Dante's Abyss: Conquest Rules

Overview

Dante’s Abyss is the premier event in survival.

The Syntech Corporation will be hosting it's latest installment in its long-running drama series, 'Dante's Abyss'. This year's event, "Dante's Abyss XI" will bear the subtitle of 'Conquest' and feature a unique approach to the formula.

Dante's Abyss: Conquest will feature thousands of warriors and gusty individuals, from all walks of life and recruit from across the Crossroads. They will be placed in armies based off their skills, personalities and lifestyles. They will then, in short, fight to the death in the name of their Commander in pursuit of a secret prize, with the last army standing claiming victory.

There is a twist, however. The third army is composed almost entirely of individuals and entities that have been corrupted by the influence of the Unmade Arbiter. These foul creatures have set up shop on this landmass in the hopes of claiming the secret that lay at its center. Syntech has managed to ‘trap’ this mini-planetoid in the orbit of Dante’s Comet, with the hopes that one of its recruited armies can defeat the Unmade forces.

Will the two 'non-corrupted' armies be able to work together to defeat the Unmade Army? Will army commanders be able to keep their followers in line? Both 'player' armies are comprised of a variety of individuals, a genuine example of the varied nature of the Crossroads. Can unity be maintained?

The competition will take place on a manufactured planetoid trapped in the orbit of Dante's Comet (yes, Comets have orbits).

The staging area is a lavish and modern facility comprised of the following landmarks/areas:

• The ‘Lobby’ – A grand hallway where the arrivals filter in from the various Worlds of the Crossroads. The Lobby is connected to four large domes. At the far end of the hallway is an elevator that leads up to the barracks on the top floor.
• The Library – A massive, multi-floor room containing books, newspapers, and audio recorders from various points in history and various realities.
• The Recreation Dome – This contains various restaurants and bars serving a plethora of cuisines spread out across a few levels. The top several floors contain a handful of high-tech movie theatres screening blockbusters old, new, and alien.
• The Park – A large ‘outdoor’ area contained within a dome. The park resembles Central Park and contains a small lodge where they sell picnic goods and rent athletic equipment.
• The Dojo – This area contains a mixture of gym equipment and physical fitness courses. There are even a few private dojos where people can get in some last minute training in anything ranging from combat to general survival skills.
• The Barracks – At the highest point of the Dante Preshow Area is the barracks, where the contestants selected for the game will be ushered (via the elevator at the far end of the Lobby) upon their selection. The barracks contains a common area for the contestants to hang out, if they so desire. Each contestant has a very small room to sleep in that contains a bed.

Once the field of contestants has been selected, two Army Commanders will be appointed. Once these Commanders have each selected one follower from those who have joined the event, the remaining entrants will be randomly assigned to one of the two armies. They will then be asked to filter onto their transport, which will drop them off at their Castle on the planetoid.

Over the course of the next few days, each Commander will be responsible for taking control of the planetoid. Commanders can appoint Generals and Lieutenants to lead parts of their forces, or they can ‘go it all alone’ as solo-leader. Each of the three armies will be free to move soldiers around, construct buildings, fortify defenses, or push into enemy territory. Battles both big and small will likely be waged as each army jockeys for control of the planetoid and the prize that lay at its core.

Whether it comes about through surrender, protracted warfare, or diplomacy, the game ends when there is only one Army left on the island. The Commander of that Army becomes the Grand Champion of the Abyss and will receive an exorbitant amount of fame for their accomplishment… as well as Coin, Essence, the Belt of the Grand Champion, and the secret prize. All surviving members of the winning army will likewise receive prizes. Don’t think your Commander deserves the ‘big shiny’? Make sure you kill them beforehand.

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The Collar (Ability Rules)

Everyone who signs up for Dante’s Abyss and is accepted to the roster is fitted with a collar, which acts as a suppressor for various Effects. Attempting to remove the collar will result in your immediate in-game death. Essentially, the collar serves to ‘level’ the playing field. The collar also acts to track individual's locations and provide audio/video feeds for the viewing audience.

The following Effects are prohibited due to the collars your characters must wear in the competition:

• Communication (Can be done via Messengers – see Army/Unit types
• Healing (see note below)
• Sense + Concealment (Snipers and assassins receive limited versions of both of these)

The following are severely limited due to collars:

• Teleportation is reduced to within five feet of your position, regardless of level
• Speed is limited to Rank 2
• Flight is limited to Rank 2 and has the Limited: ‘Just Super Jumping’ Modifier, which should be self-explanatory
• Growth and Shrinking are limited to Rank 1
• Variable Creation is limited to Rank 3
• Summoning still works but the same restrictions apply to them – also you consent to me (the Host) being able to kill them at any point. Summons not be resummoned until after the Event.
• All Damage and Protection effects are scaled up or down to Rank 5 and 3, accordingly. Characters who don't have these Effects can receive them for free (with the Removable Modifier). This applies to NPCs, PCs, officers, soldiers, everyone.

Consumables + Trinkets

You can bring Consumables and Trinkets and use them, sure … unless they’re really stupid. I’ll make a case-by-case basis for most. However, if you are a mech pilot or someone else who is dependent on this feature to function in a conflict situation, I can probably make an exception. Let me know.

Focus

Focus does not regenerate on its own. “The Scene” = Your entire stay on Dante’s Comet. Once you use it, you lose it; however, there are Support Items out there that can restore Focus. Find them.

“Using Focus” – During a siege, field battle, or a skirmish, you may use Focus as you'd like in your own posts (please note this). You may also message me if you'd like to use Focus in the Face to Face that serves as the formal end to battles and sieges. Spending Focus will give you a slight edge if the situation is clearly not in your favor, but it doesn’t come back on its own.

You may not send me a PM as I am writing that you want to use all your Focus because you stumbled upon someone that scares you.

Note – I reserve the right to have your character use Focus if that is what will make the difference between said character limping away from a fight or dying on the ground. After all, I don’t think it’s logically for someone not to use all their tricks if they’re faced with certain death.

Double Note – Using Focus can momentarily override the collar. If you want to Focus to self-Heal (you may not Heal others), Teleport, or some other application of a ‘banned’ Effect, let me know. I won’t tell you WHAT they do publicly, but I have ‘on-comet’ applications of these banned Effects.

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Army Organization and Soldier Types

At the top of an army is the Commander. They will normally stay at their castle and control things via dispatched messengers. They may also lead a unit but run the risk of death just like any other soldier.

Under them are Generals, who lead troops that the Commander assigns to them into battle. The Generals are normally PCs, but armies can appoint NPC Generals and give them instructions (depending on their personality, they may or may not follow orders to the letter). PC Generals will do what they want, regardless of Commander orders, so choose your generals wisely!

Next down the line are Lieutenants, who function as seconds-in-command or as leaders of smaller units (less than 250 indiviuals). As with Generals, PCs or NPCs may serve as Lieutenants.

Remember that the minimum size for any unit is 100 soldiers (not including PCs or named NPCs) and that a unit must have a PC or NPC officer attached to it.

The Soldiers are the basic fighting force of the army, and each unit. Different types of soldiers are listed elsewhere.

A PC (Player Character) can choose to either be a general or a soldier. Obviously, the Commander has the final word on if you lead a unit or not.

Bear in mind: Serving as a Lieutenant (or even a Soldier) may be a great avenue for someone who wants to participate (ie -- get fat rewards and whatnot) but wants to avoid some of the more stressful aspects of the game. Soldiers and lower-level officers don't have to necessarily deal with the drama of large-scale troop movements, constructions, or diplomacy.

Simplified:
• Commander Rules the army
• General rules the units in battle
• Lieutenant is a second-in-command of a big Army or leader of a small Unit
• Soldier is your basic fightin’ force

Soldier 'classes' - Each army will have X number of troops that can be assigned a combat 'class' as well as a non-combat role.

Basic Combat Classes

• Infantry – Basic short-range soldier
• Support – Basic medium-range solider
• Sniper – Basic long-range soldier

Infantry - This is the group 'trained' to engage as many opponents at one time as they can to draw fire for their comrades. They are heavily armed and armored and can take a beating. While they engage enemies and draw fire, the support and assault troops thin the crowds. Infantry soldiers are strong against Support soldiers but weak to Snipers.

Support - The 'Support' class is designed to engage at a medium- to close-range and can be used to neutralize Snipers as battles drag on by providing suppressing fire for infantry as fighting draws closer. By themselves, Support soldiers would be overwhelmed by the 'harder trained' Infantry soldiers.

Sniper - These are medium- and long-range soldiers who are (obviously) best served by being placed behind the other soldiers. Snipers play the strongest role at range, where they can effectively thin out units before ranks close. In close range, Snipers have a disadvantage against all soldier types.

Upgrades? As the event progresses, additional classes will be relieved, along with upgraded classes.

Non-Combat Roles (apply ONLY in non-combat scenarios)

Note: These can be put on the field as any type of basic troop when not in use. Non-combat roles can change when units are reorganized, unlike the combat roles which are 'locked' at army creation.
• Messengers - Can be sent to other units to relay messages of any kind. Messengers, when in groups of less than 200 Messengers (and Messengers only), may travel up to 4 squares in controlled territory, per day.
• Medics - Good for keeping casualties to a minimum.
• Scouts - Can be sent with or without a Lieutenant or General to see into adjacent squares. Scouts have +1 squares of movement but be advised they are easy to spot, especially by other scouts that might be in big Armies. Scouts must be in a separate unit (of less than 250 soldiers) to benefit from this movement speed.
• Spies - Can be put into enemy units or structures to cause disarray or get information. Not always successful. Spies have Concealement and are harder to detect, unless confronted by other spies.
• Assassin - Sent to kill a certain person (or people). Can double as a spy. Not always successful. Assassins have Concealment and are harder to detect, unless confronted by other assassins.

PCs as Soldiers - Each PC will select a combat role when they register. Your best bet is to pick something that matches your character style or 'play style' and stick with that. Like any other soldier, they can also gain experience (by not dying) and eventually rank up. PCs can have non-combat roles as well for the purpose of how/what type of story you might want to write outside of fights.

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Time and Movement on the Comet

Every day in-character equals one day out-of-character (1 Day IC = 1 Day OOC). These cycles begin and end at 10 AM CDT.

Threads will be a bit different from last year’s event. Everyone will start at their Castle thread, and from that point on, each Army will have its own thread. Big landmarks, like Cities, Fortresses, and Fortified Checkpoints will likely get their own threads. New threads might occur when large battles or sieges occur. As units move in and out of threads, I’ll do my part to update this accordingly and use the @t feature to make sure people aren’t getting lost.

Like with various Syntech events, this years Dante's Abyss will feature a grid map. All armies will receive their own version of the grid map that contains their landmarks (structures) and a 'fog of war' for territory that they don't already control. Anyway, army colors will be Blue (Army 1), Yellow (Army 2), and Red (Unmade Army). Gray will serve as unclaimed territory.

You can only move as fast you’re your slowest unit (Movement Rules)

• Infantry – 3 squares per day
• Support – 2 3 squares per day
• Sniper – 3 squares per day

"Supply Lines Buff" - Armies and units all gain +1 Movement speed in territory that you control, due to clear lines of communication and travel.

The General (or Lieutenant) in charge of a Unit or Army will have final say on where they travel.

Movement is optional. There are no ‘Danger Zones’ this year, but there is a penalty for not writing, as you must post at least once every other day … at least 300 words or your characters collar will explode. This rule doesn't apply outside of combat scenes but bear in mind that not writing will do you zero favors when fights DO happen. Also, try and let me know if you think you'll be gone for more than a few days. Again, you don’t have to move but there are consequences for being overly defensive.

Remember that Moves do not accumulate or build up over time. Use them or lose them.

If you are moving to someone with the purpose of aligning with them, you must both confirm before you send in the move. Otherwise, I will assume that you are enemies or that one of you is planning to backstab the other.

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Taking Territory and Building Structures

In the early stages, it is likely that armies will be vying to acquire neutral territory. The 'neutral zone' will be home to a variety of settlements that range from small towns to simple villages or even just a garrisoned observation point. To acquire neutral territory, your army will need to take over whatever settlement is on that square, either through force or diplomacy. After all, the neutral people there do not have loyalty to anyone until they are taken over by force, bribed, or charmed into 'submission'. Remember that actions can have consequences later on.

Taking enemy territory is different. By taking an enemy structure, you gain control of that square and all squares touching it, unless another building is on one of the squares. As you delve deeper into the country, you will take more land.

You may not build anything on land that you have not yet taken.

Building Structures/Bases - Please note that Soldiers cannot build structures

One of the important parts of 'the game' will be constructing fortifications and other small bases of operation to help support your army as you attempt to not be obliterated and/or defeat your foes. Having a structure on a square will also delay the enemy from occupying that territory.

The buildings that your armies may construct are as follows, with the time to build and number of troops you must garrison in each after construction:

• Watch Towers - A tall tower that can see two squares in the four cardinal directions and one square diagonally. Requires 1 day to build and 100 soldiers (for defense and running messages). Can be upgraded into a 'Guard Tower' for 50 more soldiers and one day of construction, which will apply 'withering fire' to armies within its sight range.
• Checkpoint - A military post where you can leave some soldiers. Requires 1 day to build and 50 soldiers. Can be upgraded into a Fortified Checkpoint (requires 1 more day and 500 more soldiers). Passing through a checkpoint will boost a marching armies movement by +1 square, and a fortified checkpoints will increase by +2. These may be built inside Villages and Cities
• Fort - A military base made especially for keeping an area secure. Requires 2 days to build and 300 soldiers. Can be upgraded into a Fortress (requires 2 days and 200 more soldiers). Forts can see all eight surrounding squares and apply 'withering fire' to the four cardinal directions. Fortress apply 'withering fire' in all squares they can see and one extra square for each cardinal direction (at a lesser extent)

"Withering Fire" - Armies that pass within range of certain structures will be fired upon by heavy weapons, which will result in unavoidable casualties. Enemies that camp within range of a structure will suffer worse losses (spread out over a day, with the implication that your army will eventually build fortifications or dig foxholes or something). The damage done by withering fire is randomized but scales in severity: Guard tower -> Fort -> Castle -> Fortress.

Other buildings that you armies can encounter (but cannot build) are as follows:

• Castle - Your central base of operations. Each army has only one of these. Losing your Castle is essentially game over for your army. Castles have a garrison of 400 defenders.
• Villages - Villages can be found in your own territory as well as neutral territory. Villages are home to roughly 100 villagers who can serve as a militia force if the village is attacked. You can garrison extra soldiers in villages (up to 250, at the cost of morale), either in the event of an attack or as a strategic method (attack an enemy army from the rear if they go around a village, perhaps?)
• City - Each army has one city in their starting territory. These are home to 300 villagers who can serve as a militia force if the city is attacked. You can garrison up to 750 troops in a city, again at the cost of morale.
• Note - As an invading army, you can destroy enemy villages/cities to eliminate the advantage they may give their 'owner' but just be aware that doing so won't be a quick process (but what if that village is housing soldiers? Or assassins?!)

Note - The list below denotes the defensive 'prowess' of each structure.

1. Fortress
2. Castle
3. City
4. Fort
5. Fortified Checkpoint
6. Guard Tower
7. Checkpoint
8. Village
9. Watch Towers

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Competition and Judgement (Battles!)

Battles are initiated by two armies entering the same zone, an army lands on an enemy base, or when an army decides to attack a Structure. Most armies will be warned when they are within two spaces of an opposing army.

Formal battles can be pre-organized via DMs. Peace treaties or truces can be formed the same way. Battles that drag on for longer periods of time may be ‘joined’ by additional units or armies, causing a small border skirmish to escalate into a massive battle!

I will begin battles with a post that details the size of both armies and the terrain upon which they are fighting (even if these things are fairly clear). Battles may become a new thread but will often just be included in the same thread as where they occur. Those PCs involved will be expected to roleplay at least once within 1-2 days of the battle starting. Involved parties can post as many times as they would like. For longer sieges or bigger battles, I may post small updates periodically to reflect changes to the ebb and flow of the battle or siege.

The length of a battle or siege depends on the size of the opposing armies. Naturally, an army is going to take longer to successfully siege a Fortress than they would to overwhelm the garrison at a Watch Tower.

After a period of time, I'll lock the thread and write out a 'Face to Face' (I'm keeping the same parlance even if it doesn't 100% fit, because it's a standard DA trope at this point). The F2F represents the ending of the battle, and I'll provide the outcome via spoiler/quotes about who has won, who has died, and the condition of both armies.

Depending on the characters involved and the complexity of judging the confrontation, the Face to Face will be up as soon as 15 minutes or as late as an hour and a half. Likely, I may take longer to write these if they are ‘triggered’ later in the day. My life usually takes me away from the computer during much of the afternoon and evening, but I will post in the thread (through my phone) with a Face to Face.

If you’re in a Face to Face and it’s after 12 PM CST, you can post normally while you wait for the result. When they’re ready, I’ll just delete my original post and put up a new one. Your posts should just be a continuation of what you were doing (not writing anything involving the confrontation – that’s my dooty).

The Face to Face is where the action will be. It is where characters will be seriously injured and killed. It is also the one part of the writing that is wholly out of your control. As such, when you join, you consent to having someone else write your character (that someone else being the host). You also consent to your character being hurt and potentially killed in some way that is outside of your direct control.

With that said, I’ll get into the meat and potatoes.

“How do you determine who wins a Face to Face?”

When I sit back and figure this out, I’m considering 4 factors – Prior Injuries, Armies and Settings, Writing, and My Opinion.

1. A character who already has a lot of injuries will be at a natural disadvantage in a fight. That’s just ‘real’ life. If you have 1 arm and the person trying to kill you has 2, you better have a way to get around your handicap.
2. Previous events used ‘Weapons’ as a mechanic to determine/cloud the winner of fights. In Conquest, this mechanic is replaced by that of Army composition and size. I shouldn’t have to say this, but a smaller force will have to fight a little harder to overcome a giant one. Likewise, just 100 Snipers alone will have a rough time confronting a force composed of Infantry, Support, and Snipers. I have no exact science, which might frustrate people. The other part of this, ‘Setting’, refers to who is on the offensive and who is on the defensive. Naturally, the people defending usually have a slight advantage.
3. Next up is ‘Writing’, which is new for this year. Because the participants get to write the majority of the fight, I will be paying attention to the writing itself. While I naturally love good writing, I will also be keeping an eye out for stuff like strategy and storytelling as well. If you’re defending a Fortress but your post has you running out of the gates and murdering 100 people … not only did you fuck up but also that’s just trash.
4. By ‘my opinion,’ I essentially mean just that. I'm the sole judge. That means everything is based off my opinion and mine alone. I'm not biased to an individual, but I do hold bias towards how I like to read things. Obviously, I can't control what I do and do not enjoy, but I can be fair and let you in on it.

I don’t grade things as you post them. There are no rubrics or score sheets. I'm going to simply read everything and give a final decision based off my opinion. Just to make this known ahead of time – the number of posts you make will not influence my decisions. Just because you write every day doesn't mean you are going to kick the most ass. Just because you throw out a novel doesn’t mean you’ll kick the most ass. Just because you have a lot of technical skill doesn’t mean you’ll kick the most ass.

There are many writers who may post just once and it will be more effective than 2 or 3 posts from someone else. Find your balance but do not overdo yourself in the hopes of it swinging anything in your favor. You don’t want me to get bored or feel over-saturated by your character.

In terms of post length, I prefer short to medium posts. I don’t want to read novels, and I’ll be honest, I start to get bored and zone out if a post is terribly long and not all that interesting. That is a bad thing for you.

I love emotion and reading a character's thoughts and feelings of the current situation. I don’t care for their past, pre-Crossroads or otherwise, unless it has something to do with the here-and-now.

I love descriptive posts, but on that same note, I abhor purple prose and anything that reads like you went through a thesaurus. Be genuine.

When I’m on the verge of killing someone in a fight, I will ask myself the following questions…

• Do I want to find out more about this character?
• Do I feel this character can bring bigger things to him/herself or others?
• Do I want to continue to root for, or against this character?

Things like that. It's all about the character, not just how much you write or even how great you write. You can be Stephen King, but if you’re character is lame and boring, you won’t go far. However, if you’re terrible with grammar, I’ll zone out and things will go downhill. I got enough of that during the school year.

Bottom Line - I know a lot of people simply can't change how they write. That's fine. Don't. But at least attempt to go over a few of these guidelines I've put in here and incorporate into your own style, rather than completely changing it. Above all, enjoy what you do.

If you have a style that I just can't get into, and refuse to improvise, then that's a problem for both of us. This is, above all, a contest about creating an engaging character arc in the face of great odds and high stakes. Things will frustrate you. Things will blow up in your face. There is no set strategy for victory. There are no guarantees.

That’s why it’s stressful…

That’s also why it’s fun.

Oh, lastly … "Other Events" -- In the event of an attempted assassination, botched spy infiltration, village uprising, or any other similar event, I will write/post a Face to Face for that as well.

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Morale, Betrayal, and Deceit

Morale - All participants, whether NPC or PC, will have morale. I will track this on the Army/Unit level (if a Unit is broken away from an Army, the new Unit inherits its starting Morale). Garrisoned soldiers at Structures have Morale, as if they were their own Unit. Morale starts at 100% for everyone at the start of the game.

Morale Loss/Gain - A Unit or Army will lose 'a chunk' of Morale if it loses a siege or battle. On the other hand, the winning Unit or Army will gain morale for winning (Morale may go about 100%).

'Natural' Morale Decay - Morale will naturally decay as a result of, y'know, having to march around a map and/or live the 'army life'.

• The Morale of a mobile Unit will decay at a rate of 3% per day.
• The Morale of a mobile Army will decay at a rate of4% per day.
• If a Unit or Army is lead by the Commander, Morale will decay by 2% per day (an Army of more than 500 soldiers will decay at the normal rate).
• Garrisoned soldiers' Morale will decay at a rate of 5% per day.

"Are there any other ways to stave off low Morale?" - It depends on your writing. A Lieutenant/General/Commander who leads troops could have a night of campfires or let their troops relax by a river or something. As I read people's stories, I will be paying attention to what type of experience their normal soldiers might be having and take that into consideration when looking at Morale. I have no hard rules or numbers for this, but it is something I'll take not of. Also, you can keep Morale high by winning fights, even if they’re just small skirmishes.

"What happens if Morale hits zero (or gets close?)" - Low Morale may make a Structure more prone to rebelling against your control. Low Morale may also make an NPC General/Lieutenant more prone to defect or attempt a coup (details below). Low Morale can also make soldiers ‘worse’ in fights of all shapes and sizes.

"Are there any drawbacks to high Morale?" - Ehh. A General who has a big Army with very high Morale likely has pulled off a few victories. They might look like a more appealing candidate to be Commander.

Salty Situations

Defecting is going from one army to the other. If you want to leave, just tell me and I'll start your travelling to the unit you designate, two squares a day. If you want to defect during a battle, tell me during the battle. Be specific as to what you want to do when defecting in a battle.

Coup d’état is a sudden overthrow of a government. By Dante's Abyss standards, it's killing or overthrowing your Commander and taking control. Attempted murder is easy enough... just tell me you want to try, and I'll start the fight (each party would get one to two posts [I'm not decided yet]). You can challenge them to a fair fight as well, and in most cases, you probably want to do that, because otherwise nearby players may not happy with you.

The other way to perform a coup d'etat is to gather support from troops, and other PCs, and simply put down the Commander. If the army is losing, they won't be difficult to sway to new leadership. But if the army is doing well, they won't want to lose their Commander.

Breaking Off is also possibly. You'll need at least two 500 soldiers and a Structure willing to join you (or capable of being beaten into submission). All the land around the bases will become your own. If there are other units there, you'll have to fight for it. Also, if support is in favor of your current Commander, the villagers at the bases will not go down without a fight.

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Damage, Injuries, and Death

Damage results from ‘Face of Face’ events. In the context of Conquest, these are almost entirely story-playing elements. If you are fully healthy and decide to, by yourself, fight 100 soldiers … you will likely die.

The only way to heal damage is if you have a Weapon/Support Item whose stated purpose is to heal damage. I repeat – you cannot heal damage in any other way. Your character can improvise bandages or splints, but this will not positively impact your damage and the severity of your injuries will remain unchanged.

Injuries – Confrontations will result in injuries. Injuries build up and negatively impact your character’s survivability in future Face to Faces. They should also (honestly) provide you a means to enrich your storytelling on the island! Play them to your advantage.

Injuries and how many points they deduct are listed below:

• Story Injury – These are extremely insignificant injuries, like a small cut or abrasion. They are for roleplay purposes only, although they may be upgraded to a ‘real’ injury after a future Face to Face.
• Minor Injury – Minor injuries will hinder you, but they are not terribly serious. These are like deep cuts that may take a while to stop bleeding. These also include things like sprains and minor head injuries. They can be healed completely with 1 use of a healing Support Item.
• Major Injury – These are things like broken limbs, impaired senses (like blindness), serious head injuries, and lacerations that won’t stop bleeding on their own. These can be healed down to Minor Injuries with a healing Support Item but won’t go away completely.
• Insane Injury – These are injuries you CANNOT heal whatsoever. Things like lost limbs. An insane injury guarantees that you’re not going to enjoy the rest of the game.
• Mortal Injury – These are very rare, but they can happen. These are insane injuries that will kill you within 12 IC hours unless you are healed. Unlike an Insane Injury, a healed Mortal Injury becomes a Major Injury.

Note – All injuries vanish upon leaving the comet.

Death – At some point, your character will reach the point where they can’t continue. Mortality takes us all in the end. Have an insurance policy.

Note – Characters who die via collar explosions (inactivity, gross violation of rules) will “die-die” and be subject to normal Death rules.

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NPC Generals and NPC Logistics/Rules

Before the event goes live, the Commanders can reach out to me to request some NPC Generals. I will provide them with a list of NPCs they can pick from, and these Generals will generally act in the manner of their personality. Some of these options will be good, some will be okay, and some will be awful (you won't necessarily know the outcome ahead of time, mind you). Commanders will send in NPC movements/orders, and based on the NPC modifiers (known solely to me), they will react or follow orders either in line with their Commander or their own beliefs. Commanders can demote NPCs to Lieutenants or even remove them entirely via in-person or messengers (again, this may not be taken well).

Even after the event is live, Commanders can also request additional NPC options from me at any point when they want to create new Armies or Units. Do not go overboard with this, or I will cut you off and you’ll have to make do with what you have.

"Can I bring my own NPC(s) to act as my Generals or Lieutenants? I don't trust Jade and her sneaky eyes. " -- Yes, Wyatt, I wouldn't trust Jade either. Anyway, yes, Commanders and Generals can bring their own NPCs, but you'll need to furnish me with a blurb about them. But bear in mind, the same rules will loosely apply (I'll determine how effective I think they'll be) and you'll want to buy the Revival Consumable if you plan on bringing your best NPC friend along.

"Summons?" – As noted earlier, the same rules as NPCs. If they die during the event, you won't have to use the Consumable, but you can't re-Summon them until the event concludes and you are off the Comet.

Joining as an NPC – As noted elsewhere, you may join Syntech events as an NPC. Bear in mind that you should invest in a Revival Consumable BEFORE the event begins, unless you plan to do the revival quest. Furthermore, your created NPC will walk away with whatever Coin and additional prizes/booty they win. This stays with them, although it can later be exchanged to your ‘account character’ if the two meet in a thread (this is standard NPC-to-PC exchange rules). NPCs get 1 Focus, unless they have the Lucky Affinity.

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Updates and Messaging

The private messaging system is the official way that updates will be done for Dante’s Abyss. You may ask me general questions through other media, but updates and official correspondence must go through the PM system. Do not send your movements or updates through anything else. I’ll kindly redirect you once and then just ignore you.

Keep some space in your inbox. If I get a message bounced back to me, I will not bother to do so again. This is your warning.

By default, all your messages should be copied into your ‘Sent Folder.’ Make sure this is set so you can retain the messages you receive from me, at least for the day that they are relevant. Why? I have a large inbox, but I will be deleting things as I receive them, because my space isn’t infinite and I also just hate clutter in general. As a result, I may accidentally delete a message that I shouldn’t have.

If that happens, the burden is then on you to provide me with proof. I’m a nice guy (ask my students), but for this contest, I won’t be giving you the benefit of the doubt. Send me a screenshot or a screen capture, and I’ll gladly reverse the decision.

Also be aware that a message will be in your Outbox Folder until it is read by the recipient. This way, you can know whether or not I read your private message yet, so there should be no confusion.

Lastly, I will not reply to your update messages. If I read it, you can assume that you’re updated.

Reminder: If you’re not leading a Unit or Army, you don’t need to worry about sending me movements or other stuff, unless you plan to lead a coup or something out of the ordinary. Your Lieutenant/General/Commander will handle moving your group.

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How to Join

Who Can I Join As?

Hi. You can join as either of your account-bound characters, an NPC you have 'rights' to use, or a custom-made NPC.

How to Join

1. Step 1 – Write a roleplay in which your character heads to the registration booth. There they will find queues for several identical booths. Once at the front of the line, your character will be asked to provide their name and demonstrate ‘what they bring to the competition’ for the cameras. After this, they will provided with a form and ushered into another line where they’ll wait to enter a teleportation room. They will then be teleported to Dante’s Comet, and they will arrive in the Lobby of the Preshow Complex.
2. Step 2 – You, the writer, will fill out the below information and send it to the host. These forms will be posted publicly for the host and other contestants. If you are using your account character, this will probably be easy to do by pulling from your roster, but if you're using another character, you may have to do a little more with this form.
• Appearance – Your character’s appearance (a simple link to an image is perfectly fine)
• Personality – Your character’s personality
• Possible Reactions – How may your character respond to certain situations? How may they respond when confronted by certain types of people?
• Relationships – State any important friendships/rivalries you have with other contestants. Is there someone your character would want to murder? Someone they would protect? Important for people in groups but maybe not so much for loners.
• ‘Combat’ Style – Now by this I don’t mean a fighting style. I’m looking more at how your character will react if thrown into violent situations. Do they go fists flying? Will they retreat to find a better advantage? Will they be cowardly? Will they defend their allies above all?
• Eligible Abilities – List these, I will reference this over your Roster.
• Extra – Anything you think I must know to properly write your character.
• Quotes – List a quote or two your character has said or may say.
• Threads/Post - Link a FEW threads or specifics posts that you think best capture the mood/spirit/persona of your character.

The point of this is not only to provide a quick run-down of your character but also to serve as an additional aide and point-of-reference for me when I write your character. As always, you should be ready to deal with foreign or alien situations. This is Dante’s Abyss. Anything can happen.

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