Rise of the Fourth Coven - Sign Up
 

Greetings,

I’ve found that I’m growing far too old for this occupation, not only does it require a sound body, but more often then not a sound soul. I fear I no longer have the latter, nor the former.... perhaps I have reached my limit. I’m sorry, I’m old my mind doth wander, I’ll stick to what I know so that you might find aid in my knowledge rather then fault in an old mans rambling’s.
Vampires, they prey on the weak, steal away the innocent, and curse their victims for the rest of eternity. They are a plague upon this world, much like the pox, though, the men and women who live through a vampire attack are far worse off then those who perished. They become one of them, the walking dead, there is no saving them, believe me I’ve tried time and time again only to fail. Through this I’ve discovered all there is to know about vampires, at least all hunters need to know about them.
They sleep all day, they can stay awake through great personal strain, but they often refuse to do so, they merely collapse and cease breathing. Giving them the appearance of death. Yet come nightfall they rise once more, I’ve come to believe when they appear to be breathing they are simply acting, or carrying on an act they knew inside and out during life. The incapacity during the day caused me to experiment to great success, direct sunlight will burn them to death in seconds. It’s a beautiful flame as well, cascading over them in a magnificent flare.
They’ll burn, cover them in kerosene, light a match and they burn to death like anyone. The screams though, they haunt me to this very day. It’s because their scream is three-fold, their body, soul and inner demon all mourn the loss of their own life. Selfish beasts, yet I must digress my time here is short.
Remove their arm, they scream in agony, yet it grows back within days. You can remove any limb from them, and it will only slow them, but if you take their head...
Their heart still beats, don’t believe the stories you’ve heard that they are completely dead, they cling to life, like rats. I’ve cut open a captive pire’s chest and watched his heart beat, even in his duress it beat at a constant pace. The only way to cease its beating is through piercing it, wood, silver, steel, gold, anything will do. And if you are going to be needlessly precise about it, two ventricles need to be pierced, anything lower then that and it will heal.
Symbols of power, your crosses, star’s of david, even the less then holy pentagram can harm these beasts. But there is a fault within them, they must be held by, or be in the presence of someone who believes in the symbol. You must believe in your heart that the symbol has power otherwise its meaningless. And do not count on it to kill the beasts, but carry one on you at all times, it will save your life.
I’ve so little to offer the next generation of hunters, but remember this; These beasts are unnatural, the scorn of god, it is our duty as Christians, Catholics, Hebrews and what have you to fight them, fight them in the night, burn them in the day, and never, never give up the fight. For if you do, you will surrender your soul, irrecoverably and eternally.

Sincerely,
Abraham Van Helsing
M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc., etc.

This was as close as a last will and testament that could be found for the man who was most notably known in the vampric circles as the Mortal Catalyst. A pitiable man known as a vampire hunter, he spent his life creeping through the day and hiding during the night. He was the man to kill the first vampire, he did this during the day as the first immortal slept, as would a coward. He was the one who broke apart the united coven. No more then 10 years after the assassination, history rewrote itself in three forms, each claiming a different history.

Groups
Nightfall
The first group to step forward became known as the Coven of Nightfall. They claim they are direct descendants of the first vampire, and his name was Dracula. Dracula, was a man who spurned god upon the death of his wife, and in turn god turned his back upon Dracula as well. He became a creature of the night, and those he fed upon him if he so chose, could join him. He was ethereal in nature, and seemed to be able to coax any pretty young girl to come to him, a man of elegance and grace, he truly was an honorable pire.

The groups specialties are; Telepathy, Form of Mist and Soul Absorption.

Fang
The second group became known as the Coven of the Fang. They also claim to be direct descendants of the first vampire, but the first vampire in their history is known as Vlad. He was a king, a man who was born to lead, he was an excellent general but his lands were surrounded upon all sides by enemies of his estate. And on the eve of his final defeat, he pleaded for god’s assistance, god gave him nothing, so he turned his back upon god. Promptly, god forsake him as well, Vlad became stronger and refused to die. His army quickly won the battle, but at the cost of their souls. Vlad’s bloodlust only grew from that day, until he was killed in his sleep by that coward of a hunter Helsing.

The groups specialties are; Unholy Strength, Form of Bat and Aura of Fear.

Spirit
They were the third coven to form, they became known as The Coven of the Spirit. They are the final coven to claim to be descendants of the first vampire. They are the children of Alucard, he was the forgotten son, of the man who turned his back upon god, while the man himself was cursed to damnation it was his son who suffered the brunt of the god’s curse. He was to live eternally, sucking life from those who are not the bane of god, he was truly forsaken. He steeled away to his families castle, and hid there. Vowing to never leave, he remained in hiding for decades, until the curiosity of the people became to much. They ventured into his home, Alucard’s bloodlust was too strong for him, and he cursed them with eternal life as well. So the people lived in the castle with him as well, they forgave him for his sin against them, but they knew that they were a cursed people. The disappearance of the villages did not cease the curiosity of the people, so many adventurous villagers still ventured in, to find their relatives and friends.

The groups specialties are; Unnatural Speed, Form of Wolf and Blood Drawing.

These three histories share one common fact, upon the death of the first Vampire, the covens, all decided upon the death of the first, that the land of Transylvania was cursed. They left it behind, to look for lands that were not so foreboding. The covens upon leaving Transylvania dubbed it forbidden, and since no vampire has ever returned.

The truest version of this story would fall along the lines that after killing the first, Van Helsing drummed up support from the people. Support enough to force the covens from the lands, to this day, they still raise their young to be Vampire Hunters, from the lessons that Van Helsing passed down. While vampire hunters can come from anywhere more often then not, the best come from Transylvania.

Vampire Hunters
Vampire Hunters are the men and women who hunt the creatures of our nightmares and thus, become people of legend. They are stalwart people, they are people of faith and they are a group of higher education. Some begin training from birth, others after a traumatic event, but they all dedicate their lives to the hunt. They write their own histories and always try to improve upon their predecessors. Occasionally, the hunter is cursed or gifted granting him some ability which is beyond normal mortal capabilities.

The groups specialties are; Mastery of Weapons, Faith, Knowledge and with special permission a special power.

Society
After the Cataclysm that was the splitting of the covens each group formed a separate culture, the nightfall preyed on the young and beautiful and chose to live in only the finest places as they fed upon the people. They practice swordsmanship and horse training to fill their eternity, and anything else that catches their fancy. They live as one giant community, as visiting dignitaries in a foreign land would. They live as true vampires, enticing the populous and smiting those who would stand against them.

The Fang took a different route, they will take residence anywhere which will grant them protection from the light of the sun. The travel in small packs, and upon the fall of dusk, they rush into any village they can find and ravage the area, feeding to their hearts content. They’ll remain there for a few days resting and then continue on, in this clan they believe they’ve killed more men then the pox.

The Spirit, find abandoned castles and mansions, which are often left by the Nightfall coven which has a habit of emptying them. They reside in these castles, providing an ominous atmosphere which draws in the local people whom they often take as servants. These people will often willingly take residence with the pires, as their guards, servants and cattle until they themselves are turned. Upon being turned they are often sucked into the mythos that the Spirit have created involving the unending bloodlust and plague of never seeing the light of day again. These beliefs are often kept from the cattle until they are turned.

Turning
Turning involves no special ceremony, merely that the person be bitten and then left with enough blood to survive the initial stopping of their heart. Upon their heartbeats end, they become feral creatures which feed upon anything with a beating heart including vampires if they aren’t stopped. After feeding upon a quart of blood their sanity returns, but the thirst for blood is never ending.

(More in a jiffy.)

Ages
These ages are measured in your age after death.
Child: 1-49 (User of one specialty.)
Youth: 50-99 (Master of one specialty or user of two.)
Adolescent: 100-199 (Master of one specialty and user of two.)
Adult: 200-449 (Master of two specialties and user of three.)
Elder: 450-799 (Master of three specialties and user of four)
Honored Elder: 800 and up. (Powerful.)

[edit]As an elder you have four total abilites, and you've mastered three of them. Apologies.

[edit]Powers
Vampires can use any of the nine powers, but the specialties are what each coven is known for. This means that they are the most adept at the skill, if two telepathy masters one from nightfall the other from spirit; face off and it will be the nightfall vampire which wins.

Telepathy - Manipulation of the people around you through, mental links, or mental suggestion even moving objects. A master of this can control anyone with less skill then he, with varying success depending upon faith if they are human or telepathy if they too are vampire. (I'll be the judge of said victories. Unless its blatantly obvious, or the player agrees to be controlled. Subjects cannot be forced to kill themselves.)

Form of Mist - Vampires are often ethereal by nature, this power makes that belief a little more sound. Allowing their form to slip into nothingness they become invulnerable to physical attacks but not the sun, while in this form they can still percieve the world around them through sound but not sight. They can also not cause harm in this form. (No filtering into lungs and all that.) Using this ability takes 10-15 seconds, so using it in battle isn't prudent, but some masters are known to be skilled enough to slip their limbs into mist mid battle. (you cannot be a mix of mist and pire for more then one post.)

Soul Absorption - While staying nearby someone, the user of this ability can draw the ambient life energy away from them. This is most effective against humans and has the added ability of allowing vampires to remain incognito while feeding, though it does cause the victim to grow tired quite quickly. Masters of this ability can draw from their opponents during battle, weakening them as the battle draws on. (Any harm caused by this ability is healed after a good nights sleep.)(Victim must be within 10 feet or so.)

Unholy Strength - The vampires have always been strong, but through training they can use their muscles to their limits with no consequence allowing for some hilarious consequences (for your enemies anyways).

Form of Bat - Bat's have always been feared due to their connection to the vampire, this power is the connection. Shifting their bodies takes about 10-15 seconds, but they can then move as freely as would any bat. Some masters of this ability have been known to shift their ears for such precise hearing it would put simon cowell to shame. (Be shamed simon, theres nothing good about what you do or who you are!) (You can not be a mix of of bat and pire for more then one post.)

Aura of Fear - All vampires put off an aura, be it the subtle smell or just their appearance, people naturally fear them. Those who train this aura are to put it aptly; Scary. This ability can never be turned off after training, it can only be toned down. A user could appear meek for but a moment, while a master could carry on a conversation over dinner all the while seeming completely soothing to those around him. (They must be within 10 feet or so of the victim for it to take effect.)

Unnatural Speed - Vampires need no breath, they can run till their hearts conent, some found this quite advantageous, and trained it to its limit. This ability is what takes a person from moving at say, inuyasha's speed to sesshomaru's or Yusuke iremeshi to hiei (first storyline). They can appear to be sliding across the ground despite the fact they are moving beyond a sprint. Leaves vampires without this ability so far behind they have time to stop and make cruel remarks.

Form of Wolf - It was once said that werewolves were the second curse vampires placed upon the land, these words could hold true. Shifting into the form of the wolf takes time and patience, 10-15 seconds (who would have guessed!), shifting into a mid form can only be down by masters which will increase their scenting abilites to an intense degree. (mid forms can not be held for longer then a post, and no werewolves... unless you are a werewolf, at which point disregard the vampire power descriptions.)

Blood Drawing - Its as natural as breathing for vampires, blood seems to simply flow into them, when this ability is trained, they need not even touch their victims. Opening their mouth the user is able to draw blood from any open wound within 10 feet or so. This isn't blindingly fast, its simply a little faster then the wound would bleed normally. A master can stroll through a battle field and not even have a drop hit them. (wouldn't want to stain our sunday clothes!)

Story
We shall join the world at yet another point of chaos, overnight a fourth coven has appeared. Their appearance was most notably marked by the near destruction of every member of the clan of the fang. Their nomadic nature was their downfall, they were split into such tiny groups an attack of such magnitude could not be defended against. When the coven tried to regroup they were surrounded by the very enemies they thought they had escaped. Only one member of the Fang coven survived the massacre, while a few had remained scattered rather then move to the meeting when called.
The sole survivor of the massacre made it to the home of the Nightfall, he had very little information on their new enemies. He knew that they called themselves the children of the blood, and that they seemed to be as powerful as elders. There powers seemed to be from every clan, and there would be no way to stop them unless they united the covens once more.
The Nightfall clan immediately contacted the Spirit and what precious few remained of the fang, they asked quite politely (for the nightfall clan) that they be joined by representatives of the alternative covens for a meeting of dire severity that would be held at the Nightfall’s newfound home of Southern France.
The other covens knew not what to think, never in the history of the three covens has their been an arranged meeting, sure they were civil but by no means were they on friendly terms. What remained of the fang sent a sparse group of representatives, while the spirit replied much the same way. Some believe this to be a trap to lure them in, others worry about the threat of a fourth coven which is in no way civil.
Unfortunately for these historical meetings, there shall be a few mortal witnesses. The Vampire hunters took notice of this suspicious act as a sign of things to come, so they were quickly in tow of the representatives.

Sign-Ups

Vampire
Name: Obvious
Age: Age and Rank (everything above Adult requires special permission.)
Powers: You cannot be a master of a specialty that is not of your clan, you can use it though.
Coven: What coven do you come from. (Fourth would require you to be super cool.)
Bio: Where did you come from, how you were turned all the fun stuff.
Personality: What are you like.
Appearance: What you look like.
Skills: Other then the usual freaky climbing on the walls and other vampire side stuff like regeneration what can you do, horse riding, swordplay, etc.

Vampire Hunter
Name: Obvious
Age: Obvious
Race: (Human, lycan... frankenstein?)
Powers: What makes you so great.
Bio: Include your hometown and source of training. There is a few copies of Van Helsing’s book floating around. “The Vampir and his Downfalls.”
Personality: Obvious.
Appearance: Obvious.
Skills: Can you hold your own on a horse, a boat, etc...

(And if I screwed up and left something out let me know.)

What exactly can you do with each power? I mean telepathy is pretty simple but Soul Absorbtion? Can you add an explanation of each, be eaiser to decide.

What time is this RP in? Is it modern, before guns?

I'm also curious about the last two questions. Era and soul absorption.

I'm going to be a vampire hunter. But two questions.

1) I don't know if he did, but did Van Helsing have any children, brothers, sisters, or extended family?

2) Would it be possible for a human to be a Lycan (Werewolf)? Not something where I turn into a wolf at will, but more like when I'm in human form I have wolven tendencies, like enhanced smell and hearing. And in the occasion that there is a full moon, he goes wolf.

Name: Jager Waechter

Age: 40

Powers: Mastered abilities: Weapons, Divine luck, Faith
User of: Knowledge.

Bio: Jager grew up under the shadow of a vampire castle in Germany. He watched as friends and family members were taken to the castle. Occasionally never to return. He himself was always avoided however for reasons that escaped him. One day when he was 12 his uncle came to the city. He rode to the Castle claiming he would put an end to the vampire scourge. Three days later his uncle came back down, Triumphant. With the village free of the Vampire scourge Jager took up as a pupil under his uncle. Learning the ways of the hunter of the unholy. Now as an adult he has found another young man to mentor in the ways of Hunting the undead.

Personality: Serious and well spoken. Jager is a very down to earth man. He is very much a holy warrior.

Appearance: He stands at around 6'4". And is a well toned 260lbs. Jager has long grayed hair. Kept back with a leather bind. He wears darkened glasses during the day to keep his eyes used to low light. He carries a large broad sword on his back with an incredibly wide cross bar making it into a cross. He also wears a smaller blade at his hip. He found it in an eastern monastary. It is covered with christian symbols of power. He carries a compacting cross bow with Sliver tipped arrows. As well as having a bandoleer fitted with vials of holy water and garlic juice. He has a holy whip on his hip tipped with a silver cross. His outer garb is a thick leather coat with stiff steel plates fitted inside it to make armor. He has a necklace with a beautifully scrolled silver cross. His belt is filled with sliver throwing knives.

He rides a powerful black horse that wears bright Silver plated armor. The armor has crosses over the front and back legs and one on the head plate. The belief is that it keeps the horse from being mind controlled. The horse is named Gottschalk.

Skills: Jager is well trained in the art of Slaying. And everything that goes along with that. Horsemanship. Tactics. Weaponry. Time awareness. Climbing. Dungeon crawling. He knows all major European languages.


OK thats all for now I guess. more later.

Aww, I thought my Jewish-Vampire Hunter would be original, but it seems BlindMime and I have the same opinions on how holy relics should work.

If you do allow people to play as fourth-coveners...wouldn't they be the enemy to everybody else?

Also, what Raiden said, except for a few other mythological nasties (Frankensteinian amalgamations, touched by a [blank], witch/wizard, etc.), or is the Race list strictly human or vampire.

A: when it comes to the world of vampires. Nothing is original. Sorry but they've been done to death. Get it, cause there dead.

B: Just apply as what you want and see if you get it. But if your a vampire you can't be anything other then a vampire. If your a human hunter you can have a special ability. What it is depends on what you ask for and how much Mime likes you. And if your one of Mimes Favorite you might be able to get Fourth Covent. If you have a question if your one of his favorites. Your not.

Name: Artemis Oeblion
Age: Adult, 243
Powers: Master; Wolf Form, Unnatural Speed
Known; Telepathy
Coven: Spirit
Bio: The Spirits moved in when Artemis was a young boy, taking refuge in a castle that had once belonged to an overtaxing magistrate who abused his measly control of the little dilapidated town. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Artemis was determined to be his village's savior. He fashioned two small twin-swords with traces of the silver from the abandoned mine nearby, and practiced his manuevers with his elder sister.
At 20, after his town had been slowly picked down for food, Artemis's sister went off alone to kill the elder. Artemis found out too late, and fought through the castle only to witness his sister's death. Enraged, he charged the elder but was soundly defeated, and to his horror, not disposeed of, but turned.
Over the next few decades he was groomed as a servant and bodyguard, establishing a mental link with his master and going as far as mastering the arts of speed and transformation until, after two centuries, he was the premiere fighter in the castle. He has kept his silver-tinged shortswords, being careful to beware their edge, because they are useful in fighting off rival vampires.
Personality: Like other Spirits, Artemis enjoys most his time spent indoors and alone, so he has developed an aloofness when it comes to interacting with outsiders, going so far as to purposely ignore direct adresses to his face. He enjoys fighting however and shows his respect to formidable opponents but feels no regret in the deriding of the lower skilled. Above fighting skill he treasures wisdom, and can't stand the ignorant or insipid for long.
Appearance: Stands about 5'11, medium build, black hair he keeps long in the front, with two sword sheathes on his waist. Has a variety of religous trinkets from defeated hunters he wears on a necklace, a cross between a joke and trophies.
Skills: