[h2][b]Now, to the Important Stuff[/b][/h2] [indent]You – that is, meaning, your character(s) – are a Zoner. A term coined by a certain insomniac code monkey. You’re one of the folks who’s been dreaming about one of these three places every night. “Zones”, they’re called, also by that [i]same[/i] code monkey. Everyone’s linked to one of them, and depending on which one, they change in different ways when they sleep at night. And when they’re in the Zones, they confront the same beings invading Earth – the ones bleeding from the Zones’ realities into ours. Everything you need to know about the Zones follows [i]here[/i].[/indent] [hr] [h1][b][color=red]ZONE 1[/color][/b][/h1] [indent][hider=Images][img] http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag462/Maxwell_Schumacher/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps3owglqkk.jpg[/img][/hider] The red city, as is its nickname. A sprawling urban jungle littered with both familiar and [i]unfamiliar[/i] architectural traits. The layout of the area is rather non-Euclidean in nature. For example, the top floor of one building could be the basement level of another. The very outskirts of the city warp back around to each other, creating a seemingly infinite loop. It’s not that confusing and it’s nothing to worry about, really. Zone 1 is currently caught in a conflict between two distinct peoples – the seemingly peaceful Denizens, and the rabid, warmongering Aggressors. It’s the most common of the Zones for Zoners to be linked to, unsurprisingly. So we have all the more forces ready keep the place in check.[/indent] [h2][b][color=red]INHABITANTS[/color][/b][/h2] [indent][hider=Denizens (Image Credit to UrbanEvolution)][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/HQMVRDM.png[/img][/center] Zoners from Zone 1 know of these folks. Seemingly human in shape, yet wrapped in a dark, misty veil over tar-like skin. They populate the red city in various points, often in places out of the Aggressors’ reach. They speak in an unintelligible language that sounds like lifted whispers to us. They are survivors of great peril, now seeking to shelter themselves from the deranged beings that roam the streets.[/hider] [hider=Aggressors]The Aggressors are the foremost danger present in Zone 1. They resemble Denizens who have been “set alight”, with skin covered in flame-like veils and scattered remnants of charred clothing. Aggressors come in a plethora of varieties – the most common being average sized assailants that roam the streets, armed with weapons not unlike knives, clubs, and guns, all of strange make yet similar functions to our own. Others are larger, hulking brutes who possess powers not unlike those of the Zoners. The Aggressors feed on the bodies of Denizens, and even their own kind, which both sustains their lifespans and empowers them. Aggressors who grow too strong can potentially vanish from Zone 1 and appear somewhere on Earth, often in a heavily populated area. Hence, any potential “bleeders” must be dealt with before they can manage such.[/hider] [hider=The Ram (Image Credit to UrbanEvolution)][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/muDpZuu.jpg[/img][/center] The Ram is a powerful Aggressor acting under the command of an unknown force. He wears a black metal helmet reminiscent of a multi-horned ram's head. His abilities manifest as volatile explosions centered around his feet, which he uses both in combat and to propel himself around the city. What is strange is that, despite the Ram's obvious level of power, he remains undetected on Zone 1's grid, and does not actively hunt down and feast on Denizens. This suggests that he is keeping himself at a stable level in order to remain in the Zone and continue his work - whatever it may be.[/hider][/indent] [h2][b][color=red]POWERS[/color][/b][/h2] [indent]A Zoner connected to Zone 1 possesses the ability to control a certain element in one of a variety of ways. The basic foundations of these powers stem from the following; aerokinesis (wind), aquakinesis (water), cryokinesis (ice), electrokinesis (electricity), geokinesis (minerals), and pyrokinesis (Fire). From these foundations, many other subsidiaries and combinations become possible. One example would be someone who possesses an "altered" form of pyrokinesis that allows them to control smoke and ash particles rather than open flames. Another would be someone who possesses a combination of pyrokinesis and aquakinesis, resulting in their powers manifesting as steam vapors. These powers can all be incredibly potent, as any Zoner linked to Zone 1 may boast about.[/indent] [hr] [h1][b]ZONE 2[/b][/h1] [indent][hider=Images][img] http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag462/Maxwell_Schumacher/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpskzuh0dsc.jpg[/img][/hider] Zone 2 takes the form of a fog-ridden wilderness. Forests, plains, valleys, mountains, all the like cover this area. Like the other Zones, it possesses a certain “geographical oddity”. A sea of clouds covers both the sky and the ground here, and they loop within each other. Toss a rock over the side of a cliff into the sky below, and it will fall in the same place forever until you catch it. Remnants of Zone 1 – buildings and houses and the like – can occasionally be found in isolated locations, often devoid of life. The wildlife here is split and scattered, and to match the ferocity of the most dangerous creatures, the Zoners here must act as creatures themselves.[/indent] [h2][b]INHABITANTS[/b][/h2] [indent][hider=Fauna]Much of the wildlife in Zone 2 is quite like those on our own planet, save for them all possessing physical traits and forms that show as mismatches of things we have carved from mythology, all wrapped in stark white visages. Winged, antlered, avian, mammalian, animals of many kinds thrive here, all trying to survive the unchecked savagery of the Beasts. Unchecked, that is, until now.[/hider] [hider=Beasts]In a time past, the other, more unkempt portion of Zone 2’s wildlife was hunted regularly by the Denizens for food, clothing, and other such things. Now, no such mediation takes place anymore. These ferocious creatures are ragged, red-eyed, and black-furred. They constantly hunger, feeding on any prey they can find, growing until they reach a point where they bleed into our countrysides and wildernesses. It is up to the Zoners to resume the hunt, and keep Zone 2 under control.[/hider][/indent] [h2][b]POWERS[/b][/h2] [indent]A Zoner here is [i]drastically[/i] different from who they appear to be in reality. They are physically altered into some form of creature. Large, majestic avians with razor-sharp talons, lizard-like creatures that breath all kinds of volatile things, and even [i]werewolves[/i] for the cliché types. Whatever the case, these Zoners are never one and the same. They all come in different shapes and sizes, all mismatched from different parts – both from creatures native to our world, and those born of wonder and mythology.[/indent] [hr] [h1][b][color=black]ZONE 3[/color][/b][/h1] [indent][hider=Images][img] http://i1375.photobucket.com/albums/ag462/Maxwell_Schumacher/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsdgraaieb.jpg[/img][/hider] By far, the most unsettling of the Zones. Zone 3 is what many would refer to as “an underground factory”. Or several, perhaps. Long, spiral tunnels, massive chambers, stations filled with aged machinery and power sources, all constantly besieged by the Abominations present within. As always, Zone 3 possesses a sort of “looping” effect within its interiors. Here, however, the interiors never even seem to [i]end[/i]. It’s very easy to get lost and succumb to the violent nature of the monsters lurking about. Zoners from this place, however, will find a seemingly unremarkable ally to aid them in their duties.[/indent] [h2][b][color=black]INHABITANTS[/color][/b][/h2] [indent][hider=Scavengers]These small creatures resemble gray, festering pustules wrapped around metal, infantile skeletons. They often scour the workings of Zone 3 in groups, collecting scrap metal ripped from the bodies of fallen Abominations, dropping them in chutes only they know where lead. It is believed they work under the command of an unseen force, constantly evading the Abominations as they quarrel with each other, picking up whatever they leave behind and carrying it all off into an uncharted subnetwork within the Zone. They are docile towards the Zoners, but they will run and hide at the first hint of conflict. A certain subgroup exists among the Scavengers, a few who appear to be more flesh than metal. They live as outcasts, serving their own needs rather than that of whatever commands the Scavengers. But they appear to be [i]far[/i] more akin to the presence of Zoners than their servant brethren.[/hider] [hider=Abominations]These amalgams of bacterial growths and decaying machinery stalk the tunnels and chambers of Zone 3, always on the hunt for workable machinery to add to their own mass, even if it means ripping it out of another of their kind. Abominations absorb the energy of Zone 3’s few remaining factories that actually function. Those that collect too much and grow too large will eventually bleed out into our reality, always finding their way to sources of power. The Zoners must provide a policing on their activity to keep them from breaking out.[/hider][/indent] [h2][b][color=black]POWERS[/color][/b][/h2] [indent]Not unlike the organisms present here, Zoners linked to Zone 3 possess wholly biological abilities, like toxic spew or manipulation of their own organic material, as well as mechanical augmentations ranging from mere prosthetics to bodies covered in armored, mechanized suits. It goes without saying that fewer Zoners end up here than the other two, given that the individuals linked to it are often [i]quite[/i] disturbed. There are exceptions, however. But they are all still very capable. And it shows.[/indent] [hr] [h1][color=gray][b]NEXUS[/b][/color][/h1] [indent]An artificial link exists between the Zones. A prism carved from nothingness, surrounded by walls that provide pathways into each of the Zones, through potentially [i]many[/i] ports. Through the use of the Nexus Projector, a machine built by the mysterious Somniatis group, any Zoner can travel to any Zone regardless of whether or not it is the one they are linked to. This, however, comes at the cost of reduced attributes. Powers will be weakened. Physical traits will only be halfway implemented. But it is a manageable sacrifice – and a necessary one, at that. The Nexus is the key to the entire operation. Without it… the Zoners are surely lost.[/indent]