OOC For Black Thorn

[Exanderous]

The friendly neighborhood mail man hands you a plastic container no wider than a lunch box. His pleasant demeanor disappears as your palms make contact with the package. In a raspy, cold blooded voice he says, "Place your OOC information after the transmission. Oh, and try not be around anything flammable when you open that thing. Have a good evening."

--Begin Transmission--

Good morning operative! Kiki here! You are receiving this notification so your presence has been requested in the Acacias Briefing Chamber in Black Thorn Headquarters! Excited? You should be!

Remember, it is a stronger word than imperative that you must arrive alone and undetected (unless you wanna car pool!) Our identities and location cannot be jeopardized! If you have forgotten how to lie so your reason for absence will be convincing, we have incorporated some convenient excuses on what to tell your neighbors and loved ones, which shouldn't be too hard seeing how you are most likely affiliated with us already and have been lying for years!

In the event that the lie you have chosen doesn't seem to visually agree with their facial reactions and you think they may be suspicious: just laugh, say you were only kidding, and select another lie. We recommend memorizing three other lies as a contingency plan. We have been doing this for awhile! Sitting at a desk for this organization has given these lies some tested field time. Worst case scenario: Shoot them in the face and notify us immediately. The cleaners will arrive shortly and take care of the body and crime scene problem for you.

1) Girl Scout cookie selling convention -- Everyone loves Girl Scout Cookies! They only come around like once a year, and you never buy enough because they are always down to the last few boxes when your house is next on their list! What are you suppose to do, settle for regular cookies? Hell no! Just say you are going to the convention to score some cookies or help some poor scout group with their mission. No one will ask!

2) You got an interview for a promotion-- Who is going to argue with you for trying to better yourself and your wallet? If they ask what the interview is for, say for an entrepreneur business that keeps the freedom of American enterprise in mind. They will either be swept up by patriotism or think you are a nut who is trying a get-rich-quick scheme, so they will most likely leave you alone. *Caution* in the event you are unemployed, just scratch the "for a promotion" out of the lie entirely. They may get suspicious!

3) Going to a journalism convention: No one in their right mind would want to follow you there! Just say you are on the up-and-up as a young journalist trying to learn the ropes! You might even get a kudos from those who watched the execution videos from the Middle East or movies like "Absence of Malice."

4) Nigeria -- You actually met the prince from Nigeria and you are flying to his country to discuss an inheritance. These e-mails have been circulating for sometime around the viral world. People will call it a scam, but just say you are super serious about it and act angry that they had the audacity to call you a chump. They will leave you alone for you to figure out the hard way. You will be giving the known enemies of the free express ear cleaning with bullets and curb-stomping the opponents of freedom while your loved ones think you are being ripped off! That way when you come back home and you are fatigued, they won't ask many questions. See? We think ahead so you don't have to!

5) Meeting some friends out of town-- This is a convenient lie because it is only partially lying. You are going to meet interesting people, but instead of catching up on good times or reminiscing about the first time you got felt up at a drive in movie, you will be killing them. Ooh! That should be our slogan! Meet interesting people, and then kill them!

Feel free to come up with some on your own. Don't make us do all the work! Just make sure they are convincing as possible.

Show up at the location displayed to you through the sports section of your local news paper that will be arriving shortly. The shady gentlemen who is kind enough to approach you with the paper is Todd! He really gets into character, so forgive him if he is a little over-the-top.

Now that you have reached the conclusion of this message, please deposit the receptacle in a fortified bomb container and stand clear at least 50 meters. Remember how we said you can't jeopardize our identity or location? That is what the whole lying bit is for! Oh, just a friendly reminder. You have only ten seconds left! bye-bye

--End Transmission--

[Exanderous]

Ok here are some guidelines for the thread.

I have to give you the go ahead for your character in order to participate in the RP. Post your character and I will give you what you need to fix or give you the "GO."

The setting is modern / post modern. You will run into some paranormal creepy situations and that stretches reality a little bit. This gives you the freedom to use limited magic. My character is very special, and that will be revealed once you find out who and what he is, but he is still human. God Mod will not be tolerated in this thread in the slightest. If I have to warn you several times, you will become a plot device.

You have a lot of freedom with this kind of story line, which is fun. Magic is OK, guns are OK. Enchanted weapons? SURE? Why not. Just no god modding.

You can be a black thorn operative, or a mercenary, or whatever the hell you want to be, just be creative. If you are a black thorn operative, make sure your character fits the part. all of them are unique in some way. There is only one other super operative that I confirmed.

The rank system works like this:
Super operatives are granted a title: The Collector, for example.
Their names and identity disappears. That is ALL they are known as. They are not given that name, it is earned. They don't get to choose it. They are a special corp.

It goes like this starting from lowest to highest:

Operative (many levels of operatives. Military equivalent of private to Sgt.
Lance Operative
Special Operative
Lieutenant
Captain
Black Sire
Title

There are different branches too!

Finance (gotta get paid, son.)
HR (Assistance, secretaries, coffee boys, etc.,)
Medical
The Cleaners (Body detail)
Intelligence (and counter intelligence)
Ordinance (boom boom.)
Black Thorn SF (usually only titles go in this field)
Infantry (I hit them with my fist.)
Engineer (I fix it when Infantry breaks it),

ETC ETC.,

There are entire back grounds to choose from for your character. Maybe he/ she was a cleaner once and was tired of dealing with dead bodies so they went medical. Maybe dude who cuts pay checks wanted some action so they joined the infantry branch. I am really opening the world to you on this one.

Now go forth minions! Create... CREATE!

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Ok here is my char for inspection.

Name: Connell Mac Branain

Rank: Special Operative of Black Thorn SF

Description: 6'3" long red hair, looks to be age 29 and appears athletically fit, pale skin usually wears a plain blue polo with a pair a black jeans and suede boots, bears a dragon tattoo on his arm though sometimes a twin image appears on his right arm. His voice has only a slight Irish accent.

Cover story: He is going to a remote anime convention, and he dissuades people from following by telling them its a very small convention and that its quite a ways from home and as he has already been established among his friends as being the type of person that goes to every convention under the sun, none of them decide to come along.

Bear with me on this as its a tad lengthy but I wanted to illustrate just what he can do with his ability and how far he can take it.
Special Ability: Able to manipulate Shadows or Light(Images would be a better description) by using a necklace that has a reversible center. On one side there is a mirror that allows him, while it is showing to manipulate images and project those as real. The other side is black as night and allows him to manipulate shadows. If he is just creating images with the item these images are just that and this is effortless, however these images will not fool a camera eg. he creates shadows in a corner and sits there if say a person looked at the corner they would see shadows, if a camera saw the same area it would see him without any shadows. He can however make either the shadows or images varying degrees of tangibility up to the point where shadows can be like ropes and images can become real things but doing so drains him proportionally to the task. In the same situation as above he could make the "shadows" real and the camera could not see through it and this would cause him some fatigue but not much more than if he were holding up his hand... but if he were to make the shadow grab the person walking by and hold him it would require a tad more energy than if he had just grabbed the person and restrained him himself. With creating images real the fatigue would be approximately a quarter more energy than it would take to supply a second body for that duration. So in essence whatever he does with images and shadows drains him 25 percent more than if he were to do it himself. Side note only one type of ability can be used at a time depending on which side is up on his necklace.

[Wardonis]

Name: Gregory Durst
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 260 lbs
Hair: Black cropped short
Eyes: Light Blue
Build: Muscular, athletic.
Dress: Like to wear plain black 3peice suits with no tie.

Personality: He took acting in college and knows how to use his cosmetically enhanced appearance and can make the words romantic and suave fall short. However thats something he doesn't like to do often, though he can appear incredible charismatic, even to the point its addictive for others to be in his presence, his true personality is much more subtle and quiet. At times he even adopts rare traits that make him very forgettable.

Background:
Greg actually worked for finance for several years before his accident. He has a wife, three kids and a dog. However on a day just like any other he was in a car accident that left him a broken man. The right arm below the elbow totally gone, shattered bones throughout the rest of his body and even minor brain damage. The black Thorn gave him a second chance at life. They rebuilt him, by using lightweight honeycombed titanium to rebuild his broken skeleton and reinforce what they didn’t rebuild. They also rebuilt his arm and gave it a synthetic skin that matched his normal skin color. He underwent cosmetic surgery to change his appearance, and spent nearly two years submerged in a nerve think tank where they did their best to repair most of his brain damage. Special attention went toward his skull and chest cavity, they tried their best to make sure both were bullet proof to at least standard small arms. The Black Thorn even promised to take care of his wife and children. The family received a huge amount of life insurance and still receives several deposits a year. Even the children’s college is taken care of when they are old enough. But this all came at a very high price. To the world, to his family he was dead. Greg Durst died in that car accident, now he is a Black Thorn operative. There is even an unspoken threat that he should never try to reunite with his family.

Powers:
He is slightly heavier the he looks because of the titanium lining his skeleton. During the brain damage repair Black Thorn reduced his sensitivity to pain to the point it cannot reach debilitating levels and most small injuries are shrugged off quickly. Also during his brain repair they unlocked the ability for him to use all of his muscle capacity at will. Traditionally the human body only uses one third of its muscles at once. This allows him to move very fast and boosts his strength to about three times a normal muscle bound person yet allows him to retain speed and agility no normal person can match. He can run faster and jump higher then anormal person; even his heart and lungs can work faster and hearder then a normal person without strain. His titanium lined skeleton gives him a slight edge because his punches and kicks feel like they are coming from a sledgehammer. He has no unnatural strength enhancements. Other then that the only power he has comes from his prosthetic arm. It will split open down the length of the arm from between the 2nd and 3rd finger to the elbow; inside is an energy generator that he can use to form into a 3-foot blade, a shield or a small explosive throwing star. The sword and shield are solid and act like it. He can’t cut through a door or a wall anymore then a traditional sword could. The shield is maybe a foot and a half in diameter. The explosive throwing star has a very powerful explosive blast but that blast has a very very short range of only 2 feet in diameter. Doesn't use any kind of martial arts, more of a street fighter.

He really hates metal detectors.

Weaponry: His prosthetic arm has most of his weaponry but he also carries twin gold plated Colt 1911 (.45 acp) pistols. Pic of how they are holstered under the jacket of his traditional 3-peice suit.
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/Wardonis-1911_8.jpg

[Exanderous]

Looks Great, I only need to correct one thing: his title.

I only approved one other person to actually have a title. Your title has to be earned in this organization, meaning we probably will have one for you by the end of this, but it takes an unbelievable amount of work and prowess to earn your title.

Love his story and character build, but he can't have a title just yet. It kind of messes with the story line. He CAN be in the SF unit though, that is perfectly acceptable.

[Wardonis]

Ah, I was a bit confused. I created the back story to imply that he has been SF for a few years, not long enough to really move up but enough to have some decent experiance and have earned a title but if that doesn't work i'll try to find something different. Was kinda set on "Greg Durst" being dead in his eyes and that he was somebody new.

Then again don't have too much story for him so if this was mission 1 for him and he is just out the lab and into the feild, this could be the mission with which he has to kinda force himself to let go of the past and find a new future for himself.

[alondor]

Name: Warren Stillman
Age: 30
Hair: Brown buzz cut
Outfit: Black Button up, Slacks and shoes
Rank: Lance Operative
Current Sector: Ordinance
Where he has been: (from first sector to last) Medicals, The Cleaners, Intelligence, Engineer, and now Ordinance
Cover Up story: He is visiting college buddies to catch up and reminisce on old times
History: He was contacted after only three years in medical college because he was viewed as a prodigy. He is gifted in workingwith machines as well and is only good with the human body because his brain sees everything in a mechanical way. His mind also sees what needs to be done with machines or bodie in order to get the results that Warren want. He is seen as a wanderer by his co-workers because he never stays in a section for more then two years. When asked why he always says "It just didn't feel right."

[Exanderous]

That's a go Alondar. looks interesting.

[Abel Teller]

Alright, let's get this think started!

Name: Revelator
Rank: Revelator
Title: Revelator

Description: 5'7" tall about that wide in the shoulders too. Looks like a walking tank and many of the other operatives have described him as exactly that. Middle to late forties but looks as though he's in his early twenties, has been with Blackthorn for a LONG time. Deep azure blue eyes, big bushy white beard and bald, I'm talkin Mr. Clean bald. When he's not in the garages of Blackthorn working on all his own vehicles and equipment he can always be seen wearing a black suit and tie with white shirt and Ray Ban sunglasses. No tattoos or scars of any kind (explained why in his ability).

Cover Story: At the Blackthorn HQ pretty much all the time, no neighbors or family to worry about, full-time operative.

Weapons: Collapsible baton x 2 made from carbon steel electrifide, hidden under his sleeves. Carbon steel knife 7" long worn in the small of his back.
Custom FNP .45 pistol- Match grade barrell made from titanium, trigger pull lightened to 1.5lbs, slide made from titanium, Lite-Laser combo underneath the barrell with 175 lumen constant/strobe light green laser for better visibility in daylight, barrell threaded for supreser.
15 round mags x 4 each with a different type of bullet made from his specs
1- Tungsten steel core AP.
2- Magnesium tipped HE
3- Silver Hollow Point, blessed.
4- Frangible

Personality: Can come off as a bit cold to newbies, but is really a rather nice guy. Will help with anything if only the person asks him. Very jovial likes to joke around, especially with those he knows really well. Most everyone seems to get along with him, but know to give him a wide berth.

Special Abilty: When his mother was still pregnant with him his father tried to sacrifice him and his mother in a ritual to bring a demon to the material plane. Blackthorne showed up and disrupted the ritual, most of the cultists were killed his father and a few of the leaders got away. His mother did not live through the stress of the ritual, Blackthorne disrupting it and his birth. The ritual wasn't an entire failure though, he was born with shock white hair and deep azure blue eyes just as they are today. The demon wasn't summoned but some of it's power had got through and left itself implanted in him. Blackthorne seeing the oppurtunity for what it was, took him and raised him to be an agent. Over the course of his life with Blackthorne he noticed his abilty, never once had a broken bone or gotten any kind of disease, skin became tougher and harder to penetrate, fairly strong he can't throw a car or dumpster or anything ridiculous like that, but, walls doors, human chest cavity, furniture litte things like that don't give him any trouble, and he doesn't show the signs of aging like a normal human. He has worked with and served Blackthorne his entire life, a small picture of his mother and her silver cross neclace is all he has of her. While his father has a wall of news clippings, photos and reports pasted to a wall. He's really close with one other operative, The Collector.

[Marik]

Name: Tigres Marchmont
Occupation: Freelance Engineer
Rank: N/A (Not specifically employed by Blackthorn)
Age: 50+

Physical Description: Around 5'10', slightly paunchy. While he appears to be unfit and pudgy, Tigres is quite capable of moving dextrously, particularly when dealing with machines. He has a great strength too, from years of lugging around everything from tank weapons to armour plates. He has the endurance of an ox and has a very distinctive loping run. He is not built for speed at all though and will often be out maneuvered by a faster opponent. For this reason he prefers ranged combat or brute strength match-ups.

Abilities: Tigres has a highly advanced sonar ability. He can use it to examine objects (particularly metal/wood/etc.) without dismantling them. Obviously padding/water/etc. foil this ability. Similarly, while tunnels/buildings/caverns are easy for him to navigate in the dark, woods near a river or a padded cell leave him disoriented and lost. Despite the sensitivity of this ability, decades of test firing and dropping metal have rendered him immune to loud noises debilitating him. He also speaks fluent French, due to his Cajun background.

Personality: Unsubtle is probably the best word to describe Tigres. This doesn't mean he is clumsy at all, but if there is a finessed way of doing things and a brutal way he will pick the latter. Even when he has been required to be stealthy when disabling comms systems, he will beat sentries senseless rather than risk them awakening while he is working. He is mercenary in his approach to life and can be coarse and egotistical when he wants to be. While he is capable of maintaining friendships, he often can't be bothered and will lose contact through sheer laziness.

Edit:
Equipment: Tigres' multitool is legendary in engineering circles. Quite apart from a phenomenal amount of usual tools and trinkets, from lockpicks to a small hand-chainsaw, the tool is also a telescopic staff, which he uses both for hiking and self defence.

History: Coming Soon, he doesn't talk about it much.

[Exanderous]

Excellent work guys. I approve.

Now I really can't go too in depth with my character yet because you will learn more about him as you go. He is a pivotal part of the story line's progression.

A little information about Black Thorn: This is a top secret organization that is extremely militant. They investigate any paranormal activity occurring in the world and collect artifacts of the arcane nature. They also deal with dangerous individuals who threaten the world's safety through other worldly means. If there is a terrorist, call a SEAL. If there is a terrorist that runs a cult and possesses the Eye of Ra, which vaporizes anyone the bearer wishes with the power of the sun, call in Black Thorn.

Only the president knows of their existence. Once an order is given, it is up to Black Thorn on how it is carried through. Their jurisdiction is global. They operate by having operatives and free lance operatives (who know the risks AKA a swift and sudden death in the event they even think about revealing the identity of the organization) who receive missions through the form of contracts.

There are multiple types of contracts. The most common contract that is issued is what they call a blood contract. It is a glorified hit. You assassinate a target who poses a threat to the balance of the world and call in for a cleaner team. By the time the operatives are finished, it was like they were never there and the target never existed. When ever there is a paranormal issue or an artifact of great importance, they would submit a retrieval contract. Taking the Spear of Destiny from Hitler's Nazis was Black Thorn's most notable retrieval contract.

There are many other types of contracts that fall under the miscellaneous category. Sometimes you might have a rogue operative or a wise-guy journalist who knows way too much. These missions often have special criteria that must be followed when competing the mission. Once you complete a contract, you not only get money, but you get points that increase your standing within the organization. The more points you have, the more contracts your name is pulled for and eventually the more promotions you receive. Very few earn Titles, but when they do, they become revered as heroes among the organization.

Black Thorn is given complete and total freedom and political immunity, but there is one stipulation: They can never be discovered.

In the event Black Thorn is revealed to the public, due to the nature of their role, the U.S. government will label them as a terrorist organization and do everything in their power to show the public they are "cleaning it up." That means they will send men with guns to cover their ass. Measures are taken carefully to make sure Black Thorn always stays a secret.

The most famous operative to date is:

Name: The Collector
Rank: The Collector
Title: The Collector

Physical Appearance: N/A

Weapon: Legends never can pin point what The Collector uses for a weapon. Some stories claim that he uses a scythe while others state that he uses arcane magic from hell. Few know the truth.

Bio: If there are any such thing as ghost stories in Black Thorn, this man would be it. Every Black Thorn operative has heard his name at least once. The higher ups tell stories about the infamous Collector around the organization, especially to rookies, to frighten or inspire them.

Some say he is a murderous demon from the inner most circle of hell that only resembles a man, and he kills without rhyme or reason. There are those who also say he resembles a child, but he has never spared a single contract. Some also share the notion that he is vampiric: moving with astonishing speed, unsurpassed strength, feeding off of the blood and sorrow of his victims, and cold, lifeless eyes that are said to steal your soul. Others say that he is not just one singular being, but many individuals sharing the title while disguised in a similar matter. Many even go so far as to call him the angel of death.

Many hear the legends of the horrible deeds this legend has committed: Wiping out three villages in less than forty seconds, killing an entire army within one afternoon, but what is most believed is that he is Black Thorn's number one SF operative. Rookies often flood to The Revelator, who is said to be the only operative that knows the legend on a first-hand basis. He indulges the bright-eyed newbies with solemn confirmation, "You know, you can just go ask him yourself." They usually leave the SF operative's presence with wide, gaping mouths and chatter of disbelief.

After hearing one of The Revelator's stories about The Collector, a MI operative did a little hacking into the organization's data base to get a list of the current operatives and how many contracts have been completed up-to-date. Imagine the horror on his face when he discovered that there was a "The Collector" on the payroll, and his contract hit count was in the thousands, hence his title. This monster doesn't just work for Black Thorn. He IS Black Thorn. The Administrator, Black Thorn's head in HQ, knew about the cyber intrusion the second it was committed, but he was rather amused about the tales and gossip surrounding this ominous figure. "You get enough warriors in one building, and they start chatting like little school girls."

Abilities: Like the use of his weapons or his actual background, the stories are varied. Even if you ask The Revelator, he will tell you it is too difficult to explain. The data on The Collector reveals that he is about as old as the organization itself, which leads some to believe he has a form of regeneration or age defiant characteristics. If the stories are true, there has to be something unnatural with this murderer.

Let me know if you guys like where this is going.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

I'm positively shivering with anticipation...

[Wardonis]

Start it already!!!!!!!!

EDIT: looking over everyones abilities we seem to have 3 endurance based chars so I'm going to reduce my chars focus on that substantily and have him lean more towards agility and dex, Think that maks a bit more sense with his light melee weps and thrown range.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

As far as I can see there are 4 others unaccounted for that said they would love to be a part of it.
Dragon444
DragonRider
Drakel
Errska

[Exanderous]

I talked to Errska, and she said she is in. She is just working on her character. It seems to be pretty promising.

I will give you guys a little heads up... (there may or may not be nazi zombies.)

[Wardonis]

(there may or may not be nazi zombies.)

ok memories of sucker punch resurfacing

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

I was thinking Call Of Duty Black Ops Zombies mode... lol.... Can I be the crazy doctor

[Exanderous]

It's not just because; there is a major element of the story that causes their introduction, and they fill a very big role. In fact, there is even a twist.

I am all giddy like a school girl to get this thing started!

[Ciarda]

I would be highly interested in joining. Conducting research now, should have my character up by hopefully tomorrow or Sunday at absolute latest.

[Wardonis]

wootage, lets doooo itt, leroyyyyyyy jeeeeeeennnnnnkinnnnssss

[Dragon444]

Here's my CS. Awaiting approval.

Name: Amaret (he has no last name)
Age: appears to be in his mid 20s.
Position: Freelance mercinary.
Description: Always seen in 1 of 2 outfits; a white tux with gold trim, or a black sleeveless trench with black pants and black combat boots (no shirt). His chest has a trio of scars that look like clawmarks from a giant creature, his face bears a fourth similar scar. He appears to be blind, having his eyes permanently wrapped with black cloth. His hair is grey, shoulder length, and normally left to fall where it pleases.
Weapons: A sword gained from his mother and a pistol gained from his father.
History: He claims to be the son of two Blackthorn operatives who went missing during a mission. All he inherited were his weapons. Ever since his parents' disappearance, he has lived the life of a nomad; no family, no friends, no questions.
Powers: He lost his eyesight in the battle that gave him his scars, but since then he has gained another form of sight. He can "see" the aura of living creatures around him. Non living objects appear in shades of grey. His weapons also seem to be enchanted. The pistol has the odd knack of accelerating bullets beyond normal capabilities, easily sending a bullet through concrete. The sword seems almost possesed, a few claim to have seen it glow a dim read when blood of any kind touches it.

[Exanderous]

Approved.

When everyone gets here, everyone's first post will be centered on arriving at the briefing room in Black Thorn headquarters (describing what you encounter along the way), where you will confront The Administrator. He will give you the briefing on what has hit the fan.

Sound fun?

[Abel Teller]

YEAH!!!! LET'S DO THIS!!!! BRING IT!!!!

[Exanderous]

Alright we are starting on Monday, regardless if someone isn't ready. Enough time has passed and we are eager to get the fun started. I am so eager to see how this is going to play out.

[Wardonis]

But thats a whole week away