Our world
became a Zombie Infested heckhole on April 15th, 1999.
That’s the
date when the Stankwell Oil Megatanker, the SS Gargantic, set sail on
its maiden voyage. Due to the flagrant disregard of numerous safety protocols
and cost cutting measures, the massive tanker capsized somewhere off the
Atlantic coast, dumping its noxious payload into the sea and triggering the
most catastrophic ecological disaster in the history of planet Earth. This
monumental eco-cataclysm is forever known as The Big Spill, and its
ramifications have spread to every end of the sludgy globe. Scientists have yet
to suss out exactly why the dead started to rise, but all across the globe, the
ground erupted with all manner of festering, gibbering undead monstrosity.
As you would
expect, the time that followed was one of bloodshed and chaos on a worldwide
scale. The very air itself became contaminated with the stink of death, and
those left too long exposed to the elements would join the ranks of the
restless and hungry dead. Civilization shattered and it seemed that the pieces
could never be fused together again.
While most
folks trembled and cowered in secluded sanctuary towns and quivered from the
countless masses of abominable beasts stalking the streets, others were not so
timid. Sergeant Jeremiah Sterling came from a long line of true patriot
soldiers who had been on the front lines of every armed conflict since the very
first time that blood was shed on the country known as America.
A true
doomsday prepper, Sarge Sterling had been stockpiling weapons, ammo and
equipment since he was in diapers. When the Zombie apocalypse finally came
a’callin’, the Sarge was ready and raring to go. Weaving a heavily armed path
of destruction throughout the US, it didn’t take the old infantry grunt long to
realize that the undead problem was far bigger than one man could adequately
deal with. Tactically retreating back to his impenetrable fortress bunker in
the desolate town of Gutshot, Texas, Sarge Sterling modified his home into a
state-of-the-art training ground for all things zombie-slaying. He recruited
the bravest and brightest from across the country (and beyond), and soon
amassed a dedicated, loyal following of men and women who were hand selected,
trained and armed to deal with the morbid blight infecting the world.
And thus, Sterling
Squadron was born.
Each and
every day, more and more hopeful zombie-hunters pile around the gates of Camp
Sterling, hoping to be admitted into the rigorous training program and join the
elite fighting force. Very few are allowed within the barbed-wired walls of the
Camp, and fewer still have the physical and mental mettle to complete the 5
week boot camp that all potential members must endure. Those rare few that do
graduate have a chance to earn a place among Sterling Squadron, having the mark
of Squadron tattooed into their very flesh. Some claim that this mark has
mystical, otherworldly properties, but surely, those tales are fiction…
THOSE
WHO BEAR THE MARK
Sterling
Squadron is an elite military force that is separated into four distinct
Divisions of service. Each Division has two optional Sub-Divisions within them
that provide further focused training. The four Divisions of Sterling Squadron
are Infantry Division (Officer Core and Demolitions Sub-Divisions),
Medical Core (Bio-Weapons and Paranormal Ops Sub-Divisions), Corps of
Engineers (Modification Technician [Mod Squad] and Bunker Specialist
Sub-Divisions) and Covert Ops Division (Ranger and Black Ops
Sub-Divisions). Every member of Sterling Squadron belongs to one of the four
Divisions, but not every member of Sterling Squadron chooses to specialize
further into their Division’s heavily specialized Sub-Division.
Staff
Camp Sterling
is run by the Camp’s namesake, Sergeant Jeremiah Sterling. This legendary
figure oversees all operations of the camp, but leaves the bulk of the training
and daily management of the facility to his cadre of Generals, currently
numbered at 8 (one for each Sub-Division).
Dave Note: Yes, I realize that Generals outrank
Sergeants, but Sergeant Sterling is special...duh.
Recruitment
Not just
anyone has the guts and mettle to wear the mark of Sterling Squadron, and it
takes a special sort of person to even be admitted to the probationary boot
camp for prospective members. Sergeant Sterling’s highly trained crew of
Generals are keen judges of characters, and only those who are pure of heart
are admitted into the Camp for basic training. While members of Sterling
Squadron certainly are far from perfect, with personal flaws and quirks just
like everyone else, but at their core, everyone who wears the mark is a good
guy or gal.
Ranks
Like any
other Military organization, Sterling Squadron has a strict hierarchy of rank,
with each being detailed below:
Civilian: The rank and file of dirty, oppressed,
horrified Humanity. Those desperate souls who do their best to survive in the
new, Undead world. Mostly unfit for service.
Prospect: The members of Sterling Squadron are
akin to mythical heroes or legendary figures of olden times, and many hopeful
prospects take the perilous journey to Camp Sterling to try to make the grade
and earn their mark. At 0600 hours every day, one of Sarge’s Generals leaves
the front gates of the compound and takes a gander at all those camped outside
of the walls of Camp Sterling. Those with potential are pointed out and
admitted into the Camp to undergo a grueling boot camp.
Cadet: Those who are selected to enter Camp
Sterling and spend the next handful of weeks doing pushups, cleaning latrines
with toothbrushes and the like are granted the lowly title of Cadet. In
addition to the strenuous physical training, Cadets perform menial tasks around
the Camp, like janitorial duty and the like.
Private: Those rare few who graduate from Boot
Camp (many simply quit) are granted the temporary rank of Private. Those who
possess this rank are probationary Squadron members who must complete a
training mission alongside other Privates. Those who succeed at their training
mission are promoted in rank.
Operative: After successfully completing a grueling
training mission, Privates are promoted to the rank of Operative and are
finally granted the legendary Mark of Sterling Squadron, a stylized winged “S”
that is permanently tattooed into the Operative’s flesh. These men and women
are highly disciplined, efficient, and well-trained and equipped. Those at this
rank are compiled into a Unit and then are sent on missions and operations all
along what is left of the United States.
General: Sergeant Sterling’s eyes, ears and fists
are his Generals, who always number 8. Each General is the head of one of the
Sub-Divisions of Sterling Squadron. Sarge Sterling and his 8 Generals can
always be found at Camp Sterling, training more potential Squadron members and
strategising the long campaign against the forces of Darkness.
The Mark
The hallowed
Mark of Sterling Squadron isn’t just a pretty tattoo. Indeed, the Mark does
grant strange powers and abilities to those who wear it...
Resistance: The Mark grants Advantage to all rolls
made to resist any special abilities used by any Undead that affect a member of
Sterling Squadron. Furthermore, any rolls by any Undead to use special
abilities against someone with the Mark suffer Disadvantage.
Immunity: While those with the Mark are certainly
not immune to gaining Contamination Points, they are immune to joining the
ranks of the Undead that they so vigorously fight. Anyone with the Mark who
attains a number of Contamination Points that would normally turn them into a
member of the risen dead doesn’t turn, but instead, dies normally. Those who
bare the mystical mark of Sterling Squadron will never side with the ranks of
those they were trained to destroy.
In the
Field
Those tough
enough to attain the hallowed mark of Sterling Squadron are paired with other
graduates and formed into cell-like groups known as Units. Units are
ideally comprised of 4 members (one representative from each Division to allow
for a wide array of skills and talents for maximum efficiency), though with the
stringent standards to join Sterling Squadron, many Units are understaffed,
even sometimes encompassing 2 or 3 members. It is rare (but not unheard of) for
a member of Sterling Squadron to be sent on missions alone. These brave loners
are almost always members of the Covert Ops Division. Units are given a
colorful code name that the Unit members are allowed to come up with on their
own.
THIS
GREAT BIG DYING WORLD
The year is
2018, almost two decades after the Big Spill soaked the world in bleakness and
dreadful waves of abominable undead, and it’s quite a time to be alive.
The Big Spill
changed everything in our world, turning the very atmosphere of planet Earth
into a noxious brew of chemical compounds. The very air itself carries the
stench of death, and those left too long exposed to the elements are almost
assured to join the ranks of the restless dead sooner rather than later.
Environment
While things
might not look much different (besides abandoned, wrecked cities and the like),
the Big Spill has warped our atmosphere brutally. Rainfall stings upon contact
with the skin, and even on the clearest day, a hazy, greyish haze of smog seems
to fill the sky.
Civilization
When the Big
Spill happened and the dead started to rise, approximately 75 percent of the
Human population were wiped from the globe in the following weeks. Between the
frenzied attack of the risen dead and the chaos of riots and mass panic,
Humankind didn’t stand a chance. Nowadays, the great cities of the US are
largely destroyed and abandoned, with the roads clogged with long abandoned
cars. The remaining survivors eke out a living wherever they can, often forming
small communities and fortified towns wherever possible. Most of these troubled
communes are very suspicious of newcomers, and are often clannish and
insulated. Even those who manage to find relative safety among other desperate
survivors find everyday life to be a harsh chore in the modern, dead world.
Technology
As you might
imagine, matters of technology haven’t advanced much since the great disaster
that wrecked the world. Cell phones and the internet are things of fiction, and
communication is done via long range, bulky radio (for those lucky enough to
possess one). Commonly, the ranges of broadcast radios is a few miles at most,
but Sterling Squadron’s ingenious eggheads in the Corps of Engineering Division
have devised Supra-High signal Radios that can carry a transmission clearly
(enough) from Camp Sterling to anywhere in the US.
Travel
Need a car?
The streets are littered with them, and automobiles are certainly not in short
supply. The only problem is that the major highways are utterly congested and
very much difficult to navigate, and even the more desolate roads are bloody
messes to navigate. Without upkeep and about twenty years of Undead stomping
about, most of the roadways of the US have descended into exceedingly dangerous
deathtraps. So, do be careful on those road trips...
Them
The Undead
that haunt the world go by many names, but a common enough term for anything
creepy, crawly and hungry without a heartbeat is “Graver”. Now, the Big
Spill did far more than just create a bunch of moaning, shambling corpses, mind
you. The virulent disease that causes the dead to rise (as well as turn the
living into monsters after too much exposure without treatment) is
affectionately known as Stankwell Fever. The Fever often times
manipulates the genetic structure of its host, and while most “Normal” Joes and
Janes who succumb to the Fever do become the slow, dim-witted Zombies of legend
and lore, there have been several hundred more advanced Strains of Gravers
encountered. Some Gravers can run, fly, and have an array of sinister powers at
their disposal. Some are even brutally cunning and even brilliantly
intelligent. Some special folks that catch a fatal dose of the Fever even
retain their memories and personalities after the change. The Stankwell Fever
is a curious, always-evolving disease that has thus far been proven impossible
to treat in its final stage.
Stankwell
Fever can afflict any living being, as well as any being that is currently
dead, and it is wildly unpredictable. The tested souls of those in Sterling
Squadron can expect to face all manner of curious Undead in their adventures
that are far deadlier than your typical, mindless undead horde!
