[i]Modern/sci-fi adventure in post-war depression[/i]
[i]Characters are young war veterans and childhood friends[/i]
[i]Special powers and abilities inspired by Animism[/i]
[i]Story and setting inspired by Half-Life, Tomb Raider, and Final Fantasy[/i]

[b]The Spirits Within[/b]
Everything began ten years ago. I still remember the chaos and confusion, as if it happened yesterday. It was the experiments of a covert government research facility that inadvertently caused the end of the world. That’s what most people called it, the end of the world. The scientists at the research facility attempted to peer into another dimension using a displacement device, but something went terribly wrong. An anti-mass spectrometer malfunctioned and caused a dimensional fracture to appear, through which myriads of monstrous creatures poured. The government tried to contain the situation by launching a nuclear warhead at the facility, but all it did was to cause further damage by initiating a quantum aftershock, which caused displacement storms to flare all around the world, allowing more of the alien creatures to invade. It was a disaster that plunged humanity into a war with a non-human force.

Before I continue, there are a few things one must know about Pandora. Everything in our world has a spirit and each spirit is connected through the Earth. Life on this planet depends on this symbiosis. There is no separation between the spiritual and material world. Souls and spirits exist in humans and animals, botany and rocks, thunder and wind, everything. The non-human invaders thrived on consuming these spirits, as it made them grow stronger. This caused the symbiosis to shatter and millions of spirits to flee their material embodiments. The spirits sought refuge in material entities whose spirits were already strong to begin with, and most of these entities were humans. Those who were chosen by the spirits to protect them became their guardians. The spirits stimulated the guardians’ bodies and minds and allowed them to exert the spirits’ inherit power, a defense mechanism imposed by the spirits within.

The war lasted for three years and took the lives of many, but humanity ultimately won. However, with the disruption of the symbiosis, the world began to wither. The weather and seasons became incoherent and chaotic, shorelines along the coasts receded, natural resources gradually vanished, and wildlife turned into lifeless husks. Today, the world is akin to something out of post-apocalyptic fiction: alien diseases wreak havoc, food and water are in short supplies, electricity is not a granted certainty, savages and cults rule the outlands with primitive weapons, and the remnants of different governments have turned into a paranoid world state. We do what we can to survive, but the chance of a full recovery is doubtful.

[b]Characters[/b]
You portray a Guardian. All the characters are childhood friends and they are bound together by a member of their group who died many years ago, Max. He was a charismatic and energetic young man, who always led the group to adventure and mischief common to children. The unfortunate event of his death—a car accident—occurred four years prior to the incident at the research facility, when all the characters were around ten years old. When the war began, all the characters were drafted and separated, which means that they have not seen each other for at least three years at the beginning of this roleplay.

[b]Story[/b]
[hider=hider]The story begins with all the characters being attacked by mysterious assailants resembling cultists of the outlands. Anything that is not part of a major metropolitan area is called the outlands. The attack brings the characters together and they figure out that it was not a random incursion. This event initiates a terrible, but epic adventure that will have the characters combat a cult that is about to reopen the dimensional fracture and allow the alien creatures to invade Pandora once again.[/hider]

[b]Max[/b]
This young man was the epitome of the alpha male and the guy all other guys wanted to be and all the girls wanted to be around. But, what made him the greatest friend one could ever have was that he never lost track of who his true friends were, who had grown up with him in the same neighborhood and shared blood, sweat, and tears with him—our player characters. Elstow was the name of the place that they grew up in, which was just a tiny collection of houses a few minutes north of a town named Helston. The children went to school in Helston, as Elstow only had a general store and a pub to offer its inhabitants.

One time, the children made a field-trip to Lichfield Falls without their parents’ consent or knowledge. The beautiful waterfall near a lush forest and open plains was a paradise on Pandora for the children, where they spent the entire day swimming and playing. Max kept them safe and made sure that everyone got home without a scratch. All of the children were in big trouble when they arrived back in Elstow late at night, of course, but it did not matter, as they had been blessed with a wonderful memory for life.

[i]I want everyone to write a short memory like this, which is going to be shared by all our characters. I will add your contribution to this section once you post it with your character sheet. Keep it short and simple, but you can elaborate the memory from your character’s point of view in your character sheet if you so desire.[/i]

[b]Codex[/b]
The name of the world is Pandora and it consists of five continents, which after the war have been designated Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omega. Major cities have also been stripped of their proper names. They are designated by numbers instead, as in City 17. These are the workings of the World State.

The remnants of Pandora’s former governments formed a united World State succeeding the war with the non-human invaders. It was the result of a temporary alliance during the war and the realization of their heavy losses after it. It is a highly paranoid and unsympathetic government. All of their efforts and resources are spent on civil protection, mass-surveillance, and hazard control. Civil Protection officers patrol the streets of major cities and towns, monitor public transportation, and conduct random raids. Overwatch is a hardened version of the Civil Protection. They enforce laws and regulations outside city boundaries.

Displacement is the means by which one can transfer matter from one location or dimension to another regardless of their proximity, i.e., teleportation. The technology is still primitive and expensive. However, displacement storms are a natural phenomenon that opens up wormholes to other locations or dimensions, which is similar to the artificial method, but at a much greater and potent scale. Displacement technology remains a pivotal theme in Pandora and its most advanced technology, though extremely rare succeeding the war.

The primary forms of transportation post-war are either by automobile, boat, or train. The World State has suspended all air travel due to unknown reasons. In the outlands, people travel either by foot, horse, or bicycle. The war initiated a culture of melee weapons such as swords and axes, however in a modern format. The bow and arrow is the most common projectile weapon in the outlands, as they can be crafted locally and next to no expense. The World State Armed Forces—Civil Protection and Overwatch—are the predominant post-war users of firearms.

Due to the heavily reduced population in the world, succeeding the war, people have developed a deep sense of decorum. People care for connectivity, though in a different sense. The only feasible forms of contact are through letters and physical presence. Further, people are less egocentric when clean water, electricity, and non-toxic food are considered commodities. Moreover, the people entertain themselves with various forms of art and sports. These practices have become increasingly old-fashioned succeeding the invasion. People enjoy literature, paintings, and local theatre; they enjoy various football games, card games, and acrobatics. Hunting mutated beasts in the outlands is also popular.

[b]Timeline Reference[/b]
1976-7: Player characters are born.
1989: Max dies in the car accident.
1995: Incident at covert research facility.
1998: End of war.
1999: Present time.

[b]Combat[/b]
There are two sides to combat: narrative and numeric. The narrative function of combat entails the delight of creativity. You use your better judgment and describe battle scenes to the best of your ability, while not having to worry about limitations or questionable actions. The numeric function of combat focuses on eliminating the ambiguities of the narrative function. They are still similar, but the numeric function has concrete outlines and helps your judgment when you write battle scenes. The Game Master will clearly state which function that is in effect prior to any form of combat in the story. Most of the information in the hider concerns the numeric function of combat.

[hider=Numeric Combat][b]Actions[/b]
The number of actions in a numeric combat-post is determined by Effort Points. The default maximum Effort Point value for any character is 100. You cannot save Effort Points from one post to the next. Effort Points fully restore at the beginning of each new numeric combat-post. The Effort Point cost of actions is indicated by # and a number. 

[i]Attack[/i]: This is a basic attack with a weapon and it always hits. #20
[i]Spirit[/i]: All spirits have individual Effort Point costs.

[b]Damage Measurements[/b]
You have 600 points of Life in numeric combat. The numbers must remain ambiguous, as the damage threshold of your character will not be identical to mine. Factors such as posture, gender, training, experience, etc., affect how you roleplay a certain number of Life in regards to your own character. When you attack with your weapon, you cause 30 points of damage to the enemy.

[b]Threat-Lock[/b]
You always attack first during confrontations. When you attack an enemy, you become threat-locked to that enemy, which means that you assume control of it. This can happen with several enemies. You cannot attack another player character with the enemies that you control, only your own character. However, other player characters can attack the enemies that you control without shifting the threat-lock. All enemies will be named in order to avoid confusion. All enemies have their own Effort Points and Actions that you must adhere to when you control them—the specifics will be provided before the encounter.

[b]Environmental Destruction[/b]
Using the environment to your advantage is sometimes required in order to defeat certain enemies of considerable strength. In other cases, it can be a quick way of dispatching large quantities of weaker enemies, or it can be a creative delight for narration. Environmental triggers will be randomly generated or created when appropriate to the situation. For example, if an enemy is standing in or next to a water source such as a soaked street, a spirit associated with lightning can be used to electrocute him. If a group of enemies are standing close to a precipice, a spirit associated with gravity manipulation could push them off of the edge. If an enemy would be standing close to highly combustible material such as gasoline, a spirit associated with fire could ignite an explosion. This type of damage is often absolute and most enemies will instantly die. However, stronger enemies will not instantly die, they will suffer number-based damage instead—specifics are unique to each of these types of enemies.

[b]Enemies[/b]
The following chart outlines general information about different types of enemies. They are ranked by toughness from highest to lowest. 

[i]Alpha[/i]: This equals a monstrous creature or an end-game antagonist. This type of enemy requires a series of environmental destruction in order to be defeated. Alpha enemies are always controlled by the Game Master and count as an independent character, which means that they cannot be threat-locked. 

[i]Beta[/i]: This equals mechanical and armored enemies. This type of enemy requires specific countermeasures or environmental destruction in order to be defeated. Beta enemies cannot be threat-locked.

[i]Gamma[/i]: This equals generals and other commanders in organized combat forces. This type of enemy cannot be instantly killed by environmental destruction, but it can be defeated by normal means. This enemy cannot be threat-locked. 

[i]Delta[/i]: This equals specialized enemies with precise functions. They are often adept at a very specific purpose, but lacks strength elsewhere. This type of enemy cannot be instantly killed by environmental destruction, but it can be defeated by normal means. This enemy can be threat-locked. 

[i]Epsilon[/i]: This equals hardened versions of lesser enemies. They are often identical to their lesser counterpart, but usually greater in size and strength and often come with additional abilities or complex versions of existing abilities. These enemies can be instantly killed by environmental destruction. These enemies can be threat-locked. 

[i]Zeta[/i]: This equals normal enemies. These enemies can be instantly killed by environmental destruction. These enemies can be threat-locked.

[i]Lambda[/i]: Narrative enemies. Kill them however you want, no limits.

[b]Spirits[/b]
The spirits within strengthen your character in many different ways. Some spirits provide physical enhancement, while others provide you with magical attacks. You are free to interpret the manifestation of your selected spirits in any way you want. Even if you have the same spirit as another character, they should not manifest in the same way. The following list only entails specifics important to the numeric function of combat.

[i]List under construction...[/i]
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[b]Character Sheet[/b]
We are aiming at 5 roles including myself. This is not a first come first served. I'll look at many indefinable qualities when choosing roles, if we were to get more than required applications.

[hider=show]
[b]Name[/b]: [i]first name basis.[/i]
[b]Birthday[/b]: [i]month & day.[/i]
[b]Height[/b]: [i]use metric.[/i]
[b]Appearance[/b]: [i]description (+ image). If you use an image, attempt to find CG art fitting the mood of this roleplay. Put the image in a hider.[/i]

[b]Biography[/b]: [i]any information prior to the war will be known to all other characters, any information during and succeeding the war is unknown.[/i]

[b]Personality[/b]: [i]realism in fiction often equals apathy. In order for drama to occur, there should be slightly exaggerated emotions in play. Think about this when writing this section. Create a clear character type for yourself that is easy to roleplay. When someone reads about your character’s personality, he or she should be able to think “oh, he is the this-and-that guy.”[/i]

[b]Prelude to The Spirits Within[/b]: [i]this is a writing sample. It should be a short story about the events the day before the day of the start of The Spirits Within.[/i]

[b]Shared Memory of Max[/b]: [i]write a short memory of Max that will be shared by all characters. No more than 200 words.[/i]

[b]Spirits[/b]: [i]it is important to understand that Guardians have thousands upon thousands of spirits within their bodies. So, in the narrative, you can create things on the spot, but keep them simple and minor in effect—nothing like moving mountains or stopping time. What you list here is 6 spirits from the numeric combat spirit list. These are the spirits that you can use in combat whenever it is in the numeric function. When combat is in the narrative function, you can use any kind of spirit that you can think of.[/i]
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[b]Tips/Rules[/b]
If you need help with maintaining grammar, look into downloading or purchasing William Strunk's [i]The Elements of Style[/i].

Guild rules apply.