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Echoes in the Crimson Sand OOC

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9/13/2020 12:28:12   
ChaosRipjaw
How We Roll Winner
Jun15
In a dark future . . .
Another reality . . .
A different time . . .
A different universe . . .
Or perhaps, hopefully a nightmare that will never be.


They wait, their hands clasped in prayer, but there will be no dawn. They weep, their tears washing the earth, but the land does not stir. The city is utterly still, consumed by a dead quiet that seems a sound of its own. Like a ripple produced by a pebble striking the pond, it spreads until the absence of life is a cry for help all on its own, reaching to lands far and distant. Searching for a savior . . . or a conqueror.

This is Bren, the city of the Elemental Championships. Once, it bustled with festivities as its people welcomed the challengers with open arms. But no more. This is Bren, the lost city. This is Bren, a ruin of its former glory. This is Bren, silent as the grave.

A torchlight flickers. Slowly but surely, it flares to life, a dim orange flashing against the crumbling stone wall that holds it. The surrounding lanterns follow suit, one by one, like the twinkling of stars in the night sky, until the city is awash with light in the gloom that was not night, in the dawn that never seemed to break. Despair and hopelessness --- the futility of existence --- captured in the indifferent warmth of the fire.

But there is something else. For in the grim darkness of this world . . . perhaps there is hope. And this light, with all its weak vanity, beckons.

The city may be dead. But the Championships must continue.

Who can overtake the darkness?


Set in the city of Bren, the time for the Elemental Championships has come. In the Championships, individuals from all walks of life come to compete- and in exchange for fealty to a single Elemental Lord and victory in the Grand Arena, are granted a single boon which can be nearly anything said individual desires.

However, the Last Champion twisted their boon in a way that brought an end to the Lords and their power. Without the Lords, the balance of the world is thrown into disarray and Bren falls into ruin.

Although the Lords are gone, the Arena is not. The Arena’s power stands firm against the world’s collapse. The Lords may reward the victor, but one the Arena chooses. In desperation, the Arena brings back the shades of the fallen paragons in an attempt to determine a new Champion.

The Arena is not all that is desperate. A group of individuals join a pilgrimage to the lost city of Bren, which is now in ruins but kept from dissolution by the power of the Grand Arena. Their journey will not be an easy one, for the shades of the fallen, kept from death by the Arena, challenge these individuals as they struggle against themselves and each other to defeat the Arena and finally, the Last Champion. The defeated, broken and battered by the harsh world, will join the ranks of the doomed, whereas the victor --- if any --- will hold the power to alter the course of the world . . . and possibly fate itself.

“Walk the path of the Old Champions.”
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 1
9/13/2020 12:52:31   
roseleaf320
Creative!


 And so it begins.

Welcome

Hello writers, and welcome to Echoes in the Crimson Sand! Thematically appropriate for the spooky atmosphere of October, in a twist of a classic forum RP event, we now have here a spinoff of the Elemental Championships, brought to you by ChaosRipjaw and roseleaf320! This takes place in a non-canon alternate reality, where the Elemental Championships and the city of Bren have both fallen into ruin-- but the arenas themselves live on… Dark and desolate, dreary and terrifying, this RP marries the old with the new to create a disturbing, surreal adventure.

Setting
Echoes in the Crimson Sand is a person versus environment style RP. You will be working with a team of 3 to 6 other writers to explore the ruins of Bren and the abandoned Arena complexes, overcoming its obstacles and defeating the dangers that lurk within its halls. While this RP will include some combat, it also has a considerable emphasis on story, exploration, and problem-solving; keep both in mind when creating your character.

The event will take place in the location that was once known as Bren. In the IC thread, your characters will be starting together on the fringes of the ruined city, but feel free to add prior backstory to your posts-- this is not a competitive event, and you will not be judged or eliminated.

The general architecture of Bren is both similar and incredibly different from the original Bren described in the Championships. The city circles the Grand Arena, located in its center. Aspects of the other Arenas-- variations of the Forge, Cellar, Sky, Fountain, Twilight, Spike, and Factory-- bleed into the Bren’s architecture to create a stunningly beautiful but exceedingly dangerous realm, worn and broken by age and disrepair.

Since you, as part of the pilgrimage, are stepping into Bren for the first time in ages, there is no map to guide you-- only your wits. Thus, the actual layout of the world will depend on you and your fellow writers working to explore the desolation.

The Fallen

The primary enemies are the Fallen: bodies physically created by the Arena using the memories and blood left behind by those who died during the Elemental Championships. They look much as they did in life, but something isn’t quite right about them… and though many possess the ability to speak, and an appearance of a personality, the whispers that fuel them are merely tired puppets, with the Arena itself pulling the strings.
Though some Fallen are openly hostile, others may be spoken to, interacted with, and perhaps even used as guidance.

Death is still permanent in the Elemental Championships. ChaosRipjaw and I have worked closely with Starflame13 and the other RP AKs to find a way to pay homage to the dead in this particular RP while still abiding by the rules of the Elemental Championships. The Fallen in this RP are in no way resurrected champions, and while they may possess memories of their thoughts and actions during the ECs, they are merely creations of the arena and have no ties to their original selves or their writers. All Fallen featured in this RP are only used with express permission from their creators/writers, and some Fallen will be completely original characters that will never see use anywhere outside of this RP.

The final AK ruling on our use of Fallen champions is this:

1. The Fallen remain as such. They have died fully, and dead they remain. Someone with a dead character cannot attempt to use this RP as an attempt at resurrection. The dead remain dead.

2. In this specific, AK-approved case, the Fallen are able to interact with the living while in the context of this RP. They are tied to the arena, and with the arena they remain. This is so that someone can't attempt to use a dead entrant's spirit in a non-approved way in a different RP. The dead remain unreachable.

3. The character's original writers relinquish all control of their characters in granting their permission to use them. This is so that character death remains impactful to future entrants , so there isn't a thought of "oh, it doesn't matter if they die, I can control their ghost!". The dead are severed from their writers.

We also agreed with the AKs that neither ChaosRipjaw nor Roseleaf320 are allowed to use their own dead characters in Echoes in the Crimson Sand, nor would any other writer who takes over or creates a separate, similar RP.

Rules/Signup

As usual, all RP Boards Rules apply. Failure to follow those rules will result in immediate removal from Echoes in the Crimson Sand.

To sign up, you will need to provide a character biography that passes both our inspections (though we will be less harsh about balancing than in the Championships) and includes the following general requirements:

quote:

Name/Title
Age Range
Race
Appearance (build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.)
Equipment (Armor, Weapons, Tools, etc.)
Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities
Personality / Backstory (optional)


A few points of note:

1. Characters are encouraged but not required to engage in combat.

2. Your character does not need to provide an Elemental alignment.

3. We will have no set idle out timers, but we reserve the right to eliminate or move on without your character if you’ve been inactive for an extended period of time.

4. Don’t edit pls. No really, don’t edit your posts when submitted, because having a consistent narrative is important. If you do, it will result in an automatic disqualification, unless express permission to edit by myself or ChaosRipjaw was given prior.

5. Death has consequences . . . but perhaps not the way you may think. As a non-canon event, character death here will not affect their ability to participate in other RPs. However, do note that this RP is a deadly journey. Your characters are risking their lives . . . but death in this Arena is not necessarily an end.

6. The more collaboration, the better! Since you will all (hopefully) be working with other characters and collaborating with other writers, outside discussion and plotting is heavily encouraged. Both I and ChaosRipjaw are available on the forums and RP Discord to answer any questions you have now or during the event.

7. Have fun! This is an entirely non-canon event and an adventure meant to be enjoyed with friends!




Members of the Pilgrimage:
Lovelace, created by Anastira!
Devil, created by Ronin of Dreams!
Sketefka, created by nield!
Renial, the Collector, created by Chewy905!
Asmasen the Findsman, Seeker of the Feeble Flame, created by ChaosRipjaw!



< Message edited by roseleaf320 -- 11/30/2020 19:41:31 >
Post #: 2
9/13/2020 15:52:06   
Anastira
Member

Name/Title:
Lovelace

Age Range:
No one knows; especially considering her abilities

Race:
Shapeshifter

Appearance (build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
Lovelace is a heartbreakingly innocent young woman with exotic doe eyes, curly dark brown hair (so dark it’s almost black, and often coiled into a braided bun), medium-dark skin, and flashing hazel eyes. She is not particularly beautiful, but the striking innocence and mystery of her figure is strangely alluring. She wears simple clothes and carries a book with her at all times, though she will not let anyone touch this book.

There are rumors that in the night, she is hideous, a kind of fury or fate of twisted dark limbs and coiling smoke; however, she has never confirmed these rumors, and no one living has ever laid eyes on her in this form.

Equipment (Armor, Weapons, Tools, etc.):
As a creature of knowledge, it might be assumed that Lovelace would know all about weaponry and be adept at all of it. However, while she has certainly studied many battle tactics and war strategies in her long life, she has only dedicated herself to two weapons - fitting, she believes, of a worshipper of knowledge. These are a crossbow and a longbow, which she may use in close-handed combat like a kind of improvised staff; she has chosen these as she believes they are the weapons which require the most skill and intellectual understanding. She calls her longbow Saraswati and her crossbow Seshat, both goddesses of wisdom.

She also carries with her the book, her Biblia, although it has no martial use.

She wears no armor, believing that if all the wisdom and knowledge in the world cannot save her, she is not meant to be saved.

Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities:
Succubus
Lovelace never uses this ability unless she absolutely must. It allows her to drink the life of those around her, ingesting their souls and stories into herself. As a younger creature, she once used this ability carelessly, and now she is a walking library of those she has drunk from, including a young woman named Carina. However, as she drinks their memories and stories, they begin to lose those same memories and stories and sense of self; the more she drinks, the more she takes from them, and the closer they become to a walking husk of a creature without any unique individuality.

With a tiny sip, she may assume their Mantle physically, including voice, mannerisms, and appearance; but understanding their stories and becoming them takes a longer gulp. To truly become a person would take many months; but to get a taste of their stories and memories takes only a few hours of concentration. To assume their Mantle takes a few minutes.

Letter for Letter, Word for Word
Lovelace remembers everything she has ever seen, heard, or felt - even if she doesn’t want to. This is exceptionally useful when navigating life by blackmail, but has also burdened her with a great amount of trauma which makes her emotionally unstable and volatile.

By the Book
Lovelace has the peculiar ability to cause a person to understand things about themselves. However, she herself does not know the secret she has given them; she simply knows how to open their mind to whatever it is she wants them to know, whether it is a good thing or absolutely devastating. She has often used it as a tactic to confuse an enemy and buy herself time to escape. Of course, it’s normally ineffective against creatures with little intellectual capabilities or self-perception.

Ignorance
Lovelace may cause a person to be ignorant of her, unknowledgeable: this acts in place of any kind of shield or armor, and lends her a kind of invisibility in which the other person simply seems not to register that Lovelace exists. However, this ability is not universally effective, and may not work on some creatures or individuals.

Personality / Backstory (optional):
Lovelace, lover of knowledge, history, and libraries, chose this name for herself when she first became conscious. However, she often takes on other mantles - ranging from similarly inspired ones such as Hypatia, Kassiani, Anahit, and Nisaba, to spur-of-the-moment names such as Iolanthe (for violet). Who is she? Even she herself does not know.

All she knows is that she has asked for eternal, unbroken knowledge, and the price she has paid is to live with her true identity: as a monster. And so she has banished herself to this place where the only noise is the sound of dying voices echoing against the crimson-soaked shifting sands…
AQW  Post #: 3
9/13/2020 16:40:17   
Sylphe
Member

Name: Myszka Zajac, known as “The Wolf” despite his name meaning “Little Mouse” and “Hare”

Age range: Around twenty years old

Race: Human

Appearance: Myszka really isn’t a mouse, despite what his name would suggest. He’s pretty average in height, first of all, second of all he does not have a tail, or fur. And third, there is a black mask obscuring his face at all times. It appears to be shaped in the likeness of a wolf’s face. Made out of metal, it gives its owner’s voice a haunting echo, despite it being pleasant and gentle otherwise. Where the eyes would be, there are goggles of green glass.

The man’s neck is covered by a gray scarf, with its ends hastily thrown around his neck so that they don’t restrain him in his work. A cloak coupled with a hood over his head makes sure not even an inch of the man’s skin is visible at any time. He also wears what appears to be a Weaver’s coat, the only part of his clothes that seems to be without any damage whatsoever. It is also plain and grayscale, without the runes and decorative cuts weaver clothes tend to have, as if the weavers and elemental spirits themselves have started losing hope over the years. It would be hard to see them regardless, as Myszka is always weighed down by his backpack and satchel, the latter with a hastily sewn snake on a rod, in an attempt of a medic’s insignia. Then there is a cross on his shoulder and backpack, so that everyone will recognize him as friend and not foe in the wasteland. It is done with soulthread and gives off a faint green glow.

The same type of thread can be found constricting Myszka’s left leg. The leg is unable to walk properly, and the thread helps him combat the slight limp it gives him.

The man’s spiritlooms are gauntlets made of the same black metal as his mask, and each is embedded with a green gem.

Equipment: Myszka carries around a backpack and satchel. His backpack is full of medical supplies, namely pain numbing elixers, antiseptic, a cloth, and some soulwoven bandages and gauze, as well as a water bottle. From this backpack hangs a small, withered plush toy. It probably was a bunny at some point. It has been repaired many many times with gleaming green thread. Though its original colour is long since faded, the bunny still wears a joyful expression in its heart-shaped nose and button eyes.

The satchel then is used to store a few scalpels and needles, and vials of faintly glowing soulthread. He likes to carry around vials of dried herbs and herbal oils too, as ways to soothe wounds or to fill his mask with nice scents to combat the “vile air” as he says.

Abilities:

Soul Claws: Myszka is able to summon glowing, toxic green blades as an extesion of his looms.

Threads: Thanks to his leg, Myszka isn’t as quick as other weavers and cannot use his claws efficiently. Instead, he tends to battle using his soulthread. This thread is strong and sharp, and Myszka can control it with his will, accompanied by the movements of his hands, to tie or stab enemies or get around the environment in spite of his leg.

Control: Myszka is capable of creating another type of thread. Soft, thin, but equally sharp, Myszka can use this thread to invade the body of a living thing in an attempt to control them. This, however, is not strong enough to fully control a conscious animal, much less an actual person - It would be more of a tug. Myszka can use this ability to control plants or the plush bunny he carries around, and more as a way to spy.

Healing: Myszka is a very capable medic, able to clean and patch up minor wounds and at least try to slow the heavier ones. He is able to stitch wounds (not with the controlling thread, don’t worry). As a last resort, he can also use one of his soulthreads to try and transfer some of his energy to someone else, but this is understandably very taxing.
DF  Post #: 4
9/13/2020 19:55:52   
  Chewy905

Chromatic ArchKnight of RP


 Name: Renial, The Collector
Age: 45
Race: Human


“I don’t need much for this trip. Just my usual stuff, nothing fancy. At least, not for protection.”


Appearance: Renial takes great pride in his form, appearing well-built and strong, standing at 6’ tall and sporting short, well-kempt brown hair. His soft face bears a few scars from battles hard-won, but nothing he doesn’t smile through - assuming he doesn’t have his dark brown cloak’s hood pulled over to shroud himself. For armor he wears a simple set of studded leather, believing that if a blade has reached it he is as good as dead anyways. Nevertheless, it has saved his life on numerous occasions, as revealed by the many the dents and scratches that mar its surface. His gauntlets are intricately designed, with detailed swirling patterns carved into the leather, though the fingers have been removed to allow him to feel the grip of his weapons. A bandolier crosses his chest, housing additional various pockets for small materials and items that he can’t fit on his belt pouches.


“Each one of these has a story. Maybe you’ll hear them someday, but it tends to be easier to show rather than tell. Just watch me.”


Equipment:

The Many: The “backpack” of sorts that Renial wears on his back is made up of ten sheaths. These sheaths are each enchanted to morph around whatever type of weapon is inserted into them, carrying it flawlessly and reducing its weight so that Renial can barely even feel that it’s there. Entering this adventure, four of the ten slots are filled.

Aeon, The Shield of Tirasol: A circular steel shield, enchanted to be lighter than usual. The front of the shield has been designed to depict a snarling lion head. This shield can be strapped to the back of The Many.

Uro, The One: Renial’s personal blade, a shortsword crafted from enchanted steel that can cut through armor with relative ease, but lacks longer reach. The blade is chipped in some places from excessive use, but still works perfectly. The crossguard is designed to look like two dragon-heads. This weapon is kept sheathed at Renial’s side.

Lonia, Spear of Yulside: A spear forged from some unknown black metal, though its strength suggests it is merely steel. A metal serpent curls from the tip down to about a quarter of the weapon. The crossguard has been snapped off. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Quandary, The Quill of Arisar: A silver rapier, honed and sharpened to a deadly point, with a crossguard designed to look like the wing of a crow. A small throwing knife is hidden in the hilt of this weapon, and returns to the thrower after hitting something when thrown. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Oni, Rune’s Slab: This greatsword is practically just a massive slab of white stone tied to a simple hilt. Measuring 5 feet in length and incredibly heavy, it’s a wonder this thing can even be called a “weapon” to begin with. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Noise, the Twin of Sound: a single-bladed, one-handed golden axe with a crescent blade, enchanted to be as strong as steel and topped with a strange bell. When the bell is rung, a silver axe, identical to the first, appears in the off-hand of the wielder if it is empty. The silver axe disappears if the gold is sheathed. If both bells are rung simultaneously, the sound rings incredibly loudly, possibly deafening those that are too close temporarily. This, unfortunately, includes Renial. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Claiming Disk: These are small, ring-sized discs, of which Renial has twelve. On contact, these disks instantly attach themselves to inorganic materials that are not being worn by someone else. Six of these disks are currently attached to Renial’s weapons and shield (one on each). The other six are kept in pouches on his belt and bandolier.


”Oh, you are a beauty. Tell me what you are. Tell me what battles you have seen. I would love to know.”


Abilities:

To Me!: By snapping his fingers, Renial can teleport any object that has a Claiming Disk attached, causing it to appear to the air in front of him in an orientation of his choosing. It will will stay suspended there for a brief moment before falling as normal. Objects that are larger than a person cannot be transported in this way, nor can objects that are connected to something larger, such as doors and gates. Renial chooses which object to teleport mentally.

History of War: Renial can read the full history of a weapon when he holds it. By doing this, he learns of the person who used the weapon the most, how they used it, and every battle they have used the weapon in. Renial inherits that person's battle prowess, becoming proficient in that weapon as long as he holds it, but only as proficient as the weapon's original user, and only in the style they used the weapon in. Though he learns the name and general appearance of the original user, he does not learn of anything they accomplished that did not involve the weapon.

Traits: Renial is a talented athlete, both faster and stronger than the average human of his age and size. He has great natural talent with a shortsword and shield, but relies on his ability to wield any other type of weapon. Though he is quick-thinking once in combat, out of it his mind tends to wander, creating the risk of him wandering into danger. He also has no magical talent or knowledge beyond his own abilities.
Post #: 5
9/14/2020 13:49:55   
roseleaf320
Creative!


 Welcome back, Anastira! Your focus on psyche manipulation in both this character and Carina is both exciting and refreshing, and I can’t wait to see how Lovelace interacts with her party and the Fallen here. The character is well-balanced overall, we just need a few clarifications to get a better feel for how Lovelace’s abilities physically work.

First, Succubus. The ability seems fine overall, especially since more complicated drains require more time. But we can’t quite tell what the life drain actually looks like. Is Lovelace doing something specific-- biting the subject like a vampire, inhaling their breath, or something else? Tied into that, we also wanted to know if there was any way for the subject to understand and feel that they were being drained. I think a passive, undetectable, constant drain on someone’s memories would be much too extreme, but I don’t think that’s really what you were going for here. I do want to caution that draining someone’s memories requires heavy collaboration and permission from other writers, but that was the point of this event!

For Letter by Letter, we just wanted to put a disclaimer that if Lovelace has any memories related to the ECs, the Fallen, or anything expressly related to our setting and characters, we’d just like to know ahead of time. The default assumption will be that she does not, other than Carina’s memories as you mentioned, but if there’s more, feel free to just shoot either of us a PM.

By the Book has a lot of potential. I’m loving it, and it seems balanced to me, we’d just like to know more about what kind of ability it is- is it a constant magical aura, for example, or is Lovelace just really good at sweet talking? Having that information would help with interactions with characters that may have antimagic abilities or special magical detection.

Ignorance was the only ability we felt needed actual balancing. As it is now, Lovelace would be able to disappear from the party’s radar entirely and stab them all one by one. I know you wouldn’t end up doing anything like that, but the potential is there, so I wanted to tone it down just a tad. You did say “some creatures aren’t affected”... what exactly determines that? Would that be based on someone’s intelligence (the magic just won’t work on people smart enough to understand or resist it) perception (people that are good at detecting things will be able to sense Lovelace’s footsteps, shimmer, or other)or something else? If it is easy enough for others to detect and shut down, then it would be more balanced. I’d also prefer some kind of energy or time limit on it, so she can’t have the ability active for the entire RP. The shorter the time limit, the harder you can make it to detect; for example, if it’s incredibly easy to detect, she could probably maintain it for several hours with a short cooldown time, but if it’s very hard or impossible to detect, it should only last a few seconds. If you want help or to run ideas by us, again, feel free to contact us before throwing up a second draft.

Overall, we’re both very excited for what your character can do, and you’ve definitely given us things to think about in regards to the Fallen. Happy to have you on board with us!



Hey Sylphe, glad to see you back again, as well! Ravenloss was always my favorite arc/area in Dragonfable, and I’m proud to finally see a proper soulweaver among us. As Lovelace was, Myszka’s pretty well balanced already, we just wanted a couple clarifications to make sure we don’t miss anything.

For the soul claws, what are their general physical capabilities/strength? I always imagined soul claws in game to be pure hot plasma- is that what these are, or have you been imagining them as more physical blades with a glow to them? If that’s the case, are they sharp and as strong as steel, or something else?

For your threads, I think we just wanted to be able to put some kind of length idea to them: how far away can Myszka be and still use these threads for attacking?

For stitching wounds, is that magical in any way because he’s using soul thread, or is it still just a traditional real life skill? Either would be fine, as long as it's not something as extreme as "if I stitch over this lost limb it immediately appears back fully healed," which wasn't what I think you were going for anyways.

You also have the sentence at the end that implies he can use the threads to transfer his energy into someone. If that’s an actual ability, it needs more detail- what does transferring his energy do to others (does it heal them, rejuvenate them, make them stronger)? For Myszka, is this taxing physically (exhaustion), mentally, or both?

Also, more of a general note for Myszka rather than a bio edit, but your character is allowed to have a ton of supplies packed, and/or the ability (magical or nonmagical) to make more. This is an extended journey that your character has (we assume) prepared for, and we wouldn’t want Myszka to lose a big part of his kit just because he ran out of supplies.

You did a really good job writing this character, and I’m really happy to have a proper physical medic on the team. We’re excited to see Myszka in action!



Chewy, a weapon collector fits incredibly well into Crimson Sands. I can’t wait to see what he’ll find…

Your weapons are all well balanced, and thank you for detailing where they rest on Renial’s person. Our main focus will then be on Noise and the Claiming Disks for a couple clarifications and an extra balance request.

Noise, the Twin of Sound: I’d like a range estimate for Noise’s deafening ability when both bells are rung- for it to be a full or mostly full deafen, I’d say the max we could go is 15 feet. I also want to clarify quickly how the bells are rung: do they need to be physically touched or knocked by Renial, or do they end up ringing automatically when the weapon is in motion? Since the deafen ability works on Renial, as well, either tactic would be fine.

Claiming Disks: We already clarified that disks can attach themselves to objects that are currently being held, and that To Me! also works on items held by someone else. With these clarifications in mind, I’d want you to add a way for the Claiming Disks to be removed. It doesn’t need to be incredibly easy, but someone whose weapon is stolen this way should also have a way to steal it back.

Other than that, Renial’s a well done character, and I’m excited to learn more about his weapons and to see how he uses the Disks. Can’t wait to have you aboard!



Just like the ECs, it’ll be easiest if you repost your bio with the changes included, preferably in bold or italics or some way we can identify them. Once you’re cleared, we’ll add your name and your character’s name to our list of Members up in my first OOC post.

Crazy first day for bios! ChaosRipjaw and I are both super excited with everything we’ve seen so far. Thanks for the support, everyone-- we can’t wait to get started!
Post #: 6
9/14/2020 16:00:19   
Ronin Of Dreams
Still Watching...


 Name: What’s in a Name? “Grinner” will do. Or “Devil”.
Race: Jackal Therianthrope - a Devil of the Sands
H/W/L: 4.5 hands / 2 stone / 8.5 hands
Age: What a Curious Construct of Man

Seeing is Believing: The Jackal is a Jackal. Thin, wiry, and gaunt, though its pelt remains luxurious indeed. Glossy charcoal black stemming from its crown down the length of his back to the base of its tail, the rest tawny with the occasional tuft of chocolate brown save the smallest patch of white from its throat just to the start of its ribs. Paired shapes can almost be picked out in the fur along its back, a shade more black than grey, but ever so difficult on its frame. Yet it’s the amber eyes that are most troubling. They shine and glisten with uncanny intelligence, and to stare within is to see what Truth in Madness lies…

Recollections
I knew a Truth. Perhaps.

In fact, we Jackal knew many Truths. Truths of the World and of Time and of our Place in things. It set us apart from our cousins - the other Devils - and let us laugh in their faces time and again; even after their physical prowess beat us into submission.

Did you know, we bore the Sun across the Sky at the Dawn of Time once. It is why our fur is scorched so dark. It is why our brethren Devils never dared hunt us to the last.

Or was it my return? Time is such a fickle concept. There is Today. And there is Tomorrow, where there may be no food. Whereas Yesterday was all about Lessons learned and Truths gained. Why does it really matter how many Yesterdays there are or how many Tomorrows will come? There is just Today.

I remember... there was once a Willow Dryad. An oasis. Entrapment. Forgetfulness. A Time of Peace and inaction, of only a series of Todays. But a Time that did end; with the scent of steel, and blood, and sand.

I remember a Time...after? A Time of Remembrance. Of sweet meat and fresh, hot blood. Of Vengeance and Hunting. Of feasting on Hearts and Skins.

I remember… We remember…? No, we do not remember how long this Glory did last, this Time of full bellied largesse. We do remember the Voices, though. How that number grew within.

Then. What then? Then the times of Hunger. We remember Truths once precious became Lies. Of husks withered and Skins sacrificed. Starvation. Dehydration. The death of Devils far and wide. But this Jackal survives.

Did I carry the Sun? Did we kill the Devils, all? Are we Hungry or Sated?

I am most Comfortable now. Whatever this Today is, amidst these Crimson Sands. They smell... familiar. Curiously familiar, as recognizable as the den where I was whelped. They stir... recollections. What were we here... a fever dream? Were there scarabs…?

I Remember these Things…

Though I remember them... poorly. A secret of steel, of glistening curves. The cutting edge with a musical name. Laughing as they drew blood, bright, red, and hotly fresh. A taste of copper before a relished meal. Bleached white hilts hewn from femurs. My femurs. My bone. My Harpes in my hands. My paws? No... hands. That’s right, I had Hands once. I had Skins.

I Remember… a Devil’s Due

Normal Jackals do not have hands. Nor do the Lion, the Hyena, the Crocodile or any number of Avian. But Devils learned a powerful Truth. We are Therianthrope. We Dance from Skin to Skin as is our Desire. But... I... we... our Skins are Precious and Few now. Expired, consumed so as not to starve. Forgotten as Dead. I cannot be Wasteful. I must be... myself? No, a Jackal does not fight, and should that become must, I need an answer.

There is one. We Devils needed an Answer once, against the encroachment of Man upon our lands. An answer to keep from being hunted - not for food, a Hunt we understood, but for sport. An answer to a heresy. I Remember how we became the Devil. How did it go…

An Effort of Will. A Desire to Change. To Walk upon Two Legs. An Insatiable Hunger. And Pain... great Pain in the Act. It brought along Injury Remembered, and shaped by Age Realized. The key was to Forget the Pain of Injury, and it would not be there. And I do not Like to Remember the concept of Age.

I can forget the latter. We laugh at it. Mock it. Deride it. But are we...am I still capable of the Former? The gnaw of hunger is ever persistent. How do we forget that? Have we ever forgotten that? We must have, or I would have Starved Yesterday. Would Starve Today.

It must be Difficult, or why do We not Walk Thusly now? Or is it because of the Others nearby...did it unsettle them? Must have, or why would we choose such to War against Man? And that hunger...hard enough to feed on carrion and prey as a Jackal. No, we... I?...must not take that form lightly.

I Struggle to Remember... How That Felt…

Taller. Much taller, but how tall? Tall enough to Loom over the Manthings that wished to take our lands and our lives. Lanky and limber. So much growth into limbs to support walking upright, but not the bulk for great strengths. Strength was for Lion, bulk for Hyena. Fast and limber and long of reach to match our height, that was Jackal ways. And I still had My Tail, hadn’t I? Yes. Yes, and my ears! My ears were unfettered, still free to swivel and pinpoint Our Foe. Better to Hunt than be Hunted, and with teeth keen and sharp. Teeth to tear and rend, to pluck the choicest bits and tenderest organs when feasting on the slain, or to rip out throats should We come to grips too close for Harpe.

But there was even Greater a Truth…

Swirling with Familiarity. One Thought touches upon the Next as I recall Tomorrow with the scent of Yesterday still fresh like rain. A Jackal Truth. It began with Stone and Sand... but Earth itself was a lie for there ]i]are no Gods. Traction? Gravity? Space and Time? All perspectives to be used. Abused. Redefined We Found the Greater Truth. We Stand as We Please. The most fragile leaf upon water will not so much as budge, nor make a ripple, should we leap off of it. A single mote of airborne sand is as solid as the walls of an obelisk. Lie though it may now be, anything of Earth or borne from Earth we Define. Even should we wish to walk along a limb upside down. All the better to laugh from.
AQ  Post #: 7
9/14/2020 18:10:45   
Anastira
Member

OOC Note & Changelog:
Clarification for Letter for Letter, Word for Word, as it pertains to the ECs/Fallen/current setting of the RP: Lovelace was only present for Carina’s EC battle. She spectated during the finals and Forge, and she knows Carina’s memories of the battle, but otherwise she has no memories of any other EC event or competitors. Also, again, as a psychic-based character, I’m going in with the presumption that I’ll get to do a lot of collaboration - very excited!

- Added edits to Succubus: clarification on how the victim would detect use of Succubus, the concentration-based nature of the ability, and limits to assuming a Mantle if Lovelace is blinded and/or deafened.

- Added clarification to By the Book: it is a magical effect, not a natural ability, so characters with antimagic abilities could easily be immune.

- Added detailing to Ignorance: true invisibility/undetectability lasts under a minute, and only works on up to three creatures at a time; used as misdirection, which is basically natural stealth, Ignorance is not targeted on any individual and can be used for hours. Also, Ignorance is concentration-based and physically very draining on Lovelace. Ignorance dissipates with severe injuries, breaking of concentration, and use of Succubus. (She may still be fairly stealthy, since she has a natural knack; but it would not be any more potent than a street urchin who has spent their life pickpocketing and therefore knows how to stealth.)

- Added, under the backstory section, that if Lovelace ever sees her true self (for example, in a mirror) she will be quite literally petrified by the horror of her true form (it is unknown whether she would be able to be resurrected at this point). She is so hideous in her true form that likely those around her would be shocked and repulsed, but it should not have any actual effect on them; only on herself, should she ever see it with her own eyes.
__________________________________________________________________________


Name/Title:
Lovelace

Age Range:
No one knows; especially considering her abilities

Race:
Shapeshifter

Appearance (build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
Lovelace is a heartbreakingly innocent young woman with exotic doe eyes, curly dark brown hair (so dark it’s almost black, and often coiled into a braided bun), medium-dark skin, and flashing hazel eyes. She is not particularly beautiful, but the striking innocence and mystery of her figure is strangely alluring. She wears simple clothes and carries a book with her at all times, though she will not let anyone touch this book.

There are rumors that in the night, she is hideous, a kind of fury or fate of twisted dark limbs and coiling smoke; however, she has never confirmed these rumors, and no one living has ever laid eyes on her in this form.

Equipment (Armor, Weapons, Tools, etc.):
As a creature of knowledge, it might be assumed that Lovelace would know all about weaponry and be adept at all of it. However, while she has certainly studied many battle tactics and war strategies in her long life, she has only dedicated herself to two weapons - fitting, she believes, of a worshipper of knowledge. These are a crossbow and a longbow, which she may use in close-handed combat like a kind of improvised staff; she has chosen these as she believes they are the weapons which require the most skill and intellectual understanding. She calls her longbow Saraswati and her crossbow Seshat, both goddesses of wisdom.

She also carries with her the book, her Biblia, although it has no martial use.

She wears no armor, believing that if all the wisdom and knowledge in the world cannot save her, she is not meant to be saved.

Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities:
Succubus
Lovelace never uses this ability unless she absolutely must. It allows her to drink the life of those around her, ingesting their souls and stories into herself. As a younger creature, she once used this ability carelessly, and now she is a walking library of those she has drunk from, including a young woman named Carina. However, as she drinks their memories and stories, they begin to lose those same memories and stories and sense of self; the more she drinks, the more she takes from them, and the closer they become to a walking husk of a creature without any unique individuality.

With a tiny sip, she may assume their Mantle physically, including voice, mannerisms, and appearance; but understanding their stories and becoming them takes a longer gulp. To truly become a person would take many months; but to get a taste of their stories and memories takes only a few hours of concentration. To assume their Mantle takes a few minutes.

If she takes a tiny sip - just enough to assume their outward appearance - they will feel a slight physical drain, but it will not rob them of anything and they will only notice if they are quite perceptive. Because this is simply about assuming their voice, mannerisms, and appearance, she may do this as long as she is not blind or deaf; however, if blinded, she can only imitate their voice - if deafened, only their appearance, unless she engages in much more than a sip:

To assume a Mantle fully while blinded or deafened, or to drain any memories or thoughts, Lovelace must concentrate on that individual intensely (she has nearly starved to death in the long-ago past when becoming another person over the course of months). The victim will feel a strange mental Pulling, as though parts of them are somehow being drawn away, though their physical appearance will not change. If they can break her concentration, the effect ends. The Pulling sensation is much stronger after a prolonged period of time or when she tries to take something large or fundamental to the person, whereas it is present, but much weaker and not as noticeable (still noticeable, just not as much) if she simply tries to get a general feel for the person’s memories or takes a shallow or unimportant memory.

Lovelace has been able to use this ability on mortals in the past, as they had no magic nor were they great weapons masters, and it was thus very difficult for them to break her concentration. It is also easier to break the effect the larger of a “drink” she takes, as a deep gulp takes a huge amount of concentration to pull off.

Lovelace’s “sips” and “gulps” consist of her mental Pulling, rather than an obvious physical action.

Letter for Letter, Word for Word
Lovelace remembers everything she has ever seen, heard, or felt - even if she doesn’t want to. This is exceptionally useful when navigating life by blackmail, but has also burdened her with a great amount of trauma which makes her emotionally unstable and volatile.

By the Book
Lovelace has the peculiar ability to cause a person to understand things about themselves. However, she herself does not know the secret she has given them; she simply knows how to open their mind to whatever it is she wants them to know, whether it is a good thing or absolutely devastating. She has often used it as a tactic to confuse an enemy and buy herself time to escape. Of course, it’s normally ineffective against creatures with little intellectual capabilities or self-perception.

This ability is a magical one; it allows her to feel where something is hidden, and disintegrate the mental block they have that allows them to bury, forget, or not understand whatever it is they are unaware of.

Ignorance
Lovelace may cause a person to be ignorant of her, unknowledgeable: this acts in place of any kind of shield or armor, and lends her a kind of invisibility in which the other person simply seems not to register that Lovelace exists. However, this ability is not universally effective, and may not work on some creatures or individuals. Additionally, this ability only works on up to three creatures at a time, and can be overcome by perception:

A highly perceptive creature will not be made ignorant enough for her to truly disappear. What the creature will perceive may vary according to the individual, but it might see a silhouette or impression of a figure where she stands, or hear the impact of her footsteps, feel the wind of her passing, and so on.

If she is using Succubus or she is injured or distracted badly enough for her concentration to be broken, Ignorance automatically dissipates. Also, if she is using it to make herself truly invisible or undetectable, she tires within a minute to the point of being so physically exhausted she can no longer concentrate well enough to use Ignorance (even as misdirection - see below).

Because Ignorance is a very draining spell, she finds it most useful when simply misdirecting people’s attention so they are less likely to notice her, rather than making herself truly invisible or undetectable. If she is using it as misdirection rather than undetectability, she is fairly easily seen by a perceptive creature, and the Ignorance is not focused on any one creature; it lends her the stealth of a pickpocket, but nothing truly supernatural. As misdirection, Ignorance is much less draining and can be used for hours at a time.

Personality / Backstory (optional):
Lovelace, lover of knowledge, history, and libraries, chose this name for herself when she first became conscious. However, she often takes on other mantles - ranging from similarly inspired ones such as Hypatia, Kassiani, Anahit, and Nisaba, to spur-of-the-moment names such as Iolanthe (for violet). Who is she? Even she herself does not know.

It is said that if she ever sees her true form, she will be petrified by the horror of it, and those around her will stare in terror. Lovelace believes this rumor to be true. However, she hopes this is never tested.

All she knows is that she has asked for eternal, unbroken knowledge, and the price she has paid is to live with her true identity: as a monster. And so she has banished herself to this place where the only noise is the sound of dying voices echoing against the crimson-soaked shifting sands…
AQW  Post #: 8
9/14/2020 19:55:22   
ChaosRipjaw
How We Roll Winner
Jun15


 Quoted from Rose: @Anastira- approved! Lovelace is going to be tons of fun to collaborate with. I can’t see what you and your fellow writers come up with!

From my side: Great work with the details! A note to everyone still working on their bios: I'm (and by thus by extension we hosts are) not too concerned about the balance, just as long as we have enough details to come up with compelling reasons why something can or can't happen. This isn't a competition, we're just trying to write a good story here! (Of course, entering something crazy overpowered would be a different story.)

With that being said, feedback for Ronin coming up soon!
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 9
9/14/2020 20:37:19   
roseleaf320
Creative!


 Ronin- good to see you’re back at it again! Having a former paragon in the mix will certainly be an interesting twist to everything, and ChaosRipjaw and I are happy to work with you to make that happen. That said, I think we need a lot more on Jackal before we can fully balance and approve him for the party.

Your bio post was incredibly fun to read, but it reads much more like an IC post than an OOC bio. There are definitely hints at what Jackal’s abilities are, but for Chaos and I to balance them, and for fellow writers to be able to quickly reference and understand them, Jackal’s capabilities need to be explicitly laid out, similar to other bios and our example in our introduction post. I do love what you’ve written, so feel free to keep it as part of a backstory section, and just add actual descriptions and specifications on top of that.

While adding in character details, keep in mind that this event is meant to be heavily collaborative, and focused on non-combat interactions, so make sure you include a way for Jackal to communicate with the other characters. We’re both really excited to properly balance and work with Jackal once round two is posted!
Post #: 10
9/15/2020 20:43:56   
Ronin Of Dreams
Still Watching...


 Name: What’s in a Name? “Grinner” will do. Or “Devil”.
Race: Jackal Therianthrope - a Devil of the Sands
H/W/L: 4.5 hands / 2 stone / 8.5 hands
Age: What a Curious Construct of Man

Seeing is Believing: The Jackal is a Jackal. Thin, wiry, and gaunt, though its pelt remains luxurious indeed. Glossy charcoal black stemming from its crown down the length of his back to the base of its tail, the rest tawny with the occasional tuft of chocolate brown save the smallest patch of white from its throat just to the start of its ribs. Paired shapes can almost be picked out in the fur along its back, a shade more black than grey, but ever so difficult on its frame. Yet it’s the amber eyes that are most troubling. They shine and glisten with uncanny intelligence, and to stare within is to see what Truth in Madness lies…

Recollections
I knew a Truth. Perhaps.

In fact, we Jackal knew many Truths. Truths of the World and of Time and of our Place in things. It set us apart from our cousins - the other Devils - and let us laugh in their faces time and again; even after their physical prowess beat us into submission.

Did you know, we bore the Sun across the Sky at the Dawn of Time once. It is why our fur is scorched so dark. It is why our brethren Devils never dared hunt us to the last.

Or was it my return? Time is such a fickle concept. There is Today. And there is Tomorrow, where there may be no food. Whereas Yesterday was all about Lessons learned and Truths gained. Why does it really matter how many Yesterdays there are or how many Tomorrows will come? There is just Today.

I remember... there was once a Willow Dryad. An oasis. Entrapment. Forgetfulness. A Time of Peace and inaction, of only a series of Todays. But a Time that did end; with the scent of steel, and blood, and sand.

I remember a Time...after? A Time of Remembrance. Of sweet meat and fresh, hot blood. Of Vengeance and Hunting. Of feasting on Hearts and Skins.

I remember… We remember…? No, we do not remember how long this Glory did last, this Time of full bellied largesse. We do remember the Voices, though. How that number grew within.

Then. What then? Then the times of Hunger. We remember Truths once precious became Lies. Of husks withered and Skins sacrificed. Starvation. Dehydration. The death of Devils far and wide. But this Jackal survives.

Did I carry the Sun? Did we kill the Devils, all? Are we Hungry or Sated?

I am most Comfortable now. Whatever this Today is, amidst these Crimson Sands. They smell... familiar. Curiously familiar, as recognizable as the den where I was whelped. They stir... recollections. What were we here... a fever dream? Were there scarabs…?

I Remember these Things…

Though I remember them... poorly. A secret of steel, of glistening curves. The cutting edge with a musical name. Laughing as they drew blood, bright, red, and hotly fresh. A taste of copper before a relished meal. Bleached white hilts hewn from femurs. My femurs. My bone. My Harpes in my hands. My paws? No... hands. That’s right, I had Hands once. I had Skins.

I Remember… a Devil’s Due

Normal Jackals do not have hands. Nor do the Lion, the Hyena, the Crocodile or any number of Avian. But Devils learned a powerful Truth. We are Therianthrope. We Dance from Skin to Skin as is our Desire. But... I... we... our Skins are Precious and Few now. Expired, consumed so as not to starve. Forgotten as Dead. I cannot be Wasteful. I must be... myself? No, a Jackal does not fight, and should that become must, I need an answer.

There is one. We Devils needed an Answer once, against the encroachment of Man upon our lands. An answer to keep from being hunted - not for food, a Hunt we understood, but for sport. An answer to a heresy. I Remember how we became the Devil. How did it go…

An Effort of Will. A Desire to Change. To Walk upon Two Legs. An Insatiable Hunger. And Pain... great Pain in the Act. It brought along Injury Remembered, and shaped by Age Realized. The key was to Forget the Pain of Injury, and it would not be there. And I do not Like to Remember the concept of Age.

I can forget the latter. We laugh at it. Mock it. Deride it. But are we...am I still capable of the Former? The gnaw of hunger is ever persistent. How do we forget that? Have we ever forgotten that? We must have, or I would have Starved Yesterday. Would Starve Today.

It must be Difficult, or why do We not Walk Thusly now? Or is it because of the Others nearby...did it unsettle them? Must have, or why would we choose such to War against Man? And that hunger...hard enough to feed on carrion and prey as a Jackal. No, we... I?...must not take that form lightly.

I Struggle to Remember... How That Felt…

Taller. Much taller, but how tall? Tall enough to Loom over the Manthings that wished to take our lands and our lives. Lanky and limber. So much growth into limbs to support walking upright, but not the bulk for great strengths. Strength was for Lion, bulk for Hyena. Fast and limber and long of reach to match our height, that was Jackal ways. And I still had My Tail, hadn’t I? Yes. Yes, and my ears! My ears were unfettered, still free to swivel and pinpoint Our Foe. Better to Hunt than be Hunted, and with teeth keen and sharp. Teeth to tear and rend, to pluck the choicest bits and tenderest organs when feasting on the slain, or to rip out throats should We come to grips too close for Harpe.

There was even Greater a Truth…

Swirling with Familiarity. One Thought touches upon the Next as I recall Tomorrow with the scent of Yesterday still fresh like rain. A Jackal Truth. It began with Stone and Sand... but Earth itself was a lie for there are no Gods. Traction? Gravity? Space and Time? All perspectives to be used. Abused. Redefined We Found the Greater Truth. We Stand as We Please. The most fragile leaf upon water will not so much as budge, nor make a ripple, should we leap off of it. A single mote of airborne sand is as solid as the walls of an obelisk. Lie though it may now be, anything of Earth or borne from Earth we Define. Even should we wish to walk along a limb upside down. All the better to laugh from.



Ahem. I author this press release to admit to one and all that I am not allowed to IC-ize this mechanics talk. No matter how hilarious or engaging I could make it. Not allowed. No matter how much egging on and sidebets were made to that end. Which means it is time for mechanics talk. I did honestly try to make the above bio a very close-to-accurate means of reflavoring and adjusting the original Willow Man bio from the 2017 ECs for theatrical flair. To do something slightly different without doing copypasta. And since I still dislike copypasta, I shall give these mechanics but I’ll NOT refer to that bio if I can help it.

Well, save for raw statistics for consistency.

Pronouns

For the type of shapeshifter that a Devil technically is, I suppose this is actually relevant, because they are by definition genderfluid in human forms. But the Jackal, the core being, is male. As I do not intend to ever take upon a Skin (see later), this is probably just a technicality at best.

Equipment

Harpes - Weapons made from bone and blood - yes, you can literally harvest the iron from blood if you have enough of it, but no I’m not going to do the exact math - these swords are intrinsically linked to the Jackal. They are, quite literally, a part of him. As a Jackal they manifest as patterns in his fur. In any other state, they are curved blades that are held and used as swords are often designed to do. To combat a foe and, if necessary, kill said foe.

These are very much based on actual historical weapons, mind. The design, that is, not the blood-iron bit. That bit is all just creepy theatrics and literary license. While there are at least two different versions of harpe discussed by historians, to make things clear, the harpes referenced here are NOT the straight edge with sickle protrusion type. Rather they are the slight curve type with a hook end, not too terribly dissimilar to a khopesh.

If he transforms back to his jackal state and his swords are not on hand or within, say, three feet of his body…? No joy. So yes, they can be lost and that absence will be felt keenly.

Abilities

There are two to talk about from the bio - transformation and the Greater Truth - and one technicality to address given mentioned concerns. We’ll start with the latter from the bio first.

Greater Truth

I would like to hope that this was actually rather nicely explained within the somewhat IC stylized bio above, actually. This is a natural evolution of both Stance of Stone and Shifting Sands from the original Willow Man bio. I figure after such a long and indeterminate amount of time, he had to grow somehow, even as he went quite a bit mad along the way. Again. Mad again, that is. Anyway - he rather literally defines the concept of purchase, traction, and in a manner of speaking gravity. A moment, to quote the original Shifting Sands:

"Any mote of Earth can support him, and thusly he can push off of any measure large or small. His footing is always assured when against Earth, and it enables feats of mobility Mankind can barely imagine.”

There isn’t too much functional difference from the above, but the Greater Truth is about defining the Place of Oneself relative to the Earth. So while he can still push off a speck of freshly-thrown airborne sand as safely and effectively as if it were a boulder - well, now he can define himself as standing upright while the rest of the world happens to be upside down. When, obviously, the fact is that He is upside down by standing on a tree limb.

Also as a reminder, it’s all about the Earth. Water? Sinks like a jackal. Ice? Slip and slide time. Light projection? Right on through! But a leaf on a pond? Jump off of without even making a ripple in the water.

...it’s a little thing, but it’s a wonderfully fun psychological tool.

Transformation

It’s tough to remain succinct without falling into the trap of re-referencing the old bit on this, but here’s a go anyway though I may keep some of the more wonderful phrasing bits.

The Transformations of a Devil of the Sands is...not simple. It strains the very fabric of their being, but is as much a mental effort as a physical expression of changing form. They are as old as they believe themselves to be, leading to a state of semi-functional immortality - as long as they don’t think themselves as old, frail, or elderly then they do not become those things. Which, in the brain-addled madness of the former Willow Man, has become rather functionally true instead of theoretically so. He is as he once was, a being who is Ageless.

He is not, however, immortal in other senses. The Jackal doth bleed, and pain is a construct of the mind that he can no longer shake as well as he should have. Transitioning from form to form once carried with it healing of all wounds - for the pain of injury was once replaced by the pain of the transformation itself. Consider this both a ramification of how warped this particular therianthrope’s mind has become, to have lost a core function, as well as an act of willful balance.

The Jackal also has precious few Skins left. So he will not be shifting into a Human Guise - this is intentional from an OOC standpoint. I, for one, would like to keep very clean differences between the Jackal and Lovelace. For another, I don’t really need it - I relish the challenge of being the animal mind far more than I do portraying a deceitful disguise of manflesh. Been there, done that, so let’s get the “new” (and proper!) perspective shall we?

But that does mean you’ll need the warform aspects nonetheless, because while I don’t plan on the Jackal being at the forefront of any combat whatsoever, the plot may yet demand it. The description in the bio is accurate, but I suppose lacks concrete enough statistics. Namely, the war form is no stronger than your average Fit Man. Perhaps on the faster end of the spectrum when it comes to reflexes and raw speed, but still well within the bounds of the Human Norm. Its senses are altered - I feel that those are covered sufficiently enough. Height and reach are the only outright “strengths” of the war form given the comparison to the Human Norm.

As for the appearance thereof, my words are still as true now as they were then: “As a Jackalwere, the Willow Man becomes a much, much taller individual. Just a hair over seven feet tall when standing straight, he cuts an imposingly dominant figure. Sleek and imposing, with long fur primarily of tawny brown broken up with occasional tufts of chocolate. There is a small patch of white fur at the Jackalwere’s neck extending down to the bottom of his ribs, and a crest of charcoal fur runs from the crown of his triangular head down along his back to his tail. His snout is rather narrow - at least when one compares to a mental picture of a werewolf as their therianthrope reference - and his teeth a very sharp set indeed. As if that wasn’t unsettling enough, his eyes change to an amber which shines easily in the light, making a jackal grin a very...unnerving thing to face.”

Voices

This...is something that I think in retrospect wound up on the cutting room floor so much back in his original portrayal as to be a personal meme. However! The Jackal is not incapable of speech. It’s just incredibly...unnerving. When a Devil takes a Skin, they also take that Skin’s Voice, which is referenced in the above bio somewhat. It allows them to mimic the person when they inhabit that Skin...somewhat. Poorly, truth be told, which plays into the whole Devil moniker that Mankind gave them. But when they aren’t being a Skinwalker, things get far more bizarre. They can speak, but it is with every Voice at once...and with this particular Jackal always with the hint of laughter. The words are clearly spoken, despite the massive harmonic dissonance of a legion of voices. Young and old. Men and women. Even other Devils have their Voices consumed and added to the choir. Think Princess Mononoke with a sense of horror factor turned past eleven.

Then remember that this Jackal has been alive and fed often. For a very. Very. Long. Time.
AQ  Post #: 11
9/15/2020 21:38:58   
nield
Creative!


 Name: Sketefka
Age: ???
Race: Vevalartraidan

Appearance:
Standing at just over nine feet in height, Sketefka is a mountain of a woman with sun browned skin. Deep red eyes the colour of dried blood peer out from her face which is weathered with pocks and scars and is usually framed into an expression of sorrow. Her short brown hair is reminiscent of rock formations that have been weathered and broken, suffused with cracks.

She wears a hodgepodge collection of armours from clearly different sets, boasting simple plate breastplate, an oversized ornate left pauldron with a small simple right one. Her left arm is protected by a heavy gauntlet and vambrace, while her right arm has leather protection. She wears cloth pants that seem a few sizes too small for her, with arcane runes glowing up the legs, she wears nothing on her feet, which are caked in dirt, except a couple odd toes which are completely clean.

Equipment:
Sketefka is pretty well kitted out, boasting several weapons including a repeating crossbow, a damaged greataxe, a shortsword and throwing knives. Her greataxe, which she has had a great many years, has certainly seen better days. The axe as a whole stands slightly taller than she herself down and the ‘forward’ blade, while still sharp, is riddled with small nicks and cracks, creating more of a tearing edge than a cutting edge. The ‘back’ blade, meanwhile, is mostly gone, with only a relatively thin, jagged section of the blade remaining, ending in a point. When not in use the axe remains secured to her back.

Secured to her waist are her small number of throwing knives and her shortsword. While the knives are not particularly notable, her shortsword is. Overly thick and with dull edges, the sword is less a blade and more a cudgel. Her repeating crossbow is strapped to her right leg. She boasts a decent amount of skill with all her weapons and practices an unorthodox mixing together of them utilising unpredictable speed.

Capabilities:
Sketefka is a powerful combatant, boasting strength considerably above the average individual, however she is not ordinarily particularly any faster nor survivable than the average individual. The special capabilities Sketefka possesses are Tekkon Skil, Stalos Kyie and Helketshool.

Tekkon Skil: Sketefka hardens her skin, giving it the durability of steel plate, the offset of which being that her speed drastically decreases. While her blows do not lose any of their power, they are considerably more avoidable while she is in this state. Enabling Tekkon Skil requires a meagre few moments of calm meditation and if she wished to, could simply cease the state at will. Tekkon Skil can also be applied to specific parts of her body and not others, as Sketefka chooses.

Stalos Kyie: Sketefka’s final, fatal play. She will only enter this state if she is on the brink of death, but desires to push on. In this state, her strength and speed rise above their normal limits. Stalos Kyie is incompatible with Tekkon Skil in entire, so any and all parts of her body will lose its protection. During this state, she’ll ignore all wounds and pain and only a mortal wound will bring her down. Additionally, when she enters this state she will focus on a single target and will not exit the state until she or the target are dead.

Helketshool: Peculiar- but not unique- to her, the Deathsleep allows Sketefka to heal her wounds and even regrow limbs given enough time. An initial stage, where she exhales all the air in her lungs, her body grows pale and precludes the need to breathe which may be kept up for several minutes before either entering the next stage or reverting. The second stage, Sketefka fully enters a trance state where she remains motionless. In this stage severe wounds may be superficially healed over in as little as a few minutes, but would take full hours to fully heal. Severed limbs may be regrown, but this process takes several days. The trance state is very delicate and she can be knocked out of it by as little as loud noises nearby.
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 12
9/16/2020 22:12:35   
ChaosRipjaw
How We Roll Winner
Jun15


 Ronin - Alright awesome, with the Jackal’s abilities fully laid out, there was surprisingly little to tweak. Thank you so much for all the clarification. If you feel it appropriate to include a link to your 2017 EC bio, to aid with the references you make in your bio, you have my and roseleaf320’s permission to edit your final bio to add that link in. Approved!

nield - Great to see you joining us for this one! Fortunately Sketefka is pretty similar to Sledaristan, the latter of whom was already balanced in ECs. The differences are noted and will serve her well in this RP. Approved!
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 13
9/28/2020 11:46:39   
  Chewy905

Chromatic ArchKnight of RP


 Round two! Changes in bold, added details for the ringing of Noise and added removal details for the Claiming Disks.

Name: Renial, The Collector
Age: 45
Race: Human


“I don’t need much for this trip. Just my usual stuff, nothing fancy. At least, not for protection.”


Appearance: Renial takes great pride in his form, appearing well-built and strong, standing at 6’ tall and sporting short, well-kempt brown hair. His soft face bears a few scars from battles hard-won, but nothing he doesn’t smile through - assuming he doesn’t have his dark brown cloak’s hood pulled over to shroud himself. For armor he wears a simple set of studded leather, believing that if a blade has reached it he is as good as dead anyways. Nevertheless, it has saved his life on numerous occasions, as revealed by the many the dents and scratches that mar its surface. His gauntlets are intricately designed, with detailed swirling patterns carved into the leather, though the fingers have been removed to allow him to feel the grip of his weapons. A bandolier crosses his chest, housing additional various pockets for small materials and items that he can’t fit on his belt pouches.


“Each one of these has a story. Maybe you’ll hear them someday, but it tends to be easier to show rather than tell. Just watch me.”


Equipment:

The Many: The “backpack” of sorts that Renial wears on his back is made up of around ten sheaths. These sheaths are each enchanted to morph around whatever type of weapon is inserted into them, carrying it flawlessly and reducing its weight so that Renial can barely even feel that it’s there. Entering this adventure, four of the ten slots are filled.

Aeon, The Shield of Tirasol: A circular steel shield, enchanted to be lighter than usual. The front of the shield has been designed to depict a snarling lion head. This shield can be strapped to the back of The Many.

Uro, The One: Renial’s personal blade, a shortsword crafted from enchanted steel that can cut through armor with relative ease, but lacks longer reach. The blade is chipped in some places from excessive use, but still works perfectly. The crossguard is designed to look like two dragon-heads. This weapon is kept sheathed at Renial’s side.

Lonia, Spear of Yulside: A spear forged from some unknown black metal, though its strength suggests it is merely steel. A metal serpent curls from the tip down to about a quarter of the weapon. The crossguard has been snapped off. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Quandary, The Quill of Arisar: A silver rapier, honed and sharpened to a deadly point, with a crossguard designed to look like the wing of a crow. A small throwing knife is hidden in the hilt of this weapon, and returns to the thrower after hitting something when thrown. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Oni, Rune’s Slab: This greatsword is practically just a massive slab of white stone tied to a simple hilt. Measuring 5 feet in length and incredibly heavy, it’s a wonder this thing can even be called a “weapon” to begin with. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Noise, the Twin of Sound: a single-bladed, one-handed golden axe with a crescent blade, enchanted to be as strong as steel and topped with a strange bell. When the bell is rung, a silver axe, identical to the first, appears in the off-hand of the wielder if it is empty. The silver axe disappears if the gold is sheathed. Though the bells jingle naturally when moving, if both bells are rung simultaneously and with purpose, the sound rings incredibly loudly, possibly deafening those that are within 15 feet temporarily. This, unfortunately, includes Renial. This weapon is sheathed in The Many.

Claiming Disk These are small, ring-sized discs, of which Renial has twelve. On contact, these disks instantly attach themselves to inorganic materials that are not being worn by someone else. Six of these disks are currently attached to Renial’s weapons and shield (one on each). The other six are kept in pouches on his belt and bandolier. These disks can be removed from objects by anyone using moderate force as if the disk were a strong magnet.


”Oh you are a beauty. Tell me what you are. Tell me what battles you have seen. I would love to know.”


Abilities:

To Me!: By snapping his fingers, Renial can teleport any object that has a Claiming Disk to the air in front of him in an orientation of his choosing, where it will stay suspended for a brief moment before falling as normal. Objects that are larger than a person cannot be transported in this way, nor can objects that are connected to something larger, such as doors and gates. Renial chooses which object to teleport mentally.

History of War: Renial can read the full history of a weapon when he holds it. By doing this, he learns of the person who used the weapon the most, how they used it, and every battle they have used the weapon in. Renial inherits that person's battle prowess, becoming proficient in that weapon as long as he holds it, but only as proficient as the weapon's original user, and only in the style they used the weapon in. Though he learns the name and general appearance of the original user, he does not learn of anything they accomplished that did not involve the weapon.

Traits: Renial is a talented athlete, both faster and stronger than the average human of his age and size. He has great natural talent with a shortsword and shield, but relies on his ability to wield any other type of weapon. Though he is quick-thinking once in combat, out of it his mind tends to wander, creating the risk of him wandering into danger. He also has no magical talent or knowledge beyond his own abilities.
Post #: 14
9/28/2020 14:08:51   
ChaosRipjaw
How We Roll Winner
Jun15


 @Chewy: Perfect! Approved!
AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 15
10/29/2020 19:29:07   
ChaosRipjaw
How We Roll Winner
Jun15


 Name/Title: Asmasen the Findsman, Seeker of the Feeble Flame
Age Range: Around his 60s . . . it's hard to tell, time is all blurred
Race: Human

Appearance (build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
Tall and gaunt, Asmasen would stand a few inches taller than 6 feet, if he stood up straight. Though once an imposing figure, like even the mightiest of trees he has wasted away in this terrible new world. His long, lanky limbs and hollow cheekbones make him seem like a tree himself.

He is swaddled in cloaks and furs as is traditional with the findsmen, lending to a slightly bulky appearance of he were to stand still, but is shown to be surprisingly well fitting when he moves or crouches. His head is tightly wrapped in bandages and an iron headband, a dark reminder of the scars of the past. Although his lower chin and mouth is exposed, a scruffy but thin beard obscures them.

Asmasen's skin is dark and withered, and in some places appears to be covered in and even sprouting a strange barklike substance.

Equipment (Armor, Weapons, Tools, etc.)

-----Rock of Salvation
As the story begins, Asmasen is armed only with the Rock of Salvation, an item that ostensibly seems to be a large, heavy wooden box strapped to his back. This box actually contains a prototype siege weapon that fires explosive rounds that unleash sparks, designed to set things aflame rather than kill by concussive force. However, its odd stout projectiles are capable of killing if properly aimed at vulnerable spots, which depends on the opponent.


Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities

-----Ir's Shadows
Asmasen's most useful ability, which is similar to infrared signatures. He is an expert tracker, being able to intuitively pinpoint items, persons, and even events of interest by means of meditation and arcane rituals. In a sense, he can function as a living compass.

-----Pyromancy
As a failed pyromancer, Asmasen possesses extremely lackluster capability in pyromancy. He cannot even generate a spark, much less a flame. Instead, he utilizes smoke, the remnants of flame, to confuse, poison, and disorient his enemies in order to escape to a more advantageous position. Asmasen can generate these fumes from his hands or his nose and mouth.

--------Confusing Smoke
The weakest application of smoke; a cloud bursts forth that could irritate the eyes and throat, but is otherwise harmless. It works best when used up close. Although Asmasen is not immune to the effects of these fumes, he has grown accustomed to it.
--------Concealing Smoke
The second stage of smoke, which consumes more mana; he generates a dense smokescreen which clings to him and sometimes allies, concealing them and allowing them to flee.
--------Toxic Smoke
A more deadly application of smoke techniques; this one is relatively straightforward, poisoning an opponent with deadly fumes.
--------Rusting Smoke
The deadliest application of smoke techniques, the rusting smoke clings to and deteriorates materials, most notably metal. Despite being dubbed "rusting," it is also somewhat acidic as even stone, wood, and cloth become stained and fall apart upon contact.

Being a "failed" pyromancer does have its advantages however. Instead of draining his life force once his mana pool is exhausted, smoke simply sputters out of his hand, as weak as an extinguished candle. Naturally, the more powerful the spell the more his mana pool is drained.

Although mana can be restored simply by basking in the sun and being in contact with the earth, fresh air, and water, things are not so simple in the aftermath of the great Crumbling . . .

-----Burden of Living
One would see the battered Asmasen as a hapless victim of the great Crumbling, but beneath his weathered, beaten form lies concealed a deceptive strength and endurance. Although his physical capabilities are nothing spectacular -- he can barely keep up a quick run before he is out of breath -- he has learned to manage his limited skills and resources.

AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 16
11/26/2020 10:12:29   
roseleaf320
Creative!


 Rubs hands together alright friends, it's battle of the directors time!! Not really. We just have to go through the same balance process you do.

Chaos- I love the idea of taking fire magic and reducing it to smoke instead. It gives a nice twist on the classic pyromancy trope. Asmasen seems fairly simple and balanced, I just found a few things that need a bit of clarification so we don't end up having to address it and confuse things later on.

For Rock of Salvation, is Asmasen carrying a set amount of ammo with him at the start of the adventure?

Moving onto his Pyromancy. I know you say the flame simply sputters out if he drains his mana pool, so that was good to note. Once it's in the air, does it act like normal smoke (rising slowly, dissipating over time, etc.)?

For Toxic Smoke, I want to clarify how exactly the poisoning works; mainly, how it starts and how long it lasts. Does the smoke have to be inhaled to be poisonous, or is it potent enough to work its way through skin? Does it gradually increase over time until the person inhales/consumes enough of it and dies? If it can poison just through skin, I think the duration would have to be longer than for if it's inhaled. Either way, it should take time to kill, and if repeated exposure isn't needed for that, I suggest there be a way for the victim to get rid of the poison. This is both to prevent easy kills in combat and to help out that poor ally that needs to dash through your smoke to get their hit in! The last thing we want is for a director to accidentally kill a party member... cackles maniacally

Last thing: I want to clarify that Rusting Smoke only works on inorganic materials. That seemed to be the intention- if you wanted it to be able to rot away skin, as well, we should have a discussion about how exactly that should work, and we'd probably have to nerf the ability a bit.

That's all I've got- feel free to run things by me of course! I should have a lot more time on my hands after finals are finished, so hopefully this party will be exploring some ruins soon... beware!
Post #: 17
11/26/2020 11:20:13   
ChaosRipjaw
How We Roll Winner
Jun15


 Clarifications in bold.
[br]

Name/Title: Asmasen the Findsman, Seeker of the Feeble Flame
Age Range: Around his 60s . . . it's hard to tell, time is all blurred
Race: Human

Appearance (build, hair, skin, clothes, etc.):
Tall and gaunt, Asmasen would stand a few inches taller than 6 feet, if he stood up straight. Though once an imposing figure, like even the mightiest of trees he has wasted away in this terrible new world. His long, lanky limbs and hollow cheekbones make him seem like a tree himself.

He is swaddled in cloaks and furs as is traditional with the findsmen, lending to a slightly bulky appearance of he were to stand still, but is shown to be surprisingly well fitting when he moves or crouches. His head is tightly wrapped in bandages and an iron headband, a dark reminder of the scars of the past. Although his lower chin and mouth is exposed, a scruffy but thin beard obscures them.

Asmasen's skin is dark and withered, and in some places appears to be covered in and even sprouting a strange barklike substance.

Equipment (Armor, Weapons, Tools, etc.)

-----Rock of Salvation
As the story begins, Asmasen is armed only with the Rock of Salvation, an item that ostensibly seems to be a large, heavy wooden box strapped to his back. This box actually contains a prototype siege weapon that fires explosive rounds that unleash sparks, designed to set things aflame rather than kill by concussive force. However, its odd stout projectiles are capable of killing if properly aimed at vulnerable spots, which depends on the opponent.
He is carrying five rounds at journey's beginning.


Skills, Spells, & Special Abilities

-----Ir's Shadows
Asmasen's most useful ability, which is similar to infrared signatures. He is an expert tracker, being able to intuitively pinpoint items, persons, and even events of interest by means of meditation and arcane rituals. In a sense, he can function as a living compass.

-----Pyromancy
As a failed pyromancer, Asmasen possesses extremely lackluster capability in pyromancy. He cannot even generate a spark, much less a flame. Instead, he utilizes smoke, the remnants of flame, to confuse, poison, and disorient his enemies in order to escape to a more advantageous position. Asmasen can generate these fumes from his hands or his nose and mouth.
Asmasen's smoke will naturally dissipate over time, but unlike natural smoke it does not rise into the air.

--------Confusing Smoke
The weakest application of smoke; a cloud bursts forth that could irritate the eyes and throat, but is otherwise harmless. It works best when used up close. Although Asmasen is not immune to the effects of these fumes, he has grown accustomed to it.
--------Concealing Smoke
The second stage of smoke, which consumes more mana; he generates a dense smokescreen which clings to him and sometimes allies, concealing them and allowing them to flee.
--------Toxic Smoke
A more deadly application of smoke techniques; this one is relatively straightforward, poisoning an opponent with deadly fumes.
The Toxic Smoke only takes effect when inhaled. It sears the lungs, causing violent coughing. Prolonged or repeated exposure causes the victim to begin coughing up blood, damaging internal organs. Fortunately it is easily treated by inhaling fresh air or drinking water, which makes it extremely dangerous in closed, dirt, humid environments.
In the later stages of the smoke's symptoms, even its simple remedy is not guaranteed to treat it entirely.
--------Rusting Smoke
The deadliest application of smoke techniques, the rusting smoke clings to and deteriorates inorganic materials, most notably metal. Despite being dubbed "rusting," it is also somewhat acidic as even stone, wood, and cloth become stained and fall apart upon contact.
Should the Rusting Smoke touch organic materials such as skin, it will leave some nasty, sometimes painful burns but nothing fatal.

Being a "failed" pyromancer does have its advantages however. Instead of draining his life force once his mana pool is exhausted, smoke simply sputters out of his hand, as weak as an extinguished candle. Naturally, the more powerful the spell the more his mana pool is drained.

Although mana can be restored simply by basking in the sun and being in contact with the earth, fresh air, and water, things are not so simple in the aftermath of the great Crumbling . . .

-----Burden of Living
One would see the battered Asmasen as a hapless victim of the great Crumbling, but beneath his weathered, beaten form lies concealed a deceptive strength and endurance. Although his physical capabilities are nothing spectacular -- he can barely keep up a quick run before he is out of breath -- he has learned to manage his limited skills and resources.

AQ DF MQ AQW Epic  Post #: 18
11/30/2020 19:37:31   
roseleaf320
Creative!


 Chaos- approved! Let's get Asmasen in here and get a post or two out before WPCs!

To anyone else who is still interested in participating: given the nature of wandering around an abandoned city, we can totally throw more characters in at any time. Please don't think that, since we're planning to go ahead and start, you've lost your chance to participate. We'd absolutely love to have more people in here with more interesting abilities and stories, so please feel free to post a bio or PM either director at any time.

Welcome to the city of Crimson Sand!
Post #: 19
10/25/2021 16:24:37   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Given the inactivity of this RP, I am officially closing this RP. If the host returns and wishes to reopen it, please reach out to RP forum staff.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 20
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