ReedeThe23rd

Bayonets, Brimstone, and Bullets - A Napoleonic Inspired NRP

The Toscor Chancellery

Name of Nation: The Toscor Chancellery

Territorial Claims:

Map

Species: Human

Population (total and by species): ~13 Million, near-exclusively human

Culture and Society: Although a Republic-style government since its founding, the nation has always had the concepts of Duty and Responsibility at the forefront of its mindset. Toscorian social structure is based around one’s career contributions to the nation, though entry into careers is inherently meritocratic, with those of solid aptitude and proficiency quickly rising to prominence. Foreigners are seen as exclusively “outside” the social structure and thus judged solely on how they present themselves to the nation, rather than their proclaimed social position in their homeland or the world stage.

History: Toscor has a longstanding history as a Chancellery Republic, with a National Council elected by the public, city governors appointed by the Council who in turn elect the Chancellor from among themselves, who appoints the Prime Minister from a member of the National Council. This system has always seen political machinations and manipulation to consolidate power, but that all pales in the face of recent events. The most recent Chancellor, Garen Dorn, was assassinated in a public spectacle by a rogue individual who remains at large. In response, Prime Minister Ariseth Fon has declared an indefinite state of emergency, claiming dual powers of the Prime Minister and Chancellor, leading to unforeseen consolidation of government power. Detractors speak out, but are limited in their legal means of doing so as Ariseth constricts public voice through both military and political means.

Economy: Toscor’s economy is inherently average in nature. They specialize in no forms of commerce, but they are not inherently lacking in any either. Their technological and infrastructural advancements have played no small part in this balance either. Their dominant access of much of the northern warm water ports of the western coastline of the Old World has assisted in their economic maneuverings as well.

Army: The National Army of Toscor is a firm power in the nation, in no small part due to the nation’s two-year mandatory conscription of all able-bodied. The Army works hard to keep pace with global military progression, and as Prime Minister Ariseth continues expansionist rhetoric, concerns and discussions about the extension of mandatory conscription, as well as the increasing role of the military in day-to-day government functions abound. Career military service beyond one's conscription time is seen as a paramount way to showcase one's duty and responsibility to the state, and former members of the officer corps. are often hailed as champions when they retire, frequently into politics. Much of these individuals form the backbone of Prime Minister Ariseth Fon's grip on the National Council.

Navy: The National Fleet receives less attention than the Army, both in terms of resources and numbers. It primarily serves as a coast guard and trade escort, though recent reforms pushed by the Prime Minister have seen slow but steady plans to improve the Fleet’s battle capacity. Unlike the army, the navy receives far less conscripted members, and is thus primarily composed of career volunteers, painting a sort of "gentleman sailor" mindset within the nation, the idea that Toscorian sailors are some of the finest examples of Toscorian Citizenry.

Traits: WIP

Foreign Relations: WIP

Stats:
Land Area: 10
Land Fertility: 10
Social Development: 18
Technological Development: 20
Land Power: 18
Naval Power: 10
Economy: 10
Magical Reserves: 4
Magical Sophistication: 4

Capabilities

Societal Development:

Technological Development:

Economy:

Land Power:

Naval Power:

Arcane Sophistication/Religious Strength:

Other:

WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

Lazarus Germael

Name: Lazarus Germael

Age: 45

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Lazarus is a fairly average specimen of a healthy middle-aged human male. He keeps relatively physically fit, with an average weight of 80kg, and although he by no means towers over anyone, his 195 centimeter height still gives him a considerably tall look.

His face is rather bony and well-defined, with his chin coming to a narrow end, and his nose a fine point. He keeps himself clean shaven as much as possible, and his greying head of hair neatly cropped and trimmed. His face is framed by a pair of necessary reading spectacles, which are specifically designed with one-way reflective lenses, which Lazarus prefers because they stop patients from distracting him with "incessant blathering and distracting eye contact" in his own words.

His eyes, when rarely seen, are a cold steel in color, bearing little of the spark or twinkle of life and energy. Instead they seem almost calculating in nature, constantly jumping from subject to subject, always observing everything they can.

In terms of apparel, he regularly wears the uniform of an Imperial Navy First Lieutenant, the traditional white and blue coat and trousers, with a high pair of black jackboots, and the official insignia denoting him as both a First Lieutenant and an officiated Chirurgeon. When practicing medicae in a proper facility, he traditionally wears either a white longcoat commonly associated with medicae professionals, or sanitized surgical garments when performing extensive procedures.

As someone lacking in combat expertise, he does not traditionally carry much in the way of armaments, keeping on hand a single stub automatic pistol in a shoulder holster. However, to make up for his lack of combat experience, he packs it with the vicious Manstopper bullets, to provide extra firepower in a pinch.

Personality: Lazarus is best described as stern, asocial, and calculating in nature. He shows the most warmth and personality when discussing the fields of medicae and biologis, but even then he shows a grim, almost grotesque fascination with the subjects.

Despite his distaste for talk outside his subjects of study, Lazarus feels great concern and care for those he treats for injury or illness, stopping at nothing to aid them to the best of his ability. However, should a patient of his pass, his cold demeanour returns, and he won't hesitate to use the fresh corpse for research or spare bodily objects or fluids.

When it comes to the stringent rules of the Imperial Creed, Lazarus only pays them as much heed as necessary, pushing the limits of decency and courtesy to the God-Emperor when he can. The Xenos and the Mutant bother him not with their presence, their biological and anatomical structure utterly fascinating to him.

History: Lazarus Germael is the fourth of seven sons born to Sigmund Germael, the patriarch of a minor nobility household on Scintilla. The Germael family lineage had always operated on the rule that the first son was to be heir, the second to join the Administratum, the third to join the Guard, and the fourth to join the Navy. Thus, Lazarus's career was defined for him at birth. While being groomed and schooled for the Imperial Naval Officer's Academy, Lazarus quickly found his fascination with medical and anatomical sciences, and his distaste for people. He excelled in scientific classes, but struggled with much of the pomp and circumstance due to one of his class and destined service.

Lazarus would enter the Academy at the age of 16, enrolling in their medicae program, and graduating with full honors and a commission as an Ensign medicae officer aboard the Saint's Chosen, a small frigate serving across the Calixis sector. It was here Lazarus would find the one person he could stand to deal with, a kindred spirit in the Biologis Tech-Priest Obel Gaven.

Working alongside Obel, Lazarus would serve dutifully and honorably for many years, rising through the ranks and chain of command in the medicae department, before eventually securing the position of Chief Chirurgeon and the rank of First Lieutenant.

Despite his cherished years of service, Lazarus had never been content with simply healing the ill, and had sought to put his knowledge to more theoretical purposes. Together with Obel they secretly conducted research and development of disturbing biological, cybernetic, and bionic enhancements to both servants of the vessel and captured prisoners alike.

This series of heretical actions against both the Emperor and the Omnissiah would not go unnoticed, and official action had to be taken. Obel was taken from the vessel and into the custody of the Mechanicus, never to be seen again. Lazarus, however, was taken before the Captain of his vessel, and the other senior staff, and given a choice.

A detachment of officials from the Imperial Navy were being sent as additional Naval aide to the staff of a Rogue Trader and his forces, one Edmund H. Livingstone. Lazarus would be offered a position about this detachment, sent off into the far-flung corners of the galaxy, likely never to see the core Imperium again for more than moments at a time. Exile, as it were, albeit still in service to the Emperor and Imperium. It was either this...or be given over to the graces of the Imperial Law, with his future uncertain from thereon.

Naturally, as any sane man would, Lazarus chose the exile post alongside the Rogue Trader and his people. The fringes of the galaxy aren’t exactly the ideal locales for Lazarus, but it beats an uncertain fate at the hands of an Arbiter. And it provides him ample chance to work his craft with far less prying eyes to worry about.

Skills: Lazarus is an expert medicae practitioner, and a constant researcher of biological topics and advancements as he comes across them. He also has experience serving as the Chief Chirurgeon aboard a Voidship, and all the trials and tribulations associated with directing the medicae department of one of the Imperium’s starbound fortress-cities.

Thanks to his service alongside a Biologis Tech-Priest in his last assignment for the Imperial Navy proper, his skills with assembling and implanting cybernetics and bionics are profound for one outside the Machine Cult, and it is not uncommon for him to provide patients with enhancements that might be considered Heritek in some circles of Mars and her domains.

Although by no means an expert shot or a professional soldier, Lazarus has survived the occasional firefight with his autopistol, and what he lacks in direct firepower he makes up for with the danger of his preferred Manstopper ammunition and his knowledge of human anatomy.

Equipment: Alongside the aforementioned stub pistol and apparel, Lazarus keeps on hand a diagnosticator for identifying medical issues, a medi-kit for field operations, and a suture set for quickly closing wounds. He also wears a micro-comm in one ear for quick communication across the ship or in the field, and keeps handy a dataslate for computational purposes and other digital tasks.

Miscellaneous: He keeps a personal written journal for cataloging research and procedures that he desires to be kept hidden from anyone but himself. It never leaves his person unless absolutely necessary.

WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

Lazarus Germael

Name: Lazarus Germael

Age: 45

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Appearance: Lazarus is a fairly average specimen of a healthy middle-aged human male. He keeps relatively physically fit, with an average weight of 80kg, and although he by no means towers over anyone, his 195 centimeter height still gives him a considerably tall look.

His face is rather bony and well-defined, with his chin coming to a narrow end, and his nose a fine point. He keeps himself clean shaven as much as possible, and his greying head of hair neatly cropped and trimmed. His face is framed by a pair of necessary reading spectacles, which are specifically designed with one-way reflective lenses, which Lazarus prefers because they stop patients from distracting him with "incessant blathering and distracting eye contact" in his own words.

His eyes, when rarely seen, are a cold steel in color, bearing little of the spark or twinkle of life and energy. Instead they seem almost calculating in nature, constantly jumping from subject to subject, always observing everything they can.

In terms of apparel, he regularly wears the uniform of an Imperial Navy First Lieutenant, the traditional white and blue coat and trousers, with a high pair of black jackboots, and the official insignia denoting him as both a First Lieutenant and an officiated Chirurgeon. When practicing medicae in a proper facility, he traditionally wears either a white longcoat commonly associated with medicae professionals, or sanitized surgical garments when performing extensive procedures.

As someone lacking in combat expertise, he does not traditionally carry much in the way of armaments, keeping on hand a single stub automatic pistol in a shoulder holster. However, to make up for his lack of combat experience, he packs it with the vicious Manstopper bullets, to provide extra firepower in a pinch.

Personality: Lazarus is best described as stern, asocial, and calculating in nature. He shows the most warmth and personality when discussing the fields of medicae and biologis, but even then he shows a grim, almost grotesque fascination with the subjects.

Despite his distaste for talk outside his subjects of study, Lazarus feels great concern and care for those he treats for injury or illness, stopping at nothing to aid them to the best of his ability. However, should a patient of his pass, his cold demeanour returns, and he won't hesitate to use the fresh corpse for research or spare bodily objects or fluids.

When it comes to the stringent rules of the Imperial Creed, Lazarus only pays them as much heed as necessary, pushing the limits of decency and courtesy to the God-Emperor when he can. The Xenos and the Mutant bother him not with their presence, their biological and anatomical structure utterly fascinating to him.

History: Lazarus Germael is the fourth of seven sons born to Sigmund Germael, the patriarch of a minor nobility household on Scintilla. The Germael family lineage had always operated on the rule that the first son was to be heir, the second to join the Administratum, the third to join the Guard, and the fourth to join the Navy. Thus, Lazarus's career was defined for him at birth. While being groomed and schooled for the Imperial Naval Officer's Academy, Lazarus quickly found his fascination with medical and anatomical sciences, and his distaste for people. He excelled in scientific classes, but struggled with much of the pomp and circumstance due to one of his class and destined service.

Lazarus would enter the Academy at the age of 16, enrolling in their medicae program, and graduating with full honors and a commission as an Ensign medicae officer aboard the Saint's Chosen, a small frigate serving across the Calixis sector. It was here Lazarus would find the one person he could stand to deal with, a kindred spirit in the Biologis Tech-Priest Obel Gaven.

Working alongside Obel, Lazarus would serve dutifully and honorably for many years, rising through the ranks and chain of command in the medicae department, before eventually securing the position of Chief Chirurgeon and the rank of First Lieutenant.

Despite his cherished years of service, Lazarus had never been content with simply healing the ill, and had sought to put his knowledge to more theoretical purposes. Together with Obel they secretly conducted research and development of disturbing biological, cybernetic, and bionic enhancements to both servants of the vessel and captured prisoners alike.

This series of heretical actions against both the Emperor and the Omnissiah would not go unnoticed, and official action had to be taken. Obel was taken from the vessel and into the custody of the Mechanicus, never to be seen again. Lazarus, however, was taken before the Captain of his vessel, and the other senior staff, and given a choice.

A detachment of officials from the Imperial Navy were being sent as additional Naval aide to the staff of a Rogue Trader and his forces, one Edmund H. Livingstone. Lazarus would be offered a position about this detachment, sent off into the far-flung corners of the galaxy, likely never to see the core Imperium again for more than moments at a time. Exile, as it were, albeit still in service to the Emperor and Imperium. It was either this...or be given over to the graces of the Imperial Law, with his future uncertain from thereon.

Naturally, as any sane man would, Lazarus chose the exile post alongside the Rogue Trader and his people. The fringes of the galaxy aren’t exactly the ideal locales for Lazarus, but it beats an uncertain fate at the hands of an Arbiter. And it provides him ample chance to work his craft with far less prying eyes to worry about.

Skills: Lazarus is an expert medicae practitioner, and a constant researcher of biological topics and advancements as he comes across them. He also has experience serving as the Chief Chirurgeon aboard a Voidship, and all the trials and tribulations associated with directing the medicae department of one of the Imperium’s starbound fortress-cities.

Thanks to his service alongside a Biologis Tech-Priest in his last assignment for the Imperial Navy proper, his skills with assembling and implanting cybernetics and bionics are profound for one outside the Machine Cult, and it is not uncommon for him to provide patients with enhancements that might be considered Heritek in some circles of Mars and her domains.

Although by no means an expert shot or a professional soldier, Lazarus has survived the occasional firefight with his autopistol, and what he lacks in direct firepower he makes up for with the danger of his preferred Manstopper ammunition and his knowledge of human anatomy.

Equipment: Alongside the aforementioned stub pistol and apparel, Lazarus keeps on hand a diagnosticator for identifying medical issues, a medi-kit for field operations, and a suture set for quickly closing wounds. He also wears a micro-comm in one ear for quick communication across the ship or in the field, and keeps handy a dataslate for computational purposes and other digital tasks.

Miscellaneous: He keeps a personal written journal for cataloging research and procedures that he desires to be kept hidden from anyone but himself. It never leaves his person unless absolutely necessary.

Warhammer 40k: It's A Wonderful Life! An Imperial Guard (40K) RP

As far as travelling in one of the God-Emperor's weapon-coated hulking machines of death went, Mordecai had always considered ship travel one of the better prospects to be stuck with. It wasn't all great, of course, what with the constant sense of tension in the air whenever there was the slightest bit of Warp turbulence. But for the most part, it reminded him of being in a basilisk tank. The constant background noise was relaxing, kept him at ease, and gave him plenty of time to think.

Shifted from the tank crew he'd been practically raised with to an infantry regiment full of people from all over. Well, at least he'd been graced with the pleasure of assignment to a Command Squad, even if it was under the command of a Captain who may as well have been a human icepop for how cold she was and how far that stick up her ass went.

The others were a bit of a mixed bag, some good some bad. Mordecai figured the voidsman, Telaci, was a well enough man, if a bit indecipherable at times. The feralworlder Sergeant Rojack was in a similar boat, a fine man for the most part, but his accent and words were a bit thick for Mordecai's taste.

And then there's the Krieger. Mordecai honestly wasn't even sure if he was human. If the Captain was a stick in the mud, this man WAS the mud. At least the Captain understood human emotion and conversation.

As for their duties, being a junior NCO in a Command Squad definitely wasn't the worst place to end up in an infantry regiment. He didn't have any idea what the Captain would have him doing, but at least it was vaguely similar to when he led his tank.

The Captain was talking now. Between the perpetual ringing in his ears, his own thoughts, and the noises of the ship, it was a bit of a struggle to hear completely. The gist of it was about the Command Squad's job to maintain discipline and control over the Company.

"Understood. Keep the lads in line, make sure everything goes down as it should."

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Starlight Crusaders

Chapter Six

"You'll come to regret fighting back, Jotaro. If anything happens to that nurse because you resisted, it'll be on your hands."

"Since you decided to send a hostage to fight me, I doubt I'll have any trouble crushing you. But I don't need to go that far, I can just knock you out and take you to gramps instead. I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you, and you can tell me all about this Dio guy too."

As Jotaro turned to fully face off against Kakyoin, the servant of Dio leaped from the windowsill and raised his arms. Stark green Ripple energy coursed down them, to the tips of his fingers, which were now seemingly drenched in liquid that reflected the green energy.

"Don't you think about any sudden movements, Kakyoin. Back down now, do you hear me?!"

"Oh I hear you, and you can hear this in return...Emerald Splash Overdrive!"

A series of large droplets, colored by and arcing with Kakyoin's green Ripple energy, shot forth from his hands. Shattering objects in nearly all directions, many of them hit Jotaro square in the chest, bloodying him badly and sending him flying into the clinic door with enough force to knock it from its hinges and snap it in half.

"You see, that water was infused with pure Ripple energy. My Ripple style, Hierophant Green, specializes in the use of the Emerald Splash Overdrive as well as manipulating other liquids through the Ripple. Now that its pierced your chest, you'll suffer from intense internal bleeding. And not just you..."

Behind Kakyoin, the school's nurse began to bleed profusely from the mouth, nose, eyes and ears, much to Jotaro's horror.

"The nurse...? But how?!"

"You see, when you forced your Ripple energy into her to expel my own, it had been residing inside her bloodstream. Now that her body is using your power to reject it, its expelling it the only way it can, by forcing her blood out! This is all your fault, Jotaro. She didn't have to get hurt. You should have just let me kill you quietly."

Slowly, Jotaro began to brace his battered and beaten body against the rubble of the doorframe, before bringing himself to a standing position, an enraged stare locked firmly onto Kakyoin.

"And yet, you get back up. Almost like a punching bag swinging back to a boxer. Maybe you just like getting beaten to hell and back?"

As he stood, faint Ripple energy began to flicker across Jotaro's body, his bloody wounds slowly stopping their flow as his breathing became less labored and deeper. His eyes gazed upon Kakyoin from the shadow cast by the brim of his hat. Pure hatred drenched every word he spoke, like poison coating a weapon.

"No one's ever said Jotaro Kujo is a nice guy. I beat the crap out of more people than I'll ever have to. Some are still in the hospital, even. There's plenty of teachers that got on my bad side, and never came back to class. And I make it a personal policy to skip out on a check if the meal's bad. But even a guy like me can recognize evil when he sees it...True evil is using the weak for personal gain, and then crushing them when its over! And that is what you've done to this woman, while you get to hide from the victim, the law, any consequences of your own actions...Therfore, I'll be the one to judge you!"

"My my! How noble of you! Certainly not what I expected. But also dead wrong. The side which survives is good, and how they do it is beside the point. The loser is the one who is evil...Now enough talk, its time to end this! Emerald Splash Overdrive!"

"If the loser is the evil one, then let me show you just how evil you are!"

As Kakyoin's Ripple-infused droplets pulsed with green energy while flying towards Jotaro, his own blinding white Ripple took full form and power. The white arcs of Ripple energy traced around his forearms, which Jotaro held in front of his body, directly in the way of Kakyoin's attack. The energies collided, Jotaro's dazzling white coloring reflecting off of the droplets and casting a blinding glow across the room. The droplets reflected off of Jotaro's forearms and dispersed into nothing, leaving Kakyoin utterly stunned at the fact his signature technique had failed him.

"My Ripple will be used to uphold justice! Barrage Overdrive!"

Jotaro's Ripple-entwined arms rapidly grappled Kakyoin and began to deliver a series of swift, heavy blows. The servant of Dio was bludgeoned beyond measure by this speedy attack, the force of which propelled him through the very wall of the building and left him laying outside the school.

"You caught me off-guard the first time you tried that. I'm glad my Ripple isn't weak, but it tends to make me feel more savage than I am. Luckily the nurse should be alright. Our fight left this place a real mess, so I'd say this is a good day to skip class. I'm taking you with me, to make sure we can get you to spill the beans on Dio."

Hefting Kakyoin's battered form over his shoulder, Jotaro stepped out into the schoolyard through the gaping hole in the clinic wall, making his way to his home, hoping to interrogate Kakyoin with the help of Joseph and Abdul.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Starlight Crusaders

Chapter Five

Alone in his mysterious chambers, the being known as Dio clutched at his stolen body as he thought of the past and its impact upon the present.

"At the time of Jonathan's death, I was but a head. The strength of the ocean surely would have killed me had it not been for the energy within Jonathan's body. But, this body is a bond that ties me to his descendants. They seem to know of my new life, and of the power I have gained by taking Jonathan's body. The Ripple. It is the Ripple which reaches out to his descendants. The Ripple gives me power, and so I live. But at a cost...The Joestar clan must die. Now."

---

As Jotaro's body was propelled through the air from the force caused by the sneak attack, his mind quickly raced to take action. Spotting a series of tree branches just out of arm's reach, he took a deep breath and channeled his Ripple energy, piercing white arcs of light, strong enough to rival the sun, raced over his arms as they seemingly extended, grasping the branches and slowing his fall to the ground.

As the schoolgirls that had been pestering Jotaro screamed to ask about his safety, he took to assessing the situation. He deduced that the cut on his knee was the reason for his fall, but could not deduce why such a cut had appeared. As he searched around for his attacker, the mysterious student in green looked on from his point of watch.

"My, he moves fast. I see his Ripple contains great power. No wonder the master wants him dead. Luckily, my power will do the job quite easily."

The crowd of schoolgirls fawned over Jotaro at the bottom of the steps, attempting to console and coddle him in every way possible. Jotaro looked past them to notice someone he had never seen before, the student with red hair in a green uniform. The student approached him, hand outstretched to offer him a freshly-folded handkerchief.

"Here, your leg seems to be bleeding. Take this to clean up. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, the cut's not too deep. Thanks for this. I can't say I know you, though. Are you new to the school?"

"Yes, I just transferred here in fact. Noriaki Kakyoin, at your service."

---

After the fateful meeting with the new transfer student, Jotaro found himself in the school nurse's clinic, the same annoyed look plastered across his face as usual, though by all means not helped by the nurse's insistence on teasing him, as well as two other students in the clinic.

"Oh Jojo, did you get in a fight again? And take off that hat, its rude!"

"Come on, since when has Jojo ever gotten hurt in a fight?"

"Yeah, think about it!"

"Oh, fine! I'll believe you fell down then, Mr. Clumsy! Now sit still while I cut those pants off."

"What? No way! I'll take 'em off myself. It's a waste to cut 'em up like that."

"Oh, now he's Mr. Stingy too! And while Jojo does that, I'll take your temperatures you big fakers!"

"No, really! We're sick, let us go home!"

As Jotaro started to remove his torn pants, the handkerchief from earlier fell out of his pocket, unfolding slightly to reveal a message Jotaro had missed before.

Jotaro Kujo, I will kill you today, with my Ripple! - Noriaki Kakyoin

This death threat took Jotaro completely by surprise, a shock that was only exacerbated by the sudden yelling behind him from both the sick students and the nurse.

"Uhh, doc what are you doing?!"

"What do you mean? Can't you see that I'm shaking out the thermometer for you?"

"But doc! That's a pen, not a thermometer!"

"A pen?! A pen you say? Does this look like a pen to you?! Can't you tell the difference between a thermometer and a fountain pen, you idiots? Maybe you should take a closer look!"

The crazed nurse then lunged at one of the two students, impaling her pen into the boy's eye. Jotaro noticed a faint crackle of green energy arc across the woman, and that her body movements seemed strange and jagged. Suddenly she turned to face him, pulling the blood-soaked pen from the other student's eye in the process.

"Jojo, you aren't going to tell me this looks like a pen too, are you?!"

Suddenly, the nurse leaped towards Jotaro, lunging the bloody pen towards his face, slicing open his cheek with the sharp tip just before he could stop her from driving it any further. Behind him, he was just able to look upon Noriaki Kakyoin, the student in green, seated upon the windowsill, a string puppet in hand.

"I've taken over her mind with my Rippe, Jotaro. Try and fight back and you'll be hurting an innocent woman. Surely you wouldn't do that?"

"Just who the hell are you?!"

"My style of Ripple powers is called Hierophant Green! Much like your friend Abdul, I have studied the arts of the Ripple. But I have pledged my loyalty to the master. Which is why I will be the one to kill you!"

With this, the woman suddenly surged forward, driving yet more strength into the pen and sharply cutting into Jotaro's face. Green energy swirled around her, giving Jotaro an idea on what to do. Shoving the arm holding the freshly-bloodied pen away from the two of them, Jotaro locked lips with the nurse, forcing a Ripple-infused breath into her, freeing her of the spell that Kakyoin had placed her under.

"I won't let you harm her any more! Now that I know how you use the Ripple, I know you're nothing more than a parasite!"

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Starlight Crusaders

Chapter Four

The party of four, consisting of Mohammad Abdul, Joseph Joestar, Holly Joestar-Kujo, and Jotaro Kujo were seated at a local cafe within the city. Joseph had moved them there from the jail cells in order to have a more comfortable location to explain the situation with Dio's return in full. Annoyed with the entire arragement, Jotaro sat aloof, ignoring the others and gazing out the window of the eatery.

"Jojo! Pay attention to us! Your grandfather and I came a long way to tell you this."

"Yeah, yeah. Your name was Abdul, right? And as for you, gramps. Come on, this Dio guy died a hundred years ago and has been raised from the dead? You expect me to believe a load of shit story like that?"

Abdul let out a soft chuckle and smirked "A story like what? Like spirit energy that summons fire, perhaps?"

"It's okay, Jojo, you'll have to believe us soon enough. Especially after you here about how I know who Dio is...and why we're chasing after him."

Abdul set a camera down upon the cafe table, causing perplexed looks from Jotaro and Holly as Joseph continued to explain.

"Let me show you. You see, I've had the power of the Ripple all my life, but about a year ago I began to practice a new technique with it."

Joseph raised his right hand over the camera on the table, palm flat in the shape of a martial arts chop. Lifting his arm back for a heavy swing, much to the protest of Holly and confusion of Jotaro, a purple Ripple energy began to take shape around Joseph's hand. Bringing it down onto the camera as a fierce chop, the Ripple energy dispersing throughout the camera as it shattered from the blow, a single photograph sheet being propelled from within.

"You see, this new technique can reveal faraway visions, place them on film. Of course, I gotta bust up a 30,000 yen camera every time I use it. But now, Jotaro. The vision that will come from this photo will reveal our very destiny!"

"What do you mean, gramps?"

"Jotaro, Holly, have either of you ever taken a close look at the back of your necks? It's not a spot most of us pay any mind. But on the back of my neck is a mark like a star."

Jotaro and Holly would both stretch to look at the spot upon which their left shoulder met with their neck, noticing a small star-shaped birthmark. This caught them both by surprise, and only served to make Jotaro more irritated and desperate to reach Joseph's point.

"My mother said that my father had it too. It seems all of those with Joestar blood have this star. That star is our link to the Joestar family destiny."

"Listen, quit messing around and tell me what's on the damn photo!"

With this, Jotaro would snatch the photograph from Joseph's hand, stunned speechless at what he saw. It was the back of a man with long, blonde hair. Shirtless, and with a distinct line of surgery around his entire neck. The most defining feature, however, was the star-shaped birthmark in the same spot as Joseph, Holly, and Jotaro's.

"That's Dio, Jotaro! My Spirit Photography Overdrive always shows only him! And look at the back of his neck...From the neck down, that bastard's body is that of my grandfather, Jonathan Joestar! From what my grandmother Erina told me about the way Jonathan died, Dio must have survived by taking his body. And one thing I can say for sure is that he's out there, hiding somewhere. It's been four years since he was revived, and our Ripple abilities have begun to strengthen since then. What other reason can there be but Dio?"

---

As the group led by Joseph Joestar departed from the cafe, another individual was roused from their stupor by the events occuring. The being in question was Dio, the man Joseph had been spying on via his Ripple technique not moments before.

"Just now, I felt as if someone was watching me...It would seem they know. Jonathan's descendants must be receiving some kind of spiritual signal from his body. It must be fate. But fate can be purged, and I've already taken the first step towards that..."

---

Meanwhile, upon the next morning in Japan, Jotaro Kujo departed for his final day of school for the year. A large throng of girls of his school quickly gathered around him as he walked, showering him in praise and begging for his attention, despite his irritated silence. Eventually this chorus of praise and chatter would devolve into a pair of the girls hurling insults at each other before an enraged shout from Jotaro led them to stop, but not without a cheerful cry of excitement from them over Jotaro talking to them at last.

As Jotaro neared the steps of the school campus, another student of the school, one with red hair and a green uniform in sharp contrast to the black of the school's, stood at an easel, painting an angled caricature of Jotaro himself. As Jotaro descended the staircase near the mysterious student, a flickering of green light spread from his fingers to the paintbrush, infusing the paint on the tip. With a quick stroke, the student ran the paintbrush across the knee of the painting, hurling a sudden splash of paint bubbling with the same green energy across the knee of the real Jotaro, slicing it open and causing him to trip off of the staircase.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Starlight Crusaders

Chapter Three

The flames around Jotaro's limbs whipped across the cell, charring the walls, ceiling and floor with streaks of pitch black soot and ash. Jotaro's own fiery energy had begun to unveil itself, dazzling white light tracing in arcs across the teen's form. The tendrils around Jotaro began to receede as their white-hot counterpart raced its way back towards Abdul.

"Remarkable. The form his energy has taken is the purest I've ever seen!"

"So you and I, we share this energy...and my grandfather knows of it too! What is it?!"

"Jotaro, your energy is the most powerful I've ever seen. Stronger than Abdul's, even..."

"Mr. Joestar, you asked me to get your grandson out of that cell. I don't want to hurt him, but he's far too powerful. If we do not stop our battle now, I will be forced to do everything I can to defend myself, even if it costs him dearly."

"Go ahead, Abdul. Let him learn."

"Yes sir! Red Bind Overdrive!"

Abdul took an intense breath, almost like he was attempting to inhale every last trace of oxygen in the room. The tendrils of fire lapping at Jotaro flared up with a heat so intense, objects in the cell began to catch fire. The smoke engulfing the cell began to overtake Jotaro, leaving him choking and gasping for air.

"Papa, what are you doing?"

"Be a good girl and stay quiet, Holly! Jotaro, As the heat takes your breath, your power will grow weaker! It's far from the evil you believe it to be! Indeed, what you called an 'evil energy' is actually a powerful current created by your very life forces! As I'm sure you can feel, it ripples out from your heart and across your body. This feeling is why it is known as the Ripple!"

"Come on out, Jojo! As Aesop's fable says, when facing an icy wind a traveler needs only a coat, but the heat is lethal..."

"I'm staying put until I can control this without hurting anyone else...It's nice to meet someone else with this power, but if you keep this up...you will die."

At this, white Ripple energy entwined around Jotaro's leg, contrasting deeply with the crimson color of Abdul's flames. His leg seemed to bend with inhuman flexibility, reaching behind him to smash against the cell's communal toilet. The bright Ripple from his leg caused the toilet to shake violently before outright exploding, a torrent of water showering the cell, dispersing Abdul's Ripple-formed fire entirely. With this, Jotaro surged forward, his Ripple forcing the cell bars apart, and him imbuing one with torrents of white-hot Ripple as he prepared hurl it like a javelin towards Abdul.

At this, Abdul simply turned his back and stepped away, sitting against the walls of the jail hallway. This further incensed the rage burning within Jotaro.

"Don't you turn your back on me, coward!"

"Mr. Joestar, as you can clearly see, your grandson is out of his cell."

With a long exhale, Jotaro let the metal bar clatter to the ground, his blinding Ripple energy dispersing. Tucking his hands into his pockets, Jotaro assumed a calm, casual demeanor, in sharp contrast with his behavior just moments before.

"So, you got me eh?"

"Not really. I had planned to send you to the hospital. But it seems that was not to be."

"What if I'd thrown the bar I had straight through you?"

"My Ripple techniques, the style I call Magician's Red, could have easily melted such a small piece of steel into nothing before it came close to me."

"Jotaro, Abdul is just like you, his Ripple is proof enough that you don't need to stay here to keep studying your own."

As Jotaro stepped away from the ruined cell, Holly excitedly rushed over and clung to her son's arm, much to his chagrin. A smile plastered itself across the woman's face, which only caused her son to grow more frustrated with every second.

"Jotaro! You're finally coming home!"

"Get the fuck off of me, woman!"

"Oh! Sorry about that."

"What?! How dare you address your mother with language like that! And Holly, stop smiling at the boy!"

"Wait, Grandpa. Tell me one thing. How do you know about all this? How do you know about this 'Ripple'? I don't get it."

"That's the other reason I came all the way out here to Japan. There's something else I needed you two to hear. But they say a picture's worth a thousand words, so have a look at these..."

Joseph held out a set of photographs detailing a sight forgotten to the world. A small sailing vessel, utterly abandoned. And on its deck lay a coffin, covered in barnacles and torn open with a blowtorch. And upon it was emblazoned the single word: DIO

"What the hell is this?"

"Something that goes way back in the Joestar family...A coffin lost at the bottom of the Atlantic, until four years ago. I've already determined that this same coffin was on board the very ship where my grandfather, Jonathan Joestar, perished. When they found the coffin, it was empty. But I know what was in it. Abdul and I have been chasing him..."

"Him? Hold on, you make it sound like a person was in there. Why would you call something that's been at the bottom of the ocean for so long a person?"

"His name is DIO! He is the living incarnation of evil, awakened after a century of sleep! Our family's destiny is to fight this man."

The Curse of Strahd Von Zarovich

@ZAVAZggg@webboysurf@TyrannosaursRex@LadyAnnaLee@Exit@Smike

I'm very sorry for the radio silence on this since closing applications. Had an assortment of things keeping me relatively MIA from the forums for a while, and some of it is my own personal response to external factors, so I take responsibility for the lack of communication

Due to both my own mishandling of time and external factors, I have to make the decision to not move forward with this RP, and I do really hope you all understand. When things have calmed down on my end, I'd love to give this a true try, and I'd love to see all of you back if/when I get the chance.

I'm sorry if this upsets anyone, that was never my intention, and I apologize for the long silence.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Starlight Crusaders

Chapter Two

Holly Joestar-Kujo stood inside the common area of the New Tokyo International Airport, nearly trembling with excitement. Since the incident with Jotaro refusing to leave the jail, Holly had made the decision to ask her father, Joseph Joestar, to come to Japan to help her. Joseph had always had strange powers of his own, as long as Holly could remember, so she figured that he'd be the best chance to get her son the help he needed. Spotting him departing from the terminal his flight had arrived at, Holly eagerly waved her arms and called out to capture his attention.

"Papa! Over here, Papa!"

"Holly! There you are. Hope I didn't leave you waiting too long."

As the two embraced, Joseph looked down into his daughter's eyes, and felt a sense of sorrow and worry that deeply betrayed her happy demeanor on the outside. There was no use denying it. His daughter was truly troubled by current events, and Joseph was glad he had responded to them so seriously. As his daughter pressed into his arms, a warm smile crossed over his face.

"Thank you for coming all the way here, Papa."

"Please, when my own daughter asks for help, I'd cross the globe in a day to save her!"

"And what about mom? Is she here too?"

"Suzie wanted to come, but I insisted that this was business for the real estate company, and that she'd get bored."

As Joseph spoke, Holly clung to him ever tighter, and he found himself unable to pull away without having to force her. An uneasy chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to peel her off of him.

"Okay Holly...You can let go now."

"No! It's been too long since we saw each other. I miss you too much."

"Holly, you're a fourty-year-old woman now. You need to act just a bit more mature!"

"Don't remind me about that! Why I oughtta tickle you for that."

As Holly began to tickle and prod at Joseph's ribs, uncontrollable laughter and hollering began to rock his whole body. He found himself twisting and writhing in his daughter's grip, enjoying himself far too much for a near-seventy-year-old businessman. Eventually this outburst began to attract a crowd of onlookers from the airport, which made Joseph quickly snap out of his teasing-induced daze and shout at the crowd to leave him and his daughter alone.

With the crowd around them dispersing, Joseph leaned in close to converse in private with his daughter. The incident she described involving his grandson, Jotaro, was weighing heavily on his mind as well, and he knew the importance of keeping it out of the public mind. Whispering sternly, he asked her the most important question he had on hand.

"Holly, about Jotaro...You're positive he mentioned an 'energy' he could manipulate, right?"

"Oh papa, it was terrible! Everyone there saw it. It was like his arm was on fire, and then it bent in a way that should have hurt him, but once he had the gun, it was like it never happened! And when he shot the bullet with just his fingers, I nearly screamed!"

"Now, Jotaro said this power came to him very recently. But what about you? Have you experienced anything at all like this?"

"No, papa, not at all! But Jotaro refuses to leave his cell until he figures this out. What are we going to do?"

"Oh, Holly! Don't worry, now that Joseph Joestar is here, everything will be just fine!"

As Holly knelt down to pick up her father's luggage and began to walk with him towards the exit, Joseph looked back over his shoulder at a man of dark skin and desert garb seated on an airport bench. The two exchanged a stern look, and Joseph snapped his fingers and gestured to the door, prompting the man from the deserts to stand and walk calmly after them.

---

Inside the jail, flashes of blinding white light shot from the cell holding Jotaro Kujo, the officers assigned to watch over him huddled behind a corner. As they muttered to themselves about how much of an issue Jotaro was becoming, Joseph stepped up behind them and spoke aloud.

"Relax. My grandson's coming with me now."

Joseph's voice managed to catch Jotaro's attention, and the teenager moved towards his cell's bars as Joseph approached the cell, the police attempting to stop him from getting any closer. Joseph pushed his way past them as Holly shouted for her son to relax, that his grandfather would be able to explain everything. As Joseph reached the cell, he stood in a deadlock stare with Jotaro, the two very clearly sizing each other up.

"Come out, Jotaro! We're going home."

"Get lost, old man! I didn't ask for you. I'm glad you wanna help but I don't think there's anything you can do for me."

Jotaro then held up something that stunned Joseph and left a look of pure shock smeared across his face. It was a piece of metal and wire, roughly the size of a human pinkie. Bright white bolts of energy traced around it for a brief moment, and as Joseph looked down, he saw that not only was the pinkie on his artificial left hand missing, but the glove surrounding it had been burnt away.

"Did you see it? Feel it? That mysterious energy is causing me to do things that shouldn't be possible...Now, stay away from me, before you lose whatever's left of your life."

Joseph was caught off-guard by the sheer boldness emitting from Jotaro as he flicked the pinkie back at Joseph, and stepped back towards the cell cot. Joseph had been similar once, and although he understood exactly what this 'energy' affecting Jotaro was, he knew the boy would never listen to him. With another snap of his fingers, Joseph called out for the mysterious man of the desert that had accompanied him and Holly from the airport.

"Abdul, it's your turn to talk to my grandson. Jotaro, this is a friend of mine who I met in Egypt about three years ago. Abdul here is going to get your stubborn ass out of that cell."

As Abdul approached the cell, his swirling robes relaxed around a strong form, indicating that he was far from a pushover, or cannon fodder being sent in by Joseph to do dirty work.

"Look, Abdul, you seem like a tough guy, but I'm not the type to just bend over to do whatever anyone else wants. Your intimidation only makes this cell seem more inviting."

Abdul glanced back to Joseph before speaking. "Mr. Joestar, I may have to get a little rough. Sometimes suffering is the only way to make a fool see reason."

"That's fine, Abdul. Do whatever it takes to get him out of there."

At this, both Holly and the two policemen began to panic, before a quick snapping order for silence from Joseph got the three of them to settle down and watch. Abdul began to take long, deep breaths, striking a pose resembling those used in Tai Chi and other spiritualist martial arts. As he did so, a billowing cloak of crimson flames began to course over Abdul's body, leaving the surrounding cell block with a distinct hue of red light, and an intense heat. Jotaro's face told everything as he took a step back from the bars of the cell.

"Yes, Jotaro! Abdul also shares that 'energy' you discovered. But unlike you, he's learned to master and manipulate it freely! He's perfected it into a spiritual and martial style he calls Magician's Red!"

As Joseph shouted this explanation above the roar of the flames, tendrils of the fire leaped past the bars and around Jotaro's limbs, lapping at the edges of his clothing and threatening to set it ablaze. As Jotaro began to scream from the heat of the red-hot fire, Holly begged for Joseph to stop Abdul, and the two prison officers cowered in fear behind the hallway corner. Eventually, Jotaro's screams began to turn to deep, labored breaths, before a piercing white counterpart to Abdul's flames began to coat Jotaro. Joseph's eyes narrowed as he cast a fierce glare at the scene before him.

"So, Jotaro's true potential finally reveals itself."