A sci-fi fantasy roleplay Themes: Magic, Crime, Vigilantism, Grimdark Posting Expectations: 2 posts on average per week. ----------------------------------------------
Notice: Potential for continued updating of OP thread. Check back for information as you see fit.
"Entropy. That's it. It gripped hold of us, and our minds were muddled, overcome by the intrinsic laws of the universe. It must have been."
Mankind escaped a perfect apocalypse.
In an age long past, men existed as mundane beings,able to handle tools, learn, and naught much else. Normalcy would have us grow as a civilization as one would expect; forging weapons, erecting buildings, aligning into nations. It was our common state, our destiny, our only option. A world not unlike our own today was managed after centuries of progress and strife, and were it not for a fateful discovery, it would have continued as such.
In the final days leading to the apocalypse, man had uncovered the existence of a certain thing that sparked their wonder. Some had initially called it merely Imagination, while others had believed it evidence of the true Spirit. While the name was varied, its traits were uniform, and yet limitless in application.
What I speak of is, for all tends and purposes, a form of 'magic' as we may think of it today. To us, magic elicits images of fireballs and soothing auras, but upon the world of Nera, it was far more apocalyptic. This "magic" was no mere will to send flying energetic bolts and the like, but a reactive fundamental particle that listened to our thoughts; hence the name, "Imagination". Magic afforded humans a means to truly engage in "mind over matter", warping the world before them in whatever ways they could conceive.
It took only a thought, which is why it had spelled doom for humanity.
In single nights, destruction and creation of inconceivable magnitude wrought upon the planet and beyond. Minds with no bounds created changes that ripped and tore at existence until Nera itself was but a glowing ball of flame floating in the vastness of abyssal space. For a moment, not even the sun could outshine Armageddon.
And yet, as some minds destroyed, others mended. In a divine flurry of thought, Nera was in a state of flux, torn and mended infinitely as entire hemispheres lit aflame and were subsequently doused by a wash of imagination. Those few persevering souls that could survive the cataclysm resolved to end it all; to reverse this apocalypse entirely, and return Nera to peace.
Ten minds gathered in the inferno. Ten minds willed themselves into one. One mind, formed of ten, instated the first ruling of magic upon the planet.
The Arcane Decree.
Unmatched in sheer thought-power, the newly arisen entity spread its dominating influence such that no other minds could will their own thoughts into existence. In a flash of light, illuminating the system itself, Nera fused together from its multitude of crumbling and molten parts. All was well, though the loss of life was immeasurable. In its final profound act, the entity created many humans to cope with the loss, hopeful that mankind could truly recover.
These are our ancestors.
Many more centuries later, as humanity started from scratch once more, civilization has returned to its days before the apocalypse.
But, with the presence of magic still looming and remnants of the apocalypse still lurking, the world must keep its wits about it, lest history be repeated.
Nera. Our world.
Though it features but a single supercontinent, it is permeated by many unique cultures and peoples and is far from homogeneous. At the forefront of Nera's story is the city of Neo Babylon, a massive megatropolis residing near the east of the continent. Independent of all other nations, the city-state of Neo Babylon welcomes all into its folds, enjoying customs and faces from every corner of the globe. Truly a modern city, you will find no other place upon Nera with such incredible opportunity... and danger.
Despite its wealth and boundless entertainment, Neo Babylon is not without its issues; vile shadows, terrorism, and rampant greed plague the city's streets and towers, so thoroughly ingrained into its culture and functioning that many question if it's worthwhile to even try fixing them. The factions of Neo Babylon spread far and wide, featuring persons of varying character. From the most disturbed of Painstaker mages to the most valiant and brave officers of Policus, people come from every background imaginable in the City of Cities.
Present since the dawn of humanity's new age, Magus Prohibitum serves as the glue for law and order upon Nera. Headed by the Arcane Judge itself, Magus Progibitum is considered the most powerful organization in the world in more ways than one. Gripping control over the way magic functions itself in one hand, and uninhibited jurisdiction when it comes to managing magicians across the world.
Based in Neo Babylon, the Magus Prohibitum headquarters serve as the base of operations for both educators and enforcers alike. Whilst the Arcane Judge presides over maintaining the Arcane Decree twenty-four hours a day, the task of intercepting those magicians who have found ways to disobey or circumvent the laws is left to Agents; talented magicians with a taste for combating other mages. While the Arcane Degree is "absolute", its effects are not all-encompassing, and the Magus Prohibitum serves to ensure that loopholes are mended where possible, and punished when executed. Their targets range from the most common street performer looking to wow a crowd with something rarely seen (and for good reason), to the worst of Painstakers weaving incredible spells capable of destroying city blocks. Agents are selected for their loyalty, impervious moral compass, and arcane skill. They are peerless among their peers on Nera, second only to those one in a million mages hidden in the crowds of Neo Babylon.
Interception and punishment is not the sole function of Magus Prohibitum, however, as the organization also serves as a medium for magic education, as well as to serve as liaisons between the Arcane Judge and politicians seeking to change arcane law, for good or for worse. When certain types of magic usage are deemed too dangerous by the government, it is these liaisons that politicians turn to for change. So to is the case when something convenient is needed, but which is currently outlawed.
Where there is law, there is defiance, and the Painstakers represent such anarchist tendencies in the world of magic. Loosely-defined as any magician that purposefully seeks to undermine the Arcane Decree, Painstakers range from curious teens sitting behind computers to massive crime syndicates using dangerous magic to serve their needs. Anathema to Magus Prohibitum, 'belonging' to Painstaker culture is prohibited and punishable by two laws; that of Magus Prohibitum, and of the city government itself. The goals of individuals within Painstaker culture vary widely, but no matter the severity of their activity, is highly frowned upon by the general populace. Considered taboo, one would be wise to hide their status as a Painstaker from friends and family.
The underground community primarily revolves around the exchanging of information; how to circumvent an arcane ruling, how to brute force your past a weaker one, among others. A notable location in Neo Babylon, called the 'Necronomicon' is a prime example of the activity of Painstakers. Actually a mile-long stretch of train track in the boonies of Neo Babylon, the Necronomicon serves as a location for outlaw mages to exchange magic spells as runes imprinted along the concrete walls beside the tracks. Since its surge into notoriety, the Necronomicon has become a heavily guarded zone. Nevertheless, Painstakers find a way to exchange information there regardless, either out of spite for the government, or as an homage to the culture.
The most dangerous society of Neo Babylon is tied to Painstakers; with curiosity and a disregard for the law, you might encounter greatness and adventure... at the cost of your safety.
When attempting to circumvent laws contained within the Arcane Decree, unlawful magicians have two options at their disposal; two "Schools of Thought" that can afford them greater arcane variety. The first is, in general, known as "Thoughtwork". Thoughtwork involves the use of one's imagination (as is necessary for all magic) to create alternative paths to generating a spell that is normally impossible to cast. This usually involves intense thinking on physical systems, such as chemical reactions, energy transfer, etc. As the Arcane Decree is not infinite in its statements, there are ways to get around ideas or imaginations normally barred from usage. Education and hard work is necessary to achieve this school of thought. It is for this reason that few, if any, mages of the Painstaker culture are unintelligent; most are extremely bright, almost dangerously so.
The second is known as "Brutishness". Magicians who utilize this school of thought are far rarer, and are colloquially known as "Brutes". Brutes, rather than relying on finesse in their Thoughtwork, lean upon their sheer mental fortitude to "break past" the Arcane Decree, albeit only barely. While the Arcane Decree is considered "absolute", with a growing population of mages throughout the centuries, the Arcane Judge's potency has dwindled, leaving room for powerful minds to "brute-force" their way past the invisible barrier that is arcane law. Usually spells cast in this manner are highly volatile and very difficult to control or keep precise due to the effort put behind merely trying to materialize the effects.
With great opportunity for innovation and a state relishing in superiority and progress, the largest industrial companies of Nera flock to Neo Babylon. These megacorporations enjoy fewer laws than in surrounding nations, thanks to Neo Babylon's culture of scientific progress and innovation being stressed to the world. Ranging from simple mechanical manufacturers to technological research tycoons, the megacorporations of Neo Babylon are seen everywhere; their marketing presence is impossible to avoid.
At the forefront of energy and computer systems is the Courtlandt Holdings, presiding over several other no-less-huge manufacturing companies. Specializing in military-grade technology systems, from vehicles and automatons, to firearms and explosives, Heavyware is the warring giant of Neo Babylon. Though known for its intense programming campaigns to deliver countless applications to the city and abroad, Heintje serves as a market adversary to Courtlandt Holdings, dealing in computer systems from CPU's and networking, to gaming and entertainment. Retra presents itself as the true scientists of Neo Babylon's megacorporations, continuing an age-long practice of putting research progress at the forefront of its dealings. Biology, chemistry, physics; from its discoveries stem countless product applications to be sold on the market.
The police/para-military foundation serving Neo Babylon's populace. Moreso a military force than anything else, it rivals in power most other countries surrounding it. Policus deals with surveillance of the entire city, moderating traffic in and out of the city, apprehension of criminals, and the protection of its borders from outside forces.
Equipped with a vast arsenal ranging from giant autonomous mecha to independent swarms of scouting drones, laser rifles and electric batons, stun guns and laser fences, they can handle "most" (as described by their representatives) every situation. The Magus Division deals with arcane issues, populated by talented magicians able to handle, at the very least, minor issues involving magic. The force is ranked like most Earthly police organizations, with Wardens directing units per Neo Babylonian District and headed by a single Commander.
Recent events involving police brutality and tightened security across the entire city has raised complaints by its populace, who worry of a police state beginning to take hold after the signing of the Guardian's Respect act. The act was created in response to a surge in police deaths at the hands of criminals, and aims to increase the sense of security police themselves feel while on duty. The act contains a number of clauses, the most apparent one being the illegality of approaching an officer without first asking permission.
Most people expect such a powerful and widespread lineage to be the type to endorse criminal activity, extortion, murder, etc... One would be wrong to assume such for the Shark Family, ominous as their name might be. While appearing haughty -sometimes- obnoxiously rich, the Shark Family is in fact primarily dedicated to philanthropy across Neo Babylon. Even with vast sums of money at their disposal and a well-known name to back them up, they choose instead to spend their time improving the city through various means, such as funding homeless shelters (or building them entirely), paying for paved roads, hosting festivals (they especially love the yearly Cuisines of the World event) and other helpful or enjoyable things.
Belonging to the Shark family is achieved only through blood ties, though they do have a sort of honorary membership in name alone given to individuals who display particularly high philanthropic qualities. Within the family, socioeconomic class varies from middle class to the cream of the crop and everywhere in between. Regardless of wealthiness, members of the Shark family nevertheless devote themselves to improving the city and life of its citizens.
But problems surface when you get into the inner politics of the family. Internal struggles have arisen in trying to maintain a certain good standing with the public as particular members of the family have squandered their cash on petty, selfish ideals and attempted to get others to do the same. Regardless of the majority of the Shark families good nature, they do not tolerate mistakes within their own kind, and have been known to carry out... questionable deeds to maintain order. If there's one thing they do that's characteristic of a powerful criminal family, its the paying off to Neo Babylon's police to keep silent about internal dilemmas they encounter.
In the days of the apocalypse, fire and brimstone upon the surface of Nera were not the only source of strife for a lingering humanity. Where imagination took hold in ways mages intended, nightmares sprouted things unintended, and truly horrific. These ineffably vile creatures crept through the inferno of apocalyptic Nera, many of them surviving through the entirety of the cataclysm. Those that remained lurked in the shadows forevermore, lifting their heads only to terrorize the unsuspecting.
They remain persevering to this day, and within the borders of Neo Babylon where hiding spots are a dime a dozen, they thrive. Where Magus Prohibitum had forgotten about the shadows of Nera's history in favor of cementing an appearance of peace and safety, heroes have risen to combat what is ignored.
The Cleaners, as they calls themselves, serve as monster hunters across Nera. Seeking out the tangible nightmares hiding in Neo Babylon and abroad, they must use their wits and all the magic at their disposal to find victory. Their battle is not endless -there are a finite number of nightmares upon Nera, and they vow to fight until all the shadows have had light cast upon them.
Being of the vigilante sort, Cleaners are targets of both the government and Magus Prohibitum. Many Cleaners are former Painstakers, individuals that decided to turn their expertise in arcane ability to a "right" cause. They come from all walks of life, as the only entry requirement is a knowledge of the nightmares, and a will to fight and learn. Still, their, "by any means necessary," mindset has led them to adopt a rather unfavorable light; oftentimes the thing they seek to destroy is a tool at their disposal, lending to their occult-esque appearance to the public.
A collection of skilled mages that have dedicated themselves to the art of education. Managing five different schools spread across Nera (including two in Neo Babylon), they are oft considered the most well-respected individuals in the world of magic. Their own research has led to the development of magitechnology, which utilizes runic spells to create reactions without the need for knowledge of magic to engage. As educators, their schools are rivaled by the institutions of Magus Prohibitum, though they are more widely regarded as proper research institutions due to their focus on the subject. Magus Prohibitum, meanwhile, focuses more on education rather than research, as their protocol shies away from trying to find new ways to apply magic. Due to their more regimented and law-abiding systems, Magus Prohibitum offers the Thremont Lords and their students more leeway in 'bending' Arcane Decree (as opposed to breaking it or otherwise circumventing laws).
Developments by Thremont institutions include daemons -artificial lifeforms- and vehicles powered by will alone.
ADDENDUM
Barriers - Against spells that have already created real-world, physical effects such as fireballs, rolling quakes, flashes of light, etc, mages have at their disposal a particular type of defensive spell known generally as a 'barrier'. Barriers function as their own cast spell; they are willed into existence by a mage and serve to stop short incoming physical effects in much the same way as a mundane physical barrier.
Personal Reality Field - A second type of defensive "barrier", though is used to prevent spells rather than block them. A mage's PRF is a skin-tight zone in which their wills prevent anything not immediately perceived from coming into existence. A mage's PRF defends them against things such as telekinesis affecting their body, telefragging, and other spells that create immediate localized effects at a range. As the PRF is a willed effect, it can be overcome by stronger wills. It is advised one keep their PRF close to themselves to increase its potency, though the effect can be extended at the cost of diminished strength.
Creation - Creating physical, macroscopic objects generally requires time to complete, especially so for objects made up of multiple elements. A uniform block of iron takes an infinitesimally small amount of time compared to something as simple as a leaf. This is because precision is required in the construction of things. Creation requires the presence of suitable matter; creation from pure energy is dubbed Alchemy alongside the manipulation of atomic nuclei, and Alchemy is a forbidden spell type due to its ability to create things like monetary value or radioactive material. Creation of particular objects can be streamlined and made faster by memorizing the thoughts needed to produce that particular object. A "template", if you will.
Disassembly - The opposite of Creation, Dissassembly is not a forbidden spell, but has an upper limit to the speed which one can utilize it at, so as to prevent rampant degeneration of large objects (or people). Rule-breakers can bypass the limit to create more devastating spells, however.
Arcane Speed Limit - Part of the Arcane Decree limits the speed at which things that contain mass may travel. Said speed limit is approximately 760 m/s; or the average speed of a 5.56 round. This too can be circumvented by finding loopholes in the law.
Willful Threshold - Before the Arcane Decree, anybody with awareness that magic existed would spontaneously produce spells with their every thought. The Arcane Decree created a "Willful Threshold" to prevent unintended spell casting. The Threshold is designed such that spells only take effect if the magician purposefully wills it to do so, rather than merely at first consideration. While all individuals are technically capable of performing magic, due to the Threshold's existence, some individuals possess a lesser innate capacity for their will to be strong enough to pass it (thus negating their ability to perform magic at all).
Cafe Thaza - For most purposes, Cafe Thaza is a simple 6-to-7 establishment serving high-quality coffee, tea, and baked goods, though it hides within it a secretive but far from nefarious purpose. Located in a 4-story building within the upper reaches of Neo Babylon, Cafe Thaza enjoys frequent business from all walks of life; the rich come for the fusion of decor and expediency, while the poorer come from time to time for a relatively cheap but above-average meal.
The owner, a mother of two deceased Cleaner sons, goes by the colloquial name of 'Mom' by the more frequent patrons of the cafe. While the first floor of the building serves as a restaurant, the other three contain a number of living spaces that are given to those who need it. Not quite an inn due to its free cost, Cafe Thaza welcomes vagrants and the dislodged unfortunates of Neo Babylon for nights or weeks. Well aware of the generally strange circumstances to life that accompany many Cleaners, "Mom" leaves the living spaces as a place to rest, convene, or escape. Beyond Cleaners, even young, regretful Painstakers are allowed in, alongside wounded gang members looking to avoid a trip to the hospital.
So long as you behave and have a definite need for shelter, Cafe Thaza's underbelly will welcome you. While a bed or couch can't be guaranteed, a roof over your head and privacy can.
You are a Cleaner (detailed above, in the factions listing); an individual dedicated to the elimination of darkness within Nera, by any means necessary. You have come from any background, be it as a former Painstaker, or a brave soul looking to do right for their friends, family, and civilization. It is up to you how your character came into the Cleaner folds.
You may be of any age, within reason. All that is required is a strong heart, be it young or old. Your characters may know one another as older faces to the cause, or they may be new blood, unfamiliar with the etiquette and names of the secretive society. Regardless of your inexperience or otherwise, you will come to learn that teamwork and trust is a necessity when dealing the nightmares of Nera. Independence and mistrust will result in swift death.
I encourage you to make the character sheet, provided below, look more fancy and pleasant to look at. Kudos. Feel free to rearrange the sections as you see fit.
Please post your unaccepted character sheets in the OOC first. Once it has been accepted, please copy it over to the Characters tab.
[Appearance at top of sheet. Prefer anime/drawn art images. This is not an optional addition.] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Codename:[/b] [Cleaners call each other by their codenames, frequently. Helps to avoid releasing their true name to the public. One word.] [b]Color Scheme:[/b] [Two colors. Give me the hex code as well.] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Gender:[/b] [b]Personality:[/b] [As bullet points or paragraphs. Quirks are nice.] [b]Short Biography:[/b] [Include the important points; how did you come to your current living situation, what important aspects of your history aided in it, what events were important to you, etc. Prefer conciseness over length.] [b]Magic Style:[/b] [I'm not looking for just a list of unique spells your character knows (though you should include such things), but also a unique 'style' in which they use their magic. Use your imagination here. Rather than describing exactly what I mean by this, I would rather see how players interpret it, and what they come up with. Note that it is not a requirement to be a mage to be a Cleaner; in many cases physical weaponry can do the job. Cleaners with a lesser aptitude for magic may forgo it entirely in favor of guns and blades. They will necessarily have trouble dealing with the more esoteric nightmares, however.] [b]Membership:[/b] [New or old? As an old character, they will be no more experienced than 2 years on the job.] [b]Equipment:[/b] [Anything that might come up as important to a scene or your character.] [b]Relationships:[/b] [As below, Relationships should be filled in retroactively, and should detail things discussed with other players. While not mandatory, I encourage you to use it for improving upon your character build. This is especially encouraged for characters who are older members of the Cleaners. [b]Character Impressions:[/b] [Not to be included until more character sheets have been submitted. While this is an optional CS addition, I encourage you to participate as a character-building exercise. If your character is new blood, their impressions may be first impressions, while older members may give their more experienced impressions of other characters.] [b]Theme Song:[/b] [Be it battle music or the song that plays when your character's episode ends in a video game. Go wild.]
No reservations. Interest check was to see if I had just that; interest. By all means apply. :)
Thanks! Kk, gimme a day or two to get a character idea solidified and written. I've never done this form of RP, so I can't pull my usual BS and just copy-paste a previous CS.
Name: Josephine Codename: End Color Scheme: ec008c 000000 Age: Mid-Twenties Gender: Female Personality:
Exacting
Obssessive
Arrogant
Dramatic
Thrifty
Determined
“diedieDIE!”
She never forgot the first shot she fired. Even at near-point blank range, she still failed to hit any vitals, and as the man gurgled, reaching out with his fat hands, she panicked and switched to auto, blowing eleven more finger-sized holes into his torso, blubbering all the while. And even when the corpse collapsed back onto the bed, white sheets staining dark red, she continued to pull the trigger, an endless clicking filling the smoky room.
“The bullets are included in the bill.”
She never forgot any other shots she fired either. Meticulously counting each and considering their prices, she charged each client, citing it as an important expense. A miser, perhaps, but she did her work well, and her appearance worked for her. No one expected a scrawny child to be a problem. No one thought that her oversized clothes hid grenades and firearms. And no one expected that she was the contract killer they hired. Anonymity kept her safe once the bullets ran out.
“I…am in control.”
But anonymity didn’t stop her fame from increasing, and as her kill count increased, so too did the difficulty of her jobs. What had gone from missions of revenge from men who had their wives stolen from them had gone to taking out drug dealers or enforcers. And bullets were no longer enough. Unwilling to back down from her profession, she sought out a Painstaker instead, learning the arcane arts from a wizened widow who never had a child. She didn’t mind being their surrogate daughter. Not if that gave her a discount. “Motivation? Boredom.”
And once she had both science and magic in her hands, what had once been a challenge was slowly…becoming forgettable. Gone were the days where she had to scrape by in a dingy motel room, drinking instant tomato soup. Gone were the days where she had to count her bullets one by one, hoping that she had enough to get by if it turned into a firefight. Gone were all those worrisome days, and with that, gone was her stimulation.
At least, until it turned out that the target of one particular job was not a human, not a mage, but a monster.
A nightmare.
She survived, barely, and when her client came up afterwards, offering a position as a Cleaner, she accepted without a second thought.
It was like her first kill once again. All fear. All adrenaline. All-consuming.
Alive.
Magic Style: Iron Revolution Disassembly, Telekinesis, Reassembly Josephine utilizes three different spells simultaneously, focusing more on speed rather than large effects in order to create a magic system that synergizes with her preferred form of combat. An ‘active’ disintegration field creates atomic dust, which is then shrouded around her by ‘passive’ telekinesis, and then ‘actively’ reassembled into the form of bullets with grains of iron sand within them in order to be recycled once more. In its most base application, she can give herself an unlimited amount of railgun ammunition, as long as her mind can keep up with the many spells in place.
Disable.bond(molecular) – The disassembly of matter into atomic dust via destruction of molecular bonds. Can be used to ‘cut’ through objects as well, at roughly the same speed as a plasma torch.
Move.object(variable) – Telekinesis, capable of moving objects at bullet speed. Passively keeps all atomic dust that Josephine created in 5 meter radius of her.
Generate.bullet(iron) – The reassembly of bullets with an iron sand core, specifically. Takes whatever atomic dust she has gathered and re-connects their molecular bonds.
Membership: New, 6 months but highly active. Equipment: Heavyware Railrifle X-16 – Silent, recoilless, and deadly. Can hold a clip of 70 bullets and has various features such as burst, semi-auto, single-shot, and full auto. An all-in-one gun that can be used for anything from close-range firefights to long-range sniping. State-of-the-art.
Heavyware Punisher EMT – Lethal and highly accurate. Can hold a clip of 15 and fire a variety of bullets. Advertised as a hand cannon that even a child can use. From HE to AP to Tracker Darts, it’s a sidearm commonly used by elite bodyguards.
Heavyware Valkyrie Suit – Lightweight and slim. Body armor that enhances both motor functions and reaction speed through biochemical processes and electric stimulation. Strong enough to deflect small firearms easily and take a few hits from heavy arms, but its main selling point is the fact that one can wear regular clothing over them. Installed with a jetpack and glider wings, allowing for superjumps and a semblance of flight.
@ERode Biography is good as is, but I'm curious, how'd she start capping people in the first place? Clearly she was a poor soul that needed cash, but was being the child-soldier hitman her first choice, or even a choice at all? Was she initially picked up by a trainer before being let free to do as she pleased? Or was it something she thought she could do and pursued it from nothing?
@Asuras As a little kid, she basically followed someone else's orders in order to kill some fatty. Just given a gun, given a location, and various edgy shit happened before she point-blanked the dude. Dude that was supposed to pay her just cut off all connection with her instead, so she made do with whatever was in dead man's pockets.
After she recovered from the initial trauma (or maybe she never did), her mind began to equate killing people with money, so her first major purchase after 'food' was bullets for an empty gun. Shop owner (or street peddler?) would have thought she was just some low-level grunt working as a runner for some low-level gang, so probably overcharged her a ton. But she made the bullets pay for themselves and then some.
Was really just mugging with murderous intent until she worked out that she can double-dip. Steal dead people's shit AND get paid for capping them.
Essentially, it was something she got tossed into and never came out of. I just assumed that in the future, firearms are so easy to handle that even kids can use them.
@ERode So, was she more the "justified vigilante" type that mainly killed scumbags and criminals, or was she more the type to remorselessly kill anyone who had a price on their head- regardless of whether they are "Good people"?
@ERode Fair enough. Every RP's got to have at least one psychopath.
I wonder if the other Cleaners will just be like "Well, she can kill the nightmares, so it doesn't matter if she's an assassin" or "Damnit, she's a nutcase, kick her out!"
Individuals with a kill count aren't turned away by Cleaners unless they specifically show a murderous tendency. Unless you're the kind to execute a civilian on the street for scuffing your shoes, they don't care about your history. In plenty of cases the Cleaners themselves have to kill other people for various reasons. Nightmares come in many shapes after all.
Gonna make a character who's a certifiable genius, but is so incredibly impatient that they use the "Brute" method rather than take a bit of time to think up more safe/complex ways around the Law.
I have probably made 1 to many assumptions about the setting, please let me know where I have gone to far and I can rejig whatever that may be.
Name: Sebastian Mortimer (Seb for short) Codename: Advent, but a lot of people just call them Doc or ‘That thing’ Color Scheme: ACE7EA DE0000 Age: Late Twenties Gender: M Personality: Inquisitive Obsessive Creative Kleptomania and hoarding: specifically when it has to do with things they might use for modification, their room is full of junk machine parts, preserved animal bits and various creations either dormant or wandering about. Generally rather cheerful and optimistic: Good for bedside manner, rather odd coming from a monstrosity or a man elbow deep in a corpse warping the laws of nature to their will.
Originally an employee at Courtlandt Holdings having attended one of the Thremont Lord’s schools, specifically to study the interfacing of magitechnology and biological systems. They spent a lot of their free time locked up in a dingy apartment obsessively poking and prodding a the limits of the arcane, fascinated by the ability to create and reshape reality and frustrated in the myriad of restrictions in place. He eventually ended up looking most into the idea of using magic to create minions, first to make their life easier, then as a hobby and finally devolving into a full blown obsession.
Using modification of existing life forms and more importantly, AI controlled devices they slowly began to create more bizarre, sometimes useful, but mainly just interesting creations, with no rhyme or reason to what they worked on on a particular day. However this knowledge had to be gained by trips to the Necronomicon when hunting for info on the dark web would not suffice. As painstalkers will not meet with drones or proxy servants they ended up using their modification magic to change themselves and make sneaking in easier by making himself faster, using rudimentary chameleon tech to hide and letting them take less conventional routes with climbing claws, gills or wings. More and more modification resulted in them looking less and less human each trip and the tales of some strange beast slinking in and out of the Necronomicon is what first brought him to the attention to Cleaners, who assumed there was some nightmare that had crawled out of its hole.
He was attacked and, though he had neither the training or skills to defeat (or even hurt) the cleaner after him, his modified form and myriad of experimental creatures were enough to allow his survival till they both ended up having to flee from the approaching Agents and Policus response.
Having had to work together to escape the cleaner, after it became clear he was not in fact a nightmare, gave him an ultimatum, either join the cleaners, give up his ‘hobby’ or be hunted for the rest of his (guaranteed to be short) life for his magic. This was all because it was inconvenient to have him start rumors that could be mistake for nightmare sightings every time he or his monstrosities get noticed and they would rather not waste time following a lead only to find out it’s Seb again.
They accepted, because at this point their magic was their life as he had just lost everything else to the police retaliation on his infested home (and to some experimental gun-beasts exploding), and the existence of nightmares was a fascinating revelation. Getting to now help/show off his creations was an added boon so they eagerly requested they be made a member.
Predominantly creation based, they circumnavigate parts of the alchemy restrictions by making their edits to molecular structure and mass creation look like cell replication or mutation, allowing them to better mold existing flesh and machinery into specific, if similar, parts for their creation(modify DNA, make hair into cartilage, flesh from several different creatures compatible and stop the rejection of inorganic parts etc.). This energy injection is what allows the large mods to function despite their high energy requirements, feeding the body with magic rather than digestion.
Seb’s magic style is mostly preparatory, they modify themselves before a mission and bring along various specialized organisms to help. They can modify existing life forms by adding, removing or remodeling their physical structure, they create horror or beauty from flesh and steel, controlled by circuits and nerves.
The target of this has to stay still while Seb edits them, so they must either be willing or unconscious, while suspended in a glowing circle drawn around the subject (looks like a summoning circle projecting a column of light surrounding the subject). As a result the simplest thing to do is to take AI programs, that can be relied upon to not move, which they have experience in working with from their time at Courtlandt Holdings, and building something around that. Modified lab mice work well as a basis for a biological system, as do bugs, controlling the will of the organism via implanted chip but letting the bio brain do most of the literal leg work.
These are ‘bound’ to Seb’s will via extensive additions to his mind, magitechnology based cybernetics have been used to modify Sebs' brain and skull letting him send and receive signals to his various creations.
The magic can be used for rudimentary terrain manipulation and simple modifications/creations can be made on the fly out of on site equipment, the magic can also be used to heal if there is flesh available and enough time, rebuilding the damaged part of the person.
The forms are all generally made for a specific task or role. Spidery gun drones, massive attack dogs, simple spy camera equipped bugs, creatures to act as lab assistants or simply interesting looking pets.
Body examples
This consists mostly of adding parts to a human and improving the musculature than warping the body entirely and thus can be done rather quickly by preserving those parts and practically putting them on like a suit before a brief fusing period.
Full body modification, this takes much longer to swap in and out off as well as a lot of additional biomass to add additional size
Basically a Bio-mechanical mech at this point, entered and then bonded to the user who curls up in the chest cavity, but it is not stealthy and has massive power consumption, its faster to get into that a medium morph and so can be useful for an unexpected base defense rather than going out on missions.
Membership: New. Been here for about 2 months, most of that is combat training, providing medical assistance, tinkering, providing modified experimental equipment(with various degrees of success in their operation) or watching more experienced Cleaners do their work so that he can learn from them. Equipment: This mostly depends what they have done to themselves today, but they always have a collection of spare AI chips for modding stuff on the fly as well as some personal computing equipment to program said chips either on their person or on a nearby creation.
Weapon wise they either use the bioweapons(claws, blades, organic launcher weapons) of their modifications or installed/wielded laser weaponry.
Sucker for that shit. I'll have to say though that any instances of human (not self) modification are unlikely to be something the Cleaners would allow amidst their ranks. A person turning other people into freakish creatures is about as nightmarish as it gets, so he'd be a target before he was a potential recruit for the Cleaners if he dabbled in human experimentation (and I find it highly unlikely anyone would be willing to be his test subject).
That is fair, I added the stipulation of willing subjects in the actual magic part for that reason, but I should probably add a bit about their morality also not allowing unwilling subjects as well. They are more, "look at this cool bug-cat/gun/hunting lizard thing I made" than forcibly inducing trans-humanism in others. Also controlling a human is hard, possibly impossible, better to train a dog, chip a beetle or just use AI for servants anyway.
Though I imagine there might be some people interested in minor modifications (healing injuries, non-disfiguring cybernetics/bio mods, cosmetic work, etc. seeing as people do this IRL already with plastic surgery, prosthetics and Biohacking) or using external things made by them like weapons or creatures but yeah, both I and he can see being stuck in a massive flesh monster that you can only get out of if someone else dismantles it for you would be very unappealing for basically everyone.
being a giant monster is a nice place to visit, I wouldn't want to live there tough.
I will change it to an imgur link, let me know if that helps
Your problem is solved!
I was getting a little cartoon girl that said "Hyperlinking is wrong!" and informed me that you are an evil person who was stealing bandwith from their website
(Side-note: This is not my computer. Those are not my bookmarks, and thus, neither is that my facebook account. I was just too lazy to edit all that out.)
This has caught both of my eyes. Really interesting premise and what can I say, I have a thing for fantasy/sci-fi crossover shenanigans. And a character concept I've been itching to use somewhere appropriate for forever.
I'd go ahead and set up a CS if there's still room, seeing how this thing clearly doesn't have enough explosions yet.
