“Feel free to put your dress there,” Ineraz gestured over to a rather meagre and barren vanity table, which unlike the rest of the furniture in the room seemed to be there almost for its own sake, just so that it could be said an item such as it was there and to make the space a bit less empty perhaps. While the dresser in the room was still relatively free to use, Ineraz had put his sword to lean next to it and he preferred not to encourage his brides to approach sharp objects just yet.
“It will do indeed, beautiful,” he murmured softly as she came closer. Although the previous blush which had graced Zeldria’s cheeks was a promising sign, Ineraz was well aware that the Gem was likely still cautious and fearful. However…she did join him. And as joyful as Ineraz wanted to be, his bride’s nearness would make it both awkward and possibly intimidating (for her, not him) to relieve his not-so-little problem. He sighed, but restrained himself for now. I truly deserve an award for my patience. Ineraz shifted closer to the Gem on the bed and put a hand on her shoulder-blade, slowly stroking down her arm and back up, essentially providing a massage with the lazy but firm circular movements he was doing.
“Mind if I hold you while we sleep?” He asked her the question quietly. Before she could respond, he added “And no need to worry about this,” he pressed his pelvis to her backside so she would know very well what he meant “either. I will take care of it on my own. I promise, as much as I want to ravish you, there is something very tantalizing about a consenting lover,” he finished with a sigh which might as well have been a moan and sneaked a quick kiss to Zeldria’s neck. Ineraz then scooted back slightly so he could gauge her response more easily and also to give her the choice of initiating any further physical contact. He kept his posture inviting as much as he could do so while lying down. Whether the Gem responded well to his seduction attempt or not, he would probably have to satisfy his urges on his own. Based on her response, she wasn’t ready for coupling just yet and forcing it on her would likely just destroy her. And that would certainly not be in his best interests. So, trying to wait until she fell asleep it was. Unless…If she shows interest again, I might entice her into watching, at least. However, he was realistic enough to expect another night spent alone – alone in the ways that mattered, that is.
Well, here's mine...Hopefully it's ok. There are probably still missing things (like, her current IRL situation).
Elaine Sullivan
AGE: 21
APPEARANCE: Elaine stands at 5’4 and is so a bit on the short side. She has a pale skin tone, which unfortunately burns rather easily. She is slim and obviously puts in regular workout to stay fit, strong and healthy. Her hair is naturally black and thick, and Elaine has it cut short, so it falls just below her ears, which gives her a slightly boyish look. She will often fasten her bangs to the sides with plain black hair-clips. Her eyes are a very curious combination of light brown and dull green, and up-close, small almost golden flecks seem to be mixed within. Elaine prefers to dress for comfort and whenever she bothers with make-up, it’s usually very light. She likes T-shirt and jeans, but also has several dresses, a collection of fine, soft and elegant shirts and a couple of jackets to go with them to pull off a semi-formal look if needed. All of her bras are a comfy sports model, but sometimes she still shucks it off at home, puts on a tank-top and hoodie, and usually wears a pair of sweatpants, leggings or shorts alongside.
Elaine is an introvert with the occasional outbursts of extraversion. It takes a long time for her to get familiar with someone, but as she does so, she will gradually begin showing them the more outgoing part of her personality. Online she dares more due to the anonymous nature of the environment. She prefers not to lead, but if the situation calls for it, she will step up to it and put her all into it, and this has seemed to work out alright so far. She isn’t afraid to call people out if they do or say something she perceives as wrong and doesn’t shy away from being confrontational if that’s what it takes. Elaine tends to be blunt and the hardest thing for her is connecting with new people, which has made her circle of friends a relatively small one. She does like social situations, but once she reaches her limit, she gets rather moody and usually moves to a quiet corner or goes home before souring it for everyone. She appreciates her alone time and doesn’t take too well to having it interrupted.
BACKGROUND: Elaine was born as the only child of her parents, the tree of them a normal middle-class family, well off enough to be able to afford most things which are considered essential for a good life. As far as she remembers, she’s always had a harder time making friends or chatting to strangers compared to others. She did well enough academically. The fact that she is such a good close-range DPS in Haven today is due to a string of certain random events. Her mother was once on a friendly outing with some of her other classmates’ mothers, and one of them suggested enrolling the children in a 3-year long program, which would supposedly impart them some basic knowledge about staying safe as a citizen. Most agreed, Elaine’s included. And so, the elementary-schoolers learned about digital safety, various relevant organizations and how and when to contact them, and even physical self-defense. After the program’s end, some of the kids continued with some media-related classes, but Elaine was one of those who enjoyed the more active part, and so convinced her parents to be enrolled into one of the several martial-arts classes available. Though honestly, back then Elaine did it because she enjoyed anything sports-related and thought it was cool to learn how to fight, even if she would likely never use it. She occasionally went to a competition, but was no prize fighter just yet.
The thing that got her into gaming herself was a friend recommending a stream to her, and from there on, she developed enough of an interest to try out several games. What really inspired her, in more ways than one, was when she heard Haven online being announced. Maybe it was unnatural, existentially questionable or the opposite of how it should have been, but it was gaming, Haven online in particular, which re-energized her in real life too. The virtual reality truly felt limitless, and even combat was somehow much more fun (partly because there was no pain sensation, partly because one could do some truly ridiculous things, especially with higher stats, and partly because getting loot was a really nice bonus). Elaine was suddenly motivated to take her martial arts classes more seriously and initially went with the pure fighter route online. When she eventually wanted to spice things up, she added the spells to go along with it and in the following years, this got here to where she is now. Before making her own guild, she was the kind of a player who sought out mostly opportunistic one-time groups when the situation called for it. But she managed to befriend a fellow martial artist, who cajoled her into making a guild, and together with some other enthusiasts, they built it up and nowadays enjoy the minor fame that comes from being part of a recognizable guild.
ABILITIES --- Sorcerous fighter One of the warrior-mage combinations, this ability makes it possible to tie spells to one’s own body*. Magic damage and precision gain a very significant boost from strength instead of being tied only to intelligence. However, the mana pool is still locked to wisdom. A higher familiarity with a spell also tends to adapt it to the user’s combat style (e.g. instead of the original long-range one direction lightning strike with a chance to stun, the spell follows the intended path of an attack – such as a kick or punch – and has a chance to cause a debuff like “Crippled” depending on the hit area). *Users of this ability cast spells with their (avatar’s) body instead of with a mage weapon.
Incantation Shortcuts Since long chants can be rather inconvenient if not outright impossible to manage during a close-quarter melee fight, In-Short reduces cast time by converting the original chant to a shorter string of keywords. The longer the original spell, the longer will its shortened form be. Regardless of stats, each spell will take practice to master in its new (shortened) form. Due to the nature of this ability, it still makes the most sense to search for high-powered spells but with short chants.
Vampiric Drain This is an ability which can (be chosen to) trigger when inflicting burst damage on an enemy (a high crit which is foreseen to finish off an opponent will activate it automatically, if available). The activation of this ability will split the damage so that it’s dealt to both the enemy’s health and mana (instead of just their health) and will transfer the amount taken to the user of this ability. Vampiric Drain is restricted in use to a maximum of three times per enemy during a single period of combat.
Cursed Fangs An ability which triggers when the user bites an enemy, leaving them with a curse. The curse applies a poison and bleeding type effects, slowly damaging the enemy for a while. A Special version of Vampiric Drain can be used once per combat on anyone marked by the curse. This Special version functions as a long-range curse-type spell and drains health and mana in DOT style (i.e. transfers them from the enemy to the user in increments). The Cursed Fangs effect can be lifted by the right kind of ability, which can also remove the DOT Drain (if active) from the person and the Special will be considered used for this round of combat. Cursed Fangs is restricted in use for a maximum of six times per combat phase (regardless of the number of opponents) and can be used only twice on the same target (per combat). --
INVENTORY:
Immortal's armor set: A high-tier armor set with good offensive and defensive bonuses. Something she had to grind a lot to obtain. [equipped]
Athena’s headdress: A silver-coloured metal helmet providing a slight boost to int and wis. [equipped]
Ring of Haste: Substantially increases movement speed outside of combat. [equipped]
Large potion of Health x2: Can be used in combat, immediately restores some health. Has a 30 second cool-down.
Potion of Mana x3: Can be used in combat, immediately restores some mana. Has a 30 second cool-down.
Health poultice x6: Cannot be used in combat. Restores some health over time. Has no cool-down, but only one item of this type can be used at the same time.
Apple x8: A shiny treat! Better not let it rot in your bag.
Unnamed junk: Random items that always accumulate and take up your precious space no matter how often you sell them. Useless, but can be sold for a meager profit.
NOTABLE FEATURES:
Hates being teased about her alias. For heaven’s sake, she came up with it when she was fourteen.
Leader of the guild MMA-O. As the name implies, most members are martial artists, brawlers, street fighters and all manner of (close-quarter) combatants. There are some pure magic, ranged and blade users, but those that have joined, have generally done so out of a honest appreciation for combat. The guild is fairly well ranked, mainly due to having several good PvP-ers as members, leader included.
I'm just a fellow potential player, but while I really want to see the first kind of situation explored, I feel like we'll get to see that regardless if there's that kind of a PC or not. That, and the second one could be really fun (hilarious).
Though honestly, I think you'll be alright just going with what you would prefer, the GM seems fine with all kinds of things as long there's a proper sheet.
So if I've got this right, in the present we'd be playing, Haven has been operating for 4 years?
Also, is there a certain number of abilities we're encouraged to have or a limit to how many we should? I'm interested to know the number of spells available for each wisdom level - if you have a specific number or an estimate - as well.
"I know, Aerta," Yssil explained patiently. He knew such caution was a good thing. "My mother practices a kind of magic herself, though she does so through prayer. And as soon as she found out that I am a sorcerer, she taught me what she knew. This included several extensive lectures and thorough warnings against using certain magics. Having heard and read about the consequences those practitioners have had because they wanted power, I consider myself warned enough. Truly, I am not interested in shortcuts or power for its own sake. But thank you. I know you mean well."
@Anders Do you mind if I post (or PM you) just the abilities? I'd like to see if I'm going in the right direction with them and I'm not too sure on some of the limits (like how often it would be proper for something to activate and similar). Also, how many abilities is it even alright to have? And I hope you don't mind having content borrowed from a bit, because I've been thinking about a melee-magic combination too, and that NPC serves as a nice template for some abilities.
Potter
FulgrimLives
Lucid Dreaming
Expendable
Kero
Tim the Yeti
rush99999
Fading Memory
