Black Tie
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| Black Tie | |
| Founder: Bad Dream and Kevon J. Millno(OOC) | |
| Basics | |
| Side: | Villains |
|---|---|
| Motto: | The Many, The Martyrs, The Murderers |
| Leader(s): | Bad Dream |
| Logo: | A Black Tie (in game as an Ankh) |
| Group Colours: | Black + Gray |
| Playerbase | |
| Levels: | 1-50 |
| Play style: | Heavy RP, mostly horror and military
Super villains/terrorist, usually with a darker twist |
| Roleplay: | Required and needed to rank |
| Timezone(s): | Pacific |
| Recruiting: | Yes, IC interview required pre-recruitment |
| Contact: | Lord Bad Dream, Mr. Soot/Mister Soot (@Talisien Nightbane)
Songbyrd, Vandalist (@Vandalist) Markel Darkweaver/MarkeI Darkweaver (@Sheyon) R-41 Incinerator (@TPOA) Operation Blackwell (@Tatey Bear) Black Amaranth, Polysemy (@Gelle) |
| No additional information available. | |
Who is Black Tie? Why are they here? What do they want? All of these questions have passed through the minds of the organization's enemies. A group of individuals, on the outside seeming pretentious, insane, or at the very least just misfits, but those who truly know the inner workings of Black Tie see a well-oiled machine, bent on domination, anarchy, destruction, and hysteria by any means necessary.
Contents |
IC
When everything you stood for fails, where will you stand?
Back Story
The Black Tie started with Bad Dream, a high-profile British terrorist on the run from INTERPOL for an abundance of crimes against humanity and the world, ranging from treason to grand theft. Initially formed as a collective organization to evade the law in the Isles and fight for power, Bad Dream eventually took over as head of the organization, a position he has held onto since.
Since Dream's seizure of power, Black Tie became taking a turn for the extreme, committing acts such as mass murder, assassination, arson, and bombings. The crux of the group's rise to attention was a public war with then-Arachnos supporters, the Shadow Spiders, a conflict which boosted Black Tie into the spotlight in the Isles. From then on, the group became controversial for its treachery, cruelty, and open manipulation of several other groups. Constantly hunted and hated by many, few can deny that Black Tie is one of the most well known and evil villain groups to grace the Isles.
Since their initial conception, the Black Tie has also grown vastly in size. With a team of creative and slightly (or perhaps more than slightly) twisted minds, the group's technology, equipment, and weaponry flourished, becoming increasingly deadlier and more powerful. The Black Tie organized itself into a full paramilitary faction, complete with specialized branches for its metahuman members. Now despite the group's roots in England and the Etoile Islands, cells of Black Tie have begun being cited all across the globe from Nome, Alaska to Shanghai, China. Labeled by the media as the "Next Council", some wonder in fear if this title may be a bit too true, and if so, will their utter disregard for human life and thirst for destruction make them an even deadlier threat?
Activity
See Headlines
The actual activity of Black Tie is constantly changing in design, from seemingly random kidnappings and murders to large-scale bombings. Black Tie has been known to also be behind extortion, racketeering, grand theft, burglary, smuggling, assassination, and arson.
Regardless of its organization, at its heart, Black Tie is a terrorist organization. While they are well equipped and have (arguably) brilliant leadership, they're far more inclined to instigate a riot than make an attempt to capture the capital city of a country... for the moment.
Armed Forces
Army
Lead By: Void Vanguard
The Army of Black Tie is little more than your standard Army. Dressed flak jackets, durable black fatigues, multi-vision goggles, combat boots, and Kevlar helmets with radio-communicators, the Army fight on the front lines of any Black Tie conflict. All recruits start in the Army initially, later promoted to the branches. Most recruits skilled with marksmanship and/or have strong leadership qualities stay here and advance in rank.
Branches
When a new recruit joins Black Tie, they are inducted into the Army. After proving their mettle, they advance in rank to the branch of their choosing.
Orphans
Lead By: R-41 Incinerator
Originally designed to house human brains and spinal columns, the Orphans are essentially walking tanks. Built to withstand extreme climates and deliver heavy firepower, the Orphans are the heavy support of Black Tie. When the offer to surgically implant brains and spinal columns into the machines was met with protest, Soot devised a secondary option: electronic consciousness transfer. This process, dubbed "E.C.T", syncs the pilot of an Orphan to its respective machine via a special implant and chord connected into the base of the neck, similar to "jacking into the Matrix." Recruits are chosen from a wide variety of backgrounds, abilities, and body-types.
Magi
Lead By: Markel Darkweaver
For those magically gifted, the Magi is the branch of choice in Black Tie. The Black Tie Magi fall under the purview of Markel Darkweaver. A harsh taskmaster, Darkweaver weeds out unworthy initiates with brutal efficiency. Those who fall are clumsy, slothful or weak. But those who survive are natural and powerful spellcasters indeed. Armed in impervium armor to defend against pesky mage-killer bullets, the Magi are able to enjoy relative safety as they rain fire on their enemies with their variety of magic.
Angels
Lead By: Operation Blackwell and Zyren Treskal
On wings of steel the Angels patrol the skies, swooping down to strike ruthlessly. For the particularly graceful or those metas who are unable to fit into other branches, the Angels is the most likely path of success. Recruits are taught to use raptor packs, focusing on control, agility, and mobility to make them swift and nimble in the air. Dually, their armor is armed with various weaponry or they may use their inherent meta abilities to make quick work of any threat.
Skin Takers
Lead By: Fabian Bella and Adolf Dementia
The Skintakers are the more bloodthirsty, disturbed side of Black Tie. Trained to fight with unparalleled frenzy and no remorse, the Skintakers are butchers in the fullest sense, charging into battle to maul their enemies as viciously as possible. Recruits who lack the subtlety for the Repomen yet also the muscle required for the Black Guard are sent here and put to work, learning the ways of the berzerker. They decorate themselves with trophies from fallen enemies, such as scraps of cloth and even skin and bone. When rushing into battle, their bone helmets/masks and gruesome displays of savagery strike fear in the enemy.
Scientists
Lead By: Mr. Soot
Some recruits aren't too enthused about actually fighting. Some would love to just stay behind in the laboratory and further Black Tie in technology. These are the Scientists, under the watchful eye of Mister Soot. The scientists are given free-reign over Black Tie's labs, encouraged to develop new weapons, armor, and super-soldier treatments for the rest of the group. Without their tireless effort, Black Tie would struggle to constantly arm its forces with the equipment it does.
Elite Branches
Like the Army, some will continue within their paths of the branches, but some will also be redirected into the Elite Branches, which are considered the pinnacle of Black Tie.
Black Guard
Lead By: Black Amaranth
The Black Guard are often the most skilled and strongest of any Black Tie branch, and for a good reason: they are the personal guard of Bad Dream. Trained in loyalty, resilience, and strength in that order, they are the only branch that answers directly to Bad Dream and works with him on a daily basis. The Lord of Nightmares is fierce in his selection, and training is brutal, with many not surviving boot camp. In fact, it has been rumored that the survival rate of the Black Guard recruits is 50% on a good batch. But those who do survive are given the highest respect in Black Tie, with higher rank, status, and authority over many of the other branches. They are looked at as the leaders of the Armed Forces and a shining example of Black Tie's power.
Typically From: Magi, Skin Takers, Angels, Orphans
Repomen
Lead By: Vandalist
The Repomen are often only whispered about in Black Tie, rarely acknowledged or talked openly about. This cold, calculating, and deadly branch is the home of the Black Tie's top assassins and infiltrators. Under the guidance of Vandalist, who has taken over for Mister Soot since his transfer to the head of the Scientists, the Repomen are trained for stealth, precision, and power, with the intention that every blow be fatal. Ranging from snipers to modern-ninjas, the Repomen wear hooded cloaks and white porcelain masks, and black doctor smocks. One thing that is for certain is that the Repomen do not tolerate failure and only recruit the best, sending any rejected or failed entries back to the ranks of the Skintakers with the threat of death over revealing the guarded secrets of the branch. Interestingly enough, the Repomen seem to be outside of Black Tie's general hierarchy, not falling into a specific rank and answering to no one other than Bad Dream and Vandalist. Dually, the Repomen also have no authority over any other branches, even the Army.
Typically From: Skin Takers, Angels, Army
Flayerbots
Lead By: Mr. Soot
Quite possibly one of the deadliest creations to walk the face of the Earth, the Flayerbots sacrifice their organic bodies to be implanted into their robotic shells. The rewards for this sacrifice are strong and nimble robotic bodies with nuclear cores, but most importantly, access to the deadly Flayer, a rifle that literally tears holes through any substance its beam comes in contact with. Due to the powerful nature of their weapons and robotic bodies, as well as the worth to enemies, Flayerbots are all armed with self-destruct protocols and also utilize a hive-mind, much like the Arachnos Bane Spiders, to keep one another in line. After all, even Bad Dream himself couldn't survive a burst from the deadly Flayer rifle.
Typically From: Orphans, Army, Angels
Costume Examples
 Magi Adept |
 Magi Initiate |
 Magi Initiate (Alternate) |
 Magi Mask Detail |
 Skin Taker Male Example |
 Skin Taker Male Example |
 Repoman Example |
 Repoman Example |
 Repoman Example |
 Repoman Mask Example |
 Repoman Mask Example |
 Repoman Mask Example |
 Orphan Power Armor Example |
 Alternate Orphan Power Armor |
 Standard Army Uniform |
Black Guard.PNG
Black Guard Example |
Current Members on Virtueverse
1. Bad Dream
4. Psalmchild
8. The Maddener
9. Frenzystorm
10. Vandalist
11. Shadowed Fate
13. Kage Hebi
14. Jumping Jimmy
15. Carpe Noctem
16. Psi-Tox
18. Black Amaranth
19. Khymaira
Rules
1. No in-fighting. We are a team. You're not required to like your fellow members of the Tie, but you must respect and support them. Consequences have been drastic in this past for those who break Rule #1.
2. Follow orders. Operations are sensitive with meticulous though and detail. One wrong move will ruin everything. Therefore, while in combat, if an officer says "jump", you better ask "how high" while preparing to leap.
Ranks
0. Lord- Well who better to be Lord of the Black Tie than the already self-proclaimed Lord Bad Dream?
1. Lieutenant- The second highest rank in Black Tie. Dream's personal inner circle, and the branch leaders. Currently, this rank is held by Songbyrd, Markel Darkweaver, R-41 Incinerator, Vandalist, Operation Blackwell, Mister Soot, and Black Amaranth.
2. Officer- When an Agent achieves the pinnacle of his/her dedication and commitment to Black Tie, he/she is offered the honor of becoming an Officer. Officer are the coordinators of Black Tie and advisers to Bad Dream. The Officers are considered the above Agents, Operatives, and Cannon Fodder in the hierarchy of Black Tie, and Lieutenants often see the Officers as equals. Officers are expected to be unbiased and fair to all members of Black Tie, are considered responsible for the safety of their squads in combat, and treated with utmost respect. Promotion at the discretion of the Lieutenants. Currently, this rank is held by Fang of Illuyanka, Void Vanguard, and Jei
3. Agent- The Agent is the considered the true representation of Black Tie. When an Operative is promoted to an Agent, his/her past records, identity, and miscellaneous information is erased from databases world-wide, making them, in the mind of the organization, non-existent and near impossible to trace. They are briefed on all current events, given command over the Operatives and Cannon Fodder, and trusted with carrying out tasks such as assassinations. They are trained heavily in the use of explosives, fire arms, hand-to-hand combat, and counters to various metahuman abilities and equipped with top-of-the-line weapons and armor. Promotion at 50k prestige and heavily participating in a RP plot line. Equivalent of a Boss-class enemy
4. Operative- Sometimes cannon fodder proves that it just doesn't want to die and is a damn good meatshield. Some of them even will prove to be something more useful than a meat shield. Thus, cannon fodder are officially welcomed into Black Tie as operatives, the most basic rank that has any respect. Promotion at 10k prestige and participation in RP with groups, including idle meet-ups in Sharkhead or Pocket D. Equivalent of a Lieutenant-class enemy
5. Cannon Fodder- The lowest tier of the organization. These members are recruited off the streets and are not fully briefed on every operation of Black Tie as a liability issue. They are expendable, get little to no respect, and are often repeatedly threatened with stabbings and burning. Equivalent of a Minion-class enemy
Relationships
Indirect Alliance
While none of these groups are true supporters and collaborators of Black Tie, they have been noted to help the organization in a few tasks.
- Clan Di'mir ((OOC coalition))
Adversity
OOC
Is Black Tie right for me?
Black Tie offers a rich and elaborate role play environment for every member but is also a very structured group. There is a lot of backstory, lore, and even canon for the group itself. As such, new members will have to abide by what we've established and RP accordingly. We love new members and new RPers, but one thing that drives us crazy is new members who don't respect what's already been set down in the group's canon. So before joining, ask yourself these questions:
- Am I willing to play second fiddle? Rank and Branch is very important to the group. An Operative Skin Taker will not be shown as much respect as an Agent Skin Taker. An Agent Skin Taker will not be shown as much respect as an Agent Repoman. Until you reach the top echelons of your branch, or even reach a level to be promoted to an elite branch, you need to be willing to not be the center of attention. Dually, by interacting as a background player in RPs and slowly working your way up, you'll slowly gain more importance within the RP community as a whole and gain exposure from constant engagement in RP.
- Am I willing to let other characters be more powerful than mine? To the point that character can slap mine around with little fear? There is very much an established chain of power in Black Tie. The lieutenants are heads of their branches for a reason, and Bad Dream is the head of the organization for a reason. Every member, even the current officership was once new and we rightly earned our place. Much like respect, all new members must put in effort to working their way up the chain of power in Black Tie. Until then, you must willingly accept that the head of your branch is superior at your craft than you, can discipline you, order you around, ect.
- Am I willing to tone down my character to go with the flow better? Many people like playing angry, jerk villains. That's fine; many people in Black Tie ICly are angry jerks. The problems come when you start being an angry, defiant jerk to your superiors. In and out of training, your superiors may beat you, injure you, and insult you. Reacting to it initially in a defiant manner is fine (though understand there ARE consequences; and we would appreciate that you wouldn't "handwave" out of punishment, so to speak, or not take it seriously), but what we don't want is a continually defiant member with no character development. Troublesome insubordinate members WILL be kicked, even if we adore you OOC. Sorry, we just need to act appropriately. Hell, if we didn't tone down our characters, they wouldn't boot you, they'd take you behind the chemical shed and shoot you.
- Am I willing to put group RP above personal RP? Don't get me wrong, we're always open to your suggestions for RP. Hell, we love it. However, what we don't want is for you to one day announce that your character, which is at an Operative level, was kidnapped by Cthulhu and should be rescued. ICly, our characters will shrug and find someone to replace you. Another thing we don't want is for you to miss group events because you're off "RPing with your IC sweetheart." Do you know what the Army would do if you missed a battle because you were off cuddling with your spouse? They'd dishonorably discharge you. Black Tie is no different. Another thing that's very frustrating is when we schedule group events months in advance and on that day people don't show up because they're "caught in mid-RP". If you're not going to give some priority in being part of our group, don't join.
So You Want To Feud With Black Tie
This is perfectly acceptable. We are a villain group, and we would like to be stopped by heroes. That makes for fun and interesting RP. Due to Black Tie even being one of the many groups represented in the Villains of Paragon City, we can even interact within Paragon City to continue RP. However, there is a degree of courtesy that we look for, and which we would like to be shown.
- You cannot kill us/defeat us once and for all You would think this would be a no brainer, but some people simply do not understand. RP is cooperative; just as you don't want to kill your hero, I don't want to kill my villain. Imagine if the Fantastic Four finally killed Doctor Doom to prevent his crimes. Can you imagine the Fantastic Four with no Doctor Doom? In fact, we would be more than delighted to simply have a group that wants to put us all in prison. That would even be ideal.
- Ask first, don't do Even when it comes to the feud itself. If you would like to feud with us, talk to us about it OOC, don't just come up and punch one of us in the face. One of the biggest problems on Virtue, when it comes to dispute RP, is a lack of communication. No one is unflexible with their characters, and if they are you shouldn't RP with them. We are not unflexible. Finders Keepers, a group that is outmanned and outgunned by Black Tie, recently beat us in a feud because the leader, Selah, and I, Bad Dream, talked it all out in advanced and along the way. Freeform RP may be fun for Pocket D, but it needs to be avoided in a plotline setting.
- When the feud is done, it's done So you lock us up in chains and haul us off to prison, but we escape. The next week, you see us in the D, fly into a rage, and attack us. This is NOT what we want. While we have no problems feuding with groups over and over again, when we are trying to relax at the D or RPing with friends, we do NOT want to be dragged into a random fight out of nowhere. Hell, even while the feud is going on, if we are doing light RP outside the feud, we shouldn't have to worry about you jumping us. Another problem is when people take IC problems and extend them past the scope of the plot. The Finders Keepers/Black Tie feud was the end of the interaction between the two groups ICly (for now), and it ended with Selah and a team she assembled killing Bad Dream. However, I made it quite clear to my group OOC that IC retaliation for Dream's death was a no-no. Now despite how loyal the Tie is ICly, and how some people even had to do a bit of thinking to figure out why they wouldn't retaliate, they did. I don't care if I kicked your puppy during the plot. When the plot is over, even if it ended with us winning, it's over.
Notes
- The RP in Black Tie is very diverse and borderline schizophrenic with the drastic changes in styles. The most common genres of RP tend to be horror and mature, but humor does inevitably come into the mix. I mean, we have a DISCO PETTING ZOO for god's sake.
- We do have a fully functioning base!
- Each room in our base has some nickname, such as Babylon, the Red Room, Crossroads, the Rabbit Hole, etc.
