The Hidden Valley

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Draconisaurus
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The Hidden Valley

Post by Draconisaurus »

Starting a new RPG! We'll see how it goes, if it rocks or sucks... Please keep OOC (out-of-character) comments and questions in the other RPG thread. At this time, anyone is allowed to join in... The rules to start are simply that your first post here should do some amount of introducing your character, either through dialog or narrative description (or both). At this early stage, introducing a character will be easy. Later on, introduction of new characters may be more difficult, given the settings. In those cases, you should pop questions into the RPG thread before posting here.
For events such as random chance and accuracy, I'm going to trust that people can handle this themselves. In this form of RPG, the point is to write a story - not so much to play a game. No winners and losers, just characters and events. Writing your own character's death can be a major event, so don't rule it out - and there is always the possibility to kill your current character and trying to introduce a new one. In fact, after you've been a part of the RPG for at least 3 pages, you can request in the other thread to run a second character at the same time.
I would ask that all participants read the posts of the RPG which take place before they join. However - after the RPG gets long enough, this will become less practical. In those cases, you should do your best to become familiar with just the basic premises of the RPG (ask questions in the other thread) and then play your new character - with the very real perspective of not knowing what's happened to the other characters before you came, also giving them the opportunity to tell you in character.
You should not make any "decisions" for other played characters.
There may occasionally be non-player characters involved (I may likely introduce some - such characters will have only limited dialog, mainly reacting to what else is happening), but mostly not. For those which are there, any player is allowed to "manipulate" them, but do not attempt to take the character for yourself or develop it/make it a major character.
For creatures, we're going to be entering an unexplored land.. so you can get creative, but don't make anything too powerful or just plain ridiculous. I will not hesitate to delete silly or inappropriate posts from this thread if they come up. If you check on new posts and see that something obviously not allowed or unreasonable has been posted, just wait for me to moderate before posting again, so we don't lose continuity.
Also.. the length of a post can be either short or long, but please do not make it more than that of a typical page (in a word document) unless you have some very descriptive storytelling to do. Do not advance the story too far without allowing others to post how their characters react.

That's all I can think of for now! New rules may be appended to this post as necessary. Let the story begin.






~~~~~~~~~~~~The Hidden Valley~~~~~~~~~~~~


Professor Lester McComb sat in the den of his mansion, staring idly at the wall. The blank faces of bison, lion, rhinoceros, snow leopard, white elephant, pygmy hippopotamus, giant panda, orangutan, and others stared back at him from the wall, floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. He looked over to his right, stroking his white beard. On this wall was an encased collection of arthropods from around the world, including many massive spiders and flies. On the left wall was a collection of stuffed cats. He loved cats. Most of these prized mounts were from his own hunting expeditions. Some of the cats were bought at auction. He sighed.

Lester was a hunter-taxidermist who was now 50 years in age, though without any loss of the young vigor which started him on his quest long ago for private collections of animals. Dead animals, of course. Live ones were too much trouble. Living alone in his mansion, visited only on professional business by fellow taxidermists and the occasional protest towards his way of life, he spent most of his hours simply admiring his collection. Even as large as it had now grown, he found that it invariably became too boring within half a year of his latest catch. It had now been since 1918 - two full years - since his latest catch. His last expedition had been cancelled by local waring peoples. The other, a year prior, had ended in disaster when his ship was caught at sea in a terrible storm and barely made it to land in one piece, where the crew refused to take him back. Some superstition or other nonsense.

The lack of success only fueled his desire for another hunt, but it was getting more difficult with each expedition to recruit a team of willing adventurers to follow him. Finally, he'd decided to double the payment each member of his expedition would receive for joining, posting a wanted ad in the local paper just the other day. Of course, he didn't mention that only a fourth of the payment would be given prior to the expedition. He knew from long experience that this was essential to cut costs when the occasional death occurred. Now, he waited patiently for a reply to his ad, hoping that the doorbell might ring at any moment...
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Re: The Hidden Valley

Post by NoTrespassing »

At that very moment, 18-year-old Steve McKinny was hoping for exactly the same thing - that the doorbell would ring or, more specifically, that it would ring without him having to push it. Steve was never very good at making decisions and he wanted now, more than ever, for this decision would be made for him.
The index finger of his right hand was held aloft. His arm was stretched out in front of him, quivering in the frosty morning air. His finger was one inch away from the doorbell. He could push the doorbell and ask to join the hunt or he could turn away and go back to the comfort of his normal life of delivering papers.
It was in the papers he delivered that he had read the wanted ad. He met few, if not none, of the listed requirements, but he knew Professor McComb was desperate and had been for some time.
To go on the hunt would be an experience like no other. It had only been two years since the great World War had ended. Local men who had returned from the war had plenty of adventurous stories to tell, stories that were far more entertaining than anything Steve McKinny had to offer. Now was his chance to be brave, to have an adventure of his own, to have stories to tell - stories he alone would be able to tell. Now was his chance. He rang the doorbell.
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Re: The Hidden Valley

Post by makairu »

Young Robert Ellis briskly approached the door just as Mr. McKinny made his decision. Ellis was a man of 24, fresh blood boiling for adventure. His fedora covered his matted black hair and shaded his angled eyes. His crooked nose stuck out like a beak, contrasting his hidden features. A jacket hid his thin body. He was never much for sports, nor for that matter war, but hunting, that he could do. He halted in thought.

While Ellis was growing up, he had been isolated from many other people, and for that his father hated him. He was too weak and pathetic to play football, and too scared to go to war. He was more of a scholar of low-class, unable to pay for a higher education. When Ellis had seen the ad, he knew that if he had any chance of repairing his relationship with his father this was it, and perhaps, with the payment, he would be able to afford college.

Currently he shook off the thoughts, and continued the long approach...
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Re: The Hidden Valley

Post by Draconisaurus »

McComb jumped in his seat, then stood up quickly and straightened his brown overcoat. Taking a look at his pocket watch, he saw that it was only 11 in the morning.
"That's odd... Could've sworn I was sitting here all day already."
He strutted over to the door promptly and opened it. The man standing there was unfamiliar to him.
"Good morning, Sir." He cocked his eyebrows in his usual fashion. "I take it you're here about my ad in the paper?"
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Re: The Hidden Valley

Post by makairu »

Ellis stood in the background, waiting to be recognized but not willing to interrupt the man who had arrived first.
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