Tournament of Secrets: The Shadowlands (Sign ups)

KyuRyu-kun

New Member
The story of The Shadowlands is an immortal horror story. For most, the Shadowlands refers to a mythical place of haunting, a ghost story to tell children at night. But for the more... informed, it is an evil place. It is almost a place of... Imagination. There are few ways to access it, but sometimes, it would leak into the world of reality at fixed points in the world with the right conditions. And when that happens, only horrible things can follow. Disappearances, murders; the only thing held sacred in the Shadowlands is chaos.


The phenomenon had been recorded by secret society historians only a few times, but when the Shadowlands spilled into the real world, devastation and mass destruction was the only outcome. The tragedy of Pompei, the loss of Atlantis, the Black Death; They had all been connected to the appearance of the Shadowlands. A certain group hired highly skilledmercenaries, renowned for their ability by the secret circuits, to explore the area. Only a few returned, days later nearly half a world away. A group of defeated men, with their minds broken beyond belief. They were rendered mute by the horrors they had seen, and some weeks later had committed suicide.



Rumors spread between the underground societies. What dangers could such a place hold? Many sought to destroy it, or at the very least sever it from the world entirely. But some also wondered of the benefits. Perhaps there was a way to harness the power of the Shadowlands. Perhaps by accessing and controlling its appearances, they could have a powerful weapon of terrorism? Who knows. But the silent war thirsted at such a concept. Now the secret societies race to understand or seize control of the Shadowlands; for better or worse.



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A suited man approaches you. With a nod to signal you, he hands over a yellow envelope. He stands silent in front of you, as if waiting for you to read it. You undo the seal of the envelope, and pull out the contents; a letter and some papers. You scan through the contents of one of the following two letter:



Note1:"For your eyes only:



The Shadowlands have appeared in New York City. We have sent a request for your particular set of skills to help in our efforts to sever its connection before the horrors of the previous generations return to haunt us. New York has already begun to succumb; a rise in unexplained deaths has grasped the attention of the common folk. It's only a matter of time until they get an understanding of what's happening. And the situation will only get worse when panic sets in.



We may have located a point of interest inside the Shadowlands. Mysterious surges of power have been recorded. We believe it may hold a clue to how to close the connection before its too late.



If you have lingering doubt about accepting this contract, enclosed are some photos you may find interesting.



Accept and complete your contract, and you'll receive your payment, plus your... bonus.



Good Luck."



Note2: "The Shadowlands have returned. You have been selected by the Order as a member of a exploration team. A member of the last exploration team managed to retrieve information on the on object deep inside the Shadowlands. His final days were spent remarking on the existence of an amulet of some sort. Your mission is to locate that object, and return it to us.



Rejection of this offer is prohibited. Any attempt to reject it or escape will be met with... a wide net of retribution. Our associate will take you to the meeting place when ready.



The Order."



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Welcome to the Tournament of Secrets! This is not your normal RP. It's a Tournament based writing competition, where you'll be paired off against each other one at a time! In this story, a phenomenon know as the Shadowlands has come back to threaten mankind once again. Will you be the one to defeat this plague once and for all?


To sign up for the Tournament -


Contestants must provide a valid Character Application, to be a part of this tournament.


Your Character Application (Character sheet) should contain the following information:


Name of Character:


(if the character has a "name" and an "alias", provide both.)


Letter 1 or 2:


Physical stats:


(height, build, etc. you don’t need to be too clinical, though. words like "really flexible" are more useful than "exactly 93 degree lateral modality", or whatever :P )


Equipment/gear/clothing: keep in mind, this is a black tie affair.


(Remember, you wont necessarily have this gear with you, but put it down anyway. try to be specific, as you and your opponents may be constrained by what you say your character has on/with them.)


Fighting style/powers:


(self explanatory, I think. Again, try to be specific, as others will be using this information to write your character, and judge your own writing.)


Strengths:


(sure, you can use pistols and swords... but what is your "thing", what is your biggest strength... an indomitable will? a blood pact with a demon... culinary excellence? Consider this a place to include professional skills the character may have acquired before becoming a part of the Secret World.)


Weaknesses/limitations:


(What are your character's limitations, what must they over come... both in terms of personal defects (cowardly? not terribly bright?) and in terms of combat/magic (limited spell components or throwing knives, magic burns up tons of energy... only so many holy bullets, etc) Try to be specific here, and please try to avoid “kryptonite” weaknesses)


Personality type:


(In a short sentence, let us know your character's personality; are they Plucky, strong/silent, feral, posh, smarmy, etc?)


Introduction:


(For your introduction, please write 200-500 words as your character, receiving this mysterious letter, and deciding how to take the information. It’s rumored (and often dismissed) that whatever is in the Shadowlands has the ability to grant any wish at all. Does your character believe the legend? Is their desire worth the trip, the dinner and parlor tricks? Is it worth more?)


__________________________________________________ _____


Lastly, keep your character sheet clear and simple. (that doesn't mean ‘super short’, necessarily.) Your opponents don’t need to know your life story, but they do need the tools to write your character convincingly (and you will need the same from them)


Include any things that help to visualize your character. The more your fellow writers have to work with the more interestingly they will portray your character. If your character fights using a flurry of kicks most the time, make sure it’s on their sheet, along with telling us that his/her gear has steel shin guards, if it does. If it’s not in the sheet you can’t use it in the fight.


DO NOT EDIT your sheet after you post! (Use a word processor in advance, if necessary) Your opponent will write your character based on what he/she reads.


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Name of Character: My name is Centarra. My last name is of no importance to you.


Letter 1 or 2: I got letter 1.


Physical stats:


I guess I'm not too flexible. The only thing regarding flexibility that I can do is a summersault and climb things fast.



Equipment/gear/clothing: My casual clothes is a t-shirt and jeans but on the job I have a tight black jacket and body-hugging leather pants. I like to keep my weapons in places people can't easily get to them so I keep knifes in my jacket and strapped to my boots. I don't do guns. Knives for me, please.


Fighting style/powers: My fighting specailty is knife-throwing but if it comes to it, I can throw a punch or two in close combat. I don't use guns, which some people take to an advantage but I can whip out one of my pointy bad boys and make you dinner faster than any bullet can. I like to think before I act but depending on the way you carry yourself determines how much damage I want to do to you.


Strengths:


Before I got the job in the 'secret world' I was sort of a nerd type. Microsoft had hired me to work on computers. I am quick and smart when it comes to computers, so that gives me an advantage in the logical games some people like to play on me.



Weaknesses/limitations:


My weaknesses... I'm not too flexible. Here's a big one. I can't stand the sight of blood. Yeah, I can play assasin but when it comes to heavy flowing, pumping thick red hot blood I could faint on the spot.



Personality type:


My personality? Well I guess I can be really negative. My humor is sort of pessimistic if you know what I mean. I don't talk to people. Nobody can be trusting in a game of life or death.



Introduction:


I flop down on my couch, tearing junk mail in half and throwing bills to the side for later payment. The last letter was different. An old, fancy envelope that seemed to be yellowing with a bold wax stamp sealing the letter. I frowned at the letter with no return address. The back was written,



To Miss Grace, 1778 West Street, New York, New York. (fake address))


I rip open the envelope and find a letter in the same condition as the packaging. I read it quickly, scanning it over with my eyes. It seemed suspicious, but I knew what it was talking about. I had experience with the 'secret world'. I exhaled deeply through my nose, realizing I wasn't breathing as I read the letter. This was strange indeed. My father told me about the world of shadows, before he disappeared and my mother dropped me off at a foster home as a baby. I remember him. He was a different man, with secrets that I couldn’t guess. I looked around my house, seeing a shadow run across the wall into the darkness but I shook my head. The dang letter is getting to me. I have some calls to make.



 

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