[COLOR=DARKGRAY][CENTER][color=LIGHTGRAY][SUB][I]T h e   H a u n t i n g   o f . . .[/I][/SUB][/COLOR][hr][h1][color=gray][COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]C[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]R[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]E[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]S[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]T[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]W[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]O[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]O[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]D[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR]
[color=black][sup]_______________________________[/sup][/color]
[COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]H[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]O[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]L[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]L[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]O[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR] [b]W[/b] [COLOR=BLACK]|[/COLOR][/color][/h1][hr][h3][sup][sup][sup][color=LIGHTGRAY][color=gray]|   ◼   [b]G M:[/b][/color]   [i]Lord Wraith[/i]   [color=gray]|   ◼   [b]G E N R E:[/b][/color]   [i]Superhuman, Modern Fantasy, School, Slice of Life[/i]  [color=gray]|   ◼   [b]T Y P E:[/b][/color]   [i]Linear with Sandbox Elements[/i]   [/color][color=gray]|[/color][/sup][/sup][/sup][/H3][/Center]
[INDENT][COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]P R E M I S E:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][center][COLOR=LIGHTGRAY][h3][suP][suP][suP][i]"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying."[/i][/suP][/suP][/suP][/h3][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][RIGHT][SUP][color=GRAY][B][I]~Friedrich Nietzsche[/i][/B][/color][/SUP][/RIGHT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/center]
[INDENT][INDENT]On October 18th, 1967, Earth was caught in a worldwide blackout in the midst of a total lunar eclipse. During the eclipse, Earth was struck by a massive solar flare. The combination of plasma and magnetic fields doused the entire globe with high-energy particles, which caused the largest and brightest occurrence of the aurorae ever recorded. Unfortunately, this event also brought a geomagnetic storm that ravaged Earth’s electrical transmission lines, causing a global power outage. On that day, the Earth nearly stood still. Nearly three and a half billion people sat in total darkness for almost ten minutes before backup systems began to reintroduce power across the planet. However, numerous regions around the world were left in the dark for far longer. Major cities were powerless for nearly a week, while some rural areas were forced to survive for almost a month without power. This event left a death toll numbering in the tens of thousands and became known as the the 'Long Night'. 

It has been nearly seventeen years since the day of the Long Night, and while the world has resumed its original course, the aftermath of the Long Night reached far further than anyone could have ever anticipated. The effect of the high-energy particles was a mutation appearing in one person of every one million individuals. While public knowledge of the mutation remains vague, selected sects in the scientific community are aware of it and have dubbed the emergence of the mutation ‘Viriumosis’. In more common jargon, the possession of a mutation is referred to as the ‘Hype-Factor’ or ‘Hype-Gene’. Collectively, these mutants are referred to as ‘Hyperhumans’.

One such Hyperhuman, a girl by the name of Kimberly Kennedy, was a student at Mather Memorial High School in the sleepy hamlet of Crestwood Hollow. Her secret was unknown to the vast majority of her peers and even her closest friends, but unfortunately, someone found out. Kimberly's body was discovered a week ago, brutally murdered. At this point, the police have no leads and are at a total loss regarding the killer's motivation due to the secret about Kimmy's true nature.

Crimes of this nature are unheard of in Crestwood Hollow.

Situated along the Eastern Coast of the United States between Hampton and Portsmouth, Crestwood Hollow is a small New Hampshire city originally founded in the year of 1652, shortly before the infamous Witch Trials. Settled in the fertile Orlaith Valley, the city is home to a largely rural area. Boasting a very fruitful agricultural industry, the city's largest export is the Golden Delicious Apple. 

Beyond the valley lie densely populated forests of oak, maple and cherry trees. This contributes to several lumber mills in the area that provide a secondary industry to the city. A quiet town, Crestwood Hollow has rarely seen a spike in crime, although rates have been on a steady rise in recent months. Nothing, however, has been severe enough to prompt an immediate response from the city's police department or mayoral office.

Of those affected by Kimmy's murder, none seem to be taking it harder than Veronica Bordeaux. Direct descendants of the original settlers to the Orlaith Valley, the Bordeaux Family is among the wealthiest names in the country and most certainly the wealthiest in Crestwood Hollow. Everyone at Mather Memorial High School knows the Bordeaux Twins, Veronica and her brother Vincent.

You will be taking the role of Veronica and Vincent's closest friends and peers. Players will be asked to create fellow students who, through an event occurring in the first IC post, will also become Hyperhumans who have to come to terms with their new abilities. These students could be the twins' best friend, their lovers, their crush etc. 

Stricken by grief over their deceased friend, the player base will be brought together by Mather Memorial's new and enigmatic school counsellor, Jonas Schechter. Concealing a secondary agenda not initially disclosed to the group, Jonas himself has knowledge that some might describe as uncanny and was brought to Crestwood due to a premonition surrounding Veronica and Vincent's friends. Plagued by visions of a dark figure hunting Hyperhumans on a vengeful quest, Jonas' premonition showed him the only way to stop the evil force was by uniting the group of teenagers and training their potential. Using the guise of a grief counselling session to unite the group, the RP will progress as the group transitions into a team and training group.


Only time will tell if Jonas truly has their best interests at heart.[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT]
[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S E T T I N G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sub][b][color=silver]   C R E S T W O O D   H O L L O W   ||    E S T .   1 6 8 4 :[/color][/b][/sub]
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[INDENT]Situated along the Eastern Coast of the United States between Hampton and Portsmouth, Crestwood Hollow is a small New Hampshire city originally founded in the year of 1684, shortly before the infamous Witch Trials. Settled in the fertile Orlaith Valley, the city is home to a largely rural area, boasting a very fruitful agricultural industry. The largest export of the city is the Golden Delicious Apple. Beyond the valley lies densely populated forests of oak, maple and cherry trees. This contributes to several lumber mills in the area that provide a secondary industry to the city. 

To the North of the Orlaith Valley is the Great Bay Lake. From the Lake, the River Shannon flows South before turning East towards the valley and continuing through the city. The downtown of Crestwood Hollow is split by the river with one street travelling East on the Northside of the river, while on the Southside the road only goes West. Located every few blocks is a draw bridge that both connects the city and separates it when the need arises for a ship travels upstream. Towering buildings look down on the river ranging from hotels to banks, to professional firms and apartment complexes. The Northern side of the city is known for being rougher than its Southern Sister. The 'Beau' half of Crestwood Hollow is home to the Mather Park, in the middle of which is an ancient white oak known only as the Hanging Tree. The Southern half of the city, the 'Belle,' is newer than the Beau and is home to several more residential areas than the North. The further south one travels in Crestwood Hollow, the more construction they seem to encounter as the city is continuously expanded to accommodate new subdivisions. 

Towards the eastern edge of the city, the Shannon empties into the Atlantic Ocean, flowing through the Crestwood Port before it is swept away by the tides of the Atlantic. Due to its location within the Orlaith, Crestwood Hollow has very few visits via train and does most of its imports through truck and ship. As such, the Port is often a thriving hub of life with new ships visiting each day. Several fisheries dot the piers but have fallen upon hard times in later years due to over-fishing in the Atlantic. Numerous recreational boats fill the docks and full warehouses litter the boardwalks.[/INDENT]
[sub][b][color=silver]   M A T H E R   M E M O R I A L   H I G H   S C H O O L   ||    E S T .   1 9 4 7 :[/color][/b][/sub]
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[INDENT]Mather Memorial High School is Crestwood Hollow's largest secondary school in the city which collects the graduates from several of the city's more populated elementary schools. One of the oldest buildings in all of Crestwood Hollow, Mather Memorial was originally the city's courthouse when it was built in 1654, before being transformed into a county jail for nearly a decade, spanning from 1802 until nearly 1869.

Unfortunately, a fire brought down part of the building, resulting in numerous convicts being unleashed on the unsuspecting city proper. Opting not to rebuild a jail in the middle of the town, the building sat empty for nearly thirty years until a young architect wanting to make a name for himself opted to propose the structure be revitalized and renewed as a school. In 1902, the school opened its doors under the original name of Mather Memorial Highschool before being rechristened as Eastern Crestwood Secondary School in the late nineties only to have the name reverted in the early 2000s.

Due to the long-standing history of the school, it comes as no surprise that many of the locals consider the building to be haunted. One of the most prominent local urban legends says that the large oak standing in the school's front courtyard was the very tree used to hang the men and women found to be witches during the Witch Trials. As Mather Memorial sits on the edge of Mather Park, this tree is the same white oak referred to as the Hanging Tree.

Due to its history, the building does show it's age. This is especially prominent in its tall architecture with a looming main entrance that casts a shadow on the stairs before it. The inside of the school is often stuffy, the air carrying a heavy musty odour that perforates every hallway. The original gymnasium has been transformed into an auditorium while an addition in the nineties added a proper gymnasium onto the school's west side. Outside this expansion are several basketball courts leading to track surrounding a multi-use field. This field is used for a variety of sports, and when an event is held, temporary bleachers can be erected on either side of the area.

The athletics facility is not the only recent addition to the school. Several portable units line the back of the school, added during the late nineties to increase teachable areas; however, most of these are used as storage currently. A technology wing was added to the east side of the school in the early 1980s. This wing includes state of the art computer labs along with woodworking, welding facilities and even an auto shop. These facilities line the bottom of the wing; however, the upper floor of the wing adds several new science classrooms and lecture rooms rendering the portables as mentioned earlier null and void. At the rear of the main building is the cafeteria which looks down onto the park which shares the school's namesake. To encourage students to get outside on their lunch breaks, a balcony including an outside seating area was added to the cafeteria in 1979.

Like most secondary schools across North America, Mather Memorial offers a wide variety of teachables to its students outside of the mandatory core subjects. Additionally, education is supplied in three levels of learning to ensure no student is left behind. This includes an essentials level for students who intend to go directly into the workplace after high school, an applied level for students who wish to attend community college and an academic level for students aiming to attend university. Some courses have no specified level and are open to all students, but others require the student to have particular prerequisites before they can enroll. Courses such as these often lead to graduates return to Mather Memorial for a fifth year, or as it commonly referred to as, a 'Victory Lap.'[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]H Y P E R H U M A N   B A C K G R O U N D:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][b][color=silver]   H Y P E R H U M A N S   ||    H O M O - V I R I U M :[/color][/b][/sub]
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[INDENT]Hyperhumans are individuals who have undergone a mutation process known as Viriumosis, which leads to the creation of a ‘Hype-Gene’ and development of extranormal abilities. Viriumosis occurs when high-energy particles create an insertion and add one or more extra nucleotides into the host DNA. As insertions in the coding region of a gene may alter splicing of the mRNA or cause a shift in the reading frame, this almost always leads to a significant alteration in the gene product. These alterations lead to a wide variety of effects which are often looked upon as super-human abilities.

While Viriumosis was only able to occur in the individuals who were alive during the Long Night, the Hype-Gene is passed along through reproduction. This is a cumulative result of high-energy particles stored within the donating parent's chromosomes. A portion of these particles is replicated and passed along through genetic material, resulting in the offspring going through Viriumosis in utero. Naturally, this leads to the creation of the 'Hype-Gene' in the offspring, allowing them to display abilities akin to those of their parent(s).

The process of Viriumosis itself has a rather high fatality rate, and the sudden incubation period contributed to the death toll during the ‘Long Night’. This additionally extends to the unborn fetus, contributing to an above-average rate of miscarriage in couples with one or more Hyperhuman parents. A human born without a 'Hype-Gene' will not display, nor gain Hyperhuman abilities, unless subjected to Viriumosis. Due to the technological constraints and the rarity of high-energy particles, there is currently no way to artificially replicate the process which created the ‘Hype-Gene’ during the Long Night.

The 'Hype-Gene' isn't exclusively carried within either sex but is a dominant gene within both, exponentially increasing the chances that the child of a Hyperhuman will be one themselves. However, due to a lack of willing subjects, there are no studies as to whether power levels are greater or equal to within children who have two Hyperhuman parents compared to those who only have one.

Hyperhuman abilities are incredibly diverse and more often than not allow the host to accomplish superhuman abilities. When a Hyperhuman is born, they have unlimited potential as to what abilities they will develop. Hyperhuman abilities are not predetermined by parents but instead are developed during puberty in the majority of hosts. However, children are ten times more likely to develop abilities related to or similar to those displayed by their parents. It is possible for those subjected to extreme trauma at a younger age to prematurely develop their abilities. The environment and circumstances surrounding the time of ability development will contribute to determining the host’s abilities.

Every Hyperhuman goes through a period of ability fluctuation. During this period, the host may display several different but ultimately similar or related abilities before their body locks onto one as their own.  Hyperhuman abilities are distinctly categorized between ‘internal abilities’ or ‘external abilities’. While there is overlap between abilities in either category, it is how these abilities are accomplished that determines their categorization. Internal abilities are Hyperhuman powers which are characterized by internal manipulation of the body or energies held in the body created by Viriumosis. The most basic example of an internal ability would be hyper-strength. External abilities are Hyperhuman powers characterized by being able to manipulate the world, such as the ability to bend and control fire.  

Hyperhuman abilities are closely linked to Earth’s electromagnetic (EM) spheres. These electromagnetic spheres could be considered to be the source of all Hyperhuman abilities, and without their presence, Hyperhumans would be rendered powerless. In the same vein, the more of them that are in close proximity, the weaker they become as they fight to draw from the same EM spheres. However, there exists a phenomenon where Hyperhumans with a strong relationship or allied cause can instead lend their strength to another and amplify their abilities. Further synchronization between two or more Hyperhumans can actually lead to temporarily accessing each other’s abilities. The limitation to this total synchronization is that only one ability can be active at once, meaning all parties must be of the same intent. 

All Hyperhumans are discernible from regular humans through the presence of HZE ions in their bodies. These HZEs or 'hazies' fluctuate with the usage of the Hype-Gene, meaning that the usage of Hyperhuman Abilities can be detected,d and residual HZEs can be tested to determine how recent abilities have been used. As Hyperhuman Abilities require HZEs, abilities can also be suppressed through electron overloading or irradiation. High-profile enforcement agencies have begun to employ experimental weapons and restraints which bombard the Hyperhuman body with electrons to keep known dangerous Hyperhumans suppressed and under control.

However, the majority of 'Hyperhumans' live their lives without knowing they even possess abilities. Most dismiss a few odd occurrences as being the work of heightened adrenaline or delusion. But there are a few who learn to embrace their nature and use their abilities to accomplish extraordinary feats, and others who embrace their nature to manipulate the world and take what they want.[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/color]