InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "The backroom is reopened, boys"

Cobo Mojo Mods (cobomojomods) wrote,
@ 2011-04-20 16:07:00

Entry tags:

races

RACES

REAPERS

Reapers are beings formerly invisible to human eyes, but when the miners split open the pocket of magic, they destroyed the rift that kept the Reapers from being seen.

A Reaper's job is to remove the souls of people, preferably just before they die, and escort them until they move on into their afterlife. Now that Reapers are tangible, when seen by the living, Reapers' physical appearances are different from those they had when alive, except on Hallow's Eve when the living see them as they were in life, though fellow Reapers always see their original appearances. In a way, Reapers are immortal. They cannot die again, as they've already died once before, however, they can get hurt and they can feel pain, though they heal quickly.

New lists of those who are scheduled to die and when, are delivered by a shadowy figure - who never reveals him/herself or speaks - to each Reaper at the stroke of midnight once every week. Many Reapers prefer to work alone, though on occasion they will team up for a job or to keep from being lonely.

Completing "assignments" is mandatory for every Reaper. Failing to release a soul on several occasions will result in a Reaper's termination (generally interpreted as being sent to hell or whatever afterlife awaits them based on their particular religious beliefs). Reapers are given the first initial and last name of the person about to die, the location, and the estimated time of death (ETD), which can make some assignments difficult to accomplish.

The passage into the afterlife is shown as a brightly lit scene towards which the newly-deceased is drawn. The portal is unique to each soul: for a child, it may be a wonderful carnival, but for a prostitute, it may be a room filled with castrated men. Souls cannot be forced to enter the portals, so part of the Reapers' job is to convince such souls to do so. Additionally, Reapers are forbidden from asking about the afterlife.

Typical Reapers hold an extreme dislike for Necromancers, and have been known in the past to forcibly remove a Necro's soul from his/her body for attempting to contact a soul too soon and thus interrupting the Reaper's job. This is, however, against the rules for harvester's of the dead and is punishable by a higher authority if they are reported by another Reaper to the shadowy figures that deliver the Reaping assignments.

Visible to the living, Reapers must integrate themselves back into society. They will need shelter, food and the usual necessities of the living, though how they go about coveting these things is a matter of the Reaper's preference. Some may go the honest route, while others may choose a less than honorable route. In simple terms, Reapers must now re-learn how to be human.

Reapers have always existed. The newest Reaper to date died in 1868. They know the rules and their objectives, though whether they choose to obey these rules is up to them, consequences be damned.

They are an anomaly in that they aren't born, per se, but instead are manifestations of souls that have been given a specific job. As such, Reapers cannot procreate, for they are no longer truly alive.

NECROMANCERS

Necromancer's are humans imbued with influence over the dead, in a far different manner than Reapers. Summoning spirits in the afterlife, resurrecting the dead, making and controlling zombies; all of these make up what a Necromancer can achieve. They can also sense Reapers, which has made them enemies of said race.

A Necromancer's abilities are determined by how strong that individual is, as well as how willing a spirit is to cooperate. The simplest and most basic power of a Necromancer is the ability to see and communicate with spirits that already exist in a certain location, those who have not already moved on to whatever afterlife awaits. Eager (or perhaps annoying) spirits may pop in uninvited to pester a Necro for a task (contacting a loved one, requesting revenge for a murder, etc) or companionship. Banishing these spirits can be done in two ways: seeking help from a Reaper, or accomplishing the spirit's request. The latter is likely the easiest method.

Contacting spirits that have crossed over is the next step up. This is a ritual known as a séance and requires a minimum of one bone belonging to the former body of the spirit the Necromancer intends to contact. A circle of candles is also needed so the spirit can find its way.

Stronger Necromancers can raise and control a reanimated corpse, though most folk would highly advise against it. Resurrecting the dead is for the most powerful of Necromancers. It requires more ingredients (which can only be found and bought on the black market), and is also tricky in that it requires the joining of the body and the correct spirit. If a Necro is careless, he or she may allow an evil spirit to enter the body and chaos would likely ensue.

Like Reapers, they are forbidden from asking about the afterlife.

ELEMENTAL WITCHES

Elemental Witches, often referred to in short as simply Witches, can wield magic that is fueled by one of the four elements. Earth, air, fire and water. These individuals can be either female or male, and the strength of their spells depends on the strength of the person wielding them. Elemental Witches will experience weakness when in the presence of their polar opposite element (i.e. fire and water, earth and air).

Witches need their hands to invoke their powers. If their hands are bound, they can't access their magic. Magic is summoned by willpower (gut-feelings), as opposed to fancy words spoken in a rare language. Moments of intense anger or sadness result in a metamorphosing skin color that can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on how long it takes for the Witch to resume control of his/her emotions. A Witch may or may not be able to make their skin change to their elemental color at will.

♣ earth:

• Strongest at midnight and weakest at noon.
• Garner their powers from the earth and the soil. Feel most at ease when surrounded by nature.
• Abilities include causing minor earthquakes, manipulating terrain (i.e. creating or destroying hills, making rocks from loose soil, etc).
• When angry or upset, the Witch's skin turns green.
• Stronger Witches can turn people to stone.

♣ air:

• Strongest at sunrise and weakest at twilight.
• Garner their powers from the air and feel most at ease in open spaces.
• Have the ability to create minor to major wind storms.
• When angry or upset, the Witch's skin turns yellow/gold.
• Stronger Witches possess the power of flight.

♣ fire:

• Strongest at noon and weakest at midnight.
• Garner their powers from heat and fire, and feel most at ease when near warmth.
• They have the ability to summon or dispel fire at their fingertips.
• When angry or upset, the Witch's skin turns red.
• Stronger Witches have the power to engulf their entire body in flames.

♣ water:

• Strongest at twilight and weakest at dawn.
• Garner their powers from water and feel most at ease surrounded by it.
• Abilities include causing or depleting floods, sensing bodies of water, temporarily encasing people and things in ice/frost, etc.
• When angry or upset, the Witch's skin turns blue.
• Stronger Witches have the power to breathe under water.

PSYCHICS

Psychics will display no physical changes to their anatomy, other than perhaps a bemused expression upon hearing the inner thoughts of a less than honest priest or something of that nature. Of all the races, psychics are the most difficult to uncover.

♣ telepaths: have the ability to hear a person's thoughts, and can communicate via their thoughts with other telepaths. Can only hear human thoughts, not animals.
♣ clairvoyants experience visions of things happening in the near future (only hours or days ahead).
♣ telekenetics can move objects without physically touching them.
♣ empaths share the feelings and emotions of another person. Stronger empaths can influence that person's emotions.
♣ psychometrists can read an object's history; who made it, where it came from, where it's been, etc.

WERE CREATURES

For hundreds of years Native American legends have spoken of humans taking on the form of animals, yet unlike vampires, the majority of the Werecreature tales have been mostly positive. Revered or not, this supposed acceptance by the Native Americans has had little effect over convincing this race to reveal themselves fully to the human world.

There are two types of Werecreatures; those who are born, and those who are bitten. Born Werecreatures have the obvious advantage, entering the world with the instincts needed for their impending metamorphosis. The onset of puberty introduces a host of additional challenges in a young born Were's life. Personalities and priorities may change or develop, depending on which sort of creature the pubescent Were will become.

Although genetics does play a part in it, an offspring's form may or may not be the same as the parent. It isn't unheard of in the supernatural world for a male werebear and a female werejackal to parent a wereskunk. No reports of werebear-jackal hybrids have yet been discovered.

Passing on the Werecreature gene is as easy as biting a human. Thus, bitten Werecreatures. A bitten Were will experience his or her first Change at the next full moon, and will take on the form of the Werecreature that bit them.

Changes are not dictated by the phases of the moon. They are able to Change at will, however, every Change is painful, especially the first, though the intensity varies for the individual. Being closely bonded to animals and thus sharing certain characteristics, a person with this bloodline may have any number of enhanced senses, though this depends highly on the animal whose form they take. For example, a weremole may have a strong sense of smell, but poor eyesight, especially when Changed.

FAE

Fae are the broadest race of supernatural. Any being that doesn't fall into the other categories belongs to this race.

Abilities rang anywhere from those who feed on sexual energy (succubus/incubus), to those who use glamour to alter their appearance (faeries), to those who can change their height at will (pixies). The one thing they have in common is that they all have the ability to take human form. It's whether they want to, that makes them different. Some fae go out of their way to torment humans, drive them into madness and eventually kill them. Others are perfectly content to remain hidden among "normal" society.

VAMPIRES

Vampires are the leeches of human-shaped society. They thrive on human blood, though how long they are able to go between feedings varies between each individual vampire.

Legends say holy objects are deadly to these beings, though this is completely false. Holy objects themselves hold no ill effects. Crosses crafted of wood, however, will make a vampire wary. The only way to truly kill a vampire is a wooden stake through the heart.

Exposure to sunlight also varies from vampire to vampire. There are some who can spend the entire day out in the blistering sun and not get burnt. Others would burst into flame the longer they remain in the light. Prolonged exposure or not, vampires will not tan. All of them have pale skin and no heartbeat.

Vampires are not born, but made. The complete history of how vampires came to be is a mystery, but there are enough old vampires out there that it's quite unlikely they'll cease to exist. To become a vampire, a human must undergo the horrific (and sometimes traumatizing) ritual of having his or her blood completely drained by a vampire, and once they are upon the brink of death, they must feed from that vampire. New vampires are typically very loyal to their "maker," and will go above and beyond to obey their maker in exchange for protection and guidance.

Reapers may find themselves confused in the presence of these beings who appear in many manners to be deceased. No soul will be detected, however, this does not entirely confirm that vampires possess no soul. Necromancers will be able to spot vampires instantly.

HUMANS

Humans have no inherent magical abilities whatsoever. They have the typical strengths and weaknesses of any human, and are susceptible to the influence of spellcraft. That's not to say they're weak. In fact, some of those who have magic see humans as the lucky ones.

The lack of magical ability makes it possible for humans to approach the mine without any negative effects. Humans may be given the opportunity to evolve as the game progresses.

NAVIGATION

Application ♣ Businesses
Cast ♣ Dropbox ♣ Event Calendar
Friend-All ♣ Locations
Premise ♣ Races ♣ Resources
Rules ♣ Taken, Held, Etc ♣ Wanted