A mysterious benefactor has sent out letters to a group of people- the homeless, the abandoned, the lonely, and the hopeless. The letters have each been delivered with a different item- a meal, a bouquet of flowers, a promise of scholarship, perhaps a gift needed to achieve some personal goal- from a nondescript delivery person who has already received payment. The letters all read:
Upon further research, or for anyone knowing the dying city in which they dwell very well, Belladonna Drive proves to be a private road leading to an estate about 20 minutes outside of the city limits. The house has been featured in a local project meant to highlight historic locations. The photo used in the newspaper and resulting book of local history can easily be found with a brief search in the local library archives.
Our city is called Leyden City and is located in Pennsylvania, near the border of New York and only a 2 hour drive away from Lake Eerie (that was not intentional, just a happy accident! lol).
Leyden City was doing very well during the industrial period of America. The slow death began in the mid-1960s, and sped up considerably by the mid-70s. Now the city struggles with empty and abandoned buildings, low economic growth, homelessness, and crime. There are attempts within the city itself to revive it, but nothing has taken off.
Despite this, there are still some amenities in the city that have managed to hold on and continue working, even if at a lower capacity than before. Maple Grove College is still in operation, and there is a local newspaper (The Leyden City Chronicle), a collection of public schools, a handful of local restaurants, the usually expected kinds of chain businesses, and quite a collection of local bars. There are old stage theatres, some of which are still running, and a single large, historic movie theatre. A handful of museums of various sorts are also in operation, but are constantly on the brink of shutting down. There is a public transit system that is also barely hanging on.
Reference Photos:
(Reference for landscapes in Pennsylvania, not specific to Leyden City)
I am seeking three to four additional players for this role play. I would like these characters to be varied, so please be creative in the process of writing them. Please see the character sheet below:
Greetings,
You have been selected to participate in an interview with Silent Wheel, Inc. Please arrive tomorrow at 9:00 PM promptly, at the address listed below. Ring the bell three times. Dress code is casual. Duties and compensation will be discussed over cocktails and dessert.
6200 Belladonna Drive
Leyden City, PA
Warmest Regards,
Silent Wheel, Founder and CEO
You have been selected to participate in an interview with Silent Wheel, Inc. Please arrive tomorrow at 9:00 PM promptly, at the address listed below. Ring the bell three times. Dress code is casual. Duties and compensation will be discussed over cocktails and dessert.
6200 Belladonna Drive
Leyden City, PA
Warmest Regards,
Silent Wheel, Founder and CEO
Upon further research, or for anyone knowing the dying city in which they dwell very well, Belladonna Drive proves to be a private road leading to an estate about 20 minutes outside of the city limits. The house has been featured in a local project meant to highlight historic locations. The photo used in the newspaper and resulting book of local history can easily be found with a brief search in the local library archives.
Our city is called Leyden City and is located in Pennsylvania, near the border of New York and only a 2 hour drive away from Lake Eerie (that was not intentional, just a happy accident! lol).
Leyden City was doing very well during the industrial period of America. The slow death began in the mid-1960s, and sped up considerably by the mid-70s. Now the city struggles with empty and abandoned buildings, low economic growth, homelessness, and crime. There are attempts within the city itself to revive it, but nothing has taken off.
Despite this, there are still some amenities in the city that have managed to hold on and continue working, even if at a lower capacity than before. Maple Grove College is still in operation, and there is a local newspaper (The Leyden City Chronicle), a collection of public schools, a handful of local restaurants, the usually expected kinds of chain businesses, and quite a collection of local bars. There are old stage theatres, some of which are still running, and a single large, historic movie theatre. A handful of museums of various sorts are also in operation, but are constantly on the brink of shutting down. There is a public transit system that is also barely hanging on.
Reference Photos:
(Reference for landscapes in Pennsylvania, not specific to Leyden City)
I am seeking three to four additional players for this role play. I would like these characters to be varied, so please be creative in the process of writing them. Please see the character sheet below:
Player Name:
Character Name:
Age:
Gender:
Occupation (Drifter? Student? Journalist? Recently laid off?):
Brief history (i.e. what qualifies you as one of the "homeless, abandoned, lonely, and hopeless):
How did your letter arrive and with what item (do not let the item be ridiculous- no weapons, nothing too expensive, etc. Acceptable items can be a meal for a homeless man, a bouquet of flowers for a woman spending her birthday alone, a replacement part to fix a broken camera, a refill of a necessary prescription, etc. Be creative and make it personal!):
Portrait/Character description (Portraits are optional. I do prefer something more realistic, i.e. no anime characters, if you please. Paintings, photos, watercolors, are all good mediums to my mind for this. If you would rather type the description, that is perfectly fine.):
Additional Notes:
Character Name:
Age:
Gender:
Occupation (Drifter? Student? Journalist? Recently laid off?):
Brief history (i.e. what qualifies you as one of the "homeless, abandoned, lonely, and hopeless):
How did your letter arrive and with what item (do not let the item be ridiculous- no weapons, nothing too expensive, etc. Acceptable items can be a meal for a homeless man, a bouquet of flowers for a woman spending her birthday alone, a replacement part to fix a broken camera, a refill of a necessary prescription, etc. Be creative and make it personal!):
Portrait/Character description (Portraits are optional. I do prefer something more realistic, i.e. no anime characters, if you please. Paintings, photos, watercolors, are all good mediums to my mind for this. If you would rather type the description, that is perfectly fine.):
Additional Notes:
Player Name: arockysmith
Character Name: Ryker Johnson
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Occupation: Drifter
Brief history: Ryker was abandoned in the middle of nowhere on his 7th birthday. He vaguely remembers his mothers face. All he knows is she had long brown hair that was usually kept in braids and that her eyes green as emeralds. His father had blonde hair that hung down to his shoulders and eyes blue like the sky. He remembers them telling him they were going to the zoo to celebrate how big he was getting, but then they dropped him off here with nothing but a small book bag filled with coloring books. He was found by an older women who had been walking back from town. He was sitting there trying to cry. Praying that his parents would come back, but after a couple hours waiting with the lady it was clear they had no intention of bringing him back home. The women took him in and cared for him like he was her own. She had recently lost her husband to a battle with cancer, so having him around to look after was just what she needed. Ryker got his education from old textbooks she had lying around that belonged to her husband who was a college professor before he got sick.
Ryker spent most of his childhood and some of his teenage years helping the Hannah Johnson around her house. When he was 17 he went out to pick up a few items they needed, and when he came back a couple hours later he found her lying in the kitchen. It looked like she just collapsed. Ryker felt for her pulse but came up with nothing. The love between the two had been that of mother and son, so the lose hit him hard. He had to create a make shift burial in the background, since she had no family he had no reason to report it. He stayed in the house a couple months after the lady died and collected the government money, until people started showing up looking for the women. It was too late now for him to say what happened so he packed up a bag and on his 18th birthday he headed out.
Ryker traveled from city to city doing odd jobs and even selling himself a couple times just to a hot meal. Eventually he found his way to Leyden City, PA where he spent his nights sleeping in alleys trying not to get mugged. He picked up a job as a bus boy, but it didn't pay nearly enough. He would often have to choose between eating or sleeping somewhere that wasn't the streets. He usually alternated depending on his work schedule. Every now and then he would wonder about his biological parents and why they had chosen to just leave him, but he never received any answers.
How did your letter arrive and with what item: Ryker was getting ready to leave for work when a messenger appeared with an orange envelope. He signed for the contents and opened it up. The envelope held details about his parents and where they had been and what happened to them. Everything was detailed from the days before was born until now. Ryker couldn't believe someone had done this for him. He was about to find out the answers as to why they left him and with shaky hands he called out of work. He would do whatever the sender wanted since they had finally given him the answers they needed.
Portrait/Character description:
Additional Notes: Ryker hates his birthday. His birth name is actually Ryker Mason, but since Hannah raised him he legally changed his last name to hers. Sometimes people call him RJ. He's got abandonment issues since everyone he's ever really allowed himself to care for has either left him or died.
Character Name: Ryker Johnson
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Occupation: Drifter
Brief history: Ryker was abandoned in the middle of nowhere on his 7th birthday. He vaguely remembers his mothers face. All he knows is she had long brown hair that was usually kept in braids and that her eyes green as emeralds. His father had blonde hair that hung down to his shoulders and eyes blue like the sky. He remembers them telling him they were going to the zoo to celebrate how big he was getting, but then they dropped him off here with nothing but a small book bag filled with coloring books. He was found by an older women who had been walking back from town. He was sitting there trying to cry. Praying that his parents would come back, but after a couple hours waiting with the lady it was clear they had no intention of bringing him back home. The women took him in and cared for him like he was her own. She had recently lost her husband to a battle with cancer, so having him around to look after was just what she needed. Ryker got his education from old textbooks she had lying around that belonged to her husband who was a college professor before he got sick.
Ryker spent most of his childhood and some of his teenage years helping the Hannah Johnson around her house. When he was 17 he went out to pick up a few items they needed, and when he came back a couple hours later he found her lying in the kitchen. It looked like she just collapsed. Ryker felt for her pulse but came up with nothing. The love between the two had been that of mother and son, so the lose hit him hard. He had to create a make shift burial in the background, since she had no family he had no reason to report it. He stayed in the house a couple months after the lady died and collected the government money, until people started showing up looking for the women. It was too late now for him to say what happened so he packed up a bag and on his 18th birthday he headed out.
Ryker traveled from city to city doing odd jobs and even selling himself a couple times just to a hot meal. Eventually he found his way to Leyden City, PA where he spent his nights sleeping in alleys trying not to get mugged. He picked up a job as a bus boy, but it didn't pay nearly enough. He would often have to choose between eating or sleeping somewhere that wasn't the streets. He usually alternated depending on his work schedule. Every now and then he would wonder about his biological parents and why they had chosen to just leave him, but he never received any answers.
How did your letter arrive and with what item: Ryker was getting ready to leave for work when a messenger appeared with an orange envelope. He signed for the contents and opened it up. The envelope held details about his parents and where they had been and what happened to them. Everything was detailed from the days before was born until now. Ryker couldn't believe someone had done this for him. He was about to find out the answers as to why they left him and with shaky hands he called out of work. He would do whatever the sender wanted since they had finally given him the answers they needed.
Portrait/Character description:
Additional Notes: Ryker hates his birthday. His birth name is actually Ryker Mason, but since Hannah raised him he legally changed his last name to hers. Sometimes people call him RJ. He's got abandonment issues since everyone he's ever really allowed himself to care for has either left him or died.
Name: Sara Mackenzie
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Occupation: Panhandling. Along with whatever honest work comes her way.
Brief history: Up until eight months ago Sara's life was pretty average, except that she loved to read which was rare among teenagers these days. She woke up, went to school, did all the usual teenager things, came home, went to bed. Repeat ad nauseam. If she had known what her future held she wouldn't have detested the boring routine days so much. As it was she was the typical teenage girl fed up with life and school and everything that was constantly the end of the world. Unfortunately at that eight months ago mark her world, at least as she knew it, truly did end. Her mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident and Sara was suddenly very much alone in the world. She never knew her father and had no relatives left alive, that she knew of, and she would soon be a ward of the state if she didn't do something.
She started selling off all their possessions to make money for rent and food, took a part time job at Walmart, and struggled to keep herself in school hoping that she would go unnoticed by well meaning social service agents. She soon learned that she needed a nearly full time job to keep up expenses like their apartment and started missing school. That brought about what she had feared; social services found out she was living on her own, not attending school as she should, and planned to take her into custody and send her to a foster home.
Sara was desperate, she had no desire to go to foster care, she had known too many at school who were in such and she feared what she would find there. Instead she packed up what few things she had left, took all the money she had, and slipped away. She took a 12 hour bus ride with no idea where she was going, just away. She ended up in Leyden City. Of course she had little money, nothing of value, no job, and no place to stay. She quickly learned that living on the streets was much harder than her books and imagination had made it seem.
She stayed in shelters occasionally, but shelters were harsh unfriendly places. She felt safer crashing under bridges, in abandoned buildings, and in the homeless camps with the rest of folk like her. She made money any way she could, short of selling her body. That was a line she wasn't willing to cross. It was a harsh life, but she usually made enough begging to eat something each day and the plethora of abandoned buildings gave her shelter. She was surviving but not living.
How did your letter arrive and with what item: Sara was slumped against a wall down a mostly abandoned street. Her body was sore, she was tired, and caked with dirt. It had been a long time since she had slept in a bed or had a proper shower and that night it was looking like it was going to be one of those chilled ones that made it so hard to sleep. She was working up the energy to climb a nearby fire escape and check out the warehouse like building she was slumped against when the messenger found her and along with the letter he delivered there was also a key to a motel room. The motel wasn't far off, and while it wasn't some great fancy hotel it was serviceable, with a shower, bed, clean water to drink and a heater. One night of comfort and a chance to get clean was worth a lot to the worn out girl.
Portrait/Character description: Sara is tall for her age, just a couple inches shy of 6'. It was a feature that earned her much mocking at school as well as the ubiquitous “you should play basketball” comments. She usually ignored it and tried to blend in as best she could, excelling at making herself as plain and unnoticeable as she could manage. Her dirty blond hair was long and wavy and she rarely did anything fancy with it. She dressed as drably as she could as well, preferring jeans and solid color t-shirts that never advertised anything, announced where she had been, or told anything about her. All in all she was quite unremarkable except for her height. Of late she has lost a bit of weight becoming a bit bonier than is really healthy and her ablutions generally consist of spit-baths in public washrooms or fountains. She tries to remain clean, but its hard and her clothing, body, and hair all show the signs of her current harsh lifestyle.
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Occupation: Panhandling. Along with whatever honest work comes her way.
Brief history: Up until eight months ago Sara's life was pretty average, except that she loved to read which was rare among teenagers these days. She woke up, went to school, did all the usual teenager things, came home, went to bed. Repeat ad nauseam. If she had known what her future held she wouldn't have detested the boring routine days so much. As it was she was the typical teenage girl fed up with life and school and everything that was constantly the end of the world. Unfortunately at that eight months ago mark her world, at least as she knew it, truly did end. Her mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident and Sara was suddenly very much alone in the world. She never knew her father and had no relatives left alive, that she knew of, and she would soon be a ward of the state if she didn't do something.
She started selling off all their possessions to make money for rent and food, took a part time job at Walmart, and struggled to keep herself in school hoping that she would go unnoticed by well meaning social service agents. She soon learned that she needed a nearly full time job to keep up expenses like their apartment and started missing school. That brought about what she had feared; social services found out she was living on her own, not attending school as she should, and planned to take her into custody and send her to a foster home.
Sara was desperate, she had no desire to go to foster care, she had known too many at school who were in such and she feared what she would find there. Instead she packed up what few things she had left, took all the money she had, and slipped away. She took a 12 hour bus ride with no idea where she was going, just away. She ended up in Leyden City. Of course she had little money, nothing of value, no job, and no place to stay. She quickly learned that living on the streets was much harder than her books and imagination had made it seem.
She stayed in shelters occasionally, but shelters were harsh unfriendly places. She felt safer crashing under bridges, in abandoned buildings, and in the homeless camps with the rest of folk like her. She made money any way she could, short of selling her body. That was a line she wasn't willing to cross. It was a harsh life, but she usually made enough begging to eat something each day and the plethora of abandoned buildings gave her shelter. She was surviving but not living.
How did your letter arrive and with what item: Sara was slumped against a wall down a mostly abandoned street. Her body was sore, she was tired, and caked with dirt. It had been a long time since she had slept in a bed or had a proper shower and that night it was looking like it was going to be one of those chilled ones that made it so hard to sleep. She was working up the energy to climb a nearby fire escape and check out the warehouse like building she was slumped against when the messenger found her and along with the letter he delivered there was also a key to a motel room. The motel wasn't far off, and while it wasn't some great fancy hotel it was serviceable, with a shower, bed, clean water to drink and a heater. One night of comfort and a chance to get clean was worth a lot to the worn out girl.
Portrait/Character description: Sara is tall for her age, just a couple inches shy of 6'. It was a feature that earned her much mocking at school as well as the ubiquitous “you should play basketball” comments. She usually ignored it and tried to blend in as best she could, excelling at making herself as plain and unnoticeable as she could manage. Her dirty blond hair was long and wavy and she rarely did anything fancy with it. She dressed as drably as she could as well, preferring jeans and solid color t-shirts that never advertised anything, announced where she had been, or told anything about her. All in all she was quite unremarkable except for her height. Of late she has lost a bit of weight becoming a bit bonier than is really healthy and her ablutions generally consist of spit-baths in public washrooms or fountains. She tries to remain clean, but its hard and her clothing, body, and hair all show the signs of her current harsh lifestyle.
Player Name: Inda
Character Name: Cedar Collins
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Occupation: Photography Student at Maple Grove College
Brief history: Cedar was the child of two music festival loving hippies (thus the name). She had two younger twin brothers, River and Rainy. The family was very affectionate and loving. When she was 13 and River and Rainy were 6, her parents left her in charge while they went to Burning Man, intending to come back in one week. They never made it there and no trace of them was ever found. Her brothers got to stay together, living with an uncle in Nevada who could only take on two of the children. Cedar got sent across the country to Pennsylvania in a foster home where things were... ok. The foster parents barely did anything fun and never showed any real interest in Cedar, though they were never mean and provided for everything she needed. Everything except affection.
When she was 18, she moved out on her own and invited her uncle and brothers to come stay with her in her new apartment in Leyden City. She hadn't seen them since she went into foster care, and she was so excited to have family back. They were driving on a cross country trip, planning to stop at historic landmarks on the way as part of a project the boys wanted to do for when the school year began. Somewhere after getting deep dish pizza in Chicago, they went missing. No trace of them was ever found.
Cedar fell into a deep depression and tried to kill herself with pills and razors. Her wrists still show the scars. At 20 she was admitted to a psychiatric ward. Very soon after starting the medications she developed delusions that her family was alive somewhere. Perhaps in some hippie commune her mother and father had nostalgically talk about in her youth. Perhaps aliens took them and she was soon to be next. When she was finally released at 23, Cedar tried to restart her life. She took on a job at a grocery store and lived in a halfway house for a year. After that, she managed to get scholarships and loans to attend Maple Grove College to study photography, something she had enjoyed in high school. After transitioning out of the halfway house, Cedar was able to get an apartment- the same apartment that had been the destination of her uncle and little brothers. Even after all these years, she hopes to make contact, thinking maybe they'll still show up.
How did your letter arrive and with what item: Her letter arrived on a night threatening storms. Her apartment was about to see another suicide attempt after the only lens to the camera she needed for her degree fell and cracked after she slipped in the wet grass of her college campus the day before. The depression had been nagging at her ever since her student loans had run out and she had been unable to find a job, and though she had been fighting it valiantly, the cracked lens leaving her a useless camera was pushing her over the edge. A knock on the door proved to be a UPS delivery woman, and she handed Cedar the box. Curiously, inside she found two brand new lens for her camera, and the letter inviting her to interview with Silent Wheels, Inc.
Portrait/Character description:
Additional Notes: Due to being starved for affection and contact, Cedar can sometimes reach out and touch people at random times. The contact, while not necessarily sexual every time, did lead her to develop a reputation in high school. She is not ashamed of it, though, having been raised by hippies that tried to educate her about healthy sexual development. This behavior of reaching out to make contact to random people she still has and she was reprimanded for any kind of physical contact in the ward.
Character Name: Cedar Collins
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Occupation: Photography Student at Maple Grove College
Brief history: Cedar was the child of two music festival loving hippies (thus the name). She had two younger twin brothers, River and Rainy. The family was very affectionate and loving. When she was 13 and River and Rainy were 6, her parents left her in charge while they went to Burning Man, intending to come back in one week. They never made it there and no trace of them was ever found. Her brothers got to stay together, living with an uncle in Nevada who could only take on two of the children. Cedar got sent across the country to Pennsylvania in a foster home where things were... ok. The foster parents barely did anything fun and never showed any real interest in Cedar, though they were never mean and provided for everything she needed. Everything except affection.
When she was 18, she moved out on her own and invited her uncle and brothers to come stay with her in her new apartment in Leyden City. She hadn't seen them since she went into foster care, and she was so excited to have family back. They were driving on a cross country trip, planning to stop at historic landmarks on the way as part of a project the boys wanted to do for when the school year began. Somewhere after getting deep dish pizza in Chicago, they went missing. No trace of them was ever found.
Cedar fell into a deep depression and tried to kill herself with pills and razors. Her wrists still show the scars. At 20 she was admitted to a psychiatric ward. Very soon after starting the medications she developed delusions that her family was alive somewhere. Perhaps in some hippie commune her mother and father had nostalgically talk about in her youth. Perhaps aliens took them and she was soon to be next. When she was finally released at 23, Cedar tried to restart her life. She took on a job at a grocery store and lived in a halfway house for a year. After that, she managed to get scholarships and loans to attend Maple Grove College to study photography, something she had enjoyed in high school. After transitioning out of the halfway house, Cedar was able to get an apartment- the same apartment that had been the destination of her uncle and little brothers. Even after all these years, she hopes to make contact, thinking maybe they'll still show up.
How did your letter arrive and with what item: Her letter arrived on a night threatening storms. Her apartment was about to see another suicide attempt after the only lens to the camera she needed for her degree fell and cracked after she slipped in the wet grass of her college campus the day before. The depression had been nagging at her ever since her student loans had run out and she had been unable to find a job, and though she had been fighting it valiantly, the cracked lens leaving her a useless camera was pushing her over the edge. A knock on the door proved to be a UPS delivery woman, and she handed Cedar the box. Curiously, inside she found two brand new lens for her camera, and the letter inviting her to interview with Silent Wheels, Inc.
Portrait/Character description:
Additional Notes: Due to being starved for affection and contact, Cedar can sometimes reach out and touch people at random times. The contact, while not necessarily sexual every time, did lead her to develop a reputation in high school. She is not ashamed of it, though, having been raised by hippies that tried to educate her about healthy sexual development. This behavior of reaching out to make contact to random people she still has and she was reprimanded for any kind of physical contact in the ward.
