[Other FULL] Agony: The Battle of Del Rio (M) (OOC)

[gimmepie]

AGONY
The Battle of Del Rio

Almost two years ago life on Earth changed forever. The attack came without warning; we saw it coming but didn't know what it was. On the 31st of August 2016 astronomers around the world detected a small, but widespread shower of meteorites that would impact the Earth on every continent in an unprecedented event. The human race waited and watched, the whole time not realising that our conquerors were upon us.

The day after the impact scientists all over the world were calling in, vying for the title of the first to make the discovery. Rather than finding smoldering fragments of rock, what researchers found were strange metal canisters leaking a milky ooze, and within the unknown chemical were several strange creatures resembling insect lava. It was the discovery of a life time; extra-terrestrial life had landed on Earth. We were all eager to learn more about these alien life forms. If only we had known what they were, what they would do. Just two more days passed before the first news of an attack was heard.

In the span of two days the lava had created a chrysalis of white goo and completed their change. What did they become? Monstrous beasts resembling bugs found here on Earth, several different varieties each with its own devastatingly destructive abilities. In a matter of weeks, all around the world, cities were overwhelmed, with our militaries unable to risk bombings or nuclear attacks and unable to defeat the hordes via any other conceivable means. Even now the aliens are still breeding and attacking in a never-ending cycle. We don't even know why they are here. We call them Caelopods – Bugs from the Sky. It's a name that doesn't sound too intimidating but now it leaves even the bravest men quaking with fear. I don't think we can hold out much longer.

- An excerpt from the journal of General James Archibald.
His journal was discovered by a fleeing rescue team during the fall of New York.​

You

It is now late July in the year 2018, nearly two years since the discovery of Caelopods. Since then the aliens have wreaked havoc on the Earth with city after city, regardless of where in the world, being left in ruins. Military forces, resources and medical aid are stretched thin and the world is in a state of chaos.

You are a soldier or a member of the Science Core (a new group within the military dealing with studying the Caelopods and looking for weaknesses) in the joint US, Canadian and Central American regiment currently stationed in Del Rio, Texas. Operating out of the Laughlin Air Force Base, the group of international soldiers and scientists is fighting a losing battle. More and more of you are ending up dead as the Caelopods extend their reach further over the city.

This Roleplay will chronicle the struggles of your characters – both physical and emotional – as they attempt to learn more about the Caelopods, find a way to defeat them and drive them out of Del Rio lasting until the conclusion of what will become known as The Battle of Del Rio. This is to be a story of desperation, of tragedy and of agony.

Gameplay

Gameplay in this roleplay combines sandbox and chapter-based elements. The story of Agony will be divided into days in which specific events will occur, however the actions of your characters in relation to those events and your interactions with others are more or less up to you. GMs will steer the plot through event posts and through the actions of our own characters.

Agony is also somewhat different to a lot of other role-plays you will see in this corner. Two key differences between this roleplay and others are;

1. Your characters can, and quite probably will, die.

2. Having a character and having a spot in the RP are two different things.​

To keep a somewhat realistic feel to the roleplay, characters can and will die at unpredictable times throughout the roleplay. This does not mean though, that a character dying results in you being removed from the RP. Rather you will be given a few days to either choose to remain involved in the RP or to leave. Related to this, you will be allowed to play as multiple characters from the beginning of the RP.

Rules

1. GM word is law.

2. Don't bunny without permission and don't godmod.

3. Each player will be allowed to have a maximum of three characters. If at any point you feel you have too many characters to handle, tell us and we'll kill one off. Don't just suddenly go inactive as a character and leave others hanging.

4. There is no player limit in this RP, rather we will just close entries if we feel the number of players is getting too high. This also means there are no reservations; just join when you're ready.

5. If all your characters have died you will have three days to let us know if you intend to stay in the RP or not. After that point we'll give you approximately a week to submit a new character or characters.

6. Remain respectful in the OOC at all times.

Caelopod Encyclopaedia

New types of Caelopod are frequently evolving, but as it stands these are the main types of Caelopod that will be encountered. We will update this list every time a new bug is discovered.

Ants/Troopers – Ant Caelopods, often referred to as Troopers, are about the same size as a lion and weigh about as much as the average twelve-year old. Like real ants they are capable of creating complex underground systems, attack in large numbers and have powerful and sharp mandibles.

Wasps/Buzzers – Whilst sometimes confused as being based on bees, Buzzers (as they are often called) seem to be primarily derived from wasps. They are slightly smaller than the average man, are black with vibrant yellow stripes and possess sharp mandibles (less prominent than those of Troopers) and an large stinger resembling a serrated blade. The stinger stabs into the victim, sawing through muscle and bone, injecting a toxin that causes immense pain, weakness, fatigue, disorientation and if not treated possibly death… assuming you don't die of blood loss or organ damage or get eaten first anyway. Buzzers move extremely fast with rapid wing movements creating the loud buzzing noise they are named for. They usually move in squadrons of eight to fifteen but can attack in smaller or significantly larger groups.

Mantises/Hunters – Arguably the most dangerous of the discovered Caelopods, these creatures are similar to praying mantises. Each Hunter is nearly three metres tall, green in colour and possesses large eyes, powerful limbs and, most notably, forearms ending in hard, sharp scythes reaching up to 1.2 metres in length. They are surprisingly sturdy despite their thin frames, can rotate their heads 360 degrees and have formidable jaws as well as their more obvious weapons. They are far more solitary than other Caelopods but are often combined with other types to maximise damage.

Moths/Spitters – Resembling large moths these are the same size as Troopers. They are generally white-brown and have noticeably feather-shaped antennae, furry bodies and dark flecks on their wings. Spitters are nocturnal troops that are not seen too often at the moment. They get their name because they spit corrosive goo to attack enemies.

Beetles/Crawlers – Crawlers are car-sized Caelopods that resemble an overgrown rhinoceros beetle. They are usually a rich, dark bron colour but can also be black or dark green in colour. They are extremely hard to take down, having strong exoskeletons comparable in density to the plating of a tank. They move in fairly large groups, although smaller groups than Troopers by far, and whilst they travel slowly they are strong enough to easily crush cement or thick steel with their large horns.

Sign Up Sheet

Name (Including a Rank or Title):
Gender:
Age:

Appearance (a picture will suffice, we also approve of written descriptions or a combination of the two):

Personality:

Important Background Information:

Roleplay Sample (Either as your character or a link to an excerpt):

Considering the nature of this RP, we don't expect you to produce the Mona Lisa of SUs. So long as you adequately paint a picture of your character and let us know any important details we should accept you.

Accepted Players

1. SV as Colonel Francis Evans, Second Lieutenant Anthony Bristel, Private First Class Michael Ruiz and Sergeant Jose Ruiz
2. Gimmepie as Second Lieutenant (Dr.) Daxton Simms and Sergeant Steve Huntings
3. Varys the Galvantula as Sergeant Major Brandon Crane

 

[SV]

And we have lift-off! I'll go ahead and post my character SUs first so others have some idea of what we're expecting. The only sections we're really interested in are the personality and RP sample section. Note that mine do not contain a RP Sample section (because I'm a GM), but we expect one from you, either taken from another roleplay or freshly written. Feel free to create multiple characters.

Spoiler:

Name (Including a Rank or Title): Colonel Francis Evans

Gender: Male

Age: 39

Appearance:

Personality: A stern, no-nonsense man, Francis seemed as if he was born to be a soldier. He has a high respect for authority and the American way, a deep love of his country, and a sterling reputation of a man who can get things done. In all aspects of his life, but particularly that of his military one, he is a man who believes the mission comes first, no matter the consequences which might come from such beliefs. He is a man who despises cowardice, detests disobedience, and abhors lethargy. His discipline is unmatched within the ranks of the military and without, and his work ethic is unparalleled. He can be harsh and cruel sometimes, but this is only because he expects results, those being the best ones possible.

Francis is a man who commands authority, and seems to have an aura around him which suggests that he is one that men can follow. Others are drawn to him and his leadership abilities, which are tough and harsh, but also top notch. Having been in so many conflicts before, he understands the nature of battle and war more than most. The one flaw he would say he has, though he sometimes rarely likes to show it, is getting too attached to his soldiers. He understands that being in a position of leadership means sometimes sending good men and women to die under his command. While he respects this aspect of war and accepts the responsibility that comes with it, he never gets used to giving out those commands. For the one thing he hates, detests, abhors more than anything, is seeing a comrade die in front of him, especially when he's calling the shots.

Important Background Information:

• Decorated, lifetime soldier
• Led a major assault in the Battle of Miami, one of the few victories in this war
• Earned commendation forValor at Miami, Austin, and New York
• Current Commander of the Military Forces at Del Rio

---

Name (Including a Rank or Title): Second Lieutenant Anthony Bristol

Gender: Male

Age: 32

Appearance:

Personality: Anthony has one goal in this war: To return home to his family. The most important people in his life, and to some extent the only ones he cares about, are his wife and two children. He has few friends because of his somewhat distant personality, and rarely does he seek more. Instead, he prefers to keep to himself. This is partially stemmed from his resistance to form any attachments, as he believes doing so may deter him from his goal. Anthony can be a stubborn man, abhorring changes in his life and preferring things exactly as he wants it. He detests tremendous amount of social interaction, especially with the vast majority of people, whom he views in a somewhat inferior light. Being that he is well educated and well versed in speech, Anthony has an over-inflated view of himself in regards to many others. In essence, he secretly believes the vast majority of others are below him in terms of intellect, though due to his measured tact and social disparity with others, he would never say thus.

Anthony is highly manipulative, though not nefariously so. He is one who would like things to go his way, and will try to maneuver a situation so that it is preferable to him. He prefers being subtle about it to avoid harming the feelings of others, for the reasons that he prefers not to deal with others' emotions, and also because he wouldn't be sure how and what to say should he say anything that might cause them harm. Anthony constantly has thoughts swimming around his head, most of which is highly existential in nature, which sometimes helps fuel his writing. Having spent the better part of a decade either in crippling debt, or struggling with his writing, Anthony has faced the downside of disadvantage, and developed a will to overcome, mostly because he believes he is entitled to do so. He has thus developed a rather callous view of the way the world works, but also a strong will to survive. A will fueled by the people he hopes to return to.

Important Background Information:

• Forced into military through the mandatory draft of 2017.
• Not a lifetime soldier. Before his service, he was a writer.
• Earned a degree in Liberal Arts.
• Has a wife and two children currently living in Oregon.

---

Name (Including a Rank or Title): Private First Class Michael Ruiz

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Appearance (a picture will suffice, we also approve of written descriptions or a combination of the two):

Personality: Michael is an idealist. Unlike his brother who had it much harder growing up, he was privileged as the younger son to not fully understand the hardships one could face. He therefore had taken things for granted in the past, and often didn't take things as seriously as he should have. He has grown up with his head in the clouds, which has led to poor performances at school, despite his decent intellect. He would rather be around his brother than going through boring subjects at school, one of the many reasons he decided to join the army like his brother had done. Michael looks up to his brother Jose as if he were his idol. When he was younger he would always follow him around and even now it is hard to separate him from Jose.

Michael can be a goofball, constantly cracking jokes and lightening the mood, especially when it is fairly tense. He does this as a sort of defense mechanism, as he himself does not wish to see the harder things in life. Having never tasted desperation before, he is blissfully unaware of how bad things can become.

Important Background Information:

• Born in the USA, but his family originally from Mexico
• Joined US Army following invasion because of belief to serve
• Looks up to his older brother Jose
• Flunked out of high school

---

Name (Including a Rank or Title): Sergeant Jose Ruiz

Gender: Male
Age: 28

Appearance:

Personality: Jose has always been a hard worker. Ever since moving to the USA from Mexico, he was instilled by his mother with values of success measured through the long grind. With his father out of the picture, it fell onto him to look after his mother and younger brother in terms of financial responsibility. He has therefore developed a paternal instinct toward his younger brother, who he views almost as a son to him. Jose is caring, but stern, willing to anything for his family, even at the cost of his own personal preferences. He is also therefore constantly pushing for better from his brother, whom he believes possesses all the tools to succeed in life.

Jose has a practical approach to all manners of life. Having toughened it out through the hardships of learning a new language and taking on minimum wage jobs, he understands that life can be cruel if you get lazy, and that there is very little room for mistakes. He also believes that second chances are hard to come by. He is often very slow to trust, especially of people he doesn't know. However, once you get to know him and he accepts you as a friend, he'll fight for you until the end.

Important Background Information:

• Born in Mexico but immigrated to US.
• Worked as carpet cleaner and then Mechanic before enlisting in 2011
• Works as a field specialist and in bomb disarming
• Brother also in military

 

[Logical Cabbage]

I was waiting for this! I'll claim this as my placeholder.

Name: First Sergeant Joanna Magdin
Gender: Female
Age: 34

Personality:

Important Background Information:


Roleplay Sample:

 

[gimmepie]

Sure thing Cabbage, just remember you don't actually need a placeholder. There is no reservations required in this RP because we don't have a set number of places.

My SU's are in the spoilers below

Spoiler:

Name (Including a Rank or Title): 2nd Lieutenant (Dr.) Daxton Simms

Gender: Male

Age: 33

Appearance (a picture will suffice, we also approve of written descriptions or a combination of the two):

Personality: Dr Simms (as he is known outside the military) is a highly intelligent man who has a great love for the different biospheres found on the Earth - especially when it comes to micro-organisms. Daxton is a very hard worker who believes that laziness is the cardinal sin and is very confident in his abilities. Some would say too confident in a lot of cases; Daxton has a tendency towards arrogance and despite the typical military training to beat the individuality out of him he still finds your typical unintelligent grunt boring and incompetent.

It is this arrogance and hard-working nature that lead to Daxton often shouldering far more work than he should and causing himself a great deal of stress. He is usually a very composed man, but when his stress levels reach their breaking point he is liable to snap and become very aggressive. He is also strongly against religious practices due to these traits, believing anybody who depends on something besides their own abilities is weak, misguided and doomed to fail.

Important Background Information:

• Originally born in Canada, moved to the US as a teenager where he was invited to numerous special programs for the gifted.
• Daxton went on to complete his Masters degree in biology before joining the military as a specialist in biological warfare.
• During his tenure with the military he completed his PhD and recieved full military training allowing him to rise quickly through the ranks.
• After the Caelopod attacks began, Daxton was a prominent figure in their study and as such was promoted and transferred to the newly formed Science Core
• Daxton was pressent at the debilitating loss of New York City

Spoiler:

Name: Sergeant Steve Huntings

Gender: Male

Age: 23

Appearance:

Personality: Sergeant Huntings is a friendly guy, albeit one with a rather "out-there" personality and is well known for his tendency to be an adrenaline junky - Huntings doesn't fear death since he knows he is dying anyway and loves the thrill of seeing how close his stunts can bring him to his demise.

One of the things Huntings is detrained to do, is make a difference to his country in some way before his death. He wants to make sure his life wasn't a waste and he wants to be remembered as a hero rather than to simply fade into obscurity. It is for all these aspects of his personality that Huntings loves the military so much, as a soldier he can get all the adrenaline he wants and work towards getting his name in the history books. Above all else the military is a brotherhood for Huntings and he doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere else.

Important Background Information:

• Huntings has always been a bit of an adrenaline junky so joined the military shortly after completing his schooling.
• Throughout his career Huntings has shown a lot of potential as a soldier on the ground and as a highly competent sniper. He is often alternated between the two roles.
• Returning from his last deployment, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and has since been concealing it from the military to avoid being discharged.
• Huntings is one of the few survivors from the small force that was originally sent to evacuate and secure Del Rio awaiting the larger force led by Colonel Francis Evans. Buzzers took out the majority go their group before they could land.

Just a bit of a note, if anybody joining could keep their military ranks below that of Second Lieutenant, that will make it easier for SV and I to make sense when steering the plot. A list of US military ranks can be found here, we are using the army ranks.

 

[jombii]

PLACEHOLDER AHEM

Sergeant Major of the Army Brandon Crane

Male | 49 y.o

Personality:​

Despite being older than most soldiers in the army, Brandon Crane is loved by many, especially those under his squad. At first glance, Brandon might be the stereotypical drill sergeant. After all, he had perfected the frown and the loudness of voice. He also has the moustache to put up with it. It is easy to get intimidated by the long-time soldier that is Crane. However, once you get under him, under his tutelage, you will find that he has a soft spot for those who are new in the business. He knows that he can mold each one to become a good soldier without raising his voice or hitting them. This is why the soldiers under him respect him as who he is.

On the battlefield, Brandon Crane is a fierce strategist. He knows when and where to attack. He knows just how much troops will he deploy to minimize the losses and increase the chances of them surviving the wave. He deeply loves his soldiers and he is want to keep them all safe but he also knows that the war cannot be won inside a room. He knows the horrors of it and acknowledges it. Brandon Crane knew how much damage a war can do, not only to a side, but also to an individual.

Important Background Information:​

- Originated from Los Angeles where he was raised by his mother alone. His father was a soldier himself but was killed in duty.
- Wanted to join the air force when he was a kid. However, a certain incident with a plane experiencing a little too much turbulence scared the little kid. Brandon Crane then wants nothing related to flying.
- Participated in almost all major battles of the war.
- Crane is a decorated soldier. His greatest achievement is having the Distinguished Service Medal for his exceptional performance in some skirmish even before the Caelopods arrived.

Roleplay Sample:​

Brandon Crane was twenty-two years old and it was his first skirmish. They were hiding in the outskirts of the forest of Sulu, a Philippine Island. He was Private First Class Brandon Crane then, a green one in the eyes of his commanders. And he was. His hands were shaking. He could feel his legs buckling and he could taste a hint of bile in his mouth. He swallowed his apprehensions. His troop were silently waiting for the rebel's truck. It would be an ambush. Just recently, this outlaws styled themselves as the Philippine Salvation Front and had the current governor of the province assassinated. It sparked a national issue as the governor was set to run as President. It soon turned into a civil war as one side claimed that the current administration sent the PSF for the kill and another was claiming PSF didn't do it. It was utter chaos and the UN was forced to intervene.

This was how Crane and his troops were stationed in the area. It has been an hour and their backs hurt but their duty calls. Soon enough, the rumbling of the trucks were heard. Crane's troop numbered sixteen; reports said that the rebels were only twelve. Each one of them only needs to put one man down and it would be fine. Yet Crane was nervous.

"Easy, kid," a sergeant told him. Crane had long forgotten the name of the person but he couldn't forget how his blood had spilled onto his face when he was shot by the fatal bullet. The truck revved unto them but they smelled the trap. They rained gun down on the troop and Crane was forced to shoot back. One of his troops smartly aimed for the truck's wheels which sent the rebels skidding. However, they were not out. The bullets went back and forth for some time before it quieted down. Crane survived his first battle, but it could not be the said the same for his fallen comrades. They were sixteen; now they were four. The rebels took one-for-one.

It was still a memory that haunts Crane until this very day.

 

[gimmepie]

@Varys - Unless SV has an issue with that you're accepted, please feel free to create other characters as well if you wish.

 

[jombii]

I'm gonna make another one once this character dies. I don't think I can control two character at once.

 

[SV]

I've got no problems. Welcome to the RP!

 

[gimmepie]

Once Logic's SU is complete we'll have the minimum number of participants. I think what we should do is submit the IC at that point and just start off with the minimum number of people and just see if we can build up as we go. This RP is the kind that does fine with new people joining mid-play so it's all good!

 

[(Drakath)]

This sounds very interesting but, one question. Has military tech changed much between now and the rp?

 

[gimmepie]

This sounds very interesting but, one question. Has military tech changed much between now and the rp?

Assume it is more or less the same.