Kindred Cometh|Dark Vampire Mystery RP

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Dooley

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Kindred Cometh
In a different time Jorrik was a prosperous county. A land on the rise. It's people happy and numbers ever-growing. Then the war came. The shores that had delivered so much wealth gave access to misery. Three times Jorrik was blockaded and fired upon from the water. Parts of Jorrik died during the war. The rebuilding that took place after war's end could not revive them. When something teeters on the brink things forsaken can so easily be regained.

The year is 1734. Sixteen years since the war ended. Sixteen years since Jorrik buried it's dead, rebuild it's homes, and locked away it's secrets. For many years the good Count Rotem has held the adoration of his people and the respect of his peers. Under his reign Jorrik has once more ascended to a place of affluence. That was, until the cold winter months fell.

The first death was ignored wholly. A farmer, killed on his land in the late night. More than likely a starving wolf many thought. Then a clerk was found dead at the edge of the city. Then a whore in an alley. Then another, and another. Fourteen now lay dead. Magistrates still cry wolf when asked about the deaths, but has continued to grow. Talks of things in the night, shadows, voices calling from the darkness. Count Rotem doubled patrols to no avail.

The goings on in Jorrik have drawn the eyes of the world. A terrible mystery unfolding for all to see. While some venture to aid Jorrik in it's most dire hour, the machinations of a most sinister breed are beginning to bear fruit. To battle for a the county's soul has already begun.

The overall of the plot is a simple one. A series of grisly deaths have occurred in the County of Jorrik. Officials have declared it the act of rabid animals, and Inspectors concurred that nothing points to foul play. However, the strangeness of it all cannot be masked. The first few dead had indeed been found where a beast may prowl. In fields, alleys, the edge of the wood. More recent victims could not so easily have their circumstances explained away. Found in their homes, their beds, throats torn open. Only one theme persists among all the victims. The lack of blood.

You had read the papers. The articles reporting on these poor souls and the beast that ended them. For reasons your own you have decided to visit Jorrik. Perhaps you can make sense of all this madness where others have failed. The only thing you know for certain, there is something sinister happening in Jorrik.

The theme would be something in the style of a whodunit, albeit with a darker tone. I want the mystery to be the driving theme for a large portion of the story. I haven't been in a Role-Play that was not combat heavy in a while, so I'm hoping this change will be a nice one. Instead of slayers out to hunt down and exterminate the Vampires in Jorrik, I want to center around normal people thrust into the middle of this chaos.
This Role-Play will take place primarily in the County of Jorrik, a moderately sized territory in the Dorvan Empire. It was a very prosperous trade hub located on the northern coast bringing it great wealth. Then the war with the Forene Republic came. Jorrik was blockaded and subsequently fired upon. Many people lost their lives, homes and businesses were destroyed, and the region destabilized. When the war ended most thought Jorrik would never recover, however; Count Rotem disagreed. Somehow the man gathered the funds and support to rebuild his territory. It has been a slow process to restoration but a steady one. Over a decade after the war has come to a close construction continues.

The original concept for Jorrik was more German than anything else. As I outlined the story it sort of morphed into a more British setting. I decided to go with a style distinctly Late Modern. Flintlock weaponry, sailing vessels, limited steam-power, and so on. I think this era of technology gives a little something extra to horror mysteries. Uncovering clues and information requires actual footwork and sometimes dangerous investigation.
Generally speaking our protagonists should be ordinary people. Think of the people from classic horror novels and movies for inspiration. I would much rather have the old cantankerous Antiquity Professor in my Role-Play than three different mercenaries. They should also have no clear knowledge on what is actually going on in Jorrik. Whatever compelled them to make the trip, whether personal, professional, or simple curiosity; is solely up to you. I will say that I prefer complex characters over typical archetypes. When it comes to the actual creation of characters I only have a few concrete rules.
  • No characters under the age of 20. (I would prefer older characters.)
  • No characters with preexisting knowledge of Vampires.
  • No characters that are Half-Vampire or anything akin to it.
  • No characters that are Vampire Hunters.
I like things to move at a fairly steady pace. I try not to be unreasonable about it, and sort of use my own life as a template of how active a person can be in a Role-Play. I live a fairly busy life. Taking that into account I tend to go with "If I can, you can." policy. Which may not be the most popular view of things I know. Typically though, for everything I GM, I use these standard rules.
  • Everyone should post once per 24 hour period from the time of their last post.
  • If you do not post within a 24 hour period you will be skipped in the posting order.
  • On return you can write a "Catch-Up" post describing your reactions to what you missed.
  • If you know ahead of time you will not be able to post let a GM know.
  • If you do not post within 1 full week without informing a GM you will be removed.
Role-Plays tend to sputter out and die a lot. People get overwhelmed, lose interest, and just stop posting one day. One of the best ways I've found to avoid this is to stay in touch with one another. Discord has made this really easy to achieve. For all Role-Plays I create a Discord Server to use for organization if nothing else. In certain cases it can even be used to augment a Role-Play if such is called for. For those reasons I've outlined what I expect in that area here.
  • Joining the Discord Server is mandatory.
  • Information about the Role-Play will be posted on the Discord Server. (This includes Lore, NPC Information, Locale Details, and etc.)
  • Small Scale Role-Play may be done on the Discord Server. (This includes simple conversation and actions between characters or NPC's.)
  • Large Scale Role-Play must only be done on the Forum. (This includes any major actions, such as attacking a character or NPC; or anything that may be plot relevant.)
  • When a Role-Play on the Discord Server concludes a synopsis must be typed and posted on the Forum.
 
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I'd be open to play in this one. It sounds like an adventure.
 
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This concept seems like a potentially interesting spin on the typical vampire RP, but honestly, I think the mystery aspect and the appeal (for myself personally) would be vastly improved if there were no hunter characters at all.

Vampires and eldrich horrors are much more scary and sanity draining if nobody encountering them is prepared to deal with them.
 
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@Impudimp
Great to have you aboard!

@ElRey814
I could certainly get behind the idea of having no Hunter characters. Like I said in the OP, I only included them because it is sort of obligatory to have one in the story. I was also fairly certain that if I didn't address the matter up front I would have a lot of people asking to be one. I suppose it is entirely feasible to cut them out completely at the beginning of the RP. Perhaps letting someone make one later on, or just NPCing them altogether.

We do have to have them eventually for plot reasons, but yeah. No need to have any at first if that is what most people decide to go with.
 
I cleaned everything up a bit and changed some things around. I think it's a bit clearer now what I'm going for and just better in general!
 
Color me intersted as well, if you're still looking for some people.

I was thinking along the lines of amateur journalist trying to find a story that would take him/her to the front page, boosting his/her reputation and getting the respect he/she dreams of. Of course, nothing could have prepared them for what is to come.
 
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@Polaris North
Always willing to have some more along! With you that makes four, counting myself. I really want one or two more people in on this, but we have enough to make do if need be!
 
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A few questions. We're only allowed to play humans, correct? You want us to post every two days?
 
Yes, we will all be playing Humans. Posting will be roughly one to two days.
 
Yes, we will all be playing Humans. Posting will be roughly one to two days.

Okay! Thank you for clearing that up. I'll have to back down due to being unable to commit that much, but I wish you good luck on this rp! :)