-An anima that takes the form of a Victorian doll. Debutante’s main ability is to enhance the wielder’s physical attributes by taking control of their body. With its strings that sprout from its porcelain body, Debutante can make the wielder more agile or temporarily stronger. It’s major ability is its ability to make the wielder unworldly physical feats.
Personality
Milton has a childish and playful demeanor. Reminiscent of a kitten, he’s often distracted by small things and is a little slow on the uptake. He also has an incredible imagination.
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Backstory
There isn’t exactly much to Milton. The first memory that he could recall was walking around the streets somewhere. He had no recollection of comfort from his mother, nor if he had any siblings. All that he knew was that he walked around everywhere and the scenery kept changing by. The concept of pillars or councils didn’t exactly matter to Milton since he was, after all, a cat.
That was until it did matter when he was caught after being baited into a cage by food. Everything was black after his capturers draped his cage with a black cloth. When he finally saw the light of day again, he saw a little girl before him.
In that first little meeting, they were friends. They would do so many things together. Playing dress up, house, dodging pillows, getting yelled at, and trying to learn how to make tea. He couldn’t quite grasp how to make it since all he had were paws. Every day brought him joy. Him and his growing lady. She grew to be the beautiful lady in his eyes and he somehow managed to transform into a human himself at times. Learning, chatting, getting yelled at, and having fun.
He still didn’t know how to make tea even with hands. It was blissful until his lady started to become more faded. Like a wilting plant, she became weaker and frailer. He tried to take care of her but nothing seemed to stop her age.
That was until a man came. Milton was ushered out when they spoke and when he came back in, they were gone. He was alone once more. Again, introduced to the darkness that was loneliness, Milton spent his time at his lady’s house. Cleaning the rooms, making breakfast, sewing dresses. Milton was intent on wasting in the now ownerless house until the man came back with her.
She was smaller and younger just like the day they met. The man introduced her as ‘Debutante,’ but Milton didn’t care. All that mattered to him was that they were together again.
Until mutual destruction do they part.
Additional information
Milton has the ability to change back to his cat to human form at will. A fact that he oftenly frequently forgets despite being originally a cat.
Milton's has above human level strength despite looking slim. He also has the senses as a cat in his human form.
An Anima forged from the soul of a great and mighty librarian, with a teeny-tiny obsession, okay maybe major obsession, with occult sciences. From Astrology to Physiognomy, the old coot had both studied and taught it in his free time; when he wasn't organizing books of course. Given his penchant for the peculiar and bizarre, his soul has manifested itself as a pointed witch's hat.
While it comes across as just a fashionable accessory, underneath the brim of this hat lies a chamber of secrets, the source of this Anima's true power. A mysterious pool of ether. From this "void under the brim" the hat can conjure two large fists, larger than the user herself and far stronger and faster than any normal human hand.
Personality She is a brazen and straightforward girl who isn't afraid to speak hard truths. She is exceptionally good at reading people and considers herself to be a master manipulator. Inheriting the blood of her mother, and therefore being a member of her race, she possesses something called the "ancestral voice" which is what her tribe believes to be the knowledge of her ancestors taking root as a singular voice in the back of her mind. It interferes with her decision-making and helps her in her day-to-day life. For example, it could tell her which door most likely leads to the safest path, but not definitely. This is a secret she keeps and does not discuss but has developed a heavy reliance on this voice when it comes to making hard choices. As someone who has escaped many terrible situations and credited this ability, she has a strong belief in fate and thinks that the world is taking care of her. An avid liar, the true details of her past remain a mystery to almost everyone around her and aside from the occasional flirtation, she doesn't let people get too close.
Alignment Chaotic Good
Backstory Lucasta was born from the love affair of a wealthy second pillar politician and a gypsy. Her mothers attempt to seduce the man for a better life was futile. Beauty paled in comparison to power and marriage to someone of such a low status, with nothing to bring to the table but what they saw in the mirror… well it was unthinkable. Political suicide. When he received news of a child, born from that one singular night of passion, the man buried the evidence so deep that he ensured no one would ever be able to dig it back up. Murder was the obvious method but he couldn’t bring himself to do it and instead they were banished to the slums. The mistress and her child.
Lucasta’s mother was forced to do unspeakable things in order to survive, she stole from anyone and everyone, only justifying the preconceived notions about her “people.” Tribal fortune-tellers who did nothing but lie, cheat, and steal. Truth be told, the abilities of her race were what allowed her to survive. An “ancestral voice” in the back of her head telling her yes or no, which path was wrong and which was right. Though sometimes, that voice was wrong. It was this that led to her mothers death. Depending on the past to predict the future is a dangerous and inaccurate method, but that has been the downfall of many belonging to this rare bloodline.
It came of no surprise that Lucasta was forced into a life of crime after the sudden death of her mother. The slums were a difficult place to live and that was the path of least resistance. At a rather young age, she discovered the very same voice that killed her mother. Though that fact was unknown to her. It was a friend. A guiding light in the chaos of her life and more often than not she noticed that those whispers, or shouts if the situation was urgent enough… were right.
This newfound talent of hers, intuition she called it, allowed her to join a local gang which focused on the illegal trading of Anima. Becoming an advisor to the leader, she successfully navigated them through a number of missions and soon became a key part of their intelligence. That was until the operation was busted as is any crime syndicate that would seek to weaponize Anima as the gang had done.
Behind bars and awaiting a trial, for some reason or another, Lucasta’s record was exonerated. Every crime she had committed was forgotten and she was offered a plea deal of sorts, one she had to accept. Join the δ division. Unknown to her, this was the masterful work of her father who had been keeping tabs on her since day one. In his long line of work this was perhaps his only ever good deed, even if it had terrible intentions.
The man's thought process was that the division needed people, and agents were likely to die. In a way he wanted to meet his daughter, but for him to succeed, she was better off dead.
Thus, the former criminal, Lucasta Karamazov, moved to the second pillar and became something she never thought she would. Turning over a new leaf, she never even took her father into consideration as the identity of the mysterious benefactor. No. It was fate.
Additional Information Lucasta belongs to a rare race within the city of Soma. Referred to merely as gypsies, tramps, and thieves they are easily identifiable by the swirly, tribal-like birthmark that dances across half of their body. Members of the race often hide the markings with makeup or clothes, though Lucasta is proud of her heritage and does not.
In the past, several members of this race were known as "seers" or "oracles" and held in high regard by society. Their ability is comparable to a third eye which allows them to see the unknown. For example, if a sniper had their gun aimed at Lucasta, a whisper in the back of her head could alert her of danger, giving her some sort of warning in just a few words. If she had to choose between several doors, that same voice could guide her to make the best decision statistically possible.
This is known as the "Ancestral Voice" and is believed by the tribe to be the accumulation of knowledge their ancestors before them managed to gather. The reason these beings are so frowned upon is that as time goes on, the voice becomes fainter and fainter and or begins to lie completely. Someone who once made great decisions and offered great advice begins to do the exact opposite which has given the entire race the tarnished reputation they now possess and giving birth to a new name that has completely erased the old. A slur that Lucasta despises. "Spinners" they call them. For all the intricate lies they weave.
Adalia is less a person but a ball of anxiety shaped in the vague suggestion of a person. She's highly motivated to perform well in her given assignments and has a strong sense of moral alignment, but it may also be due to a certain naivete. Due to her long times in isolation, she doesn't have a good sense of interpersonal skills and tend to be lonely most of the time.
| ANIMA |
A pistol that fires bolts of energy that when hitting a target, covers them in a blue stasis field and freezes them for a variable duration. The field is powerful enough to stop most small arms fire, though targetting larger objects than the average human will decrease both the strength and duration of the stasis field. It also has a secondary effect of assisting the aim and accuracy of its user, especially when targetting those perceived as allies. Expensively furbished, whoever initially procured this gun was quite the opulent type indeed.
| BACKGROUND |
Adalia's childhood memories are mostly of isolation. She was told that she was sick, and meeting other people was dangerous to both the public and herself. Her parents were never around, and Adalia's only companions were the attendants that were rather unwilling to converse with her. Adalia's abode in a secluded mansion in the 4th Pillar was quite opulent indeed, with luxuries and comforts that most inhabitants of the Metropolis could only ever dream of.
Her apparent sickness was however, only a small part of the reason behind her quarantine. She was really the illegitimate child of a wealthy casino business family, and though her existence to the family wasn't shunned, Adalia was kept out of polite discussion. Left on the sidelines, Adalia was left to her own devices, as long as she didn't make a scene and avoided public scrutiny.
Adalia did cultivate an academic career over her time being stuck inside, however, as well becoming familiar with handling Anima after a brief look into the less legal practices of her family business. In recognition of her surprisingly strong affinities in dealing with destructive Anima, Adalia was inducted into a small research institute in the 7th pillar exploring the effects of the Fog on Anima usage (with her caretaker's begrudging approval). With an aversion to social interactions Adalia's work was mostly solitary and Adalia's clumsiness and general unfamiliarity with anywhere outside her comfortable mansion didn't help, but Adalia found a mentor and her first parental figure in the elderly head of institute Dr. Romanov.
Such times didn't last long. As after a disastrous attack from an Entity, Romanov was removed from the institute after allegations of illegal experimentation, disappearing from the public eye without a word. Apart from a couple of encrypted datapads that Adalia managed to recover before the Agents swooped in, Adalia was left with no trace to where her mentor had gone and even little guidance. With nowhere else to go and refusing to simply return to a silent life within her family mansion, she applied to being an Agent in a vague hope of finding any more leads on Romanov's whereabouts.
| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
Sometimes seen with a gas mask rebreather to help with her weak lungs, as well as bandages all across her body. It has been confirmed that Adalia is indeed sick with a chronic illness of some kind that leaves her skin prone to scarring, but whether or not it is infectious or as serious as Adalia's parents have impressed on her is yet unknown. Nonetheless, it is not debilitating, and Adalia remains operable for the time being.
Sophia is a world-weary, sarcastic, bitter and cynical woman, having been around and having seen a lot of the darker side of the world. She still carries her callous and amoral nature as a professional criminal and murderer, but it was been dulled and worn by time. She feels a self-centered regret at the wasting of her life, but no remorse for the evil of her actions.
Anima:
Maelstrom Discharger
An Anima created from the Soul of an Entity that lived in an abandoned powerplant in the Outskirts. The Gun uses charge to shoot powerful attacks. It uses energy-type "bullets" (akin to rays/lasers) and can be used to do a lot of things energy related- Put up an energy shield that blocks incoming attacks, or discharge for small, low-cost blasts or even large hyperbeams. Attacks are elementally aspected- You can change between electricity, fire, and pure energy. The colour of the weapon changes accordingly (yellow -> red -> blue). Charge is gained over time or by manually charging it with aether cells (akin to ammunition)
Alignment:
True Neutral
Picture:
Backstory:
Thirty years ago, the illegal Anima trade looked very different to today. It was large, powerful, and based from the 2nd Pillar rather than the 5th, as crime bosses were rich and unabashedly ashamed of their wealth. Sophia was the youngest daughter of one of these families, but when she was merely thirteen, her family was killed and she and her sisters were taken in by the killers. Sophia buried her resentment. She had never felt loved by her parents in the first place. The only thing she was ever truly rewarded for, were results, and her new employers gave her praise for a good job much more readily than her own blood ever did.
She remained loyal, and worked hard, rising up in influence, standing and reputation until she was a Lieutenant, with her own men directly underneath her. Sophia had a good brain for organized crime. She made alliances, could turn on the charm when needed and twist somebody's arm when it called for it. But her main strength was her sheer ruthlessness. She killed any who crossed her or her men in cold blood, including Agents.
This reputation had it drawbacks, as she became one of the most wanted targets during the crackdown on the Organized Crime of the 2nd Pillar. She was eventually caught, arrested and though they could never tie her to any murders, got twenty years for the few criminal exploits they could prove.
Sophia served all twenty years with no complaints. Now a free woman, given one of the cheapest apartments of the 2nd Layer, and no job, she wondered what the future had in store for her. But on her third night as a free woman, she came home to find her door unlocked and a black orb in the middle of her living room...
A long sword relative to the user himself, this strange unregistered Anima is only special for its handle. From its hilt is where the Anima can establish that powerful bridge between the physical plane and the aetherial one, drawing immense aether energy stream that could then be funnelled into a small hole, shooting off purplish flames there. While it seemed intuitive to use, a normal blade on one side and a flamethrower on the other, since all that aetherial energy was rushed into a small point, the kickback force would be strong, and thus difficult for a user to hold it like a flamethrower, especially with a sharp blade behind them. That's where some of the resourcefulness of the user is required, and for Flemma, he mostly utilized this weird quirk of the weapon as a way of gaining superior mobility/strength over his opponents, thus creating a rather unique sword fighting style to be fared.
Personality Being one of the more mysterious members of Delta Security Division, Flemma mostly kept things to himself, very careful not to reveal too much information about himself, and preferred to spend his time alone. However, this was not really evident in conversations, since he can be chatty, laid-back and humorous. He tends to have a rather 'big-brother' attitude towards his colleagues, even if they are much older than he is, often looking out for them, albeit in a rather hands-off manner.
Alignment Neutral Good
Backstory Little is known about Floyd's early life, but he was presumed to have grown up from the 6th Pillar, judging from his employment as a handler for the Solitas Corporation, who tended to employ slum dwellers. His employment responsibilities were stated to be protecting their assets, and sometimes he was assigned to that role when criminal activities surge. However, in peacetime, a more lucrative income from these bodyguards were as combat entertainers, or 'Gladiators' as titled by Fortuna Anima Championship (FAC) - a 'no-barred holds' styled combat tournament entered by Anima users only (with some rare exceptions). Fighters are often employed by large corporations as a form of informal betting system, and there are very few rules regarding the fights or tournament layout or even refereeing, just as long as the fighters don't die and provide great entertainment for their audience.
His Anima at the time was a dual dagger with gravitational pull capabilities. As an FAC gladiator, Floyd, or Flemma as he would soon be nicknamed and commonly addressed by, was a relatively decent fighter, scoring twice more wins than losses, and was known for having a very imitative fighting style. After several years competing in the FAC, however, he abruptly disappeared. Solitas' official statement regarding this was that there was a breach of contract and that his employment was terminated as a result. There were some conspiracies regarding this, mostly unsubstantiated and soon forgotten in the fast-lanes of Fortuna. Regardless, he disappeared and no one could get a hold of where exactly he was or what he was doing.
Years later, confusions arose after the presence and subsequent deaths of several notorious hitmen belonging to various criminal syndicates in Fortuna. There were immediate rumours that the killer had been the former FAC gladiator. Their bodies were clean enough to rule out the possibility of a wild creature, and not many living in this remote area would be strong or influential enough to guarantee a visit from these professional killers. And while the truth would not come out for a long time, it was indeed Flemma who was both a target and the one to have locked these handlers' criminal archive forever. He would later be discovered in hermit in the Silva mountains, very much changed from his FAC days a decade ago. He wielded an unregistered Anima in the form of a propulsive long sword, his outfit a little bit outdated, and most notably, his right hand was gone all the way to his elbow, sparking some speculations to what had happened. He was invited to the δ Division of the IXth Security Unit, joining under undisclosed terms.
Additional information Flemma is a smoker, using his sword's unique gimmick as a lighter. He also refuses to use prosthesis for his right arm for mysterious reasons, preferring to not only live but also fight with only one arm.
Anima: Da Hacka - An orkish power klaw infused with Aetherial energies that make it into a powerful Anima. Not only does its pneumatic pistons allow it to crush and rip through conventional armor with fearful ease, the blades are sheathed in energy that allows it to destabilize physical and magical matter for extra armor piercing properties. But it's true power is its ability to sink the claws into any vehicle and allow Rokkit to forcefully take control, even if the vehicle in question is already being operated, isn't turned on, or something Rokkit doesn't actually know how to operate normally.
Personality: Boisterous and belligerent. He and his kind are known for their rough personalities and often find themselves fighting against all sorts of people, leading short violent lives. But what Rokkit differs from most of his kind is his own will to look further into the future than just the next battle, wanting to leave a legacy and change things for the better in the future. And while he shares the temperament of his kin, Rokkit himself is also quite sociable and dislikes having to be alone, though at the same time when he’s busy working he hates distractions.
Alignment: Chaotic Good. Rokkit knows that cooperation and rules are needed to maintain some semblance of order in this chaotic world, but he merely sees them as tools, not restrictions. If they get in the way of what he wants he’ll gladly ignore them to do what he needs to do. However ultimately his desire is to do good for himself, his friends, and his people. He is willing to stoop to all kinds of lows as well as uphold promises he hates if it means succeeding.
Backstory: Rokkit is an Ork from another world, one where a dark fate awaits all those who suffer to live in it. But such a grimdark world does little to dampen the mood of the jovial and psychotically violent orks. Rokkit comes from the Scraplootahs tribe, a group known for their unconventional ways even for orks. Rokkit himself is part of the tribes Kommando troops, orks with a penchant for stealth and ambushes. Trained under the Chief Kommando Rockeata Brugg, Rokkit got his name for sneaking into an enemy warship by hitching a ride on a rocket, crashing into the hull, and raising hell while inside long enough for the rest of the tribe to board and take over the vessel.
While Rokkit enjoys a good scrap like any Ork, he does enjoy the thrill of a hunt, sneaking past enemies and quickly and efficiently assassinating them in the most violently brutal manner possible. But sometimes he doesn't feel like being subtle, but there's only so much an Ork can do with two hands and his lungs. And so often, Rokkit also dabbles in operating the various war trucks his tribe has, and gains the skills to use vehicles in both land and air to do death defying stunts as well as in heavy combat. His favorite technique is known as the Drift Shot, where he enables his vehicle's momentum to keep him moving forward while he violently twists his position so he can get a better angle on the enemy, often when they're pursuing him. This allows him to go from being on the defensive to offensive at a moment's notice.
Rarely there's much going on in an orks life that isn't fighting or preparing for a fight. The idea of peace for an Ork is entirely different for a human. No Ork settles down to raise a family, to put aside their weapons and live a long and boring life. But still, there are times where there isn't any fights to be had and brawling against your fellow Ork loses its touch. And so Rokkit has learned other hobbies to keep himself occupied, in particular music. Loud, thumping music, to keep his blood hit even when it's not being spilled. He favors the drums, an appropriately brutish instrument for an Ork. But there is a level of technique and skill needed to truly master the drums and Rokkit is eager to master it. He's even taken time to train his voice for singing and shouting, though he is considerably less skilled in this than he is in drumming.
Life for an Ork is nothing if not chaotic, and the same applies to Rokkit. While the Scraplootahs were chasing down a band of Chaos Marines, Rokkit was wandering around looking for something to fight. Instead he found something to loot. There was a big dead alien, and stuck in it's skull was a wicked looking powa klaw. Rokkit didn't know who it belonged to, but it was way choppier than his own, so Rokkit willingly removed his own arm to attach it with the mysterious claw.
It was then that something really strange happened. Rokkit was taken to another world! Everything was a blur but suddenly he found himself in an unknown city full of unknown people. At first Rokkit tried to be sneaky, but out of his depth and out of familiar territory he stuck out like a sore thumb wherever he went. But soon he started making some unlikely allies, and plenty of enemies, and ultimately the Ork felt right at home in the city of Soma.
Additional information: Rokkit is missing his right arm, having lost it during a battle against Tyranids. For a while he had an axe replace the stump until he found his Animus. He's rather dexterous with his power klaw, though it does still have a fairly limited range of motion.
Additionally Rokkit is rarely ever out of his armor except when he needs to repair it. He finds his armored plates more comfortable to wear than without, though this does have the side effect of having weird tan-lines if he ever does take off his armor.
Has a taste for coffee and human cuisine, and has committed many raids just to steal food. Though he likes Ork food too, and misses it since he hasn't had real Ork food since he arrived on this planet. He likes sandwiches in particular.
Doesn't understand human money and lacks any digital bank record. He prefers to trades or barters for everything, though he at least understands the importance of having physical cash as well. Even if he isn't good at counting it. Rokkit collects teef, though since no one takes them as legal tender he tends to collect teef for sentimental reasons.
Rokkit's hobbies include working on his equipment, his bike, playing the drums, learning how to sing, and boxing. Boxing in particular is something he's quite fascinated by since most orks don't bother with the sort of precision techniques boxers have, but Rokkit is eager to learn how to fight like them. Though most gyms don't let him since his right arm is a giant mechanical claw.
Aside from his Animus, Rokkit has a stash of equipment he has brought he made for his own use. Though not a full-fledged mekboy, he's generally capable of scrapping together his own gear and ammo, though he prefers to delegate the more tedious tasks to his grots, such as making bullets or repairing his armor.
Road Warrior - An Ork slugga, an automatic handgun. Though it's more accurate to say that this is an automatic shotgun. A drum fed rifle shortened to be easily carried by Rokkit, his natural orkish strength enables him to use this weapon with one hand without compromising on it's firepower, compensating his poor accuracy by saturating his enemies with a rain of buckshot. He can change his ammo to slugs for better accuracy or other specialized ammo if he has any available. He also has a bayonet attached underneath the barrel to use it as a deadly melee weapon in close-quarters combat. Still looking to upgrade his weapon for additional power.
Fire Light - An additional firearm that Rokkit attaches to his Animus. Connected to a gas tank on his back, the Fire Light is a flamethrower that benches out molten napalm to melt foes trying to hide behind cover or swarm Rokkit. While it has even poorer range than his Road Warrior, the Fire Light has the benefit of being highly effective against large mobs or swarms. Indeed, Rokkit had this weapon made when he had a rough experience fighting Tyranids, alien bug monsters who tend to attack in massive swarms. A great shock weapon as well, it's part of Rokkit "Hack and Burn" technique, where (contrary to the name order) he will ambush his enemies by drenching them in burning napalm before hacking them apart with his klaw.
'Eavy Armor - Rokkit wears an orkish set of heavy armor made of some composite ceramic material. He frankly doesn't know the details of what it's made of, but knows that it's more or less the same stuff space marine armor is made of, so he considers it to be pretty tough. Unlike many of his kin who's armor look fairly scrappy and cobbled together, Rokkit 'Eavy Armor almost looks uniform. He just likes the look. Rokkit's helmet is fancier than the rest of his armor, as it's built airtight with filtration to protect him from toxic gas and let him breathe underwater. The visor is also fitted with a thermal sensor allowing him to see creatures via their heat signatures, handy in darkness or heavy smoke.
Lucky Teeth - Decorating Rokkit's body are various bands with teeth on them. Each one coming from an Ork or alien he had defeated in the past, he considers them good luck as they represent enemies he has been victorious against. Most humans don't have interesting enough teeth for warrant removal, so Rokkit would instead opt to just take skulls instead.
Kerberos - Rokkit's war trike. Three wheels, three engines, three guns, the Kerberos is fast and deadly… If Rokkit can get it to work. As skilled as Rokkit is in tinkering, even his abilities have limits and so far he has a hard time getting the Kerberos to ride longer than a few minutes. He figures he just needs better materials but until he can figure out what he needs, the Kerberos remain inoperable.
Orks don't have a word for friends and even if they use the human word for it, it doesn't really apply to most or not all of them. Orks being so belligerent and violent that they barely tolerate each other's presence, even Rokkit barely feels close to anyone to call them a friend. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have some functional, mostly positive relationships with others in this new world.
The Grots - What Rokkit calls a gang of orphans who more or less work for him. He had inadvertently saved them from some traffickers when Rokkit was looking for weapons to loot, killing the slavers since they were armed and gladly accepted the children to do manual labor he couldn't be arsed to do. In exchange he has also taught them his orkish ways, and they have quickly picked up on how to make things orky, making a majority of them skilled gunsmiths and explosive experts. They live at the warehouse he's currently squatting in and for the most part he doesn't mind sharing the space since he's rarely there anyways.
Hunta - Rokkit's pet squig hound. Unknown to Rokkit, it has been experimented on to give it a goblin's brain, increasing its intelligence but also making it less aggressive by having a goblin's cowardice. Thus it rarely actually hunts on its own, preferring to let Rokkit do all the work. However if sufficiently motivated it can be quite dangerous. More or less takes care of the Grots when Rokkit isn't around since they fear and respect him, often feeding him and going to him when they're in trouble. This gives Hunta a massive confidence boost enough that he's usually willing to fight despite being a coward. Is inadvertently growing more squigs in his nest, which gets cultivated by the Grots.
Gun Master - An arms dealer who doesn't use his real name, so Rokkit calls him the Gun Master. Tough as nails and a crack shot, one of the few humans Rokkit respects and thus does business with him, trading guns and ammo with him. The Gun Master is one of the few arms dealers who can get bullets that satisfy Rokkit's needs.
Lucy Sclera - A bartender who works at the Lost Dog bar on the fifth pillar. Friendly and sociable as any bartender worth their salt tends to be. Rokkit often goes to her for drinks since she's one of the only bartenders who's willing to trade drinks for whatever plunder he has on hand, though in turn he takes the courtesy to at least pay her in cash whenever he has any. She's also Rokkit's go-to gal for information on any work or mark he happens to be working on at the moment. She introduced him to the idea of sandwiches and makes his favorite, roasted chicken and marinara.
Yozakura-Gumi - A criminal organization that deals with the typical criminal enterprises, such as drugs, guns, gambling, and prostitution. Though they're only criminal in order to undercut the legitimate corporations who also run similar businesses: medicine, law-enforcement, investments, and entertainment media. Bigger than most street gangs but lacking the means to rival corporations, Rokkit has earned their favor doing many jobs for them, and in turn they support him by keeping his home relatively safe and buying the guns his Grots make.
The chairman of the Yozakura-Gumi, a formidable warrior who has carved a place for his clan through strength and violence. However such means can only go so far, and right now his clan suffers due to their inability to do much more than to provide a protection racket within their territory. Thus he's been focusing on trying to get his clan involved in more profitable ventures, however he finds this difficult due to the stranglehold rival corporations have on the market. While he leads a criminal organization, Jinzo desperately wishes to turn the Yozakura-Gumi into a legitimate business to bring his people out from a life of crime. But he's willing to resort to whatever means he can to make that happen.
Mr. Shadows - Someone or something that helped Rokkit figure out how this new world works, though the Ork desperately wishes he never knew the guy. A mysterious and frightening entity who has demonstrated strange dark powers that Rokkit has never seen before. While he hasn't done anything to harm Rokkit it's abundantly clear that he is far more powerful than he presents himself, and now Rokkit owes him a favor. A common saying about him is "He's in every shadow."
Picture:
Name. Shorty Grotsky
Age. 16
Gender. Female
Anima. None
Personality. Optimistic and crafty. Shortie knows that the world is a rough place, with kindness in rare supply, but she's always willing to look towards the silver lining. But that's not to say that she's so naive as to accept every handout, and she knows that everything comes at a price. She aims to work hard to earn her keep and never catch herself in debt to another. Can be rather greedy though and overestimates her own intelligence. While Shortie may not be able to cross most lines, if she does something she'll never regret it.
Alignment. Lawful Neutral. Shortie has a code and she sticks to it. That doesn't mean that she nice, but also means that she has standards. She can be very pragmatic in both her personal and business life, willing to use people who'll be useful and abandon them once they lose their usefulness, but she'll make sure that as long as they hold their own they'll have her full support. She's willing to make the hard decisions that no one else wants but has to be done.
Backstory. Shorty Grotsky was born an orphan, her parents being killed off by vindictive Handlers hired to "deal with" the goblins living in their neighborhood. Shorty herself was saved only because her father had managed to hide her in someone's car before he himself was gunned down. The folks who found Shorty in their car put her into an orphanage, where much of Shorty's life was made. It was called the Big Scrap Alley, a junkyard converted into an orphanage for children. The owner was a strange man called Fixit, a large greasy fellow who most folks would think shouldn't ever be near children alone. His questionable intelligence certainly made people think less of him. But Fixit was an honest, kind man, more than willing to take care of the orphans and teach them usable life skills. To Shorty, Fixit was basically her father.
Being a goblin, Shorty matured both physically and mentally faster than the other orphans, and thanks to Fixit she received something of an education that quickly allowed her to develop better skills. It wasn't long before Shorty more-or-less became the second in command in the orphanage, even if not by age, but due to her talents as an engineer and general maturity. She helped Fixit run the orphanage, and even got sponsorships that helped make it a better place for the kids to live. For a while, life was good.
But success draws people who want an unfair share. It wasn't long before gangs began to approach the orphanage, offering "protection" against the various dangers in the city. Shorty knew it was a trick but Fixit didn't, and inadvertently accepted the gang's deal for protection in exchange for money and orphans to join their gang. When Shorty found out she tried her best to stop it, but the gangs made it clear that they intended to essentially take over the orphanage, siphon whatever money was coming into it, and recruiting the kids as gang members whether they want to or not. When Shorty revealed this scheme to Fixit, he was distraught and furious. In a rage, he created weapons and armor and fought back against the gangs, but died in the process. Shorty had to run away with the remaining children during the fight.
For a few more years Shorty and the children lived on the streets, doing odd jobs to stay alive. Shorty had to harden her heart against the sort of things that can happen to orphans and people in the slum parts of town, and after the second orphan child died under her watch, she stopped being so nice to them in order to keep them alive. She fought tooth and nail for survival but it was almost never enough, always occurring loses that only let them live long enough to continue struggling. There were many times Shorty wanted to just give up and go on her own, so that she could at least take care of herself.
But a miracle happened one day. She and the orphans were being chased down by some gangsters intending to sell them into slavery, and despite her best efforts Shorty was caught off guard without her best weapons. It looked like it was going to be the end for her when suddenly, a huge ork appeared and slaughtered the gangsters, stealing their weapons and money, and just left without even acknowledging them. Afterwards Shorty went to get her gear and looked for that ork, and when they found him she asked if she could work with him. He was the only person who's ever done something good for her without asking, just like Fixit, and he didn't mind working with them as long as they followed his orders and never worked against him.
Since then things have been looking up. They managed to secure a warehouse to live in, and been gathering scrap and materials to make it comfortable. The ork taught Shorty and the kids how to make weapons in a surprisingly imaginative way. Soon Shorty herself was taking over production, with the kids finally able to do some work that'll earn them some real money. Not wanting this life to go away Shorty worked hard to keep everyone safe, even the ork, developing weapons and equipment to protect everyone and profit from the various gangs that want to genuinely cooperate with them.
Additional information.
Currently Shorty leads a band of orphans known collectively as the Grots. She is the oldest among them and the youngest is ten years old. There are twenty of them, most who stay at the warehouse to work, relax, or play, but some of the older kids do try and go out and do more things. Shorty spends most of her time just keeping them out of trouble but when she puts her foot down they know when to listen and stop messing around. While they have all gone through the horrors of street life, most don't have the stomach for real violence and prefer to live in relative peace.
Picked up on orkish engineering quickly and teaches the rest of the children how to do it as well. Quite intelligent and sees Rokkit as an opportunity to get herself and her friends out from poverty. She handles the logistics and organization within the Grots and their home, making sure Rokkit never has to get involved in managing things less she lose control of the operation.
Has a weak tolerance for alcohol and a sweet tooth. She avoids drugs and other intoxicants after seeing how it can lead to a slippery slope of addiction that can make her fall into the same traps as other women who sought them as a means to deal with their personal problems. The worse she goes for is coffee. And the good stuff too.
Though she's tough and scrappy, Shorty knows she's not the greatest in a fight. Even if she has all of her gear with her simply being smaller than most young humans puts her at a sever physical disadvantage, and thus while she can take a hit and is good with a gun she'd rather avoid direct conflict if she can help it. And if she has to fight, she prefers to do so via proxy.
Shorty maintains most equipment at the warehouse and does the final check on all gear to make sure they will work well when they get sold to the gangs. Angry customers are bad enough, a whole gang of them is even worse. Aside from that Shorty likes watching TV dramas and anime. She also dances and wished she could find a dance crew willing to work with a goblin. Her dream is to one day become a mech pilot.
Bosco - Bosco is Shorty's primary weapon. A dwarven mining drone that has been upgraded with stealth tech and guns, it's is capable of flying and is surprisingly tough despite it's small size. It's main purpose however is as a scouting tool. It's capable of cloaking itself to turn invisible to the naked eye. It's flight systems have also been adjusted to make little to no noise. It has it's heat and electronic signatures suppressed so it doesn't get picked up by radar, and to top it off it's arms come equipped with the tools needed to hack into machines and computers digitally, enabling it to disable surveillance networks. It has it's own radar in order to keep track of enemies, allies, and other entities as needed. It's radar range is effectively 1 mile, enabling it to track things within that range with great precision.
As for combat, it can shoot short-range electrical darts that can be used to either disable machines or electrocute people. As long as the darts make contact, it can bypass things like armor or hyper dense muscles to overload the nerve receptors to force them to spasm. Another emergency weapon it can use is releasing a large cloud of capsaicin irritant, which naturally as a machine it's unaffected by, but it can do a lot against organic targets who aren't properly protected. And finally if neither weapons are effective and it's at risk of being captured, Bosco can activate a self-destruct sequence where it overloads it's batteries to explode in a huge ball of plasma, melting itself and anyone else caught in the blast.
Omniwrench - Whether it's fixing a phone or breaking some bones, the Omniwretch is Shorty's signature weapon. As it's name implies it is a wrench that can be adjusted not only in shape but size, enabling it to serve as an all-around tool for repair jobs. It can even be converted into other tools such as hammers, prybars, knives, clamps, or a screwdriver. If she has a battery to charge it she can even use features such as an electric saw, power drill, jackhammer, or nailgun.
Ratel 454 Custom - A tiny gun that packs a big punch. Originally Ratel 454 are revolver pistols designed in mind for small races and children to be able to pack a weapon capable of considerable damage per shot with a reasonably size and weight ratio. As a ballistic weapon it's considered a novelty as it's over designed with safety features meant to use a large caliber bullet, which still pales compared to larger hand cannons that are more designed for larger marksmen. But Shorty uses the Ratel and it's abundant safety features and converted her revolver to shoot plasma cartridges instead of bullets, making it far more devastating than it should be. The secret to how she manages to both fit and make sure the plasma doesn't leak is a trade secret, though Shorty admits that making the ammo is expensive and thus she tends not to use it unless she absolutely has to.
The lotus staff is an anima capable of changing size on command to fit a multitude of uses. The Lotus staff also grants the user the ability to create a doppelgänger controlled by the user. Along with this comes proficiency in combat with the anima as well as benefits such as an overall physical boost in Strength, speed, and agility.
Personality
Julius is a crafty individual, often times always plotting schemes and mapping out scenarios within his head for as many given situations as possible. He always has his head on a swivel and is very wary of people. Some might call him paranoid at times but anyone who grew up in the slums knew that you have to look over your shoulder at all times. Upon first meeting him he can come off as rough, callous, unfriendly, and even rude depending on the person.
Alignment
Chaotic neutral
Backstory
Julius is the eldest of three, born to a rather large family within the Slums with little to nothing. From a young age, the boy had experienced plenty of situations that a minor shouldn't have been exposed to. Death, substance abuse, family in an out of jail, you name it.
Growing up in the 6th pillar was by no means a easy task. The harsh conditions and constant criminal activity made Julius who he is today. Early on in his life, his father equipped him with the skills in order to survive the 6th pillar, let alone in Soma as a whole. Not only the importance of book smart but street smarts and self defense as well, most importantly he taught him the value of family which is probably the only thing to be happy about within the 6th pillar.
Despite his parents working an inhumane amount of hours during the week, they were still short when it came to providing for Julius in his siblings. Often time unable to fix things that broke, keep the power on in the winter, and even provide new clothes for their kids. Even so they always managed to put food on the table with Julius was always grateful for. Even so, it was hard to watch his parents push themselves so much just to provide for Julius and his siblings, the boy decided to take matters into his own hands.
Another prominent person within the boys life was Julius's uncle whom gave the boy a chance to put some extra money in his pockets. In the early mornings of the day, the young boy worked as a transporter for the Seekers, selling product for his uncle as an outside affiliate and being given a cut for his troubles.
Most of his transporter jobs were a gamble, some going smooth and other ones breaking out into a altercation of sorts. The boys parents even grew suspicious of their son and his new found money as they knew just how difficult it was to make a living within Soma. Julius managed to keep this secret from his immediate family for a decent amount of time but he could do such activities for so long before his parents caught on. Ultimately it ended with a big argument which was a given since Julius was still in his teens at the time. Even still he is feeling residual energy from what happened because of the danger if things went awry.
From then on he lived a relatively clean life, managing to land a job within the 4th pillar working security for a high end casino for quite some time before being selected to join the IXth SU's δ division. Enticed by the benefits and pay that was offered to him.
Additional information
The seekers is a criminal organization slowly gaining momentum within the 6th pillar with a main focus on drug and anima distribution. They also have their feet within robbery and underground fighting rings.
Ashe's Anima takes form of a multi-stringed shortbow, which also acts as a harp. The weapon itself is capable of firing multiple projectiles at once, but suffers from poor accuracy due to instrumental design, with each string possessing a different effective range. When the strings are plucked in a specific order, the melodic arrangement resonates with the soul residing within, and manifests a wave of musical notes under Ashe's control. Restoring objects or organisms within its field range.
There are certain limitations to her ability, that not even Ashe herself is aware of.
One, being a short time window for Ashe to restore a broken object back to its original state. After that time limit has passed, the broken state of the object will be considered the norm. The new 'constant structure', and unfortunately cannot be repaired to its former glory, no matter how hard she plays.
The same rule applies to organisms. Old scars, illness, the deceased, anything of the sort cannot be manipulated by her Anima. So long as any living being hasn't kicked the bucket, Ashe will be able to heal their wounds through the power of friendship music.
It is not necessary for Ashe to continuously play her harp, although, it would naturally hasten the mending process. Her Anima remains active for about a minute, dissipating on its own accord or until Ashe plays the same opening chords that she used to activate it, but in reverse order.
This allows her to be versatile on the field, choosing between mobility via combat healing or a potent stationary mender.
Other than sound, the notes she manifests could potentially give away her position to an observant eye. They remain relative to her, and cannot reach beyond her maximum shooting range. Another bane to her existence would be the notes themselves being colorfully luminescent. With each extensive chord she plays adding to its visual intensity.
Personality:
Ashe is a curious individual, always open to try out new things, even if its not the best idea. Whenever she takes a deep interest in something, its not uncommon for her to be audibly muttering her thought process while studying said object. After breaking away from a restrictive lifestyle, she started to value the importance of freedom, especially her own.
Alignment:
Chaotic Neutral
Backstory:
After years of serving a prominent family in Fortuna, entertaining guests with her musical talents, Ashe grew frustrated with the recycled content she was forced to play for the sake of business. Ashe developed a strong desire to seek inspiration, stories that have never been heard of, and translate their moments into music. One night, shortly before she was scheduled to make an appearance, Ashe left Fortuna without giving notice.
She planned her stage exit months in advance, by tapping into the dormant side of herself that she kept buried for so long. A fogborn, and a shapeshifter type at that. Born with light blue skin, it was no secret that she stood out among a crowd. Perhaps, that is part of the reason why she was such an 'attraction' in the first place.
None of it mattered, however, she wanted to break free. Travel the world, find that piece she is yearning for. The opportunity was presented to her when a peculiar black orb appeared in her new living quarters.
Additional Information:
When it comes to her family history, Ashe, at least on her mother's side, possesses an otherworldly origin.
In the vast emptiness of space, there exists a rare alien race called the Ypsilon. A shape shifting species that narrowly escaped total annihilation from their apocalyptic home world. Those who managed to survive were scattered throughout the universe in attempt to seek a new habitable planet. Hundreds of years passed before one escape ship managed to crash land to what is known as the Outskirts.
Due to the proximity of the fog and the lawless landscape of which they roamed, majority of the survivors did not last long. Their abnormal appearance and inability to speak the local language, caused them to be branded as fogborn creatures. Through every contact, each sacrifice, they learned more about the curious world they landed on.
While the remaining survivors agreed to isolate themselves for the time being, Ashe's mother made a bold attempt to live among the natives. Her shapeshifting talents were widely regarded as one of the best among the crew, allowing her to conduct solo ventures and collect information for the sake of their survival. During one of those ventures, she met someone who ended up to become Ashe's father.
Ashe managed to hit the gene lottery when she was born, with her base form ended up being humanoid.