Dark World (Call for interest, OOC)

[TheGreyRonin]

I've run RPGs in chat before, but never on a forum. So for my first one, I'm trying something I've had in mind for quite a while.

The Setting: For all of recorded time, humanity has unknowingly shared this world with two other races: werefolk and vampires.
And although they move among us and have indeed shaped our very cultures, most consider them simply legends, nothing more than scary tales with no substance.
The truth is far more frightening.
The wars between the two races have waged for millenia, at times savaging entire continents and reshaping cultures almost overnight. Over the past few centuries the two races have settled into an uneasy kind of truce, a cold war that often heats up into short, brutal minor skirmishes before cooling again.
Both races do their best to keep humans from learning of their existence and exactly how fully they have blended with human society, though there are individuals that have discovered the truth and use the knowledge for their own ends. Some cooperate willingly with one race or the other, while a few incredibly cunning ones have turned to hunting the monsters that walk among us.
The time is now. In Haven City it is winter, and something has begun walking the night, killing vampires, humans, and werefolk alike. It is cunning, vicious, and deadly.
In an unprecedented act of cooperation, the three races have declared an uneasy truce in order to catch this creature or creatures, and stop it once and for all.
The hunt begins...


The rules are fairly simple, and mostly follow the standard.

1. No godmoding. Play your own character, don't declare automatic kills, etc.
2. Try to keep it serious. Humor happens, and jokes are always welcome, but try to keep the truly wacky stuff OOC, please.
3. The races are locked. With Admin permission, only the three races provided are allowed. I've tried to give a fairly broad range of choices, but you'll see the reason why soon enough.

I'm a strict but fair GM, and this framework is more than a little violent at times. Characters will get injured, possibly even killed, depending on their actions, but I don't believe in being spiteful with players.

With that said, let me give you the full details:

Vampires:While most of the legends of vampires are false, a few are true. Vampires are immortal unless killed. Though most turn vicious and go berserk if they go more than a few days without feeding, if left unfed a vampire will enter a state of suspended animation that can last centuries. Only an infusion of blood can awaken a hibernating vampire, and once awakened it requires several gallons or more to become completely revitalized.
Despite the legends, vampires are unaffected by crosses or holy symbols. Garlic and silver can cause a severe allergic reaction in some due to the virus they carry in their veins. The chemical changes the virus does to their bodies makes them much more vulnerable to fire than a normal human, but flame itself is not any more deadly to them than it would be to a human. A stake through the heart will kill a vampire if not removed quickly, as will any other large piece of debris that prevents vital organs from regenerating properly.
A vampire's one great weakness is ultraviolet light. Sunlight or any other source of UV radiation reacts violently with the virus, causing rapid cellular decay that literally destroys the vampire's exposed flesh within seconds. Heavy coverings such as leather can protect a vampire from even full sun, though most still do their best to avoid exposure.
While vampires are unable to change shape, they are incredibly tough and strong. They can regenerate from almost any injury, including the loss of a limb, within hours or less. Although they cannot actually fly, they can climb most surfaces with ease, and can leap as high as twenty feet at a time with ease.
The vampiric virus is actually fairly weak compared to others, and a human bitten by a vampire can fight off the effects easily. If repeatedly bitten within a short time, the victim will often display flu-like symptoms for a few days afterwards as their body fights the virus off. To become a vampire, a victim must be drained almost entirely of blood, then be fed back massive quantities of infected blood in order for it to overtake their immune system. The entire process takes between twelve and seventy-two hours, depending on the person and the amonuts of infected blood available to the newborn.
Vampirism has one incredibly dangerous side effect. If a vampire drains a human to the point of death without infusing them with infected blood, the virus will keep them alive but only partially change them. They become nosferatu, with all the strengths and weaknesses of a vampire, but with the mind and urges of a maddened predator. They will rage and destroy mindlessly, and often spread their taint to their own victims. If unchecked nosferatu quickly become a danger not only to humans in an area, but vampires themselves, as nosferatu will attack and consume even regular vampires in their mindless hunger. Vampires tend to be extremely careful in the manner of their feeding lest they find themselves facing a horde of hungry undead.
Nosferatu are the main reason that werefolk despise vampires. Too often in the past a careless vampire has left a werefolk territory filled with them, with no thought or care for the destruction they work.
Vampires have a semi-strict heirarchy with the elders ruling over the rest. Younger (by comparison) vampires and newborns tend to either attempt to stay unnoticed to pursue their own interests, or get involved in elaborate games of politics and strategy, hoping to rise in power through influence or outright assassination.

Werefolk:The legends of werefolk are mostly false, though they ring closer to true than those of the vampires. Werefolk have unusually long lives, usually dying of old age at around 800 years old, though a few notable bloodlines and individuals have been known to live as long as 1,400 years.
Werefolk are deathly allergic to silver, and if it enters their bloodstream it can kill within minutes, especially in large amounts. Anything else can injure or possibly kill them if it does enough damage fast enough, but only silver can do so quickly.
Also contrary to popular belief, one cannot become a werefolk through any means save by birth. When werefolk attack humans they generally kill and eat their victims; on the rare occasions where a victim survives, the combination of the trauma and a common werefolk virus often take hold. This virus, similar to a mild case of rabies in some respects, causes madness in some humans. The victim often believes they are becoming an animal, become obssessed with bright lights such as the moon, and usually become incredibly violent. There is no cure save death for these unfortunates, and only in recent centuries has there been a vaccine developed for the virus.
Werefolk can change shape at any time they desire, though doing so repeatedly is not only conspicuous, but draining to them if done in a short period of time. Their were-form is a cross between human and animal; they cannot fully change to an animal form. They are incredibly strong and tough, and can regenerate from nearly any injury, including the loss of a limb, within hours. In their human forms their abilities are weakened to that of approximately twice what a normal human's would be. In either form, anything that injures them enough will kill them, including such things as decapitation, major organ destruction, incineration, etc.
There are nine seperate breeds of werefolk, with four feline and five canine bloodlines. The felines cannot interbreed with the canines, though mixed breeds among the matching bloodlines is not uncommon. Werefolk are incredibly territorial, and the nine breeds each originally stem from different parts of the world. The wolf breed is the most predominate, with variations coming from four seperate continents. The nine breeds by primary local are: Africa: Lion and wolf, Asia: Fox, Australia: Wolf and the Dingo sub-breed, Europe: Wolf, India: Tiger, Mediterranean: Jackal, North America: Wolf and coyote, and South America: Leopard and panther. Werefolk vehemently deny the rumors of a tenth breed, werebears, as a ridiculous legend.
Werefolk in general feed off of other living creatures, and have formed a society loosely based on a pack mentality. Older, stronger werefolk tend to become business tycoons, dealing in power and goods in savage stock trades and corporate takeovers. The younger werefolk often form nearly feral packs that are often confused with human street gangs. As an individual pack leader grows in power and territory, he rises higher up the chain, becoming more outwardly respectable and civilized.
Vampires dislike werefolk for their interference in their affairs and for the competition for their favorite food source: humans. They consider werefolk to be dangerous, and often treat them as subhuman animals.

Humans: Humans can be normal, cyborgs, or mages. Although technology in this world is somewhat more advanced than that of ours, cyborgs tend to be bulky, heavy creations. Mages tend to be older, secretive, and non-adventurous, but a few younger, cocky magic practitioners actively seek adventure. Only humans can use magic, something that by turns fascinates and frightens both vampires and werefolk.

Sample character sheet. Please feel free to add pictures and as much detail as you can. You can play any race at any alignment.

Name:
Nicknames:
Species(Human, Werefolk, Vampire):
Age:
Place of Origin:
Alignment(Human, Werefolk, Vampire, Neutral):
Appearance:
Background:
Special abilities(if any):
Weapons:
Oddities:
Quote:

There you go! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask here or private me, and I'll be glad to answer. Post your characters in this thread, or private them to me if you wish; both are acceptable to me.

I look forward to playing with each of you.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Very interesting if I can get out of the funk I'm in right now I'd like to add in a character...Do all the races use tech or some stick to blades/magic?

[TheGreyRonin]

Only humans have magic, but all the races use technology to some degree.  Certain older vampires and werefolk dislike modern technology, of course. Humans lose their magic if they become a vampire.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Name: Paladin Sheppard
Nicknames: Pal
Species(Human, Werefolk, Vampire): Werefolk (Australian Wolf)
Age: 586
Place of Origin: Australia
Alignment(Human, Werefolk, Vampire, Neutral): Werefolk
Appearance: Rusty brown fur with black patches (In wereform)Caucasian medium build (In human)  . Brown/Grey hair (Short cut)
Background: A frontline soldier with a long history of using human conflicts to get in close to vampire targets until the truce. Has since worked as a mercenary fighting in many human conflicts, skills at war highly polished and an expert with both firearms and bladed weapons.
Special abilities(if any): Crack Snapshot (Due to his constant use of firearms has granted the ability to fire highly accurate shots at targets).
Weapons: FN SCAR Mk16 7.62mm Assault rifle. SPAS-12 semi-auto shotgun. 2 USP mk23 .45 cal pistols. LVL2 Bodyarmor. 2 short swords.
Oddities: Eats large amounts of fast food.
Quote: Kill 'em all and let god sort 'em out.

[TheGreyRonin]

Accepted! Good to have you along, Paladin.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Looks like no one else was interested oh well 

[TheGreyRonin]

Yep. Sorry, Paladin. I figure it'll be mothballed for now, and I'll give it another shot later on. Hang on to your character, though, it looked pretty interesting.