TheWendil

High Ground Online

@Lonewolf685

Accepted. Yours are also fine to play in the CS Tab, @The 42nd Gecko and @Awesomoman64.

High Ground Online

@Awesomoman64

Accepted.

High Ground Online

@The 42nd Gecko

Accepted.

High Ground Online

~Characters~

_{"The world never learns from its sins."
[ ♫ ]}

^{CHARACTER SHEET TEMPLATE}

• Appearance: Self-explanatory and must include your Avatar appearance and out of game appearance.
• Name: Self-explanatory.
• HGO Title: Your Avatar name in HGO. The first word must relate to a color in some way.
• Age: Self-explanatory. Given HGO's nature as an ARG, your character will be moving around alot so use common sense in what age group is playing HGO.
• Level: The level cap for starting out are levels 1-3.
• Weapon: Which of the three weapon groups will you choose. Which sub-category of said group will you master.
• Junction Drive: Abilities are broad. As long as they’re not game-breaking, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Inventory: Any support or offensive items your character may have in the game. You are allowed three.
• Background: A quick summary of your character thus far and why they’re playing HGO.
• Other: Optional. Anything else not mentioned above that you may wish to add goes here.

CS Skeleton Code

[b][color=b7ffff]• Appearance:[/color][/b] Self-explanatory and must include your Avatar appearance and out of game appearance.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Name:[/color][/b] Self-explanatory.
[b][color=b7ffff]• HGO Title:[/color][/b] Your Avatar name in HGO. The first word must relate to a color in some way.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Age:[/color][/b] Self-explanatory. Given HGO's nature as an ARG, your character will be moving around alot so use common sense in what age group is playing HGO.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Level:[/color][/b] The level cap for starting out are levels 1-3.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Weapon:[/color][/b] Which of the three weapon groups will you choose. Which sub-category of said group will you master.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Junction Drive:[/color][/b] Abilities are broad. As long as they’re not game-breaking, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Inventory:[/color][/b] Any support or offensive items your character may have in the game. You are allowed three.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Background:[/color][/b] A quick summary of your character thus far and why they’re playing HGO.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Other:[/color][/b] Optional. Anything else not mentioned above that you may wish to add goes here.

^{Scarlet Scourgers 🗡}

• Scorch Spiriah
• Graphite Daze

^{Cobalt Crusaders ⍣}

• Phantom Bullet
• Saffron Star
• Royal Ranger
• Black Cat

^{Golden Guardians ❖}

• Cyber Cyrus
• Pestilent Emerald
• Ochre Automaton

^{Solo Players ☠}

High Ground Online

_{"Bullets and resolve are the two absolutes of this world."
[ ♫ ]}

Seventy years. Seventy years, give or take, was all it took for the world to move on as all things should. The long shadow cast by Deep Ground Online has finally faded into obscurity, a blotched mark on the history of humanity. With it came greater understanding and humility and seventy years later, the world advanced. Technology flourishes in abundance now that the World Government has since disbanded in decades. The world returns once again to a familiar system, one that placates independence without the reliance of virtual reality.

All the same, the leisure of games is still universal, and the youth are as restless as always. In commemoration of a long line of success, a spiritual successor to the once infamous game has been released and marketed. Its name is High Ground Online; HGO. While some may find it in poor taste, the recollections of what is now known as the Deep Ground Incident has long since faded into unconscious memory. The world promises to be better, as it should.

And so, the mantle falls onto a new generation. HGO promises to utilize virtual simulation technology in a massive ARG that promises realism and depth unlike anything ever seen before. Some things never change though; while the game is just barely racing to release worldwide, it has already been almost a year since its integration into Japan. Within the confines of Neo Miso, those who’ve become enamored in the game praise it of its intricate gameplay and high-stakes action.

Even so, there are sins to be atoned. The world cannot run away from its past crimes so easily. As a new chapter dawns upon those few of the digital world, the lines between reality and simulation become lost and blurred beyond perception. What will you do when the time comes to separate the two? The possibilities are limitless, and the future of gaming awaits. At what cost, who can say for sure.

Welcome to High Ground Online.

Setting

High Ground Online takes place far flung into the distant future. Residing in the futuristic city of Neo Miso, you will be enjoying the pleasures and experiences brought about by HGO before the rest of the world. Lucky you. Being an ARG, or, alternate reality game, HGO relies on state-of-the-art virtual simulations to bring a new level of realism to the gaming experience. Pocketed all over the city are several Hubs where players can log on instantly and enter their Avatar states, entering the game.

From there, the world around them can be influenced and interacted with, but only in these designated areas. Your safety comes above all else and so HGO can only be accessed and logged into via the appropriate Hubs and other such areas. Boss Raids, Dungeons, PvP Arenas, and others are all designated markers placed for your convenience. With no time to waste, grab hold of the future and enter the new level of systemized gaming.

High Ground Online Lore

“It was some time in the late century when massive dimensional gates opened into our world. There were always those who had a hunch, but at long last there was confirmation that we weren’t alone in the universe. In fact, we were only part of something bigger, something much grander. And that “something” wanted nothing more than conquest and domination. We knew nothing of their origin, nothing of their schemes and ambitions. Only the name burned into our memories, etched into our bones by their ruination.

The Unival. We know they come from a higher dimension, perhaps one higher than our own understanding. We also know they send monsters to our world in the hopes of taking us by force. Biological weapons, technological nightmares, and all manners of horrible creations from different worlds sent crawling into ours. It’s only up to us, the brave few and low standing to fight back the great threat and reclaim our planet as our own.

Divided as we may be, humanity has faced greater and will not bend the knee to intergalactic bullies. No, we stand resolute against all odds, gifted with weapons and a special prowess found latent in the human DNA coding called the Junction Drive to overcome all trials. With these blessings we will put an end to the Unival threat once and for all by any means necessary. Will you join with us, the brave few of the Colored Guild? Or will you perish in the fires of enemy victory?”

-High Ground Online Blurb

Factions

Despite the Colored Guild united under one common goal, opposing ideologies has separated humanity into three rival Factions. Each one is led by a Colored Captain and Deputy, leading their Faction to victory. The strive for resources and materials in gaining higher levels has placed an intense rivalry among the three Factions. Sometimes the biggest threats come not from the Unival, but from within. Which Faction will you fight and die for? Or do you dare to play it solo?

Scarlet Scourgers

The Red Faction of the Scarlet Starters are perhaps the most aggressive of the Colored Guild. Led by an equally battle-hardened Captain, this Faction specializes in PvP combat and engaging other players. Strength and victory in combat is the name of the game here and a perfect place for players who seek the thrill of spurned rivalry.

Cobalt Crusaders

The Blue Faction of the Cobalt Crusaders acknowledges the ever-increasing threat of the Unival. As such, this Faction primarily focuses on PvE as well as clearing out Dungeons and Raids. Exterminating the Unival threat means everything to the Cruisers. Led by an equally cool-headed Captain, they seek not the immediate victory, but a battle won of attrition.

Golden Guardians

The Yellow Faction of the Golden Guardians enjoy the deep narrative provided by HGO and are always casting out theories of which direction the game will take its story next. Often considered the most player friendly of the Factions, the Guardians are the most knowledgeable of HGO’s world and lore, often finding the secrets within the puzzles faster than anyone else. Led by an equally laid-back Captain, they are the first in clearing story-related quests.

Weapons and Junction Drive

HGO allows players a single weapon and a single unique ability that is wholly their own. With the proper leveling and prowess, one can excel at the game and become the best in this ever-conflicting battle against the other Factions and the Unival. Your weapon and your Junction Drive determine your fate against and among your peers.

Guns

Guns are the bread and butter of HGO and the overall appeal of its predecessor. Excelling in long-range combat, guns are reliable and more efficient than any old blade or faulty AI. There are two types of guns available to players within the game. Energy weapons are best at killing Unival and other non-human threats while Bullet-based weapons are better against other players.

Blades

There’s something to be said about the classic archetype of blades and heroes. Of course, in the world of HGO and especially against the Unival threat, nobody really uses Blades. Not really. Only the most honed and skilled-and maybe reckless-dare to pick up the art of the blade with trial and error. There are two types of blades available to players. Metal blades have higher endurance and more strength but lack versatility when pitted against firearms. Energy blades excel in killing potential and speed at the cost of being easily drained.

Drones

Drones are handy in many situations and are considered the “support” weapons in HGO. Able to be mounted with bullet-type guns, they can be used for a variety of supportive skills. More importantly, when a player uses their Junction Drive, it is cast only on their drone buddy so be wary and think real hard before committing to the drone life. Only those who seek to help from the backlines should consider them. There are two types drones available to players. Aerial drones have more maneuverability while Ground has higher payloads and endurance.

Junction Drive

Nobody knows when the first Junction Drive was awakened, but as soon as people were discovering they had powers, they were immediately recruited into the Colored Guild to fight off the Unival invasion. The Golden Guardians probably know a thing or two about it but who can say for sure? The Junction Drive acts as a special ability to players in HGO wholly unique to them. Much like their weapons, players are only granted one at the beginning of the game and must learn to utilize it to the best of their abilities and playstyles.

Characters

^{CHARACTER SHEET TEMPLATE}

• Appearance: Self-explanatory and must include your Avatar appearance and out of game appearance.
• Name: Self-explanatory.
• HGO Title: Your Avatar name in HGO. The first word must relate to a color in some way.
• Age: Self-explanatory. Given HGO's nature as an ARG, your character will be moving around alot so use common sense in what age group is playing HGO.
• Level: The level cap for starting out are levels 1-3.
• Weapon: Which of the three weapon groups will you choose. Which sub-category of said group will you master.
• Junction Drive: Abilities are broad. As long as they’re not game-breaking, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Inventory: Any support or offensive items your character may have in the game. You are allowed three.
• Background: A quick summary of your character thus far and why they’re playing HGO.
• Other: Optional. Anything else not mentioned above that you may wish to add goes here.

CS Skeleton Code

[b][color=b7ffff]• Appearance:[/color][/b] Self-explanatory and must include your Avatar appearance and out of game appearance.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Name:[/color][/b] Self-explanatory.
[b][color=b7ffff]• HGO Title:[/color][/b] Your Avatar name in HGO. The first word must relate to a color in some way.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Age:[/color][/b] Self-explanatory. Given HGO's nature as an ARG, your character will be moving around alot so use common sense in what age group is playing HGO.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Level:[/color][/b] The level cap for starting out are levels 1-3.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Weapon:[/color][/b] Which of the three weapon groups will you choose. Which sub-category of said group will you master.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Junction Drive:[/color][/b] Abilities are broad. As long as they’re not game-breaking, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Inventory:[/color][/b] Any support or offensive items your character may have in the game. You are allowed three.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Background:[/color][/b] A quick summary of your character thus far and why they’re playing HGO.
[b][color=b7ffff]• Other:[/color][/b] Optional. Anything else not mentioned above that you may wish to add goes here.

High Ground Online

Codex of Terms

Username Context

I misspelled "Windell".

Emerald City

---

If Jeremy was intending to annoy her, Pepper wouldn’t fill the satisfaction of his goal. Instead, she twitched her eye in a slight glimmer of irritation but ignored it all the same. Better to let the newbie in town get a feel for things before putting him in his place. And besides, he hadn’t badmouthed the theater directly, so all was well and good. With a shrug, she led the group on over to their destination.

Needless to say, getting into the community center was easy, seeing as everyone was expected to file in. It was leaving that felt more like a prison, Pepper feeling like the authorities all around were judging them. Maybe she was just psyching herself out, but it was a fair enough assertion. After all, the mayor’s daughter was probably dead and that meant full face there was a murderer in their quaint little town. A place as small as this and there was high chance the killer was among them even now…

Or maybe she was just giving herself an excuse not to listen. That was a fair judgement too because by the time Pepper realized what was happening, it sounded like the speeches were all over anyway. There was questioning and updates given but all was rendered moot when the mayor had to run for something. Maybe he left the stove on, as cliché as that sounded. Hands behind her head and leaning back, Pepper yawned before catching Jeremy’s eye.

“Eh?” She slowly straightened up her posture, ignoring how fake-looking his leaning was coming across as. “Dunno. Personally, I was never close to her. She seemed like she was on a pedestal sometimes, what being the mayor’s daughter and all.” A pause as Pepper considered her words, thinking harder. “But I mean like, she was a nice enough person from what I heard. Came to the theater so you know, decent enough. Didn’t deserve whatever happened to her, if that’s what you’re poking at.”

---

Tower of Fable

---

To abandon one’s own team, their own Guild, so readily was nothing short of bold. But Rose’s spirit called for no less and if anything, it showed the rest of Black Pentacle what truly resided in her soul. A pirate was a scumbag, no matter how glossed up they were. But it was often those bottom feeders who wound up festering the most valuable treasure. By choice or chance, that was how the world turned.

Perhaps then, the coming events would be of no true coincidence. The rest of her companions would be forced to listen to Eleonor’s boring introductions. No doubt they would learn how this shattered world worked, the rules in place of it, and the function of those fancy-looking books by their side. Rose would miss all of this, assuming she cared about it to begin with. A pirate could and usually would learn by experience anyway and so too would Rose follow that creed.

Eleonor’s manor wasn’t too far off from their spawning point and so before she knew it, Rose had walked back into the village of Rivenwood. Maybe she was the only one of them to realize Kanbaru had gone missing and had set off to find her blue-haired companion. Whatever the case, she wouldn’t be granted such luck so easily, not when it was a busy hour for the village occupants. Rivenwood buzzed with the noises of daily life all around.

Each one of them set about doing things villagers usually did; that was neither here nor there in the grand scheme of events. No, what did matter, most of all, was that Rose was bumped. Rather rudely too, the figure dressed in a coat and bouncing off Rose. Whether the Black Pentacle member would fall from the force or not depended on her reaction. What was certain though, was that Rose would get a good look at the person who ran into her.

“Hey, watch where you’re going kid,” the coated figure said. The voice was distinctly feminine. Without seeing a face, it was easy to deduce she might have been a fair bit older than Rose. What was most interesting was the coat she wore, the same dark one both the Mystery Dude and the Mysterious Figure held. Only, this woman wasn’t speaking in riddles-yet-or getting ready to kick Rose’s face in. But she did sound a little annoyed, dusting her coat off while a card flopped out of her sleeve onto the ground, backside facing Rose.

---

Tower of Fable

---

_{"Darkness is where the Heart is."}

---

Caprice spoke softly when she leaned forward to perform her trick as Cait let her, not wanting to harm in case those ears weren't just for show. "Such delightfully large ears can get awfully messy, no?" Caprice smirked as she performed the classic 'quarter in the ear' trick, only this time, pulling forth a light blue glazed and yellow sprinkled donut that matched Cait's hair and eyes. "One for you and one for me!" She pulled a second donut out from behind the first, this time with a black glaze and red sprinkles, before offering the donut that matched Cait.

As she was proclaimed leader and "named" the group, Hannah could not help some surprise creep into her eyes. Fortunately for her, that's what Caprice's mask was for. No matter.

"Actually, we'll take the second. The Crimson Pact. It sounds delightfully romantic, with the castles and moonlight. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble, and besides.." Caprice's tone hovered over the Crimson Pact, savoring the words for a moment, before she scooted herself off her chair. Her cane mysteriously missing, she posed for an officious statement, with her left hand over her heart. But her right hand was palming back a single card between her fingers. "As a Magician of Honor and Integrity, I despise cheating in all it's forms." However, despite her proclamation, each time the card was face up to the onlookers, it was a new card. First, Queen of Clubs, but it was Cait. Second, Queen of Diamonds, but it was Lin. Third, Queen of Hearts, but it was Rosea. Finally, Queen of Spades, but it was Sherry. Caprice herself was absent from the gallery.

“Neat tricks, ‘magician'.“ Lin scoffed at the sleight of hand being displayed by her new “leader”. “But I hope you can cast real spells. We’re not headed to any birthday parties here.” Removing herself from the bar, Lin stepped towards the bounty board to get a better look at the options before them. “Still, I have to agree with you on where we should go. You girls can go sightseeing all you want but like I said, I’m here for treasure. If I have to cut the profits four ways fine, but I’m not doing it with the scraps left behind by another group.”

"Well, this place got crowded faster than a subway during the rush hour," Sherry said before letting out a hearty laugh while scratching the back of her head. "Hi there, I'm Sherry. I can't say that I'm here for fame or fortune, but I certainly would like to find some cool places to visit so I'll be looking forward to working with ya'll," she said, introducing herself in a cheerful tone.

After her self-introduction, Sherry moved to the mission board and took a look at the quest the others were proposing before nodding silently. "Yep, it looks alright. If that's what you guys wanna do, I'm fine with it. So, how about we get going while the idea is fresh?" she asked, looking at the others, especially their appointed leader.

"Certainly, let us depart. Caprice, by the way." Caprice turned the card in her hands sideways to be invisible before flicking it away as she introduced herself.

As one by one each member of the newly appointed White Masks introduced themselves, the front door of the Dangeki Cafe would grow brighter around its hinges. Similar to Black Pentacle's own experience, a single step through the door would take them forward into a new world, a new floor within the Tower. "Good luck you all~" was Cait's parting words, licking her fingers idly of some residue pastry frosting before the world around them changed and shifted. At once, the air was immediately colder and the sky, if there even was one, was a translucent darkness held lit by only a singular object; a moon as red as freshly spilt blood.

It was a blessing the Tower didn't have a cruel sense of irony-yet-because the place the White Masks had been dumped into was a small village. Judging by the decor and overall atmosphere of the place, it was easy enough to deduce the location lived up to the expectations and implications of its quest line. Indeed, the Crimson World held many wonders, vastly strange and unique from their ordinary lives in Miso City. And as they stood there, probably gawking, the reminder that this was all very much real and prevelant would come in the form of a shaking, feral roar that resounded around their spots in the graves.

The roar gave Caprice pause, as she took a defensive half-step backwards, before letting out a slight tisk at her own slip. "It seems we are unwelcome guests, no? Perhaps we should seek out whatever manor or castle appears to be the most prominent. If there are any misunderstandings, speaking to the ones in charge might clear them up, and if we will simply face battle, then the quicker we get to our objective, the fresher we'll be for it."

Turning to the nearest building, Caprice whipped out her candycane once more, tapping it on the ground. A framework of candy canes began building the framework of a stair up to the roof of the structure. Then, a second tap and "planks" of some other sort of hard candy fell into place. Walking up to the roof, she looked around for any particularly impressive buildings that might indicate great wealth and power.

The roaring that shook the land did not stop. If anything, the bellows seemed to get louder and more ravenous but they were already brought to the highest pitch. That was because whatever was causing them came from the White Masks' surroundings. The ground around them shuddered and trembled as the gravestones turned in their rooted keeps. It was difficult to make out before but now it was all too clear; in place of where a name and words should have been, there was only a carved mouth filled with rows of teeth. So great were the number that it was hard to imagine how these things ate, especially with how much was sticking out their maws. Slowly, they hobbled towards the group of adventurers, dirt trailing behind them as the gravestones moved like teeth in the earth. Some of them, those closest to Caprice, were already starting to bite and gnaw on her candy cane stairway, making the structure dip and bend.

"Woah, things got grave all of a sudden," Sherry joked after being startled by the ravenous headstones. "I don't know where we are but I don't think that this has anything to do with us being unwelcome here," she added, following their leader but not before having to hop over the graves that devoured their way out.

“Whoa! I guess we're getting right into it then." Lin said as the group was suddenly swarmed by living tombstones. Though her basic instincts told her to run, something inside her urged her to fight. It was perplexing. She had no weapons or abilities to her knowledge, yet no matter how much her mind screamed for her to run, her feet stayed still on the ground. Her emotions spinning between fight or flight, while the others took action. Finally, she decided to give into the aggressive feelings.

With a scan of the impending hoard, Lin found the closest headstone and charged forward. As the distance closed, she planted her left foot in the ground and brought the right back then launched forward towards the animated grave marker. The second her kick made contact the slab of stone was reduced to a shower of pebbles.

"Holy shit I hit like a truck!" Lin exclaimed under her breath as she lowered her foot back and assumed a classic martial arts stance. "Alright then. Come get some you stoney bastards!"

---