POPPY “Pops” LEROUX
Mother Goose | 32 | Female | 5’8” | 140?lbs To provide a safe shelter for orphans and troubled children, make sure they’re well-fed and not forced into dangerous situations.
Secrets: She loved (loves?) a police officer, her adopted brother, who is stationed in Ragged Gravel. She secretly bore his child, whom she placed anonymously into her orphanage.
Fears:- Innocent children getting hurt, or worse, dying.
- Her child being discovered
- Seeing her adopted brother at the other end of her knife
- Hunger
History:Poppy grew up on the streets. She didn’t know who her parents were, if they were dead, and how she made it past her infancy. What she does know is that most adults are bad and children will suffer at their hands. Of course, there are exceptions to everything. Her exception was Mrs. Leroux. Yes, her name is given by Mrs. Leroux and she didn’t have one before that.
Mrs. Leroux only had her son, who was just a year older than Poppy. Mr. Leroux had died on duty not long after their son was born, leaving just the two of them. The Leroux was a well-to-do family outside the city, but Mr. Leroux had a cop dream, which landed him in the middle of the secluded city, his wife moving here with him. Mrs. Leroux had a decent job of her own and his husband’s assets to live off of, so taking in another young child was no big deal. If anything, the joy of another human in her life was greater than anything else money could buy. It was under these loving and moral values that the two kids grew up. As expected, Poppy’s adopted brother turned out just like his dad, wanting nothing than to bring about justice to the world. Although the two children were close, Poppy, on the other hand, turned out a little different.
Blame it on the genes or the early years she spent on the streets, but Poppy was naturally attracted to the dark side of society. It was high school when the two children finally had more freedom away from the watchful eyes of Mrs. Leroux who cared a little too much about safety. Poppy started committing petty crimes with her street-kid friends. Poppy may have been taken away from her desolate life, but she never forgot those she survived with before that. They kept contact before then, with Poppy occasionally offering them some of her allowance. However, she knew it was nowhere near enough. It was either to sell themselves to some sketchy organization or to become a faction of their own. They chose the latter.
At first, Poppy only acted as bait or decoy for the other children, seeing as she was well-presented and would lower the guards of passersby. Then, as they encountered more and more close calls and dangerous situations, Poppy found that she had a way with knives. Having cooked at home with Mrs. Leroux and enjoyed it, she already knew she was a good cook, but now, she discovered how knives could be used to harm.
Honestly, kids never meant to do bad things, but life had a way of pushing them in that direction. Poppy didn’t even finish high school when the incident happened. A fight broke out, chaos ensued, and somehow she was made the leader of this kid group. She knew she had to take care of the group, or they’d all be dead. After some careful planning, Poppy stole a decent sum from Mrs. Leroux, gathered her forces in the slums, and took revenge. This was the start of Omakase’s growth. With such a large group, mouths needed to be fed. Poppy took care of that. The children could eat for free, but adults had to pay a tribute. The menu was left up to Poppy, depending on what she had on hand, thus came about the name of the faction.
Over the next few years, the Omakase faction amassed influence and funds. They had the tent park more or less under control and a good number of commercial streets in Grey Heights were “under their protection”. They never strayed from their starting aim of providing a safe option for the children who had no options. They have started the construction of the Poppy Orphanage. At that time, their base was a homely tavern along the riverbanks.
That was when Poppy saw her adopted brother again. He had just become a cop and was out with his new colleagues, having a drink in her restaurant. She overheard that Mrs. Leroux had passed away not long after Poppy’s leaving. That was how she couldn’t stop him from following his father’s steps. He didn’t recognize her, she thinks, with her tattoos, piercings and dyed hair. He did recognize her love for him that broke out of the floodgates, though, even in his drunken daze. It was a night that she would never forget, and he would probably never remember. He also gave her a child.
Knowing that she was living a dangerous life, and that her relationship with him would be fatal to both of them, she kept all of it a secret. Thankfully, she awakened her Gyft at that point, and she could use it to hide her growing child and explain away her increased appetite. She sped up establishing the new orphanage, and spread the word far and wide. Along with hopes of saving more children from misery of being homeless or abused, Poppy was also hoping to hide a tree – her tree – amongst a forest.
Fast forward to the present day, Poppy’s organization was big enough that she no longer needed to employ any of her children for her dirty work. They could all spend their days in blissful ignorance while the dirty adults did the dirty work. The children coming out of her orphanage could become the honorable adults she never could. This was the hope from the beginning. But that’s not enough. There are still so many children suffering around the city, heck, even within her own district that she hasn’t saved. For this, she needs more money… more people. Just, hopefully, karma doesn’t come back to bite the ones she loves.
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Alliance: Mafia Boss
District: Grey Heights
Comfortable DistrictBeing close to the Southern gate and having good access to imported goods, this district is known as the middle class’ good time. Littered with malls and individual stores, offering goods and services alike, anyone with a few bucks to spare is promised a good time. The most popular street would be the waterfront promenade lined with all sorts of food establishments.
For the food connoisseurs, however, there’s a better destination a bit away from the main street. It was the private establishment, Kusaya – owned by our beloved Poppy. This reservations-only restaurant can procure anything you wish to eat, legal or not. There will be no worries about law enforcement, as the establishment promises a truly private experience, should a dubious request come to pass. Those less accessible materials will require more time and a heftier price, of course. The food will be expertly prepared by the owner herself, so the taste can be guaranteed, but you’ll never know if she’s slipped you a little something extra. After all, this establishment was created to rob the rich.
Penny Stakes
Poor DistrictA district with a high population density, packed with those unable to afford better accommodation. The few high-rises stuck out like a sore thumb against the slums that are the rest of the district, not that the tall buildings were in any good shape. While convenience stores can be found around every corner, other types of commercial buildings are rare. The streets are filthy and constantly smelled of weed. It’s a neighbourhood one wouldn’t walk through alone if they didn’t live here.
Originally a public park, the open space next to the river was occupied by squalid tents of the truly desperate. It had been the rowdiest area, but under Poppy’s iron knife, the residents learned to keep to themselves, and not disturb those on their way to Grey Heights.
At the east edge, The Poppy Orphanage occupies a large area next to Grey Heights and Elysium Heights. This place truly looks the part of a sanctuary, complete with its own elementary school and spacious enclosed grounds.
One of the rundown buildings was commandeered by Poppy as her drug production base, producing weed and other low-end illicit substances.
Faction: Omakase
Created by Poppy and several other street kids, this faction didn’t trust adults easily but lent whatever it could to any child asking for help. Having moved beyond its rough earlier days, the faction was now fully capable of providing a sanctuary to the less fortunate children. They actively sought out abandoned children and provided them with a home. The orphanage also provided adoption services, but with the strict selection process, and the state of the city, few couples even made inquiries. Omakase also offers food banks around Penny Stakes, and prioritizes hiring teenagers for part-time positions in Grey Heights. All of these activities are funded by the commercial activity in Grey Heights and drug deals in Penny Stakes.
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Gyft: Metabolica Diabolica
The ability to control one’s own metabolic rate. This Gyft manifested from Poppy’s irregular eating habits. Since a young age, she often wished to eat as much as she could when she had food, for she didn’t know when her next meal would be.
With this Gyft, Poppy can store an insane amount of food as pure energy in her body, without any change in her physical appearance. However, her weight will change accordingly, which, in turn, will change how her body moves.
She can intentionally increase her metabolic rate to increase her speed and healing. With a high enough metabolic rate, she is essentially unaffected by any injuries that don’t one-shot her. However, this depletes her energy supplies quickly.
While she could also decrease her metabolic rate, she rarely sees a point other than keeping her hands cool while making sushi.
Normally, to prepare for most situations, she keeps her weight just below 65 (see below), and high-energy snacks on hand.
Limitations and Weaknesses: Her speed and healing are limited by her energy supplies.
If she overexerts herself and isn’t able to replenish through nourishments, she will faint from low blood sugar. She also cannot eat more than 10lbs of food per day.
If she eats too much and gains too much weight, her speed and reflexes will be hindered. Although, her power will be increased. There is one point where she becomes too heavy for her body and becomes immobilized.
Mechanics: Her weight will range from 1 to 100. Each number corresponds to 1lb, which is equivalent to consuming around 2lbs of food (1/2 lb of high-energy snack) or 2 days of normal metabolism.
- 1 = about to faint
- 6-35 = light and agile
- 36-65 = balanced performance
- 66-95 = slow but heavy-hitting
- 100 = difficult to move
- Heightened speed: costs 1 for every 2 hours
- normal injuries: costs 1 per, or 4 for every hour continuously
- non-lethal wounds: costs 5+ per
- lethal wounds: costs 10+ per
