@PapiTan So am I understanding correctly that Reapers are people who have lived a life on earth, died, and passed on to Decibitus, but who have unique traits that allow them to essentially loiter longer than other people without ill effects? Is a Reaper ever expected/able to move on to the After?
A good question! I will clear up that every departed soul is okay to linger in Decibitus without issue, but reapers are uniquely able to linger for long periods on Earth without ego decay.
That said, they are able to move on to the After whenever they feel they're ready under normal conditions! Just... Not at the moment, now that the train is borked.
@Dragonfly 9 - Heck yeah, you can! The more the merrier, right?
As an aside for anyone that's lurking around, definitely feel free to ask questions, poke me for info, etc. I did snip a lot of definitions and things to shorten the intcheck a bit, and I'm realizing now that maybe I shouldn't have done that. /nervous sweating
Edit: General question I assume weapons are mandatory for reapers. Do/can reaper weapons have some form of ability unrelated to spells like the equivalent of a weapon that shoots fire as an example.
You thought I would go to sleep, but surprise, I'm a disaster so I'm gonna go ahead and answer this.
Weapons are indeed mandatory for reapers, as they're what let them do their primary duties of getting rid of wisps (will I keep this capitalization consistent? All signs point to probably not). Weapons can have a general mythical ability unrelated to spells, but it'll all be form-dependent. There is definitely more information about this that I can expound on when I make the ooc proper, but in short, reapers specify the weapon they want to Ushi, who forges it for them. While no weapon is going to be straight up magical, extremely basic things can be possible.
Taking your example of a weapon that shoots fire, if the reaper Biggs Hunkman asked for a flaming shield that was also a flamethrower, he'd get a flaming shield that was also a flamethrower, provided that the flames came from the weapon itself. The flames would disappear after a while even without being put out and would instantly go out if the weapon were to be sheathed/inactive since they'd technically also be part of the weapon.
Generally speaking, weapon effects won't have the power to affect things that aren't part of the weapon themselves, so "wand that produces temporary/ghost flowers to throw around" would be possible but "wand that directly manipulates plants" wouldn't be.
If you have a weird weapon idea, feel free to jab me with it so I can give a more definitive yea/nay about it.
The Departure Rail has been at a standstill for three weeks.
Now, normally, that would be none of your business. You have no idea how that train runs, and it’s certainly not your job to make sure that it keeps running, but you’ve also never known it to not make its three daily trips into the After. From what you’ve heard, that’s actually pretty bad–and it must be if the mayor and his assistant have been visiting your boss near-daily for the past week to discuss it!
But you’ve got your own duties to handle. Wisps to unmake, escapees to find, departed souls to help out–your plate’s full already. Plenty of things to take care of. Plus, this sort of thing is way beyond your depth, isn’t it?
That’s probably what you should have said when your boss let everyone know that she has no choice but to tack on “try and see what’s going on in the After” to your usual duties because of the situation. Which, by the way, isn’t as easy as it sounds. The After really doesn’t like people that aren’t supposed to be there sticking around, and it really doesn’t like letting people go once they’ve passed the boundary to it. Your boss said it herself–that’s why reapers aren’t supposed to try and travel past the Kiln.
Speaking of your boss, why the hell have you been seeing her enter the Ligena Fati the past few days? Isn’t that where the psycho-freak monster necromancer is being held? The one that even she couldn’t unmake? The lady literally named Miss Death?
God, you don’t get paid enough for this shit.
Earth is… well, it’s Earth. The land of the living. Where people who have not departed remain. In terms of setting, consider it to be extremely similar to our present day Earth, but with the caveat of magic existing–not that magic changed all that many things in the end.
As the land of the living and the first step in one’s journey, Earth tends to be prone to the most issues coming from departed souls–in particular, wisps. Departed souls that linger too long on earth suffer from ego decay, which causes a slow-but-sure loss of self for the soul in question. Eventually, the soul loses itself and becomes something called a wisp.
Wisps can take on many forms, most of them reflecting regrets or things that a departed soul held powerful emotions toward. Generally speaking, wisps don’t start dangerous, but can very quickly become dangerous when they are exposed to negative stimuli.
Decibitus is a city that exists in the space between life and the afterlife–some might say it is the limbo of death itself, but that’s really far too dramatic a way to describe it. Decibitus is, effectively, a normal city for those that need a little extra time before they decide to move on to what happens after death. To that end, only a very small fraction of departed souls actually wind up in Decibitus, each with their own reasons as to why.
That said, Decibitus is not and was never meant to be a permanent place for people to stay, and is only the size of a city. As a result, there aren’t many houses, though there are plenty of apartments that are given to residents for free. It is important to go through proper channels to get this set up though–to ensure that you can be set up with necessities and to prevent anyone being sent to an already-occupied apartment. Because people do not age and generally are incapable of truly dying in Decibitus, people who do not have necessities don’t necessarily die, but comfort is still something that the city tries to offer to its residents, no matter how temporary said residents may be.
The most important part of Decibitus isn’t the fact that it has places to live or functions, effectively, as a city though-. It’s the Departure Rail, the train in the center of the city that ferries souls that are prepared directly to the After. Under normal circumstances, the Departure Rail makes a trip directly to the After three times a day to deliver departed souls prepared for their afterlives.
The afterlife, if one were to describe the After according to common human thought. This is the single destination for the Departure Rail, and is protected by an odd boundary that separates it from Decibitus and Earth in a more definite way. Departed souls that enter the After are not able to return to Decibitus or Earth. Because of this, very little is known about the After.
Reapers are the only beings known to be able to enter the After and return after, though they are only able to do so at the outskirts where the Kiln is located for short periods of time. Most information known about the After is from reapers who have delivered remains to the Kiln.
Magic is common knowledge on Earth, which means that it is equally common knowledge in Decibitus and in the After. Most people are capable of using it as long as they are taught, though it takes a certain type to both desire and succeed at getting particularly good at it in the modern day.
The basics of magic are taught at all levels of education, and the average person can, at the very least, perform basic feats like creating a small mote of light or making a loud noise (about the volume of a whistle, typically) with magic. However, beyond rudimentary uses, magic takes time and effort to learn and perform.
Current understanding of magic is that every individual tends to excel in a specific type of magic (necromancy, elemental, or healing for example). Typically, when entering formal study of magic, magic users will undergo a number of tests to see which type of magic best suits them.
“There’s magic in your words.”
The basis of all magic in this world is Vertan, a language colloquially known as the “world script”. As far as anyone understands it,Vertan words are the vehicle for an individual’s inherent magic to create effects on the world. To that end, there are two approaches to magic: spoken and written. All formally trained users of magic will learn both systems, and simple spells of both are taught in general education as well.
Spoken magic is considered to be easier for most people to understand, particularly because it is much less stringent in being able to create an effect. As one might expect, spoken magic requires reciting Vertan words, and in the case of casting the same spell, is typically much faster than written magic. The speed and general ease of use makes spoken magic popular for casual magic users or for on-the-spot spells. However, in most formal settings, spoken magic is set aside for written magic, primarily because spoken magic tends to be less predictable and consistent than its written counterpart. Moreover, spoken magic has significant shortcomings when persistent effects are desired, can't be prepared ahead of time, and is prone to producing unexpected or unintended effects, even when trying to cast the same spell multiple times in a row.
On the other side of the magic spectrum is written magic. Where spoken magic is often valued for its speed and convenience, written magic is valued for its precision and its ability to be prepared in advance. However, it takes a considerable amount of time for each written spell to be prepared as magic must be inscribed into each word, which can be a time-consuming process. However, complex spells and persistent effects are virtually always done through written magic due to its stability and consistency. When a written spell produces unexpected effects, it is virtually always because of improper inscription rather than "magic being magic".
In both systems of magic, only the individual who creates the spell is able to actually cast it. This means that a spell inscribed or chanted by one magic user can’t be activated or hijacked by another magic user, and spells with multiple writers require all of the original writers to be cast. Furthermore, a script, whether written or spoken, can only work once before having to be rewritten or incanted again.
Miss Death’s field agents, (perhaps not so) affectionately known as “reapers” by the general populace. All reapers are under Miss Death’s employ and share a common trait that makes them eligible to become one. What that common trait actually is, however, is something that only Miss Death seems to know.
What people do know is that reapers all have a particular set of abilities that they gain while on Earth.
While on Earth, all reapers gain enhancements to their physical parameters, meaning that they are stronger, faster, and more durable on Earth than they normally would be. Additionally, they are highly resistant to the ego decay that most departed souls are subject to, making them uniquely capable of performing many of their jobs. Unlike most departed souls, reapers are also able to make themselves visible to normal humans and can, within a small radius, make other departed souls visible for a short amount of time.
Finally, all reapers are capable of floating or limited flight in theory. However, Miss Death has noted that several struggle with the concept and have difficulty performing the task.
Upon completion of training, all reapers are given a weapon core from Miss Death. These are small gem-like structures filled with a black, smoke-like substance. These cores can be taken to Uchi to be forged into a reaper’s personal weapon–their “scythe”, so to speak. When inactive, they remain in their gem-like form, but when activated, the black substance takes the form of the reaper’s weapon.
Weapons made from these cores are unique in that they are able to unmake any soul–even those that are attached to a still-living person or a soul that exists in the After, should a reaper decide to use their weapon for such purposes. These are primarily used to handle Wisps, but due to their ability, are sometimes used to unmake souls in the Ligena Fati.
Oddly, it appears that these weapons are incapable of unmaking Miss Death herself.
“Congratulations, you’re a reaper!
Hm? Miss Death? Oh, she’s probably up in her office reading reports from Decibitus Hall. You know how it is with the Departure Rail situation–poor thing is probably up to her ears in extra work because of her position, so she doesn’t have time for the usual introductions. That’s okay though, I’ll handle it in her place as your good old fashioned senpai!
We’ll start with your standard job expectations:
First, the type of thing you’ll be doing most often is going back to Earth to go and unmake Wisps and bring their remains to the processing center in the After for reconstruction. This is something that only reapers can really do, which is why you guys get sent to these situations so frequently. Normally someone over in Decibitus Hall will catch wind of weird Wisp-y behavior before they become too nasty, but it’s still good to be careful. They’re the only things that can kinda-sorta unmake a soul other than you reapers, so… well, you can see how it gets risky for everyone.
Ahem, anyways, another one of your jobs is to help find people who have passed on Earth that haven’t made it to Decibitus. People don’t normally need the help, so it’s not that common, but sometimes a person gets a little lost or trapped back on Earth. That’s no good for a departed soul, and leaving them alone for too long will eventually cause their ego to degrade until they become a Wisp, and that’s trouble. A lot of times, this sort of thing is handled by someone from Decibitus Hall, but for ones that take a little more time or finesse, reapers like you are the best bet. After all, for whatever reason, reapers don’t suffer the same kind of ego decay as normal departed souls–maybe that’s why you guys can go to and from the After with no issue? Haha, well, even Miss Death doesn’t really know the answer to that, so we can only guess!
Let’s see… your last type of usual job is more of an oopsie on our side than anything happening on Earth. See, Decibitus does its best to keep tabs on everyone that goes back to Earth while trying to clear out any last regrets or anything before moving on to the After, but sometimes, people run off without getting that clearance. Why? Uhhh, well, some of them might be people that are supposed to go to the Depths, but a lot of them are just people that don’t know any better. Decibitus isn’t exactly what people cover in their afterlife beliefs back on Earth, you know. Ego decay and all that is a foreign concept, so they run off thinking it’ll be fine, but…
…
Anyways! That’s why reapers go out to find those types of people before it’s too late! After all, it’d be too sad if they lost their chance to go to the After just because they didn’t know any better.
Aaand that’s it! You’ll get some extra duties here and there too, especially as you rise in the ranks. Things like bringing remains of unmade souls to the After’s processing center directly or unmaking dangerous souls in the Ligena Fati and all that, but don’t expect that to happen all that often.
With that all out of the way, congrats again on becoming one of Miss Death’s reapers! I’m sure you’ll do a killer job out there.”
Heya folks, you actually made it to the bottom of this disaster zone of an intcheck! This is the part that I guess you might be more interested in. Players in Decibitus will be taking on the role of reapers working under Miss Death juggling their usual duties and brand spanking new ones tied to the sudden failure of the Departure Rail. Do you get paid nearly enough for this shit? Probably not, but you must have your reasons for becoming a reaper to begin with, right?
Players will be given the option to take jobs from a job board that will (ideally) be regularly updated while also being given opportunities to investigate the mystery of why the Departure Rail has suddenly stopped. Much of Decibitus's overarching plot will be progressed through player actions and how they choose to interact with the people they meet or the things they learn.
In as far as combat goes, most of the smaller combat situations will be handled at player discretion, but significant encounters (e.g. particularly powerful Wisps, players fighting other players, etc.) will be handled by a simple dice rolling system unless the GMs are told from all involved parties that a specific outcome has been pre-planned. Players will be told when a combat situation is expected to require dice rolls. Active players will have the ability to obtain small bonuses as well based on a system that I'm sure will drive me insane with busywork, but that's what co-GMs are for, right?
I know for a fact that I won't care how you format your CS, and I may add or remove parts that I will want to know, but for time being, this is what you can expect I will want from the CS. Please feel free to run spells or bio things by me to know if they'd be okay.
✦ Name ✦ Age (appearance), actual age optional ✦ Gender, bio sex optional ✦ Faceclaim and/or physical description ✦ Weapon
✦ As opposed to a personality or bio section, I’m going to request that you do an in-character response to one of the following prompts:
✧ The way your character died (and thus entered Decibitus). Please be aware that all souls that enter Decibitus have significant personal reason(s) to not simply move through to the After. ✧ A brief excerpt of your character’s first job as a reaper or a job that impacted them significantly ✧ Your character has just been given the offer to become a reaper, what brought them to say “yes”?
✦ Magic Branch ✦ Magic
For the sake of balance, I’m going to give everyone pokemon syndrome and limiting initial spells to 4 per character to start with. Please note that these are specifically significant spells that can be used for combat or have a massive effect in setting. Spells for day-to-day living do not have this cap. Spells in this list should be within the same branch of magic–if you tell me your magic is elemental, I want your spells to be elemental.
It stank of copper and iron in the best of cases and reeked of things best left without description in the worst. There was something about the crimson ooze that made the back of her throat taste of rot—the type from a slice of pork left on the counter for too long. It brought to mind wishes of petty vengeance and people who learned regret too late to stop themselves. To think she was surrounded with it for the sake of fulfilling a request, and at the cost of finding any poor, unfortunate souls ripe for the picking too.
A soft sigh escaped from behind the thin veil blocking her visage from the world at large.
“What a waste…”
With no one left to witness them and the gate now smoldering in the distance, Yua allowed her heels, at last, to touch the floor and lazily brushed a stray lock of hair over her shoulder. The regal air she’d exuded only moments before seemed to withdraw into her slight frame. In the span of only three breaths, Masashi’s weaver of the night disappeared, the character shed like a thick coat on a summer day. Disinterested eyes fell onto her contract holder—no, that was a lie.
The devil of Edogawa was pointedly looking at where the seals marking their little partnership would be, had they been easily visible in the umbramancer’s getup. Her smile dripped a honeyed venom, though she knew it went unseen. A surreptitious glance left. Right. Nobody in sight as she spoke in her usual tone.
“My, my, dear shadow,” Yua cooed. Her heels clicked as she stepped over the littered viscera left behind in her wake, coming to a stop only when she was within arm’s reach of Masashi. Thin strands of spider silk dissolved into the air with each step, leaving a thin coral mist as the only hint of their prior existence. “Coming to shine where there’s such competition… your ambition truly never fails you, does it?”
Normally, she didn’t like to cut deals with other magical heroes. Certainly, she could love them as dearly as she loved the others she protected, but there was a certain unripe quality to it all. Her dealings were better suited for a different breed.
But Masashi had a specific wish. A petty one, to be sure, but it was unique. What started as a curiosity quickly spiraled into an infatuation. As long as she could capture that particular inferno, then going out of her way for these crowded dealings might be worth it in the end.
“I suppose I’ll make myself scarce before your little costume disappears. After all, I wouldn’t dream of stealing your limelight.” Absently, she allowed her fingertips to brush lightly against where the contract seals remained hidden as she stepped past the Faust of their sordid little arrangement. A reminder. A tally. It was never easy to tell with her. “Take care of my exit, won’t you, dear shadow?”
A white phantom passed through overcast skies, hardly more noticeable than the flakes of snow lazily drifting to the earth. Between the magical girls on the ground and the youkai spilling out of the gate, Yua didn't have to bother trying to be discrete about her movements. Eyes on the ground. Eyes on the monsters. Eyes on the heroes. She hardly even had to worry about youkai getting in her path.
The few still interested in trying to attack her weren't significant enough to give a second thought after their dispatch.
Soundlessly, the woman touched down on the stage created by one of her contractees, a sense of power still nestled in her veins. As usual, his specificity left much to be desired. For all the additional strength her aspect magic had given her to complete the appointed task, Yua hadn't been given any boons in speed to hasten her approach--not that she'd been in a rush to begin with. Taking the spotlight would have been easy, but being reckless about it would rob her of the flame she'd been stoking since Masashi's first contract.
That, and she wasn't exactly fond of the little song and dance she'd rehearsed for the man's sake.
The instant she stepped into the darkness, it clung to her like ink. Shadows stained her black, almost suffocating in their insistence to recreate the devilish magical girl in a new image. Around her wrists, her arms, over all the pristine clothing that could have blended in with the fresh-fallen snow. It was like being trodden on. Muddied. Drowned.
Compared to the black ink she grew accustomed to in her near-decade of service, it was stifling.
Delicate digits swept over a still-shapeless mass of shadows, spreading it with two strokes into a thin veil hung from the forward curve of her horns. The world in her view became tinted with a layer of misplaced night. Suffocating. Stifling. It was a lot of work for a filthy little desire.
Yua fixed her posture, rising to the balls of her feet, the tips of her heels just barely off the floor. More sway, more show, more danger. That was how to approach this sham of a show put on in drab, monochrome magic. The steps came together like clockwork. Breathe in. Drop her voice a half pitch lower. Erase the lilt that beckoned and teased, replace it with something far grander than the innocent devil.
"It appears I've kept you waiting, o prince of shadows." Yua's voice split the air like a sharp blade as she stepped into view. Her back straight, shoulders back, chin held high. She cut the image of someone who knew her importance despite the shadows forming an outfit more reminiscent of a dancer than a ruler. Lace and ribbon were covered, all but replaced with a badlah. It wasn't entirely ornate, any embellishments lost within the absence of color, but it would do. The skirt billowed, the hem fading into a wispy smoke as it danced alongside Yua's feather light steps.
Mana unraveled from the magical girl, threads all escaping from their spool. As expected, they left only traces of their existence to the eye, a faint glimmer in the daylight here, a moment where her mana came into view as she looped it around a limb.
Flick. Twist. Pivot.
He wanted to be praised and adored.
Loved.
That part of him was easy to understand. Everyone deserved to be loved.
Yua's movements came to a stop only when she felt too much resistance against the strain of the countless threads she'd spread in her rampant little dance. The few youkai left in Masashi's immediate vicinity had long since been entangled and ensnared in the web that the devil had been leaving in her wake.
"Fall to pieces, curs."
She gave a sharp pull, acting as the nexus of her web. There was resistance. For a moment, snowfall gathered on the threads leading from Yua to her prey, and they shimmered as though even the stars had fallen into their intricate web. Then, the resistance and starlight disappeared as the devil's magic tore into its victims.
Behind the veil of darkness, delicate lips carved a cruel smile into place.
★❜ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴀɴ ⊱ At 167 cm and a 56.2kg, Yua is just a bit taller than a typical woman in her environment, though it's hardly anything that makes her stand out. Yua is, by all means, a person that can be seen as conventionally attractive, though this is through effort on her own part. With delicate features, skin that is well cared for, and long, dark hair that falls to the small of her back when let down in all its sleek and glossy glory, there's little question that Yua is the type that takes time out of her day to look aesthetically pleasing. She tends to pick simple, casual clothing with only minor embellishments, and is generally not the first person one might think of as "flashy". Perhaps the most noticeable of her features are her blue eyes, though even those may be ignored with the rise of colored contacts.
★❜ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱꜰᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ⊱ When transformed, Yua's hair turns from black to white while two curved horns adorned with flowers appear along both sides of her head. Her clothing shifts to a revealing white dress, the fashion of which seems to be a blend of a gown, a negligee, and lingerie between its lacy embroidery and the sheer bustle that trails behind her. Fingerless lace gloves cover both arms from just below her shoulders to her wrists while her legs are covered by sheer stockings with finely embroidered tops held up by garters. Much like the rest of her outfit, Yua's shoes are equally delicate in appearance, a pair of white corset heels laced up just above her ankles with a thin cone heel adding three inches to her height.
What's that? The dark little flick you saw? Surely just a trick of the eye. A devil tail? You must have imagined it.
𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ "Hm? Miyake-san? Ah, she's a good kid. Always bows her head to her elders and treats everyone with respect. You don't see that a lot these days."
"Miyake-san... aaah! You mean Yuacchi! She's so sweet! I saw her give up her seat to a student the other day because they looked exhausted even though she just finished a day a work. It made me, like, really think about how I wanna raise my future kids, yaknow? I bet she'd be a good role model."
"Oh, you mean the one that played Cinderella today, right? Haha, she's a reliable sort! Never late, and if there's a shift that needs to be picked up, she can always be counted on. A hard worker, that one. She's always got plans with someone too--must be busy being a young woman these days!"
"Hm? Oh, no... that's all far too kind. I'm not really like that at all."
She smiles at you, and a shudder crawls down your spine. You can't help but believe she's telling the truth.
𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙶𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ Yua never thought there was anything noteworthy in her upbringing. She had a mother and a father. No siblings, but that only meant her parents could focus their attentions on their dearly beloved daughter. They were busy, sure, but every parent was busy, right? While she didn't live in the lap of luxury, they were well enough of that Yua never had to want for anything in particular. If she were honest, wasn't the type to really want things to begin with.
But then, one day, she fell in love. It was an ember that sparked an inferno.
Did she truly love everyone around her? Perhaps she only loved the parts that made a person so unique? Yua couldn't possibly differentiate the thoughts as she fell time and time again. When she was offered the power to protect these people she so desperately wanted to give her affections, there was no question that she took it.
How many people can she show her love to? How many can accept it? One can only wonder if something twisted has been unleashed.
𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ⊱ The Devil, but specifically the one from Faustian stories. ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴏʟ ⊱ A simple fountain pen. Black and gold. Despite appearances, it writes smoothly even in the hands of a beginner and never seems to run out of ink. It can always be found on Yua's person. ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ ⊱ A jewelry set of two earrings and a choker. Each piece has an empty socket where a jewel would ostensibly be placed. ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ᴀsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ⊱ Contracts
Yua's aspect magic takes the form of contracts. She creates the contract, a signer agrees to it, and it plays out as one might expect. She primarily utilizes written contracts, as that is where her power is at its peak. Written contracts formed by Yua are penned by her fountain pen in the air as Yua creates the stipulations and conditions and is materialized on paper once she offers it for signing. Once signed the paper disperses and a mark unique to the signer appears somewhere on their body, the design more or less complex depending on the stipulations of the contract. She is able to maintain up to three separate contracts at a time, but to do so is both extremely draining and not Yua's usual preference of giving her attention to a sole contract signer.
At its base, Yua's contract template is simple. She grants a signer a set number of times that they may request her aid in granting their desires within a certain time frame. In return, when she has fulfilled her part of the bargain, she gains something from the signer as compensation. The catch? What she demands on the contract doesn't have to be a physical thing. Skills honed from practice, talent undiscovered, loyalty, passion--she can declare any of these on her contract as payment.
Mechanically, the contract can be seen as lesser versions of a command seal. After all, why make a contract with a person whose power is no greater than the average fool? When a desire is requested, the contract grants Yua a temporary enhancement to facilitate the fulfillment of that desire. While it cannot grant her boons she isn't capable of to begin with, it can act as a potent, directed buff. However, Yua cannot pick and choose how the contract affects her. If a desire was to save a dear friend from a burning building, the contract might increase Yua's resistance to fire to prevent her from burning as she searched, or it might grant her speed to move through the building quickly enough to outpace the flames. She has no control over which it might give her.
Once a contract's terms have been completed, the compensation manifests itself for Yua to take hold of. When the requested compensation is not a physical item, it takes the form of a small gem with the unique mark of the signer etched within it. If Yua should so desire it, she can temporarily return these payments to their original owners, but more commonly, they are used to fill the empty slots of her patron weapon. When slotted, they grant her usage of the very thing she has taken from her signer, whether that is talent, strength, or otherwise. However, Yua can't use these to their fullest potential, being that they don't belong to her. While the stones are durable, they can be broken with enough force, nullifying the contract and returning the compensation to the original owner. Should the stones be slotted at the time her aid is requested in fulfilling a contract signer's desire, it is possible that one of the stones will be what receives the boost.
There are certain conditions in a contract that Yua cannot change herself, even when drafting them. These are primarily safety nets to prevent the contract requests being used to directly nullify either her contract with her signer or her contract with her patron. Ultimately, these preset merely prevents the likes of "kill yourself" or "release me from this contract" from being used.
To a much lesser degree, Yua is also able to initiate verbal contracts, but the power and potential of these is extremely limited. She can hardly even enforce gaining her end of the contract, nor can a verbal contract really enhance her. She ultimately reserves this for the rare occasion where a little extra nudge might be useful.
𝙴𝚇𝚃𝚁𝙰
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ ★❜ ɴᴏɴᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ sᴋɪʟʟs ⊱
Yua is very musically and theatrically inclined. She can sing, dance, and act particularly well, as one might expect from her employment.
Unnervingly good at lying without actually lying.
Multilingual (fluent in Japanese, English, and Mandarin Chinese) and generally picks up language much faster than the average person. She has learned snippets of basic phrases from tourists in her profession and can sign in JSL.
★❜ ᴍɪsᴄ. ⊱
Has a shiba inu named Azukimaru. He's pampered and generally well-behaved, but becomes a drama queen when being bathed or going to the vet.
Works as a face character in Tokyo Disney part time and lives in an apartment nearby to facilitate travel
★❜ ᴄɪᴠɪʟɪᴀɴ ⊱ At 167 cm and a 56.2kg, Yua is just a bit taller than a typical woman in her environment, though it's hardly anything that makes her stand out. Yua is, by all means, a person that can be seen as conventionally attractive, though this is through effort on her own part. With delicate features, skin that is well cared for, and long, dark hair that falls to the small of her back when let down in all its sleek and glossy glory, there's little question that Yua is the type that takes time out of her day to look aesthetically pleasing. She tends to pick simple, casual clothing with only minor embellishments, and is generally not the first person one might think of as "flashy". Perhaps the most noticeable of her features are her blue eyes, though even those may be ignored with the rise of colored contacts.
★❜ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱꜰᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ⊱ When transformed, Yua's hair turns from black to white while two curved horns adorned with flowers appear along both sides of her head. Her clothing shifts to a revealing white dress, the fashion of which seems to be a blend of a gown, a negligee, and lingerie between its lacy embroidery and the sheer bustle that trails behind her. Fingerless lace gloves cover both arms from just below her shoulders to her wrists while her legs are covered by sheer stockings with finely embroidered tops held up by garters. Much like the rest of her outfit, Yua's shoes are equally delicate in appearance, a pair of white corset heels laced up just above her ankles with a thin cone heel adding three inches to her height.
What's that? The dark little flick you saw? Surely just a trick of the eye. A devil tail? You must have imagined it.
𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ "Hm? Miyake-san? Ah, she's a good kid. Always bows her head to her elders and treats everyone with respect. You don't see that a lot these days."
"Miyake-san... aaah! You mean Yuacchi! She's so sweet! I saw her give up her seat to a student the other day because they looked exhausted even though she just finished a day a work. It made me, like, really think about how I wanna raise my future kids, yaknow? I bet she'd be a good role model."
"Oh, you mean the one that played Cinderella today, right? Haha, she's a reliable sort! Never late, and if there's a shift that needs to be picked up, she can always be counted on. A hard worker, that one. She's always got plans with someone too--must be busy being a young woman these days!"
"Hm? Oh, no... that's all far too kind. I'm not really like that at all."
She smiles at you, and a shudder crawls down your spine. You can't help but believe she's telling the truth.
𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙶𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ Yua never thought there was anything noteworthy in her upbringing. She had a mother and a father. No siblings, but that only meant her parents could focus their attentions on their dearly beloved daughter. They were busy, sure, but every parent was busy, right? While she didn't live in the lap of luxury, they were well enough of that Yua never had to want for anything in particular. If she were honest, wasn't the type to really want things to begin with.
But then, one day, she fell in love. It was an ember that sparked an inferno.
Did she truly love everyone around her? Perhaps she only loved the parts that made a person so unique? Yua couldn't possibly differentiate the thoughts as she fell time and time again. When she was offered the power to protect these people she so desperately wanted to give her affections, there was no question that she took it.
How many people can she show her love to? How many can accept it? One can only wonder if something twisted has been unleashed.
𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ⊱ The Devil, but specifically the one from Faustian stories. ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴏʟ ⊱ A simple fountain pen. Black and gold. Despite appearances, it writes smoothly even in the hands of a beginner and never seems to run out of ink. It can always be found on Yua's person. ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ ⊱ A jewelry set of two earrings and a choker. Each piece has an empty socket where a jewel would ostensibly be placed. ★❜ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴏɴ ᴀsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ⊱ Contracts
Yua's aspect magic takes the form of contracts. She creates the contract, a signer agrees to it, and it plays out as one might expect. She primarily utilizes written contracts, as that is where her power is at its peak. Written contracts formed by Yua are penned by her fountain pen in the air as Yua creates the stipulations and conditions and is materialized on paper once she offers it for signing. Once signed the paper disperses and a mark unique to the signer appears somewhere on their body, the design more or less complex depending on the stipulations of the contract. She is able to maintain up to three separate contracts at a time, but to do so is both extremely draining and not Yua's usual preference of giving her attention to a sole contract signer.
At its base, Yua's contract template is simple. She grants a signer a set number of times that they may request her aid in granting their desires within a certain time frame. In return, when she has fulfilled her part of the bargain, she gains something from the signer as compensation. The catch? What she demands on the contract doesn't have to be a physical thing. Skills honed from practice, talent undiscovered, loyalty, passion--she can declare any of these on her contract as payment.
Mechanically, the contract can be seen as lesser versions of a command seal. After all, why make a contract with a person whose power is no greater than the average fool? When a desire is requested, the contract grants Yua a temporary enhancement to facilitate the fulfillment of that desire. While it cannot grant her boons she isn't capable of to begin with, it can act as a potent, directed buff. However, Yua cannot pick and choose how the contract affects her. If a desire was to save a dear friend from a burning building, the contract might increase Yua's resistance to fire to prevent her from burning as she searched, or it might grant her speed to move through the building quickly enough to outpace the flames. She has no control over which it might give her.
Once a contract's terms have been completed, the compensation manifests itself for Yua to take hold of. When the requested compensation is not a physical item, it takes the form of a small gem with the unique mark of the signer etched within it. If Yua should so desire it, she can temporarily return these payments to their original owners, but more commonly, they are used to fill the empty slots of her patron weapon. When slotted, they grant her usage of the very thing she has taken from her signer, whether that is talent, strength, or otherwise. However, Yua can't use these to their fullest potential, being that they don't belong to her. While the stones are durable, they can be broken with enough force, nullifying the contract and returning the compensation to the original owner. Should the stones be slotted at the time her aid is requested in fulfilling a contract signer's desire, it is possible that one of the stones will be what receives the boost.
There are certain conditions in a contract that Yua cannot change herself, even when drafting them. These are primarily safety nets to prevent the contract requests being used to directly nullify either her contract with her signer or her contract with her patron. Ultimately, these preset merely prevents the likes of "kill yourself" or "release me from this contract" from being used.
To a much lesser degree, Yua is also able to initiate verbal contracts, but the power and potential of these is extremely limited. She can hardly even enforce gaining her end of the contract, nor can a verbal contract really enhance her. She ultimately reserves this for the rare occasion where a little extra nudge might be useful.
𝙴𝚇𝚃𝚁𝙰
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ ★❜ ɴᴏɴᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ sᴋɪʟʟs ⊱
Yua is very musically and theatrically inclined. She can sing, dance, and act particularly well, as one might expect from her employment.
Unnervingly good at lying without actually lying.
Multilingual (fluent in Japanese, English, and Mandarin Chinese) and generally picks up language much faster than the average person. She has learned snippets of basic phrases from tourists in her profession and can sign in JSL.
★❜ ᴍɪsᴄ. ⊱
Has a shiba inu named Azukimaru. He's pampered and generally well-behaved, but becomes a drama queen when being bathed or going to the vet.
Works as a face character in Tokyo Disney part time and lives in an apartment nearby to facilitate travel
Lucidia was as vibrant as ever when the ship pulled into the only harbor. Even from a distance, nature had staked its claim on the island. Stretches of green, splashes of glistening blue, and even a mighty mountain with a shimmering peak stood out in the sky. As one of the few islands with a taruva that was… testy, to say the least, Lucidia didn’t have the population to give it many sweeping changes over the years.
The few ships that knew of the island usually brushed that off as part of its charm.
As the Fornacis pulled into the harbor, it was clearer than ever that nothing had changed in the small pocket of civilization since the last visit. No small feat, considering the seven year absence. Buildings had remained unaltered, still standing tall in the same places—even the residents seemed largely the same. Life was idyllic, if one cared enough to watch. There was a sense of safety blanketing the residents. They had never known danger, even with how overwhelming nature seemed from on high. They feared no beasts, no monsters, nothing but the hustle and bustle of their daily life.
Such a calmness was a decided difference from the firm—well, closer to hostile than firm—orders that came from Delphini through the halls of the ship.
“I need you all to find something to do while I make some physical adjustments to the ship.” The tone was harsher than usual, even with the less-than-friendly behavior that the taruva had exhibited toward the crew over the course of their short journey. “And yes, Kerry, that includes you. In case you forgot what happened last time Xander tried to sneak on the ship during adjustments.”
The incident included the former captain being stuck in a room that Delphini had removed entrance to for the sake of expanding one of its neighboring rooms to account for Yulana’s very large, very feral griffin. He had been trapped in the space for almost a full day.
An entire. Earthfiend tainted. Day.
The announcement was followed shortly after by a distinct inability to make use of anything that wasn’t a door, empty rooms locking and entire decks becoming inaccessible as soon as they emptied. Even for the densest and most stubborn of crew members, the message should have been clear:
Get off the ship, unless they wanted to run the risk of getting caught up in the adjustments that Delphini was making on the ship.
But at the least, there was plenty to do on Lucidia. From the stores, to the hunt, to the option to gather herbs, or even simply explore and catch up with friends that had been absent for far too long—there Lucidia was never lacking.
Delphini lounged on the main deck as he allowed his aura to push through every space of the Fornacis, his eyes shut as he adjusted the once-uniform rooms. Some were easy, left alone for their returning inhabitants, but there hadn’t been many. There weren’t as many as he would have liked, but a distant part of the taruva had to acknowledge an unfortunate truth: Branka had been leagues behind Xander when it came to her ability to unite and lead.
Some, of course, were loyal to no end, but even Delphini couldn’t deny that there had been plenty of reasons for them not to come back.
Every so often, he wondered whether he would have left too, if he’d been given the option.
“You’re still as moody as ever, I see.” One of the residents of Lucidia yawned, her voice pulling Delphini out of his thoughts. The taruva glanced around the area, finding no sign of the intruder and earning a laugh. “Up here, Del.”
He glanced up, the sight of a woman—’Ugh… always with the provocative features…’—floating above the deck catching his attention in an instant. Long, strawberry blonde locks fell past her shoulders, her less-than-modest clothing pulled tight against the surface of her skin. She gave a wave of her hand, slender digits looking entirely too pristine to have ever seen work a day in their lives.
“Didn’t think that you’d be coming by anymore.” The wide grin plastered across the woman’s face spoke volumes of her elation at the presence of the Fornacis. “First time in seven years, and you didn’t even hop off to greet me personally.”
“Since when did Ilaria, the star of victory, ever wait for someone to come to her?” Delphini rolled his eyes as he gave a dismissive wave of his hand. The blonde laughed, but took the movement as an invitation to make her landing. Heeled boots touched down lightly on the deck of the Fornacis, the clink as they made contact more a sign of confidence and authority than physics. Sharp, blue eyes settled on Delphini, skin lightly tanned from exposure to the sun, but unmarked by combat. As usual, she wore tight clothing that hugged to her form, bright colors and little left to the imagination while her proportions…
…well, Xander had always found Ilaria attractive. In his own, bumbling way.
“You always did know me so well. But you could have come anyways. Seven years is a long time, right?”
“Not for us.”
“Hmph, I think it is. You used to come at least a few times a year when…” And Ilaria paused, her confident expression faltering before turning soft. “I am sorry. I heard about your little one.”
“The risks are always high for Empyreans.” Delphini adjusted his weight, rocking back until he was pressed against the railing. “I don’t think he had any regrets, but his successor… she’s always full of them.”
“I’m surprised you picked her. You said she was fragile.” Ilaria chuckled. “But apparently not so fragile that she couldn’t take out Ysir. Where is she, anyways? I got my boys to hunt down some lumiberries to thank her for getting rid of that Earthrotten pain in the ass.”
Delphini didn’t answer, but the tightening of his jaw and the silence was more definitive than any words he could have used.
“…I’m sorry. She was very young too.” Ilaria sighed, tilting her head back to stare at the sky. “…are you sure about this, then?”
“Yeah. We’re starting from scratch.” Delphini cracked the first genuine smile since the start of their little journey, a bemused smirk with a coat of mischief hiding behind the surface. “It’s not like you to be worried, Victory Star. Has your good luck run out?”
Ilaria pouted, her cheeks puffing in a way that didn’t fit with the maturity of her features in the moment.
“Hmph! I’ll have you know it hasn’t!” But the flare subsided as quickly as it came, and Ilaria drifted a few feet into the air, twirling a lock of hair around her finger with a sense of boredom. “It just won’t be the same.”
“I know, but better here than elsewhere.” Delphini ran his own fingers through his hair, pale eyes looking up to his companion. “So, are you up for it?”
Ilaria hummed to herself, a soft smile spreading across her lips as she leaned a weightless elbow on Delphini’s shoulder.
“Of course, dearest little brother of mine. Just give me the word.”
LUCIDIA | 22, 1Sm; 844 | ~1800
The sun had just started its descent, a canvas of colors playing backdrop to the sight of the Fornacis lazily drifting over Lucidia. Nothing out of the ordinary for crew members that had witnessed the process of adjustments before—after all, Delphini was attuned to the massive body in ways that others weren’t. It was much like a stretch before preparing for an extensive exercise—nothing really new.
At least, that was what normally happened.
The ship came to a halt at the summit of Lucidia’s highest mountain. Odd in and of itself, but nothing compared to the sudden sense of life that crackled across the island. An electrified tension blanketed the island, though its abrupt nature didn’t seem to startle any of its humanoid inhabitants. There was no denying that they had noticed, their attention drawn to the mountain for a moment before daily life returned with a surge of whispers.
If anything, they seemed excited at the sudden change.
Perhaps they had every right to be as a titan formed itself from an aura too powerful to belong to anything short of a taruva. The ethereal image of a woman settled at the peak, her expression disinterested as rested a hand on the Fornacis.
“Welcome, Empyreans. I hope you’ve been enjoying yourselves.” There was no malice in her voice, though the pressure of its authority was almost stifling in every syllable. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen the ship, and to think it’s gone through not one, but two captains. Really, I almost don’t want to relinquish it again.”
Another pulse of energy, another layer of tension in the air. Ilaria’s figure cradled the Fornacis in its hand for a moment.
“I think you could stand to have a trial or two. All of you, reach my chambers within the week. Leave no member unaccounted for.” It was a task more monumental than the original, but the circumstances were different. Ilaria chuckled to herself. “If you can’t do that, I’m afraid I’ll be keeping little Delphini all to myself—at least until you can manage it.”
She paused, and with a bright tone that resonated over the island, she added a few final thoughts.
“Oh, and do be careful. I don’t intend on making it easy.” NOTES
Your characters will have been free to move around the island during the ~7 hours. Delphini will have suggested that the crew find accommodations in case his adjustments needed excessive fine tuning.
For old crew members, it has been 7 years since the Fornacis last came to Lucidia. Branka never brought the ship there herself. This type of event has never happened, even for the oldest members.
The mountain is a minimum of a 3 day journey assuming no detours and no obstacles on the most direct route. Vehicles are highly inefficient for moving through the nature-heavy island.
As you might expect, the most direct route has a lot more opposition than the roundabout ones.
The mountain is at the center of the island. The town is at the southern edge.
Monsters will never enter the town, but are bountiful around the island. You are free to write combat with them without my direct input, but ping PapiTan if you would like to experiment with a heftier monster. In fact, if any players want to GM skirmishes with monsters for their fellow players, I am 100% okay with that as well!
More meta stuff:
The GM has no control over how your characters want to approach this trial. Explore the island in search of less dangerous routes, try and barrel through the most direct route--you guys do you.
Characters do not have to reach the chamber on the same day.
This is a bit experimental for me too, since I’m trying to get an idea of how to move things for very different groups doing very different things, so please bear with me as I muddle through this! ;w;7
I will move the timeline forward 1 day every major mod prod update.
Current projected mod prod/update day is June 20, 2020.
