Leah

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@Skai

Wu sat hunched on the seat next to Eska. He looked around to make sure there was no one else that could overhear their conversation. He was uncharacteristically nervous as he looked at Eska. She was smiling at him, and that reassured him. He relaxed slightly.

"Remember last week, when I was telling you about the great Shun-Li's unfortunate incident with one of the gym equipment? That was a good story. But after you left, I remembered how my young son loved to hear about Shun-Li's adventures. I don't know but... a huge grief overcame me. I... I needed release from my own mind."

He took out a string of beads from his pocket. The beads were made of pentlandite - and very rare. They were a gift, given to him by the Grand Abbott after his initiation. Old man Wu had taken to clicking and rolling the beads in his fingers every time he was agitated.

"As you know, I am an acolyte of the Temple. Initially, I didn't believe in all this Raava nonsense. But then, my Mili forced me to join what I thought was a cult. But after a few sessions at the temple, I was beginning to find peace. When my Mili passed away, I spent hours in contemplation at the Temple halls. It gave me the strength to move on. The abbotts and the other acolytes helped me like you did, helped me get through some difficult moments in my life."

Wu could not imagine life without the temple these days. Every evening, after work, he would catch a train and go to Avatar Aang island, where the Temple of Raava was situated. He would meditate for hours, and sometimes chat with his fellow acolytes. It was a place of peace. Or, at least, it had been until a week ago.

"So when I felt heavy with grief for my son, I decided to visit the temple and meditate for a few hours. I went to the temple, found my usual dark corner in the meditation hall, and soon lost myself in the thoughtless peace. I lost track of time. By the time I ended my session, it was very late in the night." Wu scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "And... I may have gone to sleep while...ahem... meditating."

"Anyway, when I got up, there was no one in the temple. It was strange. There usually is one or two acolytes roaming about. But I heard voices." At this point, Wu's voice dropped in volume. "Not human voices. They sounded...guttural. Like that of a beast. Initially, I thought it was someone's pet bear-dog. But the voices were growing louder in argument. I saw light from a half-closed door at the end of a hallway. I really didn't want to get myself involved in anything, but I just couldn't help my curiosity. So I looked."

Wu grabbed Eska's hand and gripped it tightly. He was breaking out in a sweat as he recollected the events of that night.

"I... I don't know how to put it, Eska. But I saw... I saw a man. Only, he was not a man. He... he had horns. And a fierce muzzle, like that of a bull-deer. But he was standing on his legs like a man, and I could hear what he was saying. He was arguing with someone I couldn't see. But I knew the voice very well. It was the voice of our Grand Abbot, Father Guran. The abbot seemed to be pleading with him. But the bull-man was angry. He was talking about some prophecy. And about the City Center bomb blast that happened last week. The man... the way he was talking... I think he knows who did it. And he seemed bent on doing it again. 'Bigger than ever' he kept saying. 'We have to use the prophecy to our advantage,' he was saying. But suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air. He then said, 'Someone's here'. My heart was hammering in my chest. I stumbled backwards. I did not know what gave me strength. But I tumbled and ran like my pants were on fire! I didn't look back till I reached the bridge."

Wu was heaving as he relived that night. His knuckles were fight as he gripped Eska's hand, his own legs trembling and shaking.

"Since then, I have been living in fear, Eska. I am too afraid to go back to the temple. And I don't know if going to the police will be the right decision. I may be an old man waiting to die, but I certainly don't want to be dismembered or tortured by some maniac. You... you are a smart woman, Eska. What do you think I should do? Will the cops even believe me if I told them a bull-faced man was planning a terrorist attack with the Grand Abbot of the Temple? Even when I hear myself say it, it sounds ridiculous. Like an old man's overactive imagination or something."

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@Ithradine, @Double, @vancexentan, @BuzzKill, @Exit, @Skai

To handle combat in this RP, I am going to borrow a leaf from classic D&D combat.

When in a combat situation, like the one me and @Double are in right now, you can only do one of the following:

1. You can either stand where you are and perform a power attack
2. Or, you can move/dodge/jump/run to a different position/place and perform a regular attack
3. Or, you can stand where you are and perform two regular attacks

I leave you to be the judge of what constitutes a power attack, but I will step in should there be confusion.

A fire-bending punch, a water whip, a boulder throw, a gust of fast wind, a stab of a knife, the aimless firing of a gun, throwing a projectile are all examples of regular attacks.

A raging spout of fire, a powerful water wave, the raising and falling of multiple rock blocks, a whirlwind, a chi-blocking punch, aiming and firing a gun, shooting an arrow or crossbow - are all examples of power attacks.

In addition to one of the above 3 actions, you can always talk or otherwise communicate with your adversaries or your team mates.

While there is no perma-death, you can be penalized for defeat depending on the circumstances. You might lose a toe or two. Gasp!

As we progress along the story, hopefully your characters will get stronger and more experienced. This will reflect in the number of actions you can do in a combat scenario. For now, though, everyone gets only one of three.

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@Skai

"The moon is brightest at night. And so are you," said Old Man Wu, chuckling to himself. If his dear Mili had been alive to hear him flirt with a girl his granddaughter's age, she would have chased him around the block, creaking knees and all.

"And don't you get me in trouble again, young lady," he wagged his finger at her. "Last time I told you probending stories, the boss man wanted to fire me for wasting your time. Hmph!"

He made sure to mop while he talked, taking care to get the dirt between the floor tiles. The gym could have long since fired him. Or let him go in a dignified manner. But his wife Mili's death changed everything. He did not want to spend his final years stuck in the lonely house full of memories of her. He wanted to work for as long as he could. The work was therapeutic to him, something to focus his mind. The owners of the gym were kind enough to let him stay.

"But... I do have something to tell." He was uncharacteristically subdued as he broached what was weighing his heart down. "Eska, I don't know why I want to tell it to you. But... it will help me if you listen."

He was a bit anxious. Eska had always been nice to him, consoling his grief in those rare moments he thought of his family. Sometimes, he would imagine his son alive, married to someone like Eska. But he didn't, anymore. There were too many dead people in his memories these days.

He motioned to a row of chairs set against the wall by the large windows. Moonlight was streaming in through the windows, giving the place an ethereal lighting.

"Perhaps we could sit down and chat?"

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@vancexentan

Maika looked at him as if she was seeing a ghost. Or a miracle. Was this just an act he was putting on? But no, he seemed genuine. He sounded sincere. Maika turned around to face him.

"What gave it away was your kindness. No inhabitant of this city ever spared so much time for the poor and the weak. You know, if I had met you even a month earlier, I would have said you are a fake. Or I would have laughed in your face for your naivete. But... but something happened. Something that made faith meaningful. I wanted to see proof of the strength of hope. And now... I see you." She gave him one of her rare smiles. Not the flirty one she used on her marks. She felt genuine warmth emanating from him.

"The name is Maika," she said, offering her gloved hand to him. "And you and I are not all that different. I try to help the less fortunate. 'Try' being the operative word." She sighed. Why should good things be so difficult to do, while crime came easy?

"You know... there is a great ice cream place around the corner. The owner is a friend. She gives free ice creams to poor children once all the customers are gone. And she always needs more hands to help." She raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "There is a free raspberry smoothie in it for you. Or any other flavor really," she added with a small laugh.

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@Double @Exit

"Kid wants to fight," the Master replied as he walked back from the Cage. "Don't know if that's good news or bad."

"It is good news for you," Shiban replied, checking the makeshift cloth bandage he had wrapped around his left forearm to hide his tattoo while he had waited. There was no point flaunting his allegiance in front of a large crowd. He then made a move towards the entrance to the cage, but stopped as the Master laid his hand on him. He turned irritably.

"Now, look here Mister whatever your name is," the Master began, his features hardening. "I don't know why you are doing this crazy thing. It's your life. But if you try anything funny in there, I will stop you. Provided the Beast doesn't finish you off first."

Shiban raised an eyebrow in amusement. This old Master threatening him was the funniest thing he had heard in recent times.

"So what do we call you anyway?" the Master continued. "The Destroyer or something?"

Shiban grinned. Something nudged his memory, and he remembered a name from long ago. Why not, he thought. He controlled his manic laughter as he said, "Call me Sparky Sparky Boom Man."

His shoulders were still shaking with mirth as he entered the cage, while the Master scratched his head in bewilderment.

Shiban stepped into the glare of the cage. He couldn't see few feet beyond the cage as the floodlights momentarily flashed in his eyes. He pulled his probending cap lower on his forehead and approached the lone fighter standing there, having just smashed a block of rock to pieces.

"And here he is, folks!" the announcer was screaming. "The craaaazy fighter who wants to take on the Beast! My, look at the size of him! Well, as they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But let's not count our pig-chickens just yet. He might still pack a mean punch."

Shiban stared at Xun, the Beast. He was just a young man. But in the cage, he seemed much larger. Shiban nodded to himself. The prophecy seemed to be true. But he needed to test this kid to know his true mettle.

"Greetings, Beast," he called out from where he was standing. His legs were spread to imitate a solid stance. But he was light on his feet, ready to pounce away the moment the earth shifted under him. "It will be my honor to fight you."

He never broke eye contact with Xun as he stood his ground. Somewhere in the arena, a bell rang. It was time to fight.

Adult RP craving - Always open

Added one more plot

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@Ithradine, @Double, @vancexentan, @BuzzKill, @Exit, @Skai

In my IC posts, you will notice I tag one or more of you. But that shouldn't discourage the rest of you from reading those posts. Too often, I will be planting information or clues in these posts. Some of them will be stated as common knowledge. Some of them will be explicitly stated as being known only to a few. You might want to consider these nuggets in your posts to better align with the worldbuilding.

For instance, there was a major blast that claimed 200 lives a week ago in Republic City. It is considered to be an Equalist attack and the police are under a lot of pressure to find the culprits. This will have a bearing on all your individual plots. Similarly, other events and actions will have repercussions.

The way your individual scenarios are going to branch out, we will have a lot of overlap. And, hopefully, we can knit together an interesting RP.

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

My bad, @Double. I confused your announcer Gao with your alias.

@vancexentan - I finally have a scenario figured out for you. Maika will lead you down the rabbit hole should you choose to follow ^_^

@Skai - Got one for you, too. I believe Old man Wu has an interesting tale to tell. One that could potentially lead directly to your gruesome demise. But then again, who dares wins, right? ;)

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@vancexentan

Maika watched the man from the shadows. She had been watching him the whole day. She never lost sight of him owing to that distinct haircut. He was almost like one of those air nomads. But she had never seen him bend. Reluctant, or unable?

Her entire mission ought to hinge on whether he was a bender or not. But Maika realized she didn't care. The Equalist high command was still adamant about not allowing benders among the ranks. But there was a growing voice of dissent. How can we claim to be Equalists if we can't have benders, some were beginning to ask. And Maika was one of them. Yes, she hated the bending community for the imbalance of power and influence in society. But she also recognized the hundreds of benders who genuinely repented the imbalance.

And this possible air-nomad seemed to be one such compassionate repentant soul.

Maika's mission was to recruit potential Equalists. Naturally, a mission that required a lot of finesse. Equalists have long since been branded as terrorists in Republic City, and even a tiniest whisper in the wrong ears can bring the entire police force down on you. But times were desperate. Equalist numbers were dwindling, many seeing it as a lost cause. High Command wanted young blood. Fresh perspectives.

Maika still believed in the Equalists. Their motivation was noble. Their intentions, nothing short of equality. The movement itself may have been formed by an impostor for his own selfish ends, but it had gained popularity because there was a genuine need for equality. And there continued to be.

Maika was a young woman of 25, with bronzed skin and black hair. She was an expert chi-warrior and hand-to-hand combat specialist. And years of rigorous training had given her a striking body that turned heads. She was ideally suited for recruiting young men because of that very reason. But she somehow felt that her feminine charms may not work on this well-meaning social worker.

She wrapped a cloak tighter around her and left her hiding place. She preferred the direct approach anyway. She approached the man as he stood by the noodles stall. The bright neon lights threw his face in relief. He seemed a determined sort. She stood next to him and faced the noodle stall owner as if she was about to buy something. But she inclined her head towards him and met his eyes.

"It's not often I get to see someone look out for the poor folk in this city. You must be new," she said to him.

The White Lotus Prophecy - An Avatar (TV series) based RP

@Ithradine

Detective Chen appraised the newcomer. He ran a bored eye over his attire, noticing the clear Fire Nation origin of the clothes. The man looked tired, but stiff. His bearing indicated a tough upbringing, possibly military. Here was a puzzle for Chen.

"Let me guess," Chen began, adjusting his belt and expressing indifference. "Fresh off the boat. From the way you dress, I can tell you are not from around here. Not a penny in your pocket. Too proud to beg. Too nice to steal. So you thought you could get paid throwing your weight around and you decided the police department was the place to be."

Chen stood up and walked up to the man standing at attention. "Relax soldier," he said as he fished inside his pocket for a cigarette. He stuck it in his mouth and looked around for a lighter. He tsked in irritation when he could find nothing. He patted his pockets with the cigarette clamped in his lips and considered the young man once again.

"What's your name? What can you do beside show me how they stand in the Fire Nation army?" He asked, with a twinkle in his eyes. Detective Chen may have been relegated to the menial tasks, but he still knew how to read clues that were clearly presented to him.