No Heroes Here

[SlugSLinger]

Heroes are still mortal.
They love, bleed, and make mistakes just like anyone else.
Sometimes the bad guys take advantage of that.
That's why they exist; to fix mistakes the heroes make.​

The sky is a dark shade of red from the smoke and fires rising up to it, ash drifting down like warm snowflakes. The ground is littered with charred rubble and unmoving bodies, stained with fresh blood and fluids from broken or disabled warmachines, and pock marked with craters from stray bullets and spells. You walk through it with nary a care, smoking plasma rifle resting on your shoulder and bloodstained sword sheathed to your side. You scowl and brush off some of the ash gathering on the shoulders of your uniform; it was new too.

You spot movement out of the corner of your eye. One of the bodies, half her face burnt off and missing both legs, tries to crawl away from you. He remaining eye flits between you and the open gate on the other side of the compound, she'll bleed to death before making it half way.

You shake you head in pity and walk to her, your free hand drawing your sidearm. Her movements grow frantic at the sound of your approach, and she tries harder to pull herself away. You reach her and flip her over with a boot. She brings up what remains of her arms and hands to shield her face as you take aim.

"Please-" is all she croaks out before you put her out of her misery.

You holster your sidearm and look around. The entire castle and everything within three kilometers of it is ablaze, the survivors have either fled or died to their injuries, and you've accomplished your objectives. That should just about do it, now to head home and-

A roar pierces the air and you tense, weapon raised. The burning doors leading into the main hall of the castle are thrown open and you roll out of their way. You recover in time to see a massive form stumble out of the fire.

It stands nine feet tall and has three horns adorning its head. It seems to be missing an arm and a chunk of its lower right side, and one eye has apparently been gouged out. On its front are several melee weapons ranging from swords to spear buried deep into its flesh. It is also on fire and burning quite badly by the looks of it.

The warmachines twitch...​

The demon trips over its own feet and hits the ground. It coughs and vomits pungent blood and maggot infested puss, looking around frantically for either salvation or its opponents. Then its remaining eye spots you and something akin to hope blossoms within them. Your insides crawl at the sight; hope and demons aren't meant to go together.

The sky parts...​

"You! Mortal!" the demon points at you. "I am Lugar, the Overwhelming! Help me, and I shall grant you power beyond your wildest dreams!"

The shadows stir...​

You raise a brow and flick the safety of your plasma rifle off.

Order is unbalanced...​

[] "John?"
[] "Derek?"
[] "Bianca?"
[] "No."

 

[SlugSLinger]

Character Sheets:
Name: Mellow Proudmoore
Aliases: The Equalizer
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Human
Bio:

Spoiler

Mellow was born the second oldest of three siblings. His father was a cook and managed the local soccer team while his mother worked as a researcher for the now defunct Oolux Research Firm studying recovered magical items from during and before the Great Clash. On Mellow's fourth birthday, Mellow's mother Ophelia Proudmoore invited her family to her workplace to witness her and her team unlock what they thought was a Runestone containing magical items. Unfortunately, they realized too late that it was actually a phylactery that held the Demon Lord Krugar.

The Demon Lord slaughtered the research team and ripped apart Mellow's mother before her family's eyes, before breaking the protective glass and coming after them. Mellow's father, Brandon Proudmoore, died getting his children away from Krugar and into the hands of the security forces sent to eliminate it. However, the Demon Lord proved stronger than the weapons the security personnel could field and slaughtered them before going after the Proudmoore siblings.

Mellow's older sister Helena Proudmoore was crushed to death while trying to distract Krugar so that a security personnel could escape with her younger siblings. Krugar caught up and killed the man, and devoured Mellow's one year old brother alive. However, before Krugar could harm Mellow, his ability activated and reduced the Demon Lord to dust. The mages recovered a traumatized Mellow and he was rehabilitated to full mental health under the supervision of the Headmaster of the Xavier Crucible, and trained to control his powers.

Once he turned fourteen, Mellow applied for and received emancipation. Using the money he inherited from his parents, Mellow bought his old family home and settled down into a somewhat normal life, until the Headmaster approached him with an offer to join the Special Student Services club as a preliminary member a full six months before he was officially enrolled into Xavier.

Funds: $5 on hand/$10 000 in savings
SSS Club Funds: $25 000

Ability: Null
- A rare and unique ability that supposedly appears once every generation; it allows the user to effectively nullify any and all kinds of magic or magic based energy, including those fueling runes or enchantments. If the user concentrates hard enough, they can nullify the magic in a living entity and kill it.

Sub-Abilities:
- Null Touch: A passive effect that automatically manifests whenever you make physical contact with any magical surface. Any magical object you touch will immediately have their magic stripped from them and rendering them inert, while magical entities cannot use their powers while you touch them. If your concentrate harder, you can completely wipe out the magic in an enchanted object or kill a magical entity.
- Null Field: A spherical area of influence with a 50 meter radius that automatically manifests when you activate your ability. Any magic-based abilities cast in or at this sphere will immediately be negated.
- Null Target: With some concentration, you can nullify a single target's magical ability within line of sight and maximum range of your Null Field.

Inventory
On Hand (carrying capacity 3/5):
- Schoolbag
-- Combat Knife
-- School books
-- Camera
-- [Empty]
- [Empty]

At Home:

Spoiler: List

Weapons
- x5 H&K 417 Assault Rifles [2 slots]
-- x2 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Long-Range mod (Special: Long Range accuracy)
-- x1 Demolition mod (Special: Grenade Launcher)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)

- x3 AK-47 Assault Rifles [2 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No Mods)
-- x1 Demolition mod (Special: Grenade Launcher)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)

- x2 Benelli M4 Tactical Shotguns (No Mods) [2 slots]

- x2 M14 Sniper Rifles [2 slots]
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mod (Special: Damages Vehicles/Structures)

- x3 Sig Sauer P226 Handguns [1 slots]
- xYes Bullets/Shells for each gun

Equipment
- x4 Sets of Mark 0 A.L.I.C.E Webbing (+6 Equipment Capacity, does not stack)
- x5 Kevlar Vests and protective equipment (+Survivability) [2 slots]
- x25 Fragmentation Grenades [4 per slot]
- x20 Stun Grenades [4 per slot]
- x25 Smoke Grenades of different colors [4 per slot]
- x15 Emergency Flares [3 per slot]
- 25kg of Semtex/C4 w/ detonators (kept separate) [5kg per slot]

Miscellaneous
- x5 Carbon Steel Broadswords [2 slots]
- x4 Batons [1 slot]
- x4 Tactical Riot Shields [3 slots]

At SSS club room/'Fixers' Base of Operations

Spoiler: List

Weapons
- x4 V-30 Plasma Assault Rifles [2 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Demolition mod (Special: Plasma Grenade Launcher)
-- x1 Mecha-Shift mod (Special: Transforms into an Energy Sword)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)

- x4 M8-A7 Gauss Assault Rifles [2 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)
-- x1 Demolition mod (Special: Fragmentation Grenade Launcher)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mod (Special: Damages Vehicles/Structures)

- x3 V-25 Plasma S.A.W Machinegun [3 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mod (Special: Damages Vehicles/Structures)
-- x1 Heavy Mag mod (Special: Surpressing Fire)

- x3 HVK-25 Gauss S.A.W Machinegun [3 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mod (Special: Damages Vehicles/Structures)
-- x1 Heavy Mag mod (Special: Surpressing Fire)

- x3 SVG Anti-Material Gauss Sniper Rifles [4 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Ultra-Long Range mod (Special: Ultra-Long Range Strike Capability)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)

- x3 E-11 Lever-Action Tactical Gauss Shotguns [3 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mods (Special Damages Vehicles/Structures)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)

- x3 AR-2 Gauss Assault Shotguns [3 slots]
-- x1 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mods (Special Damages Vehicles/Structures)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)

- x5 MR-4 Heavy Handgun [2 slots]
-- x2 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Mecha-Shift Mod (Special Transforms into HF Knife)
-- x1 Anti-Armor mods (Special: Damages Vehicles/Structures)
-- x1 Spec Ops mods (Special: Silenced)

- x5 L-C12 Light Handgun [1 slots]
-- x2 Standard (No mods)
-- x1 Spec Ops mod (Special: Silenced)
-- x1 Mecha-Shift mod (Special: Transforms into Energy Knife)
-- x1 Long Range mod (Special: Long range accuracy)

- x2 V-30E Plasma Grenade Launchers [3 slots]
- x2 XM-50 Anti-Vehicle/Structure Missile Launchers [5 slots]
- x2 B-4 Anti-Vehicle/Structure Particle Laser [5 slots]

- x2 Composite Bow w/ Variable Arrowheads [1 slot]
-- Stun Arrowhead
-- Fragmentation Arrowhead
-- Concussive Arrowhead
-- Surveillance Arrowhead

- x5 HF Broadswords [1 slot]
- x5 HF Longswords [1 slot]
- x5 HF Shortswords [1 slot]
- x5 HF Katanas [1 slot]
- x5 HF Spears [2 slots]
- x5 Enchanted Broadswords [1 slot]
- x5 Enchanted Longswords [1 slot]
- x5 Enchanted Shortswords [1 slot]
- x5 Enchanted Katanas [1 slot]
- x5 Enchanted Spears [2 slots]
- x4 Enchanted Maces [3 slots]
- x4 Enchanted Morning Stars [3 slots]
- x4 Stun Batons [1 slot]
- xYes Gauss Spikes
- xYes Heat Sinks

Equipment
- x5 sets of Mark 2 Powered A.L.I.C.E Webbing (+10 Equipment Capacity)
- x4 Hunting vests (+4 Equipment Capacity)
- x4 Forest Camouflage fatigues [+Concealment in Forests]
- x4 Sets of Mark 2 Non-Ablative Armor [+Survivability] [2 slots]
- xYes Fragmentation Grenades [4 per slot]
- xYes Smoke Grenades [4 per slot]
- xYes Stun Grenades [4 per slot]
- Yeskg of shaped explosives [5kg per slot]
- xYes Emergency Flares [3 per slot]
- x5 Collapsible Tactical Riot Shields [3 slots]
- x5 Rolls of Protective Fabric Barriers (one-use deployable item) [4 slots]
- xYes Mark 2 Remote Controlled Surveillance Drones [2 per slot]
- x6 150 meter length rope bundles [2 slots per bundle]
- x4 First-aid kits [2 slots]

Miscellaneous
- x2 Maps of Rockafeller Forest
- x2 Maps of Rockafeller Lake Surroundings
- x4 Compasses
- x2 Blessings of Rockafeller Forest
- x4 Waterproof/camouflaged ponchos
- x4 Water Canteens
- x4 Survival Knives

Weapons/Equipment Research and Development
Material: 1000

Available Schematics/Research Projects

Spoiler

Weapons:
- Plasma Grenade [0/1]
-- Cost: 500 Material, 2 days
- Foam Grenade [0/1]
-- Cost: 550 Material, 2 days
- Combat Drone (Small) [0/1]
-- Cost: 400 Material, 2 days

Equipment:
- Mark 3 Powered A.L.I.C.E Webbing [+14 Equipment Slots, +Survivability] [0/3]
-- Cost: 300 Material, 2 days
- Mark 1 'Goliath' Powered Assault Armor [+15 Equipment Slots, ++Durability] [0/4] Require Mark 3 Non-Ablative Armor
-- Cost: 1000 Materials, 4 days
- Unlocked Research: Mark 1 'Ghost' Powered Infiltration Armor [+10 Equipment Slots, ++Stealth] [0/4] Requires Active Camo Node
-- Cost: 800 Material, 3 days
- Silent Breaching Charge [0/1]
-- Cost: 300 Material, 2 days

Allies:
- The Special Student Services/SSS Club A.K.A 'the Fixers'

Spoiler: The Weapon

Name: Johnathan Smith
Aliases: The Living Weapon
Gender: Male
Age: 17 (physically)/4 (chronologically)
Race: Cyborg
Relationship: Friend
Bio:
A prototype combat cyborg found by the Headmaster on one of his outings, designed to combat paranormal and supernatural threats. He possesses built-in weapons systems generations ahead of its time, including several one-of-a-kind magically enchanted armaments that allow him to fight supernatural entities on even footing. He is powered by a dozen miniaturized cold fusion reactors in his chest and an advanced semi-organic supercomputer in lieu of a brain.

You befriended him on your first day in the Xavier alongside Derek as the quiet member of the Literary Club who spends his free time reading books... Two dozen of them every day.

Ability: Living WMD
- Johnathan is a literal living weapon. He has particle cannons in his shoulders, multi-kiloton micro missile bays in his thighs, and monomolecular blades hidden in his forearms. He has semi-enchanted armor plating and can supercharge his artificial muscle fibers to match demigod blow-for-blow, and enough computational ability to rival the world's first semi-magical A.I.

Sub-Abilities:
- Cybernetic Physiology: John is a cyborg, thus he can sustain greater amounts of damage and continue to function at peak operational capability.
- Internal Weapon Bays: John has a literal arsenal of weaponry within his body, some conventional, and some enchanted with magic. Currently he has:
-- x4 Decent Quality Enchanted Monomolecular blades (2 in each forearm)
-- x2 2-Kiloton yield Micro-Missile bays (1 in each thigh)
-- x1 Decent Quality Particle Cannon (in left shoulder)
-- x1 Low Quality Microwave Cannon (in right shoulder)
-- x1 Low Quality Ion Cannon (in upper left chest)
-- x1 Mana-powered DEW (in upper right chest)
-- Decent Quality Sensor Suite
-- Semi-Biological Nanomachine generator (for his human disguise)
- Magic Capable Cybernetic Entity: John is capable of utilizing magic. However, as a cyborg, magic is naturally hard for him to use as he is 'technically' not a living being.

Spoiler: The Wiseman

Name: Derek Moore
Aliases: The Channeler
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Race: Human(?)
Relationship: Friend
Bio:
A young man with a connection/contract to Shegurrath, a powerful Eldritch entity that resides in the Void Between Worlds. He has been touch by Eldritch energies as a result of the connection/contract and his physiology has been warped as a result. He possesses Eldritch knowledge that allow him to manipulate the potent Void energies and' translate' them into the world as powerful magical attacks that can level cities or potent healing/support spells.

You befriended him on you first day in the Xavier Crucible as the strange member of the Automotive Club who tinkers with engines... While sitting on the ceiling.

Ability: Rank-17 Eldritch Channeler
- The ability to manipulate the potent energies of the Void Between Worlds and possessing the Eldritch Knowledge need to properly channel those energies into high-tier magic-based attacks/support spells. Give him enough time and preparation, and he can turn an army of demons into ash or know the layout of a newly built city like the back of his hand.

Sub-Abilities:
- Offensive Elemental Spells: Elemental spells meant for offensive use. As an Adept level mage, Derek is capable of casting fireballs, lightning bolts, water bullets, wind blades, and columns or walls of stone to reliably damage or destroy small enemy fortifications/vehicles or kill 20+ enemy combatants at once.
- Defensive Elemental Spells: Elemental spells meant for defense. As an Adept level mage, Derek is capable of conjuring shields of fire, fences of electricity, spheres of water, gusts of wind, and walls of stone to reliably protect himself and allies against anti-personnel, anti-vehicle, and anti-structure attacks.
- Support Elemental Spells: Elemental spells meant to buff allies in or outside of combat. As an Adept level mage, Derek is capable of creating structures or animated guardians from the elements to protect them or temporarily grant them immunity against against harm from the five basic elements and anti-personnel/anti-vehicle weaponry.
- Eldritch Channeler: Derek is a channeler to an Eldritch entity that resides in the space between dimensions. As an Adept level mage, he can summon small body parts/familiars of the Eldritch entity he is bound to for immensely damaging AoE attacks/persistent alien guardians by sacrificing an equivalent part of his soul.

Spoiler: The Shadow

Name: Bianca Potts
Aliases: The Shadow Weaver
Gender: Female
Age: N/A
Race: Darkspawn
Relationship: Friend(?)
Bio:
One of the many entities of darkness created by the Darkmother, a Goddess of Shadows and Dreams. She possesses the ability to manipulate shadows and darkness, allowing her to teleport from one spot to another through them or use them as razor sharp whips/combat tentacles. She is also a well known figure among the Crucible student body, both for her attractiveness and wisdom.

You befriended her when she transferred into the Xavier Crucible three months after school started. You were the only one brave enough to talk to her... Despite the razor sharp shadow tentacles that threatened to bisect you.

Ability: Darkness Manipulation
- She has the ability to manipulate darkness into anything she desires, be it a weapon, a shield, armor, or even summoning another Darkspawn. She can also merge with the shadows/darkness for easier movement and greater stealth.

Sub-Abilities:
- Shadow Merge: The ability to merge into a shadow or the general darkness and use it as a method to sneak past enemies and obstacles or as a gateway to travel from one shadow to another with 250 meters. Currently, Bianca may only travel through the shadows of inanimate objects and the shadows of her teammates.
- Shadow Forge: The ability to create weapons/equipment from darkness or shadows. Currently, she may only create simple melee weapons and shields out of shadows with similar tensile strength to cast iron and pass them to her teammates for their use.
- Shadow Summon: The ability to call shadow entities to her side and fight. Currently, Bianca may only summon two attack dogs to track or attack targets.
- Shadow Sense: The ability to locate the presence of being through the shadows they cast. This only works should the target Bianca is looking for is casting a shadow within 125 meters of her immediate location.

- 9th Xavier Crucible Headmaster

Spoiler: The Headmaster

Name: Elliot J'Tun Percival II
Aliases: The Headmaster, Kingmaker, Truthweaver, Grandmaster J'Tun,
Gender: Male
Age: N/A
Race: Human(?)
Relationship: Teacher/Mentor/Commanding Officer
Bio:
A graduate of the prestigious Dvi'Lama Elven Academy of Magic and the current headmaster of Xavier Crucible, Elliot J'Tun Percival II is a powerful individual who has earned the respect and approval of many others. He is the fifth known human to attain the rank of Grandmaster Mage at the age of twenty, and has gone through countless history making endeavors all over the post-Clash world.

He is the current commanding officer of the special operations unit 'the Fixers' and was rumored to have been the one to recommend its initial founding. He was also among the mages who first recovered Mellow Proudmoore and was the one who oversaw his rehabilitation to full mental health/training of his unique ability.

Ability: Unknown
Sub Abilities: Unknown

Neutral

Spoiler: Michelle R'Lotuk Ar'Laan

Name: Michelle R'Lotuk Ar'Laan
Aliases: The New Girl, Hot Elf Chick
Gender: Female
Age: 15 (physically)/ ??? (chronologically)
Race: Hybrid (Elf-Human)
Relationship: GirlFriend of Iori Collins
Bio:
An Elf-Human hybrid who transferred to Xavier Crucible to further her studies under Arch-Mage Hugo Krum. She is friends(?) to the student who vaulted over your head and sent you face first to the ground. She has good looks, is exceptionally intelligent, and is a magic powerhouse.

Ability: Rank-7 Elven Warlock
- As an Elf, Michelle possesses immense magic reserves and a formidable array of spells as befitting her supernatural heritage. Through dint sheer magic power alone, she is labeled as a Rank-3 Mage. With her innate spellcasting talent and skill in in the magic arts, she easily reaches Rank-5. With training, she will only grow stronger.

Sub Abilities:
- Unknown

Spoiler: Alyssa Celestina

Name: Alyssa Celestina
Aliases: The S(tudent)C(ouncil)P(resident), Nimble Hammer, Skybreaker
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Race: Human
Relationship: Mutual Acquaintance
Bio:
The eldest daughter to the legendary Sorceress Veronica Celestina and her husband Arch-Mage Percy Dreas, Alyssa was elected to assume the position of Student Council President in her first year and has been leading the student body since. Her charisma and inspiring work ethnic has earned her the loyalty of the entire student council, while the magical strength she inherited from her parents allowed her to secure the position as the strongest Warlock in Xavier Crucible.

She has eyes on Johnathan Smith, and has become properly acquainted with him through you.

Ability: Rank-20 Human Warlock
- A particularly powerful Warlock, she inherited the degree of her mother's attunement with the world and her father's talent is spellcasting. She specializes in medium to close ranged spells that allow her to slip past her target's defenses and hammer them up close with high level spells meant for use at longer ranges.

Sub-Abilities:
-Offensive Elemental Spells: Elemental spells meant for offensive use. As a Disciple level mage, Alyssa is capable of casting fireballs, lightning bolts, water bullets, wind blades, and columns or walls of stone to reliably damage or destroy large fortifications or hold off a small company of soldiers on her own.
-- Skybreaker Cannon: One of her signature spells; it involves firing a concentrated blast of magic with the resulting explosion being powerful enough to clear the sky of clouds for fifty miles around. The first time she used it, the Headmaster called her into his office and she came out with a seal bangle that will only allow her to fire said spell a very limited number of times in a single day.
-- Bomber Rain: One of her signature spells, Alyssa conjures a massive number of explosive, target seeking magical bolts and hurls them all at a target area.
- Defensive Elemental Spells: Elemental spells meant for defense. As a Disciple level mage, Alyssa is capable of conjuring shields of fire, fences of electricity, spheres of water, gusts of wind, and walls of stone to reliably protect himself and allies against attacks of equivalent power to vehicle mounted weaponry.
- Support Elemental Spells: Elemental spells meant to buff allies in or outside of combat. As a Disciple level mage, Alyssa is capable of creating large structures or armored animated guardians from the elements to protect them or temporarily grant them immunity against against harm from the five basic elements and weaponry of equivalent power to vehicle mounted weaponry.
- Teleportation: As a Disciple level Mage, Alyssa has access to teleportation. This is used by her in conjunction with her preference for heavy hitting spells with long charge-up/chanting times to deliver skyscraper-leveling spells in her opponent's faces. But as an Disciple level mage, the current range of her teleportation is limited to anything within a 50 meter radius and her line of sight.

Spoiler: Iori Collins

Name: Iori Collins
Aliases: The New Kid, Braveheart, Dumbass (by Mellow Proudmoore), Perverted Transfer Student (by Bianca Potts)
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Human
Relationship: Acquaintance Acceptable Target
Bio:
A recent transfer to Xavier Crucible from Quulosk Crucible, he is a close friend to Michelle R'Lotuk Ar'Laan having known her since childhood. He is a brave individual who is willing to stand up for others and fight to maintain his ideals.

You think he lacks a brain and is destined to get someone killed through his antics.

Ability: Rank-5~7 Warlock/Trained Melee Combatant (Sword)
- Iori Collins is a notable Human Warlock who specializes in combat application of Pyromancy and Aeromancy.

Sub Abilities:
- Wind Barrier: A defensive wind barrier powerful enough to redirect kinetic projectiles and attacks with melee weapons.
- Fire Slash: An offensive spell that fires strings of concentrated fire from his sword slashes. They can travel a considerable distance before dissipating or hitting solid surfaces. Presumably, he is also capable of throwing minor fireballs as well.
- Air Dash: An Aeromancy support ability that allows him to accelerate/move himself over small/considerable distances to either close in on opponents or to evade attacks.

Enemies

Requests:
Request: The Blue Phantom! [In Progress]

Spoiler

Client: Katelyn Fritz, Photography Club
Time Limit: 7 Days
Details:
- Due to an argument, the club leader of the Photography club accidentally burnt the only photo of the Blue Phantom the Birdwatcher club has! Within a week, find and take a picture of the illusive Blue Phantom for the Photography club to ensure it does not get suspended!

 

[SlugSLinger]

Compendium of Terra (A.K.A Relevant Info Corner)​

Events

Spoiler: The Great Clash

The First Supernatural War that took place after the revelation of the supernatural world to humanity. The war was spearheaded by the now defunct Coalition of Supernatural Races, who desired to wiped out humanity out of fear and to ease their growing population. The conflict spanned a full decade and was only put to an end when the majority of the leaders on both sides were wiped out and the remainder settled down for peace talks.

The first two years of the Clash saw humanity get pushed back into separated pockets of resistance, with the largest being North America, North, Central, and East Russia, the southern half of South America, and Australia. The third year saw humanity deploying nuclear warheads on concentrated enemy positions to retake space.

The following five year climax of the conflict saw humanity involved in fierce fighting against Coalition forces to reclaim cities and agricultural areas all across the world, liberating captured prisoners, and absurdly fast technological and magical development using captured Coalition technology and prisoners versed in magic. It also saw the deployment of the first human mage corps, the earliest forms of the cybernetic combat platforms, prototype DEWs and and Gauss weaponry against elite Elven Rangers, legendary Dwarven siege engines, ancient warbeasts and heavily fortified supernatural fortresses.

The remaining two years saw the increased usage of WMDs by both sides of the conflict to achieve a swift victory, culminating in the destruction of the United Nations headquarters in Montreal by an elite strikeforce of Grandmaster-level Coalition mages and soon after the destruction of the Coalition's primary base of operations in South East Asia by a prototype orbital bombardment satellite. In the immediate months that followed, the surviving leaders of boths sides came together to arrange a peace treaty, and the Council of United Races was formed.

People of Note

Misc

Spoiler: Mages and Their Derivatives

Mages, also known as Warlocks, are beings with souls sufficiently in tune with the world around them, allowing them to manipulate it or be considered worthy of bartering to by powerful supernatural entities. There are many different kinds of Warlocks, each with their own unique set of abilities and specializations, but they can be classified into four categories; Warlock, Summoner, Wordsmith, and Channeler.

- Warlocks are traditional mages known for their ability to manipulate things in the world around them to cause desired effects; controlling heat to create fireballs, increase a person's regeneration speed to heal their injuries, manipulate the electrons in the air to summon lightning strikes, etc. They are among the most common because they can utilize a wide variety of spells; a Jack-of-all-Trades and Master of none so to speak, and have little to no disadvatages. However, while they have a greater array of abilities, they cannot truly specialize in one field. And overuse of an ability may result in Burnout, in which the Warlock's very souls is destroyed by the forces they wield.

- Summoners are mages who specialize in summoning or conjuring rituals , and taming/controlling the results of their efforts to do their bidding. A Summoner can summon a dragon and incinerate his enemies, conjure a healing plant and control it so that it can provide medicine, temporarily take control over an enemy soldier's body and him to infiltrate and area to gain information, etc. Summoners are the second most common as their method of magic relies heavily on willing outside parties and the strength of their will. Many a Summoner had died when they failed to tame or control their summons and it turned on them.

- Wordsmiths are mages who specialize in manipulating the world around them using words or symbols, thus making them exceedingly useful for warding or runecrafting. Some of the greatest magical items and fortifications were the result of Wordsmiths pouring their knowledge and passion into the making of an object, examples being the Impenetrable Trasgar Fortress, many Dwarven holds, Golem warmachines, etc. Wordsmiths are uncommon as the art of Wordsmithing is time-consuming, complex, and extremely dangerous if done wrong. Many a Wordsmith have died when their greatest works suck their souls and those from many others from their bodies to use as fuel and turning it into a semi-aware construct of malice.

- Channelers are mages who form pacts with other supernatural entities to use their powers from as a proxy or vassal. These mages are among the most powerful as they not only use their power but also that of the entities they made pacts with. A mage who has made a pact with an Elder Dragon can breathe fire and grow tough dragons scales on their skin, a mage who has made a pact with a powerful enough fire Elemental can can unleash firestorms and summon flaming constructs, etc. However, such powers come at a price as a pact goes two ways. The entity in question may request something of similar value to its power as payment whenever used, such as gold coins, human sacrifices, or even the mage's life. Many a Channeler have died defying the terms of the pact made, oftentimes destroying everything within several kilometers of them in doing so.

Spoiler: Mage Ranks

Several years after the Great Clash, a ranking system for practitioners of the magic arts was devised by the Council to help the oblivious human masses in better understand the magnitude of power mages possess. As time passed, this system was eventually taken up and used all other races and became standardized across the world.

The rank of a mage is given to them based on their total magical strength or how 'in-tune' their souls are to the world, and their proficiency in spellcasting.

1-5 - Initiate
5-10 - Apprentice
10-15 - Adept
15-20 - Disciple
20-25 - Mage
25-30 - Arch-Mage
35-40 - Master
45-50 - Grandmaster

Spoiler: The Crucibles

In the aftermath of the Great Clash, the Council of United Races considered the possibility of unsatisfied parties reigniting the decade long conflict through proxies and war aggressors. They needed proof that humanity could co-exist with the supernatural despite the war that was waged against them not too long ago.

To this end, they commissioned the construction of the Crucibles; places of learning with the proper facilities and personnel needed to teach and train the children who lived in the post-Clash world. Unofficially, the Crucibles were meant to force cooperation between the high-ranked supernaturals and humanity via gradual cultural exposure to their children and cross-training in both combat and magic application. Though initially met with skepticism and doubts from the general public, the first batch of graduating students from the Crucibles proved instrumental in ushering co-existence between humanity and the supernatural.

The Crucibles are designed as potent fortresses using a mix of human and Dwarven engineering with Elven enchantments and runes to further strengthen the resulting structures. It was built to keep rowdy students in and keep any hostile force attacking from beyond the walls, out. As the years pass and the Crucibles proved successful in their purpose, the Council commissioned four more built and encouraged friendly competition between each Crucible in annual tournaments and general student performance rates.

 

[permeakra]

[x] "Bianca?"

 

[TranscientLurker]

[X] "Bianca?"

 

[MechaJesus]

[X] "No."

 

[Chronic]

[X] "No."

 

[Rei of Sunshine]

[x] "No."

 

[JoshieWoshie]

warmachines twitch...​

The demon trips over its own feet and hits the ground. It coughs and vomits pungent blood and maggot infested puss, looking around frantically for either salvation or its opponents. Then its remaining eye spots you and something akin to hope blossoms within them. Your insides crawl at the sight; hope and demons aren't meant to go together.

The sky parts...​

"You! Mortal!" the demon points at you. "I am Lugar, the Overwhelming! Help me, and I shall grant you power beyond your wildest dreams!"

The shadows stir...​

You raise a brow and flick the safety of your plasma rifle off.

Order is unbalanced...​

Click to shrink...

Hora~

[X] "No."

 

[Enmascarado]

[X] "No."

 

[Jeboboid]

[X] "No."

 

[Dark Ness]

[X] "Bianca?"

 

[Neo-Chan]

[X] "No."

 

[Zaratustra]

[X] "Bianca?"

 

[SlugSLinger]

[X] "No."

"No." you answer, and fill the air with bolts of burning plasma. They fall upon its downed form like raindrops, splashing against burnt skin and searing away at damaged flesh.

The demon screams and scrambles to its feet, giving your plasma bolts a much larger surface area to hit. Its remaining arm flails wildly and you throw yourself out of the way. You scramble to your feet in time to meet the monster's hideous glare, hands loading a fresh heat sink into your weapon.

"Fool!" it bellows, hellfire forming in its open palm. "You dare raise your weapon against me?!"

You shoot a plasma grenade at the demon's right leg, directly to its knee. Lugar's scream is loud enough to rock the entire compound, its hand gripping the stump where its leg once was. Your weapon compartmentalizes itself as you slide it onto your back, your legs moving on their own accord to bring you close.

The demon spots you coming and desperately flails his arm about to stop you, but you easily slide under it. You stumble to your feet and put both hands on its temples.

"No, wait-!" Lugar begs, but its too late.

"Null." you cut him off, and Lugar screams as your ability comes into effect. The downed demon flails, coughing blood and maggots, as its body slowly begins to age and wither away from the head down. Mighty muscles spasm and shrivel up, leathery skin wrinkles and cracks, magic laden blood catches fire and the maggots that infest it hiss and squirm in the resulting flames. You curse under your breath as a few maggots squirm onto your hands and your uniform.

Like a corpse under a time lapse, Lugar the Overwhelming shrivels up and dies as the magic in its body is forcibly stripped away. When you finally pull back and deactivate your ability, the once half-dead demon is now a pile of cracked skin stretched over a skeleton. You pull out a knife and start scraping off the maggots that got on you.

"You okay there?" someone calls out to you.

"Fine!" you answer. "Just got a few maggots on me."

Your shadow stirs. It ripples like water, and from it a body made entirely out of darkness rises. It sports obsidian claws, two twitching antennae on the back of its head, and eerie blue eyes that seem to stare at your soul. The form shifts, and the darkness fades to reveal a young girl blinking curiously at you.

"...What?" Bianca asks, a sword made from darkness resting on her shoulder. "I got something on me?"

You flick a maggot at her and she screams, leaping away as her hands abandon the sword to try and brush the larva off.

"You dick!" she prances away. "Ewewew, get it off me!"

"Hmm..." you consider it. "Nah."

As Bianca continues screaming and prancing around trying to dislodge the maggot, you see something move out of the corner of your eye. You turn to look, just as something heavy lands on Lugar's remains. From amidst the dust, a body of silvery metal and artificial muscles rises to its feet to the whir of servo motors hidden somewhere behind the tattered pants it wears. Its face is featureless save for a few holes and lines where the eyes, nose, and mouth would be, all of them radiating bright green light.

"Damn it, John!" you swear, spitting out demon dust and trying to pat yourself clean. "The damn skeleton was alive a few minutes ago!"

"Sorry," the cyborg says apologetically, but you hear the smile in his voice. "Do want me to hose you down?"

"Just get your disguise back on, we're leaving in five." you order. He nods and releases a cloud of nanomachines that immediately start reforming his skin into something humanlike. As he does, you cup your hands around your mouth and turn to the heavens. "Hey Derek! You done up there?!"

"Mortal." a voice like thunder and brass reverberates through your chest. "It is unwise to address a being such as I with those words."

"Just get down here, fucktard!" you shake your fist at the sky. "I wanna go home and sleep already!"

"Alright, alright." the voice grudgingly concedes, losing its brass and thunder. "Geez, what's gotten your panties in a twist?"

The clouds part and a figure wreathed in otherworldly power descends. The uniform he wears is identical to yours, save for the billowing cape on his back and purple electricity coursing through the wrench he holds in one hand. His foot touches the earth, sending up a cloud of sparkling dust and a wave of pure supernatural might that does not reach you. You and the others give him the driest stare all of you can manage and he scowls.

"Fuck you guys." he grumbles. John chuckles.

You look between the three of them and nod. "Anything to report?"

Bianca huffs and crosses her arms, but shakes her head. "The castle's been cleared; everyone inside is either dead or will die in a few minutes."

"I've set fire to everything flammable." John nods, his human face forming over the metal one. "In a few hours, the entire castle and everything in it will be reduced to ash and blackened rock."

"I found a convoy driving away from here." Derek shrugs. "Took care of 'em when they shot at me, but I got the cargo they were carrying with them."

The wrench disappears in a flash of purple and the hand clenches into a fist. It opens and a sphere of floats out of it. It grows in size as it floats to the ground then pops, revealing a 3 by 8 foot gold coffin decorated with gemstones and writings of some ancient language. John whistles and steps closer to get a better look.

"That is one pimped out coffin." he says, turning to Derek. "Who's in it?"

"Some guy called Dureshi." the warlock scratches his cheek. "He's part of some prophecy about the end of the world, a no-name hero gathering allies and rising to stop him, yadda yadda yadda- Ya'know the usual."

You run your hand over the coffin's surface, noting how the color fades at your touch and returns when you pull away. "Anything else?"

"Books and tomes on dark rituals," in one hand, Derek produces a large stack of books. "And schematics of prototype weapons and gear." In the other, several bundles of rolled up paper appear. "Nothing you'd like John, all of it crap compared to yours."

"Aw." the cyborg sighs dejectedly.

"Anything else?" Bianca taps her foot impatiently.

"Nope." Derek shakes his head. "That's about it."

"Alright then." you nod at the sole female in the group. "Take us home, Bianca."

She nods and clasps her hands together as though in prayer. The shadows on the ground move and stitch themselves into a circle around all of you. Then a wall of black surrounds you, and you feel the world shift in a way that makes your stomach do flip flops. An eternity later that wall of black fades and you find yourself standing in a large, pristine, and brightly lit chamber. Before you is an older man, a plate of cookies in one hand and a steaming mug of coffee in the other.

"Welcome back." he greets. "I take it the mission went smoothly?"

[] "A walk in the park, Headmaster!"
[] "About as well as you'd expect, Headmaster."
[] "Meh."

 

[DarthGamer]

[X] "A walk in the park, Headmaster!"

I need to see more to form a decent opinion but it seems pretty good so far at least from a writing standpoint.

 

[Tel Janin Aman]

[X] "Meh."

 

[Rei of Sunshine]

[x] "Meh."

 

[Neo-Chan]

[x] "Meh."

 

[Enmascarado]

[X] "Meh."

Kill demons, Destroy evil lair, Save the world, your typical thursday

 

[veekie]

[X] "About as well as you'd expect, Headmaster."

 

[JoshieWoshie]

[X] "Meh."

 

[AZATHOTHoth]

[X] "Meh."

 

[meganeshounen]

[X] "Meh."

Cynical antimagic anti-hero is go.

 

[Aodyssey]

[x] Meh.

Indeed.