The mood for this RPG is post-apocalyptic 'steampunk' genre. This world is very harsh and cruel. Themes include struggle for survival, battling the elements, racial war, the depths of depravity when people get desperate.

This game is not intended to be pure angst and darkness, but generally has a hard edge to it. Characters that are slap-stick in humor, fluffy, or cutesy would not fit well in such harsh conditions and such personas should not be used on this board.

History

The Transcendence RPG is set in a dangerous, post-apocalyptic wasteland. Approximately 200 years ago, there was an apocalyptic nuclear war known as The Cataclysm to its survivors. The Cataclysm brought the world to its knees and only a handful of humans survived.

The life that followed was a tragic one. From the Cataclysm was born mutation-- humans and beasts were dramatically altered. Resource wars flared and the remains of humanity continually war and struggle for survival. This is a dog-eat-dog, "no frills" world-- silk and lace on clothing, artwork on walls, anything that is not a functional necessity is something that is probably owned only by the wealthy (or stolen from the wealthy by pirates and used for trade)

The world of the RPG is not our world. Current countries (America, Russia, China), languages, and currency do not exist.

Resources

Resources are extremely scarce in the unhospitable terrain and are closely guarded.

*Coal and metal are irreplacable for steam-powered technology.

*The ground is generally barren and farmland and ranchland are hard to find, and harder to farm.

*Wood is used building, fires, and as an inferior fuel source for steam-powered technology. Forests are few, and treacherous to the point of being impassable.

*Water is scarce and rarely potable. Most water is unfiltered, unclean, and swimming with bacteria. Water is typically only safe to consume after being boiled such as in tea or coffee. Bathing and washing clothes is a rare luxury.

Races

The races of this world are divided into two main categories: Mortals (humans and gifteds) and the Forsaken.

Humans are the bottom rung on the food chain. With no special powers, these mortals survive by their wits, tenacity, and ingenuity. They are often slaves or grunt laborers, though exceptionally talented humans have been known to go far. They generally consider gifteds to be their allies for the sake of protection.

Gifteds are lucky enough to be born with helpful mutations. Although they occasionally have slight physical malformations, they usually look the same as humans and certainly could pass for one. They are gifted with powers, usually mental. These powers are generally weak or moderate, and hard to detect. Gifteds usually live among humans.

The Forsaken are mortals who have mutated so much, they can no longer pass for human. They have physical deformities or monstrous qualities that make them recognizable as Forsaken on sight. Despite their cursed bodies, the Forsaken are gifted with moderate to powerful abilities. Unlike gifteds, the Forsaken can use powers that are obviously supernatural (such as throwing fireballs which could not be explained by normal means.) Forsaken may also include other intelligent, but non-human groups. The Forsaken are feared and distrusted by humans and they generally band together. Most Forsaken respect and tolerate other Forsaken out of mutual need and courtesy. Many humans use the term “Freaks” as a racial derogatory to refer to the Forsaken.

Vampires also exist but are extremely rare. They do not claim allegiance to either mortals or Forsaken, but consider themselves superior to both. Vampires are immortal—they do not age and are almost impossible to kill. They consume blood and cannot tolerate sunlight. A brief exposure to natural sunlight can wound a vampire egregiously and a few minutes exposure is enough to reduce a vampire to ash. Rumor has it that these mysterious masters have other racial weaknesses, but these are not known to the living community. Vampires have heightened senses, superior speed and strength, and each has a unique supernatural ability. A vampire’s power increases with age. Dhampires (half-vampire, half-human) do no exist.

Vampires are extremely few in number. No one is quite sure where they came from, but they first emerged around the time of the Cataclysm. Humans do now know how vampires are made—they do not appear to have children of their own. Unbeknownst to humans, even vampires do not know how their kind is spawned. All existing vampires were once mortals who were turned into vampires, but the secret of the ritual about how this change is performed is known only by the few elder vampires who keep their secret well-guarded. Many younger vampires seek to discover how to make more of their kind through experimentation or by trying to track down the elder vampires.

Vampires typically live alone with their servants or with other vampires, almost always removed from mortal society. Most make their living by raiding or taxing human settlements, but there are notable exceptions in which vampires have chosen to ally with humans or even become city leaders for wealth and mutual protection.

Culture

The post-apocalytpic landscape makes the simple act of living a struggle. Kindness and charity are luxuries most cannot afford. There is simply too little to go around, so people typically fend for themselves and their own families without a care for others. This is a necessity for survival, not malice.

Racial hatred runs strong. Superstition is alive and well, and vilifying those different from oneself makes it easier to justify taking from them, or makes it easier to ignore their suffering.

Mortals and Forsaken typically congregate in their own self-ruled city-states. These cities are huge, tightly-packed sprawls, usually surrounded by walls fortified with weapons and guards. City-states usually emerge near resource sites such as coal mines. They are strongly defended to keep raiding vampires, pirates, and monsters at bay.

Small towns are essentially unheard of. People live on the frontier in secure family groups or within the guarded cities. It is simply too dangerous to live elsewhere.

Copper and silver coins of a certain weight are used for currency. There is no central government mint for "printing" the coins, so merchants will sometimes weigh the coins to make sure they are not being short-changed.

Dangers of the Realm

The climate is typically hot and dry. Most of the land is desert or barren rock. There are fungus forests (some with spores that are poisonous to inhale) and forests of dead trees, but these are nearly impassable and full of monsters.

Sand pirates and other rogue gangs band together to steal food and resources. There is not enough food to go around and the pirates have found it more profitable to raid trains, cities, and farming communities rather than sweating out an honest living. Mortal and Forsaken alike mingle together as pirates, putting aside their differences to fight for a common goal.

Rumors abound of an especially successful band called the Black Sun Pirates. They are widely feared as the most notorious pirate gang, but others dismiss their existence as gossip. Some rumors say that the leader of the Black Sun Pirates is a vampire, others say it is a mortal woman. Most of the rumors agree that the Black Sun Pirates own a massive ship that uses lost technology to hover over the sand.

Monsterous beasts of all varieties roam the land and will eagerly kill humans as food or to protect their territory. Many of these beasts were hunted nearly to extinction before the Cataclysm, but once the human population was decimated, the monsters have steadily returned.

Technology

You can generally think about 1850's in our world as a guideline for available technology, but keep in mind that although the technology has been invented, limited resources may make them very rare or expensive.

Technology in the game is mostly limited to steam power. Steam power requires water and a fuel source (usually coal, can also use wood, but this is less efficient). You do not need to be an expert of steam technology, but do keep in mind the heat, noise, smoke, and required fuel when describing fuel-powered machines and vehicles in RP.

Click here to learn the basics of how a steam engine works

Basic electricity is available, but only in the major fortified cities and usually only to the upper middle class.

Clockwork technology is also making vast strides, but clockwork (or just " 'works") are so delicate and precise only the wealthy can afford to buy and maintain them.

The internal combustion engine (gasoline-powered, like cars) has not been invented.

There is a huge scale of quality for available items. Keep in mind that the average people may be able to afford to buy steam-powered machines and pistols, but the item quality may be so poor that the boiler explodes or the pistol has poor accuracy.

There are rumors that cities from before the Cataclysm can still be found and contain lost technology, but their whereabouts are unknown.

Transportation

The main source of transportation is the railroad. Steam locomotives connect most of the major fortified cities. Travel is dangerous, so trains are most often used for shipping freight from city to city for trade rather than hauling passengers. Problems with raiding pirates makes heavy security on the railroads essential. The private companies that own, operate, and insure the trains have a wealthy, but risky business. Mercenaries (often Forsaken) can usually find work protecting trains. Steam locomotives can travel upwards of 80 MPH.

Traveling by foot is common in cities.

Primitive bicycles exist, but are seldom seen.

Hot air balloons and other primitive forms of air travel are also available.

There are no paved roads outside of cities, although there may be a few worn paths.

Steam-powered dune-buggies exist. Typically made of only a basic light frame and a steam engine, these vehicles can reach upwards of 50-65MPH. The cars take a while to get started up (boiler needs to heat to achieve steam pressure) and they are designed for long-distance and speed, not stop-and-go inner-city travel. Steambuggies rely on their light weight to be able to navigate through the desert and they are not practical for heavy loads and hauling freight. These vehicles are most often used by pirates and usually look very basic and primitive since they are most typically assembled from scrap parts.

Mounted travel on a steed is common for travel outside the cities. The most common steed for single riders are domesticated rakuda, camel-like creatures. (These are the closest equivalent to horses, which do not exist)