(Separating this one from the old lore thread as it's relevant to the new game. As always feel free to put your gay roleplaying posts in this thread assuming you're not too lazy this time.)
Faction Lore Year 5
So a few years have passed since the Battle of the Black Fortress. Some things remain the same, but much has changed and as with most things, not always for the better.
New factions have arisen in place of old ones that were destroyed while others have morphed into something much different. Naturally with all these changes strife also comes about and it is only a matter of time before all out war breaks out again
As the saying goes, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so once again is the background lore for those that seek to tame the FALLEN LAND.
The Old Powers (And some new changes)
The Regulators
“This is STILL our land, and you’re STILL all just our guests here.” - Still the sheriff around these parts
The most visible “leader” of the old Fallen Land Alliance the Regulators have probably changed the least of all the factions. They still more or less try to keep the peace though lately it’s been a major headache to keep any sort of order mainly because they don’t have much support from the other factions anymore for various reasons, though the biggest one is a lack of manpower to provide assistance that other factions need elsewhere. As a result there isn’t so much of an alliance anymore as it’s more of a mutual non-aggression pact.
Of course the Regulators never wanted to be “the government” anyway and they’ve been used to doing things on their own for decades now, so they persevere like they always have.
Still, it couldn’t hurt to have a few more friendly guns around. So there’s been efforts on their part to at least keep on good terms with some of the newer factions that have appeared. The last thing they want to deal with is an old “Alamo” situation.
But if any enemies old or new show up, then much like the Alamo, the Regulators are certainly going to make them remember it.
Sigma Corporation
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” - An often used Sigma phrase when they want to strike fear into people they meet.
Another faction that hasn’t changed much. However with their numbers always smaller than the other factions, Sigma Corporation in recent years has slowly started to withdraw a lot of support from the old alliance to focus more on internal matters which is mainly still trying to connect with other Sigma bunkers scattered across the Fallen Land.
Their visibility hasn’t completely disappeared however. Past events have caused them to value the importance of at least maintaining neutrality with other powers and provide basic assistance to the few factions that are non-hostile (Mostly the Regulators) and to even a few of the newer powers that have arisen. However, they still tend to have a lot of animosity towards The Preservationists despite that group mostly still keeping to old Canadian lands.
They’re also the main faction that has the resources to try to track down the Taskmaster’s whereabouts, though they haven’t been too successful in that endeavor.
Ultimately though Sigma still considers itself to be the official US government and they haven’t completely abandoned the mission of re-establishing that order despite the setbacks. And as far as they’re concerned eventually all the rest of the factions, old and new, friend and foe are going to have to get with that program when the time comes.
The Preservationists
“All seeking genuine enlightenment and peace are welcome here. Kafirs, however must provide a small donation for the privilege of Allah’s enlightenment.” - Preservationist Law
The Preservationists still hold true to their goals of preserving what old pieces of history and technology they can, but their once more isolationist stance has relaxed slightly. This is mostly out of a sense of SELF-preservation rather than humanitarian reason though.
The various American powers are still perceived as a genuine threat and there is a very real concern that one day one of the warring factions is going to get powerful enough and bold enough to directly attack them. As such the Preservationists have taken upon themselves try to bolster their ranks by accepting more outsiders who are seeking relative safety (Thunder Bay is still considered the safest major city in the Fallen Land).
However the Preservationists at their core are still a theocratic government and wish to keep the true believers in power, so taking a page from old history, steps have been made to make sure non-believers pull their weight for Allah’s benevolence. So far this has worked out well as the Preservationist gain extra help (and funding) to pursue their goals while also slowly gaining loyal citizens as some eventually make the total conversion to avoid extra taxes.
Still, with the number of safety seekers constantly growing, it could be only a matter of time before the true believers are outnumbered. After all not all converts agree with everything Preservationist Law says and this particular hierarchy might not last as they start to question if such a set up is truly what Allah would want. To say nothing of the few hardline believers who were against allowing infidels in in the first place.
As of now though, things are stable and for most Preservationists, they hope it stays that way. Inshallah.
The Road Kings (Formerly known as The Highwaymen)
“For the last fucking time, YES you get purple wings if she’s a zombie!” - A Road King tired of answering the same all too common disturbing question
After the Battle of the Black Fortress, The Highwaymen soon changed their name to The Road Kings as another way of bragging about their reputation. Not that such boasts were totally unfounded, after all they definitely had gone head to head with some of the greatest threats to the Fallen Land. It was enough that several wanted to join rather than face them.
At first many of these nomadic biker gangs were accepted as a way to bolster the ranks, however it also soon became a case of diminishing returns as a lot of them were more wannabes than anything else. Also some of the old guard started to bristle at a lot of these new punks that didn’t have any sort of respect for the club. This of course was met with cries of “For supposed outlaws, you faggots sure have a lot of rules!”
To say nothing of the sudden influx of lots of brown folks in a club that was once considered to be more “racially pure” or at least a lot more white. Oddly despite embracing more diversity of their ranks, nobody had actually renounced any of their advanced race theory ideology. Still, it didn’t take long before the Road Kings suddenly found themselves with a civil war on their hands over all these sudden differences and contradictions.
After the Siege of Sturgis, Fuhrer Malk remained in place, but the damage to the club was great. Perhaps in the long run, this culling of sorts might be for the best, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way now with depleted manpower and resources. Doesn’t help that some of the rebels survived and have seemingly formed a new hostile faction.
Time will tell if The Road Kings can live up to their name again.
The New Separatists (Formerly known as the New Federalists)
“What’re you going to do, eat me?” - President Pride’s last words before CEO Enter took over
Of all the old powers, the regime change of the New Federalists probably surprised everyone the most (especially President Pride). It seemed like Pride had the magical gift of keeping himself in power however his failure to unite the Fallen Land with a long and costly war against virtually everyone else ultimately lead to a steady decline.
Pride tried to stay in power with reminders of old “victories” such as the destruction of Iowa City, but this hardly mattered when these victories ultimately lead to 12/7 AKA “Ghost Town”. The day the Regulators nearly annihilated Albany in a devastating terror attack while Pride was busily trying to rack up more glory for himself elsewhere. The survivors of that terrible day never forgot and they didn’t forget that it was Pride’s fault that caused it in the first place.
As the citizens worked hard to rebuild, a new outlook on goals started to take shape. The whole point was to keep Albany strong and safe, and that could be done a lot easier not by conquering everyone else under one banner, but rather by keeping everyone else fighting. This new goal was driven by a man called Enter. Little is known about him other than he has a more business and profit focused mindset. Already on solid terms with most mercenary groups and having access to a military stockpile location known only to him, he managed to easily overthrow President Pride who foolishly believed his election slogan “Pride or Die” wouldn’t one day mean him.
Under CEO Enter, Albany has bounced back better than ever and its citizens are Despite being a haven for various mercenaries and other hirable thugs, the city is one of the safer locations in the Fallen Land since almost everyone is packing serious firepower. He’s even somewhat managed to repair the terrible reputation the place once had, pointing out that the new government is not interested in conquering anyone and is content keeping to their own territory.
The problem of course is this doesn’t mean much when they’re selling weapons to everyone including enemies of various factions and making a whole lot of money off the chaos. To say nothing of all the mercenaries they send to do “unofficial” tasks on their behalf. In an attempt to nullify any bad press, CEO Enter invested heavily in getting an old TV station up and running making them the first to actually have something other than radio media.
Buzzard TV is the only major network station (barring the occasional pirate broadcasts that hijack the signal) and it mostly serves as a propaganda machine for its own citizens since the signal is still small. Though for a small ongoing price some other simple forms of entertainment are also displayed with found tapes of old shows and movies. The original reality show M.E.R.C.S. is the most popular however. CEO Enter naturally one day hopes that he can get shows broadcast all over the Fallen Land and rake in even more profit.
The more things change, the more assholes stay the same.
The Prophets of Ezekiel (Formerly know as the Brotherhood)
“Have you heard the teachings of Ezekiel?” - Everyone’s new least favorite question when answering their city gates
Soon after the Battle of the Black Fortress the old Brotherhood underwent some serious changes, literally in most cases since a lot of them became gibbering mutants due to the radiation from the nuclear fallout of the Black Fortress’ destruction. Those that managed to avoid this fate managed to regroup and seriously rethink their long term goals.
One such man was Ezekiel Jones. At first thought dead, he reappeared a few days after the main group returned to Saint George. His survival was taken as a sign. What that sign exactly meant nobody was sure, but Ezekiel certainly took advantage while he could. Ezekiel began to preach a different way of doing things, namely that being perpetually hostile religious fanatics wasn’t getting them anywhere and allying with the Taskmaster was definitely a mistake and they had been punished for their hubris.
Instead he said they should take a more civilized approach to spread the faith. Make peace all their enemies and attempt to blend in more with the other powers of the Fallen Land. By doing this, he reasoned that their goals could be better achieved. It certain was simple enough to make sense and most had always seen him as one of the wiser Elders anyway, so a new cult formed around Ezekiel along with a new name.
Their new approach has had mixed results to be sure. Even more than the New Separatists, the Prophets were even less trusted by those that fought them during their Brotherhood days (Especially the Regulators) however in time new factions had risen up and as the Prophets provided assistance to such people this made it easier to repair their reputation via word of mouth. Good deeds and short memories go a long way.
Still, the goals have not changed. The idea to unite the Fallen Land under their twisted theocracy is still there and while they may not be in a position to do so by force right now, there may come a time when they gain enough strength again that they dispense with more “civilized” methods of conversion.
The New Players
Angels of Mercy
“Let’s hope this goes better than last time.” - Warren Ripley
Started by Warren Ripley, the Angels of Mercy are the successors of the old Black Angel Coalition. Seeing that things weren’t getting much better after the Battle of the Black Fortress, Warren decided that once again their needed to be a proper “beacon of light” in the Fallen Land. As such he and a few others began to rebuild Iowa City and set about to revive the COTBA philosophy with a few minor changes.(Namely better defense)
By all rights, the Angels of Mercy shouldn’t even be as strong as they even are in their short existence, however they had a lot of assistance from old allies (Mostly the Regulators) and Warren’s own obsessive dedication to rebuilding and trying to be a “center” of sorts to keep the relative peace in the Fallen Land. Even the New Separatists contributed to the rebuilding process. Though most saw this as a cynical ploy of CEO Enter to get in good with the new regime, but Warren wasn’t going to turn down the help especially since the CEO had personally overthrown the war criminal Pride.
It took awhile, but once the Angels got the basic support system up and running, everything else started to fall into place and now they in turn can provide assistance to those that need it. Iowa City today is considered to be neutral ground for where major meetings take place when necessary. Granted this was supposed to always be the case, but most factions seem to be a bit more on board with this idea now.
Iowa City still has a memorial as a reminder of the genocide that happened there years ago. The Angels hope that their work contributes towards a future where there isn’t another such memorial.
Beasts of the Atom
“Great Falls is my land and I love it and whoever interferes will hear this gun.” - Tiny Large Guy, Chieftain of the Canoti Tribe
After what Bad Betty did to the Enclave of Terra, it was thought that the city of Great Falls would remain an uninhabited ruin, but there’s always someone ready to move in when a vacancy takes place. Nature herself was the first to move into the ruin and it didn’t take too long for nature to completely reclaim the space. If anything the area has more lush greenery than it did before. Several Indian tribes took this as a sign that it was a place where Mother Earth was strong and the area needed to protected. Wasn’t long before the nearby tribes completely resettled the area.
However as with most things, there’s a scientific explanation. Whatever the toxic chemicals that Bad Betty used to drive the citizens of Great Falls insane, settled into the soil and pretty much everything else into the area. While this mysterious chemical had a bad effect on people, it apparently had a side effect of enriching plant life.
However, this doesn’t mean the chemical hasn’t still had an effect on humans. In fact, it’s also had an effect on animals in the area. And while this effect is different than when Betty was pumping it into the air, the effects never the less remain.
Mutations have occurred in wildlife making them larger and generally more dangerous. Humans that ingest their meat or eat food grown in the soil also risk mutation. While some of these mutations can be horrific, most of the mutations are fairly minor and even somewhat beneficial such as toughened skin, night vision or even fur. The Indians have naturally taken this as a sign of becoming even closer to nature, hence the name “Beasts of the Atom”
Still despite their more return to nature ideology, the new faction hasn’t completely shut out more modern convenances understanding the need to at least compete to stay independent. They tend to be wary of most other factions though and contact is limited.
Wild Cards
“Wild Card bitches!” - Common Wild Card citizen battle cry
The Wild Cards are basically the citizens of Battle Mountain that the old Syndicate used to lord it over before they were kicked from power and driven from the area. Now the citizens make their home more in a nearby airbase rather than the old mines they used to dwell in.
As a new power the Wild Cards have few allies close by. They sometimes trade with the Beasts, but that’s about it. Thanks to suffering attacks from the likes of the old Brotherhood, the Taskmaster and the Syndicate itself, the faction isn’t very trusting of most outsiders. (Something they have in common with the Beasts which might be why they have a mutual respect for one another)
One thing they seem to be very focused on is getting an air force of sorts up and running. A daunting task especially considering most of the planes are not really in any shape to fly, let alone the need for people who know how to fly in the first place. However they have had a single success in the form of a very well kept B-25 Mitchell bomber.
This vehicle is the prize of the Wild Cards and is enough to give them a bit of recognition in terms of being a faction that isn’t to be taken for granted.
Red River Parish
“They don’t call us red river for nothing.” - Rene Le Grande throwing some enemies to the mutant crocagators in the water.
With the destruction of the Swamp Runners by the Taskmaster, a new gang of scavengers known as the Red River Parish took over Shreveport. They didn’t really bother to repair the ruins since they mostly used underground tunnels and dwellings anyway. And when they were topside, they preferred to stick to their houseboats on the river ways.
They’re currently lead by a man called Rene Le Grande and are more organized than the Swamp Runners ever were. Not only have they swiftly taken over most of the water ways and employed toll systems, but they also act as go betweens for various factions. It’s also assumed that they probably have spies in most places. However their attempted monopoly of the rivers has not gone unchallenged as they have an ongoing feud with Neptune’s Wrath and despite any efforts to get either side to sit down to talk in Iowa City, the factions seem to be determined to stay enemies until one side is gone.
Neptune’s Wrath (Formerly known as the Sons of Neptune)
“The river guppies will soon learn who is the big fish that really rules the water.” - Captain Darkwater about Red River Parish
Of all the old factions, Neptune’s Wrath has arguably been one of the more successful mainly due to being able to stay out of most of the major faction wars and being lucky enough to avoid attacks by rape clowns and evil toasters.
Always maintaining relatively good relations with its neighbors (Especially the Preservationists) Neptune’s Wrath continued to build and slowly grow, but always remaining out of the “system” when it came to the inter-faction politics. However it wasn’t until two major things happened that they suddenly became more involved in the greater Fallen Land communities.
One was the rise of the Red River Parish who aggressively expanded into the northern waterways towards the Great Lakes. This immediately caused ongoing conflict as up until then the Neptunians considered themselves “masters of the water.” (The Swamp Runners stuck to the south and were never organized or bold enough to go much further)
The second was their discovery of a badly damaged US Navy assault carrier. The faction made haste in restoring the USS Wasp to a useable state and it was about this time with this warship also now doubling as a mobile home (Though Grand haven is still considered their main port), they changed their name from the Sons to Neptune’s Wrath.
Armed with this mighty warship, Neptune’s Wrath is eager to take a greater role in the Fallen Land stage.
Minor Factions
The Contraltos
“We lost Battle Mountain because the Syndicate compromised the whole fucking thing. No more. No more of this.” - Don Phil Contralto on about the old days (again)
After the attacks by the Brotherhood and the Taskmaster, the old Syndicate grip on the populace of Battle Mountain became very fragile and it wasn’t too long before they were run out completely. The remaining survivors of the Syndicate didn’t have much idea of where to go initially, eventually one picked “east” saying maybe they could reconnect with the old country (New Jersey). The trek over the rocky mountains took its toll and by the time they even got past them, there was really only one family left from the Syndicate, The Contraltos.
They might not have lasted much longer either, but as fortunate would have it, they stumbled upon the Dirty Slot Casino. At that time the Dirty Slots was only run by a few half assed wise guys. The Contraltos decided that this would be their new base of operations and the only offer that would be made would be with bullets. Having taking over the Dirty Slots by force, the Contraltos settled into an environment which honestly was probably a better fit.
While the Contraltos are nowhere near a major player in the Fallen Land like they were during the Syndicate days, they’re not entirely out either. Besides the Dirty Slots, the Contraltos have set sights on other similar “outposts” to potentially extend their influence and profit. A difficult task with major powers like the New Separatists and Red River Parish who already have a large hand in less reputable activities, but having already secured a few top hitmen on the payroll, the Contraltos are always available for smaller jobs at a lower price.
The Chosen
“We have such sights to show you.” - A common saying of the Chosen to their hapless victims
The Chosen are what the rest of the old Brotherhood became that weren’t lucky enough to avoid the nuclear explosion at the Battle of the Black Fortress and were even less lucky to not die in the blast. Still maintaining remnants of the fanatical religious mindset of their former lives they saw their new mutated forms as a “reward” and began calling themselves The Chosen. They make their new home around the crater where the Taskmaster’s Black Fortress once existed and now go around attempting to convert others by force, even using jury-rigged pieces of the Taskmaster’s old army to assist in these tasks. This process usually involves exposure to radiation, brainwashing, torture and crude surgery. Assuming anyone actually survives this process, the victim is most likely insane enough to believe in whatever it is exactly the Chosen believe now.
There isn’t much else to say about them other than they’re a roving group of insane religious mutants that basically terrorize the southwestern area of the Fallen Land and they’re hostile to all. (Even the Prophets) One notable thing however, is there have been sightings of the Chosen building strange obelisks in various parts of the desert wilderness. For what purpose exactly none can say and nobody is really eager to ask them either.
The Vanguard
“Of all the abominations on this world, such as faggots, niggers and trannies, the worst by far are the street shitters.” - Alabasterd the UncanCELable views on Advanced Race Theory
The Vanguard are largely the remnants of the losing side in the Road Kings civil war. The group was nomadic and leaderless for awhile and if things had stayed that way, they might have all just completely scattered. However fate would intervene when they ran into another smaller group of bikers.
These ones however were riding a foreign style sports bikes and had multicolored hair. In fact, the nomads at first thought they were an all girl biker gang at first until the brightly yellow haired leader in a trench coat announced that they were known as the Vanguard and they were looking for more men of good Aryan stock to join their cause. Seeing as this was what one of the major points that was fought about in the first place with the Road Kings, these lost causers were willing to hear out Alabasterd a little more rather than killing him immediately (And/or raping him).
After an hour long speech about racial superiority and pointing out how the Road Kings had obviously become contaminated by gay cultural marxism that was a problem all over the Fallen Land, Alabasterd had managed to not only convince these nomads to join him, but to utterly embrace his “unique” form of white supremacy which seems to involve a large collection of old books and tapes filled with a lot illustrations of underaged looking girls and even more feminine looking men.
The Vanguard are still largely nomadic and trying to get more of an established foothold in the Fallen Land, though they do have a clubhouse somewhere on the Canadian border called “The Bunker”. Most of their closest neighbors such as The Preservationists are not fond of them and the Beasts of the Atom particularly loathe them. It also goes without saying that the Road Kings have made it their personal mission to purge this faction as soon as possible.
Atomik Klownz
“Betty was just the opening act, I’m the main attraction!” - Bad Betsy, a new clown that currently wears the crown
While Bad Betty might be long gone, she unfortunately inspired other deranged individuals to follow her psychotic lead of wearing clown make up, dressing outlandishly and generally acting like a crazy asshole.
By themselves they are usually easy to deal with (Much like Betty was). However when enough of them get together to form a traveling circus, that’s when they become more dangerous. One particularly large group calling themselves the Atomik Klownz has managed to stay constantly moving much like Betty often did before she was taken out. Worse, they actively recruit like minded folks whenever possible. They don’t seem to have any major goal other than spreading chaos and terror for fun.
Due to this, it’s been rumored that they’re on the New Separatist payroll, however CEO Enter has protested such accusations pointing out that they’ve had their own run ins with the clowns too.
In any case, it’s safe to say that when the circus comes to the towns, nobody is enjoying the show with the clowns.
Los Intermediarios & Los Centinelas
“Gonna be taking you to Funky Town maricon.” - one of the faction members saying it to their enemy who said the same exact thing to someone else just a week ago.
Due to the current situation in Mexico, both factions can’t really be discussed without the other. Los Intermediarios are technically the faction still mostly in power, but that is looking like it’s going to change soon as Los Centinelas make a lot of progress in taking over territory.
How this all came about is a combination of Los Intermediarios losing some manpower to a Taskmaster attack and then eventually that being perceived as weakness by another group, in this case Los Centinelas who have greatly taken inspiration from their Aztec past as far some of their style of dress and rituals go.
It isn’t quite just a simple power struggle however. Los Centinelas genuinely believe their way will improve the country’s security and prosperity. Los Centinelas believe that the border needs to be better protected from foreign merchants. They don’t want the gringos having direct access to any potential trade south of Mexico and by the same token, they can keep trade with areas south of Mexico to themselves. (Los Intermediarios weren’t nearly as strict on this idea, claiming it just created potential enemies where there didn’t need to be any)
In any case, the entire country is one big war zone with massacres each bloodier than the next. Some say the destruction of Iowa City was nothing compared to what’s going on in the country on a daily basis. This doesn’t even include the occasional incursions by The Chosen who wander over the Mexican border for converts from time to time.
At this point though, no matter who ultimately wins, the faction probably won’t be in any shape to be a major power anytime soon.
The Villain of the Story
The Taskmaster
“I am inevitable.” - The Taskmaster
Since the destruction of his black fortress, there has been little sign of the infamous Taskmaster. The closest are the rare remnants of his former army, but murderous marauding robots and cyborgs don’t seem to be under his direct control so much as they’re following their original programming.
While it was originally agreed upon that he escaped destruction due to not being at the black fortress in the first place (As reported by Warren Ripley who heard his vow of revenge first hand), the passage of time always causes forgetfulness. And in a land where information is usually second hand at the best of times, rumors tend to replace the truth.
Many believe the Taskmaster is dead or if he isn’t, he died shortly after his defeat. Even the factions that were directly involved with the fighting have had so many other conflicts since then haven’t given much thought to the Taskmaster being a threat again. (The only exception being Sigma Corp) Some folks are even under the delusion he didn’t even exist at all claiming it was all just a fake story that “The Alliance” made up in an attempt to scare everyone and take control of everything.
Still besides the rumors that the Taskmaster is indeed dead, there are other rumors that he’s not just alive and plotting from some secret base, but that he’s seeking something that could very well cause destruction not seen since the creation of the Fallen Land. Others even say he already has agents in place hiding among the factions ready to strike when the time is right.
Whatever the truth, if and/or when he does show up again, one can only assume that it won’t be good for humanity. (Or any living thing for that matter)
