[Forum Game] Capes and Criminals: A Superhero RPG

[oxfordroyale]

Sign Ups are OPEN
#CaC​

Prologue
In 1982, mankind was forever altered by the realization that individuals with extraordinary, incomprehensible abilities now lived among us. We called them metahumans, for humans they were not; while they may have looked like us, beneath their familiar exteriors they harbored inner powers equal parts alien and awe-inspiring. Scientists could not explain them, governments could not control them, and for a time it seemed that modern civilization itself would crumble beneath the strain of this great upheaval.

Thirty-five years later, and the world keeps rolling on. The impossible is now merely the abnormal, reality is stranger than fiction, and figures once firmly confined to the pages of our comic books and television screens have since became integral parts of our society. Caped crusaders patrol our streets and skies, their appearance at the scene of a crime no more bizarre than a police car or an ambulance.

But can these people really protect us? For every cape fighting for the rule of law there are seemingly countless others who would sooner use their powers to fulfill their own needs, desires and goals. Moreover, as they play out their charade of black and white morality, the normal plights of everyday people are forgotten.

It becomes clear that mankind stands at a crossroads. Do superheroes have a future in this new, modern world? Has our reliance on their incredible abilities to solve incredible problems caused us to neglect the equally important mundane challenges that we face, or does the ever-present threat of supernatural violence and destruction still necessitate their role in our society? Is it time for capes to hang up their costumes for good, or will there soon come a day when they are needed more than ever before?

Premise
Hello everyone, and welcome to my second attempt at running a game on the OT Forum (“attempt” being the key word). This game takes place in a universe which closely resembles our own with some notable exceptions, the foremost being that superpowers not only exist, but have become deeply embedded within modern society. My goal for the game’s world was to take many elements from the superhero fiction you know and love and blend them together in a “realistic” setting, something I hope is reflected in the final product.

I’ve always loved forum games that revolve around IC and roleplaying as much as possible, where the action is driven by narrative and player interactions. Therefore, while I will be laying the groundwork and providing catalysts in the form of lore and events, it is the players themselves who will make this game, so to speak. This means that players should expect (and want!) to write lots of IC and create engaging, interesting characters. Players will have a lot of freedom when it comes to how their characters interact both with the game’s setting and with side characters/NPCs, while interaction with your fellow players will require a lot of cooperation through joint-ICs and with me as the GM. There are few hard rules in this game, no formal stats or mechanics; we are playing fast and loose here, so my hope is that it’ll be a fun and creative learning experience for everyone.

I want to to give a small shout-out to @Noco19 for basically creating this genre of game on the OT Forums (to my knowledge) with his Gods Amongst Men series. They were greatly inspiring to me and a big part of why I am doing this now.

Signing Up
If you want to join the game, please make an application following the template and post it in the thread. I will then give formal approval or request edits.

Spoiler: Sign Up Template

Name: Your character’s name.
Alias: If you are a cape of fame or infamy, you might have a name which the public knows you by. Note that if you are a newcomer to the scene, the name you become known by may not be the one you originally had in mind.
Identity: Is your true identity Secret or Known to the public? People knowing your name and face might prove problematic even if you do operate on the right side of the law.
Age: Your character’s age. 18 or over, please and thank you.
Appearance: What does your character look like? This section can also be used to describe costumes.
Abilities: Be specific, and include weaknesses. For more information, refer to the Abilities section below.
Background: What is your character’s story? What is their personality – how do they act, think and feel? Do they have important people in their lives? If so, what are they?
Alignment: Three to choose from. Each will greatly impact your character’s experience in the game.

Spoiler: Sign Up Template

- Hero: You are a person who employs their powers for “the greater good”, working to uphold the laws of civilized society. Your motivations for doing so might be rooted in morality, justice, a lust for the spotlight, or something else entirely. Whatever the reason for your heroism, you are almost certainly a registered superpowered law enforcement officer with civilian oversight.
- Rogue: You are an independent person who rejects the conventional rules of society in favor of following your own personal goals and values. You walk the line between good and evil, such as they are, and refuse to answer to anyone but yourself. As a cape who eschews regulation and restriction, you might be viewed as dangerous or untrustworthy by the powers that be regardless of your actions or intentions.
- Villain: You aren’t necessarily evil, though you certainly might fit the typical description. Not only do you live only according to your own morals and needs, you believe that your desires are more important than those of others – you do what you want, when you want it, and everything else (laws, innocent life, etc.) is either secondary or irrelevant. With great power comes great abuse of power, though to what end is wholly up to you.

Abilities
This section is meant to clarify what will undoubtedly be one of the most important parts of the game: the superpowers of your characters. In short, given the free-from nature of this game and the general lack of limitations placed upon you, I simply ask that players be sensible in their chosen powers. I also ask that you not be too overpowered either. Some good examples: a character with the ability to create and control ice by manipulating moisture in the air, or a character with an ability granting strength, agility, and speed 10x the normal human limit. An example of what you should avoid: Superman, with his invincibility, flight, laser vision and super strength.

Keep in mind that your abilities should also have weaknesses (and one’s that actually make sense, not “kryptonite”). For example, your ice manipulator might struggle in hot and dry environments or suffer frostbite with overuse of his power; or perhaps having strength, agility, and speed 10x the normal human limit can get really exhausting very fast, necessitating only short bursts of power. I’m not trying to handicap your powers to stop you from having fun, but if everyone is a literal god with no flaws then the game won’t be fun for anyone.

Furthermore, your character should only have ONE power, or at least have multiple powers centering on the same theme. Once again, Superman (a bunch of powers that have nothing to do with each other) is a good example of what not to do. Meanwhile, Spiderman’s abilities (heightened athleticism and reflexes, can shoot web from his hands and climb walls) is a perfect example of multiple powers that make sense together.

General Rules and Expectations
1. The GM is always right. This does not mean I am infallible, but rather that when I say a decision is final, it is.
2. Stay true to the personality and abilities of the characters you create. DO NOT powergame.
3. Be original in your creations and storylines as much as possible. Blatantly ripping off or transplanting existing fictional universes is expressly prohibited, though inspiration is always allowed.
4. When in doubt, ask. If you feel something you want to do might violate the rules, it never hurts to ask first.
5. DO NOT godmod. While you can control your character and their actions, you CANNOT control the characters of other players. In situations where multiple player characters are fighting, I will provide arbitration, resolution, or specific outcomes as required, though I would prefer it if you could work it out yourselves in a joint-IC or another similar format.
6. DO NOT metagame. Your character is not privy to anything that happens OOC, and if I feel that you are acting on OOC knowledge in your IC, it will not go well for you.
7. Before doing something that might reasonably affect many players, many NPCs, or the game as a whole, please check with the GM to ensure it will not conflict with ongoing plans and established rules.
8. For the sake of this game functioning, certain elements of character creation must be off-limits. As such, you are not allowed to play gods or other deities. Mind control (without significant limitations and weaknesses), reality warping, time travel, and other such game-breaking powers are also not allowed. For more information what your abilities should be, I refer you back to the Abilities section above.
9. Communicate with your fellow players. This game is very much intended to be a collaborative roleplaying and writing experience – it isn’t about winning, but about doing cool things and creating a good story. This isn’t to say you can’t write your own individual arcs and such, you can (and should!), but working together is very much encouraged.
10. I have the final say in matters of character acceptance. I reserve the right to request you make changes to your character prior to approval. This should be a given.
11. You are allowed ONE playable character. While you are welcome to surround your playable character with other minor characters (friends, family, colleagues, etc.) in your ICs, they should exist solely for the sake of those ICs. Side characters in violation of this may or may not be killed off.
12. The main city/primary location of the game is Harlow. While you can travel to different places using your powers or vehicles, Harlow is where most of the action should and will take place.
13. Not only can you form supervillain gangs, superhero teams, and alliances, you are encouraged to do so. You can also use your power to accumulate money, illegally or otherwise, or attempt to start/take over an organized crime syndicate. I will keep track of things like influence, wealth and employees (henchmen?) as necessary, but these will typically not be visible to players.
14. Follow forum rules relating to permitted content. No explicit sex – if it has to happen, a tasteful fade-to-black will suffice. No swearing. Violence is allowed, but it shouldn’t be over the top. Most importantly, treat other players with respect and courtesy.
15. People who disobey these rules (some more major than the others) will be warned or very possibly kicked from the game. In the event of the latter, I reserve the right to write your character out of the game in any way I see fit.
16. This game has OPEN ENROLLMENT. There are no limits on the number of players who can join until stated otherwise.

IRC
Participation on IRC is highly advised, as it makes communication between players and with the GM - a central part of this game - that much easier. Come join us at #CaC over at The Airlock, even if you just want to chat or follow the game.

 

[oxfordroyale]

THE STORY
We are currently in: Turn 1 (Summer), Arc 1

Events​

Death and Disruption (Turn 1, Arc 1)
A City in Chaos (Turn 1, Arc 1)
A City in Chaos II (Turn 1, Arc 1)
​

Updates​

​

THE CHARACTERS
Active PCs

Heroes

Bloodhound - Emily Shaw - oxfordroyale
The Mask - Gerald Grant - Tapscott

(IC only) Bones - Claire Martens - Tapscott​

Madame Moonlight - Mikayla Hummel - aedan777
Terminus - Trevor Lane - Corman50
Kushiel - David Houteff - Noco19
Beer Man - Joseph Biermann - Scrapknight
Vox Novis - Abigail "Abby" Kerns - jeeshadow​

Villains

Ion - Jere Toivonen - Shynka
The Plague Doctor - Walter S. Weysil - MikkelGlahder
The (Point Charlotte) Pilferer - Alec Johnson - Luftwafer
Speakeasy - David O'Neil - Korona​

Rogues

The Blacksmith - Alexander "Alex" McDermott - Rolman99
Gateway/Robin Hood - Joshua "Josh" Fisher - Blackcrown
Sister İrşi - Sevim Açıkgöz - XVG
Deadeye - Alec Newman - Terraferma
Nurse - Gwendoline "Gwen" Blanc - happycats​

Notable NPCs

THE WORLD
Lore

A (Very) Brief Timeline of Prior Events​

Setting

The City of Harlow

Spoiler: Map of Harlow - General

Spoiler: Map of Harlow - Neighborhoods

The City of Harlow: A History
Neighborhoods of Harlow
Gangs of Harlow​

 

[oxfordroyale]

The City of Harlow: A History
​

One of the oldest cities in America, Harlow was founded in 1652 when English settlers from nearby Plymouth Colony purchased the land at the mouth of the Acushnet River from the native Wampanoag tribe, a transaction which modern scholars have called legally dubious at best. While their initial intention was to construct a minor trading post and move on, the settlers soon became enamored by the site’s deep natural harbor and surrounding resources. Several bloody confrontations later and the Wampanoag were driven off the land entirely, allowing the victorious settlers to constructing a permanent settlement on the southeastern shore of the harbor. Lawrence of Harlow, an enterprising British merchant and the leader of the settlers by virtue of his financial backing alone, chose to name the colony after himself in a subtle bit of self-aggrandizement; as time went by and Harlow grew far beyond its original borders, the historical heart of the city would come to be known as “Lawrencetown”.​

Harlow developed at a relatively strong pace throughout the 17th and early 18th century and became a notable center of maritime trade, albeit greatly overshadowed by Boston to the north. In the mid 19th century, however, it underwent a period of especially rapid growth that can be mostly attributed to the town’s supplanting of Nantucket as the nation’s preeminent whaling port. With a deep harbor and a prime location on the mainland, Harlow would dominate the whaling industry for much of the century and slowly transform from a backwater town into an economic pillar of the American Northeast. New arrivals chose to settle on the western side of the harbor, and soon what had once been the center of town became simply “East Harlow”. By the early 19th century, Harlow’s population had undergone a massive change, and the town was officially designated as a city after absorbing the neighboring towns of Scarborough, Chesham, Romsey and Warrington into its charter.

Originally populated by Protestants from England, Scotland, and Wales, with its newfound prominence Harlow was soon inundated by several waves of immigrants. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of newcomers during this period, especially following the Irish Potato Famine. In the latter half of the 19th century, the city saw increasing number of Irish, Portuguese, French Canadians, and Russian and Polish Jews settling in the city. A number of Jewish families were active in the whaling industry, selling provisions and outfitting ships, while Portuguese and French Canadians tended to be shipbuilders and sailors. Eastern European immigrants, on the other hand, were brought in by the significant expansion of the city’s manufacturing and textile plants, contributing to a rise in garment and leather exports. By the end of the 19th century, several of Harlow’s neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants, and many remain so today.

The industrialization of Harlow brought great economic prosperity and prestige to the city, and for some time it even threatened to eclipse Boston in terms of prominence. However, when Harlow’s status as a maritime trade port began to diminish just as the whaling industry had many years ago, the city’s affluence took on a certain precarious quality. The manufacturing industry became the bedrock upon which the entire economy came to rest upon, making it vulnerable to a collapse – blinded by their opulence, the danger was not realized by the city’s inhabitants.

When New England experienced a sharp decline in manufacturing in the early to mid-20th century, Harlow was especially hard hit; factories became old and obsolete, businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere, and the city’s economy fell into a steep decline. Many people were left suddenly out of work. While the richest and most resourceful people in the city managed to turn a profit on the general economic downturn, shifting the city’s resources towards technology, banking and corporate enterprise, the vast majority of people who had been employed on the ships or in the factories and warehouses were left with few options available to them. While the elite of the city prospered and thrived, the rest were forced to scrape out a living in the low-wage service sector or turn to more illicit activity.

This all contributed to the boom in the local supervillain population in the Eighties. The potential for big money coupled with the number of eager-to-please mooks and henchmen made it a prime choice for villains. It could even be argued that, at one point, supervillains had effectively ruled the city through a mixture of brute strength, bribery and fear. While it took a few years for the hero presence to establish and organize themselves, a tenuous equilibrium was eventually reached. Even now Harlow has an outsized cape population compared to other cities, largely a result of its disproportionately high-crime rate and the widespread, entrenched poverty stemming from the city’s inability to overcome decades of economic damage.

Today Harlow is the second-most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States, with an estimated population only slightly smaller than that of Boston. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of the substantially larger Harlow Metropolitan Area, a Metropolitan Statistical Area home to an estimated 2.5 million people spread across southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. While it remains a major city of the American Northeast, it is also considered to by many to be a blight upon the region, with high rates of both regular and superpowered crime, decaying infrastructure, and infamously corrupt institutions. It is often said that Harlow is a city half in light and half in shadow, and this could not be a more accurate description: lurking below the shining skyscrapers and gaudy waterfront, the seedy underbelly of the city breeds and thrives in filth. Gangs are extremely prevalent in the city, finding their members among impoverish immigrant and blue-collar communities alike, and the criminal rot extends even to the gleaming corridors of City Hall or the wide avenues of the Financial District.

 

[oxfordroyale]

A (Very) Brief Timeline of Prior Events
​

- On March 3, 1981, astronomers and casual stargazers alike are confounded by the appearance of a new star in the night sky. Most unusually, the star emits a bright red glow that is visible to the naked eye. Experts engage in heated debate over the appearance of the star and its distinctive hue, but no firm scientific explanation is immediately forthcoming. The star abruptly vanishes ten days later, leaving no trace that it had ever been there at all.
- Individuals with extraordinary supernatural powers begin to appear in late 1982, an event later dubbed the Phenomenon. While reactions vary on a country-by-country basis, many governments are either paralyzed by the emergence of these superpowered individuals or employ aggressive action against them in order to preserve their own authority.
- The United States government, led by President Ronald Reagan, views those affected by the phenomenon (classified as “metahumans”) with thinly-veiled distrust and places strict restrictions on the movement and activities of known metahumans, prompting many to hide their abilities rather than come forward. This quickly becomes the norm throughout the West. Meanwhile, the USSR and other Warsaw Pact countries attempt to suppress all information about the Phenomenon entirely whilst attempting to either recruit or eliminate all metahumans known to them. The rumored existence of metahumans on the other side of the Iron Curtain is finally confirmed following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, cementing the Phenomenon as a global event.
- After extensive voluntary (and involuntary) study of metahumans, the apparent source of their abilities is found to be a part of the brain located between the frontal and parietal lobe, as evidenced by an unusual amount of brain activity in that area. The abilities themselves, however, are discovered to be essentially supernatural in that they defy most laws of science. Attempts to lobotomize metahumans or artificially replicate their powers prove unsuccessful. It doesn’t appear that children of metahumans are any more likely to develop powers than children of normal parents, and the development of powers remains seemingly uncorrelated to age, sex or ethnicity. Put simply, it seems to be a random occurrence, with potentially any person having the potential to develop into a metahuman at any point in their life. However, it is incredibly unlikely, with only a percent of a percent of the world’s population displaying such abilities.
- The existence of superpowered individuals inevitably leads to the emergence of so-called “superpowered crime”, prompting crackdowns from governments across the globe and the placement of further restrictions on the activities of known metahumans. In the United States, martial law is declared in several states following high-profile and deadly confrontations between superpowered criminals and police in major cities, though this fails to stem the wave of superpowered crime sweeping the country.
- Confronted with the complete inability of regular civilian and military forces to prevent or combat superpowered crime, many metahumans yet unknown to the authorities decide to risk government reprisal by becoming vigilantes. Many of these vigilantes take inspiration from Western superhero fiction, donning masks and costumes in order to both protect their civilian identities from exposure and make themselves easily recognizable to the public. The actions of these individuals cause a surge in support for metahumans among the public and criticism of the government’s perceived authoritarian policies. It is around this time that the slang term “cape” begins to see widespread use in reference to superpowered individuals, an allusion to the comic book heroes they resemble.
- On 21 January, 1993, President Bill Clinton swears in five of the most prominent American capes as the founding member of M.C.R.U. (Metahuman Crime Response Unit), a government-sponsored superhero organization. This is the first in a long series of steps that leads to the formation of the M.C.R.U. as an emergency police force trained to deal with capes and the fallout of their actions. The M.C.R.U has over two dozen branches across the North American continent, with regional headquarters located in major American and Canadian cities.
- Throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s, many states across the world (primarily in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and sometimes Latin America) collapse and are replaced by dictatorial regimes led by capes. The United States invades several of these countries in order to overthrow their regimes, sometimes in coordination with the U.N. and sometimes alone, but these endeavors prove costly in terms of both money and manpower, and such adventures are now viewed poorly by the general public. Many parts of Africa continue to be ruled and fought over by superpowered warlords, and capes of every nationality can be found as mercenaries in conflicts around the world or as assassins for hire.
- Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has gone to great efforts to avoid a global superpowered arms race, recognizing the threat to conventional military force posed by significant quantities of capes as well as the greater population of capes in countries such as India and China. While these efforts seem to have been successful in that few countries dare to visibly employ capes in their armies, it is an unspoken fact that capes have been integral members of nearly every nation’s intelligence services for over two decades now.
- As of 2017, the world is in the midst of recovering from a debilitating economic recession. Superheroes have been suffering a steady decline in popularity as their success in fighting against regular crime as opposed to superpowered crime has been middling at best. Some are now calling for the scaling back of the M.C.R.U.’s powers and greater monitoring of metahumans in general, language reminiscent of the time when the Phenomenon was still new and (even more) poorly understood.

 

[oxfordroyale]

Alright, feel free to post your sign ups everyone. I will be going through and approving on a rolling basis. I'll give a few days at least for everyone to think about their characters and their plans before I officially open the game to IC.

 

[Dadarian]

GM is boring and weak​

 

[Rolman99]

Alexander “Alex” Mcdermott

Alias: The Blacksmith

Identity: Secret, not that Alex takes any particular steps to hide it, he normally operates under stealthy conditions and does his best to not reveal who he is due to both the illegality of his actions and his desire to be left alone. A ski mask or hat pulled down low is usually enough for him.

28 years old, b. 1989

Appearance: The outfit he is depicted as wearing in the above photo is his normal “work attire”, aka his signature outfit for his killings: army jacket, unzipped, collared shirt beneath. he doesn’t feel the need for a real costume (or armor for that matter) besides his jacket and a ski mask.

Abilities: Alex can manipulate metal and metallic substances with his mind. He can throw, tear, and move things relatively effortlessly, but finer actions, like forcing a door to unlock or causing a gun to jam requires his close concentration, the harder he has to focus being directly proportional to the complexity of the act. The one major issue with his powers is that they are highly emotional, if Alex is angry thrown or moved items could be projected much harder than originally intended, and complex actions become nearly impossible. Occasionally, electronics will go haywire around Alex if he’s in a bad mood, and sometimes he’ll move objects in his sleep, sometimes benignly, other times shattering windows or punching holes in walls. As a result, Alex attempts to remain as stoic as possible, a feat he often cannot accomplish during his killings or even in his daily, nonviolent life.

Background: Alex Mcdermott was always a loner, always discontented with the world around him. Disgusted, at times. He viewed society to be filled with lies, falseness and sickening decadence, as he concurrently lost his faith in humanity with each new depraved crime or immoral act he witnessed. Obviously, moving into the cesspool that is Harlow didn’t help. One day, after witnessing the brutal beating of an elderly woman, Alex snapped, for lack of a better term, and decided to do what he felt the police couldn’t: clean up the streets. He kicked his cocaine habit, hit the gym, and bought a pistol. At first, it was just his trusty .45 and a bowie knife, but during one failed raid in 2014, in which a mafioso was about to execute him, Alex warped his would-be killer’s gun with his mind and escaped. Over the next three years, he perfected this “metallokinesis”, as he called it, and now uses it to his advantage during his acts of vigilantism. During the day, he’s just a store clerk, at night, he’s the ski-masked, mentally disturbed, army jacket-wearing Blacksmith, a shadowy, often ruthless metahuman vigilante. He relies on only three tools: his pistol, his knife, and his mind.

Alignment: Rogue

 

[Shynka]

​

Name:
Jere Toivonen
Alias(es):
'Ion', 'That Finnish Kid', 'The Russian manlet that joined last month', 'Jerry', 'It might just be the stress of the move, Miss Toivonen, I'm afraid your son might have Asperger Syndrome'
Identity:
Secret
Age:
15
Appeareance:
1,62M tall, with slick black hair, the beginnings of a moustache, a pale complexion and slightly slanted eyes. Preferred articles of clothing include cargo shorts, t-shirts with words printed on them and denim jackets.
Abilities:
When angry, he will emit enormous amounts of ionizing radiation out of his feet. He can direct the gamma waves in any direction he wants, but he is not immune to them, so any potential reflection will lead to his quick demise.
Background:
A charming popular young teen, Jere was always at the forefront of every class and social group. As part of a trip to a university for high achievers, he discovered that he could influence Geiger counters with his feet if he focused. Since then he has done a lot to understand his powers. His identity is secret to everyone but himself and an elderly physics substitute teacher that helped him develop his powers. During one of their experiments the teacher got irradiated and died of radiation poisoning in a case that shocked all of South-West Finland. Soon after Jere and his parents moved to the United States, and the teen has developed plans to subjugate the world to his whims.
Alignment:
Villain

 

[oxfordroyale]

Emily Shaw
​

Age: 29 years old, b. 1988

Alias: Bloodhound

Identity: Secret

Appearance: 5'9, with short dark hair, blue-grey eyes and pale skin. Typically dresses in jeans and hoodies or leather jackets when out of costume. When she is Bloodhound, she wears a skin-tight black suit with white markings and a helmet shaped like the head of a dog. Her helmet contains sound-proofing and sensory deprivation technology which she can activate when she chooses, assisting her focus when using her power.

Abilities: Emily possesses the power of psychometry, or the ability to perceive the recent historical memories, sensations, and residual information of a person or object. For example, if she touches a living person she can view their memories and actions from approximately twenty-four hours in the past up to the present, and sometimes even further back if she applies intense enough concentration. When it comes to inanimate objects her range is much greater, allowing her to perceive where an object has been and who or what it has interacted with as far back as a week. With great effort she can even "leap" between targets, tracking an object backwards in time before transferring her focus onto another object which it had interacted with. After applying her power to a target, Emily remains vaguely aware of its presence and location for up to a month, depending on various circumstances (such as the size, distance, and complexity of the target). Using her power too frequently or in too much depth causes her to experience debilitating migraines, and in times of emotional distress she can barely control her power at all, uncontrollably perceiving the memories of everything she touches.

Background: Emily Shaw was born an only child in Morgantown, West Virginia, on 18 January 1988. Her mother was only sixteen at the time of her pregnancy. Emily's father (a much older man) was a coal miner who died in a collapse when she was just seven years old, after which Emily and her mother moved to Harlow. Consumed by grief, regret and a mountain of debt, Emily's mother became an alcoholic drug abuser and eventually turned to prostitution, neglecting her daughter in favor of either heroin or her many lovers. Emily grew to be a deeply lonely teenager, though fortunately her sorrow never festered into rage or mental illness.

Emily developed her powers at age thirteen, but for a time she could not control them at all. Everything she touched (her clothing, the furniture in her home) brought an overwhelming flood of information crashing down upon her, temporarily driving her close to insanity. After several days she became able to shut out all the information, and after a week she could pick and choose what to let slip through her mental defenses. She began to use her power to help those in her neighborhood find lost pets and items, their gratitude and appreciation serving to fill the emotional void of her home life. When a girl in her class went missing, Emily used a scarf from her locker to discover that she had been kidnapped by a serial killer; tracking her to a remote cabin in the woods, Emily informed the police of the girl's location and caused her to be rescued. This heroic act, though kept from the media, brought her to the attention of the authorities. Emily was offered a position as a hero-in-training with the local branch of the M.C.R.U., which she accepted.

For the last thirteen years Emily has worked as one of Harlow's most prolific heroes. While her role in bringing criminals to justice rarely reaches the spotlight, and she is by no means a household name, her ability has single-handedly solved hundreds of robberies, murders, and missing persons cases. She is greatly feared by Harlow's villain and criminal population for her reputation as a ruthless and persistent tracker - it is often said that once Bloodhound gets a whiff of you, you might as well turn yourself in. Her proficiency with hand-to-hand combat and several variants of martial arts also makes her more than just a tracker, but a hunter as well.

Alignment: Hero

 

[Mikkel Glahder]

​

Name: Walter S. Weysil
Alias: The Plague Doctor
Identity: Secret
Age: 53
Appearance: He is 185 cm tall, has grey hair that is slowly turning white. His eyecolour is greyish.
Abilities:
The Plauge Doctor can create and cure some diseases (he is still trying to recreate many himself), poisons etc. by using toxins within his bloodstream. He can make these into bombs and other items that he thinks will be useful for his future plans. Experimenting with injecting himself with a mixture of normal blood, and antidote in an attempt to prolong his life, has so far been a success.
The toxins within his bloodstream is constantly tearing upon his body if not properly controlled. Mental instability or comatose would lead to a quick death. That he constantly has to temper the toxins can leave him without energy.
Background:
Walter S. Weysil was born into a wealthy family of buisnessmen in a mansion in the Upper Neck. In his younger years he went to some of the most expensive schools in the country, often leaving him away from his family, and place of birth. He studied medicine at Harvard. It was also here where he found his power, after he studied his blood and realized that his blood was not natural, and extremely deadly, even for himself. Throughout his studies he learned how to control and utilize his power. When he completed his studies he moved back to Harlow and worked at a doctor and married. Before he had turned forty, his parents and wife died in a planecrash. Thirteen years later he lives in the mansion where he spent his early childhood. Inside the mansion, he has constructed a lab where he conduct tests with his own blood to create poisions, andidotes, and recreates diseases that went extint many years ago. While he earlier in his life was determined to use his powers for good, his belief that curing other people's diseases was helpful ceased after his wife died.
He is often seen in the underground in the custom custome of a plauge doctor, and while some believe that he is searching for science, nobody knows what he is actually searching for however.
Alignment:
Villain

 

[Luftwafer]

​

Name: Alec Johnson
Alias: The Point Charlotte Pilferer
Identity: Secret
Age: 37
Appearance: While he has no set outfit after a set of initial robberies he has taken to wearing dark clothes with a cap and bandana.
Abilities: The point Charlotte Pilferer can cause people to forget or ignore his existence and actions. However in order for him to do this he must concentrate intensely for a period of time with any particularly distracting occurrence causing him to fail.
Background: Alec was born into a poor family, his father a casual day labourer and his mother a full time mother, taking care of Alec and his 3 brothers and 4 sisters. Life was hard with Alec failing in his education, being unable to focus for any extended period of time. Causing him to often be hurt by his father in retaliation for his supposed lack of effort. After leaving high school he enlisted in the Marine Corps, serving for 4 years. Upon his return to his home city, he struggled to find work, instead turning to crime, since then moving around the city performing small jobs. He discovered his power when in a drunken stupor he caused a taxi driver to ignore him, allowing him to escape paying the fare. He was the cause of a spattering of unsolved robberies in the Point Charlotte Area, with them being declared actions of the 'Point Charlotte Pilferer'
Alignment: Villain

 

[oxfordroyale]

Rolman, Shynka, Mikkel and Luftwafer's characters are approved.

 

[BlackCrown]

Name: Joshua "Josh" Fisher
Alias: "Gateway", "Robin Hood"
Identity: Secret
Age: 29
Appearance: Outside of costume, he appears as a blond, tall, male.
The costume of "Gateway" is a dark brown hooded jacket and pants, covering any piece of skin. To hide his face, he wears an array of various masks, typically faux replicas of ancient postmortem masks. He carries a small pistol for usage in emergencies.
As "Robin Hood", he wears the light green stereotypical costume of the character, and often covers his face with a mask showing the emotion of joy or happiness.

Abilities: Joshua possesses to abilities at his disposal. One, he can create a gateway between any two points, as long as they are with 100 feet of each other, and destroy them at will. Secondly, he possesses the ability to open a portal and exit to a second barren dimension, inside of which, the distance you travel translates into three times such distance when returning to the main dimension. Both of his abilities contain drawbacks however, he is unable to build a gateway within 30 minutes of building a previous one, and can only maintain two at a time before it requires significant focus, maintaining more than three will cause him to collapse and all gateways to shut. He can only build one portal a week, and, if he is to do so, will be stripped of his powers for another two, rendering him weak and easy to capture.

Biography: Joshua was born into a rich family, and grew up spoiled and unaware to the plight of those who lived outside his mansion's walls. His worldview was shattered, when, at the age of ten, he walked with his mother through the streets of Harlow, gazing down at those who found themselves without job or home. He vowed with a naive innocence, that he would do all he could to help save these people from poverty.

This promise would reawaken, when, at the age of thirteen, he found he could create a gateway from his bedroom down to the dining hall. He used this ability to pilfer food from the kitchen, donating it to those who congregated around the mansion, however, as more and more came, it was apparent that food wasn't enough. As the years progressed, he continued to explore his new found abilities, and, at the age of 25, accidentally opened a portal to "Nowhere." Through it lay a barren plane, no features were apparent in any direction, as a small walk confirmed this, he exited the portal, finding himself, instead of in the mansion, inside of a nearby store, unable to build a gateway no matter how hard he tried. Though he briefly became powerless, he now stepped up his plans of helping the common folk thrive.

While out of costume, he was a generous donater, often funding charity and welfare programs. However, he also created two separate aliases, "Gateway" and "Robin Hood." As Gateway, he sneaks into the bases or operations of super villains and heroes, stealing any cash or valuables that he can. He has also resorted to stealing from fellow aristocrats and banks, when necessary, but often considers the money tainted or dirty. As Robin Hood, he gives away the stolen money to the homeless, often with a jovial peice of advice, and performs many theatrical stunts and plays for and with the many children who come to watch him.

He is atheletic and flexible, but is little trained in martial arts or any combat skills, instead believing that stealth is the top priority

Affiliation: Rogue

 

[Tapscott]

List of IC
Chapter One - Mask & Bones
Chapter Two - Mask & Bones


********************************************************************************

Name
Gerald Grant


Alias
The Mask


Identity
Known


DoB
30/4/1952


Age
65
(Appears to be in his early thirties)


Appearance

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches, the man born as Gerald Grant has a slim build and pale -white skin. He would appear as a rather nondescript individual were it not for the mask he wears at all hours

When clad in his super-hero attire ‘The Mask’ dresses in black clothing accentuated with a crimson cloak that covers much of his torso and reaches down to his heels. Upon his face he wears a highly-stylised mask, which gives him his alias, beneath which he judges those he deems suspect.


Abilities

Rebirth – Whenever the Mask dies, as he often has, he will inevitably return to the scene and continue on his path. From where this new Mask emerges, nobody knows.

Lightning Reflexes – Able to perceive, and react to, events in the fraction of the time it takes a regular human to do allows the Mask to wield impressive skill on the battlefield. Able to wind around his enemies with precision and lightning speed the Mask can deal his brand of justice swiftly.

Weaknesses

Unaltered Body – Despite his improved abilities the Mask is, at the end of the day, human. He is fully susceptible to all that a regular human would be, whether it be disease, old age, wounds or even the unnatural. His body can only withstand so much damage.

Unmasked – His mask, his namesake, is not just decorative. It is what keeps him alive. If it is removed the superhero quickly decays away leaving nothing behind but the mask itself. Despite this apparent death he always returns.


Background

Born at the very start of the fifties the man that would become the Mask lived an uneventful life. He worked at a bakery when he came of age, left home when he was able, and quietly went about trying to build up his life without hassle. By 1982 Gerald had a life he wanted. It was a quiet one, albeit somewhat lonely as he no longer had any family left alive, nor had he ever made any true friends, but he was content. Unfortunately for him though the event known as the 'Phenomenon' occurred.

Gerald died an inglorious death, as unremarkable as the life he had lived, killed in a car crash. Ambulance drivers who arrived at the scene quickly pronounced him dead but were left speechless when they reached the hospital as Gerald's body had completely decayed into fine dust.

He would re-emerge as 'the Mask' at the end of the year, seemingly the same man save for a few distinct differences. His reflexes, whilst sharp in life, seemed almost supernatural in his new appearance. As for his face, it was now covered by an ornate mask that he refused to remove. Quickly marked as a meta-human thanks to his distinctive appearance and notably abilities, the Mask resigned himself to government investigation when overtures, with thinly-veiled threats, were made.

Subjected to a variety of somewhat appalling experiments, that he agreed to nevertheless, the Mask re-emerged into mainstream society once more in the late 2000's, this time as a member of M.C.R.U. Taking on the role of a 'hero' the Mask quickly became known for his morbid sense of humour, fatalistic personality, and brutal methods.

Criticised as often as he was praised by the public and the government, the M.C.R.U. has always stood behind the hero. Regarded as being little more than a savage vigilante by his enemies, his allies still maintain that he is necessary, if nothing else, to balance the more extreme villains. As one of the M.C.R.U.'s officials quipped;

"He may be seen as a brute because of his methods, but we must all remember this. He is proof that sometimes it is necessary to fight fire with fire."


Alignment
Hero


********************************************************************************

Name
Claire Mertens


Alias
Bones


Identity
Unknown


DoB
2/9/1999


Age
18


Appearance

A woman of average height, standing at 5 feet 8 inches, Claire Mertens has dark brown hair and green eyes. Lacking any distinguishing marks on her body she would not arise any suspicion when walking around in plain clothes.

Her ‘superhero’ outfit consists of a black jumper, black shirt and jacket, and a black beanie. She also wears a bandanna tied around her face, which she changes as she pleases, to better suit her whims.


Abilities

Skeletal Growth - Able to expand her own skeleton, forcing it out of her body, she can lengthen and shorten her own structure as she sees fit. She often uses her power to extend the bones in her hands, forcing them into an intimidating claw shape.


Weaknesses

Agonising Transformation – The use of her powers causes her no end of grief, as each time she forces her body to change she experiences incredible agony. Her wounds heal as she returns her body to normal but the pain takes far longer to subside.


Background

Claire’s lot in life was an unhappy one. Abandoned by her parents and taken in by an orphanage when she was just 9 months old, Claire Mertens would grow up never knowing her biological parents. Her time in the orphanage was unfortunate as she was ostracised by the other children and neglected by the staff. She would run away shortly after her 15th birthday.


She quickly fell in with a bad crowd and was recruited into a small time gang, whom were delighted when she first displayed her powers. Forcing her to use them to help them terrorise the locals, despite the agony it clearly gave her, the gang would slowly gain wealth and infamy.


As she neared her 17th birthday the gang suddenly came under attack by a superhero known as ‘The Mask’. The hero brutally subdued the group, sending a few into the hospital, but hesitated when Claire tried to intimidate him by growing her arms and skull until they ripped through of her skin. Rather than attack her ‘The Mask’ offered her a choice. Either he could break several of her bones and take her to the M.C.R.U to be judged, or he could take her in and sponsor as a potential hero. Having seen the way ‘The Mask’ operated she quickly agreed to the latter.


Having celebrated her birthday a few months ago, Claire has become an official hero. Assigned to work with ‘The Mask’, Claire is finding it surprisingly pleasant as he does not seem to be repulsed or fixated on her powers.​

 

[oxfordroyale]

Blackcrown's character and Tapscott's updated character are approved.

 

[XVG]

Sevim Açıkgöz

Alias: None so far, known as ’Sister İrşi’ by fellow cultists
Identity: Secret
Appearance: Average woman of Turkish descent, doesn’t smell like a K*rd or dress like an Ar*b.
Age: 28
Ability: FETÖ Jinns – Sevim can create around herself a field of beings; spirits or demons depending on the observers. Honoring mythology and tradition, she and her minders ended up calling them jinns. The spirits created by the psychic field infiltrate the minds of those in her proximity, gathering information regarding their memories, observations and emotions; even possibly to an extent altering their feelings or conception of the surrounding – to an extent of making people undergo ‘nightmares’ in full daylight. However, she needs to extremely close to her targets both physically and emotionally, and other people with superpowers might be able to sense the genies and prevent their attempts of infiltration of mind. In addition, overt use of the power will quickly exhaust her - both physically and mentally.
Background: Sevim was born to a family of civil servants, officers and entrepreneurs extremely involved with a certain seemingly tolerant and moderate religious organization which was in fact intending to exert influence over the institutions and society of the Turkish Republic. The unique sensitiveness of Sevim to supernatural beings and phenomena was identified quite early. Introduced to ‘the Service’ in her teenage years, Sevim was processed in the schools and religious gatherings of the cult, turned into a tool that could help them reach their end-goal. With frequent training of her focus and mind, she could reach contact with the three-lettered beings, the cins - or genies. The eventual attempt of takeover in the July of 2016 ended up as a colossal farce, with Sevim’s almost entire family, husband, uncles, father, cousins and so forth, jailed. She however somehow managed to get her charges dropped, either by luck or by something else, fleeing the country and trying to cut ties with the cult. Due to being a dual citizen thanks to her American mother, Sevim managed to find a small apartment in the more immigrant-dominated areas of Harlow, working as a waitress in a greasy ethnic Turkish restaurant. She is currently more or less in hiding, shyly trying to avoid being found and forced to continue working for the cultists. If threatened or in trouble, she will not hesitate to use her powers, albeit she normally tries her best to avoid resorting to them.
Alignment: Rogue Üsküdar Shish Kebab House

 

[oxfordroyale]

XVG's character is accepted.

On another note, I would like to be able to open up the game to IC by the end of tomorrow. Friday is a possibility at the very latest, but only if I'm aware that more players are interested in signing up and they just need more time - I only know of two such people at the moment.

Anyone can join the game at any time, of course, but it'll be harder for you to join when we've already begun several narratives and events. Keep it in mind.

 

[aedan777]

Name: Mikayla Hummel
Alias: Madame Moonlight
Identity: Secret
Age: 21
Appearance: Brown hair with brown eyes, height of 5' 10''. Her crime-fighting outfit consists of silver boots, a blue skirt, and a blue vest over a silver shirt. She also wears a mask stylized to look like a butterfly.
Abilities: Can create and direct new sources of light out of thin air. She has no special defense against her lights (or any other lights) though, so her mask has tinted lenses for eye protection from her powers, which inhibit her vision at night.
Background: A fairly average looking girl, Mikayla grew up in Brockton Terrace to a low income family. In school, she often struggled with classes, with her grades barely reaching the lower edge of average throughout high school. From a young age Mikayla was painfully aware of how unremarkable she was, and yearned desperately to stand out from her peers. Though she came to have a sharp fashion sense, she still felt insecure and forgettable. Then her life changed shortly after her sixteenth birthday, when she discovered her superpower in a moment of great need.

Or that’s how she’d have liked things to have gone. But her powers were just a glorified flashlight and the moment of need was searching for a pen that had fallen under her desk. Mikayla was despondent, even her superpowers were lame. Rather than invite ridicule for such a pathetic power, Mikayla kept her status as a Metahuman secret. She barely eked out an admittance to a college for a degree in art, but after only a semester she flunked out. For a couple years, she drifted between odd jobs and living off her parents, trying to find some place she could fulfill her dream of being successful and notable. Finally, during a sad night of drowning her sorrows after quitting another job she didn’t like, she rashly decided to join the MCRU, asking to be a Metahuman hero to fight crime.

Once she sobered up the next day, Mikayla was horrified to realize what she had done, fearing she’d be considered a joke hero with her simple power of creating light. But her father gave her a pep talk, telling her that her powers could be of great use to defeat criminals and make the city safe for regular people. “After all” he told her, “evil is done at night because it fears the light of justice”. It was a painfully cliche line fed by a tired man who just wanted his daughter to stop mooching off him, but Mikayla embraced it with a fury. Putting all of her, admittedly limited, talents to work, Mikayla created the persona of Madame Moonlight for her crime-fighting. Her tendency to long winded speeches about justice and defeating evildoers has greatly hampered actual results in her crime-fighting (as has her haphazard use of her powers), but she remains determined to carve out her place as a recognized and respected hero.
Alignment: Hero
Record to date:
0 criminals caught, 3 robberies interrupted, 7 traffic accidents responsible for (allegedly), 79 reports of light pollution, 2 lawsuits pending.

 

[oxfordroyale]

Aedan's character is accepted.

 

[Corman50]

​

Name: Trevor Lane
Alias: Terminus
Identity: Secret
Age: 32

Appearance: 6 feet 1 inch. He does not have any signature costume, preferring to work in a more discrete manner. Often he simply wears everyday clothing that obscures his face like hoodies and trench coats. The most notable piece of attire he sometimes wears is a dark blue motorcycle jacket and helmet.

Abilities: Trevor can manipulate the way he physically perceives the passage of time, speeding and slowing it at will, but the degree and length in with which he uses it can be physically draining so he can only effectively use it for short periods of time and can only speed up his perception to about a tenth of normal reaction time and slow it down to about 10 minutes for each minute he perceives. While speeding his perception, he can move, react, and process information much faster than normal. To others, it appears as though he has superhuman speed and reflexes. Slowing down his perception has the opposite effect, slowing him down, including his bodily functions. To others, he appears lethargic and even paralyzed in that state. With concentration and at the cost of increase physical stress, he can focus his abilities on specific parts of his body, enabling him to do things like slow bleeding and increase and decrease his heart rate. Do to the fact that he cannot control time, only his physical perception of it, he cannot use his powers on others.

Background: The son of an HPD officer, Trevor looked up to his father and hoped to follow in his footsteps. In his youth, he was noted for being quite intelligent and analytical, even before his abilities began to manifest. His life took an unfortunate turn when his father was killed trying to stop a robbery. The event was a shock to Trevor and to his mother, who on the day of his father's funeral made him promise her that he would not risk his own life. His mother began to struggle financially on her own and Trevor tried to do whatever he could to help her, short of committing any serious crime. During this time his powers began to manifest, which he tried to use to his advantage in life and his studies.

Eventually, Trevor earned a law degree and began working as a prosecutor. He did his job to the best of his abilities but soon found himself fighting an uphill battle not only against a general public fear of criminal reprisals but also internal corruption. He soon found an outlet for his frustrations when he used his powers to stop a liquor store robbery. After that he resolved to use his powers to help others whenever he could while trying to keep it hidden from others. This went off without a hitch until one day during a trial the defendant managed to get a hold of weapon and Trevor was forced to use his powers to intervene before the situation escalated any further. Three weeks later he was approached by a representative from the MCRU. Now working (somewhat reluctantly) as a hero in an official capacity, Trevor does whatever he can to serve the public, while also trying to stay out of the public spotlight.

Alignment: Hero