The Labs
The year was 1940, and Bellamy Labs thrived in all of its scientific endeavors. They hired only the best of the best to work at the prestigious laboratory. The booming facility sat on a small, uncharted island of the same name located on the outskirts of the Bermuda Triangle, where its existence was a tightly kept secret. It was privately owned by the US government and functioned as an effort to give the nation a boost in the World War. Their focus was biological enhancement engineering and, rumor has it, a few other studies that were less than ethical. Depending on perspectives, the results were justified. Tensions were high during the war, and each new discovery gave them an advantage in a lethal game of destruction.
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Their first credible discovery was right under their feet in a cave system below the facility’s grounds. In its artificially hollowed-out walls, a team of researchers found what they believed to be perfectly preserved bodies lying in coffins. There was one problem, however. There were no traces of any preservatives found. In fact, if it weren’t for the accumulated dust on the surfaces and the attire adorning the bodies within, they would have assumed the remains were placed there recently. How the bodies could be so immaculately preserved became the question that plagued the minds of the scientists. Subsequently, as they began devoting their entire focus on the bodies and rapidly depleted all logical sources of answers, the team dedicated to uncovering the secrets of the corpses started straying towards unconventional tests.
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A series of experiments followed that pushed the boundaries of the lab’s purpose, but were ultimately justified as necessary. Bellamy Laboratories, now with the assistance of child prodigy Bella, made leaps and bounds in several fields of scientific study. Any and all setbacks, officially, never took place; however, ex-employees and locals whispered about a night of madness that had erupted after a supposed gas leak that claimed a few dozen lives and that the surviving victims were experimented on. Shortly after, management posted job advertisements on the mainland with promises of large sums of cash for willing volunteers. The advertisements lacked the whole story - that volunteers were subjected to unethical testing and experimentation. Times were hard, however, and countless people took the bait despite the arguably shifty circumstances. Most who came to the island never left.
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One result of the experiments was an unstable serum, Noxidium, that was neither reliable nor promising in its success rate but had “positive” and “long-lasting” effects. As a government-owned facility, it was natural that a second, more stable serum followed. Venatorid was cleaner, safer, and more effective than its predecessor. Exclusively distributed to the military presence on the island, rumors spread rapidly about a “super soldier serum” that would give the United States an end-all advantage in the war. Bellamy was booming, and funding poured in from all sides. The scientists and their now-teen prodigy were held in high regard, the cheers of their victories drowning out the cries of the hundreds that had succumbed to their practices.
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Bellamy Laboratories was riding on the high of excellence when the fire happened. Some say it was retaliation for the clashing with the local military. Others say that it was the doing of one of the employees who was mistreated. All that is known is that one night Bellamy was engulfed by raging flames, brightening the dark sky until midnight shone like noon. Countless people perished in the fire while survivors scrambled for ways off of the island. When the buildings were reduced to ash and rubble, the survivors either found ways back to the mainland or decided to stay on the island and find sanctuary in the abandoned town and its topography.
The Magic
While the scientists worked tirelessly to uncover more truths about the pseudo-corpses, destroying many in the process, a second discovery delivered itself to the doorstep of Bellamy Laboratories. Winona Clarke had talents beyond the understanding of her human guardians, and a concern-fueled hospital trip was all it took to put the young girl on Bellamy’s radar. Unfortunately, according to her guardians, and legally speaking, Winona died at the hospital that day. At the facility, however, Bella was born, renamed in the namesake of the institution that would become her home. Her power and essence, that of a Magi or ‘witch,’ became the focal point of all future endeavors.
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In an attempt to utilize the magical properties of Bella’s blood, the scientists then performed a transfusion between the magi and the last seemingly lifeless body that remained. Precautions were taken with the knowledge gleaned from previous attempts, such as placing the body in a silver-caged bed, to give the scientists peace of mind as they ventured through uncharted territories. As the IV drip began, irritated, blood-red eyes slowly opened and scoped out the surroundings with a predatory gaze. Those present were both awed and terrified as they realized what they had on their hands. Vampyrs. Stories, long considered to be fiction, were actualized before their eyes.
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The subsequent night of bloodshed under the weight of the full moon solidified that there were creatures in the world that went beyond human comprehension. By morning’s light, twelve new captives joined the vampyr in silver cages to be subjected to the whims of the scientists. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, would pass through the halls of Bellamy Laboratories, never seeing the light of day again in the name of scientific advancement. Exploiting the young ‘prodigy’ amongst them, the resulting serums, Noxidium and Venatorid, and the introduction of the shapeshifting lab-made race compounded that there was nothing that couldn’t be done with a Magi’s powers. Greed sank its poisoned claws into the hearts of the mortals masquerading as gods and raised a deadly question – if one Magi could accomplish so much, what could they do if they had more?
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The sustainability of that mindset was challenged as Bella’s willingness to comply faltered as she grew older. The hesitation wasn’t a deterrent, however, with the scientist having no qualms in turning their serums on the one who helped create them. First, they injected the girl full of synthetic cocktails in hopes of boosting her abilities, then hooked her up to barbaric electromagnetic machines. From prior testing, they had learned that pain and intense emotions could play a part in amplifying her powers. Without a second thought, they maxed the voltage and told her to focus on others like her, to find a way to call to them. Rather than calling to others, the Magi screamed into the great void for help, pleading for someone or something to save her. As her scream pierced their ears, a rip in the fabric of space itself tore through the room. Later named the “Rift,” the tear could neither be destroyed nor contained. Instead, it pulsed like a magical beacon that seemed to call to every supernatural on the island, drawing them like moths to a great flame.
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Having been raised amongst the chaos brought by the lab’s ongoing experiments and forced to partake in them, a teenage Bella found herself overwhelmed. The acts she’d witnessed wracked the young girl with guilt for the other captives, while the experiments conducted on her pushed the young girl to her limits on a daily basis. The two heavy emotions combined, leaving the young Magi to fall into deep despair. Every moment of the day that wasn’t spent in pain was filled with thoughts of escape, death, and the afterlife. When the teen had reached the darkest depth of her depression and all hope abandoned her, she heard a voice.
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Soft and alluring with just a hint of a guttural purr, the voice whispered promises to the girl. Sweet words of salvation and immortality and assurances that no one would be able to ever hurt Bella again. Weakened both physically and mentally, it took the voice two short days to convince Bella to accept its offer. With consent freely given, a black mist emerged from the Rift, entered her body, and swiftly took control. The entity suppressed the teen and her powers, replacing them with itself almost instantly. Then, as if its energy was completely spent, it rested for a few days while acclimating to its host.
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Unaware of the switch, the scientists accepted the malfunctioning machinery as growth in her power, and the personality change was easily ignored. Convinced they were on the edge of yet another groundbreaking discovery, experiments on the teen’s body intensified with renewed vigor. The being, a voidsent known as Azura, realized the detrimental reality that the Magi had been stuck in. Unfortunately, and most importantly, the reality they were now also trapped in. Azura attempted to escape a handful of times; however, after years of keeping their prized Magi under lock and key, the security surrounding their host was air-tight. After realizing the futility, the voidsent spiraled within its cage, horrified by the acts of the humans that surrounded them. Thus, the being gathered their strength and waited for the right time to strike, punish their captors, and release their fellow prisoners.
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The being’s powerful magic mingled with the remnants of the enhancements thrumming through their host’s veins, combining to create a terrific well of energy for Azura to dip into when it was time to strike. As if consumed by hellfire, the facility was quickly taken by a raging inferno that swallowed everything in its path. Using the last of their energy, Azura set the captives free while trapping the captors within the Lab to burn. After the fire quelled, all that remained was a seemingly untouched basement and the ember-filled rubble above it. Bella’s body, and the voidsent inhabiting it, were nowhere to be found come morning’s light.
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In the chaos of the days following the blaze that had shown like a beacon throughout the night, most survivors fled the island by any means possible. The remaining inhabitants were primarily made up of supernaturals who weren’t sure how to reintegrate into human society. Scrambling to put the pieces of their lives back together, the various races laid claim to specific areas of the island for their kin and attempted to live everyday lives. Municipal buildings followed shortly after things settled, and a small community was formed during the fifty years Bellamy was left alone.
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Interactions between different beings became the norm. Alliances were formed to maintain harmony across the Island. However, once the land was sold and the new school, Bellamy Institute was built. A sudden influx of humans tested the balance. What had become an open secret had to be hidden behind a veil to protect the local inhabitants. With the Veil in place, life and magic flourished on the secluded island in the Bermuda Triangle.
The Institution
After the devastating fire in 1950, the military presence was pulled from Bellamy Island. The land was left to its own devices for fifty years. The U. S. government deemed the location empty despite the small, budding community forming on its shores. It was kept a secret until 2001 when the government released the island's location and sold the land to private investors who moved forward with plans to construct a university.
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Established in January of 2003, Bellamy Institute has proudly been a premier place of higher education for nearly three decades. As a prestigious university, only the brightest students are accepted into its hallowed halls. After their doors opened, life on the island began to blossom. The small, rural town became a buzzing college town and tourist trap, which some locals embraced the change while others resisted. A group of locals that seem to prefer the outskirts and woods over the town proper has been particularly vocal about their disdain towards the university and how its construction affected the local wildlife.
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Whispers throughout the island suspect that there’s something off about the people that choose to make Bellamy Island their home. Locals and transients alike can agree that there is something special about the Island: whether it's a sleepy college town, rowdy vacation destination, or, perhaps, something darker.