ooc; good morning dash, i’ve got this bit of lore drop for you today. zooming into the perspective of father charles, sen’s first ‘antagonist’ figure, set following the moments that scar of hers is given. lore files for charles and shepherds flame are still wip but i think you’ll get the gist. due to the nature of the scene, all has been stuffed below the cut. content warning: abu.se, religious themes, blood hinted, wounds, general dddne stuff.
» Case: #237005 - The Coyote» File: #0072» Lead Investigator: [!!!] >> REDACTED» Classification: Secret; Investigators Only
Investigators Notes: The following scene has been reconstructed based on evidence, records, and witness accounts. Any new details should be submitted to the lead investigator.
Location: Shepherd’s Guiding Hand Correctional Center, [!!!] >> REDACTED, Georgia
Est. Timeframe: Early to Mid 2000s
Dull blue eyes stared down at the limp body that lay across the metal table, a bright red line contrasting against pale skin. The teenage girl had passed out under the weight of the pain, shock and exhaustion overwhelming the fight she’d displayed while being dragged into the small room less than an hour before. Even unconscious, defiance etched the faint crease of her brow.
He’d make a note of that when he could, back in his private office.
Father Charles neither looked pleased nor disappointed, only considering as if the results of a test were not as expected. Long fingers pulled rubber gloves off with a snap, the tips smudged by the bloodied knife he’d used per tradition of the Church. His black cassock hung undisturbed, the gray cincture at his waist and white collar pristine despite what he’d just done. The middle-aged man was just starting to bald, brown hair turning salt and pepper on the fringes. Wire frame glasses had only one smudge in the bottom corner of the lens from where he pushed them back up the bridge of his nose.
Two women in habits, both hardened and detached, had held her down during the process. Now, they fussed over the young girl’s back, moving methodically as if practiced. The wound was freshly cut in the fashion the High Shepherd of the Church had taught him years ago after he had been initiated. With a heated metal rod, the Sisters cauterized the damage, pressing the pointed end against the worst of the cut with a brief and unpleasant hiss. The smell of smoldering flesh permeated through the small room, lit with dimmed overhead fluorescence, but no one seemed to flinch.
He had expected her to fold — plead for him to stop like the other ‘lost lambs’ had. As the overseer of the facility, knew this day would come since she had been admitted four or five years ago. It hadn’t taken long for her to make it on his list. Most of the other miscreants broke as the tip of the knife edged over the shoulder blade. A modest mark — the kind that showed humbling to the small religious community and not outright rebellion that could lead to ostracism. The remaining handful typically caved by the time he reached the spine…
Barbaric. But… Effective. On most, that is.
That gaze traced the carving that now ran from shoulder to hip. Regardless, the data was as useful as the sharp blade he still held.
“Father Charles?”
His head snapped up, a meek looking woman with black curls stood in the doorway, averting her gaze to the floor and avoiding the scene. Too young still to be numb to such a sight and understand the necessity of the matter, much less the importance of his work. But his project was still unfolding, and Isabel was just a piece still in motion.
Hands folded behind his back, expectant. There was no visible shame or embarrassment in his apparent actions. And he did not attempt to hide it.
“What is it, Sister Isabel?” The Father’s words were flat, wrapped with feigned warmth. The mask he wore to maintain some semblance of faith cloaking the ambitious researcher underneath.
At nearly a head shorter than the man, Isabel shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable under Charles’ gaze.
“The Keepers have cleared the campus.” The Sister’s voice was hushed, like one might appear if she spoke the title too loudly. “And they’re maintaining watch now, as you asked.”
At least something was still working as intended today. His loyal Keepers quieted most rooms they stepped into by presence alone. And sometimes by force.
Isabel cleared her throat then continued. “All of the children have been sent back to their beds. The injured are in medical care, including several staff members.” Fingers unconsciously fidgeted with the hem of her sleeves, a weak attempt to soothe herself. “The ones we believe helped the instigator—,” those doe eyes flicked up finally, eyeing the blonde child for no more than half a second, “—have been put in individual isolation holds.”
Charles considered the young woman for a moment. The headdress she wore did little to give her any semblance of age, much less wisdom. He wondered how far he’d have to twist the knife until she finally accepted her role in this unfortunate business.
If she did that, she’d make a fine Keeper herself. The quiet ones always did.
“Thank you, Isabel.” Charles’ head inclined ever so slightly, barely feigning the acceptance with a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll tend to the others as soon as I’m finished here.”
The words tasted like dogmatic ilk on his tongue.
With a brief but polite incline of his head: “You may go now.”
The young woman gripped the doorknob, as if her body was aware that something was wrong with the scene before her yet her mind was still convincing itself that it was normal. A standard response as part of the process; the body often took longer to convince than the mind. Then she nodded, disappearing behind the heavy door as it closed with a soft thud.
When he turned back to the table, the senior Sisters were dressing the wound, care given but absent of warmth. ‘Truly Enlightened’ some would whisper about them between the pews. An inconvenient concept as old as the Church itself — inefficient, outdated. One he intended to replace. Soon.
“Give the necessary care and see her to the infirmary with strict oversight. We don’t need another riot started in the medical wing lest we provoke the ire of the High Shepherd.” The Father’s instructions carried the weight of bored authority. “Only do what is necessary. God will dictate the rest.”
Both Sisters bowed their heads, a quiet “yes Father” issued in unison as they continued their work. It would be easier to complete the repair here before the girl woke — she would surely start struggling again.
With a final glance, Charles nodded his head and stepped out of the room. Steps clicked against the concrete floor as he headed towards his quarters, thoughts cycling as he considered the outcomes of this situation and collecting the thoughts he would jot down. As the old IBM terminal blinked on at his desk, the amber interface bloomed against the dark, he had his notes ready:
» Subject known as Kali refused entirely, collapsing instead.
» Observation will continue to monitor long term impact per thesis — pain alone isn’t always sufficient.
» This is not the first subject to display such tolerance, but she is one of few.
» Further data to be collected.
ooc; the following contains triggering topics such as child abuse, religious themes, and cults. additionally, this information is meant to be unknown to others and is provided as character lore unless agreed upon ahead of time or shared during interactions.
Case: #237005 - The Coyote
Lead Investigator: <REDACTED>
Classification: Secret; Investigators Only
Born into a strict household in Casper, Wyoming on May 7th, Kali Blackwell, was pushed to be perfect from day one. Her father, Robert Blackwell, a banker for many of the largest and wealthiest cattle farms in the state, followed the word of an obscure, cult-like religion under the denomination of “Shepherd’s Flame” — warmth rare but punishment swift. Her mother, Vanessa Blackwell, a stay-at-home mom and gardener, suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, undiagnosed due to the negative views of mental health issues preached the church. With Kali being an only child, this led to the constant expectation of perfection and correction — perfectly clean clothes, proper manners, chores done at the same time every day, and so on.
For a young child, it was a lot to ask.
As Kali grew older, the more pressure and expectation was placed on her. In first grade, one of Kali’s teachers reported to her parents that she was generally a “happy child” with a wonderful imagination but disruptive, showing signs of hyperactive ADHD. Her parents, outraged by the accusation, left in a huff and pulled her out of school and home schooled her. This only aggravated Kali’s symptoms further, leading to more attempts at correction or punishment. Her father called her cursed. Her mother said nothing.
When she finally rebelled, getting caught stealing after running away from home, it led to her arrest as a youth at age 10. When her parents came to pick her up, they demanded their daughter be returned to them to issue punishments in alignment with their church. Her father, well known by the community and generally viewed as a good person, was convincing. The cops reluctantly agreed, genuinely hoping to keep another kid out of the juvenile incarceration system. It was supposed to be a mercy. It wasn’t.
The Shepherd’s Flame approved solution was an institution named “The Shepherd’s Guiding Hand” and was marketed as rehabilitation located in the American South. They were anything but—rigid, abusive, and controlling. They relied on religious indoctrination, forced labor, isolation, and coercion. She endured years of psychological, physical, and emotional abuse—humiliation, cold showers, restraints, even forced medical procedures.
Father Charles Whitlok, the priest in charge of the institution, was an ambitious man for his age at the time, aspiring to climb rank in the church and achieve a higher status. He followed the teachings to the word, enforcing a “children must be seen but not heard” mentality as well as gender roles among the children and staff alike. He saw it as his personal mission to turn every child that attended his institution into one of “God’s perfect angels”.
However, he would not hesitate to damn the children who he found to be unworthy.
One of those kids was Kali. Kali became one of the known “problem children”, regularly testing or pushing past the boundaries of the institution. Most of the time she could endure the punishments. Sometimes she could not.
Around the age of 15, Kali refused to cooperate with staff orders, causing a riot amongst the other children during lunchtime. Caught on camera, Father Charles laid down his judgement. Kali was dragged to one of the isolation cells by two nuns to a waiting Father Charles. Held down on a table and too small to wrest free of adults, Charles used a blade and carved it across Kali’s back from left shoulder to right hip, muttering verses and prayers as he went. The last thing she remembers before passing out was the sharp pain, the warmth of blood, and the words, ‘May the gates of heaven never open for you,’ hissed in her ear like a benediction.
That was the day Kali died and Sen7inel was born — though she wouldn’t know it until years later.
While the wound was cauterized after infliction, it was never well tended and healed poorly, leaving it sensitive to touch. It would take months before she could lie on her back again.
When she regained strength, she went quiet — obedient on the surface, calculating underneath. Father Charles touted it as a success. It was an act out of pure self-restraint. She used this faked attitude to start studying the system that trapped her: who got lazy, where the blind spots were, how passcodes overlapped and where. She manipulated staff, gained privileges, and mapped her escape in phases with restrained patience. When the opportunity finally came, she triggered a blackout, then vanished through a service tunnel with nothing but the clothes on her back.
It would be years before she resurfaced under her chosen name: Sen7inel.
ooc; been poking at this for too long. posting it. sorry it's long. reserve the right to tweak later like i totally did to charles file because i messed up his age whoops. actual dates may vary depending on verse. triggers noted in tags.
ORGANIZATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT
» Case: #237005 - The Coyote
» File: #0098
» Lead Investigator: [!!!] >> REDACTED
» Classification: Secret; Investigators Only
Investigators Notes: The following file contains the cumulation of investigations into the Church as part of cult identification efforts starting in 1983 and includes the necessary details relevant to this case. For further information, see Case #182385.
#~: Overview
The Shepherd’s Flame is a domestic religious organization designated as a high-priority surveillance target following the arrest and prosecution of its leadership in connection with Case #237005. Originally founded in 1964 as a fundamentalist Christian sect in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the organization evolved over several decades from a regional congregation into a structured network of youth correction facilities, recruitment fronts, and — according to evidence recovered during the Whitlok prosecution — an unregistered behavioral research program operating on minors.
The organization is believed to have maintained between 600 and 800 active members at its peak across five regional territories in the United States though Whitlok's arrest seems to have stalled that growth significantly. Current operational status is under assessment.
#~: Origins & Founding
The Shepherd’s Flame was established by one Gideon Lance, a traveling preacher who built his following in rural Wyoming and the Dakotas during the mid-1960s. Lance’s doctrine centered on discipline, obedience, and the rejection of individualism — framing suffering as spiritual purification. By 1975, the Church had established residential youth facilities branded as “Shepherd’s Homes” across multiple states, the first being the Shepherd’s Guiding Hand in rural Georgia.
During this period, the organization operated as a strict fundamentalist sect — corporal punishment, isolation, forced labor, and religious indoctrination were standard. Methods were typically physical. Abuse occurred but was culturally driven rather than systematically designed. Multiple complaints were filed with local authorities during the 1980s; none resulted in prosecution. The organization exhibited markers consistent with high-control groups: centralized authority with no accountability, suppression of dissent, isolation of members from outside contact, and systematic targeting of vulnerable populations for recruitment.
Membership declined through the 1990s due to public scrutiny. Several Homes were shuttered or rebranded as “behavioral rehabilitation centers.” The organization appeared to be contracting toward irrelevance.
That changed with the arrival of Charles Whitlok.
#~: The Whitlok Era
For a full profile on Charles Whitlok, see Case File: Charles Whitlok [npc; father charles].
Whitlok joined the Shepherd’s Flame at the age of 26 following his expulsion from Duke University’s Behavioral Neuroscience program. Initially presenting as a consultant with expertise in behavioral psychology, Whitlok was ordained within three years and assigned oversight of the Shepherd’s Guiding Hand facility in Georgia. He rose to Elder of the Southern House around the age of 42.
Several years later, High Shepherd Gideon Lance died in a fire at a Church facility. Though there were burn marks around his neck and head, the fire was ruled an accident; no suspect was identified. Whitlok was elected High Shepherd by near-unanimous vote of the Elders’ Circle shortly after.
Analysts assess with moderate confidence that Whitlok orchestrated Lance’s death. Evidence recovered during the investigation includes what we now believe was a prototype wearable device consistent with Whitlok’s research that was logged as a “gift” to Lance weeks before the fire. The device was utterly destroyed in the fire, rendering it inoperable.
#~: Organizational Structure
Intelligence indicates the Shepherd’s Flame operates on a rigid vertical hierarchy designed to limit lateral communication between regional branches. The structure, as assessed:
High Shepherd (“The Living Flame”): Sole authority over doctrine, strategy, and personnel. Controlled all Bond technology systems via a master unit disguised as a clerical collar. Position held by Whitlok after Lances death until his arrest.
Elders’ Circle: four to six senior leaders, each overseeing a regional territory called a “House.” Serve as the public face of the organization. Only rank authorized to remove Guidance Collars or Holy Bands from members.
Fathers: Local facility and congregation leaders. Has its own subhierarchy. Primary interface with general membership. Report upward to their regional Elder. Do not communicate with the High Shepherd directly.
Keepers of the Flame: Operatives conditioned through the organization’s behavioral modification program. Serve as enforcers, recruiters, and handlers. Feared and revered. Equipped with a gilded headband device designated the “Holy Band” — outwardly a symbol of status, internally a compliance and surveillance tool. Most Keepers appear unaware of the Band’s monitoring capabilities.
General Membership (“The Flock”): Adult converts and born-in families. Largely unaware of the organization’s technological programs or the nature of the Keepers’ devices. Participate in a mandatory mutual reporting system branded as “accountability.”
Minors (“Lambs”): Children within the organization’s care, including those raised in member families and outside youth placed in Shepherd’s Homes. The latter are internally classified as “Lost Lambs.” Subjected to behavioral correction ranging from traditional discipline to technological conditioning.
The High Shepherd’s designated territory is referred to internally as “The Hearth” — effectively the seat of power. The Hearth designation shifts with leadership. Under Lance, it was the North House (Wyoming). Under Whitlok, it was the Southern House (Georgia), the first ever shift in house power since the Church’s formation.
Cross-House communication is convoluted by design. Each House answers upward and only laterally when instructed. While united in the mission, each region appears to have its own sub-traditions and interpretation of “Gods word” leading to differing practices. Analysts assess this structure is intended to prevent organized dissent and ensure only the High Shepherd holds a complete operational picture.
#~: Regional Territories
The Shepherd's Flame maintained five regional Houses at the time of Whitlok's arrest, spanning the Great Plains in the north, the American South, the Appalachia corridor in the East, the Central Midwest, and the Southwest. Each House is overseen by an Elder and operates semi-autonomously — maintaining its own congregations, Shepherd's Homes, and local traditions while answering to the Hearth.
The organization maintains no confirmed presence in major metropolitan areas or coastal states.
#~: Behavioral Modification Program
Evidence recovered during the Whitlok prosecution confirms the existence of an internal research initiative designated “Project Seraphim” — a behavioral conditioning program utilizing wearable neurotechnology on both adults and minors within the organization. The program employed two classes of devices: the Guidance Collar (a compliance device deployed on subjects undergoing correction) and the Holy Band (a monitoring and compliance device worn by Keepers). Both trace their lineage to prototype technology developed during Whitlok’s academic career at Duke University.
The program was partially funded through a corporate partnership with an entity identified as the Ascendia Group.
A full technical assessment of the Project Seraphim devices will be filed separately.
#~: Recruitment & Containment
Recruitment vectors include family counseling centers, youth camps, addiction recovery programs, juvenile referral partnerships, and — following Whitlok’s modernization efforts — digital outreach via podcasts, social media, and mobile applications. Public-facing materials deliberately avoid overtly religious language, marketing the organization as an “alternative therapy” provider to unsuspecting recruits.
Known recruitment fronts:
Flame of Renewal Initiative — Registered charity. Conducts genuine community outreach and disaster relief. Functions as a recruitment pipeline.
Shepherd’s Homes — Residential youth correction facilities. The Church’s oldest and most aggressive indoctrination sites. It is not uncommon for children to be sent to houses in different regions.
The Lumen Foundation — Media production arm. Produces podcasts and digital content designed to attract new membership.
Containment of defectors is handled by dedicated Keeper units designated “Retrieval.” Escaped members are tracked, recovered, and either reintegrated through reconditioning or used as cautionary examples. Members who evade recovery long enough to speak publicly are labeled “The Extinguished” — an internal designation carrying spiritual and social condemnation.
Successful escape rate is estimated at less than 2%.
#~: Corporate Partnerships
Whitlok’s research was partially funded by an entity identified as the Ascendia Group — a non-profit shell organization with no public leadership, no confirmed headquarters, and no registered employees. The partnership operated through intermediaries: Ascendia provided funding, technology, and legal infrastructure. Whitlok provided research data and access to human test subjects through the Church’s youth correction facilities.
Following Whitlok’s arrest, the Ascendia Group severed all ties within approximately 96 hours — dissolving shell companies, cutting financial channels, and ceasing all contact. The organization is believed to have retained complete copies of Whitlok’s research. Current operational status: unknown.
A full intelligence brief on the Ascendia Group will be filed separately.
#~: Current Status
Following the arrest and prosecution of Charles Whitlok, the Shepherd’s Flame has undergone significant disruption. Multiple facilities have been shuttered. Several Elders have been indicted on related charges. Membership has declined sharply.
However, analysts assess with moderate confidence that elements of the organization remain operational. The decentralized House structure — designed to prevent exactly this kind of cascading failure — may have insulated regional operations from the collapse of central leadership. The Northern and Central Houses, which were least dependent on Whitlok’s technological infrastructure, are assessed as most likely to retain functional congregations.
The status of the Guidance Collar and Holy Band programs post-arrest is unknown. Devices were recovered from multiple facilities, but Whitlok’s master control unit — the modified clerical collar — was not among the evidence collected. Its current location is unconfirmed.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Threat Level: MODERATE (downgraded from HIGH following Whitlok prosecution; pending reassessment)
Organizational Integrity: DEGRADED
Successor Risk: ELEVATED — Ascendia Group status unresolved
Attribution to Case #237005: The anonymous intelligence leak that precipitated the Whitlok prosecution remains unattributed. Analysts have noted stylistic and methodological overlap with materials associated with the threat actor known as “The Coyote” (see: Case #237005, primary file). No confirmed connection has been established.
Approved for inclusion in Case File 237005 by [!!!] >> REDACTED.
ooc; it’s wednesday my dudes, let’s get on with it. almost to the weekend. recently had a few folks ask me about Sen’s thing with dogs, so allow me to blather.
Sen7inel’s (then Kali) first real exposure to dogs was during her “attendance” at the Shepherd’s Guiding Hand where they were used as perimeter security as well as trackers for escapees. They were institutional tools, trained to work and used to manage the admitted population. Get too close to the outer fence during recess and the dog handlers wouldn’t necessarily stop the dogs from barking, growling, or otherwise being intimidating.
The fear was ingrained in her on the night of her escape. Young Sen7inel, having managed to kill the power at the facility, escaped out a service tunnel meant for deliveries to the institution whose security system failed open. Once the staff realized she was missing in the chaos, dogs and their handlers were sent out to track her down. The experience was terrifying, the sound of pursuing canines echoing through the dark as they chased her through the surrounding wilderness. If it wasn’t for the sheer luck of finding a stream to cover her tracks with, it’s likely she would have been retrieved.
Aggressive dogs make a regular appearance in her nightmares. And, no matter the size or demeanor, Sen7inel always gives dogs space if she happens to encounter one.
ooc; today’s coffee thoughts: the juvenile “rehabilitation” center sen/kali attended used technology from the late 80s to the mid-90s. pre-Y2K, made before consumer internet was widespread. analog-adjacent systems: cctvs, vcr stacks, numerical key pads, one or two ms-dos computers. floppy disks and the occasional zip drive. wired intercom system with push-to-talk wall units. wouldn’t have internet, ran most of their records on paper or isolated databases. made it easy for files to be hidden or quietly disappear. but the security itself was shit. basic plaintext interfaces, shared passcodes, and systems that relied more on authority and an assumption kids in their care weren’t sharp enough to get around the controls than actual protection.
