Key Themes of MK2K

MK2K is a world where an apparent utopia is falling apart at the seams. The Empire of Metamor has a lot of things going for it, particularly in the form of Majestrix Kyia -- an intelligent and completely incorruptible ruler with a godlike amount of power at her disposal. But while Kyia is extremely intelligent, she is not all-knowing; while she is just, she is not infallible; and while she is powerful, she knows that she cannot use the full extent of her power lest her people begin to worship her. The very limitations she sets on herself, in order to allow her people the rights of free will and self-determination, also make the Empire vulnerable. The only consolation is that the alternatives would be even worse.

Metamor City itself is a reflection of the state of the Empire. Its uppermost levels -- the parts you can see from above -- are bright, shiny, and beautiful. Skyscrapers gleam and skyways weave between them on delicate-looking arches, while in the center of it all the mile-high Citadel reaches into the clouds. Beneath this glorious exterior, however, is an underbelly that is rotted and decaying -- gangs and monsters rule on the Street, and the poor live out their lives in a perpetual twilight created by the huge buildings around them. The people up topside like to pretend that the Street doesn't exist, but it's always beneath them -- and things are getting worse. Even in the upper levels, darkness broods in board rooms and nightclubs, as crime lords and daedra cults plot to increase their power at the expense of their competitors, often with little regard for the ordinary people caught in the middle.

The story of MK2K is the story of people trying to fight against this rising tide of chaos and evil. They may be idealists fighting for a better tomorrow, realists just trying to make it through today, or cynics who do the right thing because they're paid to -- but whatever their motivations, their actions place them in opposition to the agents of darkness. The illusion of utopia may not hold together much longer, but the light can at least be preserved another day, another hour.

The people of MK2K are not just fighting the average, everyday corruption and venality of the human spirit, though that certainly plays a role. As a fusion of fantasy and cyberpunk, the world of MK2K is home to actual forces of Evil and Darkness that seek the destruction or subjugation of humankind. This evil is personified in the form of Nasoj, who has become a dark spirit seeking revenge against Metamor and the fallen deities of the Lightbringer Pantheon who brought about his apparent demise. It is Nasoj and his mortal agents who are working behind the scenes to increase the chaos and corruption in the world, hoping to keep Kyia and her allies so distracted with putting out brush fires that they won't see the firestorm coming until it's too late. Fortunately, while Evil is a real force in this world, so also is Good, and agents of light are being maneuvered into place to counter Nasoj's efforts, often without even knowing it.

Ultimately, one character finds herself at the center of this conflict -- MCPD detective Kate Kitaen. Like it or not, she is the Key, the principal agent of light chosen to combat Nasoj's darkness. She can't reach her destiny on her own, though, and many others will play parts, large or small, in seeing things through to the endgame and Nasoj's eventual, final destruction. Characters who start out on seemingly-unrelated paths will find themselves coming together in common cause as the plot advances. Most of the players in this process have not yet been defined, so there's still room for new characters, invented by other authors, to become part of the "main cast" that will bring about Nasoj's downfall. Thus, while I am deliberately using the classic fantasy theme of the Chosen One and the hero's quest, I'm also playing on the themes of teamwork, the fellowship of unlikely comrades, and the unexpected heroism of the Everyman.

MK2K is ultimately optimistic, though it won't seem so at first. The paranoia and slow, creeping horror of a world that seems to be going mad will eventually resolve into the knowledge that an actual battle is taking place, against an opponent with understandable goals. The story undergoes a transition from simply trying to hold the center against chaos to an active and desperate quest to uncover the enemy's plans and put a stop to them. By giving the enemy shape, form, and objectives, we raise the hope that it can be defeated, and that the darkness can be driven back. In the end victory is possible, even if the odds of success seem slim -- and while the human heart still contains darkness, the heroes can hold on to the belief that a brighter day is within their reach.

Main Plot Arc

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