A gentle breeze blows through the fields surrounding the fort, the stocks of grass sway lightly with the wind. The sky is framed with dark black and grey crowds. A storm is creeping in, the few people on the road hurry to their destination whether it be from or to the fort. A lone guard patrols the southern rampart of the fort, her eyes scanning the fields and the road. It was a lackluster job, that no longer held any job security. It was something always on her mind. The storm clouds would usher in an early night. Allowing those who wait for its sweet embrace to walk freely among the living. The shadow began to sweep across the field, slowly plunging the landscape into low light. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she caught a glimpse of a figure draped in shadows standing at the edge of the field, but when she turned it was gone. Later that night, the full moon peaked through the clouds, illuminating the town square. The ragged breathing of a man could be heard, he was sprinting towards the center of the town, where the bell tower was built. The thudding of padded paws was heard shortly after him. Monstrous wolves, that didn’t seem quite right came scrambling after him. Their limbs were too long, their snouts deformed. They were closing the gap, but he wasn’t fast enough. The man was sprinting as fast as he could, he seemed to be struggling as if he had been running for miles. He tripped and fell falling into the dirt he struggled to get up and began a slow trot which was all he could manage. On arm band on his shoulder marked him as a part of the Order, he was bleeding from a gash in his head, and one of his pant legs had been torn off. The lead wolf leapt and tackled the man into the dirt, he managed to kick it off, and brandished some sort of knife swinging wildly at the attackers. They slowly circled him, a few walking on their hind legs. With a howl they attacked, he swung but only managed to wound one or two. They tore him to shreds ripping him to pieces his blood filled the lines between the cobbled streets. Things were changing, going back to what it was like twenty years ago. With With Hollow’s Eve less than forty days away they would have to prepare for the worst. . The date is Monday the 23rd, 1889 [hider= History of the Order ] The Order was founded, in the early fifth century by an order of knights, along with peasants who rallied together to fight the dark forces that plagued England. Its exact founder has been lost in time, and as such the renewal of the order in the seventeenth century is credited to a Lord Wallace. Lord Wallace brought it to the Americas, due to British soldiers reporting beasts and other things that had heavily sieged the new world. It wasn’t until the early 19th century when they began to push back the beasts, and a well disciplined paramilitary organization rose to defend the citizens. The Order in the states differs by rank structure and organization. Instead of knights and nobles mostly funding and filling the positions, they tend to draw in former outlaws and other people of ill repute. They have more ranks which have a similar feel to that of the real military. In the last twenty years the order has been steadily in decline, as well as the sightings of demons. It has been at its lowest since the original Order had disbanded. Majority of the fort armories have been sold off as well as a few forts being sold to the military. Uniforms have no longer become mandatory, and personal grooming standards relaxed. Many villages have stopped levying income for the upkeep of the forts in larger cities, and as such The order has laid off well over three quarters of their forces, and instead have trained small militias that drill once a year. Only three standing forts have remained active, one in the North, one far west, and one in the deep south. The top brass reside in Washington D.C. and have grown fat and lazy often neglecting to help their troops. The Northern Fort Forlorn, has seen better years with around twenty active members still in service the Fort continues to patrol and investigate sightings. They often help feed the homeless and other activities. In recent years Forlorn has stopped its training of new recruits, and a majority of its armory has been sold off at auction. Its walls stand in disrepair, as well as its battlements. The artillery that once decorated each point of the star has either rusted, broken or been sold off. Often villagers from the local area will bring food and other things, their minds not so quick to forget how their order has helped in the past. Out of the five villages around the fort only one of them has their warning bell still standing, the other villages have broken them down. With the supernatural at an all time low the villages have began to prosper often having people migrate in search of work or a better life, each village has tripled in size. [/hider] [hider= Bestiary] Vampires: So vampires we'll use a little mixture of lore. Can use shadows to travel quickly and flee an area, Drinks human bloods, They have average strength, and have nearly unlimited endurance. (Sustained combat and ambushes are their specialties) They usually live in places isolated from human populations, a few hold large land titles where they build up their estate. The more civilized ones (Still evil, but have found a way to blend into society) use thralls. New vampires who aren't employed by a Master or Mistress often hunt at night and are rabid. Vampires sleep during the day, and the wild vampires will sleep in graveyards, unless on church or holy grounds. There are more wild vampires than civilized ones. Vampires are also territorial ranging from a acres to thousands of acres of land. The stronger the vampire the larger their territory. To kill a vampire, A wooden steak has to be driven through its heart, their head removed, and the body burnt for good measure. Holy water can stun them and crucifixes can keep them at bay. The curse is spread through a bite, unless the body is drained of blood then death occurs naturally. Vampires can not resist the blood of the innocent and often make children their targets for feeding. Werewolves: Werewolves Are humans a majority of the time, during the full moon they transform into their true forms. A Majority of the time they live in packs, the pack will often live close to each other while in human form. Their ranks go from Alpha, Beta, the rest of the pack and the runt as the Omega. Werewolves can reproduce with out spreading the curse through biting. Werewolf can have infighting if they have a weak Alpha. The pack also possesses territory, and transgressions are sometimes dealt with in human form. It is not unheard of, but also very uncommon to find high ranking city officials to be cursed. To kill a werewolf one has to put a silver bullet through its heart or severe bodily damage such as explosions, and very high falls. Wounding a werewolf with silver will cause the wound to heal very slowly. Dispose of the body by burning the corpse. The Undead: The undead are those brought back to life with some form of free will, they often eat the living to sustain their life force. Their bodies do not rot but they are quickly outed as they look sickly direct sunlight makes them weak and nearly useless. They often attempt to maintain their former standing in society to try to blend in. To kill a member of the undead one must destroy their brain or remove their head. Afterwards burning of the corpse is mandatory. They can not spread the curse, and can only be created by necromancers. Zombies: Zombies are mindless flesh eating monsters, they are often slow but can spread their curse through bodily flood exchange, such as biting, or contaminated blood entering the body through other means. Although easy to deal with one on one, a horde can overwhelm a single combatant. To kill one must destroy the brain or remove the head. Burning the corpse is mandatory. It is still not known if its a magic born curse or something else as no links to necromancy or voodoo can be made yet. Ghouls: Ghouls are abominations patched together from living and dead they consume corpses and kill all living things, for what purpose it is unclear. A majority of the time a human is used as a living host, while dead animals or other creatures are combined. Again its not quite sure how they are created or by who. But they do posses the ability to breed and do not seem to have a higher cognitive function like humans or other creatures. They live in colonies with a single female queen, the regular ghouls bring corpses to the queen. The queen is often large and over sized. The Queen can birth up to a dozen ghouls per month, with her offspring being mature after two months. Witches: Witches often hide in plane sight, are usually apart of large covens and considered to be one of the most dangerous creatures of darkness. They possess unnatural long lives, perform dark rituals and serve an unknown entity. They can bewitch men, and women if they so choose, often making them slaves or sacrifices. No one truly knows how a witches coven is organized as they are dealt with immediately. A witch can not cross running water, but can have their slaves build bridges with grave dirt, or spelled wood which allows them to cross. Witches must be bound with silver chains, and buried deep and upside down within holy ground. An Iron plate is dropped in first, then iron rods are driven around the plate, and lastly a large stone is used to seal the witches under the ground. Druids: Are solitary and often pose nearly no threat to humans, unless one was to accidentally stumble into their territory. They're one of the few native beasts that live in the Americas. They can shape shift into certain animals and often commune with nature, rural villages tend to have problems with them as the druids will often tear down foundations and frame work laid by humans as to stop their destruction of the forests and their planes. Druids can be struck mortal blows by ordinary means while in human form. Although as an animal the natural strengths of the animal is doubled, so one must use caution when fighting these. It is best suggested to avoid violent confrontations and communications is the best way to deal with these. Although they are renown for the stubbornness is can be done. To come: Ogres, Trolls, Golems, A variety of Demons, Warlocks, Windigos, Chupacabras, Sasquatches, and any other I think of. [/hider] Character Sheet Name: Age: (between 18-50) Position: (Here I'll assign you a rank based on your preference and available slots) Appearance: (If you have a picture you like post it, but please no anime, and if you're using a description please make it detailed ((Preferred to be human, but if you have an idea how it will work let me know and I'll consider it)) Personality: ( give us a taste of what your character is like ) History: ( please explain why or how you joined the order ) Gear: ( Since the decline of the order uniforms have been done away with. Keep it simple, and sweet. Unless its like a special weapon or piece of gear that needs a description) Other: ( Skills, if they're known, something they're known for, and other odds and ends.) [u][b]Things for the CS[/b][/u] Enchanted weapons are a go just make sure they're not too extravagant, It will be low magic, so little things nothing grand like conjuring a fireball from the sky or something crazy. I mean what ever you can dream of lets do it, give me a heads up and we'll both try and make it work. If you want to be an antagonist or anything else of the such let me know we'll see. It could end up being fun and adding a unique flavor to the RP. So if you've got something you're dying to try let me know. Rules 1. Have Fun 2. Respect Each Other 3. I'm or my Co-Gm (if I elect one) will have final say 4. No god mode 5. No Meta gaming 6. No Arguing in OOC [@Dulcet][@sandman9913][@OppositionJ]