NationStates • View topic - Bloodborne [OOC / OPEN (2023)

Introduction

Greetings!
Welcome to Bloodborne: The Old Hunters! A Role Playing Experience allowing each player to Hunt Eldritch Horrors, Discover Ancient Conspiracies, and Become Indoctrinated to serve the Great Ones. As the title implies, this takes place within the Bloodborne Universe; the physics, equipment and factions are all based on the lore created by FromSoftware. I believe this is the First of its Kind for the Site, although I would like to thank the G-Tech Corporation for providing the idea with his The Tyranny of the Night RP. This will be the first time I lead a Individual based game of this type, so feel free to add new content or discuss possible complaints you might have. Craft the person you want to be, and lead them through the decrepit city of Yharnam. How you do this is all up to you... and also me.

Below I will provide some general lore and additional background for us to use during the RP. If you have played the game or know about the lore, you might notice a few new additions. While this might be heretical in certain ways, the point of this was to create a more 'lived in' city. Yharnam found in the game has been going through the slow decline into madness for several decades, this experience takes place long before that, during the age of the Old Hunters. Under the leadership of Gehrman, the mass purges of the future are a distant future. The point of the new lore was for the city to seem more realistic, before the church shapes the city into the abomination it becomes. In addition the often vague lore of the game provides an excellent gameplay driven experience, however, it would do little for a story such as this one. I hope I still capture the Lovecraftian horror you expect; if you have any issues, just let me know.

North America Inc

News
1.Register is up! Post your application there and keep an eye on it to manage your inventory and your leveling up.
2.If you have a beast idea you want to include in the RP, then submit it here! Application is found down below.
3.So the plan is to have the IC up tomorrow. By posting in the Register it lets me know you're still interested. I would recommend you take the time and talk with others to see if you want to have a pre-established history with them; if you let me know, i'll include it.
4. Bestiary and Hunter Tools will be added as soon as possible.
5. Player Ideas are always Welcome. If you got a good idea, I'll add it!
6. If you haven't played the game, no problem. We can talk, I'll add some lore to the front page, and provide links if this sparks your interest.

IC | Register | OOC |Map

OP and Co-OPs:
OP- North America Inc
Co-OP-
Co-OP-

Character Roster
1.North America Inc as Lady Maria (Hunter)
2.

Setting:
Located at the Northern Edge of the Continent exists the expansive city of Yharnam. Once known for either its bustling port or its high quality stone quarries, the city has now rose to prominence for its creation of 'Blood Ministration'. A ritual done by the Secretive Healing Church, visitors from across the Continent venture to take advantage of its miraculous properties. Able to cure any disease or enhance any body, blood ministration has ushered in the Healing Church's meteoric rise; led by the secretive First Vicar Laurence, the traditional powers of Yharnam are being usurped by this massive religious following. As Cathedrals and Monuments are erected all across the city, many are still skeptical of Blood Healing and the Church. From the lowly citizen to the powerful Aristocrat, the speed as to which the Church has revolutionized Yharnam has left many questioning what the real purpose of Blood Worship is. Even worse, the secretive Workshop operates in the shadows, leaving only carnage in their wake; and hellish tales of cursed men and monstrous transformations have seemed to grow in frequency and intensity.

As the Clergy grows, the Scholars reads, the Gentry plots, and the Masses watch, a recent wave of odd disappearances has captured the imagination of the metropolis. Unlike the bloody scenes left by the Illusive Workshop, these victims disappear without a trace, no evidence to follow. Constables have been left befuddled and the Church is even more tight lipped, though all victims had some relationship with the inner machinations of the Institution. All of them were young women, with a growing suspicion that each of them were pregnant. No lead has bared any fruit, with the few witnesses describing individuals covered in red robes. The latest victim, an heiress to a vast Trading Company, has proven to be the most divisive between the City Elite and the Church. With the situation rapidly declining, it is up to a few brave men and women to combat this terror. It is in this environment you are hired, a quiet benefactor has hired many individuals from various backgrounds to address this issue. Each individual has their own goal, beliefs, and tool set, little regard has been taken to ensure that they work well together. Despite this, this Party much move quickly. Ancient Cults and Eldritch Horrors operate within the shadows, as the darkness seems poised to engulf Yharnam.

If the City is to Survive, you must join the Hunt!

Yharnam

Before Yharnam:
Before everything there were the Great Ones, aliens of immense intellect and strength. They are our superiors, these beings would eventually become the Patrons for the Healing Church. Although obviously sapient, their own individual goals and methods are either unknown or conflicting; it is also unknown how long they have existed for. However, it appears as that they had a special relationship with a previous civilization, the Pthumerians; who were an ancient civilization that use to occupy the various regions that of present day Yharnam. Gifted with exceptional abilities such as increased arcane and insight abilities, they would often hold communion with the Great Ones; what brought the end to this relationship is still being questioned by the scholars of Byrgenwerth today. The civilization promptly collapsed a few thousand years ago, but the remnants of it can still be found today. A few argued that the Nobles of Cainhurst descend from this 'superhuman' race, arguing the line carries on. Despite this what we know for sure is that the there many dungeons that lay below us, for the Pthumerians lived in underground Catacombs, which are still inhabited by long dead specters, forever trapped within the grave.

Cainhurst Royalty:
After the collapse of the Pthumerians a few thousand years ago, the history and people that would come the become Yharnamites is shrouded in myth and legend. It is said that Queen Yharnam, the last rule of the Pthumerians, conjured the city into existence as the rest of the Empire was swallowed into the ground. What is known for certain is that the city was initially a trading outpost for the growing kingdom of Cainhurst. A nebulous term to refer to the Feudal Lords that dotted the most extreme Northern Parts of the Continent, the preceding five centuries they held absolute control over the region as a whole. While constant infighting between squabbling Lords was indeed common, the 'Cainhurst' King or Queen would often yield considerable influence over the rest, and created stability for the rather tumultuous region. Utilizing Blood Knights, these mounted cavalry would often rely on blood magic and blood-tinged swords to ride down the enemies of Cainhurst; it should be noted that the process and rituals involved pale in comparison to the speed and ferocity of Modern Hunters. These knights would utilize the special properties of their own blood, this is often used to support the theory of some Cainhurst-Pthumerian connection.

Independence:
After centuries of constant infighting, the once prestigious King and Queen of Cainhurst become a shell of its former self. Often used a puppet for a powerful noblemen, this indecisiveness led to growing tension in the south. In the era of Exploration and Industry, Yharnam arose a powerful maritime empire due to its strategic location in regards to the rest of the Continent. Yharnam Stone would become synonymous with quality as its near miraculous abilities allowed for the creation of immense structures that would not collapse in on themselves, these two growing industries saw the rise of a new landless Bourgeois class that had little desire to be subservient to the Northern Aristocrats. Over the following decades, tension between the two began to reach a fever pitch; new technologies pioneered in Yharnam such as Repeating Rifles and Cannons would see their first use in a modern war. After the current King of Cainhurst demanded more taxes to finance his Eastern Campaigns as well as to weaken the Bourgeois, young intellectuals within the city would lead a peaceful protest against it. Blood Knights, doing as they always do, rode them down, providing the necessary catalyst for this new economic elite to revolt. Although Blood Knights and Castle Walls were once feared in battle, the introduction of gunpowder and Trained Armies saw the tide favor the people of Yharnam. Although a costly campaign, Yharnam's independence was secured. Borders were drawn, and the Noble Lords of Cainhurst were left in their frozen tundra, licking their wounds.

Byrgenwerth:
It was in this violent environment that a gifted scholar would found the Byrgenwerth Institution of Higher Learning at the outskirts of town, as an place to study human transcendence. From biologists to anthropologists, the Institution housed, for a time, the greatest minds within the entire Continent. Led by Provost Willem, their initial research was done in the form of excavation, Tomb Prospectors would venture into the littered halls of Pthumerian Dungeons to collect artifacts and ascribe meaning to them. Over the following years, they would make numerous discoveries in the Arcane truths of the cosmos and absolute proof of the existence of Great Ones. Scholar Caryll was successful in transcribing portions of the Great Ones texts, however, our mouths lack the necessary characteristics to actually speak it. Over time the school would start to see a growing division between the Scholars; the discovery of Great Ones' blood (or the Old Blood) and its potential uses intrigued many of them. Laurence, one of the chief scholars, saw it is a potential medium to uplift humanity into a new plain of existence. Willem, on the other hand, feared the possible uses of Old Blood transfusion, for they lacked greater understanding of its abilities. Evolution through Insight was his belief,the cultivation of literal eyes to comprehend and view the higher planes of existence.

Healing Church:
It was this disagreement that saw the school fracture into two opposing ideologies, blood or insight, and saw Laurence and his followers leave the School to return to Yharnam. Utilizing the knowledge he acquired at Byrgenwerth, Laurence would go onto found the Healing Church and declare himself as First Vicar. Mastering the technique of Blood Ministration, the process of Blood Transfusion and Bloodletting, the Church would often visit the most downtrodden of the city to provide free humanitarian aid. Blood Ministration was known to cure any disease, which saw many take interest in the Church and its works. After it was demonstrated that the Blood Ministration could be used to provide advantages such as strength or beauty, the city soon become enraptured with the words of the Church. Knowing little about its potential dangers or its true purpose, Yharnam soon saw the masses become followers of the belief.

Although there are many gods within the religion, chief among them is Formless Oedon, a male deity that exists only in voice. Little is known about this Great One, but the Church seems to hold him in high regard. The Church continues the hunt for other Great Ones and has spent a considerable sum to erect Cathedrals as well as Research Halls to continue this endeavor. Laurence leads the Church through his position as Vicar, and is supported by the Choir, the highest echelon within the institution's ranks; the Cathedral Ward serves as the center of this operation. The Church operates within a branch system, each branch exists outside the jurisdiction of the other and answers only to the Choir. Grabbed in white, Choir members goals are unknown as of now. The Clergy is another branch of the Church, and serves as the religious leaders for the religion. Led by Pontiffs, they hold massive ceremonies and mass in grandiose Chapels. The Administration is made up of the Blood Ministers that travel throughout the city to administer the blood. The recently founded School of Mensis is the Church's attempt to usurp Byrgenwerth as the Center of Transcendent Study. The School is based in the Miskatonic Research University at Yahar'gul, and exists in tandem with other more traditional colleges.

Shifting Dynamics
When the Healing Church first constructed the rather inconsequential Oedon Chapel, Yharnam political and economic nature was vastly different; the years succeeding the Independence Wars saw renewed interests in the natural sciences and classical studies. The victorious Bourgeoisie class demonstrated a defining interest in removing old notions of feudalism and religion, and sought to minimize the powers of the various faiths of the City. Such actions left many poor Yharnamites disenfranchised and isolated, while many young intellectuals such actions, the poor were left in their squalor with no possibility of divine ascension. This growing discontent and fatigue allowed the Healing Church to rapidly grow within the eyes of the masses, and the pseudo-scientific teachings of Blood Ministration allowed Laurence to be seen positively in the intellectual community. The highly esteem of Byrgenwerth carried along into the Healing Church; however, this left many within the Bourgeoisie agitated and vitriolic about their own waning powers and the supposed resurgence of traditional thinking. The Healing Church knows this and as of now, has tried to hold amicable relations with the industrial and maritime class; this is also why the Hunts have been held so covertly and the Church has stated no official relationship with the organization. However as the School of Mensis starts to shift and distort education, and the Choir leads the masses, it is entirely possible that the Church will soon eclipse the Bourgeoisie in all aspects of Yharnam.

The Hunt and Hunters:
The most secretive branch of the Church is the Workshop, and as it stands, holds no official relationship with the Church. Led by Gehrman an associate of Byrgenwerth and compatriot to Laurence. The dangers of mass use of Blood Ministration was known from the beginning, constant use ran the risk of beast-hood. Although unfortunate, the Church believes that these risks were justified by the eventual uplifting of all of humanity. The Workshop of Hunters was created to combat this eventuality, and although technically unsanctioned and not recognized by the rest of the Church, still operates with its quiet support. Gehrman's relationship with Laurence is unknown, although he utilizes a special blood ministration technique in order to combat these beasts. This technique increased the strength of the individual, although the strength of beast often overshadowed this ability; in truth, the power of the Hunters came from their speed. Often faster than even bullets, the Workshop would send hunters out to find individuals who were exhibiting the first stages of transformations and end them before they fully turned. Operating dozens of hunters, the Hunt as of now has been hidden from the eyes of the populace.

Classes

Every character fits an archetype, a class. This determines how skilled they are at various activities, what actions they may undertake, and what Tokens they generate. More on those later. Note that all Abilities may only be triggered once per day. Each Class begins with nine skill points, with might influencing strength in combat, influence regarding your overall persuasion, cunning is your innovative spirit, Lore is your knowledge of the Eldritch's Truths, and Will is your drive.

The Hunter: Sworn enemies of the beasts. Utilizing stealth and speed, along with overwhelming ferocity, they are powerful fighters that are constantly vigilant against those who exhibit signs of transformation. Although in their element against Beasts, they are less so around People.
Leveling: Blood Favored
Skills: 3 Might, 1 Influence, 1 Cunning, 2 Lore, 2 Will
Guaranteed Ability: Bloodhound - At any time, as long as the Events in a City do not say this Ability is disallowed, the Hunter can determine the type of Beasts present within the section of the city.

The Devout: Members of the Healing Church. Utilizing secretive chants, artifacts, and techniques of their own, they desire to solve the mystery in the name of the Great Ones.
Leveling: Blood Favoured
Skills: 1 Might, 3 Influence, 1 Cunning, 2 Lore, 2 Will
Guaranteed Ability: Purge - At any time, as long as the City a Clergy is in has not completely been Corrupted, a Clergy may remove one level of Corruption from the Sections of the City. This ability requires a Will Skillcheck based on the level of Corruption.

The Scholar: Whether it be the Scholars of Byrgenwerth or a Student from the School of Mensis, these men of Science seek to provide greater understanding to the higher plains of reality.
Leveling: Insight Based
Skills: 1 Might, 1 Influence, 2 Cunning, 3 Lore, 2 Will
Guaranteed Ability: Investigate - At any time, a Scholar may search for scraps and fragments of the knowledge of the ancient world, seeking after forbidden powers and prowess. This action cannot fail, but requires a Will Skillcheck of random difficulty to prevent gaining one Madness. The success or failure of the Will Skillcheck is hidden from other members of the Party.

The Skeptic: Distrustful of the growing power of the Church as well as the Institution of Byrgenwerth, these traditional scholars seek to understand the sciences through more classical methods.
Leveling: Unspecified
Skills: WIP
Guaranteed Ability: Fabricate - At any time, a Tinkerer may attempt to Improve any Basic Item, or Fabricate a new Basic Item. This ability requires a Cunning Skillcheck of trifling difficulty.

The Detective: Folk of a working class background who have grown to become exceptionally well known through their inquisitive minds and practical connections to the seedy underbelly of the City. From the Constable to a Private Investigator, they bring a more practical thinking and ground to the group of other eccentric personalities. Leveling: Unspecified
Skills:WIP
Guaranteed Ability:- At any NPC conversation, the Detective has the ability to pass successive speech checks to learn more about the specific quest or situation in hand.

The Gentry: A member of the esteemed Bourgeoisie or Aristocratic Landed class, they are rather aloof in the world of Gods and Blood. Instead they establish themselves with the people they know and the vast wealth that they have within their estates.
Leveling: Unspecified
Skills: WIP
Guaranteed Ability:Connections - At the start, the Detective may state three sections of the city that they have 'deep connections' with. When located within any of those Sections, the user may choose to exchange one of the Tokens they gain (so long as it is not a Dark Token) for a Influence Token. Influence Tokens count for 2 Tokens when browsing marketplaces or bazaars, and are very useful when resolving certain Events, they can also be given to the locals to receive a random secret to the recent events that have occurred around town.

Concepts and Mechanics

The Waking World and Dreams:
This world is not the only world out there, as has been mentioned before, Great Ones live within higher planes of existence. However, these planes of reality are not necessarily separate; the lines between the two can sometimes blur. A powerful Great One during its slumber may create a dream or nightmare that has physical ramifications in the waking world. The most powerful can create a 'Nightmare' variation of reality in which the Waking World is recreated in a bastardized version of itself, often with nonsensical layouts and monstrous inhabitants. As you venture deeper and deeper into truths about Yharnam, you may venture into one of these Nightmare Frontiers, either physically or mentally.

These Dreams are created by a sleeping Great One, usually an infant, with death of the Great One the only possible way to destroy it. Great Ones can not die, but their physical forms can be destroyed. To enter these locations, a person may mentally project themselves there or enter the world physically through interaction with an Amygdala or some forgotten ritual. The death of a physical body in the Waking World does not destroy the mental projection, the Mental Projection can exist within the Dream as long as they choose too. The distinction between a physical form and a mental projection does not exist within these dream worlds, with the only difference being death. Death of a Mental Projection will return the Dreamer back to the Waking World with no memory of the incident after sleeping, while the death of a Physical Body within the dream may either permanently kill the person or trap their consciousness within the Dream, slaving them to the Great One.

Blood and Insight:
While it is possible to level up without the assistance of either of these two mechanics, it is highly advised not to do so. Blood has strong effect on your Might Stats and in-general, any regards to combat. While human enemies may not require any significant upgrades to fight against, Beasts and other Kin will prove to be exceptionally challenging. That is not to say that Blood is entirely safe, without the proper Will level or the overuse of it within a long period of time may see your character to devolve into a beast themselves, blood drunk to the Hunt.

Similar to blood, Insight is not necessary but highly recommended. Tied to the Lore mechanic, like Blood is to Might, insight can be collected through numerous ways. While Blood is either bought or collected through combat, Insight is collected through the use of 'Madman's Knowledge' skulls that provide knowledge through their destruction, the insert of eyes into your brain, or the sight of Eldritch Horrors. Lore can be leveled up or raised through reading, but Insight allows you to truly understand it. Insight can allow you to see enemies that others can not, and mental projection into dreams requires high insight. Like Blood it is not necessarily safe, while blood may drive you insane through Blood lust, insight may dull your mind to the point of insanity.

The Game
Your goal, as the Party, is to foil the plots of the Red Hoods all across the City and discover the true Whereabouts of the Missing Women. The Cult's Hidden leader is enigmatic and illusive, and his benefactor is unknown as of now. You will travel throughout the City solving the mystery of this Cult; all the while dealing with the growing tension between the Church and the Elites, and the sudden rise in the number of transformed citizens.

The Cult's true goals and ends still remain a mystery, but it is very clear that they act at the behest of actors much greater than them. With the introduction of the Healing Church and the revelations of the Great Ones, anyone and anything may be behind it. Utilize your tools, your wits, and weapons to Skewer these Wicked Beasts. Least Yharnam fall into its own depravity.

You have not fled in terror of what is to come? Good, carry on...

Events
Every day that passes, an Event will occur at the end of the Action Phase. These Events are usually crises that must be averted by the Party to prevent the Cult from gaining power and influence, but will occasionally instead be discoveries which will benefit the Party if they can succeed. These Events, and passing them, are the purpose of Tokens- all Events will have a certain type or type of Tokens which must be invested in them to pass, with different thresholds governing whether an Event is wholly passed, partially passed, or failed. Note that even if a Token is not Dark, if it is not of the correct type, it still counts against a success. It is better to put in no Tokens at all if you cannot aid the Party, but to not help your comrades may look suspicious...

When an Event occurs, all members of the Party will be given an opportunity to invest any amount of Tokens in the event- including the Blood Lusted and Indoctrinated. Importantly, when Party members are investing tokens, which tokens they choose to invest is not revealed, only the amount. This aggregate amount of Tokens from the Party will then be added to by the Chance deck, which will add an amount of Tokens equivalent to the Corruption of the City the Party is in, with Cities of Corruption tiers 0 and 1 always adding two Tokens.

These Events can be of use not only to fight the Cult, but also route out those blood drunk or insane. All Characters and Classes draw two Tokens per Day, unless otherwise modified.

Leadership:
The Party must have a leader. By default, the Leader will begin as the Hunter, but a vote may be called at any time by another member of the Party (or even the current Leader) to change that. Each character receives a number of votes equal to their base Influence Skill. A vote may only be called every week. The Leader doesn't do anything in most situations, but some Events will require the Leader to make a choice about potential outcomes, and only the Leader may move the Party to a new City. The Leader also draws one additional Token every Day, and may choose at any time to send a Character to Isolation, where they can only add one Token to any Events, and may only conduct one Action per Day.

Actions:
Every Day in any City, a variety of Actions will be available for all members of the Party. These may range from using an Ability, to shopping for gear, to schmoozing with the populace, and so on. By default, each party member may take two actions per day (one at dawn and one at dusk), with only one of those actions being secret- the other must be publicly declared and RPed in the IC thread. It is not required to take any actions in a day, but idleness only gives the powers at be more time to gain power. Many Actions will provoke a Skill check, of one Skill or another, in order to succeed, though some of particularly banal nature such as resting may automatically succeed.

Health:
Each member of the Party starts, by default, with five Health, unless they are Blood Favored, in which case they have seven. This may be reduced through events, or combat, and may only be recovered at a Hospital, through Events, or through Items. Party members on low Health are more susceptible to being turned to the Darkness, and if Health is at any point reduced to zero, that Party member is likely to perish. Death is not necessarily the end of a character, but we'll return to that concept later.

Corruption:
During the RP, as the Cult moves on with its sinister agenda, it is also up to you to combat the Corruption. At all costs, the true nature of the Hunt may not be revealed. The Devout and Hunters both have greater interest than the rest, however the Benefactor financing this has made it clear that every individual has an interest in keeping it quiet. Corruption refers to amount of transformed beasts within each section of the city, if the region has fallen than the region has become overrun with beasts. If one region falls, then beasts are revealed to the rest of the city, but that does not mean that the True Nature of the Hunt is revealed.

Bestiary and Reports:
At the beginning of the RP, there will be a Hunter's Bestiary that discusses various beasts and their descriptions for each player to view. Going into depth about their nature, weaknesses, and abilities, everyone can utilize this. Over the course of the RP new beast will be found, however for a new entry a new entry to be as detailed as the last, a Carcass of the body must be saved for an autopsy to occur. Alternative ways include a hunter stalking them in the Wild, or a High Insight or Lore character providing the information.

In the same way, Reports discussing information found about suspicious characters and characters can be collected over the course of the RP. Any player can add to this, however characters with high influence or lore receive the greatest amount of information.

Perks and Attributes:
This is what makes you special. From being Rakuyo trained to being the son of a Wealth Investor, these small attributes may not necessarily follow the strict point system or even the insight system, but they can still be used in the RP if the situation arises.

Victory:
The first priority is the destruction of the Cult and the death of its leader. Secondary Priorities include the discovery of the benefactor, the rescue of the missing pregnant women, and the destruction of the Beasts

Loss: However the beast corruption can not overrun half of the city.Due to the fact that the cult has remained illusive, and its goals unknown, for the time being we do not know what a defeat by them is.

Rules and Applications

Frequently Asked Questions:
1. I've never played Bloodborne, is that okay?
A: Totally! The newcomer was created with you in mind.It has a lot less restrictions based on lore, and if you want to create a fictional country solely for your character that fine by me.

2. Are we using the map from the Game?
A: It will be used as reference but no. A city that has ladders as a major avenue of transportation isn't exactly useful for our purposes.

3. Can I be ____ from the Game?
A: Yes, but they can not be Gehrman, Maria, Ludwig, Willem, Laurence, the Doll, or either Queen.

4. How are you doing?
A: Tired

5. I want to know about the lore.
Start here

Rules:
1. I am a Great One, my Word is law. My Co-OPs are my indoctrinated thralls, caring out my will in my stead.
2. If you have problems ask the community.
3. Utilize Common Sense. Think about your stuff before posting it.
4. Rule of Cool Applies.
5. Steamrolling is not allowed. Give players a chance to respond. If a player is habitually absent well..
6. Players who are not active at least once per week will have their character be put under limited OP control. After two weeks the Character will die to Frenzy.
7. That being said, if you have real world issues. Come to me. I will do my best to keep your Faction safe during your absence. Real Life happens and we all understand.
8. If you want to fight with an Individual, take it to TG.
9. No Spamming. Respect the Threads and everyone who posts in them.
10. This is the internet, however, lets keep any rage we have IC with our characters.
11. This is a character based RP, romance is allowed and accepted. If you have a secret crush on Ludwig, or another player character feel free to add it. Heck, you guys can be married. However no smut, no sex, nothing that can shutdown this RP>
12. Please, for the love of the Lovecraft, try your best to spell correctly. It is frustrating when a player misspells simple everyday words.

Application: