Sometimes We All Lose [Future large-scale RP event]

Hey folks,
So I was thinking about how much I've missed lengthy, epic, weeks-spanning roleplay plots on Virtue.... so I'm trying to reboot the idea of running occasional RP events. One of the problems in the past - though not always, actually, quite the opposite... was that either plots were closed off or cliques, elitism or OOC unfriendliness. This time, I want all that to change, to be more like events of the past. "Classic" Virtue RP, if you will. But this is a large task to tackle, so I need my fellow players' help!

I don't want to make any one person's (even my own) character THE star of the plot, so there are going to be moments where everyone gets a chance to be the hero (or victim) of the moment. The 'main cast' of the plot are simply player characters crucial to expanding upon the plot itself. All of the supporting, recurring, and occasional "cast members" will have an opportunity to kick some butt.

Here's the kicker, though: Nothing will be predefined. The entire plot will be based off of the reflexes and reactions of the characters. This means that even Joe the Level 1 Hero can do something great... or muck up and ruin everything. This means that Grimdark Darkgrimme can backstab the villains, or the heroes, and have a lasting impact on the plot. My aim is to direct the plot to be pliable, flexible, and most of all, FUN, transforming over time into something hopefully memorable.

Thanks in advance. Without further adue, technical/mechanical details:

[THE RULES]
Thou shalt followeth the decrees of The Plot:
1. Have fun!
2. Be ready and willing to lose, win, or come to a draw. Things will not always go as planned.
3. Though no scenes will ever require a player character to die or come across mutilation, please a. be sure to talk to your fellow participants before you attempt to kill or badly wound them and b. be willing to lose occasionally.
4. Be prepared for PG-13 content, but never push the content to an R or NC17 rating. All scenes should be able to be viewed and joined in by players 13 years of age and older.
5. Do not break the rules or lore of the game for sake of the plot. Minor lore bending is acceptable, but try to create your own content.
6. There will be no PvP, period. Be ready for text combat.
7. Be ready for potential co-op AE arcs!

[THE PLOT] needs some work. Please discuss potential storyline 'arcs' that over-arch the plot by discussing your favorite idea. The most-picked or best-planned story arc will be chosen and pursued. The primary setting will be likely be based on Primal Earth, with the recurring theme being heroes versus a primary threat, maybe a band of villains...

So far I have this...
SMOTHERED HOPE: After much fighting amongst heroes and themselves, a few villains have gained the upper hand and acquired a handful of magic artifacts of great and ruinous power. They are the Shards of Omnipresence: three broken-off pieces of several great and arcane, holy, or corrupt relics that were powerful alone, but capable of untold destruction when fused together.

The Shard of Hell is the foundation of At its full power, only pure-blood infernal (demons, devils and the likes) entities could wield the Shard. Now that it is at a fraction of its power, anyone can handle it. The Shard can become a sword that does not harm infernal entities, but can swipe souls from living creatures with a single strike. It has no effect on soulless creatures unless they are capable of being injured, whereas it works like a normal blade.
The Celestial Fragment is an oval-shaped 'frame' that seems to go to something to hold it. It forms a shield that can deflect the Shard of Hell or restore missing souls, to an extent.
The Eternal Eye seems to be a simple jewel shaped as an eye. It seems useless on its own, but is capable of absorbing and draining the magic of the other two artifacts, rendering them worthless until the magic is discharged back into them.

But together, they form the Omnipresent Hand: an ageless weapon of mass destruction that can destroy or recreate an entire world (say... a planet... Primal Earth) via terraformation, wiping that world clean and reforming it. A clean slate, if you will. The villain of the plot and his allies think the world needs to be reformed, and seek the Hand to do so with.

Obviously that's not what is going to go down by the end of the plot... none of us are godmoders -- but the characters don't know this and it should seem like a very real threat to them. So... Here are some 'takes' on why your character might join: Heroes and pretty much anyone that cares about the world would want to stop the bad guy by recovering or destroying the artifacts. Not all villains want to see the world destroyed, and may band up with the heroes to stop the real bad guys.

[THE CAST]
Post below the cast role you wish to play. Each role is crucial to the plot, even ones that aren't listed below (I.E. your average player!) The cast may be slightly or majorly altered depending on what above preset/custom plot the players decided upon.
1. The Villain [currently CLOSED for The Nefarious Shade, played by @Runo]: The plot's starting primary villain. Depending on how the storyline plays out, The Villain may die, be 'replaced' (betrayed/killed/defeated by a hero or villain), or many other things may happen that The Villain will require its player to step aside.
2. The Shadow [currently OPEN]: The Villain's equal and perhaps even deadlier, The Shadow is crucial to the story because they are as mysterious as they are motivated. Whether they want to sell out the villain, betray them, or help them lead themselves or The Villain to victory. Their player can decide!
3. The Magus [currently OPEN]: Preferably a magic-based hero or 'grey zone' player character, The Magus is crucial to the story due to their placement in it -- most likely he Magus is gravely or mortally wounded, but they could have been corrupted by the artifacts, or simply sold the heroes out to the bad guys, amongst other choices where the artifacts wind up in enemy hands. Again, the player makes and discusses this decision!
..and an unlimited number of players who wish to join. Simply show your willingness to participate by signing up here. We'll need a LOT of you!

[NEEDED OOC ROLES]
OOC roles are players who help moderate or enhance the RP scenes.
Architect [OPEN: 1-3 slots] A player who participates in or plans out each scene and creates Architect Entertainment single missions or mission arcs where needed. Not many AE arcs will be needed, but they are no less crucial. *VERY IMPORTANT*
Transcript Writer: [OPEN: 1-3 slots] A player who participates in or observes each scene to create a transcript of each stage of the event, posting a 'short story' (anywhere from 1-3+ pages) of every scene. *IMPORTANT*





Without anything else to touch upon, please discuss and help me plan the plot out from here and be sure to sign up as part of the cast. Times and dates of the plot start coming after a fair bit of discussion!

Sounds like fun. Will join in with Electrical Torrent If possible.

Is it going to be scheduled, or are we all gonna make a global channel and form teams to advance in the plot when possible?

Sign me up for the Shadow. Nalrok could use an epic RP.

Edit: Epic-ly enough, Nalrok knows Shade. >3

I can join with Braal, though I'd have to balance SG RP with this RP.

@Bullet Barrage: It'll be 'loosely scheduled' -- we'll have a set time, but I am going to open a channel in a day or a few to actively discuss this in-game and let players know when it's going on.

@Nalrok & Braal: Sounds perfect, guys. I'm hoping that the RP will be open enough that we don't HAVE to conform our schedules to it!

This looks fun. I think I'll join with Forster William. (If I wasn't completely new to roleplaying he would actually make a good Magus)

As a high-ranking Sidhe, one of his current projects is to bring some of the culture of his homeland to the Rogue Islands, so his attempts at throwing high-society parties could serve as a setting for some of the quieter scenes villain-side. I think I'd enjoy the role of the character who brings together the major players but doesn't take part in most of the action himself.

Hmm, sounds like it has potential.

Not sure how heavily I could be involved due to weird hours, but more than willing to be pulled in for bits and pieces or as a random foil. Or if someone wanted to contract my supernatural freelance Investigator/Hunter/Fixer/Assassin for Hire, to help move an idea along or throw a wrench in the monkey, I am sure Dani could take time out from her random tormenting of Robin to take on another job.

I'd also be wiling to work up some quick AE arcs for special scenes/conflicts if needed.

I am most often in game as Spectral Huntress, or catch me globally on @Fomsie

Folks I could have available for roles from minor to major or anywhere in between depending on what was needed;

Spectral Huntress: Self serving Vampiress freelancer... no job too small, no paycheck too big. "If I am here to kill you, you probably did something to deserve it" (Incarnate Rogue Scrapper)

Lady Aeterna: Human witch and business partner of Spectral Huntress, involved in the game more for the sake of enhancing her magical knowledge and power free of the stifling regulations of MAGI and they like. (Incarnate Rogue Magical Mind/Fire Dominator)

Miss Novastar: Teen girl recently imbued with great magical power in the form of "The Light of Apollo", think Stargirl meets Mary Marvel, trying to make a difference but still not very savvy in regards to human interaction and duplicity. (Incarnate Heroic Magical Corruptor)

Last Stand: Young alien technopath, using her mighty powered battle armor to help protect the weak. Easy to draw in to help those in need. (Incarnate Heroic Tanker)

Sierra Silver: Mercenary and bounty hunter, uses living metal technology stolen from Last Stand's spacecraft for her own needs. (High powered Rogue Brute)

Tharrax: Muscle for hire! Find his(its?) ad in Thugs Weekly! Mutant monstrosity and leg breaker for the Family in the Isles. Find out what happens when you give extra strong steroids and mind altering drugs to a troll! Not the sharpest marble in the chandelier. (Mid range super strong brute)

Sebastion Invictus: Flamboyant warlock socialite, he fancies himself a power broker on the rise and an up and coming sorceror, but he is mired as a mid level player by his assortment of addictions, vices and hedonistic ways. Not to mention the long term attention span of a tuna fish sandwich. (Mid range evil magical corruptor)

Other alts of all levels and abilities that have no real RP identity of yet and could be repurposed to fit a story need.

Sounds like it has potential.

Magisterum may join in on the plot, could swipe up the case file from the PPD psi division, or could get it directly from the Lightning strike initiative.

I'll probably intermix myself with Hexstone and Shadeknight within this.

I made a post a while back about a RP event for Virtue, but I knew I could never architect one myself. Glad someone is stepping up to the plate!

My 50(+1)mind/psi dominator is my main, and is currently on the path of becoming a full fledged supervillain. This event could definitely help create the new persona he is trying to make. He will totally betray whoever he needs to to get ahead, so 'The Shadow' seems like a good choice for me.

This is the kind of thing I like to see... Time/schedule permitting, I will likely be involved with this with a hero, the Electric-Knight.

Although, as things progress OOCly leading up to this, I may choose a different character to focus on for it (if something in particular strikes me as calling for it)... but most likely it'll be E-K!

Now you have me considering...

Hm, this sounds interesting. Unfortunately, my availability is erratic (hypersomnia and trying a new medication for it), so I can't really do anything major, but I could do supporting roles. Possibly. You can contact me at @Broken Key in game.

Some of my character's that might be interested:
Blue Side:
Kiana Wolf (50+1, Mutant Scrapper) Usually off fighting Rikti in the warzone, but since they don't seem to be such a challenge anymore she's keeping her eyes and ears open for potential threats. 'Mercenary for the side of good' being her motto, she's always out to do the right thing. But will prefer doing the 'right thing' that pays well, when possible.

Sydney Wolf (24, Mutant Scrapper) Kiana's daughter, a young girl who wants to be a hero. She's only supposed to face minor threats (low level gang activity, for example), but often gets into tough situations because she's a terrible judge of what's minor. Has a powerful mutant ability, but is woefully inexperienced. Would make a good side kick.

Sylphaen (21, Magic Scrapper) A parallel dimension version of Kiana, who wound up on Primal Earth through unknown means. She's looking for a way back, so she's studying dimensional travel. (Rikti portals, Portal Corp. et cetera.) If any plot point involves warping realities or moving between dimensions she'll be on it like white on rice.

Red Side:
Keysmith (15, Magic Stalker) Someone who allied with a very Lovecraftian horror in exchange for power. Can open portals and teleport around, as well as bending normal space around her. Her master wants to use her powers to tear a rift into this reality so he can chow down on it. She doesn't want to, since this is where she keeps all her stuff. Walks a veeery delicate balance between using her powers enough to get by, but not so much to cause irreparable damage.

Seeing as how she's essentially a magical locksmith that gained teleportation, her catch phrase is roughly 'If I can't get you there, it doesn't exist.' If you need to break into anything, she's there to dig through your wallet. =P Might make a good hired minion for the villain or a begrudged ally/plot device for the good guys.

I've got other characters, but those are the ones I roleplay the most.

Smersh, Flea, settle down. I like your idea, but can you pull it off.

If this is still going on, I've got a character who needs to stretch her RP legs.

Aeglaca (lvl 25 scrapper) She's a Vigilante, and the result of mixing the bioenhancers used by Longbow Wardens with Superadine. Aeglaca has her own sense of justice, and depending on how the plot goes, could change sides at any time.

Sounds good, folks! I just have a quick couple of questions / updates for you lot to sift through and I need to talk to a couple of people in-game, then we can get this rolling.

#1 (VERY IMPORTANT READ) -- OOC Channel: If you're going to participate in any way, shape or form --
Join the in-game channel "RP Events" and say hello as soon as you're in.
This channel will be used to coordinate event details and goings-ons before they happen!

#2 -- RP location: Obviously we need an open location so that everyone can access the hotspots for RP. Ergo, we need to get into a co-op zone. Due to the iffy-ness on how rigidly placed the "no fighting" rule is in Pocket D and the fact that we're probably going to get swamped if we go there, my heart is pretty set on the Rikti Warzone, but if anyone has a better suggestion (maybe roll RP-specific alts and head to a certain zone in the City, Isles, or Praetoria?) please let us hear it!

#3 -- Timing: Best day in the upcoming week to begin? I'll be starting a new thread with plot details and the time and date that the event begins, but I'd like to get a time going that we can all commit to. We could use the OOC channel to better discuss this, so please get in there ASAP.

SC is a good thought, though the only reason I thought of the RWZ is that it's now a 1-50 zone and we're unable to be griefed in PvP there. ;O

For sure -- that was revamped several issues ago, I THINK with the addition of the AE to the Warzone. I've brought level 1 characters to the RWZ for that matter! It's a pretty neat addition.