Mutants rose up against the systems that had been discriminating against them for centuries, with leader Erik Lehnsherr demanding a safe space for mutants to exist without human interference, and reparations for his people’s suffering. With the United Nations building infiltrated and a prominent member assassinated, as well as Avengers Tower being taken and used as a mutant stronghold, the government was under pressure to provide a peace agreement that would satisfy both sides.
An answer came from an unexpected source. Dr. Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Ross, former professor of biochemistry and cellular biology at Culver University turned strong political advocate for enhanced individuals be it through birth or circumstance, presented in front of the Panel headed by her father, Colonel Thaddeus Ross. Her vision for the future came in two distinct parts: first, a provision of land for mutantkind as was requested and secondly, a more thorough ratification of the Sokovia Accords and Accountability Process created in development with several focus groups and aligned with heroes on the front line themselves.
As always with plot drops, there will be a period of two weeks to read through information and ask questions before the events are canon. See more information below!
GENOSHA
The Panel collaborated with Erik Lehnsherr, Jean Grey-Summers and Julio Richter, among other mutants, to use their powers and raise an ‘island’ in New York Bay. This island is exclusive to mutants and metahumans, specifically metas who were born with their abilities, or whose powers originate from their genetics. Those who developed powers as a result of experiments, etc. can be considered on an individual basis and will be provided with a Genoshan visa/citizenship.
Genosha will operate as its own devolved government, with power separate from the United States. It will function under a council headed by Erik Lehnsherr. Further details about the ministers of this council can be found on our Genosha FAQ page.
Genosha, similar to states such as Wakanda, Atlantis and Themyscira, will provide its citizens with diplomatic immunity. This means their transgressions would not be investigated by the Accords and Accountability Panel, but rather by an in-state justice system founded and run by fellow Genoshans.
Construction on Genosha will begin immediately and will be entirely governed by mutantkind, allowing all mutants and metas to establish homesteads and businesses as they wish, using their abilities freely to assist if applicable.
ACCORDS RATIFICATION
The Accords were ratified once more and now have several amendments added. Now, instead of individuals being registered for enhanced activity, teams take responsibility as private agencies. The leaders of these groups are responsible for representing their people’s interests towards the Panel, which will now be governed by elected leadership. Betsy Ross will lead in the interim until polls can be held. The Panel will supervise the movement of certain groups, allowing coordination of fighting forces, but do not have authority to dictate where they go, what battles they fight, etc.
For the most part, the Panel will act as a supervisory organisation, something similar in function to a police Ombudsman. If there is an incident such as Ultron, for example, or what occurred in Lagos prior to the ‘Superhero Civil War,’ the Panel will have to intervene to independently investigate complaints. This ensures accountability without intensive oversight and one organisation controlling all power.
Teams can be defined as either superhero groups such as the Justice League or Avengers, or alternatively schools, universities, institutions such as Xavier’s, community groups, etc. Any group of people that gathers with special abilities count under this ratification. If someone wishes to remain independent and not join a group, they can still register as an individual, allowing them to use their abilities but have the protection of the Panel should anything go awry.
The Panel will also provide special training programmes, both independently and through their various superhero group affiliates, allowing younger heroes to be mentored or explore their abilities through a safe and supportive medium.
As part of the peace process, the Sentinel programme will be scrapped and the technology used will be demilitarised. Instead, the track and trace technology will be provided to the leaders of Genosha, who can then use it to track mutants and metahumans and offer citizenship, expanding their numbers.
As stated above, certain groups such as those from Wakanda, Themyscira, Genosha, Atlantis etc. will be provided with diplomatic immunity. This does not mean they will not receive consequences for their actions or investigation -- merely that the investigation would happen under their own governing bodies, and they will be judged by their peers instead of the Panel.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE RP?
In short, the Panel will no longer be directly involved in dictating where heroes go and fight. They will be in a supervisory role, intervening when there is an incident, misuse of power, significant injury, etc. They will be led by an elected group of individuals, and all investigations will be open, transparent, and findings made readily available to the public.
Characters will no longer be registered or unregistered. Characters will instead be able to use their abilities independently, if they choose to do so (technically ‘registered,’ but the Panel is merely a protective force if something goes wrong), or work as part of a team. Any who do not register with the Panel independently or as part of a team will be treated as a vigilante, and pursued by local law enforcement as has been the case in the past. The Panel can preserve confidentiality when it comes to identities, etc, allowing people to remain masked if they wish.
Sentinels are ceased, bounties are dropped, and certain crimes committed during the time of the previous Accords (arrests for enhanced behaviour while unregistered, for example) will be expunged from records. This means the following pages are no longer in use: bounties and registration.
The following pages have been updated: plot summary, Accords FAQ and masterlist (registered/unregistered has changed to team affiliated/independent/vigilante). Our app has also updated to reflect these changes!
The following pages have been added: Genosha FAQ and teams.
We will be putting a link to the template in the OOC blog and Discord for people to send in regarding their characters’ places on teams, whether they’re independent or a vigilante. This is all you’ll need to do to update your character information regarding this plot drop!
POTENTIAL PLOTS
The Panel has been entirely restructured, meaning they need more heroes and civilians alike to assist. Your character could petition to be on the new council, could be a part of the focus groups, or start up their own training / mental support programme for young people with abilities.
The shift in dynamics between enhanced and non-enhanced individuals will affect everyone in the RP, including civilian, metahuman, mutant and enhanced. Maybe your character finally gets to use their powers in public for the first time without fearing the same level of discrimination -- maybe they face more backlash from people who aren’t too thrilled about the decisions made by their government during the peace process.
In fact, many anti-mutant and anti-enhanced groups will spring up throughout the city in the wake of the ratified Accords, or gain traction if they existed before. Perhaps your character helps fight these off, maybe they get taken or injured, maybe they join these groups to sow chaos or as an undercover agent.
Genosha is a new world, and everyone can have a hand in helping to build it. Perhaps your character has always dreamed about having their own home or business -- now they can! We may develop a locations page specific to Genosha within the next few weeks, so if you want to participate, please feel free to message the main or any of the admins and we can talk this out and add you in, opening up potential connections and arcs for your character!
Since the introduction of the Sokovia Accords, enhanced individuals were living in fear of what it meant for their ‘superheroic’ activities or indeed their personal and private lives. With their names on a bounty or a register, it seemed as if the entire city of New York and the world at large had been split down the middle, even as the vast majority felt themselves stuck in the gray.
In the midst of this uncertainty, a metahuman known as Enchantress, formerly under Secretary Ross’s jurisdiction, showed the inhabitants of New York exactly what fear meant. Almost everyone was affected, either personally seeing visions or having revelations that shook the earth under their feet, or finding their friends and family severely impacted by this spell. After a few bitter days that undoubtedly felt like months, the Enchantress’s spell was lifted. The exact details of how this transpired, as well as the Enchantress’s current location and activities, have not yet been released to the public.
Just as outrage started to emerge surrounding the lack of communication, a new programme established itself firmly in the city’s political landscape. The Enchantress made it clear that Secretary Ross’s programme of enhanced enforcement was not fit for purpose. As a result, it would continue to stand, but there would also be another implementation from higher authorities in government.
The Sentinels programme, in operation intermittently since the 1970s, was revived by the Security Council. While Sentinels may work alongside former enforcers to bring in those with bounties on their heads or using their powers without being registered under the Sokovia Accords, for the most part Sentinels and enforcers act as completely separate entities. What this means for the future of New York is uncertain, but the government remains confident that civilians will agree with these protective measures in the wake of such violent and damaging uncertainty and terror.
WHAT’S HAPPENED (and FAQs!)
The Sentinels programme has been revived by authorities within the World Security Council, an organisation above Secretary and Agent Ross’s jurisdiction. Their interests may align with current enforcement objectives, but they are a completely different entity, operating under separate leadership.
Although historically Sentinels have focused on the X-gene, these Sentinels have been expanded to all enhanced individuals including metahumans, inhumans, mutants, etc. Anyone displaying evidence of ‘unnatural’ behaviors will be subject to investigation by the Sentinels.
This branch of Sentinels can only detect the use of powers or abilities while they are being used. For example, they would not be able to detect an individual whose mutant gene is latent (such as a young mutant) or an inhuman who has not undergone Terrigenesis. They also would not be able to detect a metahuman who is not currently using their abilities, either to fight crime or for another purpose. If your character is aware of their powers but does not use them, they will not be able to be tracked under this programme. If your character has abilities that innate and “always on,” they will only be detected once they go above a normal human range, or if there is a spike of activity. (For example, someone with super strength will go unnoticed until they lift a bus. Someone with telepathy is more likely to be noticed if they send out thoughts or purposefully go searching through minds, but may go unnoticed if they just overhear the minds around them. Someone like Matt Murdock with supersenses wouldn’t be noticed until he used his radar sense deliberately, which would cause his ‘normal’ readings to spike.)
Sentinels perform patrols of the city, scanning several blocks at a time. If your character uses their abilities outside of this range, they will not be detected. If they are within range, they will be picked up by sensors.
Sentinels will operate under legislation. If they receive a target using enhanced abilities, they will be deployed to arrest that individual. Similar to enforcers, they will use only the minimum force needed to apprehend and contain the threat. It would require an extremely exceptional situation for lethal force to be implemented. When you are arrested, you would follow through normal processes such as going to the Raft for holding before being processed, questioned, and potentially charged.
Sentinels are extremely durable robots. There are a range of sizes, with the largest model being Ultron (eight to nine feet). They are capable of slow flight, and aren’t adept at cornering. However, they are relentless in pursuit of their target. If the first wave of Sentinels are defeated, there is a limited time to put distance in before the targets are locked in the second wave.
You are allowed to use Sentinels as NPCs in threads with them following characters who display powers or abilities, however you should message the main for permission if your character is significantly injured or killed, just as you would normally. Sentinels also come in waves of three. Your characters can destroy the first wave, but anything past this point, please ask the main!
“New Year’s Day.” Secretary Thaddeus Ross had a deep, booming voice, and it echoed out across the crowd gathered in front of the United Nations Secretariat Building. “It’s a time for new beginnings. Fresh starts. A time to look to the future. But it is also a time to reflect on the past.” He stood very still, not unnerving but firm. The look of a man who had not just seen winters, but survived them. “So, before I discuss our plans for the future, allow me to introduce a man uniquely qualified to speak to our past. Agent Everett Kenneth Ross, of the CIA and special adviser to the United Nations.”
“Thank you.” Agent Ross was softer spoken, voice clipped in that uniquely British way. He stepped up to the podium as the Secretary moved to the side. Like his predecessor, he was a survivor. But unlike the Secretary, he seemed wearied by it. “In the past decade, we came face to face with a simple truth," he said. “There are those among us who have incredible gifts. Dangerous gifts. A brave new world.” He laughed then, softly, under his breath. His posture shifted, eyes still straight forward, but he leaned on the podium. “The secretary says that I’m ‘uniquely qualified,’ because I’ve seen it. Not because of my training or my expertise. Not because of the missions I’ve flown or the lives I’ve saved. But because I was there, when Superheroes fought. And I gotta tell you –” He laughed again. “It’s amazing.”
He paused for a moment. Cameras clicked, a January wind blew. “It’s beautiful,” Ross continued. “No, really. It doesn’t look like fighting, not the way we’re used to. Nowadays it’s buttons and bombs, consoles and command. But not when they do it.” He shook his head slowly, a strange smile on his face. “When they fight, it’s -- it’s poetry. It’s art. It’s a dance,” he breathed. “They dance around each other, doing these -- incredible, magnificent things. Magic. Lasers. Leaping into flames and flying past bullets. And all of us, we’re the audience below, just watching them.”
Ross dropped his gaze for a moment, before his pale eyes lifted up to meet the crowd once more. “The problem isn’t with the dance. The problem is, the dance has to end,” he said, gripping the podium lightly even as he used it to hold himself upright. A perfect balance of tension. “And the dancers have to come offstage, and into the audience. We live in the same world as people who can teleport and throw cars and create fire out of thin air. We have to learn how to share that world. It needs to be safe for everyone who lives here.”
He straightened up, clearing his throat. “I’ve been there. I’ve seen how beautiful it is. But I’ve also seen how dangerous it can be. There are so many good people with these powers. So many people who can invent a new technology and harness it for the betterment of all of us. And there’s some people out there who just want to do something good, relying on nothing but heart. I applaud those people. I admire them, the same way I admire any brave soul who puts on a uniform to serve their country, their ideals, and their way of life.”
A smattering of applause broke out through the crowd, but Ross held up a hand. “But there’s also people out there with wonderful powers and terrible intentions. Who create technology so they can hold the rest of us hostage. People who seek to manipulate, control, and terrorize our communities. The powers aren’t the problem, you see,” he said, leaning forward. “It’s how they’re used. We decided that, together, not as a nation but as a world. We wrote the Accords and we ratified them, and we made them the law. Because we want to share this world with everyone. We want to see all those beautiful dances and amazing powers. But this world comes with rules. You want to join it, you have to show your face. That’s what we said. But there are still those who feel they have to hide. Who cling to secrecy and masks because they misunderstand our intentions. So let me be perfectly clear,” he said, eyes steel for a moment. “We made these rules for one reason, and one reason only. To prevent terrible intentions from becoming unbearable realities.”
He was quiet for a long moment. “I had hoped to stand here and tell you that those realities were impossible. That we had found a way towards peace and prosperity for everyone, after all -- it is that time of year, isn’t it?” He shook his head sadly. “But the truth is, we’re still far from that. Voluntary registration has dropped to nearly nothing. Enforced patrols deliver no new information, and every day there are more and more reports of Unregistered Activity. Some of that activity is good -- some of it we’re grateful to hear. But some of it is terrifying. The cases of civilian casualties caused by Unregistered Activity has risen 14% this year. There are hundreds of thousands of people each year who get caught in the crossfire. Not all of their deaths could have been avoided, life takes sacrifice, I know that,” he said, ducking his head for a moment. “But some of them could have been saved. Some of them never needed to be in danger in the first place.”
Ross let out another heavy sigh. “It’s been a long decade for this world. For all of us in it. They say everything happens for a reason, and I don’t know for sure if that’s true. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. All I know for certain is, I hope that, by the end of the next one, we’ll have all realized that we’re in the same world. And that we need to work together to protect it.”
With that, he stepped back, and Secretary Ross came forward. “Thank you, Agent,” he said with a gruff nod towards his colleague. “I share that hope. And so does the entire United Nations. The subcommittee known as The Panel, who oversee all enhanced and superhuman activity, have instituted new policies and guidelines in regards to the registration of said enhanced and superhumans. As an amendment to the Sokovia Accords, all Registration will now be eligible for compensation. We can provide training facilities, housing, and monetary allowances to those who register and meet certain criteria. In addition, those who voluntarily come forward to Register need only reveal their identities to the Panel. The Index of Superhumans and Vigilantes will now have a classified subsection, available only to those with clearance.”
He clenched his jaw, but only for a second. “From now on, all official Enforcement, in addition to standard pay, will also be eligible for bonus compensation, based on the level of Unregistered brought in.” His pale blue eyes flashed for a moment. “But Enforcers who fail to meet basic standards will be suspect to investigation, and face strict penalties. Unregistereds caught committing a crime or brought in by force will not eligible for compensation, and will serve time in a detention facility regardless of threat level.” He folded his hands in front of him on the podium. “Everyone is welcome, as Agent Ross said, to share our world. But those who refuse to will not be allowed to be part of it. Thank you.” He nodded once, and then both men walked back into the building. There was work to be done.
NEW YEAR, NEW RULES
This is our first plot drop! This one has introduced a couple of elements that will gradually shape and develop the world of the RP as a whole. Rather than an event, where the effects/situation only lasts a few days, this plot drop will be considered ‘canon’ for the RP from this point forward.
The Accords have been a point of contention since being ratified a year ago. But with voluntary registration and enforcement at an all time low, the Panel has decided to strengthen them.
Those who register (and meet certain criteria) can now get money, a place to stay and train, in exchange for coming forward. If you wish for your unregistered character to register, plot with a registered/enforcer character, and message the main!
Those who register voluntarily are allowed to keep their identity a secret from the public -- though the Panel and anyone with high enough clearance will still know. If you wish for your unregistered character to register without revealing their identity, plot with a registered/enforcer character, and message the main!
Enforcers can now collect bounties on Unregistereds. Level 1 Bounties are the highest threat level and greatest reward. The lowest level is level 10. This is usually based on threat level, though even those without powers can be deemed ‘dangerous’ enough for a higher level. If you wish to have your unregistered character given a bounty level, please message the main!
Enforcers who fail to collect any bounties will be deemed suspect and investigated. These investigations might lead to a steep fine, or even incarceration in a detention facility or on the Raft itself! If you wish for your enforcer to come under investigation, plot with another registered/enforcer character! Feel free to message the main with questions!
If you have any questions at all, message the main or bring it up in the discord! Please be sure to follow beginagainplotdrop for any updates on this -- and of course, for future plot drops!
