Grave/Digger RPG

An RPG set in the grim, post-WWI alternate universe of Grave/Digger, a game by Archeximus on Roblox. The surface world is an inhospitable, war-torn wasteland, and the remnants of humanity have burrowed deep underground, continuing their endless conflict in a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns. Your journey is your own: will you pledge allegiance to the theocratic Golden Empire and the Queen, fight for the democratic ideals of the Royal Nation and the Kings, fuel the war in order to escape the frontlines as a member of the Solace Coalition, or carve out your own path as a lone wolf or a ruthless bandit? The choice is yours. The tunnels await.

The year is 1925. The Great War never truly ended; it just changed venues. After the surface was rendered an uninhabitable hellscape of poison gas and endless trenches riddled with unexploded ordnance, the great powers burrowed deep into the earth. The world is now split between two primary factions waging an eternal war in the deep dark.

The Golden Empire: An authoritarian, monarchic, theocratic state rallying behind their Queen and policed by the Inquisition. Comprised primarily of Germany, the UK, France, Russia, Italy, Japan and most European countries, they are zealous, disciplined, and view their war as a holy crusade. Although the Empire's ideology is based on morals, unity, togetherness, loyalty, honesty and brotherhood, the Empire brands those who refuse to conform as heretics who face imprisonment or execution. They view their archnemesis, the Royal Nation, as a warmongering country that started the war while the Nation believes the Empire assassinated their Royal Prince. Traditionalists at the core and valuing gas lanterns, candles, wood and gold, their soldiers are clad in medieval-like armor-primarily gambesons, chainmail and the like with uncommon usage of plate armor such as cuirasses-, and their faith is as much a weapon as their rifles.

The Royal Nation: A democratic nation primarily composed of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, The Middle East, Poland and the rest of the Americas that champions freedom, liberty, democracy and individual rights. Lead by a table of multiple Kings all elected by a pool of representatives, the Nation suffers from rampant corruption and desertion; volatile and militaristic as well, they have questionable methods for staying in power including executing their own Kings for not aligning with the rest. They are progressivist as opposed to the Golden Empire's traditionalist view, preferring utilitarian approach and valuing technology and modernization reflected in the use of more modern firearms and technology like electric lamps. They view their archnemesis, the Golden Empire, as blind fanatics and crazy cultists who shun progress and value religion over reason and logic. It is probable that the Nation's aggressive and belligerent behavior started the war, blaming the Empire for the assassination of one of their Princes without proof.

The Solace Coalition: Officially a neutral faction comprised of civilians and deserters who serve as merchants, engineers, and scavengers, the Coalition buys their way out of fighting in the war by instead fueling it, providing arms, supplies, and technology to both the Empire and the Nation. The Coalition are some of the only people to venture to the Surface to scavenge for supplies such as food and blueprints. They develop new firearms, new methods of living, construct new compounds underground, extract valuable resources, make railroads and transport supplies. Both the Empire and Nation recognize and respect the Coalition's independence due to their near total reliance; if one were to turn on the Coalition for supplying their enemy, they would rapidly fall. Most Coalition workers, despite sometimes designing their own weapons, barely know how to operate firearms and so they rely on both the Nation and Empire-sometimes together-to fend off bandit attacks.

Bandits & Independents: In the unpatrolled tunnels and forgotten caverns, lawless bandits, deserters, scavengers, and independent miners thrive. They are a constant threat to supply lines and remote outposts, preying on the weak and opportunistic. Bandits live off of murder and pillaging; their main target is the Solace Coalition due to the military might of the Nation and Empire. The Solace Coalition is an opportune target considering how they often carry supplies and build outposts isolated from the two main factions. Some bandits are known to roam the surface as well. However, Bandits are universally hated and despised by the warring factions; it is not uncommon for the Nation and Empire to come together in an uneasy alliance to defend a Solace outpost from a bandit raid.

Life underground is harsh. Resources are scarce, and the constant threat of cave-ins, enemy patrols, and fatal remnants of the surface war are ever-present. Your story begins now.