Pawnee County Oklahoma has always been known for its tall tales and native legends, but out of all the cities that call Pawnee County home, Purgatory has more than its fair share. With reports of Big Foot sightings, alien abductions and the tourist attraction that is the McElroy Brother’s Pond; Purgatory has earned its rank as one of the nation’s best destinations for unexplained events.
Recently, reports of several missing persons has caused wild rumors to circulate of something far more sinister.
You and your team have been contacted by an anonymous source, claiming to represent the Council. You have been tasked to investigate the rumors and if needed; solve the mystery of the missing persons before State and Federal Law Enforcement agencies intervene.
Do you have what it takes to solve the case, or will you become part of another story in the legend of Purgatory?
Origins:
Set in an alternate timeline, the story of Purgatory takes place in a semi modern era where mankind didn’t stop at the Moon. Earth has colonized the inner planets and is preparing to make the journey beyond our home system. Mankind has experienced a “golden age” of technology, but that hasn’t changed the face of rural Oklahoma much.
Area Info:
The city of Purgatory is mostly in Pawnee County Oklahoma (its southern most points crossing the border into Payne County. It was founded a decade after the last great war and encompasses 200 square miles (518 square kilometers for our friends across the pond) .and despite it’s size, only has a population of roughly 80k. It is known for its tall tales and native legends; but its world renown for its university of natural science and space flight.
Local Factions:
Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Walter (Walt) Harring has served multiple terms as Sheriff for Pawnee County and is hard as nails. He is known nationally for his tough stance on crime, winning the last election by touting his policies and number of criminal convictions.
Purgatory Law Enforcement Officers (L.E.O.)
Police Chief Frank Presley is known for his temper, and reports of his department’s treatment of criminals has brought his under an ongoing investigation. With the latest rumors circulating around town, he and his department have a lot to lose. He has ordered his officers to do what they can to calm everyone’s nerve and hopefully leave the department in a better light with the state agency investigating him.
Oklahoma Bureau of Criminal Delinquents (O.B.C.D)
One of Oklahoma’s notorious criminal agencies, the OBCD is tasked with youths ranging from the age of five through eighteen. Rumors have been circulating that one of their officers has been dispatched to Purgatory to track down a missing teenager that didn’t report to their parole officer in a timely manner.
Local Government:
This is an election year and none of the members on theCity Council (including the Mayor) are guaranteed to win. Despite this, many of the members of local government have been oddly quiet about the missing persons.
Purgatory Civilians
Even though the town has a large population, most of the 80k population is seasonal. Between the months of May and August, the population drops to considerably as students leave for the summer. Those remaining are the ones who call Purgatory home, many having claims to the area back before Purgatory was founded.
University of Central Oklahoma (UCO)
UCO is renown for its agricultural and aerospace programs, each drawing in the best and brightest for an attempt to be one of the few accepted each semester.
In the last few years, rumors of “Black Projects” and secret societies have popular talk amongst the student body.
Technology Overview
Despite having colonized the inner worlds of our solar system, the average person doesn’t really have access to the specialized tech that comes with space travel. Fossil fuel vehicles (planes, trains and automobiles) is still used, though electric vehicles are becoming more available (although at a higher price than its counterparts).
You can expect to see the occasional smaller spaceship circling overhead as student pilots spread their “wings” after hours in UCO’s simulators.
Weapons:
This is the southern United States, and the 2nd Amendment is a prominent part of today’s society. Everything from a modern version of the old Cowboy six-shooters to the latest in high tech manned portable energy weapons is available to those who have the money; and can pass the background check ;).
That said, there are always loopholes for those who want to stay on the anonymous side of things.
Armor:
Just like the weapons, body armor is your right and if you have the money you can buy just about anything that’s available on the market. Keep in mind, it is harder to “acquire” military hard suits, but anything is possible with the right connections.
Communication:
The internet is an amazing thing. Not only can you communicate with people around the world in seconds through a social media app or message board, you can stream those funny cats videos on your augmented reality headset at the same time.
In all seriousness though, communication systems are slightly more advanced than our current level of tech IRL. So pull out your favorite smartphone or comm unit and have fun.
Character Creation:
Below is your standard character sheet - please make your character as unique as you like. I do have some guidelines to character creation which will be listed below, and I do hold the right of final approval for each entry. That said, if you have a question about anything, let’s talk. DM me and I’ll work with you on getting your character approved.
DISCLAIMER:
This is a semi-serious RP, and it does have potential for the unaliving of Player Characters. That said, I REALLY don’t like putting players into a scenario where they don’t have a way out. And unless otherwise requested by a player, I’ll do my best to give you that option of surviving.
Also, I’m going to bend the standard RP rules for this one - each player will be allowed to create a NPC (secondary character) that they can control to help their main on their journey. The NPC will need to be approved by me or any player(s) who hold temporarily GM status should I be away due to IRL conflicts.
That said, and just as a reminder - the creator of that NPC can autohit their own character.
Another modification to this RP. I’m going to allow some leeway for the players during their interactions with NPCs.
Example: Player John Doe decides they see an enemy in their line of sight, but a NPC is standing in their way. The Player can write out their action and say something along the lines like “John raised his pistol, but (random unnamed NPC) was in the way. John takes his free hand and pushes her aside and shafts shooting.”
Since there is a random/unnamed NPC, I’m not going to count this as an autohit. She may say something later to express her annoyance, but that’s how the story goes.
Please keep in mind, there is no auto hitting named NPCs - and unless it’s your secondary character, you will need to DM me or the acting GM with your intentions and wait for approval.
Finally, (I say that but as time goes on this may not be the “final” statement) since this is the beginning of the RP, I am going to limit each character to $100 in game currency at the start of the game (yes, that’s included any approved NPCs as well), one sidearm (nothing too crazy) and one piece of unique equipment to help along the way. This equipment can be a radio, augmented reality glasses, a Flipper Zero, etc … just nothing too crazy and SciFi.
As a reminder, I am going to hold final say on all character sheets and will let you know if something needs to be modified before final approval is granted.
Also, first person to complete and submit an approved character sheet gets a cookie 
Character/NPC Sheet
Name:
Age:
Weapons:
Equipment:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:
Trivia:
GM Assistance:
I’m going to do what I can in the beginning to help the Players get started in the campaign. There will be some helpful GMPCs to give you a kickstart, and who knows … maybe a familiar face from time to time to help along the way. I look forward to seeing you all in Purgatory.
Technically Deep Dive
In 1962, President Kennedy said in his famous speech that “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." Little did we know just how hard it would be to continue in our expansion throughout the inner planets.
The harsh environment of space and our limited understanding of robotics initially lead mankind down the path of genetic engineering. In the mind 1970s, astronauts were genetically modified to “harden” their bodies against the stellar radiation that would saturate them and future colonists.
As time passed, that technology became more available to the general public, starting the golden age of humanity. The average life span grew by a few decades, most cancers were cured and a resistance to disease improved the quality of life for just about everyone.
However, in the mid 1980s - physicians from Earth Sphere (formerly known as the United Nations) raised the alarm about the possibility of genetic alterations causing a “split” in the species, and feared rogue colonies creating “super soldiers” from the technology. With a focused campaign and political pressure, most genetic alterations were banned. Now holding a stigma throughout most of mankind.
Unfortunately, this trend began to influence the fledgling cybernetics industries, limiting their function in both life saving technologies.It wasn’t until the early 1990s when the Third World War broke out that both industries came back into full swing - making up for lost time, genetic engineering and cybernetics became the weapons of choice to win the global conflict.
After the war, nations began to rebuild the pieces with these technologies no longer as limited as before the war - but a stigma still remains.
Generic alterations are typically used by the medical community to help regrow limbs, and to improve the standard of living for those who undergo treatment.
Those who choose cybernetics or synthetic prosthesis typically go for a more natural “look” to their enhancements. No one wants to be called a “Synth”, however some wear the slur with pride by openly displaying their clearly cybernetic prosthetics openly.
Technology Overview
The tech in this setting includes artificial limbs, organs and even full body prosthetics. These range from the basic endoskeletal implants that can hide under the skin, to the more robotic outward appearance mimicking the Terminators from the old 1980s action movie. Full body Prosthetics are rare, typically used when an individual has suffered traumatic injury. Even with these full body prosthesis, they are generally modeled after the natural human body (think Ghost in the Shell and less Cyberpunk 2077).
Genetic alterations, although less expensive than cybernetics also come at a price. The human body is an amazing biological machine, but even with genetic enhancements - it has its limits. That “healing factor” you chose can definitely come in handy in certain situations, but the toll it takes in your body can be just as bad. Some of them becoming part of the myths that make up the setting of our story
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” - Newton’s Third Law
Local Lore
For years rumors have circulated that there are more supernatural or paranormal entities that roam the hills of Pawnee County Oklahoma. Some say these are just old wives tales or just the McElroy brothers trying to earn a buck at their tourist trap. Was that blurry photo a man wearing a Chewbacca costume, or was that really Bigfoot?
Why is the dog staring at the corner of the room, growling at nothing? That strange feeling of someone watching you may not just be your imagination after all.
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, but I’m not sure why there’s a distinction for the NPC if they’re just an optional second character.
