{ M/R } Shadow Realm

[Miss Shell]

//Shadow Realm//


Rated M/R: Violence, Death, Language, and Sexual Situations. (Basically anything could happen)

IC Thread


// The Story //

This town was once considered fairly normal, the crime rate was rather low and the people were friendly. Things were as they should be in a small town such as this. That was when it happened. It was a perfect summer night. The moon was mostly full in the sky and the stars twinkled cheerfully above. There was a light breeze that night, the breeze softly pushed away the days heat. As the day became yesterday and tomorrow became today the town would celebrate its two hundredth birthday. There were festivities planned for that day, a celebration in the park with fireworks when the sky was dark enough for them. The town would have been filled with smiling faces and cheerful people. Too bad that never happened.

That night the people of the town slept in their beds but were not safe. As they slept the shadows swallowed their consciousness’s and took over the town. They used this night to gain a corporeal presence. The shadows grew stronger as they devoured more and more people leaving their unconscious minds to wander the shadow realm. The shadow realm is a place that is neither here nor there, it exists as a parallel in between worlds and time. To the people who were swallowed by the sinister shadows it appears as a dark and maleficent version of the town they had grown up in. Dangers lurk at every corner and they cannot leave this town. Their bodies lay in their beds in what seems to be a comatose state. The town is unreachable and sealed off completely. The area around the town is completely sealed off in both the real world and the shadow world.

There is a way out, if you can find it. If the people were able to regain their corporeal forms they would weaken the shadow’s hold on their town and eventually drive off the sinister beings. But it won’t be easy, you probably won’t survive the horrors that the shadow world holds for you. In this world you can trust none for even your closest friends can be corrupted and turned against you. The longer you stay in this world, the more your grip on who you were before slips until you are indistinguishable from the shadows themselves.

Your characters have woken up in the shadow realm where nothing is as it seems. You can feel the seductive pull of insanity creeping its way into your soul. You know that the longer you stay here, the more of yourself you will lose. But you notice something else. A knowing deep within yourself. Something that once lay dormant within you in your reality has blossomed within you giving you an ability you never had before. It grows stronger the longer you are here, the more you fade into the shadows, the stronger your ability becomes. You have a choice, you can wander the darkness with no hope of returning to your former home or you can fight the shadows and pull yourself through, back to your world. Either path will be filled with difficult challenges.


// The Town //

The town is sealed off once the shadow creatures start taking over, below is a map of the town.

Spoiler: Town Map 

The town is set up as a circle, the red line around the town is the boundary. The boundary is uncrossable. The northern part of the inner circle is made up of shops, the southern part is expensive homes. The outer circle of the town is made up of the rest of the homes, the closer you get to the boundary the less houses there are. There are four ways out of the town, four roads going in the four directions. All four are blocked off by the boundary.

// Character Sheet //

Name:
Nickname:
Age: (18+)
Gender:
Appearance: (You can use photos or anime if you want) Be descriptive!
Special Ability:
How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world: (Update as you go…)
[b]Changes due to shadow exposure:[b] (Update as you go, I will PM you with choices once your character has gained changes)
Personality:
Bio:

You may have multiple characters, as many as you can handle. If you start slipping with a character I'll give you a heads up. If you completely neglect a character then I will kill it.

Ability Strength: All abilities start off as weak, as time passes and your character becomes more corrupt by the shadows then your ability strength will increase. I’ll PM you the details when that happens. I will usually give you a choice between a couple different upgrades.

Changes due to shadow exposure: As your character comes into contact with different shadow creatures they will change (appearance, personality, memories, etc). When those changes occur I’ll PM you the details. I’ll usually give you a few choices between the changes you take on.


//Accepted Characters//

Spoiler: Accepted Characters 

Spoiler: Francesca Bartley 

Name: Francesca Bartley
Nickname: Cheza
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Appearance: Cheza is about 5’8” tall, has an average build with only moderate curvature, and has a bit of a look of neglect. She has a styled haircut of a slightly exotic appearance: the left side of her hair is longer, has a side part on the left side, and is tapered to just above her shoulder, covering her right eye; the right side beyond the part is very short, only about a centimeter in length. Her hair is dark brown naturally, but she has dyed the tips blonde. Her eyes were hazel in color (they have since changed since entering the Shadow Realm) and she is relentless in her observation of people and various things. Her expression seems constantly bored, though she acts otherwise. Cheza also has a few piercings, her ears having several, including an industrial across the top on her left ear and a few along the rims, as well as a few on her lobes. She also has her right eyebrow, lower lip and tongue pierced on her face, as well as a brooch and a belly button piercing. Her piercings are usually simple silver studs (or loops, in the case of her upper ears), though her belly button piercing has an emerald on it.

Cheza is quite an artistically minded person, and expands her expression onto her body. She has various tattoos on her person, and is very fond of the way they make her look. The majority of them are abstract in design, consisting on intertwining colors and shapes of a vibrant nature. The largest group of them is a sleeve tattoo on her left arm that reaches her elbow and goes across part of her chest, themed in blues and greens, the only distinct thing being a lens on her shoulder. The tattoo spans along her left side, ending in a few fragmented lines of text. She has another along her spine of a tree, with two large eyed birds on her shoulder blades and roots on her lower back, with various things woven into them. She also has an eye on each foot that are unfinished, there only being an abstract black outline of them.

Despite her colorful appearance, Cheza has a very bland wardrobe, she having sold most of her more stylish outfits as rough times have come along. She is currently wearing a rather simple outfit: A black tank top covered by an off the shoulder grey sweater. She wears a pair of black shorts that reach about her mid-thigh, and a pair of grey knee high socks, with converse ankle boots on over them. She is almost never seen without her camera bag slung over her shoulder, and usually has some sort of device at the ready to capture the scene.

Special Ability: Weak. Through the Lens, Darkly: She has perfect photographic memory on an inhuman level. If someone were to ask her how many bricks were used on the face of a building, she would be able to give the correct answer within seconds. She is also able to use this ability to see far away details. But, due to the massive amount of data that is being forced into her mind, she is very prone to headaches.

How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world: “New Arrival"
Changes due to shadow exposure: Cheza has already sustained some changes due to the shadow world. Her right eye has changed from hazel to something that could only be described as a camera like lens. It is not immediately noticeable until someone looks at her from a few feet away, it otherwise appearing to be just a dark color.

Personality: Cheza often gives the first impression of being very aloof and cold. She is someone who doesn’t express herself openly, despite her somewhat wild appearance, as she is initially mistrustful and suspicious of all strangers. However, her trust is easily won sometimes by very simple things, taking as little as a small gift before she opens up. Her personality shifts once she is comfortable with those she is with, she often acting somewhat goofy and is prone to saying strange and unexpected things. Cheza gives off an air of controlled energy and magnetism, adding to her generally intimidating visage. She does not mind the stares of strangers and is willing to answer any questions directed toward her appearance calmly, no matter how rudely they were stated. She is a very level headed person over all, but can be distracted if she does not trust someone in her group. And though her trust may be given easily, it is very easy to fall out of her favor and it takes a lot to regain it. Cheza is known for the grudges she holds, and how seldom she forgives those who have crossed her.

Bio: Cheza keeps her past to herself, not discussing it even with those who have recently grown close to her. She has had a lifelong passion for photography, relying on it to keep her sane when things got out of hand. She was kicked out of her house once she turned 18, her parents disappointed in what they saw as a failure of a daughter. From there, she moved in with a relative, attending a community college and working as a photographer for various clients. She soon moved out from there, feeling guilty for freeloading and causing so much strife in her family, and also stopped attending courses as she had little money to spare. Cheza has since been living out of her car, traveling between friends and working the odd job for money. She has come to the town in order to photograph the festival, as well as meet up with her girlfriend.

Spoiler: Mattie Victor 

Name:
Mattie Victor

Nickname:
None

Age:
25

Gender:
Female

Appearance:

Spoiler: Picture 

Her hair is a dark red that she usually straightens each day. On the days she doesn’t straighten her hair it tends to turn into a curly mess. Her green/brown eyes usually have a friendly spark in them. As for her height, she stands at just over five feet tall. Her body is curvy and tiny. She has kept in shape by running. She usually paints her nails some sort of bright colour. Her normal choice of clothes is a pair of dark jeans or a skirt and a bright t shirt. She has a tattoo of a pair of wings on her right wrist and a pair of koi on the top of her left foot.

Special Ability/Ability Strength/Ability Description:
Psychic Speak - Weak, she can only sense if there are others around her.

How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world:
Less than a day

Personality:
She is a very sweet person, always putting others before herself. She loves to read, hence her job, and she loves children. She is currently single but one day hopes for a family of her own. Mattie is a really social person and enjoys spending time with her friends. She is very close to her parents who are now in their 50s. She is very approachable and quite intelligent. She has a love for fantasy novels and is often making up imaginative stories in her head.

Bio:
Mattie grew up just outside town on a dairy farm. Not having much to do she spent most of her time reading. She would read a great variety of books from mysteries to fantasy and how to books to science fiction. She always had a love for adventure because of her countless hours spend with her nose in a book. When she grew up she became the librarian and English teacher at the town's high school. She has been teaching there for a couple years now and loves it very much.

Spoiler: Creed Liddel 

Name:
Creed Liddel

Nickname:
N/a

Age:
24

Gender:
Male

Appearance:

Spoiler: Creed 

His hair is a feathery and black, his skin pale and his clothes dark and gothic in style. He has gauges in both ears and an industrial in the right. His eyes are sea-foam green, is 5'10" and weighs 160lbs.

Special Ability:
Shadow Walk- Teleportation from one place to another via shadow. Weak, can only walk in shadows five feet apart.


How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world:
One week

[b]Changes due to shadow exposure:[b]
N/a

Personality: Reserved and quiet, Creed was almost called a mute. Though his actions show kindness, his mannerisms and body language point to a more absentee being; mentally and emotionally. He is a sociopath, undiscovered by his family as he hides it well and pretends otherwise.

Bio: Creed was five years old when he brutally killed his family's dog. Not understanding why, his loving parents took him to the best psychwards in the country to figure out what had happened to their lovely son to change him. Using a clever intellect, he lied his way through every session, convincing everyone it was an accident. But afterwards, he grew distant; from his friends, parents, and the world. After highschool, he became a bartender, studying average people and their mannerisms in an attempt to become 'normal' for the people he knew he should love.

Spoiler: Circe 

Name
Circe, just Circe.

Nickname
N/A

Age
Unknown (Greater than the time she has been in the shadow realm)

Gender
Female

Appearance

Spoiler: Circe 

Spoiler: The Mask 

Special Ability
Enchanting Talk of the Dark; The ability to act through words. If she says something with strong enough feeling, she can make it happen. For example, she can easily persuade someone to do whatever by just saying 'Listen to me'. Attacks can be dealt with the simple statement of 'Shadows, choke him'. But to make it work, she must have a strong feeling of will for it to happen, or the order won't be performed powerfully. Emotional or not, those with weak hearts and minds will easily fall under the power's control. Overuse of the ability will cause headaches, something Circe is trying to fix right now.

How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow World
About one thousand, eight hundred, seventy-nine years. (1879 years in the shadow dimension)

Changes due to shadow exposure:
N/A

Personality
If you don't mind, I'd prefer if this is revealed in the IC mostly. But just say for now that Circe is...not really the nicest girl you would meet. A harsh exterior that shells the dark, yet delicate center.

Bio
Circe was born in the ancient times, ancient Greece. Her namesake was a minor goddess of magic, who crafted wonderful potions who turned men into swine, like they were meant to be. It wasn't a mere coincidence that Circe became quite like, well, Circe - a man-hater. Circe grew up with a pig of an dad, a younger brother who wasn't much different, and a mother who had passed away quite early on. She was only seven at the time, and it was only going to get worse for her. Shortly after the untimely death, Circe's father always took things too far, whether it be alcoholic beverages, punishments, or plain selfishness.

In the beginning, things were better, but on the verge of becoming beyond repair. Instead of choosing the stairs up, her father decided to take the fall, with his kids beside him on the ride. As his behaviour worsened, he did foolish and cruel things. He locked Circe and her brother up in small rooms and punished them with beatings if they left without permission, giving them little to eat or drink as wasted money on more wine and gift to 'woo' girls half his age to sleep with him. It disgusted her, but Circe was too young, and not powerful enough to handle him. She was starving and thirsty, and her brother would hog most of the little rations they would receive. Unlike him, Circe was determined to live a lot better than the current path her dad had put her on.

A couple of more years past, and by then, her brother had already passed away. Not because he starved or received too many beatings, he was simply too greedy and selfish for his own good, following in the footsteps of his father. Despite being three years younger, the boy had no trouble flashing his ego and pride, ordering others(besides his father) like he owned the world. Oh how foolish he was, even hogging the food from a bowl that had been chipped, the pieces of it mixing in with the content. First came the stomach-aches - nothing proper medicines can't fix, but his father didn't bother to fix him up anyway. Not long after, he was gone. Despite that, Circe didn't miss him at all; with him and his tedious and often tattling out of the way, she can start her plan.

Circe's father was going broke, lonely, and loss the will to live. It wasn't hard for a manipulating person like Circe to beat him down so that he would not mind even if a knife was placed next to his throat. Of course she wouldn't kill him herself, that would taint her. But her father had a pretty impressive streak of making one bad choice after the other, and it wasn't before long that he'd get himself killed. Circe's predictions were always correct, and so it happened. Circe escaped her revolting home, away from the clutches of her father, men, which she had developed a huge hate for. She lived well despite being an uneducated female, the trickery and deceit in her speech never ceased to fail to work when she wanted something. However, her joy did not last long. She did not know how she ended up there, she could've died, or have been poisoned, cursed with eternal nightmares. But Circe had entered the shadow realm.

Spoiler: Bartholomew (Bartie) Curtis 

Name: Bartholomew Curtis

Nickname: Bartie

Age: 43

Gender: Male

Appearance: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...Scott.-007.jpg

Special Ability: Shadow Shield

The Shadow Shield allows Bartie to protect himself with a cocoon of Darkness, although whenever he uses this ability it leaves him vunerable afterwards, he is much more tenacious when encased in the shield. The Shield can also be wrapped around fast moving enemies to slow them down, as it is for some reason very heavy.

How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world: 20 years

[b]Changes due to shadow exposure:[b] Very Melancholy change in personality.

Personality: Bartie was always a cheerful man and he loved to help people, often donating to charities or spreading awareness about others. If any man didn't deserve to witness the horrors of the Shadow Realm, it was Bartie. Bartie could also be quite the terror when he was angry, and he tended to get in a lot of fights when he would drink, which is why his wife stopped him from doing so. When the Shadow Realm absorbed his home town he fought to save his family but in the end the denizens of the Realm destroyed them and devoured the very essence that made them whole.


Bio: Before being exposed to the Shadow World, Bartie was an honest man working in a baker shop, he had a wife and two children, a girl and a boy who both attended school in a town nearby the one where our story takes place. He had left school at the age of 12 to work with his father in the baking ovens, his family are a family of bakers also, but Bartie honed his craft and stuck with it, even as the job became less well paid. He slowly became the best baker in all of the country and all who were familiar with the latest news of culinary knew of him.

Since being consumed by the Shadow Realm, Bartie has been reduced to a melancholy shadow of his former self, his life revolving around killing those who would kill him, an endless fight for survival, and after 20 years, Bartie doesn't know how long he can go on for.

// NPCs //

Spoiler: NPCs 

Spoiler: Generic Shadow People 

Spoiler: Picture 

Most shadow people are basically featureless. They have been devoured by their world and merely exist to do the same as what was done to them. They are the weakest of shadow people, they usually travel alone and rarely travel in packs. They hunt by smell, they can smell fear and if they smell it in you they will try devouring your soul and pulling you further into the shadows. Luckily these creatures are easily defeated. All you have to do is break through the shells that contain them. There are three levels of basic shadow people. The first being the weakest, their own darkness is easily sensed from a distance and they are clumsy. The second has a harder shell, you will need something stronger to break through it and kill it. They are a little smarter, usually traveling in pairs. There are less of these around than the first type. The third kind is the strongest of the basic shadow people. Their shells are very thick and they are hard to detect because they keep their shadow energy close to themselves, concentrated and deadly. Beware these. Fortunately, there are even less of these than the second kind of shadow people.

 

Spoiler: Important Shadow People 

 

Spoiler: Adon 

Name:
Adon
Age:
Unknown
Gender:
Male
Appearance:

Spoiler: Picture 

Special Ability/Ability Strength/Ability Description:
Soul Corruption - Perfected, He can speed along the rate at which your soul is corrupted in the shadow world with a single touch.
How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world:
Since the beginning.
Bio:
He is a very strong shadow creature, he has transcended the others and even the other shadow creatures fear him. He is a leader of sorts, and is very determined to get what he wants. If you anger him he will attack you viciously. If you happen upon him you should leave immediately. He is loyal to none and will not hesitate to crush you if you get in his way.

 

Spoiler: Channing 

Name:
Channing
Age:
Unknown
Gender:
Unknown
Appearance:
He has no appearance of his own, his only distinguishable trait is his long grey fingernails.

Special Ability/Ability Strength/Ability Description:
Shape Mimicry - Very Strong, can mimic almost anyone. Cannot mimic Riet, Adon or Nastusia. very well. When mimicking anyone there is one thing that cannot be mimicked and that is the fingernails. Channing's fingernails will always be grey.
How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world:
Perhaps a thousand or so years, time is meaning less in the shadow world.
Bio:
Channing is a trickster of sorts and follows its own rules. He will try to mimic the shape of another to try to get close to others then when he is trusted completely he will use his fingernails as a siphon to drown someone in shadow energy. He has no loyalties to other shadow creatures and acts very selfishly.

Spoiler: Riet 

Name:
Riet
Age:
Appears to be around 8 years old.
Gender:
Female
Appearance:

Spoiler: Picture 

Special Ability/Ability Strength/Ability Description:
Soul Seeing - Perfected, She can see into the very depths of your soul and find what you want most. She will use this ability to trick you into making choices that will corrupt your soul faster.
How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world:
Since the beginning.
Bio:
Riet entered the shadow realm as a young girl and remained in that form as the years passed by. She uses her innocent appearance to get people to drop their guards then uses her ability to manipulate them. She will put on an innocent act if she is with people but if she suspects that she has lost her cover her personality will change for the worse. If she is stumbled upon without her knowing she will usually be found with a large mallet with spiked edges. She has a very vicious side. She is very loyal to Adon who took care of her in the beginning centuries that they shared the shadows in solitude.

 

Spoiler: Nastusia 

Name:
Nastusia
Age:
Unknown
Gender:
Female
Appearance:

Spoiler: Picture 

Special Ability/Ability Strength/Ability Description:
Path Finder - Perfected, she can see the paths of the shadow world and thus help other's find their paths.
How long you’ve been exposed to the Shadow world:
A few centuries after Riet and Adon.
Bio:
Nastusia is the only shadow creature to not completely succumb to the dark. Her light still shines through as she tries to help those that are swallowed into this world. She is rather shy though, she tends to stay hidden if she can help it, she is very afraid of Adon and Riet. They have tried to destroy her a great many times. If you find her along your travels in the shadow world approach her slowly and don’t startle her. If she finds you, heed her warnings. She will often leave notes for travelers to find so that they may one day find their way out of here, the notes are always tied to glass bells.

// Rules //

Below are the rules, mostly common sense. Please read and follow all rules to keep this RP fun!

Spoiler: Rules 

ONE
Follow all RPA rules! That should be a no-brainer.

TWO
No GM, PP or other ‘I can do anything I feel like’ posts. Your characters are mostly human, so act like it.

THREE
My word goes in this little corner of the universe, I put a lot of time and effort into creating this plot so I am it’s God.

FOUR
Be as literate as possible. I expect at least two paragraphs per post, but you can make yours as long as you choose. I also realize that sometimes you miss a few things, or you are having an off day. That’s ok just do your best.

FIVE
Be active, try to post at least once/day. If you are leaving for any extended period of time let me know and I will make sure your character is still there for you when you get back. That said, if you just disappear from the RP without a word and you are gone for 5+ days expect your character to have died an excruciatingly painful death. Can’t say I didn’t warn you.

SIX
Your character will probably go crazy, die or become engulfed by the shadows, this is a heads up that evil will ensue! Any changes to your characters due to exposure to shadow world, I will PM you the details.

SEVEN
This RP will always be open to new characters, if you want to join just post a CS in the OOC and I will check your character out. Once approved by me, you may post in the IC.

EIGHT
Your character really doesn’t die (unless you drop out of the RP then death will be wonderfully gruesome), if your character ‘dies’ he/she becomes part of the shadow world, their power becomes stronger and they become an adversary to the towns people.

NINE
If you are having a hard time trying to figure out a character I can make you one.

TEN
Have fun and be creative! Let the delicious macabre violence ensue.

// GM Posts and Updates //

All updates will go here once we start! If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please let me know.

[PinkBandit]

What's the maximum time length your character could've been in the shadow realm? I was thinking of making a charrie that's been there for a long time already.

[Miss Shell]

They could have been there for a very long time, the shadow world came into existence at around the same time humans began to walk upright.

[PinkBandit]

Awesome. I'll have my CS up sometime tomorrow.

[Miss Shell]

Awesome, can't wait to see it. I still have to add a town map and maybe some more pictures then the OOC is finished! Oh and if anyone has any ideas for more shadow people please PM me!

-----

*Disappears to work on IC*

[Auki]

If you’re looking for more players, don’t forget to make use of all the features that RPA has to offer. You can submit your game to the Roleplaying Games Directory here and if you post here, you can ask the Staff to advertise your roleplay in their signatures.

Most importantly, make sure to apply for Roleplay of the Week!

[Miss Shell]

Awesome. *disappears to do some advertising*

[Miss Shell]

Okay, so I have the IC all ready to go for the most part, we just need more members... I'll start it if we get two or three more.

[PinkBandit]

Still in the middle of writing my CS... and posts for other RPs... might take me awhile, but defs will be up today!

[Miss Shell]

No hurry, still waiting on more members.