Bliss

[TheIronRuler]

If interested, PM me.
Entering the RP requires some extra work on your part. sorry.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhceZ4ghF4

The Stage is set

Spoiler

The year is Anno Domini 2070. The nations of the world stand divided in two different entities, the declining establishment of the United Nations still stands but is challenged by newly formed organizations attempting to unite the nations of earth under a different banner.

The USA struggles with its internal political issues and states threatening secession.

The nations of the European Union recover after the violent occurrences caused by the incorporation of the UK , Norway, the former Yugoslavian nations, Ukraine and Belarus in the London treaties of 2061.

Israel had won three defensive wars against their neighboring Muslim nations, garnering more territory concessions, treaties in which Israel was recognized as it does itself, its conquests and the new borders, and a massive deportation of the local populace.

Africa is up in arms as tribal leaders wage war for the self determination of their tribes, toppling governments both liked and disliked. Stability is a commodity offered by the great nations in exchange for the leader's allegiance to them.

The growth of China had slowed down and its economy began to change. An educated middle class appeared and began to rival the regime of old. It is merely a matter of time before another revolutionary attempt with spark riots and require the intervention of the army.

Emergence

Spoiler

"The time is of a new era. Today, we the people, Brothers and Sisters, reclaim our destiny. We shout out to the sky and receive an answer. The answer lies in Bliss."
The man that began the movement which was 'Bliss' was an African American in the USA known as Raymond Genr.

"New and old nations strive for power, yet we only want peace. We will not fight back when provoked. We desire peace. We are in peace. We desire Bliss"
He came forth with strange new ideals; preaching for the end of violence, segregation and nationalism.

"We are all brothers and sisters. None are different. No color or Race, no Gender or Religion. No tongue shall pull as apart and no ideals shall break up, as we are one for achieving Bliss"

His ideas of unity were strange, inviting members of all races, genders, faiths, ethnicity, and creed. All were equal in their attempts to achieve the ultimate bliss.

"We ask for an answer and we will receive it. In the 29th of February we will rise up to the heavens and encounter true Bliss from the lovers of man"

Raymond promised that in the 29th of February, 2072, an event would occur that would lift him and his followers into heaven. Christians called it his phony rapture. Muslims laughed when he offered them Bliss. But Raymond did not fear, he spoke up.

And the world answered.

The Rapture

Spoiler

In the 29th of February, tens of thousands of believers all across the world raised their arms in expectation. After selling all of their worldly possesions and bidding their loves goodbye, they each went out to the street in white clothes and waited for the Bliss.

It came.

They all ascended into the heavens. Some managed to record the phenomenon while it occurred. It shook the world to its very core.

Those that criticized it denounced the event. Called the videos forgeries, said they had all made a massive hoax. The Vatican stood in silence. As time went on, details were corroborated. The Rapture could no longer be ignored.

Many denied it at first. The first that viewed the event turned to the teachings of the Bliss in hopes of rising too to the heavens. Not long after, Religious leaders across the globe began to denounce the fast growing sect that is "The Bliss", calling it nonsense and heretical.

But the words of Raymond echoed through every continent, nation and heart. Men and women adhered to his words and threw their old faiths behind to a life of pacifism and pursuit of the bliss. Those that truly believed fell victim to nefarious criminals that abused their non-violence in forcing them to do things.

Followers of the Bliss were torn but they continued to do as they were instructed. Such converts were met in disgust, pity and hatred from the world around them. People began to convince themselves that the rapture did not occur, that a miracle did not happen.

The Bliss began to die down a year after the event. The citizens of the world turned more to their holy books and the strength of the church began to increase. Things would change soon, 433 days after the Rapture.

The Return

Spoiler

As if they were teleported to earth, the men and women that rose up to the heavens in the Rapture returned. But they forgot who they were. Those that returned were given their old names and lives, their memories slowly returning. But a doubt remained in their hearts.

Where were they?

The facts could no longer be ignored. Riots erupted in the streets, demanding to know the truth. A question nestled in the heart of every believer-

"Am I putting my faith in something real?"

Theological debates erupted between scholars in the screens of men, explaining the phenomenon. Some of the returning members of the Bliss were welcomed with open arms by their brothers and sisters that joined after the Rapture. But others were not as lucky.

Dark nations, scared of the implications of the matter imprisoned those that returned. Torture followed the unsuccessful extraction of information. To every question asked, the prisoner answered, with a smile-

"I was living in true Bliss"

Those that came back offered gifts. Mountains of small purple balls came with the ones that returned from the heavens, claiming that these are samples of Bliss. Each of the returned members became a Reverend in their own area and offered a sanctuary for the members of their faith, whether it be in their home or someplace else.

They returned with a new book, different than the one written by Raymond. Raymond decreed that after their ascension to Bliss, he had received new instructions on how to allow every single person on this earth to reach the Bliss. Every week on a Tuesday, they would meet together and ingest one of the small pills, a piece of Bliss from the heaven, and spend the day together.

The effects of the pills were miraculous. Those that participated were complacent, silent and in a state of bliss. The movement continued to achieve momentum. Raymond was seen in televisions by many people in many nations, spreading his faith to all that saw him.

The Unforeseen consequences

Spoiler

"Fear not, brothers and sisters, for we will achieve Bliss yet again"

Raymond spoke to his people and they listened. But others didn't. Hatred grew in the hearts of men, for they know themselves that the members of Bliss were mere heretics. Moved by their convictions, they struck the communities. The Bliss did not respond. They remained pacifists, even when threatened, beaten and killed.

Thefts occurred in the homes of The Bliss and violent crimes involving them spiked. Dealers wanted a piece of Bliss themselves as they stole from the Reverends and sold the merchandise in their name.

But The Bliss persisted. They said that the next ascension would be in the 29th of February, 2076. Two more years were left for the next Rapture, and Raymond hath said – I shall be the last.

The unthinkable happened. Religious groups around the world submitted to The Bliss. They were small and insignificant at first, many denominations of Christendom and ways of Islam and some of the Followers of Hindu.

They remained pacifist and complacent, a target of religious persecution and crimes of men. But they would persist, they would see The Bliss once again.

The First Contact

Spoiler

February 28th, 2075.
First Contact was made as aliens contacted the UN after careful examination of the world political affairs. The UN did not inform its citizens. Talks between the nation's leaders and the alien delegates began, propositions of future trade relations and technology exchanges, establishment of space ports on Earth soil and new laws and regulations to keep it in check. The people in the governments were ecstatic. However, secrecy would not last for long.

Leaks of information occurred constantly, with the government responsible for the leak attempting to silence it. Slowly but surely, the rumor grew and began to have a cult following on the internet with people feeding off every new document describing the cultures of the alien's home-world.

Demands were made to allow the aliens to reveal themselves to the world, but the leaders scoffed at the suggestion. The Aliens continued with their research on human history and behavior, geography and political situations, learning new languages and cultures. It appeared as if they were trying to strengthen the bonds between Terra and Gulon.

A murder of a renowned Internet personality, who discusses conspiracy theories and tries to prove them, occurred. He tackled the question of both The Rapture and The arrival of the Aliens. He began to theorize that both were connected.

Another death, a murder yet again. An atheist speaker who began to speak of The arrival of Aliens as something to be feared, addressing the connection between the Rapture and the revelation of the aliens.

These murders began to appear like the early drops of rain. Reverends sent on a mission they did not understand pushed themselves to the limit and broke their vows, all in the name of The Bliss.

But then the flood came.

The First of September

Spoiler

It was the 1st of September.
In an act of aggression, an attack was launched by the aliens orbiting earth. Outraged by the violation of earth's air space, many of the world leaders contacted the aliens and request them to leave. They refuse by saying that it is not them on the planet but their rivals, a neighbor from their home planet that had found this earth too.

Fighting occurred between the two Alien nations on the surface of earth in the territory of Poland, Southern India and Western Mexico. All throughout the world images of Alien machinery running around and shooting at each other flooded the news. Men stood in awe as they saw these beasts of steel powered by the organic unknown creatures from somewhere in the midst of the machine.

The Alien nation protecting earth was named 'Bunerl', fighting against a foe unknown to the citizens of Terra. Tearing through infrastructure and landscape, the battles scarred the countryside and the humans living nearby. Such power was a sight to be seen. The power to level entire cities was at the hands of one Alien war machine.

But there were dozens of those on the battlefields. To Earth's dismay, the 'Bunerl' lost the fight and retreated from earth. The victors forced treaties on the nations, forced Mexico to cede territory for the first ever Alien space port to be built on earth, in the north-eastern area of Mexico.

India was forced to relinquish a chunk of its sea-side southern territory for a military base of Earth's new Alien overlords, the "Harnoi". The Bliss continued in their path and the world leaders were struggling to remain in power.

The Aftermath of the Silver War

Spoiler

The 'Harnoi' began to develop their relationship with the local Mexican government and Indian government. In exchange for buying silver from the Mexican mines, they provided better mining equipment and technology of transportation. The first ever modular road was built in Mexico, connecting the capital to the 'Harnoi' space port. Its construction lasted for five months.

India was instructed to evacuate its civilian population from the area of the military base. In return, the 'Harnoi' offered the Indians weapons much more sophisticated than the ones on Earth, though very inferior to the Alien one. With the new machinery India invaded and forcefully annexed both Pakistan and Bangladesh. The world stood in silence and awe as their new weapons tore through cement bunkers and decimated whole armies with a click of a trigger.

Fear spread throughout the world. Fear of annihilation. Fear of suffering the same fate as India or Mexico. Secret alliances were formed to combat the invading aliens and preparations for a counter-attack were being made. The Alien war machines were being studied and so were smuggled arms from India.

The people went to the streets in protest, but what drove them was fear. More turned to The Bliss and the promise that they would leave this wretched earth on the 29th of February.

Murders of government officials and journalists became commonplace. Several Reverends were captured, but most of them were released due to their ways of life. None suspected the ones that returned.

No one saw what was soon to come.

Intermission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clmuj...feature=relmfu

The Scramble for Earth

Spoiler

February 29th, 2076. More than forty million stood in the streets in their white clothes, waiting for the second rapture. They had sold all of their belongings and said they goodbyes to their families and loved ones. Now all that remained was to wait for the arrival of the Rapture.

But it never came.

Instead, more aliens came. They were aliens of different races and nations, descending on to earth to claim their own slice of Terra. Their machines varied in form and color, old and new technologies but still vastly superior to those of the humans.

"We are but a mere speck of dust, but now we became new world to colonize. We must stand together and fight as one. We. Are.Terra."

The leader of the UN at the time, the Prime Minister of the UK announced in a televised event as the Invasion was still happening. Uniting their forces against the invader was their only chance at survival. Tossing aside differences and grudges to stop the nefarious non-Humans from taking our freedom.

It fell through.

"We of the Bliss do not fight"

Answered the men and women of The Bliss and stayed in their homes in anticipation for their Rapture.

"We will not fall to the plot of the Zionist entity"

One Shah cried out and with him a dozen nations.

"We will not pick up our arms to defend the west"

The committee of the People's Republic hath declared.

"This is not our war to fight"

Spanish nations of South America cried out in hopes of receiving better treatment for not resisting.

More and more nations decided to lay down their arms, and some decided to turn on one another at Terra's time of need.

All was taken. The large islands of this world proved to be the perfect ports for the large ships the larger Alien Nations had. The UK had been entirely annexed to one of the greatest Alien nations. Australia had been conquered too, Kyushu had been converted into a space port and trading hub. Taiwan was taken yet again and fallen into Alien hands. In many nations and regions Alien nations declared land to be theirs and built their ports and roads to transport their merchandize, inadvertently advancing the Human race to the space era…

As slaves.

The Role of the Bliss

Spoiler

Stranded on this earth, the Bliss were denied of their Rapture. As the fighting raged on, some members of the Bliss decided to react and help the struggle against the invaders. With the strange disappearance of Raymond Genr, the Bliss were left leaderless. Some local groups began to abuse their ways and change it, turning to the consumption of the pill more than maintaining a state of complacency and pacifism.

A tear formed in the faith, and the Bliss split. The members dedicated to Raymond stopped taking the pill to Bliss altogether and tried to elevate themselves through charity work and kindness. On the other hand, the splinter group which had grown much bigger than the Raymond loyal members has become more dependent on the pills. As years went by, the supply continued to be replenished by the Reverends from an unknown source.

Suddenly, Reverends began to ask for donations. They were very small at the time, to help clean the places of worship and aid the poor. But they grew bigger as time went by. More and more new Reverends, those that did not rise up in the first Rapture to Bliss began to take the place of the originals.

Bliss began to cost money. They were Nickels at first, to help keep the supply of the pills in check. Bliss began to be sold as a street drug throughout the nations, usually being cut and mixed with other materials to slice costs and maximize profits. People ingesting the pieces of Bliss that were tainted suffered greatly and even died.

A cry for help was made by the Bliss, asking people interested in tasting a piece of Bliss to simply join the group and dedicate themselves to pacifism.

The group suited the Alien's plans. The more pacified humans were around, the easier it was to control them. The drug spread and caused rampant crime and addiction rates. Those addicted to the drug remained in a state of calm where they could not move or react, effectively endangering their lives and preventing them from leaving a normal lifestyle.

In some countries, one out of eight was an addict. They would remain in a safe house till the pills would wear off and then do anything they could to find enough money for another trip to Bliss.

The Bliss embraced the notion of being a "church". Such a thing received legitimacy from the invading Aliens almost unanimously. Strange new laws began to appear. Not attending church on Tuesdays was met with a fine. Performing old religious rites incurred a hefty fine. Placing religious symbols in the outdoors became illegal.

As the church of Bliss grew, it began to form a hierarchy. A central leadership was formed under one Preacher which was elected from a pool of grand Reverends. These were responsible for an area with smaller communities and their own Reverends. The distribution of the pieces of Bliss came down from the Preacher to the believer by a simple exchange of currency.

With the money gathered from their followers, the church of the Bliss began to build grand structures where the wreckages of once great cities lied.

The Church of The Bliss had drifted far away from the first doctrine of Raymond yet people believe its words when they claim to speak the work of the true preacher, Raymond Genr.

The Dead Governments

Spoiler

In the wake of the Scramble for Earth, the world governments began to collapse. Regime swaps became commonplace, as the end of the 21st century began to look like the dark years of the cold war.

Alien nations fought secret wars, financing rebels and revolutionaries in their attempts to thwart the accomplishments of their rivals. Humans became pawns in the hands of their masters and so did their governments.

Democratic regimes were wiped out and replaced with autocratic ones, chosen carefully by their Alien overlords. The nation of Australia, now replaced with an autonomous council of previously rich Australian businessmen with loyalties and ties to the Aliens still struggles against their masters. Free men and women roam the uncharted jungles of the island Tasmania while their brothers in arms survive in the harsh wilderness of the central mainland, attempting to avoid enemy patrols.

All hope is not lost. The administration of the UK remained intact save for the monarchy, now replaced by an Alien monarch. The sudden change left a feeling of great resentment as Buckingham palace was inhabited by an Alien Monarch, a relative of the king that had annexed the UK into his lands. Organized rebellions popped in every corner of the land, laying Alien infrastructure to waste and disrupting Alien industries. The bureaucracy only served to hinder the Aliens and to be used as a secret weapon against the foreign administration.

While Mexico submitted and agreed to the presence of the Aliens, embracing their gifts of knowledge and expertise, some of their brothers disagreed. Further south, Columbian and Venezuelan resistance groups (, Ecuadorian not as much), were hiding in the jungles and hitting the Alien infrastructure and buildings. Stealing new technology and trading with Alien armaments, the drug barons that had found their previous occupation to be less lucrative than ever found a cause to enlist to. Nationalists and former criminals lurk in the woods, waiting for the arrival of foolish expeditionary forces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASj81...eature=related

Mechanics

Spoiler

You are the men and women of Terra. Thirty four years of occupation, more less than others, had brought you to your knees. The nations are categorized into four groups-

a. Fully Annexed, i.e. The UK

b. Territory ceded to the Aliens via agreement, i.e. India

c. Under occupation, i.e. Australia

d. Untouched, i.e. Mali, Barbados

You will be playing as a member of a member of the first three groups. Australia, the UK, Columbia and Mexico are all countries that are open at first for play. We will be dividing our forces hopefully equally between the four. Appropriate GMs will be recruited to manage the groups, and in the meanwhile we will work towards liberating earth.

If more people show up and register their interest, I will open up more areas of play, notably Japan and Israel. Thoughts of allowing players to live in France or Italy caught my sight, but I doubt we will have that many people. Each group will consist between 4-6 players. If you apply for a position, be prepared to apply to more than one area as you may not be picked to be in the area you want to be in. Characters are advised to be area specific as gameplay changes due to different areas.

Gameplay and topics that will be addressed are as followed:

a. The UK – Living under occupation.

The spread of the Church of the Bliss and the decline of the monotheistic faiths. The shock of the decline of the Religious establishments and Monarchy. Drug trafficking. Working under a hostile foreign rule as a mere clerk. Organized riots and resistance groups.

Police state status – Laws are made to restrict freedom of movement, free speech and privacy. Social spending is gone. All steps are made to make the UK a profitable colony, maximizing the profits of the Alien nation.

b. Columbia – Armed resistance to the Alien invasion.

Recovery of Drug cartels from their lack of business. The convergence of both the criminals of Columbia and its Nationalists in their efforts to throw off the Aliens and stop them from fully annexing Columbia.

They disrupt supply lines, kill cooperative humans and try to steal weapons so they can be reverse-engineered and reproduced. Political battle for control between the Colombian Drug cartels and the Nationalists.

The Character Sheets

Spoiler

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the rules again-
There are two areas due to lack of interest. Sorry.

Area: ( the UK(mainly England), Columbia).

Name:

Nationality: (Where were you were born. If not in the area, give me a good reason why you're there. Free movement is a thing of the past, 30 years of occupation make it hard to travel).

Age: (determines your play-style a bit, especially if you go with very young).

Education: (Note that Education in some nations is much better than in others. In occupied territories, like Columbia and Australia, you won't find many college graduates).

Affiliation: (Are you A rebel? Are you a simple addict? And so on and so forth)

Appearance: (Your height, body build, special features, etc.)

Familial status: (Are you single? In a relationship? Married with kids?)

Social Status (For annexed nations, such as the UK and Mexico, are you a mere worker, an educated engineer or a fat cat that made money over exploiting your fellow men the moment the Alien horde arrived?. For occupied nations (Columbia, Australia), means if you are under direct occupation and in the occupied zone or you are a free man.)

Notable Skills: (For the Rebels among you, I suppose the use of fire-arms is usually present. Players working for high-end industries might know how to read and write in an Alien language and know the ropes behind enemy machines. Being a Reverend also makes you a smooth-talker, so on and so forth)

Personal Philosophy: (Are you a nationalist? Are you a purist? DO you want Aliens off of your planet? Are you a communist? Are you socialist that wants the old UK back? Are you just self-serving, willing to trample over everything for money? Do you want to protect you family, your friends from the Alien invaders?, etc.)

Bio:

Flavor Posts
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Columbia

Spoiler

I lean forward and check to see Jose's wounds. "Jose, are you hurt?", I ask my husband who fell from a high tree two days ago. His side is bruised and his back is littered with small cuts. I turn back and walk towards my bag. "This place is bad for me, Julia", Jose said between grunts of pain, "This jungle is killing me faster than the 'Jemri'… Do you think-", Jose tried to speak by the pain kept him from continuing.

"We will get to Mexico", I tell him as I find the bottle of vodka in my bag and turn to meet him. I raise up his shirt and hold his right hand, "This is going to hurt, love". I pour the alcohol over his cut up back and he replies with a series of muffled screams of agony. "Can we stay here for the night", he asks me.

"I guess we can, I don't hear any-", that sound interrupts me. That horrible sound. Like a distorted cry of an elephant in the African tundra, it echoes throughout the jungle. The sound was so alien to the place I suddenly knew where it came from. "Jose, lets go- now!".

He stood up and grabbed his bag. So did I. He took the lead and held my right arm firmly, leading me away from the jungle and hopefully towards the western shore… And away from this madness. I can hear the cries of the Nationalists in the woods; they came out to meet an alien patrol. I wonder if they know why they are looking for us. Why they are looking for me.

I can hear cries of victory from the Nationalist forces. Could they have won against the scouting party?

But it won't do them any good. I can hear the troopers deploying. "Urok-", they scream out behind me in their foul language, the sound of the air igniting in fire accompanying the cries of the troopers, "-KEI!". This is something new. A stream of red light bursts through the jungle, obliterating everything in its path. Treetops fall down as their trunks vaporize.

"Urok-", another cry from the back. I can see the Nationalists firing at them with their Indian weapons. "-KEI!". The Columbian soldiers scream in agony, but their pain only lasts for a moment before they are gone. "Urok-". It's hard for me to keep up with Jose. "We have to run, Get out of here, Julia please-".

"-KEI!". I hold Jose with my right arm. Instead of looking at his face, I stare at a bright red light. I stop in my place but I can't feel Jose anymore. "JOSE!". He doesn't answer. I can't see him anywhere. I can't feel him anymore. I can't feel my right arm. "JOSE"

Tears start to run over my cheeks. I can't control them. I feel my right side getting wet.

"Urok-". A nationalist runs over to me and grabs my left hand. "Don't look back!" he tells me. He literally drags my away as I feel a sensation of heat covering my back. The red light almost caught me. "Don't look back!", he continues to yell as we run further.

I think I know why he keeps telling me that. I can't feel Jose holding my arm. I can't feel my arm anymore.

"Urok-KEI!".

[Vasilev]

I am very much interested and impressed with the plot you put together. The music was a very nice touch also. I want to take more notes on this concept so I can really get a feel with the story (along with making sure I don't mess up the concept with a comprehension error), but count me in. If you put so much thought into the story, I want to put in an equal amount of effort for you.

[TheIronRuler]

As you can see there isn't much popularity here.
I guess all I can do is wait for people to open this thread.

[Zhoren]

The problem, I believe, is the sheer length of the data involved, which most casual players wouldn't have the patience to go through. Moreover, seeing such a well developed plot in the casual section raises suspicions as to how the game would actually play out (well, it raises my suspicions anyway).

It may have been a better idea to put this in the advanced section; but then again, it usually takes several weeks for the plot to move a single step in an Advanced RP

That said, I am very interested.

[TheIronRuler]

The problem, I believe, is the sheer length of the data involved, which most casual players wouldn't have the patience to go through. Moreover, seeing such a well developed plot in the casual section raises suspicions as to how the game would actually play out (well, it raises my suspicions anyway).

It may have been a better idea to put this in the advanced section; but then again, it usually takes several weeks for the plot to move a single step in an Advanced RP

That said, I am very interested.

.
It dwells in the advanced section as well, but so far it had received no love from the advanced users.
So far only the two of you showed their interest in this... such a shame.

[TheIronRuler]

Bump.

[Agent]

The huge amount of information you gave works against you in this case. I know of very few people that are willing to read all that just to see if they're interested in the RP.

I'm interested though. I am curious as to how this is supposed to be played out though. With different factions around the world, you seem to want a few different stories going on simultaneously(although, considering the apparent lack of interest, that might not be possible).

[TheIronRuler]

The huge amount of information you gave works against you in this case. I know of very few people that are willing to read all that just to see if they're interested in the RP.

I'm interested though. I am curious as to how this is supposed to be played out though. With different factions around the world, you seem to want a few different stories going on simultaneously(although, considering the apparent lack of interest, that might not be possible).

Indeed, that was my intention.
I will send you further instructions via PM.