Rules and Specs RULES 1- No God-Moding 2- First Post- character template 3- Human characters, with one of the two powers listed. 4- All questions should be directed to Gamemaster 5- No killing off other characters (unless given special permission) 6- Length rule a. No one liners b. No extremely long posts (fifty lines limit) c. Post must be long enough to show what your character is doing 7- Gamemaster’s word is law 8- Gamemaster has final say to all issues (exception: FLAMING. Flaming will be dealt with by moderators) 9- FLAMING IS FORBIDDEN! IT WILL BE REPORTED TO MODERATORS a. Leniency- characters having arguments, scuffles, etc. b. DO NOT ABUSE THIS PRIVILEGE!!! Gamemaster has final say, and will report abusers to Moderators! Character types Spirits- Spirits are powerful humans with two different abilities. One was planned by the government, and they are fully aware of it. Spirits are able to transform into different mythical animals (griffins, Pegasus, Cerberus, dragons, etc.), and use the powers of those mythical animals to fight. The other ability, which was a result putting the drug into the flu vaccine, allows only the random citizens the power of Control, able to use fire, water, lightning, and other magical type powers to control the things around them. Shadows- Shadows are the darker of the two, for they control the shadows of the world. Able to summon forth dark monsters, create shadow weapons, and use shadows for movement, among other things. However, Shadows had an unexpected side effect that the government is fully aware of: they require a fuel to keep their powers going. Each Shadow requires a different fuel, and the government tries to cover up each one in order to keep the public unaware. Character Template Personal background Name (First-last) Age (from 18-30) Gender (M/F) Family (parents, siblings, children, and ages) Career, Major, or Schooling interest (for respective job, college, or school age) Appearance Eye (color) Hair (color, length, style) Height (feet, inches) Weight (pounds) Body type (athletic, thin, average, curvy, bigger) Preferred clothing style Spirit or Shadow info (DO NOT POST THIS PUBLICLY, BUT SEND IT TO ME) Choice- Spirit or Shadow Spirit- Three mythical animal forms (no dragons, phoenix, or hydras) For Spirits, you do not get to choose your Control. The GM will give it to you sometime during the game. Shadows- Types of dark powers (summoning dark beasts, using shadows, whatever you like. I will approve it in a message). For Shadows, you need a fuel to keep your powers going. This will be given to you by the GM during the game. (Note, some of these will be VERY dark). Story Back-story In the flu season of 2011, the United States government secretly planted a drug in random vaccinations. The drug was created by a secret defense department, in order to create 2 new types of soldier: Spirits and Shadows. The randomly chosen citizens would be able to use what would seem like magic. The Spirits would be able to transform into mythical animals, while the Shadows would be able to use shadows and dark magic to move things, summon dark beasts, and create weapons and other physical creations. In the beginning of 2012, the government activated the drugs, and the citizens all reacted in different ways. Now, using their own Sprits and Shadows, the government began tracking down the subjects. Unbeknownst to the government, both groups had an added reaction. Spirits had the power of Control, able to control certain elements of the world. Shadows, on the other hand, had a way of gaining more power, but it was a dark secret that the government strived to cover up. Storyline’s beginning The story begins on January 2nd, 2012. The citizens, randomly chosen, wake to find their lives completely changed. Each person discovers their powers in a unique way, mostly creating some trouble in the process. The Spirits will eventually come to discover the power of Control. Control allows Spirits to use magic, with the ability to use things like fire, water, lightning, in addition to controlling time, reading minds, etc. Setting The setting of this story is the United States, taking place in different towns, and also in major cities. First post Your first post will include your character template (approved by me first). It will not list whether you are a Spirit or Shadow. However, it will it also include the beginning of play, on the morning of January 2nd, 2012, when the government activates the drugs. You may have your character react in just about any way to these drugs, provided you follow ? rules. 1- You may not expect these. No one was aware they received the drug. 2- Your reaction must be partially physical (aka some change to your body, though not necessarily permanent). 3- The reaction can happen at any time in the morning of the first day. 4- The reaction should be noticed by someone, or almost noticed as you try desperately to hide it. Goal of game Your main goal is to survive. Being a “freak” now, there are a lot of people out to get you. The police, for one, who don’t have any idea about the project. The other Spirits and Shadows, who work for the government, though your characters have no idea others exist yet. Another goal is to figure out how to use your powers. Perhaps you will use them for good, use them to simply stay on the run, or maybe enlist in a life of crime, getting things you never could before. Finally, you must make a choice later in the game: do you remain free, constantly fighting the people who are after you, or do you join the government and work under their orders, and have a life of peace and safety. NPCs You have a degree of control over certain NPCs, such as family, neighbors, law enforcement (make sure they react correctly) and other citizens. I, as GM, will be playing five NPCs who you will get to know very well during the game. Your characters may not be interacting with them for some time, but they are two government controlled Spirits, two government controlled Shadows, and the lead agent who runs the agency. In addition, there may be some other agents, as minor characters. Meta-gaming As an avid RPGer, this is one thing I cannot stand. As writers, I trust all players to make the story flow in a reasonable fashion. If you are not aware of what meta-gaming is, let me explain simply: it is allowing your characters to do things where they are essentially aware they are in a game. This would involve things like hiding because they know the government is after them (even though at the beginning of the story they wouldn’t even know this). Please, do not abuse the information I have given you here. I will warn you once if I see meta-gaming. You will not receive another warning after that. And, do not worry, I will make the warning official, so you will know if you’ve been warned.
Eric Richards sat quietly, staring out the window again. He wanted to be out of this stupid room again, but the rules were the rules. He rubbed his lightly skinned, untanned hands together, as he usually did when he was bored. Thinking for a moment, he stood up. This is so dumb. I could break out of here if I wanted to. I could do it now. What's stopping me? He knew what was stopping him, the promises. Promises that had been made to him. He wanted them fulfilled. Outside the room, Agent Markinson smiled. Soon, very soon Eric. It wouldn't be long now. They'd had time to prepare, and soon it would be time. Markinson's phone buzzed, and he reached into his pocket to answer it. "Hello?" He smiled. "Understood." Eric turned to the window, where he knew Agent Markinson was watching him. He couldn't see the agent, but he knew he was there. He was always there, watching Eric. The door opened, and Eric sat back down, even though the agent had surely been watching him the whole time. Eric noticed a new look on Markinson's face. It was... not happy, but somewhere close. "What?" Eric was annoyed, having been stuck for so long in the prison-like room. Now Markinson smiled. "It's time."
Personal background Name Rhys adams Age 19 Gender M Family Mum, Dad and younger sister who live in england. Career Currently at university Appearance Eye: black Hair: short brown Height: 6"6 Weight: average for his height Body: type muscled Preferred clothing style: smart casual or suits Choice: Have to find out
Personal background Name: Raphael Cross Age: 24 Gender: Male Family: Sarah Cross (mother deceased) and Adrian Cross (father) Career: Unemployed Appearance Eye: Dark blue Hair: Bald Height: 5, 11 Weight: Average for his height Body type: Thin Preferred clothing style: A grey dirty shirt, black trousers, and a black trench coat.
Personal Background Name: William Blanc Age: 24 Gender: Male Family: Both Parents alive and well, but he is not on speaking terms with them. Tech-support for a semi-Major software company. Appearance Eye: Hazel Hair: Messy, Black, somewhat lengthy. Height: 6' Weight: 175 Body type: Sturdy. An almost Brawler's build. Clothing: Whatever is available.
Day after day life drifted by. No one acknowledged him and those who did, were generous enough. Still he held them in contempt. They took their glorious lives for granted. He had once been something but like so many before he was a nothing. A nobody without purpose. Just keep remembering, I'm not alone. There are so many like me in this deranged world. The morning had been uneventful, and mostly he was ignored by passersby. Now hopefully was the time he would get enough to at least afford a sandwich or better a sausage roll. Would Lady luck smile down on him? Now why would she give me what I need? World works in many ways. Luck falls on the few. He had been so preoccupied by his thoughts that he didn't see the three hooded teenagers approach. When he glanced their way, he saw their taunting gestures. Nothing he hadn't put up with before. Some people just didn't care. "Hey, you" jeered one. Raphael ignored him. "What you lost your tongue. Probably the reason why your homeless. I mean who would recruit a guy with no sense of confidence." Raphael rolled his eyes. Inconsiderate yes, tolerable... maybe. "Then I guess we will have to motivate you ourselves." One picked up his small cup, and then tossed it into the middle of road. Raphael frowned at that. No sandwich for me. Noticing the lack of reaction the third boy tore up the cardboard that only last night had been Raphael's bed. There's always more spare cardboard guys. The two boys standing next to the lead bully shrugged. The lead bully moved forward and spat on Raphael. Then laughing and cheering they darted down the street. In that moment something brewed inside. A maelstrom of power, corrupting his judgement, and morals. Everything went dark in a instant. In seconds he had caught up with the boys. Although he didn't recall running. As Raphael materialised in front of them, two boys picked themselves up and fled out of fear. The lead boy looked at him with terrified eyes, and before he could stand up, Raphael had lunged, grabbing the boy's sleeve. He held him in a firm but tight grip. Only now could he see the darkness emanating from him like plumes of smoke. He fought back the urge, and released his grip. The boy saw his chance and ran off into the crowd of bemused and frightened civilians who had bore witness to this unusual turn of events. He looked at the balm of his hand, the strange mist retreated into his skin, and he looked dumbfounded. Fall or fly Raphael, the choice is mine. It's not Lady Luck I should worry about but her demented sister... Fate. And what does this make me? and how did this happen? He pondered the questions in his suffering silence. Fortunately, the people had quickly lost interest. He returned to his begging spot and leant against the concrete wall. He was nervous more than anything and that power was as dark as an abyss, it had clouded his judgement. He had felt only a need to kill. But surely it ran deeper. The boys had sparked him off but his resentment had provided the trigger. Resentment of his poverty, and those who walked on by taking everything for granted. Well he had one thing they didn't. The power to get revenge.
Personal background Name: Tara Marks Age: 13 Gender: Female Family: Andrea Marks (mother) and Pete Marks (father) Career: Middle School Appearance Eyes: green Hair: red Height: 5'0" Weight: thin, about 70 lbs Body type: average Preferred clothing style: casual dress, prefers looking good for school and her friends Tara was dreaming, thinking of some large dragon, or something similar, flying through the sky. She thought it was New York, seeing the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the New York skyline. She wasn't sure why she was dreaming of it, but it was so real. When she awoke, she had a terrible itch on her back, and on her face. She immediately reached to her back, scratching furiously. The itch wouldn't go away, no matter how much she scratched it. It was like something was there, and it wouldn't go away. She stood up quickly, in her pink pajama pants and shirt, and went to her bed post, scratching her back against it. It still wouldn't go away. She went to the large mirror on her dresser to see what was on her back, but stopped short without having to turn around to look. Tara couldn't believe what she saw, as she stood there staring at her mirror. Out of her back were two large wings, white in color, feathery. The wings were birdlike, but very large, like the size of a vulture. "Mom!" She stood there in shock as she heard her mother rush up the stairs. The door to her room burst open, with her mom standing there with something wrapped in a pink, square piece of plastic, and a tube that was covered in white plastic. "Ok sweetie, you have two choices, so...." Her mother dropped the two things she was holding, staring at her daughter. "What... wha..." Tara turned to her mom, tears running down her face. "Mom, what's happening to me?"
At this time in the morning the library was empty apart from the occasional person looking to use the computer. Raphael sat at the desk; folded arms sat looking into the book before him. On the left of him were a pile of books on dark magic and necromancy. Not my normal daytime reading but circumstances changed that. If these books can do anything they can at least help me understand this power buried inside me. He flicked through the pages, and by the time he had finished reading it, he was even more confused. And after that each book told the same story just in a different matter. Man gives into temptation. Man is sent to hell for eternal torture and suffering. In a strange way, no man could save himself from that. Temptation existed all around them, a lure of promise that normally evaporates before you can grasp it. It described his shadowy gift as if it was corrupt and routed in evil. Truthfully whilst it had invoked his anger, the gift itself was just shadow. At least at the minute it was just that. Some of the other books had gone into great detail on matters like the conjuring or resurrection of demons and dead people. He returned the books to their shelves, and decided to leave. Understanding doesn’t always mean I will be able to control this power. If I can go berserk just by being spat on, then anyone who comes near me may just end up dead. The street was now active with bustling commuters whose concern was only to reach their offices. Unfortunately they all shared the same thought. Raphael felt like he was navigating a maze, weaving between people, and trying his best to avoid doing something that would cause him more problems. He decided not to return to his old spot. He had successfully recovered some change from the incident before, and now decided he needed a coffee. The café was not too far away. He made it without a problem and ordered a cup of coffee. He was fortunate enough to have just over enough money. He handed it over, and sat down. A few minutes later a waitress came over and placed his coffee on the table. She soon disappeared. Raphael placed his hand on the cup, and lifted it and took a sip. I’m in two mind as to what I this power is. Is it a gift from below or just sheer coincidence? We are a complicated race of being. I just happen to be the one who has a sudden evolutionary growth spurt. Still it came from nowhere, and I had no experience before hand of this power, so just how long has it been brewing inside me, it could have been building up over the years, or just last week. In truth none of this makes any sense. I’m happy about that, the sooner things make sense, the worse they’ll probably get. He took another sip and relaxed in his seat. The warmth of the coffee had done its job at least. The wave of calm was almost unnatural.
Rhys Adams "Things are fine here, Jullies getting on fine in school and your father got a promotion. We'll send you a bit of money in a few months. -Love mum." Rhys finished reading and sat back. It was nice to hear from his family, being in another country was fun but he felt homesick sometimes. Rhys jumped as his phone buzzed. "At roof want to meet? Got crow. Alex." Josh texted back yes and got up. He grabbed his coat and headed out. The roof in question was the top of a skyscraper, a place they like to sneak up to. It was quiet and had a nice view of the city. Strolling down the road he could see it looming up in front of him. He didn't take much notice of the people as he walked, it was late afternoon and few people were out. He passed a homeless man begging and stopped to give him a few coins. Pathetic! Came a voice in his ear, it was an evil guttural sound. Rhys stopped dead looking around for the speaker. No one was in sight. He pushed the thought from his mind and carried on walking. The sun was slowly setting as he neared the building. It wasn't hard to reach the roof, after sneaking in you headed up the stairs then through a fire escape that could access the roof. Alex was waiting for him. She sat with her back to him, tendrils of smoke drifting up into the air. Hearing hisfootsteps she turned to greet him. "Hey." She smiled. Well she's nice There was that voice again. Louder this time. Rhys ignored it again. "Hi, I see you've started without me." He said. She chuckled and passed him the spliff, draping her arms over his shoulders. He pulled her closer as he took a puff. They sat for ages just chatting inanely about anything, hidden behind large vents in their own private world. Neither cared. They had been talking for about an hour when he heard a voice, not the one from earlier, this one sounded human. "Target has been taken care of." Rhys put the spliff out immediatly and motion for Alex to be quiet. As silently as he could he moved round the vents to take a look a the speaker. Three men in suits stood over a body with what looked like wings. One of the men held a gun. "Ok, dispose of the body and we can be on our way." The gun weilding one said. "Rhys?" Shouted Alex. He ducked behind the vent as the man looked up. "There's someone up here." Run! He didn't need to be told twice, even by a demonic voice. Rhys ran back to where he had left Alex one of the men already standing next to her, gun pressed to her head. The other men approached from behind as he froze. "So what do we do boss?" The one holding Alex said. "Kill the boy, he's seen to much. We can keep the girl for a bit." He said, smiling as he said the last bit. "We don't have enough to dispose of two bodies." "Then throw him over the edge." The men shrugged and seized Rhys before he could move dragging him to the edge. God your pathetic. You're going to need my help" "Its nothing personal," One of the men said lifting his legs, "its just part of the job." and pushed him over.
