Mirandae

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Aeolian
I made a character banner for Peter. It's in there in the character tab.

Also, I went ahead and structured the code for your post so that we're using the same layout. Seeing as you've got two characters, this code will be a perfect template for you, and everyone else for that matter! If it's just the one character in a post, it can get a bit repetitive with the image, but the damn "quote" line is always off if you don't include the picture. I guess it could be adjusted somehow, but I'm not that smart when it comes to code.

So, here's your post in full. Check the 'raw' button to get it. The summary is at the bottom of it all. Maybe a few words there for us dummies around here with short memory? That would be splendid, love.

Hider

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_{FLASHBACK 《》 BELLFORT [UDF Sauraine Lake Compound] 《》 Night 《》 @Aeolian}

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It was a starry night, a darkened sky filled with the wonders of a beautiful cosmos that Peter often watched and daydreamed under. But the atmosphere that shrouded his heart was solemn and contemplative. He sat on the rooftop of the Sauraine Lake Compound, arms wrapped around his tucked-in knees. He rested his chin on the crest of his knee caps and looked out at the massive glistening lake before him. So many bodies lay to rest at it's depths, many more further out at sea. As a Funérailles, he felt a shift, an imbalance in the world. Ever since the comet, he had witnessed unimaginable suffering and death. Death and life were an inevitable, essential part of a balanced world, but...now...more people were dying far before it was their natural time. Just within the last few months, Peter had performed Mer de rêves (The Sea of Dreams) more than he had within the previous year combined. It was getting worse--the chaos, the destruction, the decay. Children, so many children. He wiped at the tears that weld and fell from his earthy brown eyes. Only a soft sniffle had escaped him, when suddenly, he shot up from his position and outstretched his hand toward the other side of the roof. A glittering golden light emanated from his palm and he just stood there in a wary, defensive posture. No one ever came up to the rooftop, especially not this late at night. So he couldn't help but feel cautious. "Whose there?" he called out calmly, "Reveal yourself." There was only silence and the rippling sounds of a peaceful lake. Then, tepid creaking on steel could be heard. It was moving upward, as though ascending a rustic ladder. Peter stared at the location of the noise as it seemed to approach closer. Eventually, a head popped over the roof edge. It was a young man, notably handsome as he fully lifted himself up and hopped on the rooftop in one smooth motion. He was tall, at least a head over Peter, and he wore the kind of dingy uniform you might find on a mechanic or engineer. Once he came into full view, illuminated by the moonlight, Peter recognized him and let his hand fall to his side. A while back, Peter had buried this man's sister at Sauraine Lake. Peter gave the fellow a puzzled look. "Milo is it?" The handsome young man showed him a charming grin and Peter nodded. "Right. Well, you can't be up here. And my services are no longer available until sunrise." Milo took a step forward, and instinctively, Peter took a step back. "Actually, I wanted to thank you again, for what you did for my sister. The burial rites, they were beautiful." Peter gave the man a feeble smile, a knowing look in his eyes, "Think nothing of it. However...." A misty silence lingered between them for a brief moment, "you really can not be up here. I'm not allowed to have visitors." "Says who?" Milo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your UDF captors?" Peter regarded Milo's words and then looked away, a feeling of shame washing over him. It was true in a way. He was an Aeon, but, most didn't know that his life under the UDF had always been highly micromanaged. Where he could go, who he met from day to day, it was always hyper-regulated. Peter had tried to escape before, to fly away from the UDF and their omnipotent hand. He had tried on more than one occasion in fact. But they always recaptured him. Eventually, Peter lost hope that he would ever be free from their web. "The Angel of Bellfort..." Milo continued, a sleek tone that was equally annoying as it was slightly enchanting. He placed his hands inside his trouser pockets, and moved a bit closer to Peter, "...a bird trapped in a gilded cage." The reality stung and it made Peter feel more frustrated as Milo spoke so cavalierly about it. He clenched his fists and squeezed tight until his vessels mapped his flesh, "Please, leave. Before you're caught and jailed for trespassing." Peter said sternly. Milo shook his head, rebelliously non-compliant. "Not yet. I--ugh..." Milo paused, showing a shyness he hadn't yet presented until now. Peter noticed too, the sudden flush of Milo's cheeks and the way he pulled down his hoody and rubbed the back of his neck, "I've been watching for a while now." If that was supposed to be romantic, it had the opposite effect. Peter became leery again of Milo's intentions and his body language showed it. He furrowed his eyebrows, "Why?" he asked, a tone of distrust seeping through, "Are you here to hurt me?" For a moment, a surprised look appeared on Milo's countenance, almost as if he were hurt by such a ridiculous notion. "Never." he said with no hesitation. "I'm just...I don't know...fascinated by you." Peter titled his head a bit, inquisitively. "Fascinated?" Milo nodded, "Yeah." He took a few steps closer until they were only a few feet away from each other. "For some reason, I have this overwhelming desire to protect you. To...set you free." Rightfully so, Peter was confused by this sudden confession of interest. But the idea of being set free--the words replayed in his head. Set you free...

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_{DAY 1 《》 STEELWATER [Ground - Forest] 《》 Late Morning 《》 @Aeolian}

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"Please, you have to stay quiet, or those monsters will find us." Peter had his hands pressed firmly to the festering wound of a young girl, no older than 12 or 13. She whimpered in pain as his palms filtered a warm glittering light over the infected gash on her leg. It was healing, thankfully. Further down the path were two bodies, a man and a woman, their innards eviscerated and strewn about like the contents of a busted pinata. Most likely the young girl's parents. Peter hadn't arrived in time to save them from the monsters. It was a miracle that this girl somehow escaped and was able to hide inside the large hollow of a tree. Before this moment, Peter arrived at Steelwater during the early hours with a small squad of Aeons, four in total, himself included. As was the nature of these SWARG missions, teams and squads and platoons came and went with the demanding whims of UDF military officials. Not the most efficient method, but a strategic tactic to maintain control over Aeons and discourage group loyalty, because, in their eyes, loyalty was reserved strictly for the UDF higher-ups. At some point during the battle, Peter got separated from his team in the forest and stumbled upon the young girl fleeing from minor stigmas. Loading up his crossbow, he had managed to dispatch the beasts with his piercing arrows of light. But surely, more would come. He had to somehow get this girl to the UDF ResDiv Portable Research Station. He could heal her wound, but the stigma infection that bloomed within her, his magic was no good for that. He had been fighting for hours at this point and didn't have enough spiritual energy to carry her mid-flight. Snapping out his revelry, Peter looked back to the girl as her wound finished sealing. She continued to cry out for her parents, knowing full well she would never see them again. "Where is my pa? My mama? I want to see them..." she whined, a bit dazed. Peter could only watch her, overwhelmed with enough pity to choke him. He placed a hand to her forehand, feeling the unnatural warmth that filled her. Fever was setting in. "They have left this world. I'm sorry." "No! No!" she screamed, mucus and tears spilling from her face. "No!" Peter looked frantic, unable to get her to quiet or calm. He could hear more of the beasts coming, carried by the girl's cries. He knew he had to make a quick decision. With a flick of his wrist, a spritz of glittering dust released from his hand and filled the air around the girl's face. Her eyes with drowsy, her head titled back and forth, and then she was out in a dreamless slumber. He caught her head as it went limp and then gently laid her to sleep on the floor. But his efforts to remain hidden proved fruitless. Peter exited the hollow of the tree to witness the approach of those disgusting insect-like creatures. He readied his crossbow as his light poured into the weapon to form a glittering golden arrow. The creatures that rushed forth never ceased to amaze him. How they could be so single-focused in their destructive and brutal nature, soulless and empty. Peter went into his battle stance, leveling his crossbow at the monstrosities. Only he stood between the girl and the stigma. Her life depended on him. Peter furrowed his eyebrows, his resolve fortitude by his duty to protect her. If nothing else, he would get her to the portable research station. Closer and closer they crawled towards him. A bead of sweat dripped off his chin. He steadied his breathing, focusing on nothing but the incoming threat. In that fleeting moment, time stopped and he thought of Milo. And then... he fired.

Summary

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???

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Aeolian
We'll keep it unique to Peter. I was thinking about how it fits with the rest of his theme—you know, being around death/eternal sleep. Sleeping is also a good remedy for a slew of problems in people, so it goes well with the healing aspect of his character.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Aeolian
Oh yeah, just look at the aesthetics of this thing. Perfectly on theme with the golden glow/sparkles that you described:

Hider

Okay, looks good to me! Put it into the character tab.

I was probing about the sleep effect to see if I needed to make it a proper thing for the combat 'system', and maybe even have its own little card. Would you be okay with others being able to create sleep effects? Otherwise it can be a unique thing to Peter.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@Aeolian
Very cool lore and everything as usual. The whole setup made me think of an Esper from Final Fantasy 12 named "Ultima", a six-winged angel-like being. Perhaps something for Peter's Archon form?

I'm guessing Peter's element of choice will be this "Golden" element that I've mentioned in the Codex, and that you mentioned here yourself. I've named in "Aether" in one of the cards for the combat system, which can be something to keep in mind. It could also be called "light", perhaps. I don't think it should have a set name as some other elements, seeing as it is pure spirit energy or energy of the Etro (God), or something like that.

Anyway, this bubble that Peter can surround himself with and shield others, is that the same thing as the "barrier" technique in the codex? Or is it different? Also, this 'sleep' effect that you mention, how does that work specifically? Like, can it put an active combatant instantly to sleep or is it one of those things where the target is unaware of Peter's presence, to begin with, like a 'stealth' kind of thing?

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

Don't feel like you are stuck with your character forever. At any point, if you want to replace your character with a new one, then we can do that without problems. I did this narrative thing with the SWARG group for that very reason, and to easily take in new players. So, we're very flexible here in terms of characters/players. Nothing will be 'weird' if a character has to suddenly leave or a new one enters.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

_{♪ ♪ ♪ ♪}

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_{DAY 1 《》 STEELWATER [Landing Zone - A] 《》 Late Morning 《》 @Prisk}

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Some of the members of the team had already been called away. This was the nature of this war. Everything was always moving in different directions. It was all regrettably unpredictable. Luckily, the Special Warfare and Reconnaissance Group functioned in such a way that other Aeons could always link up at any time. This was how High Command of the UDF wanted it. They had learned this lesson the hard way. The first iteration of the group had been a predetermined and unchanged team. This led to incredible cohesion and effectiveness, but it also came with certain risks. When one of the team ended up with Renegade status, all of them followed suit out of loyalty. This was unacceptable, which is why High Command changed the team composition protocols for the group. Emilia thought about why they were in Steelwater. They had brought fairly talented Aeons from the Research Division on the team. That could not have been a coincidence, and Aaron probably knew why—she meant to ask him about it the second there was a quiet moment. Then there was Ben. Why was he here? Emilia’s mind hopped back in time to that last message she had received from him. There was something that he had to do, but he could not do it while they were together and his mother was still alive. That could only mean something illegal or extremely bad in the eyes of the UDF. Why was he in Steelwater, though? Or rather, why had he been there? Emilia figured that he was long gone, but they had to find out why he had been there at all and where he was going. What could make such a legendary Aeon with an almost perfect UDF career abandon everything to do whatever it is he was doing? The thought was baffling and way too distracting at this time, in the heat of battle, so she did her best to let it go for now. The berated and punished monstrosity was provoked beyond what it probably expected. The utter barrage of pain that Aaron and Scylla inflicted in less than a minute was enough to level an entire city block's worth of concrete. The thing let out a terrible screech during a brief moment of respite from its spirit possessed attackers. All the tinier creatures that swarmed in its vicinity began to scurry away in a hurry, as their atrocious Alpha uncannily began to spin around in a Whirlwind. Mud and rock were flung from the shallow waters of the creek and the many vile tentacles of the monster sent any stragglers flying. That such a bulky creature could move that fast, in a spinning motion no less, was a baffling sight to behold. Being caught in such retaliation would surely be felt the next morning. "Watch out!" Emilia shouted just before the thing reached its violent momentum. Her shotgun shells were quickly running out. Emilia doubted that any gun or blade would stop that monstrosity from spinning around, and there was no telling when it would stop. She dropped the smoking barrel onto the deck when the firepower had dried up. The tiny tree husks and insects were still an issue, but they would certainly cut their losses if their daddy was dead. Emilia crouched for a split second before forcefully jumping high up into the air—the very thing that had made her iconic in this business. At the zenith of her physical feat, slowing down at roughly forty meters above ground, she raised her arm above her head and focused her mind on the spirits within. Swirling air all around her began to gather, smokey gray and white in its heightened appearance, rapidly taking the shape of a conventional missile. Just as Emilia was about to descend due to gravity, she flung the airy armament at the monstrosity. The rocket of air left an impressive trail in the sky. The explosion from the impact was less than two seconds after Emilia had launched the attack. A potent shock wave escaped in all directions, water in the creek was forcefully moved and nearly drained around the foe, and a grayish mist was aggressively ejected into the air in the shape of a dome. All the tiny minions were knocked off balance and about in the immediate area. The vile creature itself stopped dead in its spinning track, briefly stunned by the airy detonation. Emilia touched ground shortly thereafter. She drew her combat blade from its resting place underneath her backpack, strapped to the chest rig. “Now! Go, go!” She shouted to the others fighting the thing. There was an opening to do some serious damage. The plan in Emilia's head was to clear this area out and regroup at the ResDiv Research Station up ahead. From there, they would make their entry into the city. It was anyone’s guess how they would ever pick up any trail belonging to Ben. They would probably have to split up and look for anything that could be related to the UDF—something secret or off limits. It was the only logical conclusion that Emilia could come to. If he had achieved his Archon form and shown hostility with it, then he was doing something that the UDF did not approve of. And what was with these Stigma creatures and overwhelming odds? The orbiting comet was not due near Steelwater for another hour, so there was no reason for this kind of invasion to make itself known. Hopefully, they would find something in the city that could give some modest answers. 》》》 Enemy & Tactical Map 《《《

Summary

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Emilia reflects upon why they are in Steelwater and why Ben is doing somethig that seems illegal. The Big Bad does a whirlwind-kind of attack and spins its tentacles around. Emilia attacks the Big Bad from a distance with an air element Projectile in the shape of a missile. The explosion from it creates a brief opening to attack the creature.

Quest Steps

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For NEW PLAYERS: You can describe your character as arriving in Steelwater with the same Navigation Division Air Mobile squad as the rest of the characters. Alternatively, you can describe your character as already being in Steelwater, at the scene. If you have problems with inserting your character in a good way, then speak with me right away and we will take care of it. If all else fails, we can insert your character through a collaboration post.

When we fight a 'Big Bad', make sure to check the stuff about Combat in the Codex. I did not use any of that stuff in this post myself, so as not to muddy things up and make things too complicated for any potential new players. Take your time with the Combat stuff, and ask me if something seems unclear!

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

_edit.
I've added information about the current BIG BAD enemy and a 'tactical map' of the area at the end of the Codex: here.

@Krash
Go with the gut feeling option!

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

@CosmicComet
Don't feel like that. I checked some of your older posts and you are totally fine in that department! Nothing to worry about. Besides, there are no writing requirements here. We're all very chill.

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

Garuda

E M I L I A ' G A R U D A ' L A N G E

25 《》 166 cm

_{P R E S E N C E}

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Emilia is a fairly straightforward and easygoing kind of person. Being born in the countryside adds a flavor of modesty and a sense of duty to the community. She was set on a regular life without grand aspirations before everything went downhill. Having spent the last seven years in the military, Emilia has become like a machine when it comes to commitment and determination—it is all second nature at this point. This is not to say that she does not experience lazy days, but otherwise rigorous requirements are simply routine.

Emilia is the teacher type, or mentor perhaps, at least one that cares for the success of whatever the soldiers next to her have to do. It is all in the spirit of getting the job done and being able to go home in one piece.

UDF-issued clothing and armor are the typical fashion for Emilia. There are not enough spare days in a year to say that she has any particular style. When and if there is such a moment, Emilia will usually wear rather casual attire consisting of tights, sweaters or t-shirts, and sneakers. She has worn a proper dress, once, but never taken one step in high heels.

_{C H R O N I C L E}

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Emilia was born to a farmer couple who lived a slight distance away from a small town. Her parents bred and processed livestock, whose parts and products they sold to local markets and businesses. When the comet hit, they were able to stay afloat by shifting their sales to corporate interest, instead. It was not what they wanted to do, but they needed to do it in order to survive. As the farm is far away from the comet's orbit, Emilia's parents rarely see the disease or its creatures around.

Emilia stands out quite a bit as an Aeon due to a number of advertisement campaigns for the Warfare Division. Other than that, she is known for her high deployment rate and consistency in her service to the UDF. She is a hands-on kind of soldier, so the Warfare Division has been her home ever since she got started in this bracket. However, one of her signature things to do is to drop from helicopter transports onto the ground at quite a height before it lands. The way her darkish, auburn hair flows in the wind is reminiscent of eagle wings. This eventually landed her the nickname 'Garuda', which is a mythological eagle that is said to have achieved human-like consciousness and speech a long time ago. Emilia's particular strength as an Aeon is in her legs, which allow her to jump to and drop from uncanny heights.

Some years ago, close to the beginning of her service, Emilia had a relationship with a fellow Aeon in the UDF. His caliber as a soldier and reputation as an Aeon overshadowed Emilia by many miles, and she eventually became known for being his partner. Things ended after about a year due to complications and conflict of understanding. Emilia tried to avoid him to the best of her ability, but it was rather difficult when his name was at the tip of everyone's tongue. However, she eventually made a name for herself and people sort of forgot that they were ever dating.

Whenever it is time for R&R, Emilia tries to go back home to the farm to help her parents. She also has a younger sister, by two years, that is serving the UDF as a nurse in field hospitals. They rarely meet each other these days, but they do stay in contact. When all else fails, Emilia likes to spend time far away from the war—any kind of relaxing environment or sprawling city will do. However, vacations are always cut short. Emilia has not enjoyed a full R&R for the past two years. Despite this hectic life, she does manage to send a good chunk of her salary back home, which helps her parents a lot.

_{T R I V I A}

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》 Frequently gets asked by soldiers to "jump them" into the air and back down, like a ride.

》 Emilia's highest observed jump was 60 meters, which in the real world is the same as jumping over the Columbus Monument in Barcelona.

》 Emilia's highest observed drop from a height was about 170 meters, which is like jumping down from the Washington Monument obelisk. However, she did injure herself from that drop, which means it is bordering lethal.

_{F O R C E}

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_{PROJECTILES
BEAM
ORB
BARRIER
BREATH PRESERVATION}

Emilia is able to jump high and far compared to other Aeon as well as drop from otherwise dangerous heights without injury. The elements that dominate her spirits are Air, Lightning, and Metal. Emilia has taught herself a 'breath preservation' ability whereby the air spirits help her to hold her breath for an extended period of time.

Emilia's typical weapon of choice is a short-barrel assault rifle. For close combat encounters, she uses a conventional sword-like weapon. All of it is UDF standard issue, so Emilia doesn't have a 'signature' weapon—yet.

_{F A M E}

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_CELEBRITY

Emilia is known for an extensive advertisement campaign for the Warfare division and the UDF as a whole early in her career. Some of the material was a bit controversial, which made her a subject for tabloids and gossip. She also had a relationship with Benjamin Regardie, who is likely the most well-known and powerful Aeon in recent history.

_{T R A I T S}

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_{VITALITY 》 15
PRECISION 》 15
VENERATION 》 10
PROTECTION 》 10
RESISTANCE 》 10
SUPREMACY 》 10
DOMINATION 》 10
EXECUTION 》 10
DESTRUCTION 》 10}

Gravija

H A N A ' G R A V I J A ' M A E D A

26 《》 172 cm

_{P R E S E N C E}

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Hana is a silent and elegant archetype. Silence does not necessarily mean devoid of words, but rather carefully selective. Her voice has a deep and soothing timbre that will calm almost any raging lunatic. Being born and raised in Tenshi has blessed or cursed Hana with a slight accent when speaking the common language.

Night has always been her forte. There is something alluring in darkness and shadows cast by moonlight. Rarely getting much sun has made Hana rather pale in her complexion, which she emphasizes further with cosmetics and fashion. It is a style and appearance she finds attractive and mysterious in both men and women.

Despite any reputation, Hana is a rather benevolent soul in some respects. She loves to cook food and bake, probably due to her mother's similar passion. As long as there is a fire and some pans, a couple of nice ingredients, and a bit of seasoning, then Hana can make a good meal happen anywhere.

It takes a certain person to do the things that Hana does for the Intelligence Division. Her view on things will feel alien, and even agitating at times. She is not quite a sociopath, but there are certainly hints of it in there. However, Hana is not the kind that intentionally provokes anyone. No, she keeps her mouth shut until there is a reason to act on something.

_{C H R O N I C L E}

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Hana was born to regular working-class people. The family had lived a fairly normal and quiet life until the comet arrived. Living in the northern parts of Tenshi, they were lucky to be far away from the comet's orbit, but Hana's father was quickly drafted into the early stages of the UDF. Hana's mother closed her local pastry shop to begin working at a munitions factory. A year later, news came of the death of Hana's father. When she brought the news to her mother, the loss was too much for the elderly woman to bear. Hana was forced into a position of being emotional stability lest the whole family perish.

Hana joined the UDF shortly after making sure that her mother could continue to work. During those moments at the factory when the tragic news was laid out, Hana absorbed many of her current spirits. They were of strange and exotic elements. This kind of combination was somewhat rare among Aeon. After spending introductory time in the Warfare Division, Hana was moved to the Intelligence Division at an officer's request. She spent a year or two doing regular service and being deployed in various groups. Later, Hana focused more on the signature dealings of the Intelligence Division. Activities such as statecraft and reconnaissance became some of her personal favorites. However, she eventually specialized in what her superiors deemed to be her foremost talent, which was Aeon Control or Anti-Aeon Countermeasures.

As with many other Aeon in the Intelligence Division, Hana has mostly flown below the radar in the public eye. Among her own ranks, she is known as a Grim Reaper kind of character. She is the cop you send to kill other cops, more or less. It is no secret that the Intelligence Division hides what they are actually doing with soft designations such as 'control' or 'countermeasures'. In reality, it is nothing short of an assassination cult. Of course, UDF High Command denies any allegations of such activities. Hana has no issues with it beyond being actively scolded or blamed for the decisions of IntDiv. In all her years of service, she has only ever killed two Aeon, both of which were Renegades.

_{T R I V I A}

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》 ???

_{F O R C E}

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_{PROJECTILES
BEAM
ORB
WAVE}

The elements that dominate Hana's spirits are Gravity, Dark, and Ice.

Hana's particular strength as an Aeon is to move silently. Her entire body and step are uncannily lightweight due to dominant Gravity spirits, which allow her to stand on material that would normally break. It also allows her to endure certain acrobatics that would otherwise be nearly impossible.

The conventional weapon of choice for Hana depends on what the enemy is. For the Stigma creatures, she prefers hard-hitting weapons such as shotguns. When other Aeon are on the chopping block, conventional guns become somewhat useless. If there is anything that somewhat works, then it is large-caliber sniper rifles or rocket launchers. But, sometimes a more silent and nuanced approach is required. Hana uses a dagger for subtle encounters. When all-out war is the only option, Hana wields a massive scythe-like monstrosity.

_{F A M E}

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_UNKNOWN

Hana is in the heart of the Intelligence division.

_{T R A I T S}

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_{VITALITY 》 10
PRECISION 》 20
SUPREMACY 》 15
DOMINATION 》 15
EXECUTION 》 20
DESTRUCTION 》 20}

ᵀʰᵉ Spirits Within/Aeon

_edit.
Summary of the old thread is available in the 0th in-character post, under the timestamps.

@DeadDrop
Don't delete it, damn it. We're just going to continue where we left off.