Semblance
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T H E W A R
Set fifty years into the future, the Republic is a powerful country geographically similar to the United States with abundant resources and a large army. However, its neighboring rival country, called the Federation and geographically similar to Canada, has started running out of resources. With no other option left, the Federation declared war against the Republic through a surprise ambush on its capital, Union City (located in present day Washington, D.C.).
The War dragged on for many years, the Federation slowly gaining more ground with every passing day. There was an extensive amount of casualties in the Republic's army, numerous lives were lost, and many civilians were killed as collateral damage. Just when it seemed like they were going to lose, the government created a biochemical weapon and released this virus onto enemy forces. Much of the Federation army fell ill to this disease, with symptoms consisting of high fevers, pounding headaches, and energy depletion.
With both armies significantly weakened, the Republic and the Federation finally negotiated a peace treaty and opened up more trade between the countries.
N E W S O C I E T Y
Immediately following the War, the people realized how close they came to obliteration, so they allowed the government to implement certain safety measures, including military forces across the country. As a result, the Republic government gained more and more power. The Elector Primo, who essentially served as the dictator of the entire country, divided the Republic into sectors, the ones closer to the capital being much richer and more lavish than those on the outskirts of the country.
Soon, free speech, press, and assembly no longer existed. Rebellions rose in the poor sectors to protest this division of wealth and the growing totalitarian government, but they were often violently put down by the military. Fear spread amongst the people and they succumbed to the government.
Additionally, a new career and education system was implemented to detect the most intelligent and physically adept. Career and education was determined according to an aptitude test, called the Trial, taken at age 13 that assesses physical, mental, and emotional capabilities. The test is scored out of 1500 points, but those from the poor sectors generally had much lower scores than those from the rich sectors due to lack of private tutors and access to pristine education. Furthermore, anyone who was born in a rich sector was allowed to join the military regardless of his/her Trial score, which only widened the gap between the poor and the rich.
There are four outcomes depending on one's score:
Below 1000 (FAILED): Sent to the poor sectors to work in factories. In reality, these children are experimented on by the government then left to die, but very few are privy to this carefully guarded secret
Between 1000 and 1250: Continue to high school then attain low-paying jobs in the poor sectors after graduation (i.e. janitors, restaurant workers, bartenders, etc.)
Between 1250 and 1480: Continue to University then attain high-paying jobs in the rich sectors after graduation (i.e. researchers, doctors, businessmen, etc.)
Above 1480: Immediately recruited to work for the government in Union City and trained to become secret government Agents in internal security (top ~0.1%)
*Note: High school takes four years to complete while University takes six. Only the Gem sectors have Universities, but both poor and rich sectors have high schools. However, the high schools in the poor sectors are much less pristine and very unruly.
P R E S E N T D A Y
Our story takes place thirty years after the end of the War. In recent years, there has been a mysterious disease outbreak in a couple of the poor sectors with a 95% fatality rate, termed the Plague. The effects are similar to those of the biochemical weapon that the government released onto the Federation during the War, with symptoms including high fevers, pounding headaches, vomiting, hallucinations, and ghastly pale faces.
Theories of the Plague's origins range from the Federation releasing a biochemical weapon to someone accidentally freeing the virus from an abandoned lab. Although there is no cure, there is medicine to suppress the symptoms, but it is very expensive and only found in hospitals in the the rich sectors. The military draws a large red X on the doors of those who are infected to quarantine them, as the disease is contagious through bodily fluids.
Around this time, a growing rebel force known as the Insurgents has emerged in the poor sectors with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the government. Their secret meetings and trainings take place in an abandoned underground bunker, away from the eye of the patrolling military. They have garnered much support from the poor with frequent new members.
The government, however, has caught wind of this growing force, but with no details of their location or plans, they cannot outright suppress them like they normally would. The one thing they do know, however, is that the Insurgents are led by a man nicknamed Sledgehammer. As a result, the Elector Primo has sent secret Agents under the guise of poor residents into these outer sectors to investigate this rebel force.
T H E R O L E P L A Y
Your character will either be a rebel Insurgent member or a secret government Agent. The job of the Agents is to collect information and intelligence on the Insurgents while pretending to be an Insurgent member, essentially acting as a government spy. However, the longer these Agents spend in the poor sectors, the more they realize how oppressed these people really are, especially when they find out that children who failed the Trial were not actually sent to work in factories, but rather experimented on by the government then left to die.
As the Agents become more and more invested in the people here, what will they do when they find their loyalties divided? And what will the rebels do when they find out that who they thought were loyal Insurgent members are actually government spies?
Note: Characters will not be accepted on a first come first serve basis. If I do not accept your character, please do not take any personal offense!
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