beefbrain

Hyori opens the the sliding door of the weathered Econoline with a "thwoomp". She is greeted with a musky scent as the very lived-in interior makes it clear that Shepherd is not here. A sleeping bag, scattered books, and a few bottles of rye whiskey line the floor, while a makeshift kitchenette in the corner is clearly out of supplies. Posters and stickers line the walls with text reading "the oceans die, we die," "earth first," and "be careful with each other so we can be dangerous together." Up in the cab area there are a few different road atlases of Colorado and the United States splayed across the dash, some kind of dark fabric fastened in a way to act as a curtain / privacy screen, a half-empty package of diapers on the passenger seat, and a plastic milk jug filled with a yellow liquid shoved down in the door accessory pocket.

♫ ♫ Shepherd looked West up Black Canyon and his gaze lifted upward, toward the grand alpine mountains in the distance. The majesty of such natural wonder could captivate him for hours; a vast exhibition of nature's power that could never be captured in words. It wouldn't be long until the white snow on those peaks engulfed this entire place. What then? He wondered about those lights he had seen up there during his Westward attempt, if they'd appear again. Then his eyes settled on those two valleys in front of him, north of Castle Mountain. He knew 34 had been unsafe to drive, but these routes with their horse trails may have a way to circumvent 34, get around whatever nut was up there and continue on. Or maybe it could at least provide a way to sneak in and subdue whoever that was. Shepherd would need help though... A pine cone bounced on his head and Shepherd startled. He looked up and saw Eve, ten feet up on a limb in a nearby tree. She was innocently pecking away at some insects, as if he weren't there. Shepherd smirked and then looked further over toward the ranch and noticed Hyori wandering around, possibly in his direction. He tensed, then slowly tried to position his body, further around the tree trunk and out of her eyesight.

♫ ♫ More than a dozen elk made their way down through Black Canyon, approaching the ranch. The silhouette of the Needles, McGregor Mountain, and Castle Mountain in the West loomed beyond them in the distance, their contrast with the dramatic sky intensifying as their shadows reached further forward across the golden grass, chasing the herd in slow motion. Shepherd felt like they were chasing him too. Taking shelter under an old tired tree, he wondered how in another time he may have paid those rock formations a visit for some bouldering. Another time. He was walking the perimeter of the ranch again to "get some air". The first few days here, others had tried warning him about going out alone but goddamn he needed solitude from those people. Only way to clear his head. He adjusted his back to move from the rough bark to a smoothed-away part of the trunk, almost polished, where some past bull elk must have tried to impress a female with his antlers. His eyes, unable to just take in the peaceful scene, instinctively darted to his periphery. Trees and shrubs didn't look so innocent anymore, especially with those gusts of wind. "Rest. You can rest now," he thought to himself. It didn't work. Last week they arrived at the ranch. The van had been shot at near Fall River Visitor Center, foiling his attempt to cross The Continental Divide. Had to backtrack, reassess his route, and the ranch was the only place Shepherd knew of that could be "safe" enough to leave the boy. It wasn't that long ago he said goodbye to Fleur and Jamie here, dropping them off while keeping the engine running. Damn kid. Why he was so happy to join Shepherd, he had no idea. Probably would have been better off staying in that nice cabin. Really hit it off with Eve though. Primates. For some reason he wanted to join Shepherd that first morning here on perimeter watch but no way he was gonna let that happen. "Trust no one," he had told Dinesh as their van approached the ranch and again when reaching its front door. Maybe he had misinterpreted those instructions. Now that there were other people to bother, Shepherd had tried to avoid him the first day. But Dinesh would look over with nervous eyes every time they passed, as if needing guidance for what to do next. Eventually the boy found some activity to do near wherever Shepherd went, trying to look inconspicuous but failing. That kid's gotta grow up fast or he won't survive. Not Shepherd's problem. That van though. That had been a problem. But one he expects to finish fixing tomorrow so he and Eve can make a silent exit before this place ends up just like the farm. Kat and Betty joined him for watch today. He had told Kat a few things about wild turkey to pass the time, as she seemed to show interest. Funny how it's everyone's favorite bird to eat, somehow patriotic, but no one gives a shit how it lives. How it almost went extinct. He shared the story of the turkey, the deer, and the chipmunk: how they sometimes will forage together to increase their chances against predators. Each has their own superpower. The turkey's sight on the ground, the squirrel's vantage from the tress, and the deer's sense of smell. He knew better than to explain anything about survival to someone from the Rez like Betty, but she listened in to their conversation. And somehow he got them both to laugh as they heard the turkey gobble and he made a stupid joke about the tom's air sac. Sharing that story and joke was probably the most of a smile they saw on him since his arrival. The bull elk of the herd, now within a hundred meters, erupted with his mating bugle. What in previous hours had sounded like a faint echo, now pierced the quiet drizzle with defiant testosterone, claiming his harem. Any other bulls elks in the area would know his presence and would have to get through him if they wanted to get any action. The high pitched screech of the bugle bounced wildly off the canyon walls, reminding him of the harmonic effect of a violin string, sending shivers down his spine and nearby birds fleeing into the air. The harmonics subconsciously reminded him of a band, Dirty Three... he had a couple of their CDs in his van. Some use those are now. Testosterone, he thought, looking back toward the ranch. James and Zoe seem to be trying to run the show and they were sniffing their noses in his direction. Always someone gotta do the herding. Both seem to work within government... but how high up? Could they know about the FBI watch list or his warrant? Does any of that shit matter anymore? Could they sense his hesitation about sharing his identity? "So, what's your deal?," they had asked after knocking on the outside of his van that first morning, waking him. The political posters that lined the interior of the van and barrel of questionable substance (fryer grease) raised some eyebrows before he could close the doors behind him quickly enough. But the rhesus that Dinesh brought inside with him last night probably did enough on its own to paint a target on his back, so he did his best to redirect the conversation, explaining how vegetable oil engine conversion works and how it could be applied to their diesel generator. If nearby blood supplies (did he say "blood" out loud?) run low, they'll be able to raid the local fast food joints for some good ol' grease. They'll all be loving that scent of french fries for sure... but could it attract others? Won't matter. He shivered and watched the herd pass the ranch and turn South, following the creek toward Estes Park. I'll be long gone. It was getting cold. In the before-times, it wasn't uncommon to see elk roaming the golf courses and strolling the city streets. Tourists would take pictures and the elk had official protection, like royalty. Now, the herd was descending toward the dark structures of a very different downtown. Poor things.

Would it work for Jamie to have been working at the same farm that Shepherd was laying low at? I was imagining it as a kind of an off the grid permaculture homestead.

Dinesh Singhal - Occupation: Student Trained: Mobility, Tech. Dinesh is a high school student from Los Altos, CA. His academic interests include the sciences and piano. He's one of the top athletes on the freshman cross country team and enjoys going on hikes in the coastal mountains nearby. His personal heroes include Adam Savage, Steve Jobs, and Barack Obama. In his free time he plays on his Nintendo Wii, reads Harry Potter books, and watches Mythbusters and Glee on TV. He and his family were on summer vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park, staying at Della Terra Mountain Chateau, when society began to collapse. During the chaos, he was separated from his family and found himself stranded alone in a nearby mountain cabin for weeks, using his smarts, speed, and extensive zombie film knowledge to survive. Shepherd eventually came up on Dinesh during his attempt to reach the continental divide on Highway 34. After some awkward conversation, Shepherd agreed to let Dinesh join him. Since then, Shepherd has been a kind of reluctant protector of the kind 14-year old, who adores Eve and helps take care of her.

Welcome fellow newcomer and looks like we are both going to get our feet wet with TWD!

Hello from a fellow noob! I just joined a campaign of The Walking Dead on here so happy to share my experience as I wade into this new world! BTW, I saw that you work in immersive participatory experiences and have always been a fan of escape rooms and such. One day I hope to make it to MeowWolf!

Just want to say I love your avatar, big Machinarium fan here!

Hi all, just wanted to introduce myself as I am new to this site and PBP in general. Really enjoy creative writing and gaming but never made the connection that this could be a great combo. A little about me: I've been a casual player off and on since the 1990s using these systems... D&D 3.5, 4th, 5th Pathfinder 1st RIFTS Champions I've GMed a little using these systems... D&D 4th & 5th Star Wars FFG I'm currently learning about the wide world of more indie RPGs and just got so excited about Legend in the Mist I immediately backed it. I'm not sure what qualities determine the games I seem to be interested in, other than an emphasis on narrative. So I'll just list them here: City of Mist Blades in the Dark Scum and Villainy Delta Green Year Zero Games (Tales from the Loop, Mutant Year Zero, The Walking Dead, Vaesen) I've actually just started a PBP game of Mutant Year Zero on Discord and am trying to join a game of The Walking Dead here on Myth Weavers (which is what brought me here). :-)

For Shepherd, it was just as surreal as it was for everyone else. He never hoped for an apocalypse, just revolution. So when he began seeing societal breakdown, he used his dream of dismantling society for a better world as a coping mechanism to handle something that did not fall within his imagination. His jaded, fuck-it approach to moving about in life was the most accessible skill at a time where millions were resorting to denial. The first week of the outbreak Shepherd and his buddies were oblivious to the news coming from larger cities, as they lay low near the CSU Fort Collins campus, in the final stage of carrying out their infiltration of the animal testing lab. Their plan to free primates within went horribly awry just as the first cases started showing up in town. They managed to make it out of the city as all hell was breaking loose, but with only one rhesus macaques in the back of his veggie oil converted 1986 Ford E 350 Turbo Diesel Econoline 4x4. He named her Eve. The second week of the outbreak, they were tracking down a buddy's contact: an off the grid, back-to-the-land homestead in the foothills. Since the homestead lacked a phone, it took a few frantic days in the woods of searching among gun-toting property owners who shot first and asked questions later. Upon arrival, they quickly set up shop with storing supplies and establishing protocol among the half dozen survivors. Shepherd decided to ration his veggie fuel, occasionally starting the van to recharge the battery. This was his only time to check the radio and after hearing 10 minutes of bewildering news, with just a brief mention of Denver, through corporate outlets he never trusted to begin with, he had to turn it off. Since then it has been dead silence. While docked in Seattle, still in his fishing days, Shepherd began to rub elbows with the alternative scene there: grunge music and earth defenders. He seemed to fit in easily among a group of other fuck-ups with their own fucked up childhoods. As an outcast, it didn't take much convincing to see how these folks, who quickly became friends, displayed much more compassion than modern society ever could. They introduced him to literature like Ishmael and engaged him in critical thinking, philosophical discussion. This became the best education he'd ever received. Plus the girlfriend. He worked for nearly two decades as a deckhand aboard environmental sea vessels - ones engaged in direct action against poaching operations and fossil fuel polluters. But yes, before this, in his teens, his first found family was among the seasonal salmon fishing industry along the Pacific coast. If anything, it radicalized him more. If he had dreams of an eco-utopia before, that dream became even more narrow and concentrated - like a magnified beam of light among a sea of destruction. There were plenty of dilemmas at the homestead, decisions about security, power structures, etc. But he and his group were used to that from a lifestyle of non-hierarchical political organizing. But when he was ripped apart from his like-minded community and thrust among the "normies" he faced his biggest dilemma: leave them all to die like the rest of the sheeple or step up and see if they can finally come to their senses and wake up to the way mother nature operates... Update: New moral dilemma presented itself when he more recently took in Dinesh, reluctantly. Now with both a human being and animal under his care, he must reconsider his outlook on life. This has been reintegrated into the main Detailed Background above.

Hi, I think I added my character but please let me know if I am missing anything

Shepherd Sierra Archetype: The Nobody PC Anchor: Self (Lone Wolf talent) Drive: Out with the old NPC Anchor: Dinesh Issues: Pessimist Strength Agility Wits Empathy 4 4 3 2 Close Combat 0 Mobility 2 Scout 1 Medicine 0 Endure 2 Ranged Combat 0 Survival 2 Manipulation 0 Force 2 Stealth 3 Tech 0 Leadership 0 TALENTS HEALTH Lone Wolf 3. Unharmed 2. Bruised [ ] 1. Battered [ ] 0. Broken [ ] Critical Injuries Stress Experience Encumbrance X/7 Weapons Bonus Damage Rounds Range Shotgun +3 2 Short Armour Protection Penalty "Earth is teaching us a lesson." Shepherd can be a simultaneously intriguing yet wary presence, with wild hair, calm demeanor, yet a don't-give a-shit look on his face. His body has seen decades of hard labor as a deckhand and seasoned rock climber. His skin is weathered and his hands calloused from ropes. He's missing a couple teeth and his breath often carries the flavor of hard liquor. His voice is soft, but that doesn't mean his words can't be harsh. While usually the silent type, he'll occasionally keep others in check with a jaded wisecrack. Often wearing simple, all-weather clothing, he's equipped to go out in any conditions. Never without his backpack and tools, he's learned to be prepared for any situation. QUALITY SLOTS AMOUNT BONUS Stored Items Location Toolbox Van Cooked beans (one ration) Van OTHER ITEMS Vehicle Maneuverability Damage Hull Armour 4x4 Van (Jeep) DETAILED BACKGROUND Background A child of broken homes, Shepherd gave up on civilization long ago. Never finding any support among the foster care system, his first true family was found among the seasonal salmon fishing industry along the Pacific coast. While docked in Seattle, Shepherd began to rub elbows with the alternative scene there: grunge music and earth defenders. He seemed to fit in easily among a group of other fuck-ups with their own fucked up childhoods. As an outcast, it didn't take much convincing to see how these folks displayed much more compassion than modern society ever could. They introduced him to literature like Ishmael and engaged him in critical thinking, philosophical discussion. This became the best education he'd ever received. The boyfriend helped too. The Earth Defenders Most of Shepherd's adult life has been consumed by animal liberation and environmental activism: aboard the sea vessels engaged in direct action against poaching operations and fossil fuel polluters, among the clandestine forest defenders infiltrating and sabotaging sites across North America, and less often within cities to deface corporate targets and resupply for the next operation. The boyfriend eventually turned out to be an FBI informant who betrayed Shepherd and so he's had to avoid the authorities ever since. The Wildfire Virus The first week of the outbreak Shepherd and his buddies were oblivious to the news coming from larger cities, as they lay low near the CSU Fort Collins campus, in the final stage of carrying out their infiltration of the primate testing lab. On the night they broke in, they discovered the lab abandoned and most of its captives already dead. Complicating things further, the campus health center across the street was being overrun, already over capacity and with a desperate crowd outside. As panic was setting in, they barely managed to make it out of the city as all hell was breaking loose. Only one of the rhesus macaques was with them in the back of his veggie oil converted 1986 Ford E 350 Turbo Diesel Econoline 4x4. He named her Eve. On the Farm His found-family of misfits and survivalists would end up handling the collapse better than most, retreating West to a known safe house in the foothills of Rocky Mountain National Park: an off the grid, back-to-the-land homestead. Since the homestead lacked a phone, it took a few tense days of finding the correct dirt roads among gun-toting property owners (who shot first and asked questions later). Upon arrival, they quickly set up shop with storing supplies and establishing protocol among the half dozen survivors. He and his friends were used to this, from a lifestyle of non-hierarchical political organizing. Shepherd carefully rationed his veggie fuel, occasionally starting the van to recharge the battery. This was his only time to check the radio and after hearing 10 minutes of bewildering news, with just a brief mention of Denver, through corporate outlets he never trusted to begin with, he had to turn it off. Since then it has been dead silence. It began to feel like a kind of Eden until new folks began showing up. On the fifth week a new arrival showed signs of the virus and it the situation deteriorated rapidly. Shepherd was one of only a few - including Fleur and Jamie - to make it out of there alive. On the Run Fleeing yet another broken home, Shepherd was set on returning to the sea as his last resort. His first attempt to cross the continental divide failed, as he was shot at when driving up Highway 34. While turning around, he encountered a boy, Dinesh, in a nearby cabin and reluctantlytook him in. Driving further back toward Estes Park, he pulled over near an old ranch to assess repairs needed for the van and encountered a group of survivors there. He's still hoping he'll find a part of the world that has avoided the infection... or at least somewhere ready to finally start a new society. But now thrust among this group he faces his biggest dilemma: leave them all to die like the rest of the sheeple or see if they can finally come to their senses and wake up to the way mother nature operates...