Both Needed Bureau of Supernatural Defense and Research

[Sanity43217]

The world isn't nice. It isn't fair. Ordinary people can't make it far in this cruel world. In order to survive, you must find something that makes you special. Now, that means getting a degree, or studying hard. Mastering skill, and finding someone to pay you for doing it. However, this wasn't always the way it was...​

As far back as humanity can remember, and even a little before that, people have delved into what they shouldn't have. The Arcane was the original source of power that humanity dabbled in. The effects of this mistake are still noticeable to those who know where to look...

Supernatural entities, and things that go bump in the night are very much real, and if given the chance, would lead humanity into ruin. The o my thing standing in their way is the Bureau of Supernatural Defence and Research. Also called "B.S.D.R." ​

The BSDR are tasked with keeping humanity safe, and blissfully unaware. When things go Bump in the night, BSDR bumps back.

Spoiler: The Setting

The Setting is in a fictional coastal town. The weather is pretty broad, depending on the season, with snow during winter, and pretty good subtropical weather during summer, that most people would consider nice.
The year it is set in is 2025, so technology is a little more advanced that today, but not enough that there are flying cars, robots or mechs.

Spoiler: The Bureau

The BSDR was founded in 1945, a few days after the United Nations. It was in response to the United Nations feeling concerned about several supernatural threats, especially since the Nazis has started their own research into it before they were defeated. So, the UN scientists, with a lot of Nazi data on the supernatural were tasked with setting up a defence against the supernatural and to continue researching.
The BSDR is granted diplomatic immunity and considered exempt from most of the treaties and laws that govern the world of man. Instead, they create and uphold their own laws, including a statue of secrecy. If an agent betrays the Bureau or breaks their codes, they are branded a traitor and sentenced to death. They are put on the top of every country's most wanted and hunted down.
The BSDR has several bases all over the world, but this story will follow one particular base in a fictitious coastal town. The particular base we will be following will be a slightly larger base than normal. However, it will be smaller than the main Headquarters in the Arctic.
The Bureau is broken up into three divisions. The first was the first division to be formed. The Science Division is responsible for research and development of the Bureau's technology. They study supernatural specimens. The second division to be created was the Operations Divison. They are the field agents, who go out and hunt down the supernatural threats and make sure the humankind doesn't go extinct. Operations are also responsible or policing the Supernatural creatures that have been dubbed Civil. The last division was only new. The Secrecy Division. They are responsible for keeping humankind unaware of the threats that want them dead. Whether it be posting fake articles to discredit the truthseekers that are out there, or by sending operations to silence them, Secrecy is primarily responsible for keeping both the Bureau and the Supernatural world a secret. They have teams of people posting blurry photos of random things, claiming them to be supernatural, just to cloud the internet so people can't find the real stuff.

Spoiler: The Base

The base is located underwater, near the beach. It can be accessed by one of the shower cubicles at the beach, that acts as a secret elevator that takes the agents deep underground. The base has housing for all the agents, of all three divisions. It also has all sorts of amenities, like a bar, storage for magical artefacts, science labs, med labs and a gym. Plus just about anything the agents could need.

Spoiler: The Agents

The bulk force of Agents is humans. However, if a creature has been dubbed Civil, it can apply to be an Agent of BSDR. Supernatural Agents are fitted with a tracking chip and are forced to report to the supernatural ambassador of their division. Supernaturals are often placed in Science or Secrecy Divisions, as they are rarely trusted for operational tasks.
Human Agents are far from useless however, Science division has been developing magic artefacts, weapons and tools to help level the playing field between Supernatural and Humans.

 

[Sanity43217]

[img/gif 1]
Name/Title​

Full Name:

[Full Legal name]​

Codename:

[Leave blank, I will assign codenames, suggestions are welcome, but whether or not they factor into what I choose is up to me]​

Race:

[Human, or Supernatural]​

Division:

[Science, Operations or Secrecy]​

[img/gif 2]​

Special Skills:

• [Skills that are not supernatural...]
• [For example marksmanship, engineering or booksnarts]
• [can have as many as you want, as long as it makes sense]

Special Abilities:

• [These are supernatural powers that you character possess...]
• [for supernatural creatures, it is things they are inherently born with]
• [for humans, it is mystical artifacts, weapons or tools that BSDR has given them]

Weapon of Choice:

[place a picture of your weapon of choice in a spoiler, with a brief backstory, including what makes it special. All agents are given a sidearm and knife as default weapons] ​

[img/gif 3]​

Personality:

[a paragraph describong their personality] ​

Bio:

[At least two paragraphs describing what they were doing before joining the bureau]
​

 

[microhexa]

Quick question. Forgive me if I'm too blind to see this, but are we expected to PM you or reply here if interested?

 

[Sanity43217]

Reply here. I didn't specify, and wouldn't really mind either way. Although replying here is preferred.

 

[microhexa]

Alrighty. I'll post my character sheet here, then, assuming that this is what you expect to receive.

EDIT: Removed and replaced with another character sheet, found further down.

 

[Sanity43217]

Well a few things, as interesting as your character is, I do have a few problems with it. I'm fine with it being supernatural, other people will no doubt submit supernatural characters for operations. My problem is the vilifying of the Bureau.
I think playing what will inevitably pan out to be an antagonist will put a strain on the story, and character interactions. Plus, the Bureau would screen it's applicants. At least those they didn't poach from other organisations. More importantly though, is that all agents would have undergone a medical when joining up, to make sure they are human. Plus Operations have a monthly check up due to the amount of magical energy they are exposed to, both through their own augments, and their enemies.
Supernaturals aren't discouraged from joining the Bureau, they just have to prove themselves first.

 

[microhexa]

Ah, I see. I'll rewrite my character sheet, then. I did actually have another idea that wouldn't vilify the Bureau, so I'll give it a try.

 

[Sanity43217]

Spoiler: Kurt Marshall

Full Name:

Kurt Jones Marshall​

Codename:

Sheriff​

Race:

Human*​

Division:

Operations​

Special Skills:

• Marksmanship
• knife fighting
• fist fighting
• Driving (Motorcycles)
• Eldritch/Arcane Lore

Special Abilities:

• Eye of Heironeous - After losing his left eye to a Basilisk in the sewer early in his career, the Bureau threatened to pull his from active duty, but a few people in the Science division saw it as a chance to test a new development. The Eye of Heironeous was one of the first supernatural transplant types augments that the science division was willing to get field-tested. His eye was replaced with what could only be described as divine tissue. The divine tissue was injected into his eye. The became milky white, but miraculously, he could see out of it. The magic also seeped out into him, fortifying the rest of his body, and allowing him to see the trajectory of projectiles.
• He wears a heavy coat that had been infused with magic, to make it as durable as steel, while being as light and flexible as heavy cotton.
• Eligor's trench Knife - Kurt doesn't use the standard knife, instead, he uses a knife he stole from a demon while on a mission. It is a magic trench knife that bypasses most creatures inherent immortality. There are some exceptions, but its better than the silver knife they give everyone.
• Markings of Elishar - Intricate tattoos on Kurt's back that allow his body to increase its power to beyond human levels. these markings make him strong enough to lift small cars and bend metal, fast enough to move at/beyond the high-way speed limit, durable enough to withstand being thrown off tall buildings.

Weapon of Choice:

Spoiler: The Voice of Reason

The Voice of Reason was given to Kurt by the Science Division. He told the Science Division that he wanted something reliable that could pack a punch. It was rumoured to be used by a legendary supernatural hunter back in the wild west before BSDR got a hold of it. It was given to Kurt when they found out what his new eye could do.

Personality:

Kurt cares about his job. For most of his life, its all he has ever known. He knows alot of people think of him as a bit of a cowboy, and he honestly likes it that way. He works best by himself, though isn't afraid to team up with other for the greater good.
Kurt Marshall leans into the cowboy stereotype that has been laid out in front of him. Partly because he thinks its a little fun, but also, how many people are going to believe the person who claimed they saw a cowboy fight a werewolf in an alley? Not a lot.​

Bio:

Kurt Marshall was born to a couple who used to hunt supernatural creatures. They tried to give it up when she became pregnent with Kurt. When he was six, his small family farm was attacked, and his parents were killed, with the farm being burned under suspicous circumstances. The system took him in, and he was housed in an orphange in town. It seemed to be going ok, until something snuck into the orphanage. Apparently one of the entities that killed Kurt's parents learned about Kurt. It had snuck into the nursery to kill Kurt. It was inturepted by an Agent of BSDR. Kurt thought he had seen the last of these enties, until he turned eighteen.

He was icked out of the orphanage, and forced to find a place on his own. As he was walking the streets, he was pulled into an alley. Three more of the entities that had killed his parents, and tried to kill him surronded him. He thought that this would be where he dies. Luckily for him, another Agent had been tracking them. This Agent was Kurt's predessor, and mentor. This agent was dressed like a cowboy, and used revolvers to deffeat the spirits. Kurt asked what had just happened but the Agent just left.

Kurt followed the Agent back to the base, where he snuck in, only to be caught by the Cowboy Agent. Kurt explained how this wasn't the first time those spirits had attacked him. The Agent deciedded to take Kurt under his wing and train him to be a field agent.
​

Spoiler: Gallery

Eligor's Trench Knife

Markings of Elishar

A pair of revolvers that the Science Division made him as a joke because of his codename

 

[microhexa]

Rewriting my character sheet right now. Although, I do have another quick question: What would a supernatural have to do in order to be accepted into the Bureau?

 

[Sanity43217]

There are several tests a supernatural would have to undergo, to be deemed civil. Some are as simple as reading/writing tests, others include a medical. Research is done into the applicant's race, and countermeasures are developed. There is also mandatory polygraph testing or an equivalent for races that a polygraph would not work. Once a creature is deemed civil, it is fitted with a tracking chip, typically implanted at the base of the neck, to allow the Bureau to track its supernatural assets.
They also need to check in with the supernatural Ambassador of their division twice a month.

So, really just a lot of bureaucracy and they generally aren't allowed to go on solo missions. Although there are some exceptions, such as aquatic creatures.

 

[microhexa]

Here ya go - a mostly rewritten character sheet. This time, it's a male.

Spoiler: Character bio v2

Spoiler: Image

Full Name:
Ethan 'Tsukiko' Porter
(Tsukiko means "moon child" and is, in fact, the name of his alternate form rather than part of his legal name)

Codename:
-

Race:
Supernatural
(unknown species, although the nature of his abilities point to some connection to a lunar deity)

Division:
Operations

Special Skills:

· Sword-fighting (only sometimes, explained further down)

· Voice-impressions (mostly for fun)

· Knitting

Special Abilities:

· Night vision (passive):
His eyes work just as well at night as they do during the day.


· Shadow Walk (active):
He can fully blend in with the shadows at will, if there are shadows around. As long as there are shadows present and no physical objects blocking his path, he can freely move between them at a speed close to teleportation, without being seen.

• However, if there are no shadows where he is positioned for whatever reason, even for a single moment, he will be forced to expose himself.

· Whispers of the Moon:
If he omits his special weapon and closes his eyes to better focus, he can catch glimpses of the immediate future, useful for dodging attacks effectively - basically, he goes into full-on defensive and drops all offense for the time being.

Spoiler: Imagine something like this...

Of course, this stunt can be totally and utterly ruined by these special shades mentioned further down.


· Alternate form (dormant):

Spoiler: Image

In dire situations, his form can shift to one closely resembling the god of the moon in Japanese mythology, Tsukuyomi. However, he refers to this form as Tsukiko (meaning "moon child"). While in this form, he retains most of his usual self, including loyalties, although his personality shifts to become more laid-back, and he can even be downright flirtatious towards both men and women whom he finds the slightest bit attractive.

• His physical attributes are enhanced (he also gains additional abilities) depending on the fullness of the moon.
  • If it's a new moon, he will be nothing more than a mortal with a wildly outdated fashion style. Light won't affect him in any unusual ways, and he will be limited to mortal weapons.
  • If it's a full moon, he will be at his strongest but unable to see in anything that resembles sunlight (i.e. shine a torch directly into his eyes, and he'll scream)

• As a possible countermeasure to this, to ensure that he does not turn on the Bureau, he could wear a kind of pair of reverse-Cyclops shades (X-Men reference here). Basically, instead of keeping light in, they can be used to potentially emit light at his eyes, not harming him but temporarily blinding him, rendering him harmless for the time being, mainly intended for if he refuses to obey orders for some reason. These shades would additionally keep his eyes safe from exterior light sources (while still allowing him to see), ensuring that only another Bureau agent (or, at least anyone with the trigger for the lights on the inside of his shades) can force him into submission, rather than the enemy doing this.
• This idea for the design of these shades was, in fact, one that he came up with, himself, so that Humans wouldn't have to fear him suddenly turning on them – not that he had any intentions to do so.

• New abilities (Tsukiko-exclusive, require the moon to be present):
  • Echoes of the Night (passive):
    If he is severely wounded (e.g. stabbed), there will be a short pause, after which he will let out a long, shrill howl that momentarily stuns anyone caught within immediate range if they weren't wearing any ear protection, potentially causing their ears to bleed a little. It's a self-defence mechanism that isn't activated at will.
    
    Under the light of the full moon, this has the potential to kill those within immediate range without adequate ear protection. It's usually a good idea to stop him before he begins – there will be obvious warning signs, like the fact that he has just been severely wounded as well as his already-pale skin turning almost milky-white, like moonlight.
    
    
  • Raging Tempest (active):
    He momentarily takes control of the wind around him, usually to intimidate by ruffling people and knocking objects over. It should not cause any real harm unless he intends to cause harm.
    • There's a slight variation of this where he uses the moon's influence to take control of smaller bodies of water (usually a puddle, occasionally greater masses of water, but this makes him vulnerable to attacks while he focuses on the water). Again, this is usually intended to intimidate.

If he takes his shades off for whatever reason, it will trigger an alarm, as this makes him potentially dangerous if the Bureau is unable to easily cripple him. Naturally, this does not guarantee that he will become a danger, as he is perfectly able to have rational thoughts.


Weapon of Choice:

A lightweight blade conjured from the shadows but every bit as real any other blade. Being conjured with magic, it's unbreakable and is about as efficient as the default knife given to the agents. Instead of carrying this sword around with him, he pulls it out of the nearest shadow like one would unsheathe a regular sword. Of course, if there are no shadows, this won't be possible.

He originally learned to conjure it under the light of a full moon sometime in his teens, during one of the rare occasions when the moon began "whispering" to him, and he somehow could not help but obey these whispers, peculiar as they seemed.

Adding to the strangeness of it, he temporarily gains the mastery of sword-fighting by simply holding onto the handle of the sword. If he attempts to do the same with any other blade, he must resort to his manually taught knowledge of it, if any. The same counts when using his 'Tsukiko' form.

Theoretically, it could be handed to another person, but that would require his consent (forced or willing), or it will simply vanish due to the absence of magical energy being poured into it in order to sustain its form.

Spoiler: Image

Personality:

While he gives off an image of being cold and distant, he is incredibly level-headed and rarely has flare-ups in his emotion, allowing him to stand his ground even in situations where most people would have given in, one way or the other.

When he shifts into his alternate form, he doesn't change dramatically, but he becomes more laid-back and sometimes downright flirtatious towards both men and women if he finds them attractive.

Prone to swearing during the night of the new moon.

Bio:
When he was born, it was practically a miracle for his parents, who were regular, middle-class citizens, although his mother had previously appeared to be barren. Even though he grew up in a loving environment, he struggled to show signs of real emotion, leading some people to believe that he was nothing but a sociopath. To him, this was simply how his brain was wired.

Eventually, he came to realize that, on the night of a new moon, he would become a warmer person for that one night, as if some otherworldly power had momentarily lost its grip on him. Additionally, he noticed that the opposite appeared to be the case on the night of a full moon. This was when he was most distant, and his skin would turn paler and colder, like death. This continued every month, until he was absolutely sure that it could not possibly be a coincidence.

This prompted him to do some research on various lunar deities as he began to wonder whether he could be possessed by one. However, at the same time, he could not find a satisfactory answer for why a deity, assuming that he was possessed by one, would even be allowing him to conduct research on such a topic. Besides, if his mind was not his own, why would he even need to find answers he should otherwise already know? It simply didn't add up.

Finally, he resorted to going to the Bureau of Supernatural Defence and Research in hopes of finding some answers. Although he willingly submitted to their restrictions and whatever examinations they wanted to perform on him, he remained determined to not have a simple desk job, so he insisted on being sent out in the field, even if it meant little to no freedom for him. As intelligent as he was, he desired to put his abilities to proper use rather than pretending that they didn't exist.

 

[microhexa]

Seeing you look at this thread for so long makes me feel like I'm about to be shot for my character sheet. (°ー°〃)

 

[Sanity43217]

A few things, none particularly game-breaking.

1. Being able to summon a sword that can bypass most creature's immortality is a bit much, given the rest of your abilities.
2. God-like on a full moon is a bit much. Maybe tone it down a bit.
3. Given that he has the potential to lose control, he wouldn't be allowed in the field, on the full moon anyway.
4. The seduction thing seems unnecessary.

 

[microhexa]

Alright. Edited my character sheet accordingly to the issues you pointed out, or at least, I hope so. Do let me know if there are still unsolved issues.

 

[Sanity43217]

Looks good. I'll start coming up with a codename for them.

 

[WonTonYinn]

Interesting story, I have a few questions for it though.

1.) Are there supernatural artifacts outside the agency and if so what are the chances of an agent obtaining one.

2.) Can a character be made that starts off outside the agency?

3.) Can I make a bio and get the pictures to you later?

 

[Sanity43217]

1) most artefacts are controlled by the Bureau.
2) you could, they would generally be at a disadvantage though, as the Bureau would supply Weapons and training to a higher degree for hunting supernatural creatures. The point is, you could, but you would start at the bottom.
3) I'd prefer you didn't, but I'm not going to disallow it. It'll give me a chance to make sure your character actually works.

 

[WonTonYinn]

Spoiler: C.S.James

Full Name:
Christian S. James

[Full Legal name]

Codename: Sherlock


[Leave blank, I will assign codenames, suggestions are welcome, but whether or not they factor into what I choose is up to me]

Race:
Human

Division:
Operations



Special Skills:

• Investigative skills (See's things in a unique way.)
  
  
• Booksmart
  
  
• Psychology
  
  
• Hand to Hand Combat

Special Abilities:

• Book of Exorcism – One of many special books once held by ancient exorcist that catalogs many spells, objects, and chants used to fight demons and ghost alike. It was given to James after a request for one.
  
  
• Silver Knife – A basic knife made of silver given to all agents imbued to last and fight certain creatures of the supernatural.
  
  
• Marks of Grace – Given to James by an old friend, they are tattoos placed onto his arm for protection that gives him resistance to magic.
  
  
• Though not proven James claims to have a sixth sense, a sort of gut feeling that helps him perceive things in a different way wither it be danger or looking for something.

Weapon of Choice:

Portare alla fede



Portare alla fede, translated to Bringer of Faith is a custom pistol given to James by a mob boss durring the days he as a PI. Ever since then he has carried this weapon as his first and only choice as the case that caused him to receive it was his most memorable one.



Personality: Christian is a very kind and social person while also being very attentive and calculated. He tends to work alone but will always be open to working with others. When people ask him if he likes being called Christian or Chris, he simply answers that most call him by his last name James.

He would believe someone if they told him they saw a cowboy fighting a werewolf in the alley since he takes everyone's opinion seriously.


Bio: Years ago, Christian James started his own private investigation service. As the years went by, he had gained a reputation as an investigative genius creating ties with many officials in many places.

In one case he had, a couple in a small town had lost their child and they hired him to help search for her. Throughout the investigation he had found signs of something odd. As he followed the signs, he ran into agents from the BSDR though at the time he didn't know who they were though one did act like a cowboy. Their interaction was brief as they were busy looking for something and went off into a different direction from him. Hours later he runs into an abandon place where he finds the child, but when he came to find her something else found him and tossed him away from the place. Before he could react to anything the agents from before appeared and went after the creature which ran off after it found they could injure it.

After that incident James researched similar situations and after a few weeks found that there was a Bureau of Supernatural Defense and Research, though not connected to anything on the cover he felt they were something more and decided to find his way into the BSDR as a member.

 

[SilentFairy]

Would you accept a hacker and computer expert?

 

[Sanity43217]

Yeah.