This thread is for Dlayeth's Characters. First post is reserved and will be edited from time to time, probably later when there are more bbcode options.
OP
Aradeth Laenaren
Race:
Human
Gender:
Female
Age:
27
Appearance:
Aradeth has golden-blonde hair which is cropped close to her skull. Her eyes are grass green. She has very little excess fat on her and is built athletically. Her expression is impassive and makes her appear somewhat intimidating. She is battle scarred, though usually the clothes she wears covers the scars. When she isn’t in her armor, she’s usually in a long-sleeved, high-necked dark color tunic and trousers.
Background:
In the early years of her life, her country was at war, and had been for a long time. Caejas had been harrying their borders, and many young people traveled to the capital to join the army. Desae, Aradeth’s country, did its best to prevent war to no avail. The ongoing war was punctuated by a series of uneasy truces.
Aradeth was born in a border town during one of those short times of peace. Her town, Aldbush, had somehow remained untouched and apart from all the fighting. Unfortunately, that fragile peace was not to last. As the war drew closer to the border town, those with the means packed what they could and left. Aradeth’s father sold all of the belongings they could spare, and with it, bought a small cart and traveling supplies. They packed what they could, and sought refuge with their relatives. Better safe than sorry, they thought. They never made it that far.
They were set upon by bandits, who had been driven across the border by Caejas’ army. Aradeth’s father was killed, their belongings were taken, and she and her mother and younger brother were taken. The bandits hoped that the women and children would work as hostages, should they encounter Desae’s army or town militias. It didn’t hurt that Aradeth’s mother was still young and not unattractive. That she had children was not a bad thing either. Why should one try to forcibly bed a screaming struggling woman, when one could have a willing, submissive one instead? A mother’s love was a beautiful thing.
In the end, it was not war, nor armies, nor militias that ultimately destroyed the bandits. It was disease. Aradeth’s mother, weakened by the physical, emotional, and mental strain from her “services” was one of the first to succumb. As more of the bandits sickened, weakened, and died, they desperately moved for the nearest town that was liable to possess a healer. They intended to forcibly obtain a healer. Unfortunately for them, the town had its own guard that had well-trained, able-bodied, healthy men in it.
The town guard pursued the bandits who survived the skirmish and eventually found their camp. There was another brief fight, and Aradeth and the other children were found and rescued. Aradeth, by some miracle, or perhaps by her mother religiously telling her what would happen when the bandits were gone, knew the name of her mother’s sister, and the village in which she lived. A message was sent and the wait began. Eventually, Aradeth’s mother’s sister, Aunt Lyran, arrived and took Aradeth and her brother back to her farm.
When Aradeth turned 16, she left to join the army. In training, she turned out to be a natural fighter and picked up the drills quickly. When they put her to archery, she turned out to be an amazing shot once she got the hang of using a bow. When her training was done and she was sent out to battle, she was put in the back with the archers. Her archery skills were worth more than her sword skills, but that didn’t mean she let her sword skills go to waste.
During the war she met and befriended quite a few mercenaries. After the war and her stint in the army, she used recommendations from them to get into a good mercenary company, Warrum’s Wolves. They were a relatively well-known mercenary company, and were in good standing with the mercenary guild. She was in Warrum’s Wolves for a good six years when the countries finally settled down and there was peace and the mercenaries fell into some hard times.
Mercenaries enjoyed peace as much as the next guy, especially after a long hard season of fighting, but a peace that looked like it would last was bad for them. Mercenaries thrived on war. Peace didn’t pay their wages or keep them fed. They ended up accepting a contract that they normally wouldn’t have. They had never heard of their client, but he paid well, and there didn’t seem to be any reason not to. His name was Dynroth Lianash. That was the last contract Warrum’s Wolves would ever accept.
Dynroth Lianash was a cruel, vicious, ruthless man. Civilians were not spared. If they sided with Earl Erindale Dynah. He controlled with terror. If there was any resistance, then those who resisted were to be put to the sword. When the Wolves didn’t kill every man woman or child and burn the town to the ground, he sent his own men in to finish the job. The watching Wolves were reminded that there were things that were worse than death. They had done the people of the town no favors. In fact, it would probably have been a mercy to have just killed them instead of leaving them to Dynroth’s men.
The Wolves were honorbound and oathbound to obey their client. They had signed the contract and if they broke the contract, no one would hire them. Mercenaries who turned upon their employer would never be fully trusted by their potential employers. It didn’t take long for them to detest their employer. They hated fighting for him, but they all lived by the mercenary code.
When their contracted term was nearly over, and talks of renewing the contract were to begin, the Wolves were relieved. Soon they would be free of this man. Perhaps they could even switch sides in this war. Warrum made it clear to Dynroth that they would not be renewing the contract. They were sent out on a job. They were to capture another town. It wasn’t supposed to be anything that difficult. Unfortunately, they were ambushed. The ambush was perfect though, too perfect. Everything was set so neatly, as if their plans had been known in its entirety. Few, if any, of Warrum’s Wolves escaped alive.
The actions of the ambushers were too ruthless to be the enemy earl’s men and the numbers were overwhelming. It was as if they were ordered not to let a single Wolf escape alive. They were nearly completely successful at that. Those who were taken alive were as good as dead. Death would have been a kindness.
Personality:
Aradeth is an experienced mercenary. She is practical. She follows the mercenary’s code and her own brand of honor. Aradeth is cold and keeps her distance. She is wary of others, perhaps enough to be considered paranoid. She is flexible and will listen to other ideas. She is normally a rational woman.
Occupation:
Former member of a mercenary company called Warrum’s Wolves which was last contracted to Dynroth Lianash.
Power:
Fetching – the ability to make small items go where she wants them, or make them move to where she wants them to move with the power of her mind. Essentially she can manipulate objects without touching them. Her fetching gift isn’t strong enough to move people or large objects. She’s limited by size, weight, and distance of object. If she cannot see exactly what it is and where it is, she cannot move it. With practice, her fetching ability with her archery takes less concentration and is almost natural to her. It is what made her so good with bow and arrow.
Weapons:
Bow
boot knife, belt knife, and a hidden knife at the back of her neck, two knives in special sheaths that can be worn in the sleeves of a long-sleeved tunic. They have special releases that hold them secure until needed. They can be thrown.
Sword and a buckler made out of a very light material, but very strong and durable.
Six throwing knives.
Weakness:
Fetching only works by line of sight, always keep things between yourself and her arrows. Attack from behind if you can. She only has a limited amount of arrows. Once her arrows are broken or damaged, she can no longer use her bow for the longest ranges. Either that, or break her bow if you can.
Get up close and batter her as much as possible. Wear her out, and deliver the final blow. Batter her shield and numb her arm or dislocate her shoulder so she will be clumsier with it and block slower. Snipe the sniper. Go after her two against one or three against one or whatever if you have good team work. Pierce through the gaps in her armor to hurt her. If someone had a mace, send it crashing down on her skull. Catch her by off guard and kill her before she can draw her weapon if you can.
As a member or a mercenary company, she has been trained more in group tactics than single combat. Another thing is, she is a women, and her physical strength won’t necessarily be as great as a man who has trained as much as her. She must make up for that with skill and speed. Break some bones, break some ribs so you can get in a good finishing stroke.
Dislikes/Fears:
Her past. It haunts her. Darkness, for when she closes her eyes she sees their faces, their eyes, their corpses. Silence, because in it, she hears their screams and curses. She fears her dreams, nightmares, and memories because so long as she breathes, she will never escape them.
Wish:
She isn’t sure what she will wish for. She has two ideas in her head, and figures that if she makes it through this; she’ll choose one of them depending on how it goes. Some of the times, she wishes to begin anew, with her memory of what’s happened to her wiped away and knowledge of skills intact.
The rest of the time, she wishes to know the thoughts of the ghosts who haunt her. She wants to know who exactly, must be made to pay for their actions in more than just blood.
OP
Name:
Lillith
Age:
72
By the standards of supernaturals, she's still a child even if her physical appearance is much older.
Gender:
Female
Location:
Vlad's Complex
Personality:
Her interest is, of course, in pleasure; her own pleasure to be exact. She's very whimsical and prone to pouting and sulking if she doesn't get what she wants. Her mood is very mercurial, and depends entirely upon recent events. She is very much attracted to physical appearances. What she'll do for a hottie... no one knows. Admittedly, there's a twisted side to her. She has no issues with using sexual charm to get what she wants and murder does not faze her.
Powers:
She can summon a max of two weapons to wield at this current point in time.
Her powers are very strong for someone her age, and her potential is great. At this point in time, she is capable of effecting supernatural males and human females with the power of her voice for a duration of 5 seconds. Subsequent attempts on the same target will be less effective unless ample time has passed since the last time she used her power on supernatural males or female humans.
If she has sex with a male human, she will have absolute command of them for a duration of a day. (If with a supernatural male... maybe half an hour to an hour of absolute control)
She seems to have an alluring aura. People who see her may find themselves strangely attracted to her.
She can cast glamours to disguise herself.
Weapons:
She has a pair of obsidian daggers (Refer to Image). Her daggers are enchanted and covered with runes. One of the enchantments on these daggers is what allows her to summon them (or materialize them if you will) out of thin air. Summoning her daggers costs energy. She has practiced with them long enough that she is capable of summoning them without losing too much energy. Another enchantment keeps her blades from fracturing, chipping, dulling, and breaking. To be exact, it maintains the dagger's current form. The daggers can still be enchanted further, but every enchantment has it's price in energy cost. Also the enchantment maintaining the dagger's form would have to be broken and enchantments will have to be done anew if new enchantments were to be added.
'Hunting' style:
Her hunting style depends on the situation.
She enjoys stalking her prey. Her preferred method of getting people to come with her is through convincing them to follow her with their own free will. However, if force is necessary to bring a cutie home, then so be it.
("A hottie in their rebellious stage is cute too" ~<3)
How you intend to use your humans:
Humans are playthings, interesting toys. She wants to see them bend to her will, eventually by their own volition.
("I want to see them bend and break, I want to see how they tick. What can they withstand? How can I make them mine?")
Relationships:
Her father is an unknown incubus who is still wandering the world. Her mother is now dead. She lives with Vlad in his castle.
Bio:
Lillith was born to a human mother and an incubus father. Her father left shortly after her mother was found to be pregnant. Her mother chose to raise her, so Lillith was raised as a human. She grew up among humans without knowing of her true heritage. From a young age, her latent powers drew people in. When she played in the playground as a little girl, some boys chased her around. They chased others too, but she often the target. She was fast, so she always managed to elude them, but she had seen what happened to the other little girls. If they were caught, they were knocked down and kissed. Most boys didn't try doing this, it was just a few, but it was enough to frighten her.
By the time she was in third grade, the boys had all learned their manners, and no longer harassed girls in this manner. However, another issue did start to slowly replace it. Lillith had noticed that adults tended to dote on her more. This difference made her uncomfortable, but she pushed it aside. One day, as she was walking home from school, she was accosted by an older man. He grabbed her by the hand, and dragged her to his car. Lillith, warned not to trust strangers and especially not to accept candy from them, tried to run away. Unfortunately, she was no match for an adult. He dragged her kicking and screaming into his car and sped off.
He took her away to an unfamiliar place, with a lock on the door. At first tried to coax her with snacks. When she neither accepted his snacks or warmed to him, he grew impatient with her. He chained her to the bed, undressed her, and began to do what he wanted with her. All the while, Lillith was screaming and begging him to stop, tears running down her little face, while her little hands ineffectually tried to keep him away. Her powerlessness only served to magnify her terror and pain as he switched from touching her in strange places to raping her. It was when he was finishing that her terror and agony awoke her latent powers.
"Stop it!" she screamed, and then he did.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked.
Confused and afraid, her next words were, "Go die!"
Before her eyes, while she was chained to the bed, he hung himself. She found herself paralyzed by horror, she could not take her eyes away from the scene. When it ended, the stench of urine and excrement filled the air. When the police arrived, they found Lillith curled into a ball at the far corner of the bed silent and shivering. They broke the lock on the chain that bound her and carried her off to the hospital while other officers swarmed the scene and marked the location off for investigation. She was eight at the time.
Perhaps it was due to the incredible ability of the young to bounce back, but after a couple of years, she seemed fully recovered from the trauma of the event. As Lillith grew older, she learned to use charm and sex to get what she wanted. She discovered that she could control people, in a way different from normal humans. When she was in high school, she was approached by a man who claimed to be her father.
He took her aside to a coffee shop, and he began to talk with her and build a relationship. Over time, he began to ask her questions that made her realize how different she was from a normal human. He had answers and she had questions. He convinced her to leave with him. From her point of view, there was little to lose. The worst thing he could do to her was rape her or kill her. She could handle that.
Nothing like that happened. Instead, they traveled the world together for a while, as he revealed to her the secrets of supernaturals and what she really was. In the end, her father left her with his old friend Vlad. To Lillith, Vlad became like family to her. More specifically, she considered him a friendly uncle.
Other:
Vlad is like a friendly uncle to her. She would never use her powers on him because she respects him. He teaches her about the world, and dotes on her (from her perspective). She is loyal to him, because in her mind, he's family. There are only two living people who know about her childhood. These two people are Vlad, and Lillith herself.
Her father's name is Lochesh.
OP
Let the chips fall where they may.
Name :
Alireth Songsteel
Age:
17
Race:
Human
Power:
She has no power.
History:
Alireth was born in a little village on the outskirts of the kingdom. Her village was barely protected, because the kingdom could not afford to protect all the little villages far away from their capital. It was a hard existence, but the villagers managed to eke out a living through the skill of their smiths and their farmers. The soil was poor and rocky, but with careful effort and time, it was made fertile. Somehow, by some miracle, they managed to survive without drawing the attention of bandits or raiders. Sadly, that was not to last.
As they grew, so did the risks, and inevitably, they drew the attention of bandits. Much to their misfortune, this group of bandits were deserters from the army. The villagers had no chance against them, but not knowing this, they fought back. All who took up arms were massacred unconditionally. It did not matter if they were an old granny, or a young boy, those who made any attempt to fight back or defend themselves was brutally murdered.
Alireth, at the time, was an apprentice blacksmith. She was 15 at the time, and unlike her master, she chose to hide when the bandits came. She managed to flee outside the village, and hide in the long grasses and shrubbery outside the village. The bandits decided to occupy her village, so she chose to escape and bring the guard. It took a sennight to get to the guard post, but their reaction was immediate and satisfying. A week later they rode out to her village, and tried to take back the village. The deserters were wise enough to set up guards and look outs, so unfortunately, the guard could not surprise them. Women and children were used as hostages and shields, and for a long time, they were at stalemate.
Eventually, the guard prevailed, and managed to rescue most of the survivors. Some of the guards who Alireth became friends with did not survive, and she learned how to bandage wounds and care for the injured. The survivors bore wounds that went deeper than their physical bodies. Women and children had been defiled, abused, and had seen loved ones die. After this, the village was abandoned and Alireth chose to set off on her own. She drifted around, honed her craft, and learned to survive.
Currently, she's staying at a border town, trading her services at a blacksmith for food and coin.
Personality:
Alireth is very much someone who follows her own whims. She seems carefree and relaxed a great deal of the time. Even in strange situations she stays relaxed, it tends to be minor details that get to her the most. She is someone who doesn't form strong attachments.
OP
The brightest lights hide the darkest secrets.
Name :
Kalinth
Age :
368
Race:
Dragon
Power :
Shapeshifting
Must study a creature and observe them for a long time to shapeshift into that creature. He cannot shapeshift into anything smaller than a coyote. Also, his appetite will always match that of a full-grown dragon, no matter what size he is.
Power :
Shapeshifting
Must study a creature and observe them for a long time to shapeshift into that creature. He cannot shapeshift into anything smaller than a coyote. Also, his appetite will always match that of a full-grown dragon, no matter what size he is.
History:
Knowledge has always been Kalinth's one true love, and understanding has always been his one true desire.
He wished to know how creatures were born, how they understood each other, and how they thought. He wished to know why some animals lived in the dark and others in the day. He wished to know why diseases happened, and why people fought each other and loved each other. Due to this innate curiosity, he spent much of his life observing the world. He made a habit of capturing interesting specimens and studying them.
Over time he has collected many different creatures to study, including humans and elves. Through them, he has learned their languages. Unfortunately for him, he still cannot speak their languages, it seems that the draconian throats were not made to pronounce words like the humanoid creatures. The closest he could get would be something like a large cat mimicking human words. Due to this fact, he doesn't even bother trying to speak the languages of humanoid creatures. It does; however, make eavesdropping easier. He has also learned to read, though he cannot write. He begged, cajoled, and pleaded with the elf to teach him to read texts in multiple languages until the elf finally agreed in exchange for his freedom. Of course, after freeing the elf, Kalinth quickly moved to somewhere far away. Just because he's eccentric doesn't mean he's a fool.
Mostly, he has been focusing on studying creatures like wolves, deer, cougars, etc. Unfortunately, most animals do not change their way of life as much as humanoid creatures do, so he is unaware that he is sorely lacking in his knowledge of humans. He also has no idea how to tell the difference between a female or male humanoid, except through scent. His interactions with females has been minimal at best, please excuse him if he is rather thick-skulled, and lacking in propriety.
Currently, Kalinth resides in a nice dry cave in a forested region and has filled his new abode with scrolls and tools and objects for studying. He enlisted the help of a earth-shaper dragon to make his house more comfortable and protected.
Dragons continue to grow so long as they're alive. Once a dragon reaches the adult size, growth slows down significantly, but they do continue to grow until their deaths.
Personality :
Kalinth is a strangely curious dragon. Unlike many of his kind he holds no ill-will to any species in general. He is patient and his motto is to wait and and see before you make a conclusion. Unfortunately, he's more like a clumsy absentminded bachelor scholar than a fierce dangerous dragon. He can be surprisingly sensitive though, and he often views things in the long term. He is rarely angry, but as you know, it's terrifying when you manage to make a gentle-person angry. He does however, have a high level of tolerance.
OP
Great destinies generally involve great funerals.
Name:
Mirroth
Age:
274
Race:
Dragon
Power:
Earth-shaping
She can sense and shape all things of the earth. This means she can find and sense ores and she can mold stone, jewels, and metals to her will. She can also move/shape dirt or sand with her power.
(She makes amazing sandcastles)
History:
She has been Kalinth's friend for a long time. Because Kalinth is often absentminded and clumsy, she has become more responsible and careful to make up for him. She drops by to visit him from time to time, and even shaped his home. Because they both live in empty wilderness, Mirroth usually doesn't worry about flying to his home. She does make sure to fly above the clouds when she can, so that she will not be visible from the ground.
While she was a young dragonet she discovered her powers purely by accident. From then on she honed her powers for defensive and aesthetic purposes. She has also learned to use it to make armor and weapons for dragons. Her own home is made in a rocky mountain. Her entrance is in a cliff face, and she uses her earth-shaping to let herself into her home. Most of her time is spent honing her craft and designing and reshaping her house.
Unlike Kalinth, she is not friendly towards the humanoid races, and she will react aggressively to any creature in possession of a weapon. Due to her power, unless the weapon is made out of wood or bone, weapons are useless against her.
Personality:
Mirroth is a cynic and a skeptic. Unlike Kalinth, she is cautious and wary of strange things. When she puts her foot down, it's easier for Kalinth to turn into a fly than move her. Fortunately, she rarely gets that stubborn. She seems to hold some affection for her bumbling friend. When you win her trust, she will be your loyal friend until her death. She has a penchant for sarcasm and has somehow developed a tolerance for Kalinth's insanity.
OP
Name:
Bethany Hampton
Age:
16
Gender:
Female
Personality:
Bethany likes to keep to herself, or rather, she can't be bothered to try to make friends. It's not that she doesn't like people, it's just that she doesn't like wasting effort trying to get along with people. Bethany is very much a person who does what she wants and goes with the flow. People don't really approach her, and she doesn't usually approach people. To some extent, she seems to have issues with herself.
Likes:
Interesting things, easy things, comfort, having fun, serenity, beauty, fairness (so long as it benefits her), and freedom without consequences.
Dislikes:
Dull tasks, difficulty, discomfort, pain, boredom, calamity, ugliness, injustice, and consequences
Back-story:
Bethany comes from the upper-middle class. Her family does well for itself, and of course intends for her to do well for herself as well. Her family wasn't much for hugs, and somehow over time they lost the closeness they once shared. Her family rarely eats together now, and most of the time don't feel like there's anything to say or talk about besides school and grades. Bethany has once described it to others as feeling like "a bunch of strangers [were] living in the same house."
She plays pc games and browses the internet for fun. The majority of her friends are from the internet. Strangers she can talk to are the best ears to listen. They cannot interfere with her life and cannot help her with anything but loneliness. To some extent, she likes it that way. With strangers, it's so easy to disappear and leave them behind, or be left behind.
Other:
Bethany spends her free time playing video games, relaxing, talking over the internet, taking walks, and sleeping.
OP
Name
Damon Leland
Age
19
Gender
Male
Aura Color
Black
Appearance
Damon is 6 foot 4 inches with black hair and dark eyes. He keeps his hair cropped short. After all, there’s no point in giving someone another thing to grab hold of. Damon is very fit due to his training in Solumfortis. He has strong features. His eyes are cold and serious. His expression is almost always bland and emotionless.
Personality
Damon isn’t someone who speaks a lot, at least in the presence of people who he doesn’t know well. He follows orders and protects those on his side. However, he shows no mercy to enemies and becomes very brutal and ferocious. He’s overheard a rumor or two saying that he smiles when he’s killing, or that he only seems to be alive on the battlefield, but he ignores these rumors. He’s loyal to his own side, and stubborn as a mule. When he makes a decision, no matter how small it is, he does not go back on it easily. To some extent he follows the concept of honor, and he holds his values dear.
History
Damon, like the rest of the people of Solumfortis, started harsh training from a young age. You trained till you could no longer stand, and trained until you were used to the smell of your own vomit and sweat and blood. Of course, if through the harsh training, you couldn’t keep your food down, you’d be taunted and humiliated. So, though he’d felt like vomiting many times when he first started, he managed to keep it down.
He always made sure to continue exercises just a little longer at a slower pace, because he found that if he did that, he’d feel a little less sick. He assumed it was because he was practicing more and growing stronger, and that if he showed more resolve, he’d feel less sick. He was right that it would make him less sick, but his reasoning was incorrect. The truth was, he was doing cool downs, and that was what made him feel better later. Regardless, under the mistaken belief that continuing to push on past your limit using nothing but willpower would make him feel better, he continued to practice. He practiced more than the others, training and training as often as he could, to strengthen his willpower.
This, of course caught the attention of the trainers, who praised him for his hard work. However, it also earned him the ire and jealousy of the others, who hated always being told to try to be more like Damon. Due to this, he was mostly isolated among the younger crowd. There were also those, among the older group, who marked him as someone to look out for in the future. So even as a child, he had already made enemies.
Of course, being a silly inexperienced child, he had absolutely no idea that people viewed him that way. He took everything at face value, not realizing at all that people might possibly be upset at him or dislike him. After all, all he was doing was working hard. What was wrong with that? Unfortunately for him, things weren’t so simple.
There was a “training accident.”
Because of it, Damon’s standing among his peers fell. Sure it was only supposed to be training, but accidents happened from time to time.
Damon was trained according to his talent and skill, so he was training with people a bit older than him. Due to this, the difference between himself and his classmates wasn’t that different. People would mutter a few mocking comments among themselves, but Damon paid them no mind. He continued to practice with the second best of that group. Damon, at the time, was the best due to his immense amount of practice. In the sparring session, his opponent was putting extra pressure on him due to the skill, and Damon accidentally instinctively struck out. Because he had reacted on instinct, he pulled his blow too late.
His opponent’s arm suffered a compound fracture. The resulting horror caused the opponent to panic, and the damage grew worse. People had to forcibly settle him down. Damon moved forward to help, but one of his classmates blocked his way.
“Haven’t you done enough!” she shouted.
Shocked, Damon froze, and couldn’t respond to defend himself. In the eyes of his peers, this was a silent admission to the accusation.
It seemed that most people thought he had intentionally crushed his opponent. People thought he had been upset because he wasn’t getting as much attention as before. They said he had intentionally done that trying to make himself look better, and make sure no one could beat him. The stories portrayed him as a cruel power-hungry person who was jealous of others getting the spotlight. Of course, these weren’t the only rumors the rumor-mill was churning out. There were many theories as to why it had happened, but very few portrayed it as an accident.
After all, the most popular theories were the ones that made the current top student look the worst. Damon tried to defend himself, but very few people chose to listen to him. They mostly thought he was making things up as damage control. After all, he was the best student, he seemed like he was very skilled. He shouldn’t have had so much trouble with his opponent that he wouldn’t be able to pull his blow. Besides, that kind of injury was so bad, how could it be the result of an accident?
Even though he tried to defend himself, these thoughts were already so ingrained into the minds of the listeners, that they had begun to regard it as truth. After that, Damon continued to train and train and train, but he was isolated from the rest. Nothing he could do or say would change the impressions people had of him.
This was not necessarily a bad thing, because he continued to channel all of his frustrations into practicing, until his mind was too numb to think. When he could barely stand or raise a weapon, he would force himself to continue on. He practiced the basics every day, and remained innocent of all the power playing and tricks that continued on behind the scenes. For him, there was nothing but training. Well, nothing but training, and his sister.
There were four people in his family, originally: Damon, his older sister Avila, and his parents. Unfortunately, he lost his father in battle and then his mother, in the latter half of the first ten years of his life. Because of this, he was extremely close to his sister, who he relied on for emotional support. Then one day, she too was gone, and Damon was all alone. He no longer needed quarters for two, so he had no choice but to pack up all he had left of his family and make room for another.
He remembered the notification, the tears, the disbelief that he had felt when he first found out, but there was no pity. The weak died, and that was the way of life. An orphan would have to be strong, and survive. To weep, grieve, and carry on about death and loss in public was shameful. So he kept it all inside, and grief became rage and hatred.
He would kill those who had taken his loved ones from him. They took his mother, his father, and even his sister from him. They would not get him too. This time, he would make them suffer.
Being the straightforward fool that he was, he did the only thing he knew how to do: practice. So he continued to throw himself into training with fervor. He learned how to use as many weapons as possible, and mastered as many of them as he could. He learned many different fighting styles, how to kill the most effectively, how to use tactics and terrain to his advantage, etc. By the time he was of age to go to war, he was undoubtedly strong, but still many were stronger.
Some had both cunning and strength, some had natural talent, and others like him had only hard work and practice.
Despite all of his struggling, despite driving himself like a madman, he was not the strongest. He discovered that early on. He watched a match in the coliseum, against the man who was regarded as third strongest, and saw him fall to the blade to a man he had never heard of. At that point, he realized that he had so much further to go. He could chase and chase and chase, and never attain the title of strongest.
As always, he chose to practice.
He decided that if he could not win in strength alone, he would win by experience. He would train himself for the worst conditions, and increase his durability and the strength of his energy. He trained in low light conditions, low oxygen conditions, muddy terrain, rocky terrain, sandy terrain, etc. He even trained himself to fight while waist deep in water. Again, his strength grew exponentially, but it was not enough. As he trained and trained, more challenged the Apprentice, but no one won against him.
Finally, it was time to go to war. Somehow, on the battlefield, Damon found himself near the Apprentice. As he fought, anxiety and exhilaration warred over him. It was during the battle, that Damon, who had wound up behind the apprentice, first became acquainted with him.
A man from the side of Solumfortis tried to attack the Apprentice from behind. Damon, being nearby, saw this shameful action, and felt a cold rage come over him. How dare this man try to topple the strength of the Apprentice with such a cowardly method! How dare this man try to strike down a comrade in the heat of battle! Propelled by fury, Damon closed the distance between himself and the man, and ran him through from behind. With his strength, the man had been lifted onto his toes, with the blade of a sword jutting out through his chest. The man’s spine had been broken, and his heart pierced in one blow. He died quickly.
Damon yanked his blade out immediately and his eyes met the surprised eyes of the Apprentice.
“You… you stick with me.” the Apprentice said.
From then on, Damon became the Apprentice’s right hand.
City
Solumfortis
Extra
Damon prefers to use swords with one edge, a sharp tip, and a sharp blade.
He’s a friend of the Apprentice in Combat Naunix Xeduun.
He’s been quietly nicknamed the Prince of Darkness’ Dog and The Right hand of the Apprentice.
OP
Name
Rainard Valentine
Age
21
Gender
Male
Aura Color
Gray
Appearance
Rainard is a brown haired, brown-eyed, tan, six-foot tall man. His hair, when untied, reaches a couple of inches past the top of his shoulder. Normally, he pulls his hair back into a ponytail at the base of his skull and ties it with a strip of rawhide. He is of an athletic build, broad shouldered, and muscled. He has a chiseled, good-natured face. He has very open expressions, and his default expression seems to be a very faint smile.
Personality
Rainard is a calm, cautious, curious, and cordial person. He also seems to be a very hard-working individual.
He does not want to kill, and he does not want to die, so he compromised. To kill is the very last resort. If someone attacks him, he will try to dodge, if he cannot dodge, he will try to block, and if the person is too strong for him to simply dodge or block, then he will attack. If the person came with the intent to capture or kill, he would reason with them as much as he could before resorting to violence. If that wasn’t an option, than he would try incapacitating them, but if that was not possible and the attacker remained dangerous, he would then have to kill.
History
When Rainard was first brought to practice, he was intimidated. After participating and learning, he discovered that he really enjoyed the morning practices. When he started school, he at first hated it. The classes he took didn’t really make sense to him, and even though he knew he needed to learn how to read and write, it seemed difficult. Weirdly enough, at some point, reading sort of clicked, and suddenly became interesting. After that, his enjoyment of learning expanded to the scholarly areas as well.
He learned the layout of the area, how to find food, and how to find water. He learned how to protect himself from the rays of the sun and prevent himself from overheating, but the classes that intrigued him the most were the history and philosophy classes. He became curious about the people in the world outside, and what happened in the past. Why had the atmosphere disappeared? Why did people have to fight? Wasn’t there a simple solution to this? So why hadn’t it worked before.
The purpose of the philosophy classes was to bring understanding about the current war and the belief systems of the people fighting in it. The goal was to give the people information and allow them to draw their own conclusions. Of course, bias couldn’t be avoided. Diplomacy and compromise was made to seem the best solution, what with discussions of the deaths and loss of loved ones that came with war. Special attention was also brought to the fact that the man-made atmosphere seemed to be becoming thinner. This helped focus members of Shiloh on the issue of the atmosphere and give them a sense of urgency that something needed to be done. It also reinforced the sense that fighting a long drawn out war was ridiculous, when time seemed to already be running out.
Due to this, a great many of Rainard’s classmates focused on either improving their technology and science or on improving their skills so they could protect their town from the people after their knowledge or their town. The general consensus is that they would have to improve their town fast to make it completely self-sustainable in case the atmosphere disappeared, and find a way to protect it.
Rainard himself was considered a brilliant student, who could have chosen either path. The path he chose was to learn some of both. So he would train for the first half of the morning, then he would go and immerse himself in the research work of others and gather knowledge for himself, and then he would practice again, research again, and practice again before going to bed. This does not mean that his time was filled entirely with practicing and researching, it just meant that he spent a lot of time doing them.
Rainard gave himself plenty of breaks and spent time socializing. Since Rainard participated in so many things, he was relatively well-acquainted with those who went to practice and those who researched. When he found a theory or a subject he was interested, he would always go out of his way to find people who knew about the topic or created the theory. Due to this, he was also well known among researchers. Because of his rigid schedule, he was relatively easy to find. So his friends would always show up at the end of practices or research and they would go enjoy themselves for an hour or two before they’d part.
Of course, he rarely interacted with people from the cities, though if he ran into them, he did try to strike up conversations. It seems the ones sent to his town were mostly close-mouthed individuals. Either that, or there was a huge culture difference he was unaware of. So among members of Shiloh, he is very good at socializing, but among strangers… he has trouble striking up conversations.
Recently, Rainard has been more interested in the outside world. He’s begun exploring a bit to the edge of the borders of the town. He might well consider exploring outside of town soon.
City
Rainard lives in a neutral town about equidistant from Solumfortis and Terraspei though it is not in between the two cities. This town is called Shiloh.
Shiloh is an interesting town, in that it is peaceful, neutral, and has a well-trained, organized militia.
All members of Shiloh participate in self-defense and combat training once they are five if they are able to. They undergo a daily practice that lasts about an hour to maintain and improve their skills. They stop this sort of practicing when they are no longer able-bodied. There are other optional training times to suit the schedules of the people. Shiloh maintains several trainers whose sole responsibility is to ensure that the population is capable of self-defense and survival.
They are trained in fighting with many weapons, but most people of Shiloh prefer to use weapons that will not kill (e.g. batons, staves, and brass knuckles). This of course means that they will require more skill than their opponents, to defeat them without killing them. Shiloh generally tries to look for the best methods for their people. For example, if someone cannot fight, they are instead taught ways to hide, run away, and trick pursuers. Those who cannot build up strength are taught to think tactically and make up for less power with skill.
Besides making sure that their population is prepared to survive in case of danger, they are also required to have an education. It is required for all members of Shiloh to learn how to read, write, do at least basic math, and learn other practical skills. This education typically lasts around five years for children before it is no longer mandatory. Lessons can be skipped if one passes all necessary exams to prove one already possesses this knowledge. Occasionally, older people return for refresher classes or to continue advancing in knowledge so the ages of students in a single class can vary greatly.
The residents of Shiloh paid special attention to their own energy dome and another dome they were creating with care. They also paid special attention to sustainable energy sources, and looked for ways to improve their community and current energy source. They focused a great deal on planting trees and vegetation around their houses in hopes of using them to help filter their air.
Shiloh already has quite a few sustainable energy generators. Some of their technology was borrowed from Terraspei, and some of it was created through their own theory and ancient knowledge found on a still-working terminal and in carefully preserved tomes. Shiloh’s own library is hidden carefully deep within the ground. The knowledge is open to all people so long as they promise that there will be no violence within the borders of their town or anywhere near them.
Due to this, Solumfortis and Terraspei fight elsewhere or ambush each other, on the way in. However, they do keep from fighting within the borders due to the knowledge that the people in town are attentive and would not hesitate to destroy the precious collection of knowledge they possess. There are secret archives, as people in Solumfortis and Terraspei suspect. However, these archives are well-hidden, and no spies seem to be able to find these archives, no matter how hard they look.
The library is free for access, and people are allowed to take notes or copy the books on their own with their own resources if they wish. They are simply not allowed to take the books out of the library. Also, their library is regularly updated with new discoveries, so destroying the town, killing the people, and stealing their research is undesired.
Shiloh’s stance is that they should be prepared for everything. Shiloh generally takes a long-term view of things and chose to plan for the long-term rather than the short-term. Of course, there are and always will be exceptions. A maxim of Shiloh is that: “There is no one true way.” Due to this maxim, the people of Shiloh tend to be more open minded. They also tend to be more flexible. So if a method doesn’t work for one person, they’ll look for another method rather than force someone to do something they are incapable of.
Their foreign policy is that they are absolutely neutral, and they will not involve themselves in this war. Due to that, any trespass here will not be forgiven, and all data will be given to the other side, or destroyed in an instant if there is no other option.
Another thing that was discovered was that Solumfortis secretly sent a force to take the data of Shiloh; however, they were spotted before they even reached the borders of the town. That should have been no issue, except that the whole force was subjugated and taken prisoner. Immediately, Shiloh sent some of their newer information to Terraspei, reported this event to both cities, and requested answers from Solumfortis. Solumfortis denied knowledge of this attack, and left the prisoners entirely in the hands of Shiloh. It was also agreed that no one of Solumfortis would visit Shiloh until the prisoners were dealt with.
This proved that Shiloh would do as it said, but more importantly, also proved that Shiloh was strong. Though losing knowledge to Terraspei left a bad taste to Solumfortis, this event established that Shiloh was strong and therefore deserved respect. The extra knowledge made Terraspei happy, so strangely enough, this event improved Shiloh’s relationship with both cities.
Shiloh has already found many ways to make water and energy, so they already have a good start. The town of Shiloh is filled with carefully manicured plants. They also have man-made ponds full of salt water and fresh water, in which they keep a stock of fish. Shiloh has a rather large set of science buildings. They have separate buildings for genetic engineering, zoology, agriculture, ecology, biology, medicine etc. Due to these things, Shiloh is among one of the most advanced towns of the crater, though its research facilities do not compare to those of Terraspei.
Extra
Rainard is more focused on the defensive aspects of abilities and combat. He tends to use a staff for combat, though he can also use a shield to bash and rush enemies. He is also very skilled at creating, maintaining, and reinforcing armor for himself.
His friends call him Rain or Val.
OP
Name:
Alaisdair
Age:
His real age is unknown, but he knows he was born before the witch hunts of the 16th century. He appears to be in his late twenties.
Gender:
Male
Species:
Witch
Location:
Vlad’s Complex
Personality:
Alaisdair is a cautious person. He hates and fears humans. To his fellow supernaturals, he’s polite and good-natured. To humans he is cruel and cold.
Weapons:
He has a sword of iron.
Powers:
Wards
He is good at making barriers and wards to protect himself and others. He cannot use his wards offensively, except maybe as a battering ram centered around himself.
Sealing
He is capable of sealing the powers of others given enough time and supplies. Making seals for an ability requires a great deal of time. The stronger the power, the more complex the seal must be, and the more magic he must feed into the seal. Once a seal is placed, it must be maintained with a steady stream of magic. Sealing requires a great deal of preparation, and knowledge about what he must seal.
Magic-sensing
He can use his magic to "touch" incorporeal things. He can only use it to touch and study the immaterial.
Weaknesses:
Fire
He is terrified of it. He freezes up for a moment when he sees fire.
How you intend to use your humans you get:
Torture them, make them suffer.
Relationships:
None
Bio:
Alaisdair was born during the Medieval Inquisition. He and a group of his kind lived in a small village. For the sake of the towns and villages around, they did bone-mending, healing, weather-witching, and foreseeing to help warn the people in the area of coming disasters. For some reason, when the witch hunts rolled around, they thought they would be fine. They had never hurt anyone around them. They had only helped the villages and benefited them. They were grateful to the “white witches.” The white witches protected them, warned them of danger, and even worked the weather for them. Due to this, they always did well. At the very least, humans would protect their own interests, right?
Wrong.
At first, they were indeed protected. That only lasted a couple of months though. It’s surprising how fast beliefs can change. The witches, existing for centuries and centuries without any drastic changes, could not fathom such a fast change in beliefs. They never saw it coming.
Soldiers marched in. Accusations were flung. There was confusion. There was reasoning, followed by pleading. In the end, there was no hope. There never had been hope. They had been betrayed so easily by those they had cared for since generations ago.
Torture, confessions, sorrow and despair: it consumed them. Rage, hatred, pleas for mercy, all was naught in the face of the inevitable.
There were many shrieks and curses when the first one burned. Those they protected watched with impassive faces. No mercy, no regret in the frigid eyes of those they had cared for.
The witches attempted to escape, many died, but in the end, at least a few escaped with their lives. Even though they were broken, mutilated, haunted.
Alaisdair was spared the mutilation, because he looked like a child, though for humans, he was no longer one.
None of those who appeared to be adults had been unscarred. Tongues were split, fingers were missing, eyes had been burst with hot metal skewers, breasts had been tortured and mutilated until they were purple and black, delicate parts of both male and female anatomy were mangled, many women had been so abused they could no longer have children. Everyone bore the marks of the lash.
Those were nothing compared to the emotional and mental scars they bore. For Alaisdair, he had seen those he loved die. He had the image of flames consuming old Nan, a kindly old lady who had done nothing wrong. In his mind, he could see them burning, hear them screaming, smell the scorched scent of hair and flesh wreathed in smoke and flames. Alaisdair was plagued with nightmares. It was all he could do not to wake screaming.
Though they had escaped for the time being, they were fugitives in a strange world that had turned hostile. The witch-hunters continued to search for them, they would continue until the last died.
The witches could not go to towns or villages, because their scars marked them. They had to learn how to survive for themselves in the wilderness, despite being severely maimed and running for their lives. Of course, of those who escaped, few survived.
Alaisdair only had a relatively short time to learn magic, so the only magics he knew about were barriers. He had learned fire-starter magic, but the trauma of the event made him unable to utilize it. He learned a bit about sealing and traps.
It wasn’t long before he could only teach himself magic through trial and error. After all, those who could have taught him had died.
Alaisdair wandered the world now that he was alone. He saw the darkness of humanity. His home was not the only place hit hard by the witch hunts. Wherever he went, all he could see was misery and brutality. Perhaps he had forgotten how to see the beauty of the world. In his eyes, all had turned dark.
Along the way, he picked up new techniques, and honed the ones that he possessed.
Other:
He will never forget…
He will never forgive…
He will carry his hate and rage until he breathes…
No More.
He is a willing worker for Vlad. He's on board with anything that results in more human misery.
OP
Name
Janet Miller
Username
Akane Uta
Akane as in (Brilliant Red) Uta (Song/Poetry)
Age
19
Gender
Female
Short Bio
Janet was born in an upper-middle class family. She was raised well, but was often forced to meet expectations she found difficult. Failing the expectations resulted in shame, disappointment, and anger from her parents. She internalized it to mean she wasn’t good enough, that her parents did not love her, and that her parents only wanted results. She would sullenly rebel against her parents, but at the same time, she wanted their acceptance and their acknowledgement. When she failed an expectation, she would be in tears and crying herself to sleep because of the harsh raised voices of her upset parents.
This made her feel weak. This made her hate herself. So she struggled to curb her emotions. She struggled to remove them. She failed that, but managed to distance herself from her emotions. She found solace in games, in moments of excitement and joy that would help her get through life. In games she could be another; in games she could loosen the chains she weighed herself down with. When the VRMMO Sword Art Online came into being, she hurriedly tried to get the game and join the beta. She didn’t manage to get in the beta, but she did manage to get the game and Nerve Gear early on.
When she discovered she was trapped in the game, she chose to stay in the village and sneak out on her own to go fight monsters. She wanted to survive, and so, she needed money. To some extent, she is elated by her situation. Here is an escape from her life. If she survives in this world, she is free from her past life, and if she dies, she is still free. However, to some extent, she fears returning to the real world. For her, strength is protection, strength is safety, and in this world she is someone else. When this world ends… what then? Could she really survive being submerged in that world again? Then again, she might very well die here, God knows her chances of surviving are low, and that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
Personality
Janet is a very reserved person, especially in front of strangers. She bases how she acts upon the people around her. She is constantly weighing expectations of others and her own internal turmoil to determine what to do. She’s more of a solitary creature by choice, though at times, it gets a bit lonely. She enjoys the peace of not having to meet expectations. Janet has low self-esteem, is easily hurt, and loathes herself deep down; however, she also has a strong will and survival instinct.
Skills
Sword Skills
«Slant» - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill slashing diagonally.
«Vertical» - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill slashing vertically.
«Horizontal» - (1-hit strike) A simple sword skill slashing horizontal.
«Sonic Leap» - (1-hit strike) A charge-type sword skill that dashes toward the enemy to deal a downward strike.
«Vertical Arc» - (2-hit combo) A simple sword skill creating a 'V' shape trajectory.
«Horizontal Arc» - (2-hit combo) A simple sword skill creating a sideways 'V' shape trajectory.
«Parallel Sting» - (2-hit combo) A simple sword skill creating a sideways 'V' shape trajectory.
Non-combat skills
«Cooking» - The effectiveness with which a player can combine ingredients to create varieties of food, some of which can have medicinal properties. Higher level of skill allows the cooking of higher-ranked foods.
«Fishing» - The effectiveness with which a player can catch fish. Higher levels catch rarer fish more often
Passive Skills
«Searching» - The ability to find players in Hiding. Higher level of skill allows you to find players/monsters hiding.
«Tracking» - Raises effectiveness while hunting monsters. Can be used to pursue a player whose name is known by displaying their footprints from a certain time. Greater mastery of the skill will allow the user to see the recent footprints of nearby «Hiding» players.
«Listening» - The ability to hear sounds from further away than normal. Higher level of skill grants the ability to hear through locked rooms.
«Detection» - A sixth sense, allowing the player to notice enemies and secrets from a distance. Greater mastery allows detection of monsters in «Hiding» status and primitive booby traps, such as snares and pitfalls.
«Hiding» - Allows for a person to disappear. Only works on targets that use visual tracking.
«Sprint» - This skill is both an activatable burst of speed, and a passive increase in the player's effectiveness at dodging strikes.
Combat Skills
«Parry» - The ability to use an attack to block an opposing strike. Maximum level makes it possible to destroy an item currently at less than half of the maximum durability; anything with durability above that will not be damaged.
«Battle Healing» - Recover low amounts of HP over time during battle. It can be leveled up by constantly getting one's HP into the red zone
«Meditation» - Increases HP regeneration and decreases the remaining time of negative statuses by entering a mental concentration pose. Obtained in a 6th floor quest.
«Leather Equipment» - The effectiveness with which a player can use Leather Equipment.
Preferred Equipment
One-handed Swords
Light Armor
OP
My name...? It's... It's... That's funny...? What's my name? I... I can't remember... Who am I?
Gender
I think I'm female, no, haha, I must be female. If I was a guy, things would be different. I don't know how I know that... I just... I just know, okay?
Age
Young-ish, maybe. Not quite sure anymore, think I was young, drinking age. What's drinking age? Huh, I can't remember myself. Guess it doesn't matter.
Appearance
Huh, you wanna know what I'm wearing? Just take a look. Short denim skirt, thong, fishnet stockings, wedge-heels, a lacey black bra, and a black spaghetti strap top. Oh, but I have a leather jacket on top. I'm not sure where I got these but... weird, I think I'm starting to remember something?
Height
I don't know, how would you measure height? I'm probably something like... 7 times taller then the talking cat? Who knows, and does it really matter?
Weight
Hm, I look just a bit better than an anorexic, haha, those drugs taking a toll, I bet. Which drugs? Hm.... I think I remember some needles, maybe some white powder. Not sure.
Hair colour
Brown, split ends in it, wonder what I've been doing to let it get so bad. There's faint red-gold streaks in it. I think I dyed it a bit.
Eye colour
I think I had blue-green contacts? But, my natural eye color is blue. Probably.
Skin tone
I think I was white once, I'm more tan than white now, though.
Notable features
I think, there are needle track marks visible on my arms. And weird, where did I pick up these scratches? God, I don't remember any of this, who are you and why are you asking questions? Where am I? And what will it take you to let me go?
Personality
You want to know more about me? That's what it will take?
She laughs.
Fine. I don't care.
She rubs her face with her hands.
It's not like I remember any of this anyways, or that it matters. I think, if I have to boil it down, I just don't give a shit. So what if I'm a bit bony, and my hair isn't shiny like those rich bitches who came from families that cared? So what if I don't spend time in the mirror everyday, and haven't seen myself in a couple of weeks? And... and... you know what, I don't even remember anymore. I think I just... I don't even know. I just... I just don't know, okay? Just, please, leave me alone. You can't? Why...? No, fine, I don't care, just give me a few. A few what? HELL! I told you I just don't know anymore! Do you really have to ask all these questions? You're just a talking cat! And I'm hallucinating!
Back story
Damn it! I told you, I don't remember, and you don't even exist! So why am I still talking to you? If you ask me what little I remember, I... I can't even, no, wait, I think, for a second... Nevermind, I lost it. It doesn't matter. How many more questions are there, two? Three? Okay, I can handle that. Three more questions. You promise? Okay... wait, why do I trust you? You're probably lying to me, aren't you?
She sighs.
Damn it, I'm so tired. Fine, let's just get this over with, and then...
She eyes you suspiciously.
Let me rest.
Fears
She seems to shrink into herself. She folds her arms, and then rubs one arm nervously, like she's feeling cold.
I... I think... I think I don't like men. They scare me. I need them, but they scare me. And don't ask me what I need them for, even I don't know. I just know that they're a necessary evil. I think it had something to do with my childhood, no, probably my whole life. I don't... I don't like crowds, and I don't like people. But I need them too. I hate... I'm scared of... uniforms. I don't know the hows or why of that either, that's just how it is for me. I don't like authority or power over me or lack of control in my life. But there's always going to be all of those things. So... does it really matter how I feel?
She falls silent for a bit, staring down at her toes. Finally, she drops her head into her hands. Her speech is muffled by her hands.
Can we just go to the next question now?
Loves
Loves, huh? I guess freedom, absence from pain, a world where I needed nothing, didn't have to be around people, or uniforms, or authority. Money. Always the money. You can't survive without money, it makes the world go round and lets you skip out of jail if you've got enough for bail. Then, if you think you can manage it, you go on the lam. What else? Food, water, peace, and comfort. What else is there to it? What else do you need?
She throws her hands up in the air in false celebration.
Finally! One last question! Then it's over! I'm done! I'm out!
She stares at you, wide-eyed and confused, then picks up the offered pen. Carefully, slowly, she reads the words on the paper, raises her pen, and seals her fate.
I have read and accept the terms and conditions. Yes [X] No [ ]
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