darkSpyro

Magic is not unusual where you live. Sure, not everyone can access it, but it's always there. Teenagers spraypaint various runes on walls, overpasses. People in coffee shops impress one another with little tricks. Some chilling or warming their drinks with ice and fire, others typing spell commands on their laptops.

Magic works like wifi here. It's all around, waiting to be connected to and drawn from for spells. Some, like the fairies, never have to reach outward to draw magic, as they are already full of it. Few are terribly skilled with it, though.

The small, metropolitan area known as Greenway has been known for a diverse population of the magically inclined. You might be new here, or you may have been here your whole life.

Somehow, either by newspaper ad, poster, or social media, you've learned that an individual needs help... acquiring something. You've decided to check it out. Maybe you could use the money.

Participants:

Blackfury96 - Melissa Greymark
cyndego - Sorin Markov
Wolfgang - Gabe Talbot, Lex Zaiden
redwes - Darin
Wrystel - Myrin
PwnageFTW - Axel


My Characters (in order of appearance)

Name: Darcy Carver-Brooks
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: Early twenties
Physical Description: Around five feet tall, slender, toned. Short, messy black hair. Bright blue eyes. Pale-complected. Usually dresses like she's out clubbing, even in the middle of the day. (mostly tight tube tops and skirts. Mostly black)
Magic Type: Cryomancer (can form small and large ice shards)
General Skills: Currently Unrevealed
Personality: Appears to be a bit of a brat. Does not approve of Hazel's plan. Worries about Hazel nonetheless.
Short History: Currently Unrevealed

Name: Hazel Lynn Vassallo
Gender: Female
Race: Assumed to be human
Age: Mid-twenties
Physical Description: Around 6'4" tall. Wide hips, visibly muscular, but not incredibly. Light brown skin, lots of freckles. Appears to be italian or sicilian. Long, wavy blonde hair that mostly stays back. Usually wears a suit and pants. Rarely removes her sunglasses.
Magic Type: Unknown, presumed mundane
General Skills: Unknown
Personality: Hazel has, thus far, revealed herself as a smooth talker.
Short History: Unknown at the moment. She has contracted everyone to find Fury's Heart. She has a lot of money somehow.
Other: Speaks with a Jersey accent. Probably faking it to sound cool, seeing as it fluctuates with a Bostonian accent sometimes.

Name: Celeste
Gender: Female
Race: Unitaur (one-horned centaur)
Age: Unknown, appears to be in late twenties
Physical Description: Around six feet. All-around muscular and imposing. Her horse body is black, while her human parts are pale, almost grey-ish. Long, black hair. Violet eyes. One single, glistening horn protruding from her forehead. Wears only a leather jacket over what appears to be a white sports bra. Always wears a crescent moon amulet.
Magic Type: Basic healing, Detection (seeing and feeling magic, seeing non-visible fields and runes)
General Skills: Bartending, trash-talking. Knows every bit of gossip in the Runed District. Good with a switchblade.
Personality: Outwardly cold, generally cynical. Regardless, she's actually pretty helpful, as long as you don't give her a bad vibe. Not afraid to forcefully remove rude patrons from her workplace. Addicted to various magical narcotics. Swears she can quit any time. Hates clothes.
Short History: Not much is known about Celeste's past. It wasn't terribly eventful anyway.

RULES

How magic works in this universe.

Magic functions like wifi. It's there, it's waiting to be "tapped." However, it's difficult to access without tons of skill and focus. To remedy this, "servers" were created.

Servers take the magic in the air and organize it into channels of magical energy, which can be tapped easily with minimal focus. Every major area has a public server. Private servers exist for elite magical groups.

The more adjusted someone is to the magic of an area, the easier it is to access the public server.

Servers have "channels" for each type of magic. Drawing from a designated channel isn't essential for casting, but it makes focus less necessary if you'r using the channel that supports your type of magic.

Basically: Magic is like internet, it has it's own sort of "grid." You don't have to know all this to really partake in the story, but I figured you should know how the universe works.

Basic Rules

1. I am GM, hear me roar

2. I accept co-GMs. Message me if you wanna help with this

3. Most mythical races are accepted. Be reasonable. They should have a least a semi-human form to shift into. Ask me if you're not sure about a race. This is because it's simply more convenient for them to traverse a city that way. You can ask me if you want to work around this. I can't promise compromises.

4. Characters in this universe have little reason to learn massive amounts of destructive magic. They do live in a civilized society, after all. Yes, yours can be fighters. Don't expect them to be ultra experienced though.

5. Try not to go overboard with the powers and skills. You know what I mean.

6. You don't have to be magic. Regular humans exist here.

7. I'll be dropping and entering my characters as the plot calls for it. I'll be introducing them via paragraph, but there are character sheets available for anyone who's curious.

8. Romance and flirting are totally allowed. I'm trusting that everyone knows what the limits are on that.

9. I'll post my character sheets in the top post, as the characters appear in-story. To prevent meta-gaming, I'll only list what has been revealed in the story, or what you need to know at the moment

Character Sheet Explained:

Name: Self-explanitory, include any alias
Gender: Any and every gender is welcome!
Race: If you're not sure about a fantasy race, ask me! Remember, they'll have to have a form that can easily navigate and be sustained in a humanoid-dominated environment.
Age: If your character doesn't age at a human pace, give us an idea of where they would be physically and mentally in human years.
Physical Description: If you're going to write a description, keep it under a mid-sized paragraph.
Magic Type: This means the type of magic they're inclined to. Doesn't have to be the only stuff they use. They can even go against their inclination. Also, not every magical person has an inclination.
General Skills: Stuff they can do that isn't exactly magic. Include any special items.
Personality: (optional, but helpful)
Short History: (optional, but helpful)

OOC: I may be interested in this but the best character for this, is Myrin Starwalker, the last unicorn. He does not have the ability to turn into a human or even a semi one. This is part of the reason he is so rarely seen by anyone, let alone, the normal humans.

That's going to make it very hard to participate.

Name: Melissa Graymark
Age: 85
Race: Werewolf
Gender: Female
Magic Type): Poison
Appearance: When human - When werewolf
General Skills: Wields a Bow and Arrow
Personality:
Backstory:

I can't see your links. You might need to fix them. Also, there's a pre-made character sheet in the rules. I'd prefer you fill it out instead.

Name: Gabe Talbot
Gender: Male
Race: Were-Chimera
Age: 35
Physical Description: As a human, he has grey hair, golden eyes, and a thin, slightly athletic build. Hides his 'true' form (Humanoid bearlike body, wolf head, lion mane, bat ears and wings, bull horns, canid clawed/furred hands, hooved legs, reptilian tail that ends in a shark fin) from those he doesn't know well, usually defaulting to a Werewolf form in situations that require additional strength/senses. (His shapeshifting is limited to a spectrum between his unique human form and animalistic features, and he cannot change his gender or into a human that isn't "him". He also can't reduce/increase his mass by an unreasonable amount (He can't take on the size of an insect or a skyscraper, for instance), and weighs the same in all forms.)
Magic Type: Light (Light level manipulation, creating intangible holograms, making objects/beings imperfectly invisible)
General Skills: Rudimentary combat, hunting and tracking, social blending, quick learning.
Personality: Shy to those he doesn't know, but when he opens up, he's a kind soul that will stand up for people that he thinks have been wronged. He can be a bit uptight at times, but generally means well, and won't resort to violence if he can help it. He has let his anxieties about fitting in and not being a 'freak' mold his social skills, making him a bit clingy to friends that accept him.
Short History: Adopted by a Werewolf mother and a Werebear father, he has always felt like a freak since his first change, where he took on a monstrous form after the stress of finding his father's lifeless, murdered body. During the time that his mother was still alive, he kept his 'true' form hidden from the rest of his family, pretending to just be a normal werewolf just to fit in. He continued to do so after the two were orphaned, keeping his secret when moving from relative to relative with his brother. Recently, he has become one of the managers of his family's old Pizzeria in town.

EDIT: Here's my second character.
Name: Alexander "Al, Lex, and Xander" Zaiden
Details: See here.

This doesn't start until I have enough people.

Power-copying does bend the rules a bit. Unless he could only mimic them to a weaker extent.

It's a complicated thing to set rules to. I'd ditch it, if you could.

Okay, sounds fair. I'll think on another that could work, then. Is he otherwise okay?

Name: Sorin Markov
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 25
Physical Description:
Magic Type:**-
General Skills: Very good physically, Has a 9mm pistol.
Personality: Very quiet, does not care much what happens around him. But is helpful if needed.
Short History: Sorin has lived his whole life in Greenway, but does not have many friends. He has have some criminal background, but nothing very serious.

Accepted. Fix your pic, though. it isn't displaying.

Quote: Wolfgang

Okay, sounds fair. I'll think on another that could work, then. Is he otherwise okay?

Otherwise, yes.

Quote: Blackfury96

Name: Melissa Graymark
Age: 85
Race: Werewolf
Gender: Female
Magic Type): Poison
Appearance: When human - When werewolf
General Skills: Wields a Bow and Arrow
Personality:
Backstory:

You're accepted. Thank you for fixing the links! Also, new rules will be edited in in a second.

OOC: I suppose I could have him be able to be human, but there would definitely be some obvious features that would tell those who know him, that the human is in fact him. In the original story, however, this is not possible.

OOC: Modify what you need to to make it fit. This universe has different rules than the one your character came from, so you can't expect to keep every feature.

OOC: I'll add to this later.

Name: Myrin Starwalker
Gender: Male
Race: Last Starlight Unicorn
Age: Do not ask (Ancient)
Physical Description: Unicorn (Myrin is a pure snow-white unicorn with deep midnight blue eyes and snow-white mane as well as tail) Human (Myrin is a tall and very young, athletic looking human with long golden hair and midnight blue eyes)
Magic Type: Unknown
General Skills: Has the power to heal even the most fatal of wounds, can purify any water with a touch of his horn, wisdom beyond his years and wherever he treads life springs to life around him(This is only in his true form.)
Personality: Myrin is a wild and untamed spirit, however he cares dearly for those around him, willing to endanger himself to protect them. Not much more is known about him as he remains elusive.
Short History: Myrin has been sought out for council and his wisdom, by many, but few are lucky to even get a glimpse of him.

OOC: Oh, and unicorns aren't entirely extinct in this universe, just very rare.

Quote: BlinktheCookie

Accepted. Fix your pic, though. it isn't displaying.

Quote: Wolfgang

Okay, sounds fair. I'll think on another that could work, then. Is he otherwise okay?

Otherwise, yes.

Done.

Oh, and try to keep the gunplay to a minimum. Guns aren't something that I have worked out in this universe. They exist, but they bend to the rules of magic like everything else.

Just don't get OP with it.

Name: Darin
Gender: Male
Race: Gryphon / Elven (shapeshifter)
Age: 21 (older in gryphon/elven years)

Physical Description: His appearance varies, depending on his form. Both forms share the same brown eyes as well as an distinctive scare over his left (blind) eye.
Elven form - In his elven form, he's average height for an elf though taller then the (usually) shorter humans. He wears leather armor for light protection and is capable of handling weapons in this form. [image credit to "LotR Scene Maker"]
Gryphon form - In his gryphon form, he's average size for an gryphon and is tan/white/brown. In this form, his scar becomes more obvious and he must rely on limited telepathy for communication with humans. [image credit to adoren]

Magic Type: telepathy (limited), shapeshifting

Telepathy explained: Due to the gryphon's natural inability to speak the common tongue, Darin's means of communication are slightly limited in his gryphon form. While he can speak to animals and other creatures with no issues, his only means of communicating with people is via telepathy. This ability results from his shapeshifter origins and is quite limited in fact. While he can send mental messages and also receive mental replies if the particular user is capable of such, the range is extremely limited and only useful for basic communication. Full mind-reading is not possible with this ability and he can receive what the particular telepathic user wants him to receive. While he can project his "message" into an nearby user, he cannot compel or force someone to do something.

General Skills: An an elf, he is proficient in the use of a simple hunting bow and a scimitar in close quarters. In ether form, he is quite knowledgeable of the woods and is an excellent hunter/tracker.
Personality: He's brave, tends to strategize, and is quite loyal to those he considers friend. However, he's cautious around new people and tends to be less trustful of humans. Actually being 2/3 gryphon, he greatly prefers his gryphon form when possible (alone or with friends) but will use his elven form when necessary.
Short History: Darin originally came from a universe with many humanoid races and many mystical ones as well. Darin's homeland, Torphen, was inhabited by elves and partly bordered to the north by Talath-- a land of humans. These humans had often seeked to "obtain" gryphons and Darin had long ago been "dropped off"in Torphen for his own safety. He was originally raised by tiger-like gryphons in the Calen Forest near the village of Eryn. He had only remembered his name and was raised by these gryphons until the age of 14. At that time, an incident had occurred with the local half-elven village and he had discovered his ability to shapeshift. He was then raised by an hunter called Logan and taught to use his elven form in the years that followed. Eventually, he returned to the woods and more-or-less became the protector of Eryn-- watching it via the skies. He had received his scar one day when a group of human slavers had attempted to capture him. Later, a group of magic users had attempted to take him and accidentally sent him to another universe by mistake. He woke up the woods near Greenway and found that he could no longer shift at will. Stuck in his elven form for some time, he had found a living as a hunter and eventually re-discovered the land's similar but different "magic" allowing him to again shapeshift.

You might have to explain the intent of his telepathy. I'd prefer if full-on mind reading weren't used.

Approved! Does his telepathy involve sending mental messages, or can he only receive them?

Also, we can start now if you guys want but I'm hoping Wrystel will alter their character sheet. It's acceptable for the most part but I want to make sure.

OOC: What is wrong with Myrin? I can have him simply a unicorn that can heal, purify water and life springs wherever he walks. If it is alright with you, I could not be human and only a unicorn that is held prisoner by the humans or I could be what I have.

He has a pretty wide range of powers. I would reel it back a bit. Also, his backstory doesn't configure fully into the universe. Humanity has co-existed with magical creatures with little to no conflict for several centuries.

OOC: Is that better or do you want more?

OOC: That's acceptable. Normal society will be pretty welcoming towards him in this universe. There are dangerous individuals that might pose a threat. There's also a possibility that he may have been hunted by ancient humans and still carries that fear. He wouldn't be hunted frequently at the current point, though.

Also, I'm not sure about the healing. Does it have limitations?

OOC: Healing drains his physical strength, depending on how terrible the wounds are. If want however I can just have him, purify water and that life springs wherever he treads. Also do you still want him to have a human form or not? I can have it either way.

OOC: It's fine. You're approved now. Starting. Remember, you're starting near or at the place I am, so that you can meet with the person who needs help.

Down one of Greenway's older avenues lies a seedy cafe with few patrons and an aire of cigarette smoke and fryer grease. Two women sit across from one another at a rusted back table. Their conversation could scarcely be overheard by anyone entering.

"Well, I would go get it myself, but you know, do what you want, like you always do."
"Listen," said the taller woman. "I'm not entirely sure it exists, or how many people want it if it does. I'm cutting risks, Darcy! Why can't you appreciate that?"
"By ensuring them?" the smaller woman asked. "We won't know any of these people. What's keeping them from bolting once they find it?"
"Money, Darce. They'll come back for the money. Will ya quit worryin?"
"Ugh."

Myrin sips from his Blackberry refresco, as he waits for his order to arrive at the same cafe, where the two women are talking. He tries my best not to listen in on their conversation but it is hard when he is not that far from them. Still trying to be polite he hums a song to himself as he waits. His long golden hair is tied in some ribbons that some of the gentle humans gave him. Despite this niceness however he is still cautious around then, not daring to reveal his true form. This is probably a result of the terrors that he witnessed and endured at the hands of ancient man.

A grey-haired, golden-eyed man looked around anxiously, as he took a seat in the café, rather unfamiliar with both its atmosphere and menu. Well, it's not like I can go to the normal Mandarin/Szechuan place I go on my breaks... they're normally closed this day of the week, he thought, ...and I can't afford to call off, and shut down the pizzeria today...

After a rather gruesome incident involving the animatronic characters in the pizzeria long before he'd owned it, the business had been struggling to stay afloat, and it was clear the stress of running the cursed place was getting to Gabe, as he clutched his forehead.

OOC: I'd prefer if you'd write in the third person. I can't post right now. Busy.

Seeing the upset fellow, Myrin motions for him to come over and join him. Even if he is human, Myrin can currently see that he is stressed, and is willing to see what he can do to help. Ordering another Blackberry refresco for the guest, he waits for his food to arrive and to see what the stranger does with this kind gesture. He remains alert, watching for danger as he watches the stranger.

Gabe looked up, to see another person gesturing for him to come over. Intrigued, and looking for a distraction from his thoughts, he walked over and sat across from the kind-looking stranger. "Um, hello..." he said, somewhat hesitantly. "Can I, um... help you?"

"Come sit stranger, Myrin says with a smile. I ordered a Blackberry refresco for you and I have quite a bit of food coming if you are hungry. So you seem upset about something, may I ask what is wrong? I just may be able to help you," he says kindly as he sips from his Blackberry refresco.

"It was that obvious, huh?" Gabe said, chuckling a bit at how the stranger saw right through his expression. "Well, thank you for your kindness, although... I'm not sure how much I'm able to be helped. You see... I run an old family pizzeria, you've probably heard all of the rumors about Freddy's. Well... business has been at an all time low recently, and with one of the few employees I had quitting... it's just barely hanging in there." As the waitress brought by the refresco, Gabe gave a kind smile to her as he took the drink from her. "Thank you... and you, as well." he said, turning from the waitress to Myrin.

Myrin laughs and nods as Gabe asks if him being upset was so obvious. Though as he thanks him for the drink, Myrin smiles. It is good to see the upset man smile.

"You're welcome mister. Well that is a problem, hmm... Oh by the way, I never got your name, I'm Myrin. Well I suppose I could help you out there for a while until someone else is found," Myrin says kindly.

"Oh, um, I'm Gabe, Gabe Talbot." he says, offering his hand outward to Myrin for a handshake. "I'd love the help, but... well, I'm afraid that I can't really offer much in return, and I couldn't ask you to help for as little as I have to offer." he said, a rather sad smile on his face.

"Ha, ha. Gabe Talbot, I am not asking for permission. I am volunteering to do this. I am volunteering to help you. All of this, out of the goodness of my heart. As for something in return, we can worry about that later," Myrin says as he shakes the human's hand.

"Well... words cannot express how much I appreciate this, Myrin... and I will be glad to accept your help." he said, before taking a sip of the drink he'd been offered. "Wow, this is... really good!"

"Well I do hope so, the berries are from my very own garden. So what exactly do I do with this job? I've never worked at a Pizzaria before. I usually just take care of my garden and help others with my council. So this is something new to me," Myrin says, looking at Gabe.

OOC: Would you guys rather me post sheets for these characters instead of describing them in-story?

After quite some time, the two women cease their hushed whispering. Darcy stands and begins gathering her jacket. She's a slender-bodied, sharp-looking creature of about five feet. The other one hands her a comb, which she uses to straighten her short black hair. She tosses the comb at the table, whirling around to stare the other woman down with her bright blue eyes.
"What is it now?" the taller one asks.
"Nobody's gonna come meet you. Nobody even reads the newspaper anymore. Nobody under fifty, anyway."
"I don't need this, Darcy. If you're going to be discouraging, just get out."
"Fine! Have fun assembling your little makeshift mercenary force," the small woman called, heading out the door somewhat forcefully.
The tall woman sighed and lit a cigarette. Propping her feet up on the table, she leaned back in her chair.

OOC: No, what you are doing is fine, BlinktheCookie.

As the small woman left, she accidentally shouldered against Melissa who, despte being in human form, growled at the back of her throat, then she opened the door with a flourish and made way to the tall woman, "I saw your ad, what do you want and how much are you paying?"

"Well... it's quite simple. The main parts of the job are taking peoples' orders, baking pizzas, and working the register. In the past, it used to be more of a kids' venue, but we've recently made it more of a family themed restaurant." Gabe said, his nose visibly twitching, and a curious look in his eyes. It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume he wasn't quite sure what species Myrin was, or to assume Gabe wasn't quite human himself.

Myrin notices but does not seem to worry. He is quite well hidden in his current form. There was no way that he could know who, or what he is.

"Well that sounds easy enough. So when do I start? Can we have something to eat first? It would certainly be nice if we can," Myrin says.

"Er, you can start whenever you would like, actually, and of course we can eat. As long as it's in the... uh..." Gabe pulled out his wallet, flipping through the admittedly small amount of bills within. "...ten-ish dollar range for me."

Myrin smiles and shakes his head. He is paying for everything. Anything Gabe wants more than what he has ordered, Myrin will pay for it.

"Don't worry about a thing, Gabe. I've ordered already a quite a bit of food. However if you want more, it is all on me," Myrin says, putting a hand on Gabe's shoulder.

"Er, well... I wouldn't want to mooch off of you, but... if you're sure..." Gabe says, meekly putting his wallet away. "You're... a lot kinder than most people I know, and... well, I really appreciate that."

"Well thank you, Gabe, that's very nice of you. I enjoy helping others in any way that I can. So if there is anything that you need, be it someone to talk to, or something else, just come to me," Myrin says, his eyes sparkling in the light.

OOC: I'm glad your characters are making friends early on, but the premise actually requires you to take my character's job. I should've been clearer on that.

The taller woman rose from her seat. She was at least 6'4" with wide hips and a toned figure. Her wavy blonde hair was tied back into a messy bun, a few strands hanging below her sunglasses. She was a lightish brown, and her face was covered in freckles. She smiled at Melissa.
"I need something found, the nature of which I can't discuss right here. However, I can guarantee you at least 500,000, provided you actually find it."

OOC: Oh, well Myrin can also take your job as well.

"Excuse me for a minute, Gabe, I'll be right back," Myrin says, as he takes another sip from his refresco.

Standing up Myrin walks over to the taller woman and the stranger sitting down. He sees that they are talking, so he waits patiently for them to finish and notice his presence. This woman had put something in the newspaper and Myrin was more than willing to help out in any way that he can.