Sample Characters

Seulki Ryeo

she/they

'Oh, c'mon, it'll be fun! Just one evening, then it's back to work…'

Seulki is fun. They're no slacker, but they value good times and relaxation where some of the higher-ups might not. You can always spot them laughing with a friend late into the evenings after their day shift on watch duty, and they'll always happily invite you to join in. (Let's just hope they don't nod off on the job the next day…)

Seulki was a lonely kid. She was born a few years after the End began - she's 23 now, and doesn't remember a time where the adults weren't scared of war or global warming or any number of existential threats. Her mother homeschooled her, hoping to keep them away from the dangerous world. Despite growing up in rural Jotama, in a place which generally valued community and innovation, Seulki never really experienced this way of being. Seulki was rebellious, though, and by their early tweens, they'd sneak out most nights to party with friends she met online.

She moved away from home as soon as they could, ready to break out into the big, bright world. They quickly found an office job, but when she learnt that what she thought were human colleagues were, in fact, AI bots, she realised something had to change. Their eyes were opened to what the world had become, and Seulki realised that if they didn't move somewhere safer soon, with real people who could protect them like their mother did all those years ago, she'd become even less real than those robotic coworkers.

They don't know what happened to their mother. She hopes she'll hear from her one day soon. In the meantime, there are friends and fun in the Bastion, and she'll make the most of that when they're not working them to the bone.

Seulki was the social media manager for Hearth, an advanced AI chatbot for people in search of a friend. They were dedicated and passionate, believing that their work was connecting people in need of companionship, even as international communications were beginning to fail. That is, until she realised she was the only human left working in their whole department. Suddenly, they felt just as lonely as their customers - if their customers could feel at all, that is.

Her company car is small and sturdy. She had to stop a few times to refill on gas. Luckily, most of the gas stations they passed by were abandoned. She didn't like to stay for long, though. She knows just how well the insidious can hide in plain sight. They would stop for just a moment, take what they needed, say a quick prayer to Cuan, and leave.

Seulki thinks it's deeply important that people give themselves time to relax and unwind, even under all the pressure the Bastion provides. They've taken it upon themself to take charge of this - she's always hosting some get-together or other, after a long day patrolling the perimeter..

They were raised to believe in the Three Goddesses and to follow the word of Cuan. These days, she's not so sure she still believes in that, although the odd plea can't hurt. What's real to Seulki is what's solid – other people. She believes that humanity must continue.

Even if all the people she helped to be happier pass on, their happiness won't die. Right? It's not futile. It's not.

Diplomat - She knows how lonely people think and feel, and does her best to remedy that.

Accident Prone (-) – It's not that Seulki is clumsy so much as that she doesn't see the importance in being careful about the general position of her limbs.

Position of Power (+) – Seulki may not hold an official position of power within the Bastion, but she's a popular, recognisable face, which comes with its advantages.

Something to Hide (-) – Her car still works. She's parked it a couple miles out from the Bastion. You never know when you might need a quick escape, right? Better not let anyone else know she's got it, though, or they'll take it for scrap or reconnaissance missions.

Make Me Cry – Keep it Breezy

Murder Me – Unkillable

Romance Me – Hopeless Romantic

Hit Me Harder – Classic Crowbar

Gore – Zombie Crunch

Paranoia – Yes Please

I don't like eye-based gore, so please avoid this in my Turnsheets! Thank you!

Lujain

he/she

If you went looking for Lujain, the one place you’re bound to find him is in the shadows; not doing anything wrong, just not a fan of announcing his presence, that’s all. You might notice him looking sympathetically at the rats caught in traps. She’ll quietly do any task you give him – some have made a habit of fobbing their work off on him.

The world started to crumble when Lujain was just a kid. Growing up in Eirsace, he didn’t mind so much constantly having to move to find somewhere safe to sleep, but what did bother her was how useless he felt. People never stuck around long enough to teach her much of anything useful – that is, until a man asked her to hold the light whilst he fixed his prosthetic leg. From there, Lujain developed an interest in fixing and upgrading prosthetics and the like. The man taught her everything he knew, and through trial and tinkering, she eventually surpassed him.

They travelled together for quite some time, and at the outbreak of the contagion, they hopped from survivor camp to survivor camp, never settling.

They were travelling towards the Bastion when the man’s leg began acting up, so they stopped to fix it. Lujain wanted to add a new modification, and the man was hesitant, but Lujain’s eagerness convinced him. She was almost finished with the upgrade when a handful of zombies caught them off guard.

'There was no time,' is what she tells herself. 'If I'd tried saving him, we’d both be dead' – but he knows he’s lying. He knows all it took was one more turn of his wrench, and the old man could’ve run again. He knows he left him to die out of fear, leaving him as bait, giving her enough time to escape to the Bastion.

Her decision still haunts her.

He learned how to be a prosthesis mechanic and travelled with the old man, fixing people up wherever he went. It felt good to help.

Running for his life.

Menial tasks around the Bastion: keeping it free of rats; making sure the gate is polished; anything she can get her hands on which means she doesn't have to use his spanner again.

People are animals. They're driven by instinct and fear, and especially so when the world is ending. Gods and faith are stopgaps. All there is to do is survive.

A well-used spanner and a small hunk of cheese.

Innovator – He’s got the skills, but will do everything he can to not use them.

Signature Item (+) – The spanner which she used to use for her work. He keeps it clean.

Familiar Face (-) – Probably not at the Bastion, but the man might still be out there, human or zombie.

Must’ve Been The Wind (-) – She keeps to the shadows, and so has garnered a reputation as being untrustworthy.

Occupational Hazard (+) – She doesn't go out in the field, but there is precedent for people around her not faring well.

Make Me Cry – Welcome to the Abyss
Murder Me – Untimely Demise
Romance Me – Impartial to Romance
Hit me harder – Demon Core
Gore – Zombie Mutilate
Paranoia – Yes Please

Tim McLear

he/him

Tim McLear used to be a spy for the Taline government. Tim McLear used to be a bodyguard for a Bonswi billionaire. Tim McLear worked in the lab where the virus originated. You've heard many tales about Tim McLear. Who knows if any of them are true? All he is now is a patrol guard with a short temper and a jaded outlook on life.

Tim McLear was not a spy, or a bodyguard, or a lab worker. No point denying the rumours, though: it's a whole lot more useful to be feared than to be shrugged off as part of the crowd. Especially in a place like the Bastion, where you have to fight to be seen as useful. And especially when, soon enough, resources will grow thin and the least useful will be the first to go.

He grew up in Din Talin. It's pretty easy to find a way through life, there. Most people do roughly the same thing. He did his Youth Service in the army, where he found out he wasn't too shabby at fixing up vehicles and other broken things. After that, he stayed around for a while, but the violence and the long hours got too much eventually, and he left to work in a government office as a handyman.

There, he met his wife, Laura. It was his first real relationship, and of course, the next step was to get married, have a kid.

His son, Omar, was something new. Suddenly, all the rules and expectations meant nothing. Tim knew – and Laura knew – that they would do anything to protect this kid, this little spark of gold.

The End had already started by now, not that anyone really knew. 22 years down the line, Tim found his wife turned into something strange and terrifying and his son missing. There was nothing to do but run — away from what used to be Laura, and towards what must still be Omar.

On foot, then by hitchhiking, then on foot again. Tim wasn't running anywhere in particular. It was pure luck that he found the Bastion, and even more luck that by the time he found it, he'd realised that if he wanted to find Omar, he needed time to breathe, reassess, and prepare. Better not let these people know their 'Bastion' was just his stopgap, though. Easier to get his hands on their stuff if he helped them, for a bit.

He's a patrol guard. He's got the patience needed (when no one's getting on his nerves), the observational skills, and the strength to fight off any potential intruders.

Bausana – Intentionality, to be precise – was a belief system that shaped Tim's upbringing, and if you asked him, he'd say he still followed that way of thinking. In practice, though, everything pales in comparison to his mission.

A house. A broken fridge full of rotting food. A son, somewhere far away.

Survivalist – Through quick reactions, wiles, or pure muscle, Tim will stop at nothing to protect himself and those he holds dear. Or held dear. Or will hold dear.

Signature Item (+) – Tim's had his hunting knife since he was a freshly-trained combat medic. It's a little blunt these days, but he keeps it with him always, just in case.

Accident'nt (+) – Tim uses his training effectively. Tim knows his left from his right. Tim doesn't whine over scratches and scrapes.

Must've been the Wind (-) – His reputation precedes him. People tend to assume the worst - that whatever he says is for his own interest, and should be taken with a grain or two of salt.

Something to Hide (-) – His kid's out there, and he's only going to stay here while he prepares to go find him.

Make Me Cry – Delve a Little Deeper

Murder Me – Untimely Demise

Romance Me – None of That

Hit Me Harder – Demon Core

Gore – Zombie Mutilate

Paranoia – No Thanks

I would love Omar to appear in-game, whether as an NPC, or through a message of some kind!