I miss writing. Alot. Journaling is all well and good, but there's something about creative writing. I get excited about it! So, here's to a year of doing what excites me. It's time for a change.
Okay, well, as I said I'll have something up by this Sunday. I was just saying, since I know I take forever and a half to post, that if someone else had any ideas then please feel free to proceed. That's all. No worries! =D
"Imagine your gift is like an ice cream shop employee. This employee has decided today she wants her once-a-month free ice cream cone. Because her boss is a stingy prick and doesn't believe in employee discounts. So, your channeling mantra, or simply mantra if you prefer, awakens your gift and tells it what you wish to accomplish. It is the force that opens the door to the shop and chooses the flavor of ice cream you want. Only these flavors can set someone on fire or send a spear of ice through steel. But what, you might ask, is ice cream without a cone? Your foci acts as the cone, channeling your gift in a concentrated, yet forceful, manner. That way ice cream doesn't go everywhere and nobody dies. The last step is, of course, scooping the ice cream out of the tub. That requires a concerted effort of willpower and physical vitality, which is why a Marked One's mind and body must be well-maintained. Without a keen mind and a body capable of expending vast amounts of energy, your powers will not work as they should. Also, you should know that I love ice cream and will make references to it throughout this text. Shall we begin?"
-Quote explaining "Crowley's Method" found in the grimoire of the Curious Mr. Crowley
Name: Samantha “Sammy” Raynor, her name was legally changed to Kelsey Smith in 2022
Age: 31 years old
Gender: Female
It’s hard to believe the exhausted, overweight brunette calling herself Kelsey Smith was once one of the most beloved psychogeneratives in both America and the United Kingdom. Samantha, or Kelsey depending on who she's talking to, looks like she’s been through a war. Standing at 5’8” and weighing nearly 220 pounds, the tanned woman has completely let herself go, though her hair and teeth are in remarkably good shape. For whatever that’s worth. The thirty-one year old wears her hair long in hopes of framing her round, doughy face in the best way possible. An adorable button nose, once the envy of women across the world, stands out as one of Samantha’s few redeeming features, though her pale blue eyes also have a certain pull to them. There is a weariness, and no small amount of fear, lurking in the gaze of the woman they used to call “The Masked Magician.” Even her puffy features can’t conceal the look of guilt etched across her face, and her overall physique suggests this is someone who saw something that nearly broke her. Maybe it should have. Moving past Sammy’s ample bust, a sizable gut has taken up residence around the former superheroine’s midsection. Wide hips and flabby, cellulite-studded legs ending in oddly dainty feet complete the image of a woman who no longer understands the meaning of the words “discipline” or “moderation.” Typically, Kelsey can be seen wearing whatever clothes she has on hand, which means wrinkly t-shirts that barely fit and sweatpants covered in old stains.
Occupation: Unemployed and sharing an apartment with her father
Location: Orlando, Florida, United States of America
Gina Raynor-Trevon-Samantha's mother, a greedy opportunist who constantly projected her own desires onto her daughter, she expected Sammy to be perfect in every way and punished her for the slightest missteps, wanted her daughter to become an Olympic gymnast like she almost was, became her daughter's agent and manager when her popularity as Kazara was at its peak, Gina then quietly copyrighted and trademarked anything to do with her daughter's alter ego, after Sammy fled Alien War 1 Gina exposed her daughter's secret identity to the world and divorced her husband, she also told Samantha she could no longer use the name Kazara, Gina currently lives in Los Angeles, California and is the chief consultant for Redwood Studios' trilogy of films based around Kazara's career, the first film Kazara: The Beginning was released on January 13th, 2024 to excellent reviews
Thomas Raynor-Samantha's father, a quiet and unassuming man often overshadowed by his more driven and aggressive wife, was briefly in the spotlight once his daughter's secret identity was revealed, had no interest in becoming a media sensation and quickly faded back into obscurity, Gina divorced him soon after, found Samantha in a homeless shelter after the events of AW1 and rented a room with her in a small apartment outside Orlando, currently lives with his daughter and is trying to be a better father
Alistair Crowley, also known as the Gray Man and the Curious Mr. Crowley (Deceased)-A skilled British Marked One who trained both Samantha Raynor and Stefan Anderson, came up with the term "Marked One" to differentiate between various types of psychics, a person possessing pyrokinesis would be referred to as someone "marked by fire" or a Flame-Marked, created "Crowley's Method" to spread his beliefs about being careful with one's powers in order to avoid hurting civilians, practiced hemokinesis and electrokinesis while serving in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions, encountered Samantha as a child and started her down the path that would lead to her becoming Kazara, after an argument the Gray Man dismissed Sammy in 2021 and they didn't reunite until AW1, Alistair died towards the end of the conflict
Stefan Anderson, also known as White Hat (Missing, Presumed Deceased)-A British Marked One who studied under Alistair Crowley alongside Samantha Raynor, wore a white top hat no matter where he was or what he was doing, skilled in hydrokinesis and was working on mastering his chlorokinesis abilities before AW1, never officially accepted into any divisions despite his close ties with both the Gray Man and Kazara due to his obsession with fame, Sammy's best friend and many American and British gossip magazines believed they were a couple, vanished after Alien War 1 and is believed to have died alongside his mentor
Pyrokinesis-Samantha Raynor is a Marked One, meaning she's a psychic with a very specific set of abilities. She cannot move things with her mind or read another person's thoughts. What she can do is control certain elements of the world around her through sheer willpower. Sammy is capable of wielding the forces of shadow and flame thanks to her innate gifts. Utilizing her pyrokinesis, the stronger of her two powers, the Masked Magician can control any source of fire she wishes and, if given enough time, can create flame from nothing. This is obviously more draining than using an existing fire. Fireballs, pillars of blue flame, and even wreathing herself in a crackling aura of fire are all abilities in Sammy's repertoire. She's also completely flame resistant. One of the foci she owns, the mysterious Ring of Flames, allows most of her pyrokinetic abilities to melt through anything short of solid steel.
Umbrakinesis-Besides pyrokinesis, Sammy was also born with the ability to manipulate shadows with her thoughts. She can force pools of shadow to harden into a durable substance known as crystalline darkness, which is sharp enough to pierce tank armor. One of her most well-known and useful umbrakinetic talents is the shadow disc, which creates a manhole-sized disc of crystalline darkness that can fly Sammy to any location she desires. It became Samantha's primary form of transportation between the United Kingdom and America when she became a celebrity. Another ability the Masked Magician has tried to master, but often failed at, is the so-called shadow step. This power allows Sammy to step from one shadow to another as long as she can see her intended destination. However, this involves passing into what the superheroine could only describe as "the deepest darkness I've ever seen" and she was terrified of it. The Curious Mr. Crowley was trying to alleviate Sammy's fear before their falling out in 2021. The Ring of Shadows, a mighty foci given to the Masked Magician by Alistair Crowley, further amplifies the psychogenerative's impressive talents.
Power Sensing-Like all other Marked Ones, Samantha can sense when other psychogeneratives are within one mile of her current location. She cannot tell what gifts these individuals might possess, but she knows they have them. This talent has served her well throughout her life despite its limited range. Especially when it came to evading former members of the Sixth Division. Sammy's power sense cannot be blocked except by a psychogenerative with a power specifically intended to cloak their gifts.
Other Skills-Has a high drug and alcohol tolerance, one of the finest cooks in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions, was trained from a young age to be a gymnast and can move well for a woman of her size, trained in basic hand-to-hand combat by White Hat but is out of practice
Whether it's food, drugs, or fame, Samantha has always struggled with self-discipline and resisting her gluttonous impulses. After spending time in rehab, she's largely kicked her drug habits, though the former superheroine does get intense cravings every now and again. Sammy also never quite got over her need for alcohol, and she drinks as often as she is able. This habit becomes more pronounced during moments of intense stress or emotional turmoil. Regrettably, this has led to her becoming substantially overweight, and it's difficult for her to engage in extended periods of physical activity. In addition, she's constantly tormented by horrific dreams of AW1 and the Curious Mr. Crowley's demise. It's rare for Sammy to sleep more than a few hours a night unless she's blackout drunk. Lastly, the way Samantha was raised makes her easy to manipulate and her guilt over past events has only made this worse.
Samantha Raynor's life began in the usual way. Born on March 5th, 1993 to Gina and Thomas Raynor, she seemed destined to be nothing more than the daughter of an anxious, meek father and a bullying, loud-mouthed mother. Gina's dream was to have her daughter become an Olympic gymnast like she'd almost been. And nothing would stop her from making this vision a reality. Sammy's days were filled with school, homework, and a rigorous training regimen intended to keep her in the best shape possible. In truth, the young girl was more interested in reading stories and watching old news reports about the activities of the famous Second Division. She must have watched The Fall of the Cult of Desecration, a movie depicting the division's battle against Desecration, at least twenty times before she was eight.
It wasn't until her ninth birthday, when her family was visiting Plant City to enjoy the Florida Strawberry Festival, that everything changed.
In the festival's lackluster midway area, Sammy found herself drawn to a game of four cup shuffle run by a gray-haired man with horn-rimmed glasses and a constant smile on his face. The stranger introduced himself as the Curious Mr. Crowley, a tourist from London hoping to taste the sweetest and juiciest strawberries in the world. And to eat as much strawberry ice cream as he could stomach. There was an immediate bond between this charming British man and the inquisitive Sammy, and she was eager to try her luck at four cup shuffle. The rules were simple. Four cups and two rings. All the nine-year old needed to do was figure out which cups had rings underneath. Shockingly, she guessed correctly. His eyes twinkling merrily, the Curious Mr. Crowley handed Samantha her prizes: an octagonal ring of the finest onyx and a hexagonal ring of citrine. The Ring of Shadows and the Ring of Flames. Clasping the child's tiny hands in his large, scarred ones, the elderly Englishman told Samantha he was quite pleased and, if she still wanted to be a hero, he might be able to help her. He would send her a letter when she was older and wait for her response. If she was no longer interested then she needn't reply.
Time passed as it so often does and the Third Division, in what was to be their finest hour, ended North Korea's dreams of conquest during World War III. With her mother focused on sending her to a college that wouldn't interfere with her gymnastics, Sammy's life didn't feel particularly different. And then she received a letter from the Curious Mr. Crowley on July 5th, 2011. According to this letter, Samantha was a "Marked One," a psychic with specific but formidable abilities. Abilities that could change the world around her in ways both great and small. The Curious Mr. Crowley wanted to train the young psychogenerative and possibly submit her to the recently formed Fourth Division as a potential member. In light of the recent war, Samantha's parents were concerned about sending her outside the United States to meet some man she hardly knew. Surprisingly, it was Gina who, after reading the letter several times, declared this might actually be a brilliant idea. Sammy was ecstatic, but her father was concerned. In all their years of marriage, Gina had rarely changed her mind...unless she stood to benefit in some way.
Despite her father's misgivings, Samantha boarded a plane and flew to London to meet Mr. Crowley at his palatial estate just outside the city. He introduced her to his only other student, the glory-obsessed but gallant Stefan Anderson, and gave the young psychogenerative his grimoire, which contained a list of mantras and techniques to help her channel her gifts properly. Alistair explained that Sammy was "marked by flames and shadows," and the rings he'd given her as a child would strengthen her powers. There was a method, however, called "Crowley's Method," that would separate Samantha from all the other superheroes and heroines with psychic abilities. First, you speak a channeling mantra, a phrase composed of psychically reactive words, in order to awaken your gift and delineate what you want to accomplish. After the mantra was spoken you would channel your willpower through your foci. The Rings of Shadows and Flames served this purpose admirably. Forcing a torrent of psychic energy through these objects was safer than simply lashing out with raw, uncontrolled power, though it was also harder.
Samantha remained in London for two years until the winter of 2013 when a group of Marked Ones attacked Walt Disney World of all places. Supposedly, an ancient and powerful foci was hidden beneath Cinderella's Castle, and the so-called Third Cabal intended to claim it for themselves. Unfortunately, the Fourth Division was too busy trying to deal with the re-emergence of the Cult of Desecration to attend to this minor issue. Deciding to test his new students, the Curious Mr. Crowley, accompanied by Stefan and Samantha, flew to the United States to deal with these rogue psychics. The Emerald Witch, Voldo, and the hideous He Who Watches All were defeated and imprisoned after a lengthy battle, which ended with Walt Disney World closing for nearly twelve years. Still, the Curious Mr. Crowley, Stefan, and Samantha prevailed. It was after this momentous battle that the Gray Man gave Samantha her "hero name" since he knew she didn't want her true identity to become public. For her family's sake. He dubbed her Kazara the Masked Magician after the woman who'd opened his eyes to his own gifts.
After briefly returning to the United States in 2014 to reunite with her parents, the Curious Mr. Crowley presented Kazara to the Fourth Division. Desperate for aid against the Cult of Desecration's madness, the leaders of the group accepted her, though the Gray Man convinced them to let Samantha continue training while assisting the division. Despite realizing all her dreams, however, something changed as Kazara returned to London to resume her tutelage. The media swarmed all over this mysterious young woman in a silver mask and, despite the warnings and rebukes of her teacher, Samantha fell headfirst into the dangerous mire of television talk shows, commercials, and partying with celebrities. Stefan, her closest friend at this point, encouraged this behavior and ensured she enjoyed every event she attended. Even if this meant skipping lessons to do lines of cocaine in some random celebrity's mansion. As her popularity in London skyrocketed, Kazara often rode on her shadow disc between England and the United States alongside her master and Stefan to help the Fourth Division deal with the Cult of Desecration.
And then the Fourth Legion disbanded after the world realized what Sung Jin Lee had done.
While hiding in Mr. Crowley's estate to avoid persecution, Kazara received a surprise visit from her parents. Gina told Sammy she needed to come home. Not because she was afraid of what might happen if someone found out she was a psychogenerative. Gina was convinced the Masked Magician could change the opinion of the entire United States. She was a fresh face, more known in London than in America. After agreeing to try it and accepting her mom as her talent agent, Sammy nervously returned to the United States, leaving a furious and worried Mr. Crowley behind. Surprisingly, Gina's father and several of his close friends were movie producers at Redwood Studios. They were already talking about making a trilogy of movies about this new psychogenerative, an untainted soul standing strong in the face of Sung Jin Lee's ruthlessness. Commercials, more talk shows, and constant partying became the norm yet again. While the overall attitude towards gifted men and women didn't change, the viewing public saw this lovely, charming new superheroine as a beacon of hope in these dark times. If Kazara was popular in London she was revered in certain parts of the United States. Of course, the stress of being a psychogenerative celebrity in a time when her kind were barely tolerated drove Kazara to embrace excess. Slowly but surely, her lifestyle began to take a toll on her body and her mind. While she eagerly joined the Fifth Division when it formed in August of 2018, Kazara's priorities were painfully obvious. She was more interested in doing her new status as a cultural icon than helping people.
Egged on by her manipulative mother's urging, Samantha slowly stopped caring. The Curious Mr. Crowley visited her often and tried to continue training his wayward pupil, though a brutal argument ended their relationship in 2021. And then the aliens came.
All Fifth Division members, now called the Sixth Division, gathered to battle the alien menace and Kazara was forced to go. What would her adoring public think if she didn't participate in the coming battle? The fighting progressed slowly and horribly. Each day saw the loss of more and more division members, which took a serious toll on the Masked Magician. While she'd been peripherally involved with the war against the returned Cult of Desecration, this was different. This was personal. It wasn't until that final, awful battle in Canada that Samantha Raynor realized just how far she'd fallen. Mr. Crowley and White Hat were pinned down by several aliens, calling out for Kazara to help them. She flew towards them on her shadow disc and suddenly...stopped. Fear, mind-numbing fear washed over and the aliens obliterated the Curious Mr. Crowley. With a scream of terror and guilt, Samantha fled for her life and didn't stop until she was back home in Orlando, Florida. That was Kazara's main contribution to Alien War 1.
After her less-than-triumphant return home, Sammy realized things had changed while she'd been away. Her mother, a cruel smirk on her face, told her daughter she intended to divorce Thomas. Furthermore, Gina had also taken the rights to the name and image of Kazara away from her out-of-control brat of a daughter. Gina's grin grew even wider as she opened the door to the family home, revealing a living room packed with reporters. Reporters who now knew Kazara's true identity. The name "Samantha Raynor" quickly became a byword for cowardice, the consequences of excess, and falling from grace. Traumatized by recent events, Samantha checked herself into rehab and emerged in 2022 only to find herself penniless and forgotten. The world only cared about Kazara and what she represented. Nobody cared about the woman behind the mask. Out of desperation, Sammy reached out to an old contact in Washington and was able to change her name to Kelsey Smith. She dyed her hair brown and did her best to hide from the world as well as any remaining division members.
A few weeks later, however, her father found Sammy in a local homeless shelter and offered her a place to stay. For the next two years, Thomas tried to help his shell-shocked and depressed daughter get back on her feet. Sadly, the loss of Mr. Crowley and the realization of her own cowardice scarred Samantha deeply. While she avoided doing drugs, Sammy quickly fell back on her oldest, dearest vice: drinking. Now, in 2024, the thirty-one year old psychogenerative finally feels ready to try getting a job and maybe, just maybe attempt to move on. Maybe. Even as the public celebrates the release of Kazara: The Beginning in theatres, Samantha is trying to forget the past. To lock it away just like she locked away Mr. Crowley's grimoire and her two rings.
Divisions Involved With: The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions
Name/Title: Kazara the Masked Magician, will eventually become known as Torchlight due to her mother's ownership of the name Kazara
Before giving up her life as a superheroine after AW1, Kazara's costume consisted of a blue gymnast's leotard, black slacks, and black boots. She also wore a dark blue hoodie from time to time, but her face was always concealed behind a smiling silver mask. The psychogenerative never allowed her face to be seen in public no matter how drunk or high she was. Luckily, Stefan Anderson, also known as White Hat, was willing to help her maintain her secret identity despite his love of the limelight. Of course, the Masked Magician would be nothing without her two foci, the Ring of Shadows and the Ring of Flames. The Ring of Shadows could always be found on Kazara's right index finger while the Ring of Flames adorned her left one. Since her return to Orlando with her father, however, this costume has lain untouched in the bottom of "Kelsey Smith's" closet alongside a locked strongbox containing Alistair Crowley's grimoire and her two rings.
The Ring of Shadows-An octagonal ring made of pure onyx, which is one of the most psychically reactive materials in the world. Alistair Crowley claims to have found this potent foci inside an Egyptian tomb deep within the Valley of the Kings. Since the Gray Man only possessed the gifts of hemokinesis and electrokinesis, he kept the ring safely locked in a vault beneath his London estate until he stumbled upon a nascent Marked One who was "marked by shadows." That Marked One was a young Samantha Raynor. The Curious Mr. Crowley gave Samantha the ring and trained her in its use over several years. While wearing the Ring of Shadows, Sammy's innate ability to psychically manipulate shadows is greatly strengthened and she can actually create shadows where there aren't any. This is a very draining process, however. Without the boost provided by this foci, the Masked Magician must use whatever naturally occurring shadows are within her line of vision. It should be noted that Samantha can still use umbrakinesis without the Ring of Shadows. The foci just makes her already formidable gift more potent.
The Ring of Flames-A dull, hexagon-shaped citrine ring that once belonged to the mysterious villain known only as He Who Watches All. The Curious Mr. Crowley took this foci from the villainous psychogenerative in 1990 during a raid on his stronghold in Germany's Black Forest. This ring was also given to Samantha Raynor by the Gray Man when she was young since he couldn't use it. Using its power, the former superheroine's gift for controlling fire with her mind is amplified and any flame under her control turns a brilliant shade of blue. She can also conjure flame from nothing, though this is much harder to do than simply using a readily available fire. Again, Samantha is still capable of astonishing pyrokinetic feats when not wearing the Ring of Flames.
Alistair Crowley's Grimoire-A black, leather-bound journal containing pages and pages of notes about everything from channeling mantras to a delicious recipe for fried chicken. This book was given to Samantha Raynor by the Gray Man when she first visited him in London. Crowley's Method is also thoroughly explored in the crinkly, yellowed pages of this chapbook. Essentially, imagine trying to bend a spoon with your mind. Instead of pummeling the spoon with your telekinetic abilities, the Curious Mr. Crowley believed it was necessary to meditate until you discovered a mantra for bending objects. Then and only then could you bend the spoon. Over the years, Sammy added her own mantras and thoughts to this journal, though she hasn't touched it in over two years.
Trademarks: Smiling silver mask, one orange and one black ring
Going to shoot for having a post up by Friday or Sunday. I will have something up this week that can hopefully move us along. If anyone has any other ideas, however, feel free to post them in the meantime.
I'm going to do my damndest to have Samantha "Sammy" Raynor, also known as Kazara, up by Sunday. I'll also be adding, if it's alright, two additional members to the Sixth Division: The Curious Mr. Crowley and White Hat.
Okay, well, I guess I'll start working on a bit of a filler post where Myra talks to her troops and then lands with the rest of the PCs. Thank you for clearing up the confusion, Vahir.
Oh, well, you mentioned there would be more information available in the OOC. I'm fine with getting a headstart on my CS, but I was waiting to see what other info you were going to provide us with. I pretty much have all the basic parts taken care of, though I still need to address the longer sections. Like 'Backstory' lol.
