AmongHeroes

Pieces of 8: Bones of the North

Hey Grainy! Great to have you back.

Pieces of 8: Bones of the North

Wonderful! Good to have your interest, Ryse.

Pieces of 8: Bones of the North

Themes: Modern Day, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural

Welcome to the Bain & Hoyle Investigation and Recovery Company. We are the oldest and most prestigious private intelligence firms in the Veiled World, with over five hundred years of experience. You have the unique opportunity to join us, and be counted amongst an elite cadre of inimitable individuals tasked with completing some of the most significant missions on the planet. Since you are sitting here, you have already passed the first battery of qualifications, many of which you did not perceive. This level of secrecy was wholly intentional. To continue, you will need to make your mark here, and the selection process will proceed. Be warned however, that once you sign your name, you are entering a life of intrigue and danger that is not to be taken lightly.

…What is your answer?



If you made your mark, than welcome to the Veiled World. It is a world of demons, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and all manner of strange and unique entities all living secretly among the mortal realm. It is a world that mirrors that of humans, with commerce, trade, crime, conspiracy, joy, and sadness. This RP is to take place in that world, from the perspective of those unique individuals that make their living as agents of the Bain & Hoyle Company.

This RP is unique in that your character can be any manner of creature, from human to demigod snail, and everything in between. Your imagination is your limit. Your inherent powers will be used to aid the team of B&H agents in their daring missions across the globe. The actual plot will be revealed if there is enough interest, but again the crux of the whole RP will revolve around the characters and their interactions as they go about their supernatural missions.

Bones of the North is the second episode of Po8, so both old and new characters are equally welcome! If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask.

The Place beyond the Pines

Name: Otis “Otter” Preston
Age: 17 year-old Senior
Height: 6’-0”

Appearance:


Profile: With his father having been recently moved from North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego to the Naval Air Station in Brunswick just the previous year, Otter is a new transplant to Shermer High School. Growing up as an avid surfer with aspirations to become a professional in the sport, Otter was less than enthusiastic about his move to the North East. Despite a hefty dose of resentment over the derailment of his dreams, Otter’s knack for perpetual optimism and happiness has led him to settle into his new existence with little sign of his underlying disappointment. With a personality that many find magnetic, the transition into a new school with all new faces has come easily to Otter.

Otter is intelligent and well-read, but he suffers from what his father calls the “stereotypical surfer mantra” of little aspiration to do anything with his gifts but enjoy his youth and the opportunities of the present. Since his removal from his birthplace, this “condition” has only seemed to worsen, and the pursuit of a good time and a quick thrill has led to Otter’s academics to suffer. If the thought of possibly not graduating bothers the young man, it certainly does not show.

With the coming of the storm, and the unique traits that it imparted upon him, Otter found himself in a sobering situation. The battery of tests and constant monitoring was a heavy dose of grim reality, and one that at last brought focus to Otter’s new life. The search for answers is something that has come to occupy almost the whole of his mind, and as a result he anxiously yearns for the solace of the thoughts of the others who were affected as he was.

Supporting Characters:
Jimmy Roth: An 18 year-old Senior, and Otter’s closest friend at Shermer, Jimmy is a skater with a mentality for a good time at all costs. A stoner with a quick wit and a sharp tongue that has often landed him in conflict with his classmates, Jimmy contrasts with his easy-going and approachable friend from San Diego.

Kat Murphy: Kat is the 17 year-old Junior girlfriend of Jimmy Roth’s, and in turn one of Otter’s close friends. She is bad-girl hot, and she knows it. Her overt allure has led to some harsh titles from her fellow classmates, especially other girls. Despite her reputation, she has always been true to Jimmy, and is a fervent defender of those she loves and cares for.

Seizure

I'd be interested in playing this out.

Pieces of 8

Greetings everyone,
I want to say that I'm sorry for being absent, especially when things were gearing up to be great in the RP. As Igraine mentioned however, I had a very important family matter to attend to, and am just now thankfully through with. Even still, I plan on taking some time off to focus on family for a while, and so I won't be on RPG. I want to thank each and every one of you for your great and consistent participation in this RP. It has been the most successful one I've ever GMed, and I hate to table it for now, but real life is certainly more important.

I wish you all the best, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,
AH

Along The Darkest Road

I apologize for that post taking its sweet time, but it is up none the less :). Hope everyone's weekend has been pleasant.

Along The Darkest Road

V relished the oasis of Bess’ embrace for the scant moments her arms were wrapped around his neck. Her tiny arms, so powerful despite their size, brought pools of tears to his eyes as the child’s pain and fear bled through. He made to speak soothing words to her, to affirm that they would return her to her mother, but Bess had already begun to struggle. Vandilo didn’t fight her, and he allowed the girl to slip free of his grasp.

With Bess free of his arms, he felt impotent and lost. In the chaotic nightmare of the past few minutes, protection of Bess had given him purpose, and had taken his mind from their failure to protect Drust. Now, as he knelt near beside his brothers and sisters who were lending their aid to Abe, he had no such crutch. Navid’s skilled hands worked quickly, and V tried to look for an opening to help. He would reach to assist, but his movements were hesitant and unpracticed, and Navid worked around him like water passing around a river stone.

Frustration with his feeble actions mounted in his chest, a misplaced target for the hatred of those who had taken his brother, and at last he sat back upon the ground with a grunt of anger. His hands found their way to either side of his head, the fingers lacing into his dirty blond hair, pulling at the strands. Drust was in the hands of individuals tainted by the imps, his patriarch lay injured upon the ground, and his eyes had yet to find Floure. The defining threads that had woven themselves into the tapestry of his life were being pulled away, and with them his existence seemed on the brink of unraveling. Around them, the imps danced and laughed. Not hiding in the dark corners as they usually did. No, now they were fat with despair and fear, and they moved amongst Croftshire like flies upon carrion, emboldened by the wounding of their natural predators.

Vandilo looked up into the face of Chavi as her voice rose in tremulous joy at Navid’s handiwork. He blinked several times as his mind at last surpassed his racing emotion. Here was Chavi, with her brother taken, and her father lying injured before her, and she had not crumpled into a worthless pile of desolation. Though her expression was etched with the lines of worry, she had not relinquished hope, and this brought shame flooding into quell the fire of his selfishness. V had no right to crumple where his family stood strong, even in the face of tragedy.

At Chavi’s mention of getting to safety, V found a renewed purpose, and he stood. Bringing his fingers to his mouth, he blew a loud whistle. The sound carried above the lingering din, and in moments he heard the whinnied rejoinder of Hibo. The mare galloped up the road and came to a skidded stop beside Vandilo, where she stood pawing nervously in place.

V turned to kneel beside Abe once more, looking up to his family. “We can lay Abe across Hibo’s back. I say we either get back to camp, or at the very least make it into the forest.” He shuffled over to take a position behind Abe’s massive shoulders, and he braced his hands under the man’s armpits, ready to lift.

Along The Darkest Road

I know I'm behind, and I'm sorry everybody. I haven't had a great last couple of days. I think I'll have some time tonight to get a post up though.

Pieces of 8

Reginald Hoyle
Reginald Hoyle watched the life pass from Max’s body as the gate to death closed, and he forced himself to watch the pain in Veti’s face as she caught her lover’s lifeless form. It was the least he could grant both her, and the spirit of the man she had just lost. For a long moment he was still and silent, following Veti in her solemn march behind Cornelius with his eyes until she disappeared. There was a grim miasma that seemed to cloud the space between the gathered members of the Boston Branch, or that was at least how Hoyle perceived the moment, and he wished to dispel it as quickly as decency permitted.

Once Veti had taken her full leave, Reginald stood to his full, though albeit diminutive, height, and looked around to those that remained. “Now, it is up to us to ensure that Max’s sacrifice was not made in vain. To ensure Decima does not achieve her goal before we can destroy her, we must continue our original mission, and find Lord Morpiér’s missing Piece.”

“If you recall,” Reginald continued, his voice now slowly regaining its familiar pleasant timbre, “Edvard Moraine, Morpiér’s trusted progeny, was to take possession of the Piece if the vampire lord should return to the light. Originally Moraine had called upon B&H to aid in the recovery of the Piece since it had turned up missing when he went to retrieve it.”

“For those of you who went through the ordeal at the night club, we gained some information from one of our assailants that Moraine had spawned hundreds of vampires for the simple purpose of killing the entire B&H team. On face value, that is a hard statement to refute, since the interrogation of the subject was done in a most reliable fashion by our resident Reaper. The truth, as best as Bain and I have been able to glean, is actually quite different.”

Reginald was now off pacing in between the center of the group, his mind now lost upon the wave of his own intrigue. “Given that the breach in our security at the Boston Branch would require an unparalleled amount of inside knowledge to achieve, coupled with the logistics of the use of the fox-spirit on the island, and the overwhelming task of creating dozens of new vampires to try and murder those that were spirited to London, we can only surmise that all of it was the work of our traitorous executive carrying out Decima’s will. There simply is no way that Moraine could have orchestrated such a plot, he is just not influential or powerful enough in his own rite.”

“This has led us back to our original purpose. That of finding Moraine, and finding the Piece he was sworn to protect…”

Archibald Bain
“...And that is where we have the upper hand for the first time,” Archibald Bain interrupted as he stepped from the dark hallway leading from his chambers.

The regal vampire appeared as hale and hearty as ever, now outfitted in expensive chinos, a navy sport coat, and a lighter blue dress shirt that was open at the collar. He walked with a fluid gate that he had not possessed the night before, and his face was relaxed and handsome where it had been previously taut and ashen. The vampire stopped beside his longtime friend, and smiled lightly to the group.

“It is good to be back among you, and I will say that I am deeply sorry for allowing myself to be so foolishly possessed.” His smile soured. “Those in Decima’s service are truly cunning.”

“However, as I mentioned, we do at last have the trump card. One of the goals of the recent breach in security was to gain access to Siya.” Archibald indicated the tiny vampire with an open palm and an apologetic look. “As I attempted to explain while under the influence of that traitorous trollop, Siya has the means to help us find Moraine on account of their shared lineage.”

He bowed his head slightly, “Now before emotions rise…” Archibald glanced fleetingly to Atticus, “…no blood magic or dark ritual is required. All that is needed is someone to focus and enhance the link that will be created to narrow down Moraine’s whereabouts.” The vampire looked slowly over to the perched figure of Oro Mai. “Someone with an ancient and firm connection into the realm of the ethereal would be best.”

Archibald turned to address the Muninn fully. “Correct me if I am mistaken, but I am sure that in your long years of study you have become aware of such magic?” He phrased his words as a question, but in truth it could’ve been spoken as a statement. Archibald’s voice was direct, but not brusque or rude. He looked back to Siya, his expression softened into one of almost sheepish imploration. It was an expression keenly foreign to the aloof vampire’s features.

“Siya, if you would allow this, this channeling of your blood-connection through Oro, then we could at last be on the main track of our quest.” His eyes looked from Siya, to Oro, and then once again the vampire girl, a thin smile affixing upon his face. “What shall it be?”

Atticus
The Incubus waited until Archibald left the question hanging in the air.

“Sir,” Atticus said, looking to the elder vampire, “just to clarify: this ‘link’ between Oro and Siya, could it be dangerous?” His eyes grew duskier, becoming a dark crimson, almost the color of dried blood before he continued. “With all due respect, our little band has suffered more than its fair share of attrition.”

Atticus was sure that his words were clear and forward, but lacked the edge of his previous confrontation with Archibald just scant hours before. The vampire had been possessed at the time, that much Atticus would concede, but he knew that Archibald was an ambitious and driven individual, and had never been known at the best of times as overly humanistic.

The vampire’s eyes narrowed somewhat, but if he took offense to the question, he refrained from expressing it. Instead he nodded, granting the point to Atticus.

“I appreciate your concern,” Archibald said. “I can assure you, that from what I know, such a magical link is only detrimental if either party involved wishes harm upon the other. If Siya or Oro desired to addle the mind of the other, this would be one way to achieve that end.”