[OOC] Afterlife [M]
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
Spoiler: Main Plot
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.
Spoiler: RP RulesStandard 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.
Spoiler: Types of SpiritsSpoiler: GhostsGhosts 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).
Spoiler: Child-SpiritsChild-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.
Spoiler: GhoulsGhouls 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.
Spoiler: VampiresVampires 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.
Spoiler: Incubi/SuccubiIncubi 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.
Spoiler: WraithsWraiths 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.
Spoiler: PsychopompsPsychopomps 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!
Spoiler: Character SheetsSpoiler: LivingNAME
Self-Explanatory
AGE
How old is the character?
AFFILIATIONS
What group(s) is the character associated with?
OCCUPATION
What does the character do?
SPECIALTY
What is the character especially good at? Examples include (but certainly aren’t limited to) “Stealth”, “Technology”, “Explosives”, “Combat”, etc.
OTHER SKILLS
What skills/talents/etc. does the character have that aren’t covered in any other section?
APPEARANCE
Self-Explanatory
HISTORY
Self-Explanatory
Spoiler: DeadNAME
Self-Explanatory
TYPE OF SPIRIT
((See “Types of Spirits”))
What spirit classification does the character fall under?
AGE AT DEATH
How old was the character when they died?
METAPHYSICAL AGE
This is USUALLY the same as the character’s AGE AT DEATH, but not always. For example, if properly cared for, the spirits of babies/children who died at a very young age will generally undergo a metaphysical development in which their forms “age” to maturity as their spirits get stronger over time. Moreover, a sufficiently powerful spirit may be able to change their physical age at will, such as the spirit of an elderly person choosing to take on a more youthful form than when they died.
CAUSE OF DEATH
Self-Explanatory
DEPARTMENT
((Guild Members Only))
Which area within the Guild has the character been assigned to? Examples include “Mortal Crime”, “Supernatural Defense”, “Training & Recruitment”, and so on. Trainees and Potential Recruits, for obvious reasons, have not yet been assigned to any department.
RANK
((Guild Members Only))
What is the character’s rank within the Guild? Examples include “Potential Recruit”, “Trainee”, “Junior Member”, “Senior Member”, and so on. Other ranks may also be used on a case-by-case basis; for instance, an agent who has gone rogue for one reason or another might be listed as “Rogue”.
SPECIALTY
What is the character especially good at? Examples include (but certainly aren’t limited to) “Stealth”, “Mortal Technology”, “Explosives”, “Combat”, etc.
APPEARANCE
Self-Explanatory
HISTORY
Self-Explanatory
Spoiler: Accepted CharactersSpoiler: LivingSpoiler: Mortimer GrimmNAME
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
Spoiler: Mortimer
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.
Spoiler: DeadSpoiler: GhostsSpoiler: AidoneusNAME
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
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.
Spoiler: Child-SpiritsSpoiler: Makaria “Kari” WilliamsNAME
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
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.
Spoiler: GhoulsSpoiler: Sir Thaddeus GrimshawNAME
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.
Spoiler: Normal Appearance
Spoiler: Devolved/Ghoulish AppearanceHowever, 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.
Spoiler: Marie "Stitches" AndersonNAME
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
Spoiler: Looks
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."
Spoiler: PsychopompsSpoiler: Elouise "El" Palambo
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
Spoiler: human form
Spoiler: Spirit form
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...
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