[Slii Arhem]

The Fiske Family

Spoiler

Fiske is actually the shared name of a hive-mind of ten Unbodied that share thoughts and experiences through an uninteruptable mental link. They generally just show up and swap places whenever it pleases them, and each has all of the knowledge of all of the others. While five of them are decidedly neutral, another four are evil and there is one who only does good deeds.

If taken as a whole, the Fiske family's power level is easily A+, if not S-. They very rarely collaborate on anything to that extent though.

The named Fiskes so far are:
Celena: The only purely good Fiske, she still tolerates her more evil brothers, but generally won't directly aid them in their schemes unless they are about to die. (Sometimes disguises herself, but most of the time is upfront, deciding not to waste energy that could be used to help people.)
Rocid: An Evil Fiske, not much of a schemer, likes to do things directly and often showing up in person to cause havoc. Pretty much a thug. (Often disguised as an innocent little girl, or a stereotypical Brooklyn ganger.)
Ceres: -See Entry
Waldorf: -See Entry-
Rita: A matronly Neutral that spoils the rest rotten. Having no goals of her own, she just helps the others on any venture they begin, and generally flits about. (Frequently guised as a doting grandmother or school marm)
Nathaniel: -See Entry-
Julie: -See Entry-
Jakob: -See Entry-
Kharn: Kharn is the most obviously evil Fiske. Where Julie likes to toy with people, Rocid is a thug and Jakob has... morality issues, Kharn never hid his evil. He is the polar opposite of Celena, and doesn't provide much aid to the group for similar reasons that she doesn't. They simply aren't evil enough for him. He is ruler over a small country outside the Nexus, using enslaved police to keep order. He doesn't mistreat his thralls, but there is no doubt that he is in charge, and very little chance he will be dethroned. He is fairly dedicated to the group, as the powers and access to other minds is beneficial to him, so it is unlikely he would be convinced to turn against them despite their differences of opinion.
Arkinos: -See Entry-

The Fiskes are not a cohesive unit, but they never turn against one another. In addition to their overarching goal (find things that corporeal beings take for granted and find ways to experience them themselves) each one has their own set of motives, which sometimes doesn't coincide with anothers.

That said, they have been linked for so long that they should be thought of more as a single creature with many heads than as a group. If viewed from the astral plane, They would best be described as a gaseous, multicoloured cloud with several darker splotches lurking within, as if a set of paints evaporated off their pallette into midair. If they wish, they can swap identities between their brains, Rita becoming Ceres becoming Rocid, so that each one can be anywhere any of the others is, so long as they all agree. One thing unique to them is their ability to "stretch" their collective mind, until one of them is isolated from all the others, and can act autonomously without actually leaving the group. The loner then becomes a sort of mental parasite while concentration is maintained, but the link is fragile during these points, and no brain swapping or power sharing can occur.

Besides their individual quirks, they share all their psionic powers between themselves, and if one isn't doing anything and agrees to it, he/she can transfer their power to another, giving a single Fiske anywhere from two to ten times the amount of strength a normal psion could hold. This ability puts alot of strain on their forms, and can sometimes leave them without even an ethereal shape, which would normally kill an Unbodied. Instead, their conciousness is transferred to the other nine until they have enough power to remanifest themselves.

Each Fiske named here expanded upon as I flesh out their characters.

Ceres Fiske
---------
Deceased!

Spoiler

Alias' Many and varied, a few include: Jezern de Monvernaign, Sersh Duon'rarph, and O'Harran.
Gender Unspecified (Currently male)
Race Unbodied
Age Unknown (Most likely around 300)
Alignment Chaotic Neutral
Class/Profession Telepath/Comedian
Power Rating C+/B- A-
Description During casual conversation, he is taken to swapping constantly between one of three forms, a tall dashing human ponce with flowing black hair and a stereotypical mysterious dueling scar, a surly dwarf with an overblown accent and rather undefineable features to anyone who isn't an expert in dwarfology, and a sailor of undetermined race with a close shaven face bearing a constant leer. In his natural state he is simply an ethereal floating brain that emits a soft white light, which he can surpress at any time.
Personality Outwardly he is very much the joker, tripping people up with a combination of telepathy, mind reading, his mutable form and a great sense of timing. However behind this is the tragedy that stirs deeply within the minds of all great comedians, and strives them to build walls of laughter about them to keep away their sordid history. Recently, Ceres' facade has begun to slip, starting with the brutal murder of a few npc's to protect someone and ending with him risking it all in a mad quest for an Object(Detailed Here.) He's still himself, but the insanity brewing beneath his smiling visage and the mad lust for Seeking he's only beginning to understand will take their toll.
Equipment Only a beautiful old silver flask, as despite a very well refined telekinetic ability common to his race, carrying a pack doesn't suit him, and he wouldn't know what to do with a weapon to begin with. Does have quite alot of money though...
Abilities In adition to his racial abilities it is fairly competent as a diplomat and prone to getting its way in a peaceful situation. In combat he is next to useless in a direct confrontation, instead attempting to catch enemies off-guard with mental attacks designed to disable or kill them without a fight. If this fails he relies on its natural defence of being able to fly the heck away. He recently became Object 440, Reverie, which boosted his ability to see into minds and gave him the ability to manifest what he sees in them in reality. This gives him a fairly high combat capability compared to the rest of the family, but it is rather wasted since it isn't often he could be convinced to fight. Mostly he'll use it to create bodies for himself and goof around in taverns.
Backstory Cursing his ancestors for ascending to a higher state of being, this ephemeral thought-bubble has spent nearly its entire existence trying to experience the pleasures the material world takes for granted. Since he can (sometimes) interact with enchanted objects, he has taken up a hard fought quest to find the ultimate culinary magus, and he will stop at nothing until it is done. In the meantime he has stumbled across the one thing experience shared by all beings, solid or not, laughter and the joy it brings to those who have it. He has therefore endeavored to create laughter wherever he is, to feel more at home in a world he cannot touch.
Misc. He will often let on that it is in disguise while amongst strangers, slipping from one form to another and letting his true form "leak" out of the back of its "head" for example, or attempting to grasp something only to have his hand slip through. Make no mistake, he can maintain a perfect disguise, but he prefers to let others think he is inept instead.

Waldorf Fiske

Spoiler

Alias' Wally
Gender Unspecified (In a male form)
Race Unbodied
Age Unknown (Most likely around 1200)
Alignment Chaotic Neutral
Class/Profession Telepath/Archmage
Power Rating B+
Description Waldorf stands at about 6 foot 5 inches, or he would if he wasn't hunched over constantly. He's a rather frail old man, completely bald except for a few wisps of yellowish hair off the top of his head. If one pays close attention, they might sense an air of... preserved decay about him, and he is clearly not in the best of health.
Personality Waldorf is a cunning old man, and knows just how much to say to keep someone's interest. Other than that not much is known about him, by anyone other than the other Fiskes that is.
Equipment A Serendipitous Wristwatch. This minor artefact allows him to be in the right place at the right time, no matter if it is past present or future. It is uncontrollable, but will never act against its wearer. He can resist its effects but because of his crippled figure, he relies on it to get to where he needs to be quickly. It also prints business cards.
Backstory Waldorf was the first of the Fiskes to have gained a material body, and in fact accomplished this before Ceres ever approached him to join the group. He has supplanted his conciousness into the body of a brain dead man, allowing him to see and feel where most of the family cannot. However, he has been using this same body for centuries, and it has grown harder to control and maintain every year, leaving him slurring and hunched over.
Abilities Waldorf is the only accomplished mage among the family, and is extremely talented and in possession of potent magic from beyond the edges of time. These days it takes him a rather long time to cast a spell, considering the many deficiencies of his body. He is also a rather exacting alchemist.
Misc. Waldorf has a rather large sweet spot for children. He is also the only Fiske that cannot swap his mind between the other ten, although he shares the rest of the benefits of the mental link.

Jakob Fiske

Spoiler

Alias' Gregorovich
Gender Unspecified
Race Unbodied
Age Unknown (Most likely around 500)
Alignment Chaotic Evil
Class/Profession Telepath/Enforcer
Power Rating B/B+ C-/C (thanks to a fairly harsh fight)
Description A hulking monster of a man, with knotted arms each as thick as a hundred year old oak. This form is an illusion, but thanks to deals he made with the underworld it is as solid as diamond, and moves as fast as his will. Has an alternate form as a sliver.
Personality
Equipment A series of chains bite into his skin, wrapping around his arms and upper torso. Each link on each chain is the hardened essence of a sentient being he's killed, and each one increases his power and the solidity of his form by a minute amount. If they were destroyed, he would lose quite a bit of substance, becoming nothing more than a particularly large and angry man physically. Recently lost all but one of his links to the fight with Prometheus and Cyrus, and will soon be looking for additional power sources, as well as building up some new links with a few rampages.
Backstory Jakob was one of the first of the Fiskes to achieve a solid form, coming in second after Waldorf. This says less about his resourcefulness than it does about his dogged determination and willingness to go to lengths that the others shunned. He bartered away his freedom with Cerberus at the gates of the underworld, pledging to serve for a hundred years holding back the gates of hell from overflowing. When Cerberus boasted that no one being could hold them, Jakob convinced Julie and Kharn to join him, saying, "Now we are three headed, as are you, show me your dead." For his services he was granted the ability to graft soul chains, and swiftly began using them to lend his disguises substance. However, when he decided to implant a link of soul into his ethereal being, his mind began rapidly degrading. The others managed to halt his deterioration, but he was left somewhat simplistic in the aftermath. He remains eternally greatful to all of them.
Abilities Jakob punches things. With his fists. All of his bodies are simple illusions given solidity by the link of soul chain implanted in his brain, and are therefore more alike to meat golems than actual people. They don't really have much in the way of organs, just blood and muscle. In his sliver form, Jakob can control other mindless slivers, due to his mutation.
Misc. His ability to use psionics was permanently damaged by his incident, and so he channels all of his mental might into his physical strength, amplifying his blows and causing him to shrug off all but the most apocalyptic of attacks. Despite his ineptitude, he is generally considered by the rest as the strongest among them when it comes to combat.

Julie Fiske

Spoiler

Alias' S'hel Nuba'reh
Gender Unspecified
Race Unbodied
Age Unknown (Most likely around 600)
Alignment Chaotic Evil
Class/Profession Telepath/Seductress
Power Rating C+
Description A beautiful and very seductive young woman, she walks with a confidence and grace that oozes sensuality. Her hair is long and left down, the purest of black, and her skin creamy white. Her eyes are a vibrant and piercing blue, and she wears clothing that accentuates every aspect of her form.
Personality Julie is a tease, through and through. Nearly everything she says is dripping with innuendo, and every move she makes emphasizes her form. There isn't much under her vain exterior, but she has been known to do a good deed every now and then, and she gets along with Celena better than you'd think.
Equipment An ethereal fencing foil that passes through matter to cut the soul. If it passes through an arm, then the arm becomes unusable and will begin to decay as its connections to the rest of the body fade. If it stabs someone through the center of their mass (usually just under the heart, in a humanoid it would be the diaphragm) then it can attempt to force a soul right out of their body. Stronger willed people can resist both effects. Since the nerves are still intact, the victim will be able to feel its flesh and muscle rot. Usually the soul will reconnect to any broken pieces within a few days, and then body parts can be healed and cleansed of the damage cause by gangreen. The foil does have a small physical blade extending from the hilt, which is the focus for the ethereal energy.
Backstory While doing her time at the gates of the underworld alongside Jakob, Julie managed to capture a soul that had slipped past their vigilance and decided to keep it for herself, not telling the others about her new pet. For several decades she tormented this soul, bombarding its mind with pain and pleasure, hatred and lust, until a marvelous transformation overtook it. Without knowing it, Julie had fabricated a Succubus, and immediately bound it to her will. They are now lovers, and though the demon slipped its bonds early on they are completely inseperable.
Abilities Julie is a skilled swordswoman, and is largely immune to fire, but not entirely. Some of the minor perks of being demonic include her ability to fly, and the somewhat uncontrollable power to eat men's souls should they fall behind the curtains with her. She's also a moderately powerful telepath and pyrokineticist, with most of her abilities affecting the emotions.
Misc.Julie and the Succubus are not really one being, but you would be hard pressed to tell where one begins and another ends. The Succubus, S'hel Nuba'reh, is a being of pleasure, and is constantly sending Julie physical pleasures through their link, even as Julie sends mental ones back. Julie's reward for standing guard at the gates was a constant aura of pitiful souls, moaning and whimpering constantly to the souls of those nearby. This makes it very difficult for people to find the will to harm her, or even let her be harmed by other people or natural phenomena. (It also gives her a hint as to who among her enemies may be soulless, and therefore might be able to survive bedding her.)
An Update! Julie has managed to get herself pregnant with half-starspawn children, and become one of the redeemees in GLoG, with a smattering of success in dealing with her addiction to evil. She has moved into Rowan Cabin with Eric, the father of her soon to be born children.

Arkinos Fiske

Spoiler

Alias' Arty
Gender Unspecified
Race Unbodied
Age Unknown (Most likely around 800)
Alignment Chaotic Neutral
Class/Profession Telepath/Architect/Engineer Etc.
Power Rating C/C+
Description Arkinos generally isn't seen by people, as he shies away from interaction, but back in his glory days when he drove men made with the urge to build he would visit their dreams as a ravishing muse. These days if he is dragged into the nexus by one of his brothers or sisters he will appear as an eccentric old man, mumbling to himself and being ill at ease.
Personality Arkinos is extremely nervous around people these days. His mad passion for creation has burned more than a few bridges, both figurative and literal, so he is understandably not often seen outside his demi-plane. Unless one of the other Fiskes convince him to lend a hand, he will probably stay there indefinitely.
Equipment Anything and Everything. One of his major issues over the years has been that because of his inability to deal with people, he doesn't have anyone to make things for. So for hundreds of years prior to joining the other Fiskes he was simply making things for himself, creating impossible mechanisms and feats of architecture that fly in the face of any notion of reality or physics. After joining them his one wish was that they would give him more ideas to create with, and afterwards they could have whatever they wanted. The objects he owns, though many and varied, don't hold any interest to him.
Backstory Arkinos was once a man, and is the only Fiske to have ascended himself rather than be a descendant of another unbodied. In his time as a human, he devoted himself purely to the advancement of the human mind. He delved so deeply into his own psyche he became more brain than person. Upon meditating himself to a higher plane of existence he found his epiphany, only it wasn't the one he'd been hoping for. He was stricken with a passion, and from then on spent his time oberving the physical world, trying to break apart all the connections and see the strings that bound up the universe. Eventually the tools available to him were outstripped by his need to see deeper into the weft and weave of reality. He promptly began encouraging other men on the path to enlightenment so that they could invent the tools he so desperately desired. But as he coaxed and proded he began to change focus, seeing complex instruments put together from scraps of fluff and nothing excited him in a way nothing else could. To see his designs made real gave him a heady, unearthly freedom. From then on he lost track of himself for many dozens of years. Marvelous shining cities sprung up under his hand, even as engines of terrible destruction took shape in his mind to bringe them crashing into oblivion. It continued on like this until he met Waldorf and the other Fiskes, and found something he could never create for himself. Family.
Abilities Arkinos' talents are most pronounced in the field of metacreation. He can practically create anything using only his force of will, even things out of normally impossible materials such as riverine.
Misc. Arkinos enjoys a grand rapport with Waldorf, who often spends decades enchanting his marvelous devices and discussing new ideas for what next to build. They are also the eldest two Fiskes, and between them they managed to spend an entire century making Waldorf's Serendipitous Wristwatch, although they both claim to have no understanding of how it works. Arkinos has recently begun creating demiplanes bordering on the Outside of the nexus. No one is certain on what his plans for them are. Arkinos also suffers from an acute case of xenophobia, which keeps him from having meaningful interactions with anyone outside them family.

Nathaniel Fiske

Spoiler

Alias' Nate
Gender Unspecified
Race Unbodied
Age Unknown (Most likely around 700)
Alignment Chaotic Neutral
Class/Profession Telepath/Scholar
Power Rating C
Description Nathaniel is often disguised as either a rather normal looking teenage boy, with dark brown hair and eyes and ratty looking jeans and a t-shirt. Other times he appears as a venerable blind monk dressed in pauper's robes.
Personality Nathaniel comes off as rather indifferent to most, but anyone that manages to have a long talk with him will find him a font of information, and fanatical about it. He considers books crude and biased ways to store knowledge, and will espouse this belief as often as possible to anyone who asks.
Equipment The 4M (it's name changes often, but everyone agrees that there are more or less four M's in its name. Rita calls it Gordon) A massive machine built by Arkinos to hold the memories and skills of anyone it scans. Nathaniel uses it to run his business, but before he began marketing it he was constantly fine tuning the process it uses to allow people to take in more and more knowledge. He hopes one day to upload its entire databanks into the Fiske collective, but he's still a long way from achieving his goal. Gordon is one of the multiverse's foremost experts on gardening.
Backstory Nathaniel has always had but one goal. The accumulation and distribution of all the knowledge in existence. He has been teacher and student to nearly all of the finest minds of his homeworld. When approached by Ceres to join the family, his response was as rapid as it was succinct. One emphatic yes later and he has never been happier.
Abilities Besides being a psion like the rest, he doesn't really have much in the way of unique abilities. He is a fairly decent mechanic though.
Misc. Nate doesn't entirely mesh with the goals of the rest of the family. He doesn't really care about finding a way to enjoy food or curtains, and is quite happy tinkering with his new toy. He is rather childish, but can be annoyingly wise and mystical when he wants to be.