Replica: Discarded and Damned--Demo

Welcome Replica into a future of Earth, but it is not the one that used to exist. That Earth is a myth long gone. No, this Earth is changed. In centuries bygone, an asteroid smashed into the moon, throwing pieces of its debris straight into the Earth’s orbit. Not only has the night become a floor to stars slowly dying over the years, but the tides on Earth changed, too. You remember the statistics, so many species died out, ones you would never get to touch, or see...but as it ever goes, those humans survived—would you even be here if they had not? Did Mother Earth grieve further to know they had lived; did she detest you too for what you have done, for what the Makers created you for? Perhaps it is a shame then, that so many groups of humans survived; taking to ground, or burrowing into mountainsides, protecting themselves from the hostility arising in an Earth they had once been choking slowly to death. Now it is the Earth’s turn to do it back. Due to the change of the moon’s pull, an imbalance formed; you have spied some of the craters, the scars littering half the wasteland of Earth, all the way up from your window in the barracks of Cogwheel. You have gazed upon the aftermath of when those tectonic plates completely ripped apart the earth; re-forming everything that once existed. No, indeed, you would never truly know what Earth used to be like, Replica. Lots of places around Earth are considered inhabitable because of the scars made by the moon and all the changes that followed. Isn’t it just a perfect excuse to keep you locked up, the Makers’ leash around you tight? But you cannot deny how the Death-of-the-Moon, and its cold body falling to ground, weakened Earth’s natural magnetic shield, and brought down more of the solar wind and radiation from both sun and space. Slowly, one day, without the full pull of the moon enticing the Earth to stay in their dance, the Earth will merely drift away closer to the sun’s warmth. Perhaps Earth will even get there before the sun dies and takes everything with it. Or maybe the demise of Earth will come from a very different source...for in Earth’s new weakness…when the moon’s wound caused a ripple...it...alerted other minds unknown, deep within the dark depths of space. Oh indeed, it touched upon the solar echolocation of the Star-Dragons, you have come to know them well, Replica—a type of alien dragon—your mind races, overwhelmed, so much data spilling out of your broken and corrupt memory core. You know the Star-Dragons well, you even think such dragons spoken about in old Earth myths could have been Star-Dragons. But these alien dragons...ever since discovering the ailing Earth, have had no issue with adding humans to their diet. Not only this, they have wished, since Earth became so weak, to use it as a resource. This is known from the records kept by the Cogwheel Defence Unit—CDU—the place of your old job. Over the years, through death and slaughter of humans, Star-Dragons have picked at the Earth, taking flight back to space with the pieces. To where, and to what purpose, is unknown. And is that not slightly terrifying: the unknown? But what you do know, the purpose of you at least, is that the threat of the Star-Dragons is still very real. You know this danger, for within the cold, sparks cackle off the ends of your knotted wires in response. But it is too much to think of your bloody encounters when you are…so broken right now. The only order you can make in your memory core is the vague understanding of how the Star-Dragons appeared so abruptly over Earth, and how they leave in the same manner. This is because the Star-Dragons know how to jump through space, and can warp wyrm-holes to their will. Eventually, through centuries of on-and-off war, humans even learnt that these wyrm-holes may be the Star-Dragons trying to replicate some aspects of blackholes. But who really knows? Like tracking sun spots, little blacked-out circles have been spotted like mould around the edges of these wyrm-holes—eggs. Star-Dragon eggs. A perfect place to preserve them. Perhaps even to prolong their lives; in the funny way time warps the closer you get to the dark mass of the unknown. And hanging right above you is a wyrm-hole the Star-Dragons left behind over twenty years ago. It changed everything, and Earth has come to call it The Eye. The Eye: a singular churning ring of darkness left up within Earth’s orbit, now a nest left so close…are the eggs left there nearly ready to hatch…you cannot remember how much of a solar cycle has passed, but if Cogwheel knows, the CDU will be swarming with activity. You cannot see it right now; your vision is damaged, you do not believe you will survive long enough to get it repaired, but you sense that wyrm-hole hovering. A strange sort of pressure rises within you, making your fizzled and exposed wires spark. Something up in the wyrm-hole…it calls to you. And it is this very circular mass of darkness that has allowed these dragons to come and go as they please much more quickly than ever before. The Star-Dragons, while they want to take Earth apart, they need to make it last; to prolong their new resource until its depletion. That is the only guess you can make on why this war dance has lasted so long. The only upside to The Eye is the small warning it gives when in use. The Eye pulses with energy, cackling with red lightning when a Star-Dragon is making their journey through, from whatever point in space they dwell, and into your skies. You were made to fight these dragons from a distant galaxy. But...you failed. The Makers, they made you in the perfect image of humans; one glance and no one would ever know under your skin graft wires twist. And you used to be the best and most advanced Replica of your kind, until you broke; the Makers performing experiments to make you more powerful and formidable. They wanted more than you were willing to give...because Replica, you thought you might have gained a heartbeat, and who knows, perhaps a soul resides within the wires of your body. But, in the end, what use can a weapon be when it has emotions? No matter that you were thrown into the landfill, or how you escaped the Cogwheel city dominating the continent for miles, eating into the mountains, you cannot go on... Could you have saved this world? Maybe, maybe not. Because if you do live, it could equally destroy this world. So, perhaps, this is really for the best. After all, you carry a dark secret inside that the Makers want back. If they catch up to you, would you unleash all that cold-blooded training, becoming the Replica they always wanted? Or would it be the end of you? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Customise your MC: including gender and pronouns, identity/sexuality, appearance, base-line personality traits, your parent, and other many other preferences you will discover in game! -You have been discarded and damned by those you made you—you are a Replica made to look human, a mere shiny Tool used by others, fall into the land of The Lost and find yourself, your found family, and a new path. -An inner war, you carry a secret of dark matter…but it seems to…talk to you? Mould and use this power, or fall to it. -Fight back against the powers of Cogwheel, and fight against those alien Star-Dragons crawling through the wyrm-hole they left behind in your skies…or maybe…make allies out of your foes. Other Characters (platonic friendships, familial, romantic, queer platonic) ⛭ Wu An (gay male, 40) ⛭ Wu An is quiet and serious, keeping mostly to himself, content to work alone in the workshop Charlie lent him on the farm. His past is unknown, and he never tells anyone how he saved Alex and Romée, but they are his wards, and he takes it very seriously. Wu An clearly knows a great deal about Tools, which includes all androids, often scavenging landfill sites for discarded metal and technology with Alex and Romée. ⛭ Physical Description ⛭ Wu An has black, bottomless eyes that reveal nothing. His black hair is shaved at the sides and longer on top, streaked with silver. His olive skin is weathered and often smudged with oil and dirt from his work. Wu An also has a prosthetic left arm up to his shoulder, with numerous scars going up his neck, and across his left eye and forehead. On his right arm is a tattoo of cogs, clouds, and machines. Wu An stands at 6ft, broad‑shouldered and muscular from years of lifting and walking, and faint wrinkles gather around his eyes. For more information go to the Character Profiles in game =) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛭ Charlie Payton—(gender selectable M/F, 34) ⛭ Charlie is Faith’s parent, but Charlie never expected to have a daughter. Regardless, right from the first time they held Faith, complete love took over their heart—and somehow, through it all, Faith seemed to be delivered by fate, arriving during a time Charlie needed it most, and now their whole life and purpose is to provide the best they can for Faith. The rest of their past, and what they were, no longer matters. But just what is their dangerous past…? ⛭ Physical Description ⛭ Charlie has layered chestnut hair down to their chin, tawny skin, malt brown eyes, and freckles across their nose. Charlie is 5'8", lean and toned, due to working and running their own farm, though there is a softness to them, and sadness to their eyes. Charlie is never not seen without their dungarees on, covered in the dust of their labour. The item they behold most precious though is a coin necklace engraved with leaves. For more information go to the Character Profiles in game =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛭ Alex Power—(non-binary pansexual, 28) ⛭ Alex is the youngest child of Mr. Zack Power and Mrs. Aria Power, who both unfortunately passed away, Wu An is now xyr guardian. Xe was only eight when Wu An brought them all to The Lost, and made a house of their own as a family. Even with Alex’s sharp grin, something still haunts xyr eyes if you look deep enough…something like death. ⛭ Physical Description ⛭ Alex stands at 5ft11, golden‑brown skin glowing even under Cogwheel’s dim sun. Xyr wide hazel eyes shine with mirth, cynicism, and cunning. Alex’s straight magenta hair falls to xyr shoulders, and xe loves it being combed. Numerous earrings line Alex's ears, always glinting with a tilt of xyr head. Though since being at the farm has softened Alex's body, by years of scavenging, Alex carries a dangerously alluring charm, which others find impossible to ignore. For more information go to the Character Profiles in game =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛭ Romée Power—(lesbian woman, 32) ⛭ Romée is the older sister of Alex, and also one of Wu An's wards. She also lives near to Charlie and Faith. Romée is serious, grounded, powerful, and the opposite of Alex’s easy-going manner. Regardless, in moments Romée will tease her sibling relentlessly, and protect xem fiercely...and perhaps she remembers more than her younger sibling does about all that death. ⛭ Physical Description ⛭ Romée stands at 5'5". Her golden‑kissed skin contrasts with her sharp magenta eyes—though her eyes are deeper and darker than Alex’s, locking away emotion and leaving something ghostly behind. Her pastel pink hair falls like silk to her waist, though she often braids it for practicality. Curvy, hardy, and strong, Romée rarely smiles, leaving her expression usually dry, unimpressed, and edged with coldness. But when she does smile, it’s wicked and wonderful, making her labret lip piercing glint. For more information go to the Character Profiles in game =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛭ Aingeal O’Jewelle—(pansexual woman, 35) ⛭ There is not a single place in The Lost that Aingeal does not know. Every path, every shadow, every hidden corner is familiar to her. As Commander of The Home of the Found Guards, it is her duty to perceive all aspects of the land—to know what is friend and what is foe. After all, she has survived the worst of evil, and she will not hesitate to vanquish it on sight. ⛭ Physical Description ⛭ Aingeal stands at 5'8", lithe and nimble, with tawny coloured skin, and curly strawberry-blonde hair that falls to her waist. Her silvery-blue eyes are pale as the wounded moon, framed by long lashes and a soft fringe. When not in leather armour, she wears delicate fabrics that sway with the wind, a reminder of the nature she protects. For more information go to the Character Profiles in game =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛭ Roman Rutherford—(pansexual man, 45) ⛭ Roman Rutherford is constantly moving through The Lost, his commanding and organised personality holding The Home of the Found together. Everyone remembers him as formidable and unmovable. If you belong to The Lost, he will fight for you with everything he has...betray The Lost, and his blade will not hesitate. ⛭ Physical Description ⛭ Roman stands at 6'2", taller even than Wu An. He is broad‑shouldered, with pale skin, and a body still strong despite the gentlemanly attire; he also has a walking stick for a leg injury he sustained. His blond curly hair falls down over his pale golden eyes, which hold wisdom and wit intertwined; always shifting between humour and loneliness. For more information go to the Character Profiles in game =)