GAME INFORMATION
► G A M E I N F O R M A T I O N
NEO GENESIS:The year is 2009; Location; Neo Genesis. The world exists in disarray, and now total control belongs to the Phantom President. When the whole world gave out, all that remained became compressed into a singular location - that being no other than Neo Genesis, where cultures collide, and discrimination is just a part of pop culture. The city flares gloriously in the night, and dwindles down once again in the day. It's best described as little more than a collective of the unusual and bizarre - of demons and humans, scum and the lowest of the low. But - where else would you rather be than in a glamorous hell in which you can complete a dream of taking over the city, or adversely, becoming nothing more than a self-destructive mass of flesh? Oh, of course, this city was once considered 'normal', it used to be quiet, orderly, and peaceful - but when those that desired power finally got what they wanted... the city began to split into three.
Those in Elysium live the high-life, living in extravagance and class; though known to be just and proper, they, too, suffer the same boons as any other men. They can hide away in the most high-class brothels and often indulge their greed, only to write it off as nothing more than a release, a pass-time, a mere triviality that fails to reduce their superiority, and who are we to disagree?
There is always tension between the high walls of Elysium and those torn to rubble in Abyss, because the Abyss is nothing but a degenerate, desecrated graveyard for the abnormal and hideous, for the parasites of bloodlust and ecstasy. And stuck between them is Terra - a simple level, a middle ground between chaos and pride, managing to survive by the grace of those few yet powerful cults and organizations behind-the-scenes.
You may think the latter are bad guys - but in this city, corruption has it's place.
It's truly not so bad. People go on with their little lives and follow their simple dreams; they obey the rules to adhere to a sense of normalcy while trying to hide the temptation to fight for peace among the levels - or, perhaps, to destroy them all. Nothing seems out of place. It's always been this way, as long as Neo Genesis' citizens can remember.
-- but... but still. Do you see slight flashes of something out of the ordinary? Do you fall asleep only to have the most vivid dreams that you not only see, but hear, and smell, and feel?
But - that is normal; you have experienced it your whole life! Why would it suddenly be different now?
Wait...
...
The city itself - there's something wrong with it. Do you remember that earthquake that happened some time ago? Or, do you remember those men in suits that have spread across the city, taking seemingly random citizens into their custody, leaving them never to be seen again? Oh... but that’s normal! They are only the Omega and the Omega do nothing but serve the people; they exist as the hand of the man closest to being a God this world has ever seen!
But…! Some people go missing and are never found again. No one is capable of leaving the city, and yet... they're simply gone.
Aha - you’re curious about what lies beyond city limits? Nothing, nothing at all - if you go to the very edge of Elysium borders and try to look beyond the large wall that keeps what is meant to be inside - inside, then you simply won’t see anything, because you can’t. And the sky? You look up in Abyss and see nothing but smog and toxins floating around you like a hazardous perfume. Alternately, in Elysium, everything is crystal clear. But why would that bother you when you have been here your whole life?
To the onlooker, Neo Genesis may be rabid with the unusual and chaotic - but to it's citizens, it's merely everyday life. Why question it? This is the way things are meant to be. ...Aren't they?
ALPHA & OMEGA: Let's discuss what the general populous of Neo Genesis knows in terms of Alpha and Omega.
Alpha is omnipotent, known as the "Phantom Ruler" of the city, overlooking all from the safety of anonymity. Alpha is the force which utilizes the Omega - the strange suits who go about the city and answer to no word but that which falls oh-so-mysteriously from the Alpha's mouth. They are rumored to be the only beings in contact with the city's hierarchy - and while Alpha does not seem to take much direct interest in politics or the day-to-day ongoings of its peons, its interests can be felt in waves on the rare and infrequent occasion the black suited men appear out of nowhere to do it's bidding...
DEATH SYSTEM: First and foremost, it should be noted that upon killing your character, there are no take-backs. Once the mods have set the process into motion, it can't be undone. Please consider the consequences ahead of time and understand them accordingly.
Should you decide to kill your character, an extensive procedure begins, depending on the manner of death. Before you do anything else, please make sure to post to the [death post link here].
Victims of homocide / natural causes of death / accidents / etc:
►As long as your character is not severely mutilated (chopped into little bits, incinerated into dust, etc), their bodies will be collected by the Omega's grunts, who take them to the Ministry of Recycling in Elysium. However, there is a chance the body can be swept up by body scavengers lurking in the Abyss - if they are, they're gone forever. What goes on behind the closed doors of this facility is unknown to the general populous, but after their work is done, the body is shipped to the Auction House where it resides until sold or discarded.
►Should your character be purchased, they will be dressed in the same clothes they died in, their bodies seemingly good as new. They may have a persistent headache, blurred vision, and disorientation for several days after they are reanimated.
►If, before death, a character is missing limbs or organs, they may find upon close investigation (through physical injury or surgery, perhaps) that these appendages have been replacing with cybernetic replicas that function the same, with some loss of feeling in the area.
►After being auctioned off, the buyer is permitted to put in a request to alter one aspect of their personality. For example, if your character has a fierce devotion to something (or someone), that devotion can be removed. Or, you could add something - like a devotion to the character's new master. The possibilities are endless. You may also request that no alterations are made, but there are no guarantees.
►Once bought, the character in question now fully belongs to the other. The 'master' now possesses the 'slave', whose ID card is now marked as so. All of their belongings are transferred into the master's name, as well as assets, etc.
►The dead do not remember the exact circumstances of their death, experiencing several hours of amnesia.
►The Auction process is as follows:
1. Body is shipped to the Auction House and reanimated.
2. Reanimated bodies are restrained and blindfolded as a TV broadcast is put out viewable on every station in Neo Genesis. The broadcast lasts for an hour, from 9PM to 10PM, in Elysium first. If not purchased, it's then aired in Terra from 10PM-11PM; if still left unsold, they are then dumped into the Abyss with a severe case of amnesia which lasts for several hours. Their ID cards are stripped, and they're left to wander, fending for themselves with no idea how to climb to Terra or Elysium, even if they originated from those levels in their former lives.
3. If the purchaser so desires, it can put in a request at the time of the purchase to allow the 'slave' its freedom, which is ultimately decided by the Omega. If accepted, the character who was previously marked as a "slave" regains possession of itself and can carry about life as normal. If denied, the original purchaser's money is considered a consultation fee without reimbursement, and the slave is then defaulted to the next highest bidder. If there is no alternate bidder, they are sent to the Abyss.
Other causes of death / trauma:
►Characters who undergo drastic and profound psychological damage to the extent that they are rendered comatose or dead because of it, characters who commit suicide, and characters who are severely mutilated / incinerated / utterly destroyed are special cases. These will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. If you wish to involve your character in a scenario such as the above, you MUST consult a moderator first. Please be warned that these situations could call for a complete reset or cleansing of their Neo Genesis memories, or a "permadeath" state where the character could be considered "dropped" and no longer playable. Again, ask a moderator for more clarity if you're thinking of doing any of these.
►NPC's (as in general citizens of Neo Genesis, etc) should be noted never to enter the auction process. Only playable characters are ever available for auction. Thus, only a small percentage of Neo Genesis' population ever gets sent through the auction process, though it may "seem" random. Perhaps, over time, your character may notice a pattern...
TECHNOLOGY: Neo Genesis is the vision of cyberpunk in this day and age, with similiarities to a dystopian world. The way the city works is that every minute detail resembling technology is related to the Alpha and Omega. The year is still 2008, but the way the world works is perhaps a little different; a bit more restricted and limited. It hasn't reached the extent to where the city is surrounded by video cameras, but inside certain facilities such as prisons and the asylum - well, they just surpass the limit a little bit too much.
In Neo Genesis' society, there exists the bizarre - such as beings able to use magic, or in some cases have super human strength. But fortunately enough, those in the research facility have made certain handcuffs and collars able to dispel or restrict any of those powers, to make those people nothing but weak humans.
As for the network that your characters are using... They are never safe, and there is always a 1% chance that they are hackable (so your character’s limit to make anything hackable is perpetually 99%); the cellphones cannot be traced unless your character is excellent with technology; and house phones are basically begging to be tapped. As for alternate methods of communication, such as letters and packages? Well, let's just say that depends on how bored the delivery boy really is.
Of course, when there is advanced and easily accessable technology, there comes better health facilities as well. Those up in Elysium may go as far as to clone/recreate a person, for a price. Curing cancers and whatnot are pricey like nothing else, but one hundred percent guaranteed. If your character’s arm is missing? Then just buy another one - but only those lucky bastards that belong to Elysium can get those sorts of priviledges. In Terra, however, nothing has changed; the government still states that they are looking for cures when they could clearly borrow some from Elysium. Unfortunately, life is only guaranteed to the rich, and the simpleton middle-class of Terra has no real hope. As for the Abyss? What healthcare is there a place considered a veritable hellhole? It'd be like scattering a cup of water on a raging fire.
The streets of Elysium are extremely well upkept. Large, massive televisions are spread across building walls and even on some roads, advertising the best products and services to be had. In some places, the nights never go out - no matter what others may say, Elysium is the best place to party. However, those types that regularly indulge in such affairs are very few and far between, here. Terra, on the other hand, has the same atmosphere as a cleaned-up red-light district. This level never sleeps - or, perhaps, it cannot sleep, being stuck between 'heaven' and 'hell'; cars and trans come along at every hour with neon lights that threaten to burn out your eye sockets, but the alternative, of course, reassurances one that it's all worth it.
MEDIA: [All media related posts go to [neo_rpg.] Media plays a crucial part in Neo Genesis. Everyone loves the big, bright lights that appear to demonstrate the latest sports drinks, or even news reports of the most recent massacre -- it keeps the civilian's adrenaline pumping for the latest tragedy to become infamous, and gives them a chance to laugh at the pathetic lots found chopped up and discarded as trash.
But anyone can be part of the media; anyone in this godforsaken city can get their 15 minutes of fame, and anyone can become the next biggest thing in Neo Genesis - but do you think you can handle the pressure of constant news reports and publicity? Or would you prefer to settle on dealing with the occasional fame an auction poses, instead?
TRANSPORTATION: Of course this city does have transportation - if not, then how would it be possible to go from level to level? Around the city is a large subway system that is monitored 24/7. The only way to go to each level is to hand over your ID card the ID-taker -- a glorified ticket taker -- and then, depending on which level you hail from, you may be granted entryway. Of course, these little trips can only last a few hours - unless you are from Elysium, in which case, you may stay in whatever level you want for as long as you need. Those in Terra can only go to Elysium if they have an invite from a superior (someone and anyone whom is from Elysium), and those in Abyss may only travel to Terra if they clear their motivations for the trip with whomever they give their ID card to.
As for the actual levels, Elysium-goers may have access to whatever they wish in terms of personal transportation. Want a helicopter? Then you got it. Want a limo? Then you got that too. Hell, even the streets move like escalators with chairs on them if you are just too damn lazy to actually walk. The streets are filled with beautiful, expensive cars that have an elegant, futuristic flair to them.
But Terra and Abyss... How can they afford such luxuries? Terra is considered the 'average joe,' as far as appearances and function is concerned. Cheap cars and cheap bikes with a tram that goes around the level, which probably acts as a home for hobos and bums. The streets don’t move, and - poor you - you'll just have to walk. Oh, sure - maybe there are some expensive cars down there, but do you really believe that they are as good as those in Elysium? It is highly doubtful.
And Abyss? Well Abyss has nothing of the sort! If you scavenge the parts, then maybe you can make your own vehicle if you have the skills. Not to mention, the broken down trams and cars that litter the streets are usually homes for most of the residents in this level. Walking the streets is dangerous, but unfortunately, it is the only way to travel. Yes, the Abyss is the lowest of the low.
LEVELS / CITY LAYOUT: Imagine NG like three plates sitting one on top of the next with small space between them. The Abyss is the largest, with Terra slightly smaller and Elysium smaller than that. Each layer of NeoGenesis is independent from the rest. They don’t interact with each other in the ways you’d expect of a city layered like one plate on top of the other; Terra and Elysium are both invisible to the layers beneath them. Those in the Abyss look up and see sky; the same goes for Terrans. Weather seems to play out in a similar fashion, with no obstruction caused from the level above it. It doesn’t matter where you’re standing in Terra or Abyss; you can’t see the level up above from any vantage point.
The city itself is huge and sprawling; you couldn’t travel from one end to the other by foot - or even by car - in a single day, perhaps even two. Each imaginable terrain is available somewhere, even if only artificially. Those in Elysium can purchase their own man-made, pure, untainted lakes for a hefty fee. Those in Terra are less fortunate and must make due with what’s left. In the Abyss, you’re lucky to find an untainted source of water anywhere.
What is between the levels? What is holding them up?
What exactly suspends each level up into the sky is a mystery the Alpha doesn’t wish to share with it’s citizens. The technology is a well-guarded secret the government isn’t telling. What normal citizens will know is that once you enter the subway and tram stations, pass security checkpoints, and board your train, you’re on your way to the next level with no visible sign of how you’re getting from point A to point B.
What is at the ‘edge’ of each level?
This differs from level to level. If you attempt to walk to the ‘edge’ of Elysium, you’ll be alerted by signs that inform you of your potential redirection. If you continue, an invisible security netting, like a sensor, detects your presence and will relocate you to the center of the city. In Terra, the edge is surrounded by a massive, miles-thick wall that effectively blockades any attempts to pass it. In the Abyss is the only finite ‘edge’; if you reach it, you see nothingness, like a bottomless pit. Walk off, and you’ll wake up in the Alpha Omega Research Facility - with some additions or subtractions from your persona, of course. Mind your feet!
Is there any way to see the levels above with technology or anything?
Characters who’re extremely proficient with technology may be able to fashion some sort of device that renders the upper levels visible, but if the Alpha and Omega catch wind of it, your character is going to be in deep trouble. Ask a Mod about the details if you think your character would be able and willing to construct something like this.
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