Kkushmar
New Member
This post has a good summary of the RP idea, but if you want to go in even deeper, I prepared a google doc. The google doc is in no way a requirement, but it will help with understanding some concepts better. That being said, reading the below concept summary should be enough.
Link: Vizardom
Link: Vizardom
This world is a little different from what you would be used to for superhero themes - regardless, it should be a fun comic experience. As you can see from the logo, I have quite a lot of art handy to me (I use these for Mutants and Masterminds campaigns). I want every player to have original character art for their masked (vizard) and unmasked (mundane) appearance. If you like to draw characters this is a perfect opportunity for you, but if you can't draw or know where you can create a character (since there are plenty of character creation programs out there) I will create one for you! So don't let that discourage you. The idea is that we have character illustrations to depict a visual novel type of roleplay - which I believe is important for this theme of story experience.
C O N C E P T
A future-fantasy world with airships, gadgets, high-tech weaponry, advanced biology and alchemy. This world is filled with humans who are gifted with advanced evolutionary traits that can give them various powers and sometimes make them look less human. It is a world of masked heroes and villains in flashy costumes known as vizards, a world of kings and queens that rule kingdoms, and a world of dark mystical forces like the Black Grove which threatens humanity's hold on this planet.
A monolith at the heart of the world releases a sort of signal that controls all human life on earth to a degree, preventing humanity from breaking a set of rules established around monarchs and vizards. Such roles protect the core foundation of vizardom, the right to don a mask and a new identity, and the right to maintain that identity under a monarchy; given they are not a proven threat to humanity. Those rules are called the Law of Eterna, with its origin shrouded in mystery; which could be uncovered through roleplay.
Vizards come in all shapes and colors, some are born with unique powers and/or distinguishing physical traits, and some gain them through voluntary or involuntary augmentation. Some vizards are seemingly mundane (a normal human without special abilities or skills) who are able to keep up with other vizards solely on the merit of their skills and equipment. Regardless of their origin, most vizards lead a double life due to having people in their life, and wearing a mask while fighting or committing crimes helps protect those people; generally a vizard not wearing a mask would be a symbol of having nothing left to protect and the inability to hide from a monarchy.
All vizards wear a unique costume that is original to them, but under the monarchy the uniform quality between all heroic vizards is that their costumes are made of a synthetic material that nestles and molds itself perfectly into and around every crevice and muscle on one's body. The synthetic material is a property that many find uncomfortable and comparable to being naked, though some respond to it by adding another article of clothing on top like belts and jackets, while other take it as an opportunity to display their might and size. That is just another example alongside serfdom that displays how the monarchy views the bodies of its subjects not as their own.
Under the laws of Eterna, monarchs are able to write a binding contract with a vizard in the name of Eterna. If a contract in the name of Eterna is breached by the monarch, they will be stripped of their royal status, but if breached by a vizard, Eterna's protection is stripped from them; which allows the monarch to unmask them. This is a property of Eterna that some monarchs use to control their vizard population, elevating the status of hero to that of knighthood and binding the contract in the name of protecting the monarch and all its subjects. Vizards that operate heroically without a contract are labeled vigilantes, and vizards that commit crimes are labelled villains, both of which are pursued by the enforcers and imprisoned when caught. Villains that are proven a threat to humanity are no longer protected by Eterna, which allows a monarch to unmask them, and subject them to kin punishment (practice of punishing the family members of someone accused of a crime).
While heroes are viewed as "good" and villains are viewed as "bad" by the general public, not all heroes are necessarily "good" and not all villains are necessarily "bad".
This roleplay will focus on a group of elusives (unmasked vizards who refrain from using their abilities in the open and pretend to be mundane) who are found out by Lord Heimdall, an ex-hero who was granted the status of lord by the queen due to his continuous contribution of bringing forward new contracted heroes to her feet. Originally focused on tracking down the real identities of vigilantes and striking a deal to protect them and their families given they agree to bind a contract with the queen, Lord Heimdall began tracking down those who stay neutral to force them into a life of masked herohood. This is a loophole the queen abuses to get around the laws of Eterna, and the lines of what the queen can and cannot do begin to get blurred, forcing a small spark of resistance to ignite.
It is a convoluted storyline around the politics of vizards and how our characters will deal with the challenges that it presents. I have the first act fully planned out, but I will only reveal the next details through roleplay.
A monolith at the heart of the world releases a sort of signal that controls all human life on earth to a degree, preventing humanity from breaking a set of rules established around monarchs and vizards. Such roles protect the core foundation of vizardom, the right to don a mask and a new identity, and the right to maintain that identity under a monarchy; given they are not a proven threat to humanity. Those rules are called the Law of Eterna, with its origin shrouded in mystery; which could be uncovered through roleplay.
Vizards come in all shapes and colors, some are born with unique powers and/or distinguishing physical traits, and some gain them through voluntary or involuntary augmentation. Some vizards are seemingly mundane (a normal human without special abilities or skills) who are able to keep up with other vizards solely on the merit of their skills and equipment. Regardless of their origin, most vizards lead a double life due to having people in their life, and wearing a mask while fighting or committing crimes helps protect those people; generally a vizard not wearing a mask would be a symbol of having nothing left to protect and the inability to hide from a monarchy.
All vizards wear a unique costume that is original to them, but under the monarchy the uniform quality between all heroic vizards is that their costumes are made of a synthetic material that nestles and molds itself perfectly into and around every crevice and muscle on one's body. The synthetic material is a property that many find uncomfortable and comparable to being naked, though some respond to it by adding another article of clothing on top like belts and jackets, while other take it as an opportunity to display their might and size. That is just another example alongside serfdom that displays how the monarchy views the bodies of its subjects not as their own.
Under the laws of Eterna, monarchs are able to write a binding contract with a vizard in the name of Eterna. If a contract in the name of Eterna is breached by the monarch, they will be stripped of their royal status, but if breached by a vizard, Eterna's protection is stripped from them; which allows the monarch to unmask them. This is a property of Eterna that some monarchs use to control their vizard population, elevating the status of hero to that of knighthood and binding the contract in the name of protecting the monarch and all its subjects. Vizards that operate heroically without a contract are labeled vigilantes, and vizards that commit crimes are labelled villains, both of which are pursued by the enforcers and imprisoned when caught. Villains that are proven a threat to humanity are no longer protected by Eterna, which allows a monarch to unmask them, and subject them to kin punishment (practice of punishing the family members of someone accused of a crime).
While heroes are viewed as "good" and villains are viewed as "bad" by the general public, not all heroes are necessarily "good" and not all villains are necessarily "bad".
This roleplay will focus on a group of elusives (unmasked vizards who refrain from using their abilities in the open and pretend to be mundane) who are found out by Lord Heimdall, an ex-hero who was granted the status of lord by the queen due to his continuous contribution of bringing forward new contracted heroes to her feet. Originally focused on tracking down the real identities of vigilantes and striking a deal to protect them and their families given they agree to bind a contract with the queen, Lord Heimdall began tracking down those who stay neutral to force them into a life of masked herohood. This is a loophole the queen abuses to get around the laws of Eterna, and the lines of what the queen can and cannot do begin to get blurred, forcing a small spark of resistance to ignite.
It is a convoluted storyline around the politics of vizards and how our characters will deal with the challenges that it presents. I have the first act fully planned out, but I will only reveal the next details through roleplay.
I am looking for 3 to 4 dedicated players.
Since this roleplay will yield some adult themes, I require anyone participating to be 18+. There might be some adult themes like sexual abuse, gruesome deaths, and strong language revolving some of the npcs that your character will encounter, however your character in no way will directly participate in those occurrences. Think of the level of adult content in DC comic books, basically.
This roleplay will operate in acts And the cast will switch around between those acts. As adults we get busy sometimes, so I plan to lead this roleplay in acts that allows players to step out when they need to. For example, your character will be present for act 1, and you can step out from act 2, but come back for act 3. The primary group can switch around similarly to large scale dnd campaigns. Right now I am only looking for 3 to 4 players, but will open up for more to join after act 1 is complete.
If you are interested, post a short sentence describing the character that you would play. All characters should be 17+. Below are a few ideas to help with your brainstorming.
Since this roleplay will yield some adult themes, I require anyone participating to be 18+. There might be some adult themes like sexual abuse, gruesome deaths, and strong language revolving some of the npcs that your character will encounter, however your character in no way will directly participate in those occurrences. Think of the level of adult content in DC comic books, basically.
This roleplay will operate in acts And the cast will switch around between those acts. As adults we get busy sometimes, so I plan to lead this roleplay in acts that allows players to step out when they need to. For example, your character will be present for act 1, and you can step out from act 2, but come back for act 3. The primary group can switch around similarly to large scale dnd campaigns. Right now I am only looking for 3 to 4 players, but will open up for more to join after act 1 is complete.
If you are interested, post a short sentence describing the character that you would play. All characters should be 17+. Below are a few ideas to help with your brainstorming.
- A street rat in the undercity who used their power without wearing a mask, caught by the enforcers and brought to train under Lord Heimdal. You can come up with the background and how it lead to these events. This character dislikes the rich and those in power and definitely dislikes the idea of working for the queen.
- A character who dons a Masked identity even though they don't have any powers. They have been fighting the enforcers to protect the citizen's freedoms, and lead a double life until one unfaithful day when they have not been careful enough, their unmasked identity was found out by the Enforcers, and this character was captured and brought to Lord Heimdall. You can come up with the background and how it lead to these events.
- A noble with or without powers who volunteered to join Lord Heimdal's group. This character grew up in privilege and is under the patriotic illusion that he should become a honored hero to protect the monarchy. Typically does not get along with the above types.
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