Legion X51

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

<Snipped quote by Legion X51>

Before I accept this CS, could you explain how the Pax Metahumana event has any ties to Rubis' powers?

@Dedonus

It doesn't. Because I'm a moron and didn't understand what it was all about, so, uh... let's say her powers triggered when Fran was about to die in the VCI explosion? And leave it there?

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

-redacted-

The Prophecy

-redacted-

The Prophecy

Call me out and be done with it, damn you.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

Jedi Temple Public Records - File #REK9047582

Name: Ryndarra Elinwen Kirileth
Species: Pureblood Sith
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Height: Six feet, one inch - 185.42 cm
Weight: 198 pounds - Approx. 90 kg
Date of Birth: Estimated 3670 BBY
Faction: Jedi Order
Rank: Padawan
Date of Elevation: 3655 BBY (Age 14)
Master: Jarr Gantor, human male, aged 59. See File #JMFG6439888 for more details.

---

Imperial Acquisition Notes - Pureblood Sith Ryndarra Kirileth - Fabricated by K. A. N. Sydarai

_{When and where was the prisoner acquired?}

This prisoner was acquired during the Great Purge of the Coruscant Temple during the war. This prisoner was subdued after a fire-fight, which indicates that the prisoner is perhaps not as well-trained in the skills of the saber as other Jedi taken prisoner from the temple compounds.

_{What is the prisoner wearing? Is this what the prisoner wore prior to capture?}

When captured, this prisoner was in the possession of fairly typical clothing of the Jedi Order: Knee-high brown leather boots, snow white cloth trousers, a snow white cloth tunic and robe, and a brown leather belt.

The prisoner's injuries were severe in the raid on Coruscant, and as a result, currently the prisoner is recuperating in a kolto tank. As such, it has not been deemed necessary to issue the prisoner clothing as of this moment; however, her old clothing is in storage - perhaps reuniting her with them may spark an emotional response, which can be latched onto and exploited. The prisoner had no padawan braid; initially, I thought that this was as a result of her inexperience and low rank within the Jedi Order - perhaps an initiate of some kind - but upon investigation, I have been able to determine that this was actually as a result of the firefight that occurred just prior to the prisoner's capture in the Temple, and that the prisoner *is* a fully-fledged padawan. According to reports from those who captured her, a stray grenade fragment seems to have scraped the side of the prisoner's head, close enough to burn flesh and hair. The remnants of a braid could be seen on the left side of the prisoner's head, close to several minor shrapnel lacerations.

The prisoner's injuries are, as ranked in order of severity:

Blaster bolt impact to the Chest - Severe
Shrapnel wounds to the head, chest, left arm and left thigh - Severe
Blaster bolt impact to the left shoulder - Serious
Blaster bolt near-miss to the left leg - Minor
Concussive shock to the brain - Minor

These injuries should be left to heal in the kolto tank, in my most humble opinion. The chest injuries in particular will be particularly debilitating to the prisoner if left unhealed, rendering her useless in a matter of moments under torture.

_{Were any items confiscated upon capture?}

There was one item of note confiscated upon capture; a surprisingly ornate lightsaber. The blade is yellow in colouration. The handle of the lightsaber is silvered with intricate gilded decorations around the hilt and hand guard - the exact chemical composition of the grip is yet to be analysed. Such an intricate weapon is most unusual in this instance. It should be investigated.

In addition, the prisoner was armed with a standard-issue Imperial blaster. It seems that the prisoner, instead of using what lightsaber skills she possessed, preferred to take her chances with a blaster against Imperial personnel. The likely course of actions she took was that initially she used her lightsaber, and then armed herself with the blaster once Imperial personnel outnumbered her considerably. According to reports, she was able to dispatch several troopers before succumbing to multiple injuries. If anything, this shows her versatility and willingness to use alternative methods to achieve her goal - something that could prove useful were she to be turned to the Empire.

_{What mistakes led to the prisoner’s captivity?}

The prisoner was, like many of these unfortunate wretches, in the wrong place, at the wrong time - at least from a Republic point of view. For us, however, a most valuable boon. It seemed from the setup of the room she was captured defending that she was preparing to meet with her master, perhaps to depart on a new mission out of Coruscant Temple. The room was a reading chamber of some sort, and Imperial personnel breached the door, gunning down a Jedi librarian inside before they were able to react. However, the prisoner was quick to respond, and felled several troopers before arming herself with a blaster and proceeding to use the gun to pin down Imperial reinforcements until eventually, the prisoner was subdued by a combination of wounds sustained from blaster fire and several grenades thrown into the room.

The prisoner had no real place to run. Defeat was inevitable; that she survived at all was fortunate.

_{What talents, if any, has the prisoner demonstrated with the Force?}

The prisoner did not demonstrate visibly much talent with the Force. What was shown was primarily basic Force powers, such as limited telekinetic ability, limited healing and Force-assisted acrobatics. Imperial Intelligence have estimated her abilities to be the following - bear in mind this also includes intelligence extrapolated from decrypted Jedi records of the prisoner, including age and estimated strength with the Force:

( ESTIMATION LEVELS: Untapped Potential / Green / Regular / Well-Versed / Crack / Elite )

Basic Force Powers - Regular
Force Healing - Green. Likely taught to her during her initiation. Unsure as to why, but perhaps it has been to assist in the purging of the Dark Side from her body and spirit. This will need to be kept under close observation.
Crucitorn? - Possibly Green - This is implied given her resilience to injuries sustained during the Coruscant Raid. Whether she is trained in it or not, I am unsure.
Force Stun - Green

_{Has the prisoner demonstrated any other skills?}

The prisoner, as explained before, has a remarkable talent for versatility in the heat of the action. Instead of continuing the battle with her lightsaber, the prisoner instead seemed to fall back on some form of soldier training, finding cover and utilising a blaster, pinning down Imperial troops in the doorway to the chamber. This implies to me that the prisoner is at least versed in common military tactical manoeuvres and training, which is unusual for a Jedi. It is of course possible that the prisoner may have simply been acting on instinct, but this is countered by the prisoner tricking several members of the Imperial military into entering the room after assuming that she had been incapacitated, only to gun them down and, in the confusion, reload and re-arm! Such a trick, although primitive, nevertheless indicates a highly tactically-focused mind.

In addition to this, the prisoner's files from the Jedi Temple, which have been recovered thanks to the efforts of several Intelligence personnel, indicate that the prisoner has quite a wide-ranging education, ranging from history (of course, told from a Republic standpoint, which no doubt will influence her view on the galaxy), mathematics, language, law, chemistry (of all things) and medicine. She is sharp-witted and sharp-tongued - Jedi records state that many times she has strayed from the Jedi Code's teachings, proving that she is vulnerable to corruption, yet also versatile in her approach to matters. She is also an excellent card player, indulging in games of sabacc, cribbage and bridge - according to files from her master, their preferred method of relaxation was a game of bridge with tea and cakes. A most civilised occasion. Perhaps this can be used?

Another interesting note; the prisoner speaks with a Dromund Kaas accent. You can take the Sith out of Kaas City, but you can't take the Kaas City out of the Sith.

_{No doubt prisoner resisted capture. What lightsaber form(s) did the prisoner demonstrate training in?}

The prisoner's primary lightsaber form is undoubtedly that of Form I: Shii-Cho. The prisoner also displayed elements of Form III: Soresu during the fire-fight that resulted in her capture, able to deflect blaster bolts with surprising ease and regularity, which would indicate at least a basic understanding of the tenets of Soresu. Whether the prisoner is able to utilise Form III in any way aside from blaster avoidance is unknown at the current time.

---

Jedi Classified Records - File #REK9047582 - Decrypted by K. A. N. Sydarai

_{How powerful is the padawan in the Force?}

The initiate has the potential to be great with the Force. Her Sith Pureblood lineage is no doubt the cause of this strength, for Republic intelligence has informed us that Ryndarra is the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Sith Order. According to further intelligence, this parent is known to be Seshan Kirileth, with her mother being Idirelle, a pureblood Sith that Seshan enslaved after a duel, and kept as a slave for the purpose of furthering the family. This undoubtedly would go a long way in explaining her power. However, she has been unable to temper her raw power with proper adherence to the Jedi Code, and as such her training has been somewhat retarded in its scope until Ryndarra can learn to embrace the Code more fully.

_{What is the Jedi’s history? What events has shaped his or her life before and after joining the Jedi Order?}

-ERROR: RECORDS CORRUPTED OR INCOMPLETE-

(Sydarai, K. A. N.: This was discovered on a data crystal found with the prisoner, in a pocket. It seems to be some form of life story, perhaps dictated to keep a record of her life. She may have been undergoing stress in her daily routines, and felt it necessary to vent to this data crystal. As such, it may prove useful.)

Where to begin... I suppose one must start at the start. What I can remember is this; my name is Ryndarra Kirileth. My father, Lord Seshan Kirileth, is a member of the Sith Order, and my mother... I don't remember. I think she was some slave he kept around for his own personal entertainment. I doubt I was her only child, at the very least. But then again, maybe I was... I do remember him doting on me, indulging my seemingly every will, perhaps nursing me to power at an early age. I remember growing up on Dromund Kaas, the planet of constant rain. I remember a nanny who took care of me when father was out, or away, or off-planet, and I remember the guards who I used to play with. The guards in particular were nice to me... I remember them watching drilling every now and then, when I could get away from the nanny who would forever want me to practice my numbers or my letters in Aurebesh or Ancient Sith. It was so interesting to watch them fight each other, and it was even better when they used to spot me waving from the balcony, and then they'd do things to impress me, like marching up and down in perfect step! But I also remember the time when some associates of my father said that I'd have to go to Korriban soon. I think I was about five or six at the time; that's usually when the Sith send their children off to be taught - well, more like butchered, if any stories are true - at Korriban Academy.

I remember this so clearly it's unnerving. My father shook his head and muttered something under his breath, and then, when they had left our home, he flew into a rage! By the Force, I'd never seen him so angry. He said that he'd never abandon me to the Academy, that he could train me himself! I don't know why he said it, because he wasn't that strong in the Force, nor was he all that high in the Order, but he was adamant; I'd never see Korriban unless it was to be inducted. I don't know what the *rest* of the Sith Order would have made of that, mind... probably toss him out on his kiester and tell him to shape up or ship out. Or whatever it is the Sith do to those kinds of people. Probably not as nice as that, actually... But I never really did see Korriban, not with my own eyes. All I saw of it was from holo-vids and the like, never the actual planet. My father, apparently so keen to introduce me to the ways of the Sith, began to train me himself in physical exercises that I didn't really understand, or appreciate for that matter. He would work until I was sore and aching all over, and then make me work more, because he said that through pain came progress, and that pain and anger should fuel your energies. It was a real shock to the pampered life I'd led before. It took a while for the lessons to sink in... but they did, I think. The person who was supposed to train me in the ways of the Sith never arrived to the best of my knowledge.

What he then did I'll never be able to explain. He took me, his only child that he actually gave half a credit about, to the front lines. He was anxious to prove himself to the higher-ups, I guess, and he took me along to this world that the Republic and Empire had been fighting over for months, I don't remember the name. (The planet was Berdan III. - Sydarai) But the planet had mostly been taken for the Empire, so he decided to take me there to show me what happened to those who opposed the Empire. Up the Imperials, and all that. So you can imagine his shock when the Republic launched a counter-offensive that ended up driving all the way back to the starting trench lines! That was when the Republic simultaneously struck at the Imperial command tower that my father and I were residing in, with a Republic commando team, no less.

What happened on the planet after that is unknown to me. Master Gantor told me that I was found, half-dead and concussed, by Republic troopers sifting through the wreckage of the tower once it had been blown by the commando teams. At first, several of the troopers wanted to shoot me (Surely not! An innocent young girl, murdered in cold blood? That's not the Republic way... is it? - Sydarai) but their commanding officer, a man called Sergeant Arwine, said to spare my life and get me medical attention. It's funny, considering how often my father derided the Republic and called them spineless cowards - they came very close to shooting me in cold blood without so much as a by-your-leave. Perhaps the Republic aren't so spineless after all. I was loaded onto a medical transport and delivered to Coruscant, whereupon I was separated from the other prisoners - not that there were many - and taken to the Jedi Temple there.

There, my fate was decided. Some wanted me to have nothing to do with the Jedi Order, viewing me as unsuitable for its tenets. They said that the dark side ran strongly within me, and that the Jedi code was incompatible with such traits - far better to have me simply kept under guard at all times as a prisoner. Others saw me as too dangerous to be left alone with my powers with the Force, and advocated training me, but kept separate from all others - almost trained in a one-on-one situation. I don't exactly remember what they decided - obviously I was to train with the Jedi, but my early training I can't remember much about. But I do know the location of my training - H'Ratth. I can only guess that H'Ratth, with its emphasis on healing and rejuvenation, was the perfect place to purge the dark side energies in me. Whether it was successful or not, I guess only time will tell.

I was ostracised, isolated like a quarantine victim, a victim of my own blood. They kept me away from all the other children my age - all I knew were these people so much older than me, who taught me, who drilled the Jedi Code into my head. It seemed to defy the Sith Code in all things - there is no emotion, there is peace. But the Sith said peace was a lie. And then I think to myself - if peace was a lie, what would happen if the Empire won? Who would the Empire fight? (This line of thought needs to be purged from her. It's dangerous. - Sydarai) But the Jedi seemed to instil in me a sort of... peacefulness. A calmness that I'd not felt... probably ever before. I was much stronger in the Force than the others of my age, but still they held me away from the others... even when they thought I was able to control my dark side urgings. Why? Was it simply my Sith appearance? Was I some trophy to them, the first Sith raised from an early age to be a Jedi initiate? Perhaps trot me out at grand occasions? Or did they not know what to do with me? I'd passed my tests on H'Ratth, I was eligible to become a Padawan, and yet they kept me back... and back.

But then, Master Gantor arrived. He had heard of me and read up on who I was, where I had been and all about me. And he wanted to see if he could mould me into a Jedi Knight worthy of the Republic. So I began my training underneath him. Master Gantor was a warrior first and foremost. He was a man of action, a man of staunch resistance and stern temperance. A laconic man who believed he could forge me into a weapon of the Republic. He trained me, he taught me to control the darkness within myself, the darkness within perhaps all of us. I think Master Gantor saw in me something that nobody else saw; I think he saw a way to turn the dark side into the service of the light. We journeyed aplenty in the Republic, purging insurgencies on planets such as Sormoran IV and Jar Harrad, and he trained me in the art of the saber. The insurgencies were interesting - some were simply separatist movements, but others were more... insidious, some of them were Imperial cells. It made me think about things... inwardly, I felt wary about trusting people. Some of those we had met shortly after landfall on Jar Harrad had turned out to be members of an Imperial cell operating on the planet. It was strange, fighting those who you had once considered brothers or sisters-in-arms... Master Gantor was still wary of my potential, I felt... he didn't seem all that keen on expanding my knowledge of the Force. I never confronted him about it, but I felt the same thing as before - were the Jedi keeping me back as a result of my species, my bloodline?

I guess only time will tell. We're going back to Coruscant for a while. Hopefully these matters will be sorted out soon. From one extreme to the other. That's the best way to describe my life so far. I was first to join the Sith, and then suddenly, here I am thrown into the Jedi Order, and expected to subscribe to their mantras of peace and serenity. When there's a war going on, I'm expected to be serene and peaceful when hundreds of thousands fight and die every day?

_{What associates does the Jedi have? How close is he or she to them?}

This individual has very few associations. This is of her own doing. (Hah! I think not. - Sydarai)

_{Has the subject encountered any Sith that are presumed to still be alive?}

No Sith encounters are recorded with this individual.

---

Out Of Character Information - Legion_X51

Any limits on what may happen to your character?
Not particularly. I'd prefer it if she wasn't executed, but if things go that way, then she might have to die.

How will your Jedi maintain his/her calm in captivity?
Like most Jedi, I think she'll maintain it largely through hope, meditation and bloody-minded raw will.

Is your Jedi able to hold out well against pain and torture?
Ryndarra is no stranger to a good physical battering. It will take a lot to get her screaming. Mentally, she's probably much more susceptible. Her raising by the Jedi and their treatment of her during her adolescence has riven great scars in her outlook on the world.

If given the chance to escape from the Sith Compound, will your character go for it?
If she falls? Hell no. If she remains true to the light, then she will try.

If not, why?
If she falls to the dark side, then she's going to want to prove herself on the other Jedi, that's for sure. If she doesn't escape from the prison and remains a Jedi, she might stay to help those gravely injured by the Sith's torturings.

What goals do you have in the IC?
Have fun. Anything else is optional.

Do you have any character secrets that the players and/or GMs can use? (you may send these in PM)
... ehehehe. Wait and see.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Issues Surfacing

&

Location: Just outside of Reeves Estate
Time: Morning (2 am +)

Benjamin and Katarina walked for another half an hour before they arrived at Ben’s estate. The stone masonry gave it a more gothic appearance than most locate houses and wasn’t helped with its sharp architecture, for once making the boy painful aware how much it stuck out among Hudson Valley. Not wanting to draw out the unpleasantness, he began to walk to the glass front doors and raised his knuckles to rap sharply upon the frame to be let in. He didn’t exactly remember taking his house keys with him when he literally leapt out of his second story window into the pool.

The interior lights came on one by one as he could hear someone-likely Lorrie- scrambling about. A feminine figure gradually made her way toward the foyer and open the door.

“Who, in their fucking right mind, would be knocking this-,” Lorrie’s voice abruptly stopped when she spied Benjamin standing to one side on the steps. Immediately her sleek, dark grey eyes narrowed on her would be step son causing her lips to press tightly for a moment. After it passed, her tone became sharp and commanding, “What in the world are you doing out here Benjamin Ethan Reeves! Do you know what time it is? Past midnight. Do you know who could’ve seen you running around like some juvenile delinquent. Do you know the effects that would have on your fath-”

Before she could call Daniel father or get farther in her ranting at him, Benjamin coughed. He then tilted his head toward Kat’s direction. Lorrie glanced into the figure standing behind him and her eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expected a younger lady behind him. The tension in her figure gave Ben a slight and subtle pleasure to know he caught her off guard, her outburst making a scene in front of someone that could’ve been connected to someone important. Lorrie wasted little time trying to recover from her would be step son’s first move in their little chess game, her tone faked a motherly and apologetic tone toward Katarina, “I’m honestly sorry. I didn’t see you there. Come in both of you, we’ll call your parents and Benjamin and I will have a discussion over his behavior…”

As Lorrie turned to head inside, Ben looked at Kat, “Now you see what I wanted to avoid this… so after you.”

He gestured with his hand for her to go first.

Katarina seethed as she watched this ape, this… veritable harridan chastise Ben in such a manner. How dare she be angry with him instead of looking after his well-being, instead of making sure he was alright, he was healthy, fed and watered? It reminded Katarina of her own parents - the Graf and Grafin von Rysech never overly cared for her own welfare, and most often entrusted her to that old letch Revinskas… the things he must have dreamed of doing, they made Katarina shudder with disgust, which she quickly disguised as a shiver in front of the humans. Katarina could see what Benjamin was saying about his parents - more concerned about themselves than their progeny.

“Ben, you might not like what I’m about to do. If you want, I’d look away.” She shook her head and looked at the woman with a slight snarl - she was planning on playing the dutiful little companion, but her disgust was such that she felt like she needed to set things straight immediately. Instinctively, she looked directly into the woman’s eyes, and her own eyes glowed red, two dim beams of light streaming forth from her dead pupils into the woman’s… Katarina connected instantly with the woman’s mind, implanting her own thoughts and commands, smashing through whatever weak will the woman could muster up in response.

“Du wirst so etwas nicht machen. Du wirst uns hereinbringen. Du wirst nicht von diesem Ereignis sprechen. Du wirst uns nicht stören. Du wirst über dein Leben gehen, als wäre nichts passiert. Verstanden?” The woman slowly nodded, repeating after Katarina. “I will do no such thing. I will take you in. I will not speak of this event. I will not bother you. I will go about my life as if nothing happened. Verstanden.” Kat looked over at Ben, and winked. “Didn’t I tell you I could move aside even the stubbornest obstacle?”

Ben’ eyes tightened in order to try to decode what Katarina meant. His attention shifted to Lorrie whose head turned back to Kat and suddenly went slack, any sense of awareness gone from her figure. It was bizarre to see on a woman with an utter value on presentation just standing there like a mindless doll. When Kat winked at him, it began to slow click together what had happened and some sort of mind influence or control was in play here. For a moment, it made Ben uncomfortable. Not because he secretly cared for Lorrie, but he got the sense that if Katarina had the motivation to, she could easily abuse this power on him. There was a slight nagging that maybe she already did.

On a gut feeling, he inhaled a quick sniff. That familiar scent, close to Rune and Katarina herself, sparked into his memory causing him to relax. Through he didn’t have a clear memory, his instincts told him she had been kind enough not to use this ability on him while she spoke German earlier. This made him relax a bit through observing the aftermath was still uncomfortable and strange to him.

“Well, that is a useful trick. It give me an idea, mainly to make things easier for what I need later,” Ben said as he entered the house after Katarina, his hand gently shut the door behind him with a soft snap, “Think you can insert the idea and sense of need for a few days trip to Las Vegas, Nevada? I have some business there that I rather not become a missing child in order to accomplish it.”

As he stepped farther in, he then added, “I also don’t think you need to bother with Daniel, he won’t notice me coming in this late unlike Lorrie. To be honest, unless we encounter reporters or other media, I don’t exist to him. Something I prefer often enough.”

Katarina frowned. An odd request - Ben had made several of these odd requests, that was for sure, but she supposed he had his reasons. And her best chance to start making it in this new, modern world was to stick with him, and go along with him. She nodded after a brief moment of hesitation, and then looked back into Lorrie’s slackened face, ready for new instructions. “Wir müssen nach Las Vegas, Nevada gehen. Widersetzen Sie uns nicht. Fragen Sie uns nicht. Stellen Sie sicher, dass auch niemand anderes tut. Verstanden?” Lorrie once again nodded and repeated after her. “You need to go to Las Vegas, Nevada. I will not oppose it. I will not question it. I will ensure no others question it. Verstanden.” Katarina nodded. “Sie können jetzt gehen.” Lorrie sloped away, seemingly uninterested in anything else around her other than Katarina’s instructions. Hopefully they would last long enough for Katarina and Ben to leave for Vegas… Hopefully.

Kat walked over and leaned on a wall, glancing around at the house, whistling slightly in satisfaction. It wasn’t the Tower, but it was likely to have a lot more creature comforts, if the modern world was anything to go by.. “Nice place you and your family have. Whereabouts will you be putting me? In the basement so I can be an evil monster who spooks the children if they don’t go to bed early? Rawr.” Katarina growled mockingly and scratched at the air towards Ben. “Or do you have somewhere else in mind? Of course… I don’t sleep, so it doesn’t actually matter where you put me per se, just interested… that’s all. Some place I can indulge in Kaffee und Zigaretten… The only vices I allow myself nowadays.”

“Unless you like cliche horror movie themes, but I figured you were too classy for the basement. Through you’re going to have to explain what Kaffee und Zigaretten is as I don’t speak German,” Ben stated. His eyebrow raised in question, his face turned to Katarina and sized her up, “As for places, we have either the downstairs guest room or as I mentioned back at the school, my upstairs sanctuary. It’s private, got an extra shower and you won’t have to encounter Daniel or Lorrie until we’re ready to leave.”

He let her digest the information he gave before a loud growl rumbled through his stomach, causing him to casually avert his eyes sight and consider how to escape long enough to satisfy his hunger. With the multiple shifts, his metabolism had burned a lot of energy causing him to require much more than was normal. He also had a craving for raw meat as well, unsure if Emma had set anything out ahead of time or if he would have to defrost something.

“Movie? What’s a movie? You’re going to have to explain about as much to me as I will have to explain to you at this rate. As for your question… ah, my only vices nowadays, coffee and cigarettes. And if I can get it, chocolates - schokoladen in German. I keep forgetting you don’t know my language… I might have to restrict my use of the language around you, save you getting confused over what I’m saying or doing.” Katarina stretched, her joints cracking in several ways that joints… perhaps shouldn’t really crack. She rolled her head about, almost as if trying to loosen some tension in her neck, and then looked back at Ben. “Probably for the best of us both if I go upstairs with you - keeps me out of the way of your bösartig kleine schlampe... no, you don’t want to know what I just said. Besides, we can get to know each other better that way. You know…” Katarina gave a derisive chuckle. “Yes, get to know this random vampire who just appeared out of nowhere and now you took back to your place. It sounds so odd when you put it like that, right? Sounds… almost absurd, but then again, life is absurd. In wonderful ways.”

“You’re talking to a teenager who just pretty much discovered I’m a freak among the supernatural and have a very uncomfortable connection to what I believe are ghosts. I’m getting a little worn out over surprises popping up randomly. Personally, I’m expecting a giant, pink elephant to be sitting in my room right now at the rate my day is going,” Ben answered honestly. He lead the way toward the spiral stairs leading up to his lofty bedroom where he suspected it to be a complete mess from his transformation. Unless the Agency officially cleaned up the mess, he figured he would have to literally block the broken window in his room and still needed to satisfy his hunger.

Katarina started up the stairs, but quietly, so as not to disturb those who perhaps were sleeping in the house. Like Ben’s father, perhaps. “I’ll see if I can find these quarters of yours you’ve mentioned… I assume from that noise you’re getting something to eat? Ah, the advantages of a blood-based diet…” Katarina snickered and climbed the stairs.

“I’m going to see if I got any meat upstairs, first. Then I’m going to raid the kitchen down here but I’ll likely have to defrost it in the microwave. Besides, someone needs to show you what a movie is and keep you occupied.”

When they finally reached the room, he lead her from the loft through the gym and into the media room. It looked like every tech junkie’s dream with surround sound system, two forty two inch screens on one single wall and more. He gestured for Kat to follow him toward the couch and big screens where a small snack bar was stationed nearby making this room seem like a homey mini theater.

“Just take a seat and I’ll pop in a DVD you can watch while I get something to eat.”

When Kat sat down, the lights dimmed and suddenly the screens flickered on with moving pictures.

Katarina watched, agape, at the screens. They had pictures. Moving pictures! Was this magic? Had technology really progressed to the point where one could watch what might as well have been moving paintings on a screen? Maybe they could see what was going on on the other side of the world, perhaps. Ben had mentioned something called a DVD… and a microwave… a kitchen obviously she knew about, but in her day, kitchens were still mostly separate from the main living quarters, in their own building, although in some areas such as England or the stately homes of France and Italy, the kitchens were an addition to the main building instead of their own construction. It would certainly be an interesting time. Katarina got to her feet and walked over to a pile of small plastic boxes, which had pictures and names written on them. One of them struck her interest - one of these ‘DVDs’ with a strange red-clad man… called ‘Deadpool’ on the front of it. Frowning, Katarina opened it and saw the circular disc that, too, had the same picture on it. “Interessant…”

“If you want to watch that movie instead, hit this button and place the round disc into the tray completely flat. Then press the button again before making your way to the couch. The DVD is set that it will begin to play the movie almost immediately. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to grab something to eat,” Ben commented as he moved toward the nearest mini fridge to rummaged through for something to eat. There wasn’t much that he was carving as he originally suspected. He sighed, then grabbed a soda from the top counter before he popped the tab and set it on the table where Kat would likely sit. The brand was Dr. Brown’s soda and black cherry flavor too. He guessed she might enjoy the red color and strong cherry flavor.

“I’ll be right back. I think I smelled a steak thawing down stairs, there’s more soda in the mini fridge over here. Some snacks in the bar over there, just help yourself if you’re able to eat that sort of thing.”

“Mmm, will do. Thank you… again.” Katarina followed the instructions that Ben gave her, and marvelled as the DVD began to play its contents. She sat there, fascinated by the technology more than anything else, and then she got to her feet and rummaged through the snacks on offer. She took out a bag of what were called ‘potato chips’ and a bar of chocolate, and then went back to the seat, taking a sip of the drink that Ben had set in front of her. Recoiling in surprise and slight bewilderment as the fizzy beverage buzzed on her tongue and in her mouth, Katarina took in the taste and smell of the drink. Highly artificial, but very palatable. Modern food had been much improved since days of old. She knew that her consumption of mortal food would end up strengthening her thirst for blood, but she didn’t care. She was safe, with a handsome man all to herself, in the comfort of modern technology.

As far as she cared, nothing else really mattered at that moment.

About less than half an hour later, Ben had returned with about seven packages of various meats. It all ranged from skirt steak to bottom rounded roast, most of them heated in the microwave enough to thaw and completely raw. His nose twitched but the aroma wasn’t appealing to him compared to fresh meat causing his stomach to twist in reaction and already judge the priorly frozen meat before he had tried it. Mentally Ben made a note to start stocking his mini fridges with his own meat reserves in the future through that was bound to get costly.

Slamming the door shut behind him, he then moved toward the nearest table and dropped the hoard he had managed to find. He tore into the two skirt steaks first by ripping the thin plastic top and began to rip off chunks to satisfy the hunger. There was still hints of ice in the center but he bit back the chill sensation in his teeth and continued to devour it like a piece of jerky. He plopped beside Kat to watch the movie while he ate.

Katarina kept an eye on both the movie and Ben as she watched him devour his food hungrily. She had been munching on the snacks that Ben had provided for her, and now as he flung himself down on the couch, Katarina gently shifted over to lean slightly on him, watching the film intently. She sniffed at the air - it was heavy with pheromones, Ben’s cologne and… probably something else he wore, her own perfume and the smell of meat. So many scents, so much in the air. She leaned her head on his shoulder and smiled. “Thank you once again for your hospitality… So. What do you need to go to Las Vegas for?”

Benjamin paused in his eating, noticing the closeness of Katarina. Truthfully this was the closest he had ever been to the opposite gender, at least one that wasn’t a snobbish witch, and for a moment his mind went blank to the answer to her question. After it passed, he relaxed then debated on telling her. Seeing little harm in it, he decided to be mostly honest with her, “I owed two guys a favor, which they asked I help them with a job in Las Vegas. I hate owing people as I don’t like being dependent on others, so I figured I would return it by giving them some help in locating what they are looking for.”

He took another bite, his teeth tore into the beef and felt the cold blood dribble down his chin a bit. He lifted up to reach for a napkin to wipe it away the liquid before he shot and sank the crumbled paper into the wastebasket. Ben laid back into the arm as he then asked Kat a question of his own, “So, after you got out of the coffin what happened?”

“After the coffin… mmmh. Not my finest hour. There I am, in front of a whole load of gawping mortals who were looking at my coffin as the exhibit it was. I did some theatrics, and then some security guards ran over… guns drawn. Now, bearing in mind I’ve just woken from a 400 year nap, my thought processes were a bit murky. So when one of them went to open fire… well… I…” Katarina faltered and sighed, looking down at the ground. “I killed him with my bare hands. And then slaked my thirst… because that was my instinctive response. And then things went from the sublime to the ridiculous. There was this girl… no idea what her business was, but she… she had Excalibur. You know, the ancient famous British sword from the days of the Romans? She had the sword, it was right there… and I thought she was one of the Grail Knights. But no… just some girl who was the reincarnation of King Arthur, allegedly. And some magical sorceress-type, who of course called themselves Merlin.” Katarina took a drink of the soda. “And then after they showed up, they took me to this… pocket dimension thing which I didn’t completely work out how it worked, but it had a huge library.” Katarina smiled and nodded. “There I learned a lot about the modern world… and then I looked you up. American werewolves. And so… After that I decided to see if I could track you down, and the rest is history.”

“You killed someone?” Ben leaned back and absorbed the fact, his eyes glanced up at the ceiling as the words echoed in his attention. It seemed first times were crappy for everyone. He was lucky, he only went on a joy run through New York or shifted at the wrong time like in the museum. As far as he knew, he hadn’t killed anyone. The thought hit him as a memory, hazy and unfocused, jarred across his attention. A dead woman, a large Alpha wolf and the encouragement to devour human flesh. He shuddered realizing that despite his self control, even werewolves were able to take a life.

After the slight pause in the conversation, Ben spoke again, “I guess first times are shitty for everyone, uh?”

Katarina could smell his blood, and the blood of the meat that he was eating. She thirsted. She had been using much of her energy to conjure up her magic in the necromantically-weak areas of this city - she’d have to look into that later - and she needed to recharge. But she couldn’t simply go and find someone to feed upon… or feed upon him… could she?

As if reading her mind, Benjamin then asked the most daunting question he dared to, “Is feeding a regular thing for you? I mean do you need to?”

Katarina’s gaze fell to the floor. “Yes. If I don’t… then I die.” She looked over at Ben, a mournful expression marring her features. “I tried for decades in Neuhausen to free myself from this curse. All I could do was create a chalice that was ever-filled with blood… so I never had to feed on the common people. I lost the chalice during the Fall… So now I’m back to square one. All that time and effort wasted.”

“Alright, answer me a few questions: Does it have to be living blood? Any type or a specific one? Any requirements?”

Katarina looked back at the floor in front of her and sighed. “From my research, and this might only apply to my breed of vampire, but I don’t know… But it must be human or of human origin… and it must have come from a living or very recently deceased person. It must be iron-based.”

“Look, I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. I’m trying to figure this out,” Ben explained as he continued to puzzle the problem in his head, “How are you feeling right now? You have fought recently and anything else you can tell me?”

“Ben… You… You’ll know the answer I’m about to give.” Katarina looked back at him, and shook her head, before continuing. “That last fight… took a lot out of me. I need to feed. And soon.”

Ben fell into silence once more. His head turned to the video and watched the scene, the part where the character went through series of torture in order to active his mutant powers. At the moment, he found himself relating in a moral sense before he spoke, “As much as I hate Lorrie and Daniel, I can’t really allow you to feed on them… that only leaves one choice…”

Letting the words linger, he then turned to her, “Me. So, that’s settled and now my last few questions are related to how in the world do we do this and is there anything I need to know before we do?”

“B-but… you…” Katarina sighed and bared her fangs. “I haven’t fed on a living being in 400 years. I don’t even *remember* what happens. I do remember it getting quite heated though, so we should probably be prepared for anything. I also remember both parties enjoying it… quite… a lot...” She cocked her head to one side. “Shall we find out?”

Ben arched an eyebrow in question at her statement that both parties enjoyed it quite a lot. This time when she bared her fangs, he wasn’t fazed and managed to hide the shudder that ran up his flesh. It wasn’t anything against Kat, but a natural reaction to the primal fear that ran in his human veins. His head leaned upright as his hand scratched the back of his neck lightly in hesitation, “Alright, fair point as many people can’t even remember beyond a week. So heated and enjoyable… that sounds an awful lot like sex. There’s one issue, I’m not sure how my ‘wolf’ is going to react to this whole experience. I don’t think you want me shifting in the middle of feeding so...shit.”

He leaned his head back and pressed his palms to his eyes, rubbing them a bit to relieve the tension in his head, “Bad part, there’s no other choice is there. I really don’t want you to die or feeding on Daniel or Lorrie, the media aftermath would be a nightmare.”

Benjamin inhaled then raised his head back upright, “Alright, but if I turn then keep me in the room no matter what. I don’t really want to wake up naked in the middle of someone’s backyard later.”

“This will be as much an experience for me as it will be for you. No promises about how we end up, but I’ll do my best to keep things under control.” Katarina slowly approached Ben’s neck, before taking several deep breaths. After some deliberation, she finally took the plunge… and sank her fangs into his flesh.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

-redacted-

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

-The Pocket Dimension.

Katarina reclined wearily on one of the leather sofas that dotted the room in which she had made herself comfortable in. Say what you would about Merlin, at least she knew how to make a guest feel at home. Thirst lay on the floor beside her as she looked up at the ceiling, rambling away to herself. Soliloquies were an odd habit of hers, yet they often helped her make sense of the situation at hand. Besides, half the time Katarina was actually talking to her sword, not to simply herself. "So much to attend to, so much to catch up on. Four hundred years of human history to read up on, so much to understand. I suppose I should attend that poor man's funeral to thank him for imparting his knowledge of modern society to me. I was hoping that I would wake up because of a group of attendants, not as a naked museum exhibit, and then to have some people level guns at me, not the wake-up call I was wanting. Speaking of which... I should probably clothe myself in something. Eva got an eyeful, the poor girl." Katarina conjured some shadows in front of her and then began to spin them into the form of a loose-fitting gown that would simply afford her a degree of modesty. Katarina wasn't used to the sensation of shadowthread on her skin - it was strangely stimulating, almost akin to a silken dressing gown crackling with energy. Katarina could see the tendrils of shadow slowly snaking their way into the local environment and then dissipating into nothing, and she smiled with satisfaction. "I still have it. Four hundred years, and I can still maintain some of my magic. But there's so much I don't know... or can't remember. My masterpiece, my pride and joy, my life's work - the Liber Necronomica. I haven't heard anything of it - it was probably lost in the Fall of Neuhausen, burned along with the Black Library. So many things that I've lost, so much to recover."

Katarina relaxed, lying back on the couch and reaching down to pick up Thirst from its place on the floor, when a loud, harsh and grating voice boomed from the screen in front of her. Her knowledge gleaned from the guard's blood told her that this was a television, a device used by modern humans for both entertainment and educational purposes, and its usual programming had been interrupted by some announcement from an organisation. Allegedly, they saw themselves as the guardians of humanity against those that would threaten it, against the supernatural. They had supposedly eliminated the premier counter-supernatural agency responsible for public security in the process, no doubt deeming it superfluous to their requirements. Kat snickered at the short-sightedness of the group's actions; counter-intuitive in the long term, though potentially a source of new recruits disillusioned with their previous commanders' actions, they had also taken the offensive, attacking several areas - high profile targets, they had called them - and no doubt declaring their intentions to the supernatural community. Kat shook her head. It was akin to her actions in the invasion of Pomerania in 1594 - by declaring her intentions to spread her rule into the lands of the Griffon and with her initial salvoes of disease spreading like wildfire, she had instead laid herself vulnerable to attack by those who would seek to bring about the Fall - and ultimately succeed. It was interesting to note their rhetoric - they sounded similar to another individual that she knew of... the hated Plantagenet.

However, he was no terrorist, unlike these men and women, the Hounds of Humanity. By striking at the government, it was likely that they had drawn the ire of the American leadership - perhaps even the President himself. President. That was a new concept to Kat. The rule of the majority, the tyranny of the common man made manifest in the United States of America. She didn't trust it as far as she could throw it, as far as she was concerned. Rule of the people by the people for the people was doomed - they were too selfish, venal and corrupt to be trusted with power... far better to allow the enlightened to rule over the masses. Though monarchy, too, was riven with problems, it made more sense to her - much of the monarchies' problems were succession-based, and there will be no succession crisis if the King is a vampire, after all! It was why Neuhausen, for all its faults, worked for so long... she was the ruler, her word was law, and she would never require a successor. She would have reigned forever more... were it not for those bloody Polish. Maybe Neuhausen was doomed to fail? She had forgotten that she didn't exist in a power vacuum. Maybe she hadn't counted on the tenacity and resourcefulness of humans.

Maybe it was time for a change. She frowned and hummed to herself, whilst her shadowthread gown flickered and danced about on her body. She remembered dimly a large collection of people a couple of days... maybe even as little as a day before her full awakening. She remembered one of them was different from the others. They were all human, except for this one. A werewolf, someone who could help her regain her lost power, perhaps even her artefacts? Perhaps she could track him down using his life signs. Werewolves were very noticeable compared to regular humans, after all, though quite how she'd go about it she had no idea. She remembered seeing a flyer on the floor; the District Attorney of New York City - some kind of mayoral position or something similar, she reckoned - was a man named Reeves. This man was likely a powerful person, and may have information relating to the werewolf. Perhaps the werewolf was a member of his family? Perhaps *he* was the werewolf?

There was nothing for it. Katarina took up Thirst in her hand once more and made her way towards a portal out of the pocket dimension. She looked at the magical conduits linking the portal to the material realm, and nodded. She stepped through it, and she was ejected into the material realm... It still looked like New York City, but a different part.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

@Legion X51 I'm certainly intrigued to see what you come up with. And if you enjoy playing as members of the Adepta Sororitas...

@BCTheEntity

I'm now in two minds - I have a few 40K characters, and this seems more like a Rogue Trader-esque campaign, whilst the other is more Dark Heresy-esque and possibly more fitting for Sister Lydia, despite her increasingly jaded, cynical, and sometimes downright hostile attitude towards the Ecclesiarchy. Not sure whether to use her here or there - any suggestions?

If I use her here, expect an Arbitrator in that other RP, because Power Maul & Storm Shield ftw. If I use her there, then I'll probably consider a veteran Guardsman with a plasma weapon or two over here.

Are We the Bad Guys? - A WH40k RP [Mature]

Any room for another character? Maybe a Sororitas Hospitaller who's been with a few too many Inquisitors to really care about things like 'The Emperor' and 'the Imperial Faith' and pays little more than lip-service to them?

Oh, and she likes using meltas when she defends herself. Meltaguns, inferno pistols, melta bombs...