Beware the House of Lady Sinclair, thus warns the villagers of the sinister manor that sits in isolation deep within the Trammel Forest. Long has the Village of Hackamore lived in the shadow of it's unsettling reputation, whispering hushed tales and rumors of those who had dared enter its grounds never to be heard from again...

By ill fortune or fate, each of you have dared to travel deep into the forest this night, only to have been caught in a terrible storm. Stranded, the glow of lights in the distance promise refuge, which you sorely need, and in following its beacon, find yourself at a grand and decaying manor. The heavy iron gates swing open as you approach, and after the long walk to the entrance, you reach the manor's enormous oak door. Before your knocking hand can strike the wood, the Manor opens itself to you.

"Greetings, travellers," speaks the butler standing in the entrance hall, "The Mistress knows your troubles and bids you welcome into her home. Please accept our hospitality and try to enjoy your stay... at least until the storm has passed."

~~~

"Escape the Tempest" is a mystery, horror role play with a slice of romance. Characters can be either a servant in the employ of the beguiling Lady Sinclair; or a guest that had been caught in the storm. During your characters stay at the mansion, together they will face mortal danger and temptation as you try to unravel the secrets that loom just beneath the surface.

WARNING! Mortal peril beyond this point! There is, however, hope, and it comes in the form of a riddle.

Roses Snare and Lily's Vice
Morning Pool Frozen in Ice
At my lady's hand she will entice
No Drink or Wine will e'er Suffice

For slowly blooming oft unheard
A thing of beauty more absurd
than any fragile rare young bird
a greater power within be stirred

But should blind stone be yet unswayed
A Statue as the Roses Fade
Forever my lady's Masquerade
Shall Dance and Laugh at all Betrayed

~~~



SERVANTS!
This is important information for anyone that wants to play a servant.
Due to the curse, each and every servant is tethered to the mansion grounds. Should you find yourself off the grounds, you will notice that the tether grows stronger, pulling you back to it. The longer you are away, the more painful the tie becomes.

Part of the curse is sometimes not being able to control your own actions. You will still be playing your character for this, so Myself or Henwen will send you a PM when this occurs, and notify you in OOC to discuss.

This is how the curse will affect you in terms of how you will feel.
Passive: what you will normally feel. A warm fuzzy feeling throughout your body, like you have just taken a swig of alcohol. It is constant and noticeable, but not unpleasant.
Active: feeling can range from a light burning sensation to a painful scalding like your blood is boiling, usually experienced while moving toward the grounds border or passively trying to act against the curse's will.
Aggressive: this feels like your insides have caught fire and are melting. It is incredibly painful. Most commonly occurs when you are willfully doing things you ought not be doing, disobeying the curse's limitations, or punishment.

The last part of the curse it how can affect you physically. Over time, it can add a certain animalistic quality to your character, giving them traits you would find in animals(night vision, heightened smell, etc.) and also quirks you would expect of them(example: extreme fondness for nuts as a squirrel.) Under certain circumstances, this process can be rapidly accelerated. But for the most part, not mandatory for your servant character.

I want a limit of 6-9 servants, so first come first serve. There are already three, so dont hesitate!
If we get more people, I will allow more.

I am allowing people to make two characters if you want to. You can be both guest and servant.

For the story itself, we are going for a twisted sort of Beauty and the Beast type feel. We hope you enjoy the terrors we have prepared for you.

Rules
1. No meta-gaming or god modding.
2. You can only die under special circumstances.
3. No romancing your own characters.
4. No smut! Fade to black or take it to PMs.
5. All site rules apply.

Character sheet
Name:

Age:

Gender:

Occupation:

Appearance:

Personality:

History:

Other: (servants only: add what animal if any you want the qualities of)

Could I reserve a spot as a servant?

Absolutely!

Name: Logan Shropshire

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Occupation: Stable Master of Shropshire Stables

Appearance: Logan is 6'0" of muscle earned through the hard work as a stable master. Dark brown hair atop dark brown eyes, along with a bright, devious smile, Logan epitomizes the ideal male from Hackamore. He prefers to dress in dark, loose fitting work clothes that also show off his male form, and as always, wears sturdy field boots.

Personality: Logan has always known just how good looking and desirable he is. This has led him to become incredibly confident and vain. Every woman, of average or greater beauty, becomes a challenge for him to overcome. Years of practice with seduction, has made him quite adept at this, knowing when to be charming, aloof, apathetic, whatever works best to seduce the woman his eye desires.

He doesn't really make many friends, though he probably could if he so wanted. He just prefers to go it alone. When in a group of people, he often becomes the leader and center of attention, using the time to demean other men while highlighting himself and the women. He's quite sharp and practical, and very hardworking, and will accept pretty much any challenge thrown at him.

History: Logan was raised by his father, the owner of Shropshire Stables, and his mother, a local teacher. He had a good childhood, though he was even a loner back then. Every day after school, he'd come home and work with his father on the stables. He soon discovered by the sidelong glances, blushing faces, and giggling, that girls loved him. From that point on, he decided to see just how far he could push that desire.

When he came of age, he took over the management of Shropshire farms, his father settling in with just maintaining the breeding program. His parents urged him to find a nice girl to marry, but Logan found he could never settle down for just any woman. So, his life since then has been one feminine conquest after another, and improving his family's stables.

Other: N/A

Originally only intended to make one character. Next thing I know, it's 4am and I've made two. Oops. Please excuse any sleepy mistakes. I did proof read, but who knows what I missed at this hour.

Hope they're both okay! :D



Age: 21
Gender: Female
Occupation: Amateur Photographer. Renegade. Hitchhiker.

Appearance:
Emma stands at 5'5", around average height for a woman. Progressive for the times, she wears her hair short and dresses in trousers and men's boots. With the amount of walking she does in a day, skirts and cute feminine shoes "are simply not practical."

While not necessarily attractive, there is something alluring about Emma's quirky demeanor and easy confidence. She can often be seen with a cigarette either tucked behind one ear, held between two fingers, or placed in the corner of her lips.

Personality:
Free-spirited, adventurous, and highly questioning of the status quo, Emma was never meant to live a conventional life. She is fascinated by the world, and lives in the moment with little regard for the future or consequences. Emma prides herself on trying to figure people out. Perhaps that is why hitchhiking is so alluring - a constant stream of new people, new conversations, new stories, all mixed in with a constant sense of adventure.

Emma has a deep love of photography. She carries with her a Kodak Brownie - a cheap, but reliable camera, and plenty of extra film.

History:
Emma was born in a quiet town, the only child of a nurse at the local hospital and a carpenter. Her childhood was quiet. Uneventful. In a town of 1200 people, little ever happens. Even at a young age, though, it was clear that the girl had a sense of adventure. She would spend her days exploring the wilderness behind her house, behind the local school. Leaving the hiking trails and forging new paths for herself. Traipsing through the woods until she reached the main road, and then turning around until she found the trail again.

Her parents had a very specific set of goals in mind for Emma's life. She would attend post-secondary school. She would meet a husband, preferably one with a bit of money. They would settle down, have a few children, and life would be happy. For years, Emma begrudgingly followed this path. She went to school, yes. It was there that she picked up her love of photography, from a woman named Kate who she would undoubtedly always love far more than the man she would become engaged to. Kate, with her long curls and soft skin, was an alluring subject for Emma's budding photography skills.

At the age of twenty, she started seeing Matthew Connors. Two months later, he proposed. She accepted. The wedding was a quiet affair. Three months into the marriage, despite her best efforts, Emma still could not bring herself to be attracted to the man. She fled at night, taking to the road, and has not been heard from since.

Six months later, her wanderings have brought her to Hackamore, and the Trammel forest.



Age: 17
Gender: Female
Occupation: Servant - Groundskeeper / Gardener

Appearance:
Given the slightly unsettling atmosphere of the Sinclair Manor, it wouldn't be surprising to mistake Grace for a ghost at first glance. Her hair is pale blonde, and her hair an even paler shade of white. Light blue eyes complete the unsettling aesthetic. Grace's youth shows clearly in her features. Although she is slim, she still has some baby fat on her face. The left half of her collarbone and upper arm is heavily scarred - shrapnel damage from a train wreck.

When working in the gardens, Grace wears old clothes. A skirt that has seen better days, with a simple blouse tucked into it. On her own time, she dresses a little bit nicer, opting for light dresses than reach down to her knees. Outdoors, she wears simple, flat, shoes. Indoors, she goes barefoot.

Personality:
Quiet. Polite. Timid. Grace is a sweet girl, and genuinely cares for others. At the Sinclair mansion, she does her best to stay out of the way of the other servants. Her task is to tend the yard and gardens, and she takes a slight degree of pride in her work. The flowers and plants in Lady Sinclair's gardens have certainly looked more radiant since Grace Sparling came to live there.

When new guests arrive, Grace is rarely the first person they will see. But eventually, she seeks them out. She learns their names, she has a pleasant conversation with them. And then she tries to tell them to leave.

History:
Grace Sparling does not remember a time before Lady Sinclair's mansion. She doesn't know that she is the daughter of single mother Maria Anders. She doesn't remember a childhood spent moving from one apartment to another, while her mother tried to find secure employment. She doesn't recall anything from before the night of the accident. Even the crash is hazy in her mind. A thud, a scream, and the sound of metal twisting and tearing. The newspapers would report the train wreck as a freak accident. Rain caused the foundation of the rail to wash away, and the last passenger car derailed. One was killed that night, but the papers would report two fatalities.

Grace was fifteen. She's told that she stumbled to the mansion of Lady Sinclair, bleeding through the fabric of her shirt, and collapsed on the doorstep. How such a small girl, so injured already, managed to wander so far from the site of the crash is a perplexing question. But barely alive, Grace made it to the Sinclair home. One of the servants, the butler, took the young girl in. He tended her wounds, found her a bed to rest in, and supervised her recovery. In addition to the shrapnel that had lacerated her left shoulder, Grace had also sustained a massive concussion. She remembered nothing other than her name.

When she was well enough, Lady Sinclair tasked Grace with the job of maintaining the yard and gardens. The girl agreed. It was the least she could do to return the charity of taking her in and caring for her.

Two years have passed since Grace came to the Sinclair mansion. And in that time, she has witnessed its true nature. She has seen the travellers that walk in and never walk out.

Other: Grace's curse seems to have caused her to take on the traits of an owl. Hearing and eyesight are heightened, and she is finding herself becoming more and more nocturnal. Although she has always been quiet, her stealth is now uncanny.

Name: Anton Bonheur

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Occupation: Chef

Appearance: Standing at 5’10”, Anton is “tall” for a Frenchman. In the kitchen, his blonde hair is always neatly styled and his apron is always clean. Outside of work, Anton can be found with a charming disheveledness about him.



Personality: Anton never grew out of his prankster phase, and he is always up for a little trouble. He does know how to be serious when the moment arrives, especially if that moment is a ruined rue or dealing with another “accident” on the grounds. Anton also suffers from a weakness for cute things and people.

History: Anton has only been at the manor for two years, and he doesn’t care to think of the time before that. The only hints at his past are the tattoos on his upper left arm and shoulder blade, one of Joan of Arc engulfed in flame and the other of a rose blossoming. (Will reveal more IC)

Other: Mountain Lion

Name: Suzanne “Suzy” Peters

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Occupation: Attorney's Assistant

Appearance: Suzanne stands at 5’11”, and her height tends to be both intimidating and intriguing. Her dark hair is usually pulled back from her face so that she can better look people in the eyes. Always pushing the line, Suzane rarely dresses in the boring clothes expected in her profession, instead opting for more exotic threads. The same goes for the rest of her closet.



Personality: Driven, quirky, liberal, blunt.

History: Suzanne never quite understood why she could not do everything a man could. As the only child to a New York socialite and a highly successful lawyer from Georgia, the expectations placed on Suzy's shoulders never matched the responsibilities she craved. While her parents molded her to become the next "dream girl" of New York, Suzy dreamed of taking over her fathers law firm. Late at night, she would sneak into her father's study and read his many law books. It was on one of these late nights that she caught her father in the arms of another woman; Suzy was 18 at the time. She confronted her father, who begged for secrecy. In exchange for Suzy's sealed lips, her father would give her the opportunity she had always wanted: the chance to study law. Disgusted, Suzy turned down the offer but made her father promise that he would make her mother the happiest woman in the world until his death in exchange for her secrecy. With that deal struck, Suzy made a new promise. She would make her way into the law world on her own and create a firm that would challenge even her father's "prestige." The next day, Suzy kissed her beautiful mother goodbye and headed to Massachusetts to become assistant to a lawyer in a competing firm.

Currently, Suzanne is on her way to Sinclair Manor on what she thought to be business.

Are we allowed to have younger characters, like 7 or 10 or something like that? Or is it not allowed because it's sort of a romance RP? Sorry :U

Because of the content, I dont think it would be appropriate to have a character under 17/18 years old. Especially as a guest.

May I please reserve a slot for an unfortunate houseguest? Thanks in advance, CS will be up no later than midnight PST.

No limit on guests! Just servants.

@Shurikai alright, thank you for letting me know! I'll have my characters up soon.

@merrrrideth @Mach2 Okay guys, your characters are great except for one small (largish) problem. This game is set more in the late 1800's early 1900's. Cars and Attornies can be a thing, and you're characters can even have had experiances with cars, but they are not really all that common just yet... especially in a small town like Hackamore. Beyond that though, i love the essence of your characters...

And @merrrrideth I like the idea of your Attorny character going to the manor for some law errand, so please pm me and we can work out the details of how she's heard of the manor and why she's visiting.

@Twhirtley we talked earlier, so your character is golden. Please move your sheet over to Characters when you can.

I cant wait to see what the rest of you cook up!

Ah. Well. Okay, that changes things kind of a lot. Oops!

I'll make some minor edits to Grace today. And I'll rework Emma quite a bit. Sorry about the mix-up!

@Henwen Haha, oops! I'll rework mine tomorrow :) And definitely PM you soon after.

Edits made! Changed Grace's accident to a train wreck instead of a car crash. And reworked Emma quite a bit, too, as she was very modern.

@Mach2
Wonderful! Both look great and are accepted. Feel free to move them over to the characters section! :)

Whoo! Can't wait to see the rest of the characters and get started. :3

Name: Adeline Drysdale

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Occupation: Governess

Appearance: Not quite comely, but not quite homely, Adeline carries herself well, which is truthfully all that really matters for a governess. She stands at approximately 5'2" and, corseted, has a waist of 21.5 inches. She has a flattish nose, a wide mouth with soft pink lips, and mousy brown-blonde hair, which she usually wears up. Adeline's hair is actually a point of pride for her– left unstyled, it reaches to the base of her spine. She is lightly dusted with freckles and is quite pale (another point of pride for the governess-to-be). Perhaps her most striking feature is her eyes, which are bright blue and seem the most alive of any of her body parts. She is soft of figure, but shapely even without her corset.

Personality: Adeline is elegant and obedient, qualities much desired in a governess, but beneath the surface lies a burning curiosity. Her search for knowledge didn't end after her extensive schooling in the written works and arithmetic– Adeline is now a voracious nonfiction reader, and though she's loath to admit it, she also has a secret love for penny dreadfuls. She is polite to her employers, but when faced with opposition, her charges will find she has a biting wit and the ability to lay down the law.

History: Adeline was born to a middle-class family, and as the oldest of five, she quickly learned how to manage a household when her mother was occupied by more serious matters. Her father was a pharmacist and her mother was a schoolteacher (that is, before she married, and she married young). It was clear that Adeline had a talent for taking care of children even when she was one herself, and as soon as she was old enough, her parents enrolled her in a school for governesses. After Adeline graduated, she worked briefly for a family on the outskirts of town, but the monotony of the job bored her, so she applied for a governess position in Moscow, where English-speaking governesses were highly coveted. She received a letter of acceptance shortly after, and immediately departed for the coast, where she would make the journey to Russia. However, on her way to port, a storm waylaid her carriage, and she was forced to seek help at a very charming yet somehow otherworldly manor...

*arrives late* I shall try and get a CS later today, planning an making an elderly butler, perhaps a sort of generation butler type.