Classes are starting up on my end, so I may be a little slow. But I'd like to try to get something up this evening.

Classes are up for me too but like I said I'll have a post done today

Actual Age: Physically 24 years old, housing a 99 year old soul with all of its experience and memories.
Race: Human (currently)
Gender: Male

Rise to Power:
Pedron (the name he currently goes by) was born about a century ago as a street urchin in the darker parts of a withering kingdom far west. He was the son of a laborer and a bar maiden who both met an untimely end at the tip of a corrupted noble's sword. As a young orphan boy, his only chance for survival in the alleys and gutters of the ghetto was resorting to thievery. One day, he was caught rummaging through the chests and shelves of an old mage rumored to be a madman in the town. The madman became mentor and taught Pedron the value of the items he was sifting through for coin.
Unfortunately, the old mage was a cruel and insufferable abuser. He found little potential in Pedron and cast him out of his home. It seemed the boy, a few years into his teens now, had no magical aptitude in the slightest. Sleight of hand, however, never ceased to be his best practice. He made a small reputation among the streets as a boy with "mute feet and a loud mouth" and took to the gangs of the boondocks where he roamed. Instead of being in the hospitality of an old fool, he found the care of his comrades. It was a group of men and women that had been helping the poor souls of the poor city. They embraced his strong voice and learned him the hooligans' trades. Gambling, music-playing, singing, juggling, tumbling, and persuasion became other languages that he could speak fluently. Though even through the time he spent among the rogues and ruffians, he still found himself reading and searching for more knowledge on what he was told was attainable.
His first day of adulthood (for the first time, anyway), Pedron returned to his guild to find it in ruin. The tyrant of a ruler had found and ordered the slaughter of his few-year family. Nothing was left and it seemed nothing could be done - until a dark idea struck him. Pedron raced through the familiar streets of his dismal childhood and found the home of the mage. The turning-ancient man wasn't far from the livelihood of the others he used to look up to. He laughed and spit-dry at Pedron's plan, declaring he still had no chance at magic.
Unphased, or just out of other options (it's all hazy to him now), Pedron racked his mind for the knowledge necessary. He began pulling volumes off of dusty shelves that he had read over and over years ago. The magician's eyes grew wide at his ex-apprentice (he remembers that quite clearly) as he watched the makings of a ritual being erected; there was nothing those brittle bones could do to stop the man who stood in place of the boy. Pedron beckoned into the abysmal plane of existence without any magical prowess by using the evil mage's life and the hunger of the demons he sought.
The house of the noble that killed his parents fell without a single stone taken out of place. Slowly, through sorcery and subterfuge, Pedron took a place in his victim's court and ascended like the rise of an axe before it chops wood. Then he was seen (by few, who do not know his name or face today) with the ruler of whom he told the name of his dead guild, before righting his kingdom through blood. Afterwards, he vanished like the magician that helped him get there.
Pedron continued to consort with demons and darker entities, bargaining with the blood and life of himself or others along the way. His company became these abyssal creatures. He learned to speak dark, secret tongues from tieflings and built relationships with relics of grim gods. In tainted rituals and rites, he has taken on new forms and stolen physical vessels which have granted him a much longer life. While not famous in the most obvious ways, Pedron's renown lives through rumor. Now he lives humbly, having no greatness associated with his new name and face.

Combat Skills:
While Pedron likes to think that fighting isn't his primary function, death comes naturally to him. Most of his abilities in battle are reliant on his retinue and gear, but he is also a street-raised fighter and trained with a sword. As a rogue, Pedron relies on dexterity and maneuvering and tries to avoid full frontal force. These are a few tricks up his sleeve:
- The dead are considered inanimate, and therefore may be utilized by Eakrid (see below)
- Hema, his blade of choice, drinks blood and grows in size until it is a full-two handed sword. This isn't alway a good thing for Pedron.
- As a traveler of bodily vessels, Pedron is significantly less sensitive to pain.

Hobbies:
A bard by trade, Pedron routinely practices story and song with whatever instrument he may find. Other than keeping his abilities as a performer sharp, He enjoys smoking from his pipe new and exotic flavors of tobacco he finds in his travels.

Your Gear:
Pedron carries little and cares for less. He wears a simple tunic, breeches, belt, and boots under a long, well - tailored coat that could pass for regal if it wasn't so worn (it looks older than him - because it is.). In this coat he habitually carries a hand-sized pipe carved with ornate images of dragons. In his leather pack are a collection of items that could be described as a ritual kit, holding a small mirror, some candles, ashes of an unknown origin, flint and steel, some parchment, ink and quill. There is also a small set of lock picking equipment, a waterskin, a small hand drum, a musical pipe, a large pouch of tobacco, and always a small stash of coin. His only weapon is a seemingly plain sword on his left hip, which he fondly refers to as "Hema" that alters its form at the touch of blood.

Your retinue:
Pedron has made a number of unholy allies (and enemies) in his time. Some names that he tries his best to remember (so that he isn't ended whenever they may meet) are:
-Djora: His ethereal ex-girlfriend. No, not ethereal in the "holding an otherworldly beauty" kind of way. Unfortunately there is only so much that can be done when the dearly depart. While on her good side, she is inclined to do a favor for Pedron that is within the capabilities of a ghostly humanoid. As a spirit lacking a corporeal form, she is unable to tangibly alter anything. She can however affect the senses of others and is good at spying, distracting, and causing a scare or two. Their past is touchy and hardly ever mentioned.
-Eakrid: Minor possession is Eakrid's specialty. Any living creature roughly no larger than a common hound and any size of inanimate object is usually susceptible to his temporary takeover. With this habit of body-borrowing, few other than Pedron know his true form.
-Manimomonar: Don't comment on his name. He knows it's complicated. No he won't spell it for you. Manimomonar is an irritable irritator. Basically, He functions as a catalyst for abilities and motion. Things gently pushed will act as if thrown, runs will be ran faster, jumps higher, screams louder, etc.
-Sivis Rivica: The mana eater. Sivis cannot perform magic but craves it. This is one reason why he gets along with Pedron well. He will embrace and attempt to consume a source of magic even if it is dangerous, like a moth to a flame. While this does not destroy him, it affects him - upon his remanifestation - as a bad hangover would.
*Tora: His plain old riding horse. She's a reliable companion though still newly in his ownership. Easily spooked by spirits, spectres, ghosts, ghouls, etc.

Retirement:
Technically speaking, Pedron is not retired and probably never will. His life already revolves around living independently and comfortably when not consulting with beings of death and darkness.

Your family:
None known.

Eccentric! Sometimes Pedron talks to himself, sometimes he talks to things others can't see. He is a habitual smoker and lover of the arts.

My apologies for my apparent tardiness! I was working around classes and work to put my character together. I hope that isn't as issue! i've been excited for this since the interest check.

Is the entrance to the keep attached to the underground passage? For instance if someone were to opt out of the conventional method of the drawbridge, would there be another way in?

Well I plan to actually get these people in first, but if your eager you could just try flying in.

It's basically a castle on a plateu. The drawbridge leads to a short ramp than leads to the top of the plateu. So long as you can fly, you can just ignore the mash up that's about to happen at the bottom and fly in, explaining who you are and hope not to get in conflict with my guards.

@ThinkingInkI'll get around to your CS later, I need to get a response up on the IC first.

Oh that's fine, I'm in no hurry, it's just that my character will most likely prefer flying herself to the top and avoid the whole tangle of gathering people at the bottom.

I will have a post up soon.

There we go. A rushed post with a large enough lampshade to cover you all.

I'll definitely have a post up tomorrow.

Eventually, the gate lowered and out strode the man of the hour, Acamen Hopsfield. Volkimir eyed the cleric coolly as he approached, guarding his expression carefully. Hopsfield had lent the Dark Prince his strength in his earliest crusades to retake the Shadowlands from his corrupt noble house. However, once his wife had died, Hopsfield had lost the will to fight and returned to whatever lowborn hovel he called home.

Your guy is a complete dick and I think it's glorious. I think I'm going to regret picking such a lame last name for one of the most legendary people ever.

A small band of dwarfs walked up to a group of elves on bears. Snow fell over a dark, ominous army. On the horizon, through the relentless snowfall, a careful eye could just barely make out the outline of a large beast on one of the distant mountain peaks, motionless, watching the troops gather.

Creeper pro is creepy. I'm sort of imagining attack on titan at this point.

I feel sorry for the teenagers though. At least they have the baskets now.

Shifting directions the bird soared upward, ghosting over the top of the walled fortress and coming to land in a flurry of feathers and black shadows. Wisps of vapor lifted to reveal a cloaked woman, hands raised in a token, nonthreatening gesture as a group of guards advanced in her direction.

"Despite my rather unorthodox arrival, I was actually invited."

"Well, your cute so I think we'll let you in. Parties going on in the hall. Show your invitation at the door."

"Jacob, I knew you liked your ladies hot, but I think she's actually flaming."

"Shut up, Bob."

Out of curiosity, can your character prevent the spread of her fire if she's in bird form? Or would a wooden platform turn aflame if she sat on it?

@ThinkingInk I'm sorry, but I don't think that character fits well with this RP. I don't mind a guy that consorts with demons, but his powers are altogether too indirect. While he'd be great at intrigue, we already know what we are up against. Additionally, he has absolutely no personal connections, so who would call on him?

I advise you save that character sheet though for use elsewhere however. It's not a bad CS.

@The New Yorker Good, I actually had some important plans for your guy helping defeat one of the main bosses.

@RabidAnubis She doesn't have much control over fire in bird form, but unless she's furious (which will increase the volume of flames along her wings) she wouldn't set anything on fire by landing or taking off or things like that.

Perhaps I will use this art for Volkimir's character portrait.

Will be putting another post up soon. I'm trying to get everyone inside so we can start this show.

Also, @The New Yorker posted while I was working on mine, so don't consider my post cannon until I edit everything I need to. I've been ninja'd. EDIT: Hopefully fixed Acamen's actions to accommodate your post, will read it in full later. Have to go make Calzones.

@Dead Cruiser That would be fine, but do your really want to feature your guy dying a terrible death :D

@Dead Cruiser That would be fine, but do your really want to feature your guy dying a terrible death :D

"I have seen dynasties rise and fall. You mortals are but dust to me."