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It's evening on a cloudy Friday in Orlando. The sun is setting, the work traffic is fading just in time for the tourist traffic to start in earnest, and the city's nightlife is starting to light up the town. Well, except for Umbra. It has lights outside, but they never turn on. No, if you don't know where to go, you're not welcome in the first place. But, all of you find yourselves at the club tonight. The dance floor is a chaos of colored strobes as energetic dancers work themselves up into a frenzy performing for themselves and others. The bar has a milling crowd of people trying to get service, and the bartenders are going as fast as they can with only two hands. They haven't taken out the extra ones yet. That's for later in the night. Krupp, while investigating the deaths, you figure that getting a look at the bodies would help. You've made an arrangement with Lena Gustafsson, a mid level reporter with the Orlando Sentinel, to provide you with "borrowed" crime scene photos, but she's late. What did you do for her that she owes you this favor? In the mean time, who do you try to avoid while you wait? What do they want? Also, what was the last divination you used prepared quartz for? Do you still have a stash? Elora, how'd you score a spot on the guest list for Umbra? You've made enemies, that's for sure. Who's here that you've hunted before? Anyway, while you've been tracking down who (or what) is passing out tainted drugs, your path led you here. There's been too many OD's, and even the cops are starting to take notice. Over in one corner, you spot Detlef, the one who brought you a sample of the drug and asked you to find her roommate. Why do you owe Detlef, anyway? What do you do? Tataina, even though Umbra is one of the rare Winter holdings in Orlando, why are you normally unwelcome here? What changed to let you make this visit? In the corner, you spot Detlef, one of your employees. There work has improved ever since they started working from home, but why do you think they're going to be the next one to disappear? Anyway, you had someone observe the gates while you were working. Who was it? How do you know you can trust them? Whatever the result, they returned pictures of about one in fifty cars just disappearing instead of going through the gates. Certainly worrying, but it doesn't tell you what the problem is, exactly. What do you do? Nonce: You've been tracking one of the ghouls that unearthed itself from the graveyard, and you're sure one of them made it in here. Problem is, they're blending in too well. You'll have to get a closer look. But, once you find them, are you going to try and convince them to introduce themselves to the big players of the city and play nice, or are you just going to take out the trash and collect your debt? Also, how the hell did Helena get in? What completely normal (but worrying) reason did she have to be here? Do you like to linger without manifesting in places like this, or do you manifest, maybe even pretend to be alive? What do you do? William: what did you do for one of the many part owners of Umbra in order to get a standing invite here? Working as a PI on the spooky side isn't really new ground for you, so how did you narrow down one of the two big quartz buyers to here? And how did you narrow it down to two buyers, anyway? Now that you're here, it's a lot harder to narrow down, but there's a few people who run in that circle spending their night here. For instance, there's Krupp, an actual council wizard. Casper, the Facebook oracle. A few small talents have congregated at a nearby table too, and there could be more mixed in with the dance floor. What do you do? Casper: After Sarah was one of the people who lost a day when visiting the docks (she was working as a volunteer to try and get a good estimate of the number of homeless in the area), you decided to take matters into your own hands. After a useless day of running down leads on the Summer side of things, you decided to try going at things from the Winter Side. Since this is Winter turf, there are winter fae on the dance floor and at the bar, their skin flaked with slight bits of ice that reflect the strobes. Of course, the trio of demons (politely hiding their more colorful features, but unmistakable in bearing and crisp business attire) in the corner are more likely to be chatty, but which demon has it out for you after you helped their victim get even? What do you do? OOC thread and Debt and NPC sheet
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Aug 7, 2015 04:58
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 20:54 |
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Elora, a heavy hand falls on your shoulder as a deep bass voice rumbles, "You're gonna need to come with me, ma'am." A small giant (literally, he's got rocky skin and everything) towers over you and is gesturing towards the hall up to the VIP Suite Apparently someone spotted your sword and kicked up a fuss with the management. If you go with him all the way to management, you'll have to surrender your sword, at the very least. But, you did spot that the hallway to the upper suites is unoccupied. If you jump him in there, you could probably slip back into the crowd without any problems. But if word gets out that you started a fight here, you'll have a lot of heat coming down on you. What do you do? Casper, you do another glance around like you've been doing all day. Apparently, you managed to offend a bridge troll named Madh when you went over to the docks, and he's been looking for you ever since. Normally, trolls just want a toll for crossing "their" bridge, but Madh is a bit of a traditionalist. He only accepts coins he recognizes as legal tender from when he guarded his first bridge. Namely, silver drachma from approximately 500 BC. Good luck with that. William, Raine's been out for your blood for you ever since you proved that she wasn't a real capital-O Oracle. Just a passable diviner with a string of lucky guess and "prophecies" loaded with weasel words. Which wouldn't be too scary if it wasn't for the fact that she's pretty hot poo poo when it comes to throwing electricity around. If you want to try and figure out who the minor talents are, you should put a face to a name using Power. Capfalcon fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Aug 7, 2015 |
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Aug 7, 2015 23:16
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Krupp, as you sit in one of the quieter suites set off to the side for private meetings, you remember a few strange looks that some club-goers gave you as you entered with your plate of cupcakes. One of the bouncers even tried to stop you, saying something like, "No outside food" but the other puts a hand on his shoulder and shakes his head. He whispers, "Trust me, it's not worth it." The minutes tick by, but patience pays off. The reporter, Jessica Lori, opens the door and collapses into a chair across from Krupp. She tosses an envelope onto the table and says, "Here. I had to twist more arms than I could count to get ahold of them, and if any of them end up in some tabloid, I'm going to blow the whistle on you too. Do I even want to know what you want these for?" As you examine the photos, you recognize from the marks on the bodies and the preparations at the scenes that they're all botched versions of a ritual to remove a heart and place it in a phylactery. Which, considering the simplicity of the ritual, is almost impressive how badly they're managing to screw it up. It's a budget way to avoid aging, but like everything else in that vein of magic, it doesn't last forever. Looks like someone is practicing on other people before they take the plunge themselves. While you're looking at the photos, she looks at the cupcakes questioningly and adds, "Did you... have somewhere you were going after this? Like a birthday party?" What do you do? Elora, once you decide to come quietly, the giant relaxes and takes his hands off your shoulder. While he's escorting you down the hall, he says, admiration in his gravely voice, "Just so you know, it's nothing personal. I've heard that you've been hunting things that deserve it. You know, the real assholes. But, gotta keep up appearances in a place like this." Are you used to getting complements from non-humans like this? He guides you into a dark room and promptly leaves you behind. Between the red wallpaper and the low light, the walls make you think of dried blood. There might even be some on there, to be honest. The room is mostly unfurnished, with only a large executive desk and a large chair, currently turned so the occupant can look out the window over the dance floor. Coincidentally, this also prevents you from seeing the individual sitting in it. Once the door closes, a feminine voice issues from behind the chair, saying, "You were allowed in here as a favor to a friend, but I don't appreciate having my hospitality questioned like this, Miss Elora. I know you feel like you are, as they say, "a big deal," but trust me. No one wants you bad enough to cross me." The voice's tone changes, becoming more casual, as if discussing the weather, "Still, I'll be willing to overlook this breach of manners, in exchange for finding out just what that damnable wizard outside is turning this city upside down to find. I believe you know him as Krupp? And I think you'd be quite interested in finding out more about him? On top of that, I'll extend a standing invitation here. I'm sure someone of your... interests could use a place to relax without having to wonder if you're walking into a trap." What do you do? William, you remember hearing from Shauna's a lazy bum mostly coasting on talent. Which might explain why she's out here partying instead of... doing whatever it is wizards do to become better wizards. Practice lifting weights with their mind? Anyway, she's having to knuckle under for the first time in her life now that the other apprentices are starting to get close to her ability through actual hard work. Only, the way you've heard it, instead of practicing her magic, she's just injecting herself with demon and/or fae blood so she can just brute force her way through all of her lessons. More time for partying that way. After a few glances around, she shrugs and brings you over to the private suites. She doesn't enter one, though. Gotta book those in advance. You get a glimpse of Krupp looking over some photos through the small window on the door as you walk by, but you can't make out what he's puzzling over. She gives you a questioning look and says, "So, what do you want to talk about? What do you do? Casper, Match gives you a grin and pats you on the back, saying, "Well, look who it is. It wouldn't have anything to do with why you spent all day combing the docks, would it? I miiight know something about that, but I think we'd all agree that you'd owe me one, right?" He'll dish the dirt if you give him a debt What do you do? Tatiana, he looks surprised to see you, but he moved to allow you room to sit in the booth and gestures for you to take a seat. He glances around nervously, and says in his quiet voice, " Well, ah, not every day you get a drink with your boss, huh?" He lets out a nervous chuckle, before continuing, "I've been trying to get out a little more, and it's been helping me with my work. You know, changing gears and all that. But, um, yeah, about work. What happened to Adam and Bobby, anyway? I know I don't come into the office, so maybe I missed the explanation?" He's going to want to know what you think happened to the others before he opens up any more. As you're talking, a quite drunk girl slides into the booth on the other side of Detlef, leaning in on him and starting to whisper to him. He suddenly flushes and says, "Oh... ah... Anna, this is Miss Romanov, my boss. Miss Romanov, Anna." She makes a friendly little wave and then just leans on his shoulder while she waits for you to finish your conversation. Another girl, much more sober, sits down next to her and gives you a sympathetic look before saying, "Sorry for the interruption. Anna's... pretty enthusiastic once she's had a few. Anyway, I'm Helena. Nice to meet you." She reaches out to shake your hand Anna's plainly a member of the Summer court (how do you recognize that?), but Helena is mundane. Probably. What do you do? Nonce, everyone hears the burst of static, but only a few sensitives manage to catch ghostly communication, and only one seems to actually understand it and listen to it, heading to a sparsely populated portion of the bar, glancing around for any sign of who he's meeting. As you move over towards him, you spot his ears twitch, and he suddenly whirls around, looking straight through you. Apparently he can hear you, but not see you, even while you're not manifested. Good to know! What do you do?
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Aug 10, 2015 18:36
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Elora, a scaled hand waves you away from behind the chair and says, "I'm sorry. I don't think a face to face would be wise. Trust me when I say it's for your own good." She adds, "Oh, and don't worry. Many individuals check their accessories at the door. It'd be a minor scandal it something happened to it. Just give it to George outside, he'll take good care of it until you need it again." You hear her voice hiss as she repeats herself, "So, do we have an agreement?" Casper as you brush his hand, you get a sense of smug satisfaction. He's completely intending on holding up his side of the deal, but he feels like he's getting a steal. He's already got something in mind. It's... And then the handshake ends. After you shake, Match says, "Always a pleasure. Anyway, the people that have been disappearing? They're mostly teens. In the 16-19 range. No telling what's happening to them. But I've heard that there's a few kids that have ended up in the mental hospital downtown." Krupp the reporter holds the bag at arms length, but nods at you as you leave. She looked quite surprised at the suggestion you were actually going to take care of things, but it's a good kind of surprise. Once you step outside of the room, you let the music and chatter wash over you. This place is a garden, carefully tended and frequently harvested. There's joy, heartbreak, stress, sorrow, contentment, and dozens more. It's a one stop emotional shop. The emotions are so plentiful here that hardly any of the harvests cause any permanent harm. It's all quite, for lack of a better word, humane. Tatiana, Detlef blanches when you explain your interest and, after the brief introductions, he looks over to the other two women and says, "Would you excuse us for a moment? I think we need to talk privately. Work stuff, you know?" You spot Anna's eyes grow sharp and aware for a mere moment before returning to their drunk, lidded state. She gives him a smooch on the cheek and sensually whispers, "Don't be too long." He hastily nods at her and walks over to a deserted part of the bar, right past Krupp. Once you join him, he says, "I... I thought it was just me, but I think there might be some guys following me whenever I go out. I... oh my god, that's them." He cuts his eyes towards two large gentle...things? that just walked in. They're wearing long coats and broad brimmed hats that make it difficult to distinguish their features. They don't move towards Detlef immediately, but they do walk to opposite sides of the bar, keeping him in sight. He looks to you, panic filling his eyes. What do you do?
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Aug 14, 2015 00:24
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Casper, you get flashes of violence and pain, and eventually they all meld together into a single image of a sneering woman. When you come back to yourself, you find that you've drawn a pretty good sketch of the woman. Her tanned face is a mishmash of scars, and her long hair covers one side of her face. You're sure the scars are even worse there. Krupp, a shame you weren't able to help Tatiana. Ah well. More importantly, Casper appears to have gotten something off the photos. In the meantime, you see a few of the small giants that the place uses as bouncers converse amongst themselves before the three of them start heading your way. What do you do? William, you spot Krupp shove some papers into Casper's hands that makes Casper jump and blanch. A few more words and Casper is giving them a closer look. Well, that's interesting. Suddenly, you jerk back towards Shauna as you almost feel her gaze grow sharper. She's been reading you herself, and you weren't paying attention to it. She smirks and says, "I don't really see a reason to explain myself. But, I might if you answer a few questions for me. First off, why are you so interested? And second, why does Krupp bother you so much, anyway? Like, more than me, for instance." You get the feeling that she's slightly insulted by the second observation. Elora, she waves you out the door, saying, "No, you're free to go, now. Pleasure talking with you." It's a good thing she let you out then, because Detlef's already leaving with two big people in trenchcoats. What do you do? Tatiana, well, that was a waste of time. Even worse, one of the trench-coated people(?) has already closed the gap, flashed something in front of Detlef's face, and is now leading Detlef out while he's in a daze. The other one is following behind, and you'll have to get past that one before you can get close to Detlef again. What do you do?
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Aug 17, 2015 04:44
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Casper:, you get a text back from Deepak :quote:Casper! There's some vamps I made some fake IDs for. But the ticks didn't listen when I told them the magnetic strip was for show! They're pissed off and looking for me now.Come on, man, I'll do anything! William, she looks satisfied with the answer and, after thinking it over a moment, says, "Fine. But if anyone shows up on my doorstep, I'm going come looking for you." She look around before saying, "They're for the lottery. But not in the way you think. The winning balls can be used to do some scary powerful luck altering magic. Unfortunately for wizards everywhere, some in-the-know mortals on convinced the commission to dispose of the balls every time they win. Something about how it shows they weren't tampered with, but no one's gonna destroy something valuable. And if you could find where they're being stored... well, I'll leave that to your imagination." She sighs and says, "Problem is, there are a lot of loser balls that interfere with the scrying. So, just gotta keep doing it until you get a hit. I think my master is working with a few other people to do the scryings, and they're gonna split the take." She gives you a dangerous glare as she says, "And you didn't hear that from me. Got it?" Nonce, he mutters, "I'm sick of voices in my head telling me what to do." His hand lashes out and grabs you around your neck. It's a very good thing that you don't need to breathe anymore, but it's still pretty uncomfortable. He starts to drag you towards the bathroom. He got an odd glance or two from his sudden movement, but the surrounding people are already going back to their drinks and conversation. After all, it's not like he hurt anyone, right? What do you do? Don't worry about it, we haven't gone very far. And sorry to hear about your uncle. Krupp, What, exactly, are you doing when you let the power out? It's obviously something scary, but a few more details wouldn't be remiss. In the meantime, you've got the bouncers suddenly questioning the wisdom in that chat they were planning on having with you. The smallest of the giants that you pointed to stands rooted to the spot you pointed to and, after wracking his brain for a moment, says, "Uh, well, buncha 'prentices out tonight. Your kinda 'p-prentices, I mean. Normally, they dun get along, but they're all out partyin' t'night." What do you do? Elora, one of the trenchcoats starts to raise a fist to punch your lights out, but another one whispers to him. You manage to catch, "-mall tiger that keeps the wolves at bay. And the wolves will be baying soon. Best to leave the cat alone." In a smooth motion, he simply uses the fist to forcefully brush you aside and make it out of the door. Where... Tatiana, the trenchcoats don't even spare you a glance as they keep walking out the door, half dragging the dazed Detlef with them. They step outside the club and don't make it more than a few steps before there's a flash. All that is left is a small scorch mark and a still glowing rune embedded in the ground. What do you do?
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Aug 21, 2015 16:04
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Nonce, seeing you reach for your knife, the ghoul bounces you on the ground and starts squeezing enough to deal out a harm. Suddenly, though, he drops you, because... Krupp, he sees you level a finger craclking with energy at him and drops Nonce to the ground. Then, he runs out the back door into the night. Just to point out, if you want to get people to do something with threats, that's still Persuade an NPC Tatiana, you can trace the energy of teleportation spell through the ley line of the city and down to the docks. Which is odd, given how that is generally considered to be the front of a turf war between a lord of the summer court and a band of demons. Wonder what some golems (Ah, yes. The trenchcoats were golems.) are doing there. Elora, as soon as you start looking for someone to ask, the giant who escorted you up to the suite presents you with your sword and a box. Tatiana, what is a traditional gift a fae lord would give to their underling? Because that's what's in the box.
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Aug 23, 2015 18:11
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Casper and Elora, Casper gets another frantic text back:quote:I think they're searching the building for me. I don't ever meet people in my place, but they must have tailed me. Soon, the two of you roll up on the apartment building, and you see people standing out on the sidewalk, looking up at the completely dark building. An older man says to his wife, "The power company says nothing's wrong in the area, but they're going to send someone down to take a look." Then, someone inside the building and well above you starts yelling. What do you do? Also, Elora, from how the snake-like woman refused to turn around, it's very likely that the manager you talked with was a Medusa. While they don't have any particular immunities (aside from the admittedly tough scales) that would prevent you from just shooting or stabbing them to death, the classical approach to dealing with one is to trick them into looking at a polished steel mirror, which is one of the few things that reflects their petrifying gaze back to them. Also, you get a follow up question. Tatiana and William, once you arrive in the general area sensed before. Namely a block of warehouses Already waiting for you is a mound of muscle and dark green skin in a tailored suit. Grozdan reaches down to help Tatiana out of the car, saying in a refined British accent, "Miss Romanov. A pleasure as always. And this must be Mr. Root. I've heard of you. All good things, to be sure." He looks back to you and says, "Now, what can I do for you?" Also, you or, if you can get him to agree to it, William are going to owe Grozdan a debt if he's going to be acting as muscle for you. Nonce, as you round the corner after the ghoul, you find that he's run into a dead end. He turns around and, sensing your presence, starts slowly making his way out of the alley. He reaches into the folds of his coat and takes out a knife inlaid with silver. He brandishes it towards the mouth of the alley as he tries to exit. What do you do? And as for why he banged you on the ground, he must have felt you shifting around to reach into your pocket. Ghouls have pretty keen senses, dontyaknow. Krupp, well, looks like you're done here. At least, everyone at the club is giving you a wider than normal berth. Nonce ran out the back door as soon as he was upright, Casper and William have paired off with Elora and Tatiana, and are about to leave. Of course, you do have your own project to work on right now... What do you do?
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Aug 26, 2015 17:30
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Elora, as you storm your way up the stairs, you run into a vampire who let out the cry. From his Nosferatu look, complete with the mangle of razor sharp teeth and pointed ears, you're pretty sure that his name is Vesh. You haven't seen him before, as demonstrated by the fact that he's not dust. But, you heard from one of the victims that he sent to the hospital that he's deathly afraid of fire. He wheels around to you, looking like a shocked silent movie reject before he breaks the illusion by hissing and lunging towards you. You see two, smaller vampires behind him, busting open doors and looking for Deepak. What do you do? Mark night, and I'm going to guess that you don't really have a ton of favors banked with vamps, so here's something useful. Also, medusa are as trustworthy as any Fae and Demon. Which is to say, perfectly. Until you do something completely normal that they take offense to. For one, don't bring anything overly shiny into their presence. Even your new watch might count if it's not sufficiently covered. Casper, you look. Elora's run up the stairs ahead of you, but you think you could duck through one of the doors they've already broken down and use the fire escape to climb up to the room next to Deepak's room. You quickly check the map and see that you'll beat the two vampires that aren't engaged with Elora to Deepak if you take the fire escape. But, if they spot you sneaking into his room, you're going to have the two vampires right behind you. What do you do? Tatiana, he shakes his head, saying, "No, I'm afraid I don't keep abreast of politics in the area. Much safer to keep out of it, I find." William, on the other hand, you've got a perfect idea of who the big player you're looking for is. Hurtiancz, a member of the Wizard's council, is the only person in this part of town who could put together the sophisticated golems you saw. They even did a bit of magic on their own, after all. Hurtiancz owns a warehouse nearby because it's cheap, has lots of space for his experiments, and far from prying eyes. Rumor has it that he's... rather obsessed with perfecting his craft. Also, Grozdan is telling the truth about staying out of politics. He's just very protective of his friends, of which Miss Tatiana appears to be one. He makes his living carving furniture with an axe bigger than he is. Very custom, high quality work. And yes, he does all of the fine details with the axe as well. He's very skilled with it.
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Aug 30, 2015 18:04
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Elora, you blow him away without a second thought, and he disintegrates into a flaming burst of ash before he hits the ground. Said flaming burst of ash catches the smoke alarm's sensor and starts the hall sprinkers, along with the fire alarm siren. The two vampires down the hall turn and stare at you. They'd normally rush you, but considering you just dusted their boss, they're having severe second thoughts. You spot Casper poke his head out of a door a ways down the hallway. What do you do? Casper, you'll have to run through the sprinklers, which is going to keep you from using your phone and any magic related to it for a little. Thankfully, Elora seems to have gotten their attention quite well. What do you do? Nonce, you pummel the ghoul with nearby debris that you fling at him, but he manages to catch you with the knife. The sliver burns a long, painful trail down your arm. He's squaring up to try and sense where you are. What do you do? You didn't pick one, so I just said you both took a harm. Sorry, went on vacation and forgot to post that I'd be gone!
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Sep 9, 2015 05:10
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 20:54 |
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Evil Mastermind posted:So, is this done, or...? Yeah, I guess. Sorry it didn't pan out. :/
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Sep 23, 2015 04:30
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