The Cage Fighter

What does a professional pentathlon athlete do when there’s no institutions left to support her? Bash skulls for money, that’s what! Soon after the Fall, arenas sprouted up in many a lawless urban zone. All sorts of contests were devised – some inspired by reality TV shows, others developed out of martial sports, while others still were inspired by combat arenas in ancient times.

The Cage Fighter got in on the game early. Her speed, endurance and ambidexterity gave her an early edge on much stronger and better trained fighters. As she had done in the world of professional sports, she rapidly assimilated the performance of others’ into her own, making her able to switch combat styles and improve quickly. With the safety-net of the sporting context removed, she discovered the thrill of killing for sport, and has not been able to shake it since.

Why kill her own when there’s a world full of mutants to hunt?

The Cop

It’s not easy to let fifteen years in the force go. Fall or no fall, there’s always a community somewhere that needs looking after... and bossing around. Coming from a small village himself, the Cop feels duty-bound to protect and serve – when there were no more pay-checks to justify his daily toils, the Cop came to terms with the fact that this was not just a job for him, but an unshakable vocation.

He does, however, have a hard time with the serving half of “protect and serve”. The flip-side of his protective nature is a tendency to be controlling and bossy, and this inevitably causes clashes with the more vocal members of the communities he attaches himself to. It has also been the cause of the Cop’s frequent sense of unease and constant need to move on to a community more accepting of his over-protective nature …

The Dancer

The Dancer was raised on the road, amidst a motley crew of travelling circus folk. Her father was a knife thrower and she his novelty side-kick, “Knife Girl”. She was only six years of age when she could match her father’s knife throwing ability, thrilling crowds with her pretty locks and deadly-focused face. Her 'William Tell'-style routine - performed with a crossbow and a wide-eyed member of the audience - soon made her the most popular act of the entire troupe.

As she grew older, and the novelty of a sharp-shooting kid failed to translate to that of a sharp-shooting adult, the Dancer started performing in various parts of the circus that required gymnastic prowess. The circus went out of business in later years and she ended up headlining her own show in a semi-respectable strip joint. When the Fall hit, her self-preservation instincts did not fail her. She took to the road, armed with a sharp eye - and a solid stock of ammunition.

The Nun

Abandoned in a secluded convent as a child, the Nun was a devout young adept at the time of the Fall. In the ensuing years she retained her spiritual devotion, but also discovered character traits she didn't know she had (including an uncanny ability to deliver a bullet on target every time, without wavering). The Nun lives by her sharp wits and icy nerve - no matter how dangerous or disturbing the situation, she is able to distance herself from her emotions and focus on her actions.

She understands that to survive she cannot preach the Way of The Lord any more, but she is still a devout believer at heart. The strength of her beliefs has given her an entrenched resistance to mutation. For reasons of self-preservation, the Nun is never heavy-handed with her beliefs, but often acts as the spiritual leader in groups and communities she comes across.

The Runner

The runner was born five years after the Fall, into a small farming community that survived through strong kinship ties and a fairly impenetrable wooden stockade. The community was run by his uncle under the strictest terms and managed to remain untouched by mutation until recently...

The betrayal was brutal. The traitor had consorted with the mutants and given them access to the stockade during a community-wide harvest celebration. The Runner was saved by his relatives, who were not as lucky.

His remarkable athleticism bought him a narrow escape from his pursuers. The event has made him guarded and wary, and he prefers to stay on the move rather than settle with any group or community. He makes a living delivering messages and items between communities but is getting itchy to move on…