It's November 2016.
Once upon a night, the world goes to sleep, and it revolves once as the moon shines above in its full silver radiance. As the next day approaches, the calm existence of the citizens of New York is forever disturbed in a way that can't be reversed.
A hundred people find a small black box waiting for them: at their doorstep, on their car's dashboard, in their school backpack, placed inconveniently on the sofa, lying on their chest as they wake up with a hangover...
Within the box, there is a small elegant note, penned in white ink on black paper.
Dear Lucky One,
We've made notice of your exceptional qualities and desirable traits. You are cordially invited to participate in a game that will change the fate of the world.
Enclosed in this box is a god's name. Once you have picked up the contents within the box, you will be granted the powers of ancient divinity.
We want you to use this power in any way you wish. We will be observing you and your actions. Please enjoy our gift.
With great prospects -- Olympus Corporation
And who is the lucky person?
---
Due to your choices in a previous Quest, every character also begins with a Life Perk. A Life Perk grants the character some kind of advantage they would not have possessed otherwise had such choices not been made previously.
[ ] The Detective - Henry M. Vanhorn
The media outlets called "it" the Mangler, or the Wolf of New York. There was a new attack every few nights, often claiming multiple victims at a time, leaving their bodies in shreds. And finally, after nearly three weeks of nothing definitive, there was a solid lead.
So they waited in ambush. Several ESU teams in SWAT gear, an ATT on standby, a helicopter outfitted with a .50 caliber machine gun, and everyone in the surrounding precincts was tipped off to be on the lookout. No one within the department actually believed the scary stories about a giant man-eating werewolf, but it was better to be overprepared.
And still, no one saw it coming. All of the concentrated gunfire barely fazed the monster. It fought its way right through Williamsburg and leaped onto the I-278. It escaped howling into the night and taking dozens of more lives with it. The whole affair was well-televised, once it started. It was the first time the supernatural was revealed to the world. Everyone feared it, even back then.
As did Henry, bleeding and clutching his stomach a few blocks down, next to his more unlucky comrades, the ones the beast had clawed at directly, rather than merely thrown aside with the shockwaves of its lightning-fast motions.
Four months later, he could walk, but not without a cane, and never without the pain. The rehabilitation and mandated therapy were the worst parts, but he fought on ahead, despite the difficulties. He needed to, for his family that needed the money from his work. Until one crisp morning, when a box arrived at his doorstep, declaring him to be a candidate for the "second release."
And now - he knows he can hunt down the beast that did this to him.
---
Name: Henry M. Vanhorn
Age: 36
Occupation: Police Detective - 1st Grade
Motivation: Solve the Mangler case. Ever since the Williamsburgh Incident, the Mangler disappeared and the case went cold, but you aren't giving up.
Traits: Dedicated, hardworking, seasoned, cautious, devoted to justice, loves his wife and children, crippled, bitter.
Other: More than a decade of experience in various bureaus of the NYPD. In the NYPD, the rank of detective cannot be tested for or applied into; it is granted purely based on merit, as are its higher grades (which aren't actual ranks, but rather, your literal paygrade.) Has a wife and children.
Life Perk:
Golden Shield - Once per story Arc or major event, receive a major hint to the antagonist's identity and powers or how to avoid dying or losing. This can either be a one-word clue (such as, "vampirism," or "retreat,") or a short phrase (such as, "business magnate in the clouds," or "don't look in the sewers.")
[ ] The Competitor - Karines Aornheimer
Starting at the very moment of her first breath, there was nothing in the world as satisfying for Karines Aornheimer as the pure, unadulterated feeling of victory achieved. The incredible sensation of having overcome all manner of hostile odds and crushed the opposition anyhow, no matter what it took.
At the time she would have been in eighth grade, Karines had made an attempt at anything from playing speed chess to fencing with an épée. She excelled in every task she attempted, stumbling at first as any novice did, but getting hang of it at unusual speed, and then reaching high aptitude in a third of the time most people took to do so, but she found that nothing quite satisfied her particular appetite for victory. None of it was quite right.
Although she was good at both physical and mental pursuits, sharing brains and brawn in one body, she found that she liked the physical contests far more. And so, she attempted them, like a bucket list that was being crossed off: football, soccer, baseball, track-running, swimming, and in the end, she even gave figure-skating a fair try. And still, nothing. Karines shrugged her shoulders and surrendered, relishing, at least, the idea that she'd tried a bit of everything. Without another word, life moved on.
An epiphany struck her when she was eighteen and got into a scuffle with a mugger when returning back home. The reason she didn't quite enjoy any of her attempts was that they were artificial and contrived. She wanted the genuine thrill of real, close danger. She got into parkour, casino gambling, a local fight club. It was all very thrilling, but in the end, she got exactly what she wanted: real, close danger. Even in these highly demanding tasks, she proved excellent, and her excellence was rather irksome to a few select gentlemen in suits and a few too many stacks of dollar bills covered in blood. She was next on the chopping block and had to run.
She ran away from home and toughed it on the streets. A few nights later, she got into the lonely compartment of a train in the subway, and there, lying innocuously on a seat, she found a black box.
And now - she can fight back.
---
Name: Karines Aornheimer
Age: 19
Occupation: Runaway
Motivation: Teach her pursuers a lesson and make them fuck off. Not be a runaway anymore.
Traits: Competitive, cocksure, confident, self-righteous, prideful, prone to boasting, unkind, talented, obsessed with winning, selfish.
Other: An inborn amygdala malformation makes it difficult for her to get any kicks out of something that's not very dangerous and that doesn't send her adrenaline production into overdrive. She's a difficult character to manage, and likely won't survive to the end unless you prove extremely capable.
Life Perk:
Inherent Risk - All activities which end in either loss or success will display the exact odds of victory. Additionally, combat encounters which end in death will show extra odds colored in
red to display the risk of dying.
[ ] The Brawler - Zane Li Black
Also known as the Brawler of Midwood, Zane has a surprisingly widespread reputation among the local gangsters and martial artists alike. Even back then, when he was scarcely fourteen, he was known as one of the toughest kids in New York, capable of twisting grown men into pretzels despite being shorter and far younger than any of them. And funnily enough, deep down, without telling anyone about it, all he ever wanted to do was to open a flower shop and not be bothered with people's bullshit.
Growing up in an impoverished neighborhood, there wasn't much choice for him when a delinquent clique with connections to a local crime group decided he'd make a fine addition to their esteemed personnel. It was either going along with their bullshit or getting shanked at their earliest convenience, and Zane might be strong, but he's not all-powerful. Bullshit it was.
For an extraordinarily long time, Zane managed to avoid any major drama or incidents. At times, he'd almost thought that he lucked out and that he'd manage to breeze on through highschool without anything untoward happening, and then leave for college and finally be given some peace. All of his hopes were shattered one night when his group walked down their turf and encountered the infamous Zuchezzi brothers, rumored to be in with the McNessas, a rival crime family. A fight broke out, rather inevitably, but what these highschoolers didn't expect was for the Zuchezzis to be packing a different kind of heat. One that was far more of the paranormal variety.
One of Zane's compatriots, Brick, was dealt with swiftly, tossed aside by some invisible force, hitting the wall with enough speed to knock him out. Spike was next, sheer paralyzing fear forcing him to backpedal and then pass out in shock. Zane was the last man standing; one versus two, where both foes had supernatural abilities. He'd never had a brawl quite like this.
And now - there is nothing to save you because there is no Card. Your story begins right here, in this decisive moment, and your choices decide whether you live as a winner or die as a loser.
---
Name: Zane Li Black
Age: 18
Occupation: Highschool Senior
Motivation: Survive (immediate concern.) Never put up with other people's bullshit again, even if it might lead to you getting stabbed.
Traits: Overly masculine, likes fighting, honorable, surprisingly kind-hearted, gung-ho, determined, unafraid.
Other: Starts with no Card. However, does have the potential to become a Card-holder later on, or defeat a pair of Card-holders currently in order to claim the spoils. Avid practitioner of Jeet Kune Do. Hopes to open and run a flower shop one day, in honor of his mother who passed away.
Life Perk:
Brawler of Midwood - Once per story Arc or major event, double your odds of winning in any situation even remotely resembling physical combat. If this ability goes on unused, its use will be spent automatically should the character "die" to a bad roll, in order to save them and let them survive instead.
