[CHAR] Skybound

[PapiTan]

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NPC BLURBS

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Taiva Leaders

Speaker Rohan

Au Ra character by Senano Yu

Name: Rohan Alric
Age: 34
Race: Phuvata
Gender: Male
Pyxis strength: Faith
Pyxis appearance: A small blue bird with a long tail. The bird gives off a faint mist when summoned.
Blurb: Speaker Rohan was chosen to become the head of the Quinn Sanctuary (and essentially the entirety of the Celastin faith) following the sudden death of Speaker Wren six years ago. Though he comes off as distant at first glance, Rohan is incredibly compassionate and warm of heart. He does his best to ensure that everyone is satisfied and taken care of, which has made him a popular leader. While still sharp in matters of politics and government, Rohan is a simple man that enjoys simple things at his core. For all intents and purpose, he’s a gentle giant, soft spoken and patient.

Lord Canus

Percival (GBF) by 天由

Name: Canus Mehrnez
Age: 27
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Pyxis strength: Warrior
Pyxis appearance: A golden signet ring with two swords engraved on the front.
Blurb: Like all rulers of Mehrnez, Lord Canus is incredibly powerful. He’s acknowledged as one of the most skilled combatants of Mehrnez, having participated and won the Sun Guard prior to his ascension to the throne two years ago. More than that, he’s aware of his strength, and tries his best to use it with dignity befitting his kingdom. However, he’s recently been distracted from his duties, primarily because he’s busy trying very, very hard to track down and court Dame Selnet. He has not yet been successful, much to the chagrin of every other taiva leader.

Lord Nefren

Ookurikara by Shiramatsu

Name: Nefren Shiraf
Age: 29
Race: Sanyan
Gender: Male
Pyxis strength: n/a
Pyxis appearance: n/a
Blurb: Born into the Ortzi taiva’s royal family, Lord Nefren has done his best to try and bring the taiva back to at least a fraction of its former glory. Though he’s a competent leader, he thinks poorly of himself because not only has he been unsuccessful at every Manifest, he also hasn’t made much difference for his people. His people are fond of him and the changes he tries to bring, but he continues to struggle with feelings of hopelessness against the great wall he sees in his path. However, in the past few years, he seems to be getting a better handle on his self-esteem, especially with Ortzi starting, slowly, to recover from whatever had caused it to fail.

Empress Farrah

OC by Asahi Nini

Name: Farrah Luralis
Age: 30
Race: Sanyan
Gender: Female
Pyxis strength: Ambition
Pyxis appearance: A manticore-like creature with similar coloration to Farra's fur.
Blurb: To be completely accurate, Farrah is only one half of the Yuncay rulers, with her husband forming the other (and technically rightful) half. However, because Lorcan doesn’t seem to have much interest in attending meetings or playing the part of a politician, Farrah is considered the primary leader of the taiva. To put it plainly, she’s passion packaged into physical form. Her personality can be difficult to bear with, even among other taiva leaders, but there’s no denying that Farrah wants Yuncay to thrive, which is why celebrations have become more extravagant and centers of trade and tourism have been given such attention since her time as ruler. Her personality might be a little overbearing, but her heart is in the right place.

Lady Saren

Jed by Yuiga Satoru

Name: Saren Velnat
Age: ??? Assumed 30+
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Pyxis strength: Unknown—assumed to be “magic”
Pyxis appearance: Unknown; Saren prefers to keep her pyxis out of sight.
Blurb: The noble known as the maelstrom. Lady Saren is an astute and intelligent woman when it comes to matters of magic, research, and leadership. There are few that think of her as unworthy of her position, especially with the number of spells that she played a part in crafting. Her rise to the leading position of the Gokhan taiva was entirely expected with her keen mind. However, Saren embodies quite a number of the Gokhan ideals, including an inquisitive mind that often has her leaving the taiva when a new discovery is made. Oftentimes without informing anyone.

Keeper Rumatin

Inukashi by toi8

Name: Litor Rumatin
Age: 46
Race: Phuvata
Gender: Nonbinary
Pyxis strength: Time
Pyxis appearance: A pouch full of sand that looks more like ground jewels.
Blurb: Formerly a member of the Fornacis, Litor Rumatin is now the head of Cygna Hall, and xe is a complete natural at the work. Contrary to xir slight frame, Keeper Rumatin is a phuvata originating from the Yuncay taiva and is well into xir 40s. Captured and sold as a slave to play body double to a small island’s nobility in xir youth. Xe broke xir own horns off to escape following a mass execution of the family xe was playing double to. Litor is an astounding mage, with a high level of mastery over the power of time (though xir other elements suffer for it). Xe is also a fair-minded person and typically doesn’t allow personal feelings to interfere with xir work—part of what made xir such a boon while working with the Fornacis.

Fornacis

Branka

Silva (GBF) by nos

Name: Branka Fairwind
Age: 32
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Pyxis strength: Boundlessness
Pyxis appearance: Though there's no doubt that Branka possesses a pyxis and has manifested it, it seems that it can't be seen, only felt as an overwhelming presence that bears down upon a person.
Blurb: Second captain of the Fornacis, following the original captain’s death, though she wasn’t even second choice. Her cousin was the original captain of the Fornacis, and after his untimely demise, Delphini originally chose another member of the crew as the new leader. Branka was elected to become the commander after her fellow member refused Delphini. Over time, she not only learned to rally the legends her predecessor had amassed, but she grew from a clumsy empyrean clinging to the backs of others into a power of her own. However, following her triumph over Ysir, she fell into a deep slumber and hasn’t awakened in four years. She led the Fornacis for only 3 short years.

Delphini

OC by Ryo 40819

Name: Delphini
Age: Unknown
Race: Taruva
Gender: Male
Pyxis strength: n/a
Pyxis appearance: n/a
Blurb: It wouldn’t be incorrect to refer to Delphini as the Fornacis or vice versa. Delphini is a taruva, one that keeps the Fornacis in the sky and the reason why the ship seems to be capable of taking an unnatural amount of abuse. He’s also the only thing keeping Branka alive, following her sudden comatose status. Despite his higher standing, he’s very laid back and prefers people to approach him with a casual air when possible. Something about him seems a little more distant than he used to be though.

Lucky

Vitessa Von Steinheil by Asukaziye

Name: Lucky
Age: 35
Race: Sanyan
Gender: Female
Pyxis strength: Assassination
Pyxis appearance: An ornate dagger swathed entirely in black.
Blurb: Branka’s second-in-command, and immensely dangerous as a warrior despite her prosthetic leg. Lucky was rescued by Branka’s (at the time, future) husband and taken under the wing of the Fornacis. While cold and a little on the brusque side, Lucky is incredibly reliable and loyal to a fault. Following Branka's slumber, Lucky was among the first to begin seeking a cure, constantly bringing back new fabled medicines, treatments, artifacts—anything that might help wake the captain again. The vice-captain suddenly vanished two years after starting her efforts, with only her letter (supposedly) from beyond the Boundary as a sign that she’s alive at all.

Xander

Victor Frankenstein by miko

*could not locate any official channels for artist

Name: Xander Fairwind
Age: 33 at death
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Pyxis strength: Potential
Pyxis appearance: An egg, unassuming despite a shell that matches the color of the sky.
Blurb: The original captain of the Fornacis, and older cousin to Branka. The two were born to the skies, almost all their memories taking place on an airship. Even their surname came from the ship of the crew that raised them. When he set out to make a name for himself as an empyrean, Xander discovered the Fornacis, and was chosen by Delphini to be its captain. He cultivated a crew for nearly a decade and was the one that established the Fornacis as one of—perhaps even the greatest—crew of the skies. However, he died protecting his crew from a rampaging taruva, and his body was lost when the island eventually fell from the sky as a result.

[BayRat]

Cowboy

Samuel 'Sam' Thatch

Age: 29
Gender/Sex: Male
Race: Human
Ship role: Gunner/Artillery

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Personality

Samuel is a cocky, wise-cracking show off who has a bad habit of telling tall tales about himself. Stories ranging from killing an elephant-sized bear to how he survived a great flying tentacled monster with just his wit and some improvisation. He loves being the center of attention, and enjoys light teasing and humor to his colleagues. He's well known for his lust for adventure and thrill-seeking.

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Appearance

Sam stands at 6'0", moderately tanned, and built well enough. His eyes are brown. He usually wears his 'cowboy/rancher' get-up of a hat, light-brown leather jacket, matching pants, and a white shirt. He has dark brown hair, a bit messy, with some stubble he keeps around the chin. He's got a few scars along his face, with his stories for them change every now and then. His default expression is a sly smirk.

Background:

Samuel Hails from the island of Merrison, a moderately sized land within the Izma Taiva; infamous for its 'dry spell'. It rarely rains in that region, leaving most of the place a dry prairie. The land is mostly used for cattle farming, though several small towns have cropped up here and there around what few bodies of water and small forests exist in the region. Samuel grew up on a ranch, herding cows and hunting the local wildlife near his farm. To this day he swears he took down a bear the size of an elephant. Regardless of his stories, anyone from his hometown that knew him can attest to his marksmanship skills. In addition to hunting animals, by the time he was a late teenager he was known for shooting or scaring off thieves. While he was complacent with his life at home, inspired from the stories at the local town when he was a child, Samuel was inspired with a sense of adventure and thrill. This early developed curiosity for the world outside and its adventure was what lead him to leave and put his marksmanship to good use. At age 20 he had joined up on the Fornacis, 5 years before they broke apart. In the later he had made himself a name as a bounty hunter across several islands, and has made quiet a few enemies as a result.

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Skills and Equipment

Samuel has an uncanny talent of being a good shot with just about any ranged weapon, provided he's had a chance to test out its range and accuracy first. From handheld weaponry to mounted cannons on the ship, Sam is reliable when a good aim is needed. As a hunter he knows well enough about cooking to prepare his own meals, but by no means is he a professional chef.

Ol' Faithful: A lever action rifles with a revolver chamber, holds up to six shots and meant for long range.

Trusty Seven: A seven chambered revolver, considered to be his 'lucky side arm', with some engravings on it meant to help its 'luck'. Plenty of stories around it, primary used for medium range combat.

Bear-killer: A double barrel shotgun used for close-ranged combat.

Weed-trimmer: A standard Machete used for general purposes, though also a last resort weapon if he ever runs out of ammo.

Waterskin: Water is an important resource and Samuel always make sure he has his filled whenever he goes out.

Jerky: For his personal rations he prepares his own dried meat, willing to share a few over long journeys when needed.

[Vox Angelis]

Doc Thot

Name: Annastasia (Anna) Fairchild
Age: 34 years old
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Appearance: Yeehaw

Background: Annastasia is born from a fairly rich and noble family of Yuncay. Her family owns a private little floating island that is, just the same the whole nation, a small piece of heaven upon which the family's manor is built upon. Annastasia grew up surrounded by vast gardens of exotic flowers of unparalleled beauty, tended by the most devout of attendants and cared by parents who saw their only child as their pride and joy.

As she developed a penchant for intellectual domains as she grew up, Anna's parents sent her to study general science at Gokhan, but her drive for learning sciences was just so much she decided to stay longer at the capital to further learn about medicine. Being a promising student, she was urged by her peers to undergo her Manifestation to further help achieve greatness as a scholar. Not only did it help her into becoming a scholar, but shortly after she realized she could become so much more.

And so her thirst for adventures led her to join with the crew of the Fornacis, two years after the original crew had formed. She served as one of their most trustworthy medics until the very "end". When the captain fell dormant, Anna was busying herself in developing remedies for the captain while she left the exploration of potential new and foreign cures to the second-in-command. Eventually, she gave up on relying on her medical knowledge to fix what seemed to be beyond the domain of healing. She instead returned to Gokhan to study magical engineering. If she couldn't heal the captain, perhaps she could find a way to transfer captain-ship to someone else. Someone extremely devoted to the crew.

A foreboding omen brought her back to the seemingly-lifeless Fornacis. She still had no answer on how to help the captain or the ship, but Annastasia felt compelled to return to the Fornacis. Maybe she thought it was time to move on and bid her farewell to the ship.

Ship role: Medic
Pyxis strength: Focus
Pyxis Appearance: Anna's pyxis has taken the form of a floating glass prism, in which sparks of colors are ever-changing inside.
Pyxis skill list:

• Hyper-focus - Allows Anna to deeply concentrate on her task at hand, allowing her to maintain incredible focus under most deranging situations.
• Enhanced Senses - Anna concentrates so heavily on a single of her five senses, she is able to detect any slight variation regarding that sense.
• Pinpoint Accuracy - Anna synchronizes her mind and sight to achieve exceptional body motricity and aim, allowing her to achieve skills and mastery that would take a lifetime of practice.
• Time-lapse - Anna hyper-stimulates her visual focus to "slow time". Time isn't really slowed down, but her focused perception allows her to mentally react much quicker to detected events during hyper-focus.
• Perfect Timing - By extending her hyper-stimulated focus to her whole body, Anna can move just as quickly as she can perceive incoming events. This effectively can allow to achieve super-human reflexes, so long she is concentrated on a single event happening within line of sight.

[Snagglepuss89]

Rhain

Name: Reyansh Maidaan (Gokhanized to “Rhain”)

Age: 39

Gender/Sex: It matters less and less over time. Originally male and marginally more comfortable as male.

Current appearance:

Ship role: Magical “Fuck You” Stick

Pyxis appearance: A small blue feather with streaks of gold running through it. Usually resting in Rhain's hair.

Pyxis strength: Lightning Elemental Magic

Pyxis skill list:

1. Thunder: Ability to generate sounds, in essence. Over time this has of course grown in scale, but more importantly precision, with a preference for generating deafening explosions directly into one’s ear.

2. Flash: Ability to generate light. Like the above, enhanced precision has been the focus of the ability as its user has grown in power. Disorienting, but the light only lasts for an instant, causing no long term damage even at its brightest.

3. Static: If two objects are able to hold a charge, then enhanced static cling can make them almost impossible to remove from each other. Works best with objects that naturally generate large amounts of static electricity, and worst on those that don’t.

4. Magnetism: Similar to the above, but distinct. The ability to generate magnetic fields either centered on, or away from the user. Only affects magnetic objects.

5. Shock Immunity: The user is unaffected by electricity. More powerful users can more or less keep this ability on indefinitely.

6. Discharge: The user is able to pump electricity into any object they are touching, organic or otherwise. Scale naturally involves the voltage of the discharge.

7. Arc Lightning: Discharge can be extended away from the user, arcing between their body and any unobstructed target within a certain distance.

8. Call Lightning: Generates a lightning strike at the desired location, regardless of atmospheric conditions. This includes the accompanying thunder clap and all other implications of a natural lightning bolt. (Rhain’s preferred method of dealing with serious threat, though even now its use is still taxing. A dozen bolts is the farthest she’s push herself under normal circumstances, so the crew had better be prepared to pick up the slack afterwards. Range seems to be “Anywhere visible under open sky”.)

9. Plasma Ball: Contains all of the energy of a lightning strike within the palm of the user’s hand. In this condensed form the sphere is almost unrivaled in destructive capability where it strikes, and the user can direct its movements at will. (Naturally this is incredibly taxing, to the point that even longtime crew members can count on one hand the number of times they've seen it used. Rhain will be dead weight for some days after this ability is used, so it’s a good thing anything it touches will be very very dead. Maximum distance unknown, but it’s unlikely Rhain would waste it on anything that was not in very close range.)

10. Flashstep: Becoming one with lightning itself, the user is able to transform and travel at incredible speed across vast distances. Effective teleportation between two points that the user can see. (Range of 20-25 miles. This is not simply moving quickly, the user becomes a bolt of lightning and then returns to their normal self where it strikes. However, they never reform completely the same, and while Rhain was able to maintain something resembling his natural form at first, with every use the changes became more drastic. Now she seems to become an entirely different person each time it’s used, with rare exceptions. The user, as a note, feels the strain of having moved that distance with their own two legs, though this can be mitigated somewhat with endurance training.)

Some background: Rhain’s origins are a mystery outside of the few close friends made aboard the Fornacis. He was born Reyansh Maidaan, to the Thunder Tribe on the steppe-island of Ghar. This tribe was unusual in that almost everyone was adept at magic to a small degree, and anyone who acquired a Pyxis acquired one adept in the lightning element. While curious, none ever acquired a Pyxis of significant strength, and this tribe remained an obscure curiosity.

Until Reyansh.

The details of his life since obtaining his Pyxis (The feather of a Demi-Roc, a bird his tribe held sacred above all other things) are many and rarely told. He left his tribe soon after becoming a man, and became an “adventurer”, although “mercenary” is likely more accurate. His wealth was used to apprentice himself to a more knowledgeable wizard, and his powers rapidly grew from there.

Eventually word reached him of a ship looking to retain a wizard for a good sum, and he gladly joined up. What was intended to be a temporary contract ended up consuming a decade of his life. His strength on this journey grew more rapidly still, until he finally unlocked the mysteries of Flashstep. Unexpectedly, this too became one of the pivotal moments of his life, as Rhain’s appearance and identity began to change rapidly.

At first he fought these changes, and sought the services of one of the Sky’s few bodysculpters to change his appearance back. And though the wizard still keeps a photo of (currently her) original self, she has stopped longing for who she used to be.

Since the breakup of the crew, word has circulated around the Skies of a figure who comes and goes in a flash of lightning, but stories of what this person looks like are never consistent. Man, woman, old, young. Rhain has built a bit of a personal legend over the last four years, though one that could never compare to the time she spent as part of the Sky’s most legendary crew.

[ThatGiantRat]

Derevi

Derevi Dants

A former healer turned Mechanic with a crippled arm and a history of failure,

wielding a Pyxis focused around history.

_oooo
Age // 45
_oooo
Gender // Male
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Race // Human
_oooo
Ship role // Mechanic

Derevi Dants has always sought to help those who cannot help themselves- raised on the teachings of Ravishaan from youth, Derevi learned to heal others and sought the best outlet to do so: he found the Fournacis. In his time healing the crew, he was introduced to his true passion- the magic of machinery. The beauty of a well oiled machine like the Fournacis drew him in, enraptured him. What he learned of healing magics he began to apply to his new work as a mechanic- unorthodox, but effective.

Guided by the light of Ravishaan, Derevi sought to Manifest a Pyxis, and he spent many cycles seeking enlightenment through this. Eventually he attained his goal of manifesting a pyxis, but failed his goal of attaining enlightenment, so turned his eyes to the future in the hopes of an opportunity presenting itself.

This opportunity did present itself, or so Derevi thought, in the Fournacis' final journey. As the crew fought valiantly through Ysir's horde, so did Derevi fight valiantly in search of a cure for Ysir's curse, turning back to his roots as a healer. He performed some of his best work attempting to deconstruct and reverse engineer the curse, but it was work done in vain. Derevi made no breakthroughs in counteracting Ysir's curse- he only managed to give himself a very mild case of the curse. Enough to take his good arm, and to give him a constant haze of fatigue, but not quite lethal. Not yet, at least.

For four years, Derevi sought new meaning in life. He could not bring himself to ever attempt healing magic again, for fear of failing spectacularly again, and his skill with a wrench was crippled with the loss of his arm. Ravishaan offered no enlightenment, no answers, no salvation. In order to combat the constant haze he was under, Derevi became reliant on more illicit healing magics, giving him just enough drive to make it from one day to the next. Day after day, hoping, pleading for some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Then, he had a dream. Chatter on the streets say that many people had that same dream. Derevi had a calling. Derevi had a purpose.

Pyxis

_{Pyxis Strength}

History (yeah its vague but i think the skill list explains it better? Idk it might be too jank)

_{Form of the Pyxis}

A series of glowing golden concentric circles that wind around one another like clockwork.A series of glowing golden concentric circles that wind around one another like clockwork. It manifests over Derevi's left wrist when used.

_{Pyxis Skill List}

Autodidact
With focus and concentration, Derevi can peek into the past of an object, and witness it's history. He can see any major alterations or trauma that the object has sustained. He's untrained and sloppy with his pyxis, so can only see an hour into the past of any object. This only allows him to see the impact of outside forces on the object, no other information.

Alteration
With severe expenditure of energy and time, Derevi can use his pyxis to refine objects to a conceptual state of history. The exact effects of this vary from object to object, and oftentimes Derevi doesn't even know exactly what the effects of this ability will be. Some examples:
A glass bottle altered might produce an equal mass of loose sand.
A cup of wine altered might produce a cup of freshly squeezed grape juice.
A gun altered might produce a bow- a bullet altered might produce an arrow.

Abscond
Most of Derevi's pyxis doesn't have any effect on living moving matter, however this ability allows Derevi to exert a small amount of control over his own body. He can alter his body to any state within the past 4 seconds: effectively healing any damage he's taken in that time. While useful, it's almost impossible to do multiple times without resting in between, and Derevi has noticed the deadened black skin of his right arm spreads further with each use.

Atone
Derevi is naturally clumsy, even moreso with only one good arm. His pyxis gives him a technique that allows him to make up for this, just slightly. While using this ability, he becomes more skilled and precise at any one action for each time he performs that action and that action only. The increase from this skill is marginal and requires a large amount of unbroken repetition to show concrete improvement.

[ERode]

Cain Darlite

26 y/o | Male | Human | Medic

A veteran empyrean, Cain Darlite seeks only to find himself companions with which he could venture off into the farthest reaches of the world with. Once a member of the illustrious Karadez, a locally-famous airship crew that operated mostly in the western territories of Yuncay, an unfortunate series of events involving Cupid’s arrow richocheting off multiple hearts ended up in a bloodbath of legendary proportions, both on a physical and emotional level. As Karadez imploded in a violent eruption of romantic jealousy, Cain Darlite, veteran empyrean and healing specialist, the man with the skills to turn everyone into morning people without even the help of copious amounts of caffeine, spied with his rubellite eyes signs of a great storm to come!

The resurrection of the famed Fornacis, striving to cross the great azure and stake their claim as the first crew to return from the Boundary intact! How excellent! How exciting! Such fleeting passions may be disregarded as a drunkard’s nonsense in any other situation, but alongside legends that had not yet faded and aspirants whose legends had yet to begun, there was a very real possibility that impossibilities may be proven false! With banner in hand and song in his heart, Cain did what any youthful veteran empyrean with red blood in their veins and a desire to witness the making of history would do! He applied!!!

And honestly, as a medic empyrean with twelve years of experience operating off the western territories of Yuncay, who could flagdance as well as he could sing as well as he could dance while also magically healing people in ways that normal healing couldn’t match, it was simply an inevitability that he would become a member of the new and improved Fornacis crew!

Thank the Skyfather for that.

Hanswer

Hanswer is a pyxis specialized in 'performance', manifesting itself as a seven foot long flagpole made of a cream-colored metal that rings like a bell when struck. Both sides are spiked to facilitate planting the flagpole into the ground rather than for the purposes of stabbing people, but as a large metal rod, it's still usable as a weapon, despite Hanswer's personal protests. When abilities are utilized, a flag appropriate to either the group, the environment, or the song will weave itself out of vestigial aura, growing in length as the ability is continuously used.

As an individual, Hanswer provides background vocals and particular enjoys doing ominous chanting. It'll definitely try to slip such dreary, dramatic vibes in whenever it can, but is otherwise compliant, if not sarcastically so, with Cain's own desires.

Skills

“Here I Am”
^{~Party’s over, but I wanna dance a little longer~}

The opening piece that warms up the artist, enabling their voice to reach farther, unfettered by the limitations of environment. Upon activation, Cain is able to change his attire to whatever he desires, as well as add small cosmetic changes such as altering his hair or eye color, through illusory methods. More prominent, however, is that his voice echoes psychically in the minds of his allies, allowing for communication even when they are deafened…though it still requires him to physically vocalize, making this ill-suited for clandestine communications.

“We Are The Flame”
^{~We head into the darkness to find the light~}

The second song revs up the crowd, warming up the blood in their body and emboldening their spirits. Upon activation, allies capable of hearing Cain have their nerves calmed and their body strengthened, enabling swifter movement as they charge into the fray and dance through the battlefield. Their steps become more certain even upon uncertain terrain, even in the face of mighty foes, for their hearts are fire, and glory awaits beyond the dusk.

“Miraclebringers”
^{~Let the sound of hope resound in the air~}

The third song starts soft but swells up with increasing strength, granting listeners a deeper strength than from a firestarting piece. Upon activation, allies capable of hearing Cain have their regenerative capabilities improved, allowing them to recoup stamina and heal from sustained wounds. For those on the brink of reckless despair, the bell tolls, granting them strength once more to fight and to live. There is only false prestige to be found in sacrifice; the only acceptable ending is one where everyone survives and can live to laugh about this battle over tankards of ale.

[banjoanjo]

Knight-In-Recuperation

Name: "Merry" Achillea
Age: 20
Gender/Sex: Female
Race: Sanyan (Deer)
Ship Role: Chef. Apparently.

Pyxis Strength: Strike

Pyxis Form: A ("totally uncute") whetstone. It hangs from a string on her belt.
Pyxis Skill List:

- HeartMonic Guidance! (May Your Blade Point True): Unerring accuracy. Merry is guided by magic and is able to connect with any target or point within her sight, so long as it is within her physical limits. A surgeon's precision with no cost to her speed. This applies to Merry's body, held and thrown items. There have been cases in the past where Merry's knife's trajectory has curved in midair to hit its target. The magical guidance seems to be limited to a certain amount of surface area on the item it is affecting, and therefore works best on bladed and pointed weapons. It does not work on firearms.

- StarShoot Burst! (May Your Strength Propel You): Magical tension wells in the muscles of her limbs, bursting from her soles and palms in concentrated shockwaves. She can propel herself as high as three storeys or deliver devastating palm strikes. This ability is not used often, as it would blast a hole in any article of clothing covering her energy points. No one wants a maiden to go around barefoot, right? And how's she meant to use it when she always fights with at least two swords??

- Prismatic Scan! (May Opportunity Shine Radiant): Merry’s eyes glow vivid as points of weaknesses in her vision become highlighted for her. Structural fragility, chinks in armors, patterns in movements – anything she can physically observe.

- MiraSparkle Sclash! (May Your Will Rend the Heavens): A downward swing of her sword that generates a shining arc of energy, bisecting anything in its unstoppable path. At the peak of its range, it can split an airship down the middle. However, it requires a full minute of wind-up time, during which Merry is to be completely immobile. She cannot even adjust the direction of her attack during this period, corrections and movement must be done for her externally or else she must restart the counter.

Background: Just a free-wheeling gal in search of love and adventure.

Her background comes in bits and pieces, trickling to any who stick around the mess hall long enough. Her father is an Izman merchant. She has an uncute but precious twin sister named Siusan. She loves romance novels, radio shows, and the latest fashion trends - anything cute. She spent most of her teen years at some special boarding school. Doesn’t like to talk about it much, she’s insistent on brightly and clumsily changing the subject when anyone prods, but considering the quality of her swords and the fact that they’re only produced on one particularly militaristic taiva, it’s not difficult to put two and two together. It seems that she’s on a break from whatever she was doing prior, if not retiring completely.

No matter. She knows her way around a kitchen (or the knives at least) and thanks to one of her father’s acquaintances, she’s got a job on an airship. How exciting! It seems that the ship was super famous back in the day but Merry was up to her antlers in training until recently, way too busy to keep up with the newspapers.

At least it bodes well for her break (and her street cred). If she’s gonna find herself anywhere, it’s gotta be in the open skies.

NPC: Siusan Achillea

Name: Siusan Achillea
Age: 20
Gender/Sex: Female
Race: Sanyan (Deer)

Pyxis Strength: Brawl

Pyxis Form: A pair of hand-wraps with glowing runes trailing down their lengths.
Pyxis Skill List:

- Taking Ya to Poundtown (May The World Turn To You): A wave of energy manifests in Siusan’s hand, or at the end of a held weapon. An enemy of her choosing gets pulled towards her.

- Hard and Fast (May Your Flesh Endure): Siusan’s skin is coated with a magical barrier, but its durability corresponds to how much movement she is performing in the moment.

- I Won’t Be Munching Grass (May Your Spirit Persevere): By sacrificing one, or multiple, of her senses, Siusan can greatly boost her stamina and mana efficiency.

- Who’s On Top (May You Rise To The Occasion): After making skin contact with an target, Siusan’s physical strength grows, or lessens, to match them exactly.

- Time to Smash (May Your Might Transcend): A super attack with the same power of the initial blow, but thirty times the surface area affected.

Background: Just a knightly gal who’s always up for a scrap and down for a wrassle.

[Bubsy 2]

Nia

Nia Tyr

Janitor Extraordinaire, Professional Cargo Mover, Sous-chef-in-training
_{18 | Sanyan}

There really isn’t much of anything that’s remarkable about Nia. Her life, by all metrics, had been entirely normal. Which, to her, was entirely unsatisfactory. She craved adventure and played with the idea of trying a Manifest, but never did. All she knew was that she would never be happy as long as she stayed on the island she was born on.

So, when she got the chance, she got onto a ship. Not just any ship – the ship. At least, it was to her, having grown up following stories of the Fornacis’s adventures. She had no real skills, but she could swab the deck well enough and was willing to work for nothing but room and board (and adventure).

Well, so she says. No one is actually sure who hired her.

[luftschiff]

nerd

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General

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Name: "Nuungat"
Gender: Non-binary
Age: 31
Race: Phuvata
Ship Role: Navigator

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Appearance

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Impressively tall yet somehow unimposing, Nuungat is delicate both in body and mannerisms. Xe is dark-skinned and dark-haired, with light purple eyes. Xe tends to wear scarves or shawls that match xir eyes, though otherwise xe keeps xir outfits plain and simple, sometimes supplemented with a thin military sword. Xir horns are small and curled, and somewhat asymmetrical, though xe bears them proudly. Xe also likes to wear braids in xir hair. Xir relationship with jewelry is complicated.

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Personality

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Though initially shy and reserved, Nuungat is friendly and sociable to those who try to get to know xir. It's abundantly clear that xe struggles with self-confidence, suppressing xir wants and opinions, though xe makes a good effort to overcome or at least hide it. Xe doesn't like to talk about xirself, but will listen eagerly to what others have to say. Because of xir receptiveness and propensity to remain neutral in most situations, Nuun makes a natural mediator.

In xir own time, Nuungat is a zealous scholar. When asked about xir studies, xe avoids the topic, conversation, or even the interrogator entirely, though nosier people will notice that the things Nuun studies are just normal subjects - technology, history, astronomy. Xe also knows a lot about the Celastin faith, though celebrates no holidays. Xe will participate when invited, though.

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Background

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Nuungat was one of the earliest members of the Fornacis, though wasn't always the navigator. Xe doesn't like it when people bring up xir past, though it can be gathered that xe spent a fair amount of time both in Yuncay and in Ortzi. If asked about it, xe will dismiss xir childhood as uneventful, and claim instead that xir years on the Fornacis were much more impactful. Though of course, xe doesn't talk about this, either.

During the Fornacis' final voyage, xe was stricken with Ysir's curse, and was unable to participate in the final battle atop the Cloud Spire. When the captain fell into her coma, Nuun was one of the first to leave. Xe disappeared with barely a farewell, and didn't take to the skies again.

[stone]

not a suspicious person no sir

this regal bearing has been ingrained in me since birth!

"Stephanie" Erona / 25 / Female / Human / Janitor

Stephanie looks, acts, and talks like a noblewoman of high standing. Her speech is refined, she wears the latest fashions, and she appears to be skilled at both commanding and manipulating people with her words.

And yet, she's the janitor. She works hard, doesn't complain, and is excellent at cleaning, yes, but she's still a janitor.

When asked, Stephanie will just reply with a short description of her family situation– a failing noble line needed influence and a hand in the latest developments and as such needed to send their first daughter to work on the Fornacis. After all, such a reunion of a legendary crew could only mean that the world was changing once more. That meant taking any possible opening. Unfortunately, Stephanie's lack of experience in navigation, cooking, and combat greatly limited her options.

actual background that absolutely nobody suspects

Tephrys Enrona / 29 / Female / Human / Special Inquisitor of Mehrnez

The second daughter of a longstanding family known for producing capable recruits for the Luminary Order, Tephrys was a completely unexpected child. Her older sister had already been groomed for a political marriage– Tephrys was raised with the same idea in mind.

However, when she Manifested her Pyxis at the age of 11, that training immediately shifted to focus on combat and leadership. Her family had her sent to a military academy, whereupon she quickly made a name for herself as one of the most hardworking individuals around. She graduated with honors and took a position in Mehrnez's investigative force, rising quickly in the ranks due to her levelheadedness, sharp mind, and combat ability.

Due to some... political shenanigans, Tephrys found herself in the middle of a greater scheme to take some power away from Lord Canus. As a result, she was sent to work on the Fornacis and report back to HQ about every single detail. There was only one issue.

Tephrys has never done a stealth mission in her life.

PYXIS GO!

Pyxis Strength: Attraction (the pulling kind) and adhesion
Appearance: Golden chains with red locks that appear from nowhere and lock onto her target(s). The chains are incorporeal.

Skills:
Iron Will: Mental magics have much less of an effect on Tephrys. She's resistant to all forms of mind control, mind reading, and emotional influence. Unfortunately, this also means she cannot benefit from positive effects in the same way.

Bondsmith: Tephrys locks two things together. The bond persists until she dismisses it or her supplied mana runs out. The bond can't be broken unless an equal amount of mana is pushed in through an aura. This can only affect inanimate objects and willing creatures. Willing creatures can opt to fuel the bond with their own mana instead.

Unmoving Strength: Tephrys locks an object in place. The object retains whatever momentum it may have had. She can only lock things she can see. She can also preemptively lock things within a certain range, allowing her to stop projectiles within her line of sight. This ability can only be used on inanimate objects.

Chainshot: Tephrys chooses an anchor point within 100 meters of her target. The target and anchor point are bonded by a chain, which immediately begins retracting at a maximum rate of 20 m/s. She can only target inanimate objects or willing creatures.

Lockdown: Tephrys targets a creature she can see and binds them with a chain. She can affix the other end to an anchor point if she so chooses. The chain is near-impossible to break through physical means, with the creature or anchor point almost always breaking first. The target can expend their own mana to break the chains. She can affix more than one chain to a target.

Golden Time: Tephrys targets an object, willing creature, or unconscious creature. Chains entomb them before seven locks affix themselves around the target. The target is put into stasis– they cannot move, think, nor sense anything around them. However, if the target is a living being, they have no need for air, food, or water. Effectively, the target is frozen in their present state. Tephrys must concentrate fully on maintaining the stasis. She cannot use any other skills while Golden Time is active. However, the target does not need to be within her line of sight. She can maintain this skill for up to 72 hours, but cannot sleep nor rest during that time.

[Kamen Evie]

Tally

Name: Talon "Tally" Aurora

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Race: Phuvata

Ship role: Engineer

Appearance: The first thing one notices about Tally is that she’s very tall, even among men of her race. The second thing one might notice is that she’s absolutely ripped, though she tends to keep most of her muscles covered under a large gray coat and an old red scarf when she’s not working. Under that, she wears a plain white undershirt and a well-worn pair of blue jeans, a tool never far from her belt. Other than that, her features are rather fair, such as her pale skin and light blonde hair that tend to end up colored by various forms of dirt and grime. Her brown eyes always manage to shine through, though. She’s got an impressive set of large brown horns, which she’s rather proud of.

Personality: Tally, around those she doesn’t know, prefers to project the more intimidating exterior of the gruff, silent type. She’s bigger and stronger than just about everyone she meets and she knows it. She’s someone who likes to think, though, and her interests tend to lean towards more intellectual pursuits. She’s happy to talk to those she likes, maybe even get loud and rowdy when she feels truly comfortable, though if she feels bothered or annoyed by someone she’ll just as easily switch back to glares and single-word sentences.

Background: Tally grew up in Mehrnez, working in factories to support her family pretty much from the second she was physically able. Which was very young; she grew like a weed. It wasn’t too long before she was bigger than all her superiors, which prompted her to start thinking. It was a good way to pass the time.

In her teens, when she got her Pyxis, and people started treating her as something slightly more important than a nice pair of arms, she began thinking even more. There was something distressing about it, working and working in a system that made countless arms for a taiva that was obsessed with wars it never fought, and for what? So she could change her name that she hated? Her body that she hated? And then just keep on working until she died? As soon as she had made those changes, she left to become an Empyrean. It was easier to think on an airship. It stood a better chance of being honest work, too, by Tally’s standards.

With time, she founded it to be a fulfilling calling. A lot of her old skills transferred over nicely, and she was still learning new things every day. It wasn’t long before she felt like a comfortable and experienced engineer, and when she got the chance to work on a ship as renowned as the Fornacis, it only made sense to say yes.

Red Rose

Pyxis strength: The sphere of stasis and entropy; the potential for change

Pyxis Form: A simple, dark red pair of sunglasses.

Pyxis skill list:

-Hold: When in range of a few feet, an object will maintain its current state; an ice cube won’t melt in the heat, a cup of coffee will not grow cold, a sword won’t dull its edge, a sheet of paper won’t dissolve in the water, an overheating machine will not explode, and a dying comrade won’t give out. The effect can be maintained for a long time on simple objects, but on more complex machinery and living people and creatures, the effect is far more taxing and limited, only lasting a few minutes on machinery and under one for a living creature.

-Progress: When used in close proximity, a target will go through natural change and processes at ridiculous speeds. This can include chemical reactions, machine operations, plant growth, healing, or decay. This ability is similarly inefficient when used on complex machines and especially people, requiring a large amount of energy to heal anything more than a small cut.

-Pin: A close target will become effectively frozen in time and space, resuming its earlier velocity and trajectory as soon as the spell ends. This spell is taxing to use on small objects and is very much impossible when it comes to a person or anything larger than one.

-Combust: A powerful spell that creates forces of chaos and entropy so powerful that they result in small, localized explosions. She can either do this to an area that she is touching or to an object she is touching, turning it into a makeshift bomb. She usually prefers to use it to punch extra hard, though.

[Lasrever]

Kerry McDougall

Kerry

A One-eyed Woman

The scarring on her face along with her fairly stocky, muscular stature makes her cut a rather intimidating figure, even with her rather average height of 5'6". Her rather chronic scowl doesn't help, though chances are generally good that she's just tired and grumpy rather than angry with anyone specific.

"If I leave you people be, you'll ruin my ship in minutes."

Age: 35
Gender/Sex: Female
Race: Human
Ship role: Mechanic

Background: A rather brilliant, and easily bored, young engineer from a tiny, backwater island in Ortzi called Rathall, the prospect of employment on a skyship - any skyship - had been something Kerry leapt at all those years ago, not realising the legend that the Fornacis would eventually become. She wasn't exactly the most experienced back then, and it's fair to say that her Pyxis was certainly more than a small factor in her opportunity. Nonetheless, she held her own, and quickly developed a love for the Fornacis. Back then, the girl was rather bright and excited for the adventures that awaited her. Indeed, one could even call her reckless in her enthusiasm.

And indeed, that recklessness was her undoing - though she won't elaborate exactly on how. It hadn't been planned for her to be in any sort of combat, of course, and she was supposed to stay out of harm's way; indeed, it wasn't in any official capacity that she was out. A few years into their adventures, Kerry had struck up a relationship with one of the other mechanics, Laurie, and the two had decided to distance themselves for the day at port, the second anniversary (at least, according to Kerry's data) of their relationship. Not some grand adventure or terrifying scheme, for on those there was the protection of the captains, the more capable fighters who'd take the hits.

No, Kerry lost her eye on what should have been a simple, peaceful, date.

All that any of the crew knew was the scene that met them that night; Laurie, distraught and sobbing. Kerry, leaning on her for support with face half-burned and the light gone from one eye, never to return.

Kerry never was the same afterwards. She grew paranoid of most things, overly cautious, and found comfort in the ship's workings. Things she could be sure of, that made sense to her. The outside world had become frightening and unpredictable, and the bitterness that lodged in her heart was apparent to most. Her moments of light and kindness, once ever-present, became reserved for her girlfriend alone. Her joy, though it would still spark up on occasion, seemed mostly concerned with the ship, with improvements and discoveries. Despite that, she was diligent in her work, even if she preferred the company of engines to people.

At the time that they parted, she and Laurie left together. Perhaps not as sickeningly saccharine as once they were, but they appeared content enough to leave their life of adventure behind them. To while out their days in peace, with an uneventful marriage and perhaps a family of their own.

Kerry's return to the Fornacis, without Laurie, tells another story entirely.

---

Pyxis

Pyxis

Pyxis strength - Analysis

Form of the Pyxis - A mechanical brass monocle, inlaid with intricate gears: oddly enough, it manifests over her ruined eye when in use.

Pyxis skills -

• Baseline: she can quickly get a measure of any non-organic subject she focuses on, gaining a somewhat bare-bones understanding of its measurements, purpose (though the explanation is often vague and never elaborated on), and material and magical composition.
• Spotting the Break: the Pyxis allows her to quickly analyse non-organic materials, devices, and structures, allowing her to understand their workings and discover flaws or weaknesses that can be fixed - or, in some cases, exploited.
• Monitoring: regarding people, it can provide a quick analysis of a person's measurable, physical, behaviours - a database to fall back on. The tics someone has when they lie, a habit of picking their nails. Small, mostly inconsequential details. She appreciates it, if only because her own abilities to keep track of human behaviour are apparently 'total crap'. Thanks, Laurie.
• Behind the walls: a simple enough ability, allowing her to, by choice, see through physical materials. However, it seems she can only see through one at a time - she can't tell you what's going on several rooms away, but could spy on the floor above easily enough.
• Thermal vision: does what it says on the tin, essentially. She doesn't particularly like using it, and claims it makes her head hurt.

[Chasers115]

Alix Westwynd

Alix Westwynd

Face of the Frost

_{By Siwoo Kim}

Age: 25
Gender/Sex: Female
Race: Human
Ship Role: Combatant

Some Background: 8 years ago, on the streets of Ortzi, Alix began a new life for herself from nothing. Determined only to hold on to a select few lessons that made her the person she was, and a few others that taught her the things she needed to know, she began again from scratch. It was difficult for her at first; beginning from nothing means you have no stability to hold on to, but she was nothing if not determined, and after a year or two of floundering, she finally got her feet underneath her. She found the person she wanted to be, and that was a huge step for her.

She was positive that she would never allow herself to be a victim.

In Ortzi, a land almost driven to her knees, there were too many victims already. She found the best way to prevent herself from being preyed upon was to bloodily fight her way to the top of the food chain. Of course, having her Pyxis certainly helped; a lot of people that she found herself up against couldn’t defend themselves from her skills, and it was far easier to avoid death at the hands of some monster if you had the abilities necessary.

Alix knows her path. For her, the Fornacis is just another stepping stone on that path. She didn’t seek to join the crew for any reason other than it promised new adventure and new challenges for her to overcome.

Pyxis

Pyxis Strength: Frost Elemental Magic
Form of the Pyxis: When in use, Alix’s Pyxis manifests as patches of severe frostbite across her nose and hands.
Pyxis Skill List:

• Child of Frost: Alix is functionally immune to low temperatures and cold weather. Even in the chilliest of climates or situations, even her breath does not show. She can also cross slick patches of ice without risk of slipping and can swim in freezing cold water without suffering hypothermia or shock. She has yet to try and encase herself fully in ice, as she does not want to run the risk of being unable to free herself.
• Ice Gauntlets: Alix can cause icy formations to rapidly crystallize across her hands, building into large gauntlets that encase her fists. These gauntlets are mostly used for hand-to-hand combat, as strikes delivered through them are significantly stronger than her normal punches. Alix can cause these gauntlets to shatter and fall away from her hands whenever she wants, and they automatically do so if she loses consciousness. She cannot use her Frostcrawl Skill when the Ice Gauntlets are formed across her hands.
• Frostcrawl: This skill is the one that Alix typically uses in combat; Frostcrawl is an ice magic that Alix must focus from her bare hands to use. This skill causes the temperature of whatever area she is touching to drop significantly and quickly, and is cumulative, meaning that the effect is more powerful the longer she maintains her touch. Once a spot has been chilled enough the effect can then spread by itself by causing the surrounding areas to also drop in temperature and the ice begins creeping its way outwards. Well insulated materials resist the spread better than uninsulated materials, and enough warmth can halt the spread or melt the ice entirely.
• Breath of Winter: Alix can unleash a freezing cold gale from her lungs, which can quickly overtake an area with ice and freeze even flesh and bone solid. The blast is not suitable for range attacks and can typically only affect things a few feet from her. Any area frozen by this skill immediately begins spreading as with Frostcrawl and will do so quickly if left unchecked. Using this ability is painful for Alix, as it causes some damage to her lungs and throat, typically leaving her hoarse, raspy, and short-of-breath for nearly a day or two after use.

#33ec06

[GreenGoat]

Robert James Morgan

Name: Robert James Morgan

Age: 64

Appearance: Robert stood about 195cm or about 6'5", though with a lanky build. He wasn't often seen without his overcoat and hat, and his right hand was obviously replaced by a crude looking contraption. He was also missing a right eye, hidden under an eyepatch.

Gender/Sex: Male

Race: Human

Ship role: Any.

Background: There was once a sky captain who haunted the skies of all six Taivas, in an infamous ship named the Red Mary, where even the sight of its faded red and black coloring threw even grown men into despair. A simple but mighty corvette, with its six engines the captain was rumored to have outrun and outmaneuvered many a warship. Its faded red and black was told to be from its forays into the Ash Range, where the soot stuck to it, and it was said the ship ventured fearlessly into the dangerous regions of the world, even into the Belt or or the Sky den. And those who did catch up to it, faced the full might of its captain and its crew. Guns would blaze from every inch of its side, and the captain taller, darker and stronger than any man, would tear apart any man that dared faced him. Said to be a ghost of an angry taruva, or the incarnation of one, the last stand of the Red Mary and her captain was said to be a legendary one, one ship against an armada, guns blazing in the skies like thunder, the red of burning ships lighting up the night's sky. At the very end, the Red Mary was boarded, and the captain fought like a wounded beast. He took 16 shots and several sword slashes and fought on, before being beheaded. It was said he rose up again, wreathed in the fires of vengeance, and swore vengeance upon all the six taivas. The Red Mary exploded into flames, wrecking several more ships and killing more men, before disappearing. It would be sighted again and again in the years to come, a ghost ship floating in the clouds, ready to pillage and kill any it comes across.

Robert, was not that person. He was rough and flamboyant, but whenever asked, he would always say he came from a simple farming family on a simple floating island community just off Araceli. He worked his arse off on a military ship for a bit before going on a whaling ship. With all the experience he had, he was confident in his skills on a ship, be it a navigator, a helmsman or even as an artillery officer. Experience, after all, was what he had in abundance, even if he was not as spry as he was years ago. As far as anyone was concerned, he was there to earn as much money as he can for his aging parents.

Equipments: His mechanical hand has a mechanism to shoot it out to about 25m in length, with a powerful motor to pull it back almost instantly. Other than that, his weapons were a brace of pistols, as well as a nice looking sword.

[Sylvan]

Yslain

Name: Yslain
Age: 37
Gender/Sex: Male
Race: Sanyan (Reptile)
Ship Role: Helmsman
Background: Yslain was born on the streets of Ventius, to a poor Sanyan family. From this beginning, Yslain never stopped moving forwards, building on past successes and reaching to even greater heights. He is hell-bent on figuring out why Ortiz fell apart, and believes the information he is looking for is out in the Boundless, but he has yet to find even a clue. This devotion led him to become one of the few to successfully Manifest a pyxis in Ortiz, which lead him down the path to become an Empyrean. Yslain signed on with the Fornacis years ago, as a general crewman in the original crew, and later grew into his own legend as an unflappable Helmsman, able to stare down the worst the endless skies can throw without so much as twitching from his course.

After the Void Incident, and the Captains Coma, Yslain stayed in town, doing odd jobs to pay the bills, and keeping an eye on the ship until he had that dream. The Fornacis, falling. The next morning, he showed up at the Fornacis, bags packed and ready to board.

Pyxis Strength: Toughness
Form of the Pyxis: His Pyxis takes the form of a small shield, able to fit in the palm of his hand.
Pyxis Skills:

• Tank - Yslain can harden his Aura to greater resist attacks for a time. Harder hits drain more mana.
• Anchor - Yslain can focus his aura through his legs and feet, anchoring him to one particular spot.
• Resist - Tslain can focus his aura into armor for the soul, lessening its damagemitigation, but greatly increasing his resistance to curses and the like. (Doesn't work on Ysir's Curse, much to his dismay)