I'm very happy to have your interest. I am still looking for more, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I've only really prepared for one more main role, but I could potentially work in additional characters if I really like them.
I've not actually seen the film, but thanks for the reference - that may be a great piece to look into for additional inspiration.
I recently started an occult horror game here. Currently it's myself and three other players, but we could use one more person in the mix. My first advertisement was a bit overwhelming, so I'm just going to keep things simple here.
The setting for the game is 1901 France, in a town called Loudon. Loudon is famed for a series of high profile possessions that took place in the 1600s, leading to a series of witch trials which would see a bishop named Urbain Grandier burned at the stake. But our characters have been invited to town due to an unexpected inheritance dispute. Things are not as they seem in Loudon, however, and they will have to struggle to keep their lives - not to mention their souls - intact.
I've adapted the story from an old french adventure book that I translated. According to the book's directions, I do a tarot drawing for each character than can affect his stats. We also will use an occasional die roll to resolve tricky situations, but roleplaying is the primary focus.
This is a strongly occult game. It makes use of traditional ideas about witchcraft for its magic system, and draws heavily from Christian and sometimes pagan folklore. You can expect demons, witches, ghosts, etc alongside the radical new technologies and social transformations of the fin de siecle.
I definitely think it would be better to have one thread with all rolls than have multiple threads for one RP, that seems a bit pointless to me
I agree. However, Roleplayerguild does not seem to offer that functionality. I've decided to open a discord server for us to do rolls in. Feel free to join and roll there instead. I'll also accept the on-site method of dice rolling if someone prefers that.
I don't have any controls for permissions, so I assume that is the case. I guess I should have each of you make a dice thread and link it to me. I may still make some rolls for you in public or private as appropriate.
Ah I see. For me there's a "New Roll" section at the top that lets me put in that info. It's my first time using the dice campaigns thing, so I may have messed something up. I'll see if I can fix it, or else we'll find some other way to do rolls.
The stunt she pulled had somehow worked. Although it had only been a momentary diversion for Uion, that was all the rangers needed to recover and regroup. But now, Sarah's cover was blown. The officer wouldn't spare her after what she'd done. She turned to run, but the other soldier from before was already attacking from behind! 'Crap, crap crap!' It was all she could do to dodge the quick slashes of his weapon. She tried hopping back, but he quickly pursued and sent her tumbling over a pile of wreckage.
"Ugh..." She had to pull herself together quickly - the soldier was right behind her and his weapon was at a lethal angle. What would her brother think if she was killed by some faceless tool like him? Sarah jumped to her feet and slapped away the trident with her claw. He went for another thrust, but this time she grabbed the weapon with her monstrous hand, catching him by surprise. Her human right hand was still free, so she threw a punch right at his helmet. Again, and again! It wasn't having the desired effect - the soldier was about to start grappling her.
"No more holding back!" she threw him off, but followed with a high leap. Before her opponent could get his footing, she was coming down on him with a full power downward kick! She struck his shoulder and smashed him into the ground. The soldier's body bounced back up from the force of the impact, but did not seem to stir again. Sarah huffed and tried to rise to her feet after another improvised landing.
M. Herbachet's own emotions soared high with Joséphine's pleasure. The delight on his face was plain to see when she tried on the heirloom ring. "Ah, it's simply magnifique, Mademoiselle." He listened politely to her introduction and replied "Likewise, my dear. I knew that you would be an educated woman, but the University of Lyon? That is quite impressive!" Of course, it was likely that he already knew that much about Joséphine, but her academic accomplishments certainly deserved some recognition.
The notary listened carefully to Samuel, not daring to interrupt for fear of breaking the man's concentration. He looked to the others in that dimly lit room with a slightly opened mouth - a shared recognition of the young man's foreign persuasion. "And you must be the Englishman! And quite a charming one, too, isn't he?"
"An inventor, you say? Why, if only you had come to our country sooner, you might have attended the grand technological exposition in Paris last year. I saw the most wonderful and dreadful displays at the exhibits there - I still can't make sense of how they were done, honestly. But such scientific mysteries are better left to young, enterprising minds like your own." Once the pleasantries had died down somewhat, he offered Samuel the emerald ring.
--
One of the other participants that day was a blonde woman with a quiet, even sombre, air about her - which contrasted strongly with the general gaiety of the proceedings. She was fairly young, and judging by her fine clothing, she had come from a family with some privilege. The woman was dressed in a black fitted bodice, with slightly puffed shoulders and a modest neckline. It drew in narrow at the waistline, but opened up wide again at the bottom with voluminous matching skirts. The most striking thing about her was that she wore a lacy black veil over her face, and a prominent cross at her chest. If you weren't mistaken, this was the attire of a lady in mourning... perhaps that could explain her listless and dour attitude.
She had sharply declined the cognac before, but she was not impolite in accepting the topaz ring from the notary. "It's beautiful, Monsieur. Would that I could say I would treasure it, but it is as the wise author of Ecclesiastes says: All is vanity and vexation in the end." She did not place the ring on her finger, instead putting the piece safely away in her purse.
M. Herbachet bristled a bit at this, but he addressed her carefully. "Sœur Valérie Bisson. I am surprised to see you without your habit."
"I have taken leave of the abbey," she answered quickly. Apparently, Valérie was a dedicated woman of the catholic church, though the subject seemed to make her cringe. Even behind the veil, one could see the rueful expression in her watery blue eyes. "But I have not forgotten my vows. I will see this money put to charitable use, as Christ commanded. Six thousand francs will empower the church to help the needy and to save many souls."
--
The meeting concluded without issue, and it was agreed that everyone would meet at the notary's office again around noon tomorrow to seal the deal. Each participant was directed to the lodging that had been prepared for them. It had already grown late in the afternoon, but there would still be time to unpack your luggage and have some dinner.
Joséphine would be staying at l'Hotel Saint-Pierre on Saint Pierre Road. This was evidently in a wealthy part of town, as there were only a few estates here, each with a large yard to itself. The hotel was finely decorated in a traditional style, and its clientele were fashionably dressed and well put-together.
Samuel would be staying at the Croix Guesthouse at Saint Croix Place. This was the large modern hotel which was visible from a distance before. It was one of the tallest buildings around, with eight stories of rooms and amenities. Everything was still brand new and practically spotless. The furniture had a more functional design, but some of the more ambitious architectural elements like the facade and central staircase are in an appealing Art Nouveau style.
Valérie would be staying at l'Hotel des Remparts on Chaude Street. Unfortunately for her, this place was fairly run down and grimy. The hotel was in the bad part of town, and after a certain hour the street outside became populated with shady characters.
And the others had their own lodging arrangements. If asked, the attendants at each place would relay that everything has been paid for ahead of time by a middle-aged man, confirming M. Herbachet's story. Each room had been cleaned and prepared for your arrival. Though the furnishings and dimensions were different, each room contained a vase with a lovely bouquet of damask roses and nutmeg flowers. Beautiful and fragrant as they were at first, these very flowers would be the first sign that something wicked was afoot in Loudon.
At exactly midnight, you were awoken by a strange light in your hotel room. It only persisted for a moment, but in that moment, the vase seemed to faintly glow before your eyes. Shortly after, however, the smell of the bouquet changed from fragrance to putrid stink. The room filled with a noxious rotting scent, causing your eyes to water, and quickly inducing headache. It will prove most impossible to go back to sleep while the bouquet remains in your room, and you already feel sickened from the fume...
Please make a vitality roll to see how badly the noxious flowers affect you!
Here's how. Go to my roll thread: (roleplayerguild.com/campaigns/1116). For the roll, put "1d100", and for the note, please put [Character name] Vitality Roll. Then I'll let you know the results OOC and you can play it out in your post.
EDIT: Okay, upon learning that the dice roller is kinda wonky here - feel free to join our discord server to do rolls instead if you prefer: discord.gg/6YRhCCVQ9q
I was about to start writing my first post but @enmuni makes a very good point. Is this meeting in English or French as I highly doubt my character would have learnt any French as a working class Londoner @Olive Fontaine
Yes, everything being said would be in French in the reality of the game. Honestly, my suggestion would be to have your character know at least enough of the language to get by, or it will be more difficult for you to really interact with the NPCs. There was a long history of using French and Latin in Britain. They were used as international languages, which were more easily accessible to the whole of Europe than things written only in English. So I don't think it's too far outside the realm of possibility for Sam to know some. True, it was more of an upper class behavior, but your character is an inventor and probably would have had plenty of reason to study foreign tractates on science. So you'd be able to communicate, but you'd still be quickly recognizable as a foreigner.
Joséphine's first language is English as well (I think), but she speaks really naturally due to her family, study, and long stay in the country. You could try to rely on her for translations, but I think that this may be a bit more trouble than it's worth for our game.
Terribly sorry for the delay; I hope this will help us get moving!
No worries at all! That was a great first post.
I've been putting together a character too. I thought that we could use someone with more of a spiritual focus, so that's what I'm going for. But I felt that she wouldn't be right for this game without a delightfully dark twist. So she won't just be a goody two-shoes. I'll introduce her in game soon and I'll add a little blurb to the characters tab.
PrinceAlexus
Redacted
PatientBean
Archazen
BurningCold
enmuni
Plank Sinatra
Carlyle
Hammy Chi
