The Nightfall Watchers Initative: A Horror Hunters RP

[PastelPhoenix]

Who Are the Nightfall Watchers?
​

The Nightfall Watchers Initiative was passed by a council of concerned citizens, thereafter known as the Eyes on the Wall, in order to combat those that would disrupt the normality of human society and drag humanity screaming into the dark. Not all of their intentions are destructive, however. The Watchers study many aspects of the unknown that can potentially help humanity as a whole. The group also works to protect Lost Souls, humans with the ability to perceive the unnatural in unforeseen ways and are often hosts themselves to great thaumaturgical powers.

The Watchers are not a military, however, even if they are armed like one. Watchers are still to be considered civilians first and foremost, and given a fair bit of leeway in their actions and behavior, so long as it does not pose a risk to the operations of the Nightfall Watchers as a whole, or risks exposing the organization to the public's eyes.

Who does Humanity Need Protection From?

- Phantoms, Haunts, and Daemons: Humans with particularly strong emotions overwhelming their lives tend to leave an impact in the form of a phantom when they die. While on their own they tend to be little more than lingering emotions, a large host of phantoms can create areas home to inexplicable phenomenon and irrational, often dangerous and anti-social, behavior in humans in the Haunt's area.

Even more dangerous than haunts are Daemons, particularly malevolent phantoms that gain a higher form of awareness above raw emotions. Daemons often can affect their environments directly, and if allowed to exist long enough to gain even more sentience, some find ways to create physical forms.

- Various Creatures of the Night: Although we like to believe that many tales of monsters hunting men are just stories, not all of the old Hunters of Man are gone. Every once in a while a creature emerges from hiding to begin preying on humanity again.

- Cults and Covens: Sometimes humanities worst enemy is itself. Many cults worship the unknown, and most of them pose no danger of actually summoning something to our world. What danger they actually pose, however, is rouge Thaumaturges indoctrinated by the cults and ceremonies that drag unwilling members into the mix. While most cults are based upon fake entities, some have a basis in reality. The cults dedicated to the worship and/or awakening of an actual entity are considered a top priority within the Watchers.

- Other Hunters of Horrors: Two other organizations similar to the Nightfall Watchers exist, and are in direct conflict with the Watchers.

• The Unexplained Activities Task-Force: The official government coalition dedicated to containing unnatural entities. Unlike the Watcher's policy of reintegration of Lost Souls and destruction when necessary, the UATF focuses on capturing entities for study and follows a policy of containment. Where it once seemed that the Watchers and UATF could coexist, policy clash and mutual distrust have lead to a souring of relations to the point of competition and direct conflict between the organizations.

• The Crimson Lantern Society: Another civilian lead front against the unknown, and considered to be the Watcher's chief antagonist. The Crimson Lanterns oppose all forms of the paranormal, and seek to eradicate it. Their acts of wanton destruction against anything considered to be unnatural, as well as their treatment of Lost Souls, leads to widespread disgust among Watchers sympathetic towards unknowns. Most Watchers consider them little more than terrorists, an while discouraged, disruption of Lantern activity is tolerated by the Eyes on the Wall.

- The Abyss: Humanity has long had the idea that they are not alone in the universe, and in some ways they were right. However, the invaders did not descend from the Stars, but rather rose from the ground. The Abyss is an unknown plane of existence that has emerged recently. Invading from portals of swirling liquid, black and thick as tar, Abysslings are often shadowy in appearance, with strange bodily configurations and an insatiable appetite. There are currently no known ways to fully close a portal, but a few methods of slowing their arrival and predictability make them a threat, rather than overwhelming.


- The Ones Who Came Before: Ancient, sleeping monstrosities. There is currently no known way to contain or eradicate them. They are to remain dreaming at all costs, any cults attempting to wake one is to be considered the number one priority. Their potential effects on the world are too great to allow a compromise in the mission.

Okay, So what will we do in this roleplay?​

The players will take the role of a recently commissioned branch and it's Operative and Thaumatergical members in Hamilton Port, an up an coming city on the Eastern US coast. Unfortunately for the citizens of Hamilton Port, the city has been built atop the One Who Came Before known as the Fifth Prince. To make matters worse, a local cult has uncovered the existence of the Fifth Prince and are actively trying to wake it, and a minor portal to the abyss has opened up. This unfortunate string of events has lead to the approval of Operation Preventive Regicide and the formation of the Operative Task Force 23-4: The Court Assassins to keep Normalcy, least the Prince rouse from his sleep.
​

 

[Junier]

-------Alright, alright, you've caught my eye.

-------I think so far you've included a clever way of incorporating characters with supernatural elements alongside more down-to-earth human characters with the Lost Souls and the normal Watchers. Though, on the subject of these "Lost Souls": how exactly would they function in the roleplay? What roles what they play, what mechanics would they follow...?

-------I feel, as a whole, your interest check focuses more on the lore than fleshing out the plot and the player objectives, anything else that would resonate with me as a potential applicant. You've done a swell enough job of acquainting me to the antagonists and the protagonists but "How do they connect to everything?" is the question I'm left asking in the end.

-------Everything concerning players in terms of the plot seems to be restricted to that final paragraph and I don't think that's a very good way of handling things. Focusing on the content of this paragraph itself: its brevity confuses me. Is this an isolated event in the roleplay, one big mission? Perhaps it is the main mission, the "big kahuna" of missions, the one that all other smaller missions revolve around? See, the reason my mind immediately goes to, "That's it? But aren't there other 'missions'?" is because, based on the amount of explanation thus far, the number of occult creatures and opposing groups that could prove interesting obstacles, I expected more opportunities for characters to interact with what is provided and what has mainly drawn me to responding to this thread. This could, of course, be more to 'The Nightfall Watchers', but I wouldn't know based on that final paragraph. My suggestion is to not just flesh it out more but to get rid of "putting everything at the end", essentially, and explaining lore and mechanics alongside one another. That would really get me invested.

-------Furthermore, the way this final paragraph is written is difficult for me, personally, to understand. Straightforward at first—we have the setting and the complication—but then we've got "Operation Preventive Regicide" and the "Court Assassins", and know I'm confused. A lot of name-dropping that catches me off-guard as someone very new to your idea.

-------Nonetheless, this is still an in-development concept, is it not? Still, again, I feel my criticisms would help to flesh out your idea, not from the perspective of a writer or reader, but from the perspective of a player. I suppose what you have is interesting but I'm not wanting to invest in this idea, to sign-up as my own character yet, y'know? It's mainly because I don't know what's in store.

 

[Shadowflare]

I've had an itch for a Bloodborne RP and this seems similar enough that it'd scratch it. I would agree with Disclosed that the lore is good but the plot itself... how to put it? The way you wrote it, it feels it'll be mainly plot-driven and our characters will have little impact in the end.

That said I'd still be interested in joining! Just something to think about.

 

[PastelPhoenix]

Yeah, it's still very much a work in progress, which is mostly why I wanted the Interest Check feedback. I could sit and make up rules and ideas all day but if the interest isn't there, well I can try to force people to play pirates but if they want to play knights then none of us are having fun.

And on another note, yes, the actual main plot versus the lore is lacking. Half of it was me wanting to just gauge general interest in the idea of the campaign, and the other half is me still looking for that proper mix between things that happen without the player's involvement, and ensuring the players actually have agency in the story. I kept it kind of vague, but I probably am going to post a much more in depth addition to the basic plot outlines soon.

An initial idea I had towards how the RP actually progresses would be have players tackle the issues as they deem fit, but have the various factions progress in their own goals if they're ignored by the players, with minor issues such as haunts and monster-of-the-weeks to fill in the backlog of Not entirely world threatening, but still dangerous. Of course, as usual, I worry about the level of player agency in this. If I make the progression too fast I risk railroading the players or creating a no-win scenario. Too slow and there's no story progression as the threats slowly become non-threats. Plus I don't want to just give players missions saying "do this", as it's a roleplay and not a videogame, but the style just doesn't seem fit to sandbox in my opinion.

Overall, yeah, I still have my work cut out for me. This is just an interest check in it's truest form, "how would you feel about X?"

 

[Junier]

Yep, it's always nice to get other peoples' perspectives on things. Though, as a note, I think it'd be easier to gain serious intrigue from other people with a more put-together roleplaying idea rather than with a collection of lore. At least here.

I'm sure you can make things work with a decent amount of lore to work off of. Hopefully my earlier criticisms help you mold the final product!

 

[White Noise]

From what I've read so far, the concept is definitely interesting to me. I can't wait to hear more about it.

 

[Etherion]

hype for this RP! it gives of a Supernatural vibe, you should strive to flesh out this RP, I think its worth-it because this is such an interesting concept ^^

 

[PastelPhoenix]

Update on the idea here, also hopefully closer to having a fleshed out the idea here.

An Explanation of Current Thaumaturical Findings

Spoiler:

Thaumatergy goes by many names and it was relatively recently that the name Thaumatergy itself was adopted. For the sake of comprehension that this document refers to the subject itself as Thaumatergy and the practitioners of it as Thaumaterges. For cross referencing, the most common terms used alternatively and the organizations that use the term are as follows:
Type-6 : The Unexplained Activities Task Force
Witch/Salem : The Crimson Lantern Society
Children of the Crown : The Vassals of Our Lord (Cult of the Fifth Prince)
Lost Souls : The Nightfall Watchers (A holdover from the more religious background of the organizations that predate the foundation of the Watchers)

Thaumaturgy is one of the most important subjects to the Watchers, and despite being the spearhead of research into the potential aspects and causes of Thamaturgy, there are still major questions left unanswered regarding how exactly it functions. At it's core Thaumaturgy is the ability to manipulate energy and force. Thaumaturges are able to exert force on an object without physically touching it (dubbed Tossing and Holding), create an excess or absence of energy at a certain point (dubbed Flash-Fires and Flash-Freezes), and even provide animation to otherwise inanimate objects (dubbed Puppeting)

Although Thaumaturges are capable of all of the above, most find an aptatude for one specific version of Thaumatergy, and extreme difficulty in using other forms. For example, a Thaumaterge who specializes in Tossing and Holding would find attempting to make a Puppet nearly impossible. While the idea of a universal Thaumaterge was supported in the early days of research, current implementation favors the idea of specialization with one area of focus for each Thaumaterge.

Limitations of Thaumatergy:

Despite it's potential, Thaumatergy has major limitations on how effective it's use is. For one, despite being largely non-physical, the Thaumaterge's current health and physical fitness has a major part in how Thaumatergy operates. Tossers and Holders are only able to affect between 2-3 times what they can normally move physically, a ratio that decreases with lowered physical health. Health also ties into how quickly one can Flash-Fire or Flash-Freeze a target, a process that normally only takes a second or two at most taking up to 10 seconds in poor health. Puppets are also harder to control in poor health, their movements sluggish and imprecise.

The need for movement also seems to be a major component of Thaumatergy. While at first it seemed like the need for simple motions was simply a habit of the Thaumaterges due to each Thaumaterge having a unique set of "casting motions" (for a lack of a better term), it seems that these simple hand and arm motions have an impact on the success of the Thaumatergy. Completely restrained arms and hands prevented the use of Thaumatergy in almost all cases, and restricting motion caused a decline in the power of the Thaumaterge's power.

Also, oddly enough, the presence of the element Silver has some nullifying effects on Thaumatergy. While silver itself only slightly dampens the effectiveness of Thaumatergy, a component based off of silver developed by the Watchers (dubbed Thaum-Break by the operatives) is effective in almost all situation of direct Thaumatergical influence. Items made of Thaum-Break or incorporates the material prove resistant to, if not outright blocking, Tossing and Holding of the material, being heated of frozen by the effects of Flash-Freeze or Flash-Fire, and cannot be Puppeted. A limb made of Thaum-Break attacked to an otherwise Puppetable item will not prevent the Puppeting, but the limb will prove to be non-functional. Thaum-Break also does not prevent all effects of Thaumatergy, it is just resistant to Thaumatergical effects on itself. People wearing armor that incorporates Thaum-Break are immune to being Tossed, but items Tossed at the person will still impact as normal. Similarly, Flash-Fire can still combust around them and damage unprotected skin, and impacts from Puppets still hurt and do not break the Puppet effect.

Causes of Thaumatergy:

What exactly creates a Thaumaterge is an issue of debate amongst those who study it. A definite answer is not known, however several methods have been suggested. Most seem to agree it exists somewhere within the genetic makeup of an individual, although the actual cause and methods of using Thaumatergy are still largely unknown.

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Spoiler:

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Spoiler:

To anyone who is reading this, let it be known that the above paragraph is only a half-truth. It is true that we do not fully understand what exact process the body preforms to actually use Thaumaturgy, but we do know what grants a person Thaumatergical powers. The answer lies in the Those Who Come Before, and the ones who once served them. Long before any history we recorded ourselves as a species, humanity once lived under Those Who Came Before. Many humans resented their rule, however there were those of us who served their masters faithfully.

The most loyal of those were granted a piece of the power that Those Who Came Before used to shape the world in their bloodlines, what we would eventually come to call Thaumatergy.

However, time has passed, and the power that once resided in the loyalists' blood runs thinner and thinner. Most of us have some of that blood in our very veins, just not in a great enough quantity to have any power. Those we deem Lost Souls do. Even still, the powers described that the loyalists once had are astounding compared to the Thaumatergy we have today. The power of the modern Thaumaterges is weakened considerably, and most can't even force control over another Thaumatergical dominion. If Thaumatergy is a fraction of a fraction of the powers that Those Who Come Before possess, then keeping them asleep is the only chance we have.

From these realizations it's easy to see why the Crimson Lanterns despise Lost Souls so much. Their hatred of Those Who Come Before is real, and Lost Souls are a harsh reminder of those who betrayed humanity to serve them. Even ignoring the correlations to loyalists of old, Thaumaterges are playing with a power far greater than themselves, one that they don't even understand belongs to humanity's oldest enemy.

But we must not succumb to the hatred the Lanterns feel. The loyalists of old are gone, and the Lost Souls are human just like the rest of us. The idea that Thaumatergy can wake Those Who Came Before or that Lost Souls are easily manipulated by them has long been debunked. Another reason for sheltering the Lost Souls is a selfish one, Thaumatergy is one of the greatest weapons we have against the darkness surrounding us. We already know it's uses against man, but Thaumatergy is also effective against the creatures that still hunt man and even the beings of the Abyss. Not to mention that most of our weapons for fighting the creatures of the dark was only developed due to study of Thaumatergy.

Spoiler:

While many have suggested Thaumatergy as a means to fully defeat Those Who Came Before, I believe it is a foolish assumption. It is their power that merely guides our way. Many use the symbolism of Thaumatergy as a candle to guide us through the dark, a metaphor I personally find fitting. However, if we deem Thaumatergy as a candle, then Those Who Came Before are wildfires. And while the candle has many uses, one does not fight a wildfire with it.

Once more, reader, I implore you to not lose hope. I do not know the reason you have stumbled upon these words of truth, but I assure you that even if Thaumatergy isn't the be all end all you may have been expecting, remember it is still a useful tool for humanity as a whole. We do not judge a screwdriver for it's ability to hammer in nails, just like we cannot expect Thaumatergy to solve all out problems.

ASTRA INCLINANT, SED NON OBLIGANT

Long post that may just be all worldbuilding and more lore. I do have a second update that I will make either tonight or tomorrow hopefully, which should include more actual plot and mechanics for the RP.

 

[Etherion]

awesome update! it makes me crave more! though, seeing that you set-up Thaumatergy in a high note, will the player characters as members of the Operative and Thaumatergical branch in Hamilton Port, be able to use this skill? or just the Lost Souls they swore to protect?

anyways, i'm sure more will be revealed soon, super excited for the next update, and this RP in general! :D :D

 

[PastelPhoenix]

I do plan to allow player characters to be Thaumaturges, a lot of it is just balancing on my end, making sure neither Thamaturges and standard Operatives are overpowered. Part of the next update is touching upon that. Right now the plan is for players to either be a Thaumaturge with a specialized domain: Manipulators (Toss and Hold), Amplifiers (Flash-Fire/Flash-Freeze), or Puppeteers (Obvious), while Operatives have access to some larger firepower and tools/gadgets that Thaumaterges can't use.

 

[FireSnow]

Definitely like where this RP is going. Nice job on fleshing it out more! Im really starting to get a better feel for what this Rp would be like and it seems like it would be a lot of fun!

 

[PastelPhoenix]

Update 2: Plot and other such

Operation Preventive Regicide:

Spoiler:

Hamilton Port has recently become a hotbed of paranormal activity, and the current policy of sending operatives from the surrounding branches has consistently left the other branches under-staffed while the city still suffers from a lack of dedicated operatives. To make matters even worse, an opening of an Abyss Gate and the confirmation that the "God" of the local cult, The Vassals of Our Lord, is actually a member of The Ones that Came Before called the "Fifth Prince" all bring very unpleasant ideas of what it could mean for the City and possibly the country and world at large if the threat is not addressed. Current staffing is too low in the surrounding branches to support a standing response team in Hamilton Port, so what I propose is the creation of a Watcher branch and Task-Force dedicated to the containment of the Fifth Prince as well as addressing the other threats within the city itself.

Due to the sheer variety of threats within the city, the Task-Force would have to contain both normal and Thaumaterical operatives trained in a wide variety of skills to appropriately take down each threat. The Branch itself would also likely need to be more heavily stocked with some of our larger munitions in order to provide adequate coverage. It is of the best interest to have operatives who claim Hamilton as their home already for both morale and to blend in better with the city and community, however containment does come first and operatives from other regions who fit the need are not to be overlooked.

So Who Are We?

Spoiler:

Congratulations, you have been selected as one of the operatives for the new Watcher branch at Hamilton Port. Welcome to Task Force 23-4, codenamed "Court Assassins". Now, for the actual work side of things, Hamilton Port is a mess. For some reason the city attracts Phantoms and Demons like no tomorrow, the sewers and nearby woods is the perfect place for creatures who only wish to feed on humans to hide, a portal to an unknown dimension that is spilling being hostile to humans has opened in the warehouse district, The Crimson Lantern Society is attempting to muscle us out of the city, and the local cult has stumbled upon an ancient being of immense power and is actively trying to wake it. If that wasn't enough for you, just remember it's only a matter of time before the UATF notices and begins their operations in the city. So once more, operative, welcome to the city. You've got your work cut out for you.

What Are We Doing?

Spoiler:

As a member of the Court Assassins it is your job to discover whatever plans the various factions of the city have, and then put an end to them. Each faction is working independently and ignoring one only puts them closer to their ultimate goal. In order to discover what their current mission is so that you may stop them, some investigative work is in order. Checking bodies for relevant clues, following both suspicious individuals and known faction members, and simple espionage are some examples of what you may be doing. However, you aren't alone to fend for yourself either. The branch has its own crew supporting you and the network of Watcher informants will leave an anonymous tip or two.

However, the name of the game isn't all spies and subtlety, action will also need to be taken. Your ultimate goal is to eliminate the other factions by any means necessary that don't also put the entire Watchers organization at risk of discovery. Watcher PR is ready to hide your louder actions and spin the story to prevent any blame for necessary actions from landing on you, but they can only hide so much activity, and too extreme of actions cannot be hid easily, if at all.

And factions aren't your only worry. Phantoms, Demons, and Beasts still lurk the night and are a Random Threat, acting with no intended goals other than feeding or chaos. As implied by the title, the occurrences of these enemies is unpredictable, and they strike without the subtlety the factions have. These creatures pose a risk of discovery higher than a normal action by any of the factions, and while actions by the Watchers against these creatures does not disrupt any faction activity, they should be treated as a large threat to the secrecy of the organization as a whole.

Another issue is the securement and protection of both Lost Souls and unknown items. These will either be brought into the city, or emerge from time to time, and both are marked for recovery. Lost Souls are obvious, any civilian who begins to show signs of Thaumatergical power needs to be taken into protection before they can be harmed by the Lanterns, or worse, captured and used by the Vassals. The items are a bigger mystery. They can range from ancient artifacts, to weapons, to plain old anomalous items with strange power. It would be best to keep an eye and ear out for any news of an unknown package for known faction members coming via boat, plane, or even within the city, and then move to acquire. We may not know what it does, but we will know who wants it, and that's reason enough to keep it out of their hands. After acquisition of any of the above, it can either be kept at the branch if it can be adequately protected and proves useful, or we can move it to another, more secure branch.

Factions:

Spoiler:

The Vassals of Our Lord:
Goals: The Awakening of the Fifth Prince
Progress rate: Slow
Threat Level: HIGH
Notes:
This is why we're here, people. I'm sure during training at least one of you have wondered why the Watchers spend so much money and effort to track crazy cultists, and this is why. Although most of the gods they worship don't exist, sometimes we get a cult like the Vassals here who have stumbled upon something very real, and very, very dangerous. Now, they aren't going to make a lot of progress towards their goal in any real hurry, waking up a member of the Ones that Came Before is a slow and difficult process, but they need to be addressed sooner rather than later. As for actual threat towards our operatives, they have some benefactor who is arming them with serious stuff, as well as a large amount of Thaumaterges in their ranks. Anti-Thaumaturge items and standard human combat supplies are to be considered essential on these missions.

The Crimson Lantern Society:
Goals: Elimination of any supernatural or paranormal item; removal of the Watcher from Hamilton Port
Progress Rate: Medium/Fast
Threat Level: Medium
Notes:
Our old nemesis. Simply put, we don't want the Lanterns in the city, and they don't want us here either. Lantern MO is the same as always, they will respond quickly to any supernatural activity they detect, and they will come in force to eliminate it. Their targets are largely the same as ours, except for the inclusion of Lost Souls in the "destroy immediately" category. Their branches and hideouts are unknown, and it seems they don't know where our branch is either. We should expect them to carry weapons and load-outs similar to ours, and recent reports have confirmed they have managed to create a material similar to Thaum-Break for themselves, however it is largely incomplete and not as effective as Thaum-Break. Another warning, expect things to get very petty with them very quickly. They will target us just as much as we target them, expect them to be on the offense against us. There's a lot of bad blood between our organizations, and expect them to perform actions that serve little purpose other than making our lives difficult.

The Unusual Activities Task Force (UATF):
Goals: Capture of Unusual Creatures, Items, People, Etc.
Progress Rate: Currently N/A
Threat Level: Low
Note:
They aren't in the city yet, but you can be sure they'll be here soon. Expect them to be more of an annoyance than anything else. They'll avoid excess confrontation, but that won't stop them from attempting to snatch up anything they can get their hands on. They pack decent firepower, but lack the manpower for anything too dangerous. Just be aware whenever they find something they think is worth fighting for, then things may get a little dangerous.

The Abyss:
Goals: To feed and increase the size of their portal
Progress Rate: ???
Threat Level: ???
Notes:
The portal is currently at its smallest state and contained in an abandoned building over in the warehouse district. We still don't know a lot about the Abyss, so information is scarce here. Currently the only thing that sometime crawls out of it are the littlest, goblin-like ones we call Abysslings. If the portal is allowed to grow then we can likely expect other creatures to emerge like Abyss-Walkers and AbyssNaughts. Abysslings seem to only emerge to feed, but the other creatures seem to have different goals from our observance. More than a few times have we seen the larger ones drag someone into the portal with them. We don't know what they do, and we don't want to find out. The larger ones seem to have some kind of social structure, however the lack of apparent leaders seems to suggest we haven't discovered all of their species yet, so keep an eye out for anything that looks like it is made out of shadows and report it. The more we know about them, the better we can categorize the threat they actually pose.

Player Roles:

Spoiler:

Players will have to choose between being a Thaumatergical or a normal human operative. Thaumaterges operate as they were described in the previous update, and will choose which dominion of Thaumatergy they have control of:

Manipulators gain the Toss and Hold ability. They're able to move and hold object in place that weigh up to 3x what they would normally be expected to move physically (assumed average around 500-550 pounds or 227-250 kg). Items made of Thaum-Break cannot be Tossed or Held, and psudo-Thaum-Break can only be slightly pushed. Items that weigh less than 400 lbs (180 kg) can be lifted, and items less than 300 lbs (135 kg) can be thrown. While small items can be tossed or held with only motion from one hand, in order to actually use the full potential of their abilities both hands must be free. (Numbers subject to change, feedback?)

Amplifiers gain the Flash-Fire and Flash-Freeze effect. They're able to quickly raise or lower the heat of a certain area or object. Items made of Thaum-Break cannot be heated, and psudo-Thaum-Break can only be made very warm or cold to the touch (uncomfortable, but not painful). Flammable objects such as cloth or wood can be heated to its combustion point, and most liquids can be lowered to their freezing point (exceptions made for liquids with exceptionally low freezing points). In place of an object, a certain area can have its air heated or cooled to unbearable temperatures by human tolerance, and air can be "combusted" creating a quick flash of fire that does some damage to anything not properly insulated (Lantern and Watcher combat suits are insulated against this). Creatures of the Abyss are especially weak to fire. However some, including the Knight-like AbyssNaught, have active defenses against it. They can still be taken by surprise, however.

Puppeteers gain the Animate effect. They are able to provide motion and control object that have some method of independent movement without direct Puppeteer intervention. For example, a fully assembled and attached suit of armor can use its legs to walk around, but a rocking-horse, although capable of motion, cannot move from its spot without someone pushing or picking it up. Puppeteers can have two active puppets, one large and one small (large being roughly human sized and small being around the size of a small toy). Puppeteers can sense where their puppet is, but not detect sounds or see through the puppet. Most puppeteers also have one or both their puppets as a dedicated puppet, often outfitted for combat purposes. Puppeteers cannot animate something made of Thaum-Break, and Psudo-Thaum-break moves slowly and greatly resists being animated. Puppets can follow basic orders communicated non-verbally, however commands to attack or pick up an object must also be followed by a motion to determine the target of the action. Commands such as following, waiting, and basic movement can all be communicated without the need to motion.

All players get a set amount of points to buy their weapons and equipment during character creation. However, Thaumaterges have a much lower amount of point than standard agents, and are locked out of purchasing certain items locked for standard agents only. Thaumaterges must also be aware that Thaumatergy requires motion for its use, and certain items that may require two hands to operate must be dropped or shifted to one hand in order to use their Thaumatergy.

A later update will list the exact amount of equipment points Thaumaterges and normal operatives get, as well as available equipment (it's a lot of balancing). Also planned for fleshing out is a Bestiary of various monsters and Abyss-dwellers, as well as the districts and features of Hamilton Port itself.

Spoiler:

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ERROR!

WATCHNET HAS ENCOUNTERED A FATAL ERROR AND MUST REBOOT.

REBOOT AND CONTINUE?

>YES

[][][][][][][][][][][][][]

RESTORATION COMPLETE.

It was in the third day of my self reflection that I began to make sense out of anything that has just happened. I remained in my quarters during those two days, hiding away from the world I no longer understood. The black mist haunted my dreams, along with the scream of something inhuman inside of it. I knew we were destined for failure, but I did not know exactly how dire the consequences of out failure would be.

It's name was Crier in the Dark, at least that's as close as we were allowed to get to it's actual name. Names apparently gave them power, especially true if you used the name of their species apparently. We hide behind call them titles, calling them The Ones Who Came Before. But, no matter what we call it, I struggle to find a single way we can survive.

Do any of you remember the city of St. Anne? Major city? Capital of its state? Of course you don't, because it's gone now. No, I don't mean gone as in everyone died in some terrible accident, I mean gone as in there is a lake where this city used to be. Apparently there was never a city there, always the lake. At least, that's what the public knows. I know differently, I remember the city perfectly. I remember the bustling downtown, the famous jazz district, and most of all I remember the Nightfall Watchers branch that used to exist there. That was all swallowed by the black mist, and everyone forgot about it. An entire city disappears, and no one even realized it.

How do I know all this? How do I know my mind wasn't altered by some Demon or god knows whatever else is out there?

I was supposed to disappear along with it.

But I ran away, I knew we failed to keep it from stirring in its sleep, and I ran before it could get me too. I watched in horror as the mist filled the city and eventually blocked the view of my hometown. And when the mist cleared, everything was gone.

So where did we go wrong? Were we foolish in thinking we could stand up to them? Or have we not gone far enough?

Right now I think it's the latter.

And I think the only way we survive as a species is to destroy anything related to them. Give them no quarter. Do not give them the grip that they need to drag us back into the darkness.

Remember our motto: Astra inclinant, sed non obligant

SED NON OBLIGANT, brothers.

- Overseer Gabriel

Administrative Comments: Why is this still on the servers, this should have been scrubbed a long time ago. Make sure you delete this, and do not let the Eyes on the Wall know about it. -Overseer M.

 

[Etherion]

awesome update, once again :) We finally got to see, in detail, our roles in the RP ^^ as well as the world and the inhabitants~

 

[Oddball_]

So its like a supernatural torchwood institute? (Group dedicated to protecting the earth from alien threats and gathering alien artifacts deemed to dangerous for the people and government to have access to... Great TV show)

But yeah, I would be all for it. It scratches my dark itch and sounds like it might even have some Lovecraftian monsters in there. Not to mention being in a secret organization is awesome.

You have my sword.

 

[PastelPhoenix]

A brief status update here. First off, thanks for the positive feedback! I'm excited to finally get this off the ground soon (hopefully), if anyone else has any concerns about potential balance, or want some explanation of a system I've mentioned already, let me know and I can either explain my thoughts, or look into it more.

As for actually getting this playable, I hope the next 1-2 updates (covering Tools of the Trade, Misc. Rules, and the Support Staff) and feedback on those get it at least to where I can place an OOC thread and start accepting SUs, during the OOC I'll also push the less immediately important updates (Bestiary and Regions of Hamilton). Unfortunately, I'll be out of town for the weekend, so no updates yet, but I'll be working on it so hopefully we can get something early next week.

And once again, thanks.