Because if I'm going to be an active content creator; I might as well have somewhere I can dump ideas between devices.
Welcome one and all to my little slice of the Story-Teller's circle. Here, I will be putting various little tidbits of information and such that is either incomplete or without a home. It might be something as brief as a character image, or a map, or a small disjointed paragraph that has yet to be fully formed into a post; or it might be something vast and sprawling, like content for an RP I've got in mind, or a subsection based on the religion of a world I'm working on.
The Zoo is open, and anyone is free to post in here if they'd like; just try not to make too much of a mess.
There is a pantheon of gods who are pretty much universally worshipped. Shrines to their faith can be found in every city and many towns; and they normally hold a great many Divine casters in their employ. Each represents an aspect of the world, and their Divine Casters normally evoke magic that is within their sphere of Influence.
The Red Father – God of Strength, War, and Fire.
The Green Mother – Goddess of Fertility, Nature, and Family
The Blue Mistress – Goddess of Knowledge, Water, and the Sea
The White Maiden – Goddess of Purity, Healing, and Light
The Black Heir – God of Trickery, Darkness, and Cunning.
Other than the upper pantheon, there are dozens of lesser gods who still might hold Divine casters. Other races and regions have derivatives of the Upper pantheon, all of whom draw and feed the five prime gods.
Magic
Due to the dangerous nature of the world that we live in, Magics of all kind are a highly sought after commodity. While not every person has the talent or the aptitude for magical study, those that do are heavily encouraged to pursue and nurture their talents by various magical guilds and societies; Often going as far as to either buy the students off of their parents, or offering full scholarships with the organisations that first scout them.
Magic itself takes time to cast, as the mage in question is forced to draw on whatever reserve they use to shape and control the magic into whatever form they wish it to take. The better the mage, the less time it takes to shape and mold their magical reserves, and the quicker a spell is to cast. Whereas a lesser mage might require a few moments to channel a spark of flame, a more talented mage would be able to fling a fireball with the click of his or her fingers.
Magic is drawn from one of two sources; The Arcane, and the Divine. Magic users may only draw their power from one or the other, and the way they fundamentally work is different.
Arcane magic is internally drawn from an individual’s reserves. To these casters, magic is as much an act of doing as is the act of swinging a sword, or building a house. As such, the more complicated an act the more draining the spell. Arcane casters have the advantage of precision over their Divine counterparts, but have finite reserves to draw from; namely their own stamina and reserves. It should be noted that if an Arcane caster uses all of their reserves, they would be exhausted to the point of uselessness. If they were to exceed their reserves, they would die…Normally in a way reflective of the magic they are attempting to cast.
Divine casters, on the other hand, draw their magic from external reserves. By implore the aid a patron, a Divine caster can call a favour from the essence of their patron in order to cast powerful spells. The external reserves are said to be drawn directly from their chosen Patron, and a god does technically have a finite amount of magic to give out. The more a Patron is worshipped, the more power they have to give out. However, the more a patron is worshipped, the more likely they are to have multiple divine casters, splitting the amount of magic they have to give. Divine casters have the advantage of stronger reserves and, in theory, greater strength of spell. Since they are drawing from a patron, they can cast terrifyingly powerful spells, assuming the deity is willing to give the magic. However, Divine casters suffer in that they lack the control of Arcane casters. If a Patron were unwilling or unable to give the energy to cast a spell, then the Divine caster would be rendered effectively useless. Thankfully, because a Divine caster does not call upon their own reserves, the chance of a spell backfiring is impossible; as such the act of casting magic does not exhaust them, and a misfire can never kill them.
Family & Friends:
-Marie Black (Surrogate Mother)
- ??? (Biological Mother) [DEAD]
- ??? (Father) [PRESUMED DEAD]
- Carolyn Antoinette (Friend and, now, Boss.)
- Bob (Friend, as played by @Jorick) - Jenive (Friend?)
Appearance: Kiku is an attractive woman with some hints of Asian heritage. She stands at a low five foot, five and weighs in at just over one-hundred pounds. Her hair is black, and generally kept at a scruffy, medium length. Her eyes are a rather distinct feature, as they resonate a predatory yellow-green colour and have slit, reptilian pupils. Her skin colour, which seems to fluctuate between pale and tan depending on the light, is covered in a number of blemishes: old scars, and burns marring her flesh, especially on her arms. Her face is kept clear though; pretty enough to be alluring, despite the distinct alien-ness she might give off.
Biography:
Kiku's earliest memories are of a homestead, owned by a doting father and a few other independents. She can't much remember what part of the world she lived in at this point: Geography doesn't matter for a story like this. All she knows is that her homestead was attacked and overrun by Raiders, who murdered every man in the homestead, and then abducted the women and the children.
For some time after this, Kiku and her mother were bounced around various Raider facilities. Kiku was forced to work, while her mother was taken away to do whatever it is the Raiders wanted of her behind closed doors. For years and years this continued, and as Kiku grew older, she saw her mother less and less. Eventually, the pair were sold off to a group of Raiders in Chicago, whose leader had a thing for Asian cuisine. When they were shipped off to this Raider-camp, her mother was separated from her permanently.
One night, when she was fourteen, after a particularly brutal day of particularly brutal work, Kiku wished on every fiber of her being that she'd be given the chance to kill the Raider leader who tortured her, and ripped away her freedom. She was barely more than a feral creature in a young woman's form; having been taught so little by the other slaves at the time. She heard the sound of gunshots in the night, and was roused from sleep by the screams of men. The door was left unlocked to the slave pen, and Kiku thought she'd been given an opportunity by some impossible force. She snuck her way through the camp, avoiding the detection of the frantic guard with a supernatural ease. She made her way to the biggest of the converted ruins; the place that the Raider-leader called his lair. She'd been taken there a few times before, although she preferred not to think about it.
When she got there, she smelt something that reeked of rot. It made her want to vomit, but her purpose settled her empty stomach. When she got deeper into the ruin, she made her way straight to the man's bedroom. Before she could make it to the main door though, she heard a muffled groaning sound. What came after that, she refuses to speak of, to this day.
She made her way into the next room with a silent, predatory coldness. She saw the man, fiddling with some weird thing on a table with bright lights and loud clacking buttons. His back was to her as she pushed open the door, and as she grabbed a discarded piece of heavy, jagged glass.
When the Old Guard made their way into the Raider-Leader's room, they found the mutilated corpse of the man on the floor; over Seventy stab wounds littering his heavily bleeding corpse. It was Marie Black who looked to the bed, seeing the curled up ball of a sleeping girl, covered head-to-toe in blood. When the woman shook awake the young girl, she saw the mutant eyes, and asked her for a name. She shrugged, and the Old Guard decided that the best thing for her was to take the girl back to Bunker Chicago; better to keep a potentially dangerous listener at the Bunker, after all. There were no other slaves on the site, most of them having escaped in the chaos, or having been shot down by raiders. One was found in the room next to the Raider-leaders, smothered.
After that, Kiku was taken to Bunker Chicago, where she was taught the basics needed to survive, and she made it clear her intent was to join the Old Guard once she was trained for it. She agreed to undergo some basic therapy and study to bring out her latent Listener capabilities, either unaware of the issues that would cause later; or just uncaring of them.
Mutagens in DNA?: Yes
Mutagens Active?: Yes
Technical
Grunt: 6
Trained Shooter - Since her rescue by Marie Black, Kiku has undergone the basics of military training with the fully advertised intent to join the Old Guard's military operations. She is trained with most available weapon types, and has thus far best resonated with Semi-automatic Carbines.
Trained Shooter level 2, Steady Aim – On her Eighteenth Birthday, Kiku asked for a gift from Marie. She got it in the form of her custom rifle; a High Caliber Carbine Rifle, with the stopping power to make it so that one shot was enough to take down all but the most heavily armoured of targets. Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Bosho Buster’, Kiku’s rifle has one other neat trick: A one-time super-slug that has the chance to blow through everything short of a tank at a short range. The catch? The Super-Slug, apart from being a once-per-mission deal, also has a chance to break the carbine upon use. After all, Carbines are made more fragile by the process of shrinking them.
Trained Shooter level 3, Superb Fire – After her encounter with the Red Star, Kiku knows where her strengths have to lie. Her talents as a mutant, namely her predatory vision, give her a supreme accuracy the trumps that of mortals and her invisibility makes her a prime scout and ambusher. This has led to a honing of her marksmanship to superhuman levels. Within a decent range, Kiku just doesn’t miss anymore. Such is her accuracy and comfort with her rifle. Accuracy and Stopping power are her two best friends; because if she doesn’t put down an enemy, there’s a decent chance they’ll put her down in retaliation.
Agile Hunter - While she might have somewhat outgrown the traits of her more feral upbringing, Kiku knows the immense value of being quiet, and having a light step. Kiku's combat style favours ambushes and scouting missions. She is quick, quiet, and is skilled at avoiding detection until it's time to strike.
Close Quarter Combat – Kiku’s savage upbringing combined with her ferocious need to defend herself has made her into a scrappy and unpredictable fighter. Her use of a knife is top-notch, and she knows the basics of fighting Hand-to-hand from being trained by Marie.
Close Quarter Combat level 2, Up-Close-and-Personal – Marie’s constant training and some deference to basic literature on the subject has taught Kiku how to fight proficiently in hand-to-hand combat. In the real world, Kiku would be all but a Black-belt martial artist, able to unarm opponents with just her hands by using their own strength or weight against them and applying holds, chokes, and locks to stop them moving or just to start breaking bones.
Grunt Equipment (Grunts use specialized personal equipment above and beyond that of most around them.)
Primary Weapon:The Bosho Buster – A unique and powerful rifle awarded to her by Marie Black on her eighteenth birthday. Apart from being a Highly powerful semi-automatic rifle, it features a one-shot Super-slug, capable of downing damn-near anything shy of a tank at short range.
Secondary Weapon(s): The Shusher (A silenced pistol) and the Husher (A Combat Knife)
Personal Armour: Light Armour
Additional Gear: (Any additional gear you've acquired as a result of spending points in the Grunt tree.)
Instinct (Grunts have a natural preclusivity toward survival, as mentioned in their description. Investing points in the Grunt tree gives small but noticeable effects in this regard, which come in the form of honed instincts from years of survival or training using nothing but their two hands and wits. These are GM-assigned, based on how many points you've spent into the Grunt line.)
Too Quiet: You've survived for ages on the run, sometimes alone. No equipment to help you in this cold, terrible world. So it's all about listening for trouble, or, sometimes, the lackthereof... (Character has a small chance of automatically detecting a character in stealth near them, even if they produce no sight or sound to alert the character. This applies to both hostile and friendly targets.)
Listener: 6
Chameleon - The most prominent of Kiku's mutations, Kiku has the ever-useful ability to change her skin colour to match that of her surroundings, allowing her to hide in plain sight with near-invisibility. It takes a moment or two to do so, and the ability seems to require her concentration to maintain properly, but the applications are obvious, especially for a soldier.
Chameleon level 2, Trick of the Light - After some help from the more Scientific minds of the TC's various institutions, it was discovered that Kiku's mutation was less that of skin colour alteration, and more an advanced bending of light. Kiku's ability to hide herself extends beyond just her own body. Kiku can hide herself, her clothing, and anything on her direct person without much strain for extended periods of time. Anything beyond that is currently beyond her skill set, however.
Chameleon level 3, Bending and Weaving – Having thus far attributed it to stress, Kiku has recorded a few new mutations, including the most exciting addition; the ability to project her strange mutation of bending the light to create a distortion around her. When in combat, Kiku now subconsciously triggers her mutation to vibrate and excite the light around her. What this does is cause what appear to be afterimages to appear near her; making it very difficult to shoot her accurately and lethally.
Predatory Vision - Kiku's other mutation allows her a greater acuity of vision. At its base, Kiku is granted a longer range of vision, and a greater ability to make out details from far away. If she concentrates for a few moment, Kiku can seemingly 'turn on' her mutation, and she gains a rudimentary sort of thermal-vision. Limitations currently exist though, as her Thermal-vision cannot pierce through dense barriers, such as Metal, or thicker layers of stone. Attempting to use her thermal-vision for any extended period leaves her with a pounding headache.
Predatory Vision level 2, Ascended Sight – Kiku’s sight-based mutation has also undergone the ‘stress induced’ mutation; having become almost infinitely less stressful and increasing once again in both accuracy and acuity. She can now see further, make out greater details, and can access a greater range of vision types. Her thermal-vision can now pierce Thick layers of stone (but not metal) and she can also see fainter heat signatures from further away.
Predatory Vision level 3, Scout’s Honour – Kiku’s sight mutation has reached another new zenith, as the ability becomes effortless to maintain and allows for a two new trick. One is the access to perfect Night-vision, and the other is the ability to photographically read anything she can see within a solid mile. Be it reading lips, or reading a note passed between two assholes from across two streets.
Random Mutations (You earn these by investing points into the Listener tree. They appear at random and often have small but noticeable cosmetic or negative effects. If you already have cosmetic effects as a result of your mutations from an older sheet, put them here—they cost nothing. You may determine cosmetic effects, though negative effects are GM determined.)
Snake Eyes – Kiku’s eyes are reptilian. They feature slit pupils and bright green-yellow retina which take on a reddish hue when using her mutation. While not red enough to alert someone from a distance; up close it makes her use of her power detectable by those who know what they are looking for.
Shifter’s Skin – Kiku’s skin tone may randomly shift in the middle of conversations on a wide scale of differing colours and tones. While she is more often-than-not a pale, white individual, her skin colour might at any time shift to become tan, bronzed, or dark at any moment for brief periods of time.
Ghosts: In fogs, especially those created by the Children of Eve's mutants, this character can see flickers of the fog moving in unnatural patterns--like someone moved through them, in spite of nobody being there. Yet, they have that nagging feeling that someone is there... Someone is watching, though it is not a life form that you can even properly conceive of. (Mutant detection methods can trigger on nothing in the city ruins Orange Fog.)
Stages of Awakening (You can unlock the true potential of the mutagens within your blood if you win the favour of the Children of Eve's faction affiliation. If you are not planning on joining The Children of Eve, you can probably ignore this.)
None, as of yet.
Pilot: 0
Faction
Faction Affiliations (Factions range from the following five categories, in order of worst to best: Hostile, Distrusting, Neutral, Affiliated, Allied. A faction which is hostile toward you will attempt to eradicate you if given an appropriate opportunity to do it out of the public eye, while a faction that is allied with you will willingly share secrets and resources to help you. New Characters start with one faction Affiliated and four Distrusting—their choice. Old Characters will be informed what their relationships are with other factions.)
The Old Guard: Allied ("You risked everything for us, and Marie raised you like a daughter. We're proud of you.")
The Coalition: Distrusted ("You have worked against our interests, and betrayed Jenive...")
U-ARM: Distrusted ("Mutants who embrace their talents so much, rather than realize what they are: A danger to all mankind...") (This will never improve.)
Red Star: Neutral ("We don't know you well enough to care one way or the other for you. Though we've engaged in combat, we have no reason to believe you a threat to our operations at this time. Don't make us change our minds.")
Children of Eve: Neutral. ("So wild, so promising, young child... You will yet know the truth of your existence.")
Requisitions (Requisitions are based on your relationships with NPC's in various factions. It's what a faction proverbially "owes" you for your services. New characters start with nothing in this regard and can thus ignore this. Old Characters can use these relationships with factions at any point in the story to ask for information or aid. How much the NPC interacting with you likes or dislikes you, or how much a faction trusts you, helps to determine how likely a requisition request is to succeed. This can range from learning faction secrets, to obtaining new traits for your character, to asking for help in a mission. Be warned: If you abuse the help from a relationship too much, it will evaporate away from you.)
Carolyn Antoinette (The Old Guard): Carolyn has developed a friendly relationship with Kiku, and owes her for her loyalty on a mission.
Jenive Rousseau (The Coalition): At this point a relationship borne primarily out of guilt. Though The Coalition distrusts Kiku, she could potentially ply Jenive for aid one time--and only one time.
Marie Black (The Old Guard): Marie looks on Kiku like a daughter, and will try to help her however it is most appropriate.
Mouse (No Affiliation): Mouse will help anyone willing to repay him later, but he has taken a particular affection toward the squad of survivors that made it back from the Orange Fog.
Signature: I, LimeyPanda, hereby confirm I have read the rules and am thus promise to: obey Iwaku's site-rules; be aware of the inherent possibility of character death, or worse; post weekly/fortnightly; and have fun.
Character Sheet: Name: Kherak, Scourge of the Mountains Appearance: Kherak is a strange sight to behold. He is a hulking monstrosity of a man, standing at well over Twelve foot in height, and with a wingspan of Twenty-five feet. He is handsome, even despite his obvious alien additions, and has the physique of a Greek deity. His hair is a long mess of crimson red, reaching past his spine, and his eyes are an emerald green that seems to pierce the soul. Truth be told, it is hard to ignore his most distinguishing feature; his hulking leathery wings. These wings are a veiny, leathery membrane that most closely resemble the wings of a Wyvern. Large spikes tip the wings, but they lack any noteworthy armour or scales that might protect them. Interestingly, his flesh is tan and human-esq, despite the fact that the average Arrowtip would merely bounce off of his skin. Age: Twenty-Nine History: <Tbw> Personality: Kherak models himself upon the most despicable of draconic creatures. He is a covetous, philandering, capricious man with a fixation upon the acclimation of wealth and power above all else. His grand schemes are the simplest of sorts: Acquire a horde of treasure, and a kingdom that might fittingly worship him. He sees himself as a living, breathing Dragon-god, and would let the world know it. His prideful ways show in his every action, but they do serve to hide a genuine intelligence and cunning that befits the man who would become a dragon. He is by no means stupid, and his physical dominance serves to embolden him. Strangely enough, he is a seemingly honourable sort...for an overlord. He prides himself on the long-standing rumour that he has not, and will never, tell a lie. Whether this compulsion is true or not, however, is yet to truly be seen. Perhaps the people he lies to just do not survive to tell the tale.
A Dragon-Ogre after Kherak’s own heart, Skaan dedicated himself to the Scourge of the Mountains after challenging Kherak to a one-on-one duel and being bested. Instead of killing the man, Kherak declared his intent to make the man his captain. Skaan declined at first, and Kherak told him to leave, and challenge him again the next day. This dance repeated twelve times, and twelve times did Skaan lose to Kherak, only to be spared and turned away upon his show of resolution. On the Thirteenth loss, Skaan yielded to Khreak’s will, and has served as his most loyal and fearsome warrior since. His mastery with a sword is only heightened by his strange shadow-magic; shadow magics that make him feared and revered amongst his kin.
The Queen of the Lizardfolk who’ve flocked to Kherak’s side, Val’aash sees Kherak as the only man suitable of being her suitor. Thus far, Kherak dodges around the issue of marriage, but he sees the woman as an incredible asset to have; both because of her beguiling beauty and charisma, and because of her potent magical talents.
The herald of the Serpent Queen, and a master of stealth, Aspedese serves Kherak as his prime spymaster and master of his assassins. His speed and cunning more than make up for the lacking of strength that some of Kherak’s other captains have, and his skill with poisons and illusion magic make him a threat, even to them.
The elder Warchief of the orcs who follow Kherak, Grognar is an aged warrior who is able to wield his cunning where he once wielded raw, unadulterated bloodlust. His clan bowed down to Kherak once he claimed his stake of the land as Kherak offers the greatest rewards and the greatest threat.
The son of Grognar, Thraand is a fearsome Orcish warrior who leads his people into battle with the fury and fervor one would expect from an Orc. His skill with an axe and shield has led him thus far, and Kherak promises great rewards for the warrior and raider who wishes to one day replace his father as Warchief.
The only Human captain amongst Kherak's ranks, and one who holds a special role in his army. Anastasia is the woman in charge of selected Kherak's concubine; a role held in both incredibly high regard and dreaded for it's near certain fatality. Anastasia was chosen for this role due to her incredible judge of character, her unshakable loyalty to Kherak, and her unwavering ability to detect lies. She is the closest thing to a Judge that the kingdom has, and she is incredibly popular because of it.
NAME: Alice Émeline Moineau, of the venerable house of Moineau RACE: Human AGE: Twenty Three SEX: Female APPEARANCE: An attractive woman with a noble bearing, Alice has a pale complexion, blue eyes, and white hair that all serve to exemplify her Liverian heritage. She stands at 5'6 in height, and is of a lean, muscular build; born from her years of martial training. When she isn't in a suit of armour, she is more than happy to be seen in any garb of high quality that might allow her to pretend she is a ball-going woman of nobility, despite the many whispers that surround her in court.
EQUIPMENT:
Alice has a rather impressive sword, forged by a skilled Dwarven smith living in the Renaltan southlands. It is an impressive steel weapon, bearing a strange wavey quality that caught Alice's eye following her latest victory over a would-be suitor.
She favours a suit of well-constructed (and admittedly a little ornate) plate armour in combat. Despite her being a little weaker than most swordsman, she knows that she needs good defence in order to protect herself. Despite this, she is well versed enough in armoured combat to move around quickly and comfortably in the suit.
Alice also has a two-handed Crossbow, a gift from a 'suitor' that attempted to recruit her to the Liverian Witch-Hunters. While he was chased out by her father, she rather likes the weapon, for it provides her with the range and stopping power required to punch a decent hole in all but the most heavily armoured. Too bad she isn't good with it...
Alice's constant travelling companion is a spotted white horse named Phillip. Phillip is the oldest horse from her family stable, but he is reliable and carries equipment well.
BLOODLINE: The only child from the house of Moineau, a Liverian Noble house that sits upon the council. BIOGRAPHY:Alice was born to the loving union of a Liverian Noble and a Renaltan merchant. Her father and mother were united in a beautiful wedding that was supposed to quell some of the growing tensions between the Liverian and Renaltan people following the decade's earlier call for independence. Many of the upper classes lorded it as a sign of peace and progress, and yet sadly, time shows that hope was short lived. War soon broke out and though husband and wife stuck together on the Liverian side, newly-joined family fought as generals on the opposite side. It was a difficult time for the young Alice, who grew up knowing only her parents, and the whispered memories of half-a-family trapped on the other side of a border conflict.
On her twelfth birthday, in 149 AC, war made its biggest claim on the Moineau family, and the first claim that Alice was conscious of. In a surreal moment of the war, Alice's father managed to capture his step-brother, following a bout of single-combat to end the fighting more 'peacefully'. Whilst organising the ransoming back of his Renaltan kin, Alice's mother rode onto the field to speak with her kin. While it was not a typical event at war-time, it was one of the few opportunities that the Renaltan born matriarch of the Moineau family could speak with her blood-kin. Sadly, it would also be her last. A Renaltan sniper took a longshot, aiming to kill the Liverian general and narrowly missed the mark. She was killed instantly, and both generals wept for the loss of sister and wife. A sombre mood swept over the field of surrender, and Alice -who was at the Liverian base of operations- did not even get to see her mother's body, so disfiguring were the wounds. Just like that, her mother was gone.
It was only a few months later that the Ceasefire was signed, and Alice grew cold in those few months. The once-warm child grew bitter at the loss of her mother, and found little solace outside of her father's presence. She took to educating herself, working to master matters noble and mercantile by the time she was sixteen. Still, there was a void in her bitter life. She resented what was taken from her, and in truth resented a many other things; clueless peasants, fire-arms, and her mother's inability to shape things as well. Her hatred lit a fire, and the fire found a constructive outlet in swordplay. At first, it was a distraction, but much to her father's chagrin she proved to be very good at it. She demanded the finest of tutors be added to her education and, unable to resist his daughter's demands, her father agreed. Soon, she was learned in the great-many styles of Liverian swordplay, and had gotten herself a reputation as a fearsome one-on-one combatant. By the time she was twenty, she had earned a winning streak; undefeated amongst her fellow nobles, and rarely bested by professional knights and tutors. Due to her own demanding standards, she was a difficult target for suitors; and many attempted to woo her through duels. They almost always proved unsuccessful - with one exception that was rejected by her father instead.
Eventually, when word of Amora Mann's quest to find the princess spread to her circle, Alice made preparations to join the former-Liverian noble as a representative of the Council of Nobles and her house. While her father disapproved of her 'recklessness' she disarmed him with promises of reuniting the fallen brothers Liveria and Renalta, even reminding him that it is what her mother would have wanted. He eventually acquiesced, and Alice left the country; for the first time since she'd lost her mother to war.
Liverian Nobledaughter who's mother died in the Civil War. She latched onto Swordplay and education as a coping mechanism, and become very good at both. Wants to find the Renaltan Princess because it would unite the two countries and would give the spectre of her mother some peace. Whee~
SECTION TWO - MUNDANE SKILLS
SKILLS/TALENTS:A phenomenal duellist, Alice's main skills lie in melee combat, where she can take apart combatants heavily armoured or lightly garbed with relative ease. While she is armed with a Crossbow, she is not an expert by any means. She is also an expert in all things etiquette and mercantile; knowing how to run a business, an army, or a noble house with the shrewd talent of a well-educated Liverian noble. STRENGTHS:
Strike, Parry, Riposte- An exemplar of Liverian swordsmanship, Alice is at her best with a sword in hand and a single opponent opposite her. Only a true master would be able to give her challenge.
Cold and Calculating-As far as Liverian nobles go, Alice is one of the more intelligent to be born with Blueblood. She knows that her status is only secured by chance, and has used that status to educate herself in a great many things: From politics, to policy, to farming protocol. She has made her best efforts to have at least passing knowledge of just about every mundane thing possible, and some non-mundane things beside.
Shrewd Negotiator, Bold everything-else - Alice has knowledge of statecraft, diplomacy, and people; and uses her knowledge to get what she wants. She is perfectly within her element when she is talking people down, approaching with a bold attitude that presents her as always having the upper hand, even when she doesn't. Some think this makes her nothing more than a spoilt, haughty 'Princess', and she doesn't care to dissuade people of that perception. After all, it is easier to prove them wrong with a lash of the tongue, or a swipe of the sword; should they care to underestimate her.
WEAKNESSES:
Fight me Fairly! - Despite owning a ranged weapon, Alice is a much weaker opponent when she's having to fight at distance. She's by no means slow, but she won't outrun a gun or a bowman. She also isn't very good with her Crossbow, only hitting every other time at any long distance.
The Princess' Pride - Alice is a prideful creature, and her natural cold nature can make her seem shrewd and inhospitable. This sometimes sours initial meetings, especially when it comes to meeting peasantry and non-nobles, who might exacerbate her already cold nature.
Magic? Um... - Alice doesn't have any counter-measure to dealing with mages. Literally none. Illusions? They'd get her. Fire magic? It'd burn her. Her only option with magic-users is to hit them before they hit her. It's not exactly an appealing thought, especially considering some of her company.
SECTION THREE - CLOSING POINTS
MOTIVATION: Alice intends to find the Princess so that he might reunite the disparate states of Liveria and Renalta. She is under the belief that the Crown-Prince would acquiesce to the true Crown, should they legitimately return, and she sees no alternative for the slowly-dying Liveria. If, by her actions in rescuing the Princess she were to improve the standing of the Moineau family at the same time...well, she certainly wouldn't turn down the opportunity.
GOALS: Alice is surprisingly void of long-term goals. She'd like to find a worthy suitor some day, and she wants to improve the standing of her house, and her country. She even loves her father enough to want to make him proud.
VALUES: Alice values honesty and self-betterment above all things, and believes in improving herself and her country through honest trade and honest hard-work is the best way to improve the world. She probably aligns more closely with Renaltan ideals on social mobility, although she thinks that the Liverian ideals on Magic use and having one prove themselves before having citizenship extended to them are superior.
ANATHEMAS: Alice's hatred of firearms and magic trump her otherwise logical views of the world. She hates slavery because it represses people who might have desirable talents from raising their stock. She hates the general idea her country has that women cannot lead because she is a far more competent statesman and swordsman than the vast majority of her peers. She hates being lied to because it is a waste of her time. It is mostly illogical things that annoy her most, as well as things that remove skill and practice from the equation (See - Magic and Firearms.) Any idiot can pick up a gun and fire it, and any idiot can get lucky and learn magic so as to change the world around them; it takes someone with Charisma and gravitas to change the world with words and hard work, and someone dedicated and hard working to master the sword.
SIGNATURE: I, Limeypanda, being of sound body and mind do declare that I've signed more of these 'signatures' than I've probably signed other legal documents at this point.
SECTION FOUR - EXTRAS
OPENING OPINIONS - A section for forming opening thoughts on characters; mostly NPCs at this early stage.
Amora Mann - Ex-Liverian Noble
"You seem like a good man, despite being a mage. It seems we both suffered loss during the Civil War...Please keep your summoned monstrosities away from me though." (Neutral, pitying, sees moderate similarities, but is fearful of his magic.)
Marcus Luke Crawford - Renaltan Ex-Royal guard
"A worthy opponent. It is a shame that one such-as-you must have had to cut their teeth on cutting down their once-countryman." (Respectful, sees a challenge to better herself upon.)
Emilia Lang Lehmann - Rheinfelder Assassin-and-Postergirl
"Your country's story is a sad one; and you seem to distrust magic as much as I do. That is a pleasant surprise." (Neutral, pitying.)
An Amazonian man of incredible strength and size who merely wishes to prove himself to his people. He possesses Wisdom beyond the borders of his tribe's forest, and identifies that restoring this far-off Renalta might just be the secret to his people's freedom; and his immortality amongst the storytellers of his people.
Themes: Savage vs the World, Prejudice, Exploring a tribalistic society member in non-tribal societies, [P] The use of deplorable abilities to do extraordinary things.
___
NAME: Rahim, wanderer of the Longfang tribe RACE: Human, mostly. AGE: 19 SEX: Male APPEARANCE: Rahim is a tall man, standing at 6'4 and weighing in at around 280 lbs. His build is like that of a brick shithouse, with the musculature and strength that can only be bred through a life of rigorous war and activity. His hair is a messy unkempt mane of shaggy brown, cut just below neck, and he sports a mess of similarly wild facial hair. His skin is tanned, with darker splotches that almost give off the appearance of being burnt. His eyes are green and deep, and his body is littered with the odd nick, burn, or scar. A ritualistic tattoo covers his back, shoulders, and neck; a warning to Amazonians that Rahim is a monster.
Rahim's transformed state is as one would expect of a Werewolf. His height becomes even more impressive, standing somewhere around 8-and-a-half feet and his bulk expands to the point of being terrifying. His brown hair becomes brown fur, which matts his entire body and his teeth and claws grow to become like small swords.
EQUIPMENT:
Rahim wears armours of leather-and-fur for the most part. It is light, and easy to replace, but only offers minimal protection from glancing blows.
Rahim's weapon of choice is a large two-handed maul. Rahim's training in other weapon types is moderate-at-best, and he uses the maul to exemplify his outstanding strength; his only real redeeming quality as a 'fair' warrior.
Rahim carries a very important artefact, an enchanted band that he ties around his arm. It is a sealing item, that stops him from transforming involuntarily. Taking it off is the first sign that Rahim intends to kill.
Since leaving the clan, Rahim has learned some of the more 'normal' traditions of society; specifically some of Rheinfeld and Renaltan custom. He wears simple garbs when out travelling; the sort of thing a peasant or labourer would wear.
BLOODLINE: The Amazonians don't really value bloodlines. His grandmother served as a Chieftain once, which is nice. His blood is however tainted with a monstrous curse, that of Lycanthropy
BIOGRAPHY: Rahim was born to a pair of Amazonians in the forest of his clan. His early existence was a simple enough affair, with nothing of particular note for the first decade of his life. He'd learned to fight young, and he'd killed his first Free Holder by the time he was eleven. It was a strange sensation for the over-young boy, but desperate wars inspire desperate acts.
His life was uneventful, until he was sixteen. By this point, the young Rahim had all but fully matured into the man he is today. He was tall, strong, and quick; even amongst his kin, and he'd earned many notches on his maul at that point in his skirmishes against the Free Holds. It was on a routine hunt for predators that he gained his cursed blood. A criminal from the Free Holds, already sick with the curse of Lycanthropy was atop one of his pack mates; an older girl that Rahim admitted once to having feelings for. The beast was feasting on the meat of her torn-out gut at this point, and Rahim was suddenly caught in the unusual grasp of fear that came so rarely to the Amazonians. When he was reeling backwards, caught in indecision, the beast heard the snapping of a twig and turned to face him. Rahim knew he could not outrun the beast, and so raised his maul to fight and to die. It would be an empty death, but he would try and make it a good one.
Of course, he did not die that day. He was a strong fighter, even then, and he won with the help of a distraction. The dead girl was perhaps not yet so dead, as she threw a javalin into the beast's back as it clamped its jaws around Rahim's shoulder. The surge of adrenaline had him throw the creature off of him, and he caved in the beast's skull with half-a-dozen blows of his maul. When the red mist died down, and when the burning pain in his shoulder started up, he collapsed. He awoke amongst his tribe, in the tent of the Longtooth's shaman.
His tribe saw what he had become, and they saw that he had fought to honour a fellow clansman. They willingly accepted him, curse and all, but the now-cursed Rahim insisted on a mark. He asked the Shaman to craft him a way to control the monster, and he asked an elf to tattoo him, a brand that would warn others of the monster he could be.
Years went by, and the story of the beast that hunted Freeholders in the forests circulated around the harsh Slavemasters. Stories of an Amazonian-leashed monster, like the stories from before the fall, had Slavers whisper twice about the profit of seeking their foes in the Longtooth clan's forest home. Still, even as he led a life of perpetual hunting, Rahim knew that the war was not a war they could win. To the Amazons, this was all-consuming life, but to the Free Holds this was just a petty, uncontrolled rebellion. They needed a way to break the inevitable cycle of non-success, and so Rahim left the forest, intending to find a solution. It was on this journey, outside of the forest, that he heard of the stories surrounding Amora Mann, and the legends of the Mage-Princess who wounded an Angel. If any people could find a way to turn the war in the tide of his people, it would be people found in this group.
SKILLS/TALENTS:Rahim is a monster, in both a literal sense and as a melee combatant. His role is to hit things, and occasionally he can track things. If things get more dangerous, he can unleash the literal beast, but with that comes certain risk.
STRENGTHS:
Might makes Right - Rahim is not the most skillful fighter, nor is he the most talented fighter. He is, however, probably the strongest fighter. When it comes to hitting things, he hits them very hard. His maul is heavy, and his hit is heavier; caving in bone, brick, or metal if he gets a solid hit.
Beast Mode, Activate! - In dangerous situations, Rahim is willing to remove the limiting magical armlet that stops him from becoming the Werebeast. On the occasion he does this, he can transform into a Werewolf; a very real and very potent monster. Doing so presents severe problems however, and is not his first port of call.
Cursed Blood - Rahim's monstrous curse has some implications outside of his ability to become a giant murder-puppy. He shrugs off wounds that others might be stopped by, and can regenerate in minutes what would take others hours. His stamina is also more impressive than most, which is nice considering the curse's other 'gifts'.
WEAKNESSES:
Uneducated, Uncivilised, Unusual - Rahim's not exactly a smart man. His formal education includes how to stab people who are bad, how to hunt things that are tasty, and what plants can't be eaten. Ask him to do math, or construct a plan, or read a book, and he'll just look at you with confusion. Add to that his hulking size and his unusual appearance and he probably isn't passing for a Rheinfelder peasant either.
Beast Mode, deactivate!...Please? - Rahim's monstrous side is not easily controlled. He can control it to a certain extent, but then if he takes excessive damage or if he is extremely angry then he might give in to the animalistic rage that hungers for the blood of everything and anything. Certain emotive links have been shown to reduce the likelihood of a full-on meltdown. With moments of passion, or friendship, or even love, he might be able to curb the curse's hunger...might.
The Curse of the Blood - Even if the curse offers some strange additional benefits to Rahim, it offers a myriad of negative effects as well. He is allergic to silver, certain plants and poisons are extra effective on him, and he can only eat meat.
SECTION THREE - CLOSING POINTS
MOTIVATION: Rahim is a motivated by his desire to end the stalemate of his homeland. He wants to crush the Free Holds hand that chokes out his people's freedom, and he sees the Princess and, to a lesser extent, Amora as a chance to forge an alliance that might end the Amazonian isolation. GOALS: Rahim seeks the power to unify his people and end the Free Holds. He is a simple man otherwise, and the stories he's heard of the Renaltan land that would accept his people's beliefs and even him are enough to encourage him to help out the cause to find and rescue the Angel-wounding Mage-Princess. VALUES: Rahim values strength, honour, and freedom above most anything. He respects his people's views on authority and spiritualism, and doesn't really understand a lot of the hatred people have for mages. They are convenient. Convenient is good. ANATHEMAS: Rahim's anathemas are those of his people. He hates limitations of freedom, and he hates the idea of limiting someone's ability to be themselves. This obviously puts him in contention with Liverians to a certain extent, but more importantly it puts him diametrically - and murderously - opposed to the Free Holder perspective. SIGNATURE: I, Limeypanda, being of sound body and mind do declare that I've signed more of these 'signatures' than I've probably signed other legal documents at this point.
SECTION FOUR - EXTRAS [tbc]
OPENING OPINIONS - A section for forming opening thoughts on characters; mostly NPCs at this early stage.
Amora Mann - Ex-Liverian Noble
Marcus Luke Crawford - Renaltan Ex-Royal guard
Emilia Lang Lehmann - Rheinfelder Assassin-and-Postergirl
Noelle Touchard - Mage Circle's walking magical Bulwark
Anthony Bulgarelli - Free Holds' Dwarven Gunsmith
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