Just Another Day in the Capital (Arcane RP) OOC

[Helter Skelter]

(IC)

Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here is a brief explanation of what Arcanepunk basically is (or a version of it at least)...

It is essentially steampunk with everything being much more magic-y, but just as scientific-y. Arcanepunk uses a more "swords and sorcery" influenced world, with magic being the basis of technology. (An energy source if you will.) Though, the technological advancements are limited the the 21st century with some exceptions. While magic can power most anything there, it's not entirely uncommon to see your occasional steam and geared contraptions on the streets. Clothing combines modern American and England fashions, with cloaks, tunics and other classic medieval wear thrown into the mix. Blades, wands and other up-close-and-personal weapons are used for battle. Guns in this world take a lot of mechanical know-how to make and maintain just one, so those who have one, made them themselves, or were commissioned by master Engineers. Not to mention, they are extremely expensive to produce, making it a near impractical weapon. Because of this firearm technology is at the same stage as 17th century Earth's with matchlock weapons and lead balls for ammunition.

The Setting

Iccara is a world where technology and magic as equals, neither of the two are viewed as taboo or unholy, resulting in a unique society. This planet possesses a diverse population of many races ranging all the way from humanoid to automaton. During their time on the planet many of the races have learned how to harness and use this power to a great extent, while there are other races incapable of even using it. However, some races have learned how to reproduce the mystical force through the use of technology, thus creating technomagic. Cities are powered by crystals, glyphs, runes, and mana rather than electricity, coal, oil, or wind power. Depending on their power source cities can be prosperous, bustling metropolises or they can be dark, impoverished ghettos.

Vi’ Sentis is the capital city of Guardiana, located on the western end of the continent surrounded by a massive forest. It is the main center of trading throughout the continent dealing with weapons, armor, crystals, etc. The city is made up of five different locations, encampments and outskirts make up the north section, the west comprises the downtown area, the train station is in the east, the Imperial District is to the south where one large tower looms over the entire landscape, and finally the plaza is the center of the city.

Crystals - Crystallized mana hidden deep within the earth, namely inside ruins, used as a power source for many machines and the primary source of technomagic.

Glyphs - An drawing or etching in which magic lies dormant until it is read, approached, or empowered by a rune.

Magic - A mystical force used to accomplish supernatural feats such as creating fire from nothing, controlling water rapidly cooling or heating moisture in the air to create ice or steam, exciting the air with extreme heat to create lightning, etc.

Mana - The stuff magic is made of; a by-product of using magic, runes, glyphs, and crystals which is in turn manipulated and reused as another form of magic.

Myr - The primary form of currency in Iccara, it is a stone the size and shape of a quarter. The small stones come in a variety of colors each depicting a different value. The lowest value stones are aquamarine colored and are the equivalent to a dollar bill, green represents $10, red is $25, silver are $50, gold is the second most valuable equaling $100, while violet is the most valuable measuring $1,000.

Runes - Similar to Glyphs with the key difference that they are placed upon objects or people to empower them by continually releasing magic.

Technomagic - A scientific reproduction of the mystical force mainly through the use of crystals as as power supply for technological mediums.

Evlis - A small city on the southern end of Guardiana acting as a rest stop for many travelers. It is located in a plains type area and consists of an inn, bakery, alchemical shop, and train station.

Vi' Sentis

Imperial District - This is where the Aristocracy choose to reside, functions as the governing centre, and where the representatives of every form of civilization work towards a prosperous future. The government itself is more or less a series of councils representative of every walk of life in Colony, and perform functions than can describe themselves as a "Parliamental Bureaucracy".

Downtown - The shopping centers and lights run as far as the eye can see. Residential towers, mansions, and large pieces of artwork litter the stone squares of Downtown.

Encampment and Outskirts - A series of stone buildings, tent-like structures and cooking fires add a glowing tint to the towering buildings. People have taken on a simpler lifestyle through agriculture and merchantship, creating a sense of being far better off without the rigors of modern technology.

Plaza – A cobblestone square adorned with lights and various shrubbery, a giant furnace acting as the generator for the city is surrounded by four benches in the 10, 2, 5, and 7’ o ‘clock positions capable of sitting four people.

Train Station – An open air terminal sheltered by a canopy of trees with several separate tracks branching out into even more as they encroach across the continent. The platform is cobblestone littered with wrought iron benches for departing passengers wanting to take in the scenery.

A humanoid race of dark origins, from a distance they appear human but up close one would say they were demons. Their limbs are monstrous in appearence varying in color from person to person, their ears are pointed at the end, and their lateral canines are elongated as well. However, their most notable feature is that every single individual of this race is blind, but are powerful mana manipulators with the ability to see using this invisible force. They specialize in dark magic manipulating the darkness itself, which is one of the many reasons it is believed they resemble the same monsters that reside within it.

Widely considered one of the oldest races in existence Half-men, or The Gifted as they call themselves, are humanoid and on average very tall normally standing just under or just above seven feet in height, they can live extraordinarily long lives the oldest of the race well in his fifth millennium. Contrary to they're common name Half-men aren't in anyway related to humans, although they look much like humans do with the same body structure that's where the similarities end. To begin with the entire race naturally had some form of luminescence, the color and brightness of the glow changes with each individual, the glow comes from the deep well of mana housed in each Half-mans body. Secondly every last half-man is born completely blind, at least in the common sense, Half-men do not see the light reflecting off of objects but instead can sense the flows and tides of magical energy around them to such an extent that it acts much like echolocation. Half-men are believed to be the direct descendents of the creator and the first woman, the Half-Men themselves have never believed such claims but it never hurts to be thought of as a race of demigods, in actuality they came into sentience by more normal means much in the same way the Lucresians did except instead of animals the Half-Men believe they evolved from the thoughts and ideas of the true first race, whose name is even lost the the Half-Men, this theory is backed up by the races ability to take an almost angelic form that represents a value or idea. To this day a Half-Man is named dependent on what value he\she holds most dear.

~Submitted by Cedric of Trall~ Anyone who wishes to use this race must receive permission from him in advance.

The primary race of humanoid beings with moderate to high intelligence possessing very basic and generic traits. They possess an average amount of strength with the stronger individuals of their race being comparable to weaker individuals of another. They are incapable of using natural magic, so they specialize in technomagic.

A reptilian race that evolved separately from Lucresians, instead of becoming more humanoid they became more monstrous; at first they merely grew larger and larger until they towered over eight times their original size, after some time a small group learned how to walk upright and eventually gained the intelligence to create weapons. Over several centuries this race became stronger and even deadlier than they could have ever imagined, however only a few hundred of this race gained the level of intelligence that allowed them to develop a conscience, morals and ethics, and a sense of community. Sometime during their development they learned to manipulate mana, so almost all individuals of this race specialize in fire magic, due in part to their cold blooded nature to allow them to live outside arid environments, but there are many who dabble in other types of magic. Kaisers who choose not use fire magic wear specialized magitec suits that use crystals to simulate arid climates.

A race of animals that have attained a higher state of being becoming just as intelligent as humans and even gaining a more humanoid appearance. Their appearance and physical traits vary depending on what type of species they are descended from, (i.e. Descended from a rabbit they may possess red eyes, long ears, and a poofy tail). Depending on which species the individuals evolved from they may be stronger, faster, have a better sense of smell or hearing than a normal human. They also possess a life span that stretches across centuries and can harness magic allowing them to transform into a more primal form.

The result of the decades-long joint project of two Lucresian sorcerers and their human scientist-mage ally. They toiled for almost half a century to bring the project to fruition. What they had done was attempt to merge human embryos with vast amounts of mana. Obviously, this is hardly a safe procedure, hence why it took so long; the vast majority of test subjects died… usually after mutating horribly and trying to eat someone. Originally they’d intended to try and find a way for the next generation of humans (and all of those afterwards) to learn the magic without the need for their clumsy technology. Instead, they got a group of people who, while human-looking, other than their eyes and hair, were not people. Each and every one grew up to be disdainful of humanity, and to care little for concepts such and right and wrong, other than when those things were applied to themselves or their own kind. What’s more, they couldn't even use proper magic. Instead, all they could do was move themselves (along with whatever clothes and possessions they currently bear) into a “mirror” dimension, which is essentially a green-tinted replica of our world. This odd ability allows them to pass harmlessly through the “reflections” of people and objects as though they were mere air, which essentially means that they cannot be harmed while hidden. Of course, mastering this ability takes more effort than almost all of them are willing to put in, so the majority can only travel to the mirror-world for short periods of time.

~Submitted by Grandeur~ Anyone who wishes to use this race must recieve permission from him in advance.

Name:
Age: (or age of appearance)
Race: (Feel free to use one of the already created races or create your own if you like)
Appearance: (Pic or description)
Secondary Appearance: (if they possess an alternate form)
Personality:
History:
Weapon(s):
Accessories:
Abilities:

I'm assuming everyone knows to follow the basic rules for roleplaying, but in case your not here they are.

No Godmodding.
Respect your fellow roleplayers yada yada, I don't tolerate bullying, blah blah blah.
No OOC in the IC thread, that's the whole reason this thread exists.
I don't care for cussing as long as you don't go overboard and start ranting like a 8 year old who just learned a bad word.
The rules say no cybering, so if things happen to get steamy amongst characters move it to PMs. Sorry.
Keep post at a minimum length of one paragraph.
I've never had to reprimand someone for breaking any rules, but there is always a first time for everything.

The Terminology, Locations, and Races fields will be updated as we progress. If your feeling generous then feel free to offer any additional information for them.

~Current Characters~

Name: Elliott Bauss
Age: 25 (appears as 18)
Race: Lucresian/Human Hybrid

Appearance: Elliott is small framed with an lanky, athletic build showing a fair amount of muscle tone. He stands at an intimidating six foot two with shoulder length white hair worn in a bed head fashion and somber yellow eyes. He sports customized onyx platemail, while it is still as sturdy as its generic brethren it is even lighter than normal to compensate for his small frame allowing him to remain fleet footed. A black and gold cestus is worn on his right arm and he is always seen wearing a wolf mask cocked to the left side since he is dominantly right-handed. He commonly wears a navy blue combat vest with a black tribal design originating from the chest, his lower wear is a pair of black cloth pants with white trim multi-threaded to withstand aggravated wear and tear, and a pair of black combat boots underneath his armor.

Primal Form: Due to the convenience of Lucresian magic, most of Elliott's personal belongings become integrated into his primal form. After transforming Elliott takes on the visage of a white wolf, he has red outlines around his eyes with a black kanji underneath his right eye, the same tribal design that is on his vest appears on his chest as well, and his front right leg is covered by a much thinner modified cestus. Because he can't transform under normal conditions, he must have his mask on him or he cannot access this form.

Personality: Elliott is kind and compassionate with a bit of an authority issue, in some cases he is outspoken and reckless. He believes adamantly in standing up for others with the mind set everyone should be treated equally. Incredibly friendly and outgoing he has no problem connecting with people and making friends, but he is known for coming off as a little too friendly creating many awkward conversations.

History: Elliott was born the offspring of a human father and lucresian mother, the only traits he gained from his mother were his white hair and yellow eyes while he recieved everything else from his father including the inability to fully use lucresian magic. He appears to be pure bred human which made him stand out in his home village, which housed pure bloods as well as hybrids. This caused him to question his place in the world which in turn lead him to begin working as the assistant for a blacksmith and alchemist in an attempt to raise enough Myr to leave for the capital. After finally earning enough Myr for a train ticket and supplies, coupled with much deliberation and the support of his mother he left for Evlis to board the first train he could catch to Vi' Sentis.

Weapon(s): Modified Cestus - A black and gold cestus which was given to Elliott as a parting gift from the blacksmith he worked under for protection. Normally a cestus is a gauntlet used for hand-to-hand combat, what makes it a modified cestus is that it acts as multiple weapons. The right side of the forearm can be extended into a pendulum blade, on the bottom of the forearm a small 11" blade is housed within a spring loaded chamber, small claw-like blades are hidden inside the finger tips, and the back of the forearm can produce a small round shield about 10" in diameter.

Accessories: Wolf Mask - A mask carved from an ashen oak cut down by his father and painted white with red outlines around the eye holes and a black kanji symbolizing loyalty is under the right eye. The alchemist he worked under carved a glyph into the forehead for him sometime after he was employed. The glyph on the forehead allows Elliott to use the mask as a focal point to increase his magic power allowing him to transform into his primal form and back at will.

Abilities: Feral Blood - Even though Elliott has more human blood running through his veins than Lucresian he is still stronger and faster than any human, but considerably weaker than other hybrids of the same type. This, in a way, makes up for his inexperience in combat.

Valerie Everstone

Age: 22
Race: Human
Personality: Valerie is a kind, but strong young woman. While being a natural introvert, she doesn't shy away from interaction, but rather holds tight to her desires and fears. At times she can come across as shy, especially in romantic situations, but she has a quiet and unwavering confidence to do what's right in the world - some calling it a hero's soul. Other than that, she's somewhat of a bookworm, very intelligent, and focused.

History
Born to a Mr. and Mrs. Everstone, Valerie was a healthy baby girl in a middle-class home of Vi' Sentis, Guardiana. Only a few things were of note during her childhood, though they are never-the-less important to her experiences. As a young one, she was often made fun of due to her lack of confidence and self-esteem that stemmed from having inattentive parents. What minor situations she encountered with having crushes were easily soured just as much as any friendships she made as people had a tendency to leave her. Onto her teenage years was much or less of the same, though a rather large self-discovery in that she found herself attracted to females had been a rather large cornerstone to her romantic love life and the seemingly endless loneliness. And life only seemed to get worse - at the age of sixteen, both of her parents were killed in a train wreck outside of the city when trying to take a vacation, one that was meant to help repair their marriage.

Leaving her alone with no real family to look too, she made her way into the job market and did her best to keep the house paid for, however debt caught up to her far too quickly and forced her to get a small one-room apartment. There, she tried to etch out a living of her own and took a job at a local bar as a waitress. Within the next few years, she had managed to acquire some street fighting skills as several men - more often drunk than not - would try and force her into cars, rooms, alleyways, or anywhere where they could take advantage of. This lead to her scavenging up enough Myr to have runes inscribed on her arms, legs, and chest of endurance and strength. Of course she had to carry a small crystal with her to activate the magic, seeing that she was a human.

One day would change her life though. Two men dressed in cloaks and hoods came into the bar and sat down, ordering mild drinks at best and without her knowing, watched her curiously. One held out a crystal - one that looked more akin to a smooth stone than anything - only to have it pulsed gently in reaction to something. The couple murmured softly to one another and left the bar. As Valerie was getting off and went down the street, one of the strangers pulled her into the alleyway, his limbs augmented by magitech, and held her down (if barely). The other held up a magitech device that held the crystal in the center and pressed it against her chest ... then everything went black.

When She awoke, she found herself alone with a rune inscribed blade next to her. Valerie reached up and pressed her palm against her breasts and gasped softly, feeling the soft pulse of the stone that was now embedded into her. She didn't know why or how they had managed to get the crystal in her without so much as a drop of blood or why they had decided to gift her with a blade, but she somehow knew exactly what the stone was for - magic. It was strange to feel it flow through her body and practically made the whole world light up, as if her sense were somehow more acute to her surroundings. Then slowly, as she grabbed the blade, she could feel the flow of magical energies pour from her into the blade and furrowed her brow ...

... she needed the sword to use magic.

Weapon(s)
• Oathkeeper: A strange blade gifted to her by strangers. It's biggest advantage is that it's nigh impossible to break, but it also boasts a sharpness that only master blacksmiths can match and a slightly wider blade, making it easier to guard with. If any other enchantments exist on it, they are dormant.

Accessories
• Sword Magic Crystal: A crystal that is literally embedded into her chest, effectively making her a human that's able to use magic without the aid of technomagic. It's origins are unknown.

Abilities
• Endurance & Strength Runes: Passive, drawing magical energies from Valerie's crystal.
• Sword Companion: The Sword Knight requires a sword or blade to use their techniques, and must be no shorter than two feet.
• Hall of Blades: A unique trait of the crystal is that it draws and attracts legendary and enchanted swords of all kinds and brings many opportunities to Valerie, if she should lose her current sword.
• Crescent Blade: Sword Magic Technique. Sweeps the sword in an arc and creates pure magical energy that shoots out from the blade.
• Dragon's Fang: Sword Magic Technique - Temporary Enchantment. Sweeping the sword in any sort of arc causes the sword to be set aflame.
• Knight's Guard: Sword Magic Technique. Holding the flat of the sword out in front of the user, they are able to nullify or dampen magical and elemental attacks.
• Heaven's Grace: Sword Magic Technique. Tapping the blade against or near a wound, the user can heal small wounds over a short period of time. Any wound that's more fatal will only be partially healed.

Name Current Alias: Adair Valentine
Age: 26
Race: Mirror-Human
Appearance:
He wears a gold-trimmed red overcoat along with grey cargo trousers and black leather shoes. He has a white shirt on as well, but it can’t usually be seen, as he keeps the top half of the coat buttoned up. His skin has a pale-Caucasian tone, his eyes are bright, lime-green coloured and his hair is pastel-blue and spiky. Not as a result of dyes and gel, though, that’s actually its natural appearance.
Personality: Looks down on everyone other than his own species. Finds the deaths of others humorous. Has pretty much no morals.
History:
The Mirror-Humans (or Dimension Walkers as they are sometimes known) are the result of the decades-long joint project of two Lucresian sorcerers and their human scientist-mage ally. They toiled for almost half a century to bring the project to fruition. What they had done was attempt to merge human embryos with vast amounts of mana. Obviously, this is hardly a safe procedure, hence why it took so long; the vast majority of test subjects died… usually after mutating horribly and trying to eat someone. Originally they’d intended to try and find a way for the next generation of humans (and all of those afterwards) to learn the magic without the need for their clumsy technology. Instead, they got a group of people who, while human-looking, other than their eyes and hair, were not people. Each and every one grew up to be disdainful of humanity, and to care little for concepts such and right and wrong, other than when those things were applied to themselves or their own kind. What’s more, they couldn’t even use proper magic. Instead, all they could do was move themselves (along with whatever clothes and possessions they currently bear) into a “mirror” dimension, which is essentially a green-tinted replica of our world. This odd ability allows them to pass harmlessly through the “reflections” of people and objects as though they were mere air, which essentially means that they cannot be harmed while hidden. Of course, mastering this ability takes more effort than almost all of them are willing to put in, so the majority can only travel to the mirror-world for short periods of time.

37, or “Adair”, as he now calls himself, is just another one. Another failure in the eyes of his creators. After giving up this portion of their work and deciding to look into other methods in order to make magical humans, the creators released him and his people from their laboratories; all 62 of them. Obviously, over the course of their experimentation, the three had developed ways of protecting themselves from their creatures, so Adair, along with all of the others, decided just to forget about revenge for being locked up all these years. Instead they went their separate ways or stayed in small groups.
He chose to go out alone. He became a mercenary of sorts, hiring out his extraordinary services to whomever paid the most. And pay they did.
It turns out there’s actually a pretty big market for assassins or thieves who can walk straight through walls or kill people simply by re-appearing in the real world with one hand stuck through their heart. He didn’t find it hard to get along, despite not being able to stay in the mirror-world for longer than about two minutes at a time.
Weapon: None needed.
Accessories:
4GM (gold Myr) 6SM (silver Myr).
A collection of false IDs.
Abilities:
Dimensional Step – Simply by willing it, Adair can move himself and his possessions into an alternate dimension which mirrors the real one. While there he is effectively ethereal. When rematerializing, anything which he passes through is sent to the dimension in his place (for example, if his hand was jammed into someone’s head then they’d lose a massive lump of brain matter. If he were to stay there longer than his limit (currently about two minutes) without making at least a brief trip back to the real world to refresh himself then he would be absorbed by the world. This is also what happens to the bloody chunks of his victims which are sent back, although they are absorbed much quicker.

Name: Danae (Da-NAY) Ayrelin / Danae Ilene

Age: 19

Race: Lucresian

Appearance:

Danae has a regal foreign look to her with her slightly slanted eyes and pale, porcelain-like skin. She ditched most of her decorative ornaments but keeps just a few, like her headdress – a thin silver chain around her forehead set with precious stones – and a few white gold bracelets. Being a Lucresian, Danae has snowy white cat ears with black tiger stripes, a long white tail and pure black eyes with the irises being way bigger than they normally appear, taking up ¾ of her eyes. She wears a type of light but comfortable metal mesh underneath her clothes with an old fashioned midnight blue cloak fastened by a silver brooch and combat boots.

Secondary Appearance: Danae can transform into a snow-white tiger and the size depends on how much energy she has. For example, if she’s exhausted from training or simply tired, she transforms into a tiger just slightly bigger than a cub and it can be pretty useful for when she needs to get away, hide or cause a distraction. When she’s full of energy or pours loads of magic into her form, she transforms into a huge tiger almost the size of an adult. However, it takes a lot of magic and concentration to maintain. Her normal form is just an average white tiger with whitish-blue tribal markings along her body that glow at regular intervals.

Personality: Danae is not someone you could describe as shy and quiet but she isn’t loud and outgoing either. She has a pessimistic and slightly morbid outlook on life, with a few weird habits to match such as talking to herself when she can’t sleep. In an attempt to make friends, she might seem a little desperate but she’s a warm and kind person nonetheless.

History: Danae was born to the leader of one of the oldest Lucresian families in Iccara. Her mother died in childbirth leaving her with a servant who her father ordered to look after her and essentially bring her up. Her father was always away or unavailable and in her entire life, she’d only seen him twice in a passing glance. The Ayrelin compound, which housed the entire clan was set in the middle of a forest, away from prying eyes. There were a variety of species, though not much, including lions, panthers, jaguars, wolves, etc.

From the young age of four, Danae was practicing her elemental control most of the day and the rest of the time she was made to memorize spells, read books on technomagic and learn how to unleash her primal form. But when her servant, ‘Panther’ died of old age, Danae was left alone to fend for herself apart from her masters who taught her everything there was about magic. It eventually took a huge toll on her and by the time she was 14, she was thin and gaunt despite having more than enough to eat and drink. She was holed up her room in her free time and received ancient tribal tattoos on her shoulders to ‘channel her magic’ (she’s completely convinced they’re useless).

One day, when she came back from training tired and ready to just drop dead, she made a risky decision to leave the compound. Gathering whatever she could find in her room, she hastily left the main house and made her way through the back streets of the compound to the borders. Unfortunately, one of the guards on duty spotted her and called out to the others, sending a wave of guards after her. Danae ran and made it to the border and slipped out. However the guards weren’t letting up and eventually caught up with her. In a desperate attempt to flee, Danae accidentally let out a burst of pure magic and killed four of the guards. Paralyzed by shock, the guards tied her up and brought her back to the compound. The people wanted her killed but her father finally showed up, pulled some strings and banished her instead.

Danae left her home with a few belongings she managed to grab and a bit of money she stole from one of the servants. She travelled from city to city, pickpocketing money from passer-by’s no matter how bad it made her feel. Danae felt extremely ashamed of herself and decided to put her strengths to good use so she took the first train she could catch to Vi’ Sentis to try her luck.

Weapon(s): A staff given to her at a young age to channel her magic. It has a glowing gem at the top that regulates her flow of magic and directs it in whatever way she needs. When she’s not holding it, the gem becomes a normal turquoise-ish stone and the staff itself is freezing cold to whoever else touches it.
Danae also carries a pair of daggers just in case but most of the time they just hang uselessly at her side.

Accessories: A money pouch containing a few gold and silver Myr and a few trinkets like her bracelets, etc. and a holster for the daggers fastened on her thigh.

Abilities:
Enhanced Strength and Speed: Even without transforming, Danae has incredible strength that can easily take down a normal human and can also reach high speeds with minimal effort.
Elemental Magic: Danae specialises in Wind and Water Magic and can cast this type of magic with or without her staff but if she uses it without the staff, the results of her casting are usually slightly unpredictable. She can harness both Wind and Water magic to create ice like ice darts, ice sheets, ice walls, etc. However she can also use Wind and Water Magic separately to cause devastating damage to her target. This also has a drawback because the bigger the spell, the more she needs to concentrate to cast it which always gives her opponent an opening to attack.
Pure Magic: For Danae, Pure Magic is impossible to control. It always comes in small or large bursts, depending on her problem and it almost always bursts out when she’s panicking. Because it’s uncontrollable, it can kill friends as well as enemies to Danae rarely ever tries to use Pure Magic.

Name: Truth

Age: 109 (appears to be 9)

Race: Half-man

Appearance: Truth appears to be an average sized human male about nine years old, standing at just under five foot in height with brown hair constantly slicked back and a mischievous grin he is the picture of an adventurous human child. Besides of course for the slight warm glow he gives off and a perfect white cloth wrapped neatly over his eyes, his voice is calming and gives the impression of someone far older than he looks, he wears cream colored monk robes that for the most part look way to big for him. He carries a cherry wood staff that looks like it was made for someone a lot taller than him. The staff is covered in magical runes and glyphs that not even Truth and figure out completely.

Secondary Appearance: Truth like all members of his race can take on the forms of there core value, but only under extreme duress as this form is not meant to have a physical body and after a short time could kill the Half-man who took it. In this form Truth grows to stand almost seven foot, his hair grows to about shoulder length and moves as if constantly in a light breeze, the robes that were to large for him now fit perfectly, his glow is amplified to the point of almost blinding and his blind fold is removed to reveal eyes that reflect the truth of those he looks at. In this form he looks to be in his early thirties.

Personality: Truth may not look like it but he is old enough to be an adult in all but the longest lived races, so he acts like it. He is courteous and kind constantly being as polite as possible to everyone around him, not to the point of formality but still polite. That being said since technically he is still a child (by his races standard) he is prone to acts of child like behavior, calling people names, sticking his tongue out at people who annoy him, and even pouting when he doesn't get his way.

History: Widely considered one of the oldest races in existence Half-men, or The Gifted as they call themselves, are humanoid and on average very tall normally standing just under or just above seven feet in height, they can live extraordinarily long lives the oldest of the race well in his fifth millennium. Contrary to they're common name Half-men aren't in anyway related to humans, although they look much like humans do with the same body structure that's where the similarities end. To begin with the entire race naturally had some form of luminescence, the color and brightness of the glow changes with each individual, the glow comes from the deep well of mana housed in each Half-mans body. Secondly every last half-man is born completely blind, at least in the common sense, Half-men do not see the light reflecting off of objects but instead can sense the flows and tides of magical energy around them to such an extent that it acts much like echolocation. Half-men are believed to be the direct descendents of the creator and the first woman, the Half-Men themselves have never believed such claims but it never hurts to be thought of as a race of demigods, in actuality they came into sentience by more normal means much in the same way the Lucresians did except instead of animals the Half-Men believe they evolved from the thoughts and ideas of the true first race, whose name is even lost the the Half-Men, this theory is backed up by the races ability to take an almost angelic form that represents a value or idea. To this day a Half-Man is named dependent on what value he\she holds most dear.

Truth was born, as all of his race are, in a hidden city far in the northern mountains. He was raised in a community home as was tradition never growing to attached to any one family but loving his race as a whole. Early on in life he was found to have an affinity for shaping stone and steel, for bringing out its true form, so to was he noted to have an annoying knack to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and so was he named Truth. His name day was the happiest day of his life, he finally left the community home with a family of blacksmiths and for almost a hundred years he learned the secrets of bending steel and iron to his will. At the age of a hundred, barely a teenager by his peoples standard, he was awarded his own set of tools by his father/master and was sent out into the world to learn all he could about his chosen trade. A couple hundred miles and nine years later he has arrived Vi'Sentirs eager to learn what he can in this great city.

Weapon(s):

Cherry wood staff: A long staff thats covered with runes and glyphs, most of witch Truth has yet to figure out. Constantly gives off a calming cinnamon like smell.

Heavy Hammer: A large blacksmiths hammer etched with runes of fire and form that allow Truth to forge materials, like metal and stone, with out the need of an actual forge.

Accessories: about a 100$ worth of mry and a pack with some essentials like a bedroll some food and water, and a thick leather apron.

Abilities:

True vision= Truth as his name suggests can see the true form of things around him, whether it be a person or a thing. However when he see's it he is compelled to say it out loud regardless of what the truth maybe.

Magic Forging= Combing his innate control over magic with the special properties of his hammer he can, over time, fix or make a magical item.

Staff magic= His staff can be used to focus the elemental power of fire in many ways, from a small flame to light his way to a raging fire ball designed to cook his foes. There are many more runes and glyphs etched onto the staff that he has yet to figure out.

True form= Truth can take on the form of the ideal of truth greatly increasing his current powers, in this state he takes no damage from physical weapons, however destruction magic is particularly effective on him. The damage he would have taken from any physical attacks is applied when he leave this form, and he can not take this form for long least he die from exposure to it.

Name
Sir Astin Galactique

Age
22

Race
Galaxy-Eyes

Appearance
Astin is a tall man with a lean, cut build and pale, flawless skin. His thick, corn-silk blond hair reaches down to the middle of his back, often left unbound to billow behind him like a mane. Astin's features are sharp and regal, giving his appearance a strange sort of masculine beauty. His most remarkable feature would be his eyes, which are dazzlingly blue at a glance, but seem to deepen and darken as one stares in to them, as though you were looking up at the night sky on a clear evening. Astin carries himself with an unmistakably noble posture, and dresses in fine clothes that are typically white in color with midnight-blue trim and gold accents. His belt is an unusual piece, as it appears to be made of small plates of thick, silvery metal linked together with gold trim, and his sword in its scabbard bound to it by unknown means.

Secondary Appearance
As the Galaxy Knight, Astin dons a suit of silvery plate armor, accented with gold and dark blue. Bright blue lights shine from where his eyes would be, behind his visor, and two other pairs glow from matching ports on his chest and back.

Personality
Based solely on his looks and status, one would think that Astin was the arrogant and standoffish sort. In reality, Astin is quite friendly and jovial. While he is just as well-spoken, polite and dignified as one would expect someone of his status to be, Astin is very lively and energetic, and is prone to becoming over-excited and raising his voice without realizing it. Very much the adventurous sort, he loves all manner of boisterous recreation such as singing, wrestling and fencing. Not to say that he only cares for fun, as he is hardworking and can be perfectly serious if need be. Though Astin is a quick-witted, intelligent young man, his tendency to not think things through (very much the "jump, then look" type) sometimes causes him trouble. Above all else Astin is loyal; to his family, to his friends, to his comrades, and to his country.

History
The history of the Great House Galactique dates back to the days when Guardiana was ruled by a benevolent emperor, and was at war with numerous other global powers. The clan's progenitor was but a mere foot-soldier in the Emperor's army that had been left the only one alive after an assault on their camp at night. The man was left with only the stars to look up to, when legend has it that the stars took the shape of a dragon and flew down to him. The Galaxy Dragon, as it was known, bestowed upon him the gift of Galaxy-Eyes, which granted him incredible innate power. The man found that his body could function as a massive well of mana, and could warp magitech to possess astronomical power. He rose through the ranks of the army using this power, and was eventually sired by the Emperor himself, becoming the very first Galaxy Knight. The man found that his children were also born with Galaxy-Eyes, and so the noble title of Galaxy Knight was handed down from father to son in the Galactique family for many generations. To this day, the Great House Galactique is one of the few surviving houses of nobility in the new, parliamentary government. While their status no longer wields any true authority, it grants them tremendous influence and clout, as well as considerable wealth.

Astin is the current holder of the title of Galaxy Knight of the Great House Galactique, and is the youngest to ever hold it, as it was passed down to him only two years ago after the mysterious disappearance of his father. Astin's grandfather (who was Galaxy Knight many years ago) currently manages all of the family's affairs, and is trying to groom Astin to take his place as patriarch. However, Astin longs for a life of excitement and adventure like the Galaxy Knights of eras past, rather than to spend his days swaying politicians and growing fat and old in his family's manor. Astin trains daily with his blade and other ancestral armaments, and researches secret techniques that have been lost to the ages, so that when adventure calls to him, he is ready.

Weapon
The Comete Fleurette has been passed down the line of Galaxy Knights for generations; so long that the sword's origins have been forgotten. Some say that it was forged from meteoric iron. Others claim that the fire from a fallen star smelted its steel. Regardless, it has not so much as dulled for the century that its history can be reliably traced, and it conducts the power of the Galaxy-Eyes remarkably well. The runes inscribed on it are not magical in nature, but translate to, "In the dark, stars shine brightest."

Accessories
The armor of the Galaxy Knight (seen above) is lightweight, flexible, and materializes around whoever wears the belt that contains its core. The armor's release can only be triggered by the power of one with Galaxy-Eyes, which the suit conducts very well. The suit provides an adequate amount of protection, but if enhanced by its wearer channeling mana into it, its protection can increase. The wearer's strength can also be augmented by the same means.

The Ether Board (seen above) is a unique tool used by the Galaxy Knight. The board extends and collapses from the feet of the Galaxy Knight's armor with stunning speed, and is activated the same way as the armor. Mana channeled into the board causes it to levitate, though it can only get as far as a few feet off the ground. More focused channeling with propel the board through the air at a fair speed, as long as there is some surface below the board for it to repel itself off of.

Abilities
Galaxy Knight Armor Release: Astin activates his armor, which is conjured from his belt and materializes around him.

Ether Board Release: Astin activates the Ether Board, which unfolds from the feet of his armor and assembles under him.

Shooting Star Slash: Astin channels mana into his sword, which releases a wave of searing light as he swings it through the air.

Starlight Aegis: Astin forms a barrier of light, which can become as large as he is, and is more durable with more mana channeled into it.

Comet Crush: Astin channels mana into his sword, causing a ball of light to form at the end of it that grows larger with more mana, which is sent flying to bowl over his opponents with a downward slash.

Ether Wind: With intense focus, Astin can will items up to about the size of his sword to drift through the air and into his hands, or to propel them from his hands through the air.

Pulsar Beam: Astin fires a beam of blinding light from his sword into his opponents' eyes.

Galaxy Warp: Astin can channel enough of his unique power into a piece of magitech to change it into "Galaxy" magitech, and assimilate it into his own armaments. Though this is the signature technique of the Galaxy Knight, Astin is rather inexperienced with it, due to a lack of a proper instructor.

[LJCOMICS]

I have some ideas for a character's possessions, but I fear they would strain the technological limits of your setting, despite being magical in nature. So I'll just run them by you. The items would be a magical suit of powered armor that materializes around the user at will, and a hoverboard that can expand from and collapse into the aforementioned suit of armor.

[Helter Skelter]

That would be stretching it, but we can find a way to ¨dumb down¨ the armor and hoverboard. In terms of the armor, if a race is able to harness a large enough amount of mana they could create something like that or another way of going about it would be to use a series of runes and glyphs in unison to achieve it. As for the hoverboard, you could have an extendable clockwork type board that has a powerful wind rune or series of weak wind glyphs to keep it aloft.

[LJCOMICS]

Okay, if I scratched the "materialize" aspect of the armor, and make it, say, collapsible like the board, would that make it more plausible? And not to whine, but I was hoping for the board to be a bit more... majestic (?) than being just a plank with some runes written on it. This character (and indeed his entire "race", if you can call it that) has the theme of stars/space/galaxies, so I was hoping to refer to it as the "Ether Board", and that title doesn't quite befit the device you described.

Though the specialty of the "race" I'm devising (though it's not so much a race as a single human family) is harnessing gratuitous amounts of mana, which could serve as the power source for this high-intensity magitek.

[Lydyn]

Valerie Everstone

Age: 22
Race: Human
Personality: Valerie is a kind, but strong young woman. While being a natural introvert, she doesn't shy away from interaction, but rather holds tight to her desires and fears. At times she can come across as shy, especially in romantic situations, but she has a quiet and unwavering confidence to do what's right in the world - some calling it a hero's soul. Other than that, she's somewhat of a bookworm, very intelligent, and focused.

History
Born to a Mr. and Mrs. Everstone, Valerie was a healthy baby girl in a middle-class home of Vi' Sentis, Guardiana. Only a few things were of note during her childhood, though they are never-the-less important to her experiences. As a young one, she was often made fun of due to her lack of confidence and self-esteem that stemmed from having inattentive parents. What minor situations she encountered with having crushes were easily soured just as much as any friendships she made as people had a tendency to leave her. Onto her teenage years was much or less of the same, though a rather large self-discovery in that she found herself attracted to females had been a rather large cornerstone to her romantic love life and the seemingly endless loneliness. And life only seemed to get worse - at the age of sixteen, both of her parents were killed in a train wreck outside of the city when trying to take a vacation, one that was meant to help repair their marriage.

Leaving her alone with no real family to look too, she made her way into the job market and did her best to keep the house paid for, however debt caught up to her far too quickly and forced her to get a small one-room apartment. There, she tried to etch out a living of her own and took a job at a local bar as a waitress. Within the next few years, she had managed to acquire some street fighting skills as several men - more often drunk than not - would try and force her into cars, rooms, alleyways, or anywhere where they could take advantage of. This lead to her scavenging up enough Myr to have runes inscribed on her arms, legs, and chest of endurance and strength. Of course she had to carry a small crystal with her to activate the magic, seeing that she was a human.

One day would change her life though. Two men dressed in cloaks and hoods came into the bar and sat down, ordering mild drinks at best and without her knowing, watched her curiously. One held out a crystal - one that looked more akin to a smooth stone than anything - only to have it pulsed gently in reaction to something. The couple murmured softly to one another and left the bar. As Valerie was getting off and went down the street, one of the strangers pulled her into the alleyway, his limbs augmented by magitech, and held her down (if barely). The other held up a magitech device that held the crystal in the center and pressed it against her chest ... then everything went black.

When She awoke, she found herself alone with a rune inscribed blade next to her. Valerie reached up and pressed her palm against her breasts and gasped softly, feeling the soft pulse of the stone that was now embedded into her. She didn't know why or how they had managed to get the crystal in her without so much as a drop of blood or why they had decided to gift her with a blade, but she somehow knew exactly what the stone was for - magic. It was strange to feel it flow through her body and practically made the whole world light up, as if her sense were somehow more acute to her surroundings. Then slowly, as she grabbed the blade, she could feel the flow of magical energies pour from her into the blade and furrowed her brow ...

... she needed the sword to use magic.

Weapon(s)
• Oathkeeper: A strange blade gifted to her by strangers. It's biggest advantage is that it's nigh impossible to break, but it also boasts a sharpness that only master blacksmiths can match and a slightly wider blade, making it easier to guard with. If any other enchantments exist on it, they are dormant.

Accessories
• Sword Magic Crystal: A crystal that is literally embedded into her chest, effectively making her a human that's able to use magic without the aid of technomagic. It's origins are unknown.

Abilities
• Endurance & Strength Runes: Passive, drawing magical energies from Valerie's crystal.
• Sword Companion: The Sword Knight requires a sword or blade to use their techniques, and must be no shorter than two feet.
• Hall of Blades: A unique trait of the crystal is that it draws and attracts legendary and enchanted swords of all kinds and brings many opportunities to Valerie, if she should lose her current sword.
• Crescent Blade: Sword Magic Technique. Sweeps the sword in an arc and creates pure magical energy that shoots out from the blade.
• Dragon's Fang: Sword Magic Technique - Temporary Enchantment. Sweeping the sword in any sort of arc causes the sword to be set aflame.
• Knight's Guard: Sword Magic Technique. Holding the flat of the sword out in front of the user, they are able to nullify or dampen magical and elemental attacks.
• Heaven's Grace: Sword Magic Technique. Tapping the blade against or near a wound, the user can heal small wounds over a short period of time. Any wound that's more fatal will only be partially healed.

[Helter Skelter]

In the current era, yes, collapsable armor would be more plausible. Now for this ¨Ether Board¨, please elaborate on it more, what does it look like? Then, let's see if we can reach some middle ground.

[LJCOMICS]

It's... a bit difficult to describe. So I'll just post the picture I was going to use, anyway, which also shows what his armor and sword look like.

I don't plan on it being overly fast nor capable of much flight. Perhaps only a top speed of about ten miles per hour, and it can only ever hover five feet above any surface.

[Helter Skelter]

Alright Lynden, your accepted.

As for LJ, Iccara does have the technology to create something that looks like the hoverboard, so as long as the armor is collapsible and the board isn't quite as large as the one in the picture I see no harm in allowing it.

[LJCOMICS]

Alright, thanks for working with me on this one.

I promise that I'm not powerplaying, here. I just really wanted to use that image/theme, and the board was part of the package.

I'll try to have a CS up tomorrow.

[Helter Skelter]

No problem man, I understand. Just do me a favor and promise not abuse it, no matter how strong the temptation is lol.