Matthew opened his eyes to the harsh light burning through his eyelids, draping everything in bright red. The first thing he thought of as he opened them was blood. He drew away his blanket and sat on his bed, staring at the grey suit jacket dangling from a hanger at the end of his bedroom. The black trousers and still freshly ironed shirt were folded up on the Chester drawers nearby with a black bow tie placed neatly on top of the shirt. The suit jacket was pretty old and had belonged to his father. Matthew almost smiled as he thought about his grandmothers obsession with hoarding old clothes 'just in case' they were ever useful again. Not just clothes... He began to think, but cut himself short as images flickered across his mind of her present state. He took a deep breath. Pushed the images to the side. Pushed the problem to the side and focused on what was important right now.
This party was almost as important to his grandparents as his Emergence, he reminded himself. "And since that was such a royal fuck up," Matthew mumbled to himself, glancing at his reflection in his bedroom mirror. His eyes looked teary and bloodshot and sunken in shadows. His skin seemed paler than usual too, but he wasn't sure if he was just imagining it. He hesitantly moved his hands up towards his face and closed his eyes. He traced his hands over his face, feeling the magic like tingling waves against his skin. He opened his eyes to see the the shadows and puffiness around his eyes were gone,and his complexion almost seemed to glow. He pulled back his shoulders and puffed out his chest and smiled. "Tonight will go to plan." He reassured himself.
Matthew pulled at his bow tie unsuccessfully, trying to twist it and knot it in every which way he could only for it to fall apart in his hands each time. Irritated, he hit replay on another Youtube video. He tried not to acknowledge the fact that other different circumstances his grandfather would now be teaching him how to do this.
He almost jumped at the sound of the ringing telephone in the foyer. Every sound seemed to be putting him on edge; he had taken the precaution of locking all of the doors and covering all of the windows but he couldn't help but think swat cars would roll into the driveway at any moment.
He left his room and moved quickly down the stairs, his bowtie in hand. He stopped in the middle of the hallway which led into the foyer, his hand hovering over the door knob. He breathed deep. "It's fine." He whispered to himself. The telephone continued to ring. How was it so loud?
He gave the door a weak push and it creaked ajar. He spotted his grandfathers crumpled up body surrounded in a dark red pool of blood. He took a step into the room, quickly revealing all three of the corpses in a room half soaked in blood. "No, they're not there." Matthew winced, glancing away and a half shutting his eyes. He moved pointed his palms outwards and moments later, the bodies were nowhere to be seen. Although the thick smell of iron still hung in the air. The ringing stopped.
Matthew made his way across to the phone and hit the messages button. "One new message." The telephone announced, followed by a short pause.
"Hello Mr and Mrs Friel, Sebastian Jung from the university here. I hope you're enjoying your Emergence – and Matthew, of course. Clearly you're quite busy this evening! Anyway, hopefully everything has gone okay, and hopefully I'll see you at the ball later this evening. It'll be a great opportunity for all the families to get to know one another and really integrate Matthew and his peers into our community. On behalf of the Andersons, I'd like to remind you that we prefer guests not to use magic on our premises in order to preserve the house's neutrality. I'm sure I'll see you later but if there's anything I can do to help in meantime, please give me a call – and, of course, the Andersons would also appreciate it if you could delete this message once you've listened to it. Prying ears and all that. Thanks, and see you later."
Matthew hit the delete button. The knot in his stomach knotted tighter. I forgot I'd have to explain why they're absent. Fantastic conversation starter. Matthew thought. At least Sebastian would be there. He was the only other witch that Matthew knew besides his grandparents. Maybe his only real ally left. He knew that if he was going to go to anyone for help, Sebastian would be his best bet. He turned quickly on his heels and leaving the room, not glancing to see if his illusion was still intact.
He left the house and drove to the Anderson's mansion in his grandfather's truck, arriving suitably dressed besides his squinted bow tie. He didn't ponder on the massive fountain or the vast grounds. Simply parked his truck and made his way in, hoping that the radiance illusion covering his face hid how dead he really felt. He made his way immediately towards the booze, where a white-clothed table held dozens of pristine glasses of champagne.
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I'll make my post within the next day. :)
I might just have Matthew leave the corpses in the house whilst he decides what to do. Maybe Sebastian can help out with that after the party, lols.
Good points. Matthew is pretty distraught after his grandparents death and unsure what he should do next so he will be seeking help, which he can only really get from the witch community. I'm sure from there Sebastian could become involved in whatever way. Sebastian doesn't necessarily need to tell Matthew right off the bat that he helped make the potion that the hunter used; that would probably lead to Matthew rejecting his help and would be a bit useless.
I've only detailed so far that Matthew has been taught some bewitchment magic by his grandparents; chants that can confuse mortals enough to stop what they're doing and things like that. Sort of loosely related magic to the idea of illusions that would compliment his innate gift. So, sure, Sebastian helping Matthew with his magic in whatever way would result in Matthew trusting him.
Yeah, I didn't do one originally because I thought Matthew's personality would come through pretty obviously. He's not a very strong willed person, often torn between what's right and wrong, is unsure of himself and easily influenced by others. He's more of a character I want to change over the course of the story if I get the chance, possibly to become a stronger person who cares less about what his peers and superiors think but more likely to take impulsive (possibly stupid) decisions. I couldn't be bothered trying to describe him in the sheet and never got around to it, oops.
I've only detailed so far that Matthew has been taught some bewitchment magic by his grandparents; chants that can confuse mortals enough to stop what they're doing and things like that. Sort of loosely related magic to the idea of illusions that would compliment his innate gift. So, sure, Sebastian helping Matthew with his magic in whatever way would result in Matthew trusting him.
Yeah, I didn't do one originally because I thought Matthew's personality would come through pretty obviously. He's not a very strong willed person, often torn between what's right and wrong, is unsure of himself and easily influenced by others. He's more of a character I want to change over the course of the story if I get the chance, possibly to become a stronger person who cares less about what his peers and superiors think but more likely to take impulsive (possibly stupid) decisions. I couldn't be bothered trying to describe him in the sheet and never got around to it, oops.
I forgot all about the University. Yes, he is a student there.
Well, Sebastian is your character. Though it would make more sense that Sebastian created it given the power of the first potion. (The hunter used two potions. The more powerful would coat him in the illusion of the 'James Thornton' bank robber until he had no need for it. So it would have lasted a pretty long time. The second potion nullified the paralysis spell Matthew's grandparents would have cast on him, which I guess wouldn't have needed to be so powerful or created by Sebastian)
I'm guessing Sebastian would feel responsibility. He could have been tricked into creating the potion or it could have been stolen from someone else, the hunter was obviously pretty cunning and daring, but whether Sebastian ultimately feels responsible is up to you.
It seems like it's already in the job description for Sebastian to help Matthew in some way. But so far as guardianship is necessary I'm unsure. If we wanted to go down the route of Sebastian helping Matthew out with a place to stay etc, I'd have to forego Matthew receiving any real inheritance from his grandparents besides what he needs for university fees for the immediate future (They could have had large debts, not have paid off their mortgage..) It could be a good opportunity for character interaction though!
Well, Sebastian is your character. Though it would make more sense that Sebastian created it given the power of the first potion. (The hunter used two potions. The more powerful would coat him in the illusion of the 'James Thornton' bank robber until he had no need for it. So it would have lasted a pretty long time. The second potion nullified the paralysis spell Matthew's grandparents would have cast on him, which I guess wouldn't have needed to be so powerful or created by Sebastian)
I'm guessing Sebastian would feel responsibility. He could have been tricked into creating the potion or it could have been stolen from someone else, the hunter was obviously pretty cunning and daring, but whether Sebastian ultimately feels responsible is up to you.
It seems like it's already in the job description for Sebastian to help Matthew in some way. But so far as guardianship is necessary I'm unsure. If we wanted to go down the route of Sebastian helping Matthew out with a place to stay etc, I'd have to forego Matthew receiving any real inheritance from his grandparents besides what he needs for university fees for the immediate future (They could have had large debts, not have paid off their mortgage..) It could be a good opportunity for character interaction though!
Matthew stared up at the vacant sky, unable to stop himself from feeling a tinge of regret about what he was doing. He knew he had been told his entire life about the divinity of sacrifice and how there couldn't be anything more natural than what he was going to do tonight. He looked down again at the newspaper in his hands, the picture of a naturally smug-looking and greasy haired twenty-something man with the words 'WANTED' stamped across the page alongside the name 'James Thornton'. Only two weeks ago he had successfully robbed one of the city's largest banks; he managed to kill half of the hostages as well as all of his goons before he made off with the cash like a ghost in daylight. A real professional, despite his appearances.
He couldn't help but feel like what he was going to do tonight wasn't a good idea. Of course he wanted power, but it didn't do his parents much good. Both slaughtered by demons. Maybe both burning in Hell now. Matthew thought before he was interrupted by the flickering lights in the corner of his vision.
He glanced towards them, it was the stars. Fireworks shot off in the distance. Birds shot from the surrounding trees in fear. A black truck skidded into the driveway from which a thirty-something handsome looking man jumped out, waving Matthew over. "Come help. We've got him son!" His grandfather yelled, and Matthew forced a grin and ran across the lawn towards the truck.
His grandmother, Marion, beckoned Matthew inside the dimly lit lounge. She placed a hand on Matthew's back and guided him near the centre of the room with a gentle smile on her face. He could feel the excitement radiating from her; she had been waiting for his Emergence since he arrived in America. As had his grandfather Thomas. He was standing behind James, who was sat on a chair with a paper bag covering his head. He had been bewitched to have lost all his senses, and only occasionally moved an appendage. A lamb to the slaughter. "So, we're gonnae do it just like we practised, right?" Marion said with a gentle Scottish accent. "Just think pal, in a wee minute you'll be the next in the line. Liggen is gunna' be powerful again, a just know it." Thomas crooned from behind the chair, paying little attention to the subdued hostage.
"C'mere, I'll get the knife." Marion said, walking slowly towards the purple pillow which rested in the starlight of the window. Upon it sat the ceremonial knife for Liggen, which was nothing more than a plain knife with a large and very old looking wooden hilt with a crow etched into it. It had seen so many centuries, Matthew was worried it would snap the moment he used it.
The moment they had turned their backs, a blood curdling scream filled the large room, painful enough to cause the flames in the wide fireplace to hesitate.
Matthew spun around quickly. James was standing up, pulling the bag from his head whilst he dropped Thomas to the ground with a horrible thud. The illusion of youth had faded from his grandfather's normally cheery face, instead there was an old man choking on his blood and writhing in pain from the knife that had dug itself deep through the centre of his chest.
"Jesus Christ." Matthew muttered, the irony of the name escaping him in this whole fucked up situation. James turned to face Matthew and his grandmother. Matthew froze as he realised that James was not James - he was someone else, a tall red haired man with a large burn scar across his face. "You'll pay for that!" Marion screeched, raising her hands in the air, magic crackling in the air around her. Matthew took the opportunity to grab the ceremonial knife from the window. The mysterious red haired man stepped forward and shifted his weight towards Matthew as he flung forward another small knife.
"No!" Marion hissed, pushing herself in front of her grandson and knocking him backwards with her elbow. Matthew caught her in his arms as she gasped in pain bent forward in agony, crumpling onto the dark wooden floor.
"They were so obsessed with making sure you had someone to kill, they didn't even notice the illusion." The red haired man laughed, pulling an empty vial from his black jacket covered in zipper pockets. He smashed it into the fireplace.
"But.. how? Where's James?" Matthew found himself asking. He didn't even notice he was crying so heavily his words were barely distinguishable.
"James was an idea, a character. I had to set up a trap for some witches looking for a 'deserving' criminal. He was pretty deserving, don't you think?" The man chuckled. He didn't mind taking his time. He knew he could easily kill an unarmed non-magical Witch. His grandmother croaked, her body becoming more limp in Matthew's hands. He didn't know if it was because her heart was breaking or the pain from the knife buried in her stomach.
"You killed.. all those people.. to make a trap? You've killed far more people than I ever would have you sick fuck! You've already used more magic than I have before. What sort of witch hunter are you?" Matthew spat.
The man's smile vanished. "A fucking good one." He said vacantly, reaching for another knife from his belt. Matthew glanced down at his grandmother, who he found looking up at him with expecting eyes. "Do it." She whispered. "Do it or die with us." She croaked. Matthew nodded. He lifted the ceremonial dagger and dug it through his grandmother's heart in one swift movement.
The room instantly lit up with sparks, which dropped to the floor and bounced across the walls and ceiling, illuminating everything in silver and gold. "You little shit!" The man screamed, hurling another knife through the blinding lights. Matthew had long since moved from his grandmothers corpse.
He moved through the lights, seeing through his own illusion like it wasn't there. It only took seconds for Matthew to kill the man this time. And when he did, the light sparks vanished and all that was left was a candle-lit room of corpses.
He couldn't help but feel like what he was going to do tonight wasn't a good idea. Of course he wanted power, but it didn't do his parents much good. Both slaughtered by demons. Maybe both burning in Hell now. Matthew thought before he was interrupted by the flickering lights in the corner of his vision.
He glanced towards them, it was the stars. Fireworks shot off in the distance. Birds shot from the surrounding trees in fear. A black truck skidded into the driveway from which a thirty-something handsome looking man jumped out, waving Matthew over. "Come help. We've got him son!" His grandfather yelled, and Matthew forced a grin and ran across the lawn towards the truck.
His grandmother, Marion, beckoned Matthew inside the dimly lit lounge. She placed a hand on Matthew's back and guided him near the centre of the room with a gentle smile on her face. He could feel the excitement radiating from her; she had been waiting for his Emergence since he arrived in America. As had his grandfather Thomas. He was standing behind James, who was sat on a chair with a paper bag covering his head. He had been bewitched to have lost all his senses, and only occasionally moved an appendage. A lamb to the slaughter. "So, we're gonnae do it just like we practised, right?" Marion said with a gentle Scottish accent. "Just think pal, in a wee minute you'll be the next in the line. Liggen is gunna' be powerful again, a just know it." Thomas crooned from behind the chair, paying little attention to the subdued hostage.
"C'mere, I'll get the knife." Marion said, walking slowly towards the purple pillow which rested in the starlight of the window. Upon it sat the ceremonial knife for Liggen, which was nothing more than a plain knife with a large and very old looking wooden hilt with a crow etched into it. It had seen so many centuries, Matthew was worried it would snap the moment he used it.
The moment they had turned their backs, a blood curdling scream filled the large room, painful enough to cause the flames in the wide fireplace to hesitate.
Matthew spun around quickly. James was standing up, pulling the bag from his head whilst he dropped Thomas to the ground with a horrible thud. The illusion of youth had faded from his grandfather's normally cheery face, instead there was an old man choking on his blood and writhing in pain from the knife that had dug itself deep through the centre of his chest.
"Jesus Christ." Matthew muttered, the irony of the name escaping him in this whole fucked up situation. James turned to face Matthew and his grandmother. Matthew froze as he realised that James was not James - he was someone else, a tall red haired man with a large burn scar across his face. "You'll pay for that!" Marion screeched, raising her hands in the air, magic crackling in the air around her. Matthew took the opportunity to grab the ceremonial knife from the window. The mysterious red haired man stepped forward and shifted his weight towards Matthew as he flung forward another small knife.
"No!" Marion hissed, pushing herself in front of her grandson and knocking him backwards with her elbow. Matthew caught her in his arms as she gasped in pain bent forward in agony, crumpling onto the dark wooden floor.
"They were so obsessed with making sure you had someone to kill, they didn't even notice the illusion." The red haired man laughed, pulling an empty vial from his black jacket covered in zipper pockets. He smashed it into the fireplace.
"But.. how? Where's James?" Matthew found himself asking. He didn't even notice he was crying so heavily his words were barely distinguishable.
"James was an idea, a character. I had to set up a trap for some witches looking for a 'deserving' criminal. He was pretty deserving, don't you think?" The man chuckled. He didn't mind taking his time. He knew he could easily kill an unarmed non-magical Witch. His grandmother croaked, her body becoming more limp in Matthew's hands. He didn't know if it was because her heart was breaking or the pain from the knife buried in her stomach.
"You killed.. all those people.. to make a trap? You've killed far more people than I ever would have you sick fuck! You've already used more magic than I have before. What sort of witch hunter are you?" Matthew spat.
The man's smile vanished. "A fucking good one." He said vacantly, reaching for another knife from his belt. Matthew glanced down at his grandmother, who he found looking up at him with expecting eyes. "Do it." She whispered. "Do it or die with us." She croaked. Matthew nodded. He lifted the ceremonial dagger and dug it through his grandmother's heart in one swift movement.
The room instantly lit up with sparks, which dropped to the floor and bounced across the walls and ceiling, illuminating everything in silver and gold. "You little shit!" The man screamed, hurling another knife through the blinding lights. Matthew had long since moved from his grandmothers corpse.
He moved through the lights, seeing through his own illusion like it wasn't there. It only took seconds for Matthew to kill the man this time. And when he did, the light sparks vanished and all that was left was a candle-lit room of corpses.
Sorry guys, I randomly just got a new job before this started and they decided to give me shifts every night since Wednesday till' today. Also been trying to balance that with a couple of essays for Uni. But I can post now! Woo.
edit: Hope it was k the witch hunter used a potion or two for his plan.
edit: Hope it was k the witch hunter used a potion or two for his plan.
Name: Matthew Friel
Family: Liggen.
Innate Ability: Illusion. Those with this ability are able to magically yet superficially alter their surroundings. On the simplest level, they can alter how they are perceived; be it revolting or irresistibly handsome. They can potentially erase their image from the environment completely or have themselves seen as a toad. On a grander scale, one can magically redecorate their entire environment. They could make a run-down shack look like the grandest mansion in the world, make it seem like it's snowing in the middle of the desert or trick someone into believing they've been buried alive when they're standing in an open field. This would be a mastery of illusion; in order for a witch to create an illusion they must believe in it themselves.
Age: 18
Appearance:
Matthew is a moderately handsome man however his appearance hasn't caught up with his age. He appears to be several years younger than he really is due to his slightly babyish features accompanied with his bright blue eyes and blonde hair. He is slightly short at 5'7 and has a scrawny build, with largely than average wiry hands with long fingers and disproportionately large feet.
Ironically, he hasn't much care for his appearance. Or perhaps not, given it is something he has witnessed his grandparents can change at the drop of a hat. He typically wears dark colours of greys, browns and dark greens and tight fitting jeans with a large pair of converse. He usually wears a black or grey buttoned overcoat with a patterned scarf when outdoors.
Bio: Matthew was raised in England as the only child of Darren and Diana Liggen, both Witches of the house of Liggen and also first cousins.
The couple had attempted to produce children naturally which only resulted in children deemed as useless to the house due to their physical abnormalities. It was only when the pair used demonic blood magic to ensure they could produce a healthy child that Matthew was born.
However, Matthew's parents weren't clever Witches. They were powerful but had long since shunned the rest of the Liggen house and made no effort to learn the ways of the craft. They did not realise the true cost of dealing with demonic entities in that demanding new life would cost life if the blood sacrifice was not great enough. Matthew's mother was taken by the demon on the night of his birth, and his father only got himself killed in the subsequent years trying to fight the entity in revenge. Upon his fathers death, Matthew was taken to live with his grandparents in America. They were both true Witches; his grandfather Thomas and grandmother Marion were both from Scotland, however escaped to America in the 80's following the near-destruction of Liggen after a bloody fued with rival Houses in Scotland. Matthew was raised under boasts of how great and vast Liggen once was and how they were once known as some of the greatest illusionists and tricksters in Europe who would use their magic to turn the most peaceful of Houses against each other.
After then, Matthew was raised by his wealthy grandparents under the new house name of Friel. They resolved to learn from the past and taught Matthew in the ways of the craft properly even though it would be years until the next Emergence. However his grandparents preferred to stay cloaked in illusions rather than show their decrepit old forms and so the locals always assumed him to be the son of two attractive thirty-somethings. He has learned many spells of bewitchment although has been as of yet unable to use them.
Family: Liggen.
Innate Ability: Illusion. Those with this ability are able to magically yet superficially alter their surroundings. On the simplest level, they can alter how they are perceived; be it revolting or irresistibly handsome. They can potentially erase their image from the environment completely or have themselves seen as a toad. On a grander scale, one can magically redecorate their entire environment. They could make a run-down shack look like the grandest mansion in the world, make it seem like it's snowing in the middle of the desert or trick someone into believing they've been buried alive when they're standing in an open field. This would be a mastery of illusion; in order for a witch to create an illusion they must believe in it themselves.
Age: 18
Appearance:
Matthew is a moderately handsome man however his appearance hasn't caught up with his age. He appears to be several years younger than he really is due to his slightly babyish features accompanied with his bright blue eyes and blonde hair. He is slightly short at 5'7 and has a scrawny build, with largely than average wiry hands with long fingers and disproportionately large feet.
Ironically, he hasn't much care for his appearance. Or perhaps not, given it is something he has witnessed his grandparents can change at the drop of a hat. He typically wears dark colours of greys, browns and dark greens and tight fitting jeans with a large pair of converse. He usually wears a black or grey buttoned overcoat with a patterned scarf when outdoors.
Bio: Matthew was raised in England as the only child of Darren and Diana Liggen, both Witches of the house of Liggen and also first cousins.
The couple had attempted to produce children naturally which only resulted in children deemed as useless to the house due to their physical abnormalities. It was only when the pair used demonic blood magic to ensure they could produce a healthy child that Matthew was born.
However, Matthew's parents weren't clever Witches. They were powerful but had long since shunned the rest of the Liggen house and made no effort to learn the ways of the craft. They did not realise the true cost of dealing with demonic entities in that demanding new life would cost life if the blood sacrifice was not great enough. Matthew's mother was taken by the demon on the night of his birth, and his father only got himself killed in the subsequent years trying to fight the entity in revenge. Upon his fathers death, Matthew was taken to live with his grandparents in America. They were both true Witches; his grandfather Thomas and grandmother Marion were both from Scotland, however escaped to America in the 80's following the near-destruction of Liggen after a bloody fued with rival Houses in Scotland. Matthew was raised under boasts of how great and vast Liggen once was and how they were once known as some of the greatest illusionists and tricksters in Europe who would use their magic to turn the most peaceful of Houses against each other.
After then, Matthew was raised by his wealthy grandparents under the new house name of Friel. They resolved to learn from the past and taught Matthew in the ways of the craft properly even though it would be years until the next Emergence. However his grandparents preferred to stay cloaked in illusions rather than show their decrepit old forms and so the locals always assumed him to be the son of two attractive thirty-somethings. He has learned many spells of bewitchment although has been as of yet unable to use them.
This seems like it could turn out quite disorganised unless one person decides on the families (and their specialities) beforehand from which all other players may base their characters from. I would prefer if the GM did this. Obviously could take into account Viewtiful's ideas..
Super duper interested. These ideas are fantastic, I just hope we can organise our characters properly into their various houses beforehand.
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