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[INDENT][INDENT]On October 18[sup]th[/sup] 1967, Earth was caught in a worldwide blackout in the midst of a total lunar eclipse. During the eclipse, Earth was struck by a massive solar flare. The combination of plasma and magnetic fields doused the entire globe with high energy particles which caused the largest and brightest occurrence of the aurorae ever recorded. Unfortunately, this event also brought a geomagnetic storm that ravaged Earth’s electrical transmission lines, causing the global power outage. On that day, the Earth nearly stood still. Nearly three and a half billion people sat in total darkness for almost ten minutes before back up systems began to reintroduce power across the planet. However, numerous regions around the world were left in the dark for far longer. Major cities were powerless for nearly a week while some rural areas were forced to survive for almost a month without power. This event left a death toll numbering in the tens of thousands and become known as the Dark Eclipse. 

It has been nearly eighteen years since the day of the Dark Eclipse and while the world has resumed its original course, the aftermath of the Dark Eclipse reached far further than anyone could have ever anticipated. The resulting effect of the high energy particles was a mutation appearing in one person of every one million individuals. While public knowledge of the mutation remains vague, selected sects in the scientific community are aware of it and have dubbed the emergence of the mutation ‘Viriumosis’. In more common jargon, the possession of a mutation is referred to as the ‘Hype-Factor’ or ‘Hype-Gene’. Collectively, these mutants are referred to as ‘Hyperhumans’.

One such Hyperhuman, a girl by the name of Vanessa Bordeaux, was a student at Mather Memorial High School in the sleepy hamlet of Crestwood Hollow. Her secret was unknown to the vast majority of her peers and even her closest friends, but unfortunately, someone found out. Vanessa's body was discovered a week ago, brutally murdered. At this point, the police have no leads are at a total loss towards the killer's motivation due to the secret around Vanessa's true nature.

You will be taking the role of Vanessa's closest friends and peers. Players will be asked to create fellow students who through an event occurring in the first IC post, will also become Hyperhumans who have to come to terms with their new abilities. These students could be Vanessa's sibling(s), best friend, her lover, her crush etc. Stricken by grief over their deceased friend, the player base will be brought together by Mather Memorial's new and enigmatic school counsellor, Jonas Lehrer. Concealing a secondary agenda not initially disclosed to the group, Jonas himself has knowledge that some might describe as uncanny and was brought to Crestwood due to a premonition surrounding Vanessa's friends. Plagued by visions of a dark figure hunting Hyperhumans on a vengeful quest, Jonas' premonition showed him the only way to stop the evil force was by uniting the group of teenagers and training their potential. Using the guise of a grief counselling session to unite the group, the RP will progress by the group transitioning into a team and training group.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S E T T I N G:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][b][color=lightgray]   C R E S T W O O D   H O L L O W   ||    E S T .   1 6 8 4 :[/color][/b][/sub]
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[INDENT]Situated along the Eastern Coast of the United States between Hampton and Portsmouth, Crestwood Hollow is a small New Hampshire city originally founded in the year of 1684, shortly before the infamous Witch Trials. Settled in the fertile Orlaith Valley, the city is home to a largely rural area, boasting a very fruitful agricultural industry. The largest export of the city is the Golden Delicious Apple. Beyond the valley lies densely populated forests of oak, maple and cherry trees. This contributes to several lumber mills in the area that provide a secondary industry to the city. 

To the North of the Orlaith Valley is the Great Bay Lake. From the Lake, the River Shannon flows South before turning East towards the valley and continuing through the city. The downtown of Crestwood Hollow is split by the river with one street travelling East on the Northside of the river, while on the Southside the road only goes West. Located every few blocks is a draw bridge that both connects the city and separates it when the need arises for a ship travels upstream. Towering buildings look down on the river ranging from hotels to banks, to professional firms and apartment complexes. The Northern side of the city is known for being rougher than its Southern Sister. The 'Beau' half of Crestwood Hollow is home to the Mather Park, in the middle of which is an ancient white oak known only as the Hanging Tree. The Southern half of the city, the 'Belle,' is newer than the Beau and is home to several more residential areas than the North. The further south one travels in Crestwood Hollow, the more construction they seem to encounter as the city is continuously expanded to accommodate new subdivisions. 

Towards the eastern edge of the city, the Shannon empties into the Atlantic Ocean, flowing through the Crestwood Port before it is swept away by the tides of the Atlantic. Due to its location within the Orlaith, Crestwood Hollow has very few visits via train and does most of its imports through truck and ship. As such, the Port is often a thriving hub of life with new ships visiting each day. Several fisheries dot the piers but have fallen upon hard times in later years due to over-fishing in the Atlantic. Numerous recreational boats fill the docks and full warehouses litter the boardwalks.[/INDENT]
[sub][b][color=lightgray]   M A T H E R   M E M O R I A L   H I G H   S C H O O L   ||    E S T .   1 9 4 7 :[/color][/b][/sub]
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[INDENT]Mather Memorial High School is Crestwood Hollow's largest secondary school in the city which collects the graduates from several of the city's more populated elementary schools. One of the oldest buildings in all of Crestwood Hollow, Mather Memorial was originally the city's courthouse when it was built in 1654, before being transformed into a county jail for nearly a decade, spanning from 1802 until nearly 1869.

Unfortunately, a fire brought down part of the building, resulting in numerous convicts being unleashed on the unsuspecting city proper. Opting not to rebuild a jail in the middle of the town, the building sat empty for nearly thirty years until a young architect wanting to make a name for himself opted to propose the structure be revitalized and renewed as a school. In 1902, the school opened its doors under the original name of Mather Memorial Highschool.

Due to the long-standing history of the school, it comes as no surprise that many of the locals consider the building to be haunted. One of the most prominent local urban legends says that the large oak standing in the school's front courtyard was the very tree used to hang the men and women found to be witches during the Witch Trials. As Mather Memorial sits on the edge of Mather Park, this tree is the same white oak referred to as the Hanging Tree.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]H Y P E R H U M A N   B A C K G R O U N D:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][b][color=silver]   H Y P E R H U M A N S   ||    H O M O - V I R I U M :[/color][/b][/sub]
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[INDENT]Hyperhumans are individuals who have undergone a mutation process known as Viriumosis which leads to the creation of a ‘Hype-Gene’ and development of extranormal abilities. Viriumosis occurs when high energy particles create an insertion and add one or more extra nucleotides into the host DNA. As insertions in the coding region of a gene may alter splicing of the mRNA, or cause a shift in the reading frame, this almost always leads to a significant alteration in the gene product. These alterations lead to a wide variety of effects which are often looked upon as super-human abilities.

While Viriumosis was only able to occur in the individuals who were alive during the Dark Eclipse, the Hype-Gene is passed along through reproduction. This is a cumulative result of high energy particles stored within the donating parent's chromosomes. A portion of these particles is replicated and passed along to through genetic material resulting in the offspring going through Viriumosis in utero. Naturally, this leads to the creation of the 'Hype-Gene' in the offspring allowing them to display abilities akin to those of their parent(s).

The process of Viriumosis itself has a rather high fatality rate, and the sudden incubation period contributed to the death toll during the ‘Dark Eclipse’. This additionally extends to the unborn fetus, contributing to an above-average rate of miscarriage in couples with one or Hyperhuman parent. A human born without a 'Hype-Gene' will not display, nor gain Hyperhuman abilities unless subjected to Viriumosis. Due to the technological constraints and the rarity of high energy particles, there is currently no way to artificially replicate the process which created the ‘Hype-Gene’ during the Dark Eclipse.

The 'Hype-Gene' isn't exclusively carried within either sex but is a dominant gene within both exponentially increasing the chances that the child of a Hyperhuman will be one themselves. However, due to a lack of willing subjects, there are no studies as to whether power levels are greater or equal within children who have two Hyperhuman parents compared to those who only have one.

Hyperhuman abilities are incredibly diverse and more often than not allow the host to accomplish superhuman abilities. When a Hyperhuman is born, they have unlimited potential as to what abilities they will develop. Hyperhuman abilities are not predetermined by parents but instead are developed during puberty in the majority of hosts. However, children are ten times more likely to develop abilities related to or similar to those displayed by their parents. It is possible for those subjected to extreme trauma at a younger age to prematurely develop their abilities. Environment and circumstance surrounding the time of ability development will contribute to determining the host’s abilities.

Every Hyperhuman goes through a period of ability fluctuation. During this period, the host may display several different but ultimately similar or related abilities before their body locks onto one as their own.  Hyperhuman abilities are distinctly categorized between ‘internal abilities’ or ‘external abilities’. While there is overlap between abilities in either category, it is how these abilities are accomplished that determines their categorization. Internal abilities are Hyperhuman powers which are characterized by internal manipulation of the body or energies held in the body created by Viriumosis. The most basic example of an internal ability would be hyper-strength. External abilities are Hyperhuman powers characterized by being able to manipulate the world such as the ability to bend and control fire.  

Hyperhuman abilities are closely linked to Earth’s electromagnetic (EM) spheres. These electromagnetic spheres could be considered to be the source of all Hyperhuman abilities and without their presence, Hyperhumans would be rendered powerless. In the same vein, the more of them that are in close proximity, the weaker they become as they fight to draw from the same EM spheres. However, there exists a phenomenon where Hyperhumans with a strong relationship or allied cause, can instead lend their strength to another and amplify their abilities. Further synchronization between two or more Hyperhumans can actually lead to temporarily accessing each other’s abilities. The limitation to this total synchronization is that only one ability can be active at once meaning all parties must be of the same intent. 

All Hyperhumans are discernable from regular humans through the presence of HZE ions in their bodies. These HZEs or 'hazies' fluctuate with the usage of the Hype-Gene meaning that the usage of Hyperhuman Abilities can be detected and residual HZEs can be tested to determine how recent abilities have been used. As Hyperhuman Abilities require HZEs, abilities can also be suppressed through electron overloading or irradiation. High profile enforcement agencies have begun to implore experimental weapons and restraints which bombard the Hyperhuman body with electrons in order to keep known dangerous Hyperhumans suppressed and under control.

However, the majority of 'Hyperhumans' live their lives without knowing they even possess abilities. Most dismiss a few odd occurrences as being the work of heightened adrenaline or delusion. But there are the few who learn to embrace their nature and use their abilities to accomplish extraordinary feats and others who embrace their nature to manipulate the world and take what they want.[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/color]