Apocalypse

CAST

LIAM KENDALL (13) · M · July 7th · 5'7"

With his social oddities, persistent stutter, and pudgy frame, Liam is an easy target for opportunistic bullies. The president-inherit of the Algonquin Dragons hobby club, his intense passion for TTRPGs and nerd culture serves his only escape from a silent home: the neglect of a single mother absorbed by opiates and the lingering absence of his uncle, whose suicide left a cavernous hole.
But in those annual summer trips, Liam's uncle gifted him a quiet, practical knowledge of survival: how to track, spot, hunt, and navigate, skills that seemed like relics of a past life. When the dead begin to rise, the unlikely leader within the boy who was oft-dismissed might just be the key to survival.

ENJOYS:
DISLIKES:

LYLA PAINTER (13) · F · April 21st · 5'3"

A chaotic burst of color among the grey halls of middle school. Lyla communicates in a rapid blaze of spontaneity and "randumlolz" humor, Raised in a vibrant and spiritual Oneida family, Lyla embraced her innate artistic nature, sketching elaborate illustrations and meticulously painting miniature figures for the Dragons campaigns.
Yet, behind the hyperactive sparkle in her eyes lies a compartmentalized grief: the memory of her older brother, lost to cancer, which surfaces only in the quiet moments her energy can’t fill. Likeiwse, she has yet realize that her connection with Liam is a silent, mutual refuge, or that her creative fire might one day forge more than just fantasy maps.

ENJOYS:
DISLIKES:

DEREK BRADLEY (31) · M · April 21st · 6'1"

A free spirited vegan "flower child", Dawn is the oldest and seemingly the most "put together" of the household. Acting as a communal well of wisdom and emotional support, her carefree temperment has unintended consequences for herself and her housemates.

ENJOYS:
DISLIKES:

RACHEL TRAU (13) · F · October 1st · 5'0"

Nulla vulputate dictum odio eu vulputate. Sed nec elit nisl. Curabitur tellus magna, consequat ut lacinia nec, vehicula vel turpis. Cras nec ipsum neque. In tristique, justo et tincidunt euismod, leo orci lacinia ligula, sed vestibulum orci urna sed nisl. Nulla augue dolor, placerat quis risus in, aliquam volutpat quam. Nunc id consectetur arcu, sed sodales justo. Pellentesque laoreet metus arcu, in maximus nulla ultrices et. Vivamus ornare eros at congue imperdiet.

ENJOYS:
DISLIKES:

NICK BROOKS (13) · M · August 10th · 5'11"

WILFRED CUNNINGHAM (43)

SECONDARY CHARACTERS

Vishal Siddiqui:
Kelly Burnham:
Colton Ritter:
Kieran Marzec:
Melissa Nguyen:
Charles Dixon:
Joaquin Marshfield:
Bianca Graham:
Olivia Williams:
and Sophia Procter:

GLOSSARY & LOCALES

CRAMBURG TOWNSHIP, MONTANA

Nestled in the heart of Cascadia County and the Little Bell Mountains on Route 89 within Lewis and Clark National Forest, the valley that would become the Township of Cramburg had existed on unoccupied Blackfoot land for centuries before first being settled in September of 1880. The town's formation followed in the wake of a mining boom following the discovery of silver in the nearby mountains (which would later prove to be rich in gold, zinc, quartz, amythest, and Precambrian deposits). It's early settlers included European immigrants, freedmen, and disillusioned Union veterans, who maintained strong anti-Confederacy sentiment.
By 1890, the town would become home to a stop for the United States Postal Service and Montana Central Railway, growing with a building of a large smelting plant and surviving the 1893 mining panic by shifting to lumber exports. By 1920, its population reached 840, bolstered by the first Great Migration. During this period, Cramburg became home to a wave of unionization sentiment, leading to a general strike across all industry. When the then-mayor attempted to push back against the union workers by hiring former Pinkertons from out of town to threaten and physically intimidate union members, he was forcibly vacated from the role of mayor and pushed out of town.
Cramburg was one of the first locales to be hit by infection shortly after midnight (approx. 12:03:11 MDT) on September 13th, 2010 as several apparent lightning strikes struck the ground both within and outside town limits, from which roughly a half-dozen nephilim emerged, many of which proceeded to run rampant through the center of town causing mass panic and quickly eliminating the undermanned and underprepared police force as well as slaughtering and reanimating a sizeable portion of the town's population. Of the roughly 1,160 people living in Cramburg Township at the time, only seven (Ajay Siddiqui, Derek Bradley, Joseph Stieker, Meraj Siddiqui, Rachel Trau, Vishal Siddiqui, and Wilfred Cunningham) are known to have survived the siege.

NOTABLE LOCALES:
Calvin's Tavern (71 Union Street): A cornerstone of the community's off-hours, Calvin's was the welcoming, family-owned watering hole that long served as "the living room" of Cramburg Township.
Cascadia County Sheriff's Department (12 Pioneer Way): Founded in 1892, the CCSD handled both county and municipal services, including animal control.
Cramburg Township Union Hall (77 Union Street): Functioning as the municipal seat, the building was erected in 1956 on the site of the original worker's hall to honor the success of the workers in the county.
John Robert Horner High School:
Founded in 1872 as George A. Custer High School and located just outside Cramburg, it served as the largest school in the surrounding area, with many of it's students originating from the larger nearby city of Great Falls and other local counties. The school was best known for it's football team, the Big Horns. It was renamed in 2003, in honor of paleontologist and Montana native, Jack Horner.

RED CEDAR, MINNESOTA

Red Cedar (also known as Ggamiskwawakacog) was a small midwestern town located at the heart of Pike Bay County, Minnesota, along the shores of Cass Lake, directly south of Star Island. Existing at the intersection between US Route 2 and MN 371, the town laid well within the boundaries of the Chippewa National Forest and was part of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. Perhaps the town's most notable landmark was the 15 foot tall wood-carved statue of Paul Bunyon that was erected on the town's eastern limits, while a smaller statue of Babe the Blue Bull stood in the town's west end.
By 2010, Red Cedar was home to roughly 770 people and was home to several churches (most notably the Church of Ggamiskwawakacog), two small schoolhouses, a tavern, casino, a small pier, and a motel. The majority of the town's populace either worked in Bemidji, maintained the small businesses within the town itself, or worked at a nearby papermill several kilometers outside the town's limits.

HOLLOWS

Hollows also known as Zombies (zombi; originating from the Kongo words nzambi meaning "god", zumbi meaning "fetish", and the Kimbundu word nzumbi meaning "soul", in reference to a tormented spirit wandering the world) are mindless corpses created by "The Plague" a supernatural pathogen released as a biological weapon by The Others. Primary vectors of infection include through airborne exposure to the gaseous form, or through bites. Leading to rapid bodily decline, leading to death, and reanimation.
At the start of the Apocalypse, billions were unknowingly infected and would transform over the following twelve hours, whilst simultaneously recently deceased cadavers arose alongside them. This, combined with the surprise emergence of invulnerable Others, crippled world military forces and led to the immediate collapse of major cities around the globe.
Hollows are nearly blind and rely on an arcane sixth sense to hunt, although there are still workarounds to avoid being detected in this way, allowing them to be cautiously maneuvered around. They can decay in a matter of weeks, are fragile, and can be disabled by damaging the head or spine or through substances like salt and holy fire, but are still dangerous and can exert an incredible amount of strength in small bursts.
As the weakest infected form, Hollows act as foot soldiers and plague carriers, driven by primitive presets to herd and consume the living, but can be psychically directed towards targets or consumed for their astral energy by The Others.

MOCKERS

Jiangshi (殭屍, also geung-si, gangsi, kyonshī, phi dip chin, cương thi, and hantu pocong) more commonly referred to as Mockers, are reanimated corpses that have obtained heightened abilities as a result of The Plague. In this case, the host's body not only reanimates from death, but their spirit is corrupted into one which more closely resembles a demon. Jiangshi are distinguishable not only by their pale blue skin but also through their unique behavioral patterns, which differ quite heavily from their shambling cousins and earned them their trademark name.
Jiangshi are agile yet stiff, known for hopping and crawling along walls, ceilings and other surfaces in a very strange and contortionist manner (not unlike the Onryō's of Japanese folklore) and leaping to ambush prey from shadows, using their claws to attack. They possess higher intelligence than typical hollows, employing stealth and ensnaring victims in simple traps. They frequently utter extremely limited, usually repetitious phrases of speech and express simplistic forms of emotion such as laughing, smiling, and showing sadistic and rather obscene pleasure when slaughtering or devouring victims, earning them the nickname "Mockers." When all else fails, Jiangshi can projectile vomit a black viscous fluid at victims, typically insuring infection and the spread of The Plague.
These creatures feed on both flesh and blood and are known to hibernate during the day, hiding in structures, caves, or under bridges or porches, rarely seen during the waking hours save for dark environments such as sewers, dark buildings and during inclement weather. In this sense, they are very similar to vampires of European folklore. Unlike Hollows, they do not decompose due to an internal embalming chemical, making them harder to kill and giving them their oft-startling, taxidermy-like appearance. Salt can immobilize them temporarily, and they are repelled by their own reflections, but only complete incineration ensures their permanent destruction.

STALKER

Wendigo (windigo, also wiindigoo, wetiko, chenoo and wechuge), also commonly referred to as Stalkers are humans that have obtained heightened abilities as a result of spiritual corruption, not unlike Jiangshi. However, unlike the former, the transformation of an individual into a Wendigo requires the additional intervention of The Other. Either an individual, whom is not a Vessel is possessed, leading to the host's deterioration and transformation, or, in a much more rare set of circumstances, a Vessel's soul is itself corrupted, often through the consumption of human flesh.
Wendigo are uniquely distinct from their brethren, in retaining their rationality and individual identity. However, they are still victims of the insatiable hunger that befalls the aforementioned Plague-ridden creatures and as such are animalistically hostile and malevolent to living beings. That said, they are often capable of restraint to avoid devouring prey if it serves as an effective means to a long-term strategy for accessing food.
In appearance, Wendigo are unnaturally thin and tall, their limbs become elongated to make them more effective leapers, they have have an ash-grey skin complexion and their skin is stretched tightly over their gaunt body, resembling emaciation. The host's eyes sink deep into the skull and glow a deep crimson indistinct from The Others, while their lips recede and become tattered and bloody, they may also severely damage or loose much of the cartilage in their nose, giving them a ghoulish appearance.
As a result of their immunity, Wendigo cannot themselves spread The Plague, they are however capable of influencing Hollows and can telepathically communicate with The Others. Wendigo are notably stronger than either Hollows or Jiangshi and can move at excessive speeds, alongside having supernatural olfactory capabilities that allow them to track individual prey across hundreds of miles.

THE OTHER

The Other (also referred to as Leviathans, Stonecoats, Djinn and informally as "zombie dinosaurs") were a large army of assorted nigh-invulnerable primordial creatures from before creation and time that arose from the depths of The Nihil to launch a strategic assault against the Earth of universe D-913 and all it's living inhabitants in the early hours of September 13th, 2010. 'The Other' were referred to as such to distinguish themselves from the other creatures that manifested as a result of the supernatural pandemic in human hosts. It should be noted that while they were capable of communicating the Plague and necromancing the dead, they, as non-material beings were not themselves afflicted by the pathogen, despite their often grisly, atrophied appearance.
The Other themselves were split into two separate categories or ranks, the Daemons (also known as Seraphim), were considerably older and much smarter and stronger, those initially created by and were, while the Nephilim, were lowlier beings. The Other were frequently mentioned throughout human history through myth and nearly all religious texts, although usually differing in appearance and purpose (ranging from dragons to stone giants, snakes or trolls) often due to mistranslations, cultural biases and generational storytelling. Nevertheless, they were almost always described as mischevous, hostile and antagonistic beasts of sinful temptation and even sometimes outright gods of death.
In D-913, The Other typically appeared as theropods, sauropods, ornithischians and pterosaurs, this was, however, an assumed corporeal form: taken upon their arrival 66 million years prior. Their actual forms were not only prohibited on Earth, but impossible to be properly perceived by its beings. Instead, were one capable of viewing the non-saurian form, the creature would appear as a metaphysical spaghetti-like culture of isopodous worms made of a ghostly bioluminescent fluid (known as 'ichor') working as one intact being. The Other were also distinct for their illuminescent red phosphorescent eyes, a trait shared with Wendigo and Hollows under their direct control.
While usually skeletal and zombie-like in appearance they aren't to be underestimated -- As they have complete motor control of these bodies and vast levels of agility and strength (capable of bending steel with ease) they are also near impervious to traditional weapons and firepower, however they did have some (potentially fatal) weaknesses: including but not limited to fire, rock salt, and various holy oils, they also were incapable of crossing sacred or hallowed ground while hollows were not.
However, they were not at a disadvantage against any considerable human opposition. In spite of their primal appearance and behaviors, The Other were capable of considerable human levels of problem-solving and communication, seemingly able to acknowledge various sigils and certain archaic languages such as Enochian and Aramaic-Hebrew. The Other also had the ability to telepathically herd Hollows towards a potential target and could permeate an infectious gas from their bodies. On top of the ability to revive any deceased humans as zombies regardless of the means of which they died, they also had the ability to interfere with electronic wave patterns, disrupting communications and battery-powered devices.

ALGONQUIN DRAGONS

The Algonquin Dragons were a geek hobby society group at Algonquin Heights Middle School, initially formed in 1984 by then-student Garth Denbrough. At that time, the group was primarily dedicated to hosting Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and sharing Star Trek fanfiction.
Over the following three decades, the group would host a revolving door of members from fifth to eighth grade, the oldest of whom could be elected as leaders and gamemasters. All former members were thereafter immortalized in the form of illustrated portraits depicting them as a sci-fi/fantasy version of themselves which were laminated and added to the group's own rule book. The group came to be seen as a safe-haven for the school's artistic introverts and social outcasts.
By 2010, Algonquin Heights had cut down on many extracurricular activities, though the Dragons remained active due to the vouching of Denbrough, now a member of the local school board. The group would frequently assemble at noon for an hour-long lunch break and again for another hour after-school, although this was flexible depending on the member's individual schedules.
At this time, Liam Kendall was the president of the group, which for the first time in it's history: was entirely comprised of other eighth graders. Under his tenure, the group had shifted their role-playing focus away from simply Dungeons & Dragons to the fourth edition of Warhammer 40K (however, several other simpler games, such as Risk and Sorry! were kept at the ready as substitutes and alleviators). Many of the games and minifigures available were provided out of Denbrough's personal expenses. These campaigns were often long and complex, with Lyla Painter providing highly detailed illustrations for them.
This final group of members, consisting of Liam, Lyla, Nick Brooks, Kelly Burnham, and Charles Dixon, were also avid gamers, playing Halo 3, Left 4 Dead 2, StarCraft II, Runescape and Team Fortress 2. However, as the school had banned video games, these parties and events were held outside of school, typically on weekends.

ORDER OF AZAZEL

DEVELOPMENT

Apocalypse originated in a series of emails in August of 2010 between author Todd Cooper and creator Martin J. Kevil: both members of the now-defunct Jurassic Park Legacy community. At the time, Cooper had been toying around with turning his latest written project: an action-adventure known as Lost Island, into a web comic, while Martin had already begun work on his own horror web comic miniseries, entitled Reawakening. As the two projects both played with the concept of "zombie dinosaurs" (albeit, with the origins of the creatures as well as the tone, plot, and settings being vastly different), the idea was pitched of doing a crossover between the two properties, whilst feigning a friendly public rivalry between the two.

At the time, Lost Island was to be the fourth installment in an early iteration of The Placebo Effect series: consisting of two completed screenplays and an episodic machinima series that had already released several episodes by the time Apocalypse had entered production. This franchise's connected mythos included the concept of a "multiversal Groundhog's Day", centering on a protagonist whom, upon multiple deaths, was reborn into alternate universes. This concept, (loosely inspired by the timeloops of the When They Cry franchise), allowed for the crossover with Reawakening to be realized, as the two projects had otherwise shared incompatible continuities.

However, as the scientific origin of Reawakening's zombie plague and prehistoric creatures had drawn confliction with the quasi-religious and grand mythological elements that had pulled the strings in Lost Island's weaved multiverse, Cooper would choose to abandon the previous installments of the franchise and begin crafting a new canon: with this crossover (now christened as Reawakening 2: Apocalypse) serving as the canonical second installment of both consecutive franchises. As before, the new franchise would tell the story of Liam Kendall's journey through the multiverse. However, the determinate force behind his cycle of rebirths and the recurring apocalypses therein, would not only be given more prescience in the story as a central mystery, but abandoned the high-fantasy elements in favor of science fiction. Cooper would pen the series, while Kevil would serve as a creative advisor and oversee the series continuity and adherence to canon, whilst also continuing his duties as the series illustrator for Apocalypse after production on the first series had completed.

Production began for Apocalypse on September 8th, 2010, with a rough draft for the first issue. At the time, Reawakening would've told the story of The Fall of Cramburg, while Apocalypse would serve as a direct sequel: picking up directly after the events of the former's ending (which would see the survivors being rescued by the military and soon learning that the scope of the outbreak had extended far beyond the borders of their hometown). The refugee camp would become overrun shortly after their arrival and Joseph and his group would find themselves arriving in the ghost town of York, Missouri. The second issue would serve as a flashback that would introduce the reader to the new cast of characters from Cooper's franchise introduced in the ending of the first (such as Lyla Painter and Nick Brooks) and retell the events of "outbreak day" from their perspective. Cooper also created the concept of the virus being airborne in high-concentrations as a means to explain the quick spread of the virus and the collapse of major cities within days of the initial outbreak.

As both series were being written simultaneously, Cooper would frequently have to update and change elements of Apocalypse to accommodate the changes made to the characters, story and lore of Reawakening. This was partially addressed in the draft for the first issue, by having the primary protagonists of Reawakening (Joseph Stieker, Ajay Siddiqui, Meraj Siddiqui, Phil Johnson and Rachel Trau) become temporarily separated from the series' secondary cast, with the overall story focusing on the attempted reuniting of the two groups. This gave Kevil the freedom to continually alter and change the secondary cast and their fates without hindering Cooper's writing, allowing the latter to focus more on developing the original and non-recurring characters without fear that they would be retroactively killed off and, thus, their roles in the story needing to be reworked to suit a different character.

Over the following month, Kevil would begin drawing and inking for the first several issues of Reawakening whilst Cooper continued to write drafts and plot out the eight issues that would make up Apocalypse. This would see the introduction of many new characters and plot threads that would later be scrapped from Apocalypse: such as a third group of survivors who would learn of a "safe zone" in Washington, D.C. and would pass this information to Liam Kendall before dying -- who would then pass this information to Joseph Stieker, as well as a tangent subplot involving Kayla: a miraculously immune nine-year-old girl whose brain would be harvested in the desperate search of a cure. Apocalypse primary antagonists at that point would've been a rogue military faction led by Lt. General Theodore Moore, who would be hunting Joseph's group in the belief that that they were the ones who sabotaged the refugee camp.

By late-2010, pre-planning on a third series began, which would take place two years after the events of Reawakening and it's sequel. This story would follow the survivors of the original encountering a new colony of survivors at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky, along with other colonies along the range. One of these would being a sadistic blood cult led by a charismatic half-zombified leader: this subplot merged with a similar antagonistic cult subplot established in Apocalypse, and this cult leader quickly dethroned the character of Lt. General Moore as becoming the main antagonist of Apocalypse.