[CHAR] The Crucible - Winner Take All

[ProPro]

Guest NPC.

The Stunning Samuel Raven!

Name: Samuel Raven
Alias: The Murder
Race: Primordial Beast, Begotten, Ugallu family
Sex: Male
Class: Monster Magician
Equipment:

• Numerous throwing knives
• Smoke bombs
• Miniature flame thrower in sleeve
• Multiple decks of poker cards
• Lengths of cloth

Abilities: Normal Abilities

• Born Entertainer - As a former child TV star and nationally renown magician, Sam knows how to entertain a crowd. He's not exactly "cult of personality" levels of charismatic, but he can maneuver socially and knows how to influence people the way he wants.
• Master of Illusion - Samuel Raven is a master stage magician, meaning he is well verse with sleight of hand, larceny, escapology, misdirection, and all manner of little tricks that impress, astound, and confuse.
• Skilled Knife Thrower - As long as it's small and balanced, he can throw it with great aim.

Magical Abilities

• Soul of Horror - Samuel Raven is a Beast, one of the Begotten, and as such does not have a normal "soul." His soul is instead called a "Horror" and takes the form of a monster. In the case of Sam, it is a horrific Murder of crows, which combine into a grotesque avian amalgamation. The Horror is a creature made of pure nightmare, and exists to induce and feed upon fear. As a beast, Samuel cannot dream, eats fear, can channel aspects of his soul into physical abilities (called atavisms), and can manifest literal nightmares in his prey with a word and either eye contact or a touch. His unique state also means he can see things people normally cannot, such as other supernatural entities that usually remain hidden.
• Atavism: Infestation - By expending some of the fear he has devoured recently, Samuel can temporarily take on the physical form of his horror, breaking his physical body apart into dozens of crows. Best used to swarm an opponent or avoid an attack, though it only lasts a few seconds as the stress of physically morphing takes a large toll on his energy.
• Atavism: Needs Must - Samuel is a bird of prey, representing the primal fear of exposure and being hunted. As such, his keen senses are able to detect viable prey nearby, being able to see sins on those he can punish to feast on their fear. Additionally, by expending fear he has devoured, he can mark any living thing in his sight. Those "marked" can never flee far enough to escape the bird of prey, as Samuel Raven can always know their exact location anywhere on the planet.
• Atavism: Storm-Lashed - The Ugallu family of beasts are masters of the sky, predators that never tire and are never deterred from stalking their prey. As such, Samuel is completely unaffected by bad weather, no matter how strong the winds, how hard the rain, how cold the blizzard, he's able to walk right through it as though it were a normal Summer day. This also includes lightning and magically created weather.
• Nightmare: You Deserve This - Sam manifests feelings of extreme guilt in his prey. A strong will is able to resist.
• Nightmare: Birds Everywhere! - From the perspective of the prey, the skies darken with swarms of birds, and is attacked on all sides by biting beaks and slashing talons. The injuries are only in the mind, but the pain is real. By expending his hunger, the effects of the nightmare become real, leaving actual injuries. A strong will is able to resist.
• Nightmare: You Are Better Than Them - Sam manifests within the prey feelings of intense superiority, egotism, and confrontation. They are no longer able to work well with others, seeing everyone else as inherently inferior. A strong will is able to resist.

Fighting Style: If he can help it, Sam won't fight at all. If he can help it, his prey will never have seen him as a threat to begin with. He prefers to rely on his skills with misdirection, and his abilities as one of the Begotten, to terrorize prey without ever being seen, or without them realizing he is the source. If a physical confrontation is unavoidable, then Sam will do his best to avoid getting hit, as he's much better at dodging than tanking or dishing out harm. He will make use of the environment to determine which nightmares and atavisms are best for the situation, while emphasizing misdirection with his natural talents as a magician. Of course, he'll pepper his prey with well placed knives in the process. When it comes to killing, Sam prefers to be discriminating, but he's no stranger to cold-blooded murder.
Personality: There are two sides to Samuel Raven, what he shows to the public, and what only those closest to him know. As far as anybody else should know, Samuel Raven is a successful magician that enjoys his success, is intelligent, a demanding diva, born showman, logical, rational, completely dismissing of the supernatural in all ways, and a bit of an egotistical jackass. He's wealthy and knows it, well versed in various sciences, as atheist as you can get, important, but also highly charitable, known for giving away large quantities of cash for little to no reason. The real Samuel Raven is so much more.

Samuel is as supernatural as you can get, having a literal manifestation of human nightmares as his soul. Having to survive on the fear of others has left Sam with a measure of self-loathing, and being responsible for his parents' deaths (no matter how much he resented them) is an event that has left its mark. If he must feed on the fear of others, then he shall do his best to ensure he only does so by punishing people that deserve it. Though he hates himself, and is very slow to trust others, those that do earn his trust are not only allowed to know the "real" him, but he will do absolutely anything for their benefit. To keep them safe, to give them an edge, to protect them from themselves, there is no lengths he will not go. For example, to prevent one of his closest friends from making a lethal mistake, Sam killed that friend's father.
Bio: N/A
Wish: Samuel wants to feel like a normal human. If possible, he will expunge the horror from his soul in exchange for that of a normal person.
Echo: N/A
Appearance:

Human Form

Horror

Frenzy: N/A
Inventory: None

[kapuchu]

The Allomancer (Guest Character)

Name: Velen Katicurn
Alias: The Allomancer
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Class: Mistborn

Equipment:

• Three belts with several hard-glass vials of small metal beads on each.
  
  • Each vial contains the same amount of metal, and the same selection of beads: Steel, Iron, Tin, Pewter, Bronze, Copper, Zinc & Brass.
  • A single vial with a tiny Atium bead
• Two daggers.
• A leather pouch full of copper clips (basically the lowest value coin].
• A Mistborn Cloak. A hodded cloak comprised of dozens of ribbon-like strips of cloth, sewn together at the chest and shoulders. It falls to the ankles of its wearer

Abilities:

• Trained fighter - Can use his daggers to high effect, is nimble and naturally strong.
• Educated - Born a minor noble, Velen has been given the highest education possible, allowing him to learn of combat tactics, and a bit of psychology; helping him understand how people work.
• Allomancy - Being a Mistborn, Velen has the ability to Burn certain metals he ingests, giving him supernatural abilities depending on which metal or alloy he consumes. He can also Flare his metal for increased effect, but it burns out quicker in return.
  
  • Steel - While Burning Steel, Velen can sense nearby metals by a faint blue line connecting him to them, which also allows him to Push them. An metal object weighing less than him will be pushed away, but an object weighing more than he does will force him away from it.
  • Iron - Burning Iron allows Velen to Pull on nearby metals, achieving the same effect as Steel only opposite. It will ever only pull towards his centre (I.E around his sternum).
  • Tin - Burning Tin increases all of Velen’s five senses, allowing him to pierce darkness easier, hear things from far-off, and the like. The downside is that sudden flashes of light, loud noises may be painful or intensely uncomfortable. On the plus side, by simply Burning Tin, one’s brain is allowed to process the increased sensory load.
  • Pewter - Burning Pewter not only makes the Mistborn stronger, but it also makes them faster, more durable, and much more enduring. Blows that would break the bone of a normal human are shrugged off by a Mistborn (or Misting) burning Pewter. It also gives an increased sense of balance and dexterity. But while it increases one’s capabilities to incredible levels, Pewter-drag is a risk. Burning it for too long and then suddenly stopping can send the body into shock, unless you’re used to it. While Velen is by no means the most seasoned fighter, he has enough practice to withstand moderately high amounts of Pewter Burning without hitting a Pewter-Drag.
  • Bronze - While Burning Bronze, the Mistborn (or Misting) are capable of sensing if there are other people nearby, Burning metals, and if so which metal they are, how many, etc.
  • Copper - While Burning Copper, a sort of invisible Cloud is created around the Mistborn, which blocks the sensory effect of Bronze. The range is up to the size of a fairly large house. Exceptionally powerful Mistborns can penetrate a Copper Cloud.
  • Zinc - Burning Zinc allows a person to directly affect the emotions of another person via ‘Rioting’ them, as it’s called. This allows for heightened a certain emotions such as Anger, Passion, or even things like Fear, or Love. It, essentially, intensifies one, or several, emotions.
  • Brass - Burning Brass works the opposite of Zinc. Where Zinc increases (Riots) an emotion, Brass reduces one (Soothes). This can be used to lessen Fear or Suspicion, make someone less apprehensive, and the like.
  • Atium - By Burning Atium, the user is able to look upon a Person and see their immediate future. They see what the person will do next, in the form of a shadowy version of them performing it, allowing the user to know exactly what their opponent is going to do. If both opponents are burning Atium, hundreds of shadows appear, making it impossible to see what the other will do next, and thus returning them to square one. It does, however, burn incredibly fast. The bead Velen has is enough for 15 seconds.

There are several other metals, but they are not commonly known, not even to the Nobility, which means that Velen only has access to these “Eight Basic Metals”, as they are known, as well as a tiny bead of one of the four ”God Metals” known as Atium.

Fighting Style: Velen is an agile fighter. He uses his Steel and Iron to push and pull off of nearby metal to allow for incredible maneuverability. Tin is burnt to allow him to better keep track of his surroundings at any time of day, no matter what might obscure the senses of a normal person, and Pewter is burnt to increase not only his strength and durability, but speed and endurance as well. He prefers to strike quickly before retreating again, using his Steel Push to propel his copper clips, or other smaller pieces of metal, towards his opponent - knowing that they have enough force to pierce flesh. He might even use the metal that his opponents wears, to either push them away, pull them forward, or otherwise turn the tide of battle in his favour.

He rarely uses Zinc and Brass, but when he does it is usually before a fight begins to lessen his opponent’s suspicion, make them more relaxed and less paranoid, which allows him to strike fast and hard, giving them no time to react before they’re dead, or immobilized at best.

He only ever swallows his Atium in a fight where he sees himself losing, using the few handfuls of seconds of future-sight to gain the upper hand and dispatch of his opponent.

He is best at home at medium range, where he can make use of Pushing and Pulling, as well as quickly darting in to strike with his daggers.

Personality:
A curious fellow. He does not much care for the Final Empire from which he hails, preferring instead the swirling mists that come out at night. He’s a free bird, some would say, wishing to avoid the shackles that nobility has bound him in. He can be sardonic and witty - funny if he is to decide but possessing and excessively dry humour were you to ask anyone who knows him. He doesn’t seek out confrontations, but will stand by his ideals if they are challenged.

Bio:
Born in Eastern Dominance, Velen was the second son of a minor noble, wholly loyal to the Lord Ruler. More than simple plantation owners, Velen Katicurn and his family ruled over the city of Whisburn, standing at the top of the lower plantation owners in the nearby lands, collecting their taxes and in turn paying the Lord Ruler in Luthadel, Central Dominance.

He grew up as a son without much future for him. He already had an older brother whom would be the heir, and since he was a boy he could not well be married off to another house. What’s more, once he awakened his Mistborn powers (when he Snapped, as it is called), the idea that he’d be married off became unthinkable: Mistborns were incredibly rare, and to have one was a massive advantage over other houses. And so, he was trained in the arts of Allomancy and close quarter combat. During the years of his training, he became more and more interested in books, especially the old ones that were, in reality, forbidden, as they spoke of the Old World, before the Lord Ruler had conquered the continent and established the Final Empire. They spoke of lush plains of green grass, flowers with red and yellow leaves, and a blue sky. It was all so different from the brown and grey shrubs that grew now; of the red sun and grey-black clouds that covered the sky and provided the common Ash-falls.

He wanted nothing more than to see that world - to see a place so rich in wonderful colours, that it would almost hurt to look at it. But there was no place for such a wish. The Final Empire was as it was, and no one could change it. Maybe the Lord Ruler could, but even a god on earth had his limits. And, of course, would he not have changed it if he wanted to?

Even into his early adulthood, this boyhood dream chased him. The Final Empire should stay, of course, because how else would there be stability if not for the Lord Ruler’s regime? No, the Lord Ruler should continue to reign supreme, but Velen so wished there to be colour.

Wish:
For his world to flourish as it once did, returning to bright colours of blues and greens and yellows, rather than the brown and grey, ash-covered lands where the Final Empire now rules.

Appearance:
A young adult, somewhere in his mid-to-late twenties, Velen stands at a little over six feet, strongly built from rigorous exercise. His hair is dark and short, with deep-set brown eyes underneath bushy eyebrows. His nose, though once rather average, showed signs of having been broken a few times, and never healed properly.

A strong jaw and square chin, covered in day-old stubbles, gives a rugged look, belying his otherwise casual manner.

Inventory:

• A near-ancient drawing of what is, supposedly, a tree from before the Lord Ruler took control: Light brown bark and reddish-brown leaves.
• A small pouch containing twenty boxings (gold coins), and a single silver ring.
• A book about plants from before the Final Empire.

[Hostile]

Guest Character

Colonel Jackson 'Carnage' Calhoun

Name: Jackson 'Carnage' Calhoun

Alias: Colonel Calhoun

Race: Human

Sex: Male

Class: Force Commander

Equipment:

• BXR-12: Reliable semi-automatic battle rifle that fires 8.41x63mm AP rounds using a series of magnetic coils for propulsion. Maximum effective range of 1.32 kilometres.
• SHP8: Heavy pistol that fires .62 caliber rounds. Holds a maximum of twelve rounds in its magazine.
• E31 Homing Grenade: Frag grenades that home in onto targets when thrown and detonate.
• 12-inch Sharpened Durasteel Combat Knife: A combat knife sharp enough to pierce through thinner layers of underarmour bodysuit.
• Marine Powered Combat Armour/Commander: A variant of the standard Marine Powered Combat Armour for commanders, with tactical commands and gestures.

Abilities:

• Armour Lock: Calhoun's armour locks up and deploys an unbreakable shield for a few seconds. During this time, he is unable to move, and the shield produces an EMP effect once depleted.
• Shoulder-Mounted Homing Missiles: Two racks of six homing micromissiles each unfold from Calhoun's shoulders. Each one can penetrate armour and kill. It is most effective against soft targets, and is ineffective against tougher armour.
• Tactical Superiority: Calhoun has a great tactical mindset.
• Model Soldier: Jackson is what a model Marine should be, with steel in his eyes and grit in his teeth. As such he inspires his allies to fight, making them more effective in combat.
• Ibimus Primum: As one of the UEGNC's best commanders, Calhoun's loyalty and willpower are simply unfathomable. He is highly resistant to mental effects, and only feels a slight tingling sensation, although he can still fall victim to stronger ones.

Fighting Style: As a master of modern warfare, Calhoun is an expert marksman and tactician. He knows exactly what to do in the heat of battle, and he can normally be seen standing in the area with the heaviest fighting, barking out orders to his men. He is incredibly handy with his BXR-12 rifle, being able to shoot and kill someone from a far distance, even without his armour's aim assist function. Despite this, he is also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, easily tussling and throwing enemies aside.

Personality: Blunt, cynical, and known for his rather brutal methods for dealing with prisoners, he is rightfully feared by numerous rebel groups in the Colonial Uprising. He maintains a no prisoners policy most of the time, and will not hesitate to shoot unarmed men and women. This earned him the nickname 'Carnage'.

Despite his constant brutality, he is also a model soldier, never backing down even in the face of danger. Not one to give up, he will do whatever it takes to acomplish his goals, even if it means dying. He radiates an aura of pure leadership wherever he goes, inspiring his men to fight by his side. It is unknown how he does this, but according to official records, his men are twice as effective in combat than any other unit.

Bio: Jackson was born on the UEG colony world of Cascade in 2789 to the legendary Calhoun family, a family that has been in the military for centuries. His father, a captain in the Marines, brought him up with military teachings like how to shoot a gun, how to hold a knife, and how to operate a drone. Growing up, he aspired to be like his father, and his grandfather, a major in the Marines.

Eventually, he was qualified for the prestigious Skanderbeg Academy of Military Science on planet Tempest, a world that was basically a giant fortress. Military installations dotted the planet and tanks and trucks were just as common as the cars there, and almost everyone who lived in the planet's cities was a soldier. Here, he spent several years as a cadet before graduating and joining the Marines.

He quickly rose up the ranks thanks to his brilliant tactical mindset, and fought in the Colonial Uprising. During a battle on the faraway colony of Reunion that was almost entirely controlled by the Coalition of Independent Colonies, he took a high-explosive armour-piercing missile directly to the chest. He was a captain during that time, and he was busy commanding his troops.

While his duratanium armour took most of the impact, the projectile still went through, and blew off most of the left side of his body. By some miracle, he was alive and rushed to a hospital ship orbiting the planet. He stayed there for a while, waiting for replacement body parts to be grown in the vats in the ship. During this time, he reflected on the battle.

When he recovered after getting replacement body parts and organs, he immediately requested to be sent back down, despite orders to go home. Not having any of it, he suited himself up and took an orbital drop pod down to the planet surface. Landing, he managed to reunite with his company and fought with a ferocity unlike any before.

Eventually, he managed to capture the city that was being used as a base for the CIC in the star system, signifying UEGNC victory. There were some rebels who attempted to surrender, but were immediately mown down by the angry Calhoun. While this act is completely legal, it is often frowned upon, but his act of disobeying orders was punishable by death.

However, instead of putting him on trial, the UEGNC gave him a Medal of Honour for his outstanding bravery, and gave him a field promotion all the way to Colonel. It was something that had not happened in decades. He still continues to fight to this day, taking command of the 41st Special Combat Unit.

When the alien empire known as the Vaskran Hierarchy attacked Cascade in 2843, he was part of the response force made up of more than a million Marines assembled to counterattack. As always, he lead his troops against the enemy, though the fight was much tougher due to fighting an enemy with unknown advanced weapons, not a rag-tag militia. While the Vaskrans would be pushed from the planet, it sparked a new war: humanity against alien. Seeing this as a chance to fight a real enemy, Calhoun fought in many battles over the next two years.

Wish: For humanity to win the war against the Vaskrans.

Echo: On planet Earth, humanity's homeworld, on the continent of North America, there is a massive complex built into the vast Canadian Rockies. This is the headquarters of the United Earth Government, the government of every single one of Earth's eight-thousand colonies.

Appearance: Calhoun stands at a tall 6'3" (190cm) and has a muscular build.

In Armour

Under Armour

Inventory: None

[Roughdragon1]

Malveil Silverlocke

Appearance

Alias: The Chessmaster

Race: Human

Sex: Male

Class: Summoner

Equipment: He doesn’t have much in terms of physical protection or weapons. Not like he needs any.

Ornate Dagger: Besides his well-kept apparel that reflects his military nature, Malveil carries a single, hidden dagger he uses to stab the unarmored backs of his enemies.

Abilities: Malveil is a summoner, and names his familiars after chess pieces. His familiars’ fighting skill is indicated by their name, and he can only summon a certain amount of each before he must retreat. He may only summon those who are dead.

The Pawns

There can only be one present user of the Red Blade, and the others who do not make the cut are resigned as foot soldiers of the Silverlocke family’s own private military. Though they are called pawns, the Silverlocke foot soldiers are leagues above that of a run-of-the-mill army. Retaining the brutal training of their younger years, these soldiers can crush the opposition, even if they are outnumbered. However, since they are familiars and not real flesh, they are noticeably weaker than their living counterparts. Of these pawns, he may summon five.

Garrick Silverlocke, The Knight

Garrick Silverlocke rides on horseback, an anomaly within the grounded combat of the Silverlocke family, trampling the weak foes he faces beneath the hooves of his horse, and impaling the survivors with his spear. He also carries a massive shield in his off-hand, which deflects stray projectiles and attacks. Even if he is pulled from his horse, he can still fight, albeit disadvantaged due to his lack of training in ground combat. He was killed by his sister, the wielder of the Red Blade.

Vaga Silverlocke, The Bishop

Some bishops are peaceful, holy men of the cloth. Devoted to their faith, they spread the word of their religion to the masses, and are devoted to their life of nonviolence and peacefulness. Vaga spreads the holy word, and also the brains of his enemies across the dirt. Wielding a brutal mace used to bash bones into bits, and donning a full set of plate armor, he is a merciless dealer of righteous judgement. However, the eldest brother of the Silverlocke family met his demise when he tried to fight back against the wielder of the Red Blade, and perished.

Craven Silverlocke, The Rook

Before they were wiped out, the Silverlocke family had been experimenting with a certain chemical concoction that reacted violently when exposed to fire. Within a short time, they had the idea for a weapon which used a propellant to fire a projectile, with deadly results. Able to pierce any armor made at the time, namely steel or iron plate, the weapon, now known as a rifle, was bestowed upon the youngest brother of the Silverlocke name. He met his demise when his family home was burned to the ground, and he was mercilessly slain by the wielder of the Red Blade.

The Queen

Not much is known about the queen, since Malveil has never used the piece before. However, rumors insist that he may summon any former wielder of the Red Blade, and whoever he summons is not affected by the hindering effects of a familiar.

Fighting Style: Malveil is a tactical man, and uses his strategical prowess combined with his summoning ability to checkmate his enemies. He will almost never fight by himself, and if he is, he will most likely die.

Personality: Malveil is a calm, collected man. He never panics, he never so much as flinches from his opponents, knowing that brute strength will always be conquered by ruthless strategy and tactics. He maintains a general’s presence even among his familiars, and believes that in a world of chaos and violence, he had climbed to the top to rule all who rest beneath him.

Bio: Malveil Silverlocke is the head of the Silverlocke family. Long ago, when his name carried with it a sense of honor and respect among other warring factions, he personally trained his six children in the ways of war. The training was terrifyingly brutal, and even drove one of the children to flee, never to be seen again. The other five stayed, and were given names after they learned the rudimentaries of war. These five, from the eldest to youngest, were Vaga, Garrick, Saria, Craven, and Alina.

Malveil pitted the five against each other on a regular basis, and did so to discover who would be worthy to don the Silverlocke armor and wield the Red Blade. One day, in a complete accident, Alina drowned in the lake near the Silverlocke stronghold. Though one of his children had perished in the training, Malveil was not shaken by such a tragic event. In fact, he wasn’t surprised at all. “The weak will be whittled out,” he told the others after the incident. And even though the others didn’t notice at the time, Malveil saw the bestial glare within Saria’s eyes before she even knew it was there herself. He knew that if she won the right to the Red Blade, she would do something drastic.

And so, when the fateful day finally came, he escaped his daughter’s wrath by leaving everything behind. Saria, in her blind rage, believed she had killed her father. Malveil didn’t know this, and spent years hiding in remote villages, biding his time by playing his favorite game, chess. For years he spent sharpening his mental fortitude, and one day, he made a wager with a master sorcerer. They would play a game of chess, and if Malveil won, the sorcerer would teach him to use summoning magic. If he lost, the sorcerer would drain the intellect from his mind. Obviously, Malveil won.

With his newfound power, he became a master of summoning familiars and manipulating them with his mind. He used his summoning ability to rebuild his old home, and one day, hopes to restore it to its former glory. However, the Red Blade, the centerpiece of Silverlocke heritage, was still missing. He searched for years, following every trace of the warrior who people called: The Blood Devil. That is, until he tracked down a member of the Inquisitional College, and forced her to tell him where she was. Apparently, she was in some place far away, facing off against other warriors in a deathmatch. He “convinced” the visitor from the college to take him with her, back to this “City of Echoes.”

Wish: To retrieve the Red Blade.

Echo: The Silverlocke home.

Inventory: None