Besides, it gives him more complexity. Anyone can do a vapid serial killer- but, really? Evil is boring. As writers, we try to pretend that the morally black is fascinating, but real tyrants and murderers are usually so empty inside that there's nothing to explore. They did what they did because they wanted to, because it gave them power or satisfaction, and half of them frankly will tell you so themselves. There aren't any layers. It's only when you're in the struggle to be good that all the interesting stuff can really happen.
What about an older man who used to be in six different cults and did a lot of things, as well as learned a lot of non-mainstream or 'less than acceptable' magics, but changed his life around finally....as well as secretly hides his past so he can help do things like identify or work with cursed magic items, peddle his services and knowledge at each stop to help customers deal with such things, summon the occasional horror from beyond our dimension to help move stuck carts (etc), and helps deal with other occult matters the caravan faces as he peddles his services at each stop because he's trying to be a good guy? XD
Honestly, it's a tough one to answer, because I'd just have to see the sheet. My instinct is to say "No, killer-y characters are fine," but I would advise that I don't think the Caravan would actively shelter someone that they know is an (unjustified) murderer
What about an older man who used to be in six different cults and did a lot of things, as well as learned a lot of non-mainstream or 'less than acceptable' magics, but changed his life around finally....as well as secretly hides his past so he can help do things like identify or work with cursed magic items, peddle his services and knowledge at each stop to help customers deal with such things, summon the occasional horror from beyond our dimension to help move stuck carts (etc), and helps deal with other occult matters the caravan faces as he peddles his services at each stop because he's trying to be a good guy? XD
@Tortoise Working on concepts. Currently a guy who dabbles in occult things and peddles his skills and services, but is a good guy albeit is also an old man, is what I am working on. Trying to think out another thing potentially too, but hope it all works out.
“We’re, uh, workin on it. We got some new information at least.”
"Indeed. Myself and Lissa set out to see if we could learn anything more, albeit Lissa hasn't returned yet. But I think she was out to look for your sister to talk some more.
I on the other hand ultimately I ran into a friend of a friend of ours rather unexpectedly, though, one who had just arrived here in the freezing cold. He's the one who just left after just talking with us for a brief time near a warm fire. Hence the new information."
Nylah spoke amicably and honestly, but would still rub the back of her head sheepishly in slight embarrassment still. She hadn't done much to really help but talk to this guy, and then rush him out of the building. He had seemed to be on a similar wavelength to her, maintaining cover on both their ends of things at the very least. That much did make her feel a little better about her own burst of just outright talking. So much talking it was embarrassing to have spilled out without much pause all in one shot.
But that aside it was a sign to her she was certainly out of her depth, that much she felt to be sure, but she had resolved to come here all the same. She wouldn't be backing down either. Herself and Lissa couldn't leave this as it was, for Mie and her people to sit and die eventually (or something of the sort). Haruno had fought to hard to find help as well, coming so close to death it had been ghastly, and she wanted to bring the oni back good news of some kind at least. Maybe even more than just good news to boot.
It was also valuable to Dawn itself if...well...even potentially Mie and her people had any reason to be in Dawn's debt. Maybe. Truth be told she wanted to save lives where she could, that was reason number one, but secondarily she couldn't hide from herself her own thoughts on the matter otherwise. Even if that meant breaking or sneaking or somehow getting them out and back to the village or some other form of safety, what Mie and her people had could very well help Dawn rebuild.
Most of all, perhaps there would be something she knew or had to assist in the one thing the Mothraki held most dear and crucial even now: Healing her ailing mother. Anything. Something. She had to figure something out to help her, to save her. That much she knew for sure without having to think hard on it at all. No matter what the past was, her mother was the only mother she'd ever known and remembered. They had much more to talk about, to experience, to do, and so forth.
...She wouldn't be letting that all that fade away because of some Elder Beast and a mysterious ailment.
***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.
***
***
***
-Acquired Lore/World Knowledge:
***Yaga Deity + Yaga Perspective On Rifelshka -
and slowly running her thumb across it. “It doesn’t have a name. Our deity, that is. We just know he exists and is the reason we survived the Moonless Era.” She’d pass it to Nylah for her to hold. “As for The Death goddess…” She lowered her voice, briefly glancing over her shoulders despite there being quite obviously no one else in the cabin. “We say the rest of the gods are lesser spirits born from our nameless deity when he fell from the heavens, his body was formed into these lesser Spirits. But the Death Goddess? She existed before him and if you believe the elder, had a direct hand in creating the Moonless Era and seeks to kill our deity once more. That’s all I’m saying.” She’d fall silent, seemingly nervously scratching the back of her head. “Uh, sorry I’m gonna take a walk. Hate talking about this, but one more thing. Do not mention her name here, outsider. That’s a good way to get every Yaga to want you to leave. Say she hears every time her name is spoken and we don’t want to try any attention from her.”
***Why the Krysa are at the Yaga Village and are attacking Mie -
Something has the Krysa spooked.” A brusque reply the Yaga ignored the snow starting to fall, leading the three towards a small house towards the middle of the village. “Someone trying to attack one of their wisemen or something? I dunno. They blame that merchant that travels through here around this time.”
***About Novak:
First, I know that I don't look the part of one of Mie's people. I originally wasn't- I was just some nobody that her caravan picked up, and she was gracious enough to allow me to earn a living working for her. She sent me to sneak out since I'm neither an Oni nor a Chagawa human, thus they have no reason to suspect that I'm with her."
***Mie's Caravan Situation Information As Acquired from Novak:
"I presume Haruno already filled you in as to what our situation is. Nothing's changed since she left- we're still holding out, but our food is running low and we need to get this resolved one way or the other. However, I did manage to learn some rather interesting things on my way here. The Krysa woman you saw me with, Lady Marushka, is with the Office of Internal Peace. She's acting on direct orders from the Tsarita herself, hunting some "person of interest" in the snowfields. I also overheard a mention from her guards about the life of someone important being threatened. Sir something...Ost...no...Osh...Ozven, that's it. Sir Ozven, they said."
***
***
***
-{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 one total healing pots remaining now. Also now has four three 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.
Worked some of this out with Mintz, and some invaluable help from Yosh in the power department. Took a while to get prepared and ready due to holidays and such thus far, ut here it is! The final product of a lot of days of work dangit! XD
Just say the word on anything that needs to be fixed or changed or edited or nerfed or whatever else! And it shall be fixed. o7
Artemisia
Name: Luna Chambers
Alias: Artemisia
Nicknames: Lunie (parents only), “Scars” (when she was a part of the Mutants/gang), Lulu (the only one she’d maybe eventually accept from other people these days who aren’t her parents)
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Personality: A person who usually says what she wants to without reservation, the sort of blunt-type and straightforward personality in the sense of not seeing any point in sugar-coating things when she feels like something needs to be or should be said/done. In that sense, she is a girl of action. She less enjoys the ‘usual girly type of stuff’ in favor of more physical activities and exercise and video games and so forth, though learning how to brush and even tie her hair up in a bun is something she’s picked up on (among a few small things) from a practicality standpoint over the last few years. At the same time, however, she isn’t the type to be so blunt about certain matters like trigger events and similar traumas. Even suffering from violence and gangs and poverty and so forth is something of a spot she’s definitely softer and more understanding about.
At the same time, she also has a certain bone to pick when it comes to her former gang. Guilt. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. It's hard to nail down her exact feelings. What she has made known is that she’s more than happy to help clean up the mess and their boss and such ilk off of the streets, perhaps one day once and for all. She wants to make things truly better for the world this time, unlike what she thought would help her do so before, and she’s dedicated herself to that ideal and goal both when it comes to the Mutants and other such things out there. At the same time, however, when it comes to her past she has likewise mixed emotions talking about it. Talking about how it was a mistake, and showing herself as proof of it among other things? Yes. Talking about the details of her trigger with other people, or other more complicated matters tied to it? No. These matters regarding her past are….much more touchy for her.
Whilst she had put years of work into her own self-control, not having been overly violent back when she was part of a gang, she has worked over the last few years to try to stem her more violent side as well. When angered enough she especially struggles with this, and it is something she has come to rather hate about herself. Not that she entirely loves herself in general otherwise.
It was Redline, but it was also her home. Heck, the impoverished area she lived in in particular was home to a number of people both normal or turned parahuman due to the events of their own lives. Gangs, the sound of police sirens, drugs, and the like were normalized to her from the moment she was born. Even so, her parents wished for her to find a better life beyond the neighborhood and area of the city she was born in…grow up better and live better than they’d ever had it in their own lives. She was sent to a decent public school in the city and outside of her neighborhood to learn, her parents scrounging enough money to help her get bus or other fare to get there. Anything in order to gun for the best possible future...albeit this came with its own pressures and more so expectations despite their intentions.
Yet life as it was where she lived was a reality she also had to live with, and in her particular neighborhood a certain gang would end up taking over during the early years of her youth: The Mutants. A smaller group of parahumans, bitter with the world they lived in and treatment of non-Hero parahumans and so forth, whose message and propaganda would find some ground among the children of her area. Including herself. Things such as: "Society won't accept anyone who isn't a slave of the ‘hero’ system", "We gotta make ourselves known to the world, even if it hurts em' all to do so", "Screw mundanes, those worthless sheep. Thinking they are better than us! They're right to fear us! We're better than them", "Let's take what society owes us, and rebuild everything from scratch", etc. Or whatever other kind of rhetoric they sought to use. The kind of things that people at the bottom, those most disenfranchised by the world, parahumans living in poverty, and so forth might be drawn to like moths to an alluring but red-hot flame.
But few would get the chance to survive learning that this very same flame would just as happily consume them as well. Violence. Death. Servitude. The Mutants claimed to keep the area safe from the 'mundy gangs' by making where a number of parahumans lived in her area into 'their territory' and 'a place where parahumans can be free of society's crap'. Yet it was no different than the other gangs out there. Drugs. Extortion of 'protection fees' from those living around. Stealing from wealthy stores or other places. Girls and women forced into certain ‘jobs’. Fighting with other gangs, peddling their ideology, and frankly trying to drive out and keep out both police and heroes alongside any other forms of authority other than themselves. It was just an old lie used by such groups, but this time with a new flavor, yet to many impoverished parahumans and non-parahumans left as the worst off they were convinced of a seeming hope of rising the gang's ranks and changing the world. In becoming something, someone, more. In making anything better.
Whilst there were also the inherent unsavory types that would naturally be drawn to such an organization as well, this dream they were being sold would help to grow the numbers of and replenish numbers within the gang. Yet even then the gang had a mixed reception at best within this part of ‘their turf’, and locals in her area regarded or interacted with the gang in a mixed manner. Some had siblings or parents or relatives in it, some merely turned an eye on them to avoid trouble, and others outright rejected them as just another violent group trying to exploit them with false promises and ‘beating the system’ or whatever the case was. Yet even amidst the mixed reception, Luna and her friends seemed to want to join and would do so. Promises of better money to help their parents, glory, whatever it was in the end that drew them in ultimately did so in effect.
From here, they would start off small and rather young. Carrying something to another member’s house to avoid suspicion. Petty theft. Pickpocketing. Mentoring and coaching from any surviving older members would seek to groom them into future gang initiates as they served them, preparing them and so forth. Indeed, it would begin to pull them in as they joined up and started off small. Then it was transporting small amounts of drugs to kids at school. Learning how to sneak in and out contraband from places, how to hide money and such things, etc. Luna herself still went to school and so forth as her parents wanted at the same time, often this being used to make her a way to convey substances or such to her school more so over time. At the same time she wanted to keep her parents happy, but caught in between two worlds she was becoming something much worse than they had hoped. But she coasted along with things, holding desperately to the warped perspective and idea that both worlds were necessary, and that she could resolve things one day.
By the time she turned fourteen, however, she was involved in gang activities on a wider and more violent scale, from fights to smuggling to whatever she was assigned to. Her parents were despairing about her future and their expectations for her, she’d lost at least two friends to the violence, and the gang had its expectations for her being pushed harder and harder alongside this as well. Then came the day she and some of her surviving non-parahuman peers who had aspirations to rise up the ranks were told they would be ‘tested’, all to see if any of them would be able to reach the upper levels of the gang’s hierarchy. Not many if any such candidates came back from these ‘tests’, that much they silently knew already, but those who had come out into the gang’s upper crust and had gotten past it seemed to be that much stronger, tougher, and the like. They lasted a lot longer than any lower commanders had, and rumor had it they all came out of it as parahumans themselves.
And then the moment came. After arriving at the place, they were pushed inside and told to wait in the front room before they’d be brought back for the ‘test’. It was also here that a passing hooded man came to look her over, taking special note of her before he left…and accidentally dropped a hastily-folded paper as he left as well. Seemingly a messenger from the higher-ups, from what she knew, she couldn’t help but grab up the message and take a look at it as her time for the ‘test’ came closer and closer. Indeed, by this point her peers had been called back one by one before she’d finally been left alone in the room.
However…
Right after Luna finished reading the letter, the doors to the ‘test’ room burst open and an imposing man with a loaded glock in hand stepped out this time. The look in his eyes, the blood that was not his own that was staining his upper torso, the finger he had on the trigger of the gun, it all spoke silent but untold volumes of what was going to happen next. Violence. Immediate and imminent violence. The hooded man also stepped back in as well, and upon seeing her with the paper he froze in place stunned.
An utter identity crisis occurred at that time within Luna.
Who was she, really? What was she? She had coasted along with the gang as best she could, put on her best performance for her parents and local gang captains alike, but in the end she couldn’t do either. Was she just some punk kid who knew how to do crime? An idiot who had tried to live two lives, but couldn't be fully honest with either and had failed at both? In the heat of that moment her warped reality and the illusions of her own self were irreparably and wholly shattered.
She triggered.
…once taken into PRT custody, and investigations into the initial incident were finished, Luna and her family were rapidly taken and relocated to a secure PRT site far away from Redline. Safe to say, however, this change was to be the greatest one of her life thus far. Due to her age, she could not be thrown into some kind of parahuman detention facility and was instead kept with her parents at this PRT site and under constant observation and tight guard. Likewise, her parents were initially fearful to even be in the same room as her. It was enough to keep her in a relatively dark place at first, though…a couple of visitors would soon make their faces known by visiting her.
Moving forward she was most often visited by the cape known as “Glacier”, member of the Redline hero group known as the Elementals who had been the one to escort her off the scene after her trigger event. Despite his being rather intimidating at first, and his cold demeanor and very blunt disposition each not helping the matter, he was also the only one that seemed to want to talk to ‘her’. Not trying to pry out information from her, not afraid to be in the same room as her, it was a small light when she was at the lowest point in her life in those first months. Indeed, as time went on the ‘chilling’ cape’s visits, and less common visits from Hephaestus himself also thrown into the mix, would see her begin to improve in her demeanor some more. In her own words about it all, as said years later: “He [Glacier] was a hardass from Day One, and honestly I had no idea why he’d ever come see or talk to a stupid punk like me. But he just kept it up, even when I was silent and didn’t respond or even care, and eventually it kinda clicked in my head…that’s just how he is. Social skills of a dead rat, heh, but he meant every little corny-ass bit of what he was saying to me.
Almost no one else wanted to even get close to me back then, even with plenty of guards around and armed and ready to send my brains onto the wall, at least at first. Not that I really blamed em’ for doing so..but in the end I ended up talkin’ to the guy eventually. I even talked some to old man Heph later on.”
It would take a long time to work toward it, but once she began to open up more she would eventually make contact again with her parents. Not that it would be an easy process. She would likewise eventually start talking to the PRT therapists and such, even if bit by bit. In time a legal bargain long-term was offered to her, giving information on the Mutants in return for leniency and other things, and this offer would be accepted by her after some consideration. It ensured her some kind of future, even one she frankly felt was less-than-deserved by a longshot, as well her information leading to a good number of arrests and successes against the Mutants back in Redline. But if there was one thing she knew for sure…no, this wasn’t going to be the end. That much the cape did get across to her at the very least. But the deal, and helping against the Mutants with that information, was at least a first step in her mind.
Even so, her containment was maintained still due to her legal status and so forth as determined by the courts and the PRT itself. Yet despite this certain restrictions would be relaxed, mostly over the long-term for good behavior and after proper approvals were made, over the course of the next three years. One part of these boons she acquired was use of a prepared ‘practice room’ arranged for her training, exercise, and so forth, which seemed to help her relax more as well as gave the PRT further insight into her capabilities and potential countermeasures against her to boot. There was even at times Glacier’s participation (even Hephaestus’ own participation distinctly much more rarely in such cases) that would be allowed in this room for limited ‘sparring’ matches or other approved tests under proper and full PRT supervision. She likewise would receive further education, helping her to catch up properly to her peers in terms of ‘getting an education’ as well.
For the first time in her life, she was being nothing but ‘herself’ and felt like it for the first time in a long time. Or perhaps, rather, she was realizing it all for the first time as well.
With the long-term maintenance of generally-good behavior during her time under PRT custody, and accepting the legal bargain, her prospects were noticeably improved. Yet it also took three long, arduous, and hard-fought years of progress for her to get to such a better spot. No small amount of effort required…and a constant reminder of her situation each and every day she woke up and got out of bed. Guards still around, containment still in place, sleeping and living out of a transparent reinforced containment cell at all times, and even having an ankle bracelet attached to her as a redundancy measure. Etc. At the same time, however, things had gotten better in other ways. Her parents talked to her again. She had at least two capes, Glacier (mostly) and ‘old man Heph’ (to a lesser extent) who interacted with her. She even had room to move and learn and try to make herself into something better to boot, but something that was all ‘her’ this time, and she would work hard toward that end indeed.
Yet a few months ago things would begin to oddly change once more. Notable at first was the sudden disappearance of Glacier and Hephaestus with the formation of the Redline Guardians in Redline itself a few months ago. Then came the presentation of future options for her, among which was a new and current offer for the time being to join the Wards Initiative. It would get her back out in the world again, even if back into Redline, but it wasn’t as if she’d simply be walking in the front doors of the place either on her first day. No, even after she ended up accepting the offer on her end certain measures would be needed regarding her there due to both her ‘legal/criminal status’ and certain local matters regarding her and the Muants back in Redline proper.
Power:
{{Classification: Changer (Can’t Think Of A Designation Number For This Classification Or Such RIP)}}
Changer Form: A slender, smooth, curvaceous, beautiful she-devil/succubus that is deceptively pleasing to the eye indeed. Exotic as well, even having an exotic-colored very deep blue skin color, jet black hair, and black-colored eyes with bloody-crimson-red-colored pupils in them. This form is distinctly dangerous, however.
Instead of fingernails at the tip of each finger, each finger transforms into a tough and razor-sharp claw on the end. Same at the end of each toe instead of toenails. Likewise has a long, slim, deceptively very sharp, and whiplike tail with a finely well-tapered point on the end. Also has a singular upward-pointing or forward-pointing pair of usable horns. Teeth are also sharp and capable of rending flesh just as easily.
Due to the Fang transform, however, these aspects of her Changer form undergo a unique effect. When she enters her Changer form, these 'natural weapons' start off in a weaker state. While her other abilities are still active and unchanging after the initial shift is over, though, once in a combative setting her natural weapons and fighting instincts hone in and sharpen up over the course of a battle. In other words, these aspects of her Changer form start off weaker, but grow exponentially threatening quickly as they change, develop, and literally sharpen and become more and more potent over the course of a fight. This means in a shorter battle she is still useful, but she's even more vicious and far more dangerous in a longer drawn-out conflict.
This form has incredible if not unbelievable mobility, basically able to overcome anything in terms of mobility save for outright flying. No surface is too hard to cross at all for her, whether it be skittering/climbing up walls rapidly, leaping between surfaces or airborne objects or positions rapidly, or so forth.
She is likewise faster and nimbler and quicker than any natural human, at least, outside of those Parahumans with the sort of enhanced perception and speed/reaction time powers/skills who could keep up. It is good to note she isn't "The Flash", though, or some kind of superhuman mega/super-speedster or such.
Has skin that, akin to a cuttlefish or octopus or such, can rapidly ripple to change color, texture, and to some lesser extent/degree shape and rigidity, in order to have active camo going that can be kept up to blend in with the environment best.
Allows for abrasive surfaces on the body that can be weaponized, sharpened points instead of nails or claws that are made rigid and can pierce or slice like talons.Can also use this for things like making the skin rough/coarse/sharper using this as well alongside the rippling change in texture, basically making it grazing or cutting or even worse against people without enhanced durability on contact….especially when combined with higher speeds she can move at and the force that comes with that. Can further use this to reinforce/enforce the skin to add some increased toughness/durability, or do things like make the skin incredibly slick (causing attacks to slide off, getting into hard-to-reach places, etc to that end).
Has no scent, and her skin fully hides her thermal signature/body heat so she doesn't show up on infrared camera/infrared imaging/thermal or infrared sensors.
Has some increased durability compared to normal humans due to the Fang Transform, but mostly just sees an increase in lethality potential from it.
Changer Skin(s): Deep x Finesse
Deep: Non-identity, in the ill-defined or incorrect self images. Includes abstract dreams or notions of who they are, clinging to warped perspective, or coasting through life letting a clique decide Self.
Deep skins are stealthy, with a variety of subtler ‘tricks’. Misleading or subdued appearances.
Finesse skins emphasize speed and dexterity, and tend to be slender and aesthetically pleasing.
Changer Transformation: Fang
Change happens as part of a fight and/or grants form focused on natural weapons. Triggers involve I.D. crisis from imminent danger.
Skills:
Fighting/Combat - Having spent years in a gang, and with the evidence of her own myriad scars, she’s seen an amount of battle indeed. Cops, other gangs, other parahumans, she’s been put through the gambit and survived. From her experience, mentoring in the gang, and so forth, she’s a generally pretty competent and seasoned fighter and combatant from the hardest parts of Redline. Hand to hand, the use of knives and improvised weapons, and even firearms are all very familiar to her within the realm of fighting and combat.
At the same time she isn’t like some 50 year old martial arts master, or professional soldier returned from a war, and there is definitely always room for improvement. However, her skills here are entirely practical, mentored, and honed from years of experience.
Exercise/Parkour - Had she managed to avoid joining a gang, she might have very well opened a gym or parkour-running group of her own one day. This is the phrase to best summarize her dedication and skills regarding this area, which has even included boxing and punching bags used for exercise purposes on the side. It’s also her favorite go-to for ‘venting some steam’ and stress-relief purposes. She is no bodybuilder or such, nor planning to ever be one, but in the practical sense it is all something she’s very good at personally and makes well-practiced and good use of.
First Aid - A skill she gained minimal practical knowledge from her time spent in the gang, but got formal training on in the last three years as well at her eventual request. Combined this has made her generally pretty competent in this area of things, both educationally and practically alike.
Sneaking/Stealth - Smuggling contraband past security, moving about as quietly as possible, hiding from notice when being hunted down, sneaking up on people, kidnapping, petty and major theft, pickpocketing, and even kidnapping are things that she’s gained years of experience in and involvement/mentoring with from within the Mutants prior…things that she can apply even now as a Ward at least. Not things she’s proud of, but has determined to continue to hone and make use of for the purpose of good as a Ward as well. Mostly involved in how this works on the street level, though the extent of said skills brings into question just how much she was actually involved with and ended up doing during her gang years indeed…
Her body is very well-built, but not overly bodybuilt or such, and is very solid and hardy in both terms of strength, pain tolerance, and stamina.
Other:
Spicy food, Thai food, Japanese, and Chinese-American foods are among her very favorites to eat. Picked up learning a few small words in Chinese alongside it from some of the local eateries to boot. She even knows how to use chopsticks after years of being self-taught and being given pointers here and there at the places she’s been to eat.
Height = 5’10”/177.8cm
Does not know how to pick a lock to save her life.
Owns a simple but beautiful snowflake pendant she often wears. A gift from someone Glacier in the past, perhaps?
...
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-Secondary File Search Completed-
-PRT Authentication Recognized: Welcome Back, Director Fukada-
A Changer was likewise found at the scene, or “Subject #074”, sitting in the room where it has been ascertained that the Mutants once tortured people to try to induce trigger events artificially. She was unresponsive to most, and few were willing to approach with a severed head sitting next to her, but she easily stood up and came along just as quietly when the known Redline cape known as “Glacier” told her to come along with him.
Next most importantly, a letter addressing [REDACTED] from Stone was later identified as one of the victims at the scene. As a right-hand-man of upper management of the Mutants and Stone himself, we theorize [REDACTED] was present at the building to collect any ‘successful’ subjects as indicated by a letter found at the scene, or rather in this case a singular predicted success case.
The letter read as follows-
"T,
Message received. Be sure to handle this batch more professionally; I've tolerated your vices for now, but I need results, not broken goods. If you fail to deliver, I can ensure much worse than payment docking. This goes doubly so after your recent follies, and even moreso given your 'hunch' of something quality among this group. If they prove to be as invaluable as you believe, you are to take them directly to me after the process, and I will know if you did anything unnecessary.
Additionally, dispose of the rejects in a more clean manner than previously; The Elementals have picked up a trail, and I'm sure we both understand what that means for our operations. I pray I need not make myself any clearer. I look forward to your success, and prepare myself for your potential failure. Do not disappoint.
S."
It seems theories about [REDACTED]’s power as a Thinker were close to the mark. He would have visions of people who would trigger, but they were likely vague in nature for the most part. Limited in scope. But with his personal involvement, and this letter, it confirms that he could narrow down specific individuals using his power at times. He was not able to entirely realize the specifics of what would happen, however, but it seems general information or conditions involved in it could be predicted potentially as well.
In this particular case, Stone himself seems to have had a vested interest in the subject and wanted [REDACTED] to bring her to him once she was ‘finished’ becoming a parahuman. What [REDACTED] saw to cause such a reaction is unclear, and further evidence is unavailable. However, it seems [REDACTED] did not foresee being in the middle of the predicted violent outburst that occurred once the subject triggered.
[When] the Changer discovered at the scene transformed back eventually, roughly [REDACTED] later after initial confinement at [REDACTED], over the course of the next three days name and identity were able to be ascertained as the subject seemed to stir back into a responsive state. Initial struggles to get the subject to respond to initial questioning was evident, and initial psychoanalysis suggests that trigger-related trauma has left the subject in a state. Hence caution was taken in approaching the subject, though due to time and situational constraints had to be pushed for other reasons.
Upon acquisition of Subject #074’s testimony and evidence from the scene, she and her two parents have been thusly moved into PRT custody. In particular the security concerns regarding the subject led to the transfer being redirected from [REDACTED] to [REDACTED] in [REDACTED] for observation and subject containment due to the subject’s younger age. Such has also been done for protection, moving them far from Redline itself after PRT agents got word of a direct hit called out on the subject by the Mutants leadership shortly after the events of that day.
Further, after the subject became responsive enough to questioning some time after initial containment, we were able to get a testimonial of the events from her. According to her personal account of what happened after she triggered, as recorded by [REDACTED]:
“[It was] like all [she] could see was red. Bloody red. [She] could still remember the sound of gunshots, screams, cries, everything. [She] had been a fool, some [censored] idiot who had no idea who she was or where she was going and acted on the one thing [she] wanted most of all in that moment after triggering and transforming: Not to die. Not to become another blood smear on the armed guard sent to bring [her] in.
Because [she] wasn’t going to die…they were. It was one or the other. That’s what it felt like at the time.
By the time [she] came back to [herself], it was all over….limbs, bodies, everything splayed out all over the floors and on the ground. Hell, some of it on the walls and ceiling. A [censored] mess, but in the end [she] was finally safe…and then just sat down in the middle of it all and zoned out until suddenly someone else [she] didn’t know was there requesting [her] to come along.”
It would be confirmed there were no survivors who managed to flee the scene, present there or called in otherwise, though an attempt to run away by some was made according to ‘evidence’ found outside the building by arriving PRT forces, police, and accompanying members of the Elementals.
Once the subject transformed back eventually, name and identity were able to be ascertained and the subject’s family were rapidly taken into custody as well. Medical treatment was also applied at such a time as well for the subject for a number of minor injuries sustained prior to the event.
In accordance with PRT policy [REDACTED], the subject and her family have been thusly moved to Site [REDACTED] in [REDACTED] at [REDACTED] for observation and subject containment due to the subject’s younger age. Such has also been done for protection, moving them far from Redline itself after PRT agents got word of a direct hit called out on the subject by the Mutants leadership shortly after the events of that day.
Subject Recommendations
It is recommended the subject be kept in confinement for the foreseeable future, despite exhibiting initial cooperation thus far since her initial containment, and placed under strict observation and guard at her current location. Threat level of the subject has been determined to be and designated as: [REDACTED], and thus the proper security measures and caution should be used in accordance with PRT guidelines. Further interrogation of the parents for further information on the subject is recommended in turn, alongside careful examination of the subject by PRT psychological staff at said location to determine any further potential risks.
This ends the primary short-term list of recommendations.
Long term recommendations for the subject are as follows:
Should the subject maintain a cooperative manner with the PRT, it is recommended to further interrogate the subject regarding Mutants activities in Redline with the usual package of legal leniency in return for valuable enough information from the subject. Knowledge of Mutants activities in this area of Redline has been scarce in recent years, and could result in further advancement of anti-gang activities in the area.
Should the subject cease cooperation or prove a threat, guidelines for her designated threat level. If such persists, potential detention at [REDACTED] upon reaching an older age is recommended strongly.
However, a further request was made at the time of writing this report. Glacier, the cape who escorted the subject off of the scene, has requested visitation with the subject in the future. After review of the request, this has been given tentative primary approval and will be sent to [REDACTED] for a more long-term consideration at the persistence of Glacier in turn. History with such visitation requests should be considered, however, and thus with this weighted against the subject further this request for long-term visitations is recommended for secondary approval in turn.”
“Woah, lass, someone ever tell ya ye talk too much?”
The nervous moth girl's face began to turn beet red, deeper and deeper so until her hands came up to hide her face. It was a nerve-wracking situation, and she....oh by the gods and goddesses she had let her mothy mouth run. She had no idea how this was supposed to go! She was just here to try to help, trying her best at things with no idea of how this cloak and dagger type of thing worked. Unless Lissa or Eirhild had some secret skills in this, really, it could be said perhaps all three of them were out some of their depth in all of this.
At the same time, though, she would try to control her breathing like her mother had taught her to do. In. Out. In and out. Focus on the goal in front of you. Don't let the nerves get too much.
"S-Sorry...and Eirhild is right. That would work too as a plan."
Nylah gave an apologetic, and trying to be more friendly, smile back at Novak.
"Truth be told this is not something I'm experienced with, but I am an apprentice herbalist and know some magic. But we couldn't just leave you and Mie and everyone else to suffer here either. So while there's only three of us, it really is all we could spare from Dawn to come here."
Her tone took on a slightly more sad tinge. It wasn't the best case scenario for sure...for all she knew, Mie and them expected a full array of hunters or a war party to come to their rescue. As she'd said prior, she couldn't imagine what Novak and them had been through by this point. At least Haruno was ok, but even so it was only a minor bit of good news at best unless they could get the rest of Mie's people out of there.
Nylah hoped that Lissa was having better lucking getting information and such, or at least doing better than her own rambling mess she'd just managed to pull off prior. Ugh.
***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.
***
***
***
-Acquired Lore/World Knowledge:
***Yaga Deity + Yaga Perspective On Rifelshka -
and slowly running her thumb across it. “It doesn’t have a name. Our deity, that is. We just know he exists and is the reason we survived the Moonless Era.” She’d pass it to Nylah for her to hold. “As for The Death goddess…” She lowered her voice, briefly glancing over her shoulders despite there being quite obviously no one else in the cabin. “We say the rest of the gods are lesser spirits born from our nameless deity when he fell from the heavens, his body was formed into these lesser Spirits. But the Death Goddess? She existed before him and if you believe the elder, had a direct hand in creating the Moonless Era and seeks to kill our deity once more. That’s all I’m saying.” She’d fall silent, seemingly nervously scratching the back of her head. “Uh, sorry I’m gonna take a walk. Hate talking about this, but one more thing. Do not mention her name here, outsider. That’s a good way to get every Yaga to want you to leave. Say she hears every time her name is spoken and we don’t want to try any attention from her.”
***Why the Krysa are at the Yaga Village and are attacking Mie -
Something has the Krysa spooked.” A brusque reply the Yaga ignored the snow starting to fall, leading the three towards a small house towards the middle of the village. “Someone trying to attack one of their wisemen or something? I dunno. They blame that merchant that travels through here around this time.”
***About Novak:
First, I know that I don't look the part of one of Mie's people. I originally wasn't- I was just some nobody that her caravan picked up, and she was gracious enough to allow me to earn a living working for her. She sent me to sneak out since I'm neither an Oni nor a Chagawa human, thus they have no reason to suspect that I'm with her."
***Mie's Caravan Situation Information As Acquired from Novak:
"I presume Haruno already filled you in as to what our situation is. Nothing's changed since she left- we're still holding out, but our food is running low and we need to get this resolved one way or the other. However, I did manage to learn some rather interesting things on my way here. The Krysa woman you saw me with, Lady Marushka, is with the Office of Internal Peace. She's acting on direct orders from the Tsarita herself, hunting some "person of interest" in the snowfields. I also overheard a mention from her guards about the life of someone important being threatened. Sir something...Ost...no...Osh...Ozven, that's it. Sir Ozven, they said."
***
***
***
-{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 one total healing pots remaining now. Also now has four three 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.
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
'One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.'
Seems she hadn't been the only one with the idea to try to deal with the armless girl's attempt to get into their backlines. And yet at the same time...she was deceptively seemingly defenseless in hindsight, yet was actually far less so when it came down to it. For what it was worth in getting those hits in to deal damage to her, all the draconic swordswoman got in return was chomped down on like bamboo in a panda's mouth.
She could ignore a lot of things that had happened so far, and had done so simply to keep up the fight. But at the same time-
Crush
Crack
Crunch
-the pain was moderately intense. Like her bones and flesh and skin were being chewed on by flat molars, not even being given the courtesy of being chopped off by the front teeth or something. She couldn't run, though, and so she began to sink down into the ground itself. Teeth were grit as she forced her mouth to stay shut despite the pain of getting slowly ground up by the twisted variation on a little yellow brick road. By the time she got to her thighs, the swordswoman had prepared to cut herself off at the thighs in order to escape and teleport away.
And then more help arrived, mainly in the form of some large golem man thing that began to crush the brick-teeth she was trapped and sinking into.
SMASH
SMASH
SMASH
She didn't even so much as bat an eye at Akhenaten's presence, she'd seen far far far worse in her nightmares alone, but once she was helped out and the golem intercepted some projectile attack sent at them she let out a small sigh of admittedly restrained relief. She looked up at the large black golem and gave a nod to it. Her cracked and rather injured legs likewise attempted to steady her body to stand, albeit being forced to use her abnormally long sword and enough spit, grit, and force of will to do so as well. Not that she batted much an eye at it, despite the ultimately reflexive winces of pain that came over her in the process.
"Thanks for the save. Would offer to play a game of senet as thanks, but with this problem here that offer of mine will have to be saved for later I'm afraid.
Right now, its time to crush this pest."
Her tone was rather formal and cordial despite the circumstances, though as the Angel of Hope's reinforcement magic would make standing up normally much more viable for Kiyome in turn. She would note the woman with the glowing gun's presence as well, but would merely give a small and silent nod to her rather than speak. Instead, her primary attention was on the little armless girl, not bound by vines but now damaged and encapsulated in a barrier akin to the one protecting the town.
Was this barrier going to block them from attacking? If so that'd be a truly sad and silly state of affairs, but if it was permeable somehow then they'd have a shot at this at least. Especially for what she was going to do to that little gi-...that monster now. Because she had just the thing in mind for bad little girls wandering in from wonderland and causing trouble like this. Something that well befit someone who stepped into her warzone on her watch and tried to crush her legs.
Focusing silently back on the armless girl, now standing outside of the trap once more, Kiyome would focus her breathing, raise her blade, and channel her mana once more for another attack. She would then start to move and swing her sword, before suddenly seeming to disappear again out of the blue mid-movement. She did not so much as touch the golden road again with her feet, though she'd reappear once more with her blade already mid-swing behind the armless girl without so much as making a noise. No battle cry, no nothing.
As the old queen of hearts had said...
OFF
WITH
HER
HEAD!!!
And so the single-strike focused assault attack in this instance was aimed to mightily and more potently take off the head of the armless girl. A single blow with enough mana focused into it to put it up to the task. Nothing on the level of a Killing Blow, but it was certainly not as small-potatoes attack by any stretch of the imagination.
Meanwhile, if any conjured minions Kiyome had summoned prior were even left by this point they'd just keep just going on and tearing through any and every enemy they could.
Despite Lilly and the other girl having seemingly ignored her, the other strange help now running around to grab civilians from houses was welcome enough in Eliana's eyes. Indeed, Oliver's clones and Six would find her giving a nod to them before motioning for them to follow her to the particular place she'd mentioned. House Four. At the rate things were going, only two houses being left was definitely a vast improvement compared to the pace they'd been making prior. Hopefully getting to Four, and getting past the rubble blocking Six, would finish the last two houses with any amount of time at all to spare. Anything they could use to try to get the civilians out of Bolorton and somewhere safe.
She also hoped that Kiyome was ok. Tough as the strange monster girl was and put herself up to be, she wasn't immort-...well, technically they were immortal. But she didn't want her to die regardless!
Thus Eliana would push herself to continue assisting, not stopping to rest until all the houses were cleared and she was back with the rest of the rescuers at the bunker again.
Perfect Life, Shinespark, Mystic Might | Vow of Humanity, Excommunication
STR: 3 | AGI: 3 | VIT: 4 | MAG: 4 | LCK: 3
STR: 5 | AGI: 10 | VIT: 9 | MAG: 23 | LCK: 7
Coins: 2 silver
Thank the Beacon itself that Aurelio was there. Not that he wasn't being a bit of a showman in it all, but that was the charm of it in her mind. Still, it was admittedly a small surprise of being suddenly teleported to where they needed to be next. The former horror knew Vivianne would be ok back there, likely would head back to tidy things in her room, but still Serenity blinked a couple of times in her surprise after touching down. Yet in the end she would relax as Aurelio began to pack up the mobile gate, her brows furrowing as the matter of how long the trip would take came up.
"I can use my magic to buff the vehicle, at least, to help us travel faster. It should be enough to help expedite us to Bolorton a little faster."
Yet even as she spoke, a small chill ran down the maid magical girl's back. Something felt...wrong out there. In the distance. Familiar, but also not at the same time. Shaking it off as best as she could, however, all Serenity needed was for them to get inside of the vehicle and she could try to help them get on-location as fast as she could with her magic. At least that would hopefully be something to help them along.
Otherwise, she did hope somewhat that she wouldn't get squished in a seat next to Hyun.
The former monster queen was indeed a former major monster threat, thinking back on the events of the 'Rave', but likewise the former horror herself hadn't held it against Hyun either. Serenity herself had been something far, far worse, and now honestly they were both purified humans and magical girls fighting for Beacon proper as allies. What was wrong with that? Or rather, well, Serenity wished there wasn't anything wrong with that. In truth, what had happened at HQ was only a facet of how others probably still felt about her really. She could feel it in her bones, felt it in her mind like it was simply just a fact of life. So in the case someone not as worse-off as her came along from a similar-type background, it wasn't hard to imagine at all that they might join in on the pointing a finger at her just to 'fit in' or blend in better as it were. Then again, the outfit wasn't helping anything and she knew that. Hadn't been her choice of new outfit either, but that of the Red Coin she'd used. Not anything she'd batted an eye at personally for the most part, though as long as a certain name wasn't mentioned during all of this then she felt they'd be fine.
Whatever the case was in matters, they had to make haste. The mission came first, and frankly being around friends was something the bunny maid magical girl was happy for.
Xaltwind
Pickled Piper
Snowdrops
BurningCold
Megatron
Fallenreaper
Zapdos
Spiffy
dwyer austin
The Otter
