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View Full Version : [IC] Afterlife [M]



Lady Celeste
02-25-2021, 12:56 AM
This RP is rated M, and may therefore contain (unless specifically prohibited by this site’s Mature Content rules)...

Action/Fantasy Violence
Depictions of Occult Practices
Strong Language/Innuendo
Mature Sexual Content
Drug/Alcohol Usage
Partial or Complete Nudity




https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/T6KHxerM3mn7hh_66QvkRTWESXk=/900x601/media/img/photo/2014/11/modern-end-of-life-services-in-japan/j02_RTR4DIO6/original.jpg

Welcome.

You’re all probably wondering where you are, or how you came to be here. Maybe some of you already understand. Or maybe some of you at least suspect what has just happened to you.

Either way, I’m afraid there’s no easy way to explain this.

You are dead.

No, this is not a nightmare, or one of those near-death experiences where you’ll simply wake up and carry on with your lives.

You are all permanently, definitively dead. Your mortal lives have come to an end. I know that may be difficult for some of you to accept, but such is the nature of death itself.

But this is not the end for you. At least, it doesn’t have to be.

You see, normally mortal beings are meant to die naturally once their time has come, and not a moment sooner or later. However, life and death are not always that simple in practice.

Each and every one of you knows this all too well. Some of you were caught in fatal accidents. Some of you were murdered. Whatever the case may be, none of you were supposed to die yet.

Now, before anyone asks, all of you are already too far beyond the point of no return, so returning to your mortal lives is no longer an option. However, in light of your untimely deaths, each of you will be given a choice.

But first, allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Aidoneus. I am the Director of the Afterlife Guild. Our purpose is simple; we are authorized to recruit deceased souls like yourselves who have died before their time, and offer them a means to return to the realm of the living in exchange for putting their lost time to good use. What exactly this entails will change over time as you rise through our ranks, but in short, we are trained to handle a wide variety of operations in the realm of the living, ranging from stopping everyday criminals to protecting against more serious supernatural threats.

That may sound like too much to ask for most of you right now, but you are not as powerless against such threats as you may think. You are already dead and can no longer be killed in the mortal sense, nor are you susceptible to any mortal disease or pain, and any conventional injuries you may sustain will promptly repair themselves. Your current ‘condition’ has certain other advantages as well; you can become visible and invisible to mortal eyes as you see fit, pass through solid objects as if through air, and sense things that living humans cannot, among other abilities that may gradually reveal themselves as your spirits grow in strength over time. In addition, the Guild will provide any and all training and equipment necessary for whatever situations you may be required to face.

That having been said, each of you now has a choice to make. If you would rather just move on, simply walk into the light behind me and cross over to the afterlife, wherever that may lead you. Or if you are not ready to move on yet, you are free to leave and live out your new existence however you wish, within reason.

Or, if any of you are interested in joining us, follow me to the Recruitment Center, and we’ll get started.

Standard rules include no godmoding, no powerplaying/autohitting, and no content that would violate RPA’s Mature Content Rules. All of this should go without saying on this site, but there you go.

Some degree of literacy is expected. I won't go nagging you over every little mistake, but if nobody can understand a word you're saying, we've got a problem.

Be as active as possible. If you can't post for whatever reason, please let us know as soon as possible.

Ghosts are the spirits of deceased humans who have not yet crossed over. They can no longer be killed in the mortal sense, and because they are already dead, they are effectively immune to mortal diseases and the like. However, they are vulnerable to attacks by other ghosts and by other spiritual entities, and weaker ghosts are sometimes especially vulnerable to magic, electromagnetic fields, and/or bright lights. Conversely, ghosts can naturally detect spiritual forces in any given area, and can commonly pass through solid objects and make themselves visible or invisible to living humans at will, while stronger ghosts may develop a wide variety of other special abilities as they gain strength (usually depending on the age and strength of will of a particular ghost).

Child-spirits are the ghosts of children who died at a very young age. It is quite common for a child-spirit to not even realize that they are dead, and those who do are often too scared or confused to cross over or otherwise stray far from wherever they may have felt safe in life. Consequently, they are highly vulnerable to corruption and other hazards associated with the spiritual plane, especially shortly after death, and their mental and metaphysical development is likely to be stunted (or worse) without proper care. It is therefore highly recommended for child-spirits to be placed in the care of a psychopomp or other suitable guardian as soon as possible after death. If properly cared for, the child-spirit will gradually “age” to maturity as they gain strength over time.

Ghouls are a type of corrupted spirit best known for eating human flesh. Although they are most commonly associated with graveyards and eating the flesh of the dead, stories of ghouls killing and eating living victims are more common than one might think. Ghouls can sometimes be confused with vampires, as they are more likely than most vampires to fit the conventional depiction of a stereotypical blood-drinking vampire. The main difference between the two is that, while vampires consume the life force of living victims (with or without the actual consumption of blood), ghouls do not necessarily require living victims, even though some ghouls may prefer the “fresher” taste of living flesh.

Vampires are one of the most famous types of corrupted spirits: so much so that there are now multiple conflicting accounts as to the precise attributes of a vampire, most of which are based on half-truths and eyewitness accounts without sufficient context. Contrary to popular belief, the most common type of vampire is the “psychic” vampire, which does not drink blood but instead drains the energy and life force of their victims, typically via touch or eye contact. Blood-drinking vampires are not unheard of, usually as the result of a vampire possessing a human corpse (preferably newly-deceased) and using it to drain life force in a more potent form through the consumption of blood. Although some vampires do prefer this feeding method, blood-drinking vampires are relatively rare, primarily because large amounts of blood and life force must be regularly consumed to prevent the corpse from decomposing and becoming useless to the vampire.

Incubi and Succubi are a type of corrupted spirit best known for their tendency to visit living humans as they sleep and attempt to seduce them, in some cases even going as far as to try to rape them. Historically, it was generally believed that incubi (the males) would target women while succubi (the females) would target men, but this is not always the case. In fact, there have also been reports of a very rare subspecies that can change its sex at will, able to change from an incubus to a succubus and vice versa. Whatever the case may be, although incubi and succubi are both inherently infertile, they will inevitably feed off of the energy and life force of their victims. Frequent visits by an incubus and/or succubus can result in deteriorating physical and/or mental health and eventually death.

Wraiths are newly-deceased ghosts, particularly the ghosts of humans who died a very violent death or who endured a great deal of pain and/or suffering prior to death. Though not necessarily corrupted spirits in and of themselves, wraiths tend to be mentally unstable and aggressive, and are highly vulnerable to corruption without proper care and guidance. It is possible to rehabilitate an unstable wraith if they can be calmed down as soon after death as possible, but the longer a wraith goes without immediate help, the more likely they are to become permanently corrupted.

Psychopomps are a class of spirits whose role is to ease the transition of souls from death to the afterlife, whether by sending omens to the person and/or their loved ones to warn them that their time is coming, or by waiting to collect the soul when their time comes and then deliver them directly to the afterlife. Traditionally, souls whose time has come are required to cross over immediately except in extreme situations, but psychopomps can usually be persuaded to allow someone who has died prematurely to stay behind until their unfinished business on Earth is resolved, or sometimes even longer if the soul in question agrees to watch over the living in exchange for the extra time. Although psychopomps are generally benign spirits who never kill anyone directly, they are often blamed for the deaths they foretell and/or preside over, and efforts by humans to bribe, banish, or even capture psychopomps in an attempt to cheat death are quite common in folklore (e.g. the capture of Thanatos by Sisyphus). It is also not unheard of for psychopomps to abandon their duties and go rogue, the end results of which may vary.

More may be added soon!

NAME
Mortimer Grimm

AGE
245

AFFILIATIONS
None

OCCUPATION
Exorcist/Alchemist

SPECIALTY
Arcane Expertise, Alchemy, Exorcism.

OTHER SKILLS
Sword fighting, Athletics, Staff fighting, Well-educated, Wealthy, Rune.


APPEARANCE


https://i.imgur.com/zIMGDQl.jpg
Mortimer Grimm is a man of means and fine tastes wrapped around the body of a prize-fighter. 6 foot even in height and a sturdy 190 pounds of tight muscle. His green eyes glow with magic and his face is kept in a state of perpetual stubble. His wavy blond hair is kept slicked back and shoulder length. His face is strong and masculine, but not brutish one look will tell anyone he's a man of high education and razor edged ruthlessness.

HISTORY
Born to the ancient and damn near unkillable line of Grimm, Mortimer was the second son of Jameson and Meredith Grimm. His brother Malik was first born and expected to take over the family business from their father, but Malik's failure during a training session paved the way for Mortimer. It was one of the harshest lessons learned by the young wizard, never underestimate the magic of this world. While his family's primary business was alchemy of all sorts, the crowning jewel and likely the sole reason for their wealth though is the Elixir of Life.

Not quite the true immortality of the Philosopher's Stone of Alchemical legend, but it's far easier to make. One of their line Alexander Grimm, did work closely with Nicolas Flamel, but the French scribe kept all his secrets for the stone to himself right until he vanished from history. Alexander worked for years to find the right formula, but of his many tries he never unlocked the secrets of the stone. One of his failures proved to be the next closest thing. And Elixir of Life made from the ectoplasm of the deceased. As always happened with a new discovery, ethics were brought up and after nearly being wiped out the Grimm conceded to only use the spirits of criminals and the like for their experiments. But as the many powers of Europe changed and burned down over the years the family of Wizard's learned how to dance around the once hard line of Ethics and who would be considered criminals. Rigging the system and working themselves into the good graces of countless nobles and other prominent wizards and alchemists throughout history.

While never officially wearing a crown, the Grimm line has been at the backs of leaders from the likes of Britain, France, Italy, and Spain. They steered where they needed and simply reaped the benefits, and now hundreds of years later Mortimer is set to inherit all that wealth, power, and influence. Having perfected the long term holding of spirits so their essences can be leeched of off for years until having grown to weak are simply exorcised to make room for a newer or more powerful spirit. Many would call it cruel, and even level accusations of slavery at him and his family. But the dead are just that...the dead. Their rights left them as their spirits left their bodies and until the courts of man legislate for the afterlife there is no one that will take such accusations seriously especially when the accuser looks like a crazy person and the Grimm's simply look like innocent people that use their wealth and influence for countless charitable organizations. Always "giving back" to the people.


NAME
Aidoneus

TYPE OF SPIRIT
Ghost

AGE AT DEATH
51

METAPHYSICAL AGE
51

CAUSE OF DEATH
Aidoneus doesn’t speak much about the exact details, but has occasionally mentioned that seeking wisdom in the wrong places was what cost him his life.

DEPARTMENT
Primary Leadership

RANK
Director

SPECIALTY
No one really knows, as nowadays Aidoneus rarely intervenes directly in the field unless absolutely necessary.

APPEARANCE
https://www.bondsuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Mallory-Blue-Suit-2.jpg

HISTORY
Aidoneus is a very ancient spirit compared to most others that have not yet crossed over. Consequently, details about his mortal life are very scarce aside from what he himself may choose to reveal, which mostly consists of whatever information he deems necessary to share under any given set of circumstances. In death, he found himself unable to cross over, his soul too burdened to find peace, and so he took to resolving unfinished business and keeping watch over the ones he’d left behind. As the years passed, his loved ones in life all eventually died and crossed over, yet still he remained, a part of him still sensing that something needed to be done.
Years became decades.
Decades became centuries.
During that time, Aidoneus learned to adapt to the changing times and make full use of his ghostly existence, his spirit wandering throughout the world and encountering many others who were like him: lost souls who had died before their time but had not yet crossed over. Aidoneus helped them as best he could, and managed to help most of them eventually find peace. Some spirits, however, were simply too broken or too corrupted to find peace quite so easily, and to make matters worse, many of those particular spirits would go on to cause harm to the living. Aidoneus did what he could to stop them, but he could not handle them all on his own. Fortunately for him, though, Aidoneus found a growing number of allies from among the very spirits he’d sought to help, some of whom willingly stayed behind for a while in an attempt to make up for the time they never got to enjoy in life. Many of these spirits, in turn, sought out other lost souls, helping the lost to find peace and dealing with the broken and the corrupted as necessary, while also bringing even more wandering spirits into the fold. Thus did this loosely-formed coalition grow and solidify itself into the modern Afterlife Guild.
Throughout all those years, Aidoneus has maintained a strong leadership role within the Guild, still staying behind even as countless members have come and gone. However, as even he himself has acknowledged, human souls are not often meant to linger in the realm of the living for too long, as those who do so generally tend to wither away or become more prone to instability over time. That Aidoneus would still remain in spite of that has led to speculation that he still has some unfinished business left to resolve on the mortal plane, though as of now he typically refrains from direct involvement in the field unless the situation absolutely calls for it.


NAME
Makaria “Kari” Williams

TYPE OF SPIRIT
Matured Child-Spirit

METAPHYSICAL AGE
20

AGE AT DEATH
Unborn
(~2 weeks after conception)

CAUSE OF DEATH
Miscarriage

DEPARTMENT
Intel

RANK
Junior Member

SPECIALTY
Stealth

APPEARANCE
https://images.cwtv.com/images/c/photo-gallery/black-lightning/02816760b9e_0de4_1280.jpg
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/black-lightning-tv-series/images/e/ee/Jennifer_Pierce_Promotional_Photo.jpg

HISTORY
Like all child-spirits, the miscarried baby who would later adopt the name “Makaria” (“Kari” for short) underwent a metaphysical development in which her spirit form would gradually “grow up” with adequate care as she gained strength. Such child-spirits require special care during this process, and must traditionally maintain a healthy attachment to their living relatives under the close supervision of duly appointed guardians, until eventually they are deemed mature enough to make “the Choice”. In Kari’s case, however, there were a number of complications. Not only had Kari been the product of a drunken one-night stand that neither party ever fully remembered, but her birth mother turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the grief from the miscarriage and was subsequently committed to rehab.
With no living relatives for Kari to attach to who were both willing and well-adjusted, Kari’s attachment to her living relatives had to be carefully managed and monitored, effectively limiting her overall contact with the realm of the living. Aidoneus ultimately assumed the role of Kari’s guardian, becoming a prominent father figure to her, and Kari joined the Guild out of sheer gratitude upon reaching maturity. Thanks largely to Aidoneus’ tutelage, Kari has excelled in her basic training, and has just recently been approved to begin work out in the field.


NAME
Thaddeus Aurelius Grimshaw

TYPE OF SPIRIT
Ghoul

AGE AT DEATH
36

METAPHYSICAL AGE
36

CAUSE OF DEATH
Killed and robbed by thieves hired by his business rivals

DEPARTMENT
Potential Recruit

RANK
Potential Recruit

SPECIALTY
Deception and Persuasion, Firearms, Combat, History, Botany and Biology, Animal Handling and Lasso

APPEARANCE
Thaddeus possesses the ability to shift between forms, a human-looking form and a more obviously ghoulish form. However, staying in his original form requires energy and a modicum of concentration. Should he expend too much energy or his concentration is broken entirely, he will revert to his ghoulish form until he can recover.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6e/94/72/6e9472d156df907cbe780418c43bc635.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/08/52/6408521c307ea7b7172eec5304db513d.jpg However, instead of the pictured rags and chains, he is dressed in the rags of his regular clothes.

HISTORY
Born in Atlanta, Georgia on November 30th, 1825, Thaddeus Grimshaw was immediately part of a well-known and well-respected old money family whose great grandparents had come over from Lancashire, England. One out of seven in the Grimshaw brood, he was a rambunctious and curious child, always exploring the vast forests, hills, and swamps on the Grimshaw Estate.

Growing up, he took an interest in the natural world, and was educated at Shenandoah University at Winchester, Virginia. He earned a degree in botany and biology, while also gaining an interest in history. After graduating, he took an expedition to the American Frontier to further his studies. After 2 years of rough frontier living, he returned home to Atlanta and published a recounting of his travels and discoveries, earning him a good chunk of money. With this money, he purchased a ranch house in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and raised a family. With the remaining money, he financed another expedition, this time to the Yukon in Alaska. After 6 years wandering the frozen wilderness, he was satisfied and returned home for good. Another book and another large chunk of money later, he purchased an expansive chunk of land in the Midlands of Texas and set to build a home there. Once finished, he became a ranch man.

However, he had scarcely settled into his new home when his business rivals hired a group of thugs to break into his home, rob him, shoot him, and steal the deed to his land. Dead and full of supernatural rage, he returned to haunt the living, descending upon the thieves, his rivals, and their descendants for generations to feed. Once satisfied that their lines were dead, he returned to haunt his old estate and watch over his own line. Over the years, his estate changed hands multiple times. It is now a bank.


NAME
Marie "Stitches" Anderson

TYPE OF SPIRIT
"I'm technically a ghoul, but I like to call myself a Stitched. A sort of uncorrupted ghoul if you will."

AGE AT DEATH
19

METAPHYSICAL AGE
22

CAUSE OF DEATH
Marie was on the battlefield when she was not supposed to be, according to her life. It was there she died. What did her in she continues to change the story of, but what doesn't change is that she died in medical duty, trying to save a fellow soldier.

DEPARTMENT
Medical / Trauma

RANK
Officer

SPECIALTY
Medical, helping people pass on

APPEARANCE
https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/female-soldier-medic-driving-military-vehicle-picture-id471691825?s=612x612

HISTORY
"Alright lets keep this short and simple. I grew up just in time for the second World War. Taking on the Nazis. Being female, I was safe from the draft and my family wanted me to stay at home in the states. Apparently that's where my life was supposed to be. The World Wars changed the lives of many souls from what the other members have told me. Anyways the point being I ran away from my family to do my patriotic duty for the country. I had some nursing school under my belt so I voulnteered with the medic corp. Training, drills, excercises, yada yada all the typical boot camp stuff and off I was to the lines with my unit. Now let me tell you.... War is hell. Medical supplies were always short, people died on the table and even when they survived they were in a state of wishing for their death. Sometimes I wondered if the best medicine for some of these people would've been a merciful bullet. I think you know what comes next. I get killed while trying to save another soldier. Thing is I don't even notice my death. I just keep trying to save this boy. I then wander the battle field in a sort of stuppor till the suit guy shows up. Apparently I had kept on trying to save lives, ingoring the base ghoulish instincts or something in doing so. Although when they died on me and I couldn't being them back... Well the flesh was fair game. Anyways that pretty much wraps me up. Been with this guild thing ever since. I get sent out often to try to save souls that are just in the wrong place before they have a chance to die and become our... well it doesn't fit but problem is the easiest word to shove in there. Sometimes I save a person, other times I take their hand and lead them to our doorstep."



NAME
Elouise Palambo, Prefers to be called El

TYPE OF SPIRIT
Psychopomp

AGE AT DEATH
25

METAPHYSICAL AGE
30

CAUSE OF DEATH
Shooting- 1981

DEPARTMENT
None

RANK
None-Assocaited with the Guild

SPECIALTY
Emotional Support and Gathering Intel

APPEARANCE
https://live.staticflickr.com/8505/8535158321_072bf2137c_b.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/b4/f0/f8b4f04733a86d523e7ea33ffa36c263.jpg

HISTORY
Elouisde had a quiet life growing up in England in 20th cnetury. She was not one to want for much or to travel far. Community and family meant everything to her. Her mother Olivia owned a bookstore and her father had never been around. Growing up El always kept her nose into books and was very interested in the occult. She studied it on her own and gathered knowledge about spirits and diffrrent forms of the afterlife.

At the bookstore El helped her mother when she was old enough to and liked to serve the public. It would make her day to put a smile on someone's face by helping them find the book or information they needed. EL also knew when someone just needed a friendly ear to listen to their problems. El also had a certain intuition about her. She could meet someone and get a flash of their emotions, knowing what might be troubling them. A sense of their favorite color, scent, or meal to help ease them. She would use this informationto calm others down. Over the years the locals started to come to her for advice and "psychic readings". El had a way with people to calm them down and help them sort out their problems. Mostly she would just sit and listen. After her mother's death, El took over the book store and added on a small cafe, called the Cozy Cafe. She wanted to create a haven for the wayward travler. She would offer a quiet space with a good book and hot drink to ease the pain of others.

One night El was closing up and she had forgotten to lock the door. As she was counting her small profit for the day a masked man came in with a gun. He demanded all of her money and pointed a gun at her. El tried to calm the man down to help as she handed over the money...but he wanted nothing to do with her words. He shot her and left her there where she died on the cold tiled floor...

When she came to it was almost like from a dream. She felt like herself but a stranger named Aidoneus explained she had died. He explained her spirit type was a Psychopomp as she had been good with easing people's pain and suffering during her life just by providing emotional support.So if she chose not to pass on she cold work alongside the Guild to help others who have also died. Ever since then she had been helping to ease the poor souls that passed from this life to the next by providing passge to their afterlife or recruiting souls for the Guild...

Lady Celeste
02-26-2021, 05:02 AM
It was an unremarkable building: mid-sized, flat roof, standard brick with glass doors, and a sign overhead that read “Texas Midlands Bank”. Customers came and went, tellers went about their business as usual... it was all very quiet. Peaceful, at least for now.

No one even noticed Kari lurking around the building, invisible to mortal eyes, her energy signature reduced to a very bare minimum. She had been just a tiny spectral wisp when she died, and although 20 years of care had strengthened her since then, it was all too easy for her to return to that minimal amount of energy. Doing that without regressing her age altogether had been the true challenge, but she’d spent years training to do exactly that and more, and it had certainly paid off.

Her assignment had been simple enough. Some suspicious figures had been spotted around the bank, and the stable ghoul whose home used to be here had been identified as a possible target. Kari was to deliver a warning to the ghoul, assess the situation, and report back so that the Guild could determine whether or not further action was needed. It was all pretty basic, but Kari stayed hidden throughout, fully aware of how badly these things could turn out if she wasn’t careful.

Now it was just a matter of finding the ghoul and delivering the message, but without intruding on the ghoul’s territory. This was still his property, in a way, and it wouldn’t do any good to start a fight now, especially if the ghoul might be in trouble anyway.

Yggdrasil_Hugger
02-27-2021, 03:34 AM
Sir Thaddeus Grimshaw was unequivocally bored. He had spent centuries guarding this area, this land, watching it change hands and buildings countless times. Once a proud and noble ranch house, it was now quite possibly the most boring bank of this century. Some days he would watch the customers, invisible to the mortal eye. Other days he would leave the bank, but a nagging sense of worry and paranoia about the beige and boring brown bank would draw him back. Perhaps that is why he stayed behind, even after all this time. If he didn’t watch over what remained of him property, who would? Nobody. Certainly nobody worth their salt.

So today, once again, he was sitting in the high-backed leather chair in the manager’s office, invisible and nigh undetectable, save for a draft or a slight depression in the mauve leather. He was watching the manager, a short, round, balding rattish-faced man try to convince an aging woman to take a loan she could never repay. It made him sick, but it was his only entertainment. He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, his foot tapping and his cane leaning precariously. Suddenly, he felt a presence. A small blip on his internal radar, barely more than the slight feeling of indigestion he would rarely experience.

Grinning, he stood quickly, grabbing his gentleman’s cane and straightening his coat. He turned to the manager, who would never see nor hear the ghoul, and spoke.

“It seems I’ve got an appointment. If you’ll excuse me, I will tend to such an interruption.” The manager gave no response, as expected. Drifting through the walls was always interesting, as the electricity that ran through the wires tingled delightfully, as if he still had nerves. Drifting to the main room of the bank, he looked around. A troubled look came across his face. He could not find the presence that had stuck out in his mind a moment ago. Perhaps his spirit was fading.

Heson Shadowbane
02-27-2021, 02:08 PM
Stitches was on the other side of the street, watching the child spirit as she sipped from a coffee cup she had with her. It was mostly coffee, having some blood mixed into it. She wanted her mind clear while she was keeping an eye on Kari as she went about the mission. Her job today was a sort of baby sitter for Kari, to be there for her if she needed the help. Not to mention with this job being about a ghoul, she would be the best back up in case things went down the trenches.

She enjoyed these jobs, a break from acting as a paramedic or nurse or even a doctor at times as when she joined the world of the living. Keeping an eye on the fresh spirits going out in the field to their first missions was a good thing to her. This was a second lease on life they were 'living' and she wanted to make sure they they would back able to live it to their fullest. She drank down the last of the mixed coffee she had and tucked the cup away into a pocket. "You got this lass."

SikstaSlathalin
03-01-2021, 09:35 PM
Banks, an institute nearly as old as civilization itself. Where once they were temples to some god, they became stalls of wood upon a traveler's back, then they took root and became buildings from large stony mansions to wooden rooms in a fort lit by candlelight. Now most little rooms lit by candlelight have died out, but large stone mansions are still around. Filled with steel, glass, plastic, and paper and the Texas Midlands Bank was one such place. Formally a ranch house owned by a prominent adventurer from Georgia who was killed by some business rivals for his land.

A sad turn of events for sure, but the past is for the ghosts they belong to. The future and the preset belong to the living and unborn. But today...rather this entire past week has been about the past those living it and those aiming to rob it. Ectohunters have been casing the bank, but gold, money, and bonds mean very little to their employer. He often said his true aim will make him more money than this bank or twenty of it's sister banks could hope to hold. And while he never told them his name or have ever seen his face, the money in their accounts is all the truth they've needed.

And with these special glasses they can already see the value in his knowledge. Today they were hunting a ghoul by the name of Sir Thaddeus Grimshaw. Watching him leering over the shoulders of greedy bankers looking to scam senior citizens out of their pensions. His rage warmed the air, but unless you knew what to feel for it would go under the notice of most people. And now that he's on the move they had him in their sights. Small specter cubes sitting in their hands, one toss and they would have a ten grand payday waiting for them at the end of all this.

Lady Celeste
03-02-2021, 05:11 PM
And just like that, there they were. The glasses they wore matched the descriptions she’d been given, and Kari could already recognize who they were dealing with just by looking at them. Living humans acting like ordinary robbers, but they practically ignored all of the usual robbery targets like the vault or the tellers’ station. They were after something else entirely, and as their glasses turned in Thaddeus’ direction, their true goal became clear.

First things first. Kari would have to alert both Stitches and Thaddeus stat, but with how far apart they were, there was no way to go tell one without leaving the other unaware...

Unless something was done to catch the attention of them both, and Kari had just the idea to do it.

Finding the nearest fire alarm, Kari reached for the lever and pulled it down. The alarms blared all throughout the bank, instantly putting the living civilians on high alert, and could be clearly heard within the bank and a sizable distance away.

Neither Thaddeus nor Stitches could have missed the sound, but there was one small catch on Kari’s end. Interacting with solid objects required a higher energy state than what her “stealth mode” could manage. This was good for a warning; the sudden change in her energy state would give off a pulse that few ghosts could miss. But now the same people who were stalking Thaddeus could pick up on her aura too.

She had only a split-second to hide, and phased through the nearest wall and climbed up toward the ceiling. She would still have to stay reasonably close to the ghost hunters until both Thaddeus and Stitches had spotted them, or until she had enough backup to take them on. But one advantage of not having a body was that the laws of physics didn’t really apply to ghosts anymore, allowing them to get very creative with hiding places when they needed to be.

Heson Shadowbane
03-10-2021, 02:12 PM
The former medic faded away quickly as the fire alarm began to ring out. The coffee cup she had been holding just dropped down to the ground as she let herself go fully into the spirit state of being and she began running across the street to the bank. There was no reason why the fire alarm should be going off which could only mean a sign from the kid. It was either trouble with the ghoul or trouble with the people they had been hearing about.

Either way, with the fire alarm Kari was calling out for help and so it was her job to do so. When she finally got to the bank she watched what people were running out and what people were staying inside, even sticking her head through the wall to make sure she was getting the big picture of what was happening.

Yggdrasil_Hugger
03-10-2021, 03:24 PM
All at once, the bank descended into chaos. The fire alarm was pulled, a flare of ghostly energy pulsed and drifted upwards through the ceiling, and another specter appeared on Thaddeus’s radar, moving swiftly toward the bank. Suddenly, a cold feeling drifted through his limbs. He narrowed his eyes and spun to see two men staring at him. Him! They held strange devices in their hands like Rubix cubes and looked... predatory. He huffed. It had only taken a century and a half for anything interesting to happen.

He tossed aside his cane, which dissipated into ghostly fog, a grunted. His shoulders rolled forward and the sound of bones cracking and shifting was heard. He hunched over, his feet elongating to become digitigrade, his fingers growing into claws, his clothes tearing as his new head scraped the ceiling. His jaw popped downwards as row after row of sharp, shark-like teeth moved forward. The ground creaked as his incorporeal form became solid. He let loose a glass-shattering, blood curdling howl and lunged toward the men with frightening speed.

SikstaSlathalin
03-11-2021, 12:34 AM
Hesitation froze the men's muscles for a few seconds as the Ghoul showed his true form. It was horrifying, but it was something their employer had planned for. Jumping out of the direct line of the Ghoul's charge the man on the right threw a cube at the Ghoul trapping his left foot in a light prism and stopping his forward momentum.

Once his cube was thrown the man on the right jumped even further out range. He glanced around looking for more ghosts, they were warned about a group called the Afterlife Agency who liked to interfere in their Employer's ventures. He found no one, then signaled for the man on the left to throw his own cube. They never spoke it was series of hand gestures that explained their intentions quickly.

The man on the left threw his cube aiming for Thaddeus's torso. That would be all the lock in they needed.

Lady Celeste
03-14-2021, 04:00 PM
These men were good. Really good.

All of the Guild’s suspicions were confirmed once the first of those strange cubes locked onto Sir Grimshaw’s foot, and they proceeded with their next attack without a word. Clearly they had done something like this before, and Sir Grimshaw’s feral state at the moment was not going to be any help. They would have to step in.

Kari watched the men and moved herself carefully into position. The hunters were already scanning the area, searching for anyone who might get in the way, so Kari stayed hidden behind the wall until just the right moment. There was only one way she could think of to stop that thing without getting caught herself, but her timing had to be just right.

Then, just as the second cube was about to be tossed, Kari flew at the man with the second cube and pushed his arm to the side, sending the cube off-course and away from Thaddeus. She then immediately followed up by attempting to kick the second man right into the first, hoping to give herself some more space to work with until Stitches got here.

Just then, however, an unseen force slammed into each of the men and threw each of them against the wall, starting with the one closest to Kari.

It hadn’t taken Aidoneus long to assess the situation upon arrival. The fire alarm was blaring, much of the bank had been evacuated, and now there was a fight going on inside. Sir Grimshaw was currently in his feral form, his foot caught in some sort of trap, and Kari had just stepped in to protect him. Stitches, for her part, had been just about to intervene as well, though Aidoneus had just barely beaten her to it.

“Free Thaddeus.” Aidoneus ordered to both Kari and Stitches. “Leave these men to me.”

Kari promptly went to do so, approaching the now-aggressive ghoul cautiously.

“Alright big guy... easy... easy...” Kari said gently as she slowly reached toward the trap stuck on his foot, fully prepared to step back if he panicked and tried to attack her.

Meanwhile, Aidoneus remained keenly focused on the two assailants, bracing for the next attack. A raw energy already began to radiate from him, causing the lights and other electronics in the immediate area to flicker rapidly.

There are many layers to the city of New Orleans. To the casual tourist, it is home to some of the most vibrant nightlife in the country, especially during Mardi Gras, as well as a bona fide melting pot of French, African, and American cultures. To those with an interest in the supernatural, it is notorious for its many ghostly haunts, Louisiana’s unique brand of voodoo, and even a vampire community that had gained such notoriety that it was sometimes hard to tell the real vampires from the pretenders. Hurricane Katrina had left its scars on the city, some of which would take longer than others to heal, but its recovery thus far was nothing short of remarkable.

Over the centuries, the Afterlife Guild had set up branches across the globe, attending to the specific needs of each region. As Director, Aidoneus had been to each of these branches many times over the centuries, and yet the New Orleans branch had become a sort of home to him in the past few years. It was here that Sierra Williams had suffered a miscarriage before she even knew she had ever been pregnant, sending her on a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol in her desperate attempts to block out the grief. It had been too early then to let her and Makaria grow too accustomed to each other. Sierra’s mental state at the time was fragile enough as it was, and Kari was too young to understand her mother’s need to grieve, to come to a natural acceptance of what had happened. Aidoneus had to limit their initial contact to carefully managed visits: enough for Sierra to know that her unborn daughter’s spirit was safe now, and for Kari to know who her birth mother was and gradually come to terms with her own death. As Kari grew more mature and Sierra made progress in her recovery, the visits became longer and more frequent, giving Kari as close to a normal upbringing as she could have under the circumstances, and allowing Sierra to let go of her guilt and finish with rehab. Now they both had achieved a sense of closure, but Kari still checked in from time to time, especially now that Sierra was married with one son and another child on the way.

Aidoneus let himself dwell on those memories as he continued down the street, as opposed to the much more painful memories that Kari’s current assignment had brought up. It was such a simple operation in and of itself. A number of suspicious characters had been seen stalking the bank that Sir Thaddeus Grimshaw haunted, so Kari was instructed to warn Thaddeus of the threat and assess the situation as needed. Kari could take care of herself, and Aidoneus had sent Stitches as backup for good measure. If it weren’t for Aidoneus’ own paranoid suspicions about the whole thing, he might have barely given it any thought at all. The enemy wouldn’t know of Kari’s connections to Aidoneus; he’d made certain of that from the moment he’d adopted her, and Kari knew well enough to keep it secret as well. And to exclude a perfectly capable operative from simple assignments like these would only draw the enemy’s attention all the more.

But if Aidoneus’ worries were even remotely correct…

A warm trickle suddenly ran down Aidoneus’ hands, and a red stain was now forming down the front of his light blue shirt. Confound it; he was bleeding again.

Finding an alley to hide in, Aidoneus closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, forcing the memories aside. Elouise’s café wasn’t far from here. All he had to do was keep his paranoia at bay until he reached it, and then he could let it all out and find a secluded restroom if need be.

With each deep breath, the blood dried up and then slowly faded to nothing. Now clean of blood, Aidoneus stood up straight, dusted himself off, and continued toward the café.


Elouise was taking fresh croissants from the oven as she idly did cafe work. The chatter from the mortals around her helped to fill the void inside of her. She had missed this when she was alive. Owning a simple cafe that was a community outreach to those in pain. Now as the decades had stretched on people were not as thankful living their rushed and busy lives. They always demanded things instantly. If only they knew how quickly it could all end. A quick flash of cold tile floor and blood pooling around her filled her mind, but it quickly passed.

Despite all of that El still enjoyed serving the public in between her true duties, which was to help souls pass where they needed to go. A perk of the gig was to also recruit new members for the Afterlife Guild. El was indebted to Aidoneus as he was the one who had helped her come to terms with her death and discover her true calling. It was strange because she was also the one who had brought Kari to him so many years ago. She was one of the few that knew his connection to Kari but had kept it a secret to protect both of them. El also had a soft spot for Kari, but hid it well.


The cafe was also a great way to cipher information that benefited the guild. Mortals liked their cozy little places that they could retreat to. As the walls came down that was when people would let the gossip flow.

Just as she was about to listen closely to a pair of customers, El was slammed with anxiety and a sense of paranoia. His emotions had preceded him before he entered the cafe. El always had the abilities to pick up on others emotions and get random flashes from others even when she was alive. It’s what helped her to be so good at her job.

The small bell above the door chimed as he entered. El gave him a slight nod and smiled brightly. “Ah Aidoneus what brings you here to my lovely little cafe.” She jokingly greeted him, knowing full well what was going on.

Nothing ever got by El, not even in her early days as a psychopomp. The moment she’d greeted him at the door, Aidoneus was certain that she had picked up on what he was feeling.

“Good evening, El.” Aidoneus said, letting himself loosen up slightly as he approached the counter. To the casual onlooker, he might have looked like a frequent customer whom the owner instantly recognized, which in some ways was true, even if actually ordering something for himself would have been rather pointless. It would do no good to ruin things for El by letting himself dwell too much on the past, especially not here. But if El already knew how he felt, then he could no longer avoid the subject altogether.

“Kari and Stitches are on assignment in Texas. By all accounts, both of them are well up to the task.”

And yet, even as the words left his mouth, a slight chill settled in the air around him, and the lights flickered for a split-second before righting themselves again.

A photograph of the suspicious figures at the Texas Midlands Bank briefly flashed in El’s mind. Then a different man stood before El, wearing ornate robes and holding a jeweled key. The man looked El in the eyes and chuckled deeply, and then vanished as the flashes abruptly ended.

By the time the visions ended, Aidoneus was still standing there as usual, but now he returned El’s gaze. Nothing ever got by El, so there was no sense in ignoring whatever she had seen just now.

“By the time the thought occurred to me, they’d already left. And it’s only a suspicion; I can’t confirm it.” Aidoneus said. “And even if I could, I can’t do anything about it now; it would only compromise them both. All I can do now is hope I’m wrong.”

El saw the flashes in her head. Easily able to pick up what Aidoneus knew and logging that information in to her brain. That was one of the perks of her abilities, wordless communication. She let out a heavy sigh as she filled a customer's cup with more coffee before returning to Aidoneus.

"Well it looks like they are well prepared…", she paused"..I would still like to offer back up if it all possible." She lowered her voice so only he could hear. " I know I'm not always on the defensive, but I'm still pretty good with that scythe."

All psychopomos were given a scythe almost as right of passage into the role. It's probably what played into the stereotypical version of death. El did have to wonder if others in her role had similar powers. She had never bothered to ask. She was just one of numerous lady deaths about in the afterlife. Aidoneus had given her hers. She was still young for a psychopomp. Only working for a few decades rather than centuries. Still she wondered how long she would really last before she became corrupted like other spirits she had known.

El also didn't want to lie to herself. She was protective and had a maternal instinct when it came to Kari. "I also want to see how Kari is doing…" Aidoneus was one she would never lie to.

El looked him in the eyes with her own bright sapphire eyes reflecting back to him. "In my vision I saw something else...another oriental man. I won't push I know how guarded you are of your past...but if you ever need anyone to unload things onto I'm here." El lifted her hand and was going to give him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder but held back. She was nervous of what other glimpses into his past she might get and she didn't want to take anymore information unwillingly.

A pall came over Aidoneus as he listened to what El was proposing now. It was easy to see why El had been made into a psychopomp; the stewardship of wayward spirits required the kind of protectiveness she was showing now. But admirable as it was, her request was too much to ask of her, for a number of reasons.

“I thank you for your offer… and given your role, I have no authority to stop you…” Aidoneus said softly. “But for your sake, I must strongly advise against it.”

El paused when she heard his response. She could understand how her own feelings for Kari could confuse him in her certain interest in this case. While that was part of the reason , she also wanted to support her fellow spirits during difficult times. Yes she was mostly support, but she could also be helpful on the offensive as well.

“I guess it is a good thing you are not my superior then.” She gave him a toothy grin. “Please let me help. Sometimes I am tired of sitting on the sidelines.” Her eyes held his gaze to show how serious she was.

Aidoneus let out a quiet sigh: the kind of quiet that no corporeal being could ever truly achieve, and that no living ear could hear unaided. El clearly would not be swayed, and to try to force her to stay against her will would be a grave disrespect and a terrible precedent to set. But perhaps they might come to a compromise.

“Then, with your permission, I would like to go with you.” Aidoneus replied. “I can’t be sure who we’re dealing with, but if they are in any way connected to the man you saw earlier, Kari and Stitches may be in more danger than they know.”

He could feel the wounds start to reopen again, and immediately withdrew his hands from the counter, but it was too late. A smudged bloodstain was now where his hands had been, and more flashes followed on El’s end:

The robed man with the jeweled key.
A bloodstained altar.
Roaring flames.

Seeing the stain, Aidoneus promptly covered it with his arms and recomposed himself, feeling the blood dry up and vanish once more. This was not the place for that. What if El’s customers had seen that just now?

“I’ll explain more on the way, but not here.” Aidoneus said simply. “I wouldn’t want to scare away your customers.”

Her sapphire eyes sparkled with joy as he respected her wishes to go and aid Kari and Stitches. It would be nice to see her again. She wondered if Kari even remembered her.Long ago when she had brought her spirit to Aidoneous to nurture and grow, they agreed to keep it secret. Aidon was her rightful guardian, but Kari still wanted to help make her existence as easy as possible since she never had a proper start.

“Of course. I would appreciate the help. Just like the old days when you used to train me when I first started. “ El removed her apron and hung it up. She nodded to her helper, Lizzie, a young mother who ran the cafe with her. “Lizzie I’ll be back in a few hours. Have to run some errands.” Lizzie gave a simple nod.

Meanwhile a regular customer who was also seated at the counter, busy with his laptop, had finally looked up. He was an editor and this was his usual space to work hig long hours. His vision had begun to blur from staring at the screen for too long. He quickly looked over the counter and saw a smear of blood. Panic over took him and his head began to throb, just as he rubbed his eyes the blood stain vanished. He took this as a sign he was working himself too hard. “Uh..Lizzie can I get refill on the coffee? “ He stammered, slowly closing his laptop and hoping some caffeine would ease his headache and a hot drink would comfort in. He would definitely be taking a vacation after this.

El had just begun to turn back around to Aidon when more visions jolted into her mind like an attack. These ones were more powerful than the last and she did not like the negative energy that filled her aura.


“Give a girl a warning next time.” She nodded to him as she stepped out from behind the counter and took him out to the back alley. “We can discuss freely here. I have set up a barrier for protection, no one gets in without my say so.”


Then knowing they would be teleporting to the new area soon, El let down her mortal disguise and shifted into her spirit form. Her skin was a translucent lavender with grey undertones. Her eyes were blackened around the edges, but her bright blue eyes were the same. Her hair was pure white and hung loosely around her shoulders. She wore a simple white dress with a matching cloak. A purple rose was pinned to the left side of her cloak. She clutched her iconic scythe in her right hand. “So ready when you are. But don’t forget you will need to explain some things to me. I am going into new territory. Don’t want to piss off the psychopomp or any local spirits there.”

“I understand.” Aidoneus replied. “You needn’t worry about angering your fellow psychopomps as long as you treat them with respect; all I would advise is that you heed whatever warnings they give you, provided they haven’t betrayed their duties.”

With that, the easy part was done. However, explaining who their enemy might be was far more difficult, for a number of reasons.

“As for who we may be dealing with… I must first apologize for whatever you may feel. The memories aren’t as painful as they used to be, but…”

The bleeding returned, but this time Aidoneus made no attempt to stop it or hide it. El had ensured that there would be no witnesses, and the bleeding would serve to emphasize his point anyway. As he called back all of the memories, a steady trickle of blood dripped from his wrists and formed dark red streaks on his shirt.

“When I was alive, I was approached by a secret society that claimed to have transcended life and death.” Aidoneus explained first. “I never gave it much thought… but in the last moments of my life, I discovered the source of the immortality they had claimed to achieve.”

The bleeding became heavier, pouring in profuse streams down his hands onto the floor and reddening most of his shirt, his skin turning an almost greyish pale color.

Being offered wine by the robed man at a social gathering.
Occult symbols painted on bare stone walls.
A strange liquid being poured.

“An elixir of life, they called it. But brewing it required extracting the raw spiritual energies of captured souls, draining them to almost nothing and then casting them aside when there was nothing left to harvest.” Aidoneus continued, more bitterly now. “I died trying to stop them, but my spirit escaped before they could harvest my energy as well.”

A white-robed Aidoneus lying on an altar, his wrists and throat slashed open.
Objects being smashed in a burning room.
The robed man and his cohorts lying dead on the ground.
People bound and gagged in small cages.
Hurrying to free the prisoners.
A building burning to the ground.

“I haven’t found any clear trace of them since that night, and I can’t be sure if the people in Texas are in any way connected to that old group… but if they are…” Aidoneus trailed off, trying desperately not to think of Kari in that kind of situation.

But it would do no good to stand here and complain all day. If El truly did intend to go and confront these people, then now was the time to take action. Aidoneus gradually turned his thoughts away from those fears, slowly but surely evaporating the blood again and returning to a more presentable state.

“I imagine a psychopomp would make a valuable target.” Aidoneus added frankly. “You will need to stay on your guard.”

El watched as the blood began to pour from Aidoneus . The memories hit her hard again and her mind’s eye saw everything that he let her to. Her head was swimming and her heart was burdened with these truths. She ached for the poor souls that did not get away. But she grew to respect Aidoneus even more, knowing he tried to make a difference. The Guild he started also was a safe haven for wayward souls. She also had a role to play in this, as it was her duty to help lost souls get to where they needed to. This was an evil that had to be taken down.

She also couldn’t help but worry about Kari. Even though his warning had been for El, she did not care what happened to her. She just wanted to protect the others.

“I will do my best to not be a target, but I cannot sit this one out. My safety does not matter. What matters is stopping this evil and protecting our community.”

“Let’s be off then.” She then banged her scythe against the paved ground and reality warped around them, bringing them through the spiritual realm to travel quickly to their destination. Within a few minutes they had arrived.

“Well, lead the way.” She told Aidoneus, her guard on high alert and her normal bubbly personality hidden away. El was serious and on the attack.

Moonlit_Fae
03-17-2021, 12:21 AM
El appeared within the bank right beside Aidoneous. She had transported them after all. She clutched tightly onto her scythe as she took in the situation. One ghost trapped and Kari and Stitches following orders to free him. Aidoneous was on the attack with the assaliants. El followed his lead and figured offense was the best at this point. She went to the other end to give more protection to the other two while they worked to set the ghost free.

Her scythe shined brightly under the lights as she moved it into attack mode, out in front of her ready to catch any enemies that came her or Aidoneus' way. "Well this should be fun!" she said cheerfully. Happy to prove her worth in the offense for once. Psychopomps usually took a back seat to such action, but she would do anything to help her friends in need.

El's eyes quickly saw one of the minions throwing another cube toward the ghoul in the trap. She used her scythe like a baseball bat to hit it out of the way, hopefully preventing the trap from hitting its mark...

SikstaSlathalin
03-17-2021, 10:58 PM
As Aidoneus and a random Psychopomps joined the fray the two men decided this fight was getting too heavy for them to handle on their own. The man on left ran to his comrade's side and from his pocket the man on the right pulled out a clear glass ball. He whispered something to it watching as bright red smoke began filling up the baseball sized sphere.

As soon as the entire ball glowed red he hurled it into the ground causing it to shatter like the crack of thunder immediately filling the interior of the bank with thick red smoke obscuring the gathered specters' sights. The magical flashbang grenade was another tool given to them by their employer, he would not be happy to hear about their failure, but maybe telling them where his life long rival Aidoneus was would buy them some leniency.

Heson Shadowbane
03-17-2021, 11:18 PM
There was a similar sound of snapping and tearing as Stitches came through the wall. Her spiritual form was changing as she came into view. Where she had been dressed in a clean pair of scrubs, she was now in her WW2 army outfit, the front of her stained with blood and patches of her uniform seeming to smoke with embers. She looked up at the figures that had been attacking Thaddeus, grinning a near feral and bloody smile that went past her mouth and up her cheeks. She would've charged forward and attacked if Aidoneous hadn't showed up.

Her nature was urging her to attack. To rip and tear into the flesh. To no listen and to continue her charge into the enemy. It took herself a few seconds to get herself under control and stood herself at attention, saluting him. "Yes sir! At once sir!" Her voice was a bit hoarse or gravely in her ghoul state as she dropped the salute, turning to Thaddeus and pulling a medkit off her belt as she walked over. She wasn't worried about Aidoneous, the top man can take well good care of himself.

"Evenin' lil one. Quite the excitement from what should've been a simple job eh? Now what do we have here with ol' Thaddus?" The army medic looked him up and down, an examination of one ghoul to another. "Ya still in there old one? Need a lil something to perk the brain back in. Nod if you can hear me, growl ferally if you don't."

Yggdrasil_Hugger
03-18-2021, 04:22 AM
Thaddeus howled in animalistic rage as one of his feet were caught. His first instinct was to gnaw through his own leg and continue the pursuit, but his prey were suddenly tossed backward by a descending force. Nodding grimly to each other, they pulled out small glass globes and disappeared in a crimson fog.

Then, another ghoul appeared. Another ghoul, in his territory. He chased the thought out of his mind like a bird. They were here to help. As she melted from the wall, her clothes changed into a World War II-era field medic uniform, complete with the scent of gunpowder and blood. Her ghoulish form was barely different than her regular one, and Thaddeus felt a small pang of jealousy.

She marched right up to him, searching through her medic bag. His arms were free, she was in range... no. Her voice was murky, and he could only catch a few words.

“... excitement... still in there... brain... growl ferally...” Well, it would be rude not to oblige. He let out a monstrous screech, strings of bloody saliva flying from his distended jaw. Then he cocked his head, waiting for a reply.

Lady Celeste
03-20-2021, 04:07 PM
Kari jumped back slightly as Thaddeus roared, but otherwise retained her composure, if only for the sake of appearances.

“Guess that answers that question.” Kari quipped, tensing up a bit more as she waited a brief moment, not saying anything else just yet. These sorts of things needed to be handled very carefully, so Kari continued to slowly reach toward the trap.

“That’s it...” Kari said, occasionally adding a soothing word to reassure the trapped spirit. With just the slightest push, the trap was undone and promptly discarded, at which point Aidoneus levitated the trap and examined it.

“It seems I was right.” Aidoneus mused.

“Right about what...sir?” Kari asked, quickly tacking on the ‘sir’ for professionalism’s sake.

“These men meant to capture Sir Grimshaw, and they were all too quick to recognize me.” Aidoneus said, barely noticing the slight dripping of blood that ran down his hands. His tone hardened as he turned to face Kari and Stitches. “I will have to attend to this matter more closely from now on. No one is to confront these men again without my direct clearance. Do you understand?”

“What’s wrong?” Kari asked. “You know these guys?”

“Do you understand?” Aidoneus asked, much more softly this time as he looked Kari in the eyes.

Kari said nothing at first, but then nodded, followed by a brief “Yes, sir”.

Moonlit_Fae
03-22-2021, 12:58 AM
"I will aid you Aidoneus so you do not have to face this threat alone. However, we will need the assistance of the guild eventually if the threat is as severe as you say." El said, speaking her part. She knew he wanted to protect Kari and the others, but he also needed to realize at some point all hands on deck would be needed to bring this situation to an end.

El did have to say, she was sort of disappointed to not have the chance to fight and prove her worth. She knew they only ran because of Aidoneus, but she wanted to chase after them if that were possible at all. To get her mind off of it she put her attention onto Kari. "Nice work with Sir Grimshaw and freeing him. You have become stronger since we saw eachother last." El kept an indifferent face but on the inside was very happy to see the soul she saved to have grown up and become such a strong asset to the guild.

Heson Shadowbane
03-26-2021, 02:05 PM
She noted the feral growl, but she also noted the pause that came after. The twinkle of some intelligence in those eyes as it waited for something else from her. the impossibly long mouth grinned and nodded as Kari worked the trap off him. "Ah, got something in there. Here this might help..." She pulled what seemed to be a juicebox labeled B+ from her medical bag, stabbing a bendy straw into it. She gently took his hands, tenderly wrapping it around the box before raising them to his mouth and placing the end of the straw in it. "Drink slow. It's my own blend of blood and mental stimulants. Feed the hunger while keeping the brain active."

She kept an eye on him, half expecting the feral side of his mind to take over and shove the entire juice box into his mouth. It was hit and miss with ghouls really. She snapped a salute to Aidoneus. "Yes sir, crystal clear on engagement orders sir! What shall we do with Grimshaw once we have him calmed down sir? Do we have enough ghostpower to keep a watch over the haunt just in case?" She stood herself at ease, the blood and embers slowly fading from her uniform as the flesh of her mouth worked to stitch itself together to a normal mouth complete with cracks and squelches as things rearanged back to normal.

SikstaSlathalin
03-28-2021, 09:56 PM
Upon fleeing the botched bank robbery, the minions jumped into an inauspicious black car that was parked a few block away from the bank. Their employer would not be happy about this at all. But they couldn't lie nor hide from him. So after pulling their glasses off they started the car and sped away.

An hour or so out of the city the men pull into the heavy iron gateway leading back into the old growth forests. As their car pulled in the gates slammed shut on their own and a pulse rippled through the air making everything glimmer with magic. Instantly the air inside the gates became stuff feeling, but still they drove on. The drive way was cobbled with large flat stones that seemed to have carvings of some kind on their faces. Neither man knew or cared what they meant, all they knew was to not worry about being attacked while on them.

After ten minutes of driving the black car pulled up the gothic looking mansion of their employer, one Mortimer Grimm. Scion of an ancient family that have been rumored to behind the world's fascination with orders like the Illuminati and Free Masons. "Delightful distractions from what's really happening" he often said. Exiting the car the men shared a single look and walked up the carved granite steps towards the main house. This time of day Mr. Grimm would likely be in his collecting room in the subbasement of the house.

In the subbasement, just before the collecting room, was a narrow metal bridge overlooking the massive rows of machinery below. The Grimm family’s signature brew was a very ancient secret, but its mass production had always kept up with the times, using only the finest and most advanced equipment available. From his perch on the bridge, Alistair Hydrick surveyed every single phase of the production process, keenly watching for even the slightest flaw. Only when the two operatives passed by did Hydrick look up from his work, and only for a split-second.

“Back so soon, gentlemen?” Hydrick said. “And nothing to show for it, I see. Such a shame... such a shame...”

Mr. Grimm would surely be displeased with the men, but that was no excuse for any slacking off on Hydrick’s part, and so he did not. Hydrick quickly returned to his own tasks without paying any further attention to the men, though already Hydrick mentally braced himself for the distraction that would inevitably follow from Mr. Grimm’s reaction to the news.

The two men looked up at Hydrick the taller of the two scoffed up at him. "Our hands were forced. A Psychopomp and the Directer showed up. We were not prepared." The man's voice sounded artificial and kept a steady monotone, but was strangely loud even without any inflection in the words.

From the far side of the subbasement a large metal door swung open. The sounds of mournful cries and wailing flooded the room for a few seconds before the metal doors shut silencing all. Then the crisp clack of hard sole shoes approaches. Soon a tall man dressed in fine clothing and blond hair stands at the top of the short flight of stairs looking down at the three men. "I gave you enough tools to handle three Psychopomps. That is no excuse." His voice soft, but very stern. His hand casually moved to the rapier at his hip as he slowly walked down the six steps, his eyes never left the minions. Who despite being in trouble showed no sign of fear or any other emotion.

The shorter one spoke now taking a step forward. "Yes sir, but the Directer also showed up at the bank. Nothing we had could fight him."

Mortimer's chiseled features hardened further and angry crossed his handsome face for a split second before his hand shot out. An invisible force surrounded the shorter minion silencing him, panic flooded the minion's eyes as the force constricted around him. He was visibly screaming, but no sound was heard and a half minute later the minion stopped screaming a green light surrounded him before it rushed into the ring on Mortimer's hand. The blood ruby glowed brightly for an instant before dulling into blackness. The force left the minion's body and it turned into a pile of dust and a strange gumlike substance. "I do not abide cowardice, next time remember it only takes one to deliver a message." His hard green eyes shot towards the remaining man who had returned to his emotionless posture. "I give you the bodies of magic resistant homunculi for this exact reason. That even if my old friend shows up you can complete your mission. Ugh just go, I'll summon you when I come up with a way to fix this latest annoyance." Turning his back on the homunculus he made his way up to the catwalk where Hydrick worked. By the time he reached it the minion was gone. "So hard to make good help these days, wouldn't you say good Doctor?" The wizard asked shaking his head lightly.

“Hm, indeed.” Hydrick mused. Though he turned now to face his employer, his eyes continued to wander every now and then to the machinery below, still making sure that everything was working to perfection. As expected, the scolding that the two henchmen had received would be unsettling to most, but Hydrick was used to seeing such things by now, and did not skip a beat in his own duties.

“So, the Unseen One shows his face once again.” Hydrick continued. “Still hunting for us, I would assume, but it’s been quite some time since he last appeared.”

He contemplated asking if Mr. Grimm had any specific plans to deal with this new development, but promptly stopped himself. It was not his place to know — or care — about Mr. Grimm’s every move, and any involvement on his end with the Unseen One would be handled in due course once the threat had been dealt with.

Mortimer nodded rubbing his chin slowly as he looked over the production. "A few decades at least yes, I knew he would show up again. The question is why now though, the target was a ghoul...little more than a mindless beast. His greatest asset has always been his invisibility, maybe his little Agency's numbers are so low he needs to step out of the shadows. " Sitting in thought for a few seconds he glanced sidelong at the Alchemist. "Do you keep in contact with your friends in the Gatekeepers, Dr. Hydrick?"

“Naturally, sir.” Hydrick said, an absentminded smirk creeping onto his face. “Our ranks have scattered in the centuries since that dreadful night, but our presence is still felt in many places. In fact, one of my old colleagues recently took over the management of a remote little hotel in England.” Even as he said this, though, Hydrick turned more intently toward Mr. Grimm.

“Did you have something planned, by chance?”

"The beginnings of a plan." He said simply moving to the other railing. "I need more information on the old man's little play group. They've always been a thorn in my family's side, but they've always been to well hidden and had too many numbers for us to deal with quietly. If that has changed this might be the best time in centuries to deal with them. Are any of your comrades close to the Agency?" He asked looking directly at the fellow Alchemist.

At that, Hydrick set aside his earlier tasks for now. All was well on his end for now, while Mr. Grimm clearly had something in mind at the moment.

“A few mediums here and there have managed to gain a bit of trust from them, but they guard their secrets well. Our sources are seldom given more information than whatever is deemed necessary.” Hydrick replied, but then paused as a thought came to him.

“Only a ghoul, you say...” Hydrick said next. “Hardly worth the direct attention of the Unseen One. If I may speculate for a moment, I should think he was there for something else. Something of far greater importance, if not to those meddlesome spirits then perhaps...”

There was a slight gleam in his eyes as he considered the thought.

“...then perhaps to the Unseen One himself.”

Mortimer narrowed his eyes in thought. His arms crossed over his chest his head nodded slowly. "Hmm you make a good point Doctor. What could be worth him showing himself around some ghoul's haunted bank?" The man paced along the catwalk for a few feet his centuries old mind moving meticulously. "Will the Gatekeepers be able to roam around the bank and hunt for information without alerting the Agency to their motives?"

“That can be arranged.” Hedrick said. Though he retained his usual professional composure, there was definitely the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he watched the gears turn in Grimm’s mind. “Shall we begin the preparations there then?”

The Wizard nodded stopping his pacing and looking at his comrade. "Yes immediately, I'll cover whatever monetary expenses they need. But I need stealth and usable information first, if we can remove the old man and his Agency as a threat or even capture them all of us will be very wealthy indeed." Giving the Doctor a nod, Mortimer bid him good evening and went to handle other matters.

Moonlit_Fae
04-06-2021, 12:52 AM
After everyone left and it was just the two of them, El turned back into her human form. There was no immediate threat so no need to stay in her paranormal shape. It took a lot of energy to keep a corporal form in the mortal realm. Now she was back with her blonde hair in a ponytail and commoner clothes of a simple shirt and jeans. Her scythe magically disappearing as it remained in the spiritual realm until she called upon it again.

"So what now Aidoneus?", she asked as she began to look around the place. She wasn't too sure what she was looking for. Perhaps some spiritual residue she could get a reading off of. Her powers to sense emtion could come in handy. Help her to understand the enemy.

"Those cronies seemed pretty scared of you. I'm sure they will be back though and better prepared for an attack." She shuttered at the thought who they left to report to. The thought of draining ghosts for their power sickened her to her stomach.

Lady Celeste
04-24-2021, 06:22 AM
“They’ll be back.” Aidoneus said, briefly staring into the distance as Grimshaw left to attend to the repairs around the bank, while Kari and Stitches departed for the Texas safehouse to have the traps analyzed.

“But for now, you’re right.” Aidoneus continued. “I cannot keep silent any longer; it would only leave them all unprepared. I’ll talk to Kari and Stitches and send word to our other comrades, and keep watch over Sir Grimshaw in case they return for him. For now, you should focus on staying safe and watching over your charges.”


Meanwhile, per Aidoneus’ instructions, the discarded traps were promptly collected for further analysis. Kari and Stitches were to go there now to ensure the traps arrived safely and to receive an update soon on how to handle them in the field in the future. Kari hesitated to leave, sparing more than a few glances back toward Aidoneus on the way out. Still, she did as she was told, though she was not entirely happy about it.

“I don’t like this.” Kari said to Stitches on their way out. “The director was really mad just now. And the way those two ran right after he showed up… something’s going on that he’s not telling us.” There was just the slightest hint of hurt in her voice at the thought, but more than anything she was getting worried.

Heson Shadowbane
04-28-2021, 11:51 PM
Stitches just chuckled and shook her head. "Kid, you'll learn in time about how the chain of command works with information." She rubbed her cheeks, making sure her mouth had fully returned to normal before looking over at Kari. "Back in my living days as an army medic, we were never really told much about battle reports. Those things were not important to the medics. All the info we needed were injury reports and if the enemy was starting to advance on our position."

She rummaged around in her medic bag, giving a sigh as she pulled out a little juice box. She stabbed the bendy straw into it and started to drink the 'juice' inside before talking again. "When the information becomes relevant to our work, he will let us know. Otherwise it will be needless information that would serve to distract us from our task. Speaking of which..." She held up the container that held the trap, tilting her head at it. "Figuring these things out or having those that can figure it out get to work on it."

SikstaSlathalin
05-10-2021, 09:01 PM
Outside the doors of the agency two fingers skulked through the shadows of the open day. A child and a tall skeletal thin man dressed in old fashioned black clothing similar to that of a mortician complete with an old shovel and top hat. The child was a young boy dressed in a yellow rain coat and boots, an odd pair for sure, but as a group of people walked through the pair and shivered it should how odd a pair they were.

They were ghosts the both of them. And more over they were ghosts in need, the mortician gripped the boy's hand and reached up with his shovel banging soundly on the door of the Agency.

Lady Celeste
05-15-2021, 09:09 PM
Kari said nothing at first, but didn’t let anything show one way or another. She still had a cover to keep up, and besides, she couldn’t deny that Stitches had a point. If there was something they really needed to know, he would’ve come out with it by now, no matter what. That was just the kind of person he was.

More to the point, no amount of moping about it was going to solve anything, so better just drop it for now.

“You’re probably right. Anyway...”

She was just about to get back to work when a knock could be heard from the door. Surprise visits like this weren’t too unusual for field offices, but they were mostly just living college kids and the occasional paranormal investigator, looking for proof of supernatural activity or just exploring the “haunted” buildings for a thrill. The wandering dead didn’t usually visit them directly unless an agent was bringing them along, and they needed to be cleared by the guards at the door anyway.

“Hey Stitches, can you switch over to the security cams for a minute?” Kari asked. “We’re not expecting anyone besides the Director, are we?”

Meanwhile, sure enough, the guard on duty proceeded to stand behind the door, promptly asking the knocking visitors to identify themselves and the reason for their visit. It was standard procedure to leave the living alone unless they deliberately caused trouble, while the dead were processed at the door to ensure security without completely shutting the door to a spirit in need.

SikstaSlathalin
05-16-2021, 05:21 PM
Despite being the one to knock the grim faced man did not speak. It was the young boy who spoke for them both. "H....hi...I'm Alfie...th....this is Morty, he doesn't speak so I'm...just guessing his name." The man simply nodded.

Nodding as well Alfie continued. "We've been walking for a really long time and...and...we're lost. I 'member hearing someone talk about ghost helpers around here. Are you the ghost helpers?" The young boy asked his voice dipping in a tone of exhaustion.

Heson Shadowbane
05-17-2021, 12:37 AM
Stiches gave a nod as she turns the display of a screen to the door cam. "There we go kiddo. A duo this time eh? Don't really look like locals though." The medic would pause a bit, a rumbling in her mind. The hunger try to make it's presence rise up. It was hard to ignore, but she was used to it. It tended to be bad when she let herself go full ghoul like she did today. A few deep breaths later she had a smile back on her face as she laid tools out on the table along with an old pistol from back in the war. It never hurt to have something quick at hand with visitors. "Now, how shall we start in taking this apart eh?"

KRCmdrSheppard
05-23-2021, 12:02 AM
Ever since Faith's rebirth she has felt it was her duty to hunt down sexual predators and mete out justice to them. Whenever she needed money she would draw upon her OnlyFans account or she falls back on her previous profession. She isn't averse to pilfering from the predators either. Heck, the car she is driving she 'convinced' one predator to sign it over to her.

Since her rebirth, she hasn't stayed in one place for very long. Life was too short and she is not going to waste the second she was given with her afterlife. She recently found herself in Texas.

She was staying in a nice hotel, it was no five-star place but it wasn't a dumpster fire waiting to happen either. She was trying to figure out what she should do next for her OF account, definitely a cowgirl theme. She was doodling outfit ideas when she heard a very familiar noise of distress. She went to investigate. She found a woman on the ground backing away from a large man. Faith sauntered up to the man. "Can't you see she's not interested in a fine specimen such as yourself? I on the other hand..." She let it trail off and bit her lower lip. The guy took the hint.

The following morning she physically kicked the guy out of her room. He looked like hell, he had to hold on to the railing to keep himself up. Faith watched him struggle until he got to the stairs. She shut the door to continue what she was working on before the bastard rudely interrupted her evening.

Highland Sniper
05-23-2021, 01:41 AM
Yuriko wondered the apartment building, going from door to door to stay out of sight. She didn't question anything as she was just thankful to have gotten away.

She clutched a knife in her hand as she continued to make her way down the halls and to the ground floor. There was still a commotion upstairs. Her shivering turned to relief as soon as she realized there were police lights playing on the windows and she hastened her step to reach assured safety.

Lady Celeste
06-08-2021, 07:12 AM
The matter of the bank was settled for now, so Aidoneus and Elouise each took their leave. El would return to the Cozy Corner in New Orleans and keep the Guild posted, while Aidoneus still needed to follow up with Kari and Stitches first. And so he retreated into the crowds once more, blending in with the usual bustle of the day, and then vanishing from mortal sight soon afterward.

Along the way to the safehouse, however, he could hear police sirens and saw their trademark lights near an apartment building. Many a troubled spirit, whether living or dead, could often be found in circumstances such as these, so Aidoneus walked toward the lights for a closer look, past the living onlookers and police officers, who took no notice of him whatsoever.

A young Asian woman emerged from the apartment building, visibly frightened, yet relief seemed to wash over her at the sight of the police officers. In any normal case, the officers would have acknowledged her presence immediately, attempting to reassure her or ask her what had just happened. But nothing of the sort happened here. No one seemed to notice her at all, and Aidoneus immediately realized what that meant. This woman was dead, though she did not seem to know it yet. Aidoneus knew that sort of fear and confusion all too well, and surely he could spare the time to help her; such was the fundamental purpose of the Guild, after all.

"Excuse me, miss." Aidoneus said calmly, keeping a respectful distance from the woman so as not to frighten her even more. "Don't be alarmed; you're among friends now. What's your name?"

KRCmdrSheppard
06-08-2021, 02:12 PM
It’s been nearly two decades since Vera’s mentor & lover died at the hands of those evil villagers. She’s travelled the world ever since avoiding Grimms at all costs. Never staying in one place for to long. During that time she never once went back to America her country of birth twice over. She also vowed to never fly over the country, much less set foot in Germany ever again, she detested that country. During her travels she’s met people preyed upon by cartels, gangs, and solitary individuals. Whenever she did she knew she had to exterminate the threat just like she did those villagers.

Vera was living in Bangkok, Thailand for about a month when a medical tourist was brutally murdered. Vera watched the police ‘investigation’. At best it could be described as incompetant, she condsidered it criminal. She investigated it herself. It was just one of many, possibly a serial killer. These people were here for surgery for a life long affliction and were brutally murdered for it. Over the course of a year she discreetely followed several medical tourists around, looking for someone who might be targeting them. She was leaving the hospital one day when she was hit in the back of the head. She woke up several hours later tied to a chair in an underground structure of some sort. She wasn’t sure if it was a basement or what.

Vera waited until he returned. When she heard the door opened she pretended to still be unconcious. She could hear move around. Sounded like he was pacing. She could tell he was impatient possibly for taking so long to ‘wake up.’ She created an illusion behind of the victim that got her attention. When he saw it he tried to kill her again. The illusion disappeared then reappeared closer to Vera. It repeated until she placed the illusion over her own body. She then broke free of her restraints and strangled the man to death slowly. The last thing he saw as he died was the woman he brutally murdered. She then dumped his body unceremoniously in the doorway. She went home and packed her meager belongings and left. At the airport the first flight out of the country was to Houston. So she took it.

Highland Sniper
06-08-2021, 03:08 PM
Yuriko jumped at the stranger speaking to her and held her knife defensively.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked, frightened, "Are you with them?"

She didn't realize that the police weren't doing anything, that no one was besides him had taken any notice.
But her new focus, was this stranger that had stepped in front of her.
She shook. She didn't want to be banged again.

She started to steam, like she might burst into flames, but she took no notice. She didn't seem to have any murderous intent, she just wanted to get by to the police, and she would not be denied her safety.

KRCmdrSheppard
06-14-2021, 12:48 AM
During her travels she heard of this organization that protected those that her former family sought to exploit. She didn’t trust it. Sounded like a scam set up by her former family to lure them in. If it was a scam they wouldn’t be expecting trouble, they would expect the poor saps to just walk in to be killed.

As soon as she landed in Houston she began looking for the place. Took her a couple of weeks to find it. Ran into more than a few goons for the drug cartels that needed putting down hard. She eventually found the place and Grimm goons. She watched them from a distance, they were clearly putting on an act. She thought this place might be on the up and up after all. She thought about just rushing over there and snapping their necks. But that might piss off these people. Plus there was also the possibility they were performing security tests with this ruse, if so would just have all the other goons on her.

She decided to keep a very close eye on these two. She went up to the person the goons were with. “I hear y’all help those finding themselves in let’s say unusual life circumestances.” She wondered if these goons would recognize her. She also wondered if this place if not a front for the Grimms if they even knew about the Grimms.

Lady Celeste
06-14-2021, 08:49 AM
“I believe you’ve all come to the right place.” The guard said to Alfie and Morty, as well as a third spirit who approached them soon afterward. “How can we help you? You said you were lost?”

With not much else to do while waiting for Stitches, Kari left the lab and entered her ‘stealth mode’ once again, letting herself hover as she gently glided out the door and up toward the entrance. Not even the guard noticed her as she arrived and quietly started to observe the new arrivals. The guard was handling the visitors in the usual professional manner, so no need for Kari to interrupt the conversation just yet, but she could still study each of them from this angle. The first two spirits seemed innocent enough, but the third one was really tense around them, as if she was barely restraining herself from attacking them. The guard had noticed it too, taking a step forward in case he needed to break up a fight, so Kari hovered a bit closer. She would remain hidden from them all as long as she kept still and kept her energy state to a minimum, but if she did end up having to intervene, she would have to increase her energy state to do so and thereby drop her current stealth mode.


The brandishing of the knife was not unexpected, but the steaming was not a good sign. The girl’s distress was causing her to destabilize, and seeing Aidoneus there was only making it worse thus far. He could already start to guess what had happened based on her words and body language; if he had any blood left, it would be boiling by now.

“No; I am not in any way involved with whoever did this to you.” Aidoneus said, holding his hands out to show he meant no harm. He stepped aside, so as not to block her access to the police officers.

“Do you want to speak with the police?” Aidoneus asked. “They cannot see us right now, but I can help them see you, and then you can speak with them.”

It was an unusual offer, but the first step in calming a wraith down was to let them find closure with as little force as possible. This woman needed to tell her story to the living, to bring her tormentors in life to justice. and perhaps doing so might help her find some measure of solace.

Highland Sniper
06-14-2021, 01:49 PM
the steam seemed to lessen a little as he stepped aside, but she moved to face him before casting a glance at the officers looking past them. This didn't make sense. Not this man, or how they didn't seem to see anything. This man seemed to know something she didn't.

"What do you mean they can't see us?" Yuriko asked him skeptically, but still on edge.
She inched towards the line of officers, around him, but never looked away.

Officers started to move into the building, two holding riot shields with one holding pepper spray, another with a 40mm, another with a green shotgun, and another 5 with long guns right behind them.
They started to move in their direction on their way into the building.

SikstaSlathalin
06-15-2021, 10:25 PM
Both Morty and Alfie jumped a little at the third spirits sudden appearance. They had no idea who she was, but if she was lost like them then maybe it was fate that they would all show up here at once. Looking at each other Morty nodded down to Alfie to continue before he put himself between the strange new female spirit and the boy ghost. "That's good sir, there's rumors of spirits being captured around these parts and Morty and me would like to not go missing. Can you take us somewhere safe?" The young boy asked looking the guard in the eyes.

KRCmdrSheppard
06-15-2021, 11:27 PM
They were either good actors or they were truly that timid, among other less favorable descriptions. "I heard of them. Had a few run-ins with them myself. How did you two getaway? Judging by your appearance you are not very capable and you are clearly timid little things." She turned to the employee. "Don't trust them. The odds of them being spies is far greater than you finding a penny on the ground." She now waited to see how this employee reacted.