[PXFIRE] [SU/DS] PXFIRE Roleplay - A Game of Storms

[Neo Emolga]

The PXFIRE RP is a roleplay section that is part of the PXFIRE Forum event. For more details about the competition as a whole, you can find all those goodies right here! To join in this, you have to be in a PXFIRE team.

Note that this thread is for sign ups and discussion only. The actual role play will take place in another thread to make sure things aren't cramped together. But this is also the best spot to ask questions, get advice, resolve out of context role play conflicts, and stuff like that.


PXFIRE RP: A GAME OF STORMS

THERE IS A WORLD...

Throughout the universe, there are many prosperous, colorful, and lively worlds of peaceful Pokémon that live well and work well together in harmony.

Xia is not one of those worlds.

Like many others, Xia is a world where only Pokémon live and humans are the myths of fairytales like the stories humans tell of mermaids and centaurs. But unlike many other worlds of only Pokémon, Xia is ravaged, corrupted, and dirty. Throughout most of the world, cities are bathed in oppression and violence. Crime is culture and treachery is tradition. While Xia's technology is more advanced than most other Pokémon worlds and is somewhat similar in nature to what modern day humans have, it owes that to the loose and lax regulations regarding pollution, greed, and endless industrial creations. Most cities are bathed in dark smog while trashcan fires and flashing, imposing neon signs fill their streets with a hellish glow. Meanwhile, massive motorized vehicles stampede their way through the streets, adding to the noise and smog that surround these dark cities.

Upon Xia, there is a small, southwestern continent named Liao. And it is here where a new development is arising.

For fifteen years, the Black Lotus Empire has ruled throughout the hot, arid continent, but it shares its dark and ravaging culture with the rest of the world. Under the rule of Queen Taiya the Lilligant, Black Lotus has shown no compassion for the weak or the poor. Taiya's elite officers, known as the Onyx Circle, serve Taiya and the Black Lotus cause as commanding officers, legionnaires, and centurions. Some of them are infamous for their strength, cruelty, and cunning while others remain in the shadows as only rumors and enigmas. Despite her protection and sworn bodyguards, Taiya is quite a lethal fighter herself, having killed four assassins all on her own and taunts her opposition to send her a fifth to provide her with more entertainment.

Rebellion groups that have opposed Queen Taiya's rule have only met crippling defeat so far. Meanwhile, there is word that Black Lotus hides a powerful secret that explains why their troops and forces seem stronger than other Pokémon. It wasn't until recently that the name "Ante" had surfaced from the shadows, but for now, the name is all that outsiders seem to know about this mysterious force of power.

A FESTIVAL OF BLOODSHED

Today marks the beginning and opening of the fiftieth annual Tempest Festival, a violent tradition of blood sports and mortality games that leave many of their participants dead or crippled for life just for the chance of power, fame, and extreme wealth. These globally-televised events capture the attention of millions of sadistic Pokémon craving these destructive death games. As the 50th anniversary of these hellish games, the next month of events and games promise to be deadlier, bloodier, and more destructive than ever before to celebrate this dark anniversary. Black Lotus has their own highly-trained and prepared team of battle-hardened Pokémon more than ready to slaughter every last adversary Pokémon in every competition. The mass grave pits are already prepared and are simply waiting to be filled while the betting machines are at the ready, just itching for greed and lavish desires to seize the impulses of many gambling Pokémon.

Meanwhile, their competition, like many years before, consists of captured innocents, insurgents, rebels, resistance soldiers, and anyone brave or foolish enough to put their life on the line to challenge Black Lotus at their own blood games. But like a flame battered by Black Lotus's hurricane of violence and madness, their hope of winning is pale, though still possible. Like gold dangled on a string before them, they are driven by their own impulses and fight with little left to lose.

This year, however, there is a twist to maximize the size and scale of these bloody competitions and the hellish circus anarchy.

The grand prize for the team, country, or faction accumulating the most points and thus, winning the 50th annual Tempest Festival, will be presented with the Master Blaze Jewel. A white-silver gemstone relic that grants the holder the ability to evolve well beyond what should be possible for what that Pokémon can evolve naturally. Offering this incredible relic is none other than Blacklocke Arms, a weapons manufacturer given exclusive rights to supply a large portion of the weaponry in this year's games and have plenty of advertising presence. It is unknown how they got the Master Blaze Jewel in their possession, but it remains as the most coveted prize out of all the hundreds of offerings Tempest Festival sponsors are providing this year.

The Master Blaze Jewel is rumored to hold strong, incredible power of allowing Pokémon to evolve even beyond their normal forms as a kind of skeleton key for evolution stones and evolution sources. It is believed that if Black Lotus wins the Blaze Jewel, Queen Taiya, in conjunction with her mysterious force of Ante, may become unstoppable in unnerving, unpredictable ways that has most of her adversaries deeply concerned, forcing rebellion and opposition groups to have to take part to prevent Black Lotus from getting it. Meanwhile, though many of the other competitors are hoping to win lessened prison sentences, cash prizes, and other lavish desires, the Master Blaze Jewel is by far the most coveted relic.

Your team and allies have the chance to use these games as a leverage to potentially overthrow Black Lotus and build a better, more peaceful Xia with the Master Blaze Jewel under your control. Or, you may simply decide to replace Black Lotus as the new ruling authority. The problem is you're not alone in your objectives. Other teams and Pokémon seek the Master Blaze Jewel, the glory, all the other prizes, and the better life that comes from winning what promises to be the most brutal of Tempest Festivals as it celebrates fifty years of bloody carnage and ferocious combat. You and your team have been preparing hard for these games. Unlike many others who are entering, you are better prepared with your own armor, weaponry, vehicles, and training. Black Lotus may have the advantage, but this year the stakes are higher and the competition is more ready and ever before.

War may never change, but this time it's on television and under the classification of "entertainment."

YOUR TEAM'S ROLE

Whether your team is a band of freedom fighters, scoundrels, thieves, pirates, covert heroes, smugglers, or what have you, this is your chance at furthering your team's agenda. All members of your team have plenty of supporters and you are a known threat to Black Lotus, but you have survived, endured, or evaded their oppression. As far as you and the rest of your team are convinced, they may say the land you have claimed for yourself is theirs, but you refuse to acknowledge it.

Your team has many NPC supporters and is well-funded to be a considerable nuisance to Black Lotus. You and your teammates are better prepared than most entering these dark and violence arenas and competitions. In the grizzly events, your team has a budget big enough to enter with considerably tough vehicles and hardened armor and weaponry (the Pokémon-only options mainly apply to other poor but aspiring NPC contestants that you will be engaged with during the ferocious events). Meanwhile, there are spots on the map that will be under your team's control, even though you're still considered to be in Black Lotus's borders. The situations between your team and Black Lotus are on the brink of revolution like a pile of fireworks sitting on burning ashes.

It's your choice. It's up to you whether to enter these vicious and savage games as gladiators, or simply find a way to sabotage them from the outside or inside. You can use the media attention to build your own agenda, or use the whole Tempest Festival as a distraction to work within the shadows where eyes won't be watching.

The only restriction is that you cannot be allied with Black Lotus (I'm controlling all of them by myself). Beyond that, everything is fair game.

THE GRACIDEA ORDER

Nestled in the southeastern tropical edge of Liao, The Gracidea Order has had enough with the world diminishing into a polluted cesspool of grime, toxic waste, and filth. As Black Lotus's factories and industries continue to show no respect for the natural world and the aftermath of its continued neglect and care for the environment, The Gracidea Order intends to rebel against the Black Lotus now that they have acquired the resources, following, and the drive to no longer just be a nuisance to Black Lotus. Now they've become a real threat within Black Lotus's own borders. Inspired by its ability to purify the surrounding environment, The Gracidea Order is often resembled by Shaymin and the Gracidea Flower.

What started as a small band of environmentalists quickly turned into a strong faction that is determined to restore natural beauty and cleanliness to the world of Xia, starting with Liao. Factories and power plants that have been especially brutal on the environment have been destroyed by Gracidea Order operatives on multiple accounts. As more Pokémon realize the more comfortable living within The Gracidea Order's territory, their numbers and supporters have grown exponentially. Their capital city of Hana and the neighboring city of Jadeblossom remain as a hardened stronghold that Black Lotus still cannot get to comply with the empire's regulations. And now, further and further, the region further slips away from the grasp of the empire.

Black Lotus regards The Gracidea Order as a band of eco-terrorists hellbent on undoing technological progress for inane reasons. Meanwhile, Gracidea Order operatives mock Black Lotus, claiming their dark colored flower emblem comes from all the filth and pollution.

THE STEEL SCAVENGERS

Located in western Liao, the Steel Scavengers are a band of renegades and traitors that have directly betrayed The Black Lotus Empire and Queen Taiya in one way or another. After the number of rebels, exiles, and blacklisted Pokémon continued to escalate, they began to come together as the Scavengers. After seizing control of Blackbriar City and the neighboring industrial metropolis of Coalrock, a significant portion of Black Lotus's industrial supply lines were permanently cut off. As a result, the Scavengers have gone from being a serious nuisance to a genuine threat that intends to undermine everything Black Lotus seeks to achieve. With a large portion of western Liao's industrial zones now under their control, the Scavengers seek to finish the job and bring the entire empire crashing down and anyone else that intends to get in their way of doing so.

Known to create monstrous juggernaut war machines, brutish weaponry, thickened armor plating, and beastly mechanisms of battle, the Steel Scavengers rely on sheer, mechanized brawn and brutality in combat, intimidating the meek and unprepared. As a faction that has always been deeply-ingrained enemies with Black Lotus since day one, the interaction will be exceptionally bloody.

THE PRANKSTER PLATOON

Located north in the Shadysands Desert and above the Downdune mountains, the Prankster Platoon remains as a faction of anarchists and chaos that absolutely refuse to cooperate with anything the Black Lotus empire does and demands. When it comes to who will be the first to mock and ridicule Black Lotus in open in satirical broadcasts and musical parodies, the Platoon will proudly be the first to do it. Past and recent Black Lotus attempts to retake the northern area have not gone well at all and the Platoon happily reminds them of it at every possible opportunity. Tanks have been disabled all along Highway 1 and Highway 18 only to be turned into colorful piñatas by the Platoon. Meanwhile, Black Lotus officers and infantry have warned others the Platoon is known for finding other nefarious uses for their septic waste.

Combat against the Prankster Platoon is known to be extremely unpredictable and many have died to their tactics hearing maniacal laughter before dying. Many have been warned that while Black Lotus commandeers a relentless and hardened military, there's a good reason why this faction of resilient and blatant chaotic jesters doesn't just survive. They flock like endless, laughing Murkrows on a dead Rattata.

OTHER FACTIONS

Besides the three PXFIRE Teams, there are other NPC-exclusive entities that aren't on good terms with Black Lotus, but they aren't as significant. They will, however, be making appearances throughout the storyline and will be involved in the competitions.

Thundercrash Gang - Thundercrash isn't so much as a thorn in Queen Tayia's side, but more like a pin. They have a small member base of being criminals and smugglers that have stolen and worked directly against Black Lotus, but they're good at dodging scrutiny and they're nomadic, meaning it's very difficult for Black Lotus to track them down and eliminate them. They also don't care if Black Lotus is hosting the Tempest Festival. They want to win all for themselves. The Thundercrash gang welcomes all members, but they have a strong affinity for electric-based weaponry and attacks. They also tend to bend their vehicles and attack tactics on speed rather than muscle and force.

Sentinel Corporation - Mysterious, covert, and shady, these Pokémon don't say very much, but they're specialists in computer crimes, espionage, sabotage, and very James Bond / secret agent work. Meanwhile, they're more of a problem to Black Lotus when it comes to information. They focus mainly on tactics of perception, accuracy, and secrecy and have some of the best snipers in the world. A lot of their vehicles will harbor many secret weapons and a lot of their agents work under cover with strange, enigmatic codenames and call signs. Some of them even only use a series of numbers.

The "Shadow Network" - No one on the outside truly knows what the "Shadow Network" really is. Rumor has it that their name takes many forms and is under a varying branch of entities, but still remains as one. Two Pokémon that may look like enemies on the opposite sides of the spectrum may in fact be sworn blood brothers. Some believe it doesn't actually exist, but there is evidence some kind of underground operation that opposes Black Lotus is working deep within the veins of the continent.

There are other groups, but they are only very minor and will not make a significant impact on the storyline.

BLAZE JEWELS

Upon the Pokémon world of Xia, there are relics called Blaze Jewels. The silver-white Master Blaze Jewel offered as the grand prize is a special one, but there are more common ones throughout Liao and the rest of the world.

Standard Blaze Jewels allow your Pokémon character to change their typing, such as a Raichu using a Fire Blaze Jewel to become a fire type and use any fire type move they'd like. Even something like Sacred Fire which is usually exclusive to Ho-oh. Said Raichu could still use electric-type moves, but as a fire type Pokémon, they wouldn't have as much power as before. Also, said Raichu would look more like a fire type with reddish/orange fur and maybe a flame tail rather than one with a thunderbolt-shaped tip. When using a Blaze Jewel, your character's appearance and features would be changed to resemble the new type they're taking on. With Blaze Jewels, you only need to have it near you (about one meter within) to use it. So even if you're a Pokémon that needs to walk around on all fours, like Umbreon or Luxio, you can still wear it in a pouch or as jewelry to make use of it. Also, you can take off the effect at any time in an instant.

In the world of Xia, Blaze Jewels are rare, but not too rare. They're common enough for your character to start with one and for some other NPCs to have them, but not to the point where everyone and their mother is walking around with dozens of them. Think of it like owning a car. They're also spherical and are about the size of a golf ball and are colored to whatever type they change, such as a fire one being red and an electric one being yellow. They're also perfectly legal to use in these Tempest Festival events, and you will see NPCs using them. You can get others besides the one you start off with. It's not against the rules to pick one up from a dead Pokémon in the middle of an event!

Since the world of Pokémon has dual types, you could use two Blaze Jewels at once to become a dual type based on both of the Jewels you're using. So if you use both a Dragon Blaze Jewel and a Fire Blaze Jewel, you're now a fire/dragon type! But that's your limit. If you acquire a third Blaze Jewel, you're going to have to choose two out of the three typings you have available, but not all three. So if you found say an Electric Blaze Jewel on top of what you already have, you could go either fire/dragon, electric/dragon, or fire/electric as far as dual type possibilities go. But you're free to swap among those forms on the fly! And if you acquire a fourth and so on, it's the same kind of thing. Additional Blaze Jewels will just give you more selections as far as your dual typing selection goes. And if you have multiple Blaze Jewels, you still have the option of using only one at a time, also. Just note than any use of Blaze Jewels will overwrite whatever natural typing your Pokémon character has.

As for the Master Blaze Jewel, it's anyone's guess as to where it came from, but it's definitely confirmed to be authentic. But it does make one wonder. Is that the only "Master" Blaze Jewel out there?

MAP OF LIAO



LIST OF TEMPEST FESTIVAL EVENTS

In almost all of these events, victory goes to the last team or individual still alive, though in the past, losers have been able to retreat and flee away from the carnage after the situation looks hopeless to them. There's no punishment or prosecution for running away (besides losing/disqualification) and it's a perfectly acceptable (although humiliating) way to survive, but in most cases, the number of survivors is usually very low.

Expect for NPCs to be dropping like flies in these events, but I totally understand if you don't want your character to be the same way. So, if things are looking grim, bailing out via running/flying away, teleporting, or what have you is possible. It might require some creativity, but it's a possible option. Just note that most participants don't make it out alive, so usually only player-controlled characters will have this kind of safety net available to them. Realistically though, it would make sense for your character to take non-lethal injuries and maybe some of their NPC companions/teammates would be killed in action even if your character escapes from the carnage.

BLOOD PIT ARENA
On ground arena combat event
Location: Blood Pit Arena, Lytala City
Here, Pokémon enter as gladiators in a fight to the death. Entrants are allowed to bring whatever weapons and armor they so choose, but there are no vehicles in this competition. Meanwhile, Blood Pit Arena has several variants. In the "Open" version, there is limited cover and gladiators enter only with that they begin with, while in the "Pillager" version, the arena becomes more like a labyrinth with better weapons and armor hidden within the dark, bloody halls of this bloody, televised deathtrap. Gladiators are free to use whatever Pokémon attacks they have, as well as use whatever weaponry they come ready with or steal from someone else whether they're alive or dead.

DREAD METAL DESTRUCTION DERBY
On ground vehicular combat event
Location: Lotus Den Slums
Much like the Blood Pit Arena, the Dread Metal Destruction Derby is like the Blood Pit Arena, only with vehicles. Contenders are free to work in teams using either a fast and speedy vehicle or the biggest junkyard hulk they can construct. Vehicles can be armed with whatever weaponry the competitors decide to use. Meanwhile, the arena itself consists of an entire urban slum neighborhood to wreck havoc in where collateral damage means nothing. If a competitor's vehicle is disabled or destroyed but they survive, they can still fight on foot, but they'll be at a severe disadvantage.

ROADKILL WARRIOR COMPETITION
On ground vehicular racing combat event
Location: Highway 2, Leaving from Garland City heading north toward Lytala City
For those who want speed and destruction, look no further than this bloody racing event. Roadkill Warriors is vehicle-only, and unlike Dread Metal, it is a racing event with flames, carnage, and mayhem. However, use of weapons or attacks isn't allowed until five minutes into the race (to prevent everyone from killing each other right at the Garland City starting line!). Here, racers need to decide whether to sacrifice speed for more armored protection and weaponry, or go fast but fragile. Meanwhile, like Dread Metal, multiple Pokémon can work together in teams in the same vehicle, but the difference is if your vehicle is disabled, you lose your chance to win, but could definitely still die while rendered helpless on Highway 2.

FIELD OF SCREAMS (credit to Velocity!)
On ground racing obstacle course event
Location: Lytala City
Field of Screams is a footrace but with a twist! Along the way, there are plenty of traps, hazards, and deadly surprises along the way. Pits with spikes, flame jets hidden in the walls, and even deadly audience participation are all threats these racers have to deal with as their finish line will either be at tend end of the race or by the reaper's blade. Attacking your fellow racers is perfectly allowed, but it becomes a battle of keeping the pace, dodging everything else that's flung your way, and fighting back against your competition!

THE DEVIL'S TIDE
Naval combat
Location: Crackwood Sea
Here, the arena situation is similar to the ground events, only this time, it's in the drink, right in the filthy, polluted waters just south of Crackwood City. Combatants need to have a naval craft ready for combat, or take the risky chance of using a water Pokémon (definitely not recommended, no one has ever won with one). Contestants, especially Black Lotus, have been known to enter naval vessels even as large as battleships, though sometimes the bigger they come, the harder they fall. As with the other events, last team standing wins. If you're not ready to win, you'd better be ready to swim!

HEAVENS OF FIRE (credit to Morzone!)
Aerial combat and racing event
Location: Skies above the Lotus Den Slums
If destruction and bloodshed on the ground or in the water isn't your forte, this event has Pokémon using airplanes or flying Pokémon (usually used by those who can't afford planes) to dogfight each other out of the skies. And unlike the ground events, a disabled aircraft will usually result in death. Oh sure, there are parachutes, but gunning a helpless parachuting Pokémon holds a special place in the hearts of the crowds. Usually those that use flying Pokémon need to go light on the armor and weaponry, as unlike planes, most of them can't fly with heavier weapons. They need to rely on speed and maneuvers in those circumstances or it will be over far sooner than you can imagine.

DEADLY FORCE
Situation-based infantry combat event
Location: Lytala City
In this team-based competition, one team is pitted against another instead of the free-for-all like settings of the other competitions. One team is the Assassins while the other team is the Bodyguards. The Bodyguards have to prevent the Assassins from killing the VIP, a unprepared and completely innocent Pokémon yanked off the streets and used as fodder for this bloody competition. The catch with this event is Black Lotus's forces will always take the assassin role. And it's extremely rare for them to lose.

DEATHWISH ENDURANCE
Physical endurance event
Location: Lytala City
Deathwish Endurance has a survivor mode and 1vs1 mode. Here, opposing Pokémon are locked into chambers and exposed to the element they're weakest against. Fire Pokémon are thrown into tanks that will be filled with water. Water Pokémon are hooked up to an electric-chair like device while grass types are put into an incinerator that progressively gets hotter and hotter. How to win? Survive longer than everyone else. This competition remains as the hardest, because somehow Black Lotus stays alive longer and there is suspicion Ante may be involved, but there's absolutely no evidence.

SIGN UP

Sign ups start RIGHT NOW! You don't need to wait until PXFIRE starts to make your characters. You can have them prepared and approved in advance so that you're ready to go opening day. Also, you're free to make as many characters as you'd like, no limit. Furthermore, you're free to make more characters at any time whether it's before PXFIRE, during the PXFIRE event, or even after the whole event concludes!

Name: Your character's name, first and last.
Species: What Pokémon species your character is. No legendaries.
Gender: Male, female, or genderless.
Age: How old your character is. Assume most Pokémon age at the same rate as humans, save for special occasions.
Team: What PXFIRE team your character is a part of.
Description: Describe any details that distinguish your character from others of their own kind. Scars, birthmarks, body physique, and the like can be mentioned here.
Personality: The emotional intelligence and attitude of your character.
Background: The story of your character's life before the events of the role play.
Starting Blaze Jewel: Every character is allowed to start with one Blaze Jewel of their choice.
Other: Anything not mentioned above that you would like to include.

THE CAST

THE GRACIDEA ORDER
Athena Pallas the Decidueye Played by Noblejanobii <ACCEPTED>
Nora the Lilligant - Played by The Nonexistent Tazz <ACCEPTED>
Jax the Marowak - Played by Soups <ACCEPTED>
Levi the Gabite - Played by Shruikan <ACCEPTED>

THE STEEL SCAVENGERS
Anthony Carpenter-Weaver the Mimikyu - Played by Death's Spook <ACCEPTED>
Grand Lady the Tsareena - Played by Death's Spook <ACCEPTED>
Max Clerk the Klinklang - Played by Death's Spook <ACCEPTED>
Theo Myrsky the Quilava - Played by Morzone <ACCEPTED>
Julia the Weavile - Played by Morzone <ACCEPTED>

THE PRANKSTER PLATOON
Jones Sandstrider the Heliolisk - Played by Velocity <ACCEPTED>
Laura Bette Kaye the Umbreon - Played by LKWayvern <ACCEPTED>
Chance Jehenna the Zangoose - Played by Steel Lunpara <ACCEPTED>
Tina Volts the Pikachu - Played by Chakramaster[<ACCEPTED>
Marcellus "Mazer" Pratten - Played by Velocity <ACCEPTED>