blooregardo
an eons worth of mud
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Messages
- 9,135
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"At the earliest drawings of the fractal curve, few clues to the underlying mathematical structure will be seen. With subsequent drawings of the fractal curve, sudden changes may appear." -Malcolm, 1989
RESONANCE AFTERSHOCK
Welcome to Brimstone, New Mexico. A shithole roadside town inhabited by some failing businesses, a conspiracy nut radio show, fugitives from the law, elderly folk too stubborn to move on, and prospective homeowners attracted by the lack of neighbors they're required by law to inform of their past crimes. The only reason Brimstone exists is to pump gasoline and hide bodies, and if the entire town were wiped off the map, the rest of the world would be none the wiser.
Another part of this town is of particular interest to conspiracy nuts and UFO fanatics out of Roswell: an old U.S. Army munitions dump, rumored to link with a secret rail line that runs to a more insidious military research base. A back door to the nearby Black Mesa Research Facility, which the local tinfoil hats regard as a privatized Area 51. The locals dismiss this as what it is: nonsense; Black Mesa is just a bunch of eggheads playing with lasers, petri dishes, and government grants, and the people of New Mexico put up with it because their hydroelectric dam powers the better part of the state. Still, most of the locals suspect that it's more than a simple munitions dump.
On the morning of May 17th, the town is in a precarious state. All the phone lines are down, all the TV stations are dead air, and long-range radio communication is spotty at best. Brimstone is shrouded in one of the dust storms it's liable to have in the spring and summer months, but something inhuman howls with the winds. Pets are missing. People are missing. And most importantly, the gate to the munitions dump is open, the guardhouse left empty. Something came through in the night.
Resonance Aftershock begins on the second day of the Black Mesa incident, as xen monstrosities move out of the bounds of of Black mesa and into the surrounding towns. While most of us are used to roleplaying in the Half-Life universe, this setting allows us to experience it as characters seeing these horrors for the first time. Maybe we can get this alien off of Jed's face without killing him. Maybe that fire-shooting giant can't see us if we don't move. Maybe running over that ugly thing with the tentacles for a mouth can kill it, and maybe shooting those three-legged dogs in that big eye is their weakness. Maybe we can make it to the West Coast on the gas we have and escape this disaster. Maybe those soldiers really are here to rescue us.
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