Fallout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl2ecNI8i7g

As the music plays, the image of an old, worn out and broken leg of pre-war T-51d Winter Power Armour remains half buried in a mixture of soot and snow. The flag of the USA barely remains on the plating, broken by a large cut through the centre of the insignia, leaving an exposed bone underneath. A piece of an old newspaper brushes over the armour from the harsh winds, getting trapped on the edges of the cut - The headline "Operation: Anchorage!" printed over the now half-faded image of Uncle Sam guiding a squadron of airplanes toward Alaska.
The torso of the power armour becomes present, revealing the dog tags of a deceased soldier, although the snow and the soot covers the name. Going further up the body, the helmet comes into view, with a cracked visor and a trail of dried blood leaking from the crack. All that remains underneath the helmet and the rest of the body is the skeleton of the old and forgotten hero. On the cheek of the helmet, something is etched in: "God bless America."
A figure begins to approach, it's shadow gradually cloaking over the old and deceased power armour unit as the stomping becomes audible once it's close enough. It halts; a red laser begins to scan the body, apparently searching for anything of use and for any signs of life underneath the armour. The laser lingers for a while at the helmet, particularly drawn to the trickle of dried blood. The music begins to repeat, before scratching and tearing, then finally going off. The laser vanishes, and then the figure marches past the body, only to reveal a heavily armoured foot with a couple of pistons and vent present on the ankle...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lN9mKZ_UJM

...


War... war never changes.

The foundations of power can arise from the most critical of situations... Hitler had taken control of a crumbling and desperate Germany, turning it into one of the most powerful and dangerous superpowers ever seen in the pre-war world. Roger Maxson had fought through the harsh reality of the Wastelands, overcoming many dangers to eventually forge the Brotherhood of Steel, which became the most feared and respected faction in the Wastelands. Humanity has known for centuries that power can be bent to fit anyone's fist in the foundations of war. It can be both feared and respected, but in the wrong hands, abused and neglected. Because war... war never changes.


When project purity had been activated, the promise of the old world returning to the wastelands looked hopeful... fresh water could finally be accessed, giving the residents of the wastelands hope for a better and brighter future, allowing them to freely believe that one day, they would be able to pull themselves out of the abyss of fire, ash and radiation. Yet this image was not the future everyone was searching for...

The war in Anchorage had only fueled a mysterious group into formulating and constructing the foundations of what was going to be the most dangerous army ever seen in the history of mankind. It was an idea which threatened not only the future of a new world in the wasteland, but the future of the human race and all life as was known.

This image was something that was spoken of in the small town of Levelland in Texas. Here, the locals relished in the thought of an independent and free state, released from the clutches of the Brotherhood of Steel, using their independent power to help spread the word of a new hope across the Wastelands. It is here where you begin your story. It is here where your foundation of power is based. It is here, where your adventure begins...


C.S -

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance: (Optional, but keep it brief)
Background:



S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength:
Perception:
Endurance:
Charisma:
Intelligence:
Agility:
Luck:
(40 points total. 10 is the max limit per stat.)

Name: Pierce Hodgers
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Appearance: 6 foot, rather average build. Caucasian with dark brown hair.
Background: Hodgers had escaped from Vault 111 in search of his father, Mike Hodgers. He too had disappeared from the vault one night when Pierce was only 16, leaving him to live on his own. Although there was a fuss made out of it at the time, everyone in the vault has forgotten about it. He eventually found out about his father's secret escape route and made use of it, abandoning those who remained in the Vault to live a dreary life. Yet he still wants to find the courage in himself to venture out in the wastelands and find his long lost father.


S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength: 7
Perception: 4
Endurance: 10
Charisma: 7
Intelligence: 5
Agility: 4
Luck: 3

Name: Stephen Primer
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Appearance: Slightly lanky, caucasian. Noticeable burn marks on the left side of his face.
Background: Originally the leader of an independant research party, his entire team was slaughtered by raiders. They were more organized and well-armed than most, he figured they were splintered from a larger group and pushed inward. He was forced to maintain equipment and plan attacks on smaller settlements at the end of a gun. He managed to escape one night by analyzing their routines and sabotaging the entire camp in one elaborate trap. With his research likely destroyed, he lost the courage to venture out into the Wasteland again.


S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength: 4
Perception: 8
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 7
Luck: 3

(HEY, I TRIED.)

Levelland... the only town in the whole of Texas that still manages to keep law and order in place, without resorting to killing as a means of punishment. It is a small town, roughly about 1/3 mile by half a mile. It's also quite a pleasant place to be: no nuke had violated the nearby landscape or structures of the pre-war buildings, leaving some of the houses still intact in the area, only the harsh storms from the wastes were what had neglected the area and destroyed the rest.

The main place for congregation was The Shoehorn - the alcohol was both plentiful and cheap, with rather friendly locals attending on a daily basis. Of course, not as friendly as in the pre-war era... people were still pissed off about living conditions and the dangers which still lingered outside the settlement.
There was a gun shop full of only post-war firearms and odd trinkets, hand-made by the owner himself and traded in by some of the wanderers that came through.
The old petrol station had been refurbished and changed into a giant hotel. It was clear what was added due to all the metal plating and the wooden planks set up here and there.
As for the streets... the residents had cleared up all the old vehicles that lay scattered around, taking up all the space which cramped the look of the town.

Pierce was located in the bar, although was only drinking water. Thanks to the Aqua Pura, it was no longer irradiated... although he was still feeling a little homesick from the vault.

Stephen was at the other end of the bar, to himself... he had his elbow on the counter, his hand half-covering his face. He seemed to be bored, swirling a shot of whiskey around.

The bartender had his eye on Stephen... he, like Pierce, looked like he was something different to the regular locals around here. But he never spoke to Pierce.
"Enjoyin' your time 'round 'ere?" He decided to engage in some conversation with him. The bartender hadn't seen the new person who had walked in through the doors, dressed in some long, dark blue robes. Only the nearest person by the door saw him, looking rather confused but at the same time concerned.

Stephen looked up at the bartender, though drew his gaze back down as he began to speak, not removing his hand from his face. "Just blew in here not too long ago, might take my caps and settle down for a while. Although, you've probably heard that story maybe fourteen to fifteen times before."

"Just about that." The bartender replied to him, taking a couple of empty gin bottles from the counter.
"There'll be all sorts o' people 'round here looking to give you work. Unemployment don't exist 'round here." He explained, giving him a nod as he walked round to the other side of the bar table to serve someone else. He stopped himself, quickly going to give Stephen another word of advice before leaving him.
"'Cept in the brothel. Don't go near that place now, son."

The man in the hooded robe had come down to sit a couple of seats between Pierce and another guy... he looked over to him, wondering what on earth someone like this was doing down here. Pierce leaned back to see if anyone else had seen him, but noticed something peculiar on his back - It was what appeared to be the emblem of a ring of thorns around a human skull, with what looked like a bionic eye on the right side of the skull. If it wasn't for his lack of confidence, Pierce would have asked this person who he was and what he was doing here... but he let it slip. For now.

"...Not that I look anything like a male prostitute, but I'll have to agree." Stephen said, having a slightly annoyed change to his tone. He shrugged it off, finally deciding to down the shot. He hadn't noticed the man walk in.

The priest-looking guy turned his attention to Pierce, having a rather wry expression on his face.
"Tell me... are you... new, to this place?" He spoke at a reasonably slow pace, with a deeper voice than what would've been expected if you were to judge from his facial features.
"... Y-yeah..." Pierce replied, looking back to him with a sense of insecurity now looming over him. The priest turned his head back to the counter, his mood beginning to fade.
"And do you know of the events which have been occuring near the Mogollon Rim?" ... Pierce wondered why he would even mention this. From what he knew, that was all the way over in Arizona, far, far west.
"... Can't say I do." Pierce replied, starting to ease up after thinking about this 'threat' being ages away.
"I believe that you would enjoy a visit there... maybe you would be able to meet The New Founder." ... Pierce was confused. What was he on about?
"Uh, pardon me askin', but uh... who's this 'Founder' guy?" He decided to ask. He saw a tortuous smile creep across the priest's face under the hood, now with his eyes disappearing in the shadow.
"The one who will return the work of our salvation to the wastelands. We will soon be reunited as a whole, once his work has spread," The priest said. The bartender noticed him by now, flinching at the sight. It didn't take him long to grab three bottles of Aqua Pura and hand them to him. "But now that we mention it... maybe you would like to see his work?" The priest walked off with the bottles, apparently not expecting a response from Pierce.

"Sorry 'bout that. You wanna talk?" The bartender returned to Stephen after seeing out the stranger. At least, a stranger to Pierce and Stephen...

"Ehhh... what was that all about?" Stephen said. It didn't seem like a normal bar conversation to him. People usually don't grimace like that on casual topics.

"Oh... nothin'." The bartender didn't think it was appropriate to talk about it. With a little encouragement, however, he might be persuaded into thinking otherwise.

Pierce wasn't sure what all that was about, either... but he was a little creeped out of now.

"Seems it's got you worried, for some reason. Otherwise, you would've been confident enough to answer that without a pause." Stephen said. "If it's something I should avoid, I'd like to know what it is."

The bartender tried to hide a discomforted grumble. He placed both his hands on the table in front of Stephen, looking left and right to make sure nobody was listening. He then leaned in toward him, his eyes staring right at him.
"There's some'n' goin' on 'round 'ere... ah can smell it." He spoke in a hushed voice, which would have been inaudible to any one else over the noise. "Only ever see him walkin' round at night time if he ain't comin' here to get more water. Heard a couple o' folk say they saw 'em walkin' 'round with two giants!" His eyes seemed to widen upon the mention of the giants, as if they were a threat. "I dunno what they mean. If they just talk'n' 'bout large bodyguards or... real giants."

Pierce had caught sight of the bartender's suspicious looks, wondering to himself. Just what was going on here? He wanted to get to the bottom of it, it wasn't him to just remain clueless about something. He slowly got up, then began to head for the double doors out of there.

"With a getup like that, I think a lot of people would see him coming." Stephen replied in the same volume as the bartender. "I'm guessing if his intentions are hostile, either nobody knows or nobody lived to spread the word."

"Weh'... 's just hope it ain't the latter." The bartender didn't like what Stephan's thoughts were, even if they were the truth. "One of 'em even said they was carryin' some bodies with them. Live ones..." His tone certainly wasn't helping make the situation sound like it was something you could shrug off. "On that night, when they left town, the monk guy hadn't been seen for almost 10 months. 'N then he just shows right up again... no bodies. No mention of him leaving. Just like a ghost..."

Pierce had left the bar, looking round for where the priest had gone. He managed to catch a glimpse of his robe disappearing off down a narrow street between two buildings far off down the street, which hadn't been occupied at all. He ran as fast as he could, trying to ensure he could get another glimpse and keeping the trail going.

Let's see here... massive bodyguards, people getting dragged off into the night, why the hell was this being overlooked?
Well, it was obvious Stephen wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, whether from looking into the thing or succumbing to pure paranoia.
"...I'll be back." Stephen said, leaving some caps on the counter as he left his seat, about to make his way toward the door.

"Take it easy!" The bartender shouted to Stephen once he had set off.

Pierce had made it to the alleyway, luckily seeing part of some black cloth disappear off to the left. It looked like the priest was going to go into Anchorside, where almost nobody chose to hang around in. He continued to run, missing one of the metal doors closing as he ran past.

Stephen took a good look around once he was outside the bar... surely if there was anything out of the ordinary, he'd be able to spot it from a mile away, so he thought.

Stephan would have seen Pierce for a couple of seconds, running off down the alleyway.

Once Pierce had come out the other side, he turned left, hoping to catch the sneaky little nightstalker. To his disbelief (and stirring some frustration), he'd been fooled by the patrol unit. It was rare to see them out at this time, but Pierce wasn't going to give up.
"'Scuse me!" He called out to the two-man patrol. The first turned round, a person suited up from head to toe with dark and eroded unregistered power armour which made them look more like a machine than the previous model suits did. The bit of cloth covering the left pauldron was what eluded him.
"Yes?" The patrol had a bit of a droning voice, conveying little emotion. The other power armour unit turned round, flashing a heavily modified gauss cannon. It put Pierce off.
"Uh... you haven't seen a man running down here, have you? He wears black robes." ... There didn't seem to be any kind of reaction from either of the patrol members.
"Negative." They both replied.
"... Oh..." Pierce looked around, confused and puzzled about the disappearance. The priest wasn't even running, nor was there anywhere nearby which would have allowed him to quickly hide. He backtracked, looking for signs... there was definitely something Pierce was missing.

"..." Stephen opted to tail Pierce, even though he wasn't the person he was looking for. But he considered the fact that nobody else seemed to be in a hurry to do anything, so he acted on common sense. He kept his distance though, for obvious reasons.

Pierce hadn't seen Stephen. He noticed the door on his right, one which looked oddly clean and stood out in comparison to the rest of the grotty wall and the grimy alley. He attempted to open it, but the handle refused to move - locked.
"Damn." He refrained from kicking the door, almost sure now that his quest to find out who this mysterious man was wasn't going to be solved today. Tomorrow, perhaps, but he just didn't have that kind of patience... then an idea got into his head. Maybe if he picked at the lock he could get in. Oh wait, there wasn't a lock on it. It didn't make sense to him, just agitated him more.

Stephen noticed that there wasn't a lock on the door, despite being rather far away... perhaps there was a computer panel somewhere? He wasn't getting his hopes up about that idea, though.

There was nothing of the sort nearby. Despite this, Stephen's keen Perception would allow him to spot a certain oddity in the wall... it looked a little too clustered up with papers of the sorts. As if it was hiding something underneath. Pierce began to drive his foot into the door, ambitious to get inside as he grunted each time he drove his heel into the door.

Stephen took a chance, and decided to walk up to Pierce... he wasn't entirely sure that they would see eye-to-eye on the situation, or any other matter. But if he was onto something, he might be rather useful.
"...That's really not how you open a door, you know. But if you keep on like that, it might never open at all." Stephen said.