Diamantine Inferno [Interest Check]

[Crystal Remnants]

[spoiler=Intro]

Set on an alternate earth in the 22nd century, the world has been ravaged by what is generally referred to as the Apocalypse. Much of civilization as we know it has halted its progress and is constantly threatened by hostile flora and fauna that run rampant even in areas that were once heavily populated and industrious. The world over is rife with monstrous beasts thought to only exist in works of fiction, and mankind has had to adjust to a new era of fear and oppression under the tyranny of the terrible Wyrms that sprung from the Earth's crust just over 100 years ago. Every major government in the world was toppled in the wake of these terrible events. The human population has declined rapidly, and much of our technology now proves useless without individuals to maintain to power grids and phone lines. Only recently have communities developed in small pockets of the world with the help of local military and charismatic leaders looking to seize opportunities to gain power.

 

In recent years, mankind has seen the rise of "gifted" individuals, endowed with powers that seem to stem from the supernatural energy unleashed upon the world. Their mere existence seems to draw in trouble, however, as any loss of control over an ability often leads to death and destruction of civilians, and they are seen as a threat by local power-hungry rulers. Additionally, when the powers first emerged, many tried open rebellion against the Wyrms who enslave any humans they find. The result was nothing short of a massacre, and the Wyrms now actively hunt down humans with powers that lie within their domain. As a result, public perception in much of the world has shifted, and now these individuals are regarded as "cursed" beings. You are one of these cursed, endowed with great power, but at a great price. You are almost always the target of somebody's rage or jealousy, and most people do not care to associate with your kind due to fear for their own lives. Keeping your abilities concealed is essential to fitting in with what's left of society, but that's easier said than done when you are face-to-face with some murderous oddity on a daily basis. People have gone so far as to theorize that the supernatural terrors are drawn to the power emitted by cursed humans, and you can't help but think that they're right...

 

 

 

[spoiler=Premise]

In this RP, you are a "cursed" human being. From a young age you have had some strange ability that sets you far and above the rest of the human populace (generic examples include telekinetics, firebending, etc, but I hope people will really get creative here). Additionally, your affinity for the supernatural has given you obvious benefits to your stamina, speed, strength, defense, and regenerative abilities. In short, you are superhuman. Not invincible, but strong enough to take on the horrors of this world without the need for fully-automatic weapons or heavy artillery (though those do help quite a bit). You are still susceptible to all the dangers that a normal human experiences, just to a lesser extent. On top of that, your status in society as a pariah makes open use of your ability very risky, and given that you still need things like food, water, and a safe place to sleep, blending into society is very much a real struggle for you.

 

Participants will face a variety of challenges throughout this RP, from working together to obtain necessary supplies such as food, water, and shelter, to fighting off monstrosities and clinging to dear life as you find out the limits of your powers, to dealing with complex social situations that often involve "cursed" individuals. The feel is very much a classic 'post-apocalyptic' scenario (such as in Fallout or The Walking Dead), and the addition of supernatural elements attempts to take that feeling even further by letting you, one of the main characters, feel like more of a badass, while also making you think more about your ability to affect the world around you.

 

A big hope of mine for this RP is to allow all participants to really have a role in establishing the story of this world. As the narrative progresses, rather than having me simply tell you every little detail about the world and having you just walk around in it, I want you to feel responsible to add in your own ideas in order to establish lore and to keep the party from feeling too railroaded. I think this will help keep interest as participants see more of what they want in the world and have a chance to really take ownership of the story. As the Host, I will still provide necessary world-building information such as initial scenery and objectives, and I will document important locations, individuals, and events in order to keep things organized after the fact, but as the characters develop and we get a feel for each other's writing styles, I hope to have to provide less and less exposition, and instead have the chance to develop a story alongside the other participants so that the end result is a bit of a surprise for all of us and incorporates the best ideas from every individual involved. I also imagine that the overall structure of the RP will follow a chapter-like format, with each chapter comprising of big, defining event (e.g. a series of smaller fights followed by a fight with the BBEG, a long series of interactions surrounding and ultimately solving a mystery, etc) and some transition time in between to make sure the story actually moves forward instead of just being a series of unrelated episodics.

 

 

 

This RP will most definitely be PG-16 due to its dark fantasy setting and its inclusion of blood, death, and some strong language (all tastefully done and abiding by the forum rules of course). I expect to keep the number of participants small (4 people ideally), however if there is enough interest I will consider allowing up to 6 participants (both of these numbers include myself). All feedback and/or ideas are deeply appreciated, and are welcomed either in reply to this post or in a PM. If you are interested in participating, please post here so I can get an accurate headcount, and also to show others your interest.

[Wind Rider]

Pretty cool concept, color me intrigued. How creative can we go with our powers might I ask?

[Ren✧]

tentative interest, already a bit overbooked with the amount of rps i am in