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.
The sudden embrace from Andrea was obviously not something Jirou had anticipated, nor was it something he was used to experiencing. Over the years he had kept his ties to others strictly professional. He never dared let anything become too formal, because within his line of work having friends meant you had liabilities. Liabilities meant your competition had weaknesses that they could exploit. He'd grown comfortable with only having to look out for himself that he had convinced himself he didn't need anyone but himself.
And yet... and yet that hug was the first true expression of compassion that he had experienced in years. How could he have been so conceited? How could he have not seen how badly his mental barriers had degraded and destroyed who he truly was inside?
Jirou graciously returned the hug to Andrea and while the embrace was over quicker than Jirou had expected, it was still more than enough to put his troubling thoughts to rest.
Was this what it was like to have a friend?
As Andrea pulled herself away and fixed her outfit, Jirou reached up and wiped the moisture from his eyes. He hadn't expected a day of revelations such as this, but like it or not he knew deep within his heart of hearts that he needed it.
He marveled for a moment at her other unique ability, and graciously accepted the flower, though he wasn't quite sure where to put it. He wondered if he really could find a better path. One which was more fulling and less beneath him than the one he currently followed.
"Thank you, Andrea. Your friend sounds like an interesting person. I'll have to meet him someday." Jirou clasped his hands behind his head once again, a renewed sense of self worth and purpose now resonated through his being. "Well we'd best get going and finish this, shouldn't we? Maybe later we hang out later and chat some more, who knows."
With that, Jirou and Andrea set off towards their destination once more.
>"You are far too nice for a job such as this... I think it's un-befitting of you."
Those words, which had been spoken with such kindness and heartfelt goodwill, struck the young mercenary deep down inside his soul. They reverberated through out his entire person, sending wave upon wave of regret crashing against the seemingly impenetrable walls which for so long had sheltered his fragile inner being. It was a sad truth, a hard truth, and yet it was still a truth none the less. This life really was beneath him, and while he had always accepted it, it was obvious to others that he was better than what he had become. His stoic and unflinching facade faltered as his past decisions came flooding back to him.
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his hands still clasped behind his head. His eyes closed as he momentarily lost himself in the thoughts that so relentlessly forced their way into his mind. How had a single lone and innocent mutant suddenly cracked his mental barriers when countless assassinations and near death experiences had failed to break him?
It wasn't like this was a lifestyle he had dreamed of having. When he was younger he wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. He never intended to be a sell sword/gun for hire, but then again he never anticipated that a sudden explosion and raging fire would take the only family he had left.
"Strong will can stir the heart, but a will too strong can cut off the hearts visibility. The sorrow of a man bereaved of his family turns into hate, which eventually metamorphosises into the intent to kill. The man's finger reaches for the trigger. Sin changes people. Sin begets sin, but I... I still want to believe... I still want to believe in the heart... The heart that feels the sin."
The words were spoken in a low soft tone, which were almost lost against the buzzing of the city though Andrea would no doubt still hear them. He turned towards Andrea, his eyes were turning red from forcing back the tears which so desperately wanted to escape.
"Some people will say 'that they had to... to survive.' what they really mean is that they were too confused... too scared to do anything else. I was seventeen, just a stupid kid, when everything I knew suddenly went up in smoke. I didn't know what to do, and all I had left was my mutation. I know this is all beneath me, but I've been doing this for so long now I'm not sure if I know how to do anything else. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to stop..."
The entire facility was a maelstrom of pure chaos and confusion. Occult followers, both human and M enhanced alike. This made things a bit difficult for Jirou as he fought his way to the ceremonial chamber where Aura and the captive mutants were being held. A flurry of neon green cards and subsequent explosions shook and reverberated through the underground hallway leading towards his destination.
Two humans were sent flying through the doorway into the chamber after receiving several high velocity cards to their skulls, which erupted in brilliant emerald green vapor clouds. Jirou quickly rushed through the swirling smoke and dust into the melee that was unfolding.
From across the room, he spotted the holding cells for the three mutants, one of which was dead while the other two were still very much alive. He also found Aura, who was presently being set upon by a human cultist with a glowing blue finger. Thinking quickly, Jirou measured up and flung a single charged card with all of his strength across the room. The card arced to the left slightly as it sailed through the air before curving back to the right, striking the enhanced human in the temple. The card exploded and the human's eye's rolled into the back of his skull as he fell to the ground in a heap.
Meanwhile, the human who had lost control of his newly acquired abilities was torching everything he was setting his sights upon. He stumbled and flailed as he attempted to regain control. Jirou needed to act quickly before he unwittingly set his deadly gaze upon himself, Aura, or either of the two mutants still alive. Not wanting to take his chances, he pulled out the .45 from inside his jacket. With a well practiced hand, he squeezed off a couple of rounds which easily perforated the cultists unprotected body, dropping the man like a rag doll.
Jirou quickly brought the pistol around to bear on another M enhanced human which was dashing towards the cage holding a rainbow feathered mutant. A sudden blow to the back sent him tumbling to the ground, while his .45 was sent skittering across the floor.
He rolled to his back to see a rather large, and rather angry man standing over him. In the dimly lit room it looked like he was holding a sledge hammer in his hand, but as the man's hand warped and twisted into the shape of an axe head, Jirou knew he was dealing with an M headed human. The man swung the axe hand towards Jirou's head, who quickly rolled to the right, and then to the left, dodging strike after strike like some sort of sick twisted cartoon.
A quick up kick to the man's groin ended the furious slew of attacks. As the huge man doubled over, clutching his wounded manhood, Jirou brought both feet up and struck out once more, smashing the brute's nose in and sending him toppling over backwards onto the hard concrete floor. With a handspring, Jirou was back on his feet and back into the fight.
The smile that now rested on Andrea's face was a welcome and refreshing sight to behold. Even while on the job, Jirou didn't have to always remain all business, and truth be told this Andrea woman was pretty fun to be around. She made this interesting, even if it wasn't intentional.
"Depressing? Nah. Depressing is seeing a box of kittens floating down a river. What you're dealing with is just a fact of life for us mutants, though obviously it's harder for some of us to deal with compared to others. The important thing to remember is that we as mutants are all in this together. If you can't confide in one of your own, who else is going to understand?" he returned the smile.
"And you're welcome for the compliment. You've earned a few I think." he nodded towards Sloth, who still clung greedily to the package. "He on the other hand has a way to go." he jokingly replied.
As far as the question of the boxes contents, he honestly had no clue as to what it contained, but to his employer, it was seemingly very important and probably very illegal.
"The box, I'm afraid, is a mystery to me as well. I'm getting paid a lot of money to deliver it. Which is odd. Usually package drops are quick pocket change, and rarely if ever do they require somebody of my... skills." The more Jirou thought about it, the odder this job became. Why hire a mutant mercenary to do a delivery job? Certainly a normal human with a simple snub nosed revolver could pull this job off with out a hitch. Jirou was beginning to have his doubts, and what worried him most was that Andrea could potentially get caught up in all of this.
"Promise me one thing when we get there. Promise me you'll keep quiet, and let me do the talking. Even if somebody asks you a direct question, just let me handle it. I don't want you to get anymore involved in this job than you already are. It's dangerous stuff, and not at all legal. Things can get really dangerous in no time at all. The second things begin to go south, I want you to run. Even if Sloth still has the package, I want you to run as far away as you can. I'll make sure nobody follows you. You have my word on that." His tone was dead serious, and his expression expression matched.
Between the gunshots, the giant scorpion, and Frank losing any and all form of bowel control, Jirou retained a fairly calm composure. His dark, narrow eyes remained dead locked on the German shepherd sized scorpion in the room. Its massive claws snapped and swung at the air in anticipation and anger. It was dead set on tearing Jirou and Noel apart and wanted nothing more than to obey it's master's commands.
"I don't suppose that sword of yours is going to have much luck against something like that will it?" he asked, his hands clutching several charged and ready cards. The scorpion's segmented armor meant that it would be difficult to pierce of crack, but if Noel could get that blade of her's in between the chitinous plates, down into the softer tissue, they would certainly have a better chance.
He tossed two more cards at the large black insect, which again recoiled in pain, though it's shiny exoskeleton still remained unscathed. Jirou wished he could pack more of a punch into his cards. Against normal human flesh they had about as much strength as a right hook from a professional boxer and could do some serious damage, but against tough armor and bone they weren't as effective. He had his limitations, and unfortunately the large arachnid before them had the perfect defense.
The scorpion advanced on Jirou before quickly shifting its attention to Noel and lashing out with its poisonous stinger. Jirou grabbed Noel by the collar and pulled her out of the way. The stinger missed its intended target, but still found purchase in Frank's thigh, who was crawling across the floor on his hands and knees as he attempted to flee the scene. He immediately began to seizure and foam at the mouth as the toxic cocktail made it's way through his system. His body shook violently for a few moments before his muscles contracted, forcing his frame into a grotesque fetal position.
"Son of a..." there went one of their leads, which meant they had to take the other two alive. Jirou noticed out of the corner of his eye that Robert was reaching for his ankle. The dark black finish of a snub nosed secondary revolver was unmistakable. He threw another card at the man's direction with exploded as it came in contact with his ankle and only good remaining hand. The revolver skidded across the floor and into the opposite corner of the room. Robert threw himself into the back of the sofa, screaming as his body registered the pain he now suffered in both hands.
All the while Brittany stood there with a deliciously evil grin on her face. If Jirou were a lesser man, he would have rearranged her face with a nice roundhouse kick to the jaw.
It had been a while since he had felt a need to research ancient Greek mythology, though he was familiar with the myth. He remembered Medusa and Perseus's clash within her lair, and how the Greek hero overcame the beast using his ingenuity and abilities. Jirou glanced over at the gorgan girl and took stock of her appearance. While she certainly may have looked the part, her temperament and and attitude was certainly different than that of the mythological creature.
"I don't know about suffering. Cursed yes, but she kind of brought it upon herself didn't she? I mean, depending on which myth you read, didn't she insult Athena or something? I thought it had something to do with how she felt she was more beautiful than Athena herself, so as punishment she turned her hair into snakes and caused her gaze to turn people into pillars of salt or stone... or something like that." Jirou paused to get his bearings again. "Besides, Medusa was a blood thirsty killer. You don't seem to be the type. Trust me, I've met blood thirsty killers before and you are certainly a stark contrast. Hell, compared to them, you're nicer than Mother Teresa, and yes that was a compliment." he shuddered as he thought back to that Turkish woman he had met a few nights ago. She was unstable for sure.
"It doesn't do you any good to mope around feeling sorry for yourself though. You aren't exactly the only mutant out there with appearance issues. Remember the last time we ran into each other? I'd say things could be a lot worse." Jirou kept his arms locked behind his head as he smiled at Andrea. He hated seeing people be hard on themselves and down in the dumps. This Andrea girl was a decent person as far as Jirou could tell. It was a nice change of pace when compared to the other women he'd dealt with.
It was such a nice day out. The birds were chirping and nesting in the rundown warehouse, and so far the ceremony was going off without a hitch. While he would never openly admit it to anybody within their little gathering, he wasn't particularly a fan of actually witnessing the actual rituals. Of course it was still all for the greater good. Those higher evolutionary beings had to understand that in order for all of mankind to proceed a few weaker lambs would have to be offered up.
He remembered the first time he had transcended. It was such an exhilaration and eye opening experience. He remembered how his body had changed, how small thorny spikes had suddenly sprouted from fore arms while a pair of insect like wings had sprouted from his back. He couldn't wait to ascend again, to become a higher evolutionary once more. He listened to the chants from inside the building and hummed along with them, though the sudden explosion form the abandoned repair shop broke his concentration.
Grey smoke billowed from the hole that had been blown into the hangar bay like doors of the shop. He wondered what had caused such an explosion. Three other guards had left their posts to go investigate. While he was certain they could certainly handle whatever it was that caused the disturbance, he was curious none the less. He quickly jogged to catch up with the group, his left hand clutching the syringe that held the key to his transcending.
They all stood a few feet away from the hole, looks of awe and bewilderment were found on each of their faces. He wondered what would have caused such an explosion. Nobody was willing to enter the building to investigate. If none of them were eager to figure out what had happened, then he would have to show them how it was done. He'd certainly earn himself a few brownie points with the clerics for this.
He took a few steps forward and placed his hand on the jagged edge of the ruptured door. It was still quite warm from the blast. He continued to wonder what had caused the ruckus. He looked through the opening into the dim and unlit building. No wait, it was lit. There was a neon green light shone from behind a parked forklift. That was certainly odd, but what made it stranger was that the green light was now hurtling towards him.
It looked like a wrench.
The wrench struck the guard in the sternum before exploding in a bright green blast. Where once was a person, there was now only what could have been described as hamburger helper with marinara sauce. Heavier objects made for far superior tools of destruction.
Jirou quickly jumped from his cover behind the forklift and hurled the last wrench in his possession out of the hole where it struck the ground, taking out one more guard, and severely disorienting the other two. With a quick series of strikes and blows, Jirou shattered knees and crushed windpipes, effectively neutralizing his opponents.
Now that the coast was clear, he hurried to get to Aura and provide her back up. He only hoped he wasn't too late to the party.
Well that was certainly a peculiar offer, though it still didn't address the issue of actually removing the package from Sloth's powerful grip. It was still better than him not showing up at all. Perhaps when they got there they could figure out a way of getting the boa constrictor to let go.
"Well, I suppose I don't really have an option now do I? We've still got to find a way to make him let go though." he reached down and grabbed the mythology book off of the sidewalk, carefully dusting it off and inspecting the hard bound cover to make sure it wasn't scratched too bad. He handed the book back to her and smiled. She was being very generous. He'd definitely have to repay the favor somehow.
Jirou looked around to get his bearings once again. Their mad dash away from the angry mob had taken them a couple blocks out of the way, though he was certain they would be able to make it in time.
"Follow me. We still have plenty of time to get there, so I guess there is no need to rush." he laced his fingers behind his head and stretched his back as they walked. How the heck do you get a boa to let go of something...?
"If you don't mind me asking, what is with the book?'
Aura's plan was a solid one, though he was hesitant to split up. He was certain she would be more than capable of handling herself, though in close quarters Jirou was certain his abilities would be severely hampered. He wasn't a slouch when it came to handling himself in a fist fight, he just wasn't keen on going up against a slew of M driven humans.
He parked the car in an alleyway nearby where it would be easy to access in the event they would need to escape quickly, which was a more of a certainty rather than a possibility. He just hoped he would have enough room for them all.
Following Aura to the crumbling wall, he paid close attention to the look outs and the guards. Most were armed with baseball bats and a hand gun here and there. Ultimately entering the building would be the easy part. The hard part would be getting the hostages out of there in one piece.
"Alright, I'll set off a distraction over there." Jirou pointed to a nearby repair shop that would have been used by the onsite mechanics to repair machinery and forklifts. "Once you hear it, wait for the guards to investigate. These guys are amateurs and they look pretty skittish, so they're bound to all go investigate. From there I'll keep them occupied while you enter the building and search for the hostages. Once I'm done out here, I'll make my way inside and rendezvous with you. You'll probably be more effective in close quarters environments than I will, I'm sure you'll be able to handle yourself until I reach you. I won't be long." he said that last sentence with pure certainty. Jirou may have been the ultimate opportunist, but when the survival of hostages dictated his pay he couldn't afford to take chances in. Time was a luxury they didn't have.
"Let's go."
Jirou quickly made his way around the wall's perimeter to the maintenance building. Before hopping over the wall, he was sure to check to around him to see if there was anybody watching. The element of surprise was key here. If he couldn't get the drop on them, then that element would be gone, and the hostages would be the ones paying the price.
Climbing over the wall, the agile mercenary made his way inside the rundown mechanic bay. It was dusty, and the hangar like door was partially ajar and open to the weather. There were a variety of old, rusted, and outdated tools hanging from the walls and sitting on work benches. He surveyed his options before settling on a large metal pipe wrench. That would certainly make for a large boom. He grasped the red and black wrench in his hands and began charging it. He hoped this would give Aura plenty of opportunity to enter the facility.
With a grunt and a swing, he hurled the wrench as hard as he could towards the hangar door of the shop and ducked behind an old broken down forklift. The wrench made a solid collision with the door and exploded with a violent green flash. A large six foot by six foot hole appeared in the sheet metal door, while smoke billowed out from it. Jirou reached for two smaller wrenches on another nearby bench and began to charge those as well.
The second those guards came through that hole, he'd blow them apart.
He hadn't anticipated Brittany's move to escape from Noel's hold, nor had he anticipated her attempting to shoot his partner in the head. His mind raced as he tried to formulate a plan of action. He quickly brought his weapon to bare on Robert instead of Frank. Frank wasn't going anywhere, and right now Robert and Brittany were the biggest threats in the room.
Noel's warning about Brittany did not go unnoticed. The small scorpion that landed on his forearm was evidence enough that somebody was a mutant here. He instinctively flailed his arm, sending the scorpion across the room, landing behind the desk next to Frank who immediately jumped up and out of the seat and over the top of the desk. He must have really hated bugs.
Jirou brought the weapon back to Robert. "It's going to take more than a little bug to take me out, lady." a smirk briefly flashed across his face.
"Little bug?" there was a hint of danger in her voice as she said it. Something more ominous.
From behind the desk Jirou could hear the sound of something clicking, cracking, and even popping. It was coming from where he had tossed the scorpion from seconds before. Jirou glanced between Brittany and the sounds. There was something more to her powers than just simple bug control.
"Umm... Noel... Are you sure that was all she could do?" as if to answer him, the tell tale stinger of a scorpion appeared over the top of the desk. "Never mind. I think I just got my answer." out from behind the desk reappeared the scorpion from before, except this time it was about the size of a doberman.
Jirou pointed the .45 at the insect and squeezed off a couple of rounds. The scorpion briefly recoiled while its hard chitinous armor deflected the rounds with relative ease, though a few ended up lodging themselves within the creatures exoskeleton.
"Of course you are..." he said in response to the now bullet proof scorpion. He spat and cursed at the sudden development. He tossed the pistol to Noel to use on the two lovers. He reached within his jacket pockets and removed several cards with each hand. He'd done a decent job of keeping his trump card hidden until now, but it could no longer be helped. He immediately charged the cards in his hands.
"This is going to be loud." in defiance the mutated scorpion snapped it's large pincers and twitched it's tail. Jirou quickly launched a card from his right hand which struck the bug's carapace. Erupting in green flash and roaring explosion, the scorpion again recoiled. The cards, much like the pistol, did little to damage the insect's tough armor.
She was all business, which was a very welcome change of pace when compared to some of the women he had dealt with in the past. Especially that Turkish woman. She had scared the hell out of him. This Aura woman on the other hand was quite different. She was had a plan of action, and best of all it was fairly simple. Jirou liked simple plans. It meant there was less that could go wrong.
"Well that plan certainly sounds good enough for me, though I think I should be the one handling the distraction." He reached into his jacket pocket as he drove, fishing out a single playing card from one of several decks he had on his person. With his eyes still focused on the road, he began to charge the card's molecular structure, resulting in a neon green glow beginning to surround it.
"Watch closely."
With a practiced flick of the wrist, Jirou sent the card sailing out of the vehicle and onto a parked car's windshield. As soon as the card grazed the glass of the window it exploded like a hand grenade with a loud BANG and a bright green flash. Jirou hated having to reveal his abilities to people he barely knew, but if Aura was willing to trust him, it was only logical he do the same. He hammered down on the accelerator as he sped the Omega away from his little scene.
"Of course, my ability extends to more than just playing cards. Rocks, pens, keyboards, tools. As long as I can get my hands on it, I can detonate it." he paused to glance over at Aura before continuing "The bigger the object, the bigger the boom, basically."
His brow furrowed though as the subject of M came up. He didn't know much about the drug, but he understood the basic idea behind it. Human's artificially gaining mutant abilities was not a good thing. He had worked several jobs in the resent past involving that accursed poison. They seldom went well. There were few things more dangerous to mutants than regular human beings, but human's strung out on on drugs with uncontrollable powers was definitely worse.
The fact that they were dealing with a cult that was hooked on M made things even worse.
