Nephriel

The Binds that Break

Dylan wasn't the first one to find Clem, instead it was Reid again. Unsurprisingly, it was easy to pick her magic out from the magic of the rest of the Moroi. He'd been running the track when he'd sensed her, up early because he had a lot to do and hadn't been able to sleep. The other transfer students hadn't shown up yet... only two of them were here. That was alright, less for him to focus on so he could place his attention where it was really needed. As he approached he caught Clem with her paints and as he approached she'd find that the background 'noise' of the school, all the emotions, faded away till it was just her.

"Hello, Clementine."

The greeting was somewhat breathy as he'd jogged over and he shoved a hand through his hair, pushing the hood of his jacket back. "You're up early." He went to the pond, knelt, and because the water was clean he splashed a bit on his face to cool down before straightening. He was in a better mood than he'd been in the day before, perhaps it was because there would be less students to look after.

"How are you feeling?"

~*~

Kaylah left the room after tugging on her leather jacket, slipping on some lipgloss, and pulling up her hair. She moved through the halls of the school once more but this time she was cheating. She'd nabbed a locket from her roommate's jewelry box and when she'd run into her earlier she'd used the distraction to pull a few strands of hair. There was no better way of getting to know your new school like doing it in the body of someone who'd been here longer.

She'd raided Dylan's closet and currently wore her pink tanktop and white pull over with a pair of dark jeans and white sneakers. She whistled quietly to herself and as people passed by she finally stopped someone. The person seemed surprised but chatted with her a few moments anyway before walking off. Bored, Kaylah sighed. She should have gotten to know the girl better, maybe read her diary but this wasn't meant to be a lasting thing. Just a brief trip...

She grinned and looked around for Marrock. When she finally found him she chuckled mischievously. "Hello handsome," even the voice was Dylan's. She approached, caught him by his collar, and laid one hell of a kiss on him.

Welcome to the Rifts

Pretty much any race is open to be played, the rifts pull a little bit of everything through into the world but you should probably keep in mind that the technology is advanced...a bit like Borderlands if you've ever played. (hover crafts, laser guns, MDC armor, cyborgs, etc.) And if you play a vampire you'll be evil... Lol. I have the only moral vampire that I'm going to let into the story. Anyone else who plays a vampire will be playing an antagonist. Selfish I know but moral vampires ARE supposed to be rare...

Potatochipgolem, that sounds awesome. XD The majority of characters will be welcome.

Welcome to the Rifts

For those of you who have never played Palladium's tabletop Rift Earth, awesome! Most people haven't so let me explain... and no... this won't be exactly like the tabletop. I took liberties.

On earth science has come along way with genetic enhancements to advance lifespans of humans and make them impervious to disease, robotics, etc... but all of it was lost. No one knows what caused the catastrophe... it started with natural disasters, killer storms, and strange whether patterns. Then, the skies tore open along the ley-lines of the earth creating rifts to other dimensions. Beings from other realms poured through and the worst of them were the Vampires. They weren't like the ones in the fairy tales, they were evil creatures bent on spreading their state of being. They were created by something called the intelligence, the demonic entity that is lurking between the worlds and infecting any it can reach. The intelligence finds a corrupt human, links to them and creates a Master vampire. That vampire can then create Secondary vampires which are less powerful and they, in turn, can create lesser vampires... Lesser vampires are feral creatures that run only on hunger and rage, they are so unpredictable that often other vampires will kill them off. The ones that can be controlled are used as pawns in their war.

Vampires weren't the only things the Rifts brought through... Magic filled the world and some of the people in it but because it came from the rifts it was mistrusted and shunned. The Federation of Magic and the Coalition was born, both separate forms of government but the Coalition grew quickly and began killing off the magic users in their territories. In the meantime, the Master vampires were claiming territories all their own and in order to flee and find safety people were forced to choose sides. Coalition offered safety, shelter, rules, and order where the Federation was still greatly mistrusted. Coalition thought they could handle the mounting threat of the vampires but as of yet all they've managed is to keep it at bay and they are losing more and more outlying territories.

Our rp would take place quite a while after the opening of the original rifts. Several different races and types of demon will have inhabited the earth and taken up clans or are scattered like beasts in the wilderness. The earths water is waning, plant life is dying, and what is left are ruins of cities... bandits, rebel groups... the Federation, and Coalition.

For reasons of the rp I'm not letting everyone be a 'moral vampire' (a vamp that kept it's humanity). They're supposed to be extremely rare... like unicorns. They're all evil, cunning, and determined to take over otherwise. They're like parasites. They come in, they feed until the host world is dead, and move to the next one and they spread like the plague... super quickly. You can make a dent by taking out the Masters and killing off the whole line under him/her by doing so but separately as the factions are there isn't much stopping them.

The point of the play will be to set up each character's back story as an individual, bring them together into the group, and work to get rid of the vampires... or just protect one main town... We'll see how epic we get when we see if I get any interest.

Welcome to the Rifts

For those of you who have never played Palladium's tabletop Rift Earth, awesome! Most people haven't so let me explain... and no... this won't be exactly like the tabletop. I took liberties.

On earth science has come along way with genetic enhancements to advance lifespans of humans and make them impervious to disease, robotics, etc... but all of it was lost. No one knows what caused the catastrophe... it started with natural disasters, killer storms, and strange whether patterns. Then, the skies tore open along the ley-lines of the earth creating rifts to other dimensions. Beings from other realms poured through and the worst of them were the Vampires. They weren't like the ones in the fairy tales, they were evil creatures bent on spreading their state of being. They were created by something called the intelligence, the demonic entity that is lurking between the worlds and infecting any it can reach. The intelligence finds a corrupt human, links to them and creates a Master vampire. That vampire can then create Secondary vampires which are less powerful and they, in turn, can create lesser vampires... Lesser vampires are feral creatures that run only on hunger and rage, they are so unpredictable that often other vampires will kill them off. The ones that can be controlled are used as pawns in their war.

Vampires weren't the only things the Rifts brought through... Magic filled the world and some of the people in it but because it came from the rifts it was mistrusted and shunned. The Federation of Magic and the Coalition was born, both separate forms of government but the Coalition grew quickly and began killing off the magic users in their territories. In the meantime, the Master vampires were claiming territories all their own and in order to flee and find safety people were forced to choose sides. Coalition offered safety, shelter, rules, and order where the Federation was still greatly mistrusted. Coalition thought they could handle the mounting threat of the vampires but as of yet all they've managed is to keep it at bay and they are losing more and more outlying territories.

Our rp would take place quite a while after the opening of the original rifts. Several different races and types of demon will have inhabited the earth and taken up clans or are scattered like beasts in the wilderness. The earths water is waning, plant life is dying, and what is left are ruins of cities... bandits, rebel groups... the Federation, and Coalition.

For reasons of the rp I'm not letting everyone be a 'moral vampire' (a vamp that kept it's humanity). They're supposed to be extremely rare... like unicorns. They're all evil, cunning, and determined to take over otherwise. They're like parasites. They come in, they feed until the host world is dead, and move to the next one and they spread like the plague... super quickly. You can make a dent by taking out the Masters and killing off the whole line under him/her by doing so but separately as the factions are there isn't much stopping them.

The point of the play will be to set up each character's back story as an individual, bring them together into the group, and work to get rid of the vampires... or just protect one main town... We'll see how epic we get when we see if I get any interest.

Murder Mystery Anyone?

Yep, I will get things set up in a bit.

Murder Mystery Anyone?

Awesome. :) Which version were you more interested in?

Murder Mystery Anyone?

Bump

The Binds that Break

Kayla was taken by surprise at the sudden appearance of the wolf. Usually, she heard others sneaking up on her but not this one. Then again, werewolves were natural hunters; of course it would be difficult to hear them coming. She turned her honey colored hazel eyes his way and arched a finely shaped brow as an amused smile tugged glossed lips.

"Lady Lakshme, if you please," she responded by playing into his teasing. "It has a ring to it."

She eyed him, she'd only known he was a wolf because of her keen sense of smell. He smelled like pine, wet dirt, and vaguely of spices and damp fur. "Marrock? Hmm... exotic. I'm betting your one of the wolves then?"

A hand went to her hip as she took him in, head to toe. "I thought your kind were more... muscley," she teased.

She chuckled at his statemet about their files, "Hnn, I tend to keep a low profile... Either way, I'm hungry. Care to escort me to the cafeteria Jean-Louis?"

~*~

The rest of the day flew by pretty uneventfully. Ried was let know that two of the transfer students had arrived early and it had taken him a while to track them down. He'd found them in the cafeteria and filled them in on their room arrangements. Then, he'd went back to his own room and made notes of the things he'd learned.

Dylan finished with her training, showered, and fell into bed as well since Clem had slept over for a while in the feeding area. She shared a room with Kayla who introduced herself briefly by claiming the bed Dylan usually used and Dylan had to relocate her things to the other side of the room in order to keep the peace. She then picked up her laptop and watched netflix till she fell asleep.

The next day came early, or so it seemed like to Dylan... She'd had nightmares most of the night, if you could call them that. No one knew it but despite her training and being strong for a Moroi, Dylan had nightmares about Strigoi. She was far too young to remember being taken, too young to remember anything about that time of her life... but that didn't stop the things she heard about it from sinking in. Sometimes she dreamed of her father, of Gunner, as a Strigoi murdering Clem... She'd wake up screaming. Other times she dreamed of Clem being Strigoi and telling her they would be accepted if she turned, they'd never be different again... and they'd be strong. What scared Dylan is that sometimes... she didn't refuse and she'd wake up in a cold sweat.

What kind of Guardian was scared of Strigoi, it was the only part of her that reminded her that she was Moroi... and she hated it. She brushed her hair and tied it back before dressing in ripped jeans, sneakers, and a one shouldered white t-shirt. Then ran into Kayla as the girl exited the bathroom, brushing her teeth and already dressed. There was something weird about the girl... She didn't look frail enough to be Moroi but then again neither did Dylan. However, she wasn't sure the girl was a Dhampir either. She brushed it off, what else would be in the school besides Moroi or Dhampirs?

Then, she headed out to see if she could find Clem.

Murder Mystery Anyone?

McKayla Channing has never been normal, as a child she had strange fevers that came and went and during which things in her room would look as if they'd been through a hurricane. She could feel other people's emotions when they touch her and sometimes hear a thought or two, sometimes things moved without reason, and she always knew when the phone was about to ring and if she tried she could tell who it was. She was bounced from foster home to foster home until she was sixteen and finally found a family that accepted her weirdness and got her put on medication that got rid of the fevers and the odd abilities that were all just, part of her 'overactive imagination' but gave her massive headaches. Ah, the prices we paid. However, on her twenty-first birthday Kayla discovered that alcohol was not her friend.

A massive migraine forced her to leave the club early and on her way she had... terrible nightmares. She had to have the taximan help her from the car and into her home because she was nearly delirious and when she'd finally collapsed onto the bed and fell into sleep the nightmares, the waking dream, the delusions... whatever it was had stopped. However, that was the night she'd met HIM... At first she'd only called out to him because she'd been scared of the dreams... scared to be alone. He'd been confused, this was HIS dream after all... what was SHE doing there. After that night though, it was like she was being pulled into his dreams constantly out of her nightmares which had become vivid and graphically violent... she couldn't fight it. However, her nightmares were coming true... Three women found dead, stabbed to death in back ally ways where they had been dumped from another location.

To make matters worse, the boy knows about the murders too... it seems they share a connection to the killer somehow... but what if the boy shares more than just a connection? What if he IS the killer?

~*~

We could go several places with this... anywhere from the killer being Kayla's biological father and the boy being a dreamer or the other way around. OR if you want to go for split personality? Maybe he's even possessed or the killer is possessed and Kayla and the other guy are descendants of Nephilim (angel human cross breeding)? So many choices...

The Binds that Break

Ried frowned, he knew what she was thinking. That it would be easier to get the tattoo than to manage her abilities but the thing is... they had no idea what would happen if they were to put this mark on a Moroi but the Witches agreed it wouldn't be anything good. To nullify a magical being's magic would be like cutting out a part of them. A Moroi's magic was deeply wound into them, it responded to emotions and their will. If you were to nullify such a thing it might be like amputating part of the soul... It might just empty them out of everything, not just the magic.

"It would be a last resort... Something only used to protect others from danger if there were no other option. We've never used it on Moroi before, there could be... complications."

As she reached out and touched the mark a jolt of electricity pulsed through it and shot up his arm... it was like hitting your funny bone too hard. He could feel the shock all the way into his teeth. It was an odd sensation but it didn't seem to phase her and so he supposed she hadn't felt it at all. It did, however, make him curious as to why she'd be able to affect the mark like that. He'd have to see if the touch of a spirit user did the same before he'd be able to narrow the effect down to just her and analyze it.

"With a Moroi the magic is so much a part of them that to nullify the magic itself may cause irreperable damage. Spirit users use medications sometimes for depression and it dampens their magic, perhaps you could try that. I need you clear headed for a while and your magic is so raw having something to tame it somewhat may help you in classes."

He considered it... Something to dampen moods, level her out. "I'll talk to the nurse about Xanax. It's a relatively common treatment for moodswings and anxiety. It could help."

He stood and ran a hand through messy hair, "Look... I'm not really good at looking after people. It isn't my forte. I'm a hunter, I use my magic to kill things not to teach. This is going to be a work in progress for both of us." He sighed, "It was nice meeting you Clementine."

Those wide eyes of hers seemed to see everything and for some reason they'd had him talking far more than he usually did. He found himself WANTING to help her rather than it just being a chore he was being forced to do. She looked so... vulnerable that he couldn't help feeling like he needed to help protect her. She'd had it rough and maybe he could help smooth the passage through this year for her. Sure, it wasn't his policy to get involved but he was already having to help her anyway... He told himself he was just protecting his student.

"Get some rest..."

~*~

Kayla moved down the halls of the school. Yeah, she was supposed to have waited for that witch guy but he was late and patience wasn't her thing. She tucked her hands into her pockets and ignored the odd looks she was receiving from the students that passed her by. There weren't many here, usually the students didn't show up till tomorrow but Ried had been instructed to get the 'Transfer Students' in early so they could be made comfortable with their surroundings.

She sighed, tilting her head as she focused her hearing and closed her eyes. There didn't seem to be much going on currently, some teachers chatting... Guardians talking about the school's boundary. Noise that sounded like fighting in the gym... but considering what the students here were taught that wasn't really very surprising. She opened her eyes and huffed, wondering where the rest of the transfer students were.

~*~

Dylan stripped from the jacket of her jogging suit revealing a black tank top beneath. She rolled her shoulders and stretched, considering where to start. She'd been tempted to place Ried's face on one of the dummy's and pummel it but she'd gotten her temper under control by now... Plus, jealousy over someone that she cared so much about was an ugly emotion. She wrapped her wrists carefully as she thought back on the way Clem had been watching Ried with wide eyed curiosity... and felt another pang she quickly shoved down and to the back of her mind. It wasn't okay to feel that way about Clem, it wasn't okay for her to fight either as a Moroi but she did said the other part of her conscience.

She scoffed, if Clem ever found out about the real way that Dylan felt... Dylan wasn't sure she could handle her best friend avoiding her or becoming awkward around her. It was why Dylan kept her emotions under a tight leash. If Clem were to stumble on THAT emotion and take it for what it was rather than just the love for her best friend when in truth she was... She bit her lip, HARD.

"Stop thinking about it..." Besides, maybe it was just a phase. She worried about Clem a lot, she'd always been there to help her... always been the one Clem had come to when she needed help... needed to calm down. She'd brushed Clem's hair, cuddled with her in bed to stave off nightmares more than once. She was just confused, she was sure of it. Clem was pretty, sure. Maybe it was all those times the boys had teased her that made Dylan so protective, so indignant and to see her as beautiful.

Dylan sat in the middle of the gym floor with a huff, resting her head against one knee. This was a cruel joke really... Clem wasn't the only one who got made fun of. Dylan was a freak too... She was too strong for a Moroi, too into learning to fight, too disinterested in politics and social events. She didn't really have any Moroi friends, all her friends where Dhampirs... She rubbed the back of her neck, Clem seemed to think that Dylan could fit in where ever she wanted, they'd had small spats about it before... Usually starting with Clem saying something like, "You don't understand, you can do ANYTHING." Sometimes being put on a pedestal wasn't all it was cracked up to be, sometimes it put more distance between Dylan and her bestie than anything.

She flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling... It wasn't just Clem she was worried would find out. What would her parents think? What would the other students think... Would it cause more trouble for Clem? She laughed at herself, why did any of this matter right now. Ried was just a boy... the first boy that had paid Clem true attention, but still just a boy. What were the odds that she'd actually end up liking this guy? She was being overly dramatic...

She stood and brushed herself off, taking a fighting stance, before she let into the dummy in front of her with a vengence. Moving faster than a dhampir even if her hits weren't as hard. She was a blur as she lost herself to her training... She wouldn't have even heard if someone had entered.