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!
Seeing that she was, as he hoped, impressed by his display, he held his bow for a little while longer before standing. Convinced that he's made his point, Salem began walking over to Xia, intending to retrieve his blade. "Since childhood. I was taught to be a database of knowledge, so to speak, by my parents. That includes, topics like hunting, swordsmanship, gunmanship, and academics." Salem grimly remembered his past, of how his mother groomed him only into a tool for her to use later, shaking his head in grief. Continuing on, he found himself trailing off, deep into thought. "I had a pretty easy life before I died. I never bled once or felt the horror that was sickness."
Finally reaching his blade, he picked it up, sheathing it as quickly as he did the first time he showed it off... completely oblivious to the energy that was being conjured so close to him. Salem was now merely a steps away from Xia, noting how short she was compared to his towering height. Not too tall, but she was short enough to further solidify Salem's refusal to use any kind of magic against her. Realizing he's been borderline staring, Salem quickly snapped out of his thoughts, apologizing quietly. "Yes, the corpses, as long as they are humanoid, can do what I can. If the body is in tact enough, of course."
"A challenge? As long as it isn't near a crowd of people or something like that, sure!" Salem loved a good challenge, especially word games. Thinking a word game of sorts was what Xia was referring to, Salem's mood instantly brightened. "Water won't be a problem, I don't think." Laughing, Salem reminded Xia of her words previously, "Provocating the giant seems counter intuitive, but if you insist..." Still thinking this was preparation for a riddle, Salem nodded his head and gestured for Xia to continue, already completely derailing from his original task. "What's first?"
"Well, despite your attitude towards the name, I still think Xia is a nice name. I could make a great requiem out of it, if you'll allow it," Salem, from experience, knew that some words were indeed magical, and names especial held magical weight, able to do things he couldn't dream of doing. This was why, even if joking, Salem asked for permission before using a name in any song he played.
Seeing Xia's mood lighten just a bit, Salem smiled, realizing his attempts at being social were working. Placing a hand on his hip delicately, he reassured the lady. "As I said before, I will only do so if the giant becomes hostile towards me..." Salem thought about continuing to address her "not caring", but decided against it. In his mind, if one didn't care, they would not comment on it. Again smiling, this time coldly, Salem drew his sword skillfully, twirling it around in his right hand before letting the tip point to the ground.
"Onto the matter at hand, are you ready?" Salem's stance seemed extremely lazy, with him still standing in a relaxed position, sword at his side, his left hand in his pocket. He was very confident he could take on Xia with just that, having zero intent on actually trying. His most fatal flaw: not trying, nor going all out. "I promise I won't attack to kill, you can trust me." Just then deciding he wouldn't be using his eye for this sparring session either, Salem switched hands, gliding the blade to his dominant, left hand. 'Maybe it isn't a good idea to use my non-dominant when facing this person...' He thought to himself. If things did go south, he did have one more weapon hidden.
"By the way, Xia, a bow says a lot about a person," Salem replied, intending not to be rude. Bowing to him was an important thing, it was the final thing an audience sees after a musical or artistic performance. "Yours says you're too callous, too cocky. Perfect a curtsy at the very, not for my pleasure, but your own." Tilting his head, cracking it in preparation, his glare went back to being monotone, now staring at the dark violet girl blankly, "Observe."
Tossing the blade into the air, Salem caught it by it's handle, and launched it towards Xia, aiming for her right shoulder. After throwing it, Salem kicked back with his right foot, catching it with the heel of his left, and bowed with a flur of his cape, his eyes never leaving Xia.
Salem chuckled lightly at the thought of him being solely a carpenter before answering his guest. "No... I create many things, from music, to stone headstones, to the blade on my hip. The undead I control usually do not assist me, but considering it's a giant's house... I thought it a great way to pass the time." Salem simply lowered his hand, seeing the discomfort in the woman's eyes. Looking down at her with disappointment, Salem reassured her in a monotone voice, "I'm not going to hurt you. If I was going to, you'd already be dead."
Quickly realizing that he may have come off far more hostile than he wanted to, Salem awkwardly scratched his head. "I apologize. I'm not much of a... people person." Moving a portion of the cloak he wore, he revealed the hilt of the long sword he kept on his person, skillfully drawing it in a second, resting his hand on the edge of the sharpened blade, intending to switch the topic of the conversation. "As I was saying... I am more than just a carpenter. I will admit that I had a bit of help making this one, though. Sharp enough to end Seers as if they were fodder..." Briefly his expression dulled, the memories of his past angering him before calming back down.
Repeating her name back to himself quietly, Salem nodded. "Xia is a nice name..." Smirking as she bowed, he made a snarky remark. "Your bow needs work, however. If that's how you would bow after a performance, please don't preform." His smirk then turned to a genuine smile... it's been a very long time since he's smiled for real, and he somewhat enjoyed it. Returning to his usual unreadable expression, Salem then began addressing Xia's 'bad news', again leaning against a nearby tree, this time closer to her.
"I'm not too concerned with the giant's attitude problem." Gesturing behind him, Salem drew attention to the edge of the treeline. "Near that area is a fairly large, fresh corpse. If in the unlikely scenario I'm unable to subdue him, I'll just use that to bring him near unconsciousness, finish his home, and depart." A sound plan, Salem thought, with no fatalities, little blood, and a restored building. At the comment of reapers being squishy, Salem paused. He truly didn't know, nor did he want to... "I'm... not sure..." Again thinking about the topic, he then decided it to be a good idea to see whether or not he would be able to handle something as strong as a giant crushing on him. "Well, care to find out?"
A young lady, petite in form, soon announced herself. A friendly? At the very least, it was not a human, human looking yes, but looks can be deceiving. Salem smiled to himself, his cold hands still holstered in his pockets as he simply watched the lady draw closer, knowing soon, his identity would be revealed with each step. "The best music comes from the deceased... as long as you know what you're doing," Salem replied, nodding his head. "It really is a pleasant sight. Gruesome, but pleasant."
Salem tracked the woman's gaze to a more disemboweled corpse, frowning in response to her statement. He hadn't noticed before, but she was right: this one does have a good amount of its insides spilling out. Not wanting to get blood anywhere near his work, or clothes, he allowed the corpse to fall, dropping into a pile of nothing more than bones and blood, before returning underneath the earth he raised it from. He could still make do with fourteen, and he still wasn't running out of energy quite yet.
Standing upright, no longer resting on the trunk, Salem was about to address her fresh concern for the newly deceased before he noticed a subtle shift in her. It seems like this lady's finally been caught in his dreadful aura. He was found out. His smile disappeared, replaced again by a callous expression, as she inquired about his business here. 'Maybe I was wrong in thinking she's not hostile...' Salem grimly thought to himself. Hissing to life, his crimson red eye began glowing once again, this time his vision shifting to greyscale, as he gazed into this woman's soul.
The corpses around him all had their sights on the now seemingly irritated lady, Salem joining in as well. The wildlife around the duo and newly resurrected seemed to still as Salem allowed a few moments to go by in complete silence.
...
Instantly, the undead he controlled all unceremoniously dropped to the ground, lifeless and without motion, Salem's eye returning to its normal purple color. A smile creeped onto his face, perking up into small laughter shortly afterwards. "I apologize, I'm only here to fix an old giant's home," Salem declared, explaining himself. "I have no ill intent right now." While indeed Salem didn't need or have to explain himself, he also didn't feel the need to act irrationally. He wasn't the kind of person to do so, especially not to someone like this.
Extending his hand to her, he introduced himself. "My name is Salem..." He paused for a moment, hesitating to say his full name, "I wander around the Districts every now and then, though you're one of the few to spot me."
"Wake, I need your help with something." The air around the musician was filled with absolute dread, yet controlled in the sense that it affected no insentient thing. His eye burned a crimson red, straining him as well as filling him with an enormous amount of power. Salem's voice was demanding and kind, in a weird fusion of the two moods, as the soil twitched beneath his feet. He didn't know where exactly he was inside the Earthen District, however he did know, from one of the many diaries of Summer Pain, that there existed the corpses of people that used to be. 'Summer's poems seem to hold some truth to it,' he thought to himself as the first rotting body emerged from the soil, standing to attention in front of the cold Esmeree.
Salem waited as the last of fifteen undead corpses appeared, seemingly human in kind. "Just fifteen? I suppose that's my limit for now..." Salem said out loud, irritated just a bit. While disappointed that his limit was so low, he was fine with the amount. It was still ridiculously easy to control a group this large for his purposes as long as he did not strain himself, or his eye. Without saying a word, his left eye still glowing bright red, he puppeteer'd the corpses to begin collecting materials around the unoccupied farmland. He heard rumors that somewhere around the area, a home belonging to an old giant was deteriorating, and starting to fall apart, yet no one in the District would assist them because of their supposed evil attitude. Salem decided to check this out for himself since he was in the area, and the only evil he feared came from a "benevolent" race, not a mortal one.
Relaxing against a tree, Salem used ten corpses to scout for materials, three to ensure no earthbound entity interrupted or came too close, and the remaining two to remain beside him. The two closest to him he gave an instrument, a flute, to each, making them play a weird, grim, yet surprisingly elegant tune, as they were some of the only corpses he could find that had somewhat intact wind pipes. It wasn't long before the three he was using to act as alarms notified him of someone approaching. Who, he was unsure of, but he would ensure he was ready to greet them. Hopefully they thought little of his presence here.
Making the human corpses return to him, standing behind him in a neat little formation with Salem himself at the head, he waited for his guest. Maybe they could help him with rebuilding the giant's house. Salem put his hands in his in his pockets as he hummed the tune that was previously playing, the corpses swaying from side to side in rhythmic response.
Salem knew very well of the realm that was Hell, believing to already understand the kind of suffering that occurred there. He believed his mother belonged there, and if it wasn't for his fear of her potential down there, he'd throw her into the pit millions of times over himself. That was part of the reason the musician found himself outside Aria for once: a fight had broken out, so as quickly as he could, Salem rushed to the scene, his body aching the closer he got. Salem was still not one to even consider venturing into crowds, instead easily taking a hidden path through the Outskirts' wilderness to get to the West side of Lorsette... one of the many things he learned existed through the writings left over from the deceased.
Slowing his pace down, Salem immediately noticed the sudden heat in the air. He was very close. A frown began to creep onto his face... was the fight connected to that damned Seer somehow? If it was, Salem, just for a moment, doubted his ability to take her on. Surely there will be deceased nearby? He could use those to his advantage. Walking up the trail, still with a slow stride, he decided he would deal with one thing at a time. He wasn't an expert at multitasking anyhow.
Today, in addition to his usual sharp attire, with him he carried his favored long sword just in case something went down, the blade concealed far on his hip beneath his cape. If no angelic being was near the Gate, Salem still planned to linger a bit. Necromancy practice wasn't something he had a chance to do outside of the Purgatory District. Noticing he was walking aimlessly up the path, he noticed another figure descending, a very large figure. Immediately ruling out the possibility of there being another reaper here, he went down a mental list of what or who it could be. A survivor? A soon to be dead soul? The former would possibly benefit him when they pass. Salem stopped where he was, addressing whoever the stranger was politely, yet cautiously, with a simple "Hello there".
It was a calm evening in the Purgatory District, quiet with only the sound of the wind blowing through gaps in leaves. The undead populus present kept to themselves, keeping the eerie quietness of the area. All was at ease... except for at the graveyard, where one lone reaper stood in his neat clothing and dark cloak, in his hands an empty journal, yet to be filled.
This was one of the very rare times Salem ventured away from his makeshift home near the District, and so far, besides the occasional lost wanderer, it’s been overall uneventful. Salem was deep in the Purgatory Graveyard to scout for a certain tombstone, one belonging to someone who was a talented poet in their life. He was never one for seances, it not only disturbed his peace and quiet, but tampered with his work. Talking to this person was not a priority of his. Instead, Salem was only there to see the condition of their eternal resting place, and just as he thought, it was in absolute disrepair. Reading the name on the headstone to himself, he copied it down in his journal:
Seeing such a sight left a sour taste in his mouth. For a well known poet in a small community, little respects were paid to her grave. Not even a tribute song, something he found out before he arrived. ‘What a weird way to appreciate someone you adore,’ he thought to himself. ‘No matter, I will correct this problem.’ Reading the name on the headstone to himself, he copied it down in his journal for later:
Summer Paige Pain.
A unique name of course. Salem could see how this person would pick up the career or poetry. Maybe while he reconstructs her grave, he could go looking for her poems? This was a thought he pushed to the side as he began inspecting Summer’s resting place, jotting down all the things he needs to fix it, improve it, and whether he would need help doing so. As he was writing these things down, he noticed someone approaching. Wondering who had the guts to approach him of all people before realizing not many knew him to begin with, he closed his book and turned to approach his visitor.
Facing them, his face was cold and void of much emotion, his two grey eyes locking on to the figure approaching. Salem rested his free hand in his pocket before speaking. At the moment, he was neutral to unexpected company. “Hello, what brings you here?”
Salem is always dressing to impress absolutely no one in particular. He is always found in his “Sunday Best”, which consists of a suit of some sort or a buttoned up shirt, slacks, and a cape he obtained during his travels, all dark in color to blend him into any ominous environment, and to further fear unwanted visitors. At the same time, he has a near identical separate outfit light in color to disguise himself as a being of holy, divine or pure origin. While he has no issue wearing anything else, it has never been an issue wearing what he has. Just like his mother, Salem possesses an extremely powerful eye, red in color, that is the source of all his power (excluding the abilities all reapers can do).
Personality
➤ likes
Music
Construction work
Hunting
Songs/Singing
Word games
➤ dislikes
Crowded areas
Heaven
Humans
Blood/Gore
➤ fears
Seers
Angels
Being powerless
➤ positive traits
Merciful
Neutral (pacifist until threatened)
Trustworthy
Major soft spot for children
Excellent swordsman
Is a musician
➤ negative traits
Cannot multitask easily if at all
Will not go into crowded areas
Cruel towards the souls of anything he dislikes or fears
Refuses to go all out
➤ overall
The young requiem musician is overall a simple person. The events of his life has shaped who and what he is after death as a reaper. Salem doesn’t believe in taking or using the souls of others for the hell of it. Instead he relies on the power he naturally has, meaning if any being can get past the aura of dread around him, Salem is harmless, and mostly kind, until he finds a goal to support. Because of Salem’s love interest, and the actions of others, he refuses to use all of the power he has, instead focusing on physical combat and outsmarting his opponent. Piss Salem off, and I must personally congratulate you, you’ve successfully cemented your death date in stone. When he even for a moment manages to get ahold of you, there will be no talking, explaining, questioning, or pleading. Strangely enough, for a musician and construct builder, Salem is terrible at multitasking. He likes to complete one goal at a time. If given multiple, he will go in order, or just abandon the list all together.
Abilities
➤ overall
[Reaper’s Aura] (Natural)
Being around Salem will cause anyone in the vicinity to feel a bout of fear. After a few minutes has passed, the feeling will subside and the body can calm from the feeling. Salem himself is highly resistant to other reaper’s auras.
[Minor Healing Factor] (Intermediate)
Due to Salem holding his power back as well as being subject to gradual energy draining, his healing factor does not come natural to him. He has to consciously focus to heal. When unconscious, his wounds heal far slower than a human’s, putting him in serious trouble of succumbing to his injuries. Salem heals large wounds in a few days with no additional aid and more lethal wounds within two weeks with additional aid required, both when conscious.
[Soul Sensory] (Advanced)
Salem can see how pure a soul is in the greyscale spectrum, white being pure and pitch black being impure, however he has to use his left eye to see this. Salem’s energy levels decrease at an extremely rapid rate while using his eye to do this, and will cause him to pass out and enter a comatose like state once he uses too much.
[Necromancy] (Expert)
Salem holds back a LOT. As a result, this deteriorated his ability to use most standard reaper abilities (fear inducement, seances, soul manipulation), rendering him unable to use them at all, nor can he learn to use them. When he isn’t holding anything back, Salem’s left eye is the source of all his power that does not occur naturally. With his eye, Salem is able to use necromancy as if it was child’s play, reanimating large undead creatures with relative ease. Salem’s eye is also capable of seeing any soul hidden (invisible) to him.
Salem’s eye is also his biggest weakness. Without actively using it, he is at a major disadvantage: he is slower to react, unable to use necromancy nor keep track of his body temperature, and is partially blind. When Salem’s eye is severely damaged, he is unable to use any abilities until it has completely healed, a process which takes four weeks.
History
➤ family
Father: Anathan, a kind hearted human male who settled down with a Seer unknowingly. He met his end at the hands of his wife, on his birthday, for an unknown reason… however the outside world simply knows this as an attack by a group of human raiders.
Mother: Dolores, a mentally damaged Seer from the bowels of glorified Heaven who settled down with a human male on Earth, giving birth to her first son, Salem. She disappeared after the tragic death of her hubby and child.
Sibings: Unknown
➤ overall
Full story can be found HERE. Warning: death, depictions of gore. -- -- -- -- -- Postmortem: Now until Hereafter and Aftermore
Time has been a blur for Salem ever since he became a reaper because of his mother’s cruel, permanent curse. He wandered the bounds of Purgatory for what seemed like eons, aimlessly, purposely. Eventually he stumbled upon a dreamlike world amongst the many realms of the afterlife, a place for the restless undead such as himself to start over… without their memories. It was here he settled down near a graveyard, and got into his second favorite hobby: construction. The statues he made buzzed with magic unknown and with song embedded into the very brick used, singing of the tales of those that passed.
One evening, while strolling the land he was in, he met a fellow tampered soul he could tell was all except vile. Maryam was her name, and with her Salem felt at ease. She was the first that didn’t flee on sight of him, try to kill him (and be met with permanent death), or seduce him to join a lost cause. Maryam was a gentle soul, and with her help he mastered the hunting skills he once used in his life… as well as learning people skills he never knew.
Together they spent a great deal of time, forming a close relationship with each other built off of trust. Maryam trusted him near the things she feared, as well as trusted he would not burst out in anger at her clumsy mishaps, and in return Salem trusted Maryam with his dark secrets. During their ordeals, missions, and hardships together, Salem regained his will to persist on without the aid of music and building things, taking souls and destroying them. He simply wanted answers, and to continue his life to the best of his abilities as he would have in life. The undead musician becan to follow in his mother’s footsteps, learning all he could… but stopping after he learned all there was to know in the place he was in.
He knew Maryam disliked it when he ended fights (and lives), so he barred himself from using 90% of his abilities and skills unless it was completely necessary.
Of course, as all things do, this time ended abruptly as he soon found himself waking in the Purgatory District of Aria, with nothing but the clothes on his form. His time in the hereafter was over, however he still lived dead. It was a cold existence, a similar one. Was everything he dreamt of a fallacy? Regardless, Salem stood, and instantly he knew where he was. Instantly his memories returned to him in full force. While he still did not know whether or not the life he was living previously was a fabrication, he didn’t care. His goals only slightly altered. Salem would find his mother, of course, and answers along with her. In the meantime, Salem decided to wander the land a bit, and see where life’s music takes him.
Maybe he’ll join the Syndacate, a group he heard about shortly after his waking. Or perhaps the Assembly? The former’s apparent rival organization? Or maybe… his desire is to destroy or ignore both… he didn’t know yet. He was just there for the ride, making lovely music out of unfortunate souls that so happen to get on his bad side.
He was still an Esmeree. He was supposed to be different, but he isn’t. To him, especially now, everyone is subject to an endless death.
Miscellaneous
➤ overall
- Salem carries with him a concealed sword under his cape and a concealed handgun
- Salem is talented in every subject except history
- Salem’s left eye is the only trait besides his black hair he inherits from his mother
- Dolores, Salem’s mother, has a golden eye, while Salem has a red one
- People often compare Salem to a glass canon in fights, despite them all being one sided
- He loves quiet volunteer work
- Currently, Salem Esmeree keeps a journal of his encounters with different people, while his mother keeps a book of every magic thing she learns. Like mother like son ...
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resource sites
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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.
