The Gauntlet

[The ZAX]

"Welcome friends! You are now standing a little to the left and just
slightly up from the center of the multi-verse. My name is Kip
Kippers, famed TV personality and host of THE GAUNTLET, the most
dangerous game in existence! I am joined as always by my lovely co-
host Schlubby. *Schlooooorp* Haha, and it's good to see you again
too!"

"Many of you are probably wondering, 'where the hell am I?' and
'what is going on?' Well, allow me to fill you in on the details. The
multiverse is a giant series of what if's. Every decision, every coin
flip, every ERRANT MOLECULE causes a new branch to form. You have
all been chosen to take part in the Gauntlet, a game put on by the
patron of patrons, the only being to truly break away from the grasp
of the multiverse; The Crayak."

"Now, some of you are here as volunteers, others are here representing
their reality or cluster of realities, playing for personal glory and
fabulous prizes awarded to your home universe. Others of you have the
honor of being personally selected by our talent acquesition team.
Snatched from the jaws of death, you have proven yourself an
impressive contender and someone who's face we want to broadcast (and
license in) over two trillion different realities! You are of course
welcome to opt out of the games, in which case we will return you to
your regularly scheduled demise. Otherwise this is your chance to earn
another lease on life, any life you want in any reality you can dream
of! Now there are some rules to keep in mind for the games. Schlubby,
would you like to go over the rules for everybody?"

*Schklorp! Glup glub, groaaaaan slip meep meep beeee. Skloprity skloop, schoolp flap flop glom. Glormp, gub, gub geee! Gleep sklorp schlooooooop schlaf*

"Thanks Schlubby! Succint and to the point as always. A couple other
points to keep in mind. This game challenges you mind, body and soul.
Those hoping that martial prowess alone will carry them along are in
for a dissapointment. You can also gain benefactors during the course
of the games. Impress enough of the right people and you will be
rewarded with items from across the multiverse, meant to help you
progress even further into the games! Finally, when it comes to
challenges anyhting goes, and we mean ANYTHING! The multiverse is a
disk much like a galaxy. Go to the left and you will find solid rules
of physics, full of worlds dominated by technological marvels. To the
right physics get a little... wobbly, allowing magic to exists. We
pull our challenges from both sides of the divide, so you never know
what to expect. The Crayak has been know to personally arrange for
challenges from above and below the regular plane of the multiverse
for the most impressive contenders. Now, let us begin this season
of..."

"THE GAUNTLET!"
*Schlorp!*

About
You have been recruited for a gameshow at the center of the multiverse. Either through volunteering or random assignment you are in the melange track, a team based section of the gameshow with contenders randomly assigned to different teams. Sometimes teams come together to succeed spectacularly, most of the time though all the disseperate world views lead to an entertaining train wreck. There will be challenges that test your combat abillities, as well as mental capabilities and willpower.

As far as characters go, I am up for most anything. This is at the center of the multiverse so any species, background, or skills can be explained away. When submitting your character please use the following format.

Character Name
Home Universe: Description
Backstory: Your call...
Skills: (3) What are you really good at?
Defficiancies: (2) What gives your character trouble?
Abillities: (2 )What is special about your character, for example magic: start with 2 spells, ninja: start with 2 sweet moves, cybernetics: start with 2 specialized implants, etc... Get creative but also leave yourself room to grow. There are training facilities to use between rounds!
Special Equipment: (1) So, your character is a swordsman, you get to start with a vanilla sword. But say you want that sword to light on fire, this is where you can specify that. This is where you get to explain your powerful suit of armor or designate that your gun can shoot more than bullets. You start with one piece of specialized equipment, but can gain more from patrons who are impressed with your performance.

A note on existing properties and character power levels
If you would like your character to originate from an existing fictional universe I am okay with that. I do ask that you not use existing characters though. I would prefer that all characters in here be original, so you can use the Star Wars universe as a framework for what your Jedi Knight can do, but you can't use Obi-Wan, Vader, Luke, etc... I would encourage original worlds though. If you are working on a game or story that involves creating your own world now is a chance to pit them against a multiverse of possibilities. And if you just want to create a light framework of a universe to originate from that works too, I am always happy to collaborate with players to flesh out their characters!
As for Power Levels, the Gauntlet scales to the most powerful person in the party. If you amuse or surprise me your deus ex ability will work... ONCE. After that point expect to be soft or hard countered in the future. This is a gameshow, and no one would watch American Gladiator if everyone steamrolled the course, now would they?

[AluminumDude]

Markus Black
Home Universe: As all universes can be infinitely large, and some others just as small. A planet mainly covered in tundra, and full of dangerous wildlife and magic. It has a decent amount of medieval settlements, with most near the equator to help deal with the planets ever-present frost. Most war between humans is null, in an attempt to fend off both monsters and hypothermia. The reason for the planets ever frigid surface was an incantation of dark magic by mages all across the world, who messed up big time.
Backstory: Markus Black was a librarian who had never been content with his job. It was boring, and nobody really used books except for fuel for fire. He had inherited the shop from his father when he was younger and it was a decent job he supposed. However, he had found a trapdoor near where he waited for business. Venturing deeper, he found another section of the library. It was full of forbidden tomes, and being curious as he was, Markus studied them. The books were remnants of dark magic, of the same type that froze his world. Reading intently, Markus prepared the ritual to grant him the power to cast these magics. And as the ritual ended, and power shot through his veins, he felt his vision darken, with his grimoire in hand.
Skills: (3) 1. Being raised in a Library, Markus had lots of experiences learning about various subjects. Because of this, Markus had a vague understanding of how things work. How fire starts, at what temperature a human starts to die from both cold and heat. And some basic physics. Because of all this learning, he also finds it easy to learn and use new information.
2. Markus' Grimoire contains a vast amount of spells, however it does take him some time to decipher the mystical runes. Only those who have undergone the initial ritual can "read them". By slowly focusing on the runes, he can slowly transfer the meaning into his mind, where most others may not be able to.
3. Markus is charismatic by nature. He uses this to advantage, preferring to charm and smile his way out of confrontation, granted it works a bit better on the opposing sex. He generally has to charm to make up for his physicallity.
Deficiencies:(2) 1. Markus is small and lean. He can't take larger hits well. He isn't strong and would prefer to decline any physical challenge. He also gets winded fairly easily.
2. After learning about knowledge that his friends didn't know about, Markus grew to expect to know the answer to all solutions. When he can't find the answer to a solution, or when it has no true answer, he may get very panicked and anxious.
Abilities: (2 ) While Markus' grimoire contains many spells, as of now, he only knows two spells as of now.
1. Flux: A black orb either physical or more plasma like, about the size of a head emerges from the ground for a few seconds. It submerges into the ground then appears again in a range of 80 feet. It can solidify and become a solid orb, and act as a twenty pound rock. It can stay more plasma like, and upon impacting a human gives intense mental strain and pain.
2. ???(Party Tricks): Markus couldn't translate the name of this spell, but gave it the name of party tricks. It cleans minor stains (and makes them), it can make small lights appear, and can start small fires. It also can make soft noises and vibrations. It has many uses, and Markus only knows a few. But they're not really powerful.
Special Equipment: (1) Markus has a large black tome, with several hundred pages. It's his grimoire, and he loves it. It gives him the use of various spells, assuming he can translate them. It draws from Markus' own soul, and while he lives, it is not affected by weight, and is surprisingly durable.
OoC: Hey, just like to say that I'd love to join this crazy show, so let me know if you would like me to revise my character. Til' then!