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Mirror rorriM 

In Ancient times, wars littered the land of Juuninsai. No one was safe at anytime. There was death and carnage no matter where you tried to hide. But the gods grew tired of the bloody conflict. And so, they forced their magic into the world. Unfortunately, the god's magic contradicted with the magic of the land, and so a malformity was born. A curse by the name of fukyuu zange (eternal repentance). It caused those inflicted to gain a 'talent'. It was sometimes able to produce good, and sometimes evil. But it was never able to be predicted in form of potency, and never followed any pattern. One's parents could have a talent for creating plants and changing shapes but that one's talent would have nothing to do with that of their parents'. 

Now in Juuninsai, some two centuries after the 'curse' was bestowed, trouble brews. The leader of the Syastim; an evil organisation of Barndens', seeks to take control of the Mysais' of castle Wairgen. The citizens' of Wairgen fear for their lives daily as attacks from the Syastim become ever more frequent, and their goals become more apparent. 

Now, the only hope for the fate of Juuninsai lies in the hands of those from the Mirror world. The problem being that the Mirror Gates are cracked and travel between the worlds is scarce. Will the Mysais' rise to save their home from the evil intentions of the Barndens on their own? Or will Castle Wairgen fall? Or maybe, Lady Fate will be merciless and intervene to send a saviour from the Mirror world? Only time will tell, and the only answers to stop the Syastim. relieve the curse and the mend cracked Mirror Gates, is to travel past the crooked horizon.

The Curse 

A curse bestowed on the humans by the gods for their unending quarrels. The curse, which has come to be called fukyuu zange (eternal repentance). It is a bit of a wild card. The curse grants the beings of Juuninsai a 'talent'. Whether or not it is powerful, or even useful however, is a different story. It never develops patterns or predictability, the curse id different for everyone. Very few are granted with high level magic from the curse, and a lot of the 'talents' are domestic. There are those however, that can use their 'talent' for good or evil. 

Races 

Mysais: 
A fairy-like being with translucent wings, usually brightly coloured hair, and fragile looking bodies. They are fairly soft-spoken creatures, and don't like confrontation. They would rather run than battle to protect something precious to them. They are mainly only concerned with their own safety. 
Life span: About 600 years. They reach maturity at 150. 

Barnden: 
A goblin like being with a short heavy build, thick muscles, and usually dark coloured hair. They are nasty little things with little to no morals (Not that they would hold to them anyway), and very little emotional range. They live only to hurt and cause trouble. They are constantly searching for power, and will only listen to those of higher power. 
Life span: About 1000 years. They reach maturity at 150. 

Mirror child: 
Those from and descendant from those of the Mirror world. These beings are very rare, and mysterious. Not much is know about them other than they are highly unpredictable. A literal 'wild card.' 
Life span: about 100 years. Reaches maturity at about 18. 

Syastim: 
These power-hungry entities behind the Syastim will stop at nothing to gain rule of all Juuninsai. They have a large band of Barndens and even a few Mysais exhaled from Wairgen. They are vicious in their tactics and their leader has plans to change Juuninsai drastically.

The Setting 

The place is the lonely continent of Juuninsai, a grassy region littered with lush forests, lakes and plains and mountains. There are few cities on the whole continent and fewer villages. Though the cities are all quite large and the villages small in comparison to our own. 

The time is late during the year of 209. Despite time only having been recorded for some 2 centuries, the world of Juuninsai is fairly modernised. A form of writing has already been developed as well as such transportation as horse and ox drawn carriages. The main industries include farming, mining, metalwork (blacksmith), carpentry and marketing. A basic medieval society, though with no nobles, monarchy, or people of higher standing. The wars were to decide these things, but they were never allowed to finish, thus these classes were never developed. 

Redemption

In 2140, the last years of the decade-long Third World War were drawing to a close. In a final effort to keep the American-Lead Axis Alliance from world domination, the leaders of the Warsaw Pact gave the order to use the last weapon in their arsenal, a system of satellites codenamed 'Damocles.' With a single word, civilization as we know it on Earth was destroyed. 

Damocles wreaked havoc on the major cities of the United States, leaving most of them as smoking wreckage in an event known as the Cataclysm. The weapon had an unforeseen effect, however; The resultant dust and debris in the atmosphere spread over the earth, blanketing it, shrouding it from the sun. When the skies finally cleared two months later, the world was almost entirely covered in desert. That was sixty-eight years ago. 

Now, in the rubble of a society destroyed by the sins of the father, the survivors of the human race struggle to pick up the pieces.  

Amidst the Clouds

In the world of Vaste, there is no 'land'. There are only 'isles'. Each one of these Isles float among a sea of thick clouds and sky. There is no horizon, only where the clouds part. A Unity of Isles is a group of isles close enough together to have bridges built between them. Each one has a name, a community, a life of its own. 

Ships of all sizes, large hulking ships and smaller lighter vessels, their sails billowing in the high winds of the skies, traveling between Isles and Unities. These ships carry goods, supplies, and cargo. There are no countries, only a stretch of an archiapelago, and each Unity or individual isle has its own commerce, its own way to survive. Isles can be from hours apart to days to months. Almost all government is similar to each other, though there are occasionally radical variations. 

The ones who control the government are the Winged. 

They are a race of people with platinum hair who are revered. They are the only ones who can soar the skies without the need of airships. Their wingspans are twice their size and can vary in color as easily as they. 

It is also said that they have subtle magic and that they gather this magic from the isles themselves. 

Because of these features, they are also the religious leaders. There is a goddess, a statuesque figure in marble with a glorious mane of platinum hair and wings that could encompass an entire city. She is Anizath and she is worshipped by all who soar the skies and by those who depend on the ones who soar. 

This is a world bubbling with life and with endless adventure and change. There are pirates and smugglers, commodores and heroes, politicians and religious leaders. 

There is only one thing that forevermore will be a mystery. 

What lies beneath the clouds? 

No one who has traveled beneath the clouds has ever returned to say what they have seen. To fall out of the high skies and into the swirling clouds is the cruelest of deaths. 

It is the Wingeds' most feared punishment for a crime. 

It is a cruel pirate's favourite way to murder. 

It is a commodore's treatment toward a traitor. 

Because all people share the one greatest fear - to fall.  

The Meek

'And the meek shall inherit the Earth.' 

Gather around, children. Watch as those in charge manipulate your lives, attempt to control you. But you won't let them, will you now? You see beyond their fake smiles, their eyes, ever studying the inside of your soul. Occasionally they will come after you. The monsters, the pale-white cloaked assassins and soldiers. They are there to help demolish your lives. They created this world you live in, for no better reason than to control your actions. They've taken care of everything. The words you read, the songs you sing. You never need to think, or wonder why. But you do. You slowly explore the edges of this weakened, almost obliterated world. It's a system meant simply to control your lives. To study you, to examine how you react in various situations. To get in there and muck up the works. But, those of you here today, you know that they are afraid. Afraid of the population, afraid of us. The soldiers and creatures alike walk the streets, guns in hand. But they do not need guns. Their claws, their sheer abilities of physical combat and their boneless bodies are enough to kill most. You are among those who can survive. You are no longer civilians. You were trained for a purpose. For taking down this control. We want freedom. They won't give it. -Taken from the rebel leader's diary, page 42. 

They cannot live without our guidance. They are weak, misguided. Those few who wish to stand up against us only do so for a world they haven't seen. If they make it outside the walls put around the dimension, they will get into our dimension. And take their revenge. You, as the Engineers, must take up a station in the Town, and defend it using your own personal creations. Make your White Ones attack the rebels, those poor fools. If only they knew our plans... Syrinx must rise. -Taken from the first Mission Brief of Operation Syrinx Town

The People of Syrinx Town 

The Civilians

These people are the ones who don't suspect anything. Who don't know they are in another realm, another dimension created by the Priests of Syrinx. These are the true Meek. They have the power to control the energy around them to make them move faster, stronger, more powerful. And they don't even know it. The Rebels can't contact them, because they are always upducted as soon as they are contacted. Strange things happen to them, and they are oblivious to the many errors of this virtual world they were imprisoned in. Empty beings fly by night across the rooftops. Shadows disappear momentarily, reflections look back at you and smile, mocking you. Extraterrestrial beings walk around in the town squares, small tanks treading around, and they believe whatever they were told; that the town was being used as a military rest stop; that they were planning on destroying another city far ahead but hadn't gotten their orders yet. These lies were said constnatly and kept the civilians at bay. Now, they are starting to see stranger and stranger errors occuring. They begin to want out of this dimension. Then the Rebels discreetly take them.

The White Ones

You are the assassins. You take out those who are beginning to feel different in this world. Not one for carnage, you prefer the quiet kill in the town, usually while the person is sleeping. Generally, you use needles and knives as your weapons, and nothing else. Using something else would throw you off balance; you believe that the Black Ones are clumsy when it came to their killing, but they were much more powerful to make up for it. The White Ones have their own headquarters behind the Clock Tower, in an old warehouse. 

The Black Ones

You are the ones that the Rebels fear. Your skills with a sword of any kind is almost unmatched. You draw your energy from the world around you, like a black hole. Since it is artificially constructed, the energy is almost double in the Town than outside. Your outfit is made out of black entirely, and your face is the only part of your body left uncovered. You are sent to fight the Rebels, and don't bother with the civilians. You also use errors to your advantage, creating slips in the area in which energy surges forward towards your enemies. You are the shock troops. You are what keeps the populace under control. If they defy you, they won't be around much longer. Fear is your rule. The Black Ones placed their base in an underground railway.

The Rebels

You are the people who want out. The people who wish that the people of Syrinx would just go away. And you want to leave the realm that they created. Your training has taught you the fighting styles of the Black Ones, how to absorb energy from the constructed reality around you. Each of you have your own specialty, but your group still fears the Black Ones. Why? Because they have no remorse, they don't care if they take away your life. They like it, they like to see the gore, what happns when your are cut in the neck. But you don't. You just want to get out. You know exactly what to do, though. Find the Engineers and kill them. Finding them and taking them out is the hard part; they can summon Black and White Ones at will as well as constructed monsters, empty shells that you just have to cut through. But they can easily be revived. So, combat becomes difficult. The odds are against you. But you're desperate. You want freedom from the control. 

The Engineers


The Engineers. You lucky dogs. You have no powers in this world at all, no training. Yet you are the most powerful. Why? Because you command the ones in power, your assassins, your fighters. The Black and White bow to you and serve your purposes. You are the ones souly responsible for programming places for the people to go; beaches, trains, even the food they eat. But you are also paranoid. You know that forever and always, the Rebels will be after you. Ready to pounce. Ready to kill. But you are protected. You're the ones in control. You have the Black and Whites working for you. You are gods here. You make your base underneath structures that people commonly go to.  

Bang Bang

Endoresu. A city in japan with millions of inhabitants, the new Tokyo. Of course, it hasn't been called Tokyo for centuries, the name changed along with the day and age. Here, in the heart of japan, are where all of the action seems to happen, the large buildings, the sidewalks filled with people, festivals, imported and exported shipments come and go as they please. If it fell into the right hands, the city would be able to truly prosper, more so than it has been as of late. Though, in the wrong hands, the city could easily crumble and then the rest of japan would follow closely behind it. Some people, have definitely noticed, including the newly interested media.

Since the name change, people, namely gangs took more interest in the thriving city, noticing just how important it really was. But as soon as one gang see's another trying to gain territory, it turns into an all out war. With gang members mainly ranging from high-school and college students, this hasn't had the best effect on the social atmosphere in the schooling department. Fights constantly break out between one student belonging to one gang and another student belonging to an opposing gang. It's gone on for years, and now it seems it's more tense then ever.

Kokuryuu, translated as Black Dragons, were the original gang to see the true beauty hidden within the city of Endoresu. Their true intentions are unknown, it seems that they are the gang least affected by the other two quarreling gangs and often stay lurking in the shadows as if they are waiting for the other two gangs to wipe themselves out. They are very close knit, and it's rare for them to take on new recruits. They do things quickly and efficiently, always doing their best to hide from the media's hungry eyes.

Dokueki, translated as Venom is a strictly female gang. They were the second to realize the potential of the city. Their intentions, also are unknown but both the media and other gangs are leaning towards them being a bad influence upon the city. They have done serious evil, but in the long run these things usually turn out for the better of the city, but most everyone outside of the gang is left confused. By far, this gang is more cruel and blood-thirsty when it comes to dealings with other gangs, they'd rather attack first and ask questions later. They only accept recruits that they've watched and studied for a while, and have seen to have great potential. Dokueki does not mind being seen by the media every once in a while, and it's not their main concern. 

Kage Shi, translated as Shadow Death is the youngest of the gangs, and the last to come on the scene regarding the treasure of the Endoresu. When it comes to their intentions, no one has a clue in the slightest, in fact very little is known about them. Their movements are usually well thought out, and their plans extend over long periods of time. Of all of the gangs, they are the most sly, and usually their dealings happen "in the dark" so to speak. When it comes to violence with other gangs, they never back down from a challenge and often times have elaborate plans of coaxing the other gangs into fighting by pushing their buttons. They always have plans to be in the media when needed, and have connections that let them stay in the dark when needed.

With cross-fire between the gangs happening left and right, and attempts at peace have again and again led to more discontent and disaster, how will this end? Who will win? Who will live, who will die? Who will betray their friends? That's your story.

Vesper

Today is 2 October of the year 45. Or so they tell you. When you can't - physically can't - ask questions, you never know. You just have to accept it. 

But I have to back up to get to that point. 

In 2011, North Korea, Iran, and China 'ganged up' on the United States and launched the msot devastating nuclear attack the world had ever seen. And not only did this destroy major cities, it left the United States in a state of panic and chaos. Think the French Revolution. 

Minus the revolution. Meaning, everyone was starving except for President Cormack Briggs and homicide, arson, and rape were viligant. 

Slowly, however, a party formed, dubbing themselves the Whitefyre party. They promised safety. They promised secruity. What they promised was what everyone needed. And slowly, the Whitefyre party began to take power. 

The U.S. succumbed to them. 
Then South America and Mexico. 
Then Asia. 
Then most of Europe except for the UK and Switzerland. * 
Then everyother place aside from the UK and Switzerland, which were in bad shape anyways. 

And now, to put it bluntly, in about seven years, the Whitefyre party ruled the world. And they were going to make it so they ruled. 

They began by murdering the UN members and torching the building. Then they went to banning music, TV, the radio, the Internet, novels, and historical information. It left belagured denziens confused and upset, but they didn't dare tell anyone. Because then they'd be dead. 

They began to monitor careers. All was 'well' until roughly 2039. That was where a scientist named David Frasher came up with a chemical that could alter the brain functions so that it was physically impossible to think something. 

Frasher developed it as a way to help those with OCD. But, like Whitefyre always did, it became twisted into something far beyond his control. 

They developed this drug for several years, and in 2042 (or what they called year 22) it was ready. Injections could make it so that the following could not be thought**: 

- Freedom and rebellious thoughts 
- Propaganda 
- What the hell happened before year I? 
- That a world existed in music or literature 
- That there was a better solution to what was going on 

And all was well. For now. In year 2050, or year 30, a new technician named Megan Kellner, in the dead of night at Vesper*** Hospital, forgot to give thirteen newborn babies the necessary injections. 

With time, the familes moved, and this was forgotten. But as those seven girls and six boys neared adolescence, they began to realise something was not right. And in the dead of night one time, they met in a park. And they realised they were not alone. 

But there were only thirteen of them against seven million. How could they ever stand a chance? 

In the dead of night, they wonder. In the dead of night, they plan. In the dead of night, the onslaught begins. 

*About the UK and Switzerland: I particularly enjoy those countries. You don't like it, scram. 

** That is totally probable, actually. I am not making this up. Please refer to The Extreme Future by James Canton, Ph.D. 

***Vesper means night. Get it?

Troubling Times

The lady's face was passive, a gentle glint in her eye as she went down the line, placing a stone in each of the twelve outstretched hands. Her long black hair shrouded half of the woman's beautiful face, and drug along the ground along with the hem of the heavy kimono she wore. Leaves rustled at her feet along with the people all around, a soft wind caressing every person.

As each stone was placed in a child's hand, it began to give a radiating glow, a different color with each child. As the woman finished she looked to the man, giving him a small nod of the head, the hint of a smile catching her face as she looked to the children again, her persona being overcome with pride.

"Before you stands the chosen twelve, these powers have been bestowed upon them and from now on is apart of them. It cannot be taken away by any force, nor given away. They are the only weilders of this gift granted to them along with other ablities. This ability is something that they must discover on their own with the guidance of-" As the man swept his hand toward the woman his words died in his throat, shock covering his face as he stared at the blood pooling at her feet. Her pale hands were stained with blood as she wrapped them around the arrow petruding from her stomach. She stared at it breifly before she coughed up blood, some of it landing on the twelfth child, and then she fell to her knees, and then to her side, wide blue eyes staring at the world dully, almost predicting the chaos that would ensue upon the village of the twelve.



That day ten years past was a day filled with horror, blood shed, and losses. The twelve chosen ones were not ready and hadn't even begun to tap into their powers, and at the death of the oracle, all seemed lost. A group of villagers, myself included, grabbed all of them and brought them to the stables, putting them on horses and sending them off. We saw a few soldiers run after them but all we could do was hope and pray they would make it. We were attacked shortly after but somehow the majority of us survived. No one knows what happened, never having seen any of the chosen again, but we aren't totally in the dark. There's been a few rumors here and there about the people with unnatural powers fighting against the Rin Samurai so there is a chance they escaped that night, but by the way we are recieving these rumors they probably all were seperated in their evasion. The prophecy said that a handful of warriors would be leading the rebellion against the Rin, those twelve are the ones we rely on and who I would without question give my life for in a heartbeat.

- anonymous journal entry, date unknown.

Ten years have passed since the attack. That night the chosen twelve were seperated, but a few have rekindled relationships with their companions. As the prophecy went, each would have a different power, and all would be needed to take down the Rin