Of Divinations and Tribulations An Rp GMed by Sir Beowulf and Co-GMed by Discontent
High-Casual A fore-warning. While, there is plenty of room for character development, and I surely love seeing your characters slowly break under the pressure, there is always a chance your character will die. You take a brief pause as you stop before a humble little shop on a crowded street in New York. Whether you are a tourist, or a native, you've never been to 'Divinations and Tribulations' before. Maybe a friend recommended it, or perhaps you were just bored enough to visit. A small bell dings as you open the door, entering a dark, smokey room. Immediately the smell of incense and candles fills your nostrils, the source of the dense smoke.
You notice an old woman, sitting at a counter. Her eyes open just barely as she notices you come in. "Ah... so you come? Mm... yes." She closes her eyes, and reopens them and extends a hand, gesturing for you to follow her. She leads you into a back room, and here is the source of hundreds of candles that burn all around you, giving the place a mystical aura. She sits down, cross legged, on a pillow and waves for you to do the same. Most would think it a hoax. All mumble-jumble magical crap, but. This place seems different. Strange, almost. You probably have a hint of fear down inside you, but you ignore it and take your seat.
Her face is easily visible, the many wrinkles covering her face showing off her age. Her gray hair is wispy and thin. The Fortune Teller brings out a pack of... cards? Tarot cards, and lays them all out in a row, twenty-two in total, all in worn condition. You notice names like The Tower, Temperance, The World, before she snaps you to attention. "You... you have a past, like everyone else. But, which are you? Which card is yours? She narrows her lavender eyes, almost in a glare, as if she stares into your soul. You notice that her eyes are stark and crisp, like ice. Not like most elderly eyes, foggy and unable to focus. But not her, she stares so deep. You begin to speak out, wondering what exactly this is when suddenly a sharp pain erupts in the back of your head.
The last thing you hear is her speaking. "Yes... this one will be perfect. I can tell." Welcome to Of Divinations and Tribulations! This'll be my first rp on the new RPGuild, so I hope it will be one that will last. I'm a fairly old timer, I've been on RPGuild for a couple years. Now, onto the main course. This rp has a fairly simple premise.
You awake, the light around you grey and chilling. Before you can even get your bearings, you notice the cold steel of a collar around your neck, and the click of a speaker. The voice of a young girl, her voice surprisingly happy and bright, but it still manages to fill you with dread. She tells you that you're stuck here. There is no escape, and that the collar around your neck is beginning to slowly inject a poison into your body. Twenty-four hours until the effects kick in, that is... unless you can kill another person. If you do, you will gain a temporary antidote that will give you another twenty-four hours.
So what will you do?
She brings your attention to your right pocket. You reach inside and pull out... a tarot card. One of twenty-two. What could your card be for, you ask? She tells you that each card holds mystical powers, however, these powers come with a price. Will you experiment and perhaps kill yourself? Or will you search around... many of the buildings contain notes, detailing the abilities of your card.
She also tells you of a recorder in your left pocket. It will give details about your card, and the location for your next one. She also tells you to look around, there might be a live-saving item near you.
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So, will you plunge into the challenge? Take control over others, dominate your opponents and use your sly charisma to get the advantage? Use your immense strength to hoard weapons and pummel everyone you meet? The choice is yours. Be warned, while you can find items and new cards around the map, many dangerous beasts roam the wilds. Minotaurs and Harpies, Sirens that lure you to their caves and drown you. Make sure to be careful.
Thomas Rodger and Penny Yates - Zone Three
Shawn Burnham and Dr. Kaikaus - Zone One
Travence Girt and Mike Latram - Zone Six
Alex Frendali and AZ - Zone Four
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Character Roster
Name: Thomas "Tommy" Rodgers
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Appearance: Tommy has quite a rounded face for his age. He used to have a more in-between form, but living life homeless has made him quite lean. He has blue eyes and dark brown hair. Since he's homeless, he now has medium-length He stands at about 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 150 pounds. He wears his glasses, a navy blue hoodie, black sweat pants, and black work boots.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: On one hand, Tommy is smart, quick to adapt, and does a damn fine job at finding what he needs, like food, water, and shelter. On the other hand, he is socially inept, unable to make friends, and is prone to psychotic delusions and hallucinations. He's pretty hardy and can take a beating, but is by no means invincible, and he prefers to avoid people as much as he can.
A Brief History: Tommy was heavily picked on in school for being different from all the other kids. He walked weird, he talked weird, and he was as charismatic as a cannibalistic hermit with Tourettes. Come college, he did manage to make a few friends, and even had a girlfriend too. However, he ended up on a medication that caused him psychosis, and he started to believe that those he was close to were turning against him. It all ended in one blood-soaked night, when Tommy murdered and ate his girlfriend. Luckily for him, he evaded the police. Unluckily for him, all his chances at leading a normal life were destroyed, and he had no choice but to live on the streets, homeless and unknown, lest the police find him. For the past 8 years, Tommy's lived in sewers and abandoned subway tunnels, eating rats and other hobo delicacies. Sometimes, Tommy would head up to the surface to find some trash to rummage through. This time, he went a step further and entered a shop for the first time in years. A strange one like no other. Fortunately, the police didn't catch him. Unfortunately, the store owners did, and now Tommy has found himself on this deserted island, seemingly a human pawn in some sadistic game.
Name: Shawn Burnham
Gender: Male
Age: Twenty-six
Appearance: Shawn generally gives the impression that appearances is the last thing on his mind. His chestnut brown hair is grown out long past his neck, which he keep tied up in a ponytail with his hair pushed back from his forehead. He has a rather poorly shaven beard as well, with random patches of his chin merely showing signs of stubble while others have obviously just been outright forgotten. His has a triangular face with a wide forehead and a pointed chin, with gray-blue eyes that often seem to lazily wonder the room, with straight eyebrows, all of which seem to give the perpetual appearance of utter nonchalance. Stands up tilted and rather slouched at around 6 foot tall, with a lean, athletic and physically fit body. He has a few piercing on both his ears, and a stylized blade like tattoo covering almost the entirety of his left arm, and unbeknownst to many, several others on covered parts of his body, such as a scorpion on the right side of his back, and a python wearing a crown on the left side of his chest.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: Shawn is, more or less, of above average intelligence with a reasonable amount of insight into most situations at hand, but this is often hampered by his lackadaisical attitude towards anything that he himself has not chosen to do, and will usually attempt to pass off responsibility to someone else when forced to do something that he doesn’t particularly enjoy. He will attempt to be polite and friendly to most people, and can be a fairly witty conversationalist under the right circumstances. But most of his relationships are often diminished by his extreme amounts of stubbornness and self-centeredness – but most of the time he’ll just go by the philosophy that as long as he doesn’t get involved with someone, then they’ll just leave him alone, and rarely goes out of his way to be actively mean-spirited. But when forced to cooperate with someone against his wishes, then Shawn can be something of an asshole when his initial politeness breaks down, and will often show himself to be very immature and condescendingly sarcastic, and never really quite ‘got’ the concept that someone might want to manipulate him for their own gains, nor that he might have to do the same.
He is, however, fairly athletic and physically fit, and often enjoyed going on long runs or hiking in mountains, giving him a high amount of endurance, meaning he can deal with long periods of walking or running without tiring. His jobs have also meant that he can handle other physically strenuous activities. But aside from that, he’s fairly average, with regular eyesight and hearing, although he always prided himself on his sense of smell.
A Brief History: Growing up as the younger brother of a complete fuck-up, Shawn’s parents were determined to not have him turn out the way his brother did – a drug addict with a hair-trigger temper who eventually killed himself. Thus, Shawn was spoiled quite a bit as a child and teenager, often getting what he wanted with little complaint. All of this only served to give him a sense of entitlement, over-blown self-worth and far too much confidence, and thus, went through the world only ever caring about anything that he set himself to do – meaning he slacked off in school despite being more than intelligent enough to pass.
It was only after school finished did he find how wrong he was. He never got the grades necessary to enter any college, and suddenly found himself cut off from his parents – as they had also realized that they hadn’t done the greatest of jobs with their second son either. Thus, the transition between lazy school student and struggling working man was a brutal one, and the excessively quick changes, moving from middle class house to crappy apartment, suddenly having only free time to working full-time, support from his parents disappearing -- lead to a period of depression. He somehow managed to find some jobs after searching for a while, and in eight, he worked as a window cleaner, then a furniture mover, a then managed to managed to land as a construction worker. It was only really at this point that his life actually began to turn back up, managing to make a few friends at his job who he would often go drinking with. He was never quite successful in romantic relationships, breaking up with two girlfriends and one boyfriend, but he was still starting to enjoy the direction his life was heading, as he had adapted fairly well, all things considered.
Then he made the mistake of entering Divinations and Tribulations while walking through the streets when on his break.
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Name: Penny Yates
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Appearance: The most strikingly noticeable thing about Penny is that she is very tall, standing at a towering 6 foot 4, which a slim, lean build and almost non-existent bust, with slender and long legs. Her straightened light ash-brown hair is cut off directly at her shoulder, with it parted in the middle of her forehead. She has an oval face, with a narrow nose and small lips, with firm hazel eyes, her skin blemished by the occasional freckles and uneven tan-line. She usually gives off a fairly calm, collected, and almost authoritative atmosphere, as she never slouches and has a cool gaze. While she is reasonably attractive, it is clear that she only takes care of her appearance for the sake of appearing professional, not out of any care for being pretty. As for clothing, she wears a loose blue blouse covered by a light brown jacket, with neat jeans and new white sneakers.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: Penny is the type of person who sees absolutely no contradiction in having a fun night out drinking with someone, only to literally stab them in the back the very next day, as long as it was deemed necessary. She is a genuinely affable and polite woman, with a very calm demeanour, but is in equal parts utterly ruthless, manipulative and prideful. Due to her line of work, she believes in doing what is pragmatic and necessary, and feels no need to be excessive – but if ‘what is necessary’ happens to be morally reprehensible, then she will do it without hesitation, with her disregard for human life in the pursuit of her goals varying between merely somewhat callous to outright sociopathic. However, while she may be highly intelligent, her excessive pride means that she often underestimates other people, and has a tendency to have bouts of internalized anger when her plans fail.
While not exactly physically strong, but often enjoyed track in high school, making her fond of going on jogs and runs, meaning her legs can take her pretty far and fairly swiftly. But her upper body strength leaves a lot to be desired, and has never swung any kind of melee weapon in her entire life. She does, however, know how to fire a gun, as was almost a requirement for her type of business.
A Brief History: Growing up in a stable middle class home in South Australia, with two loving parents, Penny dabbled in criminal activity for a large portion of her life. She started off with petty burglary and selling drugs in early secondary school, often doing so rather recklessly. She was only ever caught once, which landed her a couple years in a youth detention center – and quickly resumed her ‘work’ afterwards, only much more careful and cautious. She began to delve deeper into the criminal world, partaking in scams and drug operations, and became further entrenched in the Australian drug trade. When asked as to how and why she got into that particular business, she would say it was merely because she was good at it – if she felt she would have been a good doctor or lawyer, then she wouldn’t tried to become one. It was as simple as that. As far as relationships went, she quickly found that romance just wasn’t for her – her lifestyle often meant she had a complete inability to relate with anyone. Although she maintained several very good friendships from people within her business, anything further than that just interfered with everything.
On a business trip, she had to travel to several states in America with some of her work acquaintances, New York being her final stop. After she finished most of her work, she decided to just go sightseeing for a while, and stopped off at Divinations and Tribulations while onto the Empire State Building – just for fun.
Name: Alexis "Alex" Frendali
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Appearance: Standing at a diminutive five foot one, and weighing perhaps a hundred pounds, Alex isn't a girl anyone would be afraid of. Her rounded face and large brown eyes give her an almost childish appearance, a look which was betrayed by the obvious curvature of her chest and hips. She had a darker complexion, hinting at a Hispanic lineage. Her raven-black hair was usually kept straight and hung lose down to around her shoulders, usually kept away from her eyes by a small flower clip. On the particular day of her abduction she was wearing a tank-top fitted over a white T-shirt, some leg-hugging jeans, and a pair of cheap plastic sandals.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Alex is a diva, she's used to having her way. She can flirt with most any guy and get them to do whatever she likes, and life has typically worked in her favor. That being said, aside from the ability to be that perfect kind of cute, she's rather useless on her own. Put into any sot of survival scenario she will be in trouble without somebody to do the heavy lifting. She did play soccer for a time in High School, so she can run. other than that, she is, physically, fairly weak. her intelligence is about average, maybe slightly above.
A Brief History: Alexis was always the popular girl in school, and that held all the way through college. Her diminutive stature and natural ability to charm the boys made her an instant success in any social scene. She knew how to play her role, too, and never pushed her popularity in anyone's face. Well, at least not in a public setting. She was known to be a total bitch by anyone who had gotten on her bad side, though Alex was always careful to subvert such talk. Most people assume they're just rumors made up by some jealous girls who just don't understand the cute little woman!
She took a trip to New York one summer with her boyfriend and happened to stumble into this little out of the way shop while waiting for him to return from fetching her some ice-cream from across the street....
Name: Travence Girt
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Appearance: Standing 6'3 and over two-hundred pounds, Travence Girt cuts an imposing visage. Years as a lackey have left him knicked and scarred and his black sweatsuit clings tightly to his large frame. Scraggly black muttonchops and a head of black hair tucked in his black toboggan round out his brutish attire. After all, it was just another job.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: Travence is as strong as an ox and just as smart. A small time enforcer for a petty start up in the lower East Side, Travence is used to other people doing his thinking for him. Go here, break that, wanton destruction is second nature for the living battering ram as long as he has someone to point him in the right direction. As such, Trav is very indecisive on his own and incredibly susceptible to manipulation. Woe be unto the betrayer should he survive it however as his single-minded nature leaves no room for mercy.
A Brief History: Growing up in New York, drugs were a common fixture. It didn't take long for neighbors and family friends to see the merit in having a stout runner too dumb to ask questions. From a young age, Travence had always done "favours" for people. At the time, he thought himself no different than any other decent child helping out their elders. Simple jobs or go here, fetch this were rewarded with gifts and praise. Everything went well until one night his father caught him sneaking out of the house.
A blur of a memory now, Travence remembers his next favour involved silencing some loud mouth. Some broken bones and a few cries for help that sounded suspiciously familiar and Travence was moved into his new home with his new family. Blood is thicker than water they say and the young man had seen quite a bit. A relief it was when he heard his next favour would be a simple one: rough up some candle shop at the end of town and the old lady who owned it. Little did he know it would be he who needed protection.
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Name: Dr. Kaikaus M. Rahja
Gender: Male
Age: 46
Appearance: A middle-aged professor of Indian descent, Dr. Rahja sports a full head of hair, if a bit grey, a sensible beard and mustache combo and an understated gold pair of spectacles. Along in his brown wing-tips and stain-resistant khakis, the Good Doctor's elbow-padded tweed blazer kept him warm and stylish on his day into town. Short in stature, Dr. Rahja still carries with him a presence and the weight of Academia.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: A man of great intellect, Dr. Rahja is a well-witted man. A historian by trade with a steel trap memory, what Dr. Rahja lacks in physical prowess he makes up for in intimate knowledge of everything from ancient military tactics to travelling by only the constellations to basic cartography. The wonders of the old world are his sword and shield. Unfortunately, these do little against actual weaponry. For all his knowledge of a Gorgon's attack patterns or the approximate reach of an opponent's lance, they are still very real dangers against which he has next to no defense.
A Brief History: Born and raised in an affluent home, Kaikaus Rahja was his parents' only and beloved son of four children. Always seeking adventure and to be a "regular boy" Rahja escaped into stories of epic conflicts and impossible monsters. Though he excelled in his studies, any free time he could spare was spend alongside Odysseus on his trek home from the Trojan War or at the Gate of Thermopylae, phalanxed with his Three-Hundred Spartan brothers.
Dreams of childhood usually die a quiet death as the boy becomes a man but Rahja was lucky. By chance his senior English Teacher had mentioned Homer in class one day in passing. Meeting with him each day during lunch period from then on, the two discussed much until the day his teacher recommended a career in the field.
One becomes two, day becomes night, Kaikaus the Dreamer becomes Dr. Rajha, the accredited professor.
Name: Mark Latram
Age: 45
Appearance: Dark brown matted hair, dirty and greasy from lack of cleanliness graces are thin and bony face with brown eyes inset heavily upon his face, crooked teeth with golden brown hues from a continuous smoking habit and a grim smile, His neck is stretches from a torn and weathered and stained hoodie resting against fairly broad and muscular shoulders, beneath the hoodie one would find an even dirtier shirt. Following the arms down you come to his dry hands, the fingernails almost black from the amount of dirt. His sweatpants originally grey now seem to be steadily turning browner each day and his feet are adorned with boots a size larger than his feet. The man is quite tall, sitting at 6'2" and is fairly physically fit, but that is a combination of constantly moving and his very small diet of whatever the closest soup kitchen provides.
A strong odorous smell resonates around him, one could almost see the stench expand from him as it slowly envelops the area he resides like a plague.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: Mark is a very devilish man, strong despite his body, but intelligence wise there is something to be desired, This is partly because of his early exit from schooling. He has a way of things though and has spent a long time watching people, he has become very aware of those he trusts or does not trust and how people influence each other. He has a heavy smoking addiction and becomes EXTREMELY irritable when he lacks cigarettes; He is also very superstitious due to how he perceives his arrest and trial for murder. It is without a doubt that one would question him as anything but a criminal.
A Brief History: Blood covered his hands, his clothing, every inch of him was a blood stained mess, His suit tarnished by the red stains; The victim was immobile and lifeless a cold blank stare of fright etched permanently on his face. And what of it, Mark thought, He should never have underestimated a man who has worked so hard for him for so long. He chose to run, but Mark wanted people to know where he stood and what the world has done to him. He would not accept the reasons for such discrimination. So what were the reasons for discriminating against a man like him? He was a hard worker non the less, so he was unhealthy, so he smoked, so he wasn't the world's next greatest suited man. He did what was needed and this cruel lifeless man, he needed to die.
And when he was caught, he preached openly. Unafraid of jail, people will fear him instead. That's where he wants to be. The body was never found, never seen and with just those minor unlucky mistakes he was caught. He hadn't meant to spill salt, or break that mirror and he rotted in jail until he realized that even the smallest of luck changing things can be your downfall. He spent years reflecting on that, years spent finding a way to change the mistakes for the better.
He's been living off the streets for three years now, and still he had never noticed the store till recently. He begged for money, and once he had the chance he entered the store, expecting much less than what was to come.
Anything Else: SECRETS.
Name: Vanessa Hills
Gender: Female
Age: 43
Appearance: Vanessa stands at a mere 5'3". She is a wide woman with brown skin and thick, dark hair that is difficult to manage. As a result, she keeps it relatively short and often has it tied back. Despite her age, she has a young-looking face with lively, dark brown eyes and nearly flawless skin. On the left side of her bottom lip, there are two sliver rings, similar to the graphite-colored one on the cartilage of her right ear. She enjoys wearing jewelry, but most of it is fake due to her low income. In addition to the jewelry previously mentioned, she is also wearing small, square earring studs that are meant to seem like diamond, along with a matching necklace that is much larger than it has to be.
In regards to clothing, she tends to wear over-sized dresses with unappealing patterns and a pair of over-worn sandals.
Personality: Vanessa is very independent and brave, but sometimes to an extent that gets her into trouble. She's curious and a natural leader, but her decisions are rarely thought through, and she has a bad temper. Although she is 43 years old, she has never been married, to the contrary of what most would assume. She feels no need to have a partner, as she worries it would restrict her freedom. While Vanessa has low endurance pertaining to exercise, she is very strong. Even in dangerous situations, she displays remarkable bravery, and motivation even when confronted with hopelessness. She is very open with people, familiar or not, and she has a loud personality.
A Brief History: Vanessa was born to Eden and Dale Hills, a schizophrenic mother and a persistent father. When she was 9, her parents got divorced. Dale could no longer tolerate Eden's irresponsible behavior and volatile personality, both of which could have been better controlled if she hadn't refuse to get the help she needed.
After the divorce, Dale gained custody of Vanessa. As a single-father family, life was difficult for the two. Dale was a plumber, but it was difficult to work when he had to care for Vanessa. He never did remarry. Dale would have a girlfriend every-so-often, but they never lasted long.
Vanessa managed to graduate high school with average grades in every subject except math, where she excelled. She was clueless about what she wanted to do in her future, and she wasn't even certain if she wanted to pursue a career at all. The highest level of her education is one year at community college, where she studied art and accounting.
As an adult, Vanessa lives in an apartment in New York City-the same apartment she's been living in for years. She doesn't make much money since she works at a fast food restaurant, but she manages to pay her expenses by making some extra money playing the guitar at various places.
Anything Else: Vanessa is an only child.
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Name: You know the trick here, pretty simple.
Gender: Do you got the D or the V?
Age: Also simple. I don't want any sixteen year olds or eighty-year olds, though.
Appearance: How does your character look? Do you have luscious golden locks? Or are you a fat bastard covered with pimples and zits? Either way it doesn't matter, just be sure to have a good bit of appearance. I don't mind any pictures you use, as long as you include an appearance with it as well.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Quirks and Traits: Here, tell me what makes your character your character. What makes him special and what makes him weak?
A Brief History: Tell me about your characters past and stuff. Also pretty simple, doesn't have to be too long as well.
Anything Else: Just include anything else you want. Favorite food, etc.
A Quick List of Rules.1.) No God-Modding. You can't suddenly tell what somebody's power is just because you saw them use it in their post. As well, I will be personally messaging each of you things like the area around you, what your recorder message says, and what tarot cards you will receive when we start. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me.
2.) Keep it cool. I don't want to see any fights in OOC about who killed who and who punched what. Also, your character is probably going to not survive, but feel free to make a new one. I also recommend creating two or more characters.
3.) Death is permanent and it will be gorey and violent. Love that shit, yo. You can't magically bring out some Deus Ex Machina and suddenly revive your character.
4.) Keep it realistic as well. You can't suddenly become a bad-ass motherfucker and rip out the skeleton of some poor dude.
5.)Have fun! Simple as that, I want this rp to last a long time, and to be enjoyable for everyone involved.
I think that's about it, unless I forgot something.. Remember, everyone!
Stay Alive!
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