BrokenPromise

Character contest #3: Grove

I think we could all work on our presentation. I've had the pleasure of Rping with a whole slew of people. Some of them were great writers who made me interested in their characters, while others had a lot to learn before they could do the same. What I've found interesting is that a roleplayer's ability to write posts doesn't have any sort of bearing on how good a job they do filling out a character sheet. I've been bamboozled time and time again as great characters come from poor sheets, and sometimes the opposite is true. Clearly, filling out a character sheet takes an entirely different skill set than writing a post.

Alright fam, another month, another character creation contest. I'm going to post a mock OOC for a fake RP. It will include details about the setting, lore, and rules your characters MUST conform to. Obviously it's all going to be a bit light, as we won't actually be playing said RP. But once you've looked over the OOC, you can make your character. It's pretty much just like a real RP, only it'll never actually start. Instead, a voting thread will open up where the community will vote for its favorite. Once the voting period is over, a winner will be declared. If there is a tie, I will break said tie with my own vote.

Lets do some medieval fantasy stuff yo.

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G R O V E

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People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.

Plato

The grove is a fantasy setting inspired by classics like Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Goblin Slayer, and other medieval stories with a party dynamic. The RP will feature combat, but it's just as much about social iterations as it is slaying monsters.

Society has lost its war on the wilds, and all of humanity's cities have been consumed by a wild grove. Communities only exist as small tribes, and the worlds knowledge is largely fractured and distributed all over the world. There is little separating the remaining humanoids from other wild animals. All live together in the endless grove that makes up the world. And now those very same wilds are asking for help, offering everything they have as compensation.

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SETTING AND PLOT

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A new force has manifested itself, one dark and unwholesome. It spreads quickly and without mercy, in no small thanks to the fact that it holds the princess of the world. The great fairy has decided to enlist any creature willing to help retrieve her daughter. She has offered up many prizes to those brave enough to go forward. A kingdom to call their own, More food than anyone could ever eat, even her own hand in marriage. This quest has caused a return to the days of adventuring. Not all of the adventurers will survive the journey. Some wonder if they will be able to recover the princess. Beyond the dangers, many of the adventurers might find what they seek before the quest is completed.

Location

As per the course of any good adventure story, you will traverse many different locations. Burning desserts, frozen mountains, subterranean catacombs, ruined cities, ancient temples, humid jungles, and maybe a dimensional plane or two. But all of these locations will be centered in a place called the grove. The grove is simply an expanse of land cultivated by the great fairy herself, and is mostly made up of lush forests that overrun the once industrialized (by medieval standards) world. The grove's influence has been pushed back by the new entity, so the entire world isn't a sprawling forest. Yet.

The world is wild. There are many strange creatures, and that's without addressing the unknown entity that has the princess. There are all manner of creatures from fay to demons. Creatures macabre and wondrous. You've read about them in fairy tales and myths, and they're all here.

People

Humans as we know them no longer exist in this world. What humans remained were changed by the grove, a way of making sure the humans never forgot their loss to the wilds. Some have been marked in small ways. Like the elongated ears of elves, or the short stature of the bearded dwarves. Other tribes were influenced in a much stronger way, more closely resembling beast than man. There's a tribe of "Centaur" who's lower body is that of a horse, and "Lamia" who have the lower body of a snake. Most tribes find these new additions to the human shape strange if it is not present in their own tribe, and has been known to be the cause of many wars. Perhaps this is the wild's way of making sure humans never rise to civilization again. But not all tribes quarrel with each other. Some do share what little technology they know, trade, and form alliances when there are mutual benefits.

While the tribes have divided knowledge, They are hardly depraved beings that live in mud huts. Very few tribes aren't at least at the stage where they are making use of early medieval technology. They make houses out of processed lumber, are capable of working with metals, and wear cloth outfits instead of animal skins. Most choose to live off the land rather than control it.

Magic

One of the few things the great fairy gave the tribes was magic. The power to perform tasks without the use of tools or earthly means. This has kept the tribes more content than they would normally be. Perhaps this gift was only given to the tribes to prevent them from perusing technology or cooperating with other tribes. Only she knows.

The flora within the grove pump out mana along with oxygen. Like oxygen, mana can't be seen, but tribe members know when they are taking it in. Even casting the simplest of spells requires practice, and using mana to it's full potential is practically impossible. The strongest mages are often tribe chieftains who have had their entire life to practice with magic.

The actual feats possible with magic are far and wide. Most spells are used for everyday situations, with the occasional spell to throw fireballs or ice shards. More common uses of magic are spells to start camp fires, purify water, and anything that improves the quality of life. Most people only know a handful of spells, and only two or three are used on a daily basis. The one rule with magic is that it can't break reality. That is to say it cannot create things that do not already exist in the area. If you cast "create water," you are pulling water out of the air to fill a container. If you cast fireball, you are pulling thermal energy out of your surroundings to make a ball of fire. Spells that change weather or cause cataclysmic events are impossible to cast or take a long time for this very reason. You're not going to cause a volcano to erupt in the middle of a glacier.

Quest

The quest is simple: Venture into enemy territory, rescue the princess, and return her to the great fairy unharmed for a reward. The reward can be virtually anything you desire, provided it doesn't hurt the well being of the grove. So no asking the great fairy to kill herself or restore human civilization. But you can have your own country, bountiful feasts, a long sought revenge finally executed, or lay with anyone you desire. She really wants her daughter back.

You know virtually nothing about your opponents, only that they are bad, and evil, and unwholesome. Basically everything the great fairy said about civilization. You are encouraged not to spend too much time outside the grove, as your magic will eventually wain and go out. You are asked to ignore the wonders that they will try to trick you with. For many have undertaken this quest, and none have completed it. Not because they were beaten in battle, but their desires simply got the better of them, and they had no reason to finish. You must remember what you're doing this for, and you must remember how important it is.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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Q: Can I use images for a description? Any limits to how crazy I can get with a character sheet?

A: Given the nature of the contest, it would be preferable that no one used images in their character sheet. And while you are free to pretty up the character sheet with different formatting code, remember that this is a character contest. A pretty sheet with an ugly character won't win.

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RULES

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1: ~ Nothing that would break the setting will be permitted.

2: ~ This is a contest. While it would be most ideal to have a bunch of characters that are all different from one another, no one will be omitted for filling the same “archetype.”

3: ~ While a CS will be provided, you may edit it however you see fit.

4: ~ New characters are mandatory.

5: ~ Simply post your submission in this thread once it is completed. Deadline is the 16th at about 7-9 PM GMT.

6: ~ Feel free to ask questions in this thread as well. I could use the feedback.

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CHARACTER SHEET

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NAME

Age | Gender | Weight | Height | Race

Description

Short description of your character. Pretend you're trying to describe your character in as few words as possible. Something a GM could load onto a banner if he should chose to.

Appearance

Notable physical features.

Personality

Doesn't need to be novel length, just needs to be long enough to where we know what they are and how they act. Maybe mention a few character quirks while you're at it.

Bio

I'm not too picky about length. Just make sure it's a solid foundation for your character.

Magic

A description of your abilities

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...and for the easy copy/paste.

[center][h2][color=06d283]N[/color]AME[/h2]

[b]Age | Gender | Weight | Height | Race[/b][/center]

[u][b] [color=06d283]D[/color]escription [/b][/u]

[indent]Short description of your character. Pretend you're trying to describe your character in as few words as possible. Something a GM could load onto a banner if he should chose to.[/indent]

[u][b] [color=06d283]A[/color]ppearance [/b][/u]

[indent]Notable physical features.[/indent]

[u][b] [color=06d283]P[/color]ersonality [/b][/u]

[indent]Doesn't need to be novel length, just needs to be long enough to where we know what they are and how they act. Maybe mention a few character quirks while you're at it.[/indent]

[u][b] [color=06d283]B[/color]io [/b][/u]

[indent]I'm not too picky about length. Just make sure it's a solid foundation for your character.[/indent]

[u][b] [color=06d283]M[/color]agic [/b][/u]

[indent]A description of your abilities[/indent]

Re: Zero: The High Council

Hideout (Suttling Basin, old mill)

Elder Sibling chucked at the response. ”Very well, Chieko.” With a snap of her fingers, everyone walked out of the room. She waited for the door to shut before continuing. Fritzi then threw back her hood, showing her real face to Chieko. ”You'd better not be pulling a fast one on me. But yes, I can tell you what the royal seal is before we get started.” She reached her arms over her head and stretched, letting out a little yawn as she did so. ”The royal seal is a required right of passage to participate in the royal election. The emperor is unfit to rule due to his youth, and so everyone's clamoring to be his right hand man. Because for all intents and purposes, being his number two makes you number one.” Fritzi rested her hands on her hips. ”There are a total of four seals, and all but one of them is held by a demihuman. Which doesn't matter, because most of the voters are humans. The only way to ensure a diplomatic victory is if all of the seals are possessed by demi-humans. So all I have to do is steal Mistress Vertti's seal and I can win this war with a diplomatic victory. It should look like this.” The wolf girl took a moment to retrieve a book from her robes and pointed at an illustration that looked like a compass. 4 colors divided by a black line and a dragon in the center. ”No killing anyone, just like you wanted, right?” She dropped the book and clapped her hands together. ”Actually, you're a human. I bet you could walk right into her bedroom and confirm it's location for yourself. I could lend you Chiyo or Quill as back up if you think you'd need it, but you should be fine as long as you don't get caught.”

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Vertti household

"Ahhhh!" After letting out a sharp yelp, Aer froze up as soon as Grissaia put his hands on her shoulders. "O-oh, It's morning, isn't it?" She stepped backwards out of his hands. "Right, can't really face the day on a belly filled with wine, can I?" Aer spun the boy around and pushed on his back, forcing him to step out of the room. "No spells for me, thanks. Last man who cast a spell on me robbed my family blind. Not that you'd do that but, but, eh." After getting Grissaia out of her room, the small woman leaned against the frame of the door. "Um, thank you. Thank you! For checking up on me. Do tell Lady Vertti that the medicine was really good. I fell, really, good." She placed her hand on the door. "And I'm going to get dressed, so I'll see you later." She shut the door as gently as she could.

Mistress Vertti had just arrived. "I heard a shout. I'm confident in your ability to handle the situation but..." She approached the two bottle of wine beside the door. After staring at them for an uncomfortable amount of time, she looked back at Grissaia. "I would like to go for a walk. It's not something we've done in a while, and the weather looks good today. I'll even let you choose where we go." Mistress Vertti might have been Grissaia's adoptive mother, but sometimes she acted more like a sister.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

...Elsewhere...

@Erode

”You tackle people you love?” Betty lifted a finger to her lip. ”Football isn't nearly as aggressive as I thought it was.” She lowered her shoulders. ”B-but anyway! Amaryllis, the thing about the mint is that you don't really know who they are. They could be anyone! I just know they want to attack a V.I.P. I'm protecting, so I need to be on my toes.” She pointed at the girl and swirled her finger in the air. ”I thought you were walking after us, and just decided to transform. Naturally I had to do something.”

That was when a regal-looking girl approached. If Amaryllis had spent enough time in Penrose, she might have seen Scarlet Hallewell a few times. She had family in England that were trying to get her into a number of prestigious public schools. But if the rumors were true, Scarlet wasn't a very pleasant person to be around. Things like starting fights with students and going out of her way to sabotage a teacher's lesson plans. It seemed Scarlet was content with her tutor, whoever that happened to be.

Scarlet glanced between the two girls. “A milkmaid and her cow.”

”M-milkmaid!” Betty stammered.

Scarlet strut her way towards Amaryllis and squint her eyes. “Amaryllis? Yes, you were at the stadium a few weeks ago. I remember the name.” Her eyes flicked downward. “And your udders are just as freakishly huge in costume as they are out.” Scarlet placed a hand on her hip. “I do not typically reveal myself to strangers. However, I've taken an interest in your sword.” She stepped closer. “You see I have a collection going. A magical rapier like that would fit in wonderfully with the rest of my weapons.” She looked down at Amaryllis, as if she was examining some insect. “I do not know how you managed to get a hold of such a weapon.” The woman in red relaxed her stance and turned away. “But I suppose you hold it for a reason.” Scarlet looked over her shoulder. “Though in the future, I'd suggest finding a more secluded place to transform. It's not quite like it is on TV or comics. You're at your most vulnerable that way. You also might want to consider working with someone who knows a thing or two about all this magical girl nonsense. You can only get so far without an extensive network.” And with that, she vanished into the crowd. It wasn't long before Betty followed behind her. Then a little voice called out.

”Where were you?!”

Sammy was riding on the back of a giant tiger, who looked massive under her tiny body. ”The Cindy Ford thing was too crowded. But I smell something foul on the horizon. I've deduced that this darkness can't mean anything good.” She patted the tiger on the side. ”Want a lift? Big Tony here can take us right to the action!”

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...Cindy's place^_TM...

While Penny was stomping off, an octopus girl soared over head. There were no wings on her back or anything that might assist her with flying, but she was. Though such things are hardly out of the norm for a magical girl. Her costume looked dated, almost like she walked out of a vintage movie. The tentacles on her head were held together under a bonnet, with the rest cascading down the back of her dress. The strangest thing about her was the massive chest she was carrying, which looked like it had been unearthed from the ocean floor. The metal bands were rusted, the chest itself covered in barnacles, and there were a few star fish that were stuck to the chest as well. Despite the size of the chest, the girl carrying it didn't seem burdened by it at all. Once she was hovering over the roof top, she descended with grace and made a soundless landing. Her eyes were wide open, like she was possessed, and she was passing her gaze over everything.

”Hmmmm.” She took a few steps towards Cindy before standing on her toes. ”Hmmmm.” when she fell back onto her heels, there was an audible clunk as a large object shifted around in the box. ”Proud posture, relatively tall, and you certainly look like a thunderbird's champion.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”Hmmm, but even more like a lightning bird's champion. Regardless, you are Cindy Ford, no doubt about that.” The octopus girl lowered the chest on the ground. Once it was off of her shoulders, she hopped backwards onto it. ”I'm Lotus. They call me the terror of the deep in some parts. I wouldn't call myself a queen, but the waters right outside Penrose harbor are my territory.” Lotus placed a hand on her chest. ”Cindy Ford, or do you prefer your highness? Hmmmm. Regardless, I am not one of your subjects. Though we are neighbors.” Lotus's expression remained unchanging through her description. Just a wide eyed stare and straight pair of lips. ”There is another one who rules over the forests of Penrose. If you are Penrose's queen, that makes us the rulers of your neighboring nations.” She gestured to the chest she was sitting on top of. ”We would like to congratulate you on your ascension to queen hood with this gift.” Lotus hopped off the chest and stepped off to the side. ”Hmmmm. I seem to have misplaced the key. Surely a rusted lock won't impede the queen of Penrose? But do be careful not to destroy the contents.” She folded her fingers together.

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@Flamelord@DarkwolfX37@Rune_Alchemist@Shifter_Master

"Agreed."

"Of course." Elroy snickered at Alicia's comment before her arrow flew over hiss shoulder. Before it detonated, both twins vanished in a puff of smoke. The Bates had demonstrated their ability to shadow step previously, and the storm had darkened the fight to the point where they could freely do so from virtually anywhere. The arrow illuminated the area, but neither Elroy nor Regina were there anymore. Regina had reappeared a bit further away, and Alicia fired another arrow before taking cover behind a gravestone. But that arrow would also miss its mark, as Regina seemingly vanished and reappeared elsewhere. "Hey!" Elroy's chains wrapped around Alicia and pulled her body to his shield. Apparently he had been hiding behind a grave stone just behind her. "I think I see tin can." Sure enough, Penny had just come through the smoke wall. "We should go say hi!" Elroy took off running. Alicia was bound in place on the front of his shield, but she wasn't entirely helpless. Only her waist, legs, and left arm were pinned by the chains. It was still possible for her to move her right arm and torso. "Thanks for the assist, tin can! I was waiting for reinforcements!"

The initial shadow step threw Rina off Elroy's trail, But it wasn't long before the chatterbox was giving away his location again. He was a pretty strong runner, even without shadow stepping, but so was Rina. However, she would find her path impeded by sniper fire. Regina was shadow stepping all over the battlefield and firing before reappearing somewhere else. Rina had incredible reflexes, but she wasn't expecting an assault like this. The first two shots struck her in the shoulder and thigh. It hurt, but it was nothing her regeneration wouldn't take care of in a few minutes. Far more noticeable were the curses the bullets were laced with. Rina noticed she couldn't hear, and her weapons felt considerably heavier. She would need to do something if she didn't want to end up like Swiss cheese.

Summer was not ignored by the Bates. The dragon head that hovered by Regina's side had since flown over to Summer's position and began biting her. Summer had the physical prowess of a normal human being, and was woefully under equipped to avoid the ensuing attacks. Summer's magic wasn't able to warp the dragon in any way that would effectively weaken it. Instead, her magic turned to making Summer's body like a dog's plush toy. Every time she was bit, her legs and head expanded while making an adorable squeaking sound. The pain was negligible, at first. But the curses quickly compounded every time the dragon nipped her. Defense crush, mana burn, crippling pain, Summer's magical reserves were being put under a lot of duress. Something had to be done before her magic finally gave out.

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@FamishedPants@Vocab

Shona seemed to falter in her grunting voice and posture as her strike was deflected by Silhouette's bare arm, seeming like expected to cut right through it. Silhouette took the window of opportunity, and thrust the deadly dagger. The attack cut through her barrier, but failed to kill her. Shona then engaged in close combat, swinging her sword with precise yet powerful blows, before she made a sweep and leapt back. "A squire? I was knighted by the holy Beckoners, and given the sacred duty of crusading against the darkness." She stabbed the sky. "While you are nothing but a wretched villain, skulking in shadows and murdering others!" An aura of bright light enveloped it, extending out of the blade as she Reinforced herself. "I commend you for your ability to pierce my defenses. To respect that, I'll show no mercy." And with that, she once again charged, now using her vastly improved reach to her advantage; the empowered blade shimmered and scattering beautiful traces of her swordsmanship with every slice.

As the duel between the blade-wielders continued, the Horrorlings resumed their coordinated tactics on Mika and Lupa. Even though the two girls used their bestial might to demolish the smaller monsters, they proved to hold their own. Even worse, they kept rushing out of the mausoleum, like a never-ending tide of darkness. At one point, as Lupa performed a roundhouse kick, they jumped her, stabbing with their sharp-ended tentacles, and using them to pull on her, towards the mausoleum while Mika was forced to fend off a similar wave of attackers.

"Lupa!" Mika dropped onto her hands and kicked at a few horrorlings. Her lower half briefly turned into a pair of horse legs and knocked a few creature clean int the air. This made for a brief opening that allowed Mika to close the distance between herself and her friend. "There's no end to them! We need to close the doors!"

“It's time for the pack to come out!” Lupa had the power to transform parts of her into any animal that was next to her. Mika was able to freely turn into whatever she wanted, but only momentarily. Together, Lupa had an impressive stock of animals to empower herself with. While Mika rapidly changed shapes, Lupa picked the parts that she wanted and added them to herself. The arms of a bear, the legs of a kangaroo, The carapace of a rhino beetle. She looked ridiculous, but she was getting stronger. Once Lupa was satisfied, she dug her feet into the ground and flipped the minion into the mausoleum.

"Let's keep it up!" Mika and Lupa were standing back to back, totally surrounded. "Let me know if you're hurting Lupa, I'm here for ya!"

“Sam.” Veronica's voice called out inside Silhouette's head. “Mika still has her use to me. You will make sure she stays alive. You will not disappoint me.”

That was when Katelyn came through the fog wall.

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@Rune_Alchemist@Ariamis

The magical girl that just started flirting with Su out of the blue didn't phase her at all. Amber was at the forefront of her mind at the moment, and there were no room for pleasantries. This girl was easy on the eyes, but Su knew the best things in life were always hard to get. And this girl's rampant flirting showed that she was very easy. But for the moment, Su was more interesting in seeing if Alicia was, in fact, not Alicia.

”Uh!” It was apparent “Alicia” was shaken a bit by having a projectile explode so close to her head. ”Well, I can show you my true form.” She raised one of her fingers. ”But I'm in a standing relationship with Elroy, so a date is out of the question.” Divina's disguise melted away.

Su raised her eyebrows. ”You're one of the beacon girls from the stadium. Elroy must be your boss.” She balled her hands into fists. ”Tell me, did any of you dig up the body of a magical girl?”

The corners of Divina's lips twitched. ”That was a requirement for the ritual, yes.”

Su furrowed her brow. ”We're done here.” The wind kicked up around the Chinese girl and she flew into the air. The cyclones around her arms were getting bigger with every passing second. Chloe could tell she was preparing a massive spell.

”Um.” Divina placed a hand on her chest. ”I'm sorry if that upset you, but I'm not going to back down!” Divina jumped backwards and rows upon rows of black monoliths rose out of the ground. Before long, Su, Chloe, and her spirit pet army were surrounded by a forest of monoliths. Each one had a massive flickering eye that was glancing over everyone. One fired a laser and swept it across the front line of pet spirits. Everything in the laser's path exploded, be it spirit or tombstone. Divina's magical signature seemed to have vanished, but she was likely still around. But they had bigger problems at the moment, as more and more eyes were powering up.

Helga dove out of the smoke wall and landed beside Chloe.

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@FamishedPants@Card Captor@PlatinumSkink

Tonya pointed at Alexander. ”We are not all about killing things! We're only mostly about killing things! Aren't you one to judge a book by its cover?” She lay down on her stomach and hugged the blob beneath her. ”I'm fully capable of allying with a monster if it's pure and innocent on the inside!” She stood herself up. ”Something that the two of you are severely lacking!” Tonya hopped and drove her legs into the blob's gel. It was slightly opaque, making it possible to see Tonya's legs through the blob. ”Now lets get this over with!”

The blob used its tentacles to shove itself forward, lunging straight for Alexander. Tonya opened her umbrella and fired a barrage of apples at Emily. But these were no ordinary apples. These were apples with tiny black creatures riding them. Tarantulas with a single eye that cackled as they flew through the air.

Mayra stylishly flipped through the smoke wall before landing in the area.

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@Shifter_Master@Ariamis[@t2wave]

Lily's arrows came out fast, but the cultists were quick to throw up individual barriers to hold back her assault. They cracked and shattered under the stress Lily's arrows put them under, but not a single shot hit their mark. What few projectiles the cultists managed to throw at lily were easily evaded by her sublime speed. The cultists didn't just have just lily to worry about though. Quite a few of them needed to keep a shield in place just to prevent the red and blue Aurelios from getting in. It was a battle the cultists were going to lose.

The entire time, Abigail could only stare.

”Wah!?” While Aurelio made a fine attempt to capture Abigail's attention, Lily's words seemed to hit closer to home. ”How can my feelings towards Aurelio be genuine if I'm brainwashed?” Her eyes expanded. ”Does that mean I won't love bro anymore if you beat me?” She stood there, dumbfounded for a moment longer. The last shield between herself and Lily's arrows was about to crumble away. That was when she cast her hand towards Lily.

Abigail's Grave

Lily was lone of the fastest girls in Penrose. But as soon as Abigail closed her outstretched hand, she was locked in place, hovering a few feet off the ground. One of the things that makes certain gravity spells so deadly is that they don't need to “hit” their target. All Abigail needed was line of sight in order to use this particular spell. The laws of gravity didn't seem to apply to lily anymore. Every twitch of her body caused her to spin, but she always remained isolated in the same spot. Since she was firing her bow, the recoil caused her to spin end over end, missing most of her shots after Abigail's spell activated. But that was just the first effect of this particular spell. Lily could feel the gravity ramping up around her, strengthening to the point where it was getting harder to breathe. If it kept up, she could black out. But even that wasn't the end of Abigail's spell. The tombstones around Lily were starting to crack and break apart, and the chunks were starting to pelt her. It wouldn't be long before bigger fragments started coming her way. The gravity wasn't just effecting the tombstones either, Aurelio's clones were being pulled into Lily's gravity field too. ”Waaaahahahahahahahaha!”

The strange monster opened its mouth and fired a laser at Abigail, covering her in the same shimmering substance that was stored in its back. It was hard to tell what its effect was, but Abigail seemed a bit more lively when under its effects. Her posture was a little straighter, and she seemed to be bouncing her weight from foot to foot.

A few cultists stuck around Abigail, but with their opponents drop in offensive power, they pushed their advantage. They extended their hands and threw wave after wave of fire at Aurelio, burning up all of his neutral colored clones. It was clear they were planning on surrounding him.

No one noticed Janet and Jenna's sudden arrival through the fog wall.

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[@t2wave]

As the three stone columns erupted from the ground violently, and slammed into the barrier around the crypt, the clashing sound of their impact rang out into the air. However...the barrier didn’t seem to budge, buckle, bend, or break at all. The earth within also remained in place...though one thing did happen in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Dark cracks began to form along the lengths of the columns, branching like spider webs over their surface until they reached into the earth itself...and continued to spread briefly over the ground itself just around the columns.

Then black flakes, like burnt ashes flitting about in the wind, began to float up from the crack-covered columns and ground. In fact, the columns and ground themselves were seemed to “disappear” into thin air rather quickly, until eventually nothing was left but a clean small crater next to the crypt where the attack had once protruded from.

And then “it” happened.

’Well well, a little slave of the Puchuu making a little prod? These grounds can’t be moved if you tried to move all of this meager world’s dirt and stone at once, though I am amused by this little effort of yours to try to “disrupt” this barrier. So you will be rewarded.

I shall make a miniscule effort of my own, as mortals tend to do, as practice. But what to inflict...?

….perhaps physical suffering?’ the voice of Soth said, ringing intrusively within Shannon’s own mind, speaking as if it was talking over a cup of tea and biscuits.
’...No no no, it would not be sporting, I’m afraid. Mortal flesh is frail, weak, and disgusting….albeit yours is somewhat interesting enough.

But perhaps the mind….hmmm, that should be sufficient. Such a weak, impressionable mind...much like any other human.’

Swiftly after the voice of Soth rung in the magical girl’s head again, a swift flood entered into her mind following this. Waves of gruesome and horrific images and sounds rushed in, of maddening masses of tentacles and ever-seeing eyes that no sane mortal being should ever behold, the screams of terror and the last sensations/emotions from “acquired” human captives from the stadium attack, and scenes of Soth tearing apart planets as the mortals of these planets died by the millions in vivid and disturbing detail upon the planets’ remaining surfaces. Every single one of these images and sounds, everything had been shown in such vivid detail it was beyond what the human mind could have perceived….but not too much at all for the mind of Soth.

And then the images too would suddenly cease, the invasive stream of them not flowing into her mind anymore. Like a water hose had suddenly been turned off, even.

’Ah…..enjoy those glimpses whilst you can. But this was an enjoyable activity, I suppose, to tide things over for now.

As thanks for volunteering for this, I have a special present heading your way…..do enjoy~’

And then the voice of Soth, after sending its final message that echoed around the magical girl’s skull, disappeared entirely once more.

@Vocab

The smoke wall was a confusing place to be, as it blocked nearly all of one's senses. It was teaming with horrorlings, moving about, preparing to dive into a battle at a moments notice. Shannon was aware of them, but most simply ignored her.

She wouldn't see it coming, she wouldn't hear it coming. The only indication she might have gotten was a horrorling suddenly stopping its movement. But there was too much to focus on. The vibrations this creature was making only stopped because it was no longer on the ground. It had jumped to Shannon's position, and it was hungry. That's all it was, an extra mouth to help expand the void. It didn't have a name, not that it could remember anyway.

Shannon didn't have the reflexes to avoid the creature. As soon as it landed nearby, it charged forward and collided with her. Rather than being thrown, the creature's tar-like body stuck to Shannon, taking her along for the ride. It wasn't long before the creature dove into a large tombstone, shoving Shannon deeper inside itself. That was when the teeth came out, and started biting Shannon as she sunk into its body. But if there was one thing she had, it was the tenacity to take blows like this. The other horrorlings must have gained wind of this discovery, because Shannon could sense them coming from all directions. But the champion horrorling wasn't concerned with that. It was just a matter of time before it eroded this shape. It would break, it would ruin, it would devour.

Normally creatures in this dark space could not be seen, but the smoke wall seemed to be lifting here. Rebecca Suthers stumbled upon this curious scene entirely by accident. There was a faint veil of smoke in the distance, and she could see all of the combatants fighting the Bates just beyond it. Would she venture forth, or would she try to help this magical girl wrapped up in a tar baby?

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Moirai
Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03

STR: 10 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 11 | MAG: 17 | LCK: 05

Earnings this post: Zilch

Total: 3 Gold, 100 Silver, 99 Bronze

Of course, there were things that even the horrorlings couldn't see. Things like Mac.

In truth, the tar baby's initial bite and slam would have been a lot worse if Mac wasn't there to soften the blow. But the fight had only started, and she would be needed elsewhere. She had faith that
Rebecca would do the right thing and help this girl out. That would free up Mac to help some of the other girls out.

RPGC: General Discussion

@Gwynbleidd@Briza@Frizan@SleepingSilence@Ruby@Odin@Spambot@Calle

Now's our chance to show Mahz people care about the contest section:

roleplayerguild.com/posts/4872177

I'm personally asking for the title system to come back, or a badge system, but feel free to give your own ideas

roleplayerguild.com/posts/4872237

Mahz's Dev Journal

As someone who runs contests, votes in contests, and occasionally participates in contests in the contest section, I would be stoked for a return of contest titles that contest mods can freely create and distribute to contest winners. Did I say the word contest enough?

Even better would be a medal system that let me design medals that a contest mod could then display on a user's profile.

Re: Zero: The High Council

Hideout (Suttling Basin, old mill)

“Huh?” Quill fret her brow. “What do you mean 'why did you ask?' Do you think I have some ulterior motive? Like I'd be interested in a romantic relationship with you? A human?” She snorted. “You're awfully cute, you know that?” She rubbed her nose. “And by cute, I mean small minded! I've seen what humans can do first hand when they see something they like, and I don't want that happening to Chiyo at all.” She looked away. “But you don't want anything like that with Chiyo, so we're fine.”

”Sounds like you're having a lot of fun in here.”

“Tch!”

Elder Sibling had a tendency to just randomly appear places. Not that her appearance was unexpected. She must have just decided to show up after all of Quill's shouting. ”Today is a very important day. It's going to mark the first time we use Chieko's powers to further our plan.” Elder Sibling's robes dragged across the floor as she approached. Two demihumans rushed in front of her and set a table and map of Priestella down before Chieko. Once they were done, they darted off. ”It should be a simple operation with your gift. If your gift does what it's suppose to do, nobody has to die.” She placed a map of the Vertti household down on top of the city map, positioning it in front of Chieko. ”All I need you to do is locate the royal seal and tell me the best way to get it. I'm not sure if this helps, but it should be located in Mistress Vertti's bedroom.”

All eyes were on Chieko now.

---

Vertti household

Grisaia did not receive a response. But he was an excellent servant, and wasn't about to let fear grip his heart. With a gentle twist of the doorknob, he was able to crack the door open and look at her bed. She wan't in it. Grisaia might have opened the door the rest of the way, but he would not have the chance. Aer pulled the door the rest of the way open, practically yanking it out of Grisaia's hands. The adventurer was only wearing a robe and a night cap, but she had two bottles of wine in one hand. One was almost empty, and the other was empty. Her face was beat red, and she seemed to sway side to side like she was standing on a sailing ship.

"Hello cutie!" Aer released the door knob so that she could wave to Grisaia. He hadn't known Aer long, but this was the first time he saw her smile. And it was one of the larger ones he had ever seen. "You know room service around here is pretty good. You tell people you're hungry, and they feed you. Tell them that you're sick, and they give you wine." She giggled like an imp. "I feel like a thousand royal coins right now." She took a step towards Grisaia and reached for his face. But because she only steeped forward with her leading foot, it brought her torso folward and down. "Are you a wizard, Grisaia? Because you get bigger the closer I get to you." Aer held out both bottles. "Did you cast a spell on this bottle? I notice the lighter one has a much weaker flavor now. It doesn't make a sound when you shake it either."

---

Gris's courtyard

Gris raised an eyebrow at flame's flamboyant, if perhaps too honest reply. ”Should I?” He chuckled. ”I think you'll do just fine. Most of the locals know who you are now. They certainly know who I am. I'm not really sure Elque would enjoy being around you. She sort of roams about, and I try not to restrain her too much if I can help it.” He put his hands on his hips. ”Besides, you have a home here! I guess I'm just not that worried about the money. I think you're a nice guy and I can trust you can run a simple errand. You've done really well with my lessons too. You put faith in me letting me train you, and now I'm putting faith in you, letting you handle my money.” The oni grinned. ”Think of it as an independence building exercise! Go see some of the locals who don't hang around here all the time.”

---

?

”What are you talking about? Hazzard a guess?” He took a step towards Aerith. When she tried to step away from him, her path was obstructed by a stone throne, which she fell into. ”Lust, who could love us but the witch of envy? Her hands outstretched constantly reaching! For us! As we are so close, but so very, very far!” He moved his face closer to Aerith's. ”Just 'a' witch? You disgusting creature. I bet you'd lay with just any witch, wouldn't you? But not I, not Vaux Maximilianus, Divagro von Theodoric und Hieronymous!” He broke out into laughter again. ”It matters not though. I'm not sure what you've been doing up until now, to prepare for the most holiest of days. I suppose I could 'hazzard a guess', but I'd rather not.” He grabbed Aerith by thhe shoulder and yanked her out of the seat. ”Did you roll out of some stranger's carriage? How can you be so ignorant, you imbecile! The city I speak of is Prestella, and the forest is...” He scratched his head. ”I-It's a generic one! Just a pointless destination! A pebble on the path to the city of water!” He pulled her towards the tree line. ”I'm only tolerating you because you're suppose to be useful. And if you turn out to not be, you'll know what my wrath looks like.” He cleared his throat. ”Anyway, here are the other guys. Say hi!”

Meet the Cult

To call it an army didn't do it justice. There had to be a thousand cultists in black and red hoods in very organized formations. And it wasn't just people either. Some of them were on land dragons, and some of them were pulling siege equipment. The caravan that was transporting everyone had been abandoned, and it seemed some of the cultists were burning what remained of their vehicles. Clearly this was a one way trip, and nobody was returning to where they came from.

”We finish the journey on foot.” Vaux released Aerith's arm. ”Walk with me to the front, it builds morale.”

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

...Elsewhere...

@Erode

”You don't know who I am?” Her arms remained on either side of Amaryllis. ”How is that even possible? Well, I don't think you're lying.” The girl took a step backwards. ”Lets start over.” She blinked a few times before saying anything. ”I'm Betty Barton. I'm protecting someone from mint agents. Who might you be?”

---

Mika watched as Rina flew over her head and hit the ground running, heading off towards the conflict.

"I think we came on too strong, Lupa." Mika giggled. "Of course not! You're a fantastic wing man!"

“Donuts!”

Mika picked up the bag of donuts. She felt pretty proud of herself. This was the second time she tried to talk to someone, and it went rather well. Mika was starting to think she had a gift for this sort of thing. But then she realized that, again, she failed to get a name out of the person. A transmission from Boteg pulled Mika out of her thoughts.

"Thou shall protect thy home while thy allies do work most splendid."

"Actually, I'm going to the disturbance."

"Wha-" Boteg's voice was trembling. "Little scare! Thou allies are already en route! Do not become a yeastly clapper-clawed barnacle! Defend thy home at once!"

A cloud appeared under Mika and Lupa's feet and they shot off into the distance. "Sorry Boteg, but I really need to get this girl's name. I've been here for a few weeks and you guys are still my only friends."

"Little scare!?" The dragon swallowed. "Dragon scare, you must not leave thy home! Sky scare has most splendid reinforcements! Thou shall protect thy true master!"

---

Elroy was counting the incoming magical girls. "Eight, nine, ten, eleven, and they keep on coming." He nodded. "I can take numbers like that with my hands tied behind my back, sand pushed up to my waist line, and a bag tied around my head!"

"That's about the numbers I was expecting." Regina didn't flinch. "They outnumber us Elroy, and even if they didn't, they just have to disrupt the ritual."

Elroy chuckled. "I hate to be the one to break it to you Regina, but if you expected us to go against odds that we couldn't possibly beat, might not have been a great idea to start this thing."

"I never said we couldn't beat them, or even that they had an advantage." Regina reached between her breasts. "Say Elroy, you're a curious sort. What do you think would happen if a monster girl used a black coin?"

"I imagine it would do something super cool. Like unleash rampant corruption through their bodies, infusing them with unimaginable power while inflicting mental mutations that are impossible to overcome. They would become saturated in negative emotions so intense that they become an entirely different person. At that point they aren't merely monsters, but demons." He looked to Regina. "Or maybe they turn into something called a monster queen, or I guess king if they were a boy. One of those options, if they don't die first."

Regina was flipping a black coin between her fingers. "Would you like to find out?"

"Did you..." Elroy placed his hand on top of his head. "Did you not hear a single word I said?"

"What's the matter Elroy? I didn't think you were the type to be cautious."

"You're not the type to smile, and here you are."

"I'm like anyone else. I smile when I'm happy." Regina held the coin up to her face. "I've been waiting for this moment ever since Veronica handed me this coin. Using this makes us a big player. It puts us on the same level as Justine Von Visceral."

"I seem to remember people saying she turned up missing, her castle is in ruins-"

"Elroy" Regina fret her brow. "The only thing I need to be happy in this world is one person like Annabelle. The world had my entire life to give me that, and they never delivered, not once. The closest thing I've ever had is you." She placed her hand on Elroy's shoulder. "You want me to be happy, right Elroy? You understand that we need to use this in order to win."

"...Yes."

"Then lets do it together." Regina's grin spread across her face as she held the coin out. "Put your hand over it."

Elroy groaned. "You guys better cook me a pizza after this." He placed his hand over the coin, and black clouds spiraled outwards in all directions. They were thick like smoke, and rolled over the graveyard. Even the incoming magical girls weren't safe as the inescapable cloud blew past them. Shrouding them in darkness. The smoke did not clear out entirely but sections of the graveyard did. This fragmented the group and forced them to fight apart in several small squads. They were all pit against different opponents in cut off sections of the graveyard.

---

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Moirai
Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03

STR: 10 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 11 | MAG: 17 | LCK: 05

Earnings this post: Zilch

Total: 3 Gold, 100 Silver, 99 Bronze

Well, it looked like it was starting. Mac pounded her fists together before stepping into the darkness.

---

@FamishedPants

After Silhouette, Mika and Lupa hit the smoke and got to the other side, they found themselves staring at what looked like a mausoleum, surrounded by various cross-shaped graves. Atop the mausoleum stood a noble knight, her sword drawn and wearing a knight's helmet, with the visor opened. Her red cape fluttered in the stormy winds. We meet again, Black Rogue, Shona addressed Silhouette, pointing her sword at her. "You are tainted by darkness, and beyond salvation. By Beacon's merciful light, I shall smite you." She lowered her visor.
"I challenge you to a duel. Face me in single combat! She stomped down on the mausoleum's roof, and cast a spell of protection on herself, strengthening her defenses with barriers of Reinforcement; in fact, a magical knight's shield formed on her free arm, shining with the symbol of Beacon.

As she did that, the small structure began trembling. Then, out of the dark depths began swarming Horror minions; small blobs with tentacles for arms and legs, and eyes for facial features, with varying humanoid shapes. However, they seemed to ignore Silhouette completely, and instead focused on Mika, who was still carrying Lupa on her back. The horrorlings were also glowing, their power amplified by Shona's magic, and they seemed to fight in rank and file, almost human in their intelligence thanks to Shona's Power of Friendship. Having confirmed that Mika and Lupa were occupied by the monsters, Shona leapt off the mausoleum, aiming a downward slash with her sword at Silhouette.

"Lupa, let's wrestle!" As the monsters approached, Mika offloaded Lupa and changed her arms into bear claws. Then she started beating them as they came close. Lupa was able to quickly transform and join in, punching straight through their bodies.

“There's a lot of them. But there were a lot of skeletons too.” Fortunately, Mika didn't have to mentally command Lupa to do every little thing. She seemed to be capable of defending herself just fine. However, Mika wasn't about to leave part of her pack out here by herself.

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Su and Chloe broke through the wall of smoke together. They appeared to be in the pet cemetery that was located inside the graveyard. The gravestones were small statues, few rising above the knees. The largest grave was a statue depicting a trio of dogs howling at the moon together.

”Were we the only ones who made it? I doubt everyone would have run away from some black smoke.”

“Gah!” Alicia stumbled away from some horrific minions, nearly tripping on a statue of a bunny. Blobs of tar with eyes floating in them. They rolled forward as their eyes constantly rearranged themselves. “It's an ambush!”

”Alicia?” Su raised an eyebrow. ”Weren't you behind us?”

“Something threw me!” She pointed over her shoulder. “Can you please just shoot the monsters already?”

”Right.” Su fired some small cyclones at the towering horrors.

---

@FamishedPants@Card Captor

Alexander and Emily were surrounded by dozens of empty graves. Things had gotten so bad in Penrose that sometimes they would dig graves in advance just to have them on hand. It was just a rumor, but it looked like it might be true. Sitting in the middle of it all was a giant black mass with a single eye and tentacles. Standing on top of it was non other than Tonya.

”T-that boy from the colosseum!” She was looking directly at Alexander. ”Alright buster! I tried to swing you to the right side before, but you were too ignorant and stuck up to help us beacon girls save Annabelle!” She folded her arms. ”Just because you're a healing expert doesn't mean you can sit on the side lines and act all indifferent! You need to take a stand for what's right! And what's right is Beacon!'”

---

@Shifter_Master

Lily and Kyle both emerged from the smoke to the sound of Abigail's obnoxious laughter. The gravestones here were mostly traditional tombstones, Though it looked like funeral service was prepared, but everyone fled once the ritual started. The casket was suspended over a hole, and there were yellow roses scattered about the area. Just behind it, Abigail was surrounded by robed cultists who's heads were a single massive eye. There was a giant horror behind her that had a large bubble on its back. The bubble was transparent, and a nebulous energy was swirling around inside it.

”Hi Aurelio!” Abigail gave her fellow beacon boy a wave. ”Did you want to try meeting the Bates again? They were kind of disappointed you ran off.” She placed a hand on her chest. ”I for one was a bit troubled that you didn't want to join us. I thought we were friends!” She started to blush, and her eyes closed to half mast. ”I let you touch my hand, and I let you put that magic mark on me. Hoping that you'd come by. Once, even just once.” She sniffed, and tears started to run down her face. ”I thought we had something after that!”

---

@Flamelord@DarkwolfX37@Rune_Alchemist

Alicia, Summer, and Rina were the only ones who made it to the center of the graveyard. Off in the distance was the crypt, which was the only source of light in this place. The dim glow of a powerful magical barrier kept intruders out. Standing on top of the crypt were the monster of the hour: Regina and Elroy.

But they were different.

Regina looked a lot more primal in appearance. Her horns were longer, she had more of them, and her tail looked like a long black spine. There was also a massive dragon head hovering over her shoulder, salivating as it eyed up the magical girls.

Elroy looked different too. He looked less like a monster and more like a king. He wore a cape and had gilded chains holding his regal outfit together. Elroy even wore a clip that looked like a crown, as if signifying his right to rule.

"Socks!" Elroy cast out his arms. "How long has it been? I know it's been a little over a month, but it feels like a little over a year, doesn't it?" The boy jumped off the top of the crypt and landed in front of the girls. He already had his shield and gauntlets drawn.

"Hope you weren't expecting to just march in here." Regina Raised her rifle, but didn't look through the sights. "Tell her how it is, Elroy. I'm ready to start."

"Surely we can spend a second catching up, right?" Elroy tucked a hand into one of his pockets, remaining stationary. "That was a wild night though, wasn't it?" Elroy tipped his head. "I mean, tin can tried to kill my sister, I thought she did, and then I got sorta mad at her. I think that's cool because I remember we were almost done talking our way to a peaceful solution." He pointed at himself. "But I was the one you decided to shoot at. I find that kind of interesting." He chuckled. "Now don't worry, I'm aware all three of you are pissing yourselves right now, but there is no correct answer to the question I'm about to ask. Admission of guilt doesn't lower your sentence in the Bate's court. But before I slaughter the three of you, I just gotta know if Socks would have done things differently knowing what she does now." His eyes focused solely on Alicia. "Is that really what Beacon stands for? Helping your own, even when they're in the wrong?"

Alicia did't know Elroy well, but she could tell he had changed. This wasn't the patient boy who wanted to peacefully talk out of a fight, or was willing to ask her if he'd let her retreat. Whatever sort of transformation he went through did more than just alter his appearance and power.

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

Swimsuits... are... everywhere!

Character Contest #2: Junk Yard

@Spambot There will be a contest next month. So if you'd like to try again then, keep an eye out.

I knew a few of these would go unnoticed due to the sporadic nature of the contest section. That's why I plan on releasing a few one right after the other. The first one had 4 entries, this one didn't have any.

I'll train RPG yet to look in the contest section.

Character Contest #2: Junk Yard

I guess this one was a bust, huh?

See you guys next month! We're going to be delving into the world of magic.