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 Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:07 pm
 The year 2006; From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is cast in ruin. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn... A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. Humans are now the endangered species as living myths roam the world (werewolves, vampires, make up your own creatures), hunting them for sport, food and slavery. However mutants and meta-humans have not been exterminated. Their lines continue on against the forces of evil. Terrain;The world of 4006 is a primitive place filled with ruins and destruction. The above-ground environment of the Earth offers its share of obstacles to our brave adventurers as well as dark villians. There are Death Storms with red acid rain that dissolves rock, Negastorms which look much the same as a Death Storm, but with "negative lightning" instead of acid rain, toxic mists, and of course the tried-and-true hazards of Old Earth; murky swamps, impenetrable forests, and trackless waste as far as the eye can see. All buildings, monuments, and structures are worn, withered by time and crumbling with age. Humans;The human population of the Earth is reduced to subsisting off whatever debris is still around 2000 years after cosmic destruction cast civilization into ruins. Civilization fell to pieces 2000 years ago and people still haven't recovered. They dress in rags dating from the late 1900's, they live in ruined buildings from the time of the Cataclysm, and they generally look like refugees from a war zone. Beings and Beasts;The Earth of 4006 is full of nonhuman creatures. Giant rat-things live under cities, giant bear-lizards live in swamps, absolutely huge fire-breathing lava worms burrow through the deep earth, furred serpents with tastes for human flesh and so on. Ape PeopleApe People are lean, furry humanoids with long arms and heads like monkeys. Ape People tend to be jealous of and hostile toward humans, and they are easily roused to violence, but they are just as easily scared off if their victims don't prove to be easy prey. CarocsCarocs are long-tailed reptilian humanoids with scaly green skin, flattened oval heads on their neckless shoulders, and lots of sharp teeth. They are slightly tougher than humans on average, and they are just as mechanically inclined, making them competent competitors for scavenged resources. They generally consider humans and other species inferior to them, and are prone to enslave any other creatures they consider worth enslaving. Desert PeopleDesert People are squat little humanoids around two to three feet tall; they are secretive and dangerous despite their diminutive size. They speak a mumbling, murmuring tongue. Desert People live in tunnel complexes deep underground, although they occasionally come up to the surface world to scavenge supplies or hunt for food. GroundlingsGroundlings are rat-people, depraved and vicious. They typically live in crowded underground warrens. Like Ape People, Groundlings tend to be jealous of and hostile toward Humans, but Groundlings lack even the Ape People's proficiency with technology. Most Groundlings are morally bankrupt: they won't build or create anything if they can steal it, and they enjoy seeing what others have worked for destroyed. Groundlings prefer to attack from ambush, and only if the odds are significantly in their favor, but once they commit to an attack they are persistent and difficult to drive away. Hawk PeopleHawk People appear to be brown-feathered humanoids with hawk-like heads. They speak Human, but have annoying screeching voices. They are wingless, but they have large clawed talons on their hands and feet which allow them to climb swiftly. They also are able to leap great distances, implying a higher muscle mass to weight ratio than is typically found in Humans. Understandably, Hawk People seem to prefer living in rocky areas, and they like heights. Hawk People seem to be more civilized and technically inclined than most mutated beings, although this doesn't imply a higher moral awareness than is found among humans. A favorite weapon among Hawk People is a metal staff with a crescent-shaped pincer on the end. The points of the pincer can stab an opponent, or the Hawk Person can use the pincer to grab and immobilize an opponent to capture them, or just to keep them out of arm's reach. Little PeopleLittle People are squat little humanoids around 60 centimeters tall, possibly related to Desert People. Unlike Desert People, Little People are relatively friendly and outgoing, and live in small villages aboveground. They are industrious people, every bit as mechanically inclined and morally developed as Humans. They can also be just as dangerous when threatened, and tend to be less likely than Humans to capitulate when faced with a superior force. Wizards/Sorcerers/Witches;When life began to emerge on New Earth, magic grew in abundance and intensity. However the moral fiber of the majority of magic wielders is low as the temptations to abuse the power that others do not wield is difficult to resist. Hence many of the cruelest and most domineering tyrants on this world are dangerous sorcerers and witches - leading to a mistrust in most who wield magic.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:10 pm
*A lone figure walks over a vast and destroyed land. He is shrouded with a yellow cloak and his face his covered by a mask designed with what looks like tortured faces. As he walks he looks from side to side as hideous creatures of all shapes and sizes surround him. Some even attack this strange man, but are instantly torn to pieces as they near him. He stops and places his hand on the mask, going through the motion of removing it. The creatures scurry away in fear of this and he removes his hand.
He approaches a large cave and stops infront of the mouth. The outside of the cave is covered in dark and archaic symbols that burn with green fire. He enters the dark tunnle, also covered in symbols similar to the ones outside, and looks around as the screams of a human are heard along with the sounds of bone snapping and flesh ripping. He stops as he comes in the presence of the one he was looking for. The creature is covered by the darkness but the masked man can see it for the beast it is. It has caught a victim and is taking its time feeding.
The masked man snaps his fingers and the beast looks his way with a single blood red eye. It finishes consuming its prey and takes on a different form, that of a tall and slender male human. His flesh, however, is crawling as his true form wishes to escape along with those that he has made apart of himself. He takes his time bandaging himself to cover and fit in with his prey, covering his entire body in dirty bandages except his left eye and his mouth. He smiles a sharp toothed grin at the masked man as he looks down at him and puts on a set of tattered clothes and a trench coat.
They walk out of the cave and the creatures scurry once more.*
"It is time, harold of my brother."
"Yes, King, it is..."
"... time that this world once and for all belonged soley to the Old Ones"
*They both dissappear as they walk, gone from the destroyed land for another destination.*
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 5:46 pm
The shattered remains of what was once Earth's moon hang in the twilight, shining what little light it offers down onto the dark frontier below. A dense, thick lush of woods centers the top of the hill, and a meager village of ruined buildings exists far below.
The lights of the village are all but extinguished for the night, but a lone fire burns moderately atop the hill just within the trees, though not a natural fire. Within the field of trees sits a young man clad in buckskin clothes and moccassins, sitting Indian-style as he stares at the small bird roasting in the coals.
The night had been long but had paid off and he was preparing to eat a late meal. He could have attempted to join the villagers who will often welcome their own kind for meals and a place to rest, yet he was not one of their own. He does look human, but has a gift that the populace of the world frowns on. So it was within his best interests to stay ostracized and simply remain by himself for the night.
It's easy enough to keep safe from the terrors that dwell in the night. A simple fire and a barrier around his camp is enough to keep anything in the shadows where they belong. Simple enough for a...
"Eeaaahhhh!"
Bo Silverwolf's head turns quickly to the sound of the scream, coming from the village far below. His meal all but forgotten, he stands up and peers closer as dark shadows whip by at a quickened pace, his sorcerey keeping him from being detected.
Large, humanlike, and reptilian...all heading for the village below.
Carocs.
Bo sighs and turns to his chestnut colored stallion.
"So much for a quiet evening's rest."
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:01 pm
Upon a throne at the highest point in New Krypton sits a god among men. Surveying his realm of New Krypton, which he himself, with all his magnificant technology had crafted from a portion of Old Metropolis' ruins. It had taken him almost two hundred years to achieve this peak of civilization in this barren world. After he returned, Metroplolites greated him with mixed emotions. Some, those who still remain in Old Metropolis to this day, hated him for not being able to save them from the catastrophe. They followed Luthor's path and remained. The others greated him as a sign from the heavens and had pleaded him to help them, to guide them through this mess and into an era of prosperity. He had decided against ruling over these people at first, and tried to fix the entire world.
However, he soon learned it would be impossible to do, he decided to start small. He created New Krypton. He built new homes for all its citizens, he designed and built food synthisizers to feed the starving. He took much of his Kryptonian fortress and used it to build New Krypton. New Krypton grew, more survivers joined the society; Humans, Mutants, Wizards, Sorcerors and others. Eventually Luthor died and Old Metropolis became New Krypton's sister city, though they prefered to remain independent of Superman's help.
New Krypton, as long as Superman kept a watchful eye, was safe and crime free. Though, the city's crystal walls were often bombarded by criminals seeking to control or destroy this paradise. So, Superman must watch over his cities until the day comes where he can once again fly the skies of the Earth and help all who need him.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:23 am
New York City
Center of the universe
Times are shitty
But I'm pretty sure they can't get worse
It's a comfort to know
When you're singing the hit the road blues
That anywhere else you could possibly go after New York would be...
A pleasure cruise.
*BLAM!*
Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that one. One day out of New York, headed toward what's left of Metropolis, word had it that the scavenging's good. Real good. What nobody mentioned is that it's crawling with Carocs. Carocs with spears, Carocs with guns. Carocs with mech suits.
Carocs who don't like other scavengers horning in on their take.
Found that out the hard way. Digging through the rubble with a buddy of mine, we'd come across a pretty good haul. Old data discs, some cash, an ancient La-Z-Boy that'd be pretty awesome if I had a place to put it in. Didn't even have a chance to get a good look at it before the Carocs charged in and my buddy's head ended up halfway across town. Which--
*BLAM!*
--Brings us to right about now. Which means I've got better s**t to do than first person narration.
*CRASH!*
Charging out the back of the lean-to that used to be the Chrysler Building, Rufus takes a quick look back before tossing up a dozen stone walls behind him, throwing a few Carocs into the air as they shoot up from the ground. Rufus takes cover as the walls absorb a good bit of the gunfire... for a few seconds anyway.
The mech suit.
Making quick work of the walls, the mech suit stomps forward, the remaining Carocs behind it, firing a barrage of laser fire into the ruins that surround Rufus. Taking a chance at peeking out of a hole in the wall, Rufus pulls the ground around the Carocs into a golem, its stony fists walloping the mech suit before lifting it into the air. A split second later, an explosion rocks the area as a Caroc grenade reduces the golem to rubble, fortuitously causing it to drop the sparking, smoking mech suit on a handful of the Carocs.
As the dust clears, however, a good half dozen Carocs remain and growing weary of patience, lob several grenades toward the ruins.
"s**t!"
As the first explosion sounds, Rufus encases himself in a thick layer of stone and shuts his eyes tightly, praying he'll have the chance to open them again.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:31 am
Life was good.
It had been five years since Johnny was liberated from his evil master. He had wandered around aimlessly, helping people whenever he could. Along the way, he learned many things. He learned that there are many people in the world that will judge you becuase of the way you look. He also learned that having super powers is a blessing, but also a curse. Many of the people he had come across, including ones he had saved, feared him because of his powers.
There were a few who were different. Mainly children. In fact, he had gotten the name "Johnny" from a child he had saved. But unfortunately, the few who did accept him were outweighed by the many in their community - be it a family or a tribe - who viewed him as a monster. He had never found happiness in those places.
He wanted desperately to find a family of his own. People who would love and accept him for who he was. He wanted a home. And he found this in the old couple with whom he lived and protected - Jeb and Samantha. They fed him, provided him with shelter and loved him unconditionally. In turn, he worked for them and protected them from the many dangers of this world.
He was happy. He was home.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:56 pm
A wall collapses in eastern London. Max grappled with a giant rat seeking to make Midas the dinner of a lifetime. In an unusual stint of compassion, he wondered if he could truly be mad with the beast. In this cruel world he was thrust into, was there anything truly worth killing for besides food? Max smirked slightly as he mused upon his use of the word 'thrust' in such an instance. For truly, he had come to rape it. To explode his presence and seed into this world and watch it grow into something magnificent that had never been seen before.
The rat proceeded to put 3 long slashes in Max's leg. Deep red blood flowed like faucets for a few seconds before he sealed the wound with a sheet of gold. The compassion for the rat quickly faded as he proceeded to tear the beast limb from limb.
He sat amongst the dismembered body part. He likely would have wanted a cigarette, had he known what they were. Not for their calming capabilities as much as for their use after great sex. Having your mother die while you are being birthed leaves you with some strange paths to arousal.
Max looked towards the sea and wondered what could possibly be beyond these shores. Without a second thought, Max dangled the rats tail downwards forming a makeshift cane as it transformed into shimmering ore to aid his wounded leg, and began simply walking towards the west. H, O, Na, and Cl all submitted to Au as he made platforms through the ocean. A yellow brick road so to speak. He continued, with a skip in his step, and conquest in his heart.
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Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:11 am
Virgil Hawkins
As the dust clears, however, a good half dozen Carocs remain and growing weary of patience, lob several grenades toward the ruins."s**t!" As the first explosion sounds, Rufus encases himself in a thick layer of stone and shuts his eyes tightly, praying he'll have the chance to open them again. Bo mounts his horse and watches briefly as the Caroc forces charge down into the great village known locally as York. From it's appearance it was once a great wonder but after the cataclysm, now consisted of mere ruins of former skyscrapers and monuments everywhere the eye could see. No time for such thoughts now as he kicked his heel to the horse's flank and sped off in the direction of York. The Carocs have already arrived and Bo can hear the sounds of fighting and some villagers screaming out as they are quickly slaughtered into silence. A more intriguing sight catches his eye as the ground seemingly was fighting back against the reptilian beasts, defending a young man in the distance. Bo himself is not doing this so who...? The Carocs take aim with grenades at the young man who, amazingly, becomes encased in a mound of rock. Bo lets go of the reigns of his horse and raises both hands and the grenades thrown are themselves ensnared in spheres of a golden force, causing them to explode without sound or harm. The Carocs turn to see this new intruder and the stone barrier slowly subsides around the man and Bo shouts, "Shield your eyes!" Bo's horse gallops right into the field of six Carocs and he raises his right hand and an explosion of blinding light eminates from his palm, blinding the attackers! The horse leaps over a stone structire and Bo reaches down and grabs the man by the arm and hauls him up onto the stallion behind him!
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Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:56 pm
Cory ran a quick inventory check before leaving the tent she'd sewn together from an old set of sheets that she'd brought along when she ran. Seashell grenades. A sling. Wingdings she'd fashioned from the steel debris after a picture in one of her father's old books. A collection of hollowed out rocks with various powders stuffed inside. Makeshift ecrisma sticks from the bones of a beast her father'd brought home once for dinner--more durable than one might think. And finally, a bowing knife taken from someone who'd attacked her last week. He wouldn't need it now that she'd blown him sky high.
Slipping her tools into pockets inside of her coat, or latched to the sling which she tied around her waist, Cory stepped outside to hunt and loot. And she was surprised with just how good it was here. She'd found several pipes in the piles of debris that she could take home and fashion. She'd gotten so excited with her findings that it has taken her a bit to notice the large shadow growing around her. Throwing herself to the left at almost the last possible minute, she barely escaped the large pincer that slammed into the pile of scrap. Two hawkmen had leapt upon her, apparently for scavenging in their stockpiles.
"Wait, I meant no--oof!" She was cut off by the blunt outer edge of one of the hawks' weapons and she careened backwards. As she jarred against the ground, a shell grenade fell through a tatter in her coat and the impact began it's ignition.
Cory scuttled backwards as fast as she could, and could only watch as the explosion brought the junkpile to a collapse and one of the hawkmen was buried in the rubble.
His comrade had escaped, however, and was now enraged. He climbed halfway to the top of a nearby pile and flipped off, aiming himself--and his weapon--directly at Cory.
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:03 am
"That was... unexpected."
Three seconds ago, he was good as dead, now he's on the back of some guy's horse. Some guy with the razzle-dazzle. 'Course razzle-dazzle and a horse aren't exactly gonna keep the Carocs at bay for long, what with their guns and all. Hardly a second passes before the gunfire begins anew, shots sounding every whichway, wildly, before they begin to zero in on their intended target. Rufus throws up a wall directly behind them that absorbs a good bit of the gunfire before the Carocs begin to fire around it. Taking the brief pause in perilous danger to engage in idle conversation, Rufus his head toward Bo.
"Thanks for saving my butt back there"
"It's no--"
"But you gotta be new around here if you're still alive and think you can escape a buncha Carocs that ain't unconscious or dead."
"It is not necessary to kill, I--"
"Yeah, whatever man. Like I said, thanks, but I prefer my a** in one piece. You can ride on if you wanna, but not a one of these is gonna make it back rememberin' my face."
With that, Rufus pushes off the back of the horse, the ground literally rising to meet his feet as he speeds in the opposite direction on a rising slide of stone. The Carocs redirect their gunfire toward Rufus as Bo pulls his horse to a stop, turning to face the conflict. Rufus rises higher, creating a high wall on one side of the Carocs, leaving them trapped between the wall and the huge pile of debris. High above, Rufus slides to a halt, curling the end of his slide to deflect the gunfire as his hands clench into fists and a huge boulder rises from the Earth, chasing the Carocs Indiana Jones-style, closing in on them all too quickly.
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:20 pm
Johnny read the page to the best of his ability, tackling every word, sounding things out, just as he had been taught.
"I do-don't l-like ... them in a box ... I won-won't t-r-try them ... with a fox-"
"You're doin' great, Johnny. Just keep trying," Jeb said soothingly. Jeb was a unique person: he knew how to read. Most of the people Johnny had come across were too busy trying to survive that they didn't have time for silly books, which were scarce.
Jeb, however, had many books. Over the years he had kept every book he got his hands on. And since Jeb used to be a travelling hero of sorts, he had a noticeable collection.
When Johnny had first settled down with the old couple, he had loved to pick up the ancient things and flip through them. He had no idea what the markings on the pages meant, but to him, these books were sacred tomes of knowledge.
Jeb noticed Johnny's love of books and decided to teach the boy to read. Johnny wasn't a stupid person, he had learned a lot in the few years that he travelled. He just never had an opportunity to learn how to read.
Currently they were working on Green Eggs and Ham, a book that Johnny really liked. The way Jeb told him the story, every character seemed real and the conflict of Sam I Am trying to get his friend to eat the green eggs and ham seemed like the most difficult struggle in the world.
Johnny had just finished the next line when the two of them heard gunfire. Jeb immediately went to the rifle he had in an old cabinet and loaded it. Johnny ran outside to see what was wrong.
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:30 pm
He disagreed strongly with the choice to kill the Carocs but could see wisdom in the words in needing to stop the threat.
Bo's eyes widened at the level of power the young man wielded and it took him a moment to shake off his wonder. A moment too late as three of the Carocs are bowled over, crushed under the immense weight of the rolling boulder as the remaining three are able to leap from the path with their spring-like legs. They turn swiftly towards Rufus and aim their laser guns at him when they glow in a golden light and simply -- fade away.
The Carocs look at their empty hands in complete surprise and disbelief, their disarment the result of Bo's sorcery. Bo raises his hands above his head to send out another spell to ward the beasts off when suddenly an unseen Caroc atop a large pile of rubble leaps and tackles him from his horse!
The beast, larger, overpowers the young sorcerer and pins him under his body weight, restraining his hands! Carocs are beasts but not un-wise and it knew that if Bo, like most wizards, could not use his hands, it could not work his magic! Bo fights and struggles but is held tight! The Caroc opens his mouth, exposing his razor-sharp teeth, readying to take a bite out of Bo's throat!
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Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:13 pm
Cory vainly attempted to shield herself with her arms, knowing it was useless. After several seconds, however, she still felt alive. Opening her eyes, she saw another Hawk with his talons clamped around the weapon and wrenching it away.
"But she killed Aramis!" came the high voice of the Hawkman.
"One of her tools caused an avalanche that killed Aramis. A tool that I've never seen on any human before. What if she can help us, Porthos?"
The seemingly younger Hawk released his grip on the pincer and turned away to leave with a "hmph."
"Now then. I apologize for the rudeness my compatriots displayed. My name is Arthas. Might I inquire as to your name, and your marvelous little toys here?"
Cory was still untrusting, but she spoke anyway. At least this guy(?) was polite.
"My name's Cory Gr..Gordon. And these are just tools that I've made from spare pieces that I've found. Nothing too complicated. You should have seen the stuff I had back home..."
She's saying too much again. Needs to stop that.
"Scrap pieces? Junk? Debris?" Arthas asked. "For such primitive materials, these pieces are amazing. Please, Miss Cory, will you follow me? My people could use your mechanical expertise. I promise, we will reward you any way we can..."
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Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:04 am
Rufus paused, looking about warily as the gunfire abruptly stops. Sinking the boulder back into the ground, Rufus watches the scene unfold before him. Three weaponless Carocs, utterly confused, and a fourth in mid-air, leaping toward Bo.
Rufus quickly forms a rock spike in his hand, but stops short before launching it at the Caroc. There's no way he could guarantee that he wouldn't take Bo's head off with, or instead of the Carocs. As the Caroc prepares to lunge in for the kill, Rufus shifts the ground beneath the horse, causing it to buck Bo and the Caroc off and to the ground.
The two tumble awkwardly, involuntarily for a few seconds, before coming to an uncomfortable-looking halt a few feet apart. Seizing the opportunity, Rufus arcs the surrounding earth into a dome over the Caroc, which quickly sinks into the ground with an audible crunch.
"You all right?"
With a sigh of relief, Rufus takes only a few steps toward Bo before a scaly fist cracks against the back of his head. Stumbling forward, he takes another blow under the chin and everything goes suddenly black...
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Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:24 pm
Johnny and Jeb were on the top of a hill overlooking the old city. Using Jeb's binoculars, the two could see a group of carocs attacking a man who seemed to control the earth around him and another man who wielded magic.
At first sight, the magic wielder worried Johnny. Anytime he saw magic being used brought back memories that he would rather forget.
However, one of the things Johnny had learned over his few years of wandering was to never judge someone by their appearance. This magic wielder in the city could be the nicest person on the planet. Besides, he was fighting carocs, so he couldn't be all bad, right?
Johnny handed the binoculars to Jeb and stood up, removing his tattered and patched jacket.
"You're not going down there, are you?" Jeb asked.
"Well, it looks like those two men need help," Johnny replied.
Jeb knew not to argue. He may take care of Johnny, but he wasn't his father.
Telling Jeb to stay and protect Samantha, Johnny turned back to the city. When he took off running (which created a large dust cloud), he could see a caroc about to take a bite out of the magic wielder's throat.
When he arrived, the man who could control earth was punched in the face and knocked unconscious. Johnny ran into the caroc at full speed and skidded to a stop as the caroc flew into a wall and slumped to the ground.
A caroc next to him swung at Johnny's head. He ducked under it and came back up with a powerful uppercut that sent the creature flying twenty feet into the air.
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