Estylwen

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Love Street
Lincoln Park, Tenebrae
@Lady Seraphina

"You called, I came. For your sake, you better hope this isn't a waste of my time."

The man took long a sip of his drink. “I’ll be honest, the gift is bait. I just wanted to see you with my own eyes.”

He stared longer than normal, taking in her tied hair, her hard gaze, the leather and the boots. A rebellious soul by nature, born to run free. If he could help her see her own potential, he knew she would be able to shape the world. Wordlessly, the briefcase was placed on the bar.

He turned towards her, his voice was as deep and sharp as his eyes. “The boss has taken an interest in you and asked me to invite you. But I have high standards for him, and I have to know what’s worth his time, and what isn’t.”

His hand patted the briefcase, eyes glancing down. “If you pass, you get to keep what’s in this, as well as handsome pay for a few contract jobs, easily three times more than what they’re paying you.” He gestured to the Valkyries behind them.

“And if you don’t pass, well… I guess we’ll see when we get there.” He said, leaning back thoughtfully.

A hand slipped over his head, pulling back his hood to reveal loosely spiked black hair. He had silver diamonds in his eyes and the sun tattooed on his neck. His masked eyes glinted as he stood. “Phantasm, your first job is to duel me. If you can lay me out flat, you get the reward of it. And if you need motivation, I can provide it if you simply deny me.”

He let the thinly veiled threat hover before stepping into the clear floor, facing Phantasm in a beckoning manner.

“Any questions?”

---

James & Sons Fine Jewelers
Near North Side, Tenebrae
@Blizz

The ominous cracking of knuckles. ”Knock knock, chucklefuck.”

The man spun, throwing a hand up over his face. Whether it was to shield himself from her intimidation or to protect his eyes from the surprising amount of light coming off her, he couldn’t tell. But what he did know, is that his plan had worked. So far.

“It’s you. I, uh, didn’t think it would work, b-but, you’re really here.” He stammered, then looked around himself, waving his hands in an embarrassed manner. “T-this isn’t what it looks like.”

He threw the backpack to the side, hurriedly pulling off the black sweater, cap, and mask, and hurling them into the burning wreckage of a car. The short, thin, Japanese-descendant man wore a pyjama top underneath, hand combing through his wavy dark hair before patting down his pockets.

He held up a worn ID tag with his name, a barcode, and ‘The Institute of Meta Sciences’. “S-see? I’m a good guy. My name is Akihiro Takeda. I’m a scientist.”

The wail of sirens approached, increasing in volume. The doctor’s voice caught in his throat. He had another minute and a half to make his case with this lady made of sunlight.

“Someone is creating a machine that will destroy the world as we know it if it isn’t stopped. I don’t have any powers or skills of my own, but I have a plan. You’re the first step in my plan, Miss Ellie Harper. You have power, you have the skill, and you have the courage.”

The flash of red and blue lights crept up along both sides of the street, lighting up the dark buildings. Thirty seconds until the police arrived.

The doctor tensed, eyes narrowed as he stared at Ellie. “Please help me.”

---

The Museum of Historical Sciences, a few blocks away from The Art Institute
Loop, Tenebrae
@Shu

He regarded her silently, mouth pressing firmer. The Scarlet Shadow exceed his expectations, arriving a full thirty minutes early. The plan she used after his initial tip-off was well-thought-out, and from the clean look of her garb, well-executed. He figured she met little resistance on her way here, despite the place crawling with guards.

No wonder the boss had his eye on her. The man’s face darkened crossly as he snapped the zippo one last time before pocketing it. He was jealous of the attention boss gave this lead. But it couldn’t be helped, at least, not now. If the boss wanted something, it was his duty to carry it out. He just enjoyed having someone who could keep up with him. Tonight was going according to the boss’ plan, as it usually did when he followed it.

With a loose swagger, the red-crescent man jumped down from the safe, pulling the steel door back for Scarlet Shadow. Inside, one expected to see a bright, shining treasure, but the reality presented itself in quite the opposite fashion. Besides a few loose bills and some papers about a certain diadem, the safe lay empty.

The scene would break any thief’s heart.

Almost as if he was smiling at the thought, the man pulled back his hood, revealing nearly shaved short, blond hair in the low light of the room. A black hair tattoo could be seen stylizing the base of his head. Black eyeliner highlighted the tangible, ravenous anticipation pouring from his masked, glaring eyes as he stepped into a low stance, one fist at his hip and the second stretched out, fingers beckoning her.

Without a word, he made it as plain as day - if she wanted to know more about her prize, he was the one who stood in her way.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

@Blizz@Shu@Lady Seraphina

Good call, I’ll PM you all the link.

I have a discord account, but its still a little new for me.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

@Shu Very nice post! I’m currently working on a response. Should be up at the same time as Lady Seraphina and Blizz.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

@Shu Hey sounds great! No problem, just take your time. Work is important too.

--

@Lady Seraphina,@Blizz The posts look gorgeous, really nice to read. I am working on a response and will reply to you both in 1-3 days. I will try to be a bit quicker to keep the momentum.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Hey! Just in case you would like a reference to what locations are mentioned in the IC, here is a link to the crime map of Chicago, I mean Tenebrae, split up by neighbourhood.

I'm so excited to get started.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows

---

Love Street
Lincoln Park, Tenebrae
@Lady Seraphina

Glossy wood floors splayed across the smoke-filled bar, music overhead drowned out by tables full of mismatched patrons, nursing drinks and tossing cards. The bartender, dressed in a silken tie and black veil over his nose stood behind the dark counter, shining a cup. ‘Speak no evil’, the motto written in chrome cursive on the back wall, the only bar in Lincoln Park that could boast about being a new-age speakeasy. A place that promised a good drink to their patrons no matter who, or what, they were. Men and women dressed in full costume walked in on a regular basis, and brawls were usually done with superpowers. Metahumans regarded it as a safe haven, and tonight was no exception.

On a red leather stool, clad in black from head to toe, a single cape tumbling off his left shoulder, a man sat nursing his drink. The people gave him a wide berth, taking care not to stare at the red insignia on his right shoulder. He paid them no mind, merely giving his empty glass to the bartender. A new one replaced it, rocks clinking as the man took a sip.

12:25 am.

The man’s masked eyes slid to the door, peering at the street outside. The portfolio he skimmed over earlier that week denoted basic information on his group of interset, particularly one of their more powerful members. Phantasm, the fighting spirit of the Valkyries. Largely unknown, but he was aware of the rumours. A girl with a terrifying meta-ability, intangibility.

“Come with or without your friends, I have something that I know you’ll like. Not a weapon, per se, or a drug, but of use to someone of your… skillset.”

The message he sent to her phone the day before, giving details on where and when. Look for the man with the red moon on his shoulder, briefcase at his feet.

And so he sat, sipping his drink, eyes narrowed hard in thought. If she accepted his invitation, not only would she immediately become more powerful, but they would all be one step closer to freedom.

---

The Museum of Historical Sciences, a few blocks away from The Art Institute
Loop, Tenebrae
@Shu

The Museum of Historical Sciences, known for its rich history and exquisite pieces. Along with the royal heirlooms and weapons from lost wars, a new velvet pedestal lay empty and bare. The foam under the velvet was cut perfectly to hold its new valuables.

“The Lady Queen’s Diadem: New showcase at the Museum of Historical Sciences—Unveiling this week, patrons will be star-struck seeing treasures from the 14th century, along with the queen’s crown inlaid with all of the original 28-carat rubies. It truly is a spectacle fit for royalty.”

An excerpt from the local newspaper that week, with details on location and how to purchase tickets for the unveiling party. Of course, for those interested in a bit of fame and wealth, a party was out of the question. If the diadem disappeared the night before the unveiling, the televisions city-wide would have that broadcasting as breaking news.

“The diadem is on the third floor, in a storage room across from the director’s office. It’s heavily protected, so be careful.”

An anonymous note, the handwriting scribbled and messy. Left in a way that only his person of interest would find it. Scarlet Shadow, the master thief with the golden fingers. Reputable, notorious, and known for their limelight heists.

The five-story museum gave few points of entry. One being the front and back doors, locked with a keycard. The next being the windows along the second floor, all the way to the fifth floor, locked with a metal latch. These windows all belonged to offices, as the storage rooms were always windowless. The third option was the vents along the rooftop, steel piping large enough to fit a person, and closed only by steel grates. The ventilation system ran through every floor, but only piped to hallways and never piped into offices or storage rooms.

Each floor had its share of guards patrolling the hallways, and each floor had its share of CCTV cameras, but both the guards and cameras only ever monitored the main lobby, the hallways of the upper floor, and the storage rooms, never the offices. Inside each locked storage room, along with a single camera, there were also green laser motion sensors strewn across the room, linked up with the security office and the silent alarm system.

The security office on the second floor housed the feeds of all the cameras in the building, along with the locked electrical panel to the silent alarm system. A control panel for the feeds, with the options of ‘loop’ and ‘turn off’ was positioned on the left side of the desk. A guard sat with his feet up, hat tipped forward as he dozed, the master keys in his pocket.

An elevator sat at the left middle of the building, while the two sets of stairs ran along beside the entrances. The sign read ‘Sorry, we’re closed.’

The time was 12:25 am.

In one of the windowless storage rooms, past the maze of green lasers, lay a safe three feet high and two feet wide with a large turn-dial lock on the front. Sitting on top of the safe, rag-wrapped boots hanging loosely, a shadowy figure in black lay waiting, red insignia on his shoulder. His gloved hands fidgeted with a zippo’s cap, the metal echoing off the empty walls. Dark-rimmed, burning eyes glared at the door, mouth pressed in an expectant line.

He knew she would come.

---

One333
Near South Side

Dream

Ah, at long last. One single, peaceful night to herself. Purposefully circled in red marker on the calendar. No midnight chases, no heroic antics, and absolutely no dodging tasers and police fire. Just one night, all to herself.

She turned off the lights and stepped onto the cold cement of her balcony, hot coffee in hand and eyes basking in the downtown view. The city never slept, she knew that. Cars blurred down the streets below, spreading out into a web of light that pulsed through the city. Hypnotic, in a way. That’s why she was here, leaned up against the railing, resisting the urge to dive in again.

She pressed the coffee to her lips, sitting among the chairs and blankets padding the balcony. Her outfit purposefully let in the cool air, simple sweatpants, a jogger’s jacket, and a black bonnet wrapped around her head.

She gave a contented sigh, assured in the fact that nothing would disturb her evening.

Until she heard a knock at the door. The balcony door. At 12:25 am. She turned her gaze up, almost spilling her coffee in shock. A small, hovering drone, one of its four metal appendages curled in a fist was knocking on the glass. Its red camera light stared directly at her.

Coffee splashed as she raced to her feet, putting a fist up. “You wanna go, buddy?”

The drone regarded her silently, fist hovering in the air before it edged closer.

“H-hey!” she yelled, shaking her fist again.

Its appendages swung forward, and she prepared to throw her coffee.

“Package for Miss Dream,” it said. A small brown parcel was pressed into her hand. Unlabeled, and without a return address.

“Uhh… from who?” she asked.

“Dr. Takeda,” it said.

Perplexed, she gave the box a small shake. Something bounced around on the inside. “I, uh, don’t know any doctors.”

“The doctor knows you, Miss Dream. Have a good night,” it said, moving off the balcony.

“Hold on, I want to know more,” she said, but the drone continued. Her eyes squinted as she tried to spot it in between the buildings. Gone, just as quickly as it arrived.

“Hmm… this is interesting,” She said, cracking open the balcony door and stepping inside. “Maybe it’s a dead drop?”

---

James & Sons Fine Jewelers
Near North Side, Tenebrae
@Blizz

Shaking hands held a wire up inside an electrical box, cutters pressed against the rubber coating. He held his breath, snipping the cord and sending sparks off in all directions. The entire ten-block radius fell into darkness.

The man, dressed in a traditional robber’s get-up, clicked on a flashlight and ran from his nook in the alley to the street. Not a single streetlight or electrical source could be seen, and the backup generator he sabotaged a half-hour earlier was still offline.

Thank God.

The man quickly checked the vehicles along the street, ensuring all were empty before pulling out five small disks. Each disk was placed near the engines, and, hiding at the corner of the jewellery store, the man pressed a remote in his hand.

The street lit up like fireworks as vehicles exploded, shooting flames and shrapnel up into the sky. The man raised his arms to fend off the waves of heat pouring off the wreckage.

Surely, this would be enough to get her attention. She was known to frequent these parts of the city and was sighted here many times. Surely, the girl with the powers like the sun, the unnamed fists of fury would appear. That was all he needed.

Four minutes. That’s how long he expected until the police arrived. But heroes always showed up first, didn’t they? With one last disk hurriedly pressed against the window, he stepped back as glass shattered along the street, leaving a hole in the jewellery store’s showroom. ‘James & Sons’ read the sign as he stepped inside. The backpack swung off his shoulder as he went through the damaged showcases, scooping precious metals and glass alike and tossing it into the bag.

Three minutes and twenty-nine seconds until the police arrived.

The time read 12:25 am.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Dream

Codename: Dream

Malyn Epherel | 24 | Female

Hero/Villain Role: Vigilante

Appearance:
She has an average height of 5’3 and is set at 130 pounds. She looks like someone who exercises frequently enough, with strong arms and legs. A slight curve to her, not too much and not too little.

Without the black-out contacts, her irises are grey and the pupils a shining white. Arched, thin eyebrows, moderately high cheekbones, a slight dimple in the chin, and a strong jaw. When she smiles, her lips are full and relaxed. A beauty mark can be seen below the lower lip, closer to the right. Wavy brown hair frames her face, styled short in an inverted bob. The ends of her hair, more noticeably at the back of her head due to the layered style, glow with a soft light.

Her hands have old scars and nicks from her light jump wipeouts.

Outfit:
Her suit is a mix between formal and practical, wearing a white dress shirt, black ribbon brooch attached at the collar, and a black suit coat with a hood. The inner side of the hood is a gold colour while the sleeves of the coat are leather. A black mask is worn on her eyes and a thin black bonnet can be seen under the hood. The pants are black slacks with a leather strip two inches wide running down the front and back. There is a small utility pouch strapped to one thigh. She wears light black leather boots with a reinforced ankle to protect herself from falls. Fingerless leather gloves also help protect her from scraping her palms on concrete.

Dominant Trait:
Determined

Personality:
If she feels she is in a position that will cause her regret, her will kicks into high gear. This rage in her system can make decisions that years down the road, are still going strong. Her determination covers up a terrifying truth that she refuses to acknowledge—she ran away from those who needed her, and she is always under threat that she could do it again.

Her determination seeps into her work, as she puts every ounce of strength into her daily business and her nightly fights. She doesn’t normally let herself take a break, but when she does, her high energy cuts off and she drops like a sack of potatoes.

Backstory:
Growing up on the edge of Tenebrae, she always struggled between complacency and speaking her mind in a home where her father never gave her importance. The years leading up through high school graduation compounded this, and she ran away. Technically, she moved out to complete her college degree. But when she did, her connection with her family, including her mother and brother, greatly weakened.

That was when news reached her that her mother passed away in a tragic accident.

The news shook her severely, upsetting the fibre of her soul. That night, between the tears and grief-stricken wails, a new power birthed itself from the darkness. She felt herself open up, power pouring out from a well previously untapped. A white light came unbidden from her eyes, ends of her hair, and fingertips. It shook her but also alleviated some of the grief.

The new power came with its own struggles, such as hiding in public. The light from her hair and eyes became a continuous stream she lacked control over, so she purchased black-out contacts and began covering her hair with scarves and hats. Her hands, however, became incredibly responsive, allowing the light to come and go, and fly off in any direction she willed. At that time, it was nothing more than a flashlight beam. But she noticed, with more power of will, it would condense into hardened light.

When she worked up the courage to show her remaining family, they seemed to approve at first. But shortly after, they scattered from her life. The regret she felt leaving her mother became compounded as she was left alone again. Her brother became a great source of guilt, the one whom she hurt the most by running away. She vowed to never cause herself regret like that again.

It was at a time where she began watching the news and taking more of an interest in the people around her. The crime rates were going up, the civil unrest, and the crackdown on errant powers terribly weak in execution.

Seeing an opportunity to redeem herself, she trained in silence in the rural areas outside of Tenebrae; She ran a small perfume shop by day and pushed her skills by night. After three years, she felt a cap on her powers. Practicing alone wasn’t enough anymore. She would have to up the stakes, and that meant catching destiny with both hands.

She moved her shop to an area in Near North Side and began listening to a second-hand police radio fervently. It took every ounce of courage to get in costume and confront her first criminal, but as her small successes grew, her confidence increased. She went after higher and higher risk criminals, pushing her skills until finally, after two years of failures and successes, she heard her name from the cheering bystanders as she ‘got down to business’, as they say.

In a Japanese village just off of Noble Square, the streets were aflame with the wreckage of their battle, her toughest foe yet—a fire-type meta with a knack for exploding cars. Backed up in a corner, she thought it was the end for her until she heard a young voice ring out.

“Don’t give up!”

She could see the terrified eyes of the young girl, hands around her mouth, staring terrified at her. It stirred something inside, reminding her of her family, of the regret she told herself she’d never let happen again. White light exploded as her power forcibly threw off the contacts and bonnet from her head. She became a shining beacon that, in one last push, knocked back her adversary and laid him out flat on the ground.

As she stood over the captured criminal, her light dimming with exhaustion, she heard a single voice from the growing bystanders. Then more, slowly increasing until the whole street chanted her name.

At first, she didn’t understand why they chanted the word Yume. Then, the younger voices took over and yelled out the translation.

Dream.

Not that it made any more sense to her. Perhaps it was the way she looked from a distance, all lit up and determined, that gave her her first nickname.

Goal: Power to protect.

Superpower:
Light Manipulation

Power Description:
Her specialization is currently Hard Light/Cold Light manipulation, where she is able to summon white light in her hands and shoot it out in balls that, when they reach impact, feel similar to hailstones or small rocks. The trajectory is almost never a straight line, as she finds more satisfaction in watching it circle. So usually, balls fly out on a curved trajectory with the ability to boomerang once before dissolving. Currently, she can send out about ten bullets at a time.

She can also focus the light into a single beam, or create a small wall within arm’s range.

She can also collect it at her feet, discharging to send her flying up into the air. The light jump does require a solid surface below her feet in order to work, so she mainly uses it to leap from one area to the next quickly or evade. She has to be careful though, as the light jump can be too high or fast without a way to cushion her fall. Her hands bear the scars of past failed jumps.

Power Drawback:
Encasing her hands in a strong material, such as metal, effectively stops her offensive attacks. She also requires a half-second to charge her ability, so her hands or feet will glow before any attack is unleashed. This delay can be a critical weakness in close combat, so she will keep combat long-range as much as possible.

Hard Light/Cold Light, as it is a condensed version of light, does still listen to some basic laws. Her balls of light have a habit of refracting as they smash through glass panes, and bouncing back when smashing mirrors. If someone were clever enough to create a mirror made of steel or titanium, or a material that could absorb the impact, they could effectively launch Dream’s ability back at her.

This power is a mix of light around her and light surging off her own soul, so she draws strength in sunlight, moonlight and streetlight, but her strength decreases in the absence of light.

Fatigue sets in faster using her powers in pitch black, however, regular overuse of powers creates physical tiredness, lack of ability to focus, decrease in accuracy, and weaker light. Eventually, she just won’t be able to move and may pass out.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

@Blizz The redemption arc idea sounds great. Nice Naruto reference! I’ll be happy to review the CS tonight.

—

Apologies on the short delay, IC will be up in 12-14 hours. So excited now that we’re four people strong.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

@Lady Seraphina Such memes! So great!

@Blizz Thanks for the interest, I have sent a CS to your PM. What kind of character are you thinking of? I am looking for a hero to counter our villains, or did you want to villain it up as well?

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

@Shu It's gotta be pretty lonely at the top though, huh?

--

I'm still working on character sheets, it's proving a bit more difficult to make someone that I hope will be a great suit for Phantasm and Scarlet Shadow. But we are still on schedule for the first IC post in 1-2 days.