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.
Well, Drew was not helpful at all. The newcomer only smirked at Shade, like he knew something that the shadow mutant did not. Shade really wanted to slice that smirk into a bloody grin. Then they would see who would be smirking. Of course, Cold Steel's response was to drop the temperature down to make Shade uncomfortable. However, the prisoner gritted his teeth against it this time and refused to show that it was affecting him, even if his skin was reddened from the chill. Shade gave Cold Steel a deadly glare.
"Fine, whatever. Okay, Drew..." Shade said, shifting his attention to Cold Steel's assistant. "You ready to witness this little show. I promise to not to betray Sam Johnson or the X-men."
Shade spoke the words, sealing the first promise. A link of black chain appeared around his left wrist in the form of a tattoo. The shadow mutant did not even notice it as he was reading with his right. A little voice in his head (His conscience? Shade thought he did not have a conscience) told him that he should not be thinking about ways to betray the X-men, but Shade pushed the idea from his head.
Of course, that was the first thing I am going to do. He thought to himself. He looked at the paper, but the words had blurred. That was weird. Shade tried to blink it away, but there was suddenly a pain in his chest. It felt like someone had stabbed a burning blade directly into his heart. Shade clutched at it instinctively, but there was nothing there, only the burning. He slopped over in pain as he tried to yell, but he had no breath. He did not understand. Then he understood. He was dying. Why was he dying? His eyes searched for answers, but there was nothing to see.
Then that little voice returned, telling him not to betray the X-men. Shade wanted to push it away, but he couldn't. Something inside him told Shade that it was his last hope. He would not betray the X-men, Shade told the voice. He would not betray Sam. And the worst part was he believed it! He believed it with all his heart. Then there was no pain. It just vanished. Shade gasped for breath as if it was his first. He rolled onto his back in exhaustion as the rush of adrenaline ran its course.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Shade asked, his voice hoarse.
Shade moved like a shadow in the night and where we went death followed. The room was filled with screams and gunshots. The shadow mutant may have been invisible, but he was still solid. A lucky bullet torn through his arm, but he never even felt it. He was having too much fun. Life had turned into a deadly dance of murder as he ripped apart the humans before him. It did not take long for them to discover that Shade had become invincible. The guards that could still run, sprinted from the compound to escape from Shade. The shadow of death smirked to himself as the guards footsteps disappeared into the night. They thought they would be safe out there. They were wrong.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Shade stopped as he heard someone pound against a metal door. In his blood lust, the shadow mutant almost ignored the sound. Bang! Bang! Bang! He growled at the interruption in his killing, but if anything sounded like a trapped girl in this compound, that was it. In an instant, he was at the source of the banging. But it had stopped. Something was wrong. Shade felt into the darkness. The shapes of people loomed, and there was a light inside. Shade hated lights. He "jumped" behind the light. It was a flashlight on the floor. The flashlight slowly rolled across the floor until Shade stopped it with his foot. Standing before him in the light, there was a weird, looking man, dragging Xavia across the floor.
"Move and you are dead." Shade's bodiless voice spoke through the darkness.
Why did Shade always get himself into these situations? All he was supposed to do was protect this local pop star from overaggressive fans, but now, he was running through a huge greenhouse looking for his boss because she had been kidnapped by some crazy dude. Oh, and somebody was shooting at him! Well, actually it was more than someone. More like several someones. He really had to find a better line of work, one that was not so dangerous all the time.
After sneaking around the greenhouse for some time, trying to find Xavia, Shade had ran into a large number of guards with automatic weapons. Why was it always machine guns? Why couldn't it be BB guns or something less lethal? Currently, he was dodging bullets through the undergrowth, trying to find a spot dark enough to hide. Luckily, the thick vegetation made it nearly impossible to find Shade to shoot him. However, the guards were beginning to get smart and circle around the shadow mutant. Shade had barely managed to kill two of them before they shot him.
Another hail of bullets sent Shade diving into cover. They were getting closer, and Shade was running out of hiding places. He slid up against the wall of greenhouse even as he heard the boots of his pursuers behind him. This was bad. Shade was trapped, and he knew it. He needed darkness, and he needed it now. Searching something to help, Shade spied a cable running along the wall. Hell, it was worth a try. Aiming a night blade at the cable, the shadow mutant whistled a dagger into the cable. The lights wavered for a moment but stayed on. Shade quickly threw another blade into the cable. The lights wavered again bur remained on.
"Freeze!" Shade heard behind him. He raised his hands and slowly turned to face the voice. Suddenly, the lights flicked off, and everything was covered in darkness. This would make things a lot easily. Shade smiled to himself as he disappeared in the darkness and turned into Death.
The new arrival was a tall, skinny lad a few years younger than Shade. He did not appear much of a threat. The shadow mutant had to wonder why Cold Steel had insisted on his assistant. What made him so special that he had to say these promises in front of him? Couldn't he just hold up his right hand and swear over a Bible or something? Wasn't that how the good guys did this stuff? A person's word was all the trust they needed, right? The simple fact that the newcomer referred to Shade as if he could not hear him only increased Shade's yearning to slice his throat open. He made a face at Drew that perfectly described his own feelings about being stuck down here.
Luckily, Shade turned his attention to Cold Steel as the ice mutant tossed a mobile phone at him. He managed to catch it, although he wasn't entirely sure what he needed it for (Maybe play snake?). Not to mention it was a freaking Nokia! A Nokia!? What the hell? Were the X-men broke? Still bewildered with over the Nokia phone, Cold Steel made him a small piece of paper. Shade read over the sheet quickly.
"What the heck is this crap?" Shade asked, gesturing to the items he had just been handed. "I promise not to betray Sam Johnson or the X-Men. I promise not to speak about anything pertaining- IS this your secret code or something before you become an X-men?"
Looking over the details on the sheet of paper, Shade could see things that were certainly not going to be fun to adhere to, like "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". That would definitely be a pain to remember. Maybe, Shade could just fake like he was sleeping all the time. Also, "I promise to be Sam Johnson's shadow and will protect him from all harm". What the hell did that mean?
The small voice in the back of Shade's mind was trying to warn him that things might not be as simple as they appeared, but the shadow mutant's tiny conscience was drowned out by Shade's overwhelming urge to get out of his tiny jail cell. But in order to sooth his conscience, Shade only had to tell himself that it was not like he ever honored his words. Hell, he was breaking an oath with the Order, just by agreeing to Cold Steel's terms that he was not suppose to break. If Cold Steel needed his secretary down here for the final say so, Shade was not going to fight it. He just wanted out of the cage.
"Fine, sure. Call whoever. Let's us get this over with already." Shade said. He was tired of being pushed around by the ice mutant. When Shade finally made it to a shadow, it would balance the odds more. Presently, Shade was like a fish out of water. All he could do was slowly die.
There was no way that the X-men could have infiltrated the Order. The Sanctuary was a free place for all mutants, but to get someone inside the Order, a mutant had to be ruthless. No X-men would willing do that. Shade was certain of that. Or was he? A year was a long time to wait. Heck, that massive Roach had risen to power almost over night. An X-men insider was not too far of a stretch. Luckily, Cold Steel did not dwell on it for long, and Shade had an answer for his next question.
>>”You’ve been gone a long time from them, Shade. What makes you think they’ll take you back?”
"I've been gone longer before." Shade said instantly. "They will be happy that I have returned."
At least, he hoped they would. He might be in trouble if they learned about Shade had almost killed Kaitlyn. Of course, Shade had more pressing issues to worry about at the moment, as Cold Steel brought a blade towards to throat. The shadow mutant moved back instinctively, but the blade followed, stopping only inches away. Shade knew it was only a show. The X-men would never kill him. He was only establishing his dominance, like the Alpha male in a wolf pack, but it did not stop Shade from feeling inadequate and entirely useless. He did not breath until Cold Steel dropped the knife into snow.
Cold Steel wanted Shade to leave his old life behind. That was fine. Shade had left it behind him when he started this journey. And being a shadow was fine by Shade. He actually preferred it that way. Most people felt weird talking to an invisible person though.
"I got it. I'll be a shadow. You won't have to worry about that." And he would agree to whatever promise he needed to. At this point, he would agree to almost anything to get himself out of this cage.
Desperate. That was the best way to describe Shade situation. He had been desperate for recognition. He had been desperate for gratitude. He had been desperate for attention and power. But now? Now, he was only desperate to get out of this stupid cell. He wanted a shadow. He wanted to be invisible. He wanted a means of escape so he could hide from the world. Shade could never handle the spotlight, even though he craved it so. He was meant to be the unseen threat. He did not just want a shadow. He needed a shadow to survive.
"Look..." Shade said, licking his chapped lips. The shadow mutant was beginning to get nervous. What if Cold Steel did not take his offer? How long would he be stuck in this damned cell? The thought made Shade glance uncomfortable at the exit to his prison cell and the long awaiting safety of a shadow. Escape was so close, yet so far away. "...any mutant could certainly inflitrate them...but I'm already in. And I'm in deep. New recruits would have to be tested. They would have to prove themselves. I have already done so. Who would suspect me? I'm just a loyal foot soldier."
Shade was spilling his guts. He was supposed to be reserved, protecting his own interests. But that was before the year of solitude. That was before he was slowly dying from malnutrition. That was before he was going slightly insane. To know that he would be stuck in here forever would break him. It would shatter his mind. But he had to focus. He had to show Cold Steel that he was the only one that accomplish this mission. He would do whatever was necessary.
"You know I'm good. I infiltrated the mansion's security system twice. I can get in and out faster than any other mutant. You can't find me unless I let you. And I'm the perfect killer." Shade continued. He was the best (no, the perfect) mutant for the job. Cold Steel had to see that.
The frozen demon made Shade shiver for a moment after he literally begged Cold Steel to raise the temperature. It took another couple of seconds for Shade's blood to start moving again. After he stopped shivering, the shadow mutant shot the X-men a lethal gaze. However, the cocky idiot probably did not see it because of his boasting, and for the fact that Shade's head was down. Shade flexed his thawing hands, willing a blade to materialize in his palm. His brightly lighted cell had other plans though. It was probably for the best, but Shade was seriously rethinking his plan, presently. Rash decisions would only leave him locked in the cell until he died. He forced himself to smile as he refocused on persuading Cold Steel to release him. Shade had to show that he was a good boy.
"Thank you." Shade replied to the increase in temperature. "Believe it or not, I did not intent to hurt that girl. That knife was suppose to be for Silver Streak, but I missed."
Shade thought it best to clear up that misfortune incident. He did not entirely care if Cold Steel believed him or not, but it was best to get everything on the table. The Order not being on the top of Cold Steel's list did come as a shock to the shadow mutant. Maybe Shade thought too highly of the Order.
"As for why you need me... Shade licked his lips as he paused, searching for the answer. It had been so clear a year ago when he had conceived this plan, but now everything seemed hidden in a fog, and someone was shouting the wrong directions to Shade trapped in it. Ah, there was it.
"Well, I mean, you have to be pretty dumb or incredibly smart to betray the Order, right? Not many people are that stupid. Obviously, they would not be the brains of the operation for sure..." Shade replied before grabbing himself a slice of now cold pizza. He took a bite and chewed slowly, trying not to smile. He did not want to appear cocky. Shade could not forget that he was the prisoner.
"Actually, I don't think anyone is that stupid...except for me." Shade said. He did not say what he really wanted to say. Cold Steel had never had an offer like this before. Nobody was willing to spy on the Order. Shade was one of a kind, the only one. In other words, if Cold Steel wanted to stop the Order, he needed Shade.
(OOC: So I tried my best not to go overboard but still get my point across. I know I did not really "impress" Cold Steel, but I wanted to give you a chance to reply to this. I will try to get to the other questions in my next reply.)
Yes, it was a stupid question, but the little girl did not have to act like Shade was completely incompetent. However, he did learn much about everything that went on below the school. It was filled with places that Shade needed to check out while Cold Steel believed that Shade was on the X-men's side. Planning rooms, prison cells, and am actually jet were just some of things below Shade's feet. The redheaded girl had been collecting a lot of useful information while being stuck in the mansion. Obviously, he was again not recognizing the child before him as a real Order spy who had been sent here to do a real job. He was expecting Kaitlyn to be more into dolls and tea parties, not sabotage and surveillance.
"Well, I am glad that you know so much about this place." Shade said. He chose to keep his usual tone, but a slight hint of annoyance slipped in because of his anger. "I see you have been doing a lot of snooping...Yes, I can get into the lower level. Technically, I am only allowed in certain areas (OOC: do not know exactly, I have to get with CS on this), but I could probably get into any other location that I need -Shh, did you hear that?"
There was the sound of a door opening in the hallway in the quiet darkness. Instantly, Shade disappeared as he moved out of the bathroom light. He could not be caught in this room. It would destroy his already soiled reputation with Cold Steel. The ice mutant was sure to lock him back up in the bright cell. Shade would rather die than go back there. Shade froze as he listened for anything in the hall.
Shade nodded at Kaitlyn's answer. He guessed that was what he should have expected from working with a child. If something went wrong, they would run and tell the nearest adult. Shade had counted on Kaitlyn's guilt over the mission's failure to keep her quiet. Although he had to admit, a year of waiting was a long time for the guilt to build up, forcing her to tell someone. He could not fault Kaitlyn for running back to Lenna. He would have to just be more careful. Trusting Kaitlyn might not have been the best idea, especially with what Cold Steel had told him.
The redhead's next question was certainly an odd one, and she seemed so eager for Shade's answer, almost bouncing on her heels, waiting for his response. What was this little girl planning? Was she honestly thinking about sneaking down there by herself? Or was she planning on Shade taking her down there with him?
"Get into the basement level? What would I want down there?" Shade said, answering her question with a question. He decided to play stupid for the moment. Kaitlyn had a lot more time exploring the mansion and befriending the guests around here. Maybe her eagerness would cause her to reveal things about this place that Shade needed to know. The old saying could be true here: give your enemies enough rope, and they will hang themselves. And from this point on, Shade could not be certain he could tell the difference between his enemies and his friends.
Kaitlyn hesitated. Hesitating was not good. Hesitating was bad. It always was bad. Then she revealed that she told Lenna. Why out of all the people in the Sanctuary did it have to be Lenna? That vile Adapted should not even be at the Sanctuary, but she was turning into a giant aura of ability cancelling hell for Shade. Luckily, he had taken necessary precautions to ensure that he was not entirely defenseless. The large, serrated blade slid down his back ensured that he had at least one weapon at all times.
"Well...that's alright." Shade said gently to ensure her that everything was alright. "What all did you tell her about that?"
Don't you see?" Shade asked with enthusiasm. With the only the bathroom as a source of light, only half of Shade's face was visible, but it spread into a pale grin as he spoke. "Cold Steel wants me to spy on the Order for him, but in return, he has just given me the perfect cover to spy on the X-men."
The idea was simple enough. The X-men thought Shade was feeding them information from the Order; the Order thought he was feeding them information about the X-men. Shade was the puppet master in the middle. Each organization would need to rely on the shadow mutant to pass the necessary information they needed from each other, and they would have to get it from Shade. Of course, both of the parties would think that the shadow mutant was working for them. Maybe he was working for the Order, maybe he was working for the X-men, or maybe he was working for himself. Speaking of necessary information, Shade still needed some information from Kaitlyn.
"Kaitlyn, did you happen to tell anyone at the Sanctuary that I stabbed you...or had been captured?" Shade asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Maybe Shade did not give Kaitlyn's deductive reasoning the credit that it was due. At least, that is what Shade thought to himself as the little pre-teen quickly saw through the gaps in his lie. He needed to come up woth something quick. The good news though was that she believed him when he apologised to her. Somehow, Kaitlyn had managed to distinguish the one truth in Shade's words. Hastily, the shadow mutant threw together a story of his escape.
"The X-men actually kept me here, below the mansion...I don't think they wanted to trust me in a real prison. The Order would just break in and save me." Shade explained, trying to bide time. He was out of ideas though and did not want to be caught in another lie. "Well...I used Cold Steel. He came to see me. He thought he could bully me into betraying the Order. The idiot!"
Was it getting colder in here or was Shade halucinating? He placed his beer down as a shiver ran down Shade's spine as Coild Steel spoke, and it was not just from the temperature. The ice mutant was slowly destroying Shade's plan with every word he spoke. The skinny shadow drew his arms in around as the temperature dropped more. He was not halucinating. It was getting closer in here, very cold. Silver Streak may have been the X-men to capture the shadow, but only because Shade wanted to get caught. But Cold Steel had Shade cornered, and Shade hated feeling cornered. The shadow mutant tried to get a word in, but the X-men was ranting. And it was getting so cold in the cell that Shade could not concentrate.
"For God's sake, Cold Steel! It's freezing in here." Shade said, his breath fogging in front of him. He was shivering from the chill, and his teeth were chattering. If he could think properly, Shade might have shot back some witty response to Cold Steel's questions, but presently, he was just too cold. The bottle that Shade had dropped earlier had frosted over.
(OOC: Cold Steel, I know it is not much of a post, but I did not want to god-mode.)
