Setting 

Alternate Earth during the late 1800's. - Wild West science fantasy. 

The North American Civil War continues on beyond 1865

1868 - a great earthquake rips through California creating labyrinthian canyons filled with sea water. 

The earthquake reveals a new ore called Ghost Rock that burned hotter and last longer than coal. When ignited the Ghost rock emits a wail. This new super fuel advances technology into the steampunk age. 

Mysticism and monsters have always existed, but the earthquake seem to kick the supernatural up several notches. Now monsters roam free. 

1871 - The culmination of the steampunk technology when applied to war created untold devastation and the end of the Civil War with the Union winning. 

As the east were busy with the Civil War, the west was diverging into new nations.

1. California became a Theocratic nation. Prospectors swarm to California to mine Ghost Rock. 

2. Utah seceded and became the Deseret Nation an industrial powerhouse with Dr. Darius Hellstromme being the foremost Scientist of this era.

3. North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming become the Verdestone Nation who rejects technology born from Ghost Rock and embraces magic and ancestor worship. 

4. Oklahoma becomes the Coyote Confederation a militant nation that is a meritocracy and produces some of the best fighters ever seen. 

The Expansion Wars of the 1700's saw humanity displace and almost annihilated the other races. The races had a choice perish or assimilate. So many decided to assimilate into human society. Nowadays a citizen of any nation is very diverse.

Cosmic Horrors calls the Reckoners have a hand in creating monsters from souls of the dead. 

Use Standard Array for ability scores.  

All official races and classes allowed. Including 3rd party content. No Homebrew. Multiclass is fine with me

This adventure will be here on the forums

Level 5

Everyone can use starting equipment and have 300 gp for supplies.

Application

Name:

Race:

Class/Sublcass:

Background:

Brief Backstory:

Appearance: Art piece or description

Some art of the folks of this world

Can someone start with firearms proficiency, and how much do they cost?

(I made a change above so that everyone gets 300gp on top of their starting equipment) 

Yes, anyone can start with firearm proficiency by choosing variant human or custom lineage and choosing the gunner feat. There is also the critical role gunslinger subclass.

At level 4 anyone can choose the gunner feat instead of skill improvement.

Artificers are also proficient with firearms.

Revolver - 100 gp

Hunting Rifle - 200 gp 

Shotgun - 200 gp 

Name: Eirikur Othin

Race: Half-Elf

Class/Sublcass: Paladin, Oath of the Crown

Background: Faction Agent

Brief Backstory: Eirikur Othin was an Irish-born orphan and child of the state, who had been training as an agent of the crown for most of his life to serve Queen Victoria in finding horrors and undead, and to quickly free their unclean souls from their heinous mortal coil. He had been sent out to dispatch undead and abyssal fiends that had taken over small villages in Ireland and Scottland on several deadly incursions with his fellow servicemen and women, all with great success, and Eirikur believed that he was doing good work serving queen and country. One day, while on holiday, Eirikur was slipped a piece of folded paper as he strolled the streets of London. Some unseen individual passed him by and was gone like a wraith. When he opened the folded paper left by the disappearing person, it read a series of seemingly benign words that together would create a nonsensical sentence. But upon reading it, like lightning, it all came back to him at once. The illusion of him having slayed fiends and undead was blasted away as though by dynamite. They were not monsters; he had been sent in to quell dissent among the Irish and the Scottish peoples. Sent to silence them with the sword. He fainted in the street, overwhelmed by the realization of the gravity of his own actions. When he regained consciousness, he got up and without returning to his squad or speaking a word to anyone, Eirikur took the first ship available to the Americas. He hopes that he will one day put enough distance between him and his history that he might be free from his nightmares. Perhaps try to balance the ledger by saving lives. Until peace finds him, Eirikur moves on.

Character Sheet: Eirikur Othin

Appearance:

Name: Gaelan

Race: Grung

Class: Way of Mercy Monk

Background: Lorehold Student

Backstory: Gaelan grew up on the harsh frontier, learning survival from a young age. He tried to escape his situation with scholarship, but he was drafted to mercenary work during one of the many border skirmishes. This forged him into a hardened survivor, skilled in combat. A charismatic leader, Gaelan quickly rose through the ranks of his mercenary company, earning a reputation for both bravery and cunning. Haunted by the loss of comrades and the horrors of war, Gaelan seeks redemption through his fists, hoping to make a lasting impact on the world. Driven by a thirst for adventure and a desire to prove his worth, Gaelan is always on the lookout for the next lucrative contract, no matter how dangerous.

Character Sheet: www.dndbeyond.com/characters/129777377/YzABMb

Name: Modoc Boonyan

Race: Minotaur

Class/Sublcass: Barbarian, Path of the Giant

Background: Folk Hero

Brief Backstory:  Modoc grew up in the Coyote Confederation as the majority of minotaurs were forced west during the Expansion Wars.  He quickly became a folk hero for his impressive strength and determination.  He made his mark in the world through his lumberjack company with which he travels often to the vast forests of the Verdestone Nation.  He has worked to find a balance between his logging and nature, helped by his many friends in that nation.

Appearance:   (Dang the image didn't load)  He is a rare, blue minotaur with short horns that he usually hides under a ten gallon hat.  He is dressed in leather pants and a comfortable shirt and vest.

That is a great art piece

True. A western look is a better fit.

Name: Henry Johns

Race: Warforged

Class/Sublcass: Artificer / Armorer

Background: Soldier

Brief Backstory: Crafted as a prototype metal soldier by a rogue Confederate inventor during the end of the Civil War, Henry's creator recognized the unexpected intelligence of this prototype and used him as a lab assistant. His creator's dream of creating an infinite army of expendable, controllable soldiers that could be put to use as a replacement for the slave population if they grew too troublesome. Henry led a revolt among his fellows, a riot in which his creator perished. Henry went west, making a living roving from place to place working as a blacksmith and tinkerer. He longs for a place to fit in in the world.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/129959254/EOSe8j

Ah In regard to posting frequency is everyone here okay with at least 1 post per 2 days and checking in more often during combat. 

Yes, I can easily do that.

Quote from Weathervision >>

Ah In regard to posting frequency is everyone here okay with at least 1 post per 2 days and checking in more often during combat. 

 Thank you! And yes, I can happily meet this request. Combat slows to a crawl in PBP when people check only every two days, so I am very happy you are addressing that before the game even starts. Good call.

Name: Dustin Desert

Race: Human (Variant)

Class/Sublcass: Monk (Way of Shadow)

Background: Soldier

Brief Backstory: 

Born in a frontier town born from silver rush that's long since been mined out, Dustin saw no future in the town since more and more fighting off the supernatural that plagued the town. Supplies were scared so Dustin often had to rely on his fists and legs over more common weapons found in other more supplied towns. When an army recruiter came to town, Dustin signed up on the spot and left town. He served in the army for several years before he dishonorably discharged for beating his commander over a suicide run. 

His hometown finally was abandoned by the few survivors who remained after Dustin's departure leaving him a wanderer without a home to return to but a lot of world to see.

Quote from Weathervision >>

Ah In regard to posting frequency is everyone here okay with at least 1 post per 2 days and checking in more often during combat. 

 No problem.

I have a wonderful idea for a character, but quick question!

Would it be okay if I made a character on Dicecloud and posted the character link here? Or are you only accepting ddb sheets?

Only DDB sheets 

Name: Carran Sageblossom

Race: Firbolg

Class/Subclass: Druid, Circle of Dreams

Background: Hermit

Brief Backstory: Carran Sageblossom was born in the remote, untamed wilderness of the Verdestone Nation, a place where magic and the old ways held sway over the advancements of steam and Ghost Rock. His people, the Firbolgs, had long since assimilated into human society after the Expansion Wars, choosing to live quietly in harmony with the land rather than face extinction.

While most Firbolgs focused on the practicalities of survival in the wild and the preservation of their cultural heritage, Carran was drawn to the dream world—a place where the boundaries between reality and the ethereal were blurred, and where the spirits of the earth whispered their secrets. His nights were filled with visions, dreams of a world beyond the waking, where the line between past, present, and future dissolved into a single, flowing stream of consciousness.

As Carran grew, his connection to the dream world deepened. He became a Druid of the Circle of Dreams, an ancient order dedicated to protecting the balance between the dream realm and the waking world. His abilities allowed him to tap into the dreamscape to heal wounds, protect the land, and commune with spirits that existed beyond the veil of reality. But as the years passed, the peace of his homeland was shattered by the devastating events that followed the great earthquake of 1868. The natural balance he had sworn to protect was being disrupted by forces beyond his control. The spirits of the dream world were restless, sending him visions of impending doom, and the once-peaceful lands of Verdestone were now threatened by both technological encroachment and supernatural horrors. Unable to stand by while his homeland was threatened, Carran left his hermitage and ventured out into the wider world.

(Appearance on character sheet, can't figure out how to put an image here.)

Name: Alderman Grey

Race: Changeling

Class/Subclass: Fighter/Champion

Background: Bounty Hunter

Backstory:

 Appearance:

Post campaign idea about a would where non-humans were hunted to near annihiliation.

Get 1 Human character in response.

Thank you everyone for applying. The players have been chosen and have joined the adventure.