Estylwen

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Everyone turns to their local monster hunter in dark times. :>

Recollections: Primal Sinister

I got a case for you, @PatientBean!

Recollections: Primal Sinister

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The Adel Estate, Southside
_{Mentions: Varnan (@Blizz) Interactions: Quill (@PatientBean)}

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Ah yes.

The Adel Estate, tucked away in the dark depths of Cloverfield South, surrounded by a cracked and aged field of gravestones. With its boarded up windows, three stories in height, and steepled, spiral tower rooftops. Complete with its own well water and pump connected to a generator, in-home geysers, at least two UPSes, and plethora of Victorian-era candelabras for when the power went out.

The heavy curtains were pulled over boarded up windows, and candlelight gleamed from within a lounge. The sofas were plush and embroidered, studded with rhinestone, and a chandelier above glimmered with little fires. Two occupants sat in the quiet of the lounge, a daughter, and her father.

“The cousins say that's five more times this month. It's becoming a problem. We can't keep letting these mountain savages encroach on our territories.”

Mountain savage. The word father used for the vampires of different strains, living in isolation in the snowy peaks.

The daughter turned to her father, dressed in embroidered silks, gold and gemstones. Her one eye turned up in a soft, reassuring smile, the other eaten by a verdant rose.

Lorenza spoke, her voice soft like a ghost haunting a grave, and melodious like wind chimes in Autumn.

“Father,” She purred, “There's something we haven't tried yet. The Fixer. They've gained some recognition in the years. I'm confident they will be able to look into our… problem.”

Her father nodded. “Alright, daughter of mine. Just be safe. The city is changing. I just… worry for you. You know I wouldn't be the same if anything…”

Lorenza softly shook her head.“You've taught me well, father. We can't stay hold up with the dead forever though, I'm afraid.”

Her father gave a slow, reluctant nod. “Then be off with my blessing, my daughter.”

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Quill St. Sebastien's Office

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As the footsteps of a quite upset Mrs. Gardner left Quill’s office, a new set of high heels clicked on the floor. A figure appeared in the doorway to the office, dressed from head to toe in embroidered black silk garments that covered every inch of her body. Her hands were gloved. Even her blouse had a high collar with its ascot. A heavy, laced black parasol with long, glass tube beads hanging down its edges obscured the woman's head. It was as if the woman was allergic to the sun.

Her voice carried the hint she was softly smiling as she walked into the room. ”Miss Sebastien, it's a pleasure. My name is Lorenza Adel. I have a… problem for you. It involves a lead, a Varnan Ingram…”

She gestured to the purple chairs. ”May I have a seat?”

Recollections: Primal Sinister

Lorenza Adel

"The air is thick with sorrow in Cloverfield."

_______________________________________________ Lorenza Adel She/her | 23 | Caucasian | 64 inches | 110 pounds _______________________________________________ Subtle _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Every tattoo has meaning. Every bullet is meant." ___________________________________ [+] Knowledge of the Adel Legacy ⫻ Everything that is within the Adel Coven, including its rituals, inductions, and clandestine tattoos. This also includes the well-mapped sewers and safe houses scattered across the North and South of Cloverfield. Knife Adept ⫻ She knows how to throw knives and darts, and wield them for self-defense. Gun Adept ⫻ She knows how to load and wield pistols and rifles.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ”My guests prefer a beautiful vampiress." She stands at 5’4 with a slender build, piano fingers and manicured nails. Her skin is pale alabaster, with just a touch of honey. Her hair is ashen blonde, curly, with loose bangs. It's of medium-length, and often pinned together in an elegant up-do. Her ears are pierced once. She has an elegant and intricate shoulder-to-elbow tattoo filled with hidden meanings about her family, or it should be said, coven, and its relationship with its parts, and the city. A notable scar on her person is hidden beneath the rose over her right eye. The skin looks like a many-faced star, with the heart of it right where the bud of the flower grows. Her right eye has long been dysfunctional, a mere scarred mass. She is often seen wearing elegant evening dresses, formal wear, and gold. Her rose she distracts from or disguises with veiled hats.

_{Psychology
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"Cloverfield: my lovely playground…"

MAIN GOAL ⫻ She wishes to find the sources of pain within Cloverfield, unearth them, and delicately exacerbate them. She also doesn't wish for other factions to have more power than herself over Cloverfield, and is very interested in ensuring the Adel Coven thrives. This means rooting out all the evil in Cloverfield, the wolves in sheep's clothing, so that only her soft and gentle evil remains.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Just because those around her are tools, doesn't mean she doesn't care about them. In fact, she might just care about a tool or a pet just as much as her own blood. She believes most doors open to subtlety, to well-placed generousness, and well-meaning. Intimidation is used as a last resort only. She prefers leeching information, and having that information to her advantage, as it can conquer before a blade can strike.

SECRETS ⫻ Her thralls of the Adel Coven often take part in ritualistic pain sessions, both physical and mental, to the benefit of the Adel family. She is completely fine with this. They also extort tributes from their thralls.

It is a family practice to reinvent themselves every twenty years or so in a new area of Cloverfield under a new name. Twenty years ago, they were known as the Lucilles Coven. This helps disguise just how long the Coven has had its roots in the people of Cloverfield.

Subtlety is most important for the Coven, however, and prefers to keep its existence a secret. However, it's only after the Cataclysm that the Adel Coven rose to the Lower District from their abode under the city, in the sewers.

SEXUALITY ⫻ N/A.

FEARS ⫻ She fears the Cataclysm happening again. She fears the police in the overworld of Cloverfield finding out about the Adel Coven. She fears the monsters coming to life in the city streets that threaten to disrupt her way and her family's way of living.

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE CATACLYSM? ⫻ Lorenza was present in the later stages of the fight, attracted to the overwhelming bouquet of pain and with a desire to protect Cloverfield from being wiped out, both in equal parts. Her curses were used to push back the onslaught.

FLAWS ⫻ On her worst days, Lorenza's competitiveness, cruelty, and cunningness get the better of her. These prevent her from seeing the bigger picture, and sometimes it takes a sharp jar for her to realize life is more than just extorting thralls.

_{Backstory
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"Sure, I'll share a little of who I am with you, since you're so well-behaved."

Vampires.

They exist, especially so in Cloverfield, though they haven't always been so pronounced in their presence.

But before we talk about Lorenza, we have to talk about the first ‘Adel’, the first of Lotenza's bloodline where, 200 years ago, they were cursed.

Yes. Vampirism, at least this strain, was and is a curse so powerful so as to be passed down to the next generations. A powerful Blue Lux wielder cursed the first ‘Adel' to outlive their family, to no longer derive joy from conventional food, to limit their movement by prohibiting crossing moving water, and to make them bloodless as a side effect of their cursed loneliness. And, cursed to curse others, and perpetuate the cycle of pain.

And so began the lonely existence of the Adels, trying to come to terms with their existence and cage out a slice of paradise for themselves despite their sorrows.

Lorenza was born to Jullius Adel and Maria Snow, the only possible way an Adel could actually have children. Adels were, in fact, a type of fairytale vampire, and so couldn't reproduce in ways normal humans, magic or not, do. So Lorenza grew up with a vampiric father and a wholly human, albeit magical, mother.

Lorenza noticed things were strikingly different from her mother. Mainly, her diet. While her mother ate fruits and vegetables, Lorenza preferred blood, and pain as an emotion. Once, her mother accidentally cut herself on a knife, and Lorenza immediately stuck the cut finger in her mouth, drawing out the pain. And Lorenza felt full afterward.

Lotenza also noticed another thing. Her mother aged, but Lorenza, after she reached twenty-one, stopped physically aging. She looked similar to her father, who also hadn't aged a dime.

Dialing back the years a few, when Lorenza was twelve, she saw the surface for the first time. Up until that point, she had lived under the streets in their home chiseled secretly into the sewer walls. It was midnight when she and her mother came up to the street level on the Lower District side of Cloverfield. Lorenza was in awe, staring up at the streetlights and watching cars pass along the streets.

However, when she and her mother were passing a particular alleyway, they were pulled in and roughly thrown to the ground. Men stood over the two of them, wielding knives and admiring the gold on them. But before they could put hands on her mother, Lorenza Kindled, and touched them. They immediately burst into black and red flames, and fell over each other as they tried to run away, before collapsing to the cement.

Mere moment later, the vision in Lorenza's right eye disappeared as a rose sprouted violently from within her eye.

Lorenza was officially an Adel.

From the night if her Kindling and onward, Lorenza would be involved in the deeper parts of the Adel Coven. Namely, participating in the pain and bloodletting rituals for sustenance, and perfecting her curses under the tutelage of her father.

“We need strong Adels. You will be the pride of our family, Lorenza.” Was what her father always said. Though his teaching method was strict, and punishment swift, Lorenza was attached to her father, and took on his lessons well.

Lesser family members, cousins and cousins-first-removed, were in charge of finding new thralls. Lorenza never suffered the bore of finding more willing victims unless it was what she desired. And when she requested doing her high-school studies in a proper school above, instead of being homeschooled, she found many, many disenfranchised youth of the North side of the line that were eager to find a way to get rid of their pain, dealing with insufferably vain parents. They were also more than happy to pay tribute. Her father was pleased.

Lorenza, among other powerful members of her Coven, made a stand against Nadine and Nyrah, hurling everything could at the villains. In the aftermath, a striking vacuum of power left the South wide open. Lorenza's father almost immediately purchased a mansion on the South side, and the Adels and their thralls began living on the surface, reveling in the night and prowling the streets.

Currently, Lorenza has been tasked with identifying other factions shaping up in the city, both North and South. Anything that would take a slice from their pie: The citizens of Cloverfield.

_{Abstraction
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"I can be your boon, or an excruciating bane..."

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Cursed Bloom - Vampiric Curses that affect the mind and body of the unfortunate. Blue and Orange Lux. Channeler is the red rose growing out of her right eye.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻

The Cursed Bloom has been passed down the Adel lineage for the past 200 years, manifesting itself as a rose of varying shades. The rose takes what it gives, demanding a sacrifice for its power - the true nature of a curse. With Lorenza's father, it took one of his hands. With Lorenza, it took one of her eyes.

With this exchange, Lorenza is entirely transformed. Cursed with immortality and the weaknesses of vampires, such as not being able to be in sunlight, cross moving water, or enter a home unbidden. However, she has a few boons. Appealing to the senses, fangs on her canines, and a diet that is fairly easy to maintain in the damaged city that is Cloverfield. She also has her developing curses that are unique to each Adel.

Curses are given by being in contact with Lorenza's aura, about a five foot radius. They have the ability to eat through Emotional Fields. The victim only needs to be within Lorenza's aura for a few seconds for the curse to slowly be applied. A curse takes about thirty seconds to be delivered in full. They cannot be healed with Green Lux.

Physical Curses

Internal Bleeding ⫻

Cuts and lacerations are struck through in all the internal organs of the victim, causing blood to pool in the stomach and other places it's not supposed to be. Coughing up blood and nosebleeds are common preliminary side effects. As it worsens, weakness, dizziness, low blood pressure, and unconsciousness are possible side effects. Left untreated, it could lead to death after a few hours.

Pain ⫻

The nerve endings all over the body are targeted and stimulated, sending pain impulses to the brain that overload the victim with acute sensations of pain. Whether that's burning or stabbing pain, it's really up to the victim's interpretation of the pain.

Mental Curses

Forgetfulness ⫻

The mind is cursed to forget recent events. This can be as short as the last ten minutes, or the last hour. The victim won't entirely forget; they will have scraps of nonsensical notions that they're forgetting something important, maybe a few foggy faces.

Demon Curses

Flesh Bane ⫻

This is currently the most powerful curse Lorenza has developed. After eating through a person's emotional-field (or attacking outright, though this way is less effective), the victim will catch fire. The fire is magical, consisting of red and black flames that act parasitic. They feed on flesh as a fuel exclusively. They also feed on the energy meridians that run through the body, disturbing the victim's homeostasis. So on top of having burns that have eaten chunks of flesh, they will also feel varying degrees of feverish, confused, and delusional.

Due to the flames not requiring oxygen to thrive, deriving all their nutrients from the flesh and energy of a victim, they can only be removed with excessive, explosive Lux, which puts the victim at risk.

Vampiric Nature

Pain Sense ⫻

Lorenza is able to sense the pain seeping off a person or being within thirty feet. This includes varying degrees of pain, such as discomfort, anxiety, depression, anger, and apathy. The more poignant it is, the more easily Lorenza is able to sense it.

Pain Absorption ⫻

If the victim is within Lorenza's aura, she is able to absorb that pain in its entirety. The victim will feel a striking, cathartic absence where their pain once was. It's incredibly soothing. No matter how much pain, anger, or grief the victim tries to will up, it all just disappears into a spiraling void. Lorenza is devouring these emotions in real time, and gaining fullness and satisfaction from it. She will often pretend to suck someone’s blood to make it appear like her bite has magical pain-sucking properties.

Blood Subsistence ⫻

Along with devouring pain, Lorenza also subsists on blood. She uses her fangs to pierce the skin, and suck blood. Her stomach is able to metabolize the blood, and she derives most of all her nutrients from it.

Emotional-Field Devouring ⫻

Due to her sensitive nature with emotions, it's an easy matter for her to sense Emotional-Fields, their structure and shape, and eat them. Though they provide no nutrition for her, they allow her curses to take an even deeper root into a victim.

Emotional-field devouring is effective for about ten minutes before it builds back up again.

Cursed Artifacts

Bloom Creations ⫻

A gift from her mother, Lorenza earned her Orange Lux from her, and is able to imbue objects with her curses. Curses that she has practiced many times before are easier to create into an artifact, while newer spells or entirely unique spells take a long time to imbue an object. This is a difference between days and weeks.

An example of a Bloom Creation Lorenza can make is a type of grenade. A stone that is imbued with a curse, that she can throw. It has her aura in it, allowing her to reach further places to infect with her curse without putting herself at risk.

The Original Bloom Curse

The Cursed Bloom ⫻

The Cursed Bloom was originally a curse placed on the first ‘Adel’ by a Blue Lux wielder. This cursed the Adel that, upon their inevitable Kindling, the Cursed Bloom would take effect. They would be immortal, bloodless. They would subsist only on blood and emotional pain. Their teeth would have sharp canines to puncture skin. They would be unable to cross moving water. They would not be able to enter a home without first being invited. Their females would not be able to procreate. And, in giving up something to their personal Bloom, they would be able to curse others.

LIMITS ⫻

All curses that Lorenza inflicts successfully, she gets rebound of 20% of the overall infliction.

Emotional-Fields take some time to eat through, and will not allow Lorenza to outright kill anyone.

Internal Bleeding ⫻

Unable to be healed with Green Lux, instead, the limit for this curse is that it can be undone in a matter of minutes by water blessed and sanctified by a priest.

Pain ⫻

A strong electrical current, such as one as strong as touching an electrical socket, and being sustained for a few seconds, can disrupt the nerve signals, and cause the curse to collapse, in need of being recast.

Forgetfulness ⫻

Staring into a mirror for a duration of time, between five to ten minutes, can cause the curse to collapse and the memories to be returned.

Flesh Bane ⫻

Explosive Lux to collapse the structure of the curse, such as a powerful lightning bolt, or fire, can put out the flames, though the burns will remain.

WEAKNESSES ⫻

As a vampire, Lorenza has all of the traditional weaknesses: unable to be in the sunlight, to cross moving water, or to enter a home without being invited. The presence of garlic or religious symbols (not just crosses, but of all religions) weakens her physically, along with magically. She also has the irresistible urge to count small objects spilled on the ground. Things like rice, grain, seeds, pills and similar - Lorenza has to stop and count every single grain, or she'll be in mental agony.

Along with this, as a vampire Lorenza is functionally undead. This means she's weak against magic that affects the undead - whether its Black Lux or other abstractions.

Lorenza's Emotional Field eating also drains her own Emotional Field. She can fully eat through an Emotional Field at the weakening of her own, and getting through more than one will completely sacrifice her own Emotional Field for ten minutes per extra Emotional Field eaten. Her spells can still work on those with partially eaten Emotional Fields (or full Emotional Fields), they're just not as effective.

Internal Bleeding & Pain ⫻ Lorenza can't absorb the pain caused by her own curse, whether through the wounds from Internal Bleeding or the nerve pain for Pain. If she tries to it'll be like eating garbage, and she'll throw it up.

Pain Absorption ⫻ While Lorenza absorbs victims pain for sustenance and get satisfaction from it, she also feels their pain as she drains it.

Bloom Creations ⫻ Making a Bloom Creation drains a bit of Lorenza's life force - making her weaker for a short time. The more she creates, the weaker she'll get... and it'll use up the fuel she got from blood or pain. After making a few Bloom Creations, she'll need to feed.

^{Other
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"I've scheduled a session for you with our psychologist next Tuesday."

Her Theme

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

It's true, though the side effects of eating Dremoras are uh, unknown at this point in time. xD

Donut let me know they're working on a post. Irradiant, ERode and I are working on a collab, and ERode and Psykers are working on their collab. I'll wait a few more days, but I will take control of Click if needed in order to have the Grand Bank scene flow smoothly.

Iris Ascendis

You know what that means. It's the Boss' turn again!

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

No worries, Lexi, just take your time. :)

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

"Say it right."

That slaps.

I think after @Herald goes, I'll post for the next round.

Iris Ascendis

Who are we waiting on now?

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

I haven't been able to get ahold of Rabid or Proxy, so I think you would be okay to take the initiative here, @SporkoBug :)