Agents of Death: Sign-up

[Toastburner B]

Sorry for the delay. Nothing kills the urge to sit in front of a computer and write a sign-up post like a light-sensitive headache.

Anyways, welcome to the Agents of Death sign-up. Usually, this is where I throw up some flavor text…but this is late enough as it is, so let’s just cut to the “important” stuff.

Death, Reapers, and Agents

Not much is know about the entity that calls himself Death. From appearance alone, he is completely nondescript. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about how is looks is how utterly forgettable he is. He acts as though his duty to gather the dead and shepherd them off to whatever fate awaits them is little more than a business. He is, by no means, a bloodthirsty being, but by that same token, he isn’t altruistic, either. Everyone’s time comes, and when it does, it is his job to make sure there is someone there to lead them out of the Veil.

The Veil

The Veil is the realm of Death, and exists parallel with the world that humans know. It is an exact copy, save that colors are faded out, and that the contrast between light and dark is much more defined…”soft shadows” do not appear in the Veil, only light and the absence there off. This contrast is more than just cosmetic, and relates to the power of reapers and agents. While in light in the Veil, Death’s agents can move extremely quickly. However, to cross between the Veil and the living world, an Agent must be entirely immersed in shadow.

Only the dead, those near death, or those in Death’s employ can exist in the Veil. It is in the Veil that Agents will be at their most powerful. Of course, this means that those they hunt will be found in the living world.

The Enemies of Death

Basically, what the Agents of Death hunt can be broken down into two categories:

Undead are those who have physically died, but have not crossed over into the Veil. Ghosts are the most common type of this…but ghosts generally lack malign intent, and are merely those who “fell between the cracks”, and are generally harmless, and will eventually be gathered by common reapers. However, some “spirits” will go on become poltergeists, wraiths, shadows, or any number of creature that prey upon living beings to keep themselves from withdrawing into the Veil. Some spirits even claim dead tissue as their own, which is where zombies, vampires, revenants and the like come from. However, like their disembodied cousins, these too much steal life, lest they fall into the Veil and become easy prey for Death’s agents.

Immortals are, categorically, much more dangerous and harder to hunt than undead. While the undead are still technically dead, and as such Agents have some power over them, Immortals are those who have resisted Death to the point where they have never died. While the dream of immortality has almost always existed, true immortality comes at a high cost. More often than not, like the undead, immortals must prey on the living, albeit in this case to supplement their own life force. The danger of immortals also comes from the fact they cannot be categorized like undead can. When you got to face an immortal, you could face anything from a master swordsman to an expert of forgotten magic…there’s no telling.

Theoretically, you could have to face rogue reapers or agents. However, this is an extremely rare occurrence, as Death only offers deals to those he knows he can trust to fulfill them. In the event of a rogue, teams of agents are sent out to destroy the rebelling party. As mentioned, however, this is an extremely rare occurrence.

Undead and Immortals are something that “reapers”, collectors of the dead, cannot handle on their own. And while Death himself would be able to defeat them, there are too many for him to track down himself and keep the business of death working smooth.

As such, Death has Agents to deal with that sort of thing.

Agents of Death

Agents are those that Death has picked to hunt down the undead and immortals. While, on the surface, Agents appear to be a type of undead, they defy that categorization by the fact that they can move between the Veil and the living will of their own will, and do not need life force to sustain their powers.

To become an Agent, you must make a Deal with Death. This deal is instigated by Death, and usually happens when a person is within seconds of physically dying. The deal, more often than not, involves extending the life of the agent-to-be’s loved ones, of ending the life of an enemy…sometimes both. The Deal doesn’t last forever, either a set period of time is decided on when the Deal is struck, or it is in relation to the terms of a deal. For example, if a person becomes an Agent to give his child long life, the Deal is only binding for so long as the child lives. Any time after this, an Agent can close to leave the employ of Death, and to face the great beyond like any other human being. After decades of hunting powerful, life stealing maniacs, this may seem like a good alternative.

It should be noted that Agents are not indestructible. If an Agent is destroyed, he joins of the ranks of those who are shepherded by reapers. Under no means will Death promise outright immortality, and he offers no special privileges to reapers or agents who fall in battle…eventually, everyone must face the great unknown.

Obviously, to take on those who acquire Death’s ire, when a person becomes an Agent, they become powerful in their own right. All agents possess strength and speed far beyond that of humans. They also possess the ability to force undead into the Veil. For weak undead such as ghosts, this is a sure thing. However, anything above a simple ghost is much harder to force to cross over. Despite this, even a failed attempt at a forced crossover will stun and hurt an undead, the effects of which, of course, depend on how powerful the undead is. This is less useful against Immortals, as they have not died, and as such, cannot enter the Veil until they are near death.

Each agent also has two or three “weapons of choice”. These are weapons that they carry on them at all times, and can take them in and out of the Veil. These weapons are also more effective against undead and immortals than “normal” weapons would be. Anything can be turned into a weapon of choice, from wooden clubs to guns. However, just because a weapon changed in this way doesn’t mean the agent is skilled with it, i.e.: a agent who died in the 1500s wouldn’t know how to use a gun without being trained on it, and a agent who died in the 1980s probably wouldn’t know how to use a sword unless they put some time aside to train in it.

Every agent is also given a gray jacket in some form or another. Not only is this the badge of an agent’s office, it is their protection. In the mortal plane, the jacket is much like a bullet proof vest: it can help to keep an attack from being fatal, but it doesn’t necessarily cancel it out altogether. In the Veil, the jacket is much stronger, acting as a shield that will deflect most attacks.


So, details aside, let’s get on to sign-up part of this sign-up.

Name: Obvious.

Gender: Equally obvious.

Birth date / Death date: A little different from your normal RP fare. This not only sets your characters “age”, but also what time period they are from.

Appearance: Back to the obvious stuff. Please include what your “gray jacket” looks like. Please note that it doesn’t have to be a jacket if you don’t want it to be.

Background: The events of your life, up to, and including, your death.

Terms of the Deal: The terms you hashed out with Death to become an Agent. If you are still serving after the Deal has expired, please explain why.

Weapons of Choice/Talents: This is where you declare your weapons of choice, as well as any special talents you might have. Please keep talents somewhat “realistic”…no magic or anything like that. If you think you can justify an agent with magic, go ahead and try, but it will be a hard sell. Really, there is a enough times and places you can choose from that you shouldn’t have to default o “ZOMG MAGIKC!”

Notes(Optional): It’s kinda like the “Notes” page they have in video game instruction manuals. Everyone has one, no one uses ‘em.


Now, the examples:

Name: Jacque Pierre Delacroix

Gender: Male

Birth date / Death date: June 21, 1763 – November 10th, 1793

Appearance: Jacque is of average height and slim build. His brown hair is tied back into a short ponytail. Despite his history, he is dressed in a modern suit, and his gray jacket is in the form of a trench coat. He claims that just because his is from the old world doesn’t mean he has to look like it. Besides…new clothes are much more comfortable.

Background: Jacque was born into the privileged classes of France, early in the summer of 1763. During his childhood, Jacque had no idea what was stirring among the less privileged peoples of France, as he grew up in relative comfort, and married at the age of 27.

His marriage, however, was to be short lived. Three years afterwards, the French Revolution was staged. Delacroix, a born aristocrat, had the misfortune of being branded “an enemy of the revolution” by the Committee of Public safety, along with his wife. In an attempt to save her life, Jacque sent her away to England, and drew the attention of Revolutionary agents away from her at the cost of himself being caught. Jacque Pierre Delacroix was among the thousands executed during the “Reign of Terror”.

Terms of the Deal: Death appeared to Delacroix as he was strapped in the guillotine, and made him the offer to become an agent. Jacques condition was simple: the life of whomever it was who betrayed him and his wife to the Committee of Public Safety. For this, Jacques pledged his loyalty for at least a century. Death agreed. About a week later, both Madame Delacroix and her lover, a revolutionary agent, were beheaded on the grounds of treason. The irony was not lost on Jacques, but he served his time as an Agent diligently.

The Deal has since expired, but Delacroix has chosen to remain on as an Agent. When asked why, Jacque will joke that he wants to make sure that there are no more revolutionaries roaming in France, but in truth, he is scared of what awaits him after he leaves the service of Death. Truth be told, he didn’t lead the purest life when he was alive, and he is not keen to find out if Hell really does exists.

Weapons of Choice/Talents: Jacque favors a rapier as his weapon of choice, and is skilled in it’s use. He also carries a dagger as a back-up weapon, and a flintlock pistol as a ranged weapon. Jacque is a skilled swordsman, both in the use of the rapier alone, or in combination with the dagger. Sadly, even centuries of experience have done little more than to make him a somewhat decent shot with firearms.


Name: Karen Dobson

Gender: Female

Birth date / Death date: February 16, 1980 – April 2, 2008

Appearance: Karen is of Irish descent, as looks the part with red hair and green eyes. She’s a little on the tall side, and trim and fit. Her gray jacket is also in the style of a trench coat, and she is dressed in a modern t-shirt and jeans.

Background: Karen’s childhood was almost comically stereotypically Irish. Her father was a life long cop, and she when she was old enough, she followed in his footsteps and become a police officer herself. It was in school that she meet her husband, and they were married shortly after she graduated. A few years later, they had a daughter.

The last day of Karen’s life was a rainy one. Her daughter, Catherine, had just turned three, and the family was going out of town for the weekend to celebrate. However, they would never make it. A big rig in the incoming lane of traffic lost control, and slide into the lane right in front of Karen’s car. While both her husband and daughter survived the crash, Karen died.

Terms of the Deal: Obviously, the terms of Karen’s deal involves her family. In return for her services, Death promised that both her husband and daughter will live for as long as is allowable, and Karen’s Deal will come to a close when both of them are dead. At this point, Karen plans on leaving the employ of Death as soon as the Deal comes to a close.

Weapons of Choice/Talents: Karen, being brought up by a father who believed in the right to bear arms, is an expert shot, and carries two pistols as her weapons of choice. She never chose a melee weapon, as she is unskilled in any of them. In her short career as an Agent, her talent with firearms has thus far justified her decision.



If you have any questions about the setting or such, ask them here, as I’m sure I did a horrible job of explaining and that everyone would benefit from clarification. If you just want a character concept approved, ask here or PM me.