TheMusketMan

Power Over - Crime through Coercion

Vincent scowled as he read the messages on his phone. This whole situation was undesirable and though Vincent was sure he had been in worse spots, he couldn't seem to remember them now. He was out of bed by 4:30 as he had been expecting the message. Vincent had made sure to dismiss his guards the night before, allow them some time with their families. He pulled out an old looking but mint condition briefcase and begun to pack. It was 5:04. A buttoned shirt, nice slacks, underwear, change of socks, shampoo, body wash, toothbrush and toothpaste. Vincent paused in his packing and looked over at his nightstand, a switch blade he had brought from the states sitting there with a reassuring look. A dangerous look. The young man considered taking the blade. Lord only knows what would happen if they found it on him but it could be something that saved his life, if the type of work they were doing was as sketchy as he suspected.

5:10 am. Vincent grabbed the knife and tucked it into his sock, making sure his pant leg covered it without any protrusion or disturbance. Not exactly comfortable, but Vincent felt better already with it there. He scanned his room for anything else he might need. Vincent sighed and slammed his briefcase shut, taking out his phone and checking the address of the location as he left his dorms.

"By 5:30AM, arrive at Liverpool Street station. Failure to be punctual will be met with consequences. Bring one spare change of clothes only, sanitary essentials, and the other bare necessities such as prescribed medication. Do not disappoint us."

Vincent scowled again as he put his phone away. He hated being told what to do. 5:15 am. Vincent hopped in a cab and paid the driver extra saying only "Drive as fast as possible to Liverpool Street Station." The cab driver took the money and nodded, roaring towards their destination. But even with the cabbie doing 15 over the speed limit, they arrived with only two minutes to spare. Vincent paid him a tip and leaped out of the car, power walking to the station. 5:29 am. He slowed his walk to a more casual gait as he rounded the corner, seemingly unconcerned with his summons. It wouldn't do for The Employer to know how anxious and angry he was about being put in this position. "Show no weakness." Vincent said to himself as he walked into the station and saw some others standing around.

Other employees or merely innocent bystanders? Wondered Vincent, the station bell tolled and he checked his watch. 5:30 am, on the dot. It was a little closer than Vincent would care to admit but he made it on time. Now he scanned his surroundings for the mysterious Employer. It wouldn't surprise him one bit if the bastard chose to send someone in his stead. Coward.

Roleplaying in Video Games (Your Characters)

@Piddle Even now I'm thinking of another character. I have this problem where I can't stick with one character past like, level 12. I put them on hold or scrap them altogether. The idea for this new character is actually based on Jim Morrison and The Doors' song 'People are Strange'.

James the Mad Bard

James is a Nord bard that favors one-handed swords, illusion magic, light armor, and chaos. He would arrive in Skyrim, unsurprisingly, in chains. He probably hooked up with a noble's wife or burned down a temple or something. Regardless, he escapes certain death with the help of a scaled friend and sets out into Skyrim to gain the reputation of the best bard in all the land. Thing is, he's a bit crazy. Not like evil crazy (though maybe sometimes that when he's angry) but he just thrives on chaos and weirdness. The mundane world of Nirn perpetually bores him, which is why he would be constantly throwing himself into life or death situations (unusual for a bard) just to get a little variety. When faced with Sheogorath, you would bet they'd be thick as thieves and James would happily accept the wabbajack.

Hell, even when faced with stopping the resurrection of the wolf queen Potema, James would probably stop to consider it. How much more interesting would Skyrim be if there was an undead Queen causing havoc? He favors Illusion because of the influence he has over people. As a bard, he has a very high speech skill but one could hardly convince someone to murder their best friend with just their voice. So a little magic and bam, instant head to axe action. Oh, and forget about James discovering he's the last of a legendary line of warriors that can use their voice to rule the world. He would be beside himself and it would only give him more reason to jump into nordic ruins to find words of power.

Despite all this madness, James is still a bard. He loves literature and music, and is actually a very talented singer and songwriter himself. He finds companionship with bards and maniacs alike and although Nirn as a whole is very uninteresting to him, Skyrim, it seems, will be a whole lot more interesting than he anticipated.

Roleplaying in Video Games (Your Characters)

@Piddle Yeah, plus its sort of hard to make an all out evil character. There aren't many 'evil' dialogue options in the elder scrolls outside of The Dark Brotherhood and Daedric Quests. Maybe the vampire side of dawnguard as well.

Roleplaying in Video Games (Your Characters)

@Piddle Totally know what you mean about RP characters not going far :p

I've put Numerius on hold for Dulza, my female Orc Warlock. She's a fan of raising the dead, summoning creatures from oblivion, and cracking skulls with a skyforge steel war axe. She's also a werewolf. She's the closest to an evil character I've ever gotten (RP wise) though I would describe her more as a power hungry anti-hero than a villain.

Roleplaying in Video Games (Your Characters)

So, I like to roleplay in games like the Elder Scrolls or Fallout. I mean, they are RPGs after all. I've been getting into skyrim again so I wanted to share my character and hear about any of yours.

Numerius the True Wizard

Numerius Titian is a true wizard. Not a mage or sorcerer, using his hands to cast spells. While Numerius concedes that this is a valid form of magic and uses hand casting to keep his skill in Destruction and Restoration up, he believes it is inferior to the use of a Staff. Numerius believes magic users are too rigid in their practice. No armor, no weapons, spells only! Magic isn't rigid, Numerius knows it is fluid and when channeled through the magic wood of a Staff, it's more powerful than any measly spell. He also believes that relying solely on magic and letting your body go to ruin is foolish because even spells and staves can fail one where a weapon will not.

So he carries a blade with him as well as a staff, using only hand casting for healing and training in the schools of magic. Numerius is not concerned with magical power for power's sake, like other magic users. A True Wizard uses magic to unlock the mysteries of the world and the universe, not as a petty tool for the domination of other beings. Numerius traveled to Skyrim to study the many ruins there, the Dwemer and The Ancient Nords. To observe the unique societies of the Forsworn and Falmer.

And possibly even try to converse with a giant. A True Wizard pursues knowledge for knowledge's sake, this is Numerius' philosophy. But he wasn't always like this, no, see Numerius isn't a young Imperial (At least not by Tamriel's standards). He was a battlemage in The Great War for the Empire. Seeking magical power and glory. Using his physical prowess and arcane intellect to dominate both warriors and mages alike. But after the war was over and the dust settled, Numerius saw it as a massive waste of life and potential, a misuse of the wonders of magic. So he left the Legion and joined the mages guild, spending years studying with them. While he was there, Numerius became fascinated with Staves. No other object could channel the kind of power a Staff could and contain it as safely as a Staff, not even enchanted weapons. Numerius began to learn the craftsmanship and knowledge behind staves and soon they became one of his specialties.

But not even a True Wizard can focus on knowledge all of the time. Such was fate, Numerius laid eyes on a lovely dunmer woman, a fellow magic user and member of the mages guild. Evitha was her name. By this time, Numerius was 30 years old and a respected wizard at the Arcane University. People around the university knew his name and reputation, so it was almost too easy for Numerius to arrange a date with her. She was funny, beautiful, brilliant, and Numerius fell completely in love with her. 7 months after they had their first dinner together, they were married. 9 months after that, their daughter was born. Arvianne Titian. For sometime, magic and research took a backseat to Numerius' family but after a year or so he returned to the university to teach and research as he had done before. Evitha had always been a savvy woman, savvy to people and politics in a way Numerius couldn't even fathom. As the years went by and little Arvianne grew into childhood, Numerius was disconcerted by the amount of politics that had entered the mages guild and how well Evitha played that field. They began to have arguements about her involvement in the political spectrum, especially in regards to the omnipresent Thalmor, who Numerius' despised with a passion.

Despite these arguments they were still a happy couple with a beautiful child. Until...they weren't. It was a week after Arvianne's 7th birthday, 4E 191. Numerius was returning home late after a hard day of research. He was so tired he didn't notice that his bedroom door was completely closed. It never was completely closed. When he opened the door he saw his darling Evitha in bed with a high elf aristocrat. Then he saw red. Numerius grabbed the bastard and yanked him out of the bed flinging him across the room and tackling him into the wall. He hadn't been this angry in years, not since the war. Numerius beat that elf senseless, coming just short of killing him. He didn't listen to anything Evitha said, if she said anything at all. He just left the room and went to see his daughter. Numerius knew he had to leave after that rampage on a noble's face. He wasn't concerned, he had been wanting to travel tamriel and expand his research for years. He desperately wanted to take Arvianne with him, but he knew he couldn't. That was no life for a young girl, venturing into dangerous territory in the pursuit of knowledge. Away from her mother.

So Numerius left Cyrodil and became a traveling scholar, venturing all around the continent in pursuit of knowledge. He wandered for 10 years, eventually making his way towards Skyrim to study the ancient civilizations and unique cultures that Skyrim was known for. He was captured by the Empire while trying to cross the border. I'm sure you all know the rest...

(What are your characters? I would love to see some development as long as mine :D)

Power Over - Crime through Coercion

Vincent Carini

Vincent Carini

"Money is Power."

Name: Vincent Alberto Carini
Age: 21
Race: Caucasian - Sicilian
Gender: Male

University and Degree: Finance and Business, London South Bank University.

Appearance: Vincent is a well-tanned man of a slim stature. His face is thinner than that of the photo but only just. He stands at 5 feet and 9 inches. Vincent keeps his black hair short and combed and his face shaved. His brown eyes have a shrewd look to them, someone intent on surviving and thriving. He usually dresses presentably, even when relaxing. You'll rarely see him in something like a graphic T-shirt or jeans. While in shape, Vincent is no athlete. Despite the dangers that threaten him, he has other people to protect him so he sees no need to maintain his body the way a warrior would.

Personality: Vincent is by no means, a weak person. On the contrary, his family and lifestyle required him to be strong mentally. He's willing to make the tough calls and decisions that others would crumble under the stress of it all. Vincent isn't afraid of anything. Except his family that is, and that's exactly how his...'employers' managed to get him. Vincent is a manipulative and merciless person by nature, which would make him a fantastic businessman. His chief philosophy above all else is survival of the fittest, if anyone or anything proves a liability to him, he will make sure to snuff it out. He's a person that, despite his misfortunes in his life, is used to being in control. So you can imagine his rage when someone comes along and tells him what to do and he listens with no will of his own.

He's ambitious. He wants that power and make no mistake, he will do whatever he can to get it.

Biography:

Vincent Alberto Carini was born on June 1st, 1996 in New York City to a dying family. A family of mobsters that is. He was the first born and heir to the Carini power base. He was raised in preparation for such a position, the family's last hope of regaining power in New England. But this grooming, like a King's tutor grooms his son for the throne, made Vincent resent his family and the whole business. Nevertheless, he did what his family asked and as he grew, he began to take on their philosophies. He was never particularly fond of his family and he became enemies with his siblings and cousins as they got older because of the position Vincent would inherit by birth. It was as if Vincent's entire family was a den of vipers and he was the unlucky rat.

Vincent was always good at math and excelled at it in school, along with extracurricular activities such as debate and classes like Speech. He was simply gifted with a silver tongue and he knew how to use it. Despite being a skinny, nerdy kid who was good at math, he didn't have a moral inhibitor. It was taught to Vincent very young that this world would chew him up and swallow him if he didn't know how to defend himself. So the first time a bully stepped up to him, Vincent took his fork and slammed it into the bully's thigh and swiftly grabbed his food tray and swung it into the side of his would be tormentor's skull. Vincent was skinny, but he wasn't a pushover. When confronted about this by his teachers, Vincent convincingly wove a tale of harassment and abuse and desperate defense of his life. The bully was expelled and Vincent was simply suspended for a day. That's how it was and how it had always been. No one messed with Vincent Carini in school and when they did, no one would forget it.

But as Vincent neared the end of high school, he became paranoid. His father was old and sickly, and the Carini family had a reputation for offing each other for positions of power. His fears became reality when he was jumped on his graduation night and beaten senseless with a warning on a note card tucked into his pocket. Vincent knew he was no one's favorite, not even his mother's, sad as that is. He knew that it was too dangerous for him to stay. So he sent in an application to a school in London, where the Carini family's influence didn't reach. He was accepted into the London South Bank University. Fall of 2014, Vincent left New York and headed for London without even saying goodbye. He knew that even if his father died, Vincent would still be alive and no one could take head of the family so long as he survived. So out of country was the safest bet.

Vincent had arranged his own bank account a year prior to leaving with everything he need. His father's accountants handled the financial affairs but they were a pack of fools and it was easy to divert what he needed from the family fund undetected. He disappeared into London, going to school, making friends (surprisingly, some he didn't use for his own gains) and generally living the life of a college student. It was good and although Vincent maintained a healthy paranoia, he was content. Until 'they' found him.

He doesn't know who they are or where they're from, but they know of his family and his fears. They threatened to tell the family that Vincent was in London AND that he had been stealing money from them. While Vincent didn't consider it stealing since he was the firstborn of his dying father, head of the Carini family, he doubted his snake of a mother would see it like that. If they wouldn't kill him in his sleep, he would be stripped of all he owned and thrown in prison on their orders. They may be a dying family, but they still have powerful friends. So, it was almost impossible to refuse on those terms and he became their...'employee.'

Skills:

- Silver Tongue: Vincent just has a way with people and more often than not convince them to side with him. Whether that me through persuasion, bribery, or intimidation.

- Number Cruncher: Vincent is incredibly good with numbers, particularly finance. Anything short of rocket science and you can count on him to get to the bottom of it.

- Firearm Experience: Although it has been a while since he's fired a weapon, ever since he moved to London in fact, Vincent knows his way around handguns and shotguns at least.

Weaknesses:

- Disloyal: If it doesn't benefit him, Vincent won't stick with someone. Even his own family.

- Dishonest: Vincent has no issues with lying to get what he needs.

- Paranoid: Vincent is simply a paranoid person and that can grate the nerves of other people. Or put their lives in danger.

- Ruthless: Vincent does not shy away about making brutal decisions, as long as the outcome of those decisions serve his needs, he can handle the cost.

- Physically Average: Vincent is no Hercules, that's for sure and anything besides running he'll be outmatched in, guaranteed.

Other: TBD?

What is the hardest thing you've ever done?

<Snipped quote by TheMusketMan>

Lying pattern 101: Putting I'll be honest and not gonna lie before a sentence tends to mean it actually is one. (Jk. Yet is a possibly true statement at the same time?)

I'm almost expecting a punchline. And since it rhymed I will feel stupid if this is a movie quote or something along those lines.

@SleepingSilence

*Awkward Cough*



Also, glad your friend is okay.

What is the hardest thing you've ever done?

Not gonna lie.

I killed a man in Reno.

Just to watch him die.

Power Over - Crime through Coercion

Vincent Carini

Vincent Carini

"Money is Power."

Name: Vincent Alberto Carini
Age: 21
Race: Caucasian - Sicilian
Gender: Male

University and Degree: Finance and Business, London South Bank University.

Appearance: Vincent is a well-tanned man of a slim stature. His face is thinner than that of the photo but only just. He stands at 5 feet and 9 inches. Vincent keeps his black hair short and combed and his face shaved. His brown eyes have a shrewd look to them, someone intent on surviving and thriving. He usually dresses presentably, even when relaxing. You'll rarely see him in something like a graphic T-shirt or jeans. While in shape, Vincent is no athlete. Despite the dangers that threaten him, he has other people to protect him so he sees no need to maintain his body the way a warrior would.

Personality: Vincent is by no means, a weak person. On the contrary, his family and lifestyle required him to be strong mentally. He's willing to make the tough calls and decisions that others would crumble under the stress of it all. Vincent isn't afraid of anything. Except his family that is, and that's exactly how his...'employers' managed to get him. Vincent is a manipulative and merciless person by nature, which would make him a fantastic businessman. His chief philosophy above all else is survival of the fittest, if anyone or anything proves a liability to him, he will make sure to snuff it out. He's a person that, despite his misfortunes in his life, is used to being in control. So you can imagine his rage when someone comes along and tells him what to do and he listens with no will of his own.

He's ambitious. He wants that power and make no mistake, he will do whatever he can to get it.

Biography:

Vincent Alberto Carini was born on June 1st, 1996 in New York City to a dying family. A family of mobsters that is. He was the first born and heir to the Carini power base. He was raised in preparation for such a position, the family's last hope of regaining power in New England. But this grooming, like a King's tutor grooms his son for the throne, made Vincent resent his family and the whole business. Nevertheless, he did what his family asked and as he grew, he began to take on their philosophies. He was never particularly fond of his family and he became enemies with his siblings and cousins as they got older because of the position Vincent would inherit by birth. It was as if Vincent's entire family was a den of vipers and he was the unlucky rat.

Vincent was always good at math and excelled at it in school, along with extracurricular activities such as debate and classes like Speech. He was simply gifted with a silver tongue and he knew how to use it. Despite being a skinny, nerdy kid who was good at math, he didn't have a moral inhibitor. It was taught to Vincent very young that this world would chew him up and swallow him if he didn't know how to defend himself. So the first time a bully stepped up to him, Vincent took his fork and slammed it into the bully's thigh and swiftly grabbed his food tray and swung it into the side of his would be tormentor's skull. Vincent was skinny, but he wasn't a pushover. When confronted about this by his teachers, Vincent convincingly wove a tale of harassment and abuse and desperate defense of his life. The bully was expelled and Vincent was simply suspended for a day. That's how it was and how it had always been. No one messed with Vincent Carini in school and when they did, no one would forget it.

But as Vincent neared the end of high school, he became paranoid. His father was old and sickly, and the Carini family had a reputation for offing each other for positions of power. His fears became reality when he was jumped on his graduation night and beaten senseless with a warning on a note card tucked into his pocket. Vincent knew he was no one's favorite, not even his mother's, sad as that is. He knew that it was too dangerous for him to stay. So he sent in an application to a school in London, where the Carini family's influence didn't reach. He was accepted into the London South Bank University. Fall of 2014, Vincent left New York and headed for London without even saying goodbye. He knew that even if his father died, Vincent would still be alive and no one could take head of the family so long as he survived. So out of country was the safest bet.

Vincent had arranged his own bank account a year prior to leaving with everything he need. His father's accountants handled the financial affairs but they were a pack of fools and it was easy to divert what he needed from the family fund undetected. He disappeared into London, going to school, making friends (surprisingly, some he didn't use for his own gains) and generally living the life of a college student. It was good and although Vincent maintained a healthy paranoia, he was content. Until 'they' found him.

He doesn't know who they are or where they're from, but they know of his family and his fears. They threatened to tell the family that Vincent was in London AND that he had been stealing money from them. While Vincent didn't consider it stealing since he was the firstborn of his dying father, head of the Carini family, he doubted his snake of a mother would see it like that. If they wouldn't kill him in his sleep, he would be stripped of all he owned and thrown in prison on their orders. They may be a dying family, but they still have powerful friends. So, it was almost impossible to refuse on those terms and he became their...'employee.'

Skills:

- Silver Tongue: Vincent just has a way with people and more often than not convince them to side with him. Whether that me through persuasion, bribery, or intimidation.

- Number Cruncher: Vincent is incredibly good with numbers, particularly finance. Anything short of rocket science and you can count on him to get to the bottom of it.

- Firearm Experience: Although it has been a while since he's fired a weapon, ever since he moved to London in fact, Vincent knows his way around handguns and shotguns at least.

Weaknesses:

- Disloyal: If it doesn't benefit him, Vincent won't stick with someone. Even his own family.

- Dishonest: Vincent has no issues with lying to get what he needs.

- Paranoid: Vincent is simply a paranoid person and that can grate the nerves of other people. Or put their lives in danger.

- Ruthless: Vincent does not shy away about making brutal decisions, as long as the outcome of those decisions serve his needs, he can handle the cost.

- Physically Average: Vincent is no Hercules, that's for sure and anything besides running he'll be outmatched in, guaranteed.

Other: TBD?

Power Over - A coerced Crime RP

Very interested...