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
Member
Yankee
Rezod92
Izurich
kapuchu
Elite Minor
Dark Cloud
Tim the Yeti
Xandrya
Nallore
