Welcome to Recollections: Under the Sycamore Tree , another RP set in the supernatural horror/urban fantasy universe known as the Recollections universe. It is set in a strange and unique universe where magic reflects the core of its humanity and its emotions, beliefs, and thoughts. Under the Sycamore Tree, is a story about a group of teenagers who defeated an ancient and powerful entity known as The Stygian Snake. The Stygian Snake was a being that was near God-like in power and could manipulate darkness, use psychic abilities to enthrall and mentally debilitate, summon monsters, control time while in the shadows, and travel between dimensions. Thus, it was nigh-unstoppable, and no one in St. Portwell could contend with being in a one-on-one battle without being killed, becoming a thrall, or worse. The Stygian Snake terrorized the coastal Oregon city known as St. Portwell, and its endgame was to use the upcoming eclipse to ascend and reach Godhood.
However, three girls (Ashley Stone, their leader; Daisy Hunter, the second in command; and Auri Auclair) banded a group of their magical peers together to defeat it and called themselves the Sycamore Tree Coven (or simply the Coven). They named themselves after the very sycamore tree that they formed the pact under and used an ancient weapon known as the Apparition Killer to weaken the Stygian Snake enough for them to seal the being in the namesake tree.
Afterward, they wiped their memories of the location of the tree. Other supernatural factions and beings flooded into St. Portwell and turned the otherwise mundane city into a paranormal hotspot... and warzone. The Sycamore Tree Coven attempted to be a significant player in the supernatural scene. Still, the group ultimately disbanded due to a mixture of clashing personalities, not liking the leadership, thinking magic is too dangerous, going to other organizations in St. Portwell, or simply moving on with their lives.
Thus, the battle against the Stygian Snake became the most fantastic story never told, and few were even aware of the existence of the pact those brave children made under the Sycamore Tree. Ten years have passed, and suddenly, former members of the Coven were being murdered one by one (some of whom were on the other side of the planet) with a mysterious wolf idol carved out of sycamore appearing in their residence before they were killed. The straw that broke the camel's back was the murder of Ashley Stone and the disappearance of Daisy Hunter; thus, Auri Auclair called the former members of the Coven. A desperate call to whoever she could reach, and while many either didn't accept or ignored her, Auri managed to gather a group of her former Coven.
St. Portwell's magic scene changed, and now dozens of factions vied for city control. The newly reformed Sycamore Tree Coven has to navigate the factional drama while attempting to find just who is killing them and stop them. However, their murderer has a name... Father Wolf, and the rabbit hole is far deeper than they initially thought. This story is inspired by media such as Life is Strange, Dead by Daylight, Lakeview Cabin/Valley, Bakemonogatari, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. A fusion of genres, this RP will have themes of urban fantasy and horror (I call it Surreal-Urban Fantasy). However, it won't have an emphasis on horror or spooky vibes. This RP will be more about the fantastical side of magic as I try to weave an intense and complex storyline about the Coven and their trials and tribulations as they either rise to the top or fail like before. Thus, the RP will have several different storylines simultaneously, with some things built up over time. The theme will be siblinghood, companionship, and working with people you dislike. Above all else, its thematic will be Connections, Emotions, and Memories.
RULES & NOTES
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1. First and foremost, I reserve the right to reject anyone from the RP and boot them out at any time. I hate to do this, and I will try to avoid it, but sometimes, some people are too disruptive to the RP or aren't a good fit and must be removed.
2. Please try to be respectful towards all other players.
3. The Recollections Universe is a dark off-urban fantasy set in the real world, so it'll be relatively realistic. I want all characters to make sense, have a realistic (or natural) faceclaim, etc. You can pretty much go crazy with any character of any sexuality, gender, race, religion, etc. Just stray away from sociopaths/psychopaths, please.
4. The tone of the RP will be relatively dark and brooding... not super gritty or edgy (only a little). It'll have plenty of dark moments and probably some pretty graphic moments - with occasional nudity. However, the absurdist humor inherent to the setting will offset it.
5. no "wip" sheets on the OOC. Post a complete sheet, or don't post anything at all. If you need something looked over, feel free to private message me. Speaking of which, the character tab is for accepted characters only.
6. Keep in mind that your character can die. If they make the wrong move, it can result in their death, and I will not jeopardize the story to save them.
7. You're allowed to have as many characters as you can handle... don't go too crazy. I want to keep it to about two characters max per person, but if you have a good idea, I'll allow more.
8. Keep in mind that this RP isn't quite a regular superpower RP (even though you'll ignore this); it's an off-urban fantasy with horror themes. It's a weird blend of thirty different genres, but that's beside the point. I want the abilities in this setting to be more grounded in magic, the fantastical, and the thematic over everything. I like abilities that somehow reflect the user, but I'd appreciate seeing how you interpret it. I would prefer if you stray away from scientific abilities like gravity/magnetism manipulation, but I will allow it if you insist.
9. Every character must be a member of the Old Sycamore Tree Coven and have participated in the battle against the Stygian Snake. I may allow a new member of the Coven if you run it by me.
10. I only describe the essential lore for character-making. That is because I like doing stuff from top-to-bottom, meaning I like to explore the supernatural world in character. Please let me know if you want any details about the lore for making a character.
11. The following abilities are banned: Magic Negation, "instant death" powers, reality-warping, anything with "Omni" attached to it, complete defense/indestructibility, and any other ridiculous ability. I will explain why if necessary.
12. This RP will strictly be "first come, first serve." I will not reserve any /characters/roles/etc, and they will go to whoever finishes their character sheet first. If there's a conflict over it, I will decide the outcome.
13. All I ask for is one post a week. Your character will be deemed inactive if it's been a week since your last post. Please be aware that once your character has been deemed inactive, I have free reign to control them, or they can be killed off.
14. The RP runs off of the Ambiguous Time Period. This means the RP will have aspects from different periods with no set year, so placing a specific period would be hard.
15. Don't fill out the weaknesses section of the character sheet. I'll fill that out for you!
16. This is optional, but I can write a magical power for your character. It'll be a fun little thing for both of us.
17. I would LOVE some clashing personalities in the cast to give credence to why the Coven broke up in the first place.
18. I'm going for a lower power level; think like "street level." Like I don't want characters throwing around buildings, but I want a focus on the wielder/esoteric abilities.
19. Some rules are so beaten into your head that it should be obvious. ...................................................................
"Open your mind, heart, body, and soul to the universe..." ____________________________________ Out there exists a threshold, an invisible line showing what's possible and impossible. Crossing that threshold is easy for certain people with a specific trait or predisposition, but sometimes, it's not something they do on their own. Sometimes, they get pushed across it, and when they get to the other side, they discover that nothing short of Magic is real.
The magic in this world is fueled by human emotion, beliefs, and personality, and individuals can gain magical abilities reflecting themselves. Many different types of these beings exist, but they are under one collective term: The Paranormal. The world of the Paranormal is the gateway to infinite possibilities, stories, and adventures, as it follows these people as they navigate this strange world.
The umbrella term for these abilities is known as Paranormal-Abilities; the most basic of these abilities is a theoretical opening of the "third eye." The Paranormal are the only ones that can perceive magical abilities in action, as those without them can only see the effects. The story's namesake ability is known as a Recollection, a flashback where the person experiencing it can see what happened during it as if they were there. All Paranormal-Beings are unconsciously drawn to each other and Paranormal situations, whether they like it or not. Or, the Paranormal will come to them, and it’s suspected that people with certain traits are led to such situations.
With Recollections, a person can experience the memories and adventures of other people and gain information on events they weren't present at. It's hard to tell what triggers a Recollection, as some people may experience it in their sleep or when interacting with a certain person, place, or thing that is relevant to them or their goals. Those with a sufficient understanding of magic can show other people a Recollection.
However, each Paranormal being has a personal ability known as an Abstraction. An abstraction is an ability that is unique to them and is determined by the type of Paranormal being they are. No two abstractions are the same; one person can cast away their abstraction for another. Abstractions are linked to a person's soul and are impossible to nullify, or no abstraction exists that negates or removes another except for one specific case. Paranormal beings can only have one abstraction at a time, even if they appear to have several different abstractions - it simply sub-abilities under one larger abstraction. The Paranormal is innately protected from each other by an invisible barrier known as an Emotional-Field, which acts as a natural limiter preventing Paranormal beings from using their abstractions directly on each other. Every Paranormal-Being, except for some rare cases, possesses an Emotional-Field. For example, a pryomancer cannot boil someone’s blood, a telekinetic cannot tear someone’s heart out, and a mind controller cannot work on a Paranormal. Abstractions such as Telepathy and Healing are not typically restricted. An Emotional-Field can have its properties altered by certain abstractions, for example, Lessening magical damage, removing someone’s Emotional-Field, etc. Emotional-Fields inhibit all offensive (and certain Abstractions like mind control and stopping time) Abstractions; however, certain offensive abstractions can bypass it completely (these abstractions are rare, however). Individuals who do not have an Abstraction or Emotional-Field are known as Blind and cannot comprehend or interact with magic in any way. However, those who have been exposed to magic in the past will gain the ability to perceive magic known as One-Eye-Open. These individuals lack an Emotional-Field or an Abstraction and are as susceptible to magic as the Blind.
ADEPTS
_______________________________________________ "Transcend the limitations you have placed on your mind and soul."
Eons ago, an ancient race of God-like beings known as Ancients visited humanity and bestowed thousands of them access to their magic known as Lux - which is a different type of magic dependant on its color. This has created a spiritual connection to the Lux and the previous generations that wielded it. To access this Lux, a user must first undergo a Kindling-Event when they experience a powerful emotion.
During a Kindling Event, they can talk to their ancestors much like a Recollection, and it's possible to experience several Kindling Events. There is such a thing known as a Severance in which an Adept may be cut off from their Lux if they aren't behaving in a way that their ancestors deem worthy (It's also possible for an Adept to sever themselves during a Kindling Event). Afterward, they will be One-Eye-Open and unable to reconnect to their Lux.
Adepts are more in line with traditional mages and wizards than the other Paranormal types with a flat ability, and Adepts have to learn Spells. These spells can theoretically be anything within their Lux. However, each Adept has an Affinity, which means they can learn spells easier if they reflect something about them. However, it's challenging (but not impossible) to develop spells outside of one's affinity and next-to-impossible to develop spells that are opposite of their affinity. Spells are created through trial and error and experimentation, but each Adept has a unique way of developing their spells. However, Adepts can also learn spells from external sources such as spell books and other Paranormal beings.
An Adept can gain a catalog of hundreds of spells in their lifetime. However, it'll take years of practice, and Adepts can also gain "inspiration" for new spells from the people close to them. Adepts access their magic through an object known as a Channeler, an object that the user has an emotional attachment to - it's possible to use spells without one, but channeling the Lux through one's body will cause severe burns and lead to unstable Spells. The act of using spells is called Casting, and every Adept has its own method of casting (Visualizing and concentrating, chanting, rituals, etc.).
An Adept can have multiple Lux; however, the more Lux they have access to, the weaker their overall spells will be. An Adept with multiple Lux can devise spells within one Lux or make spells combining several Lux. It’s common for an Adept to have one Lux, uncommon for two, and rare for three or more.
Red (Rage): Elemental Lux, the most common type of Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is The Bull—examples: Manipulation of fire, ice, electricity, earth, plant, and similar abilities.
Green (Joy): Biological Lux, the third most common type of Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is The Deer. Examples: Healing, shape-shifting, wing generation, etc,
Yellow (Terror): Stealth & Defensive Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is The Spider. Examples: Invisibility, barrier generation/forcefields, dumbing sound down, etc.
Pink (Love): Mental & Emotional Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is The Dove—examples: Emotion manipulation, mind control, telepathy, illusion creation, etc.
Gold (Pride): Summoning & Minion Creation Lux, the third rarest type of Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is The Lion—examples: Creating minions of choice, summoning a defeated monster, etc.
Purple (Anticipation): Movement & Time Lux, the second most common type of Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is The Mustang. Examples: Teleportation, time travel, Portal Creation, telekinesis, slowing down time, etc
Orange (Courage): Infusion & Abstraction-Strengthening Lux, the second rarest form of Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is the Tiger. Examples: Creating a magic sword, boosting Paranormal abilities, making an object stronger, etc.
Blue (Sadness): Curse Lux, the rarest form of Lux. The ability to cast curses which requires a stipulation to be broken. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is the Swan. Examples: Cursing someone to turn into a monster, creating a deadly illness, cursing someone to be haunted by the dead, etc.
White (Nostalgia): Information Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is the Owl. Examples include Observing locations remotely, seeing into the past/future, reading auras, gaining information about the environment, etc.
Black (Apathy): Necromancy Lux. The Ancient that embodies this Lux is the Hound—examples: Creating zombie minions, manipulating apparitions, etc.
Adepts are probably my second favorite out of the types, so I'm biased. They're probably the most complex, given how Lux n' shit works. Blue Lux are heavily restricted and require permission from me to make one a player character - otherwise, they will be an NPC-only Lux. I demand a list of spells they can cast in their abstraction section. Keep in mind the more types of Lux they have access to, the weaker their abilities should be. Also, please run any new spells by me first.
APPARITIONS
________________________________________________________________ "They emerge from a world that shouldn't exist."
Ghosts, Spirits, Angels, Demons, Echoes, whatever you call them, above all else. Apparitions are unique as they are the most fantastical and vague of the Paranormal. Opposed to being made of flesh and blood, they are made of pure magic, and instead of being born, they are spawned into existence. There are three ways an Apparition can be created: from either a powerful enough belief (or emotion), made by another Paranormal (these abstractions are few and in between, incredibly rare), or when a person with a strong enough emotion dies a piece of their leftover consciousness and memories become an Apparition. In the case of the latter, they are not the soul or spirit of the individual and will only harbor a few of their memories and fragments of their former personality.
A new Apparition is nothing but a blank slate, and many Apparitions were dead Paranormal-beings that cast away their humanity. These Apparitions are fueled and powered by these emotions and beliefs - and the stronger those are, the more powerful they become. An Apparition can, alternatively, fade from existence if said emotion or thought wanes.
Apparitions are, otherwise, effectively immortal and can exist for centuries - if destroyed, they will regenerate in time (stronger Apparitions can regenerate as fast as a couple of hours). Apparitions, by default, are invisible to the Blind (they can choose to make themselves visible), but the Paranormal and One-Eye-Open can perceive them. While the Paranormal can interact with Apparitions, only the One-Eye-Open can see them.
However, the primary method for defeating an Apparition is known as Sealing, and they can be imprisoned in an object where they will be trapped for all time unless freed. Apparitions can prevent themselves from being sealed or fading from existence by binding themselves to a human in some way, shape, or form (in this state, their Abstractions are entirely static). Apparitions, by default, are invisible to the Blind but can reveal themselves at will.
Apparitions are responsible for most curses and can be manipulated by Black Lux.
It's simple to seal an Apparition. A person has to draw symbols on the ground or environment that they truly believe will seal the Apparition. Then, they must place an object of any size inside the sigils; alternatively, they can draw the symbols around. Then they must battle the Apparition and weaken it enough to activate the Seal and trap the Apparition inside the object. Larger and other more powerful apparitions require bigger sigils to be drawn or for them to be far weaker, but all an Apparition has to do is be in the vicinity to be sealed. The Apparition can be released if the Seal is destroyed, and the Blind can use their abstraction if they are in contact with the object. Sealing does not work on the Abscised, Agents or Adjoined.
Apparitions will be heavily restricted for several reasons; you can only make an Apparition if you get my permission. Apparitions apart of an Aberration are fully allowed.
ABERRATIONS
_________________________________________________ "Freak, monsters, predators, prey, Aberrations. Do not take them lightly." .........................................................................
Aberrations are what are considered to be "outside the lines," something not a part of the grand design of the universe. Aberrations are people who have had contact with the Paranormal and gained either a blessing or a curse from their abilities. Almost all Abberattions are created from the Blind interacting with Apparitions, but they can also be created by Adepts or by interacting with magical artifacts. Unlike Adepts, Animals can become Aberrations due to their strange nature. Aberrations are considered Paranormal Beings so that they can use all of the baseline abilities, but only the Blind/One-Eye-Open can become an Aberration.
Due to the odd nature of the Aberrations, they are separated into five subclasses:
Adjoined: Are Paranormal-Beings who have an Apparition attached to their soul and can utilize their abilities. Either the Apparition uses their abstraction freely, the Adjoined can transform into the Apparition, or the Adjoined uses the Apparition's Abstraction by proxy. Sometimes, these can intersect, and there can be an Adjoined that can do all three.
Afflicted: A person who gained an abstraction through being cursed.
Agent: A person who has contact with a sealed Apparition or a magical artifact and can use their abstraction by proxy.
Abscised: An Abscised is an Apparition that has taken control over somebody's body (Either possession style, removing a person's soul first, taking over a deceased human's body, etc) and can use their own abstraction through them. The Abscised are varying degrees of undead.
Abominable: Unique as the Abominable are not humans or Apparition, but instead the Abominable are creatures that have been created by magic. They have been created by a Paranormal being at some point, or some were born naturally from another Abominable. In the case of the latter it is the only known time when an Abstraction can be passed down, and the Abominable can breed with humans.
My favorite type of Paranormal beings. They'll require a bit more background work as you'll have to come up with how they'll become an Aberrant (mainly running into an Apparition, etc). With Aberrants, you aren't limited by belief or personality or whatever and can come up with anything - however, you have to come up with Apparitions.
"Reality is a wild, unpredictable, beast. Every choice you make leads to a different reality."
Within the Recollections universe exists a multiverse dubbed the All-Verse. The All-Verse is a vast and interconnected web of parallel dimensions, alternate realities, and different planes of existence that exist alongside our primary reality. The variety of these dimensions can range from entirely different to almost the same, except for the most minor differences.
One significant aspect is that everyone in these dimensions has a Counterpart, which is essentially a different version of them - except there are constants and variables (Constants being traits that they all share and variables are traits that can change). These counterparts are spiritually connected. This spiritual connection differs for each person; some counterparts can read each other’s aura/mind, gain more powerful abstractions in each other’s presence, switch bodies at will, etc.
These universes were never designed to interact, but magic can allow travel between each universe. The All-Verse represents reality itself. However, there is a state of unreality. The space outside the All-Verse and reality is known as The Void. The Void is the space between universes, and their universal laws, such as time and decay, do not exist there, and it is home to unimaginable horrors. Even with magic, entering the Void (and vice-versa) is challenging because a safety net exists, a barrier that prevents objects from falling out of reality.
However, this safety net also catches the remains of destroyed universes and becomes something just as horrifying as the Void: The Pit. The Pit is a savage land consisting of the fragments of reality it caught, inhabited by any other being that fell out of existence. It is a horrible land inhabited by some of the most horrific creatures known to man that is nigh-impossible to escape from. Very few have escaped the Pit, and those that have left their sanity behind.
The universe in which this story takes place is known as Shimmer.
The eponymous Sycamore Tree Coven (or just The Coven) that the story follows, a group of magical teenagers that three individuals gathered; Ashley Stone, Daisy Hunter, and Auri Auclair. They formed a pact under the very Sycamore Tree that they were named after: they were going to do everything in their power to defeat the Apparition known as The Stygian Snake. They were a reasonably large organization (at least to the standards of magic organizations) with around a hundred members and were a powerful force.
Their original goal was to defeat the Stygian Snake, which, after several grueling battles, they succeeded with the help of an artifact known as the Apparition Killer (which a member named Kari Wilson located) that weakened the being. They sealed the Stygian Snake in the tree they formed under, and for the good of St. Portwell, they wiped their memories of the Sycamore Tree's location. Thus, they only vaguely remember a sycamore tree.
Afterward, they dissolved after infighting in the organization, a lack of faith in the leadership, a fear of the other factions moving into St. Portwell, and other factors. The members of the Coven dissipated, and all went their separate ways and forged their paths for whatever reason. However, fate pushed them back together when former members of their organization were getting murdered one by one, and nobody had a clue who was doing the killing or why (and most importantly, who was going to be next).
Ten years later, the former members of the Sycamore Tree Coven have been getting mysteriously murdered. They were murdered assassination style (slashed throats, strangled with piano wire, drowned, etc.), with a few exceptions. However, before a member of the Coven was murdered, a mysterious wolf idol, carved from Sycamore, appeared at their door or somewhere in their home of residence.
The original leader was Ashley Stone, a star cheerleader and popular girl whose little sister was killed by the Stygian Snake. She formed an intense hatred of the thing, which led her to create the Sycamore Tree Coven with her two friends - she was a Black Lux user. With the help of the Coven, she found the Apparition Killer, which they used to weaken the Stygian Snake.
The second in command was Daisy Hunter, Ashley's best friend, who possessed a mighty artifact known as the Bull's Ring, allowing her to manipulate all elements. Auri Auclair was the former third in the chain of command and the third member of Ashley's best friend group, and was an Aberrant-Agent who wielded a staff that summoned a mass of butterflies that could telekinetically move objects.
After Ashley's murder and Daisy's disappearance, Auri was the one who put out the call to reform the Sycamore Tree Coven. The woman was not expecting a lot, but some of her former witches and warlocks answered the call and made herself the new leader of the Coven.
Their new goal is to find out who exactly is murdering them, what exactly is motivating them, and stop them before they completely wipe them out. It was a hasty alliance; many of them still didn't approve of each other, but they were ultimately destined to clash with the other magical organizations that had staked their claim in St. Portwell and become a significant player in the magic scene.
Their current lair is an abandoned church in the middle of St. Portwell. Their backup lair is a flower store that Auri owns named Flowers & Canvases. She would rather they meet literally anywhere else.
Also, they are not a cult.
ALLIES
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None to note.
ENEMIES
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The Stygian Snake: Ancient Apparition that was defeated and sealed by the Sycamore Tree Coven. They remain sealed in their namesake tree, where they wipe memories of its location so nobody can release the being.
"Beneath the sprawling canopy of the sycamore tree's wisdom, we united in the sacred dance of destiny. Cloaked in the tapestry of twilight and wielding incantations of yore, we became the harbingers of the Stygian Snake's destruction. Intertwining destiny with our magic to rewrite the tale of shadows into one where the serpentine darkness recoiled before our radiant might." - Creed of the Sycamore Tree Coven........................................................................................
THE APPARITION KILLER
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"The Blade to vanquish evil Apparitions.".................................................................................
. .
The Apparition Killer was a weapon made in ancient Japan by a family of Orange Lux users known as the Hatanaka Family. A warrior named Reiner Stiller went to this family as a powerful Apparition known as Specter Malgathar terrorized Europe.
This Apparition was impervious to everything they threw at it, so Reiner went far east to visit the Hatanaka family to forge a weapon. He gave them his sword, and they gave him a weapon that would go on to become the legendaryApparition Killer.
A weapon designed to battle Apparitions. With this weapon, Reiner returned and defeated Specter Malgathar and went on to battle many other Apparitions until he died - then the sword changed hands over the next hundred years until it ended up in a different universe.
It then ended up in St. Portwell, which was used to weaken the Stygian Snake and allowed the Sycamore Tree Coven the chance to seal the thing away for good. Afterward, the blade remained in the possession of Ashley Stone up until her death; it is currently missing.
The Apparition Killer, as its name suggests, has a magical effect that allows it to wound and weaken Apparitions heavily. The Apparition Killer appears to be a blade but changes weapons depending on who uses it. Depending on their personality, it may remain a blade or transform into a spear, an axe, a hammer, etc. When Ashley wielded it, it took the shape of a massive sword.
On contact, the blade will burn Apparitions, entirely and utterly bypassing any natural defenses they may have and weakening their abstractions. On weaker Apparitions, one slash from the Apparition Killer is a one-hit-kill. Still, it may need several more slashes to defeat a powerful Apparition (such was the case with the Stygian Snake). Contrary to popular belief, the Apparition Killer can not permanently kill any Apparitions, and they will respawn if destroyed by the blade. The blade has no abstraction-granting properties so anyone can wield the blade regardless of any current Abstractions. However, Apparitions cannot physically touch the blade without being burned, nor can the Abscised. The Apparition Killer cannot damage humans in the slightest, but it can phase through the flesh of Adjoined/Abscised and directly harm the Apparition inside them. It cannot affect Agents as their Apparitions are already technically sealed.
The Apparition Killer has several replicas made using the original as a model, but these are all inferior copies, and the best version is the original.
THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE
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Coming soon... I will compile everyone's role from their sheets and write a big section detailing the battle.
"St. Portwell: Where Nature's Beauty Meets Urban Grace, Where Every Sunset Paints a New Dream..."
. Set along the Oregon coast, St. Portwell is a picturesque city that combines nature with urban life, and this city attracts tourists with its unique blend of charm, culture, and outdoor activities.
The city has a rich history steeped in boating traditions, and St. Portwell pays homage to its maritime roots. The city's waterfront is adorned with colorful fishing boats, sailboats, and fish markets, where freshly caught seafood is a highlight of the city. The Maritime Museum, located at the harbor's edge, chronicles the city's boating history, showcasing artifacts from a long-forgotten era.
St. Portwell is also a thriving cultural hub; its downtown streets are lined with boutiques, art galleries, stores, and theaters. The St. Portwell Arts District hosts regular exhibitions, concerts, and cultural events celebrating local talent and creativity. The city's culinary scene offers everything from seafood cuisine to international flavors.
For shopping, there's the Coastal Harbor Mall, the premier shopping mall in St. Portwell. Its exterior features nautical elements such as sail-shaped awnings, porthole-inspired windows, and a façade adorned with colorful mosaics depicting scenes of fishing boats and ocean life.
You'll find everything here, including stores offering St. Portwell's coastal-inspired clothing, shops selling handcrafted jewelry and home decor, and bookstores stocked with novels inspired by the sea. There's also a seafood market where shoppers can purchase fresh catches of the day and a gourmet chocolate shop known for its ocean-themed treats. One of the mall's most unique features is the simulated beach area on its rooftop. Complete with natural sand, beach chairs, and even a wave pool,
St. Portwell is a hotspot for outdoor enthusiasts, surrounded by thick forests and various state parks. Hiking trails crisscross the nearby hills, leading to hidden waterfalls and scenic views. Those lusting for adventure can explore tide pools, kayak, or whale-watching to witness the marine life inhabiting the St. Portwell area.
"I wish you were here on the shore / That we could build up something new..."
St. Portwell hosts a variety of festivals and events. Seafood Festival, held in the middle of summer, features live music, games, and, you guessed it, seafood. The Lantern Festival, on the other hand, transforms the city into a mesmerizing display of light and color during winter. Downtown St. Portwell is the vibrant and cozy heart of the city, where the past and present aesthetically clash. This bustling district is lined with charming, well-preserved buildings made of brick and cobblestone. These architectural gems host a variety of businesses and are decorated with hanging flower pots during the warmer months.
Downtown has several cultural landmarks, including the St. Portwell History Museum is housed in a grand Victorian mansion. In addition, downtown hosts various shops, dining venues, theaters, galleries, an aquarium, arcades, and even a pier and a waterfront promenade! However, the city of St. Portwell hosts a dark secret. After the rampage of the Stygian Snake, various magical organizations have funneled into the city to make it a magical hotspot. Possibly the biggest one on the western seaboard. At night, the city is completely different as Monsters, Apparitions, Cults, and other fiends wage war on each other or prey on the Blind.
Paranormal Organizations
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THE.PRA
"The Sword and Shield to protect the masses."
. . . .
The Paranormal Response Authority (PRA) is a covert government agency that is tasked with overseeing and regulating the activities of Paranormal beings. Heavily armed, the PRA has several Paranormal beings within their ranks as it is the best way to combat hostile Paranormal beings. At a minimum, the PRA comprises One-Eye-Open and undergoes training to fight the Extra-Normal. Usually, the PRA plucks out soldiers and other Law Enforcement Officials, but they are overall comically understaffed and undertrained.
The PRA has no choice but to take whoever comes their way that is at least somewhat qualified. The PRA technically is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, and they are underground operations - which means everything they do must go under the notice of the general public. In most of the PRA's field operations, they disguise themselves as different law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI or local law enforcement. They appear, complete the mission, and vanish without a trace.
They are responsible for covering up magical incidents and scrubbing the internet for paranormal activity. They have a massive database of suspected and Paranormal-Beings but largely leave them in peace as long as they aren't terrorizing the general public. The PRA answers to the Director, and the Director responds to the Pentagon. The current Director is Director Alcott, a mysterious person whom only a few PRA Agents have seen in person. The PRA is one of the major players in the battle for St. Portwell, and its goal is to return St. Portwell to normal and force all the other organizations out.
The PRA is heavily armed, but Agents use the Colt Federal Patrol Carbine in field operations and have a pistol as the side arm. The usual uniform of Agents is a fancy suit and tie (girls get to wear skirts!). During field operations, Agents wear a chainmail armor that is stab-proof, shock-absorbent, and thermal resistant. Agents use taser rounds and tear gas to subdue targets but will use live rounds and even explosives if necessary. The PRA can also use a special radar to track paranormal activity nearby.
The Agent in charge of the St. Portwell office is a woman named Meifeng Liao... and is interested in the Stygian Snake.
DOLLHOUSE
"Step into the Dollhouse..."
. . . . An oddity in St. Portwell, as they are known as a magic organization on the East Coast but moved over to the West Coast last year. As a front, Dollhouse is a sort of mafia group that offers potions and magic abilities to other criminal organizations for a price. However, the Dollhouse organization is a cult that seeks to build an army of Abscised for a strange and mysterious end.
They have been kidnapping tourists, people on the fringes of society, etc., and placing Apparitions in their bodies. Their operation moved to St. Portwell (likely to escape the PRA). It operated mainly in the shadows, keeping themselves hidden - but sold potions, artifacts, and Apparitions and kidnapped people to abscise them. Dollhouse prefers to remain a completely neutral force in the conflicts of St. Portwell and would rather not directly antagonize the other factions. However, they are incredibly cunning and conniving and have manipulated the different factions from the sidelines into service or into destroying the organizations they cannot control.
The leader of Dollhouse is known as Luis Cox, a boogeyman on the streets of Miami, and his second in command is Natalie Parts and the mysterious Heinrich Thòrmer.
THE.ELITE
"Magic is the gateway to infinite wealth and riches!"
. . . . One day, a man named Blake Schmidt discovered that magic was real... and sought to gain magical abilities. After going to different occult organizations, he didn't get what he desired. Eventually, he formed his own organization known as the Elite—a collective of fellow rich pissants seeking ultimate power through magic... or something.
They're a powerful organization spanning the entire West Coast, and could rule the magic scene in St. Portwell and cities such as LA, Seattle, etc. If it weren't for the constant infighting, questionable leadership, and zero clear idea of what the point of their organization is, they would.
Thus, they're only at a fraction of their true potential, but they still possess several magical artifacts, Ambominable and Apparition minions, and are incredibly dangerous. They primarily clash with the smaller witch groups that inhabit St. Portwell (Primarily the Greenwood and 8th Street Covens) and have zero idea of the Stygian Snake - but they are allied with the Dollhouse organization.
GREENWOOD.COVEN
"Guardians of a greener world!"
. . . . After the Stygian Snake's defeat and the chaos that came after it, St. Portwell's natural beauty was being ravaged by the battles between these Paranormal beings - or exploited by them. One day, a mysterious woman known only as the Spring Maiden decided to take matters into her own hands. She gathered three of her friends, known as the Winter, Fall, and Spring Maidens, and they formed an organization of nature-loving Paranormal Beings known as the Greenwood Coven.
The Greenwood Coven clashes with anyone wishing to harm the forests and seas that St. Portwell is primarily comprised of. They're a more minor but notable force in St. Portwell, using hit-and-run, deception, and other tactics to sabotage their opposing factions. While small, they hold their own and do severe damage against factions like the Elite or the now-defunct Das Sonnenrad - and they've outlasted many of their previous enemies.
Due to their size, the group tends to use aliases and dresses to conceal their faces with masks, and they cover as much skin as possible to make it difficult to identify them. They are not explicitly hostile to the Sycamore Tree Coven, but that can change depending on their actions and how they treat nature. Still, it can go either way as their main enemy has been the 8th St Coven, The Wolfpack, and the Elite and will do anything to force them out of St. Portwell.
8TH.STREET.COVEN
"Weaving magic, carving destiny!"
. . . . After the demise of the Sycamore Tree Coven, a woman named Emily G. Reed (a major part of the failure of said Coven, and asserts they are a cult) sought out and formed her own magical organization. Much like the Sycamore Tree Coven, the 8th Street Coven is named after the location where they formed their pact.
Initially, the 8th Street Coven was formed to learn more about magic and see what boons they could get, but they gradually changed their idealogy. Their current goal is to gain magical supremacy in St. Portwell by metaphorically breaking the knees of other organizations, gathering magical artifacts, and gaining as many members as possible.
They are a very aggressive and forceful organization under their leader, known to take artifacts and enthrall apparitions by force. The 8th Street Coven clashes with the Greenwood Coven (Whom Emily considers their primary enemy) and the Elite.
Now that the Sycamore Tree Coven is back... their leader is unlikely to be happy, and they will inevitably clash.
THE.SERPENT.CULT
"Embrace the darkness that awaits in our hearts."
. . . . An upstart organization that has recently formed but has roots back to the Stygian Snake's rampage. Essentially, a boy named Caden Zorich was adjoined with one of the leftover Apparitions created by the Stygian Snake. He saw Recollections of the demonic Apparition that terrorized St. Portwell when he was too young to understand anything.
In awe, he believed that the Stygian Snake was a God and began to worship it. Forming a totally-not-a-cult following of similar broken teenagers, he came under the belief that the situation in St. Portwell was so bad was the Sycamore Tree Coven's actions.
Their goal in St. Portwell is to find the Stygian Snake and free their deity. They're a cult comprised of teenagers who were gifted Abstractions by Caden and are primarily uninvolved with the factional drama of St. Portwell. However, they will inevitably clash with the Sycamore Tree Coven.
THE.WOLFPACK.MC
"Unleash the shadows, rule the night."
. . . . A biker gang that deals drugs runs protection rackets and is a nuisance to society, led by a man named Judas Bennet. The Wolfpack was nothing more than just a collective of small-time crooks and would never even be on the notice of law enforcement.
However, they gained possession of several different abstractions due to unknown means. With these apparitions, they gained a large swath of turf and influence in the criminal underworld of St. Portwell.
They have used their Apparitions in gang fights, theft, running protection rackets on the St. Portwell businesses, and prostitution rings. The Wolfpack doesn't typically clash with the other Paranormal organizations. Still, they managed to earn the ire of the Greenwood Coven recently, and the two organizations have been fighting ever since. The PRA is also onto them.
Possible link to Father Wolf.
DAS.SONNENRAD
"The new world order emerges."
. . . . Defunct.
Translated to the Sun Wheel, Das Sonnenrad was a Neo-Nazi cult that, for some time, ruled St. Portwell's magical scene from the shadows. The cult was created by Nathanial Thorn (under the alias of Kaiser Draeger) by twisting the Aryan mythology to fit their agenda, that they were the only ones "worthy" of magic - and certain groups merely stole the gift that was rightfully theirs. Nathanial built Das Sonnenrad by recruiting impressionable, disenfranchised, and vulnerable individuals with promises of power and revenge as long as they remained loyal. At night, they wandered the streets of St. Portwell and attacked minorities (Paranormal or not), and they killed dozens (injured many more) before their eventual defeat.
Kaiser Draeger gave his most loyal and genuine followers Abstractions and named them his "Chosen." He and his minions infiltrated all corners of the city, spread his message of hatred and chaos, and seeped into law enforcement, politics, and the criminal underworld. He enabled them to operate with impunity and shield their activities from the public's prying eyes.
At their peak, they had hundreds of members (many were Paranormal), with many enthralled Apparitions and Abominable under their thumb. However, they naturally conflicted with other organizations in St. Portwell, and the Dollhouse organization manipulated the 8th Street Coven and the Greenwood Coven into going to war with Das Sonnenrad. After a lengthy conflict, the two Covens formed a temporary truce, killed Nathanial Thorne, dismantled his organization, and continued their feud. The remains of Das Sonnenrad either went to the other factions or formed smaller, ineffectual groups.
Note: This is not a guide or anything like that. You're free to come up with symbolism and your interpretations of what's below, and I've probably gone against it a few times myself. This is just how I interpret mechanics n' shit about abstractions.
Elemental Abstractions:
_______________________________________________ In general: Connection to the world, creativity, focus on the outside, being outrospective, desire to build/shape, change.
Fire: Passion, rage, raw and destructive emotion.
Water: Calmness/Peace, easily influenced, having multiple states.
Telepathy: Invasiveness/lack of boundaries, desire to communicate, wanting information/secrets.
Inventor/Gadgeteer Desire to solve a problem, having a singular goal that cannot be solved with the present tools.
Intelligence/Minds: Lack of Knowledge, perceived worthlessness, presented with problems that cannot be physically solved.
Dreams: Imaginative, wishes, interpretiveness.
Memory: Stress/past grievances, desire to forget/inform, willingness to change things, looking to the past, external struggle.
Emotion Compassion, understanding people (or lack thereof), closer Connection to people, internal struggle.
Mind Control: Desire to control, feeling out of control, social isolation/exile.
Illusions: Deception (on both sides), belief/thought being proven wrong, Desire for something that cannot be gained.
Other Abstractions
_______________________________________________
Animal: Noticeable lack of Connection to people, outcast, Connection to nature/love of nature. (This was going to be its section but I was like, nope fuck that, lol)
Summoning/Minion Creation: Desire for companionship, social isolation/exile.
Transformation/Shape-Shifting: Issues involving identity, self-hatred/wanting to be different.
Teleportation: Feeling trapped/stuck, desire to escape, needing something.
Speed: Impatience, Desire to get to goal instantly, has problem approaching, a problem that can be run from, down to earth.
Flight: Needing to reach goals/expectations, freedom, idealism.
Strength: Being faced with situations that can't be mentally solved, violence/rage, perceived lack of strength/desire to grow stronger, authority.
Healing/Repairing: Desire to help people, compassion/kindness, other people's mental scars/past trauma, seeing beauty in something, restoring something else.
Regeneration: Desire to fix self, fixing own mental/physical wounds, a goal they need to see through, self-restoration.
Time: Past/Future mistakes, pressure of time, having limited time, lack of management
Shields: Protection/desire to protect, danger/damage, caring, imminent threat to self.
Creation/Building: The need for something, wanting to build something new, creativity/self-expression, having problems.
Close-Range: Immediate up-in-your-face issue/question, close and personal problems/struggles, problems/solutions being in reach, single or few problems/threats.
Long-Range: Looming/upcoming problems, threats approaching/attacking from a distance, multiple threats/problems, things being out of reach.
Enchanting/Imbuing: Inadquency, current tools not being sufficient.
Beam: Focusing on one thing/task.
Enhanced Senses: Desiring awareness or understanding of environmental/task.
Death/Necromancy: Loss of family/friend, mourning, going to dark corners, also being an edgelord.
Paranormal Related: Knowledge of the supernatural, problem/goal/question related to the paranormal, Desire to interact with the paranormal.
The PRA assigns individual Paranormal-Beings a threat level (also known as a PTA) on a one to five scale that helps prioritize resources and responses. Each threat level would have corresponding response protocols, including deploying special agents, containment strategies, and potential collaboration with other agencies or international organizations. Here's a list of threat levels the PRA uses:
⦁ Paranormal-Beings with little to no offensive capabilities. ⦁ Non-hostile or benevolent Paranormal-Beings. ⦁ Easily contained or controlled. ⦁ Evacuation is not necessary.
Low Threat (Level 1):
⦁ Mildly hostile Paranormal beings with limited or localized abilities. ⦁ Potential for minor disruptions or localized incidents. ⦁ Beings that may pose a minimal threat to individuals or small groups. ⦁ Typically manageable with standard containment procedures. ⦁ Evacuation is not necessary.
Moderate Threat (Level 2):
⦁ Paranormal-Beings with moderate hostile intent and significant abilities. ⦁ Beings that have the potential to cause harm to a larger area or group. ⦁ May exhibit unpredictable behavior. ⦁ Require specialized response teams for capture or neutralization. ⦁ Evacuation of the area is an option.
Significant Threat (Level 3):
⦁ Highly hostile Paranormal beings with formidable offensive capabilities. ⦁ Capable of causing widespread damage or harm. ⦁ Requires a coordinated effort and advanced technology for containment. ⦁ The evacuation of the area is required.
Severe Threat (Level 4):
⦁ Extremely powerful and destructive Paranormal-Beings. ⦁ Possesses powerful, potentially world-altering abilities. ⦁ Requires a highly specialized and heavily armed response team. ⦁ This may require the evacuation of the entire city.
Maximum Threat (Level 5):
⦁ Paranormal beings of unparalleled power and malevolence. ⦁ Capable of causing widespread destruction, chaos, or even extinction-level events. ⦁ Difficult to contain or neutralize. ⦁ Requires the highest level of government intervention. ⦁ Any city in its range must be evacuated if possible.
Other.Threat.Levels:
Unknown Threat (Level X):
⦁ Unidentified or poorly understood Paranormal-Beings. ⦁ Insufficient data to properly assess the threat level. ⦁ Intentions are not fully understood. ⦁ Requires thorough investigation and assessment to give accurate designation. ⦁ A precautionary approach must be taken until more information is gathered.
Erratic Threat (Level U):
⦁ Paranormal beings with unpredictable behaviors and abilities. ⦁ It isn't easy to assess or anticipate their actions. ⦁ Require ongoing monitoring and adaptive strategies.
Wild Threat (Level C):
⦁ Paranormal Beings that cannot be effectively contained or neutralized. ⦁ Pose an ongoing and unmanageable threat. ⦁ Extreme caution is required.
Evolving Threat (Level E):
⦁ Assigned to initially lower-level threats that show a significant escalation in offensive capabilities over time. ⦁ Unpredictable behavior and capabilities. ⦁ Requires additional monitoring, mobilization of resources, and development of new strategies. ⦁ Eliminating an escalating supernatural threat is determined by the nature of the threat itself, its rate of growth, available resources, and potential consequences.
Inactive Threat (Level I):
⦁ Beings that were previously considered threats but are currently dormant, incapacitated, or contained. ⦁ Require ongoing surveillance but are not an immediate concern. ⦁ All Sealed-Apparitions are automatically considered an Inactive Threat.
She/Her | 25 | French/Caucasian | 64 in. | 99.5 lbs. _______________________________________________ Night-stalker _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "If you see me, it’s already too late." ___________________________________
Trailing ⫻ Once she has settled on a Blind target or weak Apparition she likes, she can follow them at a distance all night. This includes staying out of sight, stalking, and blending into the environment around her. She can also pick up on subtle cues that give an indication as to where her target goes, especially if spooked. For example, she can see a window shutter waving in the wind and deduce that her prey has lept inside. Silence ⫻ She is able to move with the least amount of noise possible, placing her weight carefully so she doesn’t shuffle her clothing or disturb creaks in the wood of the floor, or scatter stones. This enhances her ability to trail a target. Parkour ⫻ The city is her oyster when she takes to the rooftops. Able to maneuver in front and back flips, rolling falls, careful foot placement, and hoisting herself over a ledge, she can navigate the maze of structures like a dancer.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Do I look normal?"
Stands at 5’4 feet with a slim, leaning on thin, build. Her skin is ivory and freckled, like she doesn’t often see the sun. There’s endurance in her muscles, but it doesn’t show much in her build. This endurance allows her to leap from structure to structure when scaling the city’s skyline. There are a series of scars starting from her right collarbone down to her hip in the shape of bite marks, with scars mirroring on her back. Theses scars are from when she was bit by the Stygian Snake. She has silver rings in her pierced ears.
Depending on her mood, she prefers hoodies and casual wear to obscure her face when trailing. When she’s not trailing, she dresses well in silk blouses and slacks.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I don’t think it’ll ever get better."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ She hopes to understand more about her apparition and how she can protect herself so she doesn’t have to night-stalk at its bidding.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ She believes it’s better to be feared than loved.
SECRETS ⫻ She hides her insatiable thirst for entropy. She tries to blame it all on her apparition, but somehow, the thirst has become her own.
SEXUALITY ⫻ She is innocent, without thoughts of the such.
FEARS ⫻ She fears being alone and being trapped.
REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ When it became known that she had fallen into the habit of night-stalking, she wasn’t well-liked. It often led to heated arguments when she refused to change her ways. It is likely that her inability to find an agreement with the heads of the Coven played a part in the dissolution.
ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ She gripped the Snake in her phantom hands and sapped it of its strength, helping aid the battle and weaken it.
FLAWS ⫻ Her indecisiveness. She doesn’t want to give in to her thirst or her apparition’s demands wholeheartedly, yet she also doesn’t stop herself or seek help.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Being banished was the worst day of my life."
She was very young when she had dreams of walking through a dark place, what she would later learn was the Void. One of the times she walked, a being approached her, dark and smothering in its presence. It held out a phantom hand, and she, unknowing of the consequence of her action, held it.
When she awoke, the same apparition, albeit in a smaller form appeared before her. Ts voice was in her mind, and its desires were grappling with her own. They fought, and she managed to draw a figurative line between them, keeping control of herself and her body. However, its incessant thoughts and whispers continued to try and mold her to its will as time went on.
She was the only daughter of a father who was a wealthy businessman, and her mother had passed from illness early on. With a business opportunity presenting itself in St. Portwell, her father moved the family from Paris to St. Portwell. The change was difficult for Alizée, which her Void Heart took full advantage of.
During one particular night, she was battling with her apparition after she refused to use Void Entropy on a young girl, a similar age to her, who was lost in the city. The battle became rather violent and chaotic, with buildings getting knocked out and glass shattering. Luckily, Ashley Stone and a few others found Alizée before the police did, and managed to subdue both her and her apparition before things got out of hand. That was how Alizée made her first introduction with the Coven, and was soon inducted after that.
During the battle with the Stygian Snake, she sapped it of its energy and worked with her Coven to defeat it.
Tensions raised in the time after the great battle, as Alizée slowly changed. Despite being in a supportive environment, the whispers of the Void Heart were getting stronger and stronger. It was the 12th night in a row she had gone night-stalking when Ashely Stone followed her and uncovered her dirty little secret: Alizée was preying on the Blind, harming them, and causing them weeks in the hospital to recover from Void Entropy.
When Ashley confronted Alizée, she merely dismissed her accusations, trying to gaslight her. As Alizée continued to deny Ashley’s accusations, the room became more heated, and eventually ended in a physical fight where everyone intervened, holding the two girls back.
Ashley banished Alizée from the Coven, telling her Alizée wouldn’t be welcomed back until she stopped preying on the Blind. In hot, angry tears, Alizée swore she'd never return, and stormed out of the room. Little did she know those were the last days of the Coven before dissolving.
In the dissolution of the Coven afterward, more angry tears were shed. The Coven had been the one place where she felt she had family, despite their differences. And now, she was left to wander alone, with the apparition’s will crushing her at every given opportunity.
Without much to go off of, she returned to her father’s side and began learning his trade as a businessman. He owned a factory, producing different kinds of products based on the market demands in their city. She began learning more about how to run his business, even going as far as to become his official Junior Vice President when she turned 23. He had said many times he hoped to entrust her with the family business when she was ready. And if her life would be mundane and Blind, this was likely where her path would lead her.
Alas, life for the paranormal was never so cut and dry. Just a few years later, after her 25th birthday, Auri’s call reached Alizée in the form of a sealed letter, stamped in red wax with the seal of the Sycamore Tree Coven. When Alizée read the contents of the letter, she was in shock. Who was targeting them? Why? And how would the remaining Coven protect itself?
Yes, old wounds never healed, and she still held many grudges. But many of the people who were the source of her grudges, namely Ashley Stone… were dead. And death had a funny way of healing old scars, or at least numbing them, near-instantly.
Regardless, it went without saying that, despite their differences, she knew where her loyalties lay and made her way to the Coven’s lair, the abandoned church.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "It’s not just me in my head, you know."
TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Adjoined)
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Void Light: The seams of the Void that yearn for entropy, sapping strength away.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ A purple and dark, smoky light that appears around her being whenever she uses her abilities. Also the main color of the Void Hands. If phantom hands are summoned, there is enough strength in the Void Light to bend steel rebar, which she uses to suppress the struggles of her victims. Both she and the apparition can use Void Light.
Subcategories: - Void Eyes: Appears as purple irises with a red ring around the pupil. Cosmetic when she uses her Void Hands. - Void Heart: Her apparition from the Void, usually floating a couple of inches above her shoulder. A ball of void light with Void Eyes. Has a thirst for entropy. Is able to use the Void Hands on a whim, and has been known to use Void Hands on Alizée on occasion when it doesn’t get its way. Being chained to her soul, the Void Heart can immediately take in and absorb any energy she siphons off using Void Entropy. This is how it eats, and it’s always hungry. Being connected to the Void, it has a special affinity for being in the in-between places of things, like dreams. The last time it dream-walked was when it was haunting Alizée before their souls became adjoined. Its haunting desire translates to Alizée’s continuous night-stalking as she ‘haunts’ her victims before siphoning off their energy. - Void Hands: Claw-like phantom hands, made entirely of Voild Light. Can change in size from regular human-sized hands, to as large as a refrigerator, allowing her to grip humans and smaller apparitions with ease. To be touched by physical Void causes an immediate weakness in the body. Prolonged exposure saps all the energy of the target. Eventually, this is enough to slow and stop the heart, however, due to Emotional-Fields, it does not allow her to stop the heart outright, only bring it near. - Void Entropy: Any strength that is sapped away by being in contact with her void light causes her to instantly absorb said energy, which can be used to sate the desires of the Void Heart. She must be in physical contact with her victim to sap its strength and energy. This is why her normal attack is to enlarge her hands and hold a victim by their torso with a death-like vice grip. She enjoys it when they try to struggle, but soon enough, white light in the form of energy is siphoned from their being, drawn past the hands, and coalesces through Alizée before being sucked into the cragged jaws of the Void Heart. Due to the nature of their entwined souls, the apparition’s sated thirst translates to her own phantom thirst’s satisfaction.
LIMITS ⫻ Being able to sap a person or thing of its energy does not mean she can outright kill them. The Emotional-Fields prevent her from doing so.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ Accessing the Void Light opens Alizée's eyes to the Void itself... and over time, by utilizing the Void Light, she will begin to see hallucinations of the horrors of the Void. Eldritch abominations and people lost to the Void will appear alongside the mundane universe that Alizée is used to, attacking her mental state and making her doubt what is real and what is fake. The more Alizée (or the Apparition she's adjoined to) uses her abstraction, the worse this effect gets so that she will be functionally blind if she goes all out (as she'll see into the Void). This effect wears off over time, but its effects on her mentally will not. However, sapping away someone else strength and energy also begins to drain away at her - it won't be as dramatic as on the victim, but if she does this a lot, she can stop her own heart. An Abstraction like this will unnerve others and make it difficult for people to trust her.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just want to feel in control sometimes, you know?"
She/Her | 17 | French/Caucasian | 64 in. | 99.5 lbs. _______________________________________________ Night-stalker _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "If you see me, it’s already too late." ___________________________________
Trailing ⫻ Once she has settled on a Blind target or weak Apparition she likes, she can follow them at a distance all night. This includes staying out of sight, stalking, and blending into the environment around her. She can also pick up on subtle cues that give an indication as to where her target goes, especially if spooked. For example, she can see a window shutter waving in the wind and deduce that her prey has lept inside. Silence ⫻ She is able to move with the least amount of noise possible, placing her weight carefully so she doesn’t shuffle her clothing or disturb creaks in the wood of the floor, or scatter stones. This enhances her ability to trail a target. Parkour ⫻ The city is her oyster when she takes to the rooftops. Able to maneuver in front and back flips, rolling falls, careful foot placement, and hoisting herself over a ledge, she can navigate the maze of structures like a dancer.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Do I look normal?"
Stands at 5’4 feet with a slim, leaning on thin, build. Her skin is ivory and freckled, like she doesn’t often see the sun. There’s endurance in her muscles, but it doesn’t show much in her build. This endurance allows her to leap from structure to structure when scaling the city’s skyline. There are a series of scars starting from her right collarbone down to her hip in the shape of bite marks, with scars mirroring on her back. Theses scars are from when she was bit by the Stygian Snake. She has silver rings in her pierced ears.
Depending on her mood, she prefers hoodies and casual wear to obscure her face when trailing. When she’s not trailing, she dresses well in silk blouses and slacks.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I don’t think it’ll ever get better."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ She hopes to understand more about her apparition and how she can protect herself so she doesn’t have to night-stalk at its bidding.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ She believes it’s better to be feared than loved.
SECRETS ⫻ She hides her insatiable thirst for entropy. She tries to blame it all on her apparition, but somehow, the thirst has become her own.
SEXUALITY ⫻ She is young and innocent, without thoughts of the such.
FEARS ⫻ She fears being alone and being trapped.
REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ When it became known that she had fallen into the habit of night-stalking, she wasn’t well-liked. It often led to heated arguments when she refused to change her ways. It is likely that her inability to find an agreement with the heads of the Coven played a part in the dissolution.
ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ She gripped the Snake in her phantom hands and sapped it of its strength, helping aid the battle and weaken it.
FLAWS ⫻ Her indecisiveness. She doesn’t want to give in to her thirst or her apparition’s demands wholeheartedly, yet she also doesn’t stop herself or seek help.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "The Coven dissolving was the worst day of my life."
She was very young when she had dreams of walking through a dark place, what she would later learn was the Void. One of the times she walked, a being approached her, dark and smothering in its presence. It held out a phantom hand, and she, unknowing of the consequence of her action, held it.
When she awoke, the same apparition, albeit in a smaller form appeared before her. Ts voice was in her mind, and its desires were grappling with her own. They fought, and she managed to draw a figurative line between them, keeping control of herself and her body. However, its incessant thoughts and whispers continued to try and mold her to its will as time went on.
During the battle with the Stygian Snake, she sapped it of its energy and worked with her Coven to defeat it. She was only seven at the time, but her apparition was wise, and she had knowledge beyond her years.
In the dissolution of the Coven afterward, angry tears were shed. The Coven had been the one place where she felt she had family. And now, she was left to wander the world, alone, with apparition’s will crushing her at every given opportunity.
In the years after, she became a private investigator of sorts, looking into the paranormal for those who were Blind, and chasing out apparitions that were causing trouble. These apparitions often became her next target, sapping them of their strength to ensure they took a long time to recover. Sometimes, the Blind who contracted her would also become her targets, if they were deemed worthwhile.
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "It’s not just me in my head, you know."
TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Adjoined)
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Void Light: The seams of the Void that yearn for entropy, sapping strength away.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ A purple and dark, smoky light that appears around the hands or in beams, circular dots, waves, or other shapes. If phantom hands are summoned, there is enough strength in the Void Light to bend steel rebar. It can also be thinned down to a sharpened edge. Both she and the apparition can use Void Light.
Subcategories: - Void Eyes: Appears as purple irises with a red ring around the pupil. Able to see manifestations of magic or paranormal anomalies, whether hidden or not. Can dissect the vision in layers. - Void Heart: Her apparition from the Void, usually floating a couple of inches above her shoulder. A ball of void light with Void Eyes. Has a thirst for entropy. - Void Arsenal: Manifesting shapes of Void Light that can be used to attack. To be touched by physical Void causes an immediate weakness in the body. Prolonged exposure saps all the energy of the target. Eventually, this is enough to slow and stop the heart, however, due to Emotional-Fields, it does not allow her to stop the heart outright, only bring it near. - Void Warp: Can bend space between two points, passing between them in a flash of purple and black light. It allows her to warp to any location that she can physically see with her eyes. - Void Entropy: Any strength that is sapped away by being in contact with her void light causes her to instantly absorb said energy, which can be used to sate the desires of the Void Heart.
LIMITS ⫻ Being able to sap a person or thing of its energy does not mean she can outright kill them. The Emotional-Fields prevent her from doing so.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just want to feel in control sometimes, you know?"
Wow, you're fast; I like how you correctly used Emotional-Fields and mentioned the Void. I see where you're going with this, but this character could use just a little work:
1. First, backstory! My first (and biggest) issue was that she's way too young to have been in the original Sycamore Tree Coven - the youngest member I mentioned was ten, and even that got a lot of flack. But, a seven-year-old... I live with a seven-year-old, and I don't even trust her to be by herself for more than five seconds, and I think she would be more harm than good in a fight against a borderline eldritch abomination — abstraction or not.
Also, a teenager being a private investigator? lol
2. Speaking of the backstory, it could use some expansion because of some holes. You don't explain how she got roped into the old Coven; just cuts to her fighting the Stygian Snake. You mentioned that the old coven didn't like her due to night stalking but never expanded on that. The backstory also seems to cut off and doesn't explain her returning to the Coven (or why).
3. As for her abstraction... I'm unsure how I feel about it; it seems to be all over the place. She can summon hands that can bend steel and sap strength away (which is good enough on its own, to be honest). Then she can also detect magic and paranormal beings, create weapons, and teleport anywhere she can see. If you want to keep all of these abilities, she could be like a master of none - where she can do many different things but isn't super good at it.
Could you also elaborate on the sapping strength part?
4. Maybe also expand on the Apparition because it's very vague.
The character has potential to be good, but I think she needs a little bit of work.
Alright, here we go! Created over the course of several over-nighters, so let's hope there's not too many errors in there.. I'm sure Ghost will be happy that there's no furry material inside.
[Student of the sciences] ⫻ Eksa is very well-educated. With multiple degrees in scientific fields such as medicine, chemistry, and biology, she has devoted significant amounts of time to her own intellectual betterment. As such, she is quite knowledgeable on matters pertaining to the aforementioned topics. [Sharp Mind] ⫻ Knowledge does not equal wit, but Eksa possesses both in spades. She's sharp - not only is she attentive, adaptive, and open to learning, but she does such things quickly. Her mental acuity is her strongest asset, most would say. [Steel-willed] ⫻ Eksa is not one to fold under pressure. As a technical medical professional, panicking isn't something she can afford, nor something she is prone to do. Aside from an unshakable psyche, Eksa is also one to detest surrender. She won't give up - and that is evident from her past. No matter how hopeless something seems, you can count on Eksa to be one of the last to admit such a thing.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "They always give me that look.."
Initially, Eksa doesn't appear too out of the ordinary. She stands a bit taller than average at 5'8" and weighs about 137 pounds. Her hair is a thick, dark brown mane which she infallibly wears in side-swept twists. Her equally-dark eyes sit behind a pair of thin-framed, circular spectacles that sit lightly over her broad nose and defined cheeks. Her high cheekbones and angular jaw shape, accompanied by the smooth, clear, light-brown tones of her skin lead her to generally be seen as rather attractive, conventionally.
Aside from her face, Eksa is similarly blessed with a womanly figure, though her wardrobe tends to conceal this - with the overcoats she always wears being the main culprits in such an act. Her general attire generally consists of darker shades; black, brown, khaki, etc., and is more often than not business-casual in style, with blazers and turtlenecks being a favorite of hers. Notably, Eksa does possess a bit of a quirk when it comes to her outfits - that being that she always wears an overcoat. She doesn't usually actually wear the sleeves, however, and just lets it hang from her shoulders. This article serves one purpose for Eksa, and that is to conceal her left arm - or lack thereof. Being that her arm was amputated a couple inches above the wrist, her partiality for overcoats stems from her self-conscious nature. Though this technique is only successful for preventing stares from passersby, and those who don't interact with her for long, in her experience.
Finally, aside from how she looks, there is one thing to note about Eksa that is inescapable - that being her voice. Due to an accident in her past, Eksa's vocal cords and lungs have been irreparably damaged. This has caused her to develop a croaky, pained vocal structure whenever she speaks. This, alongside her insistent, unpredictable coughing fits has led many-a stranger to ignorantly surmise her a particularly persistent smoker. Unlike her arm, however, this is something which she can't really hide - a fact which causes her much distress.
Overall, despite her pretty appearance, it is the focused nature of her expressions, her off-putting voice, and her broadened silhouette that has led some of her colleagues to dub her intimidating, of all things.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Ahh, I'm nae that kinda doctor, unfortunately."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Immediately, Eksa's goal in life is to help others. Though, in truth, she isn't really the kind to stew too much on what she should be doing with her life - but being that she has achieved a healthy education that now allows her to operate in pharmaceuticals, this aforementioned goal could be considered well underway. If she were to really think hard on it though, she could suppose her life has other purposes. She has always had an interest in the paranormal world she's involved with, but has had little extra time to explore it to a deeper extent. Acclimating herself further to such a realm could be a worthwhile adventure.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Eksa's philosophy is straightforward, yet compassionate. Oftentimes, things just.. happen. Not particularly because they're supposed to, or because someone or something deemed it so - but because they just do. And it can be unfair, and often is. But no matter what happens, perseverance is key. There is always a path ahead, no matter how hidden or treacherous. And there is always a second chance. And there is always someone out there who will stand by your side. Somewhere.
SECRETS ⫻ Eksa has.. a complicated relationship with who she is. Her personal deformities haunt her, and make her extremely self-conscious. Gazes and glances unnerve her, and talking in front of groups is.. unpleasant, to say the least. She doesn't trust others not to judge her for her distorted self, and as such, tries not to get too attached to people. Additionally, Eksa blames herself, in part, for her mother's passing.. if only she had been more careful, or.. been better, her mother would still be alive.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Eksa is bisexual, with a lean towards women. Though she could never see somebody liking her back, given her condition.
FEARS ⫻ Eksa is plighted with a few irrational fears, due to her past disturbances. She's an insomniac - she dreads sleeping, as she once suffered a coma that left her unable to help her mother in her most difficult moments - a fact that has lead to countless sleepless nights. The thought of never waking up terrifies her, as well. She also has a bit of an aversion to open flames -- not as severely as she fears sleeping, but enough to make her want to distance herself physically from such things. Additionally, she also fears that she will never be seen as normal. After her accident she has, in part of her own doing, never really re-acquired any friends. This has altered her perception of herself.
REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Eksa' reputation with the old coven was pretty amicable. She was a friendly, adventurous sort with a fondness for learning about the other coven members and their paranormal features. She wasn't one to make many enemies.
ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ Eksa's abilities as a black-lux adept were rather helpful in the battle against the stygian snake. With a penchant for manipulating apparitions, Eksa was quite influential in their skirmishes with the snake's abominables and apparitions.
FLAWS ⫻ Eksa is, moreso than others, secluded. She has trust issues, is quite self-conscious of what others thing of her, and has made no real bonds with anybody since she was a teen. Her issues and anxieties have warped her since her childhood and have her sheltering her adventurous, fun-loving nature in a shroud of cagey uncertainty. Furthermore, she has been secluded from the paranormal world for a time, in favor of her education and work. She has, however, ensured her own paranormal abilities never get too dull.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I'd.. rather nae relive it.."
The tale of Eksa's life stems from a simple, if tragic, set of circumstances. The tale of two lovers - Ava Thresh and Mac Grieves - who knew no true love. In truth, Eksa's conception was unintended, brought on by the aforementioned two while Mac was visiting The States from Scotland. After his departure, it was brought to his and Ava's attention that she was pregnant. But where Mac had no intention of being a father, Ava was excited -- she had always wanted a daughter.
But fate would have it that she was ill-suited for motherhood. Her history of addiction and substance abuse wasn't something that was so easily cleansed by the pure-hearted desire to be a mother - no, in fact, the stresses of pregnancy and impending motherhood were vectors through which she would collapse to her old vices. She would, once again, enter a state in her life where her cares were few and irrational. Which left Eksa, newly-born, effectively motherless.. But she was fortunate enough that Mac, hesitant as he was to be involved in paternity, was not without a heart. He was her biological father, afterall, and he would see to it that she wasn't left to the mercy of the system, or some relative he'd never known.
And so Eksa grew up under his care in Glasgow, Scotland. Into her teens she would be seen-to by Mac Grieves and the company of his estate. Mac was a wealthy man who, although initially reluctant to raise a child, had a big heart, and accepted nothing but the best for his daughter. Their home - a mansion. Her schooling - the best. Her hobbies - droned over by her father, when he had the time. Luckily for her, his time was often consumed by his work as some sort of medical professional, as he said. So, while the circumstances behind her birth were perhaps contemptible, she grew up cared-for better than most. And this peacefulness of sorts lasted well into her teen years -- until she received unexpected correspondence - from her mother.
Over the almost-fifteen years of Eksa's life, she had never met Ava. Mac, in protection of his daughter who had been endangered by Ava's actions, hadn't allowed it. It was something daughter and father had argued over sometimes, but it had never really been a real issue, or something that even mattered that much, until now. With the correspondence came a request - Ava wanted to see Eksa, and not just for a meet-up. She wanted to be back in the girl's life. After almost an entire year of arguing, bickering, and the arduous convincing of Eksa to Mac, he finally folded. The decision was reluctantly made - the girl could, temporarily, move to The States and spend a semester with her mother.
And so she did - and one semester turned into several, even.
Eksa moved to St. Portwell, Oregon, and she.. liked it. It was weird, living with a woman who she.. never really knew, and was supposed to be her mother, but.. she did like it, nonetheless. The States were an adjustment, sure. But she grew to form a bond with her mom than one might expect of a daughter-mother combo. And while the schooling adjustments were equally, if not moreso, difficult, she found the people of St. Portwell to make good friends.
And even amongst all the acclimations she had to do, there was something more important, still. She had to hide her paranormal status from her mother. Being paranormal was something that she had ascertained only a year or two before moving to the U.S., triggered through a kindling event stemming from an exceedingly heated argument with her father over whether she should really see her mother. Fortunately, Mac himself had a hand in the world of the paranormal, and was there to guide her. Now was the first time she would have her own independent responsibility over her paranormal side, away from her father. And what better time was it to find similarly-afflicted individuals? It was during this period at St. Portwell that she'd make a number of advancements in her own paranormal abilities, as well as a few friends.
And for a time, her life was pretty happy, if weird. But fate always had its ways to turn the tables.
Towards the end of two years spent in The States, events took place that would quickly spiral Eksa's life into tragedy. The town was plagued by a paranormal enemy the likes of which Eksa could never have imagined - something that would spell the end of all she grew to know, should it not be stopped. But there were those who wouldn't just stand aside for such a fate- and those few managed to form a group called The Sycamore Tree Coven, which Eksa was recruited into. And for the purpose of stopping this enemy, Eksa made a sacrifice that would scar her for the rest of her life. In the battle against The Stygian Snake, Eksa fought hard.. and fell harder. She, at a point, managed to find herself outmatched by one of the Snake's abominables, and was struck unconscious in the midst of a burning building. She was fortunate that, in the chaos, someone was able to get her out of the danger, but by that time, the damage was done. Smoke inhalation and heat-damage had her hanging onto her life by a thread.
After then, she was rendered unconscious for months. Her father, upon hearing the news, immediately had her seized from wherever she was being treated and took her under the care of one of his own personal facilities - though not before doctors at a St. Portwell hospital deemed that Eksa's circumstances seemed insurmountably grim. Which was simply too much for her mother to handle.
By the time Eksa awoke, months later, her mother had fallen to her vices once again. And this time, they took her life. Eksa was stricken with overwhelming grief at the news, even as she spent the next few months in physical rehabilitation. It took some time for her to recover, both physically and mentally, but she could only imagine that her mother would wish the best for her and would want nothing more than her to live on.
And that she did.
In fact, Eksa was far from one to allow her tragedies to define her. Even before her final steps to recovery, the girl took it upon herself to continue her education - and her education was promising. She had always been a bright girl, but the vigor with which she applied herself after she got back into schooling was.. galvanizing, in a sense. She continued her path from where she left off - seeking virtuosity in the field of medicinal sciences, like her father.
And like her father, she would succeed. She was a quick learner, deft worker, and attentive colleague as she worked her way into the field as she, after many years, graduated from a Scottish university with several degrees - a doctorate among them. And from there she achieved her "dream profession" of becoming a pharmaceutical chemist.
Present day, Eksa enjoys a comfy lifestyle and a flexible job, and lives peacefully in Glasgow, Scotland.
Though, with a recent revelation brought to her attention by Auri Auclair, who managed to track her down, the members of her former coven were being.. murdered. Why? Who knew. But she doubted that someone so unhinged as to systematically kill a group of people would be hindered by the fact that she no longer lived in the states. No- that was little comfort, and as such, it seemed she'd be revisiting the states once again, to meet up with Auri and whoever else she'd gathered. The idea of getting brutally murdered wasn't one that was on her bucket list, so it was up to them to figure out how to stop it.
ABSTRACTION ⫻Black Lux. Eksa's channeler is her mother's medallion.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Eksa is a Black-Lux Adept with a strong aptitude for manipulating apparitions. She has dabbled very lightly in the black lux's necromantic side, but never developed it much.
Dominion ⫻ One of Eksa's most practiced spells is one which allows her to physically seize an apparition's body, or whatever sort of form they possess. Doing so engages the two in an ethereal grudge-match of sorts that renders the both of them quite occupied, as they wrestle for control of the target's body. This ability is useful for restraining an apparition or potentially even causing it to attack its allies, depending on how strong-willed it is.
Amplified Sealing ⫻ Eksa is a rather proficient sealer of apparitions. Sealing rituals that Eksa blesses with this spell are easier to manage, more efficient, and can imprison stronger apparitions. Overall, this spell empowers sealing procedures by a significant deal.
Seek Apparitions ⫻ Seek Apparitions is a rather self-explanatory spell. Eksa focuses her mind and reaches out, probing for an apparition through the world around her. Such a search can expand several miles, with time, and can divulge the location of even apparitions who are actively trying to conceal themselves. She must be looking for a specific known apparition, an apparition capable of a specific notable feat, or an apparition with which she or her companions are partially familiar.
Black Pact ⫻ Black Pact is an odd spell with interesting applications. The main crux of the spell is that it allows Eksa to communicate with otherwise unintelligible apparitions, and make pacts with their kin. Said pacts are a form of intellectual contract enforced by the magical powers of both Eksa and the apparition in question - meaning that said contracts are binding regardless of nefarious intent or askant power-disparities between the two participants. Such pacts are capable of performing rather unique feats in order to maintain their soundness; for example, an apparition could form a pact with Eksa to be freed from a sealing for a limited time before it is automatically shunted back into its prison. Another example could see the apparition lending its abstraction or other supernatural abilities to someone else.
Black Shroud ⫻ The Black Shroud is a spell made specifically to combat apparitions, and it has two primarily applications. The first is its ability to veil the user from the perception of all apparitions - be it vision, smell, hearing, or some sort of paranormal perception, this effect would render Eksa imperceptible to apparitions. The second application is an enhancing effect that braces Eksa's Emotional-Field against any effects stemming from an apparition. This simply causes her to be more durable and resistant to an apparition's abilities or attacks.
LIMITS ⫻ Eksa's Dominion is a spell which requires most, and sometimes all, of her focus, and engages her in a metaphysical battle with the target. This means that particularly strong-willed apparitions can overcome its effects, in which case her most potent spell is rendered ineffective. Amplified Sealing, due to it simply enhancing a sealing ritual, is obviously useless without the prep time required to set up the process. Seek Apparitions, while wide-sweeping and thorough, requires Eksa to define specific parameters -- she must look for a specific known apparition, an apparition capable of a specific feat, or an apparition with which she or her companions are partially familiar. The Black Pact is a spell limited only by its application - it serves only to ensure one keeps their word, even if they don't intend to. All participants, of course, must be willing and knowledgeable of all caveats, and are supernaturally informed of such things once a proposal is made. The Black Shroud is limited mostly by its specificity as a tool against apparitions. In any other capacity, it is useless. It is also noticeable that Eksa cannot use Dominion while using the Black Shroud for obscurity.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ Below are weaknesses for each of Eksa's spells.
Dominion ⫻ The act of casting Domination causes Eksa to remain stationary, and she can easily be injured and knocked out of the spell. If she loses the Dominion grudge match, she can lose control of her body, making this a high-risk, high-reward spell.
Amplified Sealing ⫻ This Spell requires prep time and leaves her vulnerable while she prepares it.
Seek Apparitions ⫻ This Spell is a two-way door that reveals her location to the Apparitions around her as well.
Black Pact ⫻ Eksa must also abide by the conditions she sets or else she will lose access to all of her Spells for a day.
Black Shroud ⫻ While the Black Shroud is active, it also prevents boons from Apparitions such as healing or teleportation.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Hrm."
Eksa is accompanied, without fail, by a companion-apparition.
Marma
Age unknown | Marma | They/Them "..."
Description:
Marma is a benevolent, if completely reticent, apparition. Despite its refusal to really communicate at all with Eksa beyond a couple very rare occasions, it has deemed its place to be at her side. It has, over the years, been a boon to Eksa and a stalwart presence where she was otherwise completely alone. This has led to a bit of a bond forming between the two, despite Marma's unresponsive nature. Eksa has only seen Marma's true form one singular time, as the apparition disguises itself by possessing an article of clothing Eksa wears in the form of a leather cuff on her left bicep.
Abstraction: Black Bough
Marma's abstraction is called Black Bough, and this allows it so summon an inky, black limb to aid it in its needs. Said limb is usually rather herculean in strength, and can take many different forms, be they that of a tree branch, a tentacle, a paw, or even a regular hand - though all forms are befouled by a dark, smoky visage that betrays their true paranormal nature. While Marma seems to have no true purpose, this ability is one that it often uses to assist Eksa in her intents. Though, of course, this is usually kinda rare due to their need to shroud paranormal things from most of their surroundings.
"If the worst hadn’t already happened there’s no way I’d be back here with these people."
_______________________________________________ Linqian Han
She/Her | 26 | Chinese-Congolese | 5’6” | 126lbs _______________________________________________ Fickle _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "My brother stole all the brains in the womb, hah." ___________________________________
Chinese & Kituba ⫻ Chinese is Linqian’s first language, and the one that was primarily spoken in her household and with her two brothers. She is fluent in speaking and reading, but not so much in writing. She also speaks conversational Kituba, taught by her mother and used in the few years they lived in the Republic of Congo.
Cooking ⫻ Linqian learned to cook from both her parents, and is the only one in her remaining family with any skill for it (her brothers burn most things they cook). She is surprisingly talented at it, going beyond cooking out of necessity to being able to cook fancy meals (when she feels up to it).
Bartending ⫻ Linqian has worked in bars since she was legally able to, to help keep her family afloat. She’s good at making drinks, and passable at service - with time, she’s gotten better at keeping control of her emotions in front of customers, at least.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Don’t look too hard."
The first thing noticeable about Linqian is that she has a resting bitch face, eyes slightly narrowed and lips turned down. The second is that she’s clearly mixed, between her coily hair and hooded eyes. She’s a bit taller than average - though where she’s originally from in China, she’d be counted as tall. She’s relatively slim thanks to working on her feet and cutting costs by cutting down on the meals she eats. Her body is pear shaped, with a relatively flat chest but more curves towards her hips and legs.
Linqian’s hair is formed in tight coils that fall just below her shoulders. She styles it in a few ways, most often a bun or low ponytail, but quite often will leave it loose. She used to straighten it, but has stopped since she grew to love her hair type more. Linqian’s eyes are round, with a gentle upturn at the outer corner. They are dark brown in colour with a hooded, double eyelid. The bottom lid creases up when she smiles, making her eyes much narrower - she looks prettier when she smiles than when she doesn’t (there just isn’t much to smile about right now). Overall, though, she views herself as attractive (and she is) - even if not conventionally.
Clothes wise, Linqian will normally wear tight shirts tucked into waist high shorts or loose trousers. When it’s colder she’ll wear a thick fleece jacket over the top. She enjoys wearing dresses and skirts, but rarely finds an occasion to. She dressed mainly in shades of blue, black and white with the occasional brighter colour thrown in - namely red, orange or yellow. She has her ears pierced, but doesn’t always wear earrings. On her right hand she has always wears a pair of wedding rings.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I never said I’d keep liking you.”
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Linqian’s primary long term goal has always been to fall in love and start her own family (surprising many, as she isn’t particularly maternal or even nice) eventually - though right now the thought of settling down terrifies her. Her shorter term goal is to see her younger brother through college and into independence before she can concentrate on her own life. Currently, her goal is to destroy the piece of shit that killed her twin brother.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Family is more important than anything else. Linqian believes in always prioritising her family over any other relationships and sometimes herself. The bond between close family is incredibly important in her eyes - but she also doesn’t believe it extends to distant relatives. She also thinks that others opinions (outside of family) don’t mean shit, if they disapprove of what you do then fuck them. People that hate you are just jealous, and if anyone causes you problems you should just cut them out.
SECRETS ⫻ How she always felt inadequate next to her much smarter twin brother. Sometimes she resented him. She has insecurities that come from this, deep down not feeling good enough, but she’d never let anyone know that.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Pansexual, with commitment issues. Linqian had a difficult breakup with a former coven member, which was the breaking point for her leaving the coven, and then was cheated on by her next partner. She tends to keep things casual nowadays, and has slept around quite a lot the last few years - but never with the same person twice.
FEARS ⫻ Linqian’s worst fear has already come true - losing her twin brother. Second to this is losing the only family she has left, her younger brother. She’s scared of commitment. She also has a much more mundane fear of dogs.
REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Linqian’s reputation was mixed. On one hand, she was friendly and charming, especially when she first joined the coven. On the other hand she was fickle, quick to decide she disliked someone, and incredibly argumentative. There are plenty of members she got into heated fights with, and others that she gave the cold shoulder for seemingly no reason. While some might have neutral or positive opinions on her, there aren’t any that saw her as a close friend - any friendships she had were surface level only. Linqian left the coven explosively after being broken up with by her partner of the time. She wasn’t there when it dissolved, but caused enough fights after the battle that she definitely had a hand in it.
ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ Linqian fought against the Stygian Snake’s minions, and the apparition itself, from relatively early on. While she was nowhere near the strongest, she’d had her abstraction long enough to know how to use it and help. In the final battle she helped weaken it, lowering her body temperatures to deadly levels and using that to damage and fight its darkness constructs.
FLAWS ⫻ Linqian is quick to change her opinions, especially in relation to other people or her emotions. One day she can be incredibly nice to someone, the next giving them the cold shoulder due to some perceived slight. She’s incredibly ‘hot and cold’ when it comes to relationships outside of her family. She also doesn’t hold back her opinions, often being quite blunt and harsh. She won’t back down on her opinions and is incredibly argumentative if someone disagrees with her. Once she loses her cool it's difficult for her to see reason, and normally it was her twin brother who reeled her in. For all she would deny it, she was incredibly dependent on her twin, and now that she’s gone it’s left her struggling.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Only one thing’s ever been constant in my life… Now he’s gone. Fuck."
Linqian was born in Tangshan, China just ten minutes after her twin brother, Jinhai. She spent the first seven years of her life there, relatively peacefully - until suddenly her dad had a falling out with his parents, cutting off all contact. Their family moved to Pointe-Noire, in the Republic of Congo, where her mum’s family was. The sudden move was a shock to Linqian and not one she took well, being in a different country speaking a language she struggled with, surrounded by family members she’d never met. Her and Jinhai grew even closer than before, practically becoming inseparable.
Half a year later her younger brother was born, then less than two years later they were moving again. This time to St Portwell in the USA. Yet another new country and language, but this time it was only their family of five. It took a while to settle in, and for a long time Linqian missed her original home, but eventually she managed and all was peaceful again.
Then at age fifteen Jinhai had his kindling event - and immediately after it he used his abstraction to freeze Linqian’s hair when she’d just come out of a shower, triggering her kindling event. It was fucking weird talking to a great grandmother she’d never met, who was convinced that she should already know about Lux and how their family line could use it. Unlike Jinhai, who’d taken to it easily, Linqian was freaked out and confronted her parents over it. If she should know, they should too, right?
Turned out, both her mum and dad came from a long line of Adepts - in fact, it was because of this their dad had cut off his family and thus been severed from his lux. His parents believed in the purity of their line, trying to keep marriage between those of red lux only. On the other hand, her mum’s family was much more relaxed - most of her relatives were green lux but there were a few mixed just like Linqing and Jinhai. For some reason they’d made the decision to not teach their children about this, even though their mum still had her abstraction. So suddenly Linqing was not only in the midst of puberty and petty highschool drama, but she also had magic. Her and Jinhai started practising together whenever they had time - frustratingly, as with all things, he was better than her.
Then, the Stygian Snake appeared. Linqian’s dad, who was only one-eye-open now, was enthralled by it and tried to kill the rest of his family. Her mother used her abstraction to stop him, sacrificing herself in the process so Linqian and her brothers could get away. While fleeing they bumped into a group called the Sycamore Tree coven. Jinhai made the decision there and then to join, which Linqian followed (reluctantly). Their brother, only one eye open and eight years old, was sent to temporarily live with a distant relative in a different city.
Linqian used her abstraction to participate in each battle with the Stygian Snake and its apparitions, primarily focusing on taking out the apparitions and thralls it created. She was always in a group with Jinhai - and always following his decisions over others. He was intelligent, and one of the group members who took part in planning with the information provided by those more knowledgeable about magic (namely Britney). Linqian, on the other hand, was there to help with the fight and cause unnecessary problems.
Somehow, in amongst all this Linqian managed to find love with another coven member. She started to drift from Jinhai, spending time with her partner in the small moments in between battling the Stygian Snake’s minions. It was her first relationship and she fell hard very quickly. It caused tension in her relationship with her brother, which they resolved after multiple arguments and before the final battle.
On the day of the eclipse Linqian helped defeat the Stygian Snake by manipulating her body temperature to deadly cold levels, using this to distract and weaken it to help Ashley deal the finishing blow, even when it required her to get close enough to touch it - sustaining injuries in the process. She was drained and hurt after the battle, barely aware of the apparition being sealed and agreeing to have her memory wiped. Then, she joined the brand new coven afterwards.
Linqian played a big part in the petty arguments and fights the coven members had afterwards, and had no interest in going after other apparitions. They’d already done enough, surely? Honestly, she was only still there because of her partner and her brother still holding some interest in it.
Then, her partner suddenly broke up with her - over text on the day of a meeting no less. Angrier than she’d been in a long time Linqian confronted them when the coven met up, and what started out as petty insults and angry words turned into her being practically dragged out by Jinhai when she tried to use her abstraction to burn her ex. She never went back. She probably would’ve been kicked out anyway, and the coven dissolved only a month later.
Linqian moved on - well, as much as she could when her parents had died. She dropped out of highschool to start working, first in supermarkets then in bars when she was old enough. Together her and Jinhai moved for his college, and their younger brother moved back in with them now that they were legal adults. It was difficult, but between her job and Jinhai working part time around his degree they made it work.
Finally, after years of being the main breadwinner of the family, her brother graduated his law degree and passed his bar exam. Her younger brother was finally in college too. From now on things would be easier for Linqian. She wouldn’t have to work herself to the bone. The night after her brother got a job at a well known law firm she went to work with this knowledge, more relaxed than she had been for a long time, and looking forward to a drink with him once she was done.
Instead she came home to his unmoving body in their living room, blood staining the ugly cream carpet. He had been stabbed to death, and the only pointer towards who’d done it was a wolf idol she found hidden in his bedroom.
Linqian lived in a daze for a week after that, sorting out everything that needed to be done when someone died, and continuing as if she hadn’t lost one of the most important people in her life. It was as if she wasn’t quite there. She felt emotionally numb, but also incredibly volatile at the same time.
When Auri reached out to her about the string of murders that were happening - murders including her brother - Linqian didn’t hesitate to return. Under any other circumstance she’d decline (especially with the risk of seeing her ex again), but not for this. She needed to find whatever had done this, and make sure it died just like her brother had.
Paranormal-Abilities ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "You think I’m hot? Well, you’re not wrong."
TYPE ⫻ Adept
ABSTRACTION ⫻Red & Green Lux. Channeler: her mother’s wedding ring
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Linqian has a primary affinity towards thermokinesis, especially of her own body. She also has an affinity towards fire and transformation, which she hasn’t discovered due to not exploring outside of her primary affinity.
Body Temperature Manipulation ⫻ The spell Linqian is most skilled with, she can manipulate her own body temperature to harmful and possibly deadly levels. This results in her touch being damaging. Along with this it means her body radiates heat or the cold. This change is visible, causing her to glow orange if she heats herself up or to get paler if she cools herself down. Her own body temperature can go up to 100°C and down to -30°C. With more concentration she can change the temperature of specific body parts, rather than her whole body.
Heat Manipulation ⫻ Linqian can cause the air temperature in a radius around her to increase up to 40°C (104°F), a heat which other humans can survive but that can also cause hyperthermia. She can control what temperature she manipulates it to, to a certain degree (she will never know the exact temperature but could roughly guess by making it from “somewhat hot” to “extremely hot”).
Cold Manipulation ⫻ Her cold manipulation is similar to heat manipulation, with different temperatures. She can decrease the air temperature around her to around -15°C (5°F), a survivable but possible dangerous temperature and can cause hypothermia.
Ice Hands ⫻ Taught to her by Jinhua, Linqian can turn her hands into ice and manipulate them. She’s not very good at this spell, as she doesn’t have much of an affinity with it.
LIMITS ⫻
Body Temperature Manipulation ⫻ She’s limited by temperature, between 100°C and -30°C. This isn’t exactly precise, Linqian can control from deadly hot to deadly cold and some variety in between but not specification temperatures. She can only keep her temperature outside of normal for ten minutes, then needs to rest for at least five. She can push herself to do it longer, but it will start damaging her. Due to emotional fields she can’t just kill other paranormal beings by, say, boiling their blood (though she can damage them). She can’t heat up one body part and cool down another at the same time.
Heat & Cold Manipulation ⫻ She can change the temperature from -15°C (5°F) to 40°C (104°F), and this isn’t precise. The radius is limited to five metres around her, and it will always be the whole radius. Like above, emotional fields dampen the effect of this. She can hold the temperature for about twenty minutes at a time.
Ice Hands ⫻ If the ice her hands turn into is damaged, her actual hands are also damaged. She can only do it for five minutes at a time.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I never wanted to see these people again."
Nothing
And her dead brother's NPC sheet
Jinhai.Han
26 | Jinhai Han | He/Him "You’re just my stepping stone to success."
Description:
Linqian’s (slightly older) twin brother, Jinhai was the self proclaimed leader of the Han siblings (something Linqian protested, even though she always ended up following him). He was very, intensely, close to Linqian. Jinhai was charming and diplomatic on the outside, incredibly intelligent and well spoken. However this was only on a surface level - Jinhai was incredibly self serving, forming only superficial relationships for his own benefit outside of the few he was close to (his sister, younger brother and a few friends). He was a natural leader, arrogant and proud along with it, which led to him clashing with other coven members frequently. But he knew how to smooth things over, and was often the one stopping Linqian from causing a scene.
Jinhai joined the Sycamore Tree coven along with Linqian after their parents were killed during its rampage, and the two of them along with their younger brother barely escaped. He was the one that made the decision to join the coven. With his people skills, ability to plan and abstraction he helped bring the Stygian Snake down… But he made sure not to put himself at risk. People had mixed opinions of him thanks to this, and he left the coven when Linqian chose to over a breakup. He moved on and went to college, aiming to become a Lawyer. He had just passed his bar exam when he was killed by the Stygian Snake.
Abstraction: Adept - Green & Red Lux. Channeler: His Father’s Wedding Ring
Ice Transformation: Jinhai could turn himself into ice - this could be localised, such as just his hands, or his entire body. He could control the ice that was part of his body and could freeze things by touching them, but he couldn’t control external ice.
Thermal Resistance: A spell Jinhai had to develop purely to avoid boiling or freezing in his sister’s company. It allowed him to resist extreme temperatures, both natural and unnatural, so that he would barely feel the changes in temperature.
Self-healing: Due to his selfish desire to protect himself above all else, Jinhai could heal himself slowly - he would recover from most wounds, as long as they weren’t serious enough to cause him to bleed out in minutes.
Haven't decided yet if I'll make her ex-partner dead, a not rejoining NPC, or my other character (tbh its also open if anyone wants some fun past dramatic character relationships)
I've updated the CS, please let me know how to looks.
Much, much, better.
Accepted. Move her to the character tab.
WEAKNESSES ⫻ Accessing the Void Light opens Alizée's eyes to the Void itself... and over time, by utilizing the Void Light, she will begin to see hallucinations of the horrors of the Void. Eldritch abominations and people lost to the Void will appear alongside the mundane universe that Alizée is used to, attacking her mental state and making her doubt what is real and what is fake. The more Alizée (or the Apparition she's adjoined to) uses her abstraction, the worse this effect gets so that she will be functionally blind if she goes all out (as she'll see into the Void). This effect wears off over time, but its effects on her mentally will not. However, sapping away someone else strength and energy also begins to drain away at her - it won't be as dramatic as on the victim, but if she does this a lot, she can stop her own heart. An Abstraction like this will unnerve others and make it difficult for people to trust her.
@Bartimaeus Accepted. Move her to the character tab.
Dominion ⫻ The act of casting Domination causes Eksa to remain stationary, and she can easily be injured and knocked out of the spell. If she loses the Dominion grudge match, she can lose control of her body, making this a high-risk, high-reward spell.
Amplified Sealing ⫻ This Spell requires prep time and leaves her vulnerable while she prepares it.
Seek Apparitions ⫻ This Spell is a two-way door that reveals her location to the Apparitions around her as well.
Black Pact ⫻ Eksa must also abide by the conditions she sets or else she will lose access to all of her Spells for a day.
Black Shroud ⫻ While the Black Shroud is active, it also prevents boons from Apparitions such as healing or teleportation.
Body Temperature Manipulation ⫻ While heated up, Linqian is more susceptible to water and other factors that would cool her down. While cooled, it's vice-versa; she is far weaker against fire and the heat. She's not entirely immune to the effects of heat/cold, and going too hard can cause injuries. This does not differentiate between friend and foe; she can accidentally burn or freeze a friend touching her. If Linqian quickly shifts from one temperature to another, she can induce thermal shock in herself and possibly die.
Heat & Cold Manipulation ⫻ These Spells do not differentiate between friend and foe and can be risky during team-based combat. This Spell can also cause her to overheat/overcool faster if she uses it with her Body-Temperature Manipulation.
Ice Hands ⫻ This Spell weakens her against fire/heat-based attacks and can cause her actual flesh to melt (not pretty).
_______________________________________________ Sloane Aiesha Faris
She/Her| 27 | Syrian American| 5’2” | 105 lbs _______________________________________________ Severe _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Not everything I do is work." ___________________________________
[Sailing] ⫻ Sloane was never too far from the harbor growing up with her parents sharing their passion for sailing with their child. She knows how to pilot and maintain most civilian level sea vessels, and is above average when it comes to navigating, knot tying, fishing, and elbow rubbing the rich douchebags sipping back martinis at the yacht club. [Cardio] ⫻ Sloane has woken up and gone for a jog almost every day since she was thirteen years old, excluding that awkward time in her life where the world was kind of ending. She could not only get up and run a marathon this moment, but she would probably finish close to first. [Fencing] ⫻ A newer hobby of Sloane’s that she has only taken up in the past couple of years. She isn’t the greatest fencer in the Oregon scene by any means, but she has yet to hit her ceiling. [Antiquarian] ⫻ The woman has always been fascinated with history, and there is nothing that interests her more than an old object with a high price tag. Sloane is not only good at identifying vintage antiques from counterfeits, but she has a knack for finding the rare, expensive collectibles her discerning customers ask her to acquire. Sloane currently owns two antique stores: a high-end, expensive place Faris Imports catering to the wealthier clientele, whom she is excruciating picky with when it comes to who she’ll deal with, and a tourist trap in the mall called Curious Curios where she offloads bad incense, packs of tarot cards, and bins upon bins of “haunted” dolls. [Cartomancy] ⫻ It’s a little insane not to believe in the power of the occult or the existence of fortune telling after you’ve seen the things Sloane has seen. While Sloane dabbles in astrology and other pseudosciences to help determine the right path, her preferred method of divination is through tarot reading.
Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Clients expect a professional. I dress to meet expectations."
Sloane is composed almost entirely out of sharp angles, crossed arms, and huffed sighs. Her face appears to be carved from granite with pronounced cheekbones, a pointed nose, a cleft chin, and a jawline so strong it could crack diamonds. She puts a clear effort into her appearance, plucking her eyebrows to perfection and picking shades of shadow to accent her dark eyes. Her olive tone skin is healthy and hydrated. Her ears are pierced with tasteful and expensive earrings that are hidden behind her straight hair, which is long and black with faint streaks of premature grays running through it.
She’s petite but holds herself with a quiet intensity that makes her feel more imposing than she actually ever could be. Sloane has decent curves and is overall fairly fit, but it isn’t her physique that makes her stand out from the crowd and turn heads: it’s what she’s wearing. Sloane has an impeccable fashion sense, shunning the latest flash-in-the-pan trends and instead committing to a timeless look with tailored clothes made to work with her small frame. She leans heavily on sophisticated sweaters, simple button-ups, wide leg trousers, and long coats to fill out her silhouette. She also typically has some type of gloves close on hand. Sloane almost exclusively sticks with a mix of black and white, but if she’s feeling especially wild she might pull out something beige, brown, or, if she’s feeling real frisky, navy. She keeps the jewelry to a minimum but always wears an old, expensive wristwatch on her right wrist that hides an old burn, the face rotated around to her inner wrist to protect it from scratches.
Sloane overall appears very stoic and unflappable, but she doesn’t always look unemotional. In fact, she has perfectly mastered expressing not just one but two emotions: bored, her go to default for most occasions, and annoyed, which is just her bored face but with more rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. Her smiles are a thing of rarity and a popular game amongst the Coven after the defeat of the Stygian Snake was seeing if anyone could make Sloane laugh harder than a sharp breathing out of the nose and a soft hmph. When she speaks, Sloane has as much charm and inflection as an early text-to-speech program.
Psychology ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I don’t need to do everything myself. I just like seeing things get done right."
MAIN GOAL ⫻ Sloane believes it's her responsibility to protect the people of St. Portwell. While she would coordinate with people who hunted rogue Apparitions, Sloane focused less on combating paranormal beings and more on control and prevention. Sloane is working to keep artifacts and Apparitions out of the hands of people she deemed too dangerous to have them, which is essentially anybody who is not her, and hopes to mass a collection of Artifacts and sealed Apparitions she can distribute as needed whenever St. Portwell faces another Stygian Snake level of crisis. Although her intentions are well-meant, there is little denying that she is basically seeking to hoard power.
PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Sloane was raised on the principle of noblesse oblige, the idea that because she has privilege and power she is required to use it for the greater good. She wholeheartedly believes in annoying little ideas like duty, honor, and morality. She was harshly critical of the Coven members who severed their Lux or sealed away their Apparitions, as she saw it as an act of cowardice. Frustratingly enough, Sloane falls into the same trap plaguing privileged people before, believing that her good intentions justify a hunger for power and a demand for respect.
SECRETS ⫻ Sloane stays fairly hush-hush about essentially being little more than a paranormal cat burglar, even if she is only stealing artifacts from people that she believes have ill will towards St. Portwell. Likewise, she has yet to inform any of the old Coven members that her collection of sealed Apparitions and magical artifacts has been stolen.
She also highly resented Ashley, Daisy, and Auri during her time in the Coven and was jealous of them. Sloane was potentially one of the final members to see Ashley alive, having gone to visit the woman the same week she had been murdered and ending the visit in an argument regarding how Ashley should no longer be the one to keep the Apparition Killer.
SEXUALITY ⫻ Sloane is a straight and currently shifting through the cesspool that is dating apps because, as it turns out, not a lot of eligible bachelors are into antiquing and too many “totally separated” men are into sailing.
FEARS ⫻ Vulnerability. The idea that showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness and that if she is weak then she has no value is rooted deeply inside of Sloane’s brain. The task of showing any emotional intimacy to people, even those that are close to her, is herculean. She is so afraid of being open that even other people being candid about themselves and expressing their feelings makes her uncomfortable.
REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Opinions about Sloane are mixed, but everyone would agree on one thing: Sloane needed to lighten up. Her seriousness was appreciated during their conflict with the Stygian Snake, but Sloane proved to be a wet blanket when it came to the Coven trying to enjoy the life they’d earned. Some members would remember the good in her: she was clearly devoted to the group, helped when she could, refused to play favoritism by serving as a neutral party when it came to votes, and kept their hideout tidy and stocked with snacks. Others only recall the negative: she demanded respect but rarely returned it, would huff and roll her eyes when the Coven would squabble but almost never do anything to stop it, and held members to unachievable standards. It was clear to everybody that Sloane thought she should lead the Coven, but she was smart enough to realize that she wouldn’t win the popular vote.
ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ Sloane believes that she was useless because her spellbook was limited at the time. However, just because she wasn’t dishing out the damage to the Stygian Snake or its minions did not mean that she didn’t help. Her eventual creation of a cursed lie detecting ring allowed the Coven to fight back against the doubts and mistrust the Stygian Snake had snuck into their minds, allowing the Coven to work together more cohesively. In the final fight she served as a distraction for the Coven by carrying a fake version of the Apparition Killer to draw the Stygian Snake’s focus away from Ashley, a ploy that nearly got Sloane killed if it were not for Jade’s healing.
FLAWS ⫻ Sloane’s aloof and typically detached behavior firmly shifts her from the camp of ‘all business’ to the fortified castle of ‘seriously stuck-up bitch’. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if Sloane was just always distant and stayed firmly in the territory of acting like she was better than everyone because then it could at least be ignored. Unfortunately, Sloane feels compelled to speak up when someone says or does something that either fails to meet or goes against her standards. Often she wields her critiques with the same delicacy and gentleness of a baseball bat covered in bent nails being swung straight at a skull. To put it plainly, Sloane is simply harsh.
Backstory ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "History is what gives something value."
Sloane’s parents were exorbitantly wealthy art and antique dealers. They gave her everything: a private education with the best tutors, a trust fund ensuring that she was set for life from the day of her birth, and a daily flurry of reprimands reminding her exactly how a daughter of theirs should act and that everything they do must be for the greater good. Yet more often than not her parents were background characters, showing up only to take her on the occasional sailing trip, with the role of mommy and daddy played by nannies, butlers, and drivers. She was raised to be prim, proper, and puppeted, her sole purpose on this Earth to serve as the legacy of her mother and father. Sloane was the final piece of art they could offer to the world after they passed, and perhaps she could offer up a spare kidney if one of her parents were to fail before that time came. Despite their distance, Sloane could never claim to hate them, because to hate them she’d have to know them.
Sloane was shifted from private tutelage to public education after elementary school. She imagined her parents thought it would be best for her to know how other people lived. Sloane immediately slid into the role of an outsider, because as it turned out spending her entire childhood only surrounded by other adults meant she didn’t know how to connect with other kids. Apparently most twelve year olds didn’t have an interest in abstract expressionist paintings or pottery from the Qing Dynasty. In high school she’d eventually find a social refuge amongst the goth kids, who could at the very least appreciate the intense sadness of 19th century Russian literature and teach her the ways of mocking the jocks like Sully McPherson and the cheerleaders like Ashley Stone that, in retrospect, never were as truly awful to her friends as her friends were to them.
The Stygian Snake showed itself to Sloane on the day she went shopping with her friends for tarot cards at the Coastal Harbor Mall. Violent crimes were on the rise the days leading up to their little shopping trip, and while the squares hid inside her friends had all joked that it’d be pretty cool to witness a stabbing. As it turns out, getting stabbed might’ve been preferable. Instead, Sloane had the horrifying experience that still haunts teens to this day—seeing her mom and dad out in public while with her friends. While she was balking at the idea of her folks suddenly wanting to get more involved in her life, her parents dragged her into a family restroom where her mother reached forward, touched a mirror, and opened up a portal back to their estate.
Sloane underwent a Kindling Event as her parents pushed her through the portal. She saw visions of ancient ancestors, the supposed noble warriors, kings, and queens her parents claimed they had in their blood. She didn’t see any heroes. She saw poisoners, killers, and thieves. She saw them summoning ghouls and demons out of blue portals and unleashing them upon foreign kingdoms in foreign worlds, she saw them wielding weapons of blinding orange light as they ransacked tombs and castles and cut down any who got in their path. She saw her parents using magic to counterfeit art, steal from museums, and curse any who question them. She saw them sealing strange creatures inside of objects and then selling the items to dictators, insurgents, and CEOs.
Sloane saw her parents' hypocrisy and then they showed her their cowardice. Something bad was going to happen to their city and they were going to run. They didn’t care about the greater good, they cared about their own: anything was okay as long as it benefited her family. Sloane came back to the sound of a gunshot, screaming at the sight of their family butler Warren lying on the ground as blood pooled out around him, her father holding the gun. Her father gathered some bags as her mother tried to convince Sloane that it was okay, Warren wasn’t special like them. He would’ve died no matter what. The staff, her teachers, her friends, they would all die, but Sloane would be okay because she had the same magic her parents did.
Her father returned with the bags, her mother opened another mirrorway, and her parents passed through. Sloane hesitated and as her father turned to pull her through she lashed out and touched the frame of the mirror and cast her first hex. Blue and orange flames wreathed around her wrist and boiled her flesh as the mirror glowed and then shattered upon a second touch, her parents separated from her within a blink of an eye with the exception of four bloody fingertips lying on the floor. She fled her house and searched for her friends. Her parents never even attempted to look for her.
She was too late when she arrived, the mall a scene of chaos by the time she returned. A shooting, as she was told by onlookers behind police barricades while she stared in horror at the wriggling mass of shadows obscured behind the buildings. Sloane was pulled from the crowd by Sully McPherson as one of the policemen turned on the onlookers and opened fire. Sully introduced Sloane to the Coven after she kept asking him if he’d seen whatever that shadow thing was, and when Ashley explained everything to her Sloane did not even hesitate to accept. Her parents might’ve been liars, but that didn’t change the fact that they’d surrounded her by common people whom she’d been led to believe that they were doing a great service to by providing them with something they would otherwise not have. If being part of the Coven could actually help people unlike that trickle down bullshit then she was in without question.
Sloane once again felt like she was the outsider while inside the Coven. The leaders were made up almost exclusively of the types of kids her friends used to make fun of, causing Sloane to be uncomfortable and quiet around the others as she realized that most of the people they’d shitted on were a lot like them. She also felt an intense drive to make up for the selfish actions of her family, fully committing herself to the cause with a zealot’s devotion. Sloane helped where she could, slowly learning how to craft cursed counterfeit items with her abilities to help the Coven and volunteering herself for any and all things when given the opportunity.
Her dedication nearly got her killed, saved only by Jade finding her before she bled out after the final confrontation with the Stygian Snake. Sloane tried to make the Coven work after their common enemy had been defeated, but it’s quite possible that her over dedication to the cause might’ve led to the Coven collapsing sooner rather than later. Her open criticism of people who wanted to leave, sever their Lux, or seal away the thing that made them Aberrations drove wedges between friends and drew lines in the sand.
However, nothing was more damaging to the group than the lie detecting ring she’d created, lovingly referred to as the Bullshit Ring by the Coven. What had once been used to counteract the mind games played by the Stygian Snake was now used in misguided attempts to solve disputes and squash beefs. As it turned out, sometimes a little bit of dishonesty was better for team spirit than the reality of harsh truths. It was hard to like anyone when you could immediately demand they give you their honest opinions and assume the worst if they refused. Sloane had offered to find a way to destroy the ring but the idea was met, as with every idea in the Coven those days, with divisiveness. She retracted her offer, but a day later the ring was stolen.
Sloane should’ve left after she became the main suspect for the theft, but instead she stuck around until they eventually voted her out. She swallowed her bitterness and anger, instead using the energy to focus on continually protecting St. Portwell by herself. She knew she couldn’t go toe-to-toe with Apparitions like Drake or Lionel, but she could still do some good by going after the kind of people her parents had been wheeling and dealing with. She used her inheritance to start an antique empire, luring and stealing from those who desired to abuse the power of Apparitions and artifacts, all the while learning new spells and curses she could use to defend her city.
Yet Sloane knew she could not trap that many insects in her web if she only had just one thread. Over the years she kept in touch with the like-minded individuals of her former Coven, reaching out to provide them with information regarding dangerous Apparitions that were a bit too hot for her to handle. Likewise, she would contact members who had quit, especially those that had been Agents, starting under the pretense that she just wanted to reconnect before revealing her hand and asking for them to hand over their artifact, willingly of course. Despite what the Coven thought, she was not her parents. She might’ve been a thief, but she didn’t steal from her friends.
The past year has been particularly busy for Sloane, who after a chance run-in with her mother became aware of an organization called the Elite. Despite her parents' efforts to sabotage her, she had almost found a way to infiltrate the group when a massive heist derailed Sloane’s efforts. The woman had discretely acquired a small collection of magical artifacts and sealed apparitions which she had kept safely vaulted away from the world. The collection was spread out between hidden safes in her high rise condo, highly secured cases at her business, and bank safety deposit boxes kept behind massive vault doors. All of them had been taken without a trace, the thief completely avoiding curses, cameras, and eye witnesses.
Before she had a chance to track down her missing artifacts she received word that a friend of hers had been murdered. And then another, and another, and another until she received the call from Auri. The two had never been close, Sloane’s serious gloom clashing heavily with Auri’s cheerful sunshine and she did not like how plastic the girl felt, but she knew exactly why Auri had called. She answered the phone by saying she was in before Auri even had a chance to give her spiel. A brief conversation about their lost friends followed, and by the time they had said goodbye Sloane was beginning to reconsider her opinion of Auri when the girl sliced open an old wound as, right before she hung up, said: “Bring the ring.”
Abstraction ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Possessions can become quite the burden."
TYPE ⫻ Adept
ABSTRACTION ⫻ Blue and Orange Lux. Sloane’s channeler is a faded Queen of Swords card from an antique tarot deck.
ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Sloane exclusively blends her Blue and Orange Lux together with affinity for cursing inanimate objects. The complexity of weaving the two divergent Luxes together makes it quite difficult for Sloane to develop or learn new spells, but she has remained dedicated to her craft over the past decade.
Hexmark ⫻ Sloane curses an object to malfunction by touching it and marking it with her Channeler. Sloane weaves the how and when the object breaks in the casting of the spell, allowing her to make the breaking of an object appear to be purely accidental. A blue circle crossed by an orange X mark appears on the hexed object, invisible to the Blind. The size of the mark depends upon the size of the object, ranging from being as tiny as a pea to as large as an area rug. Sloane has variations of this spell depending upon the object. The bigger the mark the longer it takes her to cast the spell as she has to draw it with her Channeler. The curse can be broken by purifying the mark with either salt, fire, or holy water. She has three variants of the curse:
Fragile: A basic version of her Hexmark, Sloane curses an object to become brittle. The object breaks upon usage, triggered simply by touch and often shattering into several pieces. Casting Fragile on large objects is a bit complicated, as the spell specifically targets the part and not the whole. For example, casting Fragile on a car might make the door handle break or the entire door to crumble to pieces but it wouldn’t completely trash the car.
Glitched : A more advanced version of her Hexmark, Sloane curses an object to function improperly. The object breaks depending on a trigger set by Sloane, be it immediately, when someone observes it, etc. Sloane also determines how it breaks. For example, a Glitched car might not start, or might constantly honk and flash the lights and scan for stations, or might do something as extreme as ignite the gasoline tank and eventually explode.
Possessed: The most advanced version of her Hexmark, Sloane curses an object to behave impossibly. The object acts as if it were haunted, such as turning on when it's unplugged, functioning by itself, or even throwing itself through the air assuming it would be light enough to be thrown by a person. Sloane can directly manipulate a Possessed object, allowing for precise control over how it behaves, but she must be able to see the item to control it.
Object of Obsession ⫻ Sloane quickly infuses a mundane object with Blue Lux by touching it with her Channeler, shifting its appearance to make it look more esoteric and turning it into a cursed item. Once released from her hands the curse activates, causing any being to lay eyes on it to become obsessed with the object. Alternatively, she can alter the spell to target only one individual. They are compelled to pursue the object and pick it up, carefully cradling it in their hands. Once one being picks up the object all others immediately lose their obsession with the object. However, the holder refuses to drop the object for as long as the curse lasts.
Creatures without an Emotional Field are immediately enthralled by the object, incapable of doing anything but sitting, breathing, observing its beauty, and mumbling about how great their new toy is if anyone questions them. They will even ignore the need to eat or sleep; all they want to do is to look at the object. Creatures with an Emotional Field can fight off these urges, or temporarily succumb to the object to sate their obsession for a moment and then function almost like normal. Still, even if they become aware of being cursed by the object they will continue to refuse to put it down.
The curse is simply broken by letting go of the object. However, this usually requires another person to come by and struggle to get the object out of the hands of the cursed. Once the object is removed it returns to its mundane self.
Counterfeit ⫻ Sloane crafts a convincing duplicate of a mundane or magical item out of Orange Lux that is either cursed or capable of cursing. During crafting she must be able to touch the original piece with her Channeler. The Counterfeit is so well made that most forms of magical detection will falsely identify the item as the original. A mundane Counterfeit can only be cursed with one of her Hexmarks or a variation of her Object of Obsession curse: it does not compel anyone to grab it, but the person who grabs it is subjected to the same crippling obsession. It takes up to a handful of minutes to Counterfeit a mundane object, but a magical item can take several hours, days, weeks, or even months of channeling Lux to make a proper Counterfeit depending upon the complexity. However, magical Counterfeits acquire unique curses specific to that item.
Sloane has crafted a few of these Unique Counterfeits, but currently is in possession of none.
Aspiration Killer: A Counterfeit of the Apparition Killer, the Aspiration Killer shifts its appearance to match the wielder and cannot physically damage humans, instead phasing through their flesh. Unlike the Apparition Killer, this weapon can be wielded by Apparitions, does not harm Apparitions, and in fact only harms the psyche of humans. Victims cut by the Aspiration Killer are cursed to experience a loss of hope and ambition. In normal humans this can make them immediately lose interest in their current goal and eventually lead to a complete mental shutdown that ultimately renders them in a permanent state of stupor within a few weeks. Paranormal humans cut by the blade are immune to the complete erasure of their drive. Instead, their Emotional-Field begins to greatly weaken overtime, allowing them to become more and more susceptible to other Abstractions. Cursed victims appear to have a black branding on where the blade cut them, but the mark is painless. Certain spells can counter the effects of the curse on people, and experiencing a Recollection focused on the victim before they were cursed will completely reverse the effects. When wielded by Sloane, the Aspiration Killer looks like a gold fencing foil. She can use her Channeler to transform the appearance of the weapon, often hiding it on her person as a gold wristwatch. The Aspiration Killer was stolen from her wall safe.
Phony Club: A Counterfeit of the Oni’s Club, the wielder of the club can set their eyes on a victim and summon three club-wielding demons to torment them. The demons are merely illusions, visible only to the victim and the wielder of the club, but the victim will react to any of their attacks as if they were actually hurt. For example, if one of the phonies “crushed” the hand of a person, they would act like they couldn’t use that hand until the curse ended. The phonies are mindless illusions and thus must be constantly conducted by the wielder of the club or they will only stand their ground. Their appearances often change to some kind of bastardized mockery of their target. The club has the unfortunate side effect of cursing the wielder as well. As long as the phonies are summoned the wielder can only see their victim, their summons, and themselves. Otherwise, the world around them is covered in smoke as if they were in the center of a raging fire looking out. Likewise, they cannot hear anything but the roar of burning flames. The curse ends for both the victim and the wielder when the wielder lets go of the club. The Phony Club was stolen from her work vault.
Chrysalis Staff: A Counterfeit of the Butterfly Staff, the wielder of the staff can target their victim and curse them to begin to transform. While transforming, the victim's skin hardens and they start to lose the ability to move their body, eventually turning them into a colorful and unmoving chrysalis. This chrysalis protects the victim from any physical harm, but most Abstractions can pierce through the shell. It can of course be resisted by Emotional Fields but if a victim wills it they can force the transformation to be immediate, allowing the Chrysalis Staff to defend them. If the wielder attempts to protect themselves with the staff they will permanently be stuck in the Chrysalis, as they will be unable to move their arm to stop targeting themselves. The curse is only temporary. Once the wielder points the staff away from the victim the chrysalis around them rapidly begins to fade, returning motor functions to them within less than a minute. The Chrysalis Staff was stolen from her work vault.
BS Ring: A Counterfeit of the Bull’s Ring, the ring was cursed to glow red hot and burn the wielder whenever they were directly dishonest. The ring would then lock on to the wielder’s finger and continue burning the victim until they spoke a true statement. As this was Sloane’s first Counterfeit there is a flaw in the design: the curse only activates when the wielder is intentionally lying, so they will not be burnt if what they believe is true turns out to actually be false or if they had lied by omission, and the burning would stop if they say any true statement. Also, the curse of the ring could easily be mitigated by removing the ring before lying or simply not answering. The ring allowed the Coven to fight back against the seeds of doubt planted by the Stygian Snake, but soon proved to be problematic after the defeat of their enemy. Sloane had originally called it the Covenant Ring, but gave up trying to correct people after everyone in the Coven started to only call it the Bullshit Ring. The BS Ring was stolen around the time the Coven collapsed, and Sloane never was able to recreate another before Daisy went missing.
LIMITS ⫻ All of Sloane’s spells require her to make some kind of physical contact with the object she is targeting. Hexmark requires Sloane to “draw” the magic symbol upon the object. Larger objects require larger symbols, while more powerful or intricate hexes require the symbol to be tweaked by drawing additional runes. This means that the casting time of Hexmark can fluctuate, with quick Fragile spells on something small requiring just a second or two while detailed Glitched spells taking upwards of a minute to cast. Recasting Object of Obsession immediately ends the prior instance of the spell, excluding objects cursed by her Counterfeit spell.
As previously mentioned, Counterfeit takes several minutes for Sloane just to create a cursed copy of a mundane object while Counterfeiting something magical can take up to weeks or months to complete. The time it takes is greatly shortened if she has previously Counterfeited the object but still significant. While creating a Counterfeit magical object Sloane begins to develop an idea of the abilities and curses the item will have, but she is incapable of changing them. She is less of a designer and more of a conduit. Once a Counterfeit is in the stage of being crafted, that is the only form it will ever take—for example, anytime she Counterfeits the Apparition Killer she will only ever produce an Aspiration Killer. Only one Counterfeit of a specific object can exist at a time, with the previous Counterfeit turning into dust. Due to this, Counterfeits cannot produce more Counterfeits.
WEAKNESSES ⫻
Hexmark ⫻ The Curse can be broken by throwing salt, fire, or holy water onto the cursed object. While casting the Spell, Sloane is left vulnerable and is not wise to use this Spell in a fight.
Object of Obsession ⫻ There are no weaknesses or drawbacks of note.
Counterfeit ⫻ There are no weaknesses or drawbacks of note.
Other ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Theft will be punished."
Currently I don't have anything planned for the Coven's precious Bullshit Ring, so I'm open for ideas.
@Atrophy Accepted homie, move her to the character tab.
Hexmark ⫻ The Curse can be broken by throwing salt, fire, or holy water onto the cursed object. While casting the Spell, Sloane is left vulnerable and is not wise to use this Spell in a fight.
Object of Obsession ⫻ There are no weaknesses or drawbacks of note.
Counterfeit ⫻ There are no weaknesses or drawbacks of note.
@Atrophy I absolutely adore Sloane and what you've done with her lux. I can't wait to play alongside your character, they're very unique and enjoyable to read! ^^
@Atrophy I absolutely adore Sloane and what you've done with her lux. I can't wait to play alongside your character, they're very unique and enjoyable to read! ^^
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