The Cursed Ruins of El Santa Fe
“The locals call it Floresta amaldiçoada de Santa Fé,” he fixed his glasses and even under the brim of the straw hat, the Brasilia humid, hot summer weather still making his ivory white skin run with sweat. The man across him Professor Johnston looked uncomfortable in the only suit Dominic had ever saw him wore. Johnston was getting old, he was fifty, balding, his suit was ragged and had stains on it, yet he wore hiking shoes that suggested he still went onto the field.
“People tend to give ominous names to things they don’t understand,” Johnston said looking over the prospected dig site photos taken by a helicopter, he squinted auburn colored eyes, “There’s people living down there?”
“No,” Domic responded, “We just think the shapes are shadows from the tree. The locals won’t land the helicopter near the ruins. They say it is cursed and that the dead walk among the men. So the ruins were for a long time inaccessible.”
“But they are giving you access?” Johnston asked with a raised salt ‘n pepper eyebrow.
“Brazil still likes American money, and my manager might have persuaded a few local government officials to open up the ruins to my company. And we contacted you to hire your team of archaeologist to uncover the mysteries. I mean that’s what your job is, right?” Dominic asked with a smirk, placing a check on top of the helicopter overshots.
Johnston didn’t look over the check, he stared at Dominic.
“And what does an oil company have to do with uncovering the mysteries of these ruins?” Johnston asked.
“Once we convince the locals it’s not haunted, all of the ancient relics preserved in a museum, we will be allowed to dig for natural gases in the area,” Dominic nodded, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.
Johnston curled up his lip.
“You know that I don’t usually work for big companies like Teko,” Johnston replied.
“Yes, but we contact you because my manager believes or understands you to be a man of natural curiosity. It is how you earned your reputation and respect in your industry from what our research has uncovered. And if that’s the case then don’t you also want to uncover the myths and legends of the ruins that no one else was allowed to dig and research until now? This is an opportunity to Johnston. For your graduate students and undergraduate students. This is the kind of project that puts people’s names on magazines in the Times, in the latest National Geographic,” Dominic paused, sliding the check off of the table, “But if you don’t want to take the job. The job we would provide all the latest technology for you and your team. Then I’ll contact Hamilton.”
“We all know Hamilton would make a mess of the dig,” Johnston grumbled.
“It’s up to you Johnston,” Dominic said, “I’m just the middleman with the contract. You get to make the decision.”
Johnston sighed.
“Fine, I’ll take the dig project,” Johnston told Dominic.
“Good choice, let’s talk about the project and the contract terms,” Dominic said, releasing the check back onto the papers. Sliding it over to Johnston with a big smile, then opening his briefcase one more time to take out the contract.
It felt at that moment he had sold his team.
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Taking a walk back to his car Johnston continued to look over the photos, something in his gut was swirling. Something about this place gave him the creeps and he had been in some unusual dig sites before. Egyptian crypts that spoke of ancient curses, but nothing as strange as this place. Even through pictures he believed there was an evil that lingered. He heard the roaring, crackling flames of fire, the screaming agony. Feeling the heat reach his skin. His nerves began to feel burning hot pain.
“Foda você!” a yelling woke him up from the hypnotic spells of the picture. He saw Christian yelling at a Brazilian man trying to parallel park his beat up, yellow, rusty Volkswagen close to the bumper of Johnston’s 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier.
Christian was quite proud that the first word he learned to say in Portuguese was how to curse at someone.
“Foda-se, garoto branco,” the man shouted back at Christian.
Christian pointing to the front grill of the Cavalier “Aprenda a fuder parque.”
“Com licença, cavalheiros,” Johnston quickly began to walk up to diffuse the situation, Christian seemed to bring his hyper aggressive New Yorkian dialect of speech to Brazil. Well really anywhere he had brought him, “Por favor, perdoe meu amigo. Tivemos um longo dia.”
The man only gestured a hand motion to swipe him away, slammed the door of his car and walked off. Cursing something about white Americans coming to Brazil and having no respect. Johnston raised a brow at Christian.
“What was that about?” Johnston asked.
Christian sliced his hand through the air and Johnston looked toward where he was pointing. The mans rear bumper was awfully close to his front bumper, Johnston knew he was going to have great difficulty getting out sandwiched between two cars.
“Even in a foreign country people don’t know how to drive, tell me why these machines were made if we aren’t using them appropriately,”
“Something on your mind?” Johnston asked knowing how he got.
Both of them got into their car. Johnston didn’t start the car, now Christian a good looking blond, short, and compact who looked like ,he can have been on some volleyball team, was now looking him with hazel irises.
“Something on your mind,” he deflected back his way.
Johnston threw the pictures at Christian.
“I took the Teko dig site,” Johnston told him.
“Jesus christ fuck me,” Christian said staring at the photos, “People live there?”
“I was told it was tree shadows,” Johnston responded.
“Tree shadows my ass,” Christian pointed to one of the blurry shadows, “That’s a motherfucking leg.”
Johnston shrugged.
“They took the photo from a helicopter he said,” Johnston added.
“Oh yeah because cameras these days have that much grain,” Christian huffed, “So, how much are they paying us?”
“Commission based on the value of what we bring back,” Johnston responded.
“Fuck me, are you serious?” Christian asked, the twenty-eight year old clicked his tongue in frustration and took out his e-cig.
“We need to research the site before we lead a team in,” Johnston told him, as his car filled with what he could only describe was peppermint, which Christian liked to inform it was green tea with mint.
“It gives me the creeps,” Christian said through an exhale, smoke touched the pictures gracefully before billowing towards his windshield.
“I don’t necessarily like it either,” Johnston told him.
Within seconds one of the pictures caught fire on its own, Christian sprung up and opened the door.
“Jesus what the fuck!” Christian shouted throwing it out into the gutter. Johnston kept an anxious calm watching the burning picture begin to bend and fold through the flames.
Christian looked at him with a look, he was clearly more stressed about than Johnston and Johnston knew that was weird.
“That’s normal to you!” he shouted at him.
“No, absolutely not,” Johnston said there was a slight crack in his usually calm demeanor, “You’re just often expressive enough for the both of us.” He gave a nervous laugh, but of all the people Christian knew Johnston. And Johnston knew Christian knew he was full of shit.
Johnston rested his head on the steering wheel of his car and sighed.
“We can’t decline the dig can we?” Christian asked.
“No,” Johnston mumbled.
“Their picture caught fire though,” Christian remarked.
“I know,” Johnston grumbled, he sounded stressed the Brazilian weather did not help.
“We’re still going through this,” Christian stated.
“Yes,” Johnston began to turn on the ignition of the car finally.
“Fuck me,” Christian scoffed.
“Agreed,”
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Boston of University - Help Wanted
Boston of University Archeology department looking for graduates and undergraduates for an upcoming project. Working directly with Professor Johnston Andrew and his teacher assistant Christian Mathews uncovering relics of Brazil past. In the heart of a Brazilian forest is the lost ruins El Santa Fe.
Please submit your resumes to the archeology department for Professor Andrew so he may overlook them. Or ask a faculty member for Professor Andrew’s staff email so you may directly send your application to him.
RP Information
So I am introducing my very first RP. In a nutshell this RP will follow a team of archeologist. Well that’s a board term. The archeology team is built from many different professions. Think anthropology, photography, sociology, linguistics, etc. Don’t need to know these professions as I am kind of bullshiting myself of how I know archeologist work. It’s suspending your disbelief.
A team of archeologist to research and uncover the mysteries of an untouched ruin known as El Santa Fe. Unknown to them El Santa Fe is cursed, And all manners of hell is about to break lose so to speak. The trip to their knowledge is 90 days, without outside contact. Locals will not touch the place and have only agreed to drop you off in area.
Role-Call
Professor Johnston Andrew - Dig Site Lead Director - ShinobiSpirit
Linguist - ShinobiSpirit
Christian Mathews - Geo-Cartographer/Johnston Note Taker - Clyde
Photographer -LoliNeko
Role 4 - Open
Role 5 - Open
Role 6 - Open
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Rules
Please Communication; I am sure you do not like when a friend just shows up at your house unexpectedly without calling ahead of time first. Just make sure you communicate. An RP doesn’t just involve you. It involves me and All of the people who join it. Just make sure if there are changes in the day or schedule you can be and sure to tell folks.
Please be Responsible; Joining a RP is a responsibility and I know no one likes to think like that. Neither do I. But I do enjoy people who say they are going to do something and do it. By putting a character you are saying you are going to be responsible for your posting and how you affect others in this RP.
With all that serious stuff out of the way. Have a lot of fun and let’s write a great RP together.
If you understand by joining this RP I expect you to be responsible, communicate and be respectful to others please write somewhere on your sheet; “I have read the rules. And I accept being responsible and respectful in this RP. I know when this character is accepted, that I am responsible for communicating effectively with the GM and other members.”
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Resume
So the sheet is going to be a bit different than any normal character sheet that you are use to.
[image here - please realistic images]
[Brief personal summary here. Think this like a one to two page snippet of a news article that defines the character from an outsider's point of view.]
[Name, Address, DOB, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Marital Status]
[Age 22+]
[Occupational Role - see above RP Info, think Biologist, Photographer, Tech Assistance, etc.]
[Skills - 5]
[Strengths and Weaknesses - Personal and Physical strengths and weaknesses your character may think they have, include allergies or anything else - quick guideline 5 Strengths and 5 Weaknesses, but you can always do more]
[Equipment - You are allowed to bring 5 lbs to 10 lbs, depends on how much you can personally carry. Items can include personal or equipment like the equipment you use, a specific camera, etc]
[Theme Song - Optional]
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