Lugubrious

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

Alright, y'all have got 5 more days. Break!

@ProPro

My apologies, I have been traveling. I'll put something together tomorrow.

Project Crossover [Video Game Crossover RP]

Azura
Level 2
Day 3
Location: The Land of Skyrim
Experience: |||||||||||||||||||| (8/20)
Word Count: 685

If the typical day in Skyrim was cold, then nighttime could most leniently and non-explicitly be described as 'glacial'. Barely had a few minutes passed before the biting winds, howling down from the mountain heights, started to penetrate through the luxuriant winter robes that kept Azura so cozy before. Her teeth chattered as trudged through the snow. A climb like this in the day would have been hazardous enough, but at night the task turned impossible if not for the whispers on the wind, telling her which paths to take on her frigid ascent. As time wore on and the air grew thinner, her muscles grew weary, and her mind urged her to lay down in the soft snow to rest. The songstress knew better than to listen to that temptation; from her books she knew that, coat or no, if she fell asleep in such a cold bed she would never awaken. Instead, she forced her mind to wander, trying to shut out the incredible chill. She hummed snatches of her song, its subtle magic providing just enough of a boost to keep her body moving along with her thoughts. This ordeal would be her trial, she concluded, to see if she had what it took to be a hero. When she opened the strange letter not so long ago, she had accepted that mantle without too much thought, telling herself that even if she felt that she'd done nothing to deserve it that she had at least been chosen for a reason. This climb, this mountain, this mission...here was where she would prove she was no pretty wallflower, no useless tag-along, even if to nobody but herself.

Eventually Azura did need to pause to catch her breath and try to get her blood pumping again. When the crunching of snow under her feet stopped, however, she could hear carried on the breeze another sort of crunching. This one, however, did not involve snow, and it sent new shivers down her spine. Taking pains to be quiet, she advanced a few more meters along with wall until she could see the path ahead. A dark shape, far too large and burly to be human, crouched over a mangy black mess she could not identify as anything other than a large, dead animal. The beast itself appeared to be eating, making ghastly noises as it messily devoured its meal. Worse still, the gristly scene lay square in the middle of Azura's way forward, and the ascent itself appeared too narrow to skirt around the monster at all, let alone at a safe distance. A novice climber would have no chance of making her own way around in the dark, either, but trying to drive the beast away would be even more suicidal. Worse still, she could hear no hints from her ephemeral guide, though that did make it occur to her that this, too, was a test.

A few moments passed, the woman standing stock-still in the icy night, before something popped into her mind. A risky gamble, she knew, but short of waiting for the morning's light there remained no alternatives. Closing her eyes, Azura took a deep breath, then held up her Blessed Lance. Her yellow eyes flashed open, and she began to sing.

”Sing with me a song, of birthrights and love. The light scatters to, the sky above...”

Not far away, the frost troll perked its head up. It could hear the intruder's high, clear voice even through the tempestuous piping of the wind, but it did not yet know what to make of it.

”Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone. Lost in thoughts, all alone...”

A deep sound, like some primal titan moving, undercut the howling of the air. The frost troll turned its small eyes upward to see a vast, formless mass rushing toward it.

Azura winced. “I am sorry, creature.”

A split second later a wall of icy water crashed upon the beast, on target to wash it and its kill right off the path and down the mountainside with its sheer bulk and force.

✧ Adventure Must Continue ✧

PC:

Yseult Concasseur – LEGION DUSTER

True Appearance

Disguise Appearance

Species: Greater Ash Demon
Name: Yseult Concasseur
Title: Legion Duster (her innate stamina, mana, and health regens are doubled for every order of magnitude by which she is outnumbered)
Gender: Female
Age: 99
Background: The life of Duncan Philips was, as with many others, a dull one. Though close with his mother, father, and sisters from a young age, he remembered from his childhood one thing more than anything else: the loneliness. Few children were born anymore, and fewer still it seemed were those who cared for their fellow humans, though his lack of social aptitude shouldered a good portion of the blame. Nevertheless, his dwindling generation was one born into a sea of apathy, set adrift farther flung than any that came before. To set oneself apart in such a world demanded intellect, drive, and ambition, but Duncan, while smart, contented himself with a quiet life. Unlike many others, he did manage to find some meaning in his life, in his case through dedication to a higher purpose in the form of religion. Yet, even with his faith to keep him from turning sour and giving up, he never stopped looking for something more throughout those many years.

At about the time he sought a college to study at for the sake of entrance into the corporate world proper, he discovered something truly fascinating: Yggdrasil. There, he soon discovered, fantasies were real. All that had vanished from the world -the thrill of contention, the joy of exploration, the warmth of desire and the scintillation of discovery- he found waiting for him there. Choosing to play as a female demon as a sort of reflection of his departure from reality, he dedicated all the time he could spare to exploring this promising world, alternating between hero and scourge on a whim. Even with magic, monsters, and mystery at his fingertips, though, he never stopped wanting to belong. Earnest for comradeship, he threw his lot in with guild after guild, yet never seemed to gel. It was some time before he stumbled on the right group—a company of players devoted to style and immersion as horrific as it was fascinating, to exploiting every inch of customization to create a group experience that thrilled like no other thanks to its members' boundless imagination. Though he got off to a shaky start, Duncan managed to embed himself in the group, learning its ins and outs. While far from the strongest warrior among them, he cemented himself as reliable and trustworthy, never content to sit on his laurels. Perhaps most distinctly, he did his very best to help the other players whenever possible, providing encouragement and support when they would allow it.

Personality: Thoughtful, helpful, dignified, and serious to a fault, Yseult is someone whose in-game bearing doesn't seem differ too much from her player's own personality. Though smart and friendly, Duncan was more than a little introverted, wanting to make friends and be a part of a group but never knowing quite how, and some of that awkwardness and that desire to belong makes its home in Yseult as well. She prides herself on service and workmanship, happy to assist others and expend great effort with little more reward in mind than the satisfaction of a job well done

A bit stiff, she has very little patience with idiocy, nonsense, and vulgarity, to the point of not being much fun at times; despite this, she does enjoy poking fun at others herself, though never maliciously. Since she is companionable but not terribly outgoing, she won't continue to voluntarily interact with anyone who convinces her that they don't want her around. Self-consciousness is more than likely her biggest weakness, with her never happy for long about some achievement for another and always wanting to prove how useful and reliable she is. Of course, she does depart from her player's nature when it comes to fighting; Yseult loves it, including showing off, and when fighting her usual proper, calm self is buried between the roaring enthusiasm of a thrill-seeker. This thrill-seeking extends elsewhere; despite her distaste for vulgarity and dignified demeanor she is fascinated by horror, particularly body horror, and is intrigued rather than bothered by a number of things other would find scary or disturbing, including a particular interest the experiments performed by her principal NPC, Tatter

Class: Cavalier
Subclass: Dark Rider

Level: 100
Health: SS
Mana: A → AAA
Strength: SS
Agility: SS → SSS
Intelligence: A
Stamina: SS
Physical Resist: S
Magic Resist: S
True Resist: AA

Skills:

• Lance Wielding - SS
• Riding - SS
• Commander – S
• Tactics - S
• Etiquette – S
• Animal Husbandry – AA
• Animal Knowledge - AA
• Monster Knowledge - AA
• Cooking – AA
• Crafting – A
• Botany – A

Spells:

• Horse Whistle – a simple summoning spell that summons the user's most recently used mount. Permuted to summon the mount from the ground in a broiling dust cloud
• Reinforcement – a lesser summoning spell that calls forth wraithlike soldiers to fight alongside the user
• Glyph=Charge – a glowing red runic glyph that floats in midair around the user for a time. While it is active, the user's speed is increased, the user gains immunity to flinching while moving forward, and the user's next attack deals increased damage based on distance traveled since Glyph activation
• Glyph=Rally - a glowing yellow runic glyph that floats in midair around the user for a time. While it is active, the user's PRES and MRES are increased, and natural health regeneration doubles
• Glyph=Unity - a glowing white runic glyph that floats in midair around the user for a time. While it is active, any buffs cast on the user are shared to nearby allies
• Hidden Road – a rippling disk of magic that appears in front of and below the user, or her mount if applicable. It serves as a platform to land on, run across, and jump off of, but it is intangible to all other objects and entities, and fades away once used
• Lance-Garden – a weapon-warping offense spell. After the user's lance is plunged into the ground, a number of larger lances sprout up in an uneven line in that direction, piercing anything in the area from beneath. The Garden remains until the original is pulled from the ground, at which time it recedes

Actions:

• Malefic Aura – a passive action while in combat. The user gives off an oppressive pressure that weakens enemies' resistance to mental effects like Stun, Intimidate, Taunt, Daze, Control, and Corrupt, as well as crippling innate mana and health regen. Malefic Aura does not work on targets of a higher level than the user, and its effects are less and less potent on targets with more resistances, mana regen, and health regen
• Trample – a passive action only present when mounted. Enemies run down by the user's horse are trapped beneath its hooves, taking continuous damage that ramps up over time as long as the user continues to move
• Surge Rush – lance crackling with energy, the user executes a thrust. On hit, grants the user a long-lasting speed boost with a potency depending on how fast the user was moving during the thrust
• Sunder – an attack that deals no damage, but instead directly targets equipment durability
• Stinger – a burst of motion in the targeted direction, no matter the user's speed and momentum beforehand, that drives the point of her weapon through any enemies in the way
• Galvanize – after briefly focusing her body and mind, the user gives herself a stack of Cancel. After the user's next attack, the stack will be consumed and she will cancel out of the the attack's recovery, allowing her to instantly act again. Every second of continuous focus after the first will add another stack of Cancel. Unconsumed stacks only expire when combat ends
• Blitz Ready – a passive action that grants the user one of five buffs, each of which last 30 seconds, have a 10 second cooldown between uses, and can be switched between on the fly: Sword-Blitz, Spear-Blitz, Axe-Blitz, Blunt-Blitz, and Snipe-Blitz. Each of them provides a 15% damage boost against wielders of its weapon type and also a hidden move only usable as an instant follow-up to an ally's attack of that weapon type. If this move is used, it carries the user toward the struck target in a tremendous leap strike, with a maximum range of 100 meters
• Recall – the user's weapon dissolves into dark particles and reforms in the user's hand
• Sharp Shadow - a buff that causes the user's next three attacks to launch a dark wave that deals 1.5x weapon damage with quintuple the weapon's range
• Culmination Blade – a pitch-black attack dealing Chaos Damage. Its power is further increased by every buff currently applied to the user or nearby allies, with each added stat point corresponding to one point of damage. All buffs expire afterward

Species Trait:

• Fire Affinity – a natural high resistance to fire-based attacks
• Dark Affinity – a natural high resistance to dark-based attacks
• Dark Vision – the ability to see in low-light conditions
• Born Combatant – Engineered for warfare, Ash Demons enjoy decreased stamina costs and some innate physical damage reduction
• Live to Fight – in heated battle an Ash Demon's mind becomes wildly, singularly focused on the fight, increasing resistance to mind-based CC and attacks such as Stun, Intimidate, Taunt, and Control
• Suppression – unlike their lesser cousins, Greater Demons can alter their appearance to appear human, though a single human version of themselves rather than free shapeshifting
• Bedevil – Greater Demons are able to instill demonic corruption into weakened targets, changing them physically and mentally
• Water Bane – Ash Demons, beings whose forms echo their smoldering, violent natures, are less resistance to water-based attacks
• Light Bane – Demons near-universally suffer heightened damage from holy magic and blessed weaponry

Items:

• Charnel Adornment (Legendary) – a form-fitting armor suit and accompanying frayed cloak hewn from the ensorcled ashes of a lich warlord. Beginning as a Mythic consumable item-material known as Charnel Ash, it was enhanced using other erudite, sepulchral materials, and ultimately woven into armor form. Its magical properties grant its wearer extra mana, and grant nigh-ghostly alacrity that heightens her agility
• Ebon Spar (Legendary) – a lance carved from a length of bone pried off the spinal cord of the Ignored Ancestor, an eldritch sky-leviathan and world boss felled by Yseult's guild. Though heavy, balanced, and sharp enough to serve amply as a masterwork skewering-pole, its otherwordly composition both enables its use as a casting catalyst and makes wounds caused by it exceptionally difficult to heal. Curiously, it also seems to repair itself when damages, albeit rather slowly
• Pale Rider's Saddle (Mythic) – a saddle of strange, ghastly hide that curses any animal its attached to, continuously increasing its stats over time but degrading it into a horrific revenant that mindlessly obeys the whim of its rider
• Seiðr Spyglass (Mythic) – an enchanted instrument from the far north. By looking through it she can see an approximation of the stats of others, given by a series of different-colored glows radiating in various directions from her target
• Shifter's Seal (Rare) – a badge that magically stores equipment within. Its activation either equips or de-equips its contents. It has been customized so that the visual effect of the transfer is a stream of ash that constructs the equipment rather ti appearing from a flash of light

Relation to other Guild Mates: To be completed

• Volaris – the intensity and perfectionism with which the specter applied himself to both PVP combat and personal projects tended to put Yseult off, but while she seldom hung around with him she did respect his intelligence and skill as a player
• Professor Daryl von Madness – with enough theatricality and slightly-crazed charisma to make every day interesting and entertaining if not outright engaging and fun, the Alchemist is someone who Yseult both respects and enjoys—someone she can call a friend, not least because of his seldom-seen side, caring yet troubled, to whom Yseult has endeavored to provide what comradeship she can. To help with his escapist fantasy, she often joined in on his maniacal ploys and schemes
• Ladata Idat – the chip-shouldered snakewoman's exceptional arrogance rubbed Yseult the wrong way from day one, and while a few brief squabbles have broken out here and there, Yseult endeavors to avoid the individual she sees as annoying, deluded, and thoroughly unpleasant
• Colonel Staffenburg – even in her early days in the guild, when her knowledge was wanting and her awkwardness troublesome, Yseult was treated with respect and dignity by the gunslinging elemental, and for that she remains grateful. While there never seems to be a chink in Staffenburg's cool composure through which Yseult might be able to grow closer to him, she is happy to lend a hand whenever he might require it
• Azazel – unpredictable, unhinged, unapproachable—that is how Yseult is forced to describe the powerful yet capricious overlord. Never betraying a hint at his real self or past, there is nothing that Yseult can latch onto or empathize with, leaving a dangerous whirlwind of magic Yseult seldom feels compelled to interact with, at least off the battlefield. However, the two are very effective at fighting together
• Viraz – though fearsome to behold, particularly in battle, the Dread Knight holds a place in Yseult's mind as one of the most wholesome of the bunch. His stoicism, protectiveness, and drive to improve create an image rather close to that of a stalwart knight, and Yseult is happy both to work and converse with him. Though neither is particularly talkative, they share a bond as both the most traditional fighters and as some of the most normal, human-behaving players in the guild
• Butcherman23 - while not crazy about the Butcher's impetuous, indiscriminate bloodlust, Yseult did strike up a chord with him after discovering that beneath his in-game attitude he was rather personable, endearingly attached to the horror genre and all its tropes, quirks, and foibles. The two cooperated reasonably well, though without a passion for horror as deep as the Butcher's, Yseult cannot be counted among his innermost circle

Other:

---

NPC:

Tatter - SOUL TWISTER

Appearance

Species: Ubergeist
Name: Tatter
Guild Position: Researcher & Mad Scientist
Title: the Soul Twister (entities severely affected by her transformative magic follow her orders, willing or not)
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Background: Tatter's in-game lore reads as follows: “No books record nor men recall the calamity that befell Haszul, yet its legacy remains. As one approaches the place, drawn by murmurings of an ancient, forgotten magic, the skies dim with odd-colored clouds pierced by the city's black spires, and the earth underfoot is withered and torn as if ready to receive the dead. Yet, any visitor intrepid enough to walk through the twisted wrought-iron gates found a city not abandoned, but a miasma of delirium and nightmare, its people never venturing into the dark outside.

A roguish man from afar did enter there, once, and struggled against the aberrant city's coiling shadows. There, after facing down all manner of ghoul, revenant, and monstrosity, he found among its afflicted population just one shred of light—a sickly girl, weeping over the corpse of her mother. Realizing the child's purity, the man strove to protect her as he fought his way through Haszul's still-twitching corpse, but the horror that crept between every brick and clung to every yellow blade of grass gnawed at the girl's ankles every step of the way. Faced with the decision to pursue his original goal or abandon it for the sake of the child, the visitor chose to safeguard the young one as an act of hope and resolution against the night.

When at last that visitor stood upon the great bridge leading out of the city, he found that his charge would not proceed, and when he knelt to comfort the girl, he witnessed with wide eye the wretchedness that had festered within. The horror of all she had seen and touched had consumed her, making her no more than another monster of the endless, whirling nightmare, and dashing her would-be protector's last hope of redemption. The girl attacked, and in despair the man cut her down, convinced that there could be no goodness in the world.

Even as the visitor departed, however, a vestige of the nightmare clung to him. When he returned home, his town was troubled by a roving, ephemeral disturbance, until one day a foreign woman with gray hair appeared with an interest in monsters. She displayed an interest in the townsfolks' mentions of a ghost, and while nobody knew for certain what happened next, neither the foreigner nor the spirit were never seen again.”

Following her 'recruitment' as an NPC, Tatter was taken under the wing of Yseult, who molded her character and developments as best she could. In particular Yseult designed her to fulfill the role of 'Mad Scientist', providing both a number of useful utilities and functions to the guild as well as a lair inspired by a classic horror setting. Not at all a frontlines fighter, Tatter never joined the guild's players in battle, but her presence was known at the Cathedral. This was particularly true after her evolution to Ubergeist, after which she gained the ability to craft a physical body that could appear anywhere in the guild that Yseult left a tapestry of Feywight Weave. This allowed Tatter to keep watch all over, appearing when called to provide aid or take experiment orders from players. Unfortunately, she was never as good an assistant-sentry as Baron.

In case of intruders, Tatter is typically alerted by guardians of the upper floors, and until her own floor is reached may join them and try to capture a few intruders to experiment on. If her floor is reached, however, she haunts the intruders continuously, attempting to confuse, trap, terrify, separate, and transform them, all the while wearing them down with the monstrosities she keeps imprisoned, potentially including their former allies.

Personality: While typically playful and carefree, Tatter is no innocent child; she possesses a remarkable sadistic streak, loving to terrify and horrify her enemies and even innocents. While inflicting pain isn't an object of hers, the kind of alteration she's fascinated with bringing about is a sort of torture all its own. She delights in corruption, changing her subjects inside and out to into monsters, aberrations, or anything that strikes her fancy, experimenting with new methods, mixtures, and systems to see just what might result. Her glee in this process, in seeing her subjects surprise and fear of themselves, and in watching turned against one another, is terrific to behold.

This kind of cutting loose, however, only when she's in control, usually where guildmates can't see her; under normal circumstances her demeanor is bored and even apathetic, somewhat like a kid patiently waiting to be let out to play. When defending her area or capturing targets, she is deadly serious, leveraging tactics meant to terrify, separate, and debilitate opponents. She isn't exceptionally bright, but her cunning is not to be underestimated.

This cruelly curious and imaginative experimenter does have a few quirks, however. One might expect her to be completely self-centered, but she is devoted to both her guild and her creator, and like Yseult is happy to help both with base defense and development, as well as personal requests. In the same vein she is a little snarky, though unlike Yseult she is somewhat prideful, wanting to be treated with respect. She also likes animals, getting attached to cute ones and refusing to experiment on them, though she also sometimes gets attached to her monstrosities. While seldom inclined to venture out onto the battlefield, she is averse to the front lines, instead supporting allies from behind through healing and empowerment
Karma: -65

Class: Cleric
Subclass: Cantor

Level: 78
Health: B
Mana: S
Strength: A
Agility: SS
Intelligence: AAA
Stamina: A
Physical Resist: SSS
Magic Resist: A → S
True Resist: A

Skills:

• Healing - AAA
• Alchemy - A
• Potioncraft - A
• Trapcraft – A
• Biology - S
• Monster Knowledge - AAA
• Occult Knowledge – S
• Stealth - S

Spells:

• Fetch – summon an owned item to the caster's hand so long as it's under 50 pounds
• Force – usable when possessing, it sends a burst of force out in any direction that pushes objects and entities but deals no damage. Said objects and entities can, however, take or inflict physics damage
• Will o' Wisp – a pyromancy that sparks to life a mote of ghostly greenish fire that can be moved around as though alive, or expended to apply the normal Burning status to a target on touch
• Stasis – a charm that stops a physical object or entity in its tracks, though only for a moment, by applying a strong Slow debuff
• Bloodcurdle – a curse that applies the Paralysis debuff to a living target
• Knock – if not repelled, turns five stacks of Fear on a target into one stack of Broken. Broken enables possession, and stacks of it decrease target MRES exponentially. Broken has no duration and cannot be removed passively by the victim; stacks can, however, be removed by others, whether instantly through the use of anti-status spells or actions, or simply by comforting/soothing/encouraging the victim for fifteen total seconds. Incidentally, the victim can also remove its own Broken through high-level anti-status spells or actions
• Recover – instant health recovery after a short channel time. Can be used on self
• Treat – a continuous stream of effulgent green energies that grants some HP every quarter-second a target is given it
• Ensmallen/Enbiggen – reduce or increases the size or the target, which can be an entity or object, depending on its MRES. If the target does not resist, this dependence is waived. Does not count as 'transformative magic' for the purpose of her title's ability
• Vital Extraction/Injection – manipulates the essence (vitae) of the living target's body, taking from it or adding to it. Vitae takes the form of a mote of weightless, energetic jelly, which can be bottled or otherwise stored. Taking or adding vitae transforms the target physically and affects its stats and abilities appropriate to the amount added or taken away. As such, one use is to augment targets with other species' Traits. If vitae is taken away, the target gradually loses its physical characteristics and definition until it's left as a smooth, gray husk. Target MRES decreases the effectiveness if the vitae transfer, potentially nullifying it entirely. If the target does not resist, this dependence is waived
• Merge – unleash a colorless wave to assault the MRES of multiple targets in close proximity, constantly expending mana per second. The total MRES of all targets is compared against the caster's. Any target that succumbs becomes Pliable. Any Pliable targets fuse together with one another on physical contact; if the caster uses enough mana and focus, a perfect fusion can be created, but if cut off the result is typically horrible
• Somatic Flux – sends a short-ranged, electrochemical jolt to the target that causes a single minor biological change, providing the target's MRES is less than or equal to half that of the caster's. For instance, it can be used to seal over a target's mouth, reshape bones, and create, dissipate, or alter eyes. Most often used for making minor edits to entities affected by the caster's other spells, such as fixing mistakes. A darker evolution of the spell Somatic Mend, which advanced Clerics use to heal lasting physical debilitation in their patients
• Rite of the Beast Within – a ritual spell that requires ample preparation and a large outside magic power source, not usable just anywhere. Once the appropriate materials are gathered and arranged, and the victim restrained in the ritual circle, the ritual begins flooding the victim with dark energy. The ritual compares the caster's magic power against double the victim's current MRES, and on success transforms the victim into a Demon with a level that follows the following formula: (100 – current level) / 4, rounding down. The appearance and abilities of the resulting Demon are affected by the victim's own appearance and abilities and any creature or monster sacrificed in the ritual. Regardless of its new nature, the Demon's allegiance is to the caster's faction if it wasn't already. Useful for creating stronger, unique minions, or even empowering allies
• Rite of the Hidden Garden – a ritual spell that requires ample preparation and a large outside magic power source, not usable just anywhere. Once the appropriate materials are gathered and arranged, the ritual begins flooding the victim with dark energy. The ritual compares the caster's magic power against double the victim's current MRES, and on success implants an offered resource inside the victim. Afterward, over the course of a few hours, the victim mutates and disfigures into an organic factory for whatever the resource offering was, acting as a generator of that resource as long as it's kept alive. Resources can be materials, objects, or entities, organic or inorganic, living or dead, though if a corpse is offered in the ritual the resulting Garden will grow live young of the same species
• Rite of Desecration - a ritual spell that requires ample preparation and a large outside magic power source, not usable just anywhere. Requires a high-level corpse. Once the appropriate materials are gathered and arranged, the ritual begins flooding the corpse with dark energy. After enough time has passed while casting and pumping in power, the corpse is cursed, gaining the status 'Calamitous Cadaver'. The body will curse the land it's buried in, which can be a potentially massive area, gradually degrading and warping anything that remains until the land is a hollow ruin of death, its low-MRES denizens degraded along with it. The curse, and its results, is slightly affected in theme by the corpse used in the ritual

Actions:

• Spook – a passive aura that slowly generates stacks of Fear on targets engaged by the caster, whether or not the targets know they have been engaged. The rate is increased on targets afflicted by CC or debuffs long as they last, with the amount of increase depending on the severity of the CC or debuffs inflicted. Base generation is increased a flat amount for every level that the target is below the caster
• Stimulate – a 10% increase of the target's magic power, which ramps up by 1% every second the link is maintained up to a maximum of 30%. Costs stamina to trigger, then continues to drain a small amount every second until it's annulled

Species Trait:

• Geisterkörper – as a unique subset of ghosts, Geists possess a variation of the Incorporeal trait (note that this includes immunity to purely physical attacks and afflictions). Under normal circumstances, Geists are both Incorporeal and Ethereal, and these statuses only change when geists possess objects or Broken physical beings. Geists cannot possess objects or beings of a greater level than itself, and whenever possession is attempted the Geist's INT is pitted against the target's MRES. Warded or sanctified targets enjoy doubled MRES for the purpose of this check
• Ubergeisterkörper – Geists that have accrued great power have a great deal more control over their hosts, able to alter it physically to a remarkable extent. They harbor the power to animate materials themselves and construct from them bodies of their own. These vessels, highly manipulable, serve as a conduits consciousness and abilities while also being able to take physical action. However, the material itself is vulnerable to physical attack
• Levitate - the geist is constantly under the effect of a fly spell, including when possessing
• Spirit Vision – though ghosts themselves, Geists do have eyes to see with, and while their dark vision is only a bit better than normal they can sense where living beings are in their lines of sight
• Unliving – Geists do not require food, water, air, or rest, though living things they possess do and Geists themselves can replenish their mana by entering a sleeplike trance

Items:

• Crystal Dial (Mythic) – a disk-shaped instrument inlaid with gorgeous emerald, which Tatter secures in her torso when she has it on her. When its owner selects a target and thinks of a spell, it runs a magical diagnostic that determines whether or not the spell would work based on the stats of Tatter and her target at that time, and shudders if the spell would fail
• Deepwood Idol (Mythic) – an eerie totem carved of chocolate-brown oak with an exceptionally affinity for magic. In its core is a mana pool like a living being's, constantly regenerating over time. The idol also absorbs excess magic energy from its surroundings, storing a vast amount of it within. Still, it takes a very long time to fill up
• Whiscatcher (Rare) – a small wooden hoop wound in multicolored leather strips, their ends adorned with beads. The center of the hoop is strung with a web of gleaming, dreamlike filaments. If its user whispers to it the name of an entity within 500 meters, she can whisper directly it
• Witching Pitcher (Rare) – a hexed jade jar with a handle, warm to the touch. It contains liquid wax that hardens almost instantly when poured out; while it contains a good deal more than it appears to, it can run out, and slowly replenishes itself over time. Primarily useful for making candles
• Steward's Wand (Rare) – a willow rod that, once pointed at something weighing less than 1000 lbs, lift it up and move it around. The wielder must be concentrating in order to use it, preventing attacks, actions, and spells. It can lift a living entity, but if it moves too much the jinx will break
• Feywight Weave (Rare) – cloth formed from the tenebrous silk of a Feywight, a rare creature resembling an ethereal butterfly of great size. The cloth itself, dark-colored with a subtle sheen, harbors a dual nature. When not in contact with magic energy it is rigid, holding its shape, and hard as metal. If exposed, however, it is is pliable, supple, and stretchy. However, it is always strong and hard to tear in addition to being quite resistant to magic. This is the material that Tatter, able to manipulate it down to the fiber level, constructs her physical shell from, and she owns great quantities of it thanks to the Weave Garden she has sitting in a corner of her lair

Relation to other NPCs: Tatter treats the other NPCs on a case-by-case basis, affording them respect only if their actions convince her to, but typically flippantly. Often enough she has fun with the ones she deems boring by invading their space and messing with their things or leaving 'presents' that resulted from her experiments

Other: 'Cantor' is a high-grade continuation of the Cleric class following a branch into dark magic. Primarily a sort of evil support class, its intended specialization was with NPC minions, either making or taking them (either stealing from other characters or just capturing AI enemies) and then upgrading them to be stronger and more capable

It's noteworthy that Tatter's actions and spells can be used while possessing and can target what she's possessing

Yseult's primary reason for making Tatter was given as niche-fulfillment--that is, a continuous provider of resources for other guild members to use, being a classic horror monster -the creepy ghost girl- and having as a lair a classic horror setting perfect for the Cathedral. However, it's not hard to guess that she also sought companionship, and this took the form of someone who understood her and shared her interests while never questioning her. Deeper still, Tatter's abilities -practiced in secret in the Thaumaturgium with seldom anyone but Yseult present- satiated Yseult's fascination with transformation and its use as a bizarre form of torment

PATCH KING Jack

Appearance

Species: Shambling Mound - Pumpkin
Name: Jack
Guild Position: Defense System, Guardian of the Tower of Dignity
Title: Patch King
Gender: Male
Age: 581
Background: The living embodiment of Halloween, that time of monsters and mayhem, of fear and fun, of terror and treats--Jack stands for everything that holiday comprises. Seasonal events based around holidays like Halloween are staples of long-lasting online games, from the first RPGs to the latest hero shooters, and Yggdrasil is no different. Made all the more precious for their exclusivity, the items available during such periods go like hot cakes, and Yseult was incredibly lucky to get as much material as she did by the time she struck upon the idea of upgrading her favorite pet Pupkin into a proper NPC to bright the spirit of the Halloween -so disappointingly absent from the world in resent years- to her guild.

The project ending up taking far more time and resources than Yseult expected, so much so that she didn't even get the new NPC halfway to max level, but she was happy with the results. Patch King Jack, written to be a sophisticated eccentric and taken down the highly-appropriate path of plant control, was stationed in one of the Cathedral's ground floor towers as an early enemy for intruders to face. There, his primary purpose in case of uninvited guests is to stall them as long as possible. However, he maintains a presence both within and outside the guild, growing miniature patches when available and laying down Skitterjacks as sentries for the sake of keeping tabs on intruders at all times. Entities not granted clearance to use the Scrying Sanctum are able to inquire with him about anyone's whereabouts in the guild, though in the end he can't have eyes everywhere and others sometimes kill the Skitterjacks they come across, hindering his vision.

Personality: Though Jack's character is not a terribly deep one, it does bear far more sophistication than one might expect from a Halloween-themed plant monster such as he. In fact, Jack fancies himself quite the dandy and a bit of a showman. Happy to throw around big words and quibble about everyday topics with amusing pomp, he is pleasant and approachable to his allies and even to enemies, treating them courteously if not mercifully. His obsessions with for high society, botany, and control really do deviate into mania, leading to a reputation similar to the classic 'mad nobleman', since he's more than happy to sip tea while his pumpkin monsters tear intruders limb from limb.
Karma: -30

Class: Druid
Subclass: Chloromancer

Level: 44
Health: AAA
Mana: AA
Strength: B
Agility: C
Intelligence: B
Stamina: A
Physical Resist: A
Magic Resist: AA
True Resist: A

Skills:

• Botany - AAA
• Perception - A
• Unarmed Combat - AA
• Cooking - C
• Acting - C

Spells:

• Nourish – the caster's eyes glow green, and he magically stimulates the natural growth of ordinary plants he targets
• Generate Seed – creates one or more seeds of the plant type given by the caster, which pop into existence in small but bright flashes of yellow light
• Seed Shot – fire held seeds at high speed. This spell can fire any amount of seeds the caster's has, and with a high rate of fire to boot, but any after the first have a lot of spread. Seeds shot into the ground this way are magically planted
• Ingrain – roots sprout from the ground around the caster, rooting him in place but providing potent healing
• Garden Wall – instantly grow a thick barrier of roots from the ground for protection
• Rootsnare – the caster touches the ground to send a root snake through the ground to the target, which erupts into tendrils that attempt to grapple it and pull it into the ground
• Lifedrain – damage grappled enemy per half second, healing for all damage inflcited
• Awaken Sentry/Hunter/Assassin/Tank/Fighter – a bluish-green bolt of nature magic that upgrades the plant it's cast on into an allied plant monster of the appropriate class, with stats to match. Customized -for obvious reasons- to create scary pumpkin monsters. The Sentry-type is the useful Skitterjack, the Hunter-type is the vicious Stalkerjack, the Assassin-type is the deadly Clipperjack, the Tank-type is the formidable Bruiserjack, and the the Fighter-type is the cunning Reaperjack
• Overgrow – stimulate wild growth in a plant monster, increasing its size, health, STR, PRES, stamina and MRES. While Overgrown, the monster can consume nearby plants to restore health and incrementally increase the aforementioned stats. Casters who are plants themselves can cast Overgrow on themselves. In such a case, Jack becomes 'Guardian Jack'

Actions:

• Druid's Blessing – a passive ability that increases all healing applied to the user by an extra 50%
• Prune – doubles the damage of the user's next melee attack and converts its damage type to Slashing
• Expunge - a ripping melee attack that deals 15% more damage for every negative status or debuff currently active on the target
• Infect - aim a contaminated strike at an enemy's wounds, applying one stack of Poison for every stack of Bleeding the opponent is suffering, each of which last one minute. If three stacks of Poison are applied by one Infect, they are converted into one stack of the stronger Toxic, and the minute duration is refreshed
• Vine Scourge - repeated lashes with a plant whip lacerate the target, applying one stack of Bleeding for every successful hit against flesh. Stacks of bleeding last 10 seconds each, but getting a new one reopens closing wounds, adding to a cumulative duration
• Call of the Wild – the user's cry for help pulls in nearby animals, non-hostile monsters, and plant creatures to fight
• Harvest – a sweeping melee attack that reduces the strength and healing of struck targets by 10% and 25%, respectively

Species Trait:

• Plantlife – the baseline physiology of all plant creatures include the traits Water Affinity, Photosynthesis, Blindsight, Sensory Immunity, Poison Bane, and Fire Bane
• Unnatural Growth – the artificial production of Shambling Mounds through sorcery grants the traits Lightning Drinker and Curseward, and also converts Poison Bane into Poison Immunity
• Water Affinity – a natural high resistance to water-based attacks
• Photosynthesis – plants do not need to eat or sleep, requiring only water, light, and nutrients in the soil. Plants with the Unnatural Growth trait do not need light
• Fire Bane – plants' vulnerability to fire is as prodigious as it is well-known
• Sensory Immunity – an immunity to blinding, deafening, and so forth
• Blindsight – without real eyes, plant creatures must sense their surroundings by detecting vibrations, air movement, and changes in light. This extends for 40 feet, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from beyond that
• Curseward – unnatural, sorcerous plantlife soaks up debuffs and negative status effects, decreasing their duration and potency by 20%
• Lightning Drinker – contact with electricity generated by 5th-tier spells or lower provides healing rather than inflicting damage
• Poison Immunity – unnatural plantlife shrugs off the toxins that brutalize more conventional greenery

Items: As a rule, Jack does not use items or equipment of any kind

Relation to other NPCs:

Other: Jack was created by Yseult primarily for fun, both in what he was -the perfect Halloween monster- and what he provided to the guild in terms of abilities and atmosphere.

Helena – THE UNRELENTING

Appearance

In addition to her battle attire, pictured above, she often wears an old-fashioned black dress uniform, complete with cloak and cap

Species: Human Ghoul
Name: Helena Lichter
Guild Position: Battle Lieutenant, Chef?
Title: the Unrelenting (once per day, she can regain 50% stamina on a whim)
Gender: Female
Age: 28
Background: Helena Lichter began as a noblewoman of some repute, hailing from the small, forested nation of Schedelhout. Lacking the pomp, haughtiness, and self-absorption of many of her kind from an early age, she devoted herself to a military education as soon as able. Her family, only too happy to put aside the daughter estranged by her disdain for the abuses of the nobility, encouraged her in this regard while hoping for her disgrace, but despite their designs Helena excelled. By her twentieth birthday she was admitted to the Zuiver Peloton, a flexible brigade tasked with the peacekeeping and defense of the kingdom. Helena distinguished herself through a hitherto-unseen proficiency with knives, both wielded and thrown, and her utter lack of hesitation when it came to cutting down enemies of the crown. Rising to the rank of Officer with remarkable speed, due to both her ability and a friendly relationship with Captain Elsken Bakke, she began to encounter resentment boiling within the troops she was appointed to lead. Many saw her not only as an upjumped noble worming her way into an unearned position of power, but also as a two-faced psychopath who went too far in her violent pursuit of criminals and monsters.

A few months after Helena's appointment, King Garbrant Gocken of Schedelhout found himself an enemy in the lord of nearby Doornpoel, for he had authorized the sending of secret search teams to Doornpoel's legendary Geheim Dig Site, a deep underground ruin littered with ancient relics and treasures. This violation of a decades-long treaty provoked retaliation, and a short but bloody conflict ensued. Helena marched to war along with the rest, though she knew her country to be in the wrong, and fought tirelessly on the front lines. Her daggers ripped through the enemy's ranks of untrained conscripts, instilling intentional terror in her foes, yet all the while Helena remained ignorant of the hatred of her own troops until it boiled over. One evening, during a particularly bloody skirmish, her unit of the Zuiver Peloton routed the enemy and gave pursuit, only to encounter unexpected reinforcements. Though her soldiers suggested a retreat, she insisted that they push on. One man challenged her to her face, telling her that her moronic orders would get everyone killed. When Helena pulled a knife on him, she felt a spearhead pierce her leg from behind. Ignoring her screams of fury, her soldiers fled, leaving her to fight the incoming enemy alone and crippled. Veterans in Doornpoel still remember, shakingly, how many greenhorns the wounded woman cut down. Only when the regiment's leader, the Black Knight Marcelis, appeared was she defeated, struck down by his cursed sword.

Later that night, however, a spirit stalked the battlefield. Silhouetted by the moon, a Geist of streaming cloth picked over the corpses, finding and wrapping up the bodies of the strongest warriors. Helena's body was one of those recovered, and to her surprise the captor discovered that the woman was still alive—though only after a fashion. The cursed blade of the man who killed her had trapped her spirit in her dead body, forcing her to suffer for days on end until the dark spell faded. When the Geist brought the bodies back to a lone cathedral, shrouded in sepulchral mists, and used them in her experiments, she was able to revive the lot of them as monstrous ghouls. Only one retained its former mind and shape: the ghoul of Officer Helena Lichter. Unsure what to do with the intelligent beast, the Geist summoned her master, a gray-haired woman with a kind face. Instead of destroying the unusual ghoul, Yseult decided to take her in, helping her understand her new existence and recover, then improve upon her strength.

Yseult groomed Helena as a Berserker, an undying warrior of bloodlust and rage, and as someone who could more or less fulfill her role to the guild when she wasn't around, at an NPC level. True to her past, Helena serves as a capable troop commander on the battlefield, particularly now that her soldiers are loyal monsters. Her ability in this regard has made her the guild's designated NPC Squad Leader, in charge of NPC Squad Missions, which are medium to high-level forays conducted by NPCs alone that grant special rewards and can help level up NPCs faster. NPCs above level 60 cannot participate in Squad Missions, so they don't concern guild's stronger NPCs, who more or less outrank Helena anyway

Personality: Loyal, sensible, pragmatic, and dependable, Helena bears the manner of a refined, veteran military officer. She treats official guild matters with all the gravitas and responsibility they deserve, seeking to uphold through her words and deeds the reputation of her guild. However, this doesn't mean she's uptight -as she is willing to associate with practically anyone in a casual, laid-back manner- and neither does it mean she is unflappable. Helena's sense of justice, centered around the guild and her masters, is stark; she is eager to mete out punishment for any sort of affront to or attack on her organization, and tolerates disrespect and impropriety among her underlings only slightly more than she forgives insubordination. If personally attacked, she does not hesitate to retaliate, and will continue to hold grudges for a long time. When not otherwise occupied, she typically busies herself with reading, exercise, or cooking; as she is one of the few beings in her guild who needs to eat to live, food can be somewhat hard to come by, and she places special significance on moments spent dining with others
Karma: -10

Class: Warrior
Subclass: Berserker

Level: 60
Health: AAA
Mana: C
Strength: AAA
Agility: AA
Intelligence: AA
Stamina: S
Physical Resist: A
Magic Resist: B
True Resist: B

Skills:

• Unarmed Combat – S
• Claw Using - SS
• Knife Wielding – SS
• Tactics – AAA
• Diplomacy - A
• Cooking - A

Spells:

• Ignite/Chill/Soak/Toxify/Jolt Weapon – a low-level spell that applies a minute-long elemental effect to the caster's weapon or hands. Has in fire, ice, water, poison, and electric varieties

Actions: Helena's Warrior-Berserker progression grants her a number of superhuman abilities for both armed and unarmed combat, including terrifying Berserker skills

• Into the Fray – a passive ability that greatly magnifies the user's jumping & lunging ability
• Blood Rush – a passive ability that grants an 10-second 5% attack speed and movement speed buff on a kill, with subsequent kills adding 5% to those buffs to a maximum of 25% and refreshing the duration
• Shredder – a corkscrew dive attack that carries the user forward in her chosen direction, piercing targets directly ahead again and again while suppressing them
• Vital Impale – a brutal thrusting attack with a high instant-kill chance on weak enemies, and high critical chance overall
• Outcry – the Berserker's savage scream radiates outward, dealing minor Sonic damage and Staggering enemies whose level is lower than the user
• Titan Dunker – charge a mighty blow that deals heavy Impact damage and Topples any corporeal enemy without sufficient PRES, regardless of size, weight, or armor. While charging, a red glow builds around the user's arm, and the user can move freely. Even if the blow itself does not connect, the resulting wave of force travels straight in the direction of the strike, dealing 75% of the original damage and Topple duration
• Shotgun Blow – a buff to the user's next six melee strikes that deal Impact damage. The force from said attacks is delivered in a devastating spread formation, inflicting half the damage of the strike itself eight times. In addition, the eight blasts of force travel a short distance, extending these attacks' range
• Unleashed Ravager – true Berserkers, the ones who've known suffering and slaughter alike, are able to invoke their primal, animalistic spirit, creating claws of pure malice to continue the fight even after all weapons have been lost or broken. The claws deal Chaos damage depending on the Berserker's STR, with the claws themselves given a bonus size and damage boost based on the size and deadliness of the Berserker's hands beforehand
• Undying Hate – usable only at low health. A tortured cry escapes the Berserker's lips, and energy surges through every nerve. Stamina begins to suffer a constant drain, but as long as any stamina remains, the Berserker can take no further damage, and enjoys a 15% damage boost on melee attacks. Heavy attacks dealt by enemies of a higher level can, however, annul Undying Hate through sheer force

Species Trait:

• Necrophage – eaters of dead things display several unnatural traits. They are triply resistant to atmospheric effects, allowing them to live practically anywhere they desire, and instead of merely gaining a few bonuses like Well Fed from eating, they regain health. However, necrophages are pure carnivores and cannot stomach fresh meat
• Dark Vision – the ability to see in low-light conditions
• Ghoul Talons – ghouls can grow and retract powerful natural claws capable of clashing with steel weapons and ripping through tough foes
• Outlast – powerful ghouls remember death's sting, and every fiber of their being refuses to succumb. Take no penalties to STR, PRES, MRES, or agility at low health or as a result of mortal wounds

Items:

• Dagger Cache (Rare) – a small leather case that contains slots in the top for five knives. It is capable of near-instantly replenishing knives by magically recycling materials from discarded, unenchanted, Common and Uncommon equipment the item's holder touches. The knives made in such a way count as Rare weapons with no special properties, relying on the wielder's own stats to be effective. Helena possesses four Dagger Caches, one behind each should and one on each hip
• Void Stiletto (Legendary) – an intricately-decorated, black-handled dagger made for melee fighting, rather than throwing. Procured by Yseult from a limited-time raid, it was modified to lower its equip requirements using a cash shop item and given to Helena so that Yseult wouldn't need to keep updating her NPC's equipment. It has the special abilities Spell Deflection (a well-timed strike reduces incoming magic damage, starting at 100% for Tier 1 Spells and decreasing by 15% for each subsequent tier), Dark Affinity (increased resistance to Death-attuned weapons and spells) and Slipstream (while dashing the user becomes a shadowy blur after a few feet, speeding up the wielder, deactivating entity collision, and turning her invisible until the dash ends)
• Skulker's Veil (Rare) – a silken scarf, cut from a trapped Reaper's cloak, that quiets the wearer's breath and confounds low-to-medium-level magical attempts to locate the wearer
• Shifter's Seal (Rare) – a badge that magically stores equipment within. Its activation either equips or de-equips its contents

Relation to other NPCs: Helena's relation to the other NPCs depends primarily on their level. If their level is above her own, she is courteous and carries out their orders but typically doesn't interact with them. However, she feels responsible for NPCs of a lower level than her, trying to improve them with training, advice, and/or criticism while also attempting to get along with them personally, where her professional duty allows

Other: 'Berserker' as a class incorporates a fighting style and action set, not necessarily the weapon, a Berserker specializing in knife-fighting is a perfectly legitimate build, though not necessarily optimized—which suits to a 'T' the guild's overall style

✧ Adventure Must Continue ✧

@Lugubrious

Hey there, glad you are checking us out if you think this is a lot, should check out my other RP shot
It IS getting a little bit late to join but... if you can get a CS in SOON (they were due last weekend) I'll accept.

@HueMan

I see. I'll get right to work. Do I have your leave to hop in the server?

✧ Adventure Must Continue ✧

I'm deeply impressed by the amount of material present. Overlord being one of my favorites, I'd be very happy to cast my lot in with you all if you'd have me.

Project Crossover [Video Game Crossover RP]

Slayer
Level 5 || Day 3 || King Boo's Castle
@Zarkun @Majoras End @Tenma Tendo @ONL
Experience: |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| (22/50)
Word count: 358

Colliding flames nullified one another, just as Slayer intended, but a split second later he realized his error. The aim of his blazing kick's angle, while expert, had been rushed, and a portion of the spirits' attack struck his ally with a vicious hiss. ”Curses,” he growled through clenched teeth, his failure to protect his ally stinging him as pointedly as the enemy's attack. When faced with an unknown threat that might harbor any number of deadly abilities, his squad could not afford to test firsthand their foes' lethality. Fully deflecting such a paltry attack should have been child's play, but for all he knew his friend the Heavy might have just taken a dose of everlasting soulfire. As he watched, the Boos engaged the squad. A sucker punch toppled Six from her perch, and though Akira struck back with his own dark magic, the chief boo engaged him to prevent him from helping his allies. Meanwhile, more of the ghosts attacked the Heavy and himself, their stubby arms enveloped in that unnatural flame. Individual attacks meant that he could not back his new friends up, presenting a danger of being overwhelmed and separated.

Slayer took a deep puff from his pipe. These pitiful minions did not deserve the satisfaction of landing even one more hit on hopeful heroes such as these. He would not play by their rules.

One Boo rushed toward him. Slayer exhaled, creating a cloud of smoke, and the next moment the spirit's fist blasted it away. The vampire, however, was gone. A light came from behind the confused Boo, but before it could react a blazing backfist cannoned into its form. ”A pity you cannot comprehend the visual appeal of my move,” the irked gentleman murmured before turning to look at the rest. Without another word he began to move. He began a Dandy Step, zipping back to build up momentum before launching forward. Into the air he popped, and after a simple somersault that brought him roughly between Six and Akira's opponents. Without further ado he blasted both legs down into the ground, and an explosion of purple flame radiated out—Helter Skelter.

Blades of the Shogun - The Island of Screams

How're things, folks? We seem to have slowed down a bit.

Capes of Denver: A Worm RP

@ProPro, I don't have anything to add this time around, since the Margrave is still working with civilians.

The Three Realms War [Act II] [DMC/Bayonetta/Darksiders Crossover]

Like gravity, the pressure of so many otherwordly beings weighed down on the humans present at the secret meeting, though none as much as Souta. Until recent times far more comfortable at his forge than in the field, Souta found himself growing more accustomed to the presence of angels and demons at a frustratingly slow pace. He remained still, with nothing more to contribute to the gathering than his visible existence as an agent of the Charred Council, until the gentleman 'in charge' adjourned the conference. Before he could even steady his breath, Souta hurried to find a secluded spot.

Once out of the towering doors and out of sight of their exquisite decoration, the smith reigned in his pace. He rounded the circumference of the building, running a hand along the silver railing. Before him lay a piece of the sparkling ocean from which Aquapolis rose, an island of glimmering metal and elegant craftsmanship. It was hard to believe, standing here bathed in brilliant reflections and awash with the gentle sounds of crashing waves and waterfalls, that this beautiful place could harbor any ill at all, but not all was well in Brightwater Isle.

Vega. The revelation still gnawed at him, cycling his mind through worry, doubt, and dark humor. That was the name of the entity who wished to destroy the seals and bring the apocalypse, bringing annihilation to all of reality. It would all be a smoldering wreck, if not dust itself: his magical place, every city and wilderness in the world, his home, his family...everything he loved, and everything he didn't. More than once, Souta considered how such a thing might occur. He'd thought, long before armageddon was even the remotest reality, that the end of the world meant Hell emptying its legions across the world, laying waste to the planet in a war to end all wars. Yet, Hell was as much a player in the affairs of the world as Heaven, and no instrument of the existential accord that the seals represented. Would the oceans dry up and the mountains crumble? Would all the world become nothing more than a heap of ash? Or would, after the seventh seal's destruction, things simply cease to exist? Souta remembered a movie he'd seen not so long ago, and shuddered. Never did he spare any effort wondering why this Vega would want the apocalypse to come—that, he could not fathom. “To think. All this, because of a Spanish guy from Street Fighter,” he said aloud, joking to himself.

Of course, it was no joking matter. Though he commanded no forces and carried precious little strength of his own, Souta would fight to protect the world. To him, the odds seemed good; now, Heaven and Hell would be cooperating, at least for the time being, against the rogue responsible for two seals' breaking. Plus, he still retained his Council allies: Fenn the hellhound, as brutal as he was cunning, the somewhat dubious but nevertheless powerful Nephilim Wrath, the crotchety old sorcerer, the Watchers -though mostly the unusually helpful one he called Magpie- and...Lily. Souta wanted to say that she still had him spellbound, that he could not make any decisions until this chaos was over, but he knew how he felt about her.

Taking a deep breath, Souta clapped his hands on the silvery railing and pushed off. He could not waste much more time idle, and needed to practice for the coming fight. The remarkable weight on his back, troubling him now more than before, belonged to the Mountain Buster, not so long ago 'borrowed' from Regalia Arms. Right now, the incredible but unwieldy new weapon was nothing more than a weight on his hands, and though he would likely never be strong enough to wield it freely, he needed to get more comfortable with it to have any chance of using it in battle.

A long, curved bridge extended across the water not far away. Souta headed in its direction.

Relics: Trials of Kheris

The melee began in earnest. Flesh ripped, cloth flew, weapons scraped against one another, and blood spattered into the thirsty sand. A number of relics, with powers as distinct and far-ranging as those poor Evokers who wielded them, wrought special havoc. Their use demanded a somewhat more defensive bloodbath than one might normally expect from such a barbaric sport, since each so-called demon needed to figure out the others' abilities and work around them, lest their lives be extinguished by some gimmick. It was a task that demanded constant vigilance, yet amid the murderous chaos, a pair of eyes lay not on his fellows.

Harold shook his head, more than dubious, as one of the Evokers called forth blasts of flame against Kheris himself. Fool. Do you think he would be out here if not completely assured of his safety? Even if we can see this tyrant face-to-face, that does not make him vulnerable. It was with resignation, however, that Harold realized a moment later that Kheris appeared to have no particular tricks up his sleeve; he simply remained and withstood the burning onslaught, unfazed. “What a monster,” the foreign scholar bemoaned, making sure to keep his voice low. With a morose look on his face he watched as the executioner appointed by Kheris appeared and swelled to enormous size. Though he'd known it already, Harold couldn't help ruminate over how the god-king's society functioned. Since magic is gone from the world, such a feat is only accomplished by a relic. Since both are Evokers, what is the difference between a god and a demon? Only Kheris' say-so. This realm's law has no principles—just the whim of the powerful. The over-the-top spectacle ended with somewhat anticlimactic suddenness, with the son of Kheris crushing the offender beneath his heel. The other warriors of the arena had ceased fighting, meanwhile, and backed as far away from the colossus as they could. So truncated was the supposedly terrifying execution that Harold almost needed to stifle a chuckle.

What came next, however, made Harold freeze in place, for it was no joke. The tyrant announced that his nation would be going to war, not just with one enemy, but with all the world...a global conquest. When Harold recovered a few moments later, releasing his breath in a wheeze somewhat like a sigh, he bore an expression of amusement rather than grimness. “So it's war, then.” That meant mission complete, though in an odder fashion than Harold would have ever anticipated. To declare global war not with a crippling surprise attack but over a bloody colosseum, with a day for rumors to fly before the first attacks even began...it beggared belief. While Harold knew for certain that Kalnach recognized Kheris as a threat, he could not imagine that the other nations remained ignorant of either his ambition or his barbarity, and his intention of conquering them all would, if backed up by an attack on Elenoir, make nothing more apt than a temporary alliance between every other power with the soul purpose of putting Kheris down.

Pausing for a moment in his contemplation, Harold made a start toward the nearest exit, thinking, I'll need to round up Levi and Flora before heading straight home with the news. To think that Kheris himself would eliminate the need for subterfuge. With plans set, however, he could continue to ponder the god-king's plan, finding the cracks deeper and broader with every moment. If he means to topple each nation, he'll need to minimize his losses and shorten his campaigns, lest his forces deplete or his enemies' strength grow overwhelming. That means hitting each target one-by-one with all he's got. Which means all the others would be able to rally their strength in the meanwhile, and possibly assault Kheris' domain itself while his army is away. If he split his forces between attacking and defending, there's no way he could take down the other powers decisively. He wanted to laugh. What could he even do if he gained some ground? His people might be brainwashed, but the other countries know him for what he is. He could not possibly maintain any control over such a massive area, and even if he and his family are strong, they cannot be everywhere at once.

He would have plenty to think about, and plenty of time to think about it. For now, an obstacle had reared its head before him. At the gate he approached, a few guards stood watch where none stood watch before. Their thorough scrutiny of every person seeking to leave had already created a bottleneck, even though the majority of the crowd stayed behind to continue watching the blood sport. Harold wagered that he knew who their targets were. Given the unpredictable powers of relics, an arena fighter might have conceivably been able to make a run for it, and Kheris clearly meant to allow no 'Demon' the slightest chance at escape. To his fortune, however, Harold had thought ahead. Only a fool would have marked himself as a member of the dominion's most fanatically hated and persecuted caste. Furthermore, he carried no incriminating evidence of being an intelligence agent of Kalnach, aside from his skin and clothes, which he did hope with some feverishness would not be enough.

There was nothing for him to fear, so he strode up to the guards with no hint of trepidation or something amiss. After making sure to study the reactions of the few civilians that preceded him in line, he followed in turn. As a foreigner, he made sure to be a touch more surprised. “Oh, inspection? Yes, sirs.” He gave no hesitation or resistance, allowing himself to be searched over.