Rawk

Upon the Sunset Sea; World of Darkness RP

@Heat!....pero...PORQUE???

sigh

Well, that stinks but understandable brother. However, I'll see ya on the sunny side of the street ;)

Upon the Sunset Sea; World of Darkness RP

And to celebrate, I've posted the two "love birds" once again! :)

Aside from a bit of filler and whatnot, it is also going to (hopefully) get the ball in motion for the "Lupine Breakers" side storyline, as the Garou, Michelle (@Howler), will eventually be confronted by the alluring and very inebriated human Elizabeth in hopes that she can convince her to listen to reason (even though it's shit Liz doesn't quite understand herself...)

Upon the Sunset Sea; World of Darkness RP

Nicolaus & Elizabeth

Liz looked on in pure bliss as her exquisitely handsome companion pressed the rim of the wine glass against his lips, tipping it back to swallow the last of her vitae mixed in with his drink. And all the while with a wry grin across his face, gazing at the stunning beauty to his side, Nicolaus playfully flicked the tip of his blood-stained tongue along the glass edge to soak up the remaining few drops that attempted to escape down the side of the goblet. She arched an eyebrow, intrigued by just how clever the man could be, and yet not so surprised at how hot he made her feel by doing the simplest of gestures. She knew the Ventrue had his little mind tricks that he’d employ every so often to enhance the emotional responses of his guest, altering their perceptions and thoughts, but it had always been different with Liz, as he never quite enjoyed it as equally if fairplay wasn’t involved, and manipulating the woman he loved -and who loved him in return- through dark supernatural means didn’t make much sense to him. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, so to speak, catching his lady off guard at times and places that may even seem inappropriate, and feeling the exhilaration as her heart pumped faster, blood heated and rose to the surface of her smooth olive skin, and the tiny hair follicles along her arm and back of neck stood on end.

“You know they watch me with hungry eyes?” She whispered into Nico’s ear while doing her best to maintain some semblance of composure as a few Lounge guests -both vampires and their coterie- passed by, nodding in reverence to their Ventrue brethren and his gorgeous human companion.

Many knew of the couple’s long-standing relationship, and in as many who did not approve with Nicolaus’ lifestyle and choice of company, they respected the vampire enough not to push the subject or cause strife within the ranks. The Elders, most set in their ways reaching back countless centuries, were more concerned of a conscientious mortal who had not yet gone through the blood ritual bonding process of a ghoul, allowing her master to keep his retainer in line. However, the young lady had given little reason for them to suspect anything that would otherwise be a breach of the Traditions, and have forgone any further probing.

“As they should, m’love.” Nico said, placing his empty glass onto the table. “But I’ve also found that many kindred are envious of mortals and their humanity more so than they’ll admit. To gaze upon a woman like yourself is, for many of us, a mirror into a world we’ve forgotten. So perhaps in that sense, you’re a reminder of what we can never obtain.”

An abrupt noise from the main bar caught their attention as well as much of the ground floor’s guests, as it seemed one of the frequent visitors - a Lasombra if Nico recalled - decided to take it upon himself to allow ego to overrule better judgement, which never ended well for anyone in a place like the Sunset. He knew their kind all too well, once being a Sabbat member himself, and having little respect for their audacity to assume they can do whatever the hell they please with little regard to the consequences. Nicolaus smirked, watching as the vampire was pulled away from the bar and escorted out by way of Eva’s inevitable intervention.

“What the hell was that all about?” Liz asked, a sour expression on her face considering she’d had her earlier moment with Nicolaus wholly interrupted by petty vampire disputes.

“That, fraulein, was a good example of how not to conduct yourself in the company of a Lupine?”

“Lupine?” She said, furrowing her brow at the foreign term.

“It's...what we call the Garou, the wolves, of this world.” Nico sat back as he spoke, putting an arm around the other's waist. “I scarcely remember where the term originated, but it stuck. However it’s also considered derogatory to their kind regardless.”

“So which one is the ‘wolf’?” Liz asked, resting her head on her companion’s broad shoulder.

“As far as I'm concerned, they all are.” Nico grinned. “Eva and her pack of friends, vampire or otherwise, consider themselves the ‘wolves of hollywood’ in an unofficial way. But more to the point, the actual Garou is the young lady with the shaved head.”

“Shit.” The other perked up gazing toward the group at the bar, paying particular focus on the female with the tattoos, buzz cut, and pissy disposition.”That's a girl?” She exclaimed, not realize her voice may have carried further than she wanted, especially after a few glasses of wine.

“Elizabeth. Manners.” He nudged her, his tone as though a guardian were reprimanding a child, pausing for a moment before continuing. “That she is, and perhaps one of the few Garou allies we Kindred have in our war against the Sabbat.”

Nicolaus drifted for a moment in thought while keeping his attention on the Lupine known as “Michelle”, doing his best to penetrate the thick walls of her psyche in order to plant a thought in her head that would possibly grab her attention and lead her innate senses to the source of the one calling her. A slight frustrated expression began forming across his face, sa the difficulty of such a feat against the erratic mind of a werewolf, trying to push against their inner Rage and a lifetime of chaos for the sake of a single thought.

“Dammit” He mumbled.

“What?” The other responded with concern.

“I just tried to leave a message and was kicked off the line.” He said in a somewhat jovial tone.

There was a moment of silence between the two, with the ambience of the Lounge in the background, until Elizabeth snorted in laughter, covering her mouth and smile while a little embarrassed at the outburst. “You were trying to get into her head, weren’t you Nico?”

“Yes, and I’ll be damned if they weren’t the most impenetrable puzzles I’ve encountered.”

“But why?” The other said, slowly coming down from the humor fallen just short of her companion’s mood.

“Because she needs to be aware of what the Sabbat are doing to her kind…”

Liz sat up straight, composing herself as she looked at her lover. “What the hell are you talking about?” She said with confusion. “And what does it matter to you? How do you eve-”

“It’s not about me!” He said in a sharp hushed tone that caused the other to recoil slightly. “It’s about our future. Immortal and mortal alike. And something tells me that a Garou who would rather sit in a bar chatting it up instead of out helping her own kind from Sabbat shitheads is most likely an ill-informed Garou.”

“Okay then…” Elizabeth quickly slid out from the booth.

“Where are you going?” He said plainly.

“For starters, I’m going to let you sit for a few minutes and cool the fuck off.” She said, leaning on the table wagging her finger at the vampire across from her. “And second, I’m taking my drunk ass down to the bar, ordering a shot for me and the wolf, and perhaps even making us a new friend in the process. Is that okay?”

At this point, Nicolaus could have seriously lost his nearly four centuries of cool in a single moment of his companion’s defiance, yet he did not. Even when she immediately turned around and headed down the stairs without waiting for a response from him, his lips simply curled into a smile as he watched one of the most alluring and strongest-willed mortal women he’d ever had the pleasure of knowing, strut her lean, well-formed figure down to the lower section.

--------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey there. A double shot of Cuervo...” Liz said boldly to the man on the other side of the bar, as though she were some kind of connoisseur of alcoholic beverages. She moved closer to where Michelle was seated, although the girl’s back was to her as she was in conversation with another.

“Eh, and get her another round of whatever it is she was drinking…” She said to the barkeep, motioning to the girl with the shaved head and tattoos.

Wolves of the Apocalypse | High-Casual Roleplay

We could always re-boot to see if this glens new interest?

@XxLyraxX

I actually love @A Tattooed Girl's story concept, and I'd consider joining if she wanted to reboot, but I would need more reassurance that she would stick around :/

Not being harsh, just my two cents as I hate to see potentially good RPs die.

Upon the Sunset Sea; World of Darkness RP

Ok, so part one of the "Lupine Breakers" side story is up, which is essentially in line with the main story of the Sabbat currently recruiting for their war, of course some Sabbat have their own ideas of "recruiting".

Even though the little society managed to stay hidden from the prying eyes of LA's elite for the past year, this time around it will begin to surface and whispers will eventually make it to the ears of those at the top...

Upon the Sunset Sea; World of Darkness RP

The “Lupine Breakers” Union - Pt 1

----------
Vic Hëlix
----------

The tangerine sky slowly disappeared, leading into the darkness, as the star of warmth and light sank below the Los Angeles cityscape making way for the chill of death and it's followers. The reaper emerges to drag another soul to their fate this night. On the outskirts of the city, far from the ambiance of harsh luminescent street lights, crowds of people, and the otherwise prying eyes of their constituents, the Sabbat deviants lie beneath the ground in their newly established sanctum, their ”playground” as it was sometimes referred to. A derelict, multi-level maximum security correctional facility that hadn’t seen use in decades, purchased years ago by unknowns with money to burn, and heavily guarded by Anarch “muscle”. While many of their Sabbat brethren thrived in recruiting through political manipulation and backdoor deals to further the Sect’s cause, a select few deemed it appropriate to amass their own army of supernatural creatures to join the ranks of the ongoing war. It was a bold decision for such an unsanctioned and illegitimate movement, but to these young upstarts, they had the answer that would sway the tides of battle in their favor.

The Garou.

“Lupines” as the kindred refer to them, or simply “dogs” to many who'd rather see them scraping and begging at the feet of their vampire masters, reducing the race of fierce warriors and spiritual shapeshifters to mere cannon fodder for a war their captives would rather steer clear of. To the Garou Nation, they see all vampires as created by -and followers of- the Wyrm, better left to their own internal wars, tearing each other apart in the name of power, greed, and a thirst for more of what they don’t have. “Clear the earth of undead rot..” The werewolf tribes would say. “And allow Gaia to thrive once more, unfettered”. But there they were once again like the unwelcomed cockroach, chopping at the foundations of the creator, pursuing and pushing the Garou to fight for hearth and home, their ancient rights, the spiritual realms, and survival of their species, just to steal them away, systematically break them down until they serve the interests of their Sabbat masters.

“Two more for the meat grinder...” The pale, greasy-haired adolescent stood with an elbow propped against the wall and the other holding a phone to his ear, staring out into the large center “pit” that would soon be full of violence and carnage. “This’ll be fuckin’ epic too, bro. Did you see the pics I sent you when we picked this bitch up in Washington last month? Massive fuckin’ werewolf, probably one of the biggest I’ve seen! She can fight like a mutha fucka. Shit, outlasted the other two dogs of her tribe. Those assholes went down hard, but this bitch stood strong. And bro, she has horns growing out of her fuckin head! And-”

The kid, interrupted by the other’s loud voice on the phone, paced back and forth for a moment before responding. “What? How do I know it’s a ‘she’? Well...shit bro, it wasn’t that tough to notice the lack of a fuckin’ cock ‘n balls! What, you think I’m some perv? Y-you know what, don’t answer that…”

Another long pause came as the other spoke, eliciting a sour expression across the kid’s face as he shook his head in disbelief before continuing his rant. “Right, right, I get it bro.” The grungy kid pulled a pack of smokes and a zippo from his tattered leather jacket. “Besides, that bitch Eva and her band of assholes is a joke. She’s too busy hanging out with hotshots in tinsletown, fuckin’ anyone and anythin’ who gives her the time of day! So much so, why the fuck would she care about us and our little arrangement out here in the middle of nowhere?”

He fired up the tip of the cigarette and pulled a long drag as he listened to the other, responding with a “mhmm” and “yeah”, before a response came. “Yeah, yeah. Well, for the last year we’ve been doing this shit, I haven’t heard one fuckin’ peep from any of my contacts regarding Eva’s concerns. I’d like to think we’ve done a pretty fuckin’ good job of movin’ ‘round enough to keep her off the scent. But either way, I say fuck her up her prissy little ass!” He slammed his fist into the concrete wall, forming a series of large cracks that left shattered pieces of rock and dust, followed by a calming sigh escaping through his pierced lips. “Anyway bro, I gotta jet, so I’ll see you here in a couple of hours...”

---------------------------------------------------------

Wild cheers, disjointed arguments, excessive heckling, and general rowdy behavior of the growing crowd filled the upper levels of the octagonal-shaped prison’s center hub, which looked down into the “war pit” several feet below. Dozens of guys, gals, and otherwise -a mix of young white, black, hispanic, and asian vampires- lined the viewing area which was enclosed by thick metal bars that showed signs of rust and oxidation, and like much of the old interior, stank of rot and mold. However, the upper spectator areas had nothing on the lower pit section which contained the deadly fights as best it could, the three Black Spiral Dancer opponents pacing back and forth -two currently in hispo form, and the other crinos- awaiting their time to make a name for themselves, as well as serve the Wyrm in the most vile way they knew: destroying another of Gaia’s creation.

Along the perimeter of the arena, housed the cells for each contender, warded and augmented by the deep spiritual magicks of the sect’s Mage allies for more effectiveness in keeping the “monsters” inside. It wasn't perfect, but when dealing with the likes of the Garou, every little bit helped. In this instance, however, the one the vampires feared the most was a creature they'd scarcely come across, a werewolf they never imagined existed.

“Portador de la muerte!” A deep booming voice echoed through the hall, and a resounding roar of the crowd commenced at the name they came to know well in recent days.

Death Bringer

She could hear it, even without heightened senses, the vampire “MC” and his bassy voice permeated every nook and cranny of the stronghold, as it did each night of their “games”. Since birth, the female werewolf’s primary tongue had been that of the Garou language, however, she also understood the human language to an extent as was customary within the Black Furies to teach their pups early on. But as of late, she wished her ears and mind would block out those words as they resonated more than any others in the past several weeks of her captivity. It was as though the blood-sucking Wyrm sympathisers felt the need to create an identity for her many exploits, label her for their own entertainment purposes. But this was still Los Angeles, was it not? Everyone had an identity, for better or worse…

But I have a name…it’s ”Victoria”.

She’d recite this in her head as a reminder of who she was, the name her adopted kinfolk gave her as a newborn when she had none. These Sabbat had no idea who she was or where she’d come from. They only saw the potential to exploit a “war dog” for their own benefits, to mold and shape the beast into their personal tool of destruction. A tool she would not so easily allow them access to as long as she still drew breath.

The cell she’d been held in since being torn away from her caern, her tribe, and her life, was filled with nothing but the weight of dread. It wasn’t the constant stench of days old urine, excrement, vomit, or even the rotting human flesh and bones they’d left for her as a “reward”, but rather the growing presence of the Wyrm. It encompassed everything around her, from the brick and mortar walls, to the thick rusty chains with silver-lined collars used to keep her weakened, sapping the spiritual energies that otherwise breathed life into her being, allowing her to call upon the gifts Gaia bestowed. But there was that emptiness, an absence of Gnosis, and the looming emotional disconnect from her spiritual ancestors all within the twelve-foot-by-twelve-foot prison she'd been confined to. They knew this, as that was all part of the “Lupine Breakers” plan to whittle down any semblance of the Garou’s psyche, bit by bit, until there was nothing but a husk and unconditional loyalty to its new masters.

Vic’s large ears perked and her once shut eyes cracked open as the sound of the cell door unlocked and swung open, revealing six Sabbat members armed with silver tipped spears, and assault rifles with enough ammo to put down a herd of elephants.

“Alright big girl, you know the drill.” The lead vampire pulled at the four chains secured to the Garou only several feet from him. “Nice and easy...or you’ll get the business end of this spear jabbed into that pretty skull.”

The young Anarch back peddled and two others grabbed the slack, as they began leading her out of the cell on all fours as her massive ten foot stature and bulk wouldn’t allow for room to stand otherwise until she cleared the small space. The incessant snarls and barks of the Dancers were heard along the other side of the pit, anxious to put down the one threat to their existence. Vic ignored them -casting their threats in the Garou tongue aside- but rather stared at her vampire captors with hungry and fiery eyes as she lumbered along the cold floor, biding her time as the Rage within began to grow once more. But she knew better than to attack them, as the many slow healing scars across her face and body reminded her, and the silver they held as their only defense against her wrath would soon be diminished as time went on.

Patience had to be on her side.

Wolves of the Apocalypse | High-Casual Roleplay

Unfortunately, I'm out @A Tattooed Girl, as I moved on after your departure :(

Hope things are getting better with you though.

Upon the Sunset Sea; World of Darkness RP

Posted...a fluff piece, sure, but enough to give the softer side of Mr. Strøm...