[center][i]You know the superstitions about black cats? Those exist for a good reason. Though it's more than just the cats that bring the curses.[/i] [color=black][h1][u]Tallshade Tales[/u][/h1][/color] [img]http://www.8screensavers.com/screensavers/preview/v/a/valley-town-landscape-1-screensaver.jpg[/img] [url=https://join.skype.com/SQzI8ORjscRb]Skypechat[/url] (main chatroom) [url=https://titanpad.com/krKIEQVNr4]Titanpad[/url] (for collabs and chat) [url=us19.chatzy.com/85504965000203]Chatzy[/url] (if all else fails) [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3343942]interest check[/url] You lead a normal life most of the time. You may be in highschool, a student in university, or working at the local bar, library or garage. Though every now and then, the Mentor calls upon you for a task. Something small, and sometimes seemingly insignificant, like stealing a book, drawing something on a wall, or counting the people in church this sunday. And sometimes a bit bigger, like puncturing a car tire. And you do it, no questions asked. Why? You were drawn to this somehow, your whole life. And because that seems to be the deal: You get the powers, but you have to do what they say. The Mentor is a wise man, he wouldn't ask if it was necessary. He provides a sense of family for all of you. The secrecy works charms on bonding with the rest of the group, and it makes you feel special and proud in a way, to be part of that. And ofcourse, because of the implicit threat of what will happen to you if you don't obey. But hey, what's the harm, right?[/center] [u]About you[/u] [hider=You Are] [u] You are:[/u] * an inhabitant of the town Tallshade * 16-25 years old [u]you have the ability to:[/u] * turn into a black forest critter at will (like a cat, rat, squirrel, raven etc.) A harmless looking creature no bigger than a large dog that would be natural to find in the forests around Tallshade.(so no bears, tigers or pandas) * use a minor 'dark' power Anything that could ruin someone's mood, would give a person the feeling of bad luck or a general ominous feeling. (like cursing someone so he will hurt his pinky toe; having control over one insect at a time; having the ability to make someone feel nauseous by touch; making flowers wither; being able to influence how somebody sees himself in the mirror; predicting something (bad) that will happen today to someone; being able to extinguish candles or dim lights at will, conjure a chilling breeze, etc. etc.) Nothing that would deal permanent damage or that would greatly influence the course of events. "persuading" people in a general direction in an indirect way, is oke. But no direct mind-control. (I can imagine this might challenge your creativity. But that's why you're on this site right?)[/hider][hider=The Deal] * You gain affinity with a power that can bring a form of bad luck, and the ability to transform into a black animal. * You can use your powers for your own gain, as long as it doesn't attract attention to you or Grimbold or the rest of the family. * You do whatever Grimbold asks of you. Sometimes these are tasks of bringing minor misfortune on people. At other times the tasks seem completely random and irrelevant. And sometimes they seem to be part of a bigger picture somewhere. The way you receive tasks, differs from at a gathering, Grimbold appearing seemingly out of nowhere to give it to you personally, or on a rare occasion, in the form of an omen. * You operate in secret. No one outside the family can know anything about your business. * Every full moon, you gather at Grimbold's cabin in the woods for dinner and to visit the shrine. Grimbold might tell a story or give you a new assignment. Sometimes he schools you in the dark arts. [/hider] [u]About Tallshade[/u] [hider=Tallshade] [u]Tallshade[/u] is a rather small town, located in a valley surrounded by forests, quite far from the rest of civilisation. The main reason people move here is for the small university that it has. It is located next to a mountain that casts a large shadow on the town at noon, half of the year from mid-fall to mid-spring. As the town lies north of the mountain and the path the sun takes in this time, doesn't rise above the mountains' peak -seen from the perspective of the town ofcourse. There are some old stories about the origin of the town. And some mystery is hidden in it's history. But those are just stories that we don't believe in anymore. Or care for. We go to church now. And we have a university. All is well. [/hider][hider=Important NPC's] [center]The Mentor: Grimbold [hider] [img]http://c8.alamy.com/comp/DD4W7C/old-fisherman-with-white-beard-wearing-souwester-hat-and-guy-cotten-DD4W7C.jpg[/img][/hider] The Priest: Isaac Lynch [hider][img]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.135746!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/alg-married-priest-jpg.jpg[/img][/hider] The Mayor: Roseanne Parker [hider][img]http://2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Irving-Mator-Beth-Van-Duyne-official-portrait-800x430.png[/img][/hider] [/center] [/hider][hider=Places of Importance] [center][hider=Tallshade Town][img]http://www.railstotrails.org/media/39997/2011_11_hiawathawallacearial.jpg[/img] [img]http://newdeserttimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/bigstockphoto_ouray_colorado_216087.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=Grimbold's Cabin] This central meeting place for you and your fellow cursed critters, is Grimbolds home and lies slightly uphill. It's a short walk there, into the forest from the edge of town. [img]http://thelogbuilders.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/1-rustic-cabin-in-the-woods.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=Castle Street Café]A café in between university and Sloane's Tattoo shop. You can find a lot of students here. A great place for studying and socialising. The coffee is allright. Some evenings they have a band playing or other activities goin on.[img]http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/1b/e7/1a/castle-street-cafe.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=The Shrine] From Grimbold's Cabin, a small and somewhat hidden path, leads up to a place on the side of the mountain. [img]http://www.thesmith.org.uk/places/follies/druids/GOT16A-StoneCircleCentralShrine.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=Grimbold's Shack]It is forbidden territory. [img]http://www.8screensavers.com/screensavers/preview/v/a/valley-town-landscape-1-screensaver.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=Church][img]http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/files/2015/02/Pretty-Church.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=Town Hall][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Town_Hall_Liebenwalde.JPG[/img][/hider][/center][/hider] [u]Meta[/u] [hider=Character Sheet] This is the code version, so you can just copy paste this and fill it out. Just remove the dots in the [.hr] And choose a color for your character. Replace the inverted questionmarks with a color or colorcode. [code] [hider=Character Name][center][h1][color=¿¿¿]Character's Name[/color][/h1] [IMG]PIC or GIF of Character's Appearance here[/IMG] [i]"Character Quote."[/i] -[b]Author[/b][/center][.hr][.hr][center][color=black][h1][u]Personal Information[/u][/h1][/color][/center] [color=¿¿¿][u]Name:[/u][/color] First Middle Last [color=¿¿¿][u]Nickname:[/u][/color] Not optional. [color=¿¿¿][u]Birth Date:[/u][/color] [color=¿¿¿][u]Age:[/u][/color] 16-25 [color=¿¿¿][u]Gender:[/u][/color] [color=¿¿¿][u]Sexuality:[/u][/color][.hr][center][color=black][h1][u]In The Mirror[/u][/h1][/color][/center] [color=¿¿¿][u]In Depth Appearance:[/u][/color] At least a detail paragraph here. 7-10 sentences. [color=¿¿¿][u]Clothing Style:[/u][/color][.hr][center][color=black][h1][u]Delving Deeper[/u][/h1][/color][/center] [color=¿¿¿][u]Likes:[/u][/color] [list][*] [*] [*] [*] [*][/list] [color=¿¿¿][u]Dislikes:[/u][/color] [list][*] [*] [*] [*] [*][/list] [color=¿¿¿][u]Fears:[/u][/color] [list][*] [*] [*][/list] [color=¿¿¿][u]Habits:[/u][/color] [list][*] [*] [*][/list] [color=¿¿¿][u]Personality:[/u][/color] [center][u]♦ Trait ♦ Trait ♦ Trait ♦ Trait[/u][/center] At least a detailed paragraph here. [color=¿¿¿][u]Background:[/u][/color] At least a detailed paragraph here. + how they came in to contact with the Mentor. [color=¿¿¿][u]Relationships:[/u][/color] [color=8dc73f]♫[/color] – Best Friend [color=8dc73f]☮[/color] – Friend [color=d3d3d3]☯[/color] – Neutral [color=ed1c24]⚡[/color] – Rival [color=ed1c24]⚔[/color] – Nemesis [color=firebrick] 💔 [/color] - Ex [color=f49ac2]♥[/color] – Love Interest [color=f49ac2] 💕 [/color] – Boyfriend/Girlfriend example: [sup][h3][color=8dc73f]♫[/color][color=pink]Thomas Finklebury[/color][color=8dc73f]♫[/color][/h3][/sup] He is my bestest friend of all time. We chill non-stop. [sup][h3] SYMBOL [color=color of character]name of character[/color] SYMBOL [/h3][/sup] thoughts/ feelings about this character. [sup][h3] SYMBOL [color=color of character]name of character[/color] SYMBOL [/h3][/sup] thoughts/ feelings about this character. continue until you have had all other characters. [color=¿¿¿][u]Extra:[/u][/color][.hr][center][color=black][h1][u]Dark powers:[/u][/h1][/color][/center] [color=¿¿¿][u]Animal Form:[/u][/color] Up to the size of a large dog. Only one animal per type. (so no two cats) Always a pitch black version. [IMG]pic of animal form goes here[/IMG] [color=¿¿¿][u]power:[/u][/color] A "small" power that can't inflict permanent damage or directly majorly influence people or the course of events (being able to dim the lights at will, or to extinguish candles; controlling one insect at a time; minor curses that mainly cause agitation) [/hider][/code] [/hider][hider=Rules] I don't think much rules are necessary, but for the formality: 1) general RP-rules apply: no god-modding, no metagaming. 2) not sure about something? Communicate with the person involved, before making your move. For questions about the RP, feel free to ask me. Ideas are welcome as well. 3) Romance is encouraged, but fade to black when clothes are coming off. 4) High-Casual writing standard, which means at least two paragraphs per post. More is better. If characters are going to be in a long conversation, do a collab. You can use [url=www.titanpad.com]titanpad[/url] for that. 5) Use this format when posting: [code][center][h3][color=???]Character's Name[/color][/h3] [img]character's image[/img] [b][u]Location;[/u][/b] ??? [b][u]Interacting With;[/u][/b] ???[/center][.hr][.hr][/code] Also, when your character [b]talks[/b], make it bold. When he/she [i]thinks[/i], go for italic. In both cases, color it in your character's color. NPC's will have white as their color. 6) Be corteous, use common sense, have fun :) [/hider][hider=Plot] [u]The plot:[/u] * Partially this is a slice of life RP. * But the story will be moved forward by small arcs in the form of tasks/missions that the group gets from the Mentor (played by me) They provide a background to the characters relations an developments and will push the story forward if we get 'stuck' with merely character driven roleplay. If I feel there is enough going on with everybody's characters, then I might hold back a bit with these. * And then there is the 'big' arc, where your characters learn more about the mystery in their town, the source of their powers and the reasons for their tasks.[/hider] [hider=FAQ] Q: Do our clothes change with us when we transform? A: No, be prepared to be naked. Q: Can we use our powers on each other? A: Yes, have fun with that. Though communicate with the involved player. Q: How well and how long do our characters know each other? A: This is purposely left vague so you can fill that in. You could just have joined last month, or you can be around longer. You had to be at least 16 when you joined, so it depends on your character's age how long that can be. You know each other at least by name and probably a lot more. Over the years you might have formed a strong friendship or rivalry. Q: Can our characters communicate with one another while in animal form? A: Not telepathically or verbally. However, they are human minds in animal bodies. So they can use movements and sounds, like shaking their head or pointing in a direction. Maybe even a form of miming things out, as far as their animal form allows it. The racoon for instance would be able to use finger movements for counting, the 'peace' sign or flipping the finger. While other creatures might lack distinct fingers, perhaps they have other body parts that would aid them, like a tail. Furhtermore, signals can be decided ahead of time, so that a minor vocabulary could be translated into animal sounds. For more complex sentences you might want to practice morse-code. Well.. another challenge for your creativity;) enjoy. Q: Can we us our powers while in animal form? A: Yes. Q: Does using your power cause an adverse effect? A: Not in small amounts. Overuse will make the user very tired. Lightheaded, dizzy. Be careful you don't pass out.[/hider] [center] [u]Accepted Characters:[/u] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3345914]Edward Hansen - 23 - Dog[/url] [static] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3348327]Teryn Ikeda - 20 - Raven[/url] [bad hair day] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3348504]Sloane Shields - 25 - Deer[/url] [shadows] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3349689]Robert Taylor - 23 - Fox[/url] [stubbed my toe] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3353338]Catherine Osborne - 22 - Snake[/url] [whispers] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3352164]Tobias Rieper - 25 - Racoon[/url] [told ya] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3354355]Nicholas Foster - 16 - Ferret[/url] [can't sleep] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3360650]Katerina Constantine - 19 - Cat[/url] [can't breathe] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3361524]Angeline Hardwicke - 20 - Coyote[/url] [déjà vu] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3362047]Skylar Montgomery - 21 - Owl[/url] [hear ya] [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3366203]Daniel Reyes - 23 - Bat[/url] [headache] [/center] [center][h3][u]Timeline[/u][/h3] [hider=Meeting @ the Cabin] 1) It's a full moon. And as with every full moon, we gather at Grimbold's cabin. Starting with dinner, but there's always more. [Introduce your character. You can either be there already or describe how you enter. As you please.] [hider=highlights] > Nina was naked > Daniel brought cakes > Nick was late and brought a rabbit[/hider] 2) Grimbold gives you your next task. see [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/3374396]this post[/url] for more info on that. 3) Heading for the Shrine, Critter Style. At the shrine, Grimbold performs a ritual where he sacrifices a swan. [/hider] [hider=tuesday to saturday]Everybody has four days, to use their powers to make sure their target will stay indoors on saturday. [/hider][/center] Suggested/Taken Animal Forms: Taken: [color=red]Dog, Fox, Deer, Raven, Racoon, Snake, Ferret, Cat, Coyote, Bat, Owl[/color] Free: [color=limegreen]Badger, Goat, Boar, Squirrel, Rat, Toad, Chicken/Rooster, Rabbit, Hedgehog, skunk [/color] Reserved: [color=fff200]-[/color] Other options are possible. just ask.