[h1][b][i][color=008000][center]In This Fine Town Of Arkham[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1]
[h3][b][i][color=008000][center]A Night At Wilde Hall[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[img]https://i.ibb.co/bv4Sk27/cristi-balanescu-cristi-balanescu-downtown-1.jpg[/img]

[hr]
[center][b]"What lay behind our joint love of shadows and marvels was, no doubt, the ancient, mouldering, and subtly fearsome town in which we live – witch-cursed, legend-haunted Arkham, whose huddled, sagging gambrel roofs and crumbling Georgian balustrades brood out the centuries beside the darkly muttering Miskatonic."[/b] - [i]H. P. Lovecraft[/i][/center]
[hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Premise[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
	Avery Wildes is old money. It is said that her ancestor was one of the first to set foot in the place that would become Arkham, and her families history has been intertwined with the city ever since. Her family has always been close to the beating heart of the city, and Avery is no exception. The balls and parties hosted at Wilde Hall are near-legendary, and by brushing shoulders with the rich and powerful of Arkham, Avery has ensured that her family will not fade into obscurity. Her husband's recent sudden death has done nothing to dampen these gatherings, in fact they seem only to have spurred the hostess onwards.

	You have heard of these parties, perhaps you have even crossed paths with the Wildes family, but you were still not expecting to find an invitation arriving at your door. Somehow, [b]you[/b] have caught Avery's attention, and as the night of the gathering approaches, you find your attention turning towards who else might have received these mysterious invitations. The only information you have received is a date, a time of arrival, and an instruction that this particular event will be a masquerade ball, and that your title for the evening has already been chosen for you. But you know there is more to it than that. Invitation or not, there is something you need in Wilde Hall, something that is calling to you, haunting your very dreams...

[hr][img]https://i.ibb.co/WsDVXgm/richard-wright-cthulhu-the-old-house.jpg[/img]
[hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Overview[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=008000]Setting:[/color][/b] Lovecraft's Arkham, and the surrounding area
[b][color=008000]Time Frame:[/color][/b] 1920's Prohibition-era America
[b][color=008000]RP Tags:[/color][/b] Historical, High Casual, Advanced, Large Group, Eldritch Horror, Mystery, Tabletop
[b][color=008000]Characters:[/color][/b] Journalists, students, professors, detectives, criminals, socialites, private investigators
[b][color=008000]Themes:[/color][/b] A period mystery drama, with a heavy dose of Lovecraftian horror. Your character will have their own personal motivations for attending the Wilde Hall ball, as well as goals as a group with your fellow PC's.
[b][color=008000]Style:[/color][/b] I'm looking for three or four paragraphs per post as a minimum. I'm not too fussed if this ends up in the Casual or Advanced sections, but I'll still be expecting regular and engaging posts.

[hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Rules[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[list]
[*] Be excellent to each other. This means show respect to everyone, player, GM or lurker, whether that's respecting the choices and decisions of other players, or simply be courteous to one another. 
[*] No god-modding or meta-gaming of any kind. There may be moments in this RP where the players are separated, and discover different things. Unless you were present, or were told about it, you don't know about it. End of. 
[*] Real life always comes first, but please only join this if you envision that you will have the time to participate, and also let me know if you are going to be away for a prolonged period of time. Characters can be made NPC, but I prefer to know if you are dropping out, or merely going through some real-life issues. 
[*] I'm aiming for the updates to come every 1-2 weeks, so please aim to post at least once between updates. If someone fails to post within this time, I won't hold everyone else up, so don't risk getting left behind!
[*] This is intended to be a role-play that everyone can enjoy, so please put effort into your posts! You should (hopefully) have no shortage of things to write about, so I expect at least 2-3 solid paragraphs per post. I would prefer acceptable spelling and grammar, but I'm not demanding professional level stuff! A lot of people role-play to improve their own writing skills, I know I certainly have, so you're welcome as long as you put effort into your post.
[*] I am intending to use 'hidden stats' to make rolls throughout this RP, modelled on the roleplaying system 'Call of Cthulu'. No prior experience with that system is required. 
[*] This is a mystery RP, and there may well be information you hold that is not common knowledge. While I cannot force you not to share this knowledge, I do hope that people will buy into the idea of hidden agendas and goals!
[*] Please select your own colour for your character, and use that colour code for your application. If a colour is already claimed, please refrain from applying with it.
[*] This RP is set in 1920s America, and draws heavy influence from the works of Lovecraft. Both of those facts require a quick disclaimer. Lovecraft held deeply racist and outdated personal views, but we can still appreciate the brilliance and imagination of his art, without celebrating the views of the artist. In a similar vein, the 1920s played host to a number of views that are outdated today, whether that regarded race, gender, sexuality or religion. I will not be intentionally leaning into any of these aspects, but be aware that they do exist in the world of this RP. 
[*] I reserve the executive power to reject, or to expel, any character, and I do not need to divulge my reasoning. Hopefully I will never have to, but this is a reminder.
[*] If in doubt, follow the words of Lady A -  [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/91296-rpers-guide-to-etiquette-updated-may-15-2019/ooc#post-3337607]The Rpers Guide To Etiquette[/url]
[/list]

[hr][center][img]https://i.ibb.co/dPXp5zt/ef7ca0042a55fd8ffd390e86bb679b72.jpg[/img][/center]
[hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Character Sheet[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]

[hider=Character Sheet Template][hr][hr][h1][b][i][color=008000][center]Character Name[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1]
[center][img]Character Image[/img][/center]
[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Character Summary[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=008000]Name:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Aliases:[/color][/b] [i](Nicknames, previous names, maiden names, etc.)[/i]
[b][color=008000]Occupation:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Age:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Birthplace:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Race/Ethnicty:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Gender:[/color][/b]

[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Physical Attributes[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=008000]Height:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Weight:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Build:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Eyes:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Hair:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Skin Tone:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Tattoos/Scars/Piercings:[/color][/b]

[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Psychological Attributes[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[i][color=008000][center][color=39b54a]Trait[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Trait[/color] * [color=39b54a]Trait[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Trait[/color] * [color=39b54a]Trait[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Trait[/color][/center][/color][/i]

[b][color=008000]Sexuality:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Relationship Status:[/color][/b]
[b][color=008000]Likes:[/color][/b][list][*][*][*][*][*][*][/list]
[b][color=008000]Dislikes:[/color][/b][list][*][*][*][*][*][*][/list]
[b][color=008000]Fears:[/color][/b][list][*][*][*][/list]

[/hider]


[hider=Example Character Sheet]
[hr][hr][h1][b][i][color=008000][center]Wentworth Avebury[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1]
[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/db/c2/91/dbc291ba4d2ad1923fd4d5fe64bc807f.jpg[/img][/center]
[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Character Summary[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=008000]Name:[/color][/b] Wentworth Thomas Avebury
[b][color=008000]Aliases:[/color][/b] Tommy
[b][color=008000]Occupation:[/color][/b] Languages Professor - Miskatonic University
[b][color=008000]Age:[/color][/b] 58
[b][color=008000]Birthplace:[/color][/b] Arkham
[b][color=008000]Race/Ethnicty:[/color][/b] White
[b][color=008000]Gender:[/color][/b] Male

[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Physical Attributes[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=008000]Height:[/color][/b] 5'10"
[b][color=008000]Weight:[/color][/b] 198 lbs
[b][color=008000]Build:[/color][/b] Wiry
[b][color=008000]Eyes:[/color][/b] Dark brown
[b][color=008000]Hair:[/color][/b] Grey/White
[b][color=008000]Skin Tone:[/color][/b] Pale
[b][color=008000]Tattoos/Scars/Piercings:[/color][/b]

[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Psychological Attributes[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[i][color=008000][center][color=39b54a]Inquisitive[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Stubborn[/color] * [color=39b54a]Intelligent[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Impatient[/color] * [color=39b54a]Enthusiastic[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Blunt[/color][/center][/color][/i]

[b][color=008000]Sexuality:[/color][/b] Straight
[b][color=008000]Relationship Status:[/color][/b] Widowed
[b][color=008000]Likes:[/color][/b][list][*]Myths and Folklore[*]Time in nature[*]Reading[*]Animals[*]Languages[*]Classical Music[/list]
[b][color=008000]Dislikes:[/color][/b][list][*]Interruptions[*]Rudeness[*]Indecision[*]Crowds[*]Religion[*]Alcohol[/list]
[b][color=008000]Fears:[/color][/b][list][*]Drowning[*]Heights[*]Losing the photograph of his late wife[/list]
[/hider]
[hr][h3][b][i][color=008000][center]Final Thoughts[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]

	[b]Thank you to everyone that has made it this far! I've been toying with this idea for a while now, and I think it's finally ready to see the light of the day. Hopefully it will provide everyone with a healthy dose of mystery, suspense, thrills and cosmic horror! Something sinister is always afoot in Arkham, and Wilde Hall is no exception. The characters must work together if they are to survive the night, but each player also has a private objective, some goal that has drawn them to Wilde Hall, some secret agenda that they must achieve for their own ends.

	You may notice that the Character Sheet is quite thin on the ground (namely the lack of any real background), and that ties directly to the mystery of the RP. Apply as normal, with the Character Sheet template provided, and I will then work with you to create your 'secret agenda', and develop the skills that you'll use throughout the roleplay. 

	If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask, either here in the OOC, or through PMs. I am always happy to answer any queries, no matter how detailed or vague they may be, and it never hurts to ask. [/b]