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SogYothoth

An Entity's "Gift"

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Introduction:

 

This RP is based on the web serial Worm, written by John "Wildbow" McCrae. Worm is a story of superheroes set in a realistic world, as opposed to the idealistic one they are often placed in. As such, Worm (and this RP by extension) will likely stay on the darker side of the spectrum, though this may depend on the characters present.

 

I will be keeping to canon for the most part, though this takes place in an AU so that major canon events don't have to interfere with ones exclusive to this RP (and so new characters can be introduced without fear of disrupting canon ones). Canon is taken from the book itself and the word of the author.

 

You can find the original work here.

 

Basic Setting:

 

Worm takes place on a parallel universe known as Earth Bet. For the most part, Bet is similar to our Earth, though there are several key differences. The most obvious one is the existence of parahumans, humans who possess superpowers for an unknown reason. Parahumans (often known as capes in casual conversation) first began appearing in 1982 with the sighting of Scion, the first and most powerful parahuman. Actual superheroes didn't start appearing until five years later, though they were swiftly outnumbered by criminal capes due to the nature of what causes an individual to manifest powers.

 

In America, an organization known as the PRT (Parahuman Response Team) was formed in response to the growing numbers of parahumans. The PRT is the primary American authority in matters regarding parahumans, which includes recruitment of heroes, response to Endbringers, and the managing of the Protectorate, the United States' official cape team.

 

The world is under constant threat of attack by monsters known as Endbringers. Nigh-unkillable, near-unpredictable, and more powerful than any cape short of Scion, Endbringers are the Sword of Damocles over the heads of every person on Earth Bet. There are three Endbringers: Typhon, Charybdis, and Medusa (Behemoth, Leviathan, and Simurgh/Ziz in the original canon). They attack in cycles of three in order from the oldest Endbringer to the newest, one attack every 3-4 months.

 

The Endbringers are the reason so many villains are allowed to exist. Governments need all the help they can get in terms of fighting off the monsters when they appear, so barring extremely serious crimes or overly dangerous powers, villains are placed into normal prisons (which they inevitably escape from). For those too dangerous for normal prison, the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center (informally called the Birdcage) exists. Designed by Dragon, the greatest Tinker in the world, to hold any cape for an indefinite period of time. And it has succeeded in this function.

 

There are two things from the original canon that will not be appearing for various reasons, Cauldron and the Slaughterhouse 9. Cauldron because Path to Victory is a mess and the 9 because portraying them accurately would violate site rules several times over.

 

The City:

 

Haleburg is located in Michigan, 105 miles from Lansing. As far as cities go, it's a relatively quiet place, home to a small Protectorate/Wards team (though they rarely see any major action aside from the mundane). There are rumors of something big brewing below the surface, though nothing has come to light yet. Both shoes are poised to drop, but nobody can tell who's holding them. Haleburg has a population of 250,000, with 60 of these people being parahumans.

 

There is one major gang located in Haleburg, Los Espadas, a Hispanic gang and the main source of conflict against the Protectorate. Their ranks contain several capes, including the notorious Trueno Rodante. They primarily deal in weapons and drug trafficking. Several minor gangs also exist within the city, though few of them have any capes working for them.

 

Several independent heroes and villains also operate within the city, though they are not a major force. For the purposes of the plot, heroic player characters will be part of the Protectorate/PRT (as this makes it easier to keep everything coordinated). Villains will be independent or one of Los Espadas.

 

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Manton Limits (rules)

1. Be realistic. Worm is centered around a realistic world. If a non-Brute gets shot in the shoulder, that's a serious injury that takes months for someone to recover from (barring parahuman healing). They wouldn't just walk it off. This extends to other things as well, such as consequences for actions.

2. Use good grammar. This applies to IC and OOC. Proper spelling, capitalization, and punctuation all make it much easier to read what you're saying. Breaking up walls of text into paragraphs helps too.

3. 4+ sentences per post. Use description, but don't be excessive. There's a difference between making sure something is clear and writing half a book about a character's hair.

4. Try to stay active. While IRL takes precedence, activity is the core of an RP's survival. If you are inactive for over a week you will be considered on hiatus (your character will be placed in limbo so that interactions may continue without them). You may PM me to state that you are no longer on hiatus.

5. Both Mary Sues and Anti-Sues are prohibited and will not be accepted.

6.PG-13 in terms of language and content. While the original work is not afraid of body horror and it doesn't bother me either, excessive gore is against site rules. The same goes for sexual content. Just do a fade to black if it ever even comes up (given that romance is a subplot at best, it likely won't).

7. PM all character sheets to me, and do not post in IC before I have approved them.

8. Lastly, uphold Wheaton's Law. If you have a problem with someone, take it up with either me or a moderator, depending on what it is.

 

Character Sheet

 

[B]Name:[/B]
[B]Cape Name:[/B]
[B]Age:[/B] (18+ only, please)
[B]Personality:[/B] (Only a brief description is needed, just enough to give a general idea)
[B]History:[/B] (Same with personality. A brief overview of their life.)
[B]Appearance:[/B] (Be concise, but descriptive. Links to pictures are okay. Include both costume and civilian clothes.)
[B]Trigger Event:[/B] (This is important, be descriptive on this one)
[B]Power:[/B] (A concise explanation of their power, feel free to include common uses as that would play into threat assessment)
[B]Skills:[/B] (All non-parahuman capabilities that are worth mentioning)
[B]Side:[/B] (Hero or villain. Rogues may be allowed at a later point, but for now pick one of the two.)
[B]Other:[/B] (Misc information that does not fit into any other category)

 

Characters List

 

Protectorate:

-

 

Villain:

-

Edited by SogYothoth

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Glossary of Worm:

 

Important things not defined in the main post will be elaborated on here

 

Triumvirate: Oft considered the most powerful heroes on the planet short of Scion, the Triumvirate are the three original members of the Protectorate as well as its current leaders. They consist of...

 

Bulwark: A mute from Russia, Bulwark is the strongest Brute on the planet bar none. So far, he has never been harmed by anything. He bears smooth and stonelike alabaster white skin marked with black stripes (much in the fashion of a white tiger), a bald head, and yellow-orange eyes with slitted black pupils. He can transfer his invincibility (though not his strength) to anything or anyone he touches.

Eidolon: The most versatile member of the Triumvirate, Eidolon can generate four powers according to his needs at the moment. While they take time to charge up, at full strength any one of these powers alone would be top tier. With four at a time there is little he cannot accomplish.

Hero: While his status as the greatest Tinker is disputed due to the existence of Dragon, and he is not as directly powerful as his peers, Hero is the public face of the Triumvirate as well as its tactical brain. He is no slouch in the power or versatility department either, with a Tinker specialty that seems to consist of "yes".

 

Trigger Event: A Trigger Event is the source of parahuman powers. They are caused by immense stress or trauma, often described as the worst moment in one's life. The circumstances of the Trigger fit the resulting powers, as if the powers are formed in response to that specific situation.

 

Threat Assessments: The PRT threat assessment system is designed to be a quick and concise way to gain knowledge about the danger a target poses, and how. While it doesn't provide specifics, it is invaluable for a responding PRT or Protectorate team so that they can be prepared to deal with whatever it is they must. The threat assessment consists of categories and numbers. These numbers go from 1 to 12, with 12 being an extreme and exceptional threat that is not to be fought directly by almost anyone.

 

Mover - The power moves the cape. Flight, speed, teleportation, etc.

Mover triggers are provoked by a drive to escape, flee, run.

 

Shaker - Area of effect powers.

Shakers are generated from environmental danger or ambient danger.

 

Brute - Enhanced strength, durability; armor, muscle, personal forcefields.

Brutes are created from experiences of physical damage or pain.

 

Blaster - Powers that provide a ranged attack.

Blasters come about from hostile others, approaching or attacking from a distance.

 

Breaker - Altered state, oft toggled, granting powers or altered interaction with reality.

Breakers come from abstract stressors. Blend or ambiguous re: mental or physical lines.

 

Master - Creates minions or has a means of compelling others to take certain actions.

Masters come about from isolation, alienation, exile, or betrayal.

 

Tinker - Building alien or advanced technology.

Tinkers arise from solutionless problems over long periods, culminating in crisis moment.

 

Thinker - Advanced perception, knowledge, data-collection, or skills.

Thinkers manifest from emotional or mental strain, reaching a crisis point in a short time.

 

Striker - Touch based and melee effects. Typically weapon’s or arm’s reach limited.

Strikers result from immediate, in-your-face threat, usually a singular object or individual.

 

Changer - Shapeshifting and alteration of one’s physical form.

Changers arise from identity/body image issues, or conflict of role vs. social expectations.

 

Trump - Powers that involve powers: picking from, add, remove, complicate, compound.

Trumps have capes directly or indirectly involved in their trigger. Rare.

 

Stranger - Powers specializing in infiltration, distraction, subtlety.

Strangers gain powers from unwanted attention or social/collective pressure.

 

PHO: Parahumans Online, the number one unofficial worldwide cape site. It's used by normal people and capes alike to discuss things involving parahuman activity. There's a rumour that the entire site is run by Dragon's sockpuppet accounts.

 

S-Class Threat: Beings with powers that make them either impossible to kill or too dangerous to be kept alive, often at the same time.

 

Nilbog: Parahuman with the ability to create any lifeform he wishes by re-purposing existing biomass. Wiped out Ellisburg and claimed it as his own. Currently neutral with the PRT, but would be attacked immediately if he attempted expansion.

Typhon: The First Endbringer. Typhon brings with it clouds of ash and fire that transform into hurricane-force storms. As the battle continues, it shifts the ground into a wasteland of erupting lava. One of two Brute 12s in existence, alongside Bulwark.

Charybdis: The Second Endbringer. Charybdis warps gravity and space around it, either in general or in directed fields. The fields are far more powerful, but have to charge up and be aimed. Infamous for sinking Japan after an exceptionally lengthy 13 hour battle.

Medusa: The Third Endbringer. While physically weaker than Typhon and lacking in the ranged power of Charybdis, Medusa becomes more and more dangerous to fight the longer the battle lasts. In her presence, matter becomes crystals which violently decompose when touched and spread like a virus. She can spray these crystals at range, a form of petrifying gaze.

 

Kill Order: A kill order is issued by the PRT to a parahuman who has committed grievous crimes with their power that makes them too dangerous to live. A cape under a kill order is fair game for anyone, hero or villain, and a reward may be attached to the order. Kill orders are a last resort, even after the Birdcage.

 

Dragon: An agoraphobic Tinker stationed in Canada, Dragon produces the majority of the specialty gear used by the PRT and Protectorate. Her most common invention is containment foam, which is a less-than-lethal device used to temporarily hold criminals. She is a constant attendee of Endbringer fights, using powerful remote controlled battlesuits with a draconic theme.

 

(The glossary is WIP at the moment)

Edited by SogYothoth

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Nice to see that someone's making a Worm RP! A few questions (brackets contain possible spoilers written in white):

-To clarify, when you say that the S9 and Cauldron aren't appearing, do you mean that they don't exist, that they exist but shouldn't be mentioned, or that they can be mentioned but just wont show up? [What about Cauldron capes and Case 53's?]

-Did Alexandria never exist, or is she just not part of the Triumvirate for some reason? If she does exist but isn't part of the Triumvirate, is the term 'Alexandria package' still used?

-Sorry if this was intentional, but it's implied that the PRT rating scale doesn't have an upper limit in canon. As far as I can tell no one is outright given a rating higher than 12, but Weaver said that Contessa and Glaistig Uaine "were easily twelves or higher" (Extinction 27.4).

-Behemoth is only a Brute 10, while Typhon is a Brute 12. Again, my apologies if this was intentional.

 

Looks really good so far! I might be interested in joining, depending on how my schedule turns out.

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1. Cauldron and the S9 never existed, thus no "special" capes exist either. Though Bulwark seems awfully familiar, doesn't he?

 

2. There's no Alexandria at all. The Eidolon and Hero are natural Triggers who won the power lottery big time. Alexandria was a cancer patient pre-Trigger, so she's likely to be dead as of the start of the RP. Alexandria package isn't a term, so capes like Aegis and Glory Girl are "flying brutes".

 

3. It was intentional. Since, no player characters are going to be above a twelve, there's no Contessa on Bet, and the Faerie Queen is in the 'Cage. If one does show up, it'll be mentioned. Otherwise it caps at twelve for all intents and purposes.

 

4. Typhon is a Behemoth analogue, but he's not Behemoth. He's pure Shaker/Brute, none of Benny's lightning sniping or force redirection, but he is physically superior.

 

EDIT: Fixed the grammatical issues in the main post and the glossary.

Edited by SogYothoth

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Interesting.

[I'll start with questions about Bulwark, specifically, because this one sticks out to me. How does he interact with Endbringers? Either his power is quite different from canon, the fact that he's a Master must be pretty well known (the PRT higher-ups need to know in any case- imagine if they tried to ship Bulwark off to a fight in a jet and he disappeared because his real body couldn't keep up), or he claims to have a teleportation ability as well.

 

Canon!Siberian can push through any ordinary matter like it's nothing, and if she can't for some reason (like it's clockblocked or affected by Sting) she disappears, right? So at first, it'd look like he'd be able to take out the Endbringers easily. Eventually, though, he'd hit the core, which would make him poof (or be destroyed, but given how the core blocks most powers I doubt that). Even if this isn't noticed the first time and he tries to avoid touching the core again, people are going to catch on pretty quickly that something's up. Of course, this is working off of the assumption that his powers are similar to canon, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The second thing is, Cauldron has their noses stuck in so many parts of the world that it might help to clarify what other changes there are from canon that results from them being nonexistent. For example, Director Costa-Brown not being the head of the PRT anymore is a pretty big deal- even the circumstances of the PRT and Protectorate being formed has to be very different. They've been working behind the scenes to manipulate things since before Scion even showed up. ]

 

A few more minor things, mostly just because I'm curious (let me know if I'm asking too many questions):

 

[-Who fought Charybdis in the Kyushu battle? No Contessa, no Lung.

-How'd Eden die? I find it unlikely that she could have died from just the impact. Unless you mean that Contessa still exists, but only in her homeworld?

-If there's no Simurgh, does that mean that Sphere actually managed to complete his city designs, or did his shard conspire to prevent that some other way?]

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1. Bulwark doesn't have a Master, the Bulwark entity is a Breaker state that is intentionally mislabeled as a Brute (though due to his ability he is one for all intents and purposes). The ability functions differently than canon (after all, why would the Trigger produce the same power?). He can cause the effects of one force affecting him to mirror another. He gets punched in the face, but the punch's force is reduced to the force of the breeze. He can "select" things he touches to be included in this.

 

2. Due to the differences mentioned above, he can't holepunch an Endbringer. Do a lot of damage by hitting as hard as the creature itself or the tectonic plates moving below his feet? Sure. But not be a pseudo-Sting.

 

3. To start, the PRT is not as forgiving/willing to ignore serious crimes by powerful capes as there is no Cauldron saying they want them kept around. Hearbreaker got shut down hard, for example. This is why there's no 9. Jack Slash did trigger, but once he started murdering people and trying to recruit more murderhobos, he was introduced to a .388 Lapua Magnum at high speeds, and the proto-9 pretty much tore itself apart without him.

 

4. Charybdis attacked Tokyo, not Kyushu. The battle was pretty much a stalemate. All but the top tier Brutes had to be evacuated when Charby started putting on the gravity, which resulted in a drawn out back and forth where neither gained any ground. Then Scion showed up, the Endbringer decided to give a parting gift, and dropped the effective weight of a small continent on Japan before running away. Bulwark saved the remaining 12 defenders.

 

5. There is a Contessa, but she's still in alt-Italy. She did kill Eden, but the Path she has to take to escape is very long.

 

6. Sphere's Shard sabotaged him. They don't want capes leaving the planet (hence why Legend can't fly out of the Moon's orbit), so it fed him false blueprints. His project seemed successful up until activation, when it all literally blew up in his face. He survived, but never tried it again.

Edited by SogYothoth

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Yes, can you do that? And possibly move the discussion between Backup and I to the OOC thread once it's made?

 

Should I make that in Other or Unapproved, by the way?

 

 

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You'll need to ask a Mod to move posts as I don't have that power, sorry.

 

As for the OOC thread, you'd post it in Unapproved. It'll have to be moved by myself, another RP Approver, or a Mod in order to be in Other RPs.

Edited by Narvix

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