"You're not going to like this at all. This is fair warning. Sure, you'll see a couple of butterflies along the way, and maybe even a tulip or a thousand, but no one says it's going to be sunshine all the time. Butterflies get their wings plucked. Bees are too hostile to pollinate those tulips, so kiss the petals while you can, kid. They ain't nothing but a step in the direction you need to go."
"You know that sense of right and wrong you thought you had growing up? Well, you can shove that sense in the gutter, because you're not focusing on the right one anymore. You need to focus on your sense of tactic and individuality, because if you don't Saint Jhin will get his way. Bet you're wondering who Saint Jhin is, aren't you? Come on, Kid. I thought you woulda caught on by now. You remember that big fat kid who blew up the elementary school, killing 6 teachers and 18 kids after giving them the option of giving all of their lunch to him to make him strong enough to beat Bully Ryan? They refused and then, to show them the error, that 8 year old fatty chunked a huge one out the school, let Ryan live, and Ryan Ulter turned out to be that serial killer in Minnesota?"
"That fat kid was Saint Jhin."
"That fat kid was also one of the detectives who found Ulter. He wanted to show Ulter that killing 4 people after watching an 8 year old kid kill 24 was silly. How can that be? Simple. Saint Jin is Traveler. Just like me. Just like you and those other kids."
"You think this is the only place bad things happen to? You're wrong. This is only Second Earth, the present. There's still First Earth, Third Earth, Yurok, Nielheight, all of those other places in Halla... Damn. Don't even know what Halla is, do you? That's the entire life and existence as we know it. Take this universe and add a crap load of more universes in it. Saint Jhin wants to corrupt Halla and make it his own... and you know how he's going to do it? He's Traveling to different Verses and finding their climax of right and wrong, and twisting the mind of the people to make the Verse fall."
"Take this, there's a Verse called Iloid. They thrive in mining diamonds, riches, gems, but all of the gems are going to merchandise like food and clothes. The miners think it needs to be this way to make Illoid strive. The lloid civilians, however, want more riches. They want the gems and riches of the mine for themselves, so they demand that half of the profit goes to the King so that the King can make more expensive things that people can buy. Let them live the "high life" instead of bugging it in the streets."
"Saint Jhin can change into any person and persuade the Iloid people of sending them into their own demise. No one knows who he is at the time. He could even be a close friend. All we know is that he can topple a Verse by not even touching it. That, in itself, is destroying Halla."
"Shit's a headache, I know. But, hey, there's a bright side. The Travelers are coming together to Travel to the other Verses and bring down Saint Jin wherever he is. You are the Traveler of this Verse. You need to take that ring on the ground and go to the door marked with a star that I showed you. Remember? From there, the ring will do the rest."
"And hey, Kid, promise me one thing. Don't think on your sense of right. Saint Jin is a complicated fellow, I know. But, sometimes, you have to make sure you're stopping his work, not the work of the people in the Verse. Because, if you do that, you'll be destroying Halla, and then you're no better than that bastard, are you."
"Good luck, kid. Halla needs you. All of you."
"Now go to the door. You'll know what to do. If you didn't, The Steel Curtain wouldn't have chosen you."
Marsha hung up the phone with an awkward close, looking over the blistering cold that was the Manhattan December night. The voice mail was the longest she had ever received, but it couldn't have felt any shorter in her entire life. She replayed it 6 times and still could not believe a word her Uncle Kurt told her, but there was something strange about his words. Strange about the story and the message...
... because if he were lying, then why was there a crude, encrypted star engraved above the broken down Manhattan subway with ring lying carelessly underneath?
Travelers- You are starting in this role play as a Traveler. Travelers are individuals that have the given ability to travel from one Verse to another. The way they do that is by something called a 'Traveler's Ring'. All of these rings look alike because it allows Travelers from one Verse to identify Travelers from the next. Each Traveler from every Verse make up The Steel Curtain. Every Verse is only allowed one Traveler. If there is another Traveler from the same Verse with a Traveler's ring, prepare to have that Traveler die off and the ring destroyed. There can only be one.
Traveler's Ring- This Ring is a simple, metal band with a red ruby encased in the middle. Yes, it is always red. In order to Travel to a Verse, the Traveler's must first go to the T-Gate, a designated spot on the Verse, recognized by a 5 pointed star engraved into the location. For example, the Verse Iloid's T-Gate may be in a cave, a crudely drawn star on a rock being the giveaway. This ring allows Travelers to Travel to different Verses at the time and place they need to be. This is what makes Saint Jhin so strong because he, as a Traveler with a Traveler's Ring, can do the same thing. If he corrupts a Verse from the inside out at the time and place that Verse is at, then that Verse has fallen and Halla is slowly destroyed.
Verses- These are another word for 'worlds'. In this Roleplay, there are only 9 Verses that make up Halla, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Earth. When you begin this roleplay, you may make up the Verse you come from. This Verse must be out of the ordinary, nothing plain and boring. For example, imagine a Verse in which people live underwater and to reach the 'surface' of that Verse, their sensitive, water-bred skin will instantly burn and blister. Gross, but, hey, it's a Verse! The civilization from each Verse HAS to be strange and very well thought out. For Example:No one, and I mean absolutely NO ONE, is allowed to be human[. I, playing the girl Marsha, am the only human. Everyone else has to be of a different species, be it elf with a DISTINCT physical abnormality, bug people, androids, what have you. I expect you all to think of your Verse and think of it well, because the other players will travel to your Verse, and you must take the wheel from there!
Halla-Halla is the existence of all life as we know it. It is made up of 9 verses. In order for Halla to stay in tact, it has created what is called the Steel Curtain in order to protect it's stability. Saint Jhin is out to control Halla by making each Verse screw itself over. If Halla falls into the palms of Saint Jhin, so to speak, then, well, the rp is over, lol.
Saint Jhin- That'd be me! :D I will be playing his role as well as Marsha's and a few other people. Saint Jhin was once a part of The Steel Curtain from a Verse that I can not tell you. He was corrupted by mixing items from one Verse to another, which is a no no, and suddenly realized that Halla was too under-secured to be left in the hand of 8 imbeciles. So, he abused his Traveler's Ring and Abilities and is now trying to destroy each Verse from within. However, the way he does so is simple: he transforms into any one person and manipulates people to destroy it themselves. Pretty much, he is a dictator who advocates people to fuck themselves over, all while making it sound good to them. That is where the Traveler's come in. Your duty is to stop him!
Traveler Abilities- Each Traveler is given 3 abilities, 2 in which are normal, one is an Over-Unique ability. The first two can be simple: skill to run at high speeds, to see from far away, yadda yadda. The OU ability needs to be extreme though, like the ability to take over the mind for a short duration of time. NO Traveler may have the same ability as another! You can even work your Traveler ability to your advantage. For example, if you were from the mining Verse Iloid, you can make one of your ability the ability to be able to see in the dark. Sure it seems lame now, but what if you were in a Verse that was completely shrouded in darkness all the time? Then yay, you! :D Please please PLEASE do not use MAGIC. Abilities and Magic are two different things. A giant fire ball from your palms is not gonna cut it.
Acolyte-These are people who assist Traveler's in their journey by not being Traveler's themselves. The person who gave you the same speech Uncle Kurt gave Marsha in the above post is an Acolyte, a former Traveler. There can only be ONE and you must make this person up. Whether it be friend, brother, mother, anyone. Acolytes have an important job: they must leave clothing and items from one Verse at a T-Gate for the next Traveler to come because you areNOT. ALLOWED. TO MIX. VERSES. For example, Marsha, being from Second Earth and a human, is not allowed to wear NO article of clothing from their or carry ANY items from that Verse. She must wear and use what is left at the T-Gate by that Verse's Acolyte
Make sense? If not, message me.
That's the brunt of it! And now Character Sheets! :3
Name: (Who you is?)
Gender: (What you is?)
Age: (Be creative!)
Appearance: (Either an image, link to an image, or just a description)
General Personality: (How are you as a person? Likes, Dislikes, yadda yadda.)
Acolyte: (Who is the person who told you the story and assists you?)
Verse: (Please be as descriptive as possible! This is the land you were BORN in! Be creative and remember, know as much about is as possible because we will be going there soon! If you want to add an image, thats fine with me!)
Traveler Abilities: (Remember, you can pick 3! 2 are basic abilities and one is your OU (Over-Unique) ability! Make sure you let me know which one is which!)
Age: approx. 250 years (Appears to be 27 in Earth age)
Appearance: Norman is a human of average build and a fair-toned but scarred complexion. His eyes a dark-brown and his hair are black with a small hint of brown. When in his Verse, he is always seen wearing a blue uniform (with body armor), black boots, and a blue cap of a militaristic style, and he will always have at least one weapon in his being (usually a gun or a sword).
General Personality: Norman Average is a serious man with a gray morality, mostly thanks to the hell that is known as his Verse. He carries a degree of pragmatism and possesses a very strong hatred for people who stick too hard to this thing they call "morals". Just like the majority of people in his Verse (barring the really young people of course), Norman is a skilled combatant and enjoys honing his skills. While he generally takes a calm approach in dealing with problems, he may become too cautious and prepare too much, even doubting the words of close allies when there is no proof to support their words. When he is not doing his job as a member of the Steel Curtain, he is an introvert, though he possesses a sense of humor that is generally darker and more malicious than the typical humor of other Verses. While he can become a reliable companion to those who earn his trust, he can hold a heavy grudge against those who break it.
His personal likes include cats, weapons, intense novels, sweets (especially chocolates and gummies), and high-action video games. His personal dislikes include people invading his personal space, moral crusaders, a good number of vegetables, white poultry meat, and unwelcome surprises.
Acolyte:
Name: Elias Donner
Title/s: "Big Boss", "The Cyborg Hand of Destruction"
Gender: Male
Age: approx. 510 years (appears 29 in Earth age)
Appearance: A man with a pale complexion and a slightly above-average build. His hair is black, with some greying caused by stress, and his right eye is blue (his left eye is replaced with an artificial eye, which is completely red). He always wears a white lab coat with rolled-up sleeves over his grey dress shirt, which he often pairs with black or dark-blue slacks. His preferred footwear is brown leather shoes. One of his most noteworthy physical traits is the fact that both of his arms have been replaced by two powered mechanical arms that function nearly similar to the real deals (and also double as the source of his destructive powers, hence his title).
General Description: Elias Donner is a scientist and a former Traveler who retired from his job after an incident in his Verse that cost him his arms. He is a man of exceptional knowledge and skill in his works and he tries to takes on things with a rational and pragmatic approach. He is primarily concerned about the development and state of the Verse of Neoterna, earning the title "Big Boss" due to his capability of manipulating the Lunatics of Neoterna to ensure that their actions do not go overboard while also ensuring that they are still capable of keeping the worldwide population to a manageable amount (he is also a known Lunatic himself). That term will be discussed in the Verse's info). He possesses the ability to channel the destructive energies stored in his mechanical arms. More information about this Acolyte will be revealed in RP.
Verse:
{(This data is taken from Elias Donner's "Journal of a Former Traveler")}
Neoterna is a Verse where a still-unidentified anomalous event had caused every living thing to gain supernatural abilities and become immune to aging. Vertebrate life in Neoterna also reproduces more quickly, which means that the population rises at a significantly faster rate than in other worlds.
Intelligent life in Neoterna is mostly composed of human beings, with other races like dragons, daemons, and sentient machines are present (though it is still debated on whether sentient machines should really be considered life). Technology in Neoterna has reached a highly-advanced level overall, specializing in powerful weaponry and advanced means of transportation (and the living machines of course which have already outmatched humans in technological advancement). Meanwhile, most sapient life has the capability to grow and possess supernatural abilities which are usually inherited from already-supernatural parents. For sapient machines, they gain abilities instead by installing new components into themselves (due to being unable to feel pain, they can remove some of their own body parts and replace them with better parts).
One would claim, "I'd definitely love to be in that place!", assuming that life there is all fun and adventure in the sun. Well, they'll be in for a rough ride since it's usually those kinds of people who get killed in less than a week (usually from a single shot at the back of the head, a common assassination technique in Neoterna). Remember, since every living being cannot age to death, resource management in Neoterna is a serious problem. No matter how huge the farms are, or how fast resources are being produced, it never seemed to be enough. The solution that was made up? People are encouraged to engage in death battles and start assassinations on those either seen as threats or 'waste of resources' (excluding those below the age of 25). It's a problem where violence is the best solution, and it's this very solution that caused everything to spiral down into a dystopia of sorts.
At its current state, religion is completely non-existent in this Verse, and people have to be proficient combatants to stand a chance against (if not overpower) those who plan to kill them. Anyone who attempts to start or revive religion in Neoterna is usually faced with heavy criticism and end up being death magnets. Politics is also completely different, the leadership of this Verse is easily described as "a nearly anarchist world made up of several dictatorships, kept together only by nearly unspoken laws that are agreed Verse-wide". In terms of education, children are formed to be rational, disciplined, and emotionally resilient at earlier ages; and they are also taught subjects primarily related to math, science, business, and all the other pragmatic stuff that helps in development. They are also taught combat skills, starting from self-defense, gradually escalating to offensive tactics, and the skillful handling of deadly weapons until they reach the Legal Killing Age (which is 25 years).
When it comes to the "Rules of Killing" agreed Verse-wide. Aside from those below 25 years, people are strictly forbidden from participating in any form of combat during work (except for jobs related to security and extermination, though there are unspoken rules about killing within these job circles), and places like hospitals, restaurants, and grocery stores are considered as 'peace zones'. While the permanently disabled are still seen as viable targets, they either get themselves euthanized by professionals or somehow still be able to keep fighting for themselves (the integration of guns in wheelchairs and crutches all over Neoterna and the concealed weaponry added into some canes are just some of the proof). Anyone who offends any of the "Rules of Killing" is immediately punished by being beaten up by a mob until they are unrecognizable and then left to die completely ignored. That aside, any act deemed criminal that is generally unrelated to killing (ex. snatching and sexual harassment), are subject to summary execution (and guess who does that?). Since the likes of robbery, sabotage, and espionage are still agreed to be related to killing, they are not subject to the last rule, though that doesn't mean that any other citizen isn't allowed to snap and kill whoever's doing them.
Those who manage to be skilled enough to survive and neutralize the constant threat all around them would get to live several hundred years and still look young (humans from Neoterna always appear to be around 20 to 35 years old, though some may appear older due to severe stress). Those who live way long enough also tend to gain more power, both in their own abilities and in their own public status, even being able to run organizations and 'rule' a territory (which are called Domains). Those guys are crowned with the term "Lunatic" because most of them get to live long because they are too dangerous to initiate an attack on, let alone approach (those who get to live that long primarily due to excellent defensive measures are often the nicer ones).
Due to how the world runs, it's usually the Lunatics who would cause war-like conflicts against each other, especially considering how almost all of them can easily obtain followers and powerful equipment for themselves. As sane as I am, I still get crowned as 'Lunatic' because of how far I've gone. After I have long stopped Traveling the Verses, I began focusing on connecting with as many Lunatics as possible for my own benefit and to be able to help balance and moderate their actions. Such a grand scheme had cost me my left eye and both of my arms (credits to my trusted allies who got them replaced for me. I would've been a lost cause without your help).
About the Domains: as stated before, Domains are places claimed by a Lunatic as their territory. Once a Lunatic has claimed a Domain, they can do whatever the hell they want to it, assuming that they have the resources to do that (which is most likely the case). The result of this is that almost every Domain is completely different from one another, having their own uniqueness that reflects the identity of the Lunatic conquering it. In my case, it's just a humble metropolis modeled after one of those Verses I visited in the past, whatever its name is. It's a twisted homage, yes, but I think it's the closest to home for people from that Verse (compared to the good amount of hellhole Domains out there).
Lastly: The Traveling Point is located in a mobile and fortified location within my Domain. I made it that way for reasons you would already suspect based on the information I have given to you about this Verse. Thank you for reading.
That's all I have to offer for now. Everything else is what you should learn by yourself.
Traveler Abilities:
+ Basic Ability 1 - Enhanced Reaction: Norman has a very good reaction speed, being able to avoid bullets and thwart assassinations without any advanced preparation. It also allows him to easily avoid any accidents that may happen and also enables him to remain on-par with opponents that possess enhanced movement speed, unleash constant projectile fire, know teleportation, and similar abilities that a normal human cannot easily respond to. This ability is what essentially helps him stay alive in his Verse.
+ Basic Ability 2 - Enhanced Cognition: Norman can quickly analyze a situation, respond appropriately, and understand objects and concepts with enough learning. It also improves his capability to make out plans, though it may become a disadvantage if he begins overthinking/overplanning.
+ Over-Unique Ability - Partial Mimicry: Norman's Over-Unique Ability enables him to copy the abilities, skills, and fighting-style of any organic being via direct skin contact (if the ability comes from an inorganic source, like Elias Donner's cybernetic arms, this ability does not copy it). While this easily allows him to turn the tables in various situations, he does not get to use it in his Verse as often as one would think due to the tendency of his opponents there to wear armor.
Extras:
+ While citizens of Neoterna start off with simplistic abilities, the Lunatics have honed their abilities to the point of being complex, using special techniques to add as much variety to their abilities as possible. This is one of the main reasons why they are deemed as powerful beings in Neoterna.
+ Information is still subject to change.
