Kingfisher

Welcome to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

I am really really sorry for not partaking in this for so long. I was waiting on a collab with Rockette. Unfortunately I dont see that happening now. I would still like to bring Nightshade into the fray again and am going to be working out a post or several to explain her disappearance and subsequent reappearance.

If that is still alright with Kingfisher and the rest of you all?

@fantasyfan28

That's absolutely fine, we've had a couple of players in that situation right now, so I understand entirely. Welcome back, and I look forwards to seeing what your next post entails!

The Bloody Embrace: An institution for young killers [SCI FI Academy]

Not nearly as smooth as I would've wanted...
;T
Not even in a funny sense, I just wasn't able to focus.

@Hawlin

I thought it got across the fact that Katie was trying very hard to integrate with everyone in a natural manner, which obviously fell flat on its face, so I thought it worked really well!

Welcome to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Power's up fellas!

@DJAtomika

Then let me be the first to jump on that bandwagon!

Major Kudos to you and Pig, these posts have all been excellent thusfar, and I can't wait to see where they end up, and what comes next for Andy!

The same goes for everyone; these posts been unlike anything I've experienced in a roleplay before, and I've never felt the setting come alive to this degree. Y'all are mothafudging awesome. Keep doing your thing.

Welcome to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Chinatown was the first neighbourhood in Santa Somabra to flicker back to life, suddenly awash in juddering white light, which aided in keeping the rampaging hunters out of Nyxvira’s turf. The young Faerie wasn’t an idiot though, and she knew that, whilst her little display at the Hall of Golden Petals might have kept those three Hunters out of her hair, it was only so long before she got a pack of vicious mongrels knocking on her door with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and a major bone to pick.

Lycans hate noise, and the hustle and bustle of the newly reawakened Chinatown would buy Nyxvira the time she needed to set up a permeant solution to the cities werewolf problem.

Nyx sat in a ginormous hot tub in her private bathhouse, dressed in a designer bikini, her enormous gut spilling out in front of her as she relaxed in the hot bubbling waters, feeling their nurturing warmth wash over her overly-plump form, massaging both body and spirit. Her fiery red hair fell loosely down her shoulders, resting gently on her the dome-like roof of her fleshy stomach.

Standing sentinel on the side of the hot tub were an assortment of glass vials, each one filled with a different brightly coloured liquid. Nyx opened a shimmering blue vial with her plump hands, pouring its frothy mixture into the bubbling waters. A web of brilliant azure spread throughout the hot tub, swirling and sparkling, filling the room with a pungent, swampy scent. Just like home . Nyxvira let out a sigh of ecstasy, basking in the moment, before scooping a chunky satellite phone up off of the side of the hot tub, and quickly punching in the number for one of her contacts with her sausage-like fingers.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

“Hello..? Cedric, is that you?”

“Cedric Bradberton is dead.” Nyx said calmly, inhaling the enchanting scent of the blue concoction through her nostrils, feeling its hot moisture wash over her.

Silence on the other end of the phone, then “To whom might I be speaking?”

“Nyxvira Bloodbloom.”

“Shit,” the voice laughed without humour “Fifteen years on the job and all I got were second-hand instructions from one of yer goons, now suddenly I’m talking to the big cheese ‘erself.”

“An insurance policy of sorts, I’m sure you understand.”

“Yeah, it’s just abit...jarrin’.” The voice confessed “So wat can I do for ya, Miss Bloodbloom?”

“You have contacts in the SSPD.” Nyxvira stated “That’s what your and Cedric’s partnership was built upon.”

“I know a few guys.” The voice admitted.

“I need them to direct two individuals to a place within my dominion.” Nyxvira instructed “The operation must be quick, discreet, and go unnoticed. I want them bagged, thrown in a cop car, and dumped outside of the Golden Dragon Takeaway in Chinatown.”

“I dunno if that’s doable…what with all these wolf-men stomping around and ripping folks up like beef jerky.”

“I have in my hand a list of contacts.” Nyxvira lied “If you’re not able to pull off this job then I hang up and find someone who can.”

“Now hold on! There’s no need for that! ” The voice squawked suddenly. “I’m ya man. I’ll get it done.”

“Good.” Nyx replied, a wicked grin creasing her multi-chinned face.

“Who d’you need? Gimmie some names.”

“Detective Chase Amelio. Detective Charlize Johanssen.”

“Gotcha.”

“You’ll get it done?”

“Whilst the full moon is still high in the sky.”

Nyxvira hung up.

Santa Somabra was a cruel city, full of mystery and backstabbing. There was danger around every corner, and people went missing each passing day; a footnote on the memorial to the dead. Nyxvira had risen to the top by stomping on the little guy, and she’d learned long ago to fight fire with fire. There was every possibility that her plan would fail, but she hadn't become queen of Chinatown by buckling every time she was forced to take a risk. By the time the week was through, Santa Somabra would have lost another major player, and she’d be dammed to all the circles of hell if it was her.

Shutting her eyes, Nyx slipped steadily beneath the hot waters, her vast jiggly form vanishing slowly below the bubbling surface, as she waited for the phone call from her Hobbs to tell her the plan was underway.

The Bloody Embrace: An institution for young killers [SCI FI Academy]

"Oh, you have me completely mistaken, love~ That's just my way of having fun! Honestly, I don't think I could stand anyone if they didn't have some backbone~ The names Kessler Brigs, explosives expert and I love blowing the fuck out of those i'm charged to kill! Or just those I like to kill in general~ You might think me unstable and some sort of psychopathic mess, but you don't understand! I'm not psychopathic, i'm just really really really tolerable of violence! I don't cackle like some cheesy villain from a murder novel, i laugh with joy, dance with merriment, and honestly, sister, i'm glad you don't wither like the rest~."

The mentalcase chirped after a small pause, grinning his broad grin.

People who aren’t psychopathic don’t usually feel the need to say ‘I’m not psychopathic’ Chantrea mussed inwardly.

This ‘Kesseler’ was an interesting specimen. Once-upon-a-time he might have made the young woman want to try and find a way out of the conversation, and far away from him, as quickly as she possibly could, but the current Chantrea’s interest was at least slightly aroused.

"Sho... Pleash, if ish pleashes you, keep inshulting! In reality it givesh me sh horn!" he mumbled through mouthfuls of bacon, bubbly as ever.

Dinner and a movie first, mate!

"I make my own explosives you know,” he declared, in a manner that made Chantrea wonder if he was trying to show off to her “and it would please me greatly if you and I blew up a cunt together. I don't hate you girl, I love everyone I insult, I belittle the ones i'd love to please, it's just my little... tune I play. The ones I hate I carve out their insides, stick an explosive in them, then dance to the songs of merry while they explode!”
Chantrea liked the crude sharpness behind his words, and the in-your-face boastfulness that seemed to be more than just tall talk, given the bold assuredness with which the mopheaded mentalcase spoke. It was, however, entirely possible that he was all talk, and that Kesseler would be the one hiding behind cover and crying for Mummy when the bullets started flying, so she’d have to be sure not to pick favourites, or invest too heavily in any one person, until they’d all been given a chance to prove themselves.

“Though cutting up defenseless people sounds so fun, I'd rather garnish myself with a challenge. The master won't appriciate such a scumbag like me unless I can prove that i'm more than boot licking material! Yes, I like to kill, murder, whatever, yadda-yadda, but i'm not weak~ I'll prove that to you. You have some talent yourself, why else could you handle such despair? So, i'm going to prove on this mission that i'm strong. And then after that... well, a surprise I guess~"
He tittered merrily, slurping up the rest of his meal.

Chantrea let his words hang on the air for a moment, shovelling down another forkful of macaroni and cheese, before taking a hearty swig from her chocolate milkshake, licking some of the residue off of her plump lips.

“Well, Kessler Briggs, I’m sure you’ll get your chance to fuck shit up and prove yourself to the ‘master’ soon enough.” The young woman said, choosing her words carefully. This could all just be some trick to get me to drop my guard before likening me to another set of barnyard animals or something equally ‘witty’ .

“As for giving you ‘horn’; there’s a whole load of assorted smut out there on the internet, and the Sanctum doesn’t have the usual law-abiding content filters up, so feel free to go shake your prick at a hologram instead of trying to get your jollies off of other students.” She offered up calmly.

“You’ve done the smart thing and associated yourself with the only person here who ‘as got any experience, and I commend you for it, but if you want to stay on my good side the dial back on the ribbing a smidge. Banta is fine, but don’t push it too far, sweetheart.” The faintest hint of a smile crept across the corner of her mouth, as she guzzled down more hot food.

"But you are already weak. Your hubris. You show it through your insults. You think you're cocky and the best. That will be your downfall." A voice called out to Kessler.

Chantrea cocked her head. The dark haired heckler from earlier had snuck up on her, and was now sitting in the seat next to her.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier, though I do believe that we deserve a better explanation than the one you gave us. I am willing to start over if you are." She paused, clearing her throat “My name is Staci Jamerson, but you will only call me Shadow. That is my middle name and it is the name that I go by."

Chantrea considered this for a moment. Her natural instinct would be to partner up with Kessler and fire verbal abuse at ‘Shadow’ until she got up and left or hit one of them (the latter seeming more likely), but the cogs that kept her entrepreneurial brain ticking starter whirring, and helped her realize that it was smarter to form a relationship built upon mutual respect than hatred.

"And just for reference, I was--am a thief. I consider that a pretty good job myself, considering the fact I was the best."

Fucking jackpot .

Killing was second nature to Chantrea, but her heart was in stolen goods. Once this assassination business had cleared up, she was looking forwards to a life of wealth and splendour, and a partner like Shadow was a more than valuable asset, assuming she was more than just talk.

“Apology accepted.” Chantrea said warmly, popping a small doughnut into her mouth, before washing it down with some chocolate milkshake “Don’t take it personally, I didn’t want to be giving the speech any more than any of you wanted to listen to it.” She confessed with a smirk.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shadow.” She remarked, respecting the girl’s wish to be referred to by her middle name.

“I’ll stick to ‘Tas’ for now, but if we make it out of Paris alive then we can get more familiar.” She said with a sharp laugh.

Just then, the mechanical doors of the dining hall came sliding open, and humongous dark figure in body armour came striding into the room, flanked by two smaller figures in similar armour.

“I’d finish this up soon, kiddos,” Chantrea said darkly “I think we’re in for a speech.”

The Bloody Embrace: An institution for young killers [SCI FI Academy]

"Greetings, Ladies and Gentleman! Hold your applause, because the party has arrived!" screeched the mopheaded mentalcase as he came gallivanting into the dining hall with psychotic merriment.

Oh good Chantrea grumbled inwardly, trying to remain focused on eating her meal in peace.

The young woman had worked up quite the appetite whilst on leave from missions, and had made a large dent in her meal by the time blond haired nut plopped down opposite her with a tray full of meat.

"Well if it isn't the Bulky Butterball!” he chirped in a squealy voice that made Chantrea want to kick his stupid teeth in. “Already raced to the buffet, hmm?” he teased, burrowing into her with his wild eyes. “Afraid you wouldn't be able to scrounge up some of that Slop?"

Chantrea wiped some cheese off of the corner of her mouth, raising her head slowly, hand tightening around her knife.

Despite his loud mouth, her tormenter wasn’t all that big. Taller than her, easily, but that wasn’t unusual. He wasn’t exceptionally skinny, but Chantrea still had some serious bulk on him, and a year’s worth of training under the Sanctum’s tutelage. He looked like he’d been dragged straight out of a padded cell, so there was no telling what he’d be capable of in a fight, but Chantrea had gone up against nutcases in the past.

She clenched the handle of her knife, its firm grip reassuring her, and stirring something dark and primal inside her gut.

Thinking better of it, Chantrea inwardly composed herself, before scoffing down another forkful of macaroni and cheese.

“If you’re looking for an easy target, I’d suggest you go pick on one of the punk kids you stumbled in here with.” She said in a sweet, calm voice which hid something vicious; long a jagged blade slathered in thick honey.

“You peg me as someone who’s looking to spread as much woe and misery as they can before they kick the bucket, that’s probably why the guys and gals upstairs brought you on, so let me give you some advice…” She continued, pausing to stuff in another mouthful of hot food.

“You’re like a spree killer, right? So when you’re stalking through the halls of the school, or the hospital, or the nursery, or wherever it is that you dream about running around and cutting up lots of screaming innocent people, the smart moneys on finding the weakest, most defenceless bastards you can sniff out, and making their finale moments as bloody and full of pain as you possibly can.”

She paused for a moment, belching to clear some of the trapped gas out of her stomach.

“You don’t go looking for the girl who is just as keen to spill you blood as you are hers, and is more likely to rip out your spine and choke you with it than she is to roll over and let you have your way.” She flashed him a quick smile, fluttering her eyelashes ever-so-slightly.

“So do the smart thing; fuck off and find someone you can push around. What was it you called me earlier? ‘Porcine Princess?’ Well honey, not all pigs like to roll around in shit and eat out of a trough. Some of us have pretty sharp tusks, and will fucking gut you with them if rub us the wrong way one too many times.”

Chantrea held steely eye contact for a moment longer, before going back to spooning hearty portions of macaroni and cheese into her hungry maw.

The Bloody Embrace: An institution for young killers [SCI FI Academy]

I'm on the move today, but I'll try and get something up by the end of the day.

Hope everyone's having a pleasant Thursday!

Welcome to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

@Prisk Sophia is accepted! Feel free to put her Character Sheet in the CS tab.

@Strawberry425 Aye, that's fine it's unfortunate that it's had to come to that, but alas its beyond control.

As for plot ideas, Chase being a non-hunter affiliated werewolf would probbably be a prime target for the Hunters now that they've come calling. Equally, the Reaper threat is something Chase and Johansen might be interested in stopping, if you fancy doing some interactions with Maddie.

Another possibility, if ethier were to go outside the law, would be working for Nyx for a little bit. Prehaps being blackmailed or offered something important to them?

The Bloody Embrace: An institution for young killers [SCI FI Academy]

Chantrea waited for the last few stragglers to shamble on past, before hopping down off of her crates, landing with a distinct ‘CLANG!’ on the metal walkway bellow. She was sceptical about this latest bunch, but she’d yet to see any of them in action so far, so she’d refrain from passing any major judgments. The young woman was almost certain they were a ticking time bomb of contrasting personalities and unstable character’s, but the higher powers at the Sanctum had assembled this latest batch of recruits, and from her experience that was reason enough to have faith in their capabilities, whatever they may be.

They’d all find out, soon enough.

Chantrea made her way back inside the looming underwater complex, her skirt ridding up over her stomach slightly, which she found herself constantly tugging at to try and keep at a respectable length.

It was only a short walk to the dining hall, through a few winding metal corridors and up the odd flight of stairs. She passed a few students her age on the way through the Sanctum. None of them spoke to each other.

The dining hall itself consisted of three tables that spanned the length of the room (which were accompanied by metallic stools), a sprawling buffet containing a whole manner of varied foods at the far end of the hall, and a large podium for giving presentations, with an advanced set up that let the speaking stream holographic displays onto a nearby wall.
A great celling made from a see-through glass-like substance loomed above. Brilliant blue/green waters spilled over the celling, shimmering against the panels, and an enormous metallic submersible drifted majestically overhead.

The buffet was manned by lean synthetic catering robots, and a handful of technicians were fiddling about with the holographic display, presumably in anticipation of the new arrivals. The bulk of the student body were either away on missions or spending their leisure time doing other activities throughout the Sanctum, so Chantrea was currently the only teenager in the vast dining hall.

Scooping up a tray and some cutlery from a slick dispenser in the wall, Chantrea made her way over to the buffet, eyeing up the food on display.

“Good Evening, Miss Tascroix.” One of the synths bleeped at her. It was painted a rusty reddish colour, and had a sleek, spherical head, with a single mechanical eye.

Chantrea’s eyes fell upon a large vat full of piping hot macaroni and cheese, with white steam wafting up from its creamy mass.

“I’ll take some of that.” Chantrea told the synth, gesturing to the pasta.

“Portion size?” inquired the robot.

“Large.”

The catering droid pilled a china plate high with macaroni and cheese, before placing it delicately down on the young woman’s tray with its slim, skeletal arms.

“Enjoy your meal, Miss Tascroix.” It beeped.

Chantrea filled a large metal canteen full of chocolate milkshake and collected a bowl of small powdered doughnuts from the desert section of the buffet, before finding herself a seat in the corner of the room, away from where she anticipated/hoped the majority of the kids from earlier would sit.

The young woman tucked into her meal with gusto, shovelling in large mouthfuls of macaroni and cheese, whilst she awaited the arrival of the new students.

Welcome to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

@Kingfisher I imagine the character to be a kind of gypsy, fortune teller-styled witch. She's middle aged, and appears a bit capricious, disoriented, and chaotic to others. However, she herself is perfectly calm and organized in that disorder, which would enhance that superstition.

Maybe she has some kind of trade that keeps her relevant to the outside world and the gangs/individuals of the city. You mentioned charms to reinforce weapons and containers, so maybe she'd be into that. And, also, maybe she'd possess some kind of formula that spikes the potency of Fairy Dust, or prevents coma in the event of overdosing.

However, I doubt she'd get herself involved in whatever is going on in the city without being dragged into by someone else. Is it possible to get an NPC or player to seek her out? Create some kind of urgency for her to get involved?

@Prisk

Someone who could enchant weapons would certainly been in high demmand, especially with the recent lycan problem. There are plenty of characters available who could introduce her into the game. I'm sure someone would be up for that, and mine are always onhand if required.

Post up finally. Busy time for me at the moment sadly.

I'd like to get Atticus stuck into the mist of the story now, so will be looking to build to interaction/collab very soon. I'll be looking to keep tomorrow eve open for me to work on some things, plus I've still not had a chance to read the last few posts, which I definitely want to do.

Other than the crusades I think another interesting period would be the colonisation/new world phase. Especially with the Spanish conquistadors and the Incans and all of that – imagining ‘The Royal Hunt of the Sun’ but with numerous new world beasties coming out of the wood-works. Probably a few that were completely wiped out like the indigenous natives and things, lost races and all of that.

@Tsar Gatto

I've got my small cluster of character's if you fancy doing something collaborative.

I was just contemplating what Ancient Egypt would have been like, with the Pharaohs possessing lots of multi-species slaves.