[OOC] Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

[Blizz]

Reza

Reza.Cabrera

Deceased | Reza Cabrera | He/Him [hr//]"If you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."

Description:

Reza was chosen by the Noble Vow for a reason. He was a kind young man, who saw good in places no one else could, and stood up for it when others would turn and leave. No one knew where Reza came from, only that he one day showed up in St. Portwell with a magic sword. He called himself a no-name drifter, just going from place to place until he came across the Sycamore Coven. Reza never made a single enemy, and could always find a few good things to say about even the most misanthropic members of the coven, even when their true colors were laid bare on a battlefield. He left no one behind, always fought tooth and nail to save others from the most bleak circumstances. It did not matter if someone was lost in a pocket dimension, or dragged through a portal by the Stygian Snake itself, Reza would follow his friends to hell and back, and was always the first one to kick open the doors.

Reza grew particularly close with Jack Hawthorne, and they were often seen together when the coven mobilized to stop the tide of otherworldly entities. They made an incredible team, and bonded over their background, having both been aimless before they met the Sycamore. They saved each other's lives more times than they could count, and saw one another through the lowest points in their lives. Reza was inevitably killed during the conflict, on the exact day when they sealed the Stygian Snake away for good.

Abstraction:
Agent - Noble Vow

The Noble Vow is a sword believed to have formed out of the desire to do good in the world, expressed through the hearts of humanity. Whoever wields the Noble Vow must believe in the causes they commit themselves to, follow through with their promises, and never take a life unless they believe it to be just. These are necessary, or else the Noble Vow simply a dull piece of metal that will never cut anything. But when all of these conditions are met, and the wielder is deemed to be morally good by the sword, its blade becomes impossibly sharp, and will cut through solid steel as if it were paper. The sword is capable of injuring most apparitions as if they were made of flesh and bone, and those who harbor significant feelings of guilt in their hearts suffer its injuries for much longer periods of time.

When someone who wields to Noble Vow dies, their swordsmanship skills are stored within the blade, and passed onto the next wielder. To receive this knowledge, one must be deemed worthy by the sword, which has shown to have a mind of its own in picking and choosing who is permitted to wield its power. After Reza's death and the conclusion of the battle against the Stygian Snake, the Noble Vow was entrusted to Jack Hawthorne, who kept it close in honor of his deceased friend.

[Estylwen]

capable of injuring most apparitions as if they were made of flesh and bone

those who harbor significant feelings of guilt in their hearts suffer its injuries for much longer periods

[FernStone]

I present to you all a paranormal therapist for all your therapy needs (and Linqian's brother who's coming back to town to make things more difficult for her)

@Punished GNSome NPCs for the St Portwell citizen section

overworked therapist

Lihn.Phan

32 | Lihn Thi Phan | She/Her "I just want to make this world a better place for my daughter."

Description: St Portwell’s sole paranormal therapist, Lihn is a young, constantly tired woman. She takes on only paranormal clients and thanks to this is incredibly overworked, doing near 16 hour days just to fit in all the messed up paranormal in the city. She’s well off thanks to this, even though her rates are surprisingly cheap - she works so hard out of a genuine want to help people, and so that her daughter can grow up in a slightly less messed up city. She graduated just under ten years ago, and is very good at her job. Lihn is calm and responsible, with a deep understanding of human emotion - but a slight emotional detachment too. Originally from Vietnam, Lihn moved to St Portwell with her dad at a young age. He remarried there and she has a younger half-brother, who still lives with her. Her dad and step-mom were tragically killed during the Stygian Snake’s rampage, which led to a series of bad decisions and a drunken one night stand resulting in pregnancy. After this she got her shit back together again, gave birth to her daughter Thanh (now nine), and made a name for herself as a therapist specialising in the paranormal (among the paranormal scene, that is). Lihn is completely neutral towards all the paranormal factions, and really just wishes they would stop fighting so she can cut her hours and spend more time with her daughter. It would also help cure her chronic migraines. Lihn is a rather average woman at five-four, with a gentle appearance and permanent dark circles under her eyes. Abstraction: Adept - Pink Lux. Channeler: A silver locket necklace Empathy: Lihn can read the emotions of people near her, easily getting the most basic surface emotions and able to read weaker ones with concentration. She can also subtly change these - taking an emotion that already exists and nudging it one way or another (increasing or decreasing the intensity) Memory Aid: Lihn can help people remember things they had previously forgotten, or had purposefully forgotten. There’s the possibility this would work with magically cleared memories too. Memory Reading: With permission from those with emotional fields, Lihn can read someone’s memories - but only those that they remember.

Linqians annoying brother

Henri.Han

18 | Huanyi “Henri” Han | He/Him "Chill! Why stress yourself out when you could be having fun?"

Description: Huanyi, or Henri as he goes by outside of family, is the younger brother of Linqian and Jinhai Han. Being eight years younger than them, he didn't share the same close bond - instead they were more like replacement parents for him. Henri is incredibly close to them, to the point of near dependence, and was hit very hard by Jinhai's sudden death. Since then he's been leaning on Linqian even more than he did before, to the point of moving back home. He had a turbulent childhood thanks to his parents dying when he was only eight, before he was passed between distant relatives, finally ending up with Jinhai and Linqian when they were legally able to take him. While he seems well adjusted, his reliance on Linqian even now that he's an adult and his inability to properly look after himself stems from his childhood. Henri is generally laid back and cheerful, which contrasts his older siblings' personalities. When he starts talking he rarely shuts up. He's very friendly and finds it easy to get close to people - he generally dislikes being alone. He was coddled and spoiled a lot as a kid, and protected from much of the negative effects of his parent’s passing beyond the emotional ones. He’s always been a bit of a troublemaker (though nowhere near as bad as Linqian as a teenager) and caused plenty of annoyances for his older siblings, but they still dote on him. He's a teenager with very few worries, often taking his siblings' sacrifices for his normal life for granted. He's just been sheltered far too much by Linqian and Jinhai. This means that he's quite immature, with a lack of understanding of how difficult it can be to make ends meet because his siblings always kept that hidden from him. He's never worked a day in his life and barely knows how to help around the house. Henri is quite smart, and is doing mechanical engineering at University of Wisconsin–Madison. However, he’s currently taking a year long break and has moved back in with Linqian in St Portwell. Unknown to Linqian, Henri went through his kindling event during his first year of college and is no longer just one eye open. He plans to use some of this year out to learn more about magic. He's still new to the paranormal world since his siblings never talked to him about it, and very inexperienced. Henri is a tall young man, at 6'2" (taller than both his siblings) with dark curly hair he keeps short at the sides and longer at the top. He doesn't put much thought into how he dresses, normally going more simple with jeans and t-shirts. Abstraction: Adept - Green & Red Lux. Channeler: a wallet picture of him and his siblings Light Absorption: Henri can absorb light into his body, from any source, and then use it to enhance himself or use light based attacks. He can shoot the light back out of his body, such as through a hand, or use it to create a floating, gentle light. He can also use it to enhance himself, such as making himself “lighter” and thus faster or enhancing his vision to be able to see on the electromagnetic spectrum. This spell essentially negates any light he absorbs. He could also absorb and then manipulate other elements he has an affinity for, but he hasn’t figured that out yet.

[Blizz]

@Estylwen According to PGN Jack needs to get Layla and VH to the place in the void hella soon are you down for that

[Atrophy]

Sounds like Ghost is trying to stop democracy again.

[Shin Ghost Note]

Sounds like Ghost is trying to stop democracy again.

@Atrophy

did you forget about the Collective's communism era?

[Atrophy]

I dream of its glorious return everyday, Citizen.

[Estylwen]

@Estylwen According to PGN Jack needs to get Layla and VH to the place in the void hella soon are you down for that

@Blizz

Ahhhhh- #panic #feeling trapped
Okay! I'm ready when you are. Post when you can, and at Ghost's discretion I can either post right after or after Ghost's next post.

[Shin Ghost Note]

Since ion feel like PMing Esty, I decided to use the OOC like it's 2012! I did a big ass update to the OOC stuff starting with adding the mural to the Sycamore Tree Coven section, and adding a whole new area of St. Portwell, a new faction devised by our @AtomicEmperor, and brand new NPCs!

If you're too lazy to go check, imma post them here!

The Mural

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You're back here again. You told yourself that you would never come back.

That you would just forget the horror.

But you find yourself drawn back here for one reason or another.

You walk past the destroyed mansion, the lair of the Old Coven, and walk around it in hopes that tree is still there. You see it... surrounded by some of the most beautiful flowers you ever see as if someone was maintaining it. You walk over to that tree, and as you get closer, you see letters carved in. The average person would not be able to comprehend, but the Old Coven had to cover their tracks; it was all coded. So nobody would track them down.

To the average person, it was gibberish.

But to you, it was everything.

Time to pay your respects to those who made that sacrifice....

MH AdAb - M. Chimera of the World Tree CB GOA- F. Red Panda of the Manchineel NT RA - M. Scarlet Ibis of the Manchineel CS RA - F. Robin of the Manchineel HF PA - F. Flamingo of the Oak WR YA - M. Yellow Warbler of the Oak MA AfAb - M. Aswang of the World Tree KE BA - F. Blue Jay of the Oak RB RG A - F. Christmas Iguana of the Oak NC RGYPGGOBWBA - F. Octopus Vulgaris of the Oak VA AdAb - M. Old Man Winter of the World Tree PG AdAb - M. Jormungandr of the World Tree AG AdAb - M. Golem of the World Tree BH RA - M. Cardinal of the Oak AT GA - M. Emerald Tree Boa of the Cherry KF Af Ab - M. Cyclops of the World Tree AP Ad Ab - F. Banshee of the World Tree CH AdAb - F. Phoenix Of the World Tree JL PA - F. Pink Robin of the Oak CS RA - M. Red-eyed Vireo of the Manchineel COS YA - F. Yellow-Rumped of the Manchineel EP AbAb - NB. Sphinx of the World Tree TM RA - F. Red-crowned Crane of the Oak OV RGA - F. Red-legged Partridge Of the Mountain Ash SH RA - F. Red-shouldered Hawk of the Mountain Ash TM GA - M. Green Pheasant of the Cherry RM RGA - F. Golden-Backed Weaver Bird of the Manchineel CE RGA - F. Hawthorn Shield Bug of the Mountain Ash MB GA - F. Roseate Spoonbill Of The Mountain Ash .............................................................................

DV AfAb - M. Nue of the World Tree SH GOA - F. Panther Chameleon of the Oak RC AgAb - M. Hero of the World Tree EL Ad Ab - F. Unicorn of the World Tree WL GRA - F. Spinybacked Orbweaver of the Manchineel MT RA - M. Red Fox of the Manchineel SC YA - M. Yellow Tang of the Manchineel HO AfAb - M. Dragon of the World Tree ZM OA - F. Orangutan of the Manchineel CW GA - M. Green Anole of the Cherry TP RA - F. Red Kangaroo of the Oak AS RGBA - M. Scarlet-bellied Parakeet of the Mountain Ash DP AgAb - M. Griffin of the World Tree KF - AdAb - F. Gluskap and Malsumis of the World Tree NM RA - F. Scarlet Macaw of the Oak HM GA - M. Green Finch of the Oak RM RA - M. Red Squirrel of the Cherry HC. BA - F. Blue-footed Booby of the Manchineel AT BRA - M. Violet Turaco of the Oak SR BA - F. Raven Of the Mountain Ash CT GA - M. Green Jay of the Cherry JC WA - F. Arctic Fox of the Oak EV GA - M. Green Jay Of the Cherry PW AgAb - F. Kitsune of the World Tree AM OG - F. Spanish Shawl of the Cherry SH GA - F. Sunset Moth of the Mountain Ash LT GGA - F. Green Tiger Beetle of the Cherry MD GA - M. Green Spiny Lizard of the Mountain Ash VD YGA - F. Purple Sunbird of the Mountain Ash

---

However, you find yourself drawn to the other side, where you discover someone had been carving names on the other side.

With the words: "Someone will pay for this" written above it.

AS BA - F. Black Bear of the Manchineel JB GA - F. Green Lacewing of the Cherry RH GA - M. Golden Retriever of the Oak LH GA - M. Golden-Crowned Sifaka of the Manchineel KY RP Adept - F. Pink Orchid Mantis of the Oak SA AdAb - F. Spirit Bear of the World Tree EC RA - F. Red-Faced Cormorant of the Mountain Ash KW WA - Female. Snowy Owl of the Oak JH RGA - M. Green-Throated Mango of the Manchineel BR OA - F. Bengal Tiger of the Oak AA AdAb - F. Faun of the World Tree ET BA - F. Black Rhinoceros of the Oak FR AbAb - M. Homunclous of the World Tree SLF RPA - F. Rosefinch of the Manchineel

---

You turn around and leave.

You seen enough.

New Location: Cracker Island

However, one of the main attractions of St. Portwell is merely a ferry away... the famous Cracker Island, named after the man who found it, William Cracker. A gem that can only be reached via ferry, it is a famous tourist attraction due to the historic Cracker Town, a blast from the past, and the beach resorts that are a summer treat. It is also famous for being haunted, and its heartbeat is the haunted mansion on the hill, which many pay to take tours of. Taking advantage of this status, the famous Halloween Festival is hosted every year, in which ferry fees are waived, and thousands come worldwide to attend. However, that haunted superstition is rooted in a cult that used to inhabit Cracker Island... very little is known about them, but there is something underground.

The Temple

THE.TEMPLE "The dawn of New Eden, the end of Faulty Night." @AtomicEmperor

. . . . The Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals. Originally a cult movement spawned in the French Motherland by the name of L'église de la Nouvelle Lumière, this organization's roots are hundreds of years old and span back to the bloodline of Charlemagne. The principal proprietors and stewards of the movement have been the regal Richoux clan, who migrated alongside a trove of relics and artifacts before the worst of the Nazi occupation of France claimed their secrets. Along with many old-world covens facing similar strain, they made purchases along the eastern coast of America, with the Church settling in a small neighborhood in Brooklyn. At the time, they were a primarily austere union of Adepts who specialized in their own Lux, unionized to create a "perfect" catalog of spells from which a Grand University could be built. They believed the knowledge alone would be enough to rouse all Blind who beheld it, and this effect would be harnessed to usher in a new enlightened age of magic. Some years passed, and as the cult became more Americanized, with second-generation children forgetting the ways of the Old Country, things became looser and less constrained. Older members passed along, some refusing the rejuvenating magic that would've staved off death. Canassa Deuxma, the Church's expert in White Lux, became fascinated with the onset of the Eastern Spiritual movement famous of her times. Under an Eclipse, she predicted the coming of a messiah, a deity upon the Earth who would lead the Church to the final lands upon which their school would be built. The promised lands. Her affair with the Church's High Guard, Ivan Richoux, became a union that heralded the next generation of leadership for the Church, with their eldest son Maxwell, taking up the family's duties of protecting the remaining honor and effort expended toward their cause. He would grow to marry a woman, Lynette, a White Lux Adept who spoke to the family of dreams and premonitions she'd had all her life. Convinced that she was the one who would be their Messiah, Canassa convinces her Son to marry and solidify the union to unlock Lynette's true potential. Before things could be turned over properly, however, a scandal broke out among the Church's highest order as both Canassa and Ivan were found dead of a Curse. Lynette and Maxwell fled, making footfall in St. Portwell. To this day, Lynette remains the leader of this schism branch of L'église de la Nouvelle Lumière and worked closely with her husband until his disappearance almost fifteen years ago. While unable to claim all of the knowledge that existed in the original organization, the two successfully took Lynette's dreams and shaped a new pathway upon which they could direct many Adepts. Now named the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals, or The Temple, its compound is in a well-forested city. It's home to fifty full-time residents with a small private road. Outside of the "Ashram," another hundred and fifty or so members live in the surrounding areas of Oregon and consist of many local public and private faces. These names could be said at anyone's dinner table.

New NPCs

Lisa.Turner
16 | Lisa Celeste Turner | She/Her "Hiiiiiiiii, I'm Lisa! These are my friends! Why are you scared!? Don't you know most spiders are harmless?! They're soooo cool! I can tell you everything about each and every one of them! Just have a seat! I'll tell you!"	Description: A girl who was dealt some bad hands. Growing up, there was always something a bit off about the girl; she never seemed to fit in with any circle, regardless of how hard she tried. She grew up friendless, and her only consolation or social interaction was with her family. They didn't exactly care for her either; they just tolerated her because she was family. The girl was drawn to weird interests... she had an outright obsession with spiders, body horror, and the macabre. Which were niche subjects, but Lisa was an expert in them, and would gladly info dump anyone who showed the slightest interest. The girl was oblivious to when she was annoyed or overbearing, leading her to be bullied. Harshly. From the start of school to high school, she was bullied by at least two different people. She is used to pranks being pulled on her, and she never exactly had the confidence or backbone to stick up for herself. She was bullied into becoming an introverted recluse, one who would have to work herself up to order some pizza on the phone. High school was when Lisa got it the worst. her main bully was Emily G. Reed, a high school senior who was a monster. Lisa couldn't go a few hours without Emily harassing her, beating her up, humiliating her, or pouring something on her clothing, and the school district was a lot more sympathetic to Emily than Lisa. She tried to turn the other cheek, but Emily and her bozos were relentless, sometimes catching her when she went to the Coastal Plaza. Lisa couldn't take it anymore; her family was of no help, and neither was anyone else... and it pushed her to the brink. She gave up and stopped leaving her room as the ideations began forming in her head to end her misery finally. It was enough to force her into a Kindling Event, but Lisa was too apathetic at that point to care... ... Then Adora came in. Lisa didn't know what it was about Adora, but she was there to help her; she did everything to be Lisa's friend when there was none. She became that one friend that Lisa desperately needed, her savior! While Adora was oblivious to this aspect, Lisa began to develop feelings for Adora... but those feelings were rooted in a lack of exploration of her sexuality and thankfulness. Lisa didn't know how to feel or deal with those emotions, but she managed to pull herself out of that dark place and gain the strength to return to school. During this time, Lisa explored her abstraction and discovered all the cool things she could do! She had to show Adora! ... Adora ran away. Hurt and spiraling, Lisa desperately hoped that Adora would come back... but there was that urge to use this new ability to watch Adora from a distance. She was oblivious to it, but Lisa followed her wherever she went, and if she wasn't there, one of Lisa's spider minions was there. Watching her... and she knew that Adora would come to apologize before Adora knew! However, the Stygian Snake attacked, and Lisa was forced to flee, knowing this was her friend's end. Only for the two of them to be saved by the Sycamore Tree Coven, and Lisa was roped into the cult alongside Adora. Her part in the Old Coven was a shaky one... she wasn't smart enough to be in with the smart club, nor was she built for upfront fighting. While enthusiastic, she was seen as annoying and weird, and she was called out many times for not paying attention and putting people on the line. However, she found her niche in providing support by creating spider minions to help fight, scouting, and pulling people out of the fire. Lisa also worked closely alongside fellow Covenite Gretchen Faust, as Lisa's spiders were used to gather supplies for her to make potions. However, the day of the eclipse came, and it was time for the final battle; Lisa was right there watching Adora and Trinity fight from the side. However, they were knocked out of position by the Stygian Snake, leaving Lisa vulnerable... and the Stygian Snake sadistically killed her, making her suffering last as long as possible before her body just gave out and she died. Her death haunts Adora to this day, and she has her spot on the Old Coven's Mural (LT GGA). Lisa was a comically short African-American girl that stood at four-nine, and had a hair of natural hair. Had a habit of appearing out of nowhere and surprising people (primarily Adora). Abstraction: Adept - Green & Gold Lux. Channeler: Necklace of Orb Weaver Spider in Amber. Spider-Minion-Creation: Lisa's primary spell was the ability to create spiders out of her skin; they would harmlessly claw their way out of her pores (or, more horrifyingly, she spit them out). She could create thousands in mere seconds, and they could quickly grow around the size of a sedan. Lisa used these minions to attack the Stygian Snake's minions, act as scouts, and even as a mount. Insect-Splicing: Lisa could take features from insects and apply them to her spider minions to make them even stronger. She can use it to give them ant-like mouths to gather supplies more efficiently, give them wings to fly, or even give them the famed liquid of the Bombardier beetle. . Suicide-Bombs: At will, she can cause her spider minions to grow grotesque cytes filled with a powerful stomach acid that would explode and scald the enemies around her. Spider-Physiology-Adaptation: Using her Green Lux, Lisa can temporarily adopt specific physical attributes of spiders. This includes heightened reflexes, wallcrawling, and even the capability to regenerate minor injuries at an accelerated rate. Spider-Leg Generation: One of Lisa's spells is the ability to grow eight spider-like legs from her back. These additional appendages grant her increased agility, allowing her to climb surfaces and move swiftly in any direction. The legs were strong and had very sharp tips at the end, allowing Lisa to use them as weapons if necessary. However, they could move near silently if she moved slowly enough. . Eye Manifestation: Lisa had the spell to grow additional eyes on her body (particularly around her forehead and temples), expanding her field of vision and enhancing her depth perception. The number of eyes Lisa can manifest is variable, and the eyes appear spider-like. Each additional eye contributes to her ability to multitask and watch over her surroundings. . Web-Weaving: While Lisa cannot launch webs a la Spider-Man, she can spin webs the good old-fashioned way. Given enough time, she can weave intricate and layered webs and often made art with her webs... however, she only really used this spell to help her minions weave webs if the situation called for it. . Venomous Touch: Lisa could imbue her touch with a venom that would induce temporary paralysis, lasting around thirty minutes and gradually wearing off afterward. This had a secondary effect of leaving a disorienting (confusion, dizziness, and impaired cognitive functions) effect for hours afterward.
Claire.O'Sullivan
18 | Claire Annabelle O'Sullivan | She/Her "Call me cute; whatever you think will get you in my pants."	Description: A girl who had it just a little bit rough... her parents ran a relatively successful Diner, and in those days, Claire was a bright-eyed gal with hopes for the future! However, due to a shady deal, the Diner was sold and ultimately ran into the ground, leaving her parents without the Diner their grandparents owned, and left them broke, dissolute, and angry, going straight to the bottle. Naturally, they took their anger out on the young Claire, and she grew up being beaten and emotionally abused, leaving the girl a broken shell of a person. Claire had no relief or anywhere to go, so she had to take it. The girl acted out and fell into the bad crowds... she was used to detention and going home in a police car. She was known for getting into fights, stealing, smoking weed, and sleeping around with both genders. A hoe reputation was the least of Claire's worries as she usually had to sleep with someone to be anywhere but home. However, one day, they pushed young Claire to the brink. She finally experienced her Kindling-Event... and after experimenting with it, she could finally find her relief and defend herself... and was quickly thrown into the streets, which were not kind to a young, in shape girl. She would pay anything not to go back to the O'Sullivan household, but one night, she was forced to go back home by the police where her parents were acting... strange. As it turned out, they were enthralled by the Stygian Snake and attempted to kill her, only for Claire to fight them off and haul ass into the night. The Stygian Snake attacked her, but she was able to get away. She asked around the school about anything weird happening... only to run into the cheerleader trio. They told me about the weird shit that was going on in St. Portwell and that they were going to do something about it. Claire was under that Sycamore Tree with Zoey, making their oath, and she was one of the famed primary frontline fighters of the Old Coven. Her dedication and savagery were legendary as she felled many of the Stygian Snake's minions and came to see the Old Coven as the family she never had! Though, old habits die hard and she slept around in the Old Coven. Things changed during their darkest hour when a girl named Sharon Reid, desperate to defeat the Stygian Snake, attempted to use a forbidden Spell that would sacrifice thousands of citizens. Claire, Britney, Daisy, and Auri confronted Sharon, who triggered the Spell... killing Claire in the process. After her death, Claire was immortalized on the mural as COS YA. Claire was a relatively tall gal at five-nine feet tall, skinny, and had short brown hair. She usually had a hoarse voice from all the smoking she did. She was very close to Britney Williams, who regrets letting her die. Abstraction: Adept - Yellow-Lux. Channeler: An old teddy bear Strapped to her hip. Aura Shell: Claire could activate a powerful barrier that floated a few inches off her skin at will, acting as magical armor. This barrier could be manually activated, but it subconsciously activated whenever Claire sensed danger or got worried. This barrier was powerful, allowing Claire to tank hits from the Stygian Snake (it was damn near broken at that point afterward), and made her practically invincible to its mooks. Also, the barrier allowed Claire to simulate super strength and lift to three tons - not enough to threaten the Stygian Snake, but enough to serve a problem to anything else. The barrier wrapped around Claire's clothing and whatever she held so she could use it to protect allies and augment weapons to attack.
Sharon.Reid
15 | Sharon Allison Reid | She/Her "... We can't stop it, no one can."	Description: A distraught girl from the jump, as she was... unstable. The girl had difficulty keeping a lid on her emotions and found it very easy to get upset and blow up at other people. So, she usually stayed away from people, and she spent her early days being homeschooled and had great memories with her younger sister Bláthnat (who goes by Sugar these days). However, there was something off about her father, John Reid; he would sneak off to Cracker Island every Tuesday around eleven PM. Out of curiosity, Sharon followed after him one time, only to discover that her father was a serial killer who sacrificed women at a weird underground temple to a being known as the... Stygian Snake? It was crazy, Sharon confronted her father and he explained that if they didn't annually sacrifice women to the Stygian Snake, it would come to St. Portwell. The sheer stress of everything broke Sharon, and she fell apart... going through her Kindling-Event and discovering her Black Lux. She explored it a bit... ... And used it to kill her father. Afterward, Sharon just hid the body somewhere, and that was the end of it. Or so she thought because shortly afterward, the Stygian Snake began its rampage throughout St. Portwell, and she knew that maybe her father was onto something. To see if she could drive the bastard off, she stalked and sacrificed a woman... only for the thing to continue its rampage. Sharon kept at it, only for nothing to happen. Eventually, she was found by the Sycamore Tree Coven, and she joined them in their fight against the Stygian Snake. Keeping everything she did a secret, but she couldn't help but blame herself for everything that went wrong. Sharon kept to herself; however, a manual for Black Adepts was recovered during the Coven's excursions to other universes, and she found a spell in code. After working with the "Smart Club," she decoded it and found out it was instructions for a forbidden Spell: The Soulstorm. It was a powerful and devastating spell that could ravage even the strongest Paranormal beings, but it required a sacrifice: a thousand human souls. Sharon knew the cost was too high, and she wouldn't play God like that. However, more and more of the old Coven's members began dropping like flies, and she knew they were running out of time. The day of the Eclipse was a day away. The Stygian Snake began its nightly rampage. It was all her fault. Sharon prepared the ritual... and was confronted by various members of the Old Coven. Sharon continued the ritual, only to prematurely launch it, killing hundreds of innocent citizens and a few members of the Old Coven (including Claire O'Sullivan) in the process. Sharon tried to launch the spell again, only to be killed by Britney Williams. It became a secret among those present, and they went and told everyone that Sharon died fighting the Stygian Snake, and she earned herself a spot in their mural (SR BA). Abstraction: Adept - Black-Lux. Channeler: Spectral-Blast: A focused blast of Necromantic energy that could directly injure Apparitions; she could manifest this in the form of a ball of various sizes or a beam. However, the more powerful she wanted to make the Spectral Blast, the more she had to channel and focus. Spectral-Dart: A smaller version of the Spectral-Blast, she can instantly summon some tiny blasts that do not do as much damage but are not as time-consuming to cast. Ethereal-Wave: The most powerful form of the Spectral-Blast, a powerful wave of Necromantic energy that requires several minutes to charge up. However, once cast, it can instantly destroy any Apparition short of the Stygian Snake (which damaged it enough to drive it off one instance). Ethereal-Bind: Sharon could create several strings of necromantic energy out of her hands and wrap them around Apparitions to hold them down. Soulstorm: A forbidden spell and the peak of all necromantic casting... it's a mighty storm of necromantic energy stated to be powerful enough to destroy even the Stygian Snake. However, it requires hundreds of human souls to cast and be compelling enough to destroy the Stygian Snake. Sharon considered the cost too high until they were almost on the day of the Eclipse.
Scott.Reese
28 | Scott Lucas Reese | He/Him "It's still in me, and I wanna let it out..."	Description: The son of the St. Portwell Police Commissioner Steven Reese... growing up, Scott felt like he was invincible, as no one would dare mess with the son of the police commissioner, who was very well connected to the politics of St. Portwell. This inflated Scott's ego and gave him the feeling that he could do whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted. Naturally, he was a famed bully around St. Portwell High and gave many members of the Old Coven some very long-lasting trauma... however, things changed for Scott after the Stygian Snake arrived in St. Portwell. There was a party, and naturally, Scott went a bit too far and got his ass kicked by the very worms he used to bully! Scorned and defeated, Scott stumbled through the woods home... however, the Stygian Snake selected Scott as his thrall, seeing the anger and negativity he generated. He wasn't just any thrall; the Stygian Snake gave Scott a bit of its dark power and transformed Scott into a freakishly strong brute. He sent Scott back to the party, where he went on a rampage with an axe and fled into the night. Since then, he had been going on rampages, killing anyone who could get in the Stygian's Snake Way, including the Sycamore Tree Coven. Scott cut down several members during a raid of their lair one night and was a persistent thorn in their side. Regardless of how often Scott was put down, the Stygian Snake would use its evil power to resurrect him. Then the final battle came; Scott battled the Sycamore Tree Coven and was thrown out of the battle by Adora's Trinity into the ocean, where he was believed to have drowned... however, Scott survived. When the Stygian Snake was sealed, it could no longer influence him. And he was free! However, fragments of the Stygian Snake's presence exist in his mind, demanding it be free from its prison. Scott simply disappeared without a trace, and because the Old Coven assumed he was dead, no one bothered to look for him... Abstraction: Afflicted - Herald of the Devil Snake. A powerful abstraction that feasts on the negative emotions of those around him to fuel his power. The Herald of the Devil Snake transformed Scott into a brute with titanic strength that made him a threat so severe that the only option half the time was to flee the second he entered - and if he was killed, the Stygian Snake resurrected him by the next night. He was strong, fast, tough, and could simply not be defeated by most of the Old Coven... however, he could be avoided, mobbed, and/or tricked.

[FernStone]

Can't believe Laylas gonna flee everyone's wrath for a void fight...

[Blizz]

<Snipped quote by Blizz>

Ahhhhh- #panic #feeling trapped
Okay! I'm ready when you are. Post when you can, and at Ghost's discretion I can either post right after or after Ghost's next post.

@Estylwen

Lol

If you want, I can mini-timeskip us to the void after I have jack do his best bullshit impression and trick layla and void into thinking he's got everyone focused on other shit

that way you can instantly respond once the two of them are in the void, and everyone else is waiting for the trap

[Estylwen]

@Blizz Yep, I'm down!

Also, this Temple stuff is awwwesome.

[Blizz]

@Blizz Yep, I'm down!

Also, this Temple stuff is awwwesome.

@Estylwen

🫡

I’m gonna write a post and then we’re going to the Void.

[Estylwen]

@Blizz //buckles in

Edit:

[Shin Ghost Note]

Ghost wins the rp by claiming the 420th post.

[AtomicEmperor]

Two more Temple members for some SHENNANIGANS!

NPC Furio Natale

Furio.Natale

49 | Furio Natale | He/Him

---

"You stink to High Heaven with guilt and lies."

Description:

Furio Natale was born in Brooklyn, New York. In a family of ten children, Furio is the eldest boy and would be patriarch of his family. Were there any left, of course. At the age of fifteen, he willingly participated in the execution of his Father at the behest of a local Crime Boss. In the insuing emotional situation, Furio's awakening to his Red Lux was nothing short of destructive as every little bit of solid material was removed from the surrounding area. Consequently, the destruction of the building meant the death of his siblings, only two of which escaped their demise by virtue of being elsewhere.

The incident was first handled by Police, who obviously couldn't place blame on any one party for the freak accident, and handed over to L'église de la Nouvelle Lumière: The Church of New Light. Typical practice in the area set the French cult up as defenders of the people and scions of the unseen world. It's with these people that Furio found a life outside of his propensity for criminal action, and an outlet to help him understand and control the raging power within. As a young man, he met Maxwell Richoux, and would eventually go on to become one of the champ's closest allies and bodyguards.

Maxwell Richoux once described Furio as "Purposeful Power", and Furio himself has admitted that beyond the constant sparring and fighting alongside his companions like Maxwell, he was trained as a young boy by some of New York's finest hitmen. He cites his criminal eyes and beyond stern demeanor as reasoning behind the supposed interest in his person, and he's often telling tall tales about his constant fighting and escaping from Mafioso members even as far from it as sleepy St. Portwell. Nowadays, he spends his time as Leon's God-Father, and the main security advisor to Lynette and the Richoux family. Together with his wife Clarissa, they form the Temple's premiere strike team working at the bleeding edge of the Temple's goals for St. Portwell.

Abstraction:

Furio is a Red Lux Adept whose Channeler is a ruby cufflink.
Magnetomic: Furio's signature spell consists of directly targeting a small space and drilling a hole in solid material by forcing the atoms within the space to collapse into a tighter density.
Heavy Industry: His search to master nature's atomic principals have given way to a set of spells collected from his studies centering around synthesizing and controlling alchemical elements. In his comfortable range, Furio is able to synthesize the same elements as our own Sun, all the way up to Iron.

NPC Clarissa Natale

Clarissa.Natale

50 | Clarissa Natale | She/Her

---

"Run all you like. This is fun for me."

Description:

Born Clarabel Hayworth, Clarissa grew up in a harsh environment where every day was spent expecting the worst. Her first word was "trouble", emphasized with a questioning tone and a shrug to match. It never seemed to effect her demeanor, growing into a chipper young woman who saught the peace and escape that she could. Her days were full of anticipation, more and more like a pressurized bottle waiting to burst until finally it did. In a manic breakdown, a young teenager broke into her local library and spent the night surrounded by a fort of books that came down in piles from the shelves above.

As the only individual present at her own Awakening, she chooses to keep the secret of what happened that night as just that; another secret in a long line of mistique that eventually led her into the arms of The Church of New Light. Like her Husband, Clarissa arrived as an acolyte seeking control over her own abilities, as they had grown to plague her every day lifestyle and ability to maintain her sanity. What her teachers and advisors found was a young woman trapped in a cycle of accidental realmwalking that required a great deal of studying before being fully understood.

In those days, another newcomer to the cult was Lynette Hunter, who Clarissa would come to form a friendship with based on their mutual desire for privacy and a joined desire for peace and tranquility among mankind. This makes Lynette's prophecies of New Eden especially tantilizing to Clarissa, who has since dedicated herself to making such peace by any means necessary. Using her unique realm shifting ability, honed by the Richoux's scholars for many years, she has served as a pivotal member of Lynette's personal inner circle. Alongside her husband Furio, the two form the Temple's premiere strike team, keeping a constant vigil on their burgeoning garden and pruning anything deemed necessary by their arch gardener.

Abstraction:

Clarissa is a Purple Lux Adept whose Channeler is a .38 snubnose revolver.
Hijack: Clarissa's primarily developed spell allows her to detect and utilize the residual energy of magical entities crossing between realms. Under her control, this residual energy can be used to reopen the crack previously made by the entity, allowing a small number of individuals to follow through the gap uninhibited.
Danse Macabre: Beyond her affinity for sniffing out and reusing other Purple Lux user's portals, Clarissa is well studied in short range teleportation techniques. Specifically, the spell she's developed consists of mirror portals. Summoning one doesn't do anything, but in pairs or larger groups these portals can be walked between seamlessly. The portals do not directly correlate to one another, and as such the location from which you immerge after entering can seem random, but any strong aura reading White Lux user would be able to tell that the portals are constantly swapping their partners in a deadly dance.

[Estylwen]

Let's gooooo!

[FernStone]

As promised... the magical girl (ft edgy friend)

weeb former coven members

Ella.Brooks
16 (at time of death) | Ella Rene Brooks | She/Her "In the name of the Sycamore Tree, I’ll shine light on all evil and vanquish it! Shining prism power! I’ll- what do you mean it’s cringey? Every magical girl needs a catchphrase!"	Description: A nerdy and cheerful girl, Ella was the youngest of two with overworked but trying their best parents. When she was younger she always had her nose stuck in a book, letting it entertain her where her parents couldn’t, and then when she was allowed to access the internet at home she discovered her true passion - anime. Ella was absolutely obsessed with it, especially loving Sailor Moon and others like it. When she started high school she made her own little friend group of four weebs who all watched anime together, talking in a near understandable language about it to each other. They were bullied by the likes of Emily G. Reed and similar - but Ella & her weeb friends had each other for support through it. Then one day, when Ella and her friends were at the arcade, people around them started acting… odd. Then, two of her friends did too. They tried to kill her, triggering a kindling event for Ella and her other friend, Saskia. Between them, with their newfound powers and a bit of anime inspiration, they were able to escape before they were killed. They then ran into members of the Sycamore Tree coven pursuing the snake, and joined the coven. Ella was… looked at weirdly in the coven. She was strong and able to be on the front lines, but she couldn’t go a day without shouting out some cringy line (which was mandatory for using her abstraction). During the final week, Ella took on a group of apparitions that were too strong and she was too confident. She was brutally killed by them when she could no longer fight them off. After death, she was given a spot on the mural (EB GORA). Ella was a just above average African-American girl, at five-six (and still growing), with natural hair dip dyed purple. She was always found in bright colours or anime t-shirts. Abstraction: Adept - Green, Orange & Red Lux. Channeler: Magical Girl Transformation: Using a combination of her lux, Ella transforms herself into her magical girl form. This is mandatory for using any other spells (it's a mental block). She yells out a phrase and her whole body is bathed in prismatic light. Her clothes change into a purple miniskirt, white leotard and tiara, and her hair lengthens - colour changing into a pink to purple gradient. She poses dramatically at the end with her channeler (unnecessary for the spell to work). Prismatic Sun Beam!: Ella shot a beam of burning, rainbow light out of her channeler. This could pierce through objects and damage apparitions and people. It was her strongest spell. Prismatic Healing Beam!: Ella could shoot a beam of healing, rainbow light from her channeller, healing whoever it hit. It could heal one person in this light beam. Super Prism Kick!: Using her red and green lux, Ella empowered one of her legs with shining rainbow light. This made her leg much stronger and harder, along with making herself more flexible. She then performs a high kick with this leg. She could have used this spell for other types of attacks, but she didn’t. Prismatic Protection! Ella imbued her magical girl outfit, or another object, with an aura of rainbow light that made it physically stronger and thus more resistant to attacks.
Saskia.Otten
16 (at the time of death) | Saskia Anneke Otten | They/She "We’re all going to die anyway, might as well just let it happen- I’m joking. Don’t look at me like that.."	Description: Born to two Dutch immigrants, Saskia was an only child with high expectations on their shoulders. Their parents had their whole future planned out - they’d get the best grades, go to the best school, and become something prestigious, like a doctor or lawyer. When they were young Saskia was able to meet these expectations but as they grew it got harder and harder. They escaped primarily through reading - fantasy, horror and all kinds of darker fiction - and listening to music (namely rock and metal). They had very few friends, with their entire life being studying and reading. Then they started highschool and met Ella. Ella introduced them to anime, while also becoming their first friend. This was a whole new media to explore and escape to! With the new escape, and one friend becoming three, Saskia began to push back against their parents. They experimented more with their gender, dyed their hair, went out and started staying out late (watching anime). It was on one of these unapproved trips out that their two friends were enthralled by the Stygian Snake, triggering their kindling event. Together with Ella they were able to escape, and joined the Sycamore Tree coven. They stuck with Ella, not being as friendly as her, and helped on the frontlines. The day before the Eclipse, when they had to fight the Stygian Snake thanks to Drake’s recklessness, Saskia ended up trapped by a large group of apparitions. She managed to fight them off but used too much blood, and died to her wounds and bleeding out. She’s immortalised on the memorial (SO GA). Saskia was a short, white girl at five-one, with dyed shoulder length hair and a few ear piercings. Saskia had quite a dark sense of humour, in the teenage way of not knowing when they were going too far with it. Abstraction: Adept - Green Lux. Channeler: a black leather bracelet Blood Control: Inspired by all the edgy anime she watched, namely Deadman Wonderland, Saskia can control her own blood outside of her body. She needed to be bleeding to do this, so she’d normally carry a small knife with her to cut her finger and use the blood there. Since she was using her own blood, she had the potential to use too much and bleed out (which is what led to her death). She normally used her blood in two forms: Blood Blade: Saskia would form a long, sharp blade from the top of each of their hands. They used this for close ranged combat, able to slice through apparitions and objects. Blood Tentacle: Using more blood, Saskia can form a long tentacle out of blood from her back. This could be used at a longer range, dealing blunt damage to anything it hit and able to pierce with the tip.

[Atrophy]

Heads up crew! I'm gonna be on vacation in Japan for two weeks starting the 4th. I doubt I'll have much time to do proper posts while I'm there, but I can probably offer up responses to dialogue if needed. Otherwise assume Sully is continuing to have a great time kicking it with his new best friends and Sloane is continuing to suck ass.

[Estylwen]

Enjoy Japan! Take Ella Brook's ghost with you. :>

Also... has that 'Part. 1' in the title always been there.....?