((Guys, the RP is dead; here were my Story Plans:))
A World of Progressive Magic: An Arcane 2100s Storylines
General Story Outline
The first arc is the E3 arc, in which the PCs stop an MMO Maker with a God Complex from unleashing a game that would trap millions in the virtual world, and kill them should they die in said virtual world.
The second arc is the Mafia Arc, in which the PCs make war on the Mafia, in order to break their hold on human trafficking.
The third arc is set in Sicily, where Adric von Wainwight is trying to take over the original homeland of the Mafia. However, he's not trying too hard, and gets defeated in the first parts of the Arc. Basically, though, this is really an excuse for more character interaction, as well as fanservice in swimsuits.
For the fourth arc, I intend to ask Joshua Tamashii's permission to use his characters, Necro/Vladimir (though he will use the Vladimir identity to prevent confusion with the Neuromancer), and his 'Four Horsemen'. They will fight the various heroes and neutrals in Toronto, but only get temporarily defeated (or even win).
The fifth arc is the Nine Sages Arc, in which, to defeat Necro, the Neuromancer decides to imbune part of her power into nine Magi, called Sages. Each Sage has power over a School, and is recognized as the foremost paragon of said School.
((Still incomplete))
E3 Arc
There is one guilty MMO Maker, and three others that are not guilty. The guilty one is Akira Kariya, the maker of Lands of Gremania, while the not guilty ones are Elizabeth Cortez, maker of Elizabeth I: The MMO, Anya Tarnova, maker of Midgard Online, and Ken Saddler, maker of Hope Online, a Post-Apocalyptic RPG built on the concept of 'A World Half Full'. Elizabeth and Ken also know Magic; the Mentalism, Energy, and Mind schools.
Akira Kariya, meanwhile, is a genius at both technology and Magic, and is very powerful at both. He chooses to stay behind his booth, where he has an EM Scrambler installed, as well as a variety of other technological nasties. He purposefully counts on the other three MMO Makers to divert attention from him, with especial emphasis upon Ken Saddler. And, well, it's supposed to work.
ArcanaUnlimited, meanwhile, is prepared to risk exposure to get Akira's technology, as it can make the MegaCorps' members 'gods' of their own worlds. It helps them that the New York Convention Centre, which E3 has been moved to for plot purposes, is too large for the convention, and one-third remains unused, allowing them to hide a giant mechanical spider and several teams of invisible 'Special Forces', the Ghosts.
The E3 Arc would then end with a skirmish between the PCs (aided by Elizabeth and Ken), the PC villains, Arcana Unlimited, and Akira Kariya, the latter who uses his EM scrambler to disable the electronic equipment of the first group to go after him, then flee; if that doesn't work, he places his enemies in visions of their greatest fantasies. In the meantime, ArcU's giant mechanical spider is equipped with a microwave gun...
...that can disable all Magical shielding, is magically shielded itself, and is also equipped with a laser and foam sprayers that spray magic-disabling foam. The 'Ghosts' are equipped with assault rifles with armor piercing bullets, 'smart' grenades that explode at the right time, monomolecular knives, and invisibility suits that work on pure technology and cannot be detected by magic.
The goal of the PCs is to capture Akira, or kill him. Same for the PC Villians. Failing that, to get a copy of Lands of Gremania. (Note: This might be optional, Not merely that, but an NYPD force is heading towards E3; a secondary goal for the Agency is to increase cooperation between the NYPD and it. Actually, I'll be railroading this; whatever happens, Agency-NYPD cooperation rises, either because of the shame of failure or the shared glory of success).
Character Interaction Interlude
You get to do whatever you want for one week as long as it involves interacting with one other character. Also, Heinz gets humiliated by the President and has dinner with her afterwards.
Mafia Arc
Two weeks after the E3 Arc, Heinz Harper summons the PCs again, to tell them some news: (Note: This might be optional, Thanks to the increased cooperation between the NYPD and the Agency, it is now possible to mount a search for 'Babylon', a secret brothel run by the Mafia).
Babylon is a brothel that, thanks to Timespace, is made larger on the inside than on the outside, allowing it to fit 500 Sex Slaves, 250 of them children. This is horrible, and so Heinz wants it destroyed, the children rescued, and the villains behind this killed 'resisting arrest'. But, before it can be destroyed, it has to be found, first.
So, investigations begin. The Agency members are split into two teams; Omega and Joshua (Balthazar is forgotten) are sent to track down the Scandalmonger; a Magical Paparazzi who knows a lot about the rich and influential people, and their kinks. The Scandalmonger has a weakness for money and luxury, and can be found in the Bahamas. Since her estate is warded against Teleportation, Joshua and Omega will have to parachute there.
ajm8888/Mass City controls The Scandalmonger.
The second team, composed of Conor and Silas, are sent to destroy a Mafia Warehouse containing cocaine to distract the Mafiosos from the investigations. However, they get a surprise; Krodin's new PC is there.
In the meantime, Ascot, Amelia, Amaya, and Rose go shopping, in order to distract Ascot from the investigations (Heinz, meanwhile, doesn't go, because he has to monitor the situation). However...this doesn't go according to plan, as Ascot is separated from the team by Jack, who then fights, defeats, and psychologically torments him; this is to show that Ascot isn't invincible.
After the investigations, it's found out that a lot of rich and influential people, some known for strange sexual kinks, have been spotted frequenting a high-rise building in Manhattan, supposedly to party. What's wrong with that? Simple; a lot of the people joining the parties are known enemies, either in the corporate world or politics.
Agency members are sent to this High-Rise building undercover, only to find that most of the 'partygoers' are illusions; one of the toilet stalls leads to a labyrinth of rooms that, when explored further, are much larger than can fit in the building. The rooms are filled with Sex Slaves kept for Unethical Hedonism, with Suppression Collars placed upon them so that they cannot develop powers through trauma. The Agency members are expected to flee, but are intercepted by a 'bouncer' and several Mafiosos.
They defeat them, of course...only to find that, since they are now present in the building, Heinz Harper can track them through scrying, and, with the help of several Magi, teleport a ready-made force of Agency and NYPD members to attack Babylon; of course, the Mafia were not going to take this lying down, and threaten to collapse the Timespace spells holding the labyrinth together, getting the force stuck in a pocket dimension.
The PCs, of course, are supposed to find ways around this, but if not, Heinz just points out that if the Agency/NYPD force can portal in, they can portal out as well, and take the sex slaves with them. Whether he is bluffing or not is unknown, but the Mafiosos yield before him, but on the condition that none of them be arrested. Grumbling, Heinz allows this (a sign that he was bluffing), but vows revenge.
Notes:
[11:46:06 PM] John D: sorry
[11:46:06 PM] John D: sure
[11:46:08 PM] John D: sex slavery
[11:46:40 PM] John D: well, I do lack empathy... I say just write it.
[11:46:52 PM] John M: Thanks.
[11:48:19 PM] John D: it depends on the angle you introduce
[11:50:23 PM] John M: Ah.
[11:50:49 PM] John M: Well, I'm introducing an establishment that, thanks to Spatial Magics, is much larger on the inside than the outside...
[11:51:02 PM] John M: ...allowing it to fit 500 sex slaves, 250 of them children.
[11:51:41 PM] John D: don't hover on it unless you want to profile how grotesque it is; otherwise, it's just a simple, sad fact of the way things are.
[11:54:16 PM] John D: Steve walked into the building and was guided through a large hall. Along the way, in darkened alcoves, Steve could see what this place was really used for. Buttocks and breasts and sweat, As he passed one, he was shocked to find a slim figure he thought to be a woman was in fact a young boy. Averting his eyes, he hurried on.
[11:54:21 PM] John D: or somesuch
[11:54:29 PM] John M: Thanks, that works.
[11:54:36 PM] John D: no direct details, but there's no mistaking
[11:55:50 PM] John M: Again, thanks.
Sicily Arc
Adric, using Timespace-trained operatives, attacks the Mafia families of Palermo in an apparent attempt to take over Sicily, however, he chooses not to devote too many resources on such a risky venture, as its true purpose was to distract the Agency from his attempts to rebuild his empire. This is because the Sicily Arc is actually an excuse for three things:
1.) To introduce the concept of a Mega-Demesne, aka a Demesne created by a place being both the centre of a geographical region and a centre of commerce.
2.) Interaction between the Agency PCs.
3.) Ascot finally admitting his feelings for Amelia.
Necro/Vladimir Arc
((Joshua, can I have permission to use your characters? Also, you can fill in this section, if you want.))
Nine Sages Arc
After the shock of their defeat by Vladimir and the Four Horsemen, Ascot, Amelia, Omega, Conor, Heinz, Rose, Silas, and Thaz are sent a mysterious message, asking them to come to Pittsburgh, where the Neuromancer continues to reside. There, they would find the answer to the problem if Necro/Vladimir. In Pittsburgh is the Neuromancer's house, which is continually besiged by a few hundred protesters asking her to 'End Magic' and 'Change Humanity Back to Normal'. The group pays them no mind, and continues on to the house.
On entering the house, however, the group find themselves in an Escher Room dimension, having to navigate a maze of stairways, which in turn lead to another portal, where they encounter a beautiful, paradisial landscape, where the Neuromancer holds her real laboratories. Once they get to the doorway of the foremost lab, the Neuromancer greets them, saying: 'Welcome to Supernal Horizon'.
Supernal Horizon is the dimension where Mana, and Magic, comes from, and flows to the universe. There, the Neuromancer studies both physics and metaphysics, and has advanced in both, to the point where she can change reality herself. But, and here's the most wonderful part, her studies have actually helped her retain her essential humanity, and she still cares for the world. Because of this, she has decided to endow part of her power to nine people, who are defined by 1.) A strong sense of right and wrong, and 2.) their skills in the Nine Schools.
But, someone would ask, only Eight were summoned! The Neuromancer then introduces the ninth member of the formative group; a 13-year old named Constantine Ramiel King; a master (small-m) of Mentalism. Together, the group would be the Nine Sages, who would be given ultimate power in one School. Ascot would be Law, Amelia would be Death, Omega would be Otherness, Conor would be Energy, Heinz would be Fate, Rose would be Life, Silas would be Timespace, Thaz would be Matter, and Constantine Ramiel King, of course, would be Mentalism.
After the Nine Sages have been empowered, the Necromancer reveals that she, and Guttierez Corp, have been using the confusion of the fight against Arcana Unlimited to create a Portal to Mars in Manila, which, due to its central position in SouthEast Asia and its history as a centre of commerce, has become a Mega-Desmene (the reason why other places in the world aren't Mega-Desmenes is because they have to be both in a near-central position and a centre of Commerce; Sicily and Havana also qualify). This Portal to Mars is created for one purpose: to pave the way for a colonization of Space.
Vladimir, however, wants to capture the Portal, then lead an army of his loyal followers and enslaved captives to Mars to form his private kingdom there. And so, he, with help from Arcana Unlimited, invades Manila...but is confronted by the Nine Sages, who had been apprised of the plan by the Neuromancer, and situated there as an ambush. This will be the final confrontation.
Manila is defended by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which, due to subsidies from the US, as well as the Coming of Magic, had become more powerful than they were 80 years ago. Now, the AFP is armed with soldiers in Power Armor, transforming tanks and other war vehicles, and even a Zepplin that can transform into a magitech dreadnought. Thsi dreadnought is armed with magitech lasers, as well as railguns and coilguns and missiles, and, furthermore, can dissolve into motes of metal should it be destroyed - except for the escape pods that the crew would use.
However, the prime defense is still the Nine Sages; Ascot, Amelia, and Constantine are disguised as adults in order to avoid a scandal. Once the enemy reaches far enough, the Nine Sages, along with Joshua and Amaya, would move, and the final battle would begin. Ideally, Necro/Vladimir would be defeated, and the Portal to Mars saved.
Epilogue Arc
Character Interaction and Epilogues.
