[url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/153838-dc-universe-war-of-the-gods/ooc] OOC IS UP, jump in and Apply [/url] [i]"We've all heard the stories of Samson leveling a temple with a single push, or the philistine weapon of mass destruction named Goliath. Once these beings lived among us, destroying nations and raising kings. And now history is repeating itself. Superman was a beacon for them to creep back out of the shadows. The next war will be fought by these Metahumans, ours or theirs. But if we can't control them, they won't be fighting for us, we'll be fighting for them." [/i] - Amanda Waller, Director of Checkmate, classified briefing to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [i]"When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers" [/i] - Kikuyu Proverb [img]http://schmoesknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/SC-8A.jpg[/img] [hider=Origins of War] The year is 2040 and the world is in the midst of the Second Cold War, with World War 3 looming on the horizon. In the year 2013, Superman flew through the sky and revived humanity's hope for the future. In the months and years that followed, hundreds of metahumans and mystery men followed his example and became superheroes, with the Justice League representing the greatest of their number. They defended Earth from every threat, from would-be human overlords to alien conquerors. Their numbers grew as their apprentices, children, and heirs took up the fight themselves. Hundreds of times, civilization was threatened by supervillains. And hundreds of times, Earth's heroes stood fast and stood strong against the wolves at humanity's door. Mundane crime fell drastically, quality of life soared, and the future had never seemed brighter. It seemed that the world was in the midst of a Golden Age, with the Superheroes as its' shepherds. But that would soon pass. A decade past, the Legion of Doom undertook one of the most ambitious and brutal campaigns of conquest in human history. After years of being defeated and rebuffed by Humanity's heroes, the villains came to a realization. The wealthy, industrialized nations of the world were simply too powerful to defeat, especially with the Justice League and other heroes protecting them. But they were hundreds of vulnerable poor nations, minimally defended by Earth's heroes, and ripe for the taking. Factions and organizations as diverse as the Kobra Cult and the League of Shadows united under the Legion of Doom's banner, pooling their vast resources and wealth together. They made alliances with alien empires and supernatural horrors. They raised armies of mercenaries and metahumans and fanned the flames of dissent in volatile nations. Then they struck. In a single day, the Legion's western associates launched simultaneous acts of terror and wanton destruction in the western world, while the Legion marched on the third world, demons and monsters ran amok, and Sinestro's army invaded from space. With the Joker and other villains wreaking havoc in Gotham, Metropolis, and dozens of other cities, it was all the Justice League and their allies could do to dampen the fires while Superman and the mightiest of his comrades repulsed the alien attackers. The Justice League brought peace back to their home cities and thwarted the invasion, all according to the Legion's plan. By the time the dust settled on that first day, the Legion had toppled nearly half of the world's governments in South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Black Adam, Queen Bee, Gorilla Grodd, Ra's al Ghul, the Brain, Lord Naga, Vandal Savage, and many others were now world leaders, with their own fiefdoms and territories. Atlantis, Themyscira, the Ape Kingdom, and other lands allied with the Justice League suffered civil war, incited by Legion operatives, while creatures straight from nightmare still wreaked havoc among the world's populace. Though the G20 and others still remained in the United Nations, almost half of the assembly's member-states had been usurped by the metahuman conquerors, and the Legion showed no signs of stopping. Legion armies were solidifying control in their conquered territories but Russia, China, India, and many other countries had hostile armies right on their doorstep and blood was still being spilled under the seas and in mystical hidden lands. If something was not done soon, the majority of the world would be under the Legion's control. But they could not be defeated quickly without even greater destruction and expenditure of lives, and some of the nuclear powers began to consider their options. And so, to prevent widespread violence the Justice League, delegates from the surviving members of the UN and the Legion's warlords gathered in Metropolis to sign a cease-fire. The Legion would halt their campaign of conquest in the human world in exchange for the right to keep control of their territories. Borders were redrawn and the world was split between the United Nations and the Legion of Sovereign States. Peace ostensibly returned to the human world while the wars still raged on in Atlantis, Themyscira, and dozens of other nations. But both the Legion of Doom and the Justice League knew it was a farce. Open war was avoided, but a shadow war began. The Legion focused its efforts on attacking super-powered countries allied with the Justice League while sponsoring terrorism and rebellion in human-controlled nations. The Justice League, unwilling to be caught unaware again, united all of the world's heroes under it's banner and reformed. The organization leveraged its considerable assets and resources to become a finite political power with its own diplomatic voice, military might, and clandestine operations. The Justice League United, with thousands of members, received official sanction from the United Nations to operate in protection of the Earth and defended its allies from Legion attack while becoming more active in their prosecution of crime in their home countries. The Second Cold War, a war of small skirmishes, secret missions, guerrilla attacks, and supernatural conflict has raged for almost a decade. An entire generation of young heroes and villains have matured with this shadow war as their reality, and the Justice League has found itself in a position it never thought to be in. And after nine years of conflict, most believe it will get much worse before it gets better [/hider] [hider= Current State of the World] The Legion holds around 40% of the Earth's land territories, and the Legion has continued to secretly fund rebellions and insurrections in nations not under their dominion. Refugees are flooding the western nations while Russia, China, India, Brazil, and many others are suffering increasingly volatile insurrections and rebellions. The European Union has formally united most of Western Europe into one nation-state, with the notable exception of the United Kingdom. The Justice League United operates in every UN member state save for those who opted out, such as Russia and China. Trade between the LSS and UN nations is occurring but the world economy is stagnating overall. Themyscira, Atlantis, the Ape Kingdom, and many other superpowered nations who were longtime allies of the Justice League have formally joined the General Assembly, and make up a powerful coalition within it. While many UN nations are struggling with rising crime and poverty, quite a few Legion nations have actually seen a great increase in quality of life under the tight control of their tyrants. While rebellion in response to lack of human rights has risen in many quarters, many other citizens have experienced peace under Legion rule and are satisfied. The Justice League and the Legion of Doom, while nominally at peace on human territory, are in open warfare among the superhuman lands of Earth. The sea kingdom of Atlantis broils with conflict between King Arthur and his brother the rebel King Orm. Princess Diana's Aunt Penthesilea and her cousin Arisia have led an exodus of like-minded Amazons to help the Legion with its war of conquest and there is much discontent in the Island nation as it fills with mystical refugees. Extra-dimensional realms such as Azarath, Nilaa, the Nightlands, the M-Zone, and Skartaris are under increasing threat from supernatural conquerors and mythical abominations. The Justice League is in a mutual defense pact with all of these realms, as many heroes hail from them, and there is constant battle as the Legion-allied forces attack and the League-forces defend. The alliance between the League and these allies is strong but this militarized coalition is becoming increasingly alarming to the human-controlled UN nations, especially as Atlantis and others becomes less and less charitable towards man's world. The JLU's main advantage over the Legion is superiority in space. To accommodate it's growing needs, the Justice League has expanded the original Watchtower to a city-sized construct with thousands of inhabitants. The JLU has expanded its operations in space, now funding colonization, research, and mining efforts throughout the solar system with several outposts built throughout the system. On Mars, a fragile peace has been created between the Green and White Martians. Other nations have followed the JLU into space but none can match the League's technology and expertise. Raiders from outside the system periodically attack civilian ships and outposts, necessitating a strong presence by the JLU. While the Legion has drawn up several alliances with space powers, the League has allied itself with planets such as Thanagar, Rann, and New Krypton where the freed citizens of Kandor now reside. The JLU and their space allies defend each other from attack and check the power of a coalition that includes Sinestro, Atrocitus, Despero, and Mongul. There are several Green Lanterns protecting the system and Earth has become the latest battleground between the forces of New Genesis who allied with the League and Apokolips, who are with the Legion. Many fear that the war of influence on Earth is a preface to an eventual invasion by Darkseid. In America, things are calm on the surface. Wayne Enterprises, Queen Consolidated, Kord Industries, and others banded together to form the Justice Foundation, and are sponsoring urban renewal projects, advances in medicine and technology, and other charitable works in concert with the JLU's law enforcement efforts. Titan Academy is training the next generation of superheroes and the hero community is at its zenith, with immeasurable popularity among the general population and world-shaking power. But tensions run deep under the surface. The United States government is wary of the League's influence and a shadowy faction in the government keeps a close eye on its activities. Civil unrest is growing, as many are becoming more and more disillusioned with their government and their society, the fires stoked by the Legion of Doom. Despite their best efforts, Gotham City is in a near-constant shooting war with militant supervillain gangs and Bludhaven is a disaster zone following an attack by the monster Chemo. The imminent presidential election proves to be a landmark event as there is not just one but two independent candidates rising to prominence. Lex Luthor and Michael Holt are both running for president and both represent very different interests. The Legion and League are watching the proceedings with great interest as they know the election will enormously influence the course of the war. The Justice League and the Legion of Doom are fighting on many fronts, with one poised to conquer the world and the other trying to defend it. But the line between hero and villain has become increasingly blurred as more and more patriots join the Legion and the young heroes of the League grow more brutal and ruthless in their methods. The Legion of Doom's members, as always, jockey among themselves for more power in pursuit of differing goals but even the Justice League is not as united as it once was. Many are beginning to resent the war and call for total peace, others wish for escalation, while others wish to retain the status quo. A few even wish for the League to take power for themselves and become their own nation to better shepherd humanity toward a correct course. Coalitions are being formed among both organizations, schemes and plots are being hatched, and allegiances are being questioned as the battles rage. When the dust settles, the world will look very different. [/hider] [hider= Structure of the JLU] The Justice League United has never been more powerful. It absorbed every other superhero team into its roster and the beginning of the war and boasts thousands of members, with more joining everyday as new metahumans arise or graduates of Titan academy join their ranks. There is a Hall of Justice in every major city in every allied nation and the new Watchtower has often been hailed the 8th wonder of the world. The JLU has entire fleets of spacecraft, armies of support troops, a widespread spy network, a massive economic support and trade base, an influential diplomatic corps, and a cutting edge scientific division. The League's activities are directed by the Senior Council, a dozen or so individuals who have been part of the League since it's founding. The original trinity have passed on their mantles to their successors but remain the heart of the League and its operations. Each Hall of Justice is run by one senior member with a dedicated team to each city, all with their own support teams. Each Hall has its own facilities for espionage activities and diplomatic personnel. The Watchtower is the core of the League's operations, monitoring situations around the planet and the sol system 24/7 with a dedicated control staff coordinating the League's activities with one hero on monitor duty at all times. There are several quick reaction forces of heroes and their troops ready to deploy on a moment's notice with the Blackhawk Squadron as air support. STAR Labs provides scientific research and technical support for the League and bands of Atlanteans, Amazons, Green Lanterns, and others are now a common sight. The JLU's ground forces, known as the Justice Battalions, are made up of specialized units trained and led by individual heroes. They assist the League with crowd control, patrol, fire support and other roles depending on their unit. [/hider] [hider= Legion of Doom Hierarchy] The Legion has no leader but is ruled by a high council of criminal emperors. The council collaborates on the activities of the actual Legion and act as the executive body of the Legion of Sovereign States as a whole, though each villain's fiefdom is his or hers to rule. The system of government is akin to feudalism. Each overlord has control of a vast region with their own hierarchy of "nobles" or "lords" beneath each. The overlords and their underbosses all have their own armies and their own cadres of superhuman henchmen. The Legion of Doom itself is made up of the lords and their retainers as well as independent bands of rogues and like-minded villains all across the world. Their headquarters is in a hidden location in another dimension. The Legion has a scientific and clandestine base to rival the Justice League and the overlords have many economic shadow partners such as Lexcorp. The Legion's constituent nations assist each other in their wars and conflicts as they will, each overlord with their own resources and specialized capabilities. The Legion's overlords have instituted a modern age nobility, and superhuman dynasties are now the dominant political factions of the Legion. Conscription of their citizens is common and the Legion has been known to elevate loyal followers into their upper echelons by gifting them superhuman abilities. The Legion's western affiliates are highly active, much more militarized and organized than before. Joker and the other Gotham crime lords have turned the city into a warzone and the Central City Rogues have grown in number and power despite the current Flash's best efforts. The supercriminals have eliminated their mundane competition and the Legion has its fingers in every black market and underworld activity. The Legion is also sponsoring radical militant groups such as Bishop Blackfire's cult and the followers of Anarky. The highest overlords and influential Legionnaires are rivals and allies, and each is fighting for their own interests, some even see their fellows as more of a threat than the League itself. And more than a few desire to have supreme control of the Legion as its master. [/hider] [hider= Rise of the Metahumans] It is commonly believed that beings known as Metahumans have lived among humanity since the dawn of the Earth. Metahuman itself is a catch all term for all humanoid beings who display superhuman abilities. They may gain this ability through supernatural means or scientific augmentations as well as being born with innate powers or mutations. The metagene is not fully understood and it is unknown how it interacts with magic, but the reemergence of mystical traits and abilities along with other superpowers suggests a connection. It is known that the metagene is the reason for mutations such as those exhibited by Killer Croc. Those without such physically obvious changes can exhibited powers at any age from birth to adulthood, though it seems the age of puberty is when most metahumans commonly express a power. The metagene is also thought to be the reason why metas such as Mister Freeze and Poison Ivy survived horrific accidents and gained abilities instead of simply perishing. Some scientists believe the metagene may also be responsible for those who possess naturally superior cognitive or physical skills far beyond normal human achievement such as the assassin Deadshot or the hero Mister Terrific. Current estimates project that 12-15% of the population of Earth are superhumans or have the potential to be superhumans, though some will likely never express powers and individual power levels vary greatly. This includes augmented transhumans, supernatural beings, extraterrestrial lifeforms, genetic chimeras, chemically enhanced persons, uplifted sapient lifeforms, and artificial intelligences in addition to plain metahumans or mutants. It is unknown how many geniuses and savants can be included in this percentage but vigilante mystery men are usually counted as metahumans by the general populace despite their ostensible lack of powers and all superhumans are called metahumans in common parlance despite their categorization. Metahumans seem to have many natural advantages over normal people. When injured they will heal faster, and their resistance to pain, fatigue, or sickness is much greater. Their lifespans are longer and they age slower. They are not all necessarily stronger than humans but they are more often than not much more naturally physically fit than the average human. Studies suggest that metahumans are more naturally prone to aggression than humans are, as when it comes to fight or flight responses, the average meta will often elect to fight in spite of lopsided odds. These same studies suggest metas are more naturally promiscuous and fertile than normal humans as seen by the explosive exponential growth of the metahuman population. Due to all these factors, many in society fear that someday metahumans may eclipse humans entirely, and the recent conflicts have only exacerbated these fears. [/hider] The central conceit of this roleplay is basically Game of Thrones or Crusader Kings meets DC Comics. Whether its making agreements in boardrooms, stealing secrets, manipulating propaganda, taking advantage of the underworld, building economic interests, brokering alliances, blackmailing and betraying one another, fighting in battles, or undergoing illicit affairs, the deeds of your characters both heroic, villainous, and anywhere in between will shape the course of history. Your choices will determine which side gains the upper hand over the course of the conflict, how that conflict is resolved, and what the new world order might look like. As well as the fate of the factions within each coalitions and the nations they control. This RP draws from every compatible DC continuity. You can play characters and introduce concepts from the DC animated tv shows, the films, the video games, the live action shows, and every divergent continuity and elseworld story such as Watchmen, the Wildstorm universe, Vertigo, and more. If you want to use characters and elements that are more legendary or mythological in nature or even from classic public domain literature, you are welcome to introduce them as well. You will have a chance to collaborate with other players to build up the RP's mythos. We're assuming that the main generation heroes started their careers in their twenties in 2013 and have aged from then into the year 2040, so Dick Grayson and Supergirl and all the others would be fully mature by now and might have their own kids. You can play a canon character or play an OC to your heart's content. These OCs can be connected to canon mythology or not, if you want to play Batman and Catwoman's love child go for it, but keep backstories open so other PCs can use that canon too. You can play more than one character to start with, with the only caveat being that if you play multiple characters you must have an equal amount on both sides of the conflict. You may put PCs in reserve as you wish but I would retain the right to use them in the story. I'm toying around with the idea of allowing players to take control of superhuman dynasties and families for roleplay. I highly encourage you collaborate among yourselves to develop cohesive shared histories for your PCs and to collaborate in the RP in general. Conniving, scheming, deal-making, and such are all encouraged but no meta-gaming. Romances are also encouraged as we all know that a big part of intrigue happens after dark. There will be real consequences in this RP and just as your character can rise in power, wealth, and influence, they can also be imprisoned, ostracized, or crippled by the events of the RP if you are not careful. Your character might even get killed if you perform poorly enough but this would be very rare. And it really is up to your collective efforts how the events shake down. The primary arc of the RP would be the American affairs with some other side quests. Whichever side wins the election will gain a huge advantage, and the side missions will decide the landscape of the roleplay going forward as I plan to have multiple iterations of the thread that are all influenced by previous threads. So there you have it, I see a lot of potential in this RP and hopefully I get enough interest to make it a reality. If you're not a hardcore fan of DC, you don't need an encyclopedic knowledge of the mythos to play the game and I would be willing to assist with lore questions as others would be no doubt. Anyone interested?