Is this still alive? I've got an app. Lavulman should be able to post his soon as well.
Paxton is a fairly tall man, standing at about 6'4 when he isn't slouched over and 6'2 when he is. The bad posture is often due to the weight of his overcoat, it's bulk hiding most of his thin and lanky form beneath it. His arms and fingers in particular are oddly long, not by much when properly compared to another person, but slightly disproportionate even for him. That's not to say he's bony however, as his body carries enough bulk to properly cover what muscle he has; giving him a soft but still somewhat lean look to his physique.
His facial structure is rather narrow, his abundance of facial hair helping balance this out similar to what his coat does for his thin body. Paxton's head is covered in hair in fact, the tangled, hazel brown locks cut at uneven intervals all around his skull. Most of the hair on his right side is longer, done up here and there in a few messy braids, while the hair on his left side tends to be shorter and in some places even patchy looking if you were to ruffle it around a bit. His hair flows seamlessly into sideburns to become his beard, the mass of scruffy fluff about a foot long after leaving his chin and appears to only be somewhat well kept. His mouth is still easily visible beneath the whiskers, but his lips are thin and well hidden should he keep his mouth shut.
Underneath his cloak of hair, Paxton's skin tone holds the slightest undertones of olive shading though these are faded given the paleness of his face. Dark circles often rest underneath his deep brown, almost black eyes which are accented by surprisingly sharp eyebrows and the beginnings of what look like crows feet wrinkles. Most of his forehead is hidden by a light curtain of hair, and finally at the center of his face is a long and blunt nose, the bridge well defined and leading noticeably all the way up towards his brow.
The Basics Name: Paxton Gerelade Age: 32 Gender: Male Species: Human. Does not identify as one.
On-Hand Daily clothing: A large, faded black overcoat is Paxton's primary attire, the thick cloth jacket covering his arms and reaching low enough to go down to his knees. Underneath this he normally wears a colourful undershirt, and a brown pair of suit pants that have certainly seen better days being somewhat tattered at the bottoms. His shoes are simple and black in colour, made from some sort of imitation leather and with soles that scuff easily. Finally, around his neck and hidden beneath his beard is a large, amulet like box latched shut and decorated with a Wicca pentagram. Weapon: -A wooden bo staff, the ends and center reinforced with iron and silver -A Davis P-32 handgun covered in scuffs Equipment: -His overcoat, fitted with enough pockets on the inside to carry most of his things -An extra round of bullets -An old, out of date codex on demon kind -Several pouches of chalk and salt -A pouch of silver dust -A pair of reading glasses -A wooden stake -His wallet, cell phone, keys, etc. Extra clothing: Different shirts, socks, underwear, and a few pairs of pants; all at his apartment
Elementals and Abilities Elementals: None Abilities: -Demon tongue: can speak and understand most non-human tongues. Unable to read written forms. -Summoner: has practice in both summoning and banishing spirits and demons, though this often requires plenty of set up. -Glamorous: Able to put weak glamours over objects and if given aid, living things.
Companions: Madonna (often shortened to 'Madi'), a lesser shadow imp that is glamoured to appear as an African Grey Parrot in public. Un-glamoured, Madi is a being made of solid shadow with a form akin to a tiny gargoyle. Due to the nature of shadow imps this shape can change dramatically, but it always reverts back to the same winged, stocky humanoid form.
Biography:
Gerelade: a family name that had been tied with demon hunters for generations. Never remembered but always prevailing, only a few Gerelades ever had their names mean anything through the long course of shrouded history that is demon hunting. Gerald Gerelade was not one of these remembered men, his deeds insignificant and isolated in the small mountain town of Jacksonville, Oregon. He never strived for greatness, and never sought any more of a fight than what few demons would find their way to his home town. His son however, he saw greatness in.
Despite his mother's wishes against it, starting from a young age Paxton began to learn about the hidden world his father had come from. The young boy showed interest, both in the art of fighting, and the creatures these methods were brought upon. As the years went by though, Paxton's views began to shift. Curious as he was, Paxton began to question rules and tradition, having been unclear on how things could be so black and white. He wanted to know why demons were hunted, and slaughtered, and erased from history. His father, unapproving of this line of thinking, had responded with a swift and cold, "Because they deserve no better."
Paxton never spoke against his father again, knowing it would only sprout more issues. He knew his father was wrong though; he saw it in the eyes of the first demon he ever slew. It knew regret. It knew pain. It knew to fear. These thoughts plagued Paxton's mind for many years, and as he grew older and better at his father's craft, he began to question if what he was doing was even right. Knowing his father would neglect any reason; Paxton took what he could and fled his home- deciding a life on the road would be better than festering in a pool of biased hate that was his father's ideals.
So Paxton roamed, his guide to the world a tattered and ancient book he'd stolen from his father. It spoke of dark things, rituals, twisted magic, and all the blood that would need to be shed on either side of the fight. To be human, a young Paxton scoffed, looking down at his own two hands and feeling a tinge of hatred for their form. It was on that day that Paxton changed his life forever; on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, the young man cut out his tongue and replaced it with a rune on the bottom of his pallet. Blood spattered the pages that detailed the ritual, promising clarity in exchange for the thing that kept his voice tied to his physical form. Gurgled cries drowned out the subtle symphony of the night, and in the morning Paxton marched to the next town covered in blood with his own mangled tongue clutched in his hand. Though painful, Paxton saw what he did as necessary should he continue on his current path. He wanted to learn more about demons, and monsters, and the things lurking just out of sight- so now he could speak to them directly, and pose them with any question he desired. All that was left now was to find a demon to talk to.
For years, the young man wandered on his own; hardly an adult in a world he only knew so much about. That's not to say he wasn't safe however, and his father's training proved useful against both man and demon alike. But the demons were what Paxton sought on his journey; he was drawn to their presence like a small child is drawn to the lions at a zoo. Paxton knew these creatures could end him but they were too fascinating to ignore, and so he spent his years pursuing them in hopes of learning more.
Paxton grew older, his form hardened by his life on the road, and day by day he continued to dig for answers and knowledge on demon kind besides ways to kill them. Tracking down cults had become a hobby of his, and through them he learned rituals and prayers meant to find aid in the monsters that lurked beyond this worldly realm. From these people he learned how to harness the power to twist the mind's eye, and hide things from those who didn't care to look. They nurtured Paxton's ideas, each clan he visited often more than accomidating of new members, trusting they weren't looking for a lamb to lead to slaughter. It was this way that Paxton corrupted his art into something he saw as more openminded than simple demon hunting. Paxton became an ally to these beings, working to learn from them as he grew in strength and experience.
Recently he has grown tired of the vagabond's lifestyle, and after learning of the rumors regarding Chicago's current state Paxton left for the city and set out to make a place for himself. Considering the suicide rates having skyrocketed, there were more places to live than one could expect in such a large city. That's not to say his shitty apartment was cheap though, as some dishonest funds had to be raised to afford a place even in the sketchier parts of the city. Sketchy suited Paxton's needs however, as nobody ever cares much for one or two more missing peoples.
Is this still alive? I've got an app. Lavulman should be able to post his soon as well.
"Soon" is five days, right? It isn't? Anyways, here it is. Tell me if I missed anything, it's been a busy week.
Akira is a mostly humanoid demon, standing slightly over 6’3, her height accentuated by her fine posture. Her skin is the same rough black as a piece of charcoal, and her eyes glow a fiery red similar to molten lava. Her surprisingly soft and well-rounded facial features clash with her unnaturally sharp teeth, which tend to shine whenever she smiles. A plume of hair the same shade of red as her eyes runs from her head to the small of her back, which is surrounded by a pair of large black wings that fold almost perfectly into her back when not in use. A long, spaded tail protrudes from below her waist, usually resting alongside her well-defined legs. Her fingers are normally clawed, but she tries to keep them filed down when she can.
Glamoured, her skin turns from black to olive. Her eyes become a much more mundane shade of brown, and her plume of fiery red-orange hair is replaced by a head of black hair of equal length, which she tends to let fall behind her naturally. Her claws are replaced by short fingernails, and her tail and wings are completely hidden, though she generally hides them under her clothes anyways. Though she passes for a human and channels a decent portion of her energy into enhancing the glamour to cover senses other than sight, her disguise is ultimately cosmetic, and she can only manage to fool five of the six senses.
The Basics Name: Akira Hazetaka (true name untranscribable to human writing) Age: 548 Gender: Female Species: Demon
On-Hand Daily clothing:
A black textile motorcycle jacket, worn over a red T-shirt reading “Devils Never Cry” layered over a black, long-sleeved T-shirt.
Typical jeans held by an unremarkable black belt.
Black leather boots worn over a long pair of socks.
Weapon: A curious weapon made of congealed hellfire. It normally resides in Hell, though she can summon it as either a longsword or a trident whenever she pleases. Equipment: Her jacket, fitted with a surprising amount of pockets of varying sizes. Extra clothing: One extra grey long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans. The set of armor she left Hell in
Elementals and Abilities Elementals: Fire Abilities: Normally, Akira has the ability to both control the movement of air and ignite it as needed, but with a portion of her power dedicated to reinforcing her glamour, she can only create and control wind on its own. She can similarly use this control over heat to give lift to her normally insufficient wings, again, provided she isn’t glamoured. In either state, she possesses speed and endurance far beyond human limits, as well as a complete resistance to high temperatures.
Companions Paxton “Pax” Gerelade
Biography
Akira was born out of the many, many conflicts of the 15th century. Perhaps “born” would be a misleading term, though. She had no true parents, family, or childhood to guide and distinguish her growth. She simply appeared in Hell one day as normal as any other, and those stronger and smarter than her decided her task based on her own strengths. Due to her ability to traverse any plane of Hell astoundingly quickly, she was almost exclusively tasked with carrying and delivering all manner of things; resources she wasn’t allowed to use, information that she wasn’t allowed to know, in addition to any other odd jobs that could be assigned. Essentially, a glorified imp. Not that she really minded; travelling around as much as she did kept her mind off of the more depressing aspects of her situation.
But it turned out that Hell just gets boring after a few centuries. To her, at least. She was smart enough to know that she was too weak to climb any higher up the hierarchy. And as human technology and culture advanced, word of it began to trickle down from those lucky enough to leave to see it. She sought out this information wherever and however she could, the subject of humanity interesting her now more than ever. She wondered what it would be like to see it for herself, decade after decade, until one day, she encountered something she’d never seen before in any of her travels: A glowing circle on the ground, adorned with figures she didn’t quite understand. A voice spoke to her from it, in a language that she did understand. It asked her a few questions about her home and her kind, which she answered tentatively. After a while, she was asked if she wanted to leave. She hesitated, wondering if she had anything left to lose. Shrugging, she threw aside whatever cargo she was carrying at the time and nodded, and was whisked away to another world.
Though she actually wasn’t quite sure what she would do with her life in the human world, the man who pulled her into it, Paxton Gerelade, insisted that she stay and tell him more about demons and Hell. She agreed, partially because she felt indebted to him a chance at life “up above”, and partially because she was interested in learning more about the art of fighting known as demon hunting. Despite Paxton’s glamour allowing him to pass for a human for the most part, she has much more trouble getting a job, and has delegated herself to both keeping the apartment in clean and working order alongside being Paxton’s partner in crime.
Sorry for the double post, but Mew is bowing out sadly. Unless y'all do a better job of enticing her to stay than I did. We're working on a post remove Liz from the SL but the rest of y'all are free to continue your arcs. I'll plug Dmitri back in with the planned arc for that evening.
I'm sorry to be quitting, guys. I'm having a lot of internal conflict that's causing me to not be up to much roleplaying lately. I've had to quit three roleplays and, trust me, I'm not happy about it. I'm going to stay subscribed to the thread to see how you all progress, if you decide to, though. Thank you for roleplaying with me while it lasted.