[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/5c954275-5a99-402c-a478-0a071567c763.png[/img] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/807e0f3b-bbfb-47b1-ae4e-47057b32fc1b.png[/img][sub][h3]"Let us partake in a gathering -- the entertainment is a game of [i]life[/i] and [i]death[/i]..."[/h3][/sub][sub][h3][b][s] [/s] Lucifer Van Bonaparte[/b][/h3][/sub][/center][center][h1]~[/h1][/center][center][h2][i][b]P[/b]rologue[/i][/h2][/center][center][h1]~[/h1][/center] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-yi04M7kkA][sub]♫ Dragon's Crown OST - Map[/sub][/url] [hider=Note][sub]The atmosphere tracks provided during parts of this role-play are here for those who wish to have the music I envisioned a scene with and/or wrote it while listening to.[/sub] [sub]You're not obligated to listen, but I thought some of you might appreciate it. I haven't decided how consistently I'll do this, but I like the idea of immersion.[/sub][/hider] [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/58ef25fe-7cde-4785-8cf7-cf7cd7e40d67.png[/img][/center][center][h1]~[/h1][/center][center][h3][i][b]???[/b][/i][/h3][/center] The room seemed to go on forever in all directions -- though walls could be seen off in the distance, if one was to walk towards them it would seem as if they would only get [i]further[/i] from them with each step. The room itself was otherwise virtually empty, and consisted of an endless number of black and white tiles that were aligned to resemble chess, as if the entire room itself was a game board that went on [i]indefinitely[/i]. A single figure stood at the centre of this room - assuming one could even think of such a location as a room in the first place - as they contemplated. [i]Very[/i] soon, things would move forward and the pieces would be in place. The figure held out a single hand, and everything faded to black apart from that hand. Various cards representing the Major Arcana fluttered in the air around it, as if controlled by telekinesis. A single card floated above the palm of their hand as the rest of them circled. Finally, the cards scattered... [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/284729a4-0232-4df9-9059-ed7eca3f7829.png[/img][h1]~[/h1][/center] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8Rhb-Ln01Q][sub]♫ Naoki Urasawa's Monster OST - Grain[/sub][/url] [hider=Note][sub]Cue the opening of the series being played.[/sub][/hider] The year was 2012 A.D., and many believed that the end of the world was approaching. Despite that, people continued on their daily lives without concern. In this era, a mysterious individual by the name of Lucifer Van Bonaparte had become a living legend -- possessing enormous wealth and rumours of characteristics that were virtually superhuman. While he had been known as a man who lives in reclusion - away from eyes of the public - his charisma was noted as being otherworldly, and the rare events he had made a public appearance were considered major occasions. Many great deeds have moved society forward thanks to him -- his genius and resources having contributed immensely to a variety of fields and charities. Some had gone so far as to pass stories about how he is secretly behind many of the developments in the world and has played a massive part in society's growth across the board in unseen ways. Unusual occurrences are believed - spoken in small circles - to take place around him, though generally this had been dismissed by the common populace as urban legend and mass hysteria. One day, a group of individuals received invitations to an exclusive gathering of people that would take place at the private residence of Lucifer Van Bonaparte, which was located in a remote area of Paris. Each of these people - who came from a variety of backgrounds and places around the world - shared one significant trait in common -- they all had something that they wanted so badly - a wish, if you will - that they would be willing to go to any length to achieve, and in many cases they were desperate to have these dreams come true. This made the invitation - which was written in their native languages despite coming from France - an offer that they could not possibly refuse, for the letter explicitly stated that those present would have a chance to have a wish granted -- [i]any[/i] wish, even beyond the boundaries of reality. Whether or not these words were a fabrication was anyone's guess, but these individuals all found themselves drawn to learning the truth -- should those words be no hyperbole, their greatest dreams could be fulfilled. The letter sent to each person included an all-expenses paid return ticket to the enigmatic celebrity's residence in Paris, including anything they needed in order to make the trip. Even more mysterious was the fact that each letter contained a strange tarot card, and information that indicated that the man who penned the letter knew not only the circumstances of each individual but also what they desired. While some of these people might have had their doubts about accepting such an enigmatic request of appearance from a man of whom society knew so little about, they were also unable to refuse a chance to have their innermost aspirations come true. After the passage of time had moved forward, the moment of arrival fast approached... Their story was about to begin.