Discuss SD: Reapers Enclave

[Rachmaninoff]

And added to the first post in the NPC section... looks like Nathan won't be getting a moment alone anytime soon. [SIZE="1"][I]*smirk*[/I][/SIZE]

Anyway... why do I get the impression that Nathan and Isen [spoiler]turned Lucia's place inside out?[/spoiler] I'm expecting her to return and find her [spoiler]furniture either all over the place or somehow attached to the ceiling.[/spoiler] Heh.

Now unless someone objects, though if they do I'll do it anyway, I'm going to move us into the next day/week or longer (I'm going to leave it slightly vague so it's open to interpretation). Beth hasn't told me just what Nathan and Isen did but she assured me that she can do it in a form of a flash back of Lucia remembering just what she came home to. Though that's only if I manage to post before she does, we'll see.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]>_> Nathan and Isen are hooligans and that's all I'll say until my post goes up. XP I was going to get that done yesterday but got sidetracked by other personal matters. So I'll probably do that later today, along with something else that has been vexing me.

And yes, I intend to make that moment when she gets back a flashback, even if it's only indicating that they moved into the next day. I'll probably leave that kind of vague too unless someone has a specific time frame in mind they'd like me to indicate. If so post nao! [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]That was utterly awesome. XD The way Nathan and Isen messed with Lucia's place, and I loved how Ruby just laughed and laughed over it. :catgirl:

I'll be getting in a post describing what Phaidra and Sarvel finally ended up in. I'll also cover what Beth was talking about for security for Lucia. But first! >_> Indi is dragging me outside to help with yard work.

Oh and I'm guessing it's somewhere around two - four weeks later since Beth's post about making a communicator indicated that would take several weeks. I'm going to go with a month since she's purchasing equipment, telling me that Lucia got a paycheck. :p[/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Sabrina'][FONT="Tahoma"]That was utterly awesome. XD The way Nathan and Isen messed with Lucia's place, and I loved how Ruby just laughed and laughed over it. :catgirl: [/FONT][/QUOTE]I agree. I mean I was expecting it to be silly, but not to that level. Heh.

Anyway, that timing works for me and unless someone else needs or wants to work something else in, after Sabrina posts we can consider if we want to touch on anything or move ahead a little more. I have nothing to cover, or rather my character needs to have more training before what I have in mind would even work.

I'm referring to what you mentioned via AIM a while back Allamorph. A month isn't even close enough as far as training goes. Though if we move things ahead considerably, then we need to get planning on what we want to hit next.

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Sarvel is a snot.

[I]*nodnod*[/I][/FONT]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Sarvel is a snot.

[I]*nodnod*[/I][/FONT][/QUOTE]Oh definitely. So very stuck up. I think Lucia was completely caught off guard by that one. Social behavior necessary? [I]Never![/I] Hahaha! :catgirl:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

Heh, I find it amusing how Lucia was such a brat to the humans because they needed her skills and she knew that they would do things as she wished. Now... the tables are turned and she's the one who has to do things how Sarvel wants it done. I just bet she was seething inside over fixing tea and being polite for a change. [SIZE="1"][I]*snicker*[/I][/SIZE]

Also, I concur... Sarvel [I]is[/I] a snot. Good thing she's going to find out about vampires the easy [[SIZE="1"]though the other way would have been interesting[/SIZE]] way instead of landing in trouble by hunting down one of those [I]"irritating dead spots"[/I]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][quote name='Rachmaninoff]I just bet she was seething inside over fixing tea and being polite for a change. [SIZE="1"][I]*snicker*[/I'][/SIZE][/quote]That's what I was thinking when I wrote that up. That Lucia was just doing it to get what she wanted. ^^ Otherwise, that would have been out of character for her... at least that's my reasoning. I didn't even know Sarvel was going to be so [I]uppity[/I] until I was writing the post.

Anyway, I forgot to post this in reference to what they did for setting up the ward:

[CENTER][IMG]http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3355/sdaversionpr4.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]
That's what the arcane circle looked like. The actual symbols would have been different, but that is the basic idea. I meant to put that up here the other day when I finished my post and forgot. That post took forever to do... as well as being forever and a day long. I hadn't planned on writing such a huge post, but Sarvel took over. o_O [/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Sabrina][FONT="Tahoma"']I hadn't planned on writing such a huge post, but Sarvel took over. o_O [/FONT][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]Tends to happen like that. :animesmil

I'd like to get one up soon. I'm off for two days, so we'll see what happens.[/FONT]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Sabrina;813683][FONT="Tahoma"]That Lucia was just doing it to get what she wanted. ^^ Otherwise, that would have been out of character for her... at least that's my reasoning. [/FONT][/QUOTE]Oh your reasoning is correct, and I'll be elaborating on that a bit in my next post since Lucia was[I] not amused[/I] by Sarvel being so stuck up. However, when is she ever amused? :animeswea [quote name='Sabrina'][FONT="Tahoma"]I didn't even know Sarvel was going to be so [I]uppity[/I'] until I was writing the post. [/FONT][/quote]Heh, I know the feeling, sometimes I have a clear idea of what I plan on doing and half-way into the post, one of the characters takes over and it ends up being something totally different. lol

Anyway... I do sort of have a post in mind, but I'm not sure on the timing with Nathan or rather Chris thinking of checking into a previous incident. There is also the matter of what Gavrie passed on to Nathan. So if I post... I'll probably leave the time a little vague, it's more to solidify what Lucia is up to, as far as building her lab goes. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

Just to be clear, my post is the same day as Allamorph's post, or if later on, only a day or two at most. Considering what Gavrie sent to Nathan, skipping ahead more than a few days is inadvisable at this time. Or so Allamorph and I decided when discussing it briefly while I worked on my post.

So Phaidra and Sarvel's moment of learning that vampires still exist is coming up! I'm thinking this should be fun. Their startled reaction that is. =P

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I did not clarify a time since I figure we are still on the two months deal, which is long enough for Lucia to have enough equipment for her search for information to begin in earnest. I meant to get that post up last week. >_> Oops? Anyway, time for the next bit of fun via the info from Gavrie or Chris. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I decided to do a quick post. Blame Sarvel, she insisted I indicate what she would do after a storm so it's the next morning after that storm Darren described in his last post.

Also, it's a good thing she's going to learn about vampires soon. >_> Those dead spots are really irritating her [I]a lot[/I]. I was expecting her to hold off more but they are different in a way that completely annoys her. XP Or so she tells me. o_O

She's also of the opinion that it's something that as an elemental, she would be able to cleanse or get rid of. I'm not sure how that works or why she's thinking that. I also don't know if it's true or not. It's something I'll have to explore and any input or thoughts would be welcome.

I'm getting the impression that in the past, on some level elementals did care for the environment in the immediate area where they lived. Sarvel was picking up information just from the flow of the water, among other things. [/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Sabrina'][FONT="Tahoma"]She's also of the opinion that it's something that as an elemental, she would be able to cleanse or get rid of. I'm not sure how that works or why she's thinking that. I also don't know if it's true or not. It's something I'll have to explore and any input or thoughts would be welcome. [/FONT][/QUOTE]I imagine she's seeing them as another type of pollution or taint. So it only makes sense that she believes she can simply cleanse them. Sarvel has yet to realize that it's something else altogether. I don't doubt that she would have the ability to stop a vampire, but it probably depends on how powerful they are as to whether or not she could actually do so.

[Allamorph]

[FONT="Arial"]Excerpt drawn from [I]A Study of the Vampire and its History[/I], an essay.[/FONT]

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[align=justify]The exact date that the vampire emerged into being is unknown. Since the evolutionary process that resulted in their species was originally deemed freak accident, no detailed reports exist that document their rise. That they are, or were, human is certain: it was humanity’s craving for eternal life combined with a small innate sense of the so-called ‘spiritual’ realm which allowed for the species’ evolution. Furthermore, though both shinigami and vampire may mask their presence to normal humans through the manipulation and control of spiritual energies, the act is not natural for the vampire and requires some small degree of effort, indicating that the vampire is fundamentally tied to the mortal realm, and not the spiritual. By contrast, the shinigami is required to expend a similar effort in order to become corporeal and interact with mortals, and thus the conclusion is drawn.

Further difficulty in determining the vampire’s origins arises when examining their records and lore, for though the vampire can boast one of the most extensively recorded histories known to exist on Earth—second only to the shinigami and perhaps the Hebrews—no two sets of records or journals can agree on a single common ancestor. Rather, the vampire as a species appears to have begun as multiple isolated incidents within the span of around thirty years, with sporadic repeat occurrences every few centuries, followed by a gradual but steady proliferation.

Also of note is the singular failure of the shinigami in catching and preventing the vampire’s evolution. Certainly the error is due in part to the encasement of the vampire’s soul, which would have prevented any shinigami from sensing the human’s approaching death; but even so, death is the business of the shinigami, so it follows that some sort of advance knowledge of death must have been present. Any speculation on the reason for the oversight is ultimately futile, however. With so many different instances, it is highly unlikely that any more than two or three occurred under similar circumstances. Whatever the case, the first vampires managed to escape the eye of the shinigami for long enough to ensure their continued survival, allowing their bodies to slowly adapt to their newfound attunement.

Not being true creatures of the spiritual, the first vampires underwent several major physiological changes shortly after turning, as it came to be called—the most prominent being a marked increase in strength, speed, and endurance. In most cases, this change was accompanied by a period of intense physical pain, either in a single excruciating session or as a series of sporadic fits. The few who escaped this side effect were instead subjected to severe psychological torture, invariably rendering them insane madmen or in the worst cases psychotic masterminds. The journal of one such person noted briefly that several of his comrades did not survive the torture; those who suffered physically commonly died from organ failure or internal bleeding, and those who suffered mentally became brain-dead.

Those who survived the transition, as stated above, became stronger and faster, with noticeably superior reflexes. Early on, these changes only manifested openly as instinct, in circumstances when the vampire might be under mild stress or other cases which require thoughtless reaction, but as the vampire aged the difference became decidedly more pronounced. Vampires as young as a decade can achieve an average running speed of twenty-five miles per hour and can sustain these speeds for nearly twenty minutes. They are also easily able in a single leap to clear horizontal distances of over thirty feet starting from an easy jog, and can generally jump over twice their height from a standing position. All vampires continue to grow stronger as they age, though the rate at which they mature gradually decreases over time, meaning that the difference in strength between vampires of twenty-five and fifty years is more pronounced than is the difference between vampires of seventy-five and one hundred years, though the age difference is the same.

Other changes to the species were much less beneficial. The vampire almost immediately developed an extraordinary allergic sensitivity to sunlight, for reasons that even now remain unclear. The initial reaction was, in fact, so violent that direct exposure for even a few seconds would cause the vampire’s internal body temperature to literally skyrocket, often resulting in spontaneous immolation. Even indirect exposure was extremely painful—especially, it appears, to the eye and the sinus regions, for if light were streaming into a darkened room the vampire would not be able to even look near the source without their eyes watering.

Because of this side effect of the evolution, vampires naturally became nocturnal in habit, transitioning to their new lifestyle within a matter of decades. Their still-adapting physiology allowed their night vision to adapt rapidly in individual cases, and the traits were cemented and enhanced into the species by successive generations. The vision of modern vampires rivals and in some cases surpasses that of most predatory felines for distance and clarity, and they are only truly blind in the complete absence of light.

Interestingly, vampires seem to suffer no ill effects from exposure to moonlight, though it is in essence merely sunlight reflected off the moon’s surface. Cause for the selective photosensitivity could be certain types of direct radiation that is absorbed by the moon’s surface, but very little significant testing has been done to ascertain the truth of this supposition—though it has been consistently observed that light from the full moon seems to have a pronounced euphoric, almost drug-like effect on the vampire.

Human myth mentions that the vampire is also susceptible to various other items, including such disassociated objects as crosses and wooden stakes and even venturing to such absurd lengths as garlic and “holy” wafers. However, most of these myths are merely that, and only one or two hold any real truth. The wooden stake, for example, is believed to be fatal to the vampire once plunged through its heart—but the same outcome would naturally be expected if one stabbed any living creature in the same location. Likewise, legends that an arbitrary herb or other foodstuff possesses the ability to subdue a creature for no discernable reason are almost certainly derived only from pagan rituals and lore; the concept of crosses, or “holy” water or wafers, bringing the vampire harm is also pagan in root, having become inextricably entwined with Judeo-Christian beliefs during the Catholic empire in the millennia following the fall of Rome.

The myth of the vampire’s aversion to crosses does hold a kernel of truth. Numerous cases of vampires recoiling from or being burned by certain crucifixes have been documented and verified, but the reason does not lie with the notion of divine blessing or the power of faith since there have also been recorded instances where such objects elicited no reaction at all. Instead, the truth in the myth is held in the material which makes up the item: silver.

Vampires are essentially humans who have partially crossed into the dimension inhabited by the shinigami—also dubbed the ‘spiritual’ realm—and because this state is unnatural their core being draws heavily on the energies of that realm in order to sustain them. Silver seems to act as a ground for this draw of energy, causing it to be dispersed back into its natural environment without being absorbed by the vampire, should a vampire come into contact with it. This siphoning-away of energy is harmful to the vampire, and manifests outwardly in severe burns at the point of contact, even occasionally through articles of clothing, and prolonged exposure is thought to be fatal.

Silver also seems to react violently with the vampire’s blood, disintegrating and oxidizing within seconds of exposure and preventing the vampire’s blood from carrying oxygen to the rest of its body while still acting as an energy ground. The reason for this reaction remains unclear; perhaps the transfer of ‘spiritual’ energy acts as a catalyst for the chemical process, but again, no significant studies have been done concerning the matter.

The last of the vampire’s physiological changes were the canines, or fangs. Contrary to popular culture, a vampire’s canines are not obviously lengthened, but merely sharpened to fine points that extrude a few millimeters beyond the normal plane of the teeth. The difference is almost imperceptible, and only those who know what they are looking for may see it—and sometimes the change escapes even them.

The purpose of the unique canines is, naturally, the means to satisfy the mythical bloodlust. As has been mentioned before, the vampire’s body draws heavily upon the energies of the ‘spiritual’ realm for sustenance; however, the relationship is more akin to breathing than actual feeding. To continue its survival, the vampire requires another form of ‘spiritual’ energy: one found almost exclusively in the blood of humans. A vampire may be able to go a span of some years without ‘feeding’, as they call it, but unless its hunger is at some point satisfied it will gradually become more sluggish, and its body will weaken to a degree.

As of now, no records exist of any vampire succumbing to starvation from blood, but the possibility has not been ruled out.

In the process of feeding, a vampire possesses the ability to pass its nature on to its victim, like a sort of spiritual seeding. Every vampire while feeding enters a state of moderately heightened spiritual attunement to which their victims are exposed through direct contact, and this exposure begins to prepare the human for the transition to vampire via the gradual formation of the soul sac unique to the species. The sac, which exists in the same plane as the soul, effectively compensates for its loosening connection to the body and prevents the shinigami from sensing when the connection is weakest, when death would normally occur. After the brief window of weakness the connection gradually becomes stronger again, making the separation of the soul from the body of a mature vampire a more arduous task than the separation from a vampire of merely a few decades.

This change, though never immediate, can occur under one of several circumstances, all of which require a feeding to occur. First, a vampire may turn its victim after a succession of feedings, in which the victim’s soul is gradually encased in the singular spiritual sac while they are still alive. Younger vampires must engage in multiple feedings to achieve a live turn, and mature vampires may only need as little as three for the same result; it is also rumored that vampires of a sufficient age may be able to turn a victim in a single feeding, but this rumor is unconfirmed.

The other two methods share the common factor of the victim’s physical death. In the more common case, a vampire can turn its victim by feeding just before the human’s death, its own spiritual aura combined with the trauma of death amplifying the seeding effect to the point that only the single feeding is required—although in most instances of this case the human has been the subject of at least one prior feeding. In the absence of another vampire, however, an infected human will only turn if they have been fed upon sufficiently for the shock of dying to serve as sufficient impetus, and in this alternative scenario the human was typically one or two feedings away from turning anyway.

Once the soul is completely encased, the fledgling vampire will experience the same torment described above, but the harsh effects are softened to a degree by the gradual turning process, and dying partially prepares the vampire to endure the ensuing pain. Because of this difference, the survival rate of turned vampires is much higher than that of the natural vampire, and it is commonly viewed with some small measure of contempt or disdain which manifests on a social level. Natural vampires, who are rarely found living in the modern era, hold higher stations in the vampiric social strata than turned vampires, almost without exception. Additionally, born vampires—humans who are the offspring of at least one vampire, and who go through their transitionary ordeals during adolescence—typically hold themselves in higher regard than turned vampires, though this social stigma has long been under dispute.

One final change that accompanied the vampire’s shift to the ‘supernatural’ spectrum was the ability to employ forces known as magic, forces which humans have the capacity to merely sense....[/align]

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[Rachmaninoff]

Nice work everyone, especially you Allamorph for taking all the chats and pms and then writing it up in a historical format. I like the addition of the torment aspect, as I said on AIM, it sounds very unpleasant. o_O Anyway, I've updated the first post.

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Wait... torment? *re-reads* O_O Well I'll be. Somehow that did not click when I read it the first time. Now I feel really silly. XP It makes sense though, in an odd fashion, at least I think it does.^^

It is nice to see that finally up for a reference though. It didn't seem like that much information when you guys told me about it and I read the chats. I like it though, it reads almost like an excerpt from an encyclopedia or something like National Geographic. =P

I like the style of the writing and the amount of details put into it. I also find it kind of mind boggling how it doesn't even scratch the war or other aspects of Shingami and Vampires. o_O Though I imagine that will come with time.

So, thank you Sir Allamorph. :catgirl:[/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Yeah, small change of plans regarding the investigation. Logic being here that even with Lucia and Chris along with her, Phaidra might still be prone to freezing up, or Sarvel might go all self-righteous Elemental vigilante. =P

Plus this'll give Alex a chance to test his wings. [COLOR=DarkRed]Rach[/COLOR], we'll go over the latest developments on that front.[/FONT]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][quote name='Allamorph][FONT=Arial']Yeah, small change of plans regarding the investigation. Logic being here that even with Lucia and Chris along with her, Phaidra might still be prone to freezing up, or Sarvel might go all self-righteous Elemental vigilante. =P[/FONT][/quote]Sarvel wants to object to that... >_> But at the same time she can't quite get it out. So there just might be some truth to that. After all, once she realizes that the dead spots are vampires... she'll feel the urge to go and cleanse them! Silly girl! XP

Anyway, I guess we just need to decide how to go from here.^^

*wonders who should be next and so forth*[/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Sabrina'][FONT="Tahoma"]Anyway, I guess we just need to decide how to go from here.^^

*wonders who should be next and so forth*[/FONT][/QUOTE]Just do like the rest of us do, wing it. I often have no clue how things are going to turn out until I start writing. I may have a general idea, but it's interesting how that often ends up being something else once I actually start working on the post.

It's easy enough to make minor edits if necessary later on, so don't feel that you have to always talk with us first before posting.

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"]I'm sure it?s obvious, but just for clarities sake. The last half of my post is a flashback of Gavrie during the war with the vampires. =P I'm sure you can guess who he saw but did not talk to as well. Ha! [/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"][quote name='Rachmaninoff]It's easy enough to make minor edits if necessary later on, so don't feel that you have to always talk with us first before posting.[/QUOTE]Okay. I actually have an idea that I'm working on, I don't know if I'll get it finished tonight or not though. I'll definitely have it up by tomorrow evening. :catgirl:[QUOTE=Indi][COLOR="Indigo"']I'm sure it’s obvious, but just for clarities sake. The last half of my post is a flashback of Gavrie during the war with the vampires. =P I'm sure you can guess who he saw but did not talk to as well. Ha! [/COLOR][/quote]I figured as much. =P I'm curious to know who Eliana is. Though I imagine she's just someone who died in one of those battles where they were not ready for it.

Anyway I hope there is more to it than what you posted cause now I'm curious to know what part of the war he was remembering, at least I hope there is more to it. ^^

[B]EDIT: [/B]I already mentioned it at my world post... but once I'm better I'll get that post up. Sorry for the delay, though I'm sure you all understand how being sick kind of makes it difficult. XP [/FONT]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Unless someone has something they wish to add first I was thinking of moving us to where the vampires are located. I intend to stick solely to the outside of the place since Lucia is going to gain what info she can about the area via hacking into any computer systems in the area.

I intend to leave off so we can either have them actually move in and do something about the vampires or leave. =P Though kicking some vampire butt sounds like fun if you ask me. Ha! Anyway, I already have an idea of what I wish to do, so once I get some sleep I'm going to post. Though if someone wants to post first, just let me know and I'll hold off.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]. . . I was thinking of moving us to where the vampires are located. I intend to stick solely to the outside of the place . . . .[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]Uhh, do we even know where that [I]is[/I] yet? I mean, Chris is my creation and I sure as heck don't. =P

You'd think since I had her routed there that I'd at least have a basic visual. Shows my attention to detail, hunh?[/FONT]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Uhh, do we even know where that [I]is[/I] yet? I mean, Chris is my creation and I sure as heck don't. =P

You'd think since I had her routed there that I'd at least have a basic visual. Shows my attention to detail, hunh?[/FONT][/QUOTE]It didn't matter for the Count did it? lol I was going to make some reference to it being within say a hundred miles of their current location or something like that. =P I don't even have to give the city a name since you didn't when you described the size of the one they currently reside in.

Anyway, I have been working on it but I keep getting side tracked by other things that need to be done. I'll get it finished soon enough though. Heh.[/FONT][/COLOR]