I decided on someone. Let me know if there are any changes. Not 100% on the power levels and whatnot.
Name: Mort the Plaguebringer
Physical: Mort stands at a standard 1.8m and has a sickly demeanor, although that doesn't hamper his physical abilities. He doesn't cough or anything of the sort, but his breathing sounds raspy. No one really knows what he looks like under his mask, as he rarely takes it off and will only pull it down slightly if he needs to. His scythe is a lot more basic and made of metal instead of wood.
Abilities:
Mort is a mage of death. As such, most of his abilities are based around manipulating death. While he can cast general spells that are based on death, he has some special skills that are of great note.
Disease immunity: Mort is unable to become sick, radiating sickness himself. In fact, any sickness in the air only strengthens his powers.
Plague Aura: Mort emits an aura of death around him, causing enemies to feel ill, become diseased, and slowly, VERY slowly, take damage and eventually die while they stay in his aura. Enemies that die by Mort's aura will reanimate to serve him, but will rapidly decay due to the innumerable magical diseases they carry. Mort can choose who is affected by his aura and diseases, but either way everyone sees the sickly bluish green luminescent light mist Mort emits.
Stay the Reaper: Mort can heal his allies and himself by using necrotic energies. This weakens his magic for a time after being used as it takes away from the death in the area.
Call the Reaper: Mort uses the death in the air to summon a sacrificial spectral altar on his victim, chaining them to it. Then a figure of the grim reaper appears and swings their scythe at the target, dealing damage equal to the amount of death in the air and how close to death that victim is. Victims killed by this spell greatly heal Mort, replenish his energy, and serve him in undeath, at least until they decay to dust. This spell requires a lot of energy to cast.
Starting Gear: Scythe: A basic scythe to show Mort's affinity with death. Very sharp.
Personality/Goals: Mort is a mage that most people tend to stay away from, especially considering his plague can be seen before he even appears himself. Mort himself isn't a mean person, and only tends to hurt people that have bothered him first, or that he is hunting. Due to his plague magic though, he doesn't have too much interaction with people, but people who get to know him know that he is quite chipper and upbeat. Well, minus the death and dark humor he has. He doesn't have any issues with the slow death he often brings his enemies, as thats just how death magic works, nor does he see any issue with the occasional undead minion he finds himself with.
As for what he wants, Mort is mostly interested in progressing his craft and showing death magic could be very useful. After all, when one can freely reanimate the dead, including demons, and cure disease, eventually there could be so much good that can be done by manipulating life and death. It would be very nice to be able to chat with people like normal mages do, after all. And eventually becoming a Lich sounded pretty good. Life beyond death and whatnot, and more time to do what he sought out to do.
Backstory: Born in a small farming village, Mort wasn't in the best of health most of the time. Often times he found himself sickly and unable to do much but read. One day a mage came to attempt to fix what was a long standing drought, and when they left, dropped one of their books about magic. Sure it wasn't the death magic Mort was going to be known for, but the basics of magic was all Mort needed get started. Turning his sickness into strength, Mort used his magic to cure himself of his aliment, and when he was old enough, departed to bigger and better places to hone his morbid interest in death, having been knocking at its door more than a few times.
Eventually his magic was shaped by this, and he became the plaguebringer. Always emitting an aura of sickness and death, Mort became an expert in death magic and as he learned more and more about magic, he also learned about those who used it for evil purposes. Sure Mort's magic was often seen as evil, but he himself wasn't and struck out to deal with those people. After all, he really couldn't stop his aura, so if he wanted to be able to talk to people without most of them running away in fear, it would be best to do that in the end.
Sure, welcome aboard. Just try not to get too close, eh? >.>
Name:
Antoinette Larstrahd
Physical:
Somewhat frail and very fair of complexion Antoinette certainly doesn’t have a particularly imposing presence. Her hair, originally a deep chestnut brown became bleached white-blonde the very first time she uttered a spell. Often mistaken for a traveling sage or chronicler of sorts she certainly doesn’t look like she could handle herself in the dangerous wilds of the world, but of course appearances can be deceiving.
Abilities:
Antoinette follows an older and fairly obscure branch of arcana, one that carries quite the stigma amongst the ‘civilized’ folks of the world. She practises what was long ago referred to most simply as blood magic.
Different from the branch which now carries the name, Anto requires physical blood as a component to even the simplest of incantations. The source of the blood used can affect the potency of magics cast somewhat, however beyond that any serves as an acceptable catalyst. A notable exclusion would be that she is however unable to magically heal or restore vitality through this form of ‘Blood magic’ or ‘Blood weaving’.
Using this older school Anto has avoided specialising as much as most other spellcasters tend to, though she does have a natural affinity for abjuration and transmutation but tends to struggle more with evocation magics.
Due to the requirement of her magic she has a large scar in the palm of each hand, reminders of the many times she has used her own lifeblood as a component.
Starting Gear:
Anto’s clothing matches the style of the noble ladies of the city-state of Jumaban, renown for ease of movement and comfort whilst still being practical enough to travel in. Though comfortable they certainly lack any form of martial protection or even protection from the harsher seasons and weather conditions of the world. The travelling cloak she wears however is much sturdier and offers protection from the elements if nothing else and lined with thick golden-fox hair. She also owns a pair of thick padded gloves and wears finely crafted and well maintained traveling boots.
Adorned in intricate silverwork jewellery from Jumaban, Anto most notably possesses a ring that holds a small concealed blade which though not effective as a weapon can be used to draw blood against unprotected skin.
Anto carries a small satchel containing her personal items and fairly meagre supplies. These comprise of a leather-bound book, writing inks and implements, several days’ rations in the form of nuts, roots and berries. She also carries several linen bandages and a flask of Jumaban Alvo (a strong spirit that doubles as a disinfectant).
She owns a single stiletto knife which is small and easily concealed on her person. Though certainly putting her at a disadvantage in any straight up fight, it again serves primarily as a tool to ensure there is always an open wound for her to channel her abilities and as a last resort when otherwise unable to do so.
Personality/Goals:
Antoinette has developed a rather pessimistic and detached view of the world after the events that have shaped her life.
Despite this she continues to travel and seeks to meet others that practise the arcane arts whilst having little positive interest in those that do not. Where she once saw the majority of those without any disposition to magic as simply misguided and misinformed, she now believes that the vast majority will always violently shun what they do not understand no matter what attempts are made to better educate them or even help them.
The population of ‘ordinary people’ represents the biggest current threat to mages that exists. She views anyone who would harm a magic-user simply for being one as an enemy or at the very least an obstacle that must be overcome through whatever means necessary.
She does however have a very strong aversion to those who would use their magical powers to harm those who cannot defend themselves (particularly due to the negativity and hostility towards mages this behaviour brings).
Backstory:
Antoinette’s first memories are of misery and slavery and her early life amongst the wealthy and elite of Alibari. She does not often think back to this time and remembers practically nothing of her life before her eighth year.
This however all changed when she was purchased by an old Jumaban Noblewoman named Christelle that sensed the untapped abilities within a nameless slave girl and so ‘saved’ her from a short and miserable life.
Taken to a small compound within the remote foothills of the Aganorat region the next several years of the newly named Antoinette life became a flurry of education, discipline and secrecy as she found herself thrust into a lifestyle she had never expected. Christelle belonged to a practically extinct order of mages that had been hunted to the last several surviving members despite their mostly altruistic tenants and noble intentions.
Antoinette’s life was difficult and demanding, but in turn she was provided with knowledge and a lifestyle that she would have never otherwise experienced as she was trained in the old arts of Blood-weaving. Though incorrectly viewed as a dark or evil form of magic, in truth simply another arcane tool to access the innate abilities within she was raised and trained to ‘serve’ the now extinct Aganoratan merchant Kings.
However before her eighteenth year a series of events involving Demonic forces and the nation of Alibarith spiralled out of control as the few senior members of the order including Christelle fought unsuccessfully to thwart the corrupting influence of a demonic entity they knew only as Ulgozil. In turn the corrupted agents of Ulgozil struck against the compound slaughtering and destroying all they could.
Antoinette escaped into the desert with another older initiate named Sylvie and they wandered for days before eventually finding one of the few oasis sanctuaries that nestled deep within the foothills narrowly surviving the ordeal.
Life from then on became much harder as the pair struggled to survive together in a world that hated them, finding solace only with each other and those very few other spellcasters they crossed paths with. Travelling northwards away from the harsh arid climate and enemies of the past they found that as long as they kept their abilities a secret they could survive and do what small deeds they could to better the world. Their relationship deepened and became more intimate as they worked as partners in everything they did.
Six years later however misfortune struck again as in the process of clearing a cult from a town they put their trust in the wrong person who in turn betrayed and exposed them as blood-mages. A mob formed and where Antoinette was willing to use her abilities against those that threatened her to escape Sylvie was not. When Sylvie did not meet her Antoinette returned only to learn the crowd had beaten, bound and burned Sylvie alive in their ignorance of the fact she had just saved them all.
Filled with loss and despair it took every ounce of self-control she possessed to leave without incinerating town in turn for what they had done.
Six months passed as she continued to travel, however now withdrawn from the outside world as she simply watches life instead of interfering as she reflects upon her own existence and that of others. Having spent much time submerged within her own thoughts she has now become far more pessimistic in her views and is struggling to find any meaning or goal worth pursuing beyond the improvement of her arts. She has continued to struggle with the concept of being ‘alone’ in the world after the loss of such a close relationship.
@ArenaSnow Alright here we go. Any feedback let me know.
I am looking forwards to seeing everyone's characters in action.
Ooo, dangerous. Send her over, as you like.
Unless I missed someone, two more anticipated joiners. Very full at that point, but workable, and I'll wait a bit for them to come along. Once that progresses I'll give a look at the IC tab.
