The Savant

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

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Thank you thank you. It is pretty good :). But to add to the whole npc talk, I'd say focus on creating them with a purpose, even if it's something really simple.

@Qia

Two out of three of the new NPCs were NPCs from Asterion's childhood and I bought up the scientists at least once or twice now in RP. I thought maybe making the head scientist/engineer would trigger people to maybe kidnap him and have fun with that.

However, I have requested them to be revoked. No one can use emotional damage against Asterion with the subtraction of two NPCs or get him to bow just a little bit because Erik is extremely important to him.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

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Na na na astelia gotta happen first da fuck

@Qia

I love the shipname.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

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Hmm... one less piece of competition for hottest player character. Tempting.

@Herald

Go for it. He will not go down without a fight but he definitely can go down. Then someone else can take first place :P

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

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Only the GM gets to impose limits. I wouldn't worry about it until Estylwen says something. The players can always message her if we start thinking "hey uhh... how are we ever supposed to be able to get to this guys mc if he can literally bodyblock us with Gyfted npcs until the next millenium?"

Honestly, Im of the opinion that a MC is worth at least a few npcs in terms of power, skills, or intelligent planning so the arms race isn't nearly as bad as it looks.

@Herald

I mean, I have already agreed to plenty of things that were close calls to Asterion dying, multiple NPCs dying/kidnapped, and so on. I do not mind giving permission to most things. If someone wants to kidnap or kill Asterion, just ask, we can have fun with it. He has plenty of limits that can cause him to end up in those situations.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

In my mind, NPCs are disposable, and if anyone wants to kill an NPC of mine. We can discuss that and figure out what makes sense, why, and what happens. However, I do have equal rights equal fights type of thinking, so you are not allowed to just off an NPC without consequences (be that one of yours gets killed to, etc...).

Plus, NPCs create layers. Like an onion or an ogre. Great layers.

I can cap myself until someone wants to kill a few. If it is an actual problem. I just can handle stringing NPCs in and out of a story. I could make them all characters and string them in and out of the story too. But I won't make anymore until a few die off. I suppose.

Edit:

I asked Est to remove the three NPCs that I created so I will only have the original ones, for the most part, and will not have too many. I apologize for making so many. I wasn't trying to cause issues.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

Someone cut this man off!!! Too many NPCs xD

@LanaStorm

I forgot to make Jonathan, Susan, and Thomas.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

More NPCs

Sheri Showtime

Sheri Showtime

25 | Female | Kairo Empire

Description: Sheri was one of the street children who grew up around Krish and Asterion. She would say that she knew the original Asterion, the one that had hopes dreams, and wasn't ruined by the city. Sadly, she doesn't see that Asterion anymore yet that doesn't make her any less loyal to him or to Krish. Krish and her have dated off and on for almost a decade though they have no bad blood. Currently, Sheri can be found running a local movie theater in Nickel, she loves movies, and she loves popcorn even more.

Gyft: Puppetry

This ability allows Sheri to control someone like a "puppet" one of those little stuffed people with all the strings attached to them that would help them walk and move. She needs both of her hands or at least all her fingers free. If her hands are bound, she has disadvantage meaning she rolls twice and the lower roll is what she uses. If her whole hands are bound, she cannot use her ability.

Sheri doesn't have to be directly looking at you to take control over you but she has to at least look at you once to know what you look like. Through her powers, she will learn your weight, your height, and your natural movements. Then she will control that.

She needs to roll 1d20 that beats the other persons d20.

If she gets 5 rolls higher than the other roller. They cannot break out for 3 turns. Which is another 1d20 versus 1d20 roll.

If she gets a natural 20, she has complete control and there is no fighting. She gets to choose when she is done with you.

However, she might not have to be looking at you to do this ability initially but your character has to be close. After she gets control, she has to keep you in her sights no matter if she rolls a natural 20. If she walks a character out of her sight, her control instantly breaks.

Catherine Crystaline

Catherine Crystaline

35 | Female | Kairo Empire

Description: Catherine was like a "mother" figure to Asterion's group of misfits before they became an empire and he took control of Nickel and has made it into what she considers a beautiful district. She can be found at one of the local schools in Nickel for the most part as a "music" teacher. She has a beautiful voice, she can go very lower to heights that most humans cannot hear. She has a knack for sound and has learned a variety of instruments. Catherine is usually known as "Miss Crystaline" or "Music Teacher".

Gyft: Hertz Voice

Catherine can use her voice as a weapon. She can drop or increase her vocals to different hertz and sound levels:

Above 55 dB can cause loss of focus, increase stress levels, and cause sleep disturbance.

Above 85 dB can cause tinnitus, hearing damage, hearing loss, increased blood pressure levels, and extended exposure can cause potential cardiovascular issues.

Above 150 dB can cause eardrum ruptures, pulmonary contusions, and embolisms.

Sounds that are able to kill humans on the spot are sounds above 185 dB (similar to loud explosions or being right by a rocket launch) (needs a 20 outcome on a d20). Long exposure to 7hz (needs a 20 on a d20).

Infrasound or low-frequency noise (below 20 Hz) can cause blurred vision, erratic breathing, joint issues, nausea, visual impairment, and inner organ damage. Such as 0.2 hertz being a horizontal translation oscillation frequency which causes motion sickness.

7 Hz infrasound (the frequency of the brain and the internal organs) can affect the human central nervous system and cause general confusion, anxiety and panic, bowel spasms, nausea and vomiting, organ rupture, or death from long exposure.

50-60 hertz is a frequency that starts causing the heart beat to lower before individuals would faint.

Vibrations

174 Hz: May help with pain, stress, concentration, and muscle relaxation

285 Hz: May help with tissue healing, immune system support, and energy balance

396 Hz: May help with eliminating guilt, fears, negative beliefs, and grief

417 Hz: May help with healing trauma, negative energy, and negative thoughts and behaviors

528 Hz: May help with spirituality and communication

639 Hz: May help with openness and connection in relationships

741 Hz: May help with purifying the body from negativity

852 Hz: May help with connecting with inner consciousness

Both abilities need her to roll a d20. Hertz voice will only work on even outcome rolls while vibrations will only work on odd outcome rolls. She can use this ability every turn but if she uses it for 3 turns in a row without giving herself one post or more of a break. A roll of 1d4 will expose the outcome of how many turns she has to wait before using her abilities again.

Erik Dockerson

Erik Dockerson

19 | Male | Doctor - Kairo Empire

Description: The young man is still trying to figure out who he is and what his place is in the world. His personality changes from day to day with the same components that make up its foundation. One day he can be quiet, a recluse, and avoiding all social instances with a blink of an eye. Other days, he will not shut up while following you around. It depends on how everything is going but he tends to be a very ambitious young man that tries to figure out everything he can. Always asking why? what? Who? Where? When? Until he cannot ask any of those questions anymore to the thing or person he is working on.

Erik still has very childish mentalities and exposes that through his interactions especially with the things he creates or are trying to figure out.

Gyft: Erik's abilities are not defensive or offensive unless he can use it to his advantage to make something of working order. Because of these abilities, Erik is the head scientist and engineer at Kairo Skyscraper. He has been since he was 15 years old and obtained such abilities.

Learning Touch is an ability that can be used on physical components such as books, news papers, hard drives, and other things that literally carry readable and physical information. When he uses this ability on a book, he doesn't have to read the book, he just absorbs the knowledge from it. His mind is a filing cabinet for information, he can store what he absorbs away, and "look it up" for later. He cannot explain how this process goes very well. It just is.

Analyzing sight would be an ability that he explains as wearing really cool high tech glasses or a VR headset. His sight is enhanced to the point where he looks around and he can tell you that the box he is looking at 30 feet in front of him is 5.5' by 4'2" or that the bouncy ball that a kid is playing with is perfectly spherical and it weighs 10 grams. This helps him be able to explain that if that kid threw that bouncy ball at a certain angle, that it would move at such a speed and force that it could perfectly shatter a window or how a baseball wouldn't shatter a window if it was hit with such little force that it slowed down just enough before hitting the window.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

ᗩᔕTEᖇIOᑎ KᗩIᖇO

&

ᗰᗩTTᕼIᗩᔕ ᖴITᘔᑕᒪᗩᖇEᑎᑕE

---

Asterion did not go home right away and he took June to her apartment, her place of safety, as they entered the fenced in community, got through the protected front doors, and up to her apartment. She was shaking from what went down at the restaurant, “I am sorry that I begged you to go out. I didn’t… I…” she was trying to apologize and talk.

He shook his head and cupped her cheeks in his hands, “Do not do that to yourself. None of that was your fault,” he protested her apologies and that seemed to settle her emotions a little bit. She began to cry again. She kept sucking up her emotions and letting them out. She wasn’t built for the art of war and she was in the beginning of one at the Golden Palace tonight. He felt awful.

“If I didn’t beg for you to go out. None of that would have happened and you would be at home resting. You need to be resting,” she argued with him. Her hands began to move as she talked as if she was trying to get nervous energy out of her system.

Asterion stared at her and shook his head, “Come on. I am not leaving you at your apartment alone. Grab a set of pajamas and a change of clothes. You are coming home with me,” the man did not pose that as a question but as an order.

June went to say something but he had already pulled out the key fob from her purse and opened her apartment. Going in to grab the things for her. She stood quietly at the doorway as he went and grabbed the things that he requested her to grab before coming back to the apartment, grabbing June, and leading her out.

---

There was a thickness in the air as he walked into the Kairo Skyscraper, he was not in a good mood at all, and that dinner with Ayla and Glade put him into a worse mood. I wonder who Matthias pissed off, he chuckled to himself while waving at Mitzie. “Good evening, sir,” she sounded so cheerful.

June was right beside him and looking gravely upset. Mitzie went to say something but Asterion gave her eyes that told her not to press. She quieted right up and moved on with the conversation as he led it.

Asterion dipped his head in respect, “Good evening, Mitzie. Why are you still here?” He stopped in front of her desk while looking at her.

She smiled, “Susan called off and the new hire, Thomas, never showed up for training,” she informed him positively.

Nodding his head, “I will send Elara down here so you can go home,” he informed her before continuing to the elevator that it would be the quickest way to his penthouse. Grabbing his phone and calling Elara to get her or her to get someone to replace Mitzie for the rest of the night. Then he hung up the phone.

Reaching the penthouse, he groaned in pain, as he was able to instantly begin relaxing from the events of the day and the busyness of it all. Instead of jumping to any more business or anything — Asterion went and took a shower. Making sure he was clean. He took a shower earlier but he wanted to be clean again and felt dirty.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, securely, he grabbed his laptop and put it onto the kitchen counter and opened it. Letting it boot up as he turned the oven on and put something in to warm up since he didn’t eat at the restaurant because of his mood. He began to make himself a mixed drink, mixing a few ingredients together, as he went over to his laptop, logged in, and went to call Matthias on Skype. Watching as the video call was ringing to be picked up. It was later at night, so he wouldn’t be surprised if the man didn’t pick up, but he wanted to talk.

But the man did pick up.

Matthias emerged on the other side of the screen, dressed in a three-piece suit, his head filtered out by the camera as always, his background a virtual fog.

“Congratulations on the acquisition, Mr. Kairo,” the prophet intoned. “I had expected you’d require, or at least appreciate my help in taking Yellow Brick, but by the time I turned my gaze in that direction, you had already toppled the Del Guarde.”

Asterion glanced over to the living room to see June was out of it at this point. She was sleeping on the couch, tucked under comfortable blankets, with nice pillows, and she had passed out when he was in the shower. He sighed while looking at the screen when it came on, showing Matthias dressed so nicely, “If you did come to the rescue, I would have definitely praised you for it,” he teased the man but showed he would have been thankful.

Making up the drink, a Basil Gimlet, and taking a sip of it. “You must have pissed someone off, Matthias, could you think of anyone?” he sounded playful even though it was serious. He wanted to know if Matthias could think of anyone or anything that he might have pissed off at the moment. The man leaned on the counter, waiting for his food to get done cooking, and he stared into the camera. He only had a towel around his waist which exposed the shape he was in, muscular and toned, and he took a sip of his drink while his wet hair seemed to not want to stay out of his eyes or curl around his head.

“What brought this on?”

What he really wanted to ask, of course, was why Asterion had called straight out of the shower, but maybe he was just that sort of person. Matthias himself could probably do with a shower himself; he still stank of blood and rubbing alcohol. Pain in the ass to have to bandage himself back up afterwards though. Spritz on a bit of cologne and call it a day.

“I’m not a mob boss, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could fill an auditorium with people who’d clap if I was gunned down.” He leaned back against his chair. “Same for you really.”

Asterion shrugged, “I went to dinner tonight with June knowing I was meeting two unfamiliar faces. I have a suspicion more went on, but I can tell you what happened. The woman named Ayla, she is from the Dark Aces, and offered $200,000 (20 wealth) for me to take over Riverbend. Clearly, I did not accept or even entertain the idea of being interested. Then they held June at gunpoint, the woman, Ayla, was able to control me with just a voice, and I ended up breaking out of her hold and shooting multiple people dead at the Golden Palace. Ayla is being held somewhere in my Skyscraper,” Asterion was straight to the point and up front with Matthias.

“I was hoping that you might have had an idea, but I know. Our lines of work tend to get eyes on us,” he chuckled at the man’s words. “It seems like the Dark Aces want us up against each other. I rather have an ally than a little bit of extra cash in my pockets. One is much more valuable than the other,” he continued to sip on his drink before a timer went off. He leaned over and turned it off. Going over to the left side of the screen for Matthias and taking out something from the oven and turning it off. Putting it on the stove and turning back towards him to let the food cool off. They looked like pizza bites.

“You mentioned two faces. The other didn’t show?”

“The other one did show, he performed on stage, then joined us only for a moment before he was dragged away in the whole thing. His name was Glade Brey or at least that was the name he gave me. I did not figure out if he had a gyft or not, but I assume he did. He was there and protected for some reason,” Asterion admitted. “I will be having a group of men hunt him down. I have a few questions for him.”

It was concerning, no doubt. The Dark Aces were an enigma, one of those shadow organizations that didn’t hold any overt territories, but were still powerful and wealthy. Matthias thought back to the map of Nocturnia, to those ever-shifting territories, the lines drawn between friend, foe, and self. Where could the Dark Aces hide, except in East Nocturnia? And if their intent was to drive a wedge between Asterion and the Order of Enlightenment…was Cyrus associated with them?

Still.

“You should’ve just taken the deal and then handed me half the Wealth after I hand Riverbend over to you nominally. Or take the deal, ask for a deposit, and split that instead.” The smoke-faced man shrugged. “In either case, the Dark Aces would’ve been pissed, but we’d both be a good bit richer outta it.” As it were, Asterion had just ended going through a shootout, and now had the security risks associated with keeping a member of the Dark Aces within their territory. “Still, glad you’ve interest in remaining a friendly neighbour of the Order. It’d be a waste of our efforts to war against each other.”

Asterion stared at the screen like Matthias wasn’t thinking about all the variables, “There are too many variables that could have happened there. They would have twisted it or something. You would have probably been pissed if I took that deal even if I shared it with you. It would have caused doubt in our alliance and everything else,” he spoke evenly about this. “I rather not cause any doubt.”

“My understanding, we want the exact same thing for our people or something extremely similar, Matthias. That is more valuable to me than a little extra money when I can claim more land. I plan on expanding.” he confessed.

Then he thought about it, Emilia and that conversation, and he looked at Matthias. “And I am not interested in cooperating with terrorists. Once they put a gun to June’s head, an innocent doctor, I had no plans to be pleasant with them. They showed me that I shouldn’t give them the light of day,” his eyes closed as he began to feel his muscles begin to twitch and spasm.

A painful sounding groan could be heard from the man while he set down his drink. His body began to aggressively spasm and he grabbed onto the counter to support himself, “And I had a late night guest last night. They want me to meet with their district leader to talk about opportunities,” he grabbed onto the counter tighter before going off screen and a drawer could be heard aggressively opening as he dug through it. Grabbing a muscle relaxant that attacked overactive nerves before taking the amount he needed, going over to the sink, and bending over to sip out of the running water before he took the pills without issues. His body continued to shake from his overactive nerves and the pain it was causing him hallowed the emotions in his face and damped the light in his eyes as he looked back at Matthias. “I am not going to work with people that do not want the same or similar goals. I do not believe the Dark Aces have goals anywhere near mine,” a hand came up to rub one of his temples.

“I’m a man of faith,” Matthias replied. Well, he wasn’t really, but it was what it was. “Forgiveness comes with the position.”

Still, it was hard to tell, one way or the other, how he truly would have felt. His emotions had been distant from his thoughts for a long while now, enough so that he hadn’t truly felt fully swept away by his emotions for a while. All that it required of him was to stay still for a moment, then act on thoughts alone. He hadn’t imagined Asterion to have taken this temporary alliance as a possibly permanent one though. A ceasefire, sure, but an alliance…

Silverside was the most livable district in Nocturnia, but Nickel was close, despite life there behind more like a state within a state. Ruled by someone who thought himself as the head of government, with the ability to declare his enemies as terrorists. It was a touch more zealous, a touch more authoritarian, than even the police death squads that roamed Eastern and Northern Nocturnia. Smoke curled as Matthias watched Asterion medicate. He doubted there was a successor in place, if Asterion died from overdose.

“I too, am expanding. Specifically, I intend on taking White Pine.” A pause. Was it worthwhile to let him know? Yes. Let it be a sign of good faith. “I’ve heard that the military have not only sent Gylde’s detachment into Nocturnia. They’ve brought headhunters along as well, and our recent actions will likely bring our heads into their scopes.”

Matthias passed a hand through where his head was.

“Now, I don’t have a head, but you and your family do. So keep them close and get some proper rest, Mr. Kairo.”

“I try to forgive,” he ran his hands through his hair while breathing out as if he was trying to self regulate the internal pain he was feeling. “It is hard to forgive when you see people doing such horrible things for a little extra money,” he confessed which is what he could grasp from the Dark Aces — he was going to find Glade Brey one way or another and ask his questions. Plus, he loved playing the cat and mouse game. It was so fun.

He shrugged his shoulders, “Depending on how this meeting with a certain someone,” his eyes flicked towards Matthias. “I was going to do the same thing. It all depends though that is being setup so if you go after White Pine before that. Tell me, if you want any help,” he offered casually.

Asterion laughed a little before grabbing his alcoholic drink and pouring it down the sink, rinsing the glass out, and putting water into it. He took a drink of that, “I wish I had a family. Sadly, men like me do not get those privileges or we do then they get destroyed because of us, so I will try my best not to have one,” he laughed a little more thinking it was so amusing.

Taking another drink, “And if they kill me,” he shrugged. “I guess, I die, right? Nothing more to it.” he leaned back on the counter as another shrug from his shoulders could be seen. He stared passed the camera and towards June who was asleep on the couch. He thought for a few seconds, “I do have a question, do you know anything about Bella Delacroix? She is from the neighboring district and I have heard some things about her. Is there anything in particular that you have heard?” he wondered.

“Ah, so you’re meeting the Red Rose Syndicate.”

There was no doubt in the Lodestar’s tone. It only made sense, after all. The police were not the leaders of any district, and the Iron Rose had been far too quiet as of late for a woman who held the reins to one of the oldest crime families in Nocturnia. And the only reason for being quiet? Well, that was to build up one’s assets in preparation for large-scale action. A late night call, an individual that spoke on behalf of a leader, and similar plans to encroach upon the Thorned Roses’s territory…

It could only point towards Delacroix.

“As her neighbour, I do hope you know more about her than I do. The only thing that stands out to me would be that she has been far too quiet as of late. Perhaps she’s feeling the pressure of the Lion’s presence, or perhaps internal power struggles have kept her busy, but…while the rest of Nocturnia wars, her gang is fresh still.” Ivory Tower was right beside Nickel, after all. If her intentions were violent though, was the meeting meant to extract a lesser reward in exchange for the promise of some degree of peace? “Ah, but her Gyft, as you ought to know, is one built for close-quarters combat. Any face-to-face meeting with her, I imagine, would carry the risk of the Iron Rose simply changing her mind.”

After all, Asterion may think little of his death, but the fallout would still be quite troublesome, regardless of the opportunities it’d bring on the table.

Asterion smirked, “I am fishing, Matthias,” he admitted. He waved his hand, “So we pretty much know the same things…mhm…” he seemed indifferent about that. There was the regular knowledge of all the leaders and what not. He knew he was playing the downlow for longer than he should but people were learning his true face even if they didn’t know it was truly his or not.

Tapping his fingers on the counter as he took another drink of water, “I want to see your district, Matthias. Before I begin meeting with more people. I want to get to know you. Your people. What type of district you have created,” Asterion confessed. “I want to see if I should continue being friendly with you, in a truce, or whatever we have going on.”

“You don’t need to get to know me.”

It was an immediate response. Firm in the way that his more measured, thoughtful responses weren’t.

“But in the name of this truce we have, I would not mind if you took a gander through the districts I control and draw your conclusions from there.”

Asterion’s eyes sharpened with such a response. There was a flick of something dark and ominous. Something that showed he didn’t care for such an answer when he was being friendly. “I will put a rain-check on it,” he seemed completely disinterested in the topic now. The instant response and such wording showed him that Matthias wasn’t looking to keep this going or being anything more than not personal with him.

“I hope you have a nice night, Matthias, like you said, I should get some rest, mhm?” he completely changed the topic. He didn’t want to speak about having a truce anymore… if you could call it that but he would keep that to himself.

“Good night, Mr. Kairo.”

---

Collaboration with @ERode

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

Love it!

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

<Snipped quote by The Savant>

What an interesting definition of good boy

@Qia

Could be better definitions but we are talking about Asterion here. I can only do so much for this man.