Mirandae

Call of Madness

@Marik No worries, it's good that you announce it now. We'll make it work, so you just enjoy yourself!

Call of Madness

@Darkraven Nope! Not dead.

@DJAtomika Partially, yes!

@Marik Mostly what Marik said! But, now that there's another reply up there's more incentive for me to move things along!

Call of Madness

@Darkraven, welcome!

This is very much a side project for me and I advocate a casual atmosphere around here, I hope! So, it's perfect for people who don't want to commit to something overly complex or grand.

Even if I don't like it, I know that children play a part in controversial practices. It really makes me weak in the knees when I think about it, but I guess that's the way things are. Your character sheet doesn't break any of my rules, so you can post it in the character tab. However, whoever is in that portrait looks a lot younger than thirteen. But, speaking from personal experience, age and looks doesn't always coincide very well.

Anyway, you're all set. Post the character with the others, and the I'll get a starting point set for you.
Also, I've read the attribute explanations, and they make perfect sense, but they're cluttering things up. So, when you post the character sheet with the others, you can remove the explanations.

Call of Madness

Sorry about the shitty writing, I'll try to focus a bit more on it in future posts. I'm still new to this kind of GMing, so it's going to be a bit bumpy here and there. I hope you can understand!

Also, when it comes to combat, you can write freely between your character and the enemy, but don't kill them or describe other fatal wounds. I take your roleplaying/writing into account when determining the outcome of a hostile encounter, so it's not just for show!

And make sure to update your character sheets with attribute changes, item gain/loss, and whatever else noted in the in-character!

Call of Madness

@Marik
A foul stench seeps through the crack of the door. It is infested with that of burnt skin, rotten intestines, and putrid saliva. The muffled whispers previously audible have been replaced by a heavy panting emanating from some dark presence. As Wesley cautiously peers through the bantam split, he beholds a nightmarish creature that he never thought imaginable or possible to exist in the physical world. It resembled a dog with ragged fur and slender limbs. Its body was clad and soaked in what could only be a sickening mixture of pus and flesh from human beings. The creature was horrid.

Wesley cannot believe what he is seeing. Whatever was depicted in the paintings in the other room coming alive was one thing, but this had no logical explanation at all. Where did this beast come from? How did it find Wesley? Nothing was for certain; nothing could overcome the contradictions at this point. The beast simply stared at Wesley. There was nothing the man could do to hide from this eldritch horror, nor was there anything he could do to communicate with it, or calm it down. And then it happened, the beast lunged at the door and impacted it with its body and massive claws.

The door was nearly pulverized by the creature’s attack and Wesley was taken by surprise, being hurled through the air backwards and into a row of chairs behind him. He did not sustain any major injuries, but the realization of the nightmare horror’s existence has taken a toll on his sanity. Luckily, Wesley is somewhat equipped for a fight. The nightmare hound stands in the door way, growling and observing his prey. The paintings in the room have reacted to the dark presence and are wailing a strange sound that seems to upset the otherworldly creature.

Note: Change your Madness attribute to C-.

@Pathfinder
The three-eyed bird suddenly takes flight from the top of the street light and lands on one of the dumpsters next to David. It screeches loudly and frantically, flapping its wings about and dancing with its legs. The display is a bit unsettling, but David has probably seen stranger things in his life. At the end of this tiny ritual, the bird spits a black mass of saliva in David’s face. The taste and stench is foul and the contents immediately invade the man’s body through mouth and nose. It is an extremely unpleasant experience and parts of your body come under extreme duress. However, the pain is over within a matter of seconds and now, the bird’s crackling makes perfect sense to you. What was once screeching is now speech that you can understand: “You better look out, human! You better look out, human! Dark things stir in the corners of your eyes! Dark things stir in the corners of your eyes!” said the Bird and then took flight.

Moments later, the sound of a lone chime echoes throughout the alley and incomprehensible muttering fills the air. The steps of whatever approaches are floundering and heavy. An old woman appears around the corner of the restaurant. The movements of her body are spasmodic and irrational. Her dark robes are ragged and seemingly of ancient, Victorian styled fashion. She mumbles pestilent words of incantations and curses, while occasionally playing her chime. In one of her hands the old woman grips a ceremonial dagger. There is no other explanation other than this hag being a member of the cult, and she has come to claim David’s body and soul. As her muttering and playing of the chime stops, she raises the dagger above her head and charges her prey with incredible legerity, while wailing akin to a weeping banshee.

Notes: Change your Madness attribute to C-, and add ‘Understand Crow Speak’ to your Talents.

@Dragonite777
As Cecelia enters the empty car lot, she is a bit startled that the three-eyed cat now sits upon the roof of a car. As the young girl hesitates, she fails to mind her treading and gets her foot caught in a bantam crack in the pavement. The fall is particularly harsh on the ankle and knee of her right leg. The occult animal simply stares at the helpless lad as she lay in agony for a minute, and then it vanishes into the dark night.

The keys in Cecelia’s possession belong to one of the cars in the lot, but it might be unsafe to drive in her current condition. The street is still suspiciously empty and there is no other sign of life except the pawnshop, but there is no telling what kind of person that dwells therein. However, no other oddities seem to have found Cecelia at this time and she remains hidden from the cult and the dimensions beyond.

Note: Change your Madness attribute to B-. Your character now has a ‘leg injury’. The pawnshop might have Pain Killers to sell, but you currently have no money—perhaps some kind of trade might work.

@DJAtomika
Ryan’s senses jolt awake from a sudden breaking of a bottle nearby. Some manner of homeless man is rumbling through the garbage, but he appears to be harmless. As the world is slowly brought back into focus, Ryan beholds an empty street and a beating downpour. He feels a sting on his neck; the brand is pulsating pain as another soul akin to himself is nearby.

Upon moving his body and attempting to stand on his feet, Ryan appears to be unharmed, but his memory of the past few hours is hazy. His clothes are soaked and torn. A few feet away lay his brown leather bag with all of his belongings tucked inside. However, another object rests beside it. Upon closer inspection, Ryan discovers that it is a hand grenade*. There is no logical explanation to why such a destructive weapon would casually litter a city akin to common garbage. Perhaps it is what the homeless man is looking for, or maybe Ryan stole it from somewhere?

The street appears endless in both directions. To Ryan’s left rests the sight of life and some manner of establishment and the homeless man, but the brand on his neck pulls to the right where he will find a man named David Cohen. Ryan does not know what the pain in his neck means, but his gut tells him that he should follow its call.

Call of Madness

I'll post an intro for @DJAtomika today with a round of replies for the rest!

Call of Madness

<Snipped quote by Prisk>

Yeah, it's understandable. It makes me wonder what you're using to randomize this stuff though. Care to divulge?

@Marik

It's nothing fancy, really. I found Random.org after a bit of searching. I have a word document with a bunch of stuff that I have numbered, and then I just generate a number at that website! The details I make up on the spot as I write, so the only thing that I had written in my list was "axe", for example.

Call of Madness

@Marik It looks really bad when you list it like that, hah, but it was completely random.

I've added the starting items to the Codex that you all received. Don't forget to list them in your Items section of your character sheets!

Call of Madness

Music for inspiration and mood.

The night is cold and dark. A light drizzle moistens the air and frigid winds from the ocean seep through the cracks of buildings and streets. It is late summer, or early autumn perhaps. It is nearly impossible to tell in a harbor city like Veroia. A foul stench of sewer and algae and rotten fish is ever so present. The people pass each other by without a glance, almost disgusted by one another. Strange sounds can be heard from dark alleys and corners, and the occasional gunshot echoes from far away. This vile place is cursed.

* = random element of the game.

@pathfinder
Your senses suddenly spur awake. The realization of forlorn surroundings invades your better judgement, inducing doubt and fear, but you resist irrational thoughts and reckless action. As your eyes adjust to the darkness and dim lights, the blur of the world around you sharpens. An alleyway presents itself with some manner of closed restaurant to your right and a storage facility to your right left. Dead ahead you behold a building that is being renovated, and there appears to be a presence to human beings inside.

Upon moving your body it appears as if though you are unscathed, but you have no memory of the past few hours, so how you got here is a mystery. Your clothes are soaked wet—perhaps from the rain, or maybe from being submerged. Beside you is a stitched bag, which contains your personal belongings. Whoever put you in this miserable state surely would not go through the trouble, so you probably managed to collect them yourself. It also appears as if you bagged something particularly useful: an unopened roll of bandages*, neatly wrapped in plastic. You do not recall when you acquired it or how, but it is there nonetheless.

On the top of a streetlight not far away, you see a black crow creaking and crackling. Upon adjusting your eyes to better see its details, you notice that the bird has a third eye in its forehead—perhaps it wants to tell you something. Further, a number of dumpsters and trashcans surround you. They probably contain waste from the restaurant and the storage facility. While both of these establishments appear to be closed, there are probably a number of ways to get inside and warm up.

(!item acquired: Bandages)

@Marik
You wake up with a jerk. Rapid breaths convey a sense of panic and despair. The room is silent and you are the only living soul inside. It appears to be some kind of old, perhaps recently abandoned or closed theatre. Perhaps someone is mocking you with the scenery. Upon closer inspection of the various paintings and engravings you notice that they are slowly moving about, displaying their stories and gestures as if alive. Such a realization seems impossible, however. Maybe you are just hallucinating due to dehydration or hunger, tiredness, or something else. There is no way that paintings being alive can be real.

Despite what your eyes tell you about the reality you are currently in, your body is unharmed. However, your clothes are wet and ragged. Considering that you are inside, it appears very strange; maybe you were submerged recently, or perhaps it is raining and you were recently outside, even if you cannot remember it. Moving about you notice that Karen’s Backpack is tucked away underneath chair close by, and you feel your wallet in your back pocket. There is nothing else in the room except one thing, an axe*. You see it resting against the wall a few feet away. It looks used and suspicious, covered in dried blood and mud. There is no doubt in your heart or mind that it has been used to kill people and whatever else.

The room only has one exit, a door behind the stage. There does not appear to be much else useful to anyone except maybe an actor or actress. From the door in the back, behind the stage, you hear muffled whispers in an indistinguishable language. Perhaps there are people here willing to help you, answer questions. But, then again, maybe they are the ones who did all the horrid things you remember from before you woke up.

(!item acquired: Used Axe)

@Dragonite777
The beating downpour in this part of town forces you awake. You lay on the stone-cold asphalt next to a tiny car lot and what appears to be an equally small pawnshop. On a billboard towering above your head you see an ad that urges everyone to Join the Force, whatever that means. A slight panic grips you at the realization of an alien surrounding and no recollection of how you got there, but you manage to pull through.

As you try to move, you feel your satchel lay next to you. The fingerless gloves you often wear are strapped tightly around your hands. Your beloved cloak has been balled up and tossed at the top of the fence of the car lot, now completely soaked. In your hand, however, you feel a set of car keys*. They certainly are not yours, so perhaps you stole them. Maybe you are lucky enough that the keys are meant for one of the two cars parked in the lot, or perhaps whoever is inside the lit pawnshop knows.

On top of a nearby closed dumpster you hear a cat moaning. Upon closer inspection, you can see that its fur is pitch-black and that it has a third eye situated in its forehead. You know that such a thing is not possible, so you must be hallucinating. However, the cat does not appear to wish you harm, rather to tell you something or have you follow him.

(!item acquired: Car Keys)

Vicious Hearts [Coma & Prisk]

Well, it's an addiction, but a good one! It's weird for me, though, because I'm naturally lazy. I was in a really bad shape a few years ago, but I had to turn that around. But, I still feel the laziness creep around... sometimes I just spit swear words while working out, the whole time because fuck workout out, but the addiction and my body says NOPE. Anyway, are you happy with your current form?

No worries, love. It happens!

Well, that's good! I only pretend to be geeky, I don't actually know anything, haha. Like, I can say "yeah, Final Fantasy is my favorite whatever, I'm an FF-nerd." But, then, someone says "oh, what do you think about this and that," and I'm like "what the hell is that?", and then they laugh at me. Yup... it's super nice.

;)