"People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy..." -Bruce Wayne
Nicknamed The City of Masks, Charlatan is infamous for the mass amounts of activism, corruption, and organized crime that stems from it. But, somewhere along the line--no one is quite sure exactly when, but at some point in the 21st Century, certain civilians from Charlatan City followed the example set by the legends that had been rooted in their culture. Much like the ancient greeks once had, the citizens of Charlatan emulated their heroes, and began a street-level war with an aim to purge the sin from their city.
Using a combination of surprisingly accessible modern technology, soft skills, physical prowess, knowledge, blackmail, theatrical talent, deception, and genuine ferocity, the citizens of Charlatan have become masked vigilantes. The results of their actions vary greatly. Some of them have ended up dead as a result of their actions. Others have spearheaded small-scale groups of radically minded 'caped crusaders'.
Their efforts have been met by various types of resistance: both Physical and Legislative. Naturally, attempts to chip away at organized crime have resulted in the use of hitmen and mafiosos to "take 'em out." Some specialized hitmen have developed to nab 'capes.' At the same time, unorganized criminals and spree killers have stepped up their game a bit to give themselves an edge. All of it escalated until the local superheroes found their dark doppelgängers: Supervillains. Like a fire, they come in many forms, both chaotic and surgical, from many backgrounds with different motivations and techniques. Admittedly, some are better than others. Some are egotistical, some are belligerent, some are greedy, and some are pathetic. Others are sympathetic.
Due to excessive brutality of some 'superheroes', special laws were created in order to put the 'capes' in line. Vigilantism became illegal, defined as a felonious act after the lines between hero & villain were blurred by 'anti-heroes' and reluctant supervillains. Police actively seek out the masked crimefighters as earnestly as they prey upon drug rings and with the same predictable sense of duty as they express when looking away from corruption.
But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In this game, you players will undertake the role of citizens within Charlatan City and play as characters who have a dual-identity of some sort. Under no circumstances will you play as Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker, but you can play as a character who purposefully imitates them and their alter egos at my discretion. In fact, I hope you guys make some interesting 'knock-offs', though OCs without any inspiration are also acceptable.
