For this year, I'm doing character creation for RPGaDay. Since I've been trying to build an Ashes Without Number post-apocalyptic sandbox all year, I'll be taking advantage of this opportunity to build out the NPC cast.
If you're just joining me, this is a post-apocalyptic version of the northern coast of California, encompassing Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Because this is a very sparsely populated area even now, there are fewer Enclaves (pockets of safety and what civilization still exists) and Ruins than a typical AWN setting covering the same size area elsewhere.
The Enclaves are:
Squatch-Ville: As civilization fell, humans fled into the redwood forests en masse. The local Sasquatch took pity on them and taught them the ways of the forest. There is now a sprawling city with the Sasquatch forming an inadvertent ruling class over the humans. Located in Elk Valley in the redwood forests of Del Norte County
Ureka: The former site of Eureka. Abandoned during the apocalypse, the city became home to sentient mutant rats. Humans dissatisfied with the austere lifestyle of Squatch-Ville came here to live in the shadow of the Carson Mansion, believing that it represented the height of human culture. They have pushed the Ratfolk out of the northern, coastal regions of the city into the suburbs.
Cow Town: The former site of Ferndale. This was a breadbasket region until the entire area was afflicted with radiation sickness. Scavengers raiding an old nuclear power plant brought back a cache of irradiated and radioactive materials that quickly got incorporated into all aspects of the town. Crops tended with radioactive farming implements sickened and mutated along with the people, leading to widespread starvation. Cow Town persists, but is slowly dying.
There are also 5 Ruins in the area.
The Eureka Ruins: While humans have reclaimed a portion of the city, there is still a large portion controlled by the Ratfolk. They are ruled by a Rat King, which is a cluster of Ratfolk who have merged their tails and their nervous systems to create a powerful hive mind.
(As I've been developing this, it feels like the Eureka Ruins is a Ruin only because of politics. If the humans weren't so chauvinistic and insisted on pushing them out, there could be cooperation and development for mutual benefit.)
Crescent City: Most of the city was abandoned when a tsunami struck during the apocalypse. Among the survivors who remained arose a small number of powerful telepaths. The remainder of the citizens here have had their minds overwhelmed and live like zombies under the control of the psychic overlords.
Calpoly: The former site of Arcata and Cal Poly Humboldt. Aggressive and reckless research in the days leading to the apocalypse resulted in Calpoly and the surrounding area to be overwhelmed with mutated plants and animals.
Hupa: Former site of Hoopa. As part of the collapse of civilization, the United States splintered. The people of Hupa attempted to build up quickly to become a regional power. Their attempt at militarization wound up a mere footnote, but it's likely that some useful relics could be found.
McKinleyville: The main thing I know is that there was an attempt at building a community in this area that ended in tragedy.
So my plan will be to develop an NPC for each of these sites, then repeat for the Enclaves and also the Eureka Ruins (like I said, it could be an Enclave if the people of Ureka were willing to get along), cycling through until the end of the month.
Although I listed Squatch-Ville first, I'll be starting with Ureka, since it's my hometown and where I'm planning to focus the campaign.
The prompt is "Discipline." This can be a disciplined person or someone whose job is to keep discipline.
Let's flesh out Sheriff Allen Ross, leader of the Ratcatchers.
The Ratcatchers is an organization somewhere between a military and a police force. As the name implies, they are focused on dealing with Ratfolk, either leading raids to claim a new historical structure or responding to raids and infiltration by the Ratfolk, but they can be called on as general peacekeepers and police if needed.
I'll be borrowing the format for NPCs from The Alexandrian, mostly because my brain craves structure and I might or might not need game stats for any of these.
I plucked the name Allen Ross out of historical research, but a picture of him has not been forthcoming. Though trying a Google image search did turn up pictures of Colin Ferguson as the Sheriff on the SciFi TV show Eureka. I might borrow some of his image from that. But the overall concept is more in line with an 1880's version of policing.
Name: Sheriff Allen Ross
Appearance: A tall athletic man in his early 40's with light brown hair and blue eyes. His mustache grows down the sides of his mouth, but his chin is clear, with sideburns that extend to the jawline.
Quote: "Do it right and you only have to do it once."
Roleplaying: Sheriff Ross is disciplined. He avoids going off half-cocked and discourages his Ratcatchers from doing the same. He is less bloodthirsty than his predecessor, but just as dedicated to returning Ureka to Human occupation.
Background: Allen was a boy when they arrived in Ureka. He volunteered as a scout, using his small size to hide in small spaces to observe the Ratfolk, gathering information for eventual attacks. This taught him patience and an appreciation for intelligence.
As a young man, he joined the Ratcatchers at their formal founding. Rising through the ranks of the Ratcatcher Civic Patrol, he was eventually given command of the division. When the first Sheriff, Sheriff T. M. Brown, passed, Allen was promoted to Sheriff and head of all Ratcatcher operations.
Key Info:
Head of the Ratcatchers
Prefers tidy, efficient solutions
Stat Block:
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