The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
Ah yeah. Fat chance on that one too. Her throbbing headache wasn't going to get better when weighed down by 30 some-odd pounds of wet hair. But pinky wouldn't know that and there was no point in debating it until the time came.
Not like was gonna force her into the shower, right?
The memorymancer shoved her phone into her pocket and rubbed at her forehead as they walked.
> "So you ever catch up with that friend of yours?"
"I don't think so, but he's an easy one to pick up with when the time comes. I've got a lot of his past." She only had spotty memories, but a lot of them belonged to two different men: Stephen and some Irish dude. Al- Ad- uhh something that started with an A. She'd think of it when they stopped moving probably.
"He's one of the first people I picked up swordplay from." Though she'd never tried out any of the other tricks he knew. Stealing really wasn't her thing. But it did make her better at spotting thieves which was a legitimate help as a security guard.
She rubbed at her eyes. "Ugh. I'll meet you at the truck. I'm gonna pick up some medicine at the corner store." And Diet Coke. Always Diet Coke. "You want something to drink?" The line at a food truck could go around the block. Or nobody could be there. "If you have to order before I get there just grab me the same as you."
It? It!? The memorymancer didn't taste a lie. 'Oh great. I found one of those people so unhinged by their powers that they talk about them separately.' And even better, he still saw her as an obstacle even though she was practically GIVING HIM PERMISSION to loot the storehouse on the grounds she was supposed to be guarding.
Noel pushed herself to her feet again and held up her baton at the ready. Only this time, she really didn't want to do this.
Round 2. Ding, ding.
He hissed and spun. It was simple to turn her weapon over and use it along with her forearm to block the concussive blow, but again that bizarre anatomy confounded her. She kept the meat of the tail from hitting her body, but the stupid thing was flexible enough to keep curling around her block.
>"Go down already!"
He may have meant to hit her with the flat of his tail, but the momentum of his swing around her defenses meant that the blade of his tail impacted into her back point first. It wasn't terribly deep given the circumstances.
The moment seemed to hang frozen in time for the span of a breath. Then Noel grunted and shoved the tail away with all her strength which took that point right back out of her. Her other arm gripped the pepper spray from her belt and leveled the canister between them before she pulled the trigger.
He'd had his chance. "No."
Was it... getting hot in the store room? Noel aimed for the eyes mostly, but the mouth wasn't out of the question should he give her an opportunity. And once she was out of pepper spray the idea was to RUN like a little girl.
"I'd rather not wear your honeybun's clothes." Besides the fact that Noel did not know Calley from Adam, there was a HUGE ick factor in that the clothes came from a guy that liked guys. And they could have possibly... rubbed beards... or something. And Cafas liked that guy. Wearing someone else's lover's clothes in FRONT of that person was just... not okay. "New clothes aren't magically gonna make me clean. I can deal."
Her apartment wasn't exactly on the way either. She flipped through her phone for the day's reminders and work schedule. Nothing lined up for tonight. That was probably why she'd agreed to spar today during the day. That didn't mean she wouldn't get a call, though.
Once glance at Cafas showed that he was equally, if not more, introspective. "I don't much care what we eat so long as it comes with Diet Coke." Her palms itched just thinking about it. Actually eating didn't sound amazing right now, but Noel was sure once she smelled food that she would want to eat it.
"Carnitas maybe? There's a truck on the north side of 96th by the metro stop." She had an app for locating food trucks. Super handy. They'd have to hit a corner store for soda. That part was non-negotiable.
"To be fair, I'm not an X. But it doesn't seem like you guys are exactly card carrying members so that's convenient." Just so long as she never directly answered the question anyway. She tried to answer all the questions posed to her without unnecessarily incriminating herself, but that was a bit excessive. "Besides, are we really ever completely disarmed?"
The blood on her hands from applying pressure to one of the gunman's wounds had long since flaked off. Her boots and jeans were stiff with dried blood, but dark. They didn't show anything. Her only issue was the hair.
She accepted the weapons, checked them, and re-sheathed them. They needed a good cleaning. Was that blood under her nails?
> "One sec."
Noel stopped and watched as Cafas ducked into cafe a restroom.
Oh. Good idea.
The mirror above the sink showed Noel just how frazzled she was. That was a lot of adrenaline after a pretty decent workout. She washed her face and plucked at the dried bits in her hair. Really, there was not helping it and she would rather not have Cafas wait on her.
She was out before him. Perfect.
"Catch." As soon as he was close, she tossed him a bottle of water that cost about half an hour's wages. "So what now, boss?" She cracked open her own water. Ah. Cold. Worth every penny then. She was oddly keyed up even if she was exhausted from the day's events. Did she have work? Noel checked her phone.
The noise she made in response was half exhalation, half laugh. "You're stressing me out." Noel didn't raise her eyes from the small rust spot on the table between them. She didn't have to. The irritation was radiating off of the interviewer like heat. Noel raised her hands to placate him, but one hand jerked short on its chain. She'd forgotten that she was cuffed to the table.
"I know that's the point, but there are adverse effects to stressing out a mutant and I'd rather you not have to suffer any. It would be inconvenient for both of us."
"Tch."
"I tell the truth, remember?"
"Tch."
Noel recited Saint Teresa's Bookmark in her head again.
Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you,
> "Stop! Only police allowed in here X-man."
All things are passing; God only is changeless.
> "I'm taking my partner and we're leaving..."
Patience gains all things.
Oh. That was her cue.
Noel looked up at the man across the table from her and smiled past her vibrating pupils. 'Forget why you're holding me here.'
There was a moment of slack-jawed staring and then some fumbling to release Noel's one hand from the cuff attached to the table leg. Not that the restraint would have really held someone permanently since the table could be lifted and the cuff slipped off. It'd just been a power play.
Cafas already had her weapons in hand by the time she stood. "Thanks." She wouldn't meet his eyes, but the smile was cautiously genuine. Their protests might as well have fallen on deaf ears. If they were going to arrest them, they would have already.
"Looks like you had it a bit rougher than me." The worst she had was a growing migraine and some bruising. Where they were walking she did not know. Nor did she care. At least they were walking.
Ah frick! Ankles, ankles. Noel scrabbled against Sylar's loose clothing for a good hold, but she knew that riding the mutant was exactly where she did NOT want to be.
> "Are you stupid!? I'll kill you if you don't run!"
"Clearly you don't want to kill me." Noel fended off the tail that came at her with a fierce thwack of the baton, but it was hell on her balance. "You could have done it already." She tipped off of the back of the mutant and scrabbled away while keeping up some semblance of defense. This was getting ridiculous.
"Look. I don't want," or have the means, "to kill you. You don't want to kill me. My job is to keep you from wrecking the place, but that points moot. Why don't you just take what you can carry and leave already?"
The sound of a body on body collision. Noel dropped her arms and found her shooting stance by habit more than actual thought. The woman had pulled the kid free in time to avoid getting smashed and then she ruined that by practically crushing the young boy to her chest. His hair was wet with her tears.
Bluh. Noel couldn't stand that kind of blubbering. She put away the gun.
> "Check yours for a pulse. Hopefully they'll all recover."
"Right." She nudged the one she'd shot with her foot. He seemed to be bleeding still. Did that count as a pulse? The memorymancer huffed a sigh and rolled the man onto his back using her boot. This part was messy and really outside of her comfort zone.
If the lady would just shut up, that might make things a bit better. Noel asked her to go get a towel. She asked twice before Noel gave up.
It didn't matter anyway. SWAT came through the door and Noel was directed to stay on her knees and move her hands to the back of her head. She complied, even though someone else now had to come and apply pressure to the man's wounds. Also. Blood in the hair. SWAT may not care, but that was a lot of hair to have to wash.
She was polite with her answers with a patience that verged on boredom. She had all the names, the why, when, and how. Which of course made her completely suspect, but it was better than listening to them try to get it out of mommy dearest. It sounded like they wanted to bring her in for cross-examination. Noel tried not to be too obvious in her panic when she looked for Cafas.
This was the absolute worst part of the job.
Actually, she changed her mind when they took her sword. The gun, she'd expected, but the sword... she hadn't even used it. It was a fool's hope, really. Now, for jumping into the fight with Cafas, Noel was going to be without her two main weapons for a while.
> "...hope you're prepared for hose guys to follow you wherever you're going."
"I'm prepared." Her smile was self-assured. She had a plan. So a wave later, Cafas and Noel split ways. When the memorymancer figured she had walked far enough away, she pulled out a marker from her pocket for a quick note on the inside of her hand.
"Miss? Excuse me?"
By stopping to write, she'd given them a chance to catch up.
"Excuse me?" There was a brilliant flash as she turned, smile already in place. "You know Cafas?" "You guys friends?" "More than friends?" "What's the deal?"
There were two of them. That complicated things a bit, but it would have been worse if there had been more. "Look. Can I level with you guys? I only just met the guy for the first time today. No clue he was famous and I'm a little freaked out by the photos. What do you guys get paid for photos like these? Is it something I could afford to buy off of you?"
They haggled, always wheedling for more information. She was lucky that it was the truth that Cafas and herself had absolutely nothing going on or else she would have sabotaged herself.
In the end, Noel walked away substantially poorer, but the photographers walked away with no memory of seeing her and no memory on their cameras at all. She'd gotten them to erase the photos.
Two frangible rounds in the chest left a pretty raw sight. He staggered and it meant his aim was wide when he stubbornly returned fire.
Blast. That was going to travel right through into the apartment beyond. Maybe even one more. She should have shot his face, but Noel figured less than lethal was how this was supposed to happen. Prosecutors might like having someone to prosecute.
The memorymancer moved in to disarm the guy and with a few well placed strikes helped him crumple face-first toward the ground. She stuffed his weapon into her holster, but kept her aim trained on the man on the ground.
> "You don't want that..."
"The hell I do. You don't understand. She took everything."
Crap. She couldn't properly cover this guy and work the hostage taker. Noel could see the metal moving under Cafas' influence. If she wanted him to live, it was time to take a chance. Noel took her eyes off the man in front of her and looked toward the hostage taker.
He looked like he hadn't shaved —or slept for that matter— in days. Noel could see how they would have made a cute couple once. Both were dark-haired and tattoo speckled. The man they'd taken down in the hall had seen them together. Happy. If they'd been smiling, their embrace now would have been an entirely different ordeal.
"Donald." He never took his eyes off of Cafas. Noel didn't blame him, but she did need his attention. "DONNIE!"
He looked over and all he saw was the gun. Oh crud. His eyes widened and he tightened his grip on the woman. She made a helpless sob that grated the nerves.
"Drop it!"
Noel put her hands up, but kept the weapon loose in hand. "Mason's a good kid, Donnie. Real special, super freaking smart. He loves you a lot." While she was talking, her pupils were vibrating. As soon as she'd gotten eye contact, Noel decided to make the man forget why he was angry with his lady. She was careful not to mention her in case that shook loose a memory that would her in trouble.
There was a moment where both Noel and Donald stood slack-mouthed and a tad disoriented. For Noel, she had no idea what she'd just made him forget. She knew it was something. But was it enough?
Noel scooted past the door as mustard stain herded two young ones toward the window the two mutants had just come through. Considering the time of day, he must be a stay at home dad. It made the memorymancer feel better about spending her money on frangible rounds.
They moved on.
It would have been funny if Noel wasn't in work mode. They went from creeping down stairs to looking (and punching) an enemy in the eye. Cafas took out the guy in the surprise round and he dropped like a ton of bricks. If they didn't hear that, they weren't paying attention.
Noel snatched up the weapon. She didn't know a lot about rifles other than how they worked and the fact that they packed a serious punch. She gave the handle a quick lick and let her eyelids flutter with the stock still inches from her face.
It took less than a minute, but it took Noel a couple of slow blinks to come back into the present. "There are only three more, but the fight's about a kid." She let out a shuddering breath and removed the cartridge of ammunition and pocketed it. She would have taken the whole weapon if it'd had a strap, but as it was, it would just get in the way. "The hostages are a Momma and child. Daddy wants kiddo." She had their faces in mind, but no way to share. They'd wasted enough time as it was. That would have to be good enough.
She urged him on and stopped at the exact apartment door they wanted. Was Cafas ready? Because this was where the action was ready to explode. She confirmed before moving to open the door.
Noel knocked a quick staccato of "Shave and a Hair Cut," leaving off the last two knocks. There was an audible exhalation from the other side of the door before the memorymancer both turned the door knob and raised her foot to kick in the door.
The wood slammed into whoever was on the other side and shook as it bounced back toward the closed position.
"So did I just get deputized or are we just going to skate past all those legal formalities?" For all the rules she broke, at heart Noel wanted to follow them. She was more likely to follow the spirit of the law, though, rather than the letter.
Noel had expected the lock melting. Yeah. No problem. Metal manip. So she felt more than foolish when he surprised her by taking off the bars on the window. "Guess that's the difference between having a power and just thinking one through."
>"Ready"
"Age before beauty, then." She didn't even wait for him to flub that one up. Noel drew her weapon, checked it, and then went in first with her gun leading the way for her eyes to make a proper sweep of the room. She always kept her weapon pointed where her eyes were looking.
She both loved and hated entering other people's properties. It was fascinating to see how others lived, but her curiosity made it feel weirdly invasive. Probably the potential she had with her power. With access to personal items such as these, Noel could know more about the occupants of this apartment than they knew about themselves.
"Clear." Well, clear enough. As the memory manipulator understood the situation, they didn't have time for a full check. "You go for bullets. I'm better for active hostage negotiations." Even better if she had a Sharpie ready or her phone... there never was time for these kinds of things.
"I don't know how you want to play this, but I'll open the door, you check-" Noel detailed a concise version of a military UO sweep as she moved in a quiet shuffle toward the door. It would be better if they had at least one more, one for point and then one for each direction. "-surprise them so I'll shut up now."
Was he ready? She waited for the nod, kept her weapon pointed in a safe direction, and then opened the door. Just a hall this time, but they'd be doing the same once they sniffed out which room their buddies were in.
Noel continued to shuffle quietly along down the hall and stairs. Even if she didn't have active memories of training for this, she had.
This was going to be one of those pressure pots. All tension and buildup then one big puff of action-y steam.
The other side of the job. Noel slipped her sabre back into it's scabbard and slung it over her shoulder so the weapon was at least partially obstructed behind her braid. She checked her inner pants holster and then they were off. Concealed carry. Eat your heart out. She should have opted for a cloth holster based on how much this material stuck when sweaty.
He was a whole new Cafas, alert and on point. She'd seen it in other servicemen. She just hadn't expected to see such a laid-back pink-haired guy to go all... non-civilian.
> "X-men".
"Woman." Hey. If was supposed to identify herself, that was correct. So what if they thought she was correcting Cafas' statement to be more femme-friendly. Noel was busy vaulting a barricade and loping after the pink streak.
Kinda cool really. He had a badge and Noel just kept her yap shut and got to come along for the ride. She had some pre-fight butterflies and more than a little deja-vu. Maybe she'd been a cop in a previous life? Sure, she got dirty looks, but they didn't know what she did or did not do. Bullet-proof? She added that to the growing mental list of 'Why the heck did I not get that?'
> "Seeing as I doubt you'll take no for an answer son, just make sure you don't make this worse or I'll have your little club shut down."
She was totally in a club. Noel did her best to fall into the vaguely threatening category which meant silence, awareness of her surroundings, and high mental alert.
The building was brick, like so many in this area. The ground level sported an awning and central door probably where the building's mailboxes were. Bars on the lower windows and air conditioning units on all the windows above easy reach. There were buildings of varying heights next to it. Across the weirdly empty street was a Fed-Ex and catty corner was a Starbucks. Two lone trees shaded some of the windows on the lane. There was some construction two buildings over.
> "Eyes out for a way in."
"How do you like stairs?" Noel pointed to the scaffolding that helped workers do whatever workers were ALWAYS doing in New York. Conspiracy theories aside, "That building next to the construction's taller by two floors, but lookkit the balconet." The false railing was, by her estimation, at least as wide as her two feet side-by-side and had a generous space before there was wall. "It goes right over to the one we want."
So all they'd have to do was climb up the construction scaffolding and step off onto the railing. Then they'd take that over to the building they wanted. It kept them fully exterior until incursion and they got to choose their own adventure once they got to the right building since they were touching. She could boost him up or help him down to a window with an air conditioner and, provided that he could open the window without dropping the thing on their heads, they'd be in the flat of their choice.
Press the advantage. No. Wait. Her form was off. Noel abandoned her charge and readjusted her elbow placement while Cafas did a fancy-schancy yet unnecessary roll that left much of his flank exposed.
Granted, he'd chucked her weapon so hard it dipped into the soft loam and she was unable to thwop him for it. Ah. She ripped the sabre free just as he made ready. Much better. She could start the press again.
Except, he was so dang distractable. Noel wiped the beading sweat from her brow and leveraged her sword onto her shoulder.
"C'mon, you're not-"
Gunshot.
What's he have a 6th sense for premedatated metal muder? Noel rolled her eyes at the notion that yet again all other mutations proved more useful than hers. And yet Cafas was still trained toward the noise like a faithful dog.
"Just leave it." The sirens were picking up in pitch. If he were a puppy, he'd be whining to go out.
"Don't the sirens mean it's already being handled?" God. He was really going to go wasn't he? And she was really going to jog right after him. Someone had to keep the Dusklight franchise safe for fangirls everywhere and it sure didn't seem like it was going to be Cafas.
Looking forward to reading more.