Roleplay / Deus Mortuus

Deus Mortuus is a Play-by-Post Game set within an alternate timeline of our own Earth in 2012. While the main cities of Earth to be played in are limited to a certain extent (London, Irkutsk, Johannesburg, Rome, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Washington D.C., Rio de Janeiro, Helsinki, and Vatican City), players are also given the option to use a board titled "Elsewhere" in order to play out encounters in other places. The meat of the story, however, does not take place on Earth at all though. Instead, characters are able to pass through "tears" to travel to the land of fire and brimstone, Hell. While the place is essentially the Hell we all know and love, in this game it is referred to as Inferis. Characters range from your typical civilian all the way to Lucifer himself. The gameplay is rather unique in that players are given several different character types to choose from when creating their muses, each with their own set of powers, default skills, allowed equipment, and weaknesses. Powers gained for each level up, and those you have at level one, must be explained thoroughly as well.^Example One could not have overall pyrokinesis as an ability, but could use fireballs, summon walls of flame, put out flames, etc.

Demon Hunters are capable of learning abilities known as Evocations while in Inferis. These can manifest as anything really. Vehicles, weapons, skills and abilities, the possibilities are endless ^note within reason. It is possible to obtain ten of these abilities once you have reached level four. There is a specific gene passed along from parents which determines whether or not someone will be a Demon Hunter, and typically only arises in a family with said gene within their bloodline. This gene is what allows Demon Hunters to move between Earth and Inferis through tears with ease.

Templars are members of an Illuminati-esque organization by the same name. Their powers while in Inferis, unlike those of Demon Hunters, are gained through use of implanted technology known as Augments. Also unlike Demon Hunters, these are only able to manifest as skills and abilities, though Templars have no need to manifest weapons or equipment to begin with. Their organization, able to keep itself a secret to the general public, is more than capable of funding the necessary equipment for them to use, along with devices known as CrossGears which allow them to utilize tears much like Demon Hunters to travel into Inferis.

Demons, a character type that may or may not (depending on your viewpoint) be the central antagonists, are playable as well. They come in all shapes and sizes, varying levels of intelligence, and also, like other classes, different powers which are called Apparatuses. Apparatuses are special in that they are the only means for demons to obtain weaponry and equipment while in Inferis (though when possessing a human this is different entirely). They can also be in the form of skills or abilities, and at level four Demons have a maximum of six Apparatuses. While unable to cross into Earth from Inferis by any means, they can possess humans in order to walk among the populace for a short time. There are a group of particularly powerful demons, ten in number, known as Archdemons. They each rule a specific "sphere" of Inferis as their kingdom, and include Lucifer in their number.

Ritualists are special in that they develop a spiritual bond with Demons, which allows them to remain possessed for longer amounts of time than when a normal human is possessed by a demon. While possessed they are able to use abilities known as Amalgams on Earth which manifest as weaponry or skills. While in Inferis, the Ritualist and demon(s) they have bonded with walk separately, but are able to merge together into a form known as an Inferis Morph. These are usually quite powerful, and can surpass most natural demons in strength.

Civilians are exactly what they are named. Normal, everyday people that tend to have no idea what's going on with the main cast and Inferis. Once they do, however, expect hilarity to ensue.

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Deus Mortuus provides examples of:

• Absurdly Sharp Blade: Evocations for more or less everyone who uses a sword, including but not limited to Cael Gladius, Jinhong Jangmi and Yuuko Koizumi.
• Action Girl: Most female characters played. Maeve; Tatyana Vladimirovna; The Jangmi twins; Yuuko Koizumi again, and even some more down the sociopath spectrum such as Alice Engelherz (aka Alice the Chopper), one Adelaide Kingsford (when she brandishes her Evocation), Maisie Abernathy, Sister Katya Vetrov... the list really does go on.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Lucifer. While the throne of Inferis does really belong to him considering he began the rebellion in Heaven, everyone only really allows him it due to the fear that he may kill them. If one were to be able to overpower him, the title of ruler would more than likely be passed on to them, but, considering he is able to use every ability belonging to all living demons, the only way to defeat him (or weaken him to a great enough point to make that possible) would be to kill all the other Archdemons.
• Ax-Crazy: Many instances. Some notable ones include Dusty Killum, Alice Engelherz, Iggy, and on the other side of the spectrum, Reverend Smith.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Al's, as the player, trivia sections in a nutshell.
• Calling Your Attack: A notable example is Cael. He even goes as far as announcing his shifts in stance.
• Chainsaw Good: Bastian van Staade after his L2 upgrade.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Happened with some characters that were dropped or belonged to players who disappeared.
• Combat Medic: Pulean Jangmi. Also, the Archangel Raphael.
• Comm Links: Most Templars utilize these.
• Deadpan Snarker: Numerous practitioners. To name some names, Lazarus Carter, Detective Avery Sax, Lucrum, and even some more archaic Demons, for instance, Gaius, and at points even Lucifer.
• Differently Powered Individual: Demon Hunter characters. Templars and Ritualists, while also formidable in battle, gain their powers from another source and aren't explicitly born with any of them. This could suggest that Demon Hunters aren't entirely human, but that enters Wild Mass Guessing territories.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Akrasiel, who is fittingly the Angel of Retribution. Calling down the stars on sinners may seem a bit harsh to some.
• Disproportionate Restitution: Wormwood, who is forced to apologize after harming another individual, even if that harm is fatal.
• Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Devil Spire.
• Exalted Torturer: Most of the Angelic Host abuses this, to point some out Michael, and Akrasiel, who imprisons demons.
• Extreme Omnisexual: Lucrum would have sex with things that most other incubi would never consider bedding. Played for Laughs extremely in OOC conversations where it is joked that he has had sex with every species of demon in the site's bestiary.
• Genre Savvy: Kraith the Hipster. Also, Lazarus Carter.
• Gorn: Most if not all fight threads.
• Gratuitous Ninja: Crazy John Bates. Who may or may not also be a Martian.
• Grey-and-Gray Morality: While there are examples of characters who are good, examples of those who are evil, no one side of the character types and factions can be labeled black or white indefinitely.
• Hipster: Kraith is the King/Queen of them. Literally.
• Improbable Weapon User: Eshara, Lucifer's cook.
• Lawful Stupid: Numerous Archangels, and the Angelic Host as a whole. To name some names, Akrasiel, Michael, Saraqael; who are all so ridiculously honourbound that it becomes narrow-minded before long.
• Monster Clown: Alice Engelherz, who dresses up as one to cut people up. Not to mention her bonded demon.
• Muggles: Civilians.
• Nice Guy: Few and far between unfortunately, but to name one, Alex Stone.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Kraith the Hipster: whose "likeness" is derived from Skrillex.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Invoked by Gaius towards Cael within Belial's tournament.

  Gaius: "You are not allowed to die today my friend! For I am the only one allowed to kill you!"

• Our Demons Are Different: At the time of writing this, there are currently 133 "breeds" of demon within the site's bestiary. Also, demon characters are not limited to an evil alignment.
• The Paladin: Name inspiration for the higher echelons of Templar command, and additionally the stock personality type for a lot of Templars, including, to name some, Darius Magnus and Amadeus Edge.
• Police Are Useless: Considering they can't catch a prepubescent serial killer in Washington, D.C., this is played almost constantly.
• Retired Badass: Cael's first master, Gin. A Demon Hunter colleague of Cael's grandfather and father who gave up hunting in order to begin an earthly pilgrimage. He came back after the death of Cael's father in order to train the boy in the ways of both the hunter and samurai.
• Shock and Awe: Ramiel.
• Troll: Lucifer. Satan is a troll. How else should he be played?
• Voice of the Legion: The Archdemon Legion, obviously.
• The Voiceless: Saraqael, and also Metatron. Subverted for both as Saraqael hardly talks, for any being outside of the Angelic Host to hear his voice would probably start bleeding from the ears, and Metatron, being an entity whose purpose is essentially to be a knowledge collective, cannot speak in anything other than an untenable and unintelligible mashup of dozens of languages.