The Knoxian Great Escape

Setting

Knox County, KY. January 1997. Something has happened within Fort Knox. A Corporal shows signs of a bad case of the flu and is given leave, only to go party in Lousiville. He has what is described to be an acute psychotic episode while at a club and bites several other visitors.

The Corporal is detained by the military, but those injured are cleared by the hospital after initial care to return to their lives.

April 1997. Those injured at the club start to complain of headaches, dizziness, and insatiable hunger. Those seeking treatment are diagnosed with an strange case of rabies. They are quarantined.

May 1997. Unexplained absences from work in Knox County raise to unprecedented levels. Police reports are leaked of "violent" civilians who have attacked both neighbors and random civilians. The U.S. Military starts to increase presence on the county borders. Rumors spread of wire fences starting to be erected.

June 1997. More and more people are complaining of strange symptoms. The police have raised public alerts that workers should stay home. Non-essential businesses start to close both within Knox County and across the country.

July 4, 1997. Seemingly out of nowhere, all of Knox County is closed off. Flights are cancelled with no warning. Trains are marooned in trainyards. Visitors are told they cannot leave their temporary homes.

A state of emergency is announced over the radio. "This is President Cliffson of the United States of America. On January, 1997, an experimental virus was accidentally released for a laboratory within Knox County. At the time we did not identify this accidental release due to the laboratory providing myself and my advisors false information. We have discovered since then the true severity of this viral release and potential outbreak. As such we have deployed both the Coast Guard and Army in order to create a quarantine around what we believe to be infected areas. The entire Knox County area has been locked down; no one will be allowed inside or out until we have ensured that there will be no risk to further American life."

This public announcement is denounced by all civilian sectors but it is too late. No one can enter Knox County anymore. Zombies have begun to flood the streets, and those not already turned rush towards those safe havens that still exist.

Lore

An unknown virus has spread through at least Knox County. There appears to be no sign of rescue by the US Government; anyone approaching the quarantine zone borders is warned to turn around or they will be shot. There are only a few options left: protect yourself and loved ones, work together with others to create a defensible location, or find a way to escape the quarantine to potential safety.

The day after the quarantine begins (July 5th, 1997) will be the first in-game day of the season.

It is unclear what is happening outside the quarantine. The last communications into or out of the county indicated a public panic and unverified rumors of the virus spreading further.

Will you seek to hunker down and hold out against the viral outbreak, or will you seek to escape the quarantine?

Characters

All characters are people now trapped in Knox following the instituted quarantine of the county on July 4th, 1997. Once the quarantine begins, no one can enter or exit the region.

Was your character a resident of Knox County? A passing traveler in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Preliminary Dates

This miniseason is currently scheduled to begin on approximately December 11th. There will be a character application process, with applications opening a couple weeks beforehand. There will be no preseason; instead, all players who are approved will begin at the same time.