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.
Nate did not explicitly say he was moving out to Chicago, but Quin was smart enough to know what stepping down from Haven meant. Norah was staying in Chicago because work made it hard for Nate to see her. He believed in the mission, but if he was leaving, it was because he wanted to spend the time with Norah that she deserved.
And so, Quin jumped right to the question at hand. Sighing, Nate took the wine and walked over to the couch to join her. ”I’m sorting things out, but I’ll be leaving this weekend and handling any Haven exchange-work remotely. Once the decision was made, I did not want to drag this out. Norah and Nat will be waiting for me.” He was hoping he could leave it there. Questions about Natalie would be awkward, because how did you talk to one of the only two women you loved about the other?
”Before I left, I wanted to come see the people that mattered. I gave my goodbyes to the school. I said goodbye to Noel, then Devon, then Sveta.” Nate finally raised his eyes to Quin, unsure of what emotions they were even expressing now. ”You were the person I wanted to say goodbye to last.”
Norah yawned, prompting a return yawn from her father. "Okay, you know you can't yawn like that, Norah. It's contagious and now I'm here yawning."
"Sorry, daddy, but it is late," she teased, but there was some truth to it.
Nate smiled, sighing at the young girl on the screen. These calls always felt painfully short. "Well, I suppose it is your bedtime. I'll let you go, baby."
Norah nodded sheepishly, but there was something disappointed about her expression. "Do you think you can come visit soon?"
Nate's smile faltered, because the schedule he kept in his head broke his heart. "We'll see what I can do, muffin. Til then, I love you, no matter where we are."
"I love you, too. Goodnight, daddy."
"Night, Norah. Think you can let your mom know I'd like to chat with her?"
His daughter nodded dutifully and left the frame, leaving an empty chair in a sleek computer room until Natalie took Norah's place. "I don't know how you managed this so long. Not being around might be killing me."
"Well I didn't have much of a choice, did I, Nathaniel?" Natalie reminded him, a little more harshly than she'd meant to. She didn't blame him for not coming along with her when she moved, but it stung to be separated from the daughter that she'd raised on her own for so long while her father lay claim.
She ran a hand through her hair as she took it out from the tight bun it'd been confined in. "We make it work, though. We'll keep making it work."
If there was bitterness in Nat's voice, it was justified. The decision to let Nate get to know his daughter by letting her finish up the school year in New York was not an easy one.
"We do. It's just hard. Splitting time with her isn't going to get any easier." Nate propped his head on his hand and sighed. "More and more, I just wonder if I made the wrong choice not taking you up on your offer."
"I thought you were too rooted in New York."
"I am. I was. I guess this was just where I finally started building a life," he admitted. "With the Mansion, with Haven. And that's great. It's good. But Norah changed a lot. She's a big piece that's missing now. And it's not just her."
Natalie paused. "What do you mean?"
Nate was careful in replying, because it was likely unfair of him to throw something like this at Natalie after everything that happened. "Being her dad is wonderful. Best thing in my life, honestly. But it was better with you. Parenting together was special. And even outside of parenting, I guess I just miss you, Nat." Neither of them was perfect, but Nat's stint in New York helped Nate see the amazing woman he had stumbled his way into meeting.
"I..." Natalie trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That's not fair, Nathaniel. You can't spring this on me... there's too much at stake."
"I know, I know. It just sucks." Nate reclined in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Things were going great and then life happened. I'm sick of life getting in the way. The more I think about us, the more I wonder if I blew it by not taking the chance to move out there with you and Norah. Probably late to be thinking like that now, I guess. Sorry, Nat." He really was being unfair. Natalie had months to move on with her life, only for him to drag up how things ended. Maybe it was best they close out the call.
Natalie wasn't good at sharing her feelings, but she couldn't let things continue like this. She had said it before; there was a lot on the line. "I miss you, Nate. God damn, I wish I didn't."
It was nice to know the feeling was mutual, though it did not complicate things less. It did strengthen Nate's resolve. He had the thought before, but never entertained it until Nat's admission. "Nat. If... no, I won't put this on you. I am making this choice." Nate had to make the tough decision for once, and it could not just rely on an important woman in his life.
"I have contacts in Chicago in the art world. Legitimate ones," he clarified, realizing that statement could mean many more illegal things. "I could get myself started up out there. Norah could have both parents, which the kid deserves. And you and I... well, if you'd want to try again..." He could not be presumptuous.
"Don't say that if you're not serious, Nate. I know you've moved on in New York and I'm not prepared to play second fiddle," Natalie warned harshly, though her stomach was doing flips at the idea of a possibility of having Nate as her own again.
Nate felt the twist in his stomach. It was the kind of feeling you got before making a life-changing decision. "You're a hard woman to move on from, Nat. I want to be close to my daughter again, but if it's even the faintest possibility, I want to give you and I the proper shot we deserve."
"I..." Natalie was at a loss for words for one of the first times in her life. "I'd like to make things work with you."
Nate smiled genuinely, feeling a warmth spread through him. He was really doing this, wasn't he? He was going to follow through this time. "Then it's settled. I'll talk with Devon about this. I'll have to transition any projects I have active to other members, but he'll understand. I'll make him understand, if need be," he said, determined. "I want to do this. I want to land in Chicago to give my little girl a hug and to kiss you again and make Chicago jealous."
Natalie smile. Genuinely smiled. There were few things in her life that she wanted anymore, and all of them had to do with Nate, as much as she didn't want to admit to it. "Norah's going to be more pleased than you know."
"Good. I'm sorry I let our little family break up. Never again, Nat. I'm ready to start my new chapter with you and Norah and whatever comes next." Of course, as ready as he was, there were people he owed goodbyes to in New York...
Nate had to give Quin her credit. Even with Norah’s mother in the picture, she had always been great with Nate’s daughter. It was unfair to try moving back into things with Quin when Nate was still dealing with Natalie’s departure from his life. Still, throughout the on-again-off-again rollercoaster that was their relationship, Quin never stopped being an amazing friend to Nate. (Well, with the exception of the fallout after things ended the first time, but Nate could not blame her for reacting poorly to his lie that changed everything.)
Because Quin cared, she knew that being away from Norah was hard on Nate. He was not vulnerable to everyone, but she had earned his vulnerability.
She also unknowingly opened the door to the reason he was visiting her tonight. ”Not exactly. That’s actually why I’m here.”
Filling both glasses carefully, Nate did not look up when he said, ”Effective immediately, I’m stepping down from Haven.” It was easier to tell her that news without meeting her eyes. He would have to find them eventually, but for now, he was sparing himself that.
”I’ve already spoken with Devon and explained my reasoning. We’ll start the process of moving any ongoing projects I have to new personnel. It’s being handled quickly, honestly. The man is efficient.” Devon was not happy to lose him, but he was still Nate’s friend, and accepted Nate’s appeal to a more emotional plea than a business one.
Nate's hours lately with Haven had become less traditional, so he occasionally forgot what kind of hours others kept. Sveta answered the door in her pajamas, which was a good reminder that he was indeed taking his goodbye tour at a later hour. It was fine; things were comfortable between the pair of friends. Sveta was someone Nate could be less professional around, so spending time with her was great for his mental health.
Entering the apartment, Nate shrugged his shoulders. "Not forgetting. And I'm not sure if it's celebrating." After another thought, he shook his head. "Actually, yeah. Come to think of it, we are celebrating."
Looking for glasses in Sveta's kitchen, Nate tentatively proceeded. "Norah's doing well back in Chicago. I think she did miss her home city, as much as she liked New York. I think... Nat and I have decided that it might be best for her if she stays there, so she can grow up going to one school and not having to make new friends or leave them every few months."
Nate had considered calling ahead, but decide it was easier to show up and hope Quin was home. Her schedule had become more reliable since her career change. He remembered dating Quin the Cop, and they always made it work, but the schedule required finagling from both ends.
Ironically, it ended up being Nate’s schedule that squashed things this time. He had spent time away in other cities for the sake of Haven business, and it was another instance where the time never seemed right and something was always in the way. He felt bad knowing they were forever an almost, but life had a way of being cruel.
”I’d love that,” Nate replied with a smile, though it did not reach his slate gray eyes. He was a man who knew what to say when he needed to say it, but he was still unsure of how to broach this conversation with Quin.
Following Quin into the apartment, he set down his bottle on the coffee table and moved toward where he knew she kept her wine glasses. ”You look cozy. Had I thought about it, I could have dressed down.” Then again, dressed down and cozy led to certain things, and Nate needed to stay on task for many reasons.
”I had a video chat with Norah last night,” he finally decided. When travel became something he was tasked with doing frequently, Norah went back to Chicago to spend time with Nat. Nate got to talk to his daughter when possible, but he did have a lot on his plate, so calls came every few days rather than every night, like he would want. ”She’s settling into life well now that she’s back there.”
Nate was on a clock, but there were things he needed to do before his time came. When he arrived in New York, the last thing Stephen Graves expected was to develop long-lasting connections. Now that he was a new person with people he cared about, he was determined not to skip town without a word. He already spoke with Noel and asked her to do her best not to lose too many memories of him, and he spoke with Devon about his plans and apologized for stepping down from the young mutant’s cause to pursue the simple life.
With goodbyes exchanged with Sveta, Nate had one last person to bid farewell. This was the one he expected to be the hardest, if only because of all the history they shared. If not for Quin, Nate might still be Stephen. He would be the man who made selfish choices, who would not be ready for the roles he ended up in. Father, teacher, friend. Quin was the one who got him started on this path.
Nate knocked on the door of Quin’s apartment, a place he knew all too well. In his other hand, he had a bottle of wine from his checkered past. He swiped it from the wine cellar of a very rich party he had talked his way into, and it was easily the most expensive bottle he owned. Currently, it had a quarter of its contents remaining.
He waited for Quin to open the door and did his best to smile, holding up the bottle. ”Hey Quin. Are you free?”
Nate was on a clock, but there were things he needed to do before his time came. When he arrived in New York, the last thing Stephen Graves expected was to develop long-lasting connections. Now that he was a new person with people he cared about, he was determined not to skip town without a word. He already spoke with Noel and asked her to do her best not to lose too many memories of him, and he spoke with Devon about his plans and apologized for stepping down from the young mutant’s cause to pursue the simple life.
Now, Nate walked through Haven’s halls on his way to a good friend’s apartment. Nate did feel an attachment to Sveta. She was one of the first people he met in New York, and they had actually connected when she came into Haven. He was adamantly in favor of encouraging her to find a place in the Inner Echelon. Of the people he interacted with daily, she was one he always valued seeing. He would miss that.
Nate knocked on the door of the apartment. In his other hand, he had a bottle of wine from his checkered past. He swiped it from the wine cellar of a very rich party he had talked his way into, and it was easily the most expensive bottle he owned. Currently, it was about half-full and carefully sealed.
He waited for Sveta to open the door and was quick to greet her with an easy smile, holding up the bottle. ”Hope I’m not intruding. Got a minute, Sveta?”
Nate had given Sveta far too much ammunition with that admission. He realized that now, but she was going bound to see him out in the field some day. It was best for her to get her giggles out now, and she seemed content to do just that.
Rolling his eyes, Nate set down his drink. ”Nothing so fancy, but I guess yeah, more or less the whole comic-y skintight look. Sorry to disappoint though.” Nate tugged at the collar of his t-shirt to reveal an exposed collarbone. ”I don’t just dress up in spandex at home for fun. Well, not alone, at least.” If he had company who would be into that, Nate was known for his adaptability, after all.
”Besides, at least the suit’s entirely practical. When I shift into a shadow, anything that isn’t skintight doesn’t come with me.” You had to make wardrobe decisions based around a power like that. ”You only have to learn that lesson once before you change your routine. I don’t need to be known as ‘the naked man who appeared at the scene’ when s**t goes down.”
Nate was not a sentimental drunk. He was not drunk at all yet. He was enjoying his drink and the beginnings of his buzz, but not as much as he was enjoying the company. Sveta was used to things crashing around her and disconnecting with people. Nate was not inherently sappy, but he wanted to make sure an important person in his life understood what she was to him: important.
He did have to pull things back before alcohol set in and they got emotional. A little teasing never hurt, and they both knew he would never let her forget about the mask.
Turnabout was, of course, fair play. She asked about his mask, and Nate chuckled. "No mask, sadly. No need for it. I don't go around advertising it, but when I'm out and about, I'm wearing a full body morphsuit under my clothes." He smirked, wondering how she would even reply to that news without any additional explanation.
Nate sipped his own wine, nodding along. Yes, Sveta's powers involved everyone being more careful around her, but just like any mutant, it was impossible to prepare for or prevent every possible complication. No one predicts the Halloween telepath or the exploding teenager dealing with midterms. Mutants lived more complicated lives and should not be faulted for it. "Does put a damper on the celebratory team high five, but I'm sure we will find a way to overcome."
Swirling what was left of his drink, noting how quickly one glass of wine could disappear, Nate mused aloud. "Regardless, when the s**t starts going down, I'm happy to know you'll have my back."
The glass of wine was set down for the moment so Nate could assess Sveta, picturing something in his head until he could not help but laugh. "Though when hat day comes, please tell me you still have the mask." He should talk, considering his in-the-field outfit involved a full bodysuit.
Nate nodded, understanding the implication. The X-Men had their benefits and he was friendly with several of the members of their team. Even as Haven, they all recognized the convenience of having the X-Men out there, as acquaintances, but more so as resources.
Of course, the X-Men way of handling things could only go so far. "And that's why you fit in with us. Smiling and waving for the camera is important, but sometimes you have to know what needs to be done behind the scenes when no one is watching."
Nate followed Sveta to the couch, bringing along the wine bottle in case they wanted a refill. "I personally think you're a great team player. Provided your team is on the same page." With Norah in his life, now more than ever, Nate valued the Haven mission and the people he could trust to hold true to it. He never doubted whether Sveta fell in that camp.
Nate drank deeply from his glass. He drank wine for social events, but he had to keep his wits about him during Haven affairs. It was refreshing to knock a drink back without potentially causing a political incident.
Of the many paths life could take someone, mail-order bride was one Nate had only heard once. Knowing Sveta started there only made it more impressive how far she had come. Of course, some of her endeavors since then were equally interesting, like her stint as a vigilante with a name Nate could not help but chuckle at. "Okay, of all the names I've ever had, even I have to admit, I've never had anything quite as bad as the Red Russian. That sounds straight out of a seventies comic book, before they knew better."
Nate swirled the wine in his glass, musing on that particular career path. "For half a minute, I thought I might try the vigilante thing. Quin would have had none of it when we were together, but after all that, I was working at the Mansion. I was either going to end up a vigilante or finding a conscience and turning myself in. Clearly I couldn't turn down the fun of a multi-year prison sentence." That felt so long ago now. Sometimes Nate felt like those four years came at some other man's expense, like another disposable identity.
Nate deserved the ribbing Sveta gave him for his track record when it came to Parker, so he would not defend himself on that front. "Okay, fair enough. All I'll point out is I have had a surprising amount of luck with men and women for someone who has a thirty pound spider hanging around." One day he would find out the limits to his southern charm, but until then, he was going to ride that blessing out.
Many people could not understand the life Nate used to lead, with all the deception and double-life juggling. It was refreshing to know at least one person who had her own checkered past and would not judge him harshly for his own. "For the record, all those guys were quitters and fools." Yes, Sveta was a mutant nuke in a worst case scenario, but she was also witty and gorgeous, and that warranted that kind of risk.
"So did you ever give your aliases backstories?" he asked, between sips of his wine. "That was basically required in my line of work, but I don't know how other people faking their identity handle things. Any fun made-up background? Maybe a silly name? I won a poker game drunk as Jimmy Buffet once, so I promise not to judge." It was a good rule of thumb as a conman never to use a famous name, but in Nate's defense, it was just poker and he was drunk.
Nate was unsure of how Norah compared to "most kids," particularly when it came to her love of giant pet spiders, so Nate wanted to take precautions to ensure his daughter did not become "the weird spider girl" at her school. Keeping Parker in his own room was a strategy that worked so far, but the spider was mischievous and prone to sneaking out of rooms, along the outside of the Haven building, and anywhere he could cause trouble. Nate would take the time soon to work out a rational prepared speech of warning for parents of friends and base the effectiveness on the volume of screaming or swearing he got in return.
As for the women Nate dated... well, maybe a prepared speech would be smart there as well. Then again... "So I have maybe forgotten to give advance warning to Quin. Or Sarah. Or Nat. But I had valid reasons why that slipped my mind all three times that we definitely don't need to expound upon or analyze on such a merry night of drinking."
Watching Sveta open a bottle of wine, Nate proactively grabbed appropriate glasses. "You've gotta remember, I only started this whole 'telling the truth' thing like six years ago, and that may be generous. I'm still breaking the habit of hiding things and being mysterious all the time. I think that warrants a little slack, don't you?" Nate raised his glass once it was full and smirked. "Cheers."
Ideally, Norah would have stayed the night at a friend’s house, but with a winter bug passing around her grade, her friend’s mom called to let Nate know her daughter was sick in bed. Nate considered rescheduling with Sveta when Norah visited her mother over the holidays, but who knew if they would have any time to themselves by then? He trusted Norah to behave, and the adults did not have crazy plans for the night.
”She’ll be genuinely surprised when they have a problem with him, too.” Nate grabbed some bottles from the liquor cabinet, joining Sveta at the kitchen table. ”I should probably give warnings to parents before she brings friends home, though, just in case.”
Grabbing two glasses from a cabinet, Nate slid one across the table to Sveta. ”Come to think of it, I should probably be warning anyone about Parker. In hindsight, it’s shocking he hasn’t been more detrimental to my love life than he has been.” Of the women Nate had been involved with, only Natalie never warmed up to the affectionate arachnid.
Looking over the options, Nate picked up one of the bottles and smirked. ”Alright, pick your poison.”
