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A Touch of Evil
Setting:
The year is 1578 and all of Europe is gripped and emersed in the middle of the Renaissance. It is an era where the Western world has come out of the barbarism and ignorance of the Dark Ages and has turned its sights on the enlightenment of mankind. Advancments in science, art, philosophy, and literature characterize and age were the thinkers of the human race are setting their sights on the world around them and interpreting that world in a brand new way. The invention of the printing press, the Mariner's Compass, and the discovery and more widespread use of gun powder, changed the very way that men exchanged and disseminated ideas, explored the world and waged war. The discovery of new continents and discoveries in the fields of astronomy and physics have begun to change the way mankind thought of itself in relation the the world around them. To the scholars and thinkers of the day it was primarily a time of the revival of classical learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.
The Catholic Church, though its influence had been challenged by the likes of Martin Luther,John Calvin, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus, had a solid hold over the minds and hearts of European's. In Britain the Church of England, newly seperated from the Vatican, held sway over the people there. Each of these powerful religious entities were teaching, and had been teaching, their congregations that the old superstitions, legends, and myths of the various clans, tribes, and kingdoms were nothing but stories of the past. Though the simple peasants and lowerclass citizens had grown up being told that things like boogey men, ghosts, vampires, and ghouls did not exist. Men still made sure that the lamps were lit and that they were behind the threshold of their homes before dark. Superstition was the name of the game and with events like the Spanish Inquisition a recent and cutting memory, men learned to fear what was different. They learned that to believe in the supernatural was to ask for pain and punishment from the unbending belief of the present day Church. Despite the willful ignorance of the population, despite the people's growing disregard for the unusual and unexplained, people still died in their beds of unexplained circumstance and went missing. Under the pall of superstition, things still went bump in the night.
Amidst this chaotic time of change there were people, a select few steeped in the knowledge of the occult, legends, myths, combat, and magic. Since the beginning of human times these type of people could be found. Those with direct first hand knowledge of the supernatural. They were men and women that learned all they could about the things that existed on the fringes of human society. Things that preyed on the weak. These soldiers against the tide of evil and bestial creatures and entities that threatened man kind were simply referred to as Hunters.
Plot and Background:
In this roleplay, the players will take on the role of a Hunter. Whether it be a paladin of the Holy Church, a Sister of the Order of Damocles, a tribal mystic, or an outcast mage, you will find yourself thrust into the underground war that wages against the horrors of the night. You will run in circles of people that have participated in mystic clensings, people decended from ancient Druids and pagan priests, and people that have taken up sword, shield, and spear against the ranks of the undead, killer ghosts and poltergeists, and vampires. The battle hardened Wardens of the Night who have seen it all and through breadth of experience have experienced everything from humanities worst night mares.
Each hunter is a different from the next as snowflakes in a blizzard, ranging from well armored, well funded Paladins of the Holy Church, sponsored by secret mystic orders hidden within the heirarchy of the Vatican, to plain robe wearing backwoods parish priests armed only with the symbol of their Lord and a stout cudgel, to rough tongued roguish men of no particular faith at all, eschewing the trappings of religion for the blade and bow. Amongst the ranks of the Hunters you will also find men from bygone ages. Druids, wizards, Shamans, and Holy men, whose traditions escaped the purge by the Vatican over the course of millenia. Men whose very existence is anathema to the teachings of the predominate societies of Europe. The only thing that each of these warriors has in common is the mandate that they have either received by birth or the calling they have taken up because of personal experience, to protect mankind from the denizens of the old world, the monsters that have stalked the darkness since men huddled in caves, pressing against each other for warmth.
Most Hunters come to the business of the supernatural because they experience it first hand. A loved one slain by a vengeful spirit, a child stolen in the night by some vindictive fae, a ghastly possession that ends up claiming the life of a mother, a father, a brother, or a sister. They come to the business of the occult and Hunting to seek vengence or retribution. They learn to kill the beast that stole the life of the innocent close to them. This sprials as they fall deeper and deeper into the life, they learn more and more about what is out there, they become obsessed with the Hunt. Whether this obsession comes from the act of finding an killing the beast or spectre whose trail they have come across, the thrill and adrenaline rush that comes from taking on the supernatural, or whether it acting the protector depends on the individual Hunter.
Others come to it because their family has Hunted. Generations of fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters taking up the mantel of their predecessors to continue a tradition as old as mankind itself. These types are rare, reclusive, untrusting (not that the other variety isn't), leary of those not of the family. They tend to live life on the road, travelling from town to town, searching out those in need of their skills. Never staying in one place long, they work from the shadows, Hunting, protecting the lives of hundreds of people over a lifetime of plying their trades. These hunting families are almost as elusive as the forces they fight against.
The final type are the Hunters that are trust into the trade due to their religion. Paladins of the Order of Judea, Sisters of the Order of Damascus, Hindu shaman, Native American Medicine Men, Tribal Priests, soothsayers, all fight against the supernatural evils that lurk in shadowy corners because the oaths they have sworn compel them to do so. Often radical in their approach, other Hunters fear them almost as much as the evils they Hunt. Often these religious zealots have been known to put Hunters of the first two kinds to the sword for the knowledge they hold. Though some are able to think outside the restrictions of their orders or creeds, a majority of them are unbendable, unbreakable in conviction, that they barely think for themselves.
Though all around these Hunters lurks the evils that think as man as nothing but a source of food or passing amusements, there are supernatrual entities that rest on the side of good. The Seelie Court of the Fae, the Mage's Council, The Order of St. Bartholemew, a refuge for people with talents that fall outside the normal relms of humanity, and a whole host of other creatures, most of which have passed into the annals of myth and legend. Though the world as a whole has chosen to ignore the presense of the supernatural, any good hunter knows that just because something has passed into the bedtime stories and old wives tales that cirulate during meals and over camp fires, doesn't mean that the creature or being described in the tale does not exist. Most legends are based in fact and the Hunters know that most of the legends are very much alive, passing through the ages reveling in their immortality, or proliferating their race right under the noses of the humans to frightened to acknowlegde their existence.
The plot of this RP will follow you, the Hunters. You have all heard, through various channels and whispers, the the legendary Hunter, Vladamir Prokofski, has been seeking out Hunters. Men and women of exceptional ability for a Hunt. The quarry he seeks is not mentioned, but most of you will have heard legends of Vladamir, knowing that close to 20 years ago he dropped off the grid, most assuming he was dead. That he is back and that he seeks help, speaks to the seriousness of his cause. So from where ever you happen to be in the world, you travel to Rome, the seat of the Church to seek out this legend amongst your kind.
The final note that I have in terms of the plot, is that for a good chunk of the RP you will not be working as a huge group. You will be split into teams, 2-3 people, and sent out on assignments. There are times where you may venture out on your own, just yourself and your skills pit against a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams.
The Rules:
I am looking for 8-12 players.
1) ABSOLUTELY NO GOD MODDING, do it even once and i remove you from the roleplay.
2) Respect your fellow roleplayers.
3) I want a minimum of 2 paragraphs(7 sentences per paragraph) for each post. I am really going to be watching post quality on this one folks. There are time where your character may be on their own for weeks at a time, working on their own, or with an NPC and I want the descriptive quality to reflect what your character is thinking, feeling, and doing. If you get a PM from me asking for you to expand on something, I am not trying to be a dick, I just want this thing to be an enjoyable read for everyone involved and for those that might be following in the shadows.
4) Roleplay battles will last a minimum of 2 updates as you will be fighting powerful monsters and enemies.
5) Follow the Character sheet exactly.
6) Post atleast once per update.
7) Have Fun and warn me if you cant post.
8) Updates will typically be on Friday
Character sheet:
One thing about character sheets before I get started. In my other RP's I have gone on a first come, first serve basis for special slots or ranks. This RP is going to work a bit different. For something that has a limited number, I am going to consider all of the character sheets submitted that may want a particular slot and choose, based upon quality and creativity, the sheet that seems best for the spot. Again, do not get bent out of shape if yours isn't selected, I will remain as objective as possible, but just throw in a sheet for something else. The spots that are limited, in my opinion, require a lot of writing skill and ability to process ideas onto paper, and I just want the best sheet for the spot.
Name:
Sex: Maximum of two female characters
Age: you have a pretty wide range here. I don't want anything under 18 and nothing over say 55. Remember this is the 1500's so the life span of the average human wasn't incredibly long in most cases. If you want to go older, you better have a compelling reason that really fits your character. The only exception to this is the characters who end up being mages, your life span is much longer so make your characters anywhere between 35 and 200.
Appearance: Paint a picture with words telling us what your character looks like. This is again going to range to all corners of the western world and perhaps even Asia and perhaps the America's. Travel to and from the Americas and the orient was fairly common, if not dangerous, during this time. Nothing outlandish. Remember that you are trying for the most part to go unnoticed by normals and of course, you are all human.
Personality: I will flat out refuse a character sheet that does not have a fairly descriptive personality. I use this section more than any other section of the character sheet when writing your updates. Be thourough. If you are the silent brooding type, say why. If you are eccentric, explain how. This section needs to be a good sized paragraph because this, after the first few opening posts, will be what most players refer to when the write their characters interaction with you.
Background: Be descriptive. Where are you from, what happened throughout your life. What got you involved in Hunting. Be descriptive and be detailed. This section will heavily play into your choosen character type and should throuroughly describe what brought you to the present.
For the background, only 3 characters can come from a Hunting family. If those who are interested want to work together, I don't mind if they are from the same family or not.
Character class: These are listed below. Choose only one, no multi-classing.
Class Restrictions:
No limit on normal fighters
2 Paladins
1 Knight of the Cross
2 Priests
3 Tribal Shamans
2 Warrior Priests
1 Sister of the Order of Damascus
1 Elementalist
1 Illusionist
1 Alchemist
Powers/abilities: These are also listed below. They will be contingent on the character class you choose.
Equipment: Seeing as I will be allowing a very large variety of backgrounds, this section is going to be a bit dependent on your own research of your choosen class. For example: Someone who chose the Tribal Shaman character class has a variety of cultures and nationalities to choose from. If you chose to take your character from the North American Native Americans you would most likely have a variety of bone, obsidian, or iron knives, a bow and arrow, a herb pouch, Etc. If you choose to take your character from the Celtic traditions you may carry a scythe, sickle, or Twisted Iron-wood staff. I am leaving this fairly up to personal choice, like with the background, but I want you to try and remain traditional. Do some research, pick something that interests you.
The Character classes:
Warrior:
This one is pretty self-explanatory. The warrior can be a back-alley strong arm, a skilled swordsman, a noble knight, or a Martial artist from some far off country. You can choose your area of expertise, but be sure to describe in your background how you developed your skills.
This character class can be broken down into three sub-classes, you must choose one.
The fighter:
no embelishments, no fancy mumbo jumbo, just a skilled warrior that brings his mettle, brains, and brawn to a fight. This ranges in skillset from a swords man, noble and proud, to a skilled knife fighter quick and dexterous.
The Paladin:
This is a warrior who is dedicated to the Church, the Catholic Church. This man would be a monk, or priest, who has been sponsored by the secretive Order of Judea. He is a radical, carrying onto the battle field a religious zealotry that is beyond compare. His simple reignments will be adorned with the signs of the Cross, and upon his breast will be the crest of the Order of Judea. The Paladin also has the Repel Evil power listed below under the Clerics entry.
The Knight of the Cross:
This man would be one of purest heart. Dedicated to his faith, believing beyond all reason that the Lord Almighty will watch over him. Despite his station, and burden, he is a normal man, living a normal life, waiting for some call that only he and his fellow Knights seem to be able to hear, to send him off into the world to battle the forces of Darkness. It is his belief that God has chosen him to wield one of the three holy blades known as the Swords of the Cross. Into the crosshilt of each of these swords are one of the nails believed by the Church to be the nails that affixed Christ on the Cross. Its blade shines with the pure light of the wielders unshakeable faith, a faith that creates a magic all of its own. It is believed that the sword, given to king Aruthur by the Wizard Merlin, was indeed one of these swords. If you choose to go after the lone Knight of the Cross spot, we will discuss more in depth what your weapon is capable of after I choose who gets the spot.
Cleric:
This category of character encompasses all of the religious personas from all around the world. From Native American Medicine Men, to Catholic priests. The abilities for each one will be outlined below, but there are three abilities that encompass All Four subclasses.
- Faith Healing: Whether through the use of herbal remedies or the Laying on of Hands, clerics, through prayer and communion with their gods, are able to bring relief from pain and minor healing to those injured in the course of a Hunt. Though there have been miracles known to happen, it is rare that a Cleric can bring someone back from the brink of death, but Faith Healing has been known to knit bones, close lacerations, and stem internal bleeding.
- Repel Evil: By brandishing the symbol of their faith, the cleric can cause entities from beyond the grave to turn away. The holy light that emits from the Clerics symbol is anathema to Ghosts, Spirits, certain forms of the Undead, and minions of the evil gods. They turn away from the glow as if it pains them to look upon it.
- Spite: By kneeling humbly in the face of their god, prayers of praise and beseechment on their lips, at during times most dire, a Cleric can call upon their deity for intervention. The form that this intervention takes is different for every faith and creed, but inevitably the deity will show mercy upon their faithful servant, striking down the enemy in question.
Sub-classes: You must choose one.
Priest:
For the purposes of this roleplay this will include only members of the Christian Church. This can be Catholic, Protestant, or Anglican, but the latter two would need a good solid background section.
- in addition to the above Cleric abilities, the Priest has the ability to expel unclean spirits from a person that has been possessed. Though most people believe that possessions are the work of the Devil and his minions, Men of the Cloth that have become Hunters know that their has not been a recorded Daemonic Possession in over 1000 years. That the possessing entity is a malcious spirit or ghost that has taken control of the person. Priests are very knowledgeable, well schooled in the occult, literature, philosophy, and history. They tend to work in teams with either Paladins of the Order of Judea, or a Warrior priest of the Order of St. Michael. Rarely skilled in the art of physical combat, the priests tend to apply their considerable knowledge, and faith based abilities in a capacity of leadership, interrogation, and clensing.
Tribal Shaman:
Oh my this is a sticky one and I am probably going to be shooting myself in the foot here with this, but if you choose a Tribal Shaman you will be allowed to choose a two abilities that pertain to the particular cultural background you have choosen. This can be anything from the rumors of shapeshifting ability amongst the Indian Tribes Northe America. To stormcalling amongst the Norse peoples. There is a potential for power playing here and I wont have that. Try and make your abilities in line and no more powerful than the ones for other classes. I will be policing this rather heavily, so don't go over the top.
Warrior priest:
Retains the same abilities as a cleric, but possesses a martial skill well above the other sub-classes. Preferring blunt, crushing weapons like warhammers, clubs, and flanges to the sword and shield tactics of their Paladin brethren, Warrior priests are still able warriors, but not to the extent of the Warrior class.
Sister of the Order of Damascus:
The Sisterhood of the Order of Damascus is an ancient society, thought to have its originations around the time of the reign of King Solomon. They were coutesans, concubines, and women closets to the ancient kings that took on additional roles as protectors, body guards, and counselors. As history progressed, they became an Order taken over by the Church. By the 12th century they were an Order of Nuns, dedicated to fighting the enemies of the church. Though their numbers are small and their order hidden from a majority of the leadership in the Vatican, the Sisterhood acts in much the same capacity as the Warrior Priests of the Order of St. Michael. They are skilled with the sword and dagger, but their true power comes from their devotion to the Lord. It is if sometimes, God himself takes notice of their activities, placing a sheltering hand around them to protect them from harm.
- In addition to the abilities listed under the Clerics section, the Sisterhood has an additional ability called the Shield of Faith. In the times of most dire combat, when all seems lost, a whispered prayer of dedication and loyalty escapes the Sister's lips and a glowing nimbus, a symbol of their favor, surrounds them. During these times it is as if weapons either miss or bounce off the protective energy that surrounds them.
Mage:
The art of the Magi is one that is slowly disappearing from the world. For centuries the Chuch has hunted down, tortured, and killed those that practice the magical arts, and as such many of the skills, spells, and formulae that used to exist have passed beyond human knowledge. Still, there are still those that wield the forces of life and creation, powerful spellcasters that can burn their foes to ash where they stand, or drive the mind mad from illusions and enchantments. All of these men, though there are a few women admitted, are apart of the Mage's Council. They are the governing body responsible for all humans that practice the art of the arcane, there are no exceptions. They follow laws, laid down by the first council, seven in all, and the only punishment for breaking them is death. The practice of necromancy, killing another human with magic, mind control, time travel, are a few of the commandments that are not broken by respected members of the council and any human found practicing these arts, or committing one of these crimes is dealt with in the harshest manner. There are three different sub-classes to the mage class, you must choose one. However there is an ability that is common to the Mage class as a whole:
- Cantrips: All wizards have spells and abilities that are not flashy or showy, but help them in everyday life and research. Things such as lighting a candle with a snap of the fingers, levitating small objects, and other small spells are common to all three forms of Mage. (In terms of what this does for you in a roleplaying sense is that it provides you with character developing thing and desciptive opportunities. A rule of thumb here is that if it is going to effect another person, it is not a cantrip. If you have questions during your posting about this, get with me.)
Elementalist:
Simply one can control the forces of nature, fire, earth, wind, and water bow to your command. As you complete your character, I want you to choose at least one but no more than three spells that relate to each of the elements. Remember you are not a god, you are a human, treat these powers accordingly. I want a description of what the spell does and what is required to cast it. For those of you that have played D&D each of your spells must have a Material, Vocal, and physical component. As far as material things go, nothing wierd like $1000 dollar pearls, but I want each spell to have a component that you must carry with you to use it. For these things your Material component does not have to be something that is used up, but if that is the case you must have spent sometime creating the foci(item that focuses magical energy) and if your item gets damaged or broken, it will take you time to rebuild it. You can make Foci for two, and only two, of your spells. For items that are consumed with each casting, you will have 2 uses per spell of materials on you at any one time(questions on this, get with me)
Illusionist:
You cloud men's minds with the power of your magic. Though this seems like a violation of one of the laws of magic it is not. The magic that you use effects one of the senses. Examples would be creating phantom objects or opponents, creating duplicates of yourself to confuse an enemy, disappearing from sight to reappear in another place. For this subclass you will need to choose and create 9 different spells that fall into the illusion category. As with the Elementalist spells I want a description of what the spell does and what is required to cast it. For those of you that have played D&D each of your spells must have a Material, Vocal, and physical component. As far as material things go, nothing wierd like $1000 dollar pearls, but I want each spell to have a component that you must carry with you to use it. For these things your Material component does not have to be something that is used up, but if that is the case you must have spent sometime creating the foci(item that focuses magical energy) and if your item gets damaged or broken, it will take you time to rebuild it. You can make Foci for two, and only two, of your spells. For items that are consumed with each casting, you will have 2 uses per spell of materials on you at any one time (questions on this, get with me.)
Alchemist:
The alchemist works with potions and solutions more than he does with spells and incantations. Over the course of the centuries these mages have also become known as battle mages as they also spend time developing their combat skills, though the will not possess anywhere near the skill of a trained warrior. For this Class I want you to choose and create 1 magical item and 6 potion receipes. These can be whatever you want them to be but you need to tell me how each one was made and what it does. Of the potions that you create you can carry all of the different receipes at one time, with enough for two doses of each one. For your magical item, make it useful. The potions doses are consumed upon use and once depleted it takes time and your lab to recreat them so use them sparingly. Again, any questions on this let me know.
I realize I am opening myself up to being taken advantage of when it comes to the power of the mage abilities. Recognize though that your close combat ability as a mage is virtually non-existent, save for the Alchemist, but still you are not going to want to go into combat with a whole nest of vampires. YOU WILL LOSE. The mage is a ranged and thinking character, treat it as such. If you want to avoid any problems, PM me the list of spells or potions your are interested in and we can talk about them, tweaking them until they are near the level of power I am looking for.
Current Characters:
1) Robin Blake- Warrior/Fighter/Male- Played by Bane_of_Kings
2) Freja Asmund- Cleric/Norse Tribal Shaman/Female- Played by Karak the Unfaithful
3) Dragomir "Cel Soim" Vânătoaru- Warrior/Fighter/Male- Played by Yoyoyo12365
4) Sebastian Rodar- Warrior/Paladin/Male- Played by Tyranno the Destroyer
5) Eria Graef- Warrior/Fighter/Female- Played by Lord Ramo
6) Bishop Anders Sunesen- Cleric/Warrior Priest/Male- Played by Anilar
7) Edward Dacre- Warrior/Fighter/Male- Played by Santaire
8) Henry Edward Cross- Warrior/Fighter/Male- Played by HOGGLORD
9) Livoc Turnblad- Mage/Illusionist/Male- Played by Romero's Own
10) Alexander Valkium- Mage/Alchemist/Male- Played by Lord of the Night
11)Pieter Duvet- Warrior/Knight of the Cross/Male- Played by deathbringer
12)Johan Wetter- Mage/Alchemist/Male- Played by Rems
I think that is about everything. I look forward to seeing your sheets.