I hope you enjoy this took forever and a day to do. And i'm very happy with how Ticktoc came out. By far one of my favorite creations I think -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appearance: [img=http://features.cgsociety.org/newgallerycrits/g72/68272/68272_1226105220_large.jpg] Name: Alexander Pavaine “The Clockman” Age: 36 Guild Band: The Metal Monkeys. Archetype: The Tinker [hider=Backstory] Alexander is the oldest of the Pavaine brothers, the three of which have lived almost their entire lives within the Western City-States. Alexander’s parents, Lillian and Gregor Pavaine, were prominent members of the Guild during their lifetime and contributed much during their heyday. So devoted were they that they trained all three of their sons to take their place within the guild. Growing up Alexander contracted a wasting disease which would leave him with a perpetual cough and less stamina and strength than his brothers throughout their teenage years and adult life. While his brothers had each inherited one half of Grego’s legend. Alexander inherited all of his mother Lilian’s legend. Thomas, the youngest of the Pavaine siblings inherited his father’s dexterity and skill as a pilot, and has grown to be one of the best Ace Pilots the guild has. Conversely Michael the middle child inherited his father’s legendary strength and skill with melee weapons and is considered to be one of the best the swordsman in the Western City-states. While his brothers were growing up learning from his father, Alexander grew apart from his father as he lacked the strength and speed necessary to learn swordsmanship and he lacked the intuition to be an incredible pilot. Instead Alexander’s mother Lillian trained him. Alexander’s mind and wit would be his greatest asset. From an early age Alexander took to mechanics and construction with a will and skill that made his mother proud. For a large part of his teenage years his brother’s teased him for being a “momma’s boy” until it became apparent Alexander had inherited another of Lilian’s talents. While he was absolute rubbish with small arms and melee weapons Alexander had the sniper’s gift. His talent with a steam rifle at range soon rival that of his mothers. After Alexander joined his brothers one afternoon on the range and challenged them to a shooting contest over a girl the three of them were all interested in, they never referred to him as momma’s boy again. [i]Alexander coughed into a handkerchief and pocketed it with practiced efficiency as he checked the length of the steam rifle. He never could trust his brothers to maintain the weapons properly. Even his father for all his talent was never one to maintain them as it had long been his mother’s job to keep their equipment in working order. “Hey Thomas, do you think Alex can even lift that thing?” Michael joked to their younger brother. Thomas just laughed and shook his head “Last chance to escape being humiliated in front of Lucy.” Alex ignored them, their teasing never really bothered him but it was time to show them just what he could do. The targets were about 30 yards out. A pathetically easy shot with the steam rifle. It was a single shot rifle and they would be shooting five rounds. Fastest time and most accurate would win. Alex racked the bolt on the rifle. Turning he waved at Lucy who was sitting watching the three of them with her parasol open to ward off the sun. Turning back he gestured to his brothers “Shall we?” Thomas turned back to Lucy “When you say go Lucy”. Alexander exhaled slowly to make sure that a coughing fit wouldn’t overtake him during the contest. “GO!” The shout rang from Lucy. Thomas and Michael brought their rifles up and took aim quickly letting off a shot one right after the other. Alexander methodically pulled four more rounds from the pouch at his side and held them in his mouth as he brought the rifle up. It cracked as his first round hit dead center. With a patient methodical motion he racked the bolt and replaced the round. In a matter of moments he had drilled the target with five perfect shots, Thomas had beaten him by a few seconds but one of his shots was wide, while Michael’s gun had jammed on the last round. [/i] After the targets had been brought in Alexander’s brothers had been furious and awed all the same. Lucy had agreed to let Alexander court her after that but soon broke it off to leave him for Thomas. After this incident Alex had left their home in the Western City-states in a rage vowing never to speak to his brother’s again. The next eight years of Alexander’s life were spent traveling largely within the borders of the Kusagi Empire where he studied their philosophy and technology as well as their magics. During this time frame Alexander also collect his three spirits: Clockwirk, Ticktoc, and Midnyt. After his time in the Kusagi Empire; Alexander made a pilgrimage to the Wall of Nothing. While not a religious man he hoped to find some sort of spiritual reconciliation during his time spent at the Wall. After two years wandering Alexander finally made his way to the Varisie Empire to spend another three years studying engineering and metallurgy as well as newer techniques for constructing Magitechnology. It is rumored that during his time in the Varisie’s Empire is where Alexander earned the nickname “The Clockman”. The name itself is two sides of the same coin. On the one hand since acquiring Ticktoc Alexander has become one of the single best clock makers in all of Aesteria including everything from wrist and pocket watches to the clock tower he now calls home above The Metal Monkey’s guild hall in Meduzarts. The other side of the coin is his methodical timing, be it in the way he moves or the way he shoots, Alexander is meticulous in his actions and wastes no time or action when he is doing something. To most this seems almost eerie but for those who understand Ticktoc’s abilities it seems only natural that Alexander would be this way. A year or two ago Alexander finally returned to Meduzarts where he joined the Metal Monkeys band as a tinker and mechanic as well as a sniper when the occasion called for it. Since then Alexander has studiously avoided his brothers and most members that remember his parents, however he has taken up Lilian’s legacy as one of the best providers of customized, mechanized and Magicized gear in the Western City-states. With the advent of the war with the Varisie Empire Alexander has turned his talents to producing new technologies to augment the capabilities of the City-states outgunned armies. While Alexander is happy to produce custom weapons of war for the right price he has flatly refused to augment the killing power of the Western City-states by providing them with more efficient weapons. Instead Alexander has focused his efforts towards creating more efficiency in the army’s logistics. Alexander is the creator of the C.L.A.S.C. (Carriable Logistical Augmentation Steam powered Camp). It is collection of metal boxes which are easily transportable that when arranged properly and switched on expend a steam carriage each but unfold into a fully functioning army field camp. The parts of the C.L.A.S.C. are interchangeable and can be arranged in various forms. Additionally more C.L.A.S.C. segments can be added to the basic model in order to increase the size of the camp desired. Alexander sold the rights to the C.L.A.S.C. to the Western City-States high command and has since continued to work on other projects to improve the efficiency of the Western City-States army in their effort to stop the advance of the Varisie Empire’s advance.[/hider] [hider=Skills and Abilities] Mechanic- Alexander is an excellent mechanic and is capable of working on almost any form of technology including everything from sophisticated magitechnology to Airships to the timepieces he is known for. While he is incredibly capable as a mechanic he would hardly claim to be the best save when it comes to repairing his own devices. Engineer/Master Machinist- Alexander is one of the most accomplished mechanical and electrical engineers in the Western City-states which lets him design and build dozens of his own inventions and technological marvels as well as design and build custom ordered gear for patrons of the Metal Monkey Band as well as other guild members. Tinker- Alexander is constantly creating, disassembling and building different gadgets which have made life easier for him and those he sells them to. Everything from collapsable canes, swords, parasols to mechanical prosthetics and occasionally specialized weaponry Automatons- Alexander has had relative success constructing clockwork automatons which utilize steam power to function in combination with magic. He has however restricted his work to novelties and moderately useful non dangerous automatons as he does not want them to be used as machines of war. Many of his automatons seem to reflect his spirits, specifically clockwirk. The Clockmaker- Alexanders timepieces are legendary throughout Varisie Empire and the Western City-States. They keep perfect time and come in a variety of styles, prices, and function beyond simple timekeeping. [hider=Equipment] The Tinker’s tool bag- This “tool bag” is a collection of tools Alexander uses regularly however they have all been specially designed to fit into a leather bag Alexander wears on him at all times. The tools range from simple wrenches to a full set of watch makers tools. They also include some more arcane tools that Alexander needs for working on Magitech. Arc Gauntlet- Alexander designed the Arc Gauntlet to level the playing field for himself in more physical confrontations. The Arc Gauntlet is capable of delivering a variable charge to whatever Alexander touches. The Gauntlet can deliver a simple shock or deliver a potentially lethal shock to another individual. As Alexander lacks the physicality of others in the guild he has long learned to rely on his inventions to fill in the gaps. The Arc Gauntlet also serves a variety of other purposes including being used as a jumper for some of Alexander’s more electrically based inventions. Custom Steam Rifle- Alexander’s Steam Rifle is custom made rifle designed specifically for him and was crafted to fit his arm length and strength as well as including modifications in the scope to accommodate his far sighted eyes. The Rifle is a single shot variety, Alexander claims that it is to keep himself from rushing because when you only have a single shot. All of your shots count. The Rifle is also designed to be completely broken down and packed away in a relatively inconspicuous bag within a matter of seconds. Making it the perfect weapon for transportation and concealment. The Clock Master's Time piece- Alexander’s Time piece is a perfect watch. It always displays the correct time no matter where he is in the world. It also features a compass, barometer, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, thermometer, and a variety of other gauges and measuring devices. All of which the face of the time piece can be cycled to view. L.A.P.s- (Lift Assistance Prosthetics) Alexander has designed a full set of prosthetics for use in the field when the guild has need of him on missions. The LAPs are a set of sleeves which anchor to an armored and mechanized vest Alexander wears when on more dangerous missions. The LAPs allow Alexander to exert significantly more force than he normally would be able to due to his diminished strength (about two and a half times the strength of a fit human). However all of the Assistance Prosthetics consume steam cartridges quickly and the more Alexander uses them the quicker they run out (typically between 3 and 4 uses of full strength). C.A.P.s- (Climb Assistance Prosthetics) The CAPs were designed by Alexander as a means of quickly ascending to snipers perches. The CAPs feature a pair of grapples which sit flush to his arms and climbing claws which attach to Alexanders boots and are retractable. Alexander launches the grapples to attach to whatever he wants to climb and then walks up the surface with the climbing claws reeling himself in. He also has the option of ascending simply by having the grapple reel him in however while it is faster this use is more taxing for the steam cartridges. The CAPs also require steam cartridges to function however they are relatively efficient and can be used fairly continuously for about five to ten minutes before a new cartridge is required J.A.P.s- (Jump Assistance Prosthetics) JAPs are the equivalent of the LAPs for Alexanders legs and function as a sudden expulsion of mechanically stored energy which launch Alexander into the air. Alexander typically combines this with the CAPs as a means of swinging himself from one perch to another. The JAPs feature a set of incredibly powerful springs which are winched by a steam cartridge. The JAPs typically get three jumps from a single steam cartridge. The JAPs also feature a shock absorption system to compensate for the leap height, which is about four times that of an average human from a stand high jump. Greater with a running start. Tinker’s Field Prosthetic- All of Alexander’s prosthetics can be used individually however he typically uses them in conjunction with an armored vest which anchor most of the prosthetics. The vest also serves to hold spare ammunition, steam carriages and a few other odds and ends including deployable cover in the form of a sheet metal wall. The vest also helps limit Alexander’s coughing fits when he wears it. The vest itself is actually a form of magitech that doesn’t require steam cartridges and helps the other prosthetics to function more effectively.[/hider] Spirits: Appearance: [img=http://cache.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/575986-bigthumbnail.jpg] Name: Clockwirk Age: 455 Backstory: Alexander acquired Clockwirk when he was first leaving the Western-City States. The pact was simple. In exchange for getting to see the world Clockwirk would help Alexander to become of the worlds most renowned tinkers. Clockwirk has been Alexander’s constant companion since he left the City-States originally. Skills and Abilities: Clockwirk grants Alexander the ability to see through inorganic matter and to determine its components, flaws and structure. Which is why Alexander is so excellent at finding weak spots in armor and flaws in technology. Clockwirk itself is capable of melding with machinery and influencing simple mechanisms. While Clockwirk can’t directly control machines it can cause gears to grind, bolts to snap, and other small inconveniences. Clockwirk is also a relatively intelligent if single minded spirit Appearance: [img=http://m.artician.com/pu/ARZ3W63GBPQNVJLPCLKPT7VSINB6ZK6K.preview.jpeg] Name: Ticktoc Age: 830 Backstory: Ticktoc’s pact was very straight forward. Alexander had to construct a special timepiece for Ticktoc to inhabit when it is not in a corporeal form. The Clock Master’s Timepiece is the home Alexander created for Ticktoc. And as a side effect. The watch is never wrong. Alexander acquired Ticktoc while at the Wall of Nothing Skills and Abilities:Ticktoc grants Alexander a constant and perfect sense of time. He can count in perfect intervals as well as always being aware of the time that has past from one interval of time to the next. Ticktoc also makes Alexander’s movements more efficient. Ticktoc itself has very little power other than objects around Ticktoc seem to age at different rates. No more than a couple years difference but when Ticktoc is around food items the effect can be more pronounced as food products more prone to going stale either go bad faster or go bad much slower. Ticktoc doesn’t appear to have an control over this ability except when threatened. In which case Ticktoc is capable of aging objects directed to hurt it into oblivion. Ticktoc curls into it’s shell when threatened and anything attempting to hurt it experiences severe time dilations. Appearance: [img=http://pr0gramm.com/data/images/2014/08/06/90842cafdde44b04.jpg] Name: Midnyt Age: 467 Backstory: Midnyt’s pact was a simple agreement. Alexander would protect Midnyt and in exchange Midnyt would help protect Alexander. Alexander acquired Midnyt in the Kusagi Empire as part of the payment for a set of custom armor for one of the noble families. Midnyt is the only one of Alexander’s spirits capable of speech and she rarely speaks. She is also more insightful than Clockwirk however arguably less intelligent than the Raven. Skills and Abilities: Midnyt grants Alexander the ability to see in perfect darkness as well as the ability to see heat sources through objects up to a hundred yards away or so. Midnyt itself is a combatant and fights much like a raptor same she appears in the form of an owl. Midnyt is incredibly fast and while she is about one and a half times the size of a normal owl she is incredibly agile and durable. While not the ultimate predator against human’s Midnyt is an excellent scout and capable of flying harassment missions for Alexander. Midnyt despises being out in the day and prefers dusk, dawn and night when her vision is perfect.