The Lynden House OOC

[Kierkegaard]

Intro

The orphanage sits at the edge of Riverrun. It’s large, like a mansion, but not half so nice, with boarded up windows and mist furling around the edges. Although well furnished with modern technology, the institute seems to belong to another era, one of shadows and mystery. There’s a shabby wooden sign out front that reads, quite simply, “The Lynden House for Youths”.

To the citizens of Riverrun, it is just another philanthropic project of Rudyard Lynden, the millionaire who got rich with the Lynden Oil Company. They say that Lynden’s wife was brutally murdered. They say Lynden had a son, but he ran away, or was kidnapped, or died in an accident- no one really knows. They say that Lynden is an orphan himself, which is why he invests so much in the House. They say a lot of things about Lynden, but none of it is confirmed, because although he often attends high-end parties, he reveals nothing about himself, and is only interested in the secrets of others. The only facts that are confirmed are that Lynden is very rich, very much single, and spends a lot of time at the orphanage.

The kids at the Lynden House know a different story.

They are only brought to the House if they possess certain talents, and they are only permitted to stay if they cultivate those talents for a singular goal: fighting crime in Riverrun. They are studious orphans by day and vigilantes at night, working to bring justice to the parts of Riverrun that the police can’t reach. Although danger is just part of the job, safety is their first priority, and they aren’t allowed to kill unless they can help it. Lynden supervises every mission, every patrol, with meticulous care, making sure that the kids are ready and able before they put their lives on the line…because God forbid they end up like his son.

When they turn eighteen, the Lynden orphans either go to college or choose to become vigilantes in their own right. A large majority choose the latter option, because really, once you become part of the Riverrun underground, there’s no way to get out.Some stay in Riverrun, some leave to become nighttime protectors of other places, but you can never really erase Lynden from your past.

The Lynden House has been in operation for over twenty years now, and the crime rates in Riverrun have gone down significantly. But while the rate of muggings and small thefts may have decreased, the Lynden inhabitants are about to face their greatest threats yet. And when figures from Lynden’s past come back to haunt him, the institute will face a threat like it never has before.

Rules and Such

This role-play will be centered primarily around the adventures Lynden squad, but you are free to create any characters who live in Riverrun- villains, graduated vigilantes, even ordinary civilians. There are only two caveats- first, I would prefer if the majority of characters are Lynden orphans, and second, the operations of the Lynden House are known to very few, so ordinary civilians may not have as great a part. I have some plot twists planned already, but I’m certainly open to suggestions. I’ll play the part of Rudyard Lynden.

Please don’t create a CS unless you can post at least once every two days, have a decent mastery of the English language, yadda yadda.

Character Sheet

Name:
Age: (The Lynden House has kids of all ages, but children under 13 aren’t allowed out on the field)
Description: (Picture is optional, but written description is mandatory. No anime please)
Personality:
Brief History:
Position:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:

Characters

Name: Peter Sully

Age: 17

Description: Peter is a lanky, reasonably tall youth with smiling dark eyes and dark brown hair that hangs a little past his ears. He’s almost always seen slouching in his maroon Harvard hoodie. This is something of a joke, since everyone knows that Peter’s going to be a vigilante for the rest of his life, but one can dream.

Personality: Peter is like an older brother to most in the Lynden House- enthusiastic, caring, and cheerful. Crime fighting is his entire life, and there’s no one who loves it more. He’s a remarkably optimistic person, but sometimes gets on the cheeky side. He thinks of Rudyard Lynden like a father, and cares about winning his approval over all else.

Brief History: Peter is what the Lynden orphans call a “lifer”- he has been at the House since he was an infant. His records indicate that he was born to a woman named Cecile Sully, who died in a car accident when he was three months old. Aside from that, Peter knows nothing of his family, although his odd resemblance to Rudyard Lynden have led many to wonder. Peter has worked and trained with the Lynden Squad since he was a toddler; crime fighting has been his entire life. He loves the adrenaline rush that comes with being out on the streets, and he loves the feeling of power that comes with being able to protect the city he loves. After seventeen years on the job, he has become something of the squad’s golden boy. Lynden has all but adopted him; the orphanage’s patron seems to dote on the boy, and Peter returns the affection in kind.

Position: Squad leader, field operative

Strengths: As is required of any Lynden field operative, Peter is fast, agile, flexible, and decently trained in martial arts. His particular talent is his shooting ability; Peter’s trademark weapons are two double-barreled shotguns that he keeps with him at all times. Peter has also developed an incredible knack for stowing said shotguns in different areas of his bodily so that they’re nigh impossible to find, although the hygiene of this particular habit is a different question.

Weaknesses: Peter can sometimes come off as arrogant and overestimate his own abilities. Not only is this supremely annoying to others around him, it has also lead to unnecessary danger on missions. Peter also gets somewhat careless, pulling off reckless maneuvers that earn him a week’s worth of shouting from Lynden himself.

Name: Olivia Constantinou

Age: 16

Description: Olivia is a petite girl, standing below five feet tall. She seems frail at first glance because of her stature, but is in fact very muscular and fit. She has dark brown locks that fall halfway down her back in ringlets, even when she doesn't bother to tame her curls. Her almond eyes are so dark that they seem black, but aren't entirely striking because they blend beautifully with her olive toned skin. She has been told since she was young that she is beautiful, but it has almost always been out of jealousy, so she has come to believe that her beauty is something to be ashamed of. As a result, she slouches, and tries to hide her face behind her long bangs. She wears cargo pants and sweatshirts the majority of the time as another attempt to hide herself. Because she uses art as an outlet, her clothes are often stained or paint splattered. Only once in her life has Olivia ever worn makeup.

Personality: Quiet and reserved, Olivia often comes off as a snob. She wishes to have so little to do with those around her that she will, without realizing that she is being rude, end a conversation so that she can be in solitude. She had no friends as a child, and thus didn't really learn what was appropriate when interacting with those around her. She enjoys being alone far more than she enjoys the company of others, and she doesn't understand why people think she's witchy. However, when she becomes attached to another person, she will do anything in her power to protect that person. She is capable of great love, and would be a valuable friend...if only she could open up enough to let anyone that deeply into her life. As it is, Olivia is a loner, and doesn't care much for the general population.

Brief History: Olivia has been thrown around the foster system since she was found in an alley in Chinatown, D.C. when she was a newborn. One would have thought that she, as a baby, would have been adopted quickly, but she didn't have any such luck. Most of the families that Olivia has been with have only kept her for the monthly check. She has experienced everything in the foster system from starvation to abuse. The rough life has affected Olivia's personality deeply, but she doesn't outwardly seem to have any emotional or physical scars. Perhaps there is something repressed inside of her, but there is nothing on her surface that could reveal her dark past. Only months before her sixteenth birthday, Olivia was moved to the Orphanage. Olivia was shocked about the transfer, since she didn't know that orphanages still existed, and her current family had given no hints that they would be giving her away. It was how the foster system went, though, and Olivia left willingly. Once inside of the orphanage, Olivia met one of the young men that she had often worked out with at a boxing gym that she had frequented since she was thirteen. He admitted to her that he had spoken to Lynden about her, and he was the one who got her into the home. Soon after, Olivia discovered what this place really was. By the time she turned sixteen, Olivia was on the streets; she had been all too easy to train, most likely because of her prior trained fighting experience both in the gym and on the streets.

Position: Street fighter (because she is relatively new both to the home and to fighting for Lynden, she doesn't really have a title or rank or anything)

Strengths: Since fighting (alongside painting and drawing) has always been an escape for Olivia, she is a very strong addition to the team physically. She is well versed in gun control and safety, though it is not her weapon of choice. She is much stronger at hand to hand combat, and is most comfortable with switchblades.

Weaknesses: Being such a loner, Olivia isn't a great team player. She probably wouldn't feel much if anyone in the group were hurt, and wouldn't go out of her way to help if it would cut into the task at hand. She definitely doesn't have a no man left behind mentality, and doesn't like to take orders, especially when she thinks that she knows her superior is wrong.

Name: Troy Dresden

Age: 17

Description: Tall and lean, with dark hair cut close and rugged features

Personality: Always laughing at the ghastliest things, he has a very cynical view of humanity. He fights because it’s fun, he’s good at it and it beats the alternatives. Always hitting on the nearest thing with breasts. A flitting sipper (if you know what I mean). Swaggers when he walks. Uses immense self-confidence to mask deep anger issues.

Brief History: The son of a druggie whore, Troy grew up with bloody knuckles on the streets. He has a lot of pent-up anger that he channels constructively (or destructively, depending on your side of his fists). His mother died when he was ten, beaten to death by an abnormally abusive client. This would barely have affected his day-to-day life, except for the visit by the Man in the Suit, who put the new orphan into the System. Troy spent four years kicking around, till one particularly abusive foster father pushed him too far. Troy snapped, and nearly strangled the man to death with a length of chain before realizing what was happening and fleeing into the streets. There he was found again, this time by Lynden.

Position: (I’m playing with the idea that he looks out for the younger, less experienced kids. When they’re in the field, he backs them up, making sure they don’t bite off more than they can chew.

Strengths: Uses a six foot length of chain in combat. Fast and vicious. Streetwise.

Weaknesses: Sometimes finds it difficult to control himself. Some people find his gallows humor disturbing, or just irritating. Impatient.

Name: Aria Knox
Age: far into her sixteenth year (been at the orphanage for about a year)
Description: There are no immediately distinguishing features of Aria’s face. It’s rather pale and plain with a light sprinkling of freckles. Her hair is ebony, with waves verging on curls that's usually tied back out of her vision. She’s of average height for her age and weight- slightly above the midpoint between five and six feet. The rest of her appearance follows the same basic trend of being average. Usually wears long sleeves and pants, and when she wears clothing not fitting that trend it never goes far above her knee or bears her stomach.
(see Isabelle Fuhrman)
Personality: Usually carrying an awake but bone-tired demeanor, Aria is neither stand-offish nor friendly. She won’t be rude without warrant, but will only extend her hand so far to welcome someone. She enjoys the company of others, but is more comfortable and accustomed to independence. She is easily entertained and humored, and does not take things said to her personally. Aria also does not sugarcoat information. She will explain situations as they are and when provoked will become brutally honest. She does not worry about fallouts with the others and has not made any attachments to them. She joined the team to develop her abilities, not relationships- which she views as useless and dangerous. Whenever someone tried to push too far into her life or she feel one has gotten too close she’ll push them back, growing distant and cold towards them.
Brief History: Aria does not know where she was born, nor who contributed her second chromosome. For the first thirteen years of her life it was just her and her mother and the sights of the world. They remained in constant movement, traveling from city to city, country to country. When she had turned eleven her mother confirmed Aria’s suspicions of her past occupation, and Aria asked if that was why they had never stayed anywhere long enough to grow roots, make friends. Her mother had nodded, replying “You can’t be caught if you never stop running.” Aria never asked anything else about her mother’s past, already knowing there were some secrets best kept as just that- secrets. So she accepted the life she had been granted and enjoyed it. Took the training she received from her mother for protection graciously. Practiced the languages of the location she was in, the different accents. The best ways to hide in plain sight. Memorized the ICE contact. Within two years, the training came to have a greater meaning than ever before. The people chasing Aria’s mother captured the two of them. Aria got out, but her mother did not. At least not at the same time. Aria ran for the following year and change—running from those trying to find her as well as searching for the ICE contact—until another spy kidnapped her. Yet again she made it out, but just barely. She made it to the contact. Who happened to be Rudyard Lynden.
(P.S. Besides Lynden no one in the orphange is aware of what happened to Aria prior to her showing up at their door, only that she arrived covered in scrapes and bruises and looking for Rudyard.)
Position: Espionage (lol basically like a scout, pavement artist, eavesdropper, information collector, whatever in the world you wanna call it cause my brain cannot find the right word I’m sorry)
Strengths: Amazing runner in all categories (distance, sprinter, etc.), meets the requirements for field work in agility, flexibility and physical strength, fighting dirty, escaping
Weaknesses: Will take extra risks to collect information she will benefit from that is not necessarily relative to the mission, fighting fair, driving, shooting, weaponry, suffers from heat exhaustion, constantly tired due to a lack of sleep

Name: Stephan Markov
Age: 17

Description:
Average has always been the word to describe Stephan. Standing at 6” with a lean build he tends to blend into the crowd with little effort. With tidy short brown hair, clean shaven face and brown eyes behind a pair of glasses he appears with many guessing him to be nineteen or twenty rather than seventeen. He chooses to dress in more formal attire that is unusual for someone of his age. Preferring a nice dress shirt, black leather shoes and formal trousers over the usual jeans and sweaters that teenagers tend to wear. Even though he has spent most of his life in Russia he speaks with flawless English and is often passed off as American.

Personality:
Stephan is a natural charmer. Unlike the majority of those at Lynden’s orphanage he never relies on his own physical strength but rather his charm to acquire what he wants. Brought up as con artist he has an uncanny ability to manipulate others to get what he wants. He knows how and what to say to acquire what he wants. Also combined with his unnaturally quick wit and ability to think on the spot has made him a highly successful con artist. Even though he has never attended any schools he considers himself an intellectual. A keen reader and love for absorbing all sorts of random bits of knowledge Stephan teaches himself rather than go to school.

Brief History:
Stephan was dropped off at a Moscow orphanage when he was just three months old. After six years at the orphanage he ran away with a group of older boys to join a small gang that had ties to the Russian mafia. After ten years with the Russian Mafia he evolved into a master con artist and thief. After a botched heist he escaped to America and tried to scrape a living in Riverrun. Three months ago after failing to get into Lynden’s safe without getting caught, Lynden, impressed by his skill accepted him into the orphanage.

Position: Not sure

Strengths: Pick Pocketing, lock picking, safe cracking, and typical con arty stuff

Weaknesses: Not flash hot at combat in general.

Name: Demetri Lynden

Age: 19

Description: In his early teens, Demetri looked exactly like a younger version of his father, with an angular, aristocratic face, softly curling brown hair, and a strong, tall build. The only difference between the two was Demetri’s hard blue eyes, which he inherited from his mother. Since his stint in Siberia, however, Demetri’s appearance has changed drastically; he is almost unrecognizable now. He has a grand total of five piercings; two rings in his left ear, a lip ring connected by a thin chain to a metal spike in his right ear, and a ring in his right eyebrow. A black leather band is bolted diagonally across his face, strapped over his (missing) left eye. His hair, now dyed black, hangs jaggedly over his eyes in the front and sticks up somewhat in the back. Because of the braces holding him up, Demetri’s upper body always looks somewhat bulky, and he wears a black aviator jacket to cover it up.

Personality: Kindly put, Demetri is a dick. Sarcastic, cheeky, sardonic, and impulsive, Demetri has an uncanny gift for reading other people, although he’s almost never sympathetic with his ability. Demetri is supremely confident that he is one of the greatest humans to ever walk the earth, and cockiness simply radiates from every aspect of his body. He had always been somewhat rash, but in recent years Demetri has developed a bitterness that wasn’t there before.

Brief History: You’ll see.

Strengths: Demetri is Rud’s son, and thus was trained in martial arts and street fighting since a very early age. He possesses a photographic memory, a gift that he shares with his aunt. Like Rud’s current protege, Demetri is unnaturally gifted with guns, although he’s is somewhat more trigger-happy than Peter is.

Weaknesses: Thanks to certain events, Demetri clearly does not have the same body he once did. He’s blind in his left eye, and he has only recently learned how to compensate for the blind spots. More severely, several of his ribs are missing, and the only reason why his chest hasn’t collapsed into his lungs is because of a metal brace around his upper chest, which both supports his ribcage from the inside and protrudes to the outside. The structure also extends down his back to support his spine; he would be hunchbacked otherwise. These braces, while life-saving, also hinder his movement significantly, making him less flexible. Being locked away for five years has clearly left him malnourished and weakened, but Demetri has been training nonstop to build his physique back to what it once was.

[Constantinou]

Name: Olivia Constantinou

Age: 16

Description: Olivia is a petite girl, standing below five feet tall. She seems frail at first glance because of her stature, but is in fact very muscular and fit. She has dark brown locks that fall halfway down her back in ringlets, even when she doesn't bother to tame her curls. Her almond eyes are so dark that they seem black, but aren't entirely striking because they blend beautifully with her olive toned skin. She has been told since she was young that she is beautiful, but it has almost always been out of jealousy, so she has come to believe that her beauty is something to be ashamed of. As a result, she slouches, and tries to hide her face behind her long bangs. She wears cargo pants and sweatshirts the majority of the time as another attempt to hide herself. Because she uses art as an outlet, her clothes are often stained or paint splattered. Only once in her life has Olivia ever worn makeup.

Personality: Quiet and reserved, Olivia often comes off as a snob. She wishes to have so little to do with those around her that she will, without realizing that she is being rude, end a conversation so that she can be in solitude. She had no friends as a child, and thus didn't really learn what was appropriate when interacting with those around her. She enjoys being alone far more than she enjoys the company of others, and she doesn't understand why people think she's witchy. However, when she becomes attached to another person, she will do anything in her power to protect that person. She is capable of great love, and would be a valuable friend...if only she could open up enough to let anyone that deeply into her life. As it is, Olivia is a loner, and doesn't care much for the general population.

Brief History: Olivia has been thrown around the foster system since she was found in an alley in Chinatown, D.C. when she was a newborn. One would have thought that she, as a baby, would have been adopted quickly, but she didn't have any such luck. Most of the families that Olivia has been with have only kept her for the monthly check. She has experienced everything in the foster system from starvation to abuse. The rough life has affected Olivia's personality deeply, but she doesn't outwardly seem to have any emotional or physical scars. Perhaps there is something repressed inside of her, but there is nothing on her surface that could reveal her dark past. Only months before her sixteenth birthday, Olivia was moved to the Orphanage. Olivia was shocked about the transfer, since she didn't know that orphanages still existed, and her current family had given no hints that they would be giving her away. It was how the foster system went, though, and Olivia left willingly. Once inside of the orphanage, Olivia met one of the young men that she had often worked out with at a boxing gym that she had frequented since she was thirteen. He admitted to her that he had spoken to Lynden about her, and he was the one who got her into the home. Soon after, Olivia discovered what this place really was. By the time she turned sixteen, Olivia was on the streets; she had been all too easy to train, most likely because of her prior trained fighting experience both in the gym and on the streets.

Position: Street fighter (because she is relatively new both to the home and to fighting for Lynden, she doesn't really have a title or rank or anything)

Strengths: Since fighting (alongside painting and drawing) has always been an escape for Olivia, she is a very strong addition to the team physically. She is well versed in gun control and safety, though it is not her weapon of choice. She is much stronger at hand to hand combat, and is most comfortable with switchblades.

Weaknesses: Being such a loner, Olivia isn't a great team player. She probably wouldn't feel much if anyone in the group were hurt, and wouldn't go out of her way to help if it would cut into the task at hand. She definitely doesn't have a no man left behind mentality, and doesn't like to take orders, especially when she thinks that she knows her superior is wrong.

[adriane]

WOO
Something will be coming...
eventually.

[Kierkegaard]

@constantinou- accepted! Very nice CS

[Vonghese]

Name: Troy Dresden

Age: 17

Description: Tall and lean, with dark hair cut close and rugged features

Personality: Always laughing at the ghastliest things, he has a very cynical view of humanity. He fights because it’s fun, he’s good at it and it beats the alternatives. Always hitting on the nearest thing with breasts. A flitting sipper (if you know what I mean). Swaggers when he walks. Uses immense self-confidence to mask deep anger issues.

Brief History: The son of a druggie whore, Troy grew up with bloody knuckles on the streets. He has a lot of pent-up anger that he channels constructively (or destructively, depending on your side of his fists). His mother died when he was ten, beaten to death by an abnormally abusive client. This would barely have affected his day-to-day life, except for the visit by the Man in the Suit, who put the new orphan into the System. Troy spent four years kicking around, till one particularly abusive foster father pushed him too far. Troy snapped, and nearly strangled the man to death with a length of chain before realizing what was happening and fleeing into the streets. There he was found again, this time by Lynden.

Position: (I’m playing with the idea that he looks out for the younger, less experienced kids. When they’re in the field, he backs them up, making sure they don’t bite off more than they can chew.

Strengths: Uses a six foot length of chain in combat. Fast and vicious. Streetwise.

Weaknesses: Sometimes finds it difficult to control himself. Some people find his gallows humor disturbing, or just irritating. Impatient.

[Kierkegaard]

Looks like he and Sully are going to have some power struggles. Accepted!

[Vonghese]

Nice... thank you.

[Kierkegaard]

So that makes four characters, since I trust dear Adriane to get her CS up in a timely manner, so I'll start working on the IC, which you all can expect sometime tomorrow.

[Kierkegaard]

EDIT: IC is up! http://roleplayerguild.com/showthrea...97#post7849897

oh look how timely i am <3

[Vonghese]

Very timely, my dear.

I shall assume that as an NPC, and in the interests of brevity, I may control Sreejoen? Or did you have other plans?