And here be ye olde OOC thread, where you can chit-chat, foam at the mouth over recent revelations, or just generally compare notes on just how hard your character is getting the shaft.
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I didn't actually intend to kill EVERYONE. It just sort of happened.
Lycanthropy: Rosenberg is a functioning werewolf, and through Druidic powers has learned to be in balance with the inner beast. He can transform into a wolf or hybrid form, gaining impressive strength, speed, and regenerative properties, as well as the menacing visage he takes.
Nature Magic: Being raised by the Druids has its perks- one gains a deep understanding of the Natural world, how it functions, and the ever present natural energies which course throughout it. Nature magic allows one to affect the natural world, summoning a variety of different plants, calling animals to do your will, or even taking their very shapes. Rosenberg is known for favoring spells that ensnare his foes and have a general "thorn" like feel to them.
Death Magic: With raw life, you have its opposite: death. In nature, all things must come to an end. To survive and acquire sustenance for ourselves, we must destroy living things. Death is part of the natural world, and Rosenberg has studied it and the power which can be obtained from it. He has a variety of spells which deal with corruption, blight, pestilence, and simple plain death.
Weeping Rose: This scythe is a special tool; it has both the power to sustain life, and to bring it to a halt. This scythe was specially made by the Druids of Rosenberg's order, a beautiful tool grown to suit him. He uses it primarily as a fighting tool and a focus for his spells. It's a fitting representation of his dual nature, and the dual nature of Nature herself. Through both Life and Death, Nature is sustained. If this precarious balance tips too much one way or the other, its stability would crumble.
Its shaft is a long dark wood wrapped in places with leather. The blade has thorns growing from the shaft onto the back of the blade. It is "weeping" in the sense that petals are constantly falling from the blade.
Weaknesses:
Spoiler
Lycanthropy: Even though transformation into the wolf is as easy to him as transforming into a bear or a bird, it is still a curse, and has repercussions. Every full moon, he is forcibly transformed into his hybrid form, going on a murderous rampage once per month. It is a strong liability, but he's come to cope with it by holding himself down with trees and roots he grows on the spot. This way, though he is still forced to change, he's imprisoned in place, and can't harm others. However it is still a liability, as it can, if maniacal intentions are in place, be used against him.
Country Bumpkin: Rosenberg has lived in the forest and amongst the Druids for most of his life. He purposely has stayed out of contact with society, walking the wild ways of the earth from Order to Order. Though he knows the lay of the land well, he knows little to nothing of civilization and its ways.
Nature is Sacred: Nature is everything to a Druid. Without Nature, they would have nothing and nowhere to worship. Upholding it, amongst other things, is their duty, and its desecration must be answered with Nature's Wrath.
Alignment:
Spoiler
If neutrality had a form, Rosenberg would be it. He knows nothing of the world and its problems, and even if he did know, all he would worry about is the fact that he does at least know. He, like the Druids, do not care for the epic battle between good and evil, and could happily watch as both sides blow each other to kingdom come. However, the Druids will act if there is a significant force of great enough threat which would destroy all of Nature.
Motivation:
Spoiler
The barrier which holds back the Fey is wearing thin. It needs reinforcement, strengthening, and insurance that it won't break open. Rosenberg, though not an Archdruid, is well on his way to becoming one. He's dedicated to upholding the barrier's strength, and destroying anything which might break through.
Associates:
Spoiler
Rosenberg is a part of the Druidic Order. He's been risen by the order ever since he was a child, and has known nothing but the Order, its teachings, and the secrets of Nature. Through these, he has gained considerable strength, and now he wishes to repay Nature by his mission to ensure her survival, and destroy that which would destroy her.
The Druids are an order of people from various races. Their organization is part time occupation and part time worship. They revere Nature and all her facets, protecting and defending the natural world; in return, they gain Nature's power. The Druid's order was primarily formed to not only protect and sustain Nature, but to defend it against the wild and untamed Elementals and Fey creatures. It is known to all members, and is most prevalent in the forethought's of the members of the Circle, the Druid's ruling council. They are maintaining and strengthening the barrier constantly, though forces on the other side wish it broken apart. The Druidic Order can be found everywhere, though they tend to be a secretive group that hides from society. The variety of Organizations changes with the regions and climates of the world. The leaders of these Orders are all part of a council called the Druid's Circle. They have not convened in some time, and part Rosenberg's venture is to seek out the various Orders and check on their conditions.
Background:
Spoiler
Rosenberg was born a natural werewolf, that is, to two parents who were themselves werewolves. However, he remembers nothing of this other than what the Order has told him, for his parents were killed by hunters. He was risen as a child and a young pup by the men and women who understood his plight more keenly than anyone in this world could: members of the Druidic Order. He grew quickly, strengthened not only by his prowess with Nature, but by the control of his more bestial half as well. Everyone of his Order knew that he would be the one to succeed the Archdruid; he had the passion to uphold Nature, as well as the skill and power necessary for such a vigil. As a younger man, Rosenberg ventured the world, though staying clear of the hubs of civilization. He was a crucial part in enforcing the strength and unity of the Druids over the years, and is well known and respected by the Orders he came upon.
In more recent times, civilization has begun to throw its weight around; the forests themselves are restless with a sense of foreboding. Rosenberg has sensed this unsteadiness, this calm before a storm of titanic proportions, and has decided to meet it head on in the only way he knows: fighting, traveling, and recruiting new Druids to the Order. A great battle was coming, and he would not be alone in its wake.
Play Style: Play-styles I like include making my character out to be a bad ass, fighting, making decisions, just general good old roleplay.
Party Preference: I recently found out that I much prefer to roleplay with others rather than myself, alone. I do want to unfold and reveal my character's backstory, but I do find it more rewarding to roleplay with others, and not just doing my own thing. In fact, I don't like doing my own thing at all, and would much rather roleplay with people.
Whew! It took my awhile, but I think I did an okay job in starting Return off with a bang. 26,410 words according to MS Word.
Everyone is starting off in their own little area at first, in order to give everyone a chance to establish their character first, before trying to interact with other PCs and the like. For those of you that wanted to roleplay with other people than me (you swine! ), rest assured that I will be trying to get you together with at least one other PC in fairly short order following the first couple scenes. Of course, with half the cast in the Hells or elsewhere, that may be easier said than done.
I also tried to pick out an opener musical theme for everybody. I think all of the returning characters have pretty good ones - I was a little uncertain of some of the ones used for our newer players, as I haven't gotten a good feel for their character yet (obviously).
Anyway, feel free to post away, and enjoy reading whatever it is that you do actually end up reading out of the gibberish I type.
We're going to try a new method of DMing this time around, one which basically uses the mass transit theory - i.e., if you're late in getting to the bus, you get left out on the bus stop in the rain.
Basically, how this is going to work is that after posting a DM, I will announce a date. This date is the date on which I will start writing up the DMs. Anyone who posts before this date is obviously safe, and will be DM'd. As soon as I finish writing up the DMs for everyone who is available, I will post the DMs. Since it will likely take me a day or three (or five - months *cough* ) to write up those DMs, depending on how many there are, you will have a buffer between my deadline and when the DM actually goes up. If you post during that time, I will add you to the list to be DM'd, which will obviously take me even more time, and so the DM will continue to be pushed back until I have them all done, at which point I will post it. If that sounds confused to you, the gist of it is this - I will no longer be waiting for people to post before I write up DMs. I will have a set day when I start writing them, and whenever I finish for whoever has posted, the DMs go up.
Okay, let's give this a try. I will start DMing this thread on Wednesday, August 8th.
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I didn't actually intend to kill EVERYONE. It just sort of happened.
Also, just so all the character sheets are available for quick reference, please post a copy of them here. The recruitment thread will be gone in a month, and then I will be very sad. And you'll be very sad too if you don't have a copy of your own to repost with.
Thanks for reminding me of that, TechnOkami!
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I didn't actually intend to kill EVERYONE. It just sort of happened.
Generally speaking, I tend to try to find theme songs for most important characters, although I usually leave PC themes up to you guys. I *do* however, like coming up with appropriate "theme bands" to use for each PC (see The Protomen/The Megas for Ander/Hondshioh).
Ruse, The Hidden Blade -
Fengul, The Executioner of Innocence -
Kith, The Festering Hunger -
Anguish The Unending -
The Faceless One -
Glurdalak, The Seething Darkness -
Skithiss The Skittering Chaos -
Dirge The Withered Echo -
The Eight Robot Masters Fiend Lords Ander Imprisoned Personally
Yay! Let the torture, anguish, and suffering begin! For us new players at least.
And here is my character sheet:
Spoiler
Name: Lucifuge Race: Draconic humanoid/Dragon Description: Probably among the largest of his kind, Lucifuge is a black dragon with a commanding presence, inspiring awe from his comrades and fear among his enemies. He has the wingspan of around a hundred feet end to end, as long as he is wide, and a height of thirty feet. His whole body is covered with large, thick, black scales that refract the colors of the rainbow when hit by light at certain angles, and his visage exudes a mixture of ferocity and elegance.
In his draconic humanoid form, Lucifuge stands at around 6 feet, huge, muscular body, black scales covering his body. He has deep-seated green draconic eyes, snout-like jaws and nose, small horns lining his forehead, frilled spikes where his ears should be, and scaly strands hanging from his head that should resemble his hair (basically dragonborn).
Because of the nature of his kind, he usually walks around shrouded in cloak and hood to hide his appearance, and when it is required of him, he uses illusion to take the form of a human in his forties. On his back is a huge multi-slotted sheath filled with an odd selection of weapons: two swords, two battleaxes, two warhammers, and a spear.
Abilities:
Spoiler
General Abilities
- Keen Senses: Lucifuge possess senses sharper than a normal human being. He can see farther, see in low to dark illuminations, has a more acute sense of smell, and he can hear a wider range of sound.
- Superior Intellect: Lucifuge is blessed with the intellect of a creature born of the dragon race, as well as the wisdom born of living through the ages.
- Magic: Being innately magical creature, it was obvious for the wizard to experiment on Lucifuge's ability to cast magic. Coupled with his interest on the subject, a few years of observation and self studying and Lucifuge can now channel the arcane energies and shape them into destructive spells to reduce his foes into ashes in combat, as well as support spells to aid him in other types of situation that calls for them. (He knows spells that are similar to spells from Evocation, Illusory, and Transformation schools from DnD. Can only use low level spells in his humanoid form, but gains access to stronger spells when he is in dragon form.)
- Taint: The dark energies that corrupted Dacian and Elandra had also taken part of Lucifuge's sanity, but he died before it had fully taken over. Though dangerous, this dark energy is also a boon, granting him increased strength and near-endless supply of magic and dragon fire proportional to its degree of spreading.
Draconic Humanoid Form Lucifuge's current normal form. While in this form, he does not suffer the Taint eroding away his sanity. In fact, staying in this form for longer periods allows him to reverse its effects.
- Weapons Master: After he was transformed into a humanoid form, Lucifuge was forced to cope up with losing his superior dragon strength and size and his normal weapons consisting of sharp claws, powerful bites, wing buffets, and deadly tail slaps. He began learning to use weapons of different sorts and mastered a number of them, as well unarmed fighting. He developed a fighting style wherein he tries to make attacks that mimic how he fights as a dragon.
His usual style of combat is wielding 7 weapons - a pair of swords, a pair of battleaxes, a pair of warhammers, and a spear - scattering them and grabbing one or two of them depending on which attacks he would use, and and using his agility, speed, and strength, blitz through the battlefield.
- Draconic Body: Even reduced to a humanoid body, Lucifuge is still stronger than an average human being. And the smaller body grants him unrivaled speed and agility.
Dragon Form Lucifuge's true form. He can only access this form when he undergoes extreme negative emotions such as anger, or sorrow. However, whenever manifesting his dragon form, Taint begins to spread throughout his mind and body, slowly consuming his very being.
- Dragon's Body: As a dragon, Lucifuge possesses immense physical strength. He also possesses an array of attacks using his powerful claws, jaws, wings, and tail. Like all dragons, Lucifuge's body is covered with scales tougher than armor, protecting him from all but the most devastating of attacks, and even then, he has the constitution to withstand severe punishment. He is resistant to magical attacks, and like all dragons, he also possesses a prolonged lifespan.
- Dragon's Breath: In dragon form, Lucifuge can use the legendary dragon's breath, burning all things that stand in his way with scorching dragon fire.
- Flight: A dragon's massive wings is not merely for show. Lucifuge uses his wings to take to the skies, making travel faster or adding versatility to his combat maneuvers.
Weaknesses:
Spoiler
Taint: While Lucifuge has learned to use this to his advantage, the fact remains that the dark energies is slowly eating away at his very being every time he transforms into his dragon form, threatening to consume him and turn him into Azguloth's servant. He could also feel the Taint slowly becoming stronger for every step he makes towards Ironheart, or feel intense negative emotions and doing or thinking evil deeds. The irony is that the more the Taint spreads, the more he is inclined to feel negative emotions and think of evil deeds. Draconic Humanoid Form: Lucifuge survived death at the cost of his dragon form. Although this form is still stronger than a normal human, millennia of living and moving about in his dragon body makes it hard for him to adjust to his current form, forgetting most times what he can or cannot do while in it. Draconic Nature: Being a dragon, and probably the last of his kind, Lucifuge faces the constant problem of unwanted attention. This varies greatly from simple curiosity, to being hunted down for his life.
Alignment: Lucifuge is still loyal to the Oath he swore as a member of the Order of the New Dawn, and his ultimate goal is still to ensure that Azguloth does not break forth from his prison under Ironheart. To achieve this, he is willing to do almost anything, but the repercussions of negative emotions by doing evil acts keeps him somewhat in check. Motivation: Lucifuge's ultimate goal is to ensure that Azguloth does not escape. This means reforming the Order some way or another, regain control of Ironheart, and redo the shackles of Azguloth. However, he knows he cannot do this without taking care of the problem of his Taint, so his most urgent goal is to rid himself of it. Associates: Lucifuge is a member of the Order of the New Dawn, once safeguarding Ironheart alongside Elandra and Dacian. Since his awakening, he has heard of the complete destruction of the Order and Dacian's final demise. He has yet to meet or hear of any survivors among his kind or descendants of the human guardians. Background:
Spoiler
The last thing he remembered was steel wreathed in unholy energies piercing through his chest, tearing through his wings, rending his every limb.
The last thing he saw was the glorious smile on the face of the one he regarded as a brother.
Then darkness.
The next thing he saw was light. And a wicked representation of a smile.
He was alive. He knew there was no afterlife for soulless creatures such as themselves. But how? Why?
The next days saw him going through a number of times going under the knife, getting drugged. Dazed. But he was aware that there was something different. Glaringly so.
His mind ran through his memories. He could remember everything perfectly: the day he was born, the day he first took to the air, the day he first breathed his fire, the day he first hunted for food, the day he became a member of the Order, the day of the betrayal. He was sure he was himself.
But through the little instances of consciousness he had verified it.
He was not in his body.
His majestic, powerful body he was proud of was gone. Instead he was inside a shell of a human, or something similar. What happened? Where was he? And who was this human, or whatever it was, that constantly tried to open his body up?
The next few weeks came the answers. Apparently the human had satisfied himself with what he could find out about his body, so he was left awake for most times now. He had come to know the man had called himself a wizard, and that he was the one who brought him back to life. Or so he says. And upon asking, he also came to know another glaring difference.
He had been dead, or asleep, for well over a few millennia.
His first reaction at the stark realization was to burst out of his chains and return to Ironheart, but he was stopped by two things. The first, he was physically incapable of doing so. His new form did not have his usual strength. The second, and the heavier reason, was his lack of will.
He had remembered why he was there in that dark, decrepit place, bound in chains, confined in a cage of iron and flesh not of his own in the first place. They had lost. Elandra was lost. Dacian was lost too, and a more costly loss at that one. Days immediately after Dacian became the leader, death came en masse to both dragons and humans alike. His suspicions were true.
He had felt it as well. That silent tug at his moral fiber, gnawing at his sanity, slowly. He knew it was what caused Elandra to go insane. And now it had taken over Dacian.
Now that a few thousand years have passed, he knew it was over. Dacian should have finished off what he started.
Months passed. Months that turned to years. He was still a prisoner, locked up in a cage. The only difference was now he was in a bigger one. The wizard who found him used him as a gladiator for money and research, observing how much of his draconic powers survived his 'death', and how he could obtain it for himself.
The now hopeless and aimless Lucifuge came to accept his current predicament, and sometimes even relished in it. He did not have his own body, but this current one, he found out, was good enough to beat almost anyone with. Though he had to adjust his fighting style, adopting weapons for losing his natural ones, he still had that weapon he treasured most, his intellect. He mastered a number of weapons and even developed his own fighting style. In just over a few months, he was the reigning gladiator favorite.
Six years after he awakened, it happened.
While in the middle of a gladiatorial battle, something pierced through Lucifuge's being. Flashes of memory began to bombard his mind, and the image of Dacian seemed to surface. At that instant, his emotions spiked, making him clutch his heart and collapse. And then an explosion.
When he came to, he was lying naked on the ground in the middle of a forest, with the immediate vicinity scorched and burnt down. Confused, he bagan wandering about, and in a few minutes, he remembered. The forest was familiar; he had been there before. A little bit more walking and he confirmed it. He was in a forest at the border of Narle.
And there was another thing he could remember.
It was vague, and he was barely conscious, but he was sure. The reason that he was there was because he flew there, on his old form. Something triggered his transformation, and the sudden change overwhelmed him that he could not control himself. As soon as he had transformed, he spewed his dragon fire, instantly leveling the arena and killing everyone in it, then kicked off the ground and flew. He had been flying for days in a particular direction, something he chose on instinct.
The next few days he traveled around, gathering information, and he was able to piece the events that happened recently. He now understood the vision he saw that eventually led to his coming back: Dacian was dead. He also came to know of the instability Dacian's death caused. Several factions began moving to take hold of Ironheart. Most notable was the Baron of Gast, who had taken control of the fortress.
All of this was on top of the myriad troubles he came to know, of the elves and the fiends and even recently, the Spirit World threatening to spill over into this one.
But he knew his purpose was clear, why he was brought back there, and so he left for the barony of Gast.
Along the way, he could feel something evil growing stronger within him with every step he took towards Ironheart. And the moment he saw the slightest glimpse of its tallest spire, he knew. The evil taint that had threatened to take him over in the past had survived his death along with him. Apparently it grew stronger, acknowledging its source. Once he tried to approach, the negative emotions swelled within him and he transformed yet again back to his former self. But he could feel that as soon as he did, the vile energies within him accelerated its corrosion of his being.
Knowing full well going any closer would only just mean another corrupted being taking Dacian's place, he decided to leave. He knew he had to somehow find a way to remove that Taint within him before he could even approach the wretched place.
He spent months trying to find a solution, at the same time find news of any of the survivors of the Order, as well as getting used to his dual forms, changing between them, and mitigating the spread of Taint. He began doing odd jobs, jobs he would never consider doing millennia ago, when he was once the great Lucifuge, the mighty sentinel of Ironheart. All the while he kept track of things that happened around the fortress.
But he could only do so much. His draconic nature kept him from running about to do what needs to be done normally. Everything had to be done secretly, using illusions and concealment to hide his face, else he be pursued by a lot of people trying to kill him for his relation to dragons.
After the Battle of Narle, Lucifuge saw the chaos that ensued as a signal. He could now move more freely. He could do what needs to be done without worrying of the repercussions. It was time.
It was time to Return to Ironheart.
Play Style: I am game for any play style that would be appropriate for Lucifuge in his story, and I think his character is pretty much suited and capable for most, if not all of those. Party Preference: A tangled web we weave, if only it is organic and not forced, just for playing together's sake.
My original sheet (With background updates!) Note that Powers no longer apply, since Umber is Dead. For now.
Spoiler
Name: He has a cornucopia of them. The one he has taken for himself is Umber
Race: Vampire (Not the angsty kind, I swear!)
Abilities:
-Great physical strength, far exceeding that of a normal human, (Can lift several tons, break rock with his bare hands, that sort of thing)
-Superhuman speed and agility.
-An impeccable knowledge of history, thanks to living through most of it.
-A jack of all trades, he's tried almost every profression, though he's not an expert at nearly all of them.
-An encyclopedic knowledge of magical rituals and alchemy - (note, this isn't the same as spellcasting. He can't sling fireballs and the like, but if you need an esoteric magical ritual or brew a rare and virtually unknown potion, he's your man.)
-Can gain strength and power by drinking the blood of other creatures. Blood has multiple functions - one, a small amount is required on a regular basis to sustain his unlife. Blood also serves as both a short-term boost of strength and a smaller long-term gain, both based off the potence of the vitae consumed
-Functional immortality. Doesn't age, can't be killed off permanently. He's also incredibly tough; a combination of his undead nature and his enormous willpower allows him to shrug off horrendous wounds. See weaknesses for more information.
-Intelligence. Umber is intellectually gifted and possessed of a dark charm and charisma in addition to being extremely knowledgeable. He's also an insufferable smartarse.
-Healing: Similar but separate from his ability to draw strength from blood, Umber can use the precious red fluid to heal his wounds. However, he is incapable of healing without it. The greater the quantity and the more potent the blood, the more grievous the wounds that he can heal.
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Weaknesses:
-Vampiric flaws. Umber suffers from a number of problems resulting from his condition. Sunlight weakens him and burns exposed skin, though he doesn't have the more dramatic problems (I.E. instant death) that some others of his species do. Silver also weakens him physically and causes immense pain. Holy symbols, running water, and other such weaknesses have no effect. Pinning him through the heart with a stake immobilizes him. If he sustains enough damage destroy his physical form, he's reduced to ash until blood comes into contact with said ashes. Blood deprivation over long periods weakens him immensely.
-Visions. The years do strange things to a person's mind, and Umber's was never all that normal to begin with. He has just a touch of the Sight, and gets occasional glimpses of things that are yet to come. However, this one is a bit of a double-edged sword... more often it just leads to cryptic muttering and delusion than anything helpful
-Oathbound. Due to a curious confluence of personality and his undead nature, Umber is incapable of breaking a solemnly sworn oath.
-Weakened: though potent, Umber's current state is but a shadow of his former power. Long years of imprisonment and indescribably torture have drained away most of his power. The only way for him to regain it is to start again, that is to steal the strength of other creatures with the abilities previously mentioned.
-Bloody Creepy: Umber is not a nice fellow. He's the sort of thing nightmares are made of. And he likes it that way. Despite the fact that he's quite handsome and can be very charming when he wants to be, there's always something a bit eerie about him that's rather off-putting, especially to those who are magically or spiritually sensitive.
Crimes: Umber's done enough nasty things to merit ten times his sentence, however, the crime he was imprisoned for was not one he committed. He was accused of murdering a powerful noble's daughter after "seducing her to darkness." This, however, was merely a cover so that his captors could use him for their own ends.
Motivation: Umber's a rather... driven fellow. His overall motivations aren't terribly clear. However, he's extremely irritated by his long incarceration, and is quite intent on wreaking revenge most terrible on the responsible parties, and anyone who might get in his way. He also plans on reducing the prison to rubble, just for kicks. (and out of spite, of course.)
Associates: Fianna - his love from ages past, he now seeks her to bring her either a cure for her madness, or a final death.
Bran - A young man whose bloodline Umber is somehow associated with, he possesses vast magical power - but little control over it. Umber has interesting plans for this young man.
Ross - The Werewolf-Paladin who served for a time as Umber's jailor.
Helion - One of the vampires who captured Umber - and later served as the tool of the Baron in manipulating Umber. Something that Umber, of course, does not appreciate. This one also apparently has his own plans - plans that Umber intends to foil.
Background:
Spoiler
The man - or creature, if you prefer- who now calls himself Umber was born in an earlier age, when the world was younger and the blood of men ran hotter. It was a savage time, or rather a time when savagery was more openly displayed, when the blood ran hot and battles were fought more often in the open, with bright blades unsheathed and stained crimson, and the delicate arts of politics were left to petty schemers and inscrutable wizards. Born into this age was a league of seven sorceror-monarchs, the Lords of Blood. These seven were masters of spell and steel, and they carved a crimson swathe through the young world. In the end, however, they found that their power accounted them little. In a few short decades, they would die and their kingdoms would crumble. They resolved against this, and together they made a pact to find the secrets of immortality, and to become gods among men, eternal kings and queens who would rule the world until time's end.
Thirteen long years they labored, and in the end none of them could remember whose search was the first to bear fruit. But bear fruit their research did, and the seven gathered in the tallest tower of Malangarde, their capital city. There, they poured over their research, and together they found a solution: An elixir made from ingredients for the most part unspeakable; the most innocent among them being the distilled blood of a hundred children and the tears of a tortured angel. This elixir they consumed, and in consuming it condemned themselves to final damnation. It granted them immortality, indeed they could not die even if they wished it, for a single drop of blood would revive them, but they were doomed to fear the sun and silver.
Still, to these seven twisted souls the trade seemed paltry indeed. They had forsaken their mortality without looking back, and they reveled in their new lives of darkness. But their peoples grew to hate and fear them. Where once they had been conquering heroes, now even their own armies saw them as wicked despots, and plotted against them. And the more they supressed these plots, the more they grew back, so that eventually each came to realize that to truly control their kingdom ,they would have to be ruling a kingdom of the dead. Two were killed by the raging mobs, and their ashes scattered. Whether they have ever reformed by some chance drop of blood, the legends do not say. Two more clung to their thrones, and laid waste to their kingdoms, until they were nothing more than gibbering lunatics ruling kingdoms of the dead. At last, with no living things to feed upon, they fell into a deep torpor, and passed out of the knowledge of men.
The last three chose to wander. And wander they did, down the ages of history, living lonely existences. The one called Umber, with whom we shall concern ourselves, took the name as a reminder that he lived always in shadow (And also because, frankly, he thought it sounded impressive.) Having always been a solitary man, the life of a lonely wanderer did not cause him overmuch distress. He stepped quietly through the pages of history, never again taking up the reins of rulership or rising to great prominence, but his progress might be tracked by those who knew where to look. A mercenary without peer, he led countless armies to victory, slaughtered great beasts and drank their vitae, and vanquished champions unnumbered. By and large, he was content with his life, to enjoy the simple pleasures as he could find them, to walk lightly on the world and avoid the eye of those who would make a name for themselves destroying so fearsome a monster.
Despite his best efforts, however, his movements were, indeed, followed. A cabal of powerful vampires of the more conventional sort had, for the past several hundred years, been tracking him. They envied his strength, his immunity to so many form of harm that he lacked... and were resolved to steal it from him. Ambushing him at a particularly vulnerable moment, they managed to subdue him, despite heavy losses. Bound in chains of runed silver, he was brought to Ironheart, where his captors have mercilessly experimented on him for the past century, draining away his strength bit by bit. Recently, however, disturbances in the prison have weakened the bindings on him enough to begin plotting his escape. Using a little-known magical ritual, he sent dreams to other prisoners asking for aid in return for vast material rewards, for he knew the location of numerous treasure caches he had hidden over the centuries.
And then he escaped, aided by other vampires - who he at first considered pawns, and later found to be betrayers. He found his lady-love, the Lord of Blood, Fianna. But he found the other Lords as well - and fate was not content to let them play out their old melodramas and continue their eternal existence.
Desperate for power and even more desperate for a change. Umber sacrificed his immortality, reawakening the vital spark within him - the spirit of the fool, the laughing king of nothing at all dancing on the edge of the pit, channeling the great and terrible forces of the universe. He helped Fianna find her mortality again, restoring the emotions and feelings she had sacrificed for immortality, reclaiming her very soul from the abyss. But all his power was not enough, and fate came calling.
At the Battle of Narle, Umber's old debts came due. Finding a mortal army, he and Fianna stormed the city, seeking to destroy both the Baron and their old ally, the master of Necromancy, Kartul. They were waylaid, first by Shakati, the Huntress-Queen, now a maddened servant of the Baron. Zariel, her traitorous lover returned and helped to slay her at the cost of his own life, along with Gilgeam, the greatest warrior of his age and Lord Marshal of the Lords of Blood. But Gilgeam betrayed them, kidnapping Fianna and fleeing. Forced to deal with Kartul, Umber returned moments too late, finding Fianna murdered by her sister, the final Lord Marialta, now a servant of Fate itself.
In his rage, Umber extinguished Marialta's life at the cost of his own, and now lies dead. But death is a transformation, not an end, and he Umber finds himself beyond the fields we know... and yet he exists. And though his life is lost, his will is adamant, and he will spit in the eye of fate, no matter what it takes.
Personality: Umber is actually a (somewhat disturbingly) cheerful fellow. He's often rather gregarious, quick witted, and has endless volumes of tales to regale a listener with. He's also a very wicked creature who feeds on the bloodof mortals - and relishes in it, and will cheerfully send others to horrible fates if he sees benefit in it. Despite this, he obeys his own twisted code of honor and never betrays anyone he thinks of as as friend, and always keeps his word and pays his debts.
Appearance: Umber is a fairly tall man who appears to be in his late thirties. His skin is slightly pale, and his eyes are a deep crimson. He tends to dress stylishly, though his sense of style is often about twenty years behind the times. He has dark ebon hair which he wears shoulder length. His fangs retract when not in use so, save for his eyes, he appears fairly normal. His smile can be rather unnerving, however, even without the fangs.
__________________ Like dragons and/or allegory? A little writing project I'm working on. Check back for updates, and feedback is always appreciated!
Name: Korram "The Firebrand" Alstan Race: Augmented Human Abilities:
Physical Abilities: Korram is an extremely skilled fighter with years of experience and skill. Additionally, despite being past his prime Korram's merging with the elemental known as Purifier has given him a body that is at the peak of physical performance. Korram is is surprisingly agile for his age, although he isn't particularly flexible. Korram is also quite capable of stealth when he desires.
Body: Korram is extremely resistant to pain and injury as a result of being tortured for years in Ironheart. Additionally, his body has been altered by its hosting of Calcifer and Purifier, and the consistent channeling of elemental fire that has passed through it. The exact effects of this are unknown. Also he's dead, which has most likely altered him further.
Mind: Korram possesses an unbreakable will, and extraordinary courage. Once Korram sets his mind on a goal, he won't stop until it is accomplished, regardless of what he has to do in order to succeed. He sees no challenge as insurmountable. Weaknesses: Korram's primary weakness is his heroic tendencies; Korram can't stand seeing innocents suffer, and many things offend his strong moral compass. Since Korram is a very straightforward individual, this makes him quite easy to manipulate. Korram is also extremely attached to his wife and daughter, extending even beyond his heroic concerns. Alignment: None (deceased). Motivation: Rescuing his wife and daughter from Hell. Associates: Katrina, Amelia Ashargrin, Seraphan Gast, Fernard, Calcifer (Former), Purifier (Former, now enemy). Background: Korram was born and raised in a small village called Callaway. He led a relatively happy life for a time, being married to a loving wife, Sarah, and having a dear daughter, named Katrina. However, despite the fact that Callaway was an out of the way farming village, Korram's wife somehow caught the eye of the Baron. She was taken one day by Baron Gast, an occurrence that was not uncommon. While Korram believed that she was to be tortured to death, the Baron actually used her as a method of connecting two minds to run his airship, the Ghastly Truth. Korram's life was shattered by this turn of events. Grief soon turned to rage against his fate, against his powerlessness, and most of all against the Baron. Korram learned how to fight, using only his fists as he could not afford weapons. He began working as a thief, stealing things of value from caravans or groups heading for the Baron, and cracked the heads of a few soldiers. Despite this, he felt it wasn't enough, and left Callaway for a time, traveling to the capital city in search of a weapon he could use against the Baron. On the advice of an associate named Fernard, Korram sought out a mage, Eldred, who bound a Spirit of Fire into his right upper arm, granting him powerful abilities with fire in exchange for causing him constant, excruciating pain.
Korram traveled back, sad that he had temporarily abandoned his daughter but more focused on his new found ability to exact revenge. He concealed the nature of his arm from his friends and daughter with strips of enchanted leather which suppressed the burning (although not the pain) of his arm. Korram began attacking larger targets, his unique abilities gradually giving him a name, spoken with awe by the people and fear by the soldiers: the Firebrand. Months went by, and Korram began gathering other, like-minded individuals around himself, forming a small but effective band of rebels. This group was highly effective, getting in the Baron's way and stealing or destroying items of interest to him, although their size and the Baron's power limited what they could do. Eventually, however, Korram became too successful and started becoming a real hindrance to the Baron. Enraged, the Baron had several expensive spells of identification and location cast to find the Firebrand, discovering Korram's identity and home. When Korram later returned home, he was confronted with a contingent of guards holding his daughter at knife point. Given no other option, he was forced to surrender and was taken to Ironheart. Eight years passed, and Korram became a favorite subject of the torture chambers, resilient enough that a betting pool was made to try to figure out when he would crack and spending as much time in the torture chambers as in his cell.
After eight years of imprisonment, Korram actually managed to escape, slicing open the glove that was suppressing his arm and slaughtering his way through Ironheart. During this time, he rescued Countess Amelia Ashargrin, who was imprisoned for refusing to marry one of the Baron's sons. Countess Ashargrin later exchanged herself for an imposter pretending to be Katrina. During a battle with a powerful demon, the seals on Korram's arm broke, freeing Calcifer, the spirit of fire and Lord of the Inferno, one of the most powerful elementals in existence. Still trapped in Korram's body, Calcifer made a deal with him: in exchange for not killing him, Korram would have Calcifer removed at the nearest opportunity. Korram progressed deeper into Ironheart, accompanying the mysterious Seraph, later revealed to be Seraphan Gast, the rebellious son of Demetrius. Despite some consternation, Korram looked past Seraphan's bloodline and felt kinship with the man, who was searching for his abducted wife. Korram eventually reaching the darkest depths of Ironheart, where he and a group of other escapees halted the Hierarch and destroyed him, preventing him from releasing Azguloth from his imprisonment. At this point, the Baron revealed that his plans had gone far deeper than everyone thought, outmaneuvering the escapees but allowing them to leave with their lives. Korram was given a choice: flee Gast and never return, or go back to imprisonment. Bound by his oath, Korram made a deal: he would be allowed to leave for six months, during which time Calcifer would be removed from his body. Accepting his fate, Korram left Ironheart, utterly beaten by his nemesis.
On his way to the Narle, the capital, Korram detoured to visit Callaway, only to find that it had been utterly destroyed by the Baron out of petty vengeance. After a violent altercation with Kris, a local rebel lieutenant, Korram discovered that Katrina had followed in his footsteps and was the leader of the resistance movement. After a tense, awkward reunion, Korram was permitted to stay the night, but the camp was attacked and annihilated by a unit of GHASTs. Korram and Kris escaped, and eventually met up with Countess Ashargrin once more, as well as a man, "Klaus," who was traveling with her. Amelia requested assistance in freeing her friend, Pyrene, who had stayed behind as a distraction to help Amelia and Klaus escape from their enemies. Caught by his promise to Calcifer and desire to help Amelia, Korram sacrificed his arm to return Calcifer to the Plane of Fire. Before he could act on his intent to aid Pyrene, however, the entire group was captured by Cheran, the cruelest of Demetrius' children. After regaining consciousness, Korram was taken to the Baron's estate, where he was treated to a dinner with his enemy, who revealed the true fate of Korram's wife. Shocked but a little hopeful, Korram threatened the Baron in a gambit to make himself seem suicidally overconfident. When he was taken back to his cell, Korram was given another shock as he discovered that Kris was actually Katrina in disguise. Before he could fully process this, Seraphan, revealed by Katrina to be the one who had destroyed Callaway, visited to pay his respects to Korram before his execution. Korram forgave him, even after Seraph took Katrina away. Alone, Korram was approached by a shadow mage who enabled him to escape in exchange for rescuing Pyrene.
Sneaking onto the Ghastly Truth, Korram found assistance from an unexpected corner: Fury, the intelligence running the ship, which incorporated his wife. With her help, he met up with Katrina and Pyrene, and the group escaped from the ship. Separated from all but Katrina, the pair contacted an old associate named Fernard, who smuggled them into Narle. Teaming up with a local resistance group, they planned to interrupt Cheran's wedding to Countess Amelia. The night before, Korram was contacted by Purifier, another Lord of the Inferno, who made a pact with Korram and fused with him even more fully than Calcifer, massively increasing his abilities. The next day, Korram used Purifier's power to slay Cheran and make a royal mess of the wedding, but was eventually forced to retreat with Katrina and the remains of the resistance.
Regrouping over the next few days, the resistance waited for the Baron to make his move. Korram eventually persuaded the rest of the group to leave the city, escorted by the rebellious Seraphan Gast. With his obligations removed, Korram once again defeated Cheran, now a GHAST, by knocking him into a crevice to Hell after the city was absorbed by the Hells. Flying to the Ghastly Truth, Korram confronted the Baron only to discover that the Baron had found out Korram's source of power...and new how to disable him. With Korram incapacitated, the Baron attempted to kill him, only to be foiled by Katrina, who sacrificed her life to protect him. Shocked into his senses, Korram realized that Purifier was simply using him as a tool and cast the elemental from his body. With the last of his power, Korram hindered the Baron before throwing himself into the path of the Herald's scythe, saving Miriam's life at the cost of his own.
For his heroic actions, Korram was sent to Heaven. This has left him discontent, however; since she died there, Katrina is stuck in Hell, and the fate of Sarah Alstan is unknown, but likely similar. With this in mind, Korram desires to reach Hell and rescue his family...but circumstances just might force him to Return to Ironheart.
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Truly awesome Ark Tamaeus avatar by Bryn. Full size version here.
Once again, Tare, (Erstwhile) Hero of the Oppressed!
Spoiler
Name: Tare Race: Human (...probably... mostly...) Age: 23 Condition: Dead.
Crimes: Basic pickpocketing and breaking and entering; open disrespect for the baron and incititing more than one riot and then vanishing seconds before the Baron's men arrived; and most seriously, attempting a very broad-scale heist against two of the Baron's lesser nobles. If everything had gone according to plan, both noble houses would've lost nearly half of their total material wealth in one night. It didn't go according to plan.
Alignment: Neutral Good. Tare believes firmly in the Law of Right and Wrong, but has utter disrespect for mortal authority. He is not aware of/familiar with the cosmic struggle for power that is going on at the higher levels of the game at the moment, and so he has not allied himself with any of the clashing forces-- except that he violently opposes the Demons because of what they have done to someone he cares about.
Motivation: Tare is driven by strong senses of Family and Responsibility. Having grown up in the Barony of Gast's closest equivalent to an orphanage, Tare is very sensitive about the idea of family. Being that he has never found any to which he is related by blood (until recently...) Tare is wont to claim those he comes to know and care about as surrogate family, whom he will then defend to the death.
He is also guided by an internal sense of "Just... Right" and "Just... Wrong" that he likely could not explain or provide reasoning for even if he were challenged. Where this internal conviction comes from is anyone's guess-- he certainly did not learn it from his caretakers as a young child (not that he remembers much of his time before having fled the orphanage), and the rough-and-tumble world of backstabbers and hand-biters that he chose for himself did nothing to reinforce his moral compass-- and yet, it leads him firmly North at every turn.
Appearance: Since gearing up with Limier just prior to the finale of Flight from Ironheart, Tare has been wearing all-purpose, Assassin-grade cloaks, well-suited for concealing daggers and avoiding notice. His multiple encounters since then (first with Inquisitor Silverton, then later with Vylethar and gang) have left said cloaks battered almost as badly as Tare himself is. Most notable among said battle damage is the two crossbow bolts protruding from Tare's chest. These, though not intended to be a fashion statement, communicate Tare's social status with remarkable accuracy-- specifically, that he is Dead and therefore that such things are all but irrelevant.
Abilities: Prior to his Death, Tare was an accomplished street thief with a reputation for clean, fast heists against well-defended targets and an almost supernatural ability to avoid detection.
Thief Skills: No thief on the streets of the Capitol would be taken seriously without the basic array of skills; Pickpocketing, Sneaking, Skulking, Shadowing, Climbing, Dodging, Lying, Misdirection, Lock Picking, Trap Spotting, and above all Quick Thinking are all stamps of Tare's nearly-Decade long experience as a thief in one of the harshest anti-crime districts in the world.
Untrained Magic: Perhaps more instrumental to the thief's success than dumb luck (which has gone his way more than once) is his unexplained and completely untrained ability with Mortal Magics. Tare had long hidden his Magic from his fellow thieves, passing off his simple cantrips as merely transcendent sleight-of-hand. As a thief, he had learned such utility-oriented Magical tricks as Greasing, Sticking, Spider-climbing, Ventriloquism, Heating, Returning, Minor Telekinesis, and most prolifically, Invisibility.
Since his stay in Ironheart, Tare has been called upon to develop his Magic very rapidly in order to stay alive. While his old tricks were usually low-power and focused on out-of-combat solutions to patient problems, post-Ironheart Tare has landed himself in much more pressing, much more immediate jams than need much more power and much more instant reactions. Tare developed Haste, Silence, Group Invisibility, and finally Lightning Javelin while Escaping from Ironheart. This last effort wildly over-drew on Tare's available magical reserves, but instead of "spraining a magical muscle" as it were, Tare instead broke through a mysterious limiter on his magical reserves that he had not known was there.
After the removal of that limiter, Tare went on to develop Lightning Hand, Flash Step, Earth Shape, and in his final moments of life, Arc Lightning, Lightning Needles, Lightning Clones, and (the capstone on his magical development) Ubiquity.
Supernatural Abilities: After (and even While) Escaping from Ironheart, Tare began to notice a number of thing that could not be explained by Mortal Magics (even the sometimes unpredictable nature that his magic tends to have). Most prominently, Tare discovered Soulsearch; this ability allows him to glance briefly into the past of those he has come into contact with. This has been confirmed to work on Humans and Elves, but has not been experimented with any further as yet. Tare has used this to certain effect on the Baron Demetrius Gast himself, as well as one of the Baron's Hands, a mysterious figure that appeared at Ulrich's Chapel, and on Teareal, Crown Prince of the Elves.
Tare has also become able to see the connections between the mortal world and the Hells. (It is unknown yet if this power extends also to seeing connections to the realms of Heaven.) He has used this power to: open a portal out of the Hells, allowing himself and his rag-tag band to escape the Hells alive; locate his Fallen Angel companion by subconsciously tracking her connection to the Hells; and finally, to phase-portal said companion out of an inescapable metal prison-coffin by taking a detour "around" the walls of the coffin through the Hells.
Weaknesses: Though he is crafty and unpredictable, Tare is still very much human. His primary weaknesses lie in the same place that most humans' do; he bleeds when stabbed, breaks when crushed, and cannot go without sleep for very long without collapsing from exhaustion.
His Magic functions on the same principles; Mortal Magic is fueled by an internal reserve of power. When that reserve nears exhaustion, and he has had no time to rest and recover, Tare finds it harder and harder to employ magic at all.
Though he would consider it a strength, not a weakness, Tare is also possessed of a defiant Idealism that has survived almost intact even through his decent into Ironheart and the Hells after that. Though it allows Tare to remain incredibly optimistic amid the worst of circumstances, it also blinds him to the way things really work (Tare doesn't know much about the gods, for instance, but he assumes that they hear and care on the rare occasions when he asks for help. They don't).
Also, in the final moments of Flight from Ironheart, Tare was murdered by a band of Fiends under the command of Grandmaster Vylethar, a succubus from the Hells. So he is currently dead.
...That may also be considered a weakness.
Associates: Along his escape from Ironheart and the events that followed,
Name: Alons Sift Race: Human Abilities: A jack-of-all-trades. Can fight with well with a sword or bow. Can perform folk songs and gives rousing tales. Knows some basic illusion and minor druidic rites. (Basically the DnD equivalent of 3 or so levels in ranger, bard, illusionist, and druid each depending on the power level of the standard PC character.) Weaknesses: Outsider, he's not from across the sea and is unfamiliar with the people and the events prior (this should make it easier on me). Can't beat a swordsman in a sword fight, cannot beat a sorcerer with magic. Curiousity. Alignment: Neutral good. Of course, he's from a foreign culture so may have a different emphasis on what's important and what's not. Motivation: He is on a quest to heal whatever corruption has taken hold of the world. He knows not its true nature, only that it in the lands around Ironheart. Associates: He has left his associates behind. They are fighting a war of attrition with the orcs across the seas. He alone was sent because his people could afford to send no more, and because whereas he was not their greatest heroe, he was the one most able to adapt depending on what the true probelm is. Background: Alons Sift grew up in far lands across the sea. His people have a strong history of druidic tradition, though in the past 100 years most have taken to progress, building castles and keeps. Therefore Alons grew up seeing both worlds, those tribes who kept with the old ways, and those who embraced change. He was an advocate of the latter.
Although a member of his tribe's ruling family, his place is so far back from the rulership that he does not even know which number he is (somewhere between 50 and 60).
He participated in his first battle at thirteen, carrying a short bow, and staying near the back of the lines. The battle did not reach him, but it was his first exposure to war. His first true fight was at fifteen, a minor skirmish with a roaming band of gnomes. Alons slew two of the small bandits.
Alons took the "hood", the grey, dark garb of one who dedicated themselves to war at age seventeen. The young woman he had been courting was killed in battle. His normally calm and amiable demeanro was replaced by a cold, and bitter hardness. Although he has since moved on from the worse of the pains, he has never tried to marry again, and though his humor has returned, the hardened edge has stayed with him. As one wearing the hood, he became a scout, committing hit and run tactics, and keeping the far flugn tribes well informed of enemy movements.
He was chosen by the Crone, and the ruling elders of the different tribes when she had a vision of far off lands, and how actions there would affect the entire world. With a new Orcish campaign being started in earnest, they could ill afford sned all the greatest heroes. Alons was selected as one who could tackle the a number of different situations for the Crone could not hear the spirits clearly enough to determine the exact nature of the corruption. Also, whereas Alons had served them well as a scout, the war would soon turn to large scale battle where one such as he would not be as useful.
So it was he was sent alone with provisions to these distant lands. He has only arrived a month prior to the game's start, 25 years of age, and with a basic understanding of the local language.
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Will have limited to no internet the rest of the week.
I liked that series as well. I figured using it as the theme song was appropriate for Volesin's successor, who will be doing roughly the same things as the original, but a bit differently.
Although I suppose that means I should have used this as Liberator's (peasant army guy) theme song instead.
(I swear I'll have an original idea one of these days! )
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I didn't actually intend to kill EVERYONE. It just sort of happened.
Name: Lukina Marcellis Race: Human (Returner) Age: ??/18 Brief Description:
Spoiler
The return of a certain archangel named Genevieve in human form, desires to return to the heavens, and rally humanity to the side of good and the gods.
A heroic spirit, returned to the mortal realm, Lukina once was the archangel known as Genevieve, of the host of the Miriam, who fought and was slain by the Herald of Azguloth in an earlier time. She was lost to the Heavens, and her fate was left unresolved. Had she been trapped in the Hells? Had her soul been irrevocably destroyed by the Herald?
As the events of Narle came to conclusion, a young woman awoke with nightmares of battles long ago, and of faces and memories she knew but didn't know. And awakening to these, she became aware that she wasn't what she thought she was. The call to battle of Miriam and the awakened energies of the world had awoken feelings and a part of her that she hadn't known was there, and in the dream, she awakened to her purpose of divine make, and her desire to become a heroine will take up the task again.
Appearance:
Spoiler
Lukina is a young woman of silk-like, straight black hair and clear blue eyes. She often wears her hair pulled into a ponytail or another fashion. Though she has a small build, she stands with reassurance and confidence that gives her a fiery feeling. She is young, but something in her eyes is out of place with time. They seem like they are hiding something, maybe even from herself. Her normal clothes are practical, with a tunic and skirt over breeches and strong boots. She wears steel halberdier armor that is light for her to move.
sketch: Usual
Spoiler
sketch: Sacred Blue Flame
Spoiler
Personality:
Spoiler
Lukina is a girl of strong spirit and heart and optimism. A bit of a tomboy child, she grew up with eyes looking far off, knowing that her destiny lay somewhere outside the village life she had been born in. She grew up holding onto the legends and fairy tales that were told, always hoping to be a heroine herself.
And then the nightmares and the memories came, and suddenly everything she knew had been thrown into question. She knows she was once someone different- an angel of heaven. But the life in the memories is so different than the one she has known. Why did it happen? How did it happen? Only one of the Gods could answer this question, but it does haunt her. It asks the question then, is she still Genevieve, or is Lukina a different person? Can she be both of them?
Despite these worries, Lukina is determined to find the answers to her questions, and part of her is excited and thrilled by this. The calling that she was so uncertain of, she knows now what her purpose is. Or what it was? And she will make the best she can now. She will live her life together, both the path and the present.
Lukina is opposed to injustice, it is something that is nearly impossible to ignore. Knowing the glimpses of her past now that she does, she is even more reassured of the rightness of her cause in opposing it where she can. She always was faithful in prayer and attendence of the church, and she still trusts the paladins and priests may be able to help her now with her task and goal.
Deep down though, she is a girl from a village who hasn't been out much, and the archangel memories she has are from a different age and time. One could say she is a little ignorant of all the happenings of the outside world now, but she is determined to go forward anyway.
Alignment:
Spoiler
Lukina is a good heroine. She serves Miriam and Athelion as best she can, and opposes evil as best she can, wherever she comes across it. She is firmly against evil, and will attempt to rally those around her against it, or at least to fight it herself.
Motivation:
Spoiler
Lukina is driven by some knowledge of her past, and the glimpses she gets in dreams, or her meetings with the divine. Her ultimate goal and desire is to return to the side of her creator Miriam, but before she can get there, she has continue the duty laid on her. To help teach and save humans from evil, oppose and fight the forces of hell, and return the fallen to the holy path. If she can accomplish all of these things as a human, then surely she'll achieve her goal. Or so, she thinks. As a human, she still desires to be a heroine and an angel, and to live up to her past.
Associates:
Spoiler
Paladin Commander Welkin and Paladins
Though many of their forces were lost, Commander Welkin has managed to form a new camp of paladins and is drawing recruits. The remnants of the baron's army and hell forces continue to cause trouble, and the paladins is trying to deal with this threat, as well as any remaining demons from the hells. Welkin is a young man in his early 20s, with a heavy burden after so many of the veterans were killed in the last battle. He is a determined and sharp commander and very loyal to his men. He is more willing to trust Lukina than most, but he sees her more as a needed mascot than a commander to follow.
Paladin Commander Tyberius/The Order of the Star
The Order of the Star are a paladin organization from outside of Narle. With the great disruption and afterwards of the battle of Narle, they have come in to help. Unlike the paladins of Narle, the Order of the Star are organized with strong morale. This is an elite unit, led by Commander Tyberius. He is an older commander who maybe remembers the most recent paladin attempts to attack the hells (if those are so recent). His duty is to scout and to report the situation of Narle to the rest of his order, but things may change that. Though he may have a good relationship with Commander Welkin, he will need a lot of persuasion of Lukina to believe her claim. But if it is proven, Tyberius may be her strongest supporter.
Priest Adam
The priest of the church in the town that Lukina grew up in. Priest Adam is middle aged, and knew Lukina since she was little. He doesn't believe she is what she claims, but he can offer a lot advice and knowledge about the church of light to her. Of course after the war, everything is in trouble, but Priest Adam is helping with other priests to try to rebuild the churches to the glory they were before.
Angels- If any of the angels of Miriam are still on the mortal world, or even the ones in the heavens, they will certainly remember Genevieve, though whether they believe Lukina is her or not is different. But her sisters would be good allies to have.
Abilities:
Spoiler
Charisma: Lukina has a striking appearance and a certain grace and earnestness that is inspiring.
Mysterious Healing: Lukina heals faster than a normal human. Probably part of her own heritage?
The Sacred Blue Flame: Connecting the weak link between her past and her present, Lukina unites the two parts of who she is, empowering herself with divine energy and drawing upon her knowledge and abilities of before. Her body gains supernatural physical ability, as well as regeneration and alacrity, capable of using more of her full potential. Though she is not an angel, it could be said her ability is this level, though she can only use this for a limited time, and becomes exhausted after using it, due to the strains on her mortal body. When she channels her divine power, she is surrounded by a shimmering aura of pure divine blue flames and her hair bleaches to a blonde white-like color. The energy aura around her may glimmer faintly a halo or energy-like wings, if focused enough. When the connection ends, her hair will slowly return to it's normal color.
Combat Expertise: Unarmed, Sword, Spears (and halberds) are the weapons that Lukina can use with great skill.
Equipment: Currently Lukina uses a set of steel halberdier armor recovered from the battle of Narle. It gives some protection from injury and can be moved in easily. Whatever weapons she can recover or is given to use she will do her best with. At some point, hopefully she will recover or receive Angel Armor.
(Both of the Weapons are thoughts to obtain later maybe)
Edelweiss - the white and flowery halberd that is her 'Legacy weapon,' once held by Genevieve as the herald-spear of Miriam. It is a pure, white adamantine halberd that gives of the light of the sun. It is a weapon capable of inspiring faith. It is also a weapon that is said can pierce any armor. Perhaps it will be recovered sometime.
Exshia - The divine sword of Genevieve, lost after her death. Has been carried in the hands of the Avatars, and then was recovered by Miriam in the battle against the Baron. Where is it now? Someday all faithful swords will find their owners.
Weaknesses:
Spoiler
Youthful Form: Lukina's form is a young human. Despite her divine skill and experience, her current form isn't quite ready for a heroic battle as her past experience would desire. A mortal body can't sustain angelic combat for a long time. As such, she cannot use her maximum power, skill, speed, or endurance at this time. She may even hurt herself or overestimate her body's ability. She can use her The Sacred Blue Flame to give her these advantages for a short time, but she has to adapt until she has time to train up her body. Not that a human body even at the peak of training can match a true archangel.
Virtues: As a heroic personality, she is virtuous and honorable. Do not lie, defend the weak, oppose injustice... These are values she strongly holds. But they can be burdens too.
Nightmares: Memories of her past life often haunt her at night. Though they may impart knowledge or wisdom to her, there are also painful memories.
Background:
Spoiler
Genevieve was the first archangel of Miriam, whom she was close to and served proudly long ago. In the war of the gods however, she was defeated and killed by the Herald of Azguloth during the final days of the battle. But her soul was not recovered then, and gradually she was given up as lost. Perhaps she had been stolen to the hells, or perhaps the herald had even destroyed her soul completely. Somehow, these things were avoided. The mystery hasn't been revealed yet. But at this time, the one known as Genevieve became a myth and a legend, though her sisters and Miriam mourned her loss.
Lukina was a tomboy when she was young. She had hoped for adventure, and always had seemed to have good nature with the animals of the farm that she grew up on. She had always enjoyed church, but her one fault was that she always loved to fight with the boys. She came home with many torn dresses and bruises when she was young, but always suffered the scolding. As she's grown up as a teenager she began to feel more uneasy. She didn't feel content or comfortable with this life, and at night she had often had dreams about the stories she had heard in the church.
And when the Baron of Narle had opened the rift to the hells, when Miriam descended to the mortal world in a form, and the angels of the heavens had assembled, a call had gone out. A call that had resonated in Lukina's dreams, that had awoken in her memories and emotions that had been long locked away. She remembered her name, and she remembered her life before, though parts of it were still dark and clouded. But she remembered what she had been, and despaired at how far she had fallen. How had it happened? She didn't know. But she couldn't stay here now.
The two parents whom she had known all of her life, they couldn't understand this. And Lukina wasn't sure even how she had come to be human, or if to believe her dreams were true. But seeing the world around her, it was clearly in need of help. And if that call had truly been to rally the heavens to a purpose, then she had to go. Lukina had to leave and go do her duty.. The cathedral of the church, the orders of paladins that had once defended the lands, she had to go to them. She had to talk to Miriam, or Athelion. Or one of her sisters- if they remained. A priest or paladin. Someone who could tell her what was going on. And then she would know what to do.
Or at least, that was what Lukina hoped.
Play Style: Getting into physical fights, taking moral stands, trying to play an inspiring and good character. Not to be trapped in Hells. But I will do my best to understand mythology (I want to learn more).
Party Preference: I want my own plot threads to be woven in amongst others like a rug. Of meeting other characters, it seems Ander is probably the easiest to meet. But I would be happy to meet anyone of the PCs.
Actually, to be fair I came up with the idea when I launched the recruitment thread at the beginning of July. After I saw the latest Batman movie though, I was like "oh. well - might as well go for it then!"
And those sketches, as always, look fantastic Kasanip!
__________________
I didn't actually intend to kill EVERYONE. It just sort of happened.
Hey, no complaints here. I find them quite amusing, giving some sort of mental image to compare with.
And I love Lucifuge's theme song btw, both of them. Interestingly, the Two Steps from Hell video's top comment was "IM GOING TO GO KILL A ****IN DRAGON!". Go figure. And I don't know how in the Hells I forgot about THAT other black dragon. Tsss, friggin' ripoff. But yeah, I think that one would be the fitting background music when he's slowly succumbing to the Taint and goes "Dragon up!" on whoever was stupid enough to piss him off that badly.
At Kasanip, you wouldn't happen to be giving lessons on how to draw?
Also, once I get my hands on a tablet and some form of a sketch program, I think I'll do the same thing Kasanip's doing (drawing characters, maybe posting them on GitP).
THE TEN-MINUTE BACKGROUND Based off of the Minimus RPG engine, copyright 2008 Ad Astra Games, used with permission. Minimus is donation-ware, if you like it, please contribute as per the instructions in the file.
Grey Warden avatar courtesy of Dorian Soth. Many thanks!
Bramble, Sapper; Deserter from the 6th Squadron of the 5th Brigade of the 3rd Army of the 1st Legion of Hell.
Race: Demon (Lesser Fiend)
Appearance:
Spoiler
Bramble stands about seven feet from horn to hoof, with a lot of wiry, bony, unwashed, leather-clad demon bitch between. Her skin, once a continuous paint slick of crimson, is mottled with the crusty black and oozing red of healed and healing burns, especially across her arms and face. Basic, coarse, humanoid facial features twist slightly towards the grotesque with horny scaling outlining her cheek and brow bones, and a too-wide grin stretching to uncover too-sharp teeth. Her eyes are standard issue with red irises. A rat’s-nest of black hair is tied messily to the top of her head, singed pieces sticking out here and there like porcupine quills, a patch or two of burnt scalp visible. Her utter disregard for vanity is betrayed, however, by her horns. Two perfect arcs crown the disheveled demoness, points reaching for one-another like lovers across a chasm, polished, gleaming - perfection from crimson root to black tip.
Personality:
I’d prefer to let Bramble’s personality be largely revealed through her interactions, so I will just give a few basics:
Spoiler
- Bramble tends to adopt a devil-may-care attitude that becomes more pronounced as her situation becomes more untenable.
- She is fiercely loyal to the people she claims as friends, and doesn’t hesitate to risk herself on their behalf.
- Bramble has little or no respect for artificial, enforced authority. She will follow a leader she finds worthy (and has little interest in being a leader), but will actively undermine anyone throwing their weight around just to demonstrate their clout.
- Unfortunately, since she is a demon, Bramble does find immense amusement in the discomfort of others, and her practical jokes can be a little more vicious than her victims would like. Worse, the more she likes someone, the more likely they are to find themselves the butt of her jokes.
- Very rarely, Bramble can be pushed into a blind rage. When this happens, everything friendly falls away from her. Anyone nearby is painfully reminded that yes, this is in-fact a fiend from hell.
Alignment:
Chaotic Good…usually.
Strengths:
Spoiler
- Agility: Bramble is long and wiry. Her body is naturally designed for quickness and agility, and she has been trained to take advantage of that.
- Cleverness: Bramble is very good at figuring out puzzles and finding ways out of seemingly hopeless situations.
- Combat Engineering: from her experience as a Sapper in the Legions of Hell, Bramble excels in laying or uncovering traps and building or destroying defensive positions. She is a masterful saboteur.
- Explosives: Bramble is a munitions expert. She is also able to combine mundane objects with her own bodily wastes and fluids to create explosives when she has none on hand. (This is her only real supernatural strength.)
Weaknesses:
Spoiler
- Bramble is a poor melee fighter. She is capable with a ranged weapon, but once an enemy closes on her she resorts to avoidance and escape.
- Practicality is quickly sacrificed for entertainment. Bramble frequently wastes time and resources trying to make an act of sabotage an artistic endeavor rather than a simple solution.
- Bramble is cursed with a distractingly lascivious nature and a lack of physical charms. Her awareness of this causes her a great deal of self-inflicted suffering.
- Alcohol and other intoxicants consistently tempt Bramble into overindulgence. The consequential hang-overs can lead to regrettable decisions.
Motivation:
Spoiler
Bramble is a deserter from the Legions of Hell. As such, her life is forfeit. She wants to survive, to explore the world outside of the Hells beyond the battlegrounds she’s seen in the 6th Squadron. If that means out and out turning traitor and using her saboteur skills against her former allies, then so be it.
Former Associates:
*Provided there is no preexisting canon regarding the Legions of Hell, I will try to figure out a suitable military arrangement for the chain of command. Right now I imagine Squadrons of 10 people each, Brigades of 10 Squadrons, Armies of 10 Brigades, and Legions of 10 Armies.*
Spoiler
- 6th Squadron:
o Sergeant: Blocky
o Corporal: Ship-shape
o Sappers: Bramble and Catbox (Bramble’s best friend)
o Squad Warlocks: Squib and Hammock (also Squad Medic)
o Infantry: Mouse, Turbine, Fringe, and Malarkey
- 5th Brigade (light infantry):
o Lieutenant: Skullcruncher (for reference)
- 3rd Army:
o Commander: Wishbone (for reference)
- 1st Legion:
o General: Molerat (for reference)
Background:
Spoiler
Bramble’s decision to desert was not an easy one. Despite her loathing of the Legions of Hell themselves, she was devoted to her Squadron, especially her best-friend and fellow sapper Catbox. Catbox and Bramble were hatched from the same clutch, survived the normal tortures of childhood together (demonic upbringing focuses heavily on eliminating the weak before they can grow to pollute the population), and were fortunate enough to be assigned to the same Squad after being separated during their military training.
The 1st Legion was assigned to operations outside the Hells, and Bramble developed a simmering sense of discontent with her life as a soldier. All around her was a world to explore, people to laugh with, deliciously bitter new brews to sample, all manner of ugly buildings to imaginatively detonate, and all her commanders wanted her to do was dig holes and rain down destruction. Digging holes and raining down destruction was wonderful, tons of fun, but Bramble found herself asking “Is that all there is?” Often, on the eves of invasions, she would collar Catbox and sneak into the towns they were about to victimize. Ostensibly, these trips were designed to sabotage defenses and lay traps. Instead, however, Bramble and Catbox would steal a barrel of ale and pass the night drunkenly spinning tales of how they’d live if they could just get out of the Legions.
When the 1st returned back to the Hells, they found mass chaos. Somehow, the Fiend Lords had returned! The Legions were being rearranged and rerouted. The Hells were going to muster an invasion force that would tear down the outer civilizations once and for all, making new Hells out of realm upon realm.
Suddenly, Bramble’s simmering sense of discontent boiled over. That whole weird, multifaceted world gone, unexplored? Those people, dead or demonized? Those brews, never tasted? Those buildings, blown up with no thought of aesthetics? No. No, no, no, no. Bramble had become a sapper because it was fun. Well, that and because she could make a hell of a grenade with the contents of her left nostril, a cup of her own urine, some mud and a seashell. Now she’d found a whole new world of fun stuff she’d barely had a chance to experience, and the Fiend Lords were set to destroy it all in the name of conquest. Who in the Hells did they think they were anyway?
So in the midst of the chaos, in spite of the way leaving Catbox behind wrenched her hearts, she saw her chance and she took it. Just walked away one night, while that old bastard Sergeant Blocky (or Blockhead, as she thought of him) explained the new regime to the rest of the squad. Went to the privy for a slash (carefully collecting the urine in a clay bottle and stowing it in her pack), and kept on walking.
Now she’s wandering the Hells alone, looking for a way back to the surface world.
I've been listening to Modest Mouse's "The Moon and Antarctica" all summer...this is the song that always makes me think of Bramble:
I might
Disintegrate into the thin air if you like
And I'm not
The dark center of the universe like you thought
Well it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm pretty damn sure that anyone can
Easily, equally **** ya over
Well I died sayin' something but I didn't mean it
Everyone's life ends but no one ever completes it
Dry or wet ice, they both melt
And you're equally cheated
Well it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm pretty damn sure that anyone can
Easily, equally **** ya over
Well an endless ocean landing on an endless desert
Well it's funny as hell, but no one laughs when they get there
If you can't see the thin air
Why the hell should you care?
Well it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm pretty damn sure that anyone can
Easily, equally **** ya over
Well sure you'll tell me you've got nothing to say
But our voices shook hands the other day
If you can't see the thin air then
What the hell is in the way?
Anyway, thank you for the invite. Post is forthcoming
Wow. You actually made me feel bad for Miriam. Well played, sir.
Really enjoyed the Batman Moment.
It's actually kinda gratifying that the demons are treating Tare with some reasonable caution. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Also, just because Tare is the only character (that I know of) that has had any interaction with a Succubus so far, I was pretty much expecting to be the PC that encounters Videle first/for her introduction, but... in the very first DM of the game? I was actually not expecting that at all.
I also thought Rose's Batman moment was great and I really enjoyed all of the Meanwhiles and DMs that involved any of the Fiend Lords (because I'm biased, duh). Hondshioh and Tare are in for a rough road ahead.
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Return to Ironheart OOC
), rest assured that I will be trying to get you together with at least one other PC in fairly short order following the first couple scenes. Of course, with half the cast in the Hells or elsewhere, that may be easier said than done. 
