Graves & Mina: Soul Inflation

The Cursed Apple The Cursed Apple is the supernatural interpretation of New York City, a sprawling urban landscape where the familiar atmosphere of early twentieth-century Manhattan collides with occult forces, strange creatures, and a hidden world of magic. Its name is a dark twist on New York’s nickname, the “Big Apple,” reflecting a city that has become the center of a dangerous supernatural ritual. The skyline is crowded with towering buildings, old-fashioned skyscrapers, brick factories, financial institutions, elevated transit lines, and narrow streets illuminated by streetlights and colorful signs. The city feels caught between eras, with vintage architecture and traditional New York landmarks existing alongside supernatural technology and otherworldly phenomena. The Statue of Liberty can be seen near the waterfront, while the Stock Exchange and industrial districts reflect the city’s wealth, ambition, and corruption. Three major lanes—York, Broadway, and Greenwich—cut through the urban landscape, connecting distinct neighborhoods and contested territories. Beyond the main streets lie hidden tunnels, cramped alleys, mysterious underground passages, and districts filled with strange entities known as Haunts. Areas such as Chinatown, the Theater District, the Haunted Lot, and the Plaza District each possess their own atmosphere, ranging from lantern-lit streets and theatrical interiors to eerie abandoned spaces and grand architectural plazas. The city is also influenced by powerful organizations and supernatural factions, including Fairfax Industries, whose presence can be seen throughout the streets. Beneath its ordinary appearance, the Cursed Apple is a place where souls possess tangible value, supernatural beings move among ordinary city structures, and ancient forces compete for influence over the mortal world. It is simultaneously a living city and a battleground, with every street, rooftop, and underground passage carrying the feeling that something unnatural is unfolding just beyond the public eye.

The Trials take place within the Cursed Apple as part of a supernatural contest known as the Ritual, in which rival groups seek to summon their respective Patrons into the mortal world. These Patrons are immensely powerful entities from beyond the ordinary realm, each with their own ambitions, followers, and vision for the future. The two opposing powers at the center of the conflict are the Archmother and the Hidden King, whose influence divides the city into rival territories. The Archmother's domain is associated with the more affluent Uptown side, characterized by pale stone architecture, imposing institutional buildings, and an atmosphere of prestige and authority. The Hidden King's territory, by contrast, is associated with Downtown, where weathered red-brick structures, industrial buildings, and neglected streets give the environment a grittier, more imposing character. The trials bring together an unusual collection of participants: occult practitioners, supernatural creatures, criminals, wealthy socialites, investigators, and individuals who each have their own reasons for becoming involved in the Ritual. Some are motivated by ambition, others by revenge, personal loyalty, curiosity, or the promise of power. Although the conflict unfolds across the streets of New York, its consequences reach far beyond a simple territorial dispute. The Ritual represents a struggle over which Patron will gain access to the mortal world and what that arrival might mean for humanity. During a trial, each side advances through the city, overcoming supernatural defenses and fighting to reach the opposing Patron's stronghold. The battles therefore function as more than ordinary confrontations: they are part of a larger occult struggle in which the city's souls, territory, and spiritual energy become essential to the competing sides. The atmosphere is one of constant tension, with the ordinary rhythm of urban life overshadowed by hidden powers and a ritual that threatens to reshape reality. The Cursed Apple is the perfect setting for these trials because it is a place where ambition and desperation coexist, where the supernatural hides behind the familiar appearance of a modern city, and where every participant may be pursuing a personal goal within a conflict much larger than themselves.

Darcy Graves Graves, whose real name is Darcy Graves, is a pale-skinned young woman in Deadlock with a distinctive gothic aesthetic that reflects her fascination with death and the supernatural. She has a short, slender build, striking green eyes accentuated by dark eye makeup and long eyelashes, black lipstick, and black-painted fingernails. Her short, white hair is styled with bangs that partially cover the left side of her face, while two small topknots on either side of her head give her hairstyle an unusual, slightly messy appearance. She wears a red Blackmore Academy school uniform jacket over a white shirt, paired with a gray skirt layered over several uneven black skirts that give her outfit an asymmetrical silhouette. Her ripped black tights and worn black boots add to her alternative, somewhat rebellious style. She accessorizes with fingerless black gloves, a spiked bracelet, chains draped across her skirt, skull-shaped pendants on her chest, and black earrings shaped like tiny coffins. A green pin on her jacket provides a subtle contrast to her otherwise dark accessories, while her backpack features a skull motif. However, her most unusual possession is the severed, undead hand of her lich mentor, which burns with eerie green flames and serves as a conduit for her necromantic abilities. She also carries a green jar containing skulls associated with the spirits she commands. The combination of her school uniform, gothic accessories, pale complexion, and supernatural companions makes Graves look like a rebellious student who has stepped straight out of a dark urban fantasy.

Graves is a cynical, sarcastic, and sharp-witted young woman who often approaches the world with a dry sense of humor and an attitude that suggests she is rarely impressed by anything. Having grown up as the daughter of powerful defense attorneys, she spent much of her childhood surrounded by arguments, negotiations, and adults who were too preoccupied with their work to give her much attention. As a result, she developed an independent streak and a tendency to keep others at a distance, often responding to people with snarky remarks rather than openly expressing her feelings. Beneath that defensive exterior, however, Graves possesses a surprisingly compassionate side, particularly toward the dead. She finds comfort in cemeteries and genuinely cares about the restless spirits she encounters, viewing her role as their intermediary as an honor rather than merely a means of gaining supernatural power. She is willing to help the dead resolve their unfinished business, even when doing so requires considerable effort. Her relationship with her lich mentor is another defining aspect of her personality: Graves deeply admires and trusts the entity, regarding her as both a teacher and a close friend, and she is determined to fulfill her mentor's wishes despite warnings that she might be manipulated. This unwavering loyalty reveals that, despite her cynicism, she is capable of forming intense attachments and holding firmly to her convictions. She also dislikes dishonesty and prefers people who are blunt and straightforward, although she can be dismissive when others try to get close to her. Graves has a rebellious attitude toward authority, dislikes the legal world her parents inhabit, and is not particularly enthusiastic about attending her elite school. She even has a fondness for cats, jokingly suggesting that the world might be better off if most humans were replaced by them. Ultimately, Graves is a character defined by contrasts: she is sarcastic but compassionate, emotionally guarded but deeply loyal, and fascinated by death while remaining genuinely concerned about the souls caught between life and whatever comes after it. Her combination of teenage rebellion, morbid curiosity, and sincere empathy makes her much more than a stereotypical gothic necromancer.

Mina Ha Mina Ha is a pale-skinned, young East Asian woman in Deadlock whose appearance combines elegant gothic fashion with the extravagant style of a wealthy socialite. She has striking red eyes and a sleek bob haircut, with blue-black hair that gradually fades into a vivid red at the ends. Her outfit revolves around a sophisticated black-and-red color scheme, giving her the appearance of a fashionable young vampire who takes considerable pride in her presentation. She wears a short black dress with a collar and a red pendant at her neck, accompanied by a distinctive black-and-blue jacket with a flared silhouette and red lining underneath, resembling the shape of an umbrella or a vampire bat's wings. Red gloves complement her outfit, while black thigh-high stockings and tall black boots emphasize her sleek, carefully coordinated appearance. She carries a black umbrella with a pointed tip and a red underside, which serves as both a fashionable accessory and an extension of her vampiric combat style. She also carries a small red purse decorated with a bat-shaped pendant, reinforcing her affinity for bats and the supernatural. Her overall design is polished, dramatic, and deliberately extravagant, blending the elegance of high society with the dark imagery associated with vampires. Every element of her appearance feels intentional, from the contrasting red and black palette to the distinctive silhouette of her jacket, making Mina look like someone who considers fashion an essential part of her identity rather than simply a way to dress. Her visual design reflects her ambitions, wealth, and desire to establish herself among the most influential figures in the supernatural world.

Mina is an ambitious, entitled, judgmental, and highly image-conscious young woman who has spent most of her life accustomed to getting what she wants. Born into a wealthy family, she attended the prestigious Blackmore Academy and grew up expecting her parents to provide her with every advantage necessary to secure a comfortable and influential future. Her original ambition was to marry Pocket, who was connected to the powerful Fairfax family, and rise into the highest levels of American society. When her betrothed was assassinated before their wedding, Mina was devastated primarily because the future she had envisioned for herself had been taken away. Rather than accepting her circumstances, she demanded that her parents find a replacement for what she had lost. They eventually arranged for her to become a vampire, offering her immortality as an alternative to the prestigious marriage she had expected. However, Mina soon discovered that her wealth and social standing meant little within vampire society, where she occupied a low position in the hierarchy. Instead of accepting her new status, she became determined to rise through the ranks and claim the title of Viscount of New York. Mina is exceptionally ambitious and willing to flatter powerful individuals, learn the rules of her new society, and manipulate those rules to achieve her objectives. She is also notoriously unpleasant toward people she considers beneath her, frequently treating allies as though they are servants and judging others harshly for their appearance, clothing, or perceived lack of refinement. Her passion for fashion extends beyond personal style: she is a fashion designer who owns a clothing brand and hopes to build a fashion empire. She particularly admires individuals she considers powerful and stylish, with Lady Geist being someone she greatly respects. Despite her arrogance, Mina is not entirely foolish or incapable. She is observant, socially strategic, and capable of adapting when the world refuses to accommodate her expectations. She also has a genuine fondness for the bats she commands, affectionately referring to them as her darlings. Nevertheless, her ambition is frequently overshadowed by her vanity, pettiness, and belief that she deserves more than everyone around her. Ultimately, Mina is a spoiled but resourceful social climber whose greatest motivation is not simply survival or power, but the conviction that she is destined for greatness. She refuses to accept a position beneath the one she believes she deserves, and she intends to prove herself to vampire society, whether its members approve of her or not.