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.
>>”No, none in this era as of yet. I act as a parent and or guardian to one of them.”
Well, knowing what Serena knew of ancient Greeks, that was not exactly a no... but it was a little reassuring. "Good." She had no intention of joining some weird polyamorous pagan kink family.
>>”It’s a shame. I would have loved to be your friend... Very well! I am a most excellent body guard. Small caliber rounds can not penetrate my flesh and blades are all but a joke! Who shall I guard your body from?”
Hercules looked genuinely wistful about having a friend, and Serena thought for a moment he would break into song. But in the end, he settled for bodyguard. Good enough. "Just... whoever is too strong for me to handle, I guess. Generally I can take care of myself."
>>”Apologies! I shall refrain from making you the sole source of my power from now on. At least until you are more capable of doing so.”
"Are you saying I should be practicing?" she arched an eyebrow, swishing the drink around in her glass.
Serena blinked at him. Sometimes she still doubted this guy was for real.
"I don't do friends. Or servants. And I'm definitely not going to have a... lover bound to me." Again, that was weird. Way too weird. "... wait, do the others do that?" Because then this whole mystic thing was suddenly way, way too many steps down the line towards a kink cult.
Serena sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Let's just go with bodyguard, shall we?" That was nice and neutral. She shook her head at his question. "Nah, I'm good. Just... uh. This was a lot, at one go."
"Yeah, okay, what you definitely are not is a slave" Serena clarified, downing the rest of her drink and holding out the glass for a refill. If she was already having a splitting headache, she might as well be buzzed. "A white woman keeping a slave in this day and age is not good PR, believe me. Unless I'm in a whole other line of business. But I'm not." She would have made a good dominatrix, with the attitude she had. But that was beside the point. "And I'm not in the market for minions or henchmen or whatever people in movies have. And I'm not putting you on payroll so you're not an employee." He sighed. Decisions, decisions.
Serena was slowly getting used to Hercules meaning all the ridiculous crap that came out of his mouth. It was an adjustment. Usually men like him who made boastful claims were just putting on a show. But somehow, this glowing hunk of ego actually kept his word, in her experience. If she said he took something seriously, he would. Which was a rarity in itself.
She rolled his eyes at his portesting the term familiar, though.
"Alright, fine, but it's not like there's a name for what you are. You call me your master - somewhat problematic, by the way - and you are... what? My personal god?" she chuckled, shaking her head.
>>”I don’t believe you are... However, Milk is good for growing bones and keeping them strong and this. Is supposed to keep your immune system up!”
Serena groaned and rolled her eyes. Alcohol. She needed lots of it, to deal with this mess. Her bones an immune system could get in the damn line after she'd dealt with getting the literal life sucked out of her by an overeager demigod.
>>”Well, it started as an armored vehicle robbery from my understanding of the events but it led to them shooting at a bus full of children after Javi the strong and I stopped the bus from going over the edge of the bridge. Worry not though! They felt the heft of my club! Truly deplorable men! Can you believe it? Shooting at children.”
Alright, yeah, at least that was a good cause. Serena was a downright bitch by factory setting, but she was not a monster. Children being shot at was not okay. Good thing Hercules and... that other guy were there. She still grumbled, not ready to let go of her righteous annoyance just yet.
>>”Willi- my other master said it do nothing but put my master in danger if I reveled who I serve so I have not mentioned you... unless you’d like me to start mentioning you. It might draw attention to you! If you want it you shall have it! Do you require ice?”
"Give that to me" Serena sat up to snatch the glass from his hand, and downed half of it in one go. "Alright, listen up. Never, under any circumstances, talk about me in an interview. Got it? Last thing I need is press getting up in my business, asking how I acquired a glowing mountain as a familiar. Mystics are not out that way yet."
"Wha..." Serena looked up too late, as Hercules had already barged out of the office, probably scarring the entire staff for life, and making half of them question their sexuality. Serena groaned and closed her eyes again. She could already hear people whispering things like where did he even come from...
>>”I have milk, orange juice, water and whatever is in this!”
"What am I, a kindergarden class?" Serena glared up at him, gesturing at the bottle of whiskey. "That one."
Alright, so drinking alcohol while drained might not have been the smartest idea, but if she had to choose between passing out and dealing with Hercules sober, she knew what she was going to choose.
"So, let me recap... You saved a bus full of kids from someone shooting at them, and then you gave an interview?... You didn't mention me, did you?"
Serena closed her eyes, wishing she could shot out this god-sized personification of a hangover. Of course it had been him. She had never felt drained like that before, and she had participated in enough committee meetings. Apparently, a bus full of children had been at risk. Serena wished she could care about that.
"You are entirely to blame" she groaned as he waxed poetic about getting interviewed. That had to be a reporter's wet dream, interviewing a glowing demigod. "I need a goddamn drink..."
"Shhhh..." Serena would have snapped a cone of silence on Hercules the moment he appeared, if she had any juice left. As things stood, she had to resort to words, like a damn parent.
>>”You look exhausted! Have you been sleeping enough? Eight hours is the recommended amount from what I’m told now! Have you been up all night? That won’t do at all!”
"You tell me" Serena frowned, peering up at him from the couch. "I was minding my own business, and then someone yanked all the juice out of me. Assuming that was you? Care to explain?"
"You think she's... you know...?" "Dead?" "No, dumbass. Pregnant." "Do NOT let her hear you say that."
Serena wished she was. (Dead, not pregnant). Dropping in the middle of a budget meeting was embarrassing enough, but now she was laid up on the couch in her spacious office, feeling like she was going to throw up just from blinking. It did not feel like any illness she'd ever had, though. And the glow emanating from her sapphire ring had alerted her that Herc was using her powers.
Apparently, f*** all of them.
It was draining, in all senses of the world. Serena felt like a squeezed lemon at best, busy reconsidering her choice to get herself a battery-operated demigod. She felt miserable now, even though the draining feeling was gone. And she really, really wanted to know what happened. Hercules owed her one hell of an explanation.
>>“True. All of it. Seen a few in my day. Enough to be an expert, but if you ask me, never enough…”
Serena smirked. Even with the sips, some of the inhibitions were lowered, and some truth was seeping through. Or maybe he was just carefree with his words in general. Sometimes it was hard to tell. They shook hands.
>>“August, of house Appleberry. Big fan.”
Appleberry. That was a big name, too. A media name, if she remembered correctly. Was the the heir to the kingdom? She vaguely remembered the name in the context of music, but she was not exactly deep into the music scene of New York. Fashion already had her dance card more than full.
>>“I’m here to support a friend. His partner did some of this art. I still think it looks like hippos, but some people love hippos.”
"I am sure they appreciate your support in their time of going public. With the hippos." Serena chuckled. So, he was not really here to buy, either. Or network, or whatever. Which explained why he had been playing music instead.
>>“What about you? Buying, or mingling? If you’re here for the company… Some people love the company.”
"I am here for the drinks." Serena deadpanned, then smiled, raising her own glass. Technically, it was true. "And to be seen. I'm sure you know how it works. But I wouldn't mind some company, unless you have another performance coming up..."
Ideally, Serena wanted to pick someone who could give her information about this place. But offering drinks to dancers and staff was tricky; they probably did not drink and work, at least not in a casual way. So, she glanced around, trying to spot a regular instead. Maybe they knew more than a casual guest. Noticing a well-dressed middle-aged patron at the bar, who was only half paying attention to the dancers, she decided to make an attempt. Standing up with the two drinks, she walked down along the bar, taking a seat close to him (but leaving one bar stool between them, before he got any ideas). She put the full drink down on the bar, giving him a charming smile.
"I was told a woman drinking alone is bad luck. Care to save me?"
If there was a contract involved, Serena definitely wanted to read the fine print first. And then probably have a lawyer read it over too. And possibly a higher ranking mystic, because she knew the stories about demons and contracts.
>>”No, a signature is not needed. All depends on you Serena. I have done this many different ways, a handshake, a kiss whatever the master is inclined to do.”
"I am not kissing you." Serena deadpanned.
>>”I also need a totem of power, something that you hold dear or keep on your person? This item doesn’t need to be on you at all times but it makes it easier to find you should there be a threat to your life.”
"Umm..." Serena looked down at her hands. She had the pearl ring for drinks, the tourmaline ring for silence, and the diamond ring for protection. She was not wearing all of them all the time, though. She had another one on right now, one with a small yet expensive sapphire set in silver. She pulled it off. "Does this work?"
Normally, Serena Lockhart would not have been caught dead in a strip club. Not even a high-end, classy one. Also, she had no reason to be in one, really; if she wanted paid entertainment, she could always just hire a good-looking escort or something. Less exposure that was. Publicly, anyway.
What had drawn her to Hexes and Hos, really, was the magic. She had heard rumors that the name was not just a pun, but also harbored some actual, street level magic users, and that piqued her interest. Next to studying big magic, she liked picking up useful spells, and where better to watch and practice than in a place where no one was paying attention to her anyway?
So, she was sitting at the bar now, watching the guests as much as she was watching the dancers. Did they seem... spellbound? She had a protection spell going through a tourmaline necklace, hopefully shielding her mental capabilities from money-grabbing stripper witches, but so far, she did not sense any magical urge to spend cash. She ordered two drinks, and sipped one, running her fingers along the edge of the other glass. She dipped the pearl ring in the drink, whispering the well-honed incantation to turn the alcohol into a truth serum. (It always worked easier with alcohol, because it was already halfway there.) Then, she looked around, trying to pick someone to offer the drink to.
Using a diamond ring as focus, and physical touch, the spell hardens a piece of material into steel-like durability. E.g. it can turn a shirt into a bulletproof west, or drywall into a stone wall. The materials don't actually change, they just harden to higher durability. At this stage, the spell is limited both in scope and in durability, but Serena is working on fixing the parameters.
"Not today, Satan."
A pair of very expensive sunglasses, and words to live by. Another protection spell, etched into the rim of the glasses, activated by Serena's words and powers. It specifically protects against magic, but only the kind that is aimed directly at her (because everyone is bringing wands to gun fights like it's Perry freakin' Hotter around here). It has a 10% chance of throwing the spell back at the caster, but only if it has a visual component.
"Dirty Molotov on the Beach"
Remember when I said Serena practices potion magic with cocktails? Well, technically, a Molotov is a cocktail. In this case, any bottle of mixed ingredients that is at least part alcohol, held and then released (preferably in a launching motion), with a hand that is holding the appropriate ring. Said ring is made of gold, with a fire opal set in it. (The opal can be turned towards the palm, to be in contact with the bottle). Creates the effect of a mundane Molotov.
"Off the Rack"
Real clothes are not one size fits all. In this case, any fashion fail becomes "one size fits none." This spell makes a person's work clothing constrict, as if it has been shrunk in the wash also somehow made non-flexible. While the spell is not strong enough to be lethal, it can definitely rage from embarrassingly uncomfortable to painful. Casting requires verbal and gestural components, as well as fabric within the color range of the intended target.
"PR spin"
(Experiment stage) This is a counterspell, or rather, a spell that messes with another spell's effect once they happen. Think Sleeping Beauty. It consumes small amounts of precious material - gold, platinum, or gems quality stones - and it usually doesn't have a huge return on the investment, but it might take the brunt of a hit, or the edge of a curse off, changing it into something mildly less embarrassing. Hopefully.
>>”It is not, but I like to protect my masters. Until we agree to terms that is something I’d like to keep quiet about for now. William would probably prefer it this way.”
William. Serena smirked as Hercules blurted out the exact name he had been protecting. Bless his little prehistoric heart.
>>”A name is all you will get for now it seems.”
And his address, birth date, and shoe size, if Herc kept protecting him like this.
>>”Any other questions?”
"How does this work, exactly? Is there a contract I have to sign?"
