Dark Jack

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

You know, I started thinking the other day... I was pondering some of the weapons I have been designing for the RP, wondering whether they made sense, when I started thinking about the actual canonical weapons of Bloodborne. One of the key principles I've been keeping in mind regarding these things is that, ignoring how incredibly fragile "trick weapons" would be in real life or magically appearing bowstrings, the weapons tend to make some kind of realistic sense. They are all based on weapon concepts from the real world... with one exception: the Kirkhammer.
That single weapon bothers me, as I've been trying to figure out how to portray it in the RP. The sword part obviously makes sense, since it's just a sword, and the concept of the hammer-part sliding along the length of the sword-blade to extend its reach is actually interesting, but what bothers me is the hammer itself. One thing is the weight; I found someone who crunched the numbers so I don't have to, and presuming that the Kirkhammer is made of an actually durable kind of stone, like granite, it ends up weighing 123.75 kg, or 273 pounds... which isn't as much as I was expecting, but still very heavy. Heavy enough that Newton's laws of motion would dictate that people wielding it would not be having a good time swinging that thing around, yet not heavy enough that its sheer mass would crush anything caught in its way.
But the weight isn't even the issue. You play as a Hunter, after all, and one beefed up with blood echo steroids at that; you're superhuman. My real issue is it's shape. If you look at actual warhammer designs from the real world - or hell, any hammer design from the real world - you will notice that (excluding ones based off fantasy settings) they tend to have relatively small, narrow heads, the purpose of which is to focus the force of the strike into a small area, dramatically increasing the pressure exerted on the target.
The Kirkhammer isn't made as a warhammer, but rather as a mallet or sledgehammer, both of which are specifically designed with larger heads for the purpose of distributing force over a wider area. They are meant to exert force on things without damaging them, with the exception of using them for breaking down walls, and even then it's a matter of wanting to break off chunks rather than breaking them to pieces. A Kirkhammer would take a monstrous amount of force to swing, sure, but it would hit a large area of the target's body, distributing that force and thus doing much less damage than it could have otherwise. It's the difference between hitting someone with your forearm or your elbow; one will probably just push a person back some, the other might cause serious injury.
So... yeah. In conclusion, I'd say that the Kirkhammer - in a world with wheels turning into hate-fueled chainsaws and swords wreathing themselves in light - is the most "fantasy" weapon in Bloodborne, simply because it doesn't make sense from a practical point of view. It's a symbolic weapon, all right, because it wouldn't be much use in practice.

With that out of the way... How are things on your end? Are you holding up well enough?

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Eastern Yharnam, relatively near the Hunter's clinic, at the top of the elevator

It was with a sense of immense relief and a deep sigh that Victor retrieved his sword from the ground, feeling as though he regained some of his strength and stability just from holding the weapon in his hand. He straightened back up, already feeling much more like himself again, as he listened to the others speaking, realizing with wonder that he was quite relieved to realize that their attention was no longer on him, though he also realized that he did not feel as fearful as he once had... not a moment ago, and not before the Mad One had attacked, either. Since his back injury against the scourge beast that had been the reason for his becoming a Hunter, Victor had been afraid constantly; afraid of leaving his back uncovered, afraid of others near him turning into beasts... but most of all he had been afraid of losing his mind and himself, of becoming either like a beast or an actual beast. In a way his panic attack from before had been the peak of this fear, the culmination of years' worth of intense dread, yet now he found that he was no longer afraid.
For a moment he was concerned, subtly running his tongue over his teeth to check if any of them – especially the canines – had changed, but he quickly dismissed his worry as merely the latest fit of the paranoia he knew had haunted him in his days as a Hunter. His teeth were fine; if he had changed it was a purely psychological change, much more likely to be a result of the trauma he had just endured than the manifestation of beasthood.
Yet still he could not bring himself to look at his companions, unsure what he was afraid of. What would he see in their eyes? And what would they see in his?

The others seemed to be getting past the sudden fear that had seized Adelicia, mostly seeming content to ignore Victor – something that would have ordinarily angered him, but that he found himself feeling much more willing to accept now – while seemingly quickly agreeing that they should get moving. Adelicia seemed apologetic, fearful and weak as ever, which to Victor was almost as much a matter of course as the fact that the sun would rise in the east and set in the west. Adelicia was no Hunter; Raine and Victor were. People were scared of Hunters. It was merely the way of things; Hunters were powerful, almost demihuman beings that lived for fighting and killing, so it was only natural for a relatively “normal” human to feel inferior and threatened in their presence. Especially when one had just witnessed said Hunters exercise their brutal craft.
I feel... surprisingly calm, he thought, idly using the thumb of his left hand to scoop a quicksilver bullet out of the pouch reserved for them at his waist. Somehow... I don't feel as bloodthirsty as before. How odd. I even know that I'm not at my full regenerative potential right now, since I was still wounded when I gave myself blood treatment and I just broke my hand, yet I feel no compulsion to drink one of my two remaining blood vials. He swiftly loaded the bullet into his blunderbuss, preparing it for another shot. And even with Adelicia right there, I don't want to hurt her. This peace... is strange.

Raine also urged them to hurry, citing that beasts might be attracted to the gunshots, though Victor did not completely agree with his fellow Hunter's assumption. Even if beasts were near enough to hear the gunshots, were not engaged in anything else and managed to follow the sound all the way to them without something else in the crowded city attracting their attention, most beasts would still be unable to reach them. The plateau was raised exactly to isolate it from the area below, and was only reachable by elevator to make it improbable for beasts to figure out how to get up here. True, a fully corrupted scourge beast or – gods forbid – a cleric beast might be able to scale the wall, but how likely was it that one of those was close enough to be attracted by the gunshots?
Didn't we hear a cleric beast howl earlier? Ah, but that's it; it howled, in the middle of Yharnam. There's no way that it wasn't immediately swarmed by Hunters after calling attention to itself like that. It's definitely dead or being killed at this very moment. Definitely.
If anything, Victor figured that the gunshots were likely to have woken up the giant at the bottom of the elevator, which would mean that any beast unfortunate to try to get through would have to go through that, first... and Victor struggled to imagine a beast powerful enough to challenge a church giant. Logically they were safer than ever right now.
Even so he did agree that they had to hurry, just for a different reason. The Mad One was a construct, a bloodwraith called by the will of another; he had never heard of a Mad One appearing on its own. Someone – almost certainly the same person who had left the elevator at the top of the plateau – had clearly summoned this Mad One, and had left it at the elevator to ambush anyone trying to enter the area. The plateau was almost entirely vacant, with barely anyone living up here yet, so there was only really one reason that someone would come here: the clinic.
They had to go, yes, but not for the sake of their own safety; the new Hunters at the clinic were probably in mortal danger, if they were not already dead.

“We should hurry,” Victor agreed with a nod, idly brushing some imagined dirt off the chest of his blood-soaked garb. “The new Hunters might be in danger. The clinic should only be a several minutes' walk from here, to the north. We should run.” He looked in Adelicia's general direction, his focus ending up somewhere to the left of her rather than on her, still unwilling to look at her directly. “Can you manage that, or do you want us to carry you? We could move much faster, then.”

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

How is your post coming along, Ashgan?

Also, who is next in the clinic scene? Unless you want me to react to Arcturus under the presumption that everyone else does nothing...

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Eh, up to you guys, though obviously there will be times when something happens that a person might need to react to out of turn. But as of now, with how things are going, I will say this: if no one says "I am working on a post", you can't be blamed for assuming that no one is. That is why I'm trying so hard to encourage you all to discuss who is posting when here.

Meanwhile I typed up a little something, just summarizing the history and state of some of the most notable areas of the game:

The current state of IC areas

Yharnam proper
Thanks in large part to the efforts of Vicar Harold and his followers, the city of Yharnam has seen not only a recovery from the damage done in the Night of the Blood Moon, but in many ways has surpassed its old self. Efforts to mass-recruit Hunters have lead to an initial sharp decline in the number of beasts and easier handling of Nights of the Hunt when they arise, and judicious application of funds and resources have lead to the reestablishment and general improvement of the infrastructure. Destroyed buildings have been either rebuilt or replaced, all while new residences are being erected at the edge of the city to support an anticipated increase in population from immigration encouragement efforts. Many new clinics dot the city, manned not only by the highly valued blood ministers, but also clerics of the White Church, offering blood treatment more eagerly and willingly than ever before.
But although the city has been trending toward apparent improvement and Yharnamites are not as fearful of church Hunters as they once were, there remains an oppressive atmosphere and constant cautious mood in the city, as new threats loom. Stories circulate frequently of citizens being robbed by the Fire Dancers or murdered by the Harrow, to the point where these two factions have all but replaced the dread once reserved for the Healing Church and beasts.
And while beasts are normally less numerous than before, many worry that the high number of Hunters might be unsustainable in the long run... especially if they are ever actually successful in exterminating the scourge of beasts.

Old Yharnam
With its fires long-extinguished and its waters mostly purified, efforts have begun to reclaim and rebuild Old Yharnam, which has resulted in actually habitable residences slowly appearing along the edge between it and Yharnam proper, as the swelling city moves to swallow the remains of the obsolete ruins. Journeys into Old Yharnam remain frequent among Hunters, often going in parties of at least several Hunters together, and they always emerge from the old city bloodied. However such a thing is possible it seems that Old Yharnam remains a perceived safe haven among relatively sapient beasts, many of which remain wizened by the ruinous Ashen Blood that is both their burden and their most powerful weapon against Hunters. Even now, so many years after the fact, no one truly knows just how many beasts have gathered in the depths of the old city... or what it is that draws even savage beasts there, despite the loss of their Good Chalice and the death of Djura.

Hemwick Charnel Lane
After the Night of the Blood Moon, the district of Hemwick – an area of the city specialized in the handling of the dead – actually entered a brief golden age where everything seemed to go well. With the Witches of Hemwick dead and Martyr Alfred's destruction of Queen Annalise, Hunters no longer had any reason to care about their home and mostly left them alone, and with the sheer number of corpses produced during the Night of the Blood Moon, business was blooming. The Executioners, expecting the Vilebloods to have been wiped out, stopped patrolling their land, and the few sane people of Hemwick no longer even had to live with the occasional unnerving encounter with the Mad Ones.
This peace and prosperity was, however, short-lived. It was not long before people of Hemwick discovered that the witches and their Mad Ones had been a major factor in keeping beasts away from their home; without them and with a mountain of fresh corpses being moved through their district, beasts soon followed en masse, which in turn brought Hunters. Things got worse still once it got out that some Hunters going to Hemwick were seemingly deserting the church, only for the district to finally receive its mortal blow once it was discovered that these deserters were, in fact, joining and rebuilding the Vilebloods.
Today only a handful of devoted and disturbed souls inhabit Hemwick, taking care of the dead as they always have, with the majority of survivors having fled what is now a mix between a battlefield and hunting grounds, as Hunters, Vilebloods and beasts all hunt, fight and kill one another with wild abandon.

Byrgenwerth
With the gates of the Forbidden Forest loosened by the speaking of the adage, the Forbidden Graves cleansed with slaying the Shadows of Yharnam and the old college left without a master after the death of Master Willem, Byrgenwerth is in a very different situation than it was prior to the Night of the Blood Moon. Initially pillaged by industrious looters and subsequently inhabited by outlaws, it was not long before the recovering Healing Church moved into the forest and laid claim to the invaluable site, where they reopened the entrance to the old labyrinth. It and the surrounding forest is once again forbidden to the general populace, and only those on official church business – specifically, White Church business – are allowed anywhere near Byrgenwerth, with the place reportedly being guarded by loyal Hunters and church giants.

Yahar'gul
Very little is known about what become of Yahar'gul after the Night of the Blood Moon, the destruction of the School of Mensis and the death of every single inhabitant. People are strongly discouraged from even mentioning the place, and all known entrances to the town have been thoroughly sealed. No human has set foot in the town for nearly five years... and yet those who roam near the edge of the place often claim to have heard panicked screaming from within.

The Prophecy

That could be interesting. I would be particularly interested in when this encounter was, particularly whether it was more or less than ten years ago... since if it was less than ten years ago, Jaelnec would have been there, too.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

The rifle was fired when they grabbed it, if you recall, so it's not loaded. And technically... I guess they could use blood bullets? Though that is one of those mechanics from the game that I have a really hard time translating to a more realistic perspective. Maybe making blood bullets requires some special tool to draw out blood and somehow condense it down to a hard bullet? The player-Hunter in the game does seem to use a syringe on their thigh when they create blood bullets... though we never actually see the player acquire such a tool.

Eh, for now I think I'll say "no" to them being able to reload, too.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Whatever chance the Hunters had to win a contest of strength against the beast beyond the door evaporated when Ishin relinquished his hold on the rifle, leaving Marcus alone against two opponents, one of which had already clearly demonstrated its inhuman power. Hopeless though a pure test of might would have been, Marcus saw fit to merely immobilize the gun with one hand and use the other to bring his sword through the hole to deter his adversaries, causing the Yharnamite to let out a pained yelp and let go as his hand was cut by the Hunter's blade.
The beast was not as easily frightened as its comparatively sane compatriot, however, though Marcus' actions did undeniably yield results in the vein of what he had wanted. As the Yharnamite huntsman fled like a beaten dog, the ironically more canine creature let out a vicious growl before letting go of the rifle – allowing Marcus to pull the weapon through the hole in the door – but then swiftly moving to grab the other end of his blade instead, closing its hairy claws tightly around the blade.
At the same time as the beast seized the other end of Marcus' sword, a loud, hard thud sounded from the door just to the left and slightly above the hole, hard enough to cause its surface to briefly bulge inward toward the room with the Hunters. This was followed by the sound of creaking and cracking wood, unmistakably the sound of something hard lodged in wood being pulled free.

Behind Marcus, meanwhile, the retreating Ishin was moved away from the obsidian blotch on the ground by Arcturus, only for the bell to chime a fourth time even as the selfless Hunter moved to roll away. Luckily he was in time, if only barely.
Ding-ding...
There was a faint crackling noise, like flesh roasting in an unseen fire, and the blackness seemed to break into ribbons, floating and fluttering in a shaft of crimson light shining from below the floor, red tendrils of ephemeral smoke writhing madly along its edge. First one large, long-fingered and clawed hand rose from the hellish depths, grabbing hold of the floor at the edge of the hole through reality while casting nightmarish shadows on the room. Leveraging that hand another immediately emerged, this one holding what appeared to be an unexpectedly well-crafted cane, which likewise seized a hold on the floor, before a black shape pulled itself from whichever terrible realm it had resided in and into the clinic room, unleashing a high-pitched, inhuman scream as it ascended. White round, glowing eyes, clumpy black hair like seaweed, a mouth full of rotting teeth agape in mad rage, none of the newly transformed Hunters were likely to recognize the creature as a Mad One, but surely none of them could doubt the threat it posed to them all.
Its form dripping with inky fluid, like condensed darkness, the monster screamed at them as it stood, throwing its long, slender arms to the sides in challenge, plainly showing them its mutilated body, bearing many terrible scars from blades, teeth and what appeared to be stab-wounds cased by a pitchfork. Its crazed rage and bloodthirst was almost palpable.
At least the shadowy portal, now that its passenger had emerged, faded, whatever good that would do the Hunters.

Eastern Yharnam, relatively near the Hunter's clinic, at the top of the elevator

“What...” Victor muttered groggily, staring uncomprehendingly at the disgusting puddle of the bile he could still taste. He was still shaking, but at least the tremors seemed to be receding quickly, now, as his mind caught up with all the things that had happened, all the thoughts and emotions he had now allowed himself to feel in the moment, forcing him to disregard his own likely death for the sake of helping Raine kill the beast. It was a strange insight to suddenly gain, because Victor had never considered himself to be a heroic person in the slightest... yet he had been willing to accept his own death in defense of the others. Even drowning in his own blood he had resisted the urge to cough, merely enduring the agony as he hastened to assist however he could. Several times over just a few seconds, Victor had been certain that he was going to die, helplessly and uselessly, only to risk that mercifully spared life for the sake of another.
He shook his head briskly, deeply unnerved by this discovery. It was not that it was not an admirable trait he had discovered, but rather than it seemed so unlike him... like he had not merely discovered a new aspect of himself, but changed to acquire this trait. The concern would probably never have occurred to a normal human, but then again, normal humans did not possess the same capacity for change as Hunters did.
And a Hunter changing was not usually a good sign.

Straightening back up, Victor shook off the rest of his shock before turning his attention back to the others, his gaze falling on their feet rather than their faces. For some reason, he found, the thought of looking the others' in the eye disturbed him now.
“I'm sorr-” he began to apologize, until he heard Adelicia pleading for her life, causing the words to die on his lips. For a second his heart quickened and he felt his muscles grow tense in anticipation of another fight... before he realized that the Blood Saint was not begging the mercy of some strange enemy, but of them; Raine and Victor. Maybe even just Raine, by the looks of it.
Victor felt physically ill, and not just because he had just thrown up or had mere moments earlier been suffering from at least one perforated lung. Adelicia with the pretty eyes was afraid of them. The thought was repulsive... yet at the same time, he reveled in her fear.

“That won't be necessary,” he called to her sullenly in response to her offer of blood, moving to retrieve his sword from where he had dropped it while carefully and subconsciously averting his gaze from his companions. “You won't be harmed, Saint Adelicia. We're here to ensure that, remember?”

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Heh, now works.

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

All right, I'll see about that, then.

How about you, Ashgan? Any kind of ETA on your post?

Night of the Hunt - a Bloodborne RP

Do you want to post, @Th3King0fChaos, or should I just assume that Arcturus succeeded in tackling Ishin?