Roleplay

[columns][img]http://i67.tinypic.com/5dvvys.png[/img][nextcol]Sixteen months ago, everything was normal. Humans and canines were peacefully coexisting as they have for thousands of years—that is, until the fateful day that Patient Zero arrived at an emergency veterinary clinic in Olympia, Washington. The infected dog was going to be put down, as he was in the late stage of rabies and clearly suffering, but the vets held off on this decision when they noticed that the disease had caused hemorrhaging uncharacteristic of rabies and that the dog's progression seemed to have almost halted with a relatively high level of function. He was highly aggressive, but never became entirely immobilized or comatose. Upon further investigation, the doctors discovered that this was a new, mutated form of rabies unlike anything they had seen before; they named it[i] Lyssavirus sanguis [/i]due to the massive bleeding it caused. In spite of tireless research into this new disease, neither a cure nor a vaccine was ever developed. Unfortunately, by the time the warning was issued to the public about the new strain of rabies, it was too late. The first dog brought in was not the only one infected already, and the disease only spread exponentially as time went on. It was, like ordinary rabies, able to be transmitted to humans as well. Within a few months, Olympia was running rampant with the infected, human and animal alike. Since there was no way cure, to prevent it spreading further, a quarantine was ordered. The humans who were healthy were allowed to leave, albeit without their beloved animal companions, who posed too much of a threat as carriers. The area was sealed off from the outside world, leaving those trapped inside to wander the decaying city and the forests beyond.

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RULES I. Follow all site and roleplay forum rules. That means no powerplaying/godmoding, no perfect characters, no excessive violence, gore, or swearing, etc. II. Respect other players. Obviously this is a plot that inherently involves violence and bad things happening to characters. Remember that it is a game and that characters are not the people who write them. We're all here to have fun, and if you repeatedly have issues with the other members of the roleplay, you will be removed. III. No character limit. You can create as many characters as you can keep up with. IV. No romances between your own characters. It's just not that exciting to play both sides of a relationship. You can have characters that are related (parent/child or siblings) but no mates. V. Keep it semi-realistic. Your characters' coats should be of naturally occurring colors, there are no supernatural abilities, and their physical limitations are those of any normal canine. Their eyes can be of any color of the rainbow. The allowed species are wolves, coyotes, dogs, and mixes of the three. VI. No one-liners. This roleplay is open to anyone, and there is no set length requirement for posts, but you should provide as much for other players to reply to as you can. Quality always trumps quantity, but no one enjoys trying to respond to "He smiled." Also, you should write with proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so on. VII. Your characters can establish their own groups. To do this, they must have at least one leader with at least three subordinate members. These groups have no maximum size, and they can be as loosely organized or as strictly regimented as is desired. These alliances can form and dissolve throughout the progression of the roleplay, and the leader's player may post in the discussion thread to have a group roster added or updated. (Keep in mind that lots of large packs is less realistic than numerous small, roving bands; resources are limited and there is extreme danger in the area.) It is encouraged for players to form these relationships and groups in character so there is a basis for the group's existence. VIII. Each player may only control one pack/band at a time. No one likes a power-hungry jerk. TO JOIN: In your first post with a character, include a form with your character's basic information such as name/age/gender/breed, include their personality and appearance (you can opt to include an image or not), and then just jump into the RP! The layout of this form can be as detailed or simple as you choose. **rules may be changed in the future** THE VIRUS The crux of this roleplay's plot is Lyssavirus sanguis, the hemorrhagic rabies virus which ravaged the Pacific Northwest. The disease occurs in five main stages. Stage One. No symptoms during the incubation phase. Lasts from one week to three months. Stage Two. The prodromal (initial symptoms) stage. The infected begins to experience headaches, nausea and vomiting, depression/anxiety, fever, and malaise. This lasts up to a week. Stage Three. The sufferer experiences their headaches turn to migraines, worsening depression, anxiety to the point of paranoia, the onset of hallucinations, heightened irritability, and confusion. This stage also lasts up to a week. Stage Four. The infected becomes extremely confused and begins to demonstrate the aggressive tendencies of the disease, rapidly losing the ability to speak or communicate at all as their thought processes deteriorate. They also lose motor skills and coordination as the disease attacks the nervous system. At this stage, the massive hemorrhaging from all orifices occurs, including vomiting blood. Lasts roughly three days. Stage Five. The infected has lost all sense of who they were and is highly aggressive. Still leaks a trickle of blood from nose, eyes, etc. This lasts up to a year as the body gradually deteriorates further. Those infected with the virus will become increasingly delirious and aggressive as their condition progresses, until their personality eventually vanishes and they are a hollow shell only existing to attack anything that moves. The rabid have no preference for what they eat, including other infected individuals if given no other choice. They may travel alone or as a pack, though they frequently attack one another in groups. Those who have more recently reached the end stage are more agile and aggressive than those who have been rabid longer, and thus are more dangerous. There is a distinctly wrong smell about those who have the virus. The point at which you relinquish control of your infected character is entirely up to you. You can choose to play them throughout their sickness, to have them die in some way before they can reach the end stage, or to simply stop controlling them once they become a mindless beast and turn them loose into the world. Other players may still encounter them as NPCs in the future if they are not killed off. It is worth noting that it is exceedingly rare for herbivores to be affected by L. sanguis, so most prey killed oneself is safe. Drinking contaminated water, eating contaminated food, or any contact with any contaminated bodily fluids are all ways to become infected, so extreme caution is to be taken when looking for resources.

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(Yo, are friendly humans allowed, or are you keeping it dog themed. I read the rules about realism, I think a kid with a hatchet/baseball bat chilling with some canines would be fitting and kinda cool, if not, I'm still interested!)

Riven is a black half-wolf and he is quite proud this fact, to him it was a reminder that his ancestors on his wolf side were true hunters. However, given the fact that he didn't have a pack nor could he possibly start one. Riven had to settle for the company of a grey fox named Zol. Zol is considerably cunning and beyond beliefs a great scavenger but what worried Riven more than anything was that Zol couldn't smell. It may sound odd and Riven thought Zol was bluffing when he told him but he wasn't, Zol the grey fox was nose-blind.
So here they are now wandering through some weird junkyard that was behind some humans house. It would get dark soon so the two needed to find shelter soon.

((@IMATRASHCAN + just a general thing, humans are a rare sight in the zone now, either rabid or healthy! This rp is just for characters of the four-legged variety))

(Sorry for short post, writing it on my phone)
@BetaArt
The lone dog wandered the junkyard behind her old human's home, some lost part of her life. The junkyard still held some sustenance if you looked, and thank whatever you go to when you die for that. This dog had lived here for her whole life, working as a gaurd for this human trash.
She really didn't understand why she gaurded, but she did. The rust and cream pitbull sniffed around the edge of the fence, noting that one of the three holes in the fence has been entered by some canines. They didn't smell too bloody, so she decided to let them stay.
This dog's name was Athena, the name she gave herself after some human myth. Not that she knew what the myth entailed, just that it sounded good on the burly dog.
"If you two are still within my fences by dark, and come peacefully, I can offer shelter." She barked out, from nearby the human fence, where the smell of rot and death came from, though she had no plans to go in that direction.

Here is a quick little character sheet/bio that I’ll update later.

Character Name: Abigail
Species: Timber Wolf
Coat/Markings: Grey agouti coat with dark mask and stockings (Picture)
Personality Traits:Masochistic, Sarcastic, Discreet, Loyal, Competitive, Quiet

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My large paw pads sank into the soft dirt with every step I took. The constant rain and dreary weather in the Pacific Northwest always made the ground moist and slightly mushy. It was hard to get a proper grip sometimes when fighting, or hunting. If you knew how to use this to your advantage, though, it made winning that much easier. Padding over to a small stream that weaved through the mossy trees, I bowed my head and cautiously began to drink. I never allowed myself to have too much of anything whether it be food or water. I gave myself just enough in order to survive because if I was greedy with my resources I knew I would end up becoming infected. Greed often leads to recklessness and ruin.

A sharp scream rang through the forest, the sudden cry silencing everything else in the area. My hackles were raised instantly, a small snarl forming on my lips as I lowered myself to the ground and looked around. Someone was nearby and hunting, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. I moved through the shallow stream silently, grey eyes narrowed as I looked around for whoever - or whatever - was in the surrounding area. Just as I was about to lower my guard, I caught sight of a stray dog. I never was the best with new people, so instead of introducing myself properly, I let out a low, guttural growl.