I've been planning to do a story-driven RP for a small group of people or a while now, and I've only just managed to iron out enough details to put into an interest check. It'll probably be high casual/low advanced, and I'd prefer a small number of dedicated and active players over a large group of inactive ones. If you don't think you can fit these critera, then this RP may not be for you.
A mineral known as Arcana can be found in abundance underground, and mining its crystals to use as an energy source has been commonplace for almost a century. The Council has control over Arcana production and refinement, as well as the production of Magitech. Recently, there have been issues with these crystals - some believe they started the Blue Plague several months ago, littering the outer districts with disease and suffering. Others think that the lack of care and attention from The Council in these underprivileged districts might have been the cause. It is widely accepted, however, that the latest batch of Arcana crystals this past year have been malfunctioning and producing very little to no energy whatsoever, leaving parts of the City without power or in disrepair.
In this RP, your character will be recruited by Viktor Strade to figure out why the latest batch of crystals aren't working. In truth, it's a pretty shitty job and Viktor was essentially picking out of the best of a bad bunch to complete this task. Nobody in The Council actually expects Strade to make any progress on this problem and it's more of a thinly veiled punishment than an actual job, especially considering the fact he has little to no access to Council resources and had to scoop up a bunch of civilians for it. With nothing but a few basic leads and whatever kit they could scavenge, our party will set off on an adventure that will carry them across The City in the hopes of finding out the truth - and discovering more than they bargained for.
This is where most of the RP will be based. It is a large and sprawling metropolis of Magitech and late Victorian architecture. The City itself is practically the size of a small country, separated into 20 official Districts. These districts spread out from the centre with the most elite populating District 1, which is the largest. As the number increases, the size and quality of life decreases. Only the initial 20 Districts are officially recognised by The Council to avoid spending tax fees on the underprivileged multitudes on the outskirts. After around District 45, the City devolves into a mesh of scavenged material pieced together to make some form of living accommodation. These are called the Slums, and they have a history of bloodshed and chaos.
Magitech - Literally the lifeblood of the City. Magitech is the electricity that runs through almost every nook and cranny of the metropolis, and it powers everything within its reach. The energy comes from a particular mineral known as Arcana - its crystals can be found in abundance deep underground and they are hooked up to any device you can think of like batteries. Of course, the larger the crystal, the more energy it can provide - but Arcana has a finite amount of energy per unit of mass and even more needs to be mined up from the earth to keep the City running.
Magitech is always created in the official districts, but it is distributed everywhere. The people within the City are subject to advertising campaigns for the latest new gadget almost every other week; toasters guaranteed to never burn the bread, torches that can be mounted onto any vertical surface, self-heating teacups, small-scale force fields you can attach onto fragile packages...the list goes on and on.
Magitech weaponry is rarer than normal firearms and a little more difficult to get a hold of unless you’re part of The Council, but it’s not unheard of. People have been seen with laser pistols, special energy shields and electrified knives.
Buffs - These are a newer technological breakthrough within the City, and there have been quite a lot of debates surrounding the concept. Named after James Buffant, who devoted his life to ingesting Arcana and recording the effects, these chemical products are mass-produced temporary superpowers in pills, bottles or syringes. The most common ones alter the senses or increase durability, strength and agility. Some are purely cosmetic, allowing someone to change their appearance or shapeshift for around half an hour. All of them are Council Approved and rarely last over an hour or two.
Nonapps - With the creation of Buffs, many individuals started wondering if The Council was hiding the true potential of Arcana ingestibles. Nonapps are Buffs that aren’t approved by the Council and they’re technically illegal, because their potency makes them addictive. Nonapps grant the user stronger powers for half the duration alongside some pretty horrible side-effects. They’re homebrewed and unreliable; with the side effects ranging from nausea to growing a third limb or being covered in scales, many people avoid Nonapps simply because they’re so unpredictable.
I apologise for the brevity of this Interest Check, but I'm essentially sifting through a very expansive google doc and trying to figure out what bits I want to tell you and what bits I'd like to change before letting them loose. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
