Power: A Speed: B Range: A Persistence: B Precision: B Potential: C
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Ranged, Light Element
Noble Arm Abilities: Fury of the Sun: Rex Lucis spins in front of Samuel, increasing in speed rapidly as the older man grimaces from the effort. Light begins to shine from the weapon, increasing in amount quickly as it becomes blinding. At this point, Victor lets out a satisfied grunt and a beam of light as tall and wide as a semi truck bursts forth from the spinning weapon. Sweat beads down his forehead as he keeps the beam going at his old age, the attack burning, melting, and evaporating almost everything it touches.
Angel Rays: Like light that shines through a dark cloud, dozens of bolts of pure sunlight the size of a baseball bat burst forth towards Victor's foes as he raises Rex Lucis above his head and points with it. Dozens more come forth after the originals strike their targets down, leaving scorched and charred bodies behind. Like his other abilities, Angel Rays does best against non metal and stone objects, repeated strikes against most metals like steel will see the metal and stone sundered. Naked flesh, clothing, and anything living cannot be expected to put up ant resistance when struck.
Echos of Lucis: Victor takes Rex Lucis in both hands and light envelopes the blade, elongating it to double its size. Solid flesh is immediately cauterized, metals give some resistance but all give way with enough effort, leaving a melted line through whatever was cut.
Superhuman Strength and Durability: Light floods through his whole body, enhancing his strength and toughening his flesh and bones.
Shield of Light: Light erupts into being, seeming to emanate directly from Rexs body. While this ability is being used, Rex is impervious to almost all attacks (Though the most powerful of attacks can break through) and cannot use any other ability,
Lightspeed: Like the light he wields, Rex can be fast. Perhaps not as fast as light itself, Rex mind works at near triple that of a normal person when he uses this ability, all so he can properly utilize the speed of his ability. Like Shield of Light, Lightspeed cannot be used with any other ability, instead having to return to normal speeds of movement and thought to attack.
Bright Embrace (Passive): While Rex Lucis is visible, a constant light emanates from the spear. All those that the light touches and are friendly to the wielder of Rex Lucis find their morale boosted. They can’t help but look on the bright side of things, why would they do otherwise when Rex has come to their aid after all.
Guiding Light: A beam of gentle light erupts from the end of Rex Lucis and towards the targets of its wielder. Instead of hurting them in any way however, instead those it touches now see the world as if it was daytime as long as Rex Lucis is active. This ability is of course only useful during the night time however and those who have the ability granted to them have their eyes encased in light as if they were glowing.
Everything the Light Touches (passive): Rex is King of the Light, master of Rex Lucis and so everything the light touches, he knows of. While light from the sun, even that reflected off the moon, is touching a person who means to do harm in some fashion to the wielder of Rex Lucis, the wielder is aware and can sense them. Through years of testing the ability, Rex knows that the effective distance of this sense is about a 500 mile radius. This ability also has a secondary part to it. As light is made to drive out shadow, so was Rex Lucis. The darker a person's soul, the heavier their burdens, the more the light seeks them out, and the more Rex Lucis wishes to drive away that shadow that darkens them. The more a person has killed, the more they want to kill, the greater their hatred towards Rex Lucis, the more Rex Lucis wants to destroy that foe. On the other hand, the more guilt one feels at doing evil, at killing a person, harming another, or even losing one’s innocence, the more a person succumbs to that shadow within them, the greater help Rex Lucis can do. All of Rex Lucis abilities are increased when directed at these beings.
Misc Abilities: Fluent in english and spanish, good sailor, black belt in Judo.
Personality: A humble, kind, and wise older man with much that he wishes to teach those younger than him and much that haunts his past.
*Likes: The good and kind, those who are willing to fight for what is right, cheese
*Dislikes: Braggarts, those who mistreat others, pickles.
Fears: Losing his family, the loss of his home.
Bio: Victor was the first and remains the only member of his family to manifest a Noble Arm. When Victor manifested at the age of ten, the Korean war had just ended and the Vietnam war was beginning to take hold of the American public's attention. Victor was kept a secret from the American people, taken away from his family and made into a living weapon to win American conflicts.
It wasn’t until near the end of the Vietnam war that the public became aware of Victor, now codenamed as “Rex” by the military. This 17 year old weapon of mass destruction had burned much of Vietnam in strikes against communism, but with the war ending and with public support against the war, he was seen as a monster.
“The War Criminal Kid” is what he was called when American forces returned home. If the troops were treated like criminals, he was ten times worse. No one seemed to care that this was not his choice, that he had a choice at all.
Things got better for him over the years however as he used his powers more openly. He becomes one of America's ultimate weapons, if not its ultimate weapons. By 2000, with the millenia turning, the mere mention of his name by American diplomats brought a chill to the enemies of the USA. It was at the same time however, that he announced his retirement from the military. The cold war was over, he was not needed.
So Rex retired to a small house in Southern Georgia where he could live with his widowed sister, her children, and his dogs. Finally at peace, for now.
*Current Goal: See the Chinese thrown back, keep the younger members alive and try to shield them from the depravities of war.
Carroman is about 5’8” in height and 70 kilograms in weight.
Name: Carroman Fisch Montenegro
Age: 37
Nationality: Filipino-American (dual)
Noble Arm Name & Appearance:
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: B Speed: D-F (S) Range: C-B Persistence: C Precision: B Potential: D
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Ranged/Support; Healing Light/Smiting Light; Short-Mid-Long Range
Noble Arm Abilities: Blessing of the Holy Light: After 5 seconds of charging, a beam of golden light emanates from the Dragon Staff up to ten feet away, healing whatever injuries it is shone upon. The light can quickly mend small bruises and cuts; open wounds can easily take from a few minutes to an hour depending on severity. It cannot restore missing limbs.
Divine Shield: After a charge time of 5 seconds, Carroman can create a magical shield about as wide and tall as a sedan, which is capable of tanking a single anti-tank projectile. It lasts about 15 seconds before dissipating by itself.
Light's Judgment: After gathering energy for about 3 seconds, the Dragon Staff fires a focused beam of searing golden and orange heat that easily melts through concrete, steel, and organic material. It is long ranged, precise, and can be reflected by mirrors, allowing it to bounce and strike unsuspecting targets behind cover. In C rank ranges, its power is sufficient to penetrate tank armor without any issue. Its range can be extended, but its offensive power quickly dwindles the farther it is drawn out; at B rank range, it can no longer penetrate solid objects, instead scalding them upon impact.
Verdict of Heaven: For five seconds, Carroman channels energy in the Dragon Staff. He is then able to summon a beam of holy light from the sky to burn targets on the ground within 100 meters and is in line of sight. It has far less raw power and precision, but has a wide area of effect of around ten feet, setting combustible materials alight.
Kneel Before The Light!: Considered to be a last ditch ability, Carroman has demonstrated the capability of sending down a powerful conflagration of divine light from above, shielding all allies and immolating everything else within a 750 meter radius around himself. It drains so much energy that he becomes powerless for a while. Requires a channel time of 20 seconds and must be defended from enemy attack.
Misc Abilities:
Marksman: Being from the military, Carroman is a bit of a good shot, though he doesn't really like using it.
Fluency: He knows English and Tagalog in equal terms.
Personality: Carroman may initially come off as someone with a no nonsense attitude, perhaps because he carries this serious, implacable expression most of the time in camp. However, those who are at least acquainted with him know that while he may be a little grumpy during serious situations, especially to the younger folk, he is driven by a desire to see all of them live through the war. He is rather protective, and could be driven to a vengeful streak should he witness his allies being brutalized.
As for most things, though, Carroman takes them in stride. When in a relaxed situation, he doesn't seem to take anything too seriously; jokes and pranks may become a common occurrence.
His opinions on the Big Three are, unsurprisingly, often in the negative. Gunnar despises the Downward Spiral because of their chaotic nature; they are a great threat to the concept of order itself. The Paragons he sees as somewhat unrestrained and in need of regulation. The Virtues, in turn, are viewed by him with some skepticism, though they are potentially going to be the ones that lead humanity to greatness. *Likes: Cats, pizza, dad jokes, convoluted schemes, showing the enemy how wrong they are, and donating to charity.
*Dislikes: Overly spicy food, things going not as planned, dark places, and heights.
Fears: Failing his allies, somehow.
Bio: Carroman Montenegro, named after the combination of the names of his father and grandfather, was born in the city of Manila, to an American mother and Filipino father. His was a rather unnotable, if not well off life, as his family constantly flew to and fro the two countries. That is, until he manifested his Noble Arm after he suffered a car accident during university. There, drawing both on his now less than stellar mobility and his fascination with the tunnel of light that he saw when he was knocked out, he manifested a cane that granted what looked like to be holy energies for his use. That, and he liked dragons since he was a wee lad, so it had a dragonhead. Bizarrely enough, the healing powers he had gained couldn’t heal his leg, so he walks with a limp to this day.
Ever the creative one, he named his Noble Arm the Dragon Staff, though he currently maintains that he is open to new options.
Either way, he would be in the United States Army as a chaplain after that, going on two tours in the Middle East. It isn’t clear what he saw or did there other than the fact that he ministered to the spiritual needs of the soldiers that he was assigned to. The notable incident, however, was when he fought an extremist Noble Arms user, taking them down with a powerful conflagration of explosive light. There, he wielded his last and greatest spell, and went to bedrest for two days straight after that.
Now, he has come to the Philippines, the land of his father, to aid in the conflict against China. He was told that the Noble Arms division sorely lacked chaplains, and so he joined. He didn’t care that they were concerned about his… movement speed, saying that he was very much capable of taking care of himself.
*Current Goal: See China defeated, return to a peaceful existence, and maybe finally get a wife
"You can count on me to find the truth, b-but please don't be too close to me."
Appearance: Ayahime has beautiful purple eyes and long black hair. She rarely ever smiles, and when Ayahime does smile, it feels like she's trying to hide something wrong. On her lower to upper back are multiple scars from when Ayahime awakened her Noble Arm at a very young age. The scars' message shows that her noble arm is anything but good.
Ayahime has body language that is significantly disturbed and cautious around others, so her affliction doesn't cause harm to them. There is a tiny tidbit of hope in her body language, which hopes the future will be brighter than what had happened. When her Noble Arm is about to manifest, Ayahime's hairs stand on end, and she looks like she's shivering down her spine.
Ayahime wears silverish-white Christian cross earrings, a gift from her mother. She wears other earrings, but they are based on her favorite insect, a butterfly.
Height: 5’4" Weight: 120 lbs Build: Hourglass /w Athleticism (Journalists are always on the move)
The Character Portion Section
Name: Ayahime Rain Walters Age: 21 Birthdate: May 21st, 2001 AD Nationality: Japanese-American
Misc Abilities:
Photographer - Ayahime uses an expensive camera to take high-quality shots. She gets paid a reasonable amount for the high-quality photos she takes.
Drinking - Ayahime usually, on her off-time, drinks liquor of specific certain quantities to make her feel better. She feels numb and has trouble sleeping without alcohol.
Bilingual - Ayahime fluently speaks two languages, and they are both from her parents, which are English and Japanese. She has an accent when speaking English, which sounds like she was born in the Southern United States, but it is copied from her biological father.
Self-Taught Defense School - Ayahime self-taught herself to defend herself in multiple situations, but it is only for defensive purposes rather than offensive. Defensive Hand-to-Hand combat school, but she does know how to properly wield a handgun without having it go off accidentally. Ayahime wants to use these techniques, overexerting her terrible noble arm.
Cautious around Others - Ayahime is cautious around others who want to try to get to know her better or wish to date her. She uses tired old lines in relationships to end them. One of the reasons, Ayahime is still single. She doesn't want any more people scared or worse because Ayahime doesn't believe in harming others trying to be nice to her, but that monstrous noble arm isn't playing nice.
Cooking - Ayahime knows how to cook, which is an understatement since she had to learn this skill at a young age before she left for her favorite career choice. Her meals are perfectly balanced and taste great compared to other people who are not good at it. Ayahime's choice to stay single has kept her from cooking meals that will help her.
Personality: Ayahime always tries not to be the center of attention, which has yet to work so far in her life. She is kind to everyone and never raises her voice but gets irritated and tries to tell people to stop invading her personal space. Sometimes depending on her mood, Ayahime would depart early from a bar to go home to drink her sorrows away instead. Ayahime considers others as she was taught to be considerate of others. Her grief is how far she has to live away from her parents personally and that everyone she could get together with has a possibility of dying.
Her noble arm causes Ayahime intense panic attacks when those who invade her personal space trigger the Noble Arm to manifest itself. Ayahime is deathly afraid of her Noble Arm because it is sentient and actively taunts those who invade her personal space and herself. She actively calls her noble arm, a demon sent by the devil to torment her for not being whole of her faith. Ayahime has become more religious in this trying torment by Xorzin's Wrath.
Ayahime is hurt by how nervous she gets talking to Tomiko and Thomas over the phone. She is too scared to ask how they are doing, only saying hello, etc. Her father usually yells at her over the phone, but her mother is calm and friendly. She knows Tomiko had forgiven her already for the perceived notion of her noble arm almost killing her parents before she stopped it. In the tone of her father's voice every time they talk over the phone, Thomas still hasn't forgiven her and is still afraid of Xorzin's Wrath. He doesn't like that Ayahime went against his family's tradition to pursue a career of finding the truth or taking beautiful photos.
*Likes: Music, Flowers, Taking Photos, Blue, Fiction, Cherries, Onions, getting at the truth, Butterflies, and Handguns (Heckler & Koch VP9 9MM Pistol and SIG Sauer P320 Pistol).
*Dislikes: Creeps, Dishonesty, Lying, Killing, Invading her personal space, and changing the truth into lies.
Fears: Ayahime has intense fears of commitment and losing loved ones. She gets out of every relationship for fear of wielding the noble arm, which causes her parents to fear it but causes her to grow up quicker. Ayahime also fears the Big Three Noble Arm Organizations and anyone that even looks her way as a tool to be used against others. Because of this, she distrusts the Big Three and their intentions.
Ayahime fears her Noble Arm, the Xorzin's Wrath, because of how dangerous it is compared to others who awaken there. She fears it because it tried to kill her biological parents. Ayahime doesn't understand the change but fears it the same. Another one of her fears is stalkers too, which have a sadistic streak of causing her to move frequently. They are overly creepy and unbelievably deadset on fixing her like she is something that needs fixing. Overcoming these fears won't be helped by people who want to be a control freak and don't want her to travel the world as a Freelance Reporter.
Bio: Ayahime was born on May 21, 2001, at the Norman Regional Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma, to Tomiko J. Walters and Thomas S. Walters. The two were extremely happy to have Ayahime R. Walters born into the world. Thomas had a set future planned for his daughter called the Thomas Plan, which is based on his family's tradition of always having their children join the military. Tomiko was annoyed that Thomas planned that out and even named it after himself, somewhat selfish of a man that her husband was. Her parents had conflicting goals for Ayahime, but that never stopped them from being there for her.
Ayahime had two different upbringings one that was harsh and heavy-handed in her choice of a future career, and the other that was kind and gentle. Tomiko would be the one that would give Ayahime a gentle upbringing. At an early age, Ayahime could tell her parents had some tension between them but didn't know why. Thomas didn't let much room for Ayahime to be a child and was overly strict when he would bring up military branches with his daughter. Ayahime would frequently get scared at why her father was trying to force her to join the military so severely. She started to distrust her father's intentions in why he was asking her so much to give up what she wanted only to follow the family tradition. It strained their relationship so severely that Ayahime stopped attending church on Sundays. Her father pressured her so much that it got harder to tell Thomas why she hadn't answered his frequent questions.
The Walters family had their lives changed forever on Ayahime's twelfth birthday. Ayahime finally decided to tell her father about her future goals, angered him to an extreme degree. She wanted to become a Freelancer Reporter and a Photographer, which meant a Journalism Degree and a Photography Degree. Thomas was angry, but Tomiko entered the room before Thomas could do anything to Ayahime. A scenario happened when Thomas was stunned at what was happening, a Noble Arms Manifestation. Ayahime awakened her noble arm. However, it caused Ayahime to panic, and the room was filled with dread, death, or waiting to kill someone. She manifested Xorzin's Wrath in her hands, but it was plain evil. Something was wrong, so dreadfully wrong. The weapon started to speak in a demonic voice that laughed at Thomas and Tomiko for invading Ayahime's personal space.
Ayahime was forced against her will to charge her parents to cut them down, but she managed to stop the act of murdering her parents by this evil, cruel demonic noble arm. Thomas freaked out that he had his head cut clean off by Ayahime's Noble Arm. When the noble arm started to unmanifest, it taunted Ayahime with a snide remark and a hint of sympathy in its tone. Ayahime was crying and shaking because of it.
After the awakening of Xorzin's Wrath, it introduced itself to Tomiko, Thomas, and Ayahime. Thomas became afraid of Ayahime because he believed his daughter would kill him. Tomiko was worried, too, but for different reasons, and that weapon awakened at the correct time to stop Thomas from hurting Ayahime. Though they both feared the weapon, Tomiko tried to support her daughter in any way possible besides the threat of the Noble Arm.
Three Weeks later, Ayahime was told to have a family meeting with her mother and father. The family meeting room was in the kitchen, but Tomiko was the only one sitting at the kitchen table. Thomas was standing further into the kitchen by the kitchen counter. Ayahime asked if the family meeting could start, which it did as Tomiko voiced her concerns that Thomas was making a grave mistake. Tomiko was scared of Ayahime's Noble Arm but more scared of actively losing Ayahime.
Thomas ignored what his wife had to say and told her not to register Ayahime's Noble Arm to the US Government. He wanted his daughter to stay unregistered for as long as possible. More like Thomas doesn't want her to be registered at all. He told Ayahime to stop seeing her childhood friends, Ashley and Marcus. And become distant from anyone that would trigger her weapon at all. Thomas even ordered that she would never manifest it herself. Tomiko was listening to her husband rant and rave at their daughter about all the cautious behavior Ayahime has to do to keep everyone alive, which hurts.
Ayahime agreed with that since Thomas knew that Ayahime was attracted to both of her childhood friends. She felt it was for the best since Ashley and Marcus were moving on with their lives together. Ayahime can tell about their feelings for one another. She feels like she's the third wheel in their relationship, but the feelings of her attraction to both genders probably won't stop. Ayahime could tell that Thomas had more to say as he waited for her to stop speaking about her feelings towards Ashley and Marcus, as they made her happy.
Thomas then went to the issue and why he called for this meeting. He told Ayahime that she must pack everything from her room and move out of the house. This instance, at the age of 12, was a bit shocking. Thomas asked if she would agree, but this was when Tomiko butted into the conversation and yelled at her husband. Tomiko and Thomas got into a heated argument because of this outrage, an ultimatum to Ayahime at her age.
Ayahime couldn't believe her father had asked her to move out of the house and move to an apartment at twelve. She was stunned at her parents' first-ever argument, a yelling slug match. It caused her to start crying and lie on the kitchen table since Ayahime felt responsible for her parents' fight. Ayahime couldn't stop crying until her father and mother calmed down and finally reached a compromise.
Thomas asked his daughter to raise her head and stop crying. He watched Ayahime carefully and then finally spoke about when she would leave. Thomas said Ayahime is 16 years old and will go to the nearest apartment complex. Her mother would drive her to the apartment complex, which is still in her school's district, so she could still attend the same school. Ayahime looked at her mother, who had a worried look on her face, but before Ayahime agreed to the terms. She asked her father if he would always kick her out of the house if Ayahime went against the Thomas Plan. Ayahime learned the truth at that moment, her father spoke a few words, Yes, but you would be leaving at 18 instead of 16. She gasped but agreed to his compromise since it wasn't much of one since it was preplanned.
Ayahime's driving force to become a Photographer and a Freelancer Reporter was because her father was deceitful and not telling the truth. She got Thomas' truth, and it was disgusting how much he planned for her to join the US Army. After the compromise, Thomas accepted the terms too and left for the bar in his truck. However, the responsibility to raise their daughter rests entirely on Tomiko's shoulders. Thomas won't as much look at Ayahime or Tomiko as long as his daughter is still at home.
When Ayahime turned 14, Tomiko gifted her a beautiful present, two matching whitish-silver Christian cross earrings. Ayahime wore them wholeheartedly since it was a lovely gift, and on this day, her mother forgave her for what had happened two years ago. Tomiko could move on, while Thomas could not.
After everything, when Ayahime turned 16, her mother drove her to her apartment complex, where she started living for what Thomas had done. Ayahime couldn't hug her mother since the Unregistered Noble Arms manifested four years ago. So far, no incidents involving Xorzin's Wrath have happened. She was careful and turned into a background character to disappear from the limelight. It was like everything her father said helped out in the end. Everyone at her school was afraid of Ayahime, which is why they left her alone, but her grades were top-notch. Ayahime picked classes that fit her drive to become a Journalist and Photographer.
Ayahime graduated High School with honors to pursue a Photographer and become a Freelance Reporter. She could attend any college with those two professions as applicable degrees. One major problem, Ayahime's social life was nonexistent. Ayahime didn't mind not having a social life since it was better than having people get injured or killed by that Noble Arm of hers.
Ayahime is now 21 years old and preparing to go to the Philippines as a Freelance Reporter, War Correspondent. She had been able to live somewhat peacefully besides all the creeps and stalkers bugging her. All because she wants to show everyone the truth. Ayahime has to keep an eye out for anyone that wants to bug her heavily and tell them not to invade her personal space.
Ayahime holds no more resentment towards her father, Thomas S. Walters. She learned to let go and move on with her life, since now she lives in Eugene, Oregon. She hit adulthood in an apartment since she had to travel across the country as a Journalist for three years. Ayahime told her mother about her traveling to the Philippines as a Freelance Reporter, War Correspondent. Her mother was deathly afraid of her doing that but respected her decision to follow her dreams.
Ayahime is an Unregistered Noble Arms Master, but she wants not to be a combatant during the conflict. She doesn't know how bad going to the Philippines is as an unregistered noble arms master or a Civilian allied to the Philippines by being part of the United States. Ayahime time spent moving everywhere in the United States was 255 times.
Current Goal: Ayahime is a War Correspondent for the Chinese-ASEAN War for the ASEAN Allies Side, specifically from the United States. She wants to stay not the center of attention while being a Freelance Reporter, War Correspondent in the warzone in the Philippines.
The Overall Goal: Deep down in Ayahime's soul, she wants help to understand a specific trouble spot in her life that has caused her to live with so much sorrow, and that's Xorzin's Wrath.
The Future Goal: Repair her relationship with her biological father, Thomas Sal Walters.
Military or Civilian Rank: Freelance Reporter, War Correspondent | Unregistered Noble Arms Master
The Walter Family is an extended historic family that has always served in one of the many military branches of the United States. Their service shows they have even fought in World War 1, World War 2, and other modern wars. Usually, each family member chooses between the United States Air Force, United States Army, United States Navy, or the United States Marines. Ayahime wasn't exempt from joining the military because of how hard her father pushed her to join it. She chose not to enter it but to most of her father's dismay while her mother wanted her to do something against their family tradition.
Ayahime decidedly wanted to be a Photographer and later a Freelancer Reporter to document things hidden in the shadows to bring them to light. She hunts for the truth to give it to the people who deserve it. Therefore, when the Chinese started to aim for the Philippines by declaring war on it. Ayahime decided to become a Freelancer Reporter, War Correspondent to report on the war. In addition, Ayahime wants to ensure the safety of others from her Noble Arm. Ayahime's mother, Tomiko, accepted her as the Freelance Reporter, even if she was scared of losing her daughter if anything terrible happened to her by going to the Philippines.
Thomas S. Walters hasn't forgiven his daughter for choosing her path, as much as he says when he talks to her over the phone. He is still afraid of her noble arm because of what it tried with him and Tomiko.
Heckler & Koch VP9 9MM Pistol and SIG Sauer P320 Pistol are her two handguns, which she carries on her. Ayahime uses these for self-defense, not to kill anyone but to disable an assailant. She holds at least four magazines for each pistol, and a fifth is in the two handguns.
Sony A7 IV, Camera for Photography
Ayahime bought this one since her previous camera broke on her when a creep destroyed it. It costs 2,698 dollars, and she'll take better care of it than her last one. She got the Body /w 28-70mm option. In addition, she has enough film to keep using it for a while. Sony- HDRCX405 HD Video Camcorder
Ayahime bought the top-of-the-line video camcorder so she could be entirely a solo, Freelance Reporter. Two hundred twenty-eight dollars compared to her Photography Camera, which this one is for interviewing people and getting their reactions on the live feed, while her camera is for still shots.
The Noble Arm Section
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Xorzin’s Wrath
There is a voice coming from Ayahime's Noble Arm, the Xorzin's Wrath. It is distorted and is more feminine and female in tone. Xorzin's Wrath frequently taunts Ayahime to be more like her. Noble Arm Rank:
Ayahime/Xorzin (Base State) "()" = Dark Doppelganger Active Power: B Speed: C Range: C Persistence: D (C) Precision: C (B) Potential: C
Xorzia Power: B Speed: B Range: C Persistence: D Precision: B Potential: C
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee | Dual-Element (Dark and Fire) | Close to Mid-Ranged
Noble Arm Abilities: Xorzin's Manifestation
Xorzin's Wrath is a Noble Arm that is both sentient and actively malicious. Identifying itself as "female," Xorzin holds enmity for all but its wielder, seeking to harm or kill anything and anyone that so much as slightly inconveniences Ayahime. Xorzin seeks to corrupt its wielder, to taunt and torment her until it can drag her down to its level, shaping her into its sister in self-serving, gleeful malice.
Xorzin is capable of using its powers entirely without its wielder's input and must be actively suppressed from doing so. Moreover, when Ayahime is emotionally compromised, Xorzin is able to manifest of its own will and take physical control of Ayahime's body to use as a puppet. Under normal circumstances, Xorzin's length is mostly white, but when acting of its own accord, the white bleeds into pitch black. During a self-summon, a dense, reddish-black fog rises around Ayahime's personal space (around a 1-2 meter radius). Causing Ayahime's hair to stand on end, the fog inflicts harsh, lingering rashes akin to Dermatitis on physical contact while it exists -on both Ayahime and others- and dissipates fully once the self-summon is complete. For as long as Xorzin remains manifested, it constantly emanates a seemingly indiscriminate aura of murderous wrath and gleeful malice.
Xorzin's Flaming Hell Slash
A burst of scorching-hot flames can be emitted from the blade, clocking in at temperatures of 707°F (375°C). The attack generally manifests as a rough wave of flame and heat, and Ayahime has some limited capacity to warp the orientation of that wave to avoid completely indiscriminate destruction, even in the case that it is Xorzin, itself, forcing the usage of this ability. The direct manifestation of flames cuts out at a maximum range of 75 yards from Ayahime's position. This ability tends to be highly straining on a mental and physical level, which usually leaves Ayahime stuck completely stationary for the duration of unleashing it.
Xorzin's Dark Doppelganger
Xorzin's trump card, when needs must, the Noble Arm can possess and separate Ayahime's shadow, forming it into an inverted "alter" version of its wielder named "Xorzia", a perfect physical clone aside from black eyes, purple hair, red clothes and blackish-red pentagrams for earrings. Xorzin's alter body possesses all of the powers the Noble Arm normally has, completely independent of Ayahime, even a copy of the weapon's blackened form. However, the copies of their powers are "flavored" accordingly. For example, the fog created by Foreboding Shroud. Ayahime is stuck with the relatively harmless version, while Xorzia is constantly being worn down by her harm-inducing version, leaving the latter more ferocity but less staying power in the long run.
In the meantime, for the duration of this ability, Ayahime is left free of Xorzin's direct influence while also lacking a shadow. While they still share a telepathic communication, Xorzia cannot influence Ayahime's control of her own copy of Xorzin's powers or vice-versa. As a result, both Ayahime and Xorzia gain a rank-up to Precision B for the purposes of unleashing and controlling their flames, due to not having to struggle against each-others' desires. Ayahime's Persistence ranks up to C due to no longer having to divert effort to restraining Xorxin, while Xorzia's Speed ranks up to B due to no longer being hampered by Ayahime's hesitance and good will.
Able to move up to 200 meters/658 feet away from her "benefactor" at any given time, the doppelganger remains manifested for as long as Xorzia can manage to hold out in the face of her own constant self-inflicted and accumulated outside damage and exhaustion. With the same physical "stats", she can be killed as easily as Ayahime. The ability also ends if Xorzia loses grip on her blackened copy of the Noble Arm or Ayahime is killed/utterly exhausted.
Xorzin's Foreboding Shroud (Passive)
Shortly after Xorzin finishes manifesting, whether by Ayahime's or its own will, it will begin emitting a reddish-black fog of darkness in a 6-10-foot radius of her position that will persist so long as the Noble Arm remains summoned. The fog's varying range is a result of Ayahime's movement, growing shorter in front of her the faster she runs in a given direction and spreading out to its fuller range if she takes a moment to move relatively little. As such, the outward assumption that she is always at the center is false, especially in a heated combat.
The fog greatly hinders sight. Aside from Ayahime, those inside are unable to visually perceive further than 3 feet in front of them. While within the fog, Ayahime's footsteps -but not other sounds- are completely silenced.
Normally, other than sensory inhibition, the fog is harmless. However, if Xorzin is presently in control, the fog gains the same rash-inducing quality as the self-summon fog, harming and rapidly draining Ayahime. Ayahime is dangerously ignorant of her mounting fog-induced damage/exhaustion until Xorzin dissipates.
Appearance: Due to World Manipulation, Verdict’s appearance can change rapidly in all aspects. Usually Verdict is 6’1” in height, has short brown hair, no facial hair to speak of, dark brown eyes, an overall thin but toned build, featuring a massive shit eating grin. Outside of combat he typically wears a blue short sleeve T and sweatpants. Inside of combat, he wears a custom made suit of armor. Said armor is lightweight, but is capable of withstanding small arms fire from modern weapons. While not impervious, it increases survivability by a significant margin. It also closely matches the full range of motion a human can do in melee combat. Said armor also covers his face, making it impossible to see his face clearly. He also carries a Beretta 92FS, attached to said armor, on the left leg.
Name: Solomon “Verdict” Aliyah
Age: 31
Nationality: Canadian
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Subterfuge - Subterfuge is a halberd, though notably is visually constructed purely out of a single material, appearing to be akin to steel. Despite this, Subterfuge remains light and comfortable to use. Upon Subterfuge’s shaft resides symbols representing concepts such as a divine being, the soul, and the Earth. The weapon’s blade is about as dangerous as a real combat ready halberd.
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: B Speed: B Range: C Persistence: B+ (S) Precision: B Potential: C
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Ranged, Change/Unity/Soul, All
Noble Arm Abilities:
World Manipulation - The main ability of Subterfuge. This does offense, defense, and many things in between. In its core concept, Subterfuge can alter materials. It can strip one material of specific elements, reconstitute an object into a different form, or raise a pillar of rock and dirt into the sky. This works on almost everything, including living humans, albeit requiring a very increased amount of effort. What it does not work on is Noble Arms, anything too far away from Subterfuge, or not in some way connected to an object Subterfuge is touching. Interestingly, this ability works on Verdict as well. He frequently uses it to change his own appearance, making him incredibly hard to catch.
The better Verdict understands an object, what the goal is, and how to do it, the more efficient Subterfuge is at altering it. This can lead to extremely efficient construction of stone spikes that erupt from the ground, or a construction of a sword from something like a car. The second best way to weaken this ability is to catch Verdict off guard. If he expects one material, but is met with something else, he will use an excessive amount of energy to modify it. The best way to neutralize the ability is to prevent Verdict from knowing what he’s interacting with, or to prevent Subterfuge from touching anything. Typically, the maximum range of this ability is a dozen meters for simple interactions, such as creating a spike, shifting a material’s mass overall, or things like that. For complex interactions, such as separating materials from an alloy, it needs to be within a few meters.
As expected, the wider the scale of the task, the more energy is required to do it, and maintain it in some cases. World Manipulation can affect objects not directly being touched, but in contact with whatever is being touched by Subterfuge, though this does not apply to anything with a soul. Those with a soul require direct physical contact to be directly altered, though this doesn’t stop Verdict from driving a spike through someone.
Soul Capture - Subterfuge exhibits a trait that not many other Noble Arms have, the ability to directly interact with souls, an immaterial aspect. While many Noble Arms can only affect the physical, Subterfuge affects the incorporeal. If someone dies near Subterfuge, or by Verdict’s hand, Subterfuge can latch onto said soul, using it for energy to sustain itself. Effectively, by killing others, the cost of using abilities is offset from Verdict and instead put onto the energy it can harvest from a soul. Only human souls are compatible with this task, as only human souls are immortal, however a soul cannot be held forever, as they are pulled out of Subterfuge’s grasp. Any lesser soul is quickly crushed by this process and eradicated.
This allows Subterfuge to do several interesting things. The most notable is soul imprinting. Subterfuge, when in physical contact with a structure, can imprint the soul onto it. It will no longer be able to draw energy from that soul, but a mechanical object would bow to Verdict’s will, even if logically it cannot move. A tank with a broken turbine will function, and shoot at whatever Verdict desires. A locked door will unlock itself under its own will and open. Depending on the size of the structure, and the complexity of the mechanics, will determine how long the soul stays imprinted before vanishing from this world. A notable downfall of this is that computers cannot be imprinted onto, however mechanical constructs, like a servo, can be affected.
An interesting caveat of the imprinting process is that anything with a soul attached cannot be imprinted on, however a corpse could have a soul imprinted to it, and rise from being dead, effectively creating a zombie. Unlike a zombie, if the soul is imprinted, no form of damage to the head will stop it, the only way to stop it would be to physically disable it, say blowing off its joints, or wait for the soul to fade. However, as a corpse would have had a soul previously imprinted, it behaves erratically and cannot be directly controlled by Verdict, only given general suggestions on what to do which is ultimately followed. The same also applies to any mechanical structure with a soul attached to it in some form unless it was by Subterfuge before.
An important caveat of imprinting is that when the soul is pulled away from the world, the object typically reacts violently. Typically, the object will squirm and uncontrollably move as if it were alive, with claw marks appearing on surfaces of the object. In rare cases, the object itself twists and deforms, becoming an unrecognizable mass of material, though this is rare and only happens with smaller objects, like a small car or motorcycle. If a soul of an Arms Master is imprinted onto something, they do not gain the ability to use their Noble Arm, however they stay imprinted for longer than regular human souls. When Subterfuge is dispelled, or is otherwise forced into non-existence, any captured souls are immediately released.
The Half Prime - This ability allows Subterfuge to temporarily create an image of a humanoid body. Said image is physically present, and can affect the world, however is not very resistant to physical damage. Verdict can see and hear with the Half Prime as if it were his own body, though vision is slightly worsened, as if it were a visualization in one’s mind. By default, the Half Prime appears as an inky black void, though with effort it can change to resemble any human desired by Verdict, taking their voice too.
There is one special trait to the Half Prime, though. It can have a soul imprinted onto it. When a soul is imprinted onto the Half Prime, it gains incredible strength and speed, but the raw power it obtains begins tearing its body apart, the power being enough to cleave through a bulkhead without much trouble. By doing this, Verdict has almost all of his energy drained, but he retains perfect control of the Half Prime up until it is either destroyed or destroys itself. This generally ends up being a last ditch move, as it leaves Verdict vulnerable, but can assuredly destroy most things threatening him. When in this state, anyone killed by the Half Prime does not result in Soul Capture being activated.
If the majority of the Half Prime’s body is destroyed or damaged, it will fade on its own as it cannot exist forever. This applies to both states, but being imprinted accelerates this process by a significant margin. When imprinted, sometimes the Half Prime speaks on its own will, usually speaking the dreams or wishes of the soul which currently inhabits its body, or the dreams or wishes of someone it’s about to kill. Typically, The Half Prime can exist 200 meters away from Verdict at maximum.
Soul Perception - Subterfuge allows Verdict to peer into what he coins as “soulspace”. Soulspace is a realm outside the material, where Verdict can see the basic flow of life and energy. This is most obviously useful at alerting him to the presence of a living creature nearby if he should be alone, or tracking down a specific person. If Verdict’s energy and focus is directed, he can slowly pick out individual people, and get a very rough sense of where they are, at the cost of giving them the feeling that there is someone pursuing them. This ability to pick out individual people becomes useless in crowded areas, as it becomes impossible to spot individual souls.
The more time Verdict spends with specific people and becomes friends (or enemies) with them, he can sometimes have an easier time figuring out where they are if they’re somewhat nearby. Alternatively, if Verdict stays in melee range with another person for an extended period of time, Subterfuge can “mark” their soul, effectively allowing Verdict to know if they stray close to him, though only one person can be marked at a time. This works in the opposite way too, as whoever is marked will get the feeling Verdict is close as well. Said marks last for a few months, unless significant changes happen to the marked soul or it is otherwise resisted.
Those aware of what’s happening to them can counter Subterfuge’s effects, such as preventing Verdict from figuring out where they are, at the cost of alerting Verdict that they’re being resisted, which can be very important info. This ability also allows those that can interact with souls to telepathically talk with Verdict, though it can be resisted. Typically, Soul Perception has a range of 200 meters.
Misc Abilities: Verdict is extremely talented at material sciences, as a result of him wanting to better his ability to use Subterfuge. He is capable of understanding a vast majority of materials around him at most times, making him an extremely dangerous threat in any urban or wild environment. He also can use this knowledge to make items with Subterfuge that push the limits of known material science, for instance, an incredibly tough but lightweight shield. Verdict also knows plenty about psychology, mainly to twist people to his will. In his own words, the soul is just as important as the material.
Personality: Verdict, to put it bluntly, is a shit person. He cheats, lies, and steals for his own goals. To Verdict, nobody is close to being comparable to himself other than his master. Verdict often ignores the advice of others unless it regards something important, due to his self-envisioned superiority. There is basically zero good quality to him, and he will pursue his goals at any costs, though he knows how valuable of a resource other people can be. He’ll work with some other people, if he thinks he can use them somehow.
Fears: Death, harm to his master, his work being all for naught.
Bio: Verdict had a relatively okay upbringing, born to a fairly regular family. Not much happened during his childhood, that was until his Noble Arm formed. Most interestingly, it formed before anything serious happened. One minute, Verdict was walking to the grocery store, the next a halberd appeared in his hand freaking him out, then soon after someone who intended to rob Verdict rounded a corner. Predictably, they were freaked out by a kid with a halberd and ran off. The following few months was spent by Verdict researching Noble Arms whenever possible, trying to learn about his. Something he noted was that his family acted more distant towards him after they learned about his Noble Arm. No matter, he knew what a Noble Arm could do, it could change the world.
How could he change the world? He could assist with the extraction of gold or other rare metals... No, he’d get shit pay for that. Maybe if this were medieval times he’d be able to buy out even kings. He could use Subterfuge’s power of twisting and changing things to make gold, but no, he’d get in trouble for that. There are laws limiting Arms Masters. Fuck the laws, then. He’s powerful, he could change the world. Subterfuge would let him remake the world. That’s when his master reached out, an awful, probing spindly needle clawing its way into Verdict’s mind. It eventually grabbed hold of him, and that needle spoke to him.
The master described Verdict as soul-sensitive. Someone who could see, and even interact with the immaterial realm. Something very few, even among Arms Masters, could perceive. The master was one of those people, in fact that’s the only thing his Arm could do, interact with the realm of souls. His master spoke to him, helped him learn, told him so many things. Some were lies, but Verdict was deluded by promises of power. The master learned about Verdict’s past, used that to convince him to work for him. After all, who could stop Verdict?
It started with simple things. Simple robberies, very clean ones too. As a reward, the master told Verdict many things. Especially about the Big Three. Nothing that only he was privy to, but things he knew in general about them. His crimes only escalated from there, getting more and more brazen and out there. Soon, he was wanted by the authorities, but no one knew him as Solomon. They only knew him by his alias, Verdict. He could become anyone, plus with the assistance of his master, go anywhere.
That anywhere led him to the Philippines, where the current war was soon to kick off. No one knew he was there, if they did they wouldn’t know where he is or how he got there. In the years before he managed to get there, he had become powerful with Subterfuge. His crimes became quite substantial, gaining an international following. Verdict is a wanted man almost everywhere. Being in close proximity with other Arms Masters would be quite troublesome, but he can thread the needle. Verdict is powerful and cunning. Plus he can look good too, that’s bound to win him a few things, no matter how small.
Current Goal: Create the Divine Being, dominate those who would threaten him. Remake the world in his image, his vision of a perfect world.
Military or Civilian Rank: Criminal, labeled as a terrorist.
Especially tall and muscular, standing just a hair under six and a half feet tall. Her cap sports a badge with the Canis Major symbol of the Laelaps-unit. She also has elaborate tattoos of the Aztec gods Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc on her left and right shoulders, respectively.
Name: Marlena Dorn
Age: 22
Nationality: Austrian
Noble Arm Name & Appearance:
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: B Speed: B Range: C Persistence: B Precision: C Potential: B
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Support, Storm, Close to Medium Range
Noble Arm Abilities:
Gray Skies: Marlena is able to passively manifest rain in her vicinity, approximately the size of a city block, when wielding Tlāloc's Tempest, up to a steady rainfall by default, and when focused up to a steady downpour with winds. The weather has all the effects normal rain would have on combatants (reduced visibility, less traction on items and surfaces, etc.). Marlena is herself immune to the detrimental effects of strong rain and winds, natural or generated, and can temporarily gift this ability to allies via physical contact for a few minutes.
Legion From the Torrent: Marlena's most notable ability is to create temporary clones of herself, emerging from her position as bodies made of water wielding a water-copy of her noble arm. She can manifest such copies at will or while moving, instilling them with a simple command (attack the enemy, defend me, protect this person) in the process. The clones are equivalent in strength to Marlena but temporary, only able to absorb a lethal attack or last fifteen seconds before dissolving into normal water. She is only able to manifest up to about five or six at a time with some effort; more are possible but at the risk of severely exhausting her. The clones also demanifest when moved beyond the distance of a city block.
Flash Flood: Marlena channels a torrent of water from a suitably sized source, powerful enough to knock enemies off their feet and tip over some vehicles. She has decent control over the shape and use of the water, but can't use fine manipulation on it. She requires a body of water or at least a suitable amount of water-based liquid to accomplish this, though her own water clones can be used for this purpose. She also can't pull water out of something that contains it like an animal or another human being.
Call Down the Thunder: With access to an unobstructed sky, Marlena summons a bolt of lightning that strikes her with the approximate force of a grenade, leaving her unharmed as she absorbs the electrical energy. The stored energy doubles her agility and reaction time, and will last for a few minutes before naturally dissipating, unless she discharges the lightning through an attack, with a strike powerful enough to launch a car across the street while discharging the lightning strike. She can theoretically call it down as much as she wants, but if she doesn't wait at least a few minutes before discharging she risks exhausting herself to maintain it or even unsummoning her own weapon. Notably, this strike can be channeled to dismiss an enemy's Noble Arm, but the effort would notably exhaust her. Marlena's water clones do not benefit from Call Down the Thunder's charge.
Fury of the Lord of Water: Marlena channels her powers for a moment or two to unleash her full power, enhancing Gray Skies to be able to produce storm force winds and rain equivalent to a Category 3 Hurricane with an area equivalent to a few buildings in width, as well as directly channeling lightning through herself and her weapons to direct at enemies, equivalent to normal lightning strikes in terms of damage and action. This ability can last up to fifteen minutes, and beyond that mark she risks exhausting her abilities or even losing consciousness. If cancelled earlier, she can still maintain use of her Noble Arm powers to a lesser degree until rested.
Misc Abilities:
Close Combat Expert: Exceptionally strong, and trained in a mixture of armed and unarmed combat. Especially skilled with the use of polearms, given her Noble Arm.
Scholar of Myth: Very well-read, especially with mythological and archeological studies. Fluent in German, English, Spanish, and Nahuatl.
Deaf: Born with congenital hearing loss and tends to have difficulty speaking, though she's very good at reading lips and can communicate with sign language.
Wealthy: She may not flaunt it, but Marlena has a sizeable multi-million dollar fortune to her name, thanks to what can be politely described as family drama.
Personality: Marlena embodies the cliché of a gentle giant almost to a fault. Cool and collected in nearly every situation, she always has a smile on her face when times get tough and rarely gets rattled by unwanted surprises or situations. Sometimes she's a bit of a klutz, sometimes she gets lost in a fascinating book or her own thoughts, but she's always guaranteed to have your back, whether you want her to or not.
Her easygoing nature nevertheless hides a bundle of nerves and anxieties, driven by a determination to do better then the rotten stock that she came from. Easygoing as she is, she won't stand by what she thinks is wrong, and if the gloves come off and you push her just a bit too far, you might even get her angry.
That is a storm you'd be lucky to survive.
*Likes: Lazy rainy days, reading, lifting, seeing new places, food, Mesoamerican mythology (I know, so hard to tell right?)
*Dislikes: Driving, condescending dicks who talk to her like a five year old when they find out she's deaf, cherries, shoelaces, Guns, Germs, and Steel
Fears: Her family, agoraphobia.
Bio: Marlena Dorn was an accident. That's what her father would say if you asked him, anyway.
Born in Graz, Austria, the youngest daughter of successful construction mogul Lucas Dorn, Marlena appeared to live the life of a spoiled upper class girl, complete with an expensive education and standard of living. In truth though she was often neglected and emotionally isolated; born with congenital hearing loss, her father often dismissed her as 'inferior stock', an opinion which was sadly all too common among her family, and as a result she found herself in the company of books and stories of fantastic far off cultures to get away from her dismal home life, her bullying brothers, and most especially her sadistic grandfather, Reiner Dorn.
Reiner had been a young teen on track to join the SS before the Second World War ended when he manifested one of the first known Noble Arms in history. Naming it the Staff of Freyr, he participated in guerilla style brawls with the then victorious Allies before joining up with Die Spinne to help fellow Nazis escape justice. Becoming a close associate of Otto Skorzeny, Reiner would later found the paramilitary fascist organization Gespenst, working to spread its influence in political and financial circles while supporting far right causes throughout the world. While publicly the Dorn family has strongly condemned the actions of Reiner, in truth the entire family served as agents of Gespenst, spreading their influence via the family's political and business connections.
With a mighty Noble Arm in hand, Reiner Dorn saw his weapon as proof of his superiority, a living testament to his dominance over the subhuman. And it needled him to know end that the sniveling weasel he called a son could never get one of his own. Determined not to make the same "mistake" again, Reiner founded his own Spartan Training Program and put his loyal grandsons through brutal, often abusive training to try and summon one, if only to prove that Noble Arms were the purview of the master race. Anger grew with each and every failure, and soon that anger fell on the family's neglected and ignored granddaughter.
Marlena was never quite sure why it happened. Maybe her oldest brother thought she was a taint on the family bloodline stopping them from getting a Noble Arm. Maybe he was just taking out his anger on her and finally went to far. Or maybe he just snapped. Either way, it ended with her brother's hands clenched tightly around her throat, trying to strangle her, and in what could only be ascribed to the universal law of karma, her powers manifested, a violent rainstorm bursting from her and bringing down the Dorn family mansion on their heads. As the police came to investigate, they would find only one survivor of the freak storm; Marlena Dorn, soaked to the bone and clutching a strange polearm, its blade plunged through the chest of the brother who tried to kill her. Quickly removed from the scene, an officer recognizing the Noble Arm brought Marlena to the attention of the government and she was transferred to the agency Wachturm, a post-cold war agency in Central Europe that managed and protected Noble Arms users in the region.
Against all odds, Marlena's life seemed to turn around. Under the protection and care of her handler Agent Daria Gaster, a much kinder parental figure then she'd ever had before, Marlena was able to move past her traumas, growing into a better person while learning the ins and outs of controlling her new Noble Arm, which she gave a mesoamerican name to distance herself from the similar weapon her Grandfather wielded. More surprises came when the Austrian government finally finished untangling the web of influence that Marlena's father had built, a web that came crashing down with his mansion and brought Gespenst with it. With much of her family presumed dead or missing and their assets left in the open, Lucas Dorn's remaining millions would go to his closest living relative with an untarnished record, the daughter he considered inferior.
Coming back from the brink and living her best life, Marlena's confidence and ability led her to be a favorite for transfer to a new task force, the Laelaps Unit, where she would get the chance to bring the fight directly to her family's old allies, whom had been folded into the Dark Descent when Gespenst fell apart. En route to assist the ASEAN forces in their struggle against invasion, Marlena is not ready to face the oncoming storm.
She is the oncoming storm.
*Current Goal: Bring the fight to the Downward Descent, disappoint her shitty Nazi family a little more, and maybe make some friends along the way.
Power: A Speed: C (S) Range: F (S) Persistence: C Precision: B Potential: D
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Support/Ranged, Element of Data/Information
Noble Arm Abilities:
Data Conversion - Can convert objects and people touched by the Shield into raw data/information who are then contained in the Noble Arm; the larger the object or person, the longer it takes to convert, although an average human adult can be turned to data in a full second, while an automobile takes five minutes. This power works only through direct contact with the shield and people converted to data are knocked unconscious by said conversion. Not just that, but objects converted to data can be turned back into their material forms by a mental command alone; smaller objects become physical again instantly while larger objects, such as people take time to reappear (same pace as conversion to data).
He can store up to an entire luxury yacht's worth of matter in his shield if given 12 hours, and can theoretically store twice that if given 48 hours of constant concentration, but it is not recommended.
Data Transmission - Myron can 'connect' to a mundane electronic device, such as a radio, telephone, or internet-capable gadget and transfer the data he stores in the shield to said device, allowing objects and people to be transported at high speeds. The drawback to this is that this process is affected by anything that can jam communications IRL, such as electronic jamming, firewalls, and antivirus, or just the destruction of the corresponding device before it 'downloads' the data. Living beings (people) who had been converted to data and failed to transfer reappear at the location of Myron's shield, physically damaged depending on the measures taken to stop them. This is also why Myron's Noble Arm has (S) in Range, because this can theoretically allow him to exceed the dreaded A-rank by using the IRL internet (still not recommended due to antivirus programs, though).
Misc Abilities: Myron fights like a Normal person most of the time, being adept in guns, unarmed combat, and melee, with his forte being hacking and cyberwarfare, also poisons and antidotes. He has, in the past, also been trained to look cute and adorable so that he can treacherously stab, gun down, and poison Arms Masters. This is because he used to be a member of the Disablers, an Anti-Arms Master terrorist organization, and he keeps using many of their techniques despite his new allegiance.
Personality: Myron is resentful of the world, resentful of the system, resentful of factions, and is working for the Philippine Government of National Salvation because they guarantee him his revenge against the members of the Hammer of Masters and Disablers, as well as pay him in cold hard cash plus confiscated haciendas (estates/plantations) from the discredited members of the previous Government. Though he has a side that wishes the best for people, he prefers to bury it with a hedonistic attitude where he appreciates the finer things in life a bit too much. And by that, he is the type to give most of the land he's given to the tenant farmers already farming it but keeping enough to ensure a comfortable life for himself.
*Likes: Coffee, Cash, Sports Cars.
*Dislikes: The Hammer of Masters, Disablers, and being forced to kill children.
Fears: The Former Head of the Hammer of Masters, [Identity is a Spoiler].
Bio: Myron was born to an American Businessman and a Filipino 'bar girl' who sought to marry him for money, but was deceived and thrown away. Raised in poverty and bearing the brunt of his mother's abuse, Myron was sold to the 'Spartan Training Program' overseas in Singapore at the age of six by people who promised that he would come back as an Arms Master. Instead, at the age of 12, he escaped with several other students and joined the Disablers, a group of Anti-Arms Master terrorists who killed Arms Masters through ambush, assassination, and bombings. Myron was thus trained further, taught to lure in Arms Masters into wanting to protect him so that he can literally stab them in the back.
At the age of sixteen, he fought against the Hammer of Masters in Northern Iraq, where their leader had established 'The Malikate', a nation for Arms Masters to rule over Non-Arms Masters, and two years of hard fighting followed, where he killed several Arms Masters simply by posing as an enslaved 'Normal Person' and poisoning their water supplies, setting up IEDs and traps, or even - And this haunts him to no end - kidnapping their children, even those who had not manifested a Noble Arm, and using them to lure their Arms Master parents to buildings filled to the brim with explosives.
When he turned eighteen, in the final siege of the Malikate's base on the Syrian - Iraqi border, Myron was captured by the Hammer of Master's 'Malik', [NAME REDACTED], who had him thrown into the dungeons in order to... He refuses to speak of it, only saying that he was busted out by the Malik's second-in-command himself. However, as he trekked back to the Disablers' battle lines, he realized this: That the Hammer and the Disablers had become mirror images of each other, fueled by hate. And as he realized this, he grew a Noble Arm, realized that he cannot go back to the Disablers, and as the world was thrown into chaos by the announcement that three groups had emerged that can give Noble Arms to ordinary people, sought asylum with the UN and returned to the Philippines.
He next emerged four years later, as a mercenary working with the coup plotters who set up the Government of National Salvation when it turned out the newly-elected President of the Philippines was planning to traffick his own voters to China to be used as slaves and human sacrifices by the Downward Descent. During the new Government's takeover, he and another Arms Master, Noel Alonso, led the Storming of Malacañang Palace, where the two put down all resistance and arrested the President and all adult members of his family, before moving on to arresting the Old Government's supporters in the countryside, where he was granted several hundred hectares of land confiscated from those corrupt oligarchs, most of which he gave to the tenant farmers who farmed them.
Now, he has been sent to aid the newly-formed Task Force Obsidian (composed of most of the PCs) relieve the Philippines' new allies in the Pacific...
*Current Goal: Hold on to the estates he had been granted by the Government of National Salvation and give them over to their tenant farmers as smallholdings.
Military or Civilian Rank: Special Inspector with powers equivalent to a First Lieutenant.
Power: (A) D Speed: B Range: B Persistence: C Precision: C Potential: D
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Ranged, but requires Melee/Close-Range
Noble Arm Abilities: Clavado: Iker physically lodges his axe and moves or manipulates one object at a time within roughly a kilometer of similar composition as any or all of the materials through which the axe is lodged, including the host itself, within the limitations of said materials.
The harder to dislodge the axe, the further control he has. He does not have to hold the axe, but the axe acts as a conduit. He must know what the target object is and in which direction it lies (with 30 degrees' room for error). When the axe is dislodged, he may choose to reverse the damage to the original host.
Materials must match physical properties. For example, wood that becomes burnt and metal that is melted would be rendered inoperable. Living organisms of the same species count as having the same material composition, but living organisms and dead organisms don't. Live trees are the exception, counting both as lumber and as living organisms. Non-sapient target organisms can also be matured or reverted.
Misc Abilities: Expert marksman with regards to firearms and archery; can use a bola effectively.
Personality: Believes himself no better or worse than anyone else, and so maintains a baseline level of respect from strangers to bosses. He will just as readily bop the nose of a president as clean up after a janitor's meal. He takes efforts to ensure that his acts of kindness go unnoticed but that his words of wisdom are heeded. He will make distasteful jokes in the most inappropriate times if he thinks they'd be humorous, and he's not afraid to voice his honest opinion.
*Likes: Smart humor, good steak, humbling the mighty
*Dislikes: Minors, fanfare, personal recognition, arrogant people, cynics
Fears: Mobs and mob mentality, obscurity, ants
Bio: Affinity against radicals runs in Iker's blood. His oldest traceable ancestor, a minor don, lost his land and fortune during Mexico's War for Independence. Another of his ancestors fell to the Zapatistas. His mother never knew her father, as the Partido de las Pobres murdered him. The family tree's collection of pruned branches were jokingly considered a curse in Iker's lineage. His father's fatal mining incident only added to the superstition.
The paternal figure in Iker's life was replaced by the comfort of his extended family, the glorious profiles of Iker's heritage, and the sovereignty of his God. His childhood fantasies were of brave soldiery, not for Mexico but for Spain, destined for failure yet resolute. His uncle (thrice removed) pitied the desperado and took him hunting in Texas on several occasions, where Iker refined his marksmanship outside the Institutional Revolutionary Party's confines.
Iker tasted the wider world, and he wanted a fuller meal. He briefly bade his loved ones farewell and departed, not to return. He was abandoned in memory because none dared to follow. He toured South America, taking various short-term employments, few lasting beyond three months. He learned new skills and expanded his repertoire. He traversed Peru, mined in Chile, herded cattle in Argentina, and finally trimmed Brazil's rainforest.
The Brazilian mechanical equipment once experienced temporary breakdowns. Out of options, Iker and his compatriots charged the trees with axes. Iker imagined himself tearing the lumber apart as he chopped it. Cries came from down the line, as a wholly separate tree splintered into pieces. Iker dropped his assigned axe to find in his hands an alternate, luminous battle-axe. Needless to say, the crew met their quota for the day even before the machinery was repaired.
Over the next year or so, Iker would test his newfound abilities across all manner of flora and fauna, separating the possible from the impossible. Iker had doubtless more to learn but stood alone in his expertise. Soon, WWIII broke out. China in Iker's eyes embodied the stagnant radicalism he so despised. He made his journey to the Philippines and offered his services as a contracted Noble Arm. Perhaps he would succeed where his predecessors had failed, and break the curse of revolution.
*Current Goal: For now, to earn his daily bread. In retirement, to own a large ranch and proclaim himself a Don.
Tall Scandinavian. Also, Punk Valkyrie. Long blonde hair, partially dyed in whatever bright color is on her mind. Garters, ripped jeans, leather boots, tiny jackets. The shades stay on. Is this a JoJo reference? The Valkyrie part is reserved to wing motifs on her clothes, until her Noble Arm comes out. The shield is not part of any regular ensemble. 5’11” / 181cm 161 lbs / 73kg
Name: Indra Larsdottir
Age: 21
Nationality: Swedish
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Dís, an ornate and impractically designed winged spear, twice her height in length. Indra has described it as “anime.” (Pictured in Appearance)
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: B Speed: B Range: A Persistence: B Precision: C Potential: C
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Ranged, Pop Norse Mythology, Long-range
Soul of Asgard: While Dís is manifested, Indra sprouts a pair of wings, made from a materialized form of her own soul - their texture has been described in many ways, including a lot of synonyms of "perplexing." They are impenetrable and indestructible to any mundane force, as well as most known supernatural forces, and allow her to fly with near perfect maneuverability up to narrowly subsonic speed, ignorant of otherwise deadly G-forces. She can grow them larger to shield herself or others, at a deadly sharp spike in stamina-over-time cost. She cannot safely manage a wingspan of over 6 meters. If Indra's wings are severed (this would require digging into her back), the separation from her soul has... many interesting consequences, beginning with a Survivability coma. Dís is forcibly demanifested and Indra is left unconscious for 10 minutes. She should be all better when she wakes up.
Voice of Asgard: While Dís is manifested, Indra reverts to speaking in Old Norse, a language that she normally does not know. Anyone listening can understand her perfectly, and anyone that she chooses to address can hear her regardless of distance or interference, as long as she knows where they are. This ability extends to all conscious forms of life, though most animals can't reply, and hardly have to listen.
Valr: Indra is uncannily adept at using Dís as a weapon. She is undefeated in melee dueling (though she's only tried herself in training fights, the feat stands), and for long ranges, she can throw Dís in such a way that it rapidly accelerates through air up to Mach 6 and flies with negligible drop-off or deviation up to 60 kilometers, before sharply decelerating. Any impact with a solid material that would normally halt or dramatically slow an object flying at such speed, will end this acceleration. She can recall Dís back to her hand from any location using the same mechanics, sans the distance restriction, and catch it reliably with speed and reflexes otherwise inaccessible to her. This is slower, but often more convenient, than de- and re-manifesting it, especially midflight. Due to the period of acceleration, her throw’s destructive power scales with distance, from that of a normal thrown spear at point-blank range, to that of a shoulder-launched rocket at 20 meters, to that of - though this isn’t really a comparison so much as a description - a hypersonic kinetic missile, past ten kilometers.
Glasir: A partially-developed healing ability, discovered very recently. By closing their eyes with her fingers, Indra can put a consenting person into a deathlike sleep. After exactly 27 hours, they rise in perfect health - better than they've ever felt - regardless of what happened to them in the meantime. Beginning and ending this process both take an enormous amount of energy from her, making this only conditionally worthwhile, especially for aiding Arms Masters. “Consenting” doesn’t mean she has to ask and get a yes - after their eyes close, the patient will feel the tug of deep sleep, and must choose to give in, or else the feeling will simply pass. Getting legally recognized informed consent may help a patient choose to give in, but it isn’t needed to fully trigger Glasir. If a patient dies while in the sleep of Glasir, Indra's stamina begins to take a sharp dive, and she goes into a Survivability coma within one minute. The 27-hour period is restarted, and both she and her patient remain disabled and dead for the duration. If Indra survives this period, the patient is resurrected, even from total obliteration... but Indra does not wake up. She will remain permanently comatose without extraordinarily intensive medical intervention.
Into Valhalla: When allies choose to follow Indra’s orders or lead - they must be following or obeying, not simply accompanying - in doing something mortally dangerous, all fear of the risks is dramatically mitigated, enabling cool heads or suicidal courage that might otherwise be unrealistic. This effect is weakened, but not absent, in Arms Masters. She will typically, but not necessarily, scream “Valhalla!” when she is invoking this - being more of the suicidal courage type herself.
Misc Abilities: Indra has a strong, if debatably “good,” sense of fashion. Humor too. Having been slated to become an officer for almost five years now, Indra is starting to learn how to order soldiers around without resorting to magic. She can also shoot a gun straight. Indra can smooth-talk. Or talk-and-talk. Indra’s a talker. Only in Swedish, Icelandic, and English though. And she’s nearly fluent in German, Russian (especially the swearing), and Italian. She… knows a few languages. It’s a hobby. Looks like Tagalog is next. Indra could teach almost anyone a thing or two about petty theft. She returns what she takes, it’s just a game.
Personality: Yes. Indra dresses tough, but doesn’t mean anything by it: she just loves the look. She loves strongly and broadly. She pets strangers’ dogs. She hugs her friends tightly without asking. At parties, she excuses herself to see whoever’s alone and ask if they’re okay. She may drop bits of sarcasm or dark humor for the right audience, but never rudely. It’s the same in war. She may kill. But never rudely.
Likes: Food, friends, f… umm… anime. Older is better, usually. Oh, music. Lots of music. Sabaton? Yellow Card? Jackson Five? Terraria OST? Try all at once. Animals, flowers, lollipops, pretty much all people. Looking good, feeling good, doing good.
Dislikes: …what she has to do.
Fears: Jumping and flying bugs. Losing touch with herself.
Bio: Indra was happy with her normal life. High school was going brilliantly. Grades were good, social circle was great, family was proud of her. She was well on her way to a job in, well, it could’ve been anything. Anything she’d put her mind to. Maybe. Today, she could be fresh out of college, interviewing for that “anything” she was so looking forward to doing. Maybe she’d already be at work. Maybe she’d have proven herself by now and been respected in her field… though that’s a stretch. She’d at least be friends with the manager. But then there’s what the Norns had in mind for her. What she really is. Dís’s arrival was almost five years ago – it felt like it should’ve been embarrassing. It was the end of her junior year, the end of finals week, the end of a good movie at the end of a good movie night. She just kind of pumped her fist and… and then there was a spear there. And she'd grown wings. And that was the end of her life. Or it felt like it was. For a while. She might have been cut out for a lot of things, but “national symbol” wasn’t one of them. Neither was… the military… like, at all. But she made do. Or she’s making do. Or – okay – she’ll make do. …hopefully…
Current Goal: Make do? Military or Civilian Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
The Gauntlet of Wrath. When active, the Arm's power is devastating. Strikes from the Left Hand have ruined most known mundane structures, cracking dams, rending buildings, and shattering concrete pavement beneath one's feet. Marta has yet to employ the full power of this ability for violence, but battle tanks smashed into pieces and sent flying are a convincing data point. The effects of the Left Hand also strengthen Marta's body considerably, though much less than what is outputted - she can take most Small Arms and Light Weapons to the face and live, but a solid punch from her will still send herself flying from the recoil.
The Right Hand of Mercy:
The Gauntlet of Kindness. When active, Marta can emit an aura that heals all nearby living beings within 33 meters. This effect is indiscriminate - friend and foe are fully healed and restored to vigor. This effect will work on wounds received in the last three minutes and heal any injury short of death.
For the Left Hand is Might, but the Right Hand is Mercy:
Only one Hand can be active at any one time. Switching from one to the other requires roughly 33 seconds of concentration. Each hand has only five charges of its full power - they can be used fifty times each at significantly reduced output. Output cannot be recovered except by resting or, once a day, taking a full hour to pray the Rosary three times.
Misc Abilities:
Oath to Order: As a (Self-Titled) Sister in service to the Lord, Marta has collected not only a fairly solid understanding of theology but a set of abilities suited to humanitarian aid. She's not exactly a UN paramedic, but she can provide first aid, forage for food, aid in disaster relief, and other emergency functions.
I *am* a Holy Woman, I *Will* Beat You Senseless: Marta is trying hard to get the hang of the whole "Turning the other cheek" affair, but at the end of the day, a mean left hook is a mean left hook. Years of Boxing classes don't vanish into thin air, and well, sometimes, the people with guns won't take "no" for an answer.
Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals: Marta got into drums as part of her music classes in school and has since acquired a taste for percussion. She never quite hit the professional scene before taking her vows, but in these violent days, it serves as a more peaceful hobby than punching sandbags to ruin.
Personality:
Likes: Charity, Playing Music, Action Figures, Storms, Clocks
Dislikes: Deliberate Cruelty, Hot Temperatures (Humid or Otherwise), Religious Dogmatism, Amusement Parks
Fears: Losing control of her power, becoming close-minded as she ages, tight spaces
Bio:
Born and raised in Lisbon, the daughter of the Rocha Family had a solidly middle-class upbringing in a family of clerks and accountants. She spent much of her time running to and fro school, much less interested in formal education than her personal interests. A Latchkey kid with a heterodox approach to life, she spent much more time with a gaggle of fellows, pursuing many interests but with few sticking.
Her first passion was percussion, which she took up after a few music classes at school. The intensity of the rhythm and vibration pleased her on a profound level - it reminded her of the ticking of clockwork and the crashing booms of thunder. As her love of music developed, so did her attunement to the spiritual and abstract facets of nature. Repulsed by the dry nature of the family's work and burning desire to contribute something to the world, she moved to a religious institute but bounced off hard from the rigid hierarchies expected of her.
She's very quiet and private about this period of her life, but what is known is that she emerged sometime later as a self-avowed nun of no denomination, wielding the Hands of Might and Mercy. She's been on a veritable crusade against humanitarian crises, famines, natural disasters, civil wars, and refugee crises. Her Arms have healed victims of terrorism from certain death, blown paths through debris in the aftermath of earthquakes, and pulled truckloads of resources for isolated communities.
Current Goal:
The current conflict in SEA with China is extremely dangerous and has already extracted more than its toll in human life and misery. Even if she didn't have Noble Arms, she couldn't allow herself to stand by and do nothing... so she's decided to stick her nose into the ongoing affairs. She'd rather not hurt people if she can avoid it, but she's more than determined to do all she can to bring the war to an end.
Military or Civilian Rank: Sister (Self-Proclaimed)
Name: Jason Valenovich Etalin (Джейсон валенович эталин) Age: 24 Appearance: 6’1”, 190 lbs and perpetually youthful. His black hair matches the permanent dark circles under his eyes. Wears a red plague doctor mask on field assignments to hide his facial expressions and make it harder to trace his identity, since both could potentially be used against him in accordance with his ongoing personality disorder. Nationality: Russian
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Razlyubit, a black wedding band that Jason typically manifests on his index finger.
Noble Arm Rank: A
Power: B- (Hemokinesis) Speed: A- (Hemokinesis) Range: D+ (Viral Blood Autonomy) Persistence: A Precision: C Potential: A
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: A versatile Noble Arm whose main abilities necessitate close range and thus a Melee fighting style. Based on Blood, Life, Emotions, and Promises.
Noble Arm Abilities:
Superhuman - Jason possesses a heavily augmented physiology. He is mostly ageless, having stopped and even partially "undone" senescence, and possesses physical speed and strength beyond that of an olympian athlete. His top running speed is approximately 30 mph and he can deadlift a few thousand pounds without too much effort. Could lift several thousand pounds overhead with exertion.
Thick Skin - Jason’s skin and flesh are relatively sturdy, able to stop most bullets and mundane weapons from causing deep wounds and/or heavy damage. Noble Arms with mostly mundane properties will similarly struggle to do significant damage.
Pain Immunity - Jason feels absolutely no pain, able to sense the sensation and where it comes from, but not feeling it as pleasant nor unpleasant.
Regeneration - The ability with the greatest power among Jason’s abilities, Jason’s healing factor is fast-acting and very difficult to counter even without his Thick Skin protecting him. It renders him immune to most forms of toxins and illnesses, including radiation and, surprisingly, cancer. He is capable of surviving otherwise fatal wounds to the heart and brain, as well as extreme loss of body mass via dismemberment. He can replenish his blood rapidly and regrow limbs and organs as if from nothing, though extended use of this ability without caloric intake will cause its effects to gradually slow down. That being said, even starving, his regeneration will never completely stop unless he is dead, and no wound or injury is permanent. It is capable of pushing bullets and other foreign objects out of the body, and could theoretically be directed to grow out Jason’s hair or nails on command. (It doesn’t by default as a sort of customizable parameter) With enough recovery time, (~6 hours under ideal circumstances) Jason could theoretically survive a beheading, his Noble Arms repositioning to the greatest remaining chunk of his body and working on autopilot as long as it has enough of a physical basis for his soul to cling to. Destruction of his body and severe damage to the disembodied head or vice versa would likely finish him off for good. The same goes for full-body burns to the fourth degree or being atomized, and tossing his body into a freezer after severe damage would slow the healing process enough that he’d never realistically become a problem again, assuming the damage is extensive enough and the freezer cold and reliable enough.
Hemokinesis - Jason can exert weak telekinetic force over blood in a short range. Despite being his longest-range ability, his blood control is limited to several dozen meters, and he can only move the blood around with speed and force if it’s within about ten meters. He is incapable of generating blood ex nihilo nor exerting significant force on blood in a foreign body without near touch range and concentration. He is incapable of shaping blood with particular precision, and without his other abilities, his ability to throw blood around is largely harmless. His ability to move around objects that are covered in blood is slightly more dangerous, but loses effectiveness at greater ranges.
Universality - Jason can modify blood for compatibility and adaptability as well as clean and rejuvenate it, functioning much like a dialysis machine as well as a blood oxygenator. This makes Jason and any blood he gains control over viable for universal donation, even without knowledge of who the recipient is.
Viral Blood - Jason’s blood, without modification, (as well as foreign blood modified to match) hosts a functionally autonomous supernatural virus that, upon entering into a foreign body, will quickly begin to accelerate their heart rate. Major symptoms begin to manifest approximately one minute after blood to skin contact, and can manifest in seconds if he gets blood into the mouth or mucus membranes. Secondary infection via body fluids (e.g. the sweat of the infected) can manifest after five to ten minutes through skin contact. By default, infection will inhibit the victim’s emotions and conscious thought processes, putting them into a dazed trance that puts greater emphasis on their baser instincts. (The infected seldom make use of their Noble Arms) The infection causes hallucinations and a chronic craving for raw meat, though, notably, the infected do not react aggressively towards each other. Left unchecked, the virus can spread into a typical zombie hoard. Jason has no fine control over the zombies, nor the virus, though the infected ignore him by default considering the virus is already in his blood. With concentration, Jason can cause those nearby to be excluded by the zombies, albeit only while they remain within a few dozen meters of him, and he requires line of sight to establish the exclusion. Infection typically lasts three days, petering out right as severe dehydration begins to set in, though it can last longer if Jason is able to manually refresh the virus through further exposure. The virus has no mundane cure, and its dynamic nature means one cannot realistically be developed, but it can nonetheless be countered by specialized Noble Arm abilities.
Emotion Control - By modifying the virus, Jason can alter its symptoms. The only unifying symptom is the initially accelerated heart rate. While the zombie virus iteration is generally the best for incapacitation and infectivity, he can instead make the virus induce:
Crippling fear, an effect compounded by hallucinations. This version robs the victim of the ability to distinguish friend from foe, and makes the victim a danger to themselves and others. This version often induces fight or flight reactions and involuntary crying. Infection from this version is largely limited to bodily fluids and their inability to distinguish friend from foe means that they are liable to attack Jason as well.
Crippling loneliness, accompanied by pervasive paranoia. Victims will typically exhibit uncharacteristically clingy behaviors, getting touchy with if not directly latching onto the nearest uninfected (not including Jason) in an attempt to soothe their symptoms. In the absence thereof, their symptoms gradually get worse, causing them to suffer panic attacks, mild hallucinations, and potentially cardiac arrest. Often more infectious than even the zombie virus, though it does not immediately incapacitate an enemy. Through concentration, Jason can make the infected identify him as uninfected. If left alone long enough, their symptoms will gradually become bad enough to mistake Jason for an ally, though Jason personally hates dealing with victims afterwards, since pushing them away can snap them out of it.
Crippling apathy, often in the form of catatonia. Victims will generally give up on whatever they were doing immediately, and may struggle to respond to basic questions or even stand under their own power.
Seething anger, an all-consuming need for immediate violence against anything and everything within reach. While infected, victims become rash and beyond reasoning. Although the victim is still able to prioritize the direction of their anger, their ability to do so deteriorates as time goes on, and even the smallest non-justifications become worth spilling blood over while in this state. Tends to burn out quicker than the other variants, lasting only one or two days, though it also tends to have a greater toll on the body.
Panacea - Jason is capable of modifying his blood into a cure for the virus as well as certain minor illnesses such as colds or hangovers. It can maintain its potency away from him for much the same duration ordinary blood would - eight hours at room temperature, a week in cold storage.
Knife Manifestation - Jason can materialize mundane knives made of Iron, to his specifications, albeit they must conform to his conception of what a knife is. He is only capable of materializing them stabbed somewhere into his back.
Blood Pact - Jason is capable of enforcing supernatural contracts through the exchange of blood between two (or more) parties. He need not participate in the pact himself for it to be valid, and the contract can be literal or as simple as a verbal agreement. Pacts last until a point that has been agreed upon, a point Jason assumes they intended it to end on, until Jason's death, or until Jason is able to undo the pact manually, if and only if both parties agree to end it. Undoing a pact manually cannot be done remotely. Once the pact is established, the exchanged blood goes on to infect all blood in the bodies of all parties, rendering all of it and any future transfusions subject to the effects of the pact. Violating the pact will cause an immediate, violent implosion of all blood in the violator's body, causing almost certain death. The pact then ends for that person, and will typically but not always end for the remaining party if there is only one other, depending on what was agreed upon and Jason's assumptions. Jason's judgment (no conscious thought required) serves as the final arbiter of any subjective terms of a pact.
Miscellaneous Abilities: In addition to his extensive medical knowledge and largely abandoned capabilities as an OPL practitioner, Jason is an excellent cook, a force to be reckoned with at Darts and Billiards, and fancies himself a master tactician based solely on his prowess in games of online chess.
Personality: Silent, serious, pragmatic, and almost robotic in nature. He obeys orders, keeps to himself, and at times seems as if he has the patience of a saint. He's unflappably stoic, calm and detached, except sometimes he can't seem to help but break character, as if without thinking. An illogically friendly gesture, a snarky comeback that accomplishes nothing. It's there one moment and gone the next, and he'll either pretend it didn't happen or apologize for it and expect everyone to move on. He wears no facades, yet his control over himself isn't always the best, and he seldom understands the way he acts at those times himself.
Strong emotional stimulus tends to cause his higher thought processes to stall until he calms down, entering a state of fight or flight, without the flight, acting like a cornered animal regardless of whether he's trapped or not. If left alone, he'll likely snap out of it soon enough, though his ability to accurately gauge threats becomes exceptionally poor while in this state.
His personality disorders are theorized to be due to conflicts between his OPL code and Noble Arm functionality, possibly each defining different ideal states for his regeneration to leave his brain chemistry in. Since the two have apparently become part of the same whole, the accuracy of this theory is debatable.
Likes: Peace and quiet Dislikes: Lies, cigarettes Fears: That there is no solution. No cure, no way of coping, this is his life now.
Bio: When Jason was born, it was unto a single mother who, for all her life, never once fully understood Jason, right up until her death four years ago. Jason, in turn, never fully understood all her quirks and logically inconsistent behaviors, just as he seldom understood those of seemingly everyone else. Lying is wrong, except when it isn’t. Duress justifies anything, except when it doesn’t. Killing animals is wrong, except when you eat them, and even then, arbitrary lines in the sand are drawn about which animals and why. Jason was surrounded on all sides by rules upon rules that seem to bend and twist based on convenience, culture, or irrational cowardice. If his absentee mother, overworked and underpaid, ever noticed the ways in which he was different from other kids, she never made mention of it, much less did anything to address it.
Jason, growing up, had always been an intelligent child. Even without the support of his mother, once he found out that skipping a grade was less about personal capability and more about learning the next year’s lessons in advance, he began climbing an extra grade every other year through nothing but personal study, give or take adjustments to new schools. His only regret lay in how long it took him to realize that, but he still managed to graduate at the young age of 15 wherein he immediately began his college studies majoring in Biology. He slowed down a bit compared to his previous schooling in an attempt to learn Occult Programming Language at the same time through illegal channels. Both seemed necessary for his long-term goals.
There at college, he went on to meet the woman who would later become his wife, Lena. His relationship with Lena was like his relationship with any other person who decided to insert themselves into his life: complicated. She cared for him, for some inane reason he could never fathom and she could never explain, in ways not even his mother had, and yet, she was wrapped in all the frustrations that seemed to follow that mother and everyone else. It was not all pleasant for either of them - they almost broke up when Lena found out that Jason was younger than her, for despite being larger than her since the day that they met, he was still only 17 then, a fact he did not feel pertinent to mention the night they decided to get intimate. Perhaps it was his reaction to her confrontation that made it an issue rather than the act itself - after all, why would he mention it? She never asked, and there would never be any benefit to turning her over to the police. For some reason, such reassurances only seemed to make her angry, even though it was one of his most blatant declarations of affection; an admission that nothing would be worth losing her. If she couldn’t understand him, then it wasn’t his fault… right?
After graduation, Jason was scouted for Government Occult Research and Development thanks to his, at the time, frankly pitiful grasp of OPL and useful degree in Biology. For the first few years, he did nothing but learn from them, which, top-secret facilities aside, made it not particularly unlike his regular schooling, which he pursued in parallel. It was there at medical school that he met up with Lena again. They ignored each other at first, but seeing each other day in and day out, they eventually had to acknowledge each others’ presence again and it… wasn’t awful. They gradually fell back into familiar patterns. When Lena had trouble with something, she’d come to Jason, and when Jason had to miss a class, he went to Lena. Eventually they made up one afternoon, mending their relationship through a series of back-and-forth blunt admissions that only spurred on more and more of them. Just like that, they were a couple again.
On his 22nd birthday, Lena took him out for drinks after hearing him mention that he's never had alcohol before. After not 'getting it' after the first two glasses and Lena suggesting that he try drinking more, Jason ended up drunk off his ass and offhandedly proposed to her. She didn’t take it seriously, but after coming back to his senses, Jason didn’t forget, and he did take it seriously, at least after the fact. No matter what, he never wanted to lie to her, to confuse the one person who knew what kind of person he was and accepted him anyway. Thus, only days afterward, he presented her with a modest engagement ring, and she answered his question with a yes.
The wedding itself was a small, intimate affair. His mother had died the year before, and the only person on his side of the family to attend had been his aunt, a woman he had barely interacted with up until that point. She was friendly enough, he supposed. Lena’s family on the other hand, were a whirlwind he could never fully grasp, from her brother’s strange threats to her mother’s suspicious flirting. When he brought it up with Lena, she would just laugh it off, as if that were a perfectly normal thing to do when your family makes death threats to and tries to seduce your husband.
It didn’t really matter in the end. Lena became his, and they were both better off for it. She even got him to admit it, out loud. He never did use the L word. He refused to willingly lie to her, even if he had no way of knowing if it was a lie. He had to be sure, even if he never thought he would be.
They both graduated from medical school around the same time Jason graduated from his position as an intern in OPL R&D. By then, Jason was 23, and he soon began to work on occult bioaugmentation research proper, funded by the Russian military. Lena had always pursued her career as a doctor out of her desire to save lives, but Jason never had the same inexplicable passion about philanthropy that she did.
From the start, Jason had pursued such a career path because of his fascination with the rules underlying life, death, and reality itself. From many angles, it seemed orderly, but once you peeled away the skin and dug deep into the flesh and viscera, you could catch a glimpse of the roiling chaos below. Occult Programming Language was much the same, operating on specific, predictable rules, yet the irreconcilable deficiencies compared to Noble Arms and glaring flaws that led to the latter’s existence in the first place begs the question of how much any of it could be trusted. The Noble Arms themselves were the worst of all, each individually finding new, unique ways of spitting in the face of comprehension just for the sake of doing so. Through Noble Arms, death could become a triviality, and thus the basis underpinning so many rules of society would crumble to dust with the wave of a hand.
Don’t even get him started on the concept of love. He’s pretty sure that bullshit’s somewhere in the OPL code too.
In order to get more answers, above all, what Jason needed was time. Time that he didn’t have. Time that no one he knew of had. He needed immortality, or at least some functional approximation of it. It wasn't for some grand ideal like advancing human progress, but rather for simple and selfish reasons. Life is short, and nothing short of government funding with minimal ethical oversight would suffice for the progress he needed. Now that all the distractions and obstructions were finally out of the way, he doggedly pursued a proverbial elixir of life, because every year he spent approaching entropy was a year he may never get back. Lena wasn’t pleased with her husband growing more and more distant with her, but Jason knew that her youth if not her life was on the line too.
With all of his drive and intelligence fully leveraged, he thought it could take him his whole life to barely complete something usable. Instead, barely a year after he started working under the government, he had a working prototype of OPL code that could render lab rats mostly immortal, capable of regenerating towards an idealized form regardless of whether it had the physical means to do so or not. Not wanting to waste a second more, he broke protocol, lying about the code in order to get the necessary collective use of OPL running. It was supposedly just another experiment, but the caged rat they brought along was never the designated target.
Just as he began to feel the OPL influence his body, his magnum opus made manifest, his life’s work coming to fruition, Jason began to form a Noble Arm that blended and mixed with his hitherto human-untested code. A simple black wedding band had appeared over his ring finger, next to his actual wedding band, and from then on, Jason was never the same.
He remembers having a splitting headache thereafter, like two sets of instructions were competing over which way to rewrite his brain. He felt things he had never felt before; anger, fear, and a bizarrely painful fluttering in his heart that reminded him of Lena. He was delirious, barely cognizant, and so it took him until he was shown a video feed of the test chamber to realize he had killed all the other OPL practitioners there using nothing but his bare hands.
Afterward, he had stumbled towards his lab space, destroying all traces of his utter failure, desperately hoping that ridding the world of the source would make the pounding in his head stop. His coworkers were alarmed, but he fought them off, leaving trails on the walls as he steadied himself on them by his bloodied hands.
He… he needed to see her, to know if what he was feeling was what he had been trying so desperately to understand. He drove like a madman, getting tailed by the police almost immediately, but he ignored them, going straight home and bursting through the doors, only to find Lena in bed with another man.
After that, all he can remember is seeing red and feeling no pain.
His body count that day had nearly reached the triple digits before he was apprehended by a Noble Arms user. He was tied up and sedated, more animal than man at that point, and taken in for containment and confinement by the Russian government.
When he next woke up, he didn’t feel quite the same, like a mixture of the new and old. He could feel the sensation of his head aching, but not the ache itself, and his memories felt fuzzy and unclear. He was restrained, and, upon waking, quickly taken around to interrogation. Not comprehending his current situation, he stuck by his policy of honesty, though his inability to remember crucial details frustrated his interrogators. It didn’t particularly bother him, since he couldn’t feel the torture in the slightest. It was kind of funny seeing some of their tools fail to break his skin. They wanted him to surrender the OPL code he had destroyed, but he couldn’t remember most of it. They wanted him to explain how the code worked, but he only remembered the broad strokes. They discussed the events that led up to his arrest, from his psychotic break at the research facility to his mad drive home and the eventual murder of his wife, Lena. Lena… Lena, Lena, Lena…
His breathing quickened, and the words the interrogators spoke didn’t mean anything to him anymore. He could feel the sensation of a headache, and very pointedly noticed the way it kept him from thinking clearly. He decided to wait it out, until someone - an enemy, tried to zap him again for insubordination. He lunged forward within his restraints, biting the man, and there was just so much blood. It spilled out, floating around him in circles like a protective blanket. That’s right, he had a Noble Arms now, right? He should…
…He couldn’t finish that thought. It was like being underwater, hearing but deaf, even to his own thoughts. The interrogators left, and he just sat there within his restraints and breathed, in and out, as the imaginary pain in his head gradually faded away.
Why was he circling blood around himself exactly?
He tried using the blood to get out of his restraints, but he didn’t have very good fine control over it, just feeling like he was making a mess. It was rather annoying, so when a Noble Arms user entered the room, he greeted them amiably. They demanded he put down the blood, so he asked them where he should put it, since it was likely to leave stains. When they just told him to drop it again, he somehow found himself inexplicably understanding, apologizing to them out of politeness and complying.
It took the Russian Government a while to determine the extent of his abilities and the quirks of his condition. His powers seemed to remain on permanently, even while asleep. When Razlyubit is pried off his unconscious fingers, it simply returns there as if nothing happened. They had always known about his sociopathy, but he was showing signs to the contrary now, and strong emotions seemed to cause his higher thought processes to stall until he calmed down, becoming a creature of nothing but instincts and aggressive self-defense measures. It was, in his opinion, dreadful, and he’s come to hate the new emotions he’s been saddled with. The new humanity he’s forced to feel. The OPL code that started this whole mess, the idea of such a cursed form of immortality. Even after his memories came back, only lost in the first place because of a bullet wound to the brain apparently, he feigned ignorance on the matter, refusing to let anyone else suffer through his own personal hell. It was cold comfort, since, from the start, he’s the only one he knows to have ever been outside of that hell. The human condition was maddening, but at least the few others like him would be safe from it.
Even after discovery, or rather, development, of his Viral Blood ability, and despite his usefulness as a willing soldier deployed against Ukraine, (After all, it's not like he could go back to his old life) Jason remained a problem child; a thorn in Russia’s side. What good was a soldier that would just go unresponsive for minutes at a time in the heat of battle? What good was his zombie virus when it was so easy to end up with friendly fire? Although he was a known quantity and proved himself a loyal soldier, rising up the ranks in spite of his shortcomings, he was eventually traded off with China, since they claimed they could make better use of him. There, he was assigned Ai Chen as his handler. She would tell him where to go and what to do, and in turn when her hands wandered down his chest he would simply remind her of his chronic inability to respond to compromising situations appropriately. Didn’t stop her from trying, and the resulting fight earned her a reprimand from Ren Huo, so despite taking one of her plasma arrows to the gut and gaining a temporary hole in his stomach, it took her longer to recover from the punch he gave her to the same spot, and in the end their working relationship ended up pretty cordial.
Current Goal: Find or develop a cure or improvement to his current condition, with the development of his Noble Arm being viewed as the most promising avenue.
Power: C Speed: A Range: C Persistence: C Precision: C Potential: C
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee + Support, Wind, and Close Range.
Noble Arm Abilities:
Wind Manipulation - Amadeo can move the air around him, allowing him to manipulate minor weather patterns and to fly at subsonic speeds.
Misc Abilities: A well-read youth who is also athletic; he likes track and field and fencing and is also a good painter and a reasonable photographer.
Personality: Amadeo fantasizes about the war ending tomorrow so he can continue on with his life, a sentiment that makes him look lazy and unmotivated; he prefers to present himself as someone with no purpose in life, although he values his 'Inheritance', the Noble Arm that had been 'grown' from his Grandfather's soul and found a new home in him after the latter's death. His Grandfather, Michael Balagtas (not actually related to the Filipino Poet), was the person he most admired, being a poet of exceptional merit. He fancies himself an artist, dedicated to showing people the beauty of the world even at these times, and wants to make a work that speaks to both mind and heart, although it frustrates him that he is no good as a poet while he has very few chances to practice his painting at wartime.
He feels inadequate due to having acquired a Noble Arm not by personal development but through his soul's resemblance to his Grandfather's, which attracted his Noble Arm to him. This inadequacy fuels sloth in him, but being called that entrenches him in his (presented) purposelessness and inferiority complex. Nevertheless, he is patriotic enough to want to protect the country that was dear to his Grandfather, and so despite complaints, he struggles to do his part; he is a reluctant patriot but a patriot nonetheless.
*Likes: Beautiful things, tasteful decor, poetry.
*Dislikes: Bad poetry, tacky and gaudy decorations, actual work.
Fears: What would be worse? Capture by the enemy, or Death?
Bio: A graduate of Manila's infamous 'Trinidad Academy', Amadeo embodies the stereotype of that place; a lazy bum coasting by on his family's wealth and reputation.
This reputation was built during the days of his Grandfather, Michael Balagtas, who grew his own Noble Arm from his own soul through personal development and wielded him against the country's foes, which included its own Government during darker days. After the restoration of Philippine Democracy in the 80s', Michael reconnected with his children and grandchildren, and he encouraged Amadeo to be a painter and an athlete while tasting the joys of life without excess.
But it all ended in tragedy after Michael's death, as Amadeo inherited his Grandfather's Noble Arm, the Sword of the Wind, and his parents promptly transferred him out of his previous school and into Trinidad Academy to be trained as an Arms Master, where he, in an act of rebellion, purposefully held himself back to the minimum required to pass.
While he was glad that he resembled his Grandfather enough for the latter's Noble Arm to be drawn to his soul, he also couldn't but feel that he had been cheated out of his own development. Either way, his reputation as a lazy, somewhat depressed lout did not save him from being called to war when China struck, and so he is now at the war front, trying to make sure that the country his Grandfather valued still stood, that its beauty was preserved as much as possible, that its people finally had a chance at raising themselves up.
*Current Goal: Overcome his inferiority complex to his Grandfather.
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Sinagtala(Starlight), a complete dark blade with multiple white spots that is comparable to the stars in a night sky.
Noble Arm Rank: C
Power: C Speed: A Range: C Persistence: B Precision: E Potential: C
Noble Arm Type: Melee Element Space Range: Close to Mid Range
Noble Arm Abilities:
Rip Space- Cristina can create a tear in spacetime by swinging her blade, allowing her to capture anything smaller than the size of a small truck that passed through into a pocket dimension she called the Imaginary Space. Her next swing would release everything she captured. -Cross Space- Cristina can hide inside the tear instead allowing her to temporarily access the Imaginary space for herself and move across it for a maximum amount of 30 seconds. While inside this space she cannot interact with objects in the real world.
Addendum: If someone was partially captured inside the Imaginary Space like having a limb covered, they will automatically be sucked into it.
Shooting Star- Cristina can fire starlight projectiles from her sword. They have homing properties and explode on contact with force equal to a grenade. -Blinding Star- A variant of the Shooting Star skill where instead of an explosive blast, a flash of blinding light was instead released.
Mirage Space- Cristina's greatest technique which allows her to indiscriminately trap everyone in a 30 meters long dome of the Imaginary Space . While inside Amelia has the ability to fly, fire sword beams and teleport in exchange for taking a huge strain in her body and inability to activate Rip Space due to being already inside the Imaginary Space. This ability can be canceled with overwhelming power, by defeating Amelia or voluntary deactivation.
Misc Abilities:
Swordsmanship- Cristina after the activation of her Noble Arm had sought to master the usage of her weapon, studying and practicing forms she could find until she completed a personal style.
Intrigue- Life as an mercenary had made Cristina naturally observant, allowing her to figure out the intent behind someone's words and determine if she's being swindled.
Pain Tolerance- Cristina's ability to make herself believe that she can endure more damage was far higher than the average. During her time in the facility, she will get her bones broken, muscles torn, body bleeding and tell herself to just 'finish the task'. This served her well when taking blows from other Arms Masters.
Personality: Straight to the point and doesn't mince her words. She will uphold her end of the bargain as long as the other side doesn't screw her over. Has a soft spot for children and silent bloodlust for combat.
*Likes: Night Sky watching, fighting people, children
*Dislikes: Torturers, Liars, beating around the bush
Fears: There was a silent possibility that her reunion with her sister won't be the heartfelt moment she thought it would be.
Bio: An orphan who doesn't know the identity of her parents, a young Cristina has always been aware of the struggles of life but always believes that with help of her wiser, clever older sister Basilia. This belief has persisted even when they are both sold by their orphanage to be trained in an STP program with the hopes of them developing their own Noble Arms.
It was hard, it was grueling and sometimes she wondered if she was in hell but with Basilia’s support she managed to push through the program despite failing to develop a Noble Arm unlike her sister. Things for a while are looking up for the two.
That was until one day, when the members of the Downward Descent suddenly attacked the facility, killing everyone in their path. Man, woman and children every single one of them was slain while some fled to the scene. Cristina was one of those who escaped from the attack while Basilia bought her time to escape.
Cristina ran until her legs gave out and she herself passed out. When she woke up, she learned that the facility was burned to ashes and she is one of the few survivors. She also learned their treatment of their students was actually illegal to the point of being considered torture.
When everything sank in and Cristina made a promise to herself under that night sky.
She knew her sister was alive and that she would find her.That was when Sinagtala appeared in her hands as if it was a silent gift.
From that moment forward she works as a freelancer for people, doing escort missions, espionage tasks and even extracting kidnapped children. That was until she received an offer from someone
*Current Goal: Find her sister or at least find out what happened to her.
A mature woman with long, curly blonde hair, emerald eyes, and a fashionable taste in clothing. Height-5'2" weight-115lbs
Name: Mira Logan
Age: 24
Nationality: Australian
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Durandal (The Enduring), Serrated Sickle
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: D. Speed: B. Range: D. Persistence: B. Precision: C. Potential: B.
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee, Lightning/electricity, Close range. Noble Arm Abilities: Smite: Imbues Durandal with electricity, which releases upon contact with any surface. Can be dodged. Thundercrack: Creates a loud crack when a dangerous entity is within striking distance. Earmuffs will weaken the noise.
Misc Abilities: None
Personality:
Likes: Technology, Personal appearance.
Dislikes: Water, Repeating herself.
Fears: The Ocean, Spiders.
Bio: A kindhearted woman with a knack for technology and swordplay, Mira is a complex individual and first impressions vary depending on personal preference.
A mature woman with long, curly blonde hair, emerald eyes, and a fashionable taste in clothing. Height-5'2" weight-115lbs
Name: Mira Logan
Age: 24
Nationality: Australian
Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Durandal (The Enduring), Serrated Sickle
Noble Arm Rank:
Power: D. Speed: B. Range: D. Persistence: B. Precision: C. Potential: B.
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee, Lightning/electricity, Close range. Noble Arm Abilities: Smite: Imbues Durandal with electricity, which releases upon contact with any surface. Can be dodged. Thundercrack: Creates a loud crack when a dangerous entity is within striking distance. Earmuffs will weaken the noise.
Misc Abilities: None
Personality:
Likes: Technology, Personal appearance.
Dislikes: Water, Repeating herself.
Fears: The Ocean, Spiders.
Bio: A kindhearted woman with a knack for technology and swordplay, Mira is a complex individual and first impressions vary depending on personal preference.
Military or Civilian Rank: Civilian.
Post in the OOC first. Characters are for already-approved characters.