Devils of Mortechaîne: A Mystery

Here's the basic premise; You and several others (about 7-10 players total) wake up in a clinic in a small community known as Espoir Village, nestled in the remote Mortechaîne Valley in an unknown location. You learn from the attending nurse that you and the others were found unconscious in the nearby forest four days ago, though you have no idea how you got there in the first place.

The mayor of the village arrives, and informs you that, unfortunately, the main way out of the valley has been heavily obstructed thanks to some rockslides that have recently occurred. So, for the time being, you and the others will need to remain in the village until things clear up.

However... What is the meaning for your arrival? How did all of you somehow get here? Why you? That is the first mystery you'll encounter as the story of the people unfolds and you learn of all that has transpired in the seemingly pleasant little town... Horridly grotesque chain murders that have spasmodically occurred in the past, sudden disappearances, and the mysterious phantom waif that has been sighted in the woods, and the individual demons of the townspeople you see every day... As you uncover each truth, it will give rise to a new truth, and all of these connect to reveal the ultimate truth.

It is up to you to bring peace to these people, once and for all, for there is a reason you're all here. Unbeknownst to the the group, one of you hold the key to salvation that will ultimately end the suffering in the valley... And save your lives as well.

However, one of you has been infested with a Corruption that will gradually drive you insane and turn you against your companions. And... It will spread. Not even they know they are affected, and by the time anyone realizes it... It may already be too late.

And so, the clock is ticking... Your job is to solve the mystery and overcome the ultimate test... Hopefully, before you lose your lives or minds. Happy hunting, and best of luck... You'll need it.

Now, time to get some technical things out of the way so we don't spend 4 pages debating about it afterwards.

In case it isn't obvious, this is not your typical one-liner post RP. This will be a very writing-intensive story, as the key to playing and winning is to interact with the NP Cs and to investigate the various locations in the village. Basically, don't write one-liners. By following the clues you find, you will eventually get to the bottom of all of the problems in town.

NP Cs will be controlled by me, seeing as I'm the only one that knows the whole story right from the get-go. It wouldn't be much of a mystery if everyone and their mother knew what was going to happen, eh? In addition, upon entering areas that are currently relevant to the plot, I will drop hints as to where to search for clues. I will notify players of the general time of day, and of the transition between days. NP Cs will usually be in the same location at the start of the day, unless I notify you otherwise.

The player that is The Chosen One and the one affected by the Corruption will be selected by the infinite wisdom of some lovely scraps of paper and my trusty fedora. And will be PMed

The Chosen One's main perk is that they have healing abilities and are immune to Corruption. They can also do some offensive light-based magic. They will NOT be aware of their abilities at first, and will only gradually learn of their existence.

The Corrupted individual will have increased strength and speed, but only slightly. They can spread the Corruption to other players by forming close relationships with them. Their descent into insanity is somewhat slow but can be hastened as events unfold. The key factor here is that the characters, even the one it originated from, are not aware that they are Corrupted and may not even realize they're losing their sanity. Thus, it is one of the more difficult roles to write for, but very effective if done well.

I will provide a nice list of locations, NP Cs, and a map once the RP starts. Also, please use human characters... OCs if possible.

The game ends when you solve the mystery, you all die, or everyone minus the savior is corrupted.

Right, here's the form:

Name: I hope to god this is self-explanatory. First and last, or whatever.
Age: Once again, very self explanatory.
Gender: I hope they have one.
Appearance: How they look. Describe their race, hair/eye color, height/build, clothes, etc.... Any noticeable physical features...
Personality: Their overall personality and disposition. Include any personality or character tics and habits, phobias, whatever.
Talents or Skills: If they have any special talents or skills, note it here. Their occupation can go here as well.
Random: Anything you'd like to share that isn't covered on the form.

1. Right, so... Basic forum rules apply.
\\
2. Please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE do NOT share that you are Corrupted or the savior to other players IC or OOC unless it is to inform them that you've corrupted them (And even then, use very good judgment)

3. Do not spoil plot details for other players. Sometimes I may inform a player of something for the purpose of story. Don't ruin the fun for everyone else.

4. Don't be a douchebag. Unless you're Wiji. Because seriously, it's not cool... Unless you're Wiji. It just pisses people off.

5. If at all possible, try to avoid one-liners. Describe. You're solving a mystery, here! Describe where your character's looking, what they discover (I'll handle what clues they find, and hint at what to look for, as stated.). If you're just conversing with another character, it's fine to an extent. But... Yeah, use good judgment.


Sub GM is Wiji. She will crack down on y'all if you're doing something stupid.\\

Anywho, feel free to sign up now, and congratulations if you actually read through all of that. Don't be afraid to ask if you have any questions.

edited 5th May '11 11:54:05 AM by Motree

So if we find out a key piece of information IC, we cannot tell anyone else? Or are you saying that, If by some chance we figure out whats going to happen in the future, then thats what we shouldn't tell?

edited 5th May '11 12:12:26 PM by InfiniteParagon

If it's information IC, it's fine. I meant if I personally tell you something or we organize an event that would affect the plot OOC, it's not something to tell the others. If it's legitimate information gained from NPCs IC, feel free.

Basically, if it's directly from me and a plot spoiler, no dice. IC from an NPC = A-Okay.

edited 5th May '11 12:07:41 PM by Motree

• Name: Sebastian Clearwater
• Age: 33
• Gender: Male
• Appearance: Caucasian, Long black hair with auburn eyes. Tall with a lean and muscular build. Wears shined black shoes, black business pants with a white collared shirt with small black stripes under a black vest and a red tie, with a grey coat and a black fedora with small silver stripes.
• Personality: Speaks with a British accent and has the air of a butler. He knows when to follow an order, but he also knows when to speak against it or not or reply with some sort of snide comment as well. Very formal and always thinks of the guest or lady he may be speaking to first.
• Talents or Skills: He knows how to prepare a good meal, but being a detective he also has a keen sense to tell when somethings up. Carries a notepad and a pen to keep track of people, places and leads. (Meta-Example, mainly a way to notify what Sebastian has taken note of.) He also has a talent for fencing.

Care to guess who this character is based off of?

edited 5th May '11 12:23:56 PM by InfiniteParagon

Doooooes it start with an O? :3

Accepted.

What if The Chosen One or the Corrupted drops out?

Then it's time to use problem solving skills... Basically I'll have to find someone to adopt the character or I'll change it if it's early enough.

Name: Isaac Macdonald

Age: 22

Gender: Male

Appearance: Large, muscular, Caucasian man. He likes to wear a casual shirts and jeans. He has short black hair and dark green eyes.

Personality: Despite his build and strength, Isaac prefers being an intellectual. He spends time reading and writing. He reserves physical conflict for a last resort. He is terribly afraid of heights.

Talents or Skills: Substitute teacher, who was taught Akido at a young age, and is now very skilled in its use.

Random: While in high school, Isaac was a heavy weight lifting champ.

edited 5th May '11 2:57:49 PM by Bitterman

Name: Ryan Mc Kenzie

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Appearance: 5'9, black unruly hair, a bit of stubble, auburn eyes. Is lean, and of average weight. Is Caucasian. Wears tan caddies, brown shows, white socks, and a white short-sleeved dress shirt, with a red tie. Wears a brown bowler hat. Keeps a handbag hanging to him by his right arm&shoulder. It contains various supplies, including but possibly not limited to a pen, pencil, notebook, and believe it or not, a coffee cup. Oh, and a pack of cigarettes.

Personality: Something of a Knightin Sour Armour. Somewhat jaded and cynical despite his age, but can be friendly and outgoing when he wants to be. When there's trouble, or someone needs help, he'll try his best to be realistic about it, but he'll honestly want to do his best to help despite this, even if he's a bit reluctant to do so. Also something of a Deadpan Snarker and a joker. And of course, there are many other details and nuances that will be put out as the game goes along.

Talents or Skills: Being a good journalist,he has a keen wit and a knack for news, and can pick up on things that others might miss. Is also something of a jack of all trades, knowing a a fair amount of skills, but not being an expert at most of them.

Random: For reasons that only he knows, he likes to smoke just 1 cigarette a day, and consume just 1 alcoholic beverage a day as well. No more, no more less, though he won't go crazy if he somehow isn't able to do this.

Is this acceptable? =)

edited 5th May '11 8:20:30 PM by kkhohoho

If you could kindly separate those by hitting enter-enter after each category is through, i'm sure the G Ms would appreciate it.... or you could just do it before i can reply. That works too.

edited 5th May '11 3:48:49 PM by InfiniteParagon

• Name: Alex Brenen
• Age:14
• Gender: Male
• Description: At 5'4" he is around average height for his age and is around average build. He has light brown hair and blue eyes. He is Caucasian with a farmer's tan.
• Personality: He is energetic, a trait which can sometimes get on people nerves, and wild. Due to this he is considered a cuckoolander. He doesn't do well in school due to being somewhat book dumb, yet is still intelligent in his own ways.
• Talents & Skills: Has hyper awareness and is good at pressing for information. He can also climb trees quite well.
• Random: He thinks he can understand squirrels...he can't.

edited 9th May '11 5:28:16 PM by Duckymanfair

Accepted, accepted, and accepted.

Also, looking forward to the bro that tries to talk to squirrels. He'll be amusing even if he DOESN'T catch the crazies... Actually, that'd probably just be creepy, considering it's not a funny insanity people are going to be getting...

When will we be starting? When we get three more players?

edited 5th May '11 7:39:17 PM by InfiniteParagon

I'd like a few more. Plus, I still need to draw up the map of the place... I have my storyline and the locations figured out, but it's easier when there's a nice visual. And Wiji needs to make her character, but I'll be seeing her tomorrow so even if she doesn't check her email I can let her know.

• Name: Herbert Brinker
• Age: 25
• Gender: Male
• Appearance: American. He's 6 feet 5 inches tall. Has black eyes. His hair is slightly wild and black. He's slightly muscular. He wears a white jersey with the number 3 on it. Wears white shorts.
• Personality: He's generally active and friendly. He's rather chill and outgoing. Has a bit of a temper though.
• Talents or Skills: He's an athlete who loves to play football. And baseball. Especially baseball. He's generally good at sports, but loves the two sports that were mentioned earlier the most. Also can cook.
• Random: He's very patriotic and he will make damn sure you know it. If the United States are so much mentioned, he'll most likely go on a tangent about it. And he can ramble for quite a while. Oh, and tragedies that happened in the US (i.e. 9/11) will also set him off.

Ahahaha, accepted. Should prove humorous, since the NPC cast is very multinational/multiethnic, and the guy providing housing for the group is quite obviously French... And the place has a French name, though that's more because French is the only foreign language I can actually understand a bit...

This looks incredible. :D

Count me in. Just give me a day to write my bio.

Sweet. Now I just gotta hope Wiji remembers to check her email. Looking forward to that bio.

edited 6th May '11 12:53:02 PM by Motree

Name: Ryuu Duquesne

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Appearance: Black and White Beauty, Meganekko, though she leans more towards Stoic Spectacles. Jet black hair, green eyes. She wears outfits that are a cross between Gothic Lolita and Hot Chick In A Badass Suit. (Post 2358. You can thank Motree for the awesome picture. )

Personality: She wants to be a prosecutor. She studies hard, aces every test, etc. A bit of an Ice Queen. She has, as she puts it, "a nasty habit of defrosting too easily."

Talents or skills: Fencer (Sabre), good shot, knows kickboxing, and extremely intelligent. Also, always has a paper fan on her somewhere.

edited 10th May '11 6:14:51 PM by Dragon573

Holy shitsticks is that Prossy's sister you're using, or an expy? :3 Accepted.

Oh, I used the image, but the character is different. If this one kisses you, it's a gesture of affection. If prossy's sister kisses you, it's a death sentence, because she's trying to form a relationship so she can use you for her own gain.

Yes, a lot of my characters are bastards like that.

((Note: I will add to these later. In addition, I'll periodically write in journals detailing their thoughts throughout the roleplay, which I'll post once the roleplay is concluded. I'd suggest that everyone else do the same, but each to their own. Sorry if this appears a bit rushed or whatever, I was half dead when I wrote it. Also, I apologize if they come off as Sues.))

Name: Remus, “Remy,” Saintcrow.

Age: 17

Gender: Female.

Appearance: Remy is a small girl, both short and lightweight, which doesn’t exactly lend itself to a particularly intimidating appearance. To wit, she’s extremely skinny and scrawny, in such a way that it’s probable that she has no muscle mass at all. It’s gotten to the point where she literally has trouble swimming without quite a bit of effort—thanks to the absence of buoyancy from body fat and thrust from muscles to keep her afloat, she sinks like an extremely amusing and desperately flailing rock. Needless to say, she’s rather poorly endowed, which is something she’s rather self conscious about. It’s best to not mention it to her.

Her skin is Caucasian and of a rather average pale color, and unblemished when it comes to scars, acne (Thanks to acne cream rather than anything like genetics or dietary habits or whatnot) moles, and anything else that would mar her skin’s uniformity. That said, she doesn’t have beautiful skin—it’s not particularly attractive, unless you’re really into skin. It’s just…skin. It goes over her blood, bones, and non-existent muscles. It’s not all that easy to describe, to be honest. It is, however, just a tad too pale.

Her hair is a light blond—a side effect of being albino. Her eyes, which are light blue, are neither wide nor slanted, making her look positively neutral when it comes to the General Laws of Alignment Determination by Optical Shape. That all said, they do have a sort of intensity not found in the eyes of most—she looks determined and confident, as if she has the willpower and drive to do anything she wants. This is slightly spoiled by the way her eyes move about rapidly, seeming to take in everything as they fail to focus on any one spot. Not only that, but she never makes eye contact—ever.

Typically, her hair is kept long and is untied.

She, like her brother, has good personal hygiene, and as a result is almost always clean.

She usually wears dresses and tennis shoes.

Personality: Cold and introverted, Remy is basically the typical ISTJ personality type. Stoic and almost emotionless, she takes things incredibly seriously, never acting on impulse or showing a weak side. She only talks to her brother, leading many to believe that she’s mute. She silently seems to hate everyone around her, and is filled with scornful thoughts regarding everyone but her brother. Overly critical and sometimes unfair in her judgment of others, this personality trait stems from a debilitating inferiourity complex brought about by always being second best (In her eyes) to her brother, along with her incredible intellect alienating her from those around her. Despite this, she loves her brother (Perhaps a bit too much…) and seems to take her anger out on those around her. Intelligent, she’s without a doubt the smarter half of the twins, although due to her incredible laziness she does poorly in school. Her most notable negative traits are her inability to trust anyone but her brother, her arrogance (In regards to her intelligence), and her tendency to overly analyze situations. Needless to say, she doesn’t relate well to those around her, and Ro suspects her to have Aspergers. She enjoys writing.

Talents or Skills: She’s good with a computer, and is a fairly decent writer. Other than that, not much.

Random: She has a laptop in his backpack. Her relationship with Ro might be a little too close…

Name: Romulus, “Ro,” Saintcrow.

Age: 17

Gender: Male.

Appearance: Ro basically looks like his sister in build and facial structure, to the extent that they could conceivably cross-dress as each other. That said, the two have a few major physical divergences, and not just in gender. For one thing, Ro is not Albino. He was born without it, and as a result has naturally colored hair and eyes. His hair is black and cut pageboy style, and his eyes are an innocent looking dark brown. Next, he’s considerably tanner than his sister, a result of not having to worry about skin cancer every time he went out in the sun. Finally, what he wears is, I think you’ll find, incredibly different. He wears tennis shoes, jeans, and a T-shirt under most circumstances, and almost never wears dresses.

Personality: Charming and outgoing, Ro is essentially the polar opposite of his sister. Basically an ENTJ personality type, he tends to joke around and almost never takes anything particularly seriously. He’s friendly with everyone and generally amiable, and overall a pretty nice guy. He tends to find the best in everyone. He’s a bit hot headed at times, and sometimes acts impulsively, and he almost never thinks things through. He’s not as bright as his sister, but more otherwise talented, and he has a tendency to do better in school (And in life) due to his sheer perseverance towards difficult tasks—where his sister would give up, he would press on. He loves his sister (Perhaps a little too much as well…), although he does make friends with those around him. His most negative trait is perhaps his inability to truly understand his sibling, and his tendency to abandon her—and others that he loves—in favor of pleasing himself. A bit of an asshole in that regard, he’s incredibly hedonistic, to the extent that it harms others. He has a passion for photography.

Talents or Skills: He speaks Chinese, is good at socializing, is good at sports and athletic, and tends to get decent enough grades.

Random: He always has a camera around his neck, and his relationship with his sister might be a bit too close…

edited 9th May '11 8:26:40 AM by FakeCrowley

Well, first female character, which gives Sebastian more of a unique personality. I do not approve of the possibly implied sibcest, though. I might be overreading it, however.

Actually, I like the potential for BSODs when the others find out. Just as long as we don't have to see it...

edited 7th May '11 7:03:55 PM by Dragon573

There's going to be some subtext between them, but I'm not going to say anything one way or another explicitly, and worst case scenario it's just some stuff going on in their heads.

Basically, I'm leaving it up to Alternate Character Interpretation.