Tanya's breath floated silvery in the icy moonlight, the only sign of life among a nest of shadows. She pulled her scarf around her mouth, suffusing even that, and crept closer to the crumbling stone pillars of the Moschet Museum as silently as ink dripping across parchment. She moved like a snake in the grass, a saleswoman among shadows-- it wasn't usually like her to be getting her hands dirty, but the prize in this abandoned building would be way more than worth it. Or at least, she hoped it would.
She'd heard rumors that scavenger's had picked the area clean, time and time again. Even so, it was said that the place still held a strange chill, like a locket kept close to a corpse, and maybe even an artifact or two at that. The place made a magnificent wreck-- if she wanted to see if it had any treasures left for the world, it would have to be alone. As the moonlight hewed threataning silhouettes into view, she hoped with everything that alone is how she would stay.
Born in the gutters by her local Mage's Guild, Tanya was an orphan who pickpocketed power from wizards. Hers is an insatiable thirst for fortune and glory, combined with a magpie-like talent for taking and hoarding interesting trinkets. In back-alleys between witches and warlocks, she made whispered legends of herself as a dealer of lost wands, interesting scrolls, and dangerous beasts. Over time, the scrawl of her lifetime spent in the business of magic made its way to her skin, her body a ledger for transactions of reality bending power. With her own knowledge and a series of kept promises and well-backed blackmails with real arcanists, she became a talented mage in her own right, and is always looking for a deal.
Powers and Abilities:
Signature Technique
Pure magecraft, writ unto Tanya's body over her years of experience. She has several different abilities based on the tattoos she's inscribed into her skin, and the amount of her own life energy she intends to feed her spell.
Binding Contract: Tanya has the ability to inscribe circles of ink into surfaces which magically entrap anybody who touches them. Without extended preparation, these circles can range in size from anywhere to the width of her outstretched palm to a diameter of four and a half feet wide. These circles can hold a victim for roughly twice the time spent used to create it, and remain on the surface they've been inscribed to for the same amount of time. With focus, larger ones can be created to detain larger threats, and smaller ones can be applied directly to bind the movement of muscles or joints on an opponent's body. These circles can be broken with relatively little effort by trained mages, and exceptionally strong individuals should be able to force their way out of most binds. Furthermore, ranged attacks or traps are still very usable from within a Binding Contract. Tanya herself is unaffected by these circles, and can even hide them among the tattoos on her own body to catch would be wrestlers by surprise.
Feather of Innocence: By pressing her palm to her chest, Tanya can manifest the outlines of wings at her back, which allow her to hover or fly for short distances. She is able to levitate for up to thirty minutes while using other abilities, and can charge at a maximum of almost forty miles an hour. These feathers can also be used for combat applications, as they can cushion blows that land among them, and be fired as a cloud of magical shrapnel. Furthermore, Feather of Innocence is extremely versatile in that it can be combined with her other Signature Techniques, such as Binding Contract and Rules Snake, to give her ink blasts stunning capabilities, or impose the Pact at a greater range.
Rules Snake: Tanya has managed to seal a demon at the nape of her neck, a malevolent being that serves as the linchpin of her magical powers at the price of demanding souls. Writ between the lines of spellwork on her body are the codes and dictates by which Rules Snake is able to act, and it states that in order to drain the soul from a victim, it must establish contracts with the one it seeks to consume.
In combat, this means that Tanya's touch will allow Rules Snake to bite its victim, marking them in unknowable runes as a manifestation of its demonic Pact. Once a mark is made, Tanya can impose terms upon the opponent, often relevant to the battle at hand, such that they may not use their right hand, or that they may not open their left eye for the next thirty seconds. Tanya need not announce her terms, but once she has set them, the opponent should be filled with a zealous obsession to make their own terms. If the opponent fails to provide a counteroffer, Rules Snake will manifest from the original wound and devour their soul. If the opponent is willing to play this game, they may impose counter-terms upon Tanya, which she will innately understand, and must abide by until one of the combatant's souls is extinguished. Should she reject the terms outright, Rules Snake will consume her, and seek a new master. If she is able to deal further damage to her opponent with Rules Snake, the Pact with her personal demon will be fulfilled for the moment, and its hunger will be kept at bay for just a little bit longer...
=== Physical Coordination
She is able to move with impressive grace and speed, built through years of practice dodging hexes among ramparts and towers. Her movement style in urban areas bears a striking resemblance to modern parkour, which she can augment through the use of the Feather of Innocence. Furthermore, her hand to hand combat style emphasizes the use of joint locks, strikes to pressure points, deception and decisiveness. She'd make quite a show out of modern special forces.
Weapons and Equipment:
Quill
A dagger with a four inch long handle and a five inch long blade, the image of a snake carved into each flat of the metal as an ornate blood groove. The wood encasing its fine steel is grooved perfectly to Tanya's grasp. She's able to manipulate it expertly, separating meat from bone with as little trouble as she separates her customers from their ill-gotten cash. It's been with her so long that the metal has become somewhat attuned to her mana, and she can channel her abilities through it through slashes, thrusts, or throws.
Born in the war-torn remnants of the former United States, Daniel of Columbia serves as a staunch Knight of D.C., an implacable bulwark against the raiders and mutants that plague the irradiated wastes of the nation of his fathers. His air of sharply maintained tradition and unflappable calm reassures his fellow soldiers of their unquestionable safety, and his well trusted and often bloodied weaponry creates that safety before he bothers asking questions. This knight knows and serves one creed-- Do Not Retreat.
Powers and Abilities:
Superhuman Physiology
Daniel is far beyond the peak of human limitations, pushing the limits of human strength, speed, and endurance well into the territory of supersoldiers who were once abused in the Sixth and Seventh World Wars. He is able to cover a distance of twenty meters within three seconds while charging, and needs no more than a second before attaining full (and often deadly) ramming speed. This capacity to accelerate is complemented by superhuman agility, and unhindered, he is able to slow from full tilt to a complete stop within ten feet. His strength is such that he can toss weights of up to five hundred pounds with relative ease, can push or kick loads of up to half a ton without apparent strain, and can lift a maximum of roughly a ton with time and effort. Furthermore, his punches are strong enough to shatter small craters in concrete, bend rebar like licorice, and cuts from his sword have been noted to split a supermutant cleanly in half. He can jump to a maximum of four meters at rest and twelve meters at speed, and is naturally resistant to small arms fire.
Martial Skill
Daniel's skills in violence are unparalleled among mere mortals, and he is no less than masterful with his riot shield. He has maintained a regimen of survival and battle against the varied hazards of the post-apocalypse for years, putting his skills on par with those of hardened veterans of wars long past. For instance, some applications of his arsenal include reducing or increasing the distance of his slides and charges by applying his shield as a brake or a sled. He further shines in close quarters combat, where he can upset an opponent's guard by ramming, then furthering his assault by utilizing his shield as a buffer to position to a more favorable direction of attack. He is also able to turn his physical capability to the precision of swordsmanship, where he is able to match other superhumans in technical execution. He is in complete control of his body, wastes no movement, and wastes threats with extreme prejudice.
Tactical Prowess
Daniel has also proven himself to be a sound tactician, able to recognize his value as a one man shock detachment and commando. In addition to serving the Knights of D.C. as the equivalent of a platoon of soldiers, has demonstrated the capacity to coordinate several units to success in the achievement of battlefield scale military objectives. He also possesses a sound habit of experimentation in battle, and will not hesitate to assess the capabilities of his opponent, modify his strategies on the fly, and exploit the most efficient means of neutralizing potential threats. Often, he will opt to talk rather than engage in combat immediately, but behind the veneer of communication, the wheels are turning to find out weak points.
DETERMINATION
New experiences in other worlds have filled Daniel of Columbia with the diamond resolve to return home. He knows not what trials and obstacles will meet him in his journey, but he will overcome, he will outlast, for the knight's soul burns with DETERMINATION. This "power" is his primary way of interacting with supernatural forces who would shape reality into deadly weapons; by focusing his will, he can negate half of the damage for a magical attack for with the same number of charges, with further stacking bonuses against magical attacks with fewer charges (one charge less does 1/4th damage, two charges less deals 1/8th etc.), and negate half the damage of the next connecting physical attack with twice the number of charges (two charges means half damage, four charges means 1/4th damage). Daniel is able to steel his resolve as a passive action, but he cannot focus on his environment and analyze the movements of opponents while he is building determination.
Weapons and Equipment:
Responsive Carbide Anti-Personnel Blade: Manifest
A sword composed of a tungsten carbide alloy shell folded around a nano-reactive polymer, the Manifest would be no more than an expensive affectation in the hands of most other soldiers. For Daniel of Columbia, this eccentric anachronism lives out the purpose of its ancestors en masse, taking advantage of Daniel's raw physical prowess to sunder foes tougher than the capabilities of normal small arms fire. When making a dangerous excursion deep into dangerous territory, the Manifest is a weapon that allows its owner to maximize his personal potential as a walking slaughterhouse, and make surgical incisions into the biological horrors as tough as nuclear bunkers.
Reflexive Diamond Riot Shield: Destiny
Daniel of Columbia's signature weapon, a riot shield modeled after those carried by the establishment forces in the Engagement of 2084, the final death rattle of the short lived Provisional American Confederacy. In any case, the shape of this shield sends almost genetic chills of fear down the spines of those who violate the rule of law in the Capital Wasteland, and its name is a harsh yet accurate reminder of exactly what it means when a would be criminal has his head split into the dust at the jaw. Technically speaking, it is even tougher than the Manifest in terms of raw shock absorbency; the result of a perfected process of 3 dimensional printer layering to stack and chemically treat carbon molecules in a manner which gives it the fabled strength of diamond coupled with the flexibility of modern polypropylene. The result is an incredibly resistant super shield, able to crash and shatter opposition, and hold the line when the opposition attempts to crash back.
Active Body Armor: Ghillie Suit
To further augment his combat effectiveness, Daniel of Columbia has been fitted with a suit of armor composed of ultralight compacted ceramic plates, a breathable, fire retardant, acid neutralizing reactive polymer, and a bitchin' scarf. His armor is sufficient to mitigate damage from creatures that hit almost as hard as he does and pack claws to boot, but suffers from the classic failing of plate armor to completely deflect crushing and piercing damage. While Daniel primarily relies on his agility and shield to keep him safe, his armor will serve well against even the most persistent foes long enough for him to end hostilities.
Miscelaneous Equipment:
Full Rappelling Kit
Industrial Solar Powered Flashlight, 72 Hour Charge
Octanitrocubane Explosive Charges x10
Area Map/Compass
Field Rations
Field Medicine Kit
Pros: +Extremely adaptable
+Durable
+Survivor's mindset, reliable leader
Cons: -Unfamiliar with and vulnerable to supernatural, extraterrestrial, or paranormal threats
Battle between Empty Armor and Takashi. Post time is two days.
Monolith Graveyard
Player Limit: N/A. Description: An ancient place, the Monolith Graveyard contains massive metallic structures composed of many metals such as iron, steel, copper, gold, and silver. There are a total of 500 Monoliths which are evenly spaced from one another. All Monoliths are 33 meters apart and stand at a height of 80 meters, making them truly impressive structures. The humming noise released by the Monoliths may have a variety of effects, but these effects depend on the combatants present as well as their intentions and alignment. The Monoliths tend to favor whomever is the weakest or most disadvantaged and will play to their strengths, attempting to even out the match-up through field advantage. In most cases of evenly matched opponents, the Monoliths' merely hum, and the sound produces no effect other than focusing the abilities and minds of those present to a minor degree.
The Graveyard is called as such due to a new Monolith appearing for every combatant who falls through contest within their bounds. The Monoliths are spread out in 250 rows and 250 columns. Each column is 3 meters from one side to the other, As a result the Graveyard is utterly massive and gains size for every fallen combatant. Currently it is 9000x9000 meters.
Adversaries always start 60 meters away from one another. While the pillars are not indestructible, the materials that make them up attract one another and so will return to their base form and levitate to their normal location when not manipulated by other energies. The ground of the arena is mostly level and is composed of reinforced stone. The floor conducts vibrations fairly well.
Unique Traits: The Monoliths constantly emit a faint humming noise. As the intensity of events around them raises so does the volume of the deep hum. Once the both combatants have unveiled their true power or the fight has reached a level of great intensity the monoliths begin to levitate above the rock formations that typically hold them down. The structures will move slowly from platform to platform.
Another duel between Empty Armor and Doc Doctor. Post limit is two days.
Name: The Moschet Museum
Size: Outside arena floor space is 50 x 60 feet wide covered by mountains that reach for miles, indoors is a 120x60 feet hall
Properties: The outdoor arena has destructible stone structures and is always night time, the indoors has rickety upper level platforms and a large pit at the end of the museum, this pit is endless. Other than the mountain the Arena is fully destructable. You will start in the outdoor arena and the large entrances seen in the image will lead you to the main part of the museum. The interior structure of the Museum is mainly very dry wood which is fairly flammable, if a large enough fire is started, the whole building will burn down.
Player Capacity: up to 6 players can fight here.
Description :
Flavour Text: The Moschets were a very dangerous but powerful and famous married couple, they were rumored to be demons and had large enough egos they kept all their most prized possessions in a grand museum in a mountain construct. They were later killed by witch hunters, and the museum was vandalized on numerous occasions. But every so often the spirits of the Moschets will come to watch duels between powerful warriors in the place they were once so proud of.
Your knight actually seems surprisingly well equipped to take on Talon. He's fully armored with future-gear that can withstand both fire and acid; I'd say it can be resistant to Talon's magma as well. For the sake of fairness I'll limit Talon's flying to a mode of movement only so that he can't just hover out of reach spamming attacks. Daniel's riot shield seems more or less impregnable. I'd say it would be able to block "channeling the hatred," and that Daniel's armor can block the physical effects, but not the mental or spiritual effects. I also think that Talon would win out in direct contests of brute strength, but other than that they seem pretty even. Is there anything in particular that you think imbalances the fight?
Ah, thanks for clarifying the extent of Talon's powers. In that case, I haven't seen anything between our sheets that strikes me as especially overpowered. It looks like it's gonna be a good fight! Does a post window of two days sound reasonable to you? Or would you prefer more? My schedule is pretty flexible.
Sounds good. Off the bat, I'm interested in starting a fight between my knight and your dragon. There looks like a bit of a power gap though; knowing your character, think it could go either way? I think it could be a really cool fight, if it shakes out more or less even.
In the meantime, I'm working on two more sheets, they should be up by the end of tomorrow.
