A Ritualistic Murder (full sorry)

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Introduction and Table of Contents

Hey, like most people here I notice (after browsing around a little) I'm new to this guild but far from new to role-playing itself. Infact it's more like an obsession than a hobby for me.

Please note though that I live in Australia which is like the opposite time zone to America (that is, while it's night for you it's day for me and vice versa). As such likely I wont be on when most people are on so there'll be that delay for me replying to anything, mmk? ^^

I don't like dictating every single minute detail to those who wish to join the role-play as I feel this leaves little room for creativity on the part of the other players. As such I have only included information I feel is essential to know. Anything else you can just make up and if I have a problem with it I'll let you know privately. If you have some brilliant idea that you think should be added to this information section by all means let me know, I'm eager to hear it. I'm not an all-powerful god who knows everything there is to know about this world and would love any input someone might have. Likely I will add it here, the only exception being if it contradicts something already said.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Rules
The world
Daemons
Factions
Characters
The Situation
Reserved Posts
Role-Play Begins  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Rules:

3nodding Absolutely NO godmodding. The only exception to this is if both parties agree to what is being made (and this must be worked out before the post is created)
3nodding Please post at least three decent sized paragraphs. This ensures that the person following the post has something to go on and won't be stuck for ideas and left floundering.
3nodding While I'm not a big fan of rostered posting, I don't ever want to see anyone left behind from psycho posting, that is players (usually two people online at the same time) posting continuously and leaving the other characters to catch up when they can come online. We all have real lives and sometimes things get too hectic to reply immediately. Please respect this. A few times is ok but so long as there is a chance for others to but in.
3nodding In this world the church is corrupt and I don't want to hear any preachers trying to change this. It is a fantasy world and while it reflects many aspects of the real world it is up to the reader to decide for themselves which reflects truth and which does not. I don't care what your beliefs are essentially and I don't want to hear it.
3nodding PM your profiles to me with Ritualistic Murder Profile in the title and above the actual profile put puppies somewhere so I know you've read the rules
3nodding Follow the Gaian Terms and Conditions
3nodding Romance and violence is allowed (this is a mature RP) though keep it within the bounds of Gaian rules.
3nodding Please let the group know if you will be away for any length of time (say on a family holiday or something). If this happens it is up to you what you wish done with your character. You can write them out of the story, or let another player control them or whatever. Try to make every effort so the role-play can continue in your absence however if everyone is agreeable it can go on a pause.
3nodding Please post your posts in either size 9 or 10 as these are easier to read and are neater.
3nodding Most importantly have fun!  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

The World:

The inspiration for this role-play came from the novel-soon-to-be-movie Northern Lights (or Golden Compass if you live in America). It would be great if this book has been read but not completely necessary (scrap that it is COMPLETELY necessary as it is an awesome book if you like fantasy!) as I'll explain the things that are the same here.

Northern Lights is set in an alternate 19th century Europe. So is this. In this world there are zeppelins and the like instead of planes but what is most significant is the way in which all humans have a special bond with a daemon (this will be explained in further detail in a later post). It is this bond which separates humans from animals. Those who, somehow, are without a demon are seen as half-humans and are treated with disgust as it is as though they are without a face or some other horrid disfigurement.

The story itself will start in England though all of the other countries exist as well and travel and trade between them all is current and flourishing.

The church has an overriding influence over the day-to-day lives of ordinary people and there are many things which people dare not even mention lest the church's spies hear it and you're hurled away for interrogation by the inquisition.

These are the only things which are the same as Pullman's world. Dust and alternate universes are unknown, raved about by only madmen (unless, of course, someone's character decides to enlighten the world)  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Daemons:

Every human being has a daemon linked to them. It is a part of their being, their soul, and because of this the two are never really alone. It is said (by the church of course) that because humans have daemons that proves they are separate from the animal kingdom. Those who, somehow, don't have their demon are seen as half-humans and are abominable and disfigured, treated with disgust by all who see them, as though they have lost their face or something else as vital.

Humans and their daemons can never be more than a few meters apart (except for witches) or else they experience both a physical pain deep in their chest as well as an emotional pain, an inconsolable sadness and emptiness, as though a part of them has been cut away, a part they were particularly attached to.

A daemon tends to be a reflection of the human they are linked to. For example if a person is rather flighty, jumpy and energetic their daemon will reflect that, or if they are dull and quiet so too will their daemon be.

Daemons are not the typical devil like form. Infact up until a child reaches puberty their daemon can take on any form they wish and change at will. As a child goes through puberty their changing form slows down until finally they settle on one form. This can bring problems as due to the two not being able to be far apart, if the daemon takes a form such as a dolphin then the human can never leave the ocean. The human has no say whatsoever in what form the daemon will eventually become.

Finally, it is taboo for someone to touch another's demon, something that is instinctively known by everyone, as instinctive as breathing, and something that is never needed to be spoken of. If someone else manages to get a hold of another’s daemon then all strength flows out of the human. Even in armies the daemons will fight other daemons and the humans other humans, never laying a hand on the enemy's daemon. Any pain felt by the daemon is felt by the human and vice versa and, taking this further, if the daemon is killed the human will die, if the human is killed the daemon will disappear and die.  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Factions:

There are three factions, though technically only two, that one can belong to: the Church, Witches and everybody else (or none). Naturally there are trade guilds and the like but these go without saying and can be made up at will.

The Church:
Very few outsiders know much about the church at all. Some children, especially orphaned children, get adopted into the church as they see it as their way of helping society. There they go through all kinds of hardships, vows of poverty and chastity, learning to read and write and copy lengthy texts. All clergy-men tend to be rather fanatical and no women are allowed to join. There is a faction within the church called the inquisition whose job it is to root out heresy and any heretical beliefs and teachings. They tend to be incredibly ruthless, sparing neither mother nor child and if a single person is found guilty of heretical beliefs then the whole family is incarcerated in order to completely destroy the 'taint'.

Witches:
Witches come from the Northern most reaches of the world. They don't feel cold and have no need for material wealth. They are a race unto themselves, paying no attention to world politics, instead having their own internal politics and wars. Because of this they rarely venture south from their icy homelands unless it is witch business that takes them there. Unlike ordinary humans, witches can send their daemons away from them at length without feeling the normal physical and emotional effects though no one knows how they can do this. They can fly but only if they have a length of cedar wood. To any normal human it is just wood with no special properties at all but witches can harness it and use it to allow them to fly. They can live up to 1000 years and, while they age normally through childhood and early puberty, as puberty progresses and moves into the final stages the aging process slows down so that the majority of their lives is lived in their prime. Finally, only women can be witches as any males born from witches are just ordinary humans.  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Characters:

When you send me your character profiles please use this format:

[b]Gaian Name:[/b]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Nickname or Title:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Class:[/b]
[b]Faction:[/b]
[b]Weakness:[/b]
[b]Strengths:[/b]
[b]Physical Descriptions:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Magick (if applicable):[/b]
[b]Weapons (if applicable):[/b]
[b]Family:[/b]
[b]Daemon Name:[/b]
[b]Daemon Form:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b]

Things to include:
- First and Surname for your character (middle name is optional)
- If your character's nickname (if they have one) is something other than a shortening of their first name then explain how they got that name.
- DO NOT just use an image for the physical descriptions. Use words and descriptions. An image may accompany the description but not just an image.
- Only Witches can use magick
- If a character can use a weapon please explain either there or in the background how they came to learn it.

Luke's older brother is available to play if anyone wishes to play him and you are welcome to create his profile however you like (so long as certain things coincide with mine, like family and early history and the like).

Accepted Characters:

Gaian Name: Keshi_Emeraldeye
Name: Luke Misshigan
Nickname or Title: Just Luke; his mother sometimes called him Lucky, though he never knew why.
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Class: Tailor's son
Faction: None
Weakness: Luke is somewhat shy and never wishes to approach anyone if he can avoid it. He won't be the first to say hello so he doesn't make friends easily and can be somewhat hard to talk to. He is also terrified of his father and that fear pervades over his life.
Strengths: His insatiable curiosity can be called a strength as it leads him to discover things that would otherwise remain undiscovered and hidden. He holds the hope that one day his brother will return and it is this which keeps him going.
Physical Descriptions: Small and skinny for his age, Luke is often mistaken for a much younger person. He has ear-length golden-blonde hair that he has a habit of running his hand through. His eyes were green, like his mother's though he tended to hunch and not look at anyone so they were never really easy to see and admire.
Personality: Luke is a somewhat jumpy and nervous person though it is an aspect of him that had been hounded into him, not something that was natural. He has an insatiable curiosity and often finds himself getting into small places just to explore. Often he would be mistaken for a loud and uncouth person, but when he speaks his voice is actually rather quiet and soft, gentle. He has a deep love of animals also.
Magick (if applicable): N/A
Weapons (if applicable): N/A (as of yet)
Family: Luke lives with his alcoholic father. He used to have a mother and an older brother, however his older brother left them to look for a way to make money and support them, getting them away from their father and they have heard nothing from him since. His mother died three months ago from his father's abuse.
Daemon Name: Rhynll
Daemon Form: Ferret
Background: Luke is the second son of a tailor and as such he knows how to make a living making and mending clothing. His father is, naturally, the head of the household so he is the one who runs the business. Or tries to. In actuality it was Luke and his brother who did the work and their mother running the business side of things while their father drank himself stupid and abused the three of them (though mostly their mother) for the slightest thing. When Luke was twelve his brother had had enough and left, promising that when he had made enough money to support them he would come back and get them out. He was never heard from again. Just three months ago, Luke's father went into one of his rages but nothing seemed to calm him down, even when Luke ran out to buy some more alcohol for him. His mother died that night and then Luke was the only target for his father's rages and he knows of no way to get out of his predicament. When his father gets angry so too does his daemon and, combined with any blows that might fall on Luke from his father, the pit bull that is his daemons also attacks Luke's ferret daemon.
Status: Active

Gaian Name: Duke Akosoki
Name: Sanrir Iston
Nickname or Title: The watchful eye (This name is his title in his troupe of boys because he is almost always the lookout at there meetings)
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Class: Look-Out
Faction: N/A(Unless your counting the group he made called "The 7 Deadly Sins".)
Weakness: He love his family and daemon too much he would gladly throw away his life for them.
Strengths: He never gives up and never quits.
Physical Descriptions: Tall but muscular always wears a black jacket with blond/red hair and a giant sword on his back.He also has red eyes.
Personality: Calm strong-willed
Magick (if applicable): N/A
Weapons (if applicable): A giant sword
Family: 2 Sisters 1 brother and a mom and a dad
Daemon Name: Deso
Daemon Form: Hawk
Background: With his family he lives in london, however where family don't mind the church he hates them and believes they are behind the murders and started a group with his 6 closest friends that he calls "The 7 Deadly Sins" that is in all reality a anti-church group and since his dad is a black smith he had him forge weapons for him and all his friends he got a giant sword that he calls "The Watcher".Him and his daemon share a extremely close bond more so then most people she has saved his life many times and he feels he owes her for it.
Status: Inactive

Gaian Name: Talitha_rize
Name: Scarlet Jolene Anderson
Nickname or Title: Scarlet
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Class: Blacksmith's daughter
Faction: None
Weakness: Scarlet does not easily trust anyone. She's also very good at getting herself in trouble with authorities, due to her defiance. She is not good at making friends, as she has a very cynical and sarcastic point of view.
Strengths: Scarlet has a great mind. She is good at defending herself, and knows how to slip out of trouble easily. She is also very good at being a spy.
Physical Descriptions: Scarlet has, as her name implies, long, dark red hair. She is normal height for girls her age, and has pale skin that does not tan easily. She has blue eyes that tend to stand out.
Personality: Scarlet tends to be very cynical and sarcastic, which turns a lot of people away. When you get past that, however, she is a very fun and lively person. She loves to get into mischief and challenge authorities. Every time, however, she seems to find a loophole and get out without a scratch.
Magick (if applicable): N/A
Weapons (if applicable): Scarlet has some ability with the swords and other weapons that her father makes, but never carries one around, for fear of being shunned.
Family: Scarlet was born into a family of three. She had an older brother named Jacob. When she was still in her early years, her parents had another boy. Her mother got sick and died when she was ten, and her younger brother went missing one time after all of the people and deamons started disappearing. He did not turn up later, however, so she still has hope that he's alive.
Daemon Name: Galadriël
Daemon Form: Eagle
Background: Scarlet grew up in a family of five. Her father adored her, having a soft spot for the little girl. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her, however, finding anyone other than a tall, strong young man useless to her family. Growing up, Scarlet looked up to her older brother, who was learning to take over their father's business. In his spare time, sometimes he would teach her how to use the weapons he made. Her mother got sick when she was nine, and died when she was ten. She got over it quickly, however, having no real relationship with the woman to start with. Her father was getting old, and passed the business on to his son, spending all of his energy just trying to get by. It was not long after the disappearances that her younger brother disappeared. This was a hard hit for her father. Her older brother told her to watch for him or any news of him, dead or alive. Since then, she has been out often, trying to find out more information about the murderers.
Status: Inactive

Gaian Name:AquaPheonixia
Name:Rayne Lunos
Nickname or Title:The Black Phoenix.(this is because of her fire magic, the fact her daemon is a large red bird, and the fact her flames are normally black.)
Gender:Female
Age:19
Class:technically a duchess, but she wants to put that behind her.
Faction:Witch
Weakness:water-she is mortally afraid of deep water, even though she knows how to swim.
Strengths:Mentally very strong and clever, uses her beauty to beguile men into letting her get her own way.
Physical Descriptions:She has flame red hair and brilliant green eyes. her skin is quite pale and she wears dark concealing clothes. quite beautiful, although she has no time for men.
Personality:cold and sarcastic to her peers and betters alike, she tends to make a lot of enemies. if people get to know her better, they tend to find she is a loyal friend, very clever and with a good sense of humour.
Magick (if applicable):Fire magick, although the flames are black.
Weapons (if applicable):she always carries a very large number of throwing daggers in concealed pockets about her person, all in carying sheathes so they are silent. she learnt the art of throwing daggers from a friend of her aunts, who she hasn't seen since she was 17.
Family:An aunt.
Daemon Name:Ember
Daemon Form:a largeish red bird.
Background:Her mother was a witch, although she was married to a duke. her mother unfortunately died in labour, and her father gave her to an aunt to be brought up. when she was 15 she recieved the message that her father had passed away. she didn't shed a tear. a few years later, her aunt finished teaching her magic and she went her own way in the world, arriving in london where she currently lives. she never really met many other witches apart from her aunt, so she isn't too caught up in internal politics, and doesn't mind staying away from her northern homeland. she's very curious about the disappearances, and is secretly trying to find out the truth while keeping well away from the eye of the church.
Status: Inactive

Gaian Name: wolfshadow111
Name: Danielle Hilo
Nickname or Title: Dani
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Class: A baker's daughter
Faction: None
Weakness: Dani is infinitely loyal to her friends and especially her daemon. She would do anything for any of them. She also overexerts herself, mentally convincing herself that she can do things when, in reality, she can't. She overthinks little things, which can lead to trouble.
Strengths: Dani's instincts are good, and if she acts without thinking, she can do things that she would normally not be able to do. That's the problem, though. She has to act without thinking, which is very un-Dani like.
Physical Descriptions: Small and skinny, Dani looks like she would fall over in a strong gust. Her hair is wavy, red, and reaches about mid-shoulder blade. Her eyes are a light green, and a smattering of freckles adorn her pale skin.
Personality: Dani likes to act like she's smarter than she actually is. She is smart, but not a genius. She constantly sets higher goals than those she can actually achieve, and her self esteem suffers because of it. She is usually very analytical of a situation, working in every problem and solution she can think of. Dani often appears to speak her mind, but it is usually a mask. The one person she truly opens up to is her Daemon.
Magick (if applicable): N.A.
Weapons (if applicable): N.A. (yet)
Family: Dani has a father and a brother. Her mother passed away when she was thirteen, and her father works all the time, so Dani is usually left to babysit her tfive year old brother. As Dani isn't really fond of kids, this can be a problem. She often leaves the house when she's supposed to be watching her brother, but she feels horribly guilty if anything happens to him when she is gone.
Daemon Name: Arba
Daemon Form: Red Wolf
Background: Dani was twelve when she recieved the news that her mother was pregnant. Up until the time, she had been spoiled. Her mother had done anything she asked, and Dani took advantage of that. That all changed when her brother came. At first, she was escatic. She'd always wanted a sibling. After a bit, though, she realized that the attention she'd grown accustomed to was being given to her brother instead. She grew jealous of him, and bitter. Still, she wasn't much worse than average sibling rivalry at this point. Then, one winter day, her mother went out with her brother to the park. Her brother, two at the time, saw someone else's demon in the shape of a puppy. Even though he knew not to touch daemons other than his own, he still reached out to pet the 'puppy'. Dani's mother saw this happening, and grabbed her son's hand away from the daemon. As she did so, the back of her hand lightly brushed the creature's nose, and all energy left her body. The daemon, presumably belonging to a witch, just walked away as the woman fell to the ground. A family friend found Dani's brother wandering in the streets and brought him home a few hours later. By the time Dani and her father had managed to extract what had happened, their mother was gone. She'd died of hypothermia. Although she never said it out loud, Dani blames her brother for her mother's death, and her dislike deepened into all out disdain. Lately, she's been spending more time out in the city, despite the murders, and the danger to her and her daemon.
Status: Active

Gaian Name: Nightwind-Dragon
Name: Jane
Nickname or Title: James(she introduces herself as) or Black Fox
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Class: thief
Faction: none
Weakness: slightly overconfident, cold to those she doesn’t know/trust
Strengths: speed, agility, instincts, cunning, loyal ally
Physical Descriptions: Small. She is only 5'1". Her black hair cut to look like a boy's. She dresses as a boy in order to walk around undetected.
Personality: Jane is cunning and sarcastic. She comes off as cold and unloving, but to those who know her know that she is very loyal and a powerful ally. She has a problem with authority and is constantly getting in scrapes with the law.
Magick (if applicable): N/A
Weapons (if applicable): two short swords, lock picks
Family: All dead
Daemon Name: Shade
Daemon Form: black fox
Background: Her family was killed for speaking out against the Church when she was 4. She was spending the day with her friend when it happened, the soldiers came to kill her, but she ran. They found her and beat her, leaving her for dead. She would have died if it wasn’t for another who ran from the Church. He raised her and taught her everything she knows, until he too died when she was 11. Since she is supposed to be dead she had dropped the name Jane, and took the name James. Only those she truly trusts know her real name. She has been making a living off stealing from the rich and selling the items underground.
Status: Active

Gaian Name: Elesariin
Name: Walter Misshigan
Nickname or Title: Wink (something of a joke, as he isn't given to levity)
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Class: Professional Thief
Faction: None.
Weakness: Walter is very scared of his temper and/or losing control (really, he's scared of turning into his dad), and so maintains his cool, quiet exterior to the point where it can become detrimental.
Strengths: Not surprisingly, the aforementioned can be an asset as well. He can keep a level head, and make calm, thought through decisions when most would be pulling out their hair.
Physical Descriptions: Walter is tall, almost 6"4, and is built like a gymnast. He has dark brown, almost black, hair, just like his father, but has the same green eyes as his mother and brother. He has a disarmingly handsome, calm smile designed specifically to make people trust him, hopefully enough to hand over their house keys.
Personality: He's a realist, first and foremost. He will give up on something if he doesn't see any point, or thinks of some better way to employ his time. He tends to be the guy that is so calm and matter of fact that everyone else wants to slap him upside the head. The one and only exception to this is his family situation; he still has himself convinced that he's going to waltz in sometime soon and magically make everything better. He's also got a pretty bad guilt complex for just leaving his mom and brother to stick it out.
Magick (if applicable): N/A
Weapons (if applicable): Two daggers
Family: Lives on his own. He used to live with his alcoholic father, little brother, and severely abused mother.
Daemon Name: Aliri
Daemon Form: Panther
Background: Walter lived with his family until he was 17, at which point he admitted to himself that no one was coming to rescue him, or his brother, or his mother. He decided that he would just have to rescue himself and come back as soon as he could. Without going into too much detail, it was a pretty hard three years, and he ended up working a thief.
Status: Active  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

The Situation:

All is not right in London. Strange sounds are heard late at night and oddly mutilated bodies turn up once the sun has risen. The police think it's just some random mass murderer and while they are on the look out for him, they are not trying all that hard. You see, it is always the poor who turn up dead, and never the rich and famous.

Some people believe that the Church is involved as anyone who voices such thoughts soon disappear, never to be seen again, but that is not so unusual in itself as anyone who voices ill opinions about the Church has a tendency to disappear.

Some people blame the northern Witches, but such beliefs are unfounded as the Witches have never taken an interest in the affairs of anyone but themselves.

The fact is that no one knows who to blame but everyone is scared. Or at least everyone who falls under the line that separates the wealthy from the poor.

What has gotten everyone worried is that it is not always human bodies that turn up dead. Some times it is the daemon with the human no where to be seen, something that is unheard of until now. Stranger still, there are reports that, outside the city, there are ghosts or spirits walking around, only with more form than most ghosts or spirits, and they are either a daemon without a human or a human without a daemon; hideous half-beings.

Who is committing these atrocities? Why would they want to do such things? How are they doing it? These questions buzz around in everyone's head but no one knows the answer to them. Maybe it's time someone did.  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Updates:

- Thread opened

- Dani meets Luke after following the smell of blood to him

- Jane, disguised as James, completes a job

- Walter confrontes his father for the first time after three years

- Dani and Luke go their seperate ways

- Luke and Walter are reunited

- Rayne is running from the Church

- Dani gets into trouble for leaving her brother alone

- Walter and Luke plan to travel to Oxford via Gyptian boats to escape the murders and their past

- Jane literally runs into Walter and recognises him as Wink

- Dani sneaks out again and looks for and finds Luke, Walter and Jane

- Dani and Jane leave again and Walter and Luke make their way to the Gyptian boats

- Rayne literally runs into Walter running from the Church and Walter invites her to join them

- Dani and Arba contimplate leaving London

- The boats are there but there is no one manning them so they quickly leave the area fearing something suspicious

- The three of them decide to get an inn to stay in to get another boat later

- Jane joins with them once more and it becomes clear that her and Walter were once partners in crime. Walter comes up with a disguise for 'James' to be 'Jane' from Oxford and to wear a dress.

- Walter and Luke's father starts to follow them

- Dani starts to wonder if Luke is the murderer

- Dani starts to follow the other four at a distance and Walter notices but doesn't know who by

- Luke has a coughing fit and starts to cough up blood

- After being told that Jane knew the person following them (Dani) Walter lets Luke rest and the cough eases but it allows their father to catch up

- Jane confronts Dani

- Walter asks Jane to take Luke and Rayne to the inn and Dani follows where they wait

- Walter confronts his father and their fight is interupted when a daemonless clergyman who offers to take their father to the proper authorities giving Walter the chance to circle around to get back to the inn  

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Reserved

 

[Keshi_Emeraldeye]

Reserved