The Specters

Posted 1 year, 4 months ago by KeraRose

Introduction

The Specters are a secret group of people fighting to protect mages that are wanted by the Order, including hidden mages and non-mages accused of being mages. Although it may seem to only be a collection of safehouses, the Specters also function as an intelligence network and a secret movement for mage rights. Members may be a part of the Mage Court, but the Specters are not necessarily part of it, and function as a separate entity.

The fronts of businesses are usually enough to fund the safehouses, but when they are not, some “criminal” funding sources are used. From shops, homes, inns, and breweries, nearly anything can be used as a safehouse, so long as it has a way of keeping mages isolated from the main populace of customers for their safety.

There are four main paths to the safehouses’ locations, with the main start being in Mead at The Pyre. From there, residents of safehouses can travel northwest to Faline, north to the Siregal border, east to the Rithan Ocean, or south to the Sunless Jungle and continuing on to the southern shore of Ivras. Although these are the “final” destinations for residents, there are certain “drop-off” stations along the way where a mage can find assistance, from forged identity papers to business loans to workplaces. This allows a mage to get back on their feet, potentially with a new identity, and create a living for themselves and their families, safely away from the Order. If leaving the country is required, several captains work with the Specters to ferry mages away from Ivras and to a location on their usual routes.

If a resident goes all the way to a final stop in the Specters’ network, there are numerous guides and aides to help a mage find a new life or reconnect with loved ones. However, past these final stops and the help they give, most mages are on their own. If they ever need the Specters’ help again, they need to report to a safehouse and explain why they need help. If possible, the Specters will assist them. If it is impossible, or they have threatened to expose the Specters’ network, well, there are memory mages to remove the memories of the Specters’ aid to these souls so that the network remains safe. Usually, payment is required for this second trip through, usually in the mage’s time so that they may help others get through the network.

Most mages, once they are on their feet again, are usually asked to give a small donation to the Specters for their stay, either of their time or of a small sum of gold. Exceptions are made, and it is never necessary, just appreciated.

Sounds cool! How do I join?

This faction is open! If you have someone you want to be a part of the Specters, feel free to put their information below so that all information is in the right place. From there, go wild!

A few notes:

Before joining the Specters, your character would have had to meet a Specter character, and most likely would have spoken with Anastasiya (Tasi) before joining. If you want to RP with Tasi, let me know.
You character doesn't have to own an inn, house, or anything of the sort to be a Specter. They could work ferrying the Specters' charges from place to place, work as a supplier of food or other supplies, or even work in the safehouses' fronts!
Specters are expected to keep the network safe and secret. Only those incredibly trusted by another Specter can be brought into the order, and they need two Specters to sponsor them. If a Specter's cover is blown, they will likely face memory manipulation to keep their mission a secret, or will become a charge of the network itself.

If you have a character or location that would work with the Specters' network, just put your info below. That's it!

Welcome to the Specters!

How should I put my info in?

Simply put your information under the correct response thread below, to keep things organized, and follow the templates in those comments.

KeraRose

For Specter Members

This template is for characters that are a part of the Specters' network, not their charges (they have their own section). Please follow this template:

Specter Member

Name: x (please include a link!)

Role: (Safehouse keeper, runner, ferrier, supplier, worker at a safehouse, etc.)

Location(s): (just put their names here. Detailed descriptions go in the "Locations" thread!)

Open for RPs/collabs?: yes/no

Description: How did your character come to be a part of the Specters? What do they do? What are they like? Put any pertinent info here about your character.

Thank you!

KeraRose

For Specter Locations

This template is for locations owned, run, or managed by a Specter member. Please follow this template:

Specter Location

Name of Location: x

Name of owner: x (please include a link!)

Type of location: x (farm, inn, cave, etc.)

Place: x (geographical location)

Can be used in RPs/collabs: Are other Anathema members allowed to set any RPs or collabs at your location, with or without you being part of it?

Description: Give a description of your location! What does it look like? Who does it serve? What do others think about it? How does it provide for its charges? Put any pertinent info you think may be necessary here.

Thank you!

KeraRose

For Specter Charges

This template is for characters who need help from the Specters (not members, as they have their own section). Please use the following template:

Specter Charge

Name: x (please include a link!)

Open for RPs/collabs: yes/no

Final Location: Where do you want your character to end up?

Description: How did your character come to know about the Specters? Why were they targeted by the Order? How did they escape Namarast, if applicable? What are they like? Put any pertinent info about your character here.

Thank you!

KeraRose

Specter Member

Name: Anastasiya Novikova (call her Tasi)

Role: Founder, safehouse keeper

Location(s): The Pyre, The Huntress

Open for RPs/collabs?: yes!

Description:

Born as Natalya Firebird, Anastasiya is herself a wanted mage. After losing control and killing four people, she fled her execution at her family’s hands and stole, cheated, and braved danger in order to reestablish a fortune large enough to found the network of the Specters. She owns two inns that contribute to the running of wanted mages and suspected mages to safety- the Pyre in Mead, which is almost always the first stop in the Specters’ network of safehouses, and the Huntress in Faline, which doubles as a nightclub of sorts in addition to being an inn.

While she does not turn away any mage or suspected mage for an initial stay, if the mage is dangerous to others, she will direct them to different safehouses than those of others, usually those with a strong bodyguard presence to keep them in check.

KeraRose

Specter Member

Name: Silvanus, a.k.a. the Giver of Faces

Role: Head of Identity Replacement

Location(s): Will visit any location, though a charge may have to wait a while

Open for RPs/collabs?: yes!

Description:

Another mage with a hidden past, Silvanus’ magic allows for him to give other mages new faces, should it be required. He will work with any mage who feels that it is too difficult for them to keep their original face, and although his work is not free, he will not hesitate to help those who can pay his cost. He will provide forged papers with portraits of their new face as part of his services.

A mage who cannot pay the cost (either in terms of a favor, or a gold sum) can usually get a loan from the Head of Finance to help cover it, so long as they agree to a repayment plan either with Gold or their time in running a safehouse’s front.

KeraRose

Specter Location

Name of Location: The Pyre

Name of owner: Anastasiya Novikova

Type of location: Inn

Place: Mead

Can be used in RPs/collabs: Feel free!

Description:

Located in the sleepy town of Mead, all mages will start at the Pyre, where Anastasiya will personally interview all mages to ensure their successful orientation into the program the Specters run. The Pyre is a large inn for a small town, but it is usually frequented by people leaving Namarast for Faline- which is what she says if anyone asks. It is known for its delicious food, good ales, and clean beds, and an owner who is willing to do almost anything to keep things running smoothly.

Mages stay in the basement, behind a false wall in the storeroom. There are two small dormitory-type rooms, each with eight small beds, and three single-occupancy rooms for those mages who are either uncomfortable with others, have a magic that makes them harmful to others, or are judged by Anastasiya to be dangerous to her other occupants. There is also a washroom with two tubs and three sinks. Since the washroom is small, a schedule is organized by bunk number as to who can use it when. Residents of the Pyre are served two square meals per day- one for a late breakfast, and one for an early dinner, with a small snack in the middle of the day for those who need extra meals, children, or parents nursing children.

Most residents only stay a day or two at the Pyre, with the longest stay being two weeks. Nearly all residents end up going to another safehouse in the Specters’ system, with only a few leaving the network in Mead. Anastasiya will personally work with residents to discover their aspirations and figure out what residents need and where they wish to go, and then organize transport to their next location.

KeraRose

Specter Location

Name of Location: The Huntress

Name of owner: Anastasiya Novikova

Type of location: Inn/Nightclub

Place: Faline

Can be used in RPs/collabs: Feel free!

Description:

The Huntress is usually one of the last stops for the Faline branch of the Specters’ network. Owned by the founder, Anastasiya Novikova, it is a large facility near the docks of the capital city. Both an inn and nightclub, the Huntress exists as two separate buildings, linked by a walkway.

The inn is a typical Faline inn, large and, while not splendorous, having enough fine touches to keep both the commoners and nobles happy. The inn is known for its large rooms and silence on certain matters, making it a popular place for nobles to come and make deals.

The nightclub, however, is what really makes the Huntress shine. Supplied with ever-flowing alcohol and wonderful small-plate meals, as well as three resident bands who rotate nights, it is a gleaming jewel in the nightlife of Faline.

Residents stay at a small collection of rooms in the inn, for those with new identities or who are not as highly-wanted, and in a secret section below the inn and nightclub. This secret area is located behind two false walls, both in the storage areas of their respective overhead fronts, and has a tunnel leading to the docks for quick escapes, usually hidden by another false wall. Similar to the Pyre, most housing in this secret area is dormitory-style, with two large dormitories with fifteen beds each. Two washrooms serve the dormitories, each with three bathtubs and five sinks. Again, like the Pyre, a schedule determines which bunks can wash up when. For those residents in the secret area, three small meals are served throughout the day. For those residents in the rooms above, meals are given at their leisure, and each has a small washbasin in their room. These rooms are usually small and plainly furnished, but offer more freedom for those who live there.

No matter which area they reside in, barring any complications, residents are limited to a month-long stay. This gives final-stop residents time to find lodging and employment in the city, and allows for the facilitation of passage for those who need to leave Ivras. Once they are settled, residents are checked up with by a Specter every few months to ensure they are doing alright for the first year, after which they are left mostly to their own devices, monitored only if the Specters’ network is in danger of exposure.