In the year 2020, reality took a decisive turn.

It began with the people of the world. Pestilence drove them apart, into seclusion, and into condemnation of their fellows. But man was not made for living alone, caged by fear. Tragedy and loss rattled the population, and unrest suffused the globe, escalating into at-times violent opposition. Isolation and division severed the connections of the world, leaving many adrift and in despair. From the other side of the wall a song could be heard, dim and muffled, but as the cracks grew longer the tune became clearer. It was a song of otherness, of restlessness, its simple and beautiful suggestion that this tormented world couldn't possibly be real. Many lost touch with reality, sinking into the gloom that surrounded them, dreaming unsettling and incomprehensible dreams when they slept, and seeing a unfamiliar world that flashed and blurred when they could not, staring into their ceilings and computer screens. As the year got older, even the weather of the world grew aimlessly active. The people could feel it—that sensation of impending disaster, of teetering on a precipice and peering down into the bottomless pit below, and of wondering if what lay below could possibly be worse than what lay behind.

In December, the cracked wall, groaning under the weight of the song on the other side, gave way. For nineteen days and nights, reports came in across the globe of bizarre sightings, of colors that moved and danced, of water where none should be, of things that moved in strange ways in the corners and the shadows. Then the first Well opened, and the rest was history.

All over the world, Wells of bright blue water sprang forth where none should be. Within, no matter what lay there before, lay an infinite Deep. Some Wells came and went like riptides, divulging otherworldly things before sucking worldly things back in, and some came like earthquakes, changing the terrain where they erupted. Whether sanctioned as Divers by the governments of the world or not, people ventured into the Deep, and found an astral sea with no surface. Among all the inexplicable things the Divers saw down there was one discovery: the existence of other wells, like those they came through. And of other worlds beyond them.

For a long time there was chaos. Even as exploratory teams traveled through the helpful currents of the Deep to other worlds, establishing bases and giving them names, other things filtered through onto Earth from beyond. Some arrived subtly, others like explosions, changing the world irreparably. Chief among them was the Lucid Dream, taking over the great cities where multitudes of people lived their lives, clouding them in a tangible malaise, creating surreal doldrums that cultivated distortion. Countless people were changed, both on Earth and other worlds, giving rise to entire subspecies collectively falling under the classification 'More Than Human'--MTH for short, pronounced (and often spelled) 'myth'.

But that's old news. Twenty-eight years have passed, with weirdness becoming the new normal. A state of equilibrium was reached, allowing business to proceed more or less as usual, but the scars of those early years never faded. The Lucid Cities remain effectively lost to the outside world, their residents living unthinking lives on repeat. Gone is the security of the old world, making whole countries into frontiers.

It's in this changed world that you live, and not just as a civilian, no. You're a problem solver, the sort who can fend for yourself. And you or your employers have been contacted by the Interest. A shadowy organization extant principally in rumor and superstition, the Interest has requested your help in a raid on a base of the infamous Gilgamesh Co. Established in the early days of the Opening, as it came to be called, it sought to boost the economies and livelihoods of the world by abusing the resources of other dimensions, and abusing their employees -including the criminals, the purposeless, and the desperate- to get them. Though long since publicly denounced and dissolved, Gilgamesh continues to operate in secret around the globe, and the Interest seems eager to see this branch put down. To that end they're offering fabulous sums of money for professional help, and other things besides—they seem to know exactly what it is you need.

So, a raid on an evil corporation in a world changed by the Opening to other dimensions and peopled by those deemed More Than Human...are you in?


After the Opening, Wells emerge across the globe that offer access to the Deep, and through it access to other dimensions. Some wells only appear briefly, but others stay permanently, tinging the surrounding area with features of the nearest dimension. The trip can be made with conventional diving equipment or submarines, or even without as long as one gets really lucky with the currents. Still, travel is risky and inconvenient. Since this RP will be taking place on Earth, knowing the other dimensions isn't that important.




Though all technically human, various More Than Human (myth) subspecies exist in this world. Due to their newness, there aren't really separate cultures, though that hasn't stopped people from trying to establish them.

Some subspecies are uniformly deleterious to humanity and/or the world. These monster subspecies are considered kill-on-sight if threatening or outside of their home dimensions, and their escape into other dimensions are considered emergencies.

• Kin – a magic subspecies. Inhabitants of the Cave who've been mutated by exposure to the Haze. The mutations can be quite extreme and even highly debilitating depending on time in the Cave, and no two are quite alike. The only observable logic is that they appear to be warped by their desires. Long-term Kin carry Haze within themselves and can use it to cast illusions or glamours. They typically resist leaving the Cave strongly, but if forced out, they can be brought to their senses, typically at the cost of permanent depression.
• Deviant – a physical subspecies. A person either traveled to or born into the Cave with a resistance to the Haze. They develop minor mutation in the form of demonic or bestial features, but otherwise resist change. They're energetic, hardy of constitution, and tend toward aggressive personalities, putting them at odds with Kin society. If they don't leave the Cave, however, they will eventually succumb and become Kin.
• Bound – a magic subspecies. Someone who's formed a bond with a supernatural entity of the Grove. Difficult to cleanly catalog, they run the gamut in terms of traits and abilities, and even the method of bonds' establishment. Bonds can be made through heartfelt connections, contracts, and even possession. Successful possession physically alters the host, but other methods do not. Bound have limited access to their partners' abilities, only able to manifest and command them for brief periods unless they allow their partners to take over, which can result in possession of the entities don't give them up.
• Masque – a physical subspecies. Once in a while the cranes and machines of Morass dredge crews bring up odd sluglike creatures the size of rats, each bearing oddly human features. These Faces, acting with subtle intelligence, seek humans in isolation to form a parasitic bond. Once inside a human, they merge with the host and rapidly alter his or her internals, leaving only the exterior intact and human. The hosts maintain their personalities, aware of the changes as well as whatever physical abilities they gain as a result.
• Shepherd – a divine subspecies. Someone whose life of ascetic self-reflection in Horizon resulted in enlightenment, but gained the knowledge that he or she was chosen to remain behind. Able to fly freely through air and the Deep alike on flawless wings, they either remain in Horizon to guide others toward enlightenment, or journey beyond to evangelize in other dimensions. Most humans and other myths fear and avoid them to an extent, wary of their dedication to an unknown authority. Shepherds live simply and alone, or with one another, and travel often to meet new people. They exhibit kinesis, the ability to apply force to themselves and expel it outward, and can perform healing.
• Lost - a divine subspecies. Someone whose life of ascetic self-reflection in Horizon resulted in enlightenment, but upon ascending experienced rejection and fell back down with cursed wings and some degree of mental scarring. Outcasts in Horizon, they return to Earth or travel to other dimensions to try and live their lives. They possess the kinesis of the Shepherds to a stronger degree but have less control and range, so much so that they can force themselves to fly despite whatever's become of their wings.
• Blight – a physical monster subspecies. Someone infested and grotesquely deformed by malignant biological subsystems in Corpus. Most are little more than monsters driven by a need to consume and reproduce, bringing sickness wherever they go, although they maintain some shreds of their human minds. Some who aren't completely infested do maintain their minds, however. Killing them on sight is considered standard practice, if one is capable. They're very dangerous, and any that make it to other dimensions are considered emergency threats that must be dealt with.
• Clockers – a technological monster subspecies. If touched by the corruption found within Pendulum, a human will begin the process of clockwork conversion starting at the contact point and spreading inward before manifesting outward. Due to being contagious and not very self-aware they're not allowed to leave Pendulum or come near humans or other myths, instead forced to live in their own secluded societies. Clockers outside of Pendulum are typically considered kill-on-sight. Any outbreaks that appear outside are considered emergency threats.
• Elementals – a magical subspecies. A person who's been altered by consuming a fruit from an elemental oasis in Areia Grande. In small doses, a person can gain minor elemental powers (Elpo), but there's a fine line between that and elemental affliction (Elaf), which is the middle state. An Elaf has some power as a byproduct of the affliction that he or she suffers from, and may be classified as a monster subspecies depending on the severity of the affliction. Overdosing on fruit can result in a huge elemental monstrosity (Elmo) driven by an overriding need to destroy, and which are considered monster subspecies.
• Other - many things are possible. What can you come up with and justify in this setting?

Playing a myth is not necessary. There's plenty of technology, both old and new, for humans to use. And it doesn't take a myth to practice distortion.



The Opening was not an apocalypse, but for many it was the end. Out of the realm between worlds, or from worlds far beyond, swept the Lucid Dream. It spread like a plague through the night sky, tinting the night with odd swirls and colors that crept into the realm of sleep. People all across the world began to dream strange dreams, of distant realms and far-off planes, in incredible detail and color. And they could could remember. And some never woke up.

It happened quickly. Fog spread across the largest cities in the world, Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi, New York, Beijing, Istanbul, Chicago, and more. Wherever the dreams of multitudes coincided. Afterward, research designated a terminal point for the population of any city: 8.5 million. After that, the inhabitants risked the Lucid Dream. These cities became permanently overcast, separated from the outside world by a barrier of fog, and the places within fell asleep. The people of those cities continued to go about their lives, but dully, numbly, as though sleepwalking. It was as if they chose to ignore the strangeness blossoming all around them, like weeds nobody wanted to prune, or mold nobody wanted to clean.

For from the cracks and corners came the nightmares. Things watching from the drains. Noises in the basements. Spiderwebs between buildings. Buses that run on millipede legs instead of tires. People in the stairwells. Eyes in the traffic lights. Don't look at the face of that man by the tracks. Don't follow those kids beckoning you to play. Don't look too closely at that shape on the building. Don't ask directions from people in hoods. If you pretend they aren't there, they won't come after you. The Dreaming Cities are where the monsters are.

Most Strangers and anomalous entities that come to Earth find their way to Dreaming Cities. They are awake, but so too are some of the people. The watchful, the careful, the paranoid. And those who enter with a purpose in mind. Those who stay awake in a Dreaming City have a powerful weapon against the unknown: distortion. Sometimes things happen that aren't quite right, or don't quite make sense. Sometimes people can make them happen. Disappearing around a corner. Finding a lucky deadbolt in a hiding room on the run. A door where there wasn't one. Wearing an inconspicuous appearance. An extra magazine.

With some practice, anyone can pull off a few tricks to stay alive or get ahead. Someone with a lot of know-how can really shake things up. At the same time, causing distortions can get unwanted attention. distortions, after all, are the tools of monsters, and they don't like people turning it against them.

With no authority, anything goes in the Dreaming Cities. That means a world of opportunity for some, so long as they don't provoke the wrong monster. There are even some companies that take advantage of and commercialize this strange segment of reality, but one should beware. Not all monsters stay inside city limits, and not all distortions, either.



When wells opened the way between worlds, humanity found waterways leading through the Deep to a few new dimensions, but those are by no means the only worlds out there. Once in a while, things drift in from farther still—from beyond. Myriad in their natures, forms, and even existences, these 'strangers' sometimes wind up on earth or its neighboring dimensions and settle in. They can be virtually anything; a phantom circus performing across the globe in secluded places, attracting audiences and always open to recruits. An eldritch thunderstorm rolling through the desert, its touch animating the dead. A submarine appearing from bays, lakes, ponds, and puddles that's manned by empty diving suits. Strangers aren't available to be played as, but perhaps one factors into your character's backstory, responsible for affecting them or their surroundings in a formative way.


Name: (Can be nickname, codename, etc)
Species: (Human or myth. If myth, name the type)
Job: (Something that describes your character's class or role, IE brawler, gunner, thief)
Appearance:
Personality:
Background: (No need to be exhaustive. Focus on formative events in your character's story. If you're unsure of anything, want to run ideas by me, or want ideas period, please ask)
Talents: (Include physical, magical, divine, and technological abilities where applicable. This is also the spot for weapons and equipment. While definitely above street level, we're not dealing with a team of superheroes here, so don't go too nuts with powers)
Other:



That was a lot of text. Probably too much. But I hope it was somewhat interesting. I'd be happy to hear any feedback.

Ooooooh.

Definitely interested. How influential is the Interest? Would we be starting with the raid, basically, and dealing with the fallout? Or is that spoilerinos?

Ooooooh.

Definitely interested. How influential is the Interest? Would we be starting with the raid, basically, and dealing with the fallout? Or is that spoilerinos?

Glad to hear it!

The Interest is fairly clandestine, comparable to a PMC, with little known about it other than it often targets branches of Gilgamesh and similar companies that risk human lives to harvest resources from other dimensions, whatever the side effects. The name also comes up in bounty-hunting circles, indicating that they also dispatch rogue anomalies sometimes. It's not that influential, but it's a reliable when it comes to its dealings.

The RP will begin with the raid, and what ensues will definitely concern the participants.

v cool stuff

Not set on it by any means as a char basis, but would tech looted from Pendulum allow the creation of a kind of human, or more than human, steampunk gadgeteer? Based on the clockwork animals and other bits of the description steampunks what I'm assuming the aesthetic is, or would it be more futuristic looking?

Indeed, tech recovered from the Pendulum, while clockwork in function and appearance, is remarkably functional and could form the basis for a very steampunky character.

I'd make a Blight slime. Sounds fun. That one fits perfectly for an always hungry slime that loves to give people hugs.

Interested

Interested as well. Got an idea being kicked around upstairs

I might just have an idea for a Bound professional thief.

Glad to see you guys interested! Six is a good starting number. I'll proceed assuming the game is on and work on setup while looking forward to characters and new arrivals. If there are any questions I'd be more than happy to help.

@Lugubrious Anime faceclaims or no?

@Lugubrious Anime faceclaims or no?

By all means. Anime was a definite influence for this, in fact.

I’m interested. About the corpus living weapons ore thingy, are they like organic technology? If your familiar with the Wii game Conduit, is it like that?

I’m interested. About the corpus living weapons ore thingy, are they like organic technology? If your familiar with the Wii game Conduit, is it like that?

I wasn't familiar, but I did look up the Drudge weapons, and yeah. The super tissues that can be harvested to make living weapons work a lot like that, also like the Infested weapons in Warframe. Depending on whether or not the weapons include cerebral matter, they can also be sentient, which also begs the question of what happens when human cerebral tissue is included.

Cool. I have a character concept that would use the living aspect of the corpus tissues in the machines he builds.

More Human than Human!

oooh, this is very cool!!! count us in as interested!

Name: Archibald Gideon Prescott. Alias “Digital Centurion”

Species: Lightning Elpo

Job: Mercenary

Appearance: Archibald is robustly built, standing at 6’2” and weighing 210 pounds. He keeps his brown hair short enough to be essentially impossible to grab. Kind, pale blue eyes bely his nature as a seasoned mercenary with numerous kills under his belt. A chunk of his left nostril is missing, with a clear scar showing a blade wound running through it and his lip. His facial hair perpetually remains a five-o-clock shadow.

Fully kitted out, Archibald is an intimidating presence. Archibald

Without the exoskeleton and face mask, this is roughly what he looks like. The backpack is bigger to fit all the ammo and has extra packs strapped on for his other gear, as well.

Personality: Meeting this guy in a dark alley is every person’s worst nightmare, no matter which side of the law they’re on. Intimidating, ruthless, murderous, all adjectives used to describe ‘Digital Centurion’. On the job, Archibald focuses on getting the job done and getting it done properly. He has little patience for fools and braggarts. He’s utilitarian but not merciless. He doesn’t throw bodies at problems to solve them, he makes problems into bodies.

But as we all know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Off the job, Archibald is much more laid back, but with a lightly hidden tension that shows he rarely if ever truly relaxes. He’s seen some shit, and he knows that he’s just one botched job away from a shallow grave.

Background: Born in the same year that the first Well opened, Archibald has never known the old world. Raised by a career soldier of a father, he moved around a lot from a young age, never staying in one home for more than a few years. As such, Archibald has little attachment to any one nation or culture.
His father raised him to be athletic, to treat his body with care, and to recognize the value of his life. He taught him the skills he would need to protect himself, and made him condition his body to be able to utilize those skills to the maximum.

Becoming a mercenary at the age of twenty, Archibald quickly made a name for himself as somebody with the skills and the attitude to get jobs done. Despite his reputation as a brutal mercenary, he has a history of avoiding what he considers to be lower-end “hitman” work. He has no problem killing people to get a job done or as a means to an end, but killing as an end itself rubs him the wrong way.

Talents:

Minor electricity manipulation- Has the ability to induce electrical charges in objects (enough to create a magnetic attraction like a weak neodymium magnet, but not enough to say, Static Shock a manhole cover and fly around). This can also work in reverse, if an object has electricity within it, he can drain the charge and leave it a husk. Can also emit a jolt of electricity with similar power to a taser, but rapid repeated use of this ability drain him physically. He can use this ability to fry unshielded electronics, but just zapping a keypad doesn’t always open that high-security door.

Firearm Proficiencies- Able to use with skill most modern firearms. Weapons made with Pendulum tech are a bit trickier, but given time (like with his own weapon) he can learn how to use them just as well as a regular old gun.

The Basics of CQC- Archibald has been taught in more than just the basics of close-quarters combat. In fisticuffs or armed with his knives, he’s a deadly combatant. He knows how to disarm opponents and finish them in quick order.

Medical talent- No good mercenary lasts long without being able to patch up minor wounds on the go. Proper application of bandages, tourniquets, and first aid procedures are no problem for this merc. Given time to stop and think, he can jury-rig a treatment for more serious wounds as well as diagnose them.

Gear- A veteran mercenary, Archibald has a serious kit of gear. He carries military-grade first aid equipment at all times. This kit has bandages, gloves, tourniquets, medical masks, emergency splints, neck braces, artery clamps, scissors, disinfectant, iodine, hand and foot cream, needle and thread, insect bite relief creams, epinephrine, adrenaline, burn relief kits, pain relief meds, you name it! If there’s a medical problem, Archibald can address it.

In addition to his medical gear, Archibald carries light sticks, road flares, night-vision goggles, a hunting knife, a folding knife, N95 masks, quick energy snack bars, flash grenades, a straight razor, a 25-foot length of rope, and fresh socks.

Lucy Dear- Lucy Dear is an automatic rifle made from Pendulum technology that fires a high-velocity, armor-piercing intermediate rifle cartridge capable of penetrating most lightweight body armors without fail. Heavier ceramic armors tend to hold up to the first few rounds before shattering under the strain of repeated fire. Lucy Dear has an advanced recoil management system that gives her minimal kick, although long-term firing will obviously result in recoil that is still difficult to manage. Lucy Dear is also equipped with a zero-zoom holographic sight. The rifle is also integrally suppressed, with a firing volume of about 120 decibels, the approximate noise level of a thunderclap or a chainsaw. A typical rifle will have a firing volume of about 165 decibels, for reference.

In addition to all of the above, Lucy Dear is fitted via a semi-ridged belt-feeder to a backpack containing 750 rounds of ammunition. Assuming no complications, the entire stock of ammunition can be fed to Lucy Dear without the need for reloading, making Archibald a constant threat so long as he has ammo. The primary downside to this is the size and weight of the backpack, which weighs about 40 pounds fully loaded.

Handgun- Archibald also carries a double-stack .45 handgun with a whopping 15-round magazine. He carries four reserve magazines for a total of 75 rounds.

Body Armor- Archibald wears high-grade body armor capable of stopping most conventional rifle rounds. Anti-materiel rounds will not be stopped by this armor. On his shoulders, arms, and over his groin he wears lightweight armor capable of stopping most handgun rounds.

Helmet- Archibald wears a ballistic helmet as well, which can prevent, deflect, or reduce the impact of shots to his head. While he obviously would prefer not to be shot in the head at all, some protection is better than none.

Other:

A real walking arsenal, eh? He seems tough and capable, definitely not on the quirkier side. My question is this: how did he become a Lightning Elpo? Did he go to Areia at some point and find a lightning oasis himself, or as part of a squad? Did he come into conflict with someone there who had and take their fruit? Confiscate it at some point on earth from someone who'd gone to Areia? Why did he eat the fruit? Was he commanded to? Forced to, either by an enemy or in order to beat an obstacle? Or just curious?

In other news, I plan to make an example sheet that might help people in some fashion, and I may add a new world or two (plus associated subspecies) that I've been ruminating on but didn't include initially.

All very good questions. All things I should have put in the background section, because of course I forgot something. Oof.

He was sent on a job to get the fruits back from somebody who'd stolen them from a wealthy client. Part of his payment was either a rather hefty sum of money, or a fifth of that sum, and he'd be allowed to keep one fruit for himself and do with it as he pleased. He lost out on a lot of money for that opportunity, but it was a bit of an investment on his part. Not needing to carry a taser, and being able to be armed at all times are valuable things for a mercenary.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask away.