If you are interested in joining this RP please visit our OOC thread and create a character profile.
For more about the game setting (and how this world functions) please read the outline also on the OOC thread.

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Ellington is a small community near the stormy coast- a community awash with vampires. The sleepy city is a hotbed for the underground vampiric world and well-known residence of some particularly notable individuals in these modern times. But it's becoming public knowledge that vampire hunters are closing in on the community under the very noses of the human residents of the city. Their secret world is falling apart and power struggles erupt between individuals and clans.

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RULES:

1 No Godmoding, Sues/Stus, Bunnying (AKA: use of OP weapons), etc.
2 OOC Belongs in this thread, not in the game thread.
3 Character death is decided upon by the owner of that character. Discuss this before you make the attempt.
4 Ping me when posting bios so I can make sure to find them.
5 Posting a bio does not add you to the game automatically. Wait for official acceptance in this thread.
6 Write 1-2 paragraphs at least so that the rest of us have something to go on.
7 Do not make up facts about other people's characters/ be gracious and change your post if you do and they contest it.

SPECIES:

VampiresX

Vampires can be killed a number of ways. Stakes to the heart, decapitation, a cup or more of holy water coming in contact with them (on clothing still counts as 'on them', mind) and coming in contact with a consecrated or blessed holy symbol. Depending on the power of the vampire (which is depended on their diet and age) the effects of sunlight and small amounts of holy water, silver and garlic have a decreasingly harsh effect: Sunlight and small amounts of holy water will kill a weak vampire near instantly and not effect an extremely old one at all. In between these two categories is an entire array of middle ranged vampires who would show their intolerance to these things in the form of illness- weakness, sweating, vomiting, shaking, hallucinations, etc. Silver and garlic just makes everyone ill.

Vampire 'power' is increased through age-which is self explanatory- and their diet. Vampires who feed off of creatures or little at all are not strong as they have poor diets. Power from diet diminishes if it is not maintained so naturally this means that the more vicious the vampire is, the more powerful they become. Those of extreme age maintain a high amount of power despite having an average diet. Vampires of extreme age have a glassy quality to their skin. They would be easily noticed in a crowd as being bizarre as compared to human beings for this reason. (Note: They don't sparkle, they just have a reflective, otherworldly quality to emphasize their unnatural state.)

Vampires have vibrant eye color similar to that which they were born with. Also, and quite particularly, at certain angles they reflect back the shape of a silver crescent moon. Other vampires and vampire hunters will know this. Also a peculiarity is the fact that flowers that grow around vampire communities will take on a dark or black coloring to them.

Vampire strength is a tricky thing. We're thinking Anne Rice now with speed and power but we're leaving out the wooing thing because that's kind of over powered. I know I've nerfed vampires a great deal but I'm looking to create a somewhat balanced game. The strength of a vampire is relative to their power (age/diet) and can manifest as being between a fleet-footed body-builder to pulling bricks out of a wall.

LuminiX

The lumini are based off of the Amelia Atwater-Rhodes "triste witches" who were virtually indistinguishable from human beings but had blood that would poison a vampire. For the case of this game they are not immortal but do tend to live extended lives (~240 years) but have no other special abilities beyond being poisonous and long-lived. They appear just as human beings do with the exception of a particular birthmark in the form of a sun which is paler than the skin around it. This birthmark can be anywhere on their bodies (Please indicate where this would be in your character bio).

HumansX

Human beings are by far the majority of Ellington's population. They have no unnatural abilities or appearances besides those given to them by artists, illnesses and accidents.

CURRENT CHARACTERS:

Taryn Lynn Aridane: MythosX

Originally Posted by Mythos

Name: Taryn Lynn Aridane
Species: Lumini
Age: 23
Physical Description: Taryn is a tall and thin red-headed twenty-something with hazel eyes and fair skin. While (clearly) not naturally a red-head, she's somewhere in between the wildly bright colored hair of a teenager and the mature looking hair color of an adult. Her Lumini 'sun' mark is on the outside of her left hip just below the belt line.

Personality: Taryn is inquisitive, impulsive and doesn't like to be limited. She is normally fairly easy to get along with if you don't mind the odd adventure into the middle of some business which is decidedly not your own.
Affiliations: Co-Workers at the local newspaper office
Personal Weaknesses: Taryn's impulsive nature often gets her in deeper than she thinks. She is flaky with relationships and doesn't normally have a 'second' as it were to back her up in those times of need and has never been formally trained in any combat styles. ...She is also allergic to shellfish.
Quirks: Taryn sometimes sleeps with her eyes open, especially when she is under a lot of stress.

History: Taryn is fresh out of university with a degree in journalism. It was a little hard finding a job, but she managed to snatch something up in Ellington's local paper office and while she doesn't love it, she appreciates having the work and the excuse to stick her nose into just about everything. She is not aware of either her Lumini heritage or that vampires exist.

Beryl Koenig: WyrmskyldX

Originally Posted by Wyrmskyld

Name: Beryl Koenig
Species: Vampire
Age: 167, looks 20-something
Physical Description: Medium height, pale, slender, with curly black hair and intense green eyes. Always dressed and made up at the height of fashion, whatever that happens to be at the moment. Generally conceals the glassy quality of vampire skin under carefully-applied makeup.

Personality: Despite her relative youth, Beryl has a reputation among other vampires for cold-blooded cruelty. She has no reputation among humans, because humans who get close to her tend to die quickly. She prefers to eat twice a week, more if she can get it. Her dedication to fashion and blending in with humanity is a form of predatory camouflage, not any yearning to be mortal again.

Beryl doesn't know a lot of things a vampire is supposed to know. Her maker died shortly after turning her, and she hasn't gone looking for friends among the other vampires. She considers herself to be naturally cautious, although her idea of 'caution' is to leave an area if she feels there's anything that might be a serious threat to her. This sometimes causes other vampires to assume she's a coward, because she will sometimes leave even if she could easily defeat the competition. Her favorite food is vampire hunters.

Recently, Beryl has been considering either finding or founding a clan. She's not precisely lonely, but she's tired of having to keep moving to avoid trouble, and feels that a clan would give some security.
Affiliations: Beryl's maker is dead, and she has no friends or minions.
Personal Weaknesses: Beryl will never turn down an opportunity to hunt a vampire hunter, even at the risk of life and limb. She doesn't know much about being a vampire, except that she has to drink blood and avoid sunlight and that other vampires usually have complicated clan systems. She doesn't make friends easily.
Quirks: Beryl is a movie fanatic. She's seen pretty much every movie ever made in Hollywood, and many from other places.

History: Beryl was born in Virginia, and reached adulthood just in time for the Civil War to start. Soldiers of both sides ransacked her family's farm and took liberties with the women at various times. She met her Maker after one such incident, when a mysterious man arrived and attacked several soldiers. Beryl 'helped' him by picking up a discarded sword and swinging wildly at the backs of the distracted soldiers. The mystery man rewarded the attempt at assistance by turning the attractive, mostly nude, blood-spattered girl into a vampire. Unfortunately for him, he neglected to explain what he was doing first, and Beryl had just discovered she could fight back against her assailants. In a last desperate move as she felt herself dying, Beryl stabbed him in the back with a kitchen knife. It didn't kill him, but it left him incapacitated long enough for her to shove him into the fire with the strength granted by hysteria.

Not having anyone to explain things to her, Beryl was understandably confused about suddenly craving blood and not being able to walk in the sunlight, and for several years she haunted caves and abandoned buildings, killing anyone unlucky enough to come her way. An abandoned library, however, provided collections of poetry that explained things more clearly, and she devoured everything she could find on the subject of vampires, especially when Bram Stoker's seminal novel was published. Knowing what she was, she learned to blend in with society in order to find meals more easily.

Beryl traveled extensively after that, using money taken from her victims to buy clothing, makeup, and whatever else she required, including identities. She often went to war zones, enjoying the easy pickings. In 1922 she saw the silent film Nosferatu, and her fascination with books about vampires was replaced with a fascination for movies. All of them, although she misses the glamour and elegance of the older Hollywood stars.

She's come to Ellington because after so many years alone, she's feeling the need for the security of a clan, or at least friends. Well... associates that she promises not to kill.

Oliver Delicrox: KiyotoX

Originally Posted by Kiyoto

Name: Oliver Delicrox
Species: Lumini
Age: 21
Physical Description: He is a tall twenty year old male, with slightly messy and unkept dark brown hair, which often works for him, and light blue almost steely grey eyes. His body is slender but tone, for he often does work out and keep in shape, and his skin is a warm tan. He has often a well groomed, just enough, mustache and beard idea, and is often found in suits or more classy/wealthy clothes. Contrary to his clothes and his background, his hands are a bit rougher then one would expect. His mark is on the back of his right shoulder.

Personality: Oliver is a bit cocky, and blunt. He will often say whatever he wants when he wants, and has little reguard for how it makes others feel. He seems to be a little out there, and a slight bit of a playboy. He has the wildest mind, and is always coming up with random things. He does have a hidden romantic and compassionate side, though not many take the time to truly get to know what is on the inside. People see him for his name, his family, and see him as the rebellious son who is always in the newspapers, so that is how he acts, though he has a whole other side, which is classy, elegant, smart, charming, and sophisticated. He at times gets worried and afraid though, having semi "break downs" where things overload him and get to much, which is often when his drinking is at its' worse, for him to forget, or he will do extream things.
Affiliations: His family (Mother, Father, Sister), Bodyguards, People Who Work For His Parents or The Company, Past Lovers, His Best Friend.
Personal Weaknesses: His main weakness is his image. People see him as one thing, so he acts that way, dispite how it makes him look, or how he really is. He sees it as "Everyone has already made up their minds about me before they know me, so what is the point of trying to change minds that will never approve." He has a slight problem with drinking, as well as never keeping a lover for long. He finds it hard to get close to people, and truly open up, so his relationships last until the other begins getting close, then he is on to the next. He has athority problems, and will often go against them even if he knows it is dangerous or risky. His mouth is also another weakness, especially with his disreguard for how it comes off or goes over. He has a fear of the future, and what it entails for him, he refuses to talk about it much, or even think about it, let alone discuss it.
Quirks: He has a tendancy to talk in riddles a lot, or quote books/writers/etc. He often gives people nicknames, seeing no point in remembering all of the names of the people he meets, when he will probrably never see half of them again.

History: Oliver was born in Doublin, and has never lost his Irish accent, even after moving to America at the age of twelve. He has gone on many trips with his family back home on pleasure and buisiness as well. Oliver was always aware of his history, and the knowledge of vampires, for there was a powerful goup of them back in Doublin, which his parents were helping locate and take out, and is one of the "Buisiness" reasons they return there. Growing up, both Oliver and his sister were trained in nesicarry things that they would need in life, and if they ever found themselves in dangerous situations. Some of them being hand to hand or various forms of martial arts, swords, gun fighting, as well as archery, horseback, fencing, and various other things. It always felt like to Oliver that they were being trained at a hundred different things at once, and were always busy with them.

His father is under the cover of a buisiness man, and dabbles in many different areas of buisiness, where his mother is more of a support to him. All of their buissiness endevors, plus the family heratige and stuff made the family vary wealthy and empowered within the buisiness and social as well as financial worlds. His parents have always been very strict and propper, very particular about how they are viewed, and how their members should act, appear, etc. They have always been high class and have demanded perfection from their children. Starting from early teenage years however, Oliver had a "break". He became sick of being the man or son that his parents wanted him to be, or everyone else expected him to be. He became annoyed with facades, and lies, as well as fake things and people. He began to rebel a bit, and gained the reputation of a stuck up, rich boy who is rebellious, a partier, a drinker, and a playboy, so he gave up caring what they thought, wanted or believed.

He began living for himself, and to have fun, even though his father and mother tried whatever they could to control him, and still do today. He is forced to listen to them at times, and is still made to be a part of the family buisinesses. Now that he has come of age within his family, being twenty one, he is being drug more into the world of vampires, and his heritage that goes back farther then he could have imagined. He is being made to learn and study about a whole different side of the world, a hidden side, and how to stop it or keep it at bay. He has always been pressured with the thought that one day he will have to marry, and take over as head of the family, which entitles all aspects of it, including producing an heir. Since he is the son of the family, his place is higher and more demanding then that of his sisters, though he is greatful to keep it off of her shoulders. He does not like it, but he has always understood it.

Ferdinando Montessori: NepentheX

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

Name: Ferdinando Montessori.
Species: Vampire.
Age: Approx. 600 -- looks closer to 30.
Physical Description: Shorter than most men his "age" Ferdinando doesn't strike a particularly imposing figure, which he uses to his advantage when hunting. He makes no effort to disguise the lustre of his skin, using it instead as another weapon to lure his victims. His eyes are a shade of green so bright as to look venomous, and there's often an enigmatic smile on his face, whose features are handsome and androgynous.

Personality: He works carefully to maintain a mysterious air around humans, never giving anything of his thoughts away unless he means to. His intentions are often unclear, and it's been said of him that he's a little aloof. In the presence of his kin, fellow vampires, he becomes almost childish, full of laughter and joy that makes his fearsome reputation rather difficult to believe -- until his mood changes, with the suddenness of a spring storm, and he tears the heart out of whoever has offended him and descends into moody, sullen silence for days or weeks at a time.
Affiliations: Most of the vampires in Ellington are familiar with him in some way or another. He's not a great taker of sides and bounces back and forth between clans as the mood takes him.
Personal Weaknesses: Unpredictable and often over-confident, and still unable to make a quick decision in spite of having had over 600 years to practise.
Quirks: He misses the 50s sometimes more than he misses Venice, occasionally dresses in Greaser style with his hair slicked with brylcreem and an affected accent. This, as with most everything he does, is less to do with nostalgia and more a means of attracting potential meals.

History: Ferdinando -- named Gabriel by his parents -- doesn't remember much of his childhood. He knows that he was born in France when the Black Death was ravaging Europe, and he remembers the softness of his mother's hands -- he remembers he had a sister and that he loved her very much, but he doesn't remember her name; he knows only that the plague took her, as it took both of his parents, leaving him alone at an age when he was barely able to look after himself. By hook or by crook he survived, but his memories of those early years are vague and shapeless, as though seen through a mist. His first real memory is of Sabine, the old Romani woman who made him what he is.

For several hundred years he lived with the gypsy vampires, drifting through what is now the Czech Republic, but they were beset by hunters in the early years of the 17th century. Those few who survived the assault were scattered, and Ferdinando found himself in Italy at the end of the Renaissance, where he fell in love -- with Naples, with Rome, with Florence... and with Venice, rising mysterious and sultry from the lagoon, beautiful Venezia where he took on a new name and committed himself utterly to the pursuit of pleasure and power.

But in a city such as Venice, a new arrival doesn't go unnoticed for long, particularly not one with a bloodlust as insatiable as Ferdinando's. For several years, the local vampire clans watched his progress, weighing up their options. In peacetime, a vampire such as Ferdinando, older and wiser and more fearsome than most, would have been a valuable asset, but with a war raging between three of the five clans in Venice, he was seen as a threat and set upon, forced to flee in the 1800s to England and then, at the turn of the century, to America, where he wandered until he happened upon Ellington and there settled, making a name for himself as a vampire truly not to be screwed with.

Luna Beaufort: Q U E E NX

Originally Posted by Q U E E N

Name: Lady Luna Beaufort
Species: Vampire
Age: Somewhere around 900 years old. She appears to be in her late teens or early twenties. Luna prefers to say that she's 22 years old, though, in order to get into bars or clubs, which are convenient places to find food.
Physical Description: Slim and extremely tall (6ft) for someone born in the 1110's; not only was she revered in London during the good old days for her heritage and family name, she also was rather intimidating in her appearances. Dirty blonde hair cascades in waves to her shoulders, and on her lips you can usually find some color of red lipstick. With pale skin of glassy quality that she usually conceals from the public with makeup, and ice-blue eyes that seem to stare through your soul and read your mind, humans often have a hard time approaching her because of her otherworldly appearance.

Personality: Playful and teasing, Luna is a big flirt. Sitting around and doing nothing for a few centuries does get boring after a while, and Luna was always one for excitement. She isn't afraid to rub others the wrong way just to entertain herself with their reactions and lives life on the edge, even for a vampire. Nobody ever knows what she's truly thinking because she tends to avoid directly answering people's questions, yet it feels like she knows exactly what other people are thinking or feeling. Around humans, Luna conceals the fact that she's a vampire, but still likes to play with them, almost as if they were toys. Around others of her kind, she likes to step out of line, causing her actions to often surprise the others.
Affiliations: She hasn't been in contact with her maker for a while now, and only has vague ideas about where he could be currently making a living. Luna considers herself allied with anyone that has power, and therefore flits around the more powerful Clans in Ellington. She knows most of the vampires in the area, but generally ignores the younger or weaker ones. She's not really that old for a vampire, but has lived for long enough (and she's pretty powerful and hard to kill) to gain the respect and friendship of other vampires (except, a few of them think that she's crazy).
Personal Weaknesses: Luna's weakness is the fact that she often takes risks that most vampires wouldn't take, such as "dressing up" as a vampire for a Halloween party, and then later on feasting on the guests. Because of these actions, she has put her life and the lives of other vampires on the line. Many other vampires feel that she's completely crazy, teasing, and sometimes even flirting with vampire hunters to make them angry. Many vampires know that she's powerful and can't be killed easily, but they prefer not to be with her when she goes hunting for food, because who knows what will happen? Also, she tends to underestimate vampire hunters and humans, thinking of them as naive or not as worldly compared to vampires.
Quirks: Luna has always been fond of music. For the past few years (centuries), she's worked in the music industry, composing songs, writing lyrics, and disguising herself in order to do so. She liked the enchanting music of Europe the best, but came over to America, and since then has been floating somewhere in the music industry.

History: Lady Luna Beaufort was born in London; into the Noble House of Beaufort in the 1100's. Even for a vampire, 900-something years gone by is hard to remember. She only remembers little of her later human life, and even less of her childhood. Luna only knows that someone in her family was to later on give birth to one of the Kings of England, and that she was trained since young to be as ladylike as possible to find a good husband. The only clear thing about her human life was the day that she was changed into a vampire. Her maker was a young French man that she'd met at a ball that both of them were attending. He was the Duke of Montmorency, and he'd had a dazzling allure that attracted Luna to him. Little did she know, he would later on turn her into his own sort of "apprentice" vampire; he took her from country to country, letting her see the sights, and teaching her in the ways of the vampire. Her maker had often said that he was older than civilization itself, but Luna had never believed him.

She grew rather attached to her maker, and then one day he just left her without any warning or goodbye. Whether he went out hunting and came across a strong vampire hunter or was just tired of having Luna around, she would never know. From then on, Luna started to fend for herself, using the techniques and tricks that her maker had taught her. Years flew by, and Luna went from place to place, meeting many vampires and nearly getting herself killed by vampire hunters a few dozen times. In the 1800's, Luna decided to stay in America, yet again traveling from place to place. Luna witnessed many historical events occur during her time in America, from wars to the assassination of both Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. She stayed along the east coast and Washington D.C., liking to watch the capitol and the presidents of the young nation. There was once even a time where she became a spy for the government, but quit after vampire hunters heard that there was a vampire working for government. She wandered freely until the 1960's, and then moved to Ellington.

Dolores -Dolly- Pasternack: BarghestX

Originally Posted by Barghest

Name: Dolores "Dolly" Pasternack

Species: Human

Age: 19

Physical Description: Dolly has a lanky, shapeless kind of physique- a word that comes to mind after seeing her might be 'stretched'. Another might be 'dopey'. Standing at about 5'9'', Dolly is amalgamation of awkwardly arranged limbs. Though she is pear-shaped, possesses long legs and a slender neck, they are counteracted by her overly-large hands and feet , flat chest, and broad shoulders. She's a series of overly-large parts attached to overly-small parts- essentially Dolly is like a goose: pretty at a distance, comical in motion.

In addition to these traits, Dolly has a few unique features- she is painfully pale with a smattering of freckles across her nose and shoulders. White-blonde hair falls over one eye in a haphazard mop, and her dull teal eyes possess little to no guile whatsoever.

Despite appearances however, Dolly is capable of moving at an astounding pace and possesses a surprising amount of dexterity considering her gawky build.

Personality: Because of Dolly's taciturn and unassuming nature, people may at first mistake her for being a little... simple. The truth is she's just blunt and very honest- she lacks self-awareness and sees no reason to keep up appearances, and so she simply doesn't. Ever. Though she isn't capable of any kind of deceitful behavior herself, that doesn't mean she's easy to trick- in fact she is excellent at judging a person's character. She can be an oddball and is certainly an eccentric, but she is still very personable and friendly. Dolly is, quite simply, a nice person.

To some she seems to be perpetually half-asleep (or high, depending on your point of view), but she is still quite perceptive. Her calm in emergency situations is something to behold, and while the people around her might be hysterical she is capable of making reasoned and logical decisions.

Affiliations: The mysterious network of hobos and drifters that all cities seem to have, and that's about it.

Personal Weaknesses: A complete and utter lack of ability to deceive others or bluff. Painfully neutral and blase towards others. Candidness regardless of situation or company. A little too observant for her own good. Inability to integrate into normal human society (get a job, a house, etc.) Her calm demeanor can be aggravating when haste or urgency is required.

Quirks: Oddly lucky and intuitive- follows her gut, tends to turn out okay. A drawling and monotonous tone of voice, with a slight southern accent. A bit superstitious. Curious, inquisitive. Partakes in benign thievery- has 'crow-like' kleptomaniacal tendencies (she likes the shinies). Junk collector. Tends to be fairly generous and unattached to her possessions and gives away things on a regular basis. Enjoys sewing, knitting, and crafty things- surprisingly good with her hands.

History: Dolly is a born drifter and a modern nomad, travelling from place to place her entire life. She rarely stays in one place for long and doesn't tend to make friends, choosing instead to keep to herself. She is not very forward with her personal details, though she has little to hide. Her life was largely unremarkable, save a few details- she grew up in the rural parts of Tennessee raised by her grandmother. When she was a child, her parent's left her at Granny's house for a "weekend stay" and simply never came back. She was home-schooled (somewhat inadequately) by her elderly guardian and when she passed away inherited her home. After an unfortunate stove-related accident her house was lost in a fire, and with no real knowledge of how 'insurance' or 'welfare' worked, she just left and started living the hobo life.

She's lived in a few places, though she's never lived anywhere as long as she has Ellington. Something about the city has drawn her in and kept her there... a kind of magnetic attraction. Though she hasn't been there long, her six months there has offered her a slight glimpse into the foul inner-workings of the city's darker half. She does not know specifics, but she knows something is wrong in Ellington. A more outspoken person might have gained a few enemies, but Dolly's relative invisibility has kept her out of view from more dangerous individuals. For now.

Isuel Bulan: perfect.imperfectionX

Originally Posted by perfect.imperfection

Name:Isuel Bulan

Species: Human

Age: 23

Physical Description: Isuel has deep chocolate brown hair and oddly grey blue eyes. She has a very petite form, very short reaching only 5’2, tiny waist, short torso, but legs that are very slender and looks like it could go on for miles. Her skin is sun-kissed and smooth as a newborns bum; with a mild skin condition she needs to always keep her skin as health as possible. When she smiles a dimple appears on her left cheek and her eyes get really Asian (not to be racist but it does!). Her choice in clothing can get rather outrageous sometime and the range various all the time; it can go to rather casual, to something very cultural, and very prim and proper.

Personality: Isuel is a very open minded girl, she’ll try anything that you suggest and listen to whatever it is that you need to say. Possibilities to her is like a drug that gets her veins pumping, the thought of doing or learning something new just get her pumped up. The downside of that, however is that she is also very open about what she thinks as well; some call it blunt, she calls it undiluted honesty. Isuel is always on her toes and nothing seems to get her down, but during the more serious an emotional moments she well prevent others from seeing that side of her. She puts up a tough and happy front to prevent people from pitying her and all she wants from people is their respect and honesty. When you first get to know her she is very friendly and normal, but once you get to know her more and spend time with her you can see she can be a bit crazy and rather sexual.

Affiliations: She has a variety of people that she can consider her network, what with all the traveling that she does. In several parts of the world she has a welcoming place for her to stay at, but none more welcoming then the church back on that little island in the Philippines.

Personal Weaknesses: She loves food and will do anything for a good meal, her stomach has decided on what she would do next on several occasions. It’s funny really how much food such a tiny body can intake without affecting the outside. On the more serious notes, with her fancy free attitude she can get herself in quite the pickle. Several guys have used her openness to their advantage and tried to have their way with her, but just because she is care free doesn’t mean she isn’t smart or strong either.

Quirks: She tends to break into little songs as she goes about her day, sometimes she realizes it sometimes she doesn’t. With her traveling background, a lot of the songs that she breaks out into are in other languages (mostly oldie, poetic songs or lullabies). Also in conversations she may start speaking in another language, so please bear with her.

History: She was found as at the age of 4, walking around the shores be a nearby village on a tiny island in the Philippines. Her true origin was never found, no one knew for sure if she was Filipino or a different kind of Asian because she talked about living on a boat all her life. No one found any foreign ships or any wrecks in the sea, and wonder how she was able to survive if there had been one or if she was just abandoned. Either way the church nuns were willing to raise her, and lucky for her they were very caring and loving. The villagers also took good care of her as well, saying that they never met such a light spirited child, some said she was a blessing from the goddess Alunsina; a Filipino deity who ruled the eastern skies. As she grew older her thirst for knowledge and adventure grew larger and larger, and at the age of 17 she made the decision to backpack across the world. Now when the nuns and villagers first heard of her planned they disapproved greatly, but after letting her talk and explain herself they couldn’t help but chip in a little bit to start her of on her journey. Now if you’re curious as to what she told them, well you need to ask about it from her; she loves explaining it anyways.

The first front of her journey was to explore every part of the Philippines as she could, working odd jobs to get a few money there, a bed to sleep on her, a meal on the side. The first couple of weeks were hard, but Isuel always had a smile on her face and was brutal honest with her intentions that just made people willing to trust her and even offer their help after she helps them. She did this through the other Asian countries, spanning out from Russia to Indian to Turkey. She records all that learns from her travels in her special notebook the nuns gave her before she left. From there Europe, to Africa, to Canada, and ending up in the United States, one of the more harder places to find odd jobs to finance her. The methods she used to get money in other countries, like offer naturally made remedies (taught to her by the nuns) and scary accurate fortunes; it was hard to get past a week. So she decided to settle into a less dense population and figure out a plan from there, and by a random suggestion she ends up in Ellington. Since she isn’t in the USA on a visitor’s visa or anything like that she has to be very careful on the information she gives out and hopes to find a decent place to stay for long term and a well-paying job, which she hopes to find in Ellington.

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ACCEPTED CHARACTERS ARE NOW FREE TO POST

A hand appeared in a dirty window, covered with a film from the smoke of cigars long snuffed out. It was an old office and smelt the part, but it was her office and she couldn't be prouder. Well, that was a lie. Taryn was already looking for other positions at bigger, more important news papers across the country. She was bored of Ellington and her apartment wasn't even unpacked. Her opinion of it didn't take long to form at all, but then again it really didn't need long. For a journalist, especially a young journalist dreaming of hard hitting or shocking stories, Ellington was a desert.

But her work life was not what was on her mind right now. It was closing time and she got to leave the tiny, smelly office and return home to her tiny, empty apartment and do whatever 'nothing' she could come up with. With another stretch the street-level window hatch was obtained and quickly pulled shut.

"So, uh..." the lazy, dragging voice of her manager pulled its way over from the doorway to her. "...thinking about heading home?" He wasn't as much of a sleaze as he sounded, she prayed for that at least. Immediately when Taryn arrived to work at Ellington she had noticed how often Mr. Forquin would somehow arrive at her office around closing time. She pegged him right away as a local kid that grew up knowing if not being related to everyone in the community in some way, and being the 'new blood' made her exotic and interesting.

Taryn gave him a piteous, little smile and nodded "Yeah, I still have some unpacking to do."

"Ah..." He looked down at one of the stacks of used post-it notes sitting on the corner of her desk. Clearly he wasn't sure if offering to help would be considered too forward or not, and Taryn wasn't about to help him out of that confusion. Two notebooks slid into her bag and a thermos while he worked on the most polite way to invite himself over, but his time had already ran out. She smiled again, politely this time as if he were a stranger-- well he was-- and slipped out of her own office "I'll see you tomorrow morning." He nodded and started to open his mouth to say something, but it was too late once again. She was out the door.

The sun was on it's way down, but there would be just enough to get home in if she hurried. Chinese take-out was the plan... perhaps a movie and a nice long bath... Who has time for that? Maybe just the first two...

"So what'd you say your name was? Ruby?" The man asked, removing his black bow tie and tossing it on the bed. It was followed by a tuxedo jacket, and he fumbled with jeweled cufflinks as he turned to smile at the woman who'd followed him into the room. The name matched her clothing, at least. A ruby red sheath that contrasted starkly with her fair skin and matched the very carefully-arranged curls whose vivid color was probably as authentic as her saccharine Southern accent.

"Ruby? Sure, why not? Let me help you with those, sugar." The woman swayed forward and removed the cufflinks, setting them on a table where they winked in the light of the hotel room's flickering lamp. Smiling at some private amusement, she ran a hand up the smooth fabric of his shirt and began unbuttoning it. Bright red lips quirked into an even more sardonic smirk. "So are you feeling as lucky now as you were at baccarat tonight?"

"Why don't you tell me? Aren't you Lady Luck?" The man gave her a grin that he obviously felt was worthy of James Bond, although it fell short somehow. Perhaps it was the too-smooth sheen of the man's polyester shirt, or the brighter-than-diamond sparkle of the cufflinks. Perhaps it was the cheap hotel room and the smell of liquor on his breath. Or maybe just the fact that the bow tie was a clip-on made him look sleazy instead of suave. Still, the overstuffed money clip in his pocket was more than enough reason for a woman like 'Ruby' to be in his hotel room.

"Actually, I think someone's luck has just run out." Before he could react to the sudden frost in her formerly honeyed voice, the man found himself pinned against the wall in a grip of iron. He struggled to break free, and drew in a breath to cry out for help. His breath was cut short as her knee came up between his legs, and then razor sharp fangs were at his throat.

The vampire finally stepped back, sated, and let the body slump to the floor. She regarded the corpse with disdain even as she knelt to rummage through his pockets. "And I told you my name was Scarlett."

The cheap, gaudy money clip was just as full as she'd remembered, and the denominations were even higher than his successes at the casino had indicated. She tucked the money into the absurd little evening purse she'd left on a chair, and started going through his suitcase for valuables. There were car keys, another bundle of money, and more evidence of the deceased man's shadiness. Figures he left the wedding ring and family photos in his luggage. Wife probably thinks he's on a business trip while he's in Vegas pretending he's Mr. Bigshot.

She spared a brief moment of pity for the unknown wife, then completely forgot her as she stuffed the second wad of cash into the tiny purse. This gives me more than enough to get to where the other vampires are and keep a roof over my head while I find a clan... And best of all, I can stop pretending to be a harlot.

A few minutes later, the ruby-garbed woman drove away in the deceased man's car. An hour after that, a red sequined dress with matching shoes, purse, and wig were dumped in a Good Will bin, along with the identity of Scarlett LaRue. And by midnight, raven-haired Beryl Koenig was boarding a Greyhound bus headed to Ellington.

Oliver Delicrox


The car pulled away from the curb of his father's office building, and for the hundreth time in his life, Oliver was thankful to be getting away from that. It was beyond boring, and he was still young. There was plenty of time for buisiness later, for now however, he was more interested in something else. He slipped off his seatbelt, and sat so his back was against the door, putting his feet up across the back seat, and crossing his legs. His arms moved up, so he could fold his hands behind his head. Glancing up out the window he sighed. Sunset...He had been told to go straight home, but then again, Oliver was never one for athority, so why start now.

"Driver, do you happen to know where the closes watering hole is?" he says, using a more animalistic choice in terms. The driver glanced back at him in the mirror with a raised eyebrow. "Your parents advised me to take you straight home" he says. "Yes yes, that's all fine and such, but you must ask yourself, will I be in the car when you arrive?" he asks. The driver's eyebrow rose a little higher "isn't that what taking you straight home implies sir?" Oliver smirked, it was the driver's second day on the job, clearly he had no idea what he was dealing with. Oliver turned, moving to face forward now in the middle seat.

He places his hands on the shoulders of the two front seats, and leaned lightly forward. His accent still clearly with him, even after his time in America. His parents said it was from the travelling, since he was not always away from Ireland, it would stick with him, but he had a feeling it was in his blood, but that was nothing worth really thinking to much about. "My good man, clearly my parents have not warned you about my....quirks" he chuckles a bit. "And what would those be?" the driver asks. Oliver sat back, once more folding his hands behind his head "well, you can either take me where I wish to go, and I will gladly accompany you back home after, or I can simply roll out the door, which I am not afraid of doing, and you can explain to my parents why their son nearly got ran over in traffic on your watch" he smiles.

"You wouldn't dare" says the driver. Oliver sighs, "must we play this little game, very well, it is your job after all." He slid over to the door, placing his hand on the handle, and before the driver could speak, he opened the door. The car in the other lane swirving out of the way with a loud honk. The other driver cursed at them, and Oliver's own driver swirved a bit. "Ah, alright alright, close the door, I'll take you" he says, on the verge of what seemed to be a panic attack. Oliver pulled the door closed, and sat back with a smile "now that wasn't so hard was it?" The driver took a breath, glancing in his mirror, thankful no cops were around at the time. "How do your parents put up with you?" he says. "Ah, one of the great mysteries of life" Oliver laughs, and the driver could not help but manage a small smirk.

Taryn checked her phone while the cars whizzed past before her. Someday the light is going to change. I swear this one is the longest it could possibly be. She had received no calls through the day, no messages... typical. Her friends had all drifted off into their own lives once she moved to Ellington, and hardly had the time to contact her. She could have sworn she heard the phone go off, but it could have easily been music from the bar behind her.

She tucked the phone away and checked the light again. It was just now changing back to red from amber. "Great." She huffed and looked back at the bar. Considering the the town with it's population of either the extremely rich with their mansions tucked away in the woods or the small-town middle class families that milled about at Saturday farmer's markets it was distinctively out of character for Ellington. There were no windows to see in, and the door to the street was under a heavy, low hanging awning. For someone who had seen clubs of a similar fashion elsewhere in the country --particularly in large cities-- Taryn was completely confused by it's presence here.

I swear I'm going to have to go in at some point, it's just too bizarre not to. The red head moved closer in to check out a bronze plaque outside the door. In thin, curving letters it simply read 'The Last Drop', it was the name of the bizarre establishment, and proceeded to confuse the reporter further. Okay... that's weird. I'm sure there is some kind of story about that. Just nothing to write about though... other than being some place likely for drug dealing or whatever they do here.

The sun was setting and night was coming on fast, and though this should have been cause for concern, Dolly strolled merrily through the bad side of town.

Well, maybe not 'bad'- she didn't think anyone else would call it that. If they did, it would only be because vagrants like herself were a common sight in the alleys and dumpsters here. However, Dolores Pasternack- known as 'Dolly' to the few she introduced herself to- knew that there was something worse in Ellington then hobos and hookers. It was just, she couldn't quite say what.

Still, this did not make her fearful of her surroundings; Dolly had been roaming alone since she was on the ripe side of 17 and knew how to spot a troublemaker. A finely honed sense for stranger danger had served her well over the last few years, and when her intuition had failed her her feet had carried her quickly out from harms way. She was tall, boyish, wiry and awkward, but she could move when she needed to and hardly ever stumbled. She was young and she was healthy, and from the perspective of a homeless person that was more then anyone could ask.

Yes, despite the oddness of Ellington Dolly felt she was quite safe. She was in a good mood tonight and she whistled to herself as she went, moths skittering past as she walked underneath each cracked and yellow streetlamp. Today was a Friday, she knew, because she had watched the weather forecast this afternoon at the local laundromat. Friday was a good day for hobos because it came before Saturday, and Saturday was the last day of the week- the day when stores could generally be counted on to throw away a lot of food. Most of it wasn't even bad, it was just passed the selling date so in the dumpster it went- and of course, in went Dolly after it, and for a night or two she'd eat like a king, getting fat on slightly stale Wonderbread and Hostess Snowballs. Or, until they chased her out of the garbage, anyway.

This pleasant thought was broken by a sudden and inexplicable sense of unease. Dolly stopped and blinked, trying to get her bearings. She was surely going the right way, but the path her destination had taken her on was a particularly unsavory one. Not far across the street was a place called The Last Drop, and the mere sight was more then enough to kill Dolly's whistle before it could leave her lips. She felt it was a bad place... maybe the bad place in Ellington. The grapevine among the local homeless surely suggested as much; she had heard whispers and received warnings that only trouble could be found there, and to steer clear... especially at night. People disappeared there, and the most likely were the types like them, the dregs of society that no one could name and no one would miss.

With a feeling almost like nausea, Dolly glanced nervously at the clientele milling about outside the bar. The seemed normal, sure... they looked like normal folks. But there was something in their demeanor that set her on edge. Licking her lips, Dolly pulled her gaze away from the unsettling patrons of The Last Drop and continued on her journey to her fabled dumpster's plentiful bounty. And though she didn't realize it consciously, she forced herself to maintain a casual pace instead of rushing away- almost as though she suspected, on some level, that running would provoke someone to chase her.

But those thoughts were far from the surface of her mind, because like those unsavory patrons, she too was hungry.

Luna Beaufort

---

"Tsk, tsk." A slender, pale figure appeared out of the forest surrounding the large English manor. "Intruders are not welcome here." Two teenage boys who looked about sixteen or seventeen were lurking in her garden. Flora of all shapes, sizes, and colors stood across the ground and some even managed to weave themselves into the hedge surrounding the manor. The flowers were a bit darker than they usually would have been, but that was because the owner of the manor was what one would call a vampire. The two intruders were startled by the voice, and swung their flashlight around so that they could get a better look at what had interrupted their little adventure. "We know what you are!" They called out, getting closer to her, albeit shaking from fear. Luna had to give them some credit, most grown men would flee at the sight of her. If they knew what she actually was.

"Oh?" She smirked, amused. This was the third intrusion this week. Someone would have caught on sooner or later, no matter how far she went to conceal her true identity. People often came to her place, and never returned. Though, it was quite surprising that these two young ones were the first to actually approach her about it. "Oops. Guess my cover is blown." She moved closer to the one holding the flashlight. "Too bad this scrawny thing is no match for me." Luna snatched the flashlight out of the teenager's hand, flinging it a good distance away lazily. "Shame you guys will be going out so young, eh?" She cradled the face of the boy who was formerly holding the flashlight, stroking it almost lovingly. "Did you think that you would get to be a hero, silly?" She giggled. He stared back at her, unable to move. The other boy watched from a few feet away, wanting to run but too gripped with fear to move his legs from their spot in the flower garden. Her ice-blue eyes gleamed in the approaching darkness of night and she nuzzled the boy's neck before going in for the kill, latching on to his neck and sucking him dry. A flash came from the direction of the other boy, and Luna turned her attention to him.

He had a digital camera in his hand, and was now running back to the heart of the city, away from the vast mansions and chateaus of the rich that bordered Ellington. "Oh, no you don't." Luna quickly took off and caught up to the boy with the camera before long. She caught him in a strangle; he struggled and wriggled around a bit before releasing the camera and slumping in Luna's arms. The boy fell to the ground, crushing flowers int he process. She instantly stomped on the camera, making sure that it was completely destroyed. "Don't want my little secret getting out just yet." Luna whispered to herself and the non-moving figure below her on the grass before she descended on the second boy's neck to feed again. Now that she had started hunting, she figured that she would continue and find some more fresh blood. Or perhaps she would take a visit to The Last Drop?

Slinging one of the boys on her shoulder and carrying the other in her free arm, she gracefully swept back to her manor. Now all she had left to do was to bury them along with the rest of her unfortunate visitors. A visit to the bar it was. She felt like seeing a few friends today.

The overnight bus stank of humanity. Not simply the sour-sharp pong of forgotten deodorant or the acrid mustiness of long-neglected bathing, although those were present. This stench was formed of many layers that could only be truly distinguished by the sharpest noses. A flutter of floral perfume near the back of the bus struggled to cover the pheremones from a woman's deep interest in her copy of Fifty Shades of Grey. A couple of rows forward, a youth apparently believed heavy-handed use of a widely-marketed cologne brand would magically counteract his visual appearance of bad skin and pudgy orange-dusted fingers. Across the aisle, an elderly person of indeterminate gender fed tidbits of tuna salad to an incontinent cat hidden inside a bulky coat. Each person on the bus contributed unique odors, from minty toothpaste to faint hints of flatulence, and then the whole was overlaid with the smells of diesel and cleaning chemicals from the bus itself.

Beryl covered her nose and mouth with a scarf and prayed to the long-ignored God of her youth for the hellish nightmare miasma to end. Vampires, of course, didn't have to breathe... But it was a habit she had never troubled to break, and it was often a useful indicator of trouble. She'd tried to open a window when she first arrived on the bus, but even vampiric strength couldn't seem to budge the window without shattering it. Although broken glass seemed more and more appealing the longer the ride went on. She found herself thinking longingly of childhood chores like mucking out stables or feeding hogs. I should have stayed around the casinos until I had the money for a plane. Or perhaps to buy a car. Any number of lechers pawing at me would have to be better than this.

Finally, though, one of the green signs along the road flashed the name 'Ellington.' The word might as well have been 'Eden' in the vampire's piercing green eyes, and she sat up, staring intently at the road ahead. It still took an eternity to reach the bus depot, but Beryl was able to almost ignore the stench in favor of studying her new home town. The Last Drop caught her eye and she smiled slowly, inadvertently giving hope to the cheeto-and-cologne-doused youth.

The crush of mortals weren't enough to keep Beryl from being the first one off the bus, and she breathed in a breath of fresh, clean air. Or at least air that didn't smell like what she'd been inflicted with for the duration of the ride. She ducked into the bus depot's bathroom, savoring the harsh sterile odor of chemicals while she freshened her appearance. Confident now, she strode down the road toward the ominous-looking club. I wonder if they serve 'drinks.' The one in Seattle did...

Standing in a park not far from where they had had their little 'accident', Oliver took a slight breath. He wondered if his parents would be angry with him for the stunt he pulled with the driver. A slight smile formed over his lips. He cared little in all honesty, they were probrably used to his antics for now. Turning to the side, his eyes scanned over the area.

He wondered where the nearest place to get a drink was. He would need it, if he was going to go home and listen to his father all afternoon. Shaking his head, he began walking. He was well aware of the driver trailing him in the car and that was fine. He would have expected nothing less, for the other was still responsible for him until he was home.

A few women glanced in his direction and giggled, blushing a bit. He smired, and gave a slight mock bow in their direction. They laughed more, then waved at him. Women were so easy to him, looks, money, power. At any given time, he could have them eatting out of his hand. That was what they liked when it came to him, his image.

They would have never believed what lied benieth the surface, nor would they care to get to know. It mattered little to him, those who failed to see beyond the surface were going nowhere in life. It went along with what this place was hiding, things that were made fun of and drempt about in movies and books. If they knew the truth, they would not love the things so much.

He shook his head, they were fools and things would never change. He would take over the buisiness of the family in time, both the surface and hidden one. He was not looking forward to it, but as the heir to the family, it was his duty and his place. So much pressure, it was no wonder he needed a drink.

He laughed a bit to himself as he kept walking. Most thought of him as the drunk playboy, that was just fine with him. He did not appear much of a threat to the things that would not hesitate to take him within a second. This way, he had a slight ace up his sleve, other then his knowledge of fighting and the world around him. No, he would not go down without a fight. If those bloody things wanted a fight, he would give them hell.