Name: Sally Jenkins

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Appearance: A flamboyant redhead with deep green eyes, Sally goes out of her way to catch every single eye in the room. The world's furthest thing from a tomboy, she tends to wear a lot of pink, high-cut dresses.

Personality: Bold and brash, Sally loves to be the center of attention. That said, she has a softer side as well, and is very interested in magic. She reads a ton of romance novels in her spare time, and is working on writing her first.

History: When your parents own a funeral home, you tend to be surrounded by the mildly creepy. Perhaps, just perhaps, that explains Sally's personality. In any case, she mainly was... average, growing up. Not the best athlete, or the smartest, or the most popular. But three weeks ago, something changed.

While helping her mother prepare for a service, she saw something disturbing. The spirit of the deceased, outlined in blue, like a bad Star Wars knockoff. She didn't tell anyone, but when she got the letter she exhaled. She wasn't crazy- though it might have been better if she was...

Magic- Necromancy. Sally wields the power of death. Right now, she can only see them, but soon she'll be able to talk with them, allow them to possess her, raise corpses as zombies, and maybe even join the ranks of the living dead herself.

Name: Mae

[picture] TBD

"Character quote" TBD

Gender: F

Age: 19

Appearance:

Standing at just under five feet, Mae doesn’t mind the fact that her smaller, petite stature keeps her hidden in plain sight which compliments her introverted nature. And being rather on the androgynous side, she leans toward gender neutral and simple wardrobes, especially those that don’t draw unwanted attention. She keeps her dark hair short most of the time, shaved down to the skin on one side, and a few ear piercings.

Personality:
Introverted | Focused | Caring

A borderline introvert, for the most part, Mae is quite friendly and outgoing to those she knows, and rather suspicious and close-minded to just about everyone else. Her relationship to technology and the like, however, seems to surpass any human connection, as her comfort level is always highest when surrounded by programming language and the warmth of a motherboard.

History:

Mae was an only child, fostered by two loving parents who were firm but not up in her business twenty-four-seven. So, the girl spent a lot of time alone. But, as a tinkerer at heart, it was time well-spent, becoming interested in computers, electronics, and essentially how things went together. But even moreso, how they came apart and what was inside that made them tick. Time online helped to teach her just about anything, especially as she dove headfirst into the world of programming, encryptions, and hacking. Sure, it wasn't all glamorous like the movies depicted, but to a girl who loved to explore, the internet was a sea of untapped playgrounds.

For the most part, Mae was a typical introvert hailing from a bustling city, having only moved a few times in her young life due to her parents' work situation. Their long hours had Mae home by herself most of the time, which was a blessing and a curse, especially for a latchkey kid.

At nineteen years old, magic that slept deep within her psyche since birth began to manifest. Perhaps she was a late bloomer, or this was normal for someone like her, but it triggered without warning. As she sat in her bedroom mindlessly trudging through a first-person shooter, the initial wave of a strange yet familiar telepathic connection came, fusing her senses with that of the gaming console. Digitized voices, binary waves, electronic pulses, cryptic code, and holographic images surfaced as though an imaginary “heads-up display” had appeared before her. Mae had no idea what to do, and was unable to essentially shut it off, as the mental exhaustion became too much, too soon. She cowered in the corner, her mind continuing to reveal more of this unknown world, lights flickered, the television fizzled out, and as the power within her grew, there began an incessant exchange of cryptic information that she couldn't quiet, as though every piece of technology within a small radius was reaching out to her like a beacon.

Eventually the sound of her own cries echoed from the bedroom, and both parents rushed in to see their daughter curled up in a dark corner, shaking her head and confused, while electrical devices in their house -as well as surrounding homes- behaved erratically. They were at a loss, But what could her parents have done? What could anyone have done? Mae did her best to explain the situation to them, however the magnitude of the events were simply too much to comprehend.

It wasn’t until she received an email from a mysterious sender -the “benefactor”-, opening her eyes to a world that she only figured was a myth, told to scare or warn. But, something deep in the back of her mind assumed the timing of the email and the manifestation of these “abilities” were no coincidence…

Equipment:

TBD

Magic:

Technomancy (shadowjack) - ability to understand and manipulate/hack electronic technology through clever use of telepathic connects and obfuscation. With regard to general electronic devices, it allows the user to tap into the unit and “speak” to it to an extent, so on a simple scale, a microwave could be remotely hijacked.

Those devices, however, that are networked or connected to the internet, can be quite tricky and require a greater level of mental focus in order to “travel” through cyberspace. A user can easily get lost as well, their mind jacked into the framework for so long that it can take hours or days to come back.

Limitations: Like any telepathic ability, usage can be extremely mentally & physically draining depending on the level of challenge while interfacing with a particular electronic or computer system. There is even a chance that her mind could be locked into a system, while her body remains in a dormant state, which could prove fatal if left unchecked for too long.

James stands at around 6'1" with an average frame, though on the slightly broader end of average, and a general lack of muscle. His head is an unkempt mess of dark hair that is technically dirty blond, but rarely reveals that fact outside of particularly bright conditions. His face is framed by thick rectangular glasses and marked by unfortunately light and patchy stubble. He generally appears to have Germanic and Irish features, though he's descended from a broad mishmash of nationalities.

James' unkempt appearance tends to come off through his choice in clothes as well, often plain colored wrinkled shirts, dark colored hoodies, and jeans. Plain and functional, but lacking in grace, style, or any sort of wrinkle-prevention.

Personality

Analytical | Honest | Sluggish

James would likely describe himself as tired, and little else. He's a classic burnt-out gifted kid. He lacks internal motivation for important tasks, and requires external motivators, usually routine and obligation. James will often engage himself with puzzles, and enjoys trying to figure out problems analytically. He's the sort of person who thinks through his emotions more than he feels them, and can often be slow to build really emotional responses. Unfortunately, when he does build up that emotional inertia, it takes a very long time to de-escalate, making James the extremely spiteful, grudge-holding sort. James can come off as rather antisocial, idiosyncratic, and rude, especially given recent events.

History

How one raises a child as if they're the next Einstein in Cleveland of all places will forever be a mystery to James Isaac Keening.

His parents were the eternally middle class sort, shifting up and down from basic data entry jobs to management position over many years. They always had enough money to live, never enough for all the amenities one could want. It was a family of 4: James, his parents, his sister Annabelle.

The siblings were only separated by two years, but there was a gulf in expectations between them from a young age. Annabelle was rebellious, got held back in kindergarten, and was nearly expelled multiple times during high school. James, however, tested into the school district's gifted program, and did well in school for a long time, his parents pushing him to do better because he's just that smart and should be capable of it. That pushing only got more severe over time, and eventually James gave up.

The shining star child disappeared at the start of high school, replaced with the exhausted, unresponsive young adult that James was always doomed to become. He suddenly had a lot more in common with his older sister who he had fought with all his life. They talked about how awful their parents were often, but there was always the silent belief that the other child of the pair was the cause of their parent's treatment.

James had given up most of what he used to enjoy, now staring into a computer screen for most of the day and disassociating from his living situation. He did gain new interests, however; primarily puzzles and games, and the general joy of learning new things and digging through strange systems and ideas. He still enjoyed learning, but could no longer function in his former structure. James barely passed high school, only picking up in the last year after some guidance councilors and friends encouraged him to create his own routines, resulting in a couple of A grades.

James started going to a community college, as it was all he could get into at first. He did eventually transfer to a larger college, working on a bachelor's in physics. Of course, he still didn't magically do better, and his grades kept slumping intermittently every time there was a mild change in his routine. Luckily, James at least had support, in the form of a small group of friends, and his sister who had followed him in going to college. Life was bearable for a while.

Unfortunately, good things don't last long for a Keening. James had been watching the conversation about supposed magic online for a while, and assumed it was all a hoax. That was, until he unknowingly developed one. He speculates that he might've had it the moment powers started showing up in the world, and he was none the wiser for months.

Then he got too stressed during a test.

The paper turned to ash under his hand, leaving his mouth agape. A second later, he tried to take a deep breath to calm himself and rationalize the situation, and instead it was as if he breathed the pencil in through his hand, that too disappearing into dust. His muscles went rigid, the fear and confusion coursing through him. He excused himself and ran to his dorm.

He spent ten minutes pacing before he noticed a letter that had been slipped under his door. James wasn't exactly thrilled that someone somehow knew about this strange power before he did, but he didn't want to show his face on campus ever again. He brought the situation up to his sister, and it was her idea to get the hell out of Ohio and follow the letter. Within a few days' time James, Anna, and a few of their friends got into Anna's car and started toward Massachusets.

James doesn't discuss the weeks that followed, and why they resulted in him arriving to the address alone on foot, but the bruises, dirt, and frayed clothing give insight that the young man refuses to elaborate on.

Equipment

It appears that I can turn small objects to dust with little effort. Rocks, paper, marbles and such. All I need to do is touch something, then I get this sensation like I can almost breathe the object through my hand, sucking it in, and then the object disintegrates. The thing needs to fit in my palm, I think. Anything larger takes too much force, like breathing through a straw filled with concrete. Same thing happens with stuff with a lot of parts, most things with little mechanisms or any sort of circuitry. I'm not exactly sure what the use case for this is. I can become the world's most effective paper shredder, I suppose.

Name: Mae Galanis
Gender: F
Age: 19

Appearance:

Standing at just under five feet, Mae doesn’t mind the fact that her smaller, petite stature keeps her hidden in plain sight which compliments her introverted nature. And being rather on the androgynous side, typical clothing for her had always been more or less “streetwear”, or at the very least, tshirt, jeans and sneakers. Very rarely did she ever dress up for an event, unless it was absolutely necessary. Thick dark hair usually obscures at least half her face.

Personality:

Introverted | Focused | Caring

A borderline introvert, for the most part, Mae is quite friendly and outgoing to those she knows, and rather suspicious and close-minded to just about everyone else. Her relationship to technology and the like, however, seems to surpass any human connection, as her comfort level is always highest when surrounded by programming language and the warmth of a motherboard.

History:

Mae was an only child, fostered by two loving parents who were firm but not up in her business twenty-four-seven. So, the girl spent a lot of time alone. But, as a tinkerer at heart, it was time well-spent, becoming interested in computers, electronics, and essentially how things went together. But even moreso, how they came apart and what was inside that made them tick. Time online helped to teach her just about anything, especially as she dove headfirst into the world of programming, encryptions, and hacking. Sure, it wasn't all glamorous like the movies depicted, but to a girl who loved to explore, the internet was a sea of untapped playgrounds.

For the most part, Mae was a typical introvert hailing from a bustling city, having only moved a few times in her young life due to her parents' work situation. Their long hours had Mae home by herself most of the time, which was a blessing and a curse, especially for a latchkey kid.

At nineteen years old, magic that slept deep within her psyche since birth began to manifest. Perhaps she was a late bloomer, or this was normal for someone like her, but it triggered without warning. As she sat in her bedroom mindlessly trudging through a first-person shooter, the initial wave of a strange yet familiar telepathic connection came, fusing her senses with that of the gaming console. Digitized voices, binary waves, electronic pulses, cryptic code, and holographic images surfaced as though an imaginary “heads-up display” had appeared before her. Mae had no idea what to do, and was unable to essentially shut it off, as the mental exhaustion became too much, too soon. She cowered in the corner, her mind continuing to reveal more of this unknown world, lights flickered, the television fizzled out, and as the power within her grew, there began an incessant exchange of cryptic information that she couldn't quiet, as though every piece of technology within a small radius was reaching out to her like a beacon.

Eventually the sound of her own cries echoed from the bedroom, and both parents rushed in to see their daughter curled up in a dark corner, shaking her head and confused, while electrical devices in their house -as well as surrounding homes- behaved erratically. They were at a loss, But what could her parents have done? What could anyone have done? Mae did her best to explain the situation to them, however the magnitude of the events were simply too much to comprehend.

It wasn’t until she received an email from a mysterious sender -the “benefactor”-, opening her eyes to a world that she only figured was a myth, told to scare or warn. But, something deep in the back of her mind assumed the timing of the email and the manifestation of these “abilities” were no coincidence…

Equipment:

► Apple Watch
► iPhone 13
► Bluetooth earbuds
► Pocket-sized USB backup charger
► Pack of “IceBreakers” chewing gum

Magic:

Technomancy (shadowjack) - ability to understand and manipulate/hack electronic technology through clever use of telepathic connections and obfuscation. With regard to general electronic devices, it allows the user to tap into the unit and “speak” to it to an extent, so on a simple scale, a microwave could be remotely hijacked.

Those devices, however, that are networked or connected to the internet, can be quite tricky and require a greater level of mental focus in order to “travel” through cyberspace. A user can easily get lost as well, their mind jacked into the framework for so long that it can take hours or days to come back.

[ Note: Her eyes take on an almost emerald iridescence when telepathically interfacing with a machine or traveling through the internet. Focus for her is key, and will have earbuds in and music playing as she works to filter out any ambient interference. ]

Limitations:

Like any telepathic ability, usage can be extremely mentally & physically draining depending on the level of challenge while interfacing with a particular electronic or computer system. There is even a chance that her mind could be locked into a system, while her body remains in a dormant state, which could prove fatal if left unchecked for too long.

Name: Samuel “Sam” Worthington

“It’s cool, everything will be fine.”

Appearance:

Gender: Male
Age: 18
Height:5'10"
Weight:180 lbs
Build: Athletic
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black
Skin Tone: Pale White
Personal Style:

Sam’s clothes are meant to be practical more than reflective of any given style, typically wearing a white t shirt and gray sweat pants for maximum mobility. The one thing resembling extravagance he wears would be a pair of durable athletic shoes, chosen to work well with his new magic.

Personality:

Focused | Relaxed | Intelligent

The first two traits might seem contradictory at first, but they’re really not. Sam is normally the sort of person who likes to be more laid back, but when faced with something important or interesting to him, he will put all of his efforts towards finding a solution. And relaxed does not mean stupid; Sam is quite capable of thinking his decisions through before acting on them, though that doesn’t mean he always does so.

History:

Sam grew up in an overbearing family who had a strict path set for him. Get good grades, go to a top university, and become a top lawyer or doctor. This left little room for doing anything besides what his parents wanted, which led to him feeling very stifled. So around 6 months after his seventeenth birthday when he discovered he could somehow move the wind?

That was probably the happiest day of his life. And it wasn’t even some grand event; Sam was just trying to fan himself with his hand on a hot day when he was simply far more successfully than he expected.

This power, whatever it was, was something Sam could use on his own terms. He could explore and grow these abilities of his, and that is precisely what Sam decided to do, spending the next six months in a sort of secret “training” period. In the end, the result was that he could use his “wind force” ability in a variety of ways.

Around Sam’s 18th birthday, he was getting ready to go the college his parents had picked for him when he got a mysterious letter. Not from some university impressed with his grades, but from some “Benefactor” who would help improve his abilities. It was a little suspicious that someone could find him this way when he was careful not to reveal his magic, but mostly Sam wanted to see how this person would help and maybe meet people with other powers as well. So instead of driving off to college, he drove to North Reading, sold his car (there was no point in doing this if his parents could just track him down), and walked to 666 Mystic Lane.

Equipment:

-A wallet containing around $100 in cash at any given time
-Cell phone
-Laptop
-As he was meant to go to college, Sam also brought two suitcases with him to the house with standard things like clothes, but they also contain around $15,000 hidden in different secret compartments

Magic:

Sam’s magic is wind manipulation. Right now he is just a novice, so he only has one way to make use of it in any organized way; something he calls wind force. Basically, this creates a blast of wind that can be utilized in a variety of situations. These include, but are not limited to:

-Creating a blast from the palms of his hands to push things away
-Using this ability with his feet for the purposes of high-powered jumps

Of course, Sam has more ambitions with his abilities than this. He can imagine a time in the future when his magic could be used to do more fantastic things like create a blade of wind or even fly, but this is what the education is for, right?

The weakness to all of this is the more of his power he uses, the more “out of breath” he feels. Sam is usually fine after relaxing to restore his energy, but an extreme use of his power could lead to passing out from a lack of air.

Name: Xan Yale

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Appearance:
A tall man standing at a height of 6’3”. He has an athletic physique. He has pale skin color despite being out doors often. He has long black hair with bangs that often covers his eyes. His eyes are brown. He does not have any tattoos or piercings. His manner of dress is usually monochromatic colors such as black, white, and various shades of gray. He wears long sleeve shirts, and pants regardless of the weather and doesn’t seemed bothered by hot sunny temperatures. However, if he is doing an outdoor activity, he will dress appropriately. Until he approaches and interacts with someone (which is usually how it goes), he may come across as scary looking.

Personality:

Xan is confident in his skills and puts in the effort when it comes to work and education. He is a quick study and picks up the nuances of whatever skill he is training quite easily. He is friendly most of the time, and likes working with people. Unfortunately, he has a hard time maintaining friendships and acquaintanceship because of his odd quirks and dark sense of humor. He will often say something or do something spontaneously for the fun of it. He doesn’t expect a response, it’s just something he had grown accustomed to doing. He also is not one to shy away from the grotesque, disturbing, and horror. He would look at something tragic and ponder on how it occurred as opposed to why. He’d still feel sympathy for the victims, but his interest would lie in the offender’s thought process and strategy. A lot of times, he will combine these two traits of his and say something mildly concerning. Despite being spoken to by concerned authority, he was found harmless if just a little off putting. He is aware of this habit, and will attempt to suppress it to be cordial, but he enjoys the small bits of fun he gets from doing it. He is of the mindset that he doesn’t need to change, he just needs to find company who would enjoy his peculiar quirks.

History:
Xan grew up in a wealthy household in the state of California. His father was an investment broker, and had earned a lot of money though stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. His step mother worked as a software developer. His birth mother worked as a lead medical professor at a university out of state. As a result from his family’s success, Xan always found himself taken care of. Anything he needed was provided, and if his parents were never around, Xan could talk with the servant that his parents had hired. He grew up attending private schools, participating in several after school activities, and was able learn skills such as horse riding and various sports. He didn’t think himself better for his parents’ success, but he held a certain pride about it. He was not one to hide away his advantages from it.

Xan’s parents divorced when he was thirteen. Even though they claimed they had fallen out of love, he knew that it wasn’t amicable. He heard the fighting when they thought he could on the other side of their fairly large house. This left Xan feeling alone. It didn’t that his father remarried a year later, and his mother moved out of state. In order to cope, he found himself wanting to spend more time in the after school activities, playing sports, or even trying to help engineer a robot that could put a ring on a hook six feet off the ground. He wasn’t oblivious to that either. He could see that outside of mandatory interactions that people were keeping away from him. He always found himself in the corner of the room, or the end of the bench, obscured by shadows of the near wall, where light took the longest to reach.

Having enough of being excluded, Xan started to be more assertive. He discovered that some odd behavior quirks would get a response and so he started with it. He was more open about his interests. He was still aware that people were not really friends, but as acquaintances, he was not as much of an outcast. He was known as the weird kid in the shadows. At the same time, he was known to be friendly, and easy to talk to when you get over how distant he appears initially. He had to be the one to initiate conversations most of the time, but it was enough to make more of a connection with people.

After he graduated, Xan stayed home rather than attend university. Despite having a taste for a variety of activities, and even keeping up with a few, he didn’t have an urge one way or another towards any of them. He thought about it, about what he’d like to do. Of course his father suggested a career like a doctor or lawyer. His step mother offered a position at her tech firm. Xan turned it down. Instead, for the next few years he spent his time at home, going on road trips, or even going out of the country for a few months. He’d still apply to university to make his parents happy, but never had a motivation to go. It wasn’t until one day where things started to click and Xan was more invested in his future.

After a game of tennis with some of the people he managed to maintain a friendship, he said something that Xan never pondered until now. The first was about how hot it was, and the second was about how it always seemed the shade followed Xan. In an effort to prove his friend wrong, more out of playfulness, he pointed to the shade they were standing in and then followed it up to the tree it was coming from. At a glance, it looked like any normal shadow, but Xan could see how much the shade went out of the way to block the sun for him. He could see the glare of the sun while still in the cooler shade of the tree. Normally, the sun would be positioned behind the tree, so this alone was odd. But then he questioned the first comment. Xan couldn’t remember the last time he felt hot. He was always at a comfortable temperature. Playing aside, Xan tested this by stepping out of the shadow into the sun. He could feel the sun’s heat, but he didn’t feel hot. At the same time, the shade he was just sitting in slowly traveled across the ground to be more appropriate. His friend never noticed this change, but Xan was confident of what he saw. He ended the game early and went home.

Xan stood in his backyard courtyard. He walked across the yard, trying to pay attention if any of the shadows would follow him. None of them did. He attempted a couple more times and again, none of them did. Thinking that perhaps he got some kind of heat stroke, maybe a version that tricks the brain into thinking it’s not hot, he sat on a bench in the shade and started scrolling his phone. An hour later, he gave up. He sat back in the breeze. After standing to go back inside, he noticed it. The shadows of the other trees shifted with the sun. At the angle they were, his bench should have been in the sun as well. He found the shade he was sitting in was the only shadow that did not shift with the sun’s position. Having become aware of it, the shadow began to slowly move to its correct position. Something other worldly was definitely happening. He just needed to figure out a way on how to control it, if he could.

Xan started to work with at his step mother’s tech firm. He took some classes at the local college to get the education to at least start some basic work within the company. He did it mainly to appease his parents, but his interest was more towards developing what power he had. He’d practice at the firm whenever no one was looking. It was there he learned that he could also make things colder. Some coworkers complained of a chill when they walked by Xan, complaining the climate control was unbalanced. Not knowing the extent of his ability, he thought he got pretty good at controlling it. However, something nagged at him. He felt like he could do better.

Xan checked his mail and found an odd note. He’d put it off as a joke except he knew of the magic he’d been playing with for less than half a year. How someone else found out was beyond him. He wasn’t being as careful as he could be, but whenever it practiced, he was alone. And whenever he tried to mess with the shadows of another, he at least tried to make sure no one else was around. He picked up the letter again, and then the bank card. Xan wasn’t one to skip out on an activity he thought would be fun. If anything the least he’d get out of it was another road trip. Leaving the firm one day, Xan packed his bags and decided that another cross country road trip was over due.

Equipment:

- Smartphone
- Laptop
- Smartwatch
- Carbon competitive crossbow and accompanying bolts
- Clothes
- Charging cables
- Back up battery pack
- headphones
- wallet with bank cards
- Tennis racket
- Hummer H2
- Spare five gallon gas canister

Magic:

Shadow Ice
Xan has the power to control shadows and build upon absence of light. He can also drastically reduce the temperature of areas he is affecting.

Currently, Xan can maintain a cool body temperature within hot environments. He can bend existing shadows to any new position he wants. Generally, the shadow cannot stretch much father than what was originally projected by the light source casting it. He also cannot change its shape too much. He can alter the shape of his own shadow into vaguely different shapes, and hide himself nigh invisible in a well shaded area. He can also chill an area with a shadow, but cannot really freeze anything, yet.

Using his power is a battle of concentration and aptitude. Shadows bend to his will but will revert if his thoughts wander. If he is engulfing himself or others within a shadow, he can lose his eye sight, ability to move, and become absorbed physically in shadow, lost in a void of concealed light. Also while he can cool himself, he cannot warm himself, so if temperatures remain cold for too long, he risks hypothermia.

Ideally with enough training and practice, he would be able to build a domain of frozen darkness. He would be able to shadow step, standing in one shadow and appearing in another. Lastly, he would be able to interact with the physical world using only its or another’s shadows.