Welcome To Blood Red Ashes!
Hello, Hello! I will be your host, admin, and moderator here at Blood-Red Ashes. My name is Rapid.
Now before you begin RP here at ABR, there is quite a bit of valuable information you need to understand. ABR is based off a book trilogy with a very complex idea behind it. Now, bear with me, I will try to explain it all in the simplest terms so RP can begin ASAP, but you are always welcome to contact me, Rapid, at any time.
To make things simple, I will start off with a brief explanation of the subject listed below. I'm not going to make anyone read the books of which this site is based off of, but I highly recommend them. They are a fast, easy read and highly thrilling and entertaining. I'm only going to provide enough of the plotline that you need to know as far as understanding this RP site and I will try my best to avoid spoilers.
Please excuse my horrible tendancy to over explain and repeat myself in different ways. The background knowledge for ABR is rather difficult to articulate but rather simple once you get the gist of it.
Now before you begin RP here at ABR, there is quite a bit of valuable information you need to understand. ABR is based off a book trilogy with a very complex idea behind it. Now, bear with me, I will try to explain it all in the simplest terms so RP can begin ASAP, but you are always welcome to contact me, Rapid, at any time.
To make things simple, I will start off with a brief explanation of the subject listed below. I'm not going to make anyone read the books of which this site is based off of, but I highly recommend them. They are a fast, easy read and highly thrilling and entertaining. I'm only going to provide enough of the plotline that you need to know as far as understanding this RP site and I will try my best to avoid spoilers.
Please excuse my horrible tendancy to over explain and repeat myself in different ways. The background knowledge for ABR is rather difficult to articulate but rather simple once you get the gist of it.
Note: If there is something written in pale blue text, it means that piece of information/storyline needs to verified and edited.
Subjects of Discussion
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Coming Soon Completed Requested to Add Information |
The Zap
The Zap was the cause of this whole mess. The current state of the world was mostly peaceful... but technology had an increasing importance in the world. As an effect, hostile powers were devising was to take advantage of this, and developed the e-bomb. An e-bomb sends multiple electromagnetic pulses out over the targeted area, designed to short circuit the electrical components in the area.
Though the details are not known by any one person, it is speculated that when america was attacked by hostile powers, we sent off a chain of attacks on the rest of the world. The main speculation is that millions of e-bombs were launched off at very close intervals all over the world creating a massive electromagnetic pulse that has been titled many things, such as The EMP or The Zap.
Regardless of the name, whenever it happened, it did not only fry most technology, but attacked the humans across the world. Since the brain runs on a mixture of chemistry and electricity, the brain was affected badly. It lead to the disaster of which we now live in: a world divided between the Changed, the Spared, and the Awakened.
Though there seems to be little pattern between who died, who changed, and who was spared, subtleties are known. For example: Nine out of ten kids between the age of puberty and 25 changed when the Zap hit. 99.9% of people from 25 to 55 died instantly. Only half of the elderly live.
Though the details are not known by any one person, it is speculated that when america was attacked by hostile powers, we sent off a chain of attacks on the rest of the world. The main speculation is that millions of e-bombs were launched off at very close intervals all over the world creating a massive electromagnetic pulse that has been titled many things, such as The EMP or The Zap.
Regardless of the name, whenever it happened, it did not only fry most technology, but attacked the humans across the world. Since the brain runs on a mixture of chemistry and electricity, the brain was affected badly. It lead to the disaster of which we now live in: a world divided between the Changed, the Spared, and the Awakened.
Though there seems to be little pattern between who died, who changed, and who was spared, subtleties are known. For example: Nine out of ten kids between the age of puberty and 25 changed when the Zap hit. 99.9% of people from 25 to 55 died instantly. Only half of the elderly live.
The Changed
The Changed make up the 90% of adolescents that are no longer.... normal. The EMP seems to have affected them worse than anyone else. The EMP affected the part of their brains that controls their humanity. It shut it down. In that select few of people, it unlocked the animal inside them. It took away all the parts that made them human: kindness, communication, most emotions, and so on. It turned them feral and they begin to hunt their human brethren and crave human flesh. Most animals fear the Changed as well, for they hunt them when times are lean.
The Changed would be what you consider the bad guy, or antagonist of this role-play. They have collected themselves into 'packs' and seem to function a lot like wolf packs. Each pack is lead by two Changed: A Male and a Female, and several followers. The groups never seem to exceed numbers of 15, and there is very little evidence of mating habits between the changed.
The Changed do seem to behave like wolves in more ways than one. They organize themselves like wolves do, and also communicate very similarly. The Changed seemed to have lost their ability of verbal communication and instead use motions and pheromones to convey messages and commands. For the purpose of role-play, The changed will be role played and be able to talk--just not aloud.
The Changed would be what you consider the bad guy, or antagonist of this role-play. They have collected themselves into 'packs' and seem to function a lot like wolf packs. Each pack is lead by two Changed: A Male and a Female, and several followers. The groups never seem to exceed numbers of 15, and there is very little evidence of mating habits between the changed.
The Changed do seem to behave like wolves in more ways than one. They organize themselves like wolves do, and also communicate very similarly. The Changed seemed to have lost their ability of verbal communication and instead use motions and pheromones to convey messages and commands. For the purpose of role-play, The changed will be role played and be able to talk--just not aloud.
Here's an example:
Tie looked at his Alpha Male indigently. Rage flowed through his body at the boy's command, and it was obvious that Tie disagreed. 'What do you mean, don't kill her?' He motioned towards Simone, who lay motionless, yet only stunned, on the the dirt. 'She isn't one of us!' His protest was heavy in the air.
I hope that's a clear as mud example! The Changed remain able to communicate, just not verbally and anyone besides the Changed (and changing Spared) remain unable to understand them. Additionally, the Changed have further animalistic behaviors - they portray very little etiquette and manners. The Changed are constantly driven by their bodily needs such as hunger, the need of rest, and the satisfaction of lust and pleasure.
This is a PG-13 rated Role-Play. A main rule is that sexual scenes are allowed WITH THE CONDITION that they remain VAGUE and the details are such that you wouldn't mind your 12 year old sister reading. Furthermore, Frequent time-jumps would be appreciated during explicit scenes.
The people of Marion contribute widely to how characters will view the Changed. For example, Marion's leaders have a tendency to nick-name the major groups of changed around the town as well as the changed themselves. The changed are given short-nick names that reflect either the attitude of that specific changed or an observational appearance.
For example: The current Alpha Female of Cazador is nick-named Red, for she is always seen with a red cloak on. The current Alpha Male of Jagter is nick-named Glock, do to his obvious admiration of that type of gun, which he uses often on his victims.
The Changed may have been reduced to animals in their behaviors but they share lots of human qualities. They remain the same appearance as they did when they Changed, and are still injured and killed as easily. However, unlike normal humans, the Changed have obtained the ability to ingest raw meat and have a smaller sense of pain, which allows them to use more of their muscles so they appear faster, stronger, and have more stamina than the typical human.
The Changed seem to follow routines and travel familiar routes and stick to familiar places. They cycle through about 3 camps once a month and keep to their 'packs' and don't tend to get along with others outside their groups. They also have an incredibly heightened sense of smell, which allows them to communicate through pheromones and makes them excellent hunters. They sense when a Spared is changing, for the Spared's scent will start to change and turn more feral--like theirs.
Packs, Tribes, Clans... there are many names for the groups that The Changed move in. It seems that, like people, The Changed have remained very social after the Zap and maintain a very specific hierarchy. The Tribes are arranged with an Alpha Male and an Alpha Female on top. The "Alphas" are not, per se, mates. However, if the two share affection for each other, they may engage in sexual activities or become partners. Generally, it happens to be a fifty-fifty chance that the two get along. The way the Tribes are organized are according to the personalities of the Changed within that Tribe. The most arrogant, dominant, and capable Changed will take their place as Alphas. Only the Alpha Male can control the Males changed in the Tribe and the same is true for the Females and the Female Alpha. The former of the tribe is the leader of the two Alphas - as they have the ability to excommunicate any Changed that displeases their rule.
It is more often than not that neighboring tribes do not get along. Much like wolves, the members of the tribe are slightly more tightly-knit that Changed outside of that group. They hunt and travel together and often teach one another new skills. Lately, the Changed have developed the ability to plan and scheme, as well as use more advanced weapons such as guns. Furthermore, the Tribes of Changed nearly never exceed 15 Changed and usually lie between 8 and 13 Changed.
It is more often than not that neighboring tribes do not get along. Much like wolves, the members of the tribe are slightly more tightly-knit that Changed outside of that group. They hunt and travel together and often teach one another new skills. Lately, the Changed have developed the ability to plan and scheme, as well as use more advanced weapons such as guns. Furthermore, the Tribes of Changed nearly never exceed 15 Changed and usually lie between 8 and 13 Changed.
If our current two tribes become too overpopulated, I will permit a Changed to form a Tribe of their own. The planned names for any new tribe to be formed are thus: Vantor, Avci, Juriti, and Suza. Further discussion will begin on this topic when it becomes more prevalent.
The Changed have a peculiar favoritism of the Spared over any other captive, or better word, prey. The Changed gather any unchanged humans they can find and keep them in flocks of 5, usually, while they travel so they have several day's worth of food with them. They kill members of their "Flock" in front of the others to quell fear in their captives. The Changed try to result to not killing Spared at all costs. They keep the spared as pets and often hope they change themselves and join the Tribe. If the spared caused unwanted trouble, they will torture them to make an example for other Spared. It is not uncommon for Changed to make sexual advances on a Spared and often take advantage of the Spared due to the latter's less heightened abilities to defend themselves.
Becoming a Changed is not contagious. The only people who have the potential to change are The Spared. This topic is discussed in the Spared section. Contact with a Changed can not spark you to become a change. what causes one to change is the erosion of the part of a brain that gives people their humanity.
The Changed will make up roughly 50% of the total role-played characters with even male-to-female ratios.
The Spared
As stated, The Spared are the 10% of adolescents from about age 12 to 25 that were unaffected by the the Zap. What caused them to become spared, instead of changing, is an absolute mystery. However, it is speculated that adolescents who had any form of precursor brain-damage turned into the Spared. Truth to be told, though, less people are worrying about the past and are focusing on the future.
Some of The Spared still change. Most cases happened within the first several weeks or months of the Zap, but it has been observed that in most younger children, they seems to suddenly snap when they hit puberty. This is also starting to arise with the older Spared, but generally takes a long time in progressing and there are many signs before the actual change happens. For example: sudden lapses in memory, loss of appetite, and the sudden urge/desire for adrenaline-causing activities. Dogs seem to be aware when a Spared is changing (more will be discussed below on this topic).
Regardless, The Spared have become unbelievably valuable. With the current state of the world, the majority of civilization is worried about the future and providing a population to sustain the future. That's where the Spared come in. Not only younger and able to take on more work and tasks than the Awakened, they have the ability to, essentially, reproduce. This topic will be further discussed in the 'Marion' section.
Some towns have decreed the Spared no better than Changed and are ordered to be killed on the spot, however many groups seek to use the Spared to experiment on and discover what causes them to change. Our fishing town of Marion takes a little bit more "Civilized" approach to the issue of the Spared. The Spared are welcome to interact with the village on several conditions:
Some of The Spared still change. Most cases happened within the first several weeks or months of the Zap, but it has been observed that in most younger children, they seems to suddenly snap when they hit puberty. This is also starting to arise with the older Spared, but generally takes a long time in progressing and there are many signs before the actual change happens. For example: sudden lapses in memory, loss of appetite, and the sudden urge/desire for adrenaline-causing activities. Dogs seem to be aware when a Spared is changing (more will be discussed below on this topic).
Regardless, The Spared have become unbelievably valuable. With the current state of the world, the majority of civilization is worried about the future and providing a population to sustain the future. That's where the Spared come in. Not only younger and able to take on more work and tasks than the Awakened, they have the ability to, essentially, reproduce. This topic will be further discussed in the 'Marion' section.
Some towns have decreed the Spared no better than Changed and are ordered to be killed on the spot, however many groups seek to use the Spared to experiment on and discover what causes them to change. Our fishing town of Marion takes a little bit more "Civilized" approach to the issue of the Spared. The Spared are welcome to interact with the village on several conditions:
1.) Every Spared will be accompanied by a dog at all times.
2) Within 2 months of joining the village, the Spared in question is required to choose a partner or one will be chosen for them.
3) The Spared much attend Sunday Mass every week, NO EXCEPTIONS.
4) All Spared will be trained how to use weapons, but not given access to the weapons unless on special circumstances.
5) No Soared may ever leave the premise of the village for more then 1 week or will be shot on sight.
6) All Spared are required to partake in assigned duties.
7) All spared will live in their designated "Boarding Home" until they take on a partner; they will be given a home to share.
Failure to comply with these rules will result in either Death, Banishment from the Village, or they will be sold to another settlement.
Note to Rapid: Remember to discuss further the Changing of a spared when it be comes more relevant.
The Changed will make up roughly 20% of the total role-played characters with even male-to-female ratios.
The Awakened
The Awakened are more important that they would at first seem. Yes, the Awakened are old(er) people. The Zap killed about roughly anyone 50 years old and up. Granted, there are a few exceptions but the larger population of the surviving world is old. Too old to reproduce, anyway. Marion was an older fishing town to begin with and very little people were lost during the Zap. It is lucky the Zap has seemed to have had a positive affect on the Awakened. There has not been one incident reported in which an Awakened changed and there will not be one.
I bet you're curious as to why they're called the Awakened, you rightfully should be! It is a most amazing thing that seems to happened to lots of the changed. As you know, as a person ages their abilities in everything seem to decrease. They have less muscle mass, less motor skills, worse eye sight, loss of hearing, Alzheimer's, and so on. The Zap, which directly affected the brain, did change the Awakened only slightly. It gave them their capability back. Some of the Awakened not only gain their capability back, but they have also grown in their losses. For example, say there was once a man who had grown blind with age. when the Zap hit, he could not only see again, but he had a form of super-seeing, and he could see distances that no normal man can.
Not every awakened gained a super-sense, but those who have had brain damage or trauma in the past did.
I bet you're curious as to why they're called the Awakened, you rightfully should be! It is a most amazing thing that seems to happened to lots of the changed. As you know, as a person ages their abilities in everything seem to decrease. They have less muscle mass, less motor skills, worse eye sight, loss of hearing, Alzheimer's, and so on. The Zap, which directly affected the brain, did change the Awakened only slightly. It gave them their capability back. Some of the Awakened not only gain their capability back, but they have also grown in their losses. For example, say there was once a man who had grown blind with age. when the Zap hit, he could not only see again, but he had a form of super-seeing, and he could see distances that no normal man can.
Not every awakened gained a super-sense, but those who have had brain damage or trauma in the past did.
The first lesson on what it's like for a Spared to Change:
1.) The first thing that comes is memory loss.
2.) Second is the headache. It’s a constant throbbing headache that never goes away until you finally change completely.
3.) Next is strange sickness and sensitivity to foods. This includes vomiting and the craving of and/or attraction to raw meats and blood.
4.) After that, the person in question may experience “black outs” where they perform things unconsciously. These episodes include the person in question behaving like changed, and therefore scumming to violent and other animalistic activities often against the person’s moral will.
5.) The final change occurs when the person in question is fully able to understand the way the Changed speak. At this point in time, there is no hope for them to consider themselves “Normal.”
What causes a Spared to change?
Though the specificities of when/why a spared changes is unknown, there are a few common factors that can be manipulated through role-play.
1) Stress. Stress is the number one common factor. When the person in question is put under a large among of stress, it causes brain pressure to go up. This pressure can trigger the changing process.
2) Starvation. After someone is starved, the human body becomes desperate to preserve itself. It may unlock the animal part of the brain and cause the person in question to undergo the changing process.
There are certainly more triggers out there, but these are two of the most common and the easiest to portray through Role-play. Changing can happen fast or slow depending on the person and situation and occurs differently for everyone.
1.) The first thing that comes is memory loss.
2.) Second is the headache. It’s a constant throbbing headache that never goes away until you finally change completely.
3.) Next is strange sickness and sensitivity to foods. This includes vomiting and the craving of and/or attraction to raw meats and blood.
4.) After that, the person in question may experience “black outs” where they perform things unconsciously. These episodes include the person in question behaving like changed, and therefore scumming to violent and other animalistic activities often against the person’s moral will.
5.) The final change occurs when the person in question is fully able to understand the way the Changed speak. At this point in time, there is no hope for them to consider themselves “Normal.”
What causes a Spared to change?
Though the specificities of when/why a spared changes is unknown, there are a few common factors that can be manipulated through role-play.
1) Stress. Stress is the number one common factor. When the person in question is put under a large among of stress, it causes brain pressure to go up. This pressure can trigger the changing process.
2) Starvation. After someone is starved, the human body becomes desperate to preserve itself. It may unlock the animal part of the brain and cause the person in question to undergo the changing process.
There are certainly more triggers out there, but these are two of the most common and the easiest to portray through Role-play. Changing can happen fast or slow depending on the person and situation and occurs differently for everyone.
The Awakened will make up roughly 30% of the total role-played characters with even male-to-female ratios.
Dogs
Dogs have suddenly become very important creatures. Dogs are loyal, dogs are lovable dogs can hunt, and dogs can warn people of the Changed. Crazy, right? Not quite - when the Changed, well, changed so did their scent. Dogs recognize that scent as the one of a predator and therefore translate it into danger. Whenever a Changed is near and a dog smells it, they let out rapid barking and it becomes visible that they are frightened. People have learned how to train Dogs to attack the Changed and protect their owners. Dogs also are able to tell when a Spared is changing. The spared's scent will change and once it reaches a certain point, Dogs signify that former Spared as now a Changed. If a dog, who is guarding a Spared, alerts Marion that the Spared has changed, that Spared is chased out of the town and into the Zone.
Because of their usefulness, dogs are very valuable. It is in the interest of the owner if they can breed dogs, even if it is cross breeding, for it helps establish a good trading resource to use with other towns. Every Spared is assigned a Guard dog and while they are guarding that Spared, the Dog is the property and responsibility of the Spared. If anyone kills a dog, they will be severely punished.
Not that this is new to any one, but there are many, many different breeds of dogs. If you create a dog, it doesn't necessarily have to be a full-bred dog, it can be a mutt. If you are, for some reason, having trouble deciding on a dog breed, here are my own personal suggestions. Golden Retriever, Siberian Husky, Labrador, German Shepard, Beagle, Irish Setter, Cocker Spaniel, Doberman, Blood hound, Dalmatian, Rottweiler, Boxer, Great Dane, and so on.
Because of their usefulness, dogs are very valuable. It is in the interest of the owner if they can breed dogs, even if it is cross breeding, for it helps establish a good trading resource to use with other towns. Every Spared is assigned a Guard dog and while they are guarding that Spared, the Dog is the property and responsibility of the Spared. If anyone kills a dog, they will be severely punished.
Not that this is new to any one, but there are many, many different breeds of dogs. If you create a dog, it doesn't necessarily have to be a full-bred dog, it can be a mutt. If you are, for some reason, having trouble deciding on a dog breed, here are my own personal suggestions. Golden Retriever, Siberian Husky, Labrador, German Shepard, Beagle, Irish Setter, Cocker Spaniel, Doberman, Blood hound, Dalmatian, Rottweiler, Boxer, Great Dane, and so on.
The number of Dogs must equal AT LEAST the number of Spared within Marion.
Literate Role-Playing
Coming Soon!
Relationships (and Animosity)
Coming Soon!
ABR's Advertisement
This is here because sometimes Rapid loses information, and to ensure that doesn't happen, I am placing it here! :D Brilliant! Anywho, if you would like, feel free to advertise ABR, it would actually be very appreciated as long as you follow the rules of the website's owner and avoid spamming please.
What would you do if suddenly the world as you knew it [i]changed in an instant?[/i] What will you do when your former friends are [i]trying to eat you?[/i] This isn't a zombie apocalypse--everyone is still alive. [i]They've just gone feral.[/i] The ashes of our world will be stained blood red..... http://bloodred-ashes.weebly.com
What would you do if suddenly the world as you knew it [i]changed in an instant?[/i] What will you do when your former friends are [i]trying to eat you?[/i] This isn't a zombie apocalypse--everyone is still alive. [i]They've just gone feral.[/i] The ashes of our world will be stained blood red..... http://bloodred-ashes.weebly.com
Ashes: Book 1 The Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick
Summary taken from Ilsa J. Bick's official website.
The Zap: On what starts out to be a perfectly nice Saturday in October, a wave of e-bombs sends electromagnetic pulses sweeping through the sky. No one knows who did this, or why. In some ways, that’s not important. All that matters are the effects.
In an instant, the vast majority of the world’s adult population dies; power and communications grids are destroyed, and sophisticated electronics, crippled. Along the East and West Coasts, the detonation of low-altitude nukes above nuclear waste storage facilities, as well as other facilities going critical because backup generators do not kick in, spews fallout into the atmosphere, turning the moon green and the sunrises bloody. Everyone who might be able to fix anything is also history. In a flash, civilization collapses into a hellish, pre-industrial black hole.
Those still alive—the very young and the very old—must find a way to battle new enemies, not only fellow survivors organized into raiding parties and rigidly-ordered societies (like Rule, a very small, very insular village) but the Changed: teenagers you really don’t want to meet in a dark alley. Dogs are like canaries in a mine when it comes to the Changed: acutely sensitive and able to alert people to the Changed’s presence. There is also some suggestion that dogs know who is likely to Change or actively Changing.
A very few people have changed in a different way, developing super-senses that some are not afraid to use to their advantage. Still others are Spared, teenagers and young adults who should be dead but aren’t. No one knows why the Spared have survived, and without sophisticated computers, laboratories, or scientists, there’s really no way to find out. All kids are suddenly valuable commodities; the few Spared are also viewed with suspicion because no one is quite sure if the Change is over.
Many other, much older individuals with advanced Alzheimer’s or other senile dementias are suddenly Awakened, returning to their previous level of function.
Role-Play based on the Ashes Trilogy © Ilsa J. Bick 2012.
Content © Rapid 2012.
Rapid does not claim sole rights to pictures, videos, links, and information, all of which belong to their respectful owners.