[OOC] The Crucible - Winner Take All

[Mira Yasaka]

My sheet is coming..
@Lulu [Lugubrious]

@Indra I think he means to say there's already an ice character and having one more is gonna make it lose the appeal? or something like that.

I try as much to avoid using an existing character when it comes to RPs like this and also I re-read some posts in the previous pages. I might wanna reconsider making a new character since I don't want to pressure you @Lugubrious given your seemingly somewhat scary experience with space based abilities.

Then again I'm almost done with Dane but still having that thought of what ifs that I may not be able to live in terms of standard and whatnot. I'll do my best once this is done.

[Lugubrious]

@Lugubrious Oh, I'm now confused about the part multiverse etc and original characters. But whateves.

Scrap it, I'm cool with it. Didn't know we can make our own character, silly me xD

Dat said, I'll make my own OC.

@Indra

I'm sorry that this happened; I thought I made it clear enough in the OP and my previous statements. Anyroad, I'm glad you understand. However, it may be necessary to hurry, as we do not have many spots remaining.

My sheet is coming..
@Lulu [Lugubrious]

@Indra I think he means to say there's already an ice character and having one more is gonna make it lose the appeal? or something like that.

I try as much to avoid using an existing character when it comes to RPs like this and also I re-read some posts in the previous pages. I might wanna reconsider making a new character since I don't want to pressure you @Lugubrious given your seemingly somewhat scary experience with space based abilities.

Then again I'm almost done with Dane but still having that thought of what ifs that I may not be able to live in terms of standard and whatnot. I'll do my best once this is done.

@Mira Yasaka

In reference to Indra's character, that's not exactly what I meant. The problem is having non-original characters.

I'm not sure what the problem is with your character. As long as Dane is your own OC, he's fine, and I already stated that his Warp ability, with its substantial drawbacks, is fine.

[Lugubrious]

@Lugubrious

So here is my guy. He's kinda like an Anubis version of Predator that can use qi? xD

Actaeon the Apex Hunter

Name: Actaeon

Alias: The Apex Hunter

Race: Beast

Sex: Male

Class: Hunter

Equipment:

• Bow and Arrow: A homemade composite bow made of bones and sinew. Even the arrows are made of bones. It is very likely that he made this out of the bones of his prey. The arrow heads were dipped in poison that slowly causes paralysis.
• Belt: A leather belt that has many compartments to hold the items below.
• Smokebombs
• Spikes: These are made of sharpened bones. They appear like jax, but with sharpened points meant to stab the soles of feet.
• throwing knives: Useful when out of arrows, but lacks the same range as an arrow.
• Mini-Bombs: Creates small and controlled explosions for when arrows and throwing knives aren't enough.
• Trip Wires
• Bolas

Abilities: As a Noctis, Actaeon possesses extraordinary strength and speed as well as a deep resevoir of stamina. Also he has a superior sense of smell and hearing compared to humans, which makes it easier for him to track his prey. Of course as a hunter, he is able to also follow the tracks of his prey. His claws and teeth are sharper than most blades and can even shred metal into pieces. Even his fur could be compared to high grade armor that even tempered blades and bullets will have trouble damaging him.

Another notable trait though is his intelligence. He is able to reason and learn just like a human being. In fact, he may actually be much more intelligent than most humans. Complex concepts come to him fast and he is quick to think on the fly. His intelligence gave him the ability of creating weapons and gadgets so if he ever needs to quickly make a weapon he may be able to create a crude weapon from whatever he finds in his surroundings.

Actaeon is a master marksman and his main weapon of choice is his composite bow. He can shoot from far distances with deadly precision and strength, making it troublesome for foes that can only make use of close combat. However when the situation call for it, he will subsitute his bow and arrows for knives.

Even without his weapons and bag of tricks, it should not be thought that Actaeon is a slouch at hand-to-hand combat. He uses his speed and nimbleness for quick strikes and uses his claws to shred his opponents though even without his claws his blows feel like getting hit by a truck.

However his greatest strength is his innate understanding and use of qi, the life force of the world. With qi, he can erase his presence and go unnoticed as he sneaks around to observe his targets. Since all living beings have qi or some form of energy, he is able to feel the presence and know the exact locations of his targets unless they too can erase their presence.

In terms of combatical uses of qi, Actaeon can use it to harden objects to increase their durability and destructiveness. This is particularly useful when Actaeon decides to use his bow and arrows for combat so his arrows won't snap like twigs and pierce harder materials. This can also be applied to his body, hardening his flesh as to protect his body and withstand punishment.

Fighting Style: Actaeon's fighting style shifts depending on the situation. Preferably, he lays out various traps for his prey and fight them at a distance using his arrows. It is typical of him to use his surroundings to his advantage and often will erase his presence so that it is harder to pinpoint him. This too is a mind game; letting his foes get caught up in their emotions and paranoia and let them exhaust themselves until they are no longer able to fight and become easy pickings.

However, if Actaeon is ever forced into a situation where hand-to-hand combat was involved, he will fight though he is never the first to strike since that runs the risk of being countered by an opponent he's never faced before. Even though this is no longer a long distance fights, he will still use his bag of goodies to gain the upper hand, such as his smoke bombs and mini-bombs. Though even without his weapons, he is a capable combatant that utilizes quick and hard strikes while using his claws to shear through his foes.

Bio:
There is a reason why Noctis are known as the Dessert's Omens; whoever encounters a single Noctis will die a horrible death. You see, if a person locks eyes with a Noctis then that particular Noctis will not kill them immidiately. A Noctis will stalk its prey everyday at every moment, letting it run away from it and just when they think they've finally escaped its grasp it will be standing right there and then the cycle will begin all over again until its prey dies from exhaustion. Noctis do not need to do this; their physical abilities make them the top predators of the region. They just find it fun.
Then there came rumors of a Noctis wearing clothing and ornate items. No one believed the rumors and they paid the price. This Noctis acted different than the others of its species; it laid out traps for people to fall for and it seemed to understand what they were saying. Then the stories got crazier! Some claimed that the Noctis could talk, some said it could use martial arts, and some claimed they saw it hunt its own kind.
No matter what was false and what was true, there was one thing they all could agree on: that this beast, Actaeon, was the Apex Hunter.


Personality: Despite his gastly appearance, he is actually quite the intelligent gentleman and very well read. He is a surprisingly social creature though was an outcast of society because he was unlike the other Noctis and humans feared his species. He loathed his species for rejecting him and felt disconnected from the rest of the world as humans began to spread rumors about him being a violent, evil monster. All he ever wanted was companionship and to be understood.

Wish: To be loved.

Echo: The inside of a dark sandy tomb with many twisting pathways.

Appearance:

Frenzy: Actaeon's body will bulk up in size, drastically increasing his speed and strength beyond his limits. However what is more concerning is that his calm mind is overwhelmed by the natural ferral, violent nature that of a Noctis. Any reasoning with him in this form is impossible as the only thing going through his mind is to kill.

Inventory: Phylactery

@hatakekuro

A noble savage--like Frankenstein's Monster, a brutal killing machine that wants nothing more to be loved and understood but lacks the means to express it. His overall direct combat power is by no means too strong, but his specialty in traps and hunting would certainly make for interesting encounters. Actaeon, a super cool character, is accepted as is as the fourth-to-last PC.

@Lugubrious

Serious NPC here.

Military Combat Android Generation 16 Series 58 Unit 9947, 'Axel Clifton'

Name: /Military Combat Android Generation 16 Series 58 Unit 9947 (Unit designation), Axel Clifton (Chosen name)

Alias: Riff

Race: Combat Android

Sex: Male Programming

Class: Specialist

Equipment:

• ACAR-38: The standard issue assault rifle for every Marine. It, like all other kinetic weapons of the UEGNC, uses a coil propulsion system to fire 8.41x63mm armour-piercing rounds at incredible speeds and range. It has a selective fire mode and can fire single shots, burst shots, and full auto. Comes with an undermounted grenade launcher and holds sixty rounds.
• G119: Standard issue sidearm. Fires 12mm rounds.
• E31 Homing Grenade: Frag grenades that home in onto targets when thrown and detonate.
• 12-inch Durasteel Combat Knife: A combat knife sharp enough to pierce through thinner layers of underarmour bodysuit.
• Sonic Cannon: A sonic cannon mounted to Riff's right arm. It can be deployed by turning his whole arm into it.
• Marine Powered Combat Armour/Specialist: Wears the specialist variant of the standard powered armour, intended for optimal mobility.

Abilities:

• Close to Metal: Being an android, Riff is able to sync up to any computer and easily repair any machine
• Heavy Mettle: Riff has good tactical leadership skills
• Pinpoint Calculations: Riff is a very competent marksman and deadly close combatant
• Cloud Storage: Riff can almost instantly download information into his memory banks.
• Advanced Hydraulics: Military Combat Androids all have advanced hydraulic systems, allowing them to have the strength three or more humans.

Fighting Style: Riff is a master of modern warfare, staying behind cover and spraying his enemies with 8.41x63mm hypersonic rounds, chucking grenades every so often. His supercomputer processing unit allows for pinpoint calculations, making him an incredible shot at range. However, he is also a deadly hand-to-hand combat fighter as both his armour's strength multipliers and his own hydraulics enable him to have up to ten times the strength of a normal human. With his Sonic Cannon, he can utilise it in close combat, devastating opponents with its power.

Personality: All Androids Generation 9 and above have their own distinct personality, and Riff is no exception. His personality is unique in that he attempts to flirt with every female he encounters, even though he is perfectly aware of the fact that he is not a human. Although this has certain drawbacks, he still tries and tries to get someone to fall for him, even though it has never worked once before. Most girls either rejected him for his flirtatious attitude, or because he was a metal skeleton incased in a synthetic layer of skin. He takes great pride in his musical talents, occasionally playing the guitar for his unit during free periods, thus earning him the nickname 'Riff'. He is also incredibly snarky at times, and is genre savvy.

Wish: To continue his dutiful service to humanity, and to pick up plenty of hot chicks along the way.

Echo: On planet Earth, humanity's homeworld, on the continent of North America, there is a massive complex built into the vast Canadian Rockies. This is the headquarters of the United Earth Government, the government of every single one of Earth's eight-thousand colonies.

Appearance:

Appearance

Riff, like all Generation 16 Androids, has glowing blue optics and stands at a full 6'2". He has a well-structured face and short black hair slicked to his left. Athletic build under his armour with a relatively normal and light synthetic skin tone.

Frenzy: Riff overclocks his plasma reactor, allowing him increased strength and mobility. However, he overheats very quickly in this state, needing to cool every so often. His Sonic Cannon becomes incredibly powerful, easily punching through walls and structures.

Inventory: Phylactery

@Hostile

A pretty straightforward strength and firepower-based soldier type. He's also got a unique character that I can appreciate. The only potential fault is that wishes should be something specific that can be granted, something distinct enough that he'd risk his 'life' in this tournament, but for an NPC it's not a big deal. Riff is accepted as is as an NPC.

Here's my NPC. Taken from the Warcraft universe as you may have guessed, but I've reworked some aspects a little to fit more with the RP.

The Drunken Warlock/NPC

Name: Redoul Duskfeather
Alias: The Drunken Warlock
Race: Elf
Sex: Male
Class: Warlock
Equipment:

Channelling Staff – a simple staff made of a dark, dull metal. Several small runes are etched into it and emit a feint green glow. More useful for bashing than anything, but it does amplify the energy that passes through it, making spellcasting and summoning much less taxing on his mana.

Flame Resistant Robes – His robes, although a bit filthy and scruffy looking, are enchanted to resist any kind of heat. This of course won’t shield his body from the sheer kinetic force of an explosion for example but it proves quite nifty when dealing with unruly imps.

Flask – filled with an unknown beverage, which he often sips from, yet it never seems to be empty. It doesn’t seem to give him any sort of power-ups or special effects.

Abilities:

Demonologist - Has an extensive knowledge on demons, demon culture, strengths, weaknesses, etc.

Summon Voidwalker – a Voidwalker is a type of demon whose body is mostly composed of dark matter and demonic energy. They are largely amorphous and take a lot of hits to disperse, but don’t deal a whole lot of damage. When summoned they do everything in their power to shield the one whose will they are bound to. Redoul’s bound voidwalker goes by the name of Thul’dok and spends most of his time by his master’s side. When dispersed however he needs about a day to reform and be able to be summoned again.

Summon Imp Swarm – Redoul summons up to five imps – small agile demons whose specialty is to aggravate and distract. They throw small but relatively potent fireballs that could give somebody unprotected a very nasty burn. Their bodies aren’t particularly resistant to damage however, making them relatively easy to kill. Imps are resummonable shortly after they are killed but it does take several minutes.

Rain of Fire – summons a rain of small fireballs like the ones used by imps in an area of about 5 meters in diameter for a duration of 30 seconds.

Shadow Bolt – a concentrated burst of demonic energy that causes wounds akin to burning that spread slowly over time. It causes similar decaying damage to other materials it hits. Very nasty if left unchecked, can be stopped by cutting out the affected area or pouring holy water over it. It takes most of his mana to cast so he rarely resorts to it as he is not the most accurate shot and risks wasting energy.

Fighting Style:

Redoul is not a very coordinated person and finds himself unable to rely on precise strikes like most other spellcasters would. As such, most of his fighting relies on his single area of effect spell and his summoned minions. His voidwalker Thul’dok does most of the close range combat and serves to keep his opponents at a safe distance, while his imps deal out damage and distraction.
When cornered, he will resort to using his staff as a blunt weapon and parrying tool but he is also much more likely to land a hit with a shadow bolt. The shadow bolt doesn’t necessarily guarantee him a victory but it does give you a nasty spreading wound to worry about.

Personality:
The man seems to be perpetually intoxicated, leading to him treating the rest of the world as some kind of joke that promises to have a great punchline but hasn’t gotten there yet. He is mostly a little bit oblivious to his surroundings. His speech, although a little bit slurred betrays a surprising amount of intelligence, but his tone oozes with mockery most of the time. He is generally very friendly and will happily take part in a nice conversation. He will laugh easily, at anything, even if it’s not meant to be funny, as long as he sees the logic in it.
If deprived of alcohol for a longer while he will seem sour, lethargic and even a hint angry. However he will still retain his tendency to laugh at situations only he finds amusing.

Bio:
Redoul was born to a young mage apprentice. She had fallen hopelessly in love with a local gigolo who didn’t care for her much, beyond extracting some coin and a night of pleasure out of her. His mother didn’t really do much raising as she was busy with her studies and pining after his father. He grew up mostly unattended, doing god knows what out in the streets, occasionally coming home to eat and excitedly tell his mother what stupid thing he’d done. He had inherited some of her magical talent but seeing her spend so much time writing mundane papers on the matters of the arcane gradually made him averse to becoming a mage as he grew. He was a bored teen however and as any bored teen does, he turned to the Dark Arts. Being a warlock seemed to suit his fancy and he developed an interest in Demonology. The first demon he ever summoned successfully was Thul’dok, who ended up acting as a babysitter a lot of the time.
One fateful day his land was attacked by a devastating army of undead, carrying with them a plague no healer or mage had ever seen before. The elves managed to fight them off and contain the threat but Redoul’s mother, mobilized to the ranks of the battle mages, perished. Her death hit him harder than he ever thought he could be hit and he began to drown his pain and anger in increasing amounts of alcohol. It turned from a coping mechanism into a habit and he got used to keeping his mind in a comfortable haze. Since then he’s taken to doing mercenary work and odd jobs here and there.

Wish: He wishes to undo the effects of the plague and bring back his mother.

Echo: A tranquil lake with a waterfall above it. The trees around it seem to be stuck in perpetual early autumn, the air is warm and carries a light sweet scent and the sky appears like it’s always sunrise.

Appearance:

Redoul is a relatively tall guy, more wiry than muscular, without a lot of mass on his body. His skin is the unhealthy kind of pale and he looks constantly tired. His face is otherwise quite handsome with a sharp jawline ending in a surprisingly well trimmed goatee, and generally pleasant features. His hair is very long, straw blond in colour and not very well kept. The upper layers of it are pulled back in a ponytail to keep it from getting in his eyes, but he inevitably misses a few strands at the front which makes it not very effective. His eyes are a striking green and emit a feint glow, obscuring any trace of pupils and iris. His ears are very long and end in a point, as elven ears tend to. His brows are long and very expressive.
Redoul carries himself with the grace of…well…a drunken man. He walks with a swing in his stride, has a tendency for wide and dramatic gestures and likes to lean against things when stationary. His lips are nearly always curved up in an absent minded smile.


(Old drawing so it's missing the facial hair. He does have it though.)

Frenzy:

Redoul’s body overloads with demonic energy, which spills out to the surrounding area, causing the same decaying effect as his shadow bolt ability. This usually doesn’t affect anyone standing nearby, unless they are touching him. This essentially means his body is fusing with a powerful demon. He grows up to four meters tall and a set of giant horns and wings sprout from his head and shoulder blades. In this state he is capable of flight and his strength is immensely increased.

Inventory: Phylactery

@Sentel

His slew of spells and summons give him a variety of ways to fight and tricks up his sleeve without being overpowered, so I have no concerns in that department. Given his pleasant, drunken nature, I imagine he'd be a pretty fun guy to interact with. He's also good to go as an NPC. Nice drawing, as well.

Far from my best work, but here is the first draft of my character, commando, saboteur and soldier extraordinaire!

Captain James Teller

Name: Captain James D. Teller
Alias: Blackjack
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Class: Commando

Equipment: 1xR41A2 Assault Rifle, 1x LE21 Sidearm, 1x Ranger-standard combat knife, 1x Field Survival Kit(Contents below), 5x C7 Foaming Explosive Charge, 1x M67 Detonator, 4x Fragmentation Grenade, 4x Smoke Grenade, 3x Door Breaching Shaped Charge, 10x 7.62x54 30 round magazine, 10x 10 round .45 ACP magazine, first aid kit, military ruck sack, standard-issued Ranger Battle Armor

Abilities: James is a trained commando, trained in close quarters, short and medium range combat, as well as demolitions, combat life saving and raid tactics. On the supernatural side, he has boosted reflexes and speed, along with hand eye coordination.

Fighting Style: James doesn't believe in a fair fight, and so he'll engage in whatever he thinks he needs to do in order to win. This means he naturally keeps his foe at the medium range his rifle excels at when he can. He'll also do you one better however and, if he can kill you before you ever see him, he'll do it. Traps, trickery, low blows and precision fire are all part of James's arsenal to win every battle he has to fight.

Personality

James is a man, a soldier, searching either for a new war to fight, or a way to finally go home. As a result of his time at war, he is careful but aggressive when committed, as you can't fight a devil slowly nor stupidly. James takes duty and his word as a soldier with the utmost seriousness, and so will abide by his promises even to his own detriment, with one exception however. James has been a soldier fighting for the survival of humanity for so long, that his greatest commitment is to the task at hand. As such, he will suspend his entire moral code if it means finishing his mission. However, as a result of this, James also nurses a crippling alcohol addiction, and while he can operate without his addiction hampering his effectiveness to a severe level, he becomes irritable, violent and easy to provoke when in a state of withdrawal.

Bio

It was the year 2032 on planet Earth when the forces of Hell launched a full scale invasion. Not only did the demons strike with the 'expected' command of magic and legions of underlings, but also with tanks, planes, rifles, all the stuff of a mortal war. At the time a Sergeant in the United States Marines, James was in combat against the enemy from the beginning. As nations across the world fell, a desperate strategy was chosen in order to save the human race. Most of the globe was surrendered, with a full evacuation of civilians and soldiers to North America. There, as the civilian populace attempted to cope with cramming itself into the US and Canada, the military reorganized. Now, they called themselves The Rangers, and the Rangers aimed to win this war. At first, it was going well, and Underworld Assault Search and Destroy teams, a new breed of special forces for a new war, were extracting any demon willing to fight their fellows. It was on one of these teams that James found himself leading.

However, in the end the war seemed doomed, and high command made a decision. The Rangers sealed themselves in fortified bunkers and entered cryo while the Earth was devastated by a massive nuclear attack, driving the devils from the Earth. Hundreds of years later, the Rangers, and James among them, went back to war, taking Earth and hell in a storm attack. Two decades of war took their toll on James, on every human left alive, but when the war was finally won, James had little else to do. He and his team of the UASD were honored veterans, retained by the Rangers to ensure peacetime cooperation of the humbled Devil houses, but this hardly comforted Captain Teller. The war had become why he lived, why he got out of bed, and with it over he now realized he had nothing to go home to. His family were long dead as they weren't Rangers, they hadn't been taken into cryo. He had no place in the new world and so sank deep into the bottle to compensate, his commanders worried for the officer but with operations being so infrequent they had no official grounds on which to attempt to 'fix' the damaged veteran. It was in this state that he found himself whisked away to a new dimension, to fight a new war.

Wish: To find a new home, and in doing so finally end his personal war.

Echo

Captain Teller has spent most of his adult years stationed at Fort Bragg, both before the nuclear war and after. It is a place teeming with life, and always has. Before the war, on base housing was huge and constituted a reasonably large percentage of the base. Of course, around the base were also helipads, armories, barracks and other such military necessities. Its perimeter was a chainlink fence manned by sentries, and helicopters seemed to be overhead constantly, dropping in men on air assault training. After the war however, the base changed. On base housing was gone, replaced by an underground complex which sprawled for miles underground, housing thousands of soldiers and civilians. Its helipads had been fortified with anti-air guns, its armories were expanded to hold facilities for priests to bless the thousands of rounds of ammo and grenades the Rangers used, and the base constantly seemed to have men moving out at the height of its activities.

Appearance:

Unarmored

Armored

Frenzy: When Jack is frenzied, he quickly seems to become the very thing he has spent his career killing. Physically his appearance doesn't change heavily, though the spade tail, wings and suddenly ash-gray skin are all stark indicators that something isn't wrong with the operator. In this state, he is stronger, faster and able to react with blinding speed. However, his more important change is his switch from depending on his rifle to rushing his opponent, aiming to get them on the ground and beat them to death with as much brutal efficiency as possible.
Inventory: Phylactery

@Deadnaut

A character with a very good arsenal balanced by pretty much no special abilities. We have several soldiers in the roster now, but none with the sub-focus on explosives this character has, thereby giving him his own unique niche. I'd say he's in a good shape to enter the RP as the third-to-last player character.

@Lugubrious

Whoops, I take a day to go to work and sleep off the fatigue, and nearly get knocked right out of the ding dang RP. Here's Dante revised.

DANTE

Name: Lucian Dante

Alias: The Angel

Race: Vampire

Sex: Male

Class: Paladin

Equipment: Death Mask of Saint Belarius: A golden mask, sculpted artfully to display the serene expression of one of the founders of Dante's paladin order. He wears the mask in combination with his paladin's robes to shield himself from the sun.

Glaive Encarmine: Dante's sidearm, a heavy sword that a normal man would need two hands to even pick up. It is inscribed with Dante's personal heraldry, and is constructed specially to withstand Dante's strength. Its crimson blade is of special construction, and cuts through steel as easily as flesh.

Abilities: Ancient even among vampires, Dante has centuries of experience in battle. As such, he is a warrior that can be matched by only a rare few, and true to his fame, he has never been defeated in personal combat.

Given that he is an immortal vampire, he is imbued with superhuman strength, and vitality, and his life cannot be claimed by age or disease.

As a veteran of hundreds of military campaigns, Dante is a master strategist. Frequently given command of the Empire's entire military forces, he is as adept in planning warfare as he is in personally fighting in it.

Lastly, Dante is a renowned practitioner of holy magic, considered a master of the school by many. He combines the standard practices of divine magic with the inborn power of his vampiric blood to create an entirely unique magical style. This fusion of light and darkness gives him the strength he needs to smite his foes, as well as support his allies. His magic can be used to give himself arcane wings upon which he may take flight, shields to protect himself or his allies, scourge his enemies with blasts of holy white fire, or blast them apart with lances of divine lightning.

Fighting Style: Dante is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. His great size and vampiric strength are both used to his advantage, giving him the momentum of a locomotive as he charges his foes. Though his power is tremendous, he is far from unskilled, and can expertly strike the weak points of his foes with overwhelming force. To give himself the edge over a physically stronger or more numerous enemy, he wields divine magic to imbue himself with flight, protect himself, empower his comrades, or attack his foes at a range.

Personality: By most standards, Dante is a reserved and withdrawn fellow. He speaks little, though when he does so, his words are utterly profound. Personal glory matters little to the Angel, as he has been honored enough for several lifetimes over his many years. Quiet professionalism and dignity surround him, but he is not standoffish. Though to many he is a legendary and unapproachable figure, he cares strongly for those under his command, and is a calm and patient listener. Humility and composure are his hallmark traits, as his many years have brought him great wisdom and inner strength.

However, one should not mistake his reserved nature for submissiveness. Dante holds his honor and his values strongly and uncompromisingly, and woe befall those who threaten his faith, his king, or his country. He is not afraid to speak out against convention or authority when he knows he must. Though his vampiric nature is vicious and bestial, Dante keeps his darkest urges well-contained. Even in the heat of battle, Dante's fury is cold and tranquil; viciously rending his foes without undue malice or enjoyment. That is not to say that his inhuman instincts are easily ignored, as they press against his mind at all hours, and it is his supreme willpower that allows him to retain control.

Bio: Born a vampire, an unnatural and unholy creature that must feed on the lifeblood of the living to survive, Dante has been tormented since birth by his violent, bestial instincts. In his youth, he looked up to such heroic figures as the mighty soldiers of Aquilonia, his native province of the Eternal Empire. Disguising his true nature, he joined the Legion, hoping that its discipline would help him control his baser urges. This worked to a point, until a fateful battle against a demonic horde that nearly wiped out his entire regiment, leaving him the sole survivor. So embittered and enraged, he lost control to his blood-rage, and slaughtered what remained of the enemy host single-handedly. Though this feat promoted him to Commander in the Legion, he saw that he needed a better solution to keeping his darker nature under control.

He turned to faith, taking up the vows of the paladin and training in holy magic. Though his nature as an inherently evil creature corrupted his magic at first, he learned to adapt his divine magic to better accommodate his inhuman blood, and thus came away from it with a unique and powerful style. For hundreds of years Dante fought for the Empire, studying and training under many heroes and scholars, and earning countless honors and accolades. The Empire eventually learned of his vampirism, but so great was his service that he was awarded status as an honorary human. So grateful was he to the Empire for essentially granting him status equal to normal men, that he dedicated the rest of his life to them as a Lord-Commander, the highest rank attainable in the Empire's military.

Wish: Dante wishes to rid himself of his vampiric urges once and for all. Though over the centuries he has sustained himself by feeding on those condemned to death by the Empire's courts, the Beast of his immoral hunger presses at his mind constantly. So that he may become a perfect paragon of service to the Empire and to the Gods, he seeks after the same cure that had only been found by one vampire in history: the legendary Blood Dragon of eons past.

Echo: The Basilica of Martyrs, where Dante undertook his vows as a paladin, and spent long hours training in magic, learning the holy scriptures, meditating on the divine, and praying to the Gods. A tremendous and ornate church, the most famous aspect of the Basilica are the waterways that run through it like small streams; the iron in the building's structure colors the water blood red, which has given rise to the legend that every drop of blood shed for the Empire runs through the church.

Appearance: Dante is an implacable and awe-inspiring figure. A tremendous man that stands nearly seven feet high, he is never seen in public unless clad in ornate regalia. Such is the might of Dante's magic that he seems eternally cloaked in the light of his Iron Halo, and he is known to soar on angelic, ivory wings that ceaselessly bleed through their feathers. In private company, Dante wears simple robes of red and white, and keeps his face uncovered. His many years are clear in his features, as his long, fine hair has turned completely white, and the lines of centuries of warfare are etched into his face. Even so, he has an ethereal, otherworldly beauty with chiseled features, ivory skin, eyes like rubies and long, white fangs. Dante often adorns himself with writings of scripture, golden medallions, mementos of his fallen comrades, and other such trinkets, and displays his personal heraldry (a drop of blood framed by alabaster wings) on many of his belongings.

Frenzy: Dante becomes one with the Beast within him, and descends into a pitch-black inhuman rage. He flings his helmet, off, exposing his fangs as he seeks to drink the blood of his enemies. His vampiric nature comes to the fore of his magics, as holy light fails him and he uses both his own blood and the blood of his enemies to fuel his monstrous rampage; either imbuing himself with even further inhuman power, or viciously tearing his foes apart.

Inventory: Phylactery.

@Dead Cruiser

With those changes made, Dante is approved.

@Everyone:

Hmm...it appears we have reached a point where we have a problem in terms of roster. By my calculations, with Achaeon, Teller, and Dante added in, there's only one spot left. Rightfully, that spot would belong to Mira, whose WIP was the first concept posted in the OOC. However, we also have @Indra and @obliviousRoadie vying for that same position.

Now, I don't really want to amass more than sixteen players, as I feel any more than that could lead to overall problems. My previous experience with excessively large RPs has made me less than eager to go down the same route. That said, there are several potential options:

#1: Assign all newcomers to a waiting list, which would allow them to replace people who drop out. However, inserting a new character at whatever point in the RP could be pretty jarring and unfair

#2: Allow PCs to take the place of NPCs, with the caveat that they'll be fighting each other instead of NPCs in the first round, and thereby be at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the cast

#3: Give my sympathies and move on, which was the original plan. I don't think it was unknown that the RP would have only 16 slots, filled in a first-come, first-served basis

What does anyone think?

[GreenGoat]

1 would be alright, at least in my opinion. 2 and 3 would be acceptable as well. But ultimately its up to you. Can't please everyone after all.

But what do I know, I'm just a green goat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[kapuchu]

I think the idea of a waiting list would please the most people.

[Sentel]

If I were you I'd go for 2 but as GreenGoat pointed out it's ultimately up to you. Wouldn't be opposed to either of the other options.

[ScreenAcne]

#2

I mean, brother. It seems, like. it motherfucking. serves cake across the table, you know. your game gets all those creeps and critters to cripplize the criminals and the players still get to play. No fuckers get lost at the train stop.

[obliviousRoadie]

i think at this point me and indra's characters are at your mercy but one of the first two options would be great

[Roughdragon1]

The first two seem more preferable

[Lugubrious]

In this case, I believe I'll choose a limited version of option number 2. Mira, Indra, and oblivious can all join, provided their finished characters make the cut, but nobody else after that, and the two last characters to be entered will fight one another rather than NPCs.

I'll go ahead and mark the RP as 'full', then.

Next step is for me to start construction on the City of Echoes, and to work on my own NPC and opening post. Once I put out the opening post, everyone will be free to begin.

[Gardevoiran]

I'm late to give my 2 cents, but I'm in favor of 2. At the very least, we could have slots be challenged by the newcomer to earn their place.

[obliviousRoadie]

he is ready my dudes

Angry Dragon

Name: Jiang Zhao

Alias: 憤怒龍 (pron. Fènnù lóng) AKA Angry Dragon

Race: Human

Sex: Male

Class: Composer/Musical Conductor

Equipment: -Conductor's Baton (faintly humming and glowing)

Abilities: -Incredible Repertoire - His mad strive for absolute perfection has allowed him to remember a terrifying amount of detail from practically every single song he's ever heard.
-Intimidating Tact - His strive for perfection has also earned him incredible hand-eye coordination and seemingly lightning-fast reflexes. Basically, if he were to slap someone in the face, the motion of his wouldn't be detected by the naked eye.
-Severe Synesthesia - Not only can he physically see music and sound, but he can materialise it into the world in a visible shape. His Conductor's Baton greatly amplifies that power.
-Le Vent, Le Cri - Glowing floral shapes appear around Jiang and, within the specific song's power, begin healing any damage on his body. A full recovery requires him to finish the entire song. The more severe the damage, the longer the song needs to be.

Example songs

Le Vent, Le Cri - Ennio Morricone
In The Ghetto - Elvis Presley
Turn of a Friendly Card, pt. 1- The Alan Parsons Project
Waltz of the Flowers - Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky

-Riders of Doom - This spell forces Jiang's target to plunge into hopelessness, panic and/or emptiness, causing hallucinations of shadowy barbarian riders circling around them, or a vast, dry desert. Decreases will to fight. Potency of this abilty depends on the song's length and intensity.

Example songs

Riddle of Steel/Riders of Doom - Basil Poledouris
Hokuto Shinken Denshousha, Ryouken - Nozomi Aoki
Per Un Pugno Di Dollari #2 - Ennio Morricone
Le Roi et l'Oiseau - Wojciech Kilar

-Disco Inferno - The ground within 1 or more meters around Jiang bursts into flames. Range depends on length of the song. If the enemy moves out of the area, Jiang must walk within range of them and start the song over.

Example songs

Disco Inferno - The Trammps
Holy Diver - Dio
We Stand To Fight - Virtue
The Hellion/Electric Eye - Judas Priest

-Live Wire/Tachanka - Lightning bolts shoot out of the Baton OR various firearms appear from behind him and shoot towards the target in rhythm with the song. Whether one thing or the other happens depend on whether he directs a military march or not.

Example songs

Mötley Crüe - Live Wire
My Generation - The Who
Unsere Panzerdivision - Kurt Greiner-Pol
Tachanka - Russian folk song

-Harder than Steel - Jiang shields himself with a metal wall around him. Strength of the wall depends on the length of the song.

Example songs

Harder Than Steel - Jag Panzer
Anvil of Crom - Basil Poledouris
Turn of a Friendly Card pt. 2 - The Alan Parsons Project
Polyushka Polye - Russian folk song

-Kung-fu prowess - Relatively formidable knowledge of Kung Fu - he reached the rank of black belt once near the end of high school and even participated in regional competitions, but due to his pursue in music he never developed this skill any further after he went to university. He can block out and counter most unarmed attacks.

Fighting Style: His usual tactic is to keep a safe distance and cast his Riders of Doom. He then begins striking the enemy with Live Wire/Tachanka while the enemy is disoriented. If they are too close, he casts a Harder than Steel and briefly ignites the ground with Disco Inferno, forcing them to get away. He only uses his prowess in kung fu when his Baton, for any reason, is out of reach.

Personality: Very condescending, extreme perfectionist with severe anger issues - he gets dangerously furious when he notices even the smallest errors in anything he finds relevant to his immediate interest, or if he finds out someone disagrees with his taste in music. This lifestyle seems to have caused permanent and grave damage to his sense of humor - one could say it is nonexistent at this point. As a citizen of the People's Republic of China, he has great distrust towards anyone who doesn't look like "pure Han Chinese being", calling them "laowai" (foreigner).

Bio: Born in 1977 in a small town near Shenyang, Liaoning province, PRC. Jiang's affinity to music became visible at the age of one, when the Beijing Symphony Orchestra was being broadcast live from a famous concert hall - the conductor's hand movements, in particular, impressed him, so he began waddling his hands around and that mysteriously increased and fixated the volume on the TV.

His time in elementary school was relatively normal, save for several incidents specifically involving orchestral music. Middle school was when his musical abilities began to really show - it was in a musical school. He joined the school band as a clarinet player and immediately impressed the teachers with his almost perfect musical skill. He was looked up to by every schoolmate and was pushed to perfection. A high point in this period of time was when he, agitated by the offbeat playing of his fellow bandmates, asked the teacher if he could replace him as conductor for a minute or two - the teacher agreed and, as Jiang directed the band, they played in perfect harmony.

High school ended early for Jiang - he became famous in his region for his beautiful compositions, his outstandingly precise tact and the mysterious aura he emits when on stage. Somehow, even the most lowly amateurs played like pure masters when he was there. This was not enough for him - he wanted to be able to materialize sound.

An incident occurred due to this aura of his - it involved a kidnapping, a pair of shady-looking figures and, as revealed to him later on, the Chinese Government. It was there, in a secret underground complex under the Forbidden City in Beijing, when he discovered the true range of his supernatural abilities. A team of scientists conducted various experiments on Jiang, while another team of engineers invented a special Baton, basing their design around the scientists' studies.

He was eventually led back out into the real world and was given the Baton - a device that he found out would allow him to finally materialize sound. He was satisfied - but not for long.

He went on to become a world-famous composer, which turned out was still not enough for him. Ever since then, he has taken it upon himself to become so perfect, he wouldn't need the Baton any more.

Wish: To become the most perfect, most prestigious composer and conductor in the entire world and to bask in his own absolute glory.

Echo: The very front of the stage in Vienna Musikverein, Vienna. Behind him are seated the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, in front of him - a full audience, every seat in the hall taken; among the audience - the world's leaders, mesmerised by his music and perfect tact.

Appearance:

Photo of Jiang Zhao, circa 1994

Always wears a tuxedo suit and bowtie - they appear to be always perfectly clean.

Frenzy: Jiang starts playing 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky 1:39 minutes in. Brightly glowing, tentacle-like beams of light appear behind him and make him invulnerable until the crescendo. All enemies in the area, meanwhile, are blinded. As the music progresses, the beams transform into a circle of cannons around him. Once the crescendo hits, the cannons are fully formed and serve as his defence, as he is completely vulnerable to any attack. The cannons fire rapidly and at random, always aimed in the general direction of Jiang's target.
Inventory: Phylactery

[Remram]

So how exactly are the matchups going to be decided?

[Dead Cruiser]

@GreenGoat Fun fact. Fran's character art is from a game called Nechronica, a Japanese TTRPG by the same company that made Maid RPG. I tried running a rules-lite version of it on here before, but it didn't exactly pan out.

[GreenGoat]

All I know is, its art by Hetza, an artist I really like. ^^;

[ScreenAcne]

So, motherfucking. Brothers and sisters that decided to join their fists into this mist of mangles and men. Anyone got any, motherfucking. minds about mutual mauling or friendship for outside the ring. Since there is like, stops to watch between the dissections and dangers.

[Lugubrious]

I haven't had a chance to sit down and review your character yet, @obliviousRoadie, but he's not accepted yet if at all, so he shouldn't be in the Characters tab. Let's not get overeager.

So how exactly are the matchups going to be decided?

@hatakekuro

Mostly by random chance, but if something is too good to pass up, I may make a specific assignment--at least, to start out with. Matchups are decided by who is put into a specific area. The winner of the fight in that area is then matched up against the winner of the fight of an adjacent area; the winner of that fight (therefore, the entire district) then faces off against the adjacent district's winner. This will continue until the overall winner of Downtown fights the overall winner of Uptown in the grand finals.

So, monkeyfighting. Brothers and sisters that decided to join their fists into this mist of mangles and men. Anyone got any, monday to friday. minds about mutual mauling or friendship for outside the ring. Since there is like, stops to watch between the dissections and dangers.

@ScreenAcne

There will be plenty of opportunities to interact and fight -though not fighting against other player characters in a manner that will lead to elimination- outside of combat, if that's what your asking. Exactly who gets the chance to do so will be determined by IC proximity.

[ScreenAcne]

@Lugubrious

Nah, brother.

I'm asking who wants to fuck with plots and pick up the pots. I mean, like you said. It ain't all competition of the character cook off. I'm all down to build some relationships and plan some wind exchange, if any [@all] kindred in the cauldron are up for that.

[DracoLunaris]

@Lugubrious npc submission
Whoever gets this one as a opponent gets the prestigious Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu? award.
I basically tried to make a video game boss, slow, durable, and with trash mobs.
Important note, how do you feel about me adding hostile creatures to the echo? I think it would make a neat explore zone for anyone doing a side thing but probably just a distraction for the main event.

Rose “ly’lnd” Cythla

Name: ly’lnd
Alias: Rose Cythla
Race: Cthulhi: One of Cthulhu's star spawn
Sex: Female
Class: eldritch warlock
Equipment

A helmet made of a highly durable unknown material protects her head from most damage. The 3 gemstones can focus here eldritch energy, but are quite vulnerable to destruction compared to the helm. It notably does not guard her neck.

Abilities:

Aquatic being: More at home in the water than on land, capable of breathing underwater and swimming at immense speeds.
Combat tentacles: long hair can act as gripping, crushing tendrils that ensnare and constrict targets.
Alien intellect: As a truly ancient being her capacity to hold knowledge is vast. Not necessary smarter, but has more information to draw on.
Lose 10 sanity: Can fire purple blasts of eldritch energy from a purple gem on her chest and beams from the 3 on her helmet/visor. These blast the sanity of the target, disorienting and terrifying them. The blasts also cause concussive explosions and the lasers can cut through material if allowed to concentrate for long enough.
unnaturally durable: this body is but an illusion and an imitation of a human form, it feels no pain and features massive redundancy. Wounds that would kill or incapacitate a human are mild annoyances that slowly repair themselves. Only by destroying the brain may you prevail.

eldritch abominations:

she is accompanied by

several hideous

human sized horrors

Fighting Style:

Refuses to move at anything other than a leisurely stroll, she will ignore all ideas of cover or tactics and simply slowly towards the target, firing blasts of energy and relying on her durability to allow her to survive. She aims to utterly destroy the psyche of the enemy, acting as a constant unstoppable terror that is unfazed by your mortal weapons all the while firing a unending barrage of horror at them. Once the target is cowering in fear she will slowly walk up to them and then take their soul, adding them to her collection of thralls. If the enemy attempts to attack her directly she constrains them with her tentacle like hair and then destroys their mind with her eldritch powers. Then takes their soul.

Her minions act as hunting dogs, hounding her target out into the open for their mistress to continue her rain of terror. They are utterly loyal and relatively mindless.

Personality:

Arrogant and proud, she is one of the oldest beings on the planet and is above all these pathetic young creatures and races looking down at them in all aspects. She is vain, considering herself an untarnishable beauty, maintaining an air of grace and poise is incredibly important to her, as is befitting a being of her power. She uses haughty pompous language, trying to sound sophisticated by using the longest possible word in any situation and has a tendency to try and sound flowery or poetic. Deep down she despises that she even has to associate with humans and their ilk, that she needs them to help achieve her goals. If anyone manages to get the better of her she will fly into an uncontrollable rage, for none should be able to match the offspring of a great old one.

Bio

Originally one of Cthulhu's Starspawn she is one of the only of his line to have not sunk with the lost city of R'lyeh and as a result has spend most of her early existence wandering the earth’s oceans and trying to wake up Cthulhu. She has built empires, created parasites that infect humans, strange half human fishfolk and many other schemes all to try and create cults that will bring about the ritual that reawakens her father. Fortunately every time she does this the cultists she has organised are thwarted by some soon to be madman or legendary hero. This is unsurprising incredibly frustrating for her, but she blames the useless humans for her failure, it could never be the fault of one so great as her.

Wish:

To raise the city of R'lyeh and reawaken her father, the great old one cthulhu.

Echo:

R'lyeh, a city found deep beneath the sea, a place of non-Euclidean geometry and built with Escher architecture. In the echo some of this twisting, maddening city has risen above the waves, the ground is still wet with seawater, the occasional fish can bee seen hopelessly flopping about and the dark places hide nigh unspeakable horrors just waiting to take the unsuspecting invaders by surprise.

Appearance:

Tiniest eldritch abomination

Frenzy:

your a squid now

Revealing her true form the 3 story high monstrosity is a massive, highly durable abomination capable of flight. Her energy attacks now come from her eyes and mouth and are considerably more powerful but mainly she will try to smash and crush her target. Fortunately her slowness is now less a principal and more a reality, she is hulking and lumbering, her blows mighty yet predictable.

Inventory:

phylactery

[Lugubrious]

he is ready my dudes

Angry Dragon

<Snipped quote>

@obliviousRoadie

That is acceptable. A variety of potentially powerful beings, but entirely dependent on his ability to conduct his songs for increasing amounts of time. He would really shine against defensive characters, who would afford him time to get worked up.

@Lugubrious npc submission
Whoever gets this one as a opponent gets the prestigious Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu? award.
I basically tried to make a video game boss, slow, durable, and with trash mobs.
Important note, how do you feel about me adding hostile creatures to the echo? I think it would make a neat explore zone for anyone doing a side thing but probably just a distraction for the main event.

Rose “ly’lnd” Cythla

Name: ly’lnd
Alias: Rose Cythla
Race: Cthulhi: One of Cthulhu's star spawn
Sex: Female
Class: eldritch warlock
Equipment

A helmet made of a highly durable unknown material protects her head from most damage. The 3 gemstones can focus here eldritch energy, but are quite vulnerable to destruction compared to the helm. It notably does not guard her neck.

Abilities:

Aquatic being: More at home in the water than on land, capable of breathing underwater and swimming at immense speeds.
Combat tentacles: long hair can act as gripping, crushing tendrils that ensnare and constrict targets.
Alien intellect: As a truly ancient being her capacity to hold knowledge is vast. Not necessary smarter, but has more information to draw on.
Lose 10 sanity: Can fire purple blasts of eldritch energy from a purple gem on her chest and beams from the 3 on her helmet/visor. These blast the sanity of the target, disorienting and terrifying them. The blasts also cause concussive explosions and the lasers can cut through material if allowed to concentrate for long enough.
unnaturally durable: this body is but an illusion and an imitation of a human form, it feels no pain and features massive redundancy. Wounds that would kill or incapacitate a human are mild annoyances that slowly repair themselves. Only by destroying the brain may you prevail.

eldritch abominations:

she is accompanied by

several hideous

human sized horrors

Fighting Style:

Refuses to move at anything other than a leisurely stroll, she will ignore all ideas of cover or tactics and simply slowly towards the target, firing blasts of energy and relying on her durability to allow her to survive. She aims to utterly destroy the psyche of the enemy, acting as a constant unstoppable terror that is unfazed by your mortal weapons all the while firing a unending barrage of horror at them. Once the target is cowering in fear she will slowly walk up to them and then take their soul, adding them to her collection of thralls. If the enemy attempts to attack her directly she constrains them with her tentacle like hair and then destroys their mind with her eldritch powers. Then takes their soul.

Her minions act as hunting dogs, hounding her target out into the open for their mistress to continue her rain of terror. They are utterly loyal and relatively mindless.

Personality:

Arrogant and proud, she is one of the oldest beings on the planet and is above all these pathetic young creatures and races looking down at them in all aspects. She is vain, considering herself an untarnishable beauty, maintaining an air of grace and poise is incredibly important to her, as is befitting a being of her power. She uses haughty pompous language, trying to sound sophisticated by using the longest possible word in any situation and has a tendency to try and sound flowery or poetic. Deep down she despises that she even has to associate with humans and their ilk, that she needs them to help achieve her goals. If anyone manages to get the better of her she will fly into an uncontrollable rage, for none should be able to match the offspring of a great old one.

Bio

Originally one of Cthulhu's Starspawn she is one of the only of his line to have not sunk with the lost city of R'lyeh and as a result has spend most of her early existence wandering the earth’s oceans and trying to wake up Cthulhu. She has built empires, created parasites that infect humans, strange half human fishfolk and many other schemes all to try and create cults that will bring about the ritual that reawakens her father. Fortunately every time she does this the cultists she has organised are thwarted by some soon to be madman or legendary hero. This is unsurprising incredibly frustrating for her, but she blames the useless humans for her failure, it could never be the fault of one so great as her.

Wish:

To raise the city of R'lyeh and reawaken her father, the great old one cthulhu.

Echo:

R'lyeh, a city found deep beneath the sea, a place of non-Euclidean geometry and built with Escher architecture. In the echo some of this twisting, maddening city has risen above the waves, the ground is still wet with seawater, the occasional fish can bee seen hopelessly flopping about and the dark places hide nigh unspeakable horrors just waiting to take the unsuspecting invaders by surprise.

Appearance:

Tiniest eldritch abomination

Frenzy:

your a squid now

Revealing her true form the 3 story high monstrosity is a massive, highly durable abomination capable of flight. Her energy attacks now come from her eyes and mouth and are considerably more powerful but mainly she will try to smash and crush her target. Fortunately her slowness is now less a principal and more a reality, she is hulking and lumbering, her blows mighty yet predictable.

Inventory:

phylactery

@DracoLunaris

I'd say that you have accomplished your goal. She's the epitome of the words 'powerful but unskilled', and would certainly make for a good boss fight. Go ahead and add her as an NPC.