[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/WBJbKdb/TRH-BANNER2.jpg[/img] [color=a9a9a9][i]"There once was an ocean of red. Where the waves hit, death would spread. Warriors of remarkable skill, There's no monster that they couldn't kill. You ought behave as you should, Lest you dare to face a Red Hood. "But times, they do a-change. What was once weird is now far less strange. The ocean of red has dried. The Hoods either hid or died. The killers of killers are gone But the killers, themselves, live on. "In the darkness, there is a great stirring. Reality, itself, is blurring, An evil power destined to return To watch the world and its creatures burn You can feel it in the air, the awful dread. It's time to don the hood. Make sure it's red."[/i][/color][/center] The Red Hoods saga started with [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/175928-the-red-hoods-initiates/ic][b]The Red Hoods: Initiates[/b][/url]. A squad assembled by Commander Blanchette Rouge, the original Red Riding Hood of lore, The Red Hoods were a team of monster hunters comprised of humans and monsters alike, unified to take on the creatures of darkness. This was over 300 years ago. These days, the Red Hoods are long gone. As a clause of peace between Man and the supernatural creatures of the world the Hoods were forcefully disbanded. While some Monsters were able to join society, there are still plenty who find civility impossible. Dark creatures of hate and instinct still lurk in the shadows and there is an even greater threat amassing, an Evil never seen before. Perhaps it's time to bring the Red Hoods back from death. Perhaps its time for a Rebirth. [color=ed1c24][b]The Red Hoods: Rebirth[/b][/color] will be a narrative based RPG. [color=fff200]It will begin on October 20th[/color]. Players will be able to pick from a variety of races with a variety of skills. This RP will be borrowing several concepts from things like the movie [i]Bright [/i]and the series [i]Carnival Row[/i] with a central theme being human and mythical creatures living together in the modern age. Prejudice, social inequality, fear, horror, crime and mystery will all be points that will be touched upon within the game while we discover our characters and how they fit in this world. Several players from the original game are set to return. These will be the only character that will be eligible to start out as Red Hoods. If you haven't played before then your character is initially unaffiliated. That's not to say your character can't start out as a vigilante in their own right. The flip side of that is that you can absolutely make a character that has no fighting prowess at all if you feel you can stay interested in it and make sure the character still fits in the world. Magic will be possible but it'll be limited and have its tolls. It's a modern world with modern technology. If the technology exists now, it exists in the game. [color=6ecff6][center][h2]As we get closer to the start date, I will periodically update this post with more pertinent system, world and lore information so check back from time to time.[/h2][/center][/color] I'm sure many people will have many questions as they start conceiving of their characters. I assure you I will try to get to them all. My active times are on weekends. I can still be reached on weekdays, but my availability for RP talk will be much thinner as I work long hours and once I 'clock out' I usually use the rest of my conscious hours as an opportunity to relax and have minimal responsibilities. This is a big world and there is a lot to cover, but exploring and learning is much more fun than memorizing, so information about the world around you will be given gradually through dialogue and gameplay. Here's what you need to know right off the bat... [hr][hr] [hider=Chapters] [center][h2]Chapters[/h2][/center] This campaign will be split up into chapters. A chapter will consist of a contained event or storyline. Myself or one of the Co-GMs will make it apparent when we're approaching the end of a chapter. After each chapter concludes, we will enjoy a brief break from the game while the next chapter sets up. Currently, I'm thinking a 2 week break between chapters should suffice. The idea of the breaks is to make sure we're not burning out any players and that we maintain a healthy interest in the roleplay. Should any players feel the need to drop out, it's most appropriate to do this in between chapters. That will also be the time that we'll be open to bringing on additional/replacement players. It will be the duty of the GMs to provide a summary of each chapter after it has concluded in order to aid is new players coming up to speed and existing players in keeping up with what's going on around them. [/hider] [hider=Magic][center][h2]Magic[/h2][/center] Magic is available in this world. Perhaps your character is gifted in the arcane arts or maybe there are passive aspects of your character that are magical in nature. In any case, the concept of magic and how it'll be used will be a constantly evolving idea as we play through the campaign. One thing that has been decided is that a character that can perform magic will have certain limitations. First of all, a magical character will start with no more than 5 spells in their metaphorical grimoire. Those characters are allowed the opportunity to expand their knowledge of spells by an addition of 1 per chapter (though they are not required to learn any new spells if the player is content with what they've got). Spells can be executed through narrative role play. We are currently not concerned with a statistical system for monitoring potency, though we reserve the right to modify out stance on this if we feel players are abusing the use of magic. Preferably anyone that uses magic will do so while still allowing for a challenge in any given confrontation. There should not be any one-shot kills or waves of the hand that solves every problem. Use your magic to enhance the entertainment and intrigue of the story, not to swing your overpowered junk around. Many people, at this point, tend to want to discuss what spells are appropriate and which ones aren't. By all means, just submit your ideas in your CS application and I will confer with you afterwards if I detect a potential problem with any of the spells you have chosen. [/hider] [Hider=The World] [center][h2]The World[/h2][/center] Welcome to the land of Tenebris. The world has changed quite a bit over the centuries since we last visited. Where once each province was ruled independently, now the local governments are uniformly ruled by a single chosen monarch, one of whom is elected and carries their position until they forfeit it voluntarily or by death. Once a Monarch falls, a new grand election is had to select a new one. Monarchs have been predominantly human men, but there is a great deal of unease among those of various races who feel as though they aren't being represented or their voices heard. The current monarch His Grace Walter Gale, who holds the title of Rex Tenebris (or The Rex). The world is set in a fictional, fantastical land set in modern times with modern technology. If it exists in today's world, it likely exists in Tenebris. The population of the world is extremely diverse. Humans make up the majority of the known population while other creatures and species make up varying degrees of the minority. It is not entirely uncommon to see those infected with vampirism or lycanthropy, or those that have decided to devote their lives to the study of the arcane. Non-Humans also include the fae, elves and even orcs. While this is not the limit of the creatures that exist in Tenebris, these are the ones that people have reluctantly accepted as common. There will be more discussion of races and species further down in this post. While the city of Duncaster is home to these diverse beings, that is not to say that they all get along. Just like in today's world, everyone has their prejudices and stereotypes. While pure humans are the most accepted in all castes, infected humans such as vampires and werewolves are often shunned or looked down upon as tainted. Fae, elves and orcs are also met with reluctance to the point that earning a wage can become difficult due to suspicious and sometimes hateful discrimination leading creatures of a certain species to often have to rely on members of their own race to help band together to create a living with one another. It is for this reason that you'll often seen unofficial segregated areas and establishments within the city. There are bars predominately occupied by orcs because they met resistance when trying to go to human-run bars. There are restaurants that specialize in vampiric cuisine that the other species find nauseating. That's not to say that species are banned from intermingling, just that one should expect to be met with suspicion and possibly discrimination if they find themselves to be too unique in any given area. Duncaster is a vast metropolis, a concrete jungle that has a little bit of everything. Inspired by the likes of London and New York, you'll see more streets and building than you will trees, though there are some parks sprinkled here any there with a wooded area around the city's borders. Aside from Duncaster, which occupied the central portion of Tenebris, there are also other locations surrounding it that will likely be mentioned, but seldom visited within the game. [b]To the North:[/b] [i]Chillwood[/i] As the name implies, this northern territory is the coldest of them all, given its location. Human population is scarce due to the frigid conditions, which means it a great place for the creatures of the night to hide away. There are known werewolf packs in the area, but because human occupation is so few and the land so vast, it's rare to hear of a human being attacked. Often snowy with massive trees scattering the land, the best living one can make is to be a hunter and trade furs. Hunters with an itch for adventure often trek up here hoping to snag them a WereTrophy. [i]Crimson Heights[/i] Some ways south of the Chillwood is Crimson Heights, a mountainous range that is beautiful during the day and terrifying at night. Many of the mountain summits cannot be reached by your average man, which makes it a natural haven for blood drinkers. [b]Central:[/b] [i]Stathford[/i] This province is mostly made up of farmers and ranchers. They make up the majority of the agricultural background of Tenebris. [i]Sinstead[/i] Think of this as Tenebris' version of Las Vegas. Gambling, drinking, drugs, sex and shameless money spending... Nearly everything goes in Sinstead which makes it a haven for organized crime while also a favorite tourist destination. [b]To the south:[/b] [i]Ironhaven[/i] War! Huh! Good God, y'all! This is what this province is known for. An industrial town and manufacturer or vehicles, gadgets and weapons galore. Since the fall of the Red Hoods, Ironhaven has been the home of Tenebris' military headquarters and training facilities. If you're not in the military, you're likely a factory worker, manufacturer or a miner. The Tenebris military has satellite installations all over the country, but this is where the recruits are stationed to be transformed into killing machines. [center] + + +[/center] While these are some of the major locales around Tenebris, they are not the only ones. If you have an idea in mind for a location that involves your character, please come up with a name, associated lore and how it fits into the story and present it to me for consideration.[/hider][hr][center][h2]Characters[/h2][/center] [hider=Character Sheet] [center][h2]Character Sheet[/h2][/center] [b]New Characters:[/b] We're going to keep this very simple. I want exploration and learning, not memorization. Your histories and background are something I want to see unraveled in the game, not pre-written before you even really know the world you're playing in. That said, there are some basics that need to be addressed. [b]Name: Image/Physical Description: Sex: Age: Height: Species: Physical abnormalities (tattoos, scars, etc): Anything else we need to know about you right off the bat (optional):[/b] While I'm not requiring a character history be written out of the official CS sheet, I would definitely keep one in mind so that you have something ready to say when someone finally asks you about your past, and they will. If you are a new player and I am not familiar with your writing, I am likely going to review your past posts in other RPs as one of many factors in determining whether or not you will be accepted into this RP. If there is no applicable writing history, you may be asked to produce a writing sample. [b]Returning Characters:[/b] You'll be using the same CS with the addition of a brief history that will let new players know what your character was up to in the first game. You don't need to go deep into your character's own person history, but at least bring the new players up to speed with what they should know about your veteran character. Everyone: If you wish to provide additional information about your character within the CS, that's fine. If you have a preferred formatting method that you'd like to use, go for it. All I require is the noted bits of information that I highlighted at minimum. Any embellishments is up to you. As I am writing this, we currently have 16 people interested in playing. That is already quite a bit of people and I anticipate we will garner more interest before the actual start date. That said, [i][b]not everyone will be accepted.[/b][/i] If you do not make the cut initially, you may still be able to join in between chapters if other players drop. If you are not chosen, please understand that it is not personal. All players, even returning ones, will be asked to apply for consideration before submitting their CS to the character tab.[/hider] [hider=Vampires][center][h2]Vampires[/h2][/center] Crosses, coffins, garlic... Old wive's tales. Vampires are humans infected by a demonic virus. This parasitic bond comes with advantages and disadvantages. [b]Strengths/Weaknesses[/b] Your muscles are now stronger, more dense. You've gained supernatural durability and your five senses are heightened to levels that rival the creatures of nature. You can see in the darkness and are effectively immortal (but not invincible). As long as you feed regularly, you maintain a human appearance, although you remain pale due to your lack of sun. Your fanged teeth are ever-present, longer than a humans, yet still subtle enough to be overlooked by the untrained eye. Your own eyes shimmer as a cat's does when met with light within the darkness. There are also disadvantages... The parasitic virus within you demands nourishment and the only thing that can sate its hunger is blood. A vampire must feed regularly to maintain their youthful appearance and control over their person. Lack of blood will result in an increasing level of unbound rage as well as physical deterioration of one's body. A vampire who does not feed will become a ghastly looking ghoul driven only by animal instinct and the will to feed. If a vampire entered this state, they can regain conscious control after feeding, but their body will remain in its new horrifying state. Their muscles will shrink, leaving them gangly, while their skin tightens around their skeletal structure. Their fingers were take on the appearance of bony claws. Many vampires of relatively advanced age have had close calls with starvation and can be plainly identified by their ghoulish visage, however it is entirely possibly to feed regularly over a course of centuries and maintain your human appearance. The virus has an adverse reaction to ultra violet rays and the sun specifically. Indirect sunless will cause irritation and slight burning while direct exposure will cause rapid deterioration of a vampire's flesh. How long one can survive if met with direct sunlight is very reliant on how much fresh blood they have in their system, but even the most well fed vampire will not last for more than two minutes in that sort of exposure. Vampires, in this world, are not the walking dead. Entirely different from zombies, a vampire's nervous and digestive system are still functioning, albeit altered to an incredible degree. They are warm to the touch when fed and have a heartbeat. To that end, a vampire can be killed if that system is disrupted. Destroying the heart or the head and/or complete immolation are also effective at putting a blood sucker down. Wooden stakes can do the trick, but it doesn't have to be wood or a stake. Any weapon that can perform the task should suffice. Silver also has no extraordinary effect and vampires most certainly have reflections. [b]Types of Vampires[/b] In this world, there are two types of vampires which is essentially the difference between Good Guys and Bad Guys. With great reluctance, society has grown to accept the value of vampires, finding them essential for security against other supernatural beings that could plow through a strictly human defense. Looked down upon as a necessary evil, the "good vamps" are not referred to as vampires but commonly called Fiends, a moniker with built-in resentment and negative connotation. Blood has become its own economic commodity with animal blood being the most prevalent and affordable while human donated blood is available but very expensive to acquire legally. Prejudice against Fiends is rampant. Jobs are hard to come by and they're most often used as muscle, meat shields or experimentation. You'll often see Fiends employed in security, police forces, the military, construction, science labs (more as the lab rat than the scientist) and other such jobs that require a strong hand or a durable body. They also make fantastic modern bounty hunters. The other sect, the vampires who choose not to be muzzled or live by societal rules, are outcasts. They are often stronger than your typical Fiend as they likely live solely on human blood which has augmentative qualities (which is why its the blood of choice for them all). However, those outcasts are also more likely to have experienced the frenzied/starving state more often, which means they will likely have ghoulish features making them far easier to spot. [b]Vampire Bites[/b] A vampire's fangs operate similarly to a serpent's. Just biting someone will not pass the virus on, however a vampire can excrete their venom from their fangs at will, using their bite to administer it into their victim's biological system. A person who has been infected will take 3 full days to change. They will become sick, vomiting and excreting all matter in their digestive system. Their hunger for blood will increase exponential as time goes on. Their body will ache as it goes through its metamorphosis and their senses will be overwhelming as they evolve. A vampire that tries to feast upon a werewolf will be in for a surprise. Lycanthropy is it's own mystical virus and one that is in direct conflict with the vampiric one. The Vampiric virus will immediately attack the Lycan virus and vice versa, rendering both parties violently ill. That is not to say that the two cannot rend and maim one another, but they most certainly should not try to feed upon eachother. When a vampire feeds upon a victim, they often take into them their dinner's memories. The information and foreign thoughts come at their consciousness in a chaotic, almost violent manner. To make sense of it all, a vampire would need to study or meditate upon their newfound acquirement. If left unstudied, then it is simply a garbled mess of images and experiences that get lost in the recesses of their mind. [/hider] [Hider=Werewolves][center][h2]Werewolves[/h2][/center] So you want to be a werewolf, eh? In most cases, this means you have been bitten by a werewolf in their animal form and survived to tell the tale, though there is the rare case that hereditary genetics have played a role in your curse. Werewolves share many similar traits, conceptually, as the vampire, but they also enjoy a great amount of differences. Strengths/Weaknesses In their human form, a person infected with lycanthropy has enhances senses, though they are comparatively subpar when compared to a vampire's. They also have strength greater than your average human, but again, slightly below a vampire's. Unlike their bloodsucking counterparts, werewolves have no distinct trait that would give away their curse except possibly the gift of a scar given to them by their sire. They can walk around in the daylight and pass for normal humans quite easily. Whereas a vampire is immortal, a werewolf has a lifespan comparable to a normal human as well as a slightly accelerated rate of healing and advanced durability. In the beastly form, these strengths are amplified to an astounding degree. When the fangs are out, their body mass increases significantly as does their strength and durability, far outclassing an average vampires. Even their senses are arguably keener. Able to move like a wolf or bipedal like a humanoid, the beast in quite fast and agile either way. The tradeoff for these gifts is that the beast can only be called upon under the light of the moon or potentially by magical means. When in this form, the werewolf's human consciousness is still in there, though their ability to effectively communicate through speech as a human would is completely gone. Because they can pass for human, a werewolf's opportunity for employment is as vast as their less than extraordinary peers, though the military and similar institutions have come to accept the advantages of having these hulking beasts on the front line. There is some unease in society when dealing with werewolves as they are seen as unhinged and uncontrollable by the majority. [b]Werewolf Bites[/b] Like the Vampirism, Lycanthropy is a similar mystical virus with a symbiotic bond to its host and that virus can be spread. Unlike a vampire, a werewolf has no control over whether or not their curse is passed on to their victims. Any exposure to a werewolf's bite while it is in it's bestial form begins the process of transformation. Most bitten by a werewolf soon meet their end, but should a victim survive then they will transform upon the next full moon and become one with their other self. [/hider] [Hider=Demons][center][h2]Demons[/h2][/center] We live in a realm we accept as the "Real World", but there are others. A dimension parallel to our own but much darker and twisted also exists and it's one commonly referred to as Hell. This is the birthplace of Demons. "Demon" is a broad stroke term to classify the creatures that originate from there in a similar way that most living things in our world technically would be classified as Earthlings. That in mind, there is no singular profile for a demon that is universally true among all the Hell creatures. They're all unique with unique attributes. Some demons are truly from the Hell Dimension that have managed to cross over while others are more akin to demon spawn, born in our world but from a demonic seed. Anyone wanting to play a demon will need to consider their origin, lore and reason for being in Duncaster. These demonic entities are not terribly common, but they do exist in the world. Their appearances, strength and weaknesses are diverse and unique to each hellspawn. [/hider] [Hider=The Fae][center][h2]The Fae[/h2][/center] The Fae, or Fairies, are ten to be a bit on the reclusive side, their domain scattered among the more forested and natural environments of the world. Generally nomadic, moving from place to place the moment they deem one colony too dangerous, and even moving to a colony that was originally deserted for the same reason. Finding these colonies probably come as a sixth sense to fae, but not impossible to find if you know where to look. One of the notable examples of fairies in this world come in the form of the character Loona Celestina from [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/175928-the-red-hoods-initiates/char][i]The Red Hoods: Initiates[/i][/url]. Each fae has something that acts as their source of physical and magical power (fairy dust) and it's often seen as tradition to name yourself after said source of power. For example, Loona gets her source of power from the moon and is stronger at night because of it. Fairy dust (Dust for short) is often secreted from a fae's pores and stored onto their wings. It can be used to grow, shrink, heal wounds, replenish, and give temporary flight depending on the potency. While dust naturally comes out of them, skilled fae can increase how much dust their body is able o produce, usually through meditation or covering themselves within their source of power. Wings are just as important as their names and source of power in fae culture. They are a good way to know who's who when within a lot of fairies. Losing them is a big deal, some colonies even disowning or exiling them if it does happen. When a fae looses their wings, the veins on said wings turn solid black while the color of the fairy's dust becomes a crystalline version of itself, covering the translucent parts of the wings. So for example, Loona's wings would be an iridescent silver with a rainbow sheen along with the black veins. Wearing a fairy's wings somewhere on your person either denotes someone of high standing, immense beauty, or daunting strength. There are even people out there who've made it their life's work to search for fae just to rip off their wings and sell them to those who couldn't be bothered to do it themselves, but want the notoriety. In terms of lifespan, Fairies are nigh immortal, able to live for hundreds of years at a time. Their strength is relative to their size and comparable to a human's. [/hider] The aforementioned races are ones that potential players have already expressed interest in. In creating a character, you are not limited to these species. If you would like to discuss a difference species, please come prepared with a pitch. I want to know their lore, their history, their strengths and weaknesses and why they are in Duncaster. I cannot guarantee all species will be accepted, but all will be considered. [hr] [hider=Expectations][center][h2]Expectations[/h2][/center] Your first post will see you in the city of Duncaster (or inbound to it) going about whatever life you have weaved for your character. There's going to be an extraordinary event within the city that should shake things up and garner a lot of attention. The first leg of the RP will serve as an exercise in introductions to the characters we've created and the world around us which will soon lead to the driving plot of the game. My job, as I see it, is to guide you through a main path with preset challenges that will take you through the beginning, climax and ultimate resolution of this particular campaign. Your job, as I see it, is to make the journey through that path as interesting as possible. If you prefer purely reactive gameplay where the GM says "A monster appears" and you promptly fight it and then you stand there thinking "Now, what?" then you may be better off with a different game. I want the players that will fight the monster and then take it upon themselves to figure out where that monster came from, possibly discovering or creating a subplot around the motivations of the attack. I want players that, during the downtime between big conflicts, come up with ways to explore their own backstories and unresolved issues with the world. And, hell, take one of your new friends with you on the ride! I'm going to do my best to keep things moving, keep it structured, and hit you all with challenges along the way. All I ask is that you embrace creativity and make your audience care about your character. [center][h2]Posting Schedule[/h2][/center] When momentum is lost, even the best of RPs may die. I am requesting at least 1 post per week from all players. That's once in a span of 168 potentially available hours. I will tag you in OOC when you've hit 2 days from deadline and 1 day from deadline as a courtesy as long as I can remember to. If the deadline is breached, I'll issue a formal warning for the first offense. The second time it is breached, I will temporarily control your character, if needed, to move the scene along and issue the second formal warning. If there is a Third breach, you will be asked to abandon the RP and your character will be tastefully written out of gameplay. If there is a situation like an upcoming vacation or a death in the family or something of that nature that will affect your posting schedule, just let me know what's going on and I'll certainly work with you. If you know you're going to be offline for a while but don't know how long, we can definitely write in a way to sideline your character during your absence and pick back up when you return. Overall, I don't want to be rule-pusher, but I also don't want this to go stale. Stagnation is RP cancer and I've seen too many games die from it. Please also see the section about about Chapters. There will be built-in breaks which also search and entry/exist points for players that want to move on or join in. I mostly want [i]you [/i]to want to be here and I'm willing to do a lot to help make that happen, but I am definitely not willing to drag down progress or player morale because of one or two players who just can't get it together.[/hider] This is a very rough OOC right now that I plan on polishing further over the next few days, as well as formatting to be a little more uniform in presentation. As noted in the big text at the top, be sure to check back every now and then for new and expanded information. [color=ed1c24][b][u]The game is scheduled to officially start on October 20[/u][/b][/color]. Feel free to go ahead and start submitting applications for consideration. Not all applications will be accepted (we currently have 16 interested parties and I'm sure that number is bound to grow before it comes time to start making decisions), but all applicants will get fair consideration. This will not be a first come, first served type of application process. I'm looking for players who are willing to invest, who can get along with our little family and who are excited and self motivated when it comes to creativity and keeping the story rolling. If your character is not initially accepted, they are still potentially eligible for future entry into the RP if an active player drops out or if it'll serve our plot. We do have an active Discord. Anyone is able to join for now but, once we start making cuts, those who are not actively playing in the RP will be respectfully asked to exit the discord or otherwise removed. You can ask me or any of the GMs for an invite through private messages.