[CHAR] The Sunday Group

NPCS:

Emma Stern - aka Emmaline Von Morgenstern - Mostly Retired Sorceress

Dr Emma Stern is a former Sunday Group operative now working part time as a lecturer in Mathematical Epistemology for Tulane University. While officially retired (as official as anything gets with the Sunday Group) she still consults on occasion. She is the partner of Eleanor and speaks with a soft Austrian accent despite her best efforts to eradicate it.

[PatientBean]

Socialite Sorceress

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Name: Primrose Chastain

Age: 24

Concept: Socialite With An Edge

Appearance: Primrose stands at 5'7''. She has alabaster skin with long, blonde hair that falls to her shoulders. She has gray-blue eyes. She holds a slender frame. She has a beauty mark near her mouth on the right side. Primrose tends to dress in fancier clothes befitting her status, though to aid her in her endeavors she has clothing that can be seen as more "regular".

Personality Traits: Charismatic | Vain | Resourceful | Opinionated | Dedicated | Secretive | Passionate | Assertive

Personality: Primrose grew up being spoiled and wanting very little. This has shaped her into a vain individual who cares about appearances, both physically and via reputation. When Primrose wants something, very little can persuade her to not pursue it, leading to positive and negative outcomes. Primrose excels in social situations, often able to hold conversations with many individuals from all walks of life. Due to her family's nature, Primrose doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve and doesn't let people in unless she feels they can be fully trusted. However, once that trust is earned, Primrose gives it her all. Many people will say Primrose is arrogant, but having been provided with the best, has made her educated and learned in various aspects of life. When Primrose throws her all into something, she doesn't stop until she achieves it.

Powers/Skills:

Illusion Magic - Primrose is able to craft and manipulate illusions, leading her to manipulate herself and things around her. The illusions can be tangible, though it requires further effort.

Charisma - Primrose can talk her way in and out of things with ease. She is able to read people and say what needs to be said to get them to open up.

Upper Class - Having been born into wealth, Primrose is able to breeze through higher class places and situations easily. This does leave her with less knowledge of how the other half lives.

[Background: The Chastain Family. Rumors whispered in shadowy corners, if they are to be believed, talk of a deal with a devil situation. How else did a family with very little to their name during the Great Depression manage to make it out of that tumultuous time unscathed? Others speak of pacts sealed with blood, offering sacrifices to ensure their power and wealth are maintained. What's one missing child or vagrant?

Primrose had heard of all these rumors before. There was never a point in time when her family's name wasn't on everyone's lips during school events or lavish parties thrown at her parent's home. She often wondered if the people there were actually their friends or were terrified the rumors were true and wanted to be on their good side.

Primrose didn't let silly rumors get to her. She knew her family (or knew them as well as she was able to, at least). They provided her with the best education, after-class training with magic, language lessons, culture, fashion, you name it, it was instilled in her, willing or not.

As she glided through her lessons, it became apparent to Primrose that her family had more to them than she figured. She didn't know how her family made money. Her father often left on "business", which she figured to mean having lavish affairs with other women (as she had never seen her parents kiss before, much less hold hands). Her mother went to work also, but she never made mentioned what she did. Whenever Primrose dared to ask, her mother would pat her cheek, smile, and say "Questions lead to wrinkles, darling."

As expected of her, being the only child of the present Chastain family, she would be expected to continue their legacy. Did that mean marrying off to some other magical family? Possibly. But in her family's history, no matter what family was added into the mix, the last name stuck. "Family is all that matters," her farther often said. Despite this motto, he rarely, if ever, showed how much his family meant to him. In fact, the only family member who showed an ounce of affection and care was Primrose's grandmother on her mother's side. Her grandmother was not considered part of the family as her daughter married into the Chastain. Primrose's mother would often say nasty things about her own mother. "She is not like us," she often said, "Don't speak to her."

However, Primrose, as with every young child, had her rebellious stage. Considering what Primrose wanted to do with herself, perhaps that rebellious stage lasted longer than most others. A conversation with her grandmother led Primrose to question herself and the very family she had been with for so long. "They are not who they appear to be." Those words echoed in Primrose's mind. What did she mean?

Primrose would never find out. Her grandmother passed shortly after. Suicide, it was said. However, Primrose didn't believe that. Why were there signs of magic use then? Why had her grandmother not left a note or something? Why had her will changed so recently, granting all she had owned to the family she wanted nothing to do with?

This mystery, as well as the one surrounding the Chastain family, fueled Primrose's desire to figure out what is going on.

Relationships:

Eleanor Tregellen: Respect isn't the right word for my feelings toward Eleanor. She is abrupt, coarse, and prickly, but she is also a competent leader and a force to be reckoned with. I mean, she didn't choose to be paired with this bunch, but she is making the best of the situation. I guess if I had to say anything, I would say she deserves more than what she is given.

Jaelle Codona: She's a weird one, which is to be expected when you are not from this time. I'll admit out of everyone on the team, she is the one I don't have immediate feelings about. On the one hand, she's odd. She's a Romani fortune teller (and I do not trust modern-day fortune tellers so I can only imagine past ones weren't much better). On the other hand, she's trying. And Mal is helping her, which is its own thing. I simultaneously want to keep her at arm's length and also bring her in and find out more about her.

Fynn Laplace: Geek. I mean what other word is there for Fynn? I won't lie and say I know everything there is about technology, but I am sure Fynn does. His skills seem impressive, sure, but what else is there? It's like the Incredible Hulk, one side being this unassuming nerd and the other is a monstrous thing that needs to be controlled. I just hope I am not in the blast radius.

Malcador Ravenwood: If you've seen one Mal, you've seen them all. I can see why many could fall for his charm and good looks. I've been around many like him during many an event and they are all the same: they feel they can get by with their looks in order to hide the fact they don't have any real skills. Perhaps he will prove me wrong, but I won't hold my breath. The only thing I can admire about him is his relationship with Jaelle.

Alyx Bellamy: This girl is not afraid to speak her mind and I have to give her credit. Being able to say what you feel, others be damned, is a trait I can admire. Her art is also impressive and the fact she can utilize it with her magical abilities only heightens its effects. I'm curious why she is part of the team though, she could easily be an uber-rich celebrity with her art (I personally know many gallery owners who would love her pieces, magical and not). She needs watching.

Things Your Character Wants to Happen (Probably won't): Figure out the secret of her family. Figure out what happened to her grandmother. Make a name for herself in the world outside of her family's influence.

Things You as a Writer Want To Happen (Maybe will): Allow Primrose to open herself up more to others, especially a wide variety of people she would not have ordinarily met elsewhere. Solve fantastic crimes that lead to story progression and character progression (both mine and everyone else's characters).

[Atalanta]

Girl Lost in Time

Name: Jaelle Codona

Age: Died at 29

Appearance:

In Life

In life, Jaelle was a small, warm-skinned woman with a mass of black, wavy hair, light brown-gold eyes and strong features. Today, she often looks much the same, but more washed out, the gold of her jewelry and the vibrancy of her skirt and scarves lost.

Appearance is fairly fluid for a spirit, so often her appearance will reflect her mood or the current needs of the group. She's doing a new thing lately by trying out different styles of clothes.

Concept: The undead spirit of a Romani fortune teller bound to a bloodstone.

Roughly four years ago, Malcador Ravenwood (played by @POOHEAD189) found a stone mounted atop a staff in the bottom of an old tomb. It was a fortuitous find really—an excellent conduit, cleverly made and just as elegant as anyone could wish. Imagine his surprise, then, we he found Jaelle bound to it. The two of them discovered the Sunday Group a couple years ago and have been aiding them off and on.

Personality: Bubbly | Extrovert | Liar | Storyteller | Dramatic | Curious | Untrusting | Restless | Impatient

Powers/skills:

Incorporeal: Jaelle is incorporeal, so she can walk through walls/floors, change her appearance, and choose whether or not to be audible or visible. She cannot affect the physical world.

Pathway: While lending her soul to the bloodstone, it's weilder (a magic user) can cross into the spirit realm and converse with its denizens. Jaelle cannot cross over on her own because she is bound to the mortal plane, and cannot be forced into the stone, though a particularly rude person could threaten to break it and destroy her. She can go no further than 100 meters from the gem without experiencing pain and the threat of insanity.

Of a Different Time: Jaelle has all the skills of a young woman born to the Roma people in the past (she is never quite clear about exactly when shes from but Mal is pretty certain she was bound to the bloodstone no more than 150-200 years ago). She sings, dances, tells fortunes through palm and tarot. She was once a deft seamstress, cook, and pickpocket. Jaelle speaks Romani, German, and more recently, English. She doesn’t understand technology or much modern culture, but Netflix and the internet are helping.

Things Your Character Wants to Happen (probably wont):

To binge Netflix without having to go get someone to push the “Still Watching?” button. To touch the world again. To touch people again. To travel more. (Curse the sedentary nature of modern society!!)

Things You as a Writer Wants to Happen (Maybe will):

Character development arcs!

1: Trust. Janelle eventually reaches the point where she either has to or wants to tell the truth about how she ended up in the bloodstone. At first, every character who asks gets a different wild tale, all of which seem to include daring escapes and stunning sexual conquests.

2: Loss of Self. Unbound from bodies and the physical world, spirits cease to think and feel in the same manner as they did while alive, something Jaelle has seen during infrequent journeys into the spirit realm with the mage. She fears losing herself, and signs are starting to show... Does she make peace? Find away around the slip into insanity?

3: Family. The Romani are often nomadic peoples who don't have much governmental structure. Their typical until is a family, and Jaelle is just one Roma woman out of time and place. There's space for a surrogate family in her undeath.

Jaelle’s opinions on…

Malcador Ravenwood: "Somewhere between my best friend and an annoying brother I can't get rid of. Depends on the day, really."

Primrose Chastain: "Don't know her, but I don't like her either. It's not a fair judgment, but then again you can't get much further from the Roma lifestyle than an heiress born with a silver spoon in her mouth."

Fynn Laplace: "I love technology! Have you seen youtube? You can learn anything there! The day Flynn figures out how to let me interact with tech directly will be the second-best day of my unlife. That guy is great. Also, he's fun to mess with."

Eleanor Tregellan: "She's a friend that I have a lot of respect for. She's seen some crazy things, and she's still a good listener. I look up to her—despite the fact that I'm technically the oldest person here—, and find her attitude towards Mal absolutely hilarious. I know I can't like touch anything, but I want to prove that I'm useful."

Alyx Bellamy: "She's the new girl. It's always fun to see how The Sunday Group's neophytes react to the in-house spirit—you'd be surprised how many of these occult types are taken aback. I like all the music she makes just walking around the office, but find her germophobia absurd. Hand sanitizer didn't even exist when I died, and I was fine. Well, until I wasn't. LOL. But that, of course, had nothing to do with germs. It all started on a steaming day in Venice, Italy. It was too hot for one lover, never mind two, but who am I to say no? I snuck into..."

[Fetzen]

Fynn Laplace

Name: Fynn Laplace

Age: 31

Appearance: Fynn reaches up to a not exactly imposing 5'9 and presents himself having a rather average, albeit slightly overweight frame. More than shoulder-long, blone and wavy hair and a quite large goatee surround a rather innocent looking face with thin lips and a mildly pointed nose. His skin is fair and clearly indicative of him spending much more time indoors than outdoors, so is the fact that he's anything but overly muscular. There's a long scar running alone his left shin, but that's probably simply because the latter had been seriously broken once.

Concept: Computer nerd capable of both compensating for his lack of physical exercise and boosting his authority against lazy users never changing their passwords by turning into an entirely different, demonic beast.

Powers/skills: Fynn has grown up surrounded by people making their money with electronics, but today however electronics more often than not also involve software. Software is what he knows pretty well indeed and far beyond fixing somebody's Microsoft Word templates. Give him some proper equipment and he might try and work around matters of security or encryption the group's suspects might throw at them. He, after all, has also learned a knack about manipulating modern technology by means of magic from his family, and happens to be infused with demonic magic since birth.

Still there are the good old methods of just blasting through a locked door and he's got something for that, too. He can decide to let go of his inner discipline and let his inherent instability rage freely, pushing him away from being an ordinary human in a bodily manner as well. He then becomes a beast that's of the same height, but certainly in an entirely different class in terms of raw strength, durability and weight. He's then much more suited to those occasions when talking and silent intrusion just don't cut it, but also much more prone to engage in acts of violence he might regret later on or which are flat-out overdoing it. And it's not like there'd be that simple off switch he or anyone else can just push, just like he can't commit to this modus operandi in an instant. Psychological pressure and other means of stress certainly help a lot with that, though.

Quirks: He really hates guns, not so much because of their purpose but because they're just awfully loud. Also, as long as he is his human self, he can safely be considered a bit of a coward. And a coffee addict...

Background:
Electhereal Semiconductor's Corp. is a small fish in the lake of Silicon Valley, but being one of the more successful ones it has proven to be a steadily growing pond of money for Kaylen's parents to swim in. They are a duo of people who have just found other sharing the same interests and approach to life in general, a pair of scientifically aligned graduates who gives the world what it craves for: highly integrated circuits that consume ever less power when doing ever more stuff in gadgets only capitalism can invent. What they don't do however is tell the same world the truth about 'conventional science' not having been advanced enough for setting up such a magnificent little factory, hence the name 'Electhereal'. It is basically a broad, mocking hint which they perfectly know the vast majority of their customers will happily mistake for yet another strange marketing effort.

Kaylen was pretty much 'doomed' to take over the family business one day, though neither was such a plan against his own interest at any point nor had he much of an issue with the tremendous amount of effort that would require. However even an enrollment at Caltech couldn't protect him from the... more mundane desires... one might occasionally stumble upon in life. Agreed, Rebecca just was a very attractive girl. Up to this day, Kaylen's parents accuse themselves of not having seen the obvious red flags earlier, but then it took only a single night in a shared bed to make it happen.

Fynn was born -- and his mother was a succubus.

There would have been plenty of ways to dispose of him, if not for Kaylen himself then for his rich parents who would certainly have had the means necessary to bribe their way through the official part of law enforcement. But why should they have done this? Their whole income was partly based on the unique properties of the supernatural, so while they certainly scolded Kaylen for his escapade, they also sort of accepted the living outcome. Like said... sort of. He was the unexpected child, the unstable element to be more closely monitored. It was a delicate balance between 'since none of our business partners and most of our friends don't believe in the supernatural anyway, they'll never interpret his occasional oddity correctly' and 'there are those who will know what he truly is in an instant, and they could have the means to transform that kind of information into a scandal even the non-believers will happily exploit'. Things have not always been easy, but it would be wrong to say he wasn't loved.

With that kind of conflict in mind, the Sunday group was just the perfect job offering. Fynn saw it as an opportunity for joining an environment where the paranormal was the norm and where he could put himself to good use while also earning honest money. His environment saw it as an opportunity to defuse the whole situation a bit by putting him in a place where he can be much more what he really is and not always has to pretend to be your ordinary human.

The question is of course whether the Sunday Group will see it the same way in the future.

Things your character wants to happen (probably won't):

• Not being considered the complete nerd and boring indoor person he quite probably actually is.
• His other self wants to go completely crazy in the open. Think about all those panicking newspapers and breaking news about a demon roaming freely!

Things you as a writer want to happen (maybe will):

• Some serious action
• Intrigue
• Not opposed to spontaneous comedy either here and there

Writing sample: Does the sheet itself count as a writing sample, too ? :)

Opions on other members of the Sunday group:

Eleanor Tregellan:
What am I to say ? She's my boss, and 'boss' is a role I have never found myself in yet. I can only guess that sometimes being a bit abrupt and very straight to the point is part of the job, though I'd not be opposed to that kind of behavior in general. Also I don't know what kind of stupid as fuck office bullshit from higher up she's actually keeping away from us instead of burdening us with, but if the Sunday Group works like other large companies I guess it's a lot. So I respect her unless for some reason she'd start disrespecting me which I can't see happening in any near future.

Primrose Chastain:
I don't like her kind of magic to be honest, but even without it I think the only way to socially stop her is to make her run out of little fingers she can twist people around. A very useful property if used right, like hacking just in the social instead of the electronic domain, but I certainly don't want to fall victim to it. Displaying one's wealth as openly as she does is not my style, but who am I to accuse others of having such a background ? All in all I don't see why we shouldn't be able to come along fine together on a daily basis.

Jaelle Codona:
What people seem to forget is that your actual knowledge about technology is not the entire deal, but it's also very much about your general approach to it. That's where so many people fail utterly and she excels at: Don't just use your device superficially and complain to your system administrator -- me! -- when it's suddenly broken due to a layer 8 problem, but try to learn stuff yourself and be on the move! It's saddening she can't hold a soldering iron for herself, otherwise I'd happily lock ourselves up in a room for a few nights just to create something weird and awesome.

Malcador Ravenwood:
I can't deny the mild feeling that there's something that makes us two very similar in a way, yet at the same time I also can't work around the fact that my shoes keep slipping on the trail on slime that man leaves behind just by making himself seen. Why did Mr. Perfect have to join the Sunday Group instead of becoming a model in the fashion industry or the like ? Ah right, he's a mage, and a very talented on top of that. Guess that qualifies. And for the rest... I'd be pretty screwed if it ever came out that my virtual reality goggles have been modified to display him as a fat ogre!

Alyx Bellamy:
I have not yet dared to ask her whether we should to a competition between her and our office printer about who can reproduce a painting more accurately, but I wouldn't entirely rule out her actually winning and it's that kind of love for detail and discipline I like. I'm sure the others would like such a competition happening, too, because while she's busy drawing the lifetime of our auditory senses gets extended by the same amount. I just can't stand that infinite stream of words and fear the day she'll walk into my office because she's got an issue with her laptop!

[POOHEAD189]

Suave Sorcerer

Name: Malcador 'Mal' Ravenwood

Age: 26

Appearance: Mal has been blessed with an all encompassing charm. His eyes are a deep sea blue that could drown someone that looked too deeply, his hair is thick and as black as a demon's heart. He sports a small ponytail tied up to trail down his neck, effortlessly worn. His jawline is positively distracting and his nose perfectly proportioned, only matched by his lean body of trim muscles. He tends to wear business casual, generally a vest over a white dress shirt and well tailored pants. It's only when he has to appear in public, however. He much prefers his darkly colored mystic's robes. The one quality that he could do without is a brand on his left shoulder he is careful to cover up at all times; four great black marks, like claw marks of black ink, the demon Mephistopheles cursed him with the day they met, long ago.

Concept: Suave Sorcerer

Powers/skills:

Magic: Specifically manipulation of mystic forces, the unbinding of curses, and conjuration. Most spells beyond cantrips require a conduit like a staff.

Devilishly Handsome: Malcador is easy on the eyes, and he'll use it to his advantage.

Lying: He's a swindler and a consummate liar. His voice is smooth and enticing, and that only helps his normal ease at the vice. He had to learn it growing up in and out of the streets and foster care.

History Degree: Graduated from the University of Stanford with a Bachelor's.

Staff: (See Jaelle Codona's sheet)

Things Your Character Wants to Happen (probably wont):

Parents: The rescuing of his parents souls.

Jaelle: The rescuing of Jaelle's spirit.

Things You as a Writer Wants to Happen (Maybe will):

The Book: Finding the Book of Black Malediction. Some say it could bind Mephistopheles and call upon greater demonic powers to control the diabolic.

Tomb: Finding the Tomb of Merlin. Merlin was a hero of his growing up, and he very much wishes to locate and appropriating his trappings and teachings.

Ladies: He likes 'em

Writing Sample? - Excuse me? Please. I am a professional now.

Character Opinions

Eleanor Tregellen: What do I think of Ellie? I don't really think of her more than "boss," though I respect her dedication to her responsibilities. Usually people ask her what she thinks of me, and she gives the loveliest anecdotes of my prior activities. Still, I could do without the hard looks once in awhile. I might have my problems, but I work as hard as anyone. Still, she's smart as a whip. Oh, I have to admit Eleanor does have grand taste in women. Emma is a amazing.

Jaelle Codona: Sometimes I cannot imagine my life without her, and other times I wish she was tangible so I could smack her on the back of the head. She reminds me of a few girls I knew at the orphanage, in that capacity. Still, I care about her. She's a very good friend, even if she can be a giant pain in the ass.

Fynn Laplace: A stand-up fellow, a bit boorish sometimes, but he is certainly amusing and a fine friend to have when there's need for either software or hardware. Truth be told, we get along quite well, even if he gives a few snide comments here or there. Keeps me on my toes.

Primrose Chastain: Primrose is bit posh, but I admire her dedication for her attempt at bringing aristocracy to the 21st century. I could never date her, though. A bit too much like me for my tastes. Still, glad to have her on the team.

Alyx Bellamy: She is a delight! We don't always see eye to eye, but I love it when she gives me and anyone else a piece of her mind. It gets my own mind racing and brings me back to reality if I'm distracted by anything unbecoming. It's always fun making her smile, but I admit I try not to read for too lengthy of a time at the office, because I get the feeling a locked door won't keep her away if she needs something, and I feel more guilty avoiding her than I do Eleanor.

[Hellion]

Alyx Bellamy | Painter of Wonderous Things

Name: Alyx Bellamy

Age: 28

Concept: Painter / Muralist (lowkey title given to herself: “Ward Master”)

Description: Standing at roughly five-foot-six-inches, Alyx is fairly shorter than the average female of her extended family. With a slightly curvy frame, beautifully defined facial features, and a bit of thickness in all the right (or wrong, depending on who you ask) places, Alyx still finds herself falling into self-consciousness and barely enjoys her own reflection. As of late, she keeps her curly hair shorter than usual to cut down on the fuss.

Personality Traits: Borderline Extrovert | Imaginative | Impatient | Self Deprecating | Anxious | Impulsive | Picky | Perfectionist (especially with her artwork)

Personality: To say that Alyx speaks her mind would be an understatement, because when the girl takes issue with something (which seems to be quite often) her opinions are given whether anyone wants it or not. Other times, however, she can be quite calm and reserved, delving into her artwork or ignoring everyone around her with headphones and good beats. Really depends on the day or perhaps phases of the moon. Who knows? Even though the relationship with her family is rather strained, she still loves them but doesn't always want to show it in any obvious way.

Habits//Quirks//Oddities: Usually she finds herself humming or singing to music that's only playing in her head, especially when nervous or anxious. Occasionally talks to herself, and maybe even answers her own questions out loud. She also comes off as a bit of a germaphobe, washing or sanitizing her hands quite often throughout the day. And a useful, but still rather unusual, is being able to nap just about anywhere, almost like a cat.

Powers/skills: Infuses hand-crafted glyphs and symbols with magic to ward away supernatural beings. The resilience of the ward depends on the ink or paint used and the object or surface the symbols are being placed on.

Relationship Chart

Eleanor Tregellen: One of the few people that is more like me than I would ever admit. Elle is approachable and definitely someone I trust and have no issues confiding in if needed, although sometimes I wonder just how much is too much with her. She has a habit of not complaining, and that air of professionalism and uncompromised confidence seems to really shine with the head of our group.

Primrose Chastain: Vanity of vanities. All is vanity! Yep, that pretty much sums her up, at least on the outside. Like a Hollywood starlet from the Golden Age. Rich, and she knows it. I always felt like Prim put up a front just to push people away, but there are so many more interesting layers to her once you’ve known the woman long enough. Still, she’s smart, witty, knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to seize opportunities. All in all, she’s bearable company.

Malcador Ravenwood: Okay, yes, I can’t help but crack a smile and feel just a bit better about myself when he’s chatting it up with me about some random piece of artwork I’ve had my nose stuck in for hours on end. However, I also know most of what he says is bullshit, and those good looks, fancy threads, and cavalier attitude can only get him so far. Also, his whole “old world mysticism” vibe feels played out. Robes? Who does that?

Jaelle Codona: Hauntingly beautiful, quite the silvertongue, fun personality, great dancer, and…totally can’t be trusted. However, I try to give the girl the benefit of the doubt as often as I can spare. I mean, being dead can’t be easy for anyone. Jaelle, for the most part, has been quite the boon to the group, although I still get a little weirded-out by her friend Mal.

Fynn Laplace: The dude is, hands down, one of the best people I know around computers and pretty much any tech that is out there. Good thing too, because I know I’ve had to utilize his skills a few times just to break into my own laptop. Still, the unsettling presence of whatever lives inside him can’t be overlooked. I try not to stand too close if I don’t have to.