Puppet on a String

"I'm just playing baby, this the land of the free:
Where you can get a Glock and a gram for the cheap,
Where you can live your dreams long as you don't look like me,
Be a puppet on a string hanging from a fucking tree."
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Table of Contents
(The End of the) World
(The Lesser) Gods
(The Remaining) Races
(Futile) Starting Equipment
(A Bloodstained) Character Sheet
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1. World
An uncertain amount of years not equating to zero or a negative integer have passed since the world was drowned in The Final Flood Brought to You by Wilson and Wallace's Oil Drilling and Refinery™. It was on that day the planet of Siccum learned two very important lessons. First, most buildings are only water-resistant, not waterproof. And second, there isn't any oil in the ice caps. Wilson and Wallace's Oil Drilling and Refinery were fueled solely by greed. There was a war raging at the time, remembered now as "The Victorless War," and the oil company was keen to extract as much oil as possible and sell it to the combating factions. It only took 48 hours for the entire world to flood over after they sent the first drill into the untapped ice.

The Time Before The Final Flood Brought to You by Wilson and Wallace's Oil Drilling and Refinery™ wasn't too bright either. It was a product of unregulated and rampant capitalism. Large corporations bought everything, even time itself. Nobody knows what the numbered year is. Nobody tries to figure it out. In that time, each year was named after a company or a product. Now, time has become meaningless. Nobody keeps record of the year, month, or day anymore. People refer to the time we live in now as "The Unending Year of [PATENT PENDING]."

And, of course, The Time Before was tainted near its end by The Victorless War, a conflict that lasted two years and which was a war between all the races on Siccum. Several races went extinct, or at least near-extinct, and the war was only stopped by the coming of The Final Flood Brought to You by Wilson and Wallace's Oil Drilling and Refinery™.

Looking now to the present-time of The Unending Year of [PATENT PENDING], society has rebuilt quite a bit. The flooding makes things difficult, though people manage. Many people live in cities that float on the water through magic, while others live on islands that are the remnants of mountains or other highly-elevated places. Still others live as vagabonds on their own ships, traveling the seas in pursuit of food, adventure, sex, love, or just a purpose in life. You are one of these vagabonds, these wanderers with no home. Maybe you're looking for something, or maybe you're just ambling aimlessly. Whatever the case, it's always best to be cautious out on the open seas, for enemies lurk both above and below the waters.
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2. Gods
Deities have been worshipped throughout most of Siccum history. After The Final Flood Brought to You by Wilson and Wallace's Oil Drilling and Refinery™, common worship of many deities went away, some remained, and some new deities have arisen. There is video-evidence of every single deity here, as the gods of Siccum don't want to leave any doubt as to whether or not they really exist. Listed below are just the most popular deities, many more besides these roam the seas.

The Drowned King - A god with immense power who was trapped in one of the ice caps. He briefly appeared to each of the races and warned them to never wake him up ever again. This warning took the form of him smiting a bunch of people. He is thought to live in a palace in the South Pole, though nobody who's gone to check has returned. Still, he maintains a large following of people who pray to him due to his power, hoping he'll one day leave his palace and reward them for their prayers.

The Phoenix - Worshipped even in The Time Before, The Phoenix is a man in a white hoodie, always seen with the hood up and his hands in his pockets. He has extraordinary ability with fire magic. Though his face cannot be seen, judging by his movements and body over the years, he doesn't seem to age. He has also once been observed to bring someone back to life by burning them, then reforming and reanimating the ashes. He is often prayed to in times of grief, and is revered by the Dwarves who pray to him to strengthen the fires of their mountain forges.

The Girl in Red - A young lady garbed in a red raincoat, with a long red scarf that trails behind her as she moves. Videos of her show her being able to teleport, but one sect of her followers claim she is actually just stopping time, moving, and then resuming time. She appears on occasion to people, generally to ask for help with something, offering strange relics as a reward. Those that worship her pray that she will visit them one day with an offer.

Jim - One of the most perplexing deities. He was active in The Time Before, but hasn't been seen since The Final Flood Brought to You by Wilson and Wallace's Oil Drilling and Refinery™. He is known to have claimed to be the ultimate god, then claimed to actually be the second cousin (twice removed) of the ultimate god while still being the ultimate god, then stated "I'm a little like a burrito, but a little more spicy and a little less dirty." Scholars today debate what that statement meant. He amassed a fairly large following during his time on Siccum. At the peak of his popularity, he threw himself into a furnace and shouted "I never asked to be born!" Today, many people still worship him and ask mostly for materialistic things.

The Puppet Master - A strange being that secludes itself most of the time. It is always surrounded by puppets of varying sizes that move at its whims, serving its needs and purposes. There are no reports of The Puppet Master attacking anyone, but some speculate this is because nobody who witnesses such things live. Those who have encountered The Puppet Master and returned say that it gives off a very strange and discomforting aura, as though there's something horribly wrong, as though The Puppet Master is in on some sinister joke that nobody else is aware of.
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3. Races
There were around twenty different races in The Time Before, but many either went extinct or became endangered and went into hiding. These are all that remain. Enmity still exists between many of them, and as such, factions have sprouted up that are composed almost entirely of a single race.

There is one faction, known as The Borderless Army, whose motto is "Neither race, gender, nor creed divides us." They are the remnants of The Time Before's Racial Harmony Panel, which had been created to try to foster nice relationships between the various races. Today though, The Borderless Army exists on a large army base on top of the water, complete with diversity banners hanging all over the walls. They attack anyone who fires at them, and they frequently go out on raids to bring back resources (food, materials, people) to the base.

Humans - The dominant race of The Time Before. In most places, 1% of the population controlled all the money and land, and that 1% was 99% Human and 100% of that 99% was White Human. There was once quite a bit of infighting within the Human race between the various shades of Human skin tones. There is still quite a bit of infighting within the Human race between the various shades of Human skin tones, but it's a bit more passive-aggressive now. Suffice it to say, tall, light-skinned Humans are the most revered in Human society, while short or darker-skinned Humans are disliked more and get shot down (read: rejected romantically or actually shot with an actual gun) for no good reason.

Their faction is The Human Union. They live on scrap cities built on top of the ocean. Since their cities stick out, they're generally fitted with guns or people carrying guns. They like to use blades and blunt objects too.

Elves - They look like Humans, but have pointy ears, are more magic-attuned, and aren't targeted by razor companies (they don't grow any body hair except for on their heads). Elves can often be found hanging out too much in nature and (sometimes) humping trees. When they're not doing that, however, they often practice magic or guerilla warfare, or both. In The Time Before, they were often employed as covert operatives, and the vast majority of today's Elven military reflect that. Due to their living on forested islands, they are often attacked by the other races who seek to harvest wood to build weapons and ships. Because the Elves have the best access to wood, they have the largest navy.

Their faction is The Clan of Leaves. They live on the few islands that still existed (many of which were created with terraforming magic), which are mostly forested areas and have many spots for the Elven guerilla fighters to hide and lay traps.

Dwarves - A short and stout race that is almost the complete opposite of Elves. In The Time Before, they were often used for dangerous manual labor jobs (particularly in construction and munitions factories), and often faced major discrimination. The last ruler of the now-drowned nation of Nacireem once infamously said that the Dwarves are "rapists who bring in drugs, crime, and steal jobs. Also they smell bad. This is why I have said we need to construct a large, opaque dome around this country. It'll be a big, beautiful dome." The fact of the matter is that the Dwarves never actually stole jobs, because the jobs they took were ones that nobody else wanted. Today, in The Unending Year of [PATENT PENDING], the Dwarves are feared, for they have high-grade firearms, thanks to their access to raw materials and their extensive knowledge of gun mechanisms.

Their faction is The Mountain Dwellers. They live inside the hollowed-out Mount Bagyur. Along with their natural protection that comes from living inside of a mountain, they have the most well-armed military out of all the races.

Merpeople - A race created through the artificial mutation of Elves. The mutation itself was developed in The Time Before, but was put into use by certain Elves when the world became submerged. The primary effect of the mutation was to give Elves: gills that work in tandem with lungs and allow for underwater breathing, the ability to survive the pressure of the deep ocean, and scales along the arms, legs, and on some parts of the face. Female Merpeople also lay eggs, up to hundreds at a time, which is the main reason there are as many of them as the other races in The Unending Year of [PATENT PENDING] even though they're the most recently-spawned of the races. Since their population could quickly spike and deplete their resources, Merpeople frequently eat the eggs of their own species. This practice has been referred to by outsiders as "abortion, but tastier."

They are seen by Elves as having forsaken their true nature, and thus have a separate faction, known as The Deep Sea Coalition. The majority of their people live in underwater cities, which provide helpful protection against any attackers. The main drawback is that they still need a military to protect them from sharks.
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4. Starting Equipment

Starter Weapons:
Your choice of weapon does not lock you to a class. For example, you can pick a melee weapon and still gain a ranged weapon or use magic later on.

Dagger [Free] - Everyone starts with this weapon. While it's not too dangerous compared to other weapons, it's still good to keep as a backup.

Cutlass - The standard, almost hallmark weapon of the sea-faring traveler. It's a bit dull, but that doesn't mean it can't do damage. Best used for slashing.

Poker - A spear-like weapon contructed from a long stick and a sharp shard of metal. Has good range for a melee weapon and isn't too bad when used as a throwing weapon.

Zip Pistol - A handgun fashioned from wood and scrap metal. Often found in use by sailors who don't have access to high-grade guns. Its magazine can hold eight bullets at a time.

Sledge (Human Exclusive) - A tool often used for building the Human cities, but it's been repurposed as a two-handed weapon. Very good for busting up ships and putting holes in walls or people.

Crossbow (Elf Exclusive) - A quiet weapon, best used when hidden from the enemy. Comes with a few different types of bolts for utility purposes, though it doesn't pack the same amount of damage as a firearm.

Repeater (Dwarf Exclusive) - A semi-automatic rifle with plain iron sights and a wooden stock. Not the best gun built by the Dwarves, but definitely good at what it does. Its magazine can hold ten bullets at a time.

Speargun (Merpeople Exclusive) - A specialized weapon rarely seen in the hands of anyone besides the Merpeople. It's a medium-sized pneumatic weapon that fires spears. It works well on both land and water, and the spears can be used as decent melee weapons.

Spellbook - Called a "Spelling Book" by the Dwarves, it is the first tool required of an aspiring mage. The pages are actually all blank because the spells are loaded into and conducted through the front and back cover. Mages frequently use the pages to keep a journal, record magic-related stuff, draw pictures, write racist thoughts as they pass, and so forth. This spellbook comes with an offensive spell, a defensive spell, and a spell to restore mana.

Starter Ship Templates:
Your choice of ship does not lock you to a specific ship style. All ships can be upgraded to be faster, have more equipment, have more weapons, have more armor, and so on.

Ships in The Unending Year of [PATENT PENDING] are made to be operated by either one person or multiple people. All ships have a lever near the captain's wheel for raising and lowering the sails. This lever has three settings: lowered, half-mast, and full sail. Each of these ships is also equipped with a captain's quarters, either below or above deck.

The Clipper - An armorless ship with two masts. It is equipped with a single light cannon on port and starboard sides. What it lacks in firepower and armor, however, it makes up for in speed. It is the fastest ship among the starting choices.

The Mariner - The ship for survivalists. Comes with fishing nets, high-powered mounted harpoons, lobster cages, and a spyglass. It has two short masts and a fairly low overall profile to make it difficult to be spotted by other ships. While it lacks armor and cannons, you probably won't die of starvation and could make some money selling seafood.

The Sloop - A lightly armored ship with one mast. It has three light cannons equipped on both sides. A second lever near the captain's wheel can be pushed forward to fire all cannons on the starboard side, and pulled back to fire all cannons on the port side. The cannons can autoload themselves, but this takes a bit of time. A crew can individually aim and fire cannons with greater precision, as well as load them quicker.

The Boarder - A lightly armored ship with two masts. It's faster than the Sloop, but slower than the Clipper. Its only weapon is a naval ram at the front of the ship. A great ship for boarding others, or just plowing them over.
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5. Character Sheet

Character CS
Name:
Gender:
Race:
Starter Weapon:
Appearance:
Biography:

Ship CS
Name:
Type:
Captain's Quarters Location (above or below deck):
Any Ornaments or Decorations: