♥ The Heartless Manor ♥ || Walk in || Help Wanted!

[String x Theory]

Notice

Please do not start your first post with stumbling into the manor with an injury unless cleared by String x Theory first. We've had too many injury posts which unnecessarily disrupt the plot and the characters. Also please don't knock on the door. This is a walk-in thread. Walk in!

Help Wanted!

A hand-painted sign is posted on the window just next to the front door that reads Help Wanted. To inquire about a position, please talk in-character to the owner, Saria. No "real" (gaia gold) payment offered.

As you walk along the busy streets of Barton Town, deciding which new place to visit today, you find yourself growing tired of the hustle and bustle of the townspeople. Every establishment is the same, it seems. No matter how you try, you never seem to find a place that fits, that feels like home, is secretive enough to hide your past (or present), or is entertaining enough to cause you to stick around. And so your feet continue to guide you towards the outskirts of town, where the roads wear out and the asphalt becomes dirt. A stray path leads you down a long driveway, where an old worn-out Victorian style manor sits among the trees.

The smell of salt water and pine reaches your nose; a strange combination of forest and shoreline surrounds the old manor. Intrigued, you continue your journey until you reach the wooden porch. Intricate flowers and vines of an unknown variety seem to take hold and fill every old crevice of the building. An old sign hand-painted in an ornate font reads The Heartless Manor.

As you decide whether or not to enter, a small shadow creature - the size of an average cat - pokes it's head out from the shadows and blinks it's yellow eyes at you before scurrying off.


From the outside, the manor looks beaten and rough, and yet, somehow homey. Lights can be seen from the windows outside, evidence of life inside. Whatever you're looking for - whether its entertainment, or a place to hide, or a place to rest, or a place to call home - you have this funny feeling that this will be where you find it.

This thread was designed to be an easy-to-join roleplay. You do not have to read this entire post before joining us. The below information is for you to enjoy only if you want to. Otherwise, please feel free to join us whenever you are ready.

Who is the owner of the Heartless Manor?

Saria Doragon Trein (played by String x Theory) is the owner of the Heartless. You can typically find her behind the counter serving drinks. She is very clearly an elf and carries all of the stereotypical elvish features (tall, lean, long pointed ears, etc.) and has long, dark blue hair.
To read Saria's full bio, check out String x Theory's Gaia profile.

Do I need to post a profile to join?

No. This is a walk-in thread. Just jump in an start posting.

Do I need to knock on the door?

No, just walk right in.

What are the black shadow creatures?

They are heartless. They are an animal/villain/thing from the Kingdom Hearts video games, but this is not a Kingdom Hearts roleplay thread. The heartless are not evil, they are more like pets.

Can I have a job?

Sure, speak in-character to Saria to arrange employment. There is no "real pay" - aka, I don't give out gaia gold to employees.

What does the Heartless offer?

- Full service bar with all sorts of drinks/food. Anything Elvish or Middle-Earthish is the specialty here.
- Healing Room with resident doctor/scientist. We typically refer to the healing room as "the Lab" since it is usually used for research unless there is a medical emergency. It's very high-tech and futuristic.
- Fighting/Training arena in the basement. The entire basement is outfitted with an robotic training program. Think of the Danger Room from X-Men.
- Swimming Pool. The backyard features a cozy swimming/bbq area.
- Beachside Stay. Just a short walk away from the Manor is the shoreline.
- Ballroom. Across from the bar area is a ballroom. This room is not typically used, unless someone wishes to play on the grand piano or there is a party.
- Library. The entire third floor of the Heartless is a massive library. It is not uncommon to find magical items or tomes hidden in the crevasses.

What is the layout of the Heartless?

First Floor: Immediately upon entering, you are in a long hallway that stretches straight to the back door. The doorway to the right takes you to the bar area. The doorway to the left takes you to the ballroom. Connected to the bar area is Saria's office. Her door is usually shut and locked. Behind the bar counter is access to the kitchen. The kitchen also lets out into the main hallway by the back door. Bathrooms are at the end of the hallway to the left.
Second Floor: This entire floor is made up of guest rooms, except for the healing room that sits at the far left of the hallway. Saria's room is larger than the rest and sits at the far right of the hallway.
Third Floor: This entire floor is made up of the library.
Attic: The attic is locked and is off-limits to guests.
Basement: The basement can be accessed via the stairs in the main hallway.

What are the rules?

Just follow Gaia's ToS and listen to what String x Theory says. She's the judge, jury, and executioner in this thread.

My character is a vampire. Is that important?

In this thread, being bitten by a vampire does not automatically turn a victim. They either need to feed OR die within 24 hours for the virus to take effect. Otherwise the virus will just leave their system, like a bad cold. Also, it's worth noting that Saria is incredibly suspicious of vampires due to a jaded past.

I play a bad guy. Can I join?

YES! Our thread plots tend to happen naturally without doing too much planning. If a villain wants to show up and make a mess of things, let it happen. If you want to discuss more in depth what this would look like, post on our OOC thread.

Are there any Non-Playable Characters (NPCs)?

Yes, when no one seems to be available or actively at the bar counter, a blonde angel named Jennifer will greet you, dispense any food/drink requested, give you an update on the happenings of the Manor, and the current location of key characters, such as Saria [owner].

If the burden seems too much to bear, remember,
the end will justify the pain it took to get us there.

[String x Theory]

Honestly, our OOC thread is not used as often as it should be.
We mostly only post brainstorming ideas and announcements there. Quick messages can be OOC'ed in the thread. Just make sure you distinguish between IC and OOC chat.

[String x Theory]

A Mysterious Chalice
Rhys is a half-demon who was hired to hunt down an old chalice. The woman he took it from gave her life trying to protect it - which lead Rhys to wonder what is so special about this old chalice? He decided to spend some time at The Heartless Manor to figure out exactly what this chalice is before returning it to those that hired him.

Furia Designer Drug
The newest drug to hit Barton is called Furia, and it's wreaking havoc on the town. Where is the drug coming from, and who keeps pushing the substance? Local elf-turned-cop Doug is tracking down the source with sidekick reporter Natalie.

What happened to Yuni?
An old regular, the teen nekojinn Yuni, washed up on shore in a straitjacket, with a concussion, and with bruises and sutures that can't be explained. She's also lost her cat ears and tail, and doesn't seem to remember what happened to her. Whatever happened to her - and whoever did it - can't be good...

Saria's Memory
Saria is one of those characters that doesn't do too well when crossing dimensions. She can only exist on one plane of existence at a time. If she does jump through a portal that takes her to a new dimension, she suffers from Dimensional Dementia, which is a neurological condition that results from the forceful blending of two separate timelines. If done enough, it becomes increasingly hard to separate her "alpha" timeline from the "beta" one. In a fit of despair, Saria traveled to a different dimension to find a "beta" version of her husband, Ralic. However, upon spending too much time in the "beta" timeline (where she never met or married Ralic), she lost her memory of him completely. She managed to return to her "alpha" timeline, but her memories are now mixed up and distorted. She is in many ways the same old "alpha" Saria - but has many new quirks and personality traits due to the memory shift.

Have a plot you would like to post? PM String x Theory to have it listed.

[String x Theory]

In Character Fighting


We've decided to utilize a new method on in-character fighting to keep things interesting. Most fighting methods involve limbo language, allowing the responder to intepret accordingly:

Quote:

Person A sends a flying kick to Person B's face. If it landed, it would surely crush their jawbone, or at least break a couple teeth.

Quote:

Person B manages to dodge the flying kick, but in doing so fell backward and hit their head hard against the counter top.

While this is perfectly fine and acceptable in most threads, we want to have a little more interest in the fights, making each character respond to what happens to them in more of a pen-and-paper roleplay way. This also helps to level the playing field, meaning that the OverPowered characters don't necessarily always land/dodge attacks.

Once any potential threatening action is decided to be taken against another character, the two authors must head to the OOC thread to roll dice for lands and attacks. The dice roll will be two 6-sided dice. Both authors will roll - the attacker and the defender. Whoever rolls a higher number wins, so if the attacker rolls a higher number than the defender, then the attack will land. At the same time, the number rolled will determine the damage. So it will look something like this:









In this example, Person B rolled an 8 to attack with a flying kick, while Person A rolled a 3 to counter with a shield. So Person B's flying kick would land. Additionally, the attack strength is 8 out of 12, meaning the kick lands and does a good bit of damage. Person A might respond with:

Quote:

In fractions of a second, Person A saw just a blur coming towards their face but it was too fast to dodge. A swift kick to the face caused Person A to stumble backwards, a sharp crack signifying a newly broken nose. Blood would begin to pour from their nose, which they quickly wiped on their sleeve. A nuissance, but nothing they could do about it until the fight was over.

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