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West of Weird: A Western Apocalyptic Roleplay
-Where the Sandbox ends and the Rat Maze begins. From the left. Unknown. Allan Parks.
"When the Weird came. It came from the west. That much most everyone agrees on. What it was exactly ain't so clear. Some folks say it was a sandstorm that spanned the whole horizon, swallowing and burying the whole world in its wake. Others swear that they seen giants (or was it a herd of giant buffalo?) what done it, crushing the land flat in their passing. More stories say it was a madness, a plague that made men turn 'gainst each other. Some whisper 'twas the Black Wings what done it, passing over silent like, but with wing flaps that birthed hurricanes, storms and death. Maybe it was God wiping the slate clean so he could begin anew. Whatever it was that happened all them years ago, one hunnerd and twelve to the count, it done changed the world. Ate up the old and spat out something entirely new. Something strange, something beautiful, something far more dangerous than anything we've encountered before. We've been set back to the pioneer days, back to when the entire world was foreign and we've gotta conquer it all over again." - Hornsby, B. 2016. The Only Frontier, Wild Times. 43(1):12-14.
Introduction
In the year 1904 a storm came from the West and wiped out civilization. The few survivors that were left found themselves in a completely alien and hostile world. The plant and wildlife had been warped and mutated to a point where they were barely recognizable. Even the landscape was drastically changed. It was difficult to even be certain if this was still the same planet. With such a small percentage of humanity left alive and almost all of the world's cities in ruins they had to rebuild. The West was no longer the frontier of the modern world. It was a brink with a chasm of the unknown on either side.
Since the cataclysm mankind has rebuilt a small, almost civilized cluster of small towns and outposts, learning to live amongst the changes and trying to restore order. It was not easy as most tried to take advantage of the situation and lawlessness was abound. Having outlaws every two steps coupled with an increasingly hostile environment means there is no shortage of work for lawmen, bounty hounters and other adventurers. Welcome to Neo-West.
However living within the changes some have found themselves changed in ways they did not expect, some even grew up with the changes. Mostly these were little oddities, mutations and heightened abilities, but for those who spent time in the areas more heavily altered the changes were more severe and some even lost their sanity. This intangible effect that caused this changes was called the Weird.
The Weird
"What was strange before is now commonplace, what was illogical is now rational, but still we find things that scare the living heck out of us." - Gregory Muntz
-The Weird Bowl. Supposed source of the cataclysm. EXCEEDINGLY DANGEROUS
The Weird refers to the strange effects that manifested after the cataclysm. Everything is touched by the Weird in varying degrees. In some cases its effects are benign such as waterfalls flowing up or a field of singing flowers, in others it is incredibly malevolent such as the herds of flesh eating horses that are sometimes found on the plains. The more violent manifestations of the Weird tend to occur in the areas that are more heavily touched.
Mankind has also felt the touch of the Weird. It isn't uncommon to find some folk that look half beast or some that can lift objects many times their weight. However those that spend too much time in Weird places (areas heavily under the influence of the Weird) find that their psyche takes a heavy toll. Some have been driven insane by it, changed to something that isn't human anymore.
*Players may start out with Weird powers of their choosing but they will be "household" powers to begin with. This means no mega lasers and fireballs. Think more along the lines of mutations, telekinesis/pyrokinesis and enhancements*
Locations
Factions
Religious
The Church of Baum
This group believes that the planet the remnants of mankind are currently on is not in fact Earth. They believe that this is in fact the world from the work of Lyman Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Shortly after the cataclysm a prophet by the name of Jeremy Hoth came forward with the book stating that it was in fact a prophecy and that it had been left behind on Earth by Lyman Baum, presumably a divine being, to warn them of the coming storm of Weird which the took to be the tornado that carried Dorothy to Oz. According to Hoth this is what happened to a portion of humanity, but that this was meant to be and after dubbing himself the Wizard of Oz he went about organizing the religion. The chief goal of the Church of Baum is to find the Emerald City which they believe somewhere in the unscouted Weird. They also engage in witch hunts which mostly involve persecuting those (mainly women) who are heavily touched by the Weird. Their current Wizard is Emery Burns and their current base of operations is in Sheer Drop.
Blessed of the Latter Day
The religion with the largest following having members in almost every city. Its followers believe that the cataclysm of Weird was akin to Noah's flood and that only the favored of God were spared. This belief is reinforced by the fact that the town where this church was founded, New Bedlam, was left almost untouched by the storm. Their practice is mostly peaceful although they have been known to deal quite harshly with criminals. They aren't that much different from the Christian religion of before the cataclysm and teach much of the same doctrine.
Militant
The Rangers
A group of lawmen and women who try keep the order in the more populated towns. They are the only real opposition to the many criminal gangs that have sprung up in the wake of the chaos and while they are few in number they are renown for their skill in tracking, gunmanship and inhuman endurance. Many Rangers have a developed Weird that allows aids them in their work. Their badge of office is a silver badge given to them by the court of justice located in New Bedlam.
The Bigson Wedge Gang
The largest band of outlaws currently at large. They take in any gun that's willing to pull their weight. Their current bounty has them accounting for murder, rape, theft, rustling, blasphemy, sodomy, fraud, loitering, disturbing the peace, damage to property, damage to persons, blackmail, extortion, bribery, abetting, illegal gambling and human trafficking. They are currently holed up in what used to be Old Washstone, but since they arrived it has become more of a waypoint for criminals and a fort against lawmen.
The Foremen
It happens that no and then that some abomination comes out where the Weird is thick and lays waste to the frontier towns. This is why a group of brave men and women who watch the outskirts of the growing civilization to make sure nothing gets past them. They are given equipment from every faction yearly and have amassed one of the largest and most formidable weapon caches in Neo-West. Here is where you'll find the real grit of Neo-West. The Foremen are divided into ten man groups that are stationed at different outposts where they use their iron horses and chain-harpoons to bring down the larger abominations before they reach any towns.
Political
New World Order Party
This political group sprang forward with the plan of changing the political structure of the world to one that was more egalitarian that before. The cataclysm, the change, they said, was an opportunity for them to remake their society to one that let all have equal opportunity. Their current spokesman is the extremely charismatic Bill Charleston who presides as mayor in New Bedlam. Despite their idealistic slogans and speeches it seems as though their policies are pretty much the same as any other democratic system.
Thoreau's Visionaries
Anarchists who wish the abolishment of any form of government. They believe that the chaos of the current world reflects how mankind ought to live. Their motto is "to each his own" and advocate that everyone should have a piece of land on which he is sovereign and a gun to enforce his reign. Contrary to their role model being Thoreau the Visionaries are often very violent and are known for their clashes with the New Order Party and Rangers. Controversially they seem to advocate what The Bigson Wedge Gang has done in making their own society free of law.
Lehman Brothers Bank and Mining Company
After the cataclysm currency fell out of popularity for a while as people simply tried to survive and went back to a bartering system. When the Neo-West was approaching something close to a proper civilization again it was the Lehman Brothers who brought back currency and made funds available to those in need of loans. They backed their funds with strange minerals that were found in the Weird, thought to be many times more valuable than gold as they served as power sources for much of the new technologies used such as the iron horses. They call it Lightstone for its strange glow and deceptive weight. In light of the lawlessness of the times they employ their own miniature army of mercenaries to guard caravans, banks and excavation sites. Their base of operations is in New Bedlam.
Neutral
Copernican League
A group of intellectuals dedicated to recovering lost technologies, developing new ones and researching the phenomenon referred to as "The Weird". The Copernican League views the new world as an exciting prospect of venturing into a completely unknown world filled with so many possibilities. For all they knew this new intangible effect could alter what they deemed to be solid laws of reality. Some deem their experiments, especially those concerning the Weird, as dangerous which indeed it is. They were the ones who came up with the iron horse (steampunk horses that run off Lightstone) when the living ones turned feral. These brave men and women delve into the realm of God in order to discover the truth of the world. Their current base of operations is in New Bedlam.
NPCs
Ronnie Frown: The most feared and loathed man in the Neo-West with a bounty of $20 000 000. People shiver in fear at the mere mention of his name, lawmen break out in cold sweat and even other outlaws feel the terror with good reason as Ronnie Frown don't discriminate. He lays entire towns to waste when his rile is up. Word is he was so heavily changed by the Weird that any who get near him become just as insane as he is.
Roger Blint: Roger is a legend among the Rangers as the only man to draw a gun on Ronnie Frown and walk away alive. He is known for his iron fisted rule of law, but also for his kindness. He simply does not tolerated lawlessness in a time when people should be banding together to restore order.
The Lehman Brothers: Identical twins who quickly rose to become overnight millionaires when they established their Banking and Mining Company. Some grumble over their less than ethical business practices especially in sending labourers into the heavily Weird mines where they often form dangerous mutations and stress to their psyche. However the Neo-West runs on the Lightstones and the Lehman's bank dollars are the wheels it turns so most have accepted them as a necessary evil and as such they hold considerable power in the Neo-West.
Character Sheet
Age: Take the year you were born and subtract from the current year
Gender: What do you have between your legs?
Theme: That little tune that plays whenever you open a can of whoopass
Appearance: A picture or description of your purty face
Faction: Are you working for anyone or are you a freelancer?
Personality: Good, bad or ugly?
History: Your life up till now. Note: Since there is no stat or skill system any special ability you want needs to be included in your history. For example a sharpshooter will have to describe how he used to practice shooting rabbits or something.
Weird: How has the Weird changed you? Note: In the beginning there won't be any flashy powers. If during the roleplay you spend times in heavily Weird areas you might have your current power improved or be given new powers, but will have to go under psychological torture to do so 
.
Inventory: Everything you got on you. Weapons and iron horses included.
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