The RP!

Sign Ups

Cast and Crew

Heroes

1. Silas Grant aka Cobalt Reaper - Echoing Silence
2. Johnathan Drescher - guyshane
3. Jerry Kings aka The 18th Gentleman Avenger - KR_Vandal
4. Eric Knight aka Strike-Back - Nitrous Thunder
5. Tiger Carter aka Durga - Scorpio Rat
6. Kara Onise Angela aka Hurricane - Solus Lupus
7. Felix Thomas Taylor aka The Repairman - Starbound2
8. Stanley Morrison - Taco
9. Addisu Iskender - Tojin

Villains

1. Hetep-heres - Fergard Stratoavis
2. Rachel Hudson aka The Queen of Diamonds - guyshane
3. Neheresa Dubraska aka The Alien She-Terror - Sanojustu
4. Batholomew Forrester aka Hangman - Starbound2
5. Vyvaen Nhailu aaka Vivian Nathaniels - Starbound2
6. Giancarlo "Gian" Desiderio aka Death Grip - Taco
7. Namacuix VII of Bunoul - wikkit

Neutrals

1. Addison Hughes aka Phosphorus - Collinicus
2. Wyatt L. Thompson aka The Silver Light - wikkit

Los Cielos

See here for island location references. Not to scale, but to give a general idea of how we're set up. (Incidentally, if anyone has good, proper map making skills, please feel free to help me design a better map.)

This is where we are in our little alternate history. Think I've said a fair enough amount on it in the sign ups - right off the coast of LA, Los Cielos is an artificial archipelago constructed during the boom of the film industry, at the forefront of culture, fashion, tech and science and a hotbed of super activity. During WWII, immigrants from the warzones flooded in thanks to its proximity to the Los Angeles Airport, leading to an eclectic mix of cultures and people, and all the tensions that mix entails.

The Islands

As you can see from the map provided, Los Cielos is divided up into seven different islands. The makers of Los Cielos were ambitious in their designs for their dream city, but their ambitions paid off, creating an entire system of interconnected islands for themselves, their patrons, and the people. Some consider it one of the wonders of the modern world.

• Equity: The main gateway into Los Cielos, there isn't much to write about Equity Island. It has the most reasonable housing since it's the least touristy location. Well, the bridge itself into the island might be a tourist spot, like the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in SF. The bridge links up with Santa Monica Boulevard and Interstate 10.

• Opportunity: With Los Angeles Airport right off the coast and Interstate 105 and Westchester Parkway leading right in (I'm using Google Maps), Opportunity Island was supposed to be the perfect place to have overseas travelers and immigrants come into Los Cielos. Unfortunately, due to the destruction of Possibility Island, the local economy here has taken a hit, with all the island connections in Opportunity being covered in Equity, and Equity having Joviality's beach access available as well. There are a lot of ethnic neighborhoods and immigrants here, but racial tensions along with economic factors make this island a bit neglected.

• Civility: The heart of Los Cielos, in many ways, Civility Island is the center of government, with city hall and many of the local offices set right here. It's also home to the majority of the city's history and art museums, and the city park where many of the city's major events are held. Atop of city hall is a lighthouse, more aesthetic than functional, symbolizing shining a light into a new future. Civility is the place of culture and governance.

• Joviality: Joviality and Tranquility were somewhat deliberately designed to be a climate shield for the rest of the islands, but moreso to be valuable beach front for the money to stream in. Joviality's aim is for the masses - public beaches, sea food restaurants, aquariums, piers, and even its own ocean side amusement park are all to entertain visitors and locals alike. While official celebrations might be in Civility, the best parties can be found here.
  • (Placeholder for the Jupiter High Fairgrounds)

• Tranquility: Where Joviality is for everyone, Tranquility is for the elite. A purposefully designed rocky coastline separates the two islands, and access into Tranquility Island is limited to Civility and Modernity. Here the upper class live with miles of coastline to themselves, the only lower and working class people able to get in being those who serve the rich. Due to the advent of supers, security is beefy here, with a private security force that's overequipped and overpaid to protect them all.

• Modernity: Whoever said not to mix business with pleasure clearly never visited Modernity Island. With skyscrapers reaching up to the heavens, many corporate types run around here doing business. It's also the location of many research labs, brushing up on the latest and greatest of tech and science. But that's not all - clubs, fashion, shopping, and a never ending nightlife are all a part of Modernity, always pushing to live up to its name in all fields.

• Possibility: Originally a small island, a lot of Modernity's lab research was placed here. It was supposed to be our Epcot Center, our World of Tomorrow, showcasing the newest in newest technology and research, the most experimental of sciences, a bright glimpse into the future. Unfortunately, during one super scientist's experiments, his powers had a meltdown and in the ensuing fireball, the entire island was fractured and destroyed, along with all bridges in. Monuments to him and two other heroes, one who helped evacuate civilians but never made it out and another who contained the explosion with her shields at the cost of her own life, mark the end of the three bridges which would have led into the island. The now multiple islands are off limits, but that hasn't stopped some intrepid young villains from trying to sneak past the coast guard to get in. After all, think of all that abandoned technology, waiting to be found...
  • Side Note: This incident occurred three years ago, and after the launching of the atomic bombs, rumors aplenty cropped up about the "real story" behind the island. Were they performing their own nuclear experiments, was the super scientist a member of the Manhattan project, did the teleporting man succeed in getting the other two supers out and they went on to work on the bombs, or are they in hiding, and so forth. Rumors are rumors, though.

• (Placeholder for the Apollyon Rehabilitation Facility)

Organizations

The Calzarettas

"While our boys are out to war, we're going to get busy."

The Calzaretta crime family rose to prominence in the early years of The Great War, building both above-board and below-board businesses nearly on top of each other. The matriarch of the gang, Lucia Calzaretta, utilized hidden room techniques first pioneered during Prohibition in order to give almost all of her businesses two purposes. Liquor agencies could flip around and sell guns in an instant, and gun stores could sell nasty chemicals and drugs with another flip. The Calzarettas are known for being significantly more overtly violent than other crime families, but Lucia claims it's just honesty. She typically approaches businesspeople owning places she'd like to own, let them know that she wants it for price X, and then tell them that she was buying it from them because it was going to burn down soon anyway, you know, may as well duck out now.

Once the supers started returning from the war, Lucia started investing there too. She payrolls Gian Desiderio along with a few other thugs as specialized enforcers, but also tries to keep communications with Los Cielos villainy as open as possible. Instead of building her own brothels, Lucia was content with buying into and taking shares from Betty Bedlam's, for instance. This is one of her only successful ventures to date, however, and is definitely trying to expand further. Possibly even granting herself some power eventually...

Aaaand that's the discussion thread. (cough) If I missed anything, let me know. And if you have any ideas on how to expand upon these islands more, settings, fashions, locales, what have you, feel free to post your ideas here.

edited 9th Aug '15 8:18:53 PM by Starbound2

I am going to make a technological genius in a suit of Powered Armor if that's totally cool. Cause I am.

Quick question: When did the disaster on Possibility happen in relation to start of the RP?

Funny enough, I just added that information now - 3 years ago.

Alright.

By the way, I was thinking of making an Android character inspired by Dorothy from Big O. Are there any limitations I need to keep in mind?

edited 28th Jun '15 1:46:17 PM by svenorzokarkoff

Hmm. There aren't any limitations I can think of at the moment; could you put up the profile you have in mind so I can work based off that?

Done! My main concern was that I made him too futuristic for a character set in the 40's.

edited 28th Jun '15 7:36:46 PM by svenorzokarkoff

Ferg, I think our characters might have met and fought pre-RP. What say you?

So any thoughts on what to do for the introductory arc?

Assuming there isn't going to be some all-out slugfest in the first scene, I was thinking of maybe using the first arc to form initial alliances between some of the characters.

For the Game Masters, if ever they need ready-to-go mooks, I got them in the form of the Danse Macabre, a ring of circus-themed assassins.

Gimme some time and I'll make the Talia al-Ghul-like head of the group.

EDIT: Also, the Century Tower would definitely based in Civility.

edited 29th Jun '15 11:20:37 PM by KR_Vandal

@Shane: I can definitely see this. '3' He mistakes her for some Nazi occult doctor during her travels, she couldn't care less, they fight for a while, she rather quickly grows weary of "insignificant pseudomagical worm" and they probably part ways hating each others' guts.

Or alternatively, she expressed her interest in joining him to her ranks of servants, he tells her to stick this interest somewhere deep, she takes it poorly since he got away after she was done razing the nearby vicinity.

I should probably talk here, but I have nothing much to say.

edited 30th Jun '15 1:20:53 AM by SolusLupus

I like the second one since it still give John to think of...however you spell her name as a Nazi occult doctor and her the chance to think of him as a psuedomagical worm.

Second it is then. '3'

2 questions:

@Star: Do the Neutrals have to undergo power balancing?

@Taco, Sat: Since your characters have ties with the major powers of the criminal underworld, would either of their circles be involved in information brokering as well? An overall arc I have in mind for Niko is the search for his "mother" Anya, and it would make sense for him to have done a small job or two for the Mafia (such as sneaking into Possibility for salvage runs) in exchange for information.

@ Sven: No, neutrals are exempt. This was mainly to deal with the power imbalance between heroes and villains. Besides, I think Niko is plenty tough.

If anyone wants tech from Grant Technologies go ahead. I said Silas would happily supply other heroes.

I'm working on an idea for a villain. I'll hold off on posting it right now, but I will say that this RP is sorely lacking a mad scientist. I aim to fix that soon enough.

So, I read about the buffing and didn't bother to check Starbound's statement 3 posts up. I've increased Light's ability to go for 1-5 seconds. Considering he was already low-end on the power scale, can this buff stay?

I'll allow it.

Niko would probably know Death Grip from Possibility salvage but Gian as an info broker's hired gun. It's on you whether he connects the two halves of the identity or not. I'll have more info down on the Calzaretta family when I get home and have a keyboard.

Grant tech I may want for Stanley to buff him by giving him some sort of high-tech scope or binoculars? Probably handsfree, helmet or monocle of further seeing. Something that allows him to see people from a distance to make a drawing. That sound kosher?

edited 30th Jun '15 12:40:25 PM by Taco

Yo, Echoing, I was thinking of having an amusement park along the coast of Joviality. I thought it might be interesting if Silas helped support it in some manner, either through funding or by designing some of the rides.

edited 30th Jun '15 4:11:22 PM by Starbound2

The Calzarettas

"While our boys are out to war, we're going to get busy."

The Calzaretta crime family rose to prominence in the early years of The Great War, building both above-board and below-board businesses nearly on top of each other. The matriarch of the gang, Lucia Calzaretta, utilized hidden room techniques first pioneered during Prohibition in order to give almost all of her businesses two purposes. Liquor agencies could flip around and sell guns in an instant, and gun stores could sell nasty chemicals and drugs with another flip. The Calzarettas are known for being significantly more overtly violent than other crime families, but Lucia claims it's just honesty. She typically approaches businesspeople owning places she'd like to own, let them know that she wants it for price X, and then tell them that she was buying it from them because it was going to burn down soon anyway, you know, may as well duck out now.

Once the supers started returning from the war, Lucia started investing there too. She payrolls Gian Desiderio along with a few other thugs as specialized enforcers, but also tries to keep communications with Los Cielos villainy as open as possible. Instead of building her own brothels, Lucia was content with buying into and taking shares from Betty Bedlam's, for instance. This is one of her only successful ventures to date, however, and is definitely trying to expand further. Possibly even granting herself some power eventually...

As he is a Entrepreneur, yes to the Amusement park. I could totally see Silas funding that.

Well, if it's okay, Jerry and Death Grip might have tangled in times past, but it'd be all incidental (Gian doing his shakedown, Jerry happens to swing by). But if it's okay with the Starbound and Ferg, Jerry would have collided and fought with both the Hangman and Hetep-heres.

Starbound, if you want, one of the people chasing Hangman back in the day (pre-hanging) might have been wearing a red cloak.

And given how Jerry's got a background in paranormal investigator, he might have been picking up scuttlebutt about the remains of an Ahnenerbe team found in an opened tomb and swung by to see what could be seen.

EDIT: Hero-wise, given Silas' rich background, he and the Century Club might have worked together on some benefits or advanced science exhibits.

edited 30th Jun '15 8:11:50 PM by KR_Vandal