Reasonable, Minions, Mana Font, Retrieval, Transportation | Insomnia, Quick Tempered, Health Sapping, Fearsome Reputation
STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 04 | LCK: 03
STR: 3 | AGI: 3 | VIT: 6 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 9
Coins: None
Kiyome
Age: 16 | Gender: Female | Time, Space Underdeveloped | Focused Assault, Regeneration | Horror (Thos) Precognition, Monstrous Metamorphosis, Big Damn Hero, Enhanced Weapon, Immortality
Reasonable, Marked, Mana Font, Minions, Retrieval, Magical Overload | Insomnia, Quick Tempered, Health Sapping, Fearsome Reputation, Monstrous Form Thick Skin, Second Specialization (Oddball: Space)| Hoarder, Broken Reincarnation
STR: 3 | AGI: 2 | VIT: 3 | MAG: 4 | LCK: 3
STR: 6 | AGI: 2 | VIT: 16 | MAG: 12 | LCK: 6
Coins: None
Thundering explosions and the cracking of bullets but through the formerly peaceful and calm air, and even some distance from Bolorton itself the sounds of what was undoubtedly a battle of larger scale were very much audible. Indeed, before the draconic swordswoman had any clue, her compatriot had begun to pick up on things before she could. A curiosity from the so-called "Cosmic Gypsy" had ultimately turned into more than this as the duo had gotten close, the rising smoke and so forth striking up a notable sense of alarm. Curiosity thus became concern, and as the duo made their approach the haste in which they made their approach had become even greater.
Still...
"Lady Eliana!"
The swordswoman's hand shot out as they ran through the open field, grabbing the wrist of her compatriot before she could run any closer. As the other girl's head shot back to look at her, the swordswoman's eyes could not help but glance up at the rising plumes of smoke before looking back down at Eliana's eyes once more. She could see the danger, see it all too clearly, and yet her charge did not seem to care nor hesitate regardless. Even those deep green eyes reflected her compatriot's feelings without any sort of hesitation nor remorse.
She had to at least try, for Thos' sake!
"Mi'lady, we cannot simply charge into this situation! I understand your concern, but if we barge into some uninvolved situation on this scale I worry for your safety. Stirring up any local magical forces would be inadvisable at best, especially since we've yet to reach our destination as Lord Thos commanded."
The other girl returned her words with a silent pout.
"We can't simply leave the people in that village to die! We simply can't! Even if we can only save a few lives...you know how I feel about these things, Kiyome.
Even if we must take a neutral stance, the innocent...we can't just leave them..."
The pleasing in those eyes. The big, soft, bubbly heart no even hiding its presence on her sleeve. That childish pout even. The swordswoman's grip tightened on Eliana's wrist, but at the same time she found herself gritting her own teeth. Again. Again and again and again, and just like that person never a willingness to...no. She came by it honest. So very honest. It was nostalgic in a sense, even now.
It reminded her...
...Crap. Screw it. She'd have to transform, bind her up, and carry her on her back to make it work out like she felt was best, and that would only make things worse.
Kiyome's grip lightened on the other girl's wrist, before letting out a small but defeated sigh. Eliana, on the other hand, simply beamed back victoriously in return before grabbing the swordswoman's own wrist in return and immediately dragging the disguised monster girl off n thhe direction of Bolorton.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit a miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinute, I wasn't finiiiiiiiiiiiiished yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!"
The protest was of no use.
"Come on! Let's see what we can do! We can talk once we get there!"
Toxic spores, nightmarish creatures and suffering cries, fire, it was nothing short of insanity. Soldiers being cut down left and right, magical girls and monsters scrambling to do anything, and yet the duo had their particular way to go about things. Not that one of them liked it, but the alternative was much worse. So it had been a compromise.
A notable compromise that kept the mistress happy enough at least.
Penny and Mayra both saw as three tanks, escorted by two dozen soldiers, rolled over the distant hill, their cannons targeted at them. Even with their speed, it would take two rounds to reach the tanks.
For a certain swordswoman, that distant hill was not so distant anymore. In fact, she'd transformed and set her sights on the first target to ambush.
In a heartbeat a draconic swordswoman appeared out of seemingly thin air, standing atop the body of the tank next to the turret, a Focused strike from her blade launched at blinding speed as space and time warped themselves. The superbly long sword cleft through at an angle, slicing the barrel and down into the tank itself. A cry of surprise, the 'thunk' of at least one or two somethings inside of the tank, and the gurgling of blood alongside shouting from inside came soon after...as well as most of the tank's barrel landing on its front with a loud THUD at that. A deadly blow indeed, dealing damage to the turret leaving it unable to turn and cutting deep into the cramped tank and striking likely most of the crew inside in the process.
However...
"Hmpf. You see something you like?
You really are fools to get on the striking end of my blade. But let's make this entertaining, shall we?"
...the element of surprise was gone, so she'd have to work for the next attack like that. A punishing, draining blow that for her vast mana pool was generally acceptable.
"The hell-?!"
"Hostile on top of us, open fire!"
Soldiers around the affected tank turned and tried to open fire on her, but in a heartbeat their target disappeared once more. Even so, the cooled air and and dread originating from the Mark of Thos the swordswoman permeated the air, sending a sudden chill down the spines of the shocked soldiers.
"Use extreme caution, hostile is capa- jlghajdlgajkdg!"
'SHUNK'
A thrust of that sword this time that went through the speaking man's chest and right through the chest of the guy next to him, blood rushing up into his throat and out of his mouth, before the blade was swung and the bodies of the two were cleft through like a hot knife through butter. Rifle fire would turn toward the swordswoman once more, all as she grabbed the severed upper torso of one soldier and used it as a shield to rush two of the soldiers now firing directly on her.
She had to admit, though, it was not going to be a boring day. And with her mistress in a safer spot than this...heh. She could go ham without as much worry. Not that the worry would ever go away. It was enough to very briefly bring a smile to her face for a moment.
"Well...looks like this won't be a total waste of my precious time after all!"
If she got close enough she'd toss the torso at them as a distraction and then use her spec to teleport behind them to try to cleave them both in two with a mighty horizontal strike. Depending on how things went, of course.
Eliana herself would ultimately sneak as best she could and head to the western row, trying to evacuate out anyone she could find. Or at least get them out and in a safe spot for the moment being. She'd promised her ally that much, to try to stay off of the front lines as best as she could. She had no idea if or what anyone else was doing around the village, or if more soldiers and such would pop around the corner, but she was doing her best regardless to get people and keep them safe in case anyone came storming in. Her sensory skills made it a simpler task than most as well...but at the same time the nature of those she was trying to help was eerily consistent. Magically so.
"What is going on here?" she softly said to herself, lips pursing in concern as she left a house with one unconscious child in her arms, "Magically asleep...? Could it be-?"
((OOC: Basically here's room for Lily to run into her, or someone else helping in that area, etc.
Couldn't think of much than a starter here to try to get help Eliana involved. Apologies.))
“Well, seems like you and Lissa here had the same thought. We were just about to come visit ya.”
"Y-Yes!"
As much as she was glad the other two had been about to look for her in turn, she just hoped things would go well over some hot food and trying to talk out a potential plan. At least with Lissa, if not the dwarven woman depending on what could be managed. In that vein the Mothraki was generally silent as she led the other two back to her abode, taking the same route she had with Sorcha and Leuca before the familiar door and walls and such were once again in sight.
Yet upon entering, and grabbing a little clean top-layer snow along the way, it seemed Sorcha was already standing guard over the spare room when they got back. Nylah felt a light burning in her cheeks, the embarrassment of her actions prior to heading out to look for the dwarf woman and Lissa still fresh enough in her mind that she was almost afraid to say any more. She was visibly a bit more nervous then, at least, but seemed to be trying to keep her cool. Or at least push back on the feeling of impending doom Sorcha's deadly stare and curt manner felt like they communicated. Blargh.
But perhaps the child was able to try to get some rest, at least. That and a hot meal were good to have, especially in cold weather like this.
Still, after entering the house with the other two the Mothraki put the clean snow in the pot and began to grab some supplies to try to make up a simple soup or stew using what supplies she could quickly get from the storeroom. Yet as she was trying to get the main room fire and such going to get things ready-
“Busy day, huh. So, you wanted to speak earlier? It’s not about Mie and the little trip I want to take, is it?”
-...Nylah briefly paused at the question, almost like a deer in the headlights, but ultimately looked over to Lissa and gave a small nod of acknowledgement all the same. It did take a small bit of pressure off of her shoulders, at least, to get that much out in the open. Not that she'd had a chance to state the intention.
"Yes, actually.... I was having a similar if not same idea of my own, Lissa, and wished to speak with you about it. Preferably whilst trying to make everyone something hot to eat, where we have some space and can be a little more at east than standing in the temple or the cold otherwise."
A look of realization dawned on her eyes. She'd forgotten to invite them to sit down and rest as she got food ready! Drat.
"A-Ah! Do come into the main room and make yourselves comfortable, to that end, in the meantime! There should be some space to set down your things, if you wish, as well. And let me pull some chairs over as well so you can warm up as the food cooks! S-S-Sorry!"
After getting the fire started, as well as the clean snow and simple preserved or salted other ingredients and herbs in the pot, Nylah would hurry over somewhat quickly, pulling three chairs over so Lissa and Eirhild could sit down proper. She wasn't sure if Sorcha would want to, so the third chair would be hers if no one else used it. She then walked back to the fire pit itself, putting the lid on to try to get things boiling as she fretted about almost like some kind of housewife trying to best care for her guests. Albeit with one of them having a very potent death glare she could make use of, to say the least..
Then, once her two newest guests would hopefully get comfortable and sit down, Nylah would try to collect herself once more and speak again as she stood over the fire and cared for the pot of food she was trying to prepare. Albeit her starting with a small sigh was perhaps not the most confident, or unique, thing to do. But all the same it was a habit, perhaps, and it was maybe a habit of hers in particular? Something of the sort.
"So...we've no real idea of the situation between Mie's Caravan as well as the Yaga and Krysa acting so out of sorts. It could be they were hit badly by the passing of the Elder Beast through our area. Likewise, all that Haruno knows is what she's been through or told, and it seems Mie's situation might be very dire indeed.
Originally I though that we could perhaps help Mie, and....shamefully....that b-by helping her in particular give us some leverage for trade until we can get better resources or goods to trade with her and she and her people are able to recover. But more than that something else came to mind.
Something feels...off to me. About all of this. And I cannot put a finger on it. It has me suspicious at best of what's really happening, of the greater situation as a whole and how things got so bad. Perhaps I am thinking too hard on these things, but I wished to see what you think on the matter and your ideas for some kind of plan."
The Mothraki's eyes looked back up at Lissa and Eirhild here and there as she did her work over the food and fire, nervousness in her tone eventually giving way to a renewed sense of focus as she finally spoke her thoughts on things without holding them back. Her lips would purse some as she spoke as well, even if briefly, before giving way to the same more focused look in the end respectively. A bit of a shift, but somewhat similar and definitely reminiscent of how she'd been when focused on providing initial care for and then protecting her patient from the wolves a few nights ago in the forest perhaps?
((A gigantic plushie dolphin is dropped on the tiny moon goddess. It is gigantic, but very soft and plushy.))
-Herbs/Herbalism Knowledge:
***Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.
***Making anesthetics and preparing healing potions and salves.
It’d be easy enough to prepare both of those things especially with the things she had on hand. Fresh water for a base, crush the ingredients, then boil it to a broth. Simple enough, they didn’t have time to refine it. The Salves could be made by taking the same ingredients and crushing them into a paste without the water. Better for topical use on flesh wounds.
***
***
-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.
-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one’s path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.
-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.
-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time. (EDIT: Has refilled her supplies, with three total healing pots remaining now. Also now has four vials of baby-chameleon-thing poison.)
-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.
-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.
-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.
-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.
Specialization: Cosmic - A magic related to the planets, stars, space, and universe in general. A mostly offensive spec with supporting capabilities of some sort. Attacks take the form of things such as (but not limited to): Meteor-shower like AoE spells, guided (for some more sustained mana) or unguided attacks, comet-like icy projectile spells, ‘magic missile’ style projectile attacks that look like stars, dark energy-based spells and attacks, attacks and spells based on planets, and conjuring solar winds to try to sear away at enemies (pretty limited sun stuff compared to a Sun spec proper). Secondarily possesses the use of astrological and divination magics, including luck/probability altering magic, and guidance-related magical spells used to find things/places/etc and even guide one’s or allies’ attacks or redirect enemy attacks by channeling some more sustained mana on the caster’s end.
Out of Costume: Cosmic-spec girls retain a certain sense of cosmic mystical-ness about them (AKA: +1 MAG is retained out of costume), and can easily locate and recognize constellations in the/a starry sky.
Weapon: A floating orb of inky darkness, filled with what looks like galactic clouds and glittering, twinkling stars fixed in its artificial firmament. It passively follows her around, acting as a catalyst for her magic, a means for her patron to rapidly communicate with her, and being able to fire a magical blast as an attack of sorts.
Power: Third Eye.
Perks:
***Disguise Artifact - Often lent to her Ally, or used personally if she is sneaking about or doing something in secret or needs to hide otherwise.
***Enhanced Weapon - Her weapon is a notably more efficient catalyst, as well as now firing off a magical blast of standard/average magical potency blast rather than a weak one.
***Interdimensional Tourist - A most inauspicious fate indeed, for someone to get pulled into the world of magic…or so at least were the thoughts of the interdimensional traveler who by chance was passing by on the way to a job as she made a contract with her patron. Glorg’bah, the traveler in question, felt bad enough for the new magical girl that she (and eventually her compatriot as an extension) were allowed to crash at her place at will. No more guests than that though! Sheesh. Job to job only pays so much, even for an interdimensional traveler.
***Absolute Direction
***Ally - A spatial swordswoman and greedy dragon whose aim is to serve her, and the two have traveled together for some time. They met amidst a battle and the latter swore her service to her after she had saved her life. Strange and oddly dedicated, but a welcome ally by her side all the same. (This is Dragon Monster Girl who is my second character, who herself is just simply counted as this Ally.)
***Awareness - Rounding out her great sense of direction and potent Third Eye power, her senses are likewise even more keen. It is hard to hide things from her indeed…
***Watcher - Thos has taken a special interest in her, ranging from bringing her into contact with her current compatriot to providing transportation to ever, in this perk’s case, ensuring she is watched over carefully. Is her bloodline truly seen as that valuable in its eyes?
Patron: Thos
Patron Benefits:
***Reasonable - Thos does not seek the destruction of all. Quite the opposite, actually, as infinite growth is seemingly its goal. At least within the realm of what mortals can actually glean from their interactions with it. This does not mean destruction and such cannot or does not occur from its actions, as humans are so tiny compared to something on its own scale (like a human vs an ant), but it isn’t utterly unreasonable either.
***Minions - Fragments shed from that which has no end, used as servitors and existing simply as a byproduct of Thos’ existence. Disposable minions that take on various shapes and sizes and so forth, their standout traits of being regenerating in nature but still only as stronger than humans and inferior/weak compared to magical girls/boys.
***Mana Font - She has much more mana than normal, given access to the vast stores of magical energy from her patron to a certain extent. It doesn’t mean she can’t run out, of course, but it does support her potent MAG stat and solid personal mana reserves.
***Retrieval - The patron will take her back in if she is in a dire enough condition, and she will be returned when healed up and able once more.
***Transportation - In her case, her contract with Thos has led her to be given various forms of transport to be able to get her to battlefields and elsewhere she needs to be. She is allowed to use these at her discretion, and as such she usually takes her compatriot along with her using these.
Patron Drawbacks:
***Insomnia - A result of information from a being one cannot grasp leaking over into the minds of those serving it, a source of nightmares and confusing warped dreams that whispers in one’s mind. During active hours it can generally be ignored by this point as ‘background noise’ in favor of active things going on, yet at night it is far worse. Sleep is never easy, and even if she gets sleep it usually is not restful.
Uses sleep medication provided on the side to help this slightly. But in truth there is no escape from it. It is an inevitable bleed-over effect of contracting with Thos.
***Fearsome Reputation - The name of Thos is widely known, if not just as much so as that horror from which it originated and against which it has been set to eternally battle in an endless stalemate. Of course this means its more Reasonable side is also just as well-known.
***Health Sapping - For this power she was granted, her health took a bit of a toll. She came out better-off than her compatriot did for sure, though she didn’t request the kind of power that comes with becoming a monster girl either.
***Quick Tempered - Thos is generally a cool and calm patron most of the time, but when Soth or Soth’s ilk roll around its temper is bound to more easily go off indeed. It is in this time the anger of Thos is much more present, most poignant and palpable, and even if aimed at the situation and not its own servants it will be felt anyway by anyone close enough to hear or witness said anger. Ouch.
Fighting Style: With her very high MAG stat, combined with her Mana Font benefit, she has a rather large mana pool and uses this to spam out offensive and other spells during the course of a battle. High-firepower big-brained spell-flinging is the name of the game when it comes to her fighting style in battle, usually supported by her ally and/or summoned fodder Minions to assist her (depending on the situation).
Likewise her augmented senses are, collectively, something of great note as well in a battle. Awareness, Third Eye, Absolute Direction, and divination or guidance related spells from her spec make her hard to sneak up on, and with her able to toss spells with great destructive power from a distance she can wheel about and fire on those who might think themselves sneaky enough to get behind her.
In this overall manner she is a glass cannon of sorts, relying on raw magic and chaff minions and collectively enhanced senses to handle things. Despite the rather straightforward nature of her fighting style, though, one cannot deny the notable dangers of facing such a hard-hitting magic spammer…
Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 4
MAG: 4
LCK: 3
Stats (Transformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 6
MAG: 20
LCK: 9
20,12,18,14,14,15,8,3,1,10,14
Reason: Bloodline (choose spec)
1 (0 currently) gold, 3 (0) silver, 4 (0) bronze
Age: 16
Average (+1 AGI or VIT)
(choose) Oddball (Cosmic) (+2 MAG, +1 LCK) ((A magic related to the planets, stars, space, and universe in general. A mostly offensive spec with supporting capabilities of some sort. Attacks take the form of things such as (but not limited to): Meteor-shower like AoE spells, guided (for some more sustained mana) or unguided attacks, comet-like icy projectile spells, ‘magic missile’ style projectile attacks that look like stars, dark energy-based spells and attacks, attacks and spells based on planets, and conjuring solar winds to try to sear away at enemies (pretty limited sun stuff compared to a Sun spec proper). Secondarily possesses the use of astrological and divination magics, including luck/probability altering magic, and guidance-related magical spells used to find things/places/etc and even guide one’s or allies’ attacks or redirect enemy attacks by channeling some more sustained mana on the caster’s end.
Out of Costume: Cosmic-spec girls retain a certain sense of cosmic mystical-ness about them (AKA: +1 MAG is retained out of costume), and can easily locate and recognize constellations in the/a starry sky.))
Mystic (+1 MAG)
Elaborate (+1 MAG)
Third Eye
Disguise Artifact (+1 VIT)
Enhanced Weapon (+1 MAG)
Interdimensional Tourist (+1 LCK)
Absolute Direction (+1 LCK)
+1 Any, Ally (+1 MAG) (The Dragon-themed Monster Girl second character is considered this for simplicity’s sake.)
Personality: A kind and sincere sort of person at her very core as a magical girl, the kind of person who would see a kitten stuck in a tree and try to climb and try to get it without thinking after seeing the crying little girl who needed help getting it down. The kind of person to pick up trash in the park, or try to talk things out, and believes in working toward the best even if it hurts herself to do so. A person who passionately enjoys cooking as a hobby, though even before she became a magical girl it was seen as ‘professional-level’ by others about her for good reason indeed. A heroine who seeks to do her best no matter what happens, and seeks to be there for those she cares about. In short, someone very peculiar to have working for a Horror of all things, especially in a place such as Penrose beyond this. Though given her horror’s seeming desires, and what it is opposed to, it's at least not impossible to think there’s some reason out there that they are in agreement with each other.
Even so, there is more to her than the happy, friendly, kind heart that she seeks to be to the best of her ability. She can be rather stubborn at times in her decisions, taking either her patron, companion, or another close person to dissuade her away from this in certain cases where she’s stuck her mind to something and intends to do it. Likewise, whilst she has passion and the desire to talk things out with others if she thinks it is possible….the monsters and such she fights do not get such luxury. Those who harm people, who breed conflict and misery and woe, those shall find her cosmic wrath unleashed upon them without hesitation and with all soberness Indeed she can be decisive, even if it sometimes takes a moment, but once she’s put her mind to something that old stubbornness and her rather admirable hard work ethic kick in without a doubt. So too is her wrath great in its fury and passion, if it is prodded and provoked and pulled out kicking and screaming in most cases that is, and even her compatriot is made to take a serious and perhaps frightened pause when it emerges.
History: A child who was gifted in cooking, but sought it only as a hobby despite attempts by family to push it into a lifelong career. Professional classes, featuring on a kids cooking show on TV three times over, and even being gifted cook books and instructional videos, her talent and skill and passion for the art made her incredible but her true desire was to work in something else: Helping people. As much as her childhood was rife with rough and tumble moments, and the struggle was real for her and her family before things got better, she didn’t want to forget that. Rather, she’d seen and experienced and been rocked to the core by such things to the point she couldn’t forget either. Whilst her wishes were seen as good and part of her ‘admirable nature’, they were not frankly respected by those about her as they sought to push her to heights to rise as far from ‘those days’ as could ever be rendered possible. Indeed, her home life became more and more conflicted over the years due to this. To say the least, it caused a rift in things that only ever grew.
Upon reaching the age of eighteen, she cut herself off as an adult and left to go to college by working her way through. Social work was the aim of her degree, she worked at a local soup kitchen in the city her college was in, and she further worked myriad hours at a local campus eatery that rose from a ‘nearly unknown local eatery’ to ‘notably famous diner across the state and somewhat beyond’ during her employment there in its kitchen. All part of her work to simply help make end’s meet and get that degree she was both fighting for and studying hard to acquire. It was at this time she was approached by a certain horror, one who made contact with her. Her bloodline was one that had unique talents, talents that were of interest to the horror who saw them as rare and valuable.
It would be a chance to help people. To save them. To work hard, for as long as possible, without the frailties of old age and the issues of finances eating away at her. It also meant giving a lot up, and dealing with the effects of what she was to become. A lot could go right. A lot could go wrong.
Ultimately, however, she accepted the deal.
Incantation: “By the guidance of the stars, I shall smite all evil!”
Additional Info:
***Can tolerate, and enjoys, incredibly spicy food. Among a myriad of other things. Not a picky eater.
***Greatly dislikes, but won't kill on sight, seagulls. Claims it due to some family beach trips when she was younger and not a magical girl. Still likes the beach though.
***If you ask her to cook food for you, and she agrees, be prepared for a veritable if not literal feast coming your way. She doesn't skimp on the food...nor does she gain weight funny enough. Then again her horror is known to absorb such stuff. Eww. Just eww.
Reasonable, Minions, Mana Font, Retrieval, Transportation | Insomnia, Quick Tempered, Health Sapping, Fearsome Reputation
STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 04 | LCK: 03
STR: 3 | AGI: 3 | VIT: 6 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 9
Coins: None
Kiyome
Name: Kiyome
Age (Magical Girl): 16
Age (Before Magical Girl): 39
Gender: Female
Gender (Before Magical Girl): Male
Appearance: A monster girl whose body is thin and her health generally of the sickly sort, coughing and seeming to be in pain (among other things) often. This despite her ability to throw up a mask. Likewise, to the eyes of others she seems to be relatively or generally frail or delicate in nature. This is all notably even more pronounced in her Disguise state, reflecting what would have been her Untransformed state had she not gone for the power of becoming a monster girl.
1 ) Time (Out of Costume: Always aware what time it is and how much time has passed. Also aware of gravitic distortions, as they distort time.)
2 ) Space (Out of Costume: “Internal Compass” - One with this spec gains an internal compass effect, so they always know where the cardinal directions are.)
Weapon: An elongated eight-foot-long odachi/nodachi she can wield with one or two hands comfortably, having used it as a “Washing Pole” to dry clothes or such things a few times when on the road. Despite this, it is an invincible magical girl weapon that can impale and even better so cut targets before it to ribbons. Combined with her fighting style, it gives her solid reach. Is not so good in overly close quarters due to its length though.
Power:
1 ) Focused Assault
2 ) Regeneration
Perks:
***Precognition - She possesses a mild sense of clairvoyance, though without Scrying nor a Mystic Artifact it is mostly just limited to being a passive clairvoyant ‘sixth sense’ applicable in and out of battle (is how I flavored it at least). The sort of clairvoyant sense that gives insight into things like an opponent or target’s next move, or being able to detect if something is going to happen to herself out of left field like a surprise attack or ambush or so forth. In this sense, it is really just a personally-applied perk for the most part due to how mild and weak it is. Cannot be applied to allies or others in general, and it doesn’t mean she can dodge everything either. Maybe brace herself to soak a blow she can’t avoid?
With enough focus, meaning outside of battle only of course, she can actually use this precognition of hers to have a limited vision of the future, which can be targeted at herself, a target, a goal, or someone like her mistress. (This would be used by asking the GMs for the contents of said vision basically, to keep things balanced.)
***Monstrous Metamorphosis - When it kicks in, her draconic features heighten and warp and twist. Her teeth become sharpened like the predatory teeth and fangs of a dragon, her eyes become entirely black with slitted golden pupils, scales grow much more all over her skin save for the face,
***Big Damn Hero - (A skill with obvious CYOA-described uses, there is some chance for her Precognition to detect right before a token will go off {albeit not a 100 percent chance either, and left to the GMs’ discretions} to give her somewhat better leeway to get there in the nick of time on-time!)
***Enhanced Weapon - Her sword has a very fine cutting edge, its quality noticeably high in general.
***Immortality - (Using some edits and other text ripped from Penny’s description of it to try to stay consistent with this perk’s description and use. Not top copy it 1-1 though, as Penny’s situation is also different to hers) For whatever reason, whether it is her potent regeneration, her stubborn sense of duty to serve her mistress, raw will, or some other unexplained aspect of her being, Kiyome is very hard to kill indeed. She is capable of continuing to function and frankly fight well past the point where others would have fallen, and just keeps standing back up beyond the point that she should be able to.
Whilst not having things to the same extent of this perk as applied to a certain “Queen” in Penrose, because she is still composed of flesh and bone, she is definitely up there in raw toughness and resilience when combining this with her Regeneration power.
Patron: Thos
Patron Benefits:
***Reasonable - Thos does not seek the destruction of all. Quite the opposite, actually, as infinite growth is seemingly its goal. At least within the realm of what mortals can actually glean from their interactions with it. This does not mean destruction and such cannot or does not occur from its actions, as humans are so tiny compared to something on its own scale (like a human vs an ant), but it isn’t utterly unreasonable either.
***Marked - Thos’ mark burns on her skin, sitting just below her collarbone and above her chest in the center. A sigil that remains hidden under her clothes, but which blurs and never looks quite clear when others look upon it. A mark of her service and a mark in particular of her gift of power to become a monster girl. Monsters can sense it clearly, however, and lesser monsters as even other horror minions inherently fear her due to it. Even if this spot on her body is cut up or off, the mark lingers as part of her being as more than just as physical marking. It is part of her.
***Mana Font - She has much more mana than normal, given access to the vast stores of magical energy from her patron to a certain extent. It doesn’t mean she can’t run out, but what she has is far more than the normal with this added on top of her VIT and MAG stats.
***Minions - Fragments shed from that which has no end, used as servitors and existing simply as a byproduct of Thos’ existence. Disposable minions that take on various shapes and sizes and so forth, their standout traits of being regenerating in nature but still only as stronger than humans and inferior/weak compared to magical girls/boys.
***Retrieval - The patron will take her back in if she is in a dire enough condition, and she will be returned when healed up and able once more.
***Magical Overload - She desired power, greater power, and for this was given boon when she became a magical girl. She is a monster girl due to this, though it came at the cost of her health (Underdeveloped and Health Sapping taken into account as this) in return for that power. A price she will always have to live with, but not looked back from since.
Patron Drawbacks:
***Insomnia - A result of information from a being one cannot grasp leaking over into the minds of those serving it, a source of nightmares and confusing warped dreams that whispers in one’s mind. During active hours it can generally be ignored by this point as ‘background noise’ in favor of active things going on, yet at night it is far worse. Sleep is never easy, and even if she gets sleep it usually is not restful.
Uses sleep medication on the side to help this slightly. But in truth there is no escape from it. It is an inevitable bleed-over effect of contracting with Thos.
***Fearsome Reputation - The name of Thos is widely known, if not just as much so as that horror from which it originated and against which it has been set to eternally battle in an endless stalemate. Of course this means its more Reasonable side is also just as well-known.
***Health Sapping - For this power she was granted, her health took a toll. Sickly and thin and frail-looking even as a magical girl, her disguise form likewise reflects the true ill nature of her soul in the flesh. Be careful what you wish for.
***Quick Tempered - Thos is generally a cool and calm patron most of the time, but when Soth or Soth’s ilk roll around its temper is bound to more easily go off indeed. It is in this time the anger of Thos is much more present, most poignant and palpable, and even if aimed at the situation and not its own servants it will be felt anyway by anyone close enough to hear or frankly witness said anger. Ouch.
***Monstrous Form - (See “Magical Overload”. I felt the text works well for both of these. XD)
Fighting Style:
Her fighting style relies on spamming her time/space specializations to compensate fully for her pathetic AGI stat, darting in and out like a teleporting blur and striking foes with the long reach of her weapon. Sometimes even deals multiple hits by using her specs to unleash a flurry of blows in the span of one attack. In this vein she is great at cutting down swaths of lesser enemies whilst embodying the concept of ‘death by a thousand cuts’ as she chips apart larger foes. Focused Assault is employed to hit foes she uses it on with far more punishing and mighty blows than her STR would lead anyone to believe, making prodigious use of her powerful and high overall mana reserves to hit like a top-speed bullet train and such when she wants to. This is ultimately only surprising to those who don’t know her well enough, and those who otherwise underestimate her consciously or unconsciously so.
She likewise acts as a tank, soaking up damage using her higher VIT and overall potent survival/regeneration capabilities and taking blows. Her patron’s minions might potentially be summoned in battle if she needs chaff fodder for something at best.
Overall it is a powerful fighting style in its own ways, compensating for general weaknesses with strength, but like any other fighting style it is not perfect and has its inherent weaknesses. Among these, to make a note, is the fact that her movement speed without the use of spec magic is slower than the average human due to her sickly nature.
As for ‘signature moves’, she has two that are based on the exertion of her two specs in combination with Focused Assault:
***Three Branches - Three attacks, three slashes, performed against the target whilst channeling the focused mana to warp time and space so all three attacks occur simultaneously. The attacks are placed at three different angles about the target, aiming to try to prevent escape. A technique that originated from a supernatural swordswoman in Japan, who developed and practiced with it by slaying swallows mid-flight before eventually dying to the cheap tricks of a rival of his (and becoming considered as nothing but a legend by the mundane world at that).
A moderately taxing move that can be used several times, though it is usually reserved for tough, strong, or frankly fast/dodgy enough opponents to try to get a guaranteed hit and powerful blows in on them when they are within striking distance of her long blade. Not something to be spammed every battle all the time, by any means or stretch of the imagination, but a serious move to use when needed or seemingly necessary.
***Nine Petals - The blooming flower of battle, the peak of her fighting style. A Focused Assault move which pushes her mana and spec magics and Focused Assault power to their furthest within her capabilities. It is a move that isn’t a single-blow Killing Blow, but instead takes all her power and mana and channels it into nine blows aimed at nine separate lethal locations on the target’s body. Nine attacks. Nine petals. In short, a move meant to try to exterminate the target in one fell swoop at the cost of everything they have in them. Is it a guaranteed kill? I mean, it depends on the target. It isn't a Killing Blow power, this move is based in Focused Assault. I'll leave to GM discretion there. XD
Just like with the “Three Branches”, the move warps time and space to where all blows occur simultaneously upon execution of the move. However, the cost is very high indeed and comes with very major ramifications of raw physical strain, mana drain, and mental exertion in general. A move that will leave the user wiped out and weak in the aftermath without a doubt.
This is the reason why this move of hers is only ever saved for those things and beings and the like she sees as a terrible and incredible enough threat. Even the thought of using it arising only usually comes in notably dire enough straits or against a strong enough enemy/opponent/foe/target. Also a move that can only be used when she is within actual striking distance of a target with her long-reaching sword.
Stats (Disguise):
STR: 3
AGI: 2
VIT: 3
MAG: 4
LCK: 3
Stats (Transformed):
STR: 6
AGI: 2
VIT: 16
MAG: 12
LCK: 6
Stats (Monstrous Metamorphosis):
STR: 8
AGI: 4
VIT: 18
MAG: 12
LCK: 6
10,5,8,1,10,7,13,15,9,3,6
Reason: Death (+1 silver)
1 (0) gold, 4 (0) silver, 4 (0) bronze
Age: 16
Underdeveloped (+1 MAG or LCK)
Lightning - (-1 bronze for -1 to roll) - 7 - Time (+1 AGI or VIT, +2 LCK) ((Out of Costume: Always aware what time it is and how much time has passed. Also aware of gravitic distortions, as they distort time.))
Melee (+1 STR, +1 VIT)
Flowing (+1 STR)
Focused Assault - (-1 gold to also get a SECOND power) - Regeneration
Healing Artifact - (-1 bronze to flip) - Precognition (+1 MAG or LCK) (
Monstrous Metamorphosis (When entering this state, +2 STR, AGI, and VIT, but lose rational thought beyond the desire to fight or flee the focus of this state/what caused it.)
Personality: A sober, stoic, and serious servant who takes her devotion to her mistress very professionally and more so seriously, pushing herself to serve to her wholehearted best. She is likewise unabashed, blunt, and frankly even sometimes a strict protector, overall making her seem like a sort of high-discipline personal guard for a higher-up in effect. Her sense of stalwart self-discipline, a feature alongside her usually cooler head, seems to stem from a more professional and drilled angle rather than alluding to being some general civilian magical girl.
During her time ‘off’, however, she can be more or less a rather relaxed and even laid-back person in contrast to when she is ‘on the job’. Even then she is still not very expressive, but it is a break from her nature otherwise. However, even then she is loath to talk about her own past in any way or shape or form. Indeed, she seems to get agitated if the matter is pressed badly enough. The only other time one might see her get truly visibly angry or agitated is if her mistress is hurt badly enough, or the matter of her past is pressed too far, which is where one can likewise find her being at her most ferocious and frankly venomous and even cruel. Indeed, it is because her mistress and what she cares about is her treasure, her “Hoard”(ing), and she will devote herself to it and fight for it to the very bitter end.
History: To say the least, Kiyome’s past has mostly been cloaked in secrecy and tight lips on her own part, with all of it only being known by the patron who took her on. In that sense she’s been tight-lipped indeed. Yet until or unless she ever speaks of the matter in full, laying it out at some point, the full truth of her past will remain in shadow.
What is known is that she was involved in the death of a magical girl/boy of Thos, and that Thos took her on in service as recompense afterward. She was paired with another magical girl in her patron’s service, and has been her protector and dedicated servant for a long time.
Now coming to Penrose, it is only a matter of time to see what will become of her and her compatriot here. Change? Growth? More of the same? Only time will tell.
Incantation: “Rend the whole Heavens. Shatter the whole of the Earth. Fear the Dragon’s Wrath!”
Additional Info:
***Enjoys sweet foods more than she lets on actively, and far more than she ever wants to let on for that matter. Especially chocolate. Not that it couldn’t come out of the woodwork and from behind her self-discipline under the right conditions.
***Her backstory and such could be revealed as part of some story point or such as things go along with character growth.
I had the idea she was part of an “M.I.B.” type organization, mundane one that is part of the US Government, which sought to study magical things and had Puchuu contacts and some enchanted weapons to try to deal with magical threats on an as-needed basis to avoid major open conflict with the magical world. Then one mission killed either the wrong magical girl/boy or a loved one who had become a magical girl/boy, then got recruited and dedicated herself to the new role/job as a means of atonement/repentance.
Still, I leave it as potential RP material and stuff. Yay.
***Likes all sorts of carnivorous plants. Also hates the Gympie-Gympie stinging bush with a ferocious passion as another matter entirely.
Nada, not as of yet.
Kiyome
Age: 16 | Gender: Female | Time, Space Underdeveloped | Focused Assault, Regeneration | Horror (Thos) Precognition, Monstrous Metamorphosis, Big Damn Hero, Enhanced Weapon, Immortality
Reasonable, Marked, Mana Font, Minions, Retrieval, Magical Overload | Insomnia, Quick Tempered, Health Sapping, Fearsome Reputation, Monstrous Form Thick Skin, Second Specialization (Oddball: Space)| Hoarder, Broken Reincarnation
STR: 3 | AGI: 2 | VIT: 3 | MAG: 4 | LCK: 3
STR: 6 | AGI: 2 | VIT: 16 | MAG: 12 | LCK: 6
Coins: None
Type: Horror
Name: Thos, aka: The “Left Eye from the Abyss”, the “Malignancy of Eternity/Eternal Malignance”, “The Endless Empyrean”, and “The Unending One”
Personality:
A usually calm, cool, and collected Horror, something that exists well beyond the scope of mortal perception that it has no need to be angry about most things done for it in the mortal realm. It enjoys success, but failure is always offset by the eternal long-term wherein there is always another chance. Or at least this is how it has taken to things when it comes to magical girls/boys and their work, its own efforts among mortals, etc. A calculating being that usually tries to work things out to its own maximal benefit, and places value in those pawns and minions and such that it sees as ‘valuable’ for one mysterious/known reason or another. On certain occasion its orders might not make any sense, like getting a taco at the local stand at exactly 5pm, but will still align properly with what it wants to do and looks into somehow all the same. Go wonder.
At the same time, Thos’ anger is something almighty to behold and only ever emerges as a quick temper when a certain being or its minions or influences come into play: Soth. Thos’ origin, its existential and conceptual and literal opposition that it equally counters in turn, whatever one wants to call that other highly infamous horror it is Thos’ most despised opponent all the same. Failure? Success? Either way it will rage about Soth, revile the being, and those close enough to hear or witness its rage aimed at its opponent will feel its shockesaves and then some by mere proximity…
History:
The infamous “Left Eye from the Abyss”, the “Malignancy of Eternity/Eternal Malignance”, and the “Unending One” are among the titles by which it has been called by mortals in the past. It is that which has no beginning and no end, embodying infinity. Infinity cannot be ended, nor killed, nor be stopped. It is, and it continues on endlessly. Tirelessly. In this manner Thos is the quite literal polar opposite to the Void it emerged from by its sheer nature and concept alone. From its body dark energy and eldritch power seeps and leaks like a trickling, never-ending wellspring to boot. The stars in the skies, scattered throughout universes and parallel worlds without end, are used like eyes to watch all that is and was and shall ever be. Its breath generates cosmic winds, and for it a ‘where’ is always a ‘when’ and ‘how’ is always ‘why’ in stark contrast to many other beings. In short, an inconceivable higher dimensional being that exists as a paradox that shouldn’t be and yet is.
Thos is one of two horrors that spawned from the origin point of a certain horror known infamously as “The Emptiness of the Void”, a being that had plans in Penrose before and led to a climactic battle to prevent it spawning a part of itself into the waking world. Both its twin and Thos itself are thus effectively what in mortal terms would be called “top-tier blue-blooded royalty”. Even so, simply because “that horror” was what they originated from did not mean they were allies or the like. Whilst Thos itself would come to remain in neutrality with its twin, and come to blows with other horrors and forces in the usual turmoil, it is also Soth’s greatest enemy without a doubt. Neither can overcome the other in the long term, as endless void cannot overcome infinity nor vice-versa, but their battles have been fierce when they do manifest.
Resources:
A Patron with plenty of resources both personal and acquired/accrued over the eons, Thos is a sizable powerful patron measuring up to the horror it originated from indeed. Coins, cars, flesh, bones, one can acquire quite a lot by working for Thos proper, and indeed if one can accept the risks and work set before then to slay monsters and cull that which they are sent after then it is a very good means of magical employment indeed.
Yet in the face of “that one horror”, that being who is the one thing Thos is most deeply opposed to at its core, then a hard conflict with it is frankly going to be inevitable. Better try to be prepared with all of those resources in that case.
Additional Info:
***Considering the actions of Soth in Penrose, it makes only logical sense that Thos would eventually find its way to the area in turn. Perhaps drawn to it? Though why it has come now in particular is a mystery, as Soth has been long gone from the area for some time now…right?
***Those monsters and such that are slayed by those in its employ are absorbed into itself, becoming one with that which has no end and no beginning. In this vein it has accrued a great amount of resources, and has come to use those in its employ and its own resources to generate more from there.
***The crow/raven/horror minion “Nevermore”, once present in Penrose as a now long-dead magical girl’s familiar, was actually once a creature taken from the realm of Thos’ twin and warped by Soth’s influence to serve a needed role. However…after Soth’s leave of Penrose it disappeared entirely. It wasn’t dead at the scene of the ritual, nor has it been seen anywhere in a long time since then. Where did it go after the death of its master, and abandonment by Soth in the cold streets of the city? Is this one of the reasons Thos has sent two of its magical girls to Penrose?
***”Nothing Gold Can Stay”? Perhaps for mortals, but the brilliance of eternity incarnate is nothing to underestimate. Funny enough, though, Thos at the same time does enjoy that particular poem by Robert Frost all the same. Never explains, or bothers to explain, why it does so.
Sheer dramatic theatrics aside, spent a heck of a time trying to get the code right and get things worked out good for the apps themselves. So if I need to fix something just let me know and I'll fix it! Hopefully not much will need to be fixed...but still. (@_@)
Specialization: Cosmic - A magic related to the planets, stars, space, and universe in general. A mostly offensive spec with supporting capabilities of some sort. Attacks take the form of things such as (but not limited to): Meteor-shower like AoE spells, guided (for some more sustained mana) or unguided attacks, comet-like icy projectile spells, ‘magic missile’ style projectile attacks that look like stars, dark energy-based spells and attacks, attacks and spells based on planets, and conjuring solar winds to try to sear away at enemies (pretty limited sun stuff compared to a Sun spec proper). Secondarily possesses the use of astrological and divination magics, including luck/probability altering magic, and guidance-related magical spells used to find things/places/etc and even guide one’s or allies’ attacks or redirect enemy attacks by channeling some more sustained mana on the caster’s end.
Out of Costume: Cosmic-spec girls retain a certain sense of cosmic mystical-ness about them (AKA: +1 MAG is retained out of costume), and can easily locate and recognize constellations in the/a starry sky.
Weapon: A floating orb of inky darkness, filled with what looks like galactic clouds and glittering, twinkling stars fixed in its artificial firmament. It passively follows her around, acting as a catalyst for her magic, a means for her patron to rapidly communicate with her, and being able to fire a magical blast as an attack of sorts.
Power: Third Eye.
Perks:
***Disguise Artifact - Often lent to her Ally, or used personally if she is sneaking about or doing something in secret or needs to hide otherwise.
***Enhanced Weapon - Her weapon is a notably more efficient catalyst, as well as now firing off a magical blast of standard/average magical potency blast rather than a weak one.
***Interdimensional Tourist - A most inauspicious fate indeed, for someone to get pulled into the world of magic…or so at least were the thoughts of the interdimensional traveler who by chance was passing by on the way to a job as she made a contract with her patron. Glorg’bah, the traveler in question, felt bad enough for the new magical girl that she (and eventually her compatriot as an extension) were allowed to crash at her place at will. No more guests than that though! Sheesh. Job to job only pays so much, even for an interdimensional traveler.
***Absolute Direction
***Ally - A spatial swordswoman and greedy dragon whose aim is to serve her, and the two have traveled together for some time. They met amidst a battle and the latter swore her service to her after she had saved her life. Strange and oddly dedicated, but a welcome ally by her side all the same. (This is Dragon Monster Girl who is my second character, who herself is just simply counted as this Ally.)
***Awareness - Rounding out her great sense of direction and potent Third Eye power, her senses are likewise even more keen. It is hard to hide things from her indeed…
***Watcher - Thos has taken a special interest in her, ranging from bringing her into contact with her current compatriot to providing transportation to ever, in this perk’s case, ensuring she is watched over carefully. Is her bloodline truly seen as that valuable in its eyes?
Patron: Thos
Patron Benefits:
***Reasonable - Thos does not seek the destruction of all. Quite the opposite, actually, as infinite growth is seemingly its goal. At least within the realm of what mortals can actually glean from their interactions with it. This does not mean destruction and such cannot or does not occur from its actions, as humans are so tiny compared to something on its own scale (like a human vs an ant), but it isn’t utterly unreasonable either.
***Minions - Fragments shed from that which has no end, used as servitors and existing simply as a byproduct of Thos’ existence. Disposable minions that take on various shapes and sizes and so forth, their standout traits of being regenerating in nature but still only as stronger than humans and inferior/weak compared to magical girls/boys.
***Mana Font - She has much more mana than normal, given access to the vast stores of magical energy from her patron to a certain extent. It doesn’t mean she can’t run out, of course, but it does support her potent MAG stat and solid personal mana reserves.
***Retrieval - The patron will take her back in if she is in a dire enough condition, and she will be returned when healed up and able once more.
***Transportation - In her case, her contract with Thos has led her to be given various forms of transport to be able to get her to battlefields and elsewhere she needs to be. She is allowed to use these at her discretion, and as such she usually takes her compatriot along with her using these.
Patron Drawbacks:
***Insomnia - A result of information from a being one cannot grasp leaking over into the minds of those serving it, a source of nightmares and confusing warped dreams that whispers in one’s mind. During active hours it can generally be ignored by this point as ‘background noise’ in favor of active things going on, yet at night it is far worse. Sleep is never easy, and even if she gets sleep it usually is not restful.
Uses sleep medication provided on the side to help this slightly. But in truth there is no escape from it. It is an inevitable bleed-over effect of contracting with Thos.
***Fearsome Reputation - The name of Thos is widely known, if not just as much so as that horror from which it originated and against which it has been set to eternally battle in an endless stalemate. Of course this means its more Reasonable side is also just as well-known.
***Health Sapping - For this power she was granted, her health took a bit of a toll. She came out better-off than her compatriot did for sure, though she didn’t request the kind of power that comes with becoming a monster girl either.
***Quick Tempered - Thos is generally a cool and calm patron most of the time, but when Soth or Soth’s ilk roll around its temper is bound to more easily go off indeed. It is in this time the anger of Thos is much more present, most poignant and palpable, and even if aimed at the situation and not its own servants it will be felt anyway by anyone close enough to hear or witness said anger. Ouch.
Fighting Style: With her very high MAG stat, combined with her Mana Font benefit, she has a rather large mana pool and uses this to spam out offensive and other spells during the course of a battle. High-firepower big-brained spell-flinging is the name of the game when it comes to her fighting style in battle, usually supported by her ally and/or summoned fodder Minions to assist her (depending on the situation).
Likewise her augmented senses are, collectively, something of great note as well in a battle. Awareness, Third Eye, Absolute Direction, and divination or guidance related spells from her spec make her hard to sneak up on, and with her able to toss spells with great destructive power from a distance she can wheel about and fire on those who might think themselves sneaky enough to get behind her.
In this overall manner she is a glass cannon of sorts, relying on raw magic and chaff minions and collectively enhanced senses to handle things. Despite the rather straightforward nature of her fighting style, though, one cannot deny the notable dangers of facing such a hard-hitting magic spammer…
Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 4
MAG: 4
LCK: 3
Stats (Transformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 6
MAG: 20
LCK: 9
20,12,18,14,14,15,8,3,1,10,14
Reason: Bloodline (choose spec)
1 (0 currently) gold, 3 (0) silver, 4 (0) bronze
Age: 16
Average (+1 AGI or VIT)
(choose) Oddball (Cosmic) (+2 MAG, +1 LCK) ((A magic related to the planets, stars, space, and universe in general. A mostly offensive spec with supporting capabilities of some sort. Attacks take the form of things such as (but not limited to): Meteor-shower like AoE spells, guided (for some more sustained mana) or unguided attacks, comet-like icy projectile spells, ‘magic missile’ style projectile attacks that look like stars, dark energy-based spells and attacks, attacks and spells based on planets, and conjuring solar winds to try to sear away at enemies (pretty limited sun stuff compared to a Sun spec proper). Secondarily possesses the use of astrological and divination magics, including luck/probability altering magic, and guidance-related magical spells used to find things/places/etc and even guide one’s or allies’ attacks or redirect enemy attacks by channeling some more sustained mana on the caster’s end.
Out of Costume: Cosmic-spec girls retain a certain sense of cosmic mystical-ness about them (AKA: +1 MAG is retained out of costume), and can easily locate and recognize constellations in the/a starry sky.))
Mystic (+1 MAG)
Elaborate (+1 MAG)
Third Eye
Disguise Artifact (+1 VIT)
Enhanced Weapon (+1 MAG)
Interdimensional Tourist (+1 LCK)
Absolute Direction (+1 LCK)
+1 Any, Ally (+1 MAG) (The Dragon-themed Monster Girl second character is considered this for simplicity’s sake.)
Personality: A kind and sincere sort of person at her very core as a magical girl, the kind of person who would see a kitten stuck in a tree and try to climb and try to get it without thinking after seeing the crying little girl who needed help getting it down. The kind of person to pick up trash in the park, or try to talk things out, and believes in working toward the best even if it hurts herself to do so. A person who passionately enjoys cooking as a hobby, though even before she became a magical girl it was seen as ‘professional-level’ by others about her for good reason indeed. A heroine who seeks to do her best no matter what happens, and seeks to be there for those she cares about. In short, someone very peculiar to have working for a Horror of all things, especially in a place such as Penrose beyond this. Though given her horror’s seeming desires, and what it is opposed to, it's at least not impossible to think there’s some reason out there that they are in agreement with each other.
Even so, there is more to her than the happy, friendly, kind heart that she seeks to be to the best of her ability. She can be rather stubborn at times in her decisions, taking either her patron, companion, or another close person to dissuade her away from this in certain cases where she’s stuck her mind to something and intends to do it. Likewise, whilst she has passion and the desire to talk things out with others if she thinks it is possible….the monsters and such she fights do not get such luxury. Those who harm people, who breed conflict and misery and woe, those shall find her cosmic wrath unleashed upon them without hesitation and with all soberness Indeed she can be decisive, even if it sometimes takes a moment, but once she’s put her mind to something that old stubbornness and her rather admirable hard work ethic kick in without a doubt. So too is her wrath great in its fury and passion, if it is prodded and provoked and pulled out kicking and screaming in most cases that is, and even her compatriot is made to take a serious and perhaps frightened pause when it emerges.
History: A child who was gifted in cooking, but sought it only as a hobby despite attempts by family to push it into a lifelong career. Professional classes, featuring on a kids cooking show on TV three times over, and even being gifted cook books and instructional videos, her talent and skill and passion for the art made her incredible but her true desire was to work in something else: Helping people. As much as her childhood was rife with rough and tumble moments, and the struggle was real for her and her family before things got better, she didn’t want to forget that. Rather, she’d seen and experienced and been rocked to the core by such things to the point she couldn’t forget either. Whilst her wishes were seen as good and part of her ‘admirable nature’, they were not frankly respected by those about her as they sought to push her to heights to rise as far from ‘those days’ as could ever be rendered possible. Indeed, her home life became more and more conflicted over the years due to this. To say the least, it caused a rift in things that only ever grew.
Upon reaching the age of eighteen, she cut herself off as an adult and left to go to college by working her way through. Social work was the aim of her degree, she worked at a local soup kitchen in the city her college was in, and she further worked myriad hours at a local campus eatery that rose from a ‘nearly unknown local eatery’ to ‘notably famous diner across the state and somewhat beyond’ during her employment there in its kitchen. All part of her work to simply help make end’s meet and get that degree she was both fighting for and studying hard to acquire. It was at this time she was approached by a certain horror, one who made contact with her. Her bloodline was one that had unique talents, talents that were of interest to the horror who saw them as rare and valuable.
It would be a chance to help people. To save them. To work hard, for as long as possible, without the frailties of old age and the issues of finances eating away at her. It also meant giving a lot up, and dealing with the effects of what she was to become. A lot could go right. A lot could go wrong.
Ultimately, however, she accepted the deal.
Incantation: “By the guidance of the stars, I shall smite all evil!”
Additional Info:
***Can tolerate, and enjoys, incredibly spicy food. Among a myriad of other things. Not a picky eater.
***Greatly dislikes, but won't kill on sight, seagulls. Claims it due to some family beach trips when she was younger and not a magical girl. Still likes the beach though.
***If you ask her to cook food for you, and she agrees, be prepared for a veritable if not literal feast coming your way. She doesn't skimp on the food...nor does she gain weight funny enough. Then again her horror is known to absorb such stuff. Eww. Just eww.
Reasonable, Minions, Mana Font, Retrieval, Transportation | Insomnia, Quick Tempered, Health Sapping, Fearsome Reputation
STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 04 | LCK: 03
STR: 3 | AGI: 3 | VIT: 6 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 9
Coins: None
Name: Kiyome
Age (Magical Girl): 16
Age (Before Magical Girl): 39
Gender: Female
Gender (Before Magical Girl): Male
Appearance: A monster girl whose body is thin and her health generally of the sickly sort, coughing and seeming to be in pain (among other things) often. This despite her ability to throw up a mask. Likewise, to the eyes of others she seems to be relatively or generally frail or delicate in nature. This is all notably even more pronounced in her Disguise state, reflecting what would have been her Untransformed state had she not gone for the power of becoming a monster girl.
1 ) Time (Out of Costume: Always aware what time it is and how much time has passed. Also aware of gravitic distortions, as they distort time.)
2 ) Space (Out of Costume: “Internal Compass” - One with this spec gains an internal compass effect, so they always know where the cardinal directions are.)
Weapon: An elongated eight-foot-long odachi/nodachi she can wield with one or two hands comfortably, having used it as a “Washing Pole” to dry clothes or such things a few times when on the road. Despite this, it is an invincible magical girl weapon that can impale and even better so cut targets before it to ribbons. Combined with her fighting style, it gives her solid reach. Is not so good in overly close quarters due to its length though.
Power:
1 ) Focused Assault
2 ) Regeneration
Perks:
***Precognition - She possesses a mild sense of clairvoyance, though without Scrying nor a Mystic Artifact it is mostly just limited to being a passive clairvoyant ‘sixth sense’ applicable in and out of battle (is how I flavored it at least). The sort of clairvoyant sense that gives insight into things like an opponent or target’s next move, or being able to detect if something is going to happen to herself out of left field like a surprise attack or ambush or so forth. In this sense, it is really just a personally-applied perk for the most part due to how mild and weak it is. Cannot be applied to allies or others in general, and it doesn’t mean she can dodge everything either. Maybe brace herself to soak a blow she can’t avoid?
With enough focus, meaning outside of battle only of course, she can actually use this precognition of hers to have a limited vision of the future, which can be targeted at herself, a target, a goal, or someone like her mistress. (This would be used by asking the GMs for the contents of said vision basically, to keep things balanced.)
***Monstrous Metamorphosis - When it kicks in, her draconic features heighten and warp and twist. Her teeth become sharpened like the predatory teeth and fangs of a dragon, her eyes become entirely black with slitted golden pupils, scales grow much more all over her skin save for the face,
***Big Damn Hero - (A skill with obvious CYOA-described uses, there is some chance for her Precognition to detect right before a token will go off {albeit not a 100 percent chance either, and left to the GMs’ discretions} to give her somewhat better leeway to get there in the nick of time on-time!)
***Enhanced Weapon - Her sword has a very fine cutting edge, its quality noticeably high in general.
***Immortality - (Using some edits and other text ripped from Penny’s description of it to try to stay consistent with this perk’s description and use. Not top copy it 1-1 though, as Penny’s situation is also different to hers) For whatever reason, whether it is her potent regeneration, her stubborn sense of duty to serve her mistress, raw will, or some other unexplained aspect of her being, Kiyome is very hard to kill indeed. She is capable of continuing to function and frankly fight well past the point where others would have fallen, and just keeps standing back up beyond the point that she should be able to.
Whilst not having things to the same extent of this perk as applied to a certain “Queen” in Penrose, because she is still composed of flesh and bone, she is definitely up there in raw toughness and resilience when combining this with her Regeneration power.
Patron: Thos
Patron Benefits:
***Reasonable - Thos does not seek the destruction of all. Quite the opposite, actually, as infinite growth is seemingly its goal. At least within the realm of what mortals can actually glean from their interactions with it. This does not mean destruction and such cannot or does not occur from its actions, as humans are so tiny compared to something on its own scale (like a human vs an ant), but it isn’t utterly unreasonable either.
***Marked - Thos’ mark burns on her skin, sitting just below her collarbone and above her chest in the center. A sigil that remains hidden under her clothes, but which blurs and never looks quite clear when others look upon it. A mark of her service and a mark in particular of her gift of power to become a monster girl. Monsters can sense it clearly, however, and lesser monsters as even other horror minions inherently fear her due to it. Even if this spot on her body is cut up or off, the mark lingers as part of her being as more than just as physical marking. It is part of her.
***Mana Font - She has much more mana than normal, given access to the vast stores of magical energy from her patron to a certain extent. It doesn’t mean she can’t run out, but what she has is far more than the normal with this added on top of her VIT and MAG stats.
***Minions - Fragments shed from that which has no end, used as servitors and existing simply as a byproduct of Thos’ existence. Disposable minions that take on various shapes and sizes and so forth, their standout traits of being regenerating in nature but still only as stronger than humans and inferior/weak compared to magical girls/boys.
***Retrieval - The patron will take her back in if she is in a dire enough condition, and she will be returned when healed up and able once more.
***Magical Overload - She desired power, greater power, and for this was given boon when she became a magical girl. She is a monster girl due to this, though it came at the cost of her health (Underdeveloped and Health Sapping taken into account as this) in return for that power. A price she will always have to live with, but not looked back from since.
Patron Drawbacks:
***Insomnia - A result of information from a being one cannot grasp leaking over into the minds of those serving it, a source of nightmares and confusing warped dreams that whispers in one’s mind. During active hours it can generally be ignored by this point as ‘background noise’ in favor of active things going on, yet at night it is far worse. Sleep is never easy, and even if she gets sleep it usually is not restful.
Uses sleep medication on the side to help this slightly. But in truth there is no escape from it. It is an inevitable bleed-over effect of contracting with Thos.
***Fearsome Reputation - The name of Thos is widely known, if not just as much so as that horror from which it originated and against which it has been set to eternally battle in an endless stalemate. Of course this means its more Reasonable side is also just as well-known.
***Health Sapping - For this power she was granted, her health took a toll. Sickly and thin and frail-looking even as a magical girl, her disguise form likewise reflects the true ill nature of her soul in the flesh. Be careful what you wish for.
***Quick Tempered - Thos is generally a cool and calm patron most of the time, but when Soth or Soth’s ilk roll around its temper is bound to more easily go off indeed. It is in this time the anger of Thos is much more present, most poignant and palpable, and even if aimed at the situation and not its own servants it will be felt anyway by anyone close enough to hear or frankly witness said anger. Ouch.
***Monstrous Form - (See “Magical Overload”. I felt the text works well for both of these. XD)
Fighting Style:
Her fighting style relies on spamming her time/space specializations to compensate fully for her pathetic AGI stat, darting in and out like a teleporting blur and striking foes with the long reach of her weapon. Sometimes even deals multiple hits by using her specs to unleash a flurry of blows in the span of one attack. In this vein she is great at cutting down swaths of lesser enemies whilst embodying the concept of ‘death by a thousand cuts’ as she chips apart larger foes. Focused Assault is employed to hit foes she uses it on with far more punishing and mighty blows than her STR would lead anyone to believe, making prodigious use of her powerful and high overall mana reserves to hit like a top-speed bullet train and such when she wants to. This is ultimately only surprising to those who don’t know her well enough, and those who otherwise underestimate her consciously or unconsciously so.
She likewise acts as a tank, soaking up damage using her higher VIT and overall potent survival/regeneration capabilities and taking blows. Her patron’s minions might potentially be summoned in battle if she needs chaff fodder for something at best.
Overall it is a powerful fighting style in its own ways, compensating for general weaknesses with strength, but like any other fighting style it is not perfect and has its inherent weaknesses. Among these, to make a note, is the fact that her movement speed without the use of spec magic is slower than the average human due to her sickly nature.
As for ‘signature moves’, she has two that are based on the exertion of her two specs in combination with Focused Assault:
***Three Branches - Three attacks, three slashes, performed against the target whilst channeling the focused mana to warp time and space so all three attacks occur simultaneously. The attacks are placed at three different angles about the target, aiming to try to prevent escape. A technique that originated from a supernatural swordswoman in Japan, who developed and practiced with it by slaying swallows mid-flight before eventually dying to the cheap tricks of a rival of his (and becoming considered as nothing but a legend by the mundane world at that).
A moderately taxing move that can be used several times, though it is usually reserved for tough, strong, or frankly fast/dodgy enough opponents to try to get a guaranteed hit and powerful blows in on them when they are within striking distance of her long blade. Not something to be spammed every battle all the time, by any means or stretch of the imagination, but a serious move to use when needed or seemingly necessary.
***Nine Petals - The blooming flower of battle, the peak of her fighting style. A Focused Assault move which pushes her mana and spec magics and Focused Assault power to their furthest within her capabilities. It is a move that isn’t a single-blow Killing Blow, but instead takes all her power and mana and channels it into nine blows aimed at nine separate lethal locations on the target’s body. Nine attacks. Nine petals. In short, a move meant to try to exterminate the target in one fell swoop at the cost of everything they have in them. Is it a guaranteed kill? I mean, it depends on the target. It isn't a Killing Blow power, this move is based in Focused Assault. I'll leave to GM discretion there. XD
Just like with the “Three Branches”, the move warps time and space to where all blows occur simultaneously upon execution of the move. However, the cost is very high indeed and comes with very major ramifications of raw physical strain, mana drain, and mental exertion in general. A move that will leave the user wiped out and weak in the aftermath without a doubt.
This is the reason why this move of hers is only ever saved for those things and beings and the like she sees as a terrible and incredible enough threat. Even the thought of using it arising only usually comes in notably dire enough straits or against a strong enough enemy/opponent/foe/target. Also a move that can only be used when she is within actual striking distance of a target with her long-reaching sword.
Stats (Disguise):
STR: 3
AGI: 2
VIT: 3
MAG: 4
LCK: 3
Stats (Transformed):
STR: 6
AGI: 2
VIT: 16
MAG: 12
LCK: 6
Stats (Monstrous Metamorphosis):
STR: 8
AGI: 4
VIT: 18
MAG: 12
LCK: 6
10,5,8,1,10,7,13,15,9,3,6
Reason: Death (+1 silver)
1 (0) gold, 4 (0) silver, 4 (0) bronze
Age: 16
Underdeveloped (+1 MAG or LCK)
Lightning - (-1 bronze for -1 to roll) - 7 - Time (+1 AGI or VIT, +2 LCK) ((Out of Costume: Always aware what time it is and how much time has passed. Also aware of gravitic distortions, as they distort time.))
Melee (+1 STR, +1 VIT)
Flowing (+1 STR)
Focused Assault - (-1 gold to also get a SECOND power) - Regeneration
Healing Artifact - (-1 bronze to flip) - Precognition (+1 MAG or LCK) (
Monstrous Metamorphosis (When entering this state, +2 STR, AGI, and VIT, but lose rational thought beyond the desire to fight or flee the focus of this state/what caused it.)
Personality: A sober, stoic, and serious servant who takes her devotion to her mistress very professionally and more so seriously, pushing herself to serve to her wholehearted best. She is likewise unabashed, blunt, and frankly even sometimes a strict protector, overall making her seem like a sort of high-discipline personal guard for a higher-up in effect. Her sense of stalwart self-discipline, a feature alongside her usually cooler head, seems to stem from a more professional and drilled angle rather than alluding to being some general civilian magical girl.
During her time ‘off’, however, she can be more or less a rather relaxed and even laid-back person in contrast to when she is ‘on the job’. Even then she is still not very expressive, but it is a break from her nature otherwise. However, even then she is loath to talk about her own past in any way or shape or form. Indeed, she seems to get agitated if the matter is pressed badly enough. The only other time one might see her get truly visibly angry or agitated is if her mistress is hurt badly enough, or the matter of her past is pressed too far, which is where one can likewise find her being at her most ferocious and frankly venomous and even cruel. Indeed, it is because her mistress and what she cares about is her treasure, her “Hoard”(ing), and she will devote herself to it and fight for it to the very bitter end.
History: To say the least, Kiyome’s past has mostly been cloaked in secrecy and tight lips on her own part, with all of it only being known by the patron who took her on. In that sense she’s been tight-lipped indeed. Yet until or unless she ever speaks of the matter in full, laying it out at some point, the full truth of her past will remain in shadow.
What is known is that she was involved in the death of a magical girl/boy of Thos, and that Thos took her on in service as recompense afterward. She was paired with another magical girl in her patron’s service, and has been her protector and dedicated servant for a long time.
Now coming to Penrose, it is only a matter of time to see what will become of her and her compatriot here. Change? Growth? More of the same? Only time will tell.
Incantation: “Rend the whole Heavens. Shatter the whole of the Earth. Fear the Dragon’s Wrath!”
Additional Info:
***Enjoys sweet foods more than she lets on actively, and far more than she ever wants to let on for that matter. Especially chocolate. Not that it couldn’t come out of the woodwork and from behind her self-discipline under the right conditions.
***Her backstory and such could be revealed as part of some story point or such as things go along with character growth.
I had the idea she was part of an “M.I.B.” type organization, mundane one that is part of the US Government, which sought to study magical things and had Puchuu contacts and some enchanted weapons to try to deal with magical threats on an as-needed basis to avoid major open conflict with the magical world. Then one mission killed either the wrong magical girl/boy or a loved one who had become a magical girl/boy, then got recruited and dedicated herself to the new role/job as a means of atonement/repentance.
Still, I leave it as potential RP material and stuff. Yay.
***Likes all sorts of carnivorous plants. Also hates the Gympie-Gympie stinging bush with a ferocious passion as another matter entirely.
Nada, not as of yet.
Kiyome
Age: 16 | Gender: Female | Time, Space Underdeveloped | Focused Assault, Regeneration | Horror (Thos) Precognition, Monstrous Metamorphosis, Big Damn Hero, Enhanced Weapon, Immortality
Reasonable, Marked, Mana Font, Minions, Retrieval, Magical Overload | Insomnia, Quick Tempered, Health Sapping, Fearsome Reputation, Monstrous Form Thick Skin, Second Specialization (Oddball: Space)| Hoarder, Broken Reincarnation
STR: 3 | AGI: 2 | VIT: 3 | MAG: 4 | LCK: 3
STR: 6 | AGI: 2 | VIT: 16 | MAG: 12 | LCK: 6
Coins: None
Type: Horror
Name: Thos, aka: The “Left Eye from the Abyss”, the “Malignancy of Eternity/Eternal Malignance”, “The Endless Empyrean”, and “The Unending One”
Personality:
A usually calm, cool, and collected Horror, something that exists well beyond the scope of mortal perception that it has no need to be angry about most things done for it in the mortal realm. It enjoys success, but failure is always offset by the eternal long-term wherein there is always another chance. Or at least this is how it has taken to things when it comes to magical girls/boys and their work, its own efforts among mortals, etc. A calculating being that usually tries to work things out to its own maximal benefit, and places value in those pawns and minions and such that it sees as ‘valuable’ for one mysterious/known reason or another. On certain occasion its orders might not make any sense, like getting a taco at the local stand at exactly 5pm, but will still align properly with what it wants to do and looks into somehow all the same. Go wonder.
At the same time, Thos’ anger is something almighty to behold and only ever emerges as a quick temper when a certain being or its minions or influences come into play: Soth. Thos’ origin, its existential and conceptual and literal opposition that it equally counters in turn, whatever one wants to call that other highly infamous horror it is Thos’ most despised opponent all the same. Failure? Success? Either way it will rage about Soth, revile the being, and those close enough to hear or witness its rage aimed at its opponent will feel its shockesaves and then some by mere proximity…
History:
The infamous “Left Eye from the Abyss”, the “Malignancy of Eternity/Eternal Malignance”, and the “Unending One” are among the titles by which it has been called by mortals in the past. It is that which has no beginning and no end, embodying infinity. Infinity cannot be ended, nor killed, nor be stopped. It is, and it continues on endlessly. Tirelessly. In this manner Thos is the quite literal polar opposite to the Void it emerged from by its sheer nature and concept alone. From its body dark energy and eldritch power seeps and leaks like a trickling, never-ending wellspring to boot. The stars in the skies, scattered throughout universes and parallel worlds without end, are used like eyes to watch all that is and was and shall ever be. Its breath generates cosmic winds, and for it a ‘where’ is always a ‘when’ and ‘how’ is always ‘why’ in stark contrast to many other beings. In short, an inconceivable higher dimensional being that exists as a paradox that shouldn’t be and yet is.
Thos is one of two horrors that spawned from the origin point of a certain horror known infamously as “The Emptiness of the Void”, a being that had plans in Penrose before and led to a climactic battle to prevent it spawning a part of itself into the waking world. Both its twin and Thos itself are thus effectively what in mortal terms would be called “top-tier blue-blooded royalty”. Even so, simply because “that horror” was what they originated from did not mean they were allies or the like. Whilst Thos itself would come to remain in neutrality with its twin, and come to blows with other horrors and forces in the usual turmoil, it is also Soth’s greatest enemy without a doubt. Neither can overcome the other in the long term, as endless void cannot overcome infinity nor vice-versa, but their battles have been fierce when they do manifest.
Resources:
A Patron with plenty of resources both personal and acquired/accrued over the eons, Thos is a sizable powerful patron measuring up to the horror it originated from indeed. Coins, cars, flesh, bones, one can acquire quite a lot by working for Thos proper, and indeed if one can accept the risks and work set before then to slay monsters and cull that which they are sent after then it is a very good means of magical employment indeed.
Yet in the face of “that one horror”, that being who is the one thing Thos is most deeply opposed to at its core, then a hard conflict with it is frankly going to be inevitable. Better try to be prepared with all of those resources in that case.
Additional Info:
***Considering the actions of Soth in Penrose, it makes only logical sense that Thos would eventually find its way to the area in turn. Perhaps drawn to it? Though why it has come now in particular is a mystery, as Soth has been long gone from the area for some time now…right?
***Those monsters and such that are slayed by those in its employ are absorbed into itself, becoming one with that which has no end and no beginning. In this vein it has accrued a great amount of resources, and has come to use those in its employ and its own resources to generate more from there.
***The crow/raven/horror minion “Nevermore”, once present in Penrose as a now long-dead magical girl’s familiar, was actually once a creature taken from the realm of Thos’ twin and warped by Soth’s influence to serve a needed role. However…after Soth’s leave of Penrose it disappeared entirely. It wasn’t dead at the scene of the ritual, nor has it been seen anywhere in a long time since then. Where did it go after the death of its master, and abandonment by Soth in the cold streets of the city? Is this one of the reasons Thos has sent two of its magical girls to Penrose?
***”Nothing Gold Can Stay”? Perhaps for mortals, but the brilliance of eternity incarnate is nothing to underestimate. Funny enough, though, Thos at the same time does enjoy that particular poem by Robert Frost all the same. Never explains, or bothers to explain, why it does so.
...Whilst it wasn't intentional, the Mothraki could not help but overhear what was going on as she'd gotten things prepared for the food and fire. Even a year ago it would have still pulled at her heartstrings, hearing a child having to ask such a question at all, and yet within the last few weeks alone she'd learned things. Things...er...she was unsure how to word it. Things she'd never really questioned since being raised in the village itself. And then, before any more could be talked about the matter, the blizzard and all sorts of things had broken loose onto the village and her mother was bedridden.
So many dead. So much gone. Mother had ben cautious well enough indeed, but since then she'd done her best to help care for her alongside Akala's efforts and so forth. Bringing hot meals from time to time, coming to check in on her every day and before heading out of the village for anything. Etc.
And yet, thinking back on those revelations of the past she couldn't help but feel something rather vaguely familiar as she'd overheard the two. Not much, but a spark of something. Mmm.
She would continue her preparations, though she had visibly taken some pause briefly in the middle when hearing Leuca speak, but had refrained from looking back or making comment. Then, finally returning her attention to her guests properly, she found herself looking at Sorcha seeming to be back to she'd been since they'd met not long ago. Like a switch had flipped back and forth simply talking to the young one.
“Thank you for the consideration, but I’ll prepare our meals myself.”
“If there will be nothing else then, we’ve had a long day and I would very much appreciate some rest.”
Nylah gave a small, acknowledging nod to the woman before her whilst trying to not look at Leuca for fear of triggering some reaction in Sorcha herself. Even so, she tried to not get lost in her own reminiscence again. Tried to at least.
"Of course, take you time. Hopefully once Enli is ready I can bring him here or at least help you get to speak with him. Though whenever you run out of food, please let me know so I can get some more from the storeroom. Likewise if I step out of the village for any time, I shall let you know when about I should be returning as a matter for formality at least."
The Mothraki let out a small sigh, as if the anticipation of the work ahead was already taking its toll. Even so, she seemed to go into thought somewhat afterward. As if trying to-, ah!
After a moment she seemed to perk up before digging in her satchel and pulling out a single healing potion and handing it out to Sorcha. Were the woman to not accept it, she'd set it simply by the edge of the doorframe where it could be easily seen and reached.
"An herbal healing potion of sorts, even if a basic one. In case either of you sustained any sort of simpler injuries on your travel here. You need not use if it you've any worries, we have just met each other after all, but it is an offer all the same.
In the meantime, I will go back to look Lissa and your other former traveling companion. In truth I've business of my own, so I hope to return again soon, but if I return with them I will head to the main room to ensure you both are left alone to rest at least."
With that, the Mothraki gave a small bow to the duo, before doing a quick visual check to ensure she brought the right things in and starting to head out of the room. Situation or not going on with these new arrivals, she needed to talk to Lissa. Perhaps even the dwarven woman. Oh...what was her name again? Drat. She would have to ask again Yet if there was a chance to relieve Mie and have her maybe in the debt of the village in some capacity, or something of the sort, then perhaps the village...could...
...
Crap.
A nagging feeling was latching onto her, digging its claws in when she tried to leave. A thing she felt like she needed to do.
But why? It made no logical sense in some ways, and yet it was enough that Nylah briefly paused before she'd fully left the room.
She then eventually let out a quiet sigh of defeat, before looking back briefly again in at her two guests.
"My apologies if this seems a bit too much to add...but...you seem more than capable, Miss Sorcha, but should the worst ever happen whilst I am gone there is a hidden space. There's a small wooden trapdoor hidden as part of the floor underneath the wood pile in the back. It is a smaller space down there, but enough to hide in...in truth, after this house was built my Mother made it herself to hide me when I was younger. Just in case the worst should ever happen whilst I was home in those first years were were living here.
Because...sometimes people do not seemingly have a reason for saying or doing some horrible, horrible things. Perhaps, even in hindsight, we still can't fathom some of those things...or help but worry about them...but even so we can only go about our lives one day at a time regardless. One thing at a time, focusing on the next step ahead of us."
Advice from Mother, once again coming back into her mind. It felt so silly and out of place to say it all she felt like she could die of embarrassment alone, interjecting like this, and yet once she was done she would quickly nod again in a hurried manner.
"N-Now th-then, I'll leave you both be to r-rest. S-S-Sorry..."
With that, Nylah quickly left the room and made her way to leave the house in a hurry. No looking back. Perhaps she was a fool, a soft idiot talking like this to these strangers. It was so very foolish. Nothing like Mother. Nothing like how her mother was strong, powerful, determined, beautiful, and so many admirable things. Yet at the same time, she'd done things Nylah herself couldn't imagine. Shocking things. Painful things.
...Why did she save her that night? Why that night, and not some other child before then? Why? Why so much slaughter? Why were the Mothraki and Bastelians even doing these things to each other? She didn't even have an idea of what her own people were like. Her own race. She hadn't been able to get more answers after that night of truths being revealed to her. She'd been afraid to even ask, not wanting to change things even more so, though she didn't shy away from the only parent she'd ever known either.
Blargh. All thinking about it did was just make her feel...bad. Strange. She couldn't put a pin on just what it all was or meant, but she knew one thing for sure in the end: She needed to help her Mother get well again. No matter what.
...
...
...
Eventually Nylah would make her way back, and upon seeing Lissa and the dwarven woman still around she waved at them as she jogged over. Something in her eyes seemed more tired than usual, though the nerves about what she wanted to ask Lissa about were coming back gradually as her focus returned to the original matter at hand.
A rescue mission, or something like that, being discussed.
"There you both are! I was worried you'd be standing in the cold too long. Sorcha and Leuca have been settled in, but I'd hoped you both would come along as well. I can at least get a warm meal going in the Main Room for you both before we chat more, if that would be acceptable."
((Sticking a tongue out? The little purple dress looked nice, but...so mean. She'd just wanted to kindly imagine a nice cute dress on her to help after the mini-goddess' other clothes had been burnt off. To try to be nice to her...))
-Herbs/Herbalism Knowledge:
***Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.
***Making anesthetics and preparing healing potions and salves.
It’d be easy enough to prepare both of those things especially with the things she had on hand. Fresh water for a base, crush the ingredients, then boil it to a broth. Simple enough, they didn’t have time to refine it. The Salves could be made by taking the same ingredients and crushing them into a paste without the water. Better for topical use on flesh wounds.
***
***
-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.
-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one’s path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.
-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.
-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time. (EDIT: Has refilled her supplies, with three total healing pots remaining now. Also now has four vials of baby-chameleon-thing poison.)
-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.
-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.
-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.
-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.
Sorcha seemed to be a woman not afraid to speak her mind, that much was for sure, though the comments about the poor state of the village were as redundant as anything. They'd weathered the passage of a proper Elder Beast through their area, and the fact the deaths had been limited to what they were felt like a miracle. Yet in contrast, Leuca seemed to be as eager and bright and hopeful as anything. A clear contrast to, and somewhat a relief from the comments of, Sorcha herself. If naught else, though, the visage of her home was something that brought a sense of some small relief to the Mothraki.
A lovely house near the sea, built well and cozy with tall ceilings and a lot of space to move. Carpets and mother's weapons, icons of the goddess Kythet and a large fire pit, the works. She'd never thought to ask her mother if it had been made to resemble designs of her old homeland, but in truth she'd not needed to ask such things. She'd been content to learn, to grow, to...to live with Mother around and to try to make her proud. By the time such questions became apparent, the Elder Beast had arrived after and things had become a mess. A grand mess.
“I am surprised to see a Mothraki living in a house with holy symbols and icons of the Bastelians. I take it this ‘mother’ you spoke of is a Bastelian, then?”
Was it so odd? Then again, Mother had acquired her in not the best of circumstances. Not all details had come out, but she had figured that time to talk more about it would come. That they'd be able to sit down more, all before that illness had stricken the only parent she knew down and left her bedridden. Ill.
"Ah...y-yes. Mother is a Bastelian, and the only mother I've ever known. In truth, I've no real memory of living anywhere else but here in the village either."
Not far from the main room with the fire pit and such, and across from her own room, Nylah would guide the duo to the spare room she'd mentioned prior.
A large and open spare room, of the same style as the rest of the house, filled with spots on the floor for extra bedding that was piled up in the corner along with some wood and tinder and other very simple supplies. Enough of a place to host a guest, or a few guests when Mother had kept some hunters over a few times before the night before a big hunt in particular in the past. The room likewise had a smaller fire pit in the center of it, one that was surrounded with stone and ventilated out of the ceiling. Even so, no wood currently sat in the pit that had gone unused since before the Elder Beast's arrival.
Decorations were scarce, but some hide carpets and such did provide a certain sense of 'home-i-ness' when it came to the local tastes of the village. At least it didn't look so empty, if nothing else.
After entering the room proper with her guests, the Mothraki would quietly walk over to the stacked wood and bedding were and work on pulling some bedding down for the duo to make use of. She would keep it close together, as she figured Sorcha would prefer most likely, and would begin to perform the process of stacking some tinder and wood and getting a fire going with a flint and small bit of metal to strike with left sitting by the smaller fire pit's edge. Not that there was must left to make use of at this stage, compared to their stock prior to the blizzard, but she'd managed to get some help once or twice restocking some after events. Somewhat. Truth be told she'd had to make do herself with most of the work, even if it was a struggle, and that had been after providing mutual assistance to those who'd helped her.
And, somewhat ashamedly in her mind, some of the unusable housing and other ruins left in the initial wake of things had been scavenged by herself and others a bit for useable wood and materials. All out of desperation.
Pursing her lips as she focused, eyes unwavering from the task in front of her hands despite the somewhat far-looking glaze that had formed in her eyes somewhat, Nylah would eventually get the sparks going as Mother had taught her. She almost didn't need to think about it at this point, as starting the fire and keeping one had been a chore for so long it had become second nature to her. So natural and basic, and yet...something so vital to survival all the same. Like breathing air.
"Whew...well, there's some bedding and a fire at least! If you need more, there's more bedding here in the corner as well as more wood to keep the fire in here for warmth. I'll go to the storage and see what to get simmering in the pot over the main fire pit, though Mother was very insistent we keep things that would preserve and last before the blizzard hit."
Perhaps...once she and Mother were through the nightmare things had become, once she found a way to make Mother well again, then she could make her a hearty and piping hot dinner again as well. Something to bring back something of better days. Even if just a bit. Even if just for one evening.
Still, once food got going well enough she could perhaps even go back for a moment to get Lissa and the other newcomer. She'd hoped they would come along with her and the others, but they had apparently stuck back behind to talk. Hmm. She'd wanted to talk to Lissa about going to to assist Mie and her group, even if it meant sneaking in to provide medical assistance or something, but she didn't want to simply up and walk away from her guests either.
(("Alas, with the mini-goddess re-clothing herself Nylah hadn't the chance to imagine her a cute little dress. Though the fact the mini-goddess had lost clothing from that little event was a small shock to her indeed."))
-Herbs/Herbalism Knowledge:
***Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.
***Making anesthetics and preparing healing potions and salves.
It’d be easy enough to prepare both of those things especially with the things she had on hand. Fresh water for a base, crush the ingredients, then boil it to a broth. Simple enough, they didn’t have time to refine it. The Salves could be made by taking the same ingredients and crushing them into a paste without the water. Better for topical use on flesh wounds.
***
***
-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.
-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one’s path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.
-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.
-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time. (EDIT: Has refilled her supplies. Also now has two vials of baby-chameleon-thing poison.)
-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.
-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.
-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.
-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.
@Liotrent@Jeddaven It is done. Well, mostly complete anyways. The flag and image of the colony's location are things I want to add to it sooner or later!
Also is not meant to be some invincible undead nation. Undead can get blown apart and living lives lost, etc. Just because I overthink and worry. I just wanted to add fun flavor for the undead and such. Hopefully no one else has tried to do undead? Maybe? Eh, anywho... (@_@)
The Grand United Democratic Republic of the An-ki
Name of your Nation: The Grand United Democratic Republic of the An-ki (Known as the “An-ki Republic” in/for short.) (Colony on the map in particular is known as “Gukou Colony” or “Gukou Island” to the Republic.)
(Flag and Map Images To Eventually Be Placed Here)
Type of Government:: Constitutional Democratic Republic
Demographics:
Undead - Classified and specific according to the national “Two Categories and Seven Types of Undead” created by the Council after thousands of years. In the case of actual national demographics, it specifically refers to the sentient/sapient undead population in this case.
Vampires - An undead created by means of a Primordial Curse of super-ancient times that originated from fiddling with demonic presences and natural laws. Its origin is unclear for the most part, save for the general gist derived from all the ancient knowledge the An-ki Republic has in its possession. It has been dubbed, within vampiric society and the Council and An-ki Republic since then, as “The Crimson Rose” or “The Bloody Tulip”.
Said curse is infused into a living body, but it does not initially take effect at this stage. It is binding and bitter and deep-rooted in its nature, and only takes effect when the bearer’s body physically dies. After this the curse blossoms and matures within the deceased bearer, it goes about altering the body and flesh. After this the user awakens once more as an undead vampire. The more damage to the bearer’s body, the longer it takes. A vampire created from someone hacked to pieces and tossed in a mass grave is still very possible, but it would take a much longer time to rebuild and reanimate the body via the curse in this particular situation.
The curse even has ‘strains’ that run within it, mostly due to the original curse versus derived ones spreading around that sought to mimic it by copycating. The Lesser Curse produces Lesser Vampires, whilst the Original Curse creates Greater Vampires. Most Greater Vampires in the world live multiply within the An-ki Republic’s borders by modern times, though their kin are far, far more numerous. Meanwhile Lesser Vampires are the most well-known in the world due to their greater numerical presence historically and so forth as well as due to being far more common. What makes the two differing vampiric curses distinct is that the Original is far stronger than the Lesser one, very notably so in application.
Lesser Vampires have more weaknesses, but are more easily created due to their numbers historically and prevalence of material about them. They are very weak to blessed or sanctified holy weapons, can be repelled with certain types of magic talismans, die if beheaded and then have a stake driven through their heart in combination, are allergic and weak to silver and do not have a reflection. Yet in return, access to magic and superhuman capabilities and shapeshifting into animal forms (specifically, and how they can fly at all), eternal youth as a form of immortality, fire, disease immunity to standard non-magical diseases, and subsisting by drinking blood are among their prime benefits. They can out weather and outlast, and even make use of charms and enchanted clothes and such to protect them from sunlight and such if they are prepared and wealthy/intelligent/skilled enough.
Meanwhile Greater Vampires are far stronger and have the same powers and greater strength whilst lacking most of these weaknesses, not burning in sunlight at all, having a reflection, not as drastically weak (but still vulnerable to) holy weapons, not vulnerable to special talismans, they have no reaction to silver, and beheading and heart-staking being useless against them entirely. Starving them out is the best tactic, weakening them and restraining them away until they starve of blood and burn up from the curse is the most reliable, even if not-quick, method of defeating one. Keeping them stuck or bound up in a fire until they burn to ash is also viable. Blessed holy weapons or consecrated/hallowed ones will, as long as they remain such and aren’t broken or tainted, do extra damage to them as well. Yet removing the heart and burning it fully in a very hot fire is the one singular and sure way to kill one most quickly, but not doing so quickly enough will result in the vampire regenerating back again with a vengeance. Mistakenly eating part of the vampire’s heart will infect one with the curse, as is partaking of or having the Greater Vampire’s blood forced or put into your body (even if it simply consumed and in the victim’s stomach somehow) otherwise.
Vampires can also make thralls by tainting another with their blood, but then activating the curse early and hollowing out the mind and life of the victim into that of a Reanimated-type undead.
It goes without saying that Lesser Vampires are far more common, Greater Vampires are far more rare but a lot stronger.
-
Soul Gem Constructs - Once held under the same general category of undead a Liches for a while, they were eventually separated out as distinctions became clearer and better understood. Whilst Liches had phylacteries, these did not have to be some kind of Soul Gem. Meanwhile the nature of a Soul Gem was different at a fundamental level, and its creation and use made it applicable in non-living constructs such as automata and golems and otherwise.
At first they weren’t even part of the classification, and simply rendered as ‘sentient constructs’ in their classification. Yet with time they would see eventual reintegration into the broad umbrella of ‘Undead’, especially after it was found the souls of the already-dead could be harvested from beyond to create Soul Gems. Whilst it is more technical a definition than the Council like at first, it was cemented formally in law by the time the modern government of the nation emerged. With the general restrictions and issues regarding Soul Magic even historically, the population of these undead has always been on the small side in a general sense.
Can destroy these by just destroying the Soul Gem, like by shooting it with a gun or something like smashing it off the side of a mountain. Etc.
-
Liches - Undead who can possess a skeletal or non-skeletal appearance (more often the former than the latter much more notably so by modern times), depending on one’s preferences, created through the shunting of one’s soul into a phylactery which differs from the likes of a Soul Gem. The body is preserved and operated like normal, but with the soul residing in the phylactery it means that even if the body is destroyed it will be restored to the same appearance and conditions as it was when it died. In essence, an undead that can only ever be sentient/sapient in nature and possesses a ‘magical backup’ in the form of the phylactery.
However, if said phylactery is destroyed the lich will automatically die as well and their body will disintegrate. This being noted, a phylactery is usually kept in a safe spot or secure and legal “Phylactery Storage Facility” by those who can afford to keep one there.
-
Revenants - A type of undead akin to Wights, wherein a spiritual being possesses their own corpse or the corpse of another living thing and reanimates it. This is caused by strong enough attachments to the living world, usually very specific things powerful enough to attach them back, or otherwise to seek out revenge for their death. Whereas “Wights” are merely Reanimated-type undead who are overcome by their emotions and desire for vengeance that they have no higher mental faculties and are no more than beasts at best that are possessed by angry mindless spirits, many once anciently inhabiting graveyards as cannibalistic beasts who subsist on the flesh of anything to survive, Revenants are a higher-tier version that have their mental faculties intact and control over their bodies.
It is as such one of the most common forms of ‘voluntary undead’ created within the An-ki Republic, due to the ease of creation when magic is involved, though its non-sentient counterpart is used for police work by using it to find murderers and killers by police. Wights are so very single-minded they can be recycled by using magic to transfer some of another Wight or Revenant’s lingering emotional energies into the bestial Wights to track killers in some other cases to boot!
Revenants can come in a range of flavors, as it were, ranging from banshee-like physical beings to others bound back into the flesh proper in one way or another. Will not be covering all of those subtypes here though for the sake of sanity and time. But they are also by and far the most common form of sentient/sapient undeath living in the Republic have chosen at one point or another. Rather reasonably and consistently so since they can be rendered to look like normal or like they did in life basically. It is just a matter of re-binding the soul to the deceased body, but not resurrecting the body to full living status again, unlike the natural process of the soul having to grasp to the mortal plane in some manner or another.
-
Geists - Sentient/Sapient spiritual beings, ranging from the wailing banshees to poltergeists to myriad others. The most general and varied category of sentient/sapient undead that can interact with the physical world. Also the second least-common type of sentient undead above that of Soul Gem Constructs. The wild versions are usually found as trouble and cause a number of issues, even being impossible to normally see due to their instability in some cases, whereas sentient ones can at least remain visible consistently and go about.
Spiritual exorcisms and the use of necromancy to purge them out and put them to rest forcibly is the best way to ‘kill’ these beings. Magic and consecrated objects/weapons/tools can be used to hurt them properly as well, though mundane weapons and things without magical or holy natures/blessings cannot so much as touch them in return.
Those who choose this as a form of voluntary reanimation into an undead do so for a number of reasons, a more common one being usually to watch over loved ones or such during the rest of their lives before eventually retiring to be put to rest after said loved ones eventually die themselves. Like an elderly husband watching over his wife as a Geist until they can both attain rest together. Etc, etc, etc.
-
Greater Mummies - Undead created through holy rites/symbols/magics and the act of preserving the body of the targeted undead. In a sense, religiously-created undead who usually only awoke in ancient times when robbers came to pilfer their tombs and the protections on it reanimated them and any buried animals or such with them to help protect said tomb. Now mostly used as a category to designate undead created by holy or religious magics, including holy symbols and sacred trinkets and other religiously-oriented tomb/grave-based protection magics, who have incorporated means of bodily preservation or embalming along with this.
Their most notable trait is being immune to any and all holy-originated symbols and magics that seek to harm or damage them, and they are further immune to traditional undead-slaying or anti-undead spells. Proper spiritual exorcisms, carefully dispelling the magics binding them together, and even the use of knowledge of the proper religious rites used to make them to undo them in reverse are all applicable. Likewise blasting them to pieces and chopping them to bits properly and fully will destroy them assuredly just as well. Otherwise they will eventually regenerate back from the damage done to them if a big enough chunk of their body is left behind for it to 'rebuild' from.
Humans - General humans who seem to live everywhere in the world and whatnot. Includes both ones native to the homeland and ones native to the Archipelago, as well as any human subspecies not too distinct to be separated into something like elves and dwarves and so forth.
Amirai/“Amazons” - An all-female race of women who lived in the An-ki Republic colony’s land, before their eventual conquest by colonial forces scattered many about the other colonies and even as far back as the homeland in a forced diaspora. They have gained a distinctly growing presence as a minority population within the homeland in the last 100 years, alongside the spread of other colonial races throughout the Republic's colonies and back to the homeland. It has also remained a prominent demographic within the Gukou (named for a famous foreign expert who sought audience and funding to explore the seas for the An-ki Republic, and who helped guide colonial efforts of the homeland to several key places including to routes that led to the founding of the colony in the Archipelago named after him) Colony as well, since it was and is their homeland.
They are tall, densely-muscled, and yet somewhat lithe yet curvy humanoids/humans who formed a small bit stone-working kingdom within the Archipelago. They were known for raids on other fellow natives, and anyone else within striking range, even raiding the tribes and peoples of the lesser kingdoms on their home island for goods and slaves and so forth. Some even came to hold positions of power within (insert sigma’s bug people’s race’s name here) cities within what would eventually become the Gukou Colony itself. Yet for all their strength, they became stuck in a number of ways and exposed to other factors that kept them held back in that age of a civilization whose cities were wrought from stone and warriors.
Initially their greatest single kingdom traded with the initial colonists for some time, but initiating trade made them look on the colony inherently as a tributary of sorts whose trade was exclusively for them alone in return for not getting raided or sacked. Eventually this led to war with other locals who wanted ‘such a valuable tributary’, and then eventually to war with the kingdom itself once the truth was finally realized and relations had begun to deteriorate. That war started off decisive for the locals at first, but rapidly turned for the colonial side as reinforcements and other things were pulled into the conflict. The war was swift and decisive, and the following consequences notable, for this people/race in the aftermath as well.
Those who surrendered or submitted, as befitted their culture to a certain extent, and mostly assimilated peacefully. These were also vectors by which some of their culture has remained preserved and through which the old ways were ultimately recorded down alongside the work of other early colonial scholars. The remainder had their children raised in the homeland/colony’s ways and in their vein of education, with those too old or adults too stubborn and still fighting back sentenced to lifelong labor in hard labor camps for the rest of their natural lives alongside other ‘un-rehabitable’ trouble-making native locals from within what would become the colony’s borders.
Elves - Any types of elves within the An-ki Republic, bearing the approximate elvish traits to be placed under this category.
Dark Elves - A local species of the Archipelago, members of whom have been assimilated either locally or from freed and rehabilitated Amirai slaves/captives. Some have entered into the colony and become citizens via defecting to elsewhere and eventually migrating to the colony proper indirectly via trade and other means.
Sea Elves - “{ }” = notes added by the ones compiling the demographics report to the quote describing the sea elves as noted by Bessarugan sources. Quote-
Native to the vast coast of Bessaruga, {which lies to the south and west of the Gukou Colony} Sea Elf tribes made their living with semi-aquatic lifestyles, often migrating for whaling seasons atop large, flat-bottomed boats. They are very capable divers and swimmers.
Dwarves - (Dwarves.)
Dragonkin - Used to refer to any draconic-like peoples or draconic-blooded peoples within the nation’s demographics as a general term. Subspecies are further broken down below-
Vasiris - Inhabiting the colonially-owned mountains to the South, and along the East of Bessaruga's frontier, the Vasiris closest to the colony were noted as being at constant odds with the Amazons of the northern part of the island. Especially the kingdom the Amazons had formed in that part. Often the target of land raids and warriors wishing to fight against a foe at dangerous attitudes for ‘the challenge’, a number were found among the Amirai slaves that were freed after the subjugation of the latter.
{The} Vasiris are a humanoid peoples with several, Lepidosauric features, including predominant horns and scaled appendages. Some have been led to speculate that the Vasiri peoples may be distant ancestors of other draconic peoples -- an idea that has gained traction in academia, but so far has little concrete evidence to validate this theory. Vasiri are quite strong and do not tire easily, and are also known to pick up kinesthetic and athletic skills quickly.
(insert sigma’s insect people’s race’s name here) -
Centaurs - (or Centaurs/etc, basically, or whatever works best)
Population: 10 million (Sentient/Living specifically, not counting mindless undead or reanimated because they aren't sentient/sapient.)
Governance & Politics:
The nation is built with a constitution by current times, and has an Oligarchy at the top formed of the persisting-since-ancient-times though had-to-replace-members-at-times “Council of the Seven Deaths”. These, however, are simply at the very top of the government and at the top of the political food chain. The government below them is split into three parts, with the Council existing as the Executive part and holding these executive and certain special powers, a Legislature split into a House and a Senate who do the law-making work, and then a Judiciary which has nine members maximum by law.
The Council is the oldest part of the government, originally being the whole of the government in ancient times before time and war and other factors have led to its persistence into modern times as the constitutionally designated Executive body at the head of the nation. It was formed as a simple Oligarchy founded for undead alone to rule, but through countless wars and internal struggles and replacements and reforms it has changed and shifted along with the various types of undead-scholars who still form and compose the body overall still. Unlike in older times, where the amount of Council positions shifted depending on the types of undead they classified to actually exist, the modern Council is hard locked into seven Council members proper. The Council, if a position is somehow ever opened up, fills it in by appointment and approval by the remaining council members. Usually there’s a list the Council updates and maintains, which of course changes from time to time, of prime candidates to replace Council members in the case of a potential vacancy. One type of each undead is required to be on the council, no doubling up allowed by law.
The Legislature is voted in within both houses, and brings a voice to the people from across the Republic proper. It is also the newest and youngest part of the government, having been adopted about 110 years ago alongside the nation’s constitution in the aftermath of a number of ideas adopted and put into place by the Council after a series of internal corruption cases and struggles to maintain the aging bureaucracy that the Council was looking to replace in general by doing research into other and new ideas emerging in the rest of the world. It has also taken an amount of pressure off of the Council itself to do all the lawmaking as well, which has been a boon in the Council’s eyes to boot. Both living and undead serve in the Legislature, with term limits used to keep both types of citizenry in-check and in-balance more so in this part of the government.
The Judiciary is formed from a body of lifetime-serving judges, and is the highest court in the nation proper. Albeit they are limited to being living (not undead ever) and cannot use magically-based or magically-generated means of life extension in order to ensure a fresh influx of judges will occur at some point. The Judiciary is composed of nine members, who are nominated by the Legislature, interviewed and investigated by the existing Judiciary (or if none of the Judiciary is alive then a joint temporary council of lesser judges from one governmental level below this), and then denied or approved by the Executive. Below this, things are electoral in nature. Judges start with a proper and required Judicial education to become valid potential candidates to become judges. Said candidates usually gain experience by getting voted into judicial positions in order to climb the ladder, making them seasoned veterans and qualified to enter elections for higher judicial positions in the land. Albeit they must actually live in the area, district, province, etc they are gunning for to be able to seek the position. Those most seasoned and experienced candidates are then applicable to be nominated for joining the Judiciary.
At lower levels one can find sometimes regionally varying laws, though it’s the really far fringe or isolated enough boonies that one can find some of the stranger things still in place. For example, in one small isolated county’s case one can challenge the person their spouse cheated on them with to a serious, lethal duel and it is fully legal and just in the eyes of the law. In another one cannot skin deer on the first two days of the week, with a fine being placed on them and that includes being publicly shamed in the town square.
Culture & Society:
To say a very large number of languages exists within the An-ki Republic would be an understatement, as over the ages the Republic has seen everything from what amounts to ‘dead’ languages elsewhere all the way up to modern ones that have emerged or been imported as they persist within the borders. Languages almost as old as time itself, languages invented more recently or coming in from the outside, and the like exist aplenty indeed. Yet the ‘Common’ tongue is the most prolific, uniting tongue that living and undead within the nation use. It allows them to communicate with the outside world, it allows them to communicate with a notable ease internally, and so forth. It is the first or second language of many, and the spread of education throughout the Republic has seen it become ubiquitous. Not that all the other languages have disappeared or gone out of use, not by a longshot, but for a foreigner in the Republic’s lands the use and teaching of Common by and to locals respectively is most definitely a boon.
Along this line, visitors will find themselves in a generally cosmopolitan society where some consistent running undercurrents and ideas unite a rather large and varied populace over a rather large but united nation overall. Not that things will always be perfect, pro-undead and anti-undead hardliners are persistent minorities the government has generally suppressed to enough of an extent in successfully seeking to unify and in promoting a proper national identity within its borders. There are also those who don’t like one group or another from elsewhere, but it depends on the region and place and so forth as to ‘who could be a problem where’ to try to word it as politely as possible…
Education has generally been important within the An-ki Republic due to the nature of the Council itself deriving from scholars. Eventually scholastic mindsets would persist over the idea of magical supremacy, however, and this would lead to seeking the establishment of more schools for those of enough wealth and status and the like. The matter became more treated pragmatically as time went on and unity was sought through times of external conflict and internal issues alike, leading to eventually widespread education being provided and enforced as a pragmatic means of instilling unity, keeping up with the times practically, and in part preparing and better utilizing the population during the nation’s several decades of rapid and government-facilitated industrialization. Locally it is touted as a ‘right of all sentient life’ to learn and to grow mentally, and it is highly encouraged with scholastic programs even encouraging scholarships at higher levels of education (among other things). In this vein the An-ki Republic stands as perhaps one of the best-educated nations in the world with one of the higher retention rates for students at various levels of education proper.
Undead and living do go about living with each other, with various living races and undead ones existing in tandem. Society, especially heading into modern/current times, has also had a lot of force put in forming a national identity. One that brings in all locals under one banner. It has been for the most part successful, in fact rather successful, though being so large and spread out there are still…issues from time to time. Undead who don’t like living descended from certain places internally or externally due to grudges or undead-supremacy ideologies or other things, living who are anti-undead due to ancient influences in the region, and the like have been notably weakened but still ever-present thorns in the side of society. Most of these issues are more pronounced in rural areas, more so in the most rural and remote areas, but not to an extent they’d throw the whole nation into chaos. Mostly the government has used education and so forth to push back on these things, keeping them down but also keeping them silenced. One way this education has worked is, rather than focus on the differences between people, to focus on what all have in common and the unity of fighting under the same banner and learning in the same schools and living on the same lands and the like. One body. One throng. One unity.
Due to the nature of the Council itself, and its origins, the classifications and types of undead are acknowledged and have their definitions in society. Albeit it has taken a rather long time for it all to bleed and be pushed into society as a matter of fact. The two main categories that exist within local education and such are “Reanimated” and “Risen”, the former being non-sentient in nature and the latter being sentient.
The former includes types of undead such as: Zombies, Skeletons, Lesser Mummies (called “Preserved” formally), Reanimated Vampiric Thralls, Wild Geists, Undead Constructs, Lesser Mummies, and Wights (non-sentient revenants possessing a living body in particular).
The latter category of the two primary ones includes sentient types of undead exclusively, such as: Vampires (Lesser and Greater ones), Soul-Gem-infused Constructs, Liches, Revenants, Geists, and Greater Mummies. This is how society identifies, classifies, and even makes legal use of the undead, as Reanimated are used for labor and in factories and so forth en-masse and with augmentations whilst Risen are treated as citizen species by right. In the case someone creates a sentient Reanimated species, the case is reviewed for prosecution, the subject is treated with citizen rights, and the infractor is punished.
The choice to become a sentient undead is one given to living citizens either just prior to death, if possible, or after necromancy is used to consult their soul on the matter. Should they reject doing so, they are allowed to remain dead. If they choose yes, from there it is a matter of choice of which form of undeath depending on the circumstances of death and so forth (and individual’s desires, etc). Undead can also choose to have release, wherein their undeath is released by magic (or other means like an execution if they are something like a criminal) that puts them to rest.
One can also sign a contract to donate their body to general necromancy, wherein upon their death their soul is left in death and the recipient of this deal gets a sum donation of money depending on the quality of the donator as an undead. From there, the dead body is stripped of identifiable traits and is brought up as a Reanimated rather than a Risen (Risen having their minds/souls when Reanimated have none). It is a form of common ‘life insurance’, though the exploitation of this in certain sensational legal cases has led to increasing regulation on the matter.
When it comes to foods, one can find a wide variety of them spread out within the ____’s lands and regions. It is a big nation, not simply a small one, and to some this has been confusing when traveling through its lands. Seafood and urban staple foods rooted in home cooking along within the greener southern regions butting against the coast, hardy ancient recipes for jerkies and desserts from ancient lost tribes paired alongside new and innovative ideas created by undead or living chefs combining all sorts of techniques, hearty meals and homemade jerky recipes going back thousands of years and even region-unique desserts derived from the more rural northernmost lands, and midland desert delicacies combining foreign ingredients that traveled through the area, one can find a rather large variety of things to eat depending on where one goes within the An-ki Republic’s territory.
It is not really specialized in its tastes in the nation’s food, as they vary and range, but that is also the nation’s strength when it comes to food culture. Variety of both the new as well as historical things once thought long lost, all and everything in-between can be usually found living in this land just as the ancient dead move and work alongside the modern living. That dish that once marked the birth of a faraway foreign king whose kin are long since dead. That dish someone on the coast just innovated by mistake using ice magic and berries. Etc.
Firearms and other weapons are a legal right to citizens as noted in their constitution. Whilst order is enforced in proper, that much can be ensured in the Republic’s case, swords and guns and such can be had with the proper licensing (gotta renew every so many years) and logging of them under a special binding magical contract the city keeps a hold of to keep a count of things. Military grade is kept for the military due to costs, though surplus of these can be sold if they are far enough out of date and enough time has passed. Of course a few landmark legal cases where someone in the military hid guns on purpose to try to exploit this law for profit was….harshly punished. Very harshly.
Policy in the colonies has been more lenient in regards to the logging of the weapons by a binding magical contract, mostly as the build-up of infrastructure usually takes time to catch up with these things. It has led to a bit of chaos here and there, but mostly just local colonial things that get wrapped up neatly as things get built up sufficiently enough.
On the celebration of the day the modern government was instituted in full, 110 years ago, one can definitely find some celebratory gunfire and weapons play going on in the more rural regions. Albeit those who do not use mandated anti-projectile barriers to contain the celebration inside get fines…or worse if some poor individual gets killed or maimed or such by unprotected celebrations. The suburban and urban ones are confined to spaces set aside for it, with barriers usually put up in urban areas by police and other authorities who keep a close watch on such behaviors in those places. Still, the celebrations mark a big national holiday and celebrate the continued survival and independence of the nation in the face of such a long and struggling history. It is not just the day the government attained its modern form, it's this new holiday that has been combined with an existing historical holiday celebrating the survival of the nation since the time of the major crusades into its land.
When it comes to societal jobs, the lowest level ones that are simple or hard labor in nature are mostly filled by unidentifiable reanimated-type undead who have been tweaked with magic. These are maintained by a steady but smaller living force, ones broken into constituent parts meant to keep them maintained, keep things running, and ensure efficiency and so forth. The addition of machines and industry have led to some things like part-machine part-undead constructs that run themselves, undead and unique undead constructs crafted to be magically prepared and ‘programmed’ via magic to be used in assembly line style work to further expedite and improve their efficiency and so forth.
Meanwhile, work and jobs requiring skilled living hands have remained prolific despite the implementation of reanimated-type undead in industry and such. Support jobs in this, and specialized ones needing skilled hands and sentient beings as support, have been areas for the living to really get involved in with this field of industry. There are also jobs reanimated-type undead can’t do, ranging from complex magic use to inventing things to improving and tweaking machines to cutting hair and the like. Larger and smaller farms, for example, still have farmers but also have these farmers trained in basic conjuring necromancy to create reanimated farmhands and safely implement them in many ways. Larger ones will also have minimal needed living/sentient helpers to also assist them in maintaining the undead and getting things done, mostly doing so in ways that the undead can’t be set to do on their own and that the farmer alone can’t handle. Etc, etc, etc.
Whilst Necromancy and such is integrated into the beating heart of the An-ki Republic, there is one aspect of it that does see stricter regulations from even a historical perspective: Soul Magic. The capture of the souls of the living, or conjured up souls of the dead, which are imprisoned in crystal-like “Soul Gems” created by magic. These Soul Gems can be used to create independent and intelligent constructs of some kind, to power magical devices and rituals without ever ‘running dry’ (though a cooldown period is needed when overusing a Soul Gem powered something or another), and even to torture the souls of the unfortnate victims using magical means. It is a far darker side of Necromancy that was once legal and used without hesitation, but as times changed and the Council’s approach changed it eventually became a banned and strictly forbidden magic altogether in most (but not all) applications. The “Act on the Right of the Soul” was a series of edicts, eventually pulled together formally into this act within the modern government, passed even before the modern government emerged about the matter to make note of and dictate legal ramifications for it.
In current times, the use of Soul Magic to act as a medium and contact the dead is fully legal. It can also be used in hidden deep-site government prisons where the worst of any war prisoners go to be interrogated or dealt a harsh punishment before their eventual execution, though by law the soul is returned to the victim’s body (which is kept alive by magic) in the aftermath (likely to be considered cruel and unusual elsewhere in the world). Likewise it is legal to use it to make a willing construct, one where the soul in the soul gem is in full control in a case of ‘willing and voluntary undeath’ a dying or deceased living can choose to partake of. However, the population of these soul gem constructs has remained low consistently due to the myriad crimes involving soul magic even into modern times….and the horror it has instilled even into even the undead about the matter.
Magic & Technology:
Undead have been a staple of industry since ancient times, even having been used under the original council as far back as 1000 years ago in rudimentary assembly lines before falling out of favor and then going back into use once technology returned to that idea. Enchanted bone sword blades that seek out the foe when swung in battle and are rendered harder than steel, cursed undead hounds used to harry invaders when evacuating towns and dealing lingering curses to those they bite, disease-filled miasma spells set off by saboteurs in the enemy’s supply line during a major battle, detached undead limbs used to operate doors or handing supplies to working necromancers, and the like have been present historically as well.
Even as technology began to tread forward, some now-outdated things were once used…such as (but not limited to, as with any of this): Wild Geist possessed doors that open for the owners but stay closed or wail at potential thieves/intruders. Cursed fingers taken from enemy soldiers that are fired back using old muzzle-loaders as homing bullets that dig into the body to try to carve it up from the inside. Vengeful wights used to sniff out murderers. Metal-cast enchanted beast/humanoid teeth taken from the dead and placed in old blunderbuss-like guns, only to grow into minor skeletal minions when ‘planted’ in the bodies of unfortunate victims they got embedded in by being shot at them like shotgun pellets. Even skulls imbued with angry non-sentient spirits cast inside of metal cannonballs or metal objects like a skull goblet, either fired at enemy fortifications or camps or ships with secondary functions or respectively being used as hidden home defense measures to keep around the place.
In modern times, similar trends in technology have been created in the vein of merging magic/necromancy and industry/technology together. Machines with pulsating parts made of undead to help automate their functions, undead augmented with explosives inside of them that detonate on being riddled with bullets or struck with spells, magic communication devices that will eventually be blended with radios for further efficiency at home and on the battlefield, the wood of unique magic vampiric trees created from being fed lots of blood used in gun stocks to help keep soldiers alive through horrible hurt and damage on the battlefield, bullets steeped in curses before being fired at enemies in order to afflict them secondarily, geists used to chill the inside of boxcars to help deliver ice and temperature-sensitive products to far away safely, artillery shells imbued with toxic gases and wraiths (a type of malignant Wild Geist by An-ki’an classifications) that do horrendous things to those in the effective radius of the shell once it is fired and detonates during a battle, and the like have emerged as technologies (etc, etc, etc).
Military Overview:
Trench-like warfare has eventually developed within the An-ki Republic as its primary mode of defensive battle and sieges, stemming as far back in some ways as the 1600s in its existence with tactics used to siege out fortresses or enemy cities or the like. Defensive fronts usually have had trenches dug about, smaller concrete-wrought higher-up bunkers for gun-toting infantry to fire out of or to protect placed or embedded artillery, and the use of things such as barbed wire and defensive wards and other shored up spots to hide behind or store things in and allowing defending parties to protect themselves or hide in. Likewise in use are things such as artillery, hidden back and placed to fire over at enemies, and illusion-infused charms, embedded loosely or hidden in some trench walls to confuse invading enemies by leading them in circles or disorienting them, are also employed defensively. Not to mention some of the most important defensive setups will incorporate means to reanimate slain soldiers as reanimated as a contingency and to try to get the enemy if the defensive position is overrun/taken from them.
For offense, the idea of softening up enemy lines and moving in more or less quickly (depending on the situation) is generally the approach taken. A far call from the zombie-horde and magic-toissing tactics of very ancient times. Artillery barrages and cobbled undead monstrosities (also used as any sort of cavalry if any) and such being sent in to soften lines and harass the enemy and hit them in irregularly-spaced waves is the general way things start, before the major sentient troops move in backed by monstrosities and further leading artillery fire before they truly push hard. Whilst the idea of tanks and machine guns does not yet exist, once they do prove themselves they will see ultimately/eventually integration of both the offensive and defensive tactics of the Republic’s military in one way or another.
History: ((Need to get this hammered out one day in a general version at some point in the future if I can. If i can. (@_@)
Until then, a hider below this part will contain the basic gist and rough overall history of the region as seen via the survival and progress of the old “Undead Council” through it and its governed land growing and changing and shrinking and so forth to the point of becoming “The Grand United Democratic An-ki Republic”. I typed that bit out before ever writing the rest of this app, and so it is the closest I have to a general history section at this point to be honest.))
Other:
1 ) The homeland is vast USA-grade size, sits somewhere between the east and west, has a large southern coastline, lots of mountains on the western and eastern borders as well as rough terrain, and the terrain varies from north to south. Since the homelands aren't the major focus, and the colonies are, it goes without saying that is just a sort of fun flavor and style for the homeland at least.
2 ) The Gukou Colony itself, to give a brief summary, is a prosperous and industrialized colony that has been worked on since its inception a few years after the The Grand United Democratic Republic of the An-ki formed into its current state. Not that it didn't have colonial ambitions beforehand or during that time, as it was prepared to launch those expeditions and ten years later would settle the Gukou Colony proper.
3 )
((“The Undead Council” -> “The Greater Council of Undeath” -> “The Council of the Seven Great Lords”))
The body began back in ancient times underneath the original Magocracy of sorts, being their own ‘department’ and controlling a region of the land as a council of undead magi who as scholars sought to organize the types of and debate the nature of the undead. L:ikewise it was their jobs to experiment with undeath and accumulate knowledge of it. It was a back and forth and debate within this council that took the classification of undead from seven to fourteen to frankly more classifications of undead and types of undeath as they were debated or merged or identified or the like over the decades and so forth. It was equally scholarly and ruling as a body, a vassal of the Greater Magocracy in general but counted as part of its territory. Yet with the eventual degradation of the Magocracy and its parts, The Undead Council would find itself thrust into a position of independence as its own territory was among the few areas to hold firm during the following time of turmoil.
Eventually expanding back out and taking an amount of the territory once owned by the Magocracy, the renamed “Greater Council of Undeath” would seek to arrange a more stable administration underneath them to help manage the day to day matters. It would lead to the adoption of some amount of republican ideas in the process, and in the pursuit of being able to create more undead the matter of the living and how to reasonably arrange things would become the next major issue. Lingering older habits and methods were ultimately rather blunt, and constant warmongering for bodies would only hurt the work in the longer run as it built up more negative sentiment. The eventual uprising of the northern region’s living in rebellion would see the rebels supported by outside powers in the region, mostly as a means to keep the so-called “Undead Menace” in check, and this would persist for some time until the conflict came to an end as the outside powers in one way or another had to or ended up pulling out of the affair.
Despite having to work against some of the more conservative officials in power, and seeing two internal civil wars over the matter that led to losing a couple of council members who had to be replaced, the Greater Council would ultimately avoid the collapse of the nation and grant equivalent social and economic status to the living. Indeed, they could now become scholars and soldiers and mages and so forth, rather than simply being fodder for working farms and producing undead. At the time it was a rather big and controversial step indeed, but with the pragmatism the council was shifting toward in its operations it was seen as a wholly practical step in moving forward after much debate and discussion alongside adopting the use of conjured undead rather than just creating new ones from scratch alone. It would also see the more stable growth of the national borders to absorb some more of their weaker neighbors through battle or diplomacy (mostly the former) to try to remove troublesome elements should those from outside come knocking into the region again to try to stir up or support troublemakers in the region. Again.
In medieval times, the region would find itself subject to a number of religious crusades and military offensives from the west of the region it called home in the mid to late medieval era. Those who sought to purge the undead, wipe clean the region for living settlement, and that sort of thing. It saw several parts of the overall region set up with foreign-controlled or foreign-puppeted or even foreign-supported living states, ones with strong anti-undead sentiment to boot. It would see several centuries of conflict with waves of these attacks and crusades and such hitting the land, though it provided fuel for local undead forces aplenty and the crusaders could never penetrate too far eastward in the valuable middle or southern regions to boot. Trade from the west to east was ultimately a more minor but economic pursuit of the crusaders as well, though the crusaders sought to make links farther east in their wars, with only with the eventual loss of steam in later ‘crusades’ due to financial costs, the reconquest of less-than-stable crusading states left behind, outside rivalries and conflicts, and other factors such factors leading to the end of this.
In the aftermath the Council, a third of which had been killed during this time period, would ultimately rebuild and grow the national borders beyond what it had seen even prior to the medieval time period. Likewise, involvement in the west saw trade and occasional alliances with western powers as time went on. Similar situations would pop up in the east, though more slowly so than in the west, which would likewise lend to the region’s building up of a flow of trade through its lands. Ironically what some of the crusading parties had sought to prevent, a powerful undead-led nation, was created. Likewise what they had sought in trade of exotic goods from the east and vice-versa was enabled by this new reinvigorated undead-ruled nation. Many living had begun to tire of the outsiders during the prior era which made incorporation of a number of areas in the region smoother initially, and those who did resist generally didn’t have the support or resources to keep up independence. Bit by bit they were absorbed, until this general region became something of a united Republic of sorts in its own right. With the Council focusing more on the long-game than the short-term, this time of general stability in a generally post-medieval world was a boon to how the Council worked best then. Fostering a sense of regional unity, long-term plans, education and the application of practical technologies and magics, all would see the building up of this undead-led Republic into a force of its own.
The eventual rise of ships and improved craft seeking to bypass the Republic for trade with the east would see an eventual decline in this respect, but not with some sense of stagnation attached to the Republic in turn. Valuable airship pit stops built up over the years, naval ports that still saw an amount of trade on the nation’s singular southern coastline, and land trade for goods produced in the region itself would help keep it afloat. It would not be the golden age the region had existed in prior, that much would become certain, but it would see some weakening in the region’s once prolific wealth until the eventual (even if later than others) embracing of the Manarite Industry and the discovery of vast deposits and wealths of different forms of manarite in the region would fuel a local boom. A major boom at that. One that would see the region elevated from ‘somewhat backward or stagnant in technology but no one can afford to try to take over its land because of endless undead swarms’ to ‘rising economic and modern power’ that would give the region ground to advance and move forward into current times proper.
Resistance to the changes, outside attacks from certain parties, and other little factors would see another period of internal conflict emerge during this modernizing time period as well. Whilst it would not be as bad as the times of the crusades into the region prior, it would initially see the Republic on the back foot and some northern land lost once more until the eventual buildup of advancement and industry, trade with other nations to import experts and so forth to help them modernize, and the supporting use of necromancy would see the nation and Council pull off a miracle in modernizing within under 40 years. Many credit this most notably to the centralized government, increasing flexibility of the council to adapt to the times over the ages, and the strategic implementation of necromancy and long-term planning in support of industrial efforts.
Indeed, while it took some time the nation was able to adapt and learn and overcome, just as it had for centuries upon centuries. That is also perhaps the region’s greatest strength, as each time it has had to adapt and grow and learn further it has done so in shorter and shorter time periods than ever before. In undeath, unlike the popular living rumors about it, stagnation is not some inevitability. Rather, it is a chance to grow and learn for far longer than the living could dream of.
Where in the world were these travelers from?! Not that Vammy's involvement helped many social situations at all, ever or if at all in her mind, but the killing intent from the woman was as clear as day. Not that she blamed anyone for being afraid of someone like herself, given what she could do...her mother had let her know that much at least. So too had experience. History. The far past. It had been a boon against that ridiculous beast from a few days ago at least, though, which made her glad to have had some means to help that situation if nothing else. But still...hmm. At least the child, Leuca, seemed to be friendly and trusting enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. A potentially dangerous thing, as the child's obvious protector likely knew, but in this case it felt like a small relief.
Not that the murderous gaze didn't send a visible chill down her back and make her lips stay tightly shut to not interrupt Sorcha's words.
But as the child spoke up at the end Nylah found herself somewhat surprised. The elf she'd heard was helping out the fishing issue, Seelay, gone? Just like that? Perhaps some business had popped up at her own home that required attention? Or, er...the Mothraki had no idea really. But it was information that could help that particular problem at least, even if the one who had procured it had left.
Still, the Mothraki seemed to ponder on Leuca's words briefly before letting out a small sigh and looking to the others and ultimately on Sorcha and her charge. The woman seemed generally in-charge of whatever was going on with these travelers, or enough so at least.
"Y-Your warning is duly noted, Miss S-Sorcha. I wouldn't dream of hurting a child, though that is simply my word as a stranger.
But before we all speak further, perhaps we can head to I and my mother's home to get you all settled first in the spare room. Certainly Enli would want to hear of the news about the fishing, but until he returns we can't really tell him this either. I can get some food over the fire in the meantime, at the very least, and try to help make you comfortable before I check in on mother as well."
Nylah let out a small sigh, before motioning to the others to follow as she began to walk away toward her home.
Things had been slowed a bit, but guests taken out of the cold would at least be the right thing to do in her mind. The spare room was plenty big enough, and she could get a fire started within it to help cook as well. That and...well...she'd been wanting to talk to Lissa anyway about a potential rescue mission. Or something like that, she supposed, considering they were only two people. So getting things comfortable would hopefully ease the situation for the travelers, let her check in on her mother before heading out anywhere if they did go on some mission, and frankly give them all a chance to talk in a less chilly spot.
Not that Sorcha didn't still make her a bit nervous. She was trying to not make direct eye contact out of fear another murderous glaze would come her way. But with mother not in prime condition, perhaps the one silver lining was them not being seen as a worse threat perhaps. Maybe. Hopefully?
Hmm. Perhaps the sooner they arrived and got settled, then, the better things would be.
***Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.
***Making anesthetics and preparing healing potions and salves.
It’d be easy enough to prepare both of those things especially with the things she had on hand. Fresh water for a base, crush the ingredients, then boil it to a broth. Simple enough, they didn’t have time to refine it. The Salves could be made by taking the same ingredients and crushing them into a paste without the water. Better for topical use on flesh wounds.
***
***
-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.
-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one’s path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.
-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.
-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time. (EDIT: Has refilled her supplies. Also now has two vials of baby-chameleon-thing poison.)
-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.
-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.
-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.
-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.
The Mothraki felt another small pang in her gut as she watched the oni and Miss Calra leave, but would try to refocus herselff as Lissa finally responded to her question. Yes. It seemed the other girl outright wanted to help, and that perhaps made her chances of getting the human to join her on a stupid venture more likely. Then perhaps if Mie and them were assisted soon enough, it would at least help flesh the village out some and put the...well...maybe in the debt of the village a little bit. Help and safety in return for some help, among other potential trades they could make if they scrounged up some things to give to the merchants in return. Well, then again that'd be if things worke, they all got back, and there were still goods and such to trade for that remained! Plus it'd save more lives from needlessly being lost out there...
Ugh. It all made the mage-herbalist's head hurt some, though something would soon ring in her left ear that made her nearly jump up to the ceiling.
"Watch your ass, mothie."
she could jump as Vammy's little 'message in a bubble finally popped next to one of her ears. It had arrived silently, without warning, much like the light hammer of butt-protection and friend-protection had before. Even so, she'd been keeping more aware since Vammy's arrival and intentions becoming clear at least. Or at least intentions to grab butts and harass one of her best friends. Hmph! The nerve!
That being noted, before the Mothraki could go back to think more on the ramifications and details of her and maybe Lissa's potential quest she was interrupted. A trio of new arrivals walked abruptly in, and ultimately targeted her and her compatriot to talk to. Lissa seemed to give them the most basic gist first, at least, but out of habit the moth waited for her turn to speak before piping up.
"This is the village of Dawn, as Lissa has told you, and I am Nylah. However our Elder, Enli, has had to go off on other likely business for the time being it seems,", Nylah said, motioning to Lissa as she said her name before looking back at the trio of new arrivals. She was likewise trying to be polite, though as the summary of the situation came to mind it pushed at the edges of her mouth as if trying not to grimace at the grim situation overall, "The village has been still undertaking many efforts to recover after...after Elder Beast Azral Suralng and his kin passed through this area. The area has been a general danger for travelers, of which a few have stopped and sought to help us in our time of need. I and Lissa were about to talk about one of these matters.
We could look for Priestess Akala if you wish for sanctuary here for the time being, until Enli can speak with you, but there are yet still many dwelling here who have lost homes.
If you seek some rest in less cramped quarters, I could for the time being host you at I and my mother's home in the meantime at least. We have a spare room you could stay in."
It was a somewhat sudden, but modest, offer. But without Enli here, or another big representative, it was the least she could try to offer these potential travelers seeking to stay out of the cold. They at least didn't seem hostile, but all the same she had no idea of their intentions or frankly who they were in the first place. So whilst her polite offer to help was genuine, it wasn't without some measure of proper caution being silently held and left unspoken on her part.
***Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.
***Making anesthetics and preparing healing potions and salves.
It’d be easy enough to prepare both of those things especially with the things she had on hand. Fresh water for a base, crush the ingredients, then boil it to a broth. Simple enough, they didn’t have time to refine it. The Salves could be made by taking the same ingredients and crushing them into a paste without the water. Better for topical use on flesh wounds.
***
***
-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.
-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one’s path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.
-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.
-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time. (EDIT: Has refilled her supplies. Also now has two vials of baby-chameleon-thing poison.)
-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.
-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.
-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.
-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.
Nylah kept quiet as the Oni gave what information she had to them, though a small but deep pang of guilt striking her stomach with each cough and hack on Haruno's part. After Haruno would finish speaking, then, the Mothraki would give a small nod to her. She made anoother glance at the invisible (to the others for all she knew) tiny goddess watching a rat, fox, and hound chasing each other before looking back to Haruno. To others, she hoped it would look like she was in thought somewhat. Hopefully. But it brought back some of Haruno's words to mind all the same.
"I asked Lady Mie and she simply said that the Krysa were being unreasonable."
Unreasonable? Mie had said that, but what had the other two parties said as well? She almost wondered if they had asked for food or such, or perhaps demanded such rather than seek a more diplomatic route. Not to mention the Elder Beast passing through had sent things into a tailspin for everyone, including the village, meaning that...hmm. Perhaps they were desperate for food and supplies, and were trying to force Mie to hand over her goods?
It was all an initial guess at best though, an estimation.
She had no way of knowing what was going on or had gone on outside of Haruno's testimony, and however it actually was out there with the full situation they needed Mie's goods and so forth. Assisting her, perhaps, would be a boon for the village in that sense. If they could save her. If they could get people out alive and any remaining goods along with them in the caravan.
On the other hand, she was happy to see Lissa having come over as well. She'd been hoping to finally find her.
"Unreasonable...," Nylah said, quietly at first, letting the word mull and roll over her lips for a moment in thought before meeting the oni's eyes once more and speaking at a normal but respectful volume, "Thank you, Haruno. We can take things from here. Please go rest...ok? I'll even update you on things if we figure anything out, as soon as I can at least. You have my word."
Her own eyes were filled with a genuine worry and concern, and a bit of guilt more so now, but she couldn't stand seeing the oni in that much pain either. She needed rest, and as a healer...or...well as a person she couldn't stand it. It was her own problem, she knew that much, but it wasn't good to be running around bleeding or such either.
The apprenticing herbalist then looked over to Calra, gave a small nod, and then stood up once more before turning to Lissa.
"Could...uhm...we talk somewhere more private for a moment?"
Hopefully a spot with no more chameleons as well. Please no more of those things. And apparently the one that had chased them, according to the hunters, was a baby! A baby!!! If they'd met an adult she didn't want to think about it. Now she was considering something to ask Lissa about that was perhaps just as if not more dangerous.
Ugh. It made her antsy just thinking about it, increasingly nervous to boot.
She just hoped Lissa, ah, did not hold any extra sore feelings for that event a few days ago. Though she seemed willing to help Haruno's allies at least, from what the other girl had said, so Nylah had some hope they could work together again.
***Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.
***Making anesthetics and preparing healing potions and salves.
It’d be easy enough to prepare both of those things especially with the things she had on hand. Fresh water for a base, crush the ingredients, then boil it to a broth. Simple enough, they didn’t have time to refine it. The Salves could be made by taking the same ingredients and crushing them into a paste without the water. Better for topical use on flesh wounds.
***
***
-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.
-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one’s path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.
-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.
-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time. (EDIT: Has refilled her supplies. Also now has two vials of baby-chameleon-thing poison.)
-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.
-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.
-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.
-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.
Zapdos
Xaltwind
Spiffy
dwyer austin
The Otter
Dezuel
Izurich
Danyel
Aku the Samurai
tundrafrog1124
