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Immortal Machina- Ch. 4: Harbinger [NEW THREAD]
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on 2014-05-24 23:16:06 (edited 2014-05-25 04:32:45)
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Ladies and gentlemen, from the makers of the actually quite popular God Child: The Sons of Fate, comes another RP. Based off Blassreiter, Persona, Neon Genesis Evangelion, CthulhuTech, and the Gendou City RPs RE- Evolution: Falltieren ein and (the now sadly-dead) Phantasmagoria, this is:Immortal Machina_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And with strange aeons even death may die." - Abdul Alhazred, The Necronomicon In 2095, though few knew it, the world was on the cusp of a breakthrough. Deep in the Antarctic, on a lost and forgotten island, a team of archaeologists found a ruined city older than humanity itself. What they found within its Cyclopean reaches was never known, but the sole survivor of the expedition, Professor Elisa Ashcroft, found two things: an ancient, ornate suit of armor, and a ancient book simply called the "Liber Legis". The book was said to be cursed, and not without good reason: within months, it had driven all those who read it insane- including poor Professor Ashcroft herself. However, they had transcribed enough of the book to make a comprehensive document detailing a way to tap into powers beyond human understanding. The sole researcher still sane, Keith Magellan, got together with several other scientists and began experimenting in secret with the documents as guides. The surprise was that it worked. Gradually, this new power, termed "D-Technology" (Dimensional Technology) began to find use in everyday life, from the "D-Tech Engines" that powered entire cities, to laptops and cellphones. Nanotechnology evolved to its present form at approximately the same time, allowing a better quality of life for almost everyone. However, this would all came to an end. In 2200, a solar eclipse occurred that lasted for three hours- an event that would later be termed "The Eldritch Dawn". When it ended, widespread news of clusters of ruins emerging from the sea, strange, shadowy monsters swarming from them, began coming in from all over the globe. Within days, the global news network found itself swamped with reports of killing sprees, mad mobs of cultists, hordes of horrors Lovecraft would shudder to look upon, people spontaneously transforming into grotesque monsters and slaughtering hundreds, and wild orgies of destruction. Within days, much of the world's population had died. Nanomachines, corrupted by whatever dark force was behind all this, turned men into ravening horrors. Mad cultists, inspired by the whisperings of eldritch abominations, ran rampant across the globe. D-Technology was twisted to more sinister ends, summoning untold monstrosities from beyond. Order broke down and the world was plunged into anarchy. At the same time, hundreds of people from all walks of life suddenly found themselves marked with strange brands all over their bodies. Yet this was paid little attention- until they called upon "other beings" within them to help push back the horrors. Gradually, with the help of D-Tech enhanced military machines and these newfound "other beings"- now called "Machina"- humanity managed to re-establish civilization. Now, the year is 2270. Most of mankind dwells in massive domed cities called Arcologies, led by the United World Government. Within the Arcologies, people live in relative comfort, shielded from threats by the UWG military and the secretive Office of Internal Affairs. Yet outside the domes, chaos and destruction reign. Nanomachine-twisted fiends and unspeakable beasts from beyond roam the wastes. Vicious cults and brutal warlords oppress the few who have the misfortune to live there. The dark cities of dead gods linger, eternally spawning ravening horrors. And in the distant, frozen north, mysterious, alien creatures lurk in the endless fields of ice. Yet Mankind is not without hope. Inspired by the "Machinators" of the First Shadow War, as it had come to be called, the UWG has found a way to bond a willing human with an "Other Presence" within him or her, letting it manifest in the real world as a Machina. And in the shadows, another group calling themselves the Society of the Open Door wait and watch, with their Machina ready to take to the field in open war- but to what end? The stage is set. The time is come. Now begins the fight for the survival of Humanity. Old characters can of course repost their characters again with any new and updated stats. As an interesting note I would like new players to know, Immortal Machina has no main storyline for everyone to be forced to follow. In its previous tread, we noticed a trend for some characters to stick together and go on their own missions. I would like to encourage this as we are on a PLANET. It is huge and in total war on several fronts. As such it is no problems with you wish if you and a few others have their own plans. The common types of missions/storylines are: 1. All Out War - Fighting on a massive scale in large battle-zones as seen in Chapter 1 of Immortal Machina. 2. Salvage - Usually for members of Society of the Open Door or special task teams. Basically its hunting in ruins/enemy territory for artifacts/superweapons/information/etc. This was done in Chapters 2 & 3 by Toyumi and Fenris's characters. 3. Black Ops - Small scale precision strikes on individual targets or individuals as seen during Chapter 2 when my characters back with other players (Night, Snake) assaulted a Rapine Storm base under night cover. Basically a go in, blow stuff up, get out ASAP type of mission. 4. Black Bag Jobs - Covert or clandestine operations into structures to obtain information for human intelligence operations. This usually entails breaking and entering into denied areas. Some of the tactics, techniques and procedures associated with black bag operations are: lock picking, safe cracking, key impressions, fingerprinting, photography, electronic surveillance (including audio and video surveillance), mail manipulation (flaps and seals), forgery, and a host of other related skills. 5. Rescue - As the name says, rescue operations either in battle-zones or enemy bases to rescue important individuals. 6. Countermeasures - A base/city is under attack and needs immediate defense. 7. Inquisition - With the Eldritch Dawn, came the rise of cults that infiltrate humanity and attempt to bring upon our doom. From the blood-soaked sacrificial cults to the philosophical secret societies of more advanced cities, the objective of the Cults is to survive and eventually dominate the society in which it dwells. There are countless types of cults with varying ideologies and powers. This type of mission calls for stealth and infiltration to find the root of the cult and burn it before it can damage society further. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Machina An otherworldly being bonded to a human being through the "psyche" (or soul) of a person, either through natural means or through a special process. Machina are sentient and take a variety of forms. They can communicate with their Machinator via telepathy. When a Machina is damaged, its controller will feel pain too, both physical and psychological. If a Machina is too badly damaged, it may enter a period of stasis in order for it and its controller to heal. The destruction of a Machina is a rare event, for few weapons or beings have the capability to permanently destroy a Machina. However, should such an event occur, the result is usually loss of the Machinator's sanity or life, due to the fact that a Machina's mind and soul is entwined with its Machinator. Machina are capable of growth and evolution, usually triggered by exposure to large amounts of eldritch energy such as the ones around Mad Cities. The result is usually a change in the form and capabilities of the Machina, usually for the better. However, few have actually tested this since the processes necessary to cause this evolution is high, not to mention inherently dangerous. Rite of Evocation A complex D-tech process that bonds a person with a Machina. It involves a special apparatus called an Evoker. The process is actually involves drawing out a Machina from another dimension and encouraging it to bind with the subject, and thus is only attempted if the person has reasonably strong sanity, and has shown no extreme adverse effects to the kind of energy used in the Rite. Armed Machina A Machina who takes the form of a weapon, such as a sword or a pair of guns. Ride Machina A Machina who takes the form of a vehicle, such as a car or a motorbike. Fused Machina A Machina who attaches itself to a person and becomes a symbiotic being, imbuing its Machinator with increased abilities. Servant Machina A Machina that takes the form of an independent creature. Servant Machinas vary in size and shape: some are as tall as a human, while others tower over buildings. Machinator A person who uses Machina. They are able to communicate with their Machina via a mental link and command Machina as they see fit. As a symbol of the pact they have formed with their Machina, Machinators have a mark, usually resembling an ornate tattoo, on some part of their body. Machinators can be divided into two kinds: "Natural" Machinators and "Created" Machinators. Most, if not all, known Natural Machinators are individuals that have been exposed to eldritch energies, implying that Machina choose their partners on the basis of whether or not they bear the "scent" of an appropriate host. On the other hand, Created Machinators are usually chosen from dormant or active parapsychics and are given Machina through the Rite of Evocation. The actual difference in ability and stability, however, is negligible. Unfortunately, Machinators cannot be psychics, as the Machina drains all energy ("Orgone") that could be used for psychic powers. Arcology An enclosed, self-sufficient city with heavy defenses. [EXTRA VOCABULARY] _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The United World Government After the first Shadow War, the remaining nations decided that they could no longer afford conflict. They then decided to pool their resources and manpower, creating the United World Government to replace the United Nations. The UWG continually strives to create a "one world culture" and unite humanity under a single banner, while fending off attacks from outside threats like the Drudges, Nightmares, the Rapine Storm and internal threats from cults like CHRYSALIS. However, the chaotic state of affairs means that the UWG has to do things like curtail civic freedoms. Thankfully, the UWG have two entire divisions dedicated to battling threats from without and within. These are the UWG Armed Forces and the Office of Internal Affairs (OIA), where most of the Machinators under the control of the UWG work.  The UWG military keeps a special group of soldiers in reserve for the most dangerous missions. Armed with nanomachine-enhanced strength, special weapons (including giant mecha) and powered armor, Task Force AQUILA are deployed to perform highly dangerous missions such as neutralizing Lovecraftian horrors or minor cultist incursions. To prevent any possible backlash from interacting with the unspeakable, AQUILA members are regularly given check-ups and psychiatric assistance. Their nanomachines are also heavily safeguarded against possible corruption, making the risk of transforming into a monster very low.  The Deathwatch is tasked with the study and, if necessary, the extermination of dangerous intelligent alien races encountered by the UWG. They are also tasked with the observation of alien races, and the acquisition of their technology for further study by UWG scientists. The Deathwach recruits only the greatest soldiers who are experts in ALIEN AND MONSTER slaying. These are men and women who know the alien, killed countless monsters and lived to tell the tale. They are often veterans of the Mi-Gou war and are masters of facing these aliens. Unlike other units, the Deathwatch are not truly a separate of Task Force AQUILA; rather, they are a collection of Veteran soldiers drawn from all of the different extant units who serve together in AQUILA for a discrete period of time. To be chosen to serve in the Deathwatch is a great honour for any soldier, as only the most elite and experienced members of an army are ever chosen for this extremely hazardous tour of duty. Deathwatch Marines do not usually form the standard tactical groups like squads and companies generally used by AQUILA. Instead, they operate as small special forces units in close-knit groups of specialists called Kill-teams. EACH AND EVERY member of the Deathwatch uses the finest power armour in a matte black colour. As such, to be a Deathwatch member, one cannot be a Machinator.  The Machinators, magicians and para-psychics of the UWG are under the direct control of the OIA, under the aegis of "Task Force VALKYRJA". When a threat grows too large for even Task Force AQUILA to handle, VALKYRJA is called in to fight. Just like their AQUILA counterparts, VALKYRJA members are regularly given check-ups and psychiatric tests. They also undergo training in the use of all sorts of weapons and in unarmed combat, making sure that they can fight even without Machina. Their psychics also make use of powered armor coupled with in-built amplifiers and safeguards to ensure that their powers help their comrades-in-arms instead of fizzling or going haywire.  The Society of the Open Door is a secretive group of psychics and Machinators. Their motives and origins are shrouded in mystery, but one thing is for certain: they are extremely hostile to the various cults that infest the shadows of the Arcologies. However, they do not care for the UWG one bit, and will not bother to step in to aid government forces unless it is in their best interest to do so. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  A sinister cult of hedonists and conspirators, CHRYSALIS has a secret hold on several companies throughout the world. Using sex, drugs, violent entertainment and other, more violent means, CHRYSALIS prepares the earth for the "Time of Cleansing", when man will be brought to heel under the rule of the "Old Ones". Rumor has it that CHRYSALIS has its own Machinators, whom they call “The Anointedâ€, yet no one has been able to confirm this.  A horrendous army of madmen and fanatics inspired by the words of the eldritch tome "The King in Yellow", the Rapine Storm violates, skins, dismembers and eats everything in its path. And if the victims are lucky, they do it in that order. Thankfully, the Rapine Storm has yet to have Machinators in its ranks, since all attempts at bonding Machina to Rapine Storm cultists have ended in bloody death for the would-be Machinators, due to some factor in the test subjects. However, their sheer numbers and utter depravity have proven to be more than a match for the armies of the UWG. The Rapine Storm has rampaged through Central Asia to the borders of eastern Europe, into northern India and Pakistan, and has entirely consumed southeast Asia (except for the Philippines, which interestingly, is safe except for several incursions in Northern Luzon and the southernmost tip of Mindanao), including all of Indonesia and some parts of northern Australia. China is under constant siege from the Rapine Storm, forcing the UWG to send massive amounts of forces to the Chinese, use nuclear weapons, and construct a defensive wall across the Guangdou perimeter. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Migou, also known as The Fungi From Yuggoth (Pluto), are a race of insectoid beings, which wage war against the UWG. The Migou on Pluto (Yuggoth) are just a branch of a mighty empire that spans galaxies. To the fungi, humanity isn't important. What we consider a massive war for survival, the migou outpost considers a minor problem with local wildlife to get at the natural resources of the area. The Mi-Gou have plundered Earth in secret for thousands of years with little detection. Most of the time they ignore humans other then for experimentation or the shit and giggles of torture. That all changed approximately 4 years ago. With the discovery and mastery of Arcanotech, humanity finally became a legitimate danger to their sovereignty and dominance of the solar system. In an instant, the Mi-Gou realized that humanity now had the seeds and would in a few years be able to not just match but utterly crush them! Jealousy seethed through their ranks as they realized that a race they considered to little more then lesser beings several evolutionary tiers below them CANNOT be allowed to surpass them! As such, they have already conducted a preemptive strike on Earth. Although it was repelled, they now have primarily bases in Earth's frozen arctic zones. Their bases are constantly under attack by veterans of the first war who are now mostly in humanity's newly seconded Deathwatch. Their jealousy has allowed them to rashly call all nearby forces to prepare for the invasion. Even now, while humanity is reeling from a new assault by the Rapine Storm in China, the Mi-Gou's scouting forces have already passed by Jupiter en route to Earth with the rest of the fleet just reaching Neptune. There are 3 reasons why the Mi-Gou are invading instead of just bombing us to the stone age: a) They do not wish to damage our resources; particularly any research labs of Arcanotech b)There are certain things on Earth particularly in the mad city of Ry-leh and under a lake in Scotland that if awakened would screw them over just as badly as us. c) The King in Yellow/Tattered King's presence on Leng. They do NOT want to annoy HIM. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Drudges Humans mutated into monsters by tainted nanomachines. Their minds have been completely taken over by the nanomachines in their body, turning them feral and aggressive. However, in rare cases, a Drudge can retain its intellect and humanity, becoming a Nightmare. Nightmares Intelligent versions of the normally mindless Drudges, Nightmares are immensely strong thanks to the tainted nanomachines flowing through their bodies. They can control their mutations at will and even transform themselves into an entirely different creature. There is also a special variant of Nightmare called a "Doranoid", which is basically a Nightmare enchanced with a variety of unspeakable magics and drugs. They are usually recruited from the lower strata of society and serve as assassins and warriors in the "Invisible War" between the cults and the Society of the Open Door. Curiously, most of them bear the sigils of a certain "Laboratory 5"... Eldritch Creatures/"Lovecraftian Horrors" A general catch-all term for unspeakable creatures is "Lovecraftian Horror", often abbreviated to "LHs" in military lingo. These monsters only began appearing after 2200, when the ancient cities of R'lyeh, Ib of Mnar, Hyperborea, Kadath and Leng reappeared. They come in different shapes and sizes, but they all exude an aura of "wrongness" that subtly attacks the minds of everyone who sees them. The damage this aura inflicts depends on the strength of will of the person: a weak-willed human will most certainly go irreversibly mad, while soldiers of the UWG and Task Forces, who are trained to fight such abominations, will be relatively unaffected. However, repeated exposure to LHs is not recommended, as multiple exposures gradually wear at one's sanity. Common types of Horrors include: Dholes, Deep Ones, Cthonians and Hounds of Tindalos. The Mi-gou Little is known about the enigmatic alien race known as the Mi-gou, except for the fact that they arrived at approximately the same time as the Eldritch Dawn. During the chaos, they were able to take a hold of Earth's colder regions, conquering Alaska and a sizable chunk of Russia. Right now, the Mi-gou have remained neutral in the war, occasionally taking forays into hot spots like the Chinese border and the outskirts of Canada. However, they have yet to do anything truly drastic- and the UWG hopes they never do... _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1.) All normal Gendou.com/Gendou City rules apply. 2.) No God-modding or power-playing. I'm certain we're all talented RPers here, and we know there's a time for asskicking and a time for getting one's ass kicked. Imbalanced PCs and Mary Sues will be shot: survivors will be arrested by the OIA and will never be seen again. (Remember, the OIA is watching you!) 3.) Avoid one-line or unintelligible posts. I'm not strict on the use of language so long as everyone can understand your writing. 4.) No killing characters without my permission (and the permission of the killee). 5.) Up to two characters per player only. Only one Machina per character! You may create any number of NPCs and villains, but try to keep track of them. 6.) All characters must be 17 years old and above. 7.) If you're going to quit or take an extended leave of absence, please PM me. 8.) If you have any ideas for the plot or have any questions, please PM me. I also accept criticism and any violent reactions you may have. 9.) Rule of Cool: If it's awesome and it makes the story even better, it's allowed, so long as it moves the story forward and isn't outright power-playing bullcrap. 10.) Romance, whether it's hetero, yaoi or yuri is perfectly allowed; however, keep it to a PG-13 level. Please. 11.) Violence and bloodshed must also be kept at a PG-13 level. Yes, the Cults (and the UWG at times) are vicious as hell. No, we don't need to know what the Rapine Storm does to its victims. (Really. We don't. It's disgusting and we don't need anyone elaborating further.) 12.) If you can't post on the RP for a long period of time, feel free to leave your character in the hands of me or of someone who can post, just so we don't get bogged down because of hanging plotlines. * 13.) There is no Rule # 13. 14.) Have fun! FOR MACHINATORS/PSYCHICS 1.) Machinators may only have one type: Servant, Armed, Fused, or Ride. No hybrids. 2.) Your Machina is not a godlike engine of destruction, so don't play it like one. 3.) No mind control (only NPCs may have this power: this is to prevent any abuse of such a power), invincibility, or any Game Breaker-ish powers. 4.) Again, only one Machina per Machinator! Psychics may have up to three powers with them. YOUR CHARACTER NAME: (First/Middle[Optional]/Last) NICKNAME/TITLE: GENDER: AGE: NATIONALITY: FACTION: OCCUPATION: (Any normal human job will do.) HOBBIES: POWERS: (Parapsychics only. Up to two. No mind control, although telepathy and teleportation are OK- just don't abuse them.) PERSONALITY: BIO: (Be creative here. Mysterious/dark and tragic pasts are fine, but try not to make it too cliche.) APPEARANCE: (Picture/written description of your character.) MACHINA (For Machinators only.) NAME: What name does he/she/it go by? TYPE: (Armed Machina, Ride Machina, Fused Machina, or Servant Machina.) POWERS: (Up to three. Please, no invincibility, teleportation, or mind/time control.) BIO: (A little something about the Machina.) APPEARANCE: (A picture or a written description will do.) PACT MARK: A mark that symbolizes your character's bond with the Machina. LOCATION OF MARK: Where is the mark found?     |