Your first encounter with the paranormal was at the age of six. You...
[] Went to sleep in...
[] Went to sleep in...
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Part 0: Prologue
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Your first encounter with the paranormal was at the age of six. You...
[] Went to sleep in your older brother's room. You slept in the upper 'floor' of the bunk bed that he had. On the first night, you heard and felt someone sleeping down on the first bunk. It couldn't have been your brother though -- after all, he was dead ever since before you were born. You returned to your old room after that, telling your parents that you got used to it a bit too much.
[] Asked your dad to make sure there's no monster in the wardrobe. Dad refused, saying there are no monsters. You tried to go to sleep, but you woke up at 2AM only to hear the creaking of the wardrobe opening and closing. You woke up the next day, but found nothing. After that incident, you keep the wardrobe barred at all times.
[] Went to a "haunted" house with a group of friends. Armed with flashlights, you explored the parter and then the second floor. It was when you entered the basement that you heard the scary wails. When you rose your flashlight, you saw a girl with pale, sickly skin crying in the corner of the room. All of you ran away and agreed to never speak about it again. You never returned.
[] Heard your grandfather telling you about magic; he was a magician of some kind. He said that he'd return after death as a ghost. At his funeral a year after he told you that, when everyone was crying during the sermon the priest was giving, you saw him waving at you with a smile from one of the back pews. You tugged your mom to show her that grandpa is still alive, but she didn't see him and didn't believe you.
[] Write-in. (Something subtle and not too 'overwhelming,' ie: no fire-spitting red demons or dragon-eating spirits.)
Ever since that day, you are an avid, if firm believer in the supernatural phenomena. Ghosts, vampires, demons - you believed in all of them with all your mind. As a child, you were a social outcast. You would always sit down alone in the caffeteria during lunch break, drawing images of ghosts in your notebook while eating a sandwich. They called you the "creepy kid," and perhaps it isn't all that surprising that as you grew up, you started getting crazy ideas. Like having your own ghost-hunting show, or even becoming an exorcist.
But as you neared the age of twelve, the dream faded away. Life started becoming dull - people always told you the same: "You're a freak," "Ghosts don't exist, idiot," "Look, it's the creepy kid!" "Get a load of this cretin, thinking ghosts are real!" With time, you were filled with cynism like a canister full of broken dreams. You realized they were right once a certain point broke and even your religion teacher called you a cretin in front of the whole class. You stopped believing in the paranormal. What happened to you was clearly a bad dream, right? Just childish imagination.
And so - the avid belief died out.
But that all is the past. Let's talk present. You are...
[] A boy.
[] A girl.
Who goes by the name...
[] Write-in.
And you live in...
[] Los Angeles.
[] Write-in. (Fictional or Real. If Fictional; include brief description + size and population, etc.)
[] Went to sleep in your older brother's room. You slept in the upper 'floor' of the bunk bed that he had. On the first night, you heard and felt someone sleeping down on the first bunk. It couldn't have been your brother though -- after all, he was dead ever since before you were born. You returned to your old room after that, telling your parents that you got used to it a bit too much.
[] Asked your dad to make sure there's no monster in the wardrobe. Dad refused, saying there are no monsters. You tried to go to sleep, but you woke up at 2AM only to hear the creaking of the wardrobe opening and closing. You woke up the next day, but found nothing. After that incident, you keep the wardrobe barred at all times.
[] Went to a "haunted" house with a group of friends. Armed with flashlights, you explored the parter and then the second floor. It was when you entered the basement that you heard the scary wails. When you rose your flashlight, you saw a girl with pale, sickly skin crying in the corner of the room. All of you ran away and agreed to never speak about it again. You never returned.
[] Heard your grandfather telling you about magic; he was a magician of some kind. He said that he'd return after death as a ghost. At his funeral a year after he told you that, when everyone was crying during the sermon the priest was giving, you saw him waving at you with a smile from one of the back pews. You tugged your mom to show her that grandpa is still alive, but she didn't see him and didn't believe you.
[] Write-in. (Something subtle and not too 'overwhelming,' ie: no fire-spitting red demons or dragon-eating spirits.)
Ever since that day, you are an avid, if firm believer in the supernatural phenomena. Ghosts, vampires, demons - you believed in all of them with all your mind. As a child, you were a social outcast. You would always sit down alone in the caffeteria during lunch break, drawing images of ghosts in your notebook while eating a sandwich. They called you the "creepy kid," and perhaps it isn't all that surprising that as you grew up, you started getting crazy ideas. Like having your own ghost-hunting show, or even becoming an exorcist.
But as you neared the age of twelve, the dream faded away. Life started becoming dull - people always told you the same: "You're a freak," "Ghosts don't exist, idiot," "Look, it's the creepy kid!" "Get a load of this cretin, thinking ghosts are real!" With time, you were filled with cynism like a canister full of broken dreams. You realized they were right once a certain point broke and even your religion teacher called you a cretin in front of the whole class. You stopped believing in the paranormal. What happened to you was clearly a bad dream, right? Just childish imagination.
And so - the avid belief died out.
But that all is the past. Let's talk present. You are...
[] A boy.
[] A girl.
Who goes by the name...
[] Write-in.
And you live in...
[] Los Angeles.
[] Write-in. (Fictional or Real. If Fictional; include brief description + size and population, etc.)
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Character Sheet & Relationships
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
- Character Sheet
-
Name: Felix Kościuszko
Gender: Male
Age: 12
Appearance: Short, blonde hair and blue eyes, like a pair of lakes. A rather meek figure - you don't look too strong or imposing at first glance and you aren't that tall either, at least for your age, that is. You're not particularly handsome, but it could be worse.
Strength: 29
Stamina: 28
Agility: 30
Intelligence: 31
Perception: 30
Willpower: 38
Fellowship: 27
Skills & Traits:
- Geas of Survival: A special spell placed on you by Mr. William Spacer. It takes over when you are feeling a threat, allowing the subconscious command to take over and rule over your body. It will make the perfect choice in every situation to assure your own survival.
- Jaded: You've seen enough monsters to not fear them that much anymore. Mundane supernatural entities are about as scary as aggressive, armed people to you - you can cope with them safely enough not to require a Willpower check.
- Magic Theory (Novice): You know the theory of mana circulation, the three main metaphysical bodies, and how spellcrafting works, but you've yet to actually do practice.
- Education (Novice): You have basic knowledge on several topics such as biology, linguistics, and history, but nothing remotely advanced.
- Stealth (Novice): You've been training how to hide yourself in order to escape from bullies as a child. You blend in with a crowd.
- Computer (Novice): You know how to operate personal computers, phones, and similar technology. You also know your way with some major websites of the internet.
- Investigation (Novice): As a child, you always watched crime TV shows and similar content. Although it's not much, you have basic knowledge of inquiry.
- Medicine (Novice): You've had a CPR course before, plus you know not to pull out sharp objects from deep wounds.
- Occult (Practiced): You can name all Tarot cards and a few demons in order. You also know the names of all popular ghost-hunting shows. In addition, you have skimmed the basic knowledge of rituals thanks to Mr. Spacer. You also know the Rituale Romanum.
- Drawing (Practiced): With a bit of trying, you could most likely draw comics of average quality. Your drawings are much better at portraying the image you want to show.
- Awareness (Practiced): Sometimes, you get that subconscious feeling that something isn't right. Other times, you get weird vibes from a specific direction such as a building.
- Language (English): You can speak, read, and write in the English language.
- Language (Polish): You can speak, read, and write in the Polish language because of your Polish roots.
- Diary: A simple notebook you write in every week. You also used to sketch ghosts and vampires on some of the earlier pages.
- Tarot Card Set: Your grandfather gave these to you before he died. You more or less know how to use them and what each card means.
- Folding Knife: A wooden handle, a steel blade, a button-press release mechanism. You mostly carry it because it's cool.
- Phone: With a touchscreen. Pretty cool, right?
- "Raphael": Artifact Sword. Crafted by your grandfather. Increases the potency of the wielder's fire spells. It has the heat of a concentrated plasma beam without destroying the iron blade. It can destroy ectoplasmic matter. High damage. Special powers do not apply when it is locked within the scabbard.
- Relationships
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Setting & Information
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Mechanics
Dice Rolls
When making a decision the outcome of which I am not fairly sure would succeed or fail, I will make a dice roll.
For most instances, I will roll a d100. If the outcome is below Felix's skill level, he will succeed the roll. The further down it is, the greater success he achieves. In different situations, I may also add or subtract numerical values from the rolls depending on the difficulty of said deed. The same applies to skills and traits that may alter the rolls, making them easier or difficult.
For an example, assume we have a Strength check to see if Felix manages to knock a monster out with a pipe. His Strength is at 25. Therefore, to succeed he must roll at least 25 or lower. The lower he rolls, the greater success he makes. (20 means that he simply succeeds, 10 means that he has 1 degree of success and therefore does things more efficiently.)
Now another example. A stealth check to sneak past two vampires. Felix' agility is 20. However, he also has the Stealth (Novice) skill, giving him a, say, 10 bonus. In addition, because it is dark, he obtains another 10 bonus. That adds up to 40 together. He must roll 40 or lower to succeed. If he rolls, say, 1, then he sneaks past almost flawlessly and the vampires remain unaware. If he rolls, say, 30, then perhaps one of the vampires had a weird vibe. If he rolls 40, one of them is certain he felt movement but discarded it as imagination. If he rolls 50, one of the vampires notices him. If he rolls 90, they instantly notice him and are ready for combat.
That said, I reserve right to decide when to make rolls. I will automatically decide the outcome of some situations if I deem it narratively appropriate. This is a story first and foremost, an RPG second. The stats are there just to help me in decision-making.
Setting
The date is 2012-09-25 at the beginning of the RP. Felix was born on March 1st of the year 2000, making him 12 years and 7 months old in the start. That said, there will be several time-skips across the Quest showing us Felix's adventures as he grows up and matures.
The action takes place in Portsmouth, US. Felix Kościuszko is an American boy/man whose grandfather was of Polish descent. Due to his interest in the supernatural, he tends to be ostracized by his peers, but he knows there's something more to his beliefs...
Supernatural Lexicon
Excerpts from Felix's diary where he writes down and describes supernatural creatures, along with their weaknesses and characteristics.
Dice Rolls
When making a decision the outcome of which I am not fairly sure would succeed or fail, I will make a dice roll.
For most instances, I will roll a d100. If the outcome is below Felix's skill level, he will succeed the roll. The further down it is, the greater success he achieves. In different situations, I may also add or subtract numerical values from the rolls depending on the difficulty of said deed. The same applies to skills and traits that may alter the rolls, making them easier or difficult.
For an example, assume we have a Strength check to see if Felix manages to knock a monster out with a pipe. His Strength is at 25. Therefore, to succeed he must roll at least 25 or lower. The lower he rolls, the greater success he makes. (20 means that he simply succeeds, 10 means that he has 1 degree of success and therefore does things more efficiently.)
Now another example. A stealth check to sneak past two vampires. Felix' agility is 20. However, he also has the Stealth (Novice) skill, giving him a, say, 10 bonus. In addition, because it is dark, he obtains another 10 bonus. That adds up to 40 together. He must roll 40 or lower to succeed. If he rolls, say, 1, then he sneaks past almost flawlessly and the vampires remain unaware. If he rolls, say, 30, then perhaps one of the vampires had a weird vibe. If he rolls 40, one of them is certain he felt movement but discarded it as imagination. If he rolls 50, one of the vampires notices him. If he rolls 90, they instantly notice him and are ready for combat.
That said, I reserve right to decide when to make rolls. I will automatically decide the outcome of some situations if I deem it narratively appropriate. This is a story first and foremost, an RPG second. The stats are there just to help me in decision-making.
Setting
The date is 2012-09-25 at the beginning of the RP. Felix was born on March 1st of the year 2000, making him 12 years and 7 months old in the start. That said, there will be several time-skips across the Quest showing us Felix's adventures as he grows up and matures.
The action takes place in Portsmouth, US. Felix Kościuszko is an American boy/man whose grandfather was of Polish descent. Due to his interest in the supernatural, he tends to be ostracized by his peers, but he knows there's something more to his beliefs...
Supernatural Lexicon
Excerpts from Felix's diary where he writes down and describes supernatural creatures, along with their weaknesses and characteristics.
- Beast
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Gabbie
That One Writer
- Location
- Italy
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] You had a recurring nightmare: A shadowy figure talking to you about future events that had no connection with each other whatsoever that, however, always happened.
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
[X] The City of Manahawkin, a town full of bigoted citizens that believe in God more than anything else. The church number surpasses by a LOT The united states' average and the population is of about 1 million people.
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
[X] The City of Manahawkin, a town full of bigoted citizens that believe in God more than anything else. The church number surpasses by a LOT The united states' average and the population is of about 1 million people.
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[X] You had a recurring nightmare: A shadowy figure talking to you about future events that had no connection with each other whatsoever that, however, always happened.
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
I like this one, because most of the default are just too close to "dumb shit people thing is supernatural, but really isn't".
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
I like this one, because most of the default are just too close to "dumb shit people thing is supernatural, but really isn't".
- Location
- College Station, Texas
[X] You had a recurring nightmare: A shadowy figure talking to you about future events that hadno connection with each other whatsoever that, however, always happened.
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
[X] Los Angeles
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
[X] Los Angeles
Really? You have to make a dig at religious people?
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Gabbie
That One Writer
- Location
- Italy
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Violation of Rule 2: Don't Be Hateful
Yeah fuck religious people and their bigotry
- Location
- College Station, Texas
Yes, because atheists aren't bigots at all.
The irony of your statement is way too amusing.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Gentlemen, gentlemen! Calm down! Religious people are okay!...
...
Except for fundamentalists. Fuck fundamentalists.
- Location
- College Station, Texas
Depends on who you call fundamentalist. I've been called one for being against gay marriage, even though I'm Orthodox.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
I'm talking about the teacher that locks children in a closet because they have special needs, or the parents that burn a kid's D&D set because they think it is Satan's attempt at brainwashing youth.
- Location
- College Station, Texas
Religious abuse is a real thing, but it's more common in fringe cults like Jehovah's Witness more than any other religion.
That said, there are people that are control freaks who use their religion as an excuse to just ban things.
Mistreating special needs kids is not exclusive to religious people either. A friend of mine who was growing up with ADHD was molested by a Christian-hating atheist in high school.
DON'T SCARY
Hope is the road to disappointment....
[X] It all start when your older brother decided to you take one of his gang hangouts,and try to initiate you to his gang. Where you saw small,weird and shadowy caveman like drawings moving alongside the walls. And tell your brother and his/soon to be your crew,they just start laughing and even made some jokes about it.
[X] A boy.
[X] Isaiah Carter
[X] Oklahoma city
A young hood rat that has magic,and goes on supernatural adventures? Sign me up!
[X] A boy.
[X] Isaiah Carter
[X] Oklahoma city
A young hood rat that has magic,and goes on supernatural adventures? Sign me up!
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[X] You had a recurring nightmare: A shadowy figure talking to you about future events that had no connection with each other whatsoever that, however, always happened.
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
[X] New Orleans
[X] A girl.
[X] Rachel Grayfox
[X] New Orleans
DON'T SCARY
Hope is the road to disappointment....
.
Yeah I know plenty of funmendetal Christian who are very understanding and reasonable.
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
My point is that you don't see terrorism as a reason of atheism.
I'm not talking about "A terrorist that kills people who HAPPENS to be an atheist." I'm talking about: "A terrorist that kills people BECAUSE he's an atheist."
Unlike 9/11, atheist people don't kill anyone in the name of God, or don't abuse others BECAUSE of their lack of belief. It is because they lack belief that it lacks any impact on their life. Obviously, when someone is religious, that influence can exist. It doesn't have to be, but it can.
What I'm saying is: You'll see terrorists going off how they kill in the name of God. You won't see terrorists that go off how they kill because God doesn't exist.
That being said, I don't think religion is particularly evil, or must be removed. Just that people should question everything they are told and put morality above faith. If you have to kill or hurt people (which is evil,) in the name of God, that suggests that said God is evil. And worshipping an evil deity has no point. But that doesn't mean everyone religious is evil. Like I said: I'm mostly talking about fundamentalists and extremists.
Enough about religion, though.
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- Location
- College Station, Texas
There have been a ton of murderers who have killed in the name of atheism. See: every communist regime.
DON'T SCARY
Hope is the road to disappointment....
And I also agree on that, but can we please shut up about this.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Hm, good point.
But they did it more because of their ideology, rather than actual devotion to atheism. I think it was because religion gets in way of loyalty to the regime. Communism didn't hate religion, it just hated inefficiency, which is as ironic as it gets. The official statement of their persecution was that religion is "superstitious and backward." This led to the suppression and removal of religious beliefs, although most of them were never outright outlawed. In addition, the communists invented a belief system called "scientific atheism," or "Marxist-Leninist atheism," that promoted criticism of religion and explained the origin of religion. They saw religion as a kind of drug that made people stupid because anyone believing was convinced into passively accepting suffering on Earth in hope of eternal reward.
I disagree with their execution and persecution of religious individuals, as I am an advocate for freedom of speech and belief, but I think that teaching any religion in schools should be outlawed or at least heavily limited.
People are very susceptible to the influence of their parents and figures of authority at early age. Your parents used to tell you Santa Claus existed, but then they corrected the lie when you grew up. The case is the same with religion, except no one corrects it as you grow up, so you keep believing it because you don't see any reason not to. I think that the "contact" between youth and religion should be heavily limited if not outright restricted -- ie: no going to church, no tales about Gods, no religious lessons. Once they are mature in mind, they should be allowed to choose what they believe in since they are no longer susceptible to any influence of outside forces that would otherwise skewer their thinking process.
Unfortunately, most religions have rituals and adhere to traditions that begin indoctrination into belief at a very early age.
--
Regardless, time to end this discussion because this thread doesn't exist to discuss whether religious people are good or bad and whether atheists are good or bad.
- Location
- College Station, Texas
Sure. You find that bad people will use anything as an excuse to be evil. If you want to talk about it, you can DM me.
In any case, you don't want things to be needlessly divisive in the story. That's what I was talking about.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Well, that's Gabriel's idea. It's not like I'm the one saying any society of religious people is doomed to be bigoted. Actually, I don't want to spoil, but there's a certain priest in the story that happens to be a very important (and positive) character.
Altharis
Tovarisch Volksdeutsch, Professional Crucifier
- Location
- Poland
[X] Heard your grandfather telling you about magic; he was a magician of some kind. He said that he'd return after death as a ghost. At his funeral a year after he told you that, when everyone was crying during the sermon the priest was giving, you saw him waving at you with a smile from one of the back pews. You tugged your mom to show her that grandpa is still alive, but she didn't see him and didn't believe you.
[X] A boy.
[X] Felix Kościuszko
[X] Chicago
I certainly didn't expect a discussion about religion in a quest. Well, not in a quest which hasn't even started at least.
[X] A boy.
[X] Felix Kościuszko
[X] Chicago
I certainly didn't expect a discussion about religion in a quest. Well, not in a quest which hasn't even started at least.
DON'T SCARY
Hope is the road to disappointment....
I like this almost as much as my write-in.
And the Rachel vote for reminds me of some melodramatic CW show for some reason.