In thinking about the Second Rikti Invasion and Saint Joe’s, the difficult thing is balancing realism, fun and manageability. During the first Invasion, students were killed, staff were killed, parts of the campus were destroyed. It makes for a great background, just as the Invasion was a great starting point for CoH—with 95% of the world’s heroes dead, it made for a great excuse to fill the game fabric with little SL 1 heroes. However, now we face a real crisis, both for CoX and for SJS in particular: a second attack.
How do we handle this, so that it does not permanently alter SJS in ways we do not want? For each defensive system or secret escape route we invent, we are also creating reasons down the road why event X or Y cannot happen. If there are multiple defensive and surveillance systems, then no student can ever sneak off campus and certainly no one can sneak on. That’s the question that has made me re-write and revise this document several times.
Let’s start simple.
The Church itself will not condemn the actions of those who fight the Rikti. Though I certainly cannot actually speak for the Vatican, I can cite
the entry for “War” from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
…a war, to be just, must be waged by a sovereign power for the security of a perfect right of its own (or of another justly invoking its protection) against foreign violation in a case where there is no other means available to secure or repair the right; and must be conducted with a moderation which, in the continuance and settlement of the struggle, commits no act intrinsically immoral, nor exceeds in damage done, or in payment and in penalty exacted, the measure of necessity and of proportion to the value of the right involved, the cost of the war, and the guarantee of future security.
So, it is reasonable to assume that neither the Church, Father Bob, nor the Sisters of Cupertino are going to condemn the reaction to the Second Invasion as long as the defense of the Earth against the Rikti does not become a struggle to commit genocide. They would, for instance, condemn the idea of sending nuclear or bio-weapons through the portals to attack the Rikti homeworld.
Will students be allowed to fight? The new Rikti War Zone is for heroes level 35 and up. Students with that kind of security clearance need to use their best judgment as it concerns their character, but the straight answer is this: yes, students can fight, just as students have always been “allowed” to go on patrol or do extracurricular work for various shady characters standing on street corners all over Paragon City. Saint Joseph School will certainly not
demand that students fight. However, defending Paragon City, or in general, the Earth, could easily be seen as a righteous act, and a necessary risk.
Will the staff of SJS and the Sisters of Cupertino fight against the Rikti? Almost certainly. Though the Sisters of Cupertino will more likely fight a
defensive battle, many SJS staff will probably be out on the streets in a more proactive role against the Second Invasion. However, there will certainly be many Sisters and staff who will be remaining on campus to help defend the school and students themselves.
Does the campus have any integral defenses? For simplicity’s sake, no. We have students and staff and super-powered nuns. I would rather not place pop-up turrets and such around for two reasons: one, I’d rather not have the campus be
too secure for sake of future storytelling. Two, it takes the burden of the fight off of the characters—you are the heroes of this story, not automated gun turrets. After the initial attacks, expect to see Longbow on campus.
Now, let’s tackle a few of the tough questions.
What is the emergency action plan? Okay, here is a breakdown of the first day, as I see it.
- The first portals open. Confusion reigns. Is it an attack? How big? The answers to these questions are unknown at first. Students are immediately advised to calmly make their way to the cafeteria, as it is a large place where a head-count can be taken and it’s towards the center of the building. Students would already know that the cafeteria is the designated gathering place for things like hurricanes, for instance. It’s not panic at this point, and students could easily stop by their rooms to grab a book or their iPod or whatever.
- It’s an attack, and it’s global. Within the hour of the first portals opening, this is confirmed. By now, students have already heard explosions echo across the city from outside, shaking the walls. At this point, a total lockdown of the campus is declared. No student goes outside to fight the Rikti. Instead, students are asked to proceed to the Athletic Center in an organized fashion. They will be shielded in groups as they quickly cross the campus. No one runs back to their dorm room for anything, not without getting chased down. This is serious business.
- When exactly was all this built? Once students are accounted for in the Athletic Center, shield generators will encapsulate the structure. At first, the students will be gathered together in the main gynasium, but as the full scope of the Second Invasion starts to become clear over the next couple hours (that is, it’s not a single strike, but wave after wave, with no end in sight), uniformed Longbow agents will start directing students and staff into the sub-level of the Athletic Center. There, students will be shocked (though some of them not-so-shocked) to find an underground complex of reinforced rooms and corridors. The students will be directed to a common area situated between two large barracks with cramped quarters. It is by no means spacious, but there are modern conveniences. Is this where Wyvern’s money went? Was it constructed at the same time as MECCa and the Athletic Center? Students may be surprised to learn that the SJS faculty are just as confused at they are. Whenever it was built, and whoever built it, would seem to have been a closely-kept secret.
- The Headmaster’s Address. Once the students have had a chance to choose a bunk, but before confusion leads to chaos, Arthur Winston III will appear and address the student body. That address will be forthcoming on the forums. In general, the headmaster will outline the demands that SJS will be making of its students contrasted with the demands that Earth itself may make of them. With any luck, it will be very rousing.
What will be the return to normalcy? After the first day, SJS will become a school during wartime. Dorms will be re-opened so that students (with an escort) can gather belongings to relocate to the barracks, but students will not be sleeping in their quads. Classes will be held in MECCa and the Athletic Center, but not in the main school building. However, students who choose to respond to the call to action will be given clearance to resume their patrols. Things will be different, but the same.
Will students be sent home? It will be the view of SJS and Longbow that students will be safer remaining on campus in the secured facility. Students with clearance to patrol can certainly go check in on their families, but their families will not be relocated to the school grounds. Students who find themselves in a conflict of interest over this can either withdraw or deal. Tough choices.
Will parts of the campus be destroyed? Again, this is a tough question. Do we need to blow up buildings to prove the Second Invasion is serious? My initial feeling, much like the question of gun-turrets in the quad, is to say no, we’re not going to destroy the campus. Damage, yes—I have no problem with a wall here or there being blown apart, and students lose momentos and possessions and maybe their hermit crab is killed by debris. However, I think it serves no great purpose for us to roleplay through the major destruction of any of the school buildings.
Can NPCs die? Yes. All deaths of SJS canon NPCs will need to be cleared, however, and please do not be offended if the SC or I say no. You may be the first person to ask, you may be the tenth. We cannot have the wholesale slaughter of NPCs, but we can certainly lose a few for impact’s sake. However, in my view at this point, no one is off-limits.
Can PCs die? Yes. If you have an alt you never play, or for whatever other reason, you can kill off your character during the Second Invasion. You will have to notify us first, and we may ask you to delay the posting of the story for a few days or even a couple weeks, depending on what else is going on.
