Motes of Dust

[Lestaki]

“Dust? You are misunderstanding one simple fact, in saying that… for all of human strength and will and power, our species and everything it represents are dwarfed, humiliated, children before that which you would destroy. The scope and power of the vibrant life that lies just beyond our sight is such that the least motes of their dust could destroy us altogether, such it ever regard as with ill-intention. This dust you would sweep away, sir… do not take God’s dust lightly.”- Abraham Larner, First UN-Para Affairs Congress, speaking during the 51st Motion debate

For as long as humanity has existed, a precious and gifted few have been aware of the ancient and terrible powers that stood behind them. What they are has been put to many words, from shaman to priest to oracle to holy man, and what they have seen has been described in so many more ways beyond counting. However one may choose to name this reality, though, the fundamental and absolute sight these people percieve remains. Known as aether in the Western Schools that dominated the First Congress, an enormous spiritual energy that underpins all things in the world is common to all schools. The aether is said to be the source of all life, that which we return to in death, and the ocean in which unending ancient beings swim. Ghosts, angels, demons, gods, psychics, wizards, prophets, it is said that everything not of our own world is of the aether. Indeed, not a few scholars claim that the aether is the manifest form of God Himself, whichever religion they may belong to. By and large, this unlimited energy lies quiescent, untroubled by human affairs and no trouble to humans either. However, there are always circumstances where, by accident or design, the overwhelming power of the aether is brought into human affairs. When this occurs, it falls to the precious and gifted few to mediate between the realms and close the gate.

Organised and systematic methods of dealing with the supernatural have existed across the world for thousands of years, alongside oral traditions and the actions of the gifted. Differences in methods have always been marked, and conflict between the gifted frequent. Dialogue occurred increasingly between these groups as the world widened, but an international spiritual movement did not fully develop until the twentieth century. After World War 2, and increasing internationalism, a variety of spiritual leaders pressured high-level political leadership and the UN itself to encourage the development of an international supernatural affairs community. This effort was spearheaded by Abaraham Larner, an American, and supported by seniour spiritualists of all kinds. A Congress was finally called in 1965, though the Soviet Bloc and China refused to attend, weakening the Congress’ claim to represent a truly world group. However, the volcabulary and code of a unified community began to form at this time. Drawing inspiration from the Greeks, those who maintained balance between the worlds were called the Eupatridae, those who defended human interests at the expense of the spiritual were called the Crypteia, and those who actively sought to protect the aether were called the Hetairoi. The name aether was similarly mandated for the fundamental spiritual force, and collation of collective knowledge began. However, the conflict of interests inherent in their ideologies lead to a general collation of groups into the three power blocks of the Eupatridae, the Cryteia, and the Hetaiori, limiting further progress.

A crisis point was finally reached during the so-called 51st Motion Debate, an important moment in which a common code of conduct was supposedly to be set out in common across the world, as the UN’s singular and binding directive on methods of dealing with matters of the aether. Quite apart from many traditionalists and nationalists who found the concept of such a code abhorrent in the extreme, the Crypteia and Hetairoi violently clashed over the acceptable approach to human-spiritual relations, with the Euptridae taking an uneasy middle ground. Broadly, Cryptia organisations everywhere desired to maintain their fundamentalist attitude to the spiritual, destroying anything that could be of risk to humans, while the Hetairoi sought a binding provision against this same absolute destruction, and similar practises. The debate raged back and forth for six days without any progress being made, until many despaired of the whole venture. It is in this highly charged atmosphere that Abraham Larner took the floor, making his famous “motes of dust” speech. In a damning indictement, he attacked both groups for their narrow-mindedness before calling for a break of several days while he conevened a meeting with the leadership of both groups. Finally, a compromise was hammered out that pleased none of the parties involved. To this day, Larner is a hated figure in much of the spiritual world, but “Larner’s Code” remains firm, even after the rest of the Eastern World finally joined in the 1990’s.

Larner’s Code’s most important provisions were to enforce cooperation between the groups and firmly delineate when absolute force was acceptable. The Crypteia agreed to train most of their practitioners in binding, banishment, sealing and other non-lethal techniques, while cutting down on their most powerful destructive teachings save to a select few who would operate alongside members of the other two groups as executioners of last resort. Similarly, the Hetairoi agreed to limit use of their own large scale techniques and cooperate with the Crypteia methods when they were necessary. More importantly, they conceeded in principle that a single human life was a higher priority than any number of spiritual essences, though their actual acceptance of this is dubious. Finally, the Eupatridae agreed to cooperate with the other two groups and defer to their superior expertise in their preferred fields. This in itself is a concession dubiously followed, as the Eupatridae continues to pride themselves on their wide-ranging expertise. Finally, Larner’s Code dictates clearly that in the case of a Class 5+ spiritual disturbance, members of the other groups should be consulted, while Class 3+ disturbances were to be referred to the League Elite. Known colloquially as Larner’s Pride, the League Elite is made up of teams of operatives from each group, assigned to the most difficult tasks worldwide. It has become an aspiration of spiritual groups to have their members seen as part of the League Elite, widely seen as a mark of a truly powerful organisation.

League Elite members vary hugely in ideology and ability, from traditional and spiritual groups to psychic collectives or even freelancers with a particularly exceptiona reputation. What they have in common is a proven track record in supernatural affairs, combining knowledge and power to deal with aether disturbances in test conditions and in practise, and their dedication to the eradication of spiritual anomalies in the aether.

Recognised Groups
Of necessity, this is a brief summary of the very largest spiritual organisations. There are thousands of associations large and small across the world, many with their own methods and ideology, who also send members to the League Elite.

Hetairoi
Spiritual advocates, the Hetairoi are connected by their belief in the inviolate nature of the aether, a force that man should not challenge. They still recognise the essential right to life of the aether and all its components, and by and large regard killing a spirit as a murder or worse. They use mediation and communion to deal with spirits, binding them when necessary and preferring sealing to destruction. Their skill in communicating with spirits is recognised as second to none. Due to their religious faith, it is not surprising that those religions with a reincarnation tradition are generally Hetairoi, as many of them regard the aether as part of samsara, and a representation of the spirits of the dead waiting to be reborn.

Buddhist
Buddhist Hetairoi deal with the aether in various ways, regarding it as a transition state between the realms, an extended part of the human realm, or one or all of others depending on their perspective. They refuse to destroy spirits on the grounds that all deserve a chance at enlightenment, and deal plainly with the aether without invoking any gods. Contemplation and understanding are at the heart of most Buddhist Hetairoi practises.

Hindu
Hindu Hetairoi recognise the spirits of the aether as those still bound by karma and the cycle of life. As such, destroying a spirit is unacceptable as it eliminates that spirit’s chances of enlightenment. Their Hetairoi place a significant emphasis on the self, and advocate tranquility and balance in all spiritual operatives. They invoke deities in dealing with the aether.

Sikhism
The aether is widely if not exclusively seen by Sikhs as a manifestation of God, and also of the reincaration cycle. Because of this, their attitude to the aether is close to that of Hindu thought, and carry a similar emphasis on the self as well as faith in God.

Shinto
Closely aligned with Buddist thought, Shinto Hetairoi originate from Japan. They regard the aether as the reality of the kami, and worship all the spirits within it as divine. Even evil spirits must be treated with respect for their suffering, and their pain eased if possible. However, Shinto Hetairio invoke other kami and sealing rituals to deal with those kami who trouble the living.

Taoism
To many Taoists, the aether is the Tao. As such, it must be treated with care and respect, and Taoist Hetairoi maintain balance, openness and calm perception when dealing with the supernatural. They favour observing a situation in detail before taking calm and decisive action to resolve it.

Eupatridae
It is difficult to aptly summarize Eupatridae doctrine, but they have neither a complete commitment to the inviolate aether nor a belief in the primacy of humans in spiritual affairs. Many are pragmatic and practise a wide variety of different skills, while others specilise in banishment, exorcism and similar techniques as a simple way to deal with any problems without recourse to a permanent solution either way. Broadly, they are considered the foremost in these areas, though they claim expertise with everything. Abrahamic religion generally falls in this area as a result of its most common methods as much as its attitudes, but as they do not generally recognise the aether as “heaven” they have less doubts about using aggressive methods on spirits.

Judaism
Judaism does not have a set doctrine regarding the aether, nor has it ever subscribed to an organised system to deal with its existance. Rabbi are expected to study the aether as part of their overall training, and deal with local disturbances on a case-by-case basis, taking care to distinguish between different kinds of spirits as they percieve them and deal with them accordingly. However, Israel in particular has participated actively on the development of the League Elite and trains its own demonologists. They invoke God in their confrontations with the spiritual.

Christianity
Christianity, on the other hand, has extremely systemised demonology lore, and exorcists to assist its priests and vicars as well as a variety of spiritual traditions. Roman Catholics and Protestants have separate Eupatridae and differ on many key points, but in general both have a fairly aggressive attitude to the spiritual world, favouring banishment and acutely aware of the risk of possession. They specilise in exorcism.

Islam
Islam considers the aether to be a manifestation of Allah’s power, and also the resting place of the jinn. As jinn do not have to be good or evil, Muslim Eupatridae maintain a fairly flexible attitude in their dealings with the aether. However, they also have a practical and established tradition of dealing with aeather-related issues, combining local support from an imam with a core of learned specilists.

Crypteia
Crypteia thought, such as it exists, can aptly be summarized as the importance of man as first priority, from which the aether’s own well-being is a secondary concern. Unlike Compacters, Cryteia rarely seek to make active use of the aether, and often have a rather negative perception of it. They seek the simplest and cleanest possible solutions to spiritual problems, and generally if not exclusively favour binding, sealing and execution. They are the world experts on spiritual destruction techniques. Crypteia has often been associated with secular values and authority, but is also manifest in certain Abrahamic groups, especially Christianity, as the best way of dealing with demons.

Templars
Tracing their lineage back to the proverbial Knights Templar, rightly or wrongly, the Templars are broadly Catholic but concern themselves with the eradication of demons as a crusade unto itself. Extremely powerful in Europe, and respected by secular authority as potent in dealing with supernatural problems, the Templars were key advocates for the Cryptian position at the First Congress. Their potent execution methods are kept alive by the Black Knights, a sup-group of the Templar who study the destruction of spirits to the exclusion of all else.

Bushido
Principly Japanese, this refers to the samurai code of honour, and more specifically a small subset of the samurai who took responsibility for spiritual affairs within their lord’s domain. They exist to this day, supported in part by the state, and preserve strong sword-based execution traditions comparable to the Templars. They are also supported by some Shinto practitoners, who are a part of the overall order. The Bushido Crypteia do not seek to destroy all spirits, but firmly maintain that a malicious minority must constantly be fought to protect human order.

Secret Services
Throughout much of the world governments maintain their own bureaus to deal with aether affairs. These groups are typically incorporated into intelligence services and use hard-line, modern Cryptian methods to deal with major disturbances. The frontline of secular supernatural operatives, they benefit from the best techonological support in the world and generally take little interest in religious perspectives. With the League Elite’s official recognition in many countries, these members are often forwarded for service. Russia in particular champions its SVR-Para Division as an example of excellence in spiritual affairs, sending many members to the League Elite as a representation of its international importance.

Note: these descriptions are generalisations, and any given group will likely have exceptional sects or groups dedicated to the same faith and a different approach to the aether.

Secular groups and individuals often have a considerable stake in aether combat, but have a wider variety of ideological positions still, falling under all three banners.

Psychics
Psychics is the broad term for those who can draw an exceptional power, learned or genetic, from the aether as an energy source. They are obviously extremely useful to the League Elite, though as a group they have to particular ideological commitment. It could be said that all spiritual practitioners are psychics of a kind, as all use learned aether techniques to manipulate spirits in the best possible way. Thus the “strong” definition of psychic is one who possesses an innate genetic power, that may or may not be refined by training. Psychics of this kind are generally marked from birth, and all who possess spiritual power are generally expected to register with their parent government.

Compacters
This is the broad term used for humans who seek to use the aether for their own benefit. As with psychics, this goes in part for every spiritually active human, but in a more narrow sense means those who seek to use the aether to gain an advantage in normal life, rather than to maintain balance. Governments around the world advocate compacting in industry and agriculture as acceptable, though some spiritualists disagree with this. However, some Compacters can be extremist or downright dangerous in their actions, and roughly half of all cases the League Elite deal with are believed to involve Compacters in some part.

While discouraged, the practise of using spirit familiars and other Compacting in the service of the balance is accepted by the League Elite.

The BW Bit
As you may have gathered by now, this is an alternate history BW incorporating a fairly well-known spiritual power, the aether, and man’s attempts to deal with it. We will mostly be playing as members of the League Elite, something along the lines of plain clothes psychic special forces drawing talent from all groups across the world, though amatures, freelancers and bad guys are also welcome to play. The main team will be dispatched to a trouble area, normally after a request from another spiritual operative, in order to investigate a case. Once there, we must observe the situation and posit hypothese before determining our best course of action and following through with it, something that may or may not work. In spiritual affairs there is rarely a clear right answer, so it will be normal for several players to advocate different “solutions”, at which point we must determine what course to embark on.

Name:
Age:
Sex:
Allegience: (Hetairoi, Eupatridae, Crypteia or other)
Group: (Faith or other)
Position: (League Elite or other)
Equipment:
Specilisation:
Powers:
Backstory:
Personality:

My Character

Name: Robert Sander
Age: 19
Sex: Male
Allegience: Eupatridae
Group: Atheist Psychic
Position: League Elite
Equipment: Power Limiter (Headband)
Specilisation: Situational Assessment
Powers: Robert is a Class 2 reader-telepath, capable of reading every thought within a two-hundred meter radius when delimited. Naturally, this incapacitates him within seconds if he attempts it, and he needs forcible limitation to make his powers useful. Even when fully sealed, he has a keen empathetic sense and can read the emotions of people around him, and minds on touch. When partially delimited, his radius is much expanded and he can read any mind not protected by a psychic block, but this rapidly tires him. Full delimitation bypasses blocks. He can also read the emotions and thoughts of spirits, though this is less clear, and has keen aether senses. His role on missions is to investigate pertinant circumstances, as well as discreetly maintain group morale, a job he does not relish.

Backstory: Born a hereditary psychic, Robert’s life was essentially defined by his power. Even as a young child, his increased perception lead to low self-esteem issues and emotional trauma, and as his power rapidly grew the mental strain made it impossible for him to function in normal society. Taken by the British government, Robert was trained with a limiter for his own protection, though this may well have increased his overall power. Classifying as Group 3 on the telepath scale at the age of fourteen, Robert became government property and was trained with similar students in the usage of his power. By the age of 18 his classification was Class 2, and he was considered ready for missions as part of the League Elite after numerous successful missions as support for MI-13. He has not seen his parents in over five years.

Personality: Sour and quiet, Robert does not particularly relish his empathetic powers and the intense sensitivity they automatically pass to him. His preferred role is that of an observer, and while he has a professional attitude his involvement in anything outside his mission must be actively solicited. He favours ambivalence over conviction and hates conflict of all kinds, agreeing with anyone talking to him almost as a matter of course.

[Sheep]

Name:Gavin Thorne
Age:36
Sex: Male

Allegience: Crypteia Group: Templar
Position: League Elite

Equipment: Long Sword, Great Coat, Long Boots, Pair of pistols.
Specilisation: Combat, and a pair of unique pistols.
Powers: Gavin is blessed with exceptional combat skills, however his main skill lies with his experience with dealing with the super natural. He boasts no particular powers, at least none he has exherted publicly.

Backstory: Gavin was raised in a church, having been abandoned by his parents a priest found him and raised him as his own. Gavin was always troublesome and his habits led to eventual troubles, often inspired by the knights of old he grew up with a colourful imagination of ghosts and deamons, though the quiet disbelief of his few friends and fellows didn't help. Eventually the probing question came and Gavin probbed if the priest ever knew his parents, the priest dismissed him at first, but the seeds of doubt had already been implanted and Gavin occassionally pryed for more answers. However one day the priest was attacked by an unknown assailant, and on the verge of death he gave Gavin a small piece of information, possibly about his past and passed him a necklace, at the time he was to horrified to take note. He dissappeared from the scene and was declared dead by the police after no one saw him for the next 20 years.

After joined the organisation his origins where completely unknown, infact he simply appearred one day on the job, as if he'd always been there, and despite the security parametres he checked through them all. Most notably he always works alone and as such his abilities have never been seen...

Personality: If not for being involved in the organisation Gavin is an exceedingly 'normal' person, he has a cool and somewhat detached attitude, and acknowledges his surroundings easily. He is quite open and even the most haunting events fail to faze him but he's constantly haunted by a waking darkness.

[Psymon]

Name: Ito Khouri
Age: 23
Sex: Female

Allegience: Hetairoi
Group: Shinto
Position: League Elite

Equipment: Silver net, jade pendant
Specilisation: Healing/Binding
Powers: Though a substandard combatant, by the standards of the League, Khouri is considered something of a prodigy amongst other practicers of Shinto techniques. Her ability to find the source of a spirit's pain and remove or heal it is almost subliminal and almost always effective. She is an empath, but finds humans harder to read than the spirits she heals. In a worst case scenario, she is reasonably adept at snaring spirits in her net and binding them.

Backstory: Born in Hokkaido to a Western mother, Khouri's upbringing was the product of a mix of world views. She exhibited some empathic ability form an early age and eventually took up the study of Shinto, which gelled well with her affinity for nature. her belief that life was sacred extended to the aether and, combined with natural ability led to her specialisation in healing. She tends to use her pendant as a focus for her power, causing it to glow as she works.

Personality: Quiet for the most part, but cheerful. Khouri always seems to be smiling at something. She can be quite stubborn, if she gets an idea in her head she'll follow it through to the end and it's not particularly wise to get in her way.

[Gorb]

Name: Allan Carter (original name expunged from records)
Age: 34
Sex: Male

Allegiance: Crypteia
Group: Russian SVR-Para Division
Group: Atheist Psychic (former Soviet Secret Service)
Position: League Elite

Equipment: Modified Yarygin 9mm sidearm, modified PP-2000 series submachine gun, ornate sword sheath (rumoured "Damascan" sword contained within), portable radio set, a "sweeper" (device intended to locate and temporarily disable covert listening devices and hidden cameras).

Specialisation: Front-line combat and spirit banishment.

Powers: Aether Channeling. A strong (yet still unclassed) psychic, Allan has a apparently unique ability which allows him to directly suffuse his body with energy from the Aether. Now, as all psychics use Aether energy to some extent, this is not unusual. However, Allan's body appears to be a receptacle for Aether itself, as a result he can allow himself to be possessed by entities from that realm, and he can enhance his human body with unatural prowess, often harnessing spirits and the energy of the Aether to temporarily enhance his strength, endurance, reflexes and/or awareness. There are several drawbacks to his powerful ability though. He can be possessed in return by spirits, so he therefore doesn't normally contact spirits from the Aether, so that they remain, for the most part, unaware of his "gift". Also, excessive use of Aether energy transmutes his mortal form into a medium more conducive to the unnatural energies of the Other Realm. Basically, his body slowly degenerates into a ghostly shell, and takes some time to recover it's full potency. He has been advised to not let his body fully transmute into a spiritual form, as recovery from that state is uncertain.

An interesting side-note is that he can draw Aether energy into his weapons, most notably his heavily-modified ballistic weaponry. It is also rumoured, but not confirmed, that his antique sword is somehow connected to the Other Realm. This is merely speculation, as Allan has never drawn his sword, or if he has done he has let no-one see it.

Backstory: Not much is known about Allan, due to his time in the KGB (now known as the FSB). Despite this, it is clear he is a born-Russian, fluent in both his mother tongue, Latin and also English. It's also unknown if he was raised an atheist, or if he was trained during his time with the KGB to overcome any religion dispositions he may have had.

Personality: Often seen as cold and aloof, Allan does indeed have feelings, he just keeps them buried. His time in the Soviet Secret Service taught him that feelings only lead to attachments that, in the end, must be severed. He rarely talks to anyone, except to acknowledge and give mission orders. He prizes his equipment above all things, and is swift to anger, should anyone attempt to touch his possessions without his own explicit permission.

I took the liberty of assuming various world governments were the same as they are in RL, correct me if they aren't.

[Lestaki]

That is correct. It is exactly like our world, except for the spirits and all that stuff. A slightly important point.

We have characters from every coalition, which is convenient, and a fairly decent ability balance too. I'm not sure what Gavin does, mind. Simply poking spirits with a sharp thing won't do much, but you seem to ahve been artfully ambiguous about his true talents, Sheep...

[Cable]

Name: (Nameless)
Age: 29
Sex: Male
Allegience: Crypteia
Group: Bushido
Position: Nomad/Wanderer
Equipment: Aether imbued katana and wakizachi. Likewise, aether-imbued suit of Samurai armour.
Specilisation: Combat/Execution
Powers:
Aether Perception - (Nameless) is able to sense large-scale events concerning spirits, both maleficient and good, from great distances away. He isn't able to detect small and irrelevant happenings, just large ones.
Backstory: (Nameless) was brought up in a strict community bound by honour. He grew up learning sword techniques and in his early teens was educated in the ways of the aether. Later on he was taught how to utilise his swordmanship to defeat maleovent spirits that break into the physical world.
Upon finishing his training he was inducted into his warlords house and spent several years hunting the supernatural.
One evening a series of events took place that brought shame onto the Warlords house. Stripping him of name and honour the spirit hunter was given a seemingly impossible task and exiled. His redemption would only occur if this task was completed.
Personality: Withdrawn, mostly silent. He hardly speaks to anyone and takes himself off alone whenever he can.

Apologies for the crap backstory; not feeling all that creative and my arms kill from sunburn.

[ShatteredFaith]

Name: Sorcha Malazan
Age: 24
Sex: Female
Allegience: Other
Group: Other
Position: Other
Equipment: Runes Of Anonymity- On her right shoulder to her elbow are inscribed powerful runes that effectively render her unseen to casual psychic scan. There is not an "absence" of thought coming from her, she is simply not registered at all, like one would get by trying to read a spot of air.
Runes Of Protection- On her right hip and to her knee are inscribed powerful runes of warding and shielding. They provide a general lessening effect against most attacks against her, psychic and physical.
Rune of Cleansing- Inscribed on her right palm is a powerful rune of fire. It allows her to guide and shape both natural and supernatural fire. It also spreads minor protection from sources of fire that are not her own to the rest of her body, though direct contact with the rune by other sources of fire will result in an immediate quenching.
Other- Several bracelets, armbands, and anklets of varying power, use, and ability.
Dagger of Alhaz- A small dagger glittering with magical power, able to punch through nearly any physical deterrent. Her preferred method of killing Psychics.
Cross- A simple cross of the church, no magical powers or abilities.
Specialization: The destruction of psychics and those affiliated with them.
Powers: No natural powers, powers granted by runes listed above.
Backstory:Sorcha Malazan is a child of the church. Her family strictly adhered to all of the churches teachings and she was always present at every ceremony. At the age of 15 a desperate Psychic robbed the church during mass, taking every item of value and holding the entire church hostage, with herself as his shield. After escaping, he left her on the side of a road outside of a major city. Without any idea of where she was or how to get home, Sorcha picked herself up and made the best of things.

At the age of 19 she killed the Psychic that had separated her from her family and took from him a small book that glowed with magical energy even to her un-trained eyes. Inside that book was instructions on a dozen different runes that could be inscribed into ones flesh and how to use them. The catch- they had to be inscribed in a dead foe's blood.

She now walks the world, believing that god lead her to that book and gave her the holy task of cleansing it of Psychic scum wherever they lurked.

Personality: When hunting psychics, cold and distant. In normal life she is usually quiet and withdrawn.

[Sheep]

Its all part of the plan Lestaki :sheep:.

[Lestaki]

Eh. I'll just mind-read it out of you~ :p

[Lestaki]

And so we shall begin.

IC:
Team: J-52 (Newly Formed)
Location: Castle High School (details enclosed), London, UK
Condition: Wide-scale amnesia.
Status: Field agents have been unable to determine the exact cause. They are standing by for LE assistance, and will provite a more detailed briefing.

Current Objective: Meet J-52 at the airport and bring them to the assigned area. From there, deal with the situation using the powers vested in you.

Robert sighed, closing his phone and leaning against the wall. None of that had changed, and there wasn't any reference to the fact that the plan was late, either. Typical, just his luck. And just HQ's consideration. They knew that he hated airports, but did they show the least regard for that? Not at all. Bastards.

He grimaced, touching his forehead lightly. That didn't help his headache. Fucking airports.

What's with these prices?

Goddamn this shitty airport food.

Just because I'm a psychic, a full-body search. That's fucking discrimination.

And of course, Why the hell is my flight delayed again? This is ridiculous.

That one was being thought a lot, and was really, really getting on his nerves. Especially considering he was thinking the exact same thing. He closed his eyes and tried to think of rabbits.

Eventually, particular people resolved themselves from the fog of generic pain. They were strong minds, but that wasn't unusual in itself. Rather, he saw the wake before their passage, a whole bunch of people bitching about the fact that a small group had skipped through customs without stopping for anyone, just because they flashed badges. After that, details resolved themselves to his attention, and he pushed off the wall, heading towards the group.

"Gavin Thorne. Ito Khouri. The man who currently calls himself Allan Carter." He stopped in front of them, keeping his tone diffident. "I am Robert Sander. Class-2 Telepath, one year with M-13. There should be a few more people, right?"

[noname0112]

i am tired of using all jap concept... for sometime i would like to use something from my own culture... is it ok to use paganism? using ancient malay cultures to make my characters something unique... i am tired of overcliched wapanese stuffs already. if i am not too late, i will probably crete a character. but if not oh well, i guess there's nothing i could do anymore...

[Lestaki]

It's never too late, and always time for getting tired of saying that, so people should always take it as read in my BWs. I even wrote that into the IC post. ;)

That would be fine, indeed commendable. You will also note the vast array of non-Japanese options I've provided everyone already. ..

[Cable]

i am tired of overcliched wapanese stuffs already.

The irony in this statement is utterly biting.

[noname0112]

il improvise a bit...

Name: Cain Santiago
Age: 28
Sex: Male

Allegience: Other
Group: Paganism
Position: Retired PMC Marine Captain, Head Shaman of his Tribe
Equipment:

.45 caliber pistol - the most common gun you can find in our country
Dual Bolos(machetes) - deadly when used with his eskrima
necklace of the great spirit god (bathala) - with the guidance of the great spirit god, bathala. Cain's strength, endurance and resistance is increased
golden enchanted ring of spirits/anito(allows him to easily communicate to spirits)

Specilisation: Psychic and spiritual, specializes more on spirit summoning.
Powers: Talking and communicating to spirits which allows him to summon the spirit of the dead. With this ability, with the help of his golden ring, he can summon the spirits of fallen heroes and can sometimes tame evil anito or spirits which aids him in his fights.

Backstory: Cain's clan was the descendants of the natives who valiantly fought against the Spaniards in the 15th century. During the rule of the Spaniards his ancestors were banished from their lands and fled to the mountains and to the southern parts of their country away from the Spaniards where they continue their lives. During the time of the Spaniards, people call them as "Diablos or Demonyo" which means demons because of their belief that was been forbidden by the Catholic Friars and the Spanish Colonial authorities. Most of their tribesmen were either being sold by Muslim enemies in the south or by the pirates while others were converted into Christianity.

Cain is one of the few descendants from the tribe and is proud of his ancestor's legacy. He is the head shaman of his tribe, one of the higher ranks. His spiritual and shamanic powers were greatly respected by the members of his clan. A faithful believer of their village diety, the spirit god Bathala. He once did acknowledge Christianity as a religion but a tool that was used by the Spaniards in conquering his country. However upon living in other parts of his country he realized that his former beliefs about christianity was wrong. He acknowledged the religion but did not converted himself to Christianity because of his loyalty to his Bathala.

Cain is a former soldier of the Philippine Marines serving for 6 years until he was presumed MIA during a clash between the governments forces and a certain terrorist group. Cain was living with his family in Manila for another 2 years, using a fake identity to conceal himself using the name Ruperto Kainglin. Using his skills that he learned in the army, he became a gun for hire, a mercenary and a bodyguard for hire to certain politicians and rich businessmen in his country. He suddenly disappeared for 2 years, not even his family know about his whereabouts. The incident of his loss remained a mystery up until now.

Personality: Hardened because of his military experience in the southern parts of his country, he sometimes forgets his emotions in the line of his duty. Because of his experiences in life he changed a lot. He became war-loving and violent. A once peaceful man now eye's now filled with bloodlust. He is deeply concerned about the matter, however his lust of blood sometimes overcome his own will. (i think il continue this probably soon)

know it sucks, but i want something new and interesting idea for a while...

[ShatteredFaith]

Sorcha hurried up the steps to the Police Department, her brown coat trailing behind her, arms wrapped around herself and huddled against the cold as she pushed in through the doors and walked to the reception desk. She leans against it and smiles at the officer on duty, her fingertips brushing across the desk. "Does this building have a public bathroom?" the man smiles back and gives her directions, she thanks him and walks off.

Entering a hallway she moves towards the bathroom, trailing her fingertips across the wall as she goes. She enters the bathroom.

In the reception area, the officer on duty amiably greets another officer, leaning across the desk to shake hands with him. This is when the desk bursts into flames, staring where Sorcha had touched and quickly covering the entire thing, spreading to the officer and across the floor and to the walls. The hallway follows shortly after.

Sorcha exits the bathroom about a minute after the fires start. Nearly the entire building is alight, and she lets out a small gasp of terror for the benefit of the officer fighting the flames with an extinguisher. The man turns to her, shocked "Ma'am, get out the back door, the entire building is going to go!" she gasps and moves to leave, thanking the officer and running into a man striding down the hallway. He is sweating visibly, tired and drained, and where he walks the flames gutter and die out.

Sorcha slips a small knife into him on her way past, and a jet of flame through said small knife. The man collapses with a grunt as flames lick from his pores, and dies messily on the ground. As the woman leaves she turns one last time, waving her hand in an arch and setting a wash of flame into the building. She nods and turns away, exiting out the back door.

"Gods work is done here. A warning for those who would consort with abominations"

[TheLoneKnight]

Name: Avlan Vektodahr
Age: Undisclosed at his discretion. Appears reasonably young, between late twenties and early thirties.
Sex: Male
Allegience: Extremely detatched Hetairoi sub-sect
Group: No readily apparent affiliation aside from an association with various high-ranking members of the League Elite and numerous global organisations and governments.
Position: Observer, evaluator and advisor to the League Elite, on occasion.
Equipment: A thin suitcase filled with chalk, a handful of notebooks, a collapsable silver cage, a simplistic ceremonial dagger and numerous other small items of mystical import.
Specilisation: "Primal" Aetheristic manipulation.
Powers: Adhering to a largely-abandoned and extremely distasteful form of rituals and spellcraft dating back to the earliest known practices of human-aether interaction, Avlan's knowledge and abilities are largely obscured by the lack of documentation from that era. He considers it to be the most potent - and dangerous - of means, as in the age when man first discovered the aether it was only the most crude and potent of rituals that could make up for their lack of knowledge in such matters. Avlan claims that the rites have been dramatically improved over the years although few know those influential individals who still practice it.
For those who have witnessed it, it has been described as a reprehensible, violent and unnecessarily cruel method of aetheric interaction.

Backstory: As a child Avlan was suspected to be disturbed. He frequently claimed to see creatures, things and beings that could not possibly exist. At the time he claims were regarded as possibly dangerous lunacy and before even reaching adulthood was admitted to a "psychiatric hospital" where his presumed madness increased dramatically. Avlan has thus far chosen to refrain from speaking of the specifics of the abuses that occurred there, though he does concede their existence. At some point in his stay he was visited by an aged man who consistently wore what Vektodahr describes as a "particularily grotesque mask". This man, dubbed simply Ghalthir, would serve as Avlan's educator in understanding what he had seen and how he could control it.

Upon his eventual release back into society (due largely to the hospital's impending movement to another facility and a desire to make room for new patients) Avlan was picked up by Ghalthir and educated in the obscure methods of aetheristic interaction that he now uses.

Vektodahr has opted to refuse full disclosure of his activities to this point, although those working alongside him have occasionally caught references to important moments in aether-human history.

Personality: (Edit) Personality is left open so I can let the character decide how to behave.

[Psymon]

Airports, such curious places. Khouri looked around, smiling. Arrivals, reunions, breakups, so much emotion, so many blissfully unguarded minds.

And outrageously priced, cruddy memorabilia. Last time I leave my toothbrush at home. She inspected the tacky piece of red, white and blue plastic she'd spent so much on. Well, it'll have to do.

She felt towards the minds of her two new companions, Gavin and Allan, but got far less than from the crowd. A little apprehension and curiosity, but mostly blank. Strong minds, both Crypteia savages, but they might turn out to be helpful if the situation got out of hand. Presently, she felt another guarded mind approach, this would be there fourth member. An advocate of the balance, better than Crypteia, though that wasn't saying much. She saw him approach, younger than she had expected, but she was hardly an old hand herself.

"Gavin Thorne. Ito Khouri. The man who currently calls himself Allan Carter. I am Robert Sander. Class-2 Telepath, one year with M-13. There should be a few more people, right?"

"Konnichiwa, Sander-san. Ah, gomen..." She closed her eyes, shifting linguistic gears, "Hello, Mr Sander. I think this is it, your the only other team member that I remember.

[Gorb]

Allan walked calmly through Customs, flashing his (genuine, ironically) KGB ID to the guards who tried to stop him. A man with short black hair, dressed casually in black moved towards Carter and the others with him. Thorne, and Khouri. All professionals, at least.

"Gavin Thorne. Ito Khouri. The man who currently calls himself Allan Carter." Allan raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. The man stopped in front of them, keeping his tone diffident. "I am Robert Sander. Class-2 Telepath, one year with M-13. There should be a few more people, right?" A telepath. That explained it. As long as Sander kept his mind to himself Carter wouldn't react to any baiting. Still, there was a distinct tension in the air. Khouri spoke.

"Konnichiwa, Sander-san. Ah, gomen . . ." She closed her eyes, obviously adjusting her language. Ever the diplomat. "Hello, Mr Sander. I think this is it, you're the only other team member that I remember." Allan almost smiled, he'd forgotten how superior telepaths were. Of course there weren't any other team members, all of them knew it. Sander was questioning their ability, something which Carter despised. Thing was, Sander probably knew Carter despised such belittling, and was doing it for his own amusement. Enough thinking. He replied as well, in English, seen as that seemed to be the lanugage of choice today.

"I don't know who else we're waiting for, I was merely informed by phone to meet here. Then again, you'd know, wouldn't you." There was a slight hint of bitterness in his tone, but it couldn't be helped. The mind-reading bastard could look all he wanted, he wouldn't find much. Allan's mind was a locked box, and for the time being he'd like to keep it that way. That said, if he ever found the person responsible for his mental dam, he'd make him regret it. Severely.

[Kaito]

Finished my character, since Lestaki started this already I had no chance to redraft it, though. Would have liked to do this. Anyways, here it goes.


Name: Raphael Wagner
Age: 23
Sex: male
Allegience: Eupatridae
Group: Atheist
Position: EU Field Agent
Equipment:
-Set of Enchanted Pipes
-Construction and Repair Kit

Specilisation: Artifice
Powers: Raphael is able to understand and fix both mechanical and spiritual problems. He often creates devices to help him fix broken conditions in either realms, making him a good choice as a field agent, travelling the world inspecting troublesome phenomena, trying to fix them on the spot.
Backstory:

As Raphael grew up, it would soon become apparent that he was quite gifted. Building massive Lego constructions have soon become second nature to him when he started school with 6 years. He developed high interest in maths and science, and soon was noticed by his teachers. Graduating from elementary school, a government institution grew interest in him and offered the parents a special education and scholarship for him, which they gladly accepted.

At his new school, he met quite some extraordinary people; they all had something that made them special, and he was eager to get to know them and their abilities. Unlike before, he made a decent amount of friends and had a high morale to give it his best. There, he learned not only about science and society, but a lot about the aether. Even though he has never been aware of it, after a lot of training, he gained a basic insight to the aether himself; something he was quite envious of others to whose this came naturally.

When he turned 16 years old, he met a strange girl that joined the school as a latecomer. Bianca had been beautiful, no one denied it, slender build, long and curvy hair and eyes you were able to see miles into, but somehow people tended to shy away from her, giving her a hard life trying to socialise and get along with anybody. But Raphael, being curious, had no problems getting in touch with her and they were soon together. She had been interesting, he thought at those times, not only because of the strange fact people seemed to avoid her, but because of her character.

She was the first person he met to see the aether, or rather the spirits living there, as living, conscious beings. They were not all the same, of course, while some only lived for the day not thinking about anything at all, others thought a lot, and others even tried to become humans themselves. Besides getting closer together bodily, they talked a lot about ethics, humanity and the aether.

Even the rumours couldn't stop Raphael from meeting her. Even if the rumours were true, even if she was posessed by a spirit, he didn't really care. He had come to love her the way she was, and such rumours - or facts, as he had come to know a while later, wouldn't change it. Or so he had thought.

The day came that she didn't come to a promised date; she wouldn't answer neither her cell nor would her family answer the phone. After a while he got quite worried and decided to visit her home by motorcycle.
When he arrived at the house, he was horrified to see it leaking flames. Several spectators had already gathered nearby and one was calling for the firefighters, but Raphael wasn't going to wait for them. He jumped the gate and ran up to the house to see the door widely open. He ran inside; the flames weren't as far fanned out as it had looked from the outside, and of course the first thing he checked was Bianca's room. If he had gotten there, he would have checked it, to be precise, because a tall man blocked the way to the room, to his feet lay Bianca's parents, knocked out.

Call it bravery or idiocy, but he still ran up to the man who was easily one foot bigger than him, tackling him through the door. He had only a glimpse of what happened behind the man. It was certainly Bianca's room, but it was dark, only lightened by some candles. Each was held by a strange person wearing dark robes, and in the middle of the circle was his girlfriend, strapped to her bed. He heard the man shouting something at him, but he didn't listen. Just when she turned her head and saw him, screaming for him to help him, one of the men revealed a shining dagger and held it high above her heart, ready to strike. Thump. He only realised that blunt pain in his face for a second until he lost consciousness.

When he came to his senses, he found himself in an ambulance car, a doctor quickly checked his eyesight with a flashlight, flashed some fingers. You able to talk? he asked. Raphael answered warily, but when he remembered the scene in the bedroom, he immidiately shot up in the bed, trying to get out of the car and, and.. he didn't know what to do. The doctor forced him back into the bed, and quickly called for assistance. Raphael wouldn't keep quiet, how could he? Only when they infused him with a strong neurotic would he stop fighting and soon fall to sleep.

When he came to himself in the hospital the next day, he asked about the girl, Biance, but the doctors only told him what he already knew; she was found dead, murdered by a knife wound. When he attended her funeral, he felt as lifeless and cold as she looked. Why in the world, spirit or not, why did they kill her. He mused over it for days, visiting her grave day after day. She had told him, how she lived with the spirit, together. It had always been some kind of unheard voice in the background; she never really understood what it said, but sometimes she felt it was happy, sometimes it was sad, the same as it felt it whenever she was happy. There was no reason for anyone to simply kill her for this.

He always felt kind of relieved when he visited her grave. It just had this kind of reassuring presence, it felt like she was still here, not under the earth, but in the air, the grass and the trees. When one day he realised that he wasn't that wrong about it, at all. It was distorted at first, blurred, mist forming in the air, but after a while it took on form. And he was shocked, surprised, and somehow happy when he saw that ghost of Bianca before him in the air. Ghost was the only word he could have described her, translucent and milky white.

"Finally" she said and smiled. "I made it out of that prison."
"What is going on?" he had asked, unbelievingly.
"I don't know exactly, either. But I finally made it out, it's only thanks to you."
"Are you.. for real?" he asked, stepping forwards to her.
She nodded and smiled. And shed a tear, as did Raphael. "When they.. the spirit kind of.. released me.. but I couldn't leave my body yet, only whe-" but she was interruped by him, hugging her. It was a surprise, for both of them, but they held onto each other, how long, no one of them knew. Only when he finally let go of her, she looked no more like a ghost, but like a human, complete and throughout. Only that she was now a spirit.

Raphael spent the next years completing the school with an above average exam; people had wondered how he had recovered so fast from the shock of Biancas death, while only some, and only those with the most prominent powers, had seen the spirit of her. This was probably due to the fact that she was somehow bound to him and his spirit, so in order to make out her presence, people would have to see into his very own spirit and right through the link to hers. He had decided to keep her existance a secret, so not to summon any of those cultists again. Although he swore that next time, he'd be ready.

He then joined a charitable association of the european government three years ago, to deal with problems of the spiritual kind all around the continent. Of course, he always tried his best not to hurt both human and spirit.


Personality: Because of his past, Raphael usually is a spiritful and joyful person, but he does have his moments when stares in the sky with a grim look, which doesn't suit his personality much, but which is a direct result of his past. When it comes to anything concerning spirits or lives in general, though, he is very strict and determinated not to let anyone or anything die, if at all possible, and he will especially risk more than a human's life for his companion's spirit.

[Lestaki]

Robert nodded to the girl Ito, before regarding Allan briefly. "Ah. I already knew that."

He turned away, keeping his expression neutral. "I was wondering, because there was one more person that I was told of. But he is a senior to us and may have gone on ahead, or will follow on behind." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "A car is waiting to take us to the location. We should go."

Carter certainly hadn't taken to him, but that wasn't very surprising. He wasn't usually well-liked, in any company, something understandable enough. It was a little strange that he should have a block he considered imposed upon himself, though. It was good work, as well, nothing he could bypass without using all of his power. That was curious, but hopefully also unimportant.

"You've all read the briefing," he stated factually. "A large-scale, inexplicable, localised amnesia case that has continued for this long despite investigation. We will be going there immediately to make the first survey, according to our orders. Our team leader is the absent senior, but in the mean-time, I can coordinate simple movement as the man of this country in our group. Accomodation has been arranged. If there is anything concerning you, I am told that you should tell me. The field agents will meet us at the school. That is all."

He opened the car door, allowing the others to get in, and then sat down himself in the front seat. They set off.

[TheLoneKnight]

Standing rigidly in a freshly-pressed business suit Avlan Vektodahr hardly evoked the stereotypical image of an aether shaman. At most he looked like a rather young, perhaps overly serious accountant. The kind of person who would give you a horrified stare if you dared to suggest that his job was simply "number crunching". Thankfully the attire of a shaman did not need to match the macabre and occasionally savage rituals they so often performed.

Avlan turned southward checking his watch.

"The League Elite will arrive soon. I could always just leave this curiosity entirely up to them", he mused, watching a pair of amnesiatic teenagers perched miserably on the back of a bench. "Well, perhaps just a look."

Vektodahr approached one of the students holding his hand out toward her and smiled.

"Pardon me, but I would like to take a moment to examine you," he spoke in a soft, friendly tone. Perhaps such a tone did not suit him as well as he would have liked, but it still suited his needs better than the alternative. The girl, naturally, was not so pleasant.

"What? No. Who are you?"

"Currently I am affiliated with the League Elite. I assure you, this will not take more than a moment of your time. I only require two things; a drop of blood and a short gaze into those pretty little eyes of yours."

The girl gave him a look that could only be described as the deformed bastard child of revulsion and displeasure, perhaps with the slightest inkling of surprise. She immediately turned to leave, only to find her arm caught in the determined grasp of Avlan's hand. He was still smiling innocuously as if this was no more meaningful than picking up your mail or walking the dog. He stepped closer, catching her other wrist before she even considered using her balled fist to gain a bit of retribution.

Then he simply watched her, smiling eerily, keeping her from pulling away. Her memory loss was disorienting enough, but around this man it seemed to compound with every passing moment. She would later wonder precisely why she had never broken eye contact with the bizarre businessman. For now the thought simply hadn't occurred to her. In her mind staring into those unsettlingly crystalline emerald eyes was as natural as breathing. It was no longer unsettling, nor was it necessarily pleasant; it simply was. Then she blinked.

The man heading for the front of the school. Apparently he had lost interest. It seemed for the best, though, because even from behind the man sent a chill up her spine. She immediately turned and set off in the opposite direction, hoping to put as much distance between the man and herself as she could. It would be several minutes before she even noticed the thin trail of blood seeping from her fingertip.

Avlan Vektodahr, meanwhile, resumed his stoic posture at the entrance to the school. Placing a small sealed glass vial in his pocket he took one last look at his watch. It wouldn't be long now.

[Sheep]

"Couldn't you just mind read our concerns from us?" Gavin chuckled before patting the man on the back in jest before entering the car. "Pleased to meet you Robert Sander"

He took his seat and smiled, shaking hands with a curt man named Allan and waving to Ito, he hadn't really taken the time to get to know them before hand, since having a small accident in the toilet and having had spend his time fixing it for the entirety of the plane ride. He rolled up his sleeves and snuggled himself into his seat.

"To be honest i'm not to well acquainted when it comes to the working in this whole teams thing, this should be a fun experience" He grinned.

To be honest he wasn't well with many people, but thanks to the unique abilities of those around him he thought nothing more of it. Gavin settled for a drink of coke, which he'd bought earlier from a vending machine, which, at least to him, seemed to be possessed as the coke bottle was caught in the holding mechanism twice to the anguish of his dissipating coins. Eventually on the third try he tempted to simply shoot the thing but as matters evolved he shook it down and took his leave.

He'd spent the rest of the car trip largely silent after that, inexplicably falling asleep leaning against the car window.

[noname0112]

(I'll save my post later... I wasn't able to catch up)

[Gorb]

Allan sat down in the car, frowning slightly. An absent team leader . . . the League was usually organised down to the last letter. Which meant those who were designated command positions had to make an effort to be more efficient than their teams. So, either the leader was late for some reason, or he or she was already as the site. The latter was a likelier scenario than the first, he had to admit. He looked back at Sander.

"Do you have any idea what we'll be dealing with? Do we know if the amnesia is Aether-related, or is that what we're here to ascertain?" When no-one answered, he sat back, satisfied. It appeared nobody knew the exact specifics of their mission. Interesting, but not unprecedented. It usually meant that those in command didn't know exactly what the problem was either.

He relaxed, closing his eyes. How interesting.

[Kaito]

Raphael leaned against a tree next to the road, his eyes half shut, half watching, the spirit of his long-dead girlfriend floating silently besides him, when finally a fitting car arrived at the car park. Those from the League Elite never stopped bragging, he thought, even the car looked way too expensive for a normal citizen to get his hands on.
He walked up to meet the passengers as they left the car, who were quick to examine the area and as such, were quick to discover and await his arrival.

"I understand that you have to be the members of the team that has been sent on my request by the League Elite. Let me introduce myself first, name is Raphael Wagner, pleased to meet you."
He shook their hands respectively before he continued.
"How much do you know about the case, already? Well, doesn't matter, I'm going to tell you all that I know of, yet. To begin with, the problem we face here is a widespread memory loss, amnesia. It does seem to only affect this school, and nothing outside of it. The cause is, of course, yet unclear, the effect however does seem to come slowly, while some people have a very advanced stadium of the sickness, others are nearly normal, still. But it does effect anyone inside the area, so watch your brains.
So like I said, the effect worked it's way slowly, at first, people thought it simple coincidence, but when the cases of amnesia amassed, they, of course, became suspicious and called for us to investigate it. I have located three Psychics attending this school; a class-7 Telepath, Lyn Evans, a class-5 Telekinetic, Emma Miles, and a minor Compactor, name is Samuel Brown.
I haven't seen them directly, or rather obviously interacting with the aether, yet, but I suggest looking them up. But the cause could be something completely different, too, coming from the aether itself. So this is where you guys come in. I lack the abilities to examine this large scale case, I hope we will be able to solve it together."
He turned to look at the school's building; built three stories high, a little brick wall around it with an iron gate infront, and the inyard has a comforting touch to it. Certainly not a school where just anyone gets into.
He turned back to see the group. Certainly, no one had discovered his spirit familiar, yet, or they didn't seem to care, either was alright for him and reassured him. He had worked with quite some maniacs, already, this group seemed quite calm, for now. He knew that some people only waited a while for their true faces to show. He sighed, there was no way to know but to simply wait for it.
"Any thoughts?"

[Lestaki]

"Thank you for your hard work," Robert replied automatically. He rubbed his forehead tiredly, looking around. This one had some kind of ward up, though it wasn't very strong. He was surrounded by unfriendly people. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to do an initial survey," he remarked, walking forwards a little. "If something happens to me, I'll be in your care."

He knelt, touching the ground with his palm and beginning a loose scan. Just finding the motes of thought. There were quite a few around, to say the least, mostly young and shining with feverish activity. Of course there would be panic.

Robert's eyes snapped open. To not see such a mind by his latent scan was embaressing. Or should he say that this was to be expected of a League observer? "Good morning, sir," he said quietly, glancing at the boy. So young. "Do you have any orders for us?"

If he'd been looking, he'd probably have seen him already. Telepathy could be a dangerous crutch.

The young man responded by casting a small, bemused smirk in Robert's direction.

"Orders? No, no. I am not here to order you around like helpless little moppets - my purpose here is more... advisorial. You are free to investigate this school as you see fit, although I will require notification of your whereabouts and any relevant discoveries you may make," he spoke in a polite, but slightly weary tone, casting his gaze across the assembling team. His eyes returned to Robert. "I would appreciate it if you did not look too closely into my mind, however, as extracting them from you would no doubt be an unnecessarily painful experience for the both of us." He smiled again, somehow seeming more cheerful at the mention of pain. "If you have any questions, feel free to find me. In the meantime, I shall set up in the science lab."

"As you say, sir. I will exercise due caution, as well." Robert closed his eyes again, putting the observor out of his mind and refocusing on his broad surroundings. His right hand moved upwards, taking his headband and sliding it up his forehead. His telepathic sight clarified as if glasses had been put over fuzzy eyes, and a barrage of silent noise assailed him.

What the hell is going on?

There has to be a way to escape.

This is all their fault. Those two bitches!

Blue daisy aluminum sky soft key armadillo.

I have to stay calm. If I'm scared, Sarah will...

He winced, sliding his headband back into place and taking a breath. The pressure aside, but the observor's bizzare defence wasn't helping at all. "It was only a basic scan, but everything vital was in place. Obviously, I can't look at everyone, or see things that have been deleted, but instincts... daily routine matters... language and writing... I don't think those things have been altered. That gives us a little time, at least, to gather more data."

Robert stood, brushing himself off and glancing cautiously at his erstwhile comrades. "Our next step should be to interview those psychics, probably. And it makes sense to do that according to specilisations. I can deal with the telepath. Carter, the compacter. Thorne, the telekinetic. Ito, talking to the other students and staff and learning everything you can would be helpful. Obviously I'll scan all the psychics afterwards, as well, but if there's this kind of anomaly around that isn't a certain thing. Talking can be telling in a different way."

He sighed slightly. "Oh, and according to Mr Vektodahr's knowledge, we are missing someone. I am very sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully, he will catch us up here."

And you have a strong barrier, Carter, that can't be breached even by my half-scan. Your secret helper is interesting as well, Wagner. But there isn't any reason for me to say those things aloud.

OOC: The school is quarentined, btw. Better for our purposes. And feel free to make up your interviews as you like.

[Kaito]

Raphael watched the spectacle for a minute before he left. Some of the group seemed to notice his absense, but no one seemed to care enough to adress him. He pressed the button on his key to open the car and sat into it. Bianca simply floated into it and into the side seat. She didn't need to sit at all, but it was convenient for both of them.
"What do you think?" He asked her.
"Maybe a rare breed of spirits which feed on memories," she said.
"Do you think that's possible?"
"I think so. But it's only one possibility, maybe it's simply a gifted human, unknowingly out of control. It is important that we find the cause."
"Indeed, I don't want any more people to end up like that."
He remembered seeing one girl being brought away whose sickness had been very advanced, already. All he hoped for was, that they could make it the way it was, again.
"I'm going to see the doctors who are in care of the students, maybe they found something..." he thought out loud, but it was more like a command to himself, and so started up his machine, driving off to a nearby hospital.

[ShatteredFaith]

Sorcha leaned against the wall in the alley, blood on her fingertips, the police station burning down as she watched. After the building had completely collapsed she moved further into the alley and set to work, opening her book of runes and flipping to the page required with her clean hand. She stopped at a page and smiled, heating up her fingertips a bit to get the blood liquid again, and began to carefully apply the blood around her left eye, marking a simple rune that looked like nothing more than a tattoo. Once the rune was complete, it glowed a soft blue for a few moments before becoming a part of her skin.

She immediately closed her eye against the barrage of psychic presences she could now see, opening it slowly helped deal with the energy. "Need an eye patch or something..." she mutters under her breath, as she walks out onto the street and turns to survey the town, closing her eyes again with a soft whimper as she sees the power of several psychics from the next town.

"So thats where I go next" on her way out of town she stops at a general store and walks out with some strips of black cloth, which she ties without comment to cover her eye, the cloth traveling her forehead and over her opposite ear to tie in the back. She sighs in relief, the thick cloth able to block her vision of the psychics, and begins walking.

[Sheep]

"If it will give me something to do..." Gavin smiled leniently

He strode of quickly, and asked several students on the where abouts of the telekinetic before finally finding here in an empty class room. Feeling rather apprehensive about the occassion he knocked the door and smiled as the small girl looked up from her desk.

"Who are you?" She stated.

Gavin paused, struck by the bluntness of the child.

"Gavin Thorne, i'm here investigating the anomalies in your school" He said, introducing himself.

An awkward silence descended over the class room and Gavin looked around to spark a topic.

"Maths ey?" He nodded towards the white board, "Was never great at maths..."

The girl looked at him with entirely untrustworthy eyes, as if he was the wolf and she was the innocent.

"So, whats your name" Gavin said, moving on.

"Emma" The girl said rolling her eyes, indicating towards a large name tag on her bag besides the table, something he was suprised he missed.

"So...They say your a class 5 telekinetic" Gavin prodded.

"Whats that?"

"You know, i'm not entirely sure myself" answered Gavin truthfully, he thought about it for a moment before finally establishing a minor system of understanding for the term.

"Anyway, have you noticed anything strange recently?" He continued.

"You mean the amnesia? the memory loss?"

Gavin winced, but was finally excited to have gotten the girls attention.

"Yes"

"I dunno" She said.

Gavin wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or if she was being genuinely honest. He checked the time on his watch, shaking it slightly for all the good it would do and was satisified to hear the click of the hands.

"That sword, whats it for?" Emma asked.

"Just for show" He smiled, "It was a pleasure meeting you today...Emma?" He said, drawing the interview to an end. He was never really good with names, especially when meeting new people.

"But i'm sure you'll see me around here often for the time being, tell me if you spot anything strange" He half smiled, for a split second his dark nature almost showed itself, manifesting in his mind.

He strode out of the room, looking around at the hallway, it felt deathly quiet despite the people there.

[Gorb]

Allan patrolled the borders of the school, thinking and yet aware of his surroundings at the same time. The mind-thief was probably aware of his mental barrier now, which wasn't surprising. What was interesting was Raphael Wagner. The case analyst. He was hiding something. What exactly he was hiding Carter couldn't tell, nor did he have the means nor the time to find out. it was just a hunch. Basic psychological training, a leftover from his days in the Soviet Intelligence Service meant he could tell if people were holding something back. Not that his skills were infallible, he'd definitely been fooled before. But Wagner was hiding something, that was for sure. Allan's mind drifted again.

"To begin with, the problem we face here is a widespread memory loss, amnesia. It does seem to only affect this school, and nothing outside of it . . . . . . . the effect however does seem to come slowly, while some people have a very advanced stadium of the sickness, others are nearly normal . . . . . . . "

Vlad . . . . . . .

Allan jumped slightly, suddenly studying his surroundings intently. He was in a classroom. Interesting, he didn't recall walking inside. And it was full of young students. How awkward. He became immeadiately aware that all conversation had ceased upon his arrival. How long he had been there, he didn't know. Carter's instincts kicked in. Looking around, he held the gaze of each child in turn, mentally examining them, as though that had been his aim all along. One of the kids was blushing, as though she'd said something wrong. He looked harder at her.

"What did you say?" She mumbled something incoherent, her face deepening to crimson. He repeated his previous question, injecting some authority into his voice.

"What did you say?" A rough looking boy next to her spoke in her stead.

"She asked if you were mad." Mad. Not Vlad. Just his mind playing tricks, as usual. Still, with a damn telepath nearby, it couldn't be helped.

"You weren't spoken to, boy. Your name." It was a command, not a request.

"Sam." Ah. There is was. It made sense now. Carter had been on edge since he came near the kid. The compacter.

"Samuel Brown?" The boy's eyes widened for a moment, then resumed their sullen glare.

"Yeah, who's asking?" Typical. Schoolboy macho attitude. Nevertheless, Allan was required to interview the child. Or to attempt to, at least.

"Allan Carter, Russian Committee for State Security." He flashed his credentials for a moment, then indicated towards the door. "Could we have a moment in private please. I'd like to talk to you about the amnesia problem." The kid, Sam, held his gaze for a little longer, then got up and walked out of the room in silence. Allan took a bit longer, looking around at the classroom and it's occupants. So very, very young. The former KGB operative wondered momentarily what his childhood had been like, then walked out of the room. Now was no time to dwell on his mental . . . state. The boy was slouched against the wall.

"Sam, do you know anything about what happened here?"

"Nope." The answer was thrown out, casually, the child not even looking at him. Carter sighed, shaking his head slightly. What was the problem with today's youth?

"And even if you did, you wouldn't tell me. Is that correct?" Sam looked up at him again, his demeanour revealing nothing.

"Yeah, I suppose I wouldn't. You finished?" A direct approach, interesting. But not unexpected. A complex child, although one would expect that of a psychic growing up amongst normal people.

"It appears we're not going anywhere here." With that remark, Allan turned on his heels and walked slowly back to the others, and Sander, were waiting. That went well. Of course, he could have been slightly more courteous to the students back in the classroom. But there was no point. They'd probably never see him again. Just another official, another faceless representative of the hated authorities. He sighed again. What was humanity coming to, that he couldn't even be bothered being considerate to children? After all, they were young. He had been young, once, even if he couldn't remember it. He paused a moment, lost in thought.

Vlad . . . . . . .

Again! He stopped dead in his tracks, casting covert glances around to see if anyone was near. Nothing. No signs of life at all. Of course, that didn't rule out other Aether users. He waited a while longer. Nothing. Allan shook his head, frowning. He needed to pull himself together. This case didn't look like it'd be resolved anytime soon, and Allan would need to be focussed to function effectively. Still, there was something about the whole situation that bothered him. The team leader was still absent. And that mentalist . . . could Sander possibly be interested in what lay within the Carter's head? It certainly was a delicate situation, the slightest spark could set something off.

[TheLoneKnight]

Avlan waited indifferently as the League Elite recruits disbanded, scattering across the school to track down whatever they might find. He stood a moment longer, even after they had vanished from sight, debating on what to do next.

He could just wait in the lab for them to sort out what had happened, of course. A gaggle of random amnesiatic schoolchildren was hardly his problem. Maybe the event would clear away whatever memories caused their antagonistic attitudes, better preparing them for adulthood. The amnesia itself might not even be a great deal to the populace at large. More often than not such things were the acts of fae and the unaffiliated pranksters of the aether.

Then again it had been a good long time since they tried anything quite of this magnitude.

Avlan sighed, resigned to the tedious and wasteful work that laid ahead. Briefcase in hand he made his way through the muddled crowd to the lab, deliberately attempting to avoid those few that were so nerve-wracked by this spontaneous memory loss that they were desperate to blame - or beg - anyone they considered associated with it. Humouring such behaviour would result in nothing but lost time.

The only real question now was how to proceed. Given that there was no obvious danger a summoning or bloodletting ritual would serve little purpose beyond wasting supplies. Divination would be too lengthy. Dissection was always a possibility but Avlan was quite certain that the League Elite would not react favourably to a disemboweled student even if the shaman bothered taking the time to keep it alive.

Stepping into the now-abandoned science lab Vektodahr set his briefcase on a nearby counter, removing a small wooden bowl and pummel from within, setting them beside the small glass phial he had stored the student's blood in. Her eyes hadn't betrayed anything otherwordly from within so the amnesia was likely a singular occurrence rather than a continuous presence or they were extremely adept at concealing themselves. It really didn't matter. Soon Vektodahr would have the information he needed.

Removing a small pouch filled with ground-up coney bones Avlan began to wonder if he should share his gleaned knowledge with the recruits or let them sort it out on their own. They needed to learn at some point how to investigate even simple occurrences like this no matter the means required.

Scattering consecrated earth into the bowl Avlan Vektodahr would wait and see just how serious this occurrence was. If it really was dangerous the League Elite would need to be informed. If not, well, he could always nudge them in the right direction.

[Lestaki]

Robert sighed. He didn't particularly like this part of his duty. But his duty was his duty, and this was what he had to do.

He flashed his ID at the police officers, who gave him worried, half-suspcious looks. "Anything anomalous?"

"Not that we can see, sir."

"Good. Thank you for your hard work. I need to see one of them."

Robert stepped through the door as it was opened, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking around the classroom. Even without telepathy, it would be a grim enough sight.

The desks had been pushed to the side of the room, and students sat everywhere, some sitting on them, some on chairs, some on the floor, and some sleeping uneasily in various positions. The teacher looked at him from the desk, as did everyone else in the room. Litter was strewn everywhere, the boys were all unshaven, and everything stank. Literally, and of fear. Robert had seen this a hundred times before, but it was never easy. There'd have been anger, shouting and violence and complaint and argument, all of those things before. But as the hours rolled by, even anger's power faded, voices were lower, gestures were less distinct, passion ebbed away. And now, there was just a blank, dull despair. A state not of life, but of continuing to exist. This was the necessary cruelty of M-13.

To Robert, this was a decent approximation of the landscape of hell itself.

"I am Robert Sander," he announced quietly. His voice echoed in the silence. "A telepath with the UN League Elite. We are investigating, and expect to resolve this situation within a few days at the outside."

No one looked particularly convinced.

"When can we get out of here?" one demanded loudly.

"When the investigation is over." Robert bit his lip, repressing his overwhelming self-disgust. The concerted hate of thirty people always did that to him.

But make that twenty-nine. One girl simply looked out of the window, lost in her own misery.

"I'm here to talk to Lyn Evans. Please come with me."

The girl jumped, looking at him with genuinely terrified eyes. And the wave of hostility and rage that came towards her from all sides stopped her from moving at all. Her own feelings, approaching suicidal after this long surrounded by that, were also more painful than words could describe.

But no one said a word. To judge by the violent bruises on her face, all that had gone before. Now not even that would provide any release for anyone here.

Robert walked across the classroom, his footsteps echoing in the silence. His eyes met hers, and she looked at the floor. The distance between them streched out and became an infinity, one made of the storm of emotions raging around them. With no thought and no emotion, he placed one foot in front of another and continued. Perhaps that girl would understand what effort that took. Only another could understand. And somehow, he was in front of her, offering her his hand.

There were no words, but an exchange of sincere intentions. That was the honesty of a meeting within telepaths, and again, something only they could experience.

We live in a seperate world from those around us.

Lyn took his hand and stood, following him out of the classroom.
***
OOC: From now on, I intend to widen the investigation. Everyone can use their methods to find out what they can, PM-ing me for what information would likely result from their inquiries. If it's an interview, send me the question list. If it's scrying, say that, and so on.

Idea dully stolen from Lonis, of course.

[Gorb]

Rounding the corner, Allan caught sight of Sander, walking round with a young girl. Obviously another psychic, of sorts. Probably the telepath, given that Sander was a telepath himself. It made sense, and Carter did recall Sander saying he was able to deal with the telepath. In any case, it was time to report back to him.

"Sander? I've interviewed the Compacter, he wasn't very . . . forthcoming on the matter of the insomnia. Is there any other specific duty I need to perform, or can I do my own thing?" He kept the sharpness in his voice to a minimum, he didn't need his own personal prejudice overshadowing the mission at hand. The mission was what mattered, after all. For now he'd just have to trust the fact that they were both League Elite, and that the mind-thief wouldn't try and break open Allan's mind. The telepath replied.

"Not very forthcoming, eh? Go back and interview the boy again. If he resists, do not hesitate in defending yourself. He may be quite powerful, considering his young age." Of course. The boy, while young, could still be involved in the whole affair.

"Understood. I'll be back soon." Turning around, Allan wondered why he hadn't pushed harder when he'd been back with Sam. Probably due to that little period of mental fatigue he'd endured since entering the classroom. Once upon a time, before he was Allan Carter, he assumed he wouldn't have been distracted so easily. Unfortunately, since a certain unknown bastard had placed this mental stricture on his memories, the slightest thing could distract him. It was unacceptable, but he couldn't do anything about it. He paused. Maybe he could. If Sander was on the level, he could potentially do something about the mindblock. The only reason no-one had looked at it to date was because he never let any form of telepath or empath look at him. A sudden pain in his head brought tears to Allan's eyes, and then receded as quickly as it had come. The Russian shook his head to clear the pain. No, he wouldn't let Sander come near his head. His mind was too delicate as it was, and he didn't need another mind-thief poking around his skull.

By the time he had returned to the classroom, he was composed again. It wouldn't do for the boy to learn of Carter's . . . . problems, nomatter how trivial they seemed. For all the Russian knew, the young Compacter could know more than he let on.

OOC: More to come tomorrow, too tired now.