The Lloyd Syndicate [F for M/F, Steampunk, Sci-Fi, Worldbuilding]

Started by FlowerMagnolia, July 15, 2023, 09:57:52 AM

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FlowerMagnolia

The Lloyd Syndicate

Info, Disclaimer


This is a setting I created for a group game that never happened. But I really enjoyed the story behind it and would like to felsh it out a bit more with the right partner.


London. Year 3344.
Acid rain collides with the rooftops, echoing through the empty streets. The only sight that meets the eye are souls under different coloured umbrellas running to find shelter in bars, pubs or other facilities. Thunder roars. Lightning strikes. In the brief silence between thunders, the heavy rain hitting plastic roofs filled the air was the only noise that echoes through the streets of London. A lonely rat ran along the empty shops of Borough Market – at least of that what is left. Yet another part of the London Bridge loosened itself with a swoosh of wind, dropping into the Thames to join the last few parts that did not withstand the harsh climate.

The last war had laid waste to most of what was once known as the capitol of the United Kingdom. Ever since, the city has never been the same again for over a hundred. Some have returned, only to see their former home destroyed and the city almost ghosted. With almost three quarters of the city destroyed, only a few skyscrapers remain in the skyline. Somewhere in an archive, so it says, The Shard was once the tallest and shiniest building in the modern London city, and still it stands. During the Last War, about a century ago, the last owners of the Shard left it behind to save themselves, fortunately or not, they never returned. When peace finally returned to earth, powerful families that have profited from the devastating wars sought to establish themselves in big cities that provided them the opportunity.

Forty years ago, the Lloyd family found their way back to London and established themselves in the Shard. Conquering it without much ado, the building served as a second haven for those part of the Lloyd Syndicate. Throughout the Last War, they have created weapons – specifically designed to take apart a human’s genetic code – and managed to sell them across the world. Viciously, the weapons are almost invisible to the eye and once hit, the genetic code begins to fall apart within minutes. People have cursed their creation, yet they also admire it for its technological advantages. With the Lloyd family back in London, wealth returned to the city, along with jobs, hopes, dreams and a deadly syndicate…







More Worldbuilding
The Shard represents the centre of Lloyd Enterprises, overlooking the city and being surrounded by heavily guarded gates. It stands in the dead centre of District 1, that also envelopes a hospital, a fire department and housing for influential business partners. The military harbour is also part of District 1.
District 2 offers place for restaurants, shops, expensive housing and another hospital. The Lloyd Police Department (LPD) is also located there. This part of the city offers places to pass time, such as brothels, theatre(s) and a sport centre (usually occupied to train officers).
District 3 represents workers that are not commonly working together with the Lloyd family. Housing is a lot cheaper in that part of town already, where families live in a flat, rather than a house. Criminality is common among the streets of District 3, where the Lloyd Police Department does not have too much of an influence anymore.

District 4, the outer circle of the city, is mostly the home for the poorest in London. People that could not find work within the heart of London, and are working outside the city gates, live there. District 4 is swamped with criminals, rats and lawlessness. The LPD does not have an influence there. It is the farthest away from the Shard and usually breeds the ones that want to see the Lloyd family gone…


Historical Overview
2023 - 2223
No major technological breakthroughs. Population exceeds 11 billion. Starvation. Wars multiply. Poverty rises steadily. Droughts, floodings, storms happen everywhere.

2223 - 2455
New bioweapons are developed everywhere to end wars more easily, yet it only causes more conflict. Complete countries are laid waste in the process as a radical way to end radicalism. Millions die as a result from diseases spreading. The first big cities serve as a refuge for lost people, Melbourne, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York, London, Cape Town. Urbanisation reaches its peak, technology causes a philosophical discourse about life, war and the future.

2455 - 2712
The new bioweapons that were created turn out to be an even bigger problem than let on. Once used, the biomass only starts to dissolve slowly and turns complete areas into a waste land. A new law is passed: bioweapons should henceforth be forbidden. At the same time, researchers continue to work on humans and animals alike, looking into their genetic code… What are the limits of medicine?

2712 - 3005
A form of peace sweeps over the world. Cities stop growing, some life returns back to areas. The problems, however, remain the same. Less land can be used since the first wars for almost the same amount of people. Diseases spread again. Under the surface, there’s a political conflict brewing that demands to explode: the governments in Tokyo and Hong Kong secretly build bio and atomic weapons ‘just in case’.

3006
The conflict explodes. Both metropoles, Tokyo and Hong Kong, are eliminated. Billions of people die immediately, more from the consequences. At the end of 3006, only 5 billion people remain on the planet.

3007 - 3053
As a result from the dispute in Asia, refugees from all around the world cause more problems in the rest of the world. In order to take care of all people, money becomes scarce and clean water as well. Filtering ocean water no longer is an option – the waste cannot be extracted from it completely. People start to die of thirst.

3054 - 3111
Powerful companies gain more influence on politicians and the government. Corruption reigns. Civil wars break out everywhere. People try to leave the cities to find shelter – away from corruption.

3111 - 3245
Stale Mate. Conflicts continue. Food becomes even rarer. Population decreases to the point of three billion.

3246
The Last War begins. Caused by a dispute about water depots, debts and influences, parties from around the world clash. There’s no trust, only survival instincts for the common people. It’s about power and money for those above.

3246 - 3287
Showdown New York: after years of fighting, suffering, violence and death, the conflicting parties sit down to discuss peace. The population has decreased to one billion. It is about the survival of the human race. At the New York Roundtable, the Lloyd family also has a major influence on what follows next. Without any political instances – it is up to those wealthy families to restore order and peace that would last longer than a lifetime. Thus, each family settles on one city to take over. With Lloyd Enterprises as a big player in the Last War, having invented a brilliant way to murder millions without destroying nature, the family chooses London – The City of the Lost. The infrastructure there, so they have heard, is the best basis for any new genetical experiments to cure humankind.

3288
The Lloyd family arrives in London. Emily and Jackson – a powercouple and their little child with them.

3289 - 3300
London is cleaned up, organised into four Districts.

3312
Jackson Lloyd dies. Electricity has fully returned to the city. Water is saved under the Shard, being taken through several stages of cleansing.

3315
Emily dies. Construction of a dome around the city begins to protect it from the dangerous change in weather. But the construction would take decades.

3344
Start of the story







Our characters

I will be playing the next heir of the Lloyd Syndicate: Evangeline Lloyd. She's not going to be completely evil... she's more of a little 'princess' of some sort who has been shielded from what her family has been doing for the most part. I'll send you the character sheet I made for her if you're interested! As for your character... the sky is the limit. They can be male or female, but they have to be an enemy of the Lloyd family (for whatever reasons). It could be another leader of a different Syndicate, a loner trying to overthrow the family, a spy working within the Shard etc. There's loads to think about.

What else?

Yes, there will be smut. You can find my O/Os in my signature. I'd love for this to become a detailed story where you get invested in the storyline because they are character driven, rather than plot driven. If there's anything else, feel free to PM me!