(OOC: This is an urban fantasy RPG that takes place in New York City.

Create a persona with:

• Your name and gender.
• Race - Human, orc, elf, dwarf, goblin, brezzik, centaur.
• Appearance - hair, eyes, build, age, distinguishing marks, clothing style.
• Profession - doctor, mechanic, private investigator, etc.
• Special skills - arcane lore, streetwise, singing, etc.

Let's begin...)

The neon glow of New York City paints the cloudy sky with garish hues. This isn't the Big Apple your grandparents remember. A shroud of perpetual twilight hangs over the city, a consequence of the Maelstrom Shard, an ancient artifact lost somewhere in the urban sprawl. Its unnatural darkness fuels ancient magic and attracts monstrous creatures to the city's many shadows. Back alleys are painted with garish street art with dire messages - Jirak Lives, DARK LORD WILL RETURN, and Curse the police!

A string of ritualistic murders has the city on edge. Horrifying corpses have been found, drained of blood and twisted into grotesque parodies of life. Tensions between the races are at an all-time high. Humans mutter about elves practicing dark arts, while elves blame human greed and orcish violence for attracting such evils. The NYPD Supernatural Crimes Unit struggles to maintain order in the wealthy districts, but the sprawling outer boroughs are left to the mercy of powerful, and often ruthless, underworld Lords.

You find yourself in the heart of it all, at a The Blind Owl, a dimly lit bar in Brooklyn near Sunset Park, smelling of alcohol and incense. Whispers of the latest murder hang thick in the air, over a background of alternative metal and gothic rock.

As you make your way to a table, a man catches your attention. Late twenties, fit, dark hair, dressed in the typical jeans and button-down attire popular here. He's not unusual, but the symbol on his copper ring catches the light - a sun framed by a crescent moon.

Suddenly, a dark feeling passes through you, like someone just walked over your grave...