[center] In the Winter of 2066, Anchorage was fought over and taken by the Chinese. It was taken back on January 10,  2077, then abandoned almost completely. Those who remained struggled to rebuild their broken society, and the first major faction within Anchorage was born. The loyal band of followers, formed under the care of the Fairview family, was aptly named the Fairview Followers. This band of wanderers thrived in the few months before the Great War, and even after the radioactive dust from the nukes in the southern states cleared, the people of Fairview continued to live happily in their little corner of the world, occupying much of downtown Anchorage and providing people a safe place to rest on their journey, or even make their home.
 Alaska remained mostly untouched by the nuclear fallout that ruined the rest of the country, why that is is certainly not a mystery. Anchorage had already been beaten into the ground, and most of the buildings had been reduced to not much more than piles of rubble, so it’s no surprise that China decided not to waste any more of their precious weapons on an already ruined city. Shockwaves from the bombs hit Anchorage, but most people in Alaska are no strangers to earthquakes, though these were, decidedly, a bit higher on the Richter Scale than the normal quakes.
 It was in the months to come that the dangers of post-apocalyptia became apparent. Though radiation levels in the very center of Anchorage were moderate, the rest of the city remained relatively safe from rad damage, until the rain began to fall. Throughout the month of November the entire state was submerged in a torrential downpour of black rain, which came up from the south and saturated the soil in radiation, increasing the radiation levels throughout the land.
When the radioactive downpour finally ceased, Anchorage had lost many more citizens, and -save for a select few that were preserved from the rain- those who hadn’t perished were so soaked with radiation that they would be transformed into ghouls over time.
Years after the rain had washed the rubble of the once bright beacon that was Anchorage, a new creature began to make it’s presence known among the townspeople. It crept in the shadows, preying on unsuspecting citizens, both human and ghoul alike. The bodies were never found, but many have ideas on where in the wastes they may have been taken away to. Vault 113, one of two vaults around Anchorage, seemed to be the most popular opinion, though none were brave enough to make the journey and find out. Rumor hinted at the vault being off the west coast of Anchorage, on what used to be Fire Island, back before the war.
The island sure was a fiery one during the battle. The entire landscape could be seen from the mainland and was engulfed in a glowing red haze of smoke with the occasional lick of flame visible amongst the burning timbers. Embers, still hot from the fire, drifted from the island all the way to the mainland, littering the ground in ash, and causing miniature blazes in dry patches on the coast. When the fires faded and the smoke cleared, the only thing that seemed to remain of the island was a blank black landscape, speckled with the skeletons of trees and piles of charred lumber from what used to be cabins used by hunters.
The island seems to be uninhabited now, but it's unknown if creatures still roam there.

Attacks are growing more frequent, and whatever is lurking in the shadows is becoming increasingly careless- leaving mangled bodies behind. They litter the streets and more turn up dead each week. The problem has caused the factions to team up, selecting members to participate in a potentially deadly mission of discovery. It's assumed that whatever the creature is, it originated somewhere on Fire Island. The team's job is to make their way across the Northern Wastes, and then find a way to cross the stretch of water separating the mainland from the island. Finally, they are to search the island for answers and return to their respective factions, hopefully with answers, and a plan to take out the creature.[/center]

You can play essentially as anything in the Fallout universe. All spots are unlimited right now, with the exception of the human spots on the discovery team.
-A human in any faction, [b][i]except[/i][/b] the Armed Forces and Vault 109*
-A human wanderer
-A Ghoul living in civilization
-A Ghoul living in the wastes
-A Super Mutant

*You may make a character from vault 109, but the character will be unplayable until the discovery team visits the vault. At that point you could join in with said character and tag along with the team as they head to Fire Island.


[b]Discovery Team Members[/b]
-Rabbit Creek (2 Open) Jennifer, X
-Fairview (2 Open) Big Guy, Maxwell
-Ravens (2 Open) X, X
-Northern Providence (1 Open) Maddie, X

[b]Characters[/b]
-Maddison Grace Green
-Jennifer Wolgast
-Uncle Rots
-Big Guy
-Maxwell Hendirkson


This roleplay will focus a lot on character relations in addition to action, so character sheets don't need to be nearly as detailed as they usually would be for a typical casual roleplay. For most questions you can get away with using one or two word answers. That being said, you're welcome to put more work into your CS if you feel it is necessary.
You're also welcome to change/remove parts of the base CS that is given, so long as you provide general information. If you're unsure of whether or not a section is entirely necessary, simply ask.

[hider=Character Sheet]
NAME_HERE
[hider=General Information]
Name:
Nicknames:
Sex:
Orientation:
Age:
Living Relatives:
Romantic Partner(s):
Discovery Team? (yes or no)[/hider]
[hider=Physical Appearance]
Hair Color/Style:
Eye Color/Shape:
Face Shape:
Skin Tone:
Height:
Weight:
Body Type:[/hider]
[hider=Traits]
Optimist or Pessimist?
Introvert or Extrovert?
Daredevil or Cautious?
Messy or Neat?
Hard Worker or Slacker?
Honest or Deceitful?
Peaceful or Easily Agitated?[/hider]
[hider=Other]
Faction: (if applicable)
Job Within Faction: (if applicable, can be basically anything but think about what would be useful in a post-apocalyptic world)
Traveling Companion: (animal only)
Skills: (top 3, tag skills like in FO3)
S.P.E.C.I.A.L Stats: (Total of 40)
Weapon of Choice: (up to 2)[/hider]
[/hider]


[hider=Guidelines]
I've done a fair amount of research, and by that I mean pouring through literally hours of lore, to ensure that most of the Fallout-based parts of this roleplay stay true to their roots. That being said, you will have to bear with me and be more-or-less flexible when it comes to the lore. Not everything is 100% true to cannon, but it should all be fairly lore-friendly. In a few words: [b]be flexible[/b].

Next, and probably my biggest pet-peeve of all time, [b]please at least attempt to use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation[/b]. For the love of all things good and mighty DO NOT use text talk when you're roleplaying here.

As far as post size goes, I'm not going to be overly critical, but it shouldn't be too difficult to come up with a couple beefy paragraphs per character. I understand that writer's block happens to the best of us, but let's not make it the norm. One final note about posts and writing, please use curse words sparingly. I don't really mind them so much, but there are many that do. I know the Fallout franchise doesn't exactly have a filter, but please try to censor yourself here, and don't go overboard with the vulgar language.

The rest of these are a given, but I'm going to say them anyway, just because I can. Please don't abandon the roleplay (duh), and don't leave other folks behind (i.e. two people posting 3+ pages of their characters while everyone else is offline). If you find that your characters are going off into their own little world and you [i]need[/i] to keep roleplaying you can take it to PMs and just give all of us a brief summary when other people get back online.
As always, all site rules apply. If you have any sort of smut or romance, take it off the public forum.
No racial slurs or derogatory terms for people.
Try not to go too over the top with graphic violence, though violence will likely be a common theme, I mean this is the wasteland, folks.

That's about it for the guidelines. Notice they're guidelines and not rules, because rules are for children and we're all mature enough to follow guidelines without having to resort to actual 'rules', right?
[/hider]


Locations
[hider=Map]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/a97BdSD.png[/img]
[/hider]

[hider=Vault 109]
NAME: Vault 109
LEADER: N/A
LOCATION: South of Anchorage
ALLIES: None
Vault Tec’s underground bunkers that were built in the States promised to provide a safe place for citizens to hide away from the nuclear war that would soon rage overhead. The Enclave, however, had a different idea for their use. They were in charge of the social experiments that would be carried out within the vaults, because they saw the majority of humanity as expendable, and viewed themselves as the only pure peoples. Of the 122 known vaults, only 17 were exempt from the experimentation, and of those, many of them were not properly created or didn’t contain the supplies promised that was needed to keep the citizens alive for the years they would spend underground. This resulted in most people dying off, thanks to malfunctioning vaults, or succumbing to the harsh wasteland if they dared venture outside.
The vaults in Alaska promised the public a similar idea, safety from war. They were created to shelter citizens before the battle over Anchorage began, and harbored many, giving them hope for their future in the state. The Enclave had ulterior motives behind these vaults as well, and many of them were used to test out a virus known as Limit 115. Limit 115, also known as the Blue Flu, was intended to create a new breed of humanity, a sort of super soldier that could be used to fight back against the China as they swept through Alaska. Not surprisingly, the single vault in Anchorage was used as a testing facility for scientists working on the Blue Flu, and the subjects of Vault 109 were used as the essential component to their malicious experiments.
A lot of the experimental procedures were a complete and total failure, leaving a large number of the dwellers hideously deformed, or utterly brain dead. Turned into vegetables by the serum which promised to make them smarter, faster, and stronger.
The dwellers who didn't die from the experiments all had extended lifespans, but it is unknown whether or not they're still alive inside the vault.
[/hider]
[hider=Rabbit Creek]
NAME: Creekers [Rabbit Creek Settlers]
LEADER: Andrew James Jonrowe- descendant of DeeDee Jonrowe
LOCATION: Chugiach State Park/Rabbit Creek
HOME BASE: [url=http://imgur.com/TJ9B0oB]Hanshew Middle School[/url]
ALLIES: None, dislikes everyone
The southernmost of all of the factions around Anchorage, this group of self-sustaining bighorner herders keep away from the downtown Wastes, preferring the semi-lush land in what used to be Chugiach State Park. The vast majority of Creekers occupy a school that was once Hanshew Middle School, making their homes and their small school and trading post within the sturdy brick walls. All door with the exception of the main entrance and the side entrance that leads out to the fields are blocked off, keeping outsiders out and Creekers in.
A six-foot-tall wooden fence was constructed around what used to be the school's track and field, and the tamed bighorners are kept within the fence. What fertile soil was left on the school's grounds was turned into gardens... more or less. Crops native to Alaska's harsh conditions are grown there from early spring, and the goods like corn and squash are harvested in the fall. Other things like tomatoes and some types of berries can be picked throughout the summer. Everything is eaten in moderation though, and the ground is still saturated with radiation, and much of the food comes out with interesting and sometimes disturbing mutations. If you're lucky enough to make it to their camp without being shot, a hot meal may be waiting for you. Occasionally a merchant will pass through, trading weapons for fresh fruit or vegetables, but it's rare to find one who hasn't already sold or eaten all the fresh food he got through trading.
[/hider]
[hider=Fairview]
NAME: Fairview
LEADER: Emerald Jean Fairview
LOCATION: Downtown Anchorage
HOME BASE: [url=http://www.alaska.org/photos/gallery3/var/albums/anchorage-photos/Anchorage-Lodging-Anchorage-Alaska/Hotel-Captain-Cook/2012-06.jpg?m=1384469500]Hotel[/url], [url=http://www.michellearab.com/3_projects/anchorage/anchorage.jpg]Museum[/url]
ALLIES: The Ravens
 This faction is generally seen as the friendliest of the Anchorage factions. Located in the gem of Alaska, downtown Anchorage, this lovely mini-city is stocked with enough food, weapons, and supplies to survive a nuclear winter ten times over. In pre-War times the main building for this faction was the largest hotel in Anchorage. Most people who belong to the Fairview faction live in this now-decaying building, which is still extravagant by wasteland wanderer means but is only a shell of what it was in its prime. The Anchorage Museum is the other part of the Fairview base and is home to the wealthiest in the faction, including Ms. Fairview, who runs the faction. The museum also serves a secondary purpose, similar to the one it had back before the war. While many of the precious artifacts were destroyed in the war, or stolen shortly after, the people under Ms, Fairview's control reconstructed the bits and pieces of history left behind closed doors, and then continued the story with paintings and mock weapons from the war and then their own stories of modern time in the Wastes. Upon its completion, the 'new' museum was opened to the public of Fairview and any passersby. The museum became a popular Wasteland tourist attraction and was used to educate the young of Fairview on their people's past.
One thing Emerald Fairview attributes much of her success to is her hotel for ghouls, which she established shortly after establishing herself in downtown. The ghoul presence seemed to be a problem that was hindering progress, so Ms. Fairview cleaned up one of the other hotels in the area and opened the doors to any non-feral ghouls, promising peace and protection for their kind, so long as any feral ghouls were released outside of the faction, or turned over to the security personnel of Fairview for extermination.
[/hider]
[hider=Armed Forces]
NAME: US Armed Forces [Army and Air Force]
LEADER: Unknown
LOCATION: Joint Base Elmendorf-Fort Richardson
HOME BASE: Unknown
ALLIES: Fairview, The Ravens
How the people at Joint Base Elmendorf-Fort Richardson in Anchorage survived the war is a mystery, some believe that the United States Military had secret vaults for their personnel that were put into use as the war raged overhead, but it's never been proven. One thing people are certain of is that the base is impenetrable. The walls are closely guarded and no one goes in or out. Ever. Radio communications indicate that the humans living at the base have been doing just fine since coming out of hiding. They are able to sustain themselves with top secret plant genetic modification with which they grow all of their plant-based foods. Supposedly there is also a herd of mutated cattle, similar to the Brahmin from the states, which were brought down from The Valley, but that's just a rumor.
[/hider]
[hider=The Ravens]
NAME: The Ravens
LEADER: Carl Matthews
LOCATION: [url=http://imgur.com/JHWgFjA]Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport[/url]
HOME BASE: Airport main terminal ‘The Hub’
ALLIES: Fairview
Carl Matthews is the driving force behind The Ravens, who reside in the main terminal of what was previously the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. They now call their home The Hub. This faction is only really friendly with the Fairview faction, but occasionally they welcome traders into their midst, so some of the technology they possess spills out into the wastes. Many years ago they were allied with the Providence, and the knowledge they gained from the use of the Campus Library, combined with the technology at the airport, allowed them the resources to get a handful of vehicles running again. There are three cars remaining at the airport that work; all the rest have broken beyond the repair skills of anyone in the Hub, and the only place they could be fixed is at the Providence. The groups had a falling out a while back, and they aren't exactly civil anymore.
[/hider]
[hider=Northern Providence]
NAME: Northern Providence
LEADER: Professor Samantha Jennifer Green and the Providence Board Members
LOCATION: East Anchorage, mostly just the [url=http://imgur.com/bwrkkZe]campus and hospital[/url]
HOME BASE: Providence Hospital
ALLIES: None, neutral faction, generally helpful
Providence takes its name after the large hospital in Anchorage. The group occupies the hospital as it's base of operations, and their territory also includes the college campus. They're a neutral faction that is generally helpful. They're good with medicine and have the largest amount of doctors and folks who are medically trained. The college campus library is protected by the Providence, and no one comes in or out of the building without written permission from the faction board members. All decisions for the faction and its members are made by the Providence Board Members and the head of the board, Professor Samantha Green.
[/hider]


Creatures
[hider=Northern Deathclaw]
As taken from the Fallout Wikia: “Deathclaws have a hunchbacked, bipedal reptilian build with long humanoid arms. They stand roughly nine to ten feet tall, with a thick and resilient hide, powerful muscles, and twelve-inch-long, razor-sharp claws that can kill almost any other creature in only a few swipes; hence their name. They have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, though their eyesight is poor. Their build gives them incredible speed, agility, and strength in close combat, making them an extreme threat. Though they were originally mutated chameleons, they have lost the ability to camouflage themselves.”
Relatives of their cousins in the South, Northern Deathclaws have the same speed and strength as those in the Lower 48 but are also equipped with a sort of thermal tracking technology. This works only at close range, as their eyesight is already incredibly poor, and is generally used during the apocalyptic winter to track game.
In addition to this, they have a thick coat of fur that grows in the Fall months and keeps them warm over the Winter. Unlike the Yao Guai in the area, Deathclaws don’t hibernate over the winter months, but their metabolism does slow significantly, allowing them to retreat to their dens for weeks at a time when food is scarce. Their coat of 6-8 inch fur is shed at the beginning of Spring, and they regain their ferocious look shared by the Southern relatives.
The Northern Deathclaws also have a few very significant difference from the Southern species: one is that they prefer to live a solitary life. This preference only changes during the mating season, when the males will gather the females in their territory and repopulate. The mothers will then disband after impregnation, and raise their young alone until they can fend for themselves. The other major difference is in their vocalization. Like the Deathclaws in the South, they have some distinct sounds, snarls, growls, and the like. They also have adapted their vocals to mimic animals native to the Alaskan Wasteland. Howling like wolves, grunting like moose, or yipping in high-pitched octaves like foxes are a few of their specialties. Some Deathclaws can go as far as mimicking the voices of humans around them, formulating screams or cries to lure Wastelanders to their deaths.
[/hider]
[hider=Northern Mountain Bighorner]
These mutated sheep are what have become of Alaska’s bighorn sheep. They are very similar to Bighorners in the states, except they have retained the white coat of their relatives. Wild ones don’t come near the city at all, preferring the cliffs on Turnagain Arm to the dangers of pavement and decaying buildings, but the settlers in Rabbit Creek have tamed a handful of the creatures, and breed them, killing them as a source of fresh meat.
[/hider]
[hider=Ghoul]
For those who escaped the initial intense blast of radiation, the future was still grim. Prolonged exposure to radiation and radioactive waste caused severe radiation sickness. This eventually doomed them to a life as a zombie, or ghoul as we call them. The radiation melted off their skin, but also granted them prolonged lifespans, and, in many cases, the ability to regenerate limbs.
There is a single ghoul camp where the sane ones still dwell, but slowly those who can still think for themselves are being lost to the Wastes and turning feral. The ghoul haven is below a hotel in the middle of downtown Anchorage. They are in an alliance with the Fairview faction in downtown Anchorage, and are under their protection, so long as they turn over any feral ghouls to the faction for extermination.
[/hider]
[hider=Super Mutant]
The FEV infection caused a mutation unlike anything anyone had ever seen and created a new breed of humanoid monster known as the Super Mutant. There are two main types of Super Mutants in the contiguous states. The Mariposa mutants are characterized by their grayish-green color and average intelligence. Vault 87’s mutants are mostly yellow with red or green tints and are just mindless brutes.
Super Mutants in the North are few and far between. There is no information on how they made it this far from their ‘home’ in the states, but some suspect that FEV was brought to create super soldiers to fight against China when they were taking Alaska for the first time. While exact numbers are unknown, the estimated count of Super Mutants in Alaska is somewhere around 150. Most Super Mutants live in the middle of Anchorage, between the existing factions. Their skin has taken on an almost black look, and their armor is crafted out of the fur and hides of Deathclaws.
[/hider]
[hider=Arctic Alces]
Distant relatives of the moose, these herbivores have grown in size, to about 2,000lbs, and can be as tall as 9 feet at the shoulder. As the post-apocalyptic winter has grown colder, these creatures have adapted to the near constant chill. Their once short fur has grown to about three inches in length and is shaggy all over their bodies. It's deep brown in color and can be patchy in some places, thanks to radiation triggered skin disorders. Their large rack is used for defense, and the rack spans around 7 feet in a full grown male. These creatures are mostly harmless, only charging when threatened, but when they do charge, stand back! Not only do they have a huge pair of very sharp antlers, their hooves are big and they will trample you if given the chance. Special care should be taken if you come across a cow with her young, as she will defend them fearlessly to her death.
[/hider]
[hider=Dog]
Dogs in Alaska have always been a big part of life, and, thankfully, they have remained mostly unchanged by the radiation. In the states they are used a lot by merchants for protection. A few of the breeds have mutated a little, but only in appearance. Their skin may be slightly discolored, and some fur may be missing, but they are still just as lovable as their normal looking kin.
Some breeds have evolved over the years since the war, digging into their genetic code and extracting their wolf ancestors DNA to pass on to the next generation. This has resulted in the dogs in the North being big. Really big. Some can weigh as much as 200lbs and be as big as a pre-War Shetland pony.
[/hider]
[hider=Burrowing Yao Guai, Giant Yao Guai]
The Yao Guai of the South are descendants of the American Black Bear. Like that species, the Burrowing and Giant Yao Guai are mutation versions of Alaska’s brown and black bears. The difference between the two species in the North is quite noticeable, even from a distance. The ‘burrowing’ species is the black bear, and can be found closer to the city, though not in busy areas, as they prefer to stay a safe distance from humans. They burrow in their dens for much of their time and only venture out to hunt small game such as dogs or mutated fish during dusk.
Giant Yao Guai are much larger, and reddish-brown in color. In most other aspects they resemble their black cousins. They, however, can be found hunting anywhere in their territory, including the city. They roam mostly at night and travel in mated pairs. They have very few predators, seeing as they are the largest of their species and not much has the strength to battle a pair of 1,500lb monsters with gnashing teeth and claws.
[/hider]
[hider=Midnight Raven]
Ravens were mostly unaffected by the radiation, and retain their dark black appearance. The only difference between them and the pre-War ravens is the size. These new birds can weigh as much as 6lbs [for comparison, common pre-War ravens weighed about 3lbs], and have a wingspan of seven feet. Like their predecessors, Midnight Ravens are scavengers, but nowadays they tend to pick up much larger loot.
[/hider]
[hider=Other Common Creatures]
Giant Rad-Rat
Bloodbug
Radstag
[/hider]


[i]This roleplay does not stay completely true to canon. It is set in the Fallout Universe and takes place about 200 years after the war ended.[/i]