Roman

Roman's Archive

S W A R M Q U E E N

---

^{A B E L L E D ' V O I R E ◼ J U L Y ' 02 ( 1 7 ) ◼ F E M A L E}

^{"There's a couple bugs in my code."}

▼ A P P E A R A N C E:

---

^{"I've always said to embrace your strange."}

//STATS:

◼ HEIGHT | 5'4"

◼ WEIGHT | 90lbs

◼ BUILD | Petite.

◼ HAIR COLOR | Light Brown.

◼ EYE COLOR | Light Green/Amber.

//DESCRIPTION:

Abelle, preferably Belle, has always kept a slightly mysterious and alien-like air about her persona, in an open-armed acceptance of the oddities of her existence. She stands at a tall 5'11, with long limbs that threaten to be clumsy but are instead coordinated into smooth, graceful motion. Her facial bone structure appears other-worldly and her expressions dip equally into adorable and uncanny. She keeps her hair short, for low-maintenance as well as to accentuate her bone structure, and coupled with a single plain nose ring and her near-amber coloured eyes, she appears extra-terrestrial. Belle always make sure to cast strong shadows (in the right lighting), and strike an eye-catching figure in her day-to-day.

Despite her decidedly 'alternative' choice of hairstyle and jewelry, Belle once again appeals to the contrarian within her by dressing light and loose, favouring creams, whites, and other bright, pure colours, often choosing sheer, silk, or satin fabrics. While many of her clothes are simple in shape and style, they usually bear some sort of minor affectation in such a way to allow them to stand out against other, similar garments. Her makeup swings between either natural-esque or dark and heavy, but no matter her daily fashion, Belle always appears comfortable and cutting-edge.

▼ B I O G R A P H Y:

---

^{"The specifics of my biology has always bugged me."}

Belle's parents, Lorin and Nathaneal, were both born in France, and met in class at Aix-Marseille University in Provence, where they were both taking Advanced Language Studies. Lorin's mother and father had lived through the Dark Eclipse and had passed to her the 'hype-gene', and while she had never realised, it had gifted her with an excellent capacity for learning all manner of foreign languages - a skill that had been put down to natural talent and gifted intelligence. Nathaneal, however, had secured his place through scraping every grade he could manage, working hard to achieve the results he needed - Nathan dreamed of a life travelling, and wanted to expand his knowledge of the world through its people. Together, they discovered a quiet, but fiercely powerful kinship, and the two began a deep, loving relationship that would endure many trials. They graduated with high honours, and began planning their lives together, moving to Paris to be young lovers. In 1998, Lorin fell pregnant unexpectedly, and the two young parents-to-be made a quick - and ultimately easy - decision to enter a brave new chapter in their lives. It did not start without its difficulties.

From early into the second trimester, Lorin's obstetrician identified a rare recessive defective gene from Nathaneal had been passed on to their child, that would cause a debilitating - and eventually terminal - neuro-degnerative condition. The couple refused to abort Belle, but instead took every course of treatment, medication, and surgery that was available to help their unborn child. Eventually, in July '98, Belle was born pre-maturely, and she spent 3 months in the NICU before she was declared stable enough to return home. Belle spent a year in Paris with her parents; according to them, it was the best year France, let alone Paris, had ever seen. Then Belle returned to the hospital. Her condition was taking its toll far more rapidly than any doctor - pre- or post-natal - has predicted. Lorin's chosen medical advisors had given Belle four to five un-impeded years, but she lasted only one before returning to white walls and vinyl flooring.

The situation was poor at best. Belle was declining at a rapid rate, and no known treatment could effectively stall the process that had already begun. She had maybe a few months at best, and her parents were distraught. Belle herself didn't - couldn't - understand, instead clinging to hazy, half-formed memories of the city of Paris. It was at the end of their rope that Belle's doctors and parents found a final, frayed string of hope.

An experimental trial treatment for Belle's condition was starting its preliminary stages in the US, and Belle qualified almost immediately. Lorin and Nathaneal, almost frantic with combined grief and bittersweet hope, signed the flood of paperwork with fervoured pens, and Belle was whisked away a mere 4 hours later. Belle spent three days in Washington before her parents cleared their Visa's and passports to join her. In their desperation, they had skimmed over the details of the treatment, and it was only when they had landed, settled, and had Belle returned to them post-treatment that they were de-briefed by the lead medical staff on the trial.

The participants selected had had isolated strains of genetically altered genome tags from select species of insect introduced to the faulty genes that caused their neuro-degnerative conditions; it was a long-shot, and in very early stages, but the scientists involved believed that the DNA, chosen from a very select set of insect species, had properties that could treat or cure the patients' conditions by binding to the faulty genes responsible and either fixing - or overriding - the imperfect processes that caused the degeneration. It took several months, and other participants saw no changes - but somehow, against all odds, it worked for Belle. She got better. Lorin and Nathaneal thanked whoever it was that had watched over their child, and began to pick up their new lives in the US, far removed from the idyllic Paris days of their youth.

Lorin and Nathaneal picked up small jobs that paid enough to get by as doctors and scientists monitored Belle's improvement over the next three years; shortly after Belle turned five, she was found to be clear of all signs and symptoms of her previously life-threatening condition, and her visits and check-ups ceased. Overjoyed, Lorin and Nathaneal searched for their perfect home, and found it in New Hampshire, Crestwood Hollow, where Nathaneal found work travelling and lecturing, and Lorin became a professor of language at a nearby university.

Belle grew up healthy and happy, living in the Beau-side of Crestwood Hollow with her parents, her favourite young memories being those of warm afternoons spent in Mather Park when her father came home from whichever state he had been lecturing in, hazy summer air and the smells of sizzling barbecues filling her. As she aged, Belle inquired of her early life in uncountable medical facilities, and her parents, not ones to hide the truth from their daughter, carefully explained the unfortunates of her first five years, and the circumstances that had allowed her to continue on past them. Belle recoiled at first, only twelve and naive, finding the foreign DNA's presence within her to be unsettling and unseemly; but her parents left her with medical records and research notes, and gently helped her towards acceptance. Belle acquired a keen interest in Human and Insect Biology, Biology as a subject quickly becoming her best, and as she moved up academically she began taking on extra-curricular courses related to Human Biology and Entomology, having a vested interest in the subjects. Now, Belle is 17, through most of her puberty and attending Mather Memorial. She has a small group of close friends, and hopes to move on to university when she graduates to study Entomology in full. She is still fond of Mather Park, and still visits with her father when she can, but otherwise lives a happy, decidedly-'teenaged' adolescence.

▼ M O T I V A T I O N / O B J E C T I V E:

---

^{"Witty Quote #4"}

Belle desires to know and control her body and mind, commanding all aspects to the deepest level of understanding in order to conquer the condition that plagued her in her early life, and it's unusual cure that has left her body marked in unseen ways. Experimentation and practice with her powers will encourage her first foray into adventure, and she imagines the sheer thrill will take it forwards from there.

▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

---

^{"At least it means wasp-free barbecues."}

//ABILITIES: Pheromone-based Insect Manipulation - Belle is able to secrete specific pheromones from the sweat pores of her body, creating an invisible beacon for all manner of insect, crustacean, and arachnid life to come crawling out of nooks and crannies of the world to seek the source - inevitable finding Belle herself - and then await further instruction. Belle's variety of pheromones are subtle enough in their distinctions to almost emulate telekinetic control, but in truth, Belle is simply signalling certain instinctual impulses in the swarms she can amass, which can range from complete aggression to total pacifism to absolute retreat.

The uses of her swarm are only limited by Belle's imagination, and her willingness to test the limits of her pheromone control. Only time will tell whether Belle's abilities will develop any unexpected advancements, or if her pheromones are limited only to bug-specific signals.

//SKILLS: Belle possesses a few talents outside of her abnormal pheromones, that prove to be as important to her as her hype-gene. A dedicated student, Belle takes her studies very seriously, as well as taking any extra-credit offered and attending some extra-curricular courses. She keeps herself healthy and fit, jogging, stretching and maintaining an exercise routine to keep her body as healthy and limber as possible, not wanting any further health issues after her first few years.

//LIMITATIONS: Belle cannot produce bugs, nor does she keep her pheromones in a permanent 'on-state', as this would lead to a bigger swarm than she can control, as well as massive ecosystem instability and a negative public reaction when she arrives on-campus with half a city's worth of bugs trailing behind her. As a result, Belle must preempt a situation in which a swarm will serve her, and then carefully amass such a hive with selective pheromones while also ensuring she does not let the size run amok. If there are no bugs in the immediate vicinity, Belle will have to wait longer and try harder to reach out further, and if there are no bugs at all, Belle will have no swarm.

Further, the larger Belle's current swarm, the more difficult it is to maintain pinpoint control as is possible with a smaller group. While she can use the swarm itself to proliferate her pheromones within itself for increased efficiency, the larger the swarm is, the more likely it becomes for sections of it to break away as the rest of it receives new or different instructions, resulting in a large chunk loss as half of the swarm begins leaving or even in-fighting due to the many different species of insect that can be co-habiting one of Belle's swarms at any given time. As such, Belle's pheromone control is a careful knife-edge game - enough to create a swarm and then make it large enough to allow it to govern itself, but not so big as to implode itself. It is far too easy for Belle to simply leave a pheromone lingering for too long, and a swarm to disappear as quickly as it arrived.

//WEAKNESSES: Despite Belle's pheromones, her control is not infallible. Strong enough instinctual responses in the insects that make up her swarm can override any existing pheromone commands and cause the insects to revert to their nature; as such, strong fear, hunger, or mating impulses can destabilize a swarm entirely.

As well as basic instinct, simple biology can also impede Belle's powers. The insects that make up her swarms are just that: insects. While, in large numbers and under Belle's command, they are capable of inspiring fear and causing lasting damage to Belle's enemies, they are still subject to the frailty of their forms - any method that would normally disperse a large cluster of insects will work equally well against Belle's swarms.

Roman's Archive

T H E W E N D I G O

---

^{E L W O O D S I T A L A T A H K I ◼ O C T O B E R ' 0 0 ( 1 8 ) ◼ M A L E}

^{"I'm still learning how to...talk to people. The supernatural...comes second."}

▼ A P P E A R A N C E:

---

^{"I can look kind of...intense. It's not..on purpose.."}

//STATS:

◼ HEIGHT | 5'11"

◼ WEIGHT | 101lbs

◼ BUILD | Lean.

◼ HAIR COLOR | Jet Black.

◼ EYE COLOR | Deep Brown.

//DESCRIPTION:

Elwood's minimalist, monochrome fashion sense is self-tailored to understate (or perhaps underscore) the unique peculiarities of his facial structure afforded to him by his mixed-race heritage - Egyptian on his father's side, and Native American on his father's. His sharp cheekbones and large eyes give him a naturally piercing, inqusitive stare, and many people have felt uncomfortable under his gaze, as if he were silently unearthing all of their secrets or, more accurately, sizing them up for a meal.

Due to his pre-existing condition, Elwood does tend to shy away from much of the social interaction his day-to-day offers him, seceding from others as his anxiety and possession overruns him - as such, his body language and general posture is nearly always reserved and defensive. There are very few people he is open with, and no one he completely relaxes around.

▼ B I O G R A P H Y:

---

^{"I don't like talking about...anything. Myself especially."}

'In North American folklore, the Wendigo is a ravenous monster native to the northern forests of the Atlantic Coast of the United States.

The Wendigo may appear as a monster with some characteristics of a human, or as a spirit who has possessed a human being and made them become monstrous.

It is historically associated with cannibalism, murder and insatiable greed.'
- Cash Ahenakew, Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices.

"The Wendigo is a curse of hunger and corruption.
It is my family's.
It is mine.
It will not be the world's."
- Elwood Dowd

In the Nineteenth Century, shortly after the first European settlers came to North America, the Wolastoqiyik tribe came to a schism: a majority of the people accept the new travellers, joining their existing villages with the new settlements and starting a new trading relationship with the colonies, while a small faction saw no need to change their ways for the foreigners that now lived on their land. Eventually, neither side could reconcile with the other, and the faction chose to abandon their villages and move northwards in search of new country to live, holding on to their traditional ways. This faction broke off from the Wolastoqiyik people, and named themselves after their leader, Tahqo. The Taqho tribe left 40-strong on a cold morning with the tools and provisions allowed for them, and trekked into the forest with the sun to their sides. They, or their descendants, would not be seen again for sixty years.

When the first few descendants of the Taqho people broke away from the treeline a decade or so before the beginning of the Twentieth Century, they propagated a vicious legend through the first settlements they stumbled into; gaunt men and women with sunken eyes and pale skin, with bellies distended from malnutrition, and a feverish gaze. Many tried to feed these poor wretches, only to find that they ripped and tore at the bread and meat with voracious and violent frenzy. Many died, unable to digest the food they gorged themselves on, or simply choking on hunks of unchewed food. Those that didn't often vomited up what they had managed to swallow; it was a lucky few that were taken in to medical facilities to be cared for and fed in a manner that would not kill them. The only survivors of the Taqho expedition were invariably young and hardy. No one knew what had happened in that forest for the last half-a-century; but many guessed and gossiped. The Taqho people, the three that remained, gave up their predecessor's prideful gestures, integrating themselves into the new, modern society that had developed in their absence - and so it was for another thirty years.

The Taqho line propagated itself singularly; while all three found themselves new partners, only one - Oro Taqi - succeeded in having children, and he passed his name onto a daughter, whom he loved very much, and cared for with every waking moment. Still haunted by the starvation and hunger he had suffered upon leaving the forest, Oro worked hard to provide his family and himself more than they could possibly hope to consume. In his waning years, Oro felt that hunger still, and ate more and more, terrified of feeling the cold, hollow pain he had felt in the forest, until one day, old and grey, Oro died, still reaching for another meal - and his daughter, the only living Taqi blood, began to feel a slow, creeping hunger descend upon her.

And so it was for another century - an endless cycle of hunger and birth and death and hunger, the spirit of the Wendigo passing on after every death to the youngest living Taqho - now, after 100 years, Tahki- before consuming them and repeating the curse. Strange characteristics were always matched with the sufferer - sharper teeth, darker eyes, gaunter frames, paler skin - and every Tahki held the secret burden of the Wendigo within them, caging the beast while it wailed against their bellies. So it has been since Oro, and so it is now, in the time of Elwood; this raging creature snared within him, a starved, voracious monster desperate for meat. Elwood struggles everyday, but resists nonetheless, lest the Wendigo be unleashed upon the people of Crescent City. He has slipped, like many of his ancestors, but only once - and the blood he tasted will torment him until the end of his days.

For now, only Elwood's willpower, and his Maw-Maw, safeguard the people of Crescent City from yet another beast, in a world that already has far, far too many monsters.

▼ M O T I V A T I O N / O B J E C T I V E:

---

^{"It's difficult...to do the right thing. But I'm trying every day."}

Elwood's primary and ongoing objective is the supression of the Wendigo Spirit that inhabits his body, preventing it from taking over his body and creating a new hunting ground in Crescent City. His Maw-Maw takes care of him, teaching him the history of his family and the curse that has plagued it for so long, and while he knows it is never truly possible, he still tries to have a 'normal' life as best he can. He struggles with the Wendigo's impulses and instincts, and is determined to do the opposite, and use his affliction for good. He also hopes to overcome his own anxiety disorder some day, but figures he has more pressing matters.

▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

---

^{"My family's legacy...it's...hunger. Hunger is the all of it."}

//ABILITIES:

◼ WENDIGO POSSESSION | Like his mother before him and his grandfather before him, and on and on, Elwood is possessed by the spirit of the Wendigo, an ancient force from North American legend. While the spirit's full power is locked away by Elwood's resistance to being overrun, its mere inhabitance of his body lends certain boons and drawbacks.

◼ Supernatural Durability | The Wendigo's skin can be likened to ancient stone - old, superficially cracked, but immensely tough. While Elwood has absolute control, he retains only a small portion of the Wendigo's true invulnerability, as well as its resistance to cold temperature, but as the spirit wrestles more and more control over Elwood's body, the Wendigo's skin is soon able to withstand harder and harder blows, until it cannot be harmed at all.

◼ Supernatural Senses | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood's senses are enhanced to more befit an apex predator. Eyesight gets more accurate and motion-based, and Elwood's hearing and sense of smell also dramatically improve. Elwood does not experience any of these improvements while he has full control.

◼ Supernatural Agility | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood is able to utilize incredible bursts of speed to leap great distances, dodge incoming obstacles, or clamber up buildings. The Wendigo often employs this agility to perch in a hidden spot, remaining perfectly still before pouncing on unsuspecting prey. Elwood does not experience this enhanced agility while he has full control.

◼ Supernatural Strength | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood's strength ramps up, allowing him to lift men single-handedly, stop cars and motorcycles, punch dents into brickwork, and smash through obstacles with frightening ease. Elwood does not experience this enhanced strength while he has full control.

◼ Supernatural Physiology | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood's body twists and morphs to better suit the predator that is taking over. His mouth splits and enlarges, growing fangs while the jaw unhooks itself in order to open wider, while his pupils dilate and his sclera turns black. Elwood's limbs stretch out, his body becoming emaciated as mass is transferred, and his skin grows white and cold, while talons spring from his hands and feet. The stronger the Wendigo's possession becomes, the further the transformation goes, but these changes are lost as Elwood enforces his will upon the spirit.

//SKILLS:

◼ WILLPOWER | Long years of suffering under the Wendigo has sharpened the mind of every member of the Harjo family, Elwood included, and honed within them a sharp and powerful force of will, allowing them to resist the Wendigo's possession.

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ WENDIGO PSYCHE | As the Wendigo spirit gains more influence over Elwood's body, so does it gain more hold over his mind; the predator instinct of the Wendigo starts to overpower Elwood's humanity, and begins to become a threat to any living being in the vicinity. With effort, Elwood can wrestle control of himself back - but it's better if he never gets to that point in the first place.

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ FIRE | Fire - and, by extension, high heat - is the only thing that can harm a Wendigo, and does so at an accelerated rate. Furthermore, any burnt skin becomes vulnerable to further damage from any source.

◼ HUNGER | The Wendigo's Hunger is its defining trait, the reason for its existance, and its eternal purpose. Elwood feels this Hunger every second of every day, and as such has a voracious appetite, especially for meat - but he must be extremely cautious in indulging this appetite, as over-feasting is a prime trigger to give way to the Wendigo. When Elwood is not in control, the Wendigo will do everything possible to feed itself, and this drive can be easily exploited.

Roman's Archive

---

---

T H E B L I G H T E D K I N G D O M

---

---

P R E M I S E:

---

Vassidia is a plagued land.

The people are not unfamiliar with sickness; under the Garland lineage, the kingdom has already suffered and survived the Wailing Death, the Red Plague, the Ursine Pox. The cities know how to quarantine, how to detect, how to treat and experiment with cures. Vassidia is not unfamiliar with sickness; but this is not a mere sickness.

The citizens see it every day; cracked statues, eery in their accuracy of form, mottled ruby chunks bursting from cracks than run across their entire surface. They depect agony, despair, rage and resignation. In the first weeks, before word spread and knowledge grew, the rubies were stolen, chiselled, even thought to be lucky. Now, with wisdom of terrible truth, they are avoided, demolished, known to be cursed. The statues are no depiction; they are the last living moments of those victim to the Stone Blight, captured forever in petrified rock.

Across the continent, beggars and barons alike are developing blisters and boils that burst into encrusted maroon gemstones, fat and dewy rubies that begin to spread lethargy and dullness as quickly as they do a crached, hard black skin rash that grows to encase the victim as the metamorphosis continues internally. Nearly every resource the kingdom possesses is now dedicated towards a cure for the accursed blight that has seized the kingdom.

The High Lord Jocun is running out of hope, and his subjects moreso. From his seat, he has called for adventurers, mercenaries, academics, peasants, nobility - anyone willing to travel the continent in search of answers. Many have departed; few have completed their journey. Fewer still have returned.

Vassidia is a plagued land. How will you fare against the blight?

M A P O F T H E R E A L M:

---

VASILIUS, THE SEAT OF THE KING

Vasilius is unquestionably the kingdom's capital city, and the center of the realm for all major trade, academics, and political players. A vast and proud city, its streets and boroughs stretch forth from a focal point at the High Throne, which stands at the very center of the royal palace within the Garland Citadel. From here, High Lord Jocun presides with his wife, Queen Vesindra, his infant son, Prince Dahtun, and his many advisors, chief among them the Royal Warlock, Aborran.

Jocun is the fifth of his bloodline to rule the realm, and while many would admit him to be a strong and fair king, many others would question his conflictingly brazen and mysterious manner, some even citing arrogance and a blasé nature due to his family's long-uncontested rule.

What everyone can agree on, however, is the sheer toll that the Stone Blight is taking on the kingdom, with swathes of dead across the continent, and the psychological damage to the citizens by the unassuaged dread. Whether Jocun and those close to him are near a cure or not, no one can say - but every day that passes with the palace's silence is another day of growing unease across the kingdom at large.

EERUM, THE ARID BURG

Eerum, far south and deep within the Sychan Desert, was the first city to be discovered and assimilated into Vassidia and the kingdom of the Garland Lineage, rather than settled by Vassidian citizens proper. Originally a simply shared camping grounds and makeshift marketplace for the few aboriginal tribes of the desert, the tribal identity of the natives was worn away as trade routes and supply lines were opened, feeding barons and couriers into the desert, and allowing Eerum to become a township proper, rather than a few tents propped up around a vital spring of water.

Life in Eerum remains not without its hardships: the heat scorches the ground, making farming exceptionally difficult; trade routes bear caravans rarely, as few are capable of or willing to brave the desert, and fewer still make successful enough journeys to justify the expenditure versus the profit; water is scarce, and the single spring of freshwater that lies within Eerum's central square seems to run lower than ever. Those that 'make it' out here are barely more successful than a modest farmer in the mainland, and those than don't are beggars, dying beggars, or dead.

There is a growing unrest in Eerum - an anger in the people that surpasses anything felt in Vassidia proper. The palace has promised more frequent supply caravans, but the Stone Blight takes its toll on the kingdom, and Eerum is far from the only suffering community in need. The Sychan Desert, it seems, is set to swallow the city whole, like many before it - if the Stone Blight, or Eerum's own citizens, don't spell its downfall first.

KAFAARA, HOME OF THE PIOUS

Kafaara is the seat of power for the kingdom's dominant religion: the Barbed Church. Believers that the world, and all that inhabits it, are children of a great font of Magick, their first priests settled here long ago and built their first altar, which soon grew to a village, a town, and eventually an outright city centered around what was now a great cathedral.

For those who do not subscribe to the lessons and sermons given by the Church's many ministers, including their chief Pontiff Silvene, the First Thorn, and her Circle of Barbs, their practices can seem cultish, violent, and taboo; but for the Church's many followers, the rituals involved are a harmless, day-to-day appreciation of life and those who live it.

Kafaara is a wealthy city - no small thanks to the numerous donations made to the Church - and rich in culture, with many foreign followers of the Church making pilgrimages at least once in their life. It is a center for research against the Blight, though recently far more has been going into the city than has been coming out...

FERROS, THE IRON CITY

Ferros was first settled by a prolific blacksmith who discovered rich iron veins in the hills behind, and quickly seized the opportunity to begin a mining operation and become the early kingdom's nearly sole source of quality forged iron. Eventually the blacksmith's settlement grew and grew, and the iron was used to turn a hamlet into an armoured citadel, with great iron walls and gates and watchtowers.

The great iron city became a beacon for all ambition and enterprising individuals, many would-be entrepeneurs trying - and often failing - to begin their fateful climbs to Vassidia's capital heights. The day-to-day proceedings of the city are guided by the Iron Council, a select group of rich and powerful individuals who lend a steady hand to the city's - and through it, the kingdom's - economy.

Recently, however, a usually booming hub of commerce has closed its gates and shut its markets - and more worryingly, its mines. The Council remains stubbornly silent to envoys and messengers, and the King grows impatient...

MARISMA, HEART OF THE MARSH

Marisma was founded by a small sect of zealous druids who has exiled themselves out of disgust for what they viewed as 'hedonistic excesses of man's machinations'. They traveled deep into the far south-west of the continent and had discovered there a sprawling marsh that encompassed an entire county's worth of land. It was in the heart of this marsh that they constructed their first homes amongst the trees and the swamp, many of them fashioning living spaces from huge, naturally-formed hollows with the trees themselves.

In the present era, Marisma is a naturalist's paradise, never really moving on from its forest-worshiping roots, and its inhabitants enjoys a straight-forward, if at times meager, living; simple survival within one of Vassidia's largest natural wonders. The people are friendly, provided you respect their beliefs and rules, and understanding of those who choose a life beyond the borders of the Great Marsh - though they still spurn most modern advances in smithing, economy, and agriculture.

There are rumours of a resurgence - perhaps reappearance - of those ancient druids, and more presently of unexplained disappearances. The Marsh feels thicker and more cloying than eever, and its previously open citizens grow more paranoid about each other and more fearful of the swamp every day - though everyone still staunchly refuses to leave...

MORNFELL ON MOUNTAINSIDE

Mornfell-on-Mountainside is potentially the oldest city of Vassidia, perhaps even out-dating the capital; although such rumours are easy to spread, given its relatively recent discovery on the far side of the Eastern Border Mountain-range, and difficult to quell, given the city archivists' reluctance to share their history with 'foreigners'.

Unquestionably the most inhospitable city of the kingdom, it owes its ruthless reputation to both the brutality of its mountainous location, and the xenophobia of its people. At its core is a towering, colossal bonfire - sustained by massive quantities of fuel and closely-guarded magick - out of which the city proper spirals its streets, channeling the fire down its main causeways to be siphoned into homes and buildings to supply the people with the heat vital to their survival. Many in the city blame their misfortunes on the opening of their gates to the rest of the kingdom - blame they do not spare the Stone Blight of either.

Lately, an already icy city has grown colder still, and its gates - once open in defiance of its people - are now closed in defiance of its High Lord. Still, scouts consistently report that its fire burns hotter, larger, brighter than ever, and many are left to wonder who remains within the mountain to tend to the flames.

L U M I N A R I E S O F T H E R E A L M:

---

HIGH LORD JOCUN GARLAND

INFO

QUEEN VESINDRA

INFO

PRINCE DAHTUN

INFO

ROYAL WARLOCK ABORRAN

INFO

SILVENE, THE FIRST THORN

INFO

THE CIRCLE OF BARBS

INFO

THE IRON COUNCIL

INFO

Roman's Archive

Index

---

Original Worlds & Stories

---

• The Blighted Kingdom - a long-standing kingdom suffers under a new horrific plague that is turning people to stone, but not before causing panic, paranoia, and untold myriad of sufferings. Each major city has closed its borders to outsiders as they each suffer their own crises, and the king is at a loss of how to salvage his land and his people.
• The Black Sarcophagus - the discovery and opening of an obsidian sarcophagus in Egypt unleashes an ancient evil back unto the world, but also brings the return of magic and the wondrous feats it brings. The world plunges into a modern magical fantasy, with the evil in Egypt securing greater and greater armies to take the rest of the planet by force.
• Simulacrum - in a hyper-future cyberpunk world, digital personas are a massive part of everyone's individual national identity. when a select few go rogue and their real life counterparts become wanted, black-listed fugitives, they must work around and against the system to reclaim their identities and old lives.

Original Characters & Stories

---

• 'Cryborg' - escaped subject of a blacklist military project to create android super-soldiers that are both more effective and more expendable than human beings. hunted down by those who wish to see the fruits of their experiments; initially a viciously programmed killing machine with little to no psychology, but her fresh mind begins to learn and form a new personality alongside the fractured memories of her old life.
• 'The Sherrif' - an out-of-time sheriff from an old frontier town, recently come out of cryogenic stasis after stumbling upon an alien spacecraft while pursuing a bandit that had been plaguing his town. trying to come to terms with his predicament and the loss of everything he knew, as well as the wild changes in the modern world, he is thrown into a strange mix of both eras when his old enemy seems to resurface.
• 'The Coyote' - an out-of-time bandit from the old frontier, who has survived using recovered alien technology found purely by chance, and who now find a new lease of life when his old enemy resurfaces in modern times.
• 'Swarm Queen'/'Hornet'/ - Abelle D'Voire, young woman in High School, discovering new abilities of insect manipulation and using them to carve out an identity for herself in her own mind. With mentoring by a new mysterious faculty member who has taken an interest, her own ability ends up overriding her biology and her mind, shredding her humanity as she turns into the monstrous insect/human hybrid dubbed only 'Hornet'.
• 'The Shrike' - a seemingly-immortal, immensely talented swords-woman who is the last survivor of her race after a horrific war in which she was a fierce and feared warrior and enforcer, now cursed and haunted by the last souls of her kin and desperately searching for a way to undo the destruction of her people.
• 'The Wendigo' - a young man who is the latest bearer of the Wendigo Spirit that has haunted his family for a century, and who comes into contact with other supernatural beings who see the power of the Wendigo as an enforcer, a bargaining chip, an admired specimen, and a path to power and immortality - all while struggling with the Wendigo itself.

Canon Re-Interpretations

---

• Dani Ketch/Ghost Rider - a younger Ghost Rider, maybe a few weeks after her 'gift' of the Ghost Rider from Mephistopheles, on the run after torching her hometown in her first transformation and seeking asylum in the care of SHIELD, fleeing religious zealots, state authorities, and the agents of Hell itself while grappling with her new abilities.
• John Constantine - a younger but no less traumatized Constantine, living in self-imposed exile in America after losing his sister in Hell. based on new information he begins to put together a new search party for an expedition into the afterlife to rescue Astra, his first failure, and thereby jump-start some kind of redemption; but as ever, he runs into obstacles.
• Matt Murdock/DareDevil - a DareDevil a few years into his career but still just slowly starting to make a dent in Fisk's underworld. He quickly gets caught up in Fisk's wrath and begins to unravel circumstances that have been silently built up to remove him.
• Harvey Dent - a pre-villain Harvey who is about to suffer a great tragedy and channel the resulting rage into a vicious vigilante known as 'The Hangman' as he struggles to maintain a grip on his own sanity.
• The Joker - an old Joker who has been underground for over a decade, thought of by many as gone for good, who resurfaces when he believes Batman is becoming weak for a final gambit to kill them both and have his last laugh on Gotham and the Bat.

Misc. Unconnected Characters

---

• 'Double-Down' - young male teen with the ability to create a perfect copy of himself that can learn, think, and act independently before being re-absorbed by the original.
• 'Lock & Load' - twin girls with separate but complementary forms of technopathy - 'Lock' can use scavenged resources from around her to intuitively create crude tools and weaponry quickly and on the fly. 'Load' can remain in contact with a tool or weapon to passive 'upgrade' it as long as it is in her possession, allowing it to perform its function more efficiently and to a higher degree.
• 'Helios' - young woman with the ability to condense heat at a point to ignite a miniature sun-like orb of heat, which she can then manipulate.
• 'Penny Dreadful' - young female teen in high school who is slowly learning of a new bodily awakening - the ability to change her own biology in a monstrous manner.

Roman's Scrapbin

Original Worlds & Stories

---

• The Blighted Kingdom - a long-standing kingdom suffers under a new horrific plague that is turning people to stone, but not before causing panic, paranoia, and untold myriad of sufferings. Each major city has closed its borders to outsiders as they each suffer their own crises, and the king is at a loss of how to salvage his land and his people.
• The Black Sarcophagus - the discovery and opening of an obsidian sarcophagus in Egypt unleashes an ancient evil back unto the world, but also brings the return of magic and the wondrous feats it brings. The world plunges into a modern magical fantasy, with the evil in Egypt securing greater and greater armies to take the rest of the planet by force.
• Simulacrum - in a hyper-future cyberpunk world, digital personas are a massive part of everyone's individual national identity. when a select few go rogue and their real life counterparts become wanted, black-listed fugitives, they must work around and against the system to reclaim their identities and old lives.

Original Characters & Stories

---

• 'Cryborg' - escaped subject of a blacklist military project to create android super-soldiers that are both more effective and more expendable than human beings. hunted down by those who wish to see the fruits of their experiments; initially a viciously programmed killing machine with little to no psychology, but her fresh mind begins to learn and form a new personality alongside the fractured memories of her old life.
• 'The Sherrif' - an out-of-time sheriff from an old frontier town, recently come out of cryogenic stasis after stumbling upon an alien spacecraft while pursuing a bandit that had been plaguing his town. trying to come to terms with his predicament and the loss of everything he knew, as well as the wild changes in the modern world, he is thrown into a strange mix of both eras when his old enemy seems to resurface.
• 'The Coyote' - an out-of-time bandit from the old frontier, who has survived using recovered alien technology found purely by chance, and who now find a new lease of life when his old enemy resurfaces in modern times.
• 'Swarm Queen'/'Hornet'/ - Abelle D'Voire, young woman in High School, discovering new abilities of insect manipulation and using them to carve out an identity for herself in her own mind. With mentoring by a new mysterious faculty member who has taken an interest, her own ability ends up overriding her biology and her mind, shredding her humanity as she turns into the monstrous insect/human hybrid dubbed only 'Hornet'.
• 'The Shrike' - a seemingly-immortal, immensely talented swords-woman who is the last survivor of her race after a horrific war in which she was a fierce and feared warrior and enforcer, now cursed and haunted by the last souls of her kin and desperately searching for a way to undo the destruction of her people.
• 'The Wendigo' - a young man who is the latest bearer of the Wendigo Spirit that has haunted his family for a century, and who comes into contact with other supernatural beings who see the power of the Wendigo as an enforcer, a bargaining chip, an admired specimen, and a path to power and immortality - all while struggling with the Wendigo itself.

Canon Re-Interpretations

---

• Dani Ketch/Ghost Rider - a younger Ghost Rider, maybe a few weeks after her 'gift' of the Ghost Rider from Mephistopheles, on the run after torching her hometown in her first transformation and seeking asylum in the care of SHIELD, fleeing religious zealots, state authorities, and the agents of Hell itself while grappling with her new abilities.
• John Constantine - a younger but no less traumatized Constantine, living in self-imposed exile in America after losing his sister in Hell. based on new information he begins to put together a new search party for an expedition into the afterlife to rescue Astra, his first failure, and thereby jump-start some kind of redemption; but as ever, he runs into obstacles.
• Matt Murdock/DareDevil - a DareDevil a few years into his career but still just slowly starting to make a dent in Fisk's underworld. He quickly gets caught up in Fisk's wrath and begins to unravel circumstances that have been silently built up to remove him.
• Harvey Dent - a pre-villain Harvey who is about to suffer a great tragedy and channel the resulting rage into a vicious vigilante known as 'The Hangman' as he struggles to maintain a grip on his own sanity.
• The Joker - an old Joker who has been underground for over a decade, thought of by many as gone for good, who resurfaces when he believes Batman is becoming weak for a final gambit to kill them both and have his last laugh on Gotham and the Bat.

Misc. Unconnected Characters

---

• 'Double-Down' - young male teen with the ability to create a perfect copy of himself that can learn, think, and act independently before being re-absorbed by the original.
• 'Lock & Load' - twin girls with separate but complementary forms of technopathy - 'Lock' can use scavenged resources from around her to intuitively create crude tools and weaponry quickly and on the fly. 'Load' can remain in contact with a tool or weapon to passive 'upgrade' it as long as it is in her possession, allowing it to perform its function more efficiently and to a higher degree.
• 'Helios' - young woman with the ability to condense heat at a point to ignite a miniature sun-like orb of heat, which she can then manipulate.
• 'Penny Dreadful' - young female teen in high school who is slowly learning of a new bodily awakening - the ability to change her own biology in a monstrous manner.

Roman's Scrapbin

A L I A S

---

^{N A M E ◼ B I R T H D A T E ( A G E ) ◼ G E N D E R}

^{"Witty Quote #1"}

▼ A P P E A R A N C E:

---

^{"Witty Quote #2"}

//STATS:

◼ HEIGHT | How tall is your character? (Imperial preferred, metric accepted.)

◼ WEIGHT | How heavy if your character? (Imperial preferred, metric accepted.)

◼ BUILD | Your character's body shape, this can be a single descriptive word that you can build on in the description section below.

◼ HAIR COLOR | What colour is your character's hair? Note you can elaborate on this in the description if your character changes their hair colour often or if it's a difficult to describe color or combination.

◼ EYE COLOR | What is character's eye color? This can be elaborated on if needed in the description should your character be wearing colored contacts or has changing eye colors due to their abilities.

◼ OTHER | Can be changed/removed depending on if your character has any other noteworthy features. Feel free to add additional stats for piercings, tattoos, scars etc. Sexuality could also be added here if you feel it's worth noting.

//DESCRIPTION:

A written description of the character's appearance. Keep in mind that appearance isn't only limited to their physical make up, but the style of clothes they wear, they're body language and in general how they present themselves.

▼ B I O G R A P H Y:

---

^{"Witty Quote #3"}

This is the story of your character's life, their defining moments nd how they made it from the womb to where they are now. You can include as much other details as you think is necessary but don't go overboard and spell everything out. Sometimes its best to show through the IC than to tell in the CS.

▼ M O T I V A T I O N / O B J E C T I V E:

---

^{"Witty Quote #4"}

What is driving your character? What makes them tick? Why do they act the way they do.

▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

---

^{"Witty Quote #5"}

//ABILITIES:

◼ TBD | Test

//SKILLS:

◼ TBD | Test

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ TBD | Test

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ TBD | Test

Roman's Scrapbin

A L I A S

---

^{N A M E ◼ B I R T H D A T E ( A G E ) ◼ G E N D E R}

^{"Witty Quote #1"}

▼ A P P E A R A N C E:

---

^{"Witty Quote #2"}

//STATS:

◼ HEIGHT | How tall is your character? (Imperial preferred, metric accepted.)

◼ WEIGHT | How heavy if your character? (Imperial preferred, metric accepted.)

◼ BUILD | Your character's body shape, this can be a single descriptive word that you can build on in the description section below.

◼ HAIR COLOR | What colour is your character's hair? Note you can elaborate on this in the description if your character changes their hair colour often or if it's a difficult to describe color or combination.

◼ EYE COLOR | What is character's eye color? This can be elaborated on if needed in the description should your character be wearing colored contacts or has changing eye colors due to their abilities.

◼ OTHER | Can be changed/removed depending on if your character has any other noteworthy features. Feel free to add additional stats for piercings, tattoos, scars etc. Sexuality could also be added here if you feel it's worth noting.

//DESCRIPTION:

A written description of the character's appearance. Keep in mind that appearance isn't only limited to their physical make up, but the style of clothes they wear, they're body language and in general how they present themselves.

▼ B I O G R A P H Y:

---

^{"Witty Quote #3"}

This is the story of your character's life, their defining moments nd how they made it from the womb to where they are now. You can include as much other details as you think is necessary but don't go overboard and spell everything out. Sometimes its best to show through the IC than to tell in the CS.

▼ M O T I V A T I O N / O B J E C T I V E:

---

^{"Witty Quote #4"}

What is driving your character? What makes them tick? Why do they act the way they do.

▼ A B I L I T I E S / S K I L L S:

---

^{"Witty Quote #5"}

//ABILITIES:

◼ TBD | Test

//SKILLS:

◼ TBD | Test

//LIMITATIONS:

◼ TBD | Test

//WEAKNESSES:

◼ TBD | Test

▼ N O T E S:

---

//SUPPORTING CAST:

▼ ALLIES

◼ TBD | Test

▼ FRIENDS

◼ TBD | Test

▼ ENEMIES

◼ TBD | Test

//STOMPING GROUNDS

◼ TBD | Test

//PARAPHERNALIA

◼ TBD | Test

Roman's Scrapbin

T H E W E N D I G O

_______________________________________________ Elwood Sitala Tahki _______________________________________________ 17-10-97 | 20 | Caucasian/Native American _______________________________________________ Single | ♂ | Heterosexual _______________________________________________ High School Graduate | Local part-time employment _______________________________________________ Physical Profile ___________________________________ [+] //Basics: • Height | 5'11" • Weight | 121lbs • Build | Lean. Could stand to gain a few pounds. • Hair Colour | Jet black • Eye Colour | Deep brown Miscellaneous Items ___________________________________ [+] //Notes: • Ethnicity | Elwood takes his middle name, meaning 'to remember', and his family name, meaning 'cold one', from his mother, and her long native lineage. His first name was at his american father's insistence, to avoid his son being belittled for his heritage. It did not help. • Curse of the Wendigo | Elwood is the current bearer of his family's curse, possessed by a malevolent spirit known as the Wendigo. His grandmother has cared for two previous bearers of the curse before him, and he has learnt from her how to cope. • Repressed Memories | Elwood has only blacked out from his condition once, and while his consciousness was pushed aside, it was not suppressed. He is aware that the incident happened, but the events have been censored by his own psyche, surfacing only in terrible nightmares. • Dietary Restrictions | While Elwood suffers no allergies or food intolerance, he keeps to a strict vegetarian diet, as the consumption of meat can act as a prime trigger of the Wendigo spirit. He has faltered once or twice, indulging primarily in burgers or seafood when he wavers. //Paraphernalia: • Item 1 | Description

Appearance Details ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Elwood's minimalist, monochrome fashion sense is self-tailored to understate (or perhaps underscore) the unique peculiarities of his facial structure afforded to him by his mixed-race heritage - Egyptian on his father's side, and Native American on his father's. His sharp cheekbones and large eyes give him a naturally piercing, inquisitive stare, and many people have felt uncomfortable under his gaze, as if he were silently unearthing all of their secrets or, more accurately, sizing them up for a meal. Due to his pre-existing condition, Elwood does tend to shy away from much of the social interaction his day-to-day offers him, seceding from others as his anxiety and possession overruns him - as such, his body language and general posture is nearly always reserved and defensive. There are very few people he is open with, and no one he completely relaxes around. Personality ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ An insight to the character's psyche, how they think, feel and process the world around them. This should include their likes and dislikes, examples of how they react to situations and other like elements that attribute to their personality. This should be at least two paragraphs.

_{Character Synopsis
^{▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔}}

Introduction to the character, their history and primarily their motivations for engaging in vigilantism and using their abilities or skills to help the city. This should be no shorter than two paragraphs but can as long beyond that as you wish depending on your style of story telling.

_{Abilities & Skills
^{▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔}}

_//Abilities:

◼ WENDIGO POSSESSION | Like his mother before him and his grandfather before her, and on and on, Elwood is possessed by the spirit of the Wendigo, an ancient force from North American legend. While the spirit's full power is locked away by Elwood's resistance to being overrun, its mere inheritance of his body lends certain boons and drawbacks.

◼ Supernatural Durability | The Wendigo's skin can be likened to ancient stone - old, superficially cracked, but immeasurably strong. While Elwood has absolute control, he retains only a small portion of the Wendigo's true invulnerability, as well as its resistance to cold temperature, but as the spirit wrestles more and more control over Elwood's body, the Wendigo's skin is soon able to withstand harder and harder blows, until it cannot be harmed at all.

◼ Supernatural Senses | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood's senses are enhanced to more befit an apex predator. Eyesight gets more accurate and motion-based, and Elwood's hearing and sense of smell also dramatically improve. Elwood does not experience any of these improvements while he has full control.

◼ Supernatural Agility | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood is able to utilize incredible bursts of speed to leap great distances, dodge incoming obstacles, or clamber up buildings. The Wendigo often employs this agility to perch in a hidden spot, remaining perfectly still before pouncing on unsuspecting prey. Elwood does not experience this enhanced agility while he has full control.

◼ Supernatural Strength | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood's strength ramps up, allowing him to lift men single-handedly, stop cars and motorcycles, punch dents into brickwork, and smash through obstacles with frightening ease. Elwood does not experience this enhanced strength while he has full control.

◼ Supernatural Physiology | As the Wendigo gains control, Elwood's body twists and morphs to better suit the predator that is taking over. His mouth splits and enlarges, growing fangs while the jaw unhooks itself in order to open wider, while his pupils dilate and his sclera turns black. Elwood's limbs stretch out, his body becoming emaciated as mass is transferred, and his skin grows white and cold, while talons spring from his hands and feet. The stronger the Wendigo's possession becomes, the further the transformation goes, but these changes are lost as Elwood enforces his will upon the spirit.

◼ WILLPOWER | Long years of suffering under the Wendigo has sharpened the mind of every member of the Tahki family, Elwood included, and honed within them a sharp and powerful force of will, allowing them to resist the Wendigo's possession.

Limitation(s) | Description should be at least a paragraph with three defined limitations

Weakness(es) | Description should be at least a paragraph with exploitable weaknesses.

_//Skills:

Example Skill | Description

_{Supporting Cast
^{▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔}}

Any relevant characters you will be playing alongside your primary POV in order to flesh out the world around you. This can include, family, friends, loved ones and antagonists. This is an optional section on the CS and can be deleted entirely, left as a 'To Be Determined' and contributed to as the IC progress or filled out from the get go. Entirely your decision.

---

Roman's Scrapbin

The Black Sarcophagus held an ancient and world-ending [evil], a long slumbering and hateful nemesis to Life, and opening the coffin unsealed it back into the world once again; however, with it came magic, flowing through every living thing on the planet - revitalizing nature, changing animal life irrevocably, and altering the course of history forever.

Egypt was lost to the [evil] immediately, Alexandria, in which its sarcophagus was opened, succumbing instantly to a dense swarm of flesh-eating locusts and scarabs that poured forth, [the evil] itself cruelly massacring those who hid or fled before flying to Giza and delving into the great pyramids to seize its artifacts. With its full might, [the evil] annihilated Cairo effortlessly and marched [an army] down the Nile to conquer the rest of the country.

In the years following, most of the African continent would also fall under [the evil's] rule, only small pockets of resistance remaining, while much of Europe and Asia's combined military might formed a border at Isreal that grew steadily more fortified as it continued to hold off [the evil's] forces.

IMPORTANT CITIES

WHAT HAPPENED TO ISLAND NATIONS?

HOW OVERRUN IS AFRICA

IMPORTANT NPC CHARACTERS

BESTIARY - WHAT HAS MAGIC DONE TO ANIMALS?

WHAT HAS MAGIC DONE TO HUMANS?

WHAT HAS MAGIC DONE TO PLANT LIFE?

WHAT IS THE GENERAL STATE OF SOCIETY AND CIVILISATION?

WHO/WHAT SURVIVED, ON A CITY/COUNTRY-SCALE?

WHAT OTHER ADVERSITIES ARE SELECT REGIONS FACING?

WHAT IS BEING DONE AT OTHER POTENTIAL INGRESS POINT FROM AFRICA TO OTHER MAINLANDS?

WHO/WHAT IS THIS EVIL? WHERE DID IT COME FROM? WHY?

Crestwood Hollow - A Superhuman Roleplay

Chloe

M U

_______________________________________________ Chloe Ilya Bronse _______________________________________________ Age (17) | ♀ | Bisexual _______________________________________________ Physical Profile ___________________________________ [+] //Basics: • Height | 6'0" • Weight | 148 • Ethnicity | Mixed (Caucasian/African-American) • Hair Colour | Dark Brown • Eye Colour | Dark Brown //Piercings/Tattoos/Scars: • Pierced | Single piercings in each ear. Abilities, Skills and Resources ___________________________________ [+] //Abiliites: • Hyperhuman Ability | Tribokinesis. Chloe can manipulate the static and kinetic friction of her surroundings. This allows her to remain immovable on any surface, or incredibly fast on others • Limitation(s) | Chloe must be in direct contact with the surface/object she wishes to manipulate. Thus far she is only able to change solids and some liquids, she cannot slow or speed up objects in the air. Additionally her abilities require a great deal of focus, and as such she only able to alter the state of one system at a time, and even then is rather preoccupied doing so. • Weakness(es) | She is no more durable than any other teenage girl. She is aslo rather near-sighted, and refuses to wear glasses out of vanity. Suffers from a mild to strong case of kleptomania. //Skills: • Stealing | Chloe has made a habit of thievery and shoplifting over the past year and thus far has been caught only twice with few repercussions other than getting better. • Memory | While not exceptional or photographic, Chloe's ability to recall information and details is still impressive, especially for a teenage. //Paraphernalia: • Wallet | Contains her ID and bank cards along with about 80 dollars in cash • Second Wallet | Another wallet containing the ID of her chemistry teacher and another 70 dollars in cash. • Smartphone | A phone. • Sidebag | Refusing to carry something as horrible as a backpack, Chloe perfers to carry her books around in a large shoulder bag. • Glasses | Indistinct wire-frames buried deep somewhere in the bottom of one her bags. Probably.

Appearance Details ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Chloe towers over the other girls and half the boys in her year. Whatever insecurities she had in her youth have vanished and she presents herself with the confidence of what she is; damn hot. Her style isn't modest; favoring expensive and unique clothing, often uncomfortable and unsuitable for small town living. Character Synopsis ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ Born and raised in Crestwood Hollow, there wasn't anything about Chloe that made her exceptional. As a child she was smart enough, but plain and painfully shy to the point where even those who'd gone to school with her since kindergarten were hard pressed to remember who exactly she was come each September. As much a blessing as a curse, Chloe's childhood was spent isolated, free of both friends and tormentors. Her family did their best to fill the void. Her mother, Harriet Bronse worked in the middle school as a secretary and her father Curt Bronse, was part of the City's port administration. To them Chloe was something of a miracle for even having been born, and they doted on her enough that she rarely felt the lack connection to her own peers. She remained the invisible ugly duckling of the Hollow until part way into her sophomore year. Not that things got better right away; the sudden change in her height left her gangly and clumsy; just awkward enough to draw attention. High-schoolers aren't known for their kindness, and they latched to Chloe without mercy. Her smarts, her body, her hair was all fair in the game of torment. Her clothes in particular, which she seemed to grow out of by the month, and more often than not were found in charity stores to keep up with her demand, were a constant source of amusement for others. The already trying time was aggravated when another 'miracle' joined the family by way of a younger brother Thomas, and the only two people she relied on in her life became too busy to help her through high-school troubles. That was the year she began stealing. Only small things at first; a lipgloss from the drugstore two blocks from her family's apartment, or a pair of earrings from the juvenile jewelry store. Eventually her petty crimes escalated to entire mall raids, where she managed to get a summer job at a clothing store. She came back to school completely transformed. Her body had finally caught up with itself and filled out nicely, her braces were removed and once frizzy hair had smoothed into full wild curls, and of course, her new wardrobe. In no time a very different sort of attention fell on her. Junior year quickly became the best year of her life; aside from one or two run-ins with local law enforcement, it seemed nothing could go wrong for Chloe. She found herself turning away friendships with girls who had once mocked her and thrived on the petty feeling of justice it gave her. Her confidence blossomed shortly after her beauty and she was changed completely. Her grades slipped for a time, but platitude at a respectably high B, allowing her to pursue an offer from a modeling scout for a winter fashion week in New York. The revelation of her abilities didn't occur until the very end of junior year. It wasn't any traumatic even or grand display. One morning she simply couldn't get up out of bed. First she had though she was still in whatever nightmare had plagued her in the first place, but as the sun rose and she remained immobile she realized something was terribly wrong. As soon as the new class in hyper-human studies was announced over the summer, Chloe signed up for the credit offering little to no explanation to anyone who asked. Personality ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ For most her life, Chloe was the nice girl. Not that many people remember those days, back when she practically blended into the walls. She didn't do much to change it; remaining quiet and bookish enough to go unnoticed throughout middle-school and her freshman year. Then after the awkward year of being 15, Chloe's personality was remade as much as her appearance. She remains bitter from the loneliness of her younger years and resents most any of the classmates that have approached her in the name of friendship ever since. As such Chloe has largely remained aloof and isolated among her peers; only now they all notice. Miscellaneous ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ A younger brother Thomas, aged 1 year old. Lives in a small two-bedroom appartment above a laundromat with her parents a few blocks west of the Port's boardwalk. While she's managed to talk her way of of getting a proper criminal record, a few of the local police are slightly more wary of her.

---

@Tackytaff

Wraith and I have had a quick discussion about Chloe and have both found ourselves taking issue with her powers.

Note that the powerset itself - i.e. the immovability/speed/unstoppability (that's not a word) - is great! It's neat, it's interesting, and personally I think it could be a lot of fun. However when it comes to the limitations Wraith and I both feel like you're talking about a completely different set of abilities. Her powers seem self-orientated, but her limitations talk about changing other objects (from what to what?), altering states of systems (What states? What systems?), and manipulating surfaces and objects (manipulating them how?). It almost feels like the limitations are coming copy/pasted from a completely different powerset. Additionally, I feel like her weaknesses are irrelevant to her power - the biggest weakness you've given her is a classic 'her power isn't durability-related, so that's a weakness', which is a big bugbear for me, and poor eyesight and kleptomania have nothing to do with the power itself.

Clarify the hell out of her powers - what she's capable of, what she's actually limited by - and give her some real weaknesses, and we're good to go.