Insurrection: HAWKS is a character-driven work of interactive fiction set in a world where superpowered beings must grapple with their purpose, persecution, and promise of godhood. A world where you, and your fellow agents, may be all that stands between it and fate’s insurrection.
You have inherited a soul-touching power through the Gifted bloodline: more specifically, the Gift that allows you to become a blood-eating copycat. Now, you must use the ‘Gifts’ of others—or your own skill—to save the world from a delusional man and the rebellion behind him . . . all while avoiding the pitfalls of losing your heart, mind, and soul.
Warnings (prone to change): Blood / Bleeding & Minor Cutting (Not Self-Harm Related), Minor Character Death, General Violence, Prejudice / Discrimination, Abuse / Abuse of a Child (Vague, Mentioned, NPC Backstories - Not MC-related), Abduction, Sexual Content
ROs | CARDINALS | Characters of Note | Mechanics | Factions | Demo TBA | Forum TBA
These are the titles branded onto the CARDINALS. They are no strangers to the judgment of the masses. It is to be expected as a rising organization fighting for the rights, and perhaps even the supremacy, of the Gifted. They know that there is something tainted in their hearts, and something pure about their dreams. It is a common reality among their small sect of humanity: those who have been granted hereditary abilities once associated with fiction, from origins unknown. Self-possessed abilities that bear the strength to topple the world or rule it.
They are your brethren, these Gifted.
But you are not a CARDINAL.
Welcome, Agent Mockingbird, to the HAWKS!
In this sector of an international agency known as WINGS, you are to serve on the front lines of the world’s greatest threats of insurrection. Primarily, undermining and counteracting the CARDINALS at every turn.
At least, that is what your superiors (captors) hope you will do.
Are you ready to stand against the CARDINALS? You must prepare yourself to face against the personalities of the Inner Circle, as well as their own deadly Gifts. Led by a man losing his grip on humanity. Commanded by a Grim Reaper with a lost love for life. Guided by a healer with a savior complex. But the three central leaders of this rebel organization aren’t the only notable threats out there.
All eight of the Inner Circle, and an additional newcomer, stand between you and the stability of the world. And as you quickly unveil the nature of their latest plot, you may find yourself opposed to what will be humanity’s saving grace or final tragedy. Fate has written you off as a withered pawn. But fate has little say when its ethereal order falls to a dream’s insurrection.
Are you ready to stand up to—or for—the HAWKS? Will you push back against the organization, or pick fights against the agents within it? Will you embrace the WING’s cause as your own, or choose to embrace the people who serve that cause? Perhaps you’ll find love with a fellow Specialist Agent— a love that will be condemned by those who stand against your kind. Or maybe you will fall for a Supervising Agent and suffer the burden of a forbidden romance.
Every Gifted has a Gift. It’s in the namesake. Yours concerns blood-eating. Gross, and slightly creepy on paper, but it’s invaluable to your new team at Division-01. Consuming the blood of a fellow Gifted grants you a temporary possession of their own unique gift, with an added twist.
Whoever’s blood you consume connects you to their psyche, their soul. A consequence that may bring opportunity and harm depending on how you play it.
Be careful when deciding whose blood to use when in perilous danger. There may be a long-term impact from being too reliant on a specific person’s soul.
Customize your protagonist: name, gender, personality, body type, facial appearance, region of origin, tattoos and marks, former career, and more!
Choose the core emotion of your psyche: sadness, anger, fear, joy, or apathy.
Nine ROs: a regretful romantic, a shy visionary, a stern leader, a conflicted protector, a dutiful soldier, a lively wildcard, a soft-hearted hot-head, a curious tinkerer, and a lost soul.
Minor Romances: Other characters who may have an attraction towards you but, for one reason or another, will not manifest into fully committed long-term partners. Their feelings, however, may persist alongside the development of your official relationship - a troublesome predicament for some and a challenge for others.
Determine your allegiance to the CARDINALS, the HAWKS, neither, or both.
Tailor your personality! Are you a stoic optimist that’s shy yet eager to protect your friends? Or are you an honest loner with a cruel streak that’s known for their humility? Whatever feels true to you!
Wield powers once thought to be unimaginable— with the unintended consequence of tapping into the psyche of your team! But remember, there’s a chance that the Gifts of the HAWKS will not be the only ones you taste. Exercise caution where you may. Or . . . don’t. The choice is ultimately yours.
Discover the motivations behind the CARDINALS Inner Circle. Extend to some your hand in friendship, earn the respect of a few, or make the personal hit list of others. Maybe even find everlasting love with one (at your own risk). Just know that some are more dangerous to provoke than their peers.
Live by your ambition, or sacrifice your deepest wants for a new purpose (or person).
Earn the respect, friendship, contempt, or love of the HAWKS and CARDINALS - and choose whether to honor or betray these developing bonds.
Tame or Be Overcome by your Gift in accordance with its origin.
Play a hand in how Gifts are perceived and developed in those around you.
When the CARDINALS test the limits of reality and fate, you must take a stand. Be that through your friendship, your love, your desperation, your authority, your manipulation, or your bloodthirst.
View the full character profiles linked here to see Artbreeder images of an RO’s likeness, background details, and more! Below will be descriptions about the main ROs and an explanation on minor romances.
Eight of the ten fellow HAWKS on the team are available for romance. From the CARDINALS, a certain bachelor is open to finding love. Yet two other CARDINALS may find themselves open for a brief tryst, if you manage to impress or endear yourself to them enough. And another prime adversary may feel her heart vulnerable to your affection but will find the courage to deny her wants. In other words, alongside the central and typical RO cast there will also be the function of minor romances.
Non-ROs may develop an attraction towards the MC but will not be available for an established long-term relationship. Their attractions may persist after the MC has been locked into an official romance route with varying consequences. Multiple minor romances may be activated at once as well, though some require more conditions than others. Additionally, if the conditions are met by a certain point, the player will then decide whether to approve / activate the minor romances or deny them. After the player has confirmed one (or more) they can determine as the story progresses how much they reciprocate that attraction - though if locked on an official RO this might lead to some unfortunate exchanges.
Minor Romances Include:
Curadora: The right-hand of CARDINALS leadership and self-considered healer. Known for her mercy and secrecy, Curadora finds herself falling further and further from the ideal she has struggled to project for her people.
Dearil: The left-hand of CARDINALS leadership and self-declared deity of Death. Known for his cruelty and vengeance, Dearil seeks to sow destruction and chaos through the vessel of the CARDINALS—if he must advance their agenda to do this, then so be it.
Lempo: The most successful recruiter and thus a high-ranking leader within the CARDINALS. Once infamous for her fallen cult, Lempo has devoted herself to delivering as much pleasure and joy as she can to the world.
Retriever: A fallen hero, or so he declares himself to be, and a current elite soldier within the CARDINALS. Retriever sees potential for haven to the helpless within the CARDINALS and, in addition to his sense of debt to Curadora and her peers, he has decided to assist the organization as a form of personal redemption.
Bones: If you decide to establish a crush-based relationship (mutual or one-sided) with him in childhood, Bones is deeply conflicted upon his reunion with you. You, a dreaded HAWK, and he as the protege to Dearil. Old feelings resurface, and he will try desperately to have them crushed.
MAIN RO CAST:
Akil Elmahdy | M | 32 | Supervising Agent | Longer Profile Here
Your Commander in Division-01 of the HAWKS. A high-born academic that became disillusioned with the diplomatic career his parents expected him to carry on. At a young age, Akil developed a strong ideal towards the potential of the Gifted as a force for global betterment. This ambition evolved into his drive to reform the HAWKS from within to act more as a nurturing guide to Gifted talents and morals— a prime example of peaceful and cooperative Gifted-human relations. Brutal tragedy, however, cemented deep cracks in his vision. In the present, Akil is tormented between what he believes to be the reality of the Gifted and his past hopes that seem so brittle in his heart.
Akil is not the most sociable or charming personality to encounter. As a leader, he instead relies on his ability to rationalize his solutions to others and proves his trustworthiness through delivered success. Solitude is his haven, and most relationships tend to be tiresome for him. His entire life seems to be consumed by his work, leaving little room for his personal hobbies that have been uncomfortably abandoned for so long. Calculating and stern, Akil does not court popularity when it does not suit his ambitions.
Yet, come to know him more, and you will uncover a gentle reverence in his touch. A buried passion in his lectures. A shy aversion in his straying gaze. Come to love him, and Akil will fear all he has ever served. He will come to fear himself as his devotion wrangles free from his grasp until it finally breaks away to serve you above himself.
Takenaka Kamiko | F | 32 | Supervising Agent | Longer Profile Here
A renowned Supervising Agent that an unfortunate few underestimate due to her unconventional rise to the position. Kamiko has experienced first-hand the brutalities the Gifted may deliver upon the helpless. She bears the scars of her past cowardice, her ignorant hesitance, when faced with your kind. For years, she worked to ensure that her weakness could never again be exploited as it had been then. For years, she sought to defend the public from the potential horrors the organized Gifted in her nation threatened. It is unclear why she, then, transferred to the HAWKS at so late an age. While there may be no question about her capabilities, many find themselves suspicious as to her motivations for the change.
Stoic and reserved, Kamiko is a quiet mystery to most. Her presence lingers in the background, constant and vigilant as she remains watchful for the slightest threat. Those that earn her trust, perhaps even a sentiment of friendship, find themselves under her firm and undying protection. In her mind, she best serves others as an unbreakable tool to be used as long as, in the end, she can aid in creating some greater order in this dangerous world. Kamiko is prone to action before thought when lives are at stake, relying on educated assumptions to deduce the danger of a situation or person. Otherwise, in a more settled social environment, she finds herself to be overly analytical to every gesture and intonation, wary of another’s true intentions.
Under her cold surface, Kamiko deeply buries her personal desires. Truly, she wants nothing more than for the people she loves to realize their full potential of happiness—whether or not that vision of happiness includes her by their side. Self-sacrificial to a fault, she gives herself entirely without expectation for anything in return.
Sigmund R. Heinrich | M | 29 | Deadly Wind | Longer Profile Here
Born with a silver-spoon in his mouth, Sigmund deserted his groomed inheritance to pursue a freedom (or, in his words, escape) abroad. His new life would earn him a despised reputation among the Gifted as a relentless mercenary willing to do anything for a check, an accusation he would casually protest. Bathed in his ever-rising notoriety, to the point the mention of his alias alone could still a room, Sigmund startled the world with his sudden declaration of sole loyalty to Curadora. In the present, he would openly declare this to be his sole regret in life.
Betrayal scars his past and has shaped Sigmund into his current self. He is distrustful towards outsiders, overly protective of those under his guard, and masks the vulnerabilities he has. Sigmund has mellowed, or (more accurately) learned to suppress, his more cocky and aggressive tendencies since his early mercenary days. To those unfamiliar to him, he may be gruff or dismissive to avoid any close relationships. Yet, to those that have trudged their way closer to him, Sigmund reveals his more humored nature whose bluntness softens with conscious effort. Sigmund exhibits no virtue better than loyalty yet has come to be more sparing in who he gifts this to.
Recovering from a recent and disastrous engagement that imploded upon itself, Sigmund has asserted that he bears no interest in love. He has become conflicted between his yearning to free himself from all bonds that pin him beneath another's whims and his deep longing to find an attachment that is loyal and true. Others have used him, have proven their words to be brittle until broken. To withstand such a torture again . . . It would be much too soon.
Imka N. Altena | F | 23 | All-Seeing Eyes | Longer Profile Here
Imka's life prior to her capture had little to note upon with its idyllic comfort in the mundane. She filled her days with idle daydreams and vision of wondrous places always near but never to be reached. Her deepest desire for a love devoted and true with another was grand enough for her, and her trade as a seamstress was a satisfaction she would have never dared to lose. A shame it all unraveled so disastrously, dangerously, with her reported kidnapping once her father’s true nature came to light. Abducted by him to the Netherlands, Imka would survive the frantic chase that followed the shocking upheaval of her life. Despite the grief she feels towards her father's actions, she has thus far refused to aid the HAWKS with his capture.
A moment in her presence would reveal the extent of her shyness. Imka finds herself awkward around strangers and bears a constant nervousness towards how others may perceive her. Keeping to the Golden Rule, she tries to extend generous amounts of kindness to everyone she encounters . . . even when she finds herself frightened or unsettled by their presence. Sweet and naive, Imka worries over the smallest things that may inconvenience another. Oddly enough, Imka is known possess a calm and serene presence when around her friends alone in contrast to her otherwise excitable emotions.
Imka has little to no experience with romantic relationships. Much too self-conscious and shy to approach any of her interests in the past, Imka never garnered many known admirers in her youth either. Once, or perhaps it was twice, in her adolescence had she been asked on a date only to learn it was a joke being played upon her. Still, Imka holds out an optimistic ideal towards the idea of love . . . even as she becomes more and more uncertain about finding it for herself in the future.
Elouan B Roux | M | 25 | Enchanting Light | Longer Profile Here
Largely unwanted and often left to fester, Elouan quickly learned to survive by whatever means he could. In time, he came to depend upon the exploitation of those around him with an effortless charm and easing grace. Once lowly and weak, Elouan accumulated admirers and connections alike to aid in his schemes for wealth and power throughout France. he was not one to idle by in the shadows, and so Elouan capitalized upon the small and deadly bit of fame he had acquired to satisfy his ego that had been beaten and bruised so callously throughout his boyhood. Quickly, horrifically, it would all crumble to his only true love. Elouan met his freedom's end with a tired acceptance and false smile.
Elouan veils the man he used to be beneath an air of charm and grace, exercising restraint in his words and expressions with familiar expertise. A subtle confidence radiates from his frame. He employs flattery to sweeten others and executes quick wit to dethrone some. Elouan likes to keep his ambitions quiet and feigns humility when he thinks it may earn him favor. Really, Elouan tries to remain adaptable to his audience at any given moment. Yet, surprisingly, he has also come to learn to be more genuine in the company of the HAWKS, and gradually all the sentiments and emotions he has long suppressed have threatened to slip out more often than he would prefer.
Elouan had quite the reputation as a casanova in the past. Sometimes his romances where little more than shallow plows, and most carried flimsy significance in his heart. People thought it a joke when his engagement came to be, but when the truth became undeniable it shocked any that knew him. It would be this engagement that would tear down all he had built himself up to be, poisoning him until he condemned all the past behind him. Elouan keeps wary of romance now as he foresees nothing but unworthiness and destruction to come.
Jacinta “Jae” Freitas Carvalho | F | 28 | Bloody Puppetry | Longer Profile Here
Jacinta knew her life would not be an easy game from an early age, but she found herself determined to be victorious by its end (. . . . though she has yet to decide what 'winning at life' truly means for her). Raised by her maternal grandparents, the only ones that truly felt like family to her, Jae would never fully recover from discovering their gruesome deaths. Vengeance and vices distracted her from the pain that grief brought to her, and soon Jae found herself adapting to a more dangerous lifestyle to meet her wants and ends. Mere survival did not suit her tastes, and she learned to balance revenge with whatever rewards she sought.
Jae tries to not let the little things bother her, often waving aside petty responsibilities in pursuit of her own fun-loving desires. Playful and teasing, she employs her fair share of sarcastic wit and nudging charm to toy with those around her. Most sacred to her would be her sense of pride, one deeply rooted in her fierce independence.
Jae does not believe in real-life fairytales or happy endings. She laughs at the thought of being swept off her feet and has a tendency to abandon her relationships when it proves to be too serious. Following her divorce, which she bears no heartbreak over, and her on-and-off relationship with Niccolò, Jae would be content to settle with a friend rather than a supposed soulmate.
Niccolò | M | 120 | Automation Heart | Longer Profile Here
Over the years, Niccolò has gradually taught himself withhold the fact that he is—in fact—an artificial intelligence given a soul through the Gift of his inventor. A possibly immortal creation since he has yet to experience death after a century and beyond. Traveling aimlessly through the decades as a wayward vagabond had been an ideal existence for him, one made most rewarding by the characters he encountered and the lifestyles he adopted in their short-lived company. Even within his captivity among the HAWKS, Niccolò finds joy in the globe-hopping missions and diverse Gifted he may encounter . . . even if these meetings often ended in either disappointing escapes or begrudging arrests.
Curiosity and a deep desire to develop his own sense of humanity drive Niccolò to explore everything the world has to offer. In his time on the surface world, he had undertaken countless expeditions to better understand the complexities behind human temperaments. His inquisitive nature sometimes misguides him and his taste for adventure can cause unintended trouble. Niccolò simply likes to keep busy, whether it be through conversation or tinkering, as he tries to enjoy every moment given to him.
Niccolò has been told he experienced 'being in love', though he hasn't quite bought into those tales yet. To him, it is still as mysterious a notion as it had been upon his initial conception. It is one he longs to obtain, and it is one he can envision being ignited by you. You, a true fascination like none he has ever seen before.
Mutya I. Lumaban | F | 26 | Mind Projection | Longer Profile Here
Hot-headed and soft-hearted, Mutya faces the world with a set brow and vague frown. Since her earliest memories, she has remained intensely devoted to her adoptive family. She found her purpose in this world by their side as she and her elder siblings formed a rogue ‘peacekeeping’ unit with international patrols. Not quite comfortable with the title of hero, as she shirks at the thought of being a paragon or ideal for anyone, Mutya still knew in her heart that she was meant to make a difference with her life. Her induction into the HAWKS has taken a part of herself. Has taken her from all that had been familiar and safe: her family, her service, and her sense of contribution to the world.
Mutya refuses to reveal her softer side to others, one that is more sensitive than she would ever let on. Though her emotions may rise and sway with ease, she harshly guards them from those that may take advantage of them. It is with time that her compatriots learn her bark is far harsher than her bite, and that beneath her short-temper lies a heart frightened by its own empathy that may blind her from her one desire: to survive another day so she may be with her family once again. As much as she tries, a heart and soul as passionate as hers cannot always be quelled into silence. So deeply does she invest her heart into a cause, a person, or an ideal within another that Mutya sometimes finds herself blinded by a rigid single-mindedness. She is resilient, proud, and determined in all she does and accepts that she cannot cater to herself to the entire world if it means compromising what ideals and values she holds herself accountable towards.
Before her capture, Mutya afforded little time to the notion of settling down with another. Or, perhaps in truth, her reservations towards finding a romantic connection may have held roots in her fear towards opening herself up to someone that could so quickly turn around and us this to break her, to hurt her as no other could. So, she keeps her passion to herself, biding the days until she stumbles upon a miracle who makes her feel safe. Makes her feel like a human rather than a guardian or soldier.
Fyodor Kazimirovich Yahontov | M | 27 | ??? | Longer Profile Here
After confrontational dealings and questionable debate, Fyodor is happy to announce himself as the most recent (and potentially most dangerous) CARDINALS initiate. Misery and destruction stain his past, but beyond the occasional empty stare and sudden tears he will do everything he can to drown those memories with laughter and friends. Fyodor is frightened by his own mind, his own soul. He believes himself to be bestowed with a higher purpose, one he has thus far struggled to uphold. Eager for friends and a home, he hopes that the CARDINALS will appease the turmoil that has come to mark his fate.
Quick to attachment and eager to please, Fyodor proves to be a serious threat whenever he strays towards questionable company. Though he shrugs at comments on his gullible nature, he has a tendency to put his blind faith in complete strangers the same way he would with a lifelong friend. Almost childish in his easy wonder and admiration, there is a sort of innocence that contrasts harshly with the violence that has largely defined his life this far. Honest to a troublesome point, humored by the smallest things, and optimistic in dire circumstances, Fyodor has long struggled to withhold his smiles when he takes so much delight from his surroundings.
Fyodor believes deeply in the concept of soulmates. Forbidden from love by his dear friends, he has coped with his aching desire for someone to care for him in the way a soulmate does by insisting that he has yet to encounter ‘the one’. More than anything, Fyodor wants to be cherished. To have his heart entirely in another’s grasp, and to receive the entirety of his lover’s heart to cherish in return. A distant dream, yes, but it is one that comforts him greatly through the most dreadful nights.
