Astarael42

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

@MacabreFoxLet me just ask >:3 Heathcliff or Linton?

This needs a question? Heathcliff all the way. Wild tragedy for the win.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

I will post tonight. Just got caught up in life.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

No worries. Looking forward to it.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

@kapuchu that is a perfectly fine Talent but I will admit we already have one whose talents are similar. I don't have a problem with doubling up on Talent sets; doesn't bother me a bit; but I thought it fair you should know.

@Fillet Your first instinct was essentially correct; it was bad wording on my part. I apologize. There will be supernatural/psychically/scientifically powerful opponents but they will (for the most part) be physically human or at least human in origin. Dr. Jekyll was after all human; Dorian Gray was; even Vlad Tepes was once. I realize my explanation was gray. Opponents will have taken their supernatural talents to push the natural and/or moral boundaries. They were human once; whether characters consider them so remains to be seen.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Alright If I missed anyone that needed a reply I apologize. Feel free to poke me with a fish.

@kapuchu
Yes still open. This story is designed that people can enter, leave, and vanish as needed with minimal effort so it is always open and I welcome new characters. Now to see if I can answer the questions...

1 - Is there a criminal underworld?
Yes absolutely.

2 - Exactly what is the nature of psychic abilities? I would also like a bit more clarification on what they can be, and if we are only humans (you mention Dracula/vampires and such in the beginning, which makes be a tiny bit uncertain)
Characters are humans. Anything non-human is a opponent only but in reality they were mentioned as that is the particularly environment/atmosphere to be cultivated in this adventure. Non-humans will be scarce if at all. Psychic Talents are varied and honestly require a bit of creativity. Think of a particular talent you might like your character to excel at and we can create a psychic Talent that takes it beyond the normal human capabilities and into the paranormal Talents. Psychic talents are mental in nature, as might be expected, and require thought and focus. There are psychic hunters, people who's talents aid them in various sciences, people who can read auras and emotions, people who can read the dead, people who have a talent for research, people who have a talent for cooking, people who have a talent for being unnoticeable, people who can work energy into or around crystals or mirrors or similar focuses, etc. It builds on the theory that all humans have at least a trace of psychic energy though it often goes under other names as well (auras, humors, etc) and a few people are able to focus and use this energy to a great extent. The effects tend to be tied to mental facilities in some manner, simple but useful and the characters have learned how to take great advantage of their Talent making them stronger or more skilled than an ordinary counterpart. The only things truly off limits are traditional spiritualists/mediums (summoning ghosts) and traditional mesmerism/mind reading. That being said we still have characters who Talents are similar to those...but with enough differences that they had their own unique twist that put them beyond the stereotypical.

3 - I understand that we are members of the Society that the head of House Ianus established?
yes he is. If you look at the first three posts in the characters thread you will find background information as well as the current head. It is posted there to for ease of finding.

4 - Will he accept former law-breakers (thieves, burglars, etc.) if they put their past behind them and put their skills to "good use"?

yes absolutely. Not even necessarily required that their shady past remain in the past; simply in addition to their own morals they conform to what is required of members of the society. The head of the society himself has connections in the underworld and he realizes the value of such.

5 - (final one, I think) What exactly does a "Mystery" entail? You give us a lot of background information for the setting, but not so much about what the RP's supposed to be centered about. I'd like a bit of clarification on that one.
the mystery is a series of mini mysteries (which if anyone wants to lead their own I'm game for that, simply message me your thoughts). It is effectively a detective agency for paranormal problems that in some way affect or involve the society or it's members. This first one is just an introduction, to allow the characters to develop as characters. After this it is likely my character will drop out as a main character (unless I'm sitting out the GM aspect of a round because someone else wants to lead a mystery) and the mysteries will be undertaken in small groups.

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@Vigfast: no worries. Life first. Thanks for the heads up.

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@Monochromatic Rainbow Fencing does seem to be favored; but I welcome anything within reason (or with a really good backstory) and will do my best to ensure it is an essential skill at some point.

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@EldritchOne I look forward to it.

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To all drafting up characters once you have it up you can either post here or PM me but if you post it here in the OOC please tag me so I know to look for it. I do read everything but I'd get to reading it faster if I had one of those little notification thingies. Pretty Please with a halo of innocence.

Think I got all Active/Approved characters in the "active characters" in the first post on the characters tab. If I'm missing someone please don't let me ignore you. Jump up and down. Wave pom-poms. Whatever.

Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)

Alright got friend off in plane yesterday. Caught up on sleep today. Post planned for tonight or tomorrow. whoopee!

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

@Monochromatic Rainbow yes it is still open. Feel free to draft up a character and we can go from there.

To all others I got my friend off on the plane yesterday, caught up on missed sleep today, and am ready to get things underway again. :-) To all who are still around; thank you for not giving up on me.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

no worries about delays all...like I said I am a believer that real life comes first. Just glad to know you are still around.

I myself just got back from vacation (left day I posted) with no computer or such and the friend I went with is still here. I haven't seen him in 10 years so this is kinda a big thing and I'll be spending time with him while he is here.

Rites Of Passage (a High Fantasy/Forgotten Realms Adventure)

sorry @orcpunx I just got back from vacation and returned to a computer though my friend (not seen in 10 years) is still here till tomorrow so I won't post till then.

Ianus Congreatio: Secret societies, horror, and mystery in the shadows of Prague.

Adam took the report that was handed him in silence, extending his hand gracefully to the Lady indicating she should join them and partake of whatever interested her. He had merely shrugged, internally, at Ben. He had fulfilled his duties, what the other man chose to do was up to him.

Instead Adam read the report in silence, tallying up the extreme lack of anything unexpected. Which was, in itself, something of a concern. So he had been right, there were three problems to be addressed. He hoped his next theory, that all were connected, was incorrect but the only way to tell was to investigate the issues.

He finished his breakfast with deliberate care, waited for the servants to remove his plate, poured another cup of coffee, he too enjoyed the darkly bitter drink, and leaned back in his chair.

“Well it seems as if all who intended to come are now here” he said without further preamble.

He cast his eyes about the room which for all appearances seemed empty. He preferred to have this discussion out of the ears of the servants; as well trained as they were that did not always prevent gossip. Much of the time it was harmless, but he would rather not test that today. He heightened his Talent to aid him in seeking out discrepancies in the patterns around him, there were patterns in all things after all, light, sound, scent, even psychic energy had patterns which he could “see” if he put his Talent to it.

“Forgive me a moment” he said politely and strode to the window. Opening the shutters he spoke to someone outside, a muffled response was all that could be heard as Adam re-directed the gardener to tend other areas at this moment. He then strode to a nearby door, shooing the servants away, and returned.

“I prefer an overabundance of caution” he said simply as he returned to his chair.

“Now then it seems as if three separate issues have come to my attention that require investigation. Some seem, on the surface, to be unimportant, and I sincerely hope that they are. The other is disconcerting. I would ask your opinions, as well as your assistance in investigating them.”

He did not mention his concerns, what he believed the incidents meant, or his belief that they were all connected. He wanted to see what conclusions the others drew without his influence.

“As you know the society investigates and handles fraudulent claims of psychic or paranormal abilities. What you may or may not know is that we also investigate darker issues that are possibly genuinely psychical in nature. Things the police and others lack the ability to handle. It is that category that we are dealing with this day.”

“First report comes across my desk from the stews, the slums and poorer districts of our fair city. As you know many of those who dwell there are beneath the notice of the police and those who may give them any help. So there is nothing defined on this save what my “eyes and ears” have reported back to me.”

“It seems that people, men actually, are disappearing from these areas. What makes this particularly interesting is that all have several things in common: male, believed to be between the ages of 25-35, physically very healthy and fit, and perceived to -most- women to be considered handsome. In fact many made their living off their looks. So far 7 have gone missing in the last month.”
“People seem reluctant to talk about these disappearances; even my eyes and ears have had trouble finding out details; just that the men vanished over night, always at night...they were seen at the beginning of the night and never again. And that no trace of them was ever found, no bodies washed up in the river or left in the trash heaps, no clothing left behind, nothing.”

“Now it is possible they were collected for certain clientele as exclusive male courtesans” Adam was one of the few people who admitted the trade in male flesh was just as prevalent, though a bit more secretive, than the trade in female flesh. After all high-born ladies often got as bored in their formal pairings as the gentlemen did. “And if that were the case they will turn up somewhere. Or we could have run of the mill killer on our hands; specific in his or her tastes but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Or a Talented individual seeking out these types for things that can only be guessed at. There is much left unfinished in this pattern.”

He laid a large stack of papers on the table next to him as he finished, the reports and sketches dealing with this particular incident. He would hand them off to whomever chose to take up this part of the investigation. His eyes and ears, his network of spies and informants, were well paid for their information and gave him detailed reports but in this case the pickings were slim. They would have their work cut out for them. He was lucky enough that he had managed to get sketches of the missing men. And it was not only the lack of information that bothered Adam, his eyes and ears were all businessmen (and women). Their business was information. Adam paid them well but if someone paid them better they would sell their information to whoever paid the most. Adam kept wondering if they had found another buyer.

“Next is something brought to me by some of the local hunters.” Adam bought wild game and other things from those who made their living off the land. In return he was privy to a plethora of information on the lands around the city. Most of it was useless but this one was on the weird side and bore investigating.

“It seems that a rabid bear is hunting the forests around the city. At least that is the theory most are working on. It seems that larger game, boars, deer, etc, are being killed and left in the forest. They are ripped open and only the hearts removed. That seems far to specific for any typical wild animal, much less a rabid one. Whether the hearts are eaten, collected, or any other myriad of options is unknown”

He put a much smaller stack of papers next to the larger one, this one had even less to go on because all he had were vague hunter's reports and a map with the dead animal findings marked on it.

“Finally it seems one of our long standing members has somewhat of an odd issue. Several days ago I received a missive from the Lady Isabeau D'Allende. She, and her husband while he lived, were long time members in good standing. Both had Talents that aided them in medicine and medical research, indeed the Lady herself is a very gifted doctor and a very modern thinking one in many ways. She also has some more archaic ideas and is a devoted student of Alchemy and the quest for THE panacea. The pair worked devotedly researching this ideal medicine together; during which time they discovered many other more mundane things that were, in their way, very remarkable.

Her husband was killed in a lab accident about 6 months ago; and I should clarify that he was quite dead. I was called in myself when it happened and can vouch for that fact. Indeed there were...pieces...scattered about the lab such that I suspect cleaning it was quite cumbersome. Additionally I know Lady Isabeau very well; she is not known for flights of fancy. Given those statements I will pass around the letter I received from her.”

He pulled it from the envelope and handed it to the others to look at while he double checked the report from Lady Adriana again.

The missive was short and the paper, not parchment, it was written on, was fairly unremarkable. In fact the only odd thing about it was the message itself, penned in a deliberate careful hand. In the first place the Lady addressed Adam far to informally for an acquaintance; in the second place everything else that was said.

----

Adam,

My husband never left me, though his life was unexpectedly cut short. He stands beside me once more, beautiful and strong. How can I fear...he is my soul-mate.

And yet I do fear. How do I answer him?

Isabeau D'Allende

----

Adam looked up again and waited till people had perused the letter before continuing.

“I must pay the Lady Isabeau a visit it seems; and figure out just what is going on there. She is not prone to flights of fancy or too vivid an imagination. Indeed she is generally a very rational woman. And of course people genuinely rising from the dead is simply absurd. That leaves something paranormal going on, and that plus her membership in the society puts it squarely as my responsibility.”

He didn't mention just how much he didn't want to go. Ever since her husband's death the Lady had made some rather too bold advances in his direction. He was not looking forward to it again.

“I am hoping, Lady Adriana, that you will consent to accompany me. I believe there may be things that the Lady Isabeau wishes hidden that you might be able to discern. And I don't believe she would dare turn both of us away; while she might refuse me entrance were I to call upon her alone. Or worse.”

Adam left that hanging without elaborating and just continued on speaking.

“Ben, I also hope you will accompany me. Your expertise in the fields of Alchemy might help the Lady to relax and perhaps even open up in our company. And even if she doesn't, there still may be nuances of things that might be meaningful to one of your knowledge that I might otherwise dismiss. It comes to my mind that there is more to her research than she perhaps claimed; and that it is related to or perhaps even the cause of her husband's death.”

“As for the other two issues perhaps those remaining might endeavor to investigate and perhaps evaluate if they fall into the realm of the Society's interests? I will ensure you have every supply you might require, including bribe money if you feel it might be needed.”

He needn't really ask. It was part of the members duties to investigate should he tell them too. That was one way he differed from his father however, he rarely told people to do anything. He found they were far more brilliant and able to accomplish truly great things when they were willing and undertook tasks they actually wanted to. In his view being forced to do something only made people stupid. If those gathered refused he would call on others rather than try to force the issue.

He had really hoped that Roger would have joined him. The man's talents at hunting criminals would have been ideal for investigating either of the other issues. He still hoped he might join them at a later time but that hope was growing slimmer as the morning passed.