Loveland City (ic)

Loveland City has history dating back to before the coming of the white man. The land was lush and full of life all year round. The ground was rich, the rains came reliably, the temperatures rarely went beyond 28-100 degrees. This ideal climate mixed with rolling hills, thick forests, clear waters, and a cool stead breeze made this land a paradise to wildlife and American Indians alike.

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The buffalo never left this area, the plains being vast enough to cycle naturally in an almost supernatural growth rate. The Indians made one of the first permanent settlements, learning to plant crops and till the land. Prosperity was so great, that the Aliquoi people made pacts and treaties with all surrounding tribes, bringing them up as well. Including a tribe of Wendigo. Though the Aliquoi refused the Kinship with the native pack, a friendship and lasting peace persisted.
It was this kindness and enlightenment that proved to be the downfall of the Aliquoi. When the English moved west, the land became highly coveted for its fertility. A Gangrel elder, named Lasiter Palimar, saw the possibility for profit and power in such a place and quickly moved in to take the land. This battle lasted three months, consisting of Lasiter’s family and a contingent of US soldiers sent to quell the “savage threat.” While the Palimar family did not survive, Lasiter disappearing one day, never to be seen again, The captain of the contingent claimed the land for his own. Captain Charles D. Loveland, moved quickly to fortify the land on which the central hub of the Indian settlement had been located.

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Despite continued resistance, nothing could breach the walls of the fort, out lasting the threat of war, and lasting into the colonization of the west. Prosparity passed on to the Loveland family, who quickly attracted settlers, growing the fort into a city.

Geography
Loveland City is built in a circle around what was the Loveland Fort, and has now become a museum.
Directly around the fort is downtown, now a central hub of small business, hole in the wall shops, privately owned restaurants, and musical clubs. Around that is the business district, where the skyscrapers reach into the skies, dotted at all hours with the lights of offices. Around that comes the red light district. The northern half consisting of the poorer side, filled with dirty strip joints, sleezy bars, and low budget porn shops. The southern side consists of all the higher class lounges, formal dining, name brand stores and the like. The next ring consists of the suburbs and stores that belong there. wal-marts, malls, parks, hardware stores and the like. Beyond that are the rural areas, farms, parks, forests, and lakes. A single river cuts through the city, running from west to east that separates the rich and poor sides of town. A mile south was the large “For the Love of Life” facility. Which no living (or at least not missing) person has ever seen the inside of.

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It is 10:00 pm on a Friday night, the early spring breeze blows over the plains and all seems right with the world. Welcome to Loveland City.

Ridicio padded softly along the streets. He whistled softly, slowly, and almost silently. It was a favorite song of his and one that dated back very far. He held a blood rose in his right hand, twirling it gently. The thorns curled to protect the delicate flesh of his human form. It was always changing but he kept his will about himself. He maintained a pale complexion and gentle face. It was attractive but the cute boyish look was cut short by the piercing red eyes. He changed those too, but only when he needed too.

He sniffed the air, taking a deep breathe. "How sick," He begins gently, then smelling the rose. "This world has become. Slowly as it turns the corruption spreads faster. Even the nature has bent. Sad." He spoke quietly in a gently voice as he always did when talking to himself. At that point however he turned right down an alley way. The quiet song was loud off of the walls in the confined area.

Ignasius sat in a 4x4 car, along with two other hunters. The driver was a middle aged man, looking rather scholary, and just like Ignasius, wearing a priest's robe. The other hunter looked like a younger, yet rather strong looking man, wearing aviator sunglasses and a leather jacked.
As the car drove into the town, Ignasius slowly looked around the town and stood silent all the way 'till they reached "For the Love of Life"
When the car stopped, the three men got out. Ignasius and the middle aged man both took rather large suitcases, while the younger man simply watched them over. Permato finally nodded and headed towards the ruins of the facility.

"Omarion Grayvale filius Hagal Midran Hermes bani Guernicus Master of the Art you stand accused of conspiring with the enemies of the Ascension, more precisely a member of the Nephandi, how do you plead?"
The voice of the displeased Council member was so realistic that it still echoed in the old mage's mind as he sat up in his motel room bed, covered in sweat and shaking, he could still feel magick restrictive handcuffs he had dream of press against his slender wrists. Omarion had experienced the nightmare many times, the nightmare of his relationship with Laydina being discovered and himself arrested and brought before a Tribunal. Omarion shuddered, again he tried to calm himself and say that it just would not happen, he knew it could, but denial helped him get through the day.

Omarion got out of bed and checked the time on his phone's watch, it was early morning. The old mage sigh, he got out of bed and stumbled towards the showers, he always felt like shit when waking up from those nightmares.
"You are going to get both of us killed you fool, now go home and forget about that silly girl."
Came a voice from deep inside of Omarion, and for a while the old mage did not think he had heard anything, however the voice of his Avatar was impossible to deny.
"No, I love her, I will find her."
Omarion said, the Avatar did not reply but the old mage could hear it sigh, well more feel it sigh from where it lived, deep, deep down in his soul.

Five minutes later Omarion had showered and dressed in his black jeans, dark gray turtle neck sweater and a black leather jacket, the mage grabbed his wallet and his room and car keys and headed out. Omarion had no idea about how to find out what had happened to the missing people, and do so without running afoul of any hunters, but first stop was some diner or another for breakfast and then he would see. Omarion jumped in his Audie and drove down the road from the motel he had arrived at last night, looking for some suitable place to have some food, sure he could use magick to not need to eat, but the old mage did not quite want to give up that link to his humanity without absolutely needing to so right now, he was hungry and he never thought well or came up with good plans on an empty belly.

Ridicio had come out of the alley but then ducked back in. "Oh... What's this?" He asks, smiling. He leaned back into the shadows, blending in. His head tilted a little and he watched the three men get out. "So serious... Seriousness is never any good..." Slowly his tongue slid along his lips, wetting them. "Why can't I have.... What do those humans call it. Exrey-vision?" He eyed the suitcases curiously but made no effort to move forward.

A yellow taxi pulled up to a nearby diner in the eerie city that seemed to be full of negative energy. A 21 year old man came out of the back of the taxi, tipping the driver for it's services. "Thank you so much," Elijah told the driver. He grabbed his bag and closed the door, making his way up to the diner. The motel he was staying at was only a block away so the walk wouldn't be bad at all. Elijah entered the diner and found a nearby booth that was close to a window. Within a minute, a blonde waitress came up to take his order. Any normal man would gawk at her beauty, but Elijah didn't exactly bat for that team. "Anything I can get for ya, sugar?" Elijah looked through the menu and looked up at the lady smiling. Her name tag read Shirley. "Hey, Shirley. I'll have a Sprite and the Chicken Strip basket." The waitress wrote the things down in her pad and winked at Elijah. "Coming right up honey." He smiled back at her and looked forward for a second. This town definitely had a creepy vibe to it just like his visions foresaw. His gift of foresight, one of many gifts that ran through his bloodline, could be seen as both a gift or a curse. Sometimes he saw things he didn't want to see. Elijah fumbled with his Evil Eye necklace as he went through the messages of his phone. No one had known he had came to Loveland. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing. He never ignored his visions.

Elijah looked around to see if anyone was looking before he dug into his bag and took out his box of Tarot cards. He took them out of the case and created a Celtic Cross spread. He knew doing this in public would get stares, but at the moment he didn't care. People would probably just think he's a New Age weirdo. As Elijah was gazing at the spread, the waitress approached him with his Sprite. "Ohhhh. Are you one of them psychic people? Like Miss Cleo?" She had a slight southern twang in her voice as she spoke. "You can say that," Elijah said vaguely. She gave one last smile and walked off.

Omarion had parked his car and now he walked into the busy little diner, he was not the only customer who had decided to get breakfast this morning it seamed, the Hermetic had hardly even looked at the name of the diner, it did not matter but he thought it was Shirley something. Omarion found a table to sit down by, soon a waitress came over to take his order.
"Egg and bacon please Miss, and a cup of black coffee."
The Hermetic said in a polite tone of voice, his accent impossible to place as he had in fact been born and raised not on Earth but on Horizon and then later on the Collage Chantry of Mus.

Omarion leaned back in his chair as he waited for his food, at one table a young man was laying Tarot cards and Omarion had to smile, it was not the smile of contempt many of his kind held for such simple hedge magic, no it was a honest fondness in the mage's eyes, if so many sleepers had not believed in such things Paradox would be even worse. Omarion do decide however to check if the young cartomancer was a mage or a hedge wizard, most people could learn some proficiency with the cards but to really get good replies they needed to have magic, Awakened or static. For a Prime effect this easy the elder mage did not need his focus, he simply opened his eyes to see Quintessence, the energy or force that was the basic building block of reality and which connected all things. A supernatural being would have more Quintessence in their system than a normal man, for all supernaturals used this force in one way or another, the Massassa or vampires consumed it though blood and it powered their own magic, the shape shifters used it in several ways, among other thing they seamed to worship nodes, yes they all used Quintessence, and that would show if this boy was more than he seamed.

The world looked so much clearer when Omarion looked at it though the Quintessence, details everyone else missed became clear. There was darkness in the man sitting and reading a newspaper off to one side, perhaps he beat his wife or had engaged in some other kind of violence, colors danced around one of the tables, something important had happened there, perhaps someone had gotten engaged or they had gotten news of an pregnancy, the colors was clearer and the true energetic nature of things became clear. Omarion hardly noticed that the waitress put his food and coffee on the table next to him, so caught up was he in his effect. Slowly the elder mage turned his gaze to the cartomancer, yes indeed the boy was supernatural it would seam, perhaps he was a hedge wizard or a psychic of some kind, Omarion did not think he was awakened. Slowly and almost regretfully the old mage let his effect die. Hum...he had found someone who might be able to give him some answers in this place, now the question was just how to approach him.

Omarion stood and brought his coffee with him, he walked over to the young cartomancer and glanced down at his cards.
"What do your cards tell you young man?"
The mage asked, his voice betraying neither fear or enthusiasm over what the young man was doing, he was simply curious.
"You do seam to be the real deal though, can you tell me more about what have happened in this town, the disappearances I mean? Please forgive me for just walking up to you and asking you so bluntly, but I am looking for someone and I fear time might be running out for her.

The younger hunter did notice someone moving behind the corner and looked there again before turning to the other two. "Something just moved behind a corner.... Could be a ghoul scouting for a vampire.. Should I check it out?"
Ignasius turned to the man and shook his head "No, stay here, and keep watching, but do report if you see something again." Then he, and the middle aged man walked inside. Permato turned to other hunter and nodded "Well, Robert, we can begin." Robert nodded back, as he knelt, placing his suitcase on the ground and opened it. The case seemed to be containing forensic equipment: Several UV lamps, a biosensor, various chemicals, fingerprint powder, a camera, a microscope and a laptop with wide range network. The man took the biosensor, and started going around the building, searching for any traces of biological origin. Ignasius then set aside his own suitcase and didn't open it. He went to pick up a UV lamp, and also walked around the scene with it."

The small diner you sit in was once a Denny's, and though it has been painted, the general look seems the same. The food, however, tastes amazing, and seems to be fresh instead of prossessed. The general atmosphere of the diner, and the town was mostly subdued. A large chunk of the population has disappeared, and despite this, the remaining people are trying to go on with their life.

the way the cards fall, you'd think it was an unshuffled deck. A circus, a vampire, werewolf, ghost, fae, magic, and demon, came at the first seven cards. The cards depict there was no fight between the typically warring races. Then the death card.

looking at the world through prime revealed a bit more then expected. Something big had happened in this down. Big enough that the energy's still swirled in the air like the fog of war in a breeze. Threads of all levels of the umbra flickered in the air, depicting alot of fast and violent passage between those barriers. Noticeable to to, also, is the expenditure residue of quintessence everywhere. The only other time this much was used without killing the mage involved was a marauder. It could have been done by one Mage, but it would have had to have been through a group ritual using him as a conduit.

- - - Updated - - -

The building had been leveled, the picked apart, the bulldozed back over. No bodies had been found at the scene, nor any signs of blood. Forensic teams found the same thing under the UV. Blood was everywhere. Almost every rock, beam, and broken piece of furniture was splattered with it. Despite the Bio scan, no traces of anything but human could be found.

"Perceptive one isn't he?" Ridicio mutters, narrowing his eyes. Changing his flesh was one thing, but he couldn't make himself blend in to buildings. "Ghoul? He compares me to a ghoul? Perceptive and ignorant, humans. I could make him look like a ghoul, what then? No, no not now." He began to talk to himself then shook his head. He set his rose down on the ground, and whispers a gentle word amongst his breath.
(Command the Wild: The Rabisu may affect the environment as a whole. High-Torment: The area becomes hostile to humans)
As the rose circle began to form he decided not to have them combat the humans. If they got killed by the roses, what would he gain from that? So he let the circle grow, the roses pushed at the concrete of the road to make sure it would turn out right. He plucked his rose back up to let the others grow as he stepped, just barely, into view.