Sticks And Stones

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Science Fantasy - Post-Apocalypse - Adventure - Political Intrigue
Crumbling towers of rusted steel and broken glass reach high into the heavens, standing as stark sentinels of a bygone age. Chariots with wheels of rubber and chassis of broken iron fill unwalked roads, and cities of impossible construction stretch for miles upon miles- empty of any signs of life. Save, of course, for the Broken. Those terrible creatures of fang and claw that crawl in the darkest corners of the old world, their hives nestled in the tall towers and under the bridges of stone. Only the bravest knights or the most desperate adventurers would dare to invade the lands of the Broken, and a scarce few of them ever return.
No one remembers what destroyed the world. Perhaps it was a war that encompassed every nation and every people, where weapons of incredible destructive power were unleashed, and everything was wiped out. Perhaps disease, unknowable and incurable, spread about the land and wrought the hand of death on all that drew breath. Or perhaps it was the arrival of the Broken that claimed the lives of the Before Men. Or maybe it was none of these things. By some awful chance, it could be a combination of all of them. No one knows for sure. Even the eldest scribes and the most traveled storytellers only know tiny pieces of what the old world was like. Wild tales of fantasy had intermingled with the truth down the ages, deluding what was known with stories of ancient powers and cruel gods.
Its rebirth is similarly surrounded by a veil of mystery. It is known that all life came to an end, but something...something brought it back. Some unknown force reached down into the radiation-ridden muck of the earth and dragged forth the next generation of men. It pressed into their unbeating chests the power that would forever change the world: Magic. A gift barely understood by those that wield it, magic was the only thing that kept man alive. It cut through the darkness, drove off the beasts that nipped at man's heels, gathered people together and allowed them to climb out from the pits of hell that their ancestors had damned them to so long ago.
Thousands of years have passed, and mankind has returned to its old ways. Violence reigns as the Delphi Imperia seeks to conquer land further to the west, mustering its armies and preparing yet another campaign. The League of Free Cities scrambles to shore up its defenses, knowing all too well that the Iron Legions of Delphi would have little trouble besting the League's mercenary armies and citizen soldiers. Desperate to tip the scales in their favor, Praetor and its allies began to pour their great wealth into expeditions into the ruins of the Old World. They believe their salvation lies in those ancient ruins, that some great weapon of the Before Men might be used to turn the Iron Legions to ash and save the League from certain destruction.
No one remembers what destroyed the world. Perhaps it was a war that encompassed every nation and every people, where weapons of incredible destructive power were unleashed, and everything was wiped out. Perhaps disease, unknowable and incurable, spread about the land and wrought the hand of death on all that drew breath. Or perhaps it was the arrival of the Broken that claimed the lives of the Before Men. Or maybe it was none of these things. By some awful chance, it could be a combination of all of them. No one knows for sure. Even the eldest scribes and the most traveled storytellers only know tiny pieces of what the old world was like. Wild tales of fantasy had intermingled with the truth down the ages, deluding what was known with stories of ancient powers and cruel gods.
Its rebirth is similarly surrounded by a veil of mystery. It is known that all life came to an end, but something...something brought it back. Some unknown force reached down into the radiation-ridden muck of the earth and dragged forth the next generation of men. It pressed into their unbeating chests the power that would forever change the world: Magic. A gift barely understood by those that wield it, magic was the only thing that kept man alive. It cut through the darkness, drove off the beasts that nipped at man's heels, gathered people together and allowed them to climb out from the pits of hell that their ancestors had damned them to so long ago.
Thousands of years have passed, and mankind has returned to its old ways. Violence reigns as the Delphi Imperia seeks to conquer land further to the west, mustering its armies and preparing yet another campaign. The League of Free Cities scrambles to shore up its defenses, knowing all too well that the Iron Legions of Delphi would have little trouble besting the League's mercenary armies and citizen soldiers. Desperate to tip the scales in their favor, Praetor and its allies began to pour their great wealth into expeditions into the ruins of the Old World. They believe their salvation lies in those ancient ruins, that some great weapon of the Before Men might be used to turn the Iron Legions to ash and save the League from certain destruction.
The Setting/Worldbuilding

The known world is split into several regions, though our story will be focusing on just one of those regions: The Southland.
The Southland encompasses everything below the snow-covered north, east of the Impassable Mountains, and north of the Scorch. The Southland has resources in abundance, with extensive forests, rolling hills, and rich soil. This abundance drove much of the reborn mankind into the Southland, and thousands of years later they continue to squabble among one another for its riches and wealth. Though hundreds of city-states, tribes and petty kingdoms dot the countryside, the five major powers hold most of the sway.
Beyond the Northland are the Frozen Wastes, where Canada, Alaska, and Greenland once were. There is little in the way of civilized life in the Frozen Wastes, with only a few tribes of hardy nomads daring to risk the arctic frost that has turned away weaker men. Some who live on the borders of the Frozen Wastes whisper of a large gathering of Wastefolk known as the Oathhorde. Supposedly they are made up of giants and beasts with strange, monstrous appearances and a taste for human flesh, though no one has any real proof of their existence. They're a folk story as far as most of the world is concerned.
Little is known about what lies to the south of the Kingdom of Dall. The Riogra River blocks all travel, save for those most prepared for what lies beneath those vile waves. It stretches from coast to coast, sinking deeper into the earth than any river should. Broken lie within its deceptively calm waters. Those demonic creatures drag all who attempt to travel across it into the depths where they vanish forever, never to be seen again. Only a choice few brave adventurers have ever attempted to cross it, and those that do never come back. Myth says that the Southlands are full of impossible riches and cities made of gold, and that's why none return. Other legends tell of the Southlands as being the true home of the Broken, saying it is a place of vile magic and evil that slaughters all who enter it. No one knows for sure, and all expeditions to prove either myth true have failed spectacularly.
The Southland encompasses everything below the snow-covered north, east of the Impassable Mountains, and north of the Scorch. The Southland has resources in abundance, with extensive forests, rolling hills, and rich soil. This abundance drove much of the reborn mankind into the Southland, and thousands of years later they continue to squabble among one another for its riches and wealth. Though hundreds of city-states, tribes and petty kingdoms dot the countryside, the five major powers hold most of the sway.
Beyond the Northland are the Frozen Wastes, where Canada, Alaska, and Greenland once were. There is little in the way of civilized life in the Frozen Wastes, with only a few tribes of hardy nomads daring to risk the arctic frost that has turned away weaker men. Some who live on the borders of the Frozen Wastes whisper of a large gathering of Wastefolk known as the Oathhorde. Supposedly they are made up of giants and beasts with strange, monstrous appearances and a taste for human flesh, though no one has any real proof of their existence. They're a folk story as far as most of the world is concerned.
Little is known about what lies to the south of the Kingdom of Dall. The Riogra River blocks all travel, save for those most prepared for what lies beneath those vile waves. It stretches from coast to coast, sinking deeper into the earth than any river should. Broken lie within its deceptively calm waters. Those demonic creatures drag all who attempt to travel across it into the depths where they vanish forever, never to be seen again. Only a choice few brave adventurers have ever attempted to cross it, and those that do never come back. Myth says that the Southlands are full of impossible riches and cities made of gold, and that's why none return. Other legends tell of the Southlands as being the true home of the Broken, saying it is a place of vile magic and evil that slaughters all who enter it. No one knows for sure, and all expeditions to prove either myth true have failed spectacularly.
OOC Information

Welcome to Sticks And Stones, a far future Science Fantasy Roleplay set in what was once the United States. I will be your guide in your travels across this strange land wrought with danger, mystery, and adventure. Here are a few things you should know about Sticks and Stones before we continue:
-If I was to give this RP a level, it'd be somewhere around High Casual.
-I'm looking for at least four adventurers to take up this quest, though I won't be putting a cap on the number of applicants unless things get absurd. My usual rule of thumb is the more the merrier, and I will more than likely keep the RP open even after we have started. It may be difficult to join in at certain points, but I will do my best to work everyone in.
-I'd like applicants to be in it for the long haul. Posts may come slower than in some other RPs since things like school, work, or other real-life obligations can get in the way of writing. Anyone coming in should be prepared for that, and patience for your fellow writers is necessary. With that said, I'd like that we at least stay in contact so that everyone knows we're all still in the game. I ask that a weekly update is given, either in the form of a post or informing us that you won't be able to post this week. How we'll proceed when someone drops or if they have a long absence will be discussed when we come to it, though if you can't be active for a long amount of time your character may be skipped over so that the story can continue moving. A postless RP quickly becomes a dead one, after all.
-Length isn't too important to me, but substance is. All posts should offer something that others can react to or work off of. If your last post could be deleted and it wouldn't affect the scene in the slightest, something's gone wrong. In general, one-liners or very short posts that offer little in the way of substance are frowned upon. Don't feel the need to rush out a short post. You've got at least a week to write one, after all!
-When we start out, everyone will be allowed one character. As things move forward this may change, but I would like for us to keep things small and laser focused when we first begin.
-General rules for the site and Roleplaying, in general, apply, obviously. Basically: smut/+18 situations are mandatory fade to black, treat everyone else involved in the game well, and don't power/meta/god game, and all that jazz. The RP will touch on mature themes like violence and may go into detail, so just keep that in mind before applying.
-The beginning premise of Sticks And Stones is that we are a party of adventurers brought together by special order of the king. We will be sent into the remains of the city of Dallas in search of still-working artifacts from the old world.
-I'm looking for at least four adventurers to take up this quest, though I won't be putting a cap on the number of applicants unless things get absurd. My usual rule of thumb is the more the merrier, and I will more than likely keep the RP open even after we have started. It may be difficult to join in at certain points, but I will do my best to work everyone in.
-I'd like applicants to be in it for the long haul. Posts may come slower than in some other RPs since things like school, work, or other real-life obligations can get in the way of writing. Anyone coming in should be prepared for that, and patience for your fellow writers is necessary. With that said, I'd like that we at least stay in contact so that everyone knows we're all still in the game. I ask that a weekly update is given, either in the form of a post or informing us that you won't be able to post this week. How we'll proceed when someone drops or if they have a long absence will be discussed when we come to it, though if you can't be active for a long amount of time your character may be skipped over so that the story can continue moving. A postless RP quickly becomes a dead one, after all.
-Length isn't too important to me, but substance is. All posts should offer something that others can react to or work off of. If your last post could be deleted and it wouldn't affect the scene in the slightest, something's gone wrong. In general, one-liners or very short posts that offer little in the way of substance are frowned upon. Don't feel the need to rush out a short post. You've got at least a week to write one, after all!
-When we start out, everyone will be allowed one character. As things move forward this may change, but I would like for us to keep things small and laser focused when we first begin.
-General rules for the site and Roleplaying, in general, apply, obviously. Basically: smut/+18 situations are mandatory fade to black, treat everyone else involved in the game well, and don't power/meta/god game, and all that jazz. The RP will touch on mature themes like violence and may go into detail, so just keep that in mind before applying.
-The beginning premise of Sticks And Stones is that we are a party of adventurers brought together by special order of the king. We will be sent into the remains of the city of Dallas in search of still-working artifacts from the old world.













