"Never could trust you, I still got your location on, fell out of love, I delete all the nudes out your phone. Can't get a reaction out of me, that's what you want."
27 days ago
You have to live every day as if you've dropped your pants and told the whole world to suck your dick.
@Punished GN I know that. Given the notches in his bed post, am I crazy to assume Raven could be his child?
James went back in time and banged Eve before Adam could.
We're all his children.
For once, Raven is not James kid.
Speaking of Raven....
Raven.Jones
15 | Raven Chandra Jones | She/Her"I have to save her; I have to save Sunshine."
Description:
The strange girl that the Sycamore Tree Coven has been receiving Recollections about following her journies in the Pit and beyond for odd reasons. Raven Jones was born in the Pit when her mother, the so-called "Mother Blood," was, for her heinous crimes, banished to the Pit. She is being raised by her mother to survive in the Pit and getting trained in the infamous "Blood Art Technique." However, she finds the Blood Art Technique inefficient and has modified it to create her Spells brand. She's a terrified and easily startled young girl, but she's trying her best... despite her timid demeanor, she shows signs of having her mother's brutality and has a strange fascination with blood. Raven is interested in the "source" of magic that her mother speaks of. Unlike her mother, she is not albino but she is African-American with dark skin and black hair; unfortunately, she isn't that tall at five-two due to lack of nutrition.
Abstraction: Adept - Green Lux. Channeler: Her Mother's Jewel Amulet
Wound Transferral: A trademark Spell from her mother, and acts as a form of Regeneration. With this Spell, Raven can transfer one of her wounds to the last people she has touched in the last few days. She can only do this once; then, she must touch that person again to transfer it.
Bone-Blades: Raven can create blades out of her bones and have them violently burst from her body - which is as painful as it sounds. Raven has optimized this Spell by creating bone blades and breaking them off to create makeshift knives.
Pain-Suppressant: Raven can temporarily negate her pain... the only issue is that once the Spell wears off, she'll be feeling all of it at once.
Blood-Lust: A passive Spell that will activate while Raven is fighting; the more she fights, she will gain the ability to "ignore" her injuries. Her intestines can be hanging out, she could have lost most of the blood in her body and missing two limbs, and she can keep fighting until she dies, or the opponent dies.
Body-Puppetry: Raven can tap into someone's nervous system and control their body with her mind alone... this Spell has a concise range and only works on those without an Emotional-Field.
Meat-Wall: Raven can generate a mass of rock-hard flesh and detach it from herself to act as a shield or blockade.
Eye-Burst: A favored Spell by Sunshine when going against the Blind. As the name implies, Raven can cause someone's eyeballs to pop and render them blind if they do not have an Emotional-Field.
Shapeshifting: Raven can temporarily transform her body into anything within the bounds of a human, even if it defies the laws of mass conservation.
Hematophagia: Another of Sunshine's favored spells, Raven can regenerate wounds by drinking blood - usually utilized as a scare tactic and an alternate form of healing when she cannot transfer wounds.
Limb-Generation:Raven casts this spell and uses it to create extra limbs or replace lost ones. She can destroy these limbs and generate them on whoever doesn’t have an Emotional-Field.
Nervous-System Illusions: Raven can tap into a body's nervous system and create different illusions... this Spell works best on the Blind/One-Eye-Open but requires extra time and effort to penetrate an Emotional-Field.
Blood Spray: Raven sprays boiling blood out of her pores; this blood is hot enough to cause second-degree burns.
Gore Bomb: Raven reaches into herself and pulls out a mass of flesh and nail-like bones that’ll explode on contact—launching the bones in all directions.
Body-Enhancement: Sunshine's favorite Spell... for a short period, she can raise all of her attributes (Her strength, stamina, speed, durability, senses, etc) to superhuman levels.
Sunshine.Jones
41 | Sunshine Bella Jones | She/Her"I will drink the blood of magic straight from the source."
Description:
Known as Echidna, The Killer with a Thousand Faces, and Mother Blood leader of the multiversal cult known as The Inner Circle and known for crafting the now forbidden method of casting known as the Blood Art Technique. She and her society aimed to find the source of magic (the "blood" of it, they called it), and to this end, they gradually fell off the deep end. Sunshine Jones was known across the All-Verse for her savagery and brutal experiments... until she was finally stopped one day and imprisoned.
It was determined that she should receive the highest punishment known to man, a fate worse than death; she was shunted into The Pit. However, she was eight months pregnant then, and she gave birth to her daughter, Raven, in the Pit. Despite being in a literal hell, Sunshine loves her daughter more than anything in the world and would do anything so the horrors of the pit don't so much as touch her.
Sunshine's goal is to escape the Pit, or at least get Raven out of there, and continue her plans to find the "source" of magic. Thus, Sunshine trained her daughter in the forbidden art of the Blood Art Technique and taught her everything she knew. However, the Pit likes her... it does not want to let her go. Sunshine is tall at five-nine but skinny; living off scraps in the Pit does that to you. She is notable because she is ethnically African-American but is albino, so her skin and hair are white.
Abstraction: Adept - Green Lux. Channeler: Jewel Amulet.
Sunshine was considered to be one of the few Adept masters as she trained since she was nine years old. She has a variety of spells that she developed and learned from other Adepts. Her method of casting spells was the Blood Art Technique, which drew symbols with human blood, and the magic would come out. She likened magic to a form of science, and her affinity was towards the human body, being a former biologist. Sunshine's proficiency with this method was so high that she remembered every spell or symbol off the back of her hand.
The.Mother.Will
??? | ??? | She/Her"The Pit likes you; it doesn't want to let you go."
Description:
A mysterious... being, that inhabits the Pit. Mother Will claims to be the mouthpiece for the Pit and has a direct connection with it. She speaks as if The Pit is a living, breathing place... and given how corrupted the Pit is, Mother Will may be correct. She appears before people she finds exciting and "judges" them, telling them how much the Pit favors them. If the Pit "likes" them, then it's unlikely any harm will come to them (but it also means the Pit won't let them leave). If the Pit "hates" them, their days are likely numbered (but they may be allowed to escape the Pit). She seems to be omnipresent and appears in several different places at once.
Abstraction:
It's unknown if the Mother Will is even anything within the bounds of Paranormal.
Back in the 8th Street Manor, business returned to usual sometime after Agent Liao left, and Emily remained sitting on her throne, watching her minions do their thing. There was that thought about where those two sluts, Maya and Phoebe, went, but Emily hardly cared as they were presently not needed. She crossed her arms, leaned back on the far too big throne for her, and narrowed her eyes...
... Then the door burst open, and two men walked through. Emily immediately recognized them as two members of her Coven: Malik Jakane and Aaron Sawyer, the latter of whom came in with a cigarette in his mouth.
Emily stood straight up and said,
"... Where the hell were you two last night?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow. "We had a mission last night."
Aaron calmly took a drag of his cigarette, walked over to Emily, pointed a finger at her, and said,
"In case you forgot, I'm not a part of your little social club for lonely and degenerate women. I'm only working with you," he said, narrowing his eyes at Emily and saying, "Meaning... I'm not at your beck and call."
"Keep that same energy, Aaron," Emily hissed, narrowing her eyes. "Keep that same energy."
"That said, Judas Bennet got iced last night," Aaron said, "Word on the streets say that the PRA was responsible."
Emily sighed.
"I presume someone else took over the Wolfpack,"
"Heh," Aaron chuckled, taking a puff of his cigarette, "Word on the street says that Dean Walker took over."
Emily sighed again.
"I have no clue who that is, but, eventually, we're going have to deal with the Wolfpack," Emily said as she closed her eyes. "Now is not the time, we sti-"
"... EVERYONERUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
Phoebe screamed as she damn near kicked the door down, and Emily whipped her head around to the front hall entrance and saw Phoebe and Maya standing there, completely naked. She raised an eyebrow as her mouth went agape.
However, there was a bubbling down the hallway behind them, and two liquid tentacles burst out from the hall and grabbed the two, raising them into the air as they screamed. As the monstrosity those two unintentionally created came through the door. A massive blob monster took up the entire end of 8th Street's main hall. Tentacles launched out at everyone (except Carol, everyone but Carol) and snatched them up.
"... What the fuck did you two fucking sluts DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!" Emily shouted as the tentacle wrapped itself around her and dragged her closer to the monster.
"Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooly shit!" Jacqueline shouted, grabbing onto a table before her grip slipped and she was dragged towards it.
Emily's head turned towards Miranda, who was smiling like a fool as she was being carried away.
"... You are waaaaaaaaaay too excited for this!" Emily shouted.
"I got th-" George tried to punch the tentacle, only to get caught in it and yanked off.
Nadine attempted to use the Baron's undead minions to anchor her to the ground but was pulled away.
"Ah, this is like a bad hentaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai-" Greta tried to run as she was yoinked herself.
Cynthia transformed into her Abyssal Hunter form and desperately scratched the ground to get some grip, but she was pulled away, much like the rest of 8th Street.
Lee slammed both of his Valiant Blades into the ground and held on for dear life, but he was eventually snatched away.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Malik shouted as he was dragged away.
Flora fired off a few arrows with the Aegis Piercer but got snatched.
Brianna opened a portal just a second too late and found herself dragged off to be gayed.
"THIS is why I don't hang around you diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiickheads!" Aaron shouted as he was helplessly dragged off.
Carol just stood there with her arms crossed. Pouting.
"... Guess I'm not fucking good enough for you, fucking Mr. Tentacle Monster?!" Carol started, chucking a chair at the oozing beast, "Fuck you! Fucking bitch ass motherfucker!"
The chair went into the blob, and seemingly in response, it outstretched a tentacle…
… Which gently patted Carol on the head before it turned its attention back to gaying the 8th Street Coven.
Which made Carol ball her fists and scream as she charged it head-on...
...
Rainfall poured down.
It was a few nights after the whole debacle at Veni Vedi Veni... a strange girl wearing black jeans, a grey rain jacket, black combat boots, and large headphones sauntered down the streets with her head down. The rain did little to interrupt the girl's march, as the cars passing by were simply just ambiance to her. The girl was unbothered by the chaos left behind by the fight between Judas and the PRA... she stepped over a piece of debris left on the ground before she continued her march through the streets of St. Portwell. One would consider her bold to be going through Wolfpack territory by herself, but after their recent skirmish with the Coven and the Feds, they have been laying low, which returned order to the streets of Northeastern St. Portwell.
Not that she cared.
Strangely, her destination was not the Veni Vedi Veni strip club, which was effectively closed down... for good. There was another strip club in Wolfpack territory that was nowhere near as popular as the Veni Vedi Veni. Still, with the chaos that took place there, it was the only alternative for gentlemen to get their trashy strippers.
That club was the Daily Grind.
The girl walked inside and walked up to the front counter, and the lady said,
"ID, please."
The girl gave up her ID, and the lady behind it gave it a little look and said, "Cover is twenty dollars."
The girl gave up twenty dollars and proceeded inside. After turning the corner, on her left was the stage where a pretty little girl was already naked, dancing to some rap music she hadn't listened to. Then... to her right, there was the bar and plenty of different girls. But, they were all irrelevant to her as her targets were in clear and plain view, as she was told. The two pink-haired black girls... Pink and Violet were their stage names. They were sitting at the bar, typing away endlessly on their phones, with Pink wearing fishnet stockings and a shiny pink bra and panty - Violet was wearing a black fishnet and a blue dress that stopped right before her groin area. There was that urge to go over and approach them, but she had to "break the ice".
The girl dug into her pocket until she found that wad of cash she had stuffed in there earlier... it was painful to part from the money she worked hard for, but it was all for the greater good. She took a deep breath, holding the wad of her well-earned money.
"....WHERE THE TITTIES AT!?"
She shouted as she threw the money in the air, letting it fall to the ground, and the strippers fought over it. Afterward, she walked over to the bar like she owned the place, sat on the stool, and looked up at the bartender. "Could I get some whiskey? Like a shot."
"... Doing shots by yourself, sugar?"
Pink flanked the strange girl's right, touching her thigh gently.
"C'mon, baby!" Violet flanked her left, placing a gentle hand on her other thigh. "Let's all get shots together!"
The girl finally opened her mouth and said, "Yeah... what would you like?" In a gruff tone.
"Tequila, baby!"
The girl raised a hand to get the bartender's attention and said, "Two shots of tequila... any kind."
The bartender nodded as she poured two little tequila glasses that matched her whiskey shot. The two strippers grabbed their glasses as the mysterious girl almost threw back the shot.
"... Slow down, sweetie," Violet said with a wide smile. "Toast first."
The girl smiled.
"Where are my manners?"
The three girls put their glasses together.
"Before we do our lil' toast, how about we introduce ourselves," Pink said as she put a free hand on her chest and continued. "I'm Pink."
"I'm Violet!"
"Together we make..." They said at the same time.
"... Some fuckin' color, I know," The strange girl said with a roll of her eyes, "I thought you two wanted shots." She grinned.
"Oh, I guess our reputation preceded us," Violet laughed.
The three downed their shots.
"So, sugar," Violet said, caressing the stranger's back. "You come here all by yourself, make a grand entrance, grab a drink, then just sit here to sulk?" Violet chuckled.
"... Are you always this touchy?" The girl replied with a question of her own. "I'm just enjoying the vibe."
"C'mon, girl, you and I both know that's bullshit," Pink grabbed the girl by her arm with a wide smile on her face, "You came here to see some bitches; well, guess what?"
Both Violet and Pink smiled before Pink answered.
"We're bitches."
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"A fifteen-minute dance is a hundred," Violet insinuated what she wanted with a wag of her eyebrow.
"Sure," The girl said.
"For both of us, it's two hundred!" Pink said.
"How about..." Before grabbing Violet's hand, the girl said, "... Just a nice one-on-one dance. You and me."
Violet grinned before she said,
"Come now," Violet started, "Me and Pink are a package deal."
That was when Pink walked over to Violet and wrapped her arms around her torso, getting on her tippy-toes to put her chin on Violet's shoulder. Then grinned as she said,
"You won't regret it, sweetie,"
The girl stared Pink dead on before she pulled Violet's hand away.
"I just like her more," The girl said as she produced a hundred.
Violet shrugged.
"Well, you like what you like, sweetie!" Violet laughed. "Let's get this party started!"
It was a short affair to give the girl's donation to her boss and lead her to one of the private VIP Rooms. Violet held her hand the entire time as she walked through the halls of the strip club until she ended up in the VIP booth, hidden behind a curtain. It was a room illuminated with red lights and had a fancy red leather sofa. The girl turned around; her face was somewhat red as she looked off to the side, and Violet grinned as she gently pushed her on the sofa.
Violet grinned as she sat on the much smaller girl's lap, grinding her hips back and forth and caressing her face. "You're cute," Violet said as she undid the straps on her dress and lifted it off her shoulders. She revealed that she wasn't wearing anything underneath it and her extra bits, which flopped and dangled.
"Look," The girl said, "I have a favor to ask for you."
"... If you wanna fuck, that's extra and..." Violet trailed off as she threw her dress in the corner.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Marcia," The girl said before she narrowed her eyes. "... You're in the 8th Street Coven, right?"
Suddenly, the girl came to a stop as she looked the girl dead in the eye with furrowed brows as she stood up, "... Have you been stalking me, bitch?"
"No, no, no," The girl said as she stood up, "Come here, let me tell you something..."
The girl leaned forward and whispered something into Violet's ear that turned that look of anger and frustration into surprise. She stood there with her jaw agape as she said,
"Oh, oh, oh," She chuckled, "... Why didn't you start with that? Don't you know some bitch was plottin' to kidnap me!?"
"Too many eyes and ears out there," The girl said. "Needed somewhere... private."
"So, what business do you have with 8th Street, sweetie?" Violet started, "Hope you're not looking to take Emily out too soon." She stuck her tongue out.
"I want to join 8th Street," The girl answered.
"I can arrange something," Violet answered as she bent forward to grab her dress, "Just to let you know, Emily and her homegirl Vashti are bitches"
"I'm aware," The girl said, "I used to roll with them."
"8th Street?"
"No, Sycamore,"
"Oooooooooh," Violet said as she slid her dress back on, "Those bitches?"
"Yeah... you heard of them?"
Violet took a step towards the girl, placed a hand on her chest, and said,
"The streets talk, sweetie."
The girl was silent before Violet turned around and prepared to walk out,
"I'll arrange that meeting for you; it was great-"
The girl grabbed her arm and said,
"... I paid for a dance, sweetheart."
"Oooooh, why so forceful?" Violet laughed as she led her back to the sofa, took off her dress, and said, "I'll throw in a little extra - on me this time..."
She traced a hand across the girl's cheeks and said,
"Just relax, close your eyes, and let the magic happen."
Violet kissed the girl on the cheek.
The 8th Street Manor.
That same girl pushed the gates to the 8th Street Manor open, holding a metal club over her shoulder as she walked up the pathway. She approached, but at the very base of the stairs, she saw Emily standing with her hands on her hips, Babylon floating at her side as if she were sitting. To her right was Vashti Nour, and to her left was her two twin sisters. The girl looked up at them as Emily spoke.
"... Amy Nakamura," Emily started, "It's a pleasure to see you again."
Amy dropped her hood as she took a step forward.
"Let's cut the bullshit," Amy said, "I want into your Coven."
Emily grinned.
"... Well, I can't say no to you," She started, "... Old friend."
Maximilian Cornell's Interlude.
Two shots rang out… and a younger Maximilian Cornell charged out of a greenhouse. He ran into a brick wall covered in ivy… with a five-year-old girl with brown hair underneath his arm. He pushed himself off the wall and kept running… he heard an inhuman screech behind him as he kept running. He knew better than to look back, and Maximilian kept running towards the metal gate - and he practically ran through it shoulder first. Adrenaline numbed the rush of pain he could have felt by hitting the gate with such an impact. He saw the woods and ran for it with the little girl underneath his arm. He didn't know what was dripping down his head: sweat or blood. It didn't matter as his pursuer was still hot on their tail, and he thought fast and ran right for the woodline in front of him. The only thing helping him see was the bright moonlight; grabbing his flashlight was not feasible, as he kept running-
He tripped over something; he didn't have time to process what as he slammed onto the forest floor, and the little girl in his arms screamed... Maximilian could hear the creature's heavy footsteps as he grabbed his pistol, hopped to his feet, and grabbed his flashlight. He pointed the two at the creature approaching and saw its horrifying visage. The creature growled at them as Maximilian took slow steps back; he could feel the little girl cowering behind him. For every one step back they took back, it two forward...
... Until it launched itself at Maximilian, and with his quick thinking, he shoved the girl out of the way. Which had the side effect of giving the monster a great opening to tear its freakish jaws into his shoulders; he grunted as he thrashed. No amount of adrenaline would allow him to shrug off this pain as he jammed the pistol into the creature as hard as he could. He squeezed the trigger again, and again, and again, and again, each trigger pull caused a bullet to fly out. He kept squeezing even after he had emptied the mag, and the creature let out a surprisingly human yell of pain. Maximilian took this as a sign to shove the monstrosity back finally and stumbled backward.
He could hear the blood flowing as he felt woozy; he didn't let up for a second as he quickly reloaded- but the creature lunged at him again and knocked Maximilian to the ground with a swipe of its claw. He grits his teeth as the pistol is launched away from him... The creature was on top of him, and Maximilian did the only thing that could come to mind: Fight.
He beat the creature back as it bit down on his shoulder, sinking its death into his flesh, as he saw the girl cowering in the corner of his eye... and his pistol just feet away from her. He stuck his hand out and shouted, "GIVE ME THE GUN!" He shouted as he was getting knawed on!
The girl was shivering in fear; she looked down at the gun.
Then up to Maximilian.
Then, back to the gun.
She screamed as she kicked the gun, and it was, fortunately, close enough for Maximilian to grab it, and he immediately jammed it into the creature's skull. Letting off one decisive round that blew the monster's brains out. Maximilian threw it over with little strength and sighed as he reached inside to push himself up. He stumbled over to the girl, his armor being drenched in his blood.
And extended his hand.
"Let's get out of here," Maximilian started. "Before more of them show up."
The PRA Main Headquarters. Prince George County, Virginia.
Today was the big day.
Maximilian was led through the halls of the building by an entourage of different agents... the PRA's Main Headquarters was a labyrinth. Endless halls full of mystery and adventure, and Maximilian, even though he was here before, was no closer to solving it than he was the first time he arrived here and was inducted into the organization. He was led through halls and halls, and halls until he was led through doors and...
... He ended up out back.
There was an elevated area with a fancy stone railing and several flags flying (The Virginia State Flag, Flags for each military branch, and the PRA logo). Leaning over the railing was a tall older man wearing a suit. What was notable about him was that he had a strange belt around his waist. Maximilian walked over to his and nodded his head, saying,
"Agent Verde,"
"Max, Max... Max..." Agent Verde chuckled, "It's Richard. I consider myself retired. I just gotta do this one last thing for Director Alcott, and I'm outta here." Agent Verde -
"Okay, Richard," Maximilian extended a hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
The two shook hands, and Richard nodded.
"Heard a lot from you," Richard said, "I think you're the perfect fit."
Maximilian smiled.
"Thank you."
Richard took off the weird belt and held it out for Maximilian. "Make sure you give this a good scrubbing. I never took the damn thing off!" He laughed.
"The Champion's Belt..." Maximilian started,
"Strongest artifact in the All-Verse," Richard explained. "Got no clue how the PRA got it, but we've been using it to handle all the Godzillas and other super monsters out there."
Maximilian grabbed it.
"Put it to good use, squirt," Richard said... as Director Alcott approached with their entourage.
"Any last words for the group, Ag- Richard?" Director Alcott asked, smiling.
Richard was silent.
"... Bye."
He said before darting off, walking off into the sunset, and everyone couldn't help but laugh. Then Director Alcot turned towards Maximilian, placing their fingertips together, before saying, "Put it on; see how it feels."
Maximilian, as instructed, put on the belt and... didn't quite realize what it did. So far, he felt nothing, but he looked at Director Alcott and saw the aura around them. He tilted his head.
"... You can see my aura, right?" Director Alcott said with a smile. "You're going to do great things with the Belt, Maximilian. You'll see."
Maximilian nodded at them.
Judas Bennet's Interlude.
Decades before the events of the story. The St. Portwell Docks.
A younger Judas spit off into the water.
A man fixed his belt and turned to leave.
"... Hey dickhead," A young Judas seethed in his general direction. "Where's my money?"
"I'll get you next time..." The older brown-haired man barely said before Judas bum-rushed and grabbed him by his collar. Cocking a fist back. "Hey, easy now..."
The next words would probably change everything.
"... Roxxane."
Judas - Roxanne - stared at the man head-on, ready to clobber him, as she said, "I'm not doing this for fun, asshole. I ain't doing this for shits and giggles. I'm doing this to build myself."
"And I'm telling you that I don't got your-"
He didn't get a chance to finish before Roxanne punched him as hard as she could in the nose, breaking it on impact and sending him stumbling backward over some garbage bags. She walked over to him, and knelt, and gave him a very stern warning,
"Listen, asshole," She started. "Tomorrow, you're gonna have my money, or else your little wife finds out about our deals, got it?"
He was silent.
"... Got it."
Then Roxanne stormed away, back into the streets of St. Portwell. He was a fisherman... and in this town, the fishermen were respected, revered even. Hopefully, he had the sense not to go around and tell everyone that he got beaten up by a girl. She grinned as she stuck her hands into her hoodie and continued marching down northeast St. Portwell's streets. The junkies and homeless men lined the streets, but they were both too high to pick a fight with lil' old Roxanne and they probably already knew she had nothing to steal. So, they ended up just being deadweight. Eventually, Roxanne returned to the dingy old apartment she shared with her mother, walked through the doors, and went to her room. She hopped on her beanbag chair, but her cell phone rang, and she dug it out of her pocket.
"You know bossman wants an update on your profits," Valjean said.
"I'm working on it," Roxanne said.
"Don't worry!" Valjean said. "I'll get him off your back."
Roxanne smiled.
"Thanks, Val,"
"But, I wanted to talk to you about something..." Valjean started, and Roxanne could feel him scratch the back of his neck as his tone lowered: "I was thinking about what you were talking about the other day... that little biker gang you wanted to start."
"The Wolfpack."
"Yeah! The Wolfpack!" Valjean said, "Look, I was trying to find the best way to break this to you... but I ain't gonna sugarcoat it: that ain't a place for a woman."
Roxanne narrowed her eyes.
"... And what do you mean by that?"
"Hey now," Valjean chuckled. "What I mean is that this whole business... it ain't for gals like you. Whether it's pushing drugs or being a biker, women are second-class citizens! Heh."
Roxanne was silent, not out of offense, but this was one of the rare moments where Valjean was right. He typically was a dumbass, nothing but muscle, but there were moments when he used more than two brain cells.
This was one of them.
Ever since she became a dealer, Roxanne was hardly respected by anyone in the business. Everyone wanted to have sex with her most of the time, and she was not the type of gal to give everyone a piece of herself.
Then it hit her.
"Valjean, where are you at?"
"I'm at my apartment, what's up?"
"I'm com-"
Someone knocked on the door; it had to be Roxanne's mom. She whispered,
"... Hey, baby, the police are here again."
"Fuck, I'll see you soon," Roxanne whispered before she hung up, and opened the window and climbed out.
Having an apartment on the first floor had its perks.
Valjean's Apartment.
"... How's this look?"
Roxanne said as she stepped out of the bathroom, having cut her hair completely off. She was bald!
"You still look like a girl!" Valjean laughed. "Just like one of those cancer patients."
She groaned.
"Hey now!" Valjean said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "One thing about the criminal underworld is that it's all about respect and reputation!"
Roxanne shook her head.
"So, have you come up with a name yet?" Valjean said.
"... Judas," Roxanne said.
"Heeeeeeeeeey, it sounds like a kingpin in the making!" Valjean laughed.
Roxanne shook her head. This wasn't a good idea to her, but it was the only way to gain respect in the criminal underworld. While she knew she was cunning, smart, and an amazing leader, it didn't matter much when the head honchos in charge only saw her as a piece of meat.
But what other options did she have?
Go back to the Temple?
Roxanne looked up at Valjean.
Never in a million years.
Years later. The Rusty Spoke.
A motorcycle rolled into the parking lot of a dingy bar with the glowing neon sign ofThe Rusty Spoke. It was on the outskirts of town on the edge of the surrounding woods. Getting off the motorcycle was Roxanne... or Judas as he had been known. He wore a leather jacket that said WOLFPACK on the back with their logo underneath it. He approached the club...
I only saw a short Caribbean lady wearing an African-print dress. Which was weird in this part of St. Portwell of all places, but Judas wasn't going to judge. It was none of his business; he just pushed past her...
"... Hey, sweetie!" The lady said, speaking so fast and with such a thick accent it was hard to understand her, "I'm Tanya, Judas, I presume?"
Judas raised an eyebrow.
"I gotta letta' for ya'! Some people wan' meet ya!" Tanya said, handing Judas the letter. Who immediately opened it to read, and Tanya walked off as he was reading it. "Have a good one."
Her footsteps disappeared the second she turned the corner.
Judas placed the letter in his pocket as he walked into the bar, and everyone cheered! He saw everyone here, Valjean, Elodie, and Dean...
... But that letter was still on his mind.
Christiansands.
Judas' motorcycle ended up in the parking lot of the club they told him to meet. He was slightly suspicious of all this, but that glock he had tucked into his waistband. He walked over to the line... sticking out to the crowds of partygoers who just looked at him, stepping aside as he walked into the VIP line. The bouncer in charge looked at him and then waved for him to come closer, and he bypassed the rest of the line and made it to the front desk of the Christiansands. The little lady behind it looked at him through her glasses and said...
"Judas?"
"Yeah," Judas answered.
"You're expected,"
"Yeah," Judas shrugged. "Figured."
"Right this way," The lady led Judas to the Christiansands VIP section, where Luis and Natalie sat on the sofa, and Luis waved Judas down.
"Hello, our esteemed guest!" Luis shouted, "Have a seat!"
Judas sat down, leaning forward, putting his hands together, fingers interlocked. "So, what's this all about? You wanted to make a deal?"
Luis smiled.
"We did," Luis said, "An offer you couldn't refuse..."
"Let's talk, bossman," Judas leaned back in his chair. "Why does the Dollhouse organization, of all groups, want to do with a gang of about a dozen bikers?"
Both Luis and Natalie smiled before they looked at Judas.
Then Luis said.
"... How would you like to become the city's kingpin?"
James Carmicheal's Interlude.
Saint-Fucking-Portwell.
It was a hell of a culture shock from the streets of the Altlanta, to say the least! James held a football in his hands as he grinned, taking a few steps back as he threw the football to his buddy. His friend caught it, and passed it back. James wore a black sweater, a grey scarf around his neck, blue jeans, and some red Jordan 21's. It was just fall as the leaves changed colors, and James couldn't help but admire the beauty of St. Portwell. At least it seemed nicer than Atlanta! James caught it one last time before his eyes caught a girl glancing at him as if he couldn't notice! It was a short black girl with dreads on, wearing a cyan hoodie, Nike leggings, and some Puma sneakers. She was leaning against a short brick wall, playing on her phone, but James noticed her looking at him! It was high time to make a move; seeing another black person out here was great! James grinned as he held the football and walked over to her.
"... Hey, what's up?" James greeted, shoulders up and a warm smile on his face. "Saw you just chillin' here by yourself and thought you could use a little company."
The girl half-smiled as she said, "Look at you comin' up here like you cute." She laughed.
"Hey, there ain't nothing cute about me!" James said. "I'm James! Yours?"
The girl couldn't fight it back any longer, and fully smiled as she said,
"... Naomi,"
A few months after the two were official, Naomi introduced him to her friend group.
Finally.
They decided to meet at one of the national parks, and the two walked over to the meeting spot - a campsite with a long extinguished campfire surrounded by benches made of logs. The Greenwood Coven sans Kashmira and Sully's current lineup was there... including two other girls. James had looked to the left and the right and noticed the bitch with the big ass stick! There was also a short little Asian gal who held something in her lap covered in cloth.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!" James said as he had a seat, and Naomi took his side, "Wassup! It's great to meet all of you."
The one girl with the stick took a deep puff of her blunt, and James smiled, "Great to meet you too, sweetie. Naomi told me a lot about you."
"Hey now," James said, "Stop hoggin the blunt!"
Everyone's eyes shot open as they looked at James. Ruby extended the blunt to him, and he was about to grab it...
"... Don't do it, she eats ass!" Naomi shouted.
James retracted his hand and said, "... I'm good."
"So..." Ruby said. "Introduce yourself?"
James waved at everyone and said,
"I'm James, I'm from Atlanta... I play football," He shrugged, as there was an awkward silence. Before this redhead spoke,
"Atlanta?" Jess started, "Like the TV show?!"
"Like the TV show."
"I'm Jessica!" Jess said.
"I'm Autumn,"
"I'm Amelia..."
"Pearl,"
"Lyric Brown!" An average-height African-American girl with short hair and a wide smile introduced herself as she fiddled with a weird pair of headphones.
"Girl, no one gives their full name," Naomi laughed.
"Felica, "Then there was another black girl with slightly longer hair, but she was much taller.
"I'm Ruby," The bitch with the stick and blunt said before she asked Naomi. "... Did you tell him?"
Then James turned towards Naomi, who had begun chewing her fingernails. She looked to the left and to the right awkwardly as James asked,
"Tell him what?"
"... I forgot," Naomi said, "That was my bad."
"Aw!" Jess said.
"I had this cool ass ceremony in mind and everything!" Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Well," Pearl started, "No time like the present, I say."
"I'm still kinda lost here!" James laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "What was I supposed to be told."
"Well..." Jess crossed her arms and chuckled. "How fucking crazy do you think you are?"
"Zero, zero percent crazy," James said.
"Sounds like something a crazy person would say!" Jess shouted.
"Look, look, look," Naomi raised her hands. "I'll do it now,"
She looked James in the eye, grabbed his face, and said...
"... Magic's real."
"The fuck?!" James started laughing. "Okay, I think you need to lay off the fuckin' TV because that shit's fuckin' with you now." He spun a finger around his temple as he looked at her.
Naomi put her hands together, and when she parted them, she created glowing white spider webs between her hands, and James' jaw dropped.
"... That's bullshit," James said as he slowly extended a finger towards it, "Just some magic trick, ya'll gotta' stop fuckin' with me because-"
His hand got stuck in the web, and he looked confused.
He started screaming.
"And this is why we let them beforehand..." Pearl sank her face into her hands as everyone approached James - Naomi dispelling the webs.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Jessica put her hands on his shoulders.
"Good grief," Lyric said as she pulled a microphone out of her pocket and began humming a song. Somehow, the singing stopped James screaming and put his soul at ease. He took in a deep breath and then sighed. However, Lyric kept humming her song as the rest of Greenwood talked to him.
"Thanks, Lyric, you're the best," Ruby said before she turned to James. "Yeah, magic's real."
"Well," James said, "This ain't how I expected to find out, heh."
"And we had magic ready for you," Pearl said, holding the object wrapped in cloth for him to see.
"What is that? A magic dildo or something?" He chuckled.
Everyone was silent.
"... God, I wish," Ruby said, and it elected a facepalm from Naomi and the others.
"No, it's..." Pearl trailed as she unwrapped the cloth and revealed an axe.
"Oh ho, an axe!" James excitedly said. "What does it shoot lightning or something?"
"Yes, in fact," Naomi said. "It's Shango's Axe. It lets you shoot lightning and fire."
"Lit," James said, "... And where the fuck did ya'll get this from?"
"Oh," Naomi started, "We stole it from some rich guy." She waved her hand as she laughed.
"Do you want it?!" Jessica asked.
"Sure!" James asked.
"Hold up," Ruby said, blowing out a puff of weed smoke. "We're not giving out powerful ass artifacts so you can just fuck off with 'im..."
She put the blunt back in her mouth and said, "If we give you this, you must become one of us."
"And the fuck is that?" James asked.
Everyone awkwardly shuffled in their seats as Ruby gave her answer.
"... The Greenwood Coven."
Kaiser Draeger's Sanctuary.
The mansion was in chaos; sounds of magic being tossed around could be heard from all over. There were explosions and roars, and the building was engulfed in flames. Das Sonnenrad was being wiped out.
And it came down to this final battle.
The doors to Kaiser Draeger's inner chamber were blown open by a blast of fire, creating a cloud of smoke. With the axe slung over his shoulder, James stepped through the smoke as if it were nothing. He walked through the smoke... and she entered the dark room that was Kaiser Draeger's inner chambers. A massive, dark hall with a long rug led to Kaiser Draeger's throne. Leaning forward, with his helmet off, was Kaiser Draeger, his face being revealed to them. In front of him, the blade of the Dragon Slayer was dug into the ground. He looked up at them and said,
"Shouldn't you be joining your friends in ruining everything I built up?"
"... Kaiser Draeger," James said as he aimed the axe at him, it illuminated by electricity. "You do not look like what I was expectin' ya' to look like, to be honest with ya'!" He chuckled.
"Don't matter," James started, narrowing his eyes, "It ends today."
"I agree," Kaiser Draeger said as he put his helmet on, completing the Dragon Slayer. He stood up and grabbed the sword embedded in the ground. "Let's get this over with. I'm going to take care of your friends after this."
James grinned from underneath his ski mask.
Kaiser Draeger gave them little time to react as he charged them with the sword primed to cleave them in half, he let out a scream as he slammed the sword downwards. However, James and Naomi lept off in different directions, and the blade was embedded in the ground. James stuck his hand out in mid-air and unleashed a bolt of lightning that hit Kaiser Draeger head-on... when the light faded, he was still standing there, staring at him from underneath the Dragon Slayer.
"... That's not going to work," Kaiser Draeger yanked his sword from the ground. "The Dragon Slayer is impervious to your magic."
James grinned.
"We'll see about that," James said as he primed his hand backward, created a massive fireball, and launched it at Kaiser Draeger, which collided against him and faded away. Kaiser Draeger charged James and brought the blade down on him, and James held Shango's axe up with both hands to block. The two artifacts clashed as James felt the impact nearly break his arm. He grits his teeth as Kaiser Draeger pushes him back. James grinned as he created a massive pillar of fire around him - not to hurt Kaiser Draeger but to distract him. It was enough for him to charge forward, underneath Kaiser Draeger's sword, and shoulder rushed him, assisted by the flight of Shango's Axe. It made Kaiser Draeger stumble backward, and James snapped his fingers and created an explosion that sent Kaiser Draeger flying.
It launched him through the doors of his chambers and out into the halls of his mansion, and he landed on his back. James flew after him with his axe high in the air. However, Kaiser Draeger used his sword to block, and the two artifacts clashed again... then he kicked James upwards and sent him flying into the ceiling. He had the wind knocked out of him, but he quickly flew away before Kaiser Draeger could attack. He ended up opposite the hallway, and Kaiser Draeger was already on his feet and rushing him.
When the leader of Das Sonnenrad got close, he swung the sword, and James had to retreat, barely dodging the blade. However, Kaiser Draeger swung the blade and cleaved through the hallway walls. Then James got an idea... He created a massive inferno in his hands and sent it towards the wooden walls of the mansion. Not intending to hurt Kaiser Draeger but to burn his mansion to the ground. He flew backward, creating more and more fire, which was accompanied by his plan: Smoke. The smoke filled the mansion's hall, and James darted towards one of the windows as fast as he could, then put the axe in front of himself as a shield.
It broke the window, and he was cut to shreds by the glass, but he managed to get out. He sighed as he landed in the garden by the pool; he was dripping blood. He could see the smoke flow out of the broken window, but hopefully, Kaiser Draeger just choked-
Kaiser Draeger lept out of the window, and James eyes shot open as he just barely rolled out of the way of the oversized blade being brought down on him again. Kaiser Draeger stood tall, facing James as he said, "Why don't you give up? Your magic can't do anything to me."
"Fuck that," James said, "I'll die before I do that."
"I'll oblige," Kaiser Draeger swung the sword again; James flew out of the way, but Kaiser Draeger had thrown himself off balance.
He was just feet away from the pool.
James had an idea.
Using all the speed this stupid axe allowed, James flew directly at Kaiser Draeger and tackled him into the pool, assisted by his flight. There was a loud splash of water as James felt the cool water hit him like a brick, but he had one plan. He flew upwards, raised the axe into the air, and summoned a monstrous bolt of lightning that came with an earsplitting thunderclap. It landed directly on him and electrified the pool, and he put everything he had into it. He sighed as he saw the steam come out of the water, and he looked down.
Kaiser Draeger wasn't moving. If that didn't kill him, he was going to drown any second now.
James swam to the pool's edge, climbed, axe in hand, and sighed. The chaos in the distance had died down, and James sighed.
"... James! Damn, you're so hardheaded," Naomi swung in on an ethereal web and landed directly before him. "Where were you?! We were worried sick."
James grinned and put the axe on his shoulder.
"... I finished things,"
Naomi looked over his shoulder and saw that Kaiser Draeger was completely still at the bottom of the pool. She shook her head.
"... Good job- but you need to let us know before you run off on your own," Naomi started, sighing. "But, we need to get out of here; the Feds are boutta do a sweep!"
James stuck his hand out and smiled.
"Want a ride out of here?"
Naomi returned the smile.
"... Sure."
She jumped into his arms and wrapped them around him, and then the two flew into the distance.
Kaiser Draeger and his cult were no more.
It was for the best.
What?
What's going on?
What am I doing here?
What am I seeing?
Why am I seeing this?
...
...
...
"I need to show you something."
"I need you to see where it starts."
"So you can figure out."
"Where it ends."
Last night, when everyone went to bed, every member of the Old Coven shared a dream. Not just any dream, but a Recollection.
A Recollection that begins... with a group of robed individuals walking up a tall flight of stairs that led to a stone castle. However, each of them was holding a chain, chains that connected to a person in the center of the group... a somewhat tall Albino-woman that wore a tattered robe, and was chained so heavily she could hardly take a step forward. Her hands were restained in snubbed gauntlets, and her feet were chained with a ball, with a collar with several chains connecting to it, which the robed men held. What was notable about the woman, however, was the huge bulge on her stomach... she was at least eight months pregnant.
The men led the woman into the building, and it wasn't long until she made it to a large circular room, which was surrounded by rafters that had robed men and women... she was walked to the middle of it and was pushed to her knees as one man lowered his hood and spoke to her in a deep voice as he looked down at her,
"Sunshine Jones, leader of the Inner Circle, there are thousands of crimes linked to your name," He narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Mass murder, human sacrifice, human experimentation, cannibalism, genocide, torture, assassination, human trafficking, attempted genocide, abduction, political corruption, child homicide, arms trafficking, and more..."
The man let the words hang in the air.
"You face the harshest punishment that the Accordance can offer," He started as he put his fingertips together and leaned forward, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Sunshine grinned.
"I do..." She trailed off before she looked around at the men that were restraining her and said, "... Could one of you scratch my ass? I'm a little bit... tied up. At the moment, hahahahahaha!" She raised her arm restraints, laughed, and continued.
"And robes? Really? Really?" She tilted her head. "How corny can your so-called "Accordance" get?"
"You will show respect to me, Sunshine."
"Why?" Sunshine laughed. "You're going to kill me anyway. So why should I show you any form of respect? Why should I do anything other than make it clear how I feel about your little cult, Mr Dacious?"
Dacious rolled his eyes as he leaned backward in his chair and said,
"Enough!" He shouted, "You will no longer mock this courtroom or organization."
"Then get it over with then," Sunshine tilted her head. "You're mocking yourself by pretending this is something more than a slow execution."
"Hmmm... very well then," Dacious said, "Sunshine Jones, by the order of the Accordance, we banish you to the Pit."
Sunshine grinned as the men who had her chained went to pull her out of the room. She rose to her feet as she faced Dacious.
"That's all?" She laughed. "You think I fear the Pit."
The men pulled Sunshine Jones through the halls of the Accordance Headquarters before heading through the dark labyrinth that led to the basement. Illuminated by only torches, Sunshine Jones was not afraid, not even in the slightest, and had that monstrous grin on her face the entire time. She could hear the eldritch screeching and yelling on the other side until the group approached two massive wooden doors. The doors were pushed open by what could only be magic, and a bright, shining red light assaulted Sunshine Jones' eyes as she saw the massive circular room... with a massive pit in the ground. This wasn't any pit; it had a glowing red light that shone brightly out of it, and all that could be heard was screaming.
She approached the pit's edge and grinned as she turned her head to the side, and saw a man in a suit. Leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, Sunshine gave him a warm smile.
"Oh, James," She started, "Come to see me off?"
James shook his head.
"Well, it's the least you can do after you betrayed me," Sunshine laughed, "Do you really think someone like me won't thrive in The Pit? Do you really think that place will be the end of me?"
James was silent.
"I'll come back, more powerful than before, and I'll flay you alive," Sunshine started, "And I'll kill everyone in the Accordance."
James waved his hand, and the men placed a jeweled amulet around her neck... pushing her toward the edge of the Pit. Sunshine made a kissy noise towards James and said,
"Let Isabelle know I'm coming for her, byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
She shouted as she was launched off the edge of the Pit, and she laughed as she fell for seemingly an eternity...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"That's not where it ends."
"I still have much to show you."
"This isn't Sunshine's story."
"But Raven's."
The Pit.
A beaten-up door creaked as it was pushed open, and two robed figures - one much taller than the other (this one was holding a Mossberg 500 and had a backpack on) - pushed through the doors wearing masks carved out of bones—the red light of the Pit shined through as the two figures entered a living room... it had a rug, two sofas, a TV, and a flight of stairs. The taller, robed figure looked to the left and the right before she spoke.
"This place looks safe," She started, "We should make sure, however."
The two nodded at each other as they quickly searched the house up and down and saw that it was empty. The two returned to the living room. They entered, and the taller figure placed her shotgun on the table, and then she placed her backpack down. She sat down in the chair as she leaned back, taking off her mask carved out of bones.
Revealing herself to be Sunshine Jones.
She yawned as she said,
"Raven," She started, "This place looks safe; however, it won't be for long."
The smaller girl, Raven, took off her mask, placed it on the table, and revealed herself to be a fairly young African-American girl with dark skin, poofy hair, and sat down on the chair opposite to Sunshine. She had to be around fourteen years old and had a dirty, scarred face with bandages all over it.
"... Mama, will we have time to talk about the Blood of Magic? Maybe practice some magic," Raven asked.
"After we secured the house and ate," Sunshine said.
Raven nodded, and the two secured the house by barricading all the entrances, setting up noise makers, and whatnot. Eventually, the two returned to the kitchen, and Sunshine walked over to the refrigerator... and could only smell one of the most horrid things of all time, and there was no doubt there was something in here that she didn't want to see. So, she returned to her backpack and opened it up, digging through it for a moment before pulling out various canned foods: beans, some tuna, etc. The cans were rusted and beaten, but in the Pit, the two had little to no luxuries. With a knife, Sunshine pried open the top, slid some across to Raven... then slid a spoon. The young girl wasted no time eating and raised her head at Sunshine.
"So, can you tell me more about the Blood of Magic, mama?" Raven asked.
"Sure, baby!" Sunshine chipperly answered, "There is a place out there where Gods meet and have dinner together! A place that is the most wonderous and beautiful scene you'll ever see!"
Raven listened, tilting her head somewhat.
"It's known as Luminescence, and it's not just a place. It's... a force. A force that runs and flows through everything, not just people, and powers it like blood..." Sunshine answered. "It's believed that there is a pool of a glowing white liquid there... if you drink it, you will achieve enlightenment!" She quietly laughed, keeping that smile on her face as she continued.
"It was my life's goal to drink it... and achieve enlightenment?"
"How did you find out about this?" Raven asked.
Sunshine sighed.
"There is a man out there... the so-called "Hero of the All-Verse"..." She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, she said, "... James Vanburen."
Raven intently listened.
"He was my friend, closest ally, and he not only told me about this but showed me," Sunshine began, then sighed, "However, he was jealous of my dreams and betrayed me, and had me thrown down here..."
"... Do you think we can still find the Blood of Magic?" Raven asked.
"Of course!" Sunshine said, "We just have to get out of here!"
"... How do we do that?" Raven started, "You said there's a way to get out of here? Why haven't we found it yet?"
Sunshine sighed, then shook her head as she answered.
"I unfortunately do not know," Sunshine said, "But there is a way out... there has to be one."
That frown turned into a smile.
"And we'll find it, baby."
It infected Raven, as Sunshine said,
"Finish your food, and we'll head to bed! We're going to head out in the morning... "
"Let's!" Raven chipperly said.Raven was awoken... it was difficult to tell day from night in the Pit as there was no sun. Just an ever-present red light in the sky that unnerved Raven, but Raven was born here, unlike her mother. She had no clue what the sun even looked like. The girl rubbed her eyes as she looked to the left and the right; she was asleep on this bed. She could see the faint red burn through the curtains into the bedroom that had been ripped to shreds more than once. There was one obvious problem.
Sunshine was not here.
There was that urge to call out to Sunshine, but Raven knew better than to make noise. Scanning the room further, Sunshine's backpack with supplies was still there. Raven climbed out of bed, walked over to the backpack, and dug into it for Sunshine's knife... but she found the jewel amulet that her mother always wore, and her mouth went agape. She heard something crash on the floor level, and Raven quickly dug out Sunshine's knife... before she put the amulet around her neck and slung the backpack over her shoulder. Gently pushing the door open, she peeked out to make sure it was safe before she stepped out, having the knife raised as high in preparation for an attack.
Raven proceeded towards the stairs - but froze like a statue when she heard some growling. There was another crash as she could hear some creature move about. That presented a huge issue as she was on the second floor and was unaware of her mother's whereabouts... the girl wanted to go down, but Sunshine always told her to save herself. She turned around as fast as she could - and the young girl was unaware of her surroundings and knocked over a table with a vase. It loudly shattered, and the growling picked up as whatever downstairs tore through the house and quickly reached the top of the stairs, and she saw it in all its terrifying glory.
A massive beast with leathery skin, a mouth full of horrifying teeth, and massive talons, in terms of appearance, it was likely the most tame of the Pit's denizens. However, it was the one beast Sunshine explicitly made clear that she would not engage. Growling, it sauntered its way over to Raven... Who just turned and ran down the hallways. The Abyssal Hunter roared, chasing after Raven, who had a clear escape plan.
The window.
The girl ran and lept through the window and got shredded by the glass, and she was oozing blood as she kept her eyes closed and her feet down. Right before she hit the ground, that amulet around her neck illuminated a green color for just a moment, and when she hit the ground, she did not so much as feel an ounce of pain. She hit snow, and what was before Raven was a forest of dead trees, and despite the eldritch red sky above her, she could see no escape. However, the girl kept running, but the Abyssal Hunter loudly roared, which was not a good sign.
As she ran through the woods, her blood dripping down and leaving a trail, she heard more of those creatures join the pursuit. She turned her head to the right and saw one running parallel to her a good distance away... and to her left, there was another one. She kept running straight, but they were getting closer. Raven, while running, stuck her hand into her stomach, her hand digging into her midriff as if it were water, and she pulled out a sickening mass of flesh, twitching eyes, and spiky bones. She chucked it over her shoulder, and she could hear the loud pop that sent bone shrapnel in all directions. She could hear the shrieks of the Abyssal Hunters, but a bone shard hit her in the back... and with magic, she could ignore it. It wasn't enough to stop them...
... And one lunged at her before she could react, sinking its teeth into Raven's midsection. She loudly screamed as she was thrashed around, but she was launched when a chunk of her flesh departed from the rest of her body. She went rolling until she came to a stop, and she could feel the warmth of her blood dripping all over her body and clothes. She looked down and saw the oozing wound that was ripped out of her torso. She could see the lowermost ribs exposed, and she shrieked in pain as she began crying. The Abyssal Hunters were approaching.
"Please, no!" Raven tried to drag herself away, but she could feel the spell she cast on herself wearing off, and the pain was seeping in.
Her pleas were ignored as the creatures were approaching her...
... Then they all stopped, looking off in one direction. There was a moment of chattering among the Abyssal Hunters before they all took off running in the opposite direction.
Raven raised her head and looked in the direction that they were so afraid of.
Marching through the shadows of the dead trees was a sight so strange and unnerving but familiar to Raven. She was tall, seemingly wearing a cloak that hid all of her features, but at the same time, it seemed as if the cloak was a part of her body.
Raven forced herself to her feet as she tried to cover the gaping wound left by the Abyssal Hunters... and looked up at The Mother Will as she approached.
"... Hello," The Mother Will said, and just stared at Raven.
Raven hissed as she stumbled, catching herself, before looking up at The Mother Will and saying, "Mother Will, why have you come here?"
"To offer my hand," The Mother Will answered as she extended a hand wrapped in the cloak or simply jet black. Raven was hesitant to take it but almost fell to her feet. It wasn't long before The Mother Will retracted her hand and continued to speak. "Why do you resent the Pit and its gifts?"
She asked,
"Your mother seeks enlightenment but is unaware that the Pit provides," The Mother Will started, seemingly gliding alongside the ground until she was behind Raven, "Whatever you desire... friendship, love, power, and something beyond the mere enlightenment your mother seeks."
"... Where is my mother?" Raven asked.
"As one of the Pit's favored, she sought enlightenment, and I gave her exactly what she was looking for," The Mother Will said, "As the Pit loves you as much as it loves Sunshine... I can send you to the same place I sent her."
Raven nodded.
"Please... send me... there..." She said as she started feeling woozy... it was probably the blood loss finally getting to her, but Raven tried to remain strong. She just heard her blood (what little she had left) rushing through her ears.
The Mother Will stared at her as a glowing red crack formed underneath Raven's feet, with that smile on her face as Raven finally collapsed. Everything began darkening as she fell; the only thing she saw...
... Was that smile.
Then.
Nothing.Raven rose and awoke yet again, but she was gracing the uncomfortable and hard cold of stone underneath her. She rubbed her eyes as she looked around and noticed that she was in a hallway made out of stone blocks, illuminated by torches that should have logically gone out a long time ago.
Unfortunately, the Pit didn't operate by any form of logic.
Raven pushed herself to her feet... and quickly looked down and noticed the gaping wound in her side was closed. All of her injuries were strangely mended, all healed, as if nothing had happened. Raven looked around and noticed that she didn't have her backpack, which she may have lost during her chase with the Abyssal Hunters, but looking in front of her, there was that familiar mask made out of bones. She bent forward, grabbed the mask, and then got on her tippy toes to grab one of the torches and... just picked a direction. Raven's ears were attuned to every sound, and it appeared as if she was the only person in there, but she was born fighting for her life in the Pit.
Letting your guard down meant death.
She went straight ahead, hoping to find Sunshine or an exit, but it seemed she found neither as she went deeper and deeper into the Pit. Even after turning around, she still went deeper, like the Pit was trying to lead her somewhere. She hoped it was somewhere satisfying as she approached two massive doors... they were already ajar, and Raven hoped it was the exit. But she pressed open the door and found a massive chamber before her. It was a massive platform made of stone with pillars raised out of the ground and a ceiling to raise the platform above a mysterious liquid. Raven stepped inside, looking down over the platform's edge to get a good look at what she was floating above, and it was not just any regular liquid. It was a jet-black liquid that bubbled and popped... and occasionally, a screaming face could be seen. She looked at what was on the opposite end of the platform and resumed her march towards it.
The Chalice.
On a stone slab. Raven walked over to it and grabbed it... there was something about this, and she would hold onto it. Now, she had her mask in one hand, and in the other, she had the Chalice. However, she looked at the strange mural sprawled on the opposite side of the wall, a series of images.
The first one that caught Raven's eyes was a massive black snake with red eyes standing straight up, casting a shadow on a group of people who stood on their hands and knees, hands raised in the air. Then, there was another depiction of a group of people standing around a person crucified and a smaller snake bursting out of their abdomen, flying into the massive black snake that loomed over them.
To say the least, Raven did not understand it at all. However, her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the images, and she saw a white snake with blue eyes intertwined with a black snake with red eyes. She raised an eyebrow. But she looked to the left and saw some mammal-
The door burst open, and all she could hear was breathing.
Raven's face shot over her shoulder.... then the Recollection ended.
"This is just the start."
"Raven is not innocent."
"Raven Jones is a monster."
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"Raven Jones caused all your problems."
...
Interactions: None
Streets of St. Portwell...
The sunset and St. Portwell changed as costumed individuals took the streets. A girl walked through it all, her attire that would normally turn heads (for all the wrong reasons) seeming normal. Just for the night of Halloween. Not that this girl cared. She had a destination... she held a flower basket with both hands as she marched through the streets of St. Portwell. Not paying the world a mind as she had one destination.
Flowers and Canvases.
The strange girl walked inside, and the first thing she saw when she turned inside was Auri Auclair behind the counter. The tall blonde smiled as she walked around the counter towards the girl.
"... Odessa!" Auri shouted as she hugged the girl; stepping back, she said, "How have you been, friend? Got any flowers for me?"
Odessa presented her flower basket to Auri, and Auri smiled at the variety of colorful flowers that was presented before her, "Oooooooooooh..." Auri said, astonished. "Thank you."
Drake was suddenly risen awake... he shot up, eyes wide open as he looked to the left and right. He was in the same room that he grew up in... except it was less lively as it was converted into a guest room by Victoria and Amanda when he left. Of course, he got it back, but it lacked that same charm. It was just four blue-painted walls, an empty desk with a computer chair, a dresser, and a few nightstands. Drake shook his head, pressing the palm of his hand into his face. He shook his head as he climbed out of bed, walked over to the door, and poked his head out. He was only wearing pajama pants, as usual, but Drake was a bit more respectful than walking around half-naked. He could hear Victoria and the others downstairs but wasn't prepared to encounter them yet.
He walked over to the bathroom, splashed some water on his face, and sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. Drake was going to be okay. He sighed. First, he lost Jade, and now he's having weird ass dreams, but to be fair, he did a fair bit of drinking last night. Thankfully, not enough to cause a headache, but maybe mixing vodka with energy drinks was not the move. Drake was no supernatural expert, but it felt like some type of sign from above. Whatever the hell was above. Drake cupped more water in his hands and then splashed it onto his face as he inhaled deeply.
Drake returned to his room. He put on a tank top and then walked downstairs into the kitchen. Victoria was washing dishes, with the triplets in their high chair eating food... he could, again, hear Amanda and Nikki playing video games in the other room. Drake yawned as he stretched his arms, and Victoria turned to him and smiled,
"Drake, you're up," Victoria said, "Do you want breakfast?"
"Yeah," Drake started as he grabbed a seat and sat down, "... And maybe some antipsychotics?" Drake laughed.
Victoria whipped her head around and gave Drake a concerned look.
"You had that dream last night, didn't you? About the girl? In the Pit?" Victoria asked.
"Ooooh, shit?" Drake tilted his head as he looked at Victoria. "Y-yeah," He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Amanda and Nikki had the same dream,"
"What the fuck?" Drake said.
"Language!"
"Oops, sorry," Drake laughed as he looked at the triplets. "But that's more than just a little weird, Toria."
"You think?" Victoria laughed, "Is it just us or the others?"
Drake crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "Others as in...?"
"Members of the Old Coven," Victoria answered. "I mean, there is something to do with the Stygian Snake in that Recollection, but I'm no supernatural expert."
What came to Drake's mind in terms of supernatural expert was Britney... and he was not going to say one word to the woman as long as people like Luca suffered. "I could ask the others but..." Drake said, shaking his head.
"I understand you may be hesitant to see them after..." Victoria trailed, awkwardly chuckling, "... that incident."
"You should punch that bitch in the face again! Form a whole line for her ass! WHOOOOO!"
Amanda shouted from the other room.
"... AMANDA!" Victora shouted back. "The triplets!"
"Oops, sorry!" Amanda shouted before going back to playing video games with Nikki.
Victoria awkwardly coughed before continuing her thought, "Look, there might be more to this... it could be linked to the murders. I know you made a mistake, but I'm counting on you to help end this."
She looked at Drake before she said, "Even though I know many of us don't want anything to do with each other after the failure of the Old Coven, we have to pull together. Whether we want to or not, we are a part of this."
"The Beer Chalice was in the dream, right?" Drake asked, and Victoria nodded. "Maybe I could ask Sully?"
"I doubt this has anything to do with Sully," Victoria stated. "That cup probably changed hands more times than you can count; didn't it wash up on a beach?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but... I don't know," Drake shrugged. "Maybe having a chat with Sully would be nice. Or maybe I should make sure that nobody dogpiles him."
Victoria nodded, "Maybe you can find out if he's going to be at the Halloween Festival, and we can all talk to him."
"Sounds like a plan..." Drake trailed off before he pulled out his cell phone and prepared to text... before he looked up at Victoria."... You know I ain't been to that festival since I was a teenager."
"Oh, Amanda and I always go," Victoria chuckled. "We got a costume for you and everything!"
"Really?"
"Yup, you'll love it," Victoria said, and Drake sent out the text to Sully...
Drake put the phone on the table dramatically.
"Well, Sully's going," Drake said.
"Good," Victoria said. "Hopefully, we can all catch up."
"... And not punch bitches in the face!"
"Amanda!"
"Amanda!"
Drake and Victoria shouted at the same time.
Interactions: None
The Phan Office [or whatever tf its called].
“... I just… every time I see them, I just think of her… I just can’t help but see her face and just get reminded of how she went out.”
Adora sighed as she stared at the ceiling, lying on this Chaise longue in Lihn Phan’s office. It was time for her weekly session, which she usually took after she was done with work. She took in a deep breath as she continued.
“I feel like I’m the only person there that gives a damn about any of this,” Adora started, “I’m trying to help them because everyone it is important to someone like Lisa was to me… but it seems everyone else just… I don’t fucking know. They’re floundering about! When people are dying!” She expressed her frustration by pounding her fist on the side of the lounge, then sighed.
"Of course." Lihn sat in a comfortable armchair just to the side, looking at Adora with a gaze filled with sympathy. She had a notebook in her lap, with carefully made and sparse notes across the page she had open. "Does it feel like they aren't taking the threat seriously?"
They were in the room she used for therapy sessions - a small, cozy place with simply decorated walls. There was a small table between them, with a glass of water, should Adora want it. A small bookcase sat against a wall, decorated with books varying from those about psychology to romance novels to children's books. A potted succulent sat on the large window spread across the wall to the right of Lihn, with cream linen curtains pulled across them. It meant the room was comfortably lit but private.
“Of course not,” Adora rolled her eyes. “Fifteen people are dead, and it feels like a popularity contest!”
"I'm sure that seeing them again was difficult for you. Pushing through those memories without fleeing is brave and shows that you're taking steps forward - slow as they may feel." Lihn smiled softly. "You told me in a previous session that there was always infighting, but everyone came together. I assume it's different now? There's no cohesion at all?"
“None whatsoever, and I don’t know who to blame,” Adora sighed. “Our esteemed leader, or the lemmings who are more obsessed with everything except the bigger picture.”
Adora rolled her eyes.
“I kinda think striking out on my own would be better, but someone has to care...” Adora shrugged. “Well, it seems my Coven mate Mich - um, sorry, - Lila cares.”
“Focusing on blame will only make things more difficult,” Lihn offered. “Is it possible for you to reach out to Lila on her own? It might make it easier for you to attend future meetings and give you someone to work with. While doing something alone may seem easier, it will only further your isolation. Forming a connection with at least one coven mate will be more beneficial for your mental health and safer.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” Adora sighed. “But, there was a dream I wanted to talk with you about…”
She looked at Lihn, trying to find the right words for this.
“It was about this girl I never met - Raven - and she was in this place… the Pit, I think it was called? But, there was this voice talking to me, saying that she was a monster or something.”
She looked Lihn dead on as she said,
“... I guess you’re trying to decide if I need the straight jacket now or later?” Then she chuckled.
“I wouldn’t put you in a straight jacket,” Lihn smiled reassuringly, though her concern was clear in her eyes. “A dream like that isn’t so strange in a world with magic. It could have been triggered by seeing everyone in your old coven… But if that were the case, the dream would involve people you knew. We can’t disregard the possibility of it being the influence of some kind of magic, like a pink lux user.”
She thoughtfully tapped her fingers on her notebook. “Did this dream feel any different from a normal one? Perhaps it was a warning… Was there more to the dream than this girl, Raven, and the voice talking to you?”
“I can’t recognize that voice that was talking to me… but if they’re calling the gal, Raven, a monster, it can’t help but feel like a warning,” Adora started, putting her hands together as she stared at that damn ceiling. “I honestly dunno where to start… but at the end of the dream, she found a weird ass temple with some… murals? Like what had to be of the Stygian Snake. Like some fucked up shit of people worshipping it… and… fuck… I..”
She was a little lost on how to phrase what the fuck she saw.
“Take your time. Was there more to these murals than the Stygian Snake and its worshippers?” Lihn prompted Adora, trying to help her express what she wanted to. “Anything that stood out to you. You don’t need to describe the whole thing; just try to concentrate on the main details.”
“It was like… Fuck, the murals were of crucified people and mini Stygian Snakes? They were coming out of them.” Adora explained.
Lihn visibly paused, eyes widening slightly. That was a disturbing image. “Coming out of them like in the movie Alien?” Lihn shook her head. “Sorry, an example was unnecessary. That certainly sounds disturbing. Perhaps your dream is showing you a possible future or even an image from the past to both warn and inform you. It’s clear to me that, either way, it’s not a normal dream."
Adora craned her head over towards Lihn and asked, ”... Warning me of what that’s what my question is?” Adora said. ”And why now?”
That took a lot of work for Lihn to figure out. As a therapist, she could interpret natural dreams for a person’s mental state. As a magical therapist, she understood mental magic better than most. But is it interpreting a dream like this? It wasn’t easy. “It’s difficult to say. It could be a warning of a few things - the girl, Raven, or the risk of the Stygian Snake escaping again. Perhaps the creation of more like it? I’m afraid I can’t give you a definitive answer to that.” She smiled ruefully. “It’s a bit outside of my area of expertise. As for why now? Perhaps its because your coven has reconvened.”
Adora raised her hands in the air, and her finger quoted.
”’Reconvened,’” Adora flatly said. ”You already know how I feel about that, doc.” For once, Adora laughed.
“Not quite the right choice of words,” Lihn laughed lightly. “Most of you are back in the same city, at least. That could be the trigger.”
Adora sighed.
”Who knows,” Adora trailed off, ”Maybe I had a little too much to drink last night, and that’s the last of it!”
“Perhaps. Drinking can lead to strange dreams.” Lihn then raised an eyebrow. “And why did you drink ‘a little too much’ last night? Was it because of the feelings the ‘meeting’ brought up?”
Adora was silent.
”I just… yes,” Adora sighed. ”It’s been a whole ass week, and yet, it didn’t get any better!” Adora shouted before taking a deep breath and then exhaling.
“Of course, having to face something linked with your trauma will bring up a lot of difficult feelings. It didn’t give you any closure and brought up more problems, right? If you feel up to it, talk me through the exact feelings you’ve been having for the last week.”
”I don’t know…” Adora somehow found a way to slump further into the lounge than she was already lying in. ”Just by hanging around them, I just get reminded of her. I get reminded of that day.”
She sighed.
”Then I just get that creeping feeling again, my heart starts fluttering and I start to feel weak...”
Lihn nodded. “Because when you were last around them, she was there. You associate the group with her, and that leads to memories of that day. But you recognize that feeling, that’s good. When you start feeling that way, you generally have two options. You remove yourself from the situation, or you learn to handle your emotions and calm down. Do you remember the breathing exercises we did before?”
Lihn smiled, continuing even without an answer. “When you start feeling like that - panicked - start taking deep breaths in and out. Remind yourself that you’re not there if you’re able to; focus on the good memories. You have to remember the good without it leading to the bad to move on. I understand it’s not easy. Just take it step by step.”
Adora nodded her head.
”Got it, doc.”
Lihn leaned back, glancing at the time. “That’s the end of our session. Assuming you feel fine to end it here, I’ll see you next week… Ah. Are you going to the Halloween Festival?”
Adora shrugged.
”The plan is to go.”
“I think that will be good for you,” Lihn smiled. “I’ll be there too. If you need to at any point during the festival, call me. I can come and help.”
”Heh,” Adora chuckled. ”... Hopefully, it won’t come to that, Doc.” Adora finally got up, placed her feet on the floor, and stood straight up. She then walked over to Lihn and extended a hand. ”Thank you, Doc, you’re the best.”
“Of course,” Lihn reached out for Adora’s hand and gave it a warm squeeze rather than a shake. “I hope you enjoy the festival.”
Adora smiled.
”Will do, doc.”
Before she left for her house.
The Phoenix-Prescott Household.
Adora pushed the door to her room, and was quick to throw off her clothes - a black hoodie and leggings combo - and turned her attention to her costume that was neatly laid out on her bed. It was a corny costume, one that she thought would be… cute if one could believe it. It was a retro-style carhop attire, a cyan blue dress with white stripes that ended midthigh, some roller skates, and some short bicycle shorts so she didn’t show any booty if an unfortunate wind came by. She was quick to put it on, sans the roller skates as it was impossible to drive with those damn things on…
The Ferry to Cracker Island.
After a long line, Adora finally got a seat on the ferry to Cracker Island… it wasn’t a place that Adora found herself going to a lot, but it was where they hosted the Halloween Festival. An event she also didn’t typically attend. She sat by the window and played on her phone with her cute little costume on….
… She heard a cane clacking against the ground, and then she looked up to see a tall, older gentleman wearing a dark-grey suit and a black cane. He had to be in his late fifties but looked amazing for his age… he looked a little bit hot, but Adora had to temper those feelings as she looked up at him.
“... Mind if I have a seat?” He asked.
“Free country,” Adora answered, and the man had a seat.
“Your costume looks nice,” He said.
“So does yours,” Adora responded.
“I’m not wearing a costume,” The man flatly.
“Tryna flirt with me?” Adora blew him a little kiss.
“You look like you’re the same age as my son,” The man answered.
“And age is just a number,” Adora chuckled.
The man rolled his eyes before he extended a hand, “Shayton,”
“...That’s a weird name,” Adora chuckled as she took his hand and shook it.
“It’s not my name,” Shayton answered, “Malik, but I prefer if I’m called Shayton.”
“I prefer if you called me,” Adora smiled, “What are you doing here? This don’t look like your scene, Shayton.”
“It isn’t,” Shayton said, “But I just like to go places, you know. Just relax.”
“... You’re not from around here, are you?” Adora asked.
Shayton raised an eyebrow at her, “... And what gave that away?“ He near-sarcastically asked.
“Just a hunch,” Adora turned towards him.
“I think you look more out of place here,” Shayton said, “Going by yourself?”
“Yep, I’m a one-woman party,” Adora said.
“You should be careful,”
Adora narrowed her eyes as she asked,
“... What does that mean, Shayton?”
“It’s dangerous in St. Portwell, especially now,”
“Yeah, I lived here all my life,” Adora rolled her eyes. “I know, but I appreciate the concern… Shayton. That feels weird to say, you know. I’ll just call you Malik.”
There was a silence as Adora stared daggers into Shayton. He shrugged as he got up and said, “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Adora didn’t respond as Shayton got up, walked to the ferry's exterior, and stood there. Watching the scenery. She rolled her eyes as she figured that she was almost to Cracker Island. She saw the other ferries that were loaded with people.
Yet she couldn’t help but think about Shayton.
There was more to the old bastard.
The PRA.
Interactions: None.
The PRA Headquarters.
It was time for the morning PRA brief, as they practiced every morning... everyone was gathered in their meeting room. Meifeng is standing with a pulldown projector screen behind her, holding a clipboard. Cindy Keagan was sitting down at the laptop that operated the slides. Meifeng loudly coughed as she addressed the group.
"Alright," Meifeng started as she aimed a pen at everyone, "Director Alcott is going to have a nice little teleconference with us all on our progress. Remember, remain on your shit. That Raid the other day never happened. And Trevor..." Meifeng stared knives through Trevor.
Trevor awkwardly laughed as the sweat beads trickled down his head.
"... Just don't say anything, Trevor!"
"See no evil, Agent Liao," Samson chuckled.
Leon Vahan made a gesture as if he had zipped his lips closed.
"Another coverup?!" Sonya feigned shock, "We already did twenty this week! And it's Tuesday."
"Alright, the Director is patching through,"
The room dimmed as Director Alcott was patched through, and the Director appeared on the projector screen… as a shadowy figure with poofy black hair. None of the Director’s features could be made out, but many of the Agents in the room had seen the Director in person. The enigmatic Director made a finger tent as they said,
“Good morning,”
“Good morning, Director!” The Agents said in return.
“How have you all been?” Director Alcott asked.
“I’ve been good,” Samson shrugged.
“I finally grew back my arms and legs!” Sonya excitedly said.
“I’ve been great, Director,” Nakala said.
“Holding on,” Cindy said. “I think all the Agents have been doing fine under my watch.”
“How is St. Portwell treating you, Maximilian?” Director Alcott addressed Maximilian directly.
Maximilian shrugged.
“It’s nice,” Maximilian started, “It’s much better than I originally thought it’d be.”
“Now, to get down to business…” The Director stated, “This is my monthly update on your progress in securing the Stygian Snake.”
The Director let their words hang in the air as they asked,
“... So, what have you done to secure the Snake?”
Meifeng looked off to the side, grimacing as she said, “In terms of progress… we have made no progress.”
“So…” Director Alcott let their words hang in the air, “... Why exactly are you wasting time and resources brutalizing peaceful gatherings?“
Meifeng froze like a deer in the headlights; she turned around and faced Trevor, who smiled and shrugged before facing the projector screen.
“Director,” Meifeng said, “I was just-”
“Agent Liao, behavior like that gives the PRA a bad name… we are not tyrants that bully the city,” The Director was very calm with their words, “We are supposed to be helping St. Portwell. We are supposed to be quelling the chaos in the city.”
Meifeng was silent.
“I appreciate your work during the Lighthouse incident-” Everyone except Akira and Claudette winced. “-and I recommended you for this position, but if we have any more little hiccups like that… then I’ll be reconsidering your position, clear?”
Meifeng sighed.
“... Clear, Director.”
“Now, I anticipated that you wouldn’t have made progress on locating the Stygian Snake,” Director Alcott said, “So, I’m going to give this order straight from the top…”
The words made Meifeng grimace.
“... Everyone is released to head to the Halloween Festival, or home,” One could not make out Director Alcott’s features with sight alone, but Meifeng could just feel the warm smile they put on. “It seems like fun.”
Meifeng sighed out of relief before she turned to the PRA,
“... You are all on call; however, if something does happens,” Meifeng adds the caveat, and everyone nods.
“Now, I have nothing more to say,” Director Alcott said, “What’s your motto again?”
Meifeng opened her mouth, but Trevor beat her to it,
“... Just the tip!” Trevor shouted with a hand raised in the air.
“... Tre-TREVOR!” Meifeng screamed, her voice cracking.
“Okay,” Director Alcott said, chuckling as they shouted, raising their fist.
”JUST THE TIP!”
Everyone stood up, with a fist in the air, and shouted,
”JUST THE TIP!”
Meifeng’s face was beet red as she stomped over to Trevor, grabbed him by his collar, and said, “I’m going to kill you…” She paused. “... And then I’m going to kill you again.”
“Hey now,” Cindy chuckled as she looked at the group. “How about we meet here in our costumes in a few hours before we go?”
Meifeng craned towards Cindy, letting go of Trevor as she said, “Wonderful idea! We meet here at four?”
Maximilian raised an eyebrow, shrugging, “I didn’t pack a costume.”
Samson chuckled, “Me neither.”
“Don’t worry,” Trevor said, “I got you covered.”
Later on….
The PRA Agents had reformed in their meeting room… except they were all dressed up in costume. Nakala was dressed as Morticia Addams. Sonya was dressed as a “sexy cop” with booty shorts (despite not having much of one) and stockings. Claudette was dressed as a Librarian with a scarf around her neck. Bianca was dressed as a werewolf, with cute wolf ears and over-the-top makeup. Akira and Helena were not dressed up at all and were wearing regular ahh clothes. While Trevor, Maximilian, Fiona, Leon, and Samson were dressed as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. They were the Red, Blue, Pink, Yellow, and Black Power Rangers, respectively, and Samson loudly sighed as he said,
"... Real fucking funny, Trevor."
“... Wasn’t the Yellow Power Ranger a girl?” Leon Vahan said.
“Don’t be sexist,” Trevor said, “Today she’s a boy!”
“That has nothing to do with… never mind,”
Then, the two top Agents, Meifeng Liao and Cindy, came in… wearing matching cutesy French maid outfits, both holding feather dusters.
Immediately, everyone broke out laughing.
“What?” Meifeng said as she smiled. “Aren’t we adorable?”
Cindy wrapped her arms around Meifeng’s torso, smiling like a fool.
“Ohmygod- Yeah, totally adorable,” Bianca covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. She then looked around at everyone with a grin. “Oh man, I haven’t been to the Halloween festival since I was a teen- it’s great. As the resident St Portwell local, I can give anyone who wants it a tour… Show you all the best spots and the like.”
“I think you’re the only one here from St. Portwell!” Leon Vahan said.
“If you don’t mind,” Meifeng said. “It’s not fair to make you play tour guide if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t mind,” Bianca replied. “It’s an opportunity to show off the place!”
“Alright, unless anyone has anything to say,” Cindy put both her hands together and then pushed them outwards. “Let’s get out of here. I, for one, am sick of looking at this room!”
“Agreed,” Maximilian said as he stood up.
Everyone funneled out of the room, but as they were leaving, Meifeng said, “Remember, we’re on call!” She started.
“... And have fun!”
The 8th Street Coven.
Interactions: None.
Earlier in the day... The 8th Street Manor: Greta's Lab.
Gretchen (Or Greta) Faust's Labwas a sanctuary for the girl. It was her little slice of the 8th Street Mansion, which everyone got, but Greta made it clear that it was hers and no one was allowed in there without her permission. For a good reason, as there have been incidents in the past where people used the wrong potion or ended up setting off her explosive potions. As she typically was, Greta was completely knocked out at her desk, and the room was pitch black except for the glow her potions created. Taking naps was just typical for the overworking Greta, but what was not typical was the fact she had on only a white bra and panties. She snored incredibly loud.
... The door was pushed open, and the light came on; Greta raised her head towards the door, feeling that strand of drool come down from her face. She saw Jacqueline and Miranda inside, and their eyes shot open, and their faces went red.
"Oh my God, sorry!" Miranda raised her hands, turning her head off to the side, not to see any more of Greta.
"... This is why you knock," Greta shook her head as she walked towards the coat rack and put on a long white lab coat, buttoning it up. Then wiped the drool she had left.
"Again, we're sorry," Jacqueline ran a hand through her hair.
"Now, what can I help you with?" Greta asked, leaning against her desk.
The two girls nodded at each other.
"Annabelle," Miranda started, "We need you to start working on some kind of cure for her."
Greta shook her head.
"Good grief," Greta started as she walked over to her glowing wall of green potions (the healing ones), "First your sister wants me to make all these damn potions all the time, and now you want me to take on another problem?" She narrowed her eyes at the two.
"It's important... we don't know what's wrong with her..." Miranda said.
"That's rich coming from the girl with the Omnicient book," Greta rolled her eyes.
"Look," Jacqueline said as she pulled the Expert's Book from her armpit, walked over to Greta's desk, and placed it on it, opening it up. It was currently full of information on The Hunger... which was primarily useless information on the Curse's origins (a dimension she had never heard of) and all the people currently infected with it... but what was most essential was that the curse grew stronger the more people the infected consumed.
The Book gave zero information on how to cure it.
Greta leaned over and scanned the book before she turned to Jacqueline and said, "I'm going to need some time to examine the contents of this." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "However, I have something more pressing I'm working on."
The two twins raised their eyebrows with open mouths as Greta walked over to a large glowing vat with her hands behind her back. When she approached the vat, she pivoted around on her heel and kept her face turned upwards as if looking down on them... even though she was one of 8th Street's shortest members. She began her speech,
"As you two are aware, members of the Old Coven are being dropped like flies," Greta started, "That is not what I am working on... but I am under the impression that this may have something to do with the Stygian Snake, or someone might be working to release the Stygian Snake."
She placed a hand against the large metal vat and continued, "I am going to assume that the worst possible outcome will take place, and the Stygian Snake will escape. Which is why I am developing a special potion in case that occurs."
She adjusted her glasses.
"Don't you have a little bit of ti-" Miranda tried to say before Greta shot her down.
"No, I do not," Greta said. "We are preparing for war, aren't we?"
The Reed twins were silent.
"... Aren't we?"
Jacqueline and Miranda sighed simultaneously as they spoke in a strange unison.
"... Yes,"
Greta walked to the side of the two, then gave them the side eye as she said,
"We can figure out how to fix Annabelle after this blows over," Greta said before she sighed. "Deal?"
They were quiet before they said,
"... Deal," The Reed Twins said at the same time.
"Very well," Greta started, "Now, if you're not going to help me create potions, I have business to attend to."
"What? Sleeping naked on your desk?" Jacqueline snorted.
"Yes, in fact," Greta adjusted her glasses, "I am."
The two Reed twins rolled their eyes as they walked out, and Greta sat back down on her desk... and braced her face into her arms.
Current time. The 8th Street Manor: Main Hall.
It was finally time for the Halloween Festival!
The two Reed sisters skipped into the main hall, holding hands, wearing light-pink princess dresses and pink shoes, and having silvery tiaras. They were both wearing identical costumes that made it very hard to tell them apart... and they looked around at the other members of the 8th Street Coven and their costumes. The first person that caught their eye was George, who had dressed as a Spartan with a red cape slung over his shoulder, a brown kilt and belt, wrist cuffs, and a helmet. He exposed his muscular body as he sat down in the chair. The next person who caught their eye was Nadine, who had painted a skeleton on her face and hands; everything else was concealed by a blue sweater with a long red skirt and high heels, making her even taller. Aaron dressed up like an astronaut, and Malik dressed like a Pirate. Brianna was dressed as a Safari Guide with a Khaki dress shirt, shorts, and a guide hat. Lee and Flora were matching, dressed as knights, while Flora had the Aegis Piercer in hand. Greta was dressed up as Nina Cortex with blue body paint, a black shirt, and a skirt with a red tie… Maya was dressed up as an angel, with a white lace tube top, a puffy skirt that barely covered her ass, a halo, and small, feathered wings she’d spent the last week meticulously making.
Vashti entered from a side room, yanking the tail of her costume free from the door as it closed on it. She was dressed in an alligator onesie that was one size too large, the mouth that doubled as the costume hood drooped over her face. She pushed up the rows of felt teeth and grinned at Maya as she said, “Wow, bro, great costume as always. I’ve never seen someone do slutty chicken before!”
There were the difficult-to-ignore sounds of someone roller skating into the room, and presenting herself was Phoebe Carmicheal. She was wearing a bright red leather leotard with devil horns, holding a trident. She had on black roller skates as she passed Vashti, blowing some bubblegum.
“Sis, don’t do my girl like that!” Phoebe shouted as she skated over to Maya and hugged her. “That said…. You forgot the roller skates!”
“Yeah, I’m an angel, Vashti; you need to get your eyes checked,” Maya sneered, leaning into the hug and wrapping an arm around Phoebe’s waist. “Wait, shit, I knew there was something else I had to buy last week! Fuck, does anyone have a spare pair of roller skates… Where’s Carol?”
“... Right here!” Carol shouted, dressed up for a Roller Derby with roller skates herself, elbow and knee pads, and a pink helmet. She had on pink shorts and a lime green shirt. “I only got like two fucking pairs… I don't know why everyone acts like I gotta billion fucking pairs of roller skates! Your shoe size better be a six!”
“Well, you’re always wearing them, so,” Maya shrugged. Damn. Someone eternally a kid had a bigger shoe size than her. But she wasn’t going to admit that! She could grab some socks to stuff them with if she had to. “I am, so let me borrow your other pair.”
“You know the deal, Maya,” Carol put her fists on her hips as she said, “You gotta help me buy some booze first!”
“Carol, calm down!” Phoebe laughed. “You’re like fourteen!”
“I don’t give a fuck!”
“Mm, I dunno, dude. We’re all a little too mature to be giving liquor to kids,” said Vashti, her face squinching as she took a swig from an open bottle of bottom-shelf schnapps that had fished out from somewhere inside her gator costume. She gagged and offered it to Phoebe. “Shit, I mean, soooo good. Shot?”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Phoebe downed the shot.
Carol crossed her arms,
“Motherfucker… I’m twenty-FUCKING-four!” Carol rolled her eyes. “You know that… you know what? Fuck it!” Carol waved her hand away.
“Hey, don’t worry,” Maya lowered her voice, covering the side of her mouth towards Vashti as if she couldn’t hear her. She pointed to a small, white handbag at her feet. “I got some in my bag; you can have it.”
Carol grinned like a goblin and whispered, “Thank you, Vashti is a motherfucker.”
“You know, Vashti, that costume is hilarious,” Jacqueline giggled as the two went over to Emily, sitting at her throne, wearing her favorite green dress with her arms crossed, watching this unfold. The two Reed sisters walked over to Emily, and the girl raised her eyebrow as the twins smiled at her.
“... Yes?” Emily asked.
Miranda wiggled her hips as she said, “... Where’s your costume?”
“I don’t have one,” Emily rolled her eyes as she spoke, “I’m going as myself.” She turned her nose upwards and touched her chest as she spoke.
“That’s boring!” Jacqueline shouted.
“Hold on!” Miranda raised a finger before the two disappeared into the halls of the 8th Street Manor. A few minutes later, they returned, and Emily’s eyes shot open as they both held a ridiculous green dragon onesie. It was enormous, with a hole in the mouth where her face would be. Emily twisted her face at the sight as the two presented it before her.
“I. Am. Not. Wearing-”
Cracker Island. The Halloween Festival.
Emily was at the Halloween Festival wearing the costume.
Emily was hunched forward, with her eyes closed and an expression on her face implying that she wanted to die. She was being dragged forward through the crowds of people… and as far as the eye could see, there were stands selling food, drinks, or some product. However, Emily could only groan as her two little sisters skipped alongside her. The 8th Street Coven was one giant, hard-to-ignore group… led by the Reed Twins. Who came to a stop as they asked,
“What do you guys want to do first?!” Jacqueline excitedly said.
“... Kill myself,” Emily rolled her eyes.
"Go on then," Maya sneered. It wasn't as snide as her comments towards Emily normally would be - because she was trying her hardest not to fucking fall over. As normal, she held Phoebe's hand… but it was more like a death grip than a cutesie handhold. "Let's get drinks first!"
“Eat a dick, Maya…” Emily let go of her sisters and put her face in her hands.
“Yaaaaaaas!” Phoebe said, “So you can fall on your ass because you really aren’t good at roller skating, are you?”
"I'm going to fall on my ass anyway!" Maya half-wailed, grabbing Phoebe's arm when she nearly slipped. "I said I wasn't good at it."
“You better not fuckin’ break those! Those were expensive!” Carol chided.
“It’s cool; just ask Emily for an advance on your allowance, dude,” said Vashti. She agreed with Maya for once—drinks were a must, but the lines were too long. “I’m not missing the haunted mansion again this year.”
“George!” Vashti yelled and spun on her feet, not realizing the large Spartan was behind her. Vashti grabbed the tail of her crocodile costume and wrung it in her hands as she twisted side to side with a flirtatious smile. “Oh, George. Hey, we’re all gonna get in line for the haunted mansion. Could you grab us all drinks? I’ll save you a spot. I wouldn’t feel safe going in without being protected by a big, strong Trojan.”
George smiled as he flexed his muscles and said, “... Sure th-”
“Are you seriously expecting this big motherfucker not to break all our drinks?!” Carol shouted, laughing as she jammed an elbow into his side. “Lemme go with you, George! You’ll fuck it up if you don’t.”
“Looks like we’re splitting up?” Miranda turned on her heel. “We’ll hit up the haunted house later; I’m kinda hungry.”
“I’ll stick with you two,” Emily said.
“Where are we going?” Maya looked at Phoebe, who she was planning to stick with because what was the point of a matching costume if you weren’t together? Plus, she needed the physical support. “Can we go into the haunted house with roller skates?”
“I don’t know, but honestly,” Phoebe said as she roller-skated. “Getting drunk would make this lame-ass festival so much better. So, let’s get fuuuuuuucked up! WHOOOOOOOO!” Phoebe screamed.
“Heh, that I can agree with,” Maya grinned. “Let’s get drunk, then hit the haunted house! It’ll be way better then.”
“Let’s then steal candy from the kiddos!” Phoebe shouted.
That was when the 8th Street Coven went their separate ways.
42 | Liào Meifeng | She/Her"Even the oldest animal can put up one hell of a fight."
Description:
Callsign: Iron-Dragon.
Née Zhao. Meifeng is a decorated and skilled PRA agent who proved herself a capable leader during the Haunted Mansion incident, Werewolf Outbreak, Vampire Coven Wars, The Time Warp Anomaly, and, most recently, the infamous Lighthouse Incident (in which she doesn't like to talk about). Meifeng Liao is one of the top agents of the organization and holds the rank of Regional Commander - tasked with solving St. Portwell's supernatural war and recovering the Stygian Snake. The woman is incredibly stern, obstinate, efficient, and ruthless and will do what it takes to get the job done. On the job, the woman is stoic and professional, but behind the scenes, she's a fun-loving goofball who loves her two children dearly.
Meifeng was born in Hong Kong, China, but was brought to America by her mother when she was a little girl after her father's death. She settled into LA, where she grew up with her friend Cindy Keagan and her other best friend, Jennifer Caspin. She was called the Zhao Flower for her beauty, but she hated that since she was a "short-tempered badass" in her own words. Cindy left for the Army, and Jennifer went to New York to attend college, which left Meifeng alone. However, she met her future husband, Daniel Liao, in college.
The woman places inner strength above all else; to her, it's the ability to keep fighting no matter what. Thus, Meifeng is all about her fitness and is in amazing shape due to spending hours upon hours in the gym despite having twins (she has a C-section scar down her midsection). Which makes her appear a little bit intimidating; what doesn't help is the fact that she stands at five-eleven but, to her chagrin, barely has any curves. Meifeng's best friend is Cindy Keagan, her partner in crime and childhood friend.
Abstraction: Adept - Red-Lux. Channeler: Locket with a photo of her children.
Ferromancy: Meifeng's Ferromancy is a raw and powerful manifestation of her unyielding will and inner strength. Fueled by her iron-hard resolve and fortitude, this ability allows her to manipulate metal in all its forms telekinetically. Whether locking a door from a distance or ripping apart a vehicle with a wave, she commands metal through sheer force, though her control is anything but delicate. Every movement requires a corresponding gesture, and her influence over metal is more like a physical struggle than an elegant manipulation. Despite this, Meifeng can lift and control immense amounts of metal—up to three and a half thousand pounds—turning steel and iron into weapons or tools with devastating effect.
Unlike other metal manipulators who can seamlessly mold metal as if it were liquid, Meifeng's approach is far more forceful. When she attempts to shape metal, it resists her, resulting in jagged, deformed structures and a screeching sound that underscores the effort. Any attempts at fine control leave the metal irreparably marred. However, she has discovered one exception: she can shape metal into blades with precision and ease. This limitation, which likely stems from a deep-rooted memory or experience, forces Meifeng to rely on bladed weapons, which she creates with practiced efficiency, always finding a way to turn obstacles into tools of war.
Pyromancy: Meifeng’s Pyromancy is a raw, volatile power that mirrors the intensity of her inner fire and fierce determination. Still, in the early stages of mastering this element, her control over flames is both exhilarating and dangerous. The heat she commands is often wild and unpredictable, responding to her movements and emotional state. When she taps into her Pyromancy, her surroundings reflect her mood - the air crackles with energy, and embers swirl with a life of their own. She can summon and control flames with a flick of her wrist, setting objects ablaze or sending waves of fire at her enemies, but controlling its intensity is where the real challenge lies. For now, her Pyromancy leans more toward raw destruction than delicate manipulation, often burning hotter than intended.
Aquamancy: Meifeng’s foray into Aquamancy is an entirely different experience from her ferocious Ferromancy and volatile Pyromancy. With its fluidity and adaptability, water requires her to embrace flexibility and patience. Aquamancy introduces her to a constantly changing, elusive element. When she channels water, it requires a sense of calm and clarity, which are more challenging for her to access in battle. Yet, when she does, she can summon streams, jets, and even waves of water, shaping it into protective shields or binding it to her will for offense. What separates her control of water from her other abilities is that it requires a gentler touch. Unlike her Ferromancy, which allows her to crush and slice through metal, or her Pyromancy, which burns away obstacles, Aquamancy forces Meifeng to be strategic.
Cindy.Keagan
41 | Cindy Gabrielle Keagan | She/Her"Lord knows I've been trying to do the right thing."
Description:
Callsign: Green-Bird.
Senior Agent in the PRA and Meifeng Liao's best friend - she is rarely seen without her best friend and acts as her right-hand woman. Cindy has accompanied Meifeng through all those Paranormal incidents (and she does not want to talk about the Lighthouse Incident). Cindy was a native of Los Angeles and met her best friends Meifeng Liao and Jennifer Caspin in school. However, Cindy's father died of a heart attack, and she chose to live up to his legacy and joined the Army - in which she was a 42A (Human Resources Specialist). Leaving her two best friends behind was hard, but it was her dream.
She remained in the Army for fifteen years; her highest rank was E7. When her son, Cameron Keagan, was born in her thirties, Cindy chose to get out of the Army and settle back in LA - but she found herself getting roped into the PRA by her longtime friend Meifeng. She didn't want to work at a supermarket anymore and would kill to have some adventures with Meifeng to make up for the lost time, so she decided to join the PRA. Cindy's military knowledge has translated well to hunting Paranormal-Beings down. Cindy has done her most damn to remain in good shape, but her genetics has caused her to put on some pounds - most of which has gone to her butt, and she has a pear body shape. She keeps her hair straightened and has glasses.
Abstraction: Afflicted - The Glass Curse.
Cindy was originally a One-Eye-Open, but after a chance encounter trying to contain an Apparition known as the Fragile Goddess, Cindy was cursed by the being. The curse caused her to transform whatever she touched (which included people if they did not have an Emotional-Field) into a jade-colored glass, but she learned that she can control the curse. It took her years, but she managed to control what she transformed into the glass, and then she realized she got a diluted version of the Fragile Goddess' Abstraction.
Cindy can cause glass constructs to sprout out of the ground in the environment, which can be whatever she can envision with her mind's eye. She can create walls, glass spears, etc. - even with explosive force to use as a stabbing/slashing/bashing weapon. This has a minor kinetic ability of glass, as Cindy can force anything made of glass to shatter into pieces.
Nakala.Phillips
38 | Nakala Isabelle Phillips | She/Her"I want to know how I can make a difference, how to make people take me seriously."
Description:
Callsign: Arrow.
Senior Agent and Meifeng's third in command. The daughter of a PRA Regional Commander named Michelle Phillips, a rough and tough woman known for being a hardass, passes that down to her daughter. Nakala Phillips was born in Miami, Florida, and her best friend growing up was a half-black, half-Puerto Rican girl named Olivia Clarke. Olivia got Nakala into Archery when she was younger, and she did not think she would be good at it (she's a woman with giant hands!) but turned out to be a natural. She competed in various archery tournaments around the country. Still, after losing a game by the tinest of mistakes, Nakala underwent her Kindling-Event, discovering her connection to Red & Purple Lux.
However, she did not have a grand goal and continued with her life, eventually starting a business as a hairstylist and having a daughter, Jolinda (Jojo). One day, she discovers that an Apparition has killed her friend Olivia and that she wants to protect Jojo from the same fate. She contacted her mother (who had long retired) and asked her to get her into the PRA, who pulled a few strings with some friends to get Nakala into the PRA and reached the rank of Senior Agent. The Director considered Nakala to have potential in the PRA due to her skills, and she was one of the prospects to receive the Champion's Belt.
Nakala is a very strong-willed and determined human being. She takes a lot after her mother and how she was raised, and she was raised to be a strong woman, full of spirit who takes nothing from nobody. Nakala is a caring and loving human who sometimes lets her pride cloud her judgment and focuses on what's in front of her. Nakala is a very tall woman who stands at six-one and is very muscular with a deeper-than-average voice and braids she ties into a bun when on a mission. She carries her compound bow as her primary weapon (and Channeler) but keeps an M4 strapped to her back and a pistol on her hip.
Abstraction: Adept - Purple, Orange & Red Lux. Channeler: Her Compound Bow.
Portal-Arrow: This spell is the critical component of Nakala's arsenal; when she imbues an arrow with this magic, she channels her will and focus as she releases it. Upon striking a surface—be it a wall, the ground, or a tree—the arrow transforms into a shimmering portal that connects to another area she can see.
Elemental Arrow: Nakala's primary attack spell; she can fire arrows that manifest as different elements, harnessing the raw power of nature itself. Each arrow is imbued with a specific elemental force - Fire, Electricity, Stone, Ice, or others - transforming it into a devastating projectile that explodes upon impact. For example, a Fire arrow bursts into an inferno upon striking, engulfing enemies in flames and potentially igniting flammable surroundings. An Electric arrow crackles with energy, sending arcs of electricity to nearby foes, stunning them with a jolt. An Ice arrow creates a freezing blast, encasing enemies in frost and slowing their movements.
Cascade As a powerful enhancement of the Elemental Arrow, the Cascade subspell allows Nakala to trigger a series of elemental explosions upon impact. When an Elemental Arrow strikes, it can unleash a chain reaction of subsequent detonations, each linked to a different elemental force. For instance, a Fire arrow could ignite an Electric explosion nearby.
Homing Arrow: Using her Purple and Orange Lux, Nakala enchants her arrows to seek out targets once they are released. This spell allows her arrows to track enemies, curving mid-flight and hitting evasive targets precisely.
Rebound: A combination of Purple & Orange Lux to cast her favorite utility spell, Nakala enchants her arrows so that they return to her quiver after hitting their mark or missing entirely.
Phase-Arrow: With a flash of Purple Lux, Nakala can shoot an arrow that phases through physical objects. This spell allows her to bypass barriers, armor, or cover, hitting enemies that would otherwise be out of reach.
Wall-Walking: With her mastery of Purple Lux, Nakala can defy the laws of gravity, enabling her to walk along walls and ceilings. When she activates Wall-Walking, a shimmering aura surrounds her feet, anchoring her to vertical surfaces like solid ground.
Momentum-Cancelling: Nakala has developed the Momentum-Cancelling spell to negate her momentum instantaneously. By tapping into her Purple Lux, she can transfer her kinetic energy to a parallel dimension, halting her movement without physical repercussions. When she activates this spell, a brief shimmer of purple light envelops her, and in an instant, she becomes a still figure in the chaos of battle.
Maximilian.Cornell
32 | Maximilian Alexander Cornell | He/Him "We'll find a way, I promise."
Description:
Callsign: Praetorian.
Maximilian Cornell was born in Mankato, Minnesota, but when he was young, he was moved to a small town that neighbored the larger city. He was, for lack of a better term, the ultimate Boy Scout, as his parents tried their damnest to ensure they would raise the most moral human being on the planet. Perhaps he's not the most ethical on the earth, but he grew up wanting to help this society, this world that he lives in. Not just that, Maximilian intends to become the best he can be so he can always be in a good spot to help other people. Thus, he thought the best way to do that would be to become a sheriff and keep his small town.
Maximilian was attacked by an apparition one night, but two PRA agents saved him. They offered him a spot in the organization, and his life changed forever as he gladly accepted. Thus, he has been a part of the organization since. However, due to his morality and drive to become the best he can be, Director Alcott chose him to have the Champion's Belt, an artifact that is arguably the most powerful in the setting. Thus, he went from being a nobody to being one of the organization's most well-known and vital Agents who zip around from place to place to solve different high-level Paranormal incidents. After Director Alcott learned about the threat of the Stygian Snake, Maximilian was moved from his mission in Alaska to St. Portwell to be there if it broke free and defeat it if necessary.
With the Apparition Killer missing, Maximilian is the only chance of stopping the Stygian Snake if it breaks free. He's a big boy, standing at six-five with broad shoulders, and is very muscular from years of dedicating himself at the gym as a body-builder. He's incredibly kind, good-natured, and always tries to do the right thing... even if the right thing isn't always the best choice for everyone. He rushes from A to B with little consideration or maneuverability, but he's been learning to slow down.
Abstraction: Agent - The Champion's Belt.
Maximilian has the Champion's Belt, the most powerful artifact in the All-Verse containing the Apparition known as The Champion. The Champion is the Apparition that embodies the concept of human victory, exceptionalism, greatness, and excellence. The Champion's Belt grants Maximilian strength, durability, stamina, speed, and flight that scales to match his opponent or solve the current situation. If there are several opponents, it will simply give Maximilian the strength to defeat all of them. For example, if someone is stuck underneath a car, he'll get the strength to lift the car. If someone is falling to their death, he'll gain the speed to catch them before they hit the ground. If against a superstrong monster, he'll earn the durability to tank its blows and enough strength to punch through its armor.
This ability has no upper limit and functionally allows Maximilian to challenge even the strongest of Paranormal-Beings. Speaking of Paranormal-Beings, this ability comes with a subtle extra-sensory ability that detects his opponent's Abstraction (s) and adjusts his Emotional-Field to make him resistant. As a secondary ability, Maximilian can project golden beams that hit with kinetic force and travel until they hit an object, or Maximilian wills it to stop. Maximilian can fire these as a blast or continuously barrage his target like a beam, and they scale in power much like his other abilities. Maximilian can see the auras of Paranormal-Beings as a tertiary ability and deduce their power level (however, he cannot see them through walls). With the Champion's Belt, Director Alcott believes only Maximilian can stop the Stygian Snake if it breaks free.
However, this Abstraction requires Maximilian to perceive his opponent first, and if they are invisible, the Champion's Belt cannot work. If he's facing a situation he logically cannot solve with brute strength (such as an unmoveable object), then the Belt cannot change any of his abilities.
The Leadership of St. Portwell's PRA branch and other critical/powerful members.
Samson.Brown
29 | Samson Isiah Brown Jr | He/Him"Look, my father wasn't the best, but he had some wisdom. He told me always to see things through, never give up, and never show weakness."
Description:
Callsign: Phoenix.
A native of Philadelphia, he joined the Army at seventeen, and when he graduated high school, he was whisked away on an adventure where he partied, cleaned, and had lots of sex with strippers. However, he ended up in Iraq during the GWOT, and during a convoy, his Humvee was seemingly hit by an IED. He was on the brink of death, but the crater had a strange, alluring fire, and he crawled towards it. Only to find an entire phoenix inside the crater, and he touched it - becoming bound to the Apparition.
His wounds were instantly healed... which was not good as he was the sole survivor of the incident and hit with many different accusations by his former comrades. He was sent back to the States, where he was approached by PRA Agents who found the whole situation just a little bit weird. They found out about the Phoenix and asked Samson to join, and he accepted; they pulled some strings to get him honorably discharged from the military, and he became one of the best Agents (The Director considered him for the Champion's Belt).
Originally, Samson was stationed in his home city of Philadelphia, but Director Alcott pulled him to St. Portwell to handle the Stygian Snake situation. Samson is an average-height man who cares for himself at the gym at five-ten, so he'd be mission-ready. He's a very calm and reasonable person who is slow to anger, but once he gets there, oh boy.
Abstraction: Adjoined - The Phoenix.
Samson is adjoined to the mighty Phoenix, and he can transform into it at will. It stands at twenty-three feet tall with a wingspan of twice that, and it boasts incredible pyrokinetic abilities. He can spew an inferno of flames and create a wave of fire with a flap of his wings. The Phoenix can fly incredibly fast despite having limited mobility. In addition, the Phoenix boasts incredible strength, capable of up a truck and flying off with it.
Samson's secondary ability is regeneration - which he has in human form. Whenever he's injured, a fire will appear at the wound and quickly heal it, appearing as good as new a few moments later. Finally, Samson possesses the famed power of the Phoenix, self-resurrection. Once killed, Samson explodes into a cloud of fire, ash, and smoke, leaving nobody behind. Days later, all the ash will gather, and he'll be born anew, brought back to a physical state where he died with all his memories intact and his body restored. Thus, Samson is more or less immortal... unless the ashes are wet, it will permanently kill him.
Claudette.Beaulieu
34 | Claudette Beaulieu | She/Her"Magic is a force; I now force the forces."
Description:
Callsign: Ice.
A French-Canadian woman from Montreal who moved to Chicago to complete the University of Chicago's Social Worker Program. She completed the course with flying colors and became a social worker to improve the lives of impoverished youths in the city. However, she met a woman named Meredith Ray, and the two dated, eventually having sex... Afterward, Claudette woke up naked, tied to a bed, with various symbols and pentagrams drawn all about the room. This was when Meredith dropped the bomb on her: she never loved Claudette and was only playing her. Meredith told Claudette about the curse on her that attracted monsters and all sorts of nastiness - all because one of her ancestors was an Adept and had some unfulfilled pacts.
The curse could be passed onto another female through a ritual, so Meredith set up a trap, and Claudette fell for it. Afterward, Meredith left her, and Claudette screamed until someone called the police, and they came to free her. Claudette went home and was attacked by an Apparition, who told her she was marked for sacrifice. This was when Apparitions and Abominable began attacking her wherever she went. She fled across the country, living on the fringes, doing unspeakable things for food and shelter until they came to attack her. The stress caused her to undergo her Kindling-Event, where she finally gained the power to fight back against them.
Eventually, Claudette was approached by PRA Agents Liao and Keagan, who helped Claudette by placing her in a secure facility (that happened to have Maximilian!). Every time the Apparitions and Abominable attacked, they were fought off, and eventually, they managed to find a way to break the curse and gave Claudette a spot on the PRA (and therapy!). Claudette gladly accepted to help people like her and was stationed in St. Portwell, assisting with the magical madness there. Claudette is black and stands at five-six, being very skinny and bony due to her genetics. She speaks with a thick French accent.
Abstraction: Adept - Red & White Lux. Channeler: A kitchen knife Claudette used for protection while on the run.
Cyromancy: Born from Claudette's cold-hearted rage at betrayal and relentless pursuit, her mastery of Cyromancy is a powerful expression of her resilience. This spell focuses on creating ice rather than intricate manipulation, allowing her to conjure vast constructs instantly. When she channels her emotions, she unleashes frigid energy that quickly encases objects in thick layers of ice, serving both offensive and defensive purposes. Claudette can summon towering ice walls to block attacks or sharp spikes that erupt from the ground, transforming her rage into formidable barriers and weapons. While she may not excel in shaping ice fluidly, her creations' sheer force and size make her an overwhelming presence.
Paranormal-Insight: By harnessing her White Lux, Claudette can temporarily tap into the latent energies of nearby Paranormal beings. This spell grants her profound insight into their Abstractions and intentions, allowing her to anticipate their movements and strategies.
Curse Scrying: With her knife as a focus, Claudette can peer into the history of cursed objects or locations. This spell allows her to see past events tied to the curse, revealing its origin and potential weaknesses. This knowledge is invaluable for breaking curses or understanding the dangers she faces.
Aura Perception: Drawing on her White Lux, Claudette can perceive the auras of nearby Paranormal beings, even through solid walls and barriers. By focusing her power, she can sense the color and intensity of their auras, helping her gauge their mood and whether they pose a danger.
Preemptive Warning: This spell creates a subtle psychic connection that alerts Claudette whenever a threat is about to strike. Through a tingling sensation, she receives an early warning of incoming attacks, allowing her to react quickly and evade danger.
Sonya.Mayfield
27 | Sonya Summer Mayfield | She/Her "See? I'm a froggy! Just don't ask me to ribbit!"
Description:
Callsign: Merryday.
Sonya is a half-Caucasian, half-Mexican woman who grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Once she was of age, Sonya enlisted in the Army as one of the few Cavalry Scouts. She was in the Army for several years and attended Sniper School, intending to become a Green Beret. However, she was passed over several times due to being a female despite being one of their best shots - however, Sonya remained a chipper demeanor. In the Army, she met her future wife, Maria Costello, and the two got married after a long-distance relationship. However, she was stationed in Fort Polk, Louisana, for a bit, and as it turned out, some members of her unit worshipped a Frog-Apparition named Gulgorath... to which they attempted to sacrifice her. The PRA was hot on the trail of this little cult and barraged before Gulgorath could eat Sonya.
However, Sonya was afflicted in the process, which gave her Amphibian-like features. Sonya was offered a place in the PRA alongside her wife, Maria, as a sniper, and she became famous for her skill. Sonya has taken down several dangerous Paranormal-Beings who didn't even know what hit them. Sonya usually goes from place to place because of her skill as the PRA top sniper, but she was initially in LA before Director Alcott called for all hands on deck and was sent to St. Portwell.
Sonya appears to be an ordinary woman from a distance, but she has animalistic features as a part of her affliction. She has a mouth of needle-like teeth, webbed hands and feet, orbs at the end, and large eyes. She's petite, at five foot even, but otherwise in good shape. Sonya is eccentric, bubbly, overly kind, and compassionate, contrasting her attitude with the rest of her team. She's just another special agent who adds fun to the group.
Abstraction: Afflicted - Amphibian Physiology.
Sonya has the abilities of the strange and wonderful Amphibians that inhabit the land and the water. Sonya has various abilities, not just them, but also some abilities from Reptiles. Sonya, most notably, has a tongue six times the length of her body, allowing her to grab an object (or person) or get around the area. By nature, her body is very flexible, and she has super strong legs that let her jump incredibly high, and she can swim extremely fast. She breathes through her skin (which is coated in a layer of slime), can heal faster, regenerate limbs, camouflage herself, survive being frozen, change genders (she did this accidentally twice!), hear, smell, and see better. Also, she reproduces like a Surinam Toad. You're welcome.
Leon.Vahan
35 | Leon Conrad Vahan | He/Him"Take it slow, take it easy."
Description:
Callsign: All-Seer.
Maximilian's best friend in the PRA, whenever they end up in the same operation, they are usually inseparable. Leon appears to be very... eccentric. He usually seems out of it most of the time, as if he's never paying attention to anything. He's supernaturally calm, and rarely raises his voice, but he loves to mess with people - especially the senior Agents. He always keeps something between his lips, such as a toothpick, cigarette, or straw, and likens himself to an old-school cowboy. Leon is originally from New York, New York, but he spent his summers on a farm in rural Florida, where his family lived.
He eventually got a degree in Criminal Justice and applied to the FBI, finally gaining a spot as a Special Agent. Where he went from place to place... where he eventually trailed a serial killer in New England; however, this serial killer was Paranormal and nearly killed Leon, causing him to undergo a Kindling-Event. Leon (obviously) survived, but with his Abstraction, he managed to track the bastard down and put an end to him. This attracted the attention of the PRA, which offered him a spot in their organization. The FBI also put him out for breaking protocol.
Leon had no choice but to accept it and made sure to make the most of it. Leon was previously stationed in the Miami branch of the PRA as their top investigator, but he was pulled to St. Portwell to help with the crisis there. Leon is incredibly tall, at six-ten, but very skinny with little more muscle than lean muscle. Leon likes to keep a sword collection and carries a katana around because it is his Channeler (to the dismay of Meifeng and the others).
Abstraction: Adept - White. Channeler: His Favorite Katana.
Analysis: Using his White Lux, Leon can scan an area or object to gather information about its history, magical properties, and any significant events. This spell allows him to perceive echoes of past actions, giving him insights into the motivations and intentions of those involved. In combat, this can reveal opponents' weaknesses or help them anticipate their moves, making it a valuable tool for strategizing in the heat of battle.
Foresight: Drawing deeply from his connection to White Lux, Leon activates Insight, allowing him to glimpse all possible outcomes of his actions. In moments of decision - amid a heated battle or social situations - he experiences a rapid cascade of potential futures, each branching path illuminated in his mind. This foresight allows him to anticipate the reactions of opponents and allies alike.
Highlighting: By channeling his White Lux, Leon activates Highlighting, allowing him to see the auras of human and Paranormal individuals through walls within a fifty-meter radius.
Magic-GPS: This spell allows Leon to sense the most efficient route to his objective, whether in combat or while investigating a scene. He can intuitively navigate complex environments by tapping into his connection to White Lux, avoiding traps and obstacles.
Detective's Hunch: By utilizing his White Lux, Leon activates Detective's Hunch, allowing him to perceive the auras of objects that have been recently interacted with. When he touches an item, a wave of energy flows through him, revealing the physical traces left behind and the emotional imprint of the last person who handled it. He can see a Recollection of the moment it was touched, providing him with crucial details such as the individual’s name, intentions, and any significant emotions tied to that interaction.
Murderer-Tracking: When Leon casts Murderer-Tracking at a crime scene, the atmosphere shifts as a luminous, glowing-white trail emerges, leading away from the location of the crime. This ethereal path reveals the exact route the murderer took within the last twenty-four hours. This spell only works if the killer remains in the same dimension as Leon; the spell will immediately cancel if one enters a new realm.
Tactical-Recall: This spell allows Leon to recall and analyze past encounters with adversaries, providing detailed information about their fighting styles and strategies. By channeling his White Lux, Leon can relive previous battles, tapping into the echoes of those experiences to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the foes he has faced before. This retrospective insight not only aids in recognizing patterns in their behavior but also highlights any changes in their tactics.
Trajectory Prediction: This spell allows him to calculate the path of incoming attacks with uncanny precision. When an adversary launches a projectile or strikes at him, this spell enables Leon to visualize the attack's trajectory, speed, and impact point in real time. A shimmering overlay appears in his vision, tracing the path of the incoming threat and estimating the arrival time to a fraction of a second. Additionally, the spell provides insights into the force behind the attack, allowing him to gauge the opponent's strength and make informed decisions on how to respond.
Helena.Page
30 | Helena Ava Page | She/Her"Focus on the mission, complete the mission, go home."
Description:
Callsign: Falconer.
A woman from Bakersfield, California, who came from a relatively wealthy family, she had always dreamed of being a pilot flying in the Air Force. So her family pulled a few strings, and she went to school, got an easy bachelor's degree, and got commissioned in the Air Force. She completed Initial Flight Training and Undergraduate Flying Training and was on her way to becoming a decorated pilot in the Air Force. However, during one of her flight training missions, she encountered a mysterious Apparition known as the Flock, a mass of different bird-Apparitions.
These Apparitions formed around her jet and seemingly guided her along... unaware that she had become adjoined to the Flock, she told her chain of command that she had gone crazy! After a mental health assessment, she was determined to have schizophrenia and deemed ineligible for the program. This sent Helena into a deep depression... but she was approached by the PRA, who was tracking the Flock. They told her about the true nature of the Flock and the world of Paranormal, then offered her a spot in the PRA... which Helena accepted, in which she encountered many other agents during the infamous Lighthouse incident. She was in the Miami Branch before Director Alcott called her to St. Portwell due to her skill and the power of her Abstraction.
Helena Page is a very callous and aloof woman who prefers to focus on the mission and keeps the small talk to a minimum. Due to her wealth, she sees herself above most other Agents and only respects Maximilian and Meifeng. However, she constantly gets knocked down a peg by the other Agents. Helena is a five-eight woman with wide hips but is otherwise well-built.
Abstraction: Adjoined - The Flock.
After a chance encounter during a training mission, the Flock choose Helena to be their next host after the death of their previous one. The Flock has the appearance of a mass of hundreds of different birds. Helena can individually control each of them and give them various tasks over a wide radius, and she is one of the most powerful PRA agents due to how difficult she is to fight. She can also see through them, and they can lift her and carry her to achieve a sort of flight.
Fiona.Barret
20 | Fiona Ashley Barrett | She/Her"I'm... not sure if they can fix me. I may have to accept that this is just what I am."
Description:
Callsign: Mantis.
The one of the newest PRA Agents and one of the team's least human-looking members. You see, Fiona grew up in a town in very rural Maryland... then a portal opened up, releasing all sorts of Apparitions, and she found herself fighting for her life as everyone she knew and held dear was killed. She was found by PRA Agents Maximilian Cornell, Leon Vahan, and Helena Page, hiding on a farm, starving, and was extracted... that was when they were ambushed, and Fiona was nearly killed. In a desperate bid to save her, Maximilian released a sealed Apparition and forced it to adjoin to Fiona.
It healed all of her wounds while transforming her into a half-bug, half-girl, but Fiona was taken in by the PRA, who offered her a spot in their organization. Fiona hesitantly accepted and was assigned to St. Portwell... where things picked up once Director Alcott heard about the Stygian Snake. Fiona is new and inexperienced, but she's willing to learn, positive, and wants to do her best. Fiona stands at five-six, and her entire body is covered by a rough, green exoskeleton with purple tips. She has an extra set of eyes and massive antennae on her head. Her human face is visible, but she has freakish compound eyes instead of regular eyes. Fiona requires unique clothing that the PRA makes, but she is usually limited to night operations or is behind a special armor that conceals her Paranormal traits.
Being the youngest Agent, Fiona is usually paired with Trevor, with whom she gets along.
Abstraction: Adjoined - The Mantis.
Fiona adjoined with the Apparition known as the Mantis, Fiona has some permanent changes to her body. She permanently appears like a half-insect, half-human, but this comes with some perks. For starters, her chitin armor brings her durability up enough notches that a punch from a professional boxer will have the same effect as getting hit with a wad of crumbled-up paper. Fiona doesn't have claws, but she is much stronger and faster than an average person and can leap incredible heights.
However, what is most notable is Fiona's vision is incredible and can pick up motion in a wide range from far away. She can also rotate her head 180 degrees and climb walls. Fiona's final ability is that she can grow wings and zip around the area at high speeds - but this is very loud, so she rarely does it.
Trevor.Obott
25 | Trevor Kevin Obott | He/Him"Ladies call me 'Big Trev'."
Description:
Callsign: Silent Flute.
Born in the spooky Magnolia Springs, Alabama, as one of two twins, Trevor grew up not only the only male child (well, his twin transitioned) in his family but also the youngest alongside his twin. He grew up an immature, annoying pissant who was ultimately good-natured but lamented that he looked like a girl. He showed prominence for being a computer prodigy as he made programs (and viruses) at only thirteen years old. He nurtured this hidden talent through high school (in which he never held a girl's hand, rip). Via some form of Christmas Miracle, Trevor got into Yale and graduated from their computer science program. He eventually became a professional hacker for big corporations (basically, he was paid to find vulnerabilities in their databases), but he was not happy with it.
Trevor wanted to do something more with his life, so he took a month off from work after acquiring quite a bit of wealth and returned to Magnolia Springs... However, one rainy night, he was driving with his sister, Scarlet, when he mysteriously crashed. He heard some growling as he pulled his sister out of the car wreckage, and they were chased through the woods by some invisible monster or something. Right when they were cornered, they underwent their Kindling-Event, and two mysterious women in raincoats came by and destroyed the Apparition with some pocket change.
They introduced themselves as Meifeng Liao and Cindy Keagan, and Trevor asked what in the fuck just happened to which Meifeng explained it. Trevor asked to join the PRA, and Meifeng couldn't resist the bonus she would get for recruiting him. Thus, Trevor became their computer/hacking specialist who rarely goes out on field operations.... instead; he annoys Meifeng to no end. Due to being one of the younger agents, Meifeng assigns him all the work she doesn't want to do, calling it "Trevor-Duty" (which has become an effective threat to inefficient PRA Agents).
Trevor is distinct from the other PRA Agents; he has a feminine face and dainty features. He usually keeps his hair long, his face well-shaven, and he has full lips. He stands at five-five and is very skinny due to going to the gym often (he works legs and nothing but legs). He can appear feminine until he opens his mouth and sounds like a teenager. He likens himself to a lady's man despite constantly fumbling with every woman who has ever talked to him. He has better luck with guys, though.
He also loves to mention the Lighthouse Incident (which he was a part of) to the chagrin of his team.
Abstraction: Adept - Green Lux. Channeler:
Healing-Touch: This spell allows him to mend wounds at an accelerated rate, making him the PRA's designated healer. When Trevor channels his magic, a warm, vibrant green glow envelops his hands (... or whatever body part he uses). The effects are profound; injuries ranging from minor cuts to severe trauma can be healed almost instantaneously. Trevor's touch accelerates physical recovery and revitalizes the recipient's energy, helping them regain stamina and return to the fight.
Coffee-Shot: Trevor channels his Green Lux to cast a spell that instantly eliminates fatigue and revitalizes energy levels. With a flick of his wrist, he summons a wave of vibrant green light that envelops himself or a targeted ally. This magical aura penetrates deep into their being, flushing away exhaustion and restoring alertness in an instant. Recipients feel an immediate boost in stamina, their senses sharpening, and their spirits lifting as if they’ve just had the best night’s sleep.
Pollen-Puff: Trevor can create a dense cloud of magical pollen that not only obscures vision but also temporarily impairs the senses of those caught within it. Enemies will experience dizziness and confusion, making aiming or coordinating attacks difficult. While the pollen affects enemies, Trevor remains immune, allowing him to move freely and reposition himself during combat.
Sticky-Sap: Trevor can produce a clear sticky fluid that covers an area, creating a hazardous terrain for anyone who touches it. Anyone caught in the sap finds themselves stuck and vulnerable, while Trevor is strangely immune.
Psychedelic Spores: One of Trevor's more mischievous spells. It allows him to unleash a cloud of vibrant, shimmering spores into the air from his hands. These spores drift and swirl around when released. Upon inhalation, the spores mimic the effects of various psychoactive substances, inducing altered states of perception and heightened emotions in those affected. Trevor can manipulate the intensity and type of experience, ranging from mild euphoria to intense hallucinations, all while ensuring that the effects are temporary and harmless.
Testicular Torsion: Trevor's infamous spell, dubbed his "Secret Weapon," is an attack rooted in his Green Lux. When invoked, Trevor channels a concentrated surge of Green-Lux into a small green orb, which he can propel at varying speeds - from a leisurely roll to a lightning-fast projectile. Upon impact with a target possessing testicles, the orb triggers a powerful biological reaction that instantly causes torsion, bypassing all forms of protection, including Emotional-Fields. To add to its theatricality, Trevor must loudly proclaim, "Testicular Torsion!" during the casting,
Secret Weapon #2: Another super secret and powerful spell Trevor saves for emergencies!
Akira.Shinjo
31 | Shinjo Akira | She/Her"Yūkōno Toki is a tool, a weapon, and my duty as a Spirit Warden."
Description:
Callsign: Epoch.
Akira Shinjo is a dedicated Spirit Warden operating under Task Force Ø, Japan's counterpart to the PRA. Although not an official member of the PRA, she serves as a vital link between the two organizations in their shared battle against the supernatural. The Spirit Wardens, formerly known as the Yokai Extermination Brigade during World War II, carry a contentious legacy marred by war crimes. This history weighs heavily on Akira, whose grandfather was a Brigade member. The complex legacy of her family fuels her unwavering resolve to protect her homeland and rectify past mistakes. As part of a unique “Foreign Exchange” program, Akira has been sent to the PRA to assist with the escalating crisis posed by the Stygian Snake, an Apparition that has historically wreaked havoc in Japan.
Growing up in the vibrant city of Tokyo, Akira was raised on tales of spirits and yokai told by her grandmother, a revered Shinto priestess. This upbringing instilled in her a deep respect for the supernatural from a young age. However, the shadow of her grandfather's involvement in the infamous Yokai Extermination Brigade loomed large over her childhood. One fateful evening, as she walked home, a Yokai emerged and attempted to consume her. In a moment of desperation, as panic ensued, Akira underwent her Kindling Event. Just when all seemed lost, a member of the Spirit Wardens intervened and saved her. In that moment of desperation, Akira underwent her Kindling Event, awakening her latent Black Lux. This pivotal moment not only solidified her path as a Spirit Warden but also ignited a fierce commitment to confront and corral the spirits that roamed between worlds.
After the harrowing encounter with the Yokai, Akira’s life took a pivotal turn. In the aftermath, her grandmother entrusted her with Yūkōno Toki, an ancient blade revered in their family line of Oni-Kariudo (Demon Hunters). This incredible gift connected Akira to her lineage, allowing her to protect her community with a tool imbued with history and purpose. Motivated by her newfound purpose, she joined the Spirit Wardens, a decision that would shape her destiny. Embracing her role within Task Force Ø, Akira trained rigorously, honing her skills and deepening her understanding of the supernatural realm. With each mission, she grew more adept at wielding her Black Lux alongside Yūkōno Toki, embodying her family's values and the ethos of the Spirit Wardens. As she ventured into the depths of Japan’s haunted corners, confronting malevolent spirits and aberrations, she carried the weight of her family's legacy, determined to honor her ancestors and protect those who could not defend themselves.
With her stoic demeanor and unwavering dedication to duty, Akira embodies the essence of a Spirit Warden. She operates under the belief that her family's history and the burdens of the past are what drive her to succeed. Her keen focus on completing missions often overshadows her personal feelings, making her a woman of few words. However, one topic stirs her passion: Yūkōno Toki, her family heirloom and an ancient Ōdachi. Akira despises being trivialized as a mere anime cosplayer for wielding the sword; to her, it symbolizes her heritage, power, and resolve. Those who mock her attachment to the blade, like Meifeng, learn quickly that she is not to be underestimated. She passionately articulates the importance of Yūkōno Toki and its significance in her lineage, emphasizing that it is far more than a mere weapon.
Akira views her role with the Spirit Wardens as a personal honor and a sacred duty to her family and country. The mission to locate and confront the Stygian Snake, a historical terror that has haunted Japan for centuries, has become her obsession. She is resolved to face this darkness, even at the cost of her life. With every spirit she binds, Akira feels she is stepping closer to reclaiming her father's honor and bringing closure to a tumultuous past. Her training has sharpened her skills, allowing her to move with precision and strength despite her short stature of five feet two inches. Her toned legs, honed from years of sprinting and leaping, propel her through the urban landscape as she confronts the forces of evil.
Abstraction: Adept - Black Lux. Channeler: Yūkōno Toki
Truth of the Conclusion: Akira harnesses Truth of the Conclusion to facilitate the sealing of an Apparition with greater ease and precision than traditional methods. To cast this spell, she begins by drawing intricate sigils on the ground, each symbol reflecting her unwavering belief in the binding power of her heritage and training. This heightened conviction amplifies the effectiveness of the seal, making it far more potent than standard techniques. Once the symbols are in place, she places a small object, such as a talisman or stone, at the center of the sigils. The final and most dangerous step involves confronting the Apparition, where she must weaken it through a battle of wills, leveraging her mastery over Black Lux to exert influence over the spirit. Unlike regular sealing, which often relies solely on basic symbols, Truth of the Conclusion incorporates Akira’s emotional strength and personal commitment to her lineage, elevating the sealing’s power. When the Apparition is finally weakened, the sigils glow with a radiant light, pulling the spirit into the object and rendering it dormant with greater security. This spell ensures that the captured Apparition remains stable within its confines, minimizing the risk of accidental release.
Bonds of Summoning: With Bonds of Summoning, Akira gains the ability to release an Apparition from its seal, allowing her to command and utilize its powers for a limited time. To invoke this spell, she must first channel her Black Lux, establishing a connection with the sealed spirit. This process requires her to recite an incantation that resonates with the Apparition, evoking memories of its inherent desires and forging a temporary bond. Once the spirit is drawn from its dormant state, Akira can issue commands, guiding the Apparition to aid her in battle or perform specific tasks. However, her control over the spirit is contingent upon maintaining her focus and will; any sign of doubt could weaken the bond, risking the Apparition breaking free from her control. Additionally, while Akira can place the Apparition back into its original seal or transfer it to a new one, doing so requires precise timing and intent. If the Apparition senses an opportunity to escape during the transition, it may attempt to break free. The potential for backlash underscores the risk of wielding this spell, as losing control could lead to the Apparition unleashing its full power against her.
Promise of the Sinner: Promise of the Sinner allows Akira to engage in pacts or deals with Apparitions, tapping into their desires or regrets to broker an agreement that benefits both parties. To initiate this spell, she must first create a sacred space, often involving a ritualistic drawing of symbols that signify mutual respect and understanding. Akira then offers a token of goodwill, such as a personal item, as a form of currency in the negotiation. This token symbolizes her sincerity and commitment to the pact, establishing a foundation of trust. During this exchange, she draws upon her understanding of the Apparition's history and motivations, appealing to their emotions to develop a connection. These pacts usually involve the Apparition completing a task for Akira, allowing her to tap into its abilities or insights to overcome a specific challenge. However, this exchange has drawbacks; the Apparition may request a favor in return, which could involve future services, a piece of Akira's essence, or the promise of something more personal, like a memory or experience. The pact's success relies heavily on her ability to demonstrate sincerity and respect for the Apparition, as any hint of manipulation could lead to the deal's failure or even backlash. Additionally, if the terms of the agreement are not fulfilled, Akira risks incurring the Apparition's wrath, potentially leading to disastrous consequences for both her and those she seeks to protect.
Shadow's Grasp: Akira invokes the power of her Black Lux to summon ethereal hands formed from shadows that reach out toward a targeted Apparition. As these hands close in, they latch onto the spirit, draining its strength and vitality. The grip of the Shadow's Grasp is not merely physical; it penetrates the essence of the Apparition, sapping its Abstraction and diminishing its defenses. With each passing moment, the Apparition's power wanes, leaving it vulnerable and weakened, making it easier for Akira to confront or seal it. This spell requires significant concentration, as Akira must maintain her focus to keep the shadows intact while channeling her Black Lux.
Veil of Awareness: With the Veil of Awareness, Akira taps into the surrounding energies to detect nearby Apparitions, honing in on their presence through her Black Lux. To cast this spell, she must first find a quiet space and become completely still, allowing her to center her mind and attune her senses to the subtle magical fluctuations in the air. As she focuses, her aura expands outward, creating a field that resonates with the unique signatures of Apparitions. This heightened perception allows her to sense their locations and emotional states, helping her gauge their intentions.
Warding: Warding allows Akira to create a protective shield that prevents Apparitions from bypassing. To invoke this spell, she must draw a large sigil on the ground, surrounded by intricate designs that symbolize containment and protection. Once the barrier is established, a dark, swirling mist encircles her area, forming an invisible boundary that Apparitions cannot cross. Within this barrier, Akira can move freely, but any attempt by a spirit to enter is met with resistance. However, maintaining the barrier requires continuous channeling of her Black Lux, and any lapse in focus could weaken the shield, allowing a determined Apparition to slip through.
Bianca.Manalo
27 | Bianca “Bea” Reyna Manalo | She/Her "We all made mistakes in the past. What matters is that we don’t repeat them."
Description:
Callsign: Boost
A former member of the Sycamore Tree coven and Linqian’s ex partner, Bianca (generally going by Bea) is a second generation filipino-american born and raised in St. Portwell, with parents working in the fishing industry. She joined the Sycamore Tree coven after undergoing her kindling event during an attack by the Stygian Snake. She was bold and spirited as a teenager, but also incredibly reckless. Bea was friendly with almost everyone in the coven, a people person, and always down for fun. She made light of the danger, and as a result was badly injured during the final fight against it. She only pulled through thanks to Jade’s healing. This made her mature, and rethink things - including her relationship.
After the coven dissolved she moved on, going to college for a degree in forensic science while continuing to work in her magic. Once she graduated she joined the FBI, at first working as an entry level forensic scientist before moving into a role with more fieldwork. It was when she was out on the field that she and another agent were ambushed by an apparition. Her experience in fighting them as a teenager kept them alive, and the revelation of her abstraction during the event saw her offered a place in the PRA. She took it, and after a year managed to get transferred to the St Portwell office - where she’s been for the past two years.
Bea’s bright and confident, and much less reckless than she was as a teenager. She’s empathic but doesn’t have much tolerance for bullshit. She likes to crack jokes and make light of things, but is very efficient and focused when work is involved. Bianca is short at five-two, but fit - due to working out and continuous training. She may have a support role, but that just means she doesn’t have an offensive abstraction to fall back on in dangerous situations. She currently keeps her hair at shoulder length so it's not too annoying, tying it up in a bun or ponytail for missions.
Abstraction: Adept - Orange Lux. Channeler: A blue nautical rope bracelet
Bea is primarily focused on abstraction enhancement. She can boost one nearby person's abstraction at a time.
Strength: Bea’s most basic spell, the ability to boost the strength of someone else’s paranormal ability. For example, elemental abstractions will be more powerful and deal more damage and a healing abstraction would heal better and faster.
Duration: A spell that allows the target to use their abstraction for longer than normal, rather than boosting the actual strength of it.
Distance: A spell that increases the range of another person’s abstraction. This can be as simple as making the ranger longer, but could also enhance a single line abstraction to affecting a radius or make a close range abstraction long range. Bea chooses the effect when she casts the spell.
Penetrate: Aptly name by her ex-partner, this spell specifically enhances abstractions ability to penetrate emotional fields. It only works for abstractions that would be affected by emotional fields.
Multi Target Enhancement: This allows Bea to boost the abstractions of four people near her. This is a much weaker version of her strength enhancement, as the boosting is essentially split in four. This is the spell she's been working on the most recently. She can only use it with strength enhancement currently.
The backbone of the St. Portwell PRA branch, various agents from all over the country. Director Alcott assembled because she felt they could handle the Stygian Snake situation and St. Portwell's out-of-control Paranormal scene.
36 | Luis Gabriel Cox | He/Him "Here at Dollhouse... we have it all."
Description:
The leader of the Dollhouse organization, former organ trafficker, and current boogeyman. Luis was formerly a hitman in the employ of the Russian mafia; whenever they needed someone to disappear, Luis was that man. He used to make "good use" of the people he killed by selling their organs. However, he had a debt that he owed them,m and they turned against him, sending men to kill him. When Luis was dying, she came; Hemorrhagia the Apparition. She offered him a deal that she couldn't refuse; she would grant him immortality,y and he would be the head of her new organization.
Suddenly, Luis became a boogeyman within the criminal underground (Luis the Undying, they called him) and the black market... where he used magic to change the game. He assembled Doll-House with the sole intention of building a new organization of criminals and black market dealers. Luis is a very cunning and ruthless man but takes no pride in killing and prefers to avoid it unless necessary. Luis is a tall and slender man at six-five with lean muscle. He's half-Cuban, half-Caucasian, and has a man-bun and a beard. Likes to wear white button-up shirts.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
Natalie.Parts
35 | Natalie Texas Parts | She/Her "Locked and loaded, babe!
Description:
A former Marine who enlisted at a very young age but left after two contracts and retired to Florida due to dissatisfaction with the Marines (She still flexes about being a "Devil Dog"). Natalie became a Miami-Dade sheriff... a dirty one at that. She would turn the other way, or someone would disappear for the right price and become heavily involved in the criminal underworld. Primarily organ trafficking. Once she discovered her Adept Heritage, she was drawn to Luis the Undying. She became the second in command of his Dollhouse organization and is in charge of the mundane side of their organization. Natalie is a usually harsh, loud-mouthed, and sarcastic woman who gives little thought to class or tact. She curses constantly and talks a lot of shit... and she's a huge gun nut (her channeler is a gun). Natalie is a short (about five-one) Caucasian woman with brown hair who always wears a cowboy hat for some reason. She always has one of her two revolvers if she doesn't have one.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
Tanya.Malcom
31 | Tanya Liberty Malcom | She/Her"I got a letter for ya', signed with love, ya' bombaclot!"
Description:
A mysterious woman disappears in the streets of St. Portwell as fast as she appears. Tanya is a short woman who stands at five-one and is Jamaican by ethnicity. She speaks with a thick Jamaican accent and speaks so fast and loudly that it's sometimes hard to understand Tanya. Despite her short height, she makes up for it with a presence that outweighs mob bosses and carries herself with cool confidence. However, Tanya's place in the city of St. Portwell is strange because she acts as a courier, a sort of mailwoman. She appears, drops letters off to people of interest, and disappears. Usually, these people are the leaders of the various Paranormal factions and certain other members. Tanya acts as a letter girl who delivers messages between these people and whoever she reports to. Some may note that she used to operate out of Miami.
30 | Ruby Kierra White | She/Her"Eating ass and saving grass."
Description:
The fearless leader of the Greenwood Coven, Ruby, is a very eccentric woman whose antics confuse and annoy the Greenwood Coven. She is known to be incredibly stubborn, with a holier-than-thou attitude, and impulsive - with a borderline Messiah Complex. The rest of the Greenwood Coven love her dearly, but they operate as a balancing act to her more eccentric behavior. Ruby was born and raised within The Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals to a single mother named Sandra White. Her father was never in the picture, and, honestly, Sandra never knew who he was, not that she cared because he didn't want anything to do with the Temple - which was everything to Sandra, and ended up being everything to Ruby.
Ruby grew up being very close to the leader of the Temple, Lynette Richoux, as she was being developed into one of her future Crones. However, fate would lead Ruby down a different path when they discovered a magical grove some distance away from the Temple during a game of hide-and-seek with friends. When she stepped into this place, she felt a connection to nature like no other, and it filled her with wonder - as it was the most beautiful place she had seen. Little to her, the Grove was a magical, semi-sentient location that only let in those it deemed worthy.
The place became Ruby's Sanctuary, and she retreated to receive that same wonder well into her adult years. However, after the battle with the Stygian Snake, more Apparitions flooded into St. Portwell, and one entered the Grove. Ruby entered the Grove one day and found it all burning. The very thing she loved as a child in flames caused Ruby to fall to her knees and scream, causing her Kindling-Event. Yet, she could not save the Grove; it was beyond saving, and she watched it burn before her eyes.
This was one big clarion call for Ruby as she realized St.well was crumbling underneath her feet... Getting let into the Grove and being the only person to enter filled Ruby with a new form of determination and a new ego as she felt like the Chosen One. This was a calling from the Grove to become the savior of St. Portwell and protect nature... Then she realized that her time with the Temple was ending. She trained with their Adepts for the time being, but ultimately, she found her true calling and created a Coven: The Greenwood Coven. She roped three of her friends into it, and together, they had many adventures as she defeated Apparitions, witches and warlocks, and other monsters threatening nature.
Ruby is an average-height woman who stands at five-five and has a skinny, somewhat athletic build. Ruby is half-black and half-white but identifies as African-American and has dyed red dreadlocks, the most notable features in her eyes. However, she has a nasty burn scar on her right arm from a battle with Emily G. Reed (who she fucking hates). She likens herself to a modern-day superhero as, when the time calls, she dons her Spring Maiden alter-ego and wages war against the other factions. While the Spring Maiden, she walks around with a giant tree branch, which acts as her channeler.
Her longtime girlfriend is Amelia Dallon, the Fall Maiden.
Abstraction: Adept - Red & Pink. Channeler: A branch from a piece of the Grove that was not destroyed.
Spring-Beams: Ruby's primary spell and offensive weapon, she can generate concussive beams from her channeler. These beams were a dull-yellow color, and she could control the force they hit with (They can range from a punch to knocking a car over). These beams had a secondary effect of generating plant life (roots, grass, foliage, etc.) wherever they hit, and she can control what gets generated to a degree. She can use it to create plant structures to suit whatever needs.
Growth-Spurt: With a wave of her "wand," she can cause flowers to bloom, trees to flourish, and fields to become fertile—even in places where they would not logically grow. She can induce explosive plant growth in her vicinity, and this spell is most potent during the spring equinox.
Forest Shield:Spell can quickly erect a massive barrier out of the ground of vines, thorns, and woods that can be pretty difficult to penetrate.
Verdant Platforms: Ruby can create a platform made out of plants in the environment at will and use them to get as high as she pleases. She can create several at once that are either above or lower than her but remain present until they either wither away or get destroyed.
Aeromancy: Ruby can control and manipulate the air element with a wave of her wand. She can conjure powerful gusts of wind, create air currents, and even summon a tornado to ravage foes. Ruby has learned she can achieve a pseudo-form of flight by laughing herself around with the winds.
Emotion-Sensing: Ruby can see the auras of people around her by blinking her eyes and discern their emotional state from their color. She can also foster an emotional bond between people and allow them to see each other’s emotions.
Positive-Emotion Amplification: Ruby can cause positive emotions in others (bypassing Emotional-Fields) even in the darkest hours. She can induce joy, hope, and happiness in her targets, but her fellow Coven members don't like their emotions manipulated, so she rarely uses this Spell.
Emotional-Repulsion: Ruby can focus on her targets, bSpelling any Emotional-Fields, and induce emotions such as fear, discomfort, and uncertainty to ward them away.
Psychic-Shield: Ruby can create a barrier of Pink-Lux that prevents psychic shielding to all those who enter. No one can use emotional or mental magic while behind the Psychic Shield.
Alert: Another spell Ruby created alerts her if someone attempts to enter her head... and illuminates the aura of whoever is trying to.
Sanctuary: Ruby can create an entire structure made of plant matter, such as a building or a large dome, to serve as a haven for herself and others, which regenerates itself. This Sanctuary offers physical protection with its sturdy walls and a calming aura that fills the space with positive emotions (like happiness).
Maiden Flash: A Joint-Cast and "Final weapon" that is cast between all four of the Maidens. They form a triangle formation - with Ruby in front and the other three behind her with their arms extended, and they channel their Red-Lux into her. This ritual charges up Ruby and her channeler, the tree branch, as she aims at the target. Once fully charged, it unleashes a devastating beam of magical energy, a kaleidoscope of different colors. When it fades, it reveals that the entire area has been converted into a forest. This Joint-Cast requires time to charge up, but the longer it is charged, the more effective it is.
Jessica.Rosefey
32 | Jessica Sharon Rosefey Jr. | She/Her"Time to party!"
Description:
Known as SunnyMuscleMommy on Instagram, but in the Greenwood Coven, Jessica is known as the Summer Maiden. Jessica is a longtime friend of Ruby's who is very passionate about her fitness journey and has become a bodybuilder. Due to her great genetics, she is incredibly muscular with well-built arms, back, abs, and legs and has made her own Instagram page which has thousands of followers (who are all horny for her). She's a little taller than average at five-eight. Jessica is a very positive and sunny individual who is always talking, being the life of the party, and cracking jokes. She claims she's a people person and great at making friends with people. She is very kind and moral, can't stand seeing people getting hurt, and tries to put others first (when realistic).
However, she can't mentally handle insults or criticism and just has to be showered with compliments. She loves animals and the forest and used to take hikes all the time before the Stygian Snake, which has rendered the forests far too dangerous to trek alone in. Jessica experienced her Kindling-Event after her hormones got the best of her. She was eventually roped into her best friend Ruby's little Greenwood Coven, and she served as a vital member as Jessica acts as the Greenwood Coven's artillery. She usually has a pseudo-cowboy style because she always wears a leather cowboy hat (which belonged to her grandfather) except when at the gym. Her fellow Maidens had to talk her out of trying to incorporate it into her Summer Maiden disguise.
Abstraction: Adept - Red & Green. Channeler: Her Granddaddy's Cowboy Hat.
Sun-Beam: Jessica is capable of summoning a powerful ray of sunlight, which will either incinerate her target or pound it with kinetic force. Charging the attack takes a few moments, and the area gets hotter before it strikes. This Spell can burn any target unfortunate enough to be in its range or hit them with a crushing force from the sky. This makes Jessica one of the Greenwood Coven's heavy hitters as she's functionally artillery, but the only caveat is that it can only be used during the day.
Healing-Light: Jessica can also heal people by calling down healing beams of light. She can't heal people that fast, but she can recover them from a distance and heal several at a time. She can also heal herself! However, it is yet another Spell that can only be used during the day (Doh!).
Sun-Strength: Jessica can call an extraordinary ray of light onto herself, temporarily giving her super strength and durability - allowing her muscles to exert much more than they should. This wears off gradually after a few minutes and, you guessed it, can only be used during the day.
Summer-Warmth: Jess can quickly raises the temperature of the environment, weather be damned, to the hottest summer days. Jessica can wither down enemies with his Spell, but this does not differentiate friend from foe.
Magmamancy: After her fellow sisters complained about how useless she was during the night, Jessica developed a valuable spell in a fight. By focusing, Jessica can heat solid stone and transform it into either magma rocks or molten magma. After creating the magma, she can telekinetically manipulate it in a five-meter range, but this Spell has a high energy cost.
Amelia.Dallon
29 | Amelia Taylor Dallon | She/Her"I don't care about what I have to do; I won't let them hurt her."
Description:
Ruby's girlfriend and the Fall Maiden. Amelia was born in Texas as an Orphan but was eventually adopted by a family in St. Portwell. Despite being one of the lucky ones to get adopted by a family, she never felt like she was one of them and always felt like an outsider wherever she went. She was a very lonely youth who found it hard to connect to people, regardless of how hard she tried - so she just figured that's what she was and gave up. She loved nature and went on hikes, bike rides, etc, until one day, Amelia was attacked by an Abominable that was a leftover from the Stygian Snake's rampage (to which she was mainly oblivious).
It activated her Kindling-Event and helped her discover her Adept heritage - and she was saved by Ruby Weiss, whom she became friends with. It became a crush as Amelia tried to work over her issues with socialization (and saw the best in Ruby despite her stubbornness and flagrant messiah complex). Eventually, she confessed, and the two went steady, becoming longtime lovers; Amelia declared she would remain by her side no matter what. Thus, when Ruby said she would form the Greenwood Coven to protect nature, Amelia was her first member and most vocal supporter.
Amelia is very reserved and laidback; you'd be hard-pressed to see her getting worked up. She's calm and analytical to Ruby's more firey and passionate disposition, but she's an entirely different person in private. Amelia is very socially awkward and is not good at reading people or being mindful of their emotions. Because of this, Amelia remains silent most of the time and lets Ruby, Pearl, or Jess do the talking. It's unknown to her, but Amelia ultimately depends on Ruby in the most unhealthy ways! Amelia is a very skinny woman (but with a fat butt) of ambiguous racial identity... she at the very least knows that she's part Spanish. When the time comes, expect Amelia to wear orange as the Fall Maiden.
Abstraction: Adept - Red & Purple. Channeler: Her trusty combat knife.
Foliage Manipulation: Amelia can telekinetically manipulate foliage in a wide radius and do whatever she wants it to do. She can control thousands of pieces of foliage at a time, and not just that, and she can sharpen each of them into a razor-sharp weapon. She can shred foes to bits in her foliage storm, as she may be the most brutal out of the entire Greenwood Coven. She can also create barriers and constructs out of leaves and other foliage.
Foliage-Generation: ... Is what Amelia calls the Spell, but it's a subtle combination of her Purple & Red Lux that allows her to pull leaves from other dimensions.
Aeromancy: Taught by Ruby, Amelia can manipulate air, unlike her girlfriend. She can send out crushing winds, create twisters, and has developed a form of telekinesis assisted by her purple lux.
Flight: Assisted by rushing winds, Amelia can achieve flight. She can dart through the air at lightning speeds using a combination of red and purple Lux; wherever she flies, powerful winds follow.
Teleportation: As a manifestation of her Purple-Lux, Amelia can teleport herself, or a group of people, to any place within St. Portwell. Amelia is accompanied by a strong gust of wind that carries leaves whenever she teleports. This Spell is vital to the Greenwood Coven's hit-and-run strategies, and Amelia is easily the most important member. However, she can only teleport once every twenty minutes.
Pearl.Cho
28 | Pearl Cho | She/Her"Remember, in the darkest moments, there is always a hidden strength waiting to awaken."
Description:
A second-generation Korean Immigrant whose parents own a Korean Restaurant in Downtown St. Portwell. Pearl's family immigrated to the city from South Korea when she was just a child, and she grew up balancing her cultural heritage with the fast-paced urban lifestyle that St. Portwell offered. As a child, Pearl functionally grew up in her parent's restaurant as she always did some work there (whether or not it obeyed child labor laws!). This was where she met Ruby and became a part of her little friend group since high school, bringing a sense of balance to the coven with her calm and composed demeanor.
Her quiet confidence, sense of duty, and swan-like grace are matched by her inner strength and unwavering loyalty to her friends and their cause. She's a thoughtful and empathetic soul who, unlike the other members of the Greenwood Coven, has no particular love of outdoor activities or nature. However, she understands the balance of St. Portwell and knows that letting nature get out of whack would not end well for her or future generations. So she believes it's her sworn duty to help the Greenwood Coven protect nature and puts her life on the life battling the other factions (she punched Emily G.Reed in the cunt once, though). Pearl is a Korean girl who is a little bit chubby and has a head of messy black hair - she stands at five-two. As the Winter Maiden, she dresses in all blue except for her black boots.
Abstraction: Adept - Red & Black. Channeler: Snowflake pendant.
Cyromancy: Pearl possesses a profound bond with the cold and the winter season, allowing her to wield a range of ice-based spells that define her magical discipline.
Manisfestation: Pearl can create intricate ice sculptures, weapons, or barriers at will. These manifestations can be temporary or permanent depending on her concentration and emotional state.
Manipulation: Pearl can telekinetically control and manipulate existing ice within her vicinity, shaping it to her will without physically touching it. This allows her to lift, reshape, or even hurl shards of ice at enemies.
Surge: Pearl channels her Red Lux to create a sudden blast of icy wind that can knock back enemies and freeze anything it touches.
Winter: This spell allows Pearl to summon a localized winter storm, creating a frigid area that slows down enemies and obscures visibility. Within this storm, she can move freely, using the cover to set up ambushes or escape.
Cold: Pearl can invoke this spell to lower the temperature in her immediate vicinity dramatically. When cast, the air around her becomes frigid, causing moisture to condense into frost and ice. This drop in temperature can immobilize enemies, create slippery surfaces, and even freeze small amounts of water.
Necromancy: A new area that Pearl is dabbling in, channeling the Black Lux that she is hesitant to enter. This Discipline contains newer spells, as Pearl feels her expertise lies in the Red color of Lux.
Spectral Frost: Pearl unleashes a chilling wave of energy that encases corpses in a thick layer of ice, reducing their temperature to absolute zero. Once immobilized in this icy grip, the bodies become her spectral minions, animated by her will and ready to carry out her commands.
Whispers In The Air: Pearl summons the icy spirits of the deceased, encasing them in ethereal frost. Pearl can ask questions, and the spirits respond through whispered thoughts, visual projections, or subtle temperature changes, indicating their agreement or disagreement. The insights gained can range from personal advice to warnings about impending dangers or insights into lost knowledge. At her will, Pearl can release the spirits back into the afterlife, dissipating them with a wave of her hand. The clarity of communication increases with her emotional connection to the spirit, making this spell a profound link to her heritage and the spiritual realm.
Warding: Pearl can create a barrier that Apparitions cannot bypass, which will remain until Pearl drops it or the Apparition destroys it. This barrier manifests as an ice wall that radiates a cold aura. The barriers can be layered to increase strength, and Pearl imbues them with her necromantic energy to prevent Apparitions from bypassing them. Adjoined and Abscised are affected by the barrier, everyone else are not.
The four best friends of Ruby White, the Spring Maiden, each has a different seasonal theme. They comprise the original four members of the Greenwood Coven's leadership.
James.Carmicheal
21 | James Jordan Carmicheal | He/Him"Hey now, protecting nature is protecting us!"
Description:
An oddity in the Greenwood Coven as James is the sole male member of the organization, and his girlfriend is fellow member Noami Rodgers (who roped him in). James is African-American, stands tall at six-five, and very athletic. However, he's not from St. Portwell but is a native of Atlanta, Georgia; he ended up at St. Portwell University on a football scholarship. James used to be the star player of his football team back in Atlanta, and he was so good that St. Portwell University gave him a scholarship. He is reaching for his chance to join the NFL by taking the scholarship to the last place he wanted to go.
However, at St. Portwell University, he met his girlfriend Naomi Rodgers, who roped him into Greenwood. James isn't exactly the most nature-loving member of Greenwood, but he has always had a passion for outdoor activities like jogging, biking, and exploring the woods. He's a good soul but very cocky and impulsive, especially once he gained Shango's Axe. James joined just before Greenwood campaigned against Das Sonnenrad and was instrumental in the fight - he killed Kaiser Draeger. He currently holds the alias of Knight Sky.
Abstraction: Agent - Shango's Axe.
Shango's Axe is a legendary artifact with a history that traces back to the heart of Africa, where it was once wielded by the powerful Yoruba deity, Shango, known for controlling fire and lightning. The Greenwood Coven learned that the Axe was being stored in a member of the Elite named Jason Valos' mansion, and they "borrowed" it from him and gave it to James. Shango's axe is a powerful weapon that grants James immense elemental abilities and raw destructive power but lacks the fine control of other Paranormal-Beings.
He can summon lightning bolts from the sky, the axe, or his fingertips - even surround himself, fully or partially, with lightning. James can also generate fire from his body and the axe and easily create fireworks and other displays. The Axe also allows James to fly at high speeds and easily outmaneuver the slow. The Axe is also supernaturally durable and near-impossible to chip even with the strongest Abstractions - making it viable as a weapon and a shield.
With these abilities, James is easily the most powerful member of the Greenwood Coven.
Naomi.Rodgers
23 | Naomi Mercedes Rodgers | She/Her"At the end of the day, you can’t help those who don’t want help."
Description:
Native of Philadelphia, Noami sees herself as being a country city girl as she rarely, if ever, spent a summer in Philadelphia. When school was out, she stayed with her extended family that lived in Kingstree, South Carolina, a very rural town. She has fond memories of playing in the woods with her cousins, which she claims changed her life. Noami was a very open-minded woman who always tried to learn more about the people in the world than what she was used to. She is well-versed in African folklore and culture, which made her reach out and learn about other cultures.
Noami always saw herself as a leader and wanted to improve things for the people around her, so Noami always takes a leadership position if possible and puts her mind towards fixing the problems within that organization. Noami is compassionate above all else and always looks at the bigger picture, but sometimes loses herself to her pride and ego. After Noami graduated high school - she got a scholarship to St. Portwell University to major in Social Studies, and this was where Noami met Pearl Cho... and eventually was roped into the Greenwood Coven. She joined them not out of any tree-hugging desire but out of a faint nostalgia due to her childhood playing in the woods in South Carolina and wants to ensure that other children get the experiences she has. Noami has started an African-themed clothing brand known as Heritage (in which she handmakes everything). Naomi is a skinny (with curves back there) African-American girl who stands at five-three. Her Greenwood alias is the Silk Knight.
Abstraction: Adjoined - Anansi’s Gift.
Due to her wisdom, virtue, and leadership, Noami is favored by the Apparition Anansi and thus has gained his abilities. Anansi was a being of Trickery and Stories, not raw strength; his abilities make Naomi a unique asset in Greenwood. The primary ability of Anansi's gift is that she can weave ethereal, glowing-white threads in the environment comprised of magical energy itself. She can create these webs out of her body or in a twenty-three-meter radius around herself, and they have a unique property among abstractions: they are functionally an Emotional-Field. These webs are highly resistant to the abstractions of Paranormal beings (and interfere with them), and they will find themselves getting caught far easier than the mundane. On the flip side, they are easily cleaved apart by mundane means. Otherwise, they behave like regular webs, and she can climb on them without getting stuck, swing around Spider-Man style, etc.
Anansi's Gift comes with unparalleled agility, akin to a spider's. Naomi possesses the grace and skill to maneuver in supernatural ways, allowing her to flip, jump higher, and run faster. This Abstraction also comes with the ability to climb on walls, and Naomi can climb on anything solid. However, the crowning jewel of Anansi's Gift is the ability to instantly metamorphose into a minuscule spider, reminiscent of the deity Anansi themselves. In this form, Naomi is the most vulnerable, but it makes her so small that she blends into her environment, and it can help her escape, spy on people and scout, and even dodge attacks. She can still weave her webs on a far smaller scale, and she is immune to all forms of Paranormal detection while in this form. The only issue is that she ends up naked!
Autumn.Hayes
26 | Autumn Melody Hayes | She/Her"I will turn my family's dark legacy around to be a force for good."
Description:
A quiet enigma, Autumn Hayes is as much of a shut-in a person could get. She grew up homeschooled, had few friends, and would instead remain inside and browse the internet. This was a part of her parent's design who wanted their little girl to be safe from harm and the world's evils... especially the supernatural side of the family, which they were very much aware of. However, one day, they disappeared into thin air, and her Aunt, Bernetta Hayes, adopted Autumn, but Autumn still desperately searched for her parents.
Aunt Bernetta tried to make Autumn go out and make friends instead of being glued to her computer all day... which didn't go well. However, she had a fleeting suspicion that Aunt Bernetta knew something, and after much probing, Aunt Bernetta told her the truth: her bloodline was cursed. Autumn's grandmother came from an alternate universe ruled by an Adept theocracy that worshipped magic known as The League. They oppressed the mundane, and Aberrations and her ancestors were a line of magical serial killers who hunted down these Adepts, killing them and storing their souls in their amulet... the very amulet that Autumn had around her neck since she was a tween. One of their victims, a Blue-Lux user, cursed their bloodline, which would cause them to wither into nothing ten years after having a child... which was what happened to her parents. Her grandmother brought her children to this dimension, hoping to break the curse, but it persisted and took her life.
The first vow that Autumn made was that she would never have children until she found a way to break the curse. Her second vow was to turn around her family's dark legacy and use the amulet that was the terror of this universe to be a force for good. Autumn didn't know where to start; she confided in her one friend, Amelia Dallon, who got her to join the Greenwood Coven. Autumn is not dedicated to nature, but she wants to make some kind of positive impact in the world, and the Greenwood Coven was the key - and she got to fight Nazis. Autumn is a very mousy woman who's a little chunky from her sedentary lifestyle, and she would appear chubbier if it weren't for the fact that she's five-ten. She's known for her curly head of brown hair and her glasses.
While committing Greenwood activities, she is known as the Specter Knight.
Abstraction: Agent - The Adept Hunter.
In a separate universe known as Glint, there was a theocracy that oppressed the masses known as The League. One of Autumn's ancestors had such an intense hatred of the League and their Adepts that, once they died, they returned as an Apparition with the single purpose of killing as many Adepts as possible. This Apparition was sealed into an Amulet by these Adepts... but it was stolen by this person's descendants and used as a powerful tool for, you guessed it, killing Adepts - It was passed down to Autumn. The passive ability of this Abstraction allows Autumn to see the auras of any Adept in a fifty-meter radius through objects - but if she is actively hunting for them, this range can extend up to a hundred-and-fifty meters. Through their auras, Autumn can discern the color of their Lux from the color of their aura.
However, if an Adept has recently died, their Aura will appear wavy, directing her to them like a beacon. If she gets to this Adept before it's too late, she can claim their soul and create an Apparition that will be stored in the Amulet. These Apparitions will be of the Adepts and have their exact spell catalog they had when they died (they will be immutable otherwise). She can telepathically control these Apparitions and use their spells as her own. Autumn can claim a limitless amount of Adepts, but she can only manifest one at a time to control. The point of this Amulet is for Autumn to go out and kill as many Adepts as possible so she can become the most powerful, but she resists that destiny and cleaves her own. She's very careful whom she claims and tries to claim the souls of bastards like Das Sonnenrad.
Autumn has claimed the following Adepts:
Geneva Bernard: Or "Sabrina the Teenaged Bitch," as the rest of Greenwood called her. She was a young member of Das Sonnenrad and a persistent nail in their side until Pearl killed her. Autumn was there to claim her soul, and she has become her offensive Apparition. She was a Purple-Lux user with the spells to teleport to a random location (which she used to dodge attacks) and fly. She could also telekinetically manipulate two objects that weren't nailed down via hand motions.
Al Slaughter Kaiser Draeger's right-hand-man... or so he thought. He was just around because he was an Orange-Lux user and boosted Kaiser Draeger's abstraction. Unfortunately, he slipped up and met his end with Emily G. Reed's hand, and his soul was claimed by Autumn afterward. He had one spell and a simple one: he could boost the Abstractions of others at the cost of deteriorating his health. He did this by firing orange beams out of his hands, and the effects persisted until they abruptly faded away.
Kashmira.Sarai
18 | Kashmira Sarai | She/Her"I have seen things that are proof that Shiva is a blesser."
Description:
Often affectionately referred to as Kash, Mira, or, in a light-hearted twist, Doctor Sarai, Kashmira Sarai is a cheerful and spirited young woman hailing from Ahmedabad, India. She moved to America as a young girl, and the transition was a significant culture shock. However, Kashmira treasures her Indian roots and remains deeply connected to her heritage. A devoted follower of Shaivism, a form of Hinduism, she celebrates the vibrant holidays of her childhood with enthusiasm and reverence.
Growing up alongside her twin sister, Rashmika, Kashmira was raised in a loving environment emphasizing kindness, compassion, and the importance of making the world a better place—a principle rooted in Dharma. Her warm personality and quirky eccentricities make her approachable, but she often grapples with her idealism, stubbornness, and occasional close-mindedness. Standing at just four feet ten inches, Kashmira is slim and curvy due to her healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Kashmira comes from a long line of Green Adepts, a lineage divided by their sects of Hinduism, each believing themselves to be blessed by their chosen deities. This rich heritage, however, comes with its challenges; the Sarai family has made numerous enemies in India and throughout Asia due to past conflicts. A turning point in Kashmira’s life occurred one fateful night when an Apparition, seeking revenge for an unfulfilled pact made by her grandmother, Hanumanta Patel, attacked her and Rashmika. This traumatic encounter led both sisters to undergo their Kindling Event, awakening their connection to Green Lux. Although their mother intervened to save them, the incident prompted the family to leave India, as the growing number of adversaries proved too dangerous to ignore.
The Sarai family eventually settled in St. Portwell, where Kashmira secretly honed her abilities with her Green Lux. She discovered that her Affinity lay in healing wounds and augmenting biological functions, allowing her to help those in need. Initially struggling to adapt to the American school system, she persevered and, through sheer determination, became a top student. While sometimes feeling out of place among her peers, she found camaraderie with fellow Indian students. She became a familiar face at local Indian restaurants, where she relished the comfort of familiar flavors and traditions.
Now in her final year of high school, Kashmira aspires to become a doctor, driven by her desire to heal and protect life. Recently, through a budding friendship with Pearl, she became the newest member of the Greenwood Coven, drawn to their mission of maintaining balance in the world and safeguarding the sanctity of life. Having joined only a few weeks ago, she proudly holds the title of Green Shaman, a role that aligns perfectly with her ideals and aspirations.
Abstraction: Adept - Green Lux. Channeler: Grandmother's Jewel Necklace.
Healing: Kashmira gently places her hands over a wound, channeling her Green Lux to accelerate the healing process. This spell can close cuts, mend broken bones, and alleviate pain—the more severe the injury, the more energy it requires from her.
Healing-Field: The Healing Field is a specialized spell that creates a broad area, extending up to thirty meters, where Kashmira can channel her Green Lux to promote healing among multiple individuals simultaneously. Within its confines, all individuals experience a gradual healing effect; however, injuries mend more slowly than with their primary healing spell, making it more effective for minor injuries rather than critical conditions. To maintain the Healing Field, Kashmira must remain stationary and sing a song in her native tongue, allowing her to focus her energy. This process demands a steady flow of energy from her, limiting her time to sustain it before exhaustion sets in. Due to its slower healing process, she typically reserves its use for exceptionally safe or controlled situations.
Dermal-Boost: A specialized ability that allows Kashmira to enhance the durability of an individual’s skin and bones while maintaining physical contact. This spell fortifies the body, enabling the recipient to withstand and shrug off the effects of most small arms, offering a protective barrier against bodily harm. However, it’s important to note that while the increased durability helps absorb and deflect external threats, it does not negate the force of the impact itself; recipients will still experience pain from any blows received.
Life Bloom: Kashmira channels her Green Lux into the earth by singing, unleashing an explosive surge of plant growth in a designated area. This spell causes vegetation to sprout rapidly, instantly creating a vibrant, lush landscape.
Vine-Bind: Vine Bind is a spell that allows Kashmira to summon plants to trap and immobilize her foes. When cast, vines and roots surge from the ground, wrapping around the target's limbs and restricting their movement. This spell is particularly effective in natural environments, where the abundance of flora amplifies its potency. While it can effectively bind multiple enemies simultaneously, Kashmira must concentrate on maintaining the spell, requiring a steady flow of her Green Lux to keep the vines active.
Nature's Barrier: Nature's Barrier is a defensive spell that enables Kashmira to create a protective wall or dome of intertwined plants and foliage. Depending on her needs, she can shape this barrier in various forms - a solid wall, a protective dome, or even a maze - to cover her allies. The barrier’s strength and duration depend on the amount of Green Lux Kashmira channels into it, making it essential for her to remain focused and dedicated during its creation.
Pathmaker: Pathmaker is a spell that allows Kashmira to summon massive tree trunks, roots, or vines that extend upward or across great distances, creating pathways for her. When activated, towering trunks and thick roots burst forth from the ground, forming a sturdy and flexible bridge or staircase she can climb or walk upon. This spell not only provides her with access to elevated areas but can also be used to connect distant points. The pathways are imbued with her Green Lux, granting them a degree of resilience against external forces. However, maintaining these structures requires her total concentration, and their stability is contingent on the energy she invests in the spell.
Other members of the Greenwood Coven who have joined for their own reasons.
Lyric.Brown
30 | Lyric Harmony Brown | She/Her"I'm going to use Magic as a force for good! I'm going to use my magic to help people! The way it should be!"
Description:
A native of Houston, Texas, who moved to St. Portwell when she was just a little girl because her father had a better opportunity there. Her next-door neighbor? Ruby White. The two were glued together and close friends who did everything together. She was the one person that Ruby showed the Grove to, and the two had fun there and partied there with her. Though, the girl possessed a talent: an obsession with music. She was a prodigy at producing beats and believed that, through music, one can change the world itself by shifting culture! So, she was a music nerd in school, talented with beats, singing, and playing different instruments.
However, the state of St. Portwell changed for the worse after the defeat of the Stygian Snake, and some of its leftover Apparitions attacked her. This forced her to the Kindling Event, exposing her to the world of magic. Naturally, the first thing she did was tell her best friend, Ruby. Ruby had already formed the Greenwood Coven and told Lyric all about the world of magic and her organization. Lyric didn't have any particular love of nature as Ruby did, but she wanted to be by her side and have adventures, so she became one of the first non-Maiden members to join Greenwood.
At Ruby's side, Lyric was the Melody Knight, and she used her Lux to create several different artifacts for not just the Greenwood Coven to use but also to change the world and help people. Alongside the rest of Greenwood, the Coven clashed with their arch-rivals, the 8th Street Coven, the Elite, and other wackos, treating the Greenwood Coven as more than comrades, more than friends, but family.
However, one day, her fellow Greenwood members, Autumn and Felicia, were hanging out at her apartment when Das Sonnenrad goons barged in and brutally killed her and Felica (sparing Autumn because she was white). They ransacked the place for Lyric's artifacts, and this was the spark that triggered Ruby's personal vendetta against Das Sonnenrad.
While Greenwood eventually defeats Das Sonnenrad and kills Kaiser Draeger, Ruby seeks to track down the artifacts that they stole to honor her memory.
Beatmaker: This is Lyric's foundational magical discipline, focused on enchanting everyday objects to produce rhythmic magical effects. Each enchanted item resonates with her musical talent, channeling her emotions and intentions through sound waves and pulse.
Inspiration: Lyric enchants an object to emit vibrant pulses of Orange Lux, synchronized with the rhythm of her chosen song. These pulses resonate outward, boosting the Abstraction and Emotional Fields of everyone nearby. The more intense the music, the greater the enhancement, allowing her allies to harness newfound strength and creativity in their abilities.
Soothe: By enchanting an object, Lyric creates a gentle pulse of soothing energy that radiates tranquility. This spell effectively calms aggressive behaviors, dispelling negativity and anxiety. Those affected find their minds clearing, allowing for rational thought and peaceful interactions.
Good Vibes: Lyric imbues an object that can emit uplifting mental energy pulses. These pulses enhance motivation, self-confidence, and creativity in those nearby, encouraging them to embrace their potential and express themselves freely. When activated, the enchanted object creates a refreshing atmosphere, inspiring artistic pursuits and collaboration while diminishing self-doubt and fear.
Privacy: With this enchantment, Lyric creates an aura of mental protection around a designated area. The enchanted object emits subtle pulses of energy that shield those nearby from mental intrusions, such as telepathy or emotional manipulation. This spell ensures that private thoughts and feelings remain safeguarded.
Melody of Memories: Lyric enchants an object to pulse with Pink Lux, creating a melodic resonance that brings forth long-buried memories. As the pulses echo through the air, they evoke vivid recollections in those nearby, allowing them to relive past experiences and gain insight from them.
The Symphony of Creation: Lyric's most potent spell is her ability to transform everyday objects into powerful artifacts through music. To cast the spell, she must perform a song - either by playing an instrument or singing - imbuing the melody with her intent and emotions. As the music flows, each note and lyric is woven into the fabric of the object, embedding it with magical power. The tempo, tone, and meaning behind the music shape the artifact’s abilities: an energetic, fast-paced song might turn a mundane item into a weapon of raw power, while a soft, sad ballad could create an artifact that soothes emotional turmoil or strengthens mental resilience. The more emotionally charged and intricate the song, the more influential the artifact becomes. This process makes each artifact unique, reflecting the soul of the song and the feelings behind it. When others use an artifact created by Lyric, they can feel the faint echoes of the music she used, resonating with the magic within.
Felicia.Harvey
30 | Felicia Raquel Harvey | She/Her"With this power, we can save St. Portwell from itself."
Description:
A girl who was a close friend of Ruby's that she went to school with.
Much like fellow Green-Wood Coven sister, she is not from St. Portwell but from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, who had family from St. Portwell. Every once in a while, she would visit the city, and eventually, her family decided to move there as they thought it was a better city to raise a little girl like Felicia. From the moment she could walk and talk, she was a very wild and headstrong little girl who didn't do the whole listening thing well. Her parents fostered this attitude as they thought it necessary for Felicia to stay alive in this cold, cruel world that just took and took. However, this attitude got Felicia in trouble more often than not.
In school, her rival was Ruby White; the two girls despised each other but couldn't help but respect each other deep down. So, their rivalry never came to blows or insults but a competition to see who could one-up the other. Even after graduating, the two always met somewhere, clashing egos like an invisible magnet connecting them. Felicia never hated Ruby, but she never liked her attitude... when the situation took a turn with the Stygian Snake's arrival, it left the situation tattered and countless people dead. The chaos that ensued after its defeat was no better, as Felicia was almost killed by one of its leftover thralls that the Sycamore Tree Coven missed.
However, the Greenwood Coven saved Felicia, and Ruby recognized her former rival. She unmasked herself before Felicia and told her everything, eventually extending an invitation to her old rival. Felicia had no clue about magic but was interested, especially after Greenwood presented an artifact they "recovered" from the Elite: The Unicorn Gem. Felicia accepted the Gem and joined Greenwood not out of love for nature but out of a drive for adventure. She found herself a group of friends she would have for the rest of her life! She eventually became the Unicorn Knight and battled Emily G. Reed while clashing egos with Ruby. She was the balancing act for Ruby's more headstrong and eccentric behavior and was vital in keeping Ruby in line.
It all went wrong one day when she was at Lyric Brown's apartment with Autumn Hayes... and Das Sonnenrad stormed the apartment and killed her and Lyric Brown before they had a chance to react, taking the Unicorn Gem. Their deaths sparked Greenwood's war with Das Sonnenrad and eventually spelled the end for Kaiser Draeger. However, the Unicorn Gem is still out there, and Ruby wants to recover it out of honor for her deceased rival...
... No, friend.
Abstraction: Agent - The Unicorn Gem.
A powerful artifact that granted the wielder the ability to fire powerful beams of energy out of it, the Unicorn Gem was a powerful abstraction-granting artifact that was passed from one hand to another (or more accurately, forehead). It was an artifact that could grow out of Felicia's head at will, and she could fire a barrage of golden beams that hit with concussive force. These beams could be fired machine-gun style, or she could charge up and create one powerful beam that could clear several city blocks if she charged it up to max.
53 | Berlioz Auclair | He/Him"I will pry the gates to our paradise wide open."
Description:
The leader of the New Thule Society and one of the former lieutenants to Das Sonnenrad. Occasionally uses the moniker of Neron Corona.
The younger brother of Auri Auclair's father, Gerard Auclair, had a bitter rivalry growing up as Gerard was seen as the genius older brother. At the same time, Berlioz was just... there. He grew up with a hunger for the level of fame and status his older brother seemed to wield just for being alive, and that hunger led to a thirst for power, however it may manifest. Berlioz's early life was unremarkable, but the kid grew up resenting his family, and such hate can take one down a very dark. As he grew older, Berlioz became interested in the Nazi ideology, fascism, and extremist ideologies that promised a return to a perceived golden age - most essentially, the idea of a paradise for his kind. By his late teens, he was rolling with wannabe Nazis, and it wasn't long until his family discovered his views and they disowned him.
Not that he cared (he hated them); Berlioz simply moved on and picked up a normal job as an accountant for a big bank in St. Portwell. As years passed, he became a supervisor and a big wig in the company, and one simple accountant under his wing caught his eye, Nathaniel Thorn. The man was a family man, but one day, he began spouting dog whistle phrases that were music to Berlioz's ear. Seeing that he was receptive, Nathaniel Thorn approached Berlioz and told him that he was forming a new world order, starting in St. Portwell. The Das Sonnenrad Cult aimed to purge St. Portwell of the unworthy and attain supremacy. Attracted by this sense of purpose and promise of supremacy, Berlioz joined Das Sonnenrad and eventually became a top-ranking member through his cunning, intellect, and sheer determination.
However, Berlioz's ambitions surpassed Kaiser Draeger's... and it wasn't long before Berlioz began plotting against Kaiser Draeger. It was simple: Berlioz thought Das Sonnenrad should use their magic to build their paradise in St. Portwell rather than terrorizing the streets. Berlioz began obsessed with the idea of this "Paradise" as it reminded him of his past goals. In secret, Berlioz built his inner circle within Das Sonnenrad of those loyal to him who believed in his idea of Paradise and were willing to betray Kaiser Draeger. In the meantime, Berlioz bided his time, gathered knowledge of magic, and eventually found himself drawn to one of the artifacts in their possession: The Staff of the Void Priest (one stated to be able to open portals). It was deemed too dangerous for Das Sonnenrad to utilize, so Kaiser Draeger ordered it vaulted away.
Things began crashing down for Das Sonnenrad when simply put, Kaiser Draeger got too big for his britches and started picking unnecessary fights. The 8th Street and Greenwood Covens began systematically tearing Das Sonnenrad apart, and Berlioz saw the writing on the wall... he grabbed his sect of followers, took the Staff of the Void Priest, and fled Das Sonnenrad. He managed to escape the destruction of Das Sonnenrad and laid low to form his successor to the Das Sonnenrad Cult: The New Thule Society. Berlioz sold the New Thule Society a vision: out there, in the All-Verse, was their White Paradise, a dimension that was rightfully theirs that only an artifact could open the pathway to.
They just needed to find it.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
Paige.Auclair
26 | Paige Ingrid Auclair | She/Her"Magic found us in the battle with the Stygian Snake, but it's up to us to decide how we will use it. I'll use it to carve my destiny."
Description:
The second oldest of the five Auclair sisters and the defacto second-in-command of the New Thule Society, Paige always lived in her more successful sister's shadow. However, Paige was the one to point out that Auri didn't deserve half of the praise that she received, but she just internalized this jealousy. This got worse, however, when their mother, June Auclair, gave Auri the Butterfly Staff instead of Paige, who felt she rightfully deserved it. Paige ignored their mother's reasoning that it was tradition for the eldest sister to gain the staff and simply pushed herself to excel in every field in school and prove herself as better than Auri. It all went well.
Until the Stygian Snake came to St. Portwell, things changed, got tense, and Paige's peers began disappearing or ended up dead far too much for her to brush aside. Then, the Stygian Snake attacked her, initially appearing as an invisible force tearing her to pieces... then the Sycamore Tree Coven, led by Auri of all people, came to save her. Auri explained what was going on, and Paige said she wanted to be a part of it. Auri provided her with an Artifact: The Shield of Vitality. With the Shield of Vitality, Paige acted as a healer and protector for the Old Coven and saw the Stygian Snake felled.
Afterward, the Old Coven fell into a mess of drama, and Paige was also a part of the drama. She was openly critical of her sister's leadership, saying she only gained her position due to being friends with Daisy and Ashley. Eventually, Paige got annoyed at it all and up and left the Old Coven; shortly afterward, she went no-contact with Auri and chose her path: going to school for Marine Maintenence. However, there was that creeping interest in magic, and Paige saw no place for her in the mundane work, at least not after the things she saw. The only way she saw herself getting into the world of the Paranormal was through the 8th Street Coven and the Old Coven tormentor Emily. Which she hated because Paige just could not stand Emily but sucked it up to sate her curiosity for magic.
However, 8th Street's campaign against Das Sonnenrad began, and during one of their raids of Das Sonnenrad's facilities, she came across her uncle Berlioz. She heard Berlioz Auclair was disowned for his extremist views, but she got his contact information and allowed him to run free. Afterward, Paige gained contact with Uncle Berlioz and listened to his side of the story... and he tempted them with what she wanted: being more than a lackey. However, Paige knew that turning Nazi would be beyond the pale and declined. Das Sonnenrad fell, and things went back to normal and despite turning down Uncle Berlioz’s offer, Paige kept in touch… until she heard a conversation she wasn’t supposed to.
Paige accepted her invitation to The New Thule Society without hesitation, and she always remains at Berlioz's side.
Abstraction: Agent - The Shield of Vitality.
As far as the New Coven is concerned, Paige's Agent is a massive blue tower shield with two primary magical properties. The primary aspect is that it's virtually indestructible and can tank hits from even the Stygian Snake (even negating their impact)! The other aspect is that, at will, Paige could exude a healing aura in a five-meter range. It normally healed slowly, but it healed wounds incredibly fast in combat. With this combination, Paige used the shield as a weapon and defense in the fight with the Stygian Snake.
William.Lynch
67 | William Ulysses Lynch | He/Him"The actions of the subhumans should not have consequences on me or my family."
Description:
Berlioz's right-hand man, and the Patriarch of the illustrious Lynch Family... or at least, the head of what's left.
William Ulysses Lynch was born in New Orleans and was built up as the successor of the successful Lynch Family business from the moment he was born. He had everything handed to him, including his wife Mabel whom he loves dearly, and when the time came, he became the head of the Lynch Family when his father could not. However, the "Family Business" included the fact that the Lynch Family were the rulers of the supernatural scene in New Orleans... and they were famous for being some of the most powerful Necromancers out there, and nobody in New Orleans, or beyond, dared cross them. Every family of Necromancer in New Orlean answered to them, and whatever the Lynches decreed was law lest whoever disobeyed them suffered a page.
He ruled New Orleans with an iron fist, and no one dared cast a spell or enter his city without him or a family member knowing. In the meantime, he fostered a massive family of eight sons, six daughters, and many Grandchildren, and, much like himself, William fostered a successor... then it all came crashing down, and went oh so wrong when a girl named Regina began a massive war between all the necromancer families they were originally underneath the Lynch family. Try as he might, William could not prevent New Orleans's supernatural scene from collapsing. Then, new factions began rising that were not loyal to the pacts and laws set by the Lynch family.
Then the Necromancer Purge came.
The purge was begun by a woman named Mary-Louise Black, who was burned by the various necromancer families of New Orleans for years, and every Necromancer in New Orleans was either killed or ran out of the city. The first was the Lynch family, and William watched before his eyes as everything the Lynch family had built for centuries was burnt down. All of his children (and grandchild) were brutally murdered, and William had no choice but to grab his wife and two of his infant grandchildren and run for the hills. He left a chaotic New Orleans behind, with little to nothing to his name, and was forced to live among the working class he looked down upon. The Lynch Family settled in New Orleans, and William yearned for the golden age and harbored a hatred for the kind of people that ruined his life.
Then, that yearning and hatred led him to Das Sonnenrad, who tempted William with promises of power and a misguided sense of purpose. He and Mabel joined the Das Sonnenrad Cult, and using their mastery of Black Lux, they were instrumental members of Kaiser Draeger's society. The pair provided the cult with extra footsoldiers that were difficult to kill, but they found themselves drawn to Berlioz Auclair's promises of finding a paradise for people like them. Where the subhumans that ruined their lives would not be able to touch, and the decision to plot against Kaiser Draeger was easy. However, before their plans could come to fruition, the Subhumans ruined everything, and William fled Das Sonnenrad with Berlioz.
Now, he serves the New Thule Society as one of their most powerful and fearsome members.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
Mabel.Lynch
64 | Mabel Clarissa Lynch | She/Her"I don't care who we have to kill; I will avenge my children."
Description:
Née Clark. As far as the world is concerned, Mabel Lynch was William Lynch's childhood sweetheart that he fell in love with. However, the fact that it was practically an arranged marriage is kept secret. So, Mabel grew up as one of the daughters of a celebrity whose father had made a pact with the Lynch Family. One that went unfulfilled to keep himself and his family from being cut down by a horde of undead minions, he gave his eldest daughter away to be married to William Lynch.
At first, Mabel was against the idea and thought it was horrible that her freedom was swiped from her, but as her father explained that her entire family was at risk, she practically had to force herself to love William. As years passed, she had many children, whom she grew to love far more than her bastard husband, and chose to stay with him for the sake of her family. She also had endless wealth and riches, so she was happy. However, the power dynamic in New Orleans completely changed for the worse, and then the purge began.... she saw the happy family she had created get wiped out in a few nights.
She fled with her husband and infant grandchildren to St. Portwell, grief overtaking her as he was the only one that she could go to... and saw herself developing some type of feeling for him after all the years. It was alien to her, but he was the only person she could go to. She needed some attachment, as she only had him and raised her two grandchildren as he worked on getting them back to the feared status they had before... and the key to that was Das Sonnenrad, which Mabel was a proud part of. Like her husband, she supplied Das Sonnenrad with undead footsoldiers and then conspired with Berlioz to betray Kaiser Draeger. Then, it all came crashing down when the Greenwood and 8th Street Coven dismantled them, and they fled again.
Mabel joined the New Thule Society and aims to find Thule to be safe with her grandchildren.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
Benjamin.Stewart
37 | Benjamin Isaac Stewart | He/Him"I don't know what path Berlioz takes us down, but damn if I know it's too late to turn back now!"
Description:
Bejamin grew up in a trailer park in the northeastern section of St. Portwell (now Wolfpack territory) as one of many brothers. His father was a lowly fisherman that relied on catching and selling fish, and usually worked all day and all night... and wasn't much of a father as he just wanted to sit down and watch TV and deal with his nagging kids. However, the young Benjamin grew up hungry... for wealth and power. As he grew up, he fell in line with the bad crowds and quickly ended up selling drugs as the only way he could get out of living in a trailer park. Once his parents found out he was selling drugs, he was cast out and forced to live on the streets, where he lived for years. He was angry, hungry, and more... however, in his late twenties, he encountered Das Sonnenrad.
They allured him with promises of wealth and power, finally being his beacon of hope to get off the streets... and he had no issue with what Das Sonnenrad was, as they aligned with feelings that Benjamin already harbored. As one of the organization's founding members, Benjamin did not rise through the ranks as he was never really a leader and more of a footsoldier, and Kaiser Draeger knew that. Benjamin's ambitions were more than a goon or muscle... and that led him to Berlioz, who promised him a spot as a leader if Benjamin helped him. He wasn't an idiot, but Berlioz got him to assist in his plot against Kaiser Draeger. Berlioz convinced Kaiser Draeger to give Benjamin the abstraction that would change everything, The Phantom Leviathan. After the ritual, Benjamin was the most powerful member of Das Sonnenrad and crucial for Berlioz's plan to overthrow Kaiser Draeger.
However, the Covens toppled Das Sonnenrad, and Benjamin joined The New Thule Society alongside the rest of Berlioz's followers.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
The.Twins
12 | Solomon & Seymour Lynch | They/Them/We/Us"When the gates to Paradise opens." "We will be there."
Description:
The only other survivors of the Necromancer Purge were only infants when their family was wiped clean off the map. They had no clue of their loss, but the two grew up in St. Portwell, joined at the hip, and unnerving people with their... demeanor. They are called the Twins, usually because they are rarely seen apart. They were not a part of Das Sonnenrad, but Mabel and Willian adjoined them to an Apparition known as the Fell Dragon. They were adjoined as a means of protection and a backup plan if their plans to overthrow Kaiser Draeger went south and Das Sonnenrad came after them. However, after Das Sonnenrad went down, they were brought into the New Thule Society as their abstraction was far too powerful to waste.
Abstraction:
Unknown.
The.Dragonslayer
N/A | N/A | It/Its"..."
Description:
An undead monstrosity created by Mabel and William, it's unknown who (or what) is underneath the armor, but it inhabits the legendary Dragonslayer Armor. The New Thule Society recovered the same armor that used to be wielded by Kaiser Draeger and animated to be their enforcer. The Dragonslayer is silent, but carries a frightening and imposing aura about it as it follows the orders of Berlioz, Mabel, and William.
[center][b]"You're a fine warrior. Call me sentimental..."[/b][/center][table][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/139ceac154751673f3ae0a9fe3c9db14/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/8de527f156d1dcdab59303529f9a2963/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo2_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fdd81701556b497cef877cce8608411e/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo3_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/f4c53df62090bdfc77fc8d4af49bd3bb/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tiUPmOX.png[/img][/center][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/973255b1496b1e15ea88881ee0842923/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo4_r2_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/92b4cd3f3f69445efc0b66dbf4040d4e/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo3_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/076f8a0494600005276b223a9c34f4df/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo4_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/91ef2adb4acfaae1ed6e5882900137f2/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo2_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row]
[/table][center][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oBfsNh4c_E]"...but I wish we'd met under different circumstances."[/url][/b][/center][hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RKmK4q0.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/N7tTd5u.png[/img]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpOgr4s3GrE[/youtube]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/hFWozfG.png[/img][hr][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/1efdG4h.png[/img][/center][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent]Currently updating...[/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][table][row][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/f12910313dd47ea9cead1c314f8ab833/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo3_250.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fe472fa332e424f66ed2837f2eaf23c9/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo4_250.gifv[/img][/cell]
[cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fb00b50c1dbf289d9140c30a7a332011/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo8_250.gifv[/img][/cell][/row]
[row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/ec26b8c0fcc1da9903b62bf0022ce62c/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo5_250.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/468eaf4ed38d54774f2d3fd269296f74/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo6_250.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/23bf4bb5ad09c631a81860f2f822ccce/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo7_250.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/30d05b58ba9137c6662a93a96bfa527a/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo2_400.gifv[/img][hr][/center]
[center][b]"I'm a dominant..."[/b][/center][/table][center][hr][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v31J3arX5Kg]"... This is my job."[/url][/b]
[img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/e91570ee96f9a973747062884eeea1ce/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo1_400.gifv[/img][hr][/center][table][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XFCLhxV.png[/img][/center][row][/row][row][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]REALLY PUNCHY GUYS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][@redbaron1234]
[@Kamen Evie]
[@KaiserElectric]
[@Drag]
[@KremeSupreme]
[@Megsychan]
[@Oddsbod][/b][/center][/cell][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]THE DISAPPOINTMENT CLUB[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][@Spoopy Scary]
[@Junkmail]
[@Maxx]
[@Luminous Beings]
[@Dragonbud][/b][/center][/cell][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]OTHER SCRUBS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][@Zombiedude101]
[@Lord Wraith]
[@FernStone]
[@Atrophy]
[@Moth]
[@Skai]
[@silvermist1116][/b][/center][/cell][/row][/table][table][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GXlptHc.png[/img][/center][row][/row][row][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]SETTINGS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183613-the-tyrant-shell-universe]The Tyrant Shell Universe[/url][/b] - Mechapunk (Mecha and Cyberpunk mixed together).
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183624-the-black-fall-universe]The Black Fall Universe[/url][/b] - Modern-Superhuman tale.[/center][/cell][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]LINKS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][url=https://discord.gg/4FznNGS]The Collective[/url][/b] - My Discord Server.
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183740-the-ghost-lounge-a-1x1-thread-thats-destined-to-go-places-bad-places]The Ghost Lounge[/url][/b] - My 1x1 Thread.
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183358-the-ghost-archives]The Ghost Archives[/url][/b] - Character storage.[/center][/cell][/row][/table][table][row][/row][row][cell][img]https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/928186361494425545/93DB229F54AD7363FF943FAF9627A2056CE6A354/[/img][/cell][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wmKBNmF.png[/img][/center][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/aab171d51ab0877e8cb44ef26725c12f/tumblr_mmijotYZ851spjmjdo1_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/a8b92dee73766c54e1c588067f7b05e9/tumblr_mmijotYZ851spjmjdo2_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/c6db94e7f43a0116556b31237e9394cb/tumblr_oetl2fk7YA1r9ibuko1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/d85b9d9f883fcf1e71cad4d1b5c574e2/tumblr_oetl2fk7YA1r9ibuko2_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/827528918c7f7bf2672681b30b851654/tumblr_otjspp0ccf1u0vn73o1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img][/img][/cell][/row][/table][center][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnvqcSKho5w]"Oh, I'm afraid we have no allies. No allies nor enemies. I love EVERYONE!"[/url][/b][/center][hr]
Member
Estylwen
Sky Blue
NoriWasHere
Antlers
FernStone
swordmasc
GamerXZ
Chronic
ColdAtlas
Atrophy
