Welcome to The Duality of Man, an original animanga role-play that features numerous supernatural creatures. Unfortunately, these various species have distanced themselves because of the war that occurred thousands of years ago, plaguing some with eyes that only see their dualism. While others meddle themself with their differences, two groups fight, each attempting to eliminate the other in for their definition of worldly peace. These two groups of the Terror Response Syndicate (TRS) and the Assembly of Phantoms (AP). With individuals fighting merely over their differences, it brings uncertainty to the outcome of this war.
We happily accept all role-players as long as they obey the rules and are capable of meeting our word count of 50. This does include those who are unfamiliar with this style of role-playing. The staff of The Duality of Man are willing to happily help those who are new to the role-playing world so they feel comfortable on site. Feel free to message the staff if you need help, they can be found here or in the site Discord and will gladly answer questions alongside calm concerns. If you have any suggestions we would love to hear them; guests may use the support board as a suggestion area as well. Should you decide to join, may I say welcome to the site and we all hope you enjoy your time here.
Yours Truely,
The Staff
season
Summer 2024
Heat has broken through into a glorious summer. The snow has entirely dried through the spring, leaving to the brilliance of the warmer months. Terror activity has risen as people are brought out of their homes, leaving the TRS in a position of consistent work. Each are attempting to maintain victory in the endless struggle for power.
Since the wonderful members of TDOM enjoy the site enough to play around on it, this thread is to assist with the site's tidying! Functionality is important and we want to make the site functional even if its activity will be minimal at best!
"It depends, really. Sometimes, years go by, and i have no one. Other times, i have more support than i can handle. I have lost track of the years i spent, lost in madness. There are legends, myths, and horrific folk tales, based on my actions while entangled in my broken mind and thoughtless rages. Though i have little memory of these events, it is not hard to imagine i could be behind the legend of Grendel, or even Cuchulain. I have awakened from madness, surrounded by bodies, covered in blood, and found that people i had spoken with, as far as i knew had spoken with me just the day before, had been dead for decades, or even centuries."
He closed his eyes. "I seek solace where it is most readily available. Animals are the best answer for this. They do not judge, and despite all the horrible things i have done, they do not fear me. I can never right the wrongs i have committed, but i can at least make up for the guilt by helping others to live. I have raised orphans of war, rebuilt villages, fought dragons to save princes AND princesses," He smirked at this one, showing there were stories to tell here. "If it is indeed possible to find your soul in heaven or hell based on your actions, the least i can hope for, is to balance things out."
Xander listened. He didnt judge, he had no right to. He let her finish and nodded, eyes closed.
"Pain, grief. In the tens of thousands of years i have stumbled around this earth, the one thing that has remained constant, is the human reaction to these feelings. Like a bear with a spear lodged in its hide, our reaction to this pain, the pain of betrayal, of a broken heart, is anger. Sometimes it, flashes, like lightning in the dark, stark, immediate, terrifying in its abruptness. Other times, it is slow, smoldering, waiting for the right fodder to come along and set the embers to a roaring, all consuming blaze."
He settled himself, nodding to the far wall of the cave. The wall shimmered, and opened, to reveal a wall holding the statue like magical clones of his mother's people, plus many many more. The twin rows of statues extended beyond sight.
"The lives i have taken in anger, number so high, i have long since lost count. In truth, your actions may seem evil, but when viewed from a different perspective, a different life, it is no more evil than the hound who bites the hands of strangers, after being kicked and beaten. We each carry our burdens, and to each of us, our burden is the heaviest. but we find that carrying the burdens of others, is no great task at all, for their burdens are weightless on our shoulders, yet as we take on some of theirs, they feel as if a great deal of weight has been removed."
He held up a hand, and from the shadows, magical clones of a pair of small children stepped forward. Expressions frozen in a look of confusion and horror.
"My Children. My Sweet and precious children. I was already older than civilization. Their mother was beautiful, to me. To others, she bore the scars of having survived a terrible fire, one blamed on the anger of the Gods. Her strength drew me in. But then she died giving birth to a third child. The child did not survive. My Little Mikael and my little Annette. My grief consumed me, and turned to rage, and then terror. My children would grow up, grow old, and die before my eyes, while i stayed young, healthy."
He looked at Lisa.
"I was so consumed by the fear of watching grow ill and die, i killed them, with my own hands. I never forgave myself. One moment, i was weeping for the one i loved, the next, i was holding the limp bodies of my children. We all bear our sins, Lisa. I have fathered countless children, who all grew up, grew old, died from various causes. But the thought of these two, going the same way, was more than i could handle. For some reason, these two were different. I do what i do now, to make up for the ones i have wronged, the evils i have done. We all live for this reason. To do wrong, and right our wrongs. It is up to us to choose to do this, no one forces us, but we are compelled by it."
Xander ran his hands through his hair. He had never discussed his children, or Jeanne to anyone. It was 1256, in what would one day become a massive vineyard for a type of sparkling wine that would become a status symbol. He had planted those first grape vines. Taught the locals how to harvest and ferment the fruit using a natural carbonated spring.
He reached for the bottle that sat on the table between them and put the neck to his lips, tilting it up and back. this was no swig. This was an immortal trying to kill himself with alcohol.
Xander moved to the chair, and settled into it, pausing briefly he decided rather than asking a question, he would share something.
"Dont panic, we are about to enter a sort of virtual reality space, or a sub dimension if you. Its one of the powers that keep me alive." He flicked his hand, he didnt need to do it, but he always liked using visual indicators for his power usage.
The air seemed to ripple, as if the air were boiling hot and humid, the room vanished, and was replaced by the walls of a large cave. The walls were covered with animal hides, some painted with crude figures, others simply allowing the natural fur to reign supreme.
"This is the cave where i was born. It is now buried under a glacier in what we call Siberia. Those hides were from animals my father hunted." As he spoke two figures walked into the cave. they did not speak, and their expressions were flat, showing they were not people. They were no more alive than a lump of clay in a potters shop. Gesturing to them Xander smiled softly.
"My mother," He said waving at the 4'9", black haired, milk coffee colored woman. While she was clearly a 'modern' human, she also had that primitive, stunted look. She did not however, look the way many portrayed early Sapiens. Her body was thicker, with more hair along the arms and neck, and her back was less hunched, while also more curved. "She was kicked out of her tribe because she was different. That was when she met my father."
He nodded to the male figure. Almost the same height as him, at a little over 5'7". The thighs were longer than the shins by more than half, but the forearms were thicker than would be considered 'normal' for a modern sapien of the same proportions. the large forehead, and the scarred chest added to the clear idea, that this was a Neanderthal. One with Red Hair, and deep blue eyes.
"Tell me about where you grew up, when you were still human. How you became a Lich. In return, i will tell you about how i came to wander the world, watching my mother's people spread like a plague of invasive flowers. Beautiful in their cruelty."
Xander rolled his shoulders. "I'll refrain from the drinking, as i do need to work in the morning. However, i will gladly take your invitation to spend the evening in your company."
He would put a stop to things if, they progressed too quickly. After all, he was not so uncouth as to bring up the subject, before it had come up in the course of proper conversation. He followed her to the room, choosing to lean against the door frame.
"So. I'd like to hear more about you. Know you better. We can do it on a barter system. I will tell you a story from my life, in exchange for a story from your life. You talk about a past companion, and i will reply in kind. A Story of a battle, fight, or conquest, and you will get one in return. Share only what you feel comfortable with."
Xander shook his head. Perhaps, when he was younger, he would have found this situation compromising. Now he just found it funny. After all, he was old enough, and certainly had been...promiscuous enough that there was a good chance the 2-5% of Neanderthal DNA found in modern humans of European and Asian descent, could well be from him.
"Can i ask you, how much you had to drink, before i make any...ungentlemanly decisions?" for one, he was still sweaty from the training session. Beyond that, he also had a set of personal morals he adhered to. One of them being, no funny business until the third date. Two meetings in a morgue, did not a date make.
Xander sighed. One thing he had never really adapted to, was elevators. Not that he couldnt use them, he just didnt like being enclosed in a metal, or in this case metal and glass, box that was held by little more than fancy string. He chose the stairs and his way towards where he had heard her voice.
He reached the level with the glowing sconces and gave a small wry smile, guess he was at the correct location. He spotted Lisa at the end of the hall, and made his way there slowly. He still didnt sense anything dangerous from her, but one could never be too careful.
Besides, alcohol and confident women was often a recipe for disaster, in his experience. If he didnt heal so well, he would probably have scars, especially from that Hell Hound.
Xander glanced at the text message. He had been in the middle of a training session with some of the support types. Just because they didnt go on active Hunts often, didnt mean they could just not train. He had been particularly harsh on Wolfe. The idiot was all too keen on jumping into combat, but was constantly hiding when it came to training for combat.
The Dire Wolf Shifter was still shooting him death glares from across the room.
Xander walked out of the training hall, and down to his car. The 1954 Ford Galaxy 500 was his pride. He had been gifted the vehicle by Henry Ford's son, as a special thanks for helping the inventor overcome a few obstacles in his engine designs. Xander had had to fake his death not long after, but he had kept the car.
He rolled to a stop outside the address. The rational part of him said this was a bad idea. The irrational part of his mind was, as the kids would say, saying 'Haha, brain go BRRRRR'. He did get that right, didnt he? Ah well.
Worst case scenario, the assistant/apprentice tried to eat him, and he had to fight his way out. Best scenario...well, he wasnt actually sure. By the way the text was worded, he suspected alcohol was involved in this meeting, whcih for him, was a nobrainer.
He carefully entered, impressed at the size and condition of the building. He let out a soft, but firm "H'Lo?" and waited for a response.
Xander glanced at her. "You know, some guy wrote a bunch of books based on my brief private detective phase. Something about a 'homes' or such."
He kept a straight face about it as he looked the substance over.
"I have a contact with the Lorsette PD. I will forward this info him, tell him it was told to me in confidence by an ex gang member. He will handle it. Thank you for your help today."
Xander took the swabs, and carefully inserted them into what was left of the nasal opening, pushing up as far as he could. The damage made this difficult. For a moment, he wondered how Lisa would react if she knew he was part of the group that first researched the effects of lead on the body, back in the 1800s. Or that he had helped Aristotle with his early biology research. Science was the future, and Medicine was the greatest tool created by mankind. A tool that could fix, rather than destroy.
He pulled the swabs out, and he didnt even feel like they needed to send them up for testing. The swabs were coated with silvery grey material.
"Given the high levels, it likely was absorbed from some kind of mucus membrane surface. But, there is the chance it was inhaled as well, i noticed there was no lung biopsy done, but given the obvious damage to skull, it would have been low priority. Its simple enough to check."
He nodded towards the cooler, moving to pull it out. He didnt need to cut the body open, he just needed to swab the upper sinuses. He suspected powdered lead, and long exposure.
Ollie had been missing for a week before his body was body. His injuries showed some signs of healing, which to someone who wasnt aware of the poor kids clotting issues, would make them look as if they occurred just a few hours before death. But, in reality, depending on how long he was without his meds, they could have been days old.
If he had been kept in a building or space filled with lead dust...he would have inhaled it.
Xander listened to the report, and filed the name of the officer in charge of the investigation away in his mind. He glanced over the report himself, providing commentary on the findings that showed he had what would be a shocking understanding of the field of forensic Pathology.
It was only reasonable really. He had lived a long time, and he had to occupy his time somehow. He focused on part in particular.
"It says here, he tested positive for high levels of lead? How would he have been exposed to something like that, in those levels, without dying directly from it?"
In reality, he knew the answer, but it was not a matter of general knowledge. Lead was used by many drug dealers to artificially increase the weight of the powdered drugs they sold. Ollie didnt use any drugs other than a bit of cannabis. The likely answer to the question of how he had ended up with Lead in his system was that the gang had pure Lead powder and was planning to mix the highly toxic chemical with their cocaine supply.
Xander listened, he did not speak until she had finished.
"I reason for his actions, though, it may not be the answer you want. A Lich is nothing, and nothing less, than a human who has returned to life, when they should have died. Their emotions, though muted, are not gone. I have walked this earth longer than any other born to it, as far as i know. there may yet be angels, or demons, who are older than i am. But no being born of the Earth has seen more sunrises."
He closed his eyes, as if listening to something far away.
"Undead, Earth Born, Heaven Born, Hell Spawned. They are, for all their differences, the same when you look beyond their appearances. You have claimed many lives. Even if you count those that you yourself did not take directly. I have taken...so many more. I have slain mothers as they wept over the corpse of their child. I have murdered men as they held their wives who breathed no more. War is a monster, and it makes those who are drawn into it, into monsters as well. I have spared lives that i should not have, causing even greater harm."
His eyes turned dark.
"In 1910, i fought in the countryside of Italy. I saw before a young German, his eyes filled with terror as i came upon him, ready to take his head from his shoulders. I spared him. i still wonder, to this day, if the soldier i spared, was then one who one day brought about the second world war."
Xander smiled softly, her obvious fear of discovery was something he had once felt himself, a long, long time ago.
"It is not for him that i am doing this. Those who did this to him, will be willing to do this to others. I could not save him. But by acting, by giving the information so that the authorities can act, and deal with this themselves, i may be able to save others. There is risk, for sure, but, nothing worth doing, is without risk."
He sighed, reaching into his duster again. This time, he pulled out a very, very old piece of paper. It had clearly been folded, and unfolded, countless times.
"This is a letter of thanks, written by one Anita Delimita. I tracked down the man who killed her parents, in 1932. I risked exposure at every turn. This letter, which simply says 'Thank you' in rough, barely legible hand writing, did more to soothe the ache in my heart, than decades of working orphanages, hospitals, and animal shelters. Its...difficult to explain in words, and truthfully, i am not sure you can understand the feeling, with how muted undead emotions tend to be."
He put the letter away after a moment, and looked at Lisa. "I have lost count of how many times i attempted to take my own life. I dont know the exact span of my life, but, i have lived so long, as to see the rise of the stone age, the start of the bronze age, and all the way through till now. I once hunted beasts that only exist in legend, and as crude paintings on the walls. I thought i would never regain my desire to live. Yet i always find myself convinced, even when i think it is not possible. I cannot say how others would feel. I have met a few other immortals of human origin. None as old as me. All have their own reasons for wanting to continue, their own way of enjoying their eternal life. Each must find their own. My reason, at this point in time, is to save as many lives as i can. The love and gratitude of a single child, makes me feel...fulfilled. As if i have truly done something with my time. Getting attached is indeed, painful when they are lost to me. but it is human nature to seek attachments. You may not realize it, but the relationship between you and your apprentice, is similar in nature to the relationship found in adoptive human family groups. Even as immortal undead, the two of you still seek to form bonds."
"Emotions are...difficult things. Many humans struggle to understand how they feel, or to express themselves appropriately. I struggle with things like empathy, with sadness. Not because of anything wrong with me, but because it is the best for survival. Being what i am, as old as i am, letting my emotions boil over is...dangerous. i will have to contact Lorsette PD. Let them know everything i can about those who did this."
He rubbed his forehead. "Told him to just stay away from them. He didnt have to go back and try to mend that bridge."
The half neanderthal let out a sigh. In truth, though he looked cold, and perhaps unfeeling on the outside, inside, he felt a rage that threatened to spill over the brim. He could picture himself, clearly, snapping the necks of those who had killed Ollie. He wouldnt even need his combat based ability. He could easily do it anyway. Sapiens were so weak. So...delicate.
Xander nodded. Although it was not his intent to seem cold, or distant, he likely came across that way. This was not a personality issue. It was truthfully a matter of his brain structure. Neanderthals did not have the same emotional processing as Sapiens. They felt emotions, but intense emotional reactions were suppressed. It was a survival feature.
He pulled back the sheet. The face was smashed beyond recognition. He had expected this. He lift the left arm, and turned it. There, as he knew it would be, was a tattoo of a skull, in the Hispanic 'day of the dead' style.
"Its Ollie."
His voice was cold. Although this was only their second meeting, the difference between his light and warm tone of the first meeting, would be a stark contrast to this new display. He replaced the sheet.
"I'm not his legal guardian. His parents were killed by a Terror. I let him stay at my place for a while. He was only 17."
Xander pulled a small packet from an inside pocket of his duster coat. He opened the packet and poured out several amethyst crystals. He selected one about the size of his thumbnail, and placed it carefully on the metal table, moving the hand so it covered the stone.
"Not that many know this, but, my father's people, they believe purple crystals acted as guides to the spirit lands, the place on the other side. This is a funerary practice that is only observed by myself now."
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credits
The skin is created by Wolf of Adoxography and Gangnam Style. The thread and conversation remodels are by Kagney. The Strange Reality board list, Heal My Soul info center, I Remember Now mini profile and Electric Requiem profile remodel is made by Pharoah Leap. The Who's That Member member list remodel was made by Tictactoe. The Cbox.ws Shoutbox remodel was made by Trinity Blair. All templates used for claims, information sheets, applications, etc are credited to their owners; credits for these can be found in the threads the templates are use on. Images that are used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners, however, they have been edited by Zac with a few being edited by Chibi Magician. The plot, rules and various other information pieces for The Duality of Man are written by Chibi Magician with the assistence of her co-admins, Finnegan and Dremulf, alongside other unlisted people who were kind enough to give their input. The TRS, AP and face claim were all created by Fleur for specifically the use of TDOM. All plugins used on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners. The templates my members use are credited to their maker, if you find a template that belongs to you, but is uncredited, please speak to Chibi Magician or the member themself. Characters created on The Duality of Man are credited to their owners and should not be used elsewhere without the creator's permission.
Special thanks for the members of TDOM who make suggestions to help make this site better. Even though we can not accept all suggestions, we immensely appreciate it. Thus, we give credit to any additions that you thought of and were later implimented by the staff, because we are glad you give us these excellent ideas.
