The Darkest Night [OOC+SIGNUP]

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Jess Incognito

Jess Incognito

Edgepeasant
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Genres
Modern Fiction, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Historic/Period. I'm quite versatile and open. More prone to original content than fandoms, though base inspiration is welcome.
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THE CITY
The city is called Dod (pron. dode), in the desert land of Dhoskar. Begun as a trading port, probably for pirates, it's become a major point of attraction for trade and even sciences, given the unique location in a massive, seaside cavern. Legend has it Dod is only one half of a greater city that stretches beneath the sea and used to be populated by merfolk, but there is no solid proof of this. Above the cavern, the air is hot and the land dry. It's all scrub and desert home to strange crustacean and lizards. There are even some crab-like creatures as large as horses; their meat is highly prized, provided you can saw through the two inch thick exoskeleton to get it.

The city itself is half carved from the huge stalagmites and columns that crawl up into the darkness. Other buildings, mostly belonging to the rich, are made of stone with intricate arches and walkways moving above the water. Dod is called the vertical city for it's many layers. Sunlight here is a luxury and the rich live nearer to the bay and the mouth of the cave. Further back lies the slums, mainly comprised of wooden lean-to's, and if you're unused to such dim light, it may seem to be in darkness night and day. Torches burn at all hours and there are always people about. The concept of day and night has been lost here.

With the city ever-growing, the slums creep closer and closer to the back of the cavern, which splits off into many tunnels. They haven't been explored more than twenty miles from the city. Some go up, some go down, some lead to other caverns, some to underground rivers. In all of them, the darkness is like to drive a lone man mad. It has done as much in the past. It's uncertain whether the tunnels were man-made or natural, perhaps a bit of both. Either way, no one has done much further exploration in a long time. Strange subterranean creatures sometimes come out of the tunnels and for that reason, the city has set up a special guard to protect this border. They kill whatever comes out.

The earthquake that caused the cave in was followed by a volcanic eruption at Mt Aikos, which is quite a ways from Dod, but some legends claim the tunnels lead all the way to the ancient city of Hod'un, at the northern base of the volcano, which was buried by a similar eruption some few hundred years ago.

This is just one city in a world I've been toying with, so if you want to know more about the remaining lands, just let me know.
technology

Think of this world as largely medieval. That being said, it's a world long years past relying on magic and I'd like you to be free with 'inventor culture'. Strange, but simple devices, perhaps a vague, young steampunk vibe.

But, no guns in the traditional sense. Gas or complex engine and mechanical systems have not yet been developed. Think manpower, fire, and simple machines.

rules & guidelines
Firstly, thank you for coming this far and hopefully for your interest.

I ask only for dedicated writers who will be present in both the IC and OOC.

With being present in the OOC, please feel free to make suggestions about the setting and plot. This is every participant's world now.

Minimum post requirement is simply a post that moves the plot along - be that one line or twenty. Of course, quality and thoughtfulness is expected and I hope the average post is a few paragraphs.

You may have as many characters as you like, but be sure you can keep up with them and that none are fluffers. They should have a connection to the story.

When posting, label your response with your character's name or title. This is especially important for those with more than one character.

Post completed character profiles in this thread. Feel free to discuss potential roles, but don't post in the format of the profile until you're ready to submit.

Characters may be human (which is the largest portion of the population) or something else. Keep in mind, your race may be denied. There is also no creature in this realm capable of wielding magic effectively. Magic exists, but has largely gone from the world.

current cast


THE TORCH-BEARER - JESS INCOGNITO
THE TUNNEL GUARD - JESS INCOGNITO

THE CONSERVATOR - ARCADIUS
THE SEEKER OF FORBIDDEN FRUIT - ARCADIUS

THE FALLING PRINCESS - HARLEYGORE

THE GEOGRAPHER - BEARENTHUSIAST
THE MERCENARY - BEARENTHUSIAST

THE INVENTOR - LULUNOPIA

THE DOUBLE AGENT - WANDERLUST

THE VEILED SWORDSMAN - JHUTON

THE DOCTOR - STARRNICO




profile skeleton

Code: 
[FONT=HELVETICA][SIZE=3][B]TITLE[/B][/SIZE]

[INDENT][SIZE=3]NAME:[COLOR=#ADADAD] Insert here [/COLOR]
SAGE: [COLOR=#ADADAD] Insert here [/COLOR]
RACE: [COLOR=#ADADAD] Insert here [/COLOR]
GENDER: [COLOR=#ADADAD] Insert here [/COLOR]
MEANS:[COLOR=#ADADAD] This may be an occupation or 'thievery' 'scavenging' 'inheritance' etc.. How did your character survive before the earthquake?[/COLOR]

APPEARANCE: [COLOR=#ADADAD] Please describe your character. If you would like provide an image, do so at the bottom of this form. [/COLOR]

BRIEF SUMMARY: [COLOR=#ADADAD]The minimum is a description of where your character stands after the tragedy. It's your choice to write more than that.
What have they been up to? How do they contribute and to what exactly are they contributing?  What do they want and what are their motivations? These are prompt questions,  not things to bullet point answers to.

Note: The 'title' line at the top can be a title (ie. Duke So+So, Lady of the Such+Such), an occupation (ie. The Thief, The Baker), or something of your choice that you feel concisely describes the role of your character.
[/COLOR][/SIZE][/INDENT][/FONT]


 
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THE TORCH-BEARER

NAME: Ivaar Bel
AGE: 38
RACE: Human
GENDER: Male
MEANS: Carpenter

APPEARANCE: Ivaar is of medium height, but thick with muscle. Deep lines carve his face and begin to show his age, hardship, and worry. His eyes, a dark grey, are lit by an eternal vigilance and the corner's of his mouth seem to be set always slightly downward. He would like to keep his face clean shaven, but lately a dark stubble has found time to grow in. An old wound in his left leg leaves him with a slight limp, some days more noticeably than others. ​
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Ivaar is just a carpenter and before that, he was just a soldier until taking a wound that should have left him an amputee or dead. After the earthquake, things were understandably chaotic, but, being a man of order, the former soldier found it difficult to make excuses for it as the weeks passed. Prompted by nothing but his own ideals, he got to work and slowly attracted the ear of many people who thought simply: here's a man whose head didn't fall off when the world went dark. They organized groups to go out into the tunnels to search for a way out and put the guards back to work along with volunteer peacekeepers.

Of course, at first he was simply doing what he thought everyone should have been doing. He thought it was just good sense that people actually listened to him. As time passes, however, it becomes clearer the influence this man has gained in the tragedy, though he does not necessarily wish it. With no others to lead, he is one candidate to look to for order. The torchbearer, a leader in the dark.
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THE FALLING PRINCESS

NAME: Videlle Cassidy
AGE: 19
RACE: Human
GENDER: Female
MEANS: Merchant

APPEARANCE: She's fairly tall for a girl, muscular and sleek. Her chin is always tilted high, looking down at those around her. She doesn't mean to, but she always seems gaze with a passive judgement of others. She has dark tanned, smooth skin and heavy brown eyes. Her hair has large wild light brown curls, styled in a medium bob. She used to wear makeup and dress up, but now she just pulls it back and throws on the nearest outfit she can find.


Videlle's parents were very wealthy merchants, having a whole economic empire. Her parents died, and left her the heir of the company and fortune. But along with her parents, her home was lost in the devastating collapse. She took her few belongings left and moved into a family friend of her parents and an advisor of her father's. He tries his best to keep Videlle above water, keeping her reputation and importance in the city, attempting to discuss new business ideas with much of the income cut off from the collapse. But Videlle had fallen into a deep depression, and no matter what she tries, it hangs on her with heavy weights.
 
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The Conservator

Name: Rojvol Kavka
AGE: 35
RACE: Human
GENDER: Male
MEANS: Trade in iron ore, raw timber and lamplighter oil.

APPEARANCE: A man of average height, with posture that shows how long ago he stopped working with his bare hands and started making money with his head. Dark of hair, or what is left of them, with green eyes, nose slightly pointed up and an eternal mild smirk on his face.


The earthquake, and the subsequent cut-off from the outside world, gave rise to new power structures, to anarchy that scrambled the social continuum of the society. Where there once was a Patrician of fine noble birth atop the ruling system of Dod, there now was a smallborn soldier, wielding power far greater than any potentate before.

What did not change, though, were the city's needs. People had to be fed, markets had to be supplied with what goods there were to be provided, and noone of the anarchist bunch had ever tried to run a sewage system below the sea level. Rojvol was a man of certain reputation in the city's commercial and civil service cliques, part of it positive, part not, but none of it said he was bad at organizing a business.

He quickly recognized that these issues would soon start poking their ugly heads, as the supply route to the outside was closed, and while the society decided to go insane, he decided to talk to some old friends, call onto some old favours and establish the Conservatory Council, a non-elected body of clerks and businessmen who had enough of a political and economic pull to re-establish the lesser known, but all the more important, offices of civil service.

The Council now tries to keep the city alive, on one side rationing the remaining resources as best as they can, on the other helping organize expeditions to the caves in hope to find possible substitutes, or a way out.
 
@harleygore
Firstly, welcome aboard!
Secondly - I just want to reiterate that the wealthiest parts of the city have been destroyed. If a large house such as the one your character lives in survived, it would be right up against the pile of rubble, if not half crushed itself. It's fine with me that the house survived. I just wanted to be sure we're on the same page and that it's known that this house is likely one of the only nicer ones left. What this would mean is that her family wasn't the 'wealthiest est est' in the city - as the further back in the cave a family lived, the further down on the social hierarchy they were.

@Arcadius
I like the thought of this council very much. I could see our characters working together at first amidst this chaos. As things settle, however, it'll be interesting to see how hierarchies re-emerge - yours being a man used to some influence and mine not understanding the game.
 
Thanks! That was the idea behind the character.

Also, I would like to ask, is your character inspired by Samuel Vimes from the Discworld novels?

Also, belated hello everyone!
 
Hello, hello!! And @Jess Incognito I didn't keep that in mind, whoops!! Perhaps I'll have her stay, instead, at a family friend's or a small house a bit further back. I'm okay with her family not being the most wealthy, but the idea was to have them close.

Also, for both of you, should Videlle be apart of this council too?
 
I'm interested in joining. I'll have a character sheet up some time today.
 
THE GEOGRAPHER

NAME: Miranda Theirin
AGE: 29
RACE: Human
GENDER: Female
MEANS: Adventurer/Charter

APPEARANCE: Miranda is a woman of average height and due to years spent traversing different landscapes her body is athletic and fitting for a woman intent on exploring the globe. Miranda's hair has grown long and wavy as time passed, the ivory colored locks framing her heart shaped face. Her eyes are an icy shade of blue that flare determination and dedication to her cause. She first came do Dod in a cloak and full adventuring gear but since the collapse she's resorted to a simple loose fitting white shirt, her travelling pants and boots, her maps and whatnot in a satchel she hold close.

Brief summary - A scholar with a serious case of wanderlust, Miranda has traveled since she came of age. Throughout her adulthood she made her way from city to city by whatever means possible, whether it was by carriage, boat, or even just walking. Along the way she charted and wrote various entries in her journal on the different people and cultures she met. Her timing of arriving at Dod was unfortunate but she wishes to make the best of it. She looks to offer her expertise in mapping to those who set off searching in the tunnels in hopes that Dod won't be the stop of her ventures.

 
@harleygore I'd say it is up to you, if you feel she had the elbows to push herself into the 'guys that talk to each other' club.

It's not a group that contains every remaining merchant and clerk in the city, but it does essentially lord over then, by rough power if need be. On one hand, they try to keep the city running, but on the other, they also did it as a dash for power with no real accountability, at least from their point of view. That is to say, there is no proof the job they are doing is a well done job, but there are very few who can actually challenge them, at the moment, Ivaar being one of them, I'd say.

Of course, that is the idea I had, but @Jess Incognito has the last word on the matter.
 
@BearEnthusiast
Miranda is golden! Welcome (:

@Arcadius
Consider the council fully sanctioned. I like it because I expected more people to jump on the 'slum lord' idea, so this brings the pull for power closer to full circle.
 
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@Jess Incognito
Second character sheet up. ^^

The Mercenary

NAME: Jebediah Crane
AGE: 34
RACE: Human
GENDER: Male
MEANS: Mercenary

APPEARANCE: Jeb is an attractive man, in the rough rugged mercenary way anyhow. With unkempt messy waves of ashen brown hair, bright amber eyes, a scar running down one eye and another intersecting his lip, and a handsome crooked smile, he's quite distinguishable from the usual drunkards in the tavern. Even after the collapse he prefers to stay in his armor, a light steel plate connected to a pauldron for his sword arm.

Brief summary - Jeb's been called a lot of things during his time as a mercenary. A vigilante, a drunkard, a hero, a washed up warrior drunk on booze and old glory. His childhood is blurry, his mother was a prostitute and his father one of her many customers. He fought constantly among the other street rats and the habit stayed with him until he was an adult. He was once a proud member of a well respected merc company outside Dod, but a job gone bad thanks to him placed him right in the city's tavern where he can now always be found. With his tab building up Jeb decided to sign up to help with the physical stuff down in the tunnels - he just hoped they wouldn't mind if he was half-drunk while being there.
 
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@BearEnthusiast
I think at this point, a drunk volunteer is a volunteer. Happy to add him to the list. (:


@Arcadius
I forgot to answer earlier - I haven't read Discworld, so no, but maybe I'll get to them sometime. Gotta like Mr. Pratchett.
 
@Jess Incognito absolutely. Sans Discworld, I imagine the inspiration was drawn from Fallen London/Sunless Sea, perhaps? Or more generally from Lovecraft?
 
@Arcadius Ha, I honestly wasn't thinking of much outside of the plot I had in mind and what it needed. After I had a basic idea, of course, I had to keep reminding myself to not turn him into Ned Stark.


Okay, I'm going to let this run another day or so, and honestly, I think I'm just going to go ahead and post an IC on Wednesday. The longer this sits, the more likely it goes unseen.
 
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The Inventor

NAME: Jamie Lane
AGE: 21
RACE: Human
GENDER: Female
MEANS: Scavenger

APPEARANCE: Jamie stands at a height of 5' 1" with short brown hair with blonde tips. Weighing 126 Jamie has a toned figure due to years of scavenging. Her hazel eye's sparkle with hope as she believes she will help them get out. She has slender fingers adorned with calluses and scars from all the times she cut herself inventing. Most of the time you will find Jamie in a T-shirt, jeans, a brown jacket, knee high brown boots, and finger-less gloves. Adorning her head is a pair of googles she is never seems to be without.

At a young age Jamie always found the weirdest thing's interesting like how to smelt metal and shape it into anything. As she grew kids would tease her and call her a freak when she showed them things she had made, though only person ever accepted Jamie for who she is. Shay Steven was the only person other than her father to really get to know her. Even now as an adult no one understood Jamie and her love for inventing. Jamie lived with her father, her mother having dies giving birth, until she was 16 when her father died in a cave-in. Jamie sought comfort in her only friend Shay. Shay's family provided her with money and food when she came to them. Jamie bought a two room house and invited Shay to live with her. To survive life Jamie scavenged garbage dumps for supplies for her projects. For money Jamie would either sell one of her inventions or sell what she had scavenged. The day of the collapse Jamie was in her house working on her latest invention when the whole room shock. Now after the collapse Jamie has taken it upon herself to to come up with a way to move rock out of the way faster.

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@Lulunopia
Nice idea, she has her work cut out for her! haha
Welcome (:
 
Okay, as promised, the IC is up! There's a link in the first post of this thread.

Set your character up wherever and however you please. Without day and night, it really doesn't matter.
My intro got a little longer than anticipated, but of course yours can be however long you feel you need.
 
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@Jess Incognito If I it is not too much of a trouble, I took few small liberties with worldbuilding in my post. If anything therein conflicts with your idea, I'll be happy to edit it out.
 
It all seems very logical to me, so no complaints here. And I have to say, I love the bit about the Prior.

Any details any of you can think of are absolutely welcome.
 
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