Jinxer

Questing for Reality

Questing for Reality

A Ready Player One inspired RP

A world in ruins.
A people who spurn the real and live in the virtual.
A Quest grounded in both worlds, imagined by a dying woman.

The World

It is 2043 now and the world is falling into ruin. Climate change has happened, it no longer matters whether it was man made as most believe or whether it was a 'natural' occurrence; the fact of the matter is that it has happened. Many places are too hot to properly sustain human, or other, life. Water levels have risen drastically and the weather itself has become more extreme with hurricanes, floods and droughts far more common than before.

The unpredictable nature of the weather, and the new extremity of it, have posed serious challenges to the world economy and it has stagnated for decades. Inequality is through the roof with the masses consigned to abject poverty, although the Western world is slightly better off. No longer having the wealth and authority to impose a complete rule of law the governing elites content themselves to reside in their capitals and prevent outright rebellions; by and large the whole world has settled into a depressed acceptance of the ruinous situation humanity has consigned itself to.

Virtual Reality

Perhaps this acceptance of their fate, of the disastrous state of the world, is accepted because of the rise in Virtual Reality. As the world headed into its biggest and longest down turn, advances in technology for VR rushed ahead in leaps and bounds until one company released something that could truly be called a Virtual Reality with an operating system, hardware and accessories to enter it with. By the early '20s (the new '20s, not the 1920s) VR machines were sold wholesale, televisions were a thing of the past. Bulky desktop computers, laptops and gaming consoles died out and were replaced by simple devices the size of a paperback book, capable of operating VR which overran all previous operating systems.

Accessories for interacting with VR became numerous, from simple haptic gloves and visors (the basic tools, evolutions of the bulky goggles and awkward controllers used by pioneers of VR) to full body haptic suits and even rooms designed to completely immerse oneself within the virtual world. Thanks to government schemes promoting VR for educational and health uses (it was cheaper to teach kids in a virtual world rather than maintain expensive school buildings and the same for hospitals unless necessary) most anyone could get access to VR. Those with a bit more in their pocket could shell out for the higher end tools.

All in all, the virtual world became a better place to go to than the real and so the human race spent more and more time in it. Whether they were working, sitting in virtual offices or controlling machines in a factory from the other side of the world, or spending their time in impossibly epic worlds for recreation; it was all preferable to stepping out of your front door.

Instead, you merely wake up and have something to eat and then log into the Homeworld; the central hub of virtual reality which spans the entire Earth as it was. Or perhaps how it should have been. The cities still stand tall but the sky is still blue, the weather is pleasant and the seas haven't risen so high that entire landmasses are under threat. From this Homeworld you can find a much nicer home than your own, go to virtual clubs and casinos that are far grander than anything in the real world. If you must, you go to work in a virtual office. Or you can be a little more adventurous and enter one of the thousands of other, fandom inspired, worlds which branch off of Homeworld.

The Quest

It has been two decades since we, as a race, have fallen into the virtual world and not returned. The creators of the Virtual Reality are a company who have, perhaps egotistically and not without opposition, rebranded themselves simply to Virtual Reality control the market completely. No unlicensed third party accessories or machines work with their system and anyone who tries and is caught attempting to use such a device will be banned for life, something akin to a death sentence now. They are perhaps the single largest company in the world and own most of the major Internet Service Providers in most countries, having bought them out to provide access to the only thing that matters: the Virtual Reality.

Its CEO, a woman named Helen Grey, founded the company and was heavily involved in designing VR as it exists now rather than just overseeing its production. Now elderly with a board of directors keen to push her out and have someone younger, and more malleable, Helen has decided on a way to elect her successor. Bound by a contract that only enables her to veto the directors' efforts rather than lead the company in a direction of her choosing, Helen has maintained the status quo. Despite numerous efforts, VR is still free to use if one has access to the hardware and accessories needed to run it.

A gamer in her youth, and privately since, Helen came up with the idea for The Quest after reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. a book first published in 2011 with a film released in 2018. Instructing her lawyers to find, or make, a loophole in the company's processes, Helen designed a contest, the winner of which takes her role as head of the most powerful, and wealthy, company in the world but without the constricting contract which has bound her.

February 12, 2045

Two years have passed since Helen Seymour first announced 'The Quest'.

She sent out a short video message, recorded in the real world before being uploaded to the Virtual Reality and posted to every single users' personal inbox. Sitting in a sparse office behind a hard oak desk, one more suited for a professor's office than that of the world's most influential boss, she spoke to a webcam. On the top of the desk was a golden plaque engraved with her name and a photo frame although it was turned around to face her so whatever it depicted was a mystery.

She appeared as a pale woman with dark, straight hair. Although it was hard to tell from the video as she remained behind the desk throughout, she was a tall woman standing at nearly six foot tall with a lithe frame. She was wearing a black pantsuit and wore light makeup, as if she were about to go to a meeting. Very businesslike.

"Hello, everyone in the world. I am Helen Grey, founder and CEO of Virtual Reality. Today I am announcing that I have contracted a terminal illness and am not long for this world. It is not in my nature to turn to theatrics or to make a big thing out of a personal issue, however this will have ramifications for all of you."

She gestured to her right and some, clearly edited in, boxes with titles like "Proposal for Monthly Subscription" appeared, all the way down below the bottom of the video window.

"These are just a few of the plans this company's board has attempted to slip in which I have vetoed. When I created the Virtual Reality I wanted it to be something that anyone could access but now most of the board no longer share my views and wish to monetise it, making it unavailable for many of you. In turn, I was slapped with a contract which has prevented me using Virtual Reality's vast resources to launch any initiatives which would improve our current situation. For the last two decades we have existed in this stalemate but now a time has come where this must change."

She flicked her hand and the list of boxes disappeared, swiping away to the side and off the screen. Then she reached into a drawer in her desk and pulled out a well read copy of Ready Player One for the viewer to see.

"Normally, the board would elect their own choice for CEO and their choice would undoubtedly be someone who shares their vision. I am unable, even with my controlling share of the company, to elect my own successor by normal means, however this book gave me inspiration for a solution to this problem. In this, a man in a similar situation to myself leaves his inheritance to the winner of a game he sets up within the virtual world he created." She looks up at the camera and smiles, the first real one in the entire video; it has a childish glee to it and there is an excited shine in her eye and she speaks more quickly in her excitement.

"I have hidden clues, both within the various worlds within the Virtual Reality as well as the real one. Each one will lead you to the next until you finally reach the prize which is well hidden and will require you to have found all the previous clues. Even should I die before someone completes this Quest, no new CEO can be chosen. There will be some who will try to subvert this contest, using their money and influence to ensure the winner will lead this company in the wrong direction. I have faith, however, that it will be one of you, an ordinary user of the Virtual Reality who cares deeply for it and understands its importance to everyone across the world, who will complete my Quest."

She puts the book down on the desk and then pulls out a small gun, one used for the starts of races and it is clear what she intends to use it for.

"My personal website has been converted in a scoreboard, showing who is closest to winning the prize. Using your avatar's name, of course. The first clue is as follows:"

Bruised and battered I sailed there,
To draw a line upon a Bell,
A stately house now lying bare,
To free us from this Cage of Hell.

The lines of text appear on the screen in flames, most likely in homage to the depiction used in the aforementioned book, and she looks up with an abashed grin.

"I never was a poet or a riddlesmith so forgive how clunky it is. Now, game... start!" She pulls the trigger on the gun, a brief bang and the video ends.

---

I think it goes without saying that the characters in this RP will be those seeking to find the prize. One of the requirements to receive the first prize is to be aged over eighteen so all characters will be over that age (probably in early 20s).

Other rules are fairly standardised to RPG: GM's word is law etc etc.

I'm looking for about four other players besides myself and, as you can see, there is a relatively clear plot planned for this RP although it may well veer wildly about depending whether people can guess the answer before I begin to steer the story along!

Updates as I think of them:
14th March: So I realised that the type of virtual reality in this was pretty vague in my earlier explanation. Homeworld is a (mostly) non PvP world that is a meticulous recreation of Earth, perhaps a little airbrushed in places, but nonetheless accurate. From this world one can enter numerous other worlds, largely based on fandoms (Middle Earth, Whedonverse, Star Wars, Star Trek etc etc). Within those worlds different rules would apply (So no magic in Star Trek but no advanced technology in Middle Earth). The portals to these worlds are either from major cities (chargeable) on Homeworld, from guild/clan HQs (free but cost said group a lot to maintain) or a personal one situated in the personal, in-game residence (again, expensive to maintain but free to use).

We may enter some of these worlds, I haven't decided yet. Instead, we may enter generic medieval worlds (for example) so that those not familiar with a particular franchise aren't confused or feel left out. This will largely depend upon who ends up joining the RP.

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

"Lookit my knife, I so proud of it." *Death*

I was waiting for someone else to get a post up since, looking back, I've been a tad active but I'll get one up today whether or not someone else posts.

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

Qar

Qar listened to Zamonth's words with interest. The scholar within him could not help but smile at the tall tale of monsters, small and giant, that the foreigner weaved for him. True, Qar had heard similar stories and had not visited such places himself so he was in no position to be so cynical but he somehow doubted the scale of the tales. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and considered whether he would ever have a chance to visit such a place of mystery; surely those who lived in such a challenging environment would have knowledge and skills far above anything their kingdom had managed?

Then Zamonth suddenly changed the subject, his gaze now focused upon Qar and searching for any strange reaction to his question. It might have been intimidating had Qar felt he had anything to hide from the warrior, but he did not. Indeed, there was no need to hide anything about the Pharaoh from the only companion he had trusted enough to bring with him to Thebes, unless the Pharaoh himself requested it. Thus, Qar searched around them for anyone furtively listening and then leaned in so that he could speak without his voice carrying to anyone nearby. A needless precaution as most had had the sense to sit further away from the Vizier and the giant foreign warrior.

"To be truthful, he was not as I had expected. I had been told that he would be young but it is clear he and I had very different childhoods and that, perhaps reflects in our personalities. Mine was one of relative safety in a scholarly setting, the Pharaoh's... from what I gather it was less than gentle." Qar frowned, thinking of what little he actually knew about Amen. They had spoken briefly when the physician had gone to find the young Pharaoh but aside from that they had exchanged little in the way of meaningful conversation. "We spoke a little after he left the study. For the first time I got to see a little of who he was. He was honest and spoke of his uncertainty."

Qar leaned back a little, looking up at the darkening sky and remembering how easily he had opened up to the young man. Usually, he was a fairly closed book who dealt with the ailments both physical and mental of others; there was little time to speak of his own troubles and worries and yet he had to the Pharaoh.

"I came to see a little of how he may be different to previous Pharaohs and how that could be shaped into greatness, if he had the drive to do so. And then," he hesitated but decided that Zamonth would surely only approve of the Pharaoh's actions and Amen would not mind Qar revealing the truth, "I saw him attack a group of slavers. One might call it impetuous but perhaps righteous is a better word for it. He had the courage to stand up against generations of inequality and I saw the purpose fill him, something he wanted to do as a Pharaoh and he will have the strength and will to do it, I am sure." He smiled wanly, a slight sadness in his eyes.

"I am not a leader, Zamonth. I lack the charisma, the words and the vision to command others. Neither am I merely a follower for I have a mind of my own which innately questions what I have been told. The way Pharaoh Amen cuts through to the heart of matters, ignoring the frail arguments old men might throw at him, is something that I can respect and I wish to support him in seeing that vision out. As I do so, I can use my position to chase the little ambition I have, as a physician. As for why I interceded in the meeting... I did not want another obstacle in our path. I will discuss the matter with the Priestess later but it can wait. For now we eat and we drink." He raised his cup and downed it before calling for another, he was already several behind Zamonth and felt no ambition to try and out drink the much larger man. That being said, this was surely a time for celebration.

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

Qar

"Thank you, Vizier." The woman scuttled off, clutching a small herb pouch to her chest as if it were the most precious item she possessed. It might well have been, for all Qar knew; slaves were not in a position to own things. The slave's son had grown ill, probably from drinking some dirty water in the slave quarters; often the young were more likely to succumb to such thing as they had yet to build up a resistance to the illness that resided in the water. Qar sighed, happy to have finished his rounds but concerned at the nature of the illnesses he was treating lately; by and large they were common conditions generally caused by terrible, dirty living conditions or the intake of poisoned or dirty water. In many ways it was safer to drink wine despite the obvious dangers of excessive consumption of the beverage, at least one would be less likely to contract a disease from it.

"Thank you for your patience, Zamonth. I've finished my rounds now." Qar thanked the large man, pointing with his staff down a path to another part of the city. "Come, I saw some food stalls in this direction on my earlier foray into the city which looked quite promising." He headed off in that direction and perused a few options from a distance before choosing one emitting a particular appetising aroma. When the stallholder spotted them he made every effort to serve them quickly, presumably having noticed Qar's elaborately carved staff and heard something of the Vizier physician and the small sign of his station that he carried everywhere.

As their food arrived, Qar took a small drink from a stoneware cup filled with wine. It did not taste too strongly but he would be unlikely to drink more than one cup; there was something that kept him from relaxing and it wasn't the presence of the hulking foreigner currently sitting opposite him. It was a base instinct that was warning him to remain alert and Qar, an amateur in the realm of politics, was paranoid about something occurring on the first day of Amen's reign. To distract himself he tried to make conversation with Zamonth, keen to hear of the man's experiences elsewhere in the world.

"So Zamonth, you must have travelled far and wide and seen many different countries and cultures to have come here. I'm curious, if you're willing could you tell me of some of these places? I hear nothing but wild imaginings and tall tales from merchants and I'd rather hear the reality from a man who has seen such things with his own eyes."

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

@Rune_Alchemist

I cannot wait to see that happen. Please let there be a 'feasting' chapter or something!

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

@Blu

... How do you 'lose' a Wii U? It's not exactly portable!

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

Qar

The speech was now complete, a toil of hardship as long and arduous as any of Qar's travels. While he had input little original material, mostly offering amendments or trying to keep heads cool once they had actually started working, he felt somewhat invested in the speech's reception. All being said, however, he knew that he had some other duties to attend to that evening and had hoped to spend some time partaking in the festivities himself.

It was clear that the other Viziers were also keen to be away having spent such a long time sitting in the same chairs for hours, debating over the tiniest details and refining every aspect of the speech endlessly. This was not a matter of physical fitness, it was one of mental endurance and Qar was glad that he had been less involved than some of the others. Nebet, in particular, had been mostly charged with arguably the most complex and important section of the speech aimed at the nobility and calming their nerves. Understandably, she announced that she was leaving to rest, reminding Qar of something he had considered earlier in the day.

"Ah, Priestess Nebet, I've been meaning to make a request. There was a matter I was hoping to discuss with you but it is not of pressing importance. If it suits you, I hope you might come by my surgery in the morning. I was looking for some advice on a separate matter and was hoping you might impart some of your wisdom." In fact, Qar's mind was on two matters: that of the imprisoned slavers and the rumours that would seen be running through the city and that of the dual nature of many healers who administers both proven medicine and more superstitious remedies. In both regards he felt that the Priestess was the best one to approach, at least a first and preferably in private.

Zamonth then effectively announced that Qar would be giving him a guided tour of the festivities and the delicacies that would be available. While he was not opposed to the idea, Qar's mind was partly on the contents of his satchel. Before finding Amen earlier in the day he had found a brief moment to prepare a few remedies that had been requested of him and they needed to be delivered that evening, if possible. The physician doubted that Zamonth would deliberately make it difficult for him to drop of the medicines and so he conceded to the request.

"Of course. I remember seeing a few interesting stalls on my brief excursion earlier." He was dredging these up from his memory, having barely taken notice of his surroundings while searching for Amen earlier. A few stalls had looked to be worthy of note and the stalls offering food were likely to be grouped together. "There are a few stops I need to make as we go but they are not significant detours and should not delay us overly."

He motioned to the door and they left, Qar wondering what Zamonth's intentions were. He doubted the big man was just hungry and in need of guiding to the food stalls.

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

Yes indeedy. I wanted to give others a chance before I posted again (I know that we're in a new chapter but it still felt odd to do so).

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

Bit of a filler post there - effectively Qar standing there tapping his fake watch: "Hello? We're on a schedule here people!"

En'jer: Pharaohs of Egypt

Qar

It was beginning to all make sense. Qar could see the source of the young Pharaoh's resentment, his distrust of the trappings of power and his reluctance to become Pharaoh. Their fight out in the city and his freeing of the slaves had obviously ignited his ambition again, reminded him of a purpose most dear to him and, now that he was here to take the throne there would be no stopping him until that goal was achieved. As the Priestess said, the Viziers were there to advise him and make the Pharaoh's wishes come true, regardless of their personal opinions. As Zamonth, until now quiet and removed from their discussions, spoke Qar could begin to see a uniting purpose in the council.

Aperel would be against such revolutionary talk but Qar had long since assumed the man to be against any kind of reform and suspected him of being some kind of spy anyway. He, himself, and the Priestess both saw benefits to the current status quo but for Qar it was not the practice itself but the order it had brought. For as long as he could remember, and many generations before him could remember, slavery had always been in existence in the Kingdom and it was just an accepted fact. Those who were not a slave were grateful to not be, those who owned slaves became rich because of it and the slaves were too weak to do anything about it. Just freeing all the slaves in the kingdom would turn order on its head and chaos would reign by the end of which the Pharaoh would probably be dead and his kingdom in ruins, split piecemeal between opportunist neighbours. If they were to press on with Amen's wishes then it would take careful planning and enacted in phases with sufficient support to maintain order with some kind of transitional period in place and now, when they were weakest, would be a bad time to announce it.

Finally, the other Viziers had said their bit and Qar sought to brought them back to the task at hand.

"I think we're all agreed that, whatever our own personal opinions the Pharaoh's wishes are ours to make reality. For me, the reality is difficult to imagine but perhaps that is merely the effect of centuries of this status quo. Whatever we do, it must be from a position of strength and gradual. If the Pharaoh, and thus this council, fall before the task is completed then whoever takes control will most likely reinstate the status quo and it will all have been for nought." He turned to Zamonth and nodded in respect to the huge man. "As Zamonth has said, it would not be best to announce this policy right now. It would create too many enemies and our purpose in crafting this speech is to make the Pharaoh's position stable, first and foremost. Once that is done we can begin to find allies who would support the Pharaoh in this, especially amongst leaders in the military." He glanced at Satiah, wondering how well connected she was amongst its leaders. Her control over their armies would be crucial if there were ever a challenge to Amen's authority.

"It would be wise, as Zamonth has said, to make overtures towards the Free Cities Alliance in the Pharaoh's speech. Not to announce our intentions but we can use their experience in abolishing slavery to forge a safe path to that eventuality. We could invite their leaders here under the guise of talks regarding trade; I'm sure the nobility and merchant classes will be pleased with the potential for increased trade regardless of where it comes from. I have some thoughts with how that may tie into our first steps but that is for another time. First we must craft this speech. Vizier Aperel," Qar carefully addressed the old man using his title, "if you could begin. We have little time and the Pharaoh must be able to deliver this speech confidently or else the words themselves will have no meaning and that means practice. I believe we should lead with addressing the concerns of the nobility, as Priestess Nebet and yourself have both made clear they are the greatest threat to the Pharaoh's authority. The less astute will cease to pay attention when the Pharaoh moves onto the matters of the people, giving us greater room to manoeuvre in that regard. I believe Satiah, Zamonth and the Pharaoh himself are best situated to craft that part of the speech."

He looked around the room, seeing the divisions in the group. They were an odd assortment, himself included, to be gathered in one place. With Amen's vision perhaps they could finally work together, whether in respect to his position and authority or through devotion to his cause? Qar was determined to make it all work, even if it meant his role was merely that of peacekeeper.

"It would be best to keep the speech short, we have little time for eloquent prose and the Pharaoh has even less time to commit the speech to memory."

With little else to say, he sat down and hoped, prayed, that they would have enough time to write a worthy speech.