Hell's Paradise: Where Angels Fear to Tread

December 21st, 2012. A day which, according to some, would herald the end of the very Earth itself, and of all those who lived upon it. However, none where truly aware of just what such a cataclysm would entail, if it were to come to pass. And, in truth, there was no need at all to worry. In the end, December 21st came and went, and the world remained as it was.

However, what if there instead was some truth to that ancient prophecy? What if, as the Maiyan's predicted, the world did, indeed, come to an end? Or rather, what if it entered a new beginning?

In a universe parallel to ours that, on the surface, is exactly the same as our own, December 21 2012 is just seconds away from becoming a reality. And what will occur when that date is reached will prove far more eventful then what followed on that same date in our world. For in this universe, the forces of Heaven and Hell do in fact exist. In truth, they have been warring with one another since before humanity itself came to be. However, for reasons as yet unknown, that celestial battle is soon to crack open a dimensional rift, tearing the universal fabric that separates the realm of the spiritual from the realm on humanity. It is unknown just what effects the spirit realm will have upon the earthly realm when the former bleeds into the latter, but one thing is sure; the forces of Heaven and Hell — Hell especially — have found themselves another battleground in which to stage their conflict. And just what becomes of humanity from here on out will depend on how humanity itself chooses to act. Will they side with the forces of Heaven; of law and celestial order? Will they side instead with the spawn of Hell; with ultimate freedom and ultimate chaos? Or will they instead choose their own path, which could be anything imaginable? That is the choice humanity must make. Or rather, that of those who have found themselves trapped. Trapped...

...In Hell's Paradise.

Hey there, everybody! This is Hell's Paradise, my fifth RP, though it's also a Reboot my third. The original Hell's Paradise got far too bloated in various ways for it's own good, but this reboot intends to boil things down to the basics. In the fictional city of Paradise, MN, you and everyone else within the city find yourself virtually cut off from the rest of the world as a large hellish rift opens above the city, eliminating all sources of power in it's wake, spilling out everything from demons to angels and everything in between, and perhaps most striking of all, gradually turning everyone within the city into a Supernatural being. Just what exactly your character will turn into depends on who they are as a person, and their general subconscious, though the form doesn't have to be 'demonic' per say. It can be anything from any religion, myth, or folktale, or even something of your own design. Just keep in mind that their form might not be the only thing that changes; their personality just might alter as well...

Now, here's some other important information you might want to know, on both magic and your transformations:

1.Magic. I'll put more detail on this below, but over time, you'll slowly be able to learn from one of several 'Schools' of magic. You can select this before the RP begins, and in time, the 'School' will just 'come' to you. Again, more details below.

2.Transformations. The reason you'll be able to use magic is because magic itself is now ingrained in every single atom and particle of your universe, including yourselves. And while this means that you can now harness magic and use it, this also means that you will soon transform into... something different. Something unique. Something no longer entirely human; a 'Transhuman', in other words. What this new form will be will depend entirely on both your subconscious, and who your character is as a person. It doesn't necessarily have to be 'demonic', but make no mistake; you aren't going to be fully 'human' anymore when all's said and done, if you're still human at all. These new forms will also give your characters character-specific abilities. These take precedence over your magic, and so it's probably best to come up with your Transhuman abilities first, so that your chosen School can best compliment them.

Over time, various political leaders will arise, forming factions with which they intend to use to shape the direction that Paradise will proceed in. Some may be working for Heaven. Others may think they're working for Heaven, but in truth, may just be deluding themselves, blinded by their own personal beliefs. Others may choose to work for Hell, and others will still desire to carve their own paths. And the same applies to you. You're free to make your own path as you see fit, and if you so wish, you can eventually form a faction of your own. And yes, multiple players can be part of the same faction. It's all up to you.

Magic: Over the course of the RP; your character can learn from one — just one — of several Schools of magic. It's just another effect the Rift has on the world; lots of strange, supernatural energy is being released into it, and eventually, you can start to use it yourself, though only after you've started to acquire your Transhuman form. And here they are:

• Power: Power's exactly what it says on the tin. Using this School, you can drastically increase your physical strength&power, as well as your defense. You'll basically be a tank. However, if you character's already a tank, this School won't make them much stronger.

• Fire: Fire lets you create, well, fire. However, you can use in a great number of ways; you can even manipulate it, creating various shapes out of the fire, such as swords, whips, etc. However, if you can already use fire, it probably won't be that useful.

• Water: Let's you create water. Like fire, you can use it in many different ways, which does include freezing it. Not advised for those who can already use water, however. You can also use water from exsisitng sources, if you so wish. If you get really skilled at it, you can even control blood, thus forcing weak opponents into doing what you want them to do.

• Earth: Same deal as the previous two. Uses Earth. Plants&magma are also included, but you can't create the Earth, plants, or magma, like the previous two; you have to use it. The difference here is that, unlike the previous two, there's plenty of Earth around. Plus, if you can get particularly skilled in it, you can even manipulate metal, by sensing the many tiny particles of Earth within the metal's.

• Air: Let's you use air; you can make gusts, whirlwinds, succocate your foes with the proper training, your choice. But if you already can use air, don't bother with it.

• Electricity: Let's you use electricity. Again, if you can already use it, don't bother.

• Light: This one will let you use Light. You can always just blind your enemies with it, but you can also use it to create hard-light contructs. The more you train, the greater your constructs will become; you might even be able to shoot frickin' laser beams!

• Darkness: Let's you use darkness. It's the polar opposite of Light; like light, you can use it to create constructs, though these will be of a more shadowy, mist-like substance. You can also blind opponents with this as well, though with sheer darkness, as opposed to a blinding light.

• Psychic: With this, you'll gain both Telekinesis, as well as a limited Mind-reading abilities. You can read minds, but you can't control them, and not all minds will be as easy to read as others. As for your TK, at first, you'll only be able to move small objects, but it'll grow stronger both over time, and as your transformation grows more and more complete. Eventually, you might even be able send small buildings hurling at your foes! And I'm sure there's other uses for TK as well, if you use your imagination.

• Space: This School has a few different uses. For starters, you can teleport both yourself, others, and other objects, but you only have a limited teleportation range; 30 ft is the limit. You also have to wait a minute before another teleportation, as you can only teleport two beings or objects at a time, and if you're in the teleportation, that still includes yourself. On the other hand, with enough training, you can also open up miniature black holes to suck others into, but be warned that they might not always be easy to control, and if you don't close it real soon after opening it, it could quickly grow in size and mass, and suck more and more into it. You need to be real careful with this one. (Otherwise, you risk the wrath of the GM; that's the real danger with that ability.) Finally, you'll also be able to create controlled mini-rifts, which let you summon two otherwordly beings to fight on your behalf. Unlike the big rift, which was not created by anyone in particular, (or so it's believed...) these mini-rifts were definitely created by you, and so the beings you summon recognize you as their master. However, your power isn't unlimited, and so you can only have two out at a time. Even a mini-rift, let alone two of them, aren't easy to control, and because of that, once you bring those beings in, your rifts will close. (And if you try to use more then two at a time, you again face the real danger; the wrath of the GM.)

• Illusion: This is more of a tricky one. You can use this to not only create illusions, but you can even use it to make yourself intangible; a 'living illusion', if you will. However, if you choose this, you'll lack the raw power of the other Form's, but what you'll lack in brute strength, you'll make up for in finesse.

• Healing: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Using this School, you can heal others with your form. The catch is, you have to touch them in order to use it, and you can't use it on yourself.

• Life-Sucking: Again, Exactly What It Say On The Tin. Using this School, you can drain the life forces of others away, and use it to heal yourself. However, it'll take a few minutes to drain someone's lifeforce away completely, though you still weaken them sufficiently with but several seconds. The catch is that you need to touch whoever you're stealing life force away from in order to use it.

Character Creation: Below is the Character Outline, which you're expected to use as a template for your character creation. As a general rule, your character should start out as a regular, ordinary human, but so long as your past doesn't break into the Supernatural or Sci-fi, you can pretty much do what you want. (Within reason; one player in the previous version of the RP tried to have a character born in the 17th century, who died, and was reborn as a demon. Your character needs to be born in at least the 20th century, with no previous Supernatural connections.) And for those who want some Supernatural or Sci-fi, don't worry; your character will get plenty of that soon enough. :) (Also, you don't need to wait to put up a Character Sheet, but you do need to actually say something with it; it just sort of lets me know if you're going to 'be here', as opposed to not really being all that involved in the game. Even just saying something like 'I'm interested', is enough.)

Also, if anyone has questions about the creation of your demonic/monster/spirit form, feel free to ask. I can always create a basic list of demon/monster/spirit Schools for people to choose from, but you'd still be able to make your own. Also, when it comes to powers, don't go too overboard. For example, a humongous devastatingly powerful beam of energy is okay. However, something like, say, time-travel, or instantaneous global-teleporation, deathrays, etc., is not. Nothing game-breaking, or too overpowered. And of couse, I'll be the judge of whatever you can come up with, though I'm always open to reason. ;)

Finally, you can have multiple characters, but only up to two. And with all that out of the way;

• Name:
• Age:
• Gender:
• Human Appearance (Prior to Beginning of RP):
• Personality:
• Background:
• Normal Talents&Abilities:
• Supernatural Appearance:
• Powers:
• Miscellaneous:

Basic Roleplay Rules: This might go without saying, but outright attacking the players is a big no-no. Of course, I don't mean literally; attacking the characters in-RP is fine, but verbally doing so when OOC is not fine. It's basic civil conduct, but I'm just making sure we're all clear that on that. You get three strikes; after the third strike, unless you can make a darn good case, you're out.

Also, if haven't made a post for three days, I may contact you, in case you forgot, or if you're busy with something else. Of course, if you have a problem with that, or otherwise expect to only be able to post a certain number of times a week, please let me know. :) And in case anyone's wondering about the posting rate, I'll likely be able to check in once on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday's and Thursday's, and then a bit more often on the weekends. (Or on holiday's, like the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.)

...And for now, that should mostly be it. The last thing I have to say is about the start of the RP. It'll open up with the Rift cracking open, and everything going straight into chaos; your own opening posts will start a few minutes before that, then segway into the ensuing calamity, and go from there. Aside from that, feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Here's hoping you all enjoy Hell's Paradise.

Accepted Players:

• Gladonost
• Troyand Hawk
• Sanojutsu
• Karrin Blue
• rareitor
• kagescorpionakki

edited 14th Feb '14 7:03:02 PM by kkhohoho

Third time 'round!

So, what are the specific differences between this and the first Paradise? I'm guessing that since you specified human factions in the PM, the only supernatural powers-that-be are Heaven and Hell this time?

edited 18th Jan '14 4:29:42 PM by RedSavant

Just to clarify, is it that our Form has some sort of quasi-magic power so we should choose a true magical School thats different so powers aren't redundant, or is the quasi-magic power uber-specific and therefore it would be somewhat useful to pick the same School so as to have some more general and utilitarian powers to choose from?

Yup; just Heaven&Hell. Keeps things nice&simple, though that isn't to say that those of Hell can't have forms based off of creatures from other religions; if you still want a Tengu in there, I can put in a Tengu.

Okay, first off, magic is only known as 'Schools' now. What you you just said made ne realize I should only give magic in this RP one name, because I wasn't exactly sure what you were talking about. So, Schools; you should probably pick a School that's different than the natural abilities of your demonic form; picking a School that has abilities similar to your natural ones would just be redundant. Of course, it's up to you, but still...

Well, if Heaven is as militant as they were last time around, any other religion or belief system would automatically be pagan, and if Heaven is right then everyone else goes to Hell automatically, so that makes sense. =)

Indeed. Although with only two factions, I might try and make them a bit more balanced; just a bit though.

Also, I added two new Schools: Healing, and Life-Sucking. Both of these are Exactly What It Says on the Tin. I also thought of adding both Imagination (think Green Lantern,) and Speed, (think Super-Speed,) but in the end, they both just seemed overpowered. If anyone can think of a way to implement them while keeping them balanced though, I'm all ears.

When I said Form I was referring to the inherent abilities

Right. Which is what confused me. But yeah, you should probably pick a School that's different from your inherent abilities to avoid being redundant, unless you really want to.

Interst

• Name: Jacob Thorn
• Age: 23
• Gender: Male
• Human Appearance:[1]◊
• Personality: Jacob was never the most sane individual and now that Hell has come to Earth he's lost what little sanity he had. He sees this new state of affairs as a blessing and as a release from his drab, boring life. He's a complete hedonist and revels in the pain and suffering of others. He can seem quite amiable to those just meeting him but in every interaction there's a Slasher Smile waiting just beneath the surface.
• Background: Jacob came from a affluent family and was often neglected as the fourth son. He was thrown out by his father as soon as he turned 18. He managed to complete his education at the local college and got a job as an artist. He's been bored and was growing increasingly short-tempered and violent before the rift opened. But now... he's free.
• Normal Talents & Abilities:
  • Majored in Art and Theology
  • Minored in Human Anatomy
  • Has basic Martial Arts training
• Supernatural Appearance:[2]◊
• Powers:
  • His Body is formed from Shadow-stuff and he can freely manipulate it
  • Once magic comes into play Illusion school
• Misc:
  • Has an apartment as a home base
  • Modest bank account (Not sure how valid money is in the Hell Rift)

Accepted. I also edited the bit about magic to clear some things up. Basically, your character's School will become available to you shortly after your character begins to transform; it's weak at first, but as your character continues to transform and grows stronger, so too does your School, until it is at peak efficiency.

• Name: David Joshua
• Age: 31
• Gender: Male
• Human Appearance: A scruffy Caucasian man in a orange prison jumpsuit, he has a pair of handcuffs leaning from his right hand, he has a tattoo of a teardrop at his left eye and he has a scar over his eyebrow, he has a black eye and a cut lip and his hands are wrapped in bandages,
• Personality: Joshua is abrasive, sarcastic and a bit of an asshole, he has no qualms about hurting women and children, and really is willing to do anything, though he is sickened by Rapists, He has some morals, mostly involving drug abuse and Sexual activity, everything else however, is fair game.
• Background: A low level street thug, David has been in and out of jail his entire life with crimes ranging from possession of illegal drugs, Driving while under the Influence, and Battery, culminating with his fatal stabbing of a man during a fight. He was serving a jail sentence when it happened, and he's taken to it extremely easily.
• Normal Talents&Abilities: David is a skilled street fighter, having a high pain threshold and being incredibly resourceful, he is also a somewhat skilled pickpocket and thief,. He has some skill with a knife and is an above average shot with a gun. He has some knowledge of parkour, though it's mostly self taught.
• Supernatural Appearance: David is a tall, almost skeletal humanoid figure, clad in black robes, it has bloody red skin, and has a rusted steel mask not unlike the Plagues masks worn by Medieval Doctors nailed to it's face, revealing only it's mouth which is twisted into a hideous Richter grin with a long, black, leathery tongue. Numerous metal spikes pierce through it's back and it has scythe like steel claws, it wears a crooked top hat and has two wings sticking out of it's back, one of it is little more then skin and bones and covered in painful metal contraptions and the other one is swollen, featherless and leaks pus,
• Powers:
  • Regeneration By feasting on flesh, David is capable of regenerating wounds, however, the more grievous the wound, the more he needs to eat to heal it.
  • Vomit: David can vomit forth a foul smelling, slightly acidic red bile on command, it has a range of fifteen feet.
  • Strength Despite his from, David is incredibly strong, possessing the strength of ten men.
  • Durability David feels reduced pain, can shrug off anything but armor piercing ammunition and is resistant to poisons and illness.
  • Speed David is surprisingly fast,

Here's hoping this one survives, It seems to be doing the right thing by cutting back.

Mostly accepted; just make sure you don't make him too fast; he shouldn't be able to do something within an instant, or anything like that.

Also, good to see you back, buddy.

edited 18th Jan '14 9:52:01 PM by kkhohoho

Good to be back, but yeah, I think you're doing the right thing by slimming down a bit, also, duly noted. I'll try not to have him Flash Step

• Name: Alex Cassels
• Age: 28
• Gender: Now Female, formerly male
• Human Appearance (Prior to Beginning of RP): here
• Personality: Life for him was a game, and that was wonderful. A hedonist in the classical meaning of the word, one that tried to find the enjoyment and pleasure on every moment in life, even the grueling ones. Needless to say, he’s having a hard time doing so now.
• Background: Nothing much to say here, after running away from a broken home he used to be a traveling musician, a drifter, living off the good will of people and whatever money he could scrape together.
• Normal Talents & Abilities:
  • Knowledgeable in an eclectic mix of fields
  • Rather dexterous
  • Proficient in various instruments
  • Surprisingly good swordsman
  • Good dancer
• Supernatural Appearance: A slender feminine figure with long luminous straight white hair, long horns, two extra arms on each side, and a skin of pale grayish blue studded with clear spherical gems as follows: one centered on each palm, two one each forearm, two on the upper arms, one on each shoulder, one over each collarbone, a row of them on her long tongue, three at either side of her spine, 2 lined down on the ribs below each breast, 2 at the side of the belly button, a pair lined down on the front, back, inner and outer thigh, 2 lined down on the shins, one at each side of her hips, and 3 on the top of each foot arranged in a triangular fashion. Added to this are bright red teeth, and clear green-gray eyes. She wears a patchwork of hooded green robes with holes on the hood for her horns and a tasseled cane made from twisted metal and rags.
• Powers:
  • Partial weight negation: by will she can negate more than half her bodily weight to increase mobility and agility, she can too do this with objects and other people, yet less effectively.
  • Serene Aura: Her mere presence can suggest a sense of calmness and peace to the ones around her. Granted it’s just a suggestion and it can be overridden.
  • When it comes to magic she’d pick the school of Fire.

edited 19th Jan '14 9:34:35 PM by sanojutsu

Accepted. Also, I didn't you put this in your character description, but is your character's Supernatural form going to be wearing clothing? Because I didn't see any in the description. Now, given the nature of transformations and the 'non-human' element, clothing isn't exactly necessary, (seeing as a non-human may not have a human's sense of modesty,) but that's up to you.

I also noticed that your character's human appearance is rather reminiscent of a certain Timelord; it kind of makes the character's Gender Bender/Demonic transformation sort of hilarious, considering.

edited 19th Jan '14 11:06:53 AM by kkhohoho

I thought it would be funny, but on the clothing thing, yes she will, It just skipped my mind to add it...

No harm done. Just make to sure add it in. Otherwise... well, there is Diamonds in the Buff, but I don't think that's what you're goin' for...

It wasn't, hence the clothes

edited 19th Jan '14 9:35:01 PM by sanojutsu

Right; three sign-ups in a week. Anyone who wants to join can still do so, but if I don't get any more sign-ups in another week, I may be closing this Sign-up down. We'll see.

I realize it's been a while but, is this still open?

Technically, since it hasn't been locked. I guess you can put up a Sign-up, but you would only be the 4th one to do so. If I could get at least 3 other people in addition to you and everyone else, we could do this, but so far, Sign-ups have been kind of slow...

edited 5th Feb '14 7:39:51 AM by kkhohoho

Yo. I'm here.

• Name: Adrienne Rikhotso
• Age: 27
• Gender: Female
• Human Appearance (Prior to Beginning of RP): with brown hair, grey-green eyes and slightly tanned skin.
• Personality: A disciplined mercenary with slight Blood Knight-ish tendencies that have came out on a few extended contracts. She also enjoys hard liquor and heavy metal.
• Background: She was a South African mercenary who freelanced for various clients up until the time of the Fall. When the Fall happened, she was in the area at a pub, waiting for a client to contact her about a job.
• Normal Talents&Abilities: She's a good shot with different types of guns, mainly assault rifles and sniper rifles, but is decent with pistols and shotguns. She is fluent in Afrikaans and French, since her mother was French and her father was South African and taught her how to speak both languages, as well as English.
• Supernatural Appearance: She looks much the same as her regular appearance, except that her eyes are constantly sparking, and are an electric blue all the way through.
• Powers:
  • Hall of Thunder: She conjures up around 3 balls of lightning that orbit her and act as a barrier.
  • Lightning Whips: She can manifest two lightning whips, one in each hand, and has a decent amount of proficiency with them.
  • Nova Pulse: A pulse of electricity that surges in a circular radius of 10-20 feet
  • Thor from Orbit: She creates a massive hand of lightning and slams it into the ground from 250-500 feet up.
  • Railgun Fist/s: She can launch a massive burst of electricity from one or both fists
  • Lightning Reflexes: She uses electricity to augment her neural reflexes to fairly above average levels.
• Miscellaneous: She always wears a scarf around her throat to hide a bullet scar, and has several tattoos, mostly military. She also keeps a combat knife on her person at all times and is very skilled with it.

edited 9th Feb '14 2:47:55 PM by SixthSaint

Ooh, this looks neat. If there's still room, then I shall make a signup.