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Name: Improved Speed
Rank: C
Type: Physical Based
Physical Requirements: N/A
Training Requirements: A 600 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: The first level in the art of speed accessible to those who have undergone intense training in high speed movement. The possessor of this talent has an increased speed of 20% which makes them slightly faster. They can cross distances quicker than others would expect and outrun others with little effort.


Name: Pin-Point Accuracy
Rank: C
Type: Physical
Physical Requirements: Must Specialize in Weaponry.
Training Requirements: A 600 word training post is required to gain this special characteristic.
Description: A skill gained by ninja who have begun to specialize in throwing weapons. From a combination of practice and natural talent the ninja starts to acquire pin-point accuracy which allows them tohit multiple targets in precise locations along with hurling their weapons at a greater speed.

It was annoying... Adalrich really had little patience for occasions such as these. Music, dancing, copious alcohol consumption, dresses, suits, people, appearances; it was all a giant façade and it was one Adalrich new too well. The old vampire found that he could tolerate each of things a great deal better, even to the extent that he might find them enjoyable if they were merely separated. One does not go an innumerable number of years without enjoying the feel of music or the taste of a drink, maybe even the occasional dance (even though Adalrich, despite living for a few thousand years, still had no talent for it, even with his unnatural vampiric grace). And yet, he found that when each of these things was put together under the mask of a party, a dance, a ball, they only contributed to two things; ego and lies. Sure, everyone had those small lies they told themselves; “This is going to be the last time”, “I’ll start dieting tomorrow”, “I love him” and then there were the lies they told to others; “Yes, you look fantastic in the dress”, “I’m glad to help” “I’m sorry” and worst of all “I love you”. These types of social situations were filled with useless social etiquette and Adalrich always found they were more about inflating egos, both of the guests and the hosts over anything else and it wasn’t really something he really found much enjoyment over participating in; although, perhaps he just a possessed a bit too much of the bitterness that can accompany eternal life; the torment of boredom.

Truth be told, the man was only here because he thought it might be best to reconnect with the ‘natives’ after having been away for so long. He was, after all a ‘member’ of one of the families who had founded the city as well as a philanthropist of sorts, having donated large amounts of money to various causes within the city. Remarkably Alaric had arranged this influence over the city, despite not having been within 100 miles of the city in over a century. When he had originally settled, he had intended to make this city a sort of permanent residence, but after a century or so, he found it was hard to maintain the anonymity he so avidly desired. Ever since then, the vampire has made regular stays within the city over the great many years since its founding, but never staying for too long… although given that vampires gauge time at much different rate than humans, he might stay for a decade, feeling as if it was only a few days in comparison. Since his original leaving date, Adalrich has kept his influence over the city by excessive donations and various methods of correspondence with certain members of the populous by means of whatever communication has been available over the years. The advent of the internet and email, instant messaging and the various other methods of communication that had come with it, only made Adalrich’s process of maintaining his influence much easier and for now he had decided to make his return to the city, after many years of running away from the city and it’s many places, all of which hold a great deal of memories for Adalrich.

“Well…”A woman had come traipsing her way over to Adalrich as he stood amidst the crowd,“Whom do we have here?”Alaric felt her gaze run up and down his form before she turned her head up to his tall form, clear signs of approval in her gaze. The woman was certainly not hard on the eyes herself, yet not quite the vampire’s type he knew as he looked her over. She was just the right height, not too tall, nor too short; her hair long but help up in some complicated knot designed to elongate her cheekbones, her skin a dark shade, but the vampire knew she was not of African descent.“Hmm… Perhaps it would be good for you to know me as Demetrii”Alaric spoke, using one of his great many aliases as he looked the woman in her chocolate brown eyes before running his gaze down her form in a manner of false temptation. She wore a strapless blue evening gown, a rich navy color which was curved in all the right places to enunciate not only her hips and breasts, but also her long shapely legs. This woman was certainly on the prowl for more than just an evening of social conduct tonight, despite the small pale line from a recently removed wedding ring the vampire had noted during his inspection of her. Having looked her over, as he knew she wanted, Adalrich flashed her a smile of the most charming in nature, the kind that would make the most untrusting person feel the most at ease with him even in the slightest way.

“R-Ria…”the woman stammered, much as the vampire had wanted her too under the intensity of his gaze. It however, was all false interaction, Adalrich was merely showing the woman what she wanted, knowing that Ria desired to… feel desired,“Ria Torres”she finished, trying to regain her former confidence and also breaking the ‘golden rule’ of this type of party which was, anonymity or more so false anonymity. After all, one cannot send invitations to a Masquerade Ball without first knowing the names of your guests, but the attractions to this type of upper-class party was that you could theoretically do anything and no one would know just who you were; this only working under the assumption that none of the mortals would be smart enough to recognize your body language, voice and other mannerisms. False names can only get you so far after all. Yet still the attraction still lies within being able to reveal your hidden desires and secrets without having to divulge your identity, much like Adalrich assumed Ria intended to do.“Now now,”He scolded in a playful tone as he leaned slightly closer to her, away from the crowd behind him, a gesture designed to seem inviting, to display interest in a subtle way most people would pick up on,“I thought the whole idea ofthesetype of parties was to remain fairly anonymous..”He chuckled softly while taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss against it before letting her pull it away,“Regardless it is a pleasure to meet you my dear.”He spoke softly, whispering slightly to her, allowing her to enact her desires in the slightest way.

Despite his act, it took an immense amount of the ancient vampire’s self-control to even stand this close to her. It had been quite some time since he had fed and even still, his current diet was rather unsatisfying for his eternal appetite, which only made his hunger wear his endless self-control down much quicker. He could hear the heartbeat of not only her, but everyone in the near vicinity, but it was not this that had set the beast within him stirring, it was her scent. He could smell her, her natural scent, the scent of her arousal, the scent of the alcohol she had ingested, but most temptingly the scent of her lifeblood. Truthfully, she was far from Adalrich’s type, she had come to him a bit too willingly. He was after all a hunter, despite how he tried to suppress that urge and yet, with her scent so close to him, he was finding the prospect of having just a taste a bit too difficult to refuse, her scents mixed together to form this almost rose like smell but with an exotic mix. The sound of her heartbeat was like a song serenading Adalrich to what he desired as the middle aged woman babbled on about matters trivial to the vampire at the moment, she was unhappy with her marriage, her rich family was suffering in the economy, all this vain unimportant bullshit that the vampire paid no heed. He was instead focused on constant drum of her heartbeat, hypnotizing him down a path he did not wish to take and yet… that was the point of these parties right? To be able to divulge your inner desires, those beasts that live under your flesh always trying to claw their way to the surface. It was well within his power to lead her away from the rest of the party, he was sure this mansion had a great many rooms of which they could hide I and he knew she clearly wanted to be tempted by him, to have him lead her away so she could divulge her own fantasies, considering she had come over to him, much as a hunter would approach its own prey…as Alaric would hunt his own prey.

All it would take was one small nudge of his charm and she would be eating out of his hands…and soon he would be eating from her…just one taste, the smallest drop… but would he be able to stop? Adalrich knew this line of though could not go on for much longer before it became action and he also knew that he could not allow his self-control to drop for even a second; because he knew he would not stop with one taste, the monster that he was would not be satisfied with just a drop, he would want more and more until he descended back into that darkness he had fought for so long to pull himself from. If he went back now than the many centuries of trying to change would be for not, but still he couldn’t stop himself as he leaned closer to her, his hand moving as if on its own to stroke his rough fingers very faintly down her cheek and over her neck, feeling the blood flow beneath it as he moved against her jugular, the vein would bring so much of her blood into his mouth…one small bite was all it would ta-

“No”the vampire audibly growled out, mustering all his self-control he forced himself to pull back from her, taking a cold and defensive posture while speaking through his teeth, his fangs noticeably elongating slightly in hunger as he bit back the need to feed.“I am sorry Ria..”he spoke with forced words, trying to maintain a polite disposition as he adjusted the masquerade mask obscuring his face, “But there’s something I need to be” His words were quick and he did not await her response before turning and rapidly pushing his way through the crowd, his keen senses heard the click of her heels as she had tried to follow, but as soon as he was sure he wouldn’t be noticed he moved with supernatural speed, disappearing instantly to the human eyes in the room.

✠In the Past✠


“I remember when Rome was just a few small groups of people banded together, now it’s grown into an empire that’s conquered nearly half the world”Alaric mused in his thoughts as he stepped into a small room of the tavern. It was the shady sort of place, hidden among the back alleys of Rome, the kind filled with whores, thieves and various other types of vagrants. It was the kind of place where one went to when they needed to conduct only the darkest of deals involving less than lawful activities. So Imagine Adalrich’s surprise when he found one of the most attractive women he had seen in all of Rome, sitting at a table in the back corner.

She wore a hood, presumably trying to hide her identity… indeed, even being a female without a reputation in this kind of place open you to be the receiver of various kinds of them most depraved torment and torture. But it was not her appearance that first drew Adalrich, it was her scent. Even in a place filled with all manner of vile smells, ranging from alcohol, body odor and fluids of a great many kind, Adalrich was nearly overwhelmed with the smell of the most beautiful roses.
”Well well...someone like her, in here? I do believe something interesting is afoot”Adalrich mumbled to himself as he stepped around a very large man who guarded the door and up to the bar, an aged counter made of wood marred with having been repeatedly cracked and sanded over. He seated himself on a stool facing the door, that way he could see not only who came in but also the young woman in the corner, his gaze always and very obviously wondering back to her as she had sparked his interest.



✠In the Present ✠


Adalrich stepped back out into the ballroom with his pale mask back in place and his dark suit smoothed out. For the most part he was back in control of his desire for blood, yet his eyes still retained the telltale crimson color of his thirst, an aspect that made his eyes look all the more intimidating as they flared with his hunger. The crowd had not changed much in his short absence, still everyone in the room was focused on the false interaction, secrets and lies ran rampant in the air, the truth hidden by the masks that each of the guests donned on their faces. For how could they be truthful, when everything about them was a lie, this much Adalrich could at least empathize with, for it was nearly impossible to find someone who knew the entire truth of Adalrich’s being… by his count there was only two or three still living.

The guests to the party were all required to wear masks, as was a must for a Masquerade Ball. The woman tended towards the more extravagant masks, those with feathers or jewels adorning them, whilst the men tended to lean towards the more simple, with a few decorations or (like Alaric’s) a solid color. However Alaric’s mask, unlike the others was more than just a cheap piece of plastic, it possessed properties laying within the mystical realm, allowing him to appear exactly as he wanted at any time. Which made him wonder for a moment, when surrounded by liars, why did he choose to be himself? Especially when he could be anybody in any real of existence, any mix and match of physical features to make a new face, yet he still chose to be himself. Yet it was perhaps fate for what would happen next…

As the age old vampire scanned his eyes over the guests, finding the newest way to insert himself among them, yet he found nothing or no one that seemed to interest him. Sure, he could feel the heat emulate from their bodies whilst he heard and distinguished each of their heart beats, but he found no interest in their petty discussions of riches and false charity, of music, food and of course their constant quest for sex was both humorous and pathetic in many ways. The women seemed to wear dresses that were either the most hideous or the most elegant dresses, both bearing the same intentions as to attract an adequate ‘dance’ partner. The men all wore suits, nearly the same design, the same color, all of which echoed of their riches and influence, a feeble attempt at displaying more power than those around them. Yet the vampire knew that it was unlikely that any of these men or women had experienced true power, this much he was sure. Boredom was a peril of the ages and the age old vampire was feeling it’s wrath in full, none of these humans seemed to bear anything that would entertain him, yet despite this fact he scanned through the crowd once more.

It must have been the intervention of fate this time. A phone call, or physical urge had caused a few members of the crowd to shift position revealing something that immediately struck the interest of the Vampire. “No…” He thought, his body immediately tensing up as he felt a wave of compulsion run over him, “.. it can’t be her…” Despite his lack of blood recently, Adalrich felt the heat of arousal spread through his body and his fangs to extend slightly in a vampiric display of the feeling. There was only two person who could inspire such a reaction by mere presence alone and he was one of them, the other he had thought to have disappeared within the ages. As she turned Adalrich was sure, the dark green hair and the shapely form were a dead giveaway. Adalrich forced himself to look away for a moment, knowing that the longer he gazed on her, the longer her drug would inhibit his mind, for he had not the blood to resist its strength, a fact which now made him nearly regret not taking a bite from the woman who had clearly desired him earlier, for it would’ve given him the strength he desperately needed now.

It did not take Adalrich long to recover from his shock and upon seeing her he began to employ a dangerous game… a game that had once nearly led to his undoing; nearly at the hands of the venomous woman he now looked upon. Yet, Adalrich could not resist asserting control over her, inspiring the fear that she would feel knowing of his continued life, not only that, but she always seemed to bring out the best and worst of him. Knowing that she had not seen him, busy as she was with whatever male desired her attention this time, he stepped in behind her suddenly and with his vampiric movement, used so she wouldn’t be able to sense his presence right away. Within an instant, he was behind her with the looming appearance of an angel of death stalking it’s victim before he would lean over to whisper into her hear, his hand finding it’s way to the small of her back in an intimate touch, knowing how she despised unannounced or unwelcome contact.

“Might I have a dance dearest Ligeia ?”, he used a name that had not been uttered in a great many years, a name that he would be the only to know her by, a name that would give away his identity despite the mask he wore. This could end very badly considering his lack of strength coupled with the unique brand of compulsion she controlled, the kind the buzzed in the back of his head just the slightest despite his age over her and his natural resistance, the kind that made him want to take her now even with all those that surrounded them… it was far from a subtle notion.“I do believe we have some catching up to do…”