Soldiers. Outlaws. Heroes. Murderers. The lines are not just blurred, but broken.
The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began “coming up Latent,” developing terrifying powers—summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. And beings not seen for millennia have reappeared. Overnight the rules changed. Wars broke out, nations collapsed, and the course of human history had been irreversibly altered.
Magic in America
In the United States of America, the rules have changed. Dozens of innocents died when a Latent's magical tide overwhelmed him, causing him to go Nova and explode. The Bloch Incident lead to the McGauer-Linden Act which sought to classify and crack down severely on Latent individuals. All Latent-Americans are required to register their abilities, or school of magic, to the Federal Government. They are forced to either serve in the Supernatural Operations Corps, the SOC; or undergo extensive monitoring, a condition little better than imprisonment. All magical activity outside of the SOC is strictly forbidden. Those who refuse become fugitives and are known as Selfers. Selfers are pursued with extreme prejudice, and very often captured or killed by SOC Operatives. Some Latents Manifested abilities that were made illegal due to the McGauer-Linden Act, such as werewolves or necromancers. Members of these Prohibited Schools, known as Probes, are branded outlaws regardless of their actions. By Law, Probes are to be executed.
The Manifested now have a choice: obey or resist. And this conflict has torn apart the country. SOC Operatives are on constant lookout for Selfers and other Latents who break the law. Separatists from the Apache Nation and other tribes have broken off from their reservations and initiated a full-scale insurrection in the American Southwest. Mexico has erupted into full scale civil war between the now magic-powered Cartels and the government, and the violence is only barely contained by the SOC. New York City is home to the Houston Street Selfers, the largest organized Selfer group apart from the Separatists, and their presence has both polarized the public and led to increasing militarization of the city. Every day more and more citizens Manifest. Those who can't control their powers cause disaster while other Selfers use their abilities to murder and steal. Probes such as the Witches and Warlocks either embrace their pariah status or live in constant fear of death. And across the world, regimes rise and fall as magic wreaks havoc on the world order.
Though the SOC Operatives are commonly considered ruthless and brutal, often rightly, most agree that they are the only thing standing between the order and chaos. SOC Operatives combat foreign enemies and reign in magic at home. These Operatives are organized into schools and assigned to Covens, they abandon their civilian lives and dedicate themselves to the US government. SOC Operatives are made officers of the military and are given codenames which effectively replace their birth names. SOC Operatives undergo rigorous training to control their magic as well as receiving special forces training. A Selfer may have raw power but Operatives learn to control their emotions, keeping their magic from overwhelming them, and in the process manipulating magic with unmatched skill and refinement.
However the SOC is stretched thin, fighting on many fronts, and struggling to keep pace with rising threats. The leaders of the SOC created a black ops team of Latent soldiers, the best that the organization has to offer. And contrary to the law, Shadow Coven recruits Probes, Selfers, and Latents who dabble in forbidden practices such as blood magic and shapeshifting. These conscripts, who are hired as "contractors" through the mysterious Entertech corporation, are practically slaves and their existence is a state secret. Shadow Coven undergoes the most dangerous and sensitive operations, undertaking missions which are often illegal and near-suicidal in nature. But for many of those in Shadow Covens, the only other option is death.
The Apache Seperatists: Though made of dissidents from several tribes, the backbone of the Separatist movement is made up of those who split off from the Apache Nation. Native American groups often Manifest magical ability at a much higher rate than other demographics, and this statistical mystery was exploited by the down-trodden and disillusioned among the Native American Tribes. The Separatists declared their sovereignty from the United States government. The Latent and the Mundane took up the call to arms, and the American Southwest was torn apart by war between the loyalist and separatist tribes, with the whole region occupied by US military forces. The SOC has superior resources, equipment, training, and support and have been able to contain the Insurrection. But the Separatists have invoked ancient spirits and deities to assist them, and with their arcane support stubbornly resist the SOC. The war has only lasted a few years but there have been thousands of casualties on both sides, and the death toll continues to rise. Nobody knows how long the bloodshed will last, but neither side shows signs of giving up.
The Houston Street Selfers: Though based in New York, Houston Street is a national movement. Using the internet and mystic channels, Houston Street has organized a vast secret web of Selfers across the nation. Houston Street offers support for Selfers on the run and is growing into a tangible community. Houston Street has cells in every major city along with sympathizers in Canada. Instead of separating from the US, their stated goal is abolish the McGauer-Linden Act and reform how magic is practiced in America. The group has many supporters and has performed many humanitarian acts such as healing the sick or feeding the hungry. However, Houston Street has a dark side. The group has become increasingly militant and they are implicated in numerous deaths of law enforcement officers, military personnel, and government officials. They have many members who utilize forbidden techniques and a growing number of their members support Latent superiority over the Mundane, not just equality. Their operations often cause collateral damage and result in civilian casualties. Many are torn on the issue of whether Houston Street are freedom fighters or terrorists, but the SOC considers them one of the greatest threats to national security.
Netherworld: Unlike the Separatists or Houston Street, the Netherworld is not a unified or cohesive organization but a collective of groups and individuals. And unlike both movements, the Netherworld has no political or social message. The purpose of Netherworld is profit. They are a new breed of criminal that embraces the use of magic. These magic-affiliated criminals have effectively dominated organized crime in the US. The affiliates have wildly differing goals and ambitions, but a code of conduct has developed among them. The most powerful kingpins in Netherworld effectively formed a treaty on how business is performed among the collective, creating a set of guidelines to minimize bloodshed and maximize profit. This accord also allows cooperation against the efforts of Law Enforcement agencies and the SOC. The rules are few but those who break them are often swiftly punished. The SOC has managed to bring down many arcane criminals, but the collective as a whole continues to operate. Netherworld's connections have even reached an international scale, attracting business from smugglers, drug cartels, and many more. Being part of Netherworld can be lethal, but it is often profitable.
All magic is derived from the Source, an extradimensional plane of existence. A Sorcerer is a Conduit for magical energy from the Source. Their magical tide allows them to pull energy from the Source and from their body, a process known as Drawing. The Sorcerer then Binds the magic into a cohesive form or an object such as an Aeromancer firing a lightning bolt or a Pyromancer setting something ablaze. Sorcerers are the most common type of Latent. The following is just a sampling of the many magical schools recognized by the United States government, both legal and prohibited. Magic is the direct application of the Sorcerer's will and the binding of magical energy to said Sorcerer's realm of power. And though many magical schools are incredibly diverse, it is a proven adage that a Sorcerer can only truly become a master in a few disciplines and not all of them. It should be noted that new schools of Magic are continually being discovered and it seems that magic truly has no limits.
Legal Schools: The following are the schools permitted under the McGauer-Linden Act, and the vast majority of Latents fall into the following categories.
- Pyromancy: The control and manipulation of fire, Pyromancers are immune to flame and can cast extreme torrents of fire. They can also manipulate existence flames and intensify them. Pyromancers can blast fire in short bursts designed to singe or long streams that can melt through steel. Like any of the Elemantal schools, Pyromancers can create a non-sentient golem of their element that requires direct control. Pyromancy may not be as diverse as other schools, but it remains both extremely common and extremely lethal. They are the go-to fire support units in SOC operations.
- Hydromancy: The manipulation of water in all forms. A hydromancer can create liquid water, shift mist, and freeze objects with their abilities. There are many creative uses for Hydromancy and enterprising Sorcerers in this school have been known to swim underwater for hours on end or drain the moisture directly from targets. Hydromancy is incredibly versatile and useful in both assault and logistical roles.
- Terramancy: The control of earth and flora. A Terramancer can manipulate the bare ground and all variety of plant life. Terramancers are also known as Druids. Terramancers are on the most diverse schools, their magic even allows them to communicate with animals in a process known as Whispering. Whispering is however strictly prohibited by the McGauer-Linden Act, for perceived cruelty to animals. Terramancers are the ultimate support unit, though their magic is more than adequate for destroying their enemies.
- Aeromancy: Aeromancy is an extremely potent ability. Aeromancers are able to change heat or cool the air, retain or discharge moisture in the air, or gust it at terrific speeds. As a result Aeromancers can create small weather clouds, shoot strong bursts of air, or dramatically drop temperatures. Aeromancers can also agitate particles of air to release electricity and can manipulate air currents to fly. Aeromancers are among the most mobile of Sorcerers and their offensive skills are great.
- Physiomancy: Also known as Body Magic. Physiomancers have the ability to manipulate living flesh. A skilled Physiomancer can heal a wide variety of ailments and wounds that would be considered lethal. In addition to healing, Physiomaners can also voluntarily morph living bodies or inflict damage unto living tissue instead of healing it. There are few Physiomancers who can Shapeshift themselves or others and it is a strictly prohibited practice. More common but more infamous is the practice of Rending, where a Physiomancer uses their power to wound or kill. In America, the only legal form of Physiomancy is healing.
- Portamancy: Portamancers are extremely rare, and their abilities are highly sought after. A Portamancer can open a hole between dimensions allowing them to visit the Source. From there a Portamancer can open a portal back to any location in our dimension that they can visualize. A Portamancer can use their portal to randomly draw a creature or being from the Source to protect them on Earth and the opposite is true. Portamancers can only open one portal at a time but they control it's diameter and shape. Portals can instantly cut through any inorganic material, and if left in organic matter long enough, will cut it as well. Portamancy is highly valued and their activity is strictly controlled by the government.
- Enchantment: A highly versatile art, an Enchanter's tide allows them to Draw the tide of another Sorcerer and bind it to themselves or another being or object. An Enchanter could for example, leech from a Hydromancer and give himself the ability to release a single water attack, freeze a single target directly, or Bind the water magic to an object and use said object for multiple utilities. Enchanters are mainly used to augment military equipment with extremely potent results.
- Alchemy: Alchemists have the ability to transmutate one physical element into another. They can turn lead into gold, water into acid, and oxygen into methane. Their ability just like all other magical powers, can only directly affect organic material with great effort. Alchemists are incredibly useful in military operations both on and off the field, and several corporate groups petition the government to allow their use in the private sector.
- Telekinesis: Also known as Force Magic. A Telekinetic can use their abilities to move themselves, other beings, and objects and direct them with their mind with incredible force. A telekinetic can levitate, throw heavy objects at high speed, and punch through solid barriers using raw force. Some use telekinesis to augment their physical performance, punching with far greater strength and performing incredible feats of agility. Others use telekinesis to fly or move across short distances at blinding speed. A telekinetic can form an invisible but solid barrier of force around them to protect themselves from danger. Telekinetics must strain greatly to directly affect living beings, like any other Sorcerer, but it is known that they can kill with their minds as Renders can. Such lethal techniques, known as warping, are prohibited.
- Suppression: The most common of the schools, a Suppressor has the ability to impede the tide of magic and temporarily nullify a Sorcerer's abilities. A Suppressor is made when an individual becomes Latent, but their Manifestation is not powerful enough to develop into a full-on school. Suppression is a technique that can technically be used by any Sorcerer, but they cannot use their own abilities and suppress at the same time. However with rigorous training, a Suppressor can stop the tide of vastly more powerful schools. Suppressors form a vital function in the SOC structure, their intimate affinity with the Source allows them to identify a Sorcerer by his school and detect magical tides from long ranges. They are used to disable weaker Selfers and can stop another SOC Sorcerer from becoming overtaxed and going Nova. A Suppressor can only target one other Sorcerer's tide but multiple Suppressors can work in tandem to suppress particularly strong tides. Extremely talented Suppressors can not only nullify another Sorcerer, but temporarily steal their tide and use their abilities but this practice, known as leeching, is forbidden.
Prohibited Schools: Magical techniques such as Whispering, Shapeshifting, Rending, Warping, and Leeching are all outlawed but they are not proper schools. However, these techniques and the Prohibited Schools are strictly forbidden because of their perceived moral issues. In the United States of America, the use of Prohibited Magic is a capital offense. Unfortunately, simply Manifesting in a Prohibited school qualifies as a violation. Despite their power, the life of a Probe in America is an incredible trial. Assuming, they survive capture by the SOC.
- Mentamancy: The ability for a Sorcerer to see into and communicate with other sentient minds. They are often simply referred to as Mentalists or Telepaths. A Telepath can enter an untrained mind at will and sift through their thoughts and memories. However it takes a skilled practitioner to process the stimulus and non-telepaths can train their mind to resist infiltration, and other Sorcerers are incredibly difficult to target. A mentamancer can twist a target's perceptions and create vivid illusions. Others can assault minds directly with mental blasts to stun, disable, or even kill. Others can use their abilities to subtly persuade and influence targets, but outright mind control is possible if the mind isn't strong enough. And some Mentamancers can imbue strong emotion in others, placing thoughts of rage or fear as well as joy and love. Despite their utility, all disciplines of Mentamancy are prohibited and the Mundane fear the invisible bogeyman of unknown telepaths in their midst.
- Clairvoyancy: A Clairvoyant's particular abilities allows their minds to transcend the human body's limitations to three-dimensional space. While most can only see across the world, some can see into the past, and others into the future. However sending their mind through time is incredibly arduous, requiring the Clairvoyant to have a firm link to past events in order to view them. They would have to hold the murder weapon or stand at the scene of the crime in order to access past events, otherwise they risk being lost in history. However with the right tools, a skilled Clairvoyant could theoretically look back hundreds and even thousands of years. Accessing the future presents a different problem. The future is incredibly murky and the more a Clairvoyant searches, the more unclear their vision becomes. Most cannot see past a few minutes. Those who strain too far, looking ahead days or weeks, often go insane. Occasionally a Clairvoyant will receive visions of the past, present, and future during their dreams and their limits are temporarily lifted. Because of their perceptive powers, Clairvoyants have been branded threats to national security and their entire school is prohibited.
- Summoning: The art of directly communicating with the spirit world. A Summoner can draw the spirits of the dead and spiritual beings from the spirit world. The Summoner can converse with them, persuade them to do his bidding, or directly draw them into the physical world and trap them in a vessel. These vessels or charms, depending on the strength of the spirit and its nature, can enhance physical abilities and magical aptitude as well as a wide variety of other effects. Summoners can draw beings such as Banshees or Wraiths to attack their enemies with sufficient persuasion. And they can bind a newly dead spirit into it's original body, creating a sentient undead being. These beings are known as Revenants but operate out of the Summoner's control. Because of various religious groups and the uncomfortable existential questions that Summoners raise, the entire school is forbidden.
- Necromancy: Necromancy differs from Summoning because the Sorcerer does not draw in spirits. Instead, the Necromancer has total control over any and all dead flesh. A Necromancer could use an entire graveyard as his puppets. These undead soldiers are direct extensions of the Necromancer's will and require his constant control. And unlike hollywood movies, the undead will keep moving until either the body is completely unusable or the Necromancer is disabled. The undead have no pain, and experience no fatigue. Their use as inhumanly strong and almost unstoppable foot soldiers is highly potent. Not only is Necromancy highly dangerous, it is seen as a moral outrage by many in the public and the school is forbidden.
- Elementalism: An Elementalist possesses the power of creation. They can take energies in motion such as fire or lightning, or solid elements such as metal or stone and bring them to life. The environment becomes an Elementalist's army. The Sorcerer can create his or her creations to any appearance and they obey their will. However while other elemental schools must assume direct control of their golems, Elementalist golems have sentience. They operate with the Sorcerer's guidance but with full intelligence. The only limit to how many elementals, the Sorcerer can create is their willpower. However should the Elementalist be disabled, their creations are all killed. And there can be no mistake that these Elementals are alive. Because Elementalists are perceived to be playing God with the use of their powers, their school is forbidden.
- Lycanthropy: The ability for a Sorcerer to achieve temporary metamorphosis. These Sorcerers turn from ordinary humans into hulking monstrosities. While they do not have the fine control of a Shapeshifter, Lycanthropes make up for it with their sheer power. Lycanthropes come in many varieties and their breeds include werewolves and werebears along with beings such as Harpies, Minotaurs, Mermen, and Satyrs. A Lycanthrope will regenerate wounds at an incredible rate, possesses extraordinary strength, keen animal senses, an array of natural weapons, and nearly unstoppable rage. A Lycanthrope surrenders their rational mind to the tide of magic, with dangerous effects. A Lycanthrope's power increases with their immersion in extreme emotion like any other arcane school. However, most Lycanthropes cannot control their emotions and become slaves to their urges. Some become unstoppable beserkers while others are controlled by blind lust or greed. Because of their dangerous nature, Lycanthropes are hunted down by the SOC.
- Negramancy: One of the rarest, and almost certainly the most dangerous of all magical schools let alone Prohibited Schools. Negramancers, sometimes called Witches and Warlocks, control Entropy Magic. Their powers simply revolve around destruction and decay. With their will, they can rust metal, rot plants, and turn buildings to dust. With enough effort, they can even affect humans, allowing them to slowly mortify and decay flesh until the person is nothing but a husk or puddle of goo. Negramancers are capable of incredible destruction, their powers have no counter besides Suppression. If they were powerful enough, a lone Negramancer could take out a whole unit of soldiers. Because their school almost completely lacks legitimate uses, Negramancy is prohibited and all confirmed Witches and Warlocks are at the top of SOC's priority list.
The Titan Program: One of the military's most closely guarded secrets, the Titan program seeks to turn Mundane humans into supersoldiers with the use of magic, specifically Physiomancy. Enchanted and Summoned charms allow regular soldiers to employ arcane capability, but only Physiomancy can directly affect them. The best of the best from across the military are chosen and talented Physiomancers use their powers to bend the human body on an intricate scale. They strengthen muscle, toughen bone, can even modify neural pathways in the brain. The process is long and excruciatingly painful, but those who are able to persevere are changed. Each soldier receives different augmentations based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Many are stronger than ten men. Others can run faster than cheetahs on flat ground. Some have senses that are incredibly fine-tuned, allowing them to see objects miles away or pick up the faintest of scents. The Titans each have varying levels in these areas, but only a certain few have their intelligence enhanced. The precise Phsyiomancy needed to transform a brain is incredibly dangerous and can be lethal. These volunteers are rare because they must both possess incredible intelligence at the onset and have a solid grounding in military skills. But if they survive, they become geniuses. The Titans are completely revolutionary, and the project has the long-term goal of eventually having all combat personnel becoming Titans. Because of this, the Titans see action only in the most dangerous and classified missions, and a large percentage of them serve in Shadow Coven.
Magic has created a new breed of human, men and women that the public sees as Wolves. Shadow Coven is no different, a unit of hardened killers, where many of them are legally dead. But this Wolf Pack will face many trials and tribulations, as it becomes clear that the line between good and evil in the world of magic is almost arbitrary. Shadow Coven is America's most effective against Selfers and other magical threats. But its members must decide whether or not they are on the right side of the war. Shadow Coven's successes, failures, and choices will shape the course of the nation as they choose to either protect the flock or devour it.
This roleplay is based off of the incredibly dark Shadow Ops series by Myke Cole. A few liberties have been taken, mostly with regard to the magic schools, but the roleplay will remain true to the spirit of the series namely the high-octane magic powered combat, grey and gray morality, and examination of the political and cultural effects that magic would have in the modern world. You will play an operative of the Supernatural Operations Corps, the SOC, specifically the highly classified Shadow Coven which is made up of the organization's best operatives and the nation's most dangerous magical criminals.
Working as a team, Shadow Coven will undergo several domestic and foreign missions that target Selfers, Sorcerers who won't bow down to the government, as well as other arcane and mundane threats. Success or failure is entirely up to the efforts of the team, and each character's individual choices can have far-reaching effects. They must face highly dangerous missions and morally difficult dilemmas. Your characters can be grievously injured or killed if you aren't careful but luckily you can play an unlimited amount of characters.
One of the most important aspects of the roleplay will be world-building, and what I have written above is only a taste of what you will discover about Post-Reawakening Earth. Magic has unlimited secrets and the characters will be on the forefront of discoveries. Since the aim of the roleplay is collaborative, you can suggest new concepts for the game such as new magic schools, but many will become available for play as the story develops. This role play is meant to be a shared effort to develop the plot and the world by both myself and you the players.
If any of this appeals to you, please feel free to declare your interest. But if the idea of playing as a black ops soldier armed with high-tech weaponry and the ability to use magic on suicide missions against terrorists, hostile Sorcerers, and magical creatures doesn't appeal to you, than I just can't help you.
I like that you want to put Harley in but I'd like for you to construct your sheet using your own words. Just tweak it a bit so it's all your voice with information that is germane to the roleplay. The bio should be tailored to fit within the world of the DCEU including the new Joker and how she fits in with the Suicide Squad. So do that and you should be fine.
I think it's a good sheet, would you consider tweaking the name a bit to fit Blackout's original codename? I think keeping his original ethnicity would help out team diversity but it's not a critical issue. Those are my only reservations with the character otherwise I like it, so I'd like to hear your own thoughts on those matters.
Chev
