[center][h2][b]Infernal Intervention Squad[/b][/h2][/center] [hider=The Backstory]Once upon a time, the mortal world laughed at the thought of magic, of gods and wizards and demons and the undead. They laughed, too, at the idea of completely alien universes with laws of nature and physics far different from and more malleable than ours. But science never refuted other universes, only our ability to get there. The other worlds, whose laws of reality differ greatly enough to rip holes in the rift, laugh at our limited world and come and go as they please. The world of magic has always existed, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Any experienced, competent mage, summoner, or shaman could tell you that. The Other Side, too, is romanticized far more than it really should be. Not that it isn't exotic or by definition a world of fantasy, considering all the anomalies, strange creatures, and beautiful sights available in our own universe to begin with, but there is a mundane aspect to the world of magic and the realms of gods that people don't often think about unless they are truly in on the truth. The various realms of the Other Side have entered and passed through the mortal realm for eons, but never stayed in the world for long due to its cripplingly limiting laws of physics and its lack of importance in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't until the Bronze Age of human civilization that the realms started to take notice. They were primarily interested in the human soul, the vessel of electrical energy that powers the entire body and brain and takes charge of how both operate. A single soul contained so much electrical energy, so much untapped potential, that it could power, empower, or alter anything if brought to the Other Side and given a proper means to work by. That's how the pantheons of gods, with their servants and monsters and demons, came to light on the Earth, with dozens of the realms of the Other Side scrambling to steal territory where they could harvest souls. That is the truth, and that is all there is to it. Gods are high ranking, admittedly supernaturally powerful denizens of worlds outside our own universe. Monsters are either creatures transplanted from the other worlds or a hybrid between them and the animals here. Demigods truly exist, either by consent or through far more monstrous means. Magic is a result of the bleeding of laws of physics brought about by holes being ripped in the universe, and spirits and ghosts primarily form when the electrical energy has nowhere to go or permanently imprints itself on the area around it. This was the way the world worked for the longest time. True, certain pantheons fell to more powerful groups and some had to merge together or join one of the underworlds, and after a while only a handful had true sway in the grand scheme of things, but it was a working system. Then, due to our own discoveries with our own technology, the Other Side's veil was pulled back a little bit more. Now the entire "ruling" class on Earth- the big corporations, countries, paramilitaries, and the formerly hidden magic-using factions and operators- has either become aware of the truth about the old gods or became empowered by the veil being peeled back further. This, however, brought about consequences no human could anticipate. Before, only a handful of pantheons had power, and the rest had to defer to them in order to lay claim to anything. Now that ten percent of the human race knows the truth about gods, and magic, and the ultimate destination of the soul, the subtle influencing and Wizard of Oz showmanship of the old days just got thrown out the window. Now, threats from either side could topple the entire balance into an everlasting war. Any pantheon with even a modicum of influence on Earth could begin stealing far more souls than they ever could before, or even establish their own ruling kingdoms in the mortal realm. A corporation could begin profiting off the soul trade, or countries could bring new plans into motion taking the truth about the human race into account, independent monsters or criminals from the Other Side could try to run an operation, or a magic-using human faction once in the shadows could now step out into the light as a force to be reckoned with. With the veil pierced as much as it was, the entire operating structure of Earth and all the worlds that draw power from it is like a cracked plate balanced on a needle point. Pushing it over and causing the whole thing to break isn't just possible, it's seemingly inevitable. Or at least, if there wasn't a force keeping it in check. All the major political players of the multiverse had that exact same realization about the balance being thrown into turmoil, and all important parties- including 40 countries, 16 pantheons, 22 cabals of human magic users, and 11 world-class businesses- planned and funded a team that could find and fix any potential breaks in the system before they threaten to throw everything into chaos. This team would function as a military squadron, as spies, as liaisons, as thieves or support teams or crisis relief or assassins. The team was comprised of primarily halflings, beings that were partially human and partially Other. Half-demon, half-god, half-monster, half-fairy, as long as they had supernatural abilities from the extra-dimensional side of the family and an ability to jump over the rift as they pleased. There were also full-blooded human mages or shamans of incredible enough power to also slide across the veil themselves, but this was a rarer sight. They were named after the main adversaries of peace during their conception and early years, the almost Mafia-like demonic forces of Judeo-Christian Hell and all the ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean pantheons gobbled up by it when the worlds started monopolizing. It had been a long while and many other pantheons and even human factions have risked destroying everything, but the name Infernal Intervention Squad had stuck. The II, the multiverse's first line of interdimensional defense, is now looking for young, capable, gifted magic users and halflings alike to do whatever is necessary to preserve the way of life for the people of all worlds.[/hider] Infernal Intervention Squad is a team-based tactical RP set in a world where all the pantheons and gods exist in some capacity, and magic is a scientifically measurable force. It has some Magitek eliments, but it is by and large an urban fantasy that takes tours of full-on low fantasy or sword and sandal type locations as well. The story is mission-based with missions, targets, and the overarching story guided and partially decided on by the members of the Infernal Intervention (II) squad. Missions could include infiltrating a compound of demons, pulling off a heist to steal an ancient soul-powered weapon, busting a gang of Siddhe working a glamor hustle, collecting information on military operations, doing damage control from magical or supernatural disasters, assessing new rifts or formations on Earth or in the Other Side (the worlds beyond Earth), escorting or protecting high profile people or guarding against invaders, or straight up clashing against forces willing to destroy the balance in the name of power. Missions can tie in to a larger narrative story arc (in fact, expect a few of them if the RP lasts) and will on request be able to tie into the overall character arcs of the team members. The team, which will be able to hold an absolute maximum of 12 people, are human mages or halflings whose lineage descends closely enough from the Other Side to have serious power. Full-blooded members of the Other Side can be considered, too, but on a case by case basis. Each member of the II Team will need to know a few things about themselves before they can join up. They need to know either the Other Side realm that they emigrated or were sired from (knowing the name of the god, creature, or demon that sired them helps but isn't a necessity) or the magic practices they specialized in (i.e. thaumaturgy, druid magic, summoning, Vodun, potion-making, hexing, glamor crafting, evocation, alchemy, etc.). They also need to have certain sets of skills that make them a solid candidate for the team (generally speaking, two supernatural skills- one combat based, one knowledge based- or two magical arts, and a few non-magical skills in combat, research, stealth, charisma, survival, or any other field that may be of use). They need to have some kind of backstory, even if it's a short one, and they need a basic idea of their overall qualities and their flaws. Have a decent idea of the character's appearance or use some kind of image reference, either one. And finally, any special requests about your character or suggestions about the direction the II team should go (this is the important stuff, like if you have any suggestions on the overall story or how your character's history can tie into the present or if you're okay with them dying or not or if you want to emphasize that they're a combat/research/stealth/charisma-based build and should be put on those kinds of assignments). With all that, it's a first-come, first-serve basis, and the IC will begin as soon as there are at least six people joining in. [hider=II Character Template] [list] [*] Name: [*] Age: [*] Origin: Pull from any mythology or mystical art you want. Let me know if you want a specific listing for any particular world's denizens, but the short answer is they're all there. [*] Appearance: [*] Personality Traits and Flaws: You can summarize this in a paragraph instead of a bullet list if you want. [*] Skills and Powers: Two magical or supernatural powers and between two and four practical skills would cover it pretty well. [*] Detailed Backstory: Optional but recommended. [*] Likes and Dislikes: Optional but recommended. [*] Other Details: Optional but recommended. [*] Special Requests: Optional but recommended. [/list] [/hider] [hider=The Current Roster] [list] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [*][u] [/u] [/list] [/hider] All forum rules apply for IC and OOC. No hijacking the RP since suggestions are going to steer the RP anyway. No killing off other characters without the creators' permission and really under most circumstances no killing off other characters in general. Act as a part of the team and accept the IG consequences for breaking your assignment in-character even if it was a definite character choice, and expect some IG consequences for being outwardly aggressive to the team. No harassment, no spam, no overtly sexual references, and no discrimination. That's basically it on rules, otherwise all the tactics and the rules of the team can be self-governed so have fun!