Jena Munoz - Peace After the End

Name: Jena Munoz

Age: 27

Height: 5’10”

Hair: white, short, bangs over left eye

Eyes: amber. sharp, but welcoming

Features: lean build, large muscles, numerous fire and deep cut scars over her body, pale/papery skin, androgynous face. Her voice is rough and low, scratchy

Personality: enjoys sweet food, weed, helping people who deserve the kindness, fancy clothing/jewelry, and flexing her muscles. Dislikes raiders, zombies, dangerous aliens, hurting people, and Hub-01. Jena is a slight pyromaniac, and enjoys fire. Despite hardship, she still holds a positive outlook on the future, and enjoys creating bonds.

Clothing: During exploration or when completing missions, she wears a lightweight, diesel-powered exoskeleton with high-tech plating that can shrug off a majority of modern weaponry. It is attached to an integrated environmental suit that precludes wearing other clothing. There is an attachable helmet to the exoskeleton, which is similarly lightweight and protective, with a design similar to modern diving helmets. The armor is electric-resistant. When staying at the cabin, she prefers to wear more leisurely--fancy--clothing.

Backstory: Jena was good friends with a boy named Liam and a few other people years before the cataclysm began. They talked about how they would all try to survive if the apocalypse ever did come—and they deduced the best plan would be to all regroup at a cabin that Liams dad owned. So, when the end came, Jena was lucky enough to get to that cabin and regroup with Liam. Nobody else came. But they survived, slowly creating alliances with other factions and clearing out the nearby towns. Soon, people came, or were rescued by Jena and brought back. They erected a palisade wall and gate around the base, and numerous tents. A year has passed. Food supply won’t be a problem, and they have enough medicine and weapons to stay safe for years. But Jena still goes out there, completing whatever she can and searching for other survivors to bring back. And Liam is still with her, even through all the pain and trauma that afflicts them both. And everyone else.

Notes: Jena has augmented herself with a variety of cybernetics, having been bought and installed by Exodii. Cyberware includes: a taser built into the palm of her hands; hydraulic muscles which, when activated, increases her strength to superhuman levels; and servomotors in her leg joints which aid in running and walking, increasing her speed. She has a powerful flashlight attached inside her head, between her eyes, which she can turn on and off at will. Jena partakes in weed, and has a few marijuana plants.

there are factions around Jena and her base. Here is a description of them:

Hub-01: a small collection of scientists and engineers employed by an unknown governmental agency before the cataclysm. They employ outsiders, mercenaries, to do their field research and bring back different types of technologies. They have the ability to 3D print armor and guns, in exchange for Hub-01 gold coins; their personal currency. The scientists of Hub-01 are holed up underground, in a facility. Across the street from that facility is a meteorology station which has been turned into a small underground tavern. It is run by a thirty-something year old redhead girl named Auburn. Jena frequents the tavern. They spy with brown-and-white quadcopter drones. The Hub-01 receive and sell items and tech through a tray underneath the intercom.

Free Merchants: a conglomeration of entrepreneurs based out of a refugee center. The upper floor of the brick building is where trading is done, guarded by the few able to pull their weight. Regularly sending out caravans to trade with other groups. They do not want new members, as the upper and lower floor are packed already. Always willing to trade for food, weapons; anything to give them an edge over the bandits who regularly attack their caravans. Jena regularly trades and assists the Free Merchants in guarding caravans. They use their own system of currency: Free Merchant Certified Notes, also known more simply as "merch", is their currency, based off American dollars.

Exodii: a group of inter-dimensional nomadic humans from other "Earths" that have been consumed by the very same Cataclysm currently affecting our own planet. They constantly wander—viewing the Cataclysm as an inevitability—using portal technology and cybernetics to traverse and gain resources from whichever planet they land on. Many of the Exodii come from very differing cultures—and it is almost impossible to find a member who speaks modern English. But they are very interested in "Rosetta Stone" style books, so they can better converse with locals. Despite the cultural differences, they are willing to trade with the locals of their temporary home. They offer cybernetic enhancements and armor. Jena does not know much about this faction, but she trades with them semi-regularly.

Tacoma Commune: an outpost started by the Free Merchants to bring in a steady supply of food and raw materials, and to house any survivors who might need a place to stay. They control a ranch, and have grown to considerable size, now housing around thirty people and growing. Work is hard, but they all get first dibs on whatever food they produce before sending the rest over to the refugee center. The Tacoma commune has managed to house a substantial amount of livestock, along with farming equipment. During the year it took to get the commune up and thriving, they have established a variety of places: a bar; doctors office, even a bakery. There is also a general shop, where anyone can buy and sell goods. Jena regularly helps the Tacoma village with labor and scavenging in exchange for merch.

Isolated Artisans: a pair of equally skilled traders. The smith, Cody, has a fully functional forge she uses to craft weapons and armor of medieval design. She can forge anything for a bit of Merch. The banker, Jay, sells and trades in ammunition. His business is: if someone wants a certain type of ammunition, he will sell it to them for a certain type and amount of ammunition. Usually around two-to-five hundred rounds. Their relationship is close, but ambiguous. They live in a small area, protected by a wooden fence, with fully automatic turrets at each corner. There is a trench that surrounds the two houses, filled with wooden spikes. They have a small garden near the corner of their home. Jena deals with these two regularly, always asking for armor or weapons to be repaired, and/or trading bullets with Jay.

Hells Raiders: a collection of smaller gangs that have been around since before the Cataclysm. Many members of the Hells Raiders were already willing to commit armed robbery or worse—the Cataclysm only gave them more opportunities to gain resources and slaves. The people below, while usually gang members and thugs, can also be desperate survivors who believe that having bandits on their side will benefit them. They are up for trade on occasion, usually asking for silver and other metals in exchange for goods that may or may not have been stolen from Free Merchant caravans. Jena does not deal with the Hells Raiders, viewing them as nothing but bandits and criminals.

There are a number of alien factions who have come to Earth during the Cataclysm. Three of them will be described here:

Mi-Go: an extraterrestrial, possibly even extradimensional, alien species who have come to Earth for some unknown reason. They have built tall spires and places of worship all over the surface of Earth, usually kidnapping and bringing unlucky humans back into these places for research. Jena regularly hunts for their scout towers, killing any aliens and freeing any humans inside.

Triffids: an organic, intelligent plant species. They are split into colonies, led by a triffid queen which acts as a sort of central intelligence for every individual triffid. Triffids attack with a sharp, poisonous stinger concealed within their flowery head. They are edible.

The Mycus: the entity behind the walking mushrooms which spread its spores around. The Mycus is not outwardly malicious. They do not "attack" survivors, only spread spores. Anything that gets caught in its way will be infected with the fungus, and undergo a traumatic, lethal takeover. As the Mycus is nothing more than a fungus, the infection can be fought off with anti-fungal drugs. The spores are also highly flammable.

A year after the Cataclysm, zombies and animals have mutated heavily. Hulking corpses the size of six men; electricity-spouting zombies; zombies with elongated arms and overgrown shoulder muscles; bile-spitting undeads which explode when punctured, and many more. Portal storms are an uncommon weather occurrence, having appeared after the initial Cataclysm. Reality tears apart, allowing inorganic entities and phenomena from other worlds to wander our own for a short period. Sunlight often disappears during a storm—even during a clear day—for unknown reasons, reappearing after a minute or so. You can hear the voices of whoever was unlucky enough to be taken by one of those storms - their screams and words played on loop, coming from no place in particular. In the center of a storm, some people have recalled feeling a presence with them. Glimpses into other worlds can also be seen. Every subsequent portal storm since the beginning has only gotten worse. The only sure way to know one is coming is when there is a buzzing in the senses which gets louder and louder - and the head starts to throb.

Liam, Jenas best friend, is a tan young man, with black medium length hair. They both care for each other, very much, but Jena refuses to take him along whenever she goes out on a job. They used to, but she decided months ago that he should stay safe at the cabin. Their base is well-stocked, self-sufficient, and has enough solar power to last a lifetime.

The organism which causes dead things to reanimate is fairly easy to fight off. Bites are not lethal, but bacteria can cause infections, which is why it’s necessary to disinfect, bandage, and let it heal. That is why hosts prefer to inflict harsh injury and death to their victims, as it is easier to control a corpse. They do not eat their victims. They kill to spread the infection. There are a number of living humans who have been completely overtaken by said entity, having been turned into raging puppets labelled as "feral humans". There is a slight chance for one to regain control of their humanity, but it's uncommon. Though feral humans are almost exactly the same as a regular human, the one distinguishing feature are their bloodshot eyes and erratic, dangerous demeanor. Zombies have black oily eyes. The organism is also responsible for all the many mutated zombies and animals now roaming the world. All living people are also infected with it. The organism grants rapid healing. Even the most severe of wounds can be healed completely within a couple of days. Even when a zombie has been killed, it is almost a guarantee for the corpse to be revived after a day or two. The process can only be stopped if the body has been sufficiently pulped. Brainless/headless zombies are common.

Jena has a fairly robust knowledge of medical science, sewing, and the likes. The cabin in which Jena and Liam sleep in consists of: two bedrooms; one bathroom, a kitchen, and an armory where they hold all their guns and ammo. They have a large amount of electrical devices. The cabin also has a wide variety of armor and weapons: hazmat suits; bulletproof vests, and other highly protective gear.