[OOC] 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑

[Poet]

@DustyWill have a look and get back to you along with the others.

@TerminalInteresting points. A lot of it is in the name of what has actually happened in this world, 'purgatory', which is just a temporary existence of (sometimes relative) torment and suffering. It all depends on who and what that inhabits this purgatory. But seeing as it is temporary, one can assume that other planes of existence, timelines, and variations of the very same purgatory exists.

The description of dawn coming only hours before dusk does indicate that daylight is short, but also implies that the long nights are filled with terror. So your comparison with Dark Souls' function is valid, even though the causes for it might be different. The beauty of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or whichever of those games that you reference, is the immense room for personal interpretation. But you are correct in that daylight will offer much needed respite.

I'd suggest that Seekers are limited to this purgatory, and the alternate variations of it through certain paintings. So, cracks in the mortar, so to speak, could definitely occur in works of art and other places of significance that allows for traversal between variations of this purgatory. If all of this is true, one might consider and wonder what the Herald of Light actually is.

But again, the vague nature of these things is what keeps the mystery and to some extent the horror interesting.

[Todd Howard]

@Poet

I don't think I'm going to have the time to keep up with this, honestly. It's a fairly large crowd we've got here, so I'm gonna step out.

Wish ya'll the best, though

[Poet]

@RaddumAre you sure? I just did some comments for your character. But it's your choice. These things tend to thin out after a while, so you are welcome back at that time, if you so wish. I'll include my comments for your character, anyway.

---

A note on the ‘Command’ virtue for everyone. Decide if your character already has a following or not. If they do, you can mention who these people are, briefly, in the profile section of the character sheet. Or, alternatively, your character can recruit followers in the story. This is something that you as the player do yourself whenever there is an opportunity for it. Think of them as your own non-player characters.

@Torack
I have some questions about the disadvantages and advantages that might help you to expand on them a little bit.

What happens in his nightmares? How does the persecution express itself? What is the depression like on a ‘bad’ day? Is the ‘bad reputation’ connected to his sins or something else? What kind of slimy things is he afraid of—some examples? How skilled is he with sword and shield—how did he learn? Which languages can he speak, and how well? What kind of wealth does he possess?

You technically get 26 points due to the +1 in violence for having a male character. You can remove the rules for distributing points. I’ve also fixed the links for the headers in the character sheet. Please revisit it and remove the punctuation from [img.]

You put 6 points into Command. Does Hondem already have followers or will he recruit them in the story?

Lastly, would you like an edited version of your character picture? It will be the same style as other pictures in the OOC.

@MegaOscarPwn
Could you add a little to how Fernando’s pride and lust expressed themselves? Concrete examples, besides what you wrote for the profile.

Has he ever killed someone through dueling? A detail that could be added to that part of the advantages list. Does Fernando have followers due to the 4 points in Command, or will he recruit them in the story?

You can remove the rules for distributing points. I’ve also fixed the links for the headers in the character sheet. Please revisit it and remove the punctuation from [img.]

Lastly, would you like an edited version of your character picture? It will be the same style as other pictures in the OOC.

@Raddum
I’ve fixed the links for the headers in the character sheet. Please revisit it and remove the punctuation from [img.]

Kretch certainly has a lot to atone for.

Can you include examples of what triggers his wrath?
You mention that his mind is ‘easily attacked’—attacked by what? Insults? Occult influence?
About not handling people well—is it that he is awkward with conversation?

You can remove the rules for distributing points.

Lastly, would you like an edited version of your character picture? It will be the same style as other pictures in the OOC.

@TsarDev
You can remove the disadvantage/advantage parentheses. Also, revisit the character sheet template. I’ve fixed the links for the headers. Just remove the punctuation from the [img.] tag.

What kind of scarred appearance is it? How do people react to it?
What happened to the injured knee? What kind of limitations does it impose?
What are the waking nightmares like? What happens in them?
Which kinds of weapons are included in his knowledge of ranged and small melee?
Is it just animal tracking? Can he track humans? Can he track beasts of the purgatory?

Would you like an edited version of your character picture? It will be the same style as other pictures in the OOC.

@Ashen One
Great picture. I have that one saved myself.

Could one say that the murder was based on wrath? Or some other sin? Many things lead to murder.

What does his brother say in his mind? Does he mock? Incite guilt?
What triggers his rage?
Nyctophobia in a world where day only lasts a few hours? Better bring torches and lanterns! What happens to him in the dark, exactly?

Add another point in violence, as it’s a male character. Does Galeren have all of his followers at the beginning or will they be recruited in the story?

Would you like an edited version of your character picture? It will be the same style as other pictures in the OOC.

@Dusty
Very poetic. Does Corbric already have a following or will he recruit them in the story? Perhaps some old members of the Papal Guard are still with him? Other than that, I have no other comment. Although, I’ve fixed the links for the headers in the character sheet. You can revisit it, if you want and just remove the punctuation from the [img.] tag.

[Todd Howard]

@Poet

I may return once things thin out a bit. As is, I'd rather step back for a bit.

As I do intend to keep the CS, I'll be applying edits based on your comments to prepare for whenever that is. I'll have his weaknesses explained in more detail, for sure. As well as apply the fixed coding.

[Torack]

I'll work on your suggestions once I get home.

Also yea, I would like an edited version

[Poet]

@RaddumGreat. There is also the option of helping me with controlling NPCs and monster actions in combat. You don't have to decide now, but think on it.

[MegaOscarPwn]

@Poet First off: holy crap, that's a long post and I appreciate the time you have taken to review every single post that everyone has made. Patpat.

And yes, I'll add some more examples about his lust and pride although they're already slightly clear, but I'll just add a few more examples on how it can affect him and the people around.

Indeed he has killed people, all duels back in that era where "to the death", so everyone who he duelled ended up assasinated...although they all agreeded up to the duel, so it wasn't really a crime? Except the nobleman's duel, in which he cheated like a fuckerinno.

And alright, I'll delete everything ya just told me and edit all of it, no problem about it. And sure! I would love an edited version.

[Terminal]

@Poet First profile for you. Holding on to the second for a moment, I would appreciate some feedback here so I can fine-tune the next one. As a qualifier to reading, let it be known that certain, squickier aspects of her biography and failings (you will know them when you see them) will not be quite so greatly emphasized IC as stated here. Think of them more as profound, underlying psychological aspects that are not immediately evident except through careful scrutiny over time in person.

The Questor

_{QUESTOR LEVIA GERLINDE}

_{"Cherish this moment of bleak anguish.
These dark times are but all of ruth the adversary shall ever know.
Hold pity and relish in your heart for those who will know no further the ineffable grace of their own veracity, come the time of the infinite."}

Prior Life

The precise date of Levia's birth has been forgotten by her, in the jumble of lives and deaths she has since experienced, though she remembers well enough the day where, amongst a crowd of thousands, she witnessed the burning of Joan d' Arc during the year of our lord 1431 - still a young and budding maiden, recently arrived in Normandy from Carthage where she had been born of a missionary who had forsaken his vow of celibacy. Levia's following life was ordinary and uninspiring - she was married off to a tanner in 1940, dutifully bearing him children and tending to his home until the great calamity that was purgatory came upon the land. Levia was amongst the first ream of victims to fall before its horrors, suffering rapine and anguish before being cast to the dark.

And so it followed; again and again, the memories that were Levia striving to lead an ordinary life even amidst the horror, made all the more trying as with each life spent she would shuffle her mortal coil earlier and earlier each time, and almost always by violent means whilst having suffered indignities. After several such times, Levia broke, and in her fugue did she discover her virtue. Her mind sundered to match the impossible darkness of purgatory, the impossible was branded into her being with hallowed clarity, the fractured and riven tears in her being woven into a new whole that would become the fabled maiden questor, Levia Gerlinde.

She would go on and, though beset by trial and many deaths, she did overcome many terrors and anathema, amongst them the dread Chalarensis, Hyperion, and Belphagor. Arising from common obscurity and achieving great success across time despite many setbacks, Levia briefly became a beacon of hope and inspiration amongst the masses...

Until the servitors of the adversary arrayed themselves against her, fearful of her prowess and burgeoning following. Seeking to forever curb her ability to lead and inspire others, the mortal agents of the enemy did weave the most insidious rumor of ridicule and doubt amongst the lands - that Levia herself claimed to be the Herald of Light. Scarcely over the course of a fortnight, Levia found herself jeered and set upon by those who might once have arrayed themselves under her command, and in her ignominy she was eventually slain by another Seeker who had followed the rumors and found her to be wanting.

Reborn in time, Levia did her utmost to trail without the vast shadow of her now besmirched repute. Now, her name is forgotten by many but known to some - and it is remembered as the name of a charlatan and a harlot, a false prophet and a pretender. A memory not abetted by her unfortunately traditional mores and behavior...

The Questor's Sins

Levia, in her life prior to purgatory and even during many of her initial lives in purgatory, lived in the traditional sense as a woman of her caste and upbringing was expected to have lived. She would labor and toil as a caretaker, bearing her mates many children, rarely speaking defiantly or acting without leave. Even the harsh and brutal revelations of purgatory itself have been unable to dissuade her from this manner of living; the habits and conditioning of her first life having ingrained themselves somehow irreparably from her. Her meekness was what led to her permitting her own upbraiding and destruction at the hands of a fellow Seeker, and in failing to speak out against the false rumors set against her by the adversary's servitors. Her past beliefs, forged upon her mind with callous fists and rods, taught her that as a woman, she was slippery, weak, untrustworthy, devious, deceitful and stubborn - and so, unconsciously and in her efforts to adopt the habits of strength, she strives to be as 'unwomanlike' as possible by being forthright, wholly truthful, straightforward, and accepting - disastrous and inadvisable qualities for one such as she in the lands of purgatory, and all come upon in a manner failing to dissuade her own self-internalized sense of inferiority and submissiveness. Levia is the servant of man - literally, figuratively, and much to her own misfortune - and that of those she intends to save from damnation. Thusly, Levia's cardinal sin is that of Sloth, her own willful and self-imposed indolence and stagnant moral character depriving her of the fullness of her own virtue.

The Questor's Failings

• The Meek - Levia lacks agency, and left to her own devices will usually seek help or else do nothing. In particular, she will endeavor to attach herself to a reliable male authority figure for guidance, and is dismissive of her own judgment as well as that of other women.
• False Light - The adversary's servitors wove a plot most wicked in their efforts to destroy Levia's fame amongst the peoples of purgatory. Those few who remember her, remember her poorly, as a charlatan and conceited pretender not worthy of the aid afforded to most seekers - and occasionally, sometimes even meriting punitive action.
• What Strength, Veracity - In her own, perhaps inadvisable efforts to attain greater virtue and strength, Levia will know no deceit. It extends further than refusing to lie on her own behalf; Levia will actively out the existence of any lie she is aware of. She will permit omissions of truth and white lies, except when directly confronted or confused of doing so, which can lead to the equivalent of a full avowed confession from her.
• Burdensome Lunacy - Levia, despite having been awakened to certain aspects of her own virtue, is still bound by many of the more unfortunate aspects of her strict, traditional religious upbringing. One of the more prominent aspects of her original life and the new ways of living in purgatory that have overlapped is the notion that mankind is to propagate and spread across the earth, and therefore even before her duty to find the Herald of Light and serve as Seeker, it is her duty to bear children upon the world. Thus giving way to the nearly intolerable and nigh-impracticable efforts by her to find willing suitors by whom to become pregnant, and then to carry and bear children - whilst simultaneously waging a horrid and eternal battle with the malevolent forces of the void itself.

The Questor's Strengths

• No Man Wields Such Power - By some twist of providence, Levia is profoundly adept not only with the Partisan and Estoc, but is perhaps one of the finest mortal warriors in purgatory. If she is not the most adept with the blade, she is certainly amongst the most balanced and able-bodied of fighters not only in skill and talent, but also in ingenuity and experience brought on through many lifes - and deaths - worth of battling the forces of the adversary, great and small.
• Such Impossible Reserves - Levia's intolerable and backwards mental state has the noteworthy advantage of making her mind and soul nearly unassailable by most methods of corruption and temptation, as well as making her nearly immune to efforts of intimidation and coercion (with the notable exception of those who prove low enough to exploit her deferential mindset), which is what allowed her to garner her initial fame during her early tenure as a Seeker - she knows not any despair or suffering, and there is no enemy so great that might cause her to balk. She is certitude manifest. To her, victory is not only inevitable and certain, but preordained, and these dark times are but a passing moment of concession to the forces of darkness to permit them some small token of solace. Almost nothing could change her outlook in this way, and as such she can act as a beacon of invigorating confidence, bolstering others and steadying the nerves in trying times simply by existing.

The Questor's Virtues

• Violence: VII
• Fortitude: VII
• Soul: III
• Passion: V (+I)
• Perception: II
• Command: II

[MegaOscarPwn]

Mine's been edited and I have added some more stuffs to it, now we just wait.

[Poet]

@Torack


@TerminalLooks well put. Would you like an edited version of the character image?

@MegaOscarPwnIf you find a larger image, I can do some edits if you like.

[MegaOscarPwn]

@Poet



That's Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer by the way, really important writer in the Romantic Era of Spain, 19th Century.
AIN'T HE A CUTIE.

[Terminal]

@TerminalLooks well put. Would you like an edited version of the character image?

@Poet

Sure thing. Much obliged.

[Torack]

@Poet

Alright, I edited my CS per your suggestions. Lemme know if there's anything else you want me to add/edit in my CS!

[Poet]

@MegaOscarPwn


@Terminal


@TorackLooks good. Post it up in the character tab.

[MegaOscarPwn]

Mine's good too? If so, may I post it in the char tab too?

[Ashen One]

@Ashen One
Great picture. I have that one saved myself.

Could one say that the murder was based on wrath? Or some other sin? Many things lead to murder.

What does his brother say in his mind? Does he mock? Incite guilt?
What triggers his rage?
Nyctophobia in a world where day only lasts a few hours? Better bring torches and lanterns! What happens to him in the dark, exactly?

Add another point in violence, as it’s a male character. Does Galeren have all of his followers at the beginning or will they be recruited in the story?

Would you like an edited version of your character picture? It will be the same style as other pictures in the OOC.

@Poet

-It took forever to find a good picture, glad you like it.

-Yes, his murder is from Wrath. Towards his brother actually but seeing how he's dead, the closest passerby will suffice.

-His brother routinely guilt trips him for the things he's done. It can range from light whispers to full blown yelling in his head. That triggers his rage.

-Pitch blackness with freak him out but low-lighting is relatively fine by him.

-Done. And I planned for him to gather followers as the story progresses.

-That would be awesome, thanks.

[Poet]

@MegaOscarPwnDid you mention the followers anywhere due to 4 in the command virtue? If he has any right away or will recruit them? That's the only thing, then you're good to go. Post it up in the character tab.

@Ashen OneAlright. So mention some of your answers in the character sheet, and then post it up in the character tab. Once I got the character image edit done, you can edit it in later.

[Fetzen]

Hello!

I'd like to ask if there is still room for one more player/character? Already got an idea in mind, 'just' need to flesh it out.

[Poet]

@Ashen One


@FetzenYes, there is plenty of room.

[Terminal]

@Poet Second profile for you; more of a secondary character than anything else. You may want to stick her in your portfolio with the monsters and NPCs you mentioned to Raddum a while ago. Let me know what you think.

The She-Devil

_{She-Devil Hecuba}

~ALL THINGS UNDONE~

Prior Life

Hecuba, born in 1422, was the rebellious daughter of a minor German land-baron. Known to have been somewhat mean-spirited and irreligious (due in part to the extreme corruption of the local Roman Catholic Church). In particular, the parish's habit of selling indulgences and bestowal of religious artifacts led to Hecuba's collection of such curios and items of interest as a hobby, branching out naturally to the procurement of heretical and heathen tokens gained through coercion and blackmail of the baron's servants and staff. Hecuba's father spent most of his time abroad away from home in response to property he owned in Normandy being placed endlessly at risk by the conflicts of the Hundred Years' War, while her mother had died during childbirth, leaving the pernicious and capricious girl run of her father's estate. Not content to let her guards and servants do all the dirty-work themselves, Hecuba became obsessed with acts of violence, starting first with merely learning how to hunt and butcher animals, moving on to trapping and torturing animals, and then eventually to imprisoning and personally beating and torturing peasants and unfortunates of the barony itself. Her father's court became a haven for heretical figures who curried favor with her with offerings of obscure artifacts and pagan knowledge, further fueling her godless proclivities.

Precisely what transpired in the barony come the twilight of purgatory is poorly understood. A large amount of heavy fighting between the armies of men and the horrors of the abyss took place therein and nearby, with stories indicating Hecuba had fought on both sides. Some hypothesize she was captured or enslaved and forced to fight, others claim she had merely been given the excuse to devolve into her true violent nature by the mass outbreak of horror, but it is otherwise agreed that at the time she did not yet possess even but an inkling of the might wielded by the later figure of the She-Devil. As the reality of purgatory settled and the peoples of the land began the cycle of death and rebirth, Hecuba's estate became the focal point for countless desperate rituals, the ignorant, the malign, and the curious making use of encouragement and coercion alike, making use of her vast collection of relics and texts to perform all manner of profane acts in the earlier days of anguish.

The experiments culminated in Tiamat's Eclipse. The bloody events therein are not recounted in any written record, those few reborn lucid enough to recount it retelling incoherent, rambling, and disjointed tales of arms tournaments presided over by anathema and powers, disgusting and woesome orgies conducted by abominable fiends from the depths of the world, baleful displays of light that cut through the retina and mind like razors. Hecuba features in many of these retellings, with no rhyme, reason, or pattern as to her significance or actions beyond her mere presence, but whatever role she played, the She-Devil was the ultimate product of that awful affair.

Branded upon their flesh is the mark of the Seeker - and all who see it know true despair, in knowing that amongst the servitors of the adversary there are those who seek out and embrace the light intending only to snuff it out.

She-Devil Hecuba is a monstrous foe to all who would seek the Herald of Light, more a hellish beast than human now. Her immense strength and ability, already great on their own, have been heightened to inhuman proportions by the countless, profane and sickening powers acting upon her form and mind. She has taken unto herself and her soul - some say even willingly - the influence of multiple dread powers, such as the Erinyes, The Naked Complex, the Barbed Wheel, the Sterile God. Although lonesome, Hecuba is a Legion of the dark, for those that lay claim to her mind, body, and soul are many. A semblance of the being she once was remains still, cogent and capable of being reasoned with if only for a time. Some speculate that the mere presence of the Seekers' Sigil upon her body is evidence that she might be saved and redeemed one day, to then fight on the side of the light. What is most clear, however, is that in the relative present she is a nearly insurmountable (if thankfully rarely encountered), monstrous physical threat to any who would seek the Herald of Light, requiring significant guile and cunning to surpass where strength of arms would otherwise fail.

The She-Devil's Sins

Hecuba is a being of lightly fettered rancor made manifest. Her sins are boundless and without limit and pointless to recount in any detail. Her greatest flaw of benefit to Seekers is her profound susceptibility to occult forces. The same means by which she shackles and is shackled to the various beings that empower her renders her supremely vulnerable to arcane and esoteric power. It is also worth noting that for somebody so far-gone, she can be surprisingly coherent when caught in-the-moment. If she can be caught up by some means in conversation, she can be waylaid and distracted for a time - and perhaps even bargained with, coerced, or even momentarily turned. Her loyalty and focus are therefore questionable. In the same manner, Hecuba is much akin to a siege engine - only loosely directed in any kind of confrontation, she makes only the most pitiful of distinctions between her foes and will not prioritize. She will just as willingly charge into an assembled group of a Seeker's comrades as she might try to pursue the Seeker, or an unarmed and fleeing group of peasants, and is thus easily distracted and evaded.

The She-Devil's Failings

• Lost in the Dark - A Seeker she may technically be, but Hecuba is a slave of the adversary and therefore subject to their whims. They spend most of their time in the dark places of the world, and cannot harry and pursue Seekers for long before her dread masters call upon her to withdraw.
• She Was Never One of Us - Hecuba is reviled and hated by anyone and everybody with common sense and more than two neurons. Even cultists and other mortal servitors of the adversary will refuse to work with her, or even to remain in her presence without fleeing or resorting to violence. Many will simply attack her on sight. The sentiment is mutual, of course.
• Her Body is a Marred- Twisted as it is, Hecuba is only very vaguely and indistinctly recognizable as Human once the armor is peeled away.
• Her Mind is Damaged - She is just foolish enough to consistently make tactical blunders and be outwitted, and just intelligent enough to be bargained with and coerced.
• Her Soul Is A Wound - The very process which created the She-Devil and grants her power also renders her especially susceptible to occult and arcane powers and influence.
• Just Another Plaything - Although she is readily counted amongst the greatest of the adversary's mortal servants, she is just another mortal. The very beings she serves and that grant her power will turn on her in a heartbeat, torturing her and afflicting her with incalculable suffering for any or no reason, at any time they choose.
• There Shall Come a Reckoning - Hecuba's passage is not subtle. There shall be plenty of forewarning with her approach.
• And Ye Shall Bear Their Punishment - Hecuba's connection to various abyssal entities subjects her to resonance from their upbraiding. Injuring or slaying them will injure and impair Hecuba substantially, for a time.

The She Devil's Strengths

• Witch Engine - Hecuba is almost unmatched in physical altercations, be it in duels or in pitched, thronging battles. Trying to confront her head-on as anything other than a feint or distraction would likely end in misfortune without careful planning or nigh-miraculous skill and ability exceeding her own.
• Their Hand Upon Our World - Hecuba is under the influence of a number of powerful abyssal entities which, in addition to twisting her form and granting her profane might, can bestow her with additional, twisted boons as they deem fit.
• Guttering Hope - Hecuba is branded with a corrupted Seeker's Sigil, allowing her to track the Herald of Light - and to respond to the presence of other Seekers.
• The Dreaded - Mere word of Hecuba's approach is enough to send most normal folk, soldiery, and even comrades following Seekers running for the hills in terror.

The She-Devil's Tainted Virtues

• Violence: VIII
• Fortitude: VIII
• Soul: VII
• Passion: - (Whatever Womanly charms she had are long gone.)
• Perception: II
• Command: - (Not even cultists are foolish enough to work with her. Only inhuman forces beyond the ken of the just might appear with her, and even then it is more likely that she shall follow them than the other way around.)