Lord Wraith

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

@Lord Wraith Just a heads up that I'm going to be editing Tobias' sheet to include some relationships and probably expand upon his skills gained from his Black Lotus training.

@Kalas

Alright thanks for letting me know!

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

@Lord Wraith Then you, dear sir, are in for a treat.

@FantasyChic

I hope so, because Joseph is going to need an ally on the force when he dons the cowl and Archie is always looking for a way to see the forensic evidence haha

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

Right? Like Priya may actually want another complaint.

The thing is...Priya likes her job. So being away for a month would bother her, especially dealing with her sister's case still. Being on desk duty is a pretty big slap on the wrist for her.

She, of course, will still do what she feels is best.

@FantasyChic

I mean, I don't expect Priya to stay at a desk haha. I fully expect her to defiantly sneak into the field to do what she feels is best.

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

G M A N N O U N C E M E N T:

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◼ UPDATE: The IC has been updated and the new round of seconday plots are now live. Have fun people! Any questions be sure to let me know.

◼ WEEK 05: Last week, we talked about being bad. So this week lets talk about those darn goody-two-shoes types. Why are people drawn to being good? What exactly is it that makes playing a hero appealing, and what makes a good hero? How dark can a hero be while still being good and how light can a hero be before they're unbearable? What are some of the heroic archetypes you look to when designing your defenders of truth, justice and the American Way liberty?

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

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C H A P T E R I

A S T O R M R I S E S

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"Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability."

W A I T I N G O N T H U N D E R :

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Days had past since the blackout struck the Northern half of the city. The storm overhead continued to rage, in fact it had increased almost as though the fire had irritated it further. Smoke still hung over Jethrull as firefighters continued to quell the smoldering blaze. A thick fog had come to rest over the southern edges of the city as a cold front settled in. A thin layer of ice covered the roads, leaving them slick and dangerous while the cloud surrounding Old Stone Mountain had turned from grey to black. Lightning could be seen arcing through it, something that had become particularly problematic as the buildings in the Spires of Lilith acted as massive lightning rods. Constantly being struck, the streets below were showered in sparks and broken glass as building after building was struck by lightning. In combination with the damage from the hotel brawl two days ago, the neighborhood was considered a hazard and had been evacuated.

Some say a call can be heard from the cloud, as though it’s alive. Others believe the storm is a the cause of some new age terrorism, the government being handed a ransom that they’ve refused to pay or divulge to the general public. No matter the cause, the storm remained a mystery, a very inconvenient one however as more and more stores were forced to close their doors for good as people sought ways to leave Crescent City behind. On such route that was yet to be closed was Tower Bridge, a massive suspension bridge that left Los Paraíso behind and ventured into Paradise Valley. Using this route, people could leave the city due East to escape the storm. But it seemed the storm had plans of it own as lightning struck the already iced over bridge. Chaos formed on the road as vehicles were scattered each and every way. One vehicle, a bus skidded towards a guard rail, the concrete giving way to the massive vehicle as it quickly found itself teetering over the raging waters of the Del Vida below.

Cars began to piled up until the entire bridge was blocked as people exited their vehicles to stare at the bus. No one made a move to lend a hand as they were all dumbstruck, watching the vehicle rocking back and forth in the wind.

_{Where no one asks any questions, or looks too long in your face in the...}

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D A R K N E S S O N T H E E D G E O F T O W N

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Status: URGENT
Time of Day: Dusk
Weather: Rain

The blackout had taken its toll on the Northern portion of the city in the last two days. Looting had increased by nearly 300% as very few stores had working security systems and for those that did, the police were constantly too slow to do much of anything to stop the thefts. Cold and wet, people were struggling to find something positive to think of as the city fell apart all around them. The only thing that could make it worse at this point would be an earthquake.

Knock on wood.

Whittaker H. MacIntyre had run the Kilbride Sawmill for as long as anyone could remember. Day in and day out, the white haired man was there to ensure the lumber quota was met. No man knew the Whispering Woods better as Whittaker was an avid hunter, birdwatcher, angler and all around wilderness enthusiast. So it should have came at no surprise to anyone that even in the middle of a blackout, the elderly man was at the sawmill to assess the damage and ensure that as soon as the power came back on he could get back to work.

“Y’know, in my grandfather’s day, the saw mill was entirely powered by a water wheel.” Whit said as he walked with his younger associate. “They removed that feature considering it a redundancy about twenty five years ago. If those who made that decision were still alive, I bet they’d feel pretty sheepish right about now.” The older man said with a chuckle, a twinkle of mischief glowed in his eyes behind the thick bifocaled glasses.

“No doubt.” Came the reluctant reply of Chadley Walker as he tried to stifle a sigh. When Whit told you to come into work you did so, but he would much rather have been sleeping than listening to the older man regal the stories of his glory days. As the pair walked onto the shop floor, they stopped cold as a woman stood in the middle of the room, her hand touching the newest lumber as she traced the bark on the log.

“Excuse me Mis-” Whit spoke up only for the woman to begin talking.

“You have no idea what type of tree this is.” She stated, her tone cold as Chad shot Whit a confused look.

“Actually Miss.” Whit stated confidently. “I’m quite sure it’s a white oak.”

“Oh it’s so much more than that.” The woman said, turning to the pair, fire dancing across her finger tips. “It’s a conduit of pure power, at least it was until you severed the connection. Now it’s barely a shell of what it used to be.” She paused, raising her other hand as a layer of frost formed over it. “Thankfully it had some power left.” She muttered before slamming her hand to the ground, a sheet of ice spreading out from it before a pillar sprouted at the feet of the pair of men. Shoving Whit aside, Chad didn’t have time to escape as his body was quickly impaled, the ice turning red as the man’s limp body slid down the piercing icicle.

“Huh, how disgustingly noble.” Nina muttered as she turned to Whit. “No matter, you’ll die with your legacy of murder.” She said as flames began to spray into the air. “I hope you manage to live long enough to die by the flames.” Opening his mouth to protest, Whit only managed to cough as the fresh wood ignited almost immediately. The greener wood in the room, filled the store room with a thick black smoke as the woman disappeared leaving Whittaker H. MacIntyre to die alone. Crying out for help, Whit could only hope that someone out there could hear his screams.

Knock on wood.

_{To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim}

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T H I S I S W A R

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Status: PRESSING
Time of Day: Evening
Weather: Rain

"I can’t believe that bitch killed Benji.” The voice of one of the Crew could be heard from across the room as he loaded the gun in front of him. “Sure was nice of the Fierro’s to arm us though. Those punkass Thirds won’t know what hit their bitch asses.” He stated confidently.

“Except, the De Vitis will arm them dumbass.” Came the jaded reply of Jacob Kingsley as he slouched across the arms of a reclining. A new shotgun was propped up next to the chair as he lazily played a game on his top of the line smartphone. “The Syndicate used a rocket launcher against the last person to cross them, you idiots not watch the news? In the hotel siege, vigilante in a suped up ‘Stang was nearly blown to smithereens when the De Vitis turned a rocket launcher on him. Sure the Fierro’s gave us some nice peashooters but we’re just pawns.”

“So what’s your point Jake?” Came the response of another member of the Welcome Crew as Alfonso crossed his arms in front of him, putting down the Xbox controller as he waited for the smartass’ answer.

“Simple.” Jacob muttered. “We kill the vigilante.” A tense silence fell over the room before it erupted into laughter as Jacob raised an unamused eyebrow as his fellow gang members mocked him.

“And besides getting us all killed, what will that accomplish?” The first gangbanger’s tone was incredulous as he looked at Jacob with wide eyes.

“For starters, De Vitis will be grateful. And grateful men give out favours Bastian.” Jacob responded as he swung his feet to the ground, leaning forward with his hands pressed together before lowering his head into his lap and gently massaging his pupils.

“You expecting De Vitis to give you a handy for killing one man?” Came the mocking call of Alfonso who turned back to his video game. “You’d have better luck getting a freebie from Chastity on a Friday night.”

“No.” Jacob’s reply was cold and frustrated. It was at times like this that his associates lacked any sort of vision. “I expect him to disown the Thirds, that means no more guns for them. That means we control their territory, they become our bitches or die. That means we get the rocket launchers to kill those two bitches that humiliated us in front of the Thirds.”

“Huh, y’know. I’m liking this plan a little more now.” Bastian said grinning as Alfonso nodded in agreement.

“So what exactly are we going to do?”

“Exactly what the Fierro’s expect us to. Kidnap Veronica De Vitis. Except we’re going to use her as bait.”

“What about the Russian?” Bastian piped up again as a hush fell over the group while Jacob stood up, taking a hold of his shotgun.

“Let the Russian come, then we’ll have Dante too. Think of the leverage, stop being so scared and get your head in the game.” Cheers erupted from the room as the Welcome Crew began to suit up.

“Let’s go hunting.”

_{I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun, I must confess that I feel like a...}

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M O N S T E R

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Status: SUSPECTED
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Rain

_{One Night Ago…}

It could be said that no matter the species, the need to survive ties us together. If two people were placed in a room, it would only be a matter of time before the starvation caused them to turn on each other. Cannibalism is often looked at as one of the most heinous crimes, yet if one had to do it to survive would they surely not be given a free pass out of sympathy?

Or so one might assume. Truth be told, humanity rarely has sympathy for those who betray their unwritten laws. History is told by the victor and so those who are condemned are doomed to forever be the loser. Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Lonnie David Franklin, Jr., names that will forever be reviled and spat upon.

“Excuse me.” Came the voice of a woman as the man was disturbed from his thoughts, looking up as the woman held a yellow umbrella over her head.

“No, it’s my fault. I was lost in my thoughts.” The man replied, a sheepish grin crossing his face. The woman nodded as a smile crossed her own.

“I suppose with all this rain, taking a walk would be as good for the thoughts as a shower is.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” The man replied with a chuckle.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where the closest diner is?” The woman asked as the man opened his mouth to leave. “I flew in from the Philippines just before the storm and have been trapped here ever since. I’m still not familiar with this part of the city, so if you happen to know any good restaurants, I’d very much appreciate if you could point me in that direction.”

The man paused, as he raised a hand to his chin instinctively while thinking.

“Actually, I happen to know a nice little ethnic spot that might soothe your home sickness.” The man said as he motioned for the woman to follow him. “How’d you end up in Crescent City anyways?”

“Work, probably like anyone else. I was sent to negotiate a deal. The negotiations went well, too well in fact.” The woman replied. “Finished them on the second day here and then this bloody rain started. No pilot will fly out of the Crescent City airport.”

“Yeah, they say it’s the worst it has ever been.” The man responded as he stopped by an alley. “This way is quicker.” He said, motioning for the woman to follow him.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Oh for sure.” He insisted as the pair began to walk into the dark alley. Suddenly the man, knocked the umbrella from the woman’s hand, pinning a wrist against the wall as he struggled for the other arm.

“You smell so good.” He whispered in her ear, nibbling her earlobe softly before he began to maneuver one of her hands towards his groin.

“I bet you taste better.” The woman hissed back as her skin suddenly went grey, her eyes turning jet black as her jaw extended. Rows of needle-like teeth lined her mouth as the woman’s head extended forward on a snake-like neck. The man screamed, only for the noise to be silenced as his throat was torn clean open as the woman’s head retracted.

“Delicious.” She hissed as the man fell to his knees, hands grasping at the bleeding throat. Opening her mouth again, the woman’s tongue shot forward, slithering between the man’s hands and into the body. A sickening slurp could be heard from the sidewalk before the woman re-emerged, wiping her lips as she continued on her way, the hunger that had afflicted her, no longer an issue.

_{Sunday Afternoon…}

Yellow tape surrounded the alleyway located centrally in Larissa’s City Dioynsia as police cruisers sat on either side while the forensic team went to work. A small crowd had gathered to watch as yet another victim had been report, his throat ripped clean open, the body drained completely of blood. Amongst the crowd was none other than Archibald Sheridan, a former C.S.I. to the C.C.P.D., currently a thorn in their side.

“Richards!” Archie’s voice called to the beat cop who had his back turned to the crowd. “I know you can hear me Richards, c’mon! Be a good sport, just like old times.” The officer’s ear twitched but otherwise he refused to acknowledge Archie’s presence.

“DICKS!” Archie suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs as Richards’ ear flushed red and the officer turned around to face his heckler.

“What the damn hell do you want Sheridan?” He asked, patience clearly not one of his virtues.

“A look at the body would be nice, a full crime scene investigation would be even better.” Archie said, cracking a smile as he brushed a wet strand of hair back from his face while holding up his camera.

“And I want a pony.” Richards replied dryly. “You’re a civilian now. You’re not getting on the crime scene.”

“Well Dicks, don’t say I didn’t ask nicely.” Archie said as Richards turned to him.

“For the last damn time, stop callin-” The flash from Archie’s camera suddenly blinded Richards as the flash caught him off guard. Seeing stars, Richards didn’t notice Archie toss a drone over the yellow tape before slipping back into the crowd. Pulling out his phone, Archie flew the drone into the alley, hovering above the C.S.I.’s below. Zooming in on the lens, Archie could see the body. Like the others, the throat had been ripped out, so he felt safe to assume it was drained of blood. Based on looks alone, this seemed like a safe bet.

The male victim marked the fourth body in a week. This was the third male victim, however the prior victim had been female. In that case, a man had witnessed the attack, even survived it based on the scars on his neck. But the experience had been too much for the witness who had been identified as Oliver Whittle. Despite being cleared by the hospital, be was not in a safe state of mind and the State ordered Oliver handed over to the Murdoch Mental Hospital.

The police were as convinced as ever that this serial killer was a human but Archie knew better. Whatever was attacking these people was in his book, the ancient journal he had gotten from Mayhew at the Grimoire, a large leather bond encyclopedia filled with hand drawn images of various creatures and first hand accounts beneath them.

Archie intended to get to the bottom of the mystery, even if no one was going to help him stop whatever manner of hellspawn was stalking the streets of Larrisa.

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

Tbh, that doesn't sound that bad. A month of paid vacation? I'd take it.

@Pirouette

Yeah that's fair. Probably should have done a harsher punishment. Oh well! Next time!

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

Going to be doing quick posts like the last two all day in order to advance the plot and kick off those secondary plots I posted last week.

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

_{'Cause when you lie like, the devil himself, no angels gonna hear your…}

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C R Y F O R H E L P
^{A F T E R M A T H}

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Status: Resolved
Time of Day: Late Morning, Two Days Later
Weather: Rain

The office was quiet save for the constant tapping of a single pencil against a desk as Commander Daniel Hudson stared at the woman in front of him. Commander of the Homicide Special Section, Hudson looked over a wide variety of units, including but not limited to the Cold Case Special Section which included Detective Priya Khurana, the woman currently sitting in front of him.

“Do you know why I had to bring you in here?” Hudson asked, holding a hand up as Priya went to speak. “It was a rhetorical remark Detective.” He stated, shifting his gaze to the pile of papers currently sitting in front of him.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, shit rolls down from the top. And well when I get covered in it because of your actions, you can bet your ass that you’ll find yourself swimming in it soon afterwards.” The commander stated as he held up the first piece of paper. “Look, I get that things are dire out there but to be caught not only aiding but also abetting a suspected vigilante? Two even! We lost a ‘bot to whatever was at the hotel with you. Officer on the scene reported to his superior you gave the order not to pursue.” Hudson’s eyes looked over his glasses as his gaze turned upwards again and towards Priya.

“Where the hell do you get off making calls like that Detective? You’re part of the Cold Case Special Section, I don’t see Special Ops on your badge. You had no authority on that scene, no reason to be there.” He picked up the next piece of paper as he turned his eyes to read it. “Which brings me to the next order of business, interference in an ongoing investigation. Really Detective? What made you think just running in there was a good idea? You report the incident and stand by, if the responding officer requests assistance then you may enter the investigation. But your jurisdiction is unsolved investigations, not ongoing ones.”

Hudson began to massage his forehead as he looked up to see Priya open her mouth before raising a hand to silence her once again.

“I’m not done.” He stated flatly, shooting down any chance at argument as he lifted another piece of paper up. “As you’re aware, prostitution is illegal within the State of California, we’re not quite as liberal as Nevada.” Hudson began as he put the piece of paper down on the desk before jumping from his chair, his hands pounding on the hard oak surface as the veins in his neck and forehead bulged.

“Then why the hell did you release those caught in the act of prostitution?” He roared. “Is it some ‘sisterhood’ thing, ‘girls gotta stick together’? Because last I checked Detective your job was to enforce the law, not loosely interpret it when a South breeze blows.”

“You’re on desk duty until further notice. If another complaint comes across my desk, you’ll be suspended with pay for a month.” Hudson stated as he calmly sat back down. “Now get out of my office. The case backlog only grows the longer you’re in here.”

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

J O S E P H T H O R E A U:

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^{Friday, April 07, 2017 - 11:39 PM | Michaels Nuclear Power Facility - Power District}

The room was spinning as Joseph opened his eyes. Hair matted itself to his forehead as sweat profusely ran down his face, stinging his eyes while his chest rapidly heaved up and down. Coughing, his lungs fought against the smoke that was filling the room as he struggled to both gain his breath and his senses.

The woman was gone, that much was clear. Evidently, the arsonist to blame as she had objected to Joseph’s attempts to stop her. He looked to his watch, noting the time as he did some mental math.

Fifteen minutes.

He had been unconscious for fifteen minutes and in that time the fire had only gotten worse. Pulling himself up against the desk, Joseph resumed his search for the fire suppression system. It was however futile, the paramedic quickly realized as the panel in front of him had been sabotaged. No doubt the work of the woman who had been here before.

"Damn it!” Joseph cursed before bursting into another fit of coughing. Leaning against the wall, Joseph made his way back towards the door as he stumbled into the hallway. A loud crash alerted Joseph to the presence of another as the voice of an older man echoed through the smoky hallways.

"Yoo-hoo! Medic!"

Balling his hands into a fist, Joseph made sure he was ready for anything as he rounded a corner coming face to face with a much older man. His attire clearly communicated he wasn’t staff nor emergency services. But he wasn’t the arsonist either, as much as Joseph would love to doubt the man was here out of the goodness of his heart, he didn’t have the luxury of being so cynical at the moment.

Allowing the other man to support him, the pair made their way towards the exit as alarms began to sound all over the plant. Exiting the building, they watched as it sealed itself, the anti-melt down procedures going to work as the plant tried to prevent a nuclear explosion. Suddenly a sharp ‘SNAP’ could be heard followed by several ‘POP’s as the lights surrounding the plant went dark. Turning to look towards New Lilith, Joseph watched in horror as light after light extinguished, a blackout washing over the area.

The cool relief of the rain was soon replaced by chills, as Joseph was soaked to the bone by the downpour. Looking at Travis, defeat clouding his features, Joseph shook his head as he stood to leave.

“Thanks for the rescue.” He stated, shaking the older man’s hand before walking to Travis and giving him a pat on the back. “Nothing more we can do here, I’m going to get some shut eye.” And with that, Joseph climbed into his vehicle and headed for home.

VIGILANCE: Blood & Justice - A Superhuman Roleplay (Always Open)

Alright guys, I apologize again for the slow progress. I'm trying to meet a deadline for a technical report and it's kicking my butt. If I don't manage to get something up over the next couple days I will definitely just take some time to hammer out a post for you all.