lights, to turning off the stove, it can lock your doors, open windows, regulate tempurate, keep an eye on your children, set calendar dates, take notes, give you reminders monitor vitals, and much more. The Home A.I is basically "Siri" for your house—But smarter and less sassy.

[color=lightsalmon]•Security:[/color] Unfortunately, there are no laser defense grids for your lawn, but most locks have been converted to ancient tumbler locks, to electronic locks that use key pins, laser eye recognition,  fingerprint scanners, or even full body scans. Some security systems use a combination of these things. Fingerprint scanners were especially popular for personal storage, such as locked drawers, or briefcases. Tumbler locks are considered ancient, and are rarely found anywhere.

[color=lightsalmon]•Robots:[/color] Very rare, and even then they are generally not used by the public—Not since the "Personal Butler Uprising". However, automated robotics are widespread, such as assembling machines for manufacturing plants, and primarily only exist for industrial use. A person who owns an actual automaton with a functioning A.I is about the same as a pre-era rich guy buying endangered animals.

[color=lightsalmon]•Cybernetics:[/color] Advancements here have led to fully functional robotic limb and organs, for those who have lost their biological ones or simply desire an upgrade. The functionality ranges, and maintenance depends on the quality of the mechanical limb. Because of the complexity of these limbs, it's difficult to achieve things like inhuman strength, despite some higher quality models of limbs being quite strong. However, typically in higher end cybernetics there is some small amount of free space, so small tools and devices could be incorporated.
[/indent]
[color=00aeef][u][b] •Genomics and Medicine• [/b][/u][/color]
[indent][color=powderblue]•Compound Pills:[/color] A compound is a pill designed to treat a wide range of problems at the same time, but contained in a single capsule. TYpically, these pills are geared towards their respective end of the medicinal spectrum. Vitapills pretty much cover your essential daily intake of vitamins and minerals, and those other oddball extracts and supplements that people were into. Immunizers updated your vaccines and helped prevent illness and disease. The crisis pill, used by emergency responders, included a combination of pain killers, antibiotics, coagulants, and etc to help stabilize patient en route to the hospital. A wide range of compound pills exist.

[color=powderblue]•Imagery:[/color] The enormous and bulky imaging devices for cat-scans and x-rays are a thing of the distant past. Now internal imaging devices, resembling slightly larger laptops, can be used on the fly and require no additional equipment. These "Scanners" come equipped with an extending pen sized wand which emits a laser curtain equal to the size of the wands length. The laser curtain is intended to be scanned over the body slowly, and depending on the selected mode, will produce the desired visuals on the scanner. The wand is also wireless, but has a short range, and requires only a few micro-cells.[/indent][/color]  
[/hider][/indent][/hider]