**Name:** Thoman **Age:** 35 **Guild Band:** None currently, but Serpentines sounds a likely fit. **Archtype:** Reluctant Assassin **Backstor**y: The boat rocked softly with each thrust of the ferryman's pole; the day was a beautiful one -- for the swamps, at least -- with the worst of midsummer's heat now past, and a cool wind from the east serving to ease the usually dismal humidity. Thoman found himself lost deep in thought, one hand left to trail idly through the fetid waters, the other absently scratching at Anita's scalp. She was already fast asleep, lulled to slumber by the gentle sway of the boat. Sheera had curled herself up neatly in a pile at the bow, scales now an iridescent green as she basked in the sun's warmth. But my own mind was far, far afield. To events of the past. To events of the night before. The leering faces of my accusers. The calls of 'Blood!, Blood!, death to the Kinslayer!"; at times, even now, I fancied I looked down at my hands and found them covered in blood as they were that fateful night. Anita gave a soft sight and rolled over, sleeping still. I saw the fires, and the ceremonial harpoon and gutting knife... I gave an involuntary shudder. It was good fortune only, and nothing else, that had spared me such a fate -- if spared it could be called -- and thrust upon me a life such as this; a dozen times already I wondered if I might have been better off to face the knife than whatever might lay ahead. I wondered how many times I might think the same. The brightness of the day seemed to fade about me as a dark pall swept over my thoughts; I blinked and... She screamed again, a look of horror frozen on her eyes that might have mirrored my own; blood seeped from wounds my fingers failed to cover, thick ribbons of red running through my hands as I tried helplessly to stop the bleeding. It was too late, I knew. She struggled to speak, and as I leaned closer to hear I could make out only the breathy syllables of dying words -- then she smiled, one long sigh following as her last breath escaped. I only swore, clenched my fists before dropping my forehead against her unmoving breast. It was finished. Yet still I could hear the soft madness in the laughter just at the edge of consciousness; as scales sliding across slick stone, and the slithering tongue of some serpentine creature. I started from my dismal reveries, noted that Sheera was staring directly at me; she did not speak, her tongue only flicking slowly in and out as her eyes strayed in my direction. I had no doubt she knew the better part of what I was thinking: perhaps the better part of what I refused to tell even myself. I glared defiantly back until, with a final flick of her tongue, she went back to her basking. I cursed the ill gotten spirit for the umpteenth time that day alone (cursed her as many times as I blessed her for having saved my life on so many occasions I could scarcely count... not, truly, that her actions could be considered in any way altruistic -- not with our lives so inexorably bound together, and the death of one surely to follow that of the other.) A life of the Shaman's warnings, and boyhood stubbornness doing its best to faithfully ignore all such warnings... I often wondered if they would have taught me anything at all, had I not been such an adept student as a child. Too much so for my own good. And here it was I found myself, taking the ferry from the swamplands for the last time in my life, never to see home -- such as it was -- again. The ferryman, at least, did not much seem to care one way or another why I was leaving: his face was a stoically unmoving as ever, and he spoke not a word from the moment I boarded to the moment I touched foot again on dry ground. But that was all some ten long years in the past, and ever since it has been an endless battle to survive: in the absence of friends and companions, death has become my closest advisor. In the absence of a home, the road has become my sanctuary. Still, there is always talk of friendlier lands further out, of places where I might be seen less with disdain and more as a useful asset. Perhaps there is time yet, in a life still young, to leave the past forever behind... no matter what memories I might still carry with me. **Skills and Abilities:** Having been trained by the shamanic warriors of the swamplands (his homeland) Thoman was already rather adept in the art of poisoning, blade fighting and the use of a blowgun. The obtaining of the Spirit Sheera while still at a rather youthful stage in his life has imparted an unfathomable deadliness to his capabilities; still, his is a skillset that thrives best when allowed to strike first, and while more than capable of holding his own in a toe-to-toe melee situation, he would much prefer to strike when the odds favour a quick victory, then to slip again into the shadows before a proper counterattack can be mounted. Along with an array of combat oriented skills comes the wisdom of the indigenous swamp peoples -- both an innate ability to couple with and communicate to spirits (though there remain only two that Thoman has ever made a pact with.), and the practical knowledge of a life often spent in the harsh and wild hinterlands where most city dwellers would quickly meet their death. **Equipment:** Well traveled for many years in more civilised realms, Thoman has gradually modernized and improved upon the otherwise somewhat technologically deficient equipment of his homeland. He most prefers to strike from a distance with a specially modified take on the blowgun -- now steam powered, and yet just as silently deadly as ever (in the right hands, anyway); set up a bit like a revolver, the gun allows him to keep various poisons separated and available at need, depending upon the task. His knives -- of which he carries several -- have been fashioned with a hollow core running through the centre of the blade, allowing toxins to be applied through an ampoule inserted into the handle. Other equipment would include the usual oddments to be found in an assassin's arsenal: grappling hooks and light climbing implements, lock picks and basic small tools for modifying/sabotaging machinery, an array of poisons to suit any occasion, etc. **Spirits:** Sheera and Anita.  Despite being a humanoid spirit -- or at least of the humanoid class of spirit -- Sheera most often chooses to appear as a venomous snake; either green or black, though the colours might change dependent on her mood. When in the guise of a human, she generally takes a form of otherworldly beauty; beguiling in the extreme, her tongue is perhaps the most deadly part of her arsenal: remarkable considering her exceptional talents in the art of death. Thoman found himself bound to Sheera at a rather young age when -- as a hotheaded acolyte amongst the Wetland Warrior Shamans, he found himself beguiled by her stare... and she, for her part, found herself intrigued by how valiant a fight he put up before finally winding up at her mercy. It was in this fateful moment of pause that Anita burst suddenly onto the scene and -- showing a hint of a power that she has never displayed since -- managed to reflect the Serpent Woman's binding spell back on herself; the result was that the young Shaman and Spirit found their lives at once bound by a permanence beyond any normal pact... but at a price -- a price the spirit never named, as she never had a chance. Thus, in a kind of revenge, she sees it her due to at times make Thoman's life unbearably miserable (while at the same time keeping him alive, of course!). And while these attempts on her part are largely harmless, Thoman has come to learn that if he makes the mistake of becoming to close to anyone they meet some kind of untimely end. Often by his own hands -- just such an incident that precipitated his exile from the swamplands, when a former tutor of his managed to intercede on his behalf, pointing out that it was the unfortunate influence of the serpent that caused him to murder, and thus in a way no true fault of his own. **Abilities:** **Serpent's strike:** Permits Thoman to move with unparalleled speed and agility, at times even allowing his body to bend and contort in a manner more akin to a serpent than a human. **Death's Embrace:** Grants Thoman a natural affinity for poisons and toxins of all kinds; gives him near immunity to many (but of course not all!) normally deadly venoms; at times she may even permit him to milk her own fangs for an especially potent brew. **Sheltering Scales:** Provides momentary protection from light wounding -- low caliber firearms, swords and knives, etc. **Bewitching Smile:** On the occasion she should choose human form, Sheera's features, grace and beguiling smile are all but impossible for even the most stout hearted men (and occasionally women...) to ensure. On the other hand, when in human form Thoman's abilities are greatly reduced, and so Sheera can only remain humanoid for so long as there is no pressing danger to her partner. Each of these abilities exacts both a toll on Thoman mentally and physically, as well as increasing Sheera's hunger for human flesh: left neglected for too long, she may well force Thoman to kill on her behalf.. Or simply kill in her own right, though she prefers the manipulation of others to carry out her dirty deeds.  As for Anita, Thoman has only ever seen her as a rather mundane Mongoose -- only that her colour, too, at times shifts. And though the enmity between she and Sheera is plain to see, Thoman has learned nothing due to the curse the Serpent placed on her in the last moment before her will was bound to that of his. Since her appearance, the Mongoose has never left Thoman for long -- and even then she does not go far; as best as he can guess, something in the binding between he and Sheera caused the Mongoose to be drawn into the pact as well. Either that, or she simply follows him to ensure his safety. (Though, on occasion she shows spurts of unexpected intelligence, and despite being unable to communicate, has proven rather useful at retrieving small and difficult to reach objects undetected, much to Sheera's chagrin -- her own pact does not allow her to leave sight of Thoman for long.) Anita imparts no abilities or benefits to Thoman, aside from a warm body to scratch when the mood strikes him. It has been some fifteen long years since the aforementioned incident, and in that time Sheera and Thoman have learned to work flawlessly around one another; the former lends a speed and uncanny instinct, in addition to limited moments of protection that might otherwise kill normal humans (a protection she generally chooses not to extend if it would not kill Thoman, but rather only cause him pain.) And, of course, there are many useful things an Assassin can accomplish with the aid of a silver-tongued serpent in the guise of a beautiful woman.

Again, thank you to everyone for their wonderful characters- there were a lot of them and a lot of discussifying had to be done by me and Rtron in order to pick this RP's Cast. We have now chosen our 6 characters- and will be extending a 7th invitation within another day or so. ##The Aesteria Chronicles Cast is as follows: 1. **Fallenreaper **as Helen Govannon. 2. **Sundered Echo** as Adonai Govannon. 3. **EliteCommander** as Ignis, the Spirit of Helen. 4. **Themerlinhawk** as McKenzie Fairweather. 5. **Lucius Cypher** as Harvey, the unbound spirit. 6. **Terminal** as Kuro Thank you to everyone who took the time to write character sheets, I thoroughly appreciate all of your interest and characters!

Ooooh I'm tempted to join this. But you might sick of me by now, Vietmyke. ;P

Eh, too bad I didn't make it in. Might I ask why by the way? I still want to play the character someday, any tips to take the rough edges off would be appreciated.

@Whoami - God Whoams, stop following me >:( lol jk <3 @Agent B52 - There were a couple issues with the character- though most of these issues are my personal preferences. I personally am not a particularly large fan of 'Amnesia' backstories. While not always the case, I feel as though they are usually used as an excuse not to write a backstory. The spirit reminds me a lot of the Crisis nanosuit- and could easily be abused due to the spirits we will likely be facing this game. I'm also not a particular fan of characters being 'masters' or 'experts' at anything- it implies they have nothing, or very little left to improve upon, which I feel is just poor for character development. I didn't necessarily find Sofia a bad character, she just fell a bit short compared to some of the others. @Cast Members, OOC/IC/Character Thread will be live soon!

I'm fine with not making it in, but I'm also curious as to why I didn't. Criticism can always be a good thing, to help me improve my writing skills. I'll totally be creepin' on the IC, too. :P

http://i.imgur.com/ZwzYP.jpg  **Name:** Ryza Shiro **Age:** 22 **Guild Band:** Red Hawks **Archtype:** Theoretically skilled, completely unproven. **Backstory:** Ryza was born into the Shiro family, one known for its keen swordsmen and long history of serving the empire in some way. When Ryza was young, she chose acrobatics as her hobby, finding herself among a small group of other young girls, practicing for shows. When she came came of age at eighteen, her family made her choose a martial dedication, as was their way. Knowing her family's history, she didn't complain and quickly chose the Kusagi Empire's traditional way of the sword, Seishin. Ryza was enlisted into the capital city's best Seishin school. The school demanded her complete dedication, and so she had to move out of the Shiro estate and live in the school. One month into her lessons, Ryza and the rest of her classmates had to make a pact to one of the many Oni spirits residing in the school. It was the way of Seishin, any dedicated swordsman had a guardian spirit, one that acted as an extension to themselves. When she was brought into the school's Oni chamber, she saw a vast collection of masks, each of them a spirit, each of them studying the new faces in silence. Oni were nothing new to Ryza, her family had a number of Seishin Swordsmen, so she wasn't intimidated by the demonic visages the Oni appeared to be. She met an Oni that she eventually made the pact with. The Oni's face was reminiscent of a Kusagi tiger, a prized beast in her homeland. The pact, was in exchange for the spirit's servitude, Ryza needed to practice the way of Seishin swordsmanship daily for two hours. It was the same pact every Seishin swordsman made to their spirit. For three years, Ryza practiced as a student in the school, rarely stepping foot outside of the complex. When the time came to take her apprenticeship exam, she did well. Oni and Ryza worked together in the harmony that any Seishin swordsman was expected of, two hours of practice every day made sure of it. Ryza had become an apprentice Seishin swordsman, and was no longer bound to live in the school. She could take a master and learn from him elsewhere in the world. Ryza returned home and quickly found her uncle to be her master. Shinto, an old man in his sixties, was a master Seishin swordsman. He didn't hesitate to accept Ryza as his apprentice and quickly took her around the Kusagi empire, wherever his services were needed. One day, a courier came Shinto, he was given a letter with the Imperial seal. It explained that the Shiro family was always held in high regard by the royal family, and requested that Shinto travel to the city-state Meduzart to act as a bodyguard and adviser to a Kusagi diplomat. He answered immediately and took Ryza with him. The two traveled by airship. When Ryza and Shinto arrived, they were greeted by the diplomat. Ryza wasn't so focused on the Kusagi man, she had never seen a western city before. She was in awe of the entirely different architecture and societal customs. It was all so fascinating for Ryza. For a year, Shinto served under the diplomat. Ryza, under no such assignment, was left in their home while Shinto did his job. She had gotten bored remaining home, honing her art, and decided to walk the streets a bit. She eventually came across the Adventurers Guild. She took a peak inside and and was captivated by the variety of different people there. But a peak was just that, and she left moments later. Upon coming home, she saw two officers of Meduzart standing outside. They were there to inform Ryza that her Uncle Shinto and the diplomat he was sworn to protect, were both killed in an airship crash. Ryza was left in Meduzart without a master and away from her family. She didn't have the money to return back to Kusagi, or the letter of Imperial Summons that Shinto had gotten to order them to Meduzart. She was stuck, and needed to find a way. Remembering the Adventurers Guild, Ryza sprung to action and joined up immediately. The Red Hawks had caught her attention the most. She was completely unproven, having never had a taste of real combat in her life. But the recruiter had heard of the prowess of Seishin swordsmen, and recruited her in good faith and high hopes. Now Ryza serves the Red Hawks band, intent on earning the money to return to Kusagi and finish her training. As she can not elevate to a full fledged Seishin swordsman without the approval of a master. **Skills and Abilities** **Seishin -** Ryza is an apprentice in traditional Kusagi swordsmanship. Seishin is composed of a variety of stances. **Graceful -** Seishin requires light steps and precise movements. Ryza has a natural grace about her, both in sword fighting and just about every other moment. **Flexible -** Acrobatics and conditioning have made Ryza quite flexible. While not something developed from her apprenticeship in Seishin, it works hand in hand with it. **Equipment** **Katana -** The traditional weapon of the Kusagi Empire. While technology has progressed and soldiers of the empire now use firearms, the katana is still issued to each and every one of them. It is the heart and soul of Kusagi society. The art devoted to the Kusagi katana, Seishin, is open to all citizens of Kusagi blood, military or not. Ryza's katana has no striking features, it is an apprentice's katana that was forged by her school's master like every other one. It is still just as sharp as any legendary blade however. **Family Insignia -** Ryza wears a necklace with her family insignia. The insignia shows a faceless human in an elegant dance with a long, serpentine spirit. **Apprentice's Robes -** Ryza wears white robes with scarlet trimming. The school emblem is embroidered on the back and right breast of the robes. The robes are light and loose fitting, allowing for comfortable motion while practicing Seishin. **Spirits** http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/oni-mask-tiger-keith-diffenderfer.jpg  **Name:** Oni **Age:** 450 **About:** Oni is a spirit that appears as a Kusagi Demon mask. It isn't known if the mask is the entirety of its body. The appearance would define Oni as a simple spirit, but the intelligence and pact required to bind Oni suggests that it might be a humanoid. Oni is known to the Kusagi as a Guardian Seishin, as Seishin directly translates to Spirit. Despite the Kusagi military having been trained in Seishin, only true Seishin practitioners are bound to spirits such as Oni, that are all strangely named Oni as well. Oni is just like every other Guardian Seishin, appearing as a mask, though the features of the mask vary from Oni to Oni. When summoned, the Seishin swordsman wears the spirit like their own mask. Oni doesn't talk, it just seems to follow Ryza's will and when it expresses itself, Ryza somehow knows. **Skills and Abilities:** While they're all named Oni and they all seem to be masks, they all vary in their abilities. Ryza's particular Oni, when summoned, forms a protective bubble around her. This allows for Ryza to charge through most gunfire so that she can get into range with her katana. This isn't Oni's only use, but it is definitely its favorite. On some occasions, Oni will form a sort of field around the edge of Ryza's katana to make it supernaturally sharp, or it will combine its strength with Ryza's for fierce blows. These are at the demands of Ryza, but out of preference, she enjoys being safe from gunfire. **Pact:** Despite its simple appearance, Oni demands a more complex pact. The Oni seem to all enjoy helping Seishin practitioners finesse their art. As such, the usual pact with Oni is for it to serve as the Seishin swordsman's guardian, in exchange for two hours of practice per day. This practice might be in attained through meditation, sword practice, or even through true combat. As long as the art of Seishin is somehow applied daily.

Womp. Your character picture is broken Whoams. Welp, call it what you will, but it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth not to welcome a dear friend into my RP. And my Co-Gm has also given his vote. So we will be taking Whoami as our 7th spot.

Yay! Also, I put the raw links above the pictures, so you can follow them to get the images.

> Yay! > > Also, I put the raw links above the pictures, so you can follow them to get the images. Actually, the raw link is broken too. Access denied to host IDs.

Ah son of a-... How about this one? http://i.imgur.com/ZwzYP.jpg 

That works! The image is /massive/ here on the forums, but it works! Perhaps try putting it in a hider?

Not sure how to put hider in with HTML. >.<

I am letting you know now that due to the presence of 3 other active roleplays I will be formally withdrawing I wish you luck and Rtron I will see you in essence

> @Agent B52 - There were a couple issues with the character- though most of these issues are my personal preferences. I personally am not a particularly large fan of 'Amnesia' backstories. While not always the case, I feel as though they are usually used as an excuse not to write a backstory. The spirit reminds me a lot of the Crisis nanosuit- and could easily be abused due to the spirits we will likely be facing this game. I'm also not a particular fan of characters being 'masters' or 'experts' at anything- it implies they have nothing, or very little left to improve upon, which I feel is just poor for character development. I didn't necessarily find Sofia a bad character, she just fell a bit short compared to some of the others. I admit, I like over the top. When I started out I had one sentence at the top of the sheet: Magical Girl Samus Aran in a crysis nanosuit. Funnily enough the whole reason I chose the amnesia as a backstory because I know GM's like to use it as a plothook to make a characters life really difficult. Had the Church, whomever blew up the temple and possibly a third group just interested in powerful artifacts and spirits to come after her, possibly at the same time, I would have loved it. Sure, she got awesome powers, but what would be the price tag? What would she do with the responsibilities that come with it? While we're on the subject of troubles, what of her family and friends? Does anyone miss her at all? All that sort of good stuff. Essentially I recognised that in direct combat, Sofia was borderline too much, so I tried to compensate via other means. Sorry it didn't work out. Thank you for your time, I'll keep your advice in mind for any future roleplays I might get involved in.

@Themerlinhawk, sad to see you go, but good luck with your other 3 RPs! @Cast, The Guild is giving me difficulties posting up the OOC. Nevertheless, I plan on getting the OOC live and the IC started by this weekend!

> @Themerlinhawk, sad to see you go, but good luck with your other 3 RPs! > > @Cast, The Guild is giving me difficulties posting up the OOC. Nevertheless, I plan on getting the OOC live and the IC started by this weekend! @Themerlinhawk: see ya in Essence then and I'll be sure to get Olivia to interact with your pcs at some point in that. What type of trouble and if it's abnormal, you might want to bring it to Amaya's attention. Namely as you might not be the only one or he may be doing new coding for the site and it's affecting things.

@Cast: [OOC](http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/75291/posts/ooc#post-2324247) Here is the OOC. Uh, pardon the mess, I'm still fiddling with the Guild's new code system.. god fucking damn...