This is the worldbuilding and discussion thread for the A Merry Band of Guisers RP.

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Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 4th 2019 at 10:27:49 AM

Marshton, Louisiana

Marshton was founded in the late-mid-1800s, just a bit after the Civil War. It used to subsist on sharecropping for some time after slavery was abolished, but the town later turned to industrial jobs, prompting the building of the Majestic Silver sugar works factory and other such places in various towns nearby.

It currently appears as the quintessential example of an idyllic small town, with a respectably-sized suburb area and a single combined middle & high school (Pleasant Hills Middle & High School) to service the entire area, alongside a few elementary schools. Near the edges of town are the dilapidated remains of old houses (remnants from the sharecropping era), the ruins of the Majestic Silver sugar works factory (in somewhat better condition, though one shouldn't expect the floors to be sturdy after all this time), and an unnamed forest filled to the brim with untamed overgrowth and a flimsy wooden fence around some of its perimeter.

Near the highways, there is a more well-off area dedicated to tourism (hotels/motels, gas stops, restaurants, etc). The housing here is also more well-planned, as opposed to the McMansion and tract home building style found in the rest of the town. The largest church in town is also found in the middle of this unofficial district, as is the Town Hall.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 1st 2019 at 4:47:22 AM

Pleasant Hills Middle & High School

This school started as an experimental project to make an integrated middle and high school. Much money and painstaking effort was poured into the making of this school, with the intention of giving the utmost care to the education of the children entrusted to it. Plus, Marshton was in severe need of a middle & high school, and so the unassuming town was hailed as a perfect location to found it.

Then, a few years ago, with a change in management, things started to go sour and gradually worsen. This chain of events directly preceded the manifestation of Urban Legend-like events in Marshton, so perhaps they may be connected somehow.

It didn't go downhill all at once. Some slipping grades in the school prompted attention from the Louisiana's Dept. of Education, wherein several inquiries into the school's education methods found them wanting. The principal was sacked and a new one was installed.

The new principal didn't understand what the experiment was trying to do and tried to raise grades using increasingly restrictive policies. It failed, lowering morale among the staff—many of whom left in protest.

Faced with the same fate as the previous principal, he resorted to tactics such as grade inflation to avoid being removed from his position. A "Zero Tolerance" policy made bullying worse and the bathrooms have begun to fall into disrepair. A brief period of complaints from parents and students alike ensued, but oddly enough, it ended just as abruptly as it started.

It's up to the kids with Guises and Guise potential to help get to the root of things, as the conventional ways of solving problems seem to have failed.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 1st 2019 at 4:47:32 AM

Majestic Silver Sugar Refinery

A huge, rambling structure that hunches at one end of Marshton, it was at one time a majority employer, thanks to a large additional workforce from nearby communities and the presence of the nearby Sunfoot River. Though it's now abandoned, you can still see the stacks from most points in town. However, despite the fact that the old style of the brick walls is picturesque and charming, the faint scent of sugar very pleasant, and views of the river better than almost anywhere else in town, you'll rarely see any citizens of Marshton near the place.

The stated reason is, of course, the danger of an explosion, even though most of the sugar is gone and a state inspector comes by every so often to check up on the place. "Better safe than sorry," the people will say, and chide any tourists who think of taking a look.

What none of them will mention is the fact that people simply vanish there. Employees who had kissed their wives goodbye in the morning would be gone when the last whistle blew. You'd maybe see them at lunch,putting on their coat at the end of the day, or even in the parking lot going to their car....but they never made it home. Not many, maybe three in a five-month stretch, but enough that people started getting nervous. But what could the bosses do? There were always people who needed a job, and no one was willing to go on a search, both because the company wouldn't pay them and (though this was never said aloud) they were afraid of what they might find...if they came back to report it.

Officially the plant closed down because of slumping sales and plans to move the refinery south to Mexico or overseas. The union yelled and the town paper scalded the executives, but deep down the people felt relieved. There are rooms, tunnels and dark, dusty spaces under there that no one has been in since well before Prohibition. It's not on the public registry, and no buses go past it. A few hooligans and wild kids have a party in the parking lot every Halloween, but few will dare go inside.

Edited by Booky on Jan 1st 2019 at 8:22:28 AM

Collective Unknowns

There is a theoretical psychological conjecture that all human minds are, on some level, connected. This 'Collective Unconscious' (also known as the 'Will of Humanity') unites people beyond the physical, and by some accounts could be the ultimate source of psychic abilities. Some even theorize that combined human belief could have tangible, physical effects on the world, like a placebo effect for reality itself. The power of imagination, after all, is limitless.

However, where there is energy, there are the lifeforms that feed on that energy.

Their exact nature is unknown, but they exist only within the realm of thought. These meta-creatures, referred to in what little literature they appear in as 'Collective Unknowns', are beings that can only be encountered in the realms of thought. They are not creatures dreamed up by man, but rather, fictional creatures that somehow came into existence to feed on man's mental energy. Imaginary creatures should have no direct influence on the physical realm, though by altering thoughts and dreams they can alter the people having those thoughts and dreams.

In rare cases, however, there exists a dreamer who can draw them into the physical realm. One such dreamer is Uria Fitzgerald, who made a pact with them to call upon their eldritch power. Her Guise, Urugoth, is a fragment of a greater, elder thing within her mind. Whether it remains in her mind, only time will tell.

Notable People of Marshton

Marshton Leadership

• Mayor Billie Shaw—The mayor of Marshton. She comes from a well-off family, and through a combination of luck and some bribery, she managed to win the mayoral election against Elias Gibbs by a hair. She is currently more devoted to throwing dinner parties and celebrating her "recent" election (it's only been a few months) than actually doing her administrative duties.
• Thomas Miller—Billie's secretary, who is more than miffed that Billie isn't doing her mayoral duties. Instead, most of the paperwork has been thrust onto his shoulders while Billie carouses. Fortunately, he hasn't realized that the situation allows him to control things from behind the scenes, since Billie signs everything he hands her without actually reading it. Unfortunately, it would only take a conversation for him to realize the former...

Marshton Police Department

• Chief Justin Trench—The local chief of the police department, who worked his way up from being a lowly beat cop. He wanted to do good as the chief, but found himself drowning in paperwork. He, too, is noticing the changes in Marshton, not all of them good—but he's got so much paperwork, you see, he really can't devote his attention to anything else.
• Officer Charlie Jackson—As far as the little kids of Marshton are concerned, the best cop in the world. He gives out candy and stickers when he's on his beat, but that leaves him distracted from his actual job, which is making sure nothing shady happens. This might also have an upside, because he is by far the most willing one to sit down and listen to children about strange matters. However, he won't actually do anything unless he has concrete evidence...
• Officer Connor Mears—An ill-tempered veteran police officer who doesn't have time for the idle fantasies of children, but does his job and does it as best as he can. He tries to stop anything shady he comes across, but is less likely to listen to younger children (unless it's about something serious). Thus, one has to get a trustworthy adult to tip him off (like his partner Charlie above) or find some other way to do that if such a ruse fails.

Pleasant Hills Middle & High School Staff

• Principal Dawson—The well-meaning but incompetent principal of the Pleasant Hills school. He's currently panicking about the state of the school that he's been charged with (which his arrival exacerbated). His mental state is strained and anxious, which leads him to hastily roll out more and more restrictive policies in hopes that one of them will fix things.
• Mr. Mearing—A history teacher. He practically runs on caffeine because he has so many papers to grade. However, he is dedicated to his students, even though he snaps at them sometimes. He knows a lot about the town's history, which could come in handy—if one could find him enjoying his free time, which is rare.
• Mrs. Cruz—A Spanish teacher. Strict but fair, she makes sure every student tries their best—or she used to, at any rate. Nowadays, she just assigns translations to students and lectures a little bit at the beginning of class on grammar points. Nobody knows what brought about this change, though the common consensus is that it was Dawson's fault when he took over.
• Mr. O'Malley—An English teacher. He is hailed as wise and "the best" by his students, yet though he teaches his lessons the same way as he usually does, he seems to have lost some of his energy. This was after he submitted a complaint to the Dept. of Education but received no response. Now he's trying to decide if he'll leave or not.
• Mrs. Bruns—A math teacher. She always gave out worksheets and assigned pages from the workbook, so when Dawson arrived, nothing changed. Mrs. Bruns doesn't tolerate talking in her class, even to ask for help. Students are expected to teach themselves the material, or at least that's what it feels like.
• Mrs. Chang—A science teacher. She's also one of those teachers that assigns reading material and work, but never actually gets up from their desk to teach. However, she's quick to help students if they say they have a problem (as long as it's not her). Also, she occasionally lets students have a free period, so she's one of the more popular teachers around.
• Mr. Willis—An art, music, and drama teacher. This poor man got saddled with teaching these three subjects because all the other teachers left. Unlike Coach Lockett, he hates his job. Students who are serious about taking his class try their best to ignore the noisy people in the back and listen to his instructions. Indeed, his classes are treated as a free period for the less academic, and strangely enough, he finds himself will-liked among the class-clowns for being "willing" to put up with them.
• Coach Lockett—The PE teacher and the coach for the volleyball, basketball, and football team. Needless to say, he is spread thin. However, he says he loves his job. The real danger in his class is not him, but the bullies that wait until he falls asleep to harass their victims—and he's a real heavy sleeper. Incidentally, he hates bullies, so one only needs to find a way to wake him up if backup is needed.
• Mr. Dickenson—The school librarian. The previous school librarian left, and since he took over, the school library has gotten a serious makeover. There is now a section dedicated to books that he deems too abhorrent to be read by young, sensitive eyes. This includes a large selection of history books, almost all of the fiction section (for detailed descriptions of witchcraft and combat), and much more. Only seniors are allowed to borrow from this section.

Pleasant Hills Middle & High School Students

• Matthew Richardson—The head of the jocks. He's not your usual flavor of bully, as he has wormed into the good graces of the teachers and keeps up a relatively impressive academic record. His brand of snobbery and jerkassery comes out when there's no teachers around. However, the rest of his friends are not nearly as smart, and are more likely to make reckless moves—Matthew reins them in, you see. This can be used to one's advantage, alongside the fact that he's aiming for the top colleges and he can't afford a single blemish on his record...
• Lori Rivers—The leader of the cheer squad. Her manner of sugary-sweet cruelty has harmed many, yet nobody dares retaliate, because she's a seasoned practitioner of akido and other martial arts. She's also outwardly involved in charities and such, but in reality, she doesn't care for any of them. Like Connor, she's aiming for the top colleges.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 1st 2019 at 9:32:44 AM

Guises

Some would say they are the unholy products of repressed desires and the vehicles of sin. Others would call these masks tragic products of a fevered mind. Yet more would seek to harness their power and potential for their own use.

In reality, Guises are a little bit of all of these views, and "flaws made into strengths," to boot. They grant their users powers according to their insecurities, desires, and weaknesses. They are masks that allow one to face horrors and hardships.

Like different masks, each of them has their own unique character and concept. No two Guises are exactly the same. Indeed, certain people would even go so far as to say that Guises are an extension of their soul. That does not mean that everyone has the potential to gain one.

The most common people to gain Guises are children and adolescents, though there are some adults who have gained a Guise by overcoming extreme hardship or reaching an epiphany. These children have extraordinary force of will and imagination: to manifest a Guise, one has to purposefully expose the most vulnerable part of their soul, the part that holds all of one's weaknesses.

There is a theory that Guises may stem from the Collective Unconscious, though whether only some or all of them come from that mysterious place is up for debate.

The Cellar Door Bar!

There are bars that look like dive bars, and there are bars where bad business gets done. The Cellar Door is both. The top floor is what most people see: a dim but warm and cozy bar/diner with truly delicious fish sandwiches (fresh caught from the river!) and ghost pepper fries. Many local kids made their first few bucks and their first smoke or shot (just on their birthday) working at the Cellar Door.

Downstairs is different. Shifty locals, ne'er-do-wells, pre- and ex-cons from all over gather at tables to feast on those same fish sandwiches and brain-burning drinks. Just walking in the door is a parole violation for most of them. A few are even former Majestic Silver workers looking to lose themselves.

The place is run by "Dimes" Almsberg, (so named for the ten years he spent behind bars for unspecified crimes). A cunning and quite dangerous fellow, he pretends to be a mild and cowardly bartender. Ms. Singh knows full well that this is an act, but he's also very good at his job and keeps the peace by his reputation and a few hulks who he brought in from the old days and now drink for free. He's willing to pass on info or do you a solid...for a price. And he won't be intimidated.

Edited by Booky on Jan 5th 2019 at 9:14:30 AM