Where there once was one, there are thirteen,
Thirteen seals to where one's been.
Thirteen beds under the double moon,
Thirteen swings where lovers swoon,
Thirteen hoops of the colour red,
Thirteen bills that are said,
Thirteen keys that are mine,
Thirteen faces that forever shine,
Thirteen sighs and one cry,
Thirteen birds that won't fly,
Thirteen curses of wrath and pain,
Thirteen locks to seal away gain,
Thirteen hands of the beginning and end,
Thirteen ways to destroy or mend.
At the thirteenth hour's last breath,
Is the ultimate choice between life or death.
This campaign is one that I have been thinking of for a while now. Admittedly preparations for it are not complete. However, in order to complete them, I need to know who my players and their characters are.

But, a bit more information on the setting first.

This campaign will take place in a pseudo-modern society. An alternate version of reality, if you wish to see it that way. To make things easier for reference, the geography of this world will be roughly the same as Earth. Therefore, Makironto, the city in which this campaign takes place, would exist between Toronto and Ottawa, on the Canadian side of the border, with the river dividing it coming up from one of the great lakes. Makironto is a very large city, made up of numerous, diverse districts. Most notable of these are:

-"The Inferno" district, more accurately and commonly referred to as the Manufacturing Core. Large factories clutter the expanse of this area, but in between the factories are nothing more than well-worn streets; very few people live in this area, despite the number of workers there are. Most of the factories produce computer hardware, although there is an old, abandoned foundry towards the outskirts of the city. The name of this district is derived from a rather large fire that had caused the foundry to be shut down and abandoned, records of which indicate it to have been caused by a fault of the main furnace.

-"The Rat Labyrinth" district, a complex of back alleys and run down buildings so distinct from the city that it could arguably be its own town within the city. As expected, this is a very shady district, with most of the people living here lying low for some reason or another... usually because they're either being hunted, or they are of criminal nature. The people that reside in this district are usually distrustful of 'outsiders', defined as people who do not live there. As such, no player characters may start in or commute from this district.

-"The Forested Garden" district, a residential district with a rather predominant garden centre in the middle of it, named the Majestic Rose. This district's name is derived from the notably large number of trees and other plants decorating the streets, sidewalks, and even the sides of buildings. The overall effect gives the district a very natural feel, and, as expected, because of the large amount of work put into maintaining the district, rent for even an apartment in this district is rather expensive; the majority of player characters would not live here. It is also noted as a tourist attraction, as well as a romantic getaway.

-"The Old City" district is another residential district, however, this one is much more old fashioned. It is located in what could arguably be the suburbs of the city, and is quite notably different than the rest of the city. Houses here are usually single houses, complete with their own yards. Duplexes and apartments are practically non-existent here. Like the Forested Garden district, this district's housing value is higher than other places in the city, but it's not as expensive as the Forested Garden. One of the more predominant features of this district, besides being a bit old fashioned, is a facility that looks like a two-floor school on the outside, but is actually an orphanage and daycare. This building doesn't have an official name, but is usually simply called the Widow's Orphanage, as the current director is a kindly, middle aged woman who inherited the facility from her mother. Another is the Meadowfield Elementary, a school with almost strangely high standings in the city, despite it being relatively plain and simple compared to some of the other schools in the city. It is actually slightly famed for its lack of electronic hardware, despite it being in Makironto. Apart from the computers that the teachers use to input grades, there are very few other technological enhancements. For instance, the school still uses overheads coupled with a screen, rather than a projector linked to computers to display notes, or simply uses the chalkboards that still remain in almost every classroom. Certain political figures often suggest the modernization of this district, but majority votes in city hall always end up with more people preferring to leave the Old City as it is.

-"The City Core" district is, as the name would suggest, a mixed district near the centre of the city, where there are large scale business skyscrapers, apartments, large scale malls, and many other facilities. Notable facilities include:
-Westview General Hospital, one of the best ones in the city
-The MSPD Headquarters (the character's place of work)
-Makironto's Historical Museum
-Makironto City Hall
There is also a clock tower located in this district. It is visibly older than any other structure in the city, despite restoration attempts having been made now and then. Although it does tell the time fairly accurately, its tolls upon the hour are generally unheard amidst the city bustle of cars, buses and trains, to the point where very few people even notice either the sound or the building. It is scheduled for demolition, but the demolition date has been extended over several months, so whether or not it will be destroyed remains in question, as it may be just too inconvenient to stop traffic in the surrounding area just to demolish the otherwise stable building.

-"The Sky High" district, located just to the side of the City Core, is a residential district, consisting of apartment buildings that extend as high as some of the Core's skyscrapers. The majority of these were developed or renovated as a project to experiment with vertical housing, a notion that quickly was expanded on as the experiment became successful. Each floor of one of these apartment buildings has eight 'houses' in it, one in each corner, separated by halls and elevators. The floor-plan is relatively simple; each 'house' is essentially an apartment room expanded to be larger and more like an actual house, usually consisting of two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and a living room or study. However, along the outer wall of the building, which is made up almost entirely of strong glass panes and windows, each 'house' would have a small garden, giving it a slightly more natural feel, if the attendants chose to grow one. Understandably, there are restrictions on the types of plants that can be grown. For instance, no trees are allowed. Besides the extensive housing, there is little else to note in this district.

Other places of note that don't fall in a specific district are:
-the Cemetery of Twilight, a very peaceful and serene site near the outskirts of the city
-Nithrapaw General Hospital, which is Westview's rival in its capacity and standards
-Makironto Zoo

Besides being separated into districts, Makironto is physically divided in two by the Astral River, a river that flows down the centre of it. Numerous bridges connect both halves, but the busiest and widest bridge is unquestionably the Stellar Gate Bridge, which connects the two sides of the City Core district. I intend to make a map of the city later, when the location of things becomes more crucial. The primary mode of transportation around the city is usually by car, bus, or train (these trains run on tracks suspended above the ground so as to not interrupt traffic).

While the city (and setting) take place in a modern world, perhaps only a couple of years ahead in terms of technology, in this world, magic exists. However, it is feared, misunderstood, and misused. In response to an outbreak of such supernatural feats, the Supernatural Intelligence Agency was initiated, and quickly developed special police forces to deal with the threat. One such force is the Makironto Supernatural Police Department, or MSPD for short. Due to the severity of some of the cases, such as a person using an extension of telepathy to manipulate cogs in a lock and gain entry to private homes, and murdering people without leaving so much as a fingerprint because of their supernatural abilities. Those that use supernatural abilities selfishly are usually simply called Witches, by both the SIA and public, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Yet, because of the nature of supernatural abilities, there are virtually no mundane ways to stop or restrain a person from using them. As such, the way the MSPD and other similar agencies work is with a simple yet deadly procedure: upon encountering a criminal case where supernatural abilities are suspected, it is to be confirmed by an investigation into both the case and the individual involved. Upon confirmation, the individual is to be located, and stopped, by any means necessary. In order to be able to do so, most agencies employ people who they suspect to be capable of using supernatural craft and are fairly certain that they will work with the law, rather than against it. Yet, as a result of these almost-always fatal incidents for the pursued criminal, these officers are usually referred to as Hunters by their quarry.

This campaign will begin with all the player characters being a part of the MSPD, and so they will all know each other, and will have worked with each other for some time (how much time I'll leave for individual players to decide). However, bear in mind that this campaign has a plot that is not written in stone... in fact, it's still mostly unwritten. As such, it's up to the party as a whole to decide where they're going to go or what they're going to do.

That being said, this game is NOT freeform. There is a system behind it, however, it's a system that I'm fairly certain most people on this site do not know. For those that wish to know, the system is called WItchcraft. Character creation in the Witchcraft system is very open-ended. In a basic summary, the player is given a number of points to distribute between attributes, skills, abilities and characteristics. If you are interested in playing, I will need the following information to make your character sheet as soon as possible:

Name - well, I don't actually need it, but it'd be helpful to organize the character list

Level of Supernatural Capability - 0 meaning you are human (mundane), 1 meaning you have some ability (lesser gifted), and 2 meaning that you have notable ability (gifted). I will also need to know whether you intend to let your character develop their power, or have it right at the onset of the game. This affects a large number of things, specifically how your character points are allotted. Mundane humans have no points to put towards supernatural abilities, but usually have a larger number of skills and higher attributes than the others. Gifted humans have the most points to put towards supernatural abilities, yet as a result, they can't afford to put as much into skills, attributes or characteristics. Lesser gifted humans are a sort of balance between the two, and would be my recommendation, but that's just my personal opinion.

Element - for those that wish to play a person with supernatural capabilities. Elements to choose from are as follows: Fire, Water, Wind, Stone, Light and Darkness

Combat Style - basically let me know what you would want to do in a combat situation... if you don't specify, I'm going to just assume that you'll use a gun. There are a number of other possibilities, including and not limited to: archaic weapons, hand-to-hand, and spell-reliant. Basically, say what you'd like, and I'll let you know if it's possible.

Place of Residence - There are three choices for this part (to make things simple): The Forested Garden, the Old City, or the Sky High District. Just be warned that if you do have your character have a more upscale home, then your character will have to spend some of their character points in Wealth.

Magic Style - For those with supernatural capabilities, what would you like to be able to do? In terms of D&D reference, I'm fairly certain that anything up to third level for any class is fair game. Above third level, I'd have to check on a case-by-case basis.

Archetype - For those that wish to apply a certain archetype to their character. Examples of archetypes include and aren't limited to: bookworm/intellectual/academic, hot-blooded fighter, odd one, fortunate or misfortunate one, and mundane.

Characteristics (beneficial or not): Is your character a chain-smoker? Do they have a photographic memory? Frequent nightmares? Absurdly quick reflexes or high pain tolerance? Strangely lucky or unlucky? Or possibly even cursed? These are some examples of the characteristics that characters can have.

Skills: Quite simply, what can your character do? Do they have some background in medicine? Or are they an avid writer? Unlike D&D, Witchcraft's skills accommodate for just about everything that can be thought of.

Quite simply, the more detail you can provide for your character, the more accurate I can make the character sheet reflect it.

Please also note that there is more than combat to this game! Communication, mysteries, investigation, and the drawing of conclusions are key aspects to this campaign. Putting all your points into Guns (Pistols) will undoubtedly help in a firefight, but even if you can shoot a bullet into a keyhole with a pistol at 100ft, you have a better chance of alerting anyone watching, or breaking the lock so it doesn't open, than opening it.

For player count, I am looking for four to six players, two of which may already be taken.

For posting rate, I'm uncertain. I'd say that a set rate of twice per week would be suggested, but I can understand that delays happen... sometimes with an annoyingly persistent frequency.

I'm pretty sure that's everything for now... if there's any questions, feel free to ask.

... I will not be able to participate in this adventure I did want to speak up to any who may be interested.

I did participate in an adventure hosted by "R" for a time until circumstances crowded out my time for participating.

For those of you new to the Inn who would consider playing, "R" presents unique and entertaining adventures with plenty of twists and when players are active the game moves along quite well with a depth that makes the journey all that more enjoyable and intriguing.

Best Wishes for those participating!

Count me in please! I love the Witchcraft system. Got some ideas bouncing around for a character, but before I move forward which books can we draw from? Just core Witchcraft or can we use the Mystery Codex or Abomination Codex?

I'd prefer if everyone kept to the core book. The addition of immortal or feral humans adds a fair bit of complication, and I'm afraid I don't have the Mystery Codex.

That being said, the powers a person can have are not all going to be from the core book; there are some abilities I will add, or change, and others that may be removed for this game. In that way, it may be possible to appear to have a feral or immortal nature.

If you wish to know to how powers are going to be obtained (points-wise), they're mostly going to be purchased in the same manner as the Seer powers from the core book, with separate Strength and Art scores. It also makes sense this way, as the craft in this world is mostly innate; you either have it, or you don't. There are some rituals that exist, mainly intricate illusions, but most are not relied on, for several reasons:
-They take time to prepare, time that the Witch or Hunter doesn't always have
-To be strong it requires many people, unless it's just an illusion to affect a single person. Also, Witches are loners by nature in this world, considering that they have to hide their abilities, and trust is often tentative

This change in the setup of powers from the core book is the main reason why I'd like just a description of the character, and what they can do. From there I'll make a character sheet and PM it to the player for them to look over.

Jeanne and I made up twin WC characters for a game on RDINN that never got much beyond the first couple of posts. I will look for them and submit them to you

Core books are fine with me, just wanted to get an idea of where to draw from. I'll PM you some character ideas/details and we can go from there if that works for you.

I'm interested although I'm not too sure what I'd like to play, and I don't (really) know the system.

Dragon Mistress and Brianna... you do not seem to understand that although the system is the same, what I am doing has enough differences to make direct conversion between the two games very impractical.

In particular, outside of statistics the setting is quite different, so backgrounds and possibly even personalities will likely need changing. In addition, organizations that exist in the default setting do not exist in the same manner in my setting.

So, with all of that taken into consideration, it would be simpler to make new characters.

However, there is another factor as well. Your style of playing. I have been in enough games where you have played to know that this style of playing is not your forte. Thus, I will respectfully request that you not participate in this game.

~~

Nimu, I'm looking forward to it

~~

Ginafae, we can go over some character ideas later, if you'd like.

I'm a big fan of the Powers comic book. Homicide detectives in the Powers division. And while Superpowers and Magic aren't necessarily the same, I think the theme carries over pretty well. I'm relatively new to RDI, so when you talk about style, I'm not aware of yours, and you couldn't be aware of mine. But I am interested in this game, and if you'll have me, I'd love to play in it.
Crowe

I am aware that most of the history would not work, But I do not understand how you say the this is not our style, if we have never played it before? We have play many styles over the years. Not WC, but ones like it; so......

I really do not understand you reluctance to let us play.

I am interested and have the abomination, mystery codex, roscicrucian book, and core book all on pdf and they're small enough to email. Apologies to dragon mistress. I just found I didn't have time enough to gm a game.

Stuff happens.

A game not based entirely around the combat system, but reflects more on interaction and mysteries? Heresy!

Joking aside, I'll just announce my intention to fill my reservation and begin dreaming up a character. From the sounds of it you want to do the actual character sheet creation yourself?

Rer,

Well I'm pulling myself back here after a hiatus, appologies all (rl sucks). Glanced over this real quick and am interested, I am always interested in Rer's games (why? Because she is an awesome writer of course). I'll take a better look at things tonight (when I'm not at work)and see what it inspires and will get back to you if that is alright!

M.

Merideth, it's wonderful to see you again! Please pass on to me a character concept when you're ready; there's no real rush at this point, as I expect the game will not begin for a while yet.

Sibelius, your guess is right; for the most part, I will make everyone's character... it just makes it easier that way for me, since then I can really know what everyone can do.

Vesper, if it's not too much trouble, could you perhaps email the Mystery Codex to me? I might be able to use it, or some concepts or ideas from it, for this game.

Crowe, I'm afraid I don't know you, so I'll also have to ask for a writing sample at a later point prior to game start, after you have an idea for your character, of course.

Everyone, please send your character concepts to me when you can. I don't mind if it takes a while, as I'd prefer detail and quality over speed right now, and I still have a few things yet to do regarding the setting anyway, like making a rough map of the city.