Punch-Clock Psychopomp: Interest Check/Signup Thread

Far above the Pacific Ocean, in the cockpit of a newly repainted Boeing 737, a pilot flinches at the impossible sensation of a feathered wing brushing her cheek. In a small Idaho town, a boy with a backpack dashes through the open doors of a storefront which was once a haunted house, and is consumed by moving shadows. Across the world, in Positano, Italy, an emaciated woman inhales the smoke of a kitchen fire, ignored entirely by the panicked crowd.

Somewhere, a wound does not heal. Somewhere, the land remembers. Somewhere, hope refuses to die.

In other words, a typical day at the office.

The Center of Revenant Affairs - CORA - has been keeping the spirits at bay for centuries, largely unseen by mortal eyes. Once merely a loose coalition of like-minded spirits, in the modern day CORA has branches across the globe, each working toward the same goals: to aid in the transition between life and death, and to protect humanity from those who remain in limbo. CORA agents - Psychopomps - root out hauntings in the unlikeliest of places, unearthing dark histories and facing strange enemies in their efforts to protect the living from the resentments of the past. They provide guidance to the newly dead, and they strike down those who grow dangerous. They allow the living to rest easy, blissfully ignorant of the things that lurk in the shadows.

And, when they’ve done all they can, CORA helps them to move on.

It’s a system which has kept the peace - mostly - for hundreds of years, but CORA is nothing if not innovative. So, on a particularly windy day somewhere in the forests of Massachusetts, a plan is hatched: a way to bring suitable spirits directly to CORA’s doorstep, instead of waiting for them to find their way through word of mouth. An expedited recruitment scheme, the higher-ups call it. A giant ghost magnet, says the living contractor they hire to do the job. Either way, it’s the idea that sets the scene for the events to come.

All that remains now is to meet the spirits who answer the call.

Welcome to Punch-Clock Psychopomp, the RP where the player characters are already dead - but luckily, not all stories end in death.

You will play as newly-revived Revenants, spirits who have been unable or unwilling to pass on to the afterlife because of unfinished business. While most Revenants have to muddle through their new lives on their own, your characters are lucky (or unlucky) enough to be the first batch of recruits summoned directly to the Center of Revenant Affairs (CORA), where they are fast-tracked into the world of the paranormal.

Your characters may be dead, but there's no time to rest in peace, because if they want to have any chance to complete their unfinished business, they'll need CORA's help to do it, and that help comes at a cost - the player characters must take on temporary roles as Psychopomps, tasked with ushering spirits from the world of the living to the world of the dead. In practice, that means they'll be helping to resolve the unfinished business of other Revenants, as well as taking care of some of the more dangerous hauntings.

It's a difficult job, but at least they can count on CORA's bureaucracy to back them up. After all, it's a matter of life and death.

Re character creation: There’s plenty of flexibility within the category of 'Revenant', but there are a few unique elements that you might want to keep in mind. Below you'll find information about the three potential origins of a Revenant, as well as what defines and limits Revenants in general. This information will be referenced in the character sheet, so make sure you take a look.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out in whatever way you prefer. Also, if there is enough interest in this game I will eventually create a Discord server and post the link here.

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 1st 2021 at 9:48:40 AM

Interested.

• Name: (The) Foundling
• Gender: Female
• Birth Year: 1409 AD
• Apparent Age/Age at Death: 14-15
• Appearance: A gaunt, sickly-looking girl with matted red hair and sunken green eyes.◊ Almost always appearing in tattered rags, she carries herself with a listless demeanour and tends to stare off into space in a trance even while speaking to others. Stands at 4'7" tall. Several scrapes, bruises, and fresh scars are still permanently scattered across her form.
• Personality: The Foundling comes across as rather softspoken and distant, speaking in a manner perhaps too dignified and philosophical for her age and apparent status at the time of her death. She is usually averse to confrontation, but does not hesitate to inform that she was a manslayer in life and after death, if only to those that provoked her enough. There is a strange aura about her that is by no means supernatural, but purely uncanny—a contrast between her outward innocence and her inner drive which fuels her, a desperation to survive that has kept her going for all these years. There is no question in her mind that she'll get her way eventually, and she is not averse to playing the long game in order to achieve her goals—whether it requires a gentle nudge, a violent shove, or pure amicability to get her way.
• Revenant Origin: Resolved
• Cause of Death: Eventually succumbed to a combination of malnourishment and gangrenous injuries from mistreatment she'd suffered over the years.
• Unfinished Business: The Foundling has forever had the goal of living like a king surrounded by good food and manservants. The fine details have changed with the times, but the desperate want for prosperity and a life beyond mere survival has fueled her alone for all these centuries.
• Talent: Broadly, survival. Specifically, a sort-of implacability and unquenchable determination that makes The Foundling incredibly difficult to stop, even amongst Revenants. Put her in a cage? She'll bite her way out. Trap her with a man-eating beast? She'll tear it apart from the inside out with her bare hands. In fact she'll try her best to complete almost any task given to her if convinced to, and would indeed spend an eternity trying to achieve an impossible goal if she honestly believed it to be necessary. It was this same, though admittedly more downplayed fire within her that kept her heart beating for so long even when on death's door.
• Weakness: As in life, as in death. Frailty. The Foundling possesses only the strength of a neglected girl in her teenage years, and her time spent alive and sick have weakened her beyond even that. The Foundling suffers from a recurring tremble that is a holdover from her long time spent dying while going, and is haunted by a perpetual cold that constantly compels her to seek warmth from anyplace that can give it. This means that in combat her effectiveness can be low, but her sheer grit often makes up for this lack of strength when given enough time.
• Backstory:
  • With no memories of her parents or indeed anything of her youth, the nameless street urchin known only later as The Foundling lived a fairly short and miserable life in the sickly streets of medieval England, plagued by the many illnesses that ran rampant there and only surviving for so long out of sheer will to live on. Even during her final gasps for breath alone in a forgotten alleyway she still clung desperately to life, fighting until the bitter end and then even beyond that. Rejuvenating shortly afterwards as a revenant, the nameless child soon began drifting across the lands once realising her newfound condition.
  • Wracked with tremors and misery, it didn't take long for the child to find refuge amongst a handful of other restless spirits who had also perished at the hands of poverty across those sickly lands. With some of them taking pity on the girl and admiring her unflinching tenacity, they declared her a 'foundling' and the name forever stuck. The Foundling has rejected any and all attempts to name her properly since, and over the years has been educated in ways that no girl in that day and age could have reasonably been able to. Now roaming about in the early 21st century, The Foundling is still around, and despite many centuries having passed by she has ultimately remained a constant. Including, unfortunately, her unfinished business—which though she has still yet to complete, is determined to at least try to through whatever means necessary, including via CORA if need be.

Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 3rd 2021 at 3:49:39 PM

Super cool concept, accepted!

Name: Arthur Haley

Gender: Male

Age at Death: 39

Appearance: He appears as a middle aged man in a well-tailored suit, his hair already graying and thinning. Further scrutiny reveals his features to be somewhat off, like a poorly painted portrait. His skin shows no variation in color, being a beige so pale it is almost white. His limbs and facial features rest at odd angles, and the proprtions of his body parts are noticably bizarre, thought not so much so that he appears to be something other than human.

Personality: None to speak of, he always obeyed societies expectations of him in life, and that has translated to an unshakeable loyalty to CORA in death. His lack of will has been exacerbated to the point that he has little to no sense of his own existence, viewing himself as just a tool to be utilized by others. There is an unnerving serenity he finds in this outlook, and most emotions are very difficult to arouse in him.

Revenant Origin: Awakened

Cause of Death: Assaulted by a coyote.

Unfinished Buisness: Arthur aspired in life to be the head of his law firm, Warner & Wilkinson LLP.

Talent: Arthur is an extremely competent lawyer. This is reflected in knowledge of the legal system, but also of course as the ability to be quite convincing when need be, whether or not a legal issue is involved. This skill is often enough to overcome the unease his unnatural features naturally create in others, though only in purely poragmatic terms. He can make people agree with him, but they most certainly aren't compelled to like him.

Weakness: Arthur has absolutely no willpower or even a conception that he exists as an indepoendent entity. This doesn't mean that his every action must be dictated to him, but rather that he can only work towards furthering someone else's desires. He will not and cannot question authority (beyond appeal to a different one).

Backstory: Arthur was born to a well off suburban family. A bright child he excelled at school, though seldom in a way that required his own intiative. His childhood was spent going through the motions, getting good grades, avoiding unpopular hobbies, having the requesite quantity of friends, and eventually getting into a good college. He never really had any idea why he did this, it was simply the way of things, and he was content with such an explanation. From college he went on to law school, where he continued to do quite well, and eventually got a job at a prestigious firm. From there he lived a fairly normal and comfortable life, slowly rising through the ranks. He married at the age of 30 to a wife he was utterly ambivalent to, and eventually had a child who he as similarly unconcerned with. He spent time with them sure, but one would always get the impression as if doing so were just another item on his schedule. On his last of many business trips, he was walking to his hotel when he saw what appeared to be a stray dog. Unfortunately for Arthur, it was actually a rabid coyote, which did not appreciate his concern. His ghost spent a couple decades endlessly retracing the route from his place of death to his house before finally being summoned by CORA. Finding a new purpose in life, or rather death, he pledged himself fully to the cause of finding and releasing those spirits still bound to earth.

Edited by bobbitwormhobbitwyrm on Sep 2nd 2021 at 1:33:07 PM

• Name: "Jesse Quickdraw", AKA Juzo Kazuki
• Gender: Female
• Birth Year: 1860
• Apparent Age/Age at Death:29
• Appearance: Cowgirl Samurai. After becoming a revenant, she started pretty much the same, but slowly took on a more monstrous appearance. Nowadays, her skin has a blood red hue, and her yellow eyes and black claws are as sharp as a cats. Two small pointy bumps stick out from her forehead, though her large hat makes them hard to see. Her hair has become long, tangled and white as a sheet, and any efforts to straighten or comb it end in failure. There's an open bullet wound in the middle of her back, but it's not easy to see. Started at 5'9, but has grown to 6'2.
• Personality: The attitude of a gunslinger with the skilled discipline of a swordsman, Jesse is a tough nut to crack. At heart, she's fiery and bold, preferring action over words. She's a fan of gunboat diplomacy, her time as a bounty hunter only emboldening her natural tendencies. But her flame is held within an iron sheathe, a thin wall of restraint accompanied with a sense of grace. The result is a calm intensity, passive aggressive to the utmost extreme. But beneath that, she's a woman of culture and honor. She appreciates the arts almost as much as she enjoys a bloodbath or simple pleasures, and she adheres to the code of Bushido as much as possible. But she won't let it get in the way of her job or living to the fullest.
  • But that was before she became a Revenant. Much of her old self is intact, but her thirst for revenge is stronger than ever, and her aggressive tendencies have come to the fore. What was once a honed flame has become a raging bonfire, acting on impulse with a strong desire to bash everyone's faces in. She's capable of controlling herself, but with each passing year, it becomes harder to ignore her bloodlust.
• Revenant Origin: Resolved
• Cause of Death: Shot in the back. Was left stranded in the middle of the desert. Quickly became deceased due to loss of blood and dehydration.
• Unfinished Business: Revenge. Once seeking fame and glory, all she wants now is revenge on those who wronged her. Their psychical bodies passed away a century ago, but their spirits remain, haunting the living as grim specters. But they're more elusive now than they were in life, and her constant failures only fuel her thirst for vengeance.
• Talent: Aces High. Jesse has always been a skilled swordswoman and a decent hired gun. She's not a top marksman, but she hits her mark more often than not, and her swordsplay is second to none. Upon becoming a revenant, her skills have only increased. Her accuracy has increased, capable of hitting targets with her eyes literally shut, and she can cut her way through nearly any obstacle.
• Weakness: Rage. Jesse was always a bit hot-tempered, but after death, she's gained the fury of a raging demon. It's far from constant and she's capable of controlling, but if pushed, she becomes little better than a raging beast. While her strength is somewhat increased, all her skill goes out the window, forsaking her sword and unable to land a single shot. Until she's calmed, she's more a liability than an asset.
• Backstory: Born in the waning days of the samurai caste and on the low end of the rankings, Juzo's family barely counted as middle class, often struggling to make ends meet. Even so, her parents were decent folk, and loved her much. Her father even taught her the art of the blade, both to defend herself and because he had no son to pass it onto. She wished to become a samurai herself, carving her name on her enemies and becoming the most famous warrior in Japan. But the realities of being a woman in 1800's Japan would make that hard to achieve.
  • But on her 17th birthday, everything changed. She'd been walking along the coast with her parents when a stranger washed onto shore. He was foreign, American presumably, a victim of a shipwreck. They took him home, washing his wounds and looking after him until he recovered. Once he did, the man repaid their hospitality by shooting her parents in cold blood and cold cocking her to the floor, stealing their most treasured possessions as he ran.
  • Filled with grief, Juzo swore to track her parents' murderer down and make them pay. Using her father's training and the last of their savings, she traced him down to the nearest harbor and boarded a ship to America, not caring about anything but vengeance. Landing in Texas, she began her search, using her talents in swordsmanship to make a living. She soon became a bounty hunter, hoping that one of her bounties would be the man she sought. She expanded her repertoire, obtaining talents such as horesback riding or gunplay and slowly embracing them.
  • But over the years, she lost sight of her original goal. Her parents deaths became distant, and her target seemed forever out of reach. In the back of her mind, her thirst for revenge lingered, but it was overtaken by a long dormant childhood fantasy. She'd made a fearsome reputation as a bounty hunter, and she'd slain more than enough bandits and miscreants to wet her apatite. She wondered if she'd give up her quest altogether, settling down in America and embracing the path she had chosen.
  • But it wasn't to be. After 12 long years, she finally found him. By now, he'd become a notorious bandit, terrorizing the plains and gunning down anyone who looked at him funny. It was impossible for him to hide, and she tracked him down once and for all. Only for his cronies to shoot her in the back. He was ruthless, but wasn't stupid. He knew someone would come for him sooner or later, and had made the necessary preparations. Bleeding on the desert sands, she swore she'd never rest until she ended him and his goons once and for all. Even if it was from beyond the grave.
• Misc: Jesse is a fan of both the arts and simpler pleasures. She enjoys plays or movies, particularly kabuki or noh, along with westerns and jedai geki. She can become immersed in a beautiful painting as much as a glass of whiskey, and appreciates a good story. She used to be a big reader, but since her death, it's been harder to sit down and concentrate long enough. She's gotten curious about videogames, but being undead makes it hard to get a hold of them. Firm believer of Shintoism.

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 2nd 2021 at 11:07:52 AM

Name: Abigail "Abbi" Woods

Gender: Female

Birthyear: 1987

Age at Death: 33

Appearance:

• A pale, thin woman around 5'1" feet tall.
• Due to the fact she's bald, she wears a wavy, blonde wig.
• She has light gray eyes with dark circles under them.
• She's also wearing a white hospital gown.

Personality:

• Abbi has a gentle, sweet nature and is willing to help others.
• She's cheerful and likes to be at least somewhat hopeful.
• She's good at lightening up the mood and comforting others.
• Has a strong maternal instinct and will not hesitate to harm anyone that threatens her daughter; cares deeply for her.
• Is a pacifist; will only fight if it's a last resort or her daughter's in danger.

Revenant Origin: Summoned.

Cause of Death: Brain tumor.

Unfinished Business: Staying with her daughter until she reaches adulthood.

Talent: Lovely Lullaby — Abbi is a highly gifted singer; those who hear her sing will be enthralled by it, especially her daughter who'd been greatly comforted by her songs. As a Revenant, her songs have become more captivating. Those who listen will enter a more peaceful state of mind and any conflict will be resolved. Not only that, it's highly likely they'll go to sleep after it, not because they were bored, but because they were lulled to sleep.^note If those who knew the Revenant personally are unable to hear them, then Abbi's singing is capable to be heard by her daughter.

Weakness: Prevailant Sickness — Even in death, Abbi's tumor still lingers on. If she expands too much energy at once, she'll get ill. The basic symptoms are nausea, limited movement, and drowsiness. However if she pushes herself in this state, she'll get seizures, delirium, and a heightened chance to become more inhuman.

Backstory:

• Abbi Woods lived a peaceful life in Beverly, Massachusetts as a devoted housewife and mother, working as a bank teller. Her family consisted of her husband, Andrew, and her five-year-old daughter, Natalie.
• She and Natalie shared a special, deep bond. Natalie waited patiently each weekday for Abbi to come home from work and excitedly greeted her once she arrived. Then, every night, Abbi sings a lullaby to Natalie as the latter is about to sleep. It seemed impossible to imagine for the two to be forever separated, yet...
• Abbi wasn't feeling well one day. At first, she thought was simply having the flu, but it didn't go away and got worse. Eventually, she went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Naturally, the news was difficult for everyone involved yet Abbi accepted her fate. She went through several treatments (such as chemo and surgery) yet the tumor was persistent. Still, she wanted to make it easier for Natalie (since how the latter understood the situation was just simply that "Mama will be gone forever"), so Abbi sung to her daughter lullabies, all of which shared the theme of accepting her death. In her final moments, Abbi held Natalie's hand as she singed right before passing away.
• Despite the comforting songs of her mother, Natalie grieved for her dearly. She held on to pictures of Abbi and wished to see her again on a daily basis. Even with her father's love and getting therapy, she still mourned. It reached its strongest point on the eve of her sixth birthday when she went into complete despair as she knew Abbi won't be there to celebrate it. The despair was heard by Abbi, reviving her. Upon being revived, Abbi was heartbroken to see a deeply upset Natalie. So, she sat next to her child, stroking her hair, and singing a lullaby to her. This truly comforted Natalie and she finally fell asleep. Even if she never sees her anymore, Natalie knew her mother is by her side.
• It only took a bit for Abbi to figure out she couldn't be seen by Natalie, so when she isn't singing, she'll leave letters for her, with the first one promising she'll stay by her side until the latter reached adulthood. When Andrew found them, he became both puzzled and concerned but following a tip from Natalie's therapist, he contacted CORA. A CORA representative arrived at the house and interviewed Abbi. She was stubborn during the whole ordeal due to not wanting to leave her daughter, but the two had come to a comprise; Abbi will work as a Psychopomp but will see Natalie on a daily basis.

Misc:

• What played a somewhat important factor in the close bond between Abbi and Natalie is that the latter was the only one of the former's pregnancies to make it full term; the first was a miscarriage and the second was a premie who died shortly after birth. In fact, Abbi was in complete tears upon holding the newborn Natalie for the first time.
• During her cancer treatment, Abbi lost her long blonde hair. Not wanting to further upset Natalie, Abbi opted to wear a wig which she wore until her death.