MrDidact — Roleplayer Guild

OOC

-Players can control two PCs to start with, eventually three-

Background

The Earth was as it always was, a beautiful planet plagued by strife and conflict between the billions of Humans it was home to. Beings capable of both creating indescribable wonders and performing unspeakable atrocities. They lived, they learned, they fought, they loved, they despaired, they hoped, they dreamed, and they died. And that beautiful Earth kept spinning, bearing witness to the marvels and evils of its flawed denizens as they struggled with the profound conflict they carried within themselves.

And beneath the constant struggles of Humanity, another struggle endured. The eternal conflict of beings both fairer and fouler then mortal Humanity. Conflicts for power and control between gods, monsters, and spirits of unimaginable power had been ongoing within the Earth since humans huddled around fire to ward off evil. The beautiful and treacherous Fae played games of enormous complexity with both the mortal and supernatural worlds. Ancient pantheons of gods advanced their own interests and sought to influence and control the mortal world. Vampires of many strains, along with other monsters, preyed on oblivious humanity. The Host of Heaven and the Legions of Darkness fought for the very Soul of every human being. And caught in between these titanic forces were human practitioners of the Art who either defended or exploited Humanity, half-bloods who straddled the line between the Mortal and Supernatural world, and shadowy organizations of influential and secretive mortals who pursued their own agendas.

As humans steadily advanced through the ages, the forces of the Supernatural world weaved their influence over Humanity. For ages the unsuspecting humans were subject to the whims of enigmatic entities and monstrosities, with a scant number of Supernatural defenders. It seemed as if Humanity would always be under the thumb of Gods and Monsters, and they would never even know it. Until the series of events that the Supernatural world would call the Awakening, changed absolutely everything.

The Awakening [+]

The Humans had slowly began advancing in knowledge and technology, achieving miracles that had previously only been attributed to Magic. Higher rates of children with enormous intellect or artistic creativity were born year after year. The number of human children born with magical talent or minor supernatural ability multiplied exponentially, and the White Fellowship of Sorcerers became more equipped to defend Humanity. More and more half-bloods were born as ancient mythical bloodlines reasserted themselves and children born of Fae, Vampire, or any number of mythical beings appeared and developed strange abilities.

The Celestial Pantheons and other Great Powers began seeding more and more of their godly blood-lines among the Humans, gifting or cursing their children with their power. The Heavenly Host blessed more and more ordinary men and women with divine gifts and insight to combat the growing legions of the followers of Darkness. Certain Governments and Secretive Organizations became aware of the secret world beneath their noses, and began gathering intelligence and developing weapons to combat these potential threats. The magical world slowly became less and less secretive as magical conflict began spilling more and more into the mortal realm. And finally on December 21st, 2012, everything changed.

No one, mortal or mythical being can say for certain what caused the Awakening. All anyone can say for certain is that it was the day when the Heroes were born. For a period of five seconds the majority of mortal humanity became blind and deaf to the world. The magical entities and a few humans experienced a brilliant flash of light that seemed to come from nowhere and encompassed everywhere, along with a sound so loud it seemed as if the entire world had been beaten like a drum. Every electronic device on Earth experienced malfunctions, and several tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural disasters appeared out of nowhere. The world plunged into temporary chaos in the aftermath. Suddenly mortals began Manifesting incredible abilities of immense power.

A woman grew enormous crops of fruits and vegetables to feed the starving in Los Angeles as another brought down rain to replenish the reservoirs. Fires in Chicago had been stopped by a woman who redirected the flames and a man who extinguished them with freezing wind. Another man reactivated power in Washington DC with massive jolts of electricity while a woman calmed down rioting mobs with her mind. And one man in New York flew into the air and had enough strength to stop an airliner from crashing into JFK Airport. They were among the first to become Superheroes and they were but the first of many.

A Brave New World [+]

The Metahumans as they would be called, saved the world from toppling into destruction over the course of many weeks. They would be aided by the sudden arrival of the Supernaturals, mostly young Sorcerers, half-bloods, and other magical beings who used their mythical powers in tandem with the Metahumans to feed the masses, rescue survivors, and mitigate disasters. And during the global crisis the first Heroes of Earth, also fought its first villains. Metahumans who used their newfound powers to profit from the chaos and Supernatural monsters or Warlocks who used the pandemonium to pursue their dark agendas.

The no-longer ordinary humans donned simple costumes to protect their identities and eventually triumphed over their first adversaries. Many more Metahumans were Awakened and would continue to do so in the days after the Awakening. Some gained powers such as incredible speed while others were mutated and developed traits like wings. Many of them remained in their impromptu roles as defenders of peace, while others pursued success in various fields, or disappeared into anonymity. And many more metahuman and supernatural criminals would arise.

Their costumes became more sophisticated and their powers became even more incredible. Some retained their secret identities while others revealed their secret to the world. Some were highly visible protectors and others were mysterious avengers. All of them used codenames. For a time many citizens were conflicted on if the heroes were defenders and guardian angels or vigilantes and public menaces. Eventually a new breed of heroes and villains would appear. Individuals who had no metahuman or magical abilities, but possessed any number of incredible talents and skills. One such individual would become the shadowy protector of New York City. Another would become a genius inventor who developed next generation technology to fight crime and save lives. And for a few years the Heroes: metahuman, supernatural, or normal, would be mostly disorganized and unregulated while non-active metahumans and supernaturals mostly hid their existence from the public eye.

But the arrival of the Heroes and Villains with the Awakening inflamed many disputes and changes. Religions all around the world began endlessly debating about the meaning of the Awakening and the revealing of the existence of Magic. Some saw the arrival of the heroes as the start to the end of the world. Citizens began protesting or defending the use of anonymous costumed heroes in prosecuting crime and many anti-metahuman militia groups appeared, fearing their government would use metahumans to impose martial law. The criminal justice system faced many questions about the use of metahuman and supernatural powers in the investigation of crime and the enforcement of the law and began forming a series of regulations. Metahumans and Supernaturals begin forming political parties and the American government opens enlistment of Superhumans into the military. America becomes a hub of superhuman immigration as superhumans escape tensions in their home countries.

Metaphobia became a new form of discrimination as some argued for metahumans and supernaturals to be segregated from the normal populace. Others cry for registration of all superhumans. Some superhumans began massive public relations campaigns and used their abilities as platforms to fame and success to the chagrin of many heroes and normal citizens. Divides started appearing between the heroes with powers who were usually beloved by the public and those who did not and were often societal outcasts. Metahumans who were mutated by the Awakening into strange forms are especially looked down upon by many normal humans. Allegations of the government spying and even experimenting on Superhumans arise and are hotly debated.

Criminal organizations and extremist movements began using metahuman and supernatural operatives, and gang violence and armed conflicts began escalating around the world, with increasing terror attacks in the Middle East and drug-related violence in South America and Mexico. Corporate espionage between the economic mega-corporations entered a new super-powered era and many less than reputable businessmen began using super-powered mercenaries. Villains would become bolder and more powerful as their ambitions grew, some seeking profit, others political goals, and a few simply seeking pleasure. Super-powered and insane killers became the new boogeyman of the public.

Many third world nations began edging to civil war as downtrodden populaces suddenly had the power to overthrow their regimes. Other nations become closer and closer to war with their newfound power, Israel especially, finds itself surrounded and North and South Korea are on the brink of reigniting war. Governments begin secretly accelerating programs to create their own superhumans by various means. Tension between the empowered United States and an increasingly autocratic China are at an all time high in a second Cold War. Secret Societies and Supernatural powers see the Metahumans as both potential threats and boons and begin forming their mysterious machinations.

It is the year 2017, and the world faces even more conflicts and challenges to its survival after the Awakening. The Heroes realize the growing need for a well-regulated society of heroes. Zenith, America's greatest hero, and many others put out a call to form the first National League of Heroes. Many heroes will come and they will battle enemies of many stripes and face their own inner demons. And if they should fail to unite, then the world will plunge into Chaos and Destruction that it has never known.

New League, new enemies [+]

It has been six months since the League of Heroes has founded, hundreds of heroes from across the United States and around the world gathered in the single most ambitious superhero organization in history. In those months the League has achieved enormous prestige and success. In the city of Chicago, where the League first started, the total crime rate was cut in half as members arrested both street-level villains and ranking organized crime members, their constant patrols discouraging would be thieves and other petty criminals.

The League eventually enlisted the services of every hero in Chicago and then the greater part of the Midwestern United States. The League's scope spread out and lowered crime rates across a huge swath of America. The League continued to attract established heroes and newborn superhumans into the fold, outright absorbing several smaller teams, and their membership is rapidly approaching a thousand. The League is the premier superhero organization in all the United States and the bane of organized crime both mundane and superhuman. Emerging lines of graphic novels, toys, clothing, and other memorabilia has resulted in record-breaking sales just after six months. And the League's success shows no sign of stopping. There is even talk of police departments deputizing the entire League to better facilitate the continuing fight against crime.

However with rising success come rising troubles. The Superhuman Security Act, which would call for the registration and revealing of all Superhumans to the public among other statues, is gaining some popularity and some civilians protest the "Superhuman Army" that fights crime and supposedly looms over the populace and many in the federal government are becoming wary of this private and powerful group. Along with some public discontent is the growing war in the heart of Chicago. The League's presence has done much to dismantle criminal enterprises throughout the Midwest, with smaller street gangs being almost virtually wiped out and already beleaguered organized syndicates even further destabilized, but they have yet to face a major threat head on.

The Remnants of the Chicago Outfit have picked up the pieces of other groups taken down by the League and are fighting for control of organized crime rackets against a new threat. A superhuman organization known only as Legion. Legion is made up of members from several smaller street-level villain gangs along with free-enterprise superhuman criminals. They are smaller than the Outfit but possess more firepower and tactical know-how. In the dark of night and in alleyways, the Outfit is slowly losing a war against a growing enemy. Legion has outright assassinated high-ranking members and is slowly growing bolder in its attacks. There are strong indications that Legion has access to powerful black magic, and sightings of strange beasts roaming the Chicago night have skyrocketed.

Legion's ambitious growth pits itself against the established Outfit which has made alliances with the remaining crime syndicates among the Midwest and has been aggressively purchasing black market weapons. There are rumors that the Outfit and its allies are recruiting freelancer Superhumans from across the country and abroad and that Legion is doing the same creating the first underground Superhuman arms race. Reports of missing civilian superhumans, including children, are slowly rising. And in Cook County Jail, where the majority of League-arrested criminals reside, inmates bide their time. The war is slowly spreading out into the streets that the League has previously kept clean and safe.

Now the League must contend with the ambitions of a clever, powerful, and unknown Dark Sorcerer and their superhuman organization and of the desperate violence of the never-before united crime Syndicates. Nobody knows who will win the gang war, but what the League does next will either break the back of all organized crime across the Midwest or allow a dark and strong group to take place and have dominion over drugs, prostitution, and professional violence.

The League is a Persistent World RP where the choices and actions of the players, their success or failures, their decisions both good and bad, determine the fate of the world they live in. First Blood is the second in the League World and set after the League has become an established and successful group. The players choices in this arc will determine the state of Chicago and most of the Midwest in terms of crime. As a whole the series is meant to be more "grounded" and "realistic" even with regards to supernatural elements and superpowers; and features a tone that is not overly idealistic nor depressingly cynical. It examines the effects, cultural, political, and more that come out of massive power being invested in relatively few and how that ripples out into a world much like our own. Superpowers effect more than crime-fighting and players will see how the Awakening has lead to everything from new religions to superpowered movie stars.

Players will be able to play superhumans akin to comic-book superheros, supernatural beings that live in a world of myth and legend along with our own, and ordinary humans that were either empowered through scientific means or are simply extraordinary individuals. Player choice is a cornerstone of the roleplay and players have an extremely wide array of choices with regards to their characters and the actions they take, though those actions will always come with consequences. There is no guarantee of success and players can ruin the world as much as save it, and their own characters will be affected by the choices they make either physically or psychologically. Character building and world building are other essential features, and these characters will grow as they move through the world and build relationships with eachother. And with the players I plan to create a vivid world that will be interesting to play in for a long, long time.

Who will you be? You can be a vigilante or a public hero. An established veteran or newly empowered rookie. A moral paragon or a cynical pragmatist. You can be a superppowered celebrity looking for more fame or a lowly citizen that just wants to do the right thing. You have nearly unlimited choices in how you can make a unique, vivid, individual. You can even make their own rogues gallery and a supporting NPC or two.

Now I just need some interested players.

MrDidact Member

The Watcher on the Wall

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