Bioshock Infinite Play-By-Post (and optional IM)

[Sacredless]

(Click picture for soundtrack.)

It is a normal day for these people of Heaven. The sun is shining brightly above the clouds, citizens are having a picnic under the statue of St. Wilkes’ Victory over Lincoln. A handyman, with his usual displeased expression, plucks an apathetic sweeper-child from a child-sized manhole. A silent negro manservant clears the shining cobbled path of his mistress with a broom to the tailor with impeccable English accent. This is Columbia.

Role-player discretion advised! As the principle writer of this adventure's creep, horror and terror elements it's important to stress that extreme acts of violence may be described in detail during this game's progression to amount a terror-effect. Ultra-violence, body horror and surreal graphic situations will occur, as well as use of racial slurs and explicitly foul language. None of these elements will be drawn up during intimate and sexual moments. If this post just made you hesitate about playing this game, it's probably not something you will enjoy.

That said, for those of you who join up, welcome to Columbia. It might not be what it seems...

This group session is a forum roleplay(with optional IM roleplay) played in the setting of Bioshock: Infinite. The story starts in March, 1912 and will explore both the almost surreal geography of Columbia as well as completely new story concepts expanding upon the original.

This session will have me, Sacredless, as DM as well as Wargtass as co-DM. The main story will run exclusively on the elliquiy forums, though can be expanded upon in private or public IM chats, with or without DMs. As a back-up, we will ask you to fill in statistics for a homebrew roleplaying system after signing up, but this session will focus on literature and creativity. The statistics will only be used as a last resort, when posting begins to bog down the action or when the situation is too chaotic to describe with words alone. It cannot be stressed enough that we do not expect these situations to come up more than once every two weeks, if at all.

If you wish to sign up, please fill in the following character sheet and post it in the thread or preferably send it to me through a private forum message (click me to send a PM!)

Name:
[image: Prefered]
Age: No Ageplay; all characters(especially Sweepers) below 16 may not be molested or engage in bodily intercourse.

Ethnicity: White/Italian/Irish/Negro/Indian/Chinese/Hispanic/Japanese/Filipino, etc.
Description:
Personality:
Orientation: Optional

Weapons: If your character is packing heat and may take only two firearms, a melee weapon and two vigors which would they be? Only two firearms at most, one melee and two vigors unless special circumstances apply. Melee could be a baseball bat, machete, wrench, brass knuckles, even a sky Hook. Eschewing vigor’s entirely allows you to take another firearm. You are allowed to create your own vigors, but they must be run past me so they can be added to the original vigor list.


Weapons
Vigors Descriptions(You may have only 2 Vigors)

(Click to Show/Hide!)

Canon Vigors

(Click-This-Link for Canon Vigors!)

Beautiful Haze

(Click to Show/Hide!)

An original vigor by Samuel Gniewik

This rarer vigor offers its user a way to skulk about in the shadows more easily, making their features and body haze over as if they were almost composed of smoke. It also has a more offensive use in the sense that it can summon thick black clouds into an area that are extremely hard to see through. Beautiful Haze allows the user to see through smoke and fog with ease as a side effect, as well as causing a thin layer of smoke to role along their forearms and hands.

Dreamer's Folly

(Click to Show/Hide!)

Dichotmus Splicer.

Put your enemies to sleep with this powerful vifor! Press once to make enemies unconscious, press and hold to knock out Heavy Hitters!

The North Wind

(Click to Show/Hide!)

Dichotmus Splicer. Renamed by moi.

Send a chill up your enemies spine with a blast of ice and send them at the back of the North Wind! Press once to freeze your enemies with arctic water. Press and hold to send an ice storm with sharp ice sickles raining down.

Helios Torn

(Click to Show/Hide!)

Dichotmus Splicer. Renamed by moi.

Open the atmosphere to burn your foes to a cinder. Press and drag to draw a temporary wall of light!

Appolo's Tune

(Click to Show/Hide!)

Original vigor by CyborgHippo.

Arm Appearance: The arm will feature little sound holes,it'll be kind of a oval shaped hole and will slide down into his arm. It'll go across his entire hand showing a little wind animation traveling through the little sound holes in his arms making a little musical tune. Unlike the other Vigors that make the arm have an bloody appearance,"Apollo's Tune" won't feature that bloody trait.

Apollo's Tune Ability: The name practically describes it,it's an Vigor that will use the wind to make musical tunes allowing you to make an really-high pitched sound similar to the "Boy of Silence" to stagger the enemy giving you the opportunity to attack or making a little beautiful wind chime used for an stealthy purpose,and will be able to work against an opponent like a Handymen to make them calm for a short period of time and lowering the chances of the opponent not noticing you if trying to sneak through,and can even make the opponent fall unconscious so you are able to pickpocket items off of them and run away without wasting any of your ammo or supplies whatsoever.

Propaganda Poster: The poster will show multiple Hummingbirds in a group and from the bottom comes up an curvy musical staff with music notes on it and the Hummingbirds listening to it. On the poster will it feature the words "Music of the gods" the background coloring featuring a tannish color.

Apollos Tune Bottle + Effects: The Apollo Tune will feature a white sake bottle,and a big transparent musical note and one hummingbird on top of the musical note so you can see the liquid inside of the bottle. The liquid in the bottle will be including two colors and alternates between light green and light pink. When drinking it the player will see many musical notes floating in the air for a short period of time and hearing a wind chime and from their point of view the screen will start turning brighter than when it ends the chime ends and you hear a sound similar to a sonic boom and the screen turns back to normal.

Highway to Hell

(Click to Show/Hide!)

An original vigor by Dichotmus Splicer.

Send your foes straight to the devils pit through a fiery black hole! Press once to open a small fiery hole, Press and hold to create a Giant hole that sucks enemies in!

Sweeper’s Vigor

(Click to Show/Hide!)

This vigor gives children an immaculate sense of timing and focus, sometimes at the expense of emotional development. To a sweeper, time seems to run much slower, allowing them to perform great feats of athletics, timing, precision and learning. This vigor is inexplicably compatible with only prepubescent children and it wears off more quickly once a child’s estrogen and androgen levels begin to rise. Vigor abuse can stave off puberty indefinitely.

Firearms Statistics(At maximum, 2 firearms)

(Click to Show/Hide!)

Handguns:
Revolver, Light (i.e. Colt Naval Revolver)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 6
Required Strength: 2
Size: 1
Burst: 1

Revolver, Heavy (i.e. Hand Cannon, Colt Dragoon Revolver)
Damage: 4
Ranges: 35/70/140
Clip size: 6
Required Strength: 3
Size: 1
Burst: 1

Pistol, Light (i.e. Mauser Pistol)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 12
Required Strength: 2
Size: 1
Burst: 1

Pistol, Heavy(i.e. Broadsider, .45ACP Mauser Pistol)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 30/60/120
Clip size: 5
Required Strength: 3
Size: 1
Burst: 1

Two handers:
Sniper Rifle(i.e. Bird’s Eye Rifle)
Damage: 4
Ranges: 200/400/800
Clip size: 4
Required Strength: 2
Size: 3
Burst: 1

Shotgun(i.e. Chinabroom)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 4
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 1

Heater
Damage: 4
Ranges: 20/40/80
Clip size: 1
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 1

Machine Gun(i.e. Triple R, German MP 18)
Damage: 2
Ranges: 50/100/200
Clip size: 35
Required Strength: 3
Size: 2
Burst: 3-20

Repeater
Damage: 3
Ranges: 50/100/200
Clip size: 20
Required Strength: 3
Size:  2
Burst: 3-20

Carbine(i.e. Huntsman, M1)
Damage: 3
Ranges: 15/300/600
Clip size: 8
Required Strength: 3
Size: 3
Burst: 1

Burstgun
Damage: 2
Ranges: 60/120/240
Clip size: 30
Required Strength: 3
Size: 3
Burst: 3 (always)

Peppermill
The peppermill is a costly weapon; for the purposes of choosing firearms, the peppermill counts as two firearms.
Damage: 3
Ranges: 100/200/400
Clip size: 100
Required Strength: 4
Size: 4
Burst: 1-20

 

Sacredless says:
None of the information below is to be considered canon. It is completely comprised of extrapolating fanfiction. Do not cite this material as official. At best, celebrate the content if you like it or criticize how bad it is. Do as you will; more bumps for us. :3

Timeline Overview

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

1893: Columbia gains buoyancy above the Chicago World Fair, using the Lutece Field to pin it’s height position within the Earth’s magnetic field. 2 million unregistered citizens of Chicago in addition to the regular visitors of the World Fair have free access to the floating city. The city has been staffed with mostly negro convicts from Georgia.

1900: The United States launches Columbia to tour major cities of the United States, requiring tickets upon entry. In August, Columbia travels to Asia. Supporting the China Relief Expedition in the Boxer Rebellion, Columbia reveals it’s missile stockpile and bombards Peking. In addition, citizens are conscripted to aid in the Philippine American War. An anti-racist group of socialists called the Vox Populi start smuggling weapons out of factories.

1902: The United States declare the Philippine Insurrection concluded and pardon most insurgents. In addition, it disavows Columbia for its war crimes in the Boxer Rebellion. Columbia secedes from the United States and raises itself out of reach from the rest of the world except by invitation with requiring baptism. The conflict between the Vox Populi and the Founders escalates to a high-strung physical conflict. Pleas for peaceful demonstrations by Populist John Goldman go unheard. Assaults and propaganda become common.

1905: The Vox Populi go underground. Quantum computing allows for the creation of increasingly intelligent automatons, while the newly invented vigors gain greater variety.

1909: The Lutece Machine explodes, killing the Lutece siblings.

Additional Character Information

Foreign Ethnicities (Click to Show/Hide!)

Negros (Click to Show/Hide!)

Negros are some of the most numerous people of America as well as Columbia. The Emancipation Act was accepted in 1864, freeing all American negros from slavery. Therefore, negros have some of the most varied roles in America. However, Columbia was constructed mainly on negro convicts that were imported from Georgia, in penance for ‘rising above their station’. Therefore, the number of negro citizens with a criminal record far exceed those without. This reputation keeps other negros from opening businesses in the rest of Columbia. At best, they work as housekeepers or handservants for those Columbians who yearn back to the days where slavery was common place.

Native Americans (Click to Show/Hide!)

Since the foundation of the American Colonies, there have been natives at war with the whites. Many Americans consider this war to have been waged by Indians unanimously, though most of the time, it was waged by singular tribes, while others were at peace with the American settlers until the first tribes would be conquered, destroyed or befriended and other tribes initiated war.

However, this long cycle of wars came to an end at the Battle of Wounded Knee, in which Father Comstock himself participated. Since, the United States has attempted to integrate native Americans into society, with varied success.

In Columbia, Indians are treated as second class citizens without exception for their demonized role in Father Comstock’s past. They have work only in the factories, though the occasional civilized Indian may work himself up to become a manservant on occasion.

Hispanic (Click to Show/Hide!)

Latinos or ‘Hispanics’ were commonly citizens from the south western states. In the Mexican-American war, the United States was ceded New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. Most of the citizens accepted the US government in favor of the despotic Mexican rule.

However, while the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848 promised to protect these citizens, many former citizens of Mexico lost their businesses in lawsuits before court or because of legislation. Particularly the cost of maintaining litigation over land titles drove many previous Mexicans into bankruptcy. Swathes of the population became homeless and conflicted with the powers that had dispossessed them.

Many Mexicans started to work for the mining and the railroad industry, the latter of which brought Mexicans to the north. The sky-lines of Columbia were built upon railroad technology and therefore, most Mexicans in Columbia were once Sky-Line mechanics or indirectly involved in their construction.

Chinese (Click to Show/Hide!)

Large-scale immigration of the Chinese began in the mid 1800’s due to the California Gold Rush. Despite the flood of Chinese immigrants during that time, their population began to fall drastically. Because of laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the highly imbalanced male to female ratio the Chinese population in the U.S  fell to 62,000 people in the early 20th century.
The first Chinese immigrants had a reputation for being hard working and dependable people. Most were wealthy, successful merchants or skilled artisans, fishermen and hotel and restaurant owners. However, during the Gold Rush of California, 25,000 unskilled laborers who worked for little pay migrated to the U.S. Most miners in these regions were white and, following the Mexican-American War, were none too keen on foreigners like the Chinese.

The Chinese were not just miners. They also tried to capitalize indirectly on the mining industry when the whites were too aggressive, taking jobs such as cooks, peddlers and storekeepers as well as any job that the whites considered too dirty or paid too little. When the Gold Rush came to an end, Chinese had replaced a great portion of the job market in California. Outside of California, 90% of the railroad workers were Chinese till legislation made Chinese labour illegal.

Resentment against these “rice-eaters” grew and despite great effort from the Chinese and land-owners, laws were passed to ban them from industry to industry. Most Chinese were forced to work illegally or turn entrepreneur. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented female immigrants to come to America, freezing the Chinese gender ratio at 19:1, decreasing to 27:1 by 1890. Old men constantly outnumbered the young until in 1890 they began dying of old age, at which point the Chinese population had reached its peak. Only entrepreneurs were allowed freely into the country.

In Columbia, the Chinese largely became private manufacturers; though often rely on Columbian salesmen to make a profit. They are also frequently housekeepers and workers. Some are highly integrated and educated citizens and feel uncomfortable among their segregated citizens of Finkton and Shantytown.

Filipino (Click to Show/Hide!)

Most Filipino citizens of the United States were sons of Filipino Elites who sided with the Americans in the Spanish-American War as well as American soldiers marrying with Filipino women. Because of this, the initial Filipino citizens were highly privileged in comparison with other Immigrants. Although their schooling had begun under Spanish rule, their incorporation into the emerging American colonial system through education in English in the United States became a priority. The floating city of Columbia was attractive to Filipino physicists especially.

However, Filipinos and Japanese were also transported from Hawaii to replace the Chinese when the latter were banned under legislation. They worked in agriculture, railroad industry and the mining industry along with the Hispanics. Their numbers were small in comparison with the other ethnic classes, but the Filipino people in the education and Academia gave the Filipino much needed empowerment.

However, in Columbia, the Filipinos were greatly discriminated against during the Philippine-American War. Often, this war was cited as proof of other races’ inferiority compared to the Columbians. Filipino citizens who previously had upstanding jobs, even worked as scientists, were forced to work as factory overseers. If they were lucky, they’d get jobs as secretaries and housekeepers. Students with military past or lacking discipline to work hours quickly fell joined underground movements.

Japanese (Click to Show/Hide!)

The Japanese began their emigration towards the United States in the 1870s and 1880s, making them some of the youngest emigrants to Columbia. In the United States, they were initially welcomed as replacements for the Chinese, but as they took over much jobs in agriculture, they were soon lumped together with the rest of the ‘Asians’, along with Filipinos and the Chinese. Most Japanese that live in Columbia seek to segregate themselves from the Chinese and Filipinos, but are treated just like the worst of either of the latter.

Irish (Click to Show/Hide!)

Ireland faced helpless overpopulation and impoverishment at the 1800s due to the Napoleanic Wars. Because of the religious prejudice of Protestants to Irish Catholics, many had no alternative but to emigrate to the United States. Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish comprised never any less than a third of all emigrants.

The Irish had no capital unlike most other immigrants, nor had they been brought in by recruiting companies. Most Irish were used as muscle-workers in the rail road industry. This lead to small Irish communities building along the sites of work. By the middle 19th century, the Irish had accumulated enough wealth to put a foothold in the American economy. The Irish all but monopolized police and firemen jobs after the Civil War. After the Irish had paved the roads for horse- and streetcars, they took jobs as drivers and conductors to capitalize on them further. By 1900, a third of all the Irish worked as plumbers, steamfitters and boilermakers.

In Columbia, most of the Irish work in factories to repair machinery and as overseers of other laborers and as plumbers if they are lucky. The Columbians were not very keen on the Irish subculture that segregated them from the rest of the populace, pushed the Irish away from positions such as policemen and firemen. Therefore, Columbia became ill-equipped to deal with the fire of October 31, 1900, resulting in several worker deaths. Formerly respected Irish families were disillusioned with their fall back into the underground and turned to crime and vandalism.

Italian (Click to Show/Hide!)

During the mass emigration from Italy after 1876, the US was the largest single recipient of Italian immigrants in the world. The Italians played a major social role with individuals rising to national statute in many different fields.

Because the Italians could no longer find cheap land, the mostly agricultural Italians became urban. They worked the streets as shoe shiners, ragpickers, sewer cleaners and whatever hard, dirty and dangerous jobs no one else would take in the cities. Children, as they had in Italy, were not afforded education so that they could be put to work as quickly as possible. The Italians did not accept charity and never resorted to prostitution, reflecting the culture of Italy.

Unlike other immigrant groups, Italians didn’t stay in enclaves in desire to maintain their culture. Instead, they invaded other immigrant clusters such as the Irish and the Germans. They were ambitious and desperately attempted to save money by skipping on food. However, over time, the dirtiness of their home disappeared as well as the complaint of underfed Italians.

In Columbia, Italians are the most integrated foreigners of all. They are noted for their diligence and sobriety as workmen and become shoemakers, waiters, fruit sellers and tradesmen or take on manual labor.

 

Organizations (Click to Show/Hide!)

The White Hand Families (Click to Show/Hide!)

Italians earned Columbia a legacy of black handers; Italian extortionists who would threaten a victim with harm, kidnapping, arson and even murder, lest they deliver an amount of money to a particular location.

An organization called the “White Hand” worked with the founders to put Italian black handling to a halt. These ‘White Handers’ have since worked as a sort of union between successful foreign families in the upper echelons of Columbia, to prevent any unfair competition. If there is any competitor who puts the families at risk, hostile negotiations will commonly start, forcing the competitor to pay a percentage of his sales to the families.

In addition, the White Hand and the Columbians have evolved an honor system; theft from shops and other such crimes are persecuted with such vindication that small-time crime is almost non-existant. However, tarnishing the name of a member of the White Hand threatens the name of the entire family and puts them at risk of losing good business. Therefore, the White Hand will do anything to restore their lost honor, from paying silence money, to threats, to murder, to disappearance.

The New Black Handers
The White Hand families are most of all involved in human trafficking. This started as a form of insurance, making dishonorable family members disappear in the underground with little chance for redemption. But these White Hand exiles would later prove useful assets; desperate men and women forging contacts between the underworld and the families. The White Hand families formally deny any connection with this second generation of black handers, but it has afforded them influence in underworld politics and the black market that they cannot pass up. The Irish White Hand are most involved in the underworld, as Columbia has afforded them little else.

Fraternal Order of the Raven (Click to Show/Hide!)

The Fraternal Order of the Raven is a Founders-affiliated organization in Columbia concerned with maintaining the city's "racial purity". In contrast to Columbia's holy symbols of the sword, the key, and the scroll, members of the Order of the Raven use the symbols of the sword, the raven, and the coffin. Their symbol is that of a stylized eye with five swords crossing behind it and a banner which reads "Audemus Patria Nostra Defendere." ‘

The group worships John Wilkes Booth as a saint for assassinating Abraham Lincoln, "the Emancipator" or "the Apostate" (a term Comstock often uses in reference to the same), whom they view as "evil" for abolishing slavery. Members of the Order cloak themselves in hoods and robes, with lesser members wearing blue and leaders wearing black. The Order believes that Columbia's racist ideals make it and its citizens superior to the rest of the world, and seek to enforce a doctrine of racial purity.

The most prominent members of the Order are the Crows: fearsome, coffin-bearing enemies whose powers mirror that of the Order's namesake. They count among the elite forces of the Founders. Dressed entirely in black robes, and pointed black hoods concealing their faces, Zealots primarily resemble the birds which their order worships, namely ravens and crows.

Chained to their backs are large coffins which represent their failure at preventing the death of Lady Comstock. A sword is detailed onto the front of their masks, symbolizing their role as soldiers and purifiers for the Founders, as well as representing the swords which they wield in combat.

In combat, Zealots will usually be seen as a moving flock of black birds as they rarely remain in one place unless stunned or unaware of the player's presence, making them indistinct and more difficult to focus on than their slower Fireman counterparts.

Sisterhood of the North Wind (Click to Show/Hide!)

The Sisterhood of the North Wind appears on first glance to be a benign order. Their halls are open and windy and at day, they always have a view of most of the horizon. They revere a being known as the ‘North Wind’, thought to be the archangel of ruin. Her revelations were made through a besainted writer George MacDonald and his son, Diamond.

The North Wind carried Diamond unto many adventures. On these adventures, she helps most people, but also harms and kills others. From the harm she brings, however, good follows, showing the mysterious ways of the Lord. Diamond fell in love with the archangel, not for her outward beauty, but for the subtle, cold beauty of fate she wore. And when Diamond lay dying, he would be comforted by the image of the archangel at the door, unmoving and silent.

Sisters of the North Wind seek to emulate the North Wind and Diamond in the same way. They seem amiable and benevolent and they like to believe they are, but they balance their seemingly gentle nature with a joy in death. The Sisters, after many bed time stories, songs and friendship commit euthanasia on sick, dying and non-white children so they may go at the back of the North Wind. Volunteering for euthanasia is not required to receive the Sisters’ sublime kindness and acts of forgiveness.

The Avant Garde (Click to Show/Hide!)

Some wonder where Albert Fink gets such beautiful modern music. Some swear that it’s a pact with the devil and, truthfully, they are not that far off. With the funds of his organization, Albert Fink has financed Academia District where he spreads his teachings. At first, his talk of ‘visions’ of cultural magnificence was ill received among the students, though, soon, the criticism silenced. The art coming from Academia has slowly become increasingly bizarre.

Player Characters cannot be part of the Avant Garde.

 

Exotic Characters (Click to Show/Hide!)

Handymen and Sweepers (Click to Show/Hide!)

The Handymen were created by Bettermen's Autobodies as a procedural method to help the disabled and severely injured citizens of Columbia to not only be able-bodied, but advertised as helping these citizens regain their vitality, as well as technically "live forever". However, this procedure came with the price of having to live within a large and highly disproportional body. They live in great pain and have great trouble sleeping.

Handymen have a gorilla-like posture and build. They also have exposed human body parts, particularly their head and heart, the latter of which is kept in a fluid-filled glass tank on their chests attached to several hoses. Thick bundles of cables run from their limbs to a pair of conductors on their backs. The mechanical hands are made of porcelain. Each Handyman's torso bears the label "AUTOBODY".

The Handymen possess great strength and speed and are capable of leaping great distances. In addition to their incredible physical attributes, they are completely free-willed, unlike the Big Daddies of Rapture. This makes them even more dangerous because they will not simply attack the player until Booker dies: they seek cover, exploit the environment around them to enemies and even throw other people enemies within their throwing range. In addition to their free will, they appear to be able to speak intelligibly. They can close the distance between themselves and their target in fast charges. Moreover, they have the capacity to conduct electricity from their suits, including the ability to hurl balls of lightning as well as electrify Sky-Line rails with their hands.

Sweepers
While Handymen are theorized to live forever, they require regular maintenance. For this, there are ‘Sweepers’; Finkton employed boys and girls of non-Caucasian ethnicities forced to work at low pay. While their name suggests that they are nothing but cleaners, they have maintained the quantum technology of Columbia since the Luteces passed away. Each Sweeper is trained in Finkton the basic instructions of maintaining quantum machinery, steam vents and other such dangerous machinery. They are injected regularly with vigors which allow them to avoid the dangerous moving parts of mechanical Columbia. In effect, they have come to outperform many of their adult counterparts in dexterity and wit, though they were never taught why the machines work the way they do.

Sweepers are employed by Handymen to deal especially with the mechanical components of their autobody, in exchange for daily bread and sometimes even an education. It is not unheard of that a Caucasian child is trained as a sweeper for the special service of a handyman. Sweepers are also occasionally employed by private manufacturers and housekeepers to deal with machinery they don’t or do understand and cannot reach. To the Columbians, sweepers are considered to be nothing less than protégés, groomed as the next generation of Columbia

Mother and Father Columbia (Click to Show/Hide!)

Mother and Father Columbia are the female and male personifications of Columbia in human form. One who enters Columbia for the first time may see them on posters along the streets in heroic or symbolic poses. However, these two figures of propaganda are not artworks; they are real and traverse Columbia on their missions to maintain the city’s purity, inspiring its citizens. They are just as likely to cut ribbons of new shops and sign posters as they are to bring criminals and the Vox to justice.

Unwittingly, Columbia has created the first publicized superheroes, though in the mind of the population, Mother and Father Columbia are living saints. They act like they are as well, never too shy to lecture children about life lessons about good and evil, avoiding colored people and eating your vegetables. Their main powers are deflecting bullets(with repulsive magnetic fields), superhuman strength(from vigors and infusions) and assisted flight. The abilities they have been attributed are described as ‘miraculous’ and ‘divine’, though even the citizens of Columbia realize that some of these are made up and they take simple delight in exaggerating the powers of their favorite heroes.

What the populace or even the heroes themselves do not realize or care to think about is that there is no single Mother or Father Columbia. Father Comstock has indoctrinated these ‘superheroes’ in Comstock House to personify Columbia. They are not method actors; they are brainwashed to validate Comstock’s propaganda. Whether more than one of each is active at one time is unknown, but many a Mother and Father Columbia have been tossed over the railing and ‘miraculously survived'.

Vigor Junkies (Click to Show/Hide!)

Columbia is not a place to be enjoyed by everyone. It seems to unreal what kind of horrors and marvels the city hold that it’s hard to keep up. To some, alcohol and drugs are the only escape from a unfathomable reality.

Salts provide a different sort of power. The inhalation of salts provide the citizens of Columbia with a sense of empowerment. Especially when combined with vigors to give them truly miraculous gifts. However, the addicted must trade their physical health and often their sanity for their inexplicable gifts. Their bodies seem to become literally consumed and disintegrated by the vigors and salts they abuse.

Some vigor abusers have a need to seek out the company of those who appreciate their powers and disregard the negative effects. Examples are the Zealots of the Lady and the Sisters of the North Wind, who abuse Murder of Crows and Charge respectively. Other vigor abusers, like fire-men who abuse the Devil’s Kiss vigor, prefer take solace in the glorious effects of their power.

[Karma]

Name: Mother Columbia (Columbia or Col to those very close to her), formerly Katharine Evret

Age: 30

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Description: Debuting in the 1893 World’s Fair alongside the floating city, Miss Columbia was as much of a modern marvel as buildings in the sky. Outfitted in a special apparatus, she was capable of unassisted flight and great feats of strength. Though lifting great weights and effortlessly wrestling strongmen to the ground in seconds, Miss Columbia impressed the crowds most with her golden, winged armor that seemed impenetrable to bullets. Some called her the Iron Lady though of course the alloy she wore was nothing of the sort.

During the of Columbia for the next four years, and the relative absence from America of its famous designers Comstock and Lutece, Miss Columbia was the city’s ambassador, passing from town to town, spreading patriotism and American values anywhere she went. She partook in nationalist stage plays, gave quotes to newspapers, and even spoke passionately before Congress on more than one occasion, both in favor of her city and of the American people. America had never seen such a champion.

It took very little time for the American military to request her aid on the frontier, and in the wake of Wounded Knee, Miss Columbia’s decisive action put an end to most remaining major resistance. From there she was sent to various overseas interests and foreign nations, professing American values from shore to shore. Her involvement in American affairs culminated in the rapid end she put to all fronts of the Spanish-American War, thoroughly freeing Cuba and the Philippines, and putting a bookend on the Spanish Empire.

Miss Columbia did not take part in the crushing of the Boxers, still being engaged in the Philippines, but was quickly recalled afterward on the chance that the Americans would be able to contain her. Newly renamed Mother Columbia to bring her in line with Comstock’s mythology, she assumed a new place as practically a living goddess; the Prophet declared her the personification of the angel who gave him his first visions. Privately she protested this, knowing it to be false, but as with everyone but Lutece, Comstock’s surety worked its way into her head, and she started to at least subconsciously believe it.

Though the statue of her can be seen from anywhere in the city, the woman herself can be seen daily, casually touring the city, benevolently meeting citizens and communing with officials about what’s best for the people. She often visits Finkton, both to give comfort to those who live there and keep a stern eye on the Vox Populi. Loved by most and hated by none, she is the paragon of Columbia.

Personality: Though depictions of her are often stern, this is to intimidate those who might fear her. Rather, the Mother is known to the people of Columbia for the brilliant, warm smile that graces her lips whenever she interacts with the people. She is a favorite of the children, and is of such stature that all but the most lecherous of men would never admit to being attracted to her. The Mother is a stark contrast to Father Comstock; while he preaches fire, death, and righteous oppression, she speaks of peace and kindness for all. Her actions in war were to expedite the end and save lives rather than to impress the American will.

True History: Known only to Comstock, Lutece, and perhaps a few of the other Founders, Columbia was once Katharine Evret, an orphan girl from Boston. Her currently Germanic features are the result of vigor infusions; she was once raven-haired with dark eyes. Katharine was the first subject of Comstock’s “personality reassignment” method that would later culminate in the establishment of Comstock House; much of what they know came from Comstock’s work with Katharine. Who is now Mother Columbia remembers nothing of her real past, as Comstock manufactured her memories of growing up on the prairie, with two loving, Christian parents. Katharine is not the first Columbia, and will probably not be the last; Comstock trains them up in groups, as they often experience a mental break that reminds them who they really are, which turns them on their creator.

Orientation: Bisexual, though her sexuality is severely repressed by her identity

Weapons: Sword and Shield of Columbia

Vigors: Whirlwind, Electrocute (Experimental, high powered, related to Charge and Shock Jockey)

Technology: Columbia’s armor is made of a custom, superlight metal designed by Jeremiah Fink. Though it is hard enough to break fists and resistant to denting, the true protection comes from the Lutece Magnetic Repulsive Shield. The fatality rate of the shield infusion is another reason that Comstock trains Columbias in groups. Columbia uses refined, undiluted liquid salts; in this purest of forms, they are highly addictive. Columbia cannot go more than a few days without it before the onset of withdrawal. The powers she gains from vigors are significantly stronger than any other vigor user due to this. While in the armor, she is fed salts directly, but out of the armor she must use syringes. Electrocute is self-explanatory, but Whirlwind is not exactly Charge. Instead, it gives her limited control over air currents, allowing her to create "artificial" lift with her mechanical wings, and in a pinch use a very destructive tornado-like "levitation." The Sword and Shield of Columbia also benefit from Whirlwind, allowing her to retrieve them via shaped currents, giving them the appearance of telekinetic boomerang-style weapons. The secret to her strength is infusions - these allow her to tolerate the stresses of flight and fulfill her goddess role.

[Wargtass]

Role-player discretion advised! As the principle writer of this adventure's creep, horror and terror elements it's important to stress that extreme acts of violence may be described in detail during this game's progression to amount a terror-effect. Ultra-violence, body horror and surreal graphic situations will occur, as well as use of racial slurs and explicitly foul language. None of these elements will be drawn up during intimate and sexual moments. If this post just made you hesitate about playing this game, it's probably not something you will enjoy.

That said, for those of you who join up, welcome to Columbia. It might not be what it seems...

[Karma]

It should probably be in EX, whatever the case, yeah?

[Wargtass]

It should probably be in EX, whatever the case, yeah?

Probably, even if we never go there sexually it might be deserving just because of some of the scenes. Better safe than sorry.

[Hellis]

A Bioshock RP that adhears to lore and setting both? Yes please.

[Sacredless]

A Bioshock RP that adhears to lore and setting both? Yes please.

I look forward to seeing your character sheet!

It is probably worth mentioning that you don't have to be as poignant as Karma is, as long as you touch on the key notes that define your character idea so that I can prepare this session properly. :)

[Sacredless]

Name: Naval Santiago-Harrison
Age: 32
Ethnicity: Filipino
Bio: Naval, his siblings and parents migrated to America in 1899 after the Spanish-American war, . Naval's stepfather, Peter Harrison, was a retiring American soldier, who got himself a job as a mechanic on board of Columbia and brought Naval's mother, Adonia Santiago and his siblings, África, Clemente and Pedro with him. Naval's stepfather joined in the Boxer Rebellion, but received no recognition for his work, primarily for his marriage with his face. The man became an excessive alcoholic and lost his job, forcing his wife and children to seek new jobs. Finally, he stumbled overboard of Columbia and fell out of the sky.

Mother Adionia and her children felt ashamed of their late stepfather and returned their names to Santiago. This was not appreciated by some of Peter's colleagues, feeling that by extension of Peter, they were being disrespected. Naval, age 21, had, since then, made friends among criminals and had learned mechanical work from his stepfather before the Boxer Rebellion. When Peter's colleagues came to collect his tools and material, Naval and a small gang of his friends defended his father's home. A few people were killed and thereafter thrown off-board of Columbia.

Naval Santiago's actions in defending his home gave him a certain notoriety that earned him a few extra jobs on the side from his work as a mechanic(which he did poorly). Mostly, the Filipino was sent to rough people up and collect money. During his period of time, his younger sister(17 year old) África Santiago had been targeted by Founder racists, for her strange name and descent. Naval and his gangmembers threatened the founders to leave his family alone, lest they meet the same fate of the mechanics several years ago. They got into a fight, resulting in both parties mildly to severely injured, but eventually the Founders retreated with threats of coming back. Naval's at the time gangleader did not appreciate the animosity Naval had bred with the Founders and decided to cut him loose to keep himself out of trouble.

One day, África had gone missing. It was not unusual for the Santiago's to disappear for a time to return several days after, but África did not. She worked the streets and had promised her mother to return at most the next day, lest she get worried. Therefore, Naval, despite his wounds, was forced to search for her. Eventually, he found her through the brothel she worked in. She had been repeatedly stabbed and defiled with bird feces. Since then, Naval took after his father and spent the rest of the following months in a drunken stupor. He took more dangerous jobs, caring less for the risk involved. Within that same month, he climbed the ladder rapidly and became known as a brutal killer. He was known for his signature weapon; a long menacing balisong with shortened handle that, rather than sheath when flipped closed, shortened the blade to a dagger. After his months of drinking, Naval finally sobered up to his new life, returning to protect his family from harm and hunt down the Zealots of the Lady that dishonored África so.

Personality: Naval comes across as a jovial brother in arms. He enjoys simple games such as pool or play ball. He comes across as a distracted individual, but this is an act to hide his troubles for his family and his friends. He can have a very foul temper, but only shows it to those who disrespect him. When people disagree with him, he tends to distance himself from the discussion or decision. He is very involved in his work and he likes to call himself honorable. He sticks to the job he is given and does not get distracted by cruelty or sadism while on the job. The only exception to this are the Zealots of the Crow; he always looks for others to take down the crows. Currently, his personal goal is to stock up on Murder of Crows and his signature balisongs to equip his 'followers' when the day comes.

He is often differs from his boss, Jacob Burns, but his strength lies in his capability to make friends with people different than him. Unlike Jacob, he has a great amount of respect for his enemies, should they be capable and intelligent. He even has a measure of respect for certain founders, provided they are capable of being professional. He believes in organized crime following the honor system and that Columbia as a whole can become a better place provided that people lose their naivety and racist notions. He does not revere Comstock and without influence of any other religions, he doesn't care much for them.

More often than not, you can see Naval playing with a practice balisong; one that's a little shorter, made of heavier metal and is duller than his signature one. He smokes only when under stress or while working; it helps him keep his cool.
Orientation: Straight

Weapons: Modified (long) Balisong, Scoped Carbine with Bayonet slot(for Balisong), Tommy Gun

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Wishlist:
Weapons:

Vigors: Murder of Crows

[Karma]

http://imgur.com/a/R4sh5

Here's some more scans of the artbook.

[Sacredless]

http://imgur.com/a/R4sh5

Here's some more scans of the artbook.

That looks great, Karma! Are those all the pictures or are there more?

[Karma]

I don't know for sure... I thought the scrapped concepts we're using were from that book as well, but the're not in this set.

[Sacredless]

We are using them. I'm particularly looking for the ones with the vigor junkies. :)

[Karma]

I've been reading Bioshock: Rapture, and it seems that the plasmid side effects don't kick in right away. It's probably the same for vigors. So while vigors are on the whole weaker than plasmids (due to being created without ADAM), even light vigor use over an extended period would cause lesions, tumors, and eventually dementia. This creates an interesting problem for Mother Columbia to be sure, but it's something everyone would have to keep in mind. The characters wouldn't know, though, because vigors are very new to the public, though it's stated ingame that some people are wary of vigors because they've still got some kinks to work out.

The novel also, somewhat conveniently, mentions that ADAM may have been responsible for ancient myths and legends, which fits right in with Columbia's superheroine status.

[Sacredless]

Vigors aren't really -that- new, though some are. They've been around since 1905. I'll look into the effects and how long it takes to become adjusted! I should probably read that novel.

On a different website, three other people have expressed interest! Because of the lack of interest here, it is possible that we will move it to their forum! Which is too bad, because I greatly prefer the extent that I'm allowed to edit images on this website. Ah well.

[Sacredless]

Right now, we are looking at someone who wants to roll someone from the flying squadron; basically founder soldiers. He should fit in nicely with Mother Columbia, I think. And we have someone else who wants to roll an Irish boxer, who will fit in perfectly with my character's combat style! There are a few other people who I don't know the concept of, but I'm sure we'll hear more of those!

Huh, thought I posted my interest in this! Guess my browser ate it. Anyway, I was thinking about a member of the Flying Squadron, guarding Emporia with a rail hook and a gun, heh.

For the game, I'd like to have an irish worker based around the concept of being brash and strong and a melee sort of tanky fighter, as he earns some more coin other than the scraps that work in the factories can give by boxing in underground rings.

Could it be possible to grant him a vigor that would grant him an upper hand in this background? Say, something that makes him impervious to some damage, like thick-skin, or just some thing along the lines of bullish strength? With all the side-effects such a vigor could have, of course.

I doubt my character's backstory will involve much other than arriving in New York as an immigrant as second sort of wave of immigrants post the Irish Potato Famine, but nonetheless I am quite lost regarding how to fit it into the timeline, as Id like him to be fairly challenged with English (pretty much knowing how to move around even with an outrageous countryside accent, more comfortable with his mothertongue), which is the main reason he would never advance from muscle work naturally. 

So far, I've omitted any explanation of the combat system, because I thought that perhaps it might make things overcomplicated for people. I figured that I'd let people in on the details once their character sheets would be filled out, as to spread the workload. However, I've decided to lift a tip of my plans to give you lot a better idea, without giving away the details.

Characters will be 'categorized' based on fighting styles in addition to vigors;

- Long range(also used as focus)
- Run-and-gunning (also used as mobility)
- Close-and-personal (also used as physical)
- Stealth-combat (also used as perception)

As well as two dump stats;

- Cool under Fire (being able to perform non-combat tasks under stress)
- Adrenaline (being able to perform combat over time)

The way this will work is that players will be ranked compared with other players in each attribute. The way this will work is that investing in vigors has the potential of lowering your ranking in the rest of the attributes. The reason I did this was to have players think about their character's role in the combat arena. For example, the Irish boxer that I described before will probably be close to me in both run-and-gun and close-and-personal fighting styles, but I will focus more on run-and-gunning, while he will focus more on the close-and-personal(or the other way around). In addition, this limits the use of vigors to a more realistic level and makes them more into game changers than they were before; after all, if you can use your charge vigor to get close to someone, it will alter the situation drastically.

How exactly you get these rankings, I will explain when you have delivered your character sheets. I thought that it might be a good idea to let you think on where your character's strengths lie. The rankings will not actually come into play during Literature and it is highly possible that someone with a higher ranking in a particular fighting style still manages to beat another player in that aspect, depending on the situation. Don't take them for face value yet!

[Karma]

Good to hear that there is more interest, even if it's not here. What's the other site?

[Sacredless]

It's on the roleplayerguild.com!

[Karma]

I see. Someone should tell the admins about that color scheme... it's not remotely conducive to reading anything long form. >_>

[Sacredless]

No it's not. But it's possible that I'll open a private forum board just for the sake of our campaign. That would make managing it a whole load easier as well!

[Karma]

I have a concept for a new second character, but I'll wait to see how everything goes before I decide if I want the extra workload.

[Sacredless]

Isn't that your fourth? :P But I'm fine with more character concepts!

[Karma]

Overall, but I wasn't planning to bring those others over.

[Sacredless]

Posting for another participant!

Name: Cianán (Keenan) O'Mahonny
Age: 35
Ethnicity: Irish
Bio: Born in 1877 in the Irish region of the Connemara to a catholic family empoverished by the great Potato Crisis of the 1840s, Cianán grew in a rural area with his seven siblings in one of the most important Gaeltachts – regions with gaelic as native tongue. As such, in 1890 at the age of thirteen, after thirty years of work from his grandfather, vanished to the New Continent after the Great Famine, and whom he only knew from the occasional letters in english the local priest would translate and read to him, his entire family could afford a passage to the Land of Opportunity. In this case, Chicago.

As he descended from the monstrous boat that vomited out a horde of wishful immigrants, enthralled by the idea of a new beginning in this promised land, the young boy, thirteen years of age, could only marvel in the sheer splendor of the bustling city of New York, with the towering Lady Liberty, greeting them and breathing hope into them. Everything was discovery in their road to the Second City.

But the discovery of cigarettes, of soda pop and hot dogs soon turned from wonder to the realization that an uneducated Irish family of nine who barely spoke a crude approximation to the language could not hope to advance even in Chicago's South Side, where the Irish community was a big percentage of the population. The boy managed to find work in a brickyard as the involvement of the irish-american community aided him in learning a trade, little more than to have him move on to a factory. As such, in a life filled with poverty and clouded in the thick black smoke of industry, the 1893World Fair's promise of Columbia's invitation to the sky was a magical escape from the bindings for the 16 year old, who provided with his three elder brothers and his father for a sick mother and three children too young to bring money to the home.

Columbia proved to be a trap in which he could be nothing but an alienated cog lost in the dark depths of Shantytown. Finkton's token economies rendered him unable to bring money home, all spent in food, drink and more tar for the lungs, and he had to rely on his oafish physique to provide with other jobs. Soon involved as a henchman in the shady mobs of the slums, his beliefs stood firm in providing for his family, his duty as a man. With the years his long workdays were followed by long nights of extortion, violence, and a successful career in the underground boxing rings, where 'the Irish Bull', as he was soon nicknamed was bleeding for his homestead three nights a week.


Personality:  His towering presence and bullish strength have made the man the perfect laborer, and his brash nature and loudmouthed ramblings rarely interfere with his less legal work. When on the job as muscle, he simply disconnects, retreating to some corner of his mind as he spatters the cobblestones in blood and teeth. The main pillar of his life is his family, and as such he has grown to understand that he will do whatever is needed to provide for them.

His irish accent is coarse and almost unintelligible at times, and he finds himself lost around more complicated words. When he is drunk, which is by no means a rare sight, he rarely shouts anything other than gaelic, or perhaps something closely resembling slurred, harsh english. Swearing is, after all, something he rather fluent in. The fact that a lifetime of smoking cigarettes and working in factories has made his deep voice rumbling and husky do not aid those with less fluency in english to understand him in the very least. He has a deep hatred for those more priviledged, since it is his heartfelt belief that they willingly crush the working class for their own pleasure, yet around those in his same social situation he is hard to reach, but one will have a lifetime ally if his trust is earned, be it a negro, asian, or any other minority, for which he always finds jovial comradery and some coin in his pocket for a drink or ten.

Weapons: Mauser C96, Baseball bat.

Vigors: Charge.

[Sacredless]

Hey there guys! I'm very sorry to have vanished so suddenly on you all, but I've been dealing with a lot of stress the past year in connection with my study. I didn't make it, but I'll be allowed to return after the coming year with all my credits intact, so no harm done!

I'll be picking this back up! So please start posting your applications again! You may also receive a PM from me personally if you expressed interest before. :)

[WashAutumstar]

I am very interested, however I am curious as to how you are going to be keeping track of things like salt?

[Karma]

I'm still interested, though I've become quite busy in the meantime and can make no promises about posting consistency.