[CHAR] California Love -- An L.A. 90's Crime RP

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

ACTIVE

LAPD Officer Frank Lyga
- Currently RP'd by Byrdman

LAPD Chief of Police Willie L. Williams
- Currently RP'd by The Wyrm

DECEASED

Corrupt LAPD Officer Kevin Gaines

[Byrd Man]

Character Sheet

Name: Russell Poole

Age: 41

Occupation/Affiliation: LAPD Police Detective II -- Robbery-Homicide Division

Physical Description:

Poole is white and stands at five-eleven and weighs one hundred and eighty pounds. He has dark hair that is going gray and a matching cop mustache.

History:

Poole comes from a police family, with his father, uncles, and cousins all working in law enforcement around Southern California. Poole was the first in the family to join the LAPD. After being sworn in in 1981, Poole served as a patrolman in the 77th Street Division for three years before being marked as detective potential.

For nine years he served as a homicide detective in both the Wilshire and Southern Divisions. During that time he investigated over one hundred and fifty homicide cases and closed more than three quarters of them, something short of a miracle in the bloody Los Angeles of the late 80's and early 90's. His strong track record as an investigator led to a call up to the big leagues.

In 1996, Poole was assigned to the LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide Division. A city-wide investigative unit, RHD is considered the cream of the crop for LAPD detective's. Poole works in the subsection known as Homicide Special, a unit that tackles high profile murders involving celebrities, serial killers, or anything too complicated for division detectives to figure out. Poole's first taste of RHD work came when he was the primary investigator on the murder of Ennis Cosby in early January, 1997. And while not at the North Hollywood Shootout, Poole also assisted in the investigation of the shooting's aftermath.

Currently, Poole is the primary investigator on the shooting death of LAPD officer Kevin Gaines. His killer, another LAPD officer named Frank Lyga, has made several bold claims about the shooting. A white cop killing a black cop makes headlines in scandal plagued LA, and as black leaders call for Lyg'as head, Poole begins to look into Gaines' past and has uncovered something big.

[DELETED32084]

Patrick Chappel

Name:
Patrick Chappel

Age:
39

Occupation/Affiliation:
Sergeant - Gang Enforcement Unit - Los Angeles Police Department

Physical Description:
Patrick is typical of most of the police officers that one would expect to see in Los Angeles. Standing just shy of 6'4 and weighing in at nearly 220 pounds, he is a big man who takes the time to defy gravity with iron every day. Shocking blonde hair matched with blue eyes earned him the nickname of "Commandant" when he worked the 77th Street Division. Patrick bears a number of scars including two bullet wounds hidden by his uniform, and a long thin scar crosses his right eye. This last scar is older than his time with the LAPD. Never one for running he is nonetheless built for it and is very dangerous over short distances. Now almost forty he leaves the foot chases to the younger officers.

History:
Born to white parents in Rhodesia, he was one of many young white youth who had a unique viewpoint on racism, being on the receiving end. His family, like so many others, became wary of Mugabe and his thugs during the waning years of the Free State. At 16 he joined the Rhodesian Army and at 18 became an elite Sellous Scout where he would serve alongside black and white Rhodesian alike.

He cut his teeth in the final and brutal stages of the Brush War, killing his first man in hand to hand combat, and nearly losing his life to a booby trap that left him with the scar across his face. When the end came and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe hefled the country with his family.

At 22 years old he arrived in the United States with a couple of hundred dollars in his pocket and nought but his farming and military experience at hand. He was determined to do anything but farm.

The glitz and glamour of Hollywood drew him to the city of Los Angeles where, on his first day, he encountered an LAPD recruiting sergeant who convinced the young Afrikana that policing was the life for him.

He attended the LAPD Training academy where he graduated in the top 10% of his class. He was assigned to 77th Street Division and hit the ground running as gang warfare tore the region apart.

His training officer was shot in the first three months on the job during a traffic stop. Patrick fired three rounds in reply and killed the driver of the vehicle with a shot through the back of the head as the vehicle sped away. That set the tone for his time in South Central and the next ten years he walked the beat.

The locals nick named him "Commandant", both a jab his similarities to certain photos and posters from 1930's Germany, and also his no nonsense attitude. He was respected and even feared by many who sought to circumnavigate the law for his hand to hand fighting and marksmanship skills. As a police officer he was a decent investigator though not one for paperwork. He became a field trainer in his own right and produced several brilliant young officers, including two of the first black officers to work the 77th Division. He was shot twice during his time in the 77th, once during a shootout after interrupting a drug deal, and the second time during a traffic stop. In both cases he returned fire killing his assailant.

Ten years in, he was promoted to Police Sergeant One and transferred to the Gang Enforcement Unit. It was here he met his wife, a fiery red headed named Jade, the daughter of Irish immigrants. The work in the North end was less gang violence and more break and enters, suburban murder, and domestic violence. Here he began to sharpen his skills as an investigator, becoming a Crisis Negotiator and sharp shooter for LAPD SWAT. His marriage to Jade lasted five glorious years until she abruptly died of cancer at the age of 25.

He threw himself into his work to help clear his head and keep stave off the depression that loomed with Jade's death. A parade of girlfriends came and went but none stayed on for more than a few months. Recently he began investing in tech companies, notably Apple Inc.

On February 28, 1997, while out for lunch with a colleague, the shootout that would make North Hollywood famous began. He responded at once, attending Archwood Street, not knowing that Larry Phillips was headed directly toward him.

At 09:50 hours, he engaged Phillips in a gunfight. He succeeded in hitting Phillips in the right hand, causing him to drop the handgun. Phillips managed to retrieve the weapon and shoot himself in the lower jaw just as Patricks final round severed his spine.

Lauded for his calmness during the altercation, Patrick was commended for his actions by the LAPD and promoted to Police Sergeant Two in the Gang Enforcement Unit where he continues to work to this day.

[Polyphemus]

George Choi

Name: George Choi

Age: 38

Occupation/Affiliation: Boss, Korean Mob

Physical Description: George Choi is a slight, short man of Korean descent. He prefers to have his longish hair slicked back against his head. His style of dress is somewhat ostentatious- bright print shirts, leather jackets, Oliver Peoples sunglasses, and of course the newly released Air Jordan XIII.

History: Choi's parents, sensing the impending conflict, left Korea in 1949 for a new life in the United States. Settling in Koreatown, they had their first child, named George in honor of the first president of their new home. George grew up speaking both English and Korean, and was bright enough, but struggled in school, often cutting class to make trouble with other kids his age. These hoods soon came to look to him as a leader. He dropped out of high school, much to his parent's disappointment, and soon graduated to more serious crime.

With a few other local hoodlums he began to integrate himself into the world of organized crime in Los Angeles. They stuck mostly to Koreatown, extorting money from local shopkeepers and running illegal games of cards and dice. Their most profitable operations were the occasional drug deal, but without a source of supply George Choi found these opportunities were few and far between. Still, the late 70s and 80s saw George slowly growing in influence, managing to recruit more and more men and find new opportunities.

The 1992 riots were devastating to Koreatown but beneficial to the gang. Plenty of angry and embittered young Korean men felt that they were alone and without allies in this city. Choi capitalized on their discontent, pushing a message of empowerment and solidarity that enticed many new members into the fold. The organization has nearly tripled in size in the past five years, going from a gang to a mob. Not all the new recruits are simple thugs, either. Some are former soldiers, fresh from service in the American or South Korean forces. Others are educated and trained professionals, including a few chemists with interesting ideas about a certain newly popular drug that can be made from materials as common as drugstore pseudoephedrine.

With so much new talent, Choi is beginning to eye expanding his operations to new neighborhoods and higher-class organized crime. There is plenty of competition in this city, of course, but Choi feels opportunity will knock shortly.

[Hound55]

Character Sheet

Name:

Russell Crowe

Age:

32 or 33 – Born 7th April, 1964 in Wellington, New Zealand

Occupation/Affiliation:

Actor. Part-time waiter to supplement income. Affiliated with Screen Actors Guild. Musician, affiliated with 30 Odd Foot of Grunts.

Physical Description:

Brown hair, blue/green eyes, 5’11” and a half.

History:
Despite being born in New Zealand, Russell Crowe began his career in Australia. After appearing in small tv roles, his film career began when he was cast in “The Crossing” (1990), a romantic drama shot in the small towns of Junee and Condoblin. He followed this role up with a part in “Blood Oath” (also known as “Prisoners of the Sun”) which was about the trial of Japanese soldiers charged with war crimes against allied prisoners in the World War II. But it was the critically acclaimed “Proof”, shot a year later in 1991, that he first jumped onto the radar of those in the Australian Film Industry where he won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a movie which won numerous awards.

His best known Australian Film role came a year later, though. When he played the terrifying Hando, a violent neo-Nazi gang leader in suburban Melbourne, in the drama “Romper Stomper”. He later went on to win Best Actor in a Lead Role for this performance. It also caught the eye of industry insiders both in Australasia and abroad. So much so, that Sharon Stone held up production on the 1995 Western “The Quick and the Dead” demanding he be cast, the Sam Raimi directed film was his first introduction to American audiences. Whilst in the United States for this role, Crowe also accepted a part as the ultimate serial killer in the Denzel Washington action film Virtuosity.

Neither film was particularly well received critically, but Russell now had his foot in the door overseas.

So much so that he would return to Los Angeles again. He’d put together some money for flights and enough to find himself a place to stay for a few months. He had an audition with Curtis Hanson for a new film he was developing, apparently he’d recently secured the rights to some book by some L.A. crime fiction writer…

[Liv]

Dr. Davenport

Name: Nicole Davenport

Age: 35

Occupation/Affiliation: Medical Examiner, Los Angeles County

Physical Description: Nicole stands at roughly 5'7. She's of average weight and she maintains herself by regularly working out. Her straight, dark-brown hair reaches down to just above her waist, and her eyes are dark blue. Given her ancestry, Nicole's skin is a light medium tone which tans nicely if she gets some sun.

Image

History: Born and raised in New Jersey to a Puerto Rican mother and a Canadian-American father, Nicole grew up alongside her brother, Michael, who's 4 years her senior. She spent some of her childhood in the East Coast, but the family relocated to Los Angeles when she was 7 after her father accepted a better position at a prestigious law firm. The move was sudden and a bit traumatic for both Nicole and her brother, but nothing they wouldn't overcome with time.

Growing up, Nicole managed to maintain a healthy balance between her social life and school. She always did well in her exams and she knew she wanted to work in the medical field and make it a career. Given the fact that she was fascinated by horror movies and had the stomach to sit through them from an early age, Nicole decided to become a medical examiner. She interned at the local office while completing school. For her residency, she was able to stay in the same location, but that time around she was actually doing what she loved.

Nicole was eventually offered a full-time position once she completed her residency, and she would quickly learn just how stressful work could be when she was being asked for updates on a daily basis. The bodies kept piling up, and there was only so much overtime she could work in order to complete some of it on time. To make matters worse, whenever the guys from the PD come down to see her, she has to stop working to talk to them for at least a few minutes. But despite the tight deadlines, which Nicole could deal with, she has had detectives attempting to bribe her into omitting or adding certain information to her reports. Nicole's obviously turned them down, but for some reason, she can't help and wonder how far one of them would go to get what they want.

[KaijuBaragon]

Álvaro Gallont

Name: Álvaro Gallont

Age: 38

Occupation/Affiliation: Hired gun - bounty hunter/hitman/mercenary - depends on who's hiring and the price.

Physical Description: Álvaro is undoubtedly an imposing figure. Standing at 6'3 and broad, he is easily intimidating to those of a lesser stature or those who are less confident in it. His general appearance almost seems aged beyond his true years - a consequence of his rather stressful life. He bears a number of scars and wounds - a bullet wound from his military trainer, a slice from a knife down his arm from a dying Maya guerilla's last ditch effort. He never wears anything flashy due to his profession, blending into the crowd as best he can.

History: In 1959, an adventurous American backpacker making his way down from the tip of Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina stopped off in a small village in Guatemala. There, he ended up spending the night with a pretty young Guatemalan woman who barely spoke a word of English. The next day he was gone, continuing on his journey. Nine months later, that young woman gave birth to their child - Álvaro Gallont. Life was not easy from the start. Life in a poor village under the corrupt leadership of the military junta was not easy, especially for a woman raising a child who was shunned by the community.

However, things would only get worse. In 1960, the Guatemalan Civil War broke out across the country as leftist protesters attempted to remove the conservative military junta. Throughout his early childhood, Álvaro would move around, from makeshift school to makeshift school as the fighting worked its way across the country. With war comes scenes of violence and suffering, atrocities that the young boy would get used to and become desensitised to as he grew older. Of course, with such an upbringing one inevitably finds themselves turning to less savoury activity. From the age of 14 onwards he found himself helping to bring arms to different government supporting militia.

Álvaro quickly found he had an affinity for guerilla warfare and fighting. His apathy and lack of mercy in the moment of ending and life made him a useful asset, especially for a military junta in fighting against those with equally as guerilla skills. Álvaro killed his first man at the age of 17 - nobody major, just a single guerilla fighter who had attempted to grenade the truck of guns he was driving in. Ultimately, at age 19, Álvaro was selected for the relatively fledgling Kaibiles - The Guatemalan government's counter insurgency force.

The training for the Kaibiles was extremely brutal. Most nights were sleepless, in sweltering jungle conditions. Recruits were forced to kill animals and eat them raw. They were shot and made to performance surgery on themselves. They were also given basic education if they didn't have it already, such as learning and becoming fluent in English. But all of that was successful, and Álvaro was turned into a perfect guerilla soldier, just as the junta wanted. He went on to participate in numerous acts of cruelty against the leftist protesters and those areas that supported them - that's just what the Kaibiles did.

However, by the late 1980s, it was clear that the junta was falling and the tide was turning. Álvaro fled to Mexico in order to avoid any repercussions that might occur after the civil war ended. He became a hired gun there, mainly working in affiliation with the Juárez Cartel near the Texas border. Perhaps luckily for him, he mainly worked as a local enforcer, chasing down those who owed the cartel money or defied them. But this arrangement would not last either, as despite his obedience during the Guatemalan Civil War, Álvaro now craved freedom. He crossed the border to the US in 1995.

Now the mercenary finds himself based in Los Angeles, hiring out his services to whoever can pay. And with the state that LA is in, there is certainly no shortage of work available. He is currently wanted by both the US police and for potential trial by the new Guatemalan government.

[Afro Samurai]

Slippin' and slidin', CK ridin'.

Name: Kentrell “KP” Price

Age: 19

Occupation/Affiliation: Denver Lane Gangster Bloods (DLB, DLGB, Lanes)

Physical Description: Price stands at a lithe 6’1 and has smashed in his frame a reasonable amount of muscle for someone his age. Strewn across his back is a tattoo brandishing the initials of his gang, “DLB”.

History: Born aloof in the Vermont Vista apartments in 1978 to Regina and Andre Price, Kentrell and his five siblings: Marcus, Shontay, Terrell, Lorraine, and Darius were no exceptions to the poverty pervading the Vista and many other black neighborhoods. Following the outsourcing of most of Los Angeles’ factories in the middle and late seventies, thousands of African American and Latino blue collar salarymen without access to higher education found themselves out of work and in abject need.

The Price family patriarch fell to drug use, and the Price matriarch struggled to find work as well. A story typical, Price and his siblings turned to peers and distant family for help. For three of the Price clan: Kentrell, Shontay, and Terrell there was initiation. The youngest of the three, Kentrell, is the most aggressive and is willing to go to great lengths or what he believes is the betterment of his neighborhood and his family. His brash attitude is catalyst for the trouble he often finds himself in with both law enforcement and neighboring sets.

Since his initiation at a mere 11 years old, Kentrell has been merely a gang member, but in the weeks leading up to his 20th birthday and following a recent shootout with the Raymond Avenue Crips who border the Denver Lanes to the north and are some of the Lanes’ most bitter rivals, “KP” is about to earn his stain, this is where his story begins.

[Eviledd1984]

Robert Earle

Name: Robert Earle

Age: 47

Occupation/Affiliation: FBI Agent

Physical Description:

Robert is 5'6 and weighting around one hundred and forty two pounds. A Caucasian man with bright blonde hair and a curled mustache. Wearing a black suit jacket, black slacks and shoes, white dress shirt and dark blue tie with black leather gloves. Having some bits of grey hair in his mustache and hair showing off his age. Has a mole on his left cheek with a thin nose, small chapped lips, and is toned with a surprisingly amount of strength.

History:

Robert was born in a poor family in rural Louisiana living with his grandfather, grandmother, aunt, three brothers and three sisters. Being the youngest of the family he mostly worked with his aunt on their pig farm. Going to school with his other brothers and sisters getting though elementary school and high school. Besides his clam and quiet behavior he had quite the violent streak in his youth, Getting into many fights with other students. Mostly because of some of the male students trying to flirt or sexual harass his sisters.

After graduating high school he joined the Air Force during Vietnam War, Carpet bombing, and dropping napalm bombs on villages and VC troops. After the war in 1975 he applied and became a police officer for 6 years, Applying and becoming a FBI agent in 1982. Working then to the present day as a FBI agent.

During that time he got married and had two children, Having a happy life but during these years he became more of a workaholic and neglectful of his family. Soon his wife divorced him and took his children moving from LA to San Francisco, After that he became more of a workaholic, alcoholic, and a heavy smoker. As well has recurring nightmares of his time in Vietnam.

[MST3K 4ever]

Celia Carter

Name: Dr. Celia Carter

Age: 30

Occupation/Affiliation: Forensics Scientist with the F-B-I office in Los Angeles.

Physical Description: Celia has sandy brown hair with green eyes. She weighs approximately 125 lbs. her height doesn’t matter much because she is confined to a wheel chair.

History: Celia is very self-confident in her abilities but doesn’t brag about them. She would prefer to observe and analyze before making any deductions. However, underneath that quiet exterior and smiling façade is a young woman who firmly believes that she is the smartest person in the room. Celia usually has a smile on her face and is willing to do whatever it takes to help solve the case. Once the case is solved Celia loves to let her hair down and live it up, but when she is on a case Celia is ALL business.

Celia was a “unique” child born to a father who was banker and a mother who was the manager of a local theater troop. Celia’s uniqueness stemmed from the fact that she was basically one of those child geniuses that everyone talks about with an unreal drive to know why things work they do they or why do things happen the way they do. Whether it was a lab top, studying the human body, how a car works, it didn't matter Celia had to know.

She graduated from high school at the age of 15 and UCLA at 19. By the time she was 23 Celia had already earned her PHD human anatomy. All of this training and intelligence did not mean that Celia was an all work no play type of girl. She was a hit on the campus party scene, because she used her chemistry knowledge to help “liven” up several parties in college. All her concoctions were perfectly legal as well and earned her the nickname “The Wizard.”

Celia’s intelligence caught the attention of the F-B-I and they brought her on to the crime lab where she excelled quickly. Her abilities though had a habit of making her arrogant, but one night all that changed in 1992. While she was working a case involving a bomber Celia was caught in a blast at the bomber’s apartment when they thought the scene was cleared. The explosion left her paralyzed from the waist down. It had a very humbling effect on Celia and made her much more pleasant to deal with, but there her times she does get somewhat frustrated by her current circumstances.

[Berlin]

Ellie Cooper

Name:
Ellie Cooper
Age:
26
Occupation/Affiliation:
Los Angeles Police Department- Emergency Dispatcher

Physical Description:
Ellie’s unmanageable, curly mane and small stature has unintentionally left her desperate for an identity outside of a teen member of the 90’s youth rebellion or a worshipper of Mariah Carey. Standing at 5’0, she regularly finds herself battling to prove her age, though her knack for inappropriate humor certainly doesn't help. Her skin is pale and unmarked, a direct result of the hours she finds herself tucked behind a computer, and the rest of her features parallel her light complexion.

History:
Unlike many who flood California, Ellie came to the state stripped of hope. She had no job waiting, no big interviews or auditions in line, and certainly no money to hold her above water.

Raised in a small town in Colorado, Ellie met the man she would marry in high school and they had their own small ceremony only days after their graduation. She endured the struggles of the police academy alongside him, postponing her own dream of college and instead working various small jobs in an effort to keep them afloat as they attempted to balance the first few years of a new life together.

Four years after being commissioned, her husband was dispatched to a domestic violence call. Upon arrival, he was met by a meth cook with a gun that ultimately took his life. Investigation later showed that a database error brought him to the incorrect address. Ellie stayed in Colorado just long enough to attend the funeral and sell what she could, including their home. She packed her trunk and drove originally to Las Vegas where her bank account was drained, then bounced West until she hit water. A job outside of waitressing that did not require further education added to a twisted sense of honoring her late husband was enough for her to put on a headset and become a dispatcher. Unfortunately, dealing with the issues of a city everyday never seems to solve her own.

[AtomicNut]

Vivi

Name: Vera Nikolayevna Voronova, "Vivi".

Age: 32

Occupation/Affiliation: The Blue Swan club owner, part of the Bratva. Formerly affiliated with the KGB.
Physical Description:
Vera is a rather fit and slim woman, with the physique of a dancer. She stands with a respectable height of 5'10" with neck-long blonde wavy hair and grey eyes. Her skin is rather pale, and she usually dresses sharply, emphasizing on her legs. She doesn't disclose her weight, but it is infered that it is above average due to the muscle tone she has. She doesn't overload herself with jewelry or makeup, instead choosing to wear simple jewelry and a watch where she carefully hides a garrote wire within. She also keeps a hidden revolver in a leg holster.

History:

Vera's story could have been one of thousands if not by some very precise events in her life. Born to a modest household in Moscow, young Vera soon showed a good physical aptitude and a keen mind, taking after her father, a systems engineer. One boiler explosion after, the household was left headless (in a sense literally, her father was reported to have been decapitated by flying debris). What seemed a bright future ended prematurely, Vera having to renounce to further education in order to tend to her shattered and alcoholic mother. It almost seemed that she would slowly descend into the criminal underbelly of Russia's capitol.

But people of other persuasions found her first. One of the KGB recruiters caught word of a lengthy police chase through the streets of Moscow with Vera as the target, and how she had kept the law enforcers at way with quick wit and excellent physical fitness. She was made an offer she could not refuse. If she helped the Motherland, she would be rewarded in return. And no sooner she finished high school, she was inducted in the dangerous world of espionage and covert operations.

By her early twenties, Vera was deployed in the already crumbling beyond belief Afghanistan situation. She still doesn't know which combinations of factors allowed her to have the absurd luck of making through it. While she was an intelligence specialist, she was spared nothing of the brunt of guerrilla combat, and often had to make snap decisions and decipher codes caked in her own waste and blood, all while waiting for reinforcements that were busy doing things elsewhere. At some point they even used her as just another gun to shoot, disregarding her role completely.

Even if the conflict ended in defeat and failure, Vera could not help but breathe in relief it was over, but not for long. Her mother had died due to alcoholism during the conflict, and to top it off, Moscow denied any of her involvements and operations, thus oficially, she never had participated. This drove a wedge between her and her higher ups, and when the agency blasted itself apart in 1991, and thus condemning to oblivion her patriotic services, she decided to make her move and get out of the sinking boat.

Exploiting corrupt networks that dealt with sex industry and human traficking, she initially set herself up as one of the girls to eventually reach the ears of the Mafiya, or Bratva. It did not take long for her hidden value to surface, as some fellow Afghanistan veterans had also flocked to West Hollywood. Not wanting to overstep her bounds, she carefully did not aim for the top, merely taking second-rate assignments and jobs, and exploiting the misogyny present in more than one mob boss to appear much less dangerous than she truly is. After several years of careful preparations, what was once called the "Moscow Spider" by the American CIA has spun a web in the heart of the criminal underwold, by using her war-forged contacts inside the Bratva and her information gathering abilities. A web she has all the intention to exploit to live a decent life until retirement.

The problem is, the boat is rocking again with tempestuous winds in Los Angeles, and the Spider might need to take action to avoid her careful plans from being undone...