[OOC] Word on the street

[jbear]

Add check marks ... geesh, I cant' even get my type to align left neatly XD!

[Vislands]

Alright had a particularly draining end to the work weekend, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going with the Fae playbook, partially to get some Wild representation up in here.

A vague concept is in the works, should get some outlined in my thread tomorrow for you Wyn to start bouncing ideas off of.

[Roekahs]

Originally Posted by Vislands

...partially to get some Wild representation up in here.

Not at all trying to discourage anything, but - in part because I had to check myself - Dragon is Wild.

[Wynamoinen]

Sounds good Vis, sorry to hear the week has been stressful. That sounds like we'll need at least a few more days for this phase. Roe is still solidifying his basic concept too, I think. I'll check back in on Friday or Saturday.

For the rest of you, I dropped a few questions into your threads. What I really want is story threads: pulling out info about NPCs, your relationships to them, and what kinds of supernatural storylines might line beneath. I can come up with stories on my own, of course. But at the very least, it would be great to start those Threats based on your leads. And if you've got an endgame you'd like to move towards ("they want to tear the dimensional matrix of the city in twain" or "I dunno a bunch of wizards live like morlocks underground are doing bad things?"), I'm all ears as well.

[Wynamoinen]

Quick update: this weekend got unexpectedly hectic for me, so I'm not going to be able to get a lot done. But on Monday, I will certainly move us on to the next phase of character/world building, dealing with debts.

At that point when we start handing out debts, I'll ask for brief introductions of each of your characters in this thread. If you're desperate for URban Shadows content or activity over the weekend, I've got two suggestions:
1) but if you're inclined to delve deeper into the other players' characters, this weekend may be a good time to read the other character threads

2) those threads are going to be a mess, so at some point I'll want a brief character synopsis for each character that I can post over here. I'm thinking just 5-10 lines within a fieldset per character. Just the basics like (a) name, (b) playbook, (c) outward appearence, and (d) essential facts like occupation, or demeanor, or important locations you're connected to. Basically your character at a glance, for other players who want a quick reference. If you're feeling like working that up, I'd appreciate it! (But it certainly not necessary this instant by any means). This sort of thing would also work as the "brief introduction" I'll ask for soon anyways.

[Elanir]

Anne Charlotte Beall, the Spectre Anne Charlotte Beall Anne is the relic of a bygone era as her antiquated clothes, typical for the Age of Revolutions, signify. Living in a world made by and for men, she was forced to embrace something all women were supposedly destined for - motherhood. This she rejected vehemently, if silently, the unreleased tension within her eventually leading her down the path of depression and psychosis. This resulted in her murdering her twin infant children and being shot to death by her otherwise loving husband shortly afterwards. A victim of society and her own shattered mind, Anne’s sad existence is not defined by guilt, rather than by a lack of understanding. She seeks to comprehend how her life went from paradise to hell and relive the fading moments of bliss that she desperately clings to by watching the lives of others. Unshackled by convention through death, she now has the power to act, though she does so in a way that appears erratic and unpredictable. It is her way of claiming relevance in a world that has forgotten all about her, the infamous “Medea of George Town”.

Please tell me if you want something modified or added to, Wynamoinen.

[Roekahs]

Victor Young, The Aware   Name: Victor Young Age: 30 Playbook: The Aware Sibling: Marcus, 27 Family: high school sweetheart; mother of his daughter; amicable but not friendsMaryAnn (30); daughter; never spend enough time together, but they make the most of it when they doAbbie (12) current love interest; separated; mother of his son; police officerJade (32), son; still trying to be a good dad to this oneTyrone (2) Occupation(s): Security Guard at TBD, part-time night janitor at the police station, small-time drug dealer to make ends meet Backstory snippets: "{...} it wasn't some broken, terrible childhood that got me where I am. That I done all on my own. {...}" "{...} so we was in the streets. Mom's neighborhood, Dad's neighborhood, and anywhere else the nights took us. {...}" "{...} Trying to not work so much so she can see I'm serious. Problem is, still need the same amount of money … so I started doing stuff I shouldn't do. Selling drugs and running guns is not what I want {...}" "{...} I used to be just some shlub. Just a complete failure. At everything. Love. Job. Fatherhood. Career. {...}" "{...} I didn't believe in ghosts {...} Ain't nothing quite like ventin' your frustrations to nobody in a stairwell of an apartment building after a really crappy day only to have the nobody sympathize with you. {...}"

Not entirely sure how I feel about this vs. the criteria you set out. At worst it gives you something to frame as a "what not to do"?

[jbear]

Andre Adams, The WOLF Age: 26 Appearance: Overweight 7ft tall convenience store clerk of Tongan and American Irish descent with dreams of becoming a big-time Pro Wrestler. Although homeless, Andre goes to great lengths to maintain a clean and tidy appearance. At training, he wears a lycra wolf-themed onesie he obviously made himself. At work, he wears an immaculately clean but wrinkled 7-Eleven uniform. Otherwise, Andre wears the cleanest clothes in his duffle bag, worn, crumpled, stitched and patched clothes from the 2Big store. Demeanor: A gentle giant with an ultraprotective instinct. Andre's instinct is to escape reality within the confines of a great comic book. But chaos seeks Andre out. Key Points of Conflict: *Former Pro Wrestler Becky 'The Heartbreaker' ValentineMum is hospitalised with dire illness that doctors do not understand. Andre suspects supernatural origins. *Former failed actor, turned Pro Wrestler, turned thug, Angelo 'To'a' AdamsDad has disappeared again. His criminal past has caught up to him and he doesn't want his sons caught in the crossfire. *Andre's little bro, Ayaron, is staying with his aunt who is not famous for her hospitality. Andre's wages all go to paying his mum's hospital bills. He is unable to pay for rent and utilities, so he is currently homeless. *Andre survived a WOLF attack and became a WOLF himself. His territory is in one of Washington DC's roughest neighbourhoods, Anacostia. At the centre is an area disputed by the two rival gangs, the Lench Mob and the Choppa City Boys. Andre's nightly hunts has brought a fragile peace. *Andre's vigilante activities have caught the attention of a rival power that is making moves to invade and take over from this cosplaying pup *Andre is trying to break into the local Semi-Pro Wrestling circuit run by a shady bookkeeper, Nelson Farley. Andre's father warned him to stay away as they are into 'weird ****'. Andre insisted but missed his debut match due to a shooting at his 7-Eleven. Nelson lost face and now holds a grudge.

[wodine]

Farhad Amir Zahhak, the Dragon A Painting from a Previous Lifetime The sound of a tapping cane against marbled floor announces the arrival of royalty. The proprietor of The Dragon’s Hoard – Rare Books and Antiquities, Farhad Amir Zahhak travels the town only, when necessary, his blue 1940 Duesenberg Model SJ parked outside, Fahrad strides to his meetings, his red zoot suit, immaculately pressed, he speaks with measured words, as though he owned the place. Because in his mind, all was his. You ask me my age? Child, I am as old as the moon and the stars in the sky. Fahrad listened intently as the others spoke. Ask not of my family, you speak of things you do not, cannot, understand. Now, I believe there was business to be discussed, something about a rare artifact to be acquired? I do love a challenge.

[hafrogman]

Cole Schneider, the Veteran Ducky Draws Art "Hey, you know that weird little tailor shop down the street? The one tucked inbetween the Lucky Cat Gift Shop and the check cashing place? Well, word on the street is that the guy who works there used to be somebody." If you were keyed into the supernatural side of D.C. politics five years ago, you might remember a little bit of a shake-up on the infernal side of things. Or maybe you don't, one demon is pretty much like another until you're the one dancing at the end of their strings. But there was definitely something going on. Lots of scrambling for power, and debts being called in, but it all amounted to nothing. When the dust settled, the old guy was out, and a new demon was sitting on top of the heap. Around that same time, one of their mortal servants went missing. No big shock, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more than one body ended up floating in the Potomac over the whole affair. Only, the thing is, wasn't that guy's name Cole, too? Looks: Caucasian male, tailored clothing. Professional demeanor.

[Wynamoinen]

Let's do this! Debts!

Your character briefs are consolidated here for future reference. I can always edit them, if you have suggestions.

It's time to build connection! I think there's a chaotic path to doing this, and a very slow version. Let's sew chaos, and we can dial it back (or move conversations to character threads) if it's too much to deal with here.

You have have debts: some to give, and some to take. These debts will be some of the major seeds of our initial story. I suggest that...

1) here in this thread, you list your playbook debts to distribute, and propose the "targets" of each. Each debt has a story behind it, so you might propose what that story might be, and/or why you think the target is a good choice for the debt

2) the target can either accept, reject, or propose a modification to the 'debt story'.

3) If there's more disucssion to be had to negotiate the debt, let the discussion rip. If everyone agrees, mark the debt on your character sheet. Though in the spirit of improv, I'd suggest you all do your best to 'yes, and...' the proposals whenever possible, rather than giving a flat 'no'. But sometimes 'no' might be the right answer.If it's rejected, find someone else. Repeat until we're done.

I have a few suggestions for the process:

a) you should have an alternate idea of who might share your debts, in case the first option doesn't work out. Maybe you will just keep those thoughts in your back pocket. Maybe you can put them in a spoiler of your post? Don't cling too tightly to your first idea, is what I mean. We should be flexibile here.

b) we want to spread debts around as much as possible. We want a messy web of connection and interdependence. We don't want one person to hold 8 debts, and another to hold none. So keep an eye on who has been proposed to hold debts so far in the process, and try to spread the debt wealth.

[Roekahs]

Woohoo!

I have a couple of ideas, and then maybe one that could be anything.

Someone thinks they are protecting you, but it's really more like you're protecting them. You owe each other a debt.

For some reason I am drawn to Cole here. The proposal for that would be something like: Cole is recently returned to being a mortal and is doing his best to protect Victor from getting caught up the way he did back in the day. On the other hand, Victor is young and curious and gung-ho and getting himself caught up in all the stuff before it even filters to Cole.

(The other option might be Farhad here)

You're leveraging dirt you have on someone to get their help with something. You owe them a debt

The maybe too obvious/possibly boring (!?) choice here would be Anne. Victor has some dirt (we can work that out if this proposal is acceptable) to get Anne to help with the mystery of the female ghosts that Victor is watching in the abandoned building.

Someone told you their secrets and you haven't told anyone about them yet. They owe you 2 debts.

This could sort of be anyone. Possibly Farhad or Brassa? We could also leave this open for now to see how all the debt interactions fall and then backfill to spread the debts out as Wyn suggested.

[Elanir]

Possible Connections

Victor & Anne: You're leveraging dirt you have on someone to get their help with something. You owe them a debt.

Yes (!), but…

Normally, Anne isn’t interested in what others think or say about her. Her name has been whispered in horror or openly cursed more times than she cares to recall. But there is one person she doesn’t want to find out the truth about her - Annie Hayes, a descendant of her favorite sister, Mary Adelaide. Annie’s forefathers came to the States generations after Anne, but the girl was born in DC and was even given Anne’s name. This is merely a coincidence, but in the Spectre’s mind, searching for hidden truths that aren’t always there, this is a gesture made to honor her. The twelve-year-old girl is nothing like Anne was at her age, but the spirit has a soft spot for her. While doing research for a school project, Annie has recently become aware of her distant ancestor, who lived in the same city as her, and decided to learn more, if she could. Anne does her best to sabotage the girl’s search and has even succumbed to Victor’s extortion, who threatened to help Annie find more about her infamous ancestor, though she does bear a grudge about it.


Farhad & Anne: Someone stole something from you and lost it to the Ordo Draconis. They owe you two Debts.

Yes (!), but…

Anne wouldn’t steal. Not when she was alive and certainly not now that physical objects are completely irrelevant to her. But what if she merely “reclaimed” what belonged to her anyway? The wedding band Thomas gave her signified his eternal love and devotion, and Anne considers it an integral part of her and one of the few anchors that connect her to her past - and reality. It is proof that she was happy for a time, something she fears that she will eventually forget. The wedding band sported a large yellow diamond known as the serpent’s eye. Unlike all other spirit versions of the objects Anne retains, her ring materialized without this precious stone, which has caused her immense grief, believing it to be symbolic of Thomas’ rejection of her. The truth is different. The “serpent’s eye” is an actual eye, one belonging to a dragon - not Farhad’s, but one of his broodmates. Stealing it from Farhad has unfortunately revealed its existence to the Ordo Draconis and the organization’s agents were quick to take it back from the Spectre’s long forgotten and unmarked grave, where Anne tried to hide it. Needless to say that the spirit considers stealing from her and desecrating her grave two unforgivable actions and has sworn to help the Dragon destroy his enemies. The Ordo Draconis will be sorry to have upset a vengeful spirit. Anne has killed once, she can certainly do so again.


Suggested Debts

Someone, or someone’s progenitor, was involved in your death. They owe you a Debt.

Cole: Cole is the direct descendant of Anne’s husband, Thomas Beall, who remarried some time after shooting his wife. Anne has a love-hate relationship with Cole, as she did with his (maternal) grandfather, his mother -Cole doesn’t mention her at all, I think. Why?- and generally with all of Thomas Beall’s descendants. Cole’s demonic patron protected the Veteran from the Spectre’s interference, but now that he doesn’t benefit from such supernatural powers, Anne makes her presence felt, possibly more often than Cole would have liked. His still powerful wards keep her from invading his workshop, but she knows that they will in time fade. And the only thing she truly possesses is time. Does Cole feel sorry for Anne? He knows what a broken mind is capable of doing. Did she deserve death at the hands of her husband for having been mentally ill? Perhaps. Or perhaps she just needed help - like his father did.


Someone is watching out for a family member of yours. You owe them 2 Debts.

Brassavola: Brassavola has taken an interest in Annie Hayes (see above) for her own mysterious reasons. The girl is bright, curious and persistent, along with being a descendant of the Irish branch of the Varney family. Perhaps there is a connection with Brassavola’s former fae court or a rival fae court. Perhaps she is part of a bet or a prophecy. Anne wouldn’t know of such things, but she does realize that the Fae looks after her and makes sure she doesn’t get hurt in more ways than one. For this she feels a certain gratitude. She will not put it into words, but if she can do something for Annie’s protector, she will.


You are haunting someone and they know it. You owe them a Debt.

Andre: Anne is fascinated by the relationship between Andre and his mother. Her illness reminds her of her own days of sickness during and after her pregnancy and she originally expected that Andre and his brother would make things worse for their mother. In fact she was about to attack the Wolf to keep him from harming the poor woman, when she realized that Becky was actually delighted to see him, having waited for him the whole day. Instead of harming the youth, she has been following him ever since, trying to understand what it is that makes him different from her own children, a source of strength and hope for his mother. She still hasn’t reached a conclusion. Perhaps she never will.

[Vislands]

Evening Star (at a glance) Name: Brassavola Look: Female ✴ Black ✴ Colorful Clothing ✴ Demeanor: Alien. She knows something about you that you don't. Occupation: Party Promoter and DJ. Those in the know, the real in the know, might recognize Brassa for what she is when they see her. A fae, no doubt, but they probably haven't heard of her. Any fae worth knowing is known by their court affiliation and position - not Brassa. Her court disappeared a long time ago and she's done the tasteless, foolish (idiotic) thing of remaining a free agent. The fair folk don't take kindly to those who deny their rules. She's managed to stay below the radar, even after settling down here in DC for the past couple years. But recent events have begun to drag her into the limelight, and people start asking questions when you're in the limelight...

[wodine]

Proposed Debts. Debt 2 specifically requires some work, @Elanir

Debt 1 Someone knows you betrayed them, but they don’t know the whole story. You owe them a Debt. Victor. Fahrad mentioned your little side business to the FBI, which isn’t going to be good for anyone’s sales. Little does Victor know that Fahrad used that as a smokescreen to steer them away from an investigation involving a spirit named Eloise and strange goings on down by the river, and the strange behavior that Victor was exhibiting.

Debt 2 Someone stole something from you and lost it to the Ordo Draconis. They owe you two Debts. Anne. If there’s one place an 18th century ghost could find objects that reminded her of her home and her time it would be The Dragon’s Hoard: Rare Books and Antiques. I’m not sure what she’d be drawn to but it has to have been significant enough that the Ordo Draconis would want it. A magical mirror? A comb? A painting from her former estate with a hidden significance?

Debt 3 Someone is keeping a mortal friend or family member safe on your behalf. You owe them a Debt. Cole. – A Letter My Dear Sir, I wish to enlist the services of one, such as yourself, to provide a service of which I am confident that you possess the necessary skills and abilities to complete with the utmost discretion. I am, of course, making reference to your skills and abilities with which you excelled at your previous position, though I do not doubt that you also make a fine tailor. There is a man to whom I have grown oddly attached and he is in the profession of finding himself in unnecessary danger, particularly when it comes to issues that are outside of his traditional occupational jurisprudence. I must reiterate for both our sakes that you should not interfere with his work, lest any of our connections come to light in an unflattering manner, but instead ensure that any interactions with those shadows of which we exist within, are not altogether unpleasant. I am not asking you to do this out of charity. The margins in fashion are now, and have always been, rather small for one of such skilled craft, and enclosed with this letter you will find 3000 American, as well as a small key. Consider this original sum a thank you for taking the time to read this letter, should you agree to my request, you will find this same sum on the 1st of the month, every month for as long as you remain in my employ in the matching PO box at 1400 L St NW Lbby 2. The name of the individual I wish for you to protect is also currently in the PO box. Should you retrieve that envelope I will consider that as acceptance of this request. Warm Regards, فرهاد – A Second Letter Special Agent Daniel Kensington