sacredless
Meteorite
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2013
It is a normal day for these people of Heaven. The sun is shining brightly above the clouds, citizens are having a picnic under the statue of St. Wilkes’ Victory over Lincoln. A handyman, with his usual displeased expression, plucks an apathetic sweeper-child from a child-sized manhole. A silent negro manservant clears the shining cobbled path of his mistress with a broom to the tailor with impeccable English accent. This is Columbia.
Wargtass says:
Role-player discretion advised! As the principle writer of this adventure's creep, horror and terror elements it's important to stress that extreme acts of violence may be described in detail during this game's progression to amount a terror-effect. Ultra-violence, body horror and surreal graphic situations will occur, as well as use of racial slurs and explicitly foul language. None of these elements will be drawn up during intimate moments. If this post just made you hesitate about playing this game, it's probably not something you will enjoy.
That said, for those of you who join up, welcome to Columbia. It might not be what it seems...
This group session is a forum roleplay(with optional IM roleplay) played in the setting of Bioshock: Infinite. The story starts in March, 1912(before the coming of Booker) and will explore both the almost surreal geography of Columbia as well as completely new story concepts expanding upon the original.
This session will have me, Sacredless, as DM as well as Wargtass as co-DM. The main story will run exclusively on an external forum, though can be expanded upon in private or public IM chats, with or without DMs. As a back-up, we will ask you to fill in statistics for a homebrew roleplaying system after signing up, but this session will focus on literature and creativity. The statistics will only be used as a last resort, when posting begins to bog down the action or when the situation is too chaotic to describe with words alone. It cannot be stressed enough that we do not expect these situations to come up more than once every two weeks, if at all.
If you wish to sign up, please fill in the following character sheet and post it in the thread or preferably send it to me through a private forum message!
- Name:
[image: Prefered]
Age:
Ethnicity: White/Italian/Irish/Negro/Indian/Chinese/Hispanic/Japanese/Filipino, etc.
Description:
Personality:
Orientation: Optional.
Weapons: If your character is packing heat and may take only two firearms, a melee weapon and two vigors which would they be? Only two firearms at most, one melee and two vigors unless special circumstances apply. Melee could be a baseball bat, machete, wrench, brass knuckles, even a sky Hook. Eschewing vigor’s entirely allows you to take another firearm. You are allowed to create your own vigors, but they must be run past me so they can be added to the original vigor list.
Weapons
Vigors Descriptions(You may have only 2 Vigors)
Canon Vigors
(Click-This-Link for Canon Vigors!)
Beautiful Haze
An original vigor by Samuel Gniewik
This rarer vigor offers its user a way to skulk about in the shadows more easily, making their features and body haze over as if they were almost composed of smoke. It also has a more offensive use in the sense that it can summon thick black clouds into an area that are extremely hard to see through. Beautiful Haze allows the user to see through smoke and fog with ease as a side effect, as well as causing a thin layer of smoke to role along their forearms and hands.
Sweeper’s Vigor
This vigor gives children an immaculate sense of timing and focus, sometimes at the expense of emotional development. To a sweeper, time seems to run much slower, allowing them to perform great feats of athletics, timing, precision and learning. This vigor is inexplicably compatible with only prepubescent children and it wears off more quickly once a child’s estrogen and androgen levels begin to rise. Vigor abuse can stave off puberty indefinitely.
(Click-This-Link for Canon Vigors!)
Beautiful Haze
An original vigor by Samuel Gniewik
This rarer vigor offers its user a way to skulk about in the shadows more easily, making their features and body haze over as if they were almost composed of smoke. It also has a more offensive use in the sense that it can summon thick black clouds into an area that are extremely hard to see through. Beautiful Haze allows the user to see through smoke and fog with ease as a side effect, as well as causing a thin layer of smoke to role along their forearms and hands.
Sweeper’s Vigor
This vigor gives children an immaculate sense of timing and focus, sometimes at the expense of emotional development. To a sweeper, time seems to run much slower, allowing them to perform great feats of athletics, timing, precision and learning. This vigor is inexplicably compatible with only prepubescent children and it wears off more quickly once a child’s estrogen and androgen levels begin to rise. Vigor abuse can stave off puberty indefinitely.
Firearms Statistics(At maximum, 2 firearms)
Handguns:
Revolver, Light (i.e. Colt Naval Revolver)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 6
Required Strength: 2
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Revolver, Heavy (i.e. Hand Cannon, Colt Dragoon Revolver)
Damage: 4
Ranges: 35/70/140
Clip size: 6
Required Strength: 3
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Pistol, Light (i.e. Mauser Pistol)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 12
Required Strength: 2
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Pistol, Heavy(i.e. Broadsider, .45ACP Mauser Pistol)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 30/60/120
Clip size: 5
Required Strength: 3
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Two handers:
Sniper Rifle(i.e. Bird’s Eye Rifle)
Damage: 4
Ranges: 200/400/800
Clip size: 4
Required Strength: 2
Size: 3
Burst: 1
Shotgun(i.e. Chinabroom)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 4
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 1
Heater
Damage: 4
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 1
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 1
Machine Gun(i.e. Triple R, German MP 18)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 50/100/200
Clip size: 35
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 3-20
Repeater
Damage: 3
Ranges: 50/100/200
Clip size: 20
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 3-20
Carbine(i.e. Huntsman, M1)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 15/300/600
Clip size: 8
Required Strength: 3
Size: 3
Burst: 1
Burstgun
Damage: 2
Ranges: 60/120/240
Clip size: 30
Required Strength: 3
Size: 3
Burst: 3 (always)
Peppermill
The peppermill is a costly weapon; for the purposes of choosing firearms, the peppermill counts as two firearms.
Damage: 3
Ranges: 100/200/400
Clip size: 100
Required Strength: 4
Size: 4
Burst: 1-20
Revolver, Light (i.e. Colt Naval Revolver)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 6
Required Strength: 2
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Revolver, Heavy (i.e. Hand Cannon, Colt Dragoon Revolver)
Damage: 4
Ranges: 35/70/140
Clip size: 6
Required Strength: 3
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Pistol, Light (i.e. Mauser Pistol)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 12
Required Strength: 2
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Pistol, Heavy(i.e. Broadsider, .45ACP Mauser Pistol)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 30/60/120
Clip size: 5
Required Strength: 3
Size: 1
Burst: 1
Two handers:
Sniper Rifle(i.e. Bird’s Eye Rifle)
Damage: 4
Ranges: 200/400/800
Clip size: 4
Required Strength: 2
Size: 3
Burst: 1
Shotgun(i.e. Chinabroom)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 4
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 1
Heater
Damage: 4
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 1
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 1
Machine Gun(i.e. Triple R, German MP 18)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 50/100/200
Clip size: 35
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 3-20
Repeater
Damage: 3
Ranges: 50/100/200
Clip size: 20
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 3-20
Carbine(i.e. Huntsman, M1)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 15/300/600
Clip size: 8
Required Strength: 3
Size: 3
Burst: 1
Burstgun
Damage: 2
Ranges: 60/120/240
Clip size: 30
Required Strength: 3
Size: 3
Burst: 3 (always)
Peppermill
The peppermill is a costly weapon; for the purposes of choosing firearms, the peppermill counts as two firearms.
Damage: 3
Ranges: 100/200/400
Clip size: 100
Required Strength: 4
Size: 4
Burst: 1-20
Sacredless says:
None of the information below is to be considered canon. It is completely comprised of extrapolating fanfiction. Do not cite this material as official. At best, celebrate the content if you like it or criticize how bad it is. Do as you will; more bumps for us. :3
Additional Character Information
Foreign Ethnicities
Negros
However, this long cycle of wars came to an end at the Battle of Wounded Knee, in which Father Comstock himself participated. Since, the United States has attempted to integrate native Americans into society, with varied success.
In Columbia, Indians are treated as second class citizens without exception for their demonized role in Father Comstock’s past. They have work only in the factories, though the occasional civilized Indian may work himself up to become a manservant on occasion.
However, while the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848 promised to protect these citizens, many former citizens of Mexico lost their businesses in lawsuits before court or because of legislation. Particularly the cost of maintaining litigation over land titles drove many previous Mexicans into bankruptcy. Swathes of the population became homeless and conflicted with the powers that had dispossessed them.
Many Mexicans started to work for the mining and the railroad industry, the latter of which brought Mexicans to the north. The sky-lines of Columbia were built upon railroad technology and therefore, most Mexicans in Columbia were once Sky-Line mechanics or indirectly involved in their construction.
Large-scale immigration of the Chinese began in the mid 1800’s due to the California Gold Rush. Despite the flood of Chinese immigrants during that time, their population began to fall drastically. Because of laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the highly imbalanced male to female ratio the Chinese population in the U.S fell to 62,000 people in the early 20th century.
The first Chinese immigrants had a reputation for being hard working and dependable people. Most were wealthy, successful merchants or skilled artisans, fishermen and hotel and restaurant owners. However, during the Gold Rush of California, 25,000 unskilled laborers who worked for little pay migrated to the U.S. Most miners in these regions were white and, following the Mexican-American War, were none too keen on foreigners like the Chinese.
The Chinese were not just miners. They also tried to capitalize indirectly on the mining industry when the whites were too aggressive, taking jobs such as cooks, peddlers and storekeepers as well as any job that the whites considered too dirty or paid too little. When the Gold Rush came to an end, Chinese had replaced a great portion of the job market in California. Outside of California, 90% of the railroad workers were Chinese till legislation made Chinese labour illegal.
Resentment against these “rice-eaters” grew and despite great effort from the Chinese and land-owners, laws were passed to ban them from industry to industry. Most Chinese were forced to work illegally or turn entrepreneur. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented female immigrants to come to America, freezing the Chinese gender ratio at 19:1, decreasing to 27:1 by 1890. Old men constantly outnumbered the young until in 1890 they began dying of old age, at which point the Chinese population had reached its peak. Only entrepreneurs were allowed freely into the country.
In Columbia, the Chinese largely became private manufacturers; though often rely on Columbian salesmen to make a profit. They are also frequently housekeepers and workers. Some are highly integrated and educated citizens and feel uncomfortable among their segregated citizens of Finkton and Shantytown.
However, Filipinos and Japanese were also transported from Hawaii to replace the Chinese when the latter were banned under legislation. They worked in agriculture, railroad industry and the mining industry along with the Hispanics. Their numbers were small in comparison with the other ethnic classes, but the Filipino people in the education and Academia gave the Filipino much needed empowerment.
However, in Columbia, the Filipinos were greatly discriminated against during the Philippine-American War. Often, this war was cited as proof of other races’ inferiority compared to the Columbians. Filipino citizens who previously had upstanding jobs, even worked as scientists, were forced to work as factory overseers. If they were lucky, they’d get jobs as secretaries and housekeepers. Students with military past or lacking discipline to work hours quickly fell joined underground movements.
The Irish had no capital unlike most other immigrants, nor had they been brought in by recruiting companies. Most Irish were used as muscle-workers in the rail road industry. This lead to small Irish communities building along the sites of work. By the middle 19th century, the Irish had accumulated enough wealth to put a foothold in the American economy. The Irish all but monopolized police and firemen jobs after the Civil War. After the Irish had paved the roads for horse- and streetcars, they took jobs as drivers and conductors to capitalize on them further. By 1900, a third of all the Irish worked as plumbers, steamfitters and boilermakers.
In Columbia, most of the Irish work in factories to repair machinery and as overseers of other laborers and as plumbers if they are lucky. The Columbians were not very keen on the Irish subculture that segregated them from the rest of the populace, pushed the Irish away from positions such as policemen and firemen. Therefore, Columbia became ill-equipped to deal with the fire of October 31, 1900, resulting in several worker deaths. Formerly respected Irish families were disillusioned with their fall back into the underground and turned to crime and vandalism.
Because the Italians could no longer find cheap land, the mostly agricultural Italians became urban. They worked the streets as shoe shiners, ragpickers, sewer cleaners and whatever hard, dirty and dangerous jobs no one else would take in the cities. Children, as they had in Italy, were not afforded education so that they could be put to work as quickly as possible. The Italians did not accept charity and never resorted to prostitution, reflecting the culture of Italy.
Unlike other immigrant groups, Italians didn’t stay in enclaves in desire to maintain their culture. Instead, they invaded other immigrant clusters such as the Irish and the Germans. They were ambitious and desperately attempted to save money by skipping on food. However, over time, the dirtiness of their home disappeared as well as the complaint of underfed Italians.
In Columbia, Italians are the most integrated foreigners of all. They are noted for their diligence and sobriety as workmen and become shoemakers, waiters, fruit sellers and tradesmen or take on manual labor.
Organizations
The White Hand Families
Italians earned Columbia a legacy of black handers; Italian extortionists who would threaten a victim with harm, kidnapping, arson and even murder, lest they deliver an amount of money to a particular location.
An organization called the “White Hand” worked with the founders to put Italian black handling to a halt. These ‘White Handers’ have since worked as a sort of union between successful foreign families in the upper echelons of Columbia, to prevent any unfair competition. If there is any competitor who puts the families at risk, hostile negotiations will commonly start, forcing the competitor to pay a percentage of his sales to the families.
In addition, the White Hand and the Columbians have evolved an honor system; theft from shops and other such crimes are persecuted with such vindication that small-time crime is almost non-existant. However, tarnishing the name of a member of the White Hand threatens the name of the entire family and puts them at risk of losing good business. Therefore, the White Hand will do anything to restore their lost honor, from paying silence money, to threats, to murder, to disappearance.
The New Black Handers
The White Hand families are most of all involved in human trafficking. This started as a form of insurance, making dishonorable family members disappear in the underground with little chance for redemption. But these White Hand exiles would later prove useful assets; desperate men and women forging contacts between the underworld and the families. The White Hand families formally deny any connection with this second generation of black handers, but it has afforded them influence in underworld politics and the black market that they cannot pass up. The Irish White Hand are most involved in the underworld, as Columbia has afforded them little else.
An organization called the “White Hand” worked with the founders to put Italian black handling to a halt. These ‘White Handers’ have since worked as a sort of union between successful foreign families in the upper echelons of Columbia, to prevent any unfair competition. If there is any competitor who puts the families at risk, hostile negotiations will commonly start, forcing the competitor to pay a percentage of his sales to the families.
In addition, the White Hand and the Columbians have evolved an honor system; theft from shops and other such crimes are persecuted with such vindication that small-time crime is almost non-existant. However, tarnishing the name of a member of the White Hand threatens the name of the entire family and puts them at risk of losing good business. Therefore, the White Hand will do anything to restore their lost honor, from paying silence money, to threats, to murder, to disappearance.
The New Black Handers
The White Hand families are most of all involved in human trafficking. This started as a form of insurance, making dishonorable family members disappear in the underground with little chance for redemption. But these White Hand exiles would later prove useful assets; desperate men and women forging contacts between the underworld and the families. The White Hand families formally deny any connection with this second generation of black handers, but it has afforded them influence in underworld politics and the black market that they cannot pass up. The Irish White Hand are most involved in the underworld, as Columbia has afforded them little else.
The Fraternal Order of the Raven is a Founders-affiliated organization in Columbia concerned with maintaining the city's "racial purity". In contrast to Columbia's holy symbols of the sword, the key, and the scroll, members of the Order of the Raven use the symbols of the sword, the raven, and the coffin. Their symbol is that of a stylized eye with five swords crossing behind it and a banner which reads "Audemus Patria Nostra Defendere." ‘
The group worships John Wilkes Booth as a saint for assassinating Abraham Lincoln, "the Emancipator" or "the Apostate" (a term Comstock often uses in reference to the same), whom they view as "evil" for abolishing slavery. Members of the Order cloak themselves in hoods and robes, with lesser members wearing blue and leaders wearing black. The Order believes that Columbia's racist ideals make it and its citizens superior to the rest of the world, and seek to enforce a doctrine of racial purity.
The most prominent members of the Order are the Crows: fearsome, coffin-bearing enemies whose powers mirror that of the Order's namesake. They count among the elite forces of the Founders. Dressed entirely in black robes, and pointed black hoods concealing their faces, Zealots primarily resemble the birds which their order worships, namely ravens and crows.
Chained to their backs are large coffins which represent their failure at preventing the death of Lady Comstock. A sword is detailed onto the front of their masks, symbolizing their role as soldiers and purifiers for the Founders, as well as representing the swords which they wield in combat.
In combat, Zealots will usually be seen as a moving flock of black birds as they rarely remain in one place unless stunned or unaware of the player's presence, making them indistinct and more difficult to focus on than their slower Fireman counterparts.
The group worships John Wilkes Booth as a saint for assassinating Abraham Lincoln, "the Emancipator" or "the Apostate" (a term Comstock often uses in reference to the same), whom they view as "evil" for abolishing slavery. Members of the Order cloak themselves in hoods and robes, with lesser members wearing blue and leaders wearing black. The Order believes that Columbia's racist ideals make it and its citizens superior to the rest of the world, and seek to enforce a doctrine of racial purity.
The most prominent members of the Order are the Crows: fearsome, coffin-bearing enemies whose powers mirror that of the Order's namesake. They count among the elite forces of the Founders. Dressed entirely in black robes, and pointed black hoods concealing their faces, Zealots primarily resemble the birds which their order worships, namely ravens and crows.
Chained to their backs are large coffins which represent their failure at preventing the death of Lady Comstock. A sword is detailed onto the front of their masks, symbolizing their role as soldiers and purifiers for the Founders, as well as representing the swords which they wield in combat.
In combat, Zealots will usually be seen as a moving flock of black birds as they rarely remain in one place unless stunned or unaware of the player's presence, making them indistinct and more difficult to focus on than their slower Fireman counterparts.
The North Wind carried Diamond unto many adventures. On these adventures, she helps most people, but also harms and kills others. From the harm she brings, however, good follows, showing the mysterious ways of the Lord. Diamond fell in love with the archangel, not for her outward beauty, but for the subtle, cold beauty of fate she wore. And when Diamond lay dying, he would be comforted by the image of the archangel at the door, unmoving and silent.
Sisters of the North Wind seek to emulate the North Wind and Diamond in the same way. They seem amiable and benevolent and they like to believe they are, but they balance their seemingly gentle nature with a joy in death. The Sisters, after many bed time stories, songs and friendship commit euthanasia on sick, dying and non-white children so they may go at the back of the North Wind. Volunteering for euthanasia is not required to receive the Sisters’ sublime kindness and acts of forgiveness.
Some wonder where Albert Fink gets such beautiful modern music. Some swear that it’s a pact with the devil and, truthfully, they are not that far off. With the funds of his organization, Albert Fink has financed Academia District where he spreads his teachings. At first, his talk of ‘visions’ of cultural magnificence was ill received among the students, though, soon, the criticism silenced. The art coming from Academia has slowly become increasingly bizarre.
Player Characters cannot be part of the Avant Garde.
Exotic Characters
Handymen and Sweepers
The Handymen were created by Bettermen's Autobodies as a procedural method to help the disabled and severely injured citizens of Columbia to not only be able-bodied, but advertised as helping these citizens regain their vitality, as well as technically "live forever". However, this procedure came with the price of having to live within a large and highly disproportional body. They live in great pain and have great trouble sleeping.
Handymen have a gorilla-like posture and build. They also have exposed human body parts, particularly their head and heart, the latter of which is kept in a fluid-filled glass tank on their chests attached to several hoses. Thick bundles of cables run from their limbs to a pair of conductors on their backs. The mechanical hands are made of porcelain. Each Handyman's torso bears the label "AUTOBODY".
The Handymen possess great strength and speed and are capable of leaping great distances. In addition to their incredible physical attributes, they are completely free-willed, unlike the Big Daddies of Rapture. This makes them even more dangerous because they will not simply attack the player until Booker dies: they seek cover, exploit the environment around them to enemies and even throw other people enemies within their throwing range. In addition to their free will, they appear to be able to speak intelligibly. They can close the distance between themselves and their target in fast charges. Moreover, they have the capacity to conduct electricity from their suits, including the ability to hurl balls of lightning as well as electrify Sky-Line rails with their hands.
Sweepers
While Handymen are theorized to live forever, they require regular maintenance. For this, there are ‘Sweepers’; Finkton employed boys and girls of non-Caucasian ethnicities forced to work at low pay. While their name suggests that they are nothing but cleaners, they have maintained the quantum technology of Columbia since the Luteces passed away. Each Sweeper is trained in Finkton the basic instructions of maintaining quantum machinery, steam vents and other such dangerous machinery. They are injected regularly with vigors which allow them to avoid the dangerous moving parts of mechanical Columbia. In effect, they have come to outperform many of their adult counterparts in dexterity and wit, though they were never taught why the machines work the way they do.
Sweepers are employed by Handymen to deal especially with the mechanical components of their autobody, in exchange for daily bread and sometimes even an education. It is not unheard of that a Caucasian child is trained as a sweeper for the special service of a handyman. Sweepers are also occasionally employed by private manufacturers and housekeepers to deal with machinery they don’t or do understand and cannot reach. To the Columbians, sweepers are considered to be nothing less than protégés, groomed as the next generation of Columbia
Unwittingly, Columbia has created the first publicized superheroes, though in the mind of the population, Mother and Father Columbia are living saints. They act like they are as well, never too shy to lecture children about life lessons about good and evil, avoiding colored people and eating your vegetables. Their main powers are deflecting bullets(with repulsive magnetic fields), superhuman strength(from vigors and infusions) and assisted flight. The abilities they have been attributed are described as ‘miraculous’ and ‘divine’, though even the citizens of Columbia realize that some of these are made up and they take simple delight in exaggerating the powers of their favorite heroes.
What the populace or even the heroes themselves do not realize or care to think about is that there is no single Mother or Father Columbia. Father Comstock has indoctrinated these ‘superheroes’ in Comstock House to personify Columbia. They are not method actors; they are brainwashed to validate Comstock’s propaganda. Whether more than one of each is active at one time is unknown, but many a Mother and Father Columbia have been tossed over the railing and ‘miraculously survived'.
Columbia is not a place to be enjoyed by everyone. It seems to unreal what kind of horrors and marvels the city hold that it’s hard to keep up. To some, alcohol and drugs are the only escape from a unfathomable reality.
Salts provide a different sort of power. The inhalation of salts provide the citizens of Columbia with a sense of empowerment. Especially when combined with vigors to give them truly miraculous gifts. However, the addicted must trade their physical health and often their sanity for their inexplicable gifts. Their bodies seem to become literally consumed and disintegrated by the vigors and salts they abuse.
Some vigor abusers have a need to seek out the company of those who appreciate their powers and disregard the negative effects. Examples are the Zealots of the Lady and the Sisters of the North Wind, who abuse Murder of Crows and Charge respectively. Other vigor abusers, like fire-men who abuse the Devil’s Kiss vigor, prefer take solace in the glorious effects of their power.