EMPIRE OF ETERNITY: Totems & Tribes

I. MMO Short Description:

Post-apocalyptic fantasy fighter quest.

Premise:

Post-pandemic futuristic Earth is home to advanced humans and hyper-evolved animals struggling to avert a multiple-species war.

Spartazonian Warrior Princess Laliah appeals to Gifted, Cured, and Clan members alike to quest with her to rescue her fiancé, Neo Athonean Prince Dovlan. Ravens and Frill Lizards had abducted the young man on the day of his wedding, hoping to break the tenuous alliance between Spartazon and Neo Athon. The Council of Kin fear these rogue Clan Houses will use the Gifted prince’s telepathic abilities to instigate a global war, the goal of which is to eradicate mankind forever and steal territory from the current ruling Clan Houses. The Council cooperates with the Spartazonian and Neo Athoneans, deciding to send a small rescue party of adventures to recover Dovlan and do reconnaissance; but unbeknownst to Laliah, one of her team members is an undercover assassin.

Notes:

1. All characters understand the Spartazonian language. This is because Neo Athoneans are so intellectually gifted, they can glean anyone’s meaning almost immediately; Clan rely heavily on scent and emotional energy when communicating with each other, but can speak eloquently with humans despite using many animal-euphemisms; and Spartazonians are not very impressed with higher learning (especially foreign customs) so Spartazonian is spoken to trade.
2. Without electricity, factories and machines are so rare that money is a thing of the past. Most societies operate on a barter system. Animals highly value bones, food, water, and weapons; Spartazonians lust after lost technology; and Neo Athoneans prize the literature and art of pre-Plagues antiquity. Plastic of any kind scavenged from pre-Plagues Earth is the standard currency, as the material can be reworked and used for almost anything.
3. While pre-Plagues Earth still has seven continents, this game focuses (for now) on Europe, some parts of Russia and China, and the Pacific Sea. The range may expand as transportation advances beyond tamed insects and easy-water ships.
4. There are no “villains” or “evil monsters,” nor is there any “magic” (ESP is science-based in this case.) I made these choices for my sample script because I wanted to create something unique and slightly plausible. Every character considers himself the hero of his own story. No creature simply “deserves” to die; but if another character can profit from their death, then there’s little “reason” for mercy. This is a world of instinct and intuition. It subtly calls into question what constitutes not the human condition—but the sentient condition. Morals give way to the single greatest rule: Survival of the fittest. And survival depends entirely on strength and intellect—not spells, not Gods, and not superheroes.

II. Game Flow:

Please see Outline.

III. World Design:

Setting:

Earth, more than one thousand years in the future. Vegetation has grown over abandoned cityscapes. The natural world has reclaimed most of civilization, the two main exceptions being the thriving metropolises of Spartazon and Neo Athon (located near where Italy and France used to be.)

The terrain is lush, green, and thriving. There’s no sign of pollution or biological imperialism. The earth has healed. Much of the landscape, weather, flora, and fauna remain similar to Earth circa 2007—with a few notable exceptions. Many insects are now as big as a car would be (wasps, cockroaches, spiders, dragonflies, fireflies, and praying mantis, to name a few) and are used as means of transportation or domesticated labor.

Several species of animals have hyper-evolved, their forebrains rapidly enlarging to encompass language, the concept of time, and the logic necessary to create primitive society structures. These animals may walk on two legs or down on all fours when they choose (but whether the artists render them as animals or hybrids, I do not envision them in any way as Furries. It might be simpler to use hybrids so that Fish Clan members can walk on land). They have made their homes in the ruins of historic human dwellings. (For instance, Falcons would make “nest-houses” at the top of skyscrapers. Wolves would make a complicated system of connecting dens in abandoned garages and subways. Leopards would enjoy perches on bridges and other structures high enough to provide a long, sweeping view of their hunting grounds.)

Contents:

Cities:

Neo Athon is basically Paris-that-was. Without electricity, humans have reverted to a Dark Ages lifestyle, but Neo Athon is home to the Gifted (telepaths, telekinetic, oracles, etc.) and much emphasis is placed on knowledge, beauty, and emotion. The architecture reflects those values: stained-glass windows, marble sculptures, gardens, etc., have all been preserved.

Spartazon is basically Rome-that-was. Spartazon is a matriarchal militaristic society. They are a superstitious lot when it comes to the Gifted and they believe the Clans should become Spartazon slaves, so their surroundings reflect their black and white outlook on life. Because they are Cured (practically immortal unless decapitated or their heart is cut out), they invest much of their energy in backwards-engineering lost technology and training to be fearless warriors. A practical society, the city’s architecture focuses more attention on aqueducts, marketplaces, and army training camps than on the preservation of art, parks, or schools.

Whereas there are villages (reminiscent of the Middle Ages, England) scattered across the countryside, most of the rest of the world is populated by wild animals or the Clans. The hyper-evolved animals share space, but there are Clan-specific territories, and each “Clandom” possess a unique ambiance within the total “Kindom.” (Wolf Country is dark and gothic, much like Gotham City. Horse Country is wide open like the Midwestern plains. Falcon Country is primarily in the Alps. Dragons usually seek out desert landscapes. Dolphins pretty much have free reign of the oceans.)

The game will require several specific sites, like the Council Hall (something like Stonehenge), at least one or two Coliseum/Arenas and two Spartazon/Neo Athon palaces, plus plenty of overgrown ruins from urban sprawl circa 2007. 

III. Characters:

The Gifted:

Very intelligent human beings with medium-to-long hair and unusual eye colors, delicate features, and a graceful bearing. The men are especially beautiful. They each possess one psychic ability: telepathy, telekinesis, prophetic visions, healing touch, animal taming, weather manipulation, etc. Their culture is comprised of many Druidic principles, such as living in harmony with nature, vegetarianism, and an extreme commitment to gaining (and guarding) sacred knowledge. They do have a warrior class, but choose to defeat most enemies using mental prowess instead of strength. Brightly colored patches on their sleeves (think Boy Scouts merit badges) reflect their level of education and therefore social standing.

The Cured:

An athletic, hard-edged warrior culture with striking, chiseled features. Lots of red-heads. The Cured are practically immortal (a strange immuno-mutation as a result of the Plagues from a biological war) unless decapitated or their hearts are cut out (they can regenerate everything but a heart or a brain). They have a long lifespan, but have trouble conceiving offspring (their immune system sometimes rejects a fetus as a foreign antibody.) Because childbearing is so difficult, women are almost worshiped. They dominate all things—ruling class, law making, professions, and property. The Cured have an affinity with technology (pre-automatic weaponry, mills, complex tools) and everyone joins the armed forces by age 7 or fails to become a citizen by age 14 and is banished. A soldier’s education consists of training in martial arts, swordplay, archery, thievery, and wilderness survival. Tattoos and furs are a big part of self-expression. The punishment for breaking most laws is death.

The Clans:

The Plagues rendered many species extinct; some that survived the initial sickness suffered an unexplained trigger-mutation in their DNA, which caused them to hyper-evolve. Within the span of two generations, the Clan species began to speak words, understand time, and use tools to build homesteads. Over the past thousand years, they’ve organized into tribes. Each species (Cat Clan) is made up of Houses (Lion House, Leopard House, Cheetah House, etc.) These Houses are first loyal to their Clans (tribe), and then loyal to the Animal Kin (Clandom) overall. They have simplistic cultures by human standards, still primarily responding to instincts instead of logic or “morals.” The leaders (Alphas) of each Clan meet to decide policy at the Council of Kin, which is held in large ruins, like Stonehenge.  

Major Houses: Dog, Cat, Bird, Horse, Dragon, Fish*

These characters crop up often in the Main Quest and some similarities to pre-Plagues Earth cultures can be seen:

Wolf—physically the strongest leaders, they’re fiercely loyal to their pack. (Norse)

Leopard—beautiful anarchists, these are the thinkers of all Kin species. (French)

Falcon—keen observers and opportunists, they do not emote much. (German)

Dragon—master manipulators, their moods literally depend on the weather. (Japanese)

Mustang—naïve, hardworking and fast, they view all animals as herd equals. (American)

Dolphin—adorably joyous and geeky, the wave riders wish to play and help everyone. (no corresponding human culture—perhaps a little of the “happy, noble savage” archetype, but not much.)

* Very few fish survived the Plagues, and those that lived typically didn’t hyper-evolve. Dolphins (mammals) hyper-evolved, but their kind nature makes them feel more like stewards of the sea, rather than conquerors, so they only eat as many fish as they need to live, and do not otherwise seek to rule the waters.

Minor Houses:

Dog—Hyena (cowardly); Wild Dogs (incredibly useful and still friendly to humans)

Cat—Mountain Lions (prideful); Cheetahs (stealth); 

Bird—Ravens (paranoid), Dove (peace-makers), Crane (healers)

Horse—Palomino (driven to work), Pinto (radical), Wild Ponies/Mustangs (fun-loving)

Lizard—Frill Lizard (puppet masters w/ poisonous skin); Chameleons (skin is antidote)

Fish—Salamanders (wanderers), Seahorses (lightning-quick messengers)

Appearance:

See detailed Character List.

IV. Main Quest:

Player verses Player: choose a species (Gifted, Cured, Clan). Form a party. Rescue the prince. Sign pan-species treaty. [Each party must have 1 of the following players: Warrior (tank) or Hunter (tracker); Healer (medicinal or psychic); Predator (stealth).]

Secondary Challenges:

Player verses Player: choose a species and fight another member of that species, one on one or free for all, in a controlled arena. Winner becomes ruler or Alpha of their territory.

Player verses Player: choose a species and an opponent of a different species. Fight to the death. Winner gains territory and strength.

Player verses Player: choose a species. Join a team. Compete in the Olympic games in various categories: racing, lifting, combat, throwing, jumping, and gymnastics. Earn experience points, strength, and elevation in status.

Player verses Environment: choose a species. Quest to retrieve an object (food, water, armor, mate) in enemy/foreign territory. (Effectively, it’s a dungeon crawl, both with booby traps to catch prey and things like lava rivers or falling rocks or whatever).Winner receives elevation in rank and keeps the item.

Player Character: build an avatar’s elaborate back story, abilities, and cache of items. Retrieve objects and practice weaponry or abilities in tournaments for elevation in rank or items. Travel to explore world, gain experience points logged into that character’s journal.

Non-Player Characters: villagers, merchants, Spartazonian Queen and soldiers, Neo Athonean King and priests, domesticated insects. Almost all quests are introduced through Gifted Non-Player Characters, who can use their psychic abilities to outline the challenge from every POV.

V. Scripting

For style, see sample script.

Dialog should reflect the somewhat somber Dark Ages of the day, but because it is set in the future, human characters sometimes use futuristic slang and animal characters sometimes use speech based on animal behavior.

Example: Stop talking or there will be consequences.

Spartazonian:  Your jaw is still flapping. Your brain might want to look to that.

Wolf: If you keep yapping, we are so humped.

Scripting quests: All rescue parties must meet certain NPCs who direct them. For the main quest, the Seer tells them to head east, over the mountains, into the caves, across the desert plains, and through a swampy jungle to the coast of China-that-was, to fight Ravens and Frill Lizards and rescue Prince Dovlan.

Secondary events are triggered based on the gamers' choices and location of Easter egg items.

VI. Items and Objects

Items:

Healing herbs and potions

Anything plastic

Tools like rope, torches, knives, handcuffs, etc.

Clothing:

Neo Athonean apparel is long and flowing and with pastel-colored fabrics cut to accentuate the lines of the body. Shawls, capes, hoods, floor-length sleeves are standard.

Slippers and sandals for civilian life; high leather boots when traveling. Brightly colored sleeve badges operate as a symbol of education and status.

Spartazonians wear garments of leather and pelts, short togas when not fighting, and a variety of armor, from Pelts to Metal Suits to re-forged Plastics Gear. They wear tough leather moccasins or go barefoot. Survivalist pouches (like leather fanny packs) are almost always required, for a Spartazonian should be combat and wilderness-survival ready at any moment.

For Clan, clothing is optional. Some Houses wear protective armor forged from other animals and “trophies” of their kills, like jewelry made of teeth, claws, bone, and scalps.

A hyper-evolved animal will have unusual or pronounced markings of their species, thus everyone is unique.

Example:

Weapons:

Wide variety of swords

Daggers

Axes

Throwing stars

Slings

Staves and spears

Bow and arrows

Shields (metal and wood, round and testudo)

Small gunpowder throwing bombs

Muskets (backwards-engineered)

Game Flow Outline:

I. Choose a Species:

Gifted

Cured

Clan

II. Choose a Class:

Gifted:

Telekinetic, telepathic, seer, beast-master, weather manipulator, hands-on healer.

Cured:

Royalty, soldier, ranger, tech-engineer.

Clan:

Pick from a House (species) under Dog, Cat, Bird, Horse, Dragon, or Fish Clans.

Each Class has its own corresponding physical design, clothing, items, skill sets, weapons, strength, experience, and hit levels.

III. Choose a Quest:

A Quest: Rescue Party: PVP: Save the prince, save the world.

B Quest: Olympics: PVP: Compete in structured games against other species.

C Quest: Death Match: PVP: One-on-one fight with another species’ Alpha to the death.

D Quest: King of the Hill: PVP: Two or more of the same species fight to be Alpha.

E Quest: Treasure Hunt: PVE: Sneak into enemy territory to retrieve resources or items.

F Quest: Explore: PC: Detail avatars, travel, and log experience points on journeys.

A Quest involves

1. Filling out a team of players with at least 1 healer, warrior, and stealth character
2. Practicing skills to complete an area
3. Progress to another area, repeat as necessary
4. Travel to Master Area to battle kidnappers
5. Rescue Prince
6. Choose to assassinate kidnapers and prince, just kidnappers, or show all mercy.

B Quest involves

1. Filling out a team of 4 players of the same species.
2. Practicing strength, speed, and accuracy in contests of your choice.
3. Winning medals/ wreathes/ honor for your species.

C Quest involves

1. Playing against NPC for practice or inviting another species’ Player Character.
2. Fighting in an arena until the loser dies and the winner earns strength and honor.

D Quest involves

1. Playing against NPC for practice or inviting same species’ Player Character.
2. Fighting in any setting until depleted hit points determine the Alpha.

E Quest involves

1. Choosing an item recommended by a NPC.
2. Getting transportation to another territory.
3. Avoiding natural and booby traps to retrieve item and return.

F Quest involves

1. Choosing a species and thoroughly designing the look.
2. Writing a detailed back-story into the journal log.
3. Explore various territories and discover non-combat items.
4. Non-combat role-play with other Player Characters.

Player Enhancement comes in the form of:

Purse (stock of bones, food, water, and plastics)

Items (potions, maps, artifacts, etc.)

Clothes (armor, boots, status badges, crowns)

Weapons (all weapons are up for grabs for humans; animals may use them but are less effective with technology and tools than they are with their teeth, claws, hooves, etc.)

Special Events can be triggered if:

Player Characters stumble into hidden zones. For example, a cave with a stockpile of pre-Plagues rockets that are still good to use. An abandoned hospital with medicine or books that haven’t deteriorated. A grove of trees with fruit that will increase your strength.

There are also hidden traps:

Plants poisonous to humans and/or animals. Pre-Plagues preexisting land mines. Unexpected rivers of lava underneath a mountain pass. And every wild (non-evolved) animal could present a potential threat.

 Character List (with teaser images)*

* Please note that I do not own the copyright for any of these images and have only the sincerest respect for their photographers/artists. I’m simply using these as tempt-tracks to give animation and production a feel for character design. I leave it up to Icarus if the Clans are humanoid-animals (you could argue that the Plagues triggered reticent animal DNA and turned some humans into human-hybrids, in which case, they hyper-devolved.) I provided some options to perhaps spark the imagination.

Main Characters:

Laliah—Ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners warrior princess, and as the firstborn girl, she’s the only one among her many siblings to be a legitimate heir to the throne. At first, she strongly opposes having to marry the Neo Athonean prince to forge a treaty between their city-states, but after meeting Dovlan in a Neo Athonean garden and talking with him privately, she falls in love with him. (Despite the fact that they drive each other crazy.) Sheltered all her life and raised with Spartazonian principles, Laliah begins the quest believing that all Neo Athoneans are dangerous magic-users and all animals, hyper-evolved or otherwise, should be subjugated to womankind. By the end, she’s one of the strongest advocates for peace and equality between all species.

Naois, Queen of Spartazon: Laliah’s mother. Extremely cunning in politics and ruthless toward cowards, but also loving with her children. She is not rash, but she is always decisive. It was Naois’ idea to betroth Laliah to Dovlan, although she did not anticipate they would feel affection for one another. She’d hoped her daughter would dominate the weakling prince and control Neo Athon, as well. (NPC)

Spartazonians—Matriarchal military society. Fond of lost technology, tattoos, furs, and metallic armor.

Dovlan: Effeminate-looking (but masculine-acting) intellectual prince; second son of the king. He worships his older brother Aldair and greatly enjoys babbling about philosophy, medicine, music, and stories. It’s Dovlan’s dream to bring the practice of no-cost universities to Spartazon, and in return, build Spartazonian-style dojos in Neo Athon, so that both cultures may benefit from each other’s experience. Dovlan doesn’t realize it, but he is perhaps the most powerful telepath on Earth, possessing not only the ability to read minds, but to control them.

Aticon, King of Neo Athon: Wise old king, kindly father, and patient ruler, Aticon is a Seer. His Gift is the ability to have prophetic visions; when he was younger, he couldn’t always control when and where he received information, but now he can look into the time streams at will. (NPC)

Crown Prince Aldair—Neo Athonean, first-born son of Aticon. A handsome telekinetic, but he quickly loses strength if he must move objects greatly heavier than him or “block” incoming projectiles. He’s desperate to save his little brother, Dovlan.

Neo Athoneans—philosophers, art, literature, and music lovers; Gifted with psychic abilities, but somewhat proud and naïve.

Alpha—Leader of the House of Wolves, the strongest of all Kin Clans.

Beta—male hunter/tracker and second in command at the House of Wolves; undercover assassin on the quest to recover Prince Dovlan.

Shadow Spot—Strong-willed female stealth-predator with super speed. She is very focused and self-assured and enjoys flirting with Beta to get him off-balance.

Little Dove—scout and calm mediator. Adorable adolescent Dove with excellent eyesight. He keeps watch from above for danger and his childlike innocence often prevents the rescue party from fighting amongst themselves.

Chimeron—He can camouflage himself, blending into his surroundings, thus rendering him invisible. His skin is coated in a very effective universal antidote to all poisons. He is shy and reluctant to go on this mission. He is cold-blooded, so in extreme weather, he is subject to terrible mood swings.

General Groups and Minor NPCs:

Dog Clans

Wolf—fiercely loyal.

Hyena—scavengers.

Wild Dog—helpful masons and friendly to humans.

Cat Clans

Leopard—deep thinkers and strategists (for Kin).

Lion—proud.

Cheetah—stealthy. Make great assassins.

Lady of the Leopard—represents the Cat Clan and head of the Leopard House.

Lions are not the leaders of the Cat Clans, as their rashness and pride have led to problems in the past. (In fact, Cats are almost anarchists; they believe all cats are created equal and are their own masters.)

Bird Clans

Falcon—observant creatures. Usually silent and unemotional. Somewhat prone to deep and scientific thought. Leaders of the Bird Clan.

Raven—cynical, emotional, somewhat cowardly (they don’t like a face-to-face fight) packrats, but they aren’t bitter the way Frill Lizards are.

Dove—mediators and emotional healers.

Crane—Excellent at healing and very agile.

Horse Clans

Palomino—hard workers, can be fierce warriors.

Pinto—radicals who don’t like to be led.

Wild Pony/Mustangs—carefree and playful.

Dragon Clans

Komodo—extremely cold (emotionally) and analytical, unless provoked. Then, deadly.

Frill Lizard—scary looking but really paranoid. Master manipulators.

Chameleon—generally quiet and passive and content to just be.

Fish Clans

Dolphin—friendly, helpful, assertive, chatty, geeky

Salamander—wanderers, a tad absent-minded. (NPCs)

Seahorse—fast and eager to talk.

Conclusion:

It is the end goal of this game’s Main Quest to journey over several thousand miles on foot, surviving many unexpected perils as the rescue party travels high over the blizzard-lashed mountains; deep into the dark, mazelike caves; across the sun-baked desert plains; and through a treacherous, swampy jungle, stopping at an urban-fortress on the coast of China-that-was.

The party must ban together using all their strengths to fight rogue Ravens and Frill Lizards. Their goal is to rescue Prince Dovlan. If that is achieved, one final hurtle remains: They must fight Beta and persuade him not to assassinate Dovlan simply to eliminate the threat his previously unknown ability to control minds poses.

If successful, the adventurers return home to a Triumph and a treaty is signed between all members of the new alliance: The Empire of Eternity.