The Midnight Circus by Annie
Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:26 am
Plot Idea: The Midnight Circus by Annie
Synopsis: A mad sorceror is traveling the world, collecting beings of power (mutants, magicians, meta-humans) for the purposes of draining their energy in order to keep himself eternally young in addition to earning wealth and power under the cover of a circus and carnival. His subjects are under his spell, unwittingly following his every command thanks to enchanted rings which ensnare mind and spirit. Now, he has come to Salem, searching for new sources of power to claim as his own in this very magical town.
Characters of Note
· The Mastermind - Anthony Palazzo [Arcanum] - Centuries old and sharp as a tack. He's been traveling the world for as long as anyone can imagine, draining powerful beings until they wither in order to restore himself, taking what belongs to them once the deed is done. The circus, he feels, is the perfect cover, as no one will ever miss a bunch of rogue performers. He wields powerful arcane magic that he has built up for hundreds of years and is particularly gifted with charms. One of his few weaknesses is Karina.
· The Second In Command - Salvador Vega [The Ringmaster] - A reptillian mutant with extreme strength, agility, speed and the power to spit acid -- quite literally the ringmaster of the show. Most think that he is in charge, but that is far from the case, as scattered among his numerous rings is an understated band with a glowing violet stone on his left pinky.
· The Brains/Tertiary Boss – Karina Delacroix [Madame Celeste] - A young, blind, powerful psychic and the only member of the circus to not sport the enchantment of Arcanum's ring. She views the man as a father figure, is fiercely loyal and would give her life for him. She is treated as nothing less than a princess.
· Mini-Bosses – The Veiled Lady (Hair control and growth powers, hair as strong as steel), Titan (Super strength), Ignatus (Fire-eater, pyrokinetic), Bacchus (Canine Feral), The Twins (Chinese acrobats with contortion/stretching powers), Chantel (Illusionist). Quite possibly circus-turned Cobalt Academy students/staff/residents.
· The Fodder/Trash Foes – Numerous human carnies and grunts, not dangerous enough to require control via rings, instead kept loyal by empty promises, money, etc.
Missions: Investigate the circus, look up its background, find some rings, defend the school, get the sorcerer, get the psychic, draw out the sorcerer, beat the sorcerer.
Sequence of Events
Chapter 1: The Circus Comes to Town - The circus, adjoined by a fun-filled carnival, comes to town! Good times are to be had by all. Slowly, however, the more powerful mutants around Salem begin vanishing for days at a time, only to turn up at the circus, declaring their desire to join it with their own particular talent. The heroes will have to figure out just what persuaded these individuals to join the circus and leave behind their lives so suddenly, and eventually realize that their decision is linked to the rings. During these events, the police force of Salem should be enchanted so that suspicion of the circus' activities does not surface.
Chapter 2: Behind the Curtain - The heroes should be under the impression by this point that it is the Ringmaster who is responsible for controlling everyone -- perhaps theorizing a Body Snatchers 'destroy the pod' theory. They must face The Twins and Titan to get to him and fight him. But when his ring is destroyed and the holds are not broken, it is time to look elsewhere, perhaps towards the only person not wearing an enchanted ring. But before they can get to Karina, they must face numerous trash enemies as well as Chantel (and maybe a glimpse of Arcanum before he vanishes), who will take the opportunity to shroud the heroes in a powerful illusion before whisking the psychic away. This is also about the time when a mutant fighting ring, led by Titan, will come to be; another way to find new 'talent' for the circus. Hopefully once the plot is over this will become a regular 'thing' in Salem, for the less savory groups of mutants to gather, socialize, and kick each others' asses.
Chapter 3: Seeking Talent - Investigate the carnival. By this time, the carnies and circus are well aware of the presence of the heroes and will attack them and/or try to capture them on sight, whether they are actually on the carnival grounds or in town. Possible school snatch-up invasion for the purpose of bringing in more 'performers'. Find at least one ring, research Salem magic, bring it to person of magical information within Crowley's, learn who it belongs to, hunt him down! If they breach 'office' on the circus grounds, however, they'll find it rigged with a trap.
Chapter 4. The Final Act - The hunt for Arcanum begins, but he's impossible to find. And with Bacchus sniffing around they are going to need cover. They should disguise themselves and travel back to the even more dangerous circus grounds, possibly to kidnap Karina and use her as bait to draw out Arcanum. Chantel, who can see through illusions and holograms, must be taken out along with Ignatus and Bacchus to snatch the psychic and bring the wizard out of hiding. The final battle will take place on Arcanum's terms as he brings the heroes (and Karina) to him, but they will be able to drain him of enough power to beat him if they destroy the staff he carries, which will free everyone of his control. There may be a surprise ending! But no explosions.
Synopsis: A mad sorceror is traveling the world, collecting beings of power (mutants, magicians, meta-humans) for the purposes of draining their energy in order to keep himself eternally young in addition to earning wealth and power under the cover of a circus and carnival. His subjects are under his spell, unwittingly following his every command thanks to enchanted rings which ensnare mind and spirit. Now, he has come to Salem, searching for new sources of power to claim as his own in this very magical town.
Characters of Note
· The Mastermind - Anthony Palazzo [Arcanum] - Centuries old and sharp as a tack. He's been traveling the world for as long as anyone can imagine, draining powerful beings until they wither in order to restore himself, taking what belongs to them once the deed is done. The circus, he feels, is the perfect cover, as no one will ever miss a bunch of rogue performers. He wields powerful arcane magic that he has built up for hundreds of years and is particularly gifted with charms. One of his few weaknesses is Karina.
· The Second In Command - Salvador Vega [The Ringmaster] - A reptillian mutant with extreme strength, agility, speed and the power to spit acid -- quite literally the ringmaster of the show. Most think that he is in charge, but that is far from the case, as scattered among his numerous rings is an understated band with a glowing violet stone on his left pinky.
· The Brains/Tertiary Boss – Karina Delacroix [Madame Celeste] - A young, blind, powerful psychic and the only member of the circus to not sport the enchantment of Arcanum's ring. She views the man as a father figure, is fiercely loyal and would give her life for him. She is treated as nothing less than a princess.
· Mini-Bosses – The Veiled Lady (Hair control and growth powers, hair as strong as steel), Titan (Super strength), Ignatus (Fire-eater, pyrokinetic), Bacchus (Canine Feral), The Twins (Chinese acrobats with contortion/stretching powers), Chantel (Illusionist). Quite possibly circus-turned Cobalt Academy students/staff/residents.
· The Fodder/Trash Foes – Numerous human carnies and grunts, not dangerous enough to require control via rings, instead kept loyal by empty promises, money, etc.
Missions: Investigate the circus, look up its background, find some rings, defend the school, get the sorcerer, get the psychic, draw out the sorcerer, beat the sorcerer.
Sequence of Events
Chapter 1: The Circus Comes to Town - The circus, adjoined by a fun-filled carnival, comes to town! Good times are to be had by all. Slowly, however, the more powerful mutants around Salem begin vanishing for days at a time, only to turn up at the circus, declaring their desire to join it with their own particular talent. The heroes will have to figure out just what persuaded these individuals to join the circus and leave behind their lives so suddenly, and eventually realize that their decision is linked to the rings. During these events, the police force of Salem should be enchanted so that suspicion of the circus' activities does not surface.
Chapter 2: Behind the Curtain - The heroes should be under the impression by this point that it is the Ringmaster who is responsible for controlling everyone -- perhaps theorizing a Body Snatchers 'destroy the pod' theory. They must face The Twins and Titan to get to him and fight him. But when his ring is destroyed and the holds are not broken, it is time to look elsewhere, perhaps towards the only person not wearing an enchanted ring. But before they can get to Karina, they must face numerous trash enemies as well as Chantel (and maybe a glimpse of Arcanum before he vanishes), who will take the opportunity to shroud the heroes in a powerful illusion before whisking the psychic away. This is also about the time when a mutant fighting ring, led by Titan, will come to be; another way to find new 'talent' for the circus. Hopefully once the plot is over this will become a regular 'thing' in Salem, for the less savory groups of mutants to gather, socialize, and kick each others' asses.
Chapter 3: Seeking Talent - Investigate the carnival. By this time, the carnies and circus are well aware of the presence of the heroes and will attack them and/or try to capture them on sight, whether they are actually on the carnival grounds or in town. Possible school snatch-up invasion for the purpose of bringing in more 'performers'. Find at least one ring, research Salem magic, bring it to person of magical information within Crowley's, learn who it belongs to, hunt him down! If they breach 'office' on the circus grounds, however, they'll find it rigged with a trap.
Chapter 4. The Final Act - The hunt for Arcanum begins, but he's impossible to find. And with Bacchus sniffing around they are going to need cover. They should disguise themselves and travel back to the even more dangerous circus grounds, possibly to kidnap Karina and use her as bait to draw out Arcanum. Chantel, who can see through illusions and holograms, must be taken out along with Ignatus and Bacchus to snatch the psychic and bring the wizard out of hiding. The final battle will take place on Arcanum's terms as he brings the heroes (and Karina) to him, but they will be able to drain him of enough power to beat him if they destroy the staff he carries, which will free everyone of his control. There may be a surprise ending! But no explosions.