Gatiss Underbelly (Open)

StellaThomas · 2013-01-28T22:48:38Z

WELCOME TO GATISS, THE CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD. It’s mainly a rumour amongst the humans- every year, part of the city’s budget is sequestered away to the ‘Phoenix Fund’, and the urban legends say that this is a bribe to stop vampires killing the children of Gatiss. And for the most part, they’re right. They’re right, Gatiss is a city teeming with the undead, vampires and werewolves for the main part, but even among them there are rumours of banshees and witches. Phoenix Foster, a thousand year old warlock, has a deal with the mayor. The money he is allotted gives the vampires an allowance from the blood bank, green fields rented to the werewolves at full moon and lots of raw meat. In return, Phoenix ensures there are no human deaths. No human deaths. Because that doesn’t make it a safe place for the supernaturals, with gangs and turf wars and two sides on every issue. Then there are the vampire mates. One person out of a million has the ability to bear a vampire child. And that’s where Louise, a law student in Gatiss College, comes in. Because she’s just been cornered down an alley way by a werewolf, saved by a vampire called Sarah, and sent spiralling into a whole new world. THE PLOT Louise is a newly discovered vampire mate who is discovered one night by a werewolf and then has her life saved by a vampire. Pretty soon the fights begin to happen- the werewolf packs want her gone, and each vampire clan want her for herself since the vampire she is “for” has not been discovered yet. The coven that currently has her is run by a very compassionate and kind vampire called Melissa who understands Louise’s reluctance and is keen to keep her safe. But as tempers run short, Louise’s presence in House Melissa becomes a liability. Some vampires will side with Melissa to keep Louise safe, others against her to take Louise for their own. The werewolves will stop at nothing to kill her. Phoenix and his human allies will also do everything in their power to protect Louise- but this could prove a hindrance rather than a help. The other supernaturals in the city will take sides too depending on their personal alliances and motives. THE WORLD Vampires- survive only on human blood, but blood from the blood bank will do just fine. Can be driven feral by bloodlust if not properly fed. Can be born but also made . That is, the offspring of a vampire and a vampire mate will be a vampire, but they can also be made by ingesting vampire blood. However, born vampires are much stronger, much healthier beings, those that are made only have a 10% chance of surviving over a month- especially as a rogue vampire can be dealt the death penalty on the spot. A vampire child will be raised with safe habits- plus just like humans, the majority of vampires want children, hence the importance. Vampires can go out in the sunlight in a hat and gloves, long sleeves, sunglasses and SPF365 on a dull day. They don’t go on fire in sunlight, but their skin begins to blister with second-degree burns upon immediate contact with UV radiation if they’re not careful. They are immortal but can be killed by a wooden stake to the heart or a beheading or fire. Vampire Mates- Normal humans with a genetic predisposition (just ignore science) that makes them a) able to bear vampire offspring and b) discoverable by scent. The existence of a vampire mate is cause for everything but a romance. The werewolves want them all dead, the vampires needless to say want them all alive. Each mate is destined for one particular vampire- but while the vampire will have a pathological need to protect them there need not be any love on either side. It’s more like stalking, really. Werewolves- Turn at the full moon, it’s a painful process but older ones are so used to it that they can usually turn at will. They don’t have a long life expectancy though, there tends to be a lot of silver knife crime between warring packs. Silver and beheading will do it for a werewolf. They heal quickly from other wounds but other than that, a love of red meat and some hirsutism, they’re generally pretty human. Whitelighters- A Whitelighter is a former human who, because he/she was very kind when he/she lived, has been given another chance and therefore come back from the dead. They are basically guardian angels (but without the wings) who protect one person, or occupationally a small group of people, with their lives. To be able to do this they have a type of sixth sense that enables them to always sense where the person they're protecting is and how that person is feeling, both mentally and physically. They also have the power to heal any wound and to teleport. They are quite harmless, but if you want to kill one anyway the only way to do so would be with dark magic, which works like a poison on them. Since their bodies actually consists of small orbs of white light (hence the name) they are tough to kill without magic, but can easily be knocked unconscious. A Whitelighter is no stronger than an average human when it comes to physical strength. They have no need for food or sleep, and see it more like a luxury. Phoenixes- Phoenixes, as a race, have been around since the Egyptian times, however, their numbers have never exceeded twelve. There are two families, Ur-Hashan from Tyre, Lebanon, and the Ramses from Heliopolis, Egypt, who still survive to this day. Part of the former moved to Greece during the expansion of the Phoenicians and stayed there for several centuries. Herodotus, who couldn't resist describing the mythical race, did so in one of his books, and again Ovid, having met the family founder, in his Metamorphosis, from which we have a good deal of information. The Ramses family stayed in Egypt for the most part, though they, as is in their nature, couldn't resist traveling across the globe. Yes, like the Egyptian royal family. Precisely like that. They were worshiped as gods in their time, and have always been the prouder of the two families. As of now both families are scattered across the globe. There are a couple in the Americas, one in Dubai, multiple scattered across Europe, one in North Africa somewhere, even one in Japan, and of course in Gatiss. As mentioned, phoenixes have a natural lifespan of five hundred years, after which they die consumed in ashes and are reborn some time later, ready to live again. They can be killed by any means. If they die a violent death, they can still be reborn after a set amount of years. They possess both a bird form and a human avatar. As bird, they have a wingspan of four meters and are two meters in length, with a red body, golden wing-tips and a blue tail. They retain arab features as human, though their skin bleaches or tans depending on the climate. They all have golden-yellow eyes, and some have blue or fiery red hair. Their vision is sharper than a human's. Other than that, they are indistinguishable from humans (in human form, of course). Witches- Witches are humans that have the ability to perform magic when certain resources are allowed to them- potions, talismans and magical artefacts. They cannot perform magic without these things. However, unlike warlocks, they do not become addicted to magic so easily. They are human and can die any human death. Warlocks- Warlocks are the "Children of Lillith", born with slightly unhuman features but overall not that different to a human. They are however immortal, and can perform magic without assistance. Magic is dangerously addictive to warlocks however, so must are unwilling to use it unless absolutely necessary. They're also of a rather lackadaisacal disposition anyway. Sirens- Humans born with a genetic abnormality, sirens are shapeshifters that can turn into nightingales, and in human form have cats-eyes. They possess unnatural abilities of persuasion and charisma. Other than that, however, they are completely human- or even subhuman, with very weak immune systems and susceptibility to disease. Night Hunters- Night Hunters are a band of hunters that do jobs for clients that request there assistance of the Night Hunters, the current leader of the Night Hunters is a single hunter known as Reyla Barron who dispatch's hunters on request once a contract has been reached between Reyla and the client(s) for a certain amount of money. The team of hunters that is sent out it's weaknesses and strengths and weaknesses will be based on what the job calls for. Night Hunters will not response to missions that regard to delivery of an item or message to a certain place or person, unlawful murder of paranormals, unlawful murder of humans, escort missions that do not have solid proof of threats from the paranormal, and other missions so on and so forth. Night Hunters does not discriminate against clients based on Race, Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Nationality, or other such things. Assassination missions may only be contracted based on evidence and threats and a release from government officials that issue an official statement that evidence has been provided and simply chasing off and or guarding will not deter hostiles from attacking clients. The signed slip of paper must be signed by the mayor himself before an assassination mission is carried out, once the mission has been carried out, the client must pay the Head Hunter Reyla Barron the amount of money agreed upon. The weapons each Night Hunter uses will be based on there weapon of preferance, each weapon will have been made out of Silver, ballistic knives blades will have been made out of wood and packed with small amount of C4 that will be strong enough to tear a vampires chest apart. Each gun will have a blade made of silver on either the barrel or stock of the gun the only exception to this is a Sniper Rifle, that used on such a weapon will cause serious injury to the Hunter. In the case that seventy-two hours is to go by and a Night Hunter team has failed to report in there mission, a second scouting team shall be sent out to assess the situation determine if the previous team was captured or killed. If they had been captured, the scout team is to retreat and report in the situation and how many in numbers are the hostiles. From there, it will be determined by Reyla Barron whether or not the first team can be rescued, once a decision has been made Reyla will instruct what is to happen next from that point. THE RULES 1. No god-modding. 2. Nothing R-rated. 3. I expect at least two paragraphs in every post. I also don’t want a single conversation spread out over fifteen posts. If you’re not sure how someone else’s character would act, ask for their help in writing the post or co-write it in a WFP. 4. Good grammar essential. 5. In the end, I’m the owner of the SB, and what I say goes. I’m not a villain, I’ll take what you have to say into account. 6. All profiles should be cleared with me. 7. No OOC posts in the thread. You can claim a spot for your profile, but I expect all other OOC posts to be directed to the DT. 8. The mate plot is really not an excuse for a magical vamphuman romance. Seriously. So don’t try it. Romance is allowed, but not between vampire and mate just “because.” CHARACTERS Humans Louise- a law student- Claimed by Lauren2010 Reyla Barron- a Night Hunter- Claimed by Loyal Heart Members of House Melissa Melissa Boland- the head of the House Melissa coven, Louise’s protector- Claimed by Stella Thomas Sarah Vaudeville- Louise’s very reluctant saviour, a member of House Melissa- Claimed by StellaThomas Emilie Anne Greene- a very armed and dangerous vampire- Claimed by Pencil2Paper Other Vampires Damianos- leader of the House of Damian- Claimed by Alvarin Altair Sirius Elafson- an independent, wheelchair-bound vampire- Claimed by Shadowlight Werewolves Dante Xiv- a rogue- Claimed by VeerenVKS Alexander- a young werewolf, protected by Cristina Witches Lily Blackwell- a young witch- Claimed by Sunwater Phoenixes Seth VI- a bank manager- Claimed by LouisCypher Sirens Blue Monell- a deeply religious young siren- Claimed by thestorygirl Whitelighters Per-Sivert Nilsson- an originally Swedish Whitelighter- Claimed by Alvarin Cristina Medici- an originally Italian Whitelighter- Claimed by AriaAdams PROFILE TEMPLATE [b]Name:[/b] [b]Race:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Appearance:[/b] [b]Alliance:[/b] [b]Personality:[/b] [b]History:[/b] [b]Other:[/b] http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=200&t=96655 -DT

Pencil2paper

Gender

Points 822

Reviews 50

Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:18 am

Pencil2paper says... · Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:18 am

Emilie

"Your friend is lucky..." The werewolf says, turning to face me.

That's interesting. Most werewolves can't speak when changed. What was even more surprising- and frightening- was what he did next. Instead of just attacking me, he turned into a human, carrying a wooden stake. A clever werewolf. I smiled, ready for the fight.

"... had I known she was such a good fighter, I might have put up a challenge." He says intimidatingly, twirling his stake as he did so. I just grinned more, flashing my knives in the moonlight.

I was ready for the inevitable. I was ready for a fight. But it never came. Instead of attacking, he simply walked past, saying quietly in his gravelly voice that all werewolves seem to acquire, "I don't know you. I have no reason to fight you."

I stood there, gaping, open mouthed at his receding back. I had never met a werewolf like that. Dangerous, clever, and a pacifist. He was certainly a conundrum. After I regained my composure I practically ran to the House of Melissa, to greet the new vampire mate and tell Sarah about my encounter with the werewolf. I wonder what they'll say...

"Look out! He's got a daisy!"
- Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Chuck Norris- worshiping gnomes, undead pandas, pet chupacabras and undead Keanu Reeves-what could possibly go wrong?

Alvarin

Gender

Points 305

Reviews 30

Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:53 am

Alvarin says... · Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:53 am

Per-Sivert Nilsson
I chuckled when I saw Dante leave without starting a fight. I had been close to interfering, but there hadn't been any need for me to do that. It sure was nice with a protegee that could take care of himself.

I teleported down, placing myself behind the corner of the alley, so that Dante wouldn't see me. I still hadn't managed to tell him that I was a whitelighter, even though I should've. It didn't feel right to lie.

"Hey," I said just as he turned the corner.

He looked startled for a second, but soon regained his composure. "Peter, what are you doing here?"

I smiled. "Oh, you know me. I'm always around."

"Yeah, I've noticed." He sounded slightly suspicious. Well, of course he did, he wasn't stupid. He knew something was weird about me.

"You done wolfing about?" He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and I laughed. "Werewolfing about."

He shrugged. "I guess I'm done for tonight. Found something interesting."

"Is that so?" I really hoped that he wouldn't try to hurt that girl again, 'cause if he did I would have to stop him. I didn't have to do it, but I knew from experience that people who did the right thing often felt better about themselves. Though not everyone though that killing someone was wrong, but I knew that Dante did.. Most of the time, anyway. "Feel like doing something, or are you going home?"

Damianos
He dialed the number that my assistant had given me, and leaned back in his new throne.

"Hello, Melissa Boland speaking."

"Mel. It's been years." He didn't need to introduce myself, she knew all to well who he was.

"Damian." She didn't sound quite as surprised as he would've liked her to. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought I'd inform you that I've decided to pay a visit to your charming little city."

"Gatiss or Kildare?" Stupid question. It almost sounded like she didn't want him there. He snickered silently.

"Which do you think? I'd love a catch up, if you're free. How long has it been - thirty years?"

"Thirty seven."

He stood up and walked over to the window. A vampire he recognized from his house had pinned a girl towards a wall down below. He waved his assistant over to the window and gestured towards them. They had just arrived, and the fools were already breaking the rules. He'd have to set an example. "I was wondering if you were free later tonight, actually," he said, his voice completely unaffected, but a nasty smile spreading across his face.

"I think I can squeeze you in somewhere."

"Why don't you come to our new lodgings on Beckett Avenue, four o'clock?" That would give him enough time to execute that vampire, and clean up the mess.

"I'll be there." She hung up, and he put the phone back in his back pocket.

Another vampire had come out and pulled the first one away from the girl. She ran away in panic. Not even a minute passed before the vampire was brought before him. He looked terrified. Just like he should.

"What's your name?"

"Elijah Jackson, my lord."

"Didn't I tell all of you to stay away from the humans of this town?" He sat down on his throne again, and threw both legs over the armrest.

"Y-yes, my lord. Forgive me, I couldn't control myself. I didn't have time to feed before we left, and the blood bags hasn't arrived yet. I wasn't going to kill her, I swear!" The desperation in Elijah's voice became more apparent for every word.

"So you haven't fed in 3 days?" he said, mock empathy in his voice.

The tone was enough to trick him. "No, my lord."

"I haven't fed in a week, but do you see me risking our cover here?"

"N-no, my lord."

"Take him to the conference room, and tell the other lowlifes to gather there."

"Yes, my lord," said the vampire who had brought Elijah inside.

"Then kill him slowly, and as painfully as you can."

"Yes, my lord."

Damian waved his hand lazily, dismissing them. His assistant was the only one who remained in the room. He stayed silent for a while, seeming to think something through. His assistant knew from former experiences that she souldn't interrupt his thoughts.

"Make sure to clean up the mess before Melissa arrives," he muttered and closed his eyes. Being constantly surrounded to idiots was starting to wear him out. Maybe he could get a moment of sleep before Melissa arrived.

“Are you looking for sympathy? You'll find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis”
― Thomas Harris

Lothbrok

Gender

Points 832

Reviews 5

Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:12 am

Lothbrok says... · Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:12 am

Henri Duroc

“Happy Birthday to me.” Henri mumbled as he staggered through the streets, his hair and suit damp from the near constant rain that refused to go away. “Happy Birthday to me.” He took another swig from the bottle. A Negative, taken from a Swedish athlete and sent as a present by an old acquaintance. Like wine or whisky blood all tasted the same in the beginning but over the years you began to spot the difference, the Vampire thought. The blood of a homeless alcoholic might fill you up but you will not feel spry afterwards. The blood of a well to do suburbanite who keeps in shape and worries about cholesterol was like a forty year old whisky.

“Thank god for health magazines.” Henri said aloud as he bumped into another pedestrian. He’d made a rookie mistake that night – mixed blood types. Now he was paying the price. His vision blurred as he moved and he felt sensations in his arms and legs that he hadn’t felt since the good old blood bath days. But that all changed, there were rules in Gatiss – no feeding off humans, no kidnapping their children to turn them into loyal servants, no locking thieves up in the basement and bleeding them dry over a period of weeks. But at least there were no mobs with pitch forks and torches anymore. Henri had to admit that they’d been novel and amusing for the first few times but then they just got annoying. Henri was forced to lean on a lamppost and dry heave for a couple of minutes before he could move on again. He’d probably need to rest for a couple days after this, but it had been worth it no doubt – three fights and at least one new member added to the ever disturbing vampire fan club. Duroc stopped again as he neared the House of Melissa. He perked up and began to sniff the air, wolf. He followed the scent to a short man sitting in a bar, staring the door to the House. Henri walked up behind him and leaned in close as to whisper in his ear.

“Back to your own neighbourhood, dog.” The werewolf nearly jumped out of his seat. Grinning, Henri took the seat opposite him.

“Laws don’t say we can’t be here.” The werewolf snarled. Henri chuckled.

“But we both know how this works.” He flashed a sadistic smile. “I find you sniffing around the coven again and I’ll break every bone in your body before I take your heart out and eat it. Or who knows, I might let you live – I’ve got a mind to start the dog fights back up.” The werewolf downed his drink and stood up.

“Your time will come soon.” He spat.

“The last time anyone came close they had a cannon.” Henri stood up to. “Now away with you, I think I saw a chef throw out some scraps a couple blocks back, why don’t you go rummage through the trash?” The werewolf scowled before snatching up his coat and leaving the bar.
With a smug smile on his face Henri made his way to the coven, fumbling with his keys at the door before finally getting in. In the waiting room Sarah stood with a woman in heels, a short skirt and a soaked tight cardigan. Henri chuckled yet again and clapped a little.

“Oh, Sarah. A stripper? You really didn’t have to.” The woman screwed up her face.

“I’m not a stripper.” Henri barely heard her.

“Shush now darling, we don’t pay you to speak.”

“She’s not a stripper.” Sarah put in. Henri’s smile disappeared as he hung up his coat.

“Well that’s a horrible anti-climactic end to a birthday.”

If at first you don't succeed then destroy any evidence that you ever tried

veeren

Supporter

Gender

Points 5211

Reviews 184

Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:49 am

veeren says... · Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:49 am

Dante Xiv

"Feel like doing something, or are you going home?" Peter asked.

Kill some time with you before I have to go back into the forest? I wasn't tired anyway. "I guess I have some time to waste." I told him.

He seemed a bit relieved at my answer, "Great."

We set off down the street in silence. Complete silence. I held my head up and took in a big whiff of the air. I could still smell her. If I left now, I could probably still manage to... no. Peter wouldn't like that. He'd get mad at me. Well, not mad, he's never angry, but he'd be disappointed, and I couldn't have that. What kind of person would I be to disappoint my only friend?

"Something wrong?" I hadn't even notice Peter stopped to look at me.

"Oh no, I'm- fine. So, where were we going again?"

"Love is the name for our pursuit of wholeness, for our desire to be complete."

-Plato's Symposium

Alvarin

Gender

Points 305

Reviews 30

Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:26 pm

Alvarin says... · Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:26 pm

Per-Sivert Nilsson
"Oh no, I'm- fine. So, where were we going again?"

"My place," I said and smiled at his surprised face. I wanted to keep an eye on him, and I didn't feel like spending the whole night in the woods again. I had brought him home a couple of times before, but not too often. I didn't have much furniture, and the only things in my fridge was pudding and.. Well, sweets. Lots of it. I knew it made him suspicious. "I bought a chessboard."

"You want to play chess?" He didn't sound too happy about it.

"Yes, I do. Unfortunately I don't have anyone else than you to play with, so you're playing whether you want or not." I tried to sound intimidating, but failed miserably and made him laugh instead. "And besides, it has to be better than hanging about in the woods all night." He looked like he was going to protest, so I added: "I'll cook something."

"Last time you were going to cook we ended up eating ice cream."

"You sure didn't complain about it then," I said with a laugh.

We walked the rest of they way joking, like we did most of the time, trying a bit too hard to stay away from any serious topic. I had left the door to my apartment open as usual, and Dante wasn't too fond about it. I didn't have anything worth stealing, except the pudding, and I had never heard of pudding thieves.

"I find it hard to believe that you survive on this stuff," Dante said with a sigh as I handed him a chocolate bar.

I smiled, not really caring to try to make some excuse or lie. It would be a relief if he found out, though I was unsure on how he'd react. Mathilda, my first protege had freaked out, but Dante wasn't the type to freak out. Besides, he wasn't a human either. "Black or white?"

"Take a guess."

I snickered. "I'll be white then." I turned the board and moved a white pawn two steps forward. Last time I played chess had been with that other whitelighter that I met, and that was over ten years ago.

“Are you looking for sympathy? You'll find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis”
― Thomas Harris

Gatiss Underbelly (Open)

About / Info

Forums & RPG

Literary

Resources