Post by Sparkles on Jul 29, 2011 13:44:27 GMT 8
Archangel roleplay thread
COMPLETE - OPEN FOR PROFILES
Based on Nalini Singh's 'Guild Hunter' series.
A lot of my information will be taken directly from the novels (this role-play is based on Angels' Blood) that the role-play is based heavily on, including the plot, so if you don't want to spoil it for yourself, then don't read the novels.
I realise there is a hell of a lot of information here. That's because I want to give it all to you and give you the option of how much understanding you have of the role-play. All you need to read is the plot, but I suggest you also read about Achangel Tower, Information and the Arch Angel of New York-Raphael-as well as they will give you a good overview. If you want to be in the know then from top to bottom is roughly what you need to know the most to what you need to know the least. And, when it comes to characters, personal things wouldn't be known by outsiders (which, in this case, humans would be).
Profile layout:
Name
Age
Sex
Appearance
Personality
History (inc. history with the Guild-the association that hires vampire hunters- and life history)
Hunter-born or trained?
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PLOT OVERVIEW
Unless requested otherwise, your characters are in the elite group of vampire hunters called The Core. They are a small group of the most elite vampire hunters directed together through the request of the Guild Director (Sara) little over two months ago.
The Core know they're the best - but they don't know if they're good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear - failure is not an option... even if the task they've been set is impossible.
Because this time it's not a wayward vamp they have to track. It's an archangel gone bad.
Even if the hunt doesn't destroy them, the job will put The Core in the midst of a killing spree like no other... and pull them to the razor's edge. Because when archangel's play, mortals break...
We will begin before The Core has had any contact with Raphael. They know nothing of their next job. We'll start on a hunt.
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PLACES
Archangel Tower
The light-filled column of the city's Archangel Tower makes the surrounding area with its parks, sky rise buildings, cafe's and apartment buildings ridiculously expensive... and attractive. One is able to watch the angels take wing from the high balconies of the Tower.
At night, they appear soft, dark shadows. But in the daytime, their wings shimmer bright in the sun, their movements incredibly graceful. They come and go throughout the day, but sometimes they are seen simply sitting, high up on the balconies, their legs hanging over the sides-the younger angels, though youth is a relative term. This is one of the only sights of the angels that can be described as 'acting normal'. Usually, they are coolly remote, so far from the common humdrum of humanity as to be beyond their understanding.
The wide path that leads up to the Tower entrance glares bright in the morning sun as it hits the white stone, sharp enough to cut. In the shadows, hidden until they are searched out, are the vampires guarding the Tower.
Several of them stand along the sides of the Tower but there are at least ten others hidden or walking around in the well-cared-for shrubbery outside. They all dress in dark suits teamed with white shirts, their hair cut in the sleek, perfect lines patented by FBI agents. Black shades and earpieces finish off the secret-agent effect.
These vampires have been around a long time. Their intense scent (to Guild Hunters), dark but not unpleasant, when added to the fact that they guard Archangel Tower, tells that they are both smart and extremely dangerous.
Most do not dare approach the Tower for fear of the guards, though once in the Tower, few pass the lobby without an appointment. The air-conditioned lobby is a seemingly endless space dominated by deep grey marble shot through with discreet veins of gold. As an example of wealth, good taste, and subtle intimidation, it takes first prize.
There are a number of vampire guards stationed in the lobby as well as exquisite, though slightly odd, flower arrangements. Next to the reception desk is a glass elevator. The receptionist, Suhani, is a very, very, very old vampire, with the face and body of a well-maintained thirty-year-old, and a smile filled with old knowledge and centuries of experience.
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INFORMATION
Angels rule over humans and vampires, but the most powerful of them all are the archangels. Beautiful. Deadly. Sometimes cruel. Always unpredictable. There are several different groups represented - the archangels, the angels, the vampires, and the Guild Hunters.
Guild Hunter
Vampire Hunters. The inevitable gasp, "You go around sticking those sharp stakes in their evil putrid hearts?" Maybe the actual words vary, but the feel is the same. It made hunters want to track down and exterminate the idiot fifteenth-century storyteller who'd made up that tale in the first place. Of course, the vampires had probably already taken care of it - after the first few of them had probably ended up in what-ever passed for an emergency room back then.
Hunters don't stake vampires. They track them, bag them, and return them to their masters - the angels. Some people call their kind bounty hunters, but according to their Guild cards, they are "Licensed to Hunt Vampires & Assorted Others" - which makes them vampire hunters, with the attendant benefits, including hazard pay. That pay is very healthy. It has to be to compensate for the fact that hunters occasionally have their jugulars torn open.
Luckily, there are certain items a hunter is able to use that can give them an advantage, such as a control-chip. A hunter's necklet has a way of freezing a vampire. Some hunters like to shoot their targets with arrows-the arrowheads doctored to contain the same control chip that make the necklets so effective. The instant it touches skin, the chip emits an electromagnetic field that temporarily short-circuits a vampire's neural processes, leaving the target open to suggestion. The targets lose their ability to speak and will then follow the hunter like a doe-eyed puppy dog. Sure, with the necklets, you have to get closer to your victim, but it beats missing them and shooting a bystander. The vampires are then delivered to their master's chosen location-many times transportation, and stowed personally by the hunter. The guards of the Wing Brotherhood were mortal (they practised celibacy while on the job and since the punishment for failure was removal of a body part-it wasn't publicised which part-they were never tempted) and were charged with escorting the vampires back to their masters are not generally licensed to handle the vampires. These licenses allow the angels protection from most charges by the Vampire Protection Authority.
Not that the VPA has ever managed to make cruelty allegations stick. All the angels have to do is display a couple of photos of humans with their throats torn out, and the jury is ready not only to aquit, but to give them a medal in the process.
The control chips go with the target on their journey back to their master. From there it'd be returned directly to the Guild, as per agreed protocol with all chip-embedded devices. Bearing unique serial numbers and with each and every use tracked by the VPA and Guild both, the devices were issued only for hunts, or when a hunter's life was in demonstrable danger from a vampiric threat. The official line was that it was to stop hunters from becoming dangerously overconfident, but they all knew it was because the powerful vamps didn't like the idea of being vulnerable to any old hunter with a grudge.
Choosing Guild Hunter as your chosen career path is revered by some and at the same time, it disgusts others. These are those that are born without a choice. They are the Hunter Born.
These mortals are born with the skills required to hunt vampires. Not many people know what that means, the inevitable consequences.There is hardly a realisation that they can scent vampires as they can do it since the moment they are born. The realisation is that it's something different, abnormal. They are faster and stronger than the regular human and they are able to scent vampires. This is the most effective way of tracking as every vampire has a distinctive scent. Older vamps don't have that ick factor. They-except for the occasional one-simply smelled of vampire, like others smell human. But the very young ones, they had a certain rotten-cabbage/putrid-flesh smell that gave hunters the need to scrub three times over to get rid of; the smell like a coating of fur on your tongue, no matter how hard you scrape, you can't get it off
All a hunter needs to start with is something the vampire wore recently. If there is a general location, even better. If not, they get the Guild's computer geniuses (AKA Vivek) on tracking public transport and bank records, et cetera, while they hunt on the ground. It's hardest to hunt when it's raining or has rained as rain washes away vampire scent. However, it is possible to track in the snow if you know where to look as the scent may be trapped in a layer of snow.
Vampire
The vamps choose their slavery-of a hundred years duration- the instant they petition an angel to Make them almost-immortal. If they had stayed human, if they had gone to their graves in peace, then they wouldn't find themselves bound by a contract signed in blood. And while the angels do take advantage of their position, a contract is a contract. The ones who think they can run out on a contract with an angel? Idiots.
The problem with being basically immortal is that you can have a lot of things done to you and not die. There is a case of a vampire who had every one of his limbs amputated...without anaesthetic. By the time the Guild rescue squad liberated him from the clutches of the hate group that had kidnapped him, he'd been beyond reason or coherence. But there had been a video. That was how they knew the tortured man had been conscious throughout.
And yet petitioners come in their droves, hoping to be Made. The Angels only Make about a thousand vamps per year. The hopeful outnumbers that by the hundreds of thousands.
Most vamps wait at least a year before trying anything funny. They don't function well the first month or so after being made and it is this stage in their development that continues to fuel the myth about vampires being lifeless zombies given will. They truly were creepy in their first few weeks. Eyes wide open but with nobody home, flesh pallid and wasted, movements uncoordinated. It's why the hate groups prefer to target new vamps. Most people find it far easier to mutilate and torture someone who looks like a walking corpse than someone who could be their best friend. That young, they can't feed themselves, let alone run away.
The only ways to kill a vampire beyond the point where it can regenerate are to behead it or cut t into so many pieces and burn those pieces (these are not well known).
One bad side effect of being Made is that a tiny, tiny, tiny minority of the Candidates have their brains scrambled beyond recovery. What comes out of the mess isn't always human.
It should sound odd to call vampires humans in any sense but Humanity, as a whole, does included vampires. Vampires can mate with, and even reproduce with, humans. Conception is very difficult but not impossible, ans though the children-all mortal-sometimes suffer from anaemia and related disorders, they are otherwise normal. First rule of biology-if it can mate, it's probably the same species.
Vamp Whores (I debated whether to call them that but it's what they're called in the book so I'll keep to script) are those humans who sleep around with vampires and let them drink from them. However, what is not all that well known is that this is because they are addicts. Pleasure addicts. The older vampires have a special allure for the hunter-born and can wrap their scent around them to induce pleasure so excruciating (even pleasure through pain, depending what the vamp is into) that many a hunter has fallen and become sexually-even romantically-intertwined with the very creatures they hunt. The scent is almost a tool of mind control.
Say what you will about dietary requirements, vampirism sure does good things for the skin and body. Any vampire over five decades old was svelte, with flawless skin. Their allure, too, grows with each passing year-though the intrinsic force of it depends on the individual. There are very old vampires who remain more prey than predator, but the truly powerful ones... Some, like Dmitri, are good at hiding their strength, their incredible charisma, until they want to use it. Others had gone too far along the timeline and leaked power almost continuously. But even th,e weak ones, the ones who'd never be anything close to what Dmitri is now, are stunningly beautiful.
(just how they become vampires you don't need to know just yet)
Angel
The same species biology rule can not be applied to angel kind. Angels attract groupies by the truckload-mostly vampires, though the occasional stunning human is allowed into the mix. But this aside, a child coming from the mating between a human and an angel, or even vampire and angel, has never been heard of. It is a true blessing for an angel couple to conceive a child as this happens very occasionally.
If an angel's wings are submerged into water or in the rain for a long time, then it becomes harder to fly as they get waterlogged.
Angels don't always shed angel dust. When they do, it is immediately collected up by mortals and vampires alike. The price for a speck of the stuff is more than that for a flawlessly cut diamond. Tasted, it's comparable to the most delicious of chocolates, the finest of wines. However, they can make 'special blends' that cause the body to feel what the dust is about. Some call it a drug, but it has no neurotic effects on the body. It is simply the taste.
Stronger angels are able to withstand greater injury and recover faster than younger angels (this is the same for vampires).
Angels are masters of technology, no matter that they look like something out of a fairy tale or legend.
Glamour is an ability that allows them to move hidden among the masses. It's part of what makes an archangel out of an angel. The older archangels such as Uram, Elija, Lijuan.. can hold it indefinitely. Even weakened they could hold it for more than a day. It is the ability to wrap their power around themselves and become invisible (no hunter, no human knows about glamour).
Oaths are serious business to angels. If you get an angel to swear an oath, they will uphold their side. However, watch out for loop holes.
When an angel glows, it becomes a being of absolute power. Power that's usually directed to kill or destroy. An angel glows just before he tears you into a thousand pieces. And just as a side note..no one touches an angel's wings without permission.
Many people, many religions, consider angels to be the messengers of the gods, but no one really knows where they came from.
Things to be elaborated on later...
-Angelfire
-The Scrouge and ennui (basically madness)
-evolving and devolving
-Sleep
-Quiet
-anshara
Apart from that Angels rule and have so since the dawn of time, being part of man's history since the earliest cave paintings, they remain shrouded in mystery and the majority of the above is not known (including the Refuge and angel children, which no one knows about so I won't tell you about them).
THE CADRE OF TEN - In the world of the angels, there are the elite ten. Archangels of unimaginable power, they rule their territories and those within them with iron control. The only being strong enough to stop an archangel is another archangel, and when they clash, the fate of mankind hang in the balance.
It is rare for the membership to gather in one place. They are powerful beyond measure, but it is better not to tempt the young ones. Some aspire to take their place through death. It is always the young who embrace such delusions. The older ones have gained the wisdom to know that to be an archangel is to surrender part of your soul. The last time the Cadre fragmented, the Dark Age of man and angel took place; when vampires bathed in blood and the angels were too busy warring with each other to care. To hold the Cadre together, the leader must be more dangerous than any other. Sure, counties have their presidents and prime ministers, their parliaments and councils, but everyone knows that the true power rests in the hands of the archangels. Government, business, at-there is nothing that they don't influence, either directly or indirectly.
THE SEVEN-They are called The Seven. They are the seven extraordinary vampires and angels that have devoted themselves completely to the safety of Archangel Raphael. They will destroy any threat to him, no matter the cost to themselves.
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CHARACTERS
THE CADRE OF TEN
Name: Raphael
Role-played by Sparkles
Position: The Archangel of New York (controls North America, based in New York)
Appearance: The impact of his beauty would hit many as a physical blow. Eyes of such pure undiluted blue it was as if some heavenly artist had crushed sapphires into his paints and then coloured in the irises with the finest of brushes.
Black is too tame a word for his hair. It is so pure that it holds echoes of the night, vivid and passionate. Cut in careless layers that stop at the nape of his neck, it bares the sharp angles of his face. Yes, he is beautiful, but it is the beauty of a warrior or a conqueror. This man has power stamped on every inch of his skin, every piece of his flesh. And that is before the exquisite perfection of his wings is taken in. The feathers are a soft white and appear dusted with gold. The truth is that each individual filament of each individual feather bares a golden tip. The pattern on the inside surface of his wings was as if a brush dipped in gold had started at the top edge of each wing and then stroked downward, fading to white as it neared the bottom. He is a being of such incredibly splendour that simply seeing him move would make many a woman's heart squeeze. It doesn't matter that they may know it is a mirage, that he is as deadly as a filleting knife strapped to many a hunter's thigh. No one can deny that Raphael the Archangel was a man to be admired. To be worshipped. His scent was clean, bright, of the sea - rain and a fresh bite of water.
[The following is a fan art of Raphael to give you an idea - just make sure to view my description as his appearance before the picture as the picture isn't perfect. example of why - Raphael does not have muscles that bulge out from his chest]
Breaking News:
A vampire (Germaine) that had betrayed The Archangel of New York had been found in the centre of Times Square. He'd still been alive. And he'd still been trying to scream-"No! Raphael, no!" But his voice had been a rasp by then, his jaw hanging on by string-like tendons, his flesh missing in places and every last bone in his body broken. The news footage had gone international. The vamp had lain there in agony for three hours before being picked up by a pair of angels. Everyone in New York, hell, everyone in the country had known he was there, but no one had dared help him, not with Raphael's mark blazing on his forehead. The archangel had wanted the punishment witnessed, wanted to remind people of who and what he was. It had worked. Now the mere mention of his name evokes visceral fear.
Other News: (refer to 'news' on Uram, Archangel of Russia.) Say what you will about Raphael, but at least he is no tyrant. Sure, he runs North America with an iron fist, but he doesn't meddle in inconsequential human affairs. A few years back, they'd even had a mayoral candidate who'd pledged to flout the archangel should he be elected. Raphael had let the campaign run, his only response a slight smilie when some reporter dared approach him.
That smile, that hint that he found the whole situation ridiculous, had sunk the mayoral hopeful's chances as surely as the titanic. That man had slunk off, never to be seen again.
Raphael had achieved victory without drawing a single drop of blood. And he'd retained his powerful status in the eyes of the population.
Information: Raphael is one of the strongest of the archangels and has been alive for 1500 years but has only ruled for five hundred years, a mere blink of time in comparison to Lijuan; but that could prove an asset. Even before his transformation from angel to archangel, he'd chosen the chaos of life over the elegant peace of his brethren. Now he lives in one of the world's biggest cities and, unbeknownst to its denizens, often watches them. He is protected by his loyal Seven.
Rafael is the son of two very old archangels and was left for dead by his mother Caliane while still very young. He is strong and very intimidating, but not needlessly cruel and is haunted by the thought he will follow his parents into madness. Although beautiful, he is lethal and ruthless and is intrigued by women of strength.
Michaela
Archangel controlling most of Central Europe
known as the High Priestess of Byzantium and the Queen of Constantinople
the muse of artists across the generations
capricious and mercurial, jealous of other females
selfish, always putting her own interests first
vicious against those she sees as an enemy
intensely beautiful, even among the beauty of other angels
milk chocolate coloured skin, waist length dark hair, vivid green eyes
beautiful bronze coloured wings
without the power of glamour
cannot stand the abuse of children after suffering the death of her own child
long-term lover of Archangel Uram
Astaad
Archangel of the Pacific Isles
harsh and cruel natured
has a harem of the most beautiful female vampires in the world
treats his women as precious
stern looking with a small black beard
Charisemnon
Archangel of North Africa
attracted to very young females
will take any female that captures his interest
Favashi
Archangel of Persia
seen gentle, but very strong
soft brown eyes
treated as a goddess in her territory
the youngest of the Cadre, the most mortal in her thinking
former lover of Dmitri's before she became Cadre
Neha
Archangel of India
mother of Anoushka
known as the Queen of Poisons, the Queen of Snakes
ruthless and cold natured
kills those who disagree with her, leaves a trail of bodies in her wake
Titus
Archangel South Africa
large and muscular, but soft-spoken
skin the colour of jet
Uram
Archangel of Russia
dark grey wings with flecks of amber
vivid green eyes
rules a portion of Europe and all of Russia
decades-long lover of Archangel Michaela
always cruel and brutal, known to be depraved and vicious
known to kill on a whim
News: A news article about the president of a tiny country that had once been part of the Soviet Union. The president, one Mr. Chernoff, had made the mistake of defying Uram publicly, calling for citizens to boycott the draconian archangel's businesses, as well as those of his "vampire children," and patronise those run by humans. The article goes on to summarise President Chernoff's policies and one would assume it would end with his funeral arrangements. But no. The president was alive... if you could call it that.
Soon after his inflammatory comments, Mr. Chernoff had suffered an unfortunate car accident-his driver had lost control of the wheel and crashed into an oncoming semi. The driver had walked away without a scratch, a feat labelled "miraculous." The president hadn't been so lucky. He'd had so many bones broken the doctors said he'd never regain full use of his limbs. His eye sockets had shattered inward, destroying his eyes. And his throat had been crushed just enough to ruin his vocal cords... but not to kill him.
He could no longer hold a pen or type.
He could no longer speak.
He could no longer see.
No one had dared enunciate it, but the message had come through loud and clear. Defy Uram and you would be silenced. The politician who'd stepped in to take Chernoff's place had pledged allegiance to Uram even before he took the oath of office.
(I have one other story to add on Uram later)
Elijah
Archangel of South America
one of the oldest of the Cadre at over 4500 years
has ruled in one way or another for over a millennia
a scholar
golden brown eyes, golden hair
pure white wings
mate of angel Hannah for almost a thousand years
Zhou Lijuan (just called 'Lijuan')
Archangel of Asia
soft dove grey wings
shimmering white hair, eyes so pale they look white
makes her homeland in China
revered by many in her homeland as a Demigod
the oldest angel in existence, powerful beyond comprehension
prefers Raphael to all of the other archangels
has a fascination for Illium
follows her own peculiar code of honour and manners
never possessed the ability to create angel fire
has become power in its purest form
has ascended so high she no longer understands mortals, or even other angels
lifetime fascination with death
able to reanimate the dead, keeps them in her court as her 'toys'
creating her own army of the undead
THE SEVEN
Dmitri
vampire
the leader of Raphael's Seven
Raphael's second in command
almost 1000 years old
the most senior vampire in New York
powerful, lethally magnetic allure
able to entrance hunters with his scent
silky dark hair, dark chocolate eyes, warm gold skin
heavily muscled
battle-hardened warrior hidden behind a smooth facade
completely devoted to Raphael's safety, no matter the cost
the descendant of a human Raphael considered a friend
turned against his will by Isis as a helpless Raphael was forced to watch
was 200 years old when he rebelled against Raphael, survived under the reign of Neha for 100 years
love affair with Favashi before she became Cadre
Venom
vampire
around 300 years old
the youngest of Raphael's Seven
made by Neha, the Queen of Poisons and Snakes
has served Raphael for over 200 years
favors using a set of curved knives
skilled pilot
extremely strong
ability to entrance humans like a cobra does it's prey
slitted green eyes like a viper
secrets poison from his fangs, can paralyse with his bite
beautiful but unusual looking
always well dressed and immaculate
dark chocolate hair, bright green eyes slitted like a snake
Galen
angel
dark gray wings with white striations
tall and muscular, wears a thin metal armband around his left bicep
pale green eyes and red hair
Raphael's weapons master
close friends with Illium
seems stern and humorless
used to handling Raphael's territory in the Refuge
romantic interest in angel Jessamy
Illium
angel
son of 'the Hummingbird' Sharine
500 years old
stronger than most angels ten times his age
nicknamed Bluebell, Butterfly
close friendship with Galen
has a fascination with mortals
stripped of his feathers as punishment for trusting a mortal with angelkind's darkest secret
faint hint of a British accent
black hair tipped in blue, vivid golden eyes
wings are blue edged with silver
playful nature hides a ruthless strength
both incomparably beautiful and completely deadly
unmatched flyer
has a disregard for his own life and safety
no personal glamour, but can make small objects near his body invisible
continuing to grow in strength
Jason
angel
born on a small Pacific atoll that no longer exists
Raphael's spymaster
highly intelligent
seems able to blend into the shadows
suffered abuse as a child
has never experienced love
violent and bloody past
his parent's story was considered one of the great angel romances
one of the most magnificent singing voices in angel kind, but has not sung for centuries
black hair, black eyes
brown skinned, with the entire left side of his face tattooed
sooty black wings that seem to absorb light
all of his abilities manifest in black
has made Raphael vow to kill him if he ever turns
sole tie to living is his service to Raphael
Naasir
vampire
untamed and lethal
dark brown skin tinged with gold, silver hair
brilliant silver eyes that reflect like a cats
Aodhan
angel
beautiful but remote, cannot stand to be touched
pure white blond hair, pale skin with a hint of gold, green/blue eyes
pure white wings with a diamond shine
so very other he is hard to categorize
unique even among other angels
prefers complete solitude
badly injured, rescued by Raphael many years before
wears two blades sheathed on his back at all times
a brilliant sculptor and artist
broken on the deepest emotional level
OTHER CHARACTERS
Ransom Winterwolf (Up for the taking - if taken then will be one of The Core)
a Guild Hunter, hunter-born
one of the Guild's top hunters
copper-gold skin with high cheekbones, green eyes, beautiful long black hair
extremely handsome with Irish and Cherokee blood
grew up on the streets
tough, a fierce fighter with a wicked sense of humor
a playboy who doesn't deal well with intimacy
Vivek
Hunter born
skilled with languages
computer genius
thin, with rich brown skin and brown eyes
no feeling below the shoulders after a childhood accident
institutionalised by his family after his accident
rejected by his family
the cellar manager at the Guild headquarters
spends most of his life in the underground bunkers
the eyes and ears of the Guild from his high-tech wheelchair
Xi
angel
900 years old
belongs to Lijuan
Chinese, exotic looking with deep black eyes
dark grey wings patterned with streaks of vivid red
immensely strong, will continue to gain power for as long as Lijuan lives
Slater Patalis
vampire
a movie star before being turned
handsome with brown eyes and mahogany hair
went on a killing spree 18 years ago
the most infamous killer vampire in recent memory
officially killed 52 on his rampage, but suspected to have killed many more
Suhani
vampire
part of Raphael's line
very, very old, but looks still looks around 30
receptionist at Archangel Tower in New York
Riker
vampire
Archangel Michaela's favorite guard, obeys without hesitation
completely devoted to Michaela
not completely sane
previously hunted by the Guild
Michaela had the skin flayed off of his back, turned into a handbag
cold reptilian eyes
Robert Syles
vampire
enjoys hurting children
assistant of Archangel Uram
Anoushka
angel
daughter of Archangel Neha, Queen of snakes and poisons
grew up drinking poisons
keeps a court armed with several powerful angels and vampires
owns a chemical plant that manufactures poisons
intelligent and ambitious, but weakened by her ego
has already stopped growing in power, so will never be an archangel
Dahariel
angel
old, one of the strongest of the angels
falls under the control of the Archangel Astaad
wings patterned like an eagle's
highly intelligent and rational, but seemingly emotionless
radiates violence and strength
Hannah
angel
powerful, but uninterested in the Cadre politics
the only Archangel Consort
rarely leaves her South American home
artistic and creative
ebony skin, black curly hair
mate of Archangel Elijah
Montgomery
vampire
hundreds of years old
Raphael's butler
very proper and reserved
has a British accent
Jessamy
angel
3000 years old
tall and painfully thin
born with a twisted wing that makes her unable to fly
chestnut hair and burnt sienna eyes
teacher of the young angels at the refuge
gentle and kindhearted
keeper of the histories of the angels
romantic interest in Galen
Sam
angel
real name is Sameon
very young angel, looks about 4 years old
blue-black curly hair, big brown eyes
dusty brown wings streaked with white
lives at the refuge
Shah Mayur
a Guild Hunter
works in the intelligence division of the Guild
a loner with little contact with other Hunters
has been cited numerous times for excessive violence against one particular vampire
a ladies man
tall, with black hair and dimples
Simon
human
former director of the American chapter of the Guild
Guild Director for over 40 years, chooses Sara Haziz as his successor
although aging, still strong and determined
white hair, bright blue eyes
wife is also a Hunter
Sara Haziz
human
not Hunter-born
United States Guild Director
former Guild Hunter
weapon of choice is a crossbow
natural immunity to vampire compulsion
parents were hippies, always on the move
saw her first Hunter at age 10
petite but strong, dark honey coloured skin and brown eyes, thick dark hair
daughter Zoe Elena
married to Deacon
Deacon
legendary former Hunter known as the Slayer
responsible for dealing with rogue Hunters
lethally skilled tracker
retired from the Guild when he married
killed his first vampire at age 8
very successful weapons maker
over 6 feet tall, muscular
golden skin and dark green eyes, dark hair
daughter Zoe Elena
married to Guild Director Sara Haziz
Jervois
former Guild Director of Paris
used politics rather than ability to gain the position
made a deal with a powerful group of vampires to swing the vote
almost got all of his hunters killed looking for glory
hasn't been seen since he was deposed as Director
Nadiel
Raphael's father
once considered the greatest of the archangels
one of the ancients
had a lust for power
believed angels should be worshiped by humans and vampires as gods
became a mass-murderer in his quest for power
already on his way to madness by the time Raphael was born
before his death, suffered from bouts of extreme rage
executed by his mate Caliane
Sharine
also known as the Hummingbird
mother of Illium
one of the angels of old
knew Caliane before she disapeared
rescued a gravely injured young Raphael
treated Raphael like a second son
brilliant artist
taught Aodhan to draw and sculpt
radiantly beautiful
fragile and delicate
barely five feet tall
champagne eyes, pure black hair tipped with gold
indigo wings streaked with pale, shimmering gold
seldom leaves her secluded mountain home
kind hearted, but damaged
Caliane
former Archangel of Sumeria, ruling from the city of Amanat
mother of Raphael
impossibly beautiful and gifted, known for her incredible singing voice
almost other-worldly quality to her
raven black hair and deep blue eyes
pure white wings
loves all things of beauty
an ancient, she devolved into madness
executed her mate Nadiel
left a gravely injured Raphael to die after a battle with him
has not been seen in centuries
whispered to be up to 100,000 years old
has slept before to stave off madness
lived and ruled as an archangel for tens of thousands of years
did not desire power or worship, but had both
in her time, the most beloved of archangels
once was the guardian of the innocent
in her madness, could use her voice to control and enslave entire nations
disappeared after a fight with Raphael when he was young. She left him dying and has never been seen since.
COMPLETE - OPEN FOR PROFILES
Based on Nalini Singh's 'Guild Hunter' series.
A lot of my information will be taken directly from the novels (this role-play is based on Angels' Blood) that the role-play is based heavily on, including the plot, so if you don't want to spoil it for yourself, then don't read the novels.
I realise there is a hell of a lot of information here. That's because I want to give it all to you and give you the option of how much understanding you have of the role-play. All you need to read is the plot, but I suggest you also read about Achangel Tower, Information and the Arch Angel of New York-Raphael-as well as they will give you a good overview. If you want to be in the know then from top to bottom is roughly what you need to know the most to what you need to know the least. And, when it comes to characters, personal things wouldn't be known by outsiders (which, in this case, humans would be).
Profile layout:
Name
Age
Sex
Appearance
Personality
History (inc. history with the Guild-the association that hires vampire hunters- and life history)
Hunter-born or trained?
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PLOT OVERVIEW
Unless requested otherwise, your characters are in the elite group of vampire hunters called The Core. They are a small group of the most elite vampire hunters directed together through the request of the Guild Director (Sara) little over two months ago.
The Core know they're the best - but they don't know if they're good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear - failure is not an option... even if the task they've been set is impossible.
Because this time it's not a wayward vamp they have to track. It's an archangel gone bad.
Even if the hunt doesn't destroy them, the job will put The Core in the midst of a killing spree like no other... and pull them to the razor's edge. Because when archangel's play, mortals break...
We will begin before The Core has had any contact with Raphael. They know nothing of their next job. We'll start on a hunt.
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PLACES
Archangel Tower
The light-filled column of the city's Archangel Tower makes the surrounding area with its parks, sky rise buildings, cafe's and apartment buildings ridiculously expensive... and attractive. One is able to watch the angels take wing from the high balconies of the Tower.
At night, they appear soft, dark shadows. But in the daytime, their wings shimmer bright in the sun, their movements incredibly graceful. They come and go throughout the day, but sometimes they are seen simply sitting, high up on the balconies, their legs hanging over the sides-the younger angels, though youth is a relative term. This is one of the only sights of the angels that can be described as 'acting normal'. Usually, they are coolly remote, so far from the common humdrum of humanity as to be beyond their understanding.
The wide path that leads up to the Tower entrance glares bright in the morning sun as it hits the white stone, sharp enough to cut. In the shadows, hidden until they are searched out, are the vampires guarding the Tower.
Several of them stand along the sides of the Tower but there are at least ten others hidden or walking around in the well-cared-for shrubbery outside. They all dress in dark suits teamed with white shirts, their hair cut in the sleek, perfect lines patented by FBI agents. Black shades and earpieces finish off the secret-agent effect.
These vampires have been around a long time. Their intense scent (to Guild Hunters), dark but not unpleasant, when added to the fact that they guard Archangel Tower, tells that they are both smart and extremely dangerous.
Most do not dare approach the Tower for fear of the guards, though once in the Tower, few pass the lobby without an appointment. The air-conditioned lobby is a seemingly endless space dominated by deep grey marble shot through with discreet veins of gold. As an example of wealth, good taste, and subtle intimidation, it takes first prize.
There are a number of vampire guards stationed in the lobby as well as exquisite, though slightly odd, flower arrangements. Next to the reception desk is a glass elevator. The receptionist, Suhani, is a very, very, very old vampire, with the face and body of a well-maintained thirty-year-old, and a smile filled with old knowledge and centuries of experience.
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INFORMATION
Angels rule over humans and vampires, but the most powerful of them all are the archangels. Beautiful. Deadly. Sometimes cruel. Always unpredictable. There are several different groups represented - the archangels, the angels, the vampires, and the Guild Hunters.
Guild Hunter
Vampire Hunters. The inevitable gasp, "You go around sticking those sharp stakes in their evil putrid hearts?" Maybe the actual words vary, but the feel is the same. It made hunters want to track down and exterminate the idiot fifteenth-century storyteller who'd made up that tale in the first place. Of course, the vampires had probably already taken care of it - after the first few of them had probably ended up in what-ever passed for an emergency room back then.
Hunters don't stake vampires. They track them, bag them, and return them to their masters - the angels. Some people call their kind bounty hunters, but according to their Guild cards, they are "Licensed to Hunt Vampires & Assorted Others" - which makes them vampire hunters, with the attendant benefits, including hazard pay. That pay is very healthy. It has to be to compensate for the fact that hunters occasionally have their jugulars torn open.
Luckily, there are certain items a hunter is able to use that can give them an advantage, such as a control-chip. A hunter's necklet has a way of freezing a vampire. Some hunters like to shoot their targets with arrows-the arrowheads doctored to contain the same control chip that make the necklets so effective. The instant it touches skin, the chip emits an electromagnetic field that temporarily short-circuits a vampire's neural processes, leaving the target open to suggestion. The targets lose their ability to speak and will then follow the hunter like a doe-eyed puppy dog. Sure, with the necklets, you have to get closer to your victim, but it beats missing them and shooting a bystander. The vampires are then delivered to their master's chosen location-many times transportation, and stowed personally by the hunter. The guards of the Wing Brotherhood were mortal (they practised celibacy while on the job and since the punishment for failure was removal of a body part-it wasn't publicised which part-they were never tempted) and were charged with escorting the vampires back to their masters are not generally licensed to handle the vampires. These licenses allow the angels protection from most charges by the Vampire Protection Authority.
Not that the VPA has ever managed to make cruelty allegations stick. All the angels have to do is display a couple of photos of humans with their throats torn out, and the jury is ready not only to aquit, but to give them a medal in the process.
The control chips go with the target on their journey back to their master. From there it'd be returned directly to the Guild, as per agreed protocol with all chip-embedded devices. Bearing unique serial numbers and with each and every use tracked by the VPA and Guild both, the devices were issued only for hunts, or when a hunter's life was in demonstrable danger from a vampiric threat. The official line was that it was to stop hunters from becoming dangerously overconfident, but they all knew it was because the powerful vamps didn't like the idea of being vulnerable to any old hunter with a grudge.
Choosing Guild Hunter as your chosen career path is revered by some and at the same time, it disgusts others. These are those that are born without a choice. They are the Hunter Born.
These mortals are born with the skills required to hunt vampires. Not many people know what that means, the inevitable consequences.There is hardly a realisation that they can scent vampires as they can do it since the moment they are born. The realisation is that it's something different, abnormal. They are faster and stronger than the regular human and they are able to scent vampires. This is the most effective way of tracking as every vampire has a distinctive scent. Older vamps don't have that ick factor. They-except for the occasional one-simply smelled of vampire, like others smell human. But the very young ones, they had a certain rotten-cabbage/putrid-flesh smell that gave hunters the need to scrub three times over to get rid of; the smell like a coating of fur on your tongue, no matter how hard you scrape, you can't get it off
All a hunter needs to start with is something the vampire wore recently. If there is a general location, even better. If not, they get the Guild's computer geniuses (AKA Vivek) on tracking public transport and bank records, et cetera, while they hunt on the ground. It's hardest to hunt when it's raining or has rained as rain washes away vampire scent. However, it is possible to track in the snow if you know where to look as the scent may be trapped in a layer of snow.
Vampire
The vamps choose their slavery-of a hundred years duration- the instant they petition an angel to Make them almost-immortal. If they had stayed human, if they had gone to their graves in peace, then they wouldn't find themselves bound by a contract signed in blood. And while the angels do take advantage of their position, a contract is a contract. The ones who think they can run out on a contract with an angel? Idiots.
The problem with being basically immortal is that you can have a lot of things done to you and not die. There is a case of a vampire who had every one of his limbs amputated...without anaesthetic. By the time the Guild rescue squad liberated him from the clutches of the hate group that had kidnapped him, he'd been beyond reason or coherence. But there had been a video. That was how they knew the tortured man had been conscious throughout.
And yet petitioners come in their droves, hoping to be Made. The Angels only Make about a thousand vamps per year. The hopeful outnumbers that by the hundreds of thousands.
Most vamps wait at least a year before trying anything funny. They don't function well the first month or so after being made and it is this stage in their development that continues to fuel the myth about vampires being lifeless zombies given will. They truly were creepy in their first few weeks. Eyes wide open but with nobody home, flesh pallid and wasted, movements uncoordinated. It's why the hate groups prefer to target new vamps. Most people find it far easier to mutilate and torture someone who looks like a walking corpse than someone who could be their best friend. That young, they can't feed themselves, let alone run away.
The only ways to kill a vampire beyond the point where it can regenerate are to behead it or cut t into so many pieces and burn those pieces (these are not well known).
One bad side effect of being Made is that a tiny, tiny, tiny minority of the Candidates have their brains scrambled beyond recovery. What comes out of the mess isn't always human.
It should sound odd to call vampires humans in any sense but Humanity, as a whole, does included vampires. Vampires can mate with, and even reproduce with, humans. Conception is very difficult but not impossible, ans though the children-all mortal-sometimes suffer from anaemia and related disorders, they are otherwise normal. First rule of biology-if it can mate, it's probably the same species.
Vamp Whores (I debated whether to call them that but it's what they're called in the book so I'll keep to script) are those humans who sleep around with vampires and let them drink from them. However, what is not all that well known is that this is because they are addicts. Pleasure addicts. The older vampires have a special allure for the hunter-born and can wrap their scent around them to induce pleasure so excruciating (even pleasure through pain, depending what the vamp is into) that many a hunter has fallen and become sexually-even romantically-intertwined with the very creatures they hunt. The scent is almost a tool of mind control.
Say what you will about dietary requirements, vampirism sure does good things for the skin and body. Any vampire over five decades old was svelte, with flawless skin. Their allure, too, grows with each passing year-though the intrinsic force of it depends on the individual. There are very old vampires who remain more prey than predator, but the truly powerful ones... Some, like Dmitri, are good at hiding their strength, their incredible charisma, until they want to use it. Others had gone too far along the timeline and leaked power almost continuously. But even th,e weak ones, the ones who'd never be anything close to what Dmitri is now, are stunningly beautiful.
(just how they become vampires you don't need to know just yet)
Angel
The same species biology rule can not be applied to angel kind. Angels attract groupies by the truckload-mostly vampires, though the occasional stunning human is allowed into the mix. But this aside, a child coming from the mating between a human and an angel, or even vampire and angel, has never been heard of. It is a true blessing for an angel couple to conceive a child as this happens very occasionally.
If an angel's wings are submerged into water or in the rain for a long time, then it becomes harder to fly as they get waterlogged.
Angels don't always shed angel dust. When they do, it is immediately collected up by mortals and vampires alike. The price for a speck of the stuff is more than that for a flawlessly cut diamond. Tasted, it's comparable to the most delicious of chocolates, the finest of wines. However, they can make 'special blends' that cause the body to feel what the dust is about. Some call it a drug, but it has no neurotic effects on the body. It is simply the taste.
Stronger angels are able to withstand greater injury and recover faster than younger angels (this is the same for vampires).
Angels are masters of technology, no matter that they look like something out of a fairy tale or legend.
Glamour is an ability that allows them to move hidden among the masses. It's part of what makes an archangel out of an angel. The older archangels such as Uram, Elija, Lijuan.. can hold it indefinitely. Even weakened they could hold it for more than a day. It is the ability to wrap their power around themselves and become invisible (no hunter, no human knows about glamour).
Oaths are serious business to angels. If you get an angel to swear an oath, they will uphold their side. However, watch out for loop holes.
When an angel glows, it becomes a being of absolute power. Power that's usually directed to kill or destroy. An angel glows just before he tears you into a thousand pieces. And just as a side note..no one touches an angel's wings without permission.
Many people, many religions, consider angels to be the messengers of the gods, but no one really knows where they came from.
Things to be elaborated on later...
-Angelfire
-The Scrouge and ennui (basically madness)
-evolving and devolving
-Sleep
-Quiet
-anshara
Apart from that Angels rule and have so since the dawn of time, being part of man's history since the earliest cave paintings, they remain shrouded in mystery and the majority of the above is not known (including the Refuge and angel children, which no one knows about so I won't tell you about them).
THE CADRE OF TEN - In the world of the angels, there are the elite ten. Archangels of unimaginable power, they rule their territories and those within them with iron control. The only being strong enough to stop an archangel is another archangel, and when they clash, the fate of mankind hang in the balance.
It is rare for the membership to gather in one place. They are powerful beyond measure, but it is better not to tempt the young ones. Some aspire to take their place through death. It is always the young who embrace such delusions. The older ones have gained the wisdom to know that to be an archangel is to surrender part of your soul. The last time the Cadre fragmented, the Dark Age of man and angel took place; when vampires bathed in blood and the angels were too busy warring with each other to care. To hold the Cadre together, the leader must be more dangerous than any other. Sure, counties have their presidents and prime ministers, their parliaments and councils, but everyone knows that the true power rests in the hands of the archangels. Government, business, at-there is nothing that they don't influence, either directly or indirectly.
THE SEVEN-They are called The Seven. They are the seven extraordinary vampires and angels that have devoted themselves completely to the safety of Archangel Raphael. They will destroy any threat to him, no matter the cost to themselves.
___________________________________________________
CHARACTERS
THE CADRE OF TEN
Name: Raphael
Role-played by Sparkles
Position: The Archangel of New York (controls North America, based in New York)
Appearance: The impact of his beauty would hit many as a physical blow. Eyes of such pure undiluted blue it was as if some heavenly artist had crushed sapphires into his paints and then coloured in the irises with the finest of brushes.
Black is too tame a word for his hair. It is so pure that it holds echoes of the night, vivid and passionate. Cut in careless layers that stop at the nape of his neck, it bares the sharp angles of his face. Yes, he is beautiful, but it is the beauty of a warrior or a conqueror. This man has power stamped on every inch of his skin, every piece of his flesh. And that is before the exquisite perfection of his wings is taken in. The feathers are a soft white and appear dusted with gold. The truth is that each individual filament of each individual feather bares a golden tip. The pattern on the inside surface of his wings was as if a brush dipped in gold had started at the top edge of each wing and then stroked downward, fading to white as it neared the bottom. He is a being of such incredibly splendour that simply seeing him move would make many a woman's heart squeeze. It doesn't matter that they may know it is a mirage, that he is as deadly as a filleting knife strapped to many a hunter's thigh. No one can deny that Raphael the Archangel was a man to be admired. To be worshipped. His scent was clean, bright, of the sea - rain and a fresh bite of water.
[The following is a fan art of Raphael to give you an idea - just make sure to view my description as his appearance before the picture as the picture isn't perfect. example of why - Raphael does not have muscles that bulge out from his chest]
Breaking News:
A vampire (Germaine) that had betrayed The Archangel of New York had been found in the centre of Times Square. He'd still been alive. And he'd still been trying to scream-"No! Raphael, no!" But his voice had been a rasp by then, his jaw hanging on by string-like tendons, his flesh missing in places and every last bone in his body broken. The news footage had gone international. The vamp had lain there in agony for three hours before being picked up by a pair of angels. Everyone in New York, hell, everyone in the country had known he was there, but no one had dared help him, not with Raphael's mark blazing on his forehead. The archangel had wanted the punishment witnessed, wanted to remind people of who and what he was. It had worked. Now the mere mention of his name evokes visceral fear.
Other News: (refer to 'news' on Uram, Archangel of Russia.) Say what you will about Raphael, but at least he is no tyrant. Sure, he runs North America with an iron fist, but he doesn't meddle in inconsequential human affairs. A few years back, they'd even had a mayoral candidate who'd pledged to flout the archangel should he be elected. Raphael had let the campaign run, his only response a slight smilie when some reporter dared approach him.
That smile, that hint that he found the whole situation ridiculous, had sunk the mayoral hopeful's chances as surely as the titanic. That man had slunk off, never to be seen again.
Raphael had achieved victory without drawing a single drop of blood. And he'd retained his powerful status in the eyes of the population.
Information: Raphael is one of the strongest of the archangels and has been alive for 1500 years but has only ruled for five hundred years, a mere blink of time in comparison to Lijuan; but that could prove an asset. Even before his transformation from angel to archangel, he'd chosen the chaos of life over the elegant peace of his brethren. Now he lives in one of the world's biggest cities and, unbeknownst to its denizens, often watches them. He is protected by his loyal Seven.
Rafael is the son of two very old archangels and was left for dead by his mother Caliane while still very young. He is strong and very intimidating, but not needlessly cruel and is haunted by the thought he will follow his parents into madness. Although beautiful, he is lethal and ruthless and is intrigued by women of strength.
Michaela
Archangel controlling most of Central Europe
known as the High Priestess of Byzantium and the Queen of Constantinople
the muse of artists across the generations
capricious and mercurial, jealous of other females
selfish, always putting her own interests first
vicious against those she sees as an enemy
intensely beautiful, even among the beauty of other angels
milk chocolate coloured skin, waist length dark hair, vivid green eyes
beautiful bronze coloured wings
without the power of glamour
cannot stand the abuse of children after suffering the death of her own child
long-term lover of Archangel Uram
Astaad
Archangel of the Pacific Isles
harsh and cruel natured
has a harem of the most beautiful female vampires in the world
treats his women as precious
stern looking with a small black beard
Charisemnon
Archangel of North Africa
attracted to very young females
will take any female that captures his interest
Favashi
Archangel of Persia
seen gentle, but very strong
soft brown eyes
treated as a goddess in her territory
the youngest of the Cadre, the most mortal in her thinking
former lover of Dmitri's before she became Cadre
Neha
Archangel of India
mother of Anoushka
known as the Queen of Poisons, the Queen of Snakes
ruthless and cold natured
kills those who disagree with her, leaves a trail of bodies in her wake
Titus
Archangel South Africa
large and muscular, but soft-spoken
skin the colour of jet
Uram
Archangel of Russia
dark grey wings with flecks of amber
vivid green eyes
rules a portion of Europe and all of Russia
decades-long lover of Archangel Michaela
always cruel and brutal, known to be depraved and vicious
known to kill on a whim
News: A news article about the president of a tiny country that had once been part of the Soviet Union. The president, one Mr. Chernoff, had made the mistake of defying Uram publicly, calling for citizens to boycott the draconian archangel's businesses, as well as those of his "vampire children," and patronise those run by humans. The article goes on to summarise President Chernoff's policies and one would assume it would end with his funeral arrangements. But no. The president was alive... if you could call it that.
Soon after his inflammatory comments, Mr. Chernoff had suffered an unfortunate car accident-his driver had lost control of the wheel and crashed into an oncoming semi. The driver had walked away without a scratch, a feat labelled "miraculous." The president hadn't been so lucky. He'd had so many bones broken the doctors said he'd never regain full use of his limbs. His eye sockets had shattered inward, destroying his eyes. And his throat had been crushed just enough to ruin his vocal cords... but not to kill him.
He could no longer hold a pen or type.
He could no longer speak.
He could no longer see.
No one had dared enunciate it, but the message had come through loud and clear. Defy Uram and you would be silenced. The politician who'd stepped in to take Chernoff's place had pledged allegiance to Uram even before he took the oath of office.
(I have one other story to add on Uram later)
Elijah
Archangel of South America
one of the oldest of the Cadre at over 4500 years
has ruled in one way or another for over a millennia
a scholar
golden brown eyes, golden hair
pure white wings
mate of angel Hannah for almost a thousand years
Zhou Lijuan (just called 'Lijuan')
Archangel of Asia
soft dove grey wings
shimmering white hair, eyes so pale they look white
makes her homeland in China
revered by many in her homeland as a Demigod
the oldest angel in existence, powerful beyond comprehension
prefers Raphael to all of the other archangels
has a fascination for Illium
follows her own peculiar code of honour and manners
never possessed the ability to create angel fire
has become power in its purest form
has ascended so high she no longer understands mortals, or even other angels
lifetime fascination with death
able to reanimate the dead, keeps them in her court as her 'toys'
creating her own army of the undead
THE SEVEN
Dmitri
vampire
the leader of Raphael's Seven
Raphael's second in command
almost 1000 years old
the most senior vampire in New York
powerful, lethally magnetic allure
able to entrance hunters with his scent
silky dark hair, dark chocolate eyes, warm gold skin
heavily muscled
battle-hardened warrior hidden behind a smooth facade
completely devoted to Raphael's safety, no matter the cost
the descendant of a human Raphael considered a friend
turned against his will by Isis as a helpless Raphael was forced to watch
was 200 years old when he rebelled against Raphael, survived under the reign of Neha for 100 years
love affair with Favashi before she became Cadre
Venom
vampire
around 300 years old
the youngest of Raphael's Seven
made by Neha, the Queen of Poisons and Snakes
has served Raphael for over 200 years
favors using a set of curved knives
skilled pilot
extremely strong
ability to entrance humans like a cobra does it's prey
slitted green eyes like a viper
secrets poison from his fangs, can paralyse with his bite
beautiful but unusual looking
always well dressed and immaculate
dark chocolate hair, bright green eyes slitted like a snake
Galen
angel
dark gray wings with white striations
tall and muscular, wears a thin metal armband around his left bicep
pale green eyes and red hair
Raphael's weapons master
close friends with Illium
seems stern and humorless
used to handling Raphael's territory in the Refuge
romantic interest in angel Jessamy
Illium
angel
son of 'the Hummingbird' Sharine
500 years old
stronger than most angels ten times his age
nicknamed Bluebell, Butterfly
close friendship with Galen
has a fascination with mortals
stripped of his feathers as punishment for trusting a mortal with angelkind's darkest secret
faint hint of a British accent
black hair tipped in blue, vivid golden eyes
wings are blue edged with silver
playful nature hides a ruthless strength
both incomparably beautiful and completely deadly
unmatched flyer
has a disregard for his own life and safety
no personal glamour, but can make small objects near his body invisible
continuing to grow in strength
Jason
angel
born on a small Pacific atoll that no longer exists
Raphael's spymaster
highly intelligent
seems able to blend into the shadows
suffered abuse as a child
has never experienced love
violent and bloody past
his parent's story was considered one of the great angel romances
one of the most magnificent singing voices in angel kind, but has not sung for centuries
black hair, black eyes
brown skinned, with the entire left side of his face tattooed
sooty black wings that seem to absorb light
all of his abilities manifest in black
has made Raphael vow to kill him if he ever turns
sole tie to living is his service to Raphael
Naasir
vampire
untamed and lethal
dark brown skin tinged with gold, silver hair
brilliant silver eyes that reflect like a cats
Aodhan
angel
beautiful but remote, cannot stand to be touched
pure white blond hair, pale skin with a hint of gold, green/blue eyes
pure white wings with a diamond shine
so very other he is hard to categorize
unique even among other angels
prefers complete solitude
badly injured, rescued by Raphael many years before
wears two blades sheathed on his back at all times
a brilliant sculptor and artist
broken on the deepest emotional level
OTHER CHARACTERS
Ransom Winterwolf (Up for the taking - if taken then will be one of The Core)
a Guild Hunter, hunter-born
one of the Guild's top hunters
copper-gold skin with high cheekbones, green eyes, beautiful long black hair
extremely handsome with Irish and Cherokee blood
grew up on the streets
tough, a fierce fighter with a wicked sense of humor
a playboy who doesn't deal well with intimacy
Vivek
Hunter born
skilled with languages
computer genius
thin, with rich brown skin and brown eyes
no feeling below the shoulders after a childhood accident
institutionalised by his family after his accident
rejected by his family
the cellar manager at the Guild headquarters
spends most of his life in the underground bunkers
the eyes and ears of the Guild from his high-tech wheelchair
Xi
angel
900 years old
belongs to Lijuan
Chinese, exotic looking with deep black eyes
dark grey wings patterned with streaks of vivid red
immensely strong, will continue to gain power for as long as Lijuan lives
Slater Patalis
vampire
a movie star before being turned
handsome with brown eyes and mahogany hair
went on a killing spree 18 years ago
the most infamous killer vampire in recent memory
officially killed 52 on his rampage, but suspected to have killed many more
Suhani
vampire
part of Raphael's line
very, very old, but looks still looks around 30
receptionist at Archangel Tower in New York
Riker
vampire
Archangel Michaela's favorite guard, obeys without hesitation
completely devoted to Michaela
not completely sane
previously hunted by the Guild
Michaela had the skin flayed off of his back, turned into a handbag
cold reptilian eyes
Robert Syles
vampire
enjoys hurting children
assistant of Archangel Uram
Anoushka
angel
daughter of Archangel Neha, Queen of snakes and poisons
grew up drinking poisons
keeps a court armed with several powerful angels and vampires
owns a chemical plant that manufactures poisons
intelligent and ambitious, but weakened by her ego
has already stopped growing in power, so will never be an archangel
Dahariel
angel
old, one of the strongest of the angels
falls under the control of the Archangel Astaad
wings patterned like an eagle's
highly intelligent and rational, but seemingly emotionless
radiates violence and strength
Hannah
angel
powerful, but uninterested in the Cadre politics
the only Archangel Consort
rarely leaves her South American home
artistic and creative
ebony skin, black curly hair
mate of Archangel Elijah
Montgomery
vampire
hundreds of years old
Raphael's butler
very proper and reserved
has a British accent
Jessamy
angel
3000 years old
tall and painfully thin
born with a twisted wing that makes her unable to fly
chestnut hair and burnt sienna eyes
teacher of the young angels at the refuge
gentle and kindhearted
keeper of the histories of the angels
romantic interest in Galen
Sam
angel
real name is Sameon
very young angel, looks about 4 years old
blue-black curly hair, big brown eyes
dusty brown wings streaked with white
lives at the refuge
Shah Mayur
a Guild Hunter
works in the intelligence division of the Guild
a loner with little contact with other Hunters
has been cited numerous times for excessive violence against one particular vampire
a ladies man
tall, with black hair and dimples
Simon
human
former director of the American chapter of the Guild
Guild Director for over 40 years, chooses Sara Haziz as his successor
although aging, still strong and determined
white hair, bright blue eyes
wife is also a Hunter
Sara Haziz
human
not Hunter-born
United States Guild Director
former Guild Hunter
weapon of choice is a crossbow
natural immunity to vampire compulsion
parents were hippies, always on the move
saw her first Hunter at age 10
petite but strong, dark honey coloured skin and brown eyes, thick dark hair
daughter Zoe Elena
married to Deacon
Deacon
legendary former Hunter known as the Slayer
responsible for dealing with rogue Hunters
lethally skilled tracker
retired from the Guild when he married
killed his first vampire at age 8
very successful weapons maker
over 6 feet tall, muscular
golden skin and dark green eyes, dark hair
daughter Zoe Elena
married to Guild Director Sara Haziz
Jervois
former Guild Director of Paris
used politics rather than ability to gain the position
made a deal with a powerful group of vampires to swing the vote
almost got all of his hunters killed looking for glory
hasn't been seen since he was deposed as Director
Nadiel
Raphael's father
once considered the greatest of the archangels
one of the ancients
had a lust for power
believed angels should be worshiped by humans and vampires as gods
became a mass-murderer in his quest for power
already on his way to madness by the time Raphael was born
before his death, suffered from bouts of extreme rage
executed by his mate Caliane
Sharine
also known as the Hummingbird
mother of Illium
one of the angels of old
knew Caliane before she disapeared
rescued a gravely injured young Raphael
treated Raphael like a second son
brilliant artist
taught Aodhan to draw and sculpt
radiantly beautiful
fragile and delicate
barely five feet tall
champagne eyes, pure black hair tipped with gold
indigo wings streaked with pale, shimmering gold
seldom leaves her secluded mountain home
kind hearted, but damaged
Caliane
former Archangel of Sumeria, ruling from the city of Amanat
mother of Raphael
impossibly beautiful and gifted, known for her incredible singing voice
almost other-worldly quality to her
raven black hair and deep blue eyes
pure white wings
loves all things of beauty
an ancient, she devolved into madness
executed her mate Nadiel
left a gravely injured Raphael to die after a battle with him
has not been seen in centuries
whispered to be up to 100,000 years old
has slept before to stave off madness
lived and ruled as an archangel for tens of thousands of years
did not desire power or worship, but had both
in her time, the most beloved of archangels
once was the guardian of the innocent
in her madness, could use her voice to control and enslave entire nations
disappeared after a fight with Raphael when he was young. She left him dying and has never been seen since.
