[OOC] Pariah Online: Prologue [ closed ]

[shylarah]

@Ozerath Paladin seems more like a class. Monster hunter might work, or perhaps protector/guard -- he keeps the places people are safe, and gets rid of threats. Honestly I don't see an issue with being a knight/paladin in the sense of it's just a generic concept -- Elian's a healer, and I've seen people use thief as profession. But if knight isn't okay, paladin probably isn't either, save that it also incorporates a church or deity he works for....*waffling*

[Xiro Zean]

Maybe he could be a Clergyman, or a devout Templar of a church, or a Keeper of the Peace/ Guardsman? Or he could just be a regular Monster Hunter like most players would probably be, raiding dungeons and killing monsters for the sake of it.

[shylarah]

@Xiro Zean clergyman might work, though I didn't see him as one. guardsman definitely works, as does monster hunter. Maybe he splits his time between a few things. I'm good with whatever, really.

[Tojin]

Done, finally! Reposting the finished product so you don't have to go back and look through the OOC for it.

Tiferet

Allie /// Tiferet

“Man, y’all need to learn to have some fun. Live a little! Or don’t, as the case may be.”

O V E R V I E W

N A M E
Allison “Allie” Márquez.

A V A T A R
Tiferet.

A G E
19.

G E N D E R
Female.

V I S A G E
In-game, Tiferet stands at about 5’3” and 140 pounds, putting her on the petite side. However, this is far from the first thing one would probably notice about Tiferet, which instead is her rather morbid fashion sense; much of her gear is adorned with bones, crosses, and Day of the Dead-esque skeletons, and her face is often adorned with skull makeup as well. Even her fiddle is black and white. This all stems from Tiferet’s desire to know what exactly it’s like on the “other side”.

P E R S O N A L I T Y
Allie is an… odd individual. Contrary to what one may expect, she’s very lively and gregarious, and absolutely loves trying out everything life has to offer. She’s driven by knowledge; specifically, wanting to know everything, including the unknowable, like “what happens after you die”, “what’s at the center of the universe”, and “does Finland really exist”. Most of the time, this involves buying (or stealing) anything she considers “neat”, exploring every little nook and cranny in a given place, and even doing drugs every so often (though she steers clear of the really bad ones; some things just aren’t worth experiencing). Her preoccupation with death is also rather unnerving, especially because she’s been heard to make a few nonchalant comments about breaking into morgues. (She’s probably joking. Probably.) However, this also means that Allie is really nosy; if she thinks someone’s saying or doing something that’s worth finding out about, she will try to discover more about the situation, whether through eavesdropping, a bit of petty thievery, or even just annoying someone into telling her.

Despite her strange clothing choices, obsession with death, and general creepiness, Allie is actually quite a nice person. It takes a lot to make her angry, and even then, she’s very quick to let things go. Sometimes, the person who attracts her ire will find themselves subject to some sort of semi-harmless prank, but that’s usually the extent of her “wrath”. Allie mostly plays Pariah for the social aspect, and loves partying up with people and running quests together. Of course, others may not want her around (you wouldn’t believe the number of people who get freaked out by the skull makeup), but they usually come around.

B A C K G R O U N D
Allie’s life has always been pretty stable, if not particularly normal. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a Mexican father and an African-American mother. Her mom was a high-ranking executive in a prominent tech company, which brought in enough money to allow Mr. Márquez to stay home and raise Allie, and to pursue his dream - being a musician - on the side. Allie was always a very inquisitive child, constantly pestering her parents with questions, especially about their respective lines of work. “Mommy, whatsa headset?”, “Hey Daddy, how d’you play the thing that goes ‘BWAAAP’?”, and so on. Initially, the Márquezes were exasperated by their daughter’s need to know everything about everything, but they soon began to enjoy seeing their daughter taking an interest in so much.

Her school years progressed with little fanfare, and were soon left behind, though Allie seems to have retained a few things from her middle school goth phase - namely, her fashion choices and obsession with all things dark and deathly. At the moment, she’s pursuing a career as a mortician, using her violin skills as a backup. Normally, the salary of your average broke college student isn’t enough to buy Pariah, let alone a VR headset, but Mrs. Márquez was nice enough to get them both for Allie as a birthday present this year.

A T T R I B U T E S

R O L E
Support, with a splash of Utility.

A F F I L A T I O N
Queon.

P R O F E S S I O N
Bard, but with a definite "necromancer" bent to it.

W E A P O N O F C H O I C E
A fiddle. It’s specially-reinforced with steel to make beaning people with it feasible as a last resort, though Tiferet does also have a short sword on her, making the fiddle a last last resort. Tiferet also considers her voice a weapon.

B E N C H M A R K S

Physical

<<Dexterous>> - Playing a fiddle so much has given Tiferet some very nimble fingers, not to mention some pretty decent upper arm strength.
<<Lung Capacity>> - Singing as often as she does has granted Tiferet the ability to hold a note much longer than normal people. It also lets her really belt it out when she wants to.
<<Midnight>> - Tiferet's always preferred playing at night, and after doing that so often, she's been able to see better and blend in better during nighttime, especially during a new moon.
<<Scream and Shout>> - This simple ability is Tiferet's main way of dealing damage (though she often doesn't need to). By magically amplifying her voice, enemies in a cone in front of her take damage and have a chance to be deafened.
<<Under Your Skin>> - This benchmark allows Tiferet to cause an enemy to feel the very discomfiting sensation that many, many parasites are lurking just under their skin, moving around, waiting to burst out. As you can imagine, such a thing is very hard to ignore, which makes this benchmark ideal to delay spells and dissuade warriors. As Tiferet gets stronger, this ability will actually spawn several bugs from a person's skin after a few seconds, dealing a small amount of damage and creating a few weak enemies.

Mental

<<Memory>> - Tiferet has found herself able to play a vast number of songs from memory due to the amount of time she’s put into Pariah.
<<Mobility>> - Tiferet, by necessity (running solo missions is hard for a bard), has practice with playing and moving at the same time.
<<Visitation of the Ghost>> - Tiferet summons a ghost to aid her in the fight. Unfortunately, said ghost doesn't actually deal damage to anyone. However, it does terrify an enemy of Tiferet's choice, giving them a fairly potent debuff to both attacking and defending. To compensate, <<Visitation of the Ghost>> has a fairly long recast time.
<<Un-Death>> - This benchmark is an activated ability that Tiferet obtained by sheer luck, having discovered an esoteric questline hidden in a desolate corner of the world map. When she activates this ability, one of her fallen allies is returned to life, and with some extra power to their attacks. However, they die again after about 45 seconds to a minute, so they had best use that time wisely. Someone who's already been raised by this effect can't be raised by it again, either, unless another resurrection ability has been used on them in the meantime.
<<The Headless Horseman>> - This benchmark also takes the form of an activated ability, albeit one that Tiferet uses very rarely. Using all of her power, Tiferet can grant herself or another the Headless Horseman buff, which massively boosts all of their capabilities for a short time. It also gives them the appearance (and speed) of the famous specter. After using this ability, Tiferet is essentially defenseless until her health regenerates, which is why she doesn’t use it often.

R O U G H V I R T U A L H I S T O R Y
The name Tiferet is usually accompanied by a response of either “Who?” or “Oh yeah, the one skeleton chick, right?” She’s mostly known for her… interesting getup, which has gotten her a bit of admiration from the more fashion-oriented players. Another subset of players know her because they happened to come upon one of her “concerts”, which generally take place in some dark corner or other; a graveyard, an abandoned building, a graveyard, and suchlike. Yet another sliver know her as a fairly dependable support mage, and speak of her fondly. Finally, there are a few rumors making the rounds (mostly from veteran to newbie) about a ghostly woman with a violin, who sang the most beautiful, haunting song you’ve ever heard, then disappeared into the mist. Were one to ask Tiferet, she’d likely just drop a comment about “It’s a fiddle, actually” and then move on. All of these, taken together, make Tiferet known, at least, though she’s far from a household name.

[Gowi]

I will review it before bed or in the morning!

[Vec]

guys, I'm gonna withdraw from this. It's just taken too long and I lost all my excitement. Sorry again, and I hope we meet in another RP!

[shylarah]

@Vec I'm sorry to hear that, Vec, but I do understand. Take care.

[Gowi]

@Vec

Completely understandable and the blame is entirely on me for that! In other news to those who still are around I will be working on the IC today and tomorrow to hopefully get it up by Saturday. Trying to aim for it, at least.

[Xiro Zean]

@Gowi


OH MY GOD FUCKING FINALL-

cough Uh, I mean, good on you Gowi :D

[Tergonaut]

Howdy, folks! Terg here, and here's my completed character sheet for your perusal and review!

Watts Broker // Landon

---

---

W A T T S /// L A N D O N

"Hey, chum - gimme a light, wouldja? Stop whining, I smoke in my workshop all the time, and there's only been one explosion!"

O V E R V I E W

_{N A M E}

---

Watts Broker

_{A V A T A R}

---

Landon Longcross

_{A G E}

---

88 (visage appears much younger!)

_{G E N D E R}

---

Male

_{V I S A G E}

---

Though Watts is nearly ninety years old, he has always been more comfortable with younger people, for he is young at heart. This is why his avatar in Pariah is a representation of himself back during what he considered to be his prime, back when he was in the middle of establishing his fame and career.

His avatar, Landon Longcross, looks like a blonde-haired blue-eyed man in great shape. Though otherwise well-groomed, he leaves his hair a little spiky, and he has a thin omnipresent layer of rugged stubble around his jawline (he cannot seem to grow a mustache, which is a source of minor frustration). He stands about five foot ten, though he slouches a bit and this makes him look shorter than he is. He is rarely seen without something sticking out of his mouth - usually a cigarette, but sometimes a pen or tool. There is just a hint of tightness around his eyes that makes him appear severe at times.

He is usually dressed in a long brown coat of leather, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, over a simple white shirt with suspenders and a few buttons by the collar, sturdy multi-pocketed pants, a toolbelt with a few of his favorite tools, heavy steel-toed boots, fingerless brown leather gloves, and a pair of dark goggles worn around his neck or on his forehead. He often carries a light frame backpack for carrying extra gadgets and tools, or for carrying back supplies or treasure, and whenever combat is expected, he always has a quiver full of crossbow bolts of various types.

_{P E R S O N A L I T Y}

---

Watts grew up with tinker toys and an interest in how things work, which has carried over from his youth into the rest of his life. Even before Pariah, he was always working on a project in his garage, whether it was a car or other vehicle, a new turbine for gathering wind power, or a lightbulb that absorbs sunlight and slowly releases it over time. He maintains a sense of wonder about the world that belies his age, and loves to share it with younger people around him. He tempers this with a streak of practicality, as he is interested in solutions and not dreams. Nevertheless, he is more than willing to combine the scientific knowledge of the real world with the unique magical resources of Pariah, and thus achieve results neither could accomplish alone. He glories in learning all he can about Pariah. Though immediately gruff and standoffish with strangers, he usually warms up once he gets to know someone, and those who know him quickly know that the prickly attitude is more bark than bite.

Though trained as a soldier, Watts doesn't strictly enjoy fighting - it always feels like an interruption to more productive, important things. And, truth be told, he is a bit of a coward. Nevertheless, he recognizes the need for combat even - and perhaps especially - in the world of Pariah, so he has built his own wrist-mounted crossbow to give him the tool he needs to end a fight quickly. He much prefers to fight in a party, where he can support the team from a distance with direct attacks, crowd control and debuffs for the enemy, or healing and strengthening his team with infusions in his crossbow bolts.

Watts came to Pariah to stave off his approaching death by stretching out the time he has left. But as he has stayed in the game, he is wondering if, just maybe, there might be a way to make a discovery in age reversal that could translate into a solution he could use outside of Pariah. He revels in the freedom and vitality he feels in Pariah, and is constantly motivated in his quest for immortality every time he is forced to return to his arthritis-ridden body after a gaming session. He has even considered the idea of attempting to upload himself into Pariah permanently, but as desperate as he is in his quest to defy death, he is cautious of any action that might have consequences worse than his present circumstances.

Watts regrets some things he missed out on during his busy life. One of these is that he never found the time to have a relationship with a member of the opposite sex. It wasn't because of a lack of interest, but because of a lack of time. Now that he has essentially gotten a "second life," Watts as Landon has become flirtatious. He tries to remain classy about it, but an eagerness to make up for lost time sometimes comes out in a pickup line or two. He has also picked up a smoking habit that he never would have started outside of Pariah, using it more for the extra edge to his image he presents than any other reason.

_{B A C K G R O U N D}

---

Watts Broker is dying.

He had been a creative young man who had served in his country's military as a combat engineer, where he had to put his talents for on-the-spot solutions to the test as he disarmed mines and bombs. He then turned his talents to more productive ends with some inventions that harnessed the powers of alternative energy sources, eventually leading into a company that produced many of the world's most energy efficient technologies and left him wealthy. He was free to spend time with the young people of his community during his golden years, where he enjoyed their youthful exuberance...

...until Watts fell sick and became homebound. All the money in the world could not find a doctor or specialist who could help him. After all, even in the twenty-second century, humans had not achieved the technology to reverse the aging process.

Watts grew desperate. The truth is that, despite a long and fulfilled life, he was afraid to die. He felt there was too much he still could offer to the world - and he had regrets, things he meant to do left untried. He invested much of his remaining wealth into every possible solution to extend his lifespan and restore his vitality. Nothing worked. He could probably keep living for a few more years, but his health had deteriorated to the point he was bedridden. He was trapped in his own body.

This led to a dabbling in technologies to at least let him interact with the world electronically, and he heard about Pariah. His interest was piqued by Pariah's claim to allow players to experience time subjectively - he could literally extend his dwindling life and act for himself once again! He did not hesitate to spend the money on the system and its installation in his room for his convenience. The game exceeded his expectations, and has rekindled his hope.

Watts Broker is dying. But through Pariah, he may have the time he needs to discover the secret of immortality...and save himself.

A T T R I B U T E S

_{R O L E}

---

Support

_{A F F I L A T I O N}

---

Queon

_{P R O F E S S I O N}

---

Gadgeteer

_{W E A P O N O F C H O I C E}

---

Wrist-mounted Crossbow

_{B E N C H M A R K S}

---

Physical

Ambidextrous - Outside of Pariah, Landon's player spent time practicing using both hands to do essential tasks, and he has continued this practice in Pariah. This nervous habit has made it so he doesn't have an "off-hand" - he can use either hand for any task.

Snap Shooter – Landon isn't what you would call a sniper, but his diligent practice with his crossbow of his own invention has allowed him to aim quickly, fire a shot, and reload in short order so he can fire again. Since he doesn't like to fight in-close, he has learned to compensate by firing fast enough he doesn't need to worry about the enemy getting too close. He can also make trick shots, though this is usually more to luck than to outright skill.

Nimble Fingers, Steady Hands – Time in the bomb squad in reality, as well as constant work on gadgets in Pariah, has made Landon dexterous and quick with his fingers, yet also calm enough to do his work without letting distractions get in the way. This serves him well in his gadgeteering and cooking - and, should the ladies stop turning his advances aside, they'd find he was good with his hands in other ways as well!

Overloader – "Always be prepared!" is Landon's motto. This means carrying whatever he could reasonably need wherever he goes, and with all the various tools, ammo, and gadgets he hoists about with him, that adds up to a lot of weight quickly. Combined with a little weight-bearing technology in his gear, he has gained the endurance to carry more weight than the average without it slowing him down, even in combat.

Quick-Draw Parry – Even the best-prepared adventurers get ambushed sometimes, and when that happens, you have to use whatever is closest at hand. For Landon, that likely means a heavy wrench or screwdriver in his tool belt. While unconventional, the weight of the tool lets him block blows that might cleave through a thinner piece of metal, allowing him time to scramble away for a better shot with his crossbow. His ambidexterity combined with this trait let him use a weapon in his free hand, though it does make it more awkward to reload (and, therefore, takes more time to reload if he is "dual-wielding" like this). This trait also helps him reach into his pockets to quickly pull out a necessary gadget.

Mental

Jury Rigger – Landon's quick mind and steady hands let him piece together temporary repairs or devices in a pinch when he doesn't have access to all the supplies he needs to do a full fix. He can also do the reverse to break something quickly and in such a way to require the most repairs for the least destructive effort, like removing a screw from an inner piece of machinery, or taking out a vital support in a bridge at the right time to drop it out from under an enemy.

Ingenious Inventor – With time, tools and materials, Landon is able to come up with all kinds of useful inventions - from the special crossbow bolts he uses, to small clockwork machines that can be used for toys or distractions, to ways to gather energy from the creatures and minerals of the magical world of Pariah and make use of them as an alternative energy source. And if he doesn't have the tools to make what he wants, he usually can make the tool first, then proceed.

Cure Finder – Extensive research into healing magic and restorative elixirs in the search for workable immortality has given him a knack for identifying and creating potions of various sorts. And spinoff applications gleaned from failed experiments have given him access to oils, ointments and poisons that range from helping prevent rust to causing paralysis or other status ailments. He also knows what ingredients he needs for these potions, and how and where to get them.

Young at Heart – Despite his age, Landon is able to "stay hip" with the times through a combination of open-minded inquisitiveness and interaction with a younger crowd. He is free with favors and gifts to younger players of the game, which has inadvertently given him access to a grapevine network of rumors and information he can tap into if he needs to, as well as a source of extra parts for his inventions as youngsters turn in pieces of junk they find as part of their adventuring that they cannot use.

Infusion Artificer – While not strictly a mage or wizard like some casters, Landon is not so caught up in making inventions that he has neglected study of Pariah's unique magical resources. He has learned to draw the essence of magic - whether the raw elements themselves, or the more refined properties of specific spells or potions - into his inventions and more particularly into his crossbow bolts. From ice bolts that freeze enemies in their tracks or create slick floors for them to slip on, to bolts that detonate in midair to drop a healing mist over allies, to "flashbang" bolts, Landon's only limitations to the variety of bolts he can have are his imagination and the room in his quiver.

_{R O U G H V I R T U A L H I S T O R Y}

---

Landon Longcross is an accomplished member of the Queon pathos, having readily contributed several time-saving inventions that utilize magical power sources. Many of these inventions are now standard magic laboratory equipment. He is most known for these and for his eccentric habit of spending time with younger people from all the pathos groups - this is tolerated since he is usually sharing his inventions and insight with them, but there is a sizable contingent among the echelons of Queon that disdain entertaining children when the time could be better used for more science. Landon disregards these stuffy labcoat types entirely, except for the cuter women among them, who he makes passes at. In fact, he is regarded with a fond exasperation among women in general, and he has gotten used to getting turned down, just as nearly every female around has gotten used to his flirtatious advances.

And his talent for magical infusion and potion making has not gone unnoticed, either. There is a constant need for magical arrows or other projectiles for adventurers, not to mention the healing and curing potions so essential to a life of danger. Despite his contributions, however, he has managed to fade into the background of life in his pathos, which suits him fine since it lets him continue his studies in relative peace. And he earns enough from providing a steady supply of potions, magical ammo and the odd clockwork gadget that he lives comfortably enough, when he isn't acquiring loot more directly in field expeditions.

It is only those who know him best that can see past his kind and helpful persona to connect the dots of his desperate research into all things restorative. In every moment of time away from others, he is going through the collected libraries of his fellow pathos members, particularly the herbalists and magicians who specialize wholly in the discipline of healing and resurrection. He has even gone so far as to try to obtain ingredients and potions from the black market of Pariah, though he draws the line at knowingly purchasing or using anything derived from harming other human beings. Though how long he will continue to hold that standard depends on how long it takes for him to find what he is looking for...

[MissCapnCrunch]

@Tergonaut

Daddy Grandpa.

[shylarah]

@Tergonaut I like him. <3 *wipes away a tear* Just...I don't think I can be more specific. Wonderful motivation, solid history, the characterization is great. <333 Benchmarks are clever, too, though I'm not gonna look at them too closely. They're supposed to give us an idea of what Landon can do, and they definitely do that!

I don't know how young he thinks of as being young. Elian is not the sort to be /too/ childlike, but she's also not afraid to cut loose. For her part, I could see her flirting right back a bit some of the time, along with some teasing and giving him a hard time the rest of it. I think Rube Goldberg contraptions would amaze and amuse her. D'you think these two might know each other, perhaps be friends?

[Tergonaut]

Thank you, Shy! I appreciate you taking a first look at the character, and while I have realized after a night's sleep that I could have done the benchmarks a little differently, I am glad Landon is earning your approval.

As for his age, I was actually leaning toward an even 40 - that way he's still old enough to call everyone else in the group "kid" (although he could still do that anyway if he reveals his RL age), but young enough that he can reasonably be in good shape and still able to keep up with the rest of the group. Also young enough that he can hit on ladies in the 20-30 range without it being toooo weird. Youngest he would probably be is somewhere in his upper thirties, to keep him among the oldest of the group.

The answer to your question, would be yes! I think it is very likely that Landon and Elian have bumped into each other before in the game - maybe they were both in a party going out gathering supplies, they did a little trading of flirty quips while adventuring was happening, and kept in touch after that. Though he feels more at home among the younger generation, he can still have meaningful relationships with people closer to his age, and her free-spirited nature would make that a little more likely in his case. We can always work out the details later.

[Gowi]

@Tojin, @Tergonaut

I'm just going to tell you that you're accepted. The last of the batch to be, hopefully.

[Xiro Zean]

After a millenia, the IC finally awakens :D

[MissCapnCrunch]

ARISE MY CHILDREN

[Ozerath]

Oh would you look at that, we're starting. Better post my CS then get to work on the IC.

[shylarah]

@Ozerath yes, yes you had. Thael has been specifically mewmewssaged for sure. <3

[Ozerath]

Working on an IC post.

Somebody want to spam a few tags at everyone who's still involved?

[Stern Algorithm]

I'm still here! I just gotta first answer a few of @Shylarah's questions about my character and then I'll get a post up