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.
While Shade's throat was on fire, his skin was crawling. He wanted nothing more than to run into a shadow and disappear, but he had to stand his ground. Otherwise, Syn would know for sure that something was wrong. Shade did not like the way that Syn was calming examining the War Room table. To Shade, it looked like she was thinking of a great place to remove Shade's intestines. However, he felt relief when she spoke about the police. Actually, he felt more than relief. He felt pleasure. Why had he been scared of Syn's presence earlier? In fact, he wanted nothing more than to stay in here with the Dark Queen.
However, she then switched to the topic of the X-men again. Shade knew he was busted. Suddenly, there were two voices in his head, fighting for dominance. Shade wanted nothing more than to please Syn. He wanted to give her everything on the X-men. But his damned conscience flared inside him. It promised death to him if he spoke a word. Spoke a word! That is what Shade had promised. The thought struck him like a lightning bolt. He could not speak about the X-men, but he had never promised that he could not write anything. Shade just had to make sure that he was not "betraying" them in anyway. A genuine smile replaced the fake one that had been forced on his face. He was safe, for now, and he had his answer.
"Ah Syn, you caught me." Shade said, leaning towards her. Why had he wanted to kill her before? Now, all he wanted was to please her. "You see, I have been working on a little something, but it is not exactly finished yet. Give me a little time, and I will bring it to you. I promise that it will have all the information you require."
He kept it vague. Shade was walking a knife edge after all. He only hoped that it would satisfy Syn for now.
(OOC: Wow! Sorry, I kinda completely forgot about MRO for a few months.)
After Cold Steel camouflaged the X-jet, he led Shade through the snowy wasteland. Cold Steel had not been lying about being easy to get lost. To Shade, their surroundings looked incredibly barren. If it was a team versus Cold Steel and him, they could easily take them with their numbers. However, Shade watched as the landscape changed before his eyes. Snow hardened into ice which formed into dangerous weapons and massive figurines. Towering pillars formed, throwing shadows across the early morning sunlight. Shade's own sixth sense picked up the added darkness. They continued along the path until Cold Steel opened a path before them.
Cold Steel's fortress turned out to be a base made from solid ice. Of course, Shade should not have been surprised. Instead, he would just be cold. Shade sighed at the thought of staying in something made from ice. His breath fogged in front of him, adding insult to injury. Luckily, there were no artificial lights down here so Shade could feel his way through the darkness easily. If someone wanted to fight them here, the shadow mutant almost felt sorry for them. They would have a very tough time fighting Cold Steel and himself in their respected environments.
"Too bad we can't start a fire." Shade said with a smirk. He hoped Cold Steel's enemies were fast approaching. Shade was starting to feel anxious. Following Cold Steel down the frozen hallway, Shade added the backpack that he had brought to the pile of supplies already present.
They had a teleporter? That was a surprise to Shade. His cocky grin turned into a scowl. Cold Steel's concern leaked down to the shadow mutant. He had never fought against another jumper. His abilities had always gave them the edge over his opponents, because he never had to watch his back. Shade could get out of any situation. But if their enemies had a teleporter too...a shiver ran down the shadow's back. He was beginning to not like this mission already.
Their surroundings became visible through the windows as Cold Steel landed the jet. His disgruntled mood turned even more sour. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. Snow covered everything. Shade hated the snow. It was incredibly hard to fight in, and it turned his camouflage against him. Shade only hoped it gave Cold Steel enough of an edge to compensate for Shade's problems in it.
Following Cold Steel's lead, Shade unbuckled himself and grabbed the survival gear from the back. Cold Steel had been smart enough to grab a white jacket for him. It would help him blend into the snow. Shade placed it on before throwing his dark overcoat on. If the fight should take place after sunrise, Shade would at least have some camouflage. Carrying their pack of supplies, the shadow returned to the front of the aircraft to follow Cold Steel to their hideout.
"Lead the way, ol' fearless leader." Shade joked, adjusting the pack slightly.
Shade gulped. He didn't want to report their standings. He didn't even want to think about speaking of X-men deeds. The thought scared him. He could already feel the blade of fire piercing his fleeting heart. He should have had something ready, something prepared with Cold Steel. Shade had known that this day was going to happen. Why had he not prepared something? He searched for answers with his eyes, his hood fluttering ever so slightly. He had to say something, anything.
"Well..." Shade said, pausing as if for dramatic effect. Instead, he was scrambling for words. He drew his hand to chin and flashed a grin at Syn to hide his weakness. "Police presence have been almost non-existent, since the Order has been quiet. I guess they feel they are no longer needed around here. However, I did run into some humans trying to sneak into the Sanctuary the other day. They might have been working with the cops, but I doubt that. Either way, they will not be bothering us again. As for the little X-ies-"
A flare of pain shot through his chest. The very thought of speaking about it nearly drove his conscience to kill him. Shade froze, his face struggling to maintain its composure. A bead of sweat drizzled down his forehead, hopefully unseen in the shadowy light of the room.
"-I can't say that I've heard too much from them." Shade finished with a smile. He wanted to cough. He wanted to groan. He wanted to do anything to release the after burn residing in his throat, but he knew Syn had a watchful eye. He didn't dare to reveal too much.
Shade was glad that Cold Steel liked his little joke. Although he did not know the exact capabilities of the ice mutants abilities, the shadow walker knew more than he was letting on. It was easier to keep everyone in the dark that way. Shade had seen his file in the mansion during one of his trips inside. However, he doubted that information would be much help know. It was extremely dated intel at best. Also, Cold Steel appeared a lot different than the scared teenager that Shade had run into in the alley.
The order to kill was a nice surprise. Shade cracked a smile at the thought. He longed for blood to run through his hands again even if it was not Cold Steel's. As Cold Steel explained the mission, Shade could not help but notice his snide little comments that the ice manipulator kept throwing his way. However, Shade was getting used to them. He could only assume that this was what servants felt like everyday. So, Shade tolerated them, for now.
"Doesn't sound like too much of a problem. They don't know that I'm with you. right? So you get to be the bait, and I get to slit their throats?" Shade said, half sarcastically. He removed his combat knife from the sheath on his back. He fiddled with the blade, ensuring it was still razor sharp.
"Is there any other objective, or are we just killing everyone?" He finished, offhandedly.
Silence. Okay, Shade could live with that. He was surprised that Cold Steel was not giving him some of his usual annoying banter, but Shade could deal with silence. He leaned back into a chair behind the pilot seats as the plane began to ascend, better to keep this eyes on Cold Steel. He removed his usual hood for the long journey, revealing his pale complexion and white washed hair. It was not longer the wispy mess when the shadow had been trapped in his box of light. It had regrown stronger, but the white remained. In addition, his cheeks still retrained their sunken appearance, although he had regain most of the weight he had lost.
Shade watched the GPS as they continued north. They were going to Canada? However, the shadow did not say anything as they flew, but he wondered what the hell could be out here. Cold Steel seemed more tense than their usual missions. Why was he acting so different? Was he frightened of something, or someone? Maybe, this is an actual threat. Shade thought.
- ”There are some jackets in the back.”
Great. That meant they were going somewhere cold. Shade hated the cold. Of course, Cold Steel wouldn't be bothered by this freezing weather. Shade sighed as he ducked into the back to grab the supplies. He returned with bags before sliding the thermals on. Luckily, his overcoat was baggy so it easily fit over the extra layers.
- ”How familiar are you with my abilities?”
"You make stuff cold. What is there to be familiar with?" Shade snapped. The lack of information and anticipation of freezing to death was making the shadow irritated. He shrugged at the mercenary question. He was familiar with the ones that paid the most. What the hell did mercenaries that to do with this?
- "They’re bad enough for me to need a shadow and no one else.”
"So does that mean I get to kill them?" Shade asked, a smirk forming on his face. It had been ages since he had last gotten to kill someone.
The world was shrouded in darkness. The fading lights of the evening sun had vanished hours ago, but to Shade, the world had come alive. His shadow sense awoke every night, revealing every secret that took place in the dark. The night was Shade's playground and his sanctuary. The shadow assassin was only beginning when his new "friend" called him for his help. There was no small talk; (Hey Shade, how are you? Would you meet up with me kindly?) it was straight to business. Shade only had time to jump back to his room. He knew that any word from Cold Steel would mean they were going to be getting in trouble. Shade slipped into his overcoat before 'porting across town (with a few stops in between). Cold Steel let him know to meet him in the hangar. With Cold Steel's help, they had mapped a route for Shade to take to avoid any young Mansonites. The X-Jet was only beginning to warm up when he stepped out of a shadow in the cockpit.
"You rang?" Shade said in an annoyed tone. He hated being at Cold Steel's beck and call.
Shade felt like the Genie from Aladdin. Poof! What do you want? Poof! What do you want? Poof! What do you want? He was a murderous assassin, not some lowly butler. Shade hung back from the ice mutant. Although they had been on a few missions before this, he still had a hard time not wanting to slip a knife in his back, to help alleviate Cold Steel's back pain, of course. Shade quickly told his conscience as it drove a hot blade through his heart. The pain reminded him of his other marching orders.
"And Syn has returned to the Sanctuary, if you haven't heard yet. Not much happening besides that."
That Adapted! Lenna! If Shade could kill someone, he wished it would be her, but at last, the shadow assassin was without his greatest weapon. The mention of her did sent a scowl across his mouth. The mere memory of her nullification field brought a bitter taste to his mouth. It made him want to spit.
No, I don't think so. And hopefully, she is dead." Shade replied, if only they could be that lucky. Maybe they should arrange for her death, if ever that blonde abomination showed her face in the Sanctuary, again. Adapted and mutants were not meant to be friends or colleagues. They were mortal enemies. They were meant to kill each other.
- “This current state of affairs simply will not do my dear shadow man. We must refurbish and recruit in order to remind people of who we are.”
While the dark queen was correct in that their present situation was unacceptable, Shade, always the optimist, believed that their current situation could be used to their advantage. The public was a quick forgetting creature. They had forgotten who used to rule the underworld of the city. Maybe, it was for the best that they had forgotten. If people thought that the Order was not longer a threat, why remind them?
"M'lady, I agree that things are not optimal. Perhaps it is better that we are out of the spot light. Being invisible gives us a lot more room to maneuver. More room than we have had since the Haywire incident."
- “What have you been doing during all of this?”
If the Lady Syn was trying to make Shade uncomfortable, she certainly asked the right question. Immediately, Shade's newly found conscience flared, warning him of all the wrong answers to her question. He shrugged away the feeling. It was not he couldn't lie, still.
"Watching from the shadows, as usual." Shade replied, cracking a half grin.
Syn heeded Shade's warning of listening ears in the Foyer and led them down to the bowels of the Sanctuary, places hidden beneath the mutant refuge that led its darkest secrets. Following the clunking of Syn's boot heels, Shade could not help but feel like a lowly crony, except now he was answering to two masters: the Order leadership and Cold Steel. At least, he was not having to take orders from that Adapted. She had miraculously disappeared. Shade hoped for good.
As they entered the War Room, Syn took her respected place as Shade secured the room. Once they were locked inside, the shadow mutant moved to join Syn. As he moved across the room, Shade's figure faded in and out, the dark room only lit by the soft glow of computer monitors. He took a seat near the dark mistress, only half of his body visible. Syn wanted to know everything. Shade suppressed a half-hearted laugh. He wished he could tell her everything, but he would kill himself before the second word left his lips. However, he could update her on the situation with the Sanctuary.
"The Order? It's nothing but a shell of its former self. Our members are scattered. I have seen Isabel still patrolling the halls every once in a while. Besides that..." Shade let his voice trail off. He didn't really have an answer for Lady Syn since the others had seemed to disappear.
"Without the heavy hand of the Order backing the Sanctuary, people forget that they need to fear us. Our reach reaches only a few blocks around the Sanctuary. Without sufficient backing, the Sanctuary is barely more than a home for the homeless now." The shadow mutant replied with a shrug. They could not keep up all the services without funding.
Their eyes met: the shadow walker and the seductive mistress. Shade's smile was not returned though. Instead, the dark queen left her face emotionless, leaving Shade without a hint of her true intentions. His suspension welled inside him. Was she suspect of him? Did she know of his hidden oath? How could she? Shade pushed the thought away, rising from his seat while maintaining his half-cocked grin.
- “Greetings Shade. How goes things?”
He frowned at her question. Gesturing around himself, Shade surveyed the Foyer. It was obvious that it had seen better days. The hall was a sad reflection of its past glory. Homeless mutants slept curled in rugged armchairs, their leather faded and torn. Over the previous year, dust and cobwebs had moved into the corners. The marble floor no longer held a shine. Shade was rather surprised a desperate mutant had not tried to steal the golden doors, yet. All in all, the entire hall was in desperate need of a restoration.
"It has been rough. The Ord-" Shade stopped himself. His gaze shifted to the homeless mutants sleeping around them. The Sanctuary had been attracting the worst off the streets, lately. And after all, how good was a spy if he let slip all his information?
"I'll just say that our resources have been scarce lately. If you wish to speak about the details, I think we should move to a more secure area. I managed to protect most of our private facilities. And, of course, your room has remained untouched." He said. The memory of Shade's last visit to the dark queen's quarters flared in his mind. It had kept the shadow theft from ever entering her threshold, again.
(OOC: I hope I am not overstepping things by assuming the Sanctuary is rather rundown. There has just been almost no activity on the Sanctuary boards in a tear. I will changes things if this does not jive well with others/ admins.)
Looking to get Shade back into the mix of things. The shadowy assassin is not nearly as deadly as he used to be which should provide some interesting new plot ideas for him.
If you would like to read up on how Shade is now new and improved, check out Trading Sides to see all of the restrictions placed on him by Cold Steel.
If you have any ideas for some threads, please hit me up.
Shade traced his chains of woe with his blade as he sat, disinterested in the foyer of the Sanctuary. The motion had become something of a bad habit. He frowned at the patterns. He wished he could rip the tattoos apart as easily as he used to rip out the throats of his victims. However, he could not. The five tattoos that wrapped around his left forearm were now his rules. They had been imposed on him by Cold Steel in exchange for his freedom from the Mansion's dungeons. Rules, that if now followed, would lead to his instant death.
"Thy shall not betray." Shade thought tracing the first chain. The technicalities of his rules were long and drawn out as Cold Steel had tried to cover all the loop holes. Shade had, instead, shortened them into commandments for memory purposes. The first rule forbid him to ever betray Cold Steel or the X-men. It was a simple rule, yet complex in action.
"Thy shall not spy." The second command forbid him to discuss any plans that he might overhear from the X-men.
"Thy shall not kill." The blade traced over a scar that torn through the third tattoo. The cut had been self-afflicted. In frustration, Shade had tried to obliterate the tattoo. The third commandment had destroyed his ability to murder. And what good was an assassin who could not kill?
"Thy shall reply." He grimaced as he traced the fourth command. It was the most annoying of Cold Steel's rules. All times of day, Shade had to report into Cold Steel. Also, he was supposed to report the actions of the Order. Luckily, the Order seemed to have gone underground so there had been relatively little news to report.
"Thy shall protect." The rule that bond Shade to Cold Steel. He was to be his shadow, his protector, his angel of death to strike against his foes when released. He was in every sense a slave to his word. He was trapped.
It was the sound of the golden doors opening that broke his trance. Shade expected another homeless, street mutant, begging for a slice of bread to enter. However, his eyes fell upon a more delicious target. Slightly stunned by her appearance, Shade's face curled into its natural, twisty grin; the blade in his hand disappeared into smoke. Even if he had to play a an X-man's pet, Shade could not help but feel joyful at the dark queen's return, even though his new nagging conscience informed him that he would have to inform Cold Steel about it.
"Shit." Shade said, simply. His body was going barely recovering from the shock that had been delivered to it. It did not help that he was skinnier than most anorexic models. He had no strength. He was running off of fumes and adrenaline. Shade rolled over and groaned as he straightened himself back up. His body was beginning to feel sore from the tension that he had experienced when he had almost died. Glancing at his left arm, Shade could see that there was a new tattoo wrapped around his wrist. Why did all his bad decisions have to involve tattoos?
"Let me see that damned sheet." Shade replied. He had dropped during his near death episode. Snatching it off the ground, the shadow mutant focused back on the page. For a moment, he almost felt like crying. Shade? Crying? But there was nothing else he could do. He was either trapped with these words written on the page in front, or he would be trapped in the light. With one glance around the cell, Shade knew which option he was choosing. The shadow mutant's moment of vulnerability disappeared as his eyes reset into stone. He cleared his thought as he refocused on the piece of paper.
"I promise not to speak about anything pertaining to the X-Men, their missions, members, training, and facilities without Sam Johnson's permission." Shade watched as another tattoo band wrapped around his wrist.
"I promise not to attack a member of the X-Men or a member of society without Sam Johnson's approval, unless attacked first." Heck, I got to be able to defeat myself."[/font] Shade commented, voicing his concern to Cold Steel. He need he was pushing his luck, but he had to look after number one after all. Even so, that single command felt like Cold Steel had just cut the legs out from the shadow. He was an enforcer, the silent blade in the night. What good was he if he could not attack people?
"I promise to check in with Sam Johnson every other hour unless sleeping and will keep him informed of the goings on in the Order, at least everything that they tell me.. They don't trust me with all their plans, you know." Again, Shade had to cover his own butt. There was no way he wanted to feel that close to death again.
"I promise to be Sam Johnson's shadow and will protect him from all harm. I promise to carry out any mission Sam Johnson gives me to his details. There! Am I feel to go now?" Shade completely. By now, he had several rings of tattoos wrapping around his left arm, so many that the shadow mutant did not even want to count them. They were chains holding him down.
Shade watched patiently as the evil doctor talked himself into trouble. The shadow mutant was going to 'jump' behind him and slice a dagger across that skinny neck of his, but Xavia reacted first. She bit him, kicked him, and stabbed him. The bad doctor stumbled over and collided into Shade. The frail doctor did not so much as phase Shade. He saw the look of confusion as the elderly man tried to figure out what he had hit. The look of bewilderment was almost as pleasurable to see as the look of pure hatred on Xavia's face. Shade smirked at the sight. But he had the doctor to deal with.
Shade drove a knee into the old man's stomach before shoving him in the direction of Xavia, back into the hated light. There he would meet his end, or at least Shade hoped. He wondered if the plant mutant had it in her to end someone's life. If not, Shade would finish the job for her, whether she wanted him to or not. This man desired to die, and Shade was Death incarnate.
