At the Gates of Elysium ( Open | OoC/SignUp )

[Mewsland]

Designed in collaboration with Zarkenis Ultima and Sovreignry.


1988. The vastness of virtual space... a light in the distance. A world born out of pixelated dust.
Its creator called it Elysium. Even in the downturn of the Cold War, tensions between the United States and her enemies were still at a high, and the Creator wanted a place to call a safe haven for a select few members of humanity - and his own family. Cobbled together out of various components collected over the previous four years, the Supercomputer that drove this world was hidden deep underground in an abandoned building. Elysium would have everything they would ever need to keep their small group alive.

The Creator disappeared in 1990. Their war never came, but Elysium lived on.

30 years later. Carnahan University now sits none too far from the site of the Supercomputer. Already an esteemed educational institution in the short time since its founding, Carnahan has attracted thousands even from the so called 'Ivy League' and other prestigious schools such as MIT. A group of students find the Supercomputer, reactivating it from a low power state... and unleashing the horrors that had formed within the broken paradise. A malevolent program by the name of Endiku began terrorizing the University, and yet... his reign wasn't total. A second program appeared to combat its attacks, though Arynnia's existence - and the state of Elysium after 32 years - posed even more questions than answers. Both sides could reach out into the real world, and both soon began pulling together their forces. With the Supercomputer now unable to be shut back down, the battle at the Gates of Elysium begins, leaving only one question:

Whose side are you on?

Rules

I) No godmodding, spamming, flaming, etc. etc. etc.
II) See above.
III) I am OP. My decision is final, thank you.
IIIa) Respect my Co-OPs, Zarkenis Ultima and Sovreignry, as well. They have just about as much power as I do, and they helped develop this universe.
IV) Be active. Inactivity kills RPs.
V) Be detailed. I'd like to see at least one decent paragraph in every post, preferably at least two.
VI) No perfect characters. Everyone has their flaws and their weaknesses.
VII) Have fun.

Code: Select all

[b]Character Name[/b]:
[b]Age[/b] ("college age", though I may be willing to make exceptions):
[b]Gender[/b]:
[b]Earth appearance[/b]:
[b]Elysian appearance[/b]:
[b]Weaponry on Elysium[/b], if any:
[b]Elysian powers[/b]: (up to 5, and I'll knock out some if I think the power in question is a bit much):
[b]Personality[/b]:
[b]Allegiance[/b] (there are shades of grey as well as black and white!):
[b]Biography[/b] (2-4 detailed paragraphs, please):
[b]2-3 RP samples[/b] (unless I already know you):

[Mewsland]

The Universe of The Elysium Variations

ELYSIUM

Finished by the Creator in 1988, the safe haven that Elysium was meant to be has been broken after 30 years of unrequited war between Arynnia and Endiku. So far confined to the virtual world, the war at the Gates of Elysium threatens to spill over into the real world with the reactivation of the Supercomputer's full power state, and so Elysium may prove the most consequential battlefield of the early 21st Century. The world is arranged like a simple gyroscope - a central sphere with surrounding rings - and has seven distinct regions, each one named by the Creator themselves, though the names are in no known language for reasons as yet unknown.

Naari: The heart of the virtual world, Naari (often referred to as the Core Plane) appears to consist of a maze of circuits and electrical components, constantly shifting and rearranging themselves in various patterns as the supercomputer performs calculations. At the exact center of Naari is the Core, containing all the formulas and programs that maintain the virtual world. It is a common target for Endiku, who tries to use the Core to seize control of the world.
Ceani: The first ring from Naari, the Fire Plane, Ceani, is nearly constantly ablaze, the smoke from the myriad fires choking the upper platforms. Fire can often be used to Arynnia’s advantage, given her phoenix form, and thus she often makes Ceani her home when not fighting Endiku elsewhere.
Liluri: The second ring out from Naari, Liluri is commonly referred to as the Storm Plane, for its violent storms that grip the plane nearly constantly. Liluri is easily the most dangerous of the inner Planes given its narrow paths and easy drop into the Void. As such, Arynnia tries to avoid travel through Liluri whenever possible.
Feanor: Feanor, the third ring from Naari, appears to be the least dangerous of the Planes, however, its calmness belies its true nature - almost everything on Feanor is poisonous, giving it the Poison Plane title. Arynnia recommends travelers through Feanor be careful to touch as little of the foliage and as few critters as possible.
Giltine: The Crystal Plane, Giltine, is very bright at all times, a cloud almost never being in the sky. However, the calmness of weather is broken up by the fact that Giltine is almost entirely made of rough crystals, which can make paths treacherous - and being impaled on a crystal and devirtualized in a fall is just as likely as falling into the Void. Arynnia recommends things go slow, especially if a rare Giltine rain has just fallen.
Cacia: Cacia is known as the Maze Plane for one reason - the paths between platforms are constantly rearranging throughout the plane. It is still possible to get knocked into the Void, especially if one is on a pathway currently moving, and while not as dangerous as Liluri or Mikula in this regard - the region will only reorganize into a fixed number of states, and its comparatively unclouded visibility - Arynnia recommends caution.
Mikula: The outermost Plane, Mikula has earned the name of Shadow Plane, being nearly pitch-dark. Similar to Liluri, the paths are quite narrow, meaning a fall into the Void is always a possibility. Arynnia will often take the form of a phoenix to both illuminate Mikula and fly over the narrow paths, but the shadows have been known to attack light sources - and those wielding or creating them.

Each of the six outer regions contains a large number of Nodes - points representing the processing power of the Supercomputer. Both Arynnia and Endiku can access these Nodes and use them for their own purposes, effectively 'borrowing' a chunk of the Supercomputer's true power, which is far greater than the comparatively old hardware would suggest. These Nodes allow either one to use the Supercomputer to influence the real world, usually through possessing various electronic media or components.

The final piece of the puzzle to be aware of is the Void. Surrounding the Planes, a fall into the Void presents an extreme danger to anyone, for the Supercomputer simply scatters the individual's code throughout its file system - and then, without significant processing power taken from somewhere else to sustain that code, the system is then forced to begin deleting the scraps within a short few minutes, meaning the odds of rescue from the Void are very slim unless such an action is undertaken immediately.

EARTH

For 30 years, Elysium and Earth have been separated by the Supercomputer's limited power. With the re-initialization of the system, however, Earth is now the grand prize in the battle of Arynnia verse Endiku - one seeking to preserve the world, the other seeking to impose its 'new order' upon the "Eighth Plane".

CARNAHAN UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1973, Carnahan University is a post-secondary educational institution in Seattle, Washington. Though originally on the outskirts of the city, the whole university relocated to several skyscrapers in the downtown Seattle area near Pioneer Square in 1998 at the behest of the will of its 'slightly eccentric' founder, Walter Carnahan. The University had quickly exploded to become one of the premier tech schools on the western seaboard, and even the United States and beyond, and several thousand students and staff now call the so-called "Carnahan Towers" home for their educations. It is here, and in the surrounding areas of downtown Seattle, that the opening salvoes of the war at the Gates of Elysium shall be waged.

THE COMPLEX

The remnants of the original City of Seattle still remain beneath modern-day Pioneer Square. It was here that the Creator developed his "Complex", which houses the Supercomputer and all of its related equipment on two levels, accessed from deep within the Seattle Underground. The Complex itself is unlikely to be the target of an Endiku attack, for fear of damaging the Supercomputer and therefore his own program. The Complex begins roughly 5 meters below the access in the Underground, and consists of two levels:

The Lab: The Lab is the most expansive level of the Complex, containing the Interface as well as the Holosphere, containing a map of Elysium and other information on the virtual world and its occupants. The Holosphere has limited interaction capability, but is not able to control the supercomputer except for an extreme few functions. The Lab also contains the lone scanner for integration onto Elysium (a second scanner was under construction, but was left incomplete, most likely due to processing limitations of the Supercomputer despite its many modifications).
The Supercomputer Room: The Supercomputer Room is smaller than the Lab, not including the space that would correspond to the scanners, but holds the supercomputer that sustains the virtual world of Elysium - along with Arynnia and Endiku. The Supercomputer dominates the room, with just enough space to navigate between the portions of the supercomputer. The Supercomputer Room also contains the power switch and other key systems for the maintenance of the system, along with storage of precious spare components.

THE SUPERCOMPUTER

The Supercomputer is easily the most important part of the Complex, and plays a critical role in the adventures on Elysium. Most of the history and fine details of the Supercomputer are unknown, but enough is known to provide a functional description of the Supercomputer.

The Supercomputer began as Cray-2 serial number 5, constructed in 1985 for Carnahan University only for the components to disappear without trace en route. Carnahan later received serial number 6 after a bidding war with the previously planned recipient in early 1986. Whoever obtained the Supercomputer constructed nine other cabinets of computing components, using the Cray-2 as the system controller. After the disappearance of the Creator in 1990, the Supercomputer entered a lower-power state until reactivated in 2020, but the constant operation of the virtual world and other systems heavily taxed the limited resources of the Supercomputer, and aging components combined with this wear and tear have left the system increasingly unstable upon its reactivation.

The specific details of the creation of the Supercomputer and Elysium remain obscure, however, the Supercomputer is known to have several functions:

Elysium: The Supercomputer's main function is to maintain the virtual world of Elysium, and all the entities that populate it. Much of its processing power is devoted to the virtual landscape, and the Supercomputer does this with extraordinary effectiveness - the scenery on Elysium is virtually indistinguishable from what a similar real-world landscape would look like. Virtual forms also appear realistic to a strong degree, though the realism is sometimes limited by the design of the virtual avatar.
Integration and Disintegration: The Supercomputer, using the scanner, is able to integrate a real-world object - or a person - into Elysium. It does this by converting the object's physical matter arrangement and state into digital matter of a similar state and arrangement, storing it in memory, and then loading this memory into the virtual entity processors, projecting this digital matter into the virtual world. It is able to undo this process (disintegrate objects from Elysium) via the reverse process (the object is unloaded from the processors into memory, with the digital matter being converted back into physical matter).
'Modules': Almost like plugins for the Supercomputer, users able to load 'modules' - various programs designed to accomplish tasks within the virtual (or real) world. The best known of these is the interface module, which allows Arynnia to control the Supercomputer from within Elysium to an extent. Several others are known to exist, such as analysis programs and functions related to Elysium.
Time Reversion: The module that wasn't supposed to exist, time reversion allows the user to (as the name suggests) revert time back between 12 and 48 hours. It is an extremely useful tool for undoing the damage of an Endiku attack, however, the process does not revive the dead - a critical piece of information that must be kept in mind when considering a reversion. Reversions also do significant damage to the failing supercomputer, both due to the incompleteness of the reversion program and the extreme amount of energy and processing power, and therefore run an extreme risk of causing the Supercomputer and Elysium to collapse, with unknown consequences.

[Mewsland]

The Important Actors of The Elysium Variations

ARYNNIA
CREATION (?): c. 1989 | AGE: 31?
Guardian of Elysium

The entity known as Arynnia is perhaps the most bizarre consequence of the 30-year war between her and Endiku. With her program and memory having degraded over the decades, little can be told for certain about Arynnia's history - was she created by the Creator, or even by Elysium itself in an attempt to heal from the emergence of Endiku? Was she someone from outside who became trapped? Many questions remain unanswered, but what is known is quite simple.

Arynnia's involvement against Endiku began soon after the malevolent program's development within the Supercomputer, in 1989. It is believed that she was responsible for throwing the Supercomputer into its low-power state after failing to hear from the Creator for an extended period of time in 1990, using an interface that the Creator had coded for her. This limited power stunted the growth of Endiku, allowing her a reasonable upper hand, but also drastically limited the Supercomputer's processing capabilities and, after 30 years, began to seriously damage the hardware involved, leading to increasing failures of more and more systems within Elysium. Over 31 years, she witnessed the degradation of Elysium's once beautiful planes into incredibly hostile regions, and after relentlessly battling Endiku, the (apparent) AI has become very withdrawn and distant, unsure who - if anyone - she can trust. However, with the reactivation of the Supercomputer, it became necessary for her to reach out into the real world - for she knew that Endiku would surely do the same.

On paper, she is the weakest of the entities on the Supercomputer. Her virtual avatar only has 1100 LP (most avatars have between 1500 and 2500), she has no offensive or defensive abilities, and she can't disintegrate from Elysium for reasons unknown. However, she also holds a second form - that of an incredibly powerful phoenix. While she gains no additional LP in this form, she receives an immense rate of LP and energy regeneration, as well as attacks strong enough to be able to fend off whole armies of Endiku's monsters. She also is able to access, activate, and deactivate Nodes and Modules, and has a working knowledge of the Supercomputer second only to perhaps the Creator themselves. Endiku has found her a powerful force to be reckoned with for 31 years, and she continues to remain so as the battle at the Gates of Elysium resumes once more.

MEI CHEN
BIRTH: 1998 or 99 | AGE: 21

Mei is a first generation Chinese American. Her parents came to America due to her father's work as a tech company executive. However, a few months after they had arrived in America Mei's parents applied for asylum as Mei's father was an ardent opponent of the PRC's government. His transfer had been a ruse to keep the authorities back in Beijing from arresting him. Born in Seattle, Mei was brought up around the tech sector and from an early age wanted to go to Carnahan University.

Mei wound up graduating early from High School and enrolled at Carnahan majoring in Computer Science with an emphasis in Information Security as well as pursuing a minor in math. During this time she went back to the traditional Chinese Martial Arts classes that she had taken as a little girl, working herself back into fighting shape. She discovered the supercomputer recently while urban exploring and has been trying to figure out how it works.

Though quiet to those she's just met, Mei is quite loyal and humorous to those she knows, with an energetic, sarcastic wit. In the changing powerscapes of Elysium, she finds herself coming into the orbit of Arynnia.

Incredibly quick with her spear on Elysium, she's able to move at such a speed that she can appear in three places at once - or even project two illusions of her form. Her spear - otherwise a typical partisan - can also launch its blade at enemies in a last-ditch ranged attack, but that would leave her spear a bladeless staff. The Supercomputer gave her a fairly low 1700 LP - but decent armor to mitigate damage and cover that particular weakness.

[Mewsland]

Well, I'm back, and I'm finally writing an RP that I've been working on for some time. I look forward to seeing what all we're able to develop as we go on, but without more characters, I can't do that, so...

Shameless bump, since I've finished adding background and my character.

[The Black Party]

Lotta info there.

[Mewsland]

Lotta info there.

Of course. I like to make sure that the universe is well-developed before I start thrusting people into it. That way, we're not all just blundering about. There's still a lot of room to add things, though.

Also, shbump.

[Harbertia]

I'm not sure how to define what I've read and could make parallels to attempt to understand- but- I think I understand enough to get involved as a player at least.

[Mewsland]

A lot of it is supposed to be undefinable at this point. You're not wrong, but there are meant to be a lot of mysteries.

[Mewsland]

Glad you like it!

[Mewsland]

You're it.

[Great Aletia]

Are there any limits when it comes to avatars? Does the scanner produce 1:1 copies of individuals, or can you customise your appearance? Also, what kind of tech level does the simulation run on, and are there any limits when it comes to combining skills and powers? For example, are swords and shields okay, and can melee-focused characters also cast spells?

[Mewsland]

The general appearance of your avatar is 1:1 (people can tell it's you - same face and body structure). That being said, everything else can be altered, but only once without having someone directly code any additional alterations.

Generally, melee-characters don't cast spells, nor do mages use melee. That being said, there are some limited mixes.

The simulation runs a very cosmopolitan tech structure - fantasy weaponry and spells can sit aside futuristic equipment and have a similar power level to each other.

Shbump.

[Sovreignry]

Character Name: Mei Chen
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Earth appearance:

Elysian appearance:

Weaponry on Elysium, if any: Spear
Elysian powers: Triplicate, triangulate, super speed, can launch the blade of the spear as a one time ranged attack
Personality: Sarcastic, loyal, funny, quiet with those that are new to her.
Allegiance: Arynnia
Biography (2-4 detailed paragraphs, please): Mei is a first generation Chinese American. Her parents came to America due to her father's work as a tech company executive. However, a few months after they had arrived in America Mei's parents applied for asylum as Mei's father was an ardent opponent of the PRC's government. His transfer had been a ruse to keep the authorities back in Beijing from arresting him. Born in Seattle, Mei was brought up around the tech sector and from an early age wanted to go to Carnahan University.
Mei wound up graduating early from High School and enrolled at Carnahan majoring in Computer Science with an emphasis in Information Security as well as pursuing a minor in math. During this time she went back to the traditional Chinese Martial Arts classes that she had taken as a little girl, working herself back into fighting shape. She discovered the supercomputer recently while urban exploring and has been trying to figure out how it works.
2-3 RP samples (unless I already know you): Well, you gave me the link to this story so I hope you know me.

[Mewsland]

Looks good. Accepted.

A quick update to the OP, we'll be starting on 23 August 2020 (IC, of course).

Shbump.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Here we are. I left the end of it ambiguous, since I don't know whether the team has already met Arynnia or each other yet.

Character Name: Jasper Blake
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Earth appearance: Here
Elysian appearance: Here, minus the beard.
Weaponry on Elysium: Sword
Elysian powers:

• Enhanced Reflexes - Allows Jasper to sense incoming attacks, react to threats sooner and in general fight more effectively.
• Energy Slash - His sole ranged attack, a crescent-shaped wave of energy launched from his sword. Its effective range is not very long, but enough to make him a more versatile fighter.
• Energy Shield - Exactly what it says on the tin: a translucent shield made of golden energy, covering from his knees to his head and able to absorb a large amount of damage before petering out.
• Flash Step - An ability that lets Jasper move to a nearby location near-instantaneously, allowing him to better attack or defend. It can be used in rapid succession, but only two or three times before requiring a cooldown period.

Personality: Jasper is serious, headstrong, somewhat arrogant and more than a little vociferous, always preferring to speak his mind instead of holding his silence, even if it earns him enemies or a mocking retort; despite this, he is always willing to lend a hand and is quick to forgive. He tends to be protective of those close to him, which, combined with his stubborn nature, can lead to him being overbearing at times, despite meaning no harm. Having a tenuous grasp on irony and subtlety, he tends to take things at face value. An adventurous type, he enjoys exploring new places.
Allegiance: Loyal to Arynnia
Biography: Jasper was the child of two moderately successful scientists who worked for one of the big name tech companies of their time. As such, it was expected that the boy would follow in their footsteps, and understandably it was a big shock when his grades turned out to be subpar and he seemed far more interested in sports and martial arts than in scholarly and technical matters. Their stern upbringing, which only grew stricter in an attempt to correct his habits, caused him to develop his serious behavior and also sent him down a rebellious streak, though he grew out of it before entering high school.

It was in high school that his life finally turned arond, and Jasper grew first an interest, and then a fascination with machines, though he also kept his inclination for athletics. With the promise of being sent to a prestigious academy of his choice to study computer science, Jasper finished high school with excellent grades, showing what he was capable of with his single-minded determination if he set it on a worthwhile goal. When the time came for the Blakes to fulfill their end of the bargain, one of the places they offered to send him to was Carnahan University in Seattle, the same university they had attended, and incidentally where they first met. Knowing the status that the Carnahan Towers held as one of the leading tech schools on his half of the United States, he chose to go there.

Jasper has been in Seattle for around two years now, about halfway through his program. One day, having heard about the old city buried underneath Pioneer Square, he set out to explore it, and eventually found himself in the presence of the supercomputer. Amazed, he made his journeys to the Complex a regular occurrence, unwittingly involving himself in the decade long war between Arynnia and Endiku. He keeps the Complex a secret from others, though he begrudgingly accepts that there may be others who found it before he did.

[Mewsland]

Accept. The team haven't met yet - we're starting from the very beginning, assembling the team and starting the Supercomputer.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Accept. The team haven't met yet - we're starting from the very beginning, assembling the team and starting the Supercomputer.

Alright. Looks like the end of the bio fits perfectly, then

[Utceforp]

Definitely interested in this, but I'm a bit confused by the backstory. What do people know about the supercomputer, Arynnia, Endiku, and Elysium? What was the extent of the attacks Endiku made on the university? Is the existence of the supercomputer common knowledge? Is the existence of Elysium common knowledge? Have people entered Elysium? Do the people who have entered Elysium know of each other's existence?

[Mewsland]

Answer to the question from Zark should have clarified. We're starting from the very beginning. None of this is common knowledge, no attacks have been made yet, nothing is known about the Supercomputer at the start of the RP, etc. etc.

[Utceforp]

Answer to the question from Zark should have clarified. We're starting from the very beginning. None of this is common knowledge, no attacks have been made yet, nothing is known about the Supercomputer at the start of the RP, etc. etc.

Are our characters the "pair of students" mentioned in the OP then?

[Mewsland]

I forgot I posted it down to just 2. "Group" of students would be more accurate. Will edit that in a mo.

i.e. Yes, you are, though you all find the Supercomputer independently, I think.

Shbump.

[Vetega]

I’ve been summoned

[Mewsland]

Hey, V, welcome back!